Disclaimer: This story is just some self-gratifying family fluff written for my own amusement. And perhaps yours as well.
Donatello heard the lair door hiss closed and one set of footsteps enter the main area. The streets had been quiet for a few days, so he and his brothers had some rare down time in the evenings. Tonight Donatello opted for staying home and doing some tinkering in his lab while his brothers roamed about the city. His meandering thoughts were interrupted when he heard a poorly muffled sneeze from outside his lab.
Donatello paused, listening intently. Sure enough, two more sneezes followed the first, along with the accompanying sniffles. Donatello glanced at his weather gadget on his computer screen and sighed, getting lightly to his feet and exiting the lab.
"Hey Raph," Donatello said as he joined his brother on the couch.
"Hey," Raphael replied, rather nasally.
"Forget to check the pollen count today?" Donatello asked casually.
Raphael had the grace to look mildly abashed. "Yeah," he admitted. "I didn't think it would be so bad so early."
Donatello chuckled, "You should know better, Raphie."
"Yeah yeah." Raphael attempted to clear his nose, but two sneezes exploded suddenly, interrupting his efforts. "Hep-CHOO! Hep-CHOO!"
Donatello shook his head as he considered his sniffling sibling. Their mutation had not only given them humanoid characteristics, but some of the physical difficulties as well. Unfortunately for Leonardo and Raphael, spring was just beginning, which meant pollen season, which meant hay fever for the both of them. Leonardo's was only a moderate case, usually easily managed by an antihistamine provided to him by Donatello, but Raphael had more severe allergies. They often made him groggy and difficult to wake in the mornings, much to the chagrin of whichever turtle had the honor of getting him up for practice.
"Where are the others?" Donatello asked.
"Mikey took Leo...ah-ah-CHOO! somewhere through Central...ah-CHOO! Park," Raphael answered in between sneezes.
"The pollen must have been really bad tonight," Donatello commented, peering at Raphael in concern.
In response, Raphael simply sneezed, "Ah-CHOO!" and nodded, rather miserably in Donatello's opinion.
"All right, that's enough. Go wash up then come to the lab," Donatello directed briskly, shooing his brother off the couch.
Raphael half-heartedly batted his hands away and sneezed again, cursing his allergies. "Hep-CHOO! Hep-hep-CHOO! I'm goin', I'm goin'." Donatello grinned slightly and wandered back into his lab.
No sooner had he sat down than the lair door hissed open again, this time allowing entrance to Leonardo and Michelangelo. They both sounded to be in high spirits, for which Donatello was glad. It was far too uncommon for the eldest turtle to act his age, and the youngest had a knack for getting Leonardo to lighten up. Donatello's good mood evaporated when he heard a small but steady stream of quiet sneezes from none other than Leonardo.
"Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"
"Gesundheit," Michelangelo said graciously, ignoring the fact that Leonardo probably showered him liberally with saliva and other things he'd rather not think about.
Donatello fairly stormed out of his lab. "Does the pollen count mean nothing t-" He stopped short, eyes widening as he took in the sight of his brothers standing in the main room. They were both covered in a thin, but visible yellow layer. Of pollen. Michelangelo was grinning unashamedly, while Leonardo was trying to surreptitiously rub at his watering eyes and not look too pleased. "You are covered in allergens! Don't you dare rub your eyes, Leonardo," Donatello commanded in a tone that allowed no argument.
Leonardo shifted guiltily and put his hands down before sneezing uncontrollably once more. "Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"
"Where did you take him, Mikey?"
"Through Central Park," Michelangelo replied innocently.
Donatello didn't buy it for a moment. "Did you ROLL in the flowers?"
"...Maybe..."
"Michelangelo!"
"What? Leo likes flowers!"
Donatello rubbed his forehead, knowing Mikey was right.
"It's true," Leonardo interjected. "I could have refused the off-off-off-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Offer to romp through the flowers, but I chose not to. Screw my allergies! They're not nearly as bad as Raph's." At this Mikey giggled and Donatello sighed.
Donatello dug around in his belt, finally extracting a small pill that he handed to Leonardo. "Here, antihistamine. Take it. If your symptoms get worse or you're too uncomfortable, come see me."
"Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Thanks Donnie," Leonardo sniffed. "You're a lifesaver."
"I know," Don said calmly. "Now go shower, both of you, before you set Raph off again."
"Before they do what to Raph?" The aforementioned turtle asked as he walked back into the room. Donatello groaned.
Raphael's oversensitive nose of course detected the pollen and his face contorted comically as he fought the inevitable oncoming sneeze that was threatening to erupt. "Ah...ah...ah...AH-CHOO! AH-CHOO! AH-CHOO!"
As if in response, Leonardo sneezed as well. "Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"
"AH-CHOO! AH-CHOO! AH-CHOO!"
Mikey was practically rolling on the ground in laughter at this exchange, while Donnie had buried his face in his hands. "Off you two. Raph, come with me."
Donatello led a violently sneezing Raphael into his lab and pushed him onto a spare stool.
"AH-CHOO! AH-CHOO! AH-CHOO!"
"Bless you," Donnie said delicately as he handed Raphael a tissue, which the latter used immediately.
"Ah...ah...ah-CHOO!"
Donatello rolled his eyes and dropped the whole box of tissues on the table in front of Raph.
"I hate sp-sp-sp-CHOO! Spring," Raphael sniffed unhappily.
"You and me both, bro. You and me both."
I'm sure all of you spring allergy sufferers can sympathize with poor Leo and Raph, too. Do let me know what you thought. I hope it brought at least a small smile to your face.