"You're going to be okay, Cas," Halm said, tearing up. He hated seeing Cas in so much pain, and fear. "Everything is going to be okay. It won't be much longer, I promise." Marcos took Cas's other leg in his hands. With no warning, he pushed it back in too, resulting in the same pain. Halm held Cas's head close, trying his best. He glanced up at Nix. Oh God, he needed help too. Halm couldn't be with both of them, though.
"Nix, Nix come here," he said softly. Marcos raised an eyebrow, but didn't object.
Cas was still screaming, but he couldn't get away. Nix hesitated before stepping into the water as well. He raised a shaking hand to run his fingers through Cas's hair, trying to get him to calm down. Cas didn't seem to notice it through the pain. Nix was still panicking, but he knew he couldn't step in or he'd disrupt the process.
This time, Marcos took hold of Cas's arm.
"We're almost halfway done," Halm promised. He was on the verge of tears himself now, of letting the tiny drops of water fall on Cas's face. Halm glanced up at Nix, putting his hand on Nix's arm a moment.
"I'm so sorry," he said, then took his hand away to hold Cas's head again. Marcos watched, not very sympathetic. He pushed Cas's arm in.
Cas was breathing heavily, tears rolling down his cheeks. Nix whimpered shakily, clinging tightly to Halm's arm with one hand. He tried to keep as quiet as possible so he wouldn't stress Cas out any more than he already was.
Halm wiped Cas's tears away, his own spilling over.
"Almost done Cas, see? Both of us are here for you." He said softly. His own head was almost touching Cas's at this point, he was so close. Marcos took Cas's second arm in his hands, not hesitating to force it down too.
(just wait until Torin goes through this!)
Cas sobbed shakily, his breathing harsh and far too fast. Nix was crying as well, trying to tune out Cas's screams. This was all his fault. He should have been watching Cas. He should have warned him about the can. It should have been him in this position, not Cas.
Halm was trying to comfort both Cas and Nix. He put one arm around Nix, pulling him close and covering his ear with one hand and the other way with his chest.
"You can't hold him anymore. I need to put his head in." Halm didn't pull away at first, but he slowly retreated. Marcos took Cas's head in his hands.
"Take a deep breath," he ordered.
Cas obeyed, drawing in a shaky breath and holding it. He was still shaking violently and was now biting back his sobs so he wouldn't breathe on accident. Nix closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and huddling close to Halm. He was sobbing himself, shaking violently as he prepared himself for Cas's screams.
Unfortunately, Marcos wasn't going to let Cas scream. He covered Cas's mouth and nose with one hand tightly to ensure he held his breath. Halm wrapped both arms around Nix, wanting to comfort at least someone. Marcos shoved Cas's head down, holding him under the water. The head was taking longer than the other parts of him had. He seemed to be down there forever.
Nix watched in horror, shaking harder when Cas was under for far longer than he thought he should be. "Y-You're going to kill him again!" He wailed, struggling not to just grab Cas and pull him out of the water. He also knew that Cas couldn't swim, so he didn't even like the idea of Cas being in the water to begin with.
Halm held Nix closer, not letting him go. He would hold Nix back if he had to. Finally, Marcos let Cas up, let him breath. He was completely back in his body now. Halm reached over as soon as he was up, pulling him away from Marcos and tucked securely into his arm.
"I've got you," he said, crying softly, "it's over now."
Cas coughed, gasping for breath and still shaking violently. Nix hugged Cas tightly, sobbing and shaking as well. Cas returned the hug weakly, feeling very lightheaded and drained. He huddled close to Halm and rubbed at his tears.
"Thank you," Halm said to Marcos, and then he was carrying Cas and Nix away, out of the water, out of the baths entirely. He held Cas and Nix so very close. He didn't think he would be able to bring himself to let go any time soon, either. Soon, they were back at the house, back home.
Nix refused to let go of Cas, not wanting him to get hurt again. Cas had passed out by the time they got back home, which was very distressing to Nix. He shook him, trying to wake him to no avail. Ca was out cold, but he was at least breathing and alive.
Halm brought everyone inside. Thankfully, the watering can had already been put away. He brought them to the bedroom, sitting down with Nix and Cas in his lap.
"He's drained," he said softly when he realized Nix was trying to wake Cas up. "He needs rest for now."
Nix nodded shakily, rubbing at his tears and huddling up against Halm. He was clearly still terrified for Cas, and he felt horribly guilty for the whole fiasco. He buried his face in Halm's chest and hiccuped a few times as he tried to stop crying.
Halm laid Cas gently down in his lap, wrapping both arms around Nix. Halm himself was crying softly. He put his hand on Nix's head lightly.
"It's over now," he said softly. "It's over. Cas is gonna be okay."
Nix nodded a bit, clinging to Halm. "This is all my f-fault…" He whispered shakily, keeping his face buried. "I should have seen it… I should have stopped him…"
"It's not your fault," Halm said gently, "It was an accident. If anything, it's my fault. I'm the one who left the watering can out." He rubbed Nix's head, being gentle with him. He wasn't upset at Nix, and he was sure Cas wasn't either.
Nix nuzzled against Halm weakly, still trembling. "I c-couldn't protect him…" He whispered, his voice quavering and breaking. He huddled up against Halm, hiccuping again.
Halm continued to gently rub Nix, wanting to help him calm down.
"I couldn't either," he said softly. "But he's safe now. He's safe, and alive, Nix." He looked down a at Cas's unconscious form, tearing up a bit.
Nix reached out to gently run his fingers through Cas's hair. "It's going to be hard for him to get over this…" He said softly. "I know him. He's anxious and he's paranoid. He's going to need both of our help to deal with this."
"And he'll have that help. We're going to make sure he gets over this." Halm lightly put his hand on Cas's as well. He wanted Cas to feel safe here.
Nix sighed softly and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. "I-I just want him to be okay…" He murmured.
Halm nodded, biting his lip a little.
"I'm sorry for bringing you both here," he said softly. "None of this would have happened…" He sighed a little. He just wanted Cas and Nix to be safe. They were both his responsibility now, and he was screwing up.
Nix nodded a bit, huddling up against Halm again. "W-When's he gonna wake up…?" He asked weakly.
