Author's Note: Hello everyone! Even with Turtle Dove, I had this on my heart for a while ever since seeing "Revenge of the Triceratons". Am I the only one wishing for more moments between Leo and Donnie that didn't involve arguing or animosity? Well, I thought a little aftermath scene would be great for this episode, so I wrote this little one-shot! Well, read and review!

Making Amends

If there was one thing the Turtles knew right now, it was that they had to work double time to stop the Triceratons. Before, they wouldn't be as stressed as they already were about getting the Black Hole Generator pieces, and then yesterday happened. Mozar and his cronies caught up to them and unleashed 'space gremlins', as Mikey called them, to drain their power, breach the Ulixes, and steal the two pieces they acquired. It was official…no matter what they did, the Triceratons were always one step ahead of them. Now they had to take their craft to a service station to mend the damaged wires and circuits littering the engine room and other sections.

After the events that transpired, no one saw Donatello the rest of the evening, and that had Leonardo worried. He considered two possibilities: either Donnie felt too ashamed to face the others, or he didn't want to risk being in the same room with him. The lead turtle didn't see him in the now-filthy rec room, or in the engine room, so he had to be in his quarters. It would've been easier if his brother had a laboratory to go back to, but that was a luxury exclusive to home…a home they desperately needed to save from the evil of the Triceratons.

Leo couldn't exactly blame Donnie for not wanting to be around him, because he knew he put stress on his brother that wasn't necessary. Tonight he would make amends with him, for the sake of making the team whole and accomplishing their mission. It couldn't be that hard…but then again, Donnie wasn't as easily forgiving as Mikey. Whereas Mikey easily shook things off for the sake of keeping the peace, Donnie took things to heart more and could be capable of holding a grudge. In other words, this would be a challenge. So the lead turtle took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and knocked on the door. "Donnie? You got a minute?"

No answer…this wasn't a good start. Maybe he just wasn't in his room at the moment, but when Leo decided to walk away, the door suddenly slid open, revealing a sleep-deprived Donnie glowering down at him. "Uh, hey Donnie. So…you want to talk?"

At first, judging by his expression, he thought his genius brother would shut the door in his face. However, Donnie only let out a sigh and stepped aside muttering, "Make it quick, I need to go help with diagnostics in a minute."

Leo instantly knew that was a lie, and Donnie was a terrible liar. He just told him that so he wouldn't say much and just leave him alone. "You know that's not true, Donnie. I just want to talk, okay? Look…" The lead turtle didn't want to get frustrated; he just wanted to make sure water was under the bridge, not walk away with a burnt bridge. Donnie wouldn't go that far, right? "I'm sorry for how I was earlier. I was just stressed about the Triceratons finding us and destroying us. But we'll get those pieces back very soon, so don't be down on yourself, okay?"

The scowl on Donnie's face didn't give Leo a good sign. Of course, the eldest turtle delivered the apology in the same manner as if he were ordering a pizza; well-practiced and filled with little emotion. Donnie, of course, concluded that Leo only gave the apology either because April or Raph forced him or he wanted to make himself free of any guilt. The perceived insincerity of the apology only made the genius turtle angrier, making him chuckle darkly and shake his head. "Leo…you're not sorry. I can tell right now that you blame me for the pieces being stolen. You're just saying that to absolve yourself of any guilt."

"What?" Leo asked, flabbergasted. "What makes you think that, Donnie? I'm not mad at you for that; you did the best you could!"

"That's a load of bull, Leo!" Donnie spat. "If that were a REAL apology, you would've put a little more heart into it! Admit it, somebody made you come and do this, didn't they?"

"I came on my own accord, Donnie!" Leo retaliated, finding himself sharing his brother's anger. "Why can't you just accept the apology and…and get over it!?"

That made the genius turtle pause, and he silently went over to his bed and sat down; he often did this to gather himself before a potential outburst of emotion. Leo braced himself for a severe tongue-lashing, but instead got a bitter scoff in response. This wasn't turning out like he planned at all…

"You're one to talk about 'getting over it'." The genius turtle gritted out. "You know what bugs me about you, Leo? You've been nothing but a hypocrite. You tell me to get over it, yet you can't move from what happened to Earth…what happened to Splinter."

"…What did you say?"

"Don't kid yourself, Leo. We've wanted to grieve over Splinter, especially after going back in time and seeing him, but you act like you're the only one worthy of that privilege. Of course, it was like Raph said on the Aeons' home planet; you're Splinter's favorite, right? In that case, you feel like you're the only one allowed to grieve over him!"

Leo felt his anger beginning to boil over; how dare Donnie accuse him of being that selfish! "That's not true, Donatello! You just don't get it, okay!? I have so much pressure on me as leader AND trying to save our home from being destroyed forever! The only thing you had to do was put Fugitoid back together! How is that too much!?"

"Except you expect me to know everything there is to know about technology! There's a difference between Earth tech and space tech, and I'm still learning about the latter! And you're one to talk about pressure! What was it you said when I couldn't make a cure for Karai? Oh yeah, 'try harder, Donnie'! L-Like my best wasn't enough for the perfectionist! And then this happens!"

Leo opened his mouth to give something in retaliation, but Donnie stopped him. "But you know what bugs me the most, Leo? It's simple…" The genius turtle continued on, but now in a hushed voice, "You act like you're the only one who lost everything."

That one sentence shot down any argument the lead turtle had waiting to use against his brother. He ran it through his head several times, the impact growing stronger each time. True, he lost Splinter…but so did his brothers. April lost her dad, Casey lost his dad and sister, they lost Karai, they lost their home…they all lost their planet. Yet lately, Leo acted like everything was on him, and he was the only one with something to lose. The others acted, for the most part, like their normal selves, while he shut himself away in the holo-room to talk to a version of Splinter that wasn't even real. He also recalled all the times he put unbearable pressure on Donnie, and his brother finally snapped over that failed brain worm cure…all because he thought his brother didn't put in enough effort and didn't want him to give up.

Then there were the times he constantly put himself in danger, starting with the time he held off Kraang Prime. He did it with Shredder, he did it with Overmind, he did it with Armaggon, with protecting Queen Hiidrala from Dregg…all those times, he put himself in danger, and didn't care whether he lived or died. He didn't care what that would do to his friends and family. It was during the Cosmic Ocean events that he realized this wasn't the time to play Captain Ryan; he had to save Earth…but he realized he didn't need to go at it alone.

"…I get it, okay?" Leo replied, his voice strained. "I've been a jerk…a jerk who thinks he's the only one who can do this. I just…I just felt like I had to be the one to carry this burden so the rest of you wouldn't have to."

"…Except that's not how it works, Leo." Donnie replied, now in a calmer tone. "Sure, you're leader, but you don't get to carry the burden of saving our home alone. It's for ALL of us to carry, because the Earth is our home, too. But…you really should be angry with me over those pieces…and for that and saying those things to you, I'm sorry, Leo."

Leo suddenly shook his head, making Donnie fear that his suspicions were confirmed. "Donnie…I would've gladly given up those pieces if it meant keeping all of you alive. We can get them back, but family is something you can't afford to sacrifice. I'm sorry that I put pressure on you when it wasn't needed…like you said, you're still learning about space technology, and I can't expect you to know all of it, or everything else, right away…I mean it, from the bottom of my heart. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me, Donnie?"

The genius turtle paused as he got up from his bed, walked over to his brother, and enveloped him in a warm hug. With unshed tears glistening in his eyes, he murmured, "I will…on one condition. When all of this is getting to you, come talk to us…don't feel like you have to talk to a fake Splinter about your problems."

As a result of that, Leo hugged his brother tighter and felt tears soak into his mask, some escaping down his cheek. He felt Donnie forgave him too easily, but also found himself thankful that he was forgiven at all. "I-I'm sorry Donnie…I-I'm sorry…"

"That's enough saying sorry for today." Donnie soothed, bumping his snout against his brother's cheek. "All's forgiven, okay? We just need to work hard and work together to get our home back, okay? From now on, share the burden with us…we can handle it. That's what family and friends do."

The ship would be nearing the service station, and the two brothers knew they had a lot of work to do. At least now they knew they didn't have to carry their burdens alone. They would stop the Triceratons once and for all…and they would do it without any need for self-pity. They would succeed in restoring their home and doing it together.

After all, that's what brothers are for.