notapancake | Folkmore IC contact

[A hard reaction from a supermutant is still pretty intense for a normal human, though thankfully Casey grew up in a world where taking a hit and being able to get back up afterwards was a critical life skill. It catches him on the cheek and flings him backwards, so the intended effect is achieved. While instinct has him rolling backwards and landing in a crouch rather than on his back, he stays down, ears ringing, face throbbing. He's too stunned to rise immediately.]

[Casey at least has some time to recover, as Tello's breathing is shallow and heavy. As his voice comes out in almost a whimper;]

I can't... I can't...

[He doesn't seem to be all there still, as he grips at the front of his shirt he's wearing as if that will help ground him somehow.]

[Neither of them move for a handful of seconds. When Casey hears that whispered sound, he very slowly rises, shuffling his feet across the floor intentionally so his uncle can hear him approaching this time.]

Uncle Tello? It's Casey. Casey Junior. Can you hear me?

[He crouches down beside the chair, his hands lifted, not touching.]

[Breathe, breathe. He seems to register that it's someone talking to him, and it's not a Krang. But it's still a little longer before he seems to refocus in reality. And even more before he answers Casey.]

I'm fine... I'm fine...

[Casey won't try to refute that, even if they both know it's bull. Instead he ignores it and focuses on getting past the first hurdle:]

Keep going, deep breaths, in and out. I'll count.

[This always helped with his panic attacks, when Rue walked him through them, and Hunter's too. Something simple to fixate on. He starts counting up, and will continue as Tello breathes unless he's stopped.]

[It does help, even if he'll deny it later, as he slowly returns to the present. His hand hurts a little, and at first he thinks maybe he whanged it on the work table. But the fact nothing appears to be disturbed in a way that indicates that happened?

His attention is now on Casey and well... Shit.]

... sorry, I. Sorry.

[Casey merely blinks back at him, some tension draining out of his shoulders as he seems to be recognized at last. There's a red mark starting to manifest on his cheek, likely to bruise later, and a small trickle of blood from his nose, already drying.]

It's... okay. I shouldn't have startled you.

[Yeah, no. Leo is going to kill him, as he lets go of his shirt and brings that hand to rub at his face. While muttering something about this happening twice now.]

[Casey leans back a bit and plops down on the floor, to avoid hovering over his uncle and making him more anxious or on edge.]

What do you mean, twice?

[Shiiiiit fuck dammit.]

Nothing. The first time didn't involve hitting anyone, so it's not even the same thing...

That's not really relevant, you know. [It was an accident anyway, it isn't what matters right now.] What happened before?

[Nope, nope. He's not going to just trauma dump on his nephew he just smacked. Not happening, as he straightens up and Casey might notice a subtle shift in how he's holding himself.

Putting the mask on, can't be weak in front of the kid.]

Like I said, it's nothing.

[Casey pauses, just watching him for a handful of seconds, taking in the body language (some of it familiar in a way he hasn't actively noticed in years, having thought it to be just how his uncle is) and his tone of voice.

He doesn't want to start another fight, but he's struggling to let this go. He wipes a hand under his nose as it itches, smearing the blood, and sniffs- not from tears, but to clear the airways.]

You said... you'd do your best. To stop masking. Are you masking?

No.

[The answer might be a bit too quick, but he's doing this to make things easier for Casey. So the teenager doesn't have to worry about Tello.]

[Too quick, too suspicious. He's going to worry whether it's the truth or not.]

Are you lying?

Nooooo?

[Even with 20 some odd years on him, he's still a terrible liar.]

[Casey just... stares at him incredulously. Even for Uncle Tello, that was painfully transparent.]

[Dammit let him have this!!

He'll just stare right back at Casey.]

[Casey will not let him have it, sorry.]

You're so bad at this. You're even lying about lying.

No, I'm not.

[He will just lie more! That will totally work.]

He says, like a liar.

[But okay, obviously he's going to keep resisting, and Casey knows better than to try and win a war of attrition against Uncle Tello. He's so tired of this already. Maybe that's the goal, to wear him out of asking. This isn't the right tactic.

So instead, he sits up a little, enough to stretch his arm to the table and grasp a vial of blood, holding it so it's fully visible in the light. The one with flecks of pink.]

You going to lie about this, too?

[He's about to say he's not lying when Casey gets that vial of blood, and instead of protesting the first thing out of his mouth?]

If you tell Leo it'll destroy him.

[He knows, goodness he knows, if Leo finds out he's sick again? Somehow his twin will blame himself.]

[Tempting to make some kind of threat, that Casey could tell him unless his uncle cooperates, or talks to him, or something. Little incentive to keep his mouth shut, tit for tat.

Easy to remember sensei's expression when he said he saw how Uncle Tello died, though. Easy to recognize that it would be an empty threat, because Casey himself would rather throw himself off a cliff than hurt Leonardo as collateral. And Uncle Tello is already being an asshole to sensei, so what would be one more blow, really?

It isn't fair. He doesn't want to carry it. (He will, though. He always will.)]

It's not going to destroy him any less if you die without warning and he didn't know it was happening. Again.

[Thing is, he really doesn't want to do more damage to his brother. Which is why he hasn't gone back to the apartment.

He also doesn't want this one Casey either, but here they are.]

I'm not going to die, why do you think I'm in here?

[Casey feels a wave of frustration at that.]

I don't know why! You haven't told us anything! You haven't talked to any of us for days! [Has it maybe even been weeks by now? Casey can hardly keep track. Every day is a nightmare.] Why are you here? What are you doing? What's your plan? Do you have a different cure?

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