Chapter 28: Confusion...
In that moment Leonardo forgot to breath.
Protect the Box!?
What!? What Box!?
He didn't know what box she was-
Wait… That woman? Did, did she know? No that can’t be…! But-
His mind wasn’t working properly anymore, as it began to spin in different places. Different scenarios working to figure out what this could mean. The box…
The Box!
He let go of the parchment in that second and ran out of his room without a care. He didn’t pay much attention to anything else except to get over to Donnie’s lab. Right now, that’s all that mattered. His weakened sight may be a minor problem, but somehow he managed to make his way around the obstacles and down at the second floor of the lair. Right where his mate’s laboratory remained.
Seeing the closed but not locked door set a mental alarm in his head. He twisted it and entered inside. Everything looked to be in place…? Or at least he thinks so?
Either way, he needed to find that box.
He scanned every inch of the darken room. Flasks and different machinery sat in every corner of the lab, from the large desk to the shelves drilled to the wall. Leo knew that trying to find the box would be like trying to find needle in a haystack, near damn impossible. However, he really didn't have the time to ponder on that pessimistic thought; right now he needed to find that box. The same one that he specifically brought one afternoon to Donatello’s lab after their scouting mission.
Leo was about to turn on the lights when suddenly he felt something behind him. He spun around ready to attack the intruder-
-Only to see Raphael.
“Whoa! Easy there bro!” The emerald terrapin said raising his arms in defense.
The leader sighed heavily in mild relief. “Don’t sneak up on me like that Raph.”
Green eyes looked like they glowed in the darkness. “What are you doing here in Donnie’s lab?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Leo countered.
There was silence when suddenly his hand touched his shoulder. “Where’s your bandages?”
The touch was reassuring and calming, but it did it’s effect only slightly. “I removed them. They were getting in the way.” The blue turtle replied.
“Donnie’s going to have your shell Bro.” The tempered turtle replied with a cross of his arms.
*Oh believe me I know.* The older thought to himself.
“But you still haven’t answered my question. Why are you in Don’s lab?” Raph repeated.
“I came to check on something.” He replied, he did not want to hold secrets from his family. But at the same time he didn’t want to tell him everything. How Ironic...
Green eyes moved up and down. “When you should be resting."
He had a point. Leo tightened his lips. "It's nothing too important."
"Oh, what is it? Nothing too important that couldn't wait until morning, with Donatello in the lab.” The red turtle emphasized with a grouse.
Leonardo could never lie to his brothers as well as he could to his enemies. “I remembered bringing something to Donatello a while back, I just needed to see what he has done with it.”
“Whoa, hold your shell bro." The tempered turtle interrupted moving into Leonardo's line of sight. "What are you talking about? What did you bring?”
“Raph, look I just need to check on it. It’s not like I’m going to be something extraneous.” Leo responded equally challenging his taller and more muscled brother.
He wasn't buying it. “Just tell me what it is and I’ll leave you to it.”
And Mikey has the decency to call Leo stubborn… His hand went over his face. “Raph, it’s just something we found the other day, nothing more, nothing less.”
Yet the other didn’t seem to letting off any time soon. In fact he seemed to be getting more agitated. “Freaken hiding stuff again. What is with ya!?”
Leo didn't want to get into another argument like this again. “Look Raph, I just wanted to check on this box that I brought to him. Don’t ask me what it is, because I don’t know myself. And Don had planned to check on it and tell me later about it. But then season hit…” he trailed off, careful not to explain anything else.
And for once it looked like Raph finally believed him. Well considering he wasn’t actually lying to him to begin with. Then again he’s never lied to any of his brothers, even as children. Yet, even know he felt like he was betraying their trust again.
“So, you’re just wanting to give it a look and all?” Raph asked his crossed arms never loosening.
The eldest nodded. “Just that.”
“Alright." Raphael's gaze harden. "So I repeat. Why couldn’t you have waited until morning?”
“Just came to thought recently.” Leo responded.
“That’s not all of it.” The younger read right through him. “Why did you think to take off your bandages now?”
Raph got him cornered now. His bandages got wet, it was as simple as counting, but yet...
“I-” But Leonardo never got to finish his words when the door behind them suddenly swung open.
Both turtles turned over nearly jumping out of their skin when they saw a rather furious Donatello at the door.
“What the heck are you two doing in my lab!?”
Busted…
“Don.” Raphael stuttered.
The look in his brown eyes was more than enough to surprise the two brothers. “Out.”
“Wha-”
“OUT!” He screamed walking inside and dragging both out with such a force that they didn’t think the most slender and lean of turtles would possess.
“Oi! Wait Don-!” But both where soon dragged out before the door was slammed shut before they could even breath.
Leonardo in particular stood flabbergasted at what just happened. Were they… were they just manhandled by Donatello!?
"I..." Raph breathed with dilated eyes. "I really have no words for this..."
"I think, I'm going back to bed." Leo said suddenly his mind trying to put everything together. He didn't even react when he noticed that Raph didn't follow him. If anything this stress and blurred vision is giving him a headache.
At the back of Leo's head he knew that this conversation with Raphael isn't over. Right now he had gotten a bit more time to think this through. Leo would be lying if he said that it didn't pain him to hide this information from the rest of his family. It really did. But in reality he knew doing this was making him nothing more than a coward that just can't find the proper courage to tell them.
At this point he is just coming up with more excuses. Something in him was screaming at him to speak to his father, but the rest of his body was arguing with him to wait for Donatello to be there during the revelation. He didn't know how to explain it, but... Don's support felt like some kind of anchor of support, it always had been even before he started to harbor feelings for him. As children his opinion matter a great deal, and even today... it just, that's something he needs right now.
He wanted it so badly, but unfortunately, that can't happen right now. Because whether Leo wants to recognize it or not, Donatello is not mentally there with his hormonal season.
That night he did not get any sleep, and the next morning he felt like, how would Raph put it. Like shit.
To make matters worst, Donatello completed avoided him that morning.
He wasn’t sure what on earth was going on in the genius's head. It was pretty obvious that Donatello will not keep his hands to himself. But whatever is swimming up his thoughts the genius treated Leo like he were on covered in a toxic substance.
It confused the leader in blue to the core, and he wasn’t even sure what to make out of this. Which is strange since today would count as Donatello's “last” day of his season.
Then again, none of the brothers could fully understand how their mating periods worked. From personal experience all they can say that for the first few days they start to feel a rise in temperature and the beginning symptoms of a libido that soon strengthens over the next few days. Usually by the third day their thinking process is heavily affected by their primal instincts.
The turtle's mutation may have changed a lot of things, but this was not 'one' of their humane changes.
Donnie's reaction last night was just as confusing as the next. Because after that he just stayed inside of his lab like the usual Donatello was prone to. To the others it may have seemed normal, but to him. Oh Leo knew that during his mating time, this was completely the opposite. Okay yeah sure, Don was a tiny bit aggressive, but not to the point where he kicks them out of his lab for no reason.
Raph was even shocked. In other cases that would have been funny, if Leonardo didn’t personally know what was going on with Donnie. maybe he should ask Leatherhead about this, he was the only other whose intellect matched Donatello's.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Mikey asked leaning in to place a bowl of hot soup in front of his oldest brother.
“Yeah, just kinda lost in thoughts.” He knew taking off the bandages in such a haste was a bad idea, and now he was suffering through a migraine because of it. Apparently his eyes not having seen proper direct light for a couple of days tends to give the owner a bad headache once they see normally again. Well, mostly.
“Was it because of last night?”
*Mostly the reason.* He thought, but after last night he didn't know how Donatello will act for the rest of the day. And needless to say, Leo is at least a bit worried.
“I think he’ll lighten up eventually, I mean it’s his last mating day isn’t it?” Mikey asked placing a large spoon next to the full bowl.
His older brother rose his head up fast, his eyes widen in surprise.
“Hey, I’m just saying.” Mikey defended with a shrug.
“You don’t need to say it out loud like that.” Leonardo murmured placing his head in his palm.
Again Michelangelo shrugged and went off back to his cooking. “I’m making sausage and pepper pizza later, any suggested toppings?”
“Doesn’t matter to me.” Leo added, looking at the stew the youngest brewed. He heard him go back to work, a small minor hum rumbling in his throat. And even then that didn’t seem to make his situation any more calmer. He was tempted to speak to his mate, but he might get ignored like the last few times.
What's worst that he didn’t get to check on the box. Namely because of a certain angry brother, but also because of Don.
The oldest wondered whether or not it would be a good idea to at least go see if there was anything wrong. Normally Donatello would shut himself in his laboratory if something did bother him. Maybe he could get some questions answered if he did.
As silently as he could, he slipped out of the chair and walked away from the kitchen. He didn’t have much an appetite anymore, thankfully Mike didn’t notice so he was able to leave without explanation.
Mikey had turned to the table. “So I forgot to tell you, Mas- Leo?” Blue eyes looked around but found the older already gone.
“Oh man…”
…
Leonardo shouldn't have been surprise when he saw the door to Don's lab closed. Just as he was about to knock- the door creaked open.
Strange…
Grabbing the knob he softly pushed the door to enter inside, but not before looking to see if the inventor is in of course.
He found Donatello hunched and passed out on his work desk. The oldest sighed to himself, maybe after that surprising rush to kick them out must have used up the rest of his mating frenzy phase. After all, normally the last day the turtle’s impulses are usually pretty intense.
...don’t even get him started on Raphael’s end of the stick.
Slowly he crept closer, the last thing he needed was to startle Donatello considering how strong he proved himself to be last night. Leo walked closer and noticed how soft and even the breathing pattern his brother was taking in.
It was only then when he finally got to the side of the hunched turtle, to see his brother’s sleeping face.
*So that’s what the genius did.* He joked mentally tilting his head warmly. His brother looked pretty peaceful enough, though not entirely comfortable. Leonardo considered gently waking him awake, just enough to-
His hands barely grazed over Don’s shell when suddenly darken mahogany colored eyes snapped open.
“Don-!” He yelped when suddenly the other leapt from his seat and onto the lighter colored mutant.
They tumbled a bit and crashed onto the floor. His blue eyes wide upon seeing the olive reptile looming over him. Donatello's eyes completely darken with an emotion that Leo didn’t comprehend before hands wrapped around his neck.
