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]

"If you'd known I could cook like this, you might kidnap me and keep me in your apartment, and then I wouldn't be able to do my job."

[xie_er]

He'd get fat on wonton soup and Kevin probably wouldn't even mind. He'd be waiting when he was tired and lonely, sit and watch queer eye and help him undo his braids before bed...

Oh. No. That's... that's dangerous. He blinks himself out of the fantasy and shakes his head, like he's just been contemplating the idea instead of daydreaming about it.

"It'd never work," he says casually "Yifu would get jealous and put a stop to it. He was really possessive for someone who didn't mind lending me to people he wanted to blackmail or impress."

He didn't even mean to bring that up, knew it was a stupid thing to say, but he'd been so thrown off by the fantasy that he'd scrambled for the first thing he could think of and, well, that was it.

[weird_cop]

Kevin pulls a face when the tone slips, but he's not unused to this kind of thing happening in conversations, so he tries to match the casual tone.

"He wouldn't be the first to be like that," he says. "Those kinds of arseholes are far more common than they should be."

He knows it was this kind of speak that got Tony in trouble, but he doesn't know how to say it wasn't you, it was him in a way that would actually work.

[xie_er]

Luckily, Xie doesn't take it in quite the same way that he took Tony's accusations - maybe it's because it comes across more like he's just agreeing with what Xie is saying rather than arguing against him, or because it doesn't sound like he's blaming Xie for still being with him despite that.

He does recognise that he's brought the tone down, though, so he just hums in agreement and then stops talking - luckily he has the perfect distraction in the form of this really excellent soup that he'd like to focus on enjoying.

[weird_cop]

Kevin lets the subject drop, deciding they've talked enough about ex boyfriends for one day, and lets himself focus on his food.

"They dropped over some board games earlier, if you want to do that this afternoon."

[xie_er]

Xie thinks about it for a moment and then nods.

"Chess? Or would you like me to beat you at something else?" He asks - using the link because now he's started eating in earnest he's reminded both that he actually was really hungry and that this is really good and he doesn't want to interrupt it with something as trivial as talking.

[weird_cop]

"Chess is good. If youre happy to keep beating me."

He looks up at Xie, smirks lightly

"We should keep the stakes light, like who gets to choose the TV."

[xie_er]

"At least until our current injuries are healed" Xie agrees mildly.

There's a part of him that feels a flash of guilt at the reminder, that his bet resulted in him falling into an obvious trap, got Kevin hurt.

On the other hand, though, if that hadn't happened, he wouldn't have the ritual to break the bond (double edged sword that it is), and he would still have that tracker in his shoulder, Yifu would have still known roughly where they were, so maybe it was for the best, even though Kevin's hand probably didn't think so.

[weird_cop]

"At least until then," Kevin agrees. There has been a lot of things happening in the last couple of days at least that have made it hard to see the trap as a wholy bad thing, but he also doesn't want to face those assassins again like this.

"And we should change your bedsheets, with our one working pair of hands."

[xie_er]

He'd almost forgotten about the broken lamp, but he nods - good to get it done now, so he doesn't spend another night on the couch.

Once they've finished eating and changed over his sheets - only a mildly frustrating process between the two of them - the lamp is left in a careful pile of broken pieces in the kitchen, waiting to be repaired, and they return to the living room to play.

Xie wins, as before, two games in a row, but his demand for the TV is more Queer Eye, now that some more of the tapes have been brought from the other house, so he's pretty sure Kevin doesn't feel like he's lost.

Despite the heaviness of the morning, by the time he goes to sleep that night he feels content.

They settle again, over the next couple of weeks, more things being brought from the other house to make life a little more comfortable (including Xie's guitar, much to his poorly concealed delight) and both of them slowly healing, bit by bit - though Xie's hair and bedding are not the last things they find themselves needing to work together on. Xie starts helping with the cooking more, still not admitting he doesn't know what he's doing but quietly pleased with himself as he starts to learn.

It's weirdly comfortable and domestic, and despite the looming shadow of breaking the bond, of what's happening with Yifu (Xie alternates between trying to ignore what's going on when Kevin is working in the basement, and pressing him for information), Xie feels like more than just his shoulder is healing.

Kexing has been in touch to suggest an appropriate meeting point, even begrudgingly worked with them to ensure they were both happy with the warding, but the decision had been made that it wasn't safe for Xie to go with him.

Which he's sulking about, but pretending he isn't.

The meeting point turns out to be a disused martial arts studio in an industrial area that's seen better days. The glass front is papered over so the inside is dark, a pile of grubby mats and some broken training dummies pushed up against one wall. The back room, however, it well lit and comfortably decorated, completely at odds with the room outside. Kexing waits for Kevin (and whatever escort he wanted to bring) lounging in a carved wooden chair, while Zishu sits at a low table with a cup of tea.

It's fairly obvious that the furniture and decor are, if not magical in nature, at least the result of some magical intervention - even for people who can't see that kind of thing.

[weird_cop]

It's a productive time. With the information Xie gives they are able to make some key arrests, move into some important operations. It's tense at the same time - Kevin is sure that Zhao will be able to feel the tightening of the noose, and he might get even more desperate to fight back.

It makes his desire to be at full fighting strength even more important.

Tony, as the best driver in the case that a fast getaway is needed, comes with Kevin to the meeting place. Having spent much of the last few weeks avoiding the house, he hasn't seen Kevin as much as he'd like to and thee journey is quiet, companionable.

They arrive at the meeting spot, and both insist on walking the outside once, to check for safety before knocking and entering.

It's nice, Kevin realises, to see two faces that aren't Xie or his team, and his smile is bigger for it.

"Hey, thanks for meeting me."

[xie_er]

"You seemed the type to neglect your own health." Kexing says pointedly - it seems as though it isn't just Kevin that it's pointed at, though, since Zishu rolls his eyes in response.

"Are you in a rush, or would you like a cup of tea?" He offers, motioning for them to join him at the table. Kexing stays draped over the larger chair, fanning himself lazily, but he's ready to move if they don't want to take the time with pleasantries.

[weird_cop]

"I take care of myself," Kevin counters defensively, but at least with a hint of a smile. Tony nudges him in the shoulder and smiles brightly at Zishu instead.

"We can go for a cuppa. I reckon we've got time."

[xie_er]

"That's what they all say." Kexing drawls "Oh don't worry about me, I'm fine, I'm not half dead..."

"Ignore him." Zishu says abruptly "He's an idiot."

Kexing gives him a stricken look, but he's fighting back a smile.

"A-Xu! Light of my life, my beloved soulmate, how could you say that?"

"Because it's true." Zishu replies bluntly. He gives the two of them an apologetic look and gets up to bring more cups and pour them tea.

"Did you get rid of your little scorpion already?" Kexing asks then, turning his attention to the two of them "I've heard his precious 'Yifu' has been having a terrible time." He adds, expression and tone tinged with vicious delight.

[weird_cop]

Tony takes all of this in with quiet amusement, though he does look pointedly at Kevin at Kexing's first impression. Kevin ignores in lieu of enjoying watching a well established couple having a bicker. He especially shares a sympathetic look with Zishu - idiots are hard to deal with.

"Not yet," he says to the question. "We figured we'd wait until we were both in fighting shape. I mean,"

He holds up his hand to indicate his meaning and adds "he hurt his shoulder as well. Won't let me heal it before I'm done so we reckon we're on parallel healing trajectories."

"Won't let you heal it any more."

"Yes that's what I said."

[xie_er]

"So you're both as bad as each other?" Kexing asks with a raised eyebrow. He glances thoughtfully between the two of them, filling in the things they didn't say. "So you used up some of your power to heal him instead of working on your hand? And you still won't use any of his?" He guesses.

Zishu frowns for a moment, if that's true...

"I thought you didn't know any healing magic before you came to us."

He knows that Kexing taught him how to control the energy flow to heal himself, but the fact that he might have instinctively known how to channel the same power to heal someone else, possibly without further instruction, is rare talent. The teacher in him is impressed.

[weird_cop]

"I didn't," Kevin confirms. "But directing it elsewhere wasn't that difficult, it seemed pretty straightforward."

Tony meets Zishu's eye and shrugs, trying not to look too proud of his boy.

"And no, I'm not going to use any of his without his say-so."

"You know he says he told you to."

"Well, he didn't."

But that makes Kevin pause - did he really think he told him to? Has there been a misunderstanding all this time?

[xie_er]

Zishu nods his understanding, but he does actually look slightly impressed. He doesn't tell Kevin that he's done a good job, but he doesn't hide it, as such.

"I doubt he cares," he observes after a moment, considering the power conversation "that boy's only ever known a witch who didn't ask, he probably wouldn't think twice about you using it."

Not with the way he'd risked coming to them just to get Kevin's hand healed, or how blasé he was about breaking the bond, just because it was what they wanted... he glances over at his husband, knowing he's thinking the same thing.

"Unexpectedly self destructive, that one." Kexing agrees with the unspoken thought

[weird_cop]

Kevin frowns at the comment - connecting self-destructive tendencies to him using Xie's power: he hadn't even realised using Xie's power could possibly hurt him. Using his own power can be tiring, but self-destructive?

"I care," he says simply.

Tony may bring this up later, he thinks. He's been replaying that conversation a lot, and worrying that Xie and Kevin have missed something.

But Kevin flexes his hand and waggles his fingers.

"Anyway, I think it's coming along nicely as it is."

[xie_er]

"Yes, yes, let me see." Kexing says, flicking his fan shut and sitting up abruptly, moving from his lounging chair to the unoccupied side of the table and reaching out to take Kevin's hand.

He studies it for a little while, moving it this way and that, then starts asking Kevin to do certain things, asking about his movement and strength and residual pain.

Eventually, he nods.

"Yes, it does seem to be healing well," he agrees "I should think another two weeks of daily sessions will do it. If there's anything still lingering after that it should heal on its own, I don't expect you'll encounter any lasting damage."

[weird_cop]

"Great," Kevin says happily, pleased at the prognosis. Two weeks is a hell of a long time but he can think of worse ways to spend it.

"Thanks for this, mates," Tony pipes up. "We'll pay you back by really making that fucker pay."

[xie_er]

Kexing grins at him.

"Music to my ears." He says cheerfully "I don't suppose you could call me when you get to arrest him, I'd pay money to watch him being led away in cuffs..."

Zishu just smiles slightly at his husband's delight

[weird_cop]

"As lucrative as that might be as a business, I think there's probably a law against it," Kevin replies, and Tony agrees - reluctantly.

"We're doing our best," he says. "Though he probably knows we've got stuff on him now, we just hope he doesn't skip the country before we can find him."

[xie_er]

"There's laws against everything fun." Kexing laments.

"You're not supposed to say things like that to police officers, Lao Wen." Zishu tells him, but he just laughs.

"They can't prove anything." He says cheerfully, eyes sparkling with amusement.

Zishu gives them another apologetic look.

"Did you actually convince Xie to give anything up on him?" He asks curiously, deciding to change the subject before his husband got himself arrested.

[weird_cop]

Tony and Kevin make eye contact, trying not to laugh. They clearly don't have any intention of arresting anyone right now.

"Didn't convince him of anything," Kevin says. "He gave up the information of his own free will. He just needed some distance to realise who his old witch really was."