#bastian gets poisoned and mariano takes care of him

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

I can thank my good friend @that-one-thespian for the inspiration for this piece c:

TWs: Poisoning, illness

Bastian shivered, hands shoved in his pockets as they continued walking. Mariano was saying something to him, wiping blood from his sword after their last encounter with some hunters. It was fuzzy, the syllables floating through his brain without sticking and only serving to feel like flies in late summer.

"Bastian."

Bastian just about ran Mariano over when he abruptly stopped in front of him. "What the fuck are you doing?" He snapped at his mage, lip curling into a snarl. "We need to get to town."

"Look at me." Mariano didn't even seem to think about the growl as he reached to feel Bastian's forehead. "You're cold."

"I'm fine." Bastian argued, not quite pulling away from Mariano's hand. He couldn't meet the other's eyes.

Mariano frowned, starting to look Bastian over. "You're sick." His palms cupped Bastian's face, guiding him to tilt his head this way and that before finally releasing him. Bastian's head spun alongside Mariano's circling footsteps. Warm hands found his side, and Mariano spoke as he walked. "When did you get hurt?"

Bastian shrugged, the ground beginning to sway under him. "During the fight, one of 'em got me with a...with a dagger or something."

Mariano was very still for a moment, before one of his hands moved to Bastian's back. "We're making camp now." Bastian found that he didn't want to argue as he was lead towards the shade of some trees and guided down onto the sweet-smelling grass.

The wind in his hair swept warmth over him, drying the sweat that had started beading on his brow. "Acting like I'm dying." He muttered when Mariano crouched near him and swept his cloak over him like a blanket.

"You won't if I have anything to say about it." The crackle of a new fire started up beside them, and Bastian heard the clank of a pot being set up and filled with water. His stomach rolled at the thought of eating, and he swallowed hard. "I know how to neutralize the poison they likely used."

"I'm lucky." Bastian muttered, feeling more tired by the moment. He could hear Mariano scraping stone on stone, using the mortar and pestle they'd picked up not a town or two ago.

A bitter tang met his nose, and then a cup was at his lips with a terrible, thick soup inside. "Swallow all of this." Bastian could taste the crushed herbs before they even hit his tongue, and it took everything he had to open his mouth and not just stubbornly turn his head away.

"Good, good." Mariano said, voice oddly lilting as he took his hand away. This time, plain water was given to him. "It'll take a while, but this'll help your body deal with everything. Helps with pain, too."

Bastian didn't quite remember night falling. He didn't remember the sun sinking below the horizon, or Mariano cooking anything. He certainly didn't remember getting to put his head on Mariano's lap.

When he opened his eyes, his face was pressed into Mariano's shirt and calloused fingers were slowly slipping through his hair. The darkness had all but swallowed them both, but he could barely make out the ring of silver in Mariano's eyes as he looked out over the rolling hills.

As ice lanced through his muscles, Bastian didn't know why he reached out to take Mariano's other hand. Bastian threaded their fingers together, marveling at how heavy his arm felt, at how comfortably warm Mariano felt. He didn't know why Mariano let him.

Shivering and curling in on himself, Bastian started to fall asleep again. If he wasn't dying from poisoning, he would've thought that Mariano had started humming while stroking his hair. It was a stupid thought, no matter how warm it made his chest feel.

The next day was just as hazy, slipping through his fingers like the wind itself. There was more bad soup, and more water, and Mariano wasn't there all the time but the storm-thick smell of his magic was always close. When the crickets began to sing again, Bastian awoke to water being sponged over his forehead and uncontrollable shivering wracking his frame. Each bout drew tiny, annoying noises from his throat, silver eyes squeezing shut as his aching limbs screamed.

"Your fever is breaking." Mariano mused, meeting Bastian's dazed glance before his face disappeared against his mage's stomach again. "I think you'll be feeling much better sometime tomorrow."

Bastian didn't think he'd ever feel better, as his clawed hands gripped at Mariano's steady waist and hands. Ice ran through his bones as his skin broiled. Even the water Mariano brought to his lips felt like too much. He kept it down, though, along with the awful herb soup.

Morning came as abruptly as night had, and with it, the circles under Mariano's eyes darkened further. Bastian blinked hard, trying to remember how to put the words he wanted together. He wasn't burning or freezing. The pain was gone.

The golden light made Mariano look like an angel.

"Hey." Bastian croaked.

"Hey." Mariano murmured, one thumb tracing circles along Bastian's temple. "You didn't die."

"Y'didn't let me."

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Just a little thought I had that I wanted to expand on! Also I don't think I ever specified what the Large Animal Transportation of Choice Is. So here it is!

Also there's a follow-up piece to this right here!

TWs: impalement, hypothermia, stabbing, poisoning, fainting, murder, illness, a Balto Scenario

"It's going to be a bad storm over the mountain. Couriers aren't running." The doctor had grumbled, when Mariano was picking up brink potions to replenish their stock. "A damn shame. We...we really needed that delivery."

Mariano hadn't hesitated to hand over Bastian's extra scales in thanks. "I can make the trip. I've ridden in harsher." He'd added. The dragon steeds wouldn't struggle in the rain, either, so there was no reason to not go. The doctor had gratefully agreed, and he'd set off after letting Bastian know.

That had been hours ago, and now Mariano found himself gripping his side as he pulled his own blade from the last of the bandits who'd ambushed him for the medicine. He couldn't fault them. They were surely in dire straits too, but he'd made a promise.

The townspeople needed this package. Bastian, feverish and weak in the little clinic, needed this package. Whatever fever had taken hold of the town was vicious, unrelenting, and contagious enough to pose a threat to dragons.

He'd at least made the bandits' deaths quick.

There was no time to stop and cauterize his own wounds, though. Gritting his teeth, he glanced down to where the hilt of a sword still stuck out from where it pierced straight through him. He felt it piercing through his back, the hot trickle of blood starting to drip down towards his pants. Every breath sent lightning through his torso and threatened to pull his knees out from under him.

His hand rested on the lesser dragon's hide, warm and steady. It turned its head to sniff at him, scaly snout nudging at his face. Mariano swallowed, letting the long, forked tongue flicker over his forehead. It was ridiculously grounding.

"Yes." He muttered to himself. "Yes. This is survivable." The padded backpack of medicine was safe. He was still standing. It wasn't an impossible journey to make, especially if he just kept the sword where it was.

Achingly, slowly, Mariano reached into his own bag and pulled out a strip of tough cloth. He wound it around himself, around the sword, and then tied it off.

Another pat to his steed's side and it lowered its long body to the ground, giving Mariano a more reasonable height to swing himself over. It sent the world spinning again as he did, and only the horn of the saddle kept him from wildly overshooting and landing on his bad side. Squeezing his eyes shut, Mariano carefully righted himself.

If he sat straight up, spine stock straight, then it was almost bearable. A gentle tap of of his heels set the lesser dragon off, its angular head lowering as it slithered into its side-to-side gait. Mariano was never more grateful for the lesser dragons' style of walking, remembering the bouncing ride that other lands favored horses offered.

It wasn't the easiest. Mariano still needed to adjust for the sway of it all, and as the clouds overhead began to gather he knew it wasn't going to get any easier. The sword burned. He just hoped it hadn't been poisoned.

The scrape of the powerful claws got heavier as they traveled back up the mountain. Thunder began to roll. The air began to chill, creeping between his fingers that gripped the reins and slipping along the metal blade lodged in him.

All Mariano could do was take a deep breath and close his eyes. He tugged the hood of his traveling cloak up over his head. He checked that the medicine bag was hidden securely underneath the waterproof cloak. The sword hadn't moved.

Things were fine.

Rain began to fall. The mist was light at first. As the wind picked up, it brushed against his cheeks like a lover checking his temperature. That gentle touch didn't last, as the drops began to grow. His cloak was well-cared for, but not even it could fully insulate him from the bite of the storm.

He began to shiver slowly, gradually. The cold worked its way up his pants legs as rain soaked his clothes through. It dripped down into his shoes as they climbed higher and higher into the wrath of the heavens. Every shudder pulled a low whimper from Mariano's throat as the blade reminded him of its presence. There was nothing he could do.

Things were as fine as they could be.

The wind picked up and Mariano had to fasten his cloak closed before his fingers went numb. Why hadn't he done that before? When he looped the last button through its eye he remembered why. The weighted fabric pressed more insistently on the tip of the blade. It threatened to drag it further down, threatened to slice through the fabric holding it in place and not stop until the metal was was nestled at the crest of his hip bone.

Hesitantly, desperately, Mariano undid the cloak again. Hypothermia would take longer to kill him than blood loss would. It was a necessary pain to endure. And he would endure anything to help Bastian feel better.

The trail's incline slowly evened out, crested. The forward lean he'd had to hold that made his back scream and burn turned into an equally awful backwards tilt. Mariano's head began to spin.

He wanted to drop, he wanted to give in to the chill and the dizziness and the fire in his gut. But the doctor was trusting him. The whole little town was trusting him. Bastian was trusting him.

So he rode on.

The lesser dragon picked up its pace, winding its way down the slick trail. He looked out over the rocky edge of the cliff, at the steep drop that the steed could technically handle but that he certainly couldn't. He was still a ways away.

Mariano clicked his tongue, setting the dragon into a quicker pace. The rain only came down harder, quicker, colder. It made the saddle slick. It soaked more fully into his clothes. The cold weakened his hold on the reins, made it so much harder to grip the saddle.

It started pelting down, half frozen, as the slope turned into a tree-lined path. The relief was temporary as he clicked his tongue again and the lesser dragon took off into a run. Mariano yelped, almost losing his balance fully.

The sword sliced into him more, and Mariano felt hot blood surging down his stomach and back. He whined to himself, resisting the urge to grip the blade. He had to trust the support he'd tied. He had to believe that it would be enough.

Time began to melt. The world shrank down. The wind of the storm faded, the freezing rain disappeared. All that existed was the sway of his lesser dragon, the leather in his hands, and the sword that worked that awful chill and fire ever deeper into him. The world began to spin quicker, the blurry colors filtering in through his water-speckled glasses lenses. Everything drifted and wavered, impossibly inviting.

Mariano didn't feel the dragon's run come to a stop. He barely felt his balance falter. He couldn't feel the way his head hit the mud, or how his uncooperative limbs failed him a few times before he finally got to his hands and knees. Thunder roared overhead, the lightning making everything as bright as mid-day. He had to get to the doctor.

Mariano looked around, blinking hard.

He saw the sign in the window. He saw a lit lantern by the door. He remembered, distantly, the doctor promising to leave one burning for him.

Mariano crawled. Painfully, slowly, he worked his way up to the porch. He hauled himself up each step. His mud-caked hair stuck to his face. The awning above the door felt like heaven, shielding him from the worst of the rain.

Numb fingers fumbled for the doorknob, trying to pull himself to his feet using it as leverage. It felt like a miracle when his knees supported his weight and he was able to pull the door open.

One of the doctor's assistants said something, off to the side. Their voice rose in alarm, and they jolted into movement. Hands gripped his shoulders, and someone else entered from a door towards the back.

Was that the doctor? Their voice sounded familiar. He'd definitely talked to them before. Mariano looked over, brows creasing as he tried to understand what they were saying.

He was led over to a cot, hands brushing his hair away and taking off his glasses. They removed the backpack. Glass clinked. The person who might've been the doctor sounded relieved. Someone said something that felt like it was supposed to be comforting, or reassuring.

Someone mentioned spells. Someone else started to help him out of his clothes. The brace he'd made started to get unwound. Mariano kept almost understanding words, kept almost following the conversation. He vaguely heard the words poison and infection.

Someone started counting, and the last thing that Mariano understood was the electricity that shot through him when the sword was pulled from his body.

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Whumptober 2024 Masterlist

All my fills are here, for easy reading!! Each piece will have the content and trigger warnings at the very top for convenience. All borrowed ocs will be credited at the top of each post!

No. 1: Race Against The Clock | Search Party | Panic Attack | "If only we could hold on.” (Icysami x Renegaderr, Strangers.)

(Group Military AU) Mariano has a panic attack alone in his tent.

No. 2: Trust Issues | Role Reversal | “You got away with the crime while the knife's in my back.” (Charlotte Sands, Rollercoaster)

(Modern AU) Fion gets a tattoo.

No. 3: Set Up For Failure | Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you."

(Modern AU) Mariano gets interrogated over a corner store robbery he didn't commit.

No. 4: Hallucinations | Hypnosis | Sensory Deprivation | “You're still alive in my head.” (Billy Lockett, More)

(Vampire AU) Mariano begs Bastian to thrall him while in the midst of a panic attack.

No. 5: Sunburn | Healing Salve | Heatstroke | "If my pain will stretch that far." (Lottery Winners, Burning House)

(Modern AU, The Team AU) Archer gets badly sunburned and Mariano takes care of him.

No. 6: Not Realizing They're Injured | Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms | Healed Wrong | "It's not my blood."

(Anchors AU) Thanatos worries when Mariano comes back bloodied from his trip into town.

No. 7: Only For Emergencies | Unconventional Weapon | Magic with a Cost | "It's us or them."

(Modern AU) Abby asks Mariano what the hammer hidden under the front counter is for.

No. 8: Sleep Deprivation | Isolation Chamber | Forced to Stay Awake | "Leave the lights on." (Coldplay, Midnight)

(Modern AU, Old Friends AU) Dag thinks about Mariano, and what Antti would think.

No. 9: Obsession | Broken Window | Bruises | “Frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble.” (Fall Out Boy, Irresistible)

(Group Military AU) Mariano treats Rex's bruises.

No. 10: Blow To The Head | Slurred Words | Passing Out from Pain | "I can't think straight."

(Canon) Bastian gets hit on the head in a fight and Mariano takes care of him.

No. 11: Seeing Double | Convenience Store | Loneliness | “Leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist.” (Taylor Swift, Illicit Affairs)

(Modern AU) Mariano gets sent on a snack run by Bastian.

No. 12: Starvation | Underground Caverns | Cannibalism | "Just a little more."

(Modern AU) Mariano struggles to find something to sate his midnight hunger after a long stint in captivity.

No. 13: Team As A Family | Familial Curse | Multiple Whumpees | "Death will do us part." (Set It Off, Partner's In Crime)

(Canon) The war mages rescue Bastian from some knights that thought they could hold him captive.

No. 14: Left For Dead | Hunting Gear | Blackmail | “Because I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted” (tiLLie, kooL aiD mAn)

(Art) Manuel likes to hunt for pleasure, on occasion.

No. 15: Childhood Trauma | Painful Hug | Moment of Clarity | "I did good, right?"

(Modern AU) Mariano's parents pick him up when he's released from prison.

No. 16: Necrosis | Swamp | Wound Cleaning | "No, I can't feel anything."

(Canon) Bastian and Manuel help Mariano buy more time when a poisoned arrow is too potent to survive a trip into town.

No. 17: Nowhere Else To Go | Ruined Map | Shipwrecked | "We had a good run."

(Modern AU, Reincarnated Mortal/Immortal AU) Robbie turns to the one nearby soul he knows as well as his own when trouble strikes.

No. 18: Revenge | Unreliable Narrator | Loss of Identity | “I see what's mine and take it.” (Panic! at the Disco, Emperor's New Clothes)

(Modern AU) Mariano takes the final test to become an official war mage.

No. 19: Blood Trail | Abandoned Cabin | One Way Out | "Is there anybody alive out there?" (Bruce Springsteen, Radio Nowhere)

(Group Military AU) Vic and Mariano are pinned down during a fight, and take a brief moment to regroup.

No. 20: Emotional Angst | Shoulder to Cry On | Giving Permission to Die | "It's not your fault."

(Modern AU) The war mages all carve a vow of survival into their skin.

No. 21: Body Horror | Tattoo Gun | Spirit Possession | “Let the bedsheet soak up the tears.” (Apparat feat. Soap & Skin, Goodbye)

(Modern AU) Izan is forced to give himself surgery while alone on a battlefield.

No. 22: Bleeding Through Bandages | Tourniquet | Reopening Wounds | "Oh that's not good."

(Canon) Condor talks to Mariano about his habit of pushing himself too far.

No. 23: Forced Choice | Public Display | Broken Pedestal | "I'm doing this for you."

(Modern AU) Quinn investigates Mariano and secretly digs into his past.

No. 24: Radiation Poisoning | Collapsed Building | Equipment Failure | “I never knew daylight could be so violent.” (Florence + The Machine, No Light, No Light)

(Art) Mariano's magic is as beautiful and violent as the origin of magic itself.

No. 25: Surgery | Stitches | Being Monitored | "It's for your own good."

(Modern AU, The Team AU) Bastian gets stitches and Mariano holds his hand the entire time.

No. 26: Nightmares | Breakfast Table | Parting Words of Regret | “I'm haunted by the lies that I have loved, the actions I have hated.” (Poe, Haunted)

(Modern AU) Mariano demonstrates his role as the lamb, and Dimitri demonstrates his role as the field leader.

No. 27: Voiceless | Laboratory | Muzzled | “I have no mouth and I must scream.”

(Modern AU) A captor muzzles Mariano. He doesn't pull his punches when neutralizing his ability to cast, or when making the proof of life/ransom video.

No. 28: Denial | CCTV | Exposure | "They caught me red handed."

(Modern AU) Mariano experiences a hot summer day in solitary confinement.

No. 29: Fatigue | Labyrinth | Burnout | "Who said you could rest?"

(Canon) After a near-death experience, Bastian convinces Mariano to rest.

No. 30: Recovery | Hospital Bed | Holding Back Tears | "What have I done?"

(Modern AU) The war mages get Mariano back from someone who wanted to hurt him. Bastian is forced to stay hidden and listen, or risk watching his mage die.

No. 31: Asking For Help | Therapy | Making Amends | "I'm alive, I'm just not well." (Elliot Lee, Alive, Not Well.)

(Modern AU) Felix, whose family was a victim of the war mages, has a long-awaited encounter with Mariano.