A little one shot I tought you guys might like. It takes place in 'Back To The Sewer', six days after Splinter disapeared. Enough chit - chat, enjoy! :)

Overdoing Things

Donatello sighed.

He leaned forward and rested his head onto his hands.

Another day of work without taking any breaks.

Not that Don would complain.

They had to find their father, no matter what.

The least Donny could do was working on finding a way to sense their father's lost data bits.

He didn't care at all if he was harming himself. After all, what happened to Master Splinter was his fault.

And only his.

Donatello gasped lightly when he felt a pair of strong hands half massaging, half stroking his shoulders.

He didn't even have to turn around to recognize the grip.

His brothers always did that when Don was stressed. That calmed him down.

But not this time.

"Leave me alone.", Donny moaned into his hands, "I've work to do."

"You've had work to do for over six days now."

So it was Leonardo this time.

"What I want you to do now is to stop being stupid. You need to go to bed."

"No.", Donny whispered, now looking at his computer screen, "Not until I found Master Splinter. If I only follow these coordinates, I might find a -!"

"'if I only…', 'I might find…'! Donny, you say these sentences every time you're asked if you're alright. And I'm sick of hearing them all the time."

Leo was now more massaging his brother's shoulders, causing the younger to close his eyes.

He enjoyed the relaxing touch.

But he snapped out of it.

"But I am alright, Leo!"

Don pulled away.

"So don't get all big brotherly about me. Now, if I may continue with my work here?"

"I'm not getting big brotherly; I am your big brother."

Leo laid his hand onto Donny's shoulder.

"And no matter how much we grow, I'm still the responsible one for you. And now, with Master Splinter go -!" "Don't say it Leo!"

Donny jerked up and covered his ears, like a little child.

"Please, don't say it."

Donny's voice was shacking.

"Saying it would only make it…"

Even without Donatello finishing the sentence, Leo knew what he meant.

'Saying it would only make it…real'

Leo took a few steps near Donny and enveloped him into a tight hug.

Of all of them, Don was the most affected by the loss of their father.

He kept blaming himself for what happened and was obsessed with the thought of getting their master back.

He didn't really realize how much he was harming himself. And his brothers.

Donny was still covering his ears.

"T – the memory. I…can't get it out of my head!"

Leo laid one of his hands onto Donny's head.

"I know, Donny. All of us are feeling like that."

That was the truth. Leonardo couldn't close his eyes without seeing their father vanish before their eyes. Raphael would awake at night and scream for Viral, that he would kill her. Michelangelo would not be all cheerful and dorky when no one was around. His eyes would be empty and he wouldn't laugh.

Donatello had sunk his hands and started trembling slightly.

"Leo."

Leo had to listen carefully. Don's voice was almost not hearable.

"I know it was my fault. I hadn't thought everything through. I should've expected Viral to do something like that. She wouldn't just let us go without feeling any pain."

Not realizing it, Donny had leaned into his older brother's embrace.

"Now, Master Splinter is gone. Because of me. I killed our father. And if his data bits are still out there, in cyber space, I will find them. I must find them."

Donatello released himself from Leo's grip and sat back onto his table to look at the screen.

Leo sighed.

"Donny, stop blaming yourself." "I am the one to blame, Leo." "Nobody blames you, beside yourself." "Then, you should start blaming me. Because it was my fault." "Would you snap out of it?"

"Out of what?"

Donatello whirled his chair around, looking at his brother, rage written in his face.

"What do you want me to snap out of? My guilt? My pain? My anger? My self – hatred?"

Donatello laughed dryly.

"Newsflash, big brother: These aren't things I can just 'snap out of', as charming as you put it. Why do you think I'm doing this? To make myself feel better? Shell, Leo, I've been sitting on the freaking same spot for freaking six days, without any sleep! I'm doing this because I have to! The knowledge that Master Splinter could still be alive is keeping me at work! I will do anything to get him back! Even if it costs my sanity! I don't care about myself!"

Don was standing now, looking at the eldest with rage filled eyes. Leonardo stared at him with shock.

"Don, what are you saying? How can you not care about yourself?" "Why should I? Tell me one good reason why I should care about myself while Master Splinter's data bits are floating around, somewhere in cyber space!"

When Leo didn't respond, Donny smirked darkly.

"Just as I thought."

He determinately turned back to his computers.

"You only want one reason?"

Donatello stiffed.

"Well, I could tell you hundreds. First, with you losing your sanity, nobody would be able to search for Master Splinter. Second, you aren't helping anybody with harming yourself. Third, what's the use for Master Splinter when you're overtired and not able to focus? Fourth, even if you keep working all night, who guarantees that you'll find all data bits? And fifth -!"

Leonardo stood beside Donatello, laying his hand onto his head.

"- I don't want to lose my little brother too."

Don felt tears welling up. Leo's calm voice was also showing hints of tears.

"I'm not happy about our loss and I hope that we'll find Master Splinter. But, to be honest -!"

He softly patted Donny's head.

"- better him than one of my little brothers."

Donny couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

He broke out into sobs and leaned his head onto his arms, which were lying on the table.

Leo got himself a chair and sat down next to the sobbing turtle.

He rubbed soothing circles on Donny's shell.

"Sshh, Donny. It's alright."

All the emotions Don had been holding back had busted out.

His sobs got louder and he felt more exhausted by the second.

Not realizing what happened around him, he found himself in overwhelming darkness.

A comfortable darkness. Donny hadn't felt so relieved in ages.

Eventually, he gave in.

Darkness. Everywhere.

Donny didn't know what was going on, but he wanted out of that darkness.

Blinking a few times, he realized where he was.

In his room. His bed.

Does that mean he had been sleeping? If so…for how long?

He tried to move as much as his still exhausted body allowed him to.

"Whoa, easy there!"

Don felt a pair of hands on his chest, forcing him to lay still.

"You are not going anywhere, sleeping beauty." "Har di har."

Donny's voice was nothing more than a mumble and he let out a soft yawn.

He didn't know who the person was which talked to him, but the voice came from someone he knew.

Very well.

"Still tired, huh? Well, that's understandable. You haven't been sleeping for almost a week."

Don opened his eyes as wide as he could. Then, he recognized the person who was sitting next to him, in his bed.

Leonardo seemed to have stayed there for quite a while. He looked tired.

"Leo? Aw, man."

Don lifted his hand and placed it on his head. It was pounding. Lack of liquid.

"How long was I out?" "By the look at it -"

Leo's face held a small smile.

"- a bit over two days." "TWO DAYS?"

Don jerked up, despite his brother's dismay.

He hadn't been working for two days? But what about the data bits? What about Master Splinter? Was it too late already?

It was as if Leo had read his thoughts.

"Don't worry about the data bits, Serling and Leatherhead're on it. They're doing quite well."

"But, what if they're any issues? Couldn't -?" "I hope you remember that Leatherhead is just as brilliant as you are. Well, actually, to put it in your words: 'Man, LH, if I could have half your intellect I'd be the happiest mutant alive!'. Now, is there any need to worry then?" "But -!"

"No 'buts', Donny!"

Leo pressed the younger turtle back into the pillows.

"Just rest. You've had a rough time."

Donny gave up and sunk into the pillows, eyes half closed. He was still extremely tired.

"Hey, Leo?" "Huh?" "How long have you been sitting here?"

Leo smiled as he stroked over Donny's face.

"Since I carried you here."

Don's eyes snapped open in light amazement.

"You've been awake for two days? Why?"

Leo was still stroking over Donny's face.

"Well, at first I wanted to leave you. To rest."

Leo pulled his hand back. But after hearing a reluctantly released moan from the purple banded turtle he again started caressing his face.

"But every time I attempted to leave, you would start having nightmares."

Don gazed at the older, eyes half closed and filled with confusion.

"When I was half down the bed, you'd whisper things like: 'Don't leave me', 'I'm all alone', 'No, please' and 'I need you'."

Suddenly, Donny remembered. His eyes filled with tears.

Leonardo continued.

"After that, I thought staying wouldn't do too much harm."

He smiled gently.

The tears were now streaming down Donny's face. It was too much.

The loss of their father, the guilt Don carried because of it, the long sleepless nights, and now, his big brother, smiling at him as if everything was okay.

But it wasn't.

Leo softly wiped Donny's tears away.

"Hey. There's no need to cry, Donny."

Leo rested his hand on Don's cheek.

"Your big brother is here."

Donny clenched his eyes together and placed his own hand onto Leo's, making sure that it was still there, that he was still protected.

Leonardo gazed at the younger. Sympathy crossed his eyes.

He lay down next to the younger and pulled him close. Donny exhaled lightly. Then he relaxed and leaned into his brother's grip. He didn't feel alone anymore.

For the first time in days, which had felt like years to him…Donny felt a large weight off his chest.

He felt relieved, understood and free.

But he also felt a sharp, stinging pain in his chest.

"I miss him so much, Leo!" "Sshh."

Leo covered the both of them with the blanket and pulled Donny even closer.

"I know you do, Donny. I know."

He whispered against the younger turtle's head: "We'll get him back. Together. As a family."

Donatello clung tightly onto his eldest brother and had started drifting into sleep again.

"Promise you'll stay?"

Leo smiled as he nuzzled his head against Donny's.

"I swear."

The End