Chapter Text
In the Magic Realm, the Easton Magic Academy is one of the most well-renowned and prestigious institutions for magic students. However, in light of recent events, Easton announced their decision to host an international festival in hopes of fostering community with other magic schools. These schools are known to be smaller and have very strong, niche focuses.
The schools joining our students at Easton include: Lakeshore Academy, whose focus is on magic and medical practice; Silver Grove Regional, whose focus is on magic and agriculture and climate; and Greenfield Magic Tech, whose focus is on magic and technology.
“Alright, let’s see here, where should we even start?” Finn was nose deep in one of the colorful brochures their group had received upon entry to the festival. Crowds of students, faculty, and families bustled around them, gawking at various stands and chatting giddily with one another.
“I guess we can really start anywhere, this event is brand new to the school, and in turn, all of us.” Though nonchalant, Lance peered around at the various festivities. “Unless anyone’s feeling strongly, we can probably walk around until something catches our eye."
“Sounds good to me!” Dot agreed, his hands clasped behind his head. “It’d be a shame to tie myself down to one spot or another and miss out on all the ladies,” he sighed dramatically. From the side, an eye roll from Lance and a cringe from Finn didn’t go unnoticed.
Mash was walking behind the group quietly. Having been so secluded growing up, festivals were something completely new to him. Though certainly foreign, he was curious to see what the school had put together. His head swiveled from side-to-side, leaving him amazed at the vast number of food, game, and other types of stands lined the campus walkways.
“Mash, is there anything you want to check out?” Finn shared his brochure, allowing Mash to see the full scale of the event. A dramatic gasp escaped him, his eyes honing into one stand a ways away from their current location.
“That one–” he jammed his finger into the northern region of the map, poking a hole through the brochure. “That stand has cream puffs.”
Finn chuckled at his friend’s excitement. “I guess it wouldn’t be a true Easton festival for this group without a stop for cream puffs.” Receiving nods of approval from Dot and Lance, the group made their way toward the stand.
Mash was buzzing with excitement by the time they reached the stand, a small streak of drool beginning to drip from the corners of his mouth beneath his blown-out pupils. The number of flavors and options–some Mash had never even heard of –was simply astonishing to him. He’d decided he wanted to get some for him and Pops to share during his upcoming trip home later that week.
“Hey, Mushroom man, c’mon,” Dot snapped his fingers beside Mash’s head. “Are you still in there? Hello~ ?” Dot raised an eyebrow, baffled by Mash’s amazement with the pastry stand.
“Let him enjoy himself, Dot. Mash hasn’t gotten to experience many of these kinds of events, so it’s probably a lot to take in.” Lance chirped over his shoulder, turning his gaze back to the menu and glass display ahead of them. “Although, considering all of the options, I am curious which one he’s going to get.”
"Lance, buddy, that's bold of you to assume he's getting one." Dot joked. His own laughter was accompanied by chuckles from Finn and Lance.
Finn, Dot, and Lance had received their orders and moved to sit at an area of picnic benches just around the corner. While the seated trio began chatting, Mash made his way to the front of the line to order.
“Hello, I’ll take one plain cream puff, and two earl gray cream puffs, please.” Mash asked politely. Paying for the three treats and receiving the bag from the baker, he stepped aside to grab some napkins for the group.
Before he could round the corner to meet his friends, Mash was shaken harshly from his thoughts as he collided with another student. He staggered back a few steps before looking up at the unfamiliar individual.
The boy’s dark brown locks were styled in a messy, chin-length haircut. Loose strands and wisps hung downward, casting shadows over his olive skin and sharp features. Similarly to Mash, the man was well-built, with broad shoulders topping off a toned physique. Mash needed to crane his neck ever so slightly to meet the man’s stare.
The man’s forest green orbs bored into Mash, though void of any reaction to their crash moments before.
“Whoops, sorry about that.” Mash stated casually, glancing down to wipe off his slacks. “You should really be more careful when you’re buying cream puffs, you could bump into–”
“Why are you speaking?”
Mash froze–the man’s tone sliced through him, leaving his nerves standing on edge.
His voice was gruff, even for an academy student, immediately telling Mash that this was an upperclassmen. A strange feeling of uncertainty coiled in his gut. For once, he was genuinely caught off guard. Mash floundered for a moment, grasping for words in an attempt to respond.
“I-I was…I was just trying to apologize and tell you to be more careful.” He clamped his mouth shut, the muscles in his jaw tightened, teetering on the verge of cramping. Mash swallowed thickly, acknowledging the sudden tension coursing through his torso and upper body.
‘Why do I feel so strange right now? Is this that anxiety stuff Finn always talks about?’
“But I didn’t ask for that, did I?” The man’s mocking tone twisted the knot in his stomach like a knife.
“ No, you didn’t .” Mash’s words were stiff, almost sounding robotic. Mash’s eyes widened, blinking in disbelief. His hand hovered over his mouth with a ghostly touch.
The young man smiled lazily, a low chuckle sounding from deep within his chest. He looked Mash up and down before returning to his eyes with a snarky glare.
“Say, you must be one of the Easton brats, aren’t you?” He leaned forward, mere inches left between their faces. Mash could feel the words burning on his tongue and tried to fight the automatic response.
“ Y-Yes, I a-am . ” He ground his teeth together, slapping a hand over his mouth and glaring at the man.
Something was wrong with Mash’s mouth–something was wrong with him .
“Huh, that’s funny. You’ve got the nerve to invite me here to your crummy little academy and not watch where you’re walking.” Heads had begun to turn their way, whispers slowly spreading through the crowd.
‘Something’s wrong, why can’t I act normally right now? Is his magic affecting my ability to talk?’
Mash dropped his hand, a slight tremble just barely visible. He tried to open his mouth to retort, but found himself tongue tied. The moment he tried to speak, the sound dissipated on the tip of his tongue. The man’s grin grew wider as he watched Mash physically fight to make a sound.
“Say, since you’re one of those fancy little Easton chums, I’d like a real apology, brat. ” A chill ripped through his body, the word grinding fear into his very being. Mash shifted to take a step back, the interaction teetering on the point of suffocating him.
“Stay there.”
Mash’s body locked up, all motion ceasing in an instant.
It was an odd feeling to describe–Mash could compare it to when your foot falls asleep, except this was across his entire body. He tried to flex his hands, veins spreading across both of them with the sheer effort he was giving, but to no avail. Faint twitches at his fingertips were all he could muster.
Mash needed to get his friends’ attention, he didn’t understand this student’s magic, but he was scared. For once, Mash couldn’t fight back, and he was afraid .
“Now, get on your knees.”
Against his own will, Mash’s legs collapsed from under him, sucking him to the ground. He leaned forward on locked arms, his hands flat on the ground. He kept trying to flex his hands, digging his fingers into the dirt path beneath him.
His breathing picked up. He was used to solving problems with his fists, with his body. The inability to fight back was so foreign to him, and that scared Mash. His chest, his entire being, strained to get up. Every fiber of him was screaming to get away from this person, but it felt like time had stopped for him alone.
The man slowly got down on one knee, grabbing Mash’s chin and forcing his head up to face him.
“Now, why don’t you go ahead and–”
“GRAVIOLE.”
Lance’s venomous tone cut the interaction short. The hand was ripped from his chin in an instant and a gust of air pressed at his back. The student flew backwards and crashed through a display of fresh fruits. He slouched forward upon impact, heaving and clutching his stomach as various fruit juices spilled across his once clean uniform.
“Mash! What happened, are you okay?” Finn yelled, dashing over and dropping to his side. With some distance from the man and what Mash assumed was his personal magic, feeling and warmth slowly started returning to the rest of his body.
“Fihn, ‘he guy is ‘angerous,” the words stumbled out almost painfully. His tongue felt like a lead weight in his mouth, and his jaw was still too tense to speak clearly.
“Yeah, I can see that. We need to get you to the infirmary, c’mon.” Finn's voice was soft, laced with worry for his friend. He slung Mash’s arm around his shoulder and his other across his back. It was startling for Finn to feel Mash’s heart pounding through his ribcage.
‘Is Mash afraid? What in the world happened here while we were sitting down?’
As they went to stand, the man ahead of them cackled loudly.
“Ah, so the circus came back for its little lackey after all.” He growled. The student stood tall while wiping fruit remnants and juice from his uniform.
“Don’t you dare speak to him that way–!” Finn was cut off as Mash gave a clumsy shove into his side. “Mash, what is it?” Mash could only shake his head, hoping Finn would understand. Finn was confused, but stayed silent.
“You Easton brats sure are weak, I can’t wait to throttle you all in the tournament tomorrow. And, to do it all on display on your own turf? Guess it’s my lucky day.” The man hollered over his shoulder, waving them off and sauntering into the stunned crowd.
Dot geared up to start cursing at the stranger, but Finn’s hand snapped forward and grabbed his leg. The stern glare he held was enough to halt Dot in his tracks.
“Guys!” All of the boy's eyes shot up to the worried voice of Lemon. She shoved through the crowd of stunned students, dashing over to their group and landing in front of Mash.
“Oh my gosh, Mash! Are you alright?” She fretted, frantically checking him head to toe. Mash, in his failure to speak clearly with any of them, simply shook his head and looked back to Finn.
“Let’s get him out of here.” Lance’s hushed voice whispered to their group. “I have a hunch as to what that student’s personal magic could be, but we need to get Mash away from here.”
With that, Finn and Dot both knelt down to support Mash before making their way into the academy.
Chapter 2
Summary:
Little bit of Mash angst in this chapter! Looking forward to the direction of this story.
Please leave any thoughts/feedback in the comments, and thanks for reading.
Chapter Text
The walk back (or ‘hobble’ to be more precise) was challenging for Mash. He couldn’t recall a time he had ever been incapacitated to this extent, let alone so suddenly. By far, the physical exhaustion had taken him most by surprise.
He must have dozed off at some point, because he had no memory of entering the school and getting into bed in the infirmary. Blinking groggily and squinting, his eyes scanned the ceiling above him. He turned his head to either side, not seeing anyone at his bedside.
Sitting up, his muscles groaned like he had been working out for hours. He hissed, straining from head to toe, when memories of that morning came rushing back to him. The aggressive exchange student who attacked him at the fair earlier that day–he hadn't been able to tell his friends what happened yet.
Pins and needles faintly tingled beneath his skin, his limbs still feeling disproportionately heavy. He quickly shoved the blanket off himself, face scrunched with the effort required to get up. He sat up and hunched forward, swinging his legs off the cot. The trembling in his legs became noticeable when his feet met the brisk tile floor. Mash shuffled forward beyond the curtains lining the small space, his hands following the edge of the cot for stability.
“Finn, Lance?” His voice echoed, head swiveling in either direction, only to be greeted with silence. “Lemon, Dot? Is anybody there?” Mash realized how winded he sounded.
The infirmary was dark, muted hues of orange shining through the windows as the sun set outside. How much time had passed?
His shaky legs carried him down through the infirmary, a chill wrapping itself around him. Crossing his arms, he approached the doorway to exit the school clinic. He came to a halt as a shadow beyond the door shifted in the silence.
Mash held his breath, stumbling backwards as he stepped away from the doorway. His arms flew out to a nearby cot, his balance returning. The shadow stilled for a moment before the creaking of a door sounded.
Mash’s eyes were locked on the dark entryway, his heart nearly stopping as a shadow-cloaked hand rounded the corner. Long, slender fingers, wrapped one after the other around the edge of the door frame.
His eyes widened, threatening to pop out of his skull. His posture became stiff, fresh soreness coursing through his body in response.
“Who are you?” He called out, his voice hoarse. The figure didn’t respond.
It inched into the entrance of the infirmary, showing itself to be built like a person. He had to stifle a scream when the creature fully emerged from the darkness.
Quickly, he realized this was not a person, but something akin to a skeleton. The eyes took Mash’s breath away–the darkened gold husks, a shade similar to his own, stared back lifelessly. The orbs were sunken inward, giving the creature a throughly decrepit appearance. It was cloaked in a black robe, tattered and torn, flowing with the icy breeze that filled the room.
Mash readied himself when the figure raised a limp, boney hand in his direction.
“Wretched weaklings do not get to speak.”
From the figure’s hand, chains shot forth at blinding speed. Clouds of black burst from the figure, coating the links in heavy darkness. Before Mash could make a sound, the chains bound his torso, pinning his arms painfully to his sides. His legs quickly followed, offsetting his center of gravity and causing him to topple backwards. Another set of chains flew upward, swiftly covering his mouth.
He was helpless again–just like he was at the fair.
His heart thundered in his chest as he tossed and turned, pulling harshly at his bindings. His breaths became shallow, and his eyes stung.
Mash wasn’t sure he’d felt this level of fear before.
He rolled onto his side, pulling his knees up to move into somewhat of a sitting position. He wasn’t prepared to turn over his shoulder and see the monster standing face to face with him.
The creature reeked of death, wheezing huffs of black mist inches from Mash’s face.
He couldn’t move, couldn’t think–couldn’t breathe.
The creature laughed at him. Slowly, quietly at first, before roaring with the most demeaning laughter Mash had ever heard. He felt so small, so afraid, so helpless. Something warm spilled from his eyes, running down his cheeks and across the chains that silenced him.
Mash couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried like this.
The laughter was deafening, pain thundering in his ear drums and skull. He wanted to curl up and cover his ears, to hide away from the thing tormenting him. He squeezed his eyes shut, hunching over and hiding his face in the ice cold floor.
When had he ever cowered like this? When was the last time he shied away from an enemy, or from any kind of threat?
From behind Mash’s head, the creature grabbed a fistful of the chains covering his mouth, yanking him upright and forcing him to look again at its horrific eye sockets.
“What a pitiful thing you are, Mash Burnedead. A wretched excuse for a wizard, and a vile disgrace of a human being.”
Tears flowed freely from his eyes, dripping from his chin. The monster raised a hand, nails morphing into long, jagged claws. His hand came thundering down, hard and fast toward Mash, before his world went black.
At first, none of them registered the noise coming from the infirmary.
By the time their group had arrived at the infirmary, Mash had nodded off in response to what all of them could only assume to be exhaustion. In order for Lance to brief them before Mash awoke, they stepped into the hall to discuss the morning’s events. They helped get him settled and notified one of the nearby nurses before stepping out.
“Alright, does anyone have a clue what the hell just happened?” Dot scowled, hands on his hips.
Lemon was seated on one of the window sills they were huddled near, a downcast expression on her features. Finn sat nearby, a kind hand of support on the girl's shoulder.
“Knowing that student is from Greenfield, I think the person who was harassing Mash earlier uses Command magic.” Lance stated, hands stuffed into the pockets of his slacks.
“Command magic? I’m not sure I’ve ever even heard of that.” Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Ditto, never heard of it.” Dot stated point-blank, a pinky twisting in his ear.
“Could you tell us more about that, Lance? I’m also unfamiliar with that kind of magic.” Lemon straightened her posture, scooting toward the front of the windowsill she was seated on.
“I’m not surprised none of you have heard of it, it isn’t very common, and it’s a wicked kind of magic to encounter.” Three sets of curious eyes were glued to him–Lance had the trio’s full attention.
“Command-magic is a verbal practice, and it’s a bit complicated. The wielder can’t set the magic into effect until they speak to someone and get a clear response. That triggers the magic, allowing the wielder near total control over their opponent.”
“What a sleazy magic practice, how is that even allowed?!” Dot snarled. Finn gasped, piecing together his friends earlier words and actions.
“When we got to Mash earlier, he told me that guy was dangerous. When I tried to speak up, Mash shoved me and shook his head. Lance, do you think he'd figured out what was happening?”
“If he hadn’t figured it out, I’m certain he had a strong enough hunch if he didn’t want you interacting with him. I’m impressed that Mash made that catch considering how we found him.” Lance trailed off.
“Well, that guy is gone now and Mash is going to rest up, so he’ll be fine…right?” Dot questioned, hoping Lance would confirm his hopes.
“In theory, yes, but we’ll all need to keep an eye out for that student in the next couple of days. Mash should be fine, considering how he responds to magic he’s dealt with already. But, I bet that Greenfield student has enough tricks up his sleeve to taunt Mash and get him to talk.”
Dot perked up slightly beside them. “That’s true, but hey! At least we know what we’re dealing with here. It sounds like this guy is joining the tournament tomorrow, and if any of us participate, then–”
“Shh!” Lemon silenced the group, a finger flying over her lips and her other waving a hand to the boys. Her voice barely above a whisper, “do you guys hear that?”
The three boys stood gently, moving toward Lemon who had cupped a hand behind her ear toward the infirmary. After a few silent beats amongst the group, they started to hear something from the infirmary.
Someone was crying– Mash was crying.
The four of them darted back into the infirmary and sprinted to Mash’s bedside. Lance looked over to see an empty nurses office, anger boiling in him at the sight.
The four of them surrounded Mash’s bed, which was now in complete disarray. He had thrown the blanket off himself, leaving it half hanging off the cot. His chest rose and fell in short, panicked breaths. His head tossed to the side, showing the group his scrunched features.
“Mash, buddy, you okay?” Dot tried, beginning to approach Mash’s thrashing form.
With one final toss of his head, the sunlight from the windows highlighted faint tear streaks on his cheeks.
The group rushed forward to either side of the bed. Finn propped one knee on the edge of the bed, bracing a hand on the metal bed frame above Mash’s head.
“Mash, wake up please, you’re okay,” Finn cooed, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. Lemon followed Finn’s lead, holding one of Mash’s hands in her own.
“Come on, Mash.” Lance whispered, brushing the hair out of Mash’s eyes. Dot was seated at the end of the bed behind Finn, patting a hand on Mash’s calf.
The whimpering and tears continued for a few minutes, none of them sure how to wake him up without scaring him further. Dot was about to suggest shaking him awake when Mash started mumbling.
“ No, ‘mm not–no, NO! ” The words were sluggish, lacking any clear articulation.
“C’mon Mash, you’ve gotta wake up now, please. ” Finn pleaded. He placed a hand on Mash’s cheek, turning his head toward himself. “Please wake up, it’s okay.”
The contact seemed to jolt him enough, as his eyelids began twitching. His eyes fluttered open and Mash immediately shot up in bed. Lemon and Lance stepped back and around to the opposite side of the bed.
Finn could tell Mash was clearly still in a daze from whatever nightmare he’d been having. Being roommates, Finn had seen Mash have his own share of restless nights.
“Can one of you grab a bottle of water and Mash’s school robe?” Finn asked quietly. Dot nodded, jogging to a nearby fridge, as Lemon rose to retrieve Mash’s cloak. The duo quickly returned, handing the requested items to Finn. He set the water bottle on the windowsill and quickly wrapped his cloak around his friend.
Mash took the edges of the cloak, balling them up in his fists and putting his head down in his hands.
“Hey, what happened?” Finn whispered, rubbing soothing circles into his friend's back. He had to stop himself from flinching.
Mash was trembling.
Mash shook his head, still hiding in the edges of his balled up school robe. Realizing why Mash might be feeling shy, Finn turned to their group, a guilty look on his face.
“Would you guys mind stepping out for a moment? I’ll let you know when we’re ready for you to come back.” Finn bit his lip, feeling bad for pushing their friends away. Before Lemon and Dot could protest, Lance threw a hand up.
“Yes, please take as long as you need and let us know if Mash needs anything else.” Lance spoke for the trio. A sad smile crossed Lemon’s features, though she nodded in silent agreement. Lance grabbed a pouting Dot by the collar, dragging him away as the trio exited the infirmary.
Finn smiled over his shoulder, grateful their group cared for one another so deeply.
“Alright, hey, what’s going on, bud?” Finn’s voice was calm and gentle, as if he were speaking to a small child. His hand resumed rubbing soothing circles into Mash’s shoulder. After a few beats of silence, he started to pull back from his school robe.
“F-Finn…” Mash started, his voice so small. A hiccup and a sniff tugged hard at Finn’s heart.
“Yes, Mash? It’s okay, you don’t have to hide anymore.” Finn hooked a finger on the front of the balled up cloak in his hands, revealing a scared, teary-eyed Mash Burnedead.
Finn had to admit, despite how much he respected Mash for being the strong, loyal, and kind-hearted friend he was, it was always tough to see him upset in these moments.
Following the events of Magia Lupus, Mash often struggled to fall asleep. Between his normal homesickness and wondering how his Pops was doing, to the news of Innocent Zero targeting him, he became rather restless. On those nights, Finn would make them a bag of popcorn, curl up on one of their beds, and he'd let Mash talk about whatever was on his mind. He would wrap his school robe around himself, fidgeting with the seams as he spoke about his troubles.
Right now, Finn was grateful for those nights.
Another sniff pulled Finn from his thoughts, returning his full attention to his friend. Mash’s lips parted and closed a few times, trying to find the right words.
“Am I…” Mash’s lip quivered, tears welling in his eyes again. “Am I weak, Finn?”
rorotaku on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 06:50AM UTC
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ragingstormandgoldensky on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 06:55AM UTC
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Domiamanelle on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 09:29AM UTC
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