Dee blinked, clearing the fog from his eyes and turned to look at his bed partner. Ryo had snuggled up to him, and was sleeping peacefully. His features showed a few lines, speaking of pain from injuries even felt in sleep, and Dee carefully sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair.
He knew what had happened.
He knew why it had happened.
He knew what he was.
He just had no idea how to control it.
The power ebbed and flowed through him, a source of inner warmth and security, of strength and talent.
Magic user.
It scared him, startled him, made him want to run screaming from the room; but it was also a calming sensation to feel what had always been there. It soothed his mind and soul.
Turning back to his lover, his eyes followed the close to invisible line that connected him. Like he recognized himself, he recognized Ryo. He was the one who spread such calm, such reassurance, even in sleep. He kept him in check…
Brown eyes blinking open, looking sleepily at him, drew him to his lover, and Dee leaned down to place a good morning kiss on Ryo's lips. His lover responded and Dee ran a hand over the familiar form, frowning as he encountered the bandaged around Ryo's middle.
"You were hurt," he whispered.
"Just bruised ribs."
"Worse than broken ones," Dee argued.
"I'll heal. How are you?" Ryo wanted to know, covering the hand on his ribs with his own.
"I remember what happened, Ryo, and I'm scared," Dee answered truthfully. "I… I know what I am… somehow I do, but I don't know how to… be what I am. I don't even know how I did what I did in the alley."
"There are people I can talk to to get you help. You need to learn about your powers," Ryo said softly, reassuringly.
Dee caressed his lover's ribcage, taking care not to hurt him any further. Ryo embraced him carefully, just holding him.
There was a light knock on the door and a voice unfamiliar to Dee called, "You decent?"
Ryo chuckled. "That's Carl. We're awake, Carl," he answered. "We'll be out in a few."
"'Kay."
"He's one of my contacts, Dee." There was a moment's hesitation as if Ryo had just been struck by something.
"Love? What is it?" Dee asked.
"Uh… well, when you broke down after that blast… I called in an emergency and the next available ally came to our aide."
"Yes?"
"Ross Barclay is an ally, Dee."
Dee felt the world turn inside out. Barclay? Commissioner Ross Barclay? The guy he hated because he had been a rival for Ryo?
"He helped me get you home…" Ryo started, then fell silent. "Dee, it's okay. He's on our side and he didn't try anything with me."
"I hope so," Dee growled.
His lover suddenly started to chuckle and Latener shot him a dark look. "You're cute when you're jealous," Ryo managed, then held his side as his ribs protested the laughter.
"Oh you!"
"We better get up and see what Carl has, or he'll come back and this time he won't knock."
"Let him. He might learn something." Dee nuzzled his lover and claimed another kiss.
They finally did make it out of bed and Dee wanted nothing more than to take a shower with his lover, but Ryo reminded him that they had a guest. He groused about it, but he behaved. Thankfully, he behaved.
Mitsumi had come back while they had a light lunch. She smiled at Dee,
who regarded her almost warily.
"You feel the magic within me," she remarked.
He nodded. "You're a witch."
"Yes."
Witches are the lowest level of full magic-users, his newly-awakened
knowledge informed him. They're powerful, completely 'online', so to speak,
unlike those born with a magic-user's gene that never fully developed.
Clairvoyants, empaths, people with a sixth sense… others like that. The
next level were the wizards, then came the warlocks. Gender didn't play
a role in what someone was called. A witch could be male or female, so
could be a wizard or a warlock.
"Our new shaman here knows what he is, what kind of creature he has
become," Carl remarked casually. "All he's missing is his control."
Mitsumi blinked, surprise coloring her expression. "You know about
magic?"
Dee nodded. It was all there. He felt the magic around him, felt it
like a comforting hum in the back of his mind, in every molecule of his
being. He felt it, like a weak shadow, within Mitsumi and Carl. He was
hyper-aware of Ryo, his shield.
"That's unheard of!" the witch exclaimed.
"I said the same," Carl shrugged. "But we've never dealt with a Shaman
Pair before either, Mitsumi. At least one that came together in such an
unusual way. Dee was shielded all his life, apparently by his parents,
and the shields dropped rather late in the relationship between the two
men. I'd have expected them to break the moment Ryo stepped into his life."
Ryo, who had been busy in the kitchen, now settled down next to his
lover. "I wasn't the trigger. It was more the growing connection between
us. My presence alone only formed the first stray bonds."
"Well," Mitsumi sighed, "at least we don't have to recite everything
we know about magic and its uses. All we have to do is get you some practice
in how to prevent you from leveling a whole block by accident. I tried
to find a shaman anywhere in the vicinity of New York, but no one knows
one. But my contacts know I'm looking." Her expression grew serious. "News
about you will spread. Carl and I weren't the only ones who felt your awakening,
Dee. Others did, too. They'll know what it means, what you are, and I doubt
everyone will just go on with their lives. Some might try and measure their
strength with yours."
Dee snorted. "Let them come. I'm not afraid."
Ryo took his hand and squeezed it. "Don't take it lightly," he said
softly, intensely.
"I'm not." Dee knew how strong he was. He knew he could take on a warlock
and win – if he found out how to turn on his magic powers, that is.
Mitsumi regarded them silently for a moment, then rose. "I'll keep
an eye out for a shaman. Don't do anything rash, okay? Play it low."
Dee glared at her. As if he was about to flaunt his powers to everyone!
She simply smiled as if he had said it out loud. Carl followed the
smaller woman out of the apartment, leaving the two men alone. Ryo gave
his lover a long, hard look.
"What?" Dee wanted to know.
"Don't go picking fights, okay?"
Dee placed a finger against his lips and stilled him. "I'm not a teenager,
Ryo. I won't brag about my powers, nor will I go up against whoever might
want a piece of me. I promise. Defense. Only defense."
Dark brown eyes looked into green ones, then Ryo smiled and kissed
the finger still placed against his lips. "Defense," he agreed.
Buck stretched as he walked into the living room, feeling pleasantly
relaxed after a nice long run through the quiet neighborhood. The job had
been demanding lately and early morning runs did wonders to unwind him.
His body was no longer so tense, his muscles were warm, his skin sweaty
and flushed, and after a hot shower – maybe with Vin – and a leisurely
breakfast – most definitely with his lover -- he'd just fall onto the couch
and enjoy some morning TV shows.
That was the plan.
It was brought to a halt by the dark-skinned man with the long dreadlocks
and the screaming colorful shirt sitting in the kitchen, nursing a cup
of coffee. Vin was leaning against the kitchen counter, smiling at him
as he walked in.
"Hey, Brian," Buck greeted their visitor. "Isn't it a bit early to
pay a visit?"
Brian glowered at him. He looked like he hadn't slept well last night,
if at all. A laptop was sitting on the table in front of him.
"No."
"So, what gives us the honor?"
"Your visit to New York. You've been to New York, right?" the young
shaman asked acidly. "The Big Apple? Meeting with an ally about a case?"
"Uh, sure…"
Brian glared daggers at him. "Met anyone by the name of Dee Latener?"
Buck frowned. "Ryo's partner. The ally we visited, that is. Brian,
what's going on here? You're not here because we went to New York, so…?"
"You guys need to be confined! Placed under house arrest!" the shaman
growled. "You go to San Francisco and Tanner turns out to be a spirit walker.
You go to Las Vegas, and poof! We've got a Mimic and Phoenix!"
"Vin and I didn't go to Las Vegas," Buck interrupted. "That was Chris…"
Brian waved it off. He was clearly on a roll. "Now you go to New York,
with a simple matter! What happens? We end up with a Shaman Pair!"
Buck shot his lover a quizzical look, but Vin only shrugged. He was
calmness impersonate.
"Don't look at me, Buck. Brian came in ten minutes before you arrived,
looked like he hadn't slept in a week, and drank all our coffee."
Brian gave the other werewolf a dark look. "Is it a wonder? I haven't
slept for three days because of you two! I work around the clock! Do you
know why I'm carrying this around?" He gestured at the laptop. "Because
I need to earn money once in a while! Shamans don't get paid. Surely not
by you guys! They've got a normal job, too. And before I ran into you lot,
before Salt Lake turned into a melting pot of the insane and paranormal,
I had no trouble juggling both!"
"Whoa, calm down!" Buck exclaimed.
"You are giving every shaman gray hair!" Brian stated.
"If you don't calm down, Polly's going to start tearing out feathers,"
Vin chuckled.
Brian glared daggers at him. "His name's not Polly, and spirit animals
don't tear out their own feathers!"
He was referring to his own spirit animal, which was a cockatoo and
which only Vin could see, aside from Brian, that was. Buck only grinned.
He had nicknamed the invisible animal when Vin had told him what it was.
Brian hated it.
"Well, he looks kinda stressed. Polly want a cracker?"
"Tanner!"
Vin smiled disarmingly and finally Brian deflated, running a hand over
his dreadlocks.
"Care to tell us what happened now?" Buck asked as he got himself a
glass of water.
"Your friend Dee Latener's a shaman, Buck. That's what's going on.
Not just any shaman, but one whose parents were a warlock and a shaman.
He's bonded to his very own shield, forming a Shaman Pair, a very powerful
and dangerous combination. There are only six in the world. Well, seven
now."
Buck gaped. "Dee's…?"
"Yep, he's a paranormal."
"And Ryo?"
"Yep."
Now he understood the other man's agitation. "Uh, now what?"
"Nothing. We just keep an eye on them, like we keep an eye on your
guys, though one's not enough any more." Brian gave them both a sharp look.
"You keep unearthing all kinds of strangeness and new paranormals, including
legendary ones!"
"When you're on a roll…" Vin remarked casually, though his expression
was serious. They knew this wasn't to be taken lightly.
"This is more than a roll. Man, I've been around as a shaman for a
while, but I haven't met anything I haven't heard of before. You keep finding
the most unusual stuff." Brian emptied his cup and rose. "Well, anyway,
this was just the heads up. Don't go traipsing to New York, all right?"
"Wouldn't think of it," Buck replied, smiling innocently.
Brian huffed, glared again, then left, laptop under his arm.
Vin glanced at Buck, who met the serious blue eyes with a matching
expression.
"I'll call Ez," Vin finally said calmly. "You go take a shower."
Wilmington only nodded. This would get interesting, he mused. Very,
very interesting.
Two days had passed since Dee's 'activation'. They had passed normally.
There had been no surprises, no sudden surges of energy. Both men returned
to work, easily slipping back into their cases and paperwork, but things
had changed. Subtly.
Mitsumi and Carl both had told them that neither could teach Dee how
to use magic because he was way out of their league, but at least they
had been able to give him some pointers to prevent accidents.
Ryo didn't know what to feel. Too much had happened to him lately,
but as an ally he should be able to work through this. Strange, weird things
weren't unusual in his line of work. Strange, weird things happening to
him and his partner… that he didn't know how to handle yet. The revelation
that Ross Barclay was an ally like him, well, that had floored him.
Dee was a shaman. Ryo himself had turned out to be his shield. And
Barclay…
Magic, paranormals, allies, all that Latener had so readily accepted,
even though he was a bit pissed about Ryo keeping such secrets from him.
But Barclay on their side, an ally? No, that didn't sit well with him at
all.
Ryo stopped in front of the commissioner's office, strangely drawn
to the older man. It wasn't anything sexual, just the need to know, to
find out who was behind that façade. An ally, yes. An ally he would
have to work together with. Ryo knew his own status as an ally had been
nullified.
Hm, upgraded was more like it, he thought wryly. Allies were defined
by the fact that they had no paranormal powers, that they were humans who
knew about the other world and helped everyone who needed their help. Whether
it was to hide, to gain something, to seek shelter, or to deliver messages.
It had been his job for so many years. He had covered up what should never
fall into the wrong hands. He had been aide and confidant, fighter and
social worker, all for paranormals. Those with small powers, those with
incredible abilities, and those who were paranormal because of a sickness,
like vampires. One of his contacts was a vampire he liked a lot. He was
a fun guy and Ryo took great care of cultivating the contact.
Now he was an ally no longer. He was part of a Shaman Pair, bonded
to Dee, a powerful paranormal. He was his shield. That meant Barclay was
their ally to go to now for help. Or whatever else they needed him for.
The door to the office opened and Ryo was startled to look at the object
of his thoughts. Icy blue eyes met his and a small smile quirked the thin
lips.
"Detective, can I help you?"
"No, I was just… lost in thought."
Barclay gave him another long look, then his expression changed. The
hard planes softened a little and the ice melted from the cool eyes.
"Would you care for a drink, Ryo?" he wanted to know.
Dee's protestations rang in his mind. Barclay was only trying to get
into his pants. Somehow, Ryo no longer believed that. The last episode
had been over a year ago and while Dee still fumed and growled, Barclay
had been a model of control and professionalism ever since Ryo's fist had
landed in his face.
"I'll be off in ten minutes," Ryo replied calmly, meeting the blue
gaze head on.
If Barclay was surprised that his offer was for once accepted, he didn't
show it. He just nodded.
"The 'Eye'?"
Ryo nodded, then walked away, strangely looking forward to talking
to the older man.