Chapter Text
"Mikey! Mikey wait!" Echoed from the halls behind him.
Mikey pulled his legs closer to his body and put his head on top of his knees, his arms and shoulders rounding off the pathetic ball he was creating with his body.
"Mikey!" The calls were getting louder, and so did the footsteps.
It wasn't long after when Cassandra raced around the corner and almost collided with him.
"Mikey!" She huffed, out of breath and with her eyes widened, "Mikey, you... you almost gave me a heart attack!"
Mikey shifted uncomfortably but scooted to the side to give his friend the space to sit down next to him. Cassandra settled on the spot and sunk down, one arm wrapping around Mikey and rubbing his arm comfortingly.
"Please don't leave so suddenly again, I thought you would-"
"You thought I would jump again?" Mikey finished for her, slightly chuckling, "The door to the roof is locked. Couldn't get up there."
"...But you wanted to."
Mikey shrugged. "They don't want to see me. I knew it, they hate me. They wish I was gone... Donnie would be happy if I jump."
"Don't say that!" Cassandra pinched him in the side, "He's your big brother! It would break him if you were to disappear! He loves you!"
"He doesn't love me... Not anymore…“
"Mikey..." Cassandra sighed and pulled the box turtle into a hug, "You and your big brothers have something special. I've known you long enough to see what you have gotten blind to- Your big brothers love you, they love you more than you can imagine."
"I ruined their lives. I saw it when they looked at me- they hate me. There is no other way to put it, they hate me."
Cassandra let her shoulders fall. She wasn't getting through to him. "Have they say they hate you?" She asked.
"They didn't have to," Mikey shook his head, "I know they do. Donnie said he never wants to see me again."
Warm arms wrapped around him and Mikey felt himself being pulled closer to Cassandra.
"'I hate you' is something simple to say, if he had wanted to say it, he would have. He's probably just as confused as you are, Mikey. Give it another try, give him another chance."
But Mikey only shook his head. He was so hurt, and his emotions wouldn't last another beating. "They hate me”
This conversation was going in circles.
"I don't know what to tell you," Cassandra sighed, slowly pulling at his sleeve, but the box turtle gave no reaction, "But your big brothers love you. Even with everything that happened, they're still your big brothers... You're still their baby brother."
"Genetics can't be changed," Mikey snorted disheartened and pulled himself away from his friend. He wasn't in the mood for physical comfort.
Cassandra regarded him for a few silent moments. What has once brought joy to the young turtle- being the youngest brother and being so loved by three big brothers- was now ripping away all the happiness in him.
Confliction flickered across Cassandra’s features for a brief second, but it was gone the moment it came.
"We should go home," She muttered defeated, "Let us grab Gentry, April, and CJ and leave." She slowly got up and pulled Mikey to his feet as well.
Mikey was gently pulled away from the cold staircase leading to the roof, he didn't even make an effort to resist. He didn't have the energy to.
With not much else to do, Mikey glanced out the windows they walked past, staring out of them absentmindedly and watching the clouds pass by.
He never thought much about them but- clouds were useless. They simply hung in the air doing nothing all day. What a pointless existence.
Suddenly, a loud crash caught his attention. It snapped him back to reality and almost made him fall. A frown appeared on his face and he slowly peeked around the corner to see what was happening.
"Donnie, you have to calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!"
Raph and April were kneeling on the floor, holding a vigorously struggling Donnie down. Watching Donnie's upper half trash around while his lower body was completely still made the back of Mikey's throat burn.
"No- NO! No, he doesn't get to leave me! After all he has done, I won't allow him to walk out like this!"
"We'll bring him back, I promise you, sweetheart," April said, hiding the painful hiss as best as she could as she put more weight on Donnie's shoulders to hold him down, "But you need to get back to bed, you're not well enough yet to go out."
"I won't let him leave me again! He doesn't get to do this to me! Why is he allowed to run away and leave me behind to hurt!? I want him to come back!"
"Donnie," Raph was holding Donnie's face to force him to look into his eyes, "It's going to be alright." Raph then turned his head to address the room, "Can someone search for him? No, not you, Leo, you stay in bed."
"I'll do it," Gentry waved her hand in the air sporadically to get seen in the crowd. Her voice was much more pitched and childlike, matching her new body. She barely managed to reach the hip of some of the people in the room with her new height. The now young witch stepped back and towards the door, starting a journey that only lasted a few seconds, since as she stepped out, she immediately collided with Mikey still sneaking behind the corner.
"You- What the- Well, that was easy," Gentry mumbled and looked Mikey up and down, "I'm taking you don't need the rundown of what just happened?"
Mikey couldn't react much, as an answer he only managed to stammer out, "I-Is he okay?"
"No, duh," Gentry rolled with her eyes so exaggeratedly that the entire hospital might hear it, "He's been crying your name ever since you up and ran out."
Cry?
Why would Donnie cry for someone like him?
Gentry’s demeanor seemed to shift at his hesitation. Her face grew gradually softer, her arms fell to her side limply and her mouth opened to release a sigh. She stared at Mikey for a moment as if she could find the answers she was looking for if she just looked at him long enough. "Listen, orange, I've been glued to your brother's shell for a while, and trust me, I know how bad everything is looking right now, but-"
"Don't border-" Mikey interrupted her, "I know what you're going to say and... It's not going to work. What I did to Donnie is unforgivable."
"It is," Gentry looked up at him, she seemed to be annoyed by the fact to be smaller than him, "But it wasn't you who did it. You weren't in control of your actions, I understand that more than anyone. What you told me before, you said you know how I feel since you went through it too. Well, newsflash, I know how you feel as well. You're not okay. I understand that, but the person that's hurting you the most at the moment is yourself!“
Mikey looked away from the accusation.
Gentry wasn't done, however, "If you don't want to listen to me, that's fine, but maybe, you should give your brother the chance to speak," she briefly glanced behind Mikey, where Cassandra was waiting patiently for everything to burn over, "Your sibling knows you the best, he will understand. Just hear him out."
He had heard Donnie out enough as it was.
Donnie didn't want to see him anymore, and neither did Leo, and he wasn’t sure if Raph felt the same. He understood that. They hated him-
Mikey took around two steps past the door and towards the exit when the sobbing registered.
"Angelo..." Someone cried, someone he knew just a little too well, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, come back... Why... Where were you..."
"Donnie..." He heard Raph's voice next, and he mumbled something comforting, but Mikey couldn't quite pick up on the words.
Donnie sniffled, his voice shaking badly, "He... He didn't want to visit me... He came for Gentry, but not for me... He really hates me…"
Hate... him...?
No, he would never-
This was his immediate older brother...
How in the world could he ever hate him?
"I'm sorry..." Two turtles sobbed at the same time, loud enough that the other could here. Mikey's heart stopped for a second when Donnie looked up, red, teary eyes staring at him, and Mikey returned with dark blue eyes, greyed by sadness and guilt.
Oh, how could he be so blind?
That glare- the hatred in Donnie's eyes- it never was directed at him...
Trembling, Mikey slowly took a step forward, his eyes still locked onto Donnie, and they both had the same expression on their face. A strong need for each other's presence.
The very second after, Mikey clung to Donnie's neck as if his life depended on it.
Funny enough, it might actually did.
"I'm sorry-"
Mikey's shoulder got moist as Donnie cried into the fabric of his hoodie. He slowly loosened the grip on his brother, never letting go, but permitting himself to ease up and not further crush his big brother.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, you did everything right," Mikey whispered softly, feeling himself struggle to breathe because while he softened his hug a little, Donnie kept squeezing harder and harder, "I haven't been a good little brother lately."
"You haven't," Donnie agreed, holding on even tighter. Maybe he wanted to say more, but tears quickly overtook his words and he buried his snout deeply in his brother's shoulder, crying his heart out, and Mikey for his part felt the void in his chest grow further and finally shrink.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Donnie. I never meant to leave you alone... I... I..." But these words failed Mikey as well, his brain spat out more and more thoughts and his skull was exploding from the inside. Nothing in his head made sense anymore, and he felt himself lose control of his body. He sank against his big brother and the once loosened grip became tight again.
Only one sentence got out.
"We'll get through this."
And it almost sounded like a promise.
He didn't know how long he remained like this, he only knew that it had turned night and most of his family had left after visiting hours officially ended, but no one ever dared to pry Mikey off his big brother or vice versa.
There were no clouds outside, no rain, nothing. Just the full moon and the stars looking upon them.
When Mikey finally let go, he saw the stars reflect in Donnie's eyes, shimmering with yet unshed tears. Mikey swallowed all the thick air that had gathered in his throat, freeing himself from suffocating and clearing his vision just enough to regard all that matters in his life.
He had been this close to throwing it all away.
He truly was a stupid idiot.
Mikey shook his head, clearing his train of thought before it could convince him to say something he would later regret.
There was still much hurt in Donnie's eyes. Mikey knew he couldn't diminish the damage he'd done, but maybe he could rebuild the bridges he had burnt. Pick up the pieces to repair what has been broken. It won't be the same again, but with its function regained, there might be hope to save what's been lost.
Slowly slipping off the bed, Mikey reassured Donnie with a smile- lacking any joy but promising nonetheless- that he wasn't leaving, not this time, and the orange-loving box turtle moved over to where a certain stuffed animal had been discarded. Mikey picked up the teddy, the sign with 'Hero' on it prominent as ever.
His big brother was a hero. All of his big brothers were his heroes, but in this certain situation, Donnie was, without a doubt, the biggest hero of all
There was no denying it.
But heroes can break too. His big brothers were larger then life in Mikey’s eyes, but that didn’t mean that they were perfect and they too could fall
Sometimes they were the ones that needed someone to come in and save them.
"Donnie..." He looked up from the teddy, the brother he stared at looking back at him as if he already knew what he wanted to say, "...You saved us all..."
He walked back to his immediate older brother and handed the teddy over, "You are a hero... And you won the battle for us, heck, you befriended Eliza...! You did so much..." He couldn't even list it all, "I'm proud of you, Donnie. You can rest now. Let us carry the weight from here on."
Donnie's mouth had dropped open to say something, but Mikey pressed his lips shut with his fingers. "I'm staying," he promised, and promptly lifted himself back onto the bed, scooting closer to Donnie and snuggling into the sheets, "As long as you let me."
"Forever," Donnie rasped, staring at the blanket to contemplate his decision. He didn't say much else after that, simply leaning against Mikey's shoulder.
It was a good feeling, a twisted sort of joy settled in his chest. He wasn't stupid enough that they could forgive and forget, he didn't quite understand how he even got this far with everything that happened in events prior, but he sure as heck wouldn't let go of it now that he finally found a rope to hold on to, to pull him out the water.
But something else had wrapped around his leg to pull him deeper.
Sitting on Donnie's bed with his big brother resting on him, Mikey let his gaze trace over to the other set of bedsheets in the room.
It wasn't like he didn't know Leo was there, he just has... gotten used to Leo being quiet. It honestly felt so wrong for Mikey to say that as Leo was always loud and larger then life. He shouldn't be so comfortable with this.
"Leo...?" He called out with a slight, but very audible underline of guilt in his voice. The turtle in question flinched, barely noticeable so that most people would have missed it, but Mikey picked up on it.
Donnie leaned more heavily on his shoulder, "Don't," he mumbled, "He's not... He's not good yet."
Mikey saw Donnie's face flush with grief. He avoided his eyes to hide his brimming eyes, but Mikey gently grabbed his chin and made him face him again.
"He's not... He's not back... He still follows commands and-„
Mikey looked back at Leo.
The blue-loving red-eared slider sat stone still in his bed, looking back at him with a stare that was attentive but by no means pressuring. Leo never had a problem with appearing small or weak when he wanted to, but somehow today was the day it simply looked too wrong.
Mikey was lost in his own head, trying desperately to keep a handle on the pain in his chest as his mind puzzled everything together.
The curse was gone, but with it disappeared the version of his big brother he'd known for all his life.
Leo's eyes-
They were the only thing that his brother could never fully cover up. While the rest of his body appeared calm and resigned, his eyes were flooded with fear. He seemed to be close to tears, not much missing to push him to his point of breaking.
It was Raph pulling up the blanket to cover both Mikey and Donnie fully in a layer of warmth that snapped Mikey out of his thoughts. He hadn't even realized their oldest brother had stayed with them when everyone else left for the day.
Raph gave first Donnie, then him, a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the head, then he turned to Leo and did it all over again. Raph told all of his little brothers that he loved them so much and that he will always be here for them. As long as they were all together, then things will be ok
For a moment Mikey feared that Leo would fall apart.
He looked so-
Broken.
Mikey couldn't look away.
And he stared at his big brother all night, even long after his other brothers had fallen asleep.
...
...
…
They had to tell him that it's been 2 days since that day because Mikey had better things to do than keep track of the time.
It's been a bit of a blur if he was completely honest. He couldn't remember much of what he said or did in those two days, but he knew he was by Donnie's side during most of it. 'Most' because there were times when Mikey couldn't follow, most notably every day two hours after lunch when the doctors took away Donnie for his treatment. He got filled in on what that treatment was, and his entire focus shifted to comforting his brother after those heartbreaking sessions. It's all he could do.
He would jump if Donnie needed something, anything at all, but he rarely ever got to bring him things, as that task was passed on to Raph, or, if they were there, April or CJ, all so that Mikey wouldn't have to get out of Donnie's vision.
Despite being glued together at this point, the boys barely talked with each other. The days passed in silence, physical contact was all they needed to communicate.
They got better, but were still far away from being good. Small celebrations were sprinkled across the days- Donnie regained some of his movement in his hands back, but also Leo, who looked a little bit less sick, finally gaining some weight even though his diet contained of pills, water, and whatever it was they gave him through his IVs. They even gave him some soda because they determined his body was well enough- and in dire need of some- sugary substance It was wonderful seeing his big brother better himself, but since those improvements were highly restricted to his physical recovery, Mikey couldn't celebrate them.
Nothing about Leo's behavior towards him- towards anyone-has changed. He might even say it got worse. The fear in his eyes was disappearing, and it was the second most scary thing Mikey witnessed in his life. Fear can make someone look alive, and once it's gone, the shell left behind will be broken and void of saving.
During that time, Raph had to sporadically leave them alone in their room for untellable amounts of time. He somehow got a new phone at some point- he was the only one that bother to get a new one so far- and the device was ringing every other hour.
Raph just came back from another of those calls, a wide smile spread across his face and his eyes glimmering with a joy that seemingly came out of nowhere. He kneeled by Donnie's bed and hugged the softshell, mumbling something that almost sounded like a promise, a promise that he would walk again.
The extent of that promise was brought to their attention the morning after, way too early in the morning, so early in fact, the hospital hadn't even served breakfast yet. Visiting hours wouldn't be for quite some time, and yet, here he stood, the one family member he had been wondering about for quite a while but was constantly reassured that he would pull through.
Their father, Hamato Yoshi-
Holding a scroll.
Mikey couldn't see what was on it, but it brought great joy to both his father and oldest brother.
"Purple, pull off your blanket, you’re leaving this place today!" The rat dad announced loudly, lifting the scroll above his head in victory.
It left the turtles with silent questions, even fear for some.
Splinter simply smiled at the confusion, holding the scroll towards Donnie, "Today, you get your legs back."
"...My... legs...?" Donnie repeated, he sounded out of breath.
Getting his legs back...
The doctors all told them he would never get them back, that walking will be an impossibility for the rest of his life. Yet, here they were, a solution to his paralysis.
There was clear fear in Donnie's movement when he stretched his neck to glance at the writing on the scroll, his eyes watered. "It just a bunch of symbols..."
"It's not just symbols, my son. These are words for a special mantra called ‘Healing Hands’"
"Healing Hands...?" It was Mikey that spoke up at that, "What does that mean?"
"Dad was able to get in contact with our ancestors, most specifically Gram-Gram," Raph came up behind Splinter
"Indeed Raphael. When I told her of our situation, she told me about an ancient remedial technique that has been around for 1000 years. She told me it was called ‘Healing Hands’ and it can be used to a number of things. The main function of the ‘Healing Hands’ is that it can be used to removed poison from a body and to help negate the effects of an injury..."
Mikey slowly let the information sink in, unaware that his brother had completely tuned out their conversation and was staring needing at the jar.
"After she told me about this…” Splinter continued “…she taught me the ‘Healing Hands’ technique using an incantation and hand motions. Once she passed down the ‘Healing Hands’ technique to me, I asked her to write it out on this scroll, which she did. She did warn me to be careful as one wrong word or hand motion could disrupt the process. I thanked her and left the spiritual plane. With this, we could heal…”
"A broken spine healing," Now it was Mikey's turn to interrupt, strings of thoughts knotting together into a picture in his head.
Raph nodded with vigor, "It will heal all his injuries, including the ones on his wrist," Raph said, rubbing Mikey's arm lovingly and reaching over him to do the same to Donnie after.
Mikey didn't know how to react. He wanted to cry, to scream in joy.
Donnie would be able to walk again.
Donnie would be able to walk again.
Yet, he couldn't get a word out.
Donnie, on the other hand, could-
"What about Leo?" He asked, not looking away from the scroll, "Could it work on Leo?"
And the room fell deadly silent.
Splinter shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid not my son. Karai told me that the ‘Healing Hands’ only works one time. The person doing the incantation can only do it one time and then they can’t use it anymore. The only reason Karai was able to pass it on to me was because she had never used it before”
"You should do it to Leo." Donnie said without any hesitation
"But, Donnie-"
"He went through enough... Maybe it can bring him back..."
Mikey felt a weight shift against him, Donnie snuggling into his hoodie. The orange-loving box turtle put his arms around his purple-loving big brother, but didn't say a word.
Raph and Splinter shared equally worried glances, and was there a shot of panic in there as well?
"Leo's wounds will heal by themselves," Raph promised.
Mikey flinched. Leo had once let it slip how Raph's tail twitched when he was lying. And it had just twitched. Not to mention that his ‘lying stink’ was starting to creep up
Donnie must have picked up on it as well, because his face shifted to fright, "H-How bad?" He stammered out, "How bad is it really?"
Nobody answered.
"How bad?" Mikey now asked as well, afraid of the answer but even more afraid of not knowing.
"If he doesn't get proper functional organs, he'll not make it to his fifties. With the state his body is in, he might not survive the year."
5 Seconds.
This was how long Raph had needed to say those words.
It took 5 minutes for Mikey to understand the words.
He would need 5 years to accept it.
In seconds, all attention was on the second bed, and the turtle allowed for a small crack in his facade. The reality the two youngest were just told didn't go unnoticed by the second oldest, and just like his younger brothers, receiving the news left him speechless. The only difference between Leo and the other turtles was that the red-eared slider was smiling at the news. It was a bitter smile with no joy behind it.
The room remained in silence until it didn't.
Donnie spoke with a steady voice, "Do the ‘Healing Hands’ on Leo."
"W-What? But Donnie-"
Donnie shook his head at his oldest brother, "I can live without my legs, I can't live without Leo! Give it to him, we can save him!"
"No, we can't," Splinter sighed, bringing the scroll to his chest, "The curse was once part of Leo's body. There is no guarantee that we won’t bring the curse back as well when we send back Leo."
"Then we go to Eliza again and have her remove the curse! Without the amulet slowing us down, this should be a cakewalk!"
The father of four rubbed his face in mild frustration, "I know this is hard, my son, but-"
"No! You don't understand! Fine, if you want to use this on me, then do it, but take my organs first! We're twins, mine should work for Leo, right? And when the ‘Healing Hands’ heals me anyway, they can give me mine back, so do that!" Donnie hissed at his father, he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"It's not that easy Purple-"
"Why not? You just said this stupid thing-" he pointed at the scroll, "Will heal me whatever happens, right? If it turns me back to three weeks ago, there is no harm in taking my organs and giving them to Leo! We could save his life!"
But they couldn't do that. Mikey wished he could say it out loud but his voice was completely gone.
Finding a doctor to do this sort of surgery with the assumption that organs grow magically back was an unlikely fee in itself, but the entire logic around it proved to be faulty enough as it was.
Splinter sighed once more, peeling the blanket slowly off Donnie's legs, "I'm sorry, my sweet Donatello," he whispered before placing his hands on Donnie's legs.
"No, stop-!" Donnie yelled, trying to move his legs away but he was stuck.
Splinter started the incantation, speaking in Japanese and moving his hands gently along Donnie’s legs. The softshell hissed, and he flinched violently, throwing his head back to gasp. There was nothing Donnie could say that could stopped the ‘Healing Hands’ process from happening. Splinter was able to do the incantation, finishing it in just a matter of a minute, though Splinter looked slightly exhausted after finishing, having Raph come over to stabilize him. The pain appeared as soon as it came, leaving Donnie dazed and with the room staring at him wide-eyed.
It took a few seconds for him to follow what exactly they were staring at...
He hadn't noticed he had pulled his legs closer to his body when the pain sit in.
Also- had the air become easier to breathe? All pain in his chest gone?
Donnie sucked in a breath.
His toes were twitching as he moved them, and he... he stretched his legs. The feeling was foreign and kind of unwelcome, his brain had trouble mapping the movement with the limb.
And then-
"No," He mumbled, pushing himself off the bed with absolutely no limitations from his once broken ribs or his previous damaged wrists, "No, no, no, no, no! No! This was for Leo!" He whipped around to Splinter, fire burning in his eyes, "We could have saved Leo!"
The softshell vigorously stomped up and down the room, his legs shaking and he had a bit of an uneven step going, he looked uncertain about his legs, and he abused the wall for support when he swayed.
"We can still save Leo," Raph gave his best attempt to sound confident. Mikey noticed that his tail didn't twitch this time.
At that, Donnie halted in his tantrum, anger still burning in his eyes but he was willing to listen. Splinter was slightly confused as he asked, “Raphael…what are you suggesting?”
Raph pointed to the scroll. “Who says we can’t use the ‘Healing Hands’ on Leo? Is this really a one-time use or is it more so that the ‘Healing Hands’ can only be used by a person one time and then passed down to someone else?”
Splinter seemed to think for a minute before shaking his head. “Even if that is true, I have already used my one time on Donatello. I can’t teach it to any of you”
That’s when Donnie stepped up. “Maybe you don’t need to teach it to us” At everyone’s confused looks, Donnie took the scroll. “I was listening to the words to the words you were chanting and was watching your movements. You taught us enough Japanese that I can understand. I can do the ‘Healing Hands’ on Leo”
Splinter and Raph looked unsure. “Donnie…are you sure?” Raph asked before Splinter grabbed Donnie’s hand. “You just got your legs back my son…what if doing this hurts you?”
Donnie turned his head towards Leo’s bed, his mind already made up as he turned to look back at Raph and Splinter. “Then that is a risk I am willing to take. Leo is my twin and I would do anything in this world to bring him back” Donnie then bent down to be on Splinter’s level, tears at the corners of his eyes “Let me save my twin Papa…please” he pleaded
Splinter sighed before smiling softly and cupping Donnie’s cheek “You two were always inseparable. Alright Purple…go save your brother”
Donnie hugged his dad before standing up on his shaky legs and walking over to Leo’s bed. He cupped Leo’s face and smiled warmly at his twin as he whispered softly, “Don’t worry Leo. I’m going to save you. I’m going to bring you back”
Donnie thought that Leo would be excited. Instead, Leo just looked at him with a blank look in his eyes, before shaking his head. “You don’t have to do this Donnie”
Donnie looked at Leo like he had grown a second head, completely flabbergasted by what Leo said “What are you talking about Leo? Of course I have to do this. This is the only way to save you. I refuse to let you slip away from me”
Donnie then asked Raph to help him onto Leo’s bed, which Raph did as Donnie came to lay beside Leo, ready to perform the ‘Healing Hands’
However, Leo weakly grabbed onto Donnie’s wrists. Donnie locked eyes with his twin and Donnie could see a wet sheen forming on Leo’s eyelids as Leo was giving him a desperate look. “Why do you want to do this Donnie? I’m not worth it” Leo whispered softly
And oh boy, did that shatter Donnie’s heart in more ways then one
Without a second thought, Donnie scooped Leo up into a hug, the feeling so welcoming as he realized that he haven’t been able to hug Leo like this in who knows how long.
Donnie sucked in a deep breath as he began his heartfelt confession, “Leo don’t you ever say that you are not worth it. You mean so much to us. You mean so much to me. You are more then my brother. You are my twin. My other half. My partner in crime. My best friend. I would absolutely destroy this world just so that I can keep you here with me”
Donnie was now crying but he had to keep going, because his twin needed to hear this “I cannot imagine my life without you. You, Leonardo Hamato, are the single greatest best part of my life and it is not even close. Being your twin…your younger twin is truly the best part of my life and something that I have always treasured and hold close to my heart…just like you. I have come close…t-too close so many times to losing you. I refuse to let this be the one time that you finally slip away from me. I-I love you Nardo. I freaking really really really love you. That’s three really’s. I love you more then words can describe. Don’t ever leave me again. Please Nardo. Please…*sob*… please let me do this for you. Let me save you so that we can be together again. So that I can spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love and treasure you”
Donnie chocked on one more sob as he whispered into Leo’s ear “Please Nardo. I don’t want to be a twinless twin anymore. I-I need you big bro”
Leo was now full on crying too as he finally hugged Donnie back with all the strength that he had, nuzzling against his younger twin’ shoulder “I’m so sorry Donnie baby. I didn’t mean to cause you so much pain. I don’t want to leave you either. I-I love you so much too. You’ll always be my baby twin and I absolutely adore being your older twin. Nobody else in my life matters more to me then you do, Donatello Hamato”
Donnie let out a whimper as he continued to cry in Leo’s shoulder, though he managed to squeak out, “So…can I perform the ‘Healing Hands’ on you?”
Leo smiled softly for the first time in a long time, which didn’t go unnoticed by all of the crying faces in the room. He squeezed his twin gently and placed a kiss on the side of his forehead “Of course you can Dee. I too want to spend the rest of my life telling my baby twin how much I love and treasure him”
Donnie laughed wetly as he positioned his hands along Leo’s carapace, with his legs wrapping around Leo’s. Leo did the same the best as he could, so that it looked like the twins were wrapped around each other, trapped together by their arms and legs
Donnie was a bit shaky but Leo’s body pressed against him made him a bit calmer, and Donnie began the ‘Healing Hands’ mantra, saying the words with as much love and passion put behind it, thinking of what it meant to have someone like Leo in his life. His twin who Donnie couldn’t imagine life without, who Donnie would do absolutely anything for, and who Donnie loved with all of his heart and will always love until the day he died
Donnie could feel Leo relaxing against him and he could feel the ‘Healing Hands’ working as Donnie could see Leo’s shell being repaired and Leo getting some of his strength back. But Donnie wouldn’t stop until it was finished. Until Leo was back to the way he was before all of this even started
With a soft voice, Donnie whispered the last part of the incantation
Heal what has been hurt
Change the fate’s design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine
Once Donnie was finished, he broke out of his hug with Leo but keeping him at arm’s length. Leo felt his body all over and quickly realized that he was completely healed. On top of that, he didn’t feel the effects of the curse anymore
Leonardo Hamato was finally healed
Leo looked at Donnie…his wonderful amazing baby twin…with a wide smile and teary eyes and Donnie knew in that moment that he had done it. He had saved his older twin
Leo lunged forward and basically tackled Donnie onto the bed. Donnie was laughing with tears rolling down his face as Leo pressed kisses all over his forehead and cheeks before bringing Donnie back up and holding him close to his chest. Donnie melted into Leo’s hold as he cried into his older twin’s shoulder, feeling extremely grateful for the heartbeat beating right beside his own, his way of knowing that his twin was still alive.
And Donnie prayed with all of his heart that it would stay that way
Raph and Mikey soon came to join them on the bed with Mikey wiggling his way in between the twins to give Leo a huge hug, with Raph coming onto the bed to wrapping his arms around all three of his baby brothers, pressing kisses all over Leo’s face before moving to Donnie and Mikey, crying how he was so happy to finally have all of his little brothers back. In fact, all four of them were crying now as the three youngest brothers curled up in their big brother’s arms. Splinter wanted his boys to have their moment but Raph grabbed him and brought him into their group hug with Splinter wrapping his arms around Leo and Mikey, feeling grateful to have all four of his sons back. Donnie felt like he was on cloud 9 as he was surrounded by the love and warmth of his brothers and dad. It seemed like nothing could break the five of them apart
However at that moment, the door to their room opened, followed by the sound of multiple glasses shattering, and a terrified nurse standing in the doorway, staring at the group of five on Leo’s bed.
The family soon told the nurse about how Leo and Donnie were ‘magically’ healed, proving it by having both twins walk around, though they did it side-by-side and together, with both twins leaning on each other for support, with neither seeming keen on letting go of each other
The family was given 2 seconds before everyone minus Leo was kicked out of the hospital. They weren't exactly insults, but the words thrown at them weren't nice either.
Donnie didn’t like he was being separated from Leo and the twins almost put up a quite a fuss. However, one of the nice nurse promised that Leo would be sent home soon, they just needed to keep him observation for at least another day. The promise did make the twins feel a little better but they hated to be split apart. With a tight hug, a kiss from Leo on Donnie’s forehead, and a promise from the older twin that he would be home soon, Donnie left the room where he saved his twin, got him back, and even got the rest of his family back by default
Noah- Donnie was very glad he had gotten to see the nurse one more time before he was released as a patient from the hospital- gave his best wishes, but even he seemed to be rather unpleased by the sudden development of things. He assured Donnie that gaining his ability to walk is a miracle, and he should hold on to it, treasure it, and treat his body well and with respect. Donnie gave his promise.
Donnie then proceeded to tackle the nurse in a fierce hug. "I'll miss you!" he chirped, "You made my stay here a lot easier. Thank you for everything! And give your daughter my regards!"
Noah laughed at that, and patted Donnie on the head
"I will. She is going to appreciate that. I’ll also make sure to keep an eye on your twin for you as we observe him for one night. And I promise you that we will send him home as quickly as possible"
"Oh I know," Donnie agreed, the smile on his face just growing slightly bigger, "Because he is healed. I got my twin back"
...
...
...
Leo collapsed onto his bed with Mikey landing almost on top of him.
Today was too draining, way too draining.
He needed a break for at least 10 months, no less.
He didn't know what he had expected from their latest mission to take down some of the Foot Clan, which somehow led to them chasing them to the Hidden City. He was just glad it was over. He tightened his arms around Mikey and pulled him closer, his baby brother was already snoring, exhausted from all of the chasing that they had to do and from almost being taken out from one of the Foot Solider.
Leo was all too happy to pass out as well, but the bed was just a tiny bit too cold for him.
"...Donnie..." he mumbled, his face already half-buried in his pillow. He blindly waved his hand in the air to get a hold of his twin, and his fingers curled around purple fabric. "Come and sleep with me and Miguel."
His fingers were gently levered off the fabric, and the blanket resting at his feet got pulled to his chest. This made Leo turn his head slightly in confusion, looking up at his twin, who in return looked back at him with a soft and loving smile. "You don't want me to ruin your bed with sweat and dirt, do you? Let me take a shower first." Donnie hummed, tugging his twin in fully.
"I don't want you to go..."
That was weird... Well, they just went through some stuff, and the twins did get separated from each other during their mission, he was allowed to be clingy...
Donnie chuckled at his statement, "If you want to be near me, you can get up and make me a snack?"
Leo gave him a hard stare, but he laughed as well, "What am I, your servant?"
"You're not," Donnie stroked his red stripes, "And this is exactly how I love you, you dum-dum."
"Diva," Leo rolled his eyes and put his head back on his pillow with a grin, "Just come back here before I fall asleep? I'll put poison ivy in your bed if you don't."
"Evil," Dewey gave one last smile to his twin, kissing him on the forehead, before flipping off the light switch and closing the door.
He headed out, but not to the bathroom to take a shower.
His path lead him up the stairs to the kitchen, where Splinter, Raph, and Draxum were gathered around a small laptop. Cassandra and Gentry were there too
Donnie regarded each person individually.
The only people that remembered-
"They called it the 'Amulet of Obedience'," Draxum mumbled, gaining everyone's attention "The witches made it using remnants from another amulet, mixed with some other artifacts to enhance the effectiveness of the curse."
"It’s a good thing that we got rid of those witches when we did" Donnie mumbled, as he walked in
"Yes, my son, you should be in bed, today was hard enough," Splinter gently advised, the reaction he got was a defiant shake of the head.
"I'm not tired," Donnie mumbled, pulled out a chair at the table, and sat down on it, thinking about all that had transpired over the past…gosh who knows how long.
That hellish event wasn't even on purpose. How ironic, this might have been the closest anyone has ever gotten to destroying this family, minus the Krang invasion. Donnie would admit that those witches did quite a lot of damage.
Over the three weeks between Donnie's release from the hospital and them going back on missions again, most of everyone's physical wounds healed. Some were left with mild complaints, but for the most part, they healed. Physical, at least... As for the mental part-
"We should tell them."
"It's too early to tell them," Splinter declined, but Donnie wasn't happy with the answer.
"We can't lie to them forever. How long until they find out it wasn't a memory demon?"
Memory demon.
That was what they told everyone after they woke up from getting their memories zapped away.
They had given everyone a choice if they wanted to remember or not. Some they simply shoved into a special chamber Draxum had prepared.
For Leo, he almost didn’t want to as he grabbed Donnie’s wrist and asking that he come do it with him, saying that he was scared to forget and that he figured having Donnie there with him would make him feel better. Donnie smiled softly as he hugged Leo, promising Leo that he won’t forget him and that he couldn’t even if he tried, which got a small chuckle out of Leo. Donnie did suggest that maybe Mikey go with Leo instead. Mikey was hesitant and both Donnie and Cassandra had to give them a good shove and then pull the door close behind them.
April was easy to get inside, she went willingly, claiming she didn't want to remember, and rather have the events retold to her than live with the pictures in her head. CJ went in for similar reasons.
Donnie wanted to forget too.
He regretted not following his brothers inside, although he was glad that Raph didn’t follow through with it either
But he made a promise to respect his body, to be more careful, and if he forgets everything, he will just return to the way he was before the invasion, and he didn’t want that
They all had their reasons for forgetting or remembering, Donnie didn't pry into why everyone chose what they chose.
After everyone had their memories wiped, they crafted a story to tell them upon waking. They were all hanging out in the Hidden City together when they got jumped by an evil demon that fed on their memories. They defeated the demon but the memories couldn't be restored. Donnie had to chuckle when thinking back on how badly Mikey had freaked out. Losing two months' worth of memory? He was going insane! Donnie only smiled silently, knowing that if Mikey knew what he was saved from, he would be grateful.
Leo- oh, Donnie had started crying when Leo spoke, because he finally heard his twin laugh again. Donnie never thought he would hear that laugh again. Leo was skeptical at first, he questioned everything. Why was he so hurt? Why were the others hurt? Why was Gentry a child?
They managed to lie their way through those questions, hiding their tales as well as they could- Donnie still believes Leo knows more than what he led on.
However, Donnie finally got his twin back and that’s all that Donnie could ask for. And Donnie would keep his promise to love and treasure Leo forever and to never let anything bad happen to him again
Donnie sighed.
Maybe Splinter was right, he should go to bed.
His head was pounding.
And besides, he was ready to be back with his twin and baby brother, snuggling and cuddling with them
He slipped off his chair ready to go, but was stopped when someone put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw his big brother Raph. “I’ll come join you in a minute Don” Donnie smiled as he left the kitchen. He did make a quick detour to the bathroom to wash up real quick before venturing down to Leo’s room
His twin and baby brother were still sleeping soundly and Donnie couldn’t help the fond smile that appeared on his lips. They looked so peaceful sleeping and Donnie was ready to join them
He gently lifted the covers to lay beside Leo. It seemed as though his twin sensed him as he nuzzled Donnie’s shoulder before curling beside him, a warm smile and a content chirp escaping his lips. Mikey just made himself comfortable between them, and oh gosh was Donnie going to die on how cute his brothers were being as he kissed each of their foreheads and whispered just how much he loved them
True to his word, Raph popped in and cooed at his baby brothers as he made squeezed himself in behind them, adjusting his little brothers without waking up Leo and Mikey before he too fell asleep
Donnie was about to join his brothers into slumber when Splinter knocked at the door. “Purple…are you awake?” “Not yet Papa. What you need?” “I got something for you"
Donnie raised a confused brow and frowned even harder when Splinter came in with a small package in his hands.
"A present?" He asked, eying the gift with suspicion, but he gave in to curiosity way too quickly to second guess the gesture. He opened the lid and he blinked in disbelief at what he saw.
"The sanctuary's tarp?" He asked. He hadn't seen that thing ever since he arrived at the hospital. He kind of forgot it had existed until now, but thinking back to it, it had just disappeared at one point.
"What do I do with it?"
"It's yours," Splinter answered nonchalantly.
"Mine? You're... giving me the tarp?"
"My son” Splinter started, rubbing Donnie’s head “You used that thing better than I ever could have. I can't think of anyone better to give this to. You have earned it."
Donnie gently lifted the tarp out of the box. It had been washed, the blood he spilled on it gone, and even the cut had disappeared, in its place, there was a small stitching, a stitching copied from a certain, precious item he had laying in his bed to accompany in his dreams each night.
It said 'Hero'.