Chapter Text
Donnie woke with his throat raw, his pillow damp, and his chest hollow. The emptiness beside him screamed louder than any alarm could, and he dragged himself upright, eyes sore from another night of tears. His body felt sluggish, uncooperative, but then his phone buzzed across the nightstand. His heart jolted.
Leo.
Donnie scrambled for it, pressing “accept” with trembling hands. “Nardo?” he whispered, relief flooding his chest. But instead of Leo’s warm voice greeting him, there was muffled shuffling. Then a laugh. Leo’s laugh.
Only—it wasn’t meant for him.
Donnie froze, confusion weighing him down as Leo’s voice drifted faintly through the speaker, directed at someone else. Sam. The two were mid-conversation, and Donnie’s stomach twisted when Sam asked—clear as day—
“So… what do you think about maybe staying another week?”
Donnie’s blood ran cold.
No.
No, Leo promised.
It was just a few days.
His mind screamed that Leo would shut it down, laugh it off, tell Sam he had to get home to Donnie.
But then—silence. A pause. Hesitation.
Tears welled hot in Donnie’s eyes. That hesitation was enough to shatter him.
“LEONARDO HAMATO!” he screamed, his voice cracking through the phone.
On the other end came a startled yelp, the clatter of fumbling. “Dee? Oh my gosh—I must’ve—Donnie!” Leo’s voice was suddenly sharp, desperate, but Donnie’s heart had already tipped over the edge.
“You—” Donnie’s voice shook with fury and grief. “You butt-dialed me. I heard you! You and Sam—you were actually thinking about staying another week!”
“Wait, Dee, listen—” Leo scrambled to explain, panic clear. “I wasn’t going to say yes! I swear, I—”
“Don’t!” Donnie’s shout cut him off. His breaths came jagged, tears rolling unchecked as his chest heaved. “Maybe you should just stay there! Maybe you should never come back! You—you love Sam more than me!”
The words tore out of him, vicious and broken, and the moment they left his lips, regret followed—but it was too late to stop them.
On the other end, Leo went silent, his mind flashing back to that awful fight weeks ago. He could hear the same fracture in Donnie’s voice, the same hopelessness, and it cut him open.
“No, Dee, please. That’s not true—I love you. You’re my baby twin. You’ll always—”
But Donnie’s sobs drowned him out. His voice came again, quiet, shredded.
“Maybe we aren’t twins anymore… if you’d rather stay there than come back.”
Leo’s world stopped.
And then came the knife: “Goodbye, Leo.”
The line clicked dead.
“DONNIE! WAIT!” Leo shouted into the silence, immediately calling back. Once. Twice. Both rejected. He stared at the screen, his reflection blurred with tears, as despair swallowed him whole.
Back in his room, Donnie hurled the phone, watching it disappear behind the bed. His whole body shook as he screamed into his pillow, rage dissolving into heartbreak until nothing but raw sorrow remained. He wished he could take it back—every word. But now he was certain: Leo would never come home. And it was all his fault.
Leo sat hunched over Sam’s kitchen table, the phone heavy in his hand. Two missed calls. No answer. His heart ached like it was physically tearing in half. He’d broken Donnie. Again.
“Leo?” Sam’s voice was soft, careful. He’d been there the whole time, wide-eyed at the outburst pouring through the phone. Now, compassion replaced shock. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to come between you two…again”
Leo shook his head as he wiped away his tears “No Sam. It’s not your fault. My fault for butt-dialing Donnie. My fault for even making Donnie think that I would stay. My…my fault for leaving him in the first place” Leo whispered the last part
Sam sighed sadly, seeing just how upset his brother was “Maybe you should… go home. Patch things up with him before it gets worse.”
Leo wanted nothing more than that. To run. To portal. To hold his baby twin tight and close and fix this mess. But he also knew Donnie—knew how fiery his hurt could be, how long it took him to cool down. If he showed up too soon, it might only explode further.
He exhaled a shaky breath. “We’ll still spend the morning and afternoon together, Sam. But I’ll head home tonight.”
Sam hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Leo tapped out a quick text to Raph and Mikey, thumbs trembling:
Big fight w/ Dee. Coming home tonight. Don’t tell him. Keep an eye on him.
Both brothers replied instantly with worried promises.
Before following Sam out for the day, Leo pulled up Donnie’s contact again. His chest tightened, but he typed anyway:
I’m sorry, Donnie baby. For everything. I wasn’t going to stay longer, I promise. I love you, my baby twin.
The message sent. A glowing thread cast across the chasm between them. Leo tucked the phone into his belt and forced himself to step outside with Sam, his heart heavy, his mind tangled in the mess he’d left behind.
He just prayed Donnie would forgive him.