#Like I think rise did far better with the whole imperfect splinter thing but you know

[bluewithpurplepolkadots]

”Why does Master Splinter barely ever seem to leave the lair in missions to help the turtles in the 2012 series? He’s an adult!”

Because it’s a kids show so the primary solver of the problems involved is obviously going to be the kids. Having an adult swoop in and solve everything/baby sit all the time would probably be kind of boring for the intended audience. Boring for everyone actually. Next question.

[xdandelionxbloomx]

Modern AU idea continued

(part 1) (part 2)

(CW: cancer - not terminal and no character death)

Jaskier’s visual album starts with the sounds of a hospital-- 

It fades in from black to a scene of the edge of a hospital bed, the distorted sound of a doctor’s voice overlaid with ringing, making it indistinguishable-- 

A shot of paperwork, in and out of focus - an IV, Jaskier’s fingers tapping the arm of his seat, walls white and clinical around him-- 

And then there is the inside of a car, Jaskier’s head leaning against the window, eyelids drooping and heavy with exhaustion-- 

The sound doesn’t match as he cleared his throat, tried to speak - it’s a recording of when his voice was at its peak worst, rasping, breaking, scraping out of his throat-- 

Unsteady humming as Jaskier lifts his head from the window, overlaid with wrecked humming, and his own voice now, changed, not and yet himself--

“And I wanted to tell you someday-” Jaskier’s voice filters through the mess, and it quiets behind him as the car comes to a stop and Jaskier climbs out, leaving the sight of the camera--

“I kept telling myself - someday I would, but - suddenly those days were numbered and--” 

A sigh. 

The shot changes to Jaskier’s shoes, the dirt and dust the SUV kicked up swirling around them-- 

“I could only think of you. So I went to you and still, I could not tell you.” 

Geralt’s arms wrap around his shoulders and Jaskier presses his face to his shoulder in the midday sun, hands gripping loosely at his shirt-- 

And then the shot is changed--

Jaskier is standing there in the same position, identical, but it is a dark room, empty-- 

Fog swirls about his feet-- 

His hands are achingly empty-- 

And Jaskier wraps his arms around himself and sings--

Sings about how his love slips through his fingers like smoke, how time slips through his hands like sand, how he can hold on to neither-- 

Sings about the agony of watching the years slide by, unable to reach out and grasp, unable to hang on-- 

Jaskier dances with an invisible partner, knocked to his feet, pushed onto his side, collapsed on the foggy floor--

He struggles to his feet, reaches out, and suddenly it’s the same shot before, and in a blink he’s back in Geralt’s arms, fingers loose in his shirt, forcing himself to step back with a wobbly smile, voice cracking on the last note of the song--

“Cancer is a scary word.” Jaskier whispers over a shot of Geralt cooking dinner, strong hands handling the knives with ease Jaskier will never possess-- 

“It’s strange because you’ve known your body all this time and suddenly you don’t - you feel like you’ve stepped into your childhood home after someone else has moved in, or after it’s been abandoned. You recognize it, but not really. It’s yours and it’s not. You don’t understand, but it’s happening and you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.” 

Jaskier enters the shot, leaning up against the counter and smiling crookedly at Geralt, the camera panning over to focus on his face-- 

His smile falls when Geralt looks away from him, his eyes sad, searching the man’s face, running over his profile-- 

“And I swore I’d tell you before the time ran out. I didn’t know when that would be, but I’d tell you. And I think, maybe, I kept putting it off because I felt selfish for it.” 

Jaskier looks away and pushes off the counter, steps past the camera-- 

Geralt turns to look after him and suddenly-- 

Jaskier croons a soft, slow, and sweet song about a man who smiles like the sun, a man with honey gold eyes, a man with calloused hands he wanted to hold-- 

Geralt stands in the evening, nearly grey hair painted yellow as the sun began to dip, eyes the same as they glance at the camera-- 

A shot of hooves as they cover the grassy ground of the pasture, called in for the night--

Jaskier croons about standing so close, of touches and shared laughter, of yearning and it being okay because he knew-- 

The man with honey gold eyes cared in his own way, showed it in his tolerance for too many words, in his gifts, in the way he cooked dinner for him always--

Geralt guides the horses to their stalls, feeds them, shots of his hands working stall doors shut-- 

And Jaskier-- 

Jaskier watching from the door of the barn, leaning up against it with a glass of water in his hand, Geralt’s hands waving him away any time he tried to help-- 

Jaskier turns to walk back towards the house and he stumbles-- 

The glass hits the dirt-- 

And suddenly he’s in that black room again, expression empty as the glass splinters, water spreads across the floor--

The song dissolves into acoustic plucking, Jaskier making the strings work for him as if they were a voice, too--

“You didn’t understand. I didn’t either, really. I don’t really tend to be an angry or bitter man, not truly. Resigned at times, perhaps, but not furious. But I was on the bad nights, when my voice wouldn’t come. When it felt like shards of glass in my throat. It felt like the world was keeping that, too.”

Jaskier crouches, pokes at the pieces of glass--

He picks a piece up, opens his mouth, sets it on his tongue--

“I thought a lot about what I might have done differently.”

The shot is the same, but it’s in the kitchen, Jaskier pressing a piece of strawberry to his mouth instead. 

“I kept thinking that I should have told you. A long time ago, I should have told you - before I left to tour, maybe. Earlier than that?” 

Jaskier grins at their dining table, the shot changing to the plate of strawberries before him, sliced into manageable pieces by Geralt-- 

“I almost did, once. We were sitting on that shitty apartment’s couch - you remember that apartment. I swear it haunts my dreams sometimes. I was picking out whatever filled the cushions through the hole worn on the right side and I watched you rant about one of the rich clients that boarded their horse at the ranch. I wanted to kiss you so much.” 

A sigh. 

The shot changes to Geralt rolling his eyes, but smiling as well, absently tucking his hair behind his ear - the shot slows for a moment, the motion examined-- 

“I didn’t. I don’t know why I didn’t.” 

Jaskier’s next song is more upbeat, though it picked up pace slowly. 

This is all metaphors, sunflowers reaching for the light, rocks smoothed by a river-- 

It’s all what Geralt did to him, does to him-- 

How he does not know but he makes Jaskier better at the same time that he aches--

Jaskier rides a horse here, tacks her up, rides alone-- 

He pauses to watch a bird sing, before taking flight, wonder clear on his face--

A shot of Geralt reaching for Roach, her muzzle bumping his hand lightly-- 

The song ends abruptly, and it’s suddenly just Roach standing there, flicking her tail boredly, ears swiveling about as she listened. 

“You asked me to stay.” Jaskier whispers, in the same tone that he talked about cancer. 

“And I did. Of course I did. But I knew you were afraid even if you wouldn’t say it. And I couldn’t tell you, but I think you knew, then. I think you knew.” 

Jaskier breathes in and then-- 

I love you more than the my ribs can hold, he strums the guitar gently-- 

It’s a tender love song about a cowboy who went grey early, who liked his coffee with milk and sugar on good mornings, who had warm hands-- 

It’s the single that he released originally, but a bit slower, a bit softer here in the context-- 

And it’s the porch, the stars, rocking chairs, a glass of whiskey, a glass of water, hands gesturing, smiles, wrecked looks, a guitar-- 

Snippets upon snippets of all the little things that Jaskier loves-- 

“They told me I was cancer free on a Thursday.” Jaskier confides, over the shot of a rising sun. 

“I laughed at first, and then I cried. It didn’t feel real. And I didn’t want to go back to the spotlight, not yet. I had missed you. Missed the domestic. You asked me to stay, and you didn’t tell me to go so I didn’t. I worked on getting better. I worked on processing that I didn’t have a finish line anymore. At least one not right in front of me.” 

Jaskier stands in the black room. 

Fog swirls around his feet. 

The sound of Geralt’s voice, muffled, floats in from the right, and then the left, surrounding--

“And more than anything in the whole world, I wanted to tell you. And I did. That all of it was for you.” 

Jaskier runs-- 

He runs for the far side of the room, braces his shoulder, breaks through a door that wasn’t visible before--

The ranch sprawls before him and Geralt startles a little where he stands on the front porch-- 

The door of the little ranch house flung open as Jaskier pants at the threshold, eyes wide--

Jaskier sings something more powerful than the rest, reaches for Geralt, wraps his hands in his sweaty shirt--

He hadn’t taken his evening shower yet-- 

The light paints them gold--

Jaskier’s voice breaks on the big note and he leaves it in because this whole album is imperfect, things are wrong, but it’s his story and it matters-- 

And he sings forever--

He catches his breath after the song is over, strong arms wrapped around him, pressed against Geralt’s chest--

“I didn’t know you read poetry, but you did for me, one night. It was by Mary Oliver.” 

A shot of Jaskier’s scratchy, loopy script-- 

A shot of papers spread across the floor-- 

A shot of Geralt pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he navigated the mess-- 

“And I’m terrified to release this. You haven’t even heard all of the inbetweens. But, cowboy, I keep thinking of your voice when you read it. How the final verse sounded on your tongue--” 

Geralt’s voice overruns his for a moment, a gruff thing, low-- 

“Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing. And gave it up. And took my old body and went out into the morning, and sang.” 

It’s a bit monotone, a bit straight from the page, a bit stiff, unused to being recorded, but it’s there, it’s his voice, it’s clear-- 

“And so I’m going to sing and tell the world about it all because life is too short for anything else.” 

Jaskier’s last song leans towards his old pop records, bubbly and bright, but it’s acoustic, stays true to the sound-- 

And there’s smiles, and boots, and breakfast-- 

There’s Roach, and some of the other horses, flashes of kids and trail rides-- 

Geralt’s cowboy hat-- 

Jaskier stealing said hat-- 

Geralt yanking him in by his belt loops to kiss him-- 

The sun rising-- 

And the visuals fade to white from the light hitting the camera--

Jaskier dissolves into humming the upbeat tune, a sound that turns into bright laughter and a muffled-- 

“Geralt.” 

Tracklist:

Time (Like Glass Is Fragile)

Honey Gold Pt. 2

Earthen

My Ribcage (You Live There)

To Breathe Once More (For You)

Who Do I Thank For Cowboys?

Runtime: 35-45 minutes

[spectrumscribe]

I hear static, I hear you.

An AU, set directly after The Power Inside Her. Canon divergence from the ending of the episode. AO3 link.

———————————————————-

Part Ten. (Master Post)

There ended up being a lot of sleepless hours between planning their next move, and actually executing it. Leo didn’t think he got more than a handful over the course of the day.

For most of it, he’d stared at his ceiling. Thinking and wondering if April’s plan was going to work or not. In the privacy of his thoughts and the darkness, Leo had allowed his anxiety to roil in his thoughts. After all, he wouldn’t be able to let that happen whenever night rolled around. If he did…

Well. They’d seen what happened when they let their emotions and thoughts run unchecked. Leo didn’t want to put Donnie through that again, further changing him from the brother he’d known.

In the very, very private space of his thoughts, Leo admitted he was almost scared of his brother. Before and now. How far he’d changed from his original self, hollow eyed and like something from a horror movie...

Leo wasn’t sure how he was going to fully control his instinctive reactions, even though he knew that Donnie wasn’t aiming to hurt them. The reflexive fear was just so powerful, Leo didn’t know how Mikey had, and was, doing it.

He’d figure it out though. Staring up at the familiar stone ceiling of his room, Leo swore to himself he’d control his emotions and thoughts. Donnie’s life depended on him doing that, on all of them doing that.

Even though, after their family meeting, they’d all been extremely busy collecting the required supplies late into the night, Leo felt restless all through the day and only managed a light sleep.

He ended up rising before evening anyways, despite his best efforts to get enough rest. Too much in his head to actually do that, and too much anxiety over their plan.

Instead of continuing his fruitless attempts to sleep, he chose to nitpick their set up in the lair.

After they’d left the meeting, they’d split into two teams. Splinter and Mikey stayed in the lair to haul out every mobile light fixture they had, and keep watch in case Donnie returned home again. April had said it was unlikely, but there was an unspoken vow to take no chances.

Raph had gone with Casey, and… Leo had been paired with April, for scavenging. They needed as many lamps as they could feasibly get to work, and Leo had kept a steely grip on his emotions for the sake of getting the job done. Even as being so close to April had worn him thin, mentally and emotionally.

Her hair was so much shorter than it’d used to be, but Leo still saw how she’d been on that night. Red hair flying free, swirling with each burst of destructive power. Her blue eyes were weary and dark now, but Leo could easily imagine how unearthly light had glowed from them.

He hadn’t talked with her much. Mostly, they’d driven the Party Wagon in silence, and continued the silence as they loaded the van with every lamp stand that seemed like it would work.

Once or twice, Leo had been tempted to ask how she’d been, but the question died every time he looked at her. April had shrunk, for better lack of words. The confidence she’d gained over the years having vanished into bone deep weariness, and then turned into grief.

Leo knew April was sorry. She’d said so, and had cried over what she’d done. It didn’t change how his stomach turned being close to her, or how he couldn’t stop seeing a murderer in the place of his friend.

He’d kept things polite, though. Out of respect for the relationship they’d had before this, and for the efforts April was making to right her wrong.

Now, Leo moved through his home in the early evening. Footsteps as quiet as the home itself. After they’d all regrouped, Leo and the rest of his family had put their restless energy into setting up the first half of their plan.

Lamps of all sizes and shapes now dotted the main room, most of their sockets empty and shades discarded. It’d been a chore to gather so many working ones from garbage bins, but they’d done it. Casey and April had the jobs of getting the lightbulbs they’d need, and come evening they were supposed to return with the fragile glass. Then they all would wait. For Donnie.

Leo sighed under his breath, moving a slightly bent, tall lamp a step to the left. It would’ve been fine where it was, but he needed to do something to pass the time. Maybe he’d just move all the lamps a step to the left. There were enough it’d take him at least a few minutes.

Leo stepped over the tangled cords across the floor, minding his foot falls so he didn’t trip and pull everything down with him. On a whim, he clicked the switch of a lamp he passed, and was briefly surprised that the old bulb turned on.

Then it started to flicker rapidly, and Leo’s heart stuttered.

“Donnie?” Leo asked aloud, eyes darting around. The blub kept flickering for a second longer, and then settled.

Leo watched it for another tense moment, and then let out a quiet breath.

His heart was still jumping around a bit, so he put a hand on his chest and tried to calm the rapid pace it’d picked up. To no avail, since it just kept on thudding far too fast and loud.

Leo sighed hard, and tried to get a grip on his nerves. Tonight was probably going to be harder than he’d previously thought, and he’d already felt reluctant about the whole plan.

To counteract the overwhelming effect all of their minds and emotions had on Donnie, they were planning on filling the lair with enough ambient energy that Donnie would be able to stabilize. Hopefully, if it worked, Donnie would remain coherent enough to deliver the other portions of his plan to April, and… whatever that plan turned out to be, that would be their next move.

For this to work, all they had to do was control all of their emotions and thoughts so they didn’t create a looping feedback of terror and fear that would cripple them and send Donnie back over the edge. No pressure or anything.

Leo wasn’t feeling confident. Not with how scattered and wrecked they’d all become, since Donnie’s… not death anymore, but disappearance. There was still a chance.

Leo swallowed his doubts, and tried to rally himself as he moved onto another lamp. They could do this, they would do this. They couldn’t fail, and Leo would somehow make sure they didn’t when the time came.

Leo’s internal clock, and tired feeling eyes, told him he still had a few hours yet.

He sighed again, louder.

He moved another lamp to the left, because he could. Because that’s all he could do, at the moment. And keep waiting, as agonizing as that was becoming.

Leo had moved all the lamps exactly one space to the left by the time his family started emerging from their rooms, and then had moved them all back one space to the right by the time Casey and April arrived.

Once the bulbs were in place, the lamps plugged in, and the television and radio turned on- they waited.

Donnie appeared only at night, for some reason. Maybe it was because Leo and their family were typically awake at night, or it could have been something else. Leo wasn’t sure, and he didn’t try to figure it out. He didn’t care what hour Donnie appeared at, he just wanted that hour to be soon.

April had taken position in the center of the lights. Legs folded beneath her as they waited for Donnie to make an appearance. The rest of them had spread out surrounding the imperfect rings of lamps.

Raph and Casey sat close together, talking in low tones as time ticked on. On occasion, they’d glance at April, but for the most part ignored her. Mikey sat close to the television, and miracles of miracles, seemed to be meditating as they waited. Back straight and eyes closed, Leo hadn’t seen his brother move once since he sat down. Leo almost went to ask him what he was doing, but he decided in the end to let Mikey be. Better to not interrupt a good thing.

Their father sat by the radio, it’s speakers on but playing nothing. He’d told them that Donnie had spoken through it once, and had added it to the lamps as an extra measure. Anything to ease Donnie’s struggle to exist on the living plain.

Leo himself sat on the far side from Raph and Casey, and folded his legs into a similar position to Mikey’s and April’s. Once they’d all settled, Leo closed his eyes and started to open his mental barriers.

If Mikey was connecting to Donnie by being ‘open’ to the connection, then Leo would lower his defenses to let his brother in.

After the first Kraang invasion, and after Leo had woken up from his coma, he’d started having vivid nightmares of the Shredder. Specifically of the attack that had put him in a coma. In order to get any sleep at all, and stop the flashbacks he’d have in the middle of regular training, Leo had applied a technique their father had taught them not long after they’d started their war.

Leo had built impenetrable walls around his mind, and repressed the experiences completely. Unless he wanted to remember them, he wouldn’t. Donnie had commented it wasn’t the healthiest thing in the world to do, simply forcing his mind to not think about the trauma, but Leo had figured it was worth it. After all, what good was a leader who couldn’t spar without seeing his worst enemy in the place of his brothers?

And if Donnie had wanted him to lower those defenses back then, then he’d likely be happy Leo was doing it now. For him no less.

Leo waited, meditated, and opened his mind for when Donnie would appear.

It took an amount of time, but the moment the air changed in the lair, Leo’s eyes snapped open. A chill ran through him, and with his defenses completely down, the crawling sensation went directly into his skull.

Leo’s heart sped up for a moment, and then he forced it to remain calm. He’d remain calm, no matter what.

Leo was on his feet the same time as everyone else, watching the lights of the lamps go crazy. Each bulb pulsated at faster and faster rates as the room got colder, an icy grip spreading over everything. Leo’s hands clenched as he instinctively wanted to reach for his swords, but he wasn’t wearing them, and wouldn’t ever draw them on Donnie. Ghostly creature or not, he would never do that to his brother.

Leo shifted his feet nervously- no, he couldn’t be nervous, he couldn’t afford to be- and he readied himself for what would inevitably come next.

Without his mental walls, Leo swore he could hear something whispering to him. It sounded wrong, and he wanted to put the walls right back up. But he couldn’t, because that was probably Donnie, and he wouldn’t ignore his brother, never again.

Wind, despite the lair being far underground, brushed past Leo, and he shivered at its temperature. The last of the heat in the room vanished, and the television and radio’s crackling static increased in pitch. Leo held his breath as the lights turned darker and darker, and didn’t dare move when the light became so low he could barely see.

Then.

They flickered back to life, and Donnie was there.

Leo heard a sharp intake of breath from someone, but his focus was on Donnie.

His brother hovered on the edge of the lamps, a good three feet off the floor. He’d materialized on the edge furthest from everyone, and was looking at them all like he had last time. Silent, hollow eyed, and with no emotions to be seen.

It was a reset to him before being overwhelmed. That was good, that meant they had a chance to get this right.

Leo swallowed, and continued to maintain iron control of his emotions, while remaining open to Donnie’s connection. Under the creeping sensation of wrongness emanating through the air, it was beginning to be harder than Leo had thought it would be.

No one spoke as Donnie started drifting forwards, towards the first ring of lamps. So far, their plan seemed to be working, and the lamps darkened as Donnie drew close. Their energy was providing him stability, which meant the next step of the plan could begin.

“Donnie…” April said, her voice soft and careful.

Donnie turned his head slowly, the movement somehow disconnected and leaving wisps behind as he did.

Leo’s eyes darted between them both, watching as Donnie focused in on April, and April swallowed obviously.

“I know I sent you away last time, and I’m s-sorry,” April stuttered on her apology, likely because of the reaction it had triggered previously. Donnie gave no indication of his anger yesterday evening, and she continued. “We’ve got electricity for you this time, though. And we know what we’ve been doing wrong. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Donnie blinked slowly, and continued to give no response. The television and radio crackled with static, and a wave of dimming went through the lamps. Everyone stiffened again at the actions.

Leo took a slow breath, and prayed that everyone would be able to control themselves. The air felt cold and tense, and he knew that they were still one wrong step away from everything falling apart. They couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Donnie floated closer to the ground, moving another ring nearer to April. He was only ten feet from her now. He tilted his head, looking at her with his dead, blank eyes.

April was standing straight, but Leo noted a tremor in her hands. She maintained steady eye contact with Donnie, though.

April moistened her lips, and spoke again. “I know this isn’t the plan you tried to give me, but you gave me too much last time, Donnie. And then you took most of it back with you. Can you try showing me your plan again? But slower this time. I won’t be able to handle it all if you go too fast.”

Leo’s nerves jolted as the radio and television’s static suddenly changed, and a distorted voice came from the straining speakers.

ar̙̦̩̰̳͈̝e̠̥̦̗̟͝ ̡̥y̴̥o̗͞u̹̠̻̠͈͖ͅ ̺̘͚̻̮̮́l̬̠͔̣͡ì͉̜̰̩͕̻s̞̮͈͎͚̕ͅt̲̮͡e͜n̦̱i̯̰n͈͍̤͍g̻͈͉̤͈̯͘ͅ?̻͜

 “Yes,” April replied, voice steady. “I’m listening. We all are, Donnie. Please, just one more time…”

Donnie’s form warped for a moment, then stabilized again. He stared at April, blank expression somehow communicating scrutiny. Leo tried to figure out what Donnie was waiting for. Why was he hesitating? Wasn’t this what they’d all been trying to achieve?

A wave of something moved through the room, and Leo tried not to shudder. He could feel Donnie, his brother’s presence as ambient as the lamps throughout the lair. It was so cold, like ice was trying to grow right inside of Leo.

Was this what Donnie was feeling? Trapped between worlds?

Leo was- not scared not scared he wasn’t scared- worried to find out. Worried for his brother, and how painful it must have been to experience the coldness in full force.

.̝̥̣̰̤̲͘.̜̳̙̦̥̦.a̙lr̨͍̺̫̼i̫g͓h͙͎̹̰t̫̮̟.̣͎͉ ҉̱̲l̹͙̤̜͡e̛̬̮̮̙̥t'̯͚͖s̘̫͖̮ͅ ͔̺͇̻̱t̢̞̬̯͓̗̯ṟ̺̟̳͔y̴͚ ̮̬̮̪̰͍̞a͎̲͎͕͕ͅg̴͍ͅa̱̥̱̝̭̝̪i̧͔ṉ̡͔̣.̗̮́ ̯L͍̲̩͉̤̤͘ị̷̖͔̝ͅs̝͚̱̪̰t͚͡ęn̩͉̞̻͚͈͍͡i̦̩n̶̝͍ͅg̩͔͎͜ ̗͈͇ͅt̮͔͖̣̟̣̮ḫ̣͎̙̬́ͅǫ̗̘̯͎̗u̥̘̟͔̰͎͢g͙̟̫̣̖̺͉h̞̹ͅ. ̦p̧͕͔̱͓l͈̹͙̗ḙ̭̜̙͍͘a҉s͏̼͎͕e̪̹̮̦͎͈͝ ̸̯̠͉͕̺l͟i̤̖̜̝̻̪͠s̛̘t̯͟ẹ̠̙n̥͕̹̞͈̪̩,͚ ̞̹͝l̹̞̜͈͘i͓͕͕͇̝̖s͙͕̙̤̝̦̺t̝͍͇̞̠̘e҉͖͔̟̩n̨͇̜͇̗ ̷̪̱t̼̞̯̠̦̺͘o̴͚̳̪̹͉̝ ̙̲̦̱̖̗̕M̲̪͍̣̭̕e̥̯̪͉̲̤.̰͘

 “I’m listening,” April said. “I swear I’m listening, Donnie.”

Donnie drifted towards April, the lights closest to him dimming as he went. A trail of pale afterimages followed him, limbs not quite lining up in their movements. Leo held his breath, forcing himself to remain steady as his brother approached April.

Donnie stopped right in front of her, just three feet away, and hovered. Waiting.

Leo’s eyes darted quickly to the other people in the room, rapidly checking for any sign that someone would falter in this crucial moment. Mikey was staring wide eyed, utterly still and silent. Raph and Casey stood together, both their hands curled into fists. Splinter stood, tall and ready, with his ears laid back against the ever growing static from the radio and television.

Leo’s senses felt off, the static and flickering lights interfering. And Donnie’s wrongness was still seeping through the air, easily brushing over Leo’s mind now that he’d removed his blocks.

Leo watched April’s hands shake, as Donnie drifted a slight amount closer. Donnie stared at her, wide and white. And then, as April’s face went completely pale-

-his expression twisted like it had last time, and then Leo’s senses screamed.

The full force of the connection slammed into Leo, and his knees buckled immediately. A snarled mess of emotions and thoughts that weren’t his overrode everything, and he choked under the strain.

-guilt guilt guilt fury shame hate sel͢f̵-d́is̛g̡u̢st R̝͖̳̻A̳̘G͠E͍͖͉̰̺̠̯̕ -

Ice clawed at Leo’s chest, and he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t find air, there wasn’t anything nothing no o͢n͝e ͡it w̧a͞s͟ ͠su͡c͡k͞i̷ng hi̕m ͡įn tea̛ri̛ng h̕im ͜apart̕ ͞ he̶̫̼̥ḽ͉̗̳̜͟p̝͔͍͕̤̞͇ ̭͉͖h̡͔͖̻e͔̠l̦͓̥͉̪̰͚p̖ p̀l̡̞͓ḙ̬̟͜a̪͉͉̜͚̙s̻̫̰̥̙͎ͅe̺̝̯̩͚̺ ̢g̺͈̖̙̹̗e̶ț̛̰̺ ͇͓m̨̝e̘̤ͅ ͘o͢u͏̯̩̗͈ͅt̯ ̘̳̝̟͞G͘E̫̪͎T̶̩ ̪͍͍͚̠͚͘M͇̣̳̰̰E͍ ̝͕͙͎̹̦O͖̱̹̬̕U̪̞͖͘T̳̼̗̠̺͉-̸̳̥̼̙͙-

 - a͡l̀l ̧m̴y̸ f̵au̸l̡ţ I d̕idn't͢ mea̸n̛ ̴t́o҉ ̢I͟'͞m̸ şor̵ry I'm̶ ͝s̶oŕr̵y ̶pleasè I̸'m ҉S̡OR̶R͜Y̸-

 Leo wrenched himself free of the howling thoughts, and forcefully slammed his mental shields back into place. The thoughts disappeared, but the screaming, the screaming-

It wasn’t just in his head.

Leo struggled to his feet, taking in how things had deteriorated again.

This time, Donnie wasn’t hovering in place and screaming. He was everywhere, rapidly disappearing and reappearing as lights shattered in the rings of lamps. April was on the ground, clutching her skull and yelling.

Leo, shaken and struggling to return to full control of himself, realized the sudden influx had come not just from Donnie, but April too.

His ears were ringing- or maybe he was just feeling the after effects of the full connection- and the shouts of his family were distant. Mikey, open and vulnerable to the connection, was obviously struggling to stay standing, and Raph and Casey seemed at a loss of how to break into the situation. Every time they moved forwards, Donnie would shift where he was, and they would be forced to retreat or risk running into him.

Glass fell onto the floor as Donnie swept through another row of lamps, shattering the fragile bulbs in a sweep of blinding light. The television’s screen was too bright to look at, arcs of electricity coming off it like the ceiling lights of the lair above them all.

“Donatello! Calm yourself!” Splinter yelled over the shrieking static of the electricity, barely hearable over April and Donnie’s combined voices. His words only seemed to make things worse, and Leo’s mind was wracked again by an intense blow of snarling emotions and thoughts.

His own fear rose in response, and Leo couldn’t control the rapid thudding of his heart, the need to run or fight or hide-

i҉̙͙̬̼t̥͘ ̺h̦u̟̪̼͓̱r̲̜͇͍͎̥̣t͎s̠͇ ̬̝̤͉̝̬̣i̬̰̖͖̱̲̲t̲̖͙̠̲͉ ̶ḥ̹̙͚͡u̗͚̩͙̯̣̩r̖̝ţ̘͙͚̝̗͈̳s̺̦ ̢͇̜i͙̩̰̲̻͙̞t͎̳͠ ͍̰̜͚̝͠Y̧͎͓͈͚͚O̢̦̫̣U͖̞͖͕̱̲͞R҉̭ ̵̰F̦A̵̮̗̺͉͎ͅU̠̦͈̯̭ḶT ̨̖̼̤͕͇͈m̙̫̰͟ỳ̗̫̮̯ ͏̱̤̩f̬͇͉̀a̴u̧̙͍͖̰͎̗ͅl̢̙̪̙̤̩ͅt͓̮̻͕̼͉ ̺̹̣̗H҉͇̘̰̲̗̙͙Ę̹͙̝̳̜̻R̩͖̙S̸̘̤͇̬ ͏͙IT̻̪̤̦̜ ̼̟̳W̡ÁS̱͡ ̟̼̖̬̬́H̘̠̘̙̩́ͅE͍R̯̠̩̰͘S̕ ̫̗͢ͅỌ̪̥̯̪U͙̩̤ͅT̢̼͕̞̩̰ ̧̜͎͕͕͉OU̵̯͕̼͕̣ͅT̟ ̴̹̫̭̝̳̲O̫̯ͅU̵̥̹ͅȚ͖͈̭̜͙ ͞m̗̹͡a̻k͏̘̜͈e̷̼ ̠͇iţ͕͔͉̳͈̗̪ ̡͈͉͉s̱͕͍̩̯t͏͎o҉͖̝̫p̩̺̘̙͖͜ ́m̞̹a̴̼̠̳͈̤k͈e͏̯̯̻̦̮ ̴̳͉̬̤̲̯i̢͇t̼͍̙̙̱͉ ͈̼͇̹s̹͉̝̩̼̕t̵͎͈̦͈̤ͅo͖̟̖̞p͓̣͈ ̢̹̩̩̣͔I̟͓̹̮̮̭’̗̮̗m͘ ̖͖͖̤͉̘s͉̭̝̰̝ͅo͉̦̣r̺̖̳̙̜̘̟r̵̙̺͎̖̙̣y͈͓̭̞̟̫ ̨p̛̬͈̩͈le̙̹a̡̼s̱e̖͚͎̰̹͟ ̯͙̲̥P̜̻͚̯͓̳̻L̩̙̤̩͎̖̬͝Ḛ͎̮̹͍̝̝͡A̝͈̙S̖̳̖͓͝E͓̜̞̗̼͈̪ ̥͇̫͈̱͙̖H̱̭̭̳E̳̞̼L͈̘̠̪P̵̻-͓̻͚̦͢

 -̴̝͎̭͍̜̯̻s̪̗̼̭͓͘t͍ọ̣̻͓p̖ ̳̤̝̜̤s͍͈̘͡t̩̫̘͜o͏̤̱̞p̡̮̤̯ ̰̭͍s͙͓t̕o͎̼̬̮p̢͔ ̲̞͎̭̥̖͢I̻̹̩’̞͚̩̮M͉̤̖̺͙͜ ̹͍̰̲̻S̜͇̙̭̗O͏R̘̣̱̥̜̝R̜̥̤͕̟̳͘Y͏̹̟̠͈̖ ̵̭I̤͖̠̯ͅ ̵͕D̼̦͓̯̥̹I̙͍D̠̬͎͍̬̼̳N̸̯’̸͈͙̣̤̮T̪̻͇̗̯͇̣́ ̫M̨̹͖̠͉̮̩̪E̗̭͕̻̱̰ͅÀ̘̝̤͇̰̪ͅN͎̯͖͕̤̱ ̡͈̱͇T̹̱͓͜ͅO̻̼͈̺̰ ̢̪pl̷̪̘̙̼͎̠̱e̛͉̫̤͖̘ͅͅa̭̩s̙̞̙̰e҉͔̖͓͇ ̦͓̩͉̰P͙͚͞L̥E̹̺̤̞͘A̰S͜E͇̳̟͔̦̖̖ ̥͓͈̜̹I̵̭̜̣̲̫̗’̧̩M̰ͅ ͉̳̘̝S̠O̯͎͚̻͉R̘̠̺R̭Y-̵͕͚̼

 “April!” Leo shouted, shoving his own emotions away. “APRIL! Calm down! You’re only making it worse!”

Another collection of bulbs exploded, and the combined scream of April and Donnie both filled the lair. Then-

Abruptly, all the lights in the lair went out, and Leo’s vision was plunged into darkness. The intruding thoughts fell away again, and everything went eerily still. No screams were heard anymore, and the only things Leo could hear were his fearfully thrumming heartrate, and ragged breathing from the room’s inhabitants.

Then, a wave of sheer and utter guilt pulsed through Leo, and his sightless vision watered at the crushing sadness following it. He couldn’t breathe, the feeling of despair wracking through him so deeply nothing could enter his lungs.

He curled on himself, a deep and cold pit opening in his chest and swallowing everything. His shields had fallen again under the brute force of the attack, and he couldn’t manage even a sliver of strength to bring them back up.

Leo gasped, and couldn’t inhale at all. Ice encircled his neck, and his mind fell into depths of terror and pain that weren’t his.

Light slowly came back to his sight, as he struggled to drag himself out of the spiraling despair, and Leo turned his head against the stone floor to look at its source.

Electricity was arcing off Donnie’s scales, the only source of illumination, as he hovered in the air. Only the lamps around him were lit, all the others still dark. He was staring at April, expression still dark and furious.

It looked so wrong on Donnie, Leo thought distantly. Then, it became horrifying, as Donnie’s form distorted worse than ever before.

All the emotions and thoughts, flowing and howling between them all, were manifesting in the worst way. It didn’t look like Donnie could handle it, even with all the extra electrical current.

Donnie’s head glitched, and for a moment, three different heads took the place of it. One’s expression was furious, another was screaming silently, agonizingly, and the final one, the middle one, stared with emotionless judgement at the girl lying on the stone floor.

Leo couldn’t breathe or move, as the monstrous version of his brother bore down on April. Glitching his form over and over, having one and then three and then one head again and again. The bright flashes of electricity from the lamps shone on the scene, showing April’s unmoving body on the ground. Donnie steadily drew closer and closer, lowering himself to the ground.

Leo struggled to shove himself onto his elbows, but his vision kept skewing, and his body wouldn’t respond how he wanted it to. He’d hooked himself in too deeply, let too much foreign influence into his mind. Donnie’s ice-cold power held him in place, and April’s emotions took care of the rest.

Leo couldn’t do anything to stop what was happening, and he knew, as Donnie moved according to April’s fury and self-hatred, whatever happened next wouldn’t be good.

Leo fought the feeling of heaviness, struggling to pull himself from the gripping emotions and thoughts, and desperately tried to stand, to get to Donnie or April or both of them, anything to save them from what they about to do to each other-

“STOP IT!”

Leo gasped, and was suddenly able to get air into his lungs. Some of the hold on him abated, and he was able to shove himself off the ground. But that hadn’t been April’s voice, or his, so who-?

Leo turned his aching head towards the scene again, and found-

Casey, arms outstretched as he glared with a pale, but stubborn expression on his face. He stood in front of April’s prone form, staring Donnie down, even as Leo’s brother kept glitching menacingly.

Leo, for a moment, was thrown by how stupid the idea was. Standing in the way of a poltergeist, how would that do anything?

M̩̬̠͊͌ͩͩ̎O͚̮̺̦̟̻̔V̝̖͙͖̱̮̠͋̋̀̎̿̈Ë̩̠͖͉͎̤́ͪͣ̃̀͋ͬ, Donnie’s disembodied voice commanded, coming from everywhere at once. The three heads appeared again, and Leo’s stomach turned at how wrong that looked.

“Yeah, no,” Casey snapped. “Not until you calm down and she calms down and we all fucking calm down.”

Casey’s words were brave, but Leo could see him shaking. Casey’s eyes were wide enough that the whites showed in the flashes of mini lightning Donnie was giving off, and his grimace was deep and nervous. He stayed put though, even as Donnie growled a wordless, bone deep sound.

“Look around!” Casey exclaimed, a hint of strain in his voice as he did. “Look at what you’re doing! This isn’t you, Donnie. Hell, this isn’t April either!”

ge̞̬̻̜̘̹͔t̟͕͈̻̱̭̅̓ͫ͂̅̃ͫ ̠͕̰̫̰̰͉̌ͤo͓͙̣͎͑̓ͩͅu̬͉̼̮̤̟̓͆t̠̮̳̰̣̜ͭ͂͛͒ ͓̰͇̰ͯͪ̓O̯̤̞̼͙͍̩̽ͣF̟͇͖̭̫̖̀ ̣͔͙̥̹̞͈̀̍ͥ̎͊͑̌T͚͓͙͍̠ͨͧ̑ͦH̜͚̹̑ͤ͆̍̐E̯̭̦ͧ͋ͦ̇ ̞̱̎͛ͦ̏Ẁ̟̖͈͆̓̐͗͒͋ͅǍ̼̝̳̺̮̙̤̒̚Y̖̞̥ͪ̐͑̅, Donnie yelled, his form splitting into three heads again.

 “NO!” Casey yelled back at Donnie, not even flinching away from the horrific sight. “Not until everyone calms the fuck down!”

Donnie’s heads reunited as one, and he snarled at Casey in a way that Leo could feel in the air. Casey didn’t back down, even as Donnie suddenly flashed to stand on the ground, five feet in front of where Casey was blocking him from April.

Leo noted that the pressure from Donnie’s presence was abating further and further, and the other members of his family were shaking off the attack. Donnie’s focus was completely on Casey and April, and it was giving them all space to breathe again.

But, as the pressure on Leo lessened, it seemed to worsen on Casey, and his footing became shaky. Casey was breathing heavily under the focused power, and his breath steamed in the frigid air surrounding him.

g̮̗̥̞ͅe̹̳̣̦ṯ̤ ̴̬̼̟̟̰̹̝o̤u̲͙̬̱̦̫̫t̛̫͖ ̯̺o͖f̘͘ ̴̯͎̲ṱ̺͚̰ͅh̩͇̻̺͎͖e̘̦̳̦͓̜̫ ͔̕w̡͓̮ͅá͖̪y̙̦ ̢̱̲C̦̹͎̞̥̯a̢̟̩̩̼̞̥ͅs͎̲͕̻̣̫͟ey̡̹̪͖, Donnie’s voice said, even as his lips didn’t move. Then, his head split again, and he yelled, G̺̟̝̀È̼T҉̲ ̱̟̳̙̜ǪU͏̹T̢̯̭̞͓̘ ̳͔͡O͖̜̜̞F̠̼ ̶̟͕͎̟̭̳̖O̶U͏͈̱̥̭̤̞̱Ṛ̛͙ͅ ̶̲̣̞̫̭͇̖W͚̹̟̤̤A̡͕͍̰Y̢ ̢O̢̖̯͇̱͖̻R̰͞ ͎̠̻͢I'͙̹͔̺̤͠L̞̫̻̗L̶͓̳̲-̨̙̺̱-

“Or you’ll what?” Casey snapped. “Go all Paranormal Activity on me? Kinda already are, so get a new trick already!”

Casey was antagonizing the highly volatile poltergeist in the room, because of course he was. Leo wasn’t sure what he expected to happen. Probably not this.

Donnie’s snarl caused the lights around him to brighten, and an increase in arcing electricity. Casey kept staring him down, even as the flashes of light got dangerously close to him and April.

“Look around, Donnie,” Casey said, voice firm and even despite the situation. A rush of determination went through the connection Donnie had built between them all, and Leo knew for fact it was Casey’s. “Fucking look at yourself! Look at what’s happening! We might not always get along like best buddies, but I know this isn’t what you would have wanted to do. We’re trying to help you. April’s trying to help you. So calm down and let us help you!”

When Donnie didn’t respond, other than reuniting his form and letting another rolling wave of terror move through the room, Casey squared his shoulders, sending another push of bull-headed determination through the link, and yelled, “I watched one of my friends go nuts with power, I won’t let another one do the same thing!”

And before Donnie could react, Casey closed the distance between them, raising his fist as he went, and-

“So wake! The hell! UP!” Casey shouted, and he punched Donnie across the face.

Leo’s jaw dropped open at the sheer absurdity of the move. Then, to his complete shock, and likely everyone else’s in the room, Donnie reeled from the punch like he’d actually felt it.

Casey let out a pained sound, and clutched his arm to himself, hunching over the hand he’d hit Donnie with. And then, with something popped in the connection, and the ringing terror from earlier was gone. The last of the pressure in the room disappeared abruptly, and the lights came back up slowly.

Donnie hovered off the ground, a hand on his cheek and showing actual confusion on his face. Leo felt similarly, and not just because of the empathy link between them all.

Then-

ca̲͖s͏̱͔͈͚e̤̞y͔̞?̪̣̬̪͡ Donnie asked in a small voice.

 Casey’s stiff posture slumped a bit, and he gave a strained grin at Donnie. “Hey dude, thinking straight again?”

w̦̙͟ͅḥ̴ͅa̠͠t̸̪̞͉ͅ?̥͘ ͎̜̤̠̳́w͉͞ḥḙ̦r̞̞ȩ̠̝͇͈ ̭̫͈͈̭̟̮a̶̯m̨͔ ̰͎i̖͚͓̲̟̩-̠̰̙̠̥͇́ Donnie stopped, staring at April on the floor still. His blank eyes widened, and he floated forwards an inch, only to reel further backwards. a̳̮̞̱͕̞͟p̙r̲͔͙i̢̦l̖̣̠̠̤̕?̗͚̠̮̠̰̱ ̝̦̻̣̳͕n̞̘̲̜͔͍o͏͚͙̥͚ ̱n̦o͇͚͕ ͡n̺̰̳̫̰o̴̘͙̙̥,̠̟̘̫̦͈ ̬͍̙̻͇̰̝t̯̺̻̱̫̰͝h̟̲̭͍̼a͜t̪̫͇̱̱̯̗'̱̙̪̰̰͡ṣ̠́ ̷̣n̡̘͈ơ̤̜̠̲̹͓t͈͈̮̟̗̹͔ ̠̯̼̗͘w̶̪̗h͓͎̹͘at ̨͉̭̪i̬̟̭̰͕̭- ị͈̹͇͓͖ ̤̫͇͙̲̩d̪̰̖͈̲i̪̪̝d̲̝̜̩n̮̞̩͉'̜t̬̫̙̖͉ ̱̺̥̺̝̯̩m̪͎͚̺̕ea̷n͕̙͘ ҉̖̤̼t̗̬̠͉̻̬o͓̬̞̤̞̪-̼̯

 Donnie shrank on himself, paling and becoming nearly not there. i̟͟'m̹ ̧̰̮s̤͖̣̻͖̟̝orr̥͢y̺̮̲,̗͎̯͓̹͜ ͓͔̞͔͉̙͠i'̹m̱̘̥̣ ̫͙̺͟ș͓̞̠͈̜̮o̲r̢͇̩ŗ͙̝̯̫y̟͖͎̙̞,̶̘ i'͈̱m̼̰̩͙͖̜ ̱̘͖s̠̞̙̥̼o̶̹r̭͉͟r̛̬̬̮y̯͉̩.̟̩̜̭͢ͅ.̤̮̟̳̝̝̠.̬̭͇͎̜̘͕͢

 “It’s not your fault,” Casey said hoarsely, still clutching his arm. “We’re the ones fucking you over. You didn’t mean to.”

no̹̙ ͈́n͙͕͕͎͙ͅo̢̭͔ ͖̰͎̹̟̫̭n̨̮̱̦͚̞̖o̝͕͕̤ ̸nͅo͖̖̹̜͔.̗.̷̜̼̝.͏̭̦̹̮.̵̜̳̪̟ Donnie mumbled, voice getting quieter and quieter as he hid behind his hands. Leo then realized his brother was in danger of disappearing again, and after everything they’d done to bring him this far, if someone didn’t do something-

“Donnie.”

A rush of warmth flooded the connection, and the pit that had opened in Leo’s chest filled itself.

Mikey was standing beside Casey, having moved there while everyone was focused on Donnie. Mikey closed his eyes for a brief second, and Leo could feel the comfort he was pouring into their connections. A sense of home, care, and love filled the link, and overrode the fear and cold.

Donnie’s form stabilized again, and he slowly regained visibility. As Mikey stepped towards him, Donnie lowered his hands, and stared down at Mikey.

Mikey stared up at him, looking determined and sad. “You didn’t mean to, and I know that for a fact. You’re the guy who opened up the link, after all. You can’t hide much once you do that.”

i̩̲̱͠'̼m̭͙ ͕̟͍͙̲s̭̠ǫ͉̪̦͕r̨̟̳͍͍̤r̞̗͉̳y̛̳͇̘͍̞̮, Donnie said again, lips actually moving as he said the words. i̦t͈̺͙̖̕ ̪j͚̠̜͎u͓͓s͏̬͈̳ͅt̪͇̼̺ͅ ̩̤͉͜h̲̩͓̪͕̝u̱̰̺̱̥͞r̴̗̦͇ts̺̗̟̖͝ ̮̲̹̘̲ͅi͠t̡̫̘͍ ͈͝h͉͖̜̰̤͟u̮͈̱̮ͅͅr҉t̹̖̩s҉̪̭͕͚̰̺ ̨a̗̩̝̥̤̮nd ͉͚͖i̱͎͚ͅ ̦̫̺̥͘c͍̠̗͘o̥u̘̱͜l̟͎͓͓͞d͙͙̝n̢̩̟̯'͓̦͍̰͓t̥̯̮͍̰̹̜ ̮͎͍̞̳̣c̥͓͇̯̹o̴͎̦n̖̫t͏̞͉r͍͜o̮̞̗͓̮͘l̦̞ ̻̘̥̳͍i̦͔͠t̸̤

 Mikey winced slightly at the pitching static in Donnie’s voice, but didn’t flinch away otherwise. “It’s cool. Everyone loses control sometimes.”

Leo’s feet started moving towards his brothers, then. He drifted forwards, following an unspoken request. He saw Raph moving close as well, and their father’s tall form joining the group.

Leo took his place beside Mikey, with Casey, Raph, and Splinter. Donnie stared at them all, still hovering, still partially curled on himself.

Leo’s earlier fears were erased, feeling the strength of the bond they were all sharing. With Mikey pushing for it, Leo’s own familial love slowly leaked out. There wasn’t any fear anymore, only the sensation of being a part of a group, of a family.

“Let’s try this one more time,” Mikey said, smiling softly at Donnie.

Leo felt a hand on his shell, and turned his head to see April shakily making her way to the front of the group. She was let through, and even Mikey stepped aside to let her stand in front of Donnie.

Only the quietest twinge of guilt and shame came from her, before it was overpowered by the warmer emotions flowing through them all. April’s hands weren’t shaking anymore, and she held her hand up to Donnie.

“I’m ready,” She said, voice strong. Leo felt her power reach out to Donnie’s and watched as his brother’s hand reached out to meet hers.

It was only a gentle touch, Donnie laying his hand on April’s palm. He closed his eyes, and after a beat of concentration, opened them again to smile at them all.

Then he vanished, fading away too quick for Leo stop.

April’s stumbled, and Leo instinctively reached out to steady her. She was clutching her hand like Casey was, and fresh tears dropped from her eyes.

“I got it,” She said, voice cracking. “I got the plan. He- he couldn’t stay anymore, but I got his message. I heard him.”

Her shoulders shook, and Leo followed impulse as he wrapped an arm over them. The last of the empathy link was dying off with Donnie gone, and Leo only caught the tail ends of the aching sadness April was feeling. But it was more than enough.

“Good job,” Leo said, holding his friend as she tried to pull herself back together. “I- I knew you could do it.”

April scoffed wetly, but let him hold her.

Then, Leo noticed her fingers had turned blue, and his concern turned into concern, the same time as Raph exclaimed “HYPOTHERMIA!” behind them.

Leo turned his head, and saw Raph and Mikey already rushing Casey towards the kitchen. Splinter approached Leo and April, and Leo got the silent message they should probably do the same with April.

Casey was being held against the sink by Raph when they entered, blue tinged fist shoved into a sink filled with room temperature water. Leo’s father led April the same direction, instructing both the humans to keep their hands in there until they stopped being in danger of paranormal-induced hypothermia.

Leo was then commandeered by Mikey, to go start sweeping up the definitely dangerous glass shards everywhere, while Splinter and Raph treated their human friends. The last he saw of April and Casey, was April leaning her head on Casey and saying something too quiet for anyone else to hear. Casey seemed to hear it though, because he lowered his on head to set it on top of hers.

Leo grabbed a broom and joined Mikey in clean up, and put aside his questions about Donnie’s plan for later.

They’d figure it out later. Right now, they’d tend to the injuries accumulated through the experience, and Leo would focus on building up his mental shields properly again.

He paused for a moment though, as he passed Mikey while they cleaned, to pull his brother into a tight hug. While the majority of Mikey’s emotions had been loving ones during the connection, there had been an undercurrent of sorrow to them. Such deep sorrow that it still echoed in Leo.

Leo hadn’t spent nearly enough time with his brothers lately. Not nearly enough time comforting them as they struggled with grief. The exposure to April’s crippling self-hatred and Mikey’s soul deep sadness had knocked Leo off his axis, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with either.

He’d started though, by holding his youngest brother, and telling him he was proud of what Mikey had done. Believing in Donnie when no one else had, and then helping avert what could have been a disaster.

Mikey seemed confused by the sudden praise, but warmly returned the hug anyways.

Leo held his brother tight, and swore he’d do the same to Donnie whenever they got him back.

continued.