Thus Always to Tyrants

Chapter 3

Word of the day: Infantilize

To infantilize someone is to treat them as though they are an infant—in other words, to treat them as helpless, immature, or as one who lacks adult  agency.

"Gently now, Case. You don't want to cut yourself." Leo mumbled. The two were in a simulation room the next morning, one designed specifically for surgeries and wound treating. Casey held a knife in his hands and slowly directed it to a fake wound, pointing it towards the bullets lodged into the flesh. "The dummy that is laid before you just got shot from a gun that sprays, so bullets could be in different parts of the body. There aren't any resources to close up the wound, like a hot stake. How do we get them out efficiently without them losing too much blood?"

Casey thought for a moment. "Drive them out with the knife and then hold the wound down to stop the bleeding until we can find something to wrap around it, like a piece of clothing."
Leo smiled and took a step back. "You've got only a few minutes. While you work on the wound, don't forget that pain can make people pass out. Whether they will wake up again or not, you need to work fast and keep them conscious."

Casey nodded and did as he planned before, carefully sliding the shrapnel out with ease. "My name is Casey Jones Jr., my mother is Cassandra Jones. I'm here to help and I need you to stay awake for as long as you can until I can disinfect your wound and get you to somewhere safe." He worked quickly and set the bullets aside, Leo watching him closely. "Not bad, kid. Now, what do we use to disinfect it?"

"Uhh...Hydrogen peroxide?" He asked, but the room turned red and a buzz sounded. "Yeah no, that's wrong. Although it disinfects the wound, it kills normal cells within it, including healthy skin cells and immune cells." The room turned green at his answer and a ding came after.

Casey raised a brow. "So? It heals, doesn't it?" 
"Sure, but it slows blood vessel formation, which is important for wound healing." Leo insisted, pushing the hydrogen peroxide out of the way. "Now try again, this time use the correct disinfectant. One that doesn't take any risks."

"What's wrong with taking risks? You said I need to work fast, so isn't it better to get up and walk away from a fight injured yet alive rather than dead from taking too much time to care about your extra cells or something?" 
Leonardo frowned. "You don't just treat the wound, you treat the patient. You work steadily because you know what you're doing, but to take care of the patient as fast as possible is only needed in dire situations."

"It's the apocalypse, every situation is dire! How am I supposed to run some water over it or use an alcohol-free wipe if I don't have that resource on me?" Casey asked. Leonardo was starting to get impatient. "You won't have to worry about that if you come prepared. Which you will be, as long as you listen to me."

Casey rolled his eyes and blew some hair out of his face. "And what do I do if my life is in danger. too? You still want me to kneel down and 'correctly' disinfect a wound?"

"Yes, I do. Any more questions, big mouth?" 

The boy groaned. "Oh come on, you'd rather me just sit there and tend to a person I might not even know rather than save myself and live?" Leo nodded. "If the moment calls for sacrifice, sacrifice is what you will do. Trust me, I used to be a medic when this all started. Not everything is about yourself."

"The only reason you got absolutely folded the first time was because you were needed on the battlefield but you wanted to be Captain Save-a-hoe for Usagi!"

Leo gasped loudly and drew back. "EXScuse me?!"

"Yeah, Ma told me! You were running towards him with this look on your face that said 'Oh mi gosh, Usagi Yuichi, kiss me on my lips I'm sooo fruityyy~'" Casey said. He turned around and wrapped his arms around himself, making the most outrageous kissing noises. Leo gasped again., feeling his face heat up with embarrassment. "H-HEY, YOU STOP THAT, YOU LITTLE SH-"

"MWAH MWAH, OH MY USAGI, YOU'RE SO GOOD AT KISSING MEN~ KISS MY FRUIT BOWL TURTLE LIPS-"

"That's it!" Leo growled and suddenly lunged at him. Mikey entered and gasped. "Uhh..." Casey was biting on Leonardo's cape and the turtle was grabbing him by his throat. They froze. "What in the name of Da Vinci is going on in here...?" Mikey asked. Casey pointed to Leo. "Sensei started beating me up!" Michelangelo looked at his brother. "W-well, he started it!" He shook his head and his hands glowed as he pushed them apart. "That's enough, you two. Everyone can hear you." Leonardo gasped and yelled out the doorway. "It's not true, Usagi! I WASN'T TRYING TO BE CAPTAIN SAVE-A-HOE!!"

Casey Jr. looked up at Mikey. "Was he, Uncle?" 

The turtle chuckled and nodded. "Oh yeah."

~

Casey and Leo sat next to each other on the sofa, sulking. "And you two stay in here until you can learn to stop yelling like you pay the bills!" April yelled, slamming the door shut. Leonardo grumbled. "Jokes on you, none of us pay the bills..." Casey Jr. nodded and kicked his feet up on the couch before Leo knocked them down. "Ay, no shoes on the furniture."

Casey groaned. "See, that's what we're in here for in the first place! You're always telling me what to do with no real explanation!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm an adult, you're supposed to deal with what I say no matter what your opinion is. Until you're old enough to talk back to me, I expect you will show some respect to me!" He knelt down and grabbed Casey by the shoulders. "Now what is your problem? Defying me when you know I'm right?"

Casey narrowed his eyes. "I could ask you the same thing, Sensei." He pushed his hands off of him and backed away. "Why won't anyone tell me what's happening with my mom?"

Leo's eyes widened slightly. "Well Case, it's not like you've asked me." The boy sighed and his shoulders drooped. "Because I'm scared. And I feel like doing something, something sad. Like, water from my eyes."

"Tears, Casey. You feel like crying."

"Yeah, that. But I don't wanna, I just want her to be okay already." He said. Leo sighed and sat down on the floor, crisscrossing his legs. "Come." 

Casey sat down in front of him, trying to replicate his form. "Usagi-sama told me to talk to you about this. He is smart to remind me of my duties as not only your Sensei, but your friend." He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Your mother is not well. And you heard what happened to Zio Raphael. The only reason he's okay now is because he is not human. But you know who is, right?"

Casey nodded. "Ma is."

"That's right. Now if we can't..." His voice cracked a little. "If we can't make her better, then..." Leonardo didn't finish the sentence. "I just need you to prepare yourself, alright? That's why I always ask you to give your mom a kiss on the cheek before you leave, just to let her know you love her." 

Casey lowered his eyes and nodded. "I think I understand, Sensei." Leo sighed with relief and put a hand on the boy's head. "You're still young, and loss will hurt. But don't ever close your heart to it."

"I promise I won't." He replied, smiling underneath Leonardo's warm hand.