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They where going to lose! There where less then two tenths of a second left, and it was her or the bomb. He decided her and jumped with her in his arms. The bomb whent off.
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The smoke cleared, the silence defeaned. No one dared to talk. Only the ringing in his ears where there. Wait, maybe someone was talking. He couldn't hear anything but muffled sounds and the ringing in his ears.
He could feel something in his arms. Someone. Her. Oh. They jumped in an attempt to save themselves. He didn't want to get up. He wanted to stay here with her. His precious Nhu. Her helmet was broken, her face showing through and covered in ash and dust. Her hair stuck to her sweaty face. Casey lifted his hand and pushed some of it out of it away from her face.
He tried asking her if she was awake, but...he couldn't hear himself. He couldn't hear himself talk clearly. He couldn't hear himself! Casey sat up in a panic, screaming as loud as he could. He could hear his own scream. So he wasn't deaf.
The chunk of building the entrapped him and Nhu lifted, Casey's friends and teamates all cut up ans hurt in their own ways. Issac and Neveah hopped down and each tried saying something to him. He couldn't hear it, it was all muffled. He could read their lips though.
'Casey! Casey are you hurt?' Issac held him with one arm while Neveah picked up Nhu. Casey panicked again. He tried to speak by memory of how it felt to say different words.
"I can't hear you! I can't hear anything!" Casey cried. Issac froze, they all did. They spoke to each other, but Casey couldn't hear. How was he supposed to know what was going on?
'Can you read my lips?' Issac asked. Casey nodded. 'Good. We are going back to the Bio-ship and we are going to take you to the infirmary with Nhu.' Casey hugged his older brother, thankful his brother could stay calm in situations like this. Issac picked him up like a child and carried him to the Bio-ship. Issac put Caseu down on a seat in the bio-ship, but Casey didn't want to sit there. He slid off the chair and curled his knees into himself. The inky comfort right now was to knownhe could still feel. He could feel the metal wire stabbing his leg, and he could feel himself rocking back and forth. He could feel himself crying and he could feel...Nhu being out next to him. Neveah leaned down infront of Casey and mouthed out 'Hold her for me.' Casey, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around Nhu. His girlfriend was still breathing, he could feel that. He sighed, feeling the heave in his chest.
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They lost the fight, they lost the battle, and it was her fault. She should've never dragged her cousins or friends into her own personal battles. She was an idiot for letting anyone fight her battle.
Decker and Marionette had placed a bomb in an abandoned building full of live hostages. She had decided to go, and when the team offered to help, she stupidly accepted. They where winning, so how did things go so wrong?
Oh. She told Casey to go deactivate the bomb. She told Nhu to back him up. She should've sent more Titans with them. This wouldn't have happened if she had done that. No. She should've never involved any of them. This was a personal battle for her and only her to fight. So this was her fault. It was her fault that Casey was near deaf now, and Nhu was in a coma in the Watchtower infirmary.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. The others looked at her, unsure of what her apology was for. Alex leaned down next to her, placing a hand on her leg.
"Sorry for what Kim?" She looked at him. He had been hurt too. His shoulder was dislocated not even a few hours prior.
"For putting you all in the way of a battle I'm supposed to be fighting." Neveah walked over and hugged her little cousin.
"Is this about Casey and Nhu? That isn't your fault Kim..." Kim looked at her hands once more. It was her fault though.
"What am I going to tell your parents? Uncle Dick, Uncle Wally, and Aunty Kori aren't going to ever forgive me for putting their children in such a dangerous battle, let alone made one near deaf." Kim trembled, tears threatening to spill over. Casey wasn't even a year older than her and he lost his hearing.
"It's not your fault Kim, we chose to join this battle. I'll figure out how to explain this to our parents ok?" Neveah stood above the other two. Kim shook her head, curling into her self, knees to her chest.
"Telk us what? Did something happen on your mission?" Wally said, zeta-beaming into the room. Dick and Kori right behind him.
"Dad, Mama, Papa...there was an...accident on the mission. Casey is..." Neveah stopped when her dad did.
"Casey is what Neveah?" Dick stepped forward.
"He was to close to the bomb when it whent off, and he- he can't hear fully. He's gone partially deaf."
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"He's gone partially deaf." Neveah looked her parents in the eyes, sorrow and worry brimming in her own. Wally's heart sank, but his feet ran. Right to the infirmary. There sat Casey, holding Nhu's hand.
"Casey!" Wally called. No response. Wally stepped forward and called his son's name again. Nothing. Dick walked up behind Wally and flickered the lights in the room. Casey looked up.
"Dad! Papa!" Casey exclaimed. The boy wished over to his fathers, hugging them both and crying. "I really wish I could hear you guys right now..." He muttered into Wally's chest. Wally's chest tightened at his son's lament.
"F*CKING FINALLY!" Issac screamed from the other side of the room. Quickly, he ran to Casey and tapped him on the shoulder. Casey let go of Wally as the three watched Issac.
Issac hooked a little machine around each of Casey's ears, biting his lip in nervousness. "Can you hear me?"
Casey's face lit up. "Yes! Ow-! That's loud." Issac chuckled and removed one of the machines.
"It's a hearing aid. Thus dial changes the sensitivity and the other controls volume." Issac showed his younger brother each dial while Dick and Wally watched. Casey took the hearing aid back and out it on, adjusting as he wanted.
"I don't look weird right?" Casey asked. Wally laughed.
"Of course that's the first thing you are worried about." Dick sighed, putting his face in his hands. Wally hugged his baby boy once more.
"I swear I almost had a heart attack..." Wally whispered. Casey stood still as possible, only moving to let Issac and Dick into the hug.
"What happened?" Dick asked. Casey moved backwards, making his way to Nhu.
"Exactly as it seems. We lost." Wally watched his son hold his unconscious girlfriend's hand. They lost. In more ways than one.