"...he is," Donnie admitted, the faintest of smiles stubbornly tugging at the end of his lips. He shook his head. Leo had never looked at him as the problem, but Donnie had sure felt it was his responsibility for his brother shrinking in upon himself, distrustful of everyone and doubting his own ability because he couldn't keep Donnie from getting hurt.

"Stop trying to avoid me. Every time you try to excuse yourself, even if you're believing you're giving me space, it's... It's not what I want. It's like I have the plague or something. And then I get paranoid when we talk, and maybe it's just my misinterpretations and your not saying things straight."

He made a face. "Maybe we're just both. Really, really bad at this."