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“Try it.”
“Thou art willful.”
Zachary laughed and leaned in, motioning to the open book. “Just try.”
“Wherefore?” he pushed Zachary’s hand away. “Have I not my own means? What use have I of thine?”
“Are you nervous?” Zachary turned and leaned against the table, arms crossed. “I thought this was something you wanted. To do things no witch-men have done, to learn things that were forbidden to you. Am I wrong?” He smiled, knowing he wasn’t wrong.
“I am no witch-man,” Klarion bared his teeth.
“No, because that would have doomed you to a set of rules and expectations you didn’t like. And an afterlife toiling in the fields as one of the grundies , yeah? So, you’re a witch-boy.”
“Do not act as though thou knowst my mind.”
Zachary reached out and put a hand on either of Klarion’s shoulders. “Think of it,” he soothed. “Your magic and mine. And what you have gleaned of the witch-women, besides. There’s no harm in trying, is there.”
Klarion batted one of Zachary’s hands away. “What would thy cousin say?” he muttered. But he moved closer to the table and the open book. Zachary pushed away from the table and stood behind Klarion . Zachary’s chin fit perfectly to Klarion’s shoulder, and his arms fixed almst comfortingly around Klarion’s waist. “What? Thou hast won and so wishes to make a nuisance of thyself?”
“Always.”
Klarion could feel Zachary’s smile. He scoffed, but didn’t try to remove the magician from his personal space. “ D’nah ee’am ni ’ te’ly vuh l’ahb ha t’up , ” Klarion intoned. He raised his hand and gave it a withering look.
“Again,” Zachary whispered against his shoulder.
Klarion wrinkled his nose. “Useless,” he spat. But he straightened and gave it more intentionality. “ D’nah ee’am ni ’ te’ly vuh l’ahb ha t’up ! ” he commanded. A ball of cold blue light appeared just above his palm, dim but there. Klarion leaned back into Zachary, whose arms tightened around him, and raised his eyebrows. “Truly?” he scoffed.
“There it is,” Zachary laughed. “I knew you could do it.”
“That then makes it one between us.” He curled his fingers lightly over the ball of light, then flattened his palm. The light bobbed and bounced, almost cheerfully. “There is, then, something to thy Lasrever , after all.”
“Mm, and something about that fey magic of yours,” Zachary agreed. “Think of how disappointed my family would be. Teaching our secrets to a pain in the ass like you. Zatanna would throw a fit!” He gave a pleased sigh and buried his nose into the side of Klarion’s neck. “Think of the chaos you could wreak, Klare. Think of the chaos we could wreak.”
Klarion felt his expression soften into a smile. “With thee beside me, I doubt there be much that would be beyond our ability.”
“That’s,” Zachary was smiling again. “That’s actually kinda sweet. I didn’t know you had it in you to be sweet.”
“Oh, verily. I can be quite kind,” Klarion let the ball of light wink out and turned in Zachary’s arms.
Zachary loosened his grip on Klarion , so that the blue witch could turn more easily. “Yes, well. You’re not kind very often, are you?” His tone was teasing, but his smile was soft and proud.
“Why should I be?” Klarion met Zachary’s eye only briefly, then focused on his lapels, smoothing them down. “Oh, to believe. Myself and a Zatara .” He moved to straighten Zachary’s already straight bowtie. “Leastwise, I seem to have caught the most comely of the family.”
“Thank you,” Zachary leaned in to set a kiss on Klarion’s temple. “But you forgot ‘most talented.’”
“And most vainglorious,” Klarion looked up at him.
“ Twa ’ ste’ly ,” Zachary whispered. The candles, on every surface, blew themselves out. The candles were the only source of light, besides, purely because Zachary preferred that kind of aesthetic, and knew the spells to keep the candles lit both brighter and longer. “Let’s continue this tomorrow, yeah? Let’s do something fun, in the meantime.”
Klarion let Zachary take his hand. “Fun,” he scoffed.
“Oh, you live for it. You wouldn’t be able to stand a moment of boredom.”
“We have but hardly begun—”
“And my books aren’t going anywhere. Besides! We know you can spell with Lasrever , yes?” Zachary pushed open the door. Anachronistically, the view through the doorway was entirely different from the views from the windows, and not all the windows agreed on the view, either. Metropolis’s nightlife bustled before them. “I think it’s time to celebrate.”
Klarion rolled his eyes, but cast his glamour anyway. “I know not why I oblige thy whims,” he said.
“It’s because I’m cute,” Zachary waved a dismissive hand.