Time for some Raph-Donnie bonding. Hope you enjoy! -Leah

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Donnie was used to the hum of activity outside the lab door. It vaguely reminded him what time it was without him having to actively keep track. The sound of Mikey's cartoons disappeared rather abruptly. That meant the youngest was probably turning in for the night. There was no murmur of soap opera theme songs, so it seemed that Master Splinter had also decided to call it a night. The lab door creaked open. That wasn't a usual sound.

He'd been meaning to oil it so that it didn't squeak, but he kept putting it off. He looked up from his lab table where he'd been working on assembling a new upgrade for the Turtle Van.

"Raph back yet?"

Don stared flatly at his older brother. "See the shell cycle anywhere?"

Leo sighed. "Just checking." The blue masked turtle paused. "Late night?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Alright. If Raph's still not back when you turn in, wake me up, yeah?"

It was Don's turn to sigh. "You're not Raph's keeper, Leo. He can take care of himself."

Leo didn't offer a response to that. With one last resigned sigh, Don gave in. "Fine."

After Leo had gone, Donnie checked the time. It was about 11. Still early for Raph. The hothead's little joy rides on the shell cycle usually lasted at least a couple of hours. The whole family had chipped in to get Raph a racing suit so that he could ride without having to worry about humans noticing. Since then, Raph's rides had gotten even longer.

Not for the first time, Don wondered what his brother got up to out there. None of them spent as much time topside as Raph did. Unlike Leo, Don could tell when Raph was lying. Sure, they all lived together in close proximity, but they all had their secrets. Raph had more than the rest of them. But Donnie saw no reason to hound Raphael about what had really happened to him all the times he'd been topside. There would be no point, Raph would just clam up. And in the end, as long as the information wasn't in any way a threat to their family's safety, Donnie didn't feel as though Raph's solo escapades topside were much to worry about.

Even so—he did wonder. Maybe he could ask Raph if he could tag along sometime. Might be fun.

Donatello didn't even bat at an eye at the sound of tires rolling slowly into the garage. He didn't bother looking out from under the turtle van as the sound of his sibling's sneeze echoed through the room. Oddly enough, what finally caught his attention was the whir, whir, whir accompanying the sound of tires being wheeled towards him. He jolted upright and nearly hit his head on the turtle van's undercarriage. His body moved on autopilot in the direction of disturbance, though his heart and head were racing. Flushed with panic, he reached out for his brother's shoulders, only to be swatted away.

"Just a little scrape, Don. Don't get yur bandana tails in a bunch."

Don sputtered. He didn't know quite what to say to such a brash understatement. The shell cycle was mangled. The right side of the frame and the body were dented in. Heavy impact on that side, but not at a very high speed. His eyes whipped over to his brother, homing in on Raph's right side. The hothead caught his fleeting gaze.

"I'm fine, Brainiac."

Don's eyes narrowed. He didn't take Raph's word for it.

Unfortunately, Raph had a history of hiding injuries. The hothead took good enough care of himself that hiding his injuries from them wasn't usually that big of a problem.

But that didn't mean Don had to like it. For the record: he did not.

The right side of Raph's racing suit had no unusual or particularly fresh-looking damage. Finally appeased, Donnie pulled his brother into a brief hug.

Surprised, Raph slowly raised an arm to pat Don's shoulder. He wasn't very good at this kind of stuff.

"I'm fine, Don." He repeated, softly, hoping that his Brainiac brother would stop hugging him soon. Not that he didn't appreciate it, but he was fine. Everything was fine. Donnie shouldn't be this worked up over a little fender bender.

"What happened?" Donnie pulled away and gave his brother some much-needed space. They both looked at the Shell Cycle.

Raph grimaced. Seeing his baby like this was like a punch to the gut.

"Was waiting in line at a stoplight. Delivery van driver pulled out of the alley behind a restaurant. Plowed into me."

Don's eyes went back to Raph's right side. "But you're—"

Raph waved off Don's renewed concern. "Instincts, I think. Swung my leg off just in time. Guy wasn't going very fast. Damage is mostly on the outer casing. But I could use some help fixing her up."

Donnie's shoulders fell. "I can help. But it'll probably be a couple days. I need to finish replacing some the turtle van's parts as well."

Raphael looked thoughtful. "I could help ya with that." Feeling a little awkward he added, "If you want."

"Catch?" The purple-masked turtle raised an eye-ridge.

"What catch?"

"Is there one?"

The hothead's face was both surprised and annoyed. "No. I help you; you get done faster; I get my bike back sooner."

"Ah. Win-win. But now, brother-of-mine, allow me to introduce a little catch of my own." Donnie wasn't about to let this unique opportunity go to waste.

Raph canted his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm listening."

"Take me with you."

He blinked. "What?"

"Next time you go out for a ride, I go with." Don eyed Raph quizzically, trying to see what the hothead's answer would be.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you wanna come?"

Donnie shrugged. "Thought it might be fun."

Raph looked at the shell cycle. He looked at his brother. His arms fell away from his chest. "Donatello, you got yourself a deal."

"Great." He said, feeling pleased. "Now come over here and help me finish replacing these old exhaust pipes."

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The shell cycle was done before sundown the following night. They're had been a little more damage than they had originally thought, but nothing they couldn't replace. They'd been extremely lucky.

Don had lost track of the time. He could hear the jaunty sounds of Mikey's cartoons from the main room. That meant it was sometime after 7.

Tap tap.

He looked up. Raph's voice boomed in from outside the lab door.

"Come on, D. I ain't got all night."

Donatello saved what he'd been working on and shut down his computer. When he poked his head out the lab door, he found Raph waiting for him.

The hothead was already wearing his riding suit.

"Put some clothes on, Brainiac. You can't go riding like that."

"Five minutes." Don said, heading straight for his room.

Leo looked up from the couch, where he was nursing a piping hot cup of green tea. "And just where are you off to?"

"None of your business, Fearless. Don and I are just taking the shell cycle out for a spin."

"You're taking Donnie with you?"

Raph shrugged. "Sure. He asked."

Mikey leapt up from in front of the TV. "I wanna go!"

Raph smiled. "Sorry, Mikey. Don beat ya to it. Maybe next time. IF ya promise to behave yerself."

Leo looked a little worried. "Okay, Raph. Just be careful. And don't come back too late."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, chill out Mamanardo. Donnie and I'll be just fine. We'll be back by curfew."

The blue-masked turtle looked a little surprised, but he wasn't about to say anything that might make Raph change his mind.

Donnie re-emerged wearing a purple sweatshirt and jeans.

"Ready." Don announced, striding over to Raph's side.

"Not yet yur not."

A motorcycle helmet was suddenly being gently secured over his head. Donnie blinked.

"There. Now yur ready."

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Donnie clung to his brother as they weaved through traffic. He didn't really approve of their current speed, but Raph was, at least, being cautious. They turned down one street, then left onto another, then into an alley. They slowed to a stop and Raph hopped off. Don followed his brother's lead, but he struggled to figure out what they were doing here. This was a residential area. They really shouldn't spend any more time here than they had to. They might be seen. Don tugged nervously on his hood.

"Raph, what are—"

"Gotta meet a friend. Don't worry, she can be trusted. Just let me do the talking, at least till I can introduce you."

Don gawked at his brother.

Raph went over to a rather shabby looking door that opened onto the alley and knocked loudly. Don went to stand with him, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

The door opened. A small, white shape bounded out and began to weave between Raphael's legs, purring loudly. The purple-masked turtle stared. An old woman had answered the door. She was shrunken and shriveled, like most old humans Donatello had seen. She had a kind, round face. Her blue eyes moved vacantly around the alley. He realized why soon enough.

"Hey there, Mrs. M! How are you doin' this evening?"

"Raphael, my dear!" Her hands reached out and felt for him, landing on his shoulder and squeezing it softly. "Come in, my dear, come in! You're late. I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it."

"The traffic was murder, Mrs. M. And—uh—I finally took you up on your offer. I brought one of my brothers along with me."

She perked up and her face split into an even larger smile. "Excellent my dear! Please come in, you'll both catch a chill in this cold." She moved aside and the two turtles went inside. Mrs. M paused to call for the cat, "Lucy, come on! We haven't got all night."

"I'll get her, Mrs. M." Raph said, bowing back out into the alley and picking up the cat, who lay contentedly in his arms, flicking his plastron with her tail.

Donnie smiled. Raph had always had a way with animals.

"Now, my dear, introduce yourself."

Don blinked. "Oh, um, I'm Donatello. But you can call me Don, or Donnie, um...Mrs. M?"

"Mrs. Morrison, Donnie. Mrs. M is what my students used to call me back when I was an elementary school teacher. Raphael has told me so much about you and your brothers."

Donnie raised an eye-ridge at that but said nothing.

A little frown creased Mrs. M's face. She seemed to be grappling with something.

"Mrs. M? Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, my dear. I was just wondering. Raphael once told me that you were very good at fixing things. I hate to ask, but I've been having some trouble with a few of my appliances lately. Normally Raphael helps me with things around the house, especially things an old, blind woman like me struggles with."

Raph had come in carrying Lucy during their exchange, closing the door softly behind him and lowering the cat to the ground. Lucy rubbed against Raph's leg, gave him one last flick of her tail and went to examine their strange new visitor. She stared at Don with her big, blue eyes and he felt inexplicably nervous. He bent down and offered her his hand, and she slowly rubbed her head against it, purring softly.

Mrs. Morrison smiled. "Aw, Lucy's such a sweet girl. She knows good people when she meets them. Your brother has been such a help, Donatello. Without him, I would have been evicted last year, and an old woman like me, with no family, I have nowhere to go. He very probably saved my life."

"Mrs. M, you would have made it through. You may not have family, but ya've got a lot of people who care about ya."

"Thank you, dear."

A strong whistle sounded from the kitchen.

"That'll be the teapot. You boys make yourselves at home."

The moment Raph sat down on the couch, Lucy was headed for his lap. Donnie watched his hotheaded brother petting the cat with a calm and contented look on his face.

"I try to stop by two or three times a week. Mrs. M takes care of herself, but sometimes, she's got something that needs fixing. Loose floorboard, cracked tile in the bathroom, that kind of stuff."

"How come you never told us?"

Raph shrugged. "Never came up."

There was more to it than that. Donnie could tell. But he shut his mouth and accepted the answer for now. He wasn't about to grill his brother in front of their elderly friend. Donnie was sitting next his brother on the couch and he could feel the vibrations of the Lucy's purring.

"That cat adores you."

Raph grinned and rubbed under Lucy's chin. She purred even louder.

Mrs. M re-emerged with a tea tray.

"Oh yes, my miss Lucy has simply fallen in love with Raphael."

She poured three cups of tea. She raised her cup, then put it down again, looking nervous.

"Mrs. M?" Raph asked, a little concerned.

"Raphael, on that note, I've been meaning to ask you...Lucy's a young cat, she's only a few years old. I'm just sure she's going to outlive me—"

"Mrs. M, that's—"

"Please let me finish, dear. I want Lucy to go to a good home when I'm gone, and she loves you so much. I don't suppose you'd be willing...?"

She let the sentence hang there.

Donnie could see that the idea of Mrs. Morrison passing away was deeply painful to Raphael. He watched his big brother looking thoughtfully down at the cat in his lap, currently purring sweetly.

"Of course, I'll take care of her, Mrs. M."

She looked relived. "Oh, that's splendid. I'm so glad."

They had a very nice tea-time. Donnie decided that Mrs. Morrison's cookies were some of the best he'd ever tasted. He told her that she simply had to tell them the recipe for Mikey, the chef of the family. She had laughed and agreed, encouraging them to bring the youngest turtle with them next time. Raph had smiled and said that he would try. She sent them home with a small bag of cookies for each of them. They said their goodbyes and hopped back on the shell cycle.

"Ya hungry?"

"We just had tea, Raph."

"Yeah, and I missed dinner. C'mon, we'll swing by a place I know."

"Fine, you're buying."

They pulled up behind a tiny Italian place wedged between a cleaners and a Thai restaurant. Raph pulled up out front and hopped off his back, walking up to the window. The girl behind the counter seemed to recognize him and she called out to someone in the back, then she gestured to the side.

"Follow me, Brainiac."

Donnie obeyed.

They went down the narrow alley to the side door to the kitchen. A lean man with graying hair and a beaming smile came rushing out to them.

"Raffaello! My best customer! It's been a while! And you brought a friend!"

"Fonso, this is my brother, Donatello."

"Of course, of course! So nice to meet you!" He looked back at Raph, "You'll be having your usual?"

"Do ya even have to ask?"

Fonso smiled. "I'll make it a double. It will be ready in a few minutes."

"Ey Fonso, throw a couple pizzas on there. We'll take 'em home for my other brothers."

"Of course, mio amico."

Donnie eyed his brother.

"So, what is 'the usual'?"

"The best spaghetti and meatballs in all NYC."

"Big claim there, Raph." Donnie said, smiling.

"You'll get to see for yourself."

They leaned against the wall of the alley as they waited. Don found the smells wafting out of the kitchen divine. His stomach growled.

"So, is this really all you do, when you go out on your rides?"

"Sometimes. Tonight's been pretty chill. Usually I run into to trouble."

"Are you sure you don't go looking for trouble, Raph?"

Raph laughed and threw up his hands, "Nah Don, I swear, most of the time it feels like the trouble finds me."

Fonso reappeared carrying two pizza boxes and two boxes of take-out in a bag. They tied the pizzas down to the back of Raph's motorcycle and headed home.

They were back much earlier than expected, but that was okay. Donnie was happy. He'd been right. Going on a joy ride with Raph had been fun.

Leo and Mikey were both still up, watching some spy movie. They looked up at the sound of the door to the garage opening. Mikey moved quick as a flash as soon as he spotted the pizza boxes in Raph's arms.

"Gotcha these." Raph said, pushing past Mikey's eagerly grabbing hands, to the table in front of the couch and putting the two pizza boxes down.

Donnie handed Raph his spaghetti and meatballs. The four of them ate together in front of the tv, discussing the amazing food and Don and Raph's night out. Leo and Mikey didn't get much out of their siblings, but when asked how it was both of them answered at the same time:

"Awesome."

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Thanks for reading! Please review if you liked it and want to see more along the lines of this chapter!