Work Text:
The lair was quiet in the early hours of the morning, the only sounds coming from the soft hum of machinery in Donnie’s lab. The blue light from his various monitors bathed the room in a cool glow, illuminating the cluttered workbench where Donnie had once again fallen asleep mid-project. His head rested uncomfortably on a stack of schematics, his goggles perched crookedly on his nose. The telltale signs of another all-nighter.
Mikey was making his rounds through the lair when he noticed the faint light emanating from Donnie’s lab. He sighed, already knowing what he would find inside. Sure enough, when he peeked through the door, there was Donnie, fast asleep, surrounded by the chaos of his own making.
“Again Dee…” Mikey whispered with a fond shake of his head.
He tiptoed into the lab, careful not to wake his sleeping brother. This wasn’t the first time he’d found Donnie like this, and it wouldn’t be the last. But Mikey had long accepted his role as Donnie’s unofficial caretaker during these late-night work sessions.
He set to work quietly, gathering the scattered tools and organizing them into neat piles. He made sure to leave Donnie’s more intricate setups undisturbed—he’d learned from experience that Donnie preferred things a certain way, even if that way looked like pure chaos to everyone else. Mikey’s movements were quick and efficient, a practiced routine by now.
Once the tools were in order, Mikey turned his attention to Donnie. He gently lifted the schematics from under Donnie’s head, replacing them with a soft pillow he’d snagged from the couch earlier. As he did, Donnie stirred slightly, mumbling something incoherent before settling back into sleep. Mikey smiled at the sight.
“Always working yourself to the bone, bro,” Mikey murmured softly.
He grabbed a thick blanket from a nearby chair and draped it over Donnie’s shoulders, tucking it in snugly to keep him warm. He knew how cold the lab could get at night, and Donnie never seemed to notice until it was too late.
Mikey glanced around the lab, his eyes landing on the nearly empty coffee pot.
“Definitely gonna need more of that when you wake up,” he muttered to himself.
He set a fresh pot of coffee on the small burner in the corner, the familiar aroma soon filling the room. It was a scent that would greet Donnie when he woke up, a small comfort in the midst of his constant work.
With everything in place, Mikey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stack of sticky notes and a pen. This part was his favorite—a little tradition he’d started years ago. He leaned over the workbench, writing a quick message in his usual cheerful scrawl:
Morning, Don! You fell asleep again, so I cleaned up a bit. There’s fresh coffee ready when you wake up! Rest well, bro! – Mikey :)
Satisfied with his note, Mikey stuck it on Donnie’s monitor, making sure it was placed right where Donnie would see it first thing. He stood back, admiring his work, before quietly slipping out of the lab. As he closed the door behind him, he took one last look at his sleeping brother, a smile tugging at his lips.
Hours later, as the morning sun began to peek through the cracks in the lair’s walls, Donnie stirred. His head ached slightly from the awkward position he’d slept in, and his neck was stiff. Groaning, he slowly sat up, pushing his goggles back into place.
The first thing he noticed was the pillow beneath his head. Confused, Donnie looked around the lab, his eyes narrowing as he took in the neatness of his workspace. It took a moment for his groggy mind to piece it together, but then he saw it—the sticky note on his monitor.
With a small, tired smile, Donnie reached out and pulled the note off the screen. He read Mikey’s familiar handwriting, the warmth in his chest spreading as he imagined his little brother sneaking in to tidy up after him. “Mikey,” he whispered, shaking his head.
He stood up, stretching his arms above his head to work out the kinks in his muscles. The scent of fresh coffee hit him next, and he turned to see the pot steaming gently on the burner.
“He really thinks of everything,” Donnie muttered to himself as he poured a cup, taking a deep sip. The warmth seeped through him, chasing away the last remnants of sleep.
As he savored the coffee, Donnie’s gaze drifted to the sticky note in his hand. He glanced around the lab, making sure Mikey wasn’t lurking nearby. When he was certain he was alone, Donnie walked over to a corner of the lab and knelt down, pulling out a small, battered shoebox from beneath his workbench.
He opened the box carefully, revealing a collection of colorful sticky notes inside. Each one was a message from Mikey, collected over the years. Some were from when they were kids scribbling barely legible words to the thoughtful reminders Mikey left him now but all of them carried the same care and affection. his smile grew as he looked at the collection.
Donnie gently added the newest note to the top of the pile, his fingers lingering on the stack for a moment. He knew Mikey had no idea he kept these, and he intended to keep it that way. These notes were his little treasure, a reminder of the bond he shared with his little brother.
As Donnie closed the box and slid it back into its hiding spot, he couldn’t help but smile. As the day went on, Donnie found himself looking forward to the next time he’d find one of Mikey’s notes, a little piece of love that made even the hardest days a little bit brighter.