Chapter Text
“That´s… that’s a lot of blood” gulped Leo perplexed, the color leaving his face.
And Donnie thought that was quite a statement.
He wanted to laugh because his situation was a damn funny irony, it had taken so many years to perfect his shell to avoid feeling like a nuisance and trying to be competent like his brothers, just to end up like this!... wounded in a dirty alley in his beloved and destroyed city with his brother panicking.
A laugh would have escaped his lips if Leo hadn't pressed his plastron hard.
“Oh sweet Galileo that hurts!” he howled.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Leo exclaimed scared. "that´s what we are supposed to do in these cases, right?"
Donatello nodded, clenching his teeth. With a shaky, bloodied hand he pressed an invisible button from his shell and a vial came out.
Why would he want Raph's epipen-
Leo flinched when Donatello stuck the needle in his leg without a second thought, shortly afterwards he let out a sigh and his body relaxed instantly.
"What was that?"
“Just a small pre-clinical drug that will prevent me from going into shock from pain. I’m better now” he panted.
“How does that make anything better?!” Donatello rolled his eyes ignoring him completely, Leo kept talking but he sounded distant and Donnie couldn’t make out his words, he didn't care. He felt like his body belonged to someone else, as if seeing everything through a lens, he curiously raised his compress to assess the damage.
Leo cursed and bile went up his throat. He had to look away.
It was extremely grotesque, that was something Donnie and Leo could agree on. A cauterizer would be helpful right now. A surgery would be helpful right now!
but time wasn’t on their side.
"This is bad!" said Leo taking the rag again and squeezing it with his hands against the wound. Donatello didn't even react this time.
The sky lit up for a few seconds, both stared at the end of the alley where purple rays were seen between destroyed buildings announcing the battle that was happening a few blocks away.
There was an explosion and Leonardo hugged his twin covering him from any debris that might fall on them. The floor shook for a few moments and a layer of dust covered them.
"Are you alright?"
"Define alright" Donatello coughed with a calm detachment holding the piece of clothing that Leo had put on him.
Nope, definitely he wasn't alright, far from it. Leo had to do something and fast!
"Keep pressing the wound!” he ordered and finally got a less lethargic reaction from his brother, like when he tries to correct them for saying something stupid.
"Obviously I'm going to keep pressing Leo, I don't want to bleed to death, I'm not an idiot! Sheldon's on his way and before you ask no, I'm not dying yet."
Leo sighed relived. Unexpectedly that had worked. He wasn’t dying yet… still, that was hard to believe seeing so much blood, thick and hot on his hands, on his brother's plastron.
“None of this would have happened if we had uranium! None of this would have happened if we had followed my plan!" Donnie shouted, his eyes shining with tears that threatened to escape.
Leo looked away because it was probably true.
“Guys! Where are you?! We need you right now!” Raph shouted from his communicator. “Big Mama has fallen, her troops won't be able to stop him any longer”
Leo with a serious expression brought his fingers to his ear. "April how-"
"We haven't finished evacuating the city yet!" The girl interrupted. "I'm going to leave Todd in charge, I'll go with you!"
"NO! It's too dangerous!"
“Look out!” Mikey shouted and another explosion was heard louder than the previous one.
Before Leo could react pieces of the building began to fall towards them. Donnie raised his arm and a wave of energy came out of his glove throwing the debris away from them.
“What was that?! Are you alright?!” shouted Leo scared but only received static. "Raph? Mikey? Dad?"
Nobody answered.
"Mine doesn't work either ..." Donnie said trying to control his panic. "What do we do now?!"
Leo closed his eyes inhaling sharply. Every trace of assertiveness or relaxed attitude had vanished, the red color of the sky illuminated his figure highlighting his grim expression. He was no longer sure they could stop the Shredder.
Then he looked back at his brother. He couldn't leave him alone.
“I need to take you somewhere safe” he said, standing up.
“There is no time or a safe place with the Shredder on the loose. We have to go back! ”Donnie said, tightening with his belt the piece of cloth on a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. He was terrified of the Shredder and still listening to his family made him want to return to the battle. He tried to get up.
“Are you crazy?!” He carefully leaned his brother back against the wall. “You can’t go back while bleeding all over the place!”
He tried to control his breathing, he was panicking. He had lost the vital signs of Mikey and their dad, they could be out of range, or maybe their devices had been broken during the last explosion or ...
“They need our help!”
"And that's why I'm going"
"Alone?! I think this is the part where I tell you that this is a stupid idea! ”Donnie tried to get up again putting aside Leo's arm who was trying to stop him. "I just need the sealer"
“Donnie! There’s a huge gash on your plastron!”
“Thanks for stating the obvious again!” He held onto the wall when a sudden dizziness attacked him, leaving black spots on his vision.
“Guys! Can you hear me ?!”
"Raph?" The twins shouted in unison.
Raph let out a groan, in the background they heard the roar of the Shredder.
“I- I can't find Mikey" Raph sobbed "I don't know how much more-" another roar was heard and the cry of their older brother before the communication was completely cut off.
“Raph!”
“Sheldon, activate plan B!" Donnie shouted into his comm.
"Search for my coordinates and give me the bomb!" added Leo.
“On it, bro!”
Under other circumstances Donatello would have corrected him. It wasn't a bomb, it was something much more destructive.
He tried to take a step but his knees bent. Thanks to the quick reflexes of his twin he avoided falling face down on the ground.
With care he hardly ever showed, Leo leaned Donnie against a dumpster.
"Ok Donnie, I need you to listen to me" the turtle placed his hand on his brother’s pressing his wound, the genius was shaking without being able to control himself "I'm going to help others, meanwhile I need you to stay awake"
"I haven't reached that stage yet, Leo!" He replied in exasperation, but he was no longer sure of his own words.
A roar was heard in the distance.
Terrified, Donatello looked at the end of the alley gasping. This was the end, he knew it. One thing had been to face the Shredder in an wild and impulsive state, but that ... that being had consciousness,
…a purpose,
…intelligence,
and the control.
“Hey! Look at me! ”Leo's hand touched his face forcing him to turn towards him.
“Everything’s gonna be fine, trust me” he said, looking him in the eye with such certainty and calm that for a moment, in that comfort created by having his brother close ... he believed him.
"Okay ..." Donatello breathed.
Leo smiled patting his cheek before getting up. "Wait here, I will get the others and we will return for you"
He looked towards the end of the alley with a fire in his eyes that was rarely seen.
He raised his sword, made a portal and crossed.
Another explosion was heard again and the clash of metal against metal.
Leo was in battle, giving everything of himself.
Meanwhile Donatello could only wait.
So he did.