A little SAINW fic I've been working on for a few months now. ...yes, months^^ The ending isn't very well thought through, but I hope you still like it :)
Don't worry, another fic with all of the brothers comforting Donny will be uploaded! I just have to think of something^^
Please, my dear readers, my dear friends, my beloved fanfiction - authors: Enjoy this little piece of mine!
We Will Never Leave You
Donatello yawned and rubbed his eyes. The screen light of his computers had made them burn even more. He sighed and got up.
Three weeks. It had been three weeks since the Ultimate Drako had sent them to different universes.
And Don had refused to sleep since then.
Nightmares of the horrible future he was sent to had haunted him since their return. Every time he fell asleep he would see his brothers dying around him. That's why Don spent most of the time in his lab, working on projects or upgrading the security systems; everything but going to sleep.
He would fall asleep eventually, but he stayed up as long as possible.
Donny dragged himself to the kitchen. He got himself a cup and the coffee can.
Someone cleared his throat.
Donny swirled around, dropping the can. Coffee spilled over the floor.
Leonardo was leaning against the door frame, looking at his younger brother, the irritation clearly written on his face.
"L…Leo!" The purple masked teenager had found his voice. "Wh...what are you doing up?" He smiled innocently. Leo raised his eyebrow. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
Leo pushed himself away from the door and walked towards his brother. The younger gulped.
"I…well, y'know, I -" "Yes?" "I was just…I, uhm…I got thirsty!"
Leo crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And your choice is coffee."
It wasn't a question, it was an establishing.
Don was obviously nervous. "Uh, well, you know…I like coffee -!" "It was always one of your worst habits, yes. But at this time, Don? Caffeine won't help you sleep, you know."
Donny sipped once, only to remember that the cup was empty. He was avoiding his eldest brother's gaze and shaking slightly. Leonardo noticed this. He stepped forward and grabbed Donny's chin, forcing him to look up. Don's usual warm, excited, happy light chocolate eyes were empty and lost. Haunted.
"Don?" Don pulled away and hurried to the kitchen table. "It's nothing.", he muttered.
Before Donny could reach the table, his shoulder was gripped and he was turned around.
"Don't you lie to me, Donatello." Leo's voice was calm, but held a vibe of danger. His brothers feared that voice. Donny even more now. It was so similar to the voice of his future older brother.
His blind brother.
His dead brother.
Small tears trickled from Donny's eyes. Not unnoticed by Leonardo. He placed his hands on either side of Don's face and forced him again to look up.
"Donny, what's wrong?" He used his thumb to wipe away a few tears . For a second, Donny leaned into the caress, closing his eyes.
Then he snapped himself out of it. "Nothing…" "I might not be as smart as you are, but I'm not Mikey either. And even he would notice something's bothering you." "I'm fine, Leo." "Stop lying to me." "Stop threatening me like a little child!"
Donny hated himself, he hated himself for being so harsh to his older brother, for he wanted nothing more than to be hugged, soothed and told that everything would be okay, was okay.
But he couldn't. And he wouldn't. He knew he was the weakest them, both, physically and emotionally. He wouldn't proof that right now.
He wanted to pull away from his brother's touch, but he wasn't let. "Then stop acting like one and tell me what's wrong. Or don't you trust me?" Donny's gaze snapped up to meet his brother's. "I trust you with my life. You and Raph and Mikey. You're the only persons I trust with my life."
Leo smiled softly and brushed his thumb over Don's cheek. He knew how he felt.
"Then trust me with this."
This time, Donny allowed himself to close his eyes and lean into his eldest brother's comforting touch.
"Drako", he whispered, "and the Damiyo's son."
Leo's hand cramped a bit. He knew where this was heading. After they had come back from the different dimensions they were sent to, all of them had told their master and each other where they had been sent to.
Everyone beside Don.
His gaze had gotten half sad, half terrified and he would only tell them that what he had seen was more horrible than they could imagine and that he wouldn't want to talk about it. Leo, although concerned and wanting to help his little brother, had respected Donny's decision and didn't ask him about his trip. Raph, being an overprotective big brother, had wanted Don to tell them, also being very concerned. Mikey had kept asking, being very curious, thinking what Donny had seen might be similar to one of the horror movies he always watched, and, also being pretty worried about his immediate older brother. Their father had, of course, tried to talk to the second youngest as well, but everyone was left without success.
Leo's attention snapped back at his purple clad brother. Don still had his eyes closed, the image of what he had seen flashing before his eyes. He grabbed for his older brother's hand, which was still resting on his cheek, before continuing: "I was sent into the future. A possible future. The world was ruled by the Shredder, whom had enslaved all living beings. And…you guys were there."
Donny's hand started shaking. Leo stroked it with his thumb.
"But you…you were…your bodies were covered with battle scars. M – Mikey had lost an arm." Deep breath. "Raph had lost an eye and…and you…you were blind." Don had to pause for a moment. His future brothers all had had such hopeless expressions on their faces. So different from the here and now.
"M…Mikey told me I had been gone for thirty years. You didn't know if I was taken or…just left." Donny could never leave them, he couldn't!
"Y…you didn't even know if I was still alive. And…without me…Mikey said everything fell apart! M…Master Splinter he…he had died…and Raph blamed you for it! And, well…you two have been feuding, Leo!" More tears. Leo used his free hand to softly wipe them away, still listening, his expression blank. Donny gulped. "C…Casey, he was…he was dead…and April had led some kind of rebellion to beat the Shredder. I wanted to help and made a plan. Stockman and Hun had somehow merged together and were on our side. Stockman and I invented something like a battle suit for me. And then we got to foot headquarters."
Deep breath. *Common, keep it together!*
"W…we fought and…Shredder had…had these Karaibots and Karai herself was even better skilled than usual. And…you…"
Donny looked up to his eldest brother.
"You died! You, Raph, Mikey, you all died! I couldn't do anything, I couldn't feel anything, I had to keep fighting and…you died because of me! If my strategy would have been better you would've made it out alive. I…I caused your deaths!"
Donny collapsed against his big brother, all the feelings he had kept inside for all those weeks busted out and he cried out everything. Leo wrapped his arms around his sobbing little brother and pulled him as close as possible, keeping him as near as possible.
He couldn't believe what he just heard.
Drako had sent his little brother into that hell?
Leo's arms cramped a little around the younger's shell. He wanted Drako to rot in hell for this.
For doing this to his gentlest, most sensitive, most innocent little brother.
Leo felt how Donny buried his face into Leo's chest, shaking violently. Leo reassuringly nuzzled the top of his purple clad brother's head.
"Sshh, calm down, Donny, calm down. Everything's okay, that wasn't real! It wasn't reality. This right now is reality. Not what you have seen. It was fake. All fake."
Leo walked over to the kitchen table, his younger brother still crying in his arms. He sat down, pulling Donny into his lap.
"Ssssshhhhh…", Leo cooed, running a hand over his brother's head.
Donny's sobs got louder as the memory kept flashing before his eyes. He buried his face deeper into his eldest brother's chest.
Leo tightened his hug - like grip. "Ssshhh, calm down, I'm right here, little brother. I'm right here."
He softly kissed the distraught turtle's temple. "I protect you."
Donny was still shaking violently, his arms cramping around his brother.
"Leo..!" "Ssssshhhhh. Sshh, it's alright, Donny. That was fake. I know…we all know you would never abandon us. Like we'd never abandon you. No way in shell."
The sword wielding turtle rested his chin on top of his brother's head.
"We'll always be together."
Donny's whimpers had quieted down a little, although he was still shaking.
Leo softly placed his hand on Donny's arm.
"You're freezing."
The blue banded turtle stood up, his little brother cradled up his chest. Leaning their foreheads together for a little moment, Leonardo walked towards the room he shared with Don.
*Climbing up the ladder of his bed will be a problem*, Leo thought to himself. He shot a little glance at his second youngest brother, whom was clinging at the oldest as tight as possible. *But I guess he couldn't sleep alone tonight anyway.*
Leo made his way towards his own bed and gently placed Donatello on the mattress, careful not to break contact.
"Need protection, little brother?"
Donny nodded furiously, tears still falling. Leo laid down next to the second youngest, pulling him close and tightly wrapping him into the blanket.
The bo wielding turtle buried his face into his older brother's chest, trying to be as near as possible.
The eldest wrapped his arms tightly around Donatello and pressed a soothing kiss on the top of his head.
"We will never leave you, Donny. That's for sure."
Leo nuzzled the top of Donny's head, making Donny sigh contently.
The purple clad turtle's breathing had calmed and he was resting against his older brother, right before falling asleep.
The darkness welcomed him. Staying awake didn't seem necessary anymore. The image of his brothers, dying around him, had vanished, was replaced by the image of his big brother's dark chocolate eyes, filled with affection and protectiveness. Filled with life.
"Big brother…"
Donny's voice was low, and not much more than a mumble. He snuggled closer to his elder brother and then sank into a deep slumber. Leo smiled affectionately.
Softly kissing and resting his chin on the top of Donny's head, Leo whispered: "Sweet dreams, little brother. I'll always protect you."
The End
