Author's Notes: Glad you enjoyed! I tried not to do something too exploitive or scandalous-for-scandalous-sake. But you were right … Leo and Raph deserve their moment in the spotlight, so here's one for everyone's favorite katana-wielder.

Warnings: A bit more kissing than Mike's chapter. Still nothing explicit.

Leonardo

Two hours before Michelangelo creeps into Donatello's laboratory, Leonardo is in the dojo, punishing his body with an intricate series of exercises. The perspiration pours off his shoulders, but he never lets up. He can't. He's too weak. They barely survived the Shredder, after all. His family deserves better than this weakness. He will beat the weakness out of himself, even if it kills him.

Weak! Slash. Weak! Kick. Weak! Punch. Then, even as focused as he is, Leo smells it. The smell of fresh coffee being brewed.

Coffee can mean only one thing.

Quickly Leo sheathes his katanas, grabs a towel, and wipes his sweaty brow. Then he heads towards the kitchen. Don sits at a table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

"Good practice?" asks Don, sipping his coffee, eyes never leaving the paper.

"Yeah." Leo sits down with him. "Where's Raph?"

Don glances up. "Topside, I think. With Casey, maybe?"

"Oh." Leo folds his hands on top of the table and looks at them. He studies the little scars on them, just a slightly paler green than the surrounding skin. "And Mikey?"

"Last time I saw him? Playing his new video game." Don frowns and adds thoughtfully, "But that was a while back."

"Oh."

Don sets down his coffee mug. He smiles gently. "Leo, they're both fine," he says. "And so am I. And so are you." He reaches out and brushes his fingertips over the back of Leo's hand. "Everything's okay."

Leo glances away—towards the bedrooms—then back. Though he doesn't pull away from Don's touch, his eyes won't look into Don's. He hears Don sigh.

"Would you like to talk?" Don suggests.

Leo bites his lip uncertainly. He knows what Don is asking, and he knows he should say no. God, if Sensei … he couldn't even think about it. No. Leo would say no and go back to the dojo, where he belongs. Then Don could go back to his lab, where Don belongs.

"We could … " Don trails off. He gives Leo's hand a brief squeeze before continuing, "We could go to your room. To talk in private? If you'd like?"

Still biting his lip, Leonardo finds himself nodding.

They pass Mikey on the way to Leo's room. Eyes never leaving the television screen, Mike shouts a "hello" to them from his station on the couch. Once in the bedroom, Leo sits on the edge of his bed while Don sits in the stiff wooden chair in the corner. It always goes like this. It's like a dance—one step forward, two steps back, a step to the side.

"So, Leo, what's on your mind?" Don's voice is pleasant and conversational. Calm and infuriatingly neutral.

Hands in his lap, Leo drums his fingers on his own thighs. He feels oddly impatient. He knows he's delaying the inevitable, but he still feels the need to resist. To fight what he wants so badly. It's very curious and, if it wasn't totally out of the question, Leo would ask Sensei about this paradox. He whispers, almost to himself, "We nearly died, Don."

"But we didn't."

"But we could have."

"According to Kafka, we could wake up as insects tomorrow."

Leo smiles, just a little. Don takes this as an invitation and slowly approaches the bed. He kneels down and places his hands over Leo's. Don's thumbs stroke lightly, soothingly, and the touch is too much. As the tears come to his eyes, Leo hangs his head.

In a flash Don is up and beside him on the bed, strong arms around Leonardo's shoulders, as Leo buries his face in Don's neck. He sobs silently, hanging on to his brother as though his life depends upon it while Don rocks them both back and forth. Leo doesn't try to stop crying. The shame will come later, but right now he needs this. He needs Don.

Impulsively he kisses Donatello's neck and is rewarded with a sharp intake of breath from the other turtle. Don glances down just as Leo glances up, so Leo seizes the opportunity and presses his lips to Don's mouth. Don tastes like stale coffee, and it's unspeakably comforting, for some reason. Very gently Don returns the kiss.

Pulling back, Leo looks into his younger brother's eyes. They are such a dark brown, they are almost black. Feeling particular fragile at the moment, Leo decides that tonight he doesn't want to … go any further. (Oh God, Sensei would not approve at all.) Tonight, he just wants to listen to Don's voice and be held.

"Tell me a story, Donny?" Leo asks, eyes large and hopeful. To his own ears he sounds childish, pathetic even. But Don never seems to judge. "Please?"

"Of course." Don gestures towards the pillows. "Lie down first."

Without protest Leo obeys. Don lies down beside him, his head next to Leo's on the pillow, arm loosely around Leo's waist. Their faces are so close that Leo can smell Don's coffee breath.

"I don't know many good stories," Don confesses.

"That's okay."

Don thinks for a moment. Leo allows his eyes to slip shut and listens to his brother's steady, deep breathing. Listening to Don breathe is almost like meditating, he realizes. "I could tell you the story of the founding of quantum mechanics," Don says after a minute.

Leonardo nods his agreement and snuggles closer.

Don chuckles. "I gotta warn you. It's really boring."

Not opening his eyes, Leo smiles. "Tell me about quantum mechanics," he murmurs.

"Okay, then. Quantum mechanics it is." Leo feels Don's large rough hands move away from his waist and allows himself a small groan as Don begins lightly massaging his aching shoulders. "You're really tight. Leo, have you been overworking yourself again?"

Darn. Busted. Time to pull a Mikey and deflect. "Weren't you going to tell me a story?"

Don grunts, and Leo can feel him shake his head in disapproval. Leo reaches up and caresses Don's face to mollify him. Sighing softly, Don kisses Leo's palm. Then, leaning nearer, Don begins, "The field of quantum mechanics really started with the study of the nature of light. After extensive tests and debate, physicists discovered that light has the properties of both particles and waves … "

Don doesn't get much farther then that before, still smiling, Leo falls asleep.