a/n I never thought I would do a lot of oneshots, but here we are! I wrote this one a while ago for MarietheManiac. I decided to fix it up add a few things and put it up! Except I don't get sunshine in my stomach when I wrote this…..
Don sat at his computer, he only had few more minutes before his shift started and he already dreaded it. He hated his job; it wasn't exactly a secret, as he tried to hide it. Milky told him many times he should quit his job. But he couldn't, they needed the money. And it was an excuse to stay up late, he didn't need it but it was better than sitting up in a chair and waiting for Raph to come home. And a excuse to drink lots of coffee. Speaking of which, he glanced over from his desk to the kitchen where his heavenous elixir maker sat on the counter. Maybe he could get a cup going before-
ON cue he heard the door slide open, the sound of grunting and groaning followed by a large yawn. The careless cracking of a motorcycle helmet being tossed across concrete floor.
So much for coffee
Now was time for his least favorite part of the night
Donnie quickly turned away from the kitchen to lean back in his seat, even though he didn't acting like he hadn't been waiting up till 5 in the morning for his older brother. But it helped him feel less 'motherly, "Hey Raph, where've you been?"
There wasn't an answer, Don turned to see Raph leaning against the fridge with his shoulder and arms crossed and facing Don. If Donnie didn't know any better, he'd think that Raph was trying to emulate a bad boy from the 50's. His eyes shifted over to him with barely a care, "Shouldn't the Golden Boy be in bed?"
Ah, Golden Boy. One of the less the affectionate nick-names Raph gave him. It was just one of the many ways Raph chose to show his anger in the past year. Don wished he could say that it was everyone he was treating like this, but it wasn't. Sure Raph wasn't tolerable to Mikey anymore either but it seemed that Raph was going out of his way just to tick Donnie off
Unfortunately, this time had paid off
"I'm getting ready to start my shift. I asked where you've been Raph."
The hiss of carbonation filled the air and a snort that clearly marked his older brother's amusement. But Don took a deep breath, turning back to his computer to type on the keys, though any numbskull could see his screen was still home the home window. Therefore, his typing was obsolete, "I'm just asking there's no law against it."
"Whatever." The nonrelated response that indicated Raph had not heard a word he had said. But merely knew Donnie HAD been talking but decided his words weren't worth the energy to listen to. That and the closing of the fridge followed by fading footsteps
Donnie wanted nothing more than to let him go,
But that's not what Leo had asked of him when he had designated Donnie leader.
He spun out of his seat just as Raph reached the stairs, "Raph, please. You're worrying everybody. Not even Casey knows where you've been going, remember him? Your best friend? "And by the third step he had reached the bottom of his stairs, "Come-on, and talk to me. I don't care where you've been going but I don't' want you going alone. I'll go, I can help. Anything is better than staying up till sunrise worried to death about you, -"but his brother had already climbed the stairs, "Come on bro, please?!" he reached the second floor. For such a muscle bounded idiot he was fast (and deploying excellent ignoring abilities). The door to Raph's room slowly closing after him, Don's hand shot into the darkness, grabbing a hold of a muscle bound arm-
Pain exploded in the center of Don's face, and the waves of copper filled his mouth. He stumbled back away from the darkened room as his shell hit the railing that kept the family from falling to the living room (which he was never more grateful for). His arm hooked up over the rail to keep from hitting the floor altogether. His free hand smothering the blood now pouring out of his mouth and the pain radiating from his head- his vision was filled with painful lights that indicated probable damage to his skull-
"DON!" Oh now Raph was concerned. If the sizzling spilled soda running over his feet was anything to go by. A hand grabbed his shoulder, "Shit shit are you ok?! I'm sorry, shit; I didn't know it was you. Ok so I knew it was you I just reacted-"
'Just reacted'? Well, Raph's 'Just reaction' left Donnie with an aching head and a hand full of blood. He pulled the hand away from his face long enough to check- oh yup that was a lot of blood.
"Shit, shit shit." Couldn't Raph say anything else? "Stay here I'm going to get the first aid kit." He wanted to tell Raph not to bother, but with the sound of fading running steps he knew there was no point.
And he also knew there was no point in talking.
With his arm still hooked around the railing, he slowly pulled his legs underneath him. Forcing his balance to climb back up to his feet, he leaned over the railing for a moment, struggling with the pounding through his head.
He needed to get to work
One foot in front of the other, the railing only went one way and he knew he'd hit the steps eventually
His shift started in 5 minutes
His family needed that money…
Don's shoulder bumped into the support beam that marked the end of the railing. Why the hell was he so dizzy? The steps felt like butter beneath his feet, but somehow he managed not to slip down them and wake everyone in the lair. Donnie's hands gripped the railing for all they were worth (and since he had put them in, he knew what they were worth). His feet finally hit the ground floor. Great, now to get to his desk, the sound of rushing footsteps filled the air from the open hallway again. Sounds like Raph had found the '2nd floor' med kit finally.
"Don?! Donnie where'd you go!?" Don could only roll his eyes, moving toward the back of the stairs, "Oh Dam there you are!" The footsteps hit the stairway. A hand slammed against his shell. But Don's years of training sent him putting his weight forward and the sound of fingernails barely scraping his shell, "Don,"
"Go 'way." Why were his words slurring so hard? He couldn't work like that, but the alternative was talking to Raph and giving him attention.
He'd prefer to sound like a drunk.
"I have the med kit, just look at me so I can look at your head."
What was the point? Donnie turned back to the screen his fingers moving with memory to log in his information. 2 minutes before his shift started, and he got penalized if he logged in late. He couldn't afford that. Winter was coming up, and the lair needed supplies to be prepped for the cold. Especially for Splinter-
A hand gripped his jaw tightly, a slight tug said the 'medic' (Donnie wasn't sure when they had switched roles) wanted his attention, "Dam it Don just look at me so I can fix your head. I brought your inhaler down, do you need it? I know it's been a while-"
Though it ached his head to do so, he yanked his jaw free and leaned forward. Dam it, why was the screen so blurry-
"D-Dam it Don!" there was that voice again, grating the back of his brain. Adding to the already painful pulse going through it, "Dam it Don, let me help you."
Help
Help?
A faint laugh escaped lazily and dropped from his lips.
"What's so funny?!" Donnie wasn't sure how Raph pulled off 'angry' and 'concerned' at the same time without rupturing his tiny brain, "I didn't mean to hit you I just reacted, I was half asleep." oh really? He wasn't half asleep when he came in, "Just say something, PLEASE. I'll listen, I swear' I will. Just tell me what's going on, tell me you forgive me. Tell me you're not mad."
And there it was.
It was what was always expected of him
Everyone around him expected the same thing
I'm sorry Don
I didn't mean to break it bro
It was an accident
Can you fix it?
You know I need my PlayStation! Please please! It won't take long!
I know you're busy, but I need this fixed before our next practice? It's important
Common Don please help, please fix it
It's important! You can spare your 'precious time for us mortals
Donnie fix it!
I"m sorry Don!
Come 'on get over it
GET OVER IT DONNIE
GET OVER IT!
"Go Away."
Donnie wasn't sure when he had even spoken, but a cold silence was cast in the room, the hand that had been trying to yank his head in direction of his ' big brother' slid off slowly. It was replaced by a grip gentler grip to his shoulder. Don could just feel the quiver of his brother's fingers struggling whether or not to squeeze the muscles. Don knew this 'Raph'. Torn between his own anger, confused by it to a fault.
Donnie knew how to diffuse him.
But the problem was he didn't care.
Slowly he turned his head back; looking to the older brother he had so depended on. Donnie could remember the night Leonardo had left. That night he had been so taken by panic, the thought of all the responsibility weighing down on him. The thought of taking on two pivotal roles in the family at the same time, he almost hadn't' been surprised that he had an asthma attack. But Raph had been there he had come back from Casey and Aprils just in time. The only one to see him in such a torn state, he had gotten Don's inhaler and helped him clam down, then had stayed up for hours talking to him. A lot of the night was a blur of oxygen deprivation, breathing into paper bags, and a hand rubbing his shoulder. Most of the words were lost with the expansion of time that followed. But Donnie could remember four words that Raph had spoken that night. Being pulled into a tight brotherly hug, they had stayed with him, every night since then when Raph kept his bitter tone and attitude, when he came home drunk and needed someone to get him to his own bed.
"I'm here for you."
A hand ran back to his shoulder, a small whisper reaching him in a small act of desperation, "Bro-"
"GO. AWAY." Donnie's head swerved back over to his brother, it didn't help the ache was crawling down his spine and neck. An unbearable throb that was spreading like the bubonic plague in the middle ages.
Amber eyes bore at him; desperation lined their normally angry spark that consumed them every day. They begged for forgiveness, they DEMANDED his forgiveness. They wanted him to say he didn't care about the about the physical attack on his body, or the blood he still felt running down his face.
But Donnie didn't care.
Slowly the anguish in his eyes began to fade, a glimmer following consuming them slowly. His lips curling and a small vibrations running across his throat. Blaze consuming his eyes and the sound of popping bones in a fist he had previously dented Donnie's face. Don's head turned back to the monitor, picking up the headpiece to put in place as he pressed a button on the side, putting him on duty and back to work. And also indicating the end of their conversation.
Something emerald green shot by his head, one of his monitors exploded into a frenzy of spark and lights underneath an angry growl. A thick voice reaching his ear
"Just go and die already."
Heavy steps stomped away. Retreating up the stairs and disappearing behind a slamming door.
The Lair descended back into silence and the air lifted up from the missing tension. Don could feel the buttons of his keyboard move ever so gently under shaking fingers. He drew away long enough to rub his scalp, rubbing his mouth on the back of his hand to drain the rest of the blood, but a faint trickle indicated the still fresh flow. His limbs heavy from sudden exhaustion
Maybe he could lay his head down for a moment
Just for a moment
Just to close his eyes.
Just before he started his shift….
Just before life took anything else from him
Just a break from being the "Golden Boy"
a/n
I MIGHT do a 2nd chapter, but I really don't know. Maybe? You al know I love Raph and Don's brotherly relationship, but in the 2007 movie I couldn't help but think about a) How Don had less lines then April O'freaking Niel and 2) how Raph and Don's brotherhood was never really mended. But I also know it wasn't all Raph's fault In the meantime, I'm gonna go weep in my Donatello buddy pillow