Marc blinked against the light suddenly hitting his eyes as he lit the small candle on his desk, shaking the match out as soon as the candle was lit. He could turn the light on, sure, but something about working by candle light made him a little more focused.
The heavy leather bound book sat in the centre of his desk was left open on a page about love spells and Marc couldn't help but chuckling at his past self before flipping to the front of the book and list of content. It had been months since he had last looked at the book, or in fact any of the things on his desk in the basement, too focused on the comic and his dates with Nathaniel to even bother coming down here.
He scanned the contents page of the book, finding the charms section and turning to it immediately. Marc cursed himself for leaving it so late to start working on this, but his best work was always done on full moons and he hadn't had this idea until after the last one.
He quickly grabbed a second book on crystals and their elements, flicking through and stopping every so often to note down a gemstone on his notepad. Once he was sure he had a full list of what he needed he grabbed the candle and headed over to the shelf along the very back wall of the basement, dodging the odd storage box that had been placed in his was. His parents had been more than happy to give Marc the room when they discovered his powers but that didn't mean they weren't going to also use the space when they needed.
He pulled the circular jar pendant from his pocket to give it a look over before turning his attention to the bookshelf of crystals and ingredients in front of him. Howlite for emotional control, Blue Striped Agate for creativity and energy, Bloodstone for courage, Amethyst for creativity and to combat insomnia, the list trickled on as he carefully selected the stones. Once he had picked which kinds he wanted to use he carefully selected each individual stone for the ones that shon the most and had the strongest colours. This had to be perfect.
Marc quickly realised his problem though. Even his smallest stones wouldn't fit in the small jar. He chewed his lip, considering his options before resigning himself to the best option he had. He grabbed his chosen crystals along with a handful of ingredients before moving back to his desk and his wand.
He made sure to quickly research what he was about to do, making sure it was safe and would work, smiling when he found out that it was completely safe and actually helped retain the crystal's power levels. Marc cast the spell on the jar, enlarging the size so it was large enough for him to drop all of the stones in before shrinking the jar and everything inside of it until the jar was at the same size it had been at previously. The shrunken crystals sat in a pile along the bottom, air filling the space between the pile and the top of the pendant.
He quickly set about brewing the potion he would put in with the gems, mixing the ingredients and then using his wand to safely heat the concoction without a flame. Once it was prepared he poured it into his pendant, smiling when it turned into a clear jelly-like substance once it cooled. Once the pendant was totally cooled Marc cast the final charm on the pendant, a charm used to enhance the range of the gems.
Ideally it should be worn as a necklace but Marc was fully aware not everyone was keen on wearing jewelry so enhancing the range would allow the pendant to work as a keyring instead. Marc quickly attached the cork with the metal ring in before grabbing a hot glue gun and gluing it in place.
He took the jar in his hand, turning it and inspecting it with a critical eye. He noticed the Dalmatian Jasper slowly rise from the pile along the bottom, stirring the stones around it before rising up to the centre of the jelly-filled space between the stone and the top. The jelly shifted colour from clear and slightly sparkly to a cream colour with the sparkle turning to black flecks. It did the job well Marc noted as he felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders and some of the nevers previously eating his stomach settled.
He quickly grabbed a permanent marker and drew a heart on the outside, the letter N in the middle. It was rushed, and it was far from perfect in Marc's eyes, but it was definitely his best and most intricate work to date.
He had hand chosen each stone for their traits and colours, trying to make the jar as pretty as possible whilst also as helpful and effective as possible. It had been hard to say the least, with all of the gems that had the correct properties not necessarily matching each other. Thankfully a little colour changing potion mixed in with the mood reacting jelly meant that the jelly turned whatever colour the gemstone selected and enhanced at any given time was. And thankfully the jelly completely hid the pile of gemstones when it's colour changed.
He carefully placed the jar in a small red gift box along with a silver chain and a keyring so the choice was there. He carefully placed the box in hoodie pocket on his way to bed, neves returning full force as soon as he had moved away from the box.
Marc played with the sleeve of his hoodie as he walked to the park the next morning, other hand pressed to the box in his pocket, allowing it to work it's magic and ease him some.
He plopped himself on the edge of the fountain, chewing his lip as he waited for his boyfriend to arrive.
Marc chewed his lip at the thought of the artist, recounting the moment he told the other boy about his powers. Nathaniel had been shocked but in a good way, and he was quick to tell Marc he thought it was cool. Marc had gone on to tell Nathaniel everything about the magical world that hid in plain sight around them, and Nathaniel had latched on to every word. It had been about six months after they started dating, nearing a year from when he first met Nathaniel. It had taken courage and a long talk with his parents about whether Marc really trusted Nath before Marc decided to bite the bullet and tell him.
"Hey," Nathaniel's voice snapped Marc out of his thoughts and he snapped his attention to hiss boyfriend.
"Hey," Marc smiled, getting up to give Nathaniel a hug and a quick kiss "Happy birthday!"
Nathaniel smiled, blushing slightly "Thanks,"
"I have a present for you," Marc pulled the box out of his pocket "It's not much so it's okay if you don't like," Nathaniel took it from Marc's trembling hands and opened it.
"Oh Marc it's-"
"It's a pendant I made," Marc cut across, trying to explain himself before Nathaniel could rightfully criticise it "It has different gems and crystals with different properties, like healing and aiding creativity, I think I threw in a few for energy and insomnia too, I also added a potion that enhances them and makes them more effective and one that changes the colour of the jelly to the same colour as the selected gem, that hides the awful mixture of colours in the bottom… of gods, it really is awful, quick Nath, pass it back, I'll go buy you something el-" Marc lifted his eyes from where he was staring at his feet, surprised to find Nathaniel carefully sliding the pendant onto the silver chain "What are you doing?"
"I'm putting it on, what does it look like?" Nathaniel stated, rhetorical question hanging in the air as he tried to clasp the necklace around the back of his neck "Give me a hand here?"
"Um, sure. Yeah." Marc muttered before rushing to help Nathaniel with the clasp "You really don't have to do this you know, I can just go buy you something."
"Marc," Nathaniel started, spinning to face Marc once the Necklace was secure "I love it! It's pretty, and colourful, like you," Marc flushed at the compliment, heat rising to his cheeks as Nathaniel placed one hand on his shoulder and used the other to keep Marc looking at him "And you put so much work into it, how could I not love it?"
Marc opened his mouth to protest until his eyes caught sight of the necklace, pearly pink in colour to match the Rose Quartz that had been moved to the centre.
The love stone.
He smiled instead, pulling Nathaniel into a kiss he wouldn't forget for a long time.