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“You didn’t eat.”
Donnie didn’t grace that with a response.
After a moment, Leo sighed softly. “Donnie… Can you at least come out of your nest?”
The blanket was a comforting weight against his skin.
When he’d woken up that day, he’d immediately known it was one of those days.
One of those days the clattering of wooden weapons was too bright. The fluorescent lighting in his lab was overwhelmingly loud. The gears, hugged snug against his skin and joints, felt like they tightened until they squeezed the life out of him.
Of course Leo noticed how he cringed away from the worms and algae. How he recoiled at the sounds of Mikey chewing.
Leo had asked what was up with him, of course. But he’d refused to answer. How weak did he have to be, to want to cry just because cutlery was scraping against the porcelain too loudly?
So, like any logical person would do, he’d pushed it down.
Which had resulted in him shouting at Raph for breathing too loudly.
He’d excused himself to his room and burrowed himself under layers of blankets he’d definitely not stolen from the others.
“Are you not gonna talk to me?”
If he could, he would. But opening his jaw and speaking felt like too much effort right now. His leaden muscles wouldn’t cooperate. He’d pushed himself way too far, more than the capacity he had, and now he was paying for it.
Rustling. Leo peeled the layers of blankets away.
Donnie flinched when the pressure was removed, exposing him to the light he could usually bear. He’d installed the dim, warm lamp himself after all.
Today was not usual.
Donnie’s breath hitched. Leo frowned, now in his line of sight.
“Can you look at me, Don?”
The questions were just as overwhelming as his senses being assaulted. They stabbed pinpricks into his skin — every question was a new decision, a new demand, which he didn’t have the capacity for right now.
Annoyance was brewing under his skin. The light buzzed. Leo remained silent. Good. If his brother dared open his mouth, so help him—
“Look, I know you’re very sensitive, but that’s no excuse for-“
All of Donnie’s muscles came alive with a screech.
He shot upright, shell hitting the wall.
With a whimper, his mind just turned off.
He shook his fists because everything was too much and he couldn’t do this right now and Leo staring with his eyes blown wide was just as invasive as the humming of the electricity in the walls.
Tears sprung his eyes and he couldn’t suppress a pathetic sob.
All of the frustration he’d tried to keep at bay spilled out, just like that.
His skin was too tight against flesh, the sticky tears dried on his cheeks, the air was disgustingly humid and he couldn’t breathe.
Then someone was touching him.
His fists throbbed and they shoot out to bang against his head instead.
Bang.
Before he realized it; as he was rocking back and forth, his shell kept hitting the wall and he just couldn’t take it anymore.
Bang.
An ache bloomed on his temples, he could faintly feel the pain flooding into his senses. Just one more thing to feel.
Bang.
Shouting. Someone’s hands snaked around his wrists and pulled them off him.
Donnie made an unintelligible sound in protest.
Some more words he couldn’t be bothered to process. Then, a force tugged him in and was hugging him. They hugged tight, rocking back and forth just like he did.
He wasn’t crying anymore. The dooming sense of overwhelm dulled just a little.
His head was tucked against a hard surface, a plastron, he realized. Vibration tingled across his skin like static.
Oh. He’d recognize that tune anywhere. They’re humming a song. His favorite song.
Taking a deep breath, he let himself go slump.
Then did he feel the pain in his head, throbbing against his cranium.
“Hnngh…” he uttered intelligently.
A chuckle sounded above him.
“How articulate of you.” Leo’s voice was significantly softer, almost a whisper. He didn't stop subtly rocking his little brother in place.
“Leo.”
Leo brushed his thumb against his cheek, wiping off the warm tears that’d run down his cheeks. He didn’t know when that happened. “Donnie.”
“Mhh… my head hurts.”
“I know. You hit yourself real hard, little brother.”
Oh. Color rushed to his cheeks, burning with shame. He hit himself?
“No- none of that. Don’t feel bad.” Leo sighed. “I’m sorry I pushed your limits, Donnie. I was frustrated but I should’ve realized you were overwhelmed. It’s just that— we never know what triggers you.”
Donnie’s a high maintenance child.
“Sorry.” He gulped, pushing himself off his brother who would probably rather be anywhere else right now, rather than handling Donnie like he’s a baby. Because Donnie just couldn’t keep his temper tantrum to himself.
Vocalizing sounded agonizing right now, but he had to suck it up because he just needed to grow out of it. “I— sorry. I don’t… I don’t know why I react that way.”
“It’s okay.” Leo smiled before his eyes widened and he quickly backtracked, “I mean, not you hitting yourself- of course- you probably shouldn’t react like that. You get what I mean.” He smiled again, this time more shyly. “It’s okay to feel.”
Offering a shy smile of his own, he let his head drop back on Leo’s plastron. “It’s just that- sometimes, things get too much. Everything’s too loud and too bright and all I want to do is to crawl into a dark and quiet place. I don’t know why it happens. And frankly, it’s embarrassing! I shouldn’t be this sensitive!”
“Needing help from time to time doesn’t make you sensitive, Donnie. In fact, asking for it makes you brave. So let us help when it gets like that, okay?” Leo’s muscular arms wrapped around him, giving a reassuring squeeze.
He let himself relax in the hug.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay. I’ll try to ask for help.”