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"He's mine," Shi-Long tells Edgeworth. They are curled up in the thickets, green bush hiding them from view as they watch the human wander about in the small clearing. The night sky is cloudless, and the gibbous moon illuminates the man in silhouette. He has a very nice butt, and Shi-Long particularly likes it when he trips over his own equipment and splays on the ground, giving his voyeuristic audience a good view.
"I saw him first," Edgeworth says, which is surprising. He usually doesn't care enough to fight back when Shi-Long stakes his claim on someone. Shi-Long side-eyes him. Edgeworth's eyes are narrow, sharp and wolf-like despite the moon still a few nights away from being full.
"You definitely did not," Shi-Long says. "You were spacing out. I saw him first."
"No," Edgeworth says. "I saw him first."
"Is anyone there?" the man calls, waving some sort of radio around. "Um, miss Bighand? I need to interview you…!"
"He's so loud," Shi-Long murmurs. "Lang Zi says, if you want your prey to come to you, learn to love the silence."
"You'd do well to follow that advice yourself," says Edgeworth. Shi-Long bares his teeth in his direction.
"Miss Bighand!" the man calls. "Please…!" He sighs, dropping his radio and rubbing his face. "Why did I let Maya talk me into this? There's no way a testimony from a cryptid would even hold up in court…"
"Court?" Shi-Long repeats the word quietly, eyebrows raising. Edgeworth lets out a low hiss beside him.
"I told you," Edgeworth mutters, "I saw him first."
Shi-Long laughs, a wolfish bark in the night. "Lang Zi says, he who waits too long to reel in the fish ends up with an empty bucket." He stands up, brushing off the leaves of his clothes, and strides into the clearing. "You look lost, little lamb. May I help you?"
The man startles. His hair is peaked similarly to Shi-Long's own, and his eyes are big and dark. Oh, Shi-Long could ravish him. "Little lamb?" the man squeaks, before clearing his throat. "S-sorry, uh, no, I'm fine. Just looking for… well, have you heard of this new local legend? Miss Bighand…? Several photographers have caught her on camera."
Shi-Long's smile widens, his canines glinting in the moonlight. "I haven't had the pleasure," he says. "But I've encountered other things that, as you say… go bump in the night."
The man's blood rushes to his face. "Th-thanks, but I'm, uh, I'm fine. So, nothing about Miss Bighand, then? I'll keep looking."
"You know," Shi-Long says, "it's getting very late, and there are wolves in these woods. You should be careful."
As if on cue, a wolf howls in the distance. Shi-Long tilts his head to listen, and he hears the snap of a twig underfoot as Edgeworth shifts his weight where he's hidden in the bushes, but it is a familiar howl.
"See?" Shi-Long says. The man looks pale.
"I need to find Miss Bighand," the man says reluctantly, reaching down to grab his radio again where it fell. "She's the only one who can testify to my client's alibi."
Shi-Long hums, leaning in to put his hand on the man's arm. "That sounds difficult," he says. "Want to tell me about it over a drink?"
"Lang," someone snarls, dark and unhappy, and finally Edgeworth stalks out of the shadows.
The man sputters. "Edgeworth?"
"So you do know each other," Shi-Long observes, a comment that goes unheard. The man and Edgeworth have only eyes for each other. The wind rushes across the small clearing, and Shi-Long can smell the man's shock and excitement in the air.
"Wright, go home," Edgeworth says.
"What are you doing out here?" The man - Wright - asks. He looks from Shi-Long to Edgeworth, eyes big. "It's late..!"
"I could ask you the same thing," Edgeworth says stiffly. "Go home." He dusts a leaf off his trousers, and Wright's gaze sharpens on the leaf, looking quickly to Shi-Long. Shi-Long meets his eyes, intrigued.
"Oh, my god," Wright says slowly. "Were you guys… dogging?"
Edgeworth takes a step back, letting out a sharp exhale. Shi-Long curls forward, feeling the fur under his skin ripple at the perceived threat, his hair on end. He has never heard of this activity of theirs, preparing for the moon, referred to as 'dogging', but there is a similar expression in Zheng Fa: a weak wolf is called a dog with big paws. From a glance at Edgeworth, he doesn't seem to have heard of the term either, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what the man means. "What do you know about that?" Shi-Long asks, his teeth long and glinting in his mouth.
Wright's expression falls. He looks between them again, as if confirming something for himself. "Well, it's not legal, for one."
"It's not something we can help," Edgeworth says carefully, like the phrase is a balancing act between his incessant and annoying self-hatred and the grandeur of their lupine blood. "Surely this isn't your first exposure to… that kind of man."
"Hey, I'm not a bigot," Wright replies angrily. "I just don't think it's appropriate! Kids play here, you know!"
"We would never go after children," Edgeworth says, voice high with offense. Shi-Long has to agree; Wright's bigotry is a turn-off, even though the way his big eyes blink in the moonlight is still rather captivating. "Wright, you can't seriously believe—"
"Does anyone even know you're here?" Wright interrupts. "It's dangerous to be out here on your own."
"That's what I said," Shi-Long says. "But we're two, and you're one."
"No offense," Wright says, "but why should I trust that Edgeworth is safe with you?" He turns to Edgeworth, gripping his arm. Shi-Long's eyes widen as he notices both of their scents changing - Edgeworth's brutal, cloying want rears its head, a smell he suppresses at the sight of something as simple as ice cream, while Wright exudes reassurance and hurt, an interesting combination that makes Shi-Long's nostrils flare. "If you have to do this," Wright says seriously, "there are other - better - places to go. Not the middle of the woods…!"
"How would you know where to go?" Edgeworth replies stiffly, his gaze trained on Wright's hand.
Wright blushes, abruptly letting go of Edgeworth's arm and stepping back - he stumbles into Shi-Long, who automatically puts a hand on his waist to support him. Wright looks up at him, eyes wide, his big mouth soft with surprise. His body is twisted against Shi-Long, and Shi-Long can feel broad shoulders and a solid waist hiding somewhere under his white trenchcoat.
"Absolutely not," Shi-Long hears Edgeworth growl from beside him, and then Wright is wrenched out of his arms and held protectively by Edgeworth, although Edgeworth is still trying to keep him at arm's length so as not to cater to the bestial want that is stinking up the whole forest. The sight is awkward, Wright held firmly but at a distance by Edgeworth, who is trying to brush Shi-Long's scent off his coat.
"Edgeworth, calm down," Shi-Long says, amused.
"Hey— hey! I'm not some ragdoll!" Wright pulls himself out of Edgeworth's grip, huffing. "What is your deal!"
"Answer the question," Edgeworth demands. "Why would you know where to go?"
Wright's blush is bright enough to illuminate the clearing. "I-I could indulge, if I wanted to," he says. "I grew up in this city, you know!"
Edgeworth steps closer, eyes narrowing, while Shi-Long approaches Wright from behind. Edgeworth's hand, pale and firm, grasps Wright's jaw and forces his mouth open, leaning in to study his teeth. Wright steps back, falling against Shi-Long's chest. Shi-Long bends his head, letting his nose brush the nape of Wright's neck to scent him. Wright makes confused, unintelligible noises where he's trapped between them, Edgeworth moving his head from side to side to look at the glint of moonlight on his teeth.
"You're not—" Edgeworth starts.
"—a werewolf," Shi-Long finishes, murmuring.
Wright pulls his head free. "A werewolf!" he exclaims. "What!? Of course I'm not a werewolf!"
"How did you know what we were, then?" Edgeworth demands.
"How did I…" Wright repeats, trailing off as he slowly realises. "Oh, brother. Did you… did you think that was what I meant by dogging?"
"It seemed like a likely term for it, if an offensive one," Edgeworth snaps. Shi-Long hums in agreement.
"English is my fourth language," he says. "I don't know all the slang here."
"Who are you?" Wright asks.
"Lang Shi-Long," Shi-Long says, nose still buried in Wright's neck. There is something calming about his scent - no wonder Edgeworth claimed him so ferociously. "I'm here on an Interpol graduate exchange programme."
"An Interpol agent," Wright says faintly. "A werewolf Interpol agent is sniffing my neck?"
"I'm not qualified just yet," Shi-Long says. "But I could do a lot more than sniff your neck, you know…"
Edgeworth growls loud enough for the grass to shiver beneath them, and Shi-Long pulls away with a slow, easy grin.
"A-anyway," Wright stutters. "I should get back to my investigation, I'll leave you two to… wait, so you're a werewolf too, Edgeworth?"
Edgeworth sniffs. "Obviously."
"How long? Why didn't you tell me…?"
"It's irrelevant to you," Edgeworth says.
"We're friends..! Aren't we friends, after everything?"
Shi-Long's eyebrows raise. "I didn't think you had friends, Edgeworth."
"Aren't you two friends?" Wright asks, while Edgeworth says,
"I don't. We are… coworkers."
Wright grimaces. "Understatement," he mutters under his breath.
Shi-Long leans forward, curious. "You want to be more, don't you?"
"Wh-wh—" Wright squeaks, eyes widening and stumbling back - his heel catches on a rock in the clearing and he falls to the ground with an oof. Instantly, Edgeworth is at his side, his hand gripping Wright's elbow firmly.
"Wright—! Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine," Wright says, brushing off Edgeworth's touch. "He just surprised me, that's all. Um… if you're not out here doing what I thought you were, then why are you here?"
"You never did tell us what dogging really means," Shi-Long muses. Wright goes bright red again.
"It, uh, it really doesn't matter. I'm very sorry, please forget I said that."
"We are here for no particular reason," Edgeworth says. "You're here for your client?"
Wright sighs, dusting off his knees. "Yes… she claims that Miss Bighand is the only one who can testify to her whereabouts."
"Miss Bighand isn't real," says Edgeworth. "You're wasting your time."
"Easy for you to say!" Wright glares at him. "Wouldn't people say that about werewolves too?"
"We got legal protection against discrimination in Zheng Fa several years ago," Shi-Long says. "You don't have that here?"
"We don't have squat here," Wright says, looking glum.
"Besides spots for… dogging," Edgeworth says. "Which is…?"
"P-playing with your dog!" Wright stutters. "In a normal, platonic fashion!"
"Your bluffs are much less believable outside of court," Edgeworth says with derision.
Wright sighs. "It's, um…" His voice fades to an embarrassed whisper. "Exhibitionist sex spots."
Edgeworth chokes, turning a fiery pink, while Shi-Long starts to laugh so hard he has to hold onto his own knees. "Wh-why on Earth would they name it such a thing!?" Edgeworth cries, pointing at Wright accusatorily.
"I don't know!" Wright yells back, equally as flustered. "I didn't come up with it, don't look at me!"
"And you thought we were - you thought I was - with Lang, of all people—!"
"Hey," says Shi-Long, offended.
"You're not my type," Edgeworth says.
"I'm everyone's type," Shi-Long argues. "Ask Wright. Wright, am I your type?"
"This feels like a trap," Wright says, and Shi-Long sighs.
"Your answer would be biased anyway, I can smell how much you like prettyboy over here."
"Can you really?" Wright asks faintly, but his eyes are on Edgeworth.
"We both can," Shi-Long says.
"I'm going to pass out," Wright says. Edgeworth lurches forward, ready to catch him.
"Don't do that," he says sternly. "You've fallen twice tonight already, you've probably hit your head. I'm taking you home."
"Even though you know…?"
"We'll discuss it tomorrow," Edgeworth says, lips tight.
"It's reciprocated," Shi-Long explains to Wright, who gapes.
"You can smell that?"
Shi-Long shrugs. "A little bit," he says. "And I know Edgeworth. He's tried to put his scent on you four times just tonight."
"That's not what I've been doing," Edgeworth says, looking like he's two seconds from rubbing his neck against Wright's pulse points.
"You can call it whatever you want," Shi-Long says. "As Lang Zi put it, 'Some understandings go deeper than words.' If you guys are going to hook up, can I come?"
Wright looks over Shi-Long, considering it, while Edgeworth immediately frowns. "Absolutely not."
Shi-Long holds his hands up. "I won't touch what's yours, I promise—" oh, and that turn of phrase definitely awakens something in Wright, who turns to look at Edgeworth with big dark eyes, "—but if tonight is anything to go by, it would be a good show. I'm also getting kind of cold, and you drove us to this park…"
"You wouldn't get cold if you didn't expose your chest so wantonly," Edgeworth mutters.
"He suits it, though," Wright tells him. "We should at least give him a lift, right?"
Edgeworth sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine," he says finally. "Gather your useless equipment and let's go." He turns on his heel, beginning to stalk through the woods, and Wright gives Shi-Long a discreet thumb's up.
"I have no idea what's going on," he whispers, "but I think I need to thank you."
"Lang Zi says, 'The most generous soul will see the biggest reward'," Shi-Long replies. "I think I'll be thanking you, by the time this night is over. I've always wondered what's under that scarf of his."
"Hey!" Wright slings his backpack over his shoulder, looking affronted. "You'll just be looking, alright? He's mine - I saw him first." With that, he begins to hurry through the forest in the direction that Edgeworth went. Behind him, Shi-Long can only blink and laugh before he follows.
Lang Zi never said much about soulmates, but that's alright. Shi-Long doesn't need a proverb to tell what he's dealing with here.