Stay Alive

There are always casualties in war

"Stay right here."

"I gotta go out there--"

"Stay."

"--and kill whoever did this to him--"

"Raph--"

"What the fuck do you want, Jones--"

"HE WANTS YOU TO STAY ALIVE!"

The whole corridor went silent. 

The only sound that could be heard was Mikey's soft sobbing. Casey took a glance at the young boy and winced. He had never, ever, seen him like that. Mikey had been in that state since Leo disappeared for too long hours ago. 

Being able to see glimpses of the future isn't always a good thing, Casey had realized back then.

It had just become worse when the littlest son of Hermes actually saw his brother, half-conscious, with huge gashes on his chest. It was terrifying, if Casey could be honest. He's not talking about the fact that he was covered with blood that wasn't his when he was carrying his best friend's eldest brother, despite that it was a terrifying experience. Casey's talking about the youngest brother's reaction.

He can never forget how those blue eyes--a few shades lighter than Leo's--finally showed all of the emotions Mikey had tried to repress all those times since he got a taste of his yet uncontrolled power two years ago, when two of the people he loved the most fell into the most terrible place in the universe and only one of them managed to get out alive. 

He saw how the light slowly drained out of those once bright, radiant, baby-blue eyes, leaving them with only despair and horror as the young boy slowly gave into the darkness which had been fighting to take over his tough, innocent soul for so, so long... and Casey was forced to watch it all over again.

[At the second time it happened, he could've sworn something had flickered in Mikey's eyes for a fleeting moment. Something unpleasant, something that Casey–or anyone, for that matter–might have never expected from the Hermes' son. Something... ominous. Casey saw it just before those blue eyes turned dim and gloomy, and it somehow made him shuddered. He decided not to think about it anymore.]

Mikey caught his gaze and looked away. Casey pursed his lips. He took a moment to try and catch his breath, since he himself hadn't realized how shallow his breathing had been since he brought Leo in. Thank the gods Donnie was there with an Apollo camper he didn't recognize when he arrived.

[Later on, Casey felt that he probably shouldn't have thanked the gods. They're the ones who ruined their already miserable life, after all. Things tend to suck a lot more when one of your parents literally rules the universe.]

Donnie's face was horror-stricken when he saw his brother's condition, but he quickly put those fears aside so he--and Casey quotes--"could focus more on how to save him instead of freaking out". 

[Casey wonders if every child of Athena is gifted with that kinda skill because Leo sure was calm when he was dying back there and Casey--who was not dying--was freaked out. It was weird to be comforted by a dying person when you're not the one whose life was in mortal peril. 

Anyway, after seeing how those two acted, Casey was moved to smack some sense into their heads, like, literally smacking their heads. Who knows? Maybe by that they'll finally remember that they have to take care of their damn self too.]

The rest of them, which means April, Mikey, Raph, and Casey himself, was practically shooed away by the brainy Athena camper after the Apollo kid--whose name turned out to be Timothy--helped to bring Leo in to be treated. Donnie said it's because he knew there will be ruckus which, according to him--and Casey quotes again--"will mess with my concentration so go the fuck away."

So there they were, in a corridor of an almost ruined building, in the midst of war, while one of their brothers was struggling to help their other brother in the fight for his life.

Casey's body was still tense, especially since Raph stared at him with those shocked, wide green eyes just after he 'blew up'. He took a deep breath and started to talk, trying hard to control his tone of voice as he spoke.

"He was dying in my hands, alright? I fucking watched when he struggled to breathe because that asshole of your uncle fucking slashed his chest with a fucking poisonous gauntlet."

From the side of his eyes, he saw April holding Mikey in his arms even more tightly. 

"Casey," she warned.

But he couldn't hold it in anymore.

He had to say everything.

"He breathed like every take of air is fucking painful. Maybe it is. I wouldn't know."

His fists were clenched tight, nails dug deep into his palms that it almost bled. Again, he tried to take a deep breath and calm himself down before continuing.

"...but he still managed to say something."

The clench slowly loosened.

"'My brothers', he said. I could've sworn he was gonna ask if y'all are fine but couldn't because fuck, breathing is painful for him, let alone actually saying something. Can you believe that idiot?"

That last sentence, he said with a sad laugh.

"Half-dead and he still thought about you three. I-- I said y'all are gonna be fine... that I'll take care of you."

He swallowed a lump in his throat. 

"He smiled. He fucking smiled and his face wasn't so worried anymore and--and he closed his eyes like he actually trusted me and--and if he didn't--"

Something wet trickled down his face.

"--shit."

He was frantically wiping off his tears when he felt somebody wrapped their arms around him. It was a pretty rough hug but warm. Casey's lips curled into a small, teasing smirk when he realized that somebody was Raph, not that the Ares camper was able to see it, though. As a desperate attempt to lighten up the mood, he said,

"I didn't take you as a hugger."

"Shut the fuck up and continue."

When he looked up and past Raph's left shoulder, Casey saw a smile was tugged up on Mikey's face. The desperate attempt was a success, after all. It was such a little smile, but it was contagious, and so a smile crept up on Casey's face too, as soon as it did on April's. He let out a small laugh and did as Raph told him to after he gathered enough courage, even though only for a split moment.

"If he didn't make it, I'd be damn happy if I can just keep my words and you dumbasses safe. That's what he wants, nothing more. So just--"

And when his voice started to break again, he knew there was no stopping the tears then.

"Just do me a fucking favor, will you? Don't fucking die. Is that too much to ask?"