Lately, it’s really seemed like Kleo’s schedule has ben jam packed. If he wasn’t working on some paper or assignment for class, he was studying for his biology class with Alexei. If he wasn’t doing that, he was working or studying magic with Flora, which was a struggle to juggle all on its own, because it could only be done at times when neither of them were working and Alexei wasn’t home. Kleo felt like he was sneaking around, because he was, and he felt terrible for it. He still had no clue how he would even approach Alexei about the whole magic thing and he felt like he was running out of options. Alexei was a man of science, and if Kleo just casually walked up to him and said, “Hey! I’m a witch now,”, he’d probably think he was joking, or crazy, or both. Flora suggested he try some “grand magical gesture” like making him fly or something, and not only did that seem like possibly the worst idea given Kleo’s track record with making things float, but Kleo also didn’t want to accidentally loose control while trying to show off and end up hurting either of them. If he showed Alexei something, it would have to be simple, but believable (and maybe allow him to show off a little in a more safe and manageable way).

It’s been about a month though, since he first said he’d figure out a way to tell him, and he felt no closer to actually doing so. It was October now and with the change in season came midterm exams. Kleo laid across his bed, a pile a books and his open laptop beside him. He needed a break, truly, but this paper was almost done and finishing it would leave one less thing on his plate. He pushed himself up with a groan and got back to typing. His eyes scanned the words on his screen as he tried to pinpoint any mistakes who could have made, grammatical or otherwise.

‘It amazes me that your eyes have not suffered from how close your face is to that screen.’

Nox sat at the end of the bed, quietly watching him as he slouched over his laptop. Kleo waved him off and continued working. He was too close to finishing to let him distract him.

‘At this rate, you’ll need glasses by the end of the year. I wouldn’t trust you with any spells related to site just yet.’

“Hey, I’ve gotten better with my magic,” Kleo retorted, his pride rising up. Sure, he was still learning, but he had somewhat grown into his abilities. At the very least, he could now move most objects with need if he wanted to. Things like light switches and doors proved to be no problem, but he would admit that he still struggled with some heavier things. Though, with each day, he did see improvement. (It also helped him feel like a certain sorcerer’s apprentice when it came to clean up when closing the Apothecary.)

‘That you have, however, you still have a ways to go before you do anything like that.’

Kleo waved him off again, knowing he was right. It was almost time for Flora to be done with her shift and he really wanted to get this paper done before she came upstairs. All he needed was to wrap it up and give it another round of editing and then he would be satisfied enough to turn it in. The sudden knocking at his front door, though, demanded his attention now. Kleo sighed, moving his computer away as he climbed off of his bed and made his way downstairs.

“Hey! Luke came in early for his shift, so I thought I’d come up to get started,” Flora said, walking in before the door was even fully open. Kleo rested his head against the door with a sigh. He’d get that paper done before the end of the night, for sure.

They found themselves back in Kleo’s room, curtains drawn for privacy while they sat on the floor, facing one another. Flora smiled and held her hands out for him to take.

“Take a breath, your anxiety is showing,” she said, rubbing his hands and he did as he was told.

“Sorry, midterms are starting to get to me,” he admitted, calming himself so he could focus.

“There we go,” she said happily as she held his hands. “Alright, let’s try the light spell again to as a warm up.” Kleo nodded and focused on their hands. The light spell was the first spell Flora taught him when they first started these lessons. She told him it was something you taught children to use when they were afraid of the dark. As Kleo focused, he felt that same comforting warmth flood through his body, concentrating in his hands. When he opened his eyes, he watched as a small bead of light formed in the center of their palms, and grew until it was about the size of a tennis ball. A smile grew on his face as he let it rise until it floated just above their heads.

“You’ve gotten good at this, we may need to figure out another warm up spell,” Flora said, a hint of pride in her voice.

“Well, I’ve got a pretty good teacher so,” he smiled back, giving credit where credit was due. She shook her head with a chuckle.

“You know what, I’ll take that,” she said and his smile grew.

“So, what should we do today? I’ve got the light spell, I’ve got light as a feather, I know how to produce a flame. I was looking through my mom’s grimoire and she has some pretty interesting looking stuff that deals with plants. We could liven up some stuff?” He listed his suggestions as she listened.

“Great ideas, truly, but how about a cleansing spell? It’s a nice way to clear up a space of any bad energy. Helps with nightmares and anxiety as well.”

“Do you mean, like with sage?” Kleo asked, vaguely remembering his mom using sage around their home when they were younger. He hadn’t realize that was something magical.

“Yeah! It’s definitely been adopted by a lot of non-magic users but it’s a great thing to know and it would be helpful since you’ve got all this midterm stress.”

“I guess you have a point,” he nodded, “I’ll just have to explain to Alexei why the place smells like that.” Flora gave him a disappointed look

“Kleo, you really need to tell him.”

“I know,” he sighed softly, pulling his hands away. He wished she didn’t remind him but she had a point.

“You know I’m right,” she crossed her arms. “Once you tell him, you can actually practice magic in your own home, without fear of him accidentally finding out. Plus, it’s obvious that it’s stressing you out. The sooner you tell him, the better, period.” She was serious, she was right, and that only made Kleo more frustrated with himself.

“I know,” he sighed. “I’ve waited so long, I just don’t know when it’s a good time to try and bring it up.”

Flora moved so she was sat beside Kleo and placed an arm around his shoulders to try and provide some comfort. “It’s tough, but the longer you wait, the more you’ll regret it. I don’t mean to pester you about it, I’m just trying to look out for you as a friend,” she explained, resting her head against his shoulder. “And as a friend, I think Alexei deserves to know.”

“I know, I just need to find the nerve to finally do it.” He said, mirroring her actions. He closed his eyes and took a breath. “I’ll do it after midterms, I promise. That way, no one has exams or projects or anything on their mind and I can just come clean and be honest with him.” He felt Flora give his shoulder a squeeze in approval before hoping up to her feet.

“Alright! You know what, you have a point,” she started as she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, ”we both have midterms on the mind, as well as everything else, and I think that means we are deserving of a break!” She smiled down at him, holding her hands out to help him stand. As much as she annoyed him when she was right about things she certainly had little to no business being right about, she made him forgive her almost instantly. It took no time for her to worm her way into his bubble and find a space there for herself. Her smile was infectious, and Kleo found himself smiling back as he took her hands and let her pull him up. He just barely missed the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and turned his head just as he saw Alexei.

“Hey, my lecture let out early if you wanted to get a head start on the biology review,” Alexei started to say but stopped when he looked at the two of them. Kleo could have sworn he looked a bit confused just then. But, why wouldn’t he? As far as he knew, Flora just worked downstairs. Kleo hadn’t said anything about their newfound friendship because of the whole magic thing, and he was realizing now just how much of a problem that could be. Though, as soon as Kleo caught it, the look was gone and Alexei put on a smile that didn’t quite reach anywhere. “Oh, I didn’t realize anyone else was here,” he said, stepping fully into the room. “It’s Flora, right?” He asked and she smiled, adjusting her bag as she gave him a cheerful wave. Kleo couldn’t even think as he watched their interaction unfold.

“That’s right,” she said smoothly. “Kleo and I were just finishing up working on some project and stopped to take a break. We were thinking of going to go grab some food from that boba place.” Kleo was jealous of the way the lies just seemed to flow off her tongue without a care. His brain could never find any type of excuse fast enough for it to sound believable. He either tripped over his own words as the fumbled through his mouth or he choked up, unable to even get the fib through his lips.

“Oh? What project?” Alexei asked, and Kleo knew he wasn’t buying it. He didn’t know what Alexei thought they were up to, but he knew he saw straight through them. Flora gave some excuse about a literature class and Alexei kept his eyes on her as she spoke. They went back and forth about something and Kleo realized that Alexei would not look at him. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t get a good feeling about it.

“Do you want to come with us?” Kleo spoke up to ask him, and Alexei finally met his eyes. The look alone made him feel like the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees.

“I’m good, thanks though,” he said flatly and Kleo knew he must have messed up somehow.

“Alexei,” Kleo started to say with sorrow in his voice, but he didn’t know what could have upset him, or even how he could fix it.

“Honest,” Alexei’s eyes softened, “I should really get some of my own assignments done. Just let me know when you do want to go over the biology review,” he said to Kleo before starting back towards the stairs. “It was nice meeting you Flora,” He said over his shoulder and then he was gone, leaving Kleo to wonder what must have been going on in that head of his.