I Dare You to Explain

Murky twilight of early night filled Raphael’s room, with two voices whispering in the background.
“And bam! I whacked him in the shin. Then he got mad and beat me up…” Mikey sniffed. “But it’s worth seeing him limp around the Lair. That shin’s gotta hurt as shell!”
“So ya hit Leo in the leg, big deal,” Raphael rolled his eyes. “I’ve made him limp more times than I can count.”
Michelangelo snorted. “Yeah and he made you eat dirt after all those tries.”
“Ya tryin’ to pick a fight?”
“No! No please, I still hurt all over. Don’t hit me Raphie, please.”
“S’what I thought.”
“Guys?”
The two turtles turned their heads to the door, squinting at a silhouette standing there.
“What’s up Donnie?” Raphael asked.
“Can I bed with you tonight?”
Raph and Mikey looked at each other. “Sure,” Raphael replied.
Donatello picked up something big from the ground. He came inside, closing the door behind him using his foot. Carefully avoiding all obstacles, he made his way to Raphael’s hammock and threw his burden on the floor next to it.
“Oh, you brought a mattress?” Michelangelo piped up merrily. “That’s great! Finally I can sleep without worrying I’ll fall out of this thing.”
“No one’s making ya sleep in my hammock,” Raphael grumbled, helping him scramble out of the swinging net.
“That’s ‘cause you can’t sleep in a proper bed,” Michelangelo pointed out, waiting for Donatello to arrange his beddings. “How else am I supposed to cuddle with you?”
Raphael grunted and curled up a little. As soon as Donatello finished laying his bed, Michelangelo slid into it and patted the mattress next to him.
“I’m warning you Mikey, if you start drooling on me, you’re going back to the hammock,” said Don, lying down and getting comfortable.
“I’ll be good,” Michelangelo promised, snuggling up to his brother.
“Uh-huh,” Donatello sighed and closed his eyes.
“Oh hey, have I told you how I almost kicked Leo’s shell today?” Mikey asked suddenly.
“No,” Donatello murmured. From the hammock came Raphael’s groan.
“He said he wanted to do some extra sparring with me,” Michelangelo continued unabashed. “And he wasn’t going easy on me at all! I even had to draw my chucks to fend him off. And you know what?”
“What?” Don sighed.
“I got him in the shin! I got him in the shin,” Michelangelo repeated, squirming under the blanket in joy of his achievement. “You saw him limp around today, right? That was the job of Mikester, the Battle Nexus…”
“I didn’t see him limp,” Donatello said, eye ridges furrowing. With that, Mikey’s delight was broken.
“Whaaat?” he whined. “How come?”
Donatello smiled. “Sorry to spoil your fun, but I didn’t see him today.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve barely seen him for a week,” he added quietly.
Mikey didn’t know what to make of it. “Huh?”
“It seems like Leo’s avoiding me,” Donatello said, working hard to hide a touch of acidity behind his favourite matter-of-fact tone. “I didn’t realise our daily rhythms were so different until now. But it really takes a little for us to stop seeing each other. All Leo has to do is let me skip training.”
“He said you weren’t well!” Michelangelo cried out in surprise. “And when I asked about it today, he made me do that extra sparring! Man, so it’s your fault I hurt all over?”
“Yes, it’s my fault,” Donatello said, willing his voice to remain even.
“Don,” Raphael growled. “Ya still haven’t apologised?”
“Of course I’ve apologised,” Donatello responded. “But my apology still hasn’t been accepted.”
“What apology?” Michelangelo asked curiously. Donatello was silent for a while.
“It was something I said,” he said finally, unhappiness and defeat peeking through his voice. “Just over a week ago I said something incredibly stupid to Leo.”
“Incredibly stupid don’t even begin to describe it,” Raphael interrupted him darkly. “Ya basically told him he’s a failure and we’d be better off without him.”
“Yes, but I didn’t mean it that way.”
“It sure sounded like it,” Raphael said wryly. “Ya should’ve heard him Mikey: ‘At this point I think you should leave…’”
“I explained it to you!” Donatello sat up, upset. “It wasn’t supposed to mean that. I know I made a mistake, alright? You don’t have to rub it in.”
“Hold on.” Michelangelo sat up as well. “What exactly did you tell Leo? And how come Raph knows about it and I don’t?”
“I overheard them while I was watching football. I can quote what Don said word by word if you want,” Raphael offered.
“There’s no need,” Donatello stopped him. He sighed again. “Really, the point isn’t what I said anymore. I was an idiot, I made a mistake, I recognised it and moved on. That’s all. I’m not saying I don’t deserve punishment, after all what I said was some really bad stuff. I’m not trying to disclaim responsibility because I didn’t know what I was saying. I just… I’m…”
Michelangelo ended his search for words. “Leo’s avoiding you,” he repeated quietly.
“Yeah,” Donatello nodded unhappily. “I haven’t seen much of him since he snapped at me, right after I said all that stuff. It’s like he doesn’t want to see my face anymore.”
“I wouldn’t want to see your face either,” Raphael said bitingly.
As if he hadn’t spoken, Donatello continued. “When Leo marched off, Raph came and scolded me. Only then did I realise what I’d said. I got really scared,” he laughed uneasily. “I followed Raph’s advice and I went to apologise to Leo. I found him in the dojo training away. I said I was sorry and tried to explain. He didn’t even look at me. I thought he just needed time to think. So I left.
“That night I went to his bed as usual. But he never showed up. I thought he was still mad at me, so I went to my lab and slept there. The next night he didn’t come again, so I figured I’d just wait until he said something. I’ve been waiting since.”
“For a week?” Michelangelo tilted his head in disbelief.
“Yes.”
Mikey shook his head. “For shell’s sake, you two. Look Don, Leo’s just being stupid. Go talk to him and everything will be fine.”
“No,” Donatello protested, “I can’t just go and force another apology on him. He still has to react to the first one. And he isn’t being stupid, he’s just… stubborn.”
“Dude, if that reaction you got is being ignored, it means he’s being stupid.”
“Hold it bonehead, ya weren’t there,” Raphael cut in. “Ya’ve no right to say anything.”
“I have the right of the last sane turtle in the Lair,” Michelangelo retorted. “Both Don and Leo are being stupid and you aren’t helping. What do you think these two’re gonna do when a fight comes up, huh? Use hand signs because they don’t wanna look each other in the eye? They’ve got a family to run! There are folks who depend on their cooperation, and it’s not just you and me, Raph. They’ve gotta make up, or I ain’t Michelangelo!” Mikey struck a pose and waited for applause.
Donatello chuckled. “Okay, I have to admit you have a point. But still, it’s Leo’s turn to speak up. I can’t just go and say: ‘Hi, have you decided if you hate me yet? If you haven’t, then excuse me, I’m going to sleep at Raph’s.’”
Michelangelo rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you listening? It’s time to go to him and say: ‘Hey you, stop sulking. It worked for the first five days but now it’s just old.’”
“No, listen Mikey…”
Little did they know of another pair of ears listening.

Kitchen clock said that it was 6:10 AM.
Donatello was hunched at the table, cradling his morning cup of coffee. He was shivering.
Leonardo peeked into the kitchen. He took a breath and said: “Good morning.”
Donatello flinched. His head shot up to look at his brother. His hands flexed around the mug; he set it down and picked it up again. “M-morning,” he said finally.
Leonardo opened a cupboard and fetched a bowl for his breakfast. Cereals rattled as he poured them. Walking over to the fridge for milk, Leo glanced at Donatello. The purple-banded ninja was staring at him, not bothered to conceal his confusion and hope. Leonardo looked away, hiding a blush.
The hum of the opened fridge was too loud. Pouring the milk sounded like a river. Leo sat down opposite Donatello and he began eating. None of them said a thing.
They remained silent for the rest of the day. Several things did change. Don wasn’t allowed to skip the morning training. He and Leo had lunch with the rest of the family. And they spent the afternoon in the same room, each doing their own thing.
Evening came. Donatello’s hands began shaking and it didn’t take him long to drop a piece of delicate circuitry. “I’m calling it a day,” he announced.
When Donatello walked out of the shower, he spotted a chuckling Michelangelo. Mikey gave him a wide grin and winked. Don shook his head and entered Raphael’s room.
“Lookin’ for yer mat?” Raphael asked him. “It ain’t here. Leo just took it.”
Donatello leaned on the door frame and tried to catch his breath. Raph eyed him. “Ya’re one lucky turtle. Go already. Leo’s waiting for ya.”
Leonardo was in his room. Donatello’s mattress was lined with Leo’s futon, so that a comfortable bed for two was formed. Don came in silently and sat down on his mat. Leo turned the lights off. A single candle was left afire, bathing the room in its warm glow. They lay down, Leo embraced Don and he pulled a sheet over them.

Leo totiž číhá na fanfikcích.