Contemplation

Tear down the wall. Break the vase. Collect the gem. Trade it out.

Rinse.

Repeat.

A light yawn accompanied the gamer, eyes glazed and weary at the flickering screen in his solo missions. The rhythm had become mechanical at this point. He could complete these quests in his sleep —which was something he ought to have done more of, but he always figured he could get a good night's rest two days in a row and his joints would be well oiled again.

As long as he remained hydrated (he had swapped to simple water bottles), he'd be alright. Granola was flavorless, but did its job. Brain food was important. Though, he hadn't really found the urge to invent lately. No testing. No planning. No upgrades.

He was well aware that his obsessions could, on occasion, grow to an unhealthy degree, but this…was different.

His motor skills were simply going through the motions.

His mind was elsewhere.

Almost three weeks.

Almost three weeks and she had given him one word answers.

Hey, April…how's everything going?

'good'

Everything alright?

'fine'

You sure?

'yea'

If you…need to talk about anything, just let me know.

'kay'

My brothers have been—

'busy'

The last one had felt a little personal.

His brows flattened, chin tucking into his shell.

Was he…bothering her? He couldn't imagine a time when he had felt awkward about messaging her about anything —aside from when their friendship had first started…not quite sure what to message that didn't sound too nerdy.

In comparison to his brothers, it was no secret that they were a bit more rambunctious than he.

They were quick to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

He was more skeptical.

They were proud of their emotions.

He did his best to contain them.

Things were so much easier when data points were black and white. Emotions muddied everything, threw too many parameters into the mix. Keeping to himself felt like the safest option, least he bore her with his dreaded 'geek talk'.

The movies never ended well for that guy.

But in his silence, April hadn't been sure what to make of him.

Sure, he was quick witted toward his brothers, but around her? Simply quiet. And without much else to run on, April had playfully dubbed him 'the shy guy,' which had only made things more complicated…and more irritating concerning his brothers.

"April, you should totally hang out more, Donnie's never been this quiet—"

"Donnie can be a little tech wordy—"

"Aw, here comes the shy guy—"

His room had been his haven on more than one occasion, but never more than when he was working on his own projects, away from the noise and chaos of his family, and the aggravating commentary that had been stewing under his skin. But calm and collected, he welded and soldered, so focused on his favorite pastime that he had missed the knocks on his door, or the slick of it opening,

"—and this is Donnie's room."

"…Whoah…"

"The work of a madman, I know."

Head perking up, Donatello snapped off the torch as he glowered through his goggles, "Leo!"

His brother merely shrugged as he leaned along the doorway, nodding his head toward their guest as her eyes ran along the room in wonder, daring a few steps further, "This is wild…I feel like I just walked onto a Jupiter Jim space ship."

The weld was abandoned as Donnie perched his goggles atop, curiosity masking his fascination, "O-Oh…you…you're a fan?"

Shoving her hands into her pockets, April had inspected some of his unfinished projects laying about, gazing at the armor he had hung along the wall, "Well, I dunno if I'd say fan…I've just powered through all the movie marathons, managed to snag some memorabilia, occasionally participate in movie trivia clubs, and dabble a little in the comics, that's all." she noted casually, catching his quiet delight, "Did you build all this stuff?"

"Uh, yeah. Though what you're looking at now is still in beta —I'm working out the coding—"

He felt his jaw seize as he caught himself, brows flattening as he spied Leo's smirk off in the distance,

"Geek talk imminent in three…two…—"

"You better appreciate, Leo. Without us geeks, you wouldn't have half the nice things you do."

The young genius drowned in silence, thoughts frozen as his eyes slowly fell on her.

…Us geeks?

"I take a programming class. Yeah, I said it —no shame," she spat proudly as Leonardo playfully rolled his eyes,

"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

Waving a dismissive hand, April glanced back toward Donnie, a peaceful smile curled, "But I don't think we're learning anything this advanced. You're a whole n'other level, shy guy."

Words had been robbed of him, but his entire demeanor had mutated into something beyond rapture, eyes bright with the grin of a Cheshire cat.

He had impressed her.

And without meaning to.

She had complimented his room and approved of his priceless inventions.

And…

And…declared her solidarity.

Not offered…but already claimed.

Us.

She understood.

"Ah, heh…W-Well, I could…always go over some of the functions with you if…you know, whenever."

"Psh, I'm 101 compared to this stuff, but I'd give it a shot."

"An eager mind is the best kind."

"This is adorable," Leo feigned his yawn, stretching his arms along, "but I'll miss that sweet, sweet quiet. C'mon, April, there's still tons to see —like my stuff! You can nerd out with Donnie later."

Rolling her eyes, she had chuckled at the grim gaze Donatello had fallen into, offering him a soft playful punch,

"Alright, alright, I'm comin'. I'mma hold it to you, Donnie. Don't leave me hangin'."

His smile had been small, rubbing the offended area lightly, and watched as she slipped back out into the hallway with Leo in tow.

Leo had said nothing more, but his usual smirk had softened toward his brother, and it had been perhaps the quietest moment between them…perhaps in their entire lives. A blip. A hiccup. A millisecond.

And then he was gone.

Donatello doubted Leo even remembered such a tight span of time.

But something about it had been so strange…almost a sense of…relief.

His reclusive little brother had finally made a friend.

Someone to chat, and bore, and argue with. Someone who understood the outside world more than they ever would. Someone who would wholeheartedly appreciate him for everything he had to offer, and accept him when he had nothing left.

And surely, that's what their friendship had become.

A test of trial and error. Patience and waning. Loyalty and trust.

April had grown to befriend all four of the brothers.

But she had latched onto Donnie the closest.

And for someone who enjoyed his personal space, Donatello had made a personal exception for the girl who had reached out and parted the curtain.

They had become nearly inseparable. From tutoring to movie marathons to exploring the grand mystical beyond, it wasn't unusual to find the two on the same team for whatever was happening at the moment.

Sure, disagreements tested them from time to time, and pride could pull a strain, but nothing had ever torn them apart so far that April wouldn't be found power napping on his bed while he quietly worked on his experiments.

And by this point, nearly all kinds of discussion were fair game.

The obscure, the embarrassing, the theoretical, and the dumb.

They had become each other's journal entry, quick to drop the latest complaint or weave the latest compelling tale of their lives…

His phone remained dark, just out of the corner of his eye. Just in case.

But silently he played, speed running the same trials over and over, wishing he knew…what he had done wrong.

Her sudden coldness had felt very…intentional.

A grumpy exhale.

Maybe he was looking into it too much. Interpreting without data. Guesstimating without proof.

Shameful.

A focused Donatello would scoff at the very idea of allowing his emotions to clutter his mind. And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling.

The feeling that something was wrong.

His eyes widened at the series of thuds against his door, the familiar pattern known to most,

Knock, knock-knock-knock-knock—

Nothing followed, but he sighed, knowing there was only one soul who bothered with the tune, "…Two bits." he muttered, back sinking lower into his chair, "Not now, Leo. I'm in…the middle of something."

The knocking ceased, and slowly the chaos of his mind began to resume —until a slice of light tore through his room and the slider slipped in with ease,

"Yeah, I'm sure you are, but I gave you a chance to open the door like a normal person and you blew it. As your older brother, I get to barge in and knock something over. Rules of the sewer."

Brows flattening, Donnie clicked his jaw, "You're quite fond of those trophies in your room. It would be a shame if they were melted down into an alloy for decorative purposes. I hear gold is quite the compliment to purple on the color wheel."

Poking his ōdachi into the ground as he leaned on the handle, Leo grinned,

"Glad you haven't lost your sense of humor."

He glanced about, noting the usual bedlam of the room felt…stagnant.

It wasn't often when he broke into his brother's room, but the array of new ideas and sticky notes always filled the air, combined with the scent of questionable chemicals and exhaust. It was possibly the unhealthiest habitat to be found in, and that was saying something considering their general location, but as Leonardo observed around himself, he realized the air smelled of…nothing. And with a quiet swipe of a finger, the light dust spoke volumes,

"Uh…sooo…the guys and I were thinkin' pizza niiight…"

The controller clicked left and right.

"Possibly Señior Hueso's…no hard votes yet…"

Click, click.

Shuffling over toward the screen, Leo hung his head sideways into Donnie's vision,

"…Sound good?"

Eyes darting for a brief second, Donatello squinted,

"By all means, feel free to exit elsewhere. Preferably out of my field of vision."

Eyes rolling back, Leo crossed his arms,

"Aw, c'mon, Donnie! You gotta get outta this room! It's been three weeks! It's not healthy, bro. Mikey's been keeping track of your eating schedule."

"I'm not starving. Exhibit A." the royal clad teen arched his arm toward the trash bin loaded with wrappers and containers aimed for emergency rations, "I keep crisis stock for occasions such as these. Efficient and reliable."

Brows falling heavy, Leo puffed his face,

"Yeah, that's normal. Seriously, Donnie, pause the game. Go outside. Is April even on?"

Shoulders growing stiff, Donatello grumbled.

But nothing more.

Sighing wearily, the brother in blue propped his hands along his hips, glancing around, "Look…I know…you got ticked the other day from what I said…and I have no idea what's going on with April lately, but…you're kinda scaring me, bud." he murmured quietly, "…I don't like when you lock us out."

Eyes closing with a heavy sigh, Donnie clattered the controller on his gut.

"If I get a slice, will it appease your need to hound me?"

"Is that a yes on heading outside?"

"Sounds like you're offering to pay."

Poking the tv's power button, Leo smirked,

"You drive a hard bargain."