I Wonder Why I've Never Seen It There Before

Warning: T-Cest TMNT Brother Love
Pairings: Leo/Don Mikey/Leo Raph/Don
Summery: April has officially announced her feelings for Casey and after a heart to heart with Donnie explained she just sees him as an awesome brother. However there may be something Donnie's been missing for years, he wonders why he never noticed before.

I do not own any rights to TMNT or the characters there of. All ideas are original and any similarities or names used is strictly coincidence.






Now's my chance, he's over the hurt but not the loss. If I act now may he'll...but what if he doesn't...what if he's disgusted...what if he'll never talk to me again...I can't. NO! I've got to try.

Walking across the threshold of the lab he could smell fresh coffee on the air. As he made his way through broken bits and hazardous strands of wire about the floor, he came to stop behind a hunched body. Donnie was mumbling something as he was completely absorbed in his work, he had been like this for weeks now. Every day and long into the night  he locked himself in his lab obsessing over projects that he had never had the time to finish. It hurt to see him so lost and distant from the others. He took breaks for food and training after a strict reprimand from their father, but somehow Don still managed to be alone most of the time.

Looking on Leo felt his heart thundering in chest as he reached out to his distracted brother. "Donnie?"

"Ah! Whoa!" Donnie lunged forward catching the small device before it could go over the edge of small work table. his rump was presented nicely against Leo's belly causing the blue banded turtle to take a generous step backward only to fall into a box of files.

"S..Sorry Donnie. I..uh..can ya give me a hand?" Leo struggled to get free but the angle was about as awkward as he felt.

Helping his brother up Donnie laid the device down and leaned against the table crossing his arms over his plastron. Leo could see the neglect etched into his brother's body. He was thinner and pale around the cheeks, his eyes red with sleepless nights, but worst of all was the frown lines seemingly permanent around his usually smiling mouth. Gathering his courage he walked up and took the weary hand into his and looked into the lonely crimson orbs of his purple banded brother.

"Don I'm worried about you." Leo laid a soft hand on his face rubbing his thumb across his cheek. "You've been in here for weeks, you hardly eat anything, and I know you're not sleeping. Talk to me, lean on me, please just let me help." lowering their brows together Leo breathed in the scent of the genius. "I know you're still hurt but, can't you smile again? Let us, let me be there for you. Please." He whispered the ending leaning hard into that toxic scent.

Donnie swallowed back the tears leaning into his brother's touch. He had been trying for weeks to forget the heartache he carried, the pain that wouldn't go away. He was happy for April, she found some one to love and who could protect her. She told him she still loved him as family and that he was special in a way no one else was. But it hadn't helped. He still felt crushed, lost, and numb. But, for the first time in what felt like forever he felt warmth. Leo's hand was so warm, his breath hot, ever bit of skin he touched was set on fire. He felt drawn to that heat yearned for it, so much that he hardly heard the words coming from the leader.

"Leo." Looking up into those fearless hazel eyes he saw something that he'd never noticed. A spark behind the burning fires of protection and honor. Deep within the same eyes he'd seen for 18 years he'd missed it. Taking in a sharp breath he leaned in closer to Leo's face till their beaks touched. "I...I'm sorry I didn't mean to draw away from you guys. I just felt so lost, I've wanted her for so long followed and protected her. I just felt, well I didn't really feel anything. These past few weeks have been a haze to me. I...I don't even know what I've broken or fixed. I just..." the tears were hot streaming down his face where his mask couldn't hold them back. He clung to his older sibling leaning into the fire that seemed to melt away his loneliness and bring him back to the present.

"Shhh shh it's alright Donnie. I know, we all do. But it's going to be ok. Plenty of fish in the sea right?" placing a soft touch under his chin Leo removed the purple fabric and stared into his brother's tear clouded eyes. "You're a great guy Donnie, I'm sure you'll find some one some day that's worthy of your devotion."

A painful laugh choked out between ragged breath as he casts his eyes downward. The pain in his chest only tightened as he thought about Leo's words. "No, we can't ever dare to hope another human would accept us let alone love us..love me. I...I can't hope like that again and feel this pain." Looking up now the tears had stopped and the fire ignited within. "We're not meant for a life like that Leo and it's cruel to make us think otherwise." Grabbing Leo's shoulders hard enough to bruise his voice broke as it rose. "There's no sea for us Leo! No one to move on to! Nothing to replace this pain! We're stuck, meant to suffer alone for god knows how long! So tell me wise leader where are these so called other fish? What other false comfort are going to throw at me? Tell me what can make the pain stop?!"

With strong arms and trained reflexes Leo broke free and pinned his brother to the table beneath them. Looking down for a moment he felt fear and uncertainty of what he was about to do. But he needed Donnie to see there were other chances, there was still light in their lives of shadow. Taking the last strand of courage with a sharp breath he pressed his mouth over Donnies.

The kiss was clumsy and forced but filled with raw passion. Leo pressed for entry sliding a hot wide tongue over the roof of Don's mouth. Still in shock the brainiac was frozen in the moment seemingly stunned and unable to respond. Wide dark eyes searched for an answer as Leo pulled away both gasping for air.  With a soft smile and half rasping voice Leo spoke next to his ear slit nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck.

"Right here, me. Please, for so long I.." Leo pulled so he could look at his brother and for the first time in his life he let the mask fall away letting everything in his heart bubble forth to the surface. "I Love You Donatello. You're soft, caring, brave, devoted, and...and just so much more. Donnie please let me show you how much you mean to me."

Eyes wide and body frozen he had no answer, the flush on his face burned into his mind. His thoughts firing in a million directions but somehow he wasn't able to form a single cognitive sentence. Looking up at his blue banded leader he could see a side of him that somehow had remained hidden, so much passion, heat, and hunger hidden behind that mask. Limbs moved on their own as his mind tried to make sense of what was happening. Arms encircled the strong carapace, fingers ghosting over ridged shell, his body lifted meeting plastrons scrapped, and with timid approach he laid a feathered kiss on quivering lips. Then only one thought rocket through the channels of his lybrinthian lobes. Just Make The Pain go Away.

"Yes Leo, show me. Please" With another sob lips met and all he could feel were strong arms crushing their bodies together. Passion, pain, and love engulfed them as time seemed once more to move for Donnie. How had he missed so much behind Leo's mask? Was he really that blinded by his love for April that he couldn't see all these feelings in his own brother?  Breathless he looked into his brother's eyes that shone with something that had never been there before, desire and true happiness.

I Wonder Why I'd Never Seen It There Before.