Epilogue
Donnie's eyes had widened to the size of saucers and he had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from gasping.
He knew that Leo had gotten extremely closed-off since their father's passing, but Leo harming himself purposely...it was entirely unexpected. And it hit Donnie hard. Because like everyone else, for the longest time, he had viewed his oldest brother as a strong and unyielding force. A force that would bend to nothing and no one. A force mighty enough to carry them through anything.
And if Splinter's passing was enough to bring Leo to his knees...
In a way, it made sense. The ninja master and his eldest son were always so close, and it seemed as if each day brought them closer together. Splinter was the sun to Leo's moon, his light in the darkness of the world, the wisdom that guided him through life. So for that light to be extinguished...it was a miracle that the blue-clad leader's spirit hadn't been broken entirely.
As Mikey's and Leo's voices drew closer, Donnie ducked back into the shadows and watched his brothers pass by.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. It just sort of happened. And then Donnie heard a secret he wasn't meant to hear. A secret that, if anyone found out, would rip their world apart in seconds. Again.
But the secret was weighing heavily on the genius' shoulders now. He had to tell someone. It couldn't be Mikey, since that would mean revealing that he had eavesdropped. And it certainly couldn't be Leo.
That left only one brother.
And Donnie was sure that when Raph found out, all Hades would break loose.