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 lets go with a gasp, forces himself to stumble back. His eyes are pleading with Kevin, begging for forgiveness even as he fails to find the words.

He steps back again, once again shaking with the effort of it, the need to put distance between himself and Kevin. His gaze drops to the fallen knife and his every muscle screams at him to grab it, but he pushes back.

"No" He grits out, clenching his fists, turning to Mina.

"I won't do it."

[weird_cop]

"You will!" She snaps at him, furious but concentrating on pouring her power into it. She throws another bolt at magic at Kevin, but he's already moving.

He takes advantage of Xie taking a stand to move behind him, grabbing one wrist and writing it up while he throws his opposite arm around his throat.

The magic burns past his shoulder, but he tightens his grip, temporarily using Xie as a human shield.

"Gege," he mutters, slipping into Mandarin. "Remember Shifu in the warehouse. You can control the flow."

He's banking on Mina not wanting to kill her familiar, but when he sees her readying another attack, he pushes him away sharply, out of range. He yells sharply when his hip is caught.

She called his bluff, he realises, and it worked.

[xie_er]

It's a good job that Kevin is moving, because the force of will behind those words were almost enough to have him diving for the knife again. Kevin gets him in a hold before he can, and though he struggles against it he doesn't break free.

He knows what Kevin is talking about but can he? Really? Pushing it through the link it's meant to flow through is one thing, but withholding it? Stopping her from taking it? Is it really possible?

He stumbles as he's shoved aside, spins ungracefully at the sound of the yell and almost loses his footing, too focused on making sure that Kevin hasn't been hurt.

The knife is out of his reach now, his hands the only weapon, but just as he starts towards Kevin again he suddenly feels arms wrapping around him from behind, holding him tight. Du Pusa - the other two minions are out cold on the floor and she's using all her strength to hold him back from getting to Kevin.

He whispers a thank you, a plea to keep holding even as he fights against her, and he closes his eyes, stops trying to fight the command but also stops thinking about it, instead he focuses all his energy, all his willpower on the link, on turning off the proverbial tap.

[weird_cop]

Mina is smiling imperious down at Kevin as her magic hits home. She's won; even with Xie fighting her, even with both her employees down. The great Shadow Police Witch is already on his knees, and the woman will be easy to take down when he's dead.

Mina draws another flood of her magic into her staff, prepares to let fly, only to have it splutter, spit magic, and then wink out.

She shouts wordlessly in anger and fury, and tries again, but the staff flashes in and out of existence, will not form anything useful.

Kevin takes a deep breath and surges forward.

He struggles back to his feet, pulling his power into his hands as he rushes her. She manages one blast at his chest, but it's weak compared to the twin lightning he directs at her - the heart, and the core. Just like before.

He watches her body fall before the adrenaline suddenly deserts him and he crumples into unconsciousness.

[xie_er]

The effort of holding back his power is so much that he's almost dizzy with it, but he watches her magic sputter and fail with grim satisfaction.

What follows is a pain that would drive him to his knees if Du Pusa wasn't still holding him. It's not dissimilar to the pain of the bond being stolen, which makes sense because the bond - however new, however unpleasant - is being snapped. This time, however, it is accompanied by the unsettling feeling of death and followed by a sudden, yawning emptiness.

It dawns on him, then, that he hasn't actually been unbonded since he was a teenager, and he doesn't know if it's because it's because he's forgotten how bad it really felt, or because the circumstances of it all has exacerbated the feeling, but it's crushing.

He's pulling against Du Pusa's hold again but this time she lets him go and he moves so fast he stumbles but doesn't stop, dropping to his knees at Kevin's side, yelling - screaming, really - for him to please wake up.

Du Pusa decides now is probably the time to call an ambulance because she knows shit all about healing magic.

[weird_cop]

The 999 operator gets enough details from Du Pusa to be able to link the call to the police, who connect it to the call earlier and have already contacted Superintendent Lofthouse. The upshot of it all is that armed police accompany the ambulances the arrive, but following her instruction, they don't treat anyone still conscious as aggressive. They just make sure that the unconscious suspects are treated as potential threats should they wake.

Paramedics rush to Kevin's side, fussing over him when they see the burns, but even through their attentions, he doesn't regain consciousness. They're still prepping him for transport when Xie's phone starts ringing.

It's Lisa.

[xie_er]

Xie has managed to calm down enough to be pushed aside and let the paramedics do their work - but it took some negotiating to pry Kevin's hand from his grip and he's sitting as close as he can without being in the way and looking more than a little wild-eyed as he watches them work.

Du Pusa has only minor injuries so once she's been given the standard once-over she moves to sit beside him. When his phone rings he takes it out and stares at it for a moment before she helpfully leans over and hits the answer button, putting it on speaker.

"What is it?" Xie manages to get out.

[weird_cop]

"Xie?" She says, the worry clear in her tone.

"Are you okay? We're on our way."

She's been told that ambulances were called out, one fatality and three casualties, and enough to figure out that Kevin's one of them.

[xie_er]

Xie opens his mouth, closes it again and shakes his head, holding the phone towards Du Pusa.

"The bitch is dead, her two little minions are unconscious, Kevin's out cold but being looked after." Du Pusa reports, side-eyeing Xie as she does so.

"Xie is... physically he's fine." The paramedics who checked him over confirmed that much at least. Beyond that, she has no idea what's going on with him.

[weird_cop]

"Oh, Xie."

It's not as pitying as it might once have sounded from her. Empathy, sympathy. Worry, mostly.

There's a moment when she talks to someone away from the phone and then she's back.

"Lofthouse is going to make sure they let you go with Kev. Hang in there, okay? Text me when you're sure which hospital."

[xie_er]

"Hao." Xie says, soft and almost distracted. His gaze has strayed back to Kevin and he's watching him intently.

"He says okay." Du Pusa clarifies. "I'll stay with him if I can and I'll keep you updated."

She'd much rather slip off into the shadows and try and avoid any difficult questions, though at least she didn't kill anybody so really she's done well, but she's also worried about Xie and doesn't really want to leave him on his own.

[weird_cop]

Lisa thanks her profusely and reluctantly hangs up, knowing there's nothing she can do.

They arrive at the hospital while Kevin's in surgery, and Lisa makes a point of finding Xie to be with him. Tony more quietly thanks Du Pusa in case she wants to leave while the authorities are still bustling around.

Kevin finally wakes some time into the night, and the first thing he does is try to reach out through the link, gasping when he remembers.

"Xie?"

[xie_er]

Xie is a hair's breadth from being kicked out of the hospital, or at least getting on the reception's last nerve, pacing like a caged tiger snapping at anybody who so much as looks at him funny. Du Pusa is keeping him as calm as she can manage but there's little she can do.

She hesitates before taking Tony's offer, but since they're present to be with Xie she decides it's for the best, there's not a lot else she can do anyway, so she just makes them promise to call her if anything happens and heads off.

Xie is immediately aware when Kevin wakes - not because of any link, but because he's been sitting by his bedside staring at the rise and fall of his chest without looking away, barely even blinking. He straightens up abruptly at the sound of the gasp and looks to his face, eyes wide.

"Bond. Please. I need it back." Some part of him wishes he could say more than that, but he's tired and worried and he's been in a lot of pain over the last twenty four hours and something in him has snapped.

[weird_cop]

Kevin blinks at him, not quite understanding his meaning, before he rasps out a dry "Okay."

He goes to push himself up on to his elbows, but the movement is cut short by the pain cutting right across his torso and he falls back. Scrunching his eyes shut against the pain he tries again but can't even move.

He grunts and lies there for a second, waiting for his breathing to get under control before he attempts to approximate the ritual without actually moving.

But they're still outside of London and his power is still depleted, so all he manages to do is make his heartbeat monitor beep angrily at them.

[xie_er]

Xie draws breath sharply when Kevin falls back, a hand reaching out in worry. He almost, almost tells him he doesn't need to but he just feels so desperate that he lets him try anyway.

He realises before long that he just doesn't have the energy for the bonding ritual and he bites back a sob.

"It's... okay..." he says, fighting for calm. He reaches out to take Kevin's hand, squeeze it reassuringly, but it's hard to do when his own are trembling so badly.

"I can wait." He says, not even realising he's slipped into Mandarin.

The angrily beeping heart monitor also sent an alert to the nurse's station, and a young man steps in to check on him.

"You're awake...and straining yourself apparently." He says, his tone friendly but chiding "Is everything alright?"

[weird_cop]

"Yes," Kevin says weakly, clutching Xie's hand. "Everything's fine."

It hurts his throat to talk, even. But he manages to get the words out. Everything isn't fine, not really. But it will be.

"I'm sorry," he adds in Mandarin. He'll try again in a few hours.

[xie_er]

"The doctor will come and see you in the morning, try and get some sleep." The nurse assures after giving the monitors a quick once-over to make sure there aren't any issues, he's pleased to see the heart rate has calmed down again so he's content to leave them to it. "You too." he adds to Xie, given that he somehow looks as though he hasn't slept in a week.

Xie doesn't even turn to look at him, his gaze is focused entirely on Kevin. He shakes his head at the apology, trying to squeeze his hand again.

"Get some sleep, I'll be here" It's easier to talk in Mandarin, takes just that little bit less energy to stay coherent - though it's still a lot of energy. He never thought he'd deteriorate this quickly but he feels like his every nerve is on fire with need. He's not quite losing his mind but everything is just more difficult, more grating. He needs Kevin to get better so they can bond again.

(And he hates himself, just a little, for that being his most pressing concern)

[weird_cop]

Kevin opens his eyes again, devastated to see Xie in so much distress, and gives a barely identifiable nod of his head.

He mouths I love you before letting his eyes fall shut again.

Except he doesn't try to sleep. He steadies his breathing and focuses his attention inside, meditating so he can replenish his magic.

He does eventually drift off, though, and when he wakes in the morning he feels like he might be able to try again.

The pain isn't any better, though.

[xie_er]

When he does wake up, he'll find Xie in exactly the same position - sitting by his bed, Kevin's hand clutched in his own (they're trembling worse now) and staring fixedly at him. His eyes are a little blood-shot.

He doesn't say anything, but there's expectant pleading in his look.

He's very quickly getting the sense, though, that it's going to take some more recovery before Kevin is really up to the task. He's trying not to think about it.

[weird_cop]

That look terrifies him, just a little. As he wakes up and realises what's making Xie so desperate, as he gets to grip with how bad he must be feeling, Kevin is hit by how casually cruel he'd been about thus possibility for so long.

He squeezes his hand again and closes his eyes without saying anything.

He pulls all the power within him together and twists it carefully before sending it out to find the bond again.

It feels so different from the last time. He doesn't need to move or draw any circles because there's nothing to sacrifice to, and he acts slowly and deliberately, restrained by his physical wounds and his lack of power.

For a long time there's nothing except the slow sap of power as he uses it up in the attempt.

Then it finds something, and the feeling is like a shock of static electricity as groping fingertips finally find a metaphorical handrail.

And then his power runs out and he gasps in frustration as it slips from him.

[xie_er]

He feels it. He can feel those tendrils of achingly familiar power reaching out to him. He can even reach back, will himself to meet them, and for a moment it's there - then it slips out of his grasp and there's nothing he can do to chase it, to grab hold again and help it get the rest of the way.

He cries out, desperate and frustrated and almost physically pained by the need, by how close it was only to fail again, and he feels raw and broken and desperate but he also feels guilty because he can see, he can, just how hard Kevin is trying, and how difficult this is for him, but there's nothing Xie can do about it.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." he mutters, pulling his hand away from Kevin's because he can feel himself wanting to grab on painfully tight and he doesn't want to hurt him more than he already has "This is my fault."

[weird_cop]

Kevin gasps again when Xie pulls his hand away, and tries to follow him, stopping at the pain in his shoulder.

"I can do it," he says. "I just need time to replenish my power fully."

Or get to London, where he can tap into the power there. But how do you explain that to a doctor?

"Stay with me. Please."

He realises how pathetic he sounds, how pathetic he feels. But he can't stop remembering how it felt when Xie broke the bond, to not have him. And he chose that.

Xie is acting like this because he's unbonded, but je was fine for those brief minutes Kevin saw him bonded to that woman. What if he decides someone else can give him what Kevin can't?

[xie_er]

"I know..." Xie says, he understands that time is needed, but it grates at his every nerve to have to wait.

"I... I'll stay." It aches to be here without the bond, but it would ache even worse to be away from him. Even now he itches to grab hold of his hand again and never let go.

Kevin is right, technically any bond would do, and Xie is honestly a little bit terrified that he'll grow desperate enough to consider it before Kevin is well enough, but right now he's set - he never, ever wants to go through any of that again, he wants Kevin. He wants that bond. Anything else is a pale comparison, nobody else could feel so right to be bonded to.

[weird_cop]

"I'm sorry," Kevin says again. "I should have just waited and stolen you back. But I thought... I don't know what I was thinking."

He was thinking that his boyfriend had left, and told him to come after him, and he wasn't going to be apart from him for a second longer than he had to.

"I miss you."

[xie_er]

"No I... I told you to come for me..." It's a struggle to speak coherently, but he's forcing himself to manage, this is a conversation they should have - and Kevin shouldn't be sorry. This is his fault, all of it, he'd been so focused on getting Kevin's memories back that he'd done something to hurt them both.

"I miss you too." He says, broken. Despite all his attempts he reaches out again, grabs Kevin's hand, clinging to him.