A/N: Just want to thank everyone who took the time to read, review, and/or follow this story. It means a lot!

Chapter 2

Like the meticulous brush strokes of an artist detailing a canvas with meaningful marks, his hands moved with purpose and precision. They maneuvered effortlessly between test tubes and Bunsen burners, and glided with expert speed across his computer's keyboard. This was his world; his domain. It wasn't often Master Splinter excused him from missions with his brothers and allowed him to work in his lab. Granted, this was not a leisure lab time, but rather the tedious process of recreating retromutagen. Thankfully, the first batch was able to cure Mr. O'Neil. It had taken months to accurately produce it. There were dozens if not more mutated citizens still in need of this cure.

The process of breaking down the mutagen into its basic elements and extracting the appropriate amount of its essence was a painfully slow process. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of the needed element is found in the actual mutagen. Therefore large quantities of the alien ooze are needed to ensure enough of its vital element is removed to make a potent antidote.

Donnie glided from the lab table to his computer with his swivel chair. His tired eyes strained to see his typed notes. In all honesty, he should have gone to bed hours ago. He still felt lethargic and sleep-deprived from his bout with the flu last month, and the extra time he was putting in the lab wasn't helping him recover any faster.

He hated asking for help, and thankfully didn't have to. Leo was quick to see the signs of his fatigue and gathered his other two brothers to pitch in and help where they could. Right now, the three of them were scouting the city for more mutagen canisters while he continued his lab work. He had to admit, tackling this job as a team was a better idea then drowning under the weight of it by himself.

It only made sense for his brothers to look for the mutagen, while he worked in his lab.

They're better suited for search missions anyway, especially if they run into any Purple Dragons or Footbots. Donnie thought briefly, too preoccupied to dwell on his self-doubt.

Donnie's posture straightened at hearing the sudden commotion in the den. His brothers were back and from the light sounds of laughter and banter, he assumed their search was successful.

"Hey, Brainiac, how's it coming?" Raph said, his arms crossed over his plastron as he leaned against the door frame.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," Donnie said over his shoulder. His eyes still glued to the computer screen as his fingers rhythmically tapped the keyboard and continued, "I was able to start a chemical decomposition with the small amount of mutagen I had left. It's been pretty frustrating starting the formula from scratch since my notes were destroyed when my motherboard crashed; Regardless, I've managed to make incremental progress. Oh, and I've also—"

"Okay, shut up already, sorry I asked," Raph mumbled bluntly to discontinue any further explanation from his brother. Donnie turned around giving him an unpleasant look.

"We managed to find five canisters," Leo said stepping into the lab and setting the sack on the table where Donnie was working, "How much retromutagen do you think you'll be able to make with this?"

"Well, it really depends. I discovered a fascinating property within the –"

"Hey Donnie!"

The purple-banded mutant winced slightly at the earsplitting sound of his youngest brother. His footfalls slapped loudly across the concrete floor before he skid to a halt in front of the lab door.

"Look what I brought back for you!" Mikey said sporting his trademark 50 watt smile as he held out his gift to Donnie.

Donnie cautiously took the string from Mikey's hand. His eyes followed the string up to the yellow floating….thing it was attached to. A balloon?... Donnie thought with an arch of his brow as he pulled it down to his eye level. This is the oddest shaped balloon I've ever seen. Donnie rubbed his finger along the small elevated edges. Strange, it has ridges and a bulbous… Donnie's eyes widened with realization. Reading the balloon's inscription only confirmed his suspicion.

"Don't mind Leo. He's just being a sourpuss 'cause he didn't get a balloon."

Donnie blinked incredulously at his brothers. Leo was shaking his head in his hand, his body slumped with annoyance; Raph's eyes were twinkling with a devilish glint while his lips wavered trying unsuccessfully to hold back a snort of laughter; and Mikey was smiling like an oblivious idiot. Donnie sighed. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see an embarrassing joke coming into play at the expense of his little brother.

Based on Leo's sudden uptight body language this definitely wasn't his idea. He actually looked rather annoyed, which was no surprise considering he was stuck topside with a naively persuasive Mikey and a crafty Raphael. I can't believe he let Mikey bring this back to the lair. Donnie thought to himself, but then reconsidered the momentary shock. Leo was, after all, outnumbered being the most rational one out of the three. Without Donnie there to balance out their two impulsive and rambunctious brothers, Leo more than likely gave in to Mikey's pleading and Raph's egging.

Speaking of the latter, he was still leaned cross-armed against the door frame, no longer trying to hide the grin plastered on his face. He and Donnie's eyes met briefly. Raph's face was consorted with wicked anticipation as he anxiously gripped his biceps. He stared at Donnie and Mikey like he was waiting for the proverbial pie in the face, except this time he would not be the unwilling victim. He was more than likely attempting to inflict revenge on Mikey for one of his ill-fated pranks.

And then there was Mikey, who was genuinely naïve to his current predicament and really was just being kind in bringing his big brother what he perceived to be a balloon.

Donnie analyzed his brothers' behaviors and in a matter of moments rationalized the outcome of the situation would highly depend on his reaction. There was no way he could completely avoid embarrassing Michelangelo, but he could at least lessen the blow.

"Um, this...this was really thoughtful, Mikey." Donnie said carefully offering a light smile as he tied the string to the leg of his lab table.

"Did ya see what it says, Don?" Raph quipped in, "Be Smart, Be Safe."

"Thought it was perfect for you. You're always telling us about tool safety and stuff." Mikey said proud of his attentiveness.

"Yeah Donnie, what's that you're always tell Mikey?...Stop playing with your tools?" Raph added while chuckling. Donatello wanted to smack that pervert grin off his face.

"Hey! Donnie said I could use his tools as long as he was there to watch!" Mikey said indignantly.

Leo tried to keep a stoical stance during Raph's jabbing, but couldn't help but smirk at the direction the conversation was going.

Raph's eyes widened with unadulterated glee, "So, he lets you mess with his hammer and screw stuff, huh?"

"Yeah…sometimes?" Mikey answered skeptically, looking strangely at Raph.

"Bet April'd like to use his hammer, too. She would probably makes so much noise she couldn't even hear him coming in the lab." The overtone in Raph's voice was wretchedly obvious to everyone except Michelangelo.

"Why would April care about his hammer?" Mikey paused lost in his own thought, "'Sides, the blowtorch is way cooler….yeah April would have tons of fun the blowtorch!"

Raph burst into hysterical guffaws. "Blowtorch, he said blowtorch….Oh, God, Mike, stop you're killing me!" Raph slapped his knee finding it harder and harder to stop laughing.

At that comment a crimson tone rushed to Donnie's cheeks as he glared daggers at Raph. He'd gone too far. Make sexual innuendos about him all day long, but April was off limits. To make such a filthy comment about his April was unacceptable.

Leo's smirk dropped instantly, replaced with a pang of guilt for allowing the conversation to take place to begin with, "That's enough, Raph," The perverted remark was enough for Leo to switch roles from brother to leader.

"Ha, ha, yeah…funny?..." Mikey laughed nervously, looking to Donnie for answers to questions he didn't know how to ask.

Donnie's initial anger waned as he looked at his younger brother. He sighed. Mikey had no clue he was being lead by Raph to look like a buffoon. "Mike," Donnie started calmly, "That's not a balloon," Mikey was about to object but Donnie shook his head and continued, "It's a condom."

The room fell silent aside from Raph's side-splitting laughter.

"A condom?"

"Yes."

"Dude that makes no sense," Mikey rubbed the back of his head in confusion, "that's like ketchup and mustard and stuff…." His words were less animated and more uncertain, trailing off as he looked to the floor. Raph practically convulsed from the hilarity. Leo punched him in the arm to silence him to no avail.

Donnie looked at his brother in disbelief. How did he not know what a condom was? Granted, they didn't exactly have experience in its use, but for the love of biology….

"Not condiments, condoms." Donnie corrected him with an even tone, trying to remove any condescension from his voice. Mikey stared at him with those wide curious eyes—he still didn't get it. Donnie inhale giving a quick response in a single breath, "It's a device commonly used by males and females during intercourse to reduce the probability of conception."

"Huh?"

"Maybe you should ask Leo." Donnie cut his eyes toward Leonardo who visibly shrunk at the suggestion. You should have nipped this in the bud earlier big brother, Donnie thought without an ounce of sympathy.

Leo shoved Raph out of the lab as the red-banded turtle continued to howl with laughter.

"Leo, what's a—"

"Not tonight," Leo quickly cut off any questions Mikey was about to ask, "we're starting practice an hour early so I suggest you go to bed." Still wearing his leadership mask, Leo ushered a complaining Mikey out of the lab as well before turning to Donatello, "Sorry, I had no idea it was going to go that far." Leo said sympathetically.

"You do realize this is Raph we're talking about? How could you assume it wouldn't go that far?" Donnie roughly took a canister out of the sack clanking it loudly on the lab table. His previous anger began to resurface. He knew Leo did not deserve his cutting tone, but decided he'd save his more passive aggressive tendencies for Raph tomorrow.

"You're right and I'm sorry." Leo apologized again as he walked over to help Donnie remove the remaining canisters from the sack. "I don't think he realizes how tactless he can be at times."

"Or he just doesn't care." Donnie concluded tersely, now rearranging the canisters on table so they neatly lined up with the edge of the table. Donnie looked up at Leo, who seemed sincerely shamefaced about the whole thing. He knew his oldest brother walked a thin line between joking with them as a brother and being mature and responsible as a leader and sometimes it was hard to equally balance the two roles. He gave a half-hearted smile, "Its fine….I suppose explaining the use of condoms to Mikey will make a suitable atonement."

Leo returned the smile with small chuckle as he shook his head with a groan, "Oh, boy."

Donnie plopped back into his chair with a small hum. He could feel Leo's eyes looking him over.
Then he glanced at the untouched slice of pizza beside his computer.

"You need to eat something, Don, to build up your strength."

Because it's obvious you're still weak. Donnie's inner voice chimed in, reading more into Leo's words than he should have. "I'm not really hungry," he answered absently turning to his computer once again and resumed typing. Maybe it was an aftereffect from the flu, but lately his appetite had been non-existent. Donnie felt Leo's hand press against the side of head and promptly swatted it away, "my temperature is a healthy 86.6 degrees, Leo, I'm fine."

"I'll make you some soup." Leo said disregarding his claim and taking the plate of cold pizza with him as he left the lab. Donnie groaned. He hated being fussed over especially when there was no need for it. He felt okay, a little tired but okay. He shook his head with a small smile. When it came to Leo, he supposed the mothering couldn't be helped.

Donnie glanced at the framed photo beside his computer like he did every night and gave a longing sigh. He wondered what April was doing right now. Probably cramming for the chemistry test she has Friday. Being friends with him and his brothers hadn't exactly made it easy for the red-head to keep up with her studies. Between saving her dad from aliens and training to become a Kunoichi, it's miraculous she still manage to make the honor roll. She really is amazing…Donnie thought with a smile. His thoughts were immediately interrupted as they trailed back to his brother's revolting words and he immediately frowned.

Bet April'd like to use his hammer, too. She probably makes so much noise she can't hear him coming in the lab.

As filthy as his brother's comment was, Donnie couldn't deny the fact he often had dreams of April and him doing…..things, in his lab. The fact that Raphael unknowingly brought those hidden desires to light both embarrassed and angered the intellectual turtle, but realizing the impossibility of those desires seemed to add the ultimate insult to injury.

He was simply April's smart turtle friend and nothing more. Every hug, every peck on the cheek that sent warm shudders throughout his body were merely forms of friendly endearment to her.

His heart ached for April to see him as more than just her 'science buddy'. At times he dared to think there was more behind her subtle glances during dojo training, or the gentle brushing of her shoulder against his while working in his lab was intentional and not just his wishful thinking. Even the smallest gestures were favorable to become the foundational building blocks of a respectable relationship. However, those building blocks were quickly demolished by the wrecking ball known as Casey Jones.

Lately, April was spending a lot of time with Casey, much to Donnie's dismay. Though Casey could never hold a torch to his intelligence, he seemed to trump Donnie in every other aspect.

Assertive, confident, charismatic, socially competent, and an uncanny ability to woo pretty redheads. April and Casey's flirty banter didn't go unnoticed by the observant turtle. Donnie huffed indignantly as he looked away from the photograph.

I don't have time for this. I have diagnostics to run. Donnie thought dismissively as he opened a complex software program with a few clicks on his keyboard. He found it much easier to deal with his emotions when he didn't have to deal with them at all. So, he tucked the jealousy, the wishful thinking, and insecurities back into the steel box of his soul from whence they came. He mentally sealed and surrounded the steel box of his soul with science, logic, and corporeal concepts-things that made the most sense to him.

Feeling much better after his emotional 'lockdown', Donnie's fingers were a green blur flittering across the keyboard. At some point, Leonardo came back with a small bowl of soup, in which he muttered a thank you and even gave a believable performance of eating as he crammed two spoon's full of chicken soup into his mouth. However, the rest of the soup was forgotten on the corner of his desk once Leo left the lab.

After an hour and a half of eye rubbing and yawning, Donnie unknowingly gave in to sleep, the crook of his arm acting as a pillow for his head against the lab table. The fluorescent lights flickered from overuse before settling into a dim overhead. The bluish-green glow of the mutagen canisters were reminiscent of a lava lamp as globs of light lazily illuminated the room and danced over Donnie's sleeping form.

TBC

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