Work Text:
Donnie yelped as his latest project sparked like a firework the moment it was powered on, frantically moving to turn it off before it started a fire.
It was roughly 10 AM, according to the monitor next to him, but he must've been up since 5 AM at the latest, working on a project that simply refused to function properly. Breakfast was skipped, as he didn't want to waste any time in the already short day, and the only reason he drank anything was because there was still a couple sips left of coffee from the night before. Gross? Probably, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
They rolled their chair away from the desk, sighing and rubbing their eyes, which stung from exhaustion. Everything felt foggy from lack of sleep, the only thing keeping him semi-functional being a continuous stream of caffeine in the form of coffee and energy drinks. A small, nagging part of his brain begged them to pause, to rest, but he just couldn't do that. He had to get this invention working properly, and quickly.
You see, this wasn't just a simple update or a passion project. No, no, this was much more important. It was (or at least, would be) the first piece of a state-of-the-art defense system for the lair. Something to protect his family, to keep them safe from the horrors of the world.
It had been just about a month since the Krang invasion screwed everything up, and the purple-clad turtle must've been working on it for at least half of that time (and they would've worked on it for longer if his brothers, Leo in particular, hadn't needed so much medical care post-invasion), only occasionally stopping to sleep for a couple hours before they forced themself to work again.
Their brothers had been bringing him food and water, and Donnie tried his best to at least partially eat what they brought, even if it was only to make them stop worrying. He couldn't really bring himself to care about his body right now. There were more important things than that.
A shiver ran up their spine as thoughts of the Krang invasion were forced to the top of their mind. Instinctively, he brought a hand to touch where his battle shell sat on his shoulders, wincing when he felt the metal digging into his skin. It was built to be comfortable for long periods of time, sure, but Donnie was really pushing the limits. Now that he thought about it, had he taken it off at all since their initial "damage check" after the invasion? His skin was sore and raw from the constant contact (Donnie wouldn't be surprised if it had even started to bruise), but the idea of taking it off filled him with anxiety, so he pushed through the irritation.
Donnie shook his head, trying to bring himself back to the present. He needed to work on the project. Yeah. The project that refused to work. A failure of technology. A testimony to just how useless they had become.
They sighed in disappointment, shame washing over them. This wasn't going anywhere. His stomach growled, diverting his attention away from the malfunctioning machinery as they considered trying to leave the lab to get some food. A part of his sleep deprived mind scolded him for wanting that, but logically, he knew he couldn't continue without some form of sustenance. His stomach would just distract him from his work, after all, and the last thing he wanted was to pass out from hunger.
Donnie slowly lifted himself off of the chair, wincing at the stiffness that had settled in his bones. His back ached, and he could feel his joints creaking as he stood. That probably wasn't great for a 16 year old, but it was a problem for later. He shuffled to the lab doorway, taking a deep breath before he slid it open, stepping outside into the lair. He winced, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the lights. Wow, was his lab really that dark?
As he made his way to the kitchen, familiar voices filled the air, presumably chatting around the dining area. He sighed and shrunk in on himself, trying to keep his footsteps quiet as if he had any chance of sneaking past them. They were right where he needed to be, after all.
He wasted no time as he stepped into the combined kitchen/dining room, making a beeline for the fridge.
"Don! You've finally emerged from your cave!" exclaimed Leo, prompting the others to turn around to look at him as well. Donnie tensed up, burying his head further into the fridge in an attempt to ignore him.
"Hey, how 'bout you come and sit with us for a bit after you grab somethin' to eat? You've been holed up in your lab for way too long," Raph prompted, waiting for a response. The softshell let out a weary sigh, turning away from the fridge and facing their brothers
"I can't. I need to get back to my work," he said, his voice coming out much more hoarse than intended (how long had it been since they'd actually spoken out loud?). They plastered on a fake smile for good measure, hoping it would be enough to get everyone to leave him alone.
If the disappointed looks were anything to go by, then it sure as hell didn't work.
"Donnie," Raph said with a patented Big Brother sigh, "You've been in there for way too long. C'mon, just chill with us for a little bit."
He huffed, narrowing his eyes at the eldest of the four.
"If I stay, will that get you off my shell?"
"Sure, sure, whatever. Just get over here."
With that, Donnie turned back to the fridge, pulling out a piece of leftover pizza before dragging himself over to where his brothers sat. He plopped down next to Leo, grumbling to himself in annoyance as he sank into the seat.
The conversation quickly resumed, but Donnie wasn't really paying attention. He caught bits and pieces, but for the most part, it all went one ear and out the other. He simply ate his pizza, letting himself space out for the first time in what felt like forever. The hum of voices around them was... Nice. It quieted his thoughts, which was a welcome breather from the nonstop chatter of his brain.
Quickly though, he snapped himself back to reality, a wave of guilt washing over him as he thought about the unfinished machinery waiting for them back in the lab. There just wasn't time to sit around. They quickly shoved the final bite of pizza into their mouth before standing in a hurry, planning to make a beeline to the lab, only to stumble a little when a wave of dizziness hit him after the sudden movement, foiling his escape. Curse you, body.
"Aw, c'mon, you're leaving already?" Leo huffed, leaning over the seat dramatically to look back at his twin. "You literally just got here."
"I-- I can't stay. I have to keep working," he said with a frustrated sigh, rubbing at their temples.
"But you've been working for like, forever!" complained Mikey, throwing his bandaged arms up into the air for emphasis.
"Can't you just stay and hang out for a little bit longer?" Raph pushed, resting his chin on his hand and shooting his brother a frown.
"I can't! What part of that do you not understand?" he snapped, albeit unintentionally, desperation sneaking into their voice. "I have to go back to my lab. I'll see you later."
Not a moment had passed before he stomped off, refusing to look back. After all, Donnie didn't have to. He already knew that their faces were filled with disappointment, and that was the last thing he needed to see right now.
After a few moments they arrived at the door to the lab, staring at their space with weary eyes when they walked inside, the door shutting behind them. He could feel his resolve diminishing with every step he took towards the desk, trying to crush the desire to stop before he even got started again.
Donnie sunk into his chair, gripping the armrests with force as he tried not to let himself freak out. A newfound anger bubbled up as he stared at the tech in front of him, along with an overwhelming desire to throw his latest project directly into the nearest wall. He hated this. He hated his failed project, he hated his technology, he hated the Krang, and most notably, he hated his stupid fucking brain for making him hate all of it in the first place.
So much for rationality.
"FUCK!" he yelled, slamming his fists on the desk, causing scraps and screws to fall into the cold floor beneath him. Donnie shot up from the seat, shouting out as he stomped around his lab in rage. He felt like such a damn failure. God, he couldn't even make a defense system now, something he's already done before! Without his tech, he's useless! A nobody with nothing to contribute to the world! He was an idiot, too stupid to do anything worth the care of others. A dumb, worthless, moron.
Awful thoughts were pouring into his head faster than he could process them. Faster than he could file them away for later. Faster than he could handle them.
He cried out as he raised his arms and forcefully knocked the palms of his hands against his head, wincing every time they made contact. It hurt, but he didn't care. His brain felt like it was on fire, like the world was shattering around him and he was trapped in the middle of it. At some point, his goggles had clattered to the ground, but they were the last things on his mind right about now.
Frantic cries and curses slipped from their mouth as they screwed their burning eyes shut, hands forming into tight fists as they pounded against his head. The pain was sharp, blinding, but he couldn't stop. Even when their legs gave out and they sunk to the floor, their hands didn't slow, the sensation overtaking everything else going through their mind. It was simultaneously too much, yet not enough.
Eventually, his arms started to tire, the soreness from the invasion still impairing his usual stamina. With a final, pained cry, his arms came to a standstill, switching to squeezing his head with an iron grip as his panicked shouting quieted. Frantic gasps and shaky breaths took over, replacing his cries with their desperate attempts to breathe, and for a moment, that was the only sound that filled the room...
That is, until he felt the uncomfortable sensation of tears running down his cheeks, a new wave of panic washing over him. Donnie let out a distressed sound as he frantically wiped at his eyes, a pit forming at the bottom of his stomach as the tears only fell harder. Fuck. He already felt like a loose canon, wild and out of control, and this made it even worse.
Donnie curled in on himself, gasping for air as sobs wracked his body. God, he felt like he was losing his mind. With his eyes screwed shut, he pulled his legs to his chest and rested his head on his knees, regretting just about every choice that brought him to this moment. Everything was uncomfortable and achy, and they would've loved nothing more than for everything to just stop. For the world to go quiet, just for a bit, so he could finally take a goddamn breath without feeling like he was choking--
Donnie's head snapped up when he heard the unmistakable sound of the lab door sliding open. How could he forget to lock it? No, no, no! He didn't want any of his family to see him like this! They frantically tried wiping away the tears, but the droplets just kept falling onto the cold floor. No matter what he did, he couldn't get it under control.
"Whoa, Donnie, you okay dude?" Came the voice of none other than Leo. Donnie's eyes flicked towards him, panic rising in his throat, thick and heavy. Immediately, they wanted to run, but their legs felt as if they were firmly glued to the floor.
Without really thinking, he hissed, an unconscious response to the fear. He barely noticed until it was too late, Leo giving him a look that he couldn't really read, but he knew it must've been bad, judging by the way he flinched at the sound. He stopped, staring at Leo with wide, teary eyes. Donnie hoped he understood, that he wouldn't take it personally. Please, please, please, don't take it personally.
"Don, I'm just here to help, okay?" Leo said, inching closer despite his visible apprehension. Donnie forced himself to stay, bringing their legs to their chest and holding them in place with a grip that would almost definitely bruise. Leo stopped about a foot away from his shaking brother, crouching down with a quiet sigh.
"Your project giving you a hard time?" he prompted, gesturing at the scraps on the floor. Donnie eyed the mess, taking in an unsteady breath and shrugging. He wiped at his eyes again, their signature purple mask damp with tears.
"It's all good. We can get it cleaned up, yeah?" his brother said, smiling with a softness that was usually reserved for Mikey.
Donnie furrowed his brows, staring Leo up and down. He wasn't gonna make a joke? A quip at Donnie's expense? No smartass remarks, or teasing comments? Wow. They must really look like a pathetic mess if his brother wouldn't even do that.
"Oh, come on, don't give me that look," he said with a teasing tone, though his face was still kind. "Contrary to popular belief, I do, in fact, care about my dear brother. Gimmie a little credit dude."
They huffed, scratching at their arms as Leo stood back up. An unusual wave of anxiety flared up when he saw his twin take a step towards the door, although he'd never admit it to anyone, especially not to Leo himself. His ego didn't need that.
"Hey, I'll be right back, okay? I'm gonna go like... Find a broom or something. There's a lotta junk on the floor, and I don't wanna pick it all up by hand."
With that, his brother left the lab, leaving them alone yet again. He was now violently aware of how uncomfortable he was, cringing at the cold floor beneath them and their achy body. Ew. Ew, ew, ew.
Another thing he became very aware of was a familiar, almost fuzzy feeling creeping at the back of his mind, which wasn't ideal. He scrunched up his beak, scratching his arms even harder as he tried to fight off the feeling. Normally, their regression was voluntary, but there just had to be another roadblock in the path to his work, huh?
Seeing as his mind was being less than cooperative, they let themself space out, if only to escape the discomfort of the real world. A bad choice on Donnie's part, because barely a minute later, he was ripped from his thoughts as he made a sound that could only be described as a panicked squawk when Leo tossed a soft object at his head. He frantically yanked said object off as Leo cackled at his efforts, inspecting it now that it was safely in his hands rather than draped over his upper half.
A blanket. Not just any blanket, however; it was Donnie's blanket. It was a worn out, faded purple fabric covered in little stars, and it must've been at least about old as he was by now. He briefly felt annoyed, realizing that Leo must've gone into his room to get it, but the feeling died down just as quickly as it came. They happily buried their face in the fabric, the smooth material and familiar smell a welcome distraction from the discomfort.
He could hear Leo sweeping the floor, humming a tune Donnie didn't recognize, occasionally interrupted by a clink whenever he tossed something back onto the desk. Donnie just closed his eyes, trying to focus on his blanket rather than his achy body. This continued for a few minutes, until he heard Leo make a noise of what he assumed was satisfaction, leaning the broom against the wall.
"Well," he exclaimed, causing Donnie to flinch, "I think you're like, obligated to hang out with us now. Y'know, seeing as I literally just cleaned your lab for you and all that jazz."
He raised his head briefly, glancing him up and down, mumbling something incoherent before burying his face back in the blanket.
"C'mon, work with me, hermano. I'm not a mind reader." Leo said, sitting down on the floor beside him. "You don't, like, have to actually speak if you can't, but I'm gonna keep annoying you if you don't at least gimmie something. A nod, a head shake, a mad dash out of the lab, whatever. I'll take what I can get. So, will you come and hang with us?"
Donnie hesitantly peeked up from the fabric. He watched as his brother's face broke into an easy smile, providing silent reassurance. They opened their mouth, trying to get their voice to cooperate enough to say anything, irritated at how difficult it was proving to be. With a frustrated whine, he gave up on his attempts, choosing to just nod instead.
"Great! I would've dragged you out either way, but it's nice to know you'll go without a fight," Leo said, following with his signature grin.
He rose back to his feet, extending a hand out to Donnie. After a moment of hesitance, they took his offer, letting Leo help to pull them up off the ground. The shakiness of his legs made standing a little difficult at first, but he was quick to steady himself, not wanting to damage his pride even more.
Leo loosened his hold on Donnie's hand, trying to give him a way out if he wanted, only for his brother tighten his grip. The touch was grounding, providing a soothing pressure, and he did not want that to end so soon. The slider shot him another smile, squeezing his hand before leading him out of the lab and towards where the family's bedrooms were located. A minute or two had passed before the brothers reached Donnie's room. He wasn't quite sure why they were here, but Leo seemed to already have it figured out, so he didn't ask.
"Don, can you let go of my hand for just a second? I gotta grab some stuff and I kinda need both hands for that," Leo asked.
His tone sounded kind, yet Donnie tensed for a moment before reluctantly loosening his grip, letting Leo step away. Normally, he'd never willingly allow Leo to sift through his room, but he couldn't muster the energy to care right now.
Wasting no time, his brother went straight for his chest of drawers, laser focused as he searched through the clothes. A soft 'aha!' broke through the quiet, Leo pulling back from the dresser with Donnie's purple hoodie in hand.
"How about we switch your battle shell out for this? I can guarantee that it'll feel nicer than that ol' piece of metal."
Donnie physically recoiled at that, anxiety spiking at the thought. No, he would not be taking it off, thank you very much. In their mind, it was the only thing keeping them from harm, and they were not going to replace it with something as useless as a hoodie, no matter how soft or familiar it might be.
"Dee, my dude, that can't be comfy. Have you even taken it off since-- since, um... Y'know." Leo trailed off, gesturing at, well, everything. The point got across either way, but whether the avoidance of mentioning the Krang invasion was for his own or Donnie's sake was unclear.
They raised their blanket to their face, leaning against it and thinking. Leo was right; it wasn't comfortable (not anymore, at least). It hadn't been comfortable in over a week, and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't causing him at least a bit of pain. Nonetheless, he was too vulnerable without it, and he tried to shake the desire to swap the battle shell for his hoodie. It just wasn't worth it.
Donnie shook his head, even if a tiny part of him was tempted to agree. Leo sighed, stepping closer to his brother.
"Can you just try and switch to this for a little bit? Pretty please? For your favorite-est brother in the whole wide world?" he said with a sickly sweet smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood.
Their face scrunched up in annoyance, partly because of the sugary tone of voice and partly because of the assumption that Leo was the favorite brother, but it softened when he heard Leo giggling at his expression.
"You don't have to keep it on if it's really that bad," he said, his voice going soft again, "but can you just try it? For me, at least?"
After a moment of tense consideration, he nodded weakly, anxiety rising in his throat. This was not gonna be nice.
He didn't notice that his hands were shaking until he lifted them to where the battle shell rested on his shoulders. The release mechanism was right there, and pressing it was easy enough, but going without his battle shell sounded awful enough to stop his hands from moving.
"You want some help with that?"
Their gaze moved from their shoulder to Leo. He tensed up, brows furrowing again. He was perfectly capable of doing it himself, mind you. Despite that, part of him wanted to let Leo help, if only because he wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.
He choked down his pride, expression dropping as he shrugged, lowering his hands until they were held near his chest. He just wanted this to be over.
Seeing as that was about the closest Leo could get to a confirmation, he bridged the gap between them, carefully feeling for the release button. Donnie inhaled sharply as a hiss came from his battle shell, the device releasing its grip. Not a moment later, it was removed, the sudden loss of pressure and weight almost making him a little dizzy.
His breathing quickened at the sudden change. Their shell was way too exposed and the skin around it was raw, the irritation only worsened by the chilly air. Leo reached out to touch his shoulder, where the bruising and irritation was the worst, but Donnie flinched back as if he had been burned. Muttering could be heard as his brother attempted to inspect the skin, but it didn't register, panic rising in his throat.
Oh. Ohh no, no no no, this was bad. Tears were gathering at the corners of his eyes again, even though he tried to fight it. He was too exposed, too vulnerable. In an instant, the sensation of oozing tentacles was back, holding him in a vice-like grip as he fused with the Krang ship. Images of all they had done, the millions of lives they had ended, the worlds they've destroyed, flooded his mind alongside hundreds of memories that weren't his own. It was painful, overwhelmingly so. Terror struck him as he sunk deeper into the console, unsure if he'd even be able to take control before his body gives out. His shell was going to break under the pressure, he was going to bleed out, and he'd never even get see his brothers again--
His racing thoughts were cut short by Leo grabbing his terribly shaky hands, squeezing tightly. It was enough to bring him back from the edge, focus drawn away from the awful memories.
"Hey, hey, I'm here. I've got you, Dee. We're all-- We're all gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine. Let's just get this on, yeah? It's not your battle shell, sure, but it's better than nothing," he said, pressing the hoodie into one of Donnie's hands. His voice was much more gentle than it usually was, which was odd, but certainly not unwelcome.
Donnie tried to slow his quick, shallow breathing, holding Leo's hand in a grip that had to have hurt. If it did, however, Leo didn't mention it.
Yeah. Yeah, he could deal with this.
Donnie slowly released Leo's hand, putting on the hoodie with shaky arms. It was difficult to do while holding the blanket (which he refused to let go of, much to Leo's dismay), and Leo had to reach out and help him adjust it a couple times, but it was done quickly enough, leaving the two standing in silence. Leo had grabbed his hand once again, a quiet message of reassurance.
It... Wasn't awful. Not good by any means, but still not awful. The lack of weight still felt horribly wrong, and the anxiety hadn't gone away, but the fabric was soft and absolutely more comfortable than his battle shell had been. The irritated skin still stung, but it felt better now that there wasn't metal actively pressing into it. He took in a shaky breath, shifting his weight from one foot to another.
"You good bro?" Came Leo's voice from beside him. Donnie nodded softly, eyes drifting around the room as he fidgeted with his blanket. The fuzziness of his regression was still there, but he had given up on fighting it. He was too drained for that right now.
"Hey, buddy? Hope it's chill to ask, but uh... You feeling small?" Leo questioned out of the blue, Donnie snapping back to focus at the question. Embarrassment hit him like a brick. Was it really that obvious?
He hunched in on himself, holding their blanket to their chest. Now everything just felt awkward. It was an odd topic for all of them, especially Donnie, and being asked about it felt beyond weird. Despite that, he gave a halfhearted nod, dropping his gaze to the floor.
"... Sorry," Donnie finally spoke, quiet and strained. Huh. His voice finally decided to work again, and this was all he could say. Great.
"Why are you saying sorry? It's all good. This'll be fun!" Leo said with a smile, nudging him with his shoulder, "Dad's busy doing who knows what, so we've got the whole lair to ourselves! Come on, let's go!"
He tried leading Donnie out of the bedroom, but the softshell stayed firmly in place.
"Huh? What's up?"
Donnie mumbled something, too quiet to be understood. He dragged Leo to a spot near his dresser again, crouching down and reaching behind to pull out a dark box with a small padlock attached. They draped their blanket around their shoulders for a moment to undo the lock as Leo watched with curiosity.
With a small click, the box opened, revealing Donnie's regression stuff. They quickly picked up a purple sippy cup, eyeing the other items but ultimately deciding to leave them be for now. He closed it again, putting it back in its spot before standing up.
Dizziness overtook him at the sudden movement and he swayed, the cup dropping from his hands as the the room seemingly spun around him, but Leo moved to lean his body against him, keeping him upright until the vertigo had calmed down.
"Yeesh, have you had anything to drink today?" he said, reaching down to pick up the cup before grabbing Donnie's hand and pulling him closer in case the dizziness returned. They shook their head, too tired to lie, and Leo frowned.
"C'mon then, we're going to the kitchen whether you like it or not."
With that, Donnie was being pulled out of his room by Leo, the slider quickly shuffling towards the kitchen with his twin in tow. Raph and Mikey were still sat there, chatting, but they quieted down as the twins approached, watching as they slowed to a stop a couple feet away. The softshell ducked his head, hiding his face within the veil of his hood in embarrassment as Leo shot his other brothers a small smile, lifting the sippy cup and wiggling it around for emphasis. A quiet way to communicate Donnie's current state. Did he really have to bring attention to it, though?
Raph and Mikey glanced at each other, presumably in understanding, before the youngest shot the twins a thumbs up followed by a smile.
"Now, let's get you something to drink, yeah?"
Leo had dropped his hand and was already opening the fridge, searching its contents. Donnie peeked over his shoulder, watching as he pulled out a bottle of apple juice.
"Sorry bud, we're out of your weird flavorless juice stuff. Hope this works," he said, filling up Donnie's cup about halfway before leaning over to the sink and diluting it with water. Donnie hummed in acknowledgement, leaning his head on Leo's shoulder. Not his favorite, sure, but it would work.
Leo stepped away for a moment, opening a cabinet and grabbing a couple packets of miscellaneous snacks before returning to Donnie, moving to hold his hand yet again before leading him into the living room.
"I'm gonna put on a movie, and you, mi hermano, are gonna go sit and chill out."
Leo passed him the snacks and sippy cup before retreating to search their rapidly growing pirated DVD collection, leaving Donnie on his own. They quickly settled in on the couch, covering themself with their blanket and humming in quiet happiness as they sipped their juice. He took a glance at the various snacks, trying to decide if any of them were worth eating or not; animal crackers, pretzels, and veggie straws. None of them sounded particularly good, but he opened the animal crackers anyway.
He looked up at the sound of audio playing through the speakers, watching as Leo fiddled with the buttons on the projector in an attempt to get it to actually, y'know, project.
"Ha! There we go!" Leo exclaimed triumphantly, the machine finally deciding to work. Now, Donnie could actually see what his brother had picked: Lilo and Stitch. He cocked his head, staring at Leo with a confused look. It was supposed to be Leo's pick, and it didn't make sense to them that he'd willingly choose a movie like this over his usual pick of something more action-filled or exciting, like Lou Jitsu or Jupiter Jim.
"What?" Leo said, grinning at his twin's expression, "Figured you'd want something, y'know, more kid-friendly. Plus, we haven't seen this in years! It's a cute movie!"
That didn't make much sense to Donnie, seeing as they had already watched more than their fair share of action movies as kids, but he didn't complain. It had been a while since any of them had watched this, and he could deal with skipping their usual choices. He shoved another animal cracker in his mouth, scooting over on the couch to make room for Leo.
"Aw, thanks buddy. My 'bad boy' brother really does care about me, huh?" He teased as he sat down next to him, nudging his shoulder affectionately before settling into a comfier position. Donnie pouted at the teasing, but it softened as their attention shifted to the movie.
The vibrant colors and pretty soundtrack kept his focus, eyes wide and bright as he watched intently. He brought the corner of his blanket up to his face, running it against his skin and babbling into the fabric. Normally, he'd be more than a little embarrassed about that, but they couldn't bring themself to care. It was comforting, and that was enough of a justification for him.
He glanced over at Leo, who was now equally as engrossed in the movie as his twin was just moments before. Donnie worried at his blanket, rubbing the soft material between his fingers before making a spur of the moment decision; he flopped down onto his side, adjusting until his head was comfortable on his brother's lap with his blanket halfway draped over his torso. Leo jumped at the sudden contact, surprise evident, before his expression melted into the same soft look from earlier.
"Huh. Do I really make that good of a pillow?" He chuckled. Donnie hummed and nodded, his previously neutral expression breaking into a grin when Leo pat his head. "Good to hear, hermanito."
Hermanito. Little brother. They had heard him call Mikey that sometimes, but it had never been used to refer to Donnie. It was enough to make him feel just a little bit smaller, the comforting fuzziness now welcome.
Leo had already gone back to watching the movie, now fidgeting with the tails of Donnie's mask. The softshell sighed in content, squeezing his blanket tighter against their body. He tapped out rhythms on Leo's knee, matching the beat of the soundtrack as he watched.
It didn't take long for his eyes to start feeling heavy, exhaustion finally catching up with him. They yawned, burying their snout in their blanket as they fought the urge to fall sleep. He didn't want to miss the movie, after all.
Then, Leo's hand stopped its fidgeting, instead moving to Donnie's shoulder to rub small, soothing circles into the fabric of their hoodie. They all but melted into the touch, their efforts to stay awake now failing miserably as their eyes started to droop. He whined to himself, annoyed that his body was betraying him like this.
Donnie vaguely registered Leo saying something above him, but it didn't stick. Instead, he reluctantly gave into the tiredness of his body, eyes falling shut as he drifted to sleep.
Donnie wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for. His head was still fuzzy, partially from sleep and partially from his regression, but it couldn't have been any later than the afternoon. He awoke to find himself still resting over Leo's lap, his twin having passed out despite still sitting up. It didn't look very comfortable, but he didn't seem to care.
Donnie yawned and attempted to stretch his legs, recoiling as he felt them touch something that was not the arm of the couch. They craned their neck to look, finding Mikey curled up on the very end, seemingly asleep as well. Then, he heard a quiet snore, turning his head back around to find Raph sitting on a pile of pillows on the ground, passed out with his head resting inches from where Leo was sitting.
Huh. Group nap time. Now, that was something they hadn't done in a while. He let out a content sound, settling his head back down on Leo's lap, adjusting his blanket and letting himself bask in the calmness of the lair. It was silent, save for the soft sounds of breathing interrupted by the occasional snore. A warm feeling washed over him, watching his brothers looking so peaceful, not a care in the world as they slept.
Yeah, things were going to be okay. They'd keep each other safe, and they'd all be fine in time. He sighed, letting his eyes slide shut yet again. They'd have to get up eventually, but until then, they were more than happy to stay here; safe, warm, and surrounded by their brothers.