Chapter Text
Rash / Hypothermia / Bully
Leo watches Donnie hit the snow for the third time.
He should have seen this coming. He should have known something was off about this small band of aliens. Size of the individual always has to be taken into account before the size of the group. He shouldn’t have put the team in this position. He should have seen the danger. He should have assumed that their offer to help wasn’t genuine. Decided that trusting them wasn’t worth the risk of being betrayed.
But they’d been desperate. There were a lot of things in this wide universe that they could handle, but three hours in these temperatures weren’t one of them.
The rest of them were still in their spacesuits. Donnie had been chosen as the special target, stripped off everything that could have possibly provided warmth. They thought it was hilarious, dunking him in the snow and watching him crawl back out of the storm.
If Leo was freezing, he couldn’t imagine what Donnie must have been feeling.
One of the Yeti-like creatures was near the entryway, coaxing Donnie back in, promising that this time, this time, they’d let him near the fire. Leo wasn’t sure that they would, certain that they just wanted to see if he could go another round with motivation. He wasn't sure that Donnie was fully present, playing into their hands and putting himself through that, but when the choice was between humiliation or death, Leo couldn't find it in him to blame his brother for trying.
He wanted to cheer him on for an entirely different reason, but he couldn’t speak through the lump of terror in his throat.
The other two fluffy-coated aliens were sitting beside them, cackling like they hadn’t seen anything funnier than a helpless, struggling turtle fighting for his life.
Donnie faltered, slumping with his face in the snow, a few feet outside the cave. Leo flew forward but the alien batted him back into the wall like he was nothing.
Raph and Mikey stared at him in horror, the youngest shaking hands tightly gripping the wound on Raph’s arm.
Leo got back up, looking between them frantically for an inch of sympathy or reasoning, “He’s going to die!” None of the Yeti’s react, but he presses on anyway, “If he doesn’t get up, now, he’s going to die! Please, please, I won’t try anything! Let me help him!”
The Yeti’s growled at one another, purposefully speaking so they couldn’t understand. He could tell that they were amused. He was too stricken to be mad.
“Please!” He begged. He didn’t know if he was shaking from the cold anymore. “Please, he’ll die! Please!”
The Yeti near the door smirked and waved invitingly.
The other Yeti let him pass, snickering when a gust of wind knocked him over as soon as he exited. He got right back to his feet, stumbling to get to him. He turned him over, patting his face rapidly, not caring if it stung as long as Donnie reacted.
He did, coughing snow and spit onto Leo’s plastron, and Leo could have cried.
“Ohmmmost ‘heer.” His eyes open, glaze and lost. “Mm-most…”
He dragged him back inside, talking to him the entire way. He took him as close to the fire as they could safely be and none of the Yeti bothered to stop him, chuckling amongst themselves as he cradled his taller brother.
Green skin was tainted with painful streaks of muddy brown, but Leo could feel him breathing.
He could feel him breathing.
“Donnie,” He pleads as his eyes go half-lidded, “Donnie, Donnie, stay awake for me. Donnie.”
“Doh-nne dohne d’nn,” Donnie hadn’t been shivering before, but he suddenly starts now, violently shaking and tucking himself against Leo. “nnnnn…”
“Yeah,” Leo’s voice breaks. “You’re done. You did it.”
“Didddnn,” Donnie puts up a swaying fist, “mmmyesssss.”
Leo gently pulls down his hand, taking frozen fingers in his own.
His little brother's teeth and bones clatter in the cold.
Around them, the Yetis snicker.