A/N: Wow. My first TMNT fic. I never thought I'd write for this fandom... Anyway, I love the original film. Nothing else like it. This is movie verse, not from the cartoon series...

No slash. Please read and review, thanks. This is just a oneshot.

Said and Unsaid

The truth was – he wanted to say it. He fell short, never even began to stay that four-letter word, and Raphael didn't give him a chance. He guessed that Raphael anticipated an apology – but that wasn't it at all. Leo wanted to say it – the words that had always been assumed, silently understood. But he didn't.

In the brief moment that they looked at each other, Leonardo sensed that the wet light in his brother's eyes was that understanding. Raphael didn't know what Leo wanted to say, but he knew that one layer to the moment was this exchange. Raphael did not fight his weakness, his vulnerability, his tenderness. Leo offered his body support, and he took it. Leo offered him comfort, and he did not hide his need for it. He did not know what lingered in Leo's mind, but his own eyes confessed what they needed and somehow knew already deep down.

I love you, Leo. Raphael thought of whispering it, as he and his brother held each other. He was aching, and he never wanted this comfort to leave. He knew Leo should hear it. He knew his brother should know. But he was silent, untouched by the aging sunlight coming through the window.

Leo had wanted to say it more than anything. His mind screamed at him to do it, as he and Raphael embraced. Seconds slunk past, and silence remained.

I love you.

Why couldn't he say it?

I love you.

"We missed you."

That was true. But it wasn't his own.

Raphael needed to hear it. His brother needed to feel love, know love. He needed to know that despite all the tension between them, Leo still loved him – so much, that he had felt himself dying as he waited uncertainly for Raphael to wake up.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Why couldn't he say it?

Leo, Raphael wanted to say. He had never felt this way – this weak, this helpless, this fragile. He had never felt so sensitive, as if his heart was suddenly exposed to the world and waiting for destruction. He realized how tender it was, how easy it would be to pulverize it. It scared the hell out of him.

Leo, please be gentle, he wanted to say.

He felt his brother holding him up, holding him close, and he was overwhelmed with gratitude, touched. And he had never felt it heavily before – this love. He loved his brother. He loved his brother like no one else. And yes, he loved Donny and Mikey, too – but in this moment, everything he felt was a force for Leo. He didn't think he had ever felt anything this strongly before, not even anger. He clutched Leo tightly, never wanting to let go or be released.

I love you.

Why couldn't he say it?

Leo squeezed when Raphael did, the weight of his brother and their love and his relief all pressing against him. He didn't think he had ever realized how much he loved Raphael until these last few days – until he had to face the possibility of life without his brother, until the moment Raphael woke up and restored his hope, until this new and raw embrace. Now it all overpowered him, as nothing else had.

I love you.

He wanted to say it.

And he didn't want to open his eyes.

But then Donny's voice interrupted, and the two brothers came apart, like an undone bow. Eventually, they were left alone again, and Leo helped Raphael out of the tub and the room, slowly creeping downstairs. They found the kitchen empty, and Leo figured the others must have deliberately scattered to give him and Raphael some time. They were quiet, as Leo looked through the refrigerator. Raphael sat at the table, his muscles stiff and sore. He wanted to sleep in a bed for a change.

His eyes drooped, and his brain felt heavy in his skull. Leo stood near him again, pouring him a glass of water.

"I love you," Raphael said wearily. Leonardo slowed to a stop and brought his eyes to his brother's. They were quiet, until he swallowed.

"I love you, too," he said, steady and soft. Raphael gave a nod. Leo looked at him for a long time, and Raphael just sat in silence, eyes nearly shut. That same light, bland in its old age, lit the kitchen from the bottom up.

Leo finished pouring the water. The glass passed from his hand into his brother's.