Unpopular Ace Attorney Ships

Phoenix x Franziska von Karma

How?! This man. This FOOLISH man. How could he best me so many times!

I grit my teeth and snarl. I catch myself in the mirror sitting on my desk and sigh, more dramatic than I intended, and rub my temples. I never thought a man such as Phoenix Wright would aggravate me so, but he does. He gets under my skin in the most annoying way possible and despite everything I do to get ahead, doing my upmost to be perfect in everything, he somehow gets away and leaves me in the dirt.

I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate—

"Franziska?"

I startle and look up to meet a pair of heterochromatic eyes looking at me with undeserved concern, their blue and brown complexion regarding me in a soft manner. Though his suit was crisp and kept and his hair full of spikes, his whole demeanour was simple and tender. The hatred in my heart flares at the sight of him, but the longer he stares at me the more I feel it dwindling away. My efforts in containing and reviving that twisted feeling were all for nought.

"What do you want?" I hiss out.

"I... um... I was wondering..."

Seriously, how could this bumbling and foolish man stand up to me in court? I don't understand nor do I think I'll ever understand, just as much as I'll never understand how he lo—

"—coming out soon?"

"... Pardon?"

"I was wondering if you were coming out soon. It's past 6 o'clock and I was waiting in—"

I let out another sigh, more subtle than before. "I'll be out soon. Please, give me a moment."

He smiles again and I have the urge to hide my cheeks; I never thought red suited me. Scowling, I order him out of the office and take a deep breath as soon as the door closes. It made no sense to me how he managed to worm his way into my life. Maybe not worm but elephanted his way into my perfectly normal life.

'Elephanted'? That man's foolishness is starting to rub off on me. It's a most terrible case and I had feared what foolishness my older brother had contracted from that foolish detective would soon affect me. Little did I know it would come from the very man who vexed not only and my brother but the whole of the prosecutors office!!

My phone buzzes with a new message: Is everything ok?

I quickly send a message back then proceed to pack my things. Though studious I may be and relentless with my investigations when I'm on a case, I travel lightly with only current reports and case files that require my immediate attention. I'm not fond of working at home and even more so when I have plans arranged for the evening.

Phoenix is waiting for me outside. Neither of us drive and I had ordered my personal driver to take the night off, so he walked me home. While 6 PM wasn't by any means a late time, there were very few people on the streets who would bother to take notice of us which is how I prefer it. Holding his hand, it reminds me to appreciate the small moments I have with him outside the court of law. With his ever-growing popularity and my busy schedule, finding time for each other has been tough. Our dinner reservation was meant for 6:30 but if I could, if I really could, I would delay it and any future appointments to spend more time with him now, hand in hand with flushed cheeks not entirely by fault of the cold.

We arrived at the restaurant and had ordered our dinner alongside some wine when I noticed Phoenix had been staring at me. He didn't seem to notice my staring back at him, inspecting his face and wondering how easy it was for him to smile. His glass sat with only a sip taken out of it. "What are you smiling about, Phoenix?"

"Nothing," he replies distractedly. "Well, not nothing but..."

"But what?"

His smile grows but he doesn't immediately answer. I was caught between wanting to wait and needing an answer, so I was completely unprepared when he eventually continued. "No, it's just... You look beautiful when you smile."

There was nowhere and nothing I could do to hide my surprise. This man. This FOOLISH man. I stare down at the empty space between my cutlery. How dare he say something so... so... casually...

"Haha! Sorry, Franziska!" In typical Phoenix Wright-style, he puts a hand to his neck and smiles sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself."

And there he goes, apologising straight after. Honestly, where he found the room to love me and why he does is a mystery I have no hope in understanding.

But I can try.

"It's okay, Phoenix." I smile, doing my best to keep my voice steady. I swirled the glass of wine in my hand to distract myself, taking in its aroma before admitting, "I like your compliments. Almost as much as I like you."

People often see me as a cruel and harsh woman. It's hard to refute them and say how much I do care for others especially those I work closely with. My work simply doesn't allow for our emotions to sit side by side with our jobs in upstanding the law: we are required to follow the judgement and rules as dictated by our government.

But from the way Phoenix's face turned red just from a simple line I gave and the soft gestures he makes when he's around me, I find myself forgetting the worries of life. I embrace the moments I share with him and the peace that comes from his most ordinary yet unordinary life. Quite the oxymoron but, then again, he's Phoenix Wright.

And I love him.