Story: One Shot (Genre: Hurt/Comfort) Casey x Brax

Warning: Descriptions of a panic attack

The two brothers were walking across the bay on a friday afternoon.

The waves were suprisingly calm despite the weather.

All the work that had to be done was done, and they finally had some well deserved days off.

But they both knew due to the circumstances that come along with being a Braxton, they practically never have a day off.

There's always something going on - Whether it's a family problem or having trouble with some gang who's out to destroy their peace.

The Braxtons were always busy.

"So how you doing, Case?" Brax asked as he eyed his brother who had been staying quiet during their walk.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered, his voice soft as he spoke.

Brax however, knew his little brother through and through.

He knew that his brother was lying; He could tell something was off by the way his eyes were darting around.

"Are you sure, mate? Because you don't seem like it." Brax pushed.

He wanted to know what was going through his mind.

It has been so hard to tell, lately.

Casey has been shutting himself out a lot, which makes it difficult for his brothers to offer him the help that he needs.

Casey then abruptly stops moving to let out a heavy sigh.

Brax stopped now too, to glance over at his brother who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Case?" He questioned.

Casey looked down at his sandals, and he kicked the sand off that had slipped between his toes. "Can we please just go somewhere else? I could use some distraction."

Brax raised his eyebrows at his sudden mood switch. "Yeah ofcourse, mate. We could go to Angelo's for a drink?"

Casey simply nodded.

The two brothers walked into Angelo's where Kyle was working his shift and Brax ordered a drink for them.

Kyle had thrown a questioning look at Casey, who was sitting down in front of the bar on one of the stools like a sack of potatoes.

Brax waved it off, and took the drinks from Kyle.

He placed the drink in front of Casey, before taking a sip himself.

"Drink," Brax ordered.

Casey groaned and took a hold of his glass.

He drank all the liquor in one bit, and closed his eyes at the burning sensation in his throat.

"Oi!" Brax took the glass away from Casey and handed it to Kyle.

"Enough!" Brax said sternly.

The thoughts in Casey's head are so overwhelming that he feels like he could explode any second.

At that moment Bianca and Heath walked into Angelo's whilst sharing a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Oi! Is there a family gathering going on you all didn't invite me for?" Heath grinned when he saw all his brothers in the same room.

Kyle shook his head and glanced over at his watch. "Not really, Brax and Casey have literally been here for a few minutes."

Bianca smiled. "Everyone seems to be enjoying the weekend, I see?"

Kyle looked at her sheepishly.

"Well, I'm still working so..." He mumbled as he wiped another glass.

Heath laughed. "Oh we're so sorry, we didn't see you there, big boy!"

Kyle rolled his eyes and Brax gave Heath a warning look.

He wasn't in the mood for his jokes at the moment.

At that moment, Casey jumped up from his bar stool and tugged violently at his hair before letting out a scream.

This alarmed Brax. "Casey!" Brax yelled worriedly before rushing over to his little brother.

Heath had in the meanwhile let go of Bianca and had stepped forward with a concerned look on his face as he tried to figure out what was going on.

The costumers all had stopped eating and had turned their heads into the direction of the scene that was taking place inside of the restaurant.

Casey continued raging, and Brax placed his strong arms around his brother from behind to keep him in place and to prevent him from hurting himself even more.

"Casey!" Brax shouted, as he tried to hold him still.

"What's going on?!" He interrogated, and at that moment his brother became weak.

Casey slumped down and Brax went down with him, not letting go from his distressed brother.

Heath, Bianca and Kyle were now standing around the two brothers and they were frozen in place since they weren't sure how to help.

Brax noticed how Casey's chest rose and fell quickly underneath his grip.

His little brother was leaning into him weakly, and Brax loosened his grip to give him some air.

"It's okay, Casey... I've got you, I've got you..." He hushed protectively.

He looked down at his brother who's cheeks were pink due to the huge amount of air he was taking in.

"Brax..." Casey said, his voice shaky. "I can't feel."

Heath's eyes widened at that.

What was happening to him?

A guy stepped closer to the scene and Heath gave him a nasty look.

''Piss off!'' He said and the man turned around to leave.

"You're going to be okay, Case, I promise." Brax stated for his brothers sake.

He digged into his pocket and handed his middle brother his phone. "Call for help, Heath! Hurry!"

Heath nodded and dialed the number right away.

Casey's breathing had become even more rapid at this point.

"Case, Case! Take it easy. You're going to be alright. Try to follow my breathing, hey?"

Casey wildly shook his head, and gasped for air.

He was resting his hands in his lap and his fingers were cramped.

He yelped when his view began to spin.

He felt like he wasn't in control of his own body at this point - like he had lost contact with his surroundings.

He held on even tighter to Brax, since he didn't know what was happening to him.

Brax rocked his little brother back and forth, in the hopes to calm him down.

An ambulance soon arrived.

The paramedics rushed towards the restaurant with their equipment and a rescue basket and they questioned Bianca, who was waiting outside with Heath where their patient was.

"He's on the ground!" Bianca replied and she followed the paramedics as they rushed inside.

The paramedics gathered around Casey, and one of them asked Brax to step aside.

Brax nodded, and did as he was told.

He knew Casey hated being around strangers, but he didn't have that much of a choice.

This was for his own good.

He didn't take his eyes off his brother for one second.

"What's the patients' name?" The eldest paramedic with the glasses asked.

"Casey, his name is Casey." Kyle said.

The paramedic nodded, and kneeled down next to Casey who had turned himself around. He was laying flat faced on the floor, panting.

"Can you hear me, Casey? What happened, hey? Are you hurt?"

Casey didn't reply, so the two paramedics shared a look with each other before nodding.

"Alright Casey, we're going to turn you around right now," The other paramedic said, and he rested his hands on Casey's shoulders whilst the eldest paramedic grabbed Casey by his waist to help and turn him around.

"Listen to me," The paramedic which's name card read: 'Finn' said calmly. "Try and slow your breathing down, okay?"

Casey continued panting heavily, causing his fingers to stay cramped up.

"You're having a panic attack, it's the reason why your fingers are cramped up. It happens due to the huge amount of air you're taking in. You have to try and exhale deeply for me, Casey."

Finn said, hoping that explaining what was going on might calm the distressed teenage boy down.

Brax gritted his teeth.

A panic attack? The same thing had happened to Casey when he was in court.

"I... I am upset..." Casey managed to bring out, sounding like he had rock bottom this time.

Brax paced around nervously.

It was killing him.

But he had to remain strong.

"What are you upset about, hey?" The paramedic, 'Ed', questioned.

"Everything!" He choked out.

Hearing the words come out of Casey's mouth like that, made Kyle's heart drop.

He's too young to feel this way. He's just a kid.

"Everything like what, buddy?" Ed questioned

"M-my life... school, work, f-family... everything!"

Casey's breathing increased again, and Bianca strongly held onto Heath.

"Casey, if you don't slow your breathing down you'll have to go to the hospital with us." Finn said sternly.

Heath was shaking slightly because of what was happening to his little brother.

He might be a tough bloke, but watching his brother struggle this much broke something inside of him.

Casey shook his head heavily, not wanting to go to the hospital. He hated hospitals.

"N-no, no, no..." He cried, growing scared because of what Finn had just said.

Brax knew he had to step in.

"Look at me," Brax spoke, kneeling down in front of him as he tried to catch his brother's attention.

Casey's tired looking eyes met his, and Brax opened his mouth to speak.

"You're not going anywhere, Case. You're safe, mate. I'm here... and trust me. I won't let them take you without my permission."

Somehow, his brothers' words seemed to calm down his racing mind.

The bond between Casey and Brax was something you didn't see much these days.

Brax was the only person Casey could rely on.

Something about Brax's reassuring words made him feel like he actually was going to be okay.

Brax took Casey's trembling hands in his, and he cupped them softly.

''Just breathe with me, Case. In... and out, mate.'' He instructed, and Casey copied his brother's breathing, ignoring the numbness in his body which still scared him to death.

"Finn, could you hand me the oxygen mask, please?" Ed questioned as he held out his hand.

Finn nodded and handed Ed the mask.

Ed placed the oxygen mask carefully over Casey's nose and mouth and Casey continued inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"You're doing good, buddy. In... and out..." Brax couldn't help but feel proud of his brother.

After some time, Casey had calmed down.

Ed removed the oxygen mask from Casey's face, and Casey got up from the floor slowly.

"You did good, Casey. Just try to take it slow for the rest of the night, alright?" Finn said in a more of a questioning tone.

Brax got up, and shook the paramedic's hands, thanking them for their help.

Bianca, Heath and Kyle did the same, and after the paramedics had left, all the Braxtons including Bianca went home.

They decided to close Angelo's early that night, so they could all be at home in case something happened to their youngest brother.

Heath had crached onto the couch, and watched a football game whilst drinking a beer.

He cheered at the game when his team scored a goal like he usually did, but he kept his voice down because Casey had gone to bed.

Bianca was making herself a sandwich and Kyle was washing the dishes.

Brax was in Casey's room.

He had tucked his little brother in for the night, and he watched him as he slept peacefully.

He softly rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, and smiled weakly to himself.

Watching Casey sleep like this reminded him of how he'd always take care of him when he was a kid.

Brax slowly got up, not wanting to wake Casey.

At that moment Brax knew, that he would do anything to make sure his little brother was happy.

His brothers meant the world for him, and he wouldn't ever let them down.