#tmyt au

[foxsoulart]

Blorbo for Mystic Summons au, takes place after Leo loses his arm.

Leo opened his eyes, half-lidded and drowsy still. The world spun in a kaleidescope of blurred colors and shapes. He scrunched his eyes shut, tensed, and willed it to go away. It did. Gradually. Once the spinning and subsequent nausau stopped, Leo reopened his eyes and settled into his body. The crinkle of sheets under him and the shift of a blanket when he moved told him he was in a bed. Not his though if the scent and color choice said anything. Which it didn't literally but still.

The dimmed lighting either meant it was night or someone was worried about waking him.

Tilting his head to look on either side of him felt like a momentous task. Muscles aching in tandem with his brain fog. Geez, what did I do before this? Run a marathon or six? I am so tired.

To his left was the rest of the room. Which if his eyes would focus he could tell what that was, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

To the right was the door. And a slumbering figure in a chair that looked like it was dragged in from another room. Because, wow, that does not match the decor in here that I can see at all. I hope it is not normally in here. Otherwise I'm gonna need to have a talk with somebody.

After straining to pick out details with his still unfocused eyes for far too long, Leo gave up and closed his eyes with a sigh. Letting his head flop back onto the pillow with a thump. The motion jolted awake the guy in the, absolutely hideous, chair.

A grey sweatshirt over baggy worn blue jeans, long black hair pulled in a messy half pony, and startingly blue eyes.

Ah, I know this guy. Casey.

"Still a walking self-care disaster." Leo mumbled outloud, potentionaly unintentional.

Casey heard but elected to ignore that comment. He instead slipped around the end of the bed and checked Leo's pulse using his left wrist. Comparing and counting with a watch he was wearing.

The yokai scrunched his brow in confusion.

"Dude, you could have just done that with my right. Less work."

He lifted his right to wave it around to prove his point. Or tried to anyway.

He was met with the sensation of.....nothing. He felt his shoulder move, but nothing after that. Feeling just.....ended. Leo's beak twisted in further confusion, his mind on the brink, the precipice of remembering something important, of clearing his fuzzy head.

Casey was saying something but Leo wasn't paying attention, too preoccupied with the mystery of why his right arm wasn't responding. He turned his head and lifted it to see better, ignoring his body's aching protests. What he saw...was nothing. A small bit swathed in white bandages extended a little past his shoulder. But that was it. His arm just ended. It wasn't there.

What. Why isn't...

Then the brain fog cleared and let the memories come crashing back in.

The glint of metal, the all consuming burning pain, a horned face cruel and cold.

Horrible re-realization and panic pulled him into a sitting position, lurching up. His left arm held onto his shoulder, feeling the absence of that arm. He hunched forward, eyes blown wide, pupils pinpricks, his breathing shook and convulsed in his chest. Tears fell unbidden. He leaned forward pulling his knees up to grind his forhead on. His whole body tensed, fingers and toes curling in, then released inone long shuddering breath.

"I'm never going to see a triceratops the same again, am I?"

".....No." Casey said, remorseful. The experience had already been ruined for him, but it must be 10x worse for Leo and his brothers.

".....Cool." It wasn't. "My favorite was brachiosaurus anyway." Leo tried to joke. Emphasis on tried.

He really needed a better coping mechanism. But laughter was supposed to be the best medicine right? Too bad his laughter died deep in his chest. And dang, the tears just wouldn't stop. No matter how hard he tried. So he dropped his resistance and let them flow. He just lost his entire freaking arm, facade be damned.

This felt better that holding it back anyway.

Leo was a quiet cryer, quieter that even Donnie(who wasn't as quiet as he thought himself) He didn't sob loudly, it was just silent anguish. Over time his brothers figured this out and learned how to tell. Leo would say he preffered to cry alone if it wasn't a lie, he absolutely hated it. It was just so hard to take that first step. Once he started, moving anywhere by himself was out of the question; he just couldn't.

Leo had curled further into himself. The solitary arm hugging his knees to his chest had him crying harder.

Now a Leo from another time might be thinking himself selfish for crying over his arm before making sure his brothers were okay; but those same brothers had drilled into his brain (and their own) that if no one was dying right that second, to take care of himself first. They were all still working on that, but they were working on it.

Casey was panicing.

"Um, it's okay. I'll uh I'll go get your brothers? Would that help?" I have no idea what I'm doing.

Every action was faltering, not sure what would help or make it worse. He moved toward the door, deciding to find someone else who would know what to do, at least more than he did.

Leo noticed Casey leaving and was clutched by fear, he hated crying alone.

"Don't leave!" was choked out past his tears in desperation.

The utter and absolute panic in the slider's eyes told Casey that the best course of action would be to stay. So he did. His hand lifting off the doorknob to hang awkwardly at his side. Casey came back around to sit back down in the chair Leo had first seen him in.

"I won't." He promised.

Leo sagged in relief. Silence only broken by shuddering breathes settled over the room. Surprisingly the atmosphere was not negative.

Casey was still uncertain if he should be doing something more, so he fidgeted nervously. Carefully studying Leo when he sat back up, wiping away his remaining tears with his remaining hand, sniffling.

"Do you....um.....do you want a hug?"

For Casey a hug always made him feel better after crying.

Leo looked surprised by the offer but recovered quickly, smiling softly and shy. "Sure, I'd love one."

Casey stood and leaned over, wrapping his arms around Leo. He gave his best, most comforting hug he could, mindful of Leo's injuries.

It reminded Leo of Raph's hugs. Of a big brother. Of warmth and safety. It wasn't nearly as crushing and all-encompassing, but it was still absolutely amazing and exactly what he needed.

[foxsoulart]

Inktober day 18 Drive

GO FASTER GO FASTER!

MIKEY I CAN'T SEE!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

[foxsoulart]

Prompt list

@truths33k3r4

Prompt 17 TMYT au (Teenage Mystic Yokai Turtles)

9/18/24

(Sometime in the past, before Leo had all his medical knowledge)

"Oookaaay...." Leo breathed out long and full of nerves. "Raph, darling brother o'mine, I need you to sit still as possible, k?"

"Leo. That's literally what I'm doing." Raph leveled him with an irritated glare from his position lying as flat on his back as he could be on the floor.

Leo bit his lip, worrying away at it. "Mhm-mm, just uh don't move at all."

He stood there staring down the problem; simultaneously working himself into a panic and working up his nerve to do what needed to be done. See, he'd never had to put anyone's limbs back in place and here he was with no other option but to do it.

Leo switched from chewing on his lip to biting his nails. He began pacing.

"Maybe we should just force some random guy to do it. They would probably know more than I do."

Raph waited through a full minute of Leo trying to talk both of them out of him relocating his knee; then he reached out a hand and grabbed the slider's passing ankle stopping him in his tracks and almost tripping him.

"Leo, just do it. It will be fine. I trust you, you know the most. And the best way to learn is....?"

Raph left his sentence unfinished, looking Leo in the eye, waiting.

"....experience..." Leo finished.

He took a stabilizing breath, Raph released his ankle, and he positioned himself and Raph's leg ready to go.

Before he could back out, Leo gave a swift, firm shove and popped his brother's knee back into place with a loud click.

Testing the movement, Raph sat up and pulled Leo into a one-armed hug.

"Told ya you could do it. Wanna tell Donnie and Mikey it's safe to look now?"

Leo returned the hug, wrapping both his arms and legs around Raph. Mushing his face into him. Body shivering in relief that nothing went wrong.

"Mmph." Was his muffled negative reply.

Raph sighed fondly "Though so." He planted a kiss on Leo's head. "Fine, your eldest brother will do it. I'm the loudest anyway."

Leo scrunched his beak skeptically. "Hmmmmmmnr."

Raph laughed, loud and short. "Didn't understand a word, little brother."