Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been a rather hectic week until Saturday arrived, and with it, Edgeworth's day off. Though he had plenty of time to do whatever, he really didn't want to go out, tired as he was. Besides, he had no interest in going out on his own in such cold weather, Franziska wasn't in Japanifornia to visit, and traveling wasn't an option as it was so little time. So all he really did was take a day for self care, taking a long bath, making himself his favorite tea, doing skin care and lying around on a comfortable robe as he watched TV on the couch, binge watching his favorite show with Pess on his lap. It had been a stressful couple of days, after all, and it only seemed fair to take a day off to treat himself.

Everything was in its place and there was nothing to bother him. Well, at least until he started hearing an insistent noise — like scratching, coming from somewhere in the house.

The noise was enough to scare the man, and he jumped up, turning on the light and scanning around the room. Eventually, he walked up to the front door, figuring the sound came from there, and peeked through the peephole.

There was no one on the other side, at least not a person. The noise stopped only for a moment, only for then to continue, now followed by something else. A meow.

“A... cat?”

He glanced back at Pess, though she seemed to not mind the noise, then hummed, unlocking the door and turning the doorknob.

When the door opened, a pair of big bicolored eyes looked up at him. Though that was no surprise, it was indeed a cat, a tuxedo. Paws white like long socks, white belly, like the tips of its ears and tail.

The cat simply stared for a moment, before starting to meow again, now coming up to Edgeworth and placing its front paws on his leg.

He backed up, unsure of what to do, then stuck his head out of the doorframe, looking for any possible owners. Then again, he didn't recall having any neighbors with cats, or at least, none with one like this. He brought his fist to his chin, pensive. Not only was he unsure of what to do, he had little to no experience with cats. After a minute or two, he stepped aside, allowing the cat to go indoors in case it felt inclined to do so. The easiest way to check for owners is to have the cat with you, after all.

Though the cat did step inside, it immediately turned around to meow at him again.

There was no visible form of identification on it, like a collar, but it also didn't exactly look like a stray. It seemed well fed, and its fur was clean, a bit longer and spiky on the back of the neck.

Before anything, Edgeworth closed the door behind him, just to make sure the cat wouldn't run away. He kneeled, looking closer at the tuxedo, checking for any possible injuries, fleas or parasites, then extended his hand, allowing it to sniff it.
But it didn't. Instead, it only placed its paws on his hand to stand up again, meowing in his face like it was trying to say something.

“You're not a stray, are you?”

He squinted, confused. Part of him wondered if standing up was a trick its owners taught it, which made him only more concerned about this situation. It seemed like a well-loved, well taken care of cat. Why would someone abandon it?

“Were you abandoned, I wonder... or did you run away and got lost? Maybe both. Maybe you ran and nobody fought to find you. Maybe neither.”

He sighed.

“How did you get here?”

The cat meowed once more, reaching for his face with one paw. He ducked, holding the paw in his hand instead.

“Careful, don't scratch me.”

He carefully let go of its limb, fetching his phone in his pocket instead.

“Maybe Franziska will know what to do.”

The cat stopped meowing and followed his hand with its gaze, seemingly interested in the phone.

“Oh, that's, uhm…”

The prosecutor showed it to the cat, though the screen was locked.

“Are you interested in this?”

It meowed as it looked at him. Then at the screen, then at him again.

He squinted, confused at the cat's demeanor, then unlocked his phone, opting to call Franziska as he started walking to the living room, calling the cat to come with him as if it was a dog, whistling.

“Come here, uh... Is that how it works?...”

He squinted again, visibly confused.

“Pspsps...?”

The cat looked up at him almost as if he was stupid, already walking behind him. Until it spotted Pess and stopped, its already spiky fur standing up more. The borzoi's tail agitated, and she hopped down the sofa, sniffing the feline. She quickly opened a smile, licking its face and wetting it entirely.
The cat's eyes widened as she came close and it looked ready to run away, retreating behind Edgeworth, but simply accepted the gesture with only a little meow of complaint. Funnily, it stared up at Pess and got up, reaching a paw to her head like it was... petting her. Edgeworth made a confused and disturbed face, simply mumbling something under his breath as he started typing his sister's phone number.

“Well, I... I suppose it's a good thing you two are getting along.”

It looked at Miles again, getting down and sitting on the floor beside Pess to watch him intently as he made the call.
Von Karma didn't take long to pick up the phone, and though her voice was inaudible outside of the call, it wasn't hard to understand what she said, given her sibling's responses.

“Hello, Franziska, it's me, Miles. You, uhm... You have a cat, right?”

A small pause ensued.

“Yes, well, I'm calling you because a cat was on my doorstep just earlier, and it doesn't seem to be a stray, so I intend to find its owners. I don't know how long I'll have to keep it until I find them, and so I'd appreciate some advice on taking care of cats.”

More silence.

“No, it had no collar, and I haven't seen anything to identify its owners with.“

He covered his mouth with a fist, thinking.

“If it's neutered? No, I have no clue. To be honest, I don't even know if it's male or female. I was planning on bringing it to a veterinarian so they could check for any microchips.”

Suddenly, he huffed.

“No, I don't plan on keeping it, Franziska. May I remind you, I have a dog, and although Pess seems to be rather fond of it, I can't keep traveling from country to country with a second pet. So, summarizing, I should get a litter box, cat food, and a water fountain, right? Anything else?”

He looked back at the cat, only now noticing its heterochromatic eyes, similar to those of a man he admired greatly.

“Alright. Goodbye.”

He hung up the call, sitting in front of the feline to analyze it once more.

The cat accompanied the movement of his phone again as Edgeworth put it away, then looked into his eyes when he sat down. 

Its eyes were not only two different colors like those of the man he had in mind, but they were also the same colors on the same sides. Blue on the right, brown-ish on the left.

“Don't you look like someone I know, huh…”

He raised his hand before patting its head, checking if the cat would sniff it first.

“Well, if I'm going to take care of you for a while, it's only fair I give you a name, hm?”

He smiled fondly.

“And ‘Phoenix’ seems quite fitting, if you ask me.”

"Phoenix" immediately got up and started meowing at his face again, its paws on his arm to hold itself up. That seemed to startle the lawyer, who flinched and backed away slightly.

“Why do you insist on standing up and acting human-like!? It's... Disturbing, to say the least.”
The feline huffed and got down, then circled the lawyer and pawed at his pocket instead.
Miles patted himself down, trying to see if there was anything the cat was looking at, then pulled his phone from his pocket. When he did, the cat reached for the phone and tapped it with its paw, as if urging him to use it.

“What's with you…” He mumbled, unlocking his screen and letting the cat touch it. “There you go. Happy? ”

The cat meowed, pleased. Then, it forced Miles' arm down, making him set it on the ground to tap the screen, quite carefully. He simply raised an eyebrow, confused at what the cat was doing.
While it could be that it simply was used to playing on the device due to owner influence, the cat seemed to have an objective in mind as it scrolled through the apps, opening the contacts list until arriving on the letter "P", and finding Phoenix Wright . Then it looked up at him again.

“Who the hell trained you...?”

Miles turned the screen to face him, then looked back at the tuxedo.

“Is he your owner? I don't recall him mentioning any pets, though.”

To his surprise, the cat shook its head no.
If he had a disturbed expression earlier, he might as well have just seen his sleep paralysis demon at this point, because he looked absolutely terrified at the animal's human-like behavior.

“What the-”

The cat meowed again, touching his leg with one paw and looking at him almost expectantly. He scurried away, more frightened by the minute. A robotic sound from another room made him jolt, his own voice saying "help" in a very monotonous tone.
Phoenix The Cat also seemed startled, its tail going up in alert as it looked at the direction of the sound.

“Ah.”

Edgeworth got up, dusting himself and walking towards his dog, who pressed the same button a second time as he walked into the living room.

“Yes, sweetie?”

The cat followed him closely, curious. Pess walked over to her new friend, walking behind it and trying to show it the buttons. The borzoi pressed two more, from which the words "fur" and "ball" resonated.

“Help... fur ball...?”

Tilting its head with interest, the cat walked towards the buttons and started pressing each one of them to test it. There were 25 of them, varying from basic needs to more conceptual things, which was quite impressive when you take into consideration that Pess is a dog. "Help", "food", "treat", "fur", "ball", "walk", "clean up", "no", "yes", "Pess", "Miles", "pet", "love you", "bedroom", "office", "kitchen", "bathroom", "backyard", "guest bedroom", "play", "hurt", "water", "bath", "bed" and "friend" were all the options of buttons spread on the mat the cat stood on. 

The prosecutor squinted,  kneeling to look at Pess' fur.

“Help, fur, ball... Is your coat matting?”
The cat tried all buttons a few times, then took a pause and selected a few.

Miles. Friend. Help.

He halted, looking at the cat, now even more disturbed at the fact the cat seemingly already attributed the name to him.

“...With what?”

It turned around to look at the buttons again, pressing help once more. Then, upon seemingly not finding what it needed, it ran back to the phone that had been left on the floor. The prosecutor followed it, looking puzzled at the cat's behavior.

As the cat noticed him following, it meowed up at him, arriving at the phone first and pushing it towards him with a paw, the screen locked again. Miles once again unlocked it, letting the cat paw away at it. The cat quickly found a place to open the keyboard and started carefully touching the letters, though it didn't form any words.
He squinted, wondering if the cat was actually attempting to show him it needed to use a litterbox. 

“Do you need to use the bathroom?”

The cat meowed louder, sounding annoyed as it continued pawing at the phone, then seemingly gave up, before staring at the screen for a few moments and then deciding to use its nose instead. At this point, the man gave up completely on trying to understand the cat's behavior. He simply kneeled to watch it do its thing, Pess just as confused as him.

The cat tapped a letter with its nose, then moved its head back to check, before doing it again, and again, forming short but very clear words.

"Its me"

“...’Me’ who?” He frowned.

It meowed and went back to the contacts list.

Miles connected the dots a little before it reached the contact it desired.

“Don't tell me... You're not about to claim you're Wright, are you?”

But it did, as least that's what it seemed. It meowed at him again, nodding and pawing at the name, making the list move back up accidentally.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Was defending animals not enough for you?”

"Phoenix" let out a long, dramatic meow, walking up to his leg to support itself and "yell" at him.

Edgeworth just tilted his head, visibly confused. Surely that had a logic explanation, and that cat wasn’t claiming to be his rival.
The cat eventually stopped, realizing he didn't seem to understand it. It sat down in front of Miles, tapping his shoe and looking up at him.

It got no response other than a squint and an even more puzzled expression on the man's face. When Edgeworth also didn't respond to that, it resorted to simply staring, waiting.

It quickly turned into a staring contest, and it was abundantly clear it would lead nowhere. Then, the cat started meowing again, quite loudly and nonstop.

He gestured broadly, at a loss on what the cat wanted.

“What?!”

"MEOOOOOOW" , the cat responded.

And at that, he dropped his hands to his sides, simply confused and frustrated. The cat meowed sadly and walked to the buttons again, pressing help four times in a row.

“What do you need help with?!”

Help.

He sighed. Pess dragged a few toy blocks near the cat, 4 blocks to be exact, each with different letters on the sides, almost completing the whole alphabet, with the exception of Y and Z. The cat looked at them for a moment, then touched the dog's side affectionately with one paw before going through the blocks and spelling a short word — more specifically, a name. Three letters, then a repeated one.

Ma i -a.

“Maya…? Do I need to call her? Are you her cat? She certainly can train them, if so.”

The cat sighed, but then nodded.

Miles looked mildly disturbed at the nodding once more. He maintained eye contact as he scrolled down to her number, slowly placing the phone on his ear.

It took almost a minute for the call to finally be answered, and when it was, Miles heard the girl's voice on the other side, slow and a little raspy, like she had just woken up.

“Hi?...”

“Hello, Miss Fey. It's Miles Edgeworth. Do you happen to have a tuxedo cat that has gone missing?”

There was a moment of silence, followed by a yawn.

“A tuxedo?... I have a cat, yeah, but he's all black and right next to me. Did you find one, Mr. Edgeworth?”

He looked down at the cat, confused.

“An odd cat found its way to my doorstep just today, and it seemed quite well-trained, too. It knew how to use Pess' buttons, saying ‘Miles, friend, help’, spelled your name with a few blocks, and even went as far as looking through my contacts, showing me Wright's name. I figured I should call you since it spelled your name and, um... nodded when I asked if I should do so.”

“Wait, wait…” She interrupted, slowly processing it before speaking again. “Buttons? Your contacts? My name? What is this, a skinwalker?”

“I wish I knew. I'm starting to worry I might have brought a cryptid into my home.”

She chuckled.

“Well, you said it also knew Nick's name? Have you tried calling him too?”

He fell silent, feeling a bit stupid.

“...Perhaps not.”

“Well, there's an idea. Good night, Mr. E!”

She said quite cheerfully, then hung up before he could reply.

He took the phone off of his ear, looking from the screen to the cat. The cat looked back, eyes wide and tail moving from side to side.

He sighed, calling Phoenix and placing the phone in his ear. The phone rang and rang, for longer than it took for Maya to answer just now. Thirty seconds. One minute. Two minutes.

Nothing.

At this point, the prosecutor was getting frustrated. He hung up, sighing and putting his phone in his pocket.

“Now what?”

The cat meowed and tapped the "M" in Maya.

“M?”

The cat huffed and then circled the whole name, although it read “Mai”.

It tapped the blocks again, still meowing.

“I already called her. She has a different cat and knows nothing about you. Is this about a different Maia?”

The cat shook its head and persisted.

“Then what does she have to do with anything?!”

The feline simply stared at him. Then tapped the block once more.

He sighed again. 

“What am I doing, arguing with a cat... I suppose this makes me no better than someone who makes an animal take the stand in a courtroom.”

The cat hissed. He shrugged back at it.

And then it punched at his feet and started giving his leg more little cat punches.

“Oh, the nerve of this little-”

He held the cat back by the nape of its neck, immobilizing it while glaring at it.

The cat's meow came more high pitched, softer, its heterochromatic eyes looking up at him guiltily.

Miles kept glaring for a few seconds, then huffed and put it back on the ground, looking from the cat to the cubes.

“Well, since you're this genius cat, why don't you try communicating with these?”

The animal kept looking at him for a moment, then silently walked back to the cubes with its head down and picked up three cubes to make the last name "Fei", confirming that it was indeed that Maya it intended to call. Then, it walked back to the buttons and pressed help once more.

"Help, ‘Fei’"... Do you mean to tell me she's in danger?”

The cat practically facepalmed, then knocked over the cubes and brought back some more, arranging the letters to say Wrig-ht.

“Help, Maya Fey and Wright... Is Wright the one in danger, then?”

The cat seemed to think for a moment, doing a gesture with its head that wasn't exactly a confirmation or denial.

Then it took more blocks and wrote "cat" after the name.

“‘Wright cat’? What do you even mean...? You aren't his cat, and he didn't pick up the phone, either. And what does Maya have to do with this?”

He squinted at the feline, putting the pieces together.

“Wright… is cat...?”

Seemingly relieved, the cat nodded.

He squinted even more. The black fur was spiky, its eyes were just like his friend's, that's for sure.

“...Show me your teeth.”

The cat blinked twice in confusion, but then obliged. The feline's teeth were small and hard to check, but upon inspecting them more closely, he saw that one of them was chipped, and in the exact same place that he had seen on the man’s.

“So you were being serious…” Miles hummed pensively, then sighed.

Chapter Text

“...This is some sort of magical contraption of Miss Fey’s, isn't it?”

The cat didn't nod this time either, simply meowed as if it — he — wasn't sure. Then, he flopped, supposedly tired from the whole ordeal. Knowing now that the tuxedo wasn't simply an ordinary cat, but rather his friend, Miles couldn't help but feel bad, seeing him laying on the floor like that.

“Do you want me to put you on the sof-”

Before he could finish his sentence, Pess started licking Phoenix's face.

Phoenix meowed, trying to dodge her "kisses", then managed to hold her face away with both front paws, at least for a moment.

The prosecutor tapped the sofa, getting the dog's attention. She hopped and lied down on it, rolling around to get belly rubs.

“As I was saying, do you want to lie on some sort of cushion?”

He was trying to wipe his face with a paw, then stopped and took a moment to "reply", hesitantly shaking his head no.

Edgeworth nodded, turning to give Pess some attention, when he noticed he was still in his robes. He produced a small squeal-adjacent noise, his face flushed as he hurried upstairs to change into something more adequate.

Phoenix sat there, tilting his head in confusion as he got up to simply walk through the living room and actually look around Miles' furniture and decoration.

It was exactly what one would expect out of him: a rich mahogany wooden coffee table, vintage Victorian-esque furniture with elaborate carvings of floral designs, a wide couch with two matching armchairs in his trademark color; the fabric with a delicate pattern that served more to give it texture than contrast; a rectangular carpet that felt soft to the touch, two tall lamps standing on each side of a large TV that looked out of place with the retro decoration; its stand adorned with steel samurai figurines and a few flower bouquets, a bookshelf filled to the brim with assorted big books and comics, a few dog toys in the corner of the room, a chess table and chairs with the same spiky blue pieces he had in his office, and last but not least, a table near the big room's exit, a small red thing shining on top of it.

With his ears perking up, Phoenix got up to try and reach the border of the table. It was much too tall for a cat to be able to see what was on its surface by standing, but with a jump, Wright could see a complicated rosé badge, the metal motif resembling rays of sunshine surrounding a center circular red jewel from which the light reflected. It was in pristine condition, not a single scratch or dent in all these years of the prosecutor's career.

Phoenix looked at the brooch with interest. He never really saw a prosecutor's badge so closely, but he did know what it looked like. It was much more intricate than a defense attorney's, although it had its beauty too.

But this one was certainly more eye-catching. He didn't get why Edgeworth didn't wear it.

The cat could hear some sounds as said man walked down the stairs, now with a knitted burgundy vest and a dress shirt underneath, gray formal trousers, and black elegant loafers. He entered the living room, running a hand through his gray hair and noticing he had forgotten to comb it. He muttered something to himself and left, walking back up the stairs.

The cat looked at him again, finding it weird but a little endearing. And, well, funny, as up until now he hadn't realized the cat he had been talking to was not a regular cat but Phoenix himself. The funniest thing, however, was the fact that that was what he was concerned about.

Phoenix's eyes moved back to the shiny object, wondering about the number on the back. He flipped it to check, but then felt an itch in his hand — well, paw. A sudden urge.

And, one second later, the badge was on the floor.

It didn't take long for its owner to reappear, this time with his hair neatly styled in his usual manner. He looked from the badge to the cat, picking it up and putting it back in its place, squinting.

“Rude.”

Phoenix meowed apologetically, "petting" the badge on the table before getting down.

That got a small chuckle out of the prosecutor, and he kneeled to take a closer look at the cat.

“So, when and how did this happen?”

The response came in a trill and head shake, supposedly meaning he didn't know.

“You... Just woke up like that?”

He thought for a minute, then nodded, though not looking very sure.

And he indeed wasn't. He didn't remember exactly what he did, but he was pretty sure he fell asleep in his office at some point and woke up in a pool of his own clothes and in a small, fluffy body.

Miles hummed, lost in thought. There had to be something odd to cause this. 

“Are you certain that nothing strange happened to you today?”

He simply meowed, not giving an exact yes or no answer. The man sighed, struggling to understand his friend.

“You’re not sure?”

Now he did nod, then walked back to the blocks, writing Mai again.

“Maya knows?”

He responded by tapping the "M' block again.

“Maybe?” He tilted his head, trying to interpret the tuxedo's signals. He walked over to the buttons and pressed help once more. “Do you want me to call her again?”

The cat nodded. Miles obliged, sitting near Phoenix to allow him to hear his sister.

This time, it didn't take as long for Maya to pick it up, but she sounded barely awake when she did.

“Hm?...” She hummed on the other side. Phoenix meowed at the phone.

“Hello, it's Edgeworth again, Miss Fey. It would seem this cat is none other than Phoenix Wright himself, as I regret to inform you.”

“...Huh?”

“It appears your brother has been turned into a cat and sought shelter in my home.” He replied nonchalantly.

There was another pause and the sound of rustling fabric, then her voice came in a whisper-shout.

“Dammit, Nick.”

The cat meowed again.

“I take it you have a clue about what might've transpired?” He looked at Phoenix, inspecting him again for any hints.

“Not really?” She said, still clearly confused. “Are you sure that's him?”

He squinted at the cat, practically expecting an answer. Phoenix meowed again, more exasperated.

“...Yes, I am quite sure.”

“Well... it nags like him, and you said he knew his name too, right? I guess it makes sense.”

The cat meowed once more, sounding annoyed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” She said as if she knew exactly what he was saying. “How do you even get yourself in these situations, man?”

Edgeworth chuckled.

“I was under the impression you'd know something about his... condition, given the supernatural occurrences he's been in contact with had always somehow involved you as well.”

“Hey, we talk to dead people, not cats.”

But then she thought for a moment again. 

“I mean, it could have something to do with spirits, but... wait, you didn't die, did you?”

Phoenix meowed, immediately shaking his head at Miles, though he looked a bit too worried about the implications.

“...He said no.” The gray-haired man kept his eyes on the feline, a clear concern in his voice and demeanor.

“Hm…”

The medium hummed, and Edgeworth had the impression she wasn't convinced. But she soon continued. 

“It could still have something to do with spirits... but I never really heard about anything like this. If I knew how to turn into a cat, I would've done that a long time ago.”

Now it was Miles who was humming. 

“Can spirits switch bodies? Is it possible that a human Phoenix is walking around acting like a cat?”

“...I hope not, that's a cursed image.”

Both Edgeworth and Wright groaned at the thought.

“Any other guesses of how this incident could've happened?”

“Umm... I don't know, like I said, I never heard about this... I could ask around or something, but it's a little late now.”

“In your time, Miss Fey. I'd appreciate it if you could.” He looked back at the cat. “...I wonder, should I feed you human or cat food…”

The girl chuckled.

“Oh, his anatomy is different, so I think it'd be better to give him cat food. Dontcha think so, Nick?”

Phoenix hissed again.

“Who knows, maybe he'll have a newfound liking for raw fish and chicken paste treats. He did seem to enjoy knocking things over, so who knows what other feline instincts he'll engage with.”

He smirked at the cat, though he was indeed seriously considering providing him with a new diet.

In turn, he narrowed his eyes and "punched" Edgeworth’s leg again.

“Don't make me spray water on you.”

…He slowly reached out and tapped him.

The man chuckled.

“What more? Are you going to bite my ankles, too?”

The feline huffed and turned his back on the prosecutor.

On the phone, Maya continued.

“Well, boys, I don't think I can help a lot now, but I'll see what I can do tomorrow. Maybe it'd be a good idea to check the office in case, you know... there really is a random cat's soul trapped in Nick's body, or…”

She hesitated, then didn't finish it.

“Anyway, I'm pretty sleepy right now, but I'll call you later, Mr. E.”

“Thank you. Good night, Miss Fey.”

He hung up the call, looking back at the cat in an anxious manner.

Despite his attitude, Phoenix looked back at him too, as if sensing his anxiousness — and sharing it.

The prosecutor sighed, sliding his hand across his face towards his nose and pinching its bridge afterward.

“We aren't going to be able to rest, are we?”

He let out a tired trill in agreement, lying down on his stomach.

Miles’ leg bounced as he thought, then he looked back at the tuxedo. He awkwardly approached his hand to the cat, allowing him to sniff it, out of habit.

“...May I pet you?

Phoenix looked at his hand and then stared at him.

“Is… is that a no, or...?”

After a few moments, he huffed, but stretched his neck to touch the top of his head to his friend's palm.

Edgeworth chuckled, gently running his thumb over his forehead.

“There, there.”

The cat closed his eyes, accepting the gentle petting as he tucked a paw under his white chest.

His fur was extremely soft to the touch, and though he looked offended at the request, he seemed at least fine with it.

A gentle smile came over Miles' lips, and he chuckled.

“Your fur — or, well, hair I suppose — is softer than I imagined... I wonder if it has always been this way.”

His meow didn't really answer the underlying question, but it was cute at least.

“...Are you hungry?”

Phoenix opened his eyes, hesitating for a moment, but eventually nodded.

The man got up, humming.

“Would you like some fish?”

His feline friend narrowed his eyes at him.

“What? People eat fish as well.” He shrugged.

He stared at the man some more, then slowly got up to follow him.

Miles walked to the kitchen, opening his fridge and fetching some salmon sashimi from it. 

“Don't worry, it's fresh. I ordered it for lunch, but it took too long to arrive, so I wound up simply going out to eat something else.”

Phoenix took a look at it, and scrunched up his nose

“It's not that bad, give it a try. Just one slice won't harm you.”

The cat looked at the fish again, conflicted.

He wasn't in a position to be picky, it wasn't like he was invited, after all. In a way, it was kind of an emergency situation, and it was inconvenient enough to be here interfering with his night routine. But he also really did not like sushi and the likes.

Even then, he sniffed it, pondering if he should indeed just try it. 

With a not so pleased expression, he bit down on the raw meat. The prosecutor raised his eyebrows, waiting anxiously for his reaction.

To his surprise — And Phoenix's —, he didn't gag or spit it out like he was worried he would. Maybe Maya was right, and his feline anatomy did have an influence on his taste buds... he really hoped it stopped there and not at birds or mice. He shuddered at the thought

“See? My palate is impeccable.”

The man chuckled, slouching on his counter.

Phoenix didn't protest. Not that he could anyway, at least not so easily, but he was pretty hungry, and wasn't gonna complain about finding out something he didn't like was actually okay now.

“I'll go prepare the guest bedroom. If you need anything, I'll be upstairs on the second door to the left.”

Wright made a mental note and nodded, going back to eating. While he chewed it, he made a small sound that was almost as if he was saying "nom nom".

A faint laughter echoed from the hallway as Miles walked away, finding it oddly cute.

“I wasn't aware you enjoyed the fish this much. I might buy you some more tomorrow.”

Again, Phoenix couldn't complain, but that didn't make him less offended by the laugh. Overall, it was almost weird how calm Miles was being about the whole situation after it became clear. Yes, he himself was trying to stay calm, but it was hard not to panic at least a little bit. He had no idea what happened, after all, and if it wasn't for the fact he knew where the prosecutor lived, who knows what could happen.

He licked his lips, looking down at his hands — paws —, and sighed. Deep breaths. Maya would get back to them tomorrow.

Chapter Text

On the floor above, Edgeworth was pacing around the room, more worried than he was letting out to his friend. He figured staying calm would be the best route, as to not stress him more than he already was, but truth be told, the possibility of him dying was… worrisome, to say the least. 

He sighed, straightening the bedsheets and looking at his wristwatch. 11 PM. There was still time to go check Phoenix's workplace, as late as it was.

Not too long after he left the kitchen, maybe about two minutes, he heard a meow by the door, and there was Phoenix, sitting by the entrance.

“Oh, um…”

He kneeled, fidgeting with his watch.

“I was thinking... You were the last to leave your office, right?”

He nodded.

“Then... It should still be open, by now.”

Phoenix paused, but nodded again, looking worried.

“...Do you want to go check it?” Edgeworth finally asked.

He blinked up at him. Yes, he kinda did, but he didn't expect him to ask about it now. It was late after all. And... he could say he didn't really have anything worth stealing in there, but if Maya was right... there could be, and if so, as much as he wouldn't want to inconvenience his friend, he couldn't just wait until tomorrow.

Hesitantly, he nodded.

Miles nodded back, getting up, walking through the door and down the stairs, picking up his car keys in the living room and stashing them in his pocket alongside his house keys, phone, and wallet. He opened the door to his garage for the cat, as well as his car's. When they were inside it, the prosecutor adjusted his rearview mirror, then looked at the cat again.

“All ready?”

Phoenix nodded. He was half lying down on the passenger's seat, legs flexed as if he was ready to jump out the moment the door was opened.

Edgeworth hummed, thinking, then buckled the cat's seatbelt after his own.

“Stay back a little. If you sit like that, you might hurt yourself in case I have to use the brakes abruptly.”

Phoenix meowed, obliging, but clearly anxious.

Miles started his car, and soon enough they were on their way to his colleague's workplace. They arrived fifteen minutes later, and it was much more visible how anxious the prosecutor was.

Phoenix waited for Edgeworth to open his seatbelt, then he did jump out as soon as he opened the door like he thought.

The man frowned, lost in thought, then looked back at his colleague.

“I'm afraid it might be unsafe for you to walk around as a cat. May I carry you? It's the best way to make sure nothing unpredictable happens.”

The cat didn't make a sound, but he stopped on his tracks and then turned around to stand in front of him.

Miles kneeled and picked the cat up, holding him a bit awkwardly at first, confused at the stark difference between holding a cat and holding a dog.

“...You're oddly… wobbly.” He managed to adjust Phoenix in his arms, holding him like a baby as he started to walk. “Is this alright?”

Phoenix made a little bit of effort to roll on his arms to be stomach down instead, then meowed.

“Hm?” Miles tilted his head, confused. “Would you rather be on my shoulder instead?”

The cat pondered for a second, then nodded.

His friend helped him climb on his shirt, then continued moving. Phoenix clung to him as he walked. Eventually, he didn't seem as anxious about falling, but he was still anxious about the whole thing.

It wasn't long until they arrived at the door of Wright's office, which was left ajar. Miles looked at the cat as he placed a hand on the wood, hesitating to push it forward.

The cat held his breath beside him. He was wondering if they'd have to break into the office, but now he realized he didn't lock it at all, and that was scary in itself.

Edgeworth took a deep breath, gently opening the door to Phoenix's workplace. The office was a mess — case files on the ground, two coffee mugs behind the computer, at least four different newspapers talking about completely unrelated topics tossed aside, and a bunch of handwritten illegible notes scattered around Phoenix's table, his computer still open on a web browser with the search bar filled with endless "G"s, as if someone fell asleep on top of the keyboard.

More noticeably, the chair he would usually sit on had his clothes spread on it, although not in a way that would suggest he simply took them off, given his dress shirt was still buttoned up and his tie was wrapped around its collar.

Miles panicked, looking back at the cat and talking in a whisper-shout.

“Were you ransacked!?”

Phoenix mewed. The other man couldn't see it, but he was pretty sure he was blushing right now. How exactly would he, as a cat, explain that that just looked like a normal day to him? Of course he was gonna clean up, but it would probably be a lot harder now with no thumbs.

He looked down at the floor and jumped off Miles' shoulder, walking around to inspect everything and make sure nothing was taken.

It didn't seem like anyone entered before them, but who knows, maybe if someone did they just figured that the old computer and boring law books were not worth it.

He meowed, pointing at the window with his nose.

He couldn't remember very well what happened after he woke up, but considering he forgot about the unlocked door, he surely left through there instead.

“Hm?” Miles walked towards it, eyes leaving Phoenix's suit as he kneeled to inspect the windowsill, which had some loose black and white hairs.

It was clear that that was indeed Wright's exit, even though they were on the second floor, and he himself had a very hazy memory of it. He did now remember panicking and jumping on the windowsill, but not arriving at ground level.

The prosecutor immediately turned to look at the cat, inspecting him with visible worry.

“You jumped from the second floor ?! Are you alright? You haven't hurt yourself, have you?”

Phoenix looked over his back and under his front paws. He was a little sore from walking, but nothing serious, he thought. He shook his head.

Miles sighed, relieved. He got up, walking towards the blue suit instead.

“Well, it's… An odd way to leave your clothes behind.”

The feline followed him and jumped up on the chair to check it too. 

There certainly was no body, or signs of blood, and it was unlikely that his clothes would be still there and somewhat neat if something happened.

Maybe it wasn't a case of spirit channeling cats, but Phoenix's body itself somehow morphed into a cat's.

He looked at his own suit, momentarily distracted by his own golden badge, then sniffed it, and went for one of the pockets, sticking his snout inside it and pulling out a familiar green object — the magatama.

“It's still there, huh.” Miles said. “If this incident was a theft, the criminal is quite incompetent.”

Phoenix doubted it had anything to do with his predicament, but didn't contest it. He looked up at the computer, the browser had a good ten tabs open, including ambient music, Thesaurus.com, "what is a pikasso guitar", "back pain", "is it normal if your back cracks too much", "do bunnies have paw pads" and similar random questions.

Miles squinted at the screen, then looked back at the cat. 

“You truly need to organize yourself better.”

The cat huffed and pushed the power button just after he read a "can too much gel damage your hair".

Edgeworth turned his attention to a different table in Wright's office, finding on it a recent steel samurai comic book. He skimmed through it, attempting to look nonchalant as he did so, but it was clear how much the story captivated him.

“...It would appear Maya has been here earlier.”

Phoenix nodded. Yeah, she was there until the afternoon, then went back to her village. He himself couldn't resist having a look at it, but didn't finish.

He got up on the table, looking around the room once more to check if he didn't miss anything. He did leave his phone there too, but he wondered if it would even be useful.

The man put it in his pocket, just to make sure.

Anywhere else you'd like to check?

Phoenix walked to the edge of the desk and pawed at a drawer handle to open it a little bit.

Miles helped him, also inspecting the contents of the drawer. 

“Do you need something?”

There were a few more loose papers there on top of a folder, pens and pencils, but most importantly and probably what he was looking for, a keychain. And a very familiar one at that.

A very soft gasp escaped the prosecutor's lips, and it was visible that the sight of that piece of their childhood touched him.

“You... still have it.”

Phoenix blinked, confused for a second, until he realized what he meant. He didn't even stop to think what his reaction would be upon seeing the Signal Blue keychain again. 

He slowly looked up at him and mewed, a shyer sounding noise.

Miles smiled, giving the cat's forehead a light caress.

And, well, that was one reaction he wouldn't expect, but he supposed it was hard to resist his current appearance. He would be petting a cat at the first opportunity too.

But he also wasn't expecting the soft rumble in his own chest.

The sudden purring made his colleague chuckle, his hand moving from his forehead to his chin.

Oh no.

Well, apparently he himself couldn't resist his current form's urges, as he immediately raised his head to receive the scratches, purring louder.

“Seems like I found a weak spot.” Edgeworth laughed, though there was no malicious intent in it. He simply found his feline friend's reactions adorable, and the purring was definitely not making it any easier for him to stop himself from showing too much affection.

The cat tilted his head as the focus of the petting changed slightly, until he tilted it too much and lost his balance, almost falling from the desk.

Miles prepared to catch him, but chuckled as he found his own balance again.

“Careful. Do you want to get on my shoulder again?”

Phoenix meowed in annoyance as he got back on his feet and Edgeworth could almost hear him saying "you didn't see anything". He seemed hesitant to accept it at first, but after another look at the room, he walked closer to him, waiting to be picked up.

The prosecutor kneeled, allowing the tuxedo to climb on his shoulder.

“Anywhere else you'd like to check?”

Phoenix remembered to take the keychain in his mouth before climbing Edgeworth again, then shook his head slightly. As much as he didn't want to leave his office behind while not knowing exactly what happened yet, he didn't see anything relevant enough.

“Right.” He gently caressed the cat's cheek, opening his hand to grab his keys. “It'll be best to lock your workplace on our way out.”

Wright nodded. There were four keys on the keychain, one probably was the one to the office.

“Do you want to go to your place in case you need anything, before going back to mine?”

He put it in his pocket, now awkwardly taking Wright's clothes and holding them in his forearm, trying his best to not think about the fact he was also holding his underwear.

Phoenix wasn't sure if there was anything he would deem useful in his apartment. Maybe more comfortable clothes for when he turned back? Or food, but he forgot to buy groceries, so there wasn't much on the fridge, and he heard milk wasn't actually good for cats. Maybe the bread was, the salami definitely, but should he really make him drive there? It was a bit messy too...

He realized he was staring at the wall and then shook his head no. Eh, he figured he could pay for the food later, and there were clothes there already.

Miles just hummed as a response, taking the keys from his pocket and locking the office when they left.

Once they were back in his place, he placed them on a table, leaning onto it to help Phoenix get down from his shoulders.

Phoenix hopped off to the table and then to the floor, looking up at Edgeworth to figure what he should do or where to go. He didn't exactly want to sleep just yet, he wasn't used to the time and was still a bit anxious, though much less now knowing he wasn't... gone.

His friend, however, let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes. He glanced at the clock, marking almost midnight, then at the cat. He wasn't used to sleeping late, in fact, most of his habits seemed to be those of an eighty year old grandma, and it showed. 

“Would you like... Can you even have tea?”

Phoenix couldn't shrug, but he didn't know either. He never once heard of a cat drinking tea. But surely it couldn't be bad, could it? It was just... leaf juice. He meowed, uncertain.

Edgeworth took out his phone, typing "can cats drink chamomile tea" on the search bar, humming afterwards.

“Apparently it's fine, as long as you don't drink too much. Here it says a cat can usually tell when it's enough.”

The feline nodded. He wasn't the biggest fan of tea, but he'd have it from time to time, just mostly when he was sick or on cold days.

Miles smiled a bit drowsily, which made the gesture look softer. He walked to the kitchen, putting some water to boil and fetching the dry chamomile flowers, putting them in an apparel that Phoenix guessed would infuse them into the hot water.

Phoenix followed him around and watched, still very much awake and wide eyed.

“Are you alright?” Edgeworth asked, noticing that.

Alright was not the way to describe it exactly. He couldn't talk, he was small, and lacked opposable thumbs, as well as clothes , and was starting to get a bit... uncomfortable.

But he nodded.

His colleague hummed, looking back at the water. Still not hot enough.

“Do you need to use the restroom? The door we passed by to get here is one.”

He felt his ears heating up at the question. Was it that obvious? For some reason it was much more embarrassing to be asked like that than as a human.

Well, maybe because... he had been trying not to think about that. He had absolutely no idea of how to go about it. Sure, he's seen funny videos of cats using the bathroom, but one slip and he'd end up covered in toilet water. Plus, how would he even get cleaned up?...

He sort of looked at the direction of the door, hesitatingly.

Edgeworth turned to face him, also analyzing the logistics of how Phoenix would be able to use the bathroom.

“...I believe I might have a package of pet training pads somewhere in here. I bought them for Pess, but she never quite adapted to them. Perhaps it could be a good substitute for toilet paper, given you can stick them on the floor and peel them off just as easily.”

Phoenix made a little groan. He knew his friend was being considerate, trying to find a solution, but he really did not want him to know of his business in the first place. Maybe he could wait until tomorrow? Surely Maya wouldn't take that long…

The reaction made the prosecutor self conscious, unsure of what was expected out of him.

“Pardon me, I didn't mean to pry into your business. Should I install the mat, just to be sure?”

Phoenix alternated his weight between his two front paws anxiously, but eventually nodded. Well, now he did know, so it was better to accept the easiest alternative to hygiene, wasn't it?

“I see. I'll go set it, then.”

He smiled reassuringly.

Phoenix meowed up at him gently despite his embarrassment.

He got another forehead pat as Miles left. Then he sat down and waited patiently for the host to come back. That is, until the kettle started to whistle, and he jumped to his feet, meowing for Edgeworth's attention and then trying to reach for the knob, which he eventually succeeded in, turning it off.

Not long after that, Miles walked through the door, looking from the cat to the kettle, having already connected the dots.

“Thank you.”

The cat mewed, dropping back to his feet with a little "mrrp!"

Edgeworth chuckled, caressing the cat as he smiled warmly, visibly groggy. He rubbed his eye, yawning.

“You're quite helpful as a roommate, huh.”

Phoenix accepted the petting with a little meow, thinking about it. In a way, it really was kinda like they were temporarily roommates, wasn't it? At least in the most literal sense. But he was glad that's what he saw it as and not as petsitting.

The noise made the prosecutor's smile soften, and he moved his hand to caress the tuxedo's back as well.

“...Are you any better?”

He didn't respond, but it was immediately clear that as much as Phoenix seemed to like being petted on his head and face, he melted more as he caressed his back, near his shoulders. It was also a bit funny how he could feel a bit of gel residue on the back of his head and neck.

“Pfft. I'll take this as a yes.”

He continued patting him for a few seconds, then got up and put the herbs into the teacups, serving them with water. He walked to the table with them in hand, putting one on each side of the table.

Phoenix looked disappointed when he stopped this time, but simply watched as he prepared the tea, then jumped up a chair to wait for it to be ready.

It didn't take long for the tea to get ready, and in the meantime, Miles got some honey to sweeten it.

“Would you like some?”

Phoenix tilted his head, also not knowing if cats could have honey.

“Right, it might not be safe for you…”

Edgeworth wagged his finger like he did in court, speaking slowly as he grabbed his phone, searching "can cast have hnoey". He let out a quiet "oh", then placed it down again.

“It shouldn't be harmful in small quantities, but anything more may have its complications. Most importantly, cats don't have the taste buds required to experience sweetness, so it'd be useless.”

Wright blinked. He was taking a risk with the tea already, and if it was useless, then it'd be better to just avoid it. He really didn't want to end up with an upset stomach like this.

He confirmed Edgeworth's words with a nod.

The prosecutor hummed, taking the teacup to his lips with a small smile. When he placed it down, he grabbed a napkin next to him to pat his lips with.

“Good?”

Phoenix walked to his cup, sniffing the tea and then touching the porcelain with a paw to test the temperature. He decided it was better to wait a little until it wasn't as hot.

Miles took a few more sips as the cat waited, but it wasn't long until it was safe for him to drink the tea as well.

Once it was a bit colder, he sniffed it again, now lying down, and tried drinking it, finding out pretty soon that sipping wasn't an option and shoving his nose in the beverage in the process. He sneezed, then took a moment to process before licking it off the cup instead.

Miles constricted a chuckle, using his free hand to caress the cat near his shoulders again.

He started purring once more and moved up slightly to press against his hand as he drank.

“Are your shoulders any better as a cat?”

He asked, amused.

“ Mmmrr. ”

He groaned in response. It was a little bit better, but not one hundred percent. He still felt like an old man. Maybe the partially white fur was just how this form translated his white hairs.

Miles sipped his tea, yawning again.

“I think that's a yes?”

Phoenix sort of nodded, stopping to lick the tea off his... lips? Whatever. How much was "too much", he wondered? Maybe what Edgeworth served him was already pretty little, but he didn't want to risk it.

He was right about the sugar too. Maybe it was just that the tea itself was unsweetened, but he couldn't taste any sugar in it at all, and he tended to put some in his coffee and tea.

“I do hope you don't have a sweet tooth. That would be unfortunate.” He slouched his face on his left hand, still caressing the cat.

Phoenix looked at him, but just brushed his wet muzzle on his hand.

“Need a napkin?” Edgeworth asked.

He nodded, rubbing his paw on his mouth and nose.

“Here.” Miles gently patted the cat's muzzle, chin and whiskers, noticing their bolt-like shape. He chuckled.

“Seems like your cat form translated your eyebrows into your whiskers. I wonder how long it would've taken me to notice all the similarities.”

Phoenix moved his head as if to see his own whiskers. Come to think of it... he didn't look at himself directly yet, as in, in a mirror. He did see his reflection faintly on reflexive surfaces, but not very clearly, and he wasn't paying much attention. He looked around and hopped off the table to walk up to the fridge, that seemed reflexive enough, turning on his side to look at himself.

His colleague tilted his head, puzzled by the action.

“Do you want something from inside it?”

He shook his head. The image was good, but not as clear as a mirror. He turned around to follow the direction to the bathroom instead, considering that was the first place he'd imagine having a mirror.

The aesthetic of the prosecutor's living room seemed to be consistent with every other room in his house. The bathroom was quite large, big enough to have a built-in jacuzzi that seemed to have been used recently. There was a tall window seat across the door, adorned with light curtains to provide the room with more privacy. In the bathroom's back wall stood the toilet seat, a trash bin to one side, and the bathtub to the other. In the same wall as the door Phoenix entered from, just across the jacuzzi, there was a sink with a large marble tabletop, and a range of skincare and hair products neatly organized on top of it, all of which seemed to have been used recently as well. A perfume bottle stood on its left corner, and a bouquet of light pink roses adorned the right. There was a painting on a wall, albeit a small one, and a large rug on the floor that covered some of the stone in front of the jacuzzi. On the north part of the bathroom, there were two plants, one taller and a shorter one near the window seat, the whole room being lit by a similar ceiling light from the living room and a few candles near the tub and on the tabletop. Most importantly, there was a training mat next to the toilet and an intricate mirror just above the sink.

The cat let out an appreciative hum as he looked around. Maybe it was his current size, but even if he was human right now, he was pretty sure that bathroom was still very big, to his standards at least. He walked and looked around for a while in curiosity before remembering what he came for. He walked back to the door and pushed it closed before taking a look at the mirror. It was a bit high up, he figured he could check it later. 

So he did his business first, which wasn't very pleasant considering his legs were already quite tired and he had to worry about not falling inside the toilet, and he would need help to bathe in that case. Fortunately that didn't happen, and as embarrassing as the whole situation was, at least that was out of the way for the time being. 

Then, he jumped up on the sink and finally had a clear view of himself. 

He looked... well, like a cat. A thin tuxedo with a just slightly asymmetrical face pattern and white gloves, and yes, his whiskers did have a funky shape. He wiggled his nose at it.

Then he moved his ears back and forth too. 

He turned on the tap and then wondered what he was gonna wash his hands for. He wasn't really gonna use it and his fur would feel wet for a while, but it also wasn't great to walk around tables with dirty paws, and he was not going to lick them clean. Cats could be the cleanest animals on earth just by bathing with their tongues, but he wasn't going to lick the dirt from the ground he walked on. Even the rat in Ratatouille washed his hands, why wouldn't he?

So he washed them. Kind of. Well, as best as he could.

While his friend used the bathroom, Miles tended to the dishes, washing Phoenix's with extra care, considering he was now in cat form. When he was done with cleaning and tidying the tea set, he yawned, thinking he should get ready for bed as well. Calling it a long day would be an understatement, but he figured Wright certainly had a worse one. He walked back into his own room, taking off his vest and watch, putting his slippers on instead.

Not too long after, he heard little meows in the hallway, presumably looking for him.

“Yes?” He asked as he opened the door.

The big heterochromatic eyes looked up at him innocently as Phoenix meowed, unable to voice his question.

...He had forgotten where Miles said the guest bedroom was.

The groggy man rubbed his eye again, tilting his head.

“Do you need anything? I already made your bed, if that's what you're trying to ask of me.” He pointed upstairs with his head, still quite confused.

Wright looked in the same direction. Well, he didn't really remember, but it couldn't be that hard, the house was big, but not a labyrinth, and the door was probably open. 

He looked up at the man again, wondering if he should get the blocks all the way over there to thank him properly.

Miles bent down, caressing the feline near his shoulders with a small smile on his lips.

The cat purred. At least he could get used to basically receiving free shoulder rubs just for being cute. 

He figured the behavior was too cat-like, but he rubbed his side against Edgeworth's leg instead, hoping it would get his gratitude across. 

He meowed up at him gently and went on his way.

Edgeworth walked right behind him, their paths diverging in the hallway, where he opened the door to his own room and left it ajar, laying on his bed with a low groan.

“Urgh, my back…”

Phoenix stopped on his tracks and slowly walked to the door to check on his friend.

He was lying down on his stomach, faces shoved in a pillow. And because of that, obviously, he couldn't see the cat approaching.

But pretty soon he felt some movement on the bed, and then the weight of a small, furry body on top of him.

Wright could not only see but feel Miles startling, his back tensing against his paws. He let out a small "Ngh!" at the sudden pressure on his body, which jumped slightly.

The cat meowed and lied down, front paws kneading the man's back. "Making biscuits", as he heard it being called before.

The prosecutor fell silent underneath him, but he could feel his skin warming up under his paws, face hidden yet clearly flushed, as evidenced by his red ears.

Phoenix didn't get exactly why, but at least he wasn't complaining, which made him a bit more confident, and also got him to start purring again, the little vibrations providing some more comfort.

Slowly but surely, the defense attorney could feel his friend's back relaxing, skin soft and tender. He let out a small mutter, and it sounded a bit like he was asleep and mumbling.

Well, that was fast, he thought to himself as he stopped, carefully getting down and peeking at Edgeworth's face.

He really seemed to be asleep. Not that it was a surprise, he looked pretty tired. Yet, he couldn't help but find it amusing. 

But despite everything, he looked pretty peaceful.

Less expression lines, hair falling on his face, slightly twitching long, greyish eyelashes...

Indeed, he looked pretty.

...Peaceful. Pretty peaceful, of course.

Phoenix's ears flapped, feeling a bit hot again. He shook his head.

But he couldn't bring himself to leave just yet.

Should he?

He didn't exactly want to be alone in another room in such a big house.

Not that something bad could happen, but... Now that Miles wasn't awake, there was little distracting him from his own anxiousness.

But if he did stay, would he be fine with it?... He kind of invaded his room already, maybe he shouldn't be pushing his boundaries more than that. Plus, he had already prepared a room for him.

He took another look at the sleeping man now beside him.

As he did, his colleague slowly opened his eyes, quite clearly groggy and struggling to stay awake. He yawned, voice low and raspy when he spoke again, rolling to his side to have a better view of his friend.

“Thank you.”

Phoenix got slightly startled as he saw the man open his eyes, even though he wasn't doing anything. But he was lost in thought after all...

His ears got hotter. He mewed in response and got off the bed to find the guest room. Not without looking back one last time as he passed through the door.

Miles tilted his head, looking at the defense attorney for a moment.

“Would you rather sleep here? I-I mean, I can only imagine how stressed you must be, and if my company serves to soothe you, then I'd be glad to share some space with you. If that's what you want and feel comfortable with, of course.” He looked away, blushing.

The cat would flush too if he could, fortunately, he couldn't, at least not in a visible way. But his eyes widened slightly at the invitation. 

He could maybe interpret it as just offering politely but not really meaning it, like he did with Maya about food sometimes — and she always did want some, he learned his lesson —, but his tone and expression didn't seem just... polite. No, it was sincere. 

Phoenix hesitated at the door, wondering if he really should accept it. If he should be a proper guest and sleep in the guest room, or accept the understanding offer.

In the end, he walked back to the bed carefully and hopped back up, looking at his friend and giving him a timid meow before curling into a ball at the opposite side of the bed.

The prosecutor smiled, looking back at his colleague as he did so, then gave the feline a light caress over his forehead.

“Well, uhm... I'll go change my clothes and join you shortly.”

Phoenix watched as he got up to do it, thinking he would just fall asleep as he was. His gaze fell back to the bed, and he stretched one paw to touch the spot Miles was just lying on. It was warm, of course. Slowly, he moved to occupy it until he came back, tucking his paws under his chest. It was more of an instinct than anything, but he quickly found the position was comfier than he would guess.

Not too long after, Edgeworth reappeared from his suite's bathroom, his prior clothes in hand. He wore a new york pink pajama set in their place, complete with a nightcap. He smiled and walked towards the tuxedo, giving him some affection by rubbing his thumb against his forehead again.

Phoenix purred a little and opened his eyes to crawl back to the spot he was on before, slightly disappointed that he didn't take longer.

Miles adjusted himself to enter his bedsheets, not taking a big portion of the bed, then turned off the lights, smiling groggily at Phoenix.

“Good night. Rest well, Wright.”

The cat meowed twice in response, trying to emulate the words.

As Edgeworth got settled and started drifting off, Phoenix did his best not to disturb him, staying still and resting his head on his paws, although the sleepiness didn't come so easily even as he closed his eyes.

He wasn't dead. At least that didn't seem to be the case, but he would really like to cross out that possibility.

More than once he looked at a pet and wondered how it would be to just lie around and be pampered and fed all day. It sounded like a good life, but not one to just randomly wake up in.

Yes, he was lucky that Edgeworth could help him, but he was already missing being able to talk, grab things, do things on his own. And frankly, he was feeling pretty naked. 

It wasn't... awful, but felt weird, uncanny, and his worry was how long it would last. Without knowing how it even happened in the first place, it was hard to relax. 

He sighed, looking over at his friend. He wasn't moving much. Was he already asleep this time?

He meowed softly once. Twice. No response.

He really must be tired.

Slowly, Phoenix walked closer, lying down next to the man. Then, he scooted a little bit closer, his side touching Miles'.

The first time, purring came kind of automatically to him. But he happened to find out that it was pretty soothing.

So he did, lying down with his back to his friend's, finding comfort in his warmth and the rumbling of his own chest.

Chapter Text

The night passed by peacefully, both attorneys deep asleep and sharing their comfort with each other. Miles only started moving again at 8 AM the next day, yawning and rubbing his face against his pillow as he noticed a small warm body touching his. He mumbled an interrogation, not really forming any words.

“Hmmgph?...”

As Edgeworth started to stir in his sleep and wake up, so did Phoenix, stretching out his legs behind the man, out of sight, but noticeable. Still barely opening his eyes, Phoenix let out a small trill and rubbed his own face.

He could hear a soft chuckle coming from behind him, then warm and gentle fingers caressed his side, working up to the nape of his neck. Silver eyes looked tenderly at him, gray eyelashes fluttering as they blinked slowly.

Phoenix immediately started purring, still quite sleepy, stretching out his neck to receive scratches, and to look up at the owner of the hand giving them. In a second, he sat up in a small startled jump, to only then process his view.

Right. He was still a cat.

“Are you okay?” The man asked him, startled by the sudden jump.

Wright took a moment to answer with a nod, still taking in his surroundings. 

It wasn't everyday that you woke up as a completely different creature, and it was only his second time doing that.

And frankly, it was also surprising to wake up to Edgeworth's face hovering so close over him. That was the kind of thing he'd need some time to prepare mentally before...

His ears were all hot again. They flapped.

Calmer with the confirmation, Miles grumbled and yawned again, rubbing one of his eyes to wake himself up properly. Now, under the morning light, Phoenix could see the room better. It was nothing like he expected — or, well, would've expected, had he not known the prosecutor's favorite TV show. 

There was a large window in front of the bed, which was California king-sized, its back to the wall and aligned to the center of the room. The fitted sheet was incredibly soft to the touch, in the shade of a light creme with a slightly pink background, close to an orangish oyster pink, and the bedsheets smelled like their owner. The cotton flat sheet was white, a deep burgundy blanket layered over it, now rumpled with the man’s and his friend's movements.

There were two identical nightstands next to the sides of his bed, which had white beaded Victorian floral table lamps on top of each. The dark wooden bedframe had deep red semi-transparent curtains from each side, and there was a bouquet of roses on the dressing table on its opposing wall, alongside a few Steel Samurai collectibles.

Above it, there were two shelves filled with the franchise's mangas, and on the wall to their left, there were framed posters and a glass cabinet filled with figurines and more rare collectibles.

Most noticeably, there was a framed Will Powers autograph on the right wall, the paper crumpled up although it was visible how hard Miles had tried to straighten it back to its original form. Next to it, there was a broken artifact Phoenix could very easily recognize as a key piece of evidence on a case he had worked on a while ago.

Phoenix looked around properly for the first time, slowly walking to the edge of the bed to check out the decorations. He knew Edgeworth was into Steel Samurai, he let it slip a few times and he had done the test of asking a casual question about it only to have it explained in detail. Yet he didn't think of him as someone who would be interested in figurines, aside from the one in his office.

Well, he wasn't sure why he thought that, but he was obviously wrong. But there was something very Edgeworth in the way they were so neatly displayed.

“O-Oh, uhm... That's my private Steel Samurai collection. I prefer to keep my rarest and most valuable finds elsewhere, though”, he mumbled, looking away.

It was noticeable from the way he acted that he was embarrassed to let Phoenix see more of this more "nerdy" side of his, making him blush slightly.

Wright wondered if his smile was decipherable in this form.

So there's even more, he thought, unable to hold back a humorous hum at the man's reaction. He really thought it was a big deal to like those things, huh? Well, it certainly was at least a little surprising to learn that he of all people would be interested in children's media to that point, but it was kind of endearing. Especially when he got all shy about it. 

He looked up at him and let out a playful sounding meow.

“What?” Miles pouted, as if he was able to see the teasing expression on Phoenix's face.

The cat's "grin" only widened, and he walked back towards Edgeworth, only to rub his side against the man affectionately as he passed him. Phoenix himself wasn't quite sure why, it was a bit automatic, but he did also mean to do it. It was hard to explain, something about cat urges or whatever.

The prosecutor mumbled some more, his face rather pink. He snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering something.

“Oh, wait, that's right. What do you say we get you some new clothes?”

“Mrrp?” Phoenix looked up at him curiously. Actually, he would like to have something to cover himself, but he wouldn't happen to just have anything that worked for a cat lying around, would he? So that'd mean having to spend money in this case, which wasn't a great idea for Phoenix. He was trying his best not to be too much of an inconvenience.

But, oh well... it wasn't very convenient to be naked all the time either, was it? It was in Edgeworth's best interest too, surely. Yet, he felt bad for making him spend on him. Maybe the store would accept a return once he was back to normal?

“Would it be in your interest to do so?” Miles asked, confused at the cat's silence.

Phoenix narrowed his eyes as he thought, not realizing he hadn't really answered the first question, then finally nodded.

His friend nodded back, getting up and stretching with a yawn.

“Did you rest well?”

Well, he did rest. But he could also lie down for a few more hours. He was a bit sleepy still, and it was like the question triggered a yawn in him, and he stretched once more.

The bed was pretty comfortable, and compared to his size, it was also very spacious. 

Phoenix nodded after retracting his claws, a bit distracted by the motion. He stretched his fingers once more. Then retracted them again. 

Huh. Neat.

“Good, good.” Edgeworth continued, not paying attention to that. He seemed lost in thought. “This reminds me, at what time does Miss Fey usually wake up? The quicker we get answers, the better.”

That's right. Maya. What time was it again? The Fey clan usually woke up pretty early, it seemed, which also meant Maya would be up by at least 6 or 7 AM. But none of their phones rang yet, did they?

Edgeworth sighed, shrugging.

“I suppose all we can do is wait. And while at it, I might as well make us breakfast.”

Phoenix meowed and carefully hopped off the bed to follow the man.

Just  after they went down the stairs, Pess came to greet him with a lick on his cheek, excited to see him again. Miles chuckled, already going inside the kitchen at this point.

“I see the two of you seem to be hitting it off quite well.”

Phoenix rubbed his paw on his cheek to get rid of the slobber, but he wasn't mad or annoyed at all. In fact, he was a bit surprised. He hadn't seen Pess much, in all honesty, only in the few times he happened to meet Miles on the street as he walked her, and he was shocked to learn Edgeworth had a big dog and not a cat.

Either way, he didn't expect said dog to like him so much then. But now that he thought about it... it was like she recognized him, wasn't it?

He looked up at Pess, studying her long nose and happy canine smile, and meowed. Talking animals in movies could communicate with each other regardless of species, right?

She let out a content "woof", licking his face again. Her tail wagged quickly, and she flopped to her side, showing him her belly.

He did not understand that, they did speak different "languages" after all. But body language was still a useful tool. He came closer and extended his front paws to the dog's belly, petting it as best as he could. It was probably a funny scene, a cat trying to pet a dog much bigger than him. 

And it seemed to confirm that she did recognize him. It wasn't so normal for dogs to ask for pets from other animals, was it? He liked his theory better, it was cute, and it did look like she did. Maybe his smell was the same? He really couldn't tell.

“Wright, do you have anything in mind for breakf-”

Miles stopped by the doorframe, bamboozled by the sight of Pess receiving belly rubs from the tuxedo.

“...Huh. I suppose I'll have to get used to this.”

Phoenix looked up at him and let out a small chuckle, or at least that was the intention, but he wasn't sure what that sounded like. 

Hopefully not too used, he replied mentally, hoping this problem could be solved as soon as possible. For now, though, he was fine with the weirdness of trying to pet an animal while being an animal himself.

The prosecutor gestured for his friend to come to the kitchen, analyzing what to feed him.

“Are you fine with fish again?”

Phoenix nodded. While he wasn't too keen on it before, it was okay as a cat, and if it was the only feline friendly meal available, he was fine with it.

His friend seemed more on the fence than him, though. He didn't want to force Wright to eat the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but didn't know what else to offer that wouldn't harm his current form.

“Hm... What do you think about shrimp?”

Phoenix tilted his head, considering, but interested. He hasn't eaten shrimp many times in his life, but it was pretty good.

“We could go out to get some, and while at it, we could buy you some clothes. What do you say?”

Being reminded that he accepted the clothing offer made Phoenix's ears heat up a little in embarrassment once again, but he tried not to let his pride get in the way. He was hungry and exposed, as much as being spent on wasn't on his list of favorite things, he'd think about it properly later, when he'd be free of this... curse? Well, he was being offered shrimp and a nice bed, maybe it wasn't exactly a "curse", just an inconvenience.

Finally, he nodded, agreeing.

Miles smiled at him, tapping on one of his shoulders for Phoenix to get on again.

“If we're going out in public, it's safer to have you with me at all times.”

Phoenix looked up, roughly calculating the height. He hopped up on the table, then wiggled like he was about to pounce, and jumped to the man's shoulder, almost falling forward despite his carefulness.

Edgeworth caressed his friend's forehead, then stopped and laughed as he looked at the mirror, noticing he didn't even change out of his pajamas. 

“You didn't even question me almost leaving like this?”

The cat trilled in response, after a moment of silence and staring at their reflections. He didn't notice at all. But he wished he could speak to think of a clever way to tease him about it.

The prosecutor chuckled, leaning again so the cat could hop down and picking some clothes from his wardrobe.

“Don't worry, I won't take long.”

Phoenix meowed and got down to look around once more, then happened to find a patch of sunlight in the corner of the living room, and sat under it to wait. And soon he wasn't just sitting, but lying down on the floor instead, basking in the sun, eyes closed and tail around himself.

Just as he felt he was starting to drift off, he felt a sudden light touch to the top of his head, grazing it as gently as possible.

“Kept you waiting, did I?”

The cat started purring before even processing Miles' presence fully, then he stretched out his front paws and meowed, mentally telling him that he wasn't sleeping at all, just resting his eyelids.

The man smiled fondly, giving his friend a shoulder massage as well.

“Your fur is quite hot for the little time you've spent here. It surprises me how you haven't found it bothersome.”

Phoenix closed his eyes and lowered his chin to the floor again as Edgeworth purposely put pressure on his shoulders and back, relieving the tension.

“Better?”

He meowed softly, making no move to get up just yet.

Miles gave Wright some scritches behind his ears to finish off the massage, unable to stop smiling at the view and his friend’s behavior. Maybe he could be a cat person, after all.

“Consider this repayment for yesterday.”

Phoenix let out a confused noise before remembering the pseudo massage he had given him. He looked away, suddenly feeling shy about it.

After a little more stretching, he finally sat up, gesturing with a paw for Edgeworth to help him up.

And so he did, picking him up to help him climb to his shoulder again.

Once he got in his car, he leaned for his friend to hop down and sit on the passenger seat. It didn't take long for them to arrive at a shopping mall, Miles finding a parking spot right in front of the entrance. 

“So, do you have any preference as to where to start?”

The tuxedo looked up at him, unsure of what he meant. Was it about the clothes, or the food? He'd honestly rather go for the food first, considering neither of them had had breakfast yet, now that he thought about it.

Unsure of how to say that, Phoenix meowed and pointed to his mouth, doing a fake chewing motion.

Finding the chewing noises cute, the prosecutor let out a soft chuckle, nodding.

“Right.”

He got out of his car, closing his door and opening the one on his friend's side, leaning for him to jump on his shoulder again.

And so he did, a little more gracefully than before. He lied down and meowed at Miles to signal that they could go.

The man nodded, leaving and locking his car to then walk towards the food court, but not before Phoenix attracted a few awed looks from people not used to seeing cats being walked, and even less to cats being walked on their owner's shoulder.

That suddenly made Phoenix more self conscious, not only about the fact he wasn't wearing anything, but that he was very small, and it was indeed a better idea to stick to his friend's shoulder than walking beside him. But would it really be okay to enter a store or restaurant like that? 

He wrapped his tail around himself.

“How are you?” The prosecutor asked, catching the cue.

Phoenix hummed, a little unsure. Maybe he was worrying too much, the worst that could happen would be them having their entrance denied, right?

Even then, he couldn't help but think if there were dogs nearby, or how easily one could just pick him up and run away. 

Would someone actually even steal a cat like that? In broad daylight?

He shook his head. That was silly.

Miles scratched his chin, thinking, then adjusted the belt of his overcoat, picking up the cat from his shoulder and putting him in his makeshift pocket.

“Better?”

“Mrrp!”

Phoenix exclaimed as Miles moved him, but slowly settled, relaxing and adjusting his position.

And, once more, Edgeworth felt the soft rumble coming from his feline friend, now against his own chest.

The man let out a small chuckle, putting his hand inside his coat to caress the cat as he started walking towards a sushi store, removing it to pick up a plate and serve himself a few pieces and a handful of shrimp, making sure they weren't raw.

Phoenix couldn't see much of the outside like that, but he stuck his nose out of the coat to smell the food. It could be his imagination, but it was like it, and everything else, smelled stronger to him now. It did make sense, animals apparently had super good hearing and sense of smell. 

He retreated to the warmth and safety of Edgeworth's clothes, the smell of food obfuscated by their owner's as he did. 

His nose itched a little with the prosecutor's cologne, perfume or deodorant, he wasn't sure. But under that... he could also identify a more subtle, characteristic smell, which he assumed to be simply his natural scent.

Of course, all people had one, but he would never even try to guess his colleague's. The realization that he was close enough to do so made his ears heat up.

It was... nice. But it should be evident that Miles Edgeworth of all people would smell good, wasn't it?

The lawyer-turned-cat felt the urge to start purring again, but contained it. Why was he thinking so much about it?

Well, it didn't matter, because he stopped when he accidentally bumped his nose against the man's body and groaned because of it.

Attempting to disguise the noise, Miles pretended to clear his throat, which only made a second head turn their way. He did a second fake cough, looking away nervously, but he did take the opportunity to stick his hand back in his pocket, giving his friend one more headpat before he went to weigh and pay for his and Phoenix's meal.

Wright took the gesture as a signal to try and stay quiet, and so he did, even though he was starting to feel the urge to sneeze. He pressed his nose against the prosecutor's torso to block it, breathing through his mouth instead.

That seemed to tickle Edgeworth, making him let out a little titter. He immediately sniffed and ran a hand under his nose, trying to play it off as some sort of allergic reaction. The cashier raised an eyebrow, which led Miles to laugh nervously, yet he tried to play it cool.

“This pollen is really getting on my nerves this season.”

"Sir, we have no flowers in this establishment."

The worker answered, finding his demeanor even stranger. An awkward silence ensued, which was thankfully cut short by the staff member.

"So, uhm... Debit or cred-"

“Debit, please.”

The prosecutor quickly paid his tab, power walking to an isolated table with his childhood friend stashed in his overcoat and their meal in hand.

After he sat down, it was when Phoenix finally sneezed. Once, then three times in a row, groaning and pawing at his nose.

That seemed to concern Miles, and he moved to let his friend stick his head out of his pocket.

“Bless you. Are you alright?”

The cat meowed and took the opportunity to breathe the outside air, sneezing one more time before looking up at the prosecutor and nodding.

Edgeworth still looked a bit uncertain, but he decided to brush it off.

“Well, at any point, shall we get to eating? I'm unsure if the size of your appetite is correlated to your current form, so I made sure to get plenty of shrimp.”

A small trill left the cat, and he looked up at the man again to confirm if he should get out or not, as he lifted a paw to do so.

The prosecutor shook his head, holding up his chopsticks in a gesture to tell him he would feed him instead.

“They might shoo you away if they see you eating on the table.” He whispered to him.

Phoenix nodded, a bit disappointed, but sat back on Miles' lap, still covered by the coat.

“Hey, it'll only last until we're done eating. After that, you can get on my shoulder again.”

He picked up a shrimp, offering it to Phoenix.

The cat perked up, leaning forward to eat.

Miles gave it to the tuxedo, picking the sushi for himself as he waited for him to chew.

“Good?”

A content noise left the feline as he registered the new food. Again, Phoenix wasn't super fond of sushi, and he had never eaten shrimp like that. But like the night before, it actually tasted good, and now he couldn't tell if it was because he was a cat or because he just never had good sushi.

The little sound made Edgeworth open a smile, and he poked at one of his pieces with the chopsticks.

“Would you like to try one of these?”

Phoenix raised his head to check the plate, musing. Then he looked up at the prosecutor again with his big pleading eyes, as if asking if he really could.

Even if he wanted to, Miles wouldn't be able to say no to these eyes. He just giggled, instead.

“Which one?”

He looked at the table again, then picked one he was sure he wasn't familiar with, pointing at it with a paw.

Edgeworth picked it up, offering it to the cat while explaining what it was.

“This one is an ikura gunkan maki. These red spheres are salmon eggs.”

Phoenix sniffed it curiously. Fish eggs were just caviar, right? He thought he remembered having it once in the Gatewater Hotel, but there was so much going on that he didn't think he registered it very well. But he did remember it was salty.

He accepted it carefully so as to not drop any of it, but one or two small eggs fell on the prosecutor's lap as he chewed it.

That didn't seem to bother him, or at least not to a noticeable degree. He did, however, pick them up and place them on a napkin.

“How is it?”

The feline let out a satisfied trill as he licked his lips. It was a bit salty and even bitter, but it wasn't... bad. Had a fishy taste to it too, for obvious reasons. He'd maybe have to try it again when he came back to normal to be sure if he liked it or not.

“I’ll take that you enjoyed it.” The man chuckled, fetching a different sushi for himself.

Phoenix sat back as the prosecutor ate, his tail resting around his body as he warmed himself inside the coat.

The meal didn't last that much longer — they shared a few more sushis and shrimp, but once they finished, Miles patted his lips with a napkin and looked back down at his friend.

“You can get back to my shoulder if you'd like to.”

But Phoenix curled up into a fluffy ball inside the man's coat, enjoying the warmth despite the fact that the perfume still made him sneeze.

“I suppose this is a no, then.”

He chuckled, getting up and walking towards their next stop, a pet shop. It didn't take long for Miles to find a corridor of pet clothes, but most were tutu skirts or surgery onesies made to prevent cats from licking their sutures. Two things piqued his interest, though: there were a small cat suit jacket and pants, as well as a separate collar with a cravat attached. Phoenix couldn't see what was happening from inside the overcoat, but he could hear quite well the humming the prosecutor was making, the vibration his chest was making also turning it abundantly obvious.

“Mrrow?”

The feline lawyer meowed, stretching out his neck to try and see outside without giving up the comfort of the position he found to lie down on, but quickly found out it wasn't so easy, so he tried sitting up instead.

“Need some help with that?”

Edgeworth inserted one hand inside his makeshift pocket, allowing Wright to climb on top of it to help him get out.

The cat clung to his arm to get up and find a better angle, curious to see the options. Once he noticed the more "girly" clothes or silly costumes, like a hotdog or taco, he noticed it really was a wise decision to see what Edgeworth was planning on getting.

The man showed the cat the suit and the cravat, holding them by their hangers.

“What are your thoughts on these?”

Phoenix looked at the cravat and then back at him, and whoever said cats don't have expressions certainly never witnessed such a judging face coming from one before.

“What? There are no ties for sale” he shrugged.

So it's obligatory to buy one of the two? Phoenix thought, but was obviously unable to voice his criticism. He extended his paw to push the cravat away.

Miles reluctantly put it back in the hook, bringing the suit closer to inspect it better.

“Do you think it'll fit?”

Phoenix sniffed the suit. He himself wasn't sure why he did it. But in any case, maybe a suit was a little too much? Surely they had more casual looking clothes, and they'd probably be cheaper too. Not that he didn't like it, but... it seemed unnecessary. But also on brand for the prosecutor.

But turns out there was actually little variety in the world of pet clothing, though it kind of made sense when he thought that pets don't have to dress like humans do. Amidst the banana costumes, tutu skirts, bandanas, suits and surgery onesies, there were also sweaters, beanies and hats, but not much more other than that.

As Phoenix scanned the ambient, still as a passenger inside his friend's coat, he sighed. Well, compared to most stuff, the suit wasn't bad, but it was... silly to imagine his furry reflection on the clothes, that we're obviously made to be a cute little silly costume and not practical clothing. Most of the designers probably weren't thinking about humans that have been turned into animals when they came up with those.

Miles squinted at the tag, trying to see the number, only to then hum and lower his arm, focusing on his friend.

“I believe you're a medium size. Anything else?”

He thought for a moment, then climbed Miles' arm more to jump down to the floor, clumsily, but still landing on his feet. After being carried ever since they left Edgeworth's house, the sensation of walking with his paws — hands? — directly on the floor wasn't the most pleasant, but he was curious to take a look around, and here he was seeing some people walking with their pets in tow, so no one would bat an eye.

Come to think of it, since he didn't have any pets, he never thought to take a look inside a pet store, and this one seemed pretty big, as far as he could tell. He looked at the clothes again, just to make sure, but his attention soon shifted to a selection of brightly colored toys. Plushies, wands, rubber balls and things of the sort. For some reason, he stopped in front of it, tilting his head as he checked the options.

Miles turned to see where Phoenix was looking, and as a result, noticed a particularly interesting wand toy with feathers attached to a string. It made him wonder how much cat toys cost compared to dog toys, and also made him realize how dog toys are much simpler than cat toys. He picked it up from the hook, turning it around to check for the price, which, in turn, made the string swing around.

The cat's gaze didn't leave the toy as Edgeworth picked it up, and he watched with big round pupils as it swayed, accompanying the movement intently. And with a little impulse, Phoenix jumped towards it, trapping the feathers between his front paws.

Noticing that, the prosecutor chuckled, swaying it around more purposefully now that he saw his friend's reaction, making a mental note to buy the toy along with the clothes.

Phoenix's head moved rapidly from side to side to accompany the toy, in a rather funny way, then he jumped to catch it again.

Miles laughed, entertained by his antics.

“You've taken a liking to this one, haven't you?”

The cat suddenly stopped biting at the feathers and rope to stare at nothing, processing what he was doing. Then, he slowly got down.

What was he doing really?

He let out an annoyed meow and walked away from the toys, sneezing again.

“Bless you” his friend chuckled, picking a shopping basket he found nearby and placing the toy and cat-sized suit in it. He followed Phoenix closely, though he was smiling.

Phoenix didn't look back at him as he walked through the corridor, taking a peek at the next one, where he found those travel boxes for pets, beds and installations like some he saw on videos. He tried to remember the name and eventually "cat tree" came to mind.

“Hmm... These are rather large. I wonder how many cats fit on these. Do you want one?”

The defense attorney turned to look at the man so quickly that his head spun for a second and he almost lost his balance. He didn't know if he should take it as a joke or not, considering Edgeworth's tone — he wasn't one to joke around often, but he should be able to pick up on the tone if that was the case, right? — and the fact he was already buying him pet clothes that weren't gonna be needed for long.

“Well?” He tilted his head, looking at the cat in genuine confusion.

Phoenix stared at him for a few more seconds, forgetting he was supposed to reply. Then sheepishly shook his head no, quickly walking past those. Or, at least, that's what he intended to do, until he stopped and curiously approached a scratching pole. 

It had a string with a pompom hanging from it, which seemed to be what caught his attention at first. Then, his gaze shifted to the pole itself and he reached out to touch it with his paw.

Why did cats like scratching so much anyway? He never had a cat and never really stopped to ask himself that. Maybe it was like filing your nails? Or was it just a fun thing to do?

He flexed his fingers, seeing the claws coming out, and tried scratching the pole. It didn't really feel very entertaining.

His friend watched his movements with close interest, squinting to have a better look at the claws.

“You can control these, can you not? Does it not feel weird for you to feel them inside your paw, or do you just not feel them whatsoever?”

Phoenix stopped and looked at his paw again, moving it to see the claws appearing and disappearing. He hadn't paid much attention to the feeling before, but now he was extremely aware of the weirdness of having his nails hidden under a layer of skin and fur and feeling it move like that.

It was like when you're suddenly aware of your clothes against your skin. And then he also remembered he still wasn't wearing any.

Gee, thanks, Edgeworth . He shook his paw to get rid of the sudden weird sensation on his fingers.

“I take it you do, now”, he let out a soft, embarrassed chuckle. “So, is this all? There are also pet shoes, if you'd like that.”

The tuxedo looked down at his paws. The floor of the store wasn't as bad to walk on as pavement, but he couldn't help but feel weird about being barefoot anyway. Especially because, well, it's a store, lots of people — and animals — walked there, and now who knows what kinds of bacteria were on his... hands.

But just as he looked up at Miles to nod, a sound startled him. A bark. And then came a blur of golden fur, making Phoenix desperately climb the cat tree to get away from the labrador that suddenly fled from their owner to bark at him.

Edgeworth looked just as startled as him, moving to stand between the cat tree and the dog as a way to protect Wright. Just as he was about to grumble, the owner showed up, scolding his dog and apologizing as they left.

“...Are you okay?”

As he turned around to look at the feline, Phoenix stared up at him with wide pupils, his claws buried on the cat tree as he braced himself on it, his fur looking more spiky now.

“Would you like to go back to my coat?” He kneeled to look at him at eye level, concerned.

Phoenix meowed softly, taking a moment to move, slowly removing his claws from the top of the tree, careful not to pull on them. After making sure he wouldn't break a nail, he shook himself as if he was wet, his fur going back down, and he walked over to the edge, in front of Edgeworth.

He picked the cat up like a baby, unsure of how to handle him.

“Do you prefer my shoulder or my coat?”

Phoenix meowed and rolled on his arms, already trying to get inside his coat.

He opened it to aid him, patting his forehead.

“We're almost done. I just need to find shoes…”

Miles muttered, scanning the shelves for any. He found pet sneakers small enough to fit Phoenix, and quickly fetched it to put it with the wand and suit. 

“Anything else?”

Phoenix was sitting with his head out of the coat to look around, looking more calm already. He shook his head. He really couldn't think of anything else he might need, at least for now.

“Alright, then”, he nodded, walking to the cash register. Soon, Miles was standing in a line, close to finishing the purchase.

“I presume we are going home, then?”

Phoenix nodded, but he was almost falling off the coat with how much he leaned to try and look behind Edgeworth, after noticing a big cage with a bunch of kittens inside the store.

“Do you want to go see those?” His friend asked, sounding interested himself.

He hesitated for a moment, but confirmed it once more. He wasn't sure why he was so drawn to the kittens up for adoption. Sure, he would absolutely stop to see them on a normal day too, he liked animals and he never really went to a pet store, just passed a few sometimes. But maybe because he was a cat right now, he just felt a different kind of connection.

As the prosecutor approached the kittens, it became visible there were six of them, all of which looked around eight weeks old. Two were black and white — one a tuxedo and the other simply spotted —, one was white, one was black, one was gray, and the last one was white and gray. They seemed to be all from the same litter, hence the cuddling and play fighting with one another.

Phoenix observed the kittens with interest for a moment, before struggling to hop out of his little hiding place again, landing almost perfectly on the floor this time. Slowly, he walked close to the cage, trying not to scare them.

And fortunately, he didn't. Though most of the cats were further inside the cage, the smallest one ventured to stick its nose to the door, trying to touch Phoenix's. The black kitten stretched its paws through the holes, meowing nonstop.

Phoenix meowed back, although he realized he couldn't just hear speech like he was made to believe would happen from kids' movies. Was he at risk of offending someone's mom there? Maybe, he wasn't sure. 

Regardless, he got closer and booped the smaller kitten's nose gently. They smelled of warm fur and milk, which unexpectedly made him all fuzzy inside.

Miles smiled at the scene, coming closer as well. He kneeled to look closer at the cage, sticking one finger inside it to pat the kitten, who immediately started purring and rubbing against the man's index.

Wright purred as well, a stronger sound than that of the tiny kittens. He kept his muzzle on the opening, lying down and passing his paws through the cage too, though not daring to try and pat them. It was different to pet Pess, that was bigger than him now, from such tiny, wobbly babies.

The black cat sniffed Phoenix's paw, flopping to its side while it let the prosecutor pat it. He chuckled, smiling softly.

“Perhaps I'm more of a cat person than I thought.”

Phoenix meowed softly in response, raising his head to look at the man, smiling, though he didn't know if that was visible. Then he turned his attention back to the kittens. He himself wasn't so much of a cat person either, he'd say, but it was just such a special thing whenever he saw a cat and got the opportunity to pet it.

Maybe it was just that he wasn't fit to have a cat, or a dog for that matter, but he for sure didn't dislike them. If anything, he found himself smiling at strays he saw on the street, while simultaneously feeling somewhat melancholic because, well, they were on the street. 

Hopefully these kittens would find loving homes, he thought before instinctively licking one of them.

…Well... that was weird.

Miles tilted his head, a bit disturbed.

“Uhm... Should we get home, or...?”

Phoenix didn't exactly want to leave right now, but he himself was rather confused and uncomfortable with his own actions. He just hoped he wouldn't end up coughing a fur ball by the evening or catching mice. 

He shuddered and got up, but not without gently nuzzling the same kitten and looking back one more time to meow a goodbye.

His farewell was a faint meow from the cage and a small paw reaching for him. Edgeworth frowned, visibly sad to leave them.

“I'm sure they'll find loving homes soon.”

Phoenix was still looking at them when Edgeworth scooped him up. He didn't know how to take care of a cat very well, but if they were still here once he was back to normal...

The lawyer wasn't exactly the most social person. Not that he didn't like people, but he was used to being alone, and frankly, most of the time he liked to be. But... when Maya, and sometimes Pearls left, it'd feel so silent.

...A pet sounded like a nice idea right now. 

Coming home to a pair of big, wide eyes asking for pets, having one sided conversations without sounding too crazy, falling asleep with a warm, purring creature on his lap.

Maybe he was being a little impulsive... Did his building even allow pets? Did he have enough money to build all the kinds of stuff he saw in that store?

Food, treats, toys, clothes, beds, scratchers, collars, litter boxes, the litter itself? Was he even responsible enough to be trusted with a pet?

He sighed audibly.

Edgeworth was so thoughtful with his own pet. Pess had attention, a big house to play in, numerous toys, heck, he even trained her to use those buttons. And even with him... he was doing his best to take care of Phoenix's needs, even though it was just a temporary state. 

Maybe Phoenix really wasn't fit for this kind of thing.

The noise his furred friend made caught Edgeworth's attention, and he opened his coat slightly to look at him.

“Are you alright?”

The tuxedo looked up at the man with a two-second delay after noticing he was talking to him, but then nodded. He was being dramatic and he knew it. They would be fine.

He would be fine.

His friend reached into the coat, petting his head as he waited on the cash register line. It wasn't very long, with only about two people in line in front of him. He got a few more scritches out of him before he pulled his hand out to pay for the items they picked, leaving the store with two plastic bags, one on each hand, and a cat inside his coat.