Feet Off the Ground PV Alec Mason Fin

Alec Mason

Didn't flying class become an elective after second year? Why was Alec still taking the class then? A situation he couldn't get around was going to be present one of these times, it was only going to serve to negatively affect his grade average. With a sigh Alec would shake the random thought away, going back to his work.

Attending to his own broom, it was rather easy considering he'd never be getting use out of it. Alec appreciated the handiwork of maintaining a broom. After all these years the polish was a familiar smell and there was something satisfying being able to sand down the- Out came a call from behind, pulling Alec's from his thoughts. Upon realization of the use of his last name his body tensed and the boy grimaced, there was a certain stillness from the young teen, as if he'd been burned. Time healed some wounds, apparently not all. Alec was never going to get used to the use of his last name, the amount of shock it jutted to his system with kick-starter of memories and reminders of the reason he had tried to distance himself from his last name. All of all a person could run away from, their last name would certainly be the harder one on the bunch.

With a turn on his heel Alec glanced towards the direction he'd heard the voice from. Alec pushed away the surfacing negative feelings from hearing the use of his last name, he'd deal with them another time, when he had the time and energy to deal with them. Burnett had been the one to call for him. With a bright and cheery voice; Burnett would mention he wanted help, asking for a second opinion on the sanding done for the handle of his broom.

It was strange to be asking for a second opinion, at least to Alec it was. For years everybody had polished and sanded their brooms, doing either wasn't hard. He wondered if Burnett had sanded his broom too much, getting caught up in the act of sanding his handle and go further then he should or needed. “Sure! I don't see why not. I guess I could take a quick look,” Alec would need to get back to his own broom, but surely he could provide Burnett with a quick second opinion, it's not as if it would take long.

Alec believed in his own polishing and sanding abilities, still, he was confused as why Burnett would come to Alec about his broom. His preference should have been some well-off quidditch player or broom racer, they would know what they were going, reliable in comparison to Alec. Despite feeling strange about the situation, Alec would let Jack lead the way towards his broom and follow. Since Alec was offering a second opinion on Jack's broom; Alec felt he may as well sneak in a cringe-worthy joke on the way. The joke if not for Burnett's benefit would be purely for Alec's own. Alec had been stuck with the joke in his head throughout the class and nobody to share it with as he tried to focus and pay attention.

“Burnett, you heard about the latest broomstick fad, right?” Alec asked, trying to keep the tone of his voice neutral, he glanced away if only to keep a straight face. Even with his spending time with the most stone-faced people imaginable Alec had a harder time masking his face and the emotions that appeared on it in comparison to most. “It's absolutely sweeping the nation,” a smug smile edged on to Alec's lips. He was sure this is what made agreeing to look a Burnett's broom worth it. Of course you know, there was the benefit of helping another person and of course it came first, but being able to say a cringe-worthy joke did make it top-tier worth it.

The two stopped in front of Burnett's broom and Alec's eyes did a once-over of the broom. The broom wasn't in pieces, that seemed like a good sign. Reaching for the broom Alec's hand would wrap around the edge of it's handle, bringing it up closer in order to get a better look of the broom. “Are you sure you even sanded the handle at all?” Alec asked, eyebrows furrowing, his eyes continued to carefully inspect the broom. “It doesn't seem like you did,” here Alec was assuming Burnett sanded the broom handle too much, only to think he didn't sand it enough. Strange.

@Jack Burnett

Upon calling out to Alec, Jack noticed the other boy tense and grimace and wondered why he did so. "You alright?" he asked, wondering if it had been something he'd said. Either that or maybe he was just looking too much into things.

Regardless, the other boy glanced his way before agreeing to inspect his broom. "Thanks," Jack told him in gratitude, already starting to feel the guilt creep up on him. Here this guy was, kind enough to help Jack out, and Jack was thinking of ways to exploit his potential fear. It's for a good cause. It's for a good cause! he tried reminding himself tenaciously, shaking his head to clear it. He was only going to have one shot at this and he had to do it right the first time because there would be no second chance.

"Broomstick fad?" he repeated when Alec brought it up. "I don't think I have. What is - " Before he could finish asking what it was, Alec delivered the punchline of his joke, causing Jack to pause and contemplate it for a second before snorting in amusement and then shaking his head again but this time for an entirely different reason.

"Wow, Mason," he uttered under his breath. "Just...wow. I can't believe you just said that."

He was still smirking at the thought of the joke when they got to his broom and Alec began to look it over. "I did! You can't tell?" Jack protested when he was asked if he'd sanded the handle at all. He wasn't lying - though, admittedly, he guessed he hadn't done a great job because he'd had other things on his mind. Things that drove his thoughts and actions in the following next few seconds.

Swinging a leg over the broom, he grabbed the shaft of the handle higher up than where Alec had gripped it and immediately attempted to take off. If he failed to for some reason or Alec decided to let go before they made it off the ground, it would have all been for naught. So Jack closed his eyes and willed the broom to fly straight up with all his might - as high as it could go.

@Alec Mason

Confused, Alec inspected the handle further at Jack's insistence. It really didn't seem like he had and Alec would have thought Jack knew how to properly sand a handle by now but clearly not. Was Alec supposed to lie to him and tell him it looked great? He was insisting on having done it and Alec doubted think he would be able to get through to him that it didn't look like he- “Wha-” Alec managed to get out, when his trail of thoughts were lost, gone with the wind as he felt the broom moving. The broom was moving?

How- why would- his confusion left him in a state of feeling as if this were some weird fever dream he was having. Because this is not that sort of thing that happened in reality right? Wake up, wake- It wasn't a fever dream, Alec's eyes had closed shut tightly the second he felt it moving and Alec was currently now feeling the impact of wind against his skin. Was this real? Why did it actually have to be real? Why couldn't Alec just have terrifying fever dreams and leave it at that?!

Alec's eyes flickered back open, and instantly the reality dawned on him and his face paled. To the universe and it's most terrifying situations everybody had their most instinctive and primal reactions, Alec never once considered the fact what he was about to do likely wasn't going to help him, and was likely to cause a scene and embarrass him, it simply happened and he did it in a snap. Letting out a scream of pure, the loudest and longest scream he had ever mustered within his lifetime, screaming like a Banshee. What he felt was to be all too suddenly was when his scream came to an end.

He physically couldn't scream anymore, his throat was too sore. Terrified, panicked, light-headed, and currently at a loss for breath it was harder to breathe. He had a feeling he was going to start hyperventilating, but it was the least of his concerns when he was currently heading towards an endless doom.

Riding a broom was bad enough however in this scenario, the end, his end, it was on his way either way. Either it would be him crashing into a building, which sounded like one of the worst ways to come to an end, or he supposed if that didn't work out(which it would it had to be right? destined right?), Alec was only holding onto this broomstick by the handle, he wasn't even sitting, clearly next time he looked at a person's broom he needed to sit in case a whatever in the world's most unluckiest things happened like they happened here. Except he was never going to check on anyone's broom again so it didn't matter because if there wasn't building crashing he was going to plummet to his end. Neither was going to be a pretty sight to witness.

@Jack Burnett

Jack's eyes opened once they shot into the air and he immediately grabbed for a bottle in his pocket. It was a skull-shaped crystal bottle with a black cork and rather ominous-looking, but he couldn't afford to be picky. The teen quickly removed the cork and and kept it tucked under the fingers that weren't grasping the bottle in the same hand. Then he moved that hand with the bottle and cork toward Alec, who he presumed was clutching the broom behind him. He hadn't had time to look before.

It was then that Alec chose to scream and not a moment too soon. Guilt racked Jack to his very core, but he told himself he'd make it up to Alec when this was over. When his peer stopped screaming, Jack hurriedly corked the bottle with practiced, dexterous movements and stuffed it back into his pocket before grabbing the broom handle with both hands. No point in prolonging Alec's suffering any more than he had to. He directed the broom down as slowly and steadily as he could, watching Alec's hands gripping the wooden handle to make sure he didn't slip.

"Wh-whoops! Silly me," Jack tried to chuckle, taking one hand off the broom handle to rub the back of his neck sheepishly once they were practically back on the ground. A quick touch-down and he immediately dismounted, turning to check on Alec and how he was doing. "I was thinking of flying and all of a sudden it took off! I guess I had better be more careful about that sort of thing in the future; these brooms must be sensitive. Are you alright?"

@Alec Mason

While there was relief in noticing the broomstick's decension; the relief was short-lived. He knew he was fine, he knew he should have been fine, he should have been okay, and recognizing those should have, he should have been calm. It was what the logical part of his brain was telling him. Outside of imminent danger and he still felt in danger; and not the racing heart feeling of danger that ended almost as quickly as it came. Feet softly reaching the ground Alec would immediately let go of the broomstick handle he had once been tightly gripping onto. At first he froze up before finally moving and taking a step backward from the broomstick, a step backward from Burnett.

This was all too much. Alec couldn't understand how the situation had been let happen to begin with. Situations don't usually happen where a broom takes off while someone is holding on to the broom. Especially not with someone like Alec whose reaction was going to be more extreme than the average person's frightful response. It was all so wrong in ways Alec didn't have the time to count. Alec was at a loss for breath and here Burnett was saying 'Whoops! Silly me,' What in all of Merlin's trouser drawer?!! He was downplaying! Burnett had seen how Alec reacted! Merlin and Morgana, how could somebody act so calm about that?

Giving Burnett an incredulous look Alec's eyebrows furrowed, his mouth would be gaping wide open, and he stared at Burnett with a mixture of horror, anger, and annoyance. “Whoops?!” Alec repeated, frustration edging the tone of his voice. Alec wasn't supposed to let him get away with that, he wasn't allowed to say 'whoops' and talk about being more careful about it in the future, he should have been more careful about it beforehand! Burnett was a fourth year! He had asked if Alec was okay but the teen didn't answer; instead Alec would stumble a step back from the broomstick, from Burnett. Alec would end up finding himself unintentionally taking a seat on the ground nearby. Alec was going to have to brush the dirt off from his robes later.

His hands set themselves on the ground, his fingers clutching onto the grass firmly rooted in the dirt. Alec let out a shaky breath. “You can't just-” There was a certain tightness in his chest and it was an all too familiar feeling Alec dreaded. His heart was racing... Alec closed his eyes hoping the lack of sight would help him focus on his uneven breathing, and why Burnett had let the broomstick take off. Was it really as unassuming as an accident? “You're so lucky I have the self restraint to not sock you, Burnett,” Alec would breathe the words out. He wouldn't have physically been able to sock him anyway but that matter was besides the point. It seemed to take Alec a few seconds(heavy breathing included) to realize what exactly he had just said, “okay, self-restraint or not I wouldn't sock you. Sorry. I can't understand how you could-” A struggle for breath would stop him from being able to continue to speak, he felt as if his lungs couldn't take in the amount of air he needed fast enough. Great, this wasn't exactly how Alec had hoped his day would pan out.

@Jack Burnett

Jack could hardly look at Alec when they touched down. He had given his peer a terrible fright and he could barely feign not having known of the other boy's fear. Well, he hadn't known, not for certain, but he'd had a pretty good idea and that was enough to tie his stomach into guilty knots. His head finally jerked up when Alec spoke, his demeanor predictably perturbed. Actually, 'perturbed' was probably an understatement. Jack couldn't blame him.

He watched as the Gryffindor teen took another step back from him and his broom before sort of stumbling back onto the ground. Jack took a hesitant step toward him, wondering if he should check him for injuries, but then stopped. Alec probably didn't want Jack anywhere near him for the time being. So, instead, he waited at a distance, wondering what it was Alec so clearly had to say to him.

When Alec said he was lucky he had the self-restraint not to sock him, Jack huffed a small, mirthless laugh while staring at the ground. So many people in the past had wanted to beat him up and this time he actually deserved it. It was making him sick just to think how badly his little stunt must have affected Alec when he saw the lion shut his eyes. He owed Alec; that much he knew. Whether it was the truth about why he had done what he'd done or otherwise, he owed him. Jack walked over to his bag and fished around for something before walking back to his spot a couple paces from Alec.

"No, you have every right to sock me," Jack answered when he returned. "I was testing something. I'd heard a rumor about your first flying class and...well, I guess I wanted to know if you might have still been afraid to fly or not." He held up something between his thumb and forefinger - a plastic token that looked like a gambling chip with a copper animal face in the center.

"This is a favor token. I owe you for what I did just now. You can ask me for a favor now, even if it’s just to sock me, or keep the token for another time and I can owe you a favor then. Your choice."

@Alec Mason

The teen, though he had a flair for the dramatic, tended not to be the reactive type. Alec was well-adjusted, or at least he had thought so. He blamed his slip of the tongue on adrenaline, speaking, doing, moving without thinking; It was a fear reaction. Threatening to sock someone had to make you look more intimidating. It was no wonder he wanted to be intimidating considering he felt his current state made him look like that of a wounded puppy. Alec didn't know what Jack was going to do. He was unable to tell apart the other's intentions. Had it really been an accident? It couldn't have been. When he heard Jack assure Alec that he did indeed have every right to sock him, the Gryffindor scowled. “Not helping,” he muttered through gritted teeth. Did he want to be punched? Maybe he felt guilty after all. Whatever, Alec wasn't going to help relieve Burnett's guilty conscience by socking him. Besides, he repudiated unnecessary violence.

Yes, even in circumstances where Alec was listening to Burnett change his story, admittance that this wasn't in fact an accident; a situation where Alec wanted to sock Burnett more than before. Apparently Burnett was holding something up because he started talking whatever 'this' was being a 'favor token'. The Gryffindor groaned internally. Ah, this was how he was going to go on feeling better about causing this mess on purpose.

Alec's breathing which had turned into faster and shorter breaths in and out of his mouth, sounded shaky. He could still feel his heart pounding in his chest. Still out of the situation and unable to separate himself from it. The familiar feeling was one that felt unending despite the fact Alec knew he had gotten through it many a time before. Alec let go of the grass he had been holding onto, planting his hands palm-down splayed out on the dirt. “I don't-” There was pause for breath as he inhaled sharply and exhaled quickly. “I don't-” He was definitely hyperventilating. Why couldn't he just get the words out?! He was frustrated by how much effort it took on his part to say something so small, words that were probably insignificant in the grand scheme of things. “I don't care right now!” Alec's voice was loud, the words had come out louder than he'd meant them too. The teen had gotten better about his anxiety towards social things this year but it didn't take long for his mind to get to the social repercussions it could have. They were in the middle of class.

“Are people looking?” The Gryffindor breathed out, he was relieved he was facing away, if he opened his eyes and anybody is looking he couldn't see them, he couldn't see their faces. Alec hated how judgemental other people could be. They didn't need to stare like stares he'd gotten in the past, onlookers had no place here. “Please don't go,” Alec's voice was barely above a whisper. He had no reason to assume Jack would leave, especially not during the middle of class, but he could walk away. “Can you stay and sit with me? Just-” Another shallow shaky breath. Alec swear he could feel his hands trembling. “Just until I'm okay. I don't want to make other people deal with me like this.” Asking Burnett to sit with him and deal with Alec being like this next to him was bad enough.

All of this was so embarrassing. Alec wished he'd chosen to skip class. He'd never skipped class before but now would have been a better time than any to start. How could Alec let himself fall for that? Asking for second opinions during class wasn't normal protocol.

@Jack Burnett

Though Jack was sure Alec would be alright once they were on the ground again, evidently he had been wrong. He must have sorely misjudged just how afraid Alec had been because the other boy was even having trouble breathing regularly. Was this a panic attack? He didn't think he'd ever seen someone having one before, much less experienced one himself. What were you supposed to do in situations like these?

When Alec asked if people were looking, the Slytherin found himself confused. He would have thought that'd have been the last thing the Gryffindor would have been worried about just then. Shouldn't he have been more concerned about how he was hyperventilating?

And then his peer said something even more unexpected. He asked Jack to please not go and then shortly after, to stay and sit with him. Jack, who had been racking his brains trying to think of what he could do to help, immediately latched onto the request and darted to Alec's side, falling to his knees. For a teen like Alec to ask such a thing of someone he just admitted to wanting to sock, Jack could only imagine how desperate he must have been for some comfort. It made Jack feel worse than ever regardless of his reasons for doing what he had done to the lion.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, looking Alec over. Despite his lack of injuries, he still seemed to be in pretty bad shape. "I'll stay as long as you want. Just...just try to take deeper breaths, okay?"

Without thinking, he put a hand on Alec's back and stroked it slowly in what he considered a comforting gesture. "I'm...I'm really sorry, Mason," Jack told him as sincerely as he could. "I promise...it wasn't just for fun or anything. I had my reasons. But I'll make it up to you."

@Alec Mason

Alec wished he'd had inkling, been more aware than he had of what Jack had been about to do. Was it on Alec for ignoring the signs? None of what had occurred made sense to Alec. He didn't plan to revisit his memories of the snake taking a joyride on his broom while Alec clung, gripping on to the handle so tight that his knuckles must have turned white. It was almost funny, how long it had taken for what happened to register in his mind, to have a delayed reaction towards it. Delayed wasn't the right word it couldn't be, it was the one thing Alec had an inkling about. He knew what it was like, it didn't take much to recognize the familiar feeling creeping up on him again. Alec always wanted to use the words 'impending doom' to describe how it felt. The physical symptoms felt like impending doom, impending doom looking over your shoulder and breathing down your neck. It was a mixture of panic and distress, an adrenaline rush of the feelings in all of the worst ways. It was-

Jack asked if Alec was hurt, Alec shook his head no. His breaths were rapid and shallow. Jack agreed to stay, with it he told Alec to try to take deeper breaths. He knew that likely Jack was trying to help, it wasn't as easy as trying to take deeper breaths. Alec was trying.

Alec tensed at the feeling of a hand on his back, having not expected the touch. In his mind he had often thought it to be the last resort option. Alec learned in time people tended to think of it first, like with Elsian. It was strange and uncomfortable for Alec who wasn't used to the physical touch outside of the occasional hug with a close friend(Ironically despite Alec's own boundaries; he was the type who tended to unintentionally disrespect other's boundaries. Grabbing strangers by the hand without a second thought.). It was hard for Alec to get himself to a point where he was not making the situation worse for himself and was calm enough to take at least measly attempts at deep breathing.

There would be a moment where Alec had finally been able to gradually work up to fuller breaths. His attention drifted to his shaky hands, finally not on his struggle for breath, his panicking over being panicked. Far too quickly he would be reminded of the fast way his heart was beating in his chest. It was too much, he was overwhelmed, increasing feelings of panic and fear. Breath became hard all over again. Though Alec tried to push it down, part of him was scared. With each shallow breath it increased, he needed a distraction. Luckily for Alec, Jack had chosen to start speaking giving Alec something to focus on.

Jack was... wait- was he apologizing? Alec had a lack of time to let the shock of getting an apology wear off(and the internal immediate 'ew, no, keep the sympathy away from me. It's basically pity.' reaction that followed suit.) as the use of Alec's last name was, this time, enough to make Alec flinch away from the other. There it was. He'd said it again. Alec didn't feel as if he were in the position to say something about it now. Burnett hadn't needed to stay. To willingly deal with Alec in such a state and sit by him.

Burnett spoke and promised what he did wasn't just for fun, he had his reasons, whatever those were. Hugging his knees to his chest as Alec got his breathing to slow. Opening his eyes, Alec turned his head to glance at Burnett. Alec's eyes met Jack's as he said he would make it up to Alec. Jack didn't need to. Alec didn't understand why would want to when he had been made to site here with Alec. His eyes flickered away from Burnett. His face flushed lightly as he focused on his breath until he could properly make out an answer, “o-okay.” Alec kept his gaze glued to the grass. He still wasn't fine and it was going to be a while before he was, though, there was relief in the fact he looked somewhat put together.

@Jack Burnett