KICKIN' AWESOME AWESOME thumbnail art is a commission that milesphoenix did for me! THANKS! ^)^
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A/N: I do not own Zacharias Barnham, Constantine or Phoenix Wright; CAPCOM & Level-5 do. The plot, however, is mine. ^)^
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Zacharias Barnham and Phoenix Wright have been dating for a year now and Zacharias wants to take it to the next level. However, he isn't quite sure how his lover feels about this and isn't sure how to tell him...
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My first BarnWright smut fic. Hope you enjoy! ^_^

Continuation of my BarnWright fics. This one takes place six months after the events of "Affairs Of The Heart"

Not beta read.

Phoenix Wright with salt-and-pepper hair. YUM!

Thanks to my husband for the discussion that helped me come up with the title! ^^

Rated M, sexual situations, male/male relationships, Romance/Drama, Zacharias Barnham x Phoenix Wright

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October 20th
Inquisitor's Hall
Inquisitor Zacharias Barnham's Office
Labyrinthia
9 P.M.

Zacharias Barnham sat at his desk that evening, rubbing his tired eyes slowly with his left hand, his gauntleted right holding the piece of parchment that he was slowly placing on top of the pile of other papers that were in a neat stack in the right hand corner. It had been a very long, and tiring, day and he couldn't wait to finish up the paperwork so he could go home and collapse on the couch.

The thought of going home and the person who would be waiting for him to arrive brought a tired smile to his face. He thanked again the silent Universe for bringing Phoenix Wright, his lover of nearly two years now, into his life. He used to think that he had been satisfied with the company of his dog, Constantine but, until Sir Blue Knight had come barreling into his life with his assistant, he couldn't have imagined the happiness that awaited him. He smiled softly as he thought of it.

They had had an issue sprout six months before with jealousy where Zacharias was afraid that Phoenix yearned for his former life with another man. To his credit, Phoenix had been honest about his past from the start but he found it very curious why something that he hadn't even thought about at the beginning started to really bother him at that point in time. He still couldn't figure out the reason why and he remained mystified at how his feelings had gone in such an unusual direction in the first place.

He sighed and put down the paper after a few moments, closing his eyes and leaning back. He was tired and the words printed on the parchment were nothing more to him a mishmash of swirls and whorls at this point and he decided that in the interests of continuing justice, he'd put it away for awhile and take a rest.

He sat back in his chair, closing his eyes. He let his mind drift and it went, unsurprisingly, to Phoenix. He couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as he thought of him. His lover often came to mind more frequently these days and he'd been having… other… thoughts in the past few months, his cheeks coloring as he thought of it.

The Defence Advocate was a very handsome man and he'd been wanting to take their relationship to a physical level for some time now. He wasn't sure how Phoenix himself felt about it so he'd decided to let things stand as they were until such a time as he would have made his intentions clearer on the subject.

Time passed and still the issue remained unresolved but it was there, like the proverbial elephant in the room, and he was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't bring it up after all. He had an itchy sort of tension building up within him and it made him irritable more often than not.

Phoenix had noticed and had asked him what was wrong but he'd casually dismissed the question with a laugh and a wave of his hand; he said that he was coming to the office to finish up some work he'd had left over from the day before, escaping before Phoenix had a chance to say a word.

He'd noticed his lover looking at him strangely as he hurried out the door, slamming it behind him and now, as he sat in the relative peace of his office, he'd regretted his actions earlier that day. He wished that he could tell Phoenix what was on his mind but he wasn't so certain that this was a wise thing to do. He still didn't know how Phoenix felt about taking their relationship to the next level and he was still reticent, not to mention embarrassed, about bringing up the subject.

He could feel his cheeks heat up at this point and he hurriedly tried to take his thoughts in another direction but it seemed that luck would not be on his side today; if anything, the images that flooded his mind became even more explicit the longer they continued.

His face was as red as his hair by the time he became aware of another presence in the room and looked up, gasping in soft surprise to see Phoenix Wright's smiling face looking down at him from his perch on the right hand corner of his desk, holding a large wicker picnic basket in his right hand and resting it on top of his bent leg which dangled over the edge.

"Phoenix!" Zacharias started in surprise but managed to get himself under control as he saw his lover grinning at him. He was clearly amused as he leaned over, planting a soft kiss on his lips that, after a moment's hesitation, was warmly returned.

"I thought that you might need a break, Zacharias," he said simply after they had parted, a dazzling smile spreading over his features, his hand lifting to cup the right hand side of his face. "You've been working so hard these past two weeks that I thought I might come down here and have dinner with you."

Dinner? Zacharias blinked and looked at his watch. It was 9 P.M. He cursed softly.

Oh, hell… I hadn't realized so much time had passed! He cursed under his breath. And we'd had plans this evening, too…

"I'm really sorry, Phoenix," he said apologetically, setting down the sheaf of papers that he held in his hand, rubbing his eyes again and sighing deeply. "I only meant to come by for an hour to do some work on some files but it seems that I… lost track of time." He looked up at his lover, a crooked grin on his face, reaching up to him with his free hand, cradling the left side of his face tenderly. "I truly am sorry."

Phoenix smiled.

"That's all right," he assured him, his right hand coming up to cover the hand on his face. "I thought that, since it was such a lovely evening, that we might go to the Park for an evening picnic." He chuckled softly, winking slyly. "That's one advantage to having an Autumn picnic: no bugs." He grinned and sat up straight, his hand slowly sliding off of Zacharias', his cerulean blue eyes shining softly. "I packed all of our favorite picnic foods and a bottle of wine."

Zacharias smiled, chuckling softly to himself. His lover had thought of everything and he found himself wanting to just melt in that beautiful gaze. Phoenix chuckled deep in his throat, leaned quickly forward and planted a quick kiss on his lips before he straightened, hopping off of the desk, holding the handle of the wicker basket in his left hand.

He stood beside the desk, extending his free right hand toward Zacharias who, after a moment's hesitation, reached up and took it, his fingers curling around Phoenix's.

Phoenix gently pulled him to his feet, their fingers intertwining. He smiled at Zacharias again as they turned and walked out of his office, closing and locking the door behind them as they exited the building into the dark night.

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Park
Labyrinthia
10:00 P.M.

Phoenix had chosen the spot well,

Zacharias thought as he leaned back on his elbow, a glass of Chardonay held loosely in his hand while he watched his lover busily packing away the empty food containers in the basket before filling his own glass and settling down beside him, a soft smile on his face. Not too far out of the way but just enough that we won't be surprised by anyone who might come down the path.

Zacharias chuckled as he listened to Phoenix's latest court case with interest before he raised his glass to his and they clinked together gently before bringing it slowly to his lips and tipping it, taking a sip. He smiled as it slid pleasantly down his throat and he closed his eyes, a soft murmur of pleasure escaping as he did so. He heard Phoenix chuckle somewhere up above him and then heard a soft, sliding sound. He opened his eyes to see Phoenix stretched out on his side beside him, his fingertips reaching out to touch him gently on the cheek.

Zacharias moaned softly, putting aside his glass as Phoenix leaned forward, sliding his fingers past his cheek and onto the back of his head where they tightened, bringing his head in closer as their lips met tenderly. Both men hummed in contentment as the kiss continued, their mouths sliding sweetly against the other. Zacharias got up from his prone position on the ground, his arms reaching out to take Phoenix into them, pulling him closer as they embraced once more.

When they parted some time later, Zacharias noticed that Phoenix's cerulean blue eyes were shining and he couldn't help but to be drawn in by those depthless, blue pools. He lifted a hand toward him, his fingertips ghosting over his cheek softly; Phoenix's hand covered his, his fingers tightening over them as he looked deeply into his lover's slate-grey eyes.

Zacharias held his breath as they stared into each others eyes, his heart quickening. He noticed Phoenix's expression flickering, the corners of his mouth twitching. He'd never seen a more beautiful man than the one he was looking at right now and he wished, with all of his heart, that he had the courage to tell him that he wanted to become his lover in the physical sense as well as the emotional.

I just don't know how I'm going to bring this up…

It didn't seem possible that, just a year ago, they had become a couple, taking their time to slowly get to know one another. They'd moved in together a few months back and he couldn't remember a singular time in his life when he had been this happy.

Constantine, who hadn't liked Phoenix very much after his arrival in Labyrinthia, had gotten used to the idea of his master and he being a couple and stopped trying to bite him though he did, on occasion, keep a wary eye on him.

Those eyes, he thought, his lips parting slightly. Those beautiful, beautiful eyes…

Phoenix noticed the dreamy look on his face and smiled gently, planting butterfly kisses on the corners of his mouth. Zacharias could feel the faint puffs of breath on his skin and they excited him, his breathing quickening slightly.

He could feel a blush rising in his cheeks but he also noticed that Phoenix had the same rose colored cheeks that he did and he couldn't help but wonder if he, too, was feeling the same way.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

He took a deep breath.

"Phoenix?" His voice was quiet, tentative. "I... I've… been thinking and I…" He didn't have a chance to finish the sentence before Phoenix leaned forward, his lips capturing his in a searing kiss that, quite literally, took his breath away.

When they parted, both men panting and trembling, he could see Phoenix's eyes glittering in a way that couldn't be mistaken for anything else than what it was: a clear invitation.

"Phoenix?" Zacharias' voice quavered slightly, his fingertips shaking as they touched his face. He opened his mouth to speak again but found that he couldn't find his voice, uncertain as to how to respond to this unexpected turnabout.

What…?

"For months," Phoenix whispered huskily, answering his unasked question, his fingers tightening around his once again. "Zacharias... I-"

Zacharias leaned upward, pressing his lips against his lover's, cutting off whatever it had been that he was going to say.

"Don't say anything," he growled against his mouth, taking possession of it once more, further silencing him. Although Phoenix seemed startled at first with this unexpected intrusion, he didn't seem to mind as he deepened the kiss, his tongue feathering over Zacharias' lips and slid in when he opened his mouth, tangling with his own.

Zacharias moaned against his mouth as Phoenix deepened the kiss. I've wanted you for so long!

They parted once again, panting heavily. Zacharias looked at Phoenix and not another word was said while they pulled apart. Zacharias scrambled to his feet while Phoenix hurriedly put the rest of the picnic remnants into the wicker basket, along with the wine glasses and the half empty bottle of wine, grabbing the blanket as an afterthought.

They hurried home, startling a sleepy Constantine when they burst in through the door, slamming it and locking it behind them before they raced down the hallway, disappearing into the bathing room. Constantine blinked sleepily and then, with a yawn, curled up on his puppy bed and fell asleep.