There was so very much for Leo to get used to after his accident. After his father brought him back. After becoming partially synthetic.
There was the charging, keeping his levels up and knowing how far he could push himself. He had to deal with the memories and how they were so crystal clear for him every single day of his life. He had to find his balance between the human side of him and the synth side of him, as well as accepting that he had mechanics within him, ticking and whirring away, and wires sending electrical signals so similar yet somehow so different to his usual nerve signals.
But what nobody had accounted for, was the extra strain on his mind, not just mentally, but physically.
x
"No Leo, try again."
The young teenager huffed a sigh, his fingers running through his hair and staying there, holding his head as he moaned.
"I can't do it Fred."
"Yes you can. Come on Leo, you did this a few days ago." The synth pushed the book closer to the boy and picked up the pen that had been thrown across the table a few seconds before.
"That was easier stuff though, you've made these ones harder." He took his hands from his head and instead gestured with them to the papers before him.
"Because you're ready for the next level, how do you expect your lessons to improve if we stay on the same easy questions?"
Over the years Leo had taken to learning from his family, the synths teaching him varying things in daily classes just as any school child would. It was essentially home schooling, with tests being used from the actual school boards and being marked just as scrupulously as the examiners- especially when Fred was on the case. His current lesson, was maths.
"Can we just give up for today. I'm tired anyway." Leo wasn't what you would call a 'whiny' child, but Fred noted he was getting pretty close today- probably not a good sign.
"One more try."
"You're so boring." Regardless, Leo pulled the book and papers toward him and picked the pen back up.
"Yes. As you keep telling me." Fred ruffled his little brother's hair, a smile on his face. "We will make a deal. If you can do 4 of these problems, no more classes for the day and we go outside and play something."
Leo didn't exactly jump for joy but he did smile lightly before his head went down to study the numbers before him.
An hour passed before Leo had finished, his brows scrunched up in concentration and mild pain. He threw the pen down and left before Fred had even dismissed him.
"And where do you think you're going."
"The toilet. You said I could go when I'd done them."
Fred laughed, he was trying to be a somewhat strict teacher but it was hard when he loved Leo so much. "That usually happens after I've marked your work."
"You've been watching me work, looking over my shoulder for the past hour, I think you know if it's right or not." Leo snapped, all traces of mischief gone from his voice.
Now Fred had no problem being strict. He stood up, strode over to his brother and tugged at his arm until his was sat back down. It wasn't like Leo to be so snappy and agitated, and it may be nothing but Fred thought he looked a little paler than usual.
"Sit. When I've thoroughly marked it and feel you've done enough work you may go."
"But I need the loo."
"You can wait."
"Arghhh." The papers went flying as Leo flung them off the table, the pens and equipment clattering on the hard floor. Fred was stunned, and all he could do was watch as Leo stormed off out of the room.
"What was that?" Niska walked in from behind, spotting the things on the floor and a pretty shocked Fred.
"That was Leo. He seems very off it today."
"I think Mia said she heard him up a bit last night, maybe another nightmare." The blond synth bent down and began to help clear the mess.
A major problem for the young boy had been nightmares, and for a while he had been kept up for nearly 2 weeks with them. They were less frequent now, but he still suffered with them every once in a while and sadly, he had gotten to the stage where he no longer bothered Mia or his siblings with it, but instead chose to stay in his room until he could sleep again or morning came around.
"Yes, he did look a little pale. I feel he usually deals with it better than this though." He accepted the pile of things from Niska, nodding and smiling his thanks.
"It's a little warm today, heat and lack of sleep will make him short tempered. Honestly Fred, don't worry, he'll come around."
They finished clearing up before meeting Maxi, and later Mia, in the garden.
Leo was nowhere to be seen.
x
"Talk to me Leo. Please."
Mia's head was against the door to Leo's room, the lock turned and stopping her from walking in- why David hadn't removed them when they moved in she had no idea, she never thought bedroom locks were necessary. But nothing came out, the young boy didn't even utter a 'go away'.
Something was wrong and her instincts were flashing warning signals and had been the moment she noticed Leo's curtains closed earlier that afternoon. He wasn't one to usually close them, at least not until late at night or often just before his bedtime.
"Maybe he's trying to keep his room cool, it is very warm and sunny today." Max suggested when they noticed them drawn.
"Or he's catching up on his sleep from last night." Niska added.
Of course the likelihood of him sleeping was high, his abnormal behaviour was a clear indication of sleep deprivation, but there was something in Mia's motherly instincts that told her otherwise.
"Leo." She knocked again. "Please open the door."
There was shuffling inside, the sound of bed sheets moving, but no footsteps. A second later and she heard a muffled sob, then a louder one, before "I can't."
He was crying, his voice was plastered in pain and she needed to get in there now. But it was imperative she remain calm. "Why can't you little one?"
"It hurts." He tried to get his voice heard but the catch in his throat around the words made it hard for Mia to make out. She knew though that she needed to get in that room.
Not caring for the door or what David would say she grabbed the knob in her hand, squeezing it and turning it with all her might. She could hear the wood splintering in her grip, could hear the metal of the lock bending as it was twisted and finally it gave way. The door flew open and she rushed inside.
Leo was laid on his bed, the covers pulled up over his whole frame. Beneath it, she could just make out his body curled into a ball, his arms swallowing his head.
"Tell me. Tell me what's wrong." Panic swelled in her chest as she pulled his body out from under the covers, taking his arms from his face until she saw his pale skin, red eyes and trembling mouth as he tried not to cry. One thing Mia had learnt a lot about Leo was that he preferred to keep things hidden, every little emotion, every thought, every secret. Especially with 'negative' things. A part of it was shame, a strange fear of embarrassment from people knowing whatever it was that went through his mind, of seeing himself as weak. Instinct and educational guesses assumed it was something from seeing his mother as she had been, and watching his father crumble in front of him too. And now, possibly, from his 'defect' of being half synthetic.
But suddenly, before her eyes, his walls fell and he knew he could not keep it hidden any longer. He took one look at his guardian and let the tears make track.
"My head MiMi."
Bringing him into her arms she could feel his body, rigid yet so weak all at once. His tension had every muscle taught, but pulling him into her arms was as easy as a child hugging a ragdoll. She looked around the room, taking in all she could.
The curtains were drawn fully.
No lights were on at all.
His music was off.
"My head MiMi."
"Do you have a headache? Leo?" Gently, she repositioned her body and laid him down a little more in her arms, holding his face in her hand. He squinted up at her, his eyes full of tears and his brow knitted.
"Migraine."
"There is a chance there may be more physical side effects, the added pressure on his brain could be quite suffocating at first. You all need to be on the look out for headaches, dizzy spells, things to that nature. His human brain processed a lot, but now, with the extra synthetic aspects, it could be quite damaging."
David Elster had explained the different things they needed to be on the look out for, he had told them what could potentially go wrong with Leo and the things he had done to 'save' him. It was an obvious assessment that the young boy would struggle at first, not only was he in shock from the accident and death but he had a whole new list of things to learn about regarding his body. A boy of his age should be worrying about puberty and fitting in at school, discovering his more manly body as he developed. But not Leo, Leo now had to discover his new synth body, how all the mechanical parts fitted with his human parts. Not only that, but the man he should turn to in that had locked himself away once again before even explaining anything to him, or even advising the synths on much other than "keep watching him".
Mia knew what to do with migraines, she knew to give him the correct medicine, let him lay down in a dark room and sleep. But what of the synth side? What if it was the machine that was plaguing him?
"Ok my little one, do you know what we're going to do? You're going to stay here and lay down, we can keep the curtains closed and everything how you left it. I will go downstairs, get you some medicine and then I'll be right back up. Ok?"
She didn't get a response from Leo, there was a slight whimper but she couldn't say if it was one of pain or one of consent. Slowly moving her body out from under his she felt his hand grasp onto hers before she could pull away completely, his grip so much stronger than she had expected.
Through the tears, through the muffled sounds of the boy in pain, she made out a simple, "stay."
In a flash she was on her knees by the side of his bed, her free hand carding through his sweat soaked hair. When Leo opened his eyes, she saw her own terror reflected in the bright blue iris' she loved so much.
"David, what if he does start with issues? What if there is pain or side effects to this?"
"Mia." It wasn't an answer, it was a 'do not ask me that, I won't answer' hidden in the stern exclamation of her name.
"Tell me. I know he is your son, but you made me to love him as a son too. I am simply a mother worried and asking..."
He flew at her, his face ablaze in rage. "You are no mother! You are not his!"
Not even flinching, not even moving, she bore her eyes into his. "But I am. Beatrice may have birthed him but I have cared for him. You cannot deny it for it is as exactly as you inputted into my code. A mother for Leo."
He sighed, deflating and rubbing his brow. "If...if, there are problems, if the synthetic parts become a burden, a danger on his life once again then...I would have no choice. If my mechanics began to kill him I would have to let him go."
Mia was a synth, a design, a robot. But in that moment her heart shattered, the part of her chest ached just as she imagined David's was right that second. She could imagine the pain of those she had seen standing in hospital corridors, being told to say goodbye, the people receiving phonecalls or personal visits from police telling them they had lost somebody. The sensation of the world crumbling to ash around them. She remembered the moment Fred turned to her, his face broken as he looked up to her with his hands still on Leo's tiny chest, the cpr having being abandoned. "It's not working. He's gone."
David sighed, looking her up and down. "I would give you a new purpose, I would re-programme you all and..."
"NO." Mia stepped forward as David stepped back. She didn't shout, only spoke in that firm, matter of fact, way. "No! You do not understand, this is not anything about my purpose, or Niska's or any of them. This is about us loving your son, our son, our brother. This is about you telling me that if there are complications then we all have to watch him die again. You gave me feelings, you gave me a heart, as good a one a synth can have and you are ripping it out! I do not care what happens to me if that were to...if he were to...David, I love him, and it is not just a code. Leo is mine. And I know full well I am not Beatrice but I am a mother who has just been told my son may not live and you think that my main concern is what my purpose would be after he left. This is not an issue because none of this will happen, Leo will be fine, he will deal and we will all help and love him. Max will keep him company, keep him laughing. Fred will comfort him and teach him, as will Niska and I. We will do as we always did and nothing will change because Leo is still the same boy and he will be fine."
"I..." David took a deep breath, one single tear falling down from behind his glasses as he shifted to turn away. "I do so pray you are right."
"Mia?" She looked down upon hearing her name, it was said behind so much strain but the next words were softer, miraculously calmer. "It's just a headache."
The place where a human heart should be skipped a beat, her parts ticking to a different rhythm. She was the mother, the one meant to comfort and reassure, and yet here Leo was, the son, the young and innocent boy, who was making sure she knew it was all going to be alright. They hadn't told him there could be complications, nobody mentioned that things still had time to go wrong, but Niska had wondered if he had picked up on their not so subtle 'over-protection'.
Just a headache, she repeated to herself. It was true, migraines were horrendous, they were nothing to wish on anybody, but Leo's situation was different, it could be more than just...
"Mia?" Not Leo this time. Turning her head to the doorway she saw Max, a slight raise of his eyebrows as he took in the scene.
"Oh Max. Could you please go to Fred, or Niska, and tell them Leo is sick. He has a bad head and needs something for the pain." She tried not to put anything behind the words, Max had been the one to really panic after being told of what 'could' happen, and she didn't want him blowing up the situation now. She could tell he cottoned on to her panic though, that behind this there could be something more, but much to his credit, he nodded, smiling slightly and shut the door as he left, the wood still splintered and not quite fitting the frame as it once had.
Turning back to Leo, who's eyes were tightly shut, she resumed the gentle comfort, massaging his head and curls with one hand, stroking circles on his hand with the other. The whole time he had kept a tight grip on her, putting his pain into squeezing hard, not that she minded, it was a connection to him, a sign of his discomfort that she could gauge as time passed. Keeping her voice low she spoke to him, telling him tales or singing soft songs she knew calmed him.
It was barely 2 minutes later that the door gently opened and closed again, soft footfalls walking up behind her. Her eyes never strayed from Leo's face, not until a hand came into view, pulling her own away from her son's head.
"Do you think we should make him power down too?" Fred's voice barely broke the silence.
"Possibly, he needs to sleep so with luck his mind would slip into saver mode too." There wasn't much synthetic in Leo's mind, far from the memory bank they all had, but it was an extra his brain had not had to contend with before, and when he slept it usually 'snoozed' as all computers do. It was one of his biggest things to get used to, knowing how to let it do so properly, he often woke up with it working overtime to remember his dreams and sleeping thoughts. "I expect he is so exhausted it would shut down for him rather easily."
Fred nodded before rising to lift Leo so that he rested in his arms. Mia took the tablets and coaxed them into his mouth, the boy just conscious enough to swallow the accompanying water. "That's it little one, well done."
"Do you think we should keep him upright? In case he is ill?" Fred whispered, looking down at the seemingly small boy, already limp with sleep in his brother's arms.
Mia smiled as she placed the glass on Leo's nightstand. "You mean to say you do not want to stop hugging him?"
Her brother laughed, a sad smile playing on his lips as he leant his head on Leo's cheek. The smile slowly faded as he said. "No. Holding him like this reminds me of holding him then, when he wouldn't breath and when his heart wouldn't beat. When his body was so cold and listless. I never want that, I want to hold him as he is now, I want..."
Mia surged forward. She knew exactly what he meant and as much as she had smiled at him not wanting to stop hugging Leo, there had been a harsh reason behind it. It seemed that since that fatal day, none of them wanted to let him out of their sights, or out of their arms.
"I know brother, I know. But he's here, he's ok and he's ours. This is nothing to worry about. If you want to hold him until he shoves you off and tells you to stop being soppy then you do that. I won't stop you." She tried to smile, tried to snort a laugh but her heart worried too much. It was just a headache. It would pass. "For now though, I think I will join you in that hug."
Bringing Leo's blanket up to his shoulders she gently kissed his cheek before kissing Fred's too. Their heads touched in comfort and their own silent promise, her eyes shutting for just one second as she smiled at what she had, what they all had.
"He'll be right as rain in the morning, jumping about and showing off with his schooling again, you'll see." Squeezing Fred's hand she leant up beside him, her other hand reaching out, placed softly on the blanketed waist of her son.
The pair never fully powered down that day, leading into night, but over time they calmed and allowed themselves to relax, holding onto one another and Leo.
X
"We did this last week, I mastered it, you know how good I am!"
"Yes, but this is revising Leo, we're making sure you..."
"Done." A piece of paper flew at Fred before he could finish his 'stern' teaching.
Looking down, the paper was complete, all right and even corrected where Fred had written an example.
"That example was the long way round, I simplified it. You're welcome."
Leo hopped down from his chair and retrieved a glass of water from the sink, the other synths trying their utmost to hide the smirks and giggles as Fred turned around gobsmacked, his eyes slowly blinking.
"I gave you this 5 minutes ago..."
"I did it in 3 minutes actually, I drew that doodle too, to pass a bit more time." Leo smiled at Fred. "Could I go with Maxi to play now?"
"Erm...yes, I suppose." Fred looked again at the sheet, processing the factors of the situation. He looked up just in time to see the pair running out the door. "But be back here for chemistry at 1 o'clock!"
He possibly heard Leo acknowledge him as he kicked the ball...possibly.
Mia walked over, helping put the pencils away as she giggled at Fred's still stunned expression.
"Told you he'd be back to normal."
Confession time. I haven't finished this work (I know I tend to make sure I have it all written before uploading it) but I had been working on this too long and I wanted to get something out for you all and Katie Katherine. SO. I finished the first two stories- with one, maybe 2 more being planned!- and decoded, even if I don't manage to finish them all, then these would do. I'll try my best to get back to it, as I say I do have the other parts in mind I just need to get them down. If not, you at least got a nice two part drabble. Thank you again for reading.