Because I Can

Tell Me What You Want - Drabble

These ideas spawn on me in the dead of night. So many random things. Clips from stories not yet/never to be written. ✨Enjoy✨

POV: A greatest virtue is used against a brother. Trauma is hard. Recovery is harder.

"Wasting time, can't waste-"

"You've been resting-"

"I'm fine. I can work! I ca- I-I need too-"

"No, Donnie, you don't-"

"Like shell, you're fine-"

"I need to- I need-" Their panicked brother freezes up, breath caught in his throat as he finally stopped fighting Mikey's entrapping hug. He sends his older brothers pleading looks, a sheen of tears threatening to fall. "What do I need? What do I do?"

"No one here's going to make you do anything-"

"Would you get it through your thick skull-"

"Not useless! I'm good! I can!"

"Donnie-"

"Come on, Don!"

"Please! Please- I'll listen! I'm listening! I-I can do it! Please-"

Raph's patience snaps. "But you're NOT listening!"

Donnie clamps his mouth shut in pure horror, and Leo spins towards the brother radiating fury. "Raphael!"

"But he's not!" Raph snarls, gesturing roughly at their younger brothers. "He never does!"

Donnie flinches away from him and clutches Mikey tighter, breaths escaping in sharp gasps. "-Sorrysorrysorrysorry better do better sorry sorry-"

"Raph. Clear your head." Raph shoots Leo a dark look and then stomps out of the room, leaving the messed-up argument behind.

Leo turns back to their hyperventilating brother, stepping forward and reaching out a hand, purposely softening his tone, "Donnie..."

A sob breaks free; the tears make their escape. "-no, pleasepleaseplease- listen, I'll listen! Better- better, learning- don't hurt me- I'm sorry-!"

"Donnie, no one's going to hurt you." Mikey swears as he nuzzles against his plastron, trying to keep their hysterical brother grounded in the moment. "We just wanna help."

"Help, help- I help. I help." Donnie begs desperately, voice choked. "I can. I can."

"We know." Leo whispers as he keeps his hands at his sides. "We know, little brother. And we can help too. Like how we helped get you away from those tests, and the ones hurting you. Do you remember that? Do you remember where you are?"

"I..." His eyes dart over his bedroom. "H-Home?"

"Yeah." Leo soothes as he slowly approaches the bed. "You're home. Because we helped you. Do you know why we did that?"

Watery eyes scan his. "H-had too?"

"No." Leo lays a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Because we wanted too. We wanted to help you. No one made us. We chose to. You know why we chose to?"

"Be-Because-" Donnie blinks away his tears, looking towards Mikey as he tried to recall the words from the many conversations before this one.

His little brother smiles up at him, and a shaky arm closes protectively over the smaller carapace, unconsciously bracing himself for the nonexistent consequences of a wrong answer. "Because we're brothers?"

"Exactly." Leo's smile is equally as warm and he squeezes affectionately. "And you don't have to do anything here. You can do what you want to do, and no one will be mad at you for it." He pauses, and then quickly adds. "As long as it's safe. We want you to be safe."

"You need stuff. I have to-"

"We need you." Leo interrupts firmly. "We need you to be safe, and healthy. That's why we ask you to rest. That's why when you don't listen, we get scared, and why we sometimes get upset." He meets his gaze. "Do you understand why that is?"

"It's bad?" Donnie whispers weakly.

"Because we love you." Mikey fills in immediately, looking him in the eyes. "And we never, ever want to see you hurt, because it hurts us. Like Raph. He doesn't mean to yell. He's just scared."

Donnie hesitates. "Scared?"

"So scared." Mikey concurs. "He's not mad at you, and he'd never hurt you for this. He's just upset because he doesn't know how to help."

Something familiar sparks in brown eyes and he shifts to push Mikey off of him. His younger brother obediently disentangles himself as Leo steps back, in case he needs some breathing room. To both their surprise, he leaps to his feet and sprints out of the room without a single word.

Startled and slightly panicked, they both follow after, and are throughly shocked to see him plant himself on the couch beside the sulking Raphael. Raph bolts upright, and they stare at one another, one contemplative and the other uncomfortably uncertain, and then Donnie wraps his older brother in a hug.

"Wha-?!"

Raph's body tenses at the unexpected show of affection and Donnie tightens his grip, leaning his cheek against the top of his head. "It's okay. I know you're not mad, and you won't- h-hurt me. I- But it's okay. Because we're brothers. And you're upset, but not mad."

"Donnie, I..." Raph faces away, staring down at the floor, stiff as a board. "Don, you're not there anymore. You know that. You're not."

"I'm home." Donnie closes his eyes, relaxing his posture, "I'm home. With my brothers. I'm resting, but I'm okay. It's okay."

"Did Mikey tell you to do this?" Raph grumbles into his shoulder, raising an eye ridge at the youngest as he leans into the hold. Mikey grins and waves his t-phone, brandishing the fact he is absolutely taking pictures.

"No. I..." He's quiet a moment. "...Wanted to."

"...Oh."

Mikey lowers the t-phone in surprise as Leo almost slumps over in relief. Raph finally reacts, circling his arms around his younger brother's shell, holding on just as tight to the brother that they risk losing every time that he gets lost in past horrors.

"Fine. Only 'cause you want it."