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 is in the kitchen, plating up the food that's just arrived - he didn't even think about just ordering for them, since he knows what kind of things Kevin likes, he thought it would just be easier that way.

"Me," he says, bringing the plates to the table "at least, the guitars are mine, if you can play you never told me about it." He amends with a slight smile.

[weird_cop]

"Is that the kind of thing I'd do?"

It's an honest question, but he's amused at the possibility even as he asks it.

"Keep a skill hidden and just never tell you I could do something?"

[xie_er]

Xie huffs a soft laugh at the question.

"Well, I didn't think so, but I didn't realise until last night that you could speak Mandarin." He admits, amused.

(Technically, he didn't realise until this morning, but he first demonstrated the skill last night)

"Though I don't think you really kept that hidden, you just didn't realise I didn't know."

[weird_cop]

"Huh," says Kevin, thinking back to the phone conversation. "I assumed I learned it from you."

[xie_er]

"I can see why," Xie nods "but no, you actually learned it for an undercover operation..."

He doesn't know whether or not to admit that's how they met, doesn't know how many details to give at all, actually, but at the same time he doesn't want to keep anything from him.

[weird_cop]

"Oh," Kevin says, raising his eyebrows with a knowing smile. "I'm that kind of cop, am I?"

Well he guesses the kind of cop he is, is 'magic cop,' but he's also apparently a professional liar.

He pauses for a second, trying to find the words, and continues in cautious Mandarin:

"And I never told you I could speak your language."

[xie_er]

Xie nods, confirming. He's not sure what else is going through Kevin's mind about it, but he can at least give him the facts.

"I always made the effort to speak English," he admits, matching the language "it wasn't that much of a problem, Yifu made sure I was fluent, but it meant it never came up I suppose..." and Kevin never volunteered the information, but he doesn't really mind.

[weird_cop]

Kevin is still trying to piece together who he is, what kind of person he is. He's already made a minor mental note that maybe he's the kind of person who likes this kind of puzzle.

But he's tried the idea of himself as a liar, of someone who keeps secrets, and he's not sure. He finds that being dishonest with the people close to him - with his boyfriend - doesn't fit right.

But he's also interested in gathering as many facts as possible.

"Yifu?"

It feels like a name, or a title, but he can't access a direct translation for it.

[xie_er]

He probably should not have mentioned Yifu. There's a lot of information behind that single word and he doesn't know exactly where to begin - leaving anything out feels disingenuous, but it's also a bit much to just dump on someone.

"Yifu.. it means something like godfather but without the religious connotations. He adopted me when I was 14 and brought me here from Hong Kong." Simple explanations first "He... he's also who you were undercover investigating. Our relationship is complicated to explain, but.. I will, if you want me to."

There, that's better, he thinks, not overwhelming him with information but not hiding that there's more to know.

[weird_cop]

Kevin reflects on the weight of that last bit of information, along with the implication of the offer.

If Kevin was undercover investigating Xie's adoptive father, and that's how they meant - that's already complicated.

"I'd like that," he says. "If you don't mind talking about it."

[xie_er]

He does mind, a little bit, but he also thinks Kevin deserves to know. He expects he wouldn't be angry, when he gets his memories back, that Xie didn't tell him, but that's because he's nice.

It just doesn't feel right, letting him think they're in a relationship but not knowing all of the messy parts that got them there.

"Yifu adopted me because I'm a powerful Familiar. I don't know how much you still know about what that means?"

[weird_cop]

Kevin just shakes his head, suggesting it means nothing. But then he makes a connection with a question that he asked a long time ago and never got an answer for.

"Is this to do with you speaking to me in my head?"

[xie_er]

"It is." He confirms, making a mental note that whoever stole his memories seem to have taken some knowledge along the way.

"The basics, then, Familiars are a source of magical energy. When they bond with a witch, the witch can use their power. Among other things, once bonded a witch and familiar can always sense where the other is-"

"And they can communicate without speaking"

He switches back to speaking out loud, afterwards, just to let Kevin get used to the idea of speaking through the link before using it too much.

"I was bonded with Yifu, but he was... he was planning to kill me and take my power for himself." It's difficult to say, but after the trial he's at least had practice talking about it, so he manages to stay reasonably calm.

"You saved me. You did a spell, a very difficult, powerful spell, and you transferred the bond to yourself."

It isn't quite what he was supposed to be talking about, but he assumes Kevin is going to wonder why the bond has changed.

[weird_cop]

Kevin listens quietly, feeling like he's hearing a story about someone else - someone Xie thinks highly of at least. He wants to comfort Xie about the idea of his adoptive father trying to kill him, but he's unsure about how to offer it.

"I see," he says, cautiously. "Are we also boyfriends, though?"

[xie_er]

"Yes." He says firmly "Getting together, that came later, the bond doesn't cause that."

He pauses, knowing this is the complicated part.

"My relationship with Yifu, though, it was like that." He stops, shakes his head slightly "No, that's not really the right way to put it, it was nothing like what you and I have. I convinced myself it was more romantic than it was, but he was just using me."

[weird_cop]

"Oh," says Kevin. "Right."

He feels like that's enough information to be able to piece some things together and nods quickly, reaching a hand across the table.

A real boyfriend would probably hold him. He wishes he could remember how to be that.

"I'm glad that I'm nothing like him."

[xie_er]

Xie takes his hand, squeezing it slightly with a soft, sad smile.

"Nothing at all. You're amazing." He promises "I know this is a lot to take in, all of this, but I'll answer any questions you have, and just... you don't have to push yourself, or try and be what you think you should, or what you think I want. You just have to look after yourself until we can get your memories back, okay?"

It's kind of strange, to come from the other side, but the last thing Xie wants is Kevin trying to be his old self for the sake of everyone around him, because he knows he'd absolutely do it.

[weird_cop]

"Okay," Kevin agrees.

"I want to help, though. I don't know what I can do to help, but if I can, I want to."

He takes a second, and tries to talk through the link.

"Maybe I'll start there. Figuring out what I can do."

[xie_er]

Xie smiles softly, it's strange how quickly he had missed hearing Kevin's voice in his head.

"You have a lot of skills, I think you'll find ways to be very useful. That's a good place to start." He agrees "Tony will have more ideas too, he's known you for longer than me, he's probably got a pretty good idea of all your skills."

[weird_cop]

Kevin's smile is quick, excited by this connection now he's used to it.

"Okay. So this is a witch- familiar thing? Which means Zishu from earlier is Kexing's familiar?"

[xie_er]

Xie's smile widens a little, nodding. He loves how observant Kevin is, how quickly he makes connections.

"It is, and he is. he confirms.

[weird_cop]

Kevin's fingers are twitching, and he looks down at them, amused. He has a sudden urge to write it down, but forgoes that for now.

"What other skills do I have?"

[xie_er]

"You're very good at your job, and you're an amazing cook, I haven't eaten a single meal you've cooked that wasn't perfect."

He's also just really good at being the perfect boyfriend but that's probably not the kind of skill he's talking about, and Xie doesn't want to put pressure on him by bringing it up.

[weird_cop]

Kevin accepts the former, wondering what skills that involves and how he can practise them while not actually doing his job.

But he glances over towards the kitchen now, trying to picture himself there.

"Do I at least have recipes I can practise with?"

[xie_er]

"...I don't think I've ever actually seen you use one." Xie admits "You just.. cook. We could find you some recipes online to start with, but I think you just need to know it's something you can do and you'll remember how to do it. I think those things are only affected because you don't know you can."

At least, he hopes that's the case, or they're going to be ordering a lot of takeout until this is fixed.