[Gift] Magical Autumn

Lumen strolled through the bustling streets of Burrowgatory with a worn novice potion book clutched tightly in their hands. Their eyes were glued to the pages, devouring every word and illustration with uncontainable excitement. Lost in their world of magic, they barely noticed the city's urban symphony swirling around them.

As Lumen walked, a gentle breeze rustled the branches overhead, causing a single, vibrant leaf to detach itself from its tree and gracefully float through the air. In an almost cinematic fashion, the leaf landed directly onto the page they were reading, obscuring a paragraph about a unique potion ingredient.

Startled, Lumen blinked in surprise — their heart racing. But as they peered at the leaf, an idea formed in their mind. There, beneath the shade of a towering oak, Lumen decided to seek the assistance of their friend, Atlas.

With a newfound determination, Lumen made their way to Atlas's quaint house, adorned with ivy and surrounded by an enchanting garden. Their heart fluttered with anticipation as they rang the doorbell, clutching the potion book tightly to their chest.

When Atlas opened the door, Lumen's words stumbled out in a flurry of excitement and adoration. They explained their leaf-inspired revelation, how the fallen leaf seemed like a sign to create a potion together. Lumen's eyes sparkled with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, hoping that Atlas would agree.

To Lumen's relief, Atlas smiled and happily agreed to the plan, saying that he was already interested in Lumen's research and was excited to experiment together.

Lumen beamed. This was their first chance to make a potion with their new friend, and they could hardly contain their joy. They two start off their adventure with gathering supplies in Altas’ garden.

"So, what do you think?" Lumen asked, holding a few dead tree branches in their hands. "We could grind these up into a fine powder for the potion?"

"Sure," Atlas replied, picking up the branches.

Their fingers grazed against each other once more, and their eyes met. Atlas's gaze was intense, causing Lumen's heart to flutter. A sudden heat flushed their cheeks, and they looked away, embarrassed.

Lumen nervously laugh and shot up way too fast just to trip on the way back to the home.

Atlas rushed over to help them. Lumen couldn't help but blush as Atlas gently touched their arm.

"Are you okay?" Atlas asked.

"Y-yes!" Lumen stammered.

"Let's continue then."

The pair gathered their ingredients and made their way inside, their hearts filled with anticipation and excitement. Once they were safely indoors, Atlas began to prepare the cauldron, adding various ingredients and stirring the mixture carefully.

Lumen watched him, mesmerized by the sight. The way his hand moved as he stirred the liquid, the intensity in his eyes, and the confident way he carried himself — it was all so captivating.

After a few minutes, the mixture was ready. Atlas turned towards Lumen and gestured for them to join him.

Lumen nodded, taking a deep breath. It was time to add their ingredient. Slowly, they opened the book and placed the leaf on top of the mixture. With trembling hands, they took a few steps forward, trying their best not to trip.

They leaned in close to Atlas, their faces just inches apart. Lumen's heart pounded in their chest, and their cheeks burned. They could feel Atlas's warm breath on their skin, sending a shiver down their spine.

Atlas's gaze was intense, unwavering. His lips parted slightly, and he inched closer, closing the distance between them. Lumen felt a wave of excitement course through their body. Their lips were just a hairsbreadth apart now, and their hearts were pounding in unison.

"You should probably add the next ingredient." Atlas whispers. He then grab the other branch behind the occultist's head.

Lumen snapped back to reality, quickly pulling back. They were mortified. They made a complete fool of themselves causing a steam beam off their face.

Lumen quickly try to save face from the moment and add the rest of the ingredients. But little did the occultist know, Atlas was actually flustered himself. The closeness of their faces, their lips nearly touching, made his heart race and his mind go blank. He was overwhelmed by his feelings for the occultist, and it took all of his self-control not to lean in and close the distance between them.

As the potion brewed, Lumen and Atlas shared an awkward but comfortable silence, neither of them able to forget about the moment they shared earlier.

They were both lost in their thoughts, wondering what would've happened if they had kissed. But at the same time, they were both afraid to bring it up. What if it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and the other person didn't actually want to kiss? What if it ruined their friendship?

However, Lumen found their thoughts wandering to Atlas again. They couldn't get the image of his intense gaze and the feel of his breath on their skin out of their head. The cauldron started to shake while the two were lost in their thoughts.

"Looks like the potion is ready!" Lumen exclaimed.

They both leaned in to examine the contents of the cauldron. To their surprise, the potion had turned a bright shade of green.

"Wow, it looks pretty good!" Lumen said.

"It does," Atlas replied. "I wonder what it does?"

Lumen smiled. "Only one way to find out."

They took the potion bottle, carefully pouring some of the liquid into two glasses.

"Cheers!" Lumen said, clinking their glasses together. "Cheers." Atlas replied, grinning.

They both took a sip and Lumen start to turn a similar green as the potion.

"This tastes great! It's really refreshing," Lumen lied while fighting back the urge to spit it out.

Atlas nodded in agreement, taking another sip. "It does. I wonder what its properties are?"

"I'm not sure," Lumen said. "I guess we'll have to experiment with it some more."