Donnie watches as the brown jumper with holes is put on and Mikey pulls out his glasses, replacing the contact lenses with them. Dr. Feelings is in.

Except Dr. Feelings likes to explore Donnie's feelings.

"I feel like you don't trust me," Mikey looks at Donnie and Donnie makes sure to look just below his eyes, "I feel like you think I can't handle being on my own. That I can't look after myself. That I'm useless without you."

Donnie blinks. This... this wasn't a variable they had considered. They... Mikey was upset and hurting and Donnie's... Donnie doesn't quite know what to do.

So they talk, "When I was four years old, I started to read, but no matter what I did, I was never alone to do so. I kept being followed by this small turtle that insisted on being glued to my side constantly. I used to yell at him, but no matter what, he always insisted on hugging me or climbing on me or sitting on me. Papa would always say 'He's your little brother, Purple. You have to set a good example.' And I didn't understand. I was reading, but he wasn't. I was learning, but he wasn't. I was working on inventions, but he wasn't..." Donnie smiles slightly, "And then, when I was five, I drew a blueprint for the fridge. I left the room and, for once, the turtle didn't follow me, holding my hand, and when I came back, he had drawn all over the blueprint. He was grinning and I was upset and I yelled and he cried and Papa wasn't happy, but I didn't understand, because he had ruined something I had worked hard on," Donnie shakes their frown away and pulls something off their desk, "and then I went back and looked at it."

Mikey takes the paper and he looks at it. He can see Donnie's crayon drawing of a fridge, sort of, but on top of it?

It's crude and childish, but Mikey has to hand it back before he cries all over it.

Donnie is drawn, a cape on their back, hands on their hips. The speech bubble says Blah Blah Blah, but the title? It says 'My hero'.

"I can't live up to that," Donnie places the drawing back on their desk, "I'm no hero. I can't protect you like a hero could," Donnie's hand brushes the metal on their shoulder, "I can hardly protect myself, but," Donnie sighs, "A little turtle trusted me to protect him and teach him and I'll do whatever it takes."

"Donnie?" Mikey asks, voice hesitant.

"Yes, Micheal?"

"You're a dumb dumb," Mikey's voice waters and he makes grabby hands.

Donnie obliges, opening their arms so Mikey can dive in (and Donnie can't stop a smile at Mikey losing that jumper because he knows Donnie doesn't like the feel of it) and wraps their arms around Mikey. They give him a squeeze and the two sit there for a moment. And for a few moments, Donnie doesn't feel any desire to return to their work.

"You are my hero, you know that, right, Donnie?" Mikey mutters into his older sibling's plastron, "You're incredible. You..." Donnie can feel Mikey's hands moving in wild gestures as they knock their battleshell. Mikey isn't letting Donnie out of this hug for a while, "You have this amazing brain that can do so much and just soak in information and use it! You create tech of the likes the world has never seen! You hate getting yourself dirty, but you love gardening and roughhousing and fighting and scavenging in the dump and trash. There's so much to you that I love, but the thing I love the most about you? You've also been the only thing I ever needed, my older sibling," Donnie looks down into Mikey's glistening eyes, "The older sibling that pushed back their disgust at blood and grime and always fixed my knees up when I grazed them and then made me my kneepads to protect my knees and helped me decorate them. The older sibling that taught me to read and write and tried to teach me math. The older sibling that would hold me when I had a nightmare or give me their blanket when I was cold, despite being cold themself, or would make us food when Dad had his bad days or would give me their food when it was running out or would go out alone, despite the dangers, when we were hungry," Mikey twists the bracelet on his wrist, highlighting the pronouns there, "You're my older sibling, the first person I came out to, the one that told me it was okay and helped me make these," Mikey beams at Donnie, "You're Donnie and that's all that matters to me, because you're you and I love you."

Donnie pulls Mikey in close and hugs him tight. It's only a few moments, but it means so much.

"So," Donnie says as they separate, Mikey remaining in their lap, "About your feelings...?"

Mikey blinks and wipes at his face, "I... I get it, Donnie, I do. You want to look after me, you have been looking after me our entire lives and I appreciate it, I do, but," Mikey takes Donnie's hand and bends the fingers on it for a few seconds before looking up at Donnie, "I'm not that same little kid anymore. I want to do stuff on my own, experience the world without the bubble wrap you sometimes seem to wrap me in," Donnie opens their mouth but Mikey holds up a finger, "Figuratively, not literally. You want to protect me, but how can I grow and learn without making the mistakes I choose?" Mikey sighs, but he smiles, "I want... I want to be your little brother and I want you to be there and to have you as my safety net, but a safety net is there for when you fall, not to prevent you falling. Trust me the way I trust you, let me choose to make decisions, no matter how bad and stupid they can be. Give me advice and protect me, but don't try and force me to do stuff your way, please?"

Donnie blinks at Mikey and rubs Mikey's head, "Michelangelo," Donnie smiles, but it only highlights the bags under their eyes, "I'm never going to stop worrying about you and protecting you in every way I can, but," Donnie smirks and Mikey closes his mouth, "I will stop just telling you what to do all the time," Donnie smiles, "I may sometimes need a reminder, but I do trust you. I just don't trust the world," Donnie's eyes flicker to the entrance of the lab, "Just promise you will give me some notice before you go out, okay?"

Mikey holds out his pinky, "Okay."

They shake.

Mikey holds his arms out wide, "Awkward sibling hug?"

Donnie shook their head, "Awkward sibling hug."

"Pat. Pat."

...

"You going to let go anytime soon Mikey or...?"

"You going to sleep now or...?"

"..."

"Donnie."

"... you're not letting go until I sleep, are you?"

"Turtle pile time, baby!"