25 Reasons Why I Love My Brother Chapter Two: Donny

A/N: There I was, running for my life, screaming at the top of my lungs, my loyal kitty by my side up until she decided to climb up the nearest tree, leaving me to be cornered by the angry throng of readers. "Miscellaneous Thief! You have kept us waiting long enough, and we're sick of our disappointment caused by you!" A reader shouted as he stepped forward with his torch. "Give us a reason why we shouldn't bound and gag you, toss you in a barrel, and throw you in the river!"

My mind raced quickly, then I remembered the bag strapped to my back. Quickly, I reached into it, and pulled out my laptop. "My only bargain is that I have written a new chapter." I replied, opening my laptop and showing them the doc drive.

The mob only stared at me.

"I say we let her live!" Someone piped up from the back of the throng.

"Alrighty then!" The leader said, and they all dispersed, heading to their homes to read the newest chapter of the long-awaited story.

I slumped down, sighing with relief, my kitty approaching me with a questionable *mew*. "I can see why DOGS are considered man's best friend," I sneered at her, but she only responded by sitting on my lap. I shrugged, stroking her back, then picked her up and headed to the comfort of my own home.

The moral of the story: Never leave your readers waiting too long.

Disclaimer: The story above isn't actually mine. I borrowed it from Wherever Girl. Also, Ze Turtles are not mine. I only own my mind, and anything that happens to crawl from the depths of it in the form of writing.

Donny sighed as he carefully sat down at the kitchen table. It wasn't fair that he had gotten into trouble! He hadn't wanted to fight in the first place. Of all his brothers, he was definitely the pacifist.

It started out with Leo and Raph fighting over god-knows-what they find to argue about these days. The real fight had begun when Raph had attempted to rope Donny onto his side. After adamantly refusing to take part in the argument (besides, he knew Splinter would be there shortly to break it up anyway) Raph then got angry at him and proceeded to verbally attack Don. Leo tried to defend Don, and eventually Mike joined in as well. The fight escalated until they all said they hated each other and Mikey had even wished that there weren't brothers.

This was not Donny's fault. He had tried to not fight, but Raph wouldn't let him go. So really it was all Raph's fault that he was in trouble. He sighed again, this time in frustration. He was always getting in trouble because of his brothers. Raph especially.

Raph was a bit of an anomaly to Donny. He always seem to experience his emotions in extremes, usually in anger. But there had been rare- very, very rare (like once in every three blue moons)- occasions where a softer, more caring side of Raph would be shown. Where suddenly Raph became the kindest and gentlest of the four brothers. Such occasions were usually reserved for when one of them was injured or hurt, but every once and awhile...

Flashback:

"Hey Don, what's been eating you lately?"

Donny huffed, turning away from Raph. He was the last person he wanted to see right now, except maybe Splinter. He'd been in a bad mood all day, though he hadn't thought his brothers had noticed. Not that it was their fault, he was hiding his emotions in order to avoid a confrontation like the one Raph had just presented in front of him. Still, he knew if he didn't say anything, then Raph would definately know something was up.

Turning back to face his brother, but not really being able to look him directly in the eye, Donny mumbled "Nothing."

No sooner had the word been out of his mouth before Raph interjected "Bull."

Donny's eyes flew to Raph's in surprise. Was he really that transparent?

"I-I, but how- Raph" Donny stopped, this was not helping. He frowned "Look Raph, I just, I just want to be left alone right now. Okay?"

Raph shuffled himself a he scooted down to sit next to Donny, shooting him glares along the way "Now, why don't I believe that?"

Ah, so Donny wasn't transparent. Raph was just surprisingly perceptive. Donny mentally kicked himself as he realized that the only way out of this was to admit what was wrong.

"Raph, have you ever wished that we were human?"

Raph took a moment to consider this "Wondered? Well, yeah. But I've never wished it."

Donny gaped "But don't you think we would have an easier life?"

"Easier, but I don't think it would be better." Raph replied, eyes wandering.

Now Donny was really confused "What do you mean?"

Smiling softly, Raph looked at Donny again "Well, think about it Genius, we got it pretty good here. I mean, how many kids can say they're actual ninjas? Besides, I think humans are too impersonal. I mean, if we were humans, you's probably be on your way to college, Mikey would hang out with comic book geeks, and Leo would still be a perfectionist. Me? Well I'd probably be on my way to juvie. We'd be so caught up in our own lives, we would never have the time to see each other. So yeah, what we have here isn't perfect, but I'd chose this life over being a human any day."

Donny took a moment to gape at his brother before throwing himself on Raph in a bone crushing hug.

"Don...need...breathe!" Raph squeaked out. Embarrassed, Donny promptly let Raph let go. "Geez, with that kind of strength you could give Mikey a run for his money."

Donny didn't reply. Instead, he stared at Raph curiously, head cocked to the side as if pondering something. Finally, Raph had enough "What?"

"Raph, when did you get so smart?"

Raph smirked, giving his brother a playful noogie "The same time you decided to mope around here like you were me"

And with that, Raph got up to leave. Just as he was at the door, Donny's voice piped up "Hey Raph?"

Raph glanced back, his hand on the doorway "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Raph smiled again, such a rare motion for him "Anytime, Genius."

End Flashback.

Yeah, Donny thought as he scribbled down on paper, Raph always was one to experience things in extremes, whether it was good or bad. Another example of this was his sheer determination, often displayed in stubbornness. When Raph got in his head that he was right, not even the world crumbling would force him to back down. And while it was a nuisance more than anything, and it sometimes pushed his brothers to the limits, they often benefited from it. Don remembered when they had first started training with weapons...

Flashback:

Donny kicked the wall, frustrated, and instantly regretted it as pain shot through his leg. This only served to worsen his already bad mood. It wasn't right! He could build a toaster out of scrap metal and a couple of wires, he could recite every element in the table of elements, and figure out complex algebra equations in a matter of minutes. Heck, he could even count up to one thousand in five different languages if he felt like it.

The one thing, it seemed, that he couldn't do was hit target with a shuriken.

This was where the purple banded was now, standing in the dojo that had long been abandoned by his brothers, trying and failing to hit the target. He frustration continued to increase as he yet again missed the target. He didn't get it! Leo had gotten after a few tries, and Raph had followed shortly after. Even Mikey had gotten it eventually and Master Splinter released them, promising Donny that they would continue to work on it. But that wasn't good enough for him, so, with his Sensei's permission, he continued to work on it even after the lesson was over. Don just couldn't take failure.

He threw the star Swosh! Thud! Miss. He sighed and grabbed another one. Swosh! Clank! Miss. This continued until Donny had thrown his entire store of shurikens. He felt like giving up. Just as he was about to go collect the last one of them and try again, a voice piped up from the doorway. startling him and causing him to drop his pile on the ground.

"Hey Genius, you still-" CRASH! "Oops, sorry bro. Didn't mean ta scare ya." Raph said as he bent down to help Donny with the fallen shurikens. They placed them into a neat pile and Donny went to retrieve the last shuriken, which was across the room.

When he returned, he found Raph staring at him curiously with his arms crossed.

"What?"

"What're you still doing in here?"

"I WAS trying to hit the target." Don replied, slightly annoyed

"Was?" Raph echoed.

"Well, obviously, I just can't do it. I'll tell Sensei that I tried." Don said, looking at the ground, clearly upset.

"So yer jus' givin' up?" Raph accused, glaring at his younger brother.

Donny suddenly found the ground very interesting "Yeah, I guess I am."

Raph snorted "Too bad."

"What?" Donny asked, confused and slightly hurt.

Raph smirked "Ya heard me. I ain't letting you give up. I'm jus' gonna have ta stay here wit ya 'till ya get it right."

Donny glanced at Raph with an eyebrow ridged "Really?"

"Yup. Even if I have ta sit on ya myself."

End Flashback

Donny allowed himself a small smile. It had taken several days to do so, but, eventually, he had been able to hit the target. He remembered how proud Raph was. Yeah, his older brother had his moments, but that's why Donny loved him.

Leo, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Donny agreed that, sometimes, Leo was a little, well, controlling. Everything had to be perfect, otherwise he wasn't happy. Sometimes Don wondered if Leo might suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. He shook his head. It certainly would make sense.

And there was the whole fighting thing with Raph. Yeah, he got it- Raph was a difficult person to deal with, and he couldn't imagine being the elder to Raph. To be the one responsible for the red banded turtle's often rash decisions. Don knew that the issue of control was often the base of many of their arguments. But still, he couldn't help but wonder if Leo sometimes purposely fought with Raph, just to get under his skin, similar to a cause and effect situation.

Sometimes Don thought that the two quarrelsome brothers were the perfect example of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

Sometimes Leo was just as stubborn as Raph, only Leo was much more sneaky.

Flashback:

Don fought back the urge to yawn, knowing that if he did he would psych himself into being tired. He couldn't afford to be tired right now, not with Mikey's birthday only a week away. He just HAD to get this Game Dude fixed up before then.

He grunted, wiping sweat from his face with his arm as he soldered the circuits. He had found the device while scavenging the sewers with Splinter. It looked as though some kid had accidently dropped it down a sewer grate. With his father's permission, he took it home to fix. He had work cut out for him, that much was obvious. The screen was cracked and the internal circuitry was water damaged. He would have to replace almost the entire thing. But still, the look on his only younger brother's face would be worth every scream of frustration he gone through to fix the darn thing.

He'd been working almost non-stop on it, only stopping for things like eating, training, and very brief bathroom breaks. Keeping Mikey away from the room had proved to be a challenge in upon itself, so he had enlisted the help of Leo and Raph to distract the curious turtle.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

The sudden voice startled Donny into dropping the still hot soldering iron. Lucky for him, a certain blue-banded older brother had fast reflexes, and caught the iron before it had a chance to burn the ground.

"Thanks, Leo" Donny mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

"Don," Leo said, suddenly taking on a leader stance "You need sleep."

"Yeah, Leo, as soon as I finish this..." Donny replied absentmindedly as he continued to fiddle with the machine.

Leo shook his head, and gently pried the small device from his brother's hand. Said brother looked up, accusation clearly written across his face, and tried to grab it from Leo only to have Leo pull it out of his reach just as he was about to touch it.

"Leo!" Donny gripped "Give it back!"

"Nu-uh, you need sleep." Leo replied as he continued to hold it out of Donny's reach.

Donny fell back into his chair, pouting. A thought occurred to him. "Okay Leo. I'm just going to clean up in here, and then I'll be in bed. Okay?"

Leo eyed his brother skeptically. It wasn't like Don to just cave in like that. "Alright Don. But I'm bringing this… this.." Leo struggled for the word.

"Circuit board." Donny supplied.

"Right, that. Anyway, I'm bringing this with me, so you can't work on it anymore. I'll give it back to you tomorrow, okay?"

Donny nodded his understanding, fighting to hide his smile. He had been planning on his brother taking the circuit board with him. After all, Leo wasn't stupid. Which also meant he had about twenty more minutes before Leo figured out what he was doing and dragged him to bed.

"Yeah Leo, I'll get to bed." Just not yet. He yawned for effect, then looked back to see his brother still standing there. "You know, the sooner you leave, the sooner I can clean up this mess and get back to work."

Leo shook himself, as if in a trance "Right. Goodnight, Donny."

And then he was gone. Donny smirked to himself. Sure, Leo had taken away the circuit board, but he hadn't confiscated the cracked screen, which was on his "to do" list. So what if he got that done a little earlier than planned? All that mattered was the final product. Digging through one of his spare parts bin, he searched for a working screen.

It took a few precious minutes, but eventually he found an old portable DVD player that was beyond his ability of repairing, but had screen that he could use. All he had to do was remove the old game dude screen, and replace it with the new one.

It sounded simple enough, but in reality it was a lot more difficult. While the screen were similar enough that the new one would work, they were not the same size, so Donny would have to cut the screen in order for it to fit into the shell of the game dude. That itself wasn't very hard, but he had to be very precise or he could make an uneven cut and have to start all over again. He set to work prying the screen out of the game dude.

"Donatello!" A shrill, but angry voice cried out. Donny cringed. Oh yeah, he was in it now. Slowly he turned around in his chair, mustering up the most innocent face he could manage.

"Yes, Leo?"

Standing in the doorway, arms crossed, Leo appeared furious.

"How-why... Of all the-... You should-... GAH!" Leo articulated, clearly flustered. Suddenly, a thoughtful look crossed his face "You know what? I'm going to go make some tea." And he left the room.

Now it was Donny's turn to be confused. But he figured if Leo wanted to make tea, then he had another ten minutes to work on his project.

As if on a schedule, Leo appeared ten minutes later with two cups in his hands. He gave the one in his left hand to Donny, then took a sip of his own. Donny watched his brother carefully, questioning if his little trick had somehow driven his brother over the edge, then he too took a sip. Still concentrating on Leo, who now had an odd smile gracing his lips, that he didn't notice until the third or fourth sip that the tea seemed to have a bitter aftertaste. Scrunching his face in confusion, he took another sip, and confirmed that the tea had a strange flavor.

He was just about the question Leo on his choice of tea, when he suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. Realizing what was happening, Don gasped out loud.

"Leo! You... You drugged m-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before he was out like a light. Leo smiled, before carrying the sleeping turtle to his room.

"Goodnight, Donatello." Leo whispered, just as he was leaving the room.

End Flashback.

Donny chuckled at the memory. It was weeks before he would accept anything from Leo again! He hadn't known his uptight brother could resort to such dirty tricks. In a strange way, he was kind of proud.

Leo was always like that however; always the older brother. It was almost like he never had a chance himself to grow up, because he was too busy taking care of his brothers. That was Leo though, and Donny respected that.

Leo may seem fearless, but Donny knew better.

Flashback:

Donny had always been a sort of night owl. Even when he got to bed on time, he often found himself waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep for several hours. This night was no exception.

Donny awoke, and sighed. He was far too used to this common occurrence, but he had wished he could get a full night's sleep more than once or twice a week. Although usually there was a reason for his waking, like a need for a glass of water, or the need to relieve himself in the little turtles room, that seemed to be missing from this night.

Perhaps whatever entity is up there woke him up just to spite him? Donny wouldn't put it past them, after all, they did seem to have a cruel sense of humor. Or maybe it was an outside factor other than his body that caused his consciousness? Was it the ninja "sixth sense" his Sensei spoke of? Was an intruder in the lair?

Deciding it would be worth his time to get up, even if he didn't get back to sleep, Donny got out of bed and left the bedroom he shared with Mikey. He crept along the wall, keeping to shadows, carefully scanning the room with his eyes and listening carefully for any sound that seemed out of the ordinary.

If hadn't been listening so carefully, he never would have heard the slight whimper that came from his older brother's bedroom. A million and one different situations ran through his head as to what would have caused his brother to make that sound as Donny rushed to the bedroom, not one of them pretty. But of all the things he imagined, not one of the involved the scene presented in front of him.

Leo was having a bad dream.

This sight shocked Donny very much, even though it shouldn't have. Leo was human, right? Well, not technically, but that didn't mean he couldn't experience human emotions, thoughts, and feelings too. It had just never occurred to Donny that his brother, his older brother, would have anything to be afraid of. It was just so... so... so unlike Leo.

Realizing that the entire time he had been standing there, lost in his own thoughts, Leo was still having his bad dream, and was now even beginning to become agitated, Donny rushed over to the bedside and began lightly shaking his older brother.

"Leo... Hey, Leo... Leo, wake up... Leo." Donny sighed, realizing this wasn't working. He would have to try another tactic, one that was much louder. Luckily for him, Raph tended to be a heavy sleeper.

Donny sucked in his gut and let out a loud yell "LEONARDO!"

Leo gasped as he sat up instantly, and tackled Donny to the ground out of reflex. Caught completely by surprise, Donny let out an involuntary cry as his shell slammed against the unforgiving concrete floor. Leo's eyes snapped open and glanced around wildly. A flash of recognition came seconds later.

"Donny?" Leo asked, as if confused as to why his brother was under him. Suddenly, he realized that he was pinning his brother down, he scrambled up as if Donny's skin burnt him. Seconds later Leo held out a hand to help Donny up, while the other one went behind his head in an embarrassed gesture.

"Uh, sorry Don." Leo mumbled, not meeting his brother's eyes "You can go back to bed now."

Donny stared at his brother, perplexed "Don't you want to talk about it?" Mikey always wanted to talk about his nightmares, and even Raph, who only had nightmares every once in a blue moon, would eventually open up if Donny waited long enough.

"About what?"

Donny raised an eye ridge expectantly "Your nightmare?"

"I didn't have a nightmare."

Donny gaped. It was so unlike Leo to just blatantly lie like that. It must have been a really bad nightmare if his brother was so willing to hide the truth. Deciding what must be done, he sat down with his arms crossed and glared at Leo.

"What?" Leo asked, clearly confused.

Donny began speed talking "Hamato Leonardo, I am not leaving this spot until you tell me about your nightmare, which we both you had, so stop denying it. And don't think I'm joking, because I will go all Mikey on you, and if that doesn't work, I will actually go and wake Mikey up, which neither of us want. So I suggest just go ahead and get this over with so we can both go back to bed. Besides, I KNOW you'll feel better afterwards." He finished.

Leo's face was a mixture of amusement and shock, like he couldn't believe that his brother would actually stoop to this level. It just wasn't like Donny. Leo huffed as he sat down, knowing that there was no way out of Donny's stubbornness, and is only real option was to suck it up and spill his guts. Not something he was looking forward to.

Suddenly finding the ground very interesting to study, Leo sighed as he began to talk very quietly "I, um, dreamedthathumanscapturedusandIcouldntprotectyougu ys."

"What? Leo, you're going to have to speak louder and slower if you want me to understand you." Donny said.

"I had a dream that humans captured us and I couldn't protect you guys. I failed you as a brother."

Donny shook his head in disagreement. "Leo, if, god forbid, humans captured us, and you couldn't protect us, then it wouldn't be your fault, you understand? It wouldn't be any of our faults. Let's say, for example, they were torturing Mikey" Leo cringed at the thought "It's an example, Leo. Anyway, would it be Mikey's fault for getting tortured?"

"No!" Leo objected.

"Then why is it your fault?" Donny questioned.

"Because it's my job to protect you!" Leo protested.

"Leo, you may be our older brother, but that doesn't mean you can shield us from every bad thing that's going to happen. It just isn't possible. Bad things happen all the time, whether we want them to or not. It's part of life, and it sucks, but that's part of what shapes us into who we are."

"I, I guess you're right, Donny. I was just scared." Leo admitted.

"Leo, you're the bravest person I know." Donny spoke truthfully.

Leo blushed. "Thanks Don. You're pretty amazing yourself. Now how about we try to salvage the night before we have morning training? Sensei will have our hide's if we're tired."

Don smiled. "Alright. Goodnight, bro."

"Goodnight Donatello."

End Flashback.

Okay, so maybe, JUST maybe, mind you, Leo wasn't that bad. And yeah, okay, SOMETIMES he could be a little smothering, but that's just how Leo was. Leo was Leo, if that makes any sense. It did in Donny's head anyway, but then again, a lot things made sense to Donny that didn't make sense to anybody else, so he couldn't be quite sure. He would have to ask Master Splinter.

And then there was Mikey, the never-ending anomaly in Donny's brain. Just some of the stuff he could do was beyond his explanation! Like the time he somehow ended up dangling upside-down from the overhead pipes. Or how he thought pizza jokes were hilarious.

He was always telling a joke.

Flashback.

Mikey peered curiously at his brother. For some reason, Donny had been extra grumpy lately. Maybe it was because one of Donny's experiments had failed him. Or maybe it was because one of his idols had died (weren't they all old anyway?) Or maybe- just maybe, mind you- Donny was secretly a female and it was his- er her- 'time of the month'.

Mikey shook his thought of his last thought. God knows he didn't need that roaming around in his head for the next few days. Anyway, the fact remained that Donny was in a bad mood, for whatever reason, and that just didn't sit well in Mikey's book. He would just have to fix that, using one of his patented-Mikey-fix-all-methods.

"Hey Donny, why couldn't the pirate get into the movie?"

"Not now, Mikey."

"Because it was rated Rrrr!" Mikey burst out, laughing heartily at his own joke. "Get it, 'cause pirates say Rrr?"

"Yes, I get it." Donny deadpanned. "Now leave me alone."

Completely oblivious to Donny's request, Mikey continued on "What do you call cheese that's not yours?" Not waiting for a response, Mikey continued on, "Nacho-cheese!"

"Mikey-," Donny stopped short, knowing that there was no way he was going to win this battle. The best way was to let Mikey continue until he he got bored and left Donny alone. Right, so it was just a test of whose endurance could last longer.

Mikey went on, ignoring the death-glare being sent his way. No way was he going to let Donny win that easily. "What do you call a fly with no wings?"

"Dead?" Donny ventured sadistically.

"No, a walk!"

Donny groaned. These jokes were getting worse by the minute.

"Did you hear about the guy who lost his entire left side?"Mikey asked.

"No." Donny said, interested. Perhaps Mikey was moving on?

"He's alright now!"

Donny knocked his head on the wall. Repeatedly.

"What do you call a fairy that never showers?"

"Whaaaaat?" Donny droned, voice muffled by the wall.

"Stinkerbell!"

Don couldn't help it. A small giggle, just a little one, escaped his mouth, forcing itself out against his will. He hoped Mikey hadn't noticed.

But Mikey did, and it only encouraged him more. "What do a ninja with bad gas?"

"I don't know." Donny said, completely forgetting he was supposed to be ignoring Mikey.

"Silent, but deadly!"

Donny chuckled. That was funny.

"And, for my grand finale!" Mikey exclaimed. He had one more good joke up his sleeve. Honestly, it was a joke that Mikey didn't entirely get, but he knew that it involved science of some sort, so Donny was bound to get it. "What did the chemist say when his students wanted to use the Nitrous Oxide?"

Donny looked perplexed. "What?!"

"N-O!"

Donny began to laugh. He laughed and laughed until he was clutching his sides and tears were streaming out of his eyes. He laughed until he was blue in the face, Mikey right there with him. Donny laughed so hard and so long, that he forgot what he was even upset about in the first place.

And he was okay with that.

End Flashback.

Donny chuckled at the memory. Mikey did always know how to make Donny feel better, even if his methods weren't exactly… common. But Mikey sure did have his heart in the right place. Donny didn't think that Mikey had one mean bone in his body. He was always smiling, always laughing.

Always positive about everything.

Flashback:

Knock Knock.

Donny knew exactly who was at the door, because this was the third time he had tried to get into the lab that day. But he couldn't afford any distractions. This experiment was too important to him.

"Go away, Mikey."

Silence answered him, and Donny continued on with the next part of the experiment: adding the next chemical. It was a very delicate process, and he had to add just the right amount, or the whole thing would be botched. The last thing Donny wanted was to start over. Again.

He had assumed that his brother had wandered off, probably to go bug Raph since Donny wouldn't entertain him. That assumption proved to be false however, because the next moment the door burst open, startling Donny into pouring too much of the chemical into the beaker, which then proceeded to turn blue, the wrong color it needed to be. Another failure.

"Dang it, Mikey!" Don yelled " I almost had it that time!"

Mikey, who looked very guilty, mumbled "I just wanted to see if you wanted to play with me."

He pinched the bridge of his beak in annoyance as he said "Mikey, you can't just barge in here, especially when I've already told you to go away."

In a very tiny voice, Mikey replied "I'm really sorry Donny."

Donny's heart melted at that. No matter what he did, Donny just couldn't find it in him to be mad at his only little brother for long. With a sigh, Donny began to clean up his now messy desk. "It's alright. I was just angry that I have to start this whole thing over again. I just can't seem to get it right!"

Mikey peered over in curiosity "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to create a fusion of sodium hydrogen carbonate, oxidane, and impure dilute acetic acid."

"Um... don't know what that means, but why do you want to do that?" Mikey asked.

"Because my chemistry book says that it's the easiest experiment a beginning chemist can do! And it bugs me that I can't get it!" Donny cried, rather exasperated.

"Maybe I could help?" Mikey suggested hopefully.

Donny was about to say no. In fact, he could already feel the words forming before a thought made them die in his throat. What would be the harm in letting Mikey help? As long as he gave Mikey easy jobs and supervised him at all times, there should be no problem. He might actually get it done this time because Mikey wouldn't constantly bugging him by knocking on the door.

"Alright Mikey. But you have to follow my instructions exactly. Got it?"

Mikey instantly brightened up, and even started jumping up and down in excitement "Really? Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I swear I'll be the best lab assistant ever!"

Donny smiled at Mikey's antics. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all.


"Okay Mikey, pour it in."

Working together, they had reached the point that Donny had been at when Mikey had interrupted him, only at a much faster pace than before.

Donny was surprised to admit it, but Mikey made a great lab assistant. No once had he been a distraction or hinderance. In fact, he had been quiet, focused, and had followed Donny's instructions the entire time. It appeared that both brothers were enjoying the time together immensely. Donny would have never pegged Mikey as being the brother he liked the most when it came to science experiments, especially since Mikey tended to be the worst, grade-wise, of the four brothers.

"I guess Mikey's more of a hands-on learner." Donny thought, "I'll have to keep that in mind to tell Splinter later."

Mikey, follow Donny's orders, began to slowly pour the powder into the liquid. Both brothers watched carefully, eyes full of anticipation, as the mixture continued to stay clear, the color it was supposed to be. They held their breaths as Mikey neared the end of the amount of powder he needed to add. As the last grain fell from the measuring spoon and into the liquid, and the mixture remained clear, both brothers began to cheer.

"We did it, Mikey! I can't believe we actually did it!" Donny laughed, grinning a grin so big that it almost hurt the sides of his mouth.

Mikey smiled, not really understanding what the did but being happy for Donny nonetheless. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Mikey noticed something odd.

"Uh, Donny? Is it supposed to do that?"

Donny's eyes snapped up. The mixture was turning an angry red, and beginning to boil rapid. As he realized what was about to happen, his eyes widened in alarm.

"Mikey, get down!" Donny cried, tackling his brother and positioning himself so that he was acting like a shield.

"Donny, what's goin-"

BOOM

Startled by the reaction, Mikey screamed. Donny held tight, gritting his teeth as a red substance rained down on them, slightly irritating Donny's skin. And then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

For several seconds, nothing happened. The air was still, as if holding its breath in anticipation. No one moved, no one breathed. Then Mikey, who hated any kind of unnecessary quiet, was the first the first to break the thick fog of silence.

"Uh… Donny? Ya mind getting off me? Kind of hard to breath and all…"

But Donny wouldn't budge. In fact, he would even blink. He just had this wide-eyed stare. Mikey, who was currently trapped between the wall and Donny's shell, was starting to get worried that something had happened to his brother in purple.

"Donny, you in there, bro?" Mikey asked with a nervous laugh.

"Ifld…." Donny said in such a small voice that Mikey, even with his close proximity to Donny, couldn't understand what he was saying.

"I failed…" Donny whispered, still in shock.

"You… failed?" Mikey questioned.

"I failed!" Donny yelled, suddenly standing up and startling Mikey. "Don't you get it, Mikey? I failed. Again! One of the most simple experiments in my chemistry book, and I screwed up so bad that I almost got you hurt! God, I'm so stupid!"

Mikey looked back at his brother, his expression changing to something more serious than Donny had rarely ever seen on his younger brother. "Hamato Donatello, you are anything but stupid. So what if you can't get one lousy experiment right? That doesn't mean you aren't like, the smartest turtle I've ever known. And besides, didn't that Thomas Jefferson guy try over a hundred times to make a lightbulb?"

"It was Thomas Edison, Mikey." Donny mumbled.

"See!" Mikey exclaimed, throwing his arms up as if to emphasize his point, "That's exactly what I'm talking about! Only you would know something like that, because you're so smart! And you want to know something else?"

"What?" Donny asked in reply.

"Now you know how to make a really cool explosion!" Mikey said, his face breaking out into a cheesy grin.

Donny smiled at his younger brothers antics. And actually, if he could figure out how to contain the ingredients into a small pellet that would mix upon shattering, then the reaction did have to potential to be used as a weapon. And if the mixture irritated Donny's skin, which was thicker therefore less sensitive, then he could only imagine the kind of mark it would leave on a human! And it's not like the individual components were that hard to obtain in the first place…

"Earth to Donny," Mikey joked as he waved his hands in front of Donny's eyes "Kind of lost ya there for a sec. What'cha thinking about, oh smart brother of mine."

Donny flashed a grin as he pulled Mikey into an unexpected hug "Just that my favorite little brother is a genius."

End Flashback.

Oh. Oh no. Donny had made a terrible mistake. Donny rushed from the table, intent on delivering his list.

He only hoped it wasn't too late.

A/N: Hey guys. I'm sooooooo so so so sorry that I haven't updated in like, forever. See, the thing is, I was stressing out because I couldn't get this finished fast enough, and when I stress out I feel forced to write, and when I feel forced to write I get writer's block, which causes me to stress out. It's all one very vicious cycle that I had gotten stuck in. But it was worth it, right? This chapter ended up being over 6000 words, a whole new record for me!

Speaking of breaking records, HOLY CRAP I GOT 13 REVIEWS?! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

Next up: Raph!

Also, hey fans, I need your help. Here's a peek of what Leo's list already looks like:

Leo

1. I like Leo because he's always looking out for me (M)

2. I like Leo he knows he's not always perfect (M)

3. I like Leo because he's brave (D)

4. I like Leo because he always tries to do the right thing (R)

5. I like Leo because he knows when I'm working too hard (D)

6.

See that blank #6? I need a reason and/or memory for Leo from Raph. If you have an idea, PLEASE LEAVE IT IN A REVIEW! I'll make sure to give you credit!

And one final thing, a contest for all you chemistry geeks a Google users alike ('cause I know you'll use it!) Who ever can tell me what experiment, in simple terms, Donny was trying to create in the last scene, get a sneak peek of the next chapter! And no, it will not, to my knowledge, actually blow up. That part was dramatized for the sake of the story.

This is quite possibly the longest Author Note ever. Thanks for hanging on guys!

Review?