Leo sat on a meditation mat in the corner of his room, eyes wide open and staring straight in front of him. He had abandoned all hope of actually entering the meditative state some time ago and was now pondering his place in his family. It had kept him awake many nights since his return from Japan. He didn't know what it was about it that had suddenly started bothering him, but he knew he needed to figure it out.
Mikey was the joy, the spirit. He was optimistic and kept them from despairing. He could lighten any mood and make a joke out of the worst situation. Donny was the rational one. He was easy to talk to and was always willing to listen. He always knew what to say and what to do to make them feel better. And Raph… well, Raph may have talked like he didn't care, but Leo knew he cared for his brothers more than anything. He would do anything for them. And while Leo would as well, he knew he lacked something that Raph had. The hothead was the "fun" older brother. Leo shook his head slowly, staring at the floor. What did that leave for him? Was he really just the leader?
A knock at the door caused Leo's eyes to snap up, widening as they did so. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't sensed anyone approaching. "Come in," he called. The door opened and Donatello came in, eyes creased with concern.
"Is something bothering you, Leo? You're late for practice," the brainy turtle asked, walking over and kneeling next to him. Leo's eyes widened again and he glanced sharply at his clock. Sure enough, it read 8: 05. He was never late for practice—in fact, it was unusual if he wasn't early, warming up or meditating in the dojo long before anyone else was awake. Leo sighed, wishing Raph or Mikey had come instead. They weren't quite as perceptive as the resident genius.
"I'm fine, Don. Let's go to practice," Leo mumbled, pushing himself up from the floor. A pointed glare from his younger brother soon had Leo back in his spot, however.
"Not until you tell me what's wrong." Donny paused, taking a deep breath. "Is this still about what happened with the Shredder and Karai, because we all thought you had gotten over that when you were with the Ancient One…."
"No, Don," Leo interrupted, rubbing a hand over his face wearily. "It's not that. I just…. I just need to figure a few things out, that's all."
Don frowned again, only this time it was out of annoyance. "Leo, how long is it going to take you to figure out that you can talk to us? That you can talk to me? I can help you, bro, if you'll let me."
Leo hesitated for a moment before nodding. He owed his brother at least that much after all he had put him through. "Okay. I've just been thinking about my role in the family. I mean, I know my role in the team, but that's different. There, it's clearly defined. I'm the leader. The protector. But here, not so much. I'm just… there."
Don stared at him for a few moments, apparently dumbfounded. "That's what you've been worrying about for so long? I could have told you this forever ago. You're not 'just there,' Leo. You're still our protector, just in a different way than as leader. You're… our shield. I mean, seriously, bro, why do you think Mikey is able to play video games and read comic books all the time? And why do you think Raph is free to play vigilante with Casey and work on his motorcycle? Why do you think I have time to work on my inventions and fix everything Raph and Mikey break? It's because of you, Leo. Because we have you, we're free to be ourselves. You free us from having to worry about real life all the time. You're our big brother."
Leo thought about Don's words, playing them over and over in his mind. "The shield," he said aloud, trying it out on his tongue. His eyes narrowed as he thought about it. Yes, that was exactly what he was. He may not be the fun one, or the smart one, or the aggressive one, but he was the shield. He allowed his brothers to fulfill their roles in the family. And Leo would have it no other way.
"Donny, Leo, It's almost 8:15. Master Splinter's getting mad!" Mikey's voice called from downstairs. Don pushed himself up and walked to the door, pausing just inside.
"You coming, Leo?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to where the oldest turtle still sat, staring ahead.
"Yeah, I'll be right there." Leo leaned over and blew out the meditation candle that sat on the floor next to his mat. He stood and looked around him in the relative darkness, his spirit at ease for the first time in a long time. "I'm coming!" he yelled in answer to another frantic call from Michelangelo. "The shield," he whispered one more time before he left the room, heading to practice.
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Again, no idea where this came from. I just wanted to show Donny in all his glory—I've always been of the opinion that he has the best ability to help people… and turtles… through their problems. Thanks for reading!