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Everything started on Saturday morning that could have – should have – been ordinary. Mash and his friends were studying at the library. Finn was about to start his magic mathematics homework when something fell off his book the moment he opened it. He crouched down to pick up the object and discovers an envelope with his name on it."What is that?" Mash asked, a cream puff in his mouth."Ah, I don’t know. I found it in my book. It looks like it’s destined to me", answered Finn, examining the envelope. It was white, simple, without any frills. Was on the back for only scripture Finn Ames, written in red ink. The envelope was perfumed, and seemed sealed by a spell, probably to avoid being opened by someone else."Maybe it’s a love letter!" Lemon exclaimed, excited."A love letter?! Fuck, first Lance, then Mash and now even Finn?! When is my turn to be popular?! It’s not f-"Lance shut him up with a move of his wand, graviole throwing him on the ground."No, it can’t be that…""Open it and we’ll know", said Lance, freeing Dot from his spell.Finn gulped. If it was really a love letter, he wouldn't hear the end of Dot’s jealousy. And even without that, how was he supposed to react? And what if it wasn’t a love letter? What if it was threats?He opened the envelope and slowly unfolded the letter. His hands were slightly trembling. The letter was written with the same red ink, in a clear writing with straight letters.Finn froze as his glaze went through its content. Lemon’s theory was correct. It was a love letter. A real love letter. The short and dry sentences gave it an austere air which contrasted with the sweet smell of perfumed paper and the hearts drawn at the bottom of the page. It was not signed."So?!" Dot asked, trying to read over his shoulder. "Is it a love letter or not?!"Finn didn’t reply, and instead gave him directly the letter, that he almost tore off of his hands."Fuck, it really is one!! I can’t believe it!!""Show it to me!" Lemon shouted, trying to take the letter from his hands."Wait, I haven’t finished reading it!"Lance sighed before he decided to ignore their two friends and faced Finn, while Dot and Lemon were fighting for a sheet of paper."Do you know who wrote it?""No. It’s not signed.""Don’t you have any idea about who it could be ?" Lemon asked, letter in hand, having visibly won the battle.Finn shook his head."It’s not like I talk much to girls. The only ones I spoke to recently were Lemon, and also Love from Magia Lupus, but I am the complete opposite of the kind of guys she likes, I doubt it’s her.""An admirer then?" Mash thought."Probably", Lemon rhapsodized. "She even perfumed the letter, and drew little hearts! That’s very cute!""Do you know who could have put the thing in your book? It would solve the mystery."Everyone looked at Mash as if he said some crazy shit. He usually defied any logic, but sometimes he happened to show some common sense."I have no idea. I don’t even imagine how someone could have put it in… Usually, I leave my book in my room, on the desk, when I don’t have it in my bag. Ah! Do you think she entered my room when we weren’t there?!"Scary, Finn thought. An admirer, that’s one thing. But he really didn’t need a stalker. He would probably not be able to sleep tonight."Or she stole your book in your bag and put it back without you noticing! Dot tried.""Or she switched it with hers in class while you were looking away, Lemon ventured.""Or she teleported the letter directly between the pages, Lance suggested.""Or she threw the letter in the book while you were turning the pages.""You’re the only one who could be able to pull that off, Mash."Finn sighed, and folded the object of their discussion and placed it back in the envelope. He was going to get a headache if he continued thinking. And he still needed to study."Anyway, we can only speculate. Let’s wait, and we’ll see if she decides to show herself, Lemon said.<"/p>
"There is still something we know, Lance added."Four pairs of eyes looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He designated the envelope."The spell fixed to it. It’s not within everyone’s reach. I’m not sure Dot could have opened it if he tried to blow it up -Mash however would have torn the letter with it-.""Hey!!"That’s one piece of information, Finn thought. Well, it was not like he was trying to find the author. Finn had a bad feeling about this. He looked at Lance and Dot bickering, and finally started to work. His homework won’t do itself.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Finn Ames.
I think I like you. That's what i've been told, when I described my feels. That i was in love. I believe that's true. I like you, Finn Ames. I really do."
***
Since Finn received the letter, he felt a glaze fixed on him. It wasn’t new, actually. He has felt like he was occasionally observed for a while. It was a bit scary, but he just ignored it. He did magically lock the door of his room, though.Since the letter, that was another story. Finn had no doubt that the author was the person who was observing him. And that thought scared him to death. Even more that he knew that they potentially mastered magic very well, and Finn was far from being a powerful mage.
Finn tried not to think about it, but this task became more difficult than expected when the “occasionally” turned into “regularly”. He didn’t know if he should talk to his friends or brother about it. If he did, he feared that the person wouldn’t stay in one piece. Therefore, Finn decided to do what he did best : ignore all of this and pretend -hope- that it was all in his head.
But things rarely go as we want.
***
It was on a Tuesday, a bit more than a week after the discovery of the letter. Class had just started. Fin was sitting next to Mash, Lance and Lemon just behind and Dot a little farther. When he put his hand in his bag to grab his stuff, he felt an item that was not supposed to be there. He took it out. It was an elegant brown box, closed by a golden ribbon. What is… Finn didn’t dare to open it and placed it back in his bag. This didn’t look good…He decided not to think about it and tried to focus on the class. Easy to say… The mysterious box was occupying all his thoughts. Who? How? He focused back on the teacher’s speech, but he was listening without actually hearing anything. The whole situation was becoming concerning. He knew that telling his friends about it was the best solution, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Finn didn’t want to cause them trouble because he was weak and a scaredy-cat. He decided that, this time, he would manage by himself, without getting his friends to fix his problems in his place. He won’t flee.Thus, he kept silent, and kept to himself the discovery of this box in his bag. This box that, itself, wasn’t scary, but whose the mere presence was enough to terrify him. Finn had trouble getting up in the morning, so if he prepared his bag before going to class, he would arrive late. Therefore, he had the habit of preparing it in the evening, before going to sleep. Yet, when he put his books inside, he was sure that there wasn’t any trace of the box.He had two hypotheses : the first one was that the person who put the box in his bag entered his room when he was in the bathroom with Mash and the other boys from this section of the Adler dormitory. The second one, much scarier, was that someone entered his room during the night, whilst Mash and he were sleeping.Finn grimaced. Why him, between all of the Easton students? But he decided not to bother the others, and he wouldn't get back on his words after only twenty-three seconds. Still, he would have to keep a poker face convincing enough not to worry his friends.
***
He hardly went through the day. In the end, Finn couldn’t focus on the class, he got asked several times if he was okay, and he felt observed during the entirety of the lunch break. Great.
Back in room 302, Finn waited for Mash to leave to finally open the box that haunted his mind during the whole day.He sat on the bed, the box in his hands. Was it really a good idea? Finn doubted it. It could contain a spell, a magic bomb or a dangerous creature!
He untied the ribbon and took off the lid. To his surprise, he didn’t find anything that looked like it could compromise his physical or mental integrity. The box contained around fifteen chocolates. The first thing that came to Finn’s mind was that they might be poisoned. The second one was that they seemed high quality. Finn knew it was an awful idea. He knew, and yet… He took one of the chocolates between his fingers. He delighted in the delicious sweet smell before taking it to his lips. He let it melt on his tongue and closed his eyes to enjoy the delicate taste to its maximum. The treat was even tastier than expected. They didn’t seem poisoned, so he took another one, and another one. Before he could realize, he had already eaten half of the box. He would have continued if he didn”t heart footsteps getting close to the door, and the doorknob squeal. Drat ! Mash was back.Finn rapidly closed the box, and hid it in a drawer of his desk whilst Mash entered the room, destroying the door. Finn wasn’t surprised anymore. After living with Mash for a while, he got used to his peculiar roommate."Sorry, I broke the door again. Ah, are you okay ?" Mash asked, seeing Finn’s slightly panicked expression."I’m fine !" Finn replied. Find something, quick… "I have just realized that I might have forgotten my homework at the library.""Oh, ok."Something like that already happened a few times, so it wasn’t unusual nor really surprising, thus Mash didn’t question it. Not that he usually did, anyway. Finn really didn’t need Mash to learn the chocolates’ existence. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to share ; Mash always shared his cream puffs with him. No, it was that Finn didn’t want him to question its provenance, or mention it to the others who were for sure going to ask for more details.Finn left their room after he asked Mash to leave the door for him to repair it later. What do I do now? he thought. Since he was already out, he could as well go to the library.
It was almost night, and the corridors were empty. Finn was a bit worried, but if he came back right after leaving, he would look too suspicious. He gathered his courage and started walking, praying not to meet any scary person.On his way, he thought about the box he received. The delicious chocolates made him forget their dubious provenance. In the end, eating the chocolates didn’t turn out to be dangerous, but it confirmed the admirer hypothese. No one would buy high quality chocolates for a bad joke. Yet, it didn’t reassure Finn. It was actually the opposite.
Finn knew how scary a girl in love could be ; after all, he was friends with Lemon, crazy in love with Mash, whose passion turned into obsession. He shivered when he thought about his friend. Poor Mash. He really had a tough life. He promised to bake a lot of cream puffs for him whenever he would get the chance.He stopped in the middle of a corridor, and glanced through the window. The moon was glowing, and drowned the forest in a soft light. Finn hardly realized that there was really someone who liked him, in the shadows. Even more, someone talented. Finn noticed on the box the same spell as the one on the envelope.
He wondered why. Why him ? He wasn’t handsome, with his mediocre face and his freckles. Not tall either, with a weak body. He wasn’t a good student either ; he was one of Easton’s worst dunces despites his efforts. He was far from being a powerful wizard and was a coward. He wondered what could make his admirer like him. Lance would have been a better choice. Mash, too, and even Dot. Finn, on the other hand…He shook head to his chase to chase his negative thoughts. Mash should be asleep now, he wouldn’t see Finn come back without any homework. He turned around and walked towards Adler dormitory. On the way, a thought came to his mind : what if his stalker entered his room whilst he was sleeping? Mash had even more difficulties waking up than Finn. He slept like a rock, thus Finn couldn’t rely on him if he was attacked. But Lance and Dot were across the corridor, so they could intervene if he screamed. This thought reassured him a bit, but then realization hit him. Even though he decided to get through by himself, he was again relying on his friends. He felt his heart sink in his chest.He quickly put the door back in place -he was used to it now- and went to sleep. He feared that he couldn’t find sleep, but the day spent thinking exhausted him, thus he fell asleep immediately, and had a deep, dreamless slumber.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A few days have gone by since Finn received the chocolate box, and things weren’t getting any better. They were even getting worse.
From regularly, Finn had become observed almost constantly. However, the person who was watching him didn’t seem to deign to come talk to him personally. Not that Finn hoped they would, anyway.
But that didn’t stop there. Almost every day, Finn discovered a present left for him. Acid candies slipped in his robe pocket. A minuscule stuffed owl in his bag. It might have pleased him, if it didn’t involve someone breaking into his bedroom. Or that was the most plausible assumption. And it didn’t change anything about the fact that, presents coming from who-knows-where, left who-knows-how by who-knows-who, was very little reassuring.At night, Finn couldn’t find sleep. Mash’s presence was reassuring him, but he spent hours and hours tossing and turning in his bed without being able to get a wink of sleep. He was cruelly sleep deprived. Focusing on his classes was becoming hard, and his grades had already started to drop.
He hesitated a few times to tell his friends, but changed his mind each time. He could be stubborn too when he wanted to. But if he wanted to keep his word, he would have to act, and quickly, because letting things continue like that was out of question ; if his grades dropped again, he wouldn’t escape expulsion this time.***When he entered class, Finn’s first reflex was to check the content of his bag. It has become a habit, Finn sniveled. Today was a wednesday. He didn’t need to perform his usual ritual : a rose was waiting for him, placed on his desk, a few soft pinkish petals scattered on the table.Finn left every glaze on him when he passed in front of his classmates to sit at his desk. He had the impression his cheeks were burning, and didn’t dare to touch the flower. Attached to it, a card with his name on it. There was no doubt that the rose was destined to him. He delicately put it back in his bag, while his friends had already begun to hassle him."A rose ! Fuck ! It’s so unfair !" Dot complained quietly."It’s so romantic", sang Lemon. "Do you think it’s from the same girl as the letter ?""We are sure now, you really have an admirer", Mash noted.Lance paid no attention to his friends, listening to the teacher and taking notes like the elite student he was. He wouldn’t save Anna by focusing on middle schooler-like love stories. He didn’t have time for this.
As for Finn, he would have preferred being anywhere else but there. His friends continued asking him all kinds of questions he responded the less he could. He kept silent about the stalking and the other presents he received the last few days. Mash quickly lost interest, focusing instead on the cream puffs he was trying to sneakily eat, but Dot and Lemon only stopped their interrogation after being scolded several times by the teacher.Finn sighed as he was freed from their insistent questions. He tried in vain to listen. Damn, he would have a lot of lessons to catch-up with. Luckily Lance agreed to help them, otherwise he and Mash would have gotten expelled for a while.***Finn cruelly lacked sleep. His vision was blurry. He tried sleeping a bit in class, but each time, he was woken up by a teacher or a student who failed a spell, making it a little too loud, or a little too explosive.He was walking across the corridors with Mash and the other from their class. They came across another group of students. Finn paid no attention to their capes and the House they were part of. Maybe he should have.Exhausted by his short and restless nights, his attention strongly diminished, he accidently bumped into one of the students who was walking in the opposite direction. He turned around to stammer some excuses, hoping the other wouldn’t get mad and start a fight. He recognized the other immediately. Carpaccio Luo-Yang. The one who almost killed him during the Divine Visionary selection exam. The one who since then occupied the first rank of the “Finn Ames’ list persons to avoid at all cost”. Usually, Finn ran away in the opposite direction the exact moment he saw burgundy locks, but fatigue overcame his attention, and he lowered his guard.Carpaccio opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Finn cut him with excuses, and turned-around like a robot before sprinting to catch up with his class. When he looked behind, he was Carpaccio getting dragged by another student in his group, his eyes fixed on Finn. So scary, the latter thought. He saw him a little bit too much, lately, avoiding him was becoming a full-time job. Except that he was not getting paid. He really hoped he would never see him again. ***At the end of the morning, class was over. After lunch, Dot and Lance went outside for combat training, while Lemon followed Mash in his daily work out session. As for Finn, he decided to go to the library. He had plenty of lessons to catch up with, and Lance lended him his notes. He spent a lot of time there recently. He didn’t spot his stalker’s glaze, not knowing if he was indeed absent or if he was too tired to notice.He tried to work, but after copying half of the first lesson, he saw the book in front of him becoming blurry. He closed his eyes for an instant and fell asleep.
He had a strange dream. He dreamed about his friends, the battles they fought so far, the recent events, his time during middle school, plenty of things that mix up at an incredible speed. He felt numb. A shiver ran through his body, and he felt like his heart was burning his chest.
Suddenly, he felt a soft, comforting warmth. It felt nice. His dream, which was changing at full speed, calmed down, and his mind filled with… Cream puffs ? Mash was influencing even his dreams… Finn let himself get taken away by the pastries, swimming, floating in the middle of soft, crunchy choux.Finn woke up softly, the head on his books. It was still daylight. He got up suddenly, hoping he didn’t drool on Lance’s book or cornered the pages. Everything was intact. He sighed, relieved.Then he noticed it. A small cristal flask, containing a transparent liquid with purplish reflections. He read on the label : Experimental sleep potion n°7, sample. The writing was familiar. At the back, it was written : ‘take care’. Kinda ironic, coming from the one responsible for his insomnia.
On his shoulders, he found a robe on too if his. He recognised the olive color of the Orca House. He removed it to examine it. It was the same size as his, and had some holes already sewed. Finn had who idea whose it could be, but his stalker. Drat. He would have to find them, if he wanted to return the robe. Or he could give it to some Orca student. He didn’t like the idea of asking someone he never talked to for help, but he didn't know anyone from Orca. Well, he did know someone, but terrified him way more than his stalker. He could also ask the prefect, but Margaret Macaron didn’t reassure him much more.He folded it and put it back in his bag. He’ll deal with it later. He looked at the library clock ; it was a little more than four pm. He still had time to work. He rested for a bit, he should finish quickly.
He looked for his own book for a couple of seconds. He found it a little farther, closed. He frowned. He didn't remember closing it. He shrugged ; with how exhausted he was, he couldn’t really trust his memory.
When he opened his book, he noted that the pages were already filled. He quickly turned the pages. His lessons were cleanly completed and annotated, with the same writing than the one on the label. Finn glanced quickly at the last pages’ content. Everything was clear et the explanations were perfectly understandable.Even if his ‘admirer’ indeed scared him, he had to admit that their intentions weren't bad ones. He should thank them when he would finally see them. Finn smiled softly, before putting his stuff in his bag and went back to his room.
This night, Finn fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow, and had, for the first time in a while, a peaceful sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Weirdly, Finn got used to his stalker. By the way, he was the first one to be surprised. But it was indeed true. It had somehow become the norm, and the absence of the insistent glaze on him alsmost seemed unusual. When Finn didn't feel their presence, he had the strange impression that there was something missing. Good grief, I'm going crazy, he thought. He wondered if he got hit on the head, if this was the effects of his previous insomnia, or maybe Stockholm syndrome, why not.
However, surprisingly, he didn't hate it. Obviously, he would have preferred that under different circumstances, but having someone caring for him, hidden in the shadows, was a pleasant thought somehow. It was a nice feeling. He was still a little frightened, but now, he found some kind of comfort in this presence that has been oh so disturbing until now. Finn was convinced his stalker was someone scary, but after the library episode, he was also convinced that they were someone kind and gentle. A little like Lemon, actually. She was completely crazy, but awfully sweet and caring.Finn drank a bit of the potion the same day. It was terribly efficient: in the morning, he woke up completely rested, his sleepless nights and his lack of sleep being only a distant memory. He even awoke earlier than usual, and he took advantage of it to examine more in detail the lessons that seemed to have appeared on his book like magic. He quickly looked at it the day before, but even after he rested for a bit, he was too tired to think correctly. He opened his book and started to read the lessons. The notions that seemed completely abstract to him were now way clearer, and Finn understood almost more than half- and that was already a lot.
He also used the time he had left to examine the robe, which he kept in the end. Perhaps there would be a name embroidered inside, just like he did for his. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything, and the robe was still as anonymous as before. The only distinctive signs were the seams everywhere he already noticed the day before, but also stains that seemed to be from potions and ingredients. Inside the pockets, he found some crumpled sheets of paper, full with notes, the writing similar to his stalker’s, but way messier : Finn was unable to decipher anything, between the crossing-outs and the abstract diagrams. His head hurt just looking at it. The examination had no results, and he didn't obtain any more information than what he already knew : his stalker was an Orca student, and was more or less as tall as he was (wearing robes that were three times too big wasn't really fashionable at Easton). Either a tall girl, or… A boy. It wasn’t impossible, but Finn thought it was even weirder than if it was a girl. Yeah, no, in any case it was weird. If it was indeed a boy, Dot would be quite happy, as it meant more girls for the other guys, according to his logic. Furthermore, if he was a pretty boy, his friend would even celebrate it. Finn caught himself laughing alone in his room, Mash still asleep, the sun just beginning to rise, its rays slowly drowning the room in a golden light.
***
Almost a week had passed since then. In the end, Finn didn't get to find the owner of the robe. Well, he didn't have much time to look for them : they had a few exams, and he spent most of his time studying. The robe was still in one of his drawers, neatly folded. He washed it, and had the occasion to witness how washing potion stains was an ordeal.His last exam was today. It was on a Monday, and what is better than a practice exam first thing in the morning to start the week.
Usually, the students had class with the students from the same House and year. However, it frequently happened that there was common classes between two Houses, such as extracurricular activities, or, just like this day, practice exams.
This morning, one of those common classes was announced. Some students cursed at the news, some others were excited by the idea to compete with students from other Houses. As for Finn, he was far from being thrilled. Whichever House they would have class with, he was sure that it would end up pretty badly. Both Lang and Orca had their share of social cases. This time, it was with Orca. Finn shuddered. He had a very bad feeling about that. Especially because of a certain someone he didn't particularly want to greet.He followed his class outside and walked toward the forest, where the exam was held. The Orca students were already there. The two groups looked at each other, chatting quietly. Some left to meet some friends from the other House, some continued muttering things to their friends while glaring at the other group. Finn turned his head, looking for a familiar face. When one wants to avoid someone efficiently, one has to know the other’s position first. Escape was a discipline he had master level in, after all. He knew every trick.
He noticed Carpaccio apart. Their eyes met. Drat ! Finn instantly looked away. He suddenly wanted to be six feet down. He could ask Mash for some help, he had experience with burying people.
Finn’s emotional despair got interrupted by the teacher’s arrival, who stopped everyone’s chatter with a move of his hand and prepared to explain the exam. Finn got paler and paler with every new instruction. The teacher mentioned a sort of hide-and-seek combat, like a battle royale game, between the students in groups or two, with one student from each House. Add up some more or less dangerous monsters that’ll join the party. Finn started to panic. The trial itself already looked like a true nightmare, but if the teacher chose, or if they drew the teams, with his back luck, he was sure to be paired with the exact person he was trying to avoid."Drat, we’ll have to get separated", Mash said.It was the last of his concerns. At the top of the list of his priorities : not dying. Well, if he had to fight any of his friends, he wouldn't be very much alive."You’re choosing the teams. If you can’t make pairs, I'll pick the remaining teams. Hurry up."Finn sighed, relieved. He just had to find a partner quickly. Anyone would do, nothing can be worse than what he feared. He was going to head to where the Orca students were when he felt a hand on his shoulder."Want to team up?"Finn didn't have to turn around to guess who was behind him. Shit ! He thought he was safe. Why would The Carpaccio want to team up with him?! He knew how mediocre he was ! Perhaps he was planning to murder him when they would be alone in the forest.
He mechanically turned around. Carpaccio was attentively watching him. Finn didn’t find any animosity in his eyes, but he wasn’t reassured the slightest. He really didn’t want to team up with him. Absolutely not. Out of question. But how could he refuse?
He felt Carpaccio’s hand leave his shoulder as Mash grabbed his wrist to take it away from Finn. The latter thanked him internally with all he could.
"What are you doing ?" Mash asked. He didn't wait for him to reply before continuing: "Don’t even think about hurting my friend", he threatened.
"I wouldn't do such a thing", Carpaccio calmly replied, while he tried in vain to pull his wrist out of Mash’s hand.
"You’ve got antecedents."
Finn felt it was going to get out of hand. He doubted that Carpaccio wanted to fight Mash after last time thrashing, but he didn't face countenance. Carpaccio decided to change subjects, and went back to the exam pairings. Kinda judicious.
"Wouldn’t it be best for him to team up with me to pass the exam ? My talent will counterbalance his mediocrity."
How kind, the concerned thought. And my opinion doesn't matter I assume ?
Before Mash could reply, they got interrupted by the teacher, whose patience reach its limits with the students who were too slow making the teams.
"You still haven't finished making pairs ? Are you elementary schoolers or what, not even capable of making teams of two ? He said, examining the group to see which students were still alone. And you too over there, if you want to fight, you’ll have plenty of time during the exam. Well. Carpaccio Luo-Yang, you go with Finn Ames, it’ll balance the game. Mash Burnedead, come over here…"
Finn stopped listening. What he feared the most happened. He was paired with Carpaccio. He glanced towards the other. The latter noticed and smiled at him. So scary ! He’s really going to kill me… He tried to calm down and inhaled deeply. Everything was going to be fine. If Carpaccio happened to attack him, the teacher was going to intervene ; they weren't supposed to attack their teammates. Although when he remembered the Divine Visionary selection exam, and their extracurricular activities, he thought that with that crazy school, he wasn't sure about anything…
Mash walked away to join the student the teacher assigned him as teammate, not without a death glare towards Carpaccio, and a worried look toward Finn. The latter smiled at him and showed his thumb up to say that everything will be okay. Yet, he was thinking the opposite.
The teacher started the exam, and they got randomly teleported in the forest. The trial had begun.
***
Finn looked around him. Carpaccio was teleported to the same place as him. At least, they didn’t pull the ‘it’s a team exam but you’ll have to get by by yourself alone LOL’. Although he would have perhaps preferred this option.
He jumped when Carpaccio started talking to him."It’s a survival trial. The trial stops when there are three teams remaining in the game. The goal is to eliminate other pairs and creatures that attack us during the exam. We’ll earn points for every adversary and creature we eliminate."Ah. During an instant, Finn was thankful to him. Carpaccio probably guessed that he had no idea about the exam’s content. It is true that he was too busy being scared to bother listening. Carpaccio made a halt to ensure that Finn did understand, before he continued."For this, we need a good strategy. The easiest and most efficient way is that I'll be in charge of fighting."It was indeed efficient. Finn had witnessed Carpaccio’s combat abilities, that he saw from very very close, so he didn't have any doubt about his strategy, if they could even call it a strategy."Uh, and I? What do I do?" Finn asked, suddenly remembering that he existed. He doubted that he could be useful for anything."If we have to face your friend, we’ll lose, and the exam is over. If it happens, your personal magic would be very useful to escape."Indeed. Fighting Mash would be the best way to definitely and definitively lose. Avoiding combat seemed obviously the best solution. And, the school itself proved that escape was a totally valid strategy."If you say it like that, it’s not a dumb idea…"Then Finn thought about his friends. The ones who weren’t Mash. Dot, Lance and Lemon. If they had to fight them, they would necessarily come out hurt, considering the nature of Carpaccio’s personal magic. The latter seemed guess what he was thinking about, because he added :"We don’t have to fight everyone. Being of the remaining teams at the end would be enough. If we meet one of your friends, we can just run away."Oh. Finn wouldn't imagine him to be that considerate . He suddenly realized that he wasn’t as terrified as he was before. In the end, maybe everything will turn out just fine…Oh how wrong he was.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The rules were simple : to eliminate a team, it was required to defeat both members of the opposite team. However, to be one of the teams that are still ‘standing’, it was absolutely required that both members were still able to fight. The team with a member knocked out could win points by defeating other duos.
In other words, Finn would have to ‘survive’.Carpaccio’s strategy was solid, even though it was simple, thereby Finn didn’t need to worry much. He would only have to hide behind Carpaccio during the fights. Hiding was a skill he mastered. If he was in charge to elaborate a strategy, he would have suggested hiding somewhere and wait until the other teams eliminated each other. It could seem cowardly, but the teacher himself praised that strategy, that the weaker students would probably choose.***A few minutes after the exam began, they met another team, a girl from Adler and a boy from Orca. The Orca student paled after seeing Carpaccio, and tried to run away. He only had time to turn around before his legs gave up, his trousers stained by his blood. The Adler student preferred fight rather than flight, and pointed her wand towards Carpaccio. She dropped it before she could cast any spell, a wound opening on the palm of her hand. Finn shuddered. His partner’s magic was terrifying. Somehow, he was relieved that he wasn’t his adversary.
Carpaccio only needed a few seconds to finish the fight. Finn had the impression he just witnessed something extraordinary. To most wizards, Carpaccio was violent and ruthless. However, Finn noticed that he showed some mercy. He was in position to know it well, having already faced Carpaccio. He didn’t have that kind of treatment back then. Maybe he got changed by his defeat.They fought two other teams and a scorpion, and each faced an overwhelming defeat. The trial started just fine for them. Finn was starting to think that everything would be alright. He was terribly wrong.The disaster began when they had to execute their fleeing plan when they ended up facing Dot and his partner. Finn cursed his friend’s reflexes. Dot attacked first as soon he saw Carpaccio, without letting Finn the time to activate his personal magic, who barely dodged the explosion. He definitely wouldn’t forget to complain to Dot later. Finn glanced towards Carpaccio. His clothes were intact, it seemed like he didn’t get hit. However, Dot had aimed perfectly right between them, and continued with a Machinegun Explomb. Now this complicated things ; Finn could use his personal magic on several entities at the same time, in this situation Carpaccio and himself, only in the case where there was a direct contact between them. Which Dot made impossible casting explosions non stop.Finn guessed that Dot sensed Carpaccio’s hesitation to attack him, and tried to keep him away from Finn. The other student looked like he was preparing a spell. Finn didn’t know the nature of his magic, but the spells that needed a long incantation were often powerful and difficult to counter. It was wisest to run away before he got time to finish, or else they wouldn't have any other option than to fight.Finn waited for a halt between two explosions while Dot charged his next spell to sprint towards Carpaccio, who took out his dagger in the meantime. He almost threw himself on him and grabbed his arm like his life depended on him - which wasn’t too far from reality - and casted his spell while closing his eyes with all his might. He only had time to hear Dot swear before they got teleported out of reach.Finn opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that they had been teleported safely. He glanced towards Carpaccio. The latter was looking at his arm, that Finn was still squeezing. He immediately let go of it. Carpaccio didn’t say anything about it, and looked at their surroundings. They were in the forest bordering the school, but Finn was unable to identify their exact location. In the precipitation, aiming with precision was quite difficult. Carpaccio didn’t seem to recognize their surroundings either.“Where are we?”“I… I don’t know”, answered Finn, expecting an unpleasant remark.To his surprise, Carpaccio didn’t say anything. Instead, he drew away without a word, giving Finn a silent order to follow him. The latter hurried to join him. Ending up alone in the forest without any landmarks would bring anything good. He’d rather stay by Carpaccio's side.They walked for a few minutes, without finding any clues about their actual position. Finn’s stomach was starting to ache. He had a really bad feeling. They were without any doubt in Easton’s forest, but there was something off. The noise was strange. Or more accurately, the absence of any noise. Before they teleported, even if it was distant, they could hear the other students fighting. Wizard duels were rarely quiet. And yet, around them, nothing could be heard. Finn shuddered. He had a really bad feeling about all of this.The farther one goes from the school, the more dangerous the creatures living in the forest become. For the exam, the students have been transported near the school, where the monsters are rather weak. They had access to the entire forest for the trial, but it would be foolish to go too far into the woods. Furthermore, the exam had just started, so the students couldn't have gone too far into the forest yet. If they didn’t hear the combats, they should be quite far away. Neither recognised their surroundings, so they might be even farther than Finn would have preferred.
But something didn’t feel right. The creatures should thus be more numerous, more dangerous and more aggressive. However, they haven't seen any yet. Their absence was even more terrifying than their presence.Suddenly, Carpaccio stopped. Finn, who was walking right behind him, bumped into his back. He moved away instantly, before getting closer to see what pushed Carpaccio to a halt. Finn froze, and swallowed painfully, his throat dry."We need to leave. Quickly."He didn’t need to say it. The scene before their eyes was clear enough. Finn’s intuition was right, as it usually was. They had to flee as soon as they could. In front of them lay the corpse of an enormous horned bear. It was the first time Finn saw a horned bear, but he studied it in class. Bigger than a standard bear, but stronger and fiercer, with a terribly dangerous horn, they put even the most experienced wizards in great difficulty. This one, however, was in a pitiful state. The carcass had been eviscerated, and the blood was sticking to his fur, and his entrails were spilled on the ground, and his horn and claws were broken. The corpse was still fresh. What killed it shouldn’t be too far away. Finn was feeling nauseous, but the fear prevented him from vomiting : despite its condition, the corpse was whole.Finn put his wand out, and was about to teleport them no matter where, when he heard a heavy crack coming from behind him. Terror was tearing his stomach. He turned around slowly, even though he knew what was there. Finn wasn’t excellent in magic zoology, but he knew enough about the creature he needed to avoid at all cost. And this one, oh, this one, Finn would rather fight Carpaccio again than even just catching sight of its tail from several kilometers away.
His eyes met two amber irises the size of two soccer balls, with two black vertical lines as pupils, surrounded by iron scales.A dragon.Finn gave in to the panic. He grabbed Carpaccio, sticking his nails in his arm to the point it bled -not for long but still- and raised his wand. He felt like his throat was made of sandpaper.-Changea-Finn didn’t have the time to finish casting his spell before the dragon attacked. With a single breath, he blew away the two students who landed violently several meters away, near the corpse of the horned bear. He felt the beast’s blood soak his clothes, but the terror and the pain prevented him from feeling any disgust. The dragon slowly drew closer, and stopped right before them. It looked like it was studying them with curiosity. Maybe it wants to check on the food before making us his appetizer ! Finn thought. He was paralyzed from fear, not even daring to breathe. The dragon had left Carpaccio, and seemed interested in Finn, looking him straight in the eyes. Perhaps it was enjoying his terror. Supporting his glaze was unbearable and awfully terrifying, but Finn didn’t dare to break eye contact. He searched his wand without looking, and thanked his lucky star when he found it right next to him, feeling it at the end of his fingertips. Then he cursed his awful misfortune when he discovered that it was completely broken in several pieces, no longer usable.The dragon seemed satisfied from the appetizer in front of him, and attacked again, opening his jaws to show a row of teeth as sharp as knives and tougher than iron. Finn lost control to his fear, he didn’t have the reflex to flee, or even to move. He couldn’t have dodged the dragon’s bite.
And yet, he heard its jaws closed with a loud metallic sound, just a few centimeters away from his face, the dragon’s breath burning his eyes, mouth and nostrils. Finn felt he was lifted from the ground, then felt the humid earth watered with blood under his feet, sticking to his soles. The dragon had made a calculation mistake when he neglected Carpaccio’s presence.The latter used the opportunity to run to Finn, grabbing him by his arm to pull him out of direct reach of the dragon’s mouth. Finn had been forced to stand up, very close to the dragon, and even closer to Carpaccio. His hand was still holding his arm, and Finn got thrown against him by the force he used to pull him. In any other circumstance, he would have preferred to run away and go as far from him as he could, and avoid touching Carpaccio more. But during that precise moment, the contact with Carpaccio felt incredibly comforting, the warmth of his body contrasting with the cold of his own, frozen by the fear.To Finn, this moment felt like an eternity, but in reality, it lasted less than a second. Carpaccio threw Finn on the ground behind him, and stabbed himself, sinking his dagger in his own heart. The dragon trembled, but didn’t seem wounded by the Carpaccio stab, even though it should have been fatal. Quite the contrary, it looked furious, and determined to not let its hunt last for long. Carpaccio stabbed himself again and again vehemently, while enduring its claws and bites. The statue of the goddess behind him started to crack.Finn had been pulled out of his earlier transe, but he didn’t know what to do. His instinct was screaming to run away, escape while the dragon was still occupied with Carpaccio. But leaving him alone would condemn him to a certain death ; as talented as he could be, a first year student couldn’t face a dragon. It was without a doubt less strong than Mash, but Mash was human, and didn’t fight with the intention to kill -and devour- his adversary.Finn watched another fissure hit the statue, when he painfully stood up. He had several broken bones and had the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, but he could move without too much difficulty. But without his wand, he couldn’t do much. He looked on the floor, hoping to find something that could be useful to him. He saw the bear’s broken horn, and took it in his bleeding hand. It was more solid and sharper than a top quality blade. He focused back on the fight in front of him. His eyes moved between the dragon, Carpaccio and the statue. He had an idea. Carpaccio would get mad at him for sure, but even if he stabbed himself a hundred times to make him pay, it’d be better than dying devoured by the dragon. He rapidly examined the statue. She already had a lot of cracks, but she could hold on for a little while.Finn held the broken horn tightly in his hand, then sprinted towards Carpaccio. He grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him so they faced each other, bringing his face close, and stabbed him in the eyes with all his strength, before starting to run, draggin Carpaccio with him. He heard the dragon behind him. He glanced above his shoulder, and saw it attacking blindly, biting the void and tearing the air with his claws.They didn’t have much time before the dragon chased them, leaving the shock behind, relying on its other terribly keen senses. They couldn’t run far before the dragon would catch them. But they didn’t need to go far. Less than a few dozen meters was enough.
When Carpaccio was fighting the dragon, Finn saw a pile of boulders farther away. At first glance, it was just a pile of rocks, but Finn suspected that it was a burrow. To what creature the burrow belonged, he had forgotten, but nothing could be worse than a dragon, so he was willing to take the risk.Finn ran as fast as he could with all his strength, the air burning his lungs, his legs threatening to give in at any moment. He had let go of Carpaccio’s collar, and the latter was running right behind him. They were just a few meters away from the entrance when the dragon came back to its senses and started to chase them. In a last effort, Finn sped up again, and threw himself in the opening, Carpaccio following him inside. Less than a second later, the dragon threw itself on the rock pile in a heavy thud. Finn felt the ground and the walls tremble violently, then saw a clawed leg covered with iron scales enter through the opening, trying to catch them from the outside, before leaving. Then the daylight got hidden by a blood injected amber eye.They weren’t out of danger yet. Finn stood up painfully, and followed Carpaccio farther into the terribly narrow and obscure corridor, not daring to stay more than a few centimeters away from him.The dragon that attacked them had for best way of defense -and attack- its scales as solid as iron covered in spines, and luckily didn’t spit fire. Otherwise, hiding in an underground labyrinth would only turn them into stewed appetizers.
In any case, it couldn’t reach them now, or not without destroying the ground above them, but two humans weren’t worth spending so much energy on. Finn heard the dragon turn around and go back to the prey he already caught, disappointed that its appetizer managed to escape. It would have to settle for the main course only.The dragon gone, they stopped in a sort of hole, looking like a minuscule room. Finn sighed with relief before collapsing on the floor. They just narrowly avoided death. His head was spinning and everywhere hurt, he was exhausted and covered in the bear’s blood and his own sweat, but he was alive.Carpaccio’s shoulder was pressed against his. In this room, dark and cramped, there weren't any other noises than the sounds of their breath and heartbeats, like soft music that was reminding them that they were still alive. They stayed like this for some time, without saying a word.They would soon have many other problems to solve, but for now, they were just enjoying the calm and safety of their improvised shelter.
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Once the shock had worn off, Finn had completely come back to his senses, and could think rationally again. And what was better to do in this situation than cursing Easton ?-A dragon ! A damn dragon ! Finn hissed, taking his head in his hands. Of could, the just had to keep something like that in the school forest ! I should have expected a danger like this, everything is possible with this damn school ! One day, I will really lose my life there !He cried for a while before finally falling silent. After all, it was his fault if they ended up fighting the dragon. If he didn’t bring them here… If he didn’t pathetically mess up his spell, his own personal magic… They wouldn’t have risked their life like this.He glanced towards Carpaccio. He had not said a word since they entered the underground galleries, and he had just listened to Finn’s whining in silence. Finn thought that he should apologize to him. Either for bringing them there… Or for actively stabbing him.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He cursed for a while, reeling off complaints without catching his breath, but now that he had something important to say, his voice refused to obey. Once he stopped talking, an awkward silence fell between the two. In the end, Carpaccio was the first to break it.“You have more guts than I would have thought” he observed with an amused tone.Finn froze. The other didn’t seem to be mad at him. He relaxed, and held back a sigh of relief.-Er, thanks ?Carpaccio got up, and extended his hand towards him. Finn took it without thinking, and he felt the other lifting him up carefully. Finn grimaced. At the time, adrenaline muffled the pain, but once it went down, Finn was really feeling his wounds. The darkness only permitted them to distinguish the other’s silhouette, even after the eyes got used to the dark, thus Carpaccio didn’t notice his grimace.-We have to come out.Easier said than done. The entrance they used was out of the question, as the dragon should still be near it. And escaping with magic… hahaha. Carpaccio didn’t ask him to use his spell anyway. Perhaps he didn’t trust his skills anymore, after the dantesque failure that led them to almost die. Well, with his wand in shreds, there wasn’t much he could do anyway.
Finn nodded nonetheless, before wondering if Carpaccio could see him.Before he could say anything, Carpaccio raised his wand and casted a light spell, and illuminated the minuscule room they were in. Finn blinked several times, blinded by the sudden brightness. He took some time to observe the other student : despite the absence of injuries, his clothes were in a pitiful state. Completely ripped by the dagger hits and the violents attacks of the dragon, they were miserably hanging. His torso was partially bare, his torn shirt not hiding much anymore, and Finn looked away, a hint of red coloring his cheeks. Disheveled and covered in blood, Finn was in no better state.With a barely visible move of the head, Carpaccio silently told Finn to follow him. They entered once again the corridor now lit up by Carpaccio’s wand, walking without talking. Every step was painful, but Finn clenched his jaws and didn’t say anything, and continued to walk forward.After a couple of minutes, they entered a second room, this one much larger than the first one. At the exact moment they stepped inside, a row of torches with an ominous green flame lit up, revealing a massive, closed door. Finn froze, and drew even closer to Carpaccio, hiding behind his back, grabbing a rag of his robe. In the end, the dragon wasn’t so bad as an option…“The labyrinth of Souls”, noted Carpaccio.Obviously. Finn should have expected that keeping a dragon in the school’s forest wasn’t dangerous enough, there just had to be an entrance of the labyrinth of Souls inside too ! Though, maybe the dragon had been actually placed here to prevent students from approaching it… They escape a fatal danger only to run to another, even more perilous. Finn cursed himself, and his incompetence with him.“We’re really going to die”, he whined. “What are the teachers doing?”They didn’t intervene when they faced the dragon, and now that they were in front of the labyrinth’s door, they still weren’t moving an inch. And they called themselves Easton teachers ! They should have noticed that something was wrong, that two students had gone way too deep in the forest. He cursed these incompetent teachers who let students face dangers like that ! They were really going to die !-Do we enter ? asked Carpaccio.Finn jolted. What? He wondered if the other was joking, before realizing he was totally serious. Finn would prefer to go back to be devoured by the dragon rather than stepping even only one foot through the door. At least, he would have a rapid death, even if painful, and his after-death would be peaceful. In the labyrinth of Souls however… Any wrong move, and an atrocious death would be the best outcome, cursed and wicked spirits were watching at every corner. Going through the door meant without doubt never going out, forever lost in the endless maze.
Finn looked at Carpaccio in disbelief. The latter looked at him right into the eyes for a few instants before looking away, glazing at the door.“The labyrinth of Souls has multiple entrances, there must be a way out through one of them.”“No, no, no, absolutely no !” Finn protested quietly, as if spelling too loudly would provoke the wrath of the labyrinth. “We are just going to get lost, and become stray souls doomed to wander for all eternity !”He unconsciously gripped tighter in his hands the part of Carpaccio’s robe he was holding, and accidentally ripped it in a loud sound that resonated like an atrocious din in the empty room. And yet, Finn didn’t hear it, fear muffling his hearing, and didn’t even realize that the shred he was clenching had been torn.“We could just go back… The dragon should be gone by now…” Finn begged.He doubted his own saying, but Carpaccio looked convinced by his word. They went back, and walked forward towards the surface.Finn grimaced at every step, but the pain was nowhere near what he felt the time he fought Carpaccio. It was nonetheless enough to slow him down. He was walking almost two meters away from Carpaccio, almost dragging his left leg, probably having one or two broken bones. The other student stopped several times to give him the time to catch up, but didn’t say anything. Finn shuddered, wondering what he could be thinking about.After a couple more minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the underground tunnels. Carpaccio looked ready to come out, but Finn hesitated.“Is it really wise to come out? We could just wait until the teachers come to find us, right?”Carpaccio turned around to face him, displaying an emotionless expression. Finn definitely couldn’t know what he was thinking. If only he was even a little bit more expressive…“I doubt they’re going to come. Or at least not before the end of the exam.”He’s thinking about the exam even when we’re in this kind of situation?! That’s Easton elite for you! Finn thought, astonished. But he had to admit that he was indeed right. Hungry dragon or cursed labyrinth, they were still currently taking an exam, and they had to finish it.Finn went before Carpaccio and came out first, the other following him close. the iron dragon no longer seemed to be there. Finn let out a sigh of relief before seeing a silver flash in his peripheral vision.
He immediately stepped backward, but his already injured left leg got hit by the dragon’s claws. Good grief, it really doesn’t want to let us go ! Finn whined. He barely got scratched, but the cuts left by the sharp claws weren’t that superficial, and his leg was covered in blood. It gave up, and he put all his weight on the other. The dragon attacked again, but this time, dodging would prove more difficult. Fortunately, he was not alone.Carpaccio grabbed him by the waist, and pulled him toward him, catching him in his arms. He lifted him effortlessly before sprinting to the underground galleries once again, carrying Finn. The latter was so embarrassed he even forgot to be scared. Carpaccio dove into the entrance and ran along the corridor, going as far away as he could from the dragon.Finally, he stopped in the room with the green torches, and carefully put Finn on the ground, facing the labyrinth’s door. He sat beside him, and took some time to catch his breath. He turned around, facing Finn.“Your leg?” he asked.“Oh, everything’s fine! It’s far from being as painful as the time when we fought, haha.”Carpaccio didn’t reply, and turned his head, averting Finn’s glaze. The latter didn’t know why he said that. He tried to joke a bit, but he instantly regretted his words, as soon as they escaped his lips. He didn’t know what to add to fix his mistake. He was making his brain work so fast he felt a headache coming when his messy thoughts were cut off by Carpaccio’s voice.“Sorry.”“What?” Finn flinched.“For that time. I went too far.”Finn was stunned. Carpaccio apologized ? Carpaccio? Apologized? He couldn’t believe his ears. The other student had his head facing the other way, and Finn couldn’t see his face. He would have liked to see what expression he was making at that moment. Finn didn’t know what to respond.“Er, you don’t need to apologize for that, it’s in the past anyway. If someone has to apologize, it should be me, it’s my fault if we almost died several times during the exam. If i didn’t mess up my spell…”Finn fell silent, and silence fell as well in the room. Suddenly, a voice echoed in their minds. It startled Finn, and Carpaccio turned his head. The teacher regularly kept them updated about the exam’s evolution, but until now, they have been too busy trying not to die to actually care about it.“You are taking way too much time, so let’s change the rules ! There are seven teams left, you have ten minutes to get back to the starting point. The three first teams are the winning duos. The race is open, and good luck to the participating teams! Be careful about ambushes on the way!”Finn cursed. Carpaccio didn’t say anything, but his bitter expression gave away his thoughts. If they didn’t come back by the teacher before the others, they would fail the exam. But how would they come out with a dragon behind and an endless labyrinth before? Carpaccio turned around to face Finn.“Can’t you bring us back with your personal magic ?” he asked.“If I could, I would have done so for a while already” Finn answered, taking what was once his wand.Carpaccio opened his mouth, then closed it. He hesitated for a while, that seem like hours to find, before putting his hand in his robe to take something that he handed to Finn. The latter extended his hand to take it without knowing what it was. When he saw what he was holding in his hand, Finn froze, too stunned to speak.“Use this. I’m lending it to you.”Carpaccio had just given him his own wand. One of the Master Cane, which chose only exceptional wizards as masters. And he entrusted it to him, the most mediocre student to ever enter Easton. Finn was astounded. He barely had it in his hand, and yet he could already feel all its power. It was really a formidable wand.“I… I can’t use this ! This would be an insult to your wand!” Finn protested.His glaze met Carpaccio’s, and neither averted the other’s eyes for a moment who felt like centuries to Finn. Carpaccio took Finn’s hand in his, and tightened the other boy’s fingers around his wand. Finn ended up resigning himself to accept.“Okay, I will do it.” he sighed.Carpaccio let his hand go, and instead grabbed a part of his robe that seemed spared by the bear’s blood. Finn raised Carpaccio’s wand, and breathed deeply, gathering all his focus. This time, he really mustn’t mess up. He visualized the exact place they wanted to reach, in every detail. He felt the wand’s magic flowing through his body, getting mixed with his own, weak magic. It was really a marvelous wand.“Changeas.”Finn felt they were being transported by his spell, but didn't dare to open his eyes just yet. All of a sudden, he was surrounded by a familiar brouhaha, and he felt the pulling on his robe disappear. He opened his eyes. They were indeed in the starting point. Finn was overjoyed they had arrived at the right place and finally safe.Then he noticed all the eyes on them. The students that were already there were observing them, and was chattering softly with the others. Finn suddenly remembered their current appearance. With Carpaccio wearing ragged clothes and himself covered in blood, they didn't look like how one would expect students that just finished an exam would look like. Furthermore, they were sitting on the ground, and they appeared from nowhere. Finn realized he was still holding Carpaccio’s wand. He hastily shoved it in his hands.When the teacher saw them, he was left speechless. He ran towards them. “What the.. What happened to you ?”Finn noticed Mash and Lance among the students that were already there, watching them, looking incredibly stunned. Mash ran to Finn and carefully helped him standing up, before gaming at Carpaccio, who had already got up and walked a few steps away.“What happened? Was it you who did that to my friend ?” he said to Carpaccio, furious and ready to throw hands.Carpaccio didn't reply, and looked at Mash dead in the eyes.“No, you’re wrong!” shouted “It was my fault…”“What ? What are you saying ?” asked Lance, who joined them.“It’s true ! We met Dot, so I used my personal magic to avoid the fight, but I messed up my spell and we ended up way too far into the forest.”Mash and Lance looked at him in disbelief. The teacher looked just as doubtful.“But then…” pursued Lance. “What… What did that to you ?”Finn glanced towards Carpaccio.“Well, that later!” The professor cut off. “Can't you see he needs to receive medical care as soon as possible! Good grief, what did you get into?” Mash escorted Finn to the infirmary. Besides the claw cuts, he had several fractures in his left leg, several broken ribs, his right wrist broken, and bruises all over his body. He would have to stay in the infirmary for a while…According to Mash, they arrived third. They passed the exam. Finn couldn't prevent himself from smiling. He wasn’t in a good state, but he escaped death and was indeed very much alive, but they even managed to pass their exam. In the end, everything ended up fine, and for Finn, everything was -more or less- alright.He let his head fall against the pillow. The exam hadn’t been longer than two hours, but Finn felt like it lasted for days. He was exhausted. He had a peaceful and sleepless slumber.
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Three days have gone by since the events of the exam, and Finn had not left the infirmary since then. He felt like he was dead. Not because of the pain or anything, his injuries didn’t hurt anymore, but because of the too many flowers he received in the meantime. His injuries weren’t that serious, and with magic, he would have only needed less than a week to recover. Despite that, he received a large quantity of flowers and many other ‘good recovery’ gifts, with bags of candy, sweet buns and many other sorts of little presents. Maybe a whole third of it weren’t given anonymously, even though Finn suspected that they were from that stalker of his, but the other had been given directly, some by friends from the same dormitory, but the most were from students he didn’t even know. The nurse was exasperated from all these people who were disturbing her patients.He sighed. His injuries weren’t even that serious ! He didn’t understand what earned him that much attention. He quickly closed his magic history book, and let his head rest against his pillow. He tried to catch up on the classes he missed, but all of these flowers made him somehow uncomfortable, making it hard to focus. Also, he hadn’t seen his friends much, just barely, since the day of the exam, as the nurse didn’t let visitors stay for too long, even if that often meant she had to kick them out. Between that, class and homework, they couldn’t visit him as much as they wished, to their greatest dismay. Finn was just about to close his eyes, trying to sleep his boredom, when he heard a happy hubbub making its way into the infirmary.“Woah damn ! What the heck is that ? It feels like we’re in a cemetery !” Dot exclaimed as he noticed the flowers.Finn’s lips curved into a small, embarrassed smile. His friends sat down around Finn’s bed, seeming delighted to finally see him again.“The nurse allowed us to stay for a while, as long as we’re not too noisy,” Lemon explained. “Looks like she finally grew tired of kicking us out.”“Seems like you’re popular,” Mash noted, glancing towards the comically enormous mound of flowers.Finn was about to reply, but he got interrupted by Dot.“The flowers, did girls give them to you?!The others rolled their eyes. Everyone was thinking about the same thing. Incoming jealousy fits… Finn slightly hesitated, before finally deciding to answer honestly.“Some had been left for me in the infirmary, and I don't know who gave them, but about the others… Yes, most had been given by girls. Isn’t it a bit strange for guys to give each other flowers, right?”Despite the impression he could give, Dot definitely had manners, thus he held back from shouting in the middle of the infirmary.“Fuck! I too should have gotten hurt like that ! I also would have gotten spoiled by pretty girls !”“I doubt that anyone would have offered you anything,” mocked Lance, with an amused smirk.Dot looked ready to retort, but ultimately changed his mind, not without giving him a look that signified without any possible misinterpretation that he would make him take back his words once they’re out. He turned his attention back to Finn and handed him a small bag of herbal tea, which the latter took while shyly thanking him.“I suppose that here, you didn’t hear about what’s being told about you too,” Lemon started, preferring to change the subject.“It seems that a student heard… Him when the teacher demanded a report about everything that happened during the exam,” Lance added. “The rumor has already spread to the whole school now.”“Really?” Finn asked, surprised. Maybe this had something to do with the ridiculous quantity of flowers he received… “What is… Being told?”“They say you defeated a dragon. And that he forced you to be a bait so he could attack it, and that he chose you as a teammate to use your personnel magic to go to its lair.” Dot specified.“What?!”Finn was stunned. This was obviously explaining the presence of the flowers. A story like that is indeed quite pitiful…“Some people enjoy creating stupid rumors. That’s completely absurd.” Lemon affirmed. Mash nodded.“Absurd, that’s the right word…”“Well, you did really fight a dragon”, Dot added. “And, it kinda looks like something he could do…”Everyone nodded in a silent agreement. Finn understood that his friends could think that, but it still made him somewhat uncomfortable. He shyly shook his head.“I doubt he would do something like this…It’s quite extreme.”“Of course he would!” Dot retorted angrily. “He could perfectly have been convinced that he could be strong enough to take down a dragon, and think that it was a good way to earn a lot of points for the exam! Why are you defending him, after what he did to you?”“He still saved my life” Finn replied, nervously pulling on his blanket.“He tried to kill you!” Dot shouted, bringing a silent agreement from the three others, and the reprimands of the nurse.Dot apologized awkwardly, and Lance had to negotiate again with the nurse to prevent her from kicking them out of the infirmary, not without giving a disapproving look to his hot-blooded friend. His good looks won, thus both went back to sit near Finn. However, an awkward, heavy silence had fallen, no one wanting to continue the conversation and arguing with each other.Finn noticed Lemon’s face suddenly lighting up, her eyes fixed on the flowers next to him. He grimaced internally. He preferred that rather than a fight, but he would rather avoid the embarrassing conversation that was coming.“By the way! Earlier, you did mention that you received some flowers from an unknown sender?” No please do not continue. “They’re probably from your secret admirer, right?” she continued despite Finn’s internal pleas.“Yeah, that’s right! Fuck, I forgot about this! Rah, it’s so unfair!”Finn smiled nervously as Lance made Dot shut up with a hit on the head. Now, the previous tension seemed far away, and the friends chatted joyfully, teasing their poor Finn who didn’t do anything, and Dot who kinda asked for it.
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When Finn woke up the next day, he was delighted to finally meet the sight of room 302 again. He rolled up in his blanket, enjoying a little longer the comfortable atmosphere of his room, and the deep, somehow soothing, snorings of Mash. Finn felt lonely in the infirmary, after being used to sharing a room with his friend. The infirmary was way too quiet, and not in a good way, and he really missed the pleasant liveliness of his friends.Finn’s mornings were back to usual. Getting ready with Mash, Dot and Lance while chatting and laughing, running to dress up and take his stuff because obviously they were late (not Lance though, unsurprisingly), finding a paper bag hanging on his room’s door knob… The usual. He opened the bag with a sigh, feeling Dot watching him attentively. Inside, he found half a dozen chocolate buns, the ones from the cafeteria. He had received the same when he was in the infirmary. They were delicious, but really stuffy… In the end, Finn had shared them with his friends.
***
Everything was not back to the usual. On his way to class, Finn could feel more eyes on him than he did before. He almost sighed with relief when he noticed his stalker’s glaze among the unfamiliar ones. He could hear low whispers around him as they walked the hallways along the badly hidden looks. Some students even hailed him with a brand new shameful nickname that made Finn cringe every time he heard it.“Hey, dragon slayer! Can I have an autograph? Hey, don’t ignore me!”“Sorry,” Finn replied hurriedly, walking faster, averting eyes and cheeks burning red. This was definitely so much worse than the rose on his desk.The student tried to grab his shoulder, but the moment his fingertips touched the fabric of his robe, he took back his hand with a pained scream.“What the fuck! What is wrong with you?” he shouted at Finn, who looked astonished, his mouth open in a ‘o’ shape.“I- I didn’t do anything! Ah, sorry, I have to go…” he said as quickly left, almost running to his classroom, not thinking too much about what happened, and more about how he wanted to disappear.Inside the classroom, it wasn't any better. But not only he couldn't focus, he couldn't even cast any spell, as his wand was broken. Fortunately, it was Friday, so he only had to go through one day before he could buy a new one. But what a long day it would be…Finn sighed, earning him some worried looks from his friends, and some curious ones from his classmates, coming along with their share of whispers. Finn hoped his classmates would be bored of this soon and leave him alone. He would bet that no one would dare to go to Carpaccio and call him ‘dragon slayer’ to his face…
***
Finn didn’t expect people to get bored so quickly, but he still wished they did. It was only noon, and Finn was already feeling exhausted. The constant whispering and eyes on him tired him more than he thought. He was deeply uncomfortable, but also constantly on his guard : avoiding some people was a full time job. ‘Some people’ being Carpaccio Luo-Yang, still ranking first in the “Finn Ames’ list persons to avoid at all cost”. He may not be as scared as he was before, after what happened during the exam, Finn was too embarrassed to see him. He was terribly grateful that no one knew what happened back then, or else they would need a few more days before leaving the subject for another, newer one.Lost in his thoughts, Finn wasn't listening to what his friends were talking about, nor to the other students eating at the same table, munching his lunch, eyes in the vague, when something caught his attention, his instinct somehow telling to brace himself.“And so- He let her use his wand! Isn't that romantic?” A student near Finn said, with sparkles in her eyes.“How is that romantic? That doesn't mean anything…” the concerned retorted.“Shush! Keep denying your feelings! Obviously it’s super romantic! That's like lending someone your toothbrush, but even more intimate!”“Ew, that's disgusting! Don’t use that comparison please!”“That's not necessarily romantic, y'know... It just means that you trust someone enough. You girls always think everything is love related!”“Oh please.”“By the way…”
No please keep your thoughts to yourself I don't want to hear them.
“D’y’all remember the exam Tuesday? The one with Orca? Didn’t Finn use Carpaccio’s wand to bring them back? Do you still think it’s romantic?” he laughed.
I knew it. Please, do not keep going.
“Well, his was broken… And they were in danger ! This is obviously not the same!”
Thank you! Well, not in direct danger, but still…
“But I liked your theory! Just imagine, Finn and Carpaccio? Wouldn’t they make a cute couple?”“Urgh, stop, you’re not even funny…”“Nah bro, if they ever date, i’ll shave my head!”The other boy opened his mouth, about to elaborate further when he noticed Finn staring at him with an exhausted expression on his face. He quickly cleared his throat before not-so-subtly changing subject, his friends glancing awkwardly at the boy they were speaking about. Finn let his forehead rest on the wooden table with a loud thump, near his still almost full plate. He really wanted to go home.
***
The afternoon felt just as long as the morning : endless and mentally draining. Finn was about to finally go back to his room when he noticed some burgundy locks a few meters away. Drats! He couldn’t make a detour, it would take way too long, and he really didn’t want to have to bear these poorly hidden looks and whispers around him anymore. He slowly drew closer, trying to be as discreet as he could. But as good as playing the walls as he could be, he couldn’t escape Carpaccio’s sharp eyes for long.Finn heard Carpaccio calling his name, and felt his presence drawing closer, as he himself walked faster, mumbling excuses to run away. He was about to get caught when a teacher called Carpaccio out, scolding him for whatever reason.“Carpaccio Luo-Yang! Where is your robe? It’s been four days, you can’t just walk around wearing only your shirt!”“It’s ripped. I can’t wear it anymore.”“You gave that excuse already! What happened to your spare one? You ripped it too?”“I lost it.”Finn glanced behind towards Carpaccio, indeed wearing only his shirt. It was quite an unusual sight, however not unpleasant. Finn used the opportunity and slipped away while the professor was still scolding the other student, rushing to his room to finally get some rest in peace and quiet.
***
Finn was finally alone, but where was the peace? His mind was restless, thoughts ceaselessly bubbling in every corner in his brain. He grimaced as he got up from his bed where he was lying down, eyes closed, trying to sleep for a bit before dinner. He slowly moved to the bathroom, hoping that a nice steaming hot shower would wash his thoughts away.It did not. The warm water running down his skin relaxed him, and yet he couldn't help thinking about everything that happened that day… and a lot happened. Mostly, he couldn’t get out of his mind the discussion from lunch, about… Carpaccio and himself. It felt so… strange. Okay, maybe the guy wasn’t as bad as he thought… But he was still Carpaccio, and Finn would rather not be involved with him if he could avoid it. Just thinking about what happened during the exam made Finn cringe about how embarrassing it was. He literally got princess-carried, got way too close to Carpaccio, and used his wand. Finn wasn’t the type to find that kind of act romantic, but it was still very weird to use someone else’s wand. A master cane with that! Now that they weren’t caught in the action, he couldn’t even believe how he was even able to use it.Finn closed his eyes. Besides, even if, for whatever reason, he came to… To somewhat like Carpaccio, he didn’t forget what he was thinking about Finn. No, really, that wouldn’t do. He could see how comical that pair would appear.He sighed as he left the bathroom, going back to his room and letting himself fall on his bed. He had put his clothes back, but he ultimately decided to go straight to bed. Finn sat on the mattress to remove his robe, and felt something in his pocket. He slowly took it out. It was the broken pieces of his wand, wrapped in green fabric. Wrapped in a piece of Carpaccio’s ripped robe. Fuck. Couldn’t he think about something else?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Finn narrowed his eyes, moving his hand to shield them from the blinding sun. The weather was perfect, and they didn’t have any homework for the weekend. Mash and friends had decided to visit a nearby town, a few minutes walk away from Easton, to do some shopping, have some fun and share a nice meal. Surprisingly, Finn didn’t feel any eyes on him. Somehow, he was relieved. At least, his stalker had a life. But somehow, it was… Quite unusual.They had spent the morning visiting small shops and boutiques. Lemon had pestered them to do some clothes shopping, and they spent a little too much time trying some outfits and accessories, and a little too much money on it too, but the fun was worth it. Finn couldn’t remember when was the last time he hung out with his friends, carefree, his mind clear from any traces of worry. After that, they settled by a small, not too crowded yet buzzy with liveliness, restaurant, and shared a tasty meal, chatting and laughing while eating in the warm atmosphere. They had spent the beginning of the afternoon sitting and lying in soft grass, in a small patch of green in the middle of the town, warmed by the soft sun rays that pierced through the tree leaves above them, before returning to their city tour once they were done with their nap.Finn was walking alongside his friends, all eyeing the diverse small shops as they passed them, sometimes pointing to one of them for the others to stop to go have a look inside. They were about to pass a strange looking shop when Dot suddenly stopped, tugging at the nearest sleeve (Lance’s, who was not very happy about it) and designated the shop sign.“Hey, look! I read about this divination house in a magazine! It’s rumored to be super accurate! Should we try?” he asked, grinning widely, showing his pointy fangs.“Divination magic is unreliable, this is just a scam to rip off gullible people like you”, Lance said, not sparing a single glance towards the dusty window display, trying to pull his sleeve away from Dot’s grip.Finn couldn’t really disagree with him. Divination magic was quite difficult, obscure and unstable and, most of the time, highly inaccurate. Unfortunately for them (and Mash who couldn’t have his future predicted anyway), Lemon seemed really enthusiastic, and if Dot and her both teamed up, they could usually take Lance down with pleading and negotiating. Finn and Mash rarely opposed them, so they weren’t really an obstacle. The redhead quoted all the comments from his magazine, how everyone who had gotten a prediction here saw it prove itself true. Lance muttered something about self fulfilling prophecies before he sighed in defeat, and let Dot drag him inside the suspicious looking shop.When Finn entered, he violently coughed from all the dust gathered here, and his eyes took some time to get used to the surrounding darkness. In the wooden shelves were stored countless divination artifacts, each one older and stranger than the others. In the middle of the room, in front of the wall opposing the door, there was a huge table, covered in a worn out cloth, crumbling under tarot cards, porcelain bowls filled with water and other unidentified liquids, dice, cups of tea and countless other accessories. Sitting behind the table, a middle-aged woman, maybe a bit older, was facing them, her beauty only the shadow of what it probably used to be, her face half hidden by tangled purplish curls. Finn's eyes were drawn to her lips and long nails, painted bright red, vivid even in the dim light, as her hands played with the cards with the agility of a magician. The woman welcomed them, and invited them to sit on chairs that appeared out of thin hair. The friends took a seat, the ones shifting uncomfortably, the others shaking with excitation.“I see that you are eager to know the cloudy, uncertain future of yours. You came to the right place.” she said, speaking in a murmur, as if speaking too loud would attract malevolent spirits, or more realistically, shake all of the dust.She observed attentively each of the teenagers sitting before her. Finn swallowed nervously, made uneasy by the piercing glaze. He felt like she was scrutinizing his very soul. When she asked who was first, the five friends exchanged a look, and Dot volunteered to be the first sacrifice to go.“Love life, I suppose? Tell me, what do you wish to know.”“Am I going to get a super pretty girl one day? One I’ll marry and all?” he asked, hands jointed before his chest, whispering apologies to Lemon in the meantime.The fortune teller quickly snatched a porcelain cup from the table as well as a few tea leaves, and poured boiling hot water with a twirl of her wrist, light briefly reflecting on the white wand she kept hidden in her sleeve. Magic could replace a kettle, good to know. She waited for a bit, before inspecting the cup’s content, and handed it to Dot for him to drink it, ordering him to only drink the water, not the leaves. The latter obeyed, and gave her the cup back.“A pretty girl, uh”, she said, an eerie smile crossing her cheeks. “Well, at least half of that will be true”, she added, her shoulders shaking in a silent laugh.“It’s fine! It’s better than the result I had with the crystal ball in class!” he said, a beaming grin on his face. “As long as I get a girlfriend, I’ll be the happiest man alive!” He didn’t notice the woman laughing harder at his words.“Obviously what you learn in class is nothing to real divination. It only gives unreliable suppositions of what could be based on what is. Most of the time, it’s far off from what will really happen.”Shit. What happened to my chill future? Finn thought as he tensed. The fortune teller noticed it, and seemed to take it as a sign that he would be the next one.“Love life too?” she asked, grinning widely, as she watched him with her pitch-black eyes.“Yes!” Lemon answered in his place before he could even open his mouth. “Maybe we’ll learn more about your admirer!” she whispered in his ear.“What precisely do you want to know? Maybe the first meeting?”Finn nodded slowly, and she reached for some worn out cards, infusing her magic through each one, putting them in a messy pile before asking Finn to pour his own magic into the cards. She then organized it in neat lines on a part of the table where nothing was piled up, and invited the boy to choose three cards that she turned face up, revealing flaky pictures that no one but herself seemed to understand. She grimaced at the result. Finn felt his chest tighten. Did he really want to know? Beside him, he felt Lemon suspended to the fortune teller lips, holding her breath as she waited for her to reveal her friends’ future- or past?“Well, sometimes life gives us some surprises, some trials too…” Please, something peaceful. “I see that, uh, the first time you meet your special one is sort of… Unconventional?” she kept going, although seeming quite reluctant. I don’t like where this is going.“What… How will my… First meeting with this person go?”She shook her head. “I saw blood.” shit. “And pain. A lot of pain.” shit again. “But it’s only the first encounter! If we take a look at some other aspects, or moments, it’ll be more joyful!”The five friends fell silent, looking at Finn with worried looks. The latter had his lips curled upside in a tense smile, and hoped that Dot was wrong about the accuracy of the fortune teller.“Yeah!” Lemon ultimately cheered. “Oh, maybe when he fell in love with that person? It’s bound to be lovely!”The fortune teller took one of the porcelain bowls, one with an eerie liquid inside. She handed it to Finn, who held it, and under her command, they both infused magic into the liquid through the bowl. She quickly inspected the surface, and winced once again.“It’s… Also… Blood and pain. With tears.” she murmured, giving Finn a compassionate look.Great. Finn was infatuated with a psycho. Blown away, his peaceful life. No one said anything, nor even dare move an inch. Finn still had his hands on the bowl when the fortune teller broke the silence, asking if anyone wanted to be next. No one volunteered. They paid her (she had the heart to reduce her price) and silently left.“Maybe… Maybe it’s not that accurate?” Dot ventured, trying to comfort Finn.“Divination is always unreliable anyways.” Lance added.Finn hoped that his friends’ words were true.“Don’t worry, if anyone tries to harm you, I’ll punch them to death.”“Thanks Mash”, Finn laughed, as they started walking, intending to visit some more boutiques to change their mind from the fortune telling.***After a few shops and game stands, the previous incident more or less forgotten, they decided to part ways before meeting near the town’s gate to go back to school together, or maybe laze a little longer in the lively city. Lemon wanted to try some couple stuff at a nearby café and dragged Mash with her, Lance went to buy materials for his sister-goodies craft and cleaning tools he couldn’t find in the school, Dot went to buy some magazines and visit his favorite herbal tea shop of the town, and Finn went to buy a new wand. He found a decent quality one that seemed to fit him. He left the shop soon after he entered, satisfied. He had some time to kill before the appointed time, thus he decided to wander off the streets for a bit.Finn stumbled upon a nice DIY shop, and stopped for a bit to watch the window display. They had really cool stuff. His wallet felt very light, but he could still buy some tools. He smiled, and turned to reach the door to enter the shop when he suddenly met wide, burgundy eyes. Carpaccio looked just as surprised as Finn was. They both stood there for a few, way too long seconds, awkwardly watching each other in the eyes. Well, mostly in the eyes. Carpaccio’s open shirt was kind of distracting. Couldn’t he just button it up?!Fortunately, the awkward gaze battle didn’t last long. They got interrupted by a joyful voice, calling the Orca boy. Finn instantly recognized the newcomer. Max Land, his brother’s friend and roommate, wore a surprised expression when he saw Finn, but his beaming smile quickly went back on his face as he greeted him.“Finn! Hello! I haven’t seen you in a while! How are you doing?” he asked, dragging Carpaccio away from in front of the shop door, inviting Finn to follow to chat. “What are you doing there alone, your friends aren’t with you?”“Ah, we were just buying some stuff separately, I have to meet them around five pm. I’m already done, I’m just killing time.”Maybe he shouldn’t have said that last sentence. He noticed how Max’s eyes lit up, and how he hit Carpaccio with his elbow, probably trying to be discreet. And failing at it. He glanced at a nearby city clock, before returning to face Finn.“It’s not even four and half! You still have a lot of time! How about you come with us for a bit? We were about to settle down in a café! What do you think? Or maybe you want to buy some stuff from that store first?”Finn couldn’t say no. Well, he liked Max. He was a friendly guy, and always kind with Finn or his other juniors. However, he wasn’t really enthusiastic about spending time with Carpaccio. He didn’t know these two were even close. Finn winced internally as he accepted his senior’s invitation.They found a café not far off from where they were, and sat down at a table near the windows. Well, it was quite nice. And the menu looked rather appealing. Finn ordered a green lemon sorbet, Max an iced coffee and Carpaccio a peach sorbet. The coldness was perfect for the warm day. They chatted a bit before Max left to use the bathroom. Finn pretended he didn’t notice the wink he gave to Carpaccio.As soon as Max left, silence fell on the table. Finn and Carpaccio looked at each other awkwardly, neither of them saying anything. Finn felt his palms becoming sweaty, and he avoided Carpaccio’s gaze, trying to look anywhere but his eyes. No, anywhere but his eyes and his exposed chest. Finn was tempted to button it up himself. As he hoped that Max wouldn’t be too long, his desperate cry got interrupted by Carpaccio’s voice.“How are you feeling? After the exam, I mean. Does it still hurt?”Finn jumped in his seat. Wow, that was unexpected. “Ah, I’m okay! Everything’s fine now, it doesn’t hurt at all.”Carpaccio nodded, and didn’t add anything else. Silence again. Awkward. Max, please come back soon! Finn screamed internally. Some time passed before the other boy spoke again.“Do you want a taste?” he asked, pushing his sorbet towards him.Finn didn’t know what to do. Obviously, taking a little would be extremely awkward, but Carpaccio looked like he was waiting for him to do so, and Finn really didn’t want to displease him. Maybe he looked softer now, but Finn didn’t forget how he could very easily harm him if he wanted to. He doubted he did, but he still could. Ultimately, grabbed his spoon and quickly took a bit of sorbet before putting it to his lips.“Is it good?”Finn nodded. The other boy looked satisfied with his answer. And then it happened. Finn froze, and his heart missed a beat.Carpaccio smiled.Not the weird, crazy looking one from the day of the Divine Visionary Selection Exam. It was not exactly a whole smile, more like half a smile, with his lips barely curled up. But it was enough to soften his whole expression, not so different from his usual face, yet seeming far from his frigid, expressionless self. Damn. Finn couldn’t help but remember Dot’s ‘pretty boy rant’, complaining about how popular and good looking Carpaccio was despite his stiff expression. Now that it was gone, he was indeed very handsome. Not that he wasn’t before, but Finn didn’t really pay attention until now.The smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but Finn was still in shock. Max came back soon after it, pulling Finn away from his trance. He excused himself as the time he was supposed to meet his friends was nearing, leaving the table to pay for his order. Or trying, as Max didn’t let him pay and insisted he was going to treat them both, as their senior.Finn greeted them, and left for the town’s gate. Behind him, he noticed Max excitedly squeezing Carpaccio’s shoulder, excitedly blabbering to the other boy. Finn turned around, hurrying not to make his friends wait. He hoped they were tired as well, he just really wanted to go back to the school now. It had been an exhausting day. Fun, for sure, with its share of unexpected surprises, but truly exhausting.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Finn got up this Wednesday, something was off. He felt like something was missing, but he had just gotten up, and he was too sleepy to grasp it. However, the moment he opened the door, realization hit him. This morning, he didn’t receive anything. Which was extremely unusual. He had gotten used to receiving anonymous gifts from his ‘admirer’ every single day. Never late, never any missed day. However, this morning, there was nothing. Nothing in front of his door, hanging on the doorknob, in his robe pocket, his bag. Finn felt worry creeping up his chest. This has never happened before. Maybe something happened to his stalker? Maybe they collapsed somewhere, or maybe they were sick? Or hurt?Finn shook his head. Calm down. They were probably okay, the school had an infirmary and a competent nurse. However, another, equally unpleasant, thought popped in the back of his mind. Maybe they just… Grew tired of pursuing him? Well, it would be understandable. He accepted the gifts, but didn’t thank them, or even do much to find them. He tried, but there was always something coming up, and he was busy enough with others, more important matters, like not getting expelled or killed. Besides, he didn’t understand the reason why they were interested in him from all people in the first place. This wasn’t really a surprise, it was bound to end up that way. Finn ignored the pinching in his chest, and left his room, calling Mash out for him to hurry. They were already late.On the way to class, Finn’s stomach growled. He didn’t have time for breakfast, but he was used to it. However, these last days, the gifts he received were all kinds of pastries, brioches, meat buns and other sort of stuffy food he had for breakfast, sharing it with his friends on the way to school. Before, they had been flowers, small sweets, mini-plushies and other trinkets. Ah, he should prepare some snacks for breakfast now. It had only been a few days, but he already got used to eating in the morning.Finn’s last hope got crushed to ashes when he arrived inside his classroom. Nothing awaited him on the desk. He sat down, gloomier than he’d like to admit. Well, it was nice while it lasted.
***
Finn was lost in his thoughts when he felt Lemon pulling his sleeve, showing a dense, loud crowd in the middle of the hall. They couldn’t see what was happening, the center of attention hidden by the wall of students, and their ears were filled with loud cheering, whispers and laughs from the audience. Finn exchanged a look with his friends. They seemed just as curious as he was. When they drew closer, some students turned around, indiscreetly glancing at them (or was it just at Finn?) and muttering to one another, hiding their mouths behind their hands.“Is that a fight?” said Dot excitedly, approaching the crowd, tip toeing, trying to see above the dense student wall.Lemon whispered something to Mash’s ear, and after he replied something in a hushed tone, he grabbed her by the waist from behind and put her on his shoulders. Ah, very clever. She drew towards the fight, and let out a squeak, eyes widening as she saw who were the participants. As he heard it, Dot brows furrowed, before he suddenly forced his way into the nosy student wall, earning some annoyed complaints. Finn quickly stuck up to him, nimbly engulfing himself in the breach Dot opened. He unconsciously mimicked Lemon’s squeak as he understood the previous glances.On his left, Carpaccio Luo-Yang, dagger out. On his right, Rayne Ames, Partisans out.Fortunately, it seemed they hadn't started fighting yet. However, Finn could feel the animosity in the air. It was so thick he could almost touch it. Rayne was glaring at Carpaccio with barely hidden ire, jaw clenched as if he was holding threats that were burning his lips. The other boy was watching him with cold, hostile eyes, a smug smile on his face and nonchalant, defying posture, his head tilted to the side.“Give up. Now. Give me your word here and now, or I’ll make sure you’ll regret it.” Rayne hissed, drawing his Partisans closer to the other student.“I already told you I won’t. If you want to fight, let’s fight. I’ll take you.” Carpaccio provoked, clearly not intending to really fight him. He was not stupid enough to defy a Divine visionary and thee-liner in a duel. Yet, his fingers smoothly played with his dagger, his grin widening. Ok, maybe he was really going to fight him.Rayne seemed ready to throw his Partisans. Everyone could sense the sparkles crackling between the two. Finn threw himself between the two, extending his arms palm open, one towards his brother and the other towards Carpaccio in a bid to stop the incoming fight, and tried to intervene to prevent a battle from starting in the middle of the halls. He rushed to his brother, standing between him and the Orca student as he tried to reason with him, as well as preventing him from stabbing the other with several Partisans.Fortunately, Rayne seemed to calm down, giving a last death glare to Carpaccio as he dismissed his Partisans, the swords disappearing in thin air. He was about to leave, but not without addressing a last threat to Carpaccio.“I dare you to do anything. You’ll fucking regret it. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”“I won’t give up. Ever. You won’t stop me.” the other replied with a grin, not moving an inch from where he stood. Couldn’t he cooperate a bit?!Finn felt Rayne tense, reaching for his wand again. Finn quickly left, dragging his brother by the arm. He internally thanked him for letting him take him away. He noticed his friends behind his shoulder, leaving the whispering crowd to follow him.Once Finn felt they were far enough, he let go of his brother’s arm, sighing. He suddenly felt Rayne grabbing both of his shoulders, looking at him straight into the eyes.“Finn. Promise me. Do not get involved with that guy. Ever.”Finn looked at him with wide eyes, confused. Well, he wasn’t intending to, anyways. But he didn’t quite understand his brother’s behavior. He nodded, agreeing with an “Okay, I won’t”, but Rayne didn’t seem satisfied.“I’m serious. Don’t get involved with that psycho. Promise it!”“Okay, okay! I promise!” What’s up with you today, he thought, not daring to say it aloud.Rayne sighed with relief, and left without a word, leaving Finn alone and confused, standing in the middle of the hallways before his friends caught up to him.***Finn pinched his nose while Lance and Dot continued bickering with each other. Mash was watching them, too busy to stuff his mouth with cream puffs to stop them, and Lemon was watching Mash, too busy watching him stuff his mouth with cream puffs to stop them. In the afternoon, they went to the library to study a bit, yet Finn was the only one with his book open. He sighed as he closed it. He was about to try to stop them (second fight today, damn), when both suddenly fell silent, interrupted by a short girl wearing Orca robes, with short, frizzy dark hair and round glasses, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to another.“Uhm, excuse me?” she said, averting her eyes. “Finn Ames?”“Uh, yes?” the concerned answered, confused.The girl handed him something wrapped in a white cloth. Finn took it, thanking her awkwardly. He saw Dot fuming, and all his friends watching the scene with wide eyes. The girl also seemed to notice, as she waved her hands in a defensive gesture.“Ah, no no no! I’m just delivering it! Passing the stuff and all! It’s not from me!” she specified hurriedly, cheeks reddening a bit.“Then who? Who is it from?” Lemon and Dot asked in a single voice, pestering the poor girl.“Can’t say it. Don’t bother asking, I won’t spill” she stated, crossing her arms and shaking her head. “I really need the extra help I get in exchange.”Dot and Lemon pouted as she left. Even Mash and Lance seemed a bit disappointed. She turned around and left, and stopped by a bookshelf, looking as if she was talking to someone they couldn’t see. She noticed their gazes on her, and quickly disappeared behind the bookshelf as well. Finn didn’t notice the burgundy eyes fixed on him between the books.The friends focused back on what Finn had received (after Lance prevented Dot from going to peek behind the shelf). He slowly removed the cloth, revealing a green tupperware with a folded letter on the lid. Finn decided to go for the letter first, unfolding it with shaky fingers. Inside, he was met with familiar red ink. “Sorry, it’s a bit late. It took me some tries before reaching something decent.” Finn frowned, then opened the tupperware. He definitely heard Lemon muffle a gasp and he saw Dot’s jaw dropped. Inside it was a… Cake? It had crumbled a bit inside the box, but it was still obviously a cake.He exchanged a look with his friends, then took the knife Lemon was handing him (where did she pull that from?!) and cut a small piece, before taking a bite. It was a simple, yogurt cake. It wasn’t bad, but it was clearly the work of a beginner. Well, it still was pretty good for a first time. Finn smiled as he finished his piece, and cut his friends some as well.“Not bad, but could definitely be better”, Lance said, as the culinary critique he was.“Don’t say that! Someone poured all of their love into it!” Dot protested.“Not beating cream puffs.”“What do you think, Finn?” Lemon asked.“It’s good. Very tasty.” the concerned replied with a beaming smile. He wasn’t lying. Finn did like the cake.He quietly hummed as he cut himself another piece. He felt relieved to know they were alright (and also that they didn’t get tired of him). When they finally reveal themselves, Finn will definitely invite them to Adler’s kitchen to teach them as his thanks.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Finn stayed alone in Easton. Mash went back home for the weekend, with Lemon who tagged along, Lance took the opportunity to visit his little sister, and Dot got kidnapped by Love who fought with Wirth and needed someone to complain to about his boyfriend. It wasn’t the first time the friend group each went their separate ways, it actually happened pretty often. Finn was perfectly okay with this. He really liked his friends, but sometimes, not having to support their weirdness wasn’t a bad thing (well, it still depended on the situation). Well, it was how he was thinking before… Lately, Finn felt really alone. Or specifically, he didn’t feel alone at all, with his stalker still following him. He never missed his friends' presence as much as he did now, even that time when he was in the infirmary, and he looked forward to them coming back. He wasn’t really scared anymore, however, he was feeling rather uncomfortable, somehow awkward.Finn had spent his Saturday studying in the library, taking advantage of his free time to try improving his pitiful grades. During the whole day, he felt fixed on him a glaze by now very familiar. Scary. His stalker didn’t leave him for an instant. Didn’t they have anything else to do?!In the late evening, Finn left the library and went back to his room. When he arrived, he noted with relief that he was finally alone, freed from the insistent gaze spying his every move. He laid down on his bed, still fully clothed, and fixed the ceiling. A lot of stuff happened these last few days. He tilted his head to the side, and watched Mash’s bed. Without his roommate, the room looked really empty. He wasn’t feeling sleepy despite it being already late. He probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep right now. Maybe it was the unusual quiet that made him uneasy… Finn wouldn’t have thought that he would miss Mash’s sleep talking. He laughed quietly, before putting his robe on again and left his room. Maybe a little nightly walk would help.It was night time already, and the deserted corridors were completely silent. Finn wandered off for some time, and before he noticed, he was in front of the library, where he spent his whole day. He opened the door, trying to avoid making too much noise, and came in. He glanced inside. There was no one. Sometimes, students stayed late to finish a last second assignment, but there was no need to stay up working on a Saturday night, unless you were a study freak. There were also the bookworms, or those who liked the atmosphere at night, but this night, everything was empty and quiet. Finn didn’t know if he should feel reassured or scared.Finn wandered between the bookshelves for a few minutes, at times stopping in front of some shelves to caress the spine of heavy, dusty volumes, examining the titles written in golden letters before continuing. Strangely, he felt appeased.Finn was about to go back to his round when he tripped on something and almost fell on the ground. He regained his balance and looked downward to see what almost made him see the floor from very, very close. When he identified what it was, he froze. It wasn’t something. It was someone. Someone was lying on the ground, visibly unconscious. And obviously, it had to be the number one of ‘Finn’s list of people to avoid at any cost’ : Carpaccio Luo-Yang.Finn didn’t move for a few seconds, holding his breath, as if Carpaccio would suddenly open his eyes and attack him. Or worse, watch him without saying anything. Finn crouched down and quickly examined him. He didn’t look like he was feeling good. Finn didn’t know what he should do. He couldn’t just let him here! Especially since he helped him during the common exam with Orca, and all. But what could he do? He hesitated, then decided to bring him to the infirmary. Good job, Finn. Great plan. Like that, he wouldn’t let him here, alone on the ground, but he wouldn’t have to take care of him, get involved with him. Perfect.However, it was easier said than done, and Finn realized as soon as he passed his arms under Carpaccio’s to lift him up. Damn, he’s heavy as hell! he cursed internally. This would definitely make things harder. Especially since the infirmary was quite far away from the library. Finn didn’t know where Carpaccio’s room was, and in any case he wasn’t even sure it would be closer than the infirmary. Waking him up was definitely not an option : Finn didn’t want to die, either literally or from embarrassment, and he was still avoiding him. The only solution he could think about was rather unpleasant : bringing him in his own room. It was close to the library, he would have to carry him too far. He winced. I’m too kind for my own good, he thought.Finn tried to lift him up again, and walked towards Adler’s dormitory, carrying Carpaccio’s upper half, dragging his legs on the floor. If Mash was here, he wouldn’t have any difficulty carrying him. Finn promised himself he would accompany his friends during his workout sessions, from time to time.After numerous efforts, Finn reached his room. He pulled Carpaccio’s unconscious body on his bed in a last effort, before sitting next to him. He sighed, wiping sweat drops off his forehead. He was certain he would have muscle ache the next day. He looked at the unconscious student next to him. What should he do now? Letting Carpaccio sleep on his bed was obviously the best solution. But where would he sleep? He wouldn’t borrow Mash’s best without asking. But sharing a bed with the number one of ‘Finn’s list of people to avoid at any cost’ wasn’t really tempting. He stood up before sitting down on the ground, letting his head rest against the mattress, and sighed. I’m too kind for my own good, he repeated. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
***
The next morning, Finn woke up by daylight through his closed eyelids. He half-opened his eyes. Blinded by the sun, a few seconds went by before he could see anything. Usually, he needed at least at least ten whole minutes before only waking up. For him to get up, he needed ten more. This time, Finn had only needed four seconds and half. He opened his eyes wide. In front of him, a few centimeters away from his own was Carpaccio Luo-Yang’s sleeping face. Finn wondered what the fuck he could do in his bed, before rememering the previous day’s events. His instinct shouted at him to get away the farthest possible, as soon as possible, but he didn’t. Finn stayed immobile, like frozen, while holding his breath, scared that the slightest sound of movement would wake up Carpaccio. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. What was he doing in his bed? He clearly remembered falling asleep on the floor.He didn’t have time to think about it. Carpaccio suddenly opened his eyes. Finn backed away in surprise, and squeaked as he fell off the bed.“I-I-I’m very sorry!” Finn stammered hastily. “I found you on the ground in the library, so he brought you there- The infirmary was too far, and I couldn’t leave you back there and-”“I see. Thank you.”Carpaccio stood up, and extended a hand towards Finn, who took it without realizing. He pulled him up like he weighed nothing. Once again.“...Sorry for that. It happens sometimes, when I’m focused on my research, I forget to eat or sleep.Too scary! Finn thought. He didn’t know what to say. Carpaccio didn’t add anything, thus a terribly uncomfortable silence fell. The two boys looked each other in the eyes, neither saying anything. The unease was almost palpable. Finn averted his eyes, not being able to hold Carpaccio’s gaze any longer, but he was still feeling his eyes on him. A strangely familiar sensation…Before he could make any connection, he realized that Carpaccio was still holding his hand. He hurriedly stuttered apologies as he tried to withdraw his hand. It didn’t budge an inch. Carpaccio squeezed his hand tighter in his own, yet without hurting him. Finn raised his head and his eyes met Carpaccio’s once again. He opened his mouth, but before words could leave his lips, he got interrupted but this sentence that will stay engraved in his mind :“I love you.”Finn’s brain stopped working at the exact same instant his heart stopped beating. What? What? He wondered for a moment if his ears weren’t failing him.“What?...”“I love you”, Carpaccio repeated, slowly and softly, almost in a murmur yet with a firm, sure tone.What the fuck is… Finn was deeply in shock. Carpaccio wasn’t the kind of guy to make that sort of joke. Well, Finn doubted he was the kind of guy to make jokes at all. He liked him? Carpaccio liked- no, loved him ? Him? Finn couldn’t believe it. He felt his palm becoming sweaty in Carpaccio’s hand.Suddenly, he twitched. The stalker, that would be?...“Oh. Then, uh, the letter and all, was that you who, you know?” he asked in a single breath.Carpaccio nodded. What a surprise… But now that he knew, it made sense, somehow… However, the reason why he did all that was still obscure.“Erh, thanks. It’s really nice, but… Ah, for the notes in my book, that helped me a lot, and uh…” Good grief, I’m talking nonsense, Finn whined. “Ah, earlier you did say you forget to eat, right? When was the last time you had something to eat? Wait here, I’ll go fetch you something”, he interrupted himself as he remembered Carpaccio’s words.Finn didn’t let the other any time to answer, and pulled his hand out. He should have something to snack on in his room… He noticed an orange he brought from the Adler dormitory’s kitchen the day before, then went back to Carpaccio, and shoved the fruit in his hands before taking him by the shoulders and, gently but surely, guiding him towards the door. Surprisingly, he let Finn do it.“Here, take this. It’s not much, so you should head to the great hall or your dormitory’s kitchen to have a nice, solid breakfast, eat and go rest! It’s the weekend, don’t work yourself to exhaustion!” Finn ordered as he pushed Carpaccio out of his room.He slammed the door before waiting for a reply, and pressed his back against the door, before letting himself slide against the wood to end up sitting on the floor. Finn was still in shock. His cheeks were burning, and he was probably as red as a tomato. He let his head rest in his arms, and heard with relief Carpaccio draw away after a while.What had just happened? Finn thought. He would without any doubt need some time to process the information and organize his thoughts. Suddenly, something went through his mind.“Fuck!” he shouted. “The robe!”
***
In the middle of the afternoon, Mash, Lemon and Lance had come back. Dot had returned really late the day before, thus he had slept for a good part of the day. Together again, the five friends talked about their weekend, and chatted about small things as they ate delicious cream puffs Mash had brought from his hometown.However, Finn stayed abnormally silent, and didn’t pay any attention to his friends and the ongoing conversations. The events of the morning were occupying all his thoughts. Finn was lying on his bed, under his friends’ worried gaze, who were wondering with growing concern what could have happened during their absence. Finn’s mind was wandering here and there, reviewing again and again everything that had happened until then. Even several hours later, he still had the impression of feeling the warmth of Carpaccio’s hand on his own, as if his skin had memorized the sensation.
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It was a warm and peaceful Sunday morning, and Margarette Macaron was enjoying it to its fullest. The sun had just barely risen, and the lights were gracefully dancing in his room through the open window as his fingers ran on the piano tiles, the elegant melody filling his ears, without any missed note. But it was the calm before the storm, and the quiet was soon to fade away. Quite brutally. The pure melody crashed in an awful, ear-tearing cacophony as the door of the room violently slammed open, hitting the wall with a loud thump.Margarette instantly turned around, accompanied by the unpleasant screech of the chair. Worry immediately crept up inside his chest as he was met with a very distressed looking Carpaccio. Oh dear. The poor boy looked about to cry. The maternal instinct kicking in, the Orca prefect rushed to the boy’s side, prepared to comfort him. Being a mother really was a full time job.
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“You panicked.” Margarette said, raising an eyebrow.“I panicked.”, Carpaccio repeated.“So you decided to confess to him.”“Yes.”Margarette pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long, exasperated sigh.“What am I gonna do with you…”“Was that wrong?” Carpaccio asked.“Of course it was! You don’t confess like that! You have to choose the right moment, prepare the atmosphere, go with the tension… Not blurt it out out of nowhere! Poor little Finn, he must have been truly shocked.”“I don’t know. The words just… Escaped on their own.”Margarette softly patted his back in a comforting gesture. “Well, at least he knows your feelings, now. Don’t worry too much, Carpaccio dear, it’s not a big deal. I’m sure he was more surprised than anything. Or embarrassed.”Carpaccio nodded, half listening to the prefect’s soothing words and courting dating advice. Margarette had probably noticed, as he left to attend some of his prefect duties, not without a last head pat. Carpaccio went back to his own room next door, and sat on his bed, eyes fixed on the floor. Ah, there was still the stain he made the other day, when he dropped a potion. The color even looked more vivid than before.Carpaccio pulled the orange Finn gave him out of his robe pocket, and started peeling it slowly. In the end, he didn’t go to the kitchens for breakfast, nor did he even eat the fruit, as he immediately rushed to the Orca prefect. Carpaccio slid a quarter in his mouth. He tried to enjoy every piece of the fruit, delighting in the taste, the sensation of the juice in his mouth. It was the first time Finn gave him something, even if it was just an orange. Oh, how strange love was. His heart couldn’t stop throbbing, beating so fast, so hard. Carpaccio felt like it was going to explode in his chest.He could remember every detail from the early morning. From the way Finn looked at him in sheer shock and disbelief, to how he lectured him to take care of himself, without forgetting the lovely slight pink on his round cheeks, nor the warmth of his hand in Carpaccio’s own. Or Finn’s presence right next to him during the night, his slow breath akin to a soothing lullaby. He could also remember how his chest tightened when Finn closed the door after he pushed him out. He hoped that Margarette was right. That he was surely just really surprised. That wouldn’t be improbable. After all, they didn’t interact much. One could count the times they did on the fingers of a hand. Besides, there was also the Divine Visionary Selection Exam, where Carpaccio hadn’t been... very gentle with him.Carpaccio sighed. Getting kicked out right after (accidentally) confessing had hurt more than he thought, but at the same time, he felt… Relieved? Yeah, that was kinda it. After all, he didn’t mean to say it. Carpaccio also needed time to process all that happened, including his own words. He was falling in love more and more, deeper and harder with every interaction. Love was the strangest feeling Carpaccio ever felt. It was a deeply foreign concept, a journey into the unknown. Not unpleasant, yet sometimes more painful than pain itself. A burning coldness in his heart, a warm feeling in his chest. Carpaccio didn’t understand. But he knew that Finn was the one unconsciously toying with his heart, playing with his feelings with his every smile, his every word.Carpaccio didn’t understand, but he wanted more. He wanted to get closer to Finn. He wanted his words to be addressed to him, his smiles to be destined to him, not just watching from afar. But for some time, he didn’t draw closer. Not yet. Finn would be afraid. And yet, now he had done it. Carpaccio drew closer, broke the distance he carefully maintained not to scare the boy away. And Finn got scared.Carpaccio got up. Love was strange. He threw the orange peels in the bin, and left his room. He walked towards the lab, before suddenly stopping in the middle of the hallway. Research could wait. Carpaccio turned around and headed to the Orca dormitory’s kitchens. He pulled a recipe book and flipped through the pages, looking for something simple. Maybe a cake with stewed apples? Looked easy enough. He still remembered how light Finn was, when he carried him during the common exam. He surely wasn’t eating enough, and he was always skipping breakfast. Even if Finn was scared of him, Carpaccio wouldn’t stop giving him presents and doing what he could to take care of him. Finn could hate him with every fiber of his being, Carpaccio would still continue.
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Finn didn’t sleep on Sunday night. But could you blame him for getting insomnia? He had just gotten confessed by the guy that almost killed him once. The following nights had been just as restless. Finn spent the nights tossing and turning, and the days dozing off and drowsing in class, overthinking again and again.Finn almost wished that Carpaccio would come to him, to say anything, but something! Instead, he just continued doing whatever he was doing before, watching from afar and leaving gifts for him. He even received homemade cuisine a few times. For almost a whole week, Finn didn't catch even a glimpse of the other boy. Not only that, but Finn didn't feel his eyes on him nearly half as often as before. He was starting to get annoyed more than he was nervous and uneasy.Finn couldn't let things continue like that, just ignoring it wouldn't solve anything. Also, he needed to sleep, and his grades were starting to drop once again.So here he was, on a Saturday morning at 9 am, awkwardly standing in the hall of the Orca dormitory, clenching his bag in his arms, pressed against his chest, heart beating too fast for his liking. He had already been there for more than twenty minutes, but he didn’t dare to ask someone or go deeper inside the dormitory to look for Carpaccio. For all the time he stole there, he saw countless students that came and went, only to get ignored or receive some annoyed glares. Finn started to doubt this was even a good idea in the first place, when a girl in green orca robes approached him.“Do you need something?”, she asked with a polite half smile, startling Finn.“Uh, yes actually, I'm looking for-”“Carpaccio Luo-Yang I suppose?” she interrupted him softly. “Feminine intuition”, she laughed, as she saw Finn’s wide eyes and guessed the question he had in his mind.The girl left, and invited Finn to follow her. She was short, but despite her small legs, she walked fast, and Finn almost had to run to be able to keep up. The girl looked familiar, but he only recognised her after a couple of minutes.“Aren't you the girl from the other day, with the Tupperware?” Finn gasped in realization.She nodded briefly, only looking at him with a small smile for a second without stopping. “Lana Crawford, nice to meet you.”Finn didn’t introduce himself, as Lana already knew him. “Are you Carpaccio’s friend ?” he asked, mostly to try to start a conversation to break the awkward silence, but he was still a bit curious.“More like labmates, I'd say. Sometimes I give him a hand, sometimes he helps me. Win-win.”She didn’t expand on the matter, thus Finn didn’t pry any further. They continued walking for a few dozen steps before Lana Crawford finally stopped in the middle of a hallway, pointing at two doors.“This one is Carpaccio’s room. Next door is Margarette’s. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to bother him for a bit. If you can’t find Carpaccio, he’s probably there.” She said, then waved at him with a small smile before leaving.Finn stood in front of the door for a couple of minutes, not daring to knock on the door. He could feel his heart pounding loudly in his chest. Finn tried to calm down, and after he steadied his breath a little, he raised a trembling hand to the door and gave it a weak knock. He waited for a few seconds, seeming awfully long, before the door opened.As the door opened, Finn's eyes met burgundy ones, slightly widened in surprise. They stood there facing each other in silence for some time. It wasn’t more than a minute or two, but it definitely felt like hours to Finn. He averted Carpaccio’s gaze, but he could still feel the other staring at him. He really couldn't guess what he was thinking. He clenched his bag tight against his chest, not knowing what to say, when Carpaccio finally broke the silence and invited him to come inside.When Finn entered, he couldn’t help but cast a glance around the room. It was probably the messiest room Finn had ever seen. Books that looked used to the bone and paper sheets full of messy, practically illegible notes were piled up everywhere on his desk, chair, bed, on the floor, along with empty flasks and lab materials. There wasn’t a single place that wasn’t covered by something. Finn wondered where Carpaccio’d even sleep- if he did sleep, that is.Carpaccio grabbed some piles of books from his bed and put it on his desk, the piles oscillating dangerously. He invited Finn to sit down on the cleared spot on his bed. They sat in silence, neither really knowing how to start. For once, Carpaccio’s eyes were stuck to the wall they were facing rather than on him. Finn was tense, and he felt cold sweat running down his neck. He was already there, there was no going back now.This time, Finn was the one who broke the silence. He took something in his bag and handed it to Carpaccio. “Here. Thank you for lending it to me. I haven’t returned it, and it caused you some trouble. Sorry about that… I washed it.”Carpaccio took the thing Finn handed him. It was the robe he gave him some time ago, when Finn was sleeping in the library.“You could have given it to someone from Orca, they’d have passed it to me. Did you need to come here just to return it?” Carpaccio asked. While his words seemed rude, his tone wasn't aggressive nor annoyed.“Ah, actually, it wasn’t just that…” Finn said, averting his eyes, scratching his cheek with his index. “I think it’d be a good thing to talk about, uhm, you know…”Finn couldn’t bring himself to continue, his cheeks getting embarrassingly hot. As Carpaccio only watched him in silence, visibly having no intention to say anything, he continued.“Last Sunday. You said… That…” he sighed. “I think it’d be best to avoid misunderstandings.”“So you want to know what I said was true?”Finn nodded awkwardly. He swallowed painfully, as his aching throat was dry, clenching and unclenching his robes.“It was sincere. I do love you.”Oh. So that was a confession.“Really? But… But…” Finn didn’t know what to say. Well, he did know, but he had no idea how to phrase it, and the words were stuck in his throat. “Why?” he asked in a low, almost inaudible voice.Even if he heard it directly from Carpaccio’s mouth, he still couldn't believe his words. Yet somehow, he knew he wasn’t lying. Maybe he was just unsure? Maybe he confused love with something else? Because why would someone love Finn that way, and ever more Carpaccio Luo-Yang?At Finn’s question, Carpaccio stopped, tilting his head to the side, taking his chin between his index and thumb, looking as he was thinking about what answer he could give. After a few dozens of seconds, he looked back at Finn and said shamelessly “Because it’s Finn.”What kind of answer was that??! Did that even count as an answer??!“Haha, okay…” Finn laughed nervously.They stopped talking once again. Oh, how Finn hated those awkward silences. There was at least one every time he met Carpaccio. He should get used to it now… Finn didn’t know what to do now. He was scared of saying or doing anything wrong. After all, offending Carpaccio would be the last thing he wanted to do. Nonetheless, he still needed to get some things off his chest.“Uh, you know… I…” Finn swallowed. The words were quite difficult to say. “I don’t really share your feelings, but… If you’d like, maybe we can start by being friends?”Carpaccio stared at Finn for a moment, before giving him a small smile. Oh god, that smile again. Finn’s heart missed a beat. It was quite an eerie sight, seeing Carpaccio smile. A half, still a little cold smile that was so out of place in his usually frozen face. Please don’t do that again, Finn begged internally. He’d die from a heart attack! Was he going to kill him now? Maybe this was the wrong thing to say, he dug his own grave… He was happy to have known Mash and his friends before dying, goodbye life…“I’d love to. Thank you.”Finn couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as he slightly relaxed. Oh. That was unexpected. He gave an awkward smile in return. Well. Maybe being friends with Carpaccio wouldn’t be too bad.
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“Oh, by the way… There was something I wanted to ask you…” Finn started. “About the… Uh… The gifts… When I found them in my bag, or my pockets in the morning… Did you, uh, put them inside during the night?..”“No. You often put your bag somewhere and forget it, so I usually put the gifts then. I never came into your room before you brought me there last Sunday.”“Ah.”Now that Carpaccio mentioned it, he did often have to go back to retrieve his bag, his robe, or some books... He really needed to be more careful with his stuff.
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Finn wouldn't have thought that one day, Carpaccio Luo-Yang would get demoted from his first place in ‘Finn’s list of people to avoid at any cost’. And yet, it happened, somehow. They were even friends now. Finn tried not to think about it too much. The day after they became friends, Finn stayed with his friends all day. It was a nice day. They gathered in Adler’s kitchen to prepare potions for class and cream puffs. It was fun. At the time, Finn almost forgot about the recent events with a certain burgundy haired wizard. Almost. He couldn’t help but be anxious, and the thoughts were branded in his mind. He didn’t sleep much on Sunday night.Monday morning came too quickly. Finn wasn’t exactly an early riser, and the restless night didn’t help. Had his bed ever been this comfy? Finn wasn’t sure, but what he knew was that he didn’t want to leave the warm blankets. Ultimately, after Mash and him got threatened by Lance, he got up and ready. Before he left, Lance called out to him, handing him a paper bag that was hanging on his doorknob. Finn opened it, to see a few pastries inside. He couldn’t help his lips from curving upwards slightly. Maybe things would be alright, after all.***Things were, in fact, not alright. Finn was still nervous about seeing Carpaccio as friends, and the anxiety was killing him. On the way to his first then second class, he couldn’t help but be on the lookout for familiar burgundy locks.Finn finally noticed what he was looking for after his second class, during the first break. He was walking with his friends, listening to Dot complain about the potion teacher and her habit of giving too much homework, when they saw a group of Orca students coming from the opposite direction. Finn froze when he recognized Carpaccio, and he had to physically restrain himself from running away or hiding behind his friends. He had been so used to avoiding him it was now a reflex, and his body was moving before his mind. Old habits die hard, after all. Finn forced himself to move, and directed his attention on the Orca students. Among them, he recognized Lana Crawford, who was excitedly talking and showing some sheets of papers to Carpaccio, who was focused on them. Finn didn’t take her for the lively type. Maybe it was just an Orca trait. Would Carpaccio be that passionate when talking about his research? Probably not.As they were about to pass the other group, Carpaccio looked up from Lana’s notes, and his eyes met Finn’s. The latter’s brain froze, and he waved at him with an awkward smile. Finn cursed himself. He didn’t need to be that nervous over greeting a friend. Carpaccio greeted him back with a nod of his head. No smile. Good. Finn was anxious enough.Finn sighed in relief when they finally passed the Orca students. He didn’t know a greeting could be that stressful. He focused back on his friend's conversation. Dot was still complaining, his cursing now extended to the other teachers as well, and Mash was considering stuffing his mouth with cream puffs to make him shut up. Finn laughed. It would be fun to see. He was about to encourage him to try when he noticed the look Lance was giving him. Finn shuddered. It was the look he usually kept for when Mash or Dot did or said something stupid. The look of the disapproving mother.***The next time Finn saw Carpaccio was during lunch break. He was back from the bathroom, on his way to join his friends to eat, when he bumped into someone in the crowded Grand Hall. It had hurt more than he’d have expected. Finn was about to apologize profusely when he recognised who he bumped into.“My, my. Isn’t it Finn Ames?” Margaret Macaron said with a large creepy smile.“Ah- Hello!” Finn greeted, glancing at the Orca prefect’s surroundings. The twins were, as always, by his side. Carpaccio was also there, absorbed in what seemed to be research notes. The notes were so messy Finn was sure he wouldn’t be able to read that if he wanted to. He wondered how the other student was able to understand his own writing.“Going to lunch?” Margaret asked. “So are we. What do you think about joining us?”Joining them? No thank you! Finn thought. Margaret had been kind with him the few times they met each other, but Finn would still rather avoid spending too much time with him. He had his share of weirdos with his own group of friends. As for Carpaccio… Sure, having lunch with friends was normal, but aren’t things going too fast?!“Ah, uhm, my friends are waiting for me, but thanks. Maybe next time?” Or maybe never?“Mmh, too bad. Maybe we could invite Mash and the others too? Problem solved.”Please no, Finn thought. “Sure”, he said instead. That was a bad idea. A very bad idea. Margaret was fine. Mash got along with pretty much anyone he met, including those who he’d destroyed in battle. The twins were quiet people, not the kind to cause any trouble. They were fine, too. Carpaccio, on the other hand? There will definitely be a fight. Fuck.On the way to the table Mash and cie were waiting at, Finn was trying to find a way to avoid a bloodbath, or just generally speaking the whole situation itself, when a voice got him out of his thoughts.“Are you okay?”Finn jolted, and turned to meet Carpaccio’s burgundy eyes. Finn’s brain froze. He stared at Carpaccio for a few seconds before his brain rebooted enough for him to reply.“Ah, yes, sorry!” Finn apologized frantically. He considered sharing his thoughts. Maybe it’ll help the situation. “Uhm, I was just thinking that… Well, since the thing at the Divine Visionary Selection Exam, my friends… Don’t really, uh… Appreciate you.”“Makes sense.” Carpaccio replied. Somehow, Finn wasn’t surprised. Margaret either, visibly, as Finn heard him let out a laugh behind them.Finn was growing more and more nervous as they approached their favorite table. Which was actually only one or two minutes away. Finn didn’t know if he should be amazed or scared of how quickly he could get anxious. Maybe a bit of both? Probably mostly scared.As they came near, Lemon noticed him, and waved at Finn excitedly, before freezing as she saw Carpaccio. The others had more or less the same reaction. The four of them were now openly glaring at Carpaccio. Even the sweet Lemon was shooting daggers. Finn wanted to cry. He prayed that the Orca student wouldn’t say or do something stupid. He didn’t really want Mash to pull out the tennis racket in the middle of the Grand Hall.Fortunately, before Carpaccio could open his mouth, Margaret intervened. “Hello, my little Mash. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? We met Finn just then. We were just talking about inviting him to our table, but I thought it’d be better if we joined yours. What do you think?”Mash thought about it for a few seconds, then exchanged a look with the other Adler students, before turning back to the Orca prefect.“Sure. Have a seat.”Carpaccio received another round of murderous glares when he sat next to Finn. He just ignored it. Finn was tempted to run away. The atmosphere was icy. The twins were in the same position as Finn. He pitied them. Ultimately, Margaret broke the ice and started a conversation, quickly joined (more or less reluctantly) by the other students. Even then, the tension was still very much there. Finn didn’t even know what he was eating. There had been no fight -yet- but the situation could be better. Every time Carpaccio did so much as move, he received a ‘tch’, a glare of a click of the tongue by one Adler or another. The burgundy haired wizard didn’t pay it the slightest attention. Margaret sighed every time, though.Finn let out a sigh of relief when they finished eating. Never again. Stress would kill him one day. They still had time before the bell rang, but they decided by a silent agreement that they would part ways. Margaret took the twins as he went to the music room, and Mash and the group headed towards the east courtyard, as it was close to their next classroom. Finn was about to follow them, before he felt a presence approaching him. He sighed before turning around to face Carpaccio.“Sorry. I guess I kinda ruined the mood.”Finn smiled. Seeing Carpaccio apologize was still weird. Weird, but not unappreciable.“Ah, it’s okay. It was kinda expected anyway.”Carpaccio nodded. He didn’t add anything. Finn didn’t add anything. They just looked at each other without saying anything. Again. How awkward. Was it that awkward when he became friends with Mash, at first? Probably not. But Mash was a special case. Well, somehow, Carpaccio was also a special case. Why were all his friends special cases?! Why couldn’t it be someone normal for once?!“What class do you have after lunch break?” Finn asked, a bit unsure. School was a good topic to start a basic conversation with another student, after all.“Potions. And you?”“Divination.”“…”“…”Maybe it wasn’t the right topic.“I don’t really like divination,” Carpaccio stated. Finn thanked god he started talking. “It’s unreliable most of the time. Learning something useless is a waste of time.”“Lance said the same thing. As expected from elite students” Finn laughed. “I don’t really like it either. Too many different techniques and results to learn. I leave the classroom with a headache every time. I’m close to failing, haha…”“I know a few people from Orca who are failing divination because they don’t care enough to spend time and effort on useless things.”“Really? I didn’t know Orca students could fail subjects. Ah, I mean…”Carpaccio shook his head. “It’s actually more common than you think. Most Orca students are absorbed with their research, myself included. The less talented can’t afford to focus on both research studies at the same time.”“Oh,” Finn said. Well, that kinda made sense. Carpaccio was really that talented. Lance’s grades were as good as his, but Lance was spending a lot of time studying. Even among the elites of the elites, there were still great differences. Finn smiled. In the end, Carpaccio was actually pretty easy to talk to. He worried over nothing.“Ah, I think I’ll go now,” Finn said, glancing towards his friends, seemingly growing impatient. Or maybe just annoyed at Carpaccio. Most likely the second one. “See you next time.”“Okay.”Finn was about to join his friends, before he turned back towards Carpaccio. “Oh, wait. Uh, are you free this weekend?”Carpaccio looked surprised. “I am. Why?”“Well, the cake from last time, and the one from yesterday… You cooked them yourself, right? You know, it’s funnier to cook with friends, and I could give you some advice, too, since I cook a lot. How does that sound?” Finn asked. He was getting nervous again. Fuck.“Sounds good to me.”“Okay, then. Is Saturday afternoon in Adler’s kitchen okay?”“Sure.”Finn headed towards his friends, not without waving to Carpaccio, who for some reason waved back. Finn held back a laugh. Being friends with Carpaccio wasn’t half as bad as he’d expected.
***
“The audacity! That psycho sure doesn’t lack nerve!” Dot spat. “First, the thing at the common exam, and now he has the gall to sit right next to Finn!”“You don’t have to follow, you know! Just tell us,” Lemon said, concerned.Mash nodded, “We’ll deal with him.”Finn smiled. His friends could be strange, sometimes, but they were always here for him. Finn was grateful he could always count on them, and he’d do anything so they could count on him, too.“Thank you, but it’s okay. We’re friends now.”“You’re friends?! With that whacko?! Are you out of your mind?!” Dot shouted, promptly shut by Lance swatting him on the head, earning him a nasty look.
“If Finn thinks it’s okay to be friends with him, then so be it. I believe he knows better than us.” Lance said. “Although you’d better be careful around him. One is never too cautious.”“Agree. I’m not against giving him a second chance, if that’s what Finn wants. People change, after all.” Mash added. “But if he does anything to you, I promise I won’t hit him with a mere tennis racket this time.”“But really, be careful,” Dot advised. “That guy’s dangerous. Don’t forget that.” Lemon nodded.“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” Finn said. There were still some roads ahead to improve Carpaccio’s reputation among his friends, but there was progress.