Ace Attorney: Fading Bloodlines

Turnabout From the Sky, Part 18 (Cotoli)

After the trial, I bolted for Polly and Anton. Polly was crying for the first time since I met her back in GC-9 a few years ago. She wrapped her arms around me, her tears falling onto my shoulder. "You had better not do that ever again," she choked out through her tears.

I hugged her back, keeping her as close as I could. "I won't. I promise," I assured her. "I'm not that bad of a husband."

Polly let out a few strained laughs. I could tell that she really wasn't in the mood to be talking about this topic quite yet. Maybe in fifty years. She'll be ready by then, I bet.

"I missed you D-Daddy," Anton told me, joining in on the pile of happy, hugging family members.

"I missed you more," I said with a wide smile.

"T-that's not p-possible," Anton said, shaking his head. I stroked him gently. I was happy to be back together with the rest of my family... I had missed them. I had disappeared just a few months after the wedding, and that must hurt a woman.

Even if that woman is as tough as Polly.

"I feel really bad, though... I didn't get to prosecute that awful husband of yours," Polly muttered.

I hugged her a little bit tighter. "It's okay. I know that you would have given him your all if you had the chance," I said.

"But that might have been the big case that I actually won," Polly whispered. She was starting to blush. She always looked really happy like that...

"I bet that it would be great," I smiled. "If you want, we can talk about how wonderful and beautiful it would be in the car on the way back home."

I hadn't gone home in months... It would feel great to follow that familiar route all the way back to the home I share with Polly, Anton, and Chrysalis.

I felt a subtle vibration in my pocket, making me gasp slightly. I pulled out my phone and switched it on, waiting to see what it was.

Chrysalis: Finally catching up with my mom. We made up after all these years. I'll be home later tonight, okay?

"Chrysalis is out with her mom for the first time in a full sixteen years," I told Polly and Anton. "We can talk about the trial that would happen before she gets back and present our ideas to her when she arrives home."

"Why does this sound like so much fun?" Polly asked, raising an eyebrow. She smiled happily, making me really happy. Her smile always lit up a room, making me feel like there might be a little bit of meaning in my life after all of the torture I've faced in years past.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"I-I'm so happy y-you're back!" Anton cut in. He hugged me once again. I ran my fingers through his hair. I missed doing this with him. He was so cute like this... My favorite little adopted son. My favorite little family, if you want the full truth.

"I missed you both, too. You guys are the best family that a guy like me could ask for," I confessed. "I love you both, along with the rest of our happy little family, more than anything else in this world."

"Well, happy family minus your terrible father. Nobody likes him," Polly declared. "I hope that this wasn't one of those situations where you have to talk to the father of your partner before taking them out... Because I'm not having a spirit medium channel a maniac like that guy. That's just a setup for death, isn't it?"

"It's mean t-to say that y-you don't like y-your family..." Anton squeaked. "B-but I'm s-sure that we can m-make an exception j-just this one time..."

"I'm sure that we can," Polly smiled. She pulled us both into a hug and pecked us both on the cheek. I missed getting kisses from her...

"Are we ready to go now?" Anton asked.

I nodded. "I'm pretty sure. I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to get out of here. I'm not fond of staying somewhere after I was accused of murder there," I told them. "Not only that, but having to survive the trial that follows it."

"I've never been accused of murder before, and I don't plan on it anytime soon. It sounds awful just to look at the defendant's chair," Polly declared.

"You don't w-want to be there... It's h-happened to me a lot..." Anton whispered. I could tell that he was having flashbacks to when he had been arrested in the past. I've lost count of how many times he's been sitting in the defendant's chair for the full duration of a trial. I bet that's a bad thing...

"Accused of murder or not, let's get out. If we stay much later, the sun might start to set, and I hate being here at night," I confessed nervously.

"It's not even three, Cotoli. No need to have your QS-5 flashbacks just yet," Polly said with a gentle roll of her eyes, but I could tell that she was joking as opposed to teasing me.

"I-if you two are d-done fighting like a-an old married c-couple... C-can we go h-home?" Anton stammered nervously.

My face went red at being called part of an old married couple with Polly in it. Sure, I've been married to her for a few months now, but I still loved being called her husband...

"Let's all go, then," Polly smiled. She took my hand with a happy grin. I took Anton's hand on the other side and led them out of the courthouse, smiling all the way.

After all of this, I felt like things were starting to look up for real. After the past two months, everything was going to be okay in the end. I guess that our bloodlines weren't going to fade away like I thought they would for so long...

Speaking of bloodlines, I'm pretty sure that Ghastly would be pleasantly surprised when he heard the news about his family.

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anybody who has ever met me knows that I love this so much

it was really cute and also foreshadowing for the sora chapter

im so hyped and want to type it but its like 10:30 and i have hell tomorrow

-Digital