Alternate Allure

CHAPTER 12: GOING HOME

Important note: Remember that this fanfic is set in 2012, so some things or terms are seen from the perspective of that time

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"MC, could you please lend me a hand over here?" Donnie takes a sip of his coffee, struggling with some parts on one of the patrol buggies. "You've been glued to your laptop for hours... I could really use some assistance"

"Hmm? Uh, yeah, just gimme a sec...!" You interrupt your work whistle, not even lifting your eyes from the screen as your fingers fly across the keys. "Sorry, but when an idea hits, I gotta get it down before it vanishes" With a final tap, you slap the laptop shut and hop off your bed, strolling over to where Don's at. "So, what do you need?"

"Think you can hold this piece steady while I bolt it in?" He asks, flashing you that trademark grin of his. You nod, slipping on your work gloves before grabbing the piece he needs help with. No way you're getting motor grease all over yourself today.

"Is this good?"

Donnie grabs one of his many tools and circles around the buggy until he's standing right next to you—like, really close.

"Perfect. Now, just keep it steady..." He leans in a little closer to reach the engine, his tongue peeking out, in that oddly cute way he does when he's focused. "So, what were you working on anyway?"

You peek at him from the corner of your eye, trying not to focus on how close he is. "Oh, um—well, we were talking about DNA in bio class. Apparently some guys from the 'Global Genomics Project' will be visiting the school in a month or so to give us a more in-depth talk... and since, you know, I've been hanging with some pretty un-human company lately--" You shoot him a playful side-eye, which he returns with a quick grin. "--I got curious about how mutation actually works."

Dee finishes securing the engine, wiping a non-existent sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He stands up straight, taking a moment to admire his handiwork.

"You mean, which component of the mutagen causes the mutation?"

"No, no... that's way more advanced" You chuckle, unconsciously mirroring his motion and smearing grease across your forehead in the process. The second you realize, you squeal. "EW! Gross!" Donnie bites back a laugh. "I'm-- ugh! I'm not quite there yet" You grumble, starting to get exacerbated as you try and fail to wipe the grease off with your gloves, which only makes things worse. "I was thinking-- dammit! Uh, more about why some mutants end up one way, and others another. Like-- what decides if a mutant becomes, y'know, smart and talkative, while others— UUUUGGGH...!" You flap your hands desperately, on the verge of a meltdown over the mess on your face.

"The way I see it—" Donnie grabs you by the wrists to stop you, taking you by surprise. Once you calm down, he gently tilts your head, wiping the grease off your forehead with a clean cloth. The sudden closeness makes your cheeks go redder than a stop sign. "The mutagen's kinda unpredictable like that"

"Yeah, no kidding..." You quickly look away, trying to get your head back in the game. "But I wanna dig deeper. Besides, who knows?" You pull off your gloves, giving him a cheeky grin. "If you guys ever decide to step out of the shadows, I could totally write a thesis on it!"

Donnie chuckles. "Yeah, you'd make it sound amazing, for sure" He grabs another tool, ready to keep working, but not before sneaking one last look at you.

You smile back, feeling a warm flutter in your chest, neither of you taking the first step to stop looking the other in the eyes.

"Come on, guys!" Raph's voice echoes from the hallway just before his face pops into the lab. "Are you coming on patrol or what?" His eyes narrow as they land on you and Donnie, standing a little too close for comfort. "Am I... interrupting something?"