#splinter 2003

He has to remind himself of that every time that Donnie reaches out and Leo dismisses him. He doesn't mean too. He always has one very good reason or another, but when you're a kid, "I'm very busy so I can't right now" can sometimes sound like "I don't want you around." Especially when he's been small for two days and Leo's been too busy trying to fix him to actually enjoy the little tike.

The rambunctious little genius isn't lonely by any means. They all pitch in to give him the attention that he's looking for, even Raph in his own haughty way. Splinter has done everything possible to dote on him, taking full advantage of his chance to relive turtle tot hugs and nuzzles. But Donnie does seem disappointed when Leo doesn't look his way once while passing through, politely moving around their mock-skyscraper of pillows while talking agitatedly on the phone.

Donnie's smart enough to follow their explanation about why he's a tot and they're all teens and why they're living somewhere that's not what he recognizes as home, but he gets stuck when any of them try to explain that Leo's not mad, or avoiding him, or sad, or brainwashed by aliens. He's busy trying to help him.

Donnie always has an impossibly good reason to fire back at them.

For example, he's not injured, or scared, or anything bad. He's small and stuff, but he doesn't care, he's having fun, and will Leo play superheroes if he's asks really, really nicely? Why not?

Their arguments get pretty circular when Mikey doesn't have a good response. What's he supposed to say? "We need everyone on deck when an ancient evil comes to destroy New York, which means you can't be easy to smash with demon magic?"

Sure, that won't spook him at all.

Mikey sticks with distractions. Games and snacks and tv and friends and anything that he wants to do all the way up to bedtimes stories with dad and some shut eye. A part of him wishes that Donnie could be small and cuddly for a while more. The rest of him knows that it's too dangerous for them to be unprepared. The woes of a ninja.

He passes out on the couch for a second time, starting a new trend that every busy parent is probably familiar with.

Donnie is staying in Master Splinter's room until they can turn him big again. He wanted to sleep up in his new room, but they're too nervous about what could happen with no one watching. With all the repairs that's had to be on the reservoir, Donnie's room is a safe place for a teenage scientist, not so much a curious kid.

Their separate placements and his drained sleep are why he doesn't wake up immediately when the screaming starts. He does jolt upright in time to find Donnie bolting across the lair, Raph and Master Splinter chasing after, trying helplessly to reason with him.

"My son-"

"-it's okay-"

"-only a nig-"

"-onna hurt yo-"

"-ease calm d-"

"-ome. This is home!"

"NO!"

"So, uh," Mikey joins them. "I take it I missed something?"

"Your brother had a disturbing dream."

"Donnie, listen-!"

"No! I'm going home!"

"It has affected his judgment in a way that we cannot remedy."

"I hate it here!" Donnie declares with a stomp of his little foot and a beak wet with tears. "I hate it!"

"No you don't." Mikey steps towards him. He grabs onto one of the poles of the railing, embracing it with both arms. When Mikey goes forward, he steps behind it, and with dawning horror, Mikey realizes that he's places himself between the pole and a sharp drop. "Y-you liked hanging out with me. We had fun, didn't we?"

"I want my brothers!"

"We are your brothers-"

"Not you're not! No you're not! No you're not!"

He gets louder with each word, but Mikey presses on, "Okay, okay- hey! we can talk about this, okay? Let's talk about this not over there. You can come sit on the couch an-"

"Leave me alone!"

Donnie stomps his foot again, but this time his heel doesn't meet the ground. The lower half of his body tilts and the upper half panics, throwing himself forward and slamming his chin into the pole.

He screams, and they run, but the pain loosens his grip to fast.

He falls. "Donnie!" "Donatello!"

He falls, and Leo jumps after him.

Mikey didn't even see him, but he's two steps ahead, launching off the rails on the far-right side and catching their bawling brother. The grapple swings him to the left railing and he drops down, spurring the rest of them to sprint over to them.

Donnie's bawling his little heart out, cupping his chin and slurring his words too much for Mikey to tell what he's trying to say. Leo's on his knees, head bowed closer to Donnie's and shushing him in a perfectedly soft voice that coulda convinced Mikey that he'd gone through this exact circumstance a million times before. "Shhh. It's okay. You're okay. I'm here. I've got you. You're safe now."

"Fffe-ell- hh-hurts-"

"I know. But I caught you. Can I see?"

Donnie lifts his head, and Leo examines it without touching. "Yeah, this needs an icepack, bud. Raph. Can you get us an icepack?"

It takes Raph a brain blip to realize that Leo's directing that tone at him. "Oh! Uh, yeah sure, sure."

He takes off and Donnie buries himself against Leo to continue crying. Their older brother whispers, quiet enough that Mikey doesn't catch what's said, afraid to approach less he break the bubble containing the precious sight. As Donnie settles down, he rubs his shell and looks to Master Splinter with a question that Mikey can't read.

Master Splinter gives him an affirming nod and Leo turns his attention back to the tot. "Hey. You want to tell me about that nightmare you had? Sounds like it was scary. Was I in it?"

Donnie nods rapidly.

"Were we all in it?"

More nods, a hitched sob.

"Bet we were being mean, huh?"

"Y-you ttold meh-me- t'go 'ome!"

"That doesn't make any sense." Leo muses skeptically. Donnie looks up at him, confused and hurt. "Your home is wherever your family is. Just like my home is wherever you and Mikey and Raph and Master Splinter are. So you're already home."

"I-I am?"

"We're all here, aren't we?"

Either Leo has excellent timing or he heard Raph coming when Mikey didn't, because their hot-headed brother shows up right then. "Got it."

Leo takes it off his hands.

Donnie scrubs at his eyes and takes them all in. Then, he nods a final time, letting Leo set the icepack against his chin.

Their older brother gives him a small smile.

He gets a watery one in return.

Leo stands up, toddler in one arm and other hand keeping the icepack steady, somehow back to being mission-impossible serious despite their little brother looking up at him with big, searching eyes. "I'll worry about getting him back to bed, guys. Eat and then get some rest. We still have work to do."

Master Splinter smiles, "That is a good idea, my son. I will join you soon to take him off your hands."

Leo walks off with the sniffling toddler. Mikey stands there for another minute before reaching out to set his palm on Raph's plastron, pleading. "Tell me I'm not dreaming."

"I'm sure not." His baffled brother returns with a hand in his head. "Don't think I woulda believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

Donnie also didn't believe it after he turned back into a teen. It was only Raph backing him up that convinced him that it wasn't a prank. Leo didn't understand the relevance when Donnie went to confirm it with him as well, giving them all puzzled looks. "I caught Donnie when he fell and then put an icepack on before he bruised. It's not that big of a deal."

Mikey still thinks that Leo's not much of a kid person.