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Birthdays around the Hamato household were always meet with excitement and fun
Espeically when it came to the twins birthday. As the two middle children, their birthdays were always the loudest and because throwing a party for two people meant double the fun. Or double the stress in Splinter's case
Today was supposed to be the twins' 17th birthday
However, the mood around the lair was somber
No streamers. No karaoke. No food fight in the kitchen that Raph would pretend to scold but secretly enjoy. No Mikey dancing with cake frosting on his face. And worst of all—no Leo.
Donnie sat alone in his lab, a modestly wrapped gift box resting untouched beside him. He had made it for Leo, with April's help. A custom bracelet that had blue and purple threads interwined together with subtle nanotech enhancements, just to give it that bit of Donnie flair. Something fun. Something lighthearted. Something that was supposed to make Leo laugh. Something that would make his twin smile
But Leo wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t talking. He wasn’t even awake.
It had been weeks since the Krang invasion. Weeks since Leo had nearly sacrificed himself to save them all. And weeks since Donnie had heard his twin’s voice.
He tried. Oh, how he tried. Donnie had spent every single day scouring through data, running simulations, checking Leo’s vitals, and talking to April and Dad about possible treatments or mystic triggers. But Leo just... stayed still. Breathing. Stable. But unmoving. His body healed, but his mind unreachable.
And today was their birthday.
Donnie had tried to celebrate earlier. Again, he tried so hard. Raph and Mikey put together a small meal. They sang quietly, tried to smile, even gave him a couple of gifts. And while Donnie appreciated the gestures, truly he did, everything just felt so off. Nothing was the same without Leo. Leo’s absence was like a black hole, and no amount of effort could stop Donnie from spiraling into it and disappering, being swallow up in his grief and despair
So now, late at night, when the others were finally asleep, Donnie found himself where he always ended up—sitting beside Leo’s med bay.
The soft beeping of the monitors was the only sound. Leo looked peaceful, like he was just napping. But Donnie knew better.
“Hey, Leo,” he said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Happy birthday. Can you believe that we are 17 now. I know crazy right?”
Of course, Leo didn't respond back. He never did
"I try to celebrate earlier with our family. Raph, Mikey, Dad, Apes...they really went all out. But, it just didn't feel the same because...because you weren't there. You were supposed to be here for our 17th birthday...and you weren't"
His voice cracked.
He reached out and gently took Leo’s hand. It was warm, steady. But still so heartbreakingly still.
“I thought I could do it, you know?” Donnie whispered. “Thought I could put on the usual sparkle and sass and just power through. But... I couldn’t. Not without you.”
He traced slow circles on the back of Leo’s hand with his thumb, eyes burning.
“You’re the annoying one, remember? You’re supposed to jump on my bed at midnight and say some dumb line like, ‘Happy Birthday, me—but also you.’”
A weak chuckle died in his throat.
“I miss you, Leo. I miss your voice. I miss your stupid jokes. I miss how you always somehow convinced me to do karaoke even though I swore I wouldn’t, because you know I am not a great singer. I miss your hugs. Gosh, I miss your hugs so much.”
Donnie stood slowly and then, after a moment of hesitation, climbed into the med bay beside Leo. He was careful not to jostle anything, curling up gently beside him. He laid his head on Leo’s shoulder and carefully tucked Leo’s hand between both of his.
“I love you, Leo,” he murmured. “Please come back to me. Just... just give me a sign. Something. Anything. I don’t want to spend another birthday without you.”
Donnie then cupped Leo's cheek, caressing his thumb along Leo's red stripes "I can't spend another day without you"
Tears slipped from his eyes, quiet but unrelenting. He tightened his hold around Leo’s arm, pressing close, aching for the warmth of his twin.
A small whimper escaped from his beak as he nuzzled against Leo
Eventually, exhaustion overtook grief, and Donnie drifted to sleep, curled against Leo’s side like when they were kids hiding from the thunderstorm.
And then, ever so gently, Leo’s fingers twitched.
They curled just slightly.
And squeezed.
Donnie stirred slowly, blinking crusted tears from his eyes. For a moment, the world was quiet and still. The room was dimly lit by the soft glow of monitors and overhead bulbs. The familiar scent of antiseptic lingered. His head rose and fell gently with Leo’s breathing beneath him.
It was warm. Safe, almost. But also fragile.
Then he felt it—pressure.
Donnie blinked fully awake and looked down.
Leo’s hand was... different. It wasn’t lying limp like it always had. It was nestled between his own, fingers curved, holding his.
Donnie sat up slowly, breath catching.
“Leo...?”
He stared at their joined hands, not daring to move. Had it been a spasm? A random nerve reaction? But no—Donnie had studied Leo’s body language his whole life. This wasn’t random.
This was real.
“Leo,” he whispered again, voice trembling.
He leaned forward, heart racing, tears already brimming again but this time from something dangerously close to hope.
“Leo, can you hear me? If you can... do that again. Please.”
Silence.
Donnie held his breath. The monitors beeped steadily. He leaned even closer, forehead nearly touching Leo’s.
And then—slow, hesitant—Leo’s fingers twitched again.
Another squeeze.
A choked sob broke from Donnie’s throat as he clutched Leo’s hand, overcome by the overwhelming flood of emotion slamming into him all at once.
“You—oh my gosh, you heard me,” Donnie gasped. “You’re—you’re still in there, Leo. You—” He stopped, cradling Leo’s hand like it was something divine. “You heard me…”
Donnie pressed Leo’s hand to his cheek, barely able to breathe. “I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t leave me. Not today. Not on our birthday.”
His voice cracked completely. “You stubborn, showboating idiot... I love you so much.”
Leo didn’t move again. But his breathing stayed steady. Peaceful.
Donnie gently kissed his twin’s knuckles. “I’m gonna get the others, okay? I’ll be right back. But I just... I wanted to say thank you. For coming back to me. Even just a little.”
He lingered a moment longer, eyes locked on Leo’s hand like it might vanish, like this whole thing might be a dream.
But it wasn’t.
For the first time in weeks, Donnie’s heart felt something more than grief.
It felt hope.
And that was the greatest birthday gift he could have ever received.
Unfortuantely, Leo didn't wake up on their birthday
Donnie had to spend their 17th birthday without Leo. His birthday had come and gone like a blur of static — quiet, gray, and incomplete.
Donnie had spent most of that night crying, praying and begging for Leo to come back to him. He then spent the better part of the next day just staying in the med bay with Leo, never once leaving it. Not even to eat, although Mikey did help him in that department. When Donnie wasn't checking on Leo's vitals or doing stuff around the med bay, he spent curl up next to Leo, just looking for any signs that his twin would be waking up soon
It did happened
Three days after their birthday.
Donnie was sitting in his usual place at Leo’s bedside, tinkering with one of Leo’s swords, pretending that he wasn’t watching every twitch of his brother’s eyelids. The monitors beeped steadily. The room was quiet. Familiar. Dull, except for the steady ache of waiting.
He was tired.
He hadn’t even bothered to take down the decorations Mikey and Raph put up. They were still hanging above the med bay, faded and drooping. They looked ridiculous now. Like ghosts of a party that never happened.
And then—
A sound.
A soft inhale. A flutter. A shift.
Donnie’s eyes shot up. Leo’s brows furrowed. His fingers twitched.
And slowly… so slowly… his eyes opened.
“Leo?” Donnie whispered, afraid to breathe too hard.
Leo blinked. Disoriented. Groggy. But his gaze found Donnie. Focused on him.
“…Don?” he rasped, voice hoarse and uncertain.
Donnie’s heart nearly burst.
He shot to his feet and leaned over him. “Leo, you’re awake—! You’re awake!” His voice cracked as joy and disbelief collided in his throat. “Oh my gosh—Leo, I—you’re back!”
Leo gave a tiny, tired smile. “You look like you haven’t slept in a year.”
“I haven’t.” Donnie laughed through a tearful exhale. “You scared me to death, Leo. You—” He stopped himself and gently took Leo’s hand. “You really had me thinking I lost you.”
Leo blinked slowly, trying to make sense of the moment, still swimming through the fog in his mind. Then his eyes darted around the room, and his brow creased.
“…what day is it?” he asked softly.
Donnie blinked. “Um. June 1st.”
Leo stiffened. “Wait—what? But… our birthday was—I missed it?” He looked at Donnie in horror. “Oh no, Donnie—I missed our birthday. I—I didn’t even get to say happy birthday to you, I didn’t get you anything, I—”
“Leo.” Donnie interrupted gently.
Leo kept going. “I’m sorry, I swear I didn’t mean to, I would’ve done anything to—”
“Leo.” Donnie squeezed his hand, his thumb rubbing soft circles into Leo's palm. “Shh it's ok” He leaned in, eyes glassy with emotion but warm and grounding. “I don’t care about that. I don’t care if we didn’t celebrate. I don’t care if you didn’t say it that day.”
He swallowed, voice trembling now. “You’re here. That’s what matters. You waking up—you coming back to me—that’s all I ever wanted. That’s the only gift I needed.”
Leo’s lip wobbled. Emotion swelled in his chest, thick and overwhelming.
“Donnie…” he breathed.
Then, gently, he pulled Donnie down into a hug.
His arms were weak, shaky, but Donnie helped him, melting into it instantly, wrapping himself around his twin like he could never let go again.
Leo pressed his face into Donnie’s shoulder and whispered, quiet and raw:
“Happy birthday, Tello.”
Donnie broke.
He sobbed into Leo’s neck, holding him tighter than he ever had before. “Happy birthday,” he choked. “I missed you so much. I love you, Leo. Gosh, I love you so freaking much.”
“I love you too,” Leo whispered back, his own tears soaking into Donnie’s shell.
They cried together, wrapped in each other’s arms, no longer broken, no longer waiting.
Just together.
Whole again.
It took a month for Leo to get back on his feet.
The first few weeks were slow—physical therapy, regaining strength, adjusting to how the world moved after being still for so long. But he was determined. Donnie was always nearby—hovering, helping, watching with tired but hopeful eyes.
Leo didn’t complain. Not once. Because every painful step, every sore joint, every shaky breath was another moment alive, another moment with his twin.
And finally, after thirty-three days of recovery, Leo stepped out of the med bay for the last time, stretching in the hallway as Donnie waited with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
“You sure you’re good?” Donnie asked, teasing but cautious.
Leo grinned. “I’m more than good. I’m me again.”
He held out his hand.
Donnie stared at it. Then took it with a small smile.
“Okay,” Donnie said. “Then what now?”
Leo’s grin turned mischievous. “Now? We’re gonna have the best Twin Day of our lives.”
They spent the whole day doing everything they loved.
They started with breakfast—Leo made pancakes (burnt, but Donnie still ate them with a sarcastic toast, even though Mikey promised to make some more pancakes later if Donnie wanted them, to which Donnie declined). Then they battled each other in games, watched their favorite movies from their childhood, laughed until their sides hurt over dumb inside jokes only they understood. They even rewatched the cringe-worthy home videos Mikey insisted on filming each year.
Then, just as the sun started setting, Leo blindfolded Donnie.
“Seriously?” Donnie said, unimpressed. “I let you cook breakfast and now you’re stealing my ability to see?”
Leo snorted. “Trust the process.”
He grabbed Donnie’s hand and opened a portal.
When they stepped out, Leo took off Donnie's blindfold and Donnie inhaled sharply.
They were far away from the city, in a clearing surrounded by silent forest and snow-dusted hills. Above them, the sky was alive with swirls of green and purple—dancing sheets of light that shimmered like magic.
“The Northern Lights,” Donnie whispered. “Leo…”
Leo rubbed the back of his neck. “I missed our birthday. I didn’t get you anything. So I wanted to do something… memorable. Something just for us.”
Donnie turned to him, eyes glistening.
Leo pulled out a small box from his satchel. “I was going to give this to you on our actual birthday.” He opened it. Inside was a sleek silver bracelet embedded with violet circuitry, gently glowing. On the inside was a tiny engraving: "My twin, my anchor."
Leo looked down, guilt flickering across his face again. “I know it doesn’t make up for everything. I’m sorry for missing—”
He didn’t get to finish.
Donnie threw his arms around him in a crushing hug.
Leo gasped softly, then hugged back without hesitation.
“I don’t care,” Donnie whispered fiercely. “I don’t care when we celebrate. Or if we celebrate at all.”
He pulled back just enough to look into Leo’s eyes, voice trembling with emotion.
“As long as we’re together—alive and here—I don’t need anything else. I just want you, Leo. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Leo’s throat tightened. “Tello…”
Donnie smiled through tears. “Thank you. For today. For everything. For being my twin”
They hugged again, slower this time, resting their heads against each other like a reset—reaffirming what had been broken, reforged in fire and tears.
Above them, the sky danced in brilliant waves.
Leo leaned into Donnie’s side, his voice soft but firm.
“I promise… I’ll be there for every birthday from now on. Every year. You’ll always have me. Now and forever”
Donnie rested his head against Leo’s shoulder.
“I know...and I'm going to hold you to that” he whispered.
And the twins sat there beneath the swirling heavens, side by side, twin hearts beating in sync. No more comas. No more silence. Just the quiet, overwhelming love of two souls that were never meant to be apart.
Together.
Always.