3524/Love Letters Part 2: HE KNOWS!

Love Letters Part 2: HE KNOWS!
Date of Scene:	23 September 2020
Location:	Turtle Lair
Synopsis:	Leo Knows
Cast of Characters:	Leonardo, Donatello

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Leonardo has posed:
It's been all of five minutes since Leo slipped off to his room with a pad of paper and a pencil. The front flap rolled into his fist, he's holding it up to read over the few words he's written while tapping the erase of the pencil against his bottom lip. "Dear April, It's Casey..." That's as far as he's gotten. It's definitely a work in progress, but it's been FIVE minutes.

"Wait no..." Scratching out that, "Yo, April, ya boy Casey he-, jesus what is he a five year old rapper?" Scratching that out too. Why did he take this upon himself again? He is absolutley not the romantic one.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello leans against the doorframe for Leonardo's room, another energy drink can in his fist. Soon, they would be completing the heist of the...century? Year? Week, probably. But, this one seems important -- the threads of their small community hang in the balance.

    After a few moments of watching, waiting, and sipping from his drink, Donatello takes a couple of steps into the room and peers over his brother's shoulder. "What are you going to write?" he wonders. It's tricky. It needs to sound like Casey Jones but...it also can't sound like Casey Jones.

Leonardo has posed:
Leo isn't unaware of Donnie's presence, but he's absolutely focused on what he's doing. Walking around in circles about his room, he hops up on the railing, balancing on the thin beam with the curve of his feet, or spins on the peg to step down onto a hoverboard he had out of the way for safety purposes. Of all the brothers rooms, his is probably the cleanest, having only just returned aside, he's kind of anal about it...

Rolling around in tight spins in the open area designated for various activities, he pins lines on the paper with a casual glance up at Don standing in the doorway. "Tell me how this sounds, eh?" Clearing his throat, "April, I know I've been kind of a dolt the last few months, but it's been kind of hard ya know? Sometimes I get so god damned angry, I can barely see straight.. and the only time I don't feel that way is when I'm around you. I want to say that it's all behind me, but I don't want to hurt you again.. all I can say is that I'll /try/ to put it behind me. All that hurting people and shit... I love you April."

Tapping his lip, he rolls towards Donnie, spins in a circle, then rolls towards a wall to the right of the doorway. "I'm thinking that I might say .. I love you more than hockey, but she'd never believe that."

Donatello has posed:
    As Leo moves through the room, Donatello does his best to stay out of the way. It's almost like a choreographed fight scene without any kicks or punches. He steps neatly to the side to avoid the hoverboard, then remains motionless as Leo starts to circle him. Donnie takes a sip of his drink and then moves to lean against the door's frame once more. Best to stay there -- these two have a weird, unspoken tension -- and no one has to tell Donatello the value of not futzing around with someone else's area.

    "Be sure to mention Terry," Donnie adds, sipping from the can again. "Or don't, actually, but...at least mention that he wants to be there for her. April's...." Donatello pauses, looking up to think of the right word. "...going through a weird time."

    It's true. With her cousin possibly gone, there exists the faint possibility that she might be inheriting superpowers. It's unclear to Donnie who knows that, but 'weird time' seems to be a nice way to describe it, regardless.

    "Oh! And maybe something about Warcraft -- she /just/ got her alt to max level," Donnie adds with some enthusiasm. The turtle lets out a small tuft of air. "Oh, don't put that. What do I know about these things?" Nice try, Donnie.

Leonardo has posed:
Leo doesn't really mind, at least not in this instance, circling around Donnie without even looking up it's as if the two just know where to go to be out of the way.. or know where to roll that Donnie already will have moved. It's instincts. Just like their fighting style. "mmm..." Chewing the eraser, "Oh, yeah.. Okay.. You've always been there for me when I was down and out, ya know.. I just want to return the favor. You're going through some shit, I know that, and I totally get it, but at least let me be the shoulder for you that you've always been for me."

Warcraft? Leo furrows his brow, a fine wrinkle directly between his big blue eyes, as he looks up at his brother... "Seriously? Why /do/ you know that?" Actually, he knows good and damned well why he knows that. "Nevermind, don't answer." Waving his hand, pencil extending from his thumb and first finger, wiggling just so.

"Okay, take a look, tell me what you think." Holding the notebook out to his brother, Leo twirls and rolls backwards on his hoverboard. It's more a balancing exercise for him though.... okay, it's also hella fun...

He'll never admit it though.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello reaches out to take the notebook in one hand and brings it up to read. "Why do I know that?" Donatello replies, furrowing his own brow as he looks up and over the notebook. "We play together, Leo! It's called having /fun/..." Donnie shakes his head a bit and looks down at the letter. He quietly murmurs the words as he reads them, checking for mistakes, grammar, and so on.

    Down and out, uh huh, return the favor, right, through some shit, okay, shoulder for you, always been for me...

    "Maybe lose that 'shoulder' part. Casey might not connect the shoulder to the idea of being supportive. Maybe... 'at least let me be there for you, like you've always been for me.' Donnie takes another gulp from the energy drink and takes a breath.

    "Your capitalization is all right -- commas and periods in the right spots. Gonna need to fix that," he adds, staring down at the page. By 'fix that', Donnie means 'make it worse'. Otherwise, the turtle extends the notebook back to his brother for correction.

Leonardo has posed:
Leo comes over to recollect the notebook backwards, spinning to yoink it out of Donnie's hand and resume his backwards rolling while making the aforementioned correction, "Fun.. I would say something about not seeing how that's fun, but I like videogames.. I just don't get how it works." Multiplayer is one thing, but a presistant world? Seems sus, that's all. He's not arguing that point though!

They've been down this road.

It goes nowhere.

A casual glance up over the notebook, whirling, he's still watching his brother after the spin. Lips pursed, nose holes rolling. "Donnie, is there anything you want to tell me?" It's open ended. "Maybe something important that... might not be any of my business, but is because you're my brother and I want to share in these kinds of moments?"

It sounds weird even to his own ears.

"..." Leo is, for the record, not bashful. He's certainly not shy, but he's walking on new ground here. Trying to coax out something and still sound supportive? Not exactly his wheelhouse.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's brow forms a deep line. It's true, they've been down this road to nowhere a few times over the years -- Leo's inability to understand the appeal of Azeroth and Donatello's difficulty in explaining it. Still, one more time.

    "It's great, Leo! It's just like a regular fight -- I gotta rely on April and she's gotta rely on me. We can't win without cooperation," he explains, but leaves it at that. Better to keep it to terms Leo is likely to understand and agree with.

    But then, Leo offers up that open-ended question, which earns a squint from Donatello. What?

    "No?" he answers. "I mean, I'm already at max-level but I don't have an alt. Just the one character, so it's not really a big deal."

    Donatello is not a dope, he's just pretending. It was Raphael's warning that Leo probably already knows the answers to this question, but there was always a shred of possibility it's all one big coincidence. And so, Donatello does not take the bait.

Leonardo has posed:
Leo laughs, not the mocking kind, at Donnie's explanation of Azeroth's appeal for himself and April, "Alright, Alright..." The flap is released with his third finger and the notebook closed with a jerk of his wrist. Both pad and pencil are left on the bedside table which he rolls past to deposite these items, then begins the circuit of returning to more or less hover near to his brother.

They haven't any eyebrows, but the smooth curl of his face just above his right eye is much the same as a human raising theirs, "You sure?" There's something in that tone. Something suggestive.. Something akin to, Are you really going to make me ask you specifically?.

He never does though.. Instead he smiles and nods, reaches out and slaps his brother's shoulder, and rolls a few feet backwards on his hoverboard. "Alright, bro. Just seem tense around me since I've gotten back. I figured you might be ramping up the dramatic effect of giving me news, ya know? Glad to know it's nothing."

That bastard. Leo knows what he's doing.

Donatello has posed:
    As Leonardo closes the notebook, Donatello's brow rises, as if he's remembered something important. "Wait, Leo!" he adds. "You gotta re-write it with your left hand." Casey's penmanship was not the best. But then again, the turtles were ambidextrous thanks to Splinter's insistance. "...Uh, maybe with your foot?"

    His brother's intonation with that 'you sure?' sends chills through Donatello, which is an interesting feat considering their status as ectotherms. On edge, Donatello turns, twists, and spins to ensure that Leonardo is fully within his view. The back and forth balance of the hoverboard, the shoulder slap, and the general ominous tones bring Donatello nearly to a boiling point. His mouth gapes open, silently, as if words were to come.

    But luckily, they don't. "Uh, must be," Donnie stammers. "Must be your imagination, Leo. Or maybe jet lag from your flight. That stuff's no joke."

Leonardo has posed:
Leo doesn't make it easy for Donnie to keep him in view, rolling deliberately close and around the side of his brothers shell, he whirls, reverses and goes back the other way like he's /trying/ to get behind him. It's probably just him goofing off, in the way Leo goofs off, but it almost certainly doesn't help the ominous nature of his line of questioning in the slightest.

"Yeah, that has to be it." Nodding, a few exagerated bobs of his noodle. All grins, like a shark.. or a snapping turtle. Eyes dart over to the notebook, mouth opening expressively, "Good call!" He'll do that in the time before they initiate opperation Test Run. Which may need a new working codename, now that he thinks about it.

That he's thinking about THAT doesn't change that while he is, he's silent... Letting Donnie fill in the gaps of what /he/ thinks Leo might be considering. Since he was staring at his brother while thinking it.

"So, anyone special in your life?"

Donatello has posed:
    Imagine the sound of a kid walking up to a grand piano and just pressing down on as many keys as their hands would allow. That ominous, echoing tone fills Donatello's mind. Anyone special in his life? Donnie stands there, absolutely gobsmacked, and no longer turning, twisting, or moving. Leo has free reign to circle around him or move throughout the room at his convenience.

    "Uh," Donatello finally manages. There's a look of horror forming on his features, and he can feel it, so he quickly turns his head away from Leo and towards the door to the room, leading out to the rest of the Lair and his work area, specifically. "Like who? You mean...Miyagi?"

    Donatello tries a distraction. "I mean, Miyagi really isn't a /person/. It's really just a neural network -- tensor based, mostly -- that uses a deep learning algorithm, along with a natural language processor. Not a /person/ but, you know, more than a program."

    Donatello's heart is racing. He brings his energy drink, shakily, to his mouth and tips it. Nothing. Empty. Another tip. "Uhh," he begins. "I'm going to get another...Do you want anything from the kitchen?" Donatello tries his best to get to the door frame before the hoverboard, and its pilot, and get there first!

Leonardo has posed:
Imagine, if you will, a ninja. Not just any ninja, but a well trained ninja whose endless training and efforts are focused extensively in training himself to be the best. Imagine this ninja was on a hoverboard, a device that relies specifically on balance and footwork to move at just about any speed the user of said device is able to handle with but a forward turn of their foot.

Leo doesn't rocket forward, but he doesn't really have to. He's been moving around the room the whole time, cutting off angles, herding his brother whether his brother realized it, so that when he turns to try and escape... he's a dozen feet from the doorway.

It was subtle.

Donnie will be forgiven.

Leo, however, twirls in place between his brother and the doorway, arms laid across the front of his shell as he comes to a wibbly wobbly side to side stop. A big grin on his face.

Snapping turtle.

He doesn't really need to say anything.

He does though!

"No, not Miyagi."

Definitely knows.

Donatello has posed:
    In the areas of subtly, subterfuge, and generally ninjutsu, Donatello is Leonardo's plaything. Like a mouse being compared to the cat which stalks it, Donnie has no chance here. He knows it, too, and knows that any attempt to get out of there was foolish at best. But still, he had to try.

    No, not Miyagi.

    Donatello's breath hitches for a second. His eyes widen. He's defeated and he knows it. Instead of trying again, perhaps naming Splinter as that special someone in his life, Donatello's eyes lower and his head tilts towards the ground. No sense fighting it further.

    "Who told you?" he mutters, his voice barely able to form the sentence. As much as he'd like to sound indignant, Donnie can't. It's just been too much. Too much lying. Too much hiding. He can only keep it up for so long.

Leonardo has posed:
That it sort of all clicked into place like it did was as much Donnie's doing as it was Leo's. He'd /almost/ forgotten, focused on a task, but then the younger of them had joined to assist.. It was the final ingrediant. That, of course, ultimately doesn't matter. Here they are, Leo standing between his brother and blessed, lovely, not under the microscope, freedom.

Can blame whoever they want.

Put it at their feet and see how signs the receipt.

Leo, for his part, just grins. At the question and the situation that led to it. It isn't a mocking grin, probably not even a teasing one. Just a knowing little curl of his lips. "Does it matter?"

His arms remain across his chest, his posture impeccable. He could stand on that hoverboard on his hands if he wanted, but then he wouldn't look so smug.

Donatello has posed:
    And, this is the moment when it all comes crashing down. Stunned, Donatello's head snaps forward suddenly. Did Raphael betray him? Or did Kai tell Leonardo? The look on Donnie's face suggests extreme disbelief. Why would she do that? Raphael is the guilty one. His mouth hangs open, his eyes wide. A few tufts of air come out, suggesting that Donnie's struggling to respond. He takes a few deep breaths to try and recollect himself.

    No time to dwell on this detail, though! Donnie had prepared for this moment, in certain respects. Instead of an angry Leonardo, as he expected, he's looking upon an older brother who seems to be enjoying this moment. Smug, even. Taking a breath, the turtle shifts his posture to try and stand a little taller, a little stronger. He's already the tallest brother, but he's also the svelt one and sometimes needs to make an effort to be imposing. It rarely works.

    "Okay, so, I guess this is where you tell me I'm not allowed to see her anymore, right?!" he begins, his browline forming a deep crease. Donnie's hands tense at his sides, the skin at his knuckles turning a lighter shade of green as he forms a pair of tight fists.

    "Well, you've got another thing coming, LEE-OH-NAR-DO!" Donatello declares, his voice finally able rise to the task. He brings the back of one of his hands swinging around to knock over one of Leo's trinkets -- a show of defiance. "You might be the leader out /there/ but you're not the boss of my life!"

    It would seem that Donatello has a little baggage with Leo's name on it, even unrelated to the matter at hand.

    It doesn't last long, though. This isn't Donatello. He and his older brother don't often see eye-to-eye on most things, but this isn't him. This is Donatello doing his best Raphael impression. And it's not even that good. Donatello's eyes lower again. He adds just one detail -- this time, his voice is lower, softer, and lacking the venom of just a few moments ago.

    "She makes me happy, Leo," he admits, looking up from the ground at his older brother's reaction to that. Donnie's eyes have accumulated a thin line of moisture along the bottom edge, as his fear turned into anger and then into submission.

Leonardo has posed:
This show from his younger brother is something that, quite frankly, has Leo a little stunned.. Which is absolutely not the same as intimidated. Even Raph doesn't intimidate Leo, but a bad Raph impression? His big blue eyes watch the hand slap at the small figurine.. a drawing manniquin... that flutters across the floor and disappears beneath his bed. His head is turned in that direction, attention fully upon it, and not at present upon his brother...

Until it is.

Eyes cutting tot he side, focusing on the tallest brother after an accentuating point of blinking. A hammer strike home of just how serious whatever he's about to say is going to be.

His tongue drags across his lips, but his arms remain stoically laid across his shell. Frustrated? Angry? Nope... just watching. "First... pick that up." Pointing towards the bed where the figurine flew, "Taking out your frustrations on things that don't belong to you isn't how you were taught to express your feelings and you know better. I expect that kind of behavior from Raph, but not you... definitely not you." Because Donnie is the smart one.

"Second.. I'm your older brother. If I say something that pretains to your /life/, I do so with love, not authority... Which means you take the advice, ADVICE, or you don't.. and I'll still be there for the fallout that may come from whatever decision you make because that's how family works."

Two fingers held up on a hand extended out from beneath his left elbow. "THIRD.. I know she does." Shaking his head slowly, "I don't know when I gave you the impression that your happiness wouldn't be important to me, Donnie... I don't know when 'this' happened-" Motioning back and forth between them, alternating which of his hands is pointing at which of them, back and forth twice. "-but I'm genuinely sorry. I never wanted to rule your life, I just wanted you to ... be.. I don't know. But if you trust her, I'll make every effort to trust her... I'm happy for you, bro."

Nodding, glancing off, "Truly, I'm happy for you."

Donatello has posed:
    It would seem that Leo's happiness for him is going unnoticed by Donatello. Other things are boiling over. "Leo, you're like /four months/ older. Give it a rest!" he exclaims, throwing his arms into the air to illustrate his point. It's true -- Leo is only four months his senior, but time works a little bit different when you're a mutant turtle. Four months is enough.

    Donatello's mouth forms a tight line. Some things change. And some things never do. They might have just been at a turning point, but there's classic Leonardo -- always there to teach a lesson to his younger brother. Pick that up. Respect others' belongings. Donatello takes a deep breath, making a show of it, before he goes down to his knees to fish underneath the bed for the figurine. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't want things to be this way?" he asks before finally pulling the figure out from underneath the bed. His arm comes out clean and free of dust -- this is Leo's bed, after all. Mikey's would be a different story. And Raph's would be boobie-trapped, probably.

    Climbing up to his feet, Donatello sets the figure down on the table, making a point to do so with a little bit more force than might be necessary, but he does leave it standing upright as before. It's important for Donatello to have this little show of defiance, but there's a line he's trying so carefully not to cross.

    Still, Donnie stands tall and faces his older brother. A hand is brought up to send that thin line of tears off of his eyes and onto the floor. "Don't you think I wanted to tell you?" he asks, his voice rising again. "This is the most significant moment of my life and I can't even tell my brother!"

    This moment is clearly bringing forth some new feelings in Donatello -- or at least making him aware that they were there all along. "I...told....Raphael!" he exclaims, leaning forward, as if trying to make those words sting a little. As if trusting Raph more than Leo should hurt. By now, Donatello's breathing has intensified, catching up to the emotions of the moment. His eyes lower, once more, and his voice softens yet again. "Leo..." he begins, looking at the ground. His sentence doesn't finish. It could mean any number of things, but the tone suggests one: I'm sorry.

Leonardo has posed:
Yet standing on his hoverboard, the eldest (even if it's only four months) stands firm in his footing upon the gadget. Gently moving his feet to keep him stationary without even appearing to move at all.. it really is a careful balancing act, but he's well suited to the task. "Still older." It's a simple reply to a defiant counter presented by his YOUNGER brother. Deflation, pop, goodbye balloon!

The defiance presists, Leo watching the way Donnie makes a big show of grabbing the figure, then slamming it against the counter with just enough force that it's clear he /did/ slam it. Leo lets it slide, he can let him have this one.

The rest of what he's got to say, the catalyst for all of the events that have happened. Herding Donnie deeper into the room, standing between his brother and the exit.. the subtly, subterfuge, and crafted deceptions of each movement on the board. It all comes to a point where...

In one fell swoop, Donnie has cut deeper than he could have possibly ever expected. If he wanted it to hurt, he'll never know. Leo would sooner fall on his own sword than let slip just how destructive I told RAPHAEL was when the unspoken, And I didn't tell you hangs there between them.

Rather than looking hurt, he nods to his brother. Lips puffed, twisted in a sardonic grin, "Yeah. Shame that. You're angry right now because I assumed I wouldn't trust you to make the right decision..." His hands fully unfold, motioning out from his sides as he spins in a circle with alternated forward/back arcs of his feet.

"When that is exactly what you just did to me. I.. me. I don't know.. I get it." Up nodding at his brother. Grin in place, it looks genuine, even if it's not. "Go get ready for Opperation Test Run."

His spin stops with him pointing towards the door, no longer blocking the escape.

Donatello has posed:
    Donnie knows he crossed a line with that. It shouldn't be a deep poke, but anyone that is familiar with their family dynamic could understand why it might hurt that Raphael was entrusted with this secret before him.

    "Leo..." Donnie begins. His voice is soft, sensitive, contrite. Once Leo demanded he go get ready for Operation Test Run, Donatello immediately reels it back. The exit is there but he doesn't want it. He knows that if he walks out of this room, like this, he may never walk back into it the same way, ever again.

    "Leo," he repeats. "Leo, I'm sorry. Really." Donatello's eyes moisten again -- it's all fueled from the frustration he feels, with Leo, with himself. The situation just got out of hand, there.

    "I just..." he tries to continue. "...I was afraid. You've been such an...." He searches for the word. Asshole is probably what was coming. "...efficient leader...these past few months."

    Donatello takes a breath. "I...thought you would make me...Not see her anymore. Say she was a 'breach of security'" he explains with Leonardo's own words, his hands held out in a welcoming gesture. "I wanted to tell you, I swear!"

    "Please..."

Leonardo has posed:
Efficient leader

It's enought that it almost makes Leo laugh, but he holds firm in his stoic grin. Though the point towards the exit is ended with his hand gently slapping against his thigh as Donnie goes through the intricacies of his decision making process regarding whether or not to tell him about his and Kai's relationship.

Blue eyes look to his younger brother, lips quirked, head canting backwards just so.. staring down the rounded snout just above his upper lip. The only thing bringing them to eye level being the hoverboard and Leo's own incredibly tall presence. Short, sure, but fat chance telling him that, right?

"It's okay." Slapping out to catch Donnie's arm, a shoulder pat with the flat of his palm. "I probably would have a few months ago. AND I'd be right to do so, from a strategic point view..." There's a but in there. Lifting a finger to point at Don, ".. but not as a brother. Which I realized I'd sort of stopped being at some point."

So while it hurts to hear Donnie say it, he /does/ understand why that decision was made. Still doesn't like it though, "Maybe we're both a little guilty here. Me for being an asshole for long enough that you thought I wouldn't be happy for you and you for not telling your brother anyways... Which-"

Another spin. It's almost comical that he's still on the hoverboard at this point.

"-Spilt milk. All we can do is clean it up and move forward. Suffice to say, your life is your life. As long as the decisions /you/ make don't put everyone in danger? Which includes you, I will do my /very/ best to not think I know better..."

"Even if I do."

The last part was probably teasing.

Donatello has posed:
    It's okay. The slap-catch of his shoulder brings a sudden comfort to Donatello. It wasn't a punch.

    Donatello lets out a small bit of air, through his nose to spare Leonardo the putrid smells of energy-drink-breath. Donatello nods along to Leonardo's words, giving him the satisfaction of agreement. There was absolutely blame to be shared for this, though Donatello's decisions have been clouded by something new, unique, and foreign to him. The thought about Kainashi being a security breach is something he could accept would be in Leonardo's mind, but that's as much as he could. How could she be?

    There's a long moment of silence as Donatello chooses his next works carefully. There was so much to respond to, and Leonardo calling himself an asshole might be an irresistible trap, but that moment passed. Tensions now released, Donatello breathes a little easier. "Well," he begins, managing a smile. "I'm glad to have my brother back, Leo."

    In fact, he extends an olive branch to his older brother. "One thing I didn't tell Raphael," he begins quietly. "...We kissed. Sort of."

    It's true. They both wussed out a little, but it might technically still count.

Leonardo has posed:
The hand falls away from Donnie's shoulder after jostling it a bit, a good natured tug of his brothers arm, just to show he's not angry. Then, Leo is rarely angry, at least /really/ angry. Certainly not /violently/ so. Regardles, here they are. Coming full circle and that, at least, seems to be a positive conclusion to what was previously a very tense verbal spat.

Finally he steps off the hoverboard, using the twin toes of his foot to turn it verticle by pulling on the right wheels. It is held aloft and laid on the bed, out of the way, in the moment that Donnie informs him that he and Kai had kissed...

Sort of.

"Whoaaaa... okay, that's the line! TEE EM EYE..." Both hands up to cover his earholes, a big grin on his face. "Good for you, Donnie." The punch, which isn't a punch, wraps at his younger brother's shell.

"Look at you guys, Mikey rushing off to be a real hero defending the earth, you getting a girlfriend, and Raph still sucking..." That part is a playful rib. They had.. some good moments since he'd been back, but could he tell the other brothers that he and Raph had actually /gotten along/?

No.

No, he could not.

"Alright, I need to finish that note for April and save Casey from crashing and burning.. you get Miyagi ready for tonight? And someone find Raph and Mikey. We've got /work/ to do, if we're going to make sure that idiot actually gets April back.."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's cheeks turn a muddy brown kind of color as Leo reacts to that. "Leo," he begins, his voice becoming somewhat precise. "Don't say that. She's not my girlfriend." Is she? It's honestly been a point of confusion for the turtle. "I mean, I don't think she thinks she is." Donatello takes in a bit of air and lets it out. It is a confusing point for him. What even is a girlfriend? Where does the line get drawn? She's a girl. She's his friend.

    This had been a weird day. It's about to get weirder. "No," Donnie replies, shaking his head. "You're wrong about Raphael. He's...he's a great brother." Donnie watches Leo's reaction to that. "He was there when I needed him the most." Donnie looks away, suddenly. He realizes how it sounds, but it's not an attempt to make Leo feel bad for not being there.

    But, he leaves it there. Leo's right. They have to get ready for tonight -- Operation Test Run. Miyagi's finest hour, potentially. It might actually do something useful.

Leonardo has posed:
"Aw schucks, bro.." Leo says with Donnie's bit of embarassment about the particulars of his relationships label, "Well, for what it's worth, just enjoy it? I don't know diddly squat about relationships, except what I see in the movies, but I can ernestly say this without any feeling of guilt... The harder you try to figure them out, the less sense they make." A wry grin, a little shrug, and a blank stare.

Had he really just gone there about Raph?

It takes him a second to recoil from the shock of such a bold statement!

Silent, really, struck absolutely mute by the implications.

Donnie is well and truly gone before Leo inclines his head, nods once, and says very very VERY quietly.

"I know."

Donatello has posed:
    The harder he tries to figure the relationship out, the less sense it makes. Isn't that the truth? Donatello nods his head a couple of times, his eyes widening, and his cheeks filling with a small cloud of air. He lets it out. Donnie has spent a lot of time trying to figure this out and, as Leo described, it makes less sense now than before.

    That's the sentiment that Donnie leaves the room with, fully on his way back to his computer to ensure Miyagi is good and ready for tonight. He's totally, and utterly, oblivious to Leonardo's agreement on Raphael.

    Some things change. And some things never do.