Oh, oh, oh it's magic (Xie and Kevin)

[xie_er]

Zhao Jing used to be a nobody, born into influence and wealth but always in the shadow of those around him. In magical circles he was even worse, a barely-remembered witch that didn't have enough power for any familiar to even consider looking twice at him.

Somehow, though, after many years (and a few suspicious deaths), he's managed to climb his way to the CEO of Five Lakes, his power - of both kinds - growing exponentially.

The previous CEO was surrounded by some unfortunate rumorus before his death, so Zhao Jing has been focused on repairing the reputation of he company and solidifying his support, mundane and magical, which means it is far too delicate a moment for Xie to be in the spotlight, even if he was promised he'd be allowed to stop hiding when the position was in Zhao Jing's hands.

He just has to wait a little longer, that's all, and it's not like it's difficult to only appear in his animal form whenever Zhao Jing is in public, just uncomfortable, and the last thing they need is for somebody to recognise Xie for any of the things he's done to help his witch get where he is today, when his position is still so precarious...

He tells himself all the excuses he's heard from Yifu, repeats them in his head like a mantra as he sits through all the meetings and negotiations, a little black cat and Zhao Jing's feet, watching the men and women he's speaking to for anything Yifu can use. He hangs around when Zhao Jing steps out the room, listens to what they say behind his back - that's his job with normal people, to be a pair of ears they don't realise are there. Even paranoid types who scan for bugs would miss him, which he finds funny, privately, because he is a bug of a sort.

Not that he's allowed to take his original animal form - a scorpion would be out of place if anybody caught sight of him, and Yifu doesn't like the idea of him hiding in pockets or anything like that. He says it's dangerous, that something could happen to him, but Xie privately thinks he just finds the form creepy. Even around other magical people, the cat is preferred - his job with them is to be a reminder that Zhao Jing has a familiar, and a relatively powerful one at that.

It's hard for familiars to change the form they can take, but he did it, for Yifu.

He tells people the cat is called Scorpion, and that somebody else named him - which is technically true, Xie does mean scorpion, and his parents named him - and that he's vaguely embarrassed to have such a fiercely named cat.

(He doesn't tell magical people anything at all, they know Xie isn't a pet so they're less likely to ask, at most they will wonder why his familiar always stays in animal form. Zhao Jing just tells them he's shy. He isn't, he doesn't care about people seeing him, but it's easier to do the things Yifu wants him to do when nobody knows what he looks like)

Xie hadn't always known he was powerful - when Yifu had taken him in he'd been told he wasn't much, but that maybe he could be useful. Later, when some witch had made an offhand comment about it, the story had become that Yifu recognised his power and took him in before anybody else could steal him away, that he just wanted to protect Xie from the people who would use him for his power. Xie was already so far gone by that point that he accepted it, that he told himself he was lucky he had Yifu to protect him, to guide him.

It's funny how easy it is to lie to yourself.

When the meetings are over for the day he finally shifts back to human form, spending a few minutes stretching out the kinks that come from forcing himself into a form that isn't quite his, especially with how much he's had to do it over the last few weeks, and then going in search of something to eat. He could probably just head back to his own apartment since he doesn't think Yifu needs anything else from him, not today, but the outsiders have all left and everybody in Yifu's manor at least knows Xie, even if they don't know that Xie and Scorpion are one and the same, so it's safe to be around them.

He likes to spend as much time here as he can get away with, likes to remind Yifu he can be useful in other ways... and maybe he likes to keep an eye on this new apprentice Yifu has taken on. He doesn't understand why he needs anybody else when he has Xie, but the last time he'd questioned somebody new in the house Yifu hadn't spoken to him for a week, so he doesn't voice that thought out loud - he just watches the guy suspiciously every chance he gets, and wonders how easy he would be to get rid of.

He's halfway to the kitchen when something makes him stop. A tug of power, the vague echo of chanting, there's a ritual happening and something about it is drawing him close. He frowns, confused, and follows the pull...

Comments

[weird_cop]

That makes Kevin pull a face, but Xie is not the only person glad that they're not looking at each others faces right now.

"You can't 'willingly' give anything to a man who sees you as property," he says. "Or who has made you think you are."

He pauses to rinse out blood and disinfectant from his cloth, studying the wound again even while reaching into the first aid kit. There's a tube of superglue in there, and a pair of latex free gloves, and eases one over his bad hand.

Insteaf of gloving up his good hand though, he lays it next to the wound, skin to skin.

"Hold still," he says and thinks.

Actually it's a fairly simple application of the principles Kexing taught him that afternoon: just direct the energy outwards instead, let it slip into Xie's flesh instead of his own.

He doesn't have much energy, only that which he'd started to replenish in the car, but it's enough to get started, to remind the muscle there what shape it's got to be in.

[xie_er]

He doesn't get it, Xie knows he doesn't. Maybe Yifu does see him as property, cares for him like a possession rather than a person, but at least he cares at all.

Someone was always going to want to use him. That's just the nature of being a Familiar. At least Yifu was kind about it, most of the time...

People like to think that witches and Familiars are like Kexing and Zishu, equal partners working together, but they're very much the exception rather than the rule, from what Xie has seen.

He isn't sure how to put any of that into words, but then there's a warm hand pressed against his shoulder and the instruction to stay still and he does, he goes so still he's barely moving with his breaths.

Then, when he feels the whisper of energy seeping into him, the power undoing the damage he caused, he's held fast enough that he doesn't immediately jerk out of Kevin's touch.

He does frown though, the stillness becoming tension.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

[weird_cop]

"You want to throw a knife again?" Kevin says reasonably. "Have a fighting chance of killing me like you've always wanted to?"

He's glad he doesn't have to know anything about anatomy for this - that at least Xie's body knows what shape it's supposed to be in.

It doesn't take long to use up what he had, and he breathes out slowly, fighting the lightness in his head to attempt - and fail - to put on the second glove.

He does add a line of glue, though, hoping that he's done enough, but aware that the scar is inevitable.

"Pass me those dressings?"

[xie_er]

"You want to hold a knife again?" Xie retorts back "Don't waste power you need for yourself."

He can't believe he's so stupid. He won't use Xie's power to heal his hand, but he'll use his own to heal Xie? What the fuck goes on in his brain?

He grabs the dressings and shoves them towards Kevin with more force than is entirely necessary, though at least he does it with his good arm so he doesn't undo any of the work Kevin just did.

[weird_cop]

Kevin holds out his good arm - strong despite his lack of energy - to catch the dressings and absorb the blow. If he and Xie weren't both so tired it might be a little more forceful on both sides.

"I can hold my own," he says. And then promptly fumbles in his attempt to unwrap the sterile dressing with one hand.

[xie_er]

"Can you?" Xie asks acidly. He probably should offer to help but he's feeling petty - even if the dressing is for him. If Kevin wants to do it all by himself he can figure it out.

Maybe Xie will kill him when the bond is broken.

It's a vicious thought, but one he shies away from almost immediately. Thinking about breaking the bond is one thing, if he thinks too long about the after he knows he'll lose his nerve.

[weird_cop]

"Smartass."

It's a deliberate attempt to turn it from an argument into their usual banter, and he's not sure how well it would work, but Kevin is just too tired to argue.

He eventually manages it, forcing himself to use his bad hand as much as possible as he finishes dressing Xie's shoulder.

Finally he finds a box of max strength painkillers, and hands one of the blister packs inside to Xie.

[xie_er]

It's doesn't not work. While Xie doesn't respond with any banter of his own, he does just roll his eyes rather than continuing the argument, and his scowl isn't quite so pronounced.

He takes the pills when they're handed to him, popping two out and swallowing them dry before shoving the rest of the pack in his pocket. The necklace goes into his pocket too, he doesn't want to risk putting it back on right now, all things considered.

"I'm going to get some rest." He says after a moment's hesitation. He doesn't even know what time it is, but it's been a long day and he just wants to lie down and not think about anything.

[weird_cop]

"Mmmm," Kevin agrees - he does not swallow painkillers dry because he's heard what they do to throats on the way down, but fills up a mouthwash glass from the bathroom sink.

"Let's find the bedrooms."

There are two in this house - it's smaller than the cottage, and from the layout Kevin guesses it to be a suburban semi. The bigger bedroom has a pair of large jeans, a T-shirt and a hoodie laid out next to generic supermarket pyjamas, so this is the bed Kevin collapses into, barely remembering to take his shoes off, let alone get changed.

Sleep takes him almost immediately, and he doesn't emerge for hours.

[xie_er]

Xie retrieves his shirt from the hall as they pass, but he doesn't bother putting it back on. He finds his way into the second bedroom and doesn't collapse, but only because it would be difficult to do without hurting himself more.

And because both his jeans and boxers are sticky with blood and he really doesn't want to sleep in them. He considers options up to and including going and throwing them in the laundry now, but decides he doesn't want to do any of that and just strips down. It means he gets some more smears of blood on the sheets, but he really couldn't care less.

It takes him some time to find a position that's actually comfortable, longer to shut his brain off, but eventually the weariness overcomes him and he passes out.

He wakes up at some point to realise that night has fallen, and debates figuring out what time it is and if anything is going on, but decides instead to just (carefully) roll over and go back to sleep.

In the morning he realises he's going to need to change the dressing, and he's either going to have to wrap this sheet around him like a toga or put his bloodstained clothes back on. Great.

[weird_cop]

Lisa and Tony are the first to arrive in the morning, and start to set up in the basement like it's their new ops room. It's Lisa who heads up first thing to put the kettle on, and stops when she's greeted by the sight of blood on the carpet and the walls, and the knife left abandoned on the table.

"Tone..." she calls back, quiet and cautious, not wanting to disturb the rest of the quiet house.

[xie_er]

Xie has gone for wrapping himself up in the sheet since it needs to be stripped from the bed anyway, and is just heading downstairs with his bloody clothes to throw them in the washer when Lisa's voice stops him with his foot on the first step.

He hesitates, thinks about going back and waiting until they're gone, until he realises that she's in the hallway. The hallway they didn't even try to clean up yesterday.

He sighs and carries on down the stairs so he can explain.

[weird_cop]

Lisa looks up when she hears him upstairs, and her eyes widen at the sight of him - the dried blood that had been too far from the wound to bother cleaning, the sheet, the bloody clothes in his hand. But she doesn't move, even when the police officer emerges from the open door behind her.

He takes everything in as well, looks directly at Xie, and then shrugs as he steps past Lisa into the apparent crimescene.

"I'm only surprised you bothered to get a knife," he says, picking it up and twirling it idly, a street thug weighing it up for a fight. Then he drops the unconscious act, holding it casually to the side.

"I would have been clawing the fucking thing out with my fingernails."

Glancing down at the shards of microchip in the carpet he glances up at Lisa . "Is this going to be any use to the tech boys?"

She follows his gaze. "I can try. Let me get an evidence bag and tweezers."

"And bleach," he adds, touching the stain of blood on the wall.

[xie_er]

Xie tries to find the words to explain, only for Tony to make it unnecessary.

For a brief, tiny moment he actually likes the guy.

"Knife was quicker." He says after a moment, coming the rest of the way down the stairs.

"If they can't get anything from it, blame Kevin, he's the one who smashed it up." He adds - not that he thinks either of them would be getting in any trouble for having done it, not really.

[weird_cop]

"Duly noted," says Tony. He steps over the mess to continue into the kitchen and finish the aborted tea run, and holds the door open - the washing machine is in there, after all.

"Pretty sure we ordered some clothes for you somewhere. Wouldn't put it past Uniform to have left both sets in the same room. Kev still sleeping?"

[xie_er]

Xie follows him into the kitchen so he can throw his ruined clothes in the machine, taking a moment to fiddle with the settings to make sure they were being washed cold.

"I think so," he says - he's definitely still in the bedroom, he can tell that much "I'll check when he wakes up."

[weird_cop]

Tony grunts acknowledgment as he puts the kettle on, then turns around to lean on the counter.

As Xie fiddles with the washer he glances at the dressing, appraising what he sees.

"He's doing okay?"

[xie_er]

Xie makes a non-committal noise and straightens up, making sure the sheet is still wrapped around him securely before turning back to Tony.

"He was pretty tired yesterday, and angry, but okay, I think."

And being a fucking idiot, but he doesn't think Tony would appreciate him saying that so he bites his tongue. For all of thirty seconds before he just finds a different way to phrase it.

"He'd be better if he just used my power to heal instead of doing it the long way."

[weird_cop]

Angry makes sense, although Tony assumes Kev is angry at Zhao, rather than anyone else. The tired - that also makes sense given how much he knows Kevin pushes himself.

The comment though: that makes him tilt his head.

"What's your point?"

Does he expect Kevin to just take his power?

[xie_er]

Xie blinks at him, staring like he doesn't understand the question. He thought he made his point..

"That he should be using my power to heal...?" He says slowly, like Tony is an idiot.

He remembers after he says it that the conversation they had about Kevin using his power, such as it was, happened through the link so he wouldn't have heard it, but that doesn't really change his reaction to the question, though it does remind him that Tony doesn't realise what his stance on the matter is.

"I don't understand why he has to be so picky about it, it's there to be used."

The more he's thought about it, the more annoyed he gets. It's just power, just because it came from Xie doesn't mean it has... crime cooties or whatever Kevin objects to.

[weird_cop]

Tony, obviously, just assumes that Kevin's stance is the obviously right one to take, given the way he scowls. It's a confused face, it's just that his confused face is also an angry one.

Also he's a bit offended that someone would think Kevin would do it.

"He didn't do this," he waves vaguely at Xie to indicate the bond or whatever, "so he could use you as some sort of magic battery. He did it to stop a dangerous criminal from doing it."

[xie_er]

"Look, I'm well aware he doesn't want to, that this is all about taking me away from Yifu, but come on." Xie protests "He's going to take weeks to heal his hand, not to mention setting his own healing back by wasting his power on me, just because he's so appalled by the idea of using mine."

At least with Yifu he could be useful.

[weird_cop]

"He's not a fucking monster, mate," Tony says, his defensiveness rising again. "He understands the concept of consent."

That last word is barely out of his mouth before what Xie says catches up to him.

"...he did what?"

Yeah that's Kevin being stupid.

[xie_er]

"I told him to use it!" Xie snaps. Isn't that consent? Does he think all witches who have Familiars are monsters? That a witch should bond with a familiar and not use their power?

He's about to say more when Tony stops him - which is probably for the best, because it would have ended up a rant anyway - and he sighs slightly, irritably.

"Yesterday. When he was fixing up my shoulder. He used some of his power to heal the worst of the damage. Probably whatever little he'd been able to recover from healing himself before, which means he'll have less when he does the meditation today, which means it'll take longer overall."

Not by much, admittedly, but it's the principle of the thing he's mad about.

[weird_cop]

Tony shakes his head at the fact that Kevin did that. Given the damage Xie must have done to himself it makes sense - he should have been rushed to A&E under normal circumstances.

"Yeah but mate," Tony points out, now trying to be more level toned as he understands Xie's point of view, "you didn't tell him to..." he pauses, looking for the word, hates his choice, "...take you in the first place. And you told Lisa it's hard for you to say no to your... witch."

He really has to deliberately choose that word.