Package

chapter 4

Donatello was always curious, he always loved to figure out how things worked and how things were made. He loved figuring out patterns in circuitry, coding, and even behavior. He loved it all, but some times he had to hold a question to himself. Why was he so curious? Why did he want to know the meanings behind everything? Right at the moment he certainly wished he did not have such an attribute. Not as the smell of rot came up from folded cardboard. Michelangelo had come back from his "hunt" regaining that look he had worn for three days when Raphael was gone. He was not a happy turtle, he was a disgruntled turtle, and he was going to do something about it. After his mate was taken from him he had changed in the fact that it was easier to trigger his most primal defenses of keeping loved ones safe.

"Donnie, I don't think you should touch that," the orange loving turtle jabbed a finger into the air towards his brother. He was still trying to calm himself. He had only theorized that someone had been watching them, had only guessed that they had been followed, but he was right. He was right and it made him sick. If it was any of their family lurking they would have acted differently, Leonardo would have yelled asked what was going through his goofed up mind, Raphael would have done the same just a little more growls and promises of sleeping alone for several nights. This place they were in was a secret even to Splinter, April and Casey so they were not candidates for the lurker.

"Mikey, I just want to know what's in it. I mean, what if it was some harmless homeless person that just walked in at the wrong time. Seeing two giant, mutant turtles kissing isn't exactly common. Speaking of the kiss, why did you do that?"

"Hey, don't brush of Mr. Kissy, he was the one that just showed us that who ever it was got freaked out by it and ran like a bat out of hades! No little hobo I know of can move that fast Donnie, you should be thankful to Mr. Kissy!" Michelangelo was pointing to his lips, "THANK HIM!"

"You know, when you're upset you're even more annoying thank usual. Besides, your "Mr. Kissy" is probably going to get a few knuckles as a thank you if our bro's find out."

"Nah, Mr. Kissy is generous, Mr. Kissy likes Leo and you, but Mr. Kissy loves Raph."

Donatello pursed his lips holding back whatever could possibly be used to reply to that, if he added fuel to the fire then he was sure he would regret it. So, instead he decided to turn his attention back at the box. The smell of mold and decay could easily be some sort of clothes with food stuffs on it, the benefit of the doubt is what he liked to give to everything and everyone.

Slipping his fingers around the edges he pulled gently, the sound of the cardboard sliding was unusually loud suddenly cut off by the sounds of though soled feet entering the large room. The thump of the folded cardboard being freed caught attention of their brothers that had just returned.

"Mikey, how did you cut your feet?" Leonardo had been kneeling looking at his little brother's feet, the cuts were not deep, just enough to give off a few droplets of red.

"What happened?" Raphael knelt down, his large fingers running over small wounds trying to get dust and dirt away from the pink inside green flesh. He reached over taking the first aid kit that their eldest brother had retrieved from the bag Raphael had brought with them.

Michelangelo hissed when an alcohol swab was pressed against the fine cuts, cleaning and disinfecting, "Well, first off I thought something was weird, then Mr. Kissy thought it would be a good idea to make an entrance and so he did, then someone dropped something and I chased after but they did this whole Batman thing of disappearing and running like crazy."

"Mr. Kissy?" Leonardo raised a brow looking over at Donatello who was watching them, he gave a shrug, paused in his activity of finding out what was in the box. Upon seeing his love, blue inquired, "Why didn't you patch up Mike?"

"You know how he gets when he's 'like that'."

"Wait, wait, you tellin' me that someone was watchin' you two from the shadows so you went and kissed Don to throw them off guard then tried to chase them down, they broke through window, you followed suit, cut up your feet, and lost 'em?!" Raphael's voice was raising to a shout when he smacked a spot on his lover's foot where he had just put a band aid over.

"Ow! Be more gentle Raph. It wasn't like it was planned or nothing," a sea-green lip pushed out in a pout. "You should be nicer to the injured."

A brown-green brow raised, "You got all that from his ramblings?"

Red nodded, "Just gotta be able to speak 'Mikey' and it's easy enough."

That was when they heard a low growl bringing their attention to their forest-green brother, "You did what Mikey?" Brown eyes narrowed on the youth that held up his stuffed animal like a shield.

"He just gave me a peek, Leo," Donatello chuckled lightly, loving the interactions of his siblings, knowing violence only went so far with each other. He mimicked his little brother's voice, "Besides, 'Mr. Kissy likes Leo and me but loves Raph.'"

Leonardo bent over, squatting down as he did, his hand pushing down the stuffed animal. Worried, purple got up, abandoning the box that had clattered to the floor out of startled hands. Sure violence only got so far with all four present but that didn't mean that Leo wasn't about to do something he may regret due to being over stressed from all that has been going on. Donatello tensed when Michelangelo was grabbed by the shoulders, he only started when Leonardo had pressed his lips against the youngest. The room fell quiet when the leader pulled away and simply stated, "Got back what 'Mr. Kissy' stole from me."

"Hey, not fair, that was my kiss," Raphael tackled the leader to the side, quickly stealing back the kiss.

Mikey gave a girl-like scream, "My Raph kiss! Why you dirty!" He lunged forward, taking another kiss for himself from both finding himself rather triumphant. A tap on his shoulder and he had lips on his, he opened his mouth and got a little more than he originally bargained for but was pulled away quickly by familiar arms.

"Low blow brainiac," Raphael growled as he held his mate away from his brother who simply rolled his tongue around in his own mouth in a posture of thought.

"Tastes like junk food," he said before stealing a kiss just as deep from an offended lover. He pulled back and did the same, "Tastes like April's home fried chicken. You been holding out Raph?"

"Wha-?"

Then Leonardo got his, besides the depth he got passion as well, when he pulled away Donatello did the same thought process and smiled while wrapping his arms around a forest green and yellow waist, "Mmm, just right."

"Heeeey, I wanna taste," the sea-green ninja complained settling himself on a strong lap of emerald.

"Way to go Monkey Wrench, you got him curious," Raphael shifted to keep his mate on his lap and from reaching to their fearless leader for a taste test.

"As much fun as that seems," Leonardo reached out took Michelangelo's hand and gave knuckles a small kiss, ignoring the growl that he got from Raphael's direction, "We need to move, there were active cameras around the perimeter. Our goofing off, might have thrown our tracker off balance but it won't be for long."

The youngest shifted himself around so that he was clinging onto shell and shoulders, "Better start walkin' Raphie."

"What?"

"I've got hurt feet, you need to carry me."

A roll of eyes before emerald hands adjusted to grip thighs, a push up and he was giving his most energetic sibling a piggie-back ride. Donatello grabbed the bag and a few pillows, forest green hands wrapped up and tied blankets creating a more convenient way of carrying the fabric and fluff. He put his hand on the back of his crush's shell as they walked side by side. A smile crossed his face when Michelangelo continued to talk and lay kisses to the top of Raphael's head trying to convince him that Mr. Kissy needed to spread his wings all he got was grunts as a reply.

"Say, what was in that box you were looking at?"

Dark eyes looked up into brown, "Huh? Oh, uh, I don't know. Didn't get to look before you got back. But it smelled awful."

"Probably best that you didn't look then, could have been someone's garbage."

Disappearing into the shadows and making their way to a safer haven, they forgot the parcel left behind. The skittering sounds of small bug legs echoed in the now vacant room, centipedes and beetles crawling out of the box now knowing it was safe to move. Racing to freedom their small bodies uncovered a small white letter, stained with stench and slick with grime. Brown and gray decay burbled from insects trapped destined to join the dead.

On the card it read:

To my sweet Donatello.

To Be Continued...