Oh yes, I'm on a spree. Inspiration bunnies are running wild!

Title: Fatherly Love
Author: One of my clones, of which I've already taken proper care of
Rating: All ages; very minor references to nudity
Genre: Family
Status: Completed (one shot)
Pairing: None; lots of father/daughter fluff
Summary: Trucy's down in bed with a cold, and Phoenix spends one of those half-sleepless nights taking care of her. He showers her with all the love a father can muster, and she, in turn, answers in kind. Lots of family fluff ensue.



"ACK-CHOO!"

The sneeze rang through the small bedroom. The young girl who had produced it was soundly asleep, hardly aware of what she had done. Her father, who during nights like this had a tendency to have very light sleep, was busy at work after hearing the sound, moping a handkerchief over her face, to pick up the specks of nose water, snot and drool that had shot everywhere, tired, but with a smile on his face. When he finished, he gave her a glance brimming with love, and bent down a little to kiss her forehead. This apparently startled her a bit, for she started moaning and eventually ended up half awake, her eyes merely half open. Taking in her surroundings, she noticed the older man sleeping beside her and saw the handkerchief he was holding. This made her smile and hug herself to his arm, not before scooping herself up and kissing him on the cheek, and letting out a very sleepy "Thanks, daddy". A quick glance through the window showed him it was almost morning. He ran his other hand through her hair before pulling her closer and snuggling her under his arm, wearing a smile himself.

Trucy had been sick with a cold since the day before, and ever since she had entered his life, she had developed the habit of being entirely unable to sleep at night if he wasn't lying down next to her. At first, this had proved to be a source of mental anguish ("how can I live with myself knowing that I'm sleeping on the same bed as an EIGHT-YEAR OLD GIRL?!"), but the years had sunk his fatherhood in, and by now he was pretty used to it. More than anything, this behavior sent him one very clear message: she loved him. She usually didn't like his friends, or her friends, or even her own brother to come by whenever she was ill, and yet she needed his presence, the figure of an adult that took care of her with what had become an expert hand by now. And how could he refuse such a simple wish to the girl that always brought a smile to his face ever since she had unintentionally invaded his life? He chuclked at the absurdity of the idea.

...Which made the little magician beside her look up, this time with slightly more alert eyes, and say in a low tone, "Whatcha laughing at, daddy?"

"Heh, it's nothing, honey. I was just remembering when you first came around to live with me... Remember that huge storm we had the day we had to go to the courthouse to file your adoption papers?"

"Oh yeah... Man, that was huge... And our umbrella ended up inside out with all the wind... Haha..."

"Yeah... I ended up having to take you to Edgeworth's office and having him ask his secretary to bring a couple of towels and a blower to dry you up."

"Haha, yeah, that was fun... I still remember Uncle Edgeworth's face when you were telling me he was my uncle, because he was like a brother to you or something..."

"Heh, that's true... I'm sure Edgeworth must have wanted to kill me right then and there... And then we got home later that day, and you started sneezing all over the house——"

"Oh yeah, 'cause of the rain, I fell down with a cold that day... That was pretty awful, my head was hurting so much..."

"And that's precisely what I was laughing at." He loved talking with his daughter of his behavior towards her — he'd discovered it proved to be a much productive way of bonding with her than merely acting like a rulemaker, and a rather easier way of knowing what he was doing right and wrong. "I must have looked ridiculous to you, jumping here and there, calling doctors right and left, and even buying the wrong medicine, heh."

"Come on, daddy, don't be so hard on yourself!" Trucy snuggled closer to her father. "True, you did look pretty clueless that time, and I still laugh when I remember that you managed to screw up the porridge and almost blew up the kitchen, but——"

"Hey!" Phoenix gave her a quick poke on the ribs, prying out a sudden surprised giggle from the young girl that widened his smirk. "We agreed on not ever mentioning that again, didn't we? Using that now is way below the belt, kiddo."

Trucy was certainly wide awake now, grinning. "But it's true! And besides, I've kept my promise of not saying it ever to Maya, or Pearly, or Uncle Edgeworth, or——"

Phoenix, while unable to wipe off the smile from his face, sighed in defeat and cut her short. "Alright, alright, you win. But at least I managed to get you Coldkiller For Kids in the end."

"Yeah, but that's because the nice grandpa at the drugstore told you to." She stuck out her tongue at her father, who rolled his eyes and for the second time in less than a minute, sighed, entirely defeated. His amused expression betrayed the mock hurtful voice in which he spoke next.

"Somehow, I think I shouldn't have brought this up. You're going to massacre me before we're done with it if it keeps running like this." His smile softened and he reached down to place a kiss on his daughter's forehead through her bangs. She giggled and rolled over, ending up with her father's arm under her neck and head. Instinctively, said arm shot up and hugged her.

"Nah, that's not gonna happen, daACK-CHOO!" The sneeze had cut her words short, but this time she'd picked up the handkerchief and quickly covered her nose and mouth before letting out. Phoenix gave an approving nod, before asking back, "And why is that?"

"Because even if you were the pits that day, you've gotten better with the years, right? I mean, sure, the first few colds, I ended up in bed for weeks, but now you manage to get me healthy right up in a few days, don't you?" He felt a growing warmth inside. Leave it to Trucy to pick anyone's mood up under any circumstances. Before he answered, though, a small alarm rang next to him.

"Oh, it's time for your medicine." He got up from the bed, and headed to the kitchen. This had the dual purpose of fetching his daughter's medication, and giving her the privacy of getting the shirt of her pajamas off alone and change it for something easier to handle for both of them, since for a few years now, he'd always bought her this cold ointment that really seemed to have an effect on her. He never really did trust those, but he had to admit this one had definitely helped her get better, and he'd kept buying it ever since he discovered its existence.

When he got back, with two pill bottles on one hand and a glass of water in the other, she was already up with one of what she'd named her "bedtime t-shirts" — baggy, comfortable t-shirts he'd gotten for her at a sale a few years ago that she'd deemed too comfortable to go out in them, and kept them to hang around the house and sleep in them ("Even though I've bought her pajamas for all her life", thought Phoenix in a bit of a mix of amusement and sarcasm). She'd already rubbed some of the paste on her chest, and was waiting for him to bring the stuff from the kitchen. Sitting next to her, he gave her a pill from one of the bottles, and taking one from the other, he dropped it into the water, where it immediately started dissolving itself in a very bubbly and sparkly reaction, which gave off a strong smell of orange — it was a suggestion from the grandpa at the pharmacy, a C-vitamin supplement that she'd grown quite fond of. She took the glass and the pill and downed them slowly, savoring the sparkly orange taste of the mix and putting the glass down on one of the side drawers when she finished.

"Now lie down, sweetheart." Phoenix had already opened the ointment, and was scooping some on his hands. Trucy placed her stomach flat against the bed, and pulled her t-shirt up, at which Phoenix frowned and admonished her with a slightly stern voice, pulling the cloth back down.

"Truce, I've told you, don't do that. If you keep being so open to everyone like that, anyone can take advantage of you——"

"Oh, daddy, come on, you're my daddy... Would you really do something bad to your cute little daughter just because she's half naked in front of you?", she shot back, turning her head to look at him and putting on her best puppy-dog eyes.

Phoenix sighed and shook his head and made a note for himself, '...No more leaving her alone with Maya OR Pearls. Damn wit's rubbing off on her.'

"Of course not, but even so, I have to keep reminding you. You never know what can happen one day." After saying this, his expression softened a little, and sliding his hands under her shirt, he started rubbing the thick paste on her back, to which she shivered a little.

"Coooooold... Brrrr..."

"Well, brace yourself, honey. It's a small sacrifice to see you nice and healthy in less time."

He massaged her back slowly, making sure the paste was evenly distributed on her white, slender back. True enough, she wasn't of his blood — but he could hardly be any prouder of her. She had grown up to be a beautiful young woman, and he had made sure he taught her the good stuff — honesty, discipline, and the value of family ties. He kept rubbing the ointment until his hands were starting to get numb, which was usually the point where her body had already absorbed the stuff. He pulled his hands out, and helping her up, they went to the restroom to wash their hands — after applying that stuff, it left a greasy feeling which neither of them was too keen to. Back in her bedroom, they got on the bed, half-sitting against the back panel, and Phoenix scooped the covers up. She was snuggled under his arm, her head on his chest, feeling his breath slowly moving her up and down — it had become a favorite pastime of hers when she was sick. They spent a few minutes in silence, and just before she drifted back to sleep, she heard his voice address her one last time.

"Sweetie?"

"Hm?"

"Have I... You know... Have I been a good dad to you?"

This was a strange question for him to make, which made her turn her head towards his face, which greeted her with a serious expression. He tried to hide it, but she could also sense a bit of worry in his eyes.

"...What?"

"Well... I've just been wondering... If I've done the right thing raising you, sweetie..."

Smiling, she pulled herself up and gave him a kiss on his forehead, grabbing him by the ears and pulling lightly, as if half-punishing him.

"You, daddy, have been the best daddy any girl could ever have. Ever since you started being my daddy, I can't think of any time where I've needed you and you haven't been there. So stop moping so much, 'cause you're my daddy, and that in itself should be an honor." Ah, there was that wit again. And yet, this time it made him smile.

And now it was her turn to feel a thought shoot through her head, and suddenly shadow her face a bit. "A-and... Have I been a good daughter to you, daddy? I mean, you had to take care of me so suddenly and stuff, and——"

But he cut her short by placing a single finger on her mouth, and making her look at his eyes, which were locked on hers in a loving look.

"Truce, that's not for me to judge. We parents are the ones that build our children in society, and one way or the other, it's only their future actions that show if a son or daughter was a good child or not. Kids only have to worry about one thing, and you have the advantage on it, since you don't even have to think about it."

"What's that?"

"Whether their parents love them. The love of a parent to their child is the most solid foundation upon which parents build their children's future, and kids that have been loved by their parents are usually the best and happiest people of society in their generation."

This answer had elicited a delighted smile on her face, which she followed with a question in a clear mock-concern tone.

"And do you love me, daddy?"

"I'd have thought you hardly need to ask that." Saying this, he hugged her very tight, stroking her head.

"I love you more than anything else in this world, honey, and nothing makes me happier than your own happiness. You are my most precious treasure, and daddy can't even think what he'd do if he lost you one day. So don't worry, because I'll always love you, and you'll always be daddy's little girl."

They both had slid off the back panel by now, and were lying flat on the bed, her head still on his chest, and his arms around her. Her smile softened down, and grew slowly smaller as she hugged him back and let sleep take over.

Still, she struggled to stay awake, because...

"...Daddy? One last thing..."

He was pulling the covers on them, as he answered at her words with a small voice.

"What is it, honey?"

She kissed his chest and placed herself in a more comfortable position to sleep with her head on his chest, and said the words that always got him down to tears, thanking the heavens his little girl had come into his life, as she drifted down into a peaceful sleep.

"I love you, daddy."

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i love this!

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This is awesome!

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How sweet =)

Glad you girls approve. =)

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