Work Text:
A Beautiful Day
by Pirate Turner
Donatello had had a routine for years now. Since he'd been a child wanting a little quiet time for reading, he'd always gotten up a hour before any of his brothers, even Leonardo, who believed himself an early riser. He woke just after his father, made coffee for them both, and slipped off to his lab while his beloved Sensei went to meditate.
They enjoyed their time together, although they rarely spoke a word during it. Sometimes, Don would make cheese toast for them -- on those rare occurrences that the toaster was actually working and Mikey had not yet broken it again --, but always they preserved the quiet of those early morning hours lest Donatello's brothers hear them, come running, and shatter their rare, but richly deserved, peace.
Donatello did all he could to preserve their peaceful routines. Not only did he enjoy those calm moments spent with his Sensei, but the time that followed in his lab was always rewarding. He could actually spend a few minutes getting his E-mail or surfing the Web for his own pleasure before beginning to tackle his work projects. He could fix more items in a quiet half hour sometimes than an entire day with his brothers constantly poking their talkative heads into his study or bringing him more problems, often created by they themselves.
Donatello loved his brothers, but they were definitely accident prone. Raphael's anger continuously destroyed things. Leonardo, though more peaceful, had a tendency to use objects in his training that were never meant to be sliced by a katana. And Mikey . . . His poor, sweet Mikey was definitely a klutz.
Donatello valued this time more than almost any other part of his day, and so it was that he faced anything that threatened interrupting his morning routine with great chagrin. Anything, that was, except for the three roses upon which he was now gazing. He lifted the green, purple, and ruby red roses to his beak, inhaled their sweet aromas, and then looked at the note below them.
"Donnie," it read, "don't forget to save some fun time for me today! Love ya, bro! Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart!" The brief note was signed in Mikey's scrawled handwriting and with xs and os to represent the kisses and hugs that would fill their evening, the only part of Donatello's day that bested his morning.
Donatello beamed. Then his jaw dropped open as he saw the disc that his love's letter had previously hidden. He raised it reverently and then rushed to his computer with the eager joy of a child on Christmas morning. He didn't know how his beloved, little brother had gotten this software that hadn't even been released yet -- and probably didn't want to know --, but he couldn't have asked for a better valentine or a sweeter lover! Donnie hummed as the software booted, eager to start his day and even more eager to see his love's beautiful, smiling face and spend Valentine's Day with the turtle he loved!
The End