LEO - POST MOVIE

[semilethal]

[ nobody asks where april found the van. some mild criminal activity feels irrelevant in light of the day they just had anyway, and they couldn't exactly walk all the way back to the lair.

not with leo like...this. not just leo either; raphael couldn't hardly hold his head up, hunched and clearly wearing his 'i'm the eldest and i won't complain' face as he cradles leo so carefully on their way to the van. mikey's hands and arms won't stop trembling, even when he twists them together and presses them to his plastron. donatello is sore all over and his skin and shell feel raw, like someone rubbed him down with sandpaper.

and leo's quiet. leo's too quiet.

so there they are in the cargo van, raph tucked toward the front with a leg stretched out for mikey to use as a pillow to doze upon. april and casey sit up front, throwing concerned glances over their shoulders as often as is safe while april slowly weaves the vehicle through the half-destroyed streets toward the nearest access point. splinter sits near the doors as their only other capable fighter, though he keeps his tail curled around leo's uninjured ankle.

and donatello, he's stripping off his gloves because he's going to have to touch his brother to get a better idea of his injuries, and his skin doesn't feel like his own and that'll interfere with his judgement. the fewer layers between he and his brother, the more accurate he can be. ]

Alrighty Leon. Look alive, let's...let's diagnose.

Comments

[neonleon]

Uh.

[Hm. Miscalculation.]

What makes you think I would immediately re-herniate it, I said I am chillaxing.

[semilethal]

Oh I'm just not assuming anything. I am, [pause] releasing myself from the responsibility. [he's going to watch you like a FUC KIN G HAWK. nobody is doing or getting surgery ever again. it is disgusting and traumatizing for everybody involved.] You may chillax. You may not chillax. Do you know who is going to be concerned over which of those things happen?

Not I. I am officially busy.

[neonleon]

Uh huh.

[So Donnie is going to be watching him like a fucking hawk. Surgery was probably disgusting and traumatizing for everyone involved and he doesn't want to do it on anyone ever again.]

I'll remember that while I sit and read comics in bed.

[semilethal]

Excellent! I will be in my laboratory. Shelldon, transport the degenerate over to his comic books if you please.

Righteo Donno! [and off leonardo is carted! must be nice to be bedridden on a bed that listens to someone else, huh]

[neonleon]

[How did Donnie know his favorite thing in the world?

And that it happens to be not that? He grips one hand to the side of the cot as he whizzes by his brother, giving a low glare at him.]

I'll remember this.

[semilethal]

[To which Donatello just hisses back,] No you won't because you have ADHD.

[neonleon]

[He's still being floated away at Donnie's order. He's annoyed about it, sure, but it's hard to really be annoyed when his brother just did that invasive surgery.

But he still heard that.]

Rude as hell, is what you are.

[semilethal]

[bro whatever!!! u get what u get

---

And what he gets is actually less bedrest than expected. Maybe it's because the ooze or mutagen or empyrean or whatever it is in their veins is still difficult to quantify in terms of how it affects their metabolisms, their cell regeneration, their pain tolerance, etc. Maybe it's just because Leo really does stay more or less stationary, at least according to the monitoring program Donnie had Shelldon initiate.

So, just a day and a half, barely two short days later, Don shoots a quick text to Leo with 'Come here' before recalling Shelldon back into the lab-adjacent recovery room. Is he interrupting any conversations or activities? Who cares.

Donnie gets up from his project. ...minimizes the windows he's got open just in case, and heads over to meet Shelldon in the recovery room.] All right, enough lazing about.

[neonleon]

[He was actually in the middle of discussing at length with Mikey about Jupiter Jim's kitchen situation and what he's eating in space all the time and the likelihood of them talking Donnie into trying to make one of those food-materializer-machines that just make whatever you're thinking -

But he's summoned away, grumpy the whole float ride to the recovery zone.]

I'm sorry, I thought that was called 'recovering'. [Air quotes and all.]

[semilethal]

Mm. Generous. [Holds out a hand for Leo to grab and sit up with. Stand up dude]

[neonleon]

Yup.

[Taking the hand and starts pulling himself up. He's still pretty tired all things considered and will keep a firm grip on Donnie's hand once he's upright, other hand balancing on Shelldon still floating.]

What's up?

[semilethal]

[Makes a mental note of the strength in Leo's grip as he keeps holding onto Don's hand. He's gonna need that back eventually but...meh ok fine, Leo can keep using it as a brace.]

What's up is that you're starting physical therapy. I want x-rays of you standing, and I wanna see your comfortable range of motion.

[neonleon]

[Please, you don't need that hand, Donnie. While the grip is firm, it's a little shaky for the moment but nothing horrible. Leo does just watch him.

Fuck it's only been two days, come on.

Trust me to take care of you.]

Fine, fine. Just tell me what you need me to do.

[semilethal]

You're very compliant lately. It's kind of gross. [this bitch, after he specifically asked for that compliance,

Donnie maneuvers so he can tap at his wrist computer without letting go of Leo's hand and a freestanding panel floats over. Donnie adjusts the positioning with one hand directly in front of Leo's upper torso, then hesitates.] ...I need to go to my computer.

[neonleon]

[A beat.

And then realizes-]

Right. [Just lets that go and holds on to the panel instead.] Also you're the one who specifically asked for that compliance.

[semilethal]

Yes but I still didn't expect it. [thus, gross.

Donnie heads over to his computer, taps a few keys. A window with what looks like a wormhole diagram opens up briefly before it is replaced with multiple windows of comparative x-rays, various charts with medical data, and an input field for notes.] Let go of the panel and stand as straight as you can on my count. One, two- three. [He taps another key and waits for a moment to check that the x-ray is sufficient before coming back over and automatically holding out his hand again for Leo to take, even though he surely has walking aides around here somewhere.]

[neonleon]

[Donnie, surely you have walking aides around here somewhere. But on three he lets go, trying to stand up straight. But everything is sore, he feels the adhesive of some bandages on his skin tugging with the new, definitely normal position he's definitely been in for days.

And once Donnie's close by, he'll take that hand again.]

Oh, if you don't want it, I can be normal about it instead.

[semilethal]

I'm glad we can agree that your normal state of being is usually categorized as very annoying. [Shoves floating screen out of the way so he can guide Leo over to two parallel handrails with a stool placed somewhat out of the way of the walking path in the middle.] Lift both arms as far as you can without pain.

[neonleon]

Only the best to annoy my twin bro.

[Follows along, trying to just get the hang of walking after laying down not moving for... how long has it even been? A week? Longer? Time's fake.

But the instruction he looks at it. Already feeling tired again, but raises his arms. They get farther than he thought, almost shoulder height, before the pain jolts from his shoulders down his back and he stop there before letting them down again.]

That- That's it.

[semilethal]

Hm. [Taps away at his wrist computer. The form fields on his computer screen across the lab fill somewhat.] Okay. Same thing, bend to touch your toes.

[And like this Donatello leads Leo through more exercises. Twist at the waist, stretch side-to-side, even leg exercises to make sure there isn't much muscle atrophy. Roll his head, turn to look over each shoulder as far as possible, chin to chest, eyes up to the ceiling. Rotate arms in circles, wrists, elbows. Everything connects through the spine, everything. He has to be sure.]

All right. [Donnie kicks the stool over in case Leo (probably) wants to sit down, though that's surely not going to be as comfortable as the Shellcot's been.] I'll build a regimen off of this. We can probably take those bandages off for good though. I also want to get any plaster remnants off and check your shell for any stress fractures, but the x-ray looked good.

[neonleon]

[Leo didn't know it was possible to feel tired and worn out just from some slow stretches. But he's learned something new today.

By the time it's over, he's breathing hard than he normally would be for this little activity. So the stool is promptly grabbed and sat on.]

Yeah? Great. 'Cause I'd really love a shower right now. Or a bath. Either one. [He Feels So Disgusting Right Now.]

[semilethal]

Yeah, so would the rest of us. [you are loved but you also stink so bad

Donnie circles around behind Leo and rubs his chin as he examines the plaster. Shelldon arrives a moment later (still a cot, thankfully) with a basin of warm soapy water and a soft sponge. Those usual mechanical arms sprout from Donnie's shell and pluck away Leo's bandages, seizing the sponge and basin to start wiping excess plaster away from the shell wounds to check on the healing.]

...maybe a resin coat just to reinforce, [Donatello mumbles to himself, tapping more notes into his wrist display even as the mechanical arms work to support Leo and clean up his shell.] No visible cracks though. Could probably do without just fine.

[neonleon]

[His fourteen step skin care routine has been RUINED since the Krang got here. He has so much to make up for in pampering.]

Good. [He'd been genuinely.... definitely worried about that. Not being able to do his own medical treatment had been scaring him a bit.] What else?

[semilethal]

Nothing else. [Straightens up, mechanical hands dropping the sponge back into the basin as Shelldon floats merrily away to dispose of the water and whatever else he does around the lab.] You're healing better than expected. You should be able to get back to regular training in a matter of weeks.

[...and that's it. Leo's fixed. As fixed as Donnie can make him, pending physical therapy of course.

All done. Job's finished.]

[neonleon]

....And. That's good.

[He sounds unsure about it, like.. He expected some other big horrible Thing to be tacked on at the end. Donnie just playing him a little or something, like they do. He keeps watching his brother for now.]