A/N: I am finally posting my first fanfiction! Reviews are welcome. Constructive criticism is also welcome, but please no flames. :)

12/12/14 - I want to give a big thanks to SleepingSeeker for taking the time to critique this story and offering great advise on how to better my writing. I feel silly for not posting this note earlier. I read a rumor about accounts being closed for tagging other authors, so I didn't publicly post my gratitude. Thankfully, I know better now, lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the TMNT characters used in this story.

The Bro-dar

Donnie sighed in frustration as he crumbled up another sheet of paper marked with various chemical equations. He tossed it toward the trashcan watching it land on top of a haphazard mountain of paper balls already overflowing the bin.

"Why can't I get this formula right?" Donnie sighed as he irritably rubbed his hands down his face. Furrowing his brows in deep concentration, his tongue made a 'tsk' sound as it rested between the gap in his teeth, a subconscious childhood habit.

Hunching over his paperwork, Donnie impatiently tapped the end of his pencil against the lab table. He had to figure out how to make the retro-mutagen to fix the mess he created. He had to make it right, for the sake of Timothy and April's dad.

"April…." her name dropped from his lips like a 10-ton weight. His chest tightened with guilt at the thought of the red-headed girl. For weeks, he deprived himself of sleep, mentally replaying the events of that tragic night. He should have done more to prevent the mutagen downpour that changed April's dad into a gruesome bat creature.

I don't want to see you again. Ever.

Donnie remembered the hatred blazing beneath April's heated cheeks as the words seethed from her lips and painfully branded his heart. He blinked away the moisture gathering in his eyes and swallowed deeply to smother the emotional itch in his throat.

April reuniting with her father only to have him turned into a mutant was a sick twist of irony that no one saw coming. She blamed Donatello and his brothers for the accident. Their pitiful attempts to capture Mr. O'Neil failed hopelessly as he broke free, flying awkwardly into the skyscrapers of the city. April was terribly worried about her mutant father. Was he safely hiding in the dark crevices of the city slums? Was he locked away in a mad scientist's lab of horrors?...was he even alive?

Unknown to April, Donnie routinely followed her home from school now. His need to watch and protect her was now more guilt-driven then obsessive. The teenage girl's depression was obvious. He was the cause of the sorrowful steps in her once confident stride. He blamed himself for the detached look that replaced her warm smile. There were nights Donatello stood dejected on her rooftop listening to the hitched sobs coming from her bedroom window knowing those tears were his fault.

If truth be told, she had every right to blame them, to blame him. It was their arrogance and hasty actions in fighting the Kraang that caused hundreds of mutagen-filled vials to spill over the city of New York.

I should have done more research before we foolishly ransacked that Kraang spaceship, Donnie chastised himself. He was, as Raph liked to call him, the "brainiac" of the group; he should have considered a more logical course of action.

How many more citizens had met ill-fate from the mutagen spill? Looking up from his notes, he rubbed his tired eyes to clear his vision. Glancing over to the corner of his lab, Donnie's shoulders slumped heavily as he eyed his mutated friend, Timothy, in the canister of frozen goo. Another freak accident that was his fault.

No matter how annoying, obnoxious, and ridiculously clumsy he was, Timothy was still his friend; a friend he failed miserably.

"I should have never taught him Ninjutsu." Donnie mumbled to himself shaking his head morosely from side to side. Master Splinter had warned Donatello once he began to teach Timothy, he would be responsible for him. Timothy wanted so badly to be a superhero; so naively desperate to be like his turtle heroes. Despite Donnie's warnings, the young boy stood under an open canister of mutagen in hopes of transforming into a tragic cliché superhero, only to be grossly disfigured into acidic blob of living mutagen.

He should have tried harder to get through to Timothy, even if it meant beating sense into his blockhead with his bo staff.

"This is all my fault," Donnie said holding his head in his hands. The gravity of the mutagen situation weighed heavily on his conscious. He was supposed to fix things. It was his talent, who he was. Leo was the strategic and honor-bound leader, Raph was the tough and passionate strength, Mikey was the optimist and heart, and he was the fixer, the problem-solver. Lately it seemed he was destroying more things than fixing them.

He groaned as he massaged his temple. The pulsating migraine made it hard to concentrate. The chemical equations in his brain seemed to fade in and out of memory with each pounding throb of his headache. He closed his eyes in hopes of refocusing his attention and easing some of the pressure in his head. Donnie sighed enjoying the small relief as he subconsciously began to lean forward and gradually succumb to the pull of sleep. His body's attempt to rest was short-lived as he jerked awake rubbing his eyes and yawning. Sipping some more coffee, he hoped the caffeine would keep him alert for a few more hours. Donnie frowned as he wiped the sweat from his brow….when did it get so hot in here?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo blinked lazily adjusting his eyes to the darkness of his room. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was 3 o'clock in the morning. Only three hours until practice in the dojo. He sat up in his bed and yawned. He didn't usually wake up in the wee hours of the morning like this, but something felt…off. It was the same feeling he had when Raph was about to do something dangerous or when Donnie blew up something in his lab. Mikey thought it was a kind of six sense like Spiderman's 'spider sense' but instead of working on bad guys, it only worked on his brothers; Donnie simply described it as a natural instinct amongst a group of related species to protect their own; Raph found it annoying and said it was just Leo's excuse to stick his nose in their business. Mikey dubbed Leo's feeling the 'brother radar' or 'bro-dar' for short.

Whatever the case, Leo's bro-dar was definitely in full force with a tingling anxiety that started in the pit of stomach and vibrated outward to his fingertips and toes. He decided a quick check on his brothers would put his mind at ease and hopefully back to sleep in no time.

Stepping into the hallway, Leo smiled to himself as he heard the loud snores coming from the room beside him. Peeking in the room, he saw the shape of his youngest brother tangled up in bed sheets. He quietly opened the door wider allowing the hallway light to gently pour into the room. Leo sighed warily at the clutter infested floor.

Without stepping on a single misplaced action figure or discarded pizza box, Leo approached his brother's bed with the finesse and silence only a true ninja could possess. He reached the head of the bed to tuck the sheets more snuggly around his brother, only to stop in mid action tilting his head curiously to the side. Why did Mikey's head look so…strange? Leo frowned as he poked the odd shape with his finger.

"Tickles," Mikey chuckled in his sleep as he wiggled his toes at Leo's face.

Leo arched his brow as he stared at Mikey's feet. He followed his body to the end of the bed where he found the top of Mikey's head peeking from beneath the jumbled sheets.

I really shouldn't be surprise, Leo thought cynically to himself, knowing his brother was notorious for sleeping in more curious positions than this. Not wanting him to suffocate, Leo pulled the covers off his younger brother's face. As Leo leaned over the bed to tuck the covers around his brother, he froze as he felt something wet glide across the side of his face.

"Ice Cream Kitty, you taste so good."

With a look of disgust, Leo retracted himself from Mikey before he decided to lick his face again.

Who knew he could still be annoying in his sleep, Leo tried not to gag as he wiped the drool from his face. Mikey smiled as he snuggled deeper into the covers.

Usually the orange-banded turtle was a blur of unfiltered energy, running and bouncing here and there; at times he seemed more like a monkey than a turtle. Then there were the quiet moments like this. Leo smiled as he watched his brother sleep. Even if Mikey was annoying, he was still his baby brother and looked adorable when he was sleeping.

*Frrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap*

Leo's eyes widened in surprise at the gaseous sound.

Ugh gross! Trying not to smell his brother's obnoxious toxins, Leo covered his beak and glowered at his not-so-adorable-anymore little brother. Mikey sighed contently in his sleep.

Leo exhaled deeply as he stumbled out his brother's room, making a mental note for Mikey to lay off the chili bean pizza.

Leo stepped into the next room carefully. His brash and hot-headed brother had a habit of "sleep fighting." The last time Mikey tried to pull a prank on Raph while he was sleeping, he put the younger turtle in a headlock and nearly choked him out (not that it discouraged Mikey from pulling another prank the following night). Leo's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of what his brother was gripping in his hands.

Doesn't he know how dangerous that is? Leo frowned as he stepped further into his immediate younger brother's room. Raph's arms were crossed over his chest. The light from the open door illuminated the sais that were held tightly in each of Raph's hands. How was it even possible to be so reckless and defensive while he was sleeping? Did his own brother have so little trust in his family that he slept with his weapons for protection? The hurtful thought unsettled him and tugged at Leo's heartstrings. He and Raph had been at odds since Master Splinter made Leonardo leader. He hated fighting with his brother. Why couldn't Raphael see he didn't want to compete with him? Despite what Raph thought, Leo didn't see him as inferior, only as his brother whom he'd sacrifice everything to protect.

Why can't you see that, Raph? Leo thought with a small sigh.

Well, now came the tricky part. How was he going to disarm his sleeping brother without losing an arm in the process? After a moment of thought Leo's eyes lit up. With a clever smirk, Leo lightly poked the sensitive area of Raph's side where his plastron and carapace met.

"Stupid foot soldier." Raph snarled in his sleep as he heavily rolled over toward Leo and stabbed his sai at the offending poke. Leo moved his hand just in time to avoid being impaled. Raph's hand dangled loosely off the side of the bed. Leo quickly slid the sai from his brother's grasp. Now, for the other sai.

Leo pointedly flicked Raph's beak.

"Freakin' Kraang…" Raph shifted to his back again thrusting his sai in the air in front of him. Leo swiftly hooked his fingers under the prongs of the sai as Raph's hand dropped to his chest. With a thankful sigh of relief that he wasn't maimed, Leo quietly placed his brother's precious weapons on the small desk beside him.

"….gotta protect 'em…" Raph mumbled in his sleep while thrusting his fist in the air to battle an invisible enemy. Leo smirked. Maybe he and Raph weren't so different after all.

Two down, one to go, Leo thought proudly to himself as he made his way to his last brother's room.

Coming to the end of the hall, Leo gently opened the door to Donnie's room.

No Donnie.

His bed was perfectly covered with sheets untouched since the night before. Glancing down the hallway to his left, he could see Donnie's workshop door was closed, but florescent lights poured from beneath it. Leo frowned in disapproval.

His bro-dar was in full effect now as the tingling sensation intensified at his core. Concern for his brother rocked his usually calm demeanor. This could not continue. Leo tried not to lecture his most level-headed brother about his late night lab work. He knew Donnie needed to make a retro-mutagen to turn mutated citizens back to normal. Leo also knew when Donnie had his mind set on fixing something, everything else took a backseat, including his own well-being.

Over the past few weeks, Leo saw the subtle changes in his brainy younger brother. He wasn't eating properly, strictly sticking to a 'coffee only' diet; he wasn't nearly as focus as he should be during practice; and every minute he had outside of training, he spent isolated in his workshop, wracking his brain for a mutagen cure. This week in particular Donnie looked a little off-color. With his recent lack of health care, Leo wondered if Donnie had caught the flu from Casey when the human boy recently came over to hang out with Raph.

Leo groaned as he made his way to the workshop door. Though Donnie was the most timid and kind-hearted of his brothers, he was also notorious for being a real pain in the shell when he was sick.

Please don't be sick, please don't be sick…. Leo repeated the mantra in his mind as he pushed open the doors to Donnie's workshop.

The purple-banded turtle was so engrossed in the scattered notes on the table that he didn't noticed Leo standing in front of him. Leo promptly cleared his throat.

"Gah!" Startled by the sudden appearance of his eldest brother, Donnie shuddered as papers flew everywhere. Donnie grasped his plastron where his heart most likely was and glared at Leo who was still standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. "Geez, Leo, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"A ninja should always be aware of his surroundings."

Donnie continued to glare murderously at Leo. "As impressive as your ability to memorize Master Splinter's quotes is, I'm pretty sure that's not why you're here."

"We have practice in 3 hours," Leo stated plainly.

"I'm aware of that Leo. The round thingy on the wall with all the numbers and two arrows isn't just there for decoration," Donnie said, not missing a single beat with his patronizing sarcasm.

"You know, you're a real grouch when you're sick."

Donnie sighed as he rubbed his temple again.

Must be another migraine, Leo thought to himself as his expression softened with concern.

"I'm not sick, Leo. Look, I really don't have time for this," Donnie said impatiently as he gathered his scattered notes and proceed to separate them into three neat stacks on the lab table. "I need to find the correct chemical balance to neutralize the mutagenic catalysis and reverse the adverse effects at a subatomic level."

"Right…" Leo said slowly, nodding his head trying to follow Donnie's 'science talk.' He shuffled back a little bit to move out of Donnie way as he knelt down to pick up the stray papers that littered the floor. "Don't you think you could better stabilize your, um, atomic catalysis….thing… after you've had a good night's rest?"

"First of all, what the shell are you talking about? I swear, Leo, sometimes I think you just repeat my words back to me in a random order just to annoy me." Leo arched his brow, slightly amused by Donnie's little tirade. "Second, it would be impossible for me to get a good night sleep now, because its 3:30 in the morning," Donnie retorted emphasizing the technical error in Leo's speech.

"Don't be cute." Leo narrowed his eyes, his lips pressing together in a thin line.

"That's Mikey's job, I'm the smart one, remember?"

Leo took a deep breath. He was trying to be patient, he really was, but if Donnie made one more scathing remark, he was going to—

"Ah-ah-AHCHOO!" Donnie's enormous sneeze startled Leo from his thoughts. Papers once again scattered the floor. "Aw, sewer apples," Donnie grumbled through a stuffy nose.

"Not sick, huh?" Leo said quirking his eye ridge up slightly.

"I'm around chemicals all day, Leo, what do you expect? It's probably just a slight nasal cavity irritation. I'm. Not. Sick," Donnie said pointedly to him, though Leo had a hard time taking him seriously with his nasally voice. The eldest brother rolled his eyes. Why did he have to be so stubborn when he's sick?

"Go to bed, Donnie."

"I will right after I -" Donnie stopped in midsentence, shocked as Leo snatched all the papers from the floor and dumped them in one pile on his desk. "Hey! Those notes were in a specific order based on-"

"Now, Donatello." Leo's tone switched to full throttle 'big brother' mode.

Donnie flinched at the use of his full name. Leo never used their full names unless he really meant business and this morning was no exception. Donnie glared at Leo from his knelt position on the floor. Looking down at his younger brother, it was then that Leo noticed just how pale Donnie looked. Even behind his purple mask, Donnie's eyes were heavy-lidded. His face slightly hollow from one too many missed meals and little beads of sweat were glistening on his bald head.

Leo matched Donnie's glare with one of his own. When it came to his brothers' well-being, he could be equally as stubborn. After a death stare match that lasted all of two minutes, Donnie's shoulders finally slumped as his initial stubbornness was visibly deflating.

"I can't." Donnie said just above whisper.

"Sure you can, just play that classical music you like so much and you'll be relaxed and asleep in no time."

"No, I mean I can't stop working," Donnie said as he rocked slightly on his knees, rubbing his hands over his thighs, "I have to fix this Leo; too many lives are depending on this retro-mutagen. It's my fault, my responsibility." Donnie's voice was small and wavered slightly as he spoke.

Leo's eyes softened with understanding; he should have realized how much this mutagen situation was affecting Donnie.

The past few months had been pretty tough for Donatello; he was the problem solver in the family. Leo sighed. He knew how his brother's mind worked. To Donnie, there was no such thing as unsolvable problem. There was always an answer, an alternate solution, or a reason why. Any issue left unresolved was considered a failure to him, and failure did not compute with Donnie.

Leo was always amazed and proud of his brother's brilliant mind. There wasn't a concept or theory that Donnie couldn't transform into one of his ingenious inventions. Donnie was smart—scary smart. Sometimes Leo feared Donnie would one day abandon him and his brothers to pursue the more intellectually intriguing wonders of the world. Leo banished the thought before he could fully dwell on it.

No matter how smart his brother was, he knew Donnie's compassionate heart would never let his big brain carry him too far from the love of his family and friends. Sadly, it was this same intense passion that was keeping Donnie cooped up in the lab this very morning.

Leo knelt on the floor in front of his brother, placing his hands on Donnie's shoulders. By this small touch alone, Leo could feel the tension and small tremors racking his brother's body. Whether it was from emotional stress, the flu, or a combination of the two, Leo didn't know. "Hey." When Donnie didn't look at him, Leo gave his shoulders a small encouraging squeeze.

Donnie slowly looked at his big brother, barely containing the tears that were glistening in his amber eyes. With earnest intent, Leo held his gaze. Donnie was the sensible and logical one; it was in his nature to push back emotions and sentiments in order to be unbiased and rational. Naturally, Leo saw the swirl of emotions raging war against Donnie's mask of objectivity.

"This isn't your fault, Donatello." Leo searched his younger brother's eyes, but only found guilt. "What happened to Timothy and Mr. O'Neil are not your fault." In this close proximity, Leo could feel the feverish heat radiating from Donnie's body. Yep, definitely has the flu.

"It is my fault, Leo!" Donnie's voice finally cracked under the pressure of his suppressed emotions, "I should have never trained Timothy, then he would have never had the idiotic idea to mutate himself! And it was my clumsy hand that pressed the door latch releasing all those canisters of mutagen that scatter across the city! If it wasn't for me, Mr. O'Neil would have never been hurt! I should have paid more attention, I should have thought of an alternative plan for attacking the Kraang ship and- "

Leo quickly covered Donnie's mouth stopping his high-pitched, fast-talking guilt trip. It was always best to stop Donnie's 'freak outs' early to reduce the chance of a full fledge panic attack that would surely wake up the others. Leo's bro-dar was practically turning somersaults in his stomach right now. Instinctually, the older turtle knew he needed to reason with Donnie quickly before his genius brain calculated another way to blame himself for events beyond his control.

"Stop blaming yourself for this! I know Timothy was your….friend," Leo paused a bit; he personally found the human boy annoying beyond words, "but the state he's in now was due to his own foolish decision, there's nothing you could have done to change that. And the whole mutagen spill thing? Sorry to burst your bubble, bro, but we are all at fault for that one, but we'll fix it—together, as a team." After he finished talking, he removed his hand from Donnie's mouth, but not before his hand was dampened by his brother's tears.

"But, April." Donnie whispered as he wiped his arm across his face, ridding his eyes of further tears. He sighed dejectedly in a way that only someone with a broken heart could do.

Leo gave a Donnie a wistful smile. A blind person could see Donnie's feelings for April were more than just a silly infatuation. It was hard to tell if she felt the same way about Donnie, especially now that Casey was in the equation. Oh, and then there was the whole turning her dad into a mutant bat incident.

"She's hurting right now, Donnie. She lost her father to the mutagen. Give her some time," Leo said cupping back of Donnie's head with his hand. "She'll come around. In the meantime, we'll work on the retro-mutagen to turn Mr. O'Neil back to normal."

Donnie's eyes lit up.

"But not now," Leo said practically reading into his brother's intentions to try and stay up later. Donnie huffed in annoyance. Leo rose to his feet, "Right now, you should be resting. Everything will be alright."

Leo waited for Donnie to stand up from his knelt position. He was still sitting on his knees leaning forward on his hands.

"Donnie?"

"Hmm?"

"Planning on getting off the floor anytime soon?"

"Nope….not until the room stops spinning," Donnie slurred, his voice just above a whisper. "I –I think I might be a little under the weather."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Oh, really? What was your first clue?" Putting his arm across Donnie's shell, Leo hoisted Donnie into a standing position. Donnie groaned, holding his hand to his head as he tried to steady himself against the dizziness from changing from sitting to a standing position. "Come on, I got you." Leo said gently as he kept a protective grip on Donnie's shell. He would always have his brother's back, no matter what. Barely able to keep his eyes open, the younger turtle leaned heavily against Leo as they slowly shuffled into Donnie' room.

Pulling back the bed sheets, Leo carefully sat Donnie on the side of the bed. Leo looked at Donnie with a frown of concern. Donnie looked paler than he did in his lab—his olive green skin several shades lighter than it should be. His body swayed slightly from side to side, then forward and backward as he tried to keep his balance on the side of the bed. Leo steadied him by the shoulders and then untied his mask. As Leo neatly folded and placed the mask on his nightstand, Donnie sniffed glumly and was suddenly trapped in coughing fit. He would have toppled off the bed if Leo had not turned around in time to steady him again. Without the mask, Leo could clearly see the dark circles around his younger brother's eyes.

Leo realized Donnie must have been fighting off the flu with mere will power for the past few days. Unfortunately, it looked like his body could no longer cope with the abuse Donnie was putting it through working day and night in his lab.

"…Need to finish formula…" Donnie mumbled feverishly as he tried to stand up. Leo gently pushed Donnie's weakened body back down on the bed.

"The only thing you need to do is rest, little brother." Leo spoke softly, but in a tone firm enough to solicit no argument from Donatello.

Leo placed his hand on Donnie's plastron to slowly ease him down onto the bed. Donnie closed his eyes as his head met his pillow. Leo lifted his brother lanky legs into the bed and pulled the covers to his chest. Donnie groaned as he weakly tossed his head left and right against the pillow. He mumbled something incoherent before succumbing to another coughing fit. With the back of his hand, Leo touched his brother's forehead; He needed to do something about that fever.

"Stay put. I'll be right back," Leo ordered his brother; however, as sick as Donnie looked he didn't foresee any additional trouble with him trying to get up again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Donnie didn't think it was possible to feel so badly so quickly. He had dealt with the migraine and nagging coughs all week, feeling it was nothing to truly be concerned about. He thought he could push through the discomfort and finally finish the retro-mutagen formula; that is until big brother Leo finally put his foot down. If Leo hadn't come into his lab, Donnie would have worked until 6am practice….or passed out from the fever—whichever came first. He was certain he caught the flu from that punk kid Casey, who was now occupying way too much time in their home….and way too much time with April. Donnie groaned at the thought of them together before he started to cough once again.

He cracked his eyes open just enough to see he was in his room tucked in bed. He didn't remember coming to his room…..Donnie frowned with annoyance. Had his brain melted from his fever causing a sudden memory lapse? Probably not, but if he really believed his brain had actually melted, than his fever was probably higher than he thought. Rerouting his train of thought to something a bit more plausible, he was pretty sure Leo had something to do with him being in his room.

Trying to recall the last few minutes, he remembered Leo being Mr. Bossy pants and pestering him in the lab, then papers scattering to the floor, and….

Donnie licked his dry lips as his current frustrations faded away. His expression softened remembering Leo's words:

We'll fix it-together, as a team….Everything will be alright.

The simple conviction and sincerity of Leonardo's words finally registered in Donnie's perpetually running brain. Apparently those words were exactly what his mind and body needed to hear to surrender to the beckoning exhaustion that had been chasing him for weeks now.

Leo always knew how to make the worst situations endurable. That was Leo: the motivator, spirit-lifter, and the protector—even if it meant protecting Donnie from himself.

Usually, Donnie was pretty self-sufficient, not starving to be the center of attention like Mikey, or rebelliously striving for independence like Raph. However, there were times when Donnie needed the reassurance of his eldest brother. Logic and reasoning told him it was silly to be pacified in such a way, but in times like this his little brother instincts had a way of overriding the thoughts his scientific mind. It was this natural birth-order instinct telling him as long as big brother Leo said everything would be okay then it would be okay. For the moment, this 'brother' logic was enough to placate his anxious mind.

Speaking of his blue-banded brother, where was he? He was certain his fever was rising by the flush of heat he felt in his cheeks. The nausea was becoming troublesome and he ached all over.

As if on cue, Donnie felt a cool presence against his scorching forehead and then the side of his face. He sighed contently.

That feels nice, Donnie thought to himself as he closed his eyes again and leaned into the cool touch.

"….Donnie…can you…up?"

Donnie frowned. He recognized Leo's voice but couldn't really focus on the words. His head felt like it was full of cotton balls. Before he could attempt to respond, Donnie felt strong hands pulling his body up and something being shifted against the upper part of his shell. He rationalized that Leo was positioning him at an incline for some reason. The sick turtle groaned his protest at being jostled in the bed. Leo wanted him to go to sleep, so why wouldn't he leave him alone?

Suddenly, he felt something being pushed against his lips.

"…Here….help….Drink this…"

He wasn't sure of everything Leo was saying, but Donnie deciphered the two words that instructed him what to do. Parting his lips slightly he allowed his older brother to pour the warm liquid into his mouth. Donnie frowned in disgust as the spicy bitter liquid slid down his throat.

"No…." Donnie tried to say sternly, but it came out as a small whine instead as he turned his head away from the offending taste. Every time he turned his head the horrible liquid was there trying to force its way into his mouth.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo returned to Donnie's room with a bowl of cool water, a cloth, and a small cup of herbal tea. Setting everything down on the nightstand beside Donnie's bed, Leo took the chair from Donnie's desk and pulled it beside the bed to sit down. He dipped the cloth in the bowl of water while looking over to his brother. Donnie's eyes were nothing more than small slits as he struggled to keep them open. Leo placed the cool cloth against his forehead tracing over the side of his face, hoping to bring his feverish brother a little comfort. It seemed to work as he felt Donnie turn his head into his hand as he continued pressing the cool cloth against his face.

"Donnie, can you sit up?" Leo questioned softly.

He watched as Donnie frowned in what appeared to be confusion. Instead of waiting for a response, Leo gently lifted his brother so he was slightly propped up in the bed. Donnie continued to frown as he groaned at the sudden movement. Leo perched his lips thoughtfully as he rewet the cloth on Donnie's forehead. Donnie looked absolutely miserable. He really needed to keep a closer eye on Donnie. As smart as his little brother was he didn't have the common sense to know when his body needed rest. Placing the cloth in the water bowl again, Leo reached for the cup of tea. He sighed.

Donnie wasn't a big fan of herbal tea, and he absolutely hated the kind of tea currently in this cup. Leo made the special tea that Master Splinter gave them as kids when they were sick. Leo and Raph downed the bitter drink without too much fuss, but Mikey and Donnie always fought nail and tooth to keep from having to drink the "tea of doom" as Mikey liked to call it. He hoped Donnie wouldn't give him too much trouble in his weakened state.

"Here," Leo said as he placed the rim of the cup to Donnie mouth, "Drink this. It will help with the fever."

Donnie frowned for a moment, but eventually understood what Leo was asking as he opened his mouth. Leo managed to get one swallow from Donnie, before the younger turtle consorted his face into a lemon-sucking grimace and turned his head away from the cup. Leo followed suit, again placing the cup at Donnie's lips only for him turn his head the opposite way and whimper pitifully.

"Donnie…." Leo said with a bit of warning in his tone. After a few more seconds of the "chase Donnie's mouth with a cup" game, Leo huffed with worry more than irritation. Having enough of Donnie's stubbornness, Leo took his free hand gripping Donnie's chin between his large digits. "Donatello, stop this," Leo hissed just above an angry whisper. At the sound of his full name, Donnie stared at Leo through bleary eyes. "You're acting ridiculous. You of all people should know that an untreated fever is dangerous."

Leo knew it was a low blow to belittle Donnie's intelligence, but it was also an easy way to persuade him to finish drinking the tea. He pressed forward with a bit more logic, "I know you don't like the tea, but the quicker you drink it, the quicker the bitter taste will leave. Now, drink."

Donnie blinked his unfocused eyes at Leo before letting out a resigning sigh. Leo gave a small approving smile at Donnie's submission—can't argue with logic. Once again, he placed the cup to Donnie's lips and was rewarded as Donnie started to drink the tea.

Leo placed the empty cup on the nightstand, "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Donnie grunted his disagreement in response.

Leo chuckled softly, "Try to get some rest, Don." Leo said as he stood up heading for the door.

"Leo…" the older turtle turned around at the faint sound of his name upon his brother's lips.

"Yes, Donnie?"

Leo waited for his brother to speak, but the words never came. Donnie stared at Leo; his eyes were glossy and unfocused, but Leo could still see all of the unanswered questions, worry, and sense of failure reflecting in his soft brown eyes. Leo gave a small sigh, before sitting back down in the chair.

"Hey, what did I tell you earlier? Everything is going to be okay. You just focus on getting over this flu and then we can work on the retro-mutagen." Leo placed his hand on Donnie's forehead wishing the mere touch could take his brother's fears away, "You're the smartest guy I know, Don. If anyone can figure this out, it's you. Raph, Mikey, and I will be with you all the way." Donnie's brow felt a little cooler much to Leo's relief.

"Mikey's right." Donnie said around a long yawn.

"Mikey?" Leo looked puzzled, wondering if it was the fever talking, "Mikey was right about what?"

"Bro-dar." Donnie said softly as he closed his eyes. Leo watched as Donnie's features slowly relaxed into a restful slumber. Leo smile softly. His brainy brother's observation was right on point even while sick with the flu.

"Sleep well, little brother," Leo said rubbing Donnie head affectionately as he yawned.

He decided to stay with Donnie for just a little longer. He was sure Master Splinter would understand and allow him to start practice a little later. The tingly anxiety that was consuming him earlier had tapered into a warm hum in his chest letting him know that all was well with his brothers.

Leonardo always knew when his brothers needed him. Maybe he really did have a 'bro-dar', or maybe it was just an innate trait all big brothers possessed to comfort their little brothers. Reassured his siblings were sleeping peacefully, he knew his brotherly duties were complete for the moment.

With his mind finally at ease, Leonardo held a steady vigil watching the slow rise and fall of his brother's chest until he eventually drifted asleep.

The End

Thanks for reading! :)