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 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.

[weird_cop]

Lisa is cautious, a little nervous about making friends; during the game she does open up a bit and confess that what with the history he knows already, she's always found it difficult to make friends, and to trust people.

She alludes to, but doesn't explain, some specific reasons she's had to struggle trusting Tony, but she makes it clear that it hasn't always been great between them. She even shares some stories - sometimes personal anecdotes like the time Kevin took them all into the most Haunted House in London in order to make a point, and accidentally almost got them all killed. She even explains the movie Ghostbusters and explains her Shrek reference from the day before in more detail.

When Xie makes her laugh, she does do with real joy, grabbing on to each mooment of happiness in a way that's more obvious when they're on their own.

And she akes ages with her chess moves, playing out many many diffrent plays in her head between each move. She's a challenging player, and when she loses her advantage she becoes annoyed at herself and a bit moody, but it doesn't last long.

Honestly, she actually enjoys Xie's company - he's weirdly straightforward, compared to her other friends.


Meanwhile Kevin and Tony visit all Tony's favourite high street Manswear shops, have food court lunch, and shoot the shit about literally anything they can think of.

It's well into the afternoon and they're walking back to the cars when they spy - at the same time - two kids walking into a cornerstore in a tell-tale furtive way.



And twnety minutes after that, Xie will feel a tell-tale pull on his own power, and Kevin is saying:

"Hey, nothing to worry about, just need a bit of this, please."

He's aware 'nothing to worry about' is a great way of getting people to worry.

[xie_er]

Xie can understand her caution - says as much, in fact, admits that trusting people is pretty new to him, and of the people he's trusted before... well, the less said about that, the better.

He's pleased, though, to see her opening up - wonders if that's how Kevin feels, with him - and he wants to earn her trust, wants to be someone she can call a friend.

He enjoys playing chess with her, too, enjoys watching her strategise and think everything through, and it makes his own play a little more thoughtful - the challenge is nice, and while he feels bad putting her on the back foot, he feels proud of himself too, and he pushes past the urge to fall back and let her win just because she doesn't want to lose. He also thinks she doesn't need him to let her win, the game genuinely could have gone either way a number of times.

The pull on his power catches his attention immediately, and he stops mid-sentence. He relaxes a little when Kevin explains it, but not much.

"Take as much as you need." He says "Please"

"Something's going on. Kevin says it's nothing to worry about, but he needed some power." He tells Lisa

[weird_cop]

Lisa looks worried, but then forces herself to be not worried, to let the frown disappear. But she does get out her phone and asks if she should be calling anyone.

Kevin takes a good chunk of Xie's power, and explains as he's going, althoguh because he's trying to hold other conversations at the same time and he's distracted, sometimes his out-loud words spill into the link.

"Idiot kids tried to hold up a cornershop, Tony got a bit stabbed - hold still, I'm talking to Xie - but I'm gonna get this healed before the paramedics get here. Tell Lisa he's sorry for being an idiot but he's fine - yes, I'm telling them that. She might want to call Lofthouse just to let her know."

It doesn't help that Tony's now trying to talk to hm like he's on the phone.

[xie_er]

Don't worry is worrying, don't worry accompanied by that kind of power drain is more worrying.

He tries to stay calm, though, for Lisa as much for himself.

"Tony says he's sorry for being an idiot but he's fine." He reports first "Kevin is healing him, but he got 'a bit stabbed'. Kevin says you might want to call Lofthouse."

It would be funny if it wasn't so concerning, listening to Kevin's explanation interspersed with his comments to Tony.

"Do you want to go there?" He asks Lisa, since he can tell her exactly where 'there' is.

[weird_cop]

Lisa, still holding her bishop - holds up a finger tell Xie she'll get to that question once she's got hold of Lofthouse.

"Hello, Ma'am. DS Costain and DC Sefton have called to say they had an incident out in town today, and the DS appears to have been injured..." she looks over at Xie, "where are they?"

"One sec," says Kevin in his head, "I'm chatting to uniforms, no okay, now Tone is chatting to uniforms. Okay, ask her to get Lofthouse to do her thing so we can take charge of the questioning, because there's some overlap with our speciality."

He watches Tony take charge of the scene despite the blood seeping into Xie's shirt, and Kevin smirks.

"Idiot kids got hold of some toy guns that had been enchanted to look like real ones. Unfortunately, they're going to get done for possession of unlawful firearms because only Tony and I know they're fake."

[xie_er]

"They're about ten miles that way?" Xie says, pointing in the direction he knows Kevin is, his look slightly apologetic since he knows that isn't useful - he can direct, he just can't give them a location they can necessarily use without a map. "South west" he adds helpfully.

"Kevin is asking Lofthouse to 'do her thing' so they can take charge of the questioning." He explains, dutifully also repeating Kevin's explanation once he gives it.

The only problem with using the link instead of a phone, he thinks, is that he can't just hand the link over to Lisa to talk to Kevin herself.

[weird_cop]

Lisa nods, and relays enough information.

"Sefton says - wait, Xie ask him for an exact location - that the armed robbery about to be pulled in with illegal firearms overlaps with our speciality and can you get them in the operation? Great, thanks."

She hangs up the phone, and moves to stand, looking hopefully at Xie.

"Do you know where Kev keeps the car keys?"

Kevin meanwhile, has been handed the evidence bag Tony wrangled from the uniforms and is stashing it in his holdall.

"Oh for... okay, Xie, tell Lisa that they're still taking Tony to A&E so you can go meet him there. I'm going to take his car to the nick and I'll see you all later. I'll call Quill on the way."

[xie_er]

Xie gets the slightly more helpful version of the location from Kevin when requested, then stands when Lisa does.

He nods, leading her to the hallway where the keys are hanging up - and also where the coatrack and his shoes are.

"He says they're still taking Tony to A&E so we should go there, he'll meet us there." He reports

[weird_cop]

Lisa agrees, thanking Kevin through Xie for healing Tony, and then, once her shoes and coat are on, leads the way out to Kevin's car.

Kevin, meanwhile, calls Quill on the way to where Tony is parked, and explains the whole situation. Quill, understandably annoyed at having his Sunday interrupted, nevertheless agrees to meet Kevin at the nick, where he can get a good look at the evidence he's collected and decide how to question the suspects about how they obtained it.

He's just hung up when he realises he's not sure where he put Tony's keys, and the ensuing search through his pockets means he's distracted enough that he doesn't notice when he suddenly gets an urge to change course and head in another direction.

[xie_er]

Xie is focused on Lisa, not really thinking to check in on Kevin because - he thinks - he knows what he's doing and where he's going. When he does reach out, almost reflexively, he doesn't immediately realise anything is wrong, because he doesn't know where he's supposed to be.

He does, however, let him know through the link when they arrive at A&E, and once they've found Tony he falls back to give Tony and Lisa some privacy and reaches out again.

"How long do you think you'll be? Will you meet us here or back at the house?" He asks, mentally working out where everybody's cars are and what the plan will need to be.