Ace Attorney X Reader One Shots Vol. 2

Unlearning (Phoenix x Reader)

Unlearning (Phoenix x Reader)

No One's Pov:

Phoenix walked through the graveyard, the dead grass crunching under his feet. (Y/n) was at home, sleeping comfortably under warm blankets. He stopped in front of a grave. The writings on the stone were faint but still readable.

(D/n) (L/n)
19xx-20xx
Rest In Peace

This was (Y/n)'s father's grave.

Phoenix sighed before speaking, "I know you don't know me but I just need to get some things off my chest. She's told me about you. About the things you've done to her." He paused, "...And all I want to know is, how could you treat your own daughter like that? She tells me how chunks of her childhood are just black spots of nothingness as a way of forgetting the pain you caused her." He was angry.

"She told me you never hurt her physically, as if being hit with a belt or a bare hand was ok! But I'll be damned if you didn't hurt her mentally. She remembers you calling her a liar and threatening her. And you didn't just threaten her once. The threat was always there." He took a deep breath, "She was only 10 years old when you pulled her by her hair to punish her. 16 when you threatened to beat her for not doing the dishes. What kind of father does that? Because you aren't one."

"And it wasn't just you. Her mother was an even bigger part of this. She enabled you. (Y/n) would go to her, show her the bruises, tell her about the threats, and what does she do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She told her 'You know he's bipolar and he can't control that.' She made her think that you could get away with everything you did because 'he's bipolar, so it's ok.'  It's not ok!"

"Having a mental illness does not give you the right to abuse your daughter! Your own family even! She told me how her sisters tried to defend her from your wrath, but you always found a way. Calling her oldest sister a whore, kicking out her other sister, leaving her to suffer alone." He growled, "Sometimes, I find her crying in the bedroom, mumbling about how it's no wonder why she started hating herself. You made her feel small, insignificant, and worthless."

He continued, "And yes, you did some good things too. You made sure she was fed, clothed, and had a roof over her head, but you weren't there for her. You were a shadow. A ghost. A shell of the person you could've been. The times that she needed you the most, you weren't there! When she was bullied by two senior girls on the first day of high school, you did nothing. She told you they called her fat, ugly, and said no one would ever love her. And you told her to ignore them. That reacting was just rewarding them." He sat on the grass.

"She was 13! She learned that disconnecting and isolating herself was the only way to stop the pain. And once that didn't work? Then she thought that hurting herself was the answer. She needed you and you weren't there. Each day was a waiting game, predicting what mood you would come home in. Most of the time it was anger. She'd hide in her room, listening to you yell and slam doors until you eventually found her."

"Then, you'd threaten her more, making her shake and tremble, as if you got some sick kick from knowing she feared you. She never fully saw you as a person. She says she remembers once or twice in her childhood when you let her see you as a person. She learned that crying was a negative emotion. That it was weak. She just wanted you to love and accept her and you couldn't even do that. You judged her, telling her that she was a terrible person because she hung out with bad people who did terrible things." He scoffed.

"She didn't have any friends besides me when you told her this. I don't care what you think of me but I think the world of your daughter. And you know what? She's gotten help. She's slowly unlearning all things you taught her. She let's herself cry without feeling weak. She's learned that it's ok to be angry if someone hurts you. And most importantly, she's learned that's it's ok to ask for help if you're in a bad situation. She wants to forgive you, but she can't when she cries herself to sleep at night from just the thought of you."

He stood up, "And I hope, where ever you are, you've realized where you went wrong and you've made peace with your mistakes." With that, he stood and made his way out of the cemetery, a weight lifted off of his once heavy shoulders.

A/N: I know this one got particularly heavy, but please know, that if you want to talk, I'm here. There are many people who have lived through these situations or are still living in them. You don't have to comment here. You can dm me if you want to. I promise I will answer no matter what. And thank you for reading this chapter.