**Author's Note**

I'm gonna stretch this series by one more chapter than anticipated. So instead of this being the next to last chapter, this is the third to last. Alrighty. I have motivation. Let's do this.

Review Response time.

Assassin's Grrrrl: Yes. Leo's an asshole. And yes, he needs to be punished. But that will come later, kukuku...

Guest, review of chapter 5: I butcher Raph's accent because A) I am Southern so his Brooklyn accent sounds really choppy to me, and B) the voice actor for the 2003 Raph really accentuates the steryotypical New Yorker, and I try to do my best to portray that. So sorry. Besides, have you seen how kids text these days? If you can read that, you can read anything.

LicyLionyx: Leo doesn't like to share. And you are right, Don can't choose. Thank you for waiting.

LicyLionyx, review on chapter 5: I don't think Don's ever trusted anybody except Raphie. But that's just me.

Jessica: *hands over tissue* Sorry, no sledgehammer. Though Leo will get properly punished...

Juanita 27: Just wait. :D

kuronomi: Here.

Tmnt lover: O.o Wow. You are truly humbled when your works bring people over to the fandom. And I'm just the amaeteur.

Rhylin Sweet: Yes~! I've converted another one, muahahahaha~ *cough* while I am happy that you are favoring my OTP, please do not disregard your previous pairing. Raph/Mikey is good as well as Leo/Don, Leo/Mikey, Raph/Leo, and OT4. Just remember that one pairing is not better than the others. (that being said, RaphDon for the win~! XD)

Kay (guest): I'm glad you are liking my little series. The reason for Leo's jerkiness will be revealled... eventually. Glad you're keeping an eye on this one. :)

Zanic Grinn: Okay, so when I saw your review, dude, I felt AWESOME. Especially since I have had no internet for almost a month. So, yeah. Thanks for the confidence boost. I'm SO glad you're loving the story. I would love to hear your theory and compare it to my... storyline? Kinda winging it with little images in my head and songs that randomly play on my mp3. But I have a general idea, so... yeah.

VickieC: You have to read. :3

Now that that's done, let's do this thing.

Come What May

Ch. 10

Leo had come back to the lair and told everybody that Don needed his rest, but that he was looking much better, and had requested Michelangelo to go visit him the day after tomorrow. Raph will go that Friday. And as much as the smile on Mikey's face was bright, the feeling of dread did not leave him the next day. He also saw Raph acting jerky and strange. Almost as if he was afraid. But it's Raph, who is never afraid of anything, (bugs don't count, apparently) so maybe the guy's frantic about seeing Don? Perhaps. He'll find out after dinner, though.

Okay, so VERY weird. Not only did Raph barely eat (he kinda just pushed the spagetti around the plate) he went straight to his old room, barely a glance at Leo or Sensei. Rude much?! So, naturally, he peeks through the keyhole to see what his strangely acting lover is doing. He backs away from the keyhole, rubbing his eyes. Did he just see Raph... reading?! Silently, he picklocks the door and slams it open. "You are!" The aqua skinned turtle's mouth drops in shock as the sai weilder jerks and attempts to hide a little leatherbound book. "Mikey!" Giggling, the orange banded ninja hops up beside his older brother on the hammock and snatches the book from behind his head. "So, what could possibly hold your attention other than Hustler...mags..." He had started flipping through the book to realize that A) it was Don's handwriting and B) the writings were short and full of emotions. Anger flares through the normally chipper terrapin. "What the hell, Raph?! You stole Don's diary?" Said turtle looks guiltily at the book before snatching it back. "I didn' mean to. I saw it on Donnie's desk, and... well, afta readin' sum of it, I dunno. I'm feelin'... confused. But I gotta finish it an' figure out whut I'm feelin' before I visit him Friday."

Michelangelo pouts. "But aside from that being a total invasion of privacy, dude (wow, I'm sounding like Leo) why would you wanna know what he thought of us as kids?" The red banded ninja shakes his head. "Jus' me. Dis is alla his emotions, thoughts, ya get da picture, about me. An' it's kinda freakin' me out. First time I flipped through it, I only made it ta when we were 16." The now curious turtle tilts his head. "Well, what did it say to make you," he playfully pokes the larger turtle in the plastron, "so scared you stopped?" A look of anguish streaks across Raph's face. Mikey's own visage falls upon seeing it. "Only two words: kill me." Blue eyes widen as Michelangelo visibly pales. "Lemme see." Cringing, Raphael hands him the little book. The nunchuku weilder flips through, eyes widening at each page flipped until said eyes covered almost his whole face. "Holy shit. Raph... d'you know what this is?" Said turtle gives him a dirty look. "Yeah, it's Don's feelin's. On paper. So? Honestly, I kinda just wanna skip ta da last page, before... his accident."

Michelangelo bops his brother in the head lightly with the book. "Ow! Waddya do dat for?" Mikey shakes his head fervently. "Think on what you said, dude. It's Don's EMOTIONS. This is how he's been dealing with his heartache, depression, anger, jealousy, pain, loneliness, all of it! This is where he puts the happy and the sad. He is the calm turtle BECAUSE he throws all of his anxiety and stuff in this little book!" Golden eyes widen in shock. "Holy shit." The smaller turtle nods. "Exactly. His feelings for you in particular are here. You know what?" Michelangelo flips to the last page.

"Ahem. 'How did I resist? Why did I resist? He wanted me, ME, and only me. His eyes kept melting my insides and causing swarms of butterflies labelled Hope to take flight in their place. His voice nearly did me- multiple times- and was all because he WANTED me. His skin was more vibrant than ever as well, emitting pheremones so thick, you could almost see them coming off his sexy emerald skin in waves. His touches drove me mad. Nothing sexual. An accidental touch here and there, but every time lit my skin on FIRE, passion filled me, to near insanity. And if my arms weren't incapacitated, I wouldn't have been able to resist. Not with the ability to touch him back. Just thinking about it gets me shivering with desire. But he only wanted me because... actually, I don't really know why. Nor did I care. He wanted me. During mating season. Odd since turtles aren't monogamous and could have countless partners, but I suppose the humanistic side of our DNA controls our desires down to a partner; more research would be needed. But I digress. He wanted me, and I wanted him, but I was reminded time and time again that he was not mine, and that I was not his. And there's no way in hell that I'd be able to share him with... him.' Wow."

Both turtles looked at each other in slight awe. "Dude, he made you sound a hundred times hotter than you really are." Raph thwacks him in the back of the head. "Geez, Mikey, way ta kill a mood." Pouting and rubbing the spot where his partner hit him he closes the book. "Yeah, but he really loves you, dude. Like, loves you. You can tell he's been killing himself on the inside over and over just so you could be happy with Leo, which, he must really be jealous of and hate deep down. I mean, the venom when he wrote, him just. Wow." Raphael nods. "Yeah, I get dat he loves me. An' I feel bad, well, since I really only noticed him when he nearly died by that demon-thing dat nearly ate ya."

Raphael frowns. No, that's not right. He's always noticed Don, even when they were little. He just didn't know how to talk to him. A vague image flashes into his head. His hand automatically grips the side of his head. Why did he just remember something so vague? Is it important?! "Raph?" He sticks his other hand in front of Michelangelo's face, indicating him to shut up. Slowly, the image returns, gaining clarity the longer he thinks about it. The image appears to be the day he asked Leo to become mates. He remembers a dull ache and very sad chocolate eyes. "...Anyway, Mikey, when ya see Don tomorrow, ya gotta let him know that we fucked." Blue eyes widen a fraction, but the goofy turtle nods. "Okay. But when YOU go see him, you give him a straight answer." A crooked smile works its way onto the hothead's face. "Deal."

The next day starts off very strange for Raph. Leo dotes on him during breakfast (like they did when they were little) Mikey left for LH's ten minutes ago, and Master Splinter somehow cohorted him into watching some sort of musical movie. The old rodent's excuse was, "I had Michelangelo record it for me yesterday, but I do not know how to use this infernal Tivo." And after setting it up for him and realizing that Leo was going into deep meditation, Sensei then asked if he would watch the movie with him since they hadn't bonded over anything since Raph's secret obsession with Once Upon a Time three years ago. So now he's stuck spending his morning watching some French-themed musical. So far, eh. The songs are kinda cheezy and the acting is so-so. And then... his secret song starts playing. By the guy. To the girl. Only some of the words are different. He sits up and watches the scene intently. His lips part and his eyes widen. All this time, his wrath was soothed by this song. This song that his brother sang to him. This song that his brother used to admit his love. To him. All his life. And he felt better because Don sang him a love song.

He inhales sharply. The image is back in his head, now clear as a raindrop and as intense as lightning. "So, Leo..." the turtle tot glances at his olive toned brother, sitting across the room, but close enough to hear everything. What better way to admit his love than to get said love jealous? "Yeah?" His attention pivots back to his older brother. "So... so Donnie tol' me wat a 'mate' wuz..." in all his cuteness. "...Yeah?" Emerald green mouth smirks. "Yeah. An' I though' 'bout it..." come on, Donnie, at least look interested in the conversation! "...Yeah...?" Golden eyes fight the urge to roll. Geez, Leo, know only one word? "An'... an' I chose a brutha." Said eyes flick back to Don, worry now in his eyes. Did he make a mistake, thinking that Don had a crush on him? His eyes zero in on the title of the book. 'Unrequited.' Anger and hurt flare through him. That's a rejection if he ever saw one, and he's only seen about three when he saw some love confesssions under some grates a couple of months ago while running. "Oh? Who?" Ingoring the dull ache in his chest, he angrily shouts, "Who d'ya tink?! D'ya wanna be me mate o' not?!"

Raph feels the bottom of his stomach drop. He's been in love with the wrong turtle.