{After the turtle leaves, Dee starts searching around for his twin. He hides his face in his cowl more than usual to prevent anyone from seeing his face- from seeing his expression.}
- @bftb-dee
Lee is not in the lair anymore... where could he be?
.....
{Anxiety spikes more, letting Dee drown faster in all the "what ifs" that could happen- even if they are unlikely. But what if this disappearance does mean Lee is deadâ. Dee shakes his head in an attempt to surface and focus on his search- which speeds up as Dee paces faster to expand his search.}
Lee found a quiet place in the sewers to practice. So he is doing his katas, balancing himself perfectly with his crutch.
{Dee gets hit with at least a little bit of relief as he sees Lee. At least now he can sweep some of those thoughts under the rug. Dee goes closer to his twin, face hidden and voice so quiet it's almost inaudible.}
What are you doing out here?
"I'm practicing my katas. Why?"
Lee glances to Dee for a moment before continuing.
Out here? Are you okay?
{Dee's- still trembling- hands flutter around Lee like he wants to fuss over and check up on his chick, but in the end, his hands pocket themselves to stop Dee from fussing over Lee.}
"Of course I'm okay. It's cooler here than in the lair and it feels good on the scales."
Lee stops and watches Dee.
"Dee, what's the matter?"
It's nothing, really, I was just thinking that I should get my hands on some fabric to make something more summer appropriate since all our clothes are....
{Dee trails off towards the end, sinking deeper into his ever-drowning thoughts.}
Lee sighs before coming closer. He frees Dee's head and face from the cloth.
"What is up now?"
{Dee's eyes are small, but his expression is otherwise blank- other than the hint of anxiety peeking through that Lee can spot on his twin. As Lee uncovers Dee's face, his eyes dart to stare at the floor.}
...........What if we don't see the others again? What if they really areâ really are dead....?.....
"Dee..."
Lee slowly hugs his brother.
"Come on. You're the genius here. You know they won't die so easily."
But what if something happens- or did happen when we separated- a-and I'm not there to fix things? I'm not there to fix everything, make sure everyone is okay- that they're taken care ofâ and if something happens and I'm not there to help-.....
{As Lee hugs Dee, he can feel his brother start to tremble. His hands escape his pockets but stay at his sides.}
"Why are we here again...?"
"Dee, our brothers are smart enough to lay low until we are reunited. Also, they still got our friends."
{Dee takes a moment to process that, doing his best to focus on Lee's breathing to help sync his up to a calmer breathing pattern.}
Okay, okay.... Yeah, you're right.... They'll be okay....
Guess that's why you're the oldest, huh?
{Dee tries to give off a small laugh, but it seems more like 2 part sob, one part nervous laughter.}
Lee hugs him tighter for a moment. Then he looks at Dee.
"How about we go eat something? I'm hungry..."
{This time, Dee actually leans into the pressure and finally hugs Lee. And at his twin's suggestion, he slowly nods.}
Alright.
"Will you help me make food?"
He smiles.
{Dee nods more. That's something he can do.}
Yeah, I will.
"Good, but you have to step up your game."
Lee chuckles, grinning to Dee. He slowly walks away with Dee.
{Dee gives off a quiet sigh, following after Lee.}
You're making jokes? Really?
"Of course. That's why I'm here."
He laughs quietly.
Alright, alright. Joke away.
What are you wanting to make? And how's your stump?
"How about Mac'n'Cheese? You always like that."
"And my stump is okay. It doesn't hurt anymore.
{Dee nods, grabbing a lot and filling it with water before setting it on the stove to let it come to a boil.}
Good. I can get some measurements, then start working on resizing your prosthetic.
"Sounds good to me."
Lee gets out the macaronis and gives it Dee.
{Dee hums quietly in thought, taking the macaroni and adding it to the water to cook.}
Lee prepares the cheese, watching Dee.
"Any other plans for today?"
{Dee stirs the noodles, making sure they won't stick to the bottom of the pot. He looks back at Lee as he realizes he asked him a question. So he backtracks to filter through what he missed.}
Uh, no. Not really. But I'm sure I could find something to do.
"Maybe we could meditate together. Or watch a movie."
{Dee nods, turning the stove off and draining the noodles.}
Lee adds the cheese, once Dee drained the noodles.
{Dee stirs the noodles and cheese together before grabbing two bowls and some chopsticks. He then serves two bowls. One with a normal serving and one with a small "is that even a serving?" serving. And of course, Dee gives Lee the bowl with a normal serving size and a pair of chopsticks.}
Lee nods a thanks and slowly eats. He eyes the portion of Dee for a second. So he eats as slow as his brother and makes sure Dee finishes first.
Then Lee stops and leaves a third of his own portion. He whines. Like a kid he holds his bowl to Dee, to signal that he should finish eating that.
{Dee gives a small, quiet, huff of a sigh at the behavior, but his expression softens regardless and takes Lee's bowl. He picks at the rest of Lee's portion a little more and slower than his own, but he does indeed finish it off.}
Lee tries his best to hide his smile. He just waits until Dee is done before taking both bowls and chopsticks to the sink.
{Dee watches Lee grab the dishes and take them to the sinkâ though he would have done that. But while Lee is up, Dee gets up and makes a quick trip to his room to grab some things before returning.}
Lee notices Dee leave. But he doesn't follow him. Instead, he cleans the dishes.
{Dee comes back as soon as he can after grabbing Lee's prosthetic, the appropriate tools needed, and some extra materials he might need. He starts organizing everything around him.}
"Can you at least wait with that until we sit on the couch?"
Lee sighs theatrically. But he gives Dee a smile. He slowly goes over to the couch.
{Dee processes that, realizing that, oh, right, yeah, Lee did mention that while they were cooking. So he nods and brings it all to the living room with Lee and starts setting up everything there. Purposely arranging his stuff to be where Lee sits so he can close. And not just to grab measurements from Lee's stump.}
Lee huffs as he plops down on the couch. He makes himself comfy before turning the TV on. His stump moves slowly towards Dee. He knows that his brother needs the measurements.
{Dee hums quietly in one of his ways of a quiet thanks before starting to grab the measurements he needs from Lee.}
He sighs quietly and focuses on the show. Here and there his stump twitches slightly.
{Dee gathers all the measurements he needs before focusing on the twitches. When he feels a twitch, he starts putting some pressure on the spot, feeling around.}
Lee looks slowly to Dee with an irritated look.
"Can you stop poking in there?"
Are you feeling any pain or discomfort?
{Dee glances up at Lee for a second before his expression shows a hint of guilt and anxiety as he looks away and lets Lee's stump be.}
Sorry...
I just wanted to make sure you're really okay....
He sighs and shakes his head.
"Dee... my non-existing foot tries to move. That's all. No pain. Just a phantom foot trying to do his thing."
Lee stays quiet before scooting more over to Dee. Slowly he leans on his brother.