#ive been waiting a long time for this so happy to finally have jt

[cybererotic]

hi guess who just got autism diagnosis

[anxiously-going]

Leonard is a Starfleet doctor, fresh from the Academy, working at a base in Atlanta when the news about Tarsus breaks. He still hasn’t fully processed the news before he gets word that he’s to be one of the doctors to go on the rescue mission at Pike’s recommendation. And it’s a good thing Pike lives across the country otherwise Len might have actually kicked in Pike’s door to demand just what Pike was thinking recommending him for something like this. He has to settle for ranting and pacing in front of a holo screen instead.

Pike waits patiently for Len to rant himself out before reminding the young doctor that he was the top of his class in all of his psych studies, and everyone he worked under during his residency gave glowing reports about his ability to work with trauma patients. There is no doubt in Pike’s mind that Len is the best doctor for this job. For these patients.

Leonard is on a ship out the next day.

He lands on Tarsus IV fully expecting to be handed a pile of files and cases of patients who had been deemed “worthy” by the former governor.

Instead he gets one.

“No one else can work with him.” He’s told when he asks about it.

So he goes to meet his one and only patient.

He goes ballistic when he finds an emaciated teen strapped down to a hospital bed in a makeshift holding cell. Demanding to know who’s idea it was to use a five point restraint on medically delicate and severely traumatized patient, and when the doctor steps forward Leonard rips them a new one before they can get two words in. (It wasn’t until much later that Len found out that this person was the CMO for the mission and could have feasible had him court martialed.)

Len gets into the room and everyone outside swears it’s nothing short of a miracle that he got the kid out of the restraints without incident.

All Len did was talk to the kid about what he was doing and treat him like he was a person. (He may have also offered to help him press charges against the [REDACTED] that put him in restraints.

Through conversation they find out that they both know Pike and Len does what he can to make sure the kid gets to call him as soon as he can.

The kid’s name is JT, as it turns out. His file says James, but Len wanted to know what the kid- what JT preferred to be called.

It’s not all smooth sailing. JT is still deeply traumatized (Len begins to suspect by more than just recent events) and deeply hurting. But he tolerates Len better than anyone else so Len takes that for a win and does his best by the kid. Taking careful note of his triggers and how to avoid them, snapping at anyone that gets to close without announcing their intentions first, by the end of it all Len has gained something of a shadow and JT a guard dog.

Pike meets them back on earth and is utterly stunned when this kid he’s met maybe half a dozen times, maybe, barrels into him, clinging to him tightly. But he just sighs and wraps his arms around the kid, telling him he’s okay now. He’s safe.

Pike and Len wait and contact JT’s family multiple times, but by the end of the week it doesn’t seem like anyone’s coming. An admiral says something about foster care and JT looks sick when Len jumps in.

“I’ll take him.” There’s no hesitation in his voice. “He can stay with me. I’ll take him.”

Long story short Len gets full custody with minimal fighting from Frank and soon Len and JT are back in Atlanta.

Jocelyn is not at all happy about this “overnight parenthood” business and up and leaves before Len even lands in Georgia. (Eventually she turns up to grab the last of her things and rubs a few snide comments about meeting someone else while he was off planet and get him to sign the official divorce papers.)

And just like that Len is a single dad to a teenaged son.

They both try so hard for each other, but Jim (he starts going by Jim back on Earth as a way of trying to adjust) is still deeply traumatized and scared to share about Tarsus and his life before that and Len…

The more he tries to help Jim the more he realizes his relationship with Jocelyn had been…unhealthy. (It was abuse and if Jim has to call what his uncle did abuse then Len has to call what he went through abuse.)

Pike keeps in touch and when he hears about the struggles Jim is having in school he cuts him a deal. If he can pass the entrance exam to Starfleet Academy he’ll get Jim into classes the next semester.

Len is terrified. Because Jim’s a freaking genius, of course he’s gonna get in! What was Pike thinking?!

Pike was thinking Jim needed something to strive for and now he’s got it.

The problem is that, despite having a good home and a safe place to grow the last few years, Jim still has a lot he’s carrying around. No one knows he’s one of the Nine, no one knows about his uncle, but they all still know who is father was. He still feels like he has a lot to prove.

So on top of getting into the Academy at seventeen, Jim is bound and determined to be out in three years.

He’s going to become the youngest captain Starfleet has ever seen.

Leonard is terrified for him, but he supports him nonetheless. There is no doubt in his mind that Jim is capable, he’s smart, and resourceful, and everything to look for in a good captain. But Jim is his kid. And He supports him, but that doesn’t keep him from worrying.

So about the time Jim is looking to graduate, Len contacts Pike about placement aboard the Enterprise. Pike has already been working on making space for Jim on his ship and it’s easy to make sure Len gets a spot too. (He might be a little smug when he tells Len “You’re my new CMO” because Len is still not a fan of flying.)

But before Jim can finish out his finally year Vulcan is attacked.

Len is set to go up with Pike and Jim is going to be left on Earth.

And he panics.

Jim breaks into one of the med areas and starts digging around for that mud flea vaccine he’s heard Len ranting about having significant side effects and wishing there was a way to get around them.

Then he gives himself a dose of that.

Jim stumbles, literally, into Len as he’s getting ready to board the shuttle and there’s no way he can leave the kid in this condition, but this is a full on all hands on deck emergency, so he does the only thing he can do and he drags the kid aboard with him.