**Author's Note**
Look how lucky y'all are! Another update! And so soon! ...I should be working on my english paper, but meh. When the muse hits you in the head...
Review Response~
Juanita27: Yep, Don's alive. Well, if you can call that living... I'm happy you think this chapter is one of awesomeness~ As for Leo being nice to Donnie... Well... I just love bashing on him. At least the 2k3 version anyway. I think he's adorable in the 2k12 version. And yeah, car battery. Thought it'd be a nice touch. :3
Elana: O.o Um, glad you like it. And don't cry... okay, you can cry, but here's a tissue. Seriously, though, I'm very happy that you like this, and I'm sorry you pulled an all-nighter to read my work. I'm not an AMAZING person, I just kinda write and when I think the chapter is done, post it. (If I was amazing, I'd have an awesome beta... ) I know a LOT of people who are greater writers than me, and I adore them, and whenever they like something of mine, it rocks my life, so... thank you. Your review actually inspired me to not procrastinate.
Assassin's Grrrrl: ;D I suppose you'll be killing Leo lots then after this chapter, kufufufu... You did your review in caps. Wow. I'm impressed and all warm and tingly inside... either that or my hands are going numb from the cold. (I thought I lived in Florida...?)
Jessica: I don't make Raphie sexy; the 2k3 version does that on its own. ;D And since it's around the holiday, I really do gotta make a sexy toitle pinup, though the one that won that one award in 2009 is currently my background. Hit Deviantart and type in "secret santa- raph's cookies," and see what pops up. :3
Now on with this chapter!
**Author's Note**
Come What May
Ch. 9
It has been a month and a half since Donatello's brush with death, and he still hasn't come out of his coma. Leatherhead has assured the family of ninja that his body is simply resting, allowing itself time to heal, and that Don will wake up when he's ready. Unfortunately, the body still isn't well enough to travel, so the injured turtle has been tucked neatly in a bunch of salvaged blankets on a cot in the corner of LH's lab. And Raph can't stand that. He visits almost daily, while the rest of the family visits every other day, or (in Splinter's case) once a week. Right now, he's flitting through Don's lab, careful not to poke or prod too much and break something. His fingers gently touch the genius' office chair, still somehow able to feel the warmth that is Donatello. His eyes glance at the desk and spots a small leather-bound book. He doesn't know why, but he picks it up. He remembers Don having a little library of these things somewhere in this mess he calls a lab. He thinks they're like a journal or something. He blinks in surprise at what's labelled on it. Simply, his name, "Raphael" in very sharp, but obviously childish, colored pencil.
Feeling like a robber, he tucks the book into his belt and hightails it back to his room. He locks the door and sits in his hammock. He pulls the book out and wonders if he should start at the beginning or flip to the current page. Eh, he'll start at the beginning.
June 21
Raphie beat Leo in a kata for the first time! He's on cloud nine! He's... being punished for hurting Mikey outside the dojo. Meh, you reap what you sow.
June 30
Raphie is so strong... so brave... so... vibrant...
Raphael blinks at the timeskip and the sudden change of heart from his brother's thoughts. Oh yeah, that's the day after the Incident. So Don got himself a little hero complex? Cute.
June 31
Raphie is being so nice, even though we're undergrounded for two weeks. He helps wash my ouchies, and feeds me, and bathes me, and is acting like I'm made of glass. I like it; it makes me feel special, like Raphie only acts this way for me. I wonder if he will ever feel the same way... well, must be patient.
The red-banded terrapin frowns. Well, yeah he was treating his brother like glass, he got hurt because of him; the guilt was eating him alive. He flips through and finds a ten-year-old's writing:
Raphie Raphie Raphie Raphie RaphieRaphieRaphael Raphie Raphie Raphie RaphieRaph
All of the "i"s were dotted with little hearts. Hell, the whole page was littered with them. It sort of disturbed him. He kept flipping. He found more disturbing pages.
Why?! Why?! Why does it hurt so bad? Why can't I move on? Why do I love him?! Why does he love Leo?! Why can't the pain stop? Why Why Why Why?!
Love me! Why can't you love me? I love you! I'm dying on the inside without you! Love me! I know what you need to be happy! God damn it, LOVE ME!
Pain
Darkness
Loneliness
Jealousy
Anger
My protector. My savior. My friend. My brother. My life. He wears my heart, but what does he do? He crushes it against his mate's plastron.
I'm becoming as bitter as my coffee because you don't love me.
As if these weren't scary enough, the last page he flips to stops his blood dead cold.
Kill me.
He slams the little book shut, his breathing coming out in labored pants. His eyes were wide and fearful. He hops from the hammock and starts pacing. Okay, calm down. He can do this. He can think this through. Okay, so, after the Incident, Don gained a hero-crush on him. That he got clearly. But it somehow... transformed? Changed. Changed into some sort of... obsession. And it grew... maybe love? No, these thoughts are a little too dark. He stops pacing. Maybe it's more than one emotion? He can definately see depression and desperation in those notes. He blinks rapidly. These are... Don's emotions. On paper. And this... emotion diary is his feelings about... him. Hell, that little library of these is probably one on each person he knows and writes down the feeling as he interacts with that person that day. Urgh, his brain hurts.
He tucks the book back into his belt and heads to the kitchen for the Aspirin. He watches Michelangelo bound into the living room with his shell cell in his hand, waving it wildly.
"He's awake! Donnie's awake!" Immediately, all members rush to the phone. Leatherhead's voice bellows through the speakers. "Yes, Donatello is awake. Though he is still weak. I am allowing only one person to visit a day. And right now, I believe Leonardo should be his first visitor; he needs his leader." Leo nods, "Alright. Can I see him today?" "Of course.I will let him know you are coming." Leo heads to the door. "Thank you Leatherhead. I will be back soon, guys." And with that, The blue-banded turtle ninja vanishes.
Michelangelo frowns. Raph raises an eye ridge. "Wut is it, Mikey?" The nun-chuk weilder shrugs. "I just have a very bad feeling..."
Donatello is in so much pain, but he's completely sure that if he wasn't on painkillers, he'd be wishing for death. He almost already is; his dream was so nice. Raph had chosen him for a mate all those years ago, and they were vacationing at Casey's farmhouse. They were cloud gazing when their twins, Sunshine and Shade, jumped onto them and tickled their parents into submission. His dream kept flitting his twins from twin boys, to twin girls, to fraternals, but he didn't care. Raph always looked the same. Smiling, laughing, happy and full of love. And then a white lightning flashed, and he awoke with a start. After groaning in pain, and after Leatherhead gave him water for his parched throat, he asked for one of his brothers. Leatherhead had left to another room to talk quietly, but he still heard Mikey's shriek of delight. He tries not to smile, feeling the stitches all over his face, but ultimately fails. It hurts, but he doesn't care.
Almost in a blink, however, his brother Leonardo suddenly appears at his side. "Leo..." The katana-weilder takes a heavily wrapped hand and sits beside him, tears in his eyes. "We thought we lost you, little brother." The olive-green terrapin scoffs lightly. "Yeah...right." A small chuckle escapes his leader. "I'm glad you are doing better, but now I'm afraid I must burden you." Chocolate eyes gaze into silver ones questioningly. The leaf-green ninja sighs sharply. "I know you are in love with Raph." A gasp escapes scabbed lips. "H..how?" Leo grimaces. "Mikey actually had to tell me. And I'm sorry for not seeing it sooner. But I am also thankful of your sacrifice. It must have been unbearably hard on you to have been in the situation you were in." Don nods curtly. It hurts to move, but he doesn't want to talk anymore. "But now your path has given you a fork." The genius tilts his head slightly. What is Leo up to...? "On one path, you can have Raphael in your arms and in your bed. You can be happy. All I'd ask was that you'd be mine, and ask me when you wanted to make love to Raphael." Donatello stills. Be... Leo's mate?! A threesome?! Hell, he was joking six (eight? nine?) months ago when he said he'd might as well be in between them!
"Or. You continue down the path of solitude and take it a step further and make Raph hate you. To the point of him barely able to stand your presence." His eyes widen. Why would he do that?! He can't do either of those choices! Leo turns away, heading for the exit. "I will give you til the end of the week to decide. And if you choose neither," silver eyes flash almost white at him, sending a shiver of fear down his spine, "I will have to end your suffering."