Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 38
Part 1 Part 37
Steve keeps acting like he’s perfectly fine. Like he didn’t have part of his shoulder carved off. Like he’s not suffering through an hour of glorified torture masquerading as physical therapy every day, trying to build his muscle back up. Like the doctor hadn’t told him he might still never get back to shooting hoops and swimming laps with the precision he used to. Like his ribs aren’t still broken, and he doesn’t still have trouble standing, or wake up screaming, clutching at his throat. Like he doesn’t rub the back of his head sometimes and stare into the middle distance with lost eyes. And it’s pissing Eddie off.
Especially now, as he walks beside Wayne, pushing Steve’s wheelchair down the hall toward the elevator. This in and of itself was a feat. First, Steve had argued that he didn’t need a wheelchair, then he’d argued he didn’t need help pushing it. Eddie let Steve flounder for a few minutes, trying to make his useless arm wheel him forward, angry tears springing from his eyes before he acquiesces.
The latest rub is the worst: Steve wants to go home. As if Eddie doesn’t remember the look on Steve’s face when he said he wanted to go to Eddie’s trailer. As if Eddie doesn’t remember the way Steve’s voice broke when he called the trailer home.
“The doctor said somebody needs to keep an eye on ya,” Wayne says reasonably. “Either we do it, or you can stay with Joyce. She offered to put you up.”
Steve scoffs. “My parents—”
“Aren’t home!” Eddie snaps, pushing Steve into the elevator and pushing the down button on the elevator with enough force that his finger hurts.
Steve sits up straighter in his chair, reading for a fight. Wayne doesn’t let him. “If you’re staying at that house, then so are we,” he says, implacable. “Until your parents are there to watch you.” Left unsaid, is that no one had heard from them. That Steve hadn’t asked about them at all.
Steve slumps down in a position that must be hell on his cracked ribs, sighing. “Fine,” he says, like it hurts. “I’ll stay in the trailer.”
It feels like a knife twist. Eddie wants to shake Steve and remind him he’d called it home.
It’s quick after that. Steve signs himself out at the front desk, tucking the physical therapy schedule they’d made for him into the pocket of the sweatpants Wayne had scavenged from Eddie’s drawers for Steve to wear home.
Wayne and Eddie work together to help lever Steve into the passenger seat of Eddie’s van. Wayne slides into the driver’s seat without asking, so Eddie grumbles his way into the back.
Steve’s quiet when Wayne pulls up front, quiet while they help him in, quiet when he’s settled onto the couch.
He’s looking around his surroundings just like he had the first time – like he’s amazed people live like this. That first time, he’d wanted to snarl, make sure Harrington knew that there was nothing wrong with this life he’d created with his Uncle. Now, he just thinks of Steve’s empty house, the hospital’s unanswered phone calls to his parents, and feels unbearably sad.
Wayne puts on a basketball game that Eddie doesn’t even complain about, and settles himself at Steve’s side.
Steve falls asleep halfway through the game, head falling on Eddie’s shoulder, warm puffs of air hitting the bare skin of his neck.
Wayne huffs, and Eddie looks up at him, already glaring defensively. “What?” he demands, quiet enough not to disturb Steve.
Wayne raises his hands placatingly, even as he smiles smugly over at Eddie. “I didn’t say anything.”
They all sleep in the living room that night. It’s cozy and warm, especially after Wayne drapes a blanket over them both.
It should feel weird, settling this closely to Steve, now that they’re not depending on each other to survive. Now that they’re back in the real world. But Eddie feels like he’ll fall apart if Steve’s not in sight, so maybe he’s not out of the woods after all.
It's peaceful.
It stays peaceful until the next day when it’s time for Steve’s physical therapy appointment.
“I can take myself,” he says. “I have a car.”
He’s not meeting Eddie’s eyes. Eddie takes a few deep breaths. He knows snapping won’t help anything, but he wants to smack Steve until this is easier. He just— he doesn’t get this. Can’t figure out what the problem is.
“It would take just as long to drive you to your car as it would to just drive you,” Eddie says, cleaning up their half-assed breakfast of toast a cereal off the table. He doesn’t look back at Steve, wants to play this cool and nonchalant, and he just knows one look at the obstinate tilt of Steve’s chin will send him swinging.
“I can walk,” he says, even though he really really can’t.
Eddie slams a dish into the sink. He’s almost surprised the bowl doesn’t shatter upon impact. He scrubs it, back to where Steve is stewing in silence.
He needs to figure this out. Why Steve is being so difficult, about staying here, about Eddie feeding him and driving him. He does the hardest thing he can think of, and asks, “why don’t you want me to take you to your appointment?”
He doesn’t turn around, just keeps scrubbing the dishes like this is a casual conversation over breakfast. Because it should be.
The silence drags him down, lasts long enough that Eddie doesn’t think Steve will answer at all.
“You shouldn’t have to,” Steve says.
Eddie thinks back – big house no parents – and wonders how long it’s been since someone did something for Steve without strings. He turns around, settles back into his seat and stares at Steve until he raises his eyes from the table.
Choosing his words carefully, he says, “I want to go with you,” Eddie says. “You saved my life—"
“But—” Eddie holds up a hand, and Steve stops, brows furrowed.
“You saved my life,” he repeats, meeting Steve’s eyes. “I’m gonna help you whether you like it or not.”
It’s not quite the whole truth, but Eddie’s not sure how to touch the way it feels like worms are writhing in his stomach when Steve’s out of his sight. How his shoulders only really relax when he knows exactly where Steve and Will both are.
Eddie bites his tongue on the too much of it all.
“Fine,” Steve says, still sullen, but he lets Eddie lead him to the van and drive him to his appointment.
It looks painful. Eddie holds his crossed ankles, to stop himself from leaping up and wrenching Steve away from the doctor’s ministrations.
By the end, Steve looks like he just got done with a basketball game, sweat dripping down his forehead, pits stained. If Eddie squints, he can almost see the uncomplicated jock of days past as they limp out of the hospital.
“You wanna go see Baby Byers?” Eddie asks.
“Please,” Steve says, slumping into the passenger seat like the princess he is.
Eddie drives, turning his music up loud enough to rattle their teeth just to see Steve smile.
Part 39
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One question I would like to ask: [How do the turtle tots see their papa? (Part 1, because I can't put everything in here)] Do they idolize him as their hero, or as just their jolly turtle dad? You said the kids do end up learning ninjutsu. Dis they discover this by chance and wanted to learn, or did Mikey realized by himself it was a good idea to teach them? Did their perception of their father change because of it? And do they think Mikey it's a good sensei?
They adore their dad and love him very much!
They do idolize him, but just as a loving parent figure. After all, they can't truly envision the silly turtle that sings while cooking their meals in the hero light and they get truly flabbergasted each time Mikey tells them stories of his brothers and their adventures because they always forget their dad also lived them (Will get back to this in a bit, following the order of your ask ;] ).
The kids do know ninjutsu! They are all in completely different levels of it though.
Mikey wanted them to be able to defend themselves in case they ever got themselves in dangerous situations but he never does force them to practice into it more if they don't wish to. Uno and Moja are the ones who get into more advanced training from Mikey when older and they spar with each other and with Mikey constantly (Uno is the one who thought it would be cool of him to get better at ninjutsu, to be like his uncles, and Moja decided to get more training as well only because she didn't want Uno to get a big head about it, she always humbles him if needed be). Yi knows the basic of self defense and only uses her training from time to time just to burn off energy, Odyn trains with her on these occasions. Odyn does Not enjoy training much but he does know the basics of self defense and likes spending time with his siblings to goof around in training.
They do start training ninjutsu because of Mikey talking more about his brothers, Uno was the one who brought the idea of them learning in the first place. When teaching them Mikey always explains that what he's teaching them can harm others and for them to be responsible with it, he just wants them to be safe and to take care of each other. That last thought is something that stays with the kids forever. The kids are brought up in a loving and safe space so Mikey never truly has doubts if teaching them was a bad idea because the kids actually see training as a sort of way where they can burn off excessive energy to have fun and not as something they need to Not Die. The only problem Mikey sometimes has is when they get hurt during training (sprained limbs, moja hitting Uno a bit too hard without meaning to).
The kids perception of Mikey never truly changes from their loving papa, even after learning everything he went through, because they understand where he is coming from (a literal war, being a child soldier, losing his entire family). They love him the same.
The fact that they feel somewhat disconnected from the Mikey of their dad's stories and anecdotes is somewhat of a factor as well. They can't help to just feel like those are completely different lives of someone they know and love because, even after so much tragedy, they look at Mikey and he seems in so much peace now. They are happy for him And are there for him.
Mikey is the best sensei! He makes the trainings fun and actually enjoyable! They love their papa sensei.
The photo April found of Mikey and his brothers has been on their shrine at their home ever since the kids can remember. Since that (April sending Mikey the photo) happened when the kids were fairly small they can't truly remember when it happened BUT babies do sense and react to their parents emotional cues so the kids definitely started crying alongside Mikey as soon as they saw him crying (Mikey had the first ever turtle pile with the babies that day, it was nice). After this Mikey started to cry easily again as he did when younger so the kids are actually used to their dad being an emotional crier (any strong emotion) and hugger/smoocher in general since they grew up with him :'], Odyn is an emotional crier too! just like their dad!
The kids did not know of the way Mikey's brothers died until they were much older and emotionally stable. They grew up with stories of their uncles (visiting Donatello's grave specifically, playing heroes and using their family as characters) and they knew that they had passed on but they only learnt of how they died and the whole backstory (being raised as child soldiers, THE WAR, the way they got murdered, Mikey's solitude time just going around killing bad guys) until they were much older. As one would learn the whole family lore when adult.
Mikey was open about their family story because the kids are family too after all.
When learning all of it the kids were definitely shocked but, again, the view of their loving father didn't actually change in their perception. Yi and Odyn were just So Sad about how tragic the story of their family is. Not surprisingly, Moja and Uno were the ones truly angry at an outside force (the whole foot thing) completely destroying their family in a generational war but there's nothing they can do except be angry for a bit, after all by this time Casey Marie and April have won back New York alongside the revolution, Hiroto is long dead and the generational war is no more. They all cry together and have a turtle pile again that day :']
The kids know there's no more revenge to be had, and that every second they are alive living a happy life with their family is like saying "fuck you. I Win" to the generational war thing and that their uncles would be so happy to know that they grew up safe and in a loving manner.
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