20 Kisses: Hero Worship

by Dark Interval

Second Kiss: Seduction

"Well, if the defense has nothing more to add, I'm prepared to deliver my ver–"

"Objection!"

The judge's gavel paused in mid strike; Blackquill's eyes flashed dangerously; the witness panicked; and a hush fell over the gallery for the fourth time that session. Honestly, this was getting ridiculous – a simple, clear-cut, down-to-earth case and Phoenix Wright was over-complicating things as usual. The judge regarded said attorney in wide-eyed surprise – though that did beg the question as to why the old man could still be so fazed over his colorful shenanigans after all these years.

"What is it now, Mr. Wright? I believe you've cross-examined this poor witness enough."

"Oh, don't worry, your honor. I think I got exactly what I need to know," said Phoenix with a smug smirk, hands poised confidently at his hips. So, he didn't have Apollo or Athena defending by his side today – so what? He totally had this one in the bag. Oh yeah – chalk one up for experience!

Blackquill's hand hovered over his side in a threatening manner, reaching for an invisible katana that was never really there. However, that didn't make him any less intimidating; plus, there were no more handcuffs.

"Wright-dono, if you insist on sprouting those asinine theories of yours, Taka and I will deal with you accordingly, swiftly, and if necessary, painfully."

The beginnings of sweat trickled down the sides of Phoenix's face. Ack, he's scary. But there was no backing down now, not when he was this close to presenting an alternative possibility and therefore extending the trial another day for further investigation. He believed in his client, would continue to believe them until the bitter end, even if that meant he was currently grasping at straws and functioning with only half a brain cell left.

"Oh really, Prosecutor Blackquill? They're not so 'asinine' at all if you realised one important contradiction – he raised a finger and struck his signature pose – the victim didn't die at 2am; she died at 3am!"

"Silence!"

Blackquill resisted hammering the table in his amusement and reviewed the autopsy report instead.

"Objecting the autopsy report now, Wright-dono?" He smirked nastily with a condescending shake of his head. "Your baldness, your verdict."

The judge had ceased to remain shocked and now looked thoroughly displeased.

"That's a full hour's difference, Mr. Wright! I'm assuming you have decisive evidence to support your claim?"

"Heh heh… Actually… Not at the moment," he faltered, sheepish, "but I will! Eventually. Tomorrow. After proper investigation."

The shocked expression returned. "Now you're objecting to the prosecution's professionalism?!"

Ack! No! Dammit, why wasn't the judge ever on his side? Especially after all their years of affinity? He was practically the only judge he worked with! Come on! Didn't experience (especially his striking reputation to turn things around at the very last minute) count for anything?

Blackquill tsked, "Now I'm inclined to object Wright-dono's legitimacy as a defense attorney…"

Phoenix's poor, abused brain managed to pick up on that one though. Finally, something he could prove! And that comeback was low, even for an ex-convict.

"Objection!" He slammed his palms against the table. "I have evidence to prove once and for all that I'm a man worthy of my claim and title!"

And with dramatic flair characterized mostly by sheer desperation and a mechanistic defense to the ego, he reached for his lapel and whipped out his attorney's badge for the court and essentially the whole world to see.

"Take that!"

Suffice to say, the silence that greeted Phoenix that day was the thickest, longest and most deafening one he ever heard in his entire career as a lawyer thus far.

"Unnnngggggghhhhhh…"

It was the loudest groan to ever grace the walls of the 'Wright Anything Agency'. Phoenix sat on the couch, head in his hands, face burning from humiliation. That trial was a complete disaster – Mia would've been gravely (no pun intended) disappointed. Not only did he end up making himself look like a total greenhorn in front of national media, but also his client was beginning to show signs of some serious regret and apprehension for even entrusting him to their defense. Perhaps he was losing his touch after that last big case with the Phantom… though that thought kind of made him feel even more depressed. He wasn't that old yet, was he? He was just pushing 35. The sudden thought of turning into some washed up has-been like the Payne brothers sent a violent shudder down his spine. Oh well, at least the judge was amiable enough to grant his request for an extension, but could he still show his face in court tomorrow after all that?

'Of course I have to,' he mentally admonished himself; he still needed to prove his client innocent. Speaking of which, he really ought to pay them a visit in the detention center, as well as resume his own investigation… even if he didn't particularly feel in the mood for either at the moment.

Perhaps the transition from poker to law wasn't as seamless as he initially thought.

He sighed miserably, "Maybe I need a break."

In the midst of feeling sorry for himself, he felt something cold and wet touch his forehead and with a start, looked up curiously. The first thing he saw was a glass of iced tea complete with a single slice of lemon perched on the rim; the second was a warm, heart stopping smile that belonged to none other than Apollo. Despite his gloom, the brunette's positive energy was infectious and Phoenix found himself smiling as well, albeit hesitantly.

"T-Thanks," he murmured, accepting the drink before taking a tentative sip. As the glass tipped, the ice clustered together and touched his lips in a soft 'chink'; it was refreshing enough to lift his spirits a touch.

"I saw your trial earlier," said Apollo as he took a seat next to him. He brought his own glass to his lips and took a huge gulp of the tea, before releasing a satisfied sigh. His gaze shifted to his idol and mentor; and forcing down his bashfulness (something Phoenix found to be quite adorable until this day), he placed a tentative hand on the older male's knee and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Don't worry, we all have our days."

His smile was sympathetic and it almost made Phoenix want to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself for the next 24 hours, or until the whole memory of his embarrassing slip-up became a forgotten dream. Great, Apollo was feeling sorry for him. Just peachy.

"Sorry, Apollo," he shot him a defeated smirk, placing his drink on the coffee table, "I guess I'm not exactly the hero from your textbooks."

An unreadable expression crossed Apollo's face. There it was again – Phoenix doubting himself. Well, it was about time he showed his idol that he was still worthy of said title and how a little mistake didn't change the way he viewed and felt about him. From the moment Apollo opened his law textbook and saw Phoenix's photograph – cool, confident and devilishly attractive – his fate had been sealed. Phoenix was everything he wanted to be; he was everything he wanted.

"Mr. Wright…"

The hand had traveled from his knee up to his thigh, the sudden heat and intimacy causing Phoenix to blush at least four shades of red. Wait, was Apollo coming onto him? Now? When he lifted his gaze and found himself at the mercy of a pair of intense dark brown eyes, all fired up and indomitable, Apollo's lips but a few inches from his own, breath hot with desire, he realised it to be true.

On normal circumstances, he would have teased his protégé and get a laugh from how utterly flustered and adorable Apollo would get; reciprocate his advances and meet him halfway even - but not today. He was feeling too sour to feel remotely romantic or horny, and it bothered him slightly to note that instead of cheering him up or employing some half-baked attempt at idyllic seduction, Apollo chose to be a real dick about it in every sense of the word.

"A-Apollo - mmrph!"

Soft yet slightly chapped lips descended upon his own, hot and insistent. The pair crashed onto the couch with Apollo on top and a protesting Phoenix beneath him pushing pathetically against him chest, but there was no stopping Apollo whenever he got that fiery look in his eyes. A searing tongue entered his mouth to dance passionately with his own reluctant one, though it didn't take long to warm up to the heat and Phoenix soon began to experience the telltale signs of his own body betraying him. He felt his ego and pride collapse as he wound his arms around Apollo's neck, returning his kisses with equal fervor, drowning; thrashing; basking and smothering himself in the young man's love.

The brunette feasted on him like a wild animal. Apollo's penetrating stare was on him and Phoenix had to shut his eyes to escape his own vulnerability. It was too much.

What were they talking about again? He didn't remember and he didn't want to remember. All he knew was that he had been feeling like utter crap before, but now - now he felt like he was on cloud nine.

Apollo left scalding marks along the side of his neck - bright red that would turn dark purple soon enough. He did it because he claimed he couldn't control himself, but Phoenix knew better: when it came to him, Apollo was inherently possessive (don't even get him started when either Edgeworth or Klavier called); and because he knew Phoenix was kind, he knew he'd proudly bear those marks for the world to see. It gave him a rise in confidence, and Phoenix a multitude of awkward stares from curious onlookers.

"Just relax, Mr. Wright… I'll take it from here," breathed Apollo in a low, sultry voice and Phoenix whimpered from the promise of pleasure it held.

Hot. It was hot. And as his own fingers moved down to tug desperately at Apollo's tie, Phoenix suddenly felt a hand on the front of his pants and moaned into the kiss. But when that same hand moved to fumble with the clasp of his belt, his senses came rushing back to him.

Not now.

With the remnants of his willpower, Phoenix tore his mouth away and pushed Apollo far enough so that he could at least sit up and not feel so damn powerless under his protégé's hold. He was the Turnabout King of Court, but not in the bedroom it seemed - something that Apollo continuously reminded him of even in the most inappropriate of moments. He chalked it up to youthful vitality.

"What are you doing?" He demanded in an attempt to salvage what remained of his authority, but the way his voice pitched in distress clearly undermined his intentions. His flushed cheeks didn't help his case either. "I embarrassed myself in court today, and all you can think about is your- your - Argh!"

Forget it, he didn't even want to say it. Because saying it meant admitting it existed, and admitting it existed would mean that they had a problem. And believe you me; Phoenix had enough problems on his plate already. He didn't need to add relationship issues into the mix, thank you very much. Then again, he had chosen to date someone 10 years younger than him; although he himself wasn't exactly renowned for his maturity - but that wasn't the point.

Apollo observed the senior attorney for a moment, taking in his flustered appearance with a contemplative tilt of his head, before he was all-grins once more. So, his boss wanted some cheering up, huh? And the soft, sweet kind at that! He always knew Phoenix was secretly a sucker for romance – he claimed he wasn't into romantic flicks, but always ended up tearing at the last bits under the pretense of some eye irritation.

"Well, I was trying to help you relax…" he trailed off with an awkward smile, scratching his cheek with a finger. "But I guess that's not what you need right now. Sorry, Mr. Wright."

In spite himself, Phoenix found himself sighing and he reached out to pat the younger male on the head, threading his fingers through his unyielding hair. Hmm, Apollo really put in a lot of effort into those hair spikes of his… Absently, he wondered if it was the kid's way of taking after his own notoriously spiky hair, and if it was, it appeared Apollo really did worship him. It was both flattering and a little inconceivable.

There they sat in comfortable silence – a lazy Wednesday afternoon, just the two of them. As Apollo preened under his mentor's attentions and reflected on their relationship, Phoenix continued to look at Apollo, study him, and thought back to why or how he ended up choosing this handsome, enthusiastic, remarkably loyal and too-loud-to-be-normal young man to spend the rest of his life with.

It was pure chance Apollo, orphaned son of a late stage performer, got into law and fell in love with him. It was chance that he had worked in a law firm run by the very man who conspired to kill his idol for seven years. It was chance Phoenix stepped into that same law firm and his and Apollo's eyes – so wide and impressionable then – met for the very first time. It was chance he chose Apollo to defend him because he had been the only other person there, and it was chance Apollo continued to stay with him after that was all said and done. But for all the chances he saw in their encounter, Apollo viewed them as wonderful coincidences and in a sense; he was able to view their relationship as something inherently beautiful.

'He really does love me,' Phoenix realised, tracing his fingers from Apollo's hair to his mouth, watching as his lover instinctively took the tips between his lips, kissing them tenderly like a knight who worshiped his king. 'And I've been a jerk.'

"Apollo, about earlier… I'm sorry. It was your way of cheering me up – I misunderstood."

"It's fine, Mr. Wright," he said, and the cheer in his voice truly made Phoenix believe that. But then, a cheeky smirk wormed its way across his lips. "Though you can make it up to me by taking care of this…"

He grabbed Phoenix's hand and guided it to the distinct bulge of his crotch, which was straining against his pants. Phoenix's face crimsoned so fast, it was a miracle he didn't pass out there and then. The heck – he's hard already?! Two years and he still couldn't get used to stuff like this... perhaps he was a bit old-fashioned. Although it was sort of flattering he had been the cause of Apollo's excitement, it didn't change the fact that his lover's seduction techniques (what technique?) still left much to be desired.

"F-Fine," he stuttered, hiding his embarrassment behind his hand. "But we're moving to the bedroom."

Apollo grinned. "That works."

The transition to the bedroom was seamless: the exchange of kisses, of dodging in and out of playful touches, and the laughter and passion in their eyes. Articles of clothing fell away and the mattress sank from the combined weight of their bodies intertwined. It was like a dance only they knew the steps to, a melding of heat, flesh and euphoria, and they danced all day.

The first thing Phoenix noticed when he awoke was not that he was naked or that Apollo was nowhere to be found, but that his ass was killing him. Also, he felt so disoriented, he couldn't tell what time it was – if it was still today, or already tomorrow. He gingerly sat up, the bed sheets pooling at his waist, when he noticed the clock on his bedside table, which read 5:30pm.

"Huh, 5:30… Wait, 5:30?!"

He was out of bed in seconds, scrambling to put his clothes back on, hopping around the room; pulled on his socks. Goddammit, Apollo – if he knew the kid was going to turn a quick blowjob into an extremely hot and long fuck, he would have stopped him.

Phoenix paused in the middle of shrugging on his vest when he realised that the detention center was already closed, meaning he couldn't speak with his client. Meaning he didn't have any leads in his investigation. Which also meant that he was going to court empty handed tomorrow – not much of an improvement from this morning, really.

So much for a happy turnabout.

"I'm going to kill him."

He threw open the bedroom door (never mind how much it hurt to walk) and stormed into the office/living room, ready to give Apollo a piece of his mind and a good punch to the face, but the place was empty. Blinking stupidly, Phoenix stood motionless at the center of the office; he felt ridiculous and a little disappointed. If he had a tail it would have drooped sadly. Did his protégé really just fuck him and leave? How unromantic.

Suddenly, he heard voices coming from the kitchen – or rather, pantry designed to look like a kitchen. It sounded like both Trucy and Apollo and it didn't take him long to figure out the pair were probably in the midst of preparing dinner. Also, seeing as his daughter was already home and Apollo was still here, the latter probably went to pick her up from school for him, which was nice he supposed.

Then, he heard Apollo say something to which Trucy burst out laughing. Phoenix frowned, a combination of curiosity and trepidation welling in his gut as he approached the kitchen. What on earth were they talking about? He prayed to God it wasn't about today's trial…

"Ahaha! I can't believe daddy did that! How did the judge react?"

… aaaand it was.

"Considering your dad cross-examined a parrot and an orca before, I would say he took it quite well actually."

"Hmm, but I don't get it though," she continued, a thoughtful pout on her lips. "Athena mentioned this the last time, but I still can't quite wrap my mind around it. Why do you and daddy like to flash your badges so much? It's like second nature to you – it's kinda weird."

This coming from a girl who pulled things out of a pair of magic panties.

"I never gave it much thought actually," Apollo replied with a noncommittal shrug. "I always just whip it out."

Somehow that comment made Phoenix feel even more irritated than when Apollo first tried to "seduce" him this afternoon. And before either Apollo or Trucy could register Phoenix's presence, he grabbed the nearest object next to him, which happened to be a frying pan, and hurled it straight at his lover's face. The resonating 'CLANG!' that followed was music to his ears.

"Well, let's see you 'whip it out' on the couch tonight!" he yelled, before stomping out of the kitchen.

As a poor chastened Apollo nursed the new bump forming on his forehead, Trucy stared after her father's retreating figure before turning to smile innocently at the young attorney on the ground.

"So… does this mean you're sleeping over tonight, Polly?"

Author's note:

Thank you for reading this latest kiss, and if you've read both chapters, thank you for your support!

This installment was inspired by a quote in "Dual Destinies": "I never gave it much thought actually. I always just whip it out." - Apollo. Thank you, tumblr for Apollo's seduction technique lol.

I'm still accepting prompts, so if you guys have any, feel free to let me know! Also, if you like my story so far, please leave a review, follow or fav. A little response goes a long way and is extremely encouraging!