Chapter Text
Leo chuckled at the sight of this literal man-child dozed off, half sitting on the couch. How Donnie managed to hide this aspect of himself in day to day life was way beyond his comprehension.
He will make his brother lie down properly, eventually. Firstly, it was always important to make Donnie think that sleeping was his idea. Or fault, because nobody can achieve this level of focus that Donnie strived for under the 'magic blanket', and not end up passed out for an hour (and still counting.).
It was biologically impossible, just like pulling neglectful all nighters for more than five days in a row and not end up sick. And Leo knew it very well as a medic AND an insomniac.
He spared his brother another look while decluttering the table.
Would it be better to take him to his bedroom? If it was anyone else than Donnie? Sure. But with this rascal it was obvious that the mere presence of his nerd stuff would trigger him to tinker.
And the whole point was to r e s t.
Not w o r k.
So they have to settle for the main room, as there is enough distraction to not bore Donnie, but not enough to start off his forever working mind processors.
Just as Blue envisioned his brother, joyfully screeching at the mere possibility of fusing his brain with an advanced processor, he heard displeased grumbles and huffs. One glance was enough to understand that the genius had a nightmare - a quickly escalating one at that, because before Leo could even get up, Donnie shot up with wide eyes that closed equally fast accompanied with a whine of pain.
Yea sudden movement will do that to you brother, Leo thought empathetically while quickly approaching the hunched-up diddums.
To Leonardo's devastation, Donnie started tearing and spiraling unintelligible cries, Leo's name the only thing catchable.
He acted on instinct. Not wanting to scare or trigger his brother more, he crouched near him, making sure to be easily visible, and started calling softly "Donnie... Dee..."
The softshell winced
" I'm here. Dee." Even though he was still tense, talking seemed to ground Donnie back into reality
"Leo is here. I'm here. D." His mumbling quietened.
"That's great buddy! Just like that. Breath in-" Leo patiently paused, waiting for a distinctive inhale "and ouuuut." he soothed calmingly, still not sure if touch was fitting.
After a few moments of shaky respiration, his brother gathered himself to lift his head. "Lee-Lee…?" Hazy, wet, bleary eyed but with a small spark of hope under whatever got him to this state.
Leo's chest stung and poured honey.
"Oh." well that was surprising bu- "Yes! Yes Don-Don…"he chirped fondly, letting his hands land on Donnie's knees, carefully bumping their foreheads together "I'm here twinsie." That got him a chirp back. And so, he clicked.
They both smiled, overjoyed with something primal, clicking and barking playfully, until Donnie paused and quirked. Something from that nightmare look, coming back.
Leo made a queried hum, getting up to sit close by his brother's side, giving him all the time that was needed.
Don's lip quivered characteristically, shoulders hunched.
"I'm sorry…"he gruntled finally.
Well, Leo was confused. And he really didn't want to ask 'for what?' especially now when he was sure that Donnie had a fever, which meant that he would spiral very easily.
But it seemed very important to the tense softshell, so Leo asked as gently as he could."Why Donnie? Everything is alright"
"No it's not. I'm a terrible twin. A terrible brother. A terrible person." There it is, the damned spiral.
"Don-Don…" Leo was very aware that this particular nickname cut through all the slouched walls "I know you don't like it, but talk to me." I can tell you need it.
He pulled closer and imperceptibly turned Tello around, embracing him lightly. The weak turtle sighed, and leaned in. Leo noticed that he stayed low, even his head avoided the usual spot on the shoulder, nestling on the plastron instead.
"It's about the collar" Donnie mumbled, voice cracking. Leo brushed soothing circles on the fleshy shell.
Collar? What collar? When was something like that relevant?
Leon's silence was pretty telling, so Donnie spit a sour " The 'present' " and tried to jolt back, undeserving of those satisfying scratches.
But Leo didn't let him, hugging tighter.
"Oh God, you really still think about it?"
…
"You do."
…
"Why? It was a stupid mistake at the least and a miscalculated joke at the worst."
Still no answer. Donnie was desperately trying to hold back tears.
"Oh Tello…" Leo sighed and pulled back, despite the heartbreaking resistance of purple glowed hands, bringing them higher. "Nothing happened."
"But it could!" his twin shrieked. Not trusting where his palms were guided, he tugged.
"But it didn't. And I already forgave you."
"Because we're brother's!" Donnie still resisted, guilty look pleading Leo to stop.
"Exactly." Blue smiled sincerely. "Because we are brothers, I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose." Donnie froze and furrowed his brows conflicted.
The slider stopped dragging, leaving their hands at collarbone height.
"I won't make you" he whispered, showing his neck "but I trust you. Nothing happened and you can check."
Donnie hesitated. No. He outright didn't want to. Or rather though he didn't deserve to.
"We both know data collection calms you dooown~" Leo offered half jokingly.
But it was convincing. Giving Tello a scientific, calculated reason, cracked the resistance of shame.
He clenched his teeth, took a breath, and moved forward.
Sloppy hands, grazed the warm skin, barely, ghosting over the perimeter like a breeze. But it was already so much. Almost too much. Leo wouldn't be surprised if his eyebrows fell off, no matter the fact they were literally painted on. The face his brother made, was one of psychological pain, and sure enough, he broke down again, not stopping the hiccup that escaped him.
"I'm sorry!" He just hung on his twin, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I forgive you, brother" Leo snickered back, resuming the scratching and coying.
"You don't need any… fixing. You… you're good…" at this sentence the slider could only hum back. He knew what Donnie meant and that was enough.
"You are funny." Leo waited "... In your own, dum dum way." ah yes, even when sick, Donnie wouldn't give up his 'the funniest one' crown.
"Can I have that on record?" He asked exited "Only the first part, I'm not greedy"
Donnie giggled, hugging tighter. Or actually - crawling all over poor Leo, legs spreaded over his lap, head snuggled on the shoulder and arms spanning the marked shell.
"And you are such a baby when sick, you know that?" Nardo laughed, but not-so-secretly enjoyed the clinginess, it was a very, very rare treat. (And that's two verys.)
"Not sick." The hardnose clicked
"Oh yea? And whose fever is that?" he clicked back
A loud rumble interrupted Donnie's vindictive bark.
"Look at that, the sick genius is hungy?" Leo enjoyed this too much.
"Still not sick- but maybe…"
"Well, you are in luck, because I - Leo Splinterson, have prepared a sumptuous elixir just for you, ill sire~"
Donnie just rolled his eyes at the latter and snuggled closer, indicating very clearly that Leo is not going anywhere. Not without Don at least.
"Yay"
Sigh.
This baby tot.
Luckily, Leo was blessed with a bit of brain himself, so… smug expression and all, he reached to the armrest where his weapon was laying, and with a smooth 'hachi-machi' made a small portal. After that, he simply stuck his hand in there, fumbled for a moment aaand "voilà!", a steaming broth soup appeared under Donnie's chin.
The wide-eyed silence served as enough of a compliment.
"It won't be as good as Mikey's, but you like flavorless liquids, so I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless . It's warm." He offered, secretly hoping for a wave of apologetic kudos…that never came. Dee placed the bowl on the blanket between his thighs and just looked, sometimes poking a finger in the dancing steam, disturbing its graceful flow.
After five minutes, Leo hunched conspiratorially "Hej Don -Don!"
"Yes Lee-Lee?"half aware answer as he wiggled a particularly long spiral
"Are ya going to eat?"
"Hmmm…" his twin pulled off a very serious thinking face. "Maybe." - his conclusion.
"Cmon Dee, you don't want to waste all my effort! Also you need to eat. If we keep waiting, your stomach will become a monster or something" no reaction except a cute smile and snuggling of a cheek. "Cmon Dee… Eat at least a little, for your Lee-Lee? "
Donnie frowned " M… How much?"
Leo thought, "At least a Pi% of the bowl" Pi is a scientific number, yes? Maybe before Donnie counts how much is Pi% of a bowl of soup, Leo will shove half of it down his swelled throat.
"Oh God Lee, Do you know how much it is?" Donnie laughed with big smartass eyes.
"Too much?" Leon asked carefully.
"It wouldn't even be a spoon."
"Then you will eat at least several Pis!"
"Several isn't specific enough! That's not how it works!"
"Yes it does!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yea-ah! Says the oldest bro here!"
"No you are not! We agreed that nobody knows!"
"Well I called dibs, first today~" Donnie couldn't argue with that
"Sigh." and obediently slurped the handed spoon.
"Raphie will be so proud of you!" Leo cheered using his brother's praise starvation against him. "And Mikey will make you a real pie!"
Donnie laughed.
Leo laughed back and kept bickering until Donnie reached his broth limit, which was well over half the bowl, so Nardo didn't complain and only bargained a pill in exchange for back scratches.
Some teleported pillows later, Purrytello was comfortably nested in Leo's lap. Purring away "Oh Newton, that's the spot!"
After that, came the best part - food coma.
Leo was overjoyed to see his brother dozing off, calm and all smiles.
"Yawn. What do you think they will get us?" he mumbled, not even attempting to open his eyes.
"Matching shirts, most probably" he answered matter-of-factly.
"I hope it will be uranium" Don-Don smiled drifting off to commit dream-war-crimes.
Leo clicked, allowing himself to join him.
In sleep.
Not war crimes.
Although with the two of them, THE Disaster Duo? Who knows.
Sure enough, what waited for them later, were matching shirts, and to Donnie's content, they had Uranium puns on them.