Chapter Text
They say that, when you meet your match, you feel it.
Sure, a true Lux Animae is a hard-earned thing - a bond that must be forged and shaped and toughened in the fires of battle over and over again, and, if done right, will last a lifetime and longer. Still, many people claim that they sensed it, even long before the ceremony.
It is, after all, the magic that does the choosing, and the magic knows. Knows who is destined to complete you, who will fight and cry and bleed for you and draw out your full potential like no other can. So, when you meet them, you’re supposed to feel it. You just need to know what to look out for.
A tingle, some say. A warm, heavy buzz that fills your veins the moment you lay eyes on each other. An electric spark, zapping through your body like a current upon that first careless touch, letting you know that this is the start of something bigger, something stronger, something more profound than both of you could possibly imagine.
The only thing that Eddie feels when Steve Harrington steps on his foot is pain.
He yelps and stumbles backwards into Chrissy, who almost knocks over the person behind her. His shoe comes off.
“What the fuck?” Eddie hisses. “Watch where you’re going!”
“Whoops,” Harrington says, turning around with a slightly embarrassed smile. “Sorry, didn’t see you there. You’re Eddie, right? Eddie Munson? From the mages’ college?”
Eddie rolls his eyes, hopping on one foot in his attempt to pull his shoe back on. There’s a big, dark imprint where the sole of Harrington’s boot dug into the soft leather. Great, he just bought these. The people around him grumble and complain as he bumps into arms and shoulders.
“Didn’t see me, yeah sure. The place is practically packed with people, but you didn’t see me. So sorry you’re having to share space with us lowly mortals. Should I breathe in the other direction, your highness?”
Harrington’s face darkens, like storm clouds rolling in on a sunny day. “Alright, calm down, I was trying to apologize.”
Eddie sucks in a breath and raises a hand to poke him, but that’s when Chrissy takes him by the elbow and pulls him away.
“Please be nice, Eddie? You said it yourself, the place is packed, and I’m sure Steve didn’t do it on purpose. Right, Steve?”
“I might do it on purpose next time,” Harrington grumbles. “If he continues being a little-”
“Dingus,” snaps another voice, and Robin Buckley’s head pops out of the crowd somewhere to Harrington’s right. “Remember what we talked about? Just because you're on edge about your parents being in the audience doesn’t mean- … Oh hey, Chrissy! Fancy seeing you here, you look nervous. Shit, I mean, I am nervous, you look lovely. Are you excited about the ceremony? My folks came over all the way from our village to watch, so I guess I am excited. Any idea who you’ll end up with?”
Chrissy giggles and fidgets with her healer’s staff. The shiny gem inlaid at the top perfectly matches the color of her green cloak with the gold clasps. It really is a pretty color on her, bringing out the sparkle in her eyes and the copper highlights in her hair.
“Thanks, Robin, you look great yourself. Is that a new quiver?”
Buckley beams and turns to better present her quiver and arrows, almost taking out Harrington’s left eye as she goes. “Pretty nice, huh? Steve got it for me. I said it wasn’t necessary, but I suppose it can’t hurt to look your best for today. You only meet your match once, huh?”
“Ideally, yes,” drawls another voice, somewhere to her left. “Some people have been known to take a few more attempts, though. Just ask Munson here, he knows all about it.”
Eddie takes a moment to screw his eyes shut and swallow against the sinking feeling in his stomach while Chrissy’s grip on his arm goes tighter. Great, just who they needed. His magic flares up in his veins, an unbidden attempt at self-defense. He curls his hands into fists and clenches his teeth, willing it to stay down. He’s on thin ice as it is, he can’t afford to lose control and make a scene. If he stays calm and ignores the asshole, he might just get bored and go away.
No such luck. When he opens his eyes, Jason Carver is still there, smiling that easy, smooth smile of his.
“Don’t feel like sharing from your rich treasure of experience?” he asks. “Just as well. I fear it wouldn’t be of much use either way, seeing how you’ve done this two times already without once managing to light a proper Lux.”
Eddie only realizes he’s taken a step forward when Chrissy pulls him back.
“Leave him,” she whispers. “This is just what he wants, for you to lose your temper.”
Carver, meanwhile, turns to Buckley.
“And to answer your question, Chrissy will be partnered with me, obviously. It’s a common thing, isn’t it, for the magic to pick its wielder's own romantic partner?”
Alright, screw staying calm, Eddie thinks. He doesn’t even need magic, he’ll just ram his fist in the conceited little fucker’s face and-
“Yeah, right,” Harrington drawls, flicking an invisible speck of dust from the pommel of his sword. “Didn’t she ditch you, though?”
Carver flushes. “Excuse me, was I talking to you? Stay out of my affairs.”
“Oh, believe me, I’d love to,” Harrington smiles. “You made that kind of hard, though, what with the giant hissy fit you threw about it in the dorms.”
Carver growls. Buckley lets out a strangled wheeze as he elbows her in the ribs to push himself into Harrington’s space, and Harrington grows about two inches larger, shoulders squaring, jawline going sharp, eyes ablaze with silent fury.
“Hey,” someone behind them calls. “What’s the ruckus over there? Quit it!”
Carver freezes. For a few seconds, Harrington and him both stare at each other, and Eddie is convinced one of them is going to throw the first punch any second. Then, Carver huffs.
“You know what? None of you freaks are worth my time, and whoever ends up being partnered with either of you has my sincerest pity. Chrissy, I’ll see you soon.”
Chrissy’s nails leave painful indents in the skin of Eddie’s arm as they watch him push his way to the front of the protesting crowd.
“You alright?” Eddie asks. She nods, but the smile she gives him is a little shaky around the edges.
“Yes, don’t worry about it. He didn’t exactly take the breakup lightly. I would’ve been surprised if he hadn’t said anything today.”
Eddie hums, staring grimly at the spot where Carver’s platinum hair is disappearing between the heads of their fellow students. “That guy needs to learn how to take a fucking hint, I swear.”
“What that guy needs,” says Harrington, “is to be whacked over the head with a large, blunt object, repeatedly. Maybe it’d knock some sense into him.”
Eddie just barely manages to turn the incoming snort of laughter into a cough.
“Someone like you, my liege?” he drawls “You seem to be rather good at blunt force if I may say so.”
Harrington groans. “For fuck’s sake, is this still about your foot? I told you I was sorry, what else do you-”
“Oh, look,” Chrissy shouts, a little too loudly. “They’re opening the gates!”
She’s not the only one who noticed. All around them, their classmates are crying out and pointing ahead at the large double doors of the auditorium, which are indeed slowly creaking open. The nervous energy that has been hanging over the waiting crowd like a stormcloud explodes, and suddenly everyone is babbling and laughing and shoving at each other as they start to move. Eddie, who promised himself he’d stay calm, swallows around the lump in his throat and holds his elbow out to Chrissy.
“Well, I’d say our future awaits. Shall we, m’lady?”
*
They lose sight of Harrington and Buckley as the crowd carries them into the auditorium, which is just as well in Eddie’s humble opinion. He has enough to focus on as it is.
Even though he has done this twice already, the large, circular room is intimidating in its splendor. At least it’s more spacious than the courtyard outside, so the crowd thins, and he uses the moment of reprieve to breathe and roll his shoulders. The magical runes inlaid in the stone floor are already alive with a faint glow, which mingles with the colorful light falling down from the domed ceiling with the stained glass. It’s almost time, then.
The seats lining the high walls are packed with people, and as both times before, the feeling of having all those eyes on him makes his neck tingle and his magic buzz. Chrissy must've spotted her parents and brother in the stands, because she laughs and waves before turning to Eddie with a wrinkled brow.
“Is your uncle not here?”
“What for?” Eddie asks. “It gets a little old after the first time.”
She gives him the same look that always accompanies one of her lectures on self-deprecation, so he hurries to course-correct.
“He wanted to come, but I wrote him to stay home. The journey from our village takes a few days, and it doesn't get any easier at his age. It's fine, Chris, it really is.”
She opens her mouth to reply, but that is when the doors start to close and the last of the dawdlers hurry inside. Well aware of what will happen next, Eddie turns to the dais at the far end of the room, where headmaster Higgins is just mounting the steps, flanked by professors Hopper and Byers on either side.
Higgins clears his throat, in that same theatrically exaggerated way that Eddie is well familiar with from his previous two ceremonies and countless lectures regarding conduct and decorum and what does and doesn’t befit an honorable mage. He gestures for silence, waiting until even the very last student in the auditorium and the last spectator in the stands has gone quiet. Chrissy tosses Eddie a jittery smile and reaches for his hand.
“Welcome,” Higgins booms, throwing out his arms and letting his robes billow dramatically. “Teachers, families and friends in the audience, and of course students of the warriors’ and mages’ colleges. All of you have been waiting for this day for months and years, and today it is finally here. The day that marks the end of your education and the beginning of an exciting new journey. The day of-”
“-your Lux ceremony,” Eddie mutters under his breath, schooling his face into a perfect replica of the headmaster's sombre expression. Professor Byers catches his eye and raises her brows and he hastily straightens his back and assumes a more neutral air. Higgins, unaware of their little exchange, continues with his speech.
“Now, you probably can't wait to finally find out who your match is. Before we commence, however, let us reflect on the origins of this honored tradition together.”
“Good idea,” Eddie mutters. “We might’ve forgotten it since we last covered it in class. For the gazillionth time.”
“Will you be quiet?” Chrissy giggles, and elbows him in the ribs.
“The bond between warriors and magic users,” Higgins continues, “is one of the very pillars that our society rests on. Only if these two classes stand together can we defend ourselves from the monsters that lurk in the shadows beyond our country's borders. Which is why today, we look at you with pride and hope, but also great expectations. You were chosen to attend this institute because of your outstanding talent - be it at wielding a weapon or at bending the magic to your will. Today may be the day you leave this school, but the most important lessons are yet to come. Today, the magic is going to choose a partner for you, one whose very soul complements your own. You will go on a journey together, you will fight together, and if you do things right, you may just ignite your very own Lux Animae, the light shining between two kindred souls that will shine so much brighter than you could ever hope to achieve on your own. And now, a few words from your teachers.”
He gestures generously at Hopper, who rolls his eyes and clears his throat.
“Alright, listen up, kids. I know you are looking at what's ahead as a fun little field trip, but I can't stress enough how much this is not the case. The outcome of this quest determines whether or not you'll graduate, and that's only the smallest thing at stake here. There's monsters out there. People have gotten gravely injured and even died on these journeys because they didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, so you damn well better-”
Professor Byers steps forward. The tip of her mage's staff conveniently lands on Hopper's foot, who hisses and gives her a dirty look.
“What my colleague is trying to say is that your training has equipped you with all the knowledge and skills you need to master this quest and take the final hurdle to graduation. Now it is on you to put them to good use.” Eddie imagines her eyes linger on him and quickly looks the other way. “Before we start, here's a brief reminder of how this will go. In a few seconds, I will cast the spell that will allow you to recognize your potential Lux matches. I say potential, because even if you form a first connection today, only time will tell if you will light a true soul bond with your assigned partner. That is the purpose of the quest that you will embark on tomorrow.”
“Also known as the time-honored tradition of throwing a bunch of kids fresh out of school into danger's way and seeing if they'll sink or swim,” Eddie murmurs. Chrissy pinches him.
“Shhh, it's about to get interesting.”
Eddie is about to argue that it's only marginally interesting for someone standing here and hearing this for the third time, but the look of giddy anticipation on her face makes him stop. It wouldn't be fair of him, ruining her mood when she's so excited for this.
“Once I've cast the spell,” Professor Byers explains, “feel free to move around the auditorium and seek out those people who might be a good match for you. I suggest you just let your gut feeling guide you and let the magic do the rest. A true Lux Animae is a soul-deep bond, so when you get physically close to a potential partner, you will feel and see it. And now enough talking. Let's get to the part you've all been waiting for.”
She raises her staff, the gem at the top catching and reflecting the colorful light from the ceiling. With her free hand, she reaches for Hopper's, who grumbles into his beard but readily links their fingers.
It's barely there at first, the soft glow that erupts where their skin touches - tiny ripples of light, like the sun dancing on the water on a hot summer’s day. By the time Chrissy gasps and points at it, it has already started spreading up the couple's arms. And then the glow thrums, and Professor Byers's staff explodes in a kaleidoscope of colorful light. All around Eddie, his classmates shriek and shield their eyes, and he, too, averts his gaze until the worst of the glare fades.
When it does, a chorus of awed murmurs picks up among the students. The stands around them are alive with softly pulsing lights in all colors of the rainbow. The magic glowing between all of the bonded pairs in the hall, many of them the parents or grandparents of those waiting to meet their match down here.
“This is beautiful,” Chrissy whispers over the murmur and shuffling of their classmates starting to move around the room, looking for a potential partner. “I didn't think it would be that-”
It happens incredibly fast. There's no soft initial glow, no slowly spreading pulse. One moment, she's standing next to Eddie and looking around the room in wonder, and a second later her entire body is engulfed in bright golden light and she stumbles forward as if yanked on an invisible string. She tosses a confused and mildly horrified look back at Eddie as she goes, but all he can do is stare after her with wide eyes.
Because he's as lost as she is. Because in all his time here, he has never seen anything like this.
“Woah woah, wait, what's going on?” someone shouts, and then the crowd at the opposite end of the auditorium parts and another blur of golden light stumbles through. It’s like trying to look directly into the sun, and it takes Eddie a moment of squinting to recognize the person at its center. When he does, he gasps in surprise.
“Buckley? What the actual fuck?”
Robin doesn't hear him, of course. For one thing, his voice is drowned out by the confused murmurs of students and spectators alike. For another, there's only one person in the entire auditorium she has eyes for.
The two girls slowly approach each other at the center of the room, both with matching expressions on their faces. Awed disbelief. Hesitant realization. And then … joy.
It's Chrissy who reaches out first, but Robin isn't far behind. Their fingers touch, and the light grows, impossibly, more radiant. Eddie needs to shield his eyes with one hand, but through the glare, he sees Chrissy’s smile, as bright and beautiful as the golden glow surrounding both her and her new partner, and his heart gives a strange, bittersweet tug. He’s happy for her, of course he is.
He just wishes things could go this smoothly for him, if only once.
“Alright, um … that was fast,” Professor Byers says. Her voice has risen by about half an octave. “Exceptionally fast, if I may say so. Congratulations, Miss Buckley and Miss Cunningham, it’s been a while since we saw such a strong and quick connection. Please proceed through the door on the west side of the auditorium and wait for your classmates to arrive, we will then-”
“Are you kidding me?”
The voice slaps off the high walls and echoes unpleasantly in the large room.The crowd begins to bubble and stir, people shouting out in protest as they get shoved to the side. Professor Byers trails off with a confused frown, at the same time that Hopper steps forward.
“Carver,” he barks. “Control yourself.”
Jason Carver doesn’t so much as look his way.
“You can’t be serious,” he yells, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. Fred Benson, who happens to be standing in his way, catches an elbow to the ribs and doubles over with a pained groan, but Carver doesn’t even turn to acknowledge him. Instead, he advances on Robin and Chrissy with brisk steps, face twisted with white hot rage. “This is a mistake, there’s no way Chrissy would- … There’s something wrong with the spell, someone must’ve messed with it. You! You did it yourself, right?”
“Hey,” Robin yelps as he grabs her by the arm and yanks her away from Chrissy. The golden light dims, but it doesn’t die. “Get your fucking hands of me, you son of a-”
Carver shakes her.
“Admit what you did,” he sneers. “Admit it or-”
“Jason,” Chrissy snaps, taking him by the elbow and trying to pry him off, but he's more than a head larger and almost twice as broad as her. “Quit it, you can't just-”
He shoves her - one careless push of his large hand against her chest. Eddie watches her mouth fall open in pain and surprise, watches her eyes grow large as she falls backwards, and is by her side before he knows he moved.
Several things happen at once.
Eddie catches Chrissy under the arms at the same time that Harrington shoves his way through the throng of gawking students and hauls Carver away from Robin. Carver screams, a wordless sound filled with fury, and for a second Eddie thinks that Harrington is about to catch a fist to his stupid, pretty face. But then Carver’s head whips around, searching for Chrissy, and his eyes land on Eddie instead. The expression on his face sends a cold shiver down his back.
He doesn’t have time to react, leave alone to summon his magic and protect himself, before Carver pounces. The same is true for Harrington, who is still holding on to the other boy's collar and just gets dragged along.
They go down in a tangle of flying limbs. Eddie hits his head on the stone tiles and sees stars, which is why he doesn't know if the elbow that hits him in the kidneys is Harrington's or Carver’s. Another body lands on top of him, and the breath punches out of his lungs with a choked cough. Somewhere to the side, Chrissy screams at them to stop, but it's almost lost under the jeering and laughing of their classmates.
“I said enough!” bellows a voice, and then the weight on his chest lifts. When Eddie sits up, Hopper is hauling Carver upright by the scruff of his neck. Behind him, Byers and Higgins are pushing their way through the crowd. “Get yourself together before you make a complete ass of yourself, boy!”
“Let me go,” Carver spits, face flushed with rage and humiliation. “Who do you think you are? I’m going to get you fired, you useless old oaf.”
“Yeah, I’d like to see you try,” Hopper sneers. “Now everyone calm down or we'll stop the ceremony right here and now, I mean it.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” Higgins says. He gives Hopper a pointed look, who reluctantly puts Carver back on his feet. The smug look on the asshole's face as he melts back into the crowd makes Eddie’s magic thrum like a swarm of angry hornets. “Joyce, if you would kindly see Miss Buckley and Miss Cunningham out so that we can resume-”
“Hey, you alright?”
Eddie blinks. Harrington is looming over him, hair ruffled from the fight, lip lightly bruised, brow crinkled with worry. He's holding out a hand.
Blame it on the hit to the head, but Eddie doesn’t swat him off. Instead, he takes Harrington’s hand and lets himself be pulled to his feet.
“Save your concern for someone else,” he snaps. “I don't need your-”
And that's as far as he gets before the tingle starts.
Harrington must feel it too, because his eyes go huge and his mouth drops open. They both try to yank their hands back, but it's no use. It's like an invisible cord has been wrapped around them, tying them together. Only a second later, the tingle erupts into a pulsing warmth. It feels like standing too close to a fire on a freezing cold winter's night. That pull, that heat, that instinctive knowledge that you might get burned if you get even an inch closer. The inability to move away.
The light comes only a moment later. Dark red like glowing embers, tiny orange sparks rising where their skin touches and floating towards the stained glass ceiling.
“No,” Eddie groans, watching the sparks creep up his arm, feeling the warm glow spread in his veins until it settles in his chest as a steady hum. “Nonono, please, you've got to be fucking kidding me.”
“What the- … I don’t understand,” Harrington stammers. The magic light makes his skin and hair shine golden. “What's going on?”
Eddie has just opened his mouth to ask him if he was dropped on his stupid, pretty, square-shaped head as a baby, because how the fuck is it not fucking obvious what's happening, when Professor Byers speaks. It's probably better this way. By the looks of it, he'll need to learn how to get along with the guy.
“What's going on is that we've found our second match of the day. Congratulations, boys.”
Going by the look of shocked disgust on Harrington’s face, Eddie isn't quite sure if congratulations are in order.