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]

"Yeah... I think so," Ezra says, choosing to be honest rather than put a brave face on it. He sits down on the side of his bed and pulls his foot on to the mattress next to him so he can inspect the wreckage.

"It doesn't look that bad, right?"

It's hard to tell, though. His trousers are ripped and bloody, and he can't quite see the injury.

[xie_er]

"Uh...." Spot says, drawing it out for a moment before he decides on "it'll probably look better when it's cleaned up?"

He's eyeing it dubiously, but he does believe his own words - and he's sure it'll look even better when Ezra gets a chance to heal it more, or if Kevin does, so he doesn't push for more than just cleaning it off.

[weird_cop]

"Hope so," Ezra agrees. He leans in and starts to pull his trouser leg up from the cuff, and glances over to the sink in the corner of his bedroom.

"Can you grab a flannel for me?"

He gets the trouser leg halfway up his calf before he gives up, and realises he's going to have to take the whole garment off from the top, so he switches to undoing his fly.

[xie_er]

"Yea sure." Spot nods, crossing over to the sink and wetting a flannel. He grabs a towel as well, turning back just as Ezra going to take the trousers off.

"...do you want me to leave?" He offers, trying to sound casual about it "Or do you want a hand..?"

Not that Ezra can't clean it himself, but he feels like he should offer.

[weird_cop]

At first, Ezra was too preoccupied to notice any weirdness in taking his trousers off, but now he looks up sheepishly when Spot sounds awkward.

"It's up to you," he says, sitting down now with his waistband weirdly across his thighs. "I can manage if you want to get back.

But when he holds his hand out for the flannel and towel, a twinge of pain makes him grimace.

[xie_er]

Spot hesitates for a second, unsure, and then he shakes his head. He can ignore his stupid teenage hormones for Ezra's sake.

"Nah don't worry about it. C'mon let me help." He says, dropping down to kneel in front of Ezra, flannel at the ready.

[weird_cop]

There's a second in which Ezra wonders if he's imagining the reason Spot might be unsure, and he tries to blink it away when Spot shakes his head. He lets Spot kneel and then pushes his trousers all the way down, peeling the fabric gently away from the wound, to minimise the amount of scab that comes with it.

"Thanks," he says quietly, suddenly feeling self conscious. Apparently he hadn't manage to blink it all away.

[xie_er]

Spot does his level best to focus on Ezra's injured knee and only his injured knee. It sort of helps that the wound looks pretty gross to keep any inappropriate thoughts out of his head.

He waves off the thanks and starts cleaning with gentle swipes around the wound at first, just wiping up any blood or dirt.

"Let me know if I go too hard or whatever." he says as he works, not wanting to cause any more pain than necessary.

[weird_cop]

"Okay," Ezra says, and then after he hisses once he adds: "You're fine, just ignore me. I'll tell you if it hurts too much."

It only hurts a bit, and he'd rather get it clean so he can see how it's doing.

It really is much better than it was - just a badly cut knee, he reckons. Something you'd go to the nurse about and be told to stay off it for a few weeks. Considering he couldn't put his weight on it earlier, he thinks he's done a good job.

And the pain isn't so bad that it distracts him from the fact that Spot has his hands on his leg, and really is being remarkably tender about it.

[xie_er]

Spot pauses at the hiss, but then nods and continues on when Ezra tells him to. He works as quickly as he can while also still being gentle, and then eventually uses the towel to pat his damp skin carefully dry.

Sitting back once he's done, he gives the wound a once over and comes to the same conclusion that Ezra did - it's definitely a lot better than it had been before, and it doesn't look like it's too serious.

"It's not bad, but you should probably cover it with something while you sleep."

[weird_cop]

"I haven't got a first aid kit or anything in here," Ezra muses, looking around for something like a bandage and coming up short. "You reckon I could just put pyjama bottoms on? That'll cover it, right?"

It's not a good plan, really. A dressing would be better, he knows.

[xie_er]

"You got a t-shirt or something you don't mind getting bloody?" Spot asks "It'll be better to wrap it with something like that first, pyjamas'd move about too much and stick."

There's barely a hesitation - this isn't a bright idea he's just come up with, this is speaking from experience.

[weird_cop]

Ezra has similar experience, but he was just getting used to not having to think like that, so he sighs with agreement and nods towards his drawers.

"Bottom drawer. There's a big blue one I don't wear anymore." There are bad memories attached to it - nothing significant, just a lot of dirt and tears.

Come to think of it, he's a little regretful now he didn't have magic on the streets. It could have been useful in more ways than one.

[xie_er]

"You want me to tear it up? It'll be more comfortable if you don't mind, but I don't have to if you'd rather I didn't." Spot offers, already pushing himself to his feet. He drops the towel and the flannel back at the sink and goes to the drawers, pulling out the t-shirt as requested.

"This one?" he confirms before bringing it back over.

[weird_cop]

Ezra nods to show that it's that one.

"Don't tear it up," he says quickly. He shifts on the bed, wanting to help but also not wanting to hurt himself any more, straightening his leg out on the bed as far as it will go.

"I don't care about it or anything, I just - I don't wanna be the kid who tears up clothes for bandages anymore, you know?"

[xie_er]

Spot is quiet for a moment, looking down at the t-shirt in his hands.

"Yea." he says finally "I know."

He folds the t-shirt lengthways instead, wrapping it around Ezra's injury and tucking it into itself so it stays put - it won't really hold up to walking around or anything but it'll be fine for sleeping.

"That feel okay?"

[weird_cop]

Ezra waits for Spot to get through the moment - he understands, probably more than anyone else in the home does - the other kids were taken into care, but Spot and Ezra both slept rough for a while, even if they never actually talk about it to each other.

When his leg is wrapped, he flexes it a little to check the tightness, and nods. "Thanks," he says again, knowing this is a lot of fuss to keep something secret just so he can show his magic teacher.

He glances up at Spot again, and is about to say something else, when there's a light knock on his door.

"Lights out, Ezra," the warden on night duty reminds him. "We're turning the motion sensors on."

It's stupid, and it makes him feel like a prisoner, but there's a girl in the year above who sleepwalks, and the sensor and camera system have helped her out a couple of times.

But now Spot can't leave his room without being caught.

[xie_er]

"Shit" Spot says under his breath, tensing up as he stares at the door - but it stays closed, footsteps moving away, so while he's relieved not to have been caught in Ezra's room this late that's only a minor relief when faced with the fact he's now stuck there.

His gaze swings back to Ezra, though he doesn't say anything else until he's absolutely sure the warden has moved on.

"Uh... I guess I could go out the window, sneak back to-" he stops, realising he can't even do that - climbing in his own window is going to set off a whole different set of alarms. Thanks dad.

"Or not. Fuck. Uh... could I stay?"

[weird_cop]

Ezra bit back on the exact same swear Spot let out, and holds his gaze while they wait for the warden to move on.

In that moment he tries to think of some options, almost settling on well, no one's going to think it's weird if I smuggled a cat in, I can suggest that... but the coast clears and there's a whole new problem to deal with.

He nods quickly.

"Yeah, 'course. You helped me get in, it's the least I could do."

He's realised in the last hour or so that he's all-in on keeping Spot safe, whether from asshole dads or mundane curfew enforcers.

[xie_er]

"Thanks." Spot relaxes a little at that "Have you got a spare blanket or something? I can just sleep on the floor..."

It's not going to be the most comfortable sleep ever, but he's definitely had worse. He would suggest just sharing the bed but there's something that stops him, it just feels kind of awkward.

It does occur to him that he could just shift and sleep on the chair or the foot of the bed or something, but if anybody happens to check during the night or morning before they wake up, finding a cat in Ezra's room and no Spot in his will just cause a lot of problems that he won't be able to straighten out - finding him in Ezra's room would be a pain, but at least they can explain that and it won't result in them raising the alarm that he's gone missing or trying to take a cat to the shelter or any number of other problems that could arise if they catch him unawares.

[weird_cop]

"Oh, yeah."

Ezra had been fixating on the idea of Spot staying in his bed, and the sudden presentation of an alternative is both a relief and a disappointment, in his teenage head. He moves to get up, despite the pain, intending to have a rummage, only to realise that he doesn't have anything like a blanket.

"Uh, no," he says. "Sorry. Um."

He takes a breath, and then the next sentence stumbles out before he can stop it.

"You can sleep in my bed. I don't mind."

This is very possibly a terrible idea.

[xie_er]

It would have been awkward to suggest himself, but it would be even more awkward to refuse - like what was he going to say? No I don't trust myself to be that close to you? There's no way to refuse without giving too much away, and if he does share the bed there's still a chance - however slight - that he'll end the night with his dignity intact. So he shrugs casually.

"If it's okay, sure. There's probably room enough for both of us." Neither of them are exactly large, after all.

[weird_cop]

"Yeah," Ezra agrees. Spot's right, they're both slim enough that they will fit, and it should be fine. It would be fine, for most boys their age.

He grits his teeth in order to shift up in the bed and give Spot enough room to lie next to him, but while he's negotiating with the covers, he pauses.

He doesn't want to say this, but the future suddenly opened up in front of him in which he doesn't, and Spot finds out later, and he couldn't stand it if that makes Spot hate him.

"Uh, I should tell you something first. It's not a big thing, I mean. But if it makes you not want to, I understand. Not that it.. uh."

He stumbles over his words, and stops, realising he should just get it out.

"I'm gay."

[xie_er]

Spot moves over to the side of the bed, waiting patiently for Ezra to navigate getting comfortable with enough room for him - he knows it's going to take a little longer all things considered.

Then he stops, and Spot's about to ask if he's realised it won't work after all, and mentally preparing himself for an uncomfortable night on the floor, but then Ezra starts rambling nervously and Spot just raises an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to spit it out.

"Oh." He says after a moment. For a second all he can think is okay...?, like he can't quite work out why Ezra felt the need to come out to him now. Then several other inconvenient thoughts and feelings rush over him at once and he shoves them rapidly aside.

"Well, it's not a problem for me," he shrugs "'long as it's not a problem for you that I am."

He sounds totally casual about it, despite Ezra being possibly the first person he's come out to in his life.

[weird_cop]

"Oh," Ezra says, breathing out in surprised relief. "Really?"

He hadn't picked that up, which is stupid, he thought they were supposed to be able to find each other - was the gaydar just a lie or something.

"I mean, good. It's fine."

He laughs at himself, still a little awkwardly.

"I didn't want you finding out later and being grossed that we shared a bed. Not that I thought you were a 'phobe or nothing, but you know?"

Though the idea that the boy he's crushing on is suddenly in the realm of possibility, does then occur to him. He schools his expression as carefully as possible, hoping none of those feelings show.