Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Donnie glared at the screen as his fingers tapped absently against the keyboard. The lines of code before him blurred senselessly together as he sighed in frustration. Recently, despite his best efforts, he had found it increasingly more difficult to focus, making it impossible to finish his ever-growing list of projects.

Ever since they had returned home from a family vacation to Tahiti, which his brothers had forced on him, it was as if his mind was trapped in a perpetual fog. More than that, his whole body seemed to be actively working against him at every turn. 

Forcing down the nausea that had been threatening to come up all morning, he leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. Difficulty focusing, nausea, heartburn, the list went on. 

He debated discussing his expanding list of symptoms with Leo for the nth time. It would be the most logical choice. He had obviously caught some sort of 'bug' on their trip and, as the team's medic, Leo would be in the best position to assist him in getting rid of it, seeing as it had managed to survive the numerous over-the-counter medications he had secretly been shoving down his gullet to avoid concerning his brothers. 

Unfortunately, on top of everything, he also found himself feeling…

"Hey Donnie~" 

Rather irritable lately. Especially towards overly affectionate brothers who enjoyed jumping on Donnie's last fraying nerve every chance they could.

"Go away, Leo," Donnie groaned, feeling the familiar rise of agitation bubbling up alongside his indigestion. 

He turned to see Leo standing in the lab's doorway, eyes hooded with a familiar smirk. He rolled his eyes, already knowing where this was going. Predictably, Leo ignored the order, sauntering into the lab with a purposeful sway in his hips. Usually, such a sight would be a true-tested way to spark Donnie's attention, but after an unproductive and nauseous morning, he just found himself more annoyed than turned on.

"Oh, come on," Leo cajoled with a pout, arms crossed as he moved into Donnie's space to prop his hip next to him against the desk. "You've been cooped up here all day. Come spend some time with us." 

The spines on his shell rose as Leo entered his space and he quickly whipped back around to face his work. "Out," he ordered again.

And again Leo ignored him, instead leaning down to trail his fingers lightly along Donnie's jaw, cooing at Donnie's answering growl. Typically, the feeling of Leo's caresses would turn Donnie into a purring puddle, but all he could focus on now was the unpleasant turn in his stomach.

"You weren't saying that in Tahiti," Leo whispered teasingly into Donnie's ear slit, fingers still dancing mischievously as they attempted to tilt Donnie's face towards his own. "In fact, I think I remember you begging me to-"

Refusing to tolerate Leo's incessant boasting about what Donnie had begged him to do while trapped in the passionate throes of bliss, Donnie jerked his head down to capture the presumptuous fingers between his teeth. Biting down hard enough to prove his point, he quickly released them when Leo pulled away with a yelp.

Jumping back, Leo clutched his injured hand against his plastron. After a quick assessment to ensure no serious harm had been done, he shot Donnie a betrayed and accusatory glare. "What the hell, man?!"

The stirrings of remorse began to well up in Donnie, but yet another increasingly familiar sensation also loomed, swiftly quelling the rising remorse. Avoiding Leo's gaze, he drew a deep breath and focused back on his work, waving the other away.

"I told you to leave," he reminded him with an unrepentant shrug. "Maybe next time you'll listen."

He could feel the burn of Leo's glare but maintained his unaffected facade as the silence stretched between them. He mentally counted the seconds until he finally heard Leo's affronted huff.

"Fine! Forget you," Leo snapped. From the corner of his eyes, Donnie tracked him as he turned to leave. Even when he could no longer see him, he still heard the sounds of his steps as Leo stormed out, making sure each step resonated loudly. "I'm sure Mikey would LOVE my company. You can just stay here and be a boring grump."

Suppressing the urge to flinch at each pounding step, Donnie said nothing as the lab door slammed shut. Now free of an audience, he quickly bolted to the nearest trash can as the energy bar he had forced down earlier made its way back up.

He slumped in his seat after spitting out the last remains of his breakfast and groaned.

"Goodbye, Leo."

Chapter Text

Eventually, the nausea passed, and thanks to Leo’s dramatic exit, he wasn’t at risk of being bothered by his brothers in the immediate future, allowing Donnie to discreetly destroy the evidence of his bouts of emesis without the others’ knowledge. Deciding that a brain break may help clear his mind, he settled into his gaming chair to entertain himself the rest of the afternoon. 

As Jusant’s meditative tones filled the lab, he felt his agitation slowly melting away as he focused on moving his player up the canyon walls. He must have lost track of time because before he knew it, it was evening, and a knock came from the lab door to interrupt his game. Pausing it, he looked over to see an apprehensive Raph standing in the doorway. 

“Hey buddy, hey…” Raph cooed with that forced smile he used whenever he was trying to appease his younger brothers. Donnie rolled his eyes as he turned back to unpause his game. 

“I’m not apologizing,” he said flatly as he swung off a cliff to aim at a nearby alcove. Behind him, he heard Raph’s hesitant shuffles move closer. 

“No one is asking you to. We know you’ve been working hard on…. Whatever you’ve been doing.” 

“Updating the parameters for the new security updates,” Donnie muttered as he missed the ledge again and moved to try again.

“And we really appreciate it!” Raph quickly appeased, throwing his hands up in defense, though Donnie couldn’t see.

“But….” Donnie prompted when Raph paused too long. He heard a large intake of air as Raph prepared himself to continue, likely fearing Donnie’s recent short fuse. On-screen, his character moved idly as he considered his next move.

“But maybe,” Raph went on, index fingers pressing together as he weighed his words carefully. “Next time, you could try to hold back on the biting? Please?” 

Donnie felt his anger rise again as he whipped around to glare at Raph. “He should know better than to interrupt me!”   

“Totally,” Raph readily agreed, scrambling quickly to mollify him, his fear stink beginning to seep out. “I’m sure Leo completely deserved it. It’s just that maybe there’s other ways to get him out without the biting.”

Donnie stared Raph down, internally considering the other’s sincerity as Raph shifted nervously under his gaze. An eternity went by before Donnie’s ire passed, and he turned back to his game to finally clear his jump. Free of his glare, Raph slumped, releasing a sigh of relief. 

“I’m still not apologizing,” Donnie repeated again plainly. Unnoticed, Raph nodded rapidly in agreement.

“Raph’s not asking you to.”

“Good,” Donnie paused to pick up a journal to add to his collection, “I’m pleased that we have achieved a consensus on the matter.”

“We have?” Raph asked in surprise before recovering quickly, chest puffed out proudly. “I mean, of course, we have. Raph is great at consensuses.” 

Donnie hummed in neither agreement nor disagreement as he focused on his game. Raph eyed his wearily but relaxed fully once he realized that Donnie seemed to be in a more tolerable mood for the moment. Approaching the back of Donnie’s chair, he watched as Donnie’s character leaped back off the cliff to swing to a nearby building. 

“So, dinner’s ready,” Raph coaxed. Taking it as a good sign that he hadn’t been forcibly removed from the lab yet, he carefully set his hands on Donnie’s shoulders to give them a light squeeze. “Mikey made spicy salmon bowls, but there’s a plain one for you.”

Donnie hummed again in answer, keeping his face impassive even as he subtly arched himself into Raph’s touch. Raph’s tail wagged happily as he gently massaged Donnie’s shoulders, carefully rolling his thumbs over the nape of Donnie’s neck, who gave an appreciative groan at the treatment. 

“Come on man,” Raph cajoled when Donnie didn’t answer. “I know he made them special for you.” 

Donnie tapped his claws on the controller consideringly before giving a reluctant sigh. Pausing his game, he shrugged Raph’s hands off and stood, raising his arms above his head and stretching out his spines as he stood. 

“Fine,” he conceded in a put-upon manner. “I suppose I can tear myself away to partake in dinner.” 

Raph rolled his eyes at his antics but didn’t argue as Donnie moved to follow him out of the lab. 

“Thanks bud, so glad you can join your mates for a meal.”

As they left the lab and entered the dining area, they saw Leo already seated at the table while Mikey placed his final touches on the meal. Leo’s neck looked as if it had been positively mauled, covered in an assortment of hickeys and bite marks. Catching Donnie looking, Leo smirked smugly before sticking out his tongue like the mature mutant he was. Exasperated, Donnie rolled his eyes as he ignored Leo and took his seat across the table. 

“Bon appétit!” Mikey exclaimed as he set down the final bowl of rice. The rest of the brothers drooled over the delicious-looking spread. 

“Looks great, Mikey,” Raph complimented, taking the seat next to Donnie while Leo chirped out a cheerful “Gracias,” already grabbing a bowl to begin picking out the best portions of the salmon. 

Donnie muttered his appreciation as the others dug in. His bowl was already assembled before him, prepared just as he always liked. Everything looked fine, great even, but Donnie eyed the dish wearily, already feeling his stomach begin to turn. Hesitantly, he took a bite, but as it touched his tongue, he quickly grabbed a napkin, spitting the food in it with a gag. 

Seeing his reaction, his brothers’ attention quickly zeroed in on him with various looks of concern.  

“Everything okay, Donnie?” Mikey worried, shifting anxiously in his seat. “I made sure to not add any extra spices to yours. Is the texture of the rice off?”

Shaking his head in denial, Donnie attempted to wave off the other’s concern as he placed the soiled napkin atop his bowl.

“I’m quite alright, Micheal,” Donnie reassured him, pushing his chair back as he began to stand, bowl grasped in his hands. “Tummytello is feeling a bit… delicate right now.”

“Oh, well, in that case, I can make you something else,” Mikey readily offered, moving back his chair to join him, but Donnie declined and motioned for him to continue eating.

“No, no, I am quite capable of procuring my own dinner.” 

Mikey didn’t look satisfied with this, but after catching Raph and Leo’s frantic gesturing, he reluctantly agreed and retook his seat as Donnie made his way to the kitchen. “Alright, if you say so.” 

In the kitchen, Donnie threw away the remains of wasted dinner and considered his options. He knew he couldn’t stomach anything too heavy, so he settled on a smoothie. Absently, he followed his body’s cravings, not thinking as he grabbed ingredients from the refrigerator and blended his meal. Risking a small taste, he finds it quite delicious without angering his stomach. Pouring his creation into his special Genius Built smoothie cup, he returned to the table to rejoin his brothers.

As he retook his seat he listened idly as his brothers discussed the latest movie release Leo wanted to see. Leo looked toward him for his opinion on movie times but abruptly stopped himself as he eyed Donnie’s cup strangely.

“Uh, whatcha got there, Dee?” Leo asked in a mixed tone of curiosity and concern. 

Donnie nonchalantly shrugged as he finished taking a sip before answering.

“A smoothie.” 

Glancing over, Raph’s face also looked peculiar as he scrutinized the drink.

“Raph thinks Leo meant what kind of smoothie?” He prompted, trying to keep his tone light to not set Donnie off again. “It looks… interesting.”

Donnie glanced at his brothers in suspicious confusion, unsure why the questioning seemed necessary. 

“A green smoothie with pineapple juice,” he answered with a raised eyeridge as he took another sip, thinking that would satisfy their curiosity. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.  

“Why is it so lumpy?” Mikey asked, reaching out as if to poke his cup. Donnie held the cup away defensively, baring his teeth in warning. Realizing his mistake, Mikey quickly pulled his hand back out of biting range and apologized profusely, subtly scooting his chair closer to Leo’s. Accepting the apology, Donnie took a moment to compose himself with an encumbered huff.

“That might be the pickles,” he said flatly, looking at his cup to determine why the others were so perturbed by it. “We were out of spinach. Or maybe it’s the salmon.” 

Shouts of complaints filled the room as the others voiced their disgust. 

“Gross!” 
“Pizza supreme, why?!” 
“I’m gonna gag!”

Donnie absently sipped his drink despite their protests as his brothers continued with their dramatics.

“It satisfies my palate and has appropriate nutritional value,” he explained defensively as his cup emptied, ignoring the looks of horror across his brothers’ faces. 

Finished with his meal, Donnie stood to return to the lab, intent on trying to work through the security coding again now that he had a sufficient break from it. As he left, he heard the sounds of Raph and Mikey still gagging behind him but was unaware of the contemplative expression that flickered across Leo’s face.

Chapter Text

While the nausea would come and go sporadically, Donnie’s brain fog only worsened as time passed on. Coding anything had become a monumental challenge lately, forcing him to pivot and focus on his engineering projects. Seeing the parts laid out before him made it easier for his distracted mind to process them than staring at lines on a screen. His mood improved considerably as his creations came to fruition under his hands. Or they would if he could keep track of his tools.

“Has anyone seen my 3-speed screwdriver?” Donnie asked, fists planted on his hip as he stood in the living room, trying to remember where he had been the last time he had had it in hand. Had he taken it into the bathroom with him again? Had he even gone into the bathroom today? Turning to check, he was stopped when Raph held the very tool he was looking for above his head from where he was seated on the couch.  

“Is that what this is?” Raph asked as Donnie quickly snatched it from his hands, holding it reverently to his plastron. 

“Affirmative.” 

“It was stuck between the couch cushions,” Raph explained. Oh yes, he had been caught up in a fascinating documentary that morning on the parasitic nematodes known as filarial worms and their effects on the human lymph system. He remembered his brothers’ protesting that the images of the infection were ‘nasty.’

“Thank you, brother,” Donnie nodded gratefully to Raph before glancing searchingly around the room once more. “Now, if I can only locate my impact wrench.”

Not a second later, they heard Leo call out, “Got it!” As Leo walked into the living room, Mikey trailing behind him, Donnie spotted his wrench dangling from his fingertips. 

“It was in the freezer,” Leo said languidly as Mikey walked over to the couch with a chuckle. 

Letting himself fall back, Mikey ignored any complaints when he landed awkwardly on Raph’s knee, forcing Raph to reposition himself with a grumble. “Wow, Donnie, forgetful lately?” 

“Yes,” Donnie hesitantly agreed, still gripping the screwdriver tightly. “I suppose I have had some lapses in memory recently.”

Leo’s brow furrowed as he scrutinized him.

“You feeling okay, Don?” Leo asked. “You’re usually pretty particular about your tools.”

“I am perfectly alright. Even Einstein had his moments after all,” Donnie reassured dismissively, but Mikey and Raph traded worried looks. Leo did have a point; it wasn’t like Donnie to leave his precious tools lying around the lair like that.

“Uh huh,” Leo muttered, unconvinced, but Donnie ignored his skeptical twin.  

“I appreciate the sentiment, but rest assured, these absent-minded tendencies will be resolved post haste,” Donnie stated as he turned to head back to the lab. “If you’ll excuse me, I have projects that need my attention.”

Leo gave a purposeful cough, holding the forgotten wrench still in his hand towards Donnie. Donnie’s face flushed as he quickly grabbed the tool with a reluctant “Yes, well, thank you” and retreated to the lab to avoid his brothers’ questionable looks.

This was getting out of hand, Donnie decided as the lab doors shut behind him. This “bug” had gone on long enough. Sitting the tools down on a nearby workbench, he called for Sheldon. 

“What’s up, bossman?” 

“Prepare the system to run a full body wellness check,” he ordered, already stepping up to the scanner. Sheldon hesitated, though.

“Uh, ya sure you don’t want to loop Leo in on this?” The AI questioned.

“Please,” Donnie scoffed. “I think I can handle treating a simple cold. Now run the scans.” 

Sheldon sighed heavily but didn’t argue further as the scanner activated, its light passing over him. 

As he walked over to the screen to review the results, he was taken aback by what he saw.

Evaluated Progesterone and Estrogen levels 
Abnormality Detected in Lower Plastron 

That was… odd. Admittedly, he only knew the basics of epidemiology and pathology, so he wasn’t familiar with any illnesses that attacked progesterone and estrogen hormones to this degree. And the abnormality? What in Galileo’s beard could that be?

Thinking back to the documentary he watched earlier that morning, a cold sweat overcame him as fear coursed through his body. Could this be a parasite? Did he somehow catch a parasite while vacationing in Tahiti? The spines of his shell raised in dread. More tests needed to be run immediately. 

Urgently, he ordered Sheldon to perform more tests and scans, even submitting himself to bloodwork with a grimace. As Sheldon compiled the data to run against various medical networks and systems, he informed Donnie it would likely take a few hours for the results to generate. Letting out an impatient groan, Donnie slumped over to his workbench, intent on at least working on his latest robotics project while he waited. 

As he tried to work, his mind kept drifting back to the tests. He would frequently stop to request status updates from Sheldon, who would impatiently rebuff him. Resolved to wait, he slowly lost himself in his work. He was so focused on aligning the actuators of his machine that he eventually lost track of time. It wasn’t until Leo knocked at the lab’s door that he was pulled from his work.

“Hey, brainiac, Mikey says there’s something up with the stove. It’s not lighting right. Can you take a look?”

Donnie sat back with a groan, arms stretched out behind as he arched his back and stood. 

“Reluctant sigh, I suppose I can be torn away from my very important work to help dear Michael.” 

Leo rolled his eyes as Donnie walked past him to the kitchen. Donnie never noticed as one of Sheldon’s robotic arms discreetly dropped down to beckon Leo inside, nor see Leo sneak inside with a suspicious look. 

After a quick inspection, Donnie found that the stove thermostat had gone out. This was an easy fix, but it still required him to leave to the lair to get a replacement. When he returned with the new thermostat in hand, he was confused to hear his brothers’ excited yelling coming from the living room.

“OHMIGOSHHHHHHH!!!!”
“Wait, WHAT?!?!?!” 

The smell of Raph’s amazement stink reached him first as he stepped into the room to see his brothers all gathered around. Mikey and Raph looked up at him, eyes wide in shock and wonder, but Leo’s were narrowed, face stern as he surveyed Donnie’s form, signaling he was in medic mode. In his hands were printed readouts, and Donnie’s stomach dropped when he realized what they must be. Playing it off, he swallowed down his nerves, asking them, “What?” as nonchalantly as he could manage.

“The jig is up,” Leo informed him while Mikey and Raph remained fixed on him.

“Nardo, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Donnie lied, voice pitched high as his eyes darted to the left in a noticeable tell. Leo raised the papers up, shaking them pointedly.

“Sheldon showed me your scans,” Leo unnecessarily told him. “I can’t believe you tried to hide this.”

Donnie grimaced. Admittedly, he shouldn’t have tried to hide this from his brothers. But they, especially Leo, were prone to overinflating issues, trying to forcibly pull Donnie from his work in favor of inconsequential things like ‘resting.’ Hiding a simple cold would have been no issue, but if it was something more serious (which was likely given his brothers’ reactions), he had made an error in judgment. Not that he would admit it. 

“Please,” Donnie muttered petulantly, arms subtly crossed around his plastron. “You’re blowing this out of proportion.” 

“Seriously?!” Leo screeched, which seemed to snap the other two out of their strange daze. 

“Calm down, Leo,” Raph ordered, walking over to Donnie as he hovered nervously over him. “Donnie, should you be standing? Should he be standing? Here, let’s get you a seat.” 

Perplexed, Donnie watched as Raph hurriedly pulled over their father’s armchair and forced Donnie to sit before he could attempt to answer. Mikey positioned himself behind the chair and cooed as he began to rub Donnie’s shoulders. Leo, still muttering to himself, approached with a blood pressure cuff seemingly materializing out of thin air.

“Leo’s just concerned,” Mikey reassured Donnie comfortingly, ignoring Donnie’s jostling as he tried to fight off Leo pestering him to check his blood pressure. “This is kind of a big deal, Dee.”

“It’s fine, I have everything under control!” Donnie hissed as he ground his hand into Leo’s face to push him away. Raph continued to hover above them anxiously, phone in hand.

“Maybe we should call Pops,” Raph suggested, finger already raised to begin dialing. With a hard shove, Donnie succeeded in pushing Leo back and quickly reached out to snag the phone from Raph’s hand.

“No! No calling anyone!”

Leo threw his arms up in frustration while Mikey cried out. 

“But Dad will definitely want to know! And April will turn us into turtle soup if she finds out we didn’t tell her.”

Donnie refused to give up the phone, though.

“How long did it take for Michael to persuade Father to embark on this ‘journey of self-reflection’ in Japan?” Donnie argued. “He’ll use this as an excuse to book the first flight home. And April is amidst a highly competitive internship at Nakamura with Kendra trying to force her out at any given chance. Neither of them can be distracted right now.” 

Raph seemed hesitant, while Mikey continued to try to calm down a clearly agitated Donnie. The argument only appeared to incense Leo more. 

“So what, you’re just going to keep trying to hide this from everybody?” Leo argued. “That’s your plan? How long do you think you’ll be able to keep that up for?” 

As Leo ranted, Donnie felt frustration bubbling up within him. He tried to speak, but Leo cut him off every time he opened his mouth, refusing to let him talk his way out of this. Donnie blinked as the tears began to well up in his eyes. Embarrassed, he discreetly tried to wipe them away as Leo continued on but was caught by Mikey, who immediately cradled Donnie’s head in his hands. “Donnie?” 

Mikey gasped and smashed Donnie’s face into his plastron to fawn over him as Raph reached out to slap Leo upside the head.

“Great job Leo, you made him cry.” 

“Me?!” Leo cried, rubbing his head. “How is this my fault?!” 

“I mean,” Mikey paused his attentions to look over at their brothers slyly. “It’s kinda all our faults.” 

Fed up at the coddling, Donnie pushed Mikey away with a huff and briskly wiped his face, erasing any sign of his frustration.

“You’re not listening to me!” Donnie snapped. His brothers traded looks before Leo slumped with a great sigh. They gathered around Donnie to comfort him, though this time with less smothering, he noted gratefully. 

“Aw, we’re listening Dee,” Raph said as he nuzzled his head against Donnie’s.

“Yeah, we’re just worried,” Mikey agreed, rubbing his head against Donnie’s arm. Leo nodded against Donnie’s other arm, offering the softest smile Donnie had ever seen when they locked eyes. 

“If you really don’t want them to know yet, we won’t tell them,” Raph relented after the last frustration had finally bled from Donnie’s form. Donnie sighed in relief, but Leo was quick to cut in again. 

“But we will be doing check-ups, and you will tell me if anything else happens, okay?” He ordered sternly, finger pointed in Donnie’s face. “I’m the medic; you’re making me look bad.”

Donnie reluctantly agreed. “If you insist. It really isn’t a big deal; it’s just a parasite.” 

His brothers all muffled their snorts of laughter at his response as they separated. 

“You would think that,” Leo snickered.

“Don’t worry, Donnie,” Mikey said excitedly as he bounced in place. “I’m going to revamp the entire menu. Lots of protein, iron, and folic acid. And calcium, obviously!” 

“There’s so much to do!” Raph chewed on his claws anxiously before Leo wrapped his arm around his back with a confident smirk.

“Relax, big guy, it’s nothing we can’t handle,” Leo finessed, nodding to the still-seated Donnie. “Donnie, you just continue to chill, and we’ll take care of everything.”

That evening, as they lay together in front of the TV watching Donnie’s favorite episode of Jupiter Jim, he admitted (if only to himself) that he should’ve let his brothers in much sooner. Leo had spent the rest of the day looking over Donnie’s readings, forbidding Donnie from joining so Donnie could ‘just relax and let the medic work.’ Raph continued to hoover anxiously nearby but was quick to jump in and help whenever Donnie misplaced something. For dinner, Mikey prepared several excellent dishes that didn’t upset Tummytello for once. It was the best day he had had in a while. 

Cuddled against Raph’s plastron with Leo and Mikey at his sides, Donnie dozed off as the brothers whispered quietly to each other. Their hands occasionally petted his plastron soothingly. Yeah, Donnie thought as he drifted off. He could handle this parasite thing if it meant more days like this.

Chapter Text

It was early the next morning when Leo dragged Donnie into the Medbay for a checkup. Mikey and Raph both begged to join them, but after Mikey’s incessant cuddling and Raph’s anxious hoovering became too distracting, Leo “politely” asked them to wait outside until he was finished. 

During the examination, Leo paid particular attention to Donnie’s lower plastron, which did seem a little distended now that Donnie was looking at it. However, Leo didn’t appear concerned; in fact, he seemed pleased about the subtle bloating, which was odd. Could the bloating be a sign of recovery somehow? Donnie couldn’t imagine it was, but as he watched Leo once again consult a book he had swiped from the Hidden City Library about Donnie’s condition, he grudgingly accepted that he would have to trust Leo on this. At least until he could sneak the book out from under Leo’s obsessive gaze—his brother was treating it like his collector’s edition Jupiter Jim comic, only taking his eyes off it to check on Donnie.

“Blood pressure looks good,” Leo observed as he removed the cuff from Donnie’s arm and jotted down notes in his chart.  “How’s the nausea?” 

Donnie grimaced, memories of his recent stomach troubles flooding back. “Intolerable,” he muttered wearily.

Leo nodded affirmatively, his hand reaching out to retrieve a pill bottle from a nearby shelf.

“Here, according to the book, these should help without affecting development,” he explained, offering the pills to Donnie. Donnie was about to ask what Leo meant by “development” but stopped as Leo cupped his face. Looking up, he saw Leo gazing at him lovingly before leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on the tip of his snout.

Donnie blinked dumbly, still puzzled by why his brothers had become so affectionate since news of his condition had come out, but he had to admit, he was growing fond of it. He felt himself melting into Leo’s hands until Leo spoke again.

“And no more battle shells,” Leo declared, patting Donnie’s cheek condescendingly before stepping away. It took Donnie a few moments to mull over Leo’s words until they finally clicked, and he let out an affronted shriek.

“What?!” Donnie stared at an unrepentant Leo in confused shock. “Why?!”

“Your body can’t take the added stress right now,” Leo explained patiently as he flipped through the book again. “Trust me, lugging that extra weight around isn’t going to be doing you any favors.” 

“Ridiculous,” he scoffed, his arms folded defiantly across his plastron. “I’ve worn my battle shells through conditions far worse than this,” Donnie argued as he recalled the dreaded Rat Flu incidents.

Leo shrugged, not bothering to look up from the book he was reading. “Medic’s orders,” he said nonchalantly.

Enraged, Donnie hissed angrily at Leo, who simply rolled his eyes in unsympathetic exasperation. Suddenly, a knock on the door diverted their attention.

“Everything okay?” Raph asked hesitantly, having heard Donnie’s shouts and hisses from his post outside the door.

“It’s fine,” Leo reassured, finally setting the book aside to ease Raph’s concerns. “He’s just being dramatic.”

But Donnie wasn’t having it. Throwing his arms up dramatically, he cried out, “Dramatic?! He’s taking my baby away from me!”

“WHAT?!!!” Raph’s panicked shout reverberated through the room, jolting everyone present. Even Donnie, his anger momentarily pushed aside, was taken aback as he witnessed his oldest brother stumble in place, his face rapidly draining of color.

Leo instantly rushed to Raph’s side, interjecting hastily. “Battle shell!” Leo shouted, his arms flailing to get the snapper’s attention. “He can’t wear his battle shell anymore!”

Raph heaved a heavy sigh, nearly collapsing with relief as he grabbed a nearby counter to steady himself, trying to regain his composure.

“You almost gave Raph a heart attack,” he said between gulping breaths.

Leo chuckled weakly, rubbing Raph’s shell as he calmed himself down. “Yeah, sorry about that, Big Guy.”

Utterly perplexed by Raph’s reaction but more focused on his own predicament, Donnie scowled and slumped in his seat at the thought of having to go without his battle shells. “This is awful,” he groaned. 

Once steady on his feet, Raph approached and placed a comforting hand on Donnie’s shoulder.

“Hey, it’s alright,” he reassured Donnie, who continued to grumble to himself. Then, suddenly, an idea dawned on Raph, and his eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, oh, Raph can be your battle shell!”

Donnie stared at his brother dumbfoundedly, uncertain if he had heard correctly, as he looked up at Raph’s grinning face. “....What?” 

“Yeah!” Raph repeated, tail wagging as he grew more eager at the thought. “You’re shells are like extra arms and stuff, right? Raph can do that! At least until you can wear your shells again.”

“But, but my lab-” Donnie attempted to decline, sputtering incomprehensibly, but Leo jumped in, tapping his chin thoughtfully while nodding in agreement.

“That’s a good idea,” he said, disregarding Donnie’s continued sputtering. “Until we know more, it’s best to keep him under close observation.” He paused, fixing an expectant gaze directly on Donnie. “By someone he can’t order to ‘not tell Leo.’”

Unrepentant, Donnie stubbornly looked away, unwilling to admit that disregarding Sheldon’s advice might have been a mistake.

“Fine,” he grumbled reluctantly. “I suppose I can tolerate it for now. Just until I’ve returned to peak condition.”

Compromise reached, Raph flapped his hands eagerly as the checkup continued. After a few more tests, Leo eventually announced they were finished, allowing Donnie to leave the Medbay with instructions to return if anything felt off. 

Donnie wasted no time retreating to his lab, a stream of complaints murmured under his breath as he went, an excited Raph following closely behind. As they passed by the charging stations where Donnie’s beloved battle shells rested, Donnie couldn’t help but pause, casting a wistful stare towards them, before tearing his gaze away to return to one of the many machines he had been working to vent his frustrations.

Raph stood awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he glanced over the various projects scattered around the lab. “So… What can Raph do first?” 

Donnie groaned and gestured to a seat in the room’s far corner. “Just... sit down. And don’t touch anything!” he ordered, pulling his goggles down over his eyes as he immersed himself in his work.

Feeling deflated, Raph made his way over to the assigned chair. Eyeing it skeptically, he sat down cautiously, flinching at the groan it emitted under his weight. However, he relaxed when it held. Leaning his head on his hand, he watched Donnie intently. Gradually, he noticed Donnie’s furrowed brow softening, his agitated movements giving way to a more focused demeanor as he delved deeper into his work. With each passing moment, the tension in the room began to ease.

Their comfortable silence was interrupted when Donnie encountered an obstacle in his work.

Observing Donnie sitting back and removing his goggles, Raph leaned back, his tail wagging eagerly at the prospect of being able to assist.

“Do you need any help, Dee?” Raph asked as he stood to approach the workbench.

“Hm? Oh, it’s nothing,” Donnie said distractedly, unaware of Raph’s approach. “I just need to reach some belts on the bottom,” he explained, rubbing his eyes as he issued an order to his AI. “Shelldon, elevate project three feet—” but he was interrupted before he could finish.

“Raph’s got it!” Raph exclaimed excitedly, causing Donnie to jump slightly as Raph appeared behind him.

“No, no, it’s quite alright,” Donnie declined, but Raph had already lifted it to the preferred height before he could stop.

Catching the surprise on Donnie’s face, Raph smirked, proudly boasting, “Raph may not be able to lift a school bus, but he can do this.”

“Yes, I suppose you can,” Donnie replied, genuinely impressed. Leaning forward, Donnie swiftly adjusted the belts while Raph held the machine steady, lowering or raising it as Donnie requested. Raph smiled slightly as he watched Donnie work, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth in concentration as he tightened bolts and adjusted some springs.

Once Donnie finished, he gave the okay, and Raph carefully set the machine back on the table.

“...Thank you for your assistance,” Donnie grudgingly thanked, blushing when Raph leaned down to kiss his forehead with a smile.

“You’re welcome.” 

After a moment of silence, they both opened their mouths to speak, chuckling as they interrupted each other. Before he can offer, Raph gestured for Donnie to go first.

“So, um, where did Michael get to?” Donnie asked, rubbing the stiffness of work out of his neck. “I would have thought he would have been waiting with you in the hallway, given how you two were acting.”

Raph nodded in understanding. Leo had to practically chase the two out of the Medbay to complete his exam.

“He couldn’t handle the wait,” Raph explained. “He mentioned wanting to do some shopping, picking up things he thought would be good for you and some food that shouldn’t upset your stomach.”

“Oh, that was thoughtful of him,” Donnie said, and the two fell into silence again before Raph broke it.

“So, what is this?” Raph asked, gesturing back to Donnie’s machine. Donnie smiled widely, proudly displaying his device’s brilliance.

“It’s a portable nuclear reactor,” he declared, his eyes shining enthusiastically. “Or, at least, that’s the goal. I’m hoping to use it as an off-grid power source.”

Raph’s expression shifted to one of cautious concern as he examined the machine. He stepped back as his eyes flicked from Donnie to the machine.

“And that’s safe?” he questioned, a hint of worry in his voice. “Are you sure it’s okay for you to be doing this? Especially in your condition?”

Donnie felt a twitch in his eye as he glared over at Raph. “And what exactly are you implying?” he asked, his voice laced with irritation.

“Well, you know,” Raph replied obliviously, “With the ba-”

Not bothering to hear him out, Donnie snapped his jaws angrily as he defended himself. “I’ll have you know that despite my less-than-optimal form, I am still quite capable of handling myself; thank you very much!”

Realizing his misstep, Raph quickly corrected himself, but it was too late.

“Donnie, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.” 

But Donnie ignored him as he started to stomp away. 

“You know, I think I’m quite done in the lab today. I’ll go back to my room to rest since I’m apparently so frail. Unless you don’t think I can handle that too?”

“Wait, Donnie-” Raph followed Donnie as he marched out of the lab toward his room, only for Donnie to slam the door in Raph’s face before he could follow him inside.

Sighing, Raph slumped against the door, pouting, as Leo walked past, still engrossed in his reading.

“You know,” Leo said casually as he strolled by, “the book says that surges in estrogen are often associated with anxiety, irritability, and depression.”

“Shut up, Leo.”

Chapter Text

With each passing week, Donnie felt increasingly exhausted. He voiced his concerns to Leo, who after a few tests reassured him that it was normal and advised him to take frequent naps as needed.

Raph continued to hover around the lab, offering assistance and insisting Donnie take breaks whenever he noticed his brother's fatigue. Today, Raph, with Sheldon’s help, had all but banned Donnie from the lab until he took a proper rest after he had nearly fallen asleep over his keyboard.

Reluctantly, Donnie took a nap that turned out to be surprisingly refreshing, though he would never admit that to Raph. Still feeling somewhat fatigued and wanting to avoid Raph’s mother-henning, he stumbled into the living room and slumped on the couch to watch Mikey play video games.

“What are you playing?” Donnie asked as he sprawled out next to his brother. Mikey quickly made room for him, pausing his game to adjust the pillows around Donnie and giving his plastron a gentle rub, a favorite activity of his brothers lately. Donnie sighed but didn’t bother protesting, having grown used to Mikey's coddling ever since news of his condition had gotten out.

"Sims," Mikey said, finally settling back and pulling Donnie’s legs over his lap. "I’m testing out different names to see which ones sound best," he added with a blush, a small smile forming as he glanced at Donnie.

Donnie looked at the paused screen, squinting at the new character's name.

“Ambrosia?”

“What? You don’t like it?” Mikey pouted.

Donnie made a face, causing Mikey to slump down in disappointment.

“I thought it was pretty. Well…” Mikey said hopefully, “Do you have any suggestions?”

Donnie shrugged, already pulling out his phone for some doomscrolling. “Eh, it’s your game.”

But Mikey wasn’t having it.

“Oh, come on, you must have something in mind!” he cajoled, nudging Donnie pointedly.

Donnie was puzzled, not understanding why his brother thought he had an opinion on Sim character names. But, seeing Mikey's hopeful expression, he rolled his eyes and tried to think of some suggestions for his enthusiastic brother.

"Sarin? Aniline? Tennessine?" Donnie rattled off, barely disguising his boredom as he named whatever random compounds or chemical elements that popped into his head.

Mikey's face tightened into a peculiar expression that Donnie had come to recognize as barely disguised disgust or forced cheer.

"Well, those are certainly... unique names," Mikey said, his voice strained. He quickly recovered, chuckling nervously. "How about we make a character for each one?"

"Uh, why?" Donnie asked, watching Mikey as he eagerly started creating the new characters.

"To see which name you like best, of course!" Mikey replied enthusiastically.

“Of course,” Donnie replied skeptically but took the game controller anyway to correct the name spelling that Mikey had muddled.

Their Sims characters were all created and going through the usual day-to-day routines when Raph and Leo eventually joined them.

"What’s up, mis hermanos?" Leo leaned over the back of the couch, attempting to hug Donnie and rub his plastron, undeterred by Donnie’s attempts to push him away. Raph, accustomed to the twins' playful antics, leaned over to affectionately peck the top of Donnie's head while handing him a pack of spicy Cheetos, Donnie's most recent go-to snack.

"We're testing out names in Sims!" Mikey explained excitedly to their brothers.

"Tennessine?" Raph sounded out questionably. "Like the state?"

“That’s Tennessee,” Donnie patiently corrected, having successfully forced Leo out of his bubble. “Tennessine is actually the 117th element on the periodic table.”
 
Leo rolled his eyes as he dragged a beanie bag over to seat himself next to the couch, forgoing the empty recliner in favor of sitting closer to his brothers. 

“Of course it is. Dee you can’t name people after nerd junk.” 

Donnie felt a twinge of annoyance at the remark, but Mikey and Raph swiftly kicked Leo's beanie bag in silent reprimand.

“Hey!”

"It's just a game," Donnie muttered dismissively, but Leo ignored him.

"You should choose a name that really grabs attention, like Galaxa!” Leo gushed, as he tried to take the controller to create his own character. “In Jupiter Jim #58: Attack of the Plutonians, she's a spy for the Plutonians who tricks Jupiter Jim into their trap. But then she ends up falling for Jupiter Jim and saves him before they can melt his brains."

"What happened to not naming characters after nerd stuff?" Donnie teased as he held the controller out of reach. Before Leo could respond, Raph jumped in.

"How about Chyna?" Raph suggested.

The brothers glanced at him quizzically.

"The country or the wrestler?" Mikey asked, eyebrows raised.

Raph sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Just throwing out ideas." 

"Oh, how about Juniper!" Mikey chimed in eagerly.

"Lunara!" 

"Andre!" 

As his brothers continued to shout out names, Donnie sat there dumbfounded. He hadn't realized they played Sims that often. Onscreen, Tennessine started yelling after catching the kitchen on fire, while Ambrosia and Sarin went swimming.

Chapter Text

“You are all being ridiculous,” Donnie snapped, glaring down his snout at his brothers.

After weeks of being cooped up in the lair, Donnie felt increasingly antsy. Over the past month, he had made several attempts to leave their home to gather materials from the junkyard or take a quick trip to the Hidden City. However, his suddenly (and suspiciously) overly helpful brothers intervened each time. They volunteered to fetch whatever he needed before cheerfully sending him back to his game or project with his favorite snack of the week in hand.

At first, this arrangement seemed great. Thanks to the medicine Leo provided, his nausea had finally subsided, and the waves of fatigue had even lessened, making him extremely productive. If it weren’t for his achy back, which he would never admit to Leo being right about, he would say he felt the best he had in a while. 

However, his more sedentary lifestyle was beginning to take a noticeable toll on his body. The subtle bloating he had previously attributed to illness (or a parasite) had expanded, making him look like he had swallowed a rather large grapefruit. His plastron, which had always been the most flexible among the brothers, had betrayed him, protruding out and doing nothing to hide his growing form.

His brothers didn’t seem to mind though—stroking his expanding plastron whenever they snuck in a quick kiss or hug—but Donnie couldn’t help but feel some embarrassment at his changing form.

Today, however, he was determined to get out of the lair and stretch his legs, and the release of the latest installment in the Purple Game series gave him the perfect excuse. The pre-pre-sequel was out, and the deluxe collector’s edition box set included an exclusive art book, one of eight different collector’s figurines, and exclusive DLC that he refused to miss out on.

After slipping on his favorite oversized hoodie, Donnie was prepared for a trip to the surface to collect his game. However, his brothers were adamant about him staying home, continuously trying to stop him. As before, they insisted on getting the game for him, but this time, Donnie refused to be deterred, leaving him stuck in a standoff at the lair’s entrance as his brothers blocked his way.

“Come on, Donnie,” Mikey cooed, holding out a slice of Cheeto-covered pizza like a peace offering. “Wouldn’t you rather have a snack? I can grab your game while you eat. I could even pick up some more pineapple juice while I’m out. Didn’t you say you’ve been wanting more pineapple juice?”

Donnie stared deadpan at Mikey, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes in frustration. He glanced at Leo and Raph standing behind Mikey as they grinned widely, still deliberately positioned to block his way.

Donnie took a deep breath, trying to calm the surge of frustration. He only wanted a brief outing, but his brothers’ overprotectiveness was becoming suffocating. He understood their concern for his recovery, but this was excessive. Taking another deep breath to steady himself, he replied through gritted teeth, “While I appreciate the offer, I must decline.”

Oblivious to the softshell’s mounting frustration, Raph cheerfully persisted. “Or Raph can get it!” he suggested, as Donnie felt his eye start to twitch.

“I am perfectly capable of procuring my own game,” Donnie snapped, his voice laced with irritation. “Besides, the last time you volunteered to get me something, you returned with copper instead of Beryllium Copper.”

“There’s a difference?” Leo asked, genuinely puzzled.

“ABSOLUTELY! How else do you expect my pressure sensors to maintain accurate measurements?”

Donnie rolled his eyes as his brothers exchanged confused glances.

“Regardless,” he continued, regaining his composure as he tried to force his way past. “I am perfectly capable of handling this task myself. If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to get to the store before it closes.”

“Weren’t you saying that this sequel was unoriginal and unnecessary?” Leo questioned, smoothly stepping into Donnie’s path again. “In fact, I distinctly remember you saying, ‘The side missions in particular are said to be monotonous and lacking in creativity,’” Leo mocked, adopting his nerdy sci-fi convention voice to quote Donnie’s own words from the reviews he had read out to his brothers while lounging on the couch earlier that week.

“Yes, and I stand by that,” Donnie retorted, his frustration evident, “but the collector’s edition includes a gold-plated figurine of Mr. X, which I MUST have,” Donnie stressed as he tried to shove Leo aside. Mr. X had always been his favorite character in the franchise. 

Raph quickly intervened, placing a comforting hand on Donnie’s shoulders and looking sternly at Leo in reprimand. “I’m sorry, Dee, but it’s not safe for you to be up top right now,” Raph declared confidently, oblivious to the disbelief on Donnie’s face. “You’re staying home, and that’s final.”

His decisive words were met with frantic signals from their other brothers, who desperately tried to stop him from speaking. Mikey winced, head sinking into his shell as Leo groaned, both knowing Raph had just made things worse.

Donnie’s eyebrow twitched. “Is that so?” he asked, his voice icy as cold anger filled the air.

“Y-yes,” Raph stammered, suddenly looking uncertain.

“I am going to get my game,” Donnie stated with cool certainty, his gaze steady and unyielding. “The question is whether I will need to go through you to do it, dear brother.” The threat in his words hung heavily in the air.

“Dee—” Raph began, but Donnie cut him off.

“Make your choice now,” Donnie demanded as a faint glow of mystic power emanated from him. Raph sweated nervously as Mikey hid behind him, hoping to escape the blast. However, before Donnie could release his attack, Leo quickly jumped to their rescue. 

“How about we go with you?” Leo interjected desperately, trying to defuse the situation.

“Yeah, we can all go together,” Mikey chimed in, head peeking out from behind Raph hopefully, eager to support Leo’s suggestion.

Donnie eyed his brothers, noticing their nervous sweat. He let the tension hang for a moment longer before finally speaking.

“I suppose that would be acceptable,” Donnie conceded, his tone begrudgingly calm as his mystic power dissipated harmlessly into the air.

The three breathed a collective sigh of relief, visibly relaxing.

So it came to be that they all made their way to the surface to collect Donnie’s game. Throughout the journey, his brothers hovered around him protectively, much to Donnie’s exasperation. Leo insisted on using a portal to avoid the risk of climbing the ladder, and they kept Donnie securely in the middle of their formation at all times.

When they reached the store, Donnie pushed past his brothers as they stepped inside. The place was nearly deserted, a testament to the rise of online shopping. Seeing no threats, his brothers fanned out, each absently browsing the dwindling shelves while Donnie headed to the counter to collect his game. However, one other customer was waiting in front of the store—a face Donnie vaguely recognized.

“Well, if it isn’t Othello Von Ryan,” the human said, peering over his glasses with a smirk.

Donnie blinked as he tried to place the familiar face. “Ah, yes. It’s… you.”

The two stood in awkward silence for a moment before the human let out a sigh, looking visibly disappointed. “It’s Jase. Remember? From the Purple Dragons?” he prompted, hoping to jog Donnie’s memory.

“Yes…” Donnie replied, still searching his memory.

Once it was clear Donnie didn’t remember him, Jase groaned. “...Kendra’s brother.”

“Oh yes!” Donnie nodded, finally recognizing the boy Kendra often yelled at during their encounters. “Kendra’s stepbrother,” he repeated, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the store for a familiar head of lavender hair. “She isn’t here, is she?”

“No, she’s at her internship,” Jase spat, still irritated by Donnie’s failure to recognize him. His expression hardened as he adjusted his glasses. “But I have been entrusted with an important mission: to retrieve her copy of Purple Game 2.75,” he continued, his tone brimming with self-importance as if this task were a matter of great significance and not the excuse to keep him out of her way that it most likely was.

Donnie shrugged, feeling indifferent now that he knew his nemesis wasn’t around. As he looked out the store, he saw Leo and Mikey attempting to tidy up the shelves Raph had accidentally knocked over while trying to avoid toppling a different display.

As he watched his brothers, he failed to notice Jase’s curious look, his gaze lingering on the slight bump that even Donnie’s oversized hoodie couldn’t wholly conceal.

“Have you gained weight?” Jase asked, earning Donnie’s look of shocked embarrassment.

“Excuse me?” Donnie muttered but was interrupted as the store’s lone associate returned to the counter, holding a single box marked “Purple Game 2.75.”

“Sorry, man. We only have one copy left, and it’s already been preordered by a Mr. Von Ryan,” the worker informed Jase. Donnie’s face broke into a smug grin as he prepared to claim his game, glad he had remembered to preorder his box prior to pick-up.

“That would be me,” Donnie practically sang, reaching out eagerly, only for his hand to be swatted away.

“Not so fast, Von Ryan,” Jase interrupted, his glasses catching the light as he deflected Donnie’s hand. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Donnie’s brothers appeared behind him in an instant; their glares focused intently on Jase.

“Whoa, buddy,” Leo warned, his eyes hard as he subtly brandished his katana. “You might want to rethink this.”

Ignoring his brother’s warning, Jase sneered and pressed a button on his watch with a confident smirk.

“I’ll be leaving with the game, Von Ryan. Try to stop me,” he taunted, his voice dripping with challenge.

In an instant, a sleek mechsuit began to materialize around him, its metallic components whirring and clicking as they assembled into place. The suit’s heavy armor rattled together with a menacing finality, transforming Jase into a formidable, armored fighting machine.

Donnie sneered, already gathering his mystic energy to construct a magnetic disruption rod, much like his tech bo, that could efficiently dispatch Jase’s suit. He readied his stance, but just as he was about to strike, his brothers moved right in front of him, blocking his aim.

“Not through us, you won’t,” Mikey declared, his mystic Kusari-fundo swinging to the side.

“Yeah, Donnie is getting his game,” Raph added as he punched his hand threateningly.

Together, his brothers lunged at Jase, but mechanical arms extended from the suit with a whir, pushing them back with surprising strength. While forcing the three back, one of the arms swiftly snatched the game from the thoroughly bewildered worker.

“I’m taking my break,” the worker muttered, retreating towards the storage room behind the counter. “I don’t get paid enough for this.”

As his brothers attempted to maneuver around Jase’s defenses, Donnie tried to join the fray but was repeatedly hindered by his own brothers. Whenever he had a clear shot at Jase, one of his brothers would step into his line of fire, always positioning themselves between him and their target.

When Donnie attempted a direct attack from the front, Mikey suddenly darted in front of him, nearly knocking him off balance as he swung his kusari-fundo.

“Don’t worry, Donnie! I got it!” Mikey shouted with a grin.

Next, Donnie attempted a sneak attack from the side while Jase was distracted by Mikey’s razzmatazz. However, Leo sidestepped to avoid a stray shot from Jase’s mechanical arm. “On your left!” Leo called out, inadvertently blocking Donnie’s path as he parried the arm with his katana.

Even when he attempted an approach from the back, Raph lunged between them, his massive frame almost colliding with Donnie as he blocked another swing from the mechanical arm. “Whoa, that was a close one,” Raph exclaimed, narrowly dodging a retaliatory strike.

Donnie’s temper flared as he found himself unable to land a single hit or effectively contribute to the fight at all. As he stepped back to watch his brothers battling Jase and nearly demolishing the small game shop in the process, he noticed that the arm still clutching his box set was positioned far from the chaos, unnoticed and unprotected.

With a careful eye on Jase and his brothers, Donnie stealthily maneuvered around the untoppled shelves. He approached the arm and, with practiced precision, pried the game out of Jase’s grasp. A triumphant smile spread across Donnie’s face as he secured the game in his claws.

However, Donnie’s brief moment of triumph was quickly dashed. As his brothers forcefully pushed Jase back, the mechanical arm inadvertently knocked the box set from Donnie’s grip, sending it tumbling to the ground. Before he could react, the heavy foot of the mechsuit came crashing down, crushing the box under its immense weight.

Stunned, Donnie stared at the shattered remnants of his game, his heart sinking as he spotted the twisted remains of a Mr. X figurine among the shards of his game. In his dismay, he missed a stray shot from Mikey’s kusari-fundo striking the store’s sprinkler system. Water erupted from the sprinklers, soaking the entire store and making his oversized hoodie cling to his distended plastron.

With icy rage, Donnie fixed his gaze on his unsuspecting opponent, channeling his mystic energy to forge a kinetic disruptor blaster. Without hesitation, he aimed and fired, the blast sending a powerful shockwave that threw his brothers backward as it tore through Jase’s mechsuit, reducing it to wreckage. As Jase’s prone form stood there unprotected, he and Donnie’s brothers looked back as Donnie’s soaking-wet form crumpled to the floor, tears numbly streaming down his face.

“Oh mi gosh, Donnie, are you okay?” Mikey exclaimed, rushing to his brother’s side with concern etched on his face.

Leo followed closely, his eyes scanning Donnie for any signs of injury. “He didn’t hit you, did he?” he asked urgently, his hands already checking for wounds and paying particular attention to Donnie’s plastron.

Donnie’s voice trembled as he struggled to respond. He was embarrassed to be crying over a game but was unable to stop himself. “I… It’s… my game. I just wanted my game.”

Mikey placed a comforting hand on Donnie’s shoulder, trying to reassure him as he peppered kisses to Donnie’s forehead. “Aw, it’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”

Raph stepped in with determination, “Yeah, Donnie. Raph will check every store in the city if I have to. We’ll get you your game.”

While his brothers tried to console him, they all remained oblivious that Jase had discreetly captured the entire scene with a built-in camera in his watch. However, when Raph noticed Jase still lingering around, he growled menacingly, sending the wannabe villain scrambling out of the store’s wreckage in a hasty retreat.

The night ended with Donnie’s brothers scouring the city, “liberating” multiple box sets of the game from various stores to guarantee he received every collector’s figurine available, including his gold-plated Mr. X figurine. Back at home, Donnie sank into his favorite gaming chair in the living room as his game downloaded. His newly acquired treasures surrounded him as his brothers fussed over him, adjusting pillows and offering snacks as he churred happily. Overall, Donnie concluded that the mission to get out of the lair had been a success. 

Chapter Text

Splinter’s old room had been left untouched ever since he moved into his permanent suite at the Hotel Nexus last year. The brothers had argued endlessly over what to do with it but could never come to an agreement. Raph was dead set on turning it into a full workout room, while Mikey saw it as the perfect space for a craft studio. Leo had lobbied for a comic room, and Donnie, unsurprisingly, wanted to expand his lab. With no one able to agree, the room had remained unused.

‘At least until now,’ Donnie thought, as he awkwardly waddled down the hall. All morning, he had been plagued by random cramping, but it seemed to have finally subsided, at least for the moment. Feeling peckish, he had been on his way to the kitchen, minding his own business, when he heard noise coming from Splinter’s old room, drawing his attention. 

When he reached the open door, his eyes widened at the sight before him: his brothers standing in the middle of the freshly repainted room. Raph and Leo were splattered with lilac paint from head to toe, while Mikey remained somehow spotless. A streak of paint ran across Raph’s shell, and Leo’s hands and arms were completely coated, paint dripping onto the tarps covering the floor as he clumsily attempted to wipe it off with a rag.

“What in Schrödinger’s beard?” Donnie muttered. “What are you guys doing?” 

Mikey beamed, practically bouncing over to Donnie and wrapping himself around the softshell in an excited hug. "Do you like it?!"

Donnie blinked, taking in the chaos of paint cans, brushes, and clutter scattered everywhere. "This is... something."

Leo, successfully wiping his hands off and tossing the rag into a nearby bin, grinned. "We know you’re into the whole ‘mad scientist lair’ thing, but figured maybe a lighter touch for this room would be better."

“Sure...” Donnie muttered, watching as Raph awkwardly struggled to wipe the paint off the back of his shell. His gaze drifted toward the corner of the room, where, partially concealed beneath a tarp, the outline of a circular bed peeked through.

“The rest of the furniture I ordered should be arriving later this week. You’re gonna love it!” Mikey gushed as he continued to nuzzle into Donnie’s side. “I went for clean lines with a modern look but with lots of textures in soft colors for accents, you know, nothing too overstimulating.”

“Uh huh…” Donnie responded absently, wanting to ask what they were planning when his phone suddenly rang. Glancing down at his phone, Donnie saw April’s name flashing on the screen. “Oh, it’s April.” He answered the call with his usual flair. “You’re speaking to Donatel—” but was immediately cut off by a burst of shouting on the other end.

“DONATELLO OTHELLO VON RYAN HAMATO!!” April’s voice blared from the speaker, loud enough to make his brothers wince. “WHY AM I HEARING THIS FROM KENDRA, OF ALL PEOPLE?!”

Donnie blinked in confusion. “What?” he asked, still holding the phone to his ear as his brothers exchanged worried and guilty looks.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DIDN’T TELL ME RIGHT AWAY!” April continued to fume. “NO, I HAD TO HEAR IT FROM KENDRA! WHO, BY THE WAY, THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST GETTING FAT AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS LOOKING AT!”

“April, I—” Donnie tried to interject, but she was on a roll.

“SO, THERE I WAS, SITTING ACROSS FROM HER, HAVING TO PRETEND I DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING WHILE SHE WENT ON ABOUT YOUR SUPPOSED DESCENT INTO... INTO... I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW AWKWARD THAT WAS?”

Donnie, completely baffled and unable to get a word in, held the phone out in front of him. “You talk to her,” he said, thrusting the phone toward his brothers. “She’s not making any sense.”

His brothers exchanged uneasy glances before deciding to settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors, a dejected Leo emerging as the loser.

“IF I WASN’T UP TO MY NECK IN WORK FOR THIS INTERNSHIP I’D COME DOWN THERE AND POP YOU ON THE SNOUT! TEACH YOU TO NOT TELL ME YOU’RE PREGNA-”

“Wha—uh... h-hi, April,” Leo said nervously as he took the phone, wincing at the immediate barrage of shouting that shifted toward him. “We *wanted* to tell you, but...” He trailed off, retreating down the hall as April’s voice continued to echo angrily behind him.

Relieved to be done with that, Donnie let out a deep sigh, but his relief was short-lived as the cramping returned with a jolt. Wincing, he rubbed the small of his back, trying to ease the renewed discomfort.

“Is your back okay?” Mikey asked, noticing the way Donnie was gingerly massaging his lower shell.

“Just some lower back pain,” Donnie muttered, stretching and twisting slightly in an attempt to find some relief.

Raph glanced towards the door where Leo had disappeared. “Leo’s probably gonna be a while. How about we grab your pillows while we wait?”

Mikey’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea. “Oh! I could give you a massage!” he offered enthusiastically. “I’ve been practicing my technique.”

Donnie took a deep breath as a particularly intense wave of discomfort washed over him. “I suppose I wouldn’t be opposed…”

Mikey’s face broke into a wide grin. “Of course! Leave it to me.”

Raph and Mikey carefully guided Donnie toward the living room, arranging a stack of pillows on the couch to create a comfortable spot for him to lie on his plastron. Once Donnie was settled, Mikey began gently yet firmly massaging the lower part of his shell as Donnie groaned under the attention.

“Don’t worry,” Raph whispered, gently stroking the top of Donnie’s head. “Not much longer now.”

As the pain subsided, Donnie let out a soft churr from his throat, blinking lazily up at Raph. 
 
“I can’t wait.”

Chapter Text

Donnie was laying on the couch again, a scene becoming all too familiar these days, feeling uncomfortable, restless, and strangely heavy. Normally, being banned from the lab by both Raph and Sheldon would’ve sparked an immediate protest, but these last few day even just standing up left him winded, so he hadn’t put up much of a fight, merely gripping to himself as Raph helped him to the couch, encouraging him to “take it easy.” 

So here Donnie was stuck on the couch, half-listening to the sounds of Raph and Mikey finishing up in the other room.

Ever since his last appointment with Leo, his brothers had been in a constant flurry of activity—running back and forth, and spending more and more time in Splinter’s old room doing… something. Donnie had made several attempts to enter the room ever since discovering they’d repainted it, but each time, his brothers quickly ushered him away, insisting they didn’t want to ruin the big reveal.

Sighing, he sank deeper into the cushions, trying to lose himself in his phone. He winced as a subtle cramp twisted through his abdomen but ignored it, focusing on one of his many downloaded games. For a while, he managed to stay distracted, but then another sharp twinge hit him. At first, he brushed it off, thinking it was nothing. But after a few minutes the sensation would come back—stronger, more insistent each time. Gritting his teeth, he felt a growing unease. The pain wasn’t random anymore. It was rhythmic, steady… timed .

A sharper cramp made him wince, forcing a groan from his lips as he struggled to sit up.

Just as he managed to pull himself up, Leo emerged from the kitchen, casually grabbing a snack on his way back to work in the room. As soon as Leo locked eyes with Donnie and saw the pain etched across his face, his relaxed expression shifted to one of immediate concern.

"Hey, Donnie-baby," Leo called out, his brow furrowing with concern as he hurried over. "Everything good?"

Donnie opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden, sharp wave of pain crashed over him. He gasped, his hands instinctively flying to his stomach.

“I'll take that as an answer,” Leo said, his voice shifting to a more serious tone as he stepped closer. He gently placed his hands over Donnie’s as he crouched down before him. “I guess it’s time, huh?”

Distantly Donnie wondered what he meant by that, but he could only gasp as another wave of pain hit, nearly knocking him off balance. Leo quickly stepped in, wrapping an arm around his waist to keep him upright.

“Ok ok ok, let’s just stay calm,” Leo said, though his tone suggested he was trying to reassure himself more than Donnie. With gentle care, he helped Donnie rise to his feet, moving his arm around Donnie’s back for support. “Let’s get you to your nest,” he urged, guiding him toward the spare room with a determined focus.

“Nest?” Donnie managed to gasp, but Leo appeared to be too focused on guiding him to the room to hear him. 

A high-pitched chirp slipped from his lips as the overwhelming pain of another contraction hit. Normally, he might have felt embarrassed by such a noise coming from him, but the intensity of the pain drowned out any self-consciousness.

Donnie’s vision blurred as tears welled in his eyes. As they entered the room, he could barely make out the familiar shapes of Raph and Mikey looking at them in alarm.

"It’s time," Leo exclaimed urgently.

The other two quickly jumped into action. 

“Mikey, text April. Dad’s train should be arriving soon,” Raph ordered as he rushed over, scooping Donnie up in a careful bridal hold.

“On it,” Mikey replied, fingers already flying over his phone as he sent the message.

Raph gently carried Donnie to a circular bed that he vaguely remembered, now transformed with layers of soft, plush blankets and pillows. Gently, he lowered Donnie onto the bed, and as soon as he settled in, the soft, comforting scent of his mates enveloped him. Instinctively, Donnie shifted, burying himself deeper into the blankets. A warm haze began to wash over his mind, and the sharp edge of pain started to blur.

"Is he okay? Should we be doing something?" Raph asked as he nervously hovered nearby.

"The book says that once he's in the nest, instincts should take over," Leo said, though the usual bravado in his voice was noticeably absent. He glanced at Raph, nervousness creeping in despite his attempt to sound confident. "Nothing else to do but monitor... while he does his thing."

Raph nodded, though his eyes remained fixed on Donnie, concern etched deeply across his face. Mikey reached out and patted his arm in a comforting gesture as they all stood around the nest. The tension in the room was thick, but Donnie’s awareness of his brothers felt distant, as though they were watching from another world while he stayed focused on the nest.

With trembling hands, Donnie continued to fidget with the blankets, his focus narrowing to the nest beneath him. His fingers worked quickly, smoothing out creases, fluffing pillows, and rearranging everything with meticulous care. His mind felt like it was moving on autopilot, singularly driven by an instinct that pulsed deep within him, pushing him to make everything just right . He tugged and shifted the soft fabric around him, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths as each adjustment felt more necessary than the last. 

Suddenly, there was a moment of stillness—an eerie calm that settled over him, and then... everything was right. The nest was perfect, every piece in its place, snug and comforting. 

But just as that thought surfaced, the pain returned to awareness, a sharp spike of pressure hitting his abdomen. The pain seized him, radiating from his core, as though something had grabbed hold of his insides and was pulling hard. He let out a shuddering breath as his hands instinctively clutched at the blankets, trying to steady himself as his muscles contracted on their own. 

The pressure built quickly, surging through him in waves that were impossible to ignore. His teeth clenched as he bore down, his body acting on instincts he didn’t fully understand, every nerve ending screaming for release. A sharp, overwhelming need to bear down surged through him. 

Grabbing onto a pillow, he sank his teeth into the soft fabric, muffling the sound of his pained groans. The pressure was unbearable, like his entire body was being pulled apart from the inside, but he couldn't stop. He had to keep pushing.

Tears welled in his eyes as he gritted his teeth harder, biting down through the fibers of the pillow, his body working through the relentless contractions. The pain intensified with each push, becoming almost too much to handle, but there was no stopping it. More and more, he bore down, his muscles straining as he fought through the torment.

Then, with a sudden pop, the unbearable pressure broke. Relief flooded his body as the tension released, leaving him feeling hollow, as though something had been expelled from deep within. The pain finally subsided, leaving a lingering ache that reverberated through his entire body. His limbs moved on their own, kicking the blankets beneath him in an unconscious attempt to cover something, though he wasn’t sure what. 

His brothers chatted above him, though he couldn’t understand them, and he could feel their gentle touches as they inspected him. A peculiar sense of accomplishment washed over him as his body finally surrendered to the overwhelming fatigue. His breathing slowed as his limbs grew heavy, the weight of the moment pressing him into a deep, dreamless blackness.

When he finally stirred again, soreness blanketed his body, every muscle aching. His mouth was dry, filled with fibers of the pillow that he had torn through. His eyes fluttered open, the world slowly coming back into focus as he groggily blinked against the soft light in the room.

His brothers hovered close, initially focused on something else, but it didn't take long for them to notice he was awake. As soon as they saw him stir, they rushed to his side, their voices overlapping in a chorus of excited chatter.

“He’s awake!” Raph exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement, looking ready to scoop Donnie out of the bed. 

Meanwhile, Mikey clambered up the back of Raph's shell, eager to join the commotion. “Donnie!”

“Give him some space, guys,” Leo instructed, holding out a hand to gently push them back, shifting seamlessly into medic mode.

Leo gently assisted Donnie in sitting up, his sore body protesting the motion. Once he was upright, Leo offered him a glass of water along with some pills, which he eagerly gulped down.

“How do you feel?” Mikey asked as Leo set aside the now empty glass.

Donnie rubbing his temples, blinking away the last of the haze from sleep. “Like my insides were yanked out,” he muttered.

Leo gave a small chuckle, though his eyes showed nothing but sympathy. “I bet. Sorry, I didn’t want to risk giving you anything that might interfere while you were laying.”

“Laying?” Donnie echoed back, confused. His brothers, however, didn’t seem to catch the confusion in his voice.

“Oh, you were great, Donnie!” Mikey chimed as he bounced on Raph’s shell.

“Yeah, man,” Raph added, grinning proudly. “You handled it like a boss.”

Donnie stared at them, trying to piece together what had happened. His mind still felt foggy, his body heavy, and the memories of the earlier pain were more like fragments of a dream than reality.

“Everything went smoothly,” Leo reassured him. “Here, take a look.”

Leo moved to the side where his brothers had been gathered earlier and grabbed the handle of a sleek incubator perched on a rolling base that Donnie hadn’t noticed before. The machine emitted a faint hum as Leo wheeled it over to the bed. Donnie leaned forward, curious. Looking through the clear walls, he could see a single, perfectly formed egg nestled inside. Its surface shimmered faintly under the dim light, pale and smooth, with an opalescent sheen that made it look impossibly fragile.

As Donnie stared at the egg, his confusion only deepened, each second flooding him with more questions than answers.

"Uh... what is that ?" he asked, his voice shaky. His brothers exchanged knowing glances, grinning from ear to ear.

"Your egg!" Mikey chirped, oblivious to Donnie’s shock.

Donnie’s eyes darted back to the incubator, then to his brothers, utterly incredulous.

"My WHAT?!!"