A/N: OMG I'm back! Sorry i haven't written or updated my story in such a long long time. x_x School saps your motivation and family trouble helps hinder it ha ; w ;. I haven't even been on this site in such a while, wow. Anyways, here's a little two-chapter story I'm working on to help get me back on the mood! ^-^ Enjoy! :D

"And so that's the plan. Any questions?"

Leo recently came up with a new plan to search for Karai and had just finished going over it with his brothers. The plan basically stated that the guys would go out while Casey and April stayed in the hidden shelter taking care of Splinter, who wasn't in good shape to help fight. Mikey and Raph were bored listening to Leo's long plan speech, while Don seemed to be lost in thought absorbing each word he heard. Leo looked over them patiently wondering if they even listened and having to repeat the plan again, when Don awakened from his trance and put his thoughts into words.

"I think we should skip the part of going near the water. Karai wouldn't have stayed long in there anyway, since she'd want to find better places to hide from Shredder or Mr. Cockroach-eater and his buddy."

Leo seemed to think about this. Don had a good point, but it wasn't enough to convince him. "Maybe, but the place we last saw her at is a potential location to find her in. If she'd want to find us, then she probably expects us to meet there. She could also easily escape into the water if something goes wrong again, making it a suitable location for her."

Mikey and Raph nodded their heads in agreement anxious to move forward, but Donnie quickly countered.

"But she would not be in the right mind to want to meet us! She has some self control when she's in mutant form, but not enough for her to be willingly looking for us rather than instinctively hiding from her predators."

Leo started to get a bit annoyed at this argument, while Mikey and Raph had slowly backed off and gone with the others to watch some television.

"What do you mean she wouldn't want to meet us? Of course she would! You even saw during our last fight that she didn't attack us, and even fought in our side against Shredder. She is strong and has enough self control to come to us, Donatello. Stop overthinking this."

A small fire ignited in Don's eyes. "But sh-" He cut off mid-sentence and seemed to think about something before bowing his head down slightly. And as soon as it began the fire was gone, replaced by a somber expression on Don's face. He remained silent.

Leo was confused. Had he given up? It was unusual for his stubborn brother to give up in an argument, specially when dealing with his plans. He noticed the odd gesture, so the concerned Leo stepped forward to see what was wrong.

"Donatello? Anything wrong?"

Donnie, appearing troubled, looked up and gave him a small unconvincing smile.

"I'm fine. I think we should just… go with your plan. Yes. I'll go call the others." He seemed to reassure himself before starting to go towards the main room, when he was held back by Leo's hand on his own. He looked back at him.

"Are you sure you're fine, Don?"

Don didn't realize that Leo was waiting for him to answer, but then he nodded. Leo sighed and let him go soon after, still concerned but willing to move forward.

Don smiled at him again. "Thanks Leo," he said before making his way to the rest of the group. Although his mind was usually jumbled with all kinds of thoughts and ideas usually, now it seemed even more jumbled and he felt more perplexed. No wonder, Leo, being so perceptive, probably sensed the trouble and tried to talk to him about it. Don shook his head. He thought that maybe with some running around, his mind would feel clearer and more at ease. Don didn't know why, but he felt a hunch that it would be a long night.

After an unsuccessful attempt at finding the whereabouts of Karai, the crestfallen ninjas headed to their base. Their frustrations had grown as they continued to find no trace of their mutated sister, and now the blue-clad turtle was in a foul mood that was able to be sensed by the other brothers. Really, everyone was feeling cranky at the moment. Mikey attempted to lighten the mood with some jokes, but the gloomy spell didn't break. And to add to their problems, the sound of an approaching thunderstorm could be heard and dark clouds seen contrasting with the dawn sky. They could only call it, turtle luck. Unanimously, they agreed to increase their pace while watching out for any slippery flooring created by the incoming cold rain.

As soon as the turtles made it into the base, they shook off as much of the water and mud from their bodies as they could and made their way to the drier room where Splinter and the others slept on some of the few mattresses they had found across nearby abandoned homes. Then with a sigh, Leonardo dismissed himself and headed to the corner where he sat on the floor, legs crossed, and closed his eyes before descending into a meditative state. The three remaining brothers glanced at each other in the uneasily, the only sound being the heavy and loud rain drops from outside. But then, Raph grunted and decided he'd had enough of standing around.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed. Night." he said in a quiet rough voice while already heading off.

Mikey and Don watched their grumpy brother go lay down next to Casey, before Mikey darted his eyes to a still-meditating Leo and finally to Don.

"Do you think they'll be ok? They look pretty down tonight…" Mikey asked and looked for answers to his brother, who gave him a brief smile and replied.

"Don't worry Mike, we have been in worse situations before. This uncomfortable one will be gone whenever we find Karai, which I'm sure will be soon with Leo's guidance. For now just go rest and have sweet dreams, okay?" he softly reassured the youngest in order to quell his worries, but also some of his own.

The orange-clad turtle smiled and nodded, visibly more comfortable and sleepy.

"What about you?" he asked curiously in between a yawn.

"Oh, well, I'll just be in my lab working on getting some retro-mutagen for a bit before joining you guys," he answered quietly before patting Mikey's head. "Goodnight, bro," he added warmly before starting to head for his temporary lab.

"Good night, D," Mikey quickly replied back before Don was out of range. As he saw Don walking, however, he felt something was off about him. Was his head lower than usual? He wondered for a bit before he was startled by thunder from outside. Quickly regaining his composure and making sure no one had seen, he decided to shrug it off and blame it on his need for sleep. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

Leonardo finally decided it was time to take a break from his meditation. Previous emotions of frustration were now ghosts leaving his mind, and he was pleased. Opening his eyes and looking around the now-decorated base(thanks to his friends and family), he concluded that it must be around early morning judging from the very faint light coming from outside. It also was apparent that the rain hadn't stopped, and would still take a while to do so. Fortunately, Leonardo found the sound of rain drops hitting the concrete relaxing and soothing. Thus he decided to lay down, close his eyes, and listen to the water while drifting off to sleep.

However, something quickly nagged at Leo's mind warning him that something was amiss. Remaining laying down and with closed eyes, he listened intently for anything that didn't fit the serene image he held in mind. He could hear the drips and drops from the rain outside; the soft snoring from his sleeping family; the occasional bellowing of thunder. But then, he caught a sound originating from the makeshift lab his younger brother utilized for experiments and medical center. He increased his focus on the lab sounds, and soon managed to make out a... sniffle?
Opening his eyes and quietly getting up, Leonardo made his way towards the lab while carefully making sure to not wake anyone up. As soon as he reached the door, he could confirm that the sounds had indeed been sniffles accompanied by whimpers. His stomach twisted at the realization that someone was crying inside. The reason: unknown. Quickly steeling his nerves, he turned the handle of the lab door slowly in order to not startle the inhabitant.
As soon as he opened the creaky door, the sound of crying immediately subsided. Leo went in, closed the door, and waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the lighting in the room since the only light source was a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The room smelled of old wood with a faint trace of antiseptic, which Leo found mildly dizzying. Quickly, he was able to find the source of the weeping. The culprit was sitting in a dark corner on the floor, arms hugging his knees close to him and head resting on top of them. Apprehension filled the blue clad turtle.

"Donnie?" he managed to say, confusion and worry dripping from his voice. Although the genius didn't respond to his name, Leo could hear the faint sound of sobbing coming from him. It was unusual to see his brother in this shape, so a question remained. What had happened?

He slowly inched closer and neared his hand to Don's right arm. As soon as Leo's hand met Don, the genius stiffened and gave a small jump before slowly looking up.

As soon as Leo's azure eyes met Don's mahogany ones, he felt a pang of pain and concern hit him like a train. Trails of tears were evident on the purple mask worn by his brother, even in the dim lighting of the room. The genius was looking down ashamed and attempting to wipe his recent tears with his left hand, but Leo couldn't miss the grief on his face. Guilt and worry overcame his clear mind.

"Don? What's wrong?!" he asked as he rubbed his hand against Don's arm in order to comfort and calm him. Don still didn't look at him, but he had stopped sobbing.

"I-I'm very sorry for waking you…" Don said with a brittle voice followed by a sniff.

"It's nothing to wo-worry about, Leo. Just a silly panic attack from frustration over a formulaic problem about the retro-mutagen heheheh... Maybe I should just go to bed and re-" he had begun to stand up, shakily, but was suddenly stopped by a hand tightening around his wrist. He slowly turned his head to see Leo staring intensely at him with a stern expression plastered on his face. He couldn't hold his stare on his, so he turned his head down once more.

"Don… you are a terrible liar. You know you can trust me or the others with any of your problems, and I know that together we can fix them," he told him with a voice filled with confidence.

Don, abashed and angrier at himself for being found out, appeared to be mulling over the words from his brother, as expected, carefully deciding what to say. However, Leo was ready.

"Although that may be so, I'm not sure this is a problem that can be fixed by anyone but me. I'm frustrated at being stumped in an experiment, but I believe with enough time and thought things will be sorted out." he said, hoping to dismiss any doubts that Leo may hold. It wasn't exactly a lie, since he did feel somewhat frustrated at the retro-mutagen, but he knew his brother was very perceptive on his surroundings, so he gave a small smile to make the act more convincing. Leo, who seemed to be studying his face, didn't appear to buy it. But to Don's surprise, he began to get up.

"They do say that two heads are better than one, Don. But if you really think that you can solve the problem yourself, then I trust you," he put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile. If Don was made of ice, he would've melted in seconds. Leo was good at this.

"You know you can trust me, too. So if you want to tell me anything, don't be afraid to do so, ok? I'll be going now," he reminded Don in a kind voice, before slowly walking towards the door.

"L-leo… wait!"

Just before the blue-clad turtle reached for the handle, however, Don decided to call out to him. He wasn't sure why he did so. Maybe because he didn't want to be left alone in the dark, or maybe because of Leo's show of care and compassionate attitude, or maybe because he already held enough guilt. He could feel fresh new tears arriving from his lacrimal glands as he said the words. He trusted Leo, Leo trusted him, and he had made his choice.

Leonardo stopped a few inches from the door as soon as he heard the words, hand hovering over the handle, before quickly walking back to Don. He held out his hand, and his brother took it with some hesitation.

"Come on, let's go to a more comfortable spot," he told him with the same smile.

He firmly but delicately held Don's hand on his own and led them towards a mattress on the floor padded with some sheets, which Don used to sleep in case he wanted to work on a project later than usual and then crash soon after(although he kept nodding off on his desk). To Leo, it appeared to have been used a short time ago since the covers were strewn around.

"You could use more sleep, my erudite bro," he playfully remarked as soon as they sat comfortably close to each other. Don grunted softly before giving a small, but genuine, chuckle at Leo's mother-hen instincts.

"Ok, are you feeling more comfortable now?" Leo asked, and although he was still a bit shaky, Don nodded. He smiled reassuringly and spoke again.

"So, Donnie, would you please tell me what your nightmare was about?" he requested kindly and gently.

Don couldn't help but feel impressed at his brother's perceptiveness, even though he was used to it. Meditating definitely had helped sharpen his mental abilities. He thought maybe he should try it as well more often. Leo waited patiently.

After some moments of silence, accompanied by a boom of thunder from outside, he took a deep breath and began.

"I… It was a very long dream. I lost track of time and was so… scared? More like panicking. So I will spare you the boring details," he said, despondent. He wanted to get this over with.

" I can tell you about the bits and pieces I remember without a doubt…" he added with slightly less discouraged.

Leo, curious, nodded and scooted closer to assure his brother that he was listening. Once he got the signal, Donatello continued with a very soft voice and closed eyes.

"I... dreamt of the time that I had to freeze Timothy, Leo. Yes, he was an immature teenager hanging around us and pretending to be one of those super-heroes in Mikey's comic books. But he put his trust in me, only to be turned into a pile of goop and then be frozen by me. I failed and lost him…" a sob escaped his mouth.

Leo went rigid after hearing the word "failed", a concept that made him feel miserable many times, and hearing it from his little brother sparked a rage and heartache inside of him. Guilt is a terrible thing that wears the faith one has on themselves thin. Leo wasted no time, and pressed his brother against his chest into a tight hug. He didn't care if his plastron got soaked as long as his brother felt comfort.

"And t-then I saw Metalhead, the robot I had built to help us in fight. I remembered the last program I put on him before he began functioning, the tiny bugs he had," Leo noticed a sliver of nostalgia on Don's voice.

"But also how he sacrificed himself by remaining in the other dimension in order to save us. He didn't deserve that! He trusted us! He trusted me, and I also lost him…" he exclaimed in between sobs. Leo could feel his own heart starting to crack, but he remained silent and allowed his brother to express is his concerns.

"Also A-April! Oh, how I admire how much she trusts me after nearly losing her father in a mutation. I just can't help but feel responsible for that, although I'm glad both she and her father are safe now…" Leo felt warm air touch his chest; a sigh of relief from his brother. He gave a gentle squeeze to Don's hand in order remind that he was still there and listening, also feeling a share of his grief and eyes moistening. Empathizing and muttering words of comfort. He felt Don press closer to him.

"A-and you, Leo. Y-you! I'm so sorry! S-so sorry..." Don muttered the last words, barely audible to Leo who was suddenly very confused. What had his little brother done to him?

"Don… what are you talking about? You have done nothing wrong to me that needs forgiving," he asked cautiously, rubbing circles on Don's shell to calm him. But Don, clearly hearing his bewilderment, slowly got away from the embrace in order to look at him with wide eyes.

"Leo… while Shredder looked for us on the tunnel, we argued and I caused you to get separated from us. You got beat up by S-Shredder, and even went on a coma!" he explained, voice wobbly and furious, not at him but at himself.

"It was all my f-fault we almost lost you, Leo. D-don't you see! Aren't you disappointed of the failure you call "Donatello"?! Why aren't you mad?! I lost Tim, Metalhead, nearly Mr. O'neill, and then you all for being careless! We- I! I nearly lost you! And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I can't do anything right…" he whispered meekly and then cupped his hands over his eyes before letting the sorrow consume him. He felt so, so tired.

"I'm not afraid of failing, Leo. But I'm terrified of loss…"

Leo felt his heart snap in half.

Suddenly a soft hand swiftly struck against Don's cheek, effectively slapping and shocking him. Then the same hand now accompanied by another dug into the sides of his trembling face and turned him toward the welder, who was now wearing a stream of tears that were twins to his own. He was out of breath at such a rare and disturbing sight.

"Don't ever say that again."

Don blinked. He had barely catched the mumbled words and tried to look away, but he was forced again to look at his brother's face. They were only separated by a hair's breadth, and he could feel the heat radiating from his face.

"Do not ever say that again, Donatello, for you know it's false," he repeated gravelly. "Understood?" he asked with a soft sob.

Don, incredibly astonished, slightly nodded before being slammed onto the mat by a hug.

"Donatello… I would never see you as such a terrible thing. No one would! Not Tim, not Metalhead, not the O'neills, not Mikey or Raph, not Splinter, and especially, not me. You are extremely special and invaluable to us, Don! Not a failure or disappointment. All those things occurred due to unfortunate coincidences and decisions, not because of you! Please, please remember that," he exclaimed to Don with his voice cracking, either due to puberty or emotions he didn't know. He could only hear and feel Leo gently crying and hugging him now, rain forgotten, and thus allowed himself to release his own tears as well. He suddenly didn't feel as heavy or alone as he had before Leo had came. His head felt clearer at someone telling him he was wrong.
"And besides, arguing with me is a way to help me see any problems with my plans, Don. I saw you doubt yourself tonight. You're the filter that helps our missions become safer, so don't hesitate to discuss anything with me. Even I tend to get carried away, so don't worry. We'll settle things appropriately, ok?" he asked as he sat up and wiped his own tears away before looking at his brother.

Don, although with wet and flushed cheeks, now appeared to be more at peace and comfortable as Leo studied him. He was very glad that he had helped chase the guilt away from his little brother, and was even feeling at ease as well. In the silence, he noticed that the rain had stopped.

"Well, Don, I think it's time to rest if we want to have any energy by the time the others wake up. You really could use some, you know," he said with a grin, to which the younger turtle smiled and was secretly impressed at. "I think it's time I go to my spot now, then. So remember what I told you, and don't forget that we're all here in case you need anything, ok? Communication is key," he poked at the turtle's cheek, earning him a brief laugh and soft glare. He laughed too, before standing up and stretching.

"Um, Leo?"

Leo stopped mid-stretch and turned around in order to see the shy turtle fidgeting with the tails of his mask, like he did when he was feeling anxious.

"Yes, Donnie?" he observed his brother on the floor.

Don kept his eyes on the mat, feeling self-conscious now that he had Leonardo's attention.

"Would you… would you like to sleep with me? I-I just don't really want to wake the others or be alone…" he uttered with a decrescendo on his voice and a small yawn. He looked sincere and effortlessly adorable in that moment, and Leo couldn't help but stare in awe. It reminded him of when his brothers used to rely on him more. He quickly regained his composure before Don could notice, a bit embarrassed at his act.

"Like a slumber party? Sure thing, little bro!" he answered immediately, ecstatic. It was a rare thing to see Donnie asleep, and he was honored to be invited to experience it. Quickly, he hopped onto the mattress before launching himself into a tickle fight with Don. Don, gleefully, went along with it, thankful for a distraction from his mind. Laughter soon filled the somewhat-soundproofed room(at least no one banged on their door) until they both laid next to each other exhausted, happy tears hanging from their eyes. They were thankful for each other's company, and each secretly wished they could do this more often.

"Okay, time to sleep because I really doubt coffee or tea will help us at all later in the day." Don said, euphoria slowly leaving him, before he got up and turned the switch of the light to "off" with one hand while also removing his own mask with the other(Leo was ahead of him, since Don had managed to remove it from him during the fight. He was proud). Being engulfed in darkness, as ninja, was actually comforting and signaled safety so both turtles felt more at ease.

Having somewhat memorized the location of the mattress, he crouched and felt around the sheets until he felt his brother's face. The goof was grinning, he could tell without even looking, so Don just poked his beak before burying himself under the covers and turning away. It was pretty chilly now that the rain had stopped. He was used to it, but apparently the shivering leader next to him wasn't.

"Good night, big brother," he yawned out.

"Good night, little brother," Leo continued the ritual, a jubilant tone on his soft voice.

Few minutes passed in silent as they laid there. It was not heavy, but also not unnoticeable. Just sticking out. After having enough, Leo decided to break it with soft chattering teeth.

"Don, do you really not sleep with more covers? It's kinda freezing! You might get a cold, you know," he complained to him, even though Don wasn't the uncomfortable one. Don simply rolled his eyes, amused.

"It's only a temporary effect of the enthalpy of vaporization, Leo. The water takes energy away from its surroundings in order to evaporate. Eventually, warmth will be back soon so there's nothing to worry about. You can get more of my covers in the meantime, if you want," he offered kindly and somewhat smugly.

Although he couldn't see Leo's light-hearted glare, he could feel it behind his head. A well as the chilly fingers that began poking at his arm and neck.

"Leo! You're being as silly as Mikey, go to sleep. Did you eat some of his candy or something?," he couldn't help but giggle as fingers poked his sensitive skin and he tried to stop them. But to make it even more difficult, Leo decided to engulf him in a cold, and yet warm, embrace.

"Leooo! You're cold as shell, goodness!" Don cried out, startled by the sudden act. Even though he could feel himself getting colder, his face managed to warm at the intimacy.

"You're so warm and cozy, thouugh," he countered, obviously enjoying teasing the genius.

Don tried to untangle himself away, but Leo had no intentions of letting him go. So, he just allowed himself to be hugged til' death by cold turtle with a sigh of defeat. He could sense a smug look on Leo's face. The embrace wasn't even that uncomfortable, really. It was something the brothers used to do as children, specially when winter struck with its unforgiving temperatures and they lacked the technology to stay warm. He was very glad that now he could provide his family with A/C and heaters, though.

After a some minutes, both of the bodies compromised with a comfortable warmth thanks to corporeal heat. Slowly, Don turned around in order to face Leo and make his position more comfortable without a shell pressing against him. He laid his head on the mattress, touching Leo's chest, and felt the rhythmic and calming motion of his breathing. It appeared as if he had already fallen asleep.

Gingerly and unconsciously Don began to trail his fingers across Leo's plastron, feeling every nick and scratch he remembered were acquired from past battles(and careless home accidents). He couldn't express how glad he was that all of his family was safe and well, now.

After a minute of his fidgeting and tracing, Don felt a cool hand swiftly grab his. Startled again,he stiffened and felt his heart suddenly started racing for some inexplicable reason.

"S-sorry," he apologized sheepishly to Leo. He wondered if he could sense his embarrassment.

"No… it's ok, I'm just ticklish," Leo explained, emotion indiscernible, before putting a cool hand on Don's warm cheek and gently stroking it. He was such a clumsy genius. His lovable adorable genius, he thought.

Don, bemused at the gesture, couldn't manage to form words out of his mouth. Instead he nodded, allowing the comfort to come from the motion and lull him slowly to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Donatello. I love you..." Leo uttered the words so they were barely audible, but Don had caught them. Instantly feeling at ease, and pressed his head against Leo in a show of affection.

"Love you too, Leo…" he finally said before feeling a kiss on his temple and drifting off into sleep.

A/N: Part 1, complete! I'm in love with this pairing lol. So how was it? Please let me know by reviewing, thanks! I'll get to working on the second chap in a bit. Thanks for reading!