Disclaimer: nope, don't own the TMNT yet. I wish. but nope, this story is just for fun :)

Author note: the kids are 10 years old in this chapter.

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--Youthful Ethics--

By: Melissa the Damgel

Creeping across the floor as silently as possible and using all the training his ten year old mind and body had acquired thus far in Ninjutsu; Donnie inched across the floor on cautious steps, parted lips as he breathed through his mouth to keep himself from breathing too loudly, and a hammering heart. His nerves fluttered throughout his body as he approached the door. His eyes remained wide in a desperate attempt to try and see through the darkness as he reached forward to brush his fingers across the cold doorknob.

Easing the door open and slipping inside, Don closed the door quietly and stood as still as death, panting as noiselessly as possible as he waited for his body to calm and his eyes to adjust to the darker room. Pushing away from the door and tiptoeing past and over the various piles of messes left on the floor, Donnie silently approaching the bed and reached out, his fingers shaking as he slowly peeled the blanket away from the hammock as he began to reveal the lump lying in the center.

His heart pounding, Donnie hesitated and licked his lips. Maybe he should just wait till tomorrow… no… if he waited he would go crazy before morning. But, if he woke up the Abominable Raphie before morning…

"Donnie, if ya wanna get in, just lay down already." Raphael growled, shifting under the blanket and shoving it away from his face, glaring sleepily up at Don.

Squeaking in surprise, Don jumped back and snatched his hand away from the blanket like Raphael had just grown fangs and had tried to bite him. "Sorry!" He squeaked again and fidgeted, looking at Raph then looking away again several times.

"Jus' get in already." He grunted and scooted over carefully in his hammock. He waved Donnie over but he stopped suddenly, his hand still held out as he stared at the quiet turtle, seemingly huddled in on himself with wide dark eyes and a nearly trembling lower lip. Those dark eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, and the desperate hope that shone in them made his own stomach curl in uncertain fear. "Donnie?"

"Are we bad?" he asked suddenly, inching closer to the hammock and reaching out to Raph to help him in.

"What are ya talkin' about?" Raphael asked with worry tingeing his voice. He sat up slightly as he helped the turtle onto the hammock next to him and his arms were suddenly filled with a trembling Donatello clinging to him desperately.

"I…" Donnie began but stopped, wrapping his arms more tightly around his brother. "I was reading a book… and… it said to love your sister or brother and… and… if you have sex with them… it's against the law. But… are we bad for... for this? There aren't any other mutant turtles like us. Do the laws of humans apply to us? I mean; the probability of us being related is-"

Raphael was blinking quickly, trying to wrap his sleepy mind around all that Donnie had just unleashed at him. "Wha…" he shook his head and pushed Don away from him, gripping his shoulders tightly as Donnie reached up and grasped his wrists tightly as though afraid Raph was going to push him off the hammock for having revealed everything. "Start over. What's goin' on?"

Turning dark, wet eyes up towards his brother, Donnie's lower lip quivered before he sniffled. "I read in a book that loving your brother – like with kisses, and sex- is bad. They call it incest. I don't want this to be bad…" He clung to his arms as he bowed his head, sniffling suddenly. "Do you hate me?" He asked, squeezing his eyes shut, not wanting to look at Raph. "You wouldn't have started kissing me if you hadn't felt bad and said you'd marry me…" Another sniffle escaped him and he dug his fingers into Raph's arms, his throat felt so tight it hurt and his stomach wouldn't sit still. He couldn't stop shaking as he waited for his brother's judgment.

Sighing loudly, Raph pulled a hand away from Don's shoulder and smacked him on the head. "Idiot." He grunted.

Donnie sat up and stared up at Raph with surprise, a hand lifting to rub his cheeks, a few tears still gathered in the corner of his eyes as he gazed up at his brother.

Raph looped his arm around Donnie's neck and pulled him close, hugging him tightly as he rested his chin atop his head. "Well, I don't really understand what that incest means and all, but I think it's stupid." He sighed and frowned, his ten year old mind sorta understanding the concept, but it didn't quite make sense. Why would loving your brother be bad? He loved Mikey and Leo too, was that bad? Or was it because he loved Donnie, but in a different way that made it bad? Was it bad because he liked to give Donnie more attention? Or was it just because he liked to kiss Donnie?

This was rather frustrating.

Raising his head, Raph pulled back slightly and watched as Don shyly lifted his head from his chest to look up at him. He leaned down and pushed a kiss to his brother's beak, taking a moment to just focus on Donatello and draw his attention fully on him and away from his troubled thoughts. His brother's lips quivered as he hesitantly returned the kiss.

Donnie trembled against him, even as he slowly lifted his arms to wrap them about Raphael's neck, clinging to him desperately and kissing him back just as gently and chastely as they always had for the last few years – though this kiss lasted longer than all the others. It made him shiver.

Raphael broke the tender kiss and pulled back slowly, amber eyes opening to stare upon his brother's calming face as he kept his eyes closed and breathed slowly.

Shrugging suddenly, Raph rubbed his brother's back, trying to imitate that soothing motion their father performed when they were scared or feeling sick. "I wouldn't worry." He whispered and then wiggled about, lying down and dragging Donnie with him. He settled into his swaying bed as he pulled Don closer to him, forcing the brainiac to lay halfway on his chest so he could loop his left arm over Donnie's back and trail his fingers across his shell.

Donnie blushed softly and stared down at Raph as he watched his slightly older brother's eyes droop. He could tell he was tired and was about ready to fall asleep, but he had to know. "Why?" He asked, daring to reach out and press his hand firmly to his chest, his fingers pressing into his collarbone.

Peeking an eye open forcefully, Raphael frowned deeply and lifted his head, placing his free arm under his head as he stared into the dark eyes of his brother's. "'Cause there's no point in gettin' upset about somethin' that doesn't apply to us. I said I was goin' to marry ya, and I will. So that's that."

"But…"

"Can we just go to sleep now?" Raph yawned, annoyance very evident in his voice due to his brother's insistence that he continue arguing this.

Frowning, Donnie looked away, his fingertips rubbing Raph's collarbone. "But they say it's wrong." He whispered.

Raph sighed and pulled his hand away from Donnie's back and reached around to tug his blanket back up over them both. "Do you think this is bad?" He asked suddenly, wiggling about to get comfortable once more before he settled intense amber eyes upon his brother.

Don peeked back at him, fidgeting with the skin along his brother's collarbone and the top of his plastron. Raph had to admit, he rather liked Don's nervous fingers right there on his skin. After thinking over Raph's question Donnie finally shook his head then bowed it low, pressing his brow to Raph's chest and sighing loudly. "No… but…"

"Look, Donnie, if you don't think this is bad, then it isn't. okay? Now can we sleep?" He yawned, wiggling a bit further down into his hammock, feeling so warm and happy right where he was under Donnie.

Thinking over his brother's words, Don snuggled down in the blanket with him, nuzzling into Raph's neck and curling in his arms as Raph clung to him, treating him somewhat like a large teddy bear and holding him close.

Closing his eyes, Don listened closely to his brother's heartbeat, his fingertips trailing along the skin between his shell and plastron. He fingered Raph's scutes gently before he trailed over along his exposed carapace and was somewhat delighted to feel Raph shiver and mumble his pleasure even as Raphael drifted off to sleep.

Don nudged his beak into Raph's neck, kissing him lightly before he sighed, still bothered by what he had discovered. He would do more research into it tomorrow; and though he wasn't certain what to make of this unnerving information, he felt right at place where he was, curled against Raph with their legs tangling together and breathe lingering upon skin.

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Author's note: awe. I really liked this one chapter. again, nothing special, but it plays later on in the chapters; and again, its all to get the mood and the mindset of these kids.

I love the idea of Donnie crawling in bed with Raphie; it was the one scene I just HAD to find a way to work into the story; and it actually works its way into the story a few more times :)

Please review! I love 'em! and I love hearing what you all have to say or your suggestions. Sometimes the most random question will spawn plot bunnies that make me go wild and makes the stories better; and I believe that's why I love reviews. :) but thank you for reading!

-Melissa the Damgel

(p.s. I was informed that the entry looked odd, and when i went back, i realized I sorta forgot to delete the end half . so all you who have read it so far, you sorta got a sneak peak at the END of the story... yeah... i'm really sorry about that... ya'll are probably okay with it... o.0 yeah, so sorry. edited and fixed.)