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“Go to bed.”
Donnie hummed, ignoring the comment entirely. He was far too busy to offer anything else.
“I’m serious, Donnie.”
Since when did Raph care when he went to bed?
“Do you want Retromutagen?”
“Obviously, but-”
“-Because last I checked, our friend’s father is a bat-” which is nearly entirely Donnie’s fault and is entirely his responsibility to fix “-and our dad is a rat-” who didn’t deserve half the shit he got, especially four infant freaks he had to raise, and the least Donnie could do was give him his freedom back “-and I just happen to be the only one who can fix that.”
“You can’t do that if you’re sleep deprived, genius.”
“Well it would definitely be a lot easier if you would just get out.”
Raph didn’t speak for a couple seconds, definitely not something Donnie expected, and the purple banded terrapin began to think he was about to get the shit beat out of him.
“You’re an asshole, y’know that?” he finally said and Donnie released his breath. “No, seriously. You have three brothers that give a shit about your well being, that actually care about you, and you just have to act all high and mighty,” he snapped. He started moving, footsteps slapping against the metal floor.
“I’m not-”
“Just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you can act better than everyone else!” his hand slammed against his younger brother’s desk, the sound echoing cruelly around the room.
Donnie flinched. “Sorry I’m not as lazy as you,” he hissed, fists clenching. “What, feel like you aren’t helping enough? ‘Cause I have a list of things you could do if you-”
Raph didn’t hit Donnie often. It was kind of an unspoken rule; don’t punch the guy that does your plumbing (and everything else). Donnie’s brain was kind of necessary, unlike Mikey’s. Add that to his slightly weaker ninjitsu skills- still incredible but not Raph’s level- and his ability to shut off the heating for a week and he became almost untouchable.
Obviously it still happened, it was bound to with how stubborn the two were, but Donnie tended to receive the more verbal side of Raph’s aggression. Suffice to say Raph knew the right buttons to press.
Donnie’s hand hovered in the air next to his face protectively long after the hit landed, reflex slowly morphing into shock.
“Y’know what, Donnie?” the older started. “I don’t care if you sleep or not. Leo does. You wanna know why?”
His hand lowered back to the desk, folding with his other, and he glared up at Raph like the pissed off sibling he was.
“‘Cause you’re gonna screw everything up!” Raph’s arms flew out to the sides like he was making some incredible announcement and Donnie tensed again at the action.
“No, I’m-”
“What d’you think’s gonna happen if we take you on a mission like this, huh?” his arms swung around animatedly and he paced like a bull in a pen. Donnie watched his movements intently, desperately trying to read his body language. “We can’t rely on you! Actually, you’ll be a liability. Then, guess what?” he paused to make pointed eye contact with the victim of his spiel. “Someone’s gonna get murdered because you decided not to fucking listen,” he stormed back up to his brother and grabbed him by the face. “You want someone to die because of you, Donnie?”
The grip hurt almost as bad as the slap to the face. He tried to shake his head with the leeway he had, choking out a defense. “No, but I’m fine, no one’s gonna-”
He was practically shoved away as Raph began his next rant. “And on top of that, we’ve been working our asses off to get you that mutagen,” he points at an open canister on the chemical table across the room. “Now what happens to it when you’re too tired to work properly?” He waits for all of two seconds before continuing, voice growing in volume with each word. “It gets ruined, Donnie. Ruined.”
Donnie absently pulled his lip into his mouth, gnawing gently. “But-”
“So you’re ungrateful, you’re wasteful, you’re a liability,” Raph held up thick fingers with each accusation. “And the worst part?” Donnie swallowed. “You’re a fucking murderer.”
“That’s not how that-”
“Is that what you want?”
“That’s not how that works-!”
“Fine,” his older brother’s voice was lemon-peel bitter and Donnie winced. “I’ll tell Mikey that your crush liking you is more important than his life.”
“That’s not fair, Raph. Kirby’s life is at stake, too.”
“Is it?” he chuckled humourlessly. “‘Cause as far as I’m aware, he’s living the dream out there.”
“The longer we wait the further his mind gets-”
“Oh, okay,” he interrupts (again). “So Kirby’s sanity is worth Mikey’s life.”
“No! I-” despite his valiant attempts, Raph remained firm and angry and the disappointment in his eyes was too much and… Donnie sighed. He was pathetic; taking his brothers’ hard work and care for granted just to get a shred of approval from a girl that would never like a freak someone like him and his sensei who never had much praise to give in the first place, not to mention putting their lives at risk if he did try to go on mission with them. He was lucky they even tried anymore, even if it wasn’t really for him. “Sorry,” he muttered, the syllables smushing together as they tumbled out, the sound barely audible, but Raph wasn’t looking for an apology.
“Go to bed, Donnie.”
Donnie nodded and left the room, head hung shamefully low.