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

[xie_er]

Xie almost demands that the guests can go hungry, but he also thinks he could probably do with some food as well, so he will begrudgingly allow it.

Especially when he tucks him in so sweetly and calls him gege. He chuckles sleepily and snuggles down into the duvet and is all set to go back to sleep when his brain finally catches up with him.

"Wait a minute you're speaking Chinese." He says accusingly - he was last night as well, he remembers, and translating for Xie when he did it accidentally!

[weird_cop]

Kevin is just about to leave the bedroom into the bathroom when Xie says that. He pauses briefly and carries on, shrugging indifferently.

"You started it."

[xie_er]

"That's not the point!" He protests "I didn't even know you could"

He'd been aware that Kevin probably understood some of it, had been cautious what he said around him - even switched to Cantonese when talking to Du Pusa the first few times, even though he was out of practice, just in case he could understand what Xie was saying. He didn't know he could speak it fluently enough to have actual conversations.

He hadn't said anything particularly complicated last night that he can recall, but still, conversational Mandarin was more than he'd been expecting.

(He isn't actually mad or anything, just surprised)

[weird_cop]

"I'm full of surprises."

Kevin continues on, chatting through using the loo and brushing his teeth.

"I learned the basics before going undercover, picked up more on the job. You'd be surprised what people say if they don't think I understand them."

Xie probably wouldn't be surprised. He was always well disciplined.

[xie_er]

He's correct, Xie wouldn't be surprised but only because he's been on the receiving end of that kind of assumption, especially when he was younger and still learning, his spoken English hadn't been that great, but he could understand quite a lot of it.

He'd used it, too, once or twice.

"So what you're saying is I don't need to have made so much effort to speak English this whole time?" He asks. Most of the time it's not that much effort, but sometimes when he's tired or distracted or otherwise struggling to think, it does take more energy than usual to translate everything.

[weird_cop]

"Yes. Though your English is still better than my Chinese. Guess I need the practice."

This shouldn't be surprising either: Kevin is always hungry for more knowledge, more skill. Given how much of the reading they've been doing had to be translated, language itself is a useful skill.

[xie_er]

"I'm sure that can be arranged" Xie says, soft and fond. It would be nice, he thinks, to speak Chinese more, to help Kevin practice. He likes being in touch with his roots - and not just in the fancy, snobbish way that Yifu preferred - so being able to share them with Kevin is a thought that makes him happy.

He does get up after a little while, feeling slightly more human after washing his face and brushing his teeth, but after he takes out the rest of his braids he just leaves his hair loose for the moment - as much as he knows they have company, he's too hungover for braids right now.

Eventually he makes it downstairs in search of tea and breakfast.

[weird_cop]

Xie is the last one down, but not by much. Tony is making tea as he arrives, wearing just yesterday's jeans, while Lisa sits at the table nursing an instant coffee, wearing Tony's shirt and feeling rough.

Kevin is in the kitchen, of course, frying up bacon.

"Morning, gorgeous," he says in English. "What portion of grease to crunch do you want?"

[xie_er]

"Half and half," Xie says, coming to kiss Kevin on the cheek before snagging a blessed cup of tea and sinking gratefully into a chair. Just coming downstairs made him feel nauseus, sitting is better.

"Do either of you want to borrow some clothes?" He adds, glancing between Tony and Lisa.

[weird_cop]

Tony glances at Lisa then at Xie, the latter with an appraising look.

"Wouldn't say no to a shirt," he says, Xie being about the same size as him. "Thanks."

"You want a pair of my boxers, Lise?" Kevin chimes in, to which she moans, possibly in the affirmative.

He hands Xie a plate of toast, eggs and bacon already cooked exactly how he likes it, with a smile.

[xie_er]

Xie nods - after breakfast, he will go back upstairs and get Tony a shirt. He needs sustenance before he can face moving again though.

Speaking of... Xie looks at the plate with a pathetically grateful expression and then up at Kevin.

"I love you." He says, tone serious but perhaps slightly exaggerated for effect - or perhaps entirely genuine, given how ready he is for this breakfast.

[weird_cop]

"Love you too," Kevin says smoothly, adding a kiss on the cheek to the breakfast.

Lisa glances up at the words, attempting to smile, but prevented by her headache.

Tony smirks instead, trying not to mock her misery.

"If I say I love you, do I get extra bacon?" He asks Kevin, who holds up a spatula to shut him up.

"Not until after I've had mine."

[xie_er]

"It only works if you're also this pretty." Xie tells him with a little wave at his own face.

He might have been embarrassed by such affection if he wasn't so focused on his breakfast - and if Tony hadn't made a cheeky comment that required a retort.

[weird_cop]

"I think you're pretty," Lisa tells Tony, which mollifies him somewhat; he sits next to her and hands her tea and paracetamol as she suffers.

Meanwhile Kevin brings his own breakfast in and slides next to Xie, sharing a look with Tony about the hungover states of their respective lovers.

"How are you feeling?" Kevin asks Xie now, watching him with his breakfast.

[xie_er]

"So much better already" Xie replies gratefully - through the link, because he doesn't want to stop eating long enough to do it out loud.

He hasn't had a lot of hangovers, but he's definitely never had as pleasant a recovery as this one. All hangovers should come with Kevin breakfasts.

[weird_cop]

"Good," Kevin says aloud, giving Xie another kiss on the side of his head before tucking in.

It's a relatively quiet breakfast - two bad hangovers, two less bad, and Tony and Kevin talk about football and the news and other small topics.

Lisa eventually manages bacon, and Tony takes her upstairs for a shower, while Kevin stays down to clear up.

"Are you going to be..." Kevin stops himself, puts his hands over his eyes in frustration. "Of course you're going to be okay and have a great day without me. God, I'm such a mother hen."

[xie_er]

Xie laughs softly, reaching over to tug Kevin's hands away from his face.

"I like how much you worry about me." He says fondly - it's nice to be taken care of, nice to have somebody looking out for him. Somebody actually looking out for him, as well, not just telling him that they're acting in his best interests. Kevin might fuss, but Xie doesn't feel patronised by it.

"But yes, I'm going to be fine. I want you to go and have fun with your friend, and I'm looking forward to chess with Lisa."

[weird_cop]

"Remember you said that when you're feeling super patronised," Kevin replies, even while letting his hands be dragged away. He's not used to worrying about someone like this, and while he likes being needed, he's still trying to fund the line.

He kisses Xie's fingers as they pass his face.

"Use an egg timer, she takes forever on her moves."

[xie_er]

"If I feel like you're patronising me, I'll tell you about it" Xie promises him, and it's weird but he feels a little thrill of pleasure to know that he can. As much as he still struggles sometimes with putting Kevin's wants before his own or walking on eggshells without needing to, he does know that if he has a problem he really can just tell Kevin about it, and every time he reminds himself of that fact it makes him smile.

"Maybe if you took a little longer on your moves you'd play better" He teases

[weird_cop]

"You'll snark about it," Kevin corrects. "Case in point."

He's proud, possibly in a patronising way, that Xie is able to talk to him, doesn't curl in on himself or try to second guess expectations. He feels like he knew this snarky little brat was here all along and he loves him.

He tops up Xie's tea and kisses him again as he stands up.

"I'm going to make sure the straight people don't use up all our hot water."

[xie_er]

"I'm more concerned about the straight people using my shampoo." Xie says, curling his fingers around the tea cup and settling back in the chair. He'll get up in a minute and finish getting ready.

"Lisa's allowed." He amends, because she is nice and deserves to treat herself and can be trusted with expensive hair products.

(Personally, his view is that if the hot water can survive long enough to wash both his and Kevin's hair, it can survive straight people)

[weird_cop]

"Neither of them have enough hair to justify that shampoo," Kevin replies.

He does get to the stairs and shout up before going upstairs himself.

"Hands off the good shampoo!"

"We didn't touch it!" Lisa shouts back.

[xie_er]

Technically Xie would argue that you can still take good care of short hair, but since they're talking about using his products he isn't going to argue in favour of it.

Instead he just laughs slightly at the exchange.

By the time he's finished his tea he's almost entirely recovered, or at least he's recovered enough to go upstairs so he can do his braids and pull out a tshirt for Lisa to borrow.

[weird_cop]

Kevin adds two pairs of his own underwear to the loaned clothes and drops them into the spare room, disappearing for his own shave before meeting Tony downstairs.

"Don't burn the house down," he tells Lisa seriously. She's still necking orange juice but puts her finger up cheerfully.

"Have fun," she says. "Don't piss off any ghosts and remember that if someone asks you if you're a god, you say yes."

With the cops finally put of the house, she grins at Xie.

"Chess?"

[xie_er]

Xie shakes his head slightly at the instructions, guessing that there's a story behind them - a story he'll be asking for while they're playing.

"Chess." He agrees. He pours himself another cup of tea, and whatever drink Lisa wants, and then heads through to the living room to set up the chess set.

He's expecting a nice, relaxed morning and a new friend - he kind of counts Lisa as a friend already, but he's hoping this will solidify it.