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Donatello was scrolling on YouTube in his chair, curled up in a painfully tight ball with a heating pad hugged close to his stomach. Curse the anatomy of females, this sucked. Screw Christmas spirit, he was not, in fact, feeling it.
His eyes won't focus, because his body won't let them focus, because it's too distracted by the dull headache that accompanied his existing pain, mixed with overwhelming numbness within him... metaphorically. Though he wouldn't be surprised if it was internal bleeding, after saving the city yet again today.
Perhaps he should've just died in the battle.
....He doubts internal bleeding also makes you suicidal, perhaps it does, though. Whatever the cause is, he hates it. For a guy feeling rather empty right now, (also literally, he hasn't ate today and does not plan on it) he sure is hating a lot of things.
He lets out a deep sigh, and doesn't click another video to play. Instead resting his head onto the uncomfortable surface of his desk. His spine was absolutely not in good shape from being hunched since he's been awake, so the movement caused several uncomfortable cracks and pops.
He really should be used to not being productive by now, from any time being sick, injured, or burnout. But this was a different kind of not doing shit—It wasn't for recovery time, and it wasn't even procrastination of something he wanted to do earlier.
He just doesn't want to fix it, and he's so exhausted that he feels like he'll never have the stamina to want to fix it again. He doesn't really wanna move even.
He glanced over at it, he thinks he should be frustrated. Several years of work, a little banged up on his other table within the lab. It would take an hour at most, an hour he won't use.
His head goes back onto the desk. The turtle groaned, one more thing he hated? Asking for help... which, alas, he knows must be done...
He needs uppies.
Leo was draped across his bed, trans flag as his blanket, shell to the mattress as he mindlessly scrolls through Tiktok. He has this, like, achy numb feeling? He doesn't really get it, but it's normally depression that does that, not the best.
He briefly considers a quick fix. There's a razor under his mattress, or he could ask April for another edible? Maybe both?
So uh, yeah. He might do that if it helps resolve his little inner sadness monster.
He blew a half assed raspberry, and tossed his phone... somewhere, as he mustered up the energy to get out of bed. Technically, it was for the first time today, despite it being way past noon. But he might count last night at three AM, technically that was today too?
He's interrupted by knocking.
"What?" Leo asks through the door. The other 'twin' reply.
"'Nardo... I... need your... eh... help." Which, honestly? Felt like it might be serious, Donnie hated asking for help. So mumbling an, oh shit, for real? The blue banded terrapin opens his door, arms crossed as he leaned on the doorway.
"What's up, hermado?" He asked as Donnie stood in a tense position, he had his little purple star blanket in one arm. After a moment of silence. He made grabby hands to Leo.
The twin snorted, "You uh... want something, bud?" A frustrated huff came from the one in purple, he did a few unhappy half hops, he wanted to be picked up and picked up now, damnit!
"Okay, okay! C'mere, bro." With only mild struggle, Leo hoisted Donnie into his arms, carrying them on the side of his hip. Donnie immediately buried his snout on Leo's shoulder, hiding his face from the world as he let out an upset whine. Leo couldn't help it, he snorted.
"You just wanted to be picked up, just that?" He started bouncing up and down ever so slightly. And the littler turtle nodded, his blanky smushed between him and the shoulder of his brother.
"So... you don't want your sippy?" Donnie perked up at that—It had been awhile since he drank... or ate anything...
"Yeah? You wanna go get a drink?" Leo asked as he begun carrying him out if his room, and towards the frigde. He didn't need a verbal response, he kinda just knows how dehydrated Donnie was.
So the two were in the kitchen. And Donnie absolutely refused to be put down. No no, him and blanky would gladly stay put in the arms of anyone willing to coddle them, which in this case was Leo. So that made it slightly harder for his currently older twin to be a somewhat functioning caregiver, and provide some 'flavourless' juice, or, better known as watered down apple juice to his baby bro.
But, he persevered! Which, was actually kinda nice, this was the first time Leo had gotten out of bed in awhile. He managed to juggle filling up a sippy and holding a turtle to size of him, plus blanky, can't forget about blanky. Finally able to offer it to him, Donnie took ot in his free hand, sipping if as Leo moved towards the cabinet.
"Hey, buddy? Don't drink that too fast, 'Kay? Now, chicken nuggets or pizza?" He asked Donnie, there's were leftovers of both in the fridge, and, preferably, the little turtle ate something sooner rather than later.
Again, no verbal response, but Donnie used the hand with his blanket to hold his sippy too, so he could sign chicken to the slider.
"One plate of the world's finest chicken nuggets coming up, mi hermanito!" He slides over to grab a plate, then, it was to the microwave!
While that heated up, Donnie pushed his sippy in the face of Leo, signaling it was empty. Leo chuckled, but refilled it.
Beep.
Beeeep.
BEEEEEEEEEP!
Returning the newly filled cup to Donnie, Leo opens the microwave so it'd shut the hell up, pointing the newly heated nuggies, and taking the plate, plus little bro, to the living room.
Their whole lair was decorated for Christmas, and Hanukkah for Mikey, (though the orange banded turtle still got everyone gifts.) Leo hasn't noticed just how pretty it was until now. Lights of purples and reds and blues and oranges draped from the ceilings and walls and the tree. Said tree adorned with all the turtle's ornaments. Everything seemed to have a sparkle he hadn't quite appreciated yet, and apparently Donnie noticed it too, as he stared at the lights as well.
"You like them, little man?" Leo asks, and the younger gave a rather slow nod. His little mind entrapped by the beauty of Christmas.
Leo sat down on the couch, Donnie now in his lap. "Yeah, I do too." He looked at the clock, noticing it was past midnight.
"Merry Christmas, Dee." Leo whispered, noting how Donnie seemed content to fall asleep right there.
"Merry Christmas to you as well, Leonardo." Spoke a quiet tone.
He flinched, head quickly turning behind him. Draxum was in his pajamas, holding a mug of what smelled like hot chocolate. Draxum had moved in, ever since Splinter...
So, it wasn't unexpected to see him, just not, the greatest surprise at two in the morning.
As not to wake up Donnie, Leo spoke hushed. "Yeah, you too..."
Draxum gave a grimace, walking over to rhe couch, he stood in front of Leo, reaching into his pocket. "I... saw you two up, eariler. This fell out of Donatello's, erm... blanket, I believe he may want this." He handed the slider a purple pacifier.
Leo didn't hesitate to grab it, looking down at it before up at Draxum. "I thought you didn't like Donnie being little." He spat, wiping off the binky.
"I- I never said... that."
"Sure felt like it," Leo replied as he carefully offered it to a sleepy softshell, who took to it, despite nearly being full on deep sleep.
Baron gave a sigh, looking down at his mug. "...I am... ashamed, of the man I showed you I was when it... came to this. I..." He cleared his throat. "I am sorry."
"Don't you- what?" He was... not... he was not expecting an apology?
"I am sorry. To both you, and Donatello... I shouldn't have given off the impression I did not approve of how he copes." He managed to get out. "...I am just relieved he has an outlet."
Well... this was new.
Still feeling salty, all Leo could offer was a, "Thanks, but no thanks. Apologize to him, not me."
"I will. I owe all you boys an apology tomorrow."
Woth that, he simply stood there. An uncomfortable silence in the air.
Leo closed his eyes, all he could think about was Christmas eve, how Draxum reacted to Donnie regressing in front of him.
"You... act like a child..?" Draxums voice sounded worse than anger, worse than disgust.
Disappointment.
Leo quickly went to 'shield' Donnie. "Yeah, he does. Got a problem with that?"
"Is this... really, the best thing he could think of as a coping mechanism?"
"It's just fine, thanks." Leo's voice dripped with vemon.
"Yeah, Drax. You got a problem with that, you take it up with me." Raph got up, chest puffed out.
"And me!" Mikey piped up.
"And me." Leo adds.
At that moment, Draxum's face shifted to less disappointment and more confusion. "...Very well. I will leave you to it."
"I hadn't meant to offend you, just so you're aware." Draxum broke the silence once more. "I should've been more careful with how I worded it..."
"It wasn't that- well, it was. But, it's how you sounded, asshole." Whispered Leo. "You made Donnie think he disappointed you."
"...I what?"
"Yeah."
Draxum gave a hard swallow, eyeing the cousin on the couch. With mild aggravation, Leo rolled his eyes, nodding to it. The baron sat.
"...My father was disappointed in me many, many times... I would never purposefully have made him feel that way."
Leo huffed, shifting the sleeping Donnie a little so he could cover him up with the blanket. "Yeah, well, you did. And again, not the guy to apologize to-"
"I noticed." Baron cut him off. "But I cannot and will not wait till tomorrow comes, to clear this up. I am not, I never have been, and never will be, disappointed in Donatello... or any of you."
"...Really?" For once, maybe it was the Christmas spirit. Or how sincere Draxum was clearly trying to be. But... Leo actually kind of believed him.
"Really."
The uncomfortable silence became cozy, the tension seemed to ease even if it wasn't all gone.
Draxum got up. "Goodnight, Leonardo, goodnight to Donatello as well... please, get some rest."
"Yeah, yeah... thanks." The blue clad turtle offered a slight smile, to which Draxum nodded at, walking back to his room.
Leo layed back, looking down at Donnie. "You were awake that whole time, huh, hermanito?"
A slight smile tugged at Donnie's face, Leo snickered. "Guess you're Draxum approved after all, baby bro." He gave a little ruffle to Donnie's headband. "Now get some sleep, doctors orders."
The next morning, as they all had exchanged gifts, Draxum, April, and Casey couldn't make it—So it was just the four brothers, Donnie still little.
As they did so, they all noticed that there were four more gifts under the tree, none of them bought.
"Huh... you don't think?" Mikey turned to Raph, who shrugged, turning to Leo, who also shrugged.
Each gift was very neatly wrapped in a paper of each turtle's favourite colour. With ribbon and a bow on each as well, and fancy hand writing of their names.
"Uh, this was says Raphael, here-" Mujey begun handing them all out.
"Huh..." Raph carefully unwrapped his, gasping. "PRINCESS PEACH TEDDY!" He immediately hugged it. He used to have one just like it, before the invasion kind of destroyed everything. The thing was, his old one was a gift from their late father, and it'd been impossible to find another.
Raph teared up, snout buried in it.
Mikey was the next to tear into his, he couldn't quite speak. It was all his old drawings he made of Lou Jitsu, of Splinter and him or the family when he was younger. He... thought Splinter threw them away.
They were all laminated, preserved.
Leo gulped.
"What do you say, Dee? Should I open mine?" Donnie was too busy playing woth Leo's mask tails to reply. So he went for it.
Leo's jaw dropped as he opened the small box.
The same mystic artifact that originally opened the portal to the hidden city- here. His dad's key was here.
"...Who left these here?" Leo murmurs with his forehead scrunched up.
Donnie got his attention, pointing to his own gift. Leo hummed, "Need help unwrapping it?"
Donnie gave his reply in a babble, so naturally, all the boys helped tear the paper off.
"Woah, Don!" Raph spoke up first, as Donnie went oddly still.
When he was younger, and wanted a weighted blanket. Splinter spent two weeks straight crocheting him one, it was thick and definitely heavy, and purple and had little stars crotched in.
After Donnie carried it around for so so long, it got so worn down that they had no choice but to throw it out. (That's not true, Splinter could've saved it in a box.)
The other brothers knew, obviously. But Donnie only told Draxum outside the family about the blanket, in great detail, too. Because the two were discussing their mutual love of weighted stuff.
A near perfect replica laid in the gift.
And suddenly they knew who left them all here.
Donnie blinked away tears, seemingly confused as he wiped his eyes, snuggling the gift closely. The other two joined, all four quickly huddling into a hug.
"I love you guys..." Leo managed to choke out while being crushed in family love.
"We love you too!" Mikey exclaimed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw Draxum watching from afar, and smiled.
The man still owed the others an apology, but Leo knew now atleast, he never meant harm. And more so, how he... cared. He cared alot.
That made Christmas worth it this year.