Warnings: You know them all by heart, now...

Chapter Thirty-Six

Donatello hadn't gotten the door closed before Raphael began swearing.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" he exploded, waving his good hand about angrily. "What godly right was he born with to let him walk all over me, huh?"

Donnie sighed inwardly and crawled onto his bed, keeping a safe distance from Raph's furious gestures. He listened to the continued accusations and expletives with only half an ear; his hands curled into the blanket below him as he wondered, would this be their bed now? Their room? Would Raphie want to abandon the hammock he professed to adore so much?

Of course, he wouldn't say no to sleeping in the hammock if Raphie wanted company. In fact, that sounded like a good idea to try when Raphie's arm was healed. The thought of being tangled in Raphael's limbs all night-

"Are you even listening to me?" Raphael snarled, shoving Donnie roughly. "And what's with the dopey smile?"

"Yes, I am," Donnie said defensively. "You just said you don't have to take this shit, you're going to tell Mike to put Leo on a goddamn leash, and you're going to beat the self-righteous stuffing out of Leo the second you can."

"O-Okay," Raphael stuttered, still frowning. "So what's with the grin?"

Donnie curled against his side before replying. "I was also thinking about how nice it is that you're in here, in my room. And if it might become our room. Or perhaps you'll let me share your hammock at times. Or maybe…" Donnie eyed the opposite side of the room. "If I moved that bookcase, we could even hang it in here-,"

"Whoa, Don, slow down." Raphael's hand gripped his shoulder tightly. "I- I don't even know if we'll get to share rooms once dad's home, and…" He sighed, smiling at Don's worried frown.

"I'm sorry, Raphie, I didn't mean to put words in your mouth," Donnie said hastily. "I just- tend to think ahead, that's all, and it's just so pleasant to have you in here."

"I know." Raphael sighed again and rested his chin on top of Donnie's head. "Sure is better than sittin' in my room alone."

"It is? Really? I thought…" Donnie shrugged, jostling them both. "I thought you liked going off by yourself to cool down."

"Sometimes," Raphael admitted. "But it sure is nice tellin' you, too."

Donnie relaxed against him, melding closer to his chest. "Leo is being irrational, and I'm sorry he's taking his frustrations out on you. Perhaps this feeling, whatever it is, is affecting his thinking negatively. He's been through a lot the last few weeks."

"Yeah, yeah, we don't give him enough credit, blah blah," Raphael snapped. His eyes widened when Donnie reached up and covered his mouth with a hand.

"Hush, I wasn't invalidating you or defending him. I agree with you. It was unfair of him to attack you over something he misconstrued over the phone." His hand trailed down Raphael's face, applying gentle pressure with the pads of his fingertips.

"That's what this is about? That bastard," Raphael seethed. "He knows I didn't say what he thought I said. I told him that. How could he even think that? Ooh, that just pisses me off even more!"

"Alright, alright," Donnie sighed. "Ten more minutes of ranting, then we're taking it to the lab."

"What? Why?"

"Because I haven't touched a computer in days, and I'm getting twitchy."

Raphael's eyes narrowed, a ghost of a smile flitting across his face. "That the only reason yer 'twitchy'?"

Donnie lazily slid a finger down Raphael's plastron. "Well, we'll see, won't we?"

After much initial resistance and pleading, wide-eyed pouting, Leo agreed to let Mikey rub the tension from his shoulders. When Mikey made it absolutely clear it was just a massage, Leo finally sighed and gave in. Once he was resting comfortably behind Leo, he asked him to explain about the earlier fight; and surprisingly, Leo did just that. In fact, once Leo began talking, he kept going; rambling on not just about the argument, but about past issues and worries as well.

The words began running together in Mikey's head after a few moments; just being able to hear Leo's voice was enough to completely relax him. He nodded, and made the appropriate "hm"s and "oh"s during the conversation prompts, but his mind and gaze were focused on his fingers as they gently kneaded the knotted muscles in Leo's shoulders. The rough pads of his fingers danced across the leaf-green skin, and he mused over the stark contrasts between their colouring.

A silence stretched, and Mikey blinked as he looked up. "Err, what?"

Leo turned his head, a wry smile on his face. "I said; you're wonderful, Mike, and I appreciate you doing this."

"I am? Tell me more," Mikey grinned.

"And hopeless, at times," Leo added with a chuckle. "I still don't know how you do it, Mike."

"It's not that hard," Mikey protested. "I just figure I know what would feel good, so that's how I rub you down."

"Not that."

Mikey leaned forward, tilting his head curiously.

"You calm my anxiety. You- You bring everything into the correct focus. Thank you, Mike."

Mikey snaked his arms forward, plastering them to Leo's chest possessively. "That's what I'm here for. Well, that and other things." He craned his head, rubbing his cheek against Leo's.

"Mike."

Mikey froze at the ring of command in Leo's voice. "Hm?"

"Dojo."

"Crap." Mikey's eyes narrowed as he uncurled himself from Leo. "Up, then! Get up so I can kiss you senseless."

Leo chuckled again as he allowed Mikey to push them both outside the dojo. They both paused as they heard something odd from the direction of the lab.

"Is that Donnie?" Mikey asked curiously.

"I think so. C'mon." Leo grabbed Mikey's hand and they stole close to the barely closed lab door. Carefully, quietly, Leo eased the door open slightly.

It was definitely Donnie talking; he and Raph were sitting in front of his computer, their backs to them as the scientist pointed and gestured at something on the screen. Raphael was leaning with his good arm on the desk, listening with rapt attention, his expression shining in admiration. Leo blinked in confusion as he listened to the string of unfamiliar words.

"Is he speaking in- in- another language?" Mikey whispered incredulously.

"Must be," Leo mused. "Sounds like German or Russian?"

"And lookit Raph; he looks like a widdle puppy dog!"

Leo pulled them quickly from the door, covering his grin with a hand. "Mike!" he hissed, "Don't make me laugh like that!"

[Author's Note]
I seriously needed to write something to cheer me up, so here it is: this week's chapter a day early. :3