Saccharine Secrets - Magna x Luck

1.

It all starts with an electrifying handshake. Quite literally.

Magna huffs as he shifts in place again for the nth time, adjusting his position so he can comfortably lean against the tree he's under. He brings up his arms to rest behind his head, serving as a cushion between him and the rough bark. His new Black Bulls robe hikes up with his movement, and the added weight to his shoulders is unfamiliar but very much welcome. Distantly, he can make out the muffled chaos and raucous laughter coming from his squad's base and he manages a small, self-satisfied smile. Now that he's gotten himself recruited into the Magic Knights, the only way for him to go is up. For now, though, a little break won't hurt. He closes his eyes and he's about to drift off to sleep when he hears the rustling of dried grass nearby, alongside soft footsteps and a light, cheery voice.

"So you're Magna, huh? What a weird haircut."

He opens his eyes slowly, his vision adjusting to the sunlight through his purple-tinted glasses. He looks up at the other boy in front of him, sizing him up. The first thing that catches his eye are those bright blue eyes, big and sparkling with an unreadable glint. The second are the soft-looking blonde locks that fall over his forehead, tickling long lashes and framing round cheeks in a messy, wild manner. The third is his lithe, lissome frame that disappears into his oversized tunic, loose pants and thick boots, further swamped by the Black Bulls robe plopped haphazardly on his shoulders. This must be...

The boy flashes him a bright smile, offering him one small and slender hand. "I'm Luck. Nice to meet you."

Luck, huh? He swears he's heard that name somewhere before. Racking his brain for any recent memory, he remembers what was said to him after he got recruited. Their Captain grumbled about needing a portal to somewhere so he wouldn't get lost and promptly went off, so it ended up being Finral who guided him through the squad's base and its members. Between figuring out confusing base layouts and working through the older man's random tangents, he heard about a member around the same age as him who was out for a solo mission. It piqued his interest, but he didn't think he'd come across him so soon.

The Smiling Fiend. The Cheery Berserker. Damn. This is him? Why did this guy get all the cool nicknames? Leave some for him, dammit. Now that he's gotten a good look at him, he doesn't really look the part. He looks younger than he actually is, with soft, rounded edges to his silhouette and a small frame swamped in loose fabric. His light smile, unmarred skin, and dainty fingers look unfit to hold the weight behind his name. But Magna knows better than to judge based on appearances, so he puts on his best intimidating look and gets up to approach him. They're the same age, so he needs to show this guy who's boss.

"Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you too, dude."

Magna's fingers clasp around the outstretched hand, and he only has a moment to think about how soft it is before a distinct burning sensation works its way up his fingertips. A shocking numbness shoots up his arm rapidly, his muscles involuntarily spasm as pure, raw electricity courses through his whole body. He shrieks in surprise and pain, trying to pry his hand away but the other boy holds on tight like a vice. It feels like forever before he finally lets up, dispelling his magic and dropping Magna's hand. Even then, there's some leftover tingling in his nerves, and he has to chew on the insides of his cheek to stop himself from sobbing. He has an image to keep up, dammit! He glares at Luck as best as he can, pointedly blinking away the incoming tears.

The little shit has the audacity to laugh, innocent mirth and joy exuding from him as if he didn't just take off half of Magna's lifespan. "Wow, what a funny face you're making."

"What the fuck, man!?" He roars, biting back a wince. Fuck. There's a dull ache all over his body. "What's wrong with you?"

"Ooh, that's a fun reaction too!" Luck gets all up in his face, using both hands to grab one of his. He braces himself, but the pain never comes. Instead, the other boy intertwines their fingers and gives a light squeeze, as if to soothe him. Huh. "Hey, hey. You're interesting. You should fight me!"