Everyone Hates Geology - nhachi (2024)

Chapter 1: It's Not an Obsession, It's a Lifestyle

Chapter Text

You knew that the reindeer headband would come in handy someday.

Rewinding time to roughly 3 hours ago, you were tiredly walking down the streets of New York city from a christmas party that your workplace held annually. It was a mandatory event thrown by the heads of the company in hopes of bringing everyone closer together. It was good in theory, but in practice it was an event that you dreaded every year. The awkward hovering by the food table to avoid conversation, the people greeting you by your name when you didn’t know theirs, and the chairman up on stage addressing everyone as “partners” as if he thought of his employees as people instead of a number in their ever growing data.

“...was wondering if you wanted to go to my birthday party?”

You blinked and tuned back into the conversation with…what was his name….uhh Nick?

“Oh uh…” You took a drink of the watery fruit punch in an attempt to form a response. “Who else is going?”

“Oh no, it will be just the two of us!” Nick quickly explained. “Just you and me, y’know?”

You stared at him in disbelief and nervously laughed, taking a big gulp of your drink once again and quickly dismissed yourself to go to the bathroom.

Yeah, f*ck no, you would rather read a 5,000 page encyclopedia on geology than painfully sit through another conversation with another coworker…and no one likes geology.

The reindeer headband you wore to the party to show a semblance of the holiday spirit was shoved into the depths of your backpack and you were trudging through the busy sidewalk, ready to go into the one place that you only really hung out at outside of your apartment.

The lion statues on the sides of the entrance to the public library loomed over you, but you have never felt more welcomed. Feeling recharged just by the sight, you happily walked up the stairs and under the archway through the front doors. You waved enthusiastically at the front desk person who you see daily, and they didn’t even move a muscle, too absorbed in scrolling their phone and munching on their bagel…and you couldn't be happier.

The library was dark and there were cobwebs hidden around every corner. The air was musty, probably from the dead rat caught in the mousetrap that you’ve seen in that one corner that has never once been thrown out. You don’t think you’ve actually seen another soul in the library during your visits 5 months in. But hey, you weren't complaining, you liked being by yourself and having no one around to bother you or distract you was a plus in your book…heh.

It was dank and basically abandoned, but it was your haven.

Immediately, you zoomed through the shelves and into the little corner that you claimed as yours. It was simple, with just a small table with a vase atop holding a couple of flowers and a couch shoved against the wall. But to the left was the section that really secured the spot for you. Shelves upon shelves of romance books lined the whole section of this library and you could spot the book that you had left last time on the shelf.

“Oh Valentino, you know how to keep a person waiting.” You swooned against the bookshelf, a hand to your heart and the other against your forehead, closing your eyes and imagining yourself instead leaning against a person. Raising the hand that was against your forehead above your head, you plucked the black book into your awaiting hands and skipped to your couch, the imprint of your butt etched into the seat from many days of reading.

You rubbed your eyes and yawned, checking the time on your phone. You squinted against the bright light of your phone screen and realized how late it had gotten. Quickly scrambling up, you hurriedly put back “Stolen Love” in its correct place (you had spent weeks reorganizing the romance section, having had to learn the libraries classification system for christ sake). Rushing out towards the entrance, you heard a thud behind you and turned around. Oops, you had knocked down a book in your haste. Quickly walking back, you picked up the book and you were about to put it back on the shelf when it suddenly flew out of your hands.

“What the…?”

It grew in size and was opened to show off what looked to be a pair of sharp paper teeth and a red book marked tongue…?

Catching a glimpse at the title, you groaned.

“Ugh, geology? Seriously??” Before you were suddenly swallowed up by the book.

You felt pressure from all around your body, as if you were between the pages of a book, and felt yourself getting dizzy from the constant spinning that you felt. Before you could figure out whatever the hell was happening, you were suddenly kissing the floor and quickly pulled yourself up with a gasp.

Whipping your head back and forth, you surveyed your surroundings.

There were walls upon walls of books all around you, most vertically but some horizontal, diagonal, and some were straight up just floating through the air. There were stairs upon every direction you could see and areas dedicated to studying were on the walls, as if gravity didn't exist. Where the hell were you?

Taking another closer look, you could tell you were probably in the lobby of the library, with the giant pillar of a desk looming ominously across the room full of tables and quiet patrons of the library.

Wait a minute, why are there only yokai’s in this library?

You tensed up as a snake yokai slithered past you, a couple of library books clutched in their hands. They side-eyed you and gave you a wide berth. You gulped.

“Excuse me, but where am I?” You whispered. If they weren't already cautious of you before, they most likely are now with the weird look they gave you.

“Uh, the mystic library?”

“Ah uhm, where specifically?”

“...in the Hidden City…?”

Sensing that you were going into shock, they quickly slithered away, leaving you standing in the middle of the room looking like a slack jawed idiot.

The news of an entirely hidden city underneath New York filled with monsters had only broken just shy of 4 years ago, with the invasion of the Kraang outing the yokai’s place through, what people now call them, the heroes of New York. Everyone was holding their breath that day, you faintly remembered. The footage that you had seen was shot in a helicopter, as everyone in New York that fateful day had just disappeared without a trace, except for 4 yokai turtles who were responsible for defeating the Kraang and bringing everyone in New York back. Honestly, you had seen enough movies to not be surprised that there was an entire civilization underneath New York and that it was attacked by weird slime monsters, the city is always getting absolutely decimated when it comes to alien invasions in America in fictional stories. Thankfully you were living in San Francisco when the Kraang invasion had been happening, all the way across the country, but god only knows why you had decided to move to New York.

You turned around mechanically towards the tall desk that seated an old looking bat…lady…? With a yellow robe on her shoulders, her pair of reading glasses resting on her bat nose and a long pair of ears pointing upwards, her intimidating figure made itself known to you. Even though everyone and their mothers now knew about the yokai’s existence, you don’t see them much often on the streets of New York, but it's understandable for a species that had wanted to keep themselves unknown to the human race being outed out of nowhere one day. Still though, this was the first time that you have ever seen a yokai in front of your own eyes, so no one can blame you for being rooted in place right?

Besides, based on the stares aimed your way, the yokai don't exactly take in your presence too kindly and you don’t exactly welcome the attention either.

A lightbulb appears in your head and you quickly go behind a bookshelf, hiding you from view from everyone else. Hurriedly, you pull out the damned reindeer headband from your backpack and shoved it onto your head. There, you’re a reindeer yokai now, nobody will stare at you then right?

Despite the very strong urge to find the romance section in this place, you knew you had to get back home.

Taking a deep breath, you slowly walked to the desk seating the bat lady and looked up. Why the hell would she sit on top of what was basically a pillar? How were you supposed to get up and stay up there? Huffing, you threw yourself against the pillar, with your arms and legs wrapping around the tall desk and slowly started to climb up. By the time you reached the top, you were out of breath and hanging onto the top of the desk with your arms for dear life.

“Excuse m-”

“Ah ah ah, use your library voice.” The bat lady shushed you and aimed a glare your way through her pointy reading glasses. “Or else my hush bats will happily take you to the kiddie room.” By the way she ominously said the “kiddie room” you shuddered and listened to her instructions, making your voice even more quiet.

“Do you know how to get back to the…uh..to New York?” Your voice was barely a squeak.

The bat lady raised her brow at the question. “Why would you want to go to New York? Yokai are not exactly welcomed up there.”

“Uhhhh…..” Trying to find an answer, your eyes suddenly caught onto the cover of a familiar black book. “Hey, is that ‘Stolen Love’?”

The bat lady’s eyes bulged out of her head and she quickly hid the book from your view. Your eyes lit up and suddenly you were whisper shouting at a rapid pace.

“Oh my gosh, who is your favorite? Personally I prefer Valentino, he really shines as a character as you read the book, you could see his character arc from the emotionally constipated bad boy to a slightly more emotionally available bad boy. Did you know canonically he likes rocky road ice cream? I LOVE the contrast between his emotionless personality but you know deep down he loves the main character with all his heart, it's just hard to show it-” You suddenly cut yourself off with a blush as you finally noticed the bat lady looking at you with wide eyes.

“Uhhh,” You stammered. “...so who's your favorite?”

“...Hector.” The bat lady answered. A moment passes between you two before the lady spoke up again. “Do you read often?”

You blink. “Oh yeah, daily. My collection ranges from astronomy to cell division, though I strongly prefer, uh, romance novels. I read books mainly from the public library in New York. Did you know the romance section was a mess? There were books like behavioral economics and quantum computing in there. It was foul, though luckily I had organized everything in about a few weeks…though I do feel bad the rest of the library is probably a mess as well…”

The bat lady continued to stare at you with her yellow scaleras and black pupils. “Would you like a job here at the Mystic Library?”

You blinked and tilted your head, your fingers tapping on the table as you ran that question through your head. Hm, your current job does kinda suck…besides, now that you have your reindeer headband, maybe you could walk around without drawing attention to yourself? Eh, it was worth a shot.

You shrugged. “Sure, I gotta put in a 2 weeks notice for my current job though.”

“Thanks little guy.” You said to the small hush bat that flapped its wings in front of you. After saying yes to what you now know as Agatha, the bat lady, she ordered one of her hush bats to fly you out of the hidden city. Somehow, despite having a mass 10 times smaller than yours, it was able to dig its claws into the neck of your jacket and fly you up into a door in the library that had you coming out of a small garage of a storage unit. You both now stood in front of the small orange garage door in a hallway lined with other small garage units.

You scratched your neck and stared into its glowing orange eyes. “Sooo, I’ll see you next time?”

It chirped back at you and out of instinct, you reached a hand up and pet its head. It let out one more chirp of appreciation before flapping its wings and going towards the small opening at the bottom of the garage door, you assumed to go back to the library.

You waved nervously at the person behind the front desk of the lobby of the public storage unit as you walked out of the place. They raised a brow at you, probably questioning how you had gotten in before shrugging and going back to reading their newspaper.

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, stopping as it caught onto the headband that you forgot about. Right, you need to wear that when going to your new job. You smiled as you exited the public storage unit. Thank god, no more annual Christmas parties.

Now how the hell are you going to get home?

Chapter 2: Geology, Am I Right?

Chapter Text

Miraculously the reindeer headband had worked. Despite looking like a human wearing a holiday themed headband, most yokai’s breezed past you without sparring you a glance, which you couldn’t be more thankful for. One yokai had even complimented you on your “antlers”.

Well then, that solves that problem.

You quickly found out that you were most likely the only other person who worked at the mystic library other than Agatha and the hush bats. Apparently, mystic magic can just do about everything, like reorganizing the books, but there were nooks and crannies where Agatha’s mystic magic couldn’t reach and that's where you come in. You were dumped with a map that was easily longer than your arm but luckily, it wasn’t too difficult to read the thing. The library was made up of rooms, corridors, stairs, and landmarks that could easily show you where you were in the library. And so, with a cart full of books behind you, you dragged the cart over to the technology section of the library to put away.

You hummed as you walked past shelves upon shelves of books, keeping an eye out for the romance section. Looking at the map, you made sure to take the route that would have you walking past the fiction section in hopes of quickly browsing through the romance section. And lo and behold, the fiction section came into view and before you knew it, you had a book snatched into your hands to read for later.

“Through The Gates of Love.” Was the title you decided upon.

Walking a little further and up a set of stairs, you finally found the technology section. This is the place. You thought, looking down at the map one more time to make sure you were at the right place. Rubbing your hands together, you got right into work.

Honestly, it was probably a bad idea and illegal to come back to the mystic library so soon after what happened last time. Sure, he did knock down that one floating globe of the Earth but come on, it was most likely replaceable…maybe. Donnie made sure to hide his appearance inside his purple hoodie when walking past the librarian lady.

He’s been meaning to go back to the library just to browse through its huge catalog on the science and technology section and today has been the first free day that he’s had in a while. So with his brothers away unable to bother him, he can expect to relax here for a few hours.

Eyes flitting from title to title, Donnie found a book on cyber-physical systems…hmm he has been meaning to install some type of self-drive system in the turtle tank.

There was only one problem though. Someone was standing directly in front of the book he wanted.

Narrowing his eyes, he decided to wait until the person walked away. But they just continued to stand there, completely immersed in a purple and gold book in their hands. Impatiently, Donnie tapped his foot on the ground and crossed his arms. A few more minutes passed and Donnie couldn’t wait any longer.

Walking up to the person, Donnie cleared his throat. Like a spell was broken, the…human (?) wearing a reindeer headband looked up and turned towards Donnie, looking like they’ve been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Catching a glimpse at the title held in their hands, Donnie raised a brow.

You observed the person that had startled you. The yokai was wearing a large oversized purple hoodie, along with purple knee pads and purple wrappings around their legs. Their skin was green and you couldn’t see what their hands looked like as it was shoved into the hoodies pockets. You saw the look that passed over the…frogs (?) face and your own quickly fell into an indignant frown.

“Ey, you don’t know what you’re missing out on bud. The protagonist in this is sworn off from love because of a curse. It can’t get better than that.” You defended.

“Scoff, the purpose of the mystic library is to explore the ever infinite knowledge of the world... not indulge in fictional works meant to turn brains into lovesick mush.” The frog criticized and shuddered.

Did he just…say the word scoff out loud while also scoffing?

Your face scrunched up into an annoyed glare and you quickly opened up a page on the book to show to the frog, shoving it in his face and pointing a finger at the text.

“Yeah, but it can teach people how to navigate through a relationship and give insight into what being in love feels like.” You aggressively tapped your finger against the pages of the book to show off to the frog yokai.

He rolled his eyes again under a purple bandana (?) from what you could see under his hoodie. “Please, as if self-help and relationship books do not exist within this library. It’s much more efficient to get the advice directly rather than reading through a story.” He countered.

You huffed. “Ugh, you have no sense of fun then do you? If romance novels are trash, what do you even read huh?”

His eyes glinted with unhinged passion. “I’m glad you asked, my preferences range from any and all topics but most recently I have been intrigued by nanotechnology and automated electric vehicles. Just a week ago have I successfully prototyped a copy of nanoparticles I call Donoparticles, trademarked, that’s 65% more environmentally friendly, and uses less than half the amount of carbon and titanium required to make the original. I’ve been planning to use it to make the windows of the turtle tank more scratch proof.”

You stared, wide-eyed, at the yokai. Is this how people feel when you go on rants?

“That sounds….” You smiled sweetly at him. “Absolutely boring. I’m more of a biology person myself.”

The yokai deadpans stare almost had you bursting out into laughter, especially with his expressive eyebrows.

“Hm, although I am not well versed in the field of biology,” He brushed off your statement, making you frown once again. “I am aware that engineering copies nature quite often when designing the functionality of products, so I do suppose I have to thank nature for most of my designs.”

You let out a small smile, glad that you two have found a topic that you both can agree isn’t so bad before remembering something he said. “Wait, turtle tank? What’s that?”

The yokai let out a huge grin before dramatically whipping out his phone to shove into your face. He had pulled up a picture of this supposedly ‘turtle tank’ to show to you. “Well, my somewhat knowledgeable acquaintance, it’s my biggest project to date. It’s a vehicle that I’ve modified, made to fit a maximum number of 15 persons, equipped with highly lethal artillery equipment with a fortification system that can withstand up to over 50,000 newtons of force. It also has an ice-cream machine.”

“An ice-cream machine?!” You exclaimed while keeping in mind about the hush bats. “...wait wait, back up, isn't that all illegal?”

“The ice-cream machine? No, of course not.”

“No, the probably thousands of pounds worth of weapons that’s installed in your car??”

He waved you off. “It’s only there in case of extreme emergencies. In most cases, we only use it as a means of transportation to pick up our food.”

You couldn’t help but laugh a little at the absurdity of it all. A giant military grade tank casually driving through the streets of New York in order to pick up take-out. What has your life turned into? Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the yokai letting out a small smile, but it quickly disappeared.

“Let me guess, you also have a giant crossbow that pops out the top of the tank to shoot any flying enemies planning to attack from above?”

“Precisely, though it is in beta.”

“Pffttt.” You laughed, shaking your head. You have no doubt that there’s a chance this guy was serious, he seems like the crazy genius that you’ve in movies. “Please, you’re not a heathen, I think an M9 flamethrower would be better.”

The yokai perked up. “Actually, that is a great idea, although chemistry is but a nuisance to navigate, that does seem much more lethal.” A dark and evil smile crept onto his face. “...oh yes, I can see it now.”

You scratched your head and sighed dramatically. “I’m an accomplice now then if you’re ever arrested for future war crimes, aren’t I.”

“Oh absolutely, there is no doubt.” The yokai smirked at you. “Hm, you’re not as dumb as I thought you were.”

You rolled your eyes and grinned, sticking your hand out. You like this guy. “Name’s Y/n.”

The yokai shook your hand with a firm grip. “My name is Donatello, though to those who are close to me refer to me as Donnie.”

You noticed that his eyes kept shifting to a book behind you and you moved out of the way, dragging the cart of books behind you. Donnie nodded in a silent thanks and went to pick a book up the shelf.

He couldn’t help but question why you were dragging a cart. And what in the world were you doing in the technology section when you had a romance novel in your hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw you taking a few steps away and started putting the books in the cart onto the shelves. His brows furrowed. Since when did the mystic library have workers? And humans, nonetheless, which are so rarely seen in the Hidden City.

“So what brings a human down to the Hidden City?” Donatello spoke up without even looking up from the book in his hands.

You jumped about a foot up into the air and laughed nervously, turning in his direction and pointing at your antlers. “Pfftt, whaa? What do you mean human? I’m a yokai, just like you.”

Donatello hummed. “Firstly, I’m a mutant. And secondly, that is just a reindeer headband from the dollar store I saw the other day.”

You stuck your tongue out at him. “Alright alright, fine. So what if I am a human huh? And wait, you’re a mutant? What’s that?”

“Humans who have been exposed to mutagens, through what I call oozesquitoes, and have consequently undergone a transformative mutation, which in most cases were some type of animal.”

Your eyebrows lifted up in surprise. “Are you saying that some of the people down here were once humans? So you were also once a human?”

Donatello scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Hm no, me and my brothers are a special case. We were once normal turtles until we were exposed to the mutagens.”

Your eyes bulged out of your eye sockets. “You’re a turtle?”

“Yes, what did you think I was?” His eyes narrowed at you in a mock glare.

You scratched the back of your head, grinning. “A frog.”

“Your assumptions offend me.”

You shrugged, grinning good naturedly at him. “Come on, you have like 3 fingers and your skin is green. Looks like a frog to me.”

“Frogs have 4 fingers.” Donatello deadpanned.

“Well prove that you’re a-” You stopped as you remembered something Agatha told you. “...turtle…”

Donatello perked up at your suddenly quiet tone. “What, is something the matter?”

You smirked and leaned your face close to his. “I remember the librarian telling me to alert her if any kind of turtle mutant is caught in the library.”

The color drained from his face. “You wouldn’t dare.”

You smiled innocently at him. “Oh, I bet the kiddos would love to have a new toy, don’t you think?”

Donatello narrowed his eyes on you. “What is it you want in exchange for my freedom?”

You tapped your finger against your chin thoughtfully. Your eyes eventually slid over to the cart a few feet away, still over halfway full of books.

“What about helping me put those books away so I could have more time to read my book?”

“Sigh. Very well.”

“Am I correct to assume that you’re familiar with the dewey decimal system my good sir?” You asked him in a posh accent.

He smirked at you, answering in just as a dramatic accent (although honestly, it’s how he usually talks, you figured). “Your assumptions are correct, I might even boast that I can divide by biography in dewey decimal mathematics.”

You hmph’d and turn your nose up at him, narrowing your eyes. “Impressive.”

“Why thank you.”

You sighed as you finally slid the last book into the shelf, turning around to see Donatello observing his nails.

“Hey, thanks man, seriously. And don’t worry about me reporting you or anything, I’m sure what you did wasn’t too bad…” You thought about who you were talking to for a moment. “Or at least didn’t cause too much property damage.”

“Hmph, glad I was able to charm you enough with my outstanding personality to keep quiet about me.” He smirked.

You chuckled and a silence stretched over the two of you for a moment.

“Welp, I’m gonna be in the fiction section if you need me, so I’ll see ya around.” You waved and turned away, dragging your cart behind you.

“Hm, you’re not as irritating to talk to compared to my brothers, so I won’t oppose the possibility of another meeting with you again.”

You were only able to take a couple of steps before the turtle spoke up again.

“Ah, wait a moment if you will.”

You turned back around, raising a brow. A purple and gold book was held in your direction by a 3 fingered green hand.

“Your book. Although I do find the romance genre revolting, I am sure you would want this.”

“Oh thanks.” You took the book and turned right back around to start walking away. “Oh, and have fun with your boring nerd book.”

“Scoff.” You didn’t need to turn around to know that he scoffed, smiling slightly at his eccentric personality. “You are aware you’re just as much of a nerd as me if you are into biology.”

You shrugged. “Eh, at least it's not geology.” You both shuddered at the thought. God, what kind of sociopath is interested in how rocks are made?

You heard Donatello make a noise of agreement with you. “Eugh, yes, I will have to agree. I have been blessed to have not yet met a geoscientist in my 21 years of existence.”

You briefly acknowledged how hard it is to stop a conversation with him and decided to not think on the fact that you don't mind the fact.

“Me too.”

For the next few weeks, you continued to run into Donnie in the library. You had seen him in sections containing books like epigenetics to World War II to the history of flamethrowers. You couldn't help but smile at the last one, glad that he was being genuine about taking in your idea of flamethrowers for his turtle tank. Conversation was brief compared to the first meeting because you were on your job, but having each other's presence close by was enough between the two of you.

You had picked out a nice little desk for yourself in the fiction section of the library that you always went to if you had some free time between reorganizing the books. You had even made a laminated paper sign to place atop your desk, showing off your position as a library employee in an attempt to stop anyone from sitting at your desk.

Is it petty? Absolutely.

Do you care? Not particularly.

One Wednesday afternoon, you found yourself in the depths of a new book, this one called “Beyond Words” which was the one of the first books in a while that you read that didn’t have the word love in the title. God do you love the creativity of authors of romance novels.

“Leonardo, you little troublemaker…” You giggled to yourself as your eyes zoomed past your current book.

“I do hope you are not referring to my brother.”

Your face shot out from behind your book to see Donatello holding a large stack of books in his hands to the left of your table, donning his usual purple hoodie.

“Nah, a new book that has caught my attention recently.” You waved the book you were holding in front of him. “Strong, altruistic, loves one-liners and pranks.”

Donatello narrowed his eyes on you. “Are you certain you are not talking about my brother?”

“Hm yes, but I wouldn’t mind being introduced to him.” Your eyes glinted with mischief.

He shuddered and shot a glare your way. “Please, it would be an act of mercy on my part if I didn’t let you meet him.” He nodded to the empty seat in front of you. “May I?”

“Sure Donbon.”

“Please stop calling me that.”

“Hm, no.”

You could still remember the day you had come up with that nickname. You both were arguing in Corridor G of the library about, predictably, the controversial take of liking romance novels.

“Do you not realize the repetitiveness of the novels you are reading? Most, if not all, follow the same format. Two people meet each other, go through a series of events that develop their relationship, they realize they are in love, there’s a misunderstanding that will eventually lead to a falling out and then they reunite once they get the whole story and live happily ever after.” Donatello deadpanned. “Oh, and then there’s the dreaded romance tropes sprinkled throughout. Really, with the amount of romance novels out there, you would expect them to find a new innovative way of writing love stories.”

“How dare you call romance tropes unoriginal. There’s a difference between classic and cliché.” You hmph’d, crossing your arms.

Donatello rolled his eyes, waving his hands around to make a point. “Of course someone like you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Why not read something that could be more beneficial, like the history of software engineering or discrete mathematics.”

“Is everything science to you??” You were very close to pulling your hair out.

“Of course, I am a man of science! Without it, civilization will have never evolved to create efficient ways of production and innovation!”

“Booorrring.” You groaned and perked up. “Well, without love, civilization is basically really smart zombies that have never known the loving touch of another. Think about it, how would you feel if you had someone that understood you to a tea, that unconditionally loves you, and calls you cute nicknames?”

Donatello shuddered and stuck his tongue out in disgust. “Ugh, do not bring up the topic of pet names, I will gag.”

You rolled your eyes. “Whatever. You’re such a drama queen.” Suddenly an idea popped up into your head. He hates pet names huh?

You smirked and slid up behind Donatello, who was holding up a book about astrophysics. “Whatcha reading there sweetums?”

Donatello jumped up about 3 feet in the air and hissed like a cat, quickly backing away from you like the overdramatic queen he is.

“What…did you just call me?”

“What’s the matter sweetie pie?”

“How dare you…! Do not-!”

“C’mon pookie, don't try to tell me you don't like it sugarplum.”

“I’m going to throw up.” Donatello was hunched over, his hands over his knees and his book abandoned on the floor next to him.

“What do you want me to call you then princess?”

“Donnie. Please, I cannot take this anymore.” Slowly he lowered himself to the floor to lay on his side, his knees pressed up against his chest and his arms wrapping around himself.

You were so close to bursting out laughing but didn't want to be carried off to the kiddie room, so you swallowed up the laugh that threatened to bubble up your throat. Walking over to where he lay, you leaned over his small form and smirked at him, hands behind your back like a villain. His eyes looked like they had seen way too much, and probably his ears have heard way too much as well.

“Hmmm, I don’t think I will honey bun.” An idea popped into your head. “Oh my god, bun, bon, it rhymes with Don…” Your smirk got even bigger somehow. “Donbon.”

All you got back was a groan of pain in response.

You knew that if Donnie really had an objection to the nickname, he would’ve told you by now, but based on the way he tolerates the name, you can assume he’s letting it slide…for now.

Back to the present, you watched as Donnie dropped the stacks of books onto the table and then flinched in response and quickly looked up to the hush bats on the ceiling. You followed his stare and looked across the vast expanse of bats, recognizing a familiar bat amongst the crowd.

A smile took over your face and you waved enthusiastically at the bat that had taken you home over the course of the days you have worked at the library. A moment later and it was happily flapping down to where you sat. Donnie, seeing the bat coming towards you both, jumped and quickly scrambled under the table, holding onto one of the legs of the table for dear life.

“What are you doing?” You questioned.

“Can you not tell? The hush bats are coming for me!” Donnie shuddered. His time in the kiddie room flashed through his eyes. You rolled your eyes, not surprised at all at his antics.

The bat, which you had lovingly named Gary once you found out he didn’t have a name, landed on the small pillow on the desk you had bought recently for him. You scratched his head and he let out a noise of approval.

You lightly kicked Donnie under the table. “Hey, don't worry. Gary’s not coming for you. He’s chill. He don’t bite.”

Donnie’s head slowly appeared from underneath the table. “Gary…?”

You smiled brightly at Donnie. “His name, duh.”

Cautiously, Donnie went back over to his seat while not taking his eyes off of Gary. Meanwhile, Gary didn’t even spare Donnie a glance, happily snuggling into his bright pink pillow. You hummed, going back to your book.

“I know your experience with hush bats has not been…the best…but I assure you Gary will do you no harm.” You spoke to Donnie.

Donnie scoffed. “You do not know the horrors and atrocities committed in the kiddie room.”

“Well that's because I know how to keep my voice quiet.” You countered back, smirking at his pout.

The two of you went back to your individual tasks soon after. You occasionally looked up to see what he was up to. Today he brought a notebook with him and a pencil, writing down what he was reading every moment or so. You leaned a little more over the table in an attempt to see what he was writing down. You can’t read much but you did catch the words “projectile”,”atom” and “fatal”. Ah, of course, why did you expect anything different?

Sitting back, you went back to your book. Only a few minutes later did another thought pop into your head. Does Donnie not realize he can just check out the books and go back home to take down notes? Why was he doing it here at the library, compared to his home where it was probably more comfortable?

Hm, strange but oh well, you’re not going to think about it too much.

Much like the same way you don’t think much about how your knees bumped occasionally into his underneath the table.

Chapter 3: It's Pizza Time

Chapter Text

“I’m hungry.” You said out loud, placing your book down onto your table. It was your day off but you had wanted to spend time at the mystic library to read. It was now nearing night in the Hidden City.

“And what am I supposed to do about that?” Donnie spoke up, not batting an eye from whatever he was reading.

You pouted and draped yourself across the table, poking his arm. “You’re just gonna let your library pal starve to death out here in this cruel world? Let’s go somewhere and eat or something, I’m hungry.”

“Then starve.”

You laid your forehead down onto the table and clasped your hands together on the table, as if you were begging Donnie. A few moments passed and you got nothing, aside from the sound of a page being turned. Then, looking up at Donnie, with every ounce of your being, summoned up the most puppy dog eyes that you have ever puppy dogged eyed in your life.

“C’mon, not even pizza? You love pizza.” You begged. “I’ll even pay.” You bargained.

Donnie’s eye twitched and you knew you had him right then and there. With the biggest sigh you have ever seen come from him, Donnie stood up, pushing his chair back in the process.

“Your incessant bickering has been bothering me enough for the past 20 minutes or so, and if going to eat pizza will stop you, then fine.”

You sprung up from your seat, grinning at him. “Perfect, there’s a Domino’s on-”

Donnie's hand flew through the air and a green finger pressed against your lips to shut you up. “I would slap you on the head if it were not for the hush bats because the audacity you have to suggest we go to Domino’s is unbelievable-”

“-Whut’s wong wif Domino’s-”

“-and so to remedy that and show your palette what a real pizza tastes like, I will take you to yokai’s greatest creation in all of history, Run of the Mill Pizza.” He finished, a smug smirk on his face.

You pushed his hand off of your face, grumbling as he started to walk away from you. “...Domino’s pizza’s are good though…”

“Uhm, this isn’t just an elaborate plan to kidnap and possibly kill me right? Because based on my observations, this dark and dank alleyway doesn’t look like a pizza place to me.” You observed, hesitantly following Donnie into the aforementioned dark alleyway. You both were back in New York and after hailing a cab, Donnie led you down a block before making a sharp turn into an alleyway. You stared at the back of his purple hoodie. You briefly wondered if that was the only article of clothing that he owned.

Donnie chuckled in front of you and turned around, holding a finger up and putting his other hand on his hip. “Please, if I were to really kidnap you, I would do it in style .” Donnie striked a dramatic pose as if he were a JoJo character. “And when I say in style, I mean encasing you in highly pressurized gas that will solidify into carbon.”

“Sounds like you’ve thought a lot about this before.” You deadpanned.

“Oh absolutely, I can never know whether or not you’re a villain pretending to be a clueless human who wears out of season headbands.”

You scoffed, offended at his description of you. Donnie smirked before turning back around and continuing to walk, with you trailing behind.

A few seconds passed before you smirked and spoke up, a plan formulating in your mind. “Please, would a clueless human be able to do this!”

Running to catch up to Donnie, who had stopped walking and was now standing in front of a graffitied wall, you quickly wrapped an arm around his neck and brought your other arm up to noogie his head, which was covered by his hoodie. Donnie thrashed underneath you but you didn't let up, letting out a maniacal laugh and noogied him even harder.

“Do not noogie the turtle!!” He screeched. “How in the Archimedes are you this strong!?”

A few more seconds passed where you made sure to give it your all before letting him go. Donnie flailed around for a second before quickly turning to you, a dirty glare aimed your way.

“You are one step closer to meeting your creator.”

“I will not hesitate to drag you down with me.” You smiled sweetly at him.

Slowly, a smirk crept up onto Donnie’s face, making your grin falter and without any hesitation, Donnie pushed you towards the wall.

“YOU SON OF A-!”

A blue glow radiated from behind you and the next thing you knew, you were kissing a cement floor.

Huh, this seems familiar.

You peeled your face away from the floor, looking behind you to see Donnie stepping out from a portal that…leads back to the alleyway you were just standing in?

“Wha…”

“Welcome, my friend, to Run of the Mill Pizza!” Donnie held his hands out by his sides as if he was a performer on stage.

Turning back around, you watched as a giant anglerfish yokai walked past you in what you can now see as a restaurant. There were tables spread throughout the establishment, each topped with red checkered tablecloths. Yoka’is of all kinds were sitting at the tables, enjoying pizzas. Along the farthest wall you could see red booths underneath arched ceilings, and with the addition of soft chatter and murmurs as well as the fairy lights, it all created a very cozy and warm atmosphere.

You quickly picked yourself off the ground and dusted yourself off. “Woaah, so does this place serve Yokai pizza?”

“Yes, I would recommend the Super Creepy Supreme, a personal favorite of mine. The ingredients are outsourced only from the most ethical and-”

You tuned Donnie out as you continued to look around. Despite being around yokai’s for well over two months now, the sight of so many in one place still kind of leaves you shell shocked. You adjusted your antlers absentmindedly and your eyes slid over to a wall full of picture frames. You tilted your head curiously as you walked closer upon the wall, with Donnie trailing behind you and still talking. There were pictures upon pictures of all types of yokai’s eating a slice of pizza, with almost all looking beat up, as if they were just in a fight right before the picture was taken.

Looking even further, you stumbled upon an area with only a single photo frame. ‘CHEATER’ was in big bold letters upon a gold plaque and letting out an amused huff, you leaned to get a closer look. A very familiar smug smirk that you can recognize from a mile away was poking out from the right side of the picture, while 3 figures stood behind him…well 2 figures technically, one was on the ground looking like he got beat within an inch of his life. The turtle on the floor had his mangled arm held up by another turtle and everyone was happily enjoying a slice of pizza…except for the guy on the ground.

“This Pizza Is a Knock out!” was what a label says underneath the picture.

You let out a laugh, turning around with an amused smirk on your lips. “The esteemed Donatello, caught cheating ?! Shame on you.” You tutted, wagging a finger in his face.

Donnie rolled his eyes, pushing your hand out of his face and walking up to you to stand next to you, his arms crossed. “I’ll let you know it was my idiotic brother who had cheated. Although the pizza was indeed the best I’ve ever eaten, I do not appreciate being lumped in as a cheater with him.”

Clapping your hands together, you turned to Donnie. “So, how does one become a champion to receive the greatest pizza ever known to man?”

“Oh, you just have to go through a maze full of deadly sentient and bloodthirsty kitchen appliances that will not hesitate to tear your fragile little human body into shreds.”

“Alright, off we go to eat from the regular menu! You mentioned something about a creepy supreme?” You pivoted around and walked towards a booth, snagging his arm to drag behind you. You could hear Donnie letting out an amused chuckle from behind you and felt your face heat up.

Settling into a booth, you picked up a menu from the table to read through. Donnie, meanwhile, was tapping away on a….a screen wrapped around his wrist? Eh, probably some type of tech gauntlet or something, you wouldn't be surprised that he had built the thing. Looking back down on the menu, you read over your options again.

‘Noxious Wind: Spore infused hydra tongue, onions, and anchovy.’

‘Lucky Green Takeover: Green olives, sliced green bell peppers, and extra virgin leprechaun essence.’

‘Meat Lover: Pepperoni, hydra tongue, sausage, unicorn feet, seasoned flying ham, and beef.’

You slowly put down the menu, wide-eyed. “Are there any normal human pizza’s on the menu?”

Donnie didn't look up from his wrist. “Yes, but I would be inclined to call you a ‘wuss’ as they say, if you are deciding to not eat from the yokai pizza section.”

You huffed, leaning back into the booth and crossing your arms. “I am no wuss.”

Donnie looked up and stared straight into your soul. “Then don’t order from the human section.”

You gulped just as a skeletal waiter came up to your booth at that moment, a notepad held in his phalanges. “Hello, welcome to Run of the M-” The waiter stopped mid sentence and his customer smile dropped at the sight of Donnie. “Oh, you. A Super Creepy Supreme I assume?”

“You assume correctly my good fellow.”

“Right.” The man turned to you and raised a brow ridge at you. “Welcome to Run to the Mill Pizza, my name is Senor Hueso, what can I get for you?”

“My name’s Y/n.” You said and looked down at your menu again. “Uhhh, hit me with your special my dude.”

Before long, two pizzas were placed between you two. Donnie’s pie seems to look like a regular pepperoni pizza but what made the name have the word ‘creepy’ were the blue and green worm-like…things wiggling around, some with one eye and others with mouths that had sharp teeth. Donnie picked up a slice and bit a worm on the slice directly in half.

You gagged, having to look away to not look at the wiggling worms on his pizza.

“That is…disgusting.”

“Hmm?” Donnie hummed with his mouth full. “What is it that you are always saying? Oh that's right, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’” He finished smugly.

You gave him a stink eye and looked down at your own pizza. You had apparently gotten a pizza with pepperoni, mount hija black olives, and seasoned flying ham. Okay, that's not as bad as Donnie’s at least. Taking a small sniff, you hesitantly took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. Donnie watched you out of the corner of his eye.

Hmm, okay, Donnie might be onto something because-

“Holy cow that’s good.” You whispered in reverent awe.

Donnie smirked. “Oh, I am aware.”

You took another big chomp of your slice of pizza. “Mmm, I owe you my life. What is it you want, my car, my apartment? I’ll even give you my firstborn.”

Donnie’s eyes sparkled at your sentence. “Oh, don’t bother, what I really want is 3 tons worth of grade A titanium.” He clasped his hands together, looking far off into the distance dreamily. “The excellent heat transfer property allows aerodynamic structures that not only makes the weight lighter but has a 5 times greater resistance to acids, which I’ve found firsthand can speed up the rusting process of a lot of my weapons.”

“Hmmm,” You rubbed your chin. “I don’t have any spare titanium but I do know a great boba place.”

“I’ve heard the wonders of boba being raved online, although I’ve never had the chance to try any myself.”

You slammed your hands onto the table and leaned in close to Donnie’s face. “You’ve never had boba milk tea before?”

Donnie raised his stupid eyebrows at you. “Is it sacrilege that I haven’t?”

“Uh, YES?!” You exclaimed as if it wasn’t the most obvious thing in the world. “There’s this one place that has the best milk tea I’ve ever gotten. Ugh, but they're like $7 each but I’m telling you, they’re worth it!”

“$7? That's 3.5 times more than the average cost of a milk tea.”

“Yes yes I know,” You complained, taking another bite of your pizza. “But I swear on my antlers the price is justified.”

“Hmp, that is for me to decide.” Donnie tutted. You perked up, recognizing it as his way of indirectly saying yes to you.

An hour or so passed as you and Donnie bickered back and forth while enjoying your pizza. Donnie had even offered a slice of his own to you to try and you had, once again, gagged at the sight of his pizza.

“Urgh, I don’t know how you eat that without throwing up. Are you not bothered with the wriggling worms on the thing?”

“I have a distinct feeling you were picky as a child, who most likely ended up eating chicken nuggets for dinner at a restaurant instead of a 3 course meal.” Donnie smirked, knowing he hit the nail on the head when seeing your shocked expression.

You slouched back in your seat, blowing a raspberry at him. Donnie snickered.

“Whatever, worm eater.”

“Whew, I shouldn’t have ordered those breadsticks.” You let out a huge belch while stepping out of the portal and back into the graffitied alleyway, patting your stuffed stomach.

Donnie wrinkled his nose at your burp and looked down at his phone, tapping something on it. “Must you act so barbaric?”

Narrowing your eyes, you sneak up to Donnie and lean close to where his ears would likely be under his hoodie, before letting out the biggest burp you have ever burped.

Donnie tensed. You watched as he slowly turned back towards you, a dark look in his eyes. “I will not hesitate to dress you as lettuce and feed you to snails.”

You laughed and wrapped an arm around Donnie’s shoulders, dragging him along as you started walking. “You’re hilarious Donbon, now walk your dear friend home so they won’t have to go home alone, all vulnerable and unguarded at night.”

“I hope you are aware that I am planning your demise.”

“I know bud. I wouldn't want it any other way.”

Donnie sighed as you waved enthusiastically from in front of your apartment complex. He gave back a half-hearted wave in return, keeping up his façade of annoyance at your antics as he saw you laughing at him. Shaking his head, he started walking away, his phone meanwhile blowing up in the pocket of his hoodie.

Though that reminds him…

Turning back around, he spoke up right as you unlocked the apartment complex's front door.

“Let’s exchange phone numbers.”

You slowly turned back around, a grin taking over your features.

“Oh I’m gonna send you so many memes.”

“My dearest brother ‘Tello, where have thou been all day hm?” Leo spoke up from his place on a beanbag in the atrium, hanging upside down and holding a comic with a single lamp illuminating him. “Since you've been gone for like, 3 hours, texted me very vague texts, and it's almost midnight.”

“That is none of your business.” Donnie huffed, going past Leo and straight to his lab.

After the Foot Clans invasion, their lair had been completely obliterated. Arcade games, Donnie’s lab, all their rooms, the projector room, all gone, and they had looked for days for a temporary place to stay and regroup. Their solution was in the form of an abandoned subway station and they salvaged what they could from their destroyed lair to make the place as comfortable as can be. Donnie could still remember when he was going through the wreckage of what once was his lab. Most of his projects were destroyed, and his stockpile of materials were lost to the chaos of the battle. Luckily though, while looking through the scraps of his 3D printing machine, he stumbled upon the titanium bust of his face, which he had held up triumphantly.

It was only after the Kraang invasion where a weight was taken off of everybody's shoulder that the team decided that they needed their old lair back.

It had taken months of everyone pitching in and rebuilding the lair to completely fix up everything. Donnie, of course, led the charge and did everything he could. Inevitably, some things were irreplaceable, such as the vintage arcade games and personal stuff such as posters, stuffed animals, and clothes but other than that, the wreckage of a sewer was turned into a home sweet home once again.

“Well well well, since you won’t tell me, I can only assume you were on a hot date.” Leo’s eyes glinted with unrestrained glee and the arches of his masks wiggled up and down suggestively.

Donnie stopped walking and strolled over to where Leo was. His brother looked up at him with a smug grin across his stupid face. Swiftly, he raised his hand and smacked Leo on the back of his head-

“Ow!”

-and then turned around, walking away as if nothing had happened.

“You're not denying it!” Leo shouted at Donnie’s back, rubbing his head.

“I was not on a date!” Donnie yelled, not turning around to face Leo in fear of him seeing the dark blush across his face.

“But you were with someone-!” Donnie closed the door to his lab before he could hear any more, leaning his back against the solid steel door and letting out an annoyed sigh, the heat on his face not going away anytime soon.

Me:

Donbon:

What does this mean.

Me:

my humor is beyond your understanding

Donbon:

Please use correct grammar.

Me:

no ♥️

Chapter 4: Sus...

Chapter Text

RadSkillz:

meet me in my room, got some tea to spill

CookingitUp:

But I’m in the middle of making beignets :000

RadSkillz:

it involves our dear brother tello, mikey

CookingitUp:

Ohohoho, im on the way!! >:)

Leo poked his head out of his room to see Raph out on the atrium in the middle of his workout, sitting on a bench and lifting weights.

“Psst! Raph! Important meeting in my room!!”

“Really man? I’m in the middle of my set.”

“ Team meeting then.”

Raph sighed, placing the weight he was holding down and snagging a towel next to him to wipe off his sweat on his neck, wrapping it around his neck afterwards. The snapper stood up and grumpily walked over to Leo’s room, with Mikey just appearing a moment later.

“So what’s the tea on Donnie??” Mikey jumped up and down, excited at the prospect of the secret meeting.

“Hang on a moment, this isn’t a team meeting.” Raph groused, crossing his arms. “And where’s Donnie?”

Leo held his hands out to placate Raph and calm down Mikey. “Hey hey, let’s all calm down. It is a team meeting, it’s just a team meeting without Donnie cuz the meeting’s about him.”

“What do ya mean? Donnie’s just been acting his usual self.” Raph replied, raising a questioning brow.

“Do you guys not see it? He’s been disappearing for hours on end without a word to any of us! Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious?”

“And you’re basing all of this off of what, huh? For all we know, he could just be holed up in his lab, like always.” Raph argued. Mikey’s head flew back and forth between his brothers, listening in.

“I’m basing it off of this !” Leo whipped out his phone to show the security feed of the entrance to the lair. Raph and Mikey leaned in close, with the youngest letting out a small ‘ooohh’.

The clip showed a video of Donnie, in his purple hoodie, briskly walking down the alleyway that had a sewer drain leading down to the lair. The footage was dark, suggesting it was recorded at night, but what was the real evidence was the timestamp in the top left corner, clearly reading “11:53 PM”. They watched as Donnie lifted the sewer grate and jumped in, disappearing from view.

“..Mind…blown..” Mikey said slowly, mimicking an explosion exploding from his head. “....but what does this mean?”

“It means ,” Leo snatched the phone back from their faces and pointed an accusing finger at his phone. “That he must’ve been out somewhere. And knowing Donnie, he never stays out that late, by himself. ”

“Maybe he was trying to start a fundraiser for his candle making business!” Mikey piped up.

“Mikey, he doesn’t have a candle making business.” Leo deadpanned. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Leo waved his hands around. “Plus, he didn’t eat dinner that night, so he must’ve gone somewhere to eat and I have a feeling it was at Run of the Mills since he brought home pizza leftovers, but then that begs the question, what the hell was he doing for the rest of the 3 hours he was gone for?”

Raph rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “...I hate to say it, but you have a point Leo. Donnie almost never leaves the lair that much aside from going out with us.”

“Right?!” Leo exclaimed. He dragged his hands down his face. “And when I asked him where he was, his face got red! And Donnie never blushes.”

Mikey let out a gasp, stars and hearts sparkling in his eyes. “Do you think he went out to eat with someone? Someone special?”

Leo raised a brow, letting his head sway back and forth as he thought. “I did think about that as a possibility, but, no offense to him, I don’t think he has any ‘special someones’, let alone any friends outside of us, and we’re family, so I don’t think that even counts.”

“Uh, ouch , I would consider you guys my friends.” Piped a voice from the entrance to Leo’s room. All 3 turtles whipped around to see April standing behind them, her arms crossed and an amused smile playing on her lips. “Now what do I hear about Donnie having a special someone?”

Mikey bounded over to April and shook her by her shoulders. “Donnie has been hiding someone from us!! And we wanna know!”

“He’s been disappearing for hours for weeks now!” Leo said, holding his head with both of his hands desperately. “And being the nosy and annoying twin I am, I need to know.”

“Raph’s also kinda curious now, but totally for a protective older brother reason and not because he’s also nosy.” A sweat dripped on Raph’s brow as 3 deadpanned stares were aimed his way. “Ehehe…”

April rolled her eyes. “Have you guys, I don’t know, ever thought about how Donnie has his own personal life outside of his family??”

Now it was April's turn for 3 dumbfounded stares to aim her way. She groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “Seriously guys, if Donnie wants to keep whoever he’s seeing a secret, let him. I’m sure he’s not introducing them to us because he’s not ready. ” She made sure to emphasize the word as she knows how often they bring Donnie close to his breaking points. She’s seen it time and time again, but she knows that they don’t do it on purpose or out of ill intent. It’s just hard to understand the boundary around Donnie sometimes and she hopes that they understand where to stop this time around.

“Anyways, I refuse to be a part of this so I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” April waved them off and left Leo’s room, leaving the 3 turtles to ponder on what she said.

…

“....$200 bucks to the first person who finds out who Donnie is seeing, $100 each from the other two.”

“Deal.” “Oh it’s on!”

“Achoo!” You sneezed while waiting in line at a coffee shop. You rubbed your nose, sniffing. “Ugh, weird, it’s not allergy season yet.”

His brothers are acting weird, he can feel it in his veins.

It all started with breakfast one day. Donnie was the last one up, as usual, and groggily walked into the kitchen to have his breakfast served by Mikey, as usual. Today the box turtle was making pancakes, the bowl of batter next to him on the counter letting Donnie know as well as the butter, syrup bottles, and freshly cut fruits on the table.

Leo and Raph, meanwhile, were harshly whispering behind a newspaper, all the while their gazes kept snapping back to him every so often across the table. Donnie narrowed his eyes at the two, taking a sip of his black brewed coffee that Mikey happily handed to him.

Raph, catching Donnie’s gaze on them, quickly slapped the newspaper on the table and nervously grinned. “Hey Donman! How are ya this fine morning?”

“Fine?” Donnie said, though it sounded more of like a question. “...what were you two talking about just now?”

“N-Nothing!” Raph exclaimed way too quickly.

Leo harshly nudged Raph beside him. “Oh, y’know, the weather, and Mikey’s amazing pancakes we could smell from here.”

Mikey looked back at them, smiling brightly. “Thanks, I’m trying out a new recipe!”

“We’re in the sewers, we don’t know what the weather is until we go outside.” Donnie deadpanned.

“Well, uh, I checked my phone, duh!”

“Uh huh.” Donnie observed them a moment longer before getting distracted by a plate of pancakes being placed in front of him.

“Bon appetit!” Mikey hummed happily, setting 3 other plates down for Leo, Raph, and himself on the table before settling down as well.

Donnie gave them one more glare before looking down at his own plate and leaning over to grab a bottle of syrup. He did a double-take at the sight of heart-shaped pancakes on his plate, a mortified look on his face. What in the…?

He whipped his face up to look at his brothers’ plates, which, unlike his own, were stacked with normal circular pancakes. Slowly, Donnie turned towards Mikey, his eye twitching all the while and a tense smile on his lips.

“Angelo…why do my pancakes look like this?” Donnie grounded out, his grip on the syrup bottle tightening as the seconds ticked by.

“Hm?” Mikey said through a mouthful of his own pancakes. “Oh, no reason!”

Donnie felt something sticky touch his fingers and he realized that he squeezed the syrup bottle so hard that some of it was coming out of the top. Standing up, his chair clattered behind him and he realized, with horror, that a blush was creeping up onto his face.

“I’m going to wash my hands.”

“Okay, have fun!” Mikey waved while Raph chuckled next to him. Leo observed his twin brother walking away with calculated eyes.

“Ayo, Donnie, I was wondering if you were free, the AC in my room broke down…” Raph paused at the entrance to Donnie’s lab, curious to see the sight of so many books. Sure, Raph knew that Donnie was a nerd and would probably read a lot of books, but from the few times that he’s stepped foot into the lab, it was always pretty clean. But the sight before him said otherwise, as there were books everywhere, from a few stacks on the ground to the counter.

Walking further into the lab, Raph curiously picked up a book. The one he held in his hand was about…the Krebs cycle? Why would Donnie want to know about crabs? Upon closer inspection, Raph could see a label on the spine.

‘PROPERTY OF THE MYSTIC LIBRARY’

Tilting his head, Raph got to thinking. A few engines sputtered in his head and the neurons in his brain worked overtime. Leo’s words from before going through his head, the book in his hands, mystic library…

Aha! Donnie’s been spending time at the mystic library in the Hidden City!

Raph nodded, patting himself on the back and grinning smugly. Oh he could see it now, $200 richer and waltzing into Teddy Bear Town to buy brand new sets of clothes for his teddy be-

“What are you doing in my lab?”

Raph let out a yelp before turning around swiftly, the book still held in his hands. Donnie had his arms crossed and raised a brow before his gaze drifted to the book clutched in Raph’s hands.

“If you wanted to learn about photosynthesis, I would happily teach you.”

“A-Ah, no, I was just curious w-where you got all these books.”

“At the mystic library?” Donnie said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh r-really? Is that w-where you spend a lot of your time?” Nice, smooth Raph, real smooth. Raph would smack himself in the head if he didn’t already look suspicious.

“Yes? Why are you asking?”

“No reason ahaha! I’ll be going now, seeyouatdinner!” Without realizing, Raph had taken the book with him when making a swift exit from Donnnie’s lab. Donnie shook his head. He was hoping only Mikey and Leo were the ones acting suspicious, but it looks like all 3 of his brothers are all in on it.

Whatever it is.

“Hmmmm.” Mikey said as he scanned the menu. It was lunchtime and Mikey found himself craving some pizza, so off he went to Run of the Mill Pizza.

A familiar skeletal figure walked up to the table Mikey was at. Mikey looked up, waving. “Hi Hueso!”

“Hello Michelangelo.” The skeleton yokai said, an annoyed expression resting on his skeletal face. Hueso brought up a notepad. “Now what is it today.”

“Hmmmm.”

Hueso impatiently tapped his pencil against his notepad.

“Hit me up with that Noxious Wind my guy!” Mikey beamed. He suddenly remembered the other reason for his visit, and stopped Hueso before he could walk off.

“Hey hey Senor Hueso, I gotta question.”

“Yes?”

Mikey looked around before leaning towards Hueso, a hand held next to his mouth, and whispered, “Have you seen Donnie recently by any chance? I’m undercover on a mission to uncover a love story and heard that Donnie might’ve gone here recently!”

Hueso crossed his arms. “And why should I tell you this?”

“Because I’m your most loyal customer?” Mikey pleaded, bringing out his puppy dog eyes.

Hueso sighed and leaned close to the table. Mikey could barely contain his excitement.

“You didn’t hear from me, but just a few days ago I recognized Donatello coming in late one night. He was with this yokai, a reindeer type I believe. They took up a booth and ordered pizza’s together.”

A big smile was on Mikey’s face and stars were in his eyes. “A dinner date?” He gasped. “How romantic!” A reindeer yokai huh? Mikey would pat Donnie on the back the next time he would see his older brother.

“Achoo!” You sneezed again. “Agh, what the hell?”

Donnie held up a napkin, which you snatched up eagerly to wipe at your snot. “Please don’t tell me you’re sick.”

“No,” You sniffed. You both were in your usual place in the mystic library and you had just barely covered your sneeze to avoid the hush bats. “I’ve just been sneezing a lot recently.”

“Allergies?”

“Maybe…”

Chapter 5: Hell on Earth

Chapter Text

“So uh, what’s up?”

“There’s been a little…accident in the kiddie room.” Agatha said, not looking up from the document she was reading in her hands.

“Say what now?” You said, your legs dangling uselessly in the air as your arms gripped her table.

“One of the kids had a little too much to eat and had thrown up a few minutes ago.” Agatha pointed to a nearby closet. “The cleaning supplies are in there.”

You sighed, sliding down her desk. Dusting yourself off, you pulled up your phone and opened up your contacts. This calls for back-up.

Me:
i need your help, emergency

Donbon:
I’ll be right there. Where are you?

Me:
lobby of the mystic library, next to a closet behind Agatha’s desk

Not a moment later a blue portal opens up a few feet away from you, with Donnie jumping out and holding up a metal staff. Whipping his head back and forth, he was greeted upon the sight of you waving at him.

You tilted your head curiously at the sight of Donnie not wearing his usual purple hoodie. Instead, he actually wasn’t wearing any clothes at all. You were greeted with the sight of his plastron for the first time as well as a purple belt wrapped around his torso. A pair of blue and red lensed goggles sat atop his head and what seems to be a purple armored shell was attached to his back.

“What’s the metal stick?” You asked, gesturing for him to come over to where you were.

Donnie slumped his shoulders, his hands still holding onto the staff as he walked over to you. “I thought this was an emergency.”

“It is an emergency.” You poked at his purple shell. “Anyways, I thought you said you were a softshell turtle?”

Suddenly, a metal claw came out of his shell to bat your hand away.

“Wha-?”

“Due to the soft and vulnerable nature of my shell, I designed multiple battle shells that can attach and detach from my back. They're equipped with a variety of tools to help me in any dire situation.” Donnie stated proudly, his staff held out by his side. Suddenly more metal claws shot out of his shell, holding various tools, a first aid kit, and a…chainsaw. He chuckled at the expression on your face.

“Woahhh.” You zoomed to his battle shell, fawning over the metal claws and the built in arsenal of weapons. You observed his shell from the side and another metal claw shot out, patting the top of your head. “You’re just like spiderman, with the iron spider armor!” You exclaimed. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Donnie puff out his chest with pride. “What about your staff?”

Suddenly, his battle shell left your vision and you were instead met with Donnie’s unamused stare.

“It is not a ‘staff’” Donnie made air quotes. “It is a state of the art interchangeable tech-bo I built myself, equipped with a multitude of rockets, drills, and lasers and made out of the highest grade of titanium I can get my hands on.” He made kissy faces at his tech-bo. “If only it was socially acceptable to date non-sentient objects.”

“Can I hold it?” You jumped excitedly. You’ve always endured Donnie’s rants about his inventions but not once have you ever seen one with your own eyes. You’ve never even held any sort of weapon, let alone a highly, probably over-engineered, bo staff.

“Yes, I will happily give the inexperienced human a deadly and lethal weapon, he said sarcastically.” Donnie said, but handed you his tech-bo anyway.

You held the tech-bo with both of your hands, holding it as if it was the most delicate thing in the world……and then started swinging it around violently, even going as far as to test out how it would feel to stab an invisible enemy with the pronged end of the bo. You also tried to twirl it with one arm and had nearly dropped it, flailing around to catch the staff.

Donnie leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching as you messed around with his tech-bo, an amused smile on his face at your obvious awe. He watched as you pretended to thwack an enemy on their head, then swung it horizontally with all the force you could muster. Maybe he could make a mini version for you sometime…Actually, he could even add his Donnie blocker into your laptop now that he’s thinking about it, he’s seen you watching pirated shows on a shady looking website for days now….and it probably wouldn’t hurt to put a tracker on you too if you’re ever in trouble….

While Donnie was thinking about all the things he could make for you, you were still playing around with his tech-bo. You tilted your head as your thumb felt something and saw that it was a button. Without any thoughts about how dangerous it could be, you pressed it.

The prongs at the end of the bo staff disappeared in favor of a drill. Your eyes widened and you turned towards Donnie.

“I’ll pay you-”

“Nuh uh uh, my precious tech-bo cannot be bought.” Quickly, the bo staff was snatched back by Donnie. “And getting back on topic, what is the aforementioned ‘emergency’ you texted me?”

“I need you as back-up, I gotta clean up vomit in the kiddie room.” You said, opening the closet and pulling out a mop and a janitor bucket.

“Oh Pythagoras, this does call for back-up.” Donnie said, a horrified look on his face before it morphed into a stoic expression. “Alright, I’ll cover for you while you clean up.”

You held out your hand and Donnie clasped it, both of you readying yourself for the incoming war.

“Let’s do this.”

You both were standing, backs to the walls, next to the door leading to the kiddie room. Donnie looked back towards you, tech-bo at the ready.

“Alright, let’s go over the plan one more time. On 3, I open the door and get the attention of the kids, you run along the wall and I’ll follow, using my tech-bo to keep the kids away from us. If, at any point, you see any of them coming towards you, yell.” Donnie stared you straight in the eyes and you nodded.

Donnie took a deep breath.

“...One”

“.Two…”

“..THREE!”

The door to the kiddie room was kicked down and Donnie jumped in, waving his bo-tech around. Immediately, there was a vicious crowd of children surrounding Donnie.

“New toy! New toy! New toy!” They chanted, the depths of hell reflected in their dark eyes. Donnie started to sweat. “Hurry, go to the left of me and I’ll follow!”

You ran past Donnie, a determined glint in your eye as you dragged the mop bucket behind you. Immediately, your gaze zoned in onto the area of vomit and you quickly ran along the wall, with Donnie following you to your right, providing a wall between you and the hoard of children who are ready to sacrifice you to their blood god.

Upon reaching the vomit on the floor, you whipped out the mop from the bucket. Swiftly, you mopped the floor, not sparing a glance behind you. You could hear the chaos behind you as Donnie desperately kept the kids away from you.

“Back away, YOU DEMONS!” Donnie screeched. Four mechanical claws shot out from his battle shell to cover a larger area of the swarm of kids. They meaty little hands grabbed at the claws, and one of them even managed to rip it off from his battle shell.

Another jumped onto the other metal claw, chewing furiously at the metal. Donnie yelped, desperately shaking his metal claw in an attempt to throw the kid off and another two other kids suddenly latched onto both of his legs. Donnie’s screams of terror were drowned out by the chant of the yokai children.

You swiped the mop over the floor one more time, making sure there was not a trace of vomit left before shoving the mop in the bucket. You heard some scurrying and looked up. A manic grin on a little face was what greeted you.

They pointed a finger at you, their multiple sets of eyes locking in onto your figure.

“The blood god has chosen you.”

“DONNIE-!”

You were suddenly tackled from behind as multiple small bodies climbed over yours. You let out a scream as your hands were pulled out by your sides and you felt rope wrap around each of your wrist, pulling taut. You kicked your legs but it was fruitless as it was eventually tied together as well.

“Y/n!” You heard Donnie yell out for you. Out of the corner of your eye, Donnie quickly shook the kids off of his legs and made his way over to you, blocking left and right using his bo from any incoming toddler yokai’s. Suddenly, your mouth was stuffed with a small teddy bear plushie.

“Mmph!” You struggled to get your words out and felt yourself being lifted up. You watched, with horror, as a horde of children carried your tied-up body over to some sort of sacrificing circle.

Your eyes widened and you desperately wriggled around as you were set down. A demonic looking circle was drawn on the floor in red crayon, with lit up candles surrounding you. How the hell did they get their hands on a lighter?!

A metallic clang sounded from your right and you quickly swerved your head to look for the noise. Donnie’s tech-bo was a few feet away from you and you looked around in search of its owner.

Your eyes landed on his tied up form, attached to a stick which was slowly turning over a…campfire, as if he was slowly being roasted alive.

What has your life turned into?

Quickly rolling over so that your back was to the tech-bo, you counted your lucky stars that only your wrists were tied up but not your hands. You grabbed onto the tech-bo and wiggled it so that the sharp pronged ends were right next to the rope keeping your hands together. You furiously rubbed the sharp end onto the robe, feeling the rope starting to loosen. Spitting out the teddy bear stuffed in your mouth, you stood up, your hands free,

“Yes!” You exclaimed and held up Donnie’s tech-bo triumphantly over your head, jumping. All heads turned towards your direction and Donnie snapped his gaze over to you. Oops.

You brought the tech-bo down and tried looking for a button to press. There has to be something on this damned thing that could get you both out of here right? No matter how evil these kids were, you didn’t want to beat up little children…yet.

Quickly, you pressed as many buttons as you could. Out of the corner of your eye, the hoard of children started running towards you, getting closer by the minute.

“Please please please-”

A rocket came out of the side of the tech-bo, quickly whirring to life as it got ready to set off.

“How does a whole rocket fit in this thing-!” You screamed as the rocket pulled you forward and you gripped the staff for dear life as you started flying. You wrangled the thing around before you were able to set it straight for the door, which, coincidentally, Donnie was on the way there.

With one hand on the sailing tech-bo, you leaned your body out and held your other hand, aiming for the stick Donnie was attached to. You were getting close, closer……and NOW!

“Hold on tight!” You yelled. You could hear the kids chasing you from behind, their crazed screaming fueling you to save yourself and Donnie from this hell hole.

“OH SWEET HYPATIA-!” Donnie screamed as your hand caught onto the handle to the stick he was tied on. You pulled him off the stand he was on and dragged the stick behind you, with Donnie still attached, as the rocket launched you both. Donnie screamed once more as his face was inches away from smearing on the ground, the top of the stick above his head scraping against the ground as his front body was facing the floor.

You both flew out the kiddie room and continued to fly through the hallways. You tried to swerve as best you can while still holding onto the stick carrying Donnie.

“HOW DO I STOP THIS THING!?” You screamed.

“THE RED BUTTON AT THE BASE OF THE ROCKET!”

Without a second wasted, your finger flew to the red button you saw earlier. Immediately, the rocket disassembled itself back into the tech-bo. With the rocket no longer dragging the both of you, you had tripped over your feet on the carpet and you let go of the stick attached to Donnie, tumbling down into the wooden floor.

“Urrghh…” You groaned.

“I think my scapula is broken.” Donnie wheezed out from behind you.

You looked behind you and spotted Donnie, his limbs tangled up in the rope that had once tied him up. You crawled over to where he lay on the ground and draped yourself over his plastron, resting your cheek on his torso. A shaky mechanical claw came out from his battle shell to wrap around the two of you.

“I do not….get paid enough for this…” You whispered.

You both ambled out of the storage unit facility, bruised and exhausted and hanging off of each other's shoulder onto the street. Your body felt like it had gone through a food processor and then was used as a punching bag for three hours straight. You could feel the ache deep in your bones.

You’ve heard the horror stories of the kiddie room but you never would have expected to be a sacrificial lamb upon your first time there. You could see now why Donnie was terrified of the kiddie room, you're praying you won’t have to go in there again….

Donnie’s state was just as bad as yours. You could hear the electric crackle from his ripped out mechanical claws and noticed how slowly he blinked. Scratches were all over both of your bodies and you felt how he sagged against you. You yawned and scratched your neck, flinching when you felt the bruises around your wrists.

“Ow…”

Donnie’s head lifted up at your voice, zooming in on your wrists. His eyes trailed over your body, noting the rope burns and scratches.

“Jump on my back.” He murmured.

“..Huh?” What was he talking about?

Donnie gently moved you off of him and turned around. You watched, enamored, as his battle shell opened up to reveal a small purple cushioned seat with a crossbody seatbelt, with handles on the sides to hold onto and a pair of thrusters appeared from the bottom of the seat.

“You have a jetpack in that thing?” You asked, dumbfounded.

“Be awed at my brilliance another time, for now let me take you back to the lair to patch you up.” Donnie looked over his shoulder at you, gesturing for you to hop on.

Without a moment to spare, you hopped up onto the seat, strapping yourself in. You brought your hands up to grip tightly onto the handle bars. Despite your fatigue, you couldn’t help but feel excited.

“Hang on.”

You let out a scream of excitement and laughed as the both of you soared up and into the sky. It had only felt like seconds passed by, but in reality it most likely took a few minutes for the both of you to hover over the city. The wind whipped your hair into your face, but that was quickly overshadowed by the view of the city below you.

Thousands of small pinpoints of lights twinkled at you. You could faintly make out the moving shapes of cars on the streets and the distant honks and chatter of the city. Your legs dangled in the air and you swung them back and forth excitedly, feeling like you were on a rollercoaster….but just way over the height limit of rollercoasters. Looking up, you could just barely see the stars, with the light pollution blocking most out.

You could also feel Donnie’s body heat against your back.

You felt your stomach drop as Donnie maneuvered you both to go into a dip.

“Donnie!” You exclaimed, terrified for your life. “I swear to god-!”

You could faintly hear him snicker at your screams before flying back up and into a twirl, making you feel dizzy.

“If I die, I’m gonna haunt your green ass!” You threatened.

Donnie’s laughter sounded through the night as he flew the both of you back to his lair, your screams of both terror and delight following shortly after.

Chapter 6: They're Both Very Eeepy

Chapter Text

“My lab has a first aid kit. We’ll have to pass through the lair to get to it.”

After the exhilarating ride through the skies of New York, Donnie had landed just right outside of a dark alleyway. He asked you to wait as he went into the hallway, coming back only minutes later, and gestured for you to follow him into it. You voiced your amusem*nt at the familiarity of the situation but Donnie had quickly shushed you.

Walking over to a round manhole cover, Donnie pushed the lid to the side and nodded his head for you to go down first. Peering down, you couldn’t see anything at all, instead it was pitch black. That was until there was a beam of light aimed down into the manhole and you looked up to see one of Donnie’s mechanical claws holding up a flashlight.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that…” You murmured as you started your way down into the manhole, grabbing onto the sides of the latter and starting the descent. “Though I probably should or else I’ll inflate your already oversized ego.”

“Ha ha.” Donnie sarcastically laughed, going down into the manhole cover with you and closing the top. “There’s a difference between snobbery and appreciating oneself.”

You mimicked what he said but in a snobby higher pitched voice under your breath.

“I can hear you.”

Huffing, you landed on solid ground and observed your surroundings. You were on a long stretch of a cement pathway, and looking left and right, you were greeted with the pitchblack endless sewer tunnel. Just a little beyond the cement pathway was a river of running sewer water, parallel to the pathway you were on.

“So uh, nice place….pretty sparse though.”

“This isn’t the lair.” Donnie flicked your forehead and you scowled, bringing up your hand to shove his own out of your face but he had pulled back just in time, a smug grin on his stupid face. You rolled your eyes but followed him anyway as he started down the cement pathway.

Less than two minutes later, you stumbled upon another intersecting tunnel, but it was hidden behind a waterfall of sewer water coming out of another tunnel above it. Donnie ducked behind the waterfall through the side and you followed, walking a little further.

“We there yet?” You whined.

“Shush.” A mechanical claw was held up to your lips to silence you, and Donnie hadn’t even turned around.

Finally though, you seem to make it into their lair. Your eyes widened as you took in the sight. You could only assume this is the ‘atrium’ of the lair as Donnie had described to you before. Two large skateboard ramps were on either side of the huge room and along the wall there were other tunnels, leading to what you have no clue as well as some graffiti art on the wall.

You could see the second floor from where you were standing and even made out a few arcade games peeking out from a wide opening on the second floor. Even though a home like this isn’t what you’re used to, it all feels very homey, with the multitude of string lights throughout and the beanbag chairs and overall clutter of a home shared by four brothers.

“Alright, the house tour will have to be saved for later….when I’m ready to introduce you to my family. For now, let’s hurry to my lab.”

Donnie grabbed your hand and quickly led you to the third floor, entering through another tunnel. Donnie pushed the steel door closed behind you as you took in the sight around you.

Everything was bathed in a soft purple glow due to the purple led lights all over his room. There was machinery of all kinds sprinkled throughout the room and various tools on metal work tables. Near the end of the room you could see a big round table, lit up with purple holograms and the wall to your left was lined up with all his different types of battle shells. There were metal stands attached to the ceiling to hold multiple computer screens near the desk and to your left, there was a wall full of tools and circuit and arduino boards.

You weren't surprised in the slightest that everything had a purple theme to it.

As you stood there with your jaw on the floor, Donnie had walked over to a cabinet attached to a wall and pulled out a first aid kit, as well as a small towel and a water bottle. You walked over to his desk and sat down on the chair reminiscent of a gaming chair and watched as Donnie placed the first aid kit on the table.

“I might not be as well versed as first aid as my brother but I do know how to treat simple scratches and such.” Donnie remarked as he went down on one knee in front of your chair and opened up the first aid kit.

“Good because I have no idea how to treat all of this.” You said, looking at your body.

You watched as Donnie soaked the towel using the water bottle and cleaned up your scratches. He was gentle with rubbing the towel on your skin and you sighed, sagging against his chair as Donnie started to apply some kind of ointment. The feel of his fingers on your skin started a small heat to cross your face but you paid it no mind, choosing to ignore it in favor of looking around some more.

Your eyes slid over to his table and you observed all the piles of notes and diagrams of, presumably, his inventions and prototypes. They were filled with writings way beyond your understanding but you couldn't help but feel fascinated. You also noticed how many books were on his table, as well as throughout his lab. You knew he went to the library often but you didn’t think he brought home this many books.

You tilted your head as you noticed that most of the books were on the subject of biology, and you let out a small smile. That smile was quickly replaced with amusem*nt when you finally noticed a small statue of himself on the table.

“...Really?” You said with amusem*nt, tilting your head to the statue when Donnie looked up with a questioning look across his face.

He looked away as you giggled, though you could see the corner of his cheek was flushed. “....Can one not appreciate one's looks from time to time?”

“I’m not surprised you have a bust of your own face honestly. And, let me guess, it’s made out of titanium?”

“....yes.” Turning around, the corner of Donnie’s mouth lifted as you let out another snicker.

You shook your head, still chuckling when you suddenly heard a clatter from within the lab. Whipping your head back and forth, you didn’t see anything until a voice piped up from your right, above your head.

“Woahh, who’s this Donnie?”

You jumped, looking up as a flying…robot hovered into your view. Its body was rectangular with a triangle shaped head. It has four propellers that seem to act as some sort of limbs for the drone and it has bright glowing red eyes with rectangular pupils.

“...Sup?” You greeted the drone.

It perked up. “Wassup dude! I’m Shelldon.”

“Hey Shelldon, I’m….Y/n.” You shook his propeller…hand (?) when he held it out for you. “So uh, I’m guessing Donnie built you?”

Shelldon nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, he sure did! I help him around in his lab and read him bedtime stories sometimes when he can’t sleep-”

“Alright, that’s enough for introductions!” Donnie pushed the drone away from your view. “Shelldon, I’m gonna need you to keep this-” He gestured to you. “-a secret from everyone else okay? No one, and I mean no one can know about this.”

Shelldon winked. “No problem, my guy. My speakers are sealed.” He zoomed out of the lab. “I’ll be the look-out!” He yelled back.

Donnie let out a long sigh and stood up, turning to you. You were already standing up and poking at random machinery around his lab, ‘oooh’ing and ‘aaah’ing. While you were busy doing that, he tended to his own wounds, though there were fewer compared to you.

“What does this do?” “Do these launch missiles?” “Is this that one machine from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs? Kinda looks like it.” “Are these nuclear launch codes?” “Can I hold these?”

You were looking at what seems to be a pair of tactical batons. They were black and had multiple glowing purple rings along the shaft. If you leaned in, you could even hear a slight crackle.

“Ah, those are my two piece electroshock batons. When shocking an enemy, it can deal up to a maximum of 2,000 volts. I’m planning on making them collapsible, which makes for easy storage and access.” Donnie ranted but paused once seeing your star-struck expression.

You marched over to where Donnie stood and gripped both of his shoulders. With barely contained excitement, you grinned at Donnie. “Dude, you’re literally Tony Stark. Why the hell are you even using your metal stick??” Donnie rolled his eyes, offended at the term you used to refer to his tech-bo.

“Once again, it is called a tech-bo.” He grumbled as you fawned over the batons.

Your eyes slid over to a digital clock on the wall nearby. It was late, but you didn’t wanna go home just yet, plus you didn’t want to walk home.

Donnie was watching you closely and followed your gaze to his clock on the wall. It was late, now that he thought about it. And he didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of you walking back home alone, even if he could escort you, the both of you were way too exhausted.

You were so distracted with zooming around Donnie’s lab that you didn’t see the turtle in question going out of the lab and coming back in with a bunch of pillows and blankets. You turned around after you were done sightseeing Donnie’s lab and let out a noise of confusion when seeing Donnie near a cot that you hadn’t seen at first in the corner of the lab. He was putting down a few blankets and pillows on the cot and you walked over to him.

“What’s all this for?”

“I think it would be best if you stayed here for tonight. You’re most likely too exhausted to go back home and I’m too tired to walk you back, so I think this works out in both our favor.” Donnie nodded as if he was trying to convince himself. “Plus, my jetpack ran out of fuel.”

You sagged in relief. “Thank god, I do not want to walk all the way back home after today.” Without a second wasted, you jumped into the bed, sighing at the welcoming plush of the pillows and blankets. Burrowing yourself a little further into the blankets, you peeked your head out to stare at Donnie.

“Why do you have a bed inside your lab? Please don’t tell me this is also your room.”

“No, I have a bedroom, but ah, I often get carried away in my work. I don't notice how late it can get and so having a cot in here saves me from going all the way back to my room.” Donnie noted. “Anyhoo, get some rest.” A dark look passes over Donnie’s face. “And let’s hope those demons will get what’s coming to them.”

You sat up on the bed and held out your hands. “Whoa whoa, they’re just kids.”

“They tried to sacrifice you.”

“Eh, that usually happens on Tuesdays.”

“Pardon?”

Donnie sighed as he heard your snores from his cot. It took no time at all for you to fall asleep in a mess of purple blankets and pillows and he was tempted to lay down with you, the exhaustion in his bones preventing him from walking all the way down to the first floor to his room.

He heard another snore sound through his lab and looked back at your sleeping form. He crossed his arms as he observed you. There was already a small trail of spit on the corner of your chin and you were tightly hugging a pillow to your chest. He chuckled once he noticed that you hadn’t even taken off your shoes. Even though you looked like a mess, he couldn’t help but think that you looked…...cute...in a weird, skrunkly way.

Donnie’s eyes widened and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Ugh, the mental exhaustion is getting to him, he thinks. Wiping a hand over his face and letting out a yawn, he took off his elbow and knee pads and walked over to his chair. With only 5% of his brain working at the moment, he didn’t think much about how he dragged his chair over to where you lay in the bed and sat down heavily. He took off his goggles to put on a nearby counter and closed his eyes, deciding a 20 minute nap wouldn’t hurt. He’ll stay by your side to make sure your scratches are okay…yeah…..sounds like a solid plan……..

Donnie fell asleep to your snores, slumped over the bed next to you with his arms crossed underneath his head.

“Hey dudes, I think we’re all clear. Everybody’s asleep and I locked the door so-” Shelldon stopped upon the sight of you both. “Oh dang, I’ll leave you guys to it then.”

Before going to recharge himself, Shelldon made sure to take a picture of you both. “Hehehe, Dee is gonna be so mad.”

Chapter 7: Overworked

Chapter Text

Oh man, you don’t think your bed has ever been this soft before. It was almost as if a pillow was hugging you back. You snuggled more into the pillow your face was resting on and sighed. Thank god today is your day off, you could stay in bed all day. Something was off though, the whirring of machines wasn’t the sounds that you usually wake up to. Usually it was chirping birds that greeted you in the mornings but they were strangely quiet today.

Opening your eyes, you rubbed away at the eye crusts at the corner of your eyes and looked around. The memories slowly came back to you as you let yourself wake up. Right, you had stayed the night over in Donnie’s lab after cleaning up the kiddie room and soaring through the night sky on Donnie’s jetpack.

You paused as you took in the sight of Donnie next to you on the bed. He was sitting on his chair that was pulled over next to the bed, but he was slumped over, with half of his upper body resting on the bed next to you. His arms were crossed to provide a cushion for his head.

You laid back down on the bed and turned on your side to face him. You brought your hand up and gently poked the space between his closed eyes.

“Psst.”

Donnie grumbled, his brows furrowing in slight annoyance before falling back asleep.

“Donbon.”

You poked his face with a little more force.

“Wake up or I’ll fart in your bed.”

Donnie’s eyes snapped open and slowly narrowed into a glare. “It has not even been five minutes yet since you’ve woken up.” He grumbled, sitting up. He stretched his arms above his head, groaning.

You flopped back into the bed, spreading your arms and legs out as if you were a starfish. “Don’t lie to me, you’re ecstatic that I’m here.”

“Yes yes, I am oh so very elated, he said with the most sarcasm he can muster at,” Donnie squinted at the clock. “Twelve in the afternoon.”

You stretched, arching your back off against the bed and letting out a groan. Donnie couldn’t help but watch you out of the corner of his eye, but quickly turned to look somewhere else when you looked in his direction.

“So, Don, my man, what’s the plan to sneak me outta this place huh?”

Donnie rubbed at his face. “Urgh, don’t even start.” He squinted at his door. “My brothers are most likely up and about at this time….hm we can sneak you through the garage.”

“Fine by me.” You hopped off of his bed. “Oh, wait, does this mean I get to see the tank??”

“Yes-”

“Yes!!” You fist bumped the air and skipped over to the entrance to the lab. “Whatcha waiting for? Take me to the tank! I wanna see how big this baby is.”

Donnie rubbed at his face, wondering how you were already this hyper in the morning.

“Can I drive it.” You demanded rather than asked. You faintly noted with amusem*nt the tank does kind of resemble a turtle with the round dome on the back, though the random yellow cab on top made you raise a brow. You were standing in front of one of the wheels, which was easily towering over you. How the hell do they drive this thing on the street without crushing any other car?

“Do you know how to drive?” Donnie dryly asked.

“Technically….yes. Legally? No.” You beamed at him.

“….you can sit in the passenger seat.”

You hummed as you walked along the street. Donnie was only able to walk you out into the street before he had to go back to the lair or else his brothers would get suspicious. You wondered why Donnie was keeping you a secret to his family.

From what you could tell, Donnie tends to keep to himself most of the time and if his brothers are really the way Donnie describes them to be, you don’t blame him for not telling his family he made a friend.

You started to get stares from the strangers passing you by and you realized that you were still wearing your antlers. With a quick swipe of your headband, you awkwardly chuckled at a nearby stranger who gave you a weird look.

“Just still feeling the holiday spirit.” You said, a drop of sweat on your brow.

Arriving home, you let out a sigh and unlocked your apartment, stepping in. Leaving your shoes by the door, you went into your room and collapsed onto your bed, with your front facing the ceiling. A few minutes passed with you staring blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, you let out a chuckle, taking in the absurdity of your life over the past three months.

Getting thrown in the yokai Hidden City, working at a library disguised as a yokai (however how obvious it is that you’re a human), meeting a mutant purple turtle who probably makes bombs as a hobby, surviving a trip to literal hell, and being surrounded by mystical and magical creatures that most humans have never seen let alone heard about before? Yeah, a hell of a three months.

You wouldn’t change a single thing though.

Donnie sighed as he went back to his lab after breakfast. Thankfully, there were no heart shaped pancakes today. He still wondered why the hell Mikey made him those. Was Mikey watching those k-drama’s again? There were plenty of instances where he’s gone to the kitchen to grab something in the middle of the night, passing by the projector room only to see his little brother, bundled up in blankets, bawling his eyes out at the k-drama he was watching.

Stepping back into his lab, his eyes drifted to his cot, where you were laying only thirty minutes ago. The sheets were crumpled and he could see a small dark spot on the pillow. Ugh.

He remembers the last thing he saw before he fell asleep last night was your peaceful face, sleeping soundly next to him. He couldn’t help but feel warm at the thought of you in his bed.

Donnie walked over to the cot and stood there, staring at it. He has only known you for three months, and already he had so easily brought you back to the lair and even into his lab.

And the weird part was that Donnie didn’t mind showing you all of it. Of course, he shows off his creations to other people all the time, but there was something vulnerable about the half finished inventions, the delicate equipment in his lab, and the hastily drawn on designs and ideas on his whiteboards that he hesitates to show to anyone.

Well, anyone except you.

He wonders idly why you stick around him so much. Most people are put off by his blunt attitude and apparent rudeness, even when sometimes he doesn’t mean to be. You though, don’t take it too seriously and retaliate in return, either in mock offense or with an obvious enjoyment of the banter. Sometimes, you would go on long rants about the book you were reading, the same way he would sometimes rant about what his current project was that he was working on.

You were witty, stubborn, and had no sense of personal space or spatial awareness. He has seen you tripping over the same corner of the carpet in the mystic library more than he could count.

You always seem to have something to say back to him and have a knack for annoying him as well, like that stupid nickname. Even if there’s always a small, almost unnoticeable blush on his cheek when you call him that, a smug grin on your face, he would rather get hit by a beach ball than ever admit that he doesn’t mind the nickname.

Donnie shook his head, clearing his mind of his wandering thoughts on you to focus on getting the pillow cover off to throw in the washing machine. But your stupid, beaming face was still stuck in the back of his mind, and continued to stay there for the rest of the day.

“Soooo, you found out anything yet about Donnie’s mystery friend?” Mikey innocently asked the eldest brother, who was busy making a sandwich in the kitchen. Mikey was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, and was looking at his nails nonchalantly.

Raph hummed, too busy to notice that Mikey was trying to fish for clues. “Hmm, not much yet. But I did find out where Donnie heads off to most of the time.”

Mikey knew that trying to get something out of Leo was next to impossible, the blue banded turtle was smarter than he let on. So he was going after someone that he knows won’t even have a single clue that he was getting interrogated. He needs that 200 dollars for a new professional mixer, dammit.

Mikey slid up to Raph. “Hmm, I hope it's not somewhere dangerous!” Mikey rubbed his chin, looking at Raph out of the corner of his eyes. Come on…take the bait…..

“Eh, I wouldn’t consider the mystic library that dangerous. But the hush bats there does scare Raph sometimes.” Raph shuddered, thinking back to his time in the mystic library.

A grin spread slowly over Mikey’s face at the new information. Oh yes, this is perfect.

Mikey happily patted Raph on his shell. “I see, so he’s perfectly safe! Good to know, good to know.” Quickly, the box turtle disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Raph to stand there in confusion. Shrugging, Raph stuffed his sandwich into his mouth and went to make another one.

You kicked at your feet as you watched Donnie work on some type of…circuit board (?) across from you in the mystic library. Your head was resting atop your closed fists, with your elbows on the table to support your head. Your book was resting on the table next to you, abandoned in favor of watching Donnie. Something about watching him work was relaxing, strangely enough.

Various tools were spread around Donnie on the table, and occasionally he would murmur to himself, his brows scrunching up together in a small look of irritation. It was really cute.

Hm.

You watched as he pulled down his goggles over his eyes, leaning closer to the circuit in his hands. After a few moments, Donnie leaned back, letting out a sigh while pulling off his goggles off his head to set on the table. He reached up to pinch the space between his brows, huffing. Opening his eyes, Donnie’s gaze met yours. You tilted your head, humming. You picked up the circuit gently, turning it this way and that.

“”Y’know what you need?”

“More coffee?” Donnie asked, raising a brow. Your eyes slid over to the empty paper cup next to him.

You gave him a deadpan stare. “You are addicted. Black coffee everyday can’t be good for you.”

“Says the person who orders frappuccino's.” Donnie leaned back into his chair, his arms crossed behind his head smugly and nodded at your own drink next to you. “A mocha frappe with whipped cream and a chocolate syrup drizzle? I do dare say that that surely can’t be healthy either. It could even barely count as coffee.”

“Frappuccino's consist of a coffee base!” You argued. “At least I can enjoy my coffee. The stuff you drink is so bitter it could be passed off as medicine. Seriously, how do you drink that stuff?”

“Because it’s real coffee.”

“Don’t speak to me and my mocha frappuccino ever again.”

Over the few weeks, Donnie’s visits started to dwindle down. He only went to see you only once a week, but you had shrugged it off, knowing that he was probably busy and that he had no obligation to go see you.

It was only when you didn’t see the turtle for three weeks straight that you began worrying for him.

Picking up your phone from where it was resting on the coffee table, you slouched back into your couch as you pulled up your messages with Donnie.

Me:
ay, wat r u up to

Donbon:
I’m just working on something. Why? Is something wrong?

Me:
nah, just wanted to bother u but i see ur busy. Is it that one project u were working on the last time i saw you?

Donbon:
Yes?

Me:
i see. just curious,when was the last time u had a full nights rest

Donbon:
….5 days ago.

Me:
Hmmm, okay. Gtg, agatha called for me

Donbon:
Alright, see you

You lied, obviously. Jumping up from your couch, you beelined to your bedroom to change out of your pajamas. You were now a person on a mission.

The mission? Save your friend before he overworks himself to death.

You whistled, pushing the grocery cart into the snacks section hastily. Faint pop music was blasting through the speakers of the grocery store and the overhead lights were almost blinding to you. The sky was getting darker by the moment and you had to hurry before the store closed up.

You scanned the shelves, trying to remember if Donnie had ever told you his snack preferences. Coming up short, you shrugged and stuck an arm out and into the shelves. You moved your arm in a wide sweeping gesture and pushed the snacks into your shopping cart, figuring that you might as well get as much as you can to have lots of options.

Nodding at your full cart, you turned around. You stilled as you noticed a mother and child watching you closely. Both of them were watching you, mouths slightly agape.

“Uh…..sorry, the cheetos are out of stock.” You shrugged, pushing your cart past them and continuing your whistling from before.

You also bought a container of soup, knowing Donnie most likely skipped out on his meals.

With two tote bags and a backpack full of snacks and food, you marched your way over to the alleyway leading to the lair. With some difficulty, you lifted the manhole cover and made your way down. In no time at all, you were peeking your head into the lair to look for any signs of Donnie’s brothers.

The coast is clear, as all the lights were off and everything was quiet. You were assuming everyone was asleep….well, except for one.

Tiptoeing, you carefully headed up to the third floor and followed the only source of faint light you could see. You peeked into the doorway to Donnie’s lab.

A shadowy figure was slouched over the table, and you could hear a faint rhythmic clicking sound coming from a keyboard button. It was as if the letters to a word were being typed by one finger at a time.

Quietly, you approached Donnie and leaned down next to him to take a look at his face. Based on what you could see from the light coming from Donnie’s laptop, you were surprised to see that Donnie had taken his bandana off for once. You thought he never took the thing off. With the bandana off, you noticed that there were dark bags under his eyes. Bingo, you were right about Donnie getting enough sleep.

There was a faraway look in his eyes, which you also weren’t surprised by if he didn’t notice you standing next to him yet. You raised your hand and waved it up and down in front of his face.

“Donbon? Hellooo? You there my guy?”

Donnie slowly blinked and mechanically, turned his head in your direction.

“......Y/n?”

“Surprise bestie, I bring sustenance.” Holding up your totebags, you shook it gently for emphasis.

“....what are you doing here?”

“Well, I just said it. But also, I’m here to save you from yourself.”

Donnie rubbed his eyes. “What on earth are you talking about? I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

A growl came from Donnie’s stomach. Sheepishly, he covered his stomach and looked away, avoiding your piercing gaze in favor of looking at something on the ground.

“I will shove this chicken miso soup down your throat.”

“I was going to get something to eat five minutes from now, just so you know.”

You scoffed. “That’s bullsh*t, and you know it too Don.”

You grabbed the back of his chair and swiveled it in your direction. You leaned down to Donnie’s level, your arm next to his head. You leveled him with a stern glare.

“Take a break. You know you won’t get any more work done in this state.”

“But if I just-”

“Nu uh uh. I don’t wanna hear any of it. You're exhausted, I can tell. Eat, get some rest, and tomorrow we’re gonna have a movie marathon. I don’t wanna hear any arguments.”

“And why should I listen to you?” Donnie scowled, crossing his arms.

You sighed, lowering yourself down into a crouch and looking up at Donnie. “Because I don’t want to see my closest friend shutting himself off from the rest of the world in order to work himself to death.”

Donnie still isn’t meeting your gaze. You tilted your head, resorting to plan B. “Please? I miss spending time with my favorite mutant turtle.” Clasping your hands together, you batted your eyelashes at him. “And besides, I’ll be all lonely watching ‘Fast and Infuriated: Tokyo Jitsou’ all by my lonesome self.”

You held up the DVD copy you were able to win in a bid on ebay and waved it back and forth in his face. Donnie’s head snapped in your direction before he looked away once again, though his eyes kept sliding back to the DVD no matter how hard he tried not to look. You could see the battle he was having with himself. Will his pride prevent him from admitting that he needed a break or will your convincing finally win him over?

Donnie’s eyes slid past the DVD you were holding up and he took a peek at your hopeful face. Donnie could feel his stubborn facade starting to break down as he realized that it had been a while since the two of you had hung out. You must have missed him so much if you decided to set this all up for him…Even managing to get the very limited Lou Jitsou film he had been looking for….

Coupled with the fact that you were clearly worried for him, as shown through your concerned expression upon seeing the state he was in…and how stubborn you were when you stated that he had no choice but to agree to your sudden movie marathon.

“.......and suddenly, the turtle jumped into the human's open arms, gratitude spilling forth from his lips.” You whispered in his ear. “The turtle was thankful that he has such an awesome and caring friend.”

Donnie pushed you away from him, a huff escaping his lips. “Yes yes, you don’t have to rub it in.”

You clasped your hands behind yourself, standing back up and leaning back and forth on your heels hopefully. “....so is that a yes?”

Donnie sighed, the corner of his mouth quirking up as he shut his laptop screen down. “It is indeed.”

You let out a whoop of triumph before poking at his arm. “C’mon, let's get something other than coffee in your system.”

Donnie let out a sigh, rolling his eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted up.

“Yes honey.” He deadpanned.

Chapter 8: The Obligatory 'There's only one bed' Trope

Chapter Text

The kitchen lights were bright as you turned them on and you squinted to find the microwave. Upon finding the kitchen appliance, you hurried on over and reheated the soup in your hands.

Donnie meanwhile, trudged on over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair, sitting down and then slouching over to rest his cheek against the surface of the table. His arms hang limp at his sides, and if you hadn’t known any better, you would’ve thought he was dead.

You stopped the microwave before it could let out any beeps and took the now steaming soup out, heading over to the table to place in front of Donnie.

You poked his shoulder and watched as he shot up, looking around. His eyes landed on the soup in front of him and he let out a small hum, letting out a small murmur of thanks. You pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, watching closely to make sure he eats every single spoon of the soup.

Donnie side eyed you but said nothing as he ate.

After he was done, you picked up the bowl to set in the sink. Donnie watched you dazedly, blinking slowly.

You turned around, hands on your hips. “Where’s your room?”

“First floor.” Donnie yawned, most likely sleepy from his full stomach.

You walked over to him, nodding your head towards the direction of the atrium. “Alright, let’s get you to bed. You look like you’re a step away from falling asleep….permanently.”

Donnie rolled his eyes and you couldn’t help but let out a small smile, glad that he still has enough energy to sass back at you.

You weren’t surprised in the least that he had purple LED lights along the ceiling of his room. The room itself was simple, with a bed in the top right corner pushed against the wall and purple satin sheets. A table cluttered with papers and small gatchets was against the same wall the head of the bed was pushed against and there were posters plastered all over the walls.

Simple and somewhat sparse, but you weren’t surprised. Donnie probably spends more time in his lab than his room.

Without a second wasted, Donnie headed straight for his bed and climbed right on in. Before he could fully burrow into his blanket, Donnnie’s head snapped in your direction.

“.....wait, where are you going to sleep?”

“Uhhhh,” You scratched your head. “Huh, good point…I didn’t think about that…”

You both stared at each other for what felt like minutes. You could see the internal battle he was having with himself and you could already guess what he was thinking.

Ahhh, the ‘There’s only one bed.’ trope. A classic in your opinion, although it’s not one that you’re particularly passionate about, you still enjoy it to a degree.

But it’s not like Donnie would offer, you thought to yourself. It would seem slightly out of character for him. You’ve seen the way he avoids contact with people through the way he had swiftly maneuvered through Run of the Mill back during your first time there with him and the way that he usually touches you through his metal claws instead of his hands.

Donnie let out a small sigh before scooching over on the bed, leaving some empty space to his right.

Woah.

This is historic.

You let out a small noise of surprise and observed the way Donnie was avoiding your gaze. You didn’t need any type of explanation to explain what he was offering, and you decided to not comment on it either.

You walked on over to his bed and flopped onto it, letting out a huge yawn. Donnie let out a grunt at the slight bounce of the bed from your impact but didn’t say anything. You let out a sigh and crossed your arms behind your head, crossing your legs together as you got comfortable.

Donnie observed all of this through groggy eyes. He was wondering why you weren’t saying anything but he also knew that he couldn’t be more grateful at the way you were acting nonchalant about all of this.

Even though the lair was slightly chilly, you decided to stay on top of the blankets in order to preserve what little privacy there was left between the two of you. A sudden yawn left you and you felt your eyes watering up.

A yawn sounded from next to you. “....Don’t yawn…..or else you’ll…make me yawn.” The turtle let out another yawn.

You covered your mouth as another yawn escaped you. “Mmm…not my fault your bed is so comfy.”

Your eyelids fluttered, feeling the drag of tiredness pulling you down. You can't help but note the scent of lavender. Before you could fully knock out for the night, you murmured, “Turn off that big brain of yours once in a while yeah? I don’t wanna see you in this state again, or else you’re grounded.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Donnie pouting, his brows furrowed. “You’re not my mom.”

“No, I’m your friend.” You turned your head to look at Donnie, but he was already facing your direction, an unsure but soft look on his face as he gazed at you. You paused under his undivided attention. “....And as your friend…I refuse to see you go down this way.” You ended your statement with a smirk, turning to face the ceiling once more and closing your eyes.

Donnie thinks back to all the times his brothers have dragged him out of his lab, fretting over him. Raph was the most extreme, often babying him, asking Donnie if he needed anything or checking in on him every five minutes. Leo, meanwhile, annoys and bothers him to the point where he takes a break to stop Leo. And Mikey comes in with the food when he skips out on meals, too consumed in his work to leave the lab, though Mikey does come in with board games or cards to distract Donnie with, trying to lift his spirits.

You meanwhile, still have the same type of fretting energy as his brothers, only it was more of a strong and silent force. You were assertive about what you wanted for him and didn’t leave any room for argument without all the mushy talk. But it was nice, being given a set of instructions that Donnie could mindlessly follow.

In the time that Donnie was thinking to himself, you had already fallen asleep. He could hear your snores and see your chest rising with every breath you take. Donnie let himself watch you for a moment longer before closing his eyes, his chest warm at the thought of your worry for him and…...well…

….you.

Somehow, you woke up with your limbs tangled up in Donnie’s blanket. You had twisted in your sleep so much that your legs were completely entwined in the blankets, and your arms were spread out beside your sides.

One arm was hanging limply over the bed and the other was squished up against Donnie’s cheek, who had an annoyed expression on his face but was still resting quietly beside you. Since a majority of the blanket was wrapped around your legs, it left Donnie clinging to what little blanket he had left on his side. His knees were pulled up towards his chest and his arms curled in front of him, as if he was a baby.

Cute…so baby……

Slapping the hand hanging off of the bed against your cheek, you hyped yourself up to wake up. Enough of that, today’s Donnie’s day! Just gotta find a DVD player somewhere…

You had moved to stand up from the bed, but in the short span of time that you were talking with yourself, you seemed to have forgotten that the lower half of your body was buried beneath purple blankets.

Shoving your legs to swing over the side of the bed, your leg caught onto the blanket over the edge and without a surface for your legs to land on, you went tumbling to the floor, taking the blanket with you.

You let out a shout during your fall before suddenly face planting the floor. Groaning, you lifted your upper body up with the support of your elbows against the floor, blowing a few strands of hair away from your eyes.

Some rustling was heard above you. Looking up, you were met with Donnie’s unamused stare.

Moving to lay on your side, you rested your head against a propped up arm on the floor and shot a finger gun with the other at the turtle.

“Come here often?” You winked.

Donnie scoffed, rolling his eyes before moving away from the edge of the bed.

“I’m going to have to wash my sheets now, thank you very much.” He said from atop the bed. You heard the bed squeak before footsteps were heading in your direction. You blinked and looked up to see Donnie standing near your foot, arms crossed.

“Get off my floor.” Despite the harsh sounding sentence, you could just barely see a hint of a smile on his face. Probably from how stupid you looked.

Ah well.

You lifted one arm up and, without any words spoken between the two of you, Donnie clasped your hand in his and pulled you up.

“Let’s get this ‘Donnie Day’ started!” You pumped your arms up into the air. “What’s up first special boy-”

Donnie slapped a hand against your mouth. You watched, arms still held up, as he glared at you.

“As the appointed ‘special boy,’ I declare thee to be quiet and get to the order of breakfast- so help me pizza supreme do not lick my hand or you will know true pain.” Donnie threatened.

You pushed his hand off your mouth and scrunched up your face. “I’ve worked retail before. You don’t know true pain until you’ve had a lamp hurled at your face in a Target at 10 PM by a customer who wanted to see the manager.” You cleared your throat at Donnie, who raised a brow at your sudden rant. “...ahem, anyways, you don’t gotta grab me breakfast. I could survive off the snacks.”

“You are not eating doritos for breakfast.”

“I can and I will.” You grinned at Donnie’s absolutely done look. “It’s the gamer way. That and monster energy drinks.”

Donnie stuck his arm out and shoved at you. You sputtered at the sudden action, stumbling back and landing on top of his bed.

“Stay.” He pointed down to the ground as if he was talking to a dog. “And I’ll get the both of us breakfast.”

“This is dehumanizing.”

“Paw.” A hand was held out in your direction.

Oh.

Oh.

You’ll give him a paw alright.

Because sometimes, violence isn’t the answer, it’s the solution.

You shot up and aimed a punch at his shoulder. Donnie simply stepped to the side though and you swung at empty air. You heard snickering behind you. Slightly tripping over yourself a bit, you spun around, a curse on your lips. But it died down when you realized the bastard had already left to get breakfast.

Out of spite, you marched over to where you dumped your bags full of snacks in the corner of his room and ripped open a bag of doritos.

Donnie pursed his lips as he thought about how to arouse the least amount of suspicion from his brothers by getting two servings of breakfast. No matter every solution he could think of, his brothers are always bound to be nosy though. Especially since he never eats more than one serving of breakfast.

Donnie was so busy thinking to himself that he didn’t notice the shadow passing by him and heading towards his room.

Today it was a simple hash brown, fried sausage, and eggs kind of breakfast, with the addition of toast and ketchup or hot sauce.

Already, there was his usual serving. Two fried eggs and three fried sausages with a half slice of toast.

“Morning Dee.” Mikey hummed from around his mouthful of scrambled eggs. Raph offered the softshell a wave before going back to inhaling his breakfast. There was no sight of Leo though, which Donnie couldn’t be more thankful about. Donnie looked over to the stove, relieved to see there were still more sausages and eggs.

Heading straight to the toaster, Donnie popped in a piece of toast before grabbing a plate, piling on fried eggs and sausages as well as squirting ketchup and hot sauce onto the side.

“Uhm…?” Mikey blinked at Donnie, tilting his head. “You know your plate’s right there, right?” The orange banded turtle pointed at the lonely plate on the table across from him. Raph was still inhaling his food.

Donnie freezed before slowly turning around, a stoic expression on his face. “Your cooking smells exceptionally wonderful today, so I was hoping to get more than my usual portion.”

Mikey held a hand up to his chest, tears brimming his eyes. “Of course you may, dear brother.”

Before another word could be said, Donnie zoomed out of the kitchen, taking his plate off the table with him. Mikey blinked at his brother's fast retreat before shrugging it off.

Next to him, Raph choked on a piece of egg from eating too fast.

You were just shaking the bag of doritos to get the last of the crumbs before footsteps sounded from behind Donnie’s curtain to his room. You perked up, assuming it was the purple turtle. Seeing a shadow approaching the curtain, you were going to respond when a hand knocked on the doorway and a voice you didn’t recognize spoke up from the figure.

“Helloooo~ Don, you in there?”

You froze, eyes wide. Uh oh.

“Just heard some shouting a while ago and was just wondering if you’re okay?” The voice asked, a hint of dramatic concern lacing the sentence.

As quietly as you can, you lowered yourself to the floor and crawled towards the bed.

Your plan? Retreat to a hiding place, and the closest one to you was underneath the bed.

“Anyone in there? Hmm, I’m sure my dear brother went to get breakfast by now…but just to make sure, I’ll just have to go in…”

He for sure knows his brother isn’t in here, you thought, grimacing. You finally managed to get underneath the bed and held a hand up against your mouth, eyes laser focused on the person entering the room. This kind of reminds you of a horror movie….

Green three toed feet, just like Donnie’s but lighter in color, stepped into your view. You held your breath as you watched the pair of feet walk across the room. They stopped short upon the foot of the bed, right where your head was. Slowly, you inched deeper underneath the bed.

A moment of silence passed before the pair of feet walked again, though it was towards your abandoned doritos bag and tote bags.

“Strange…I’m sure Don doesn’t use tote bags….” A foot tapped against the floor and you could guess the exaggerated contemplative look upon the figure's face.

Swiftly, the figure once again turned towards your direction and headed to you. Your eyes widened even further. Stopping at the foot of the bed once more, you watched as they slowly lowered themselves to the floor. Their knees lowered onto the floor and their hands just about touched the ground when-

“Leo!”

You let out a small sigh of relief as the figure quickly stood back up, facing Donnie who was at the door.

“Whaat?” Leo asked, arms held out at his sides in exasperation.

“What have I told you about barging in my room, unannounced and uninvited?”

“Sheesh, calm your shell. Was just checking to make sure there’s no intruders. You never know these days, y’know?”

Donnie stiffened up before relaxing, annoyance lacing his features. “You know very well my security systems will stop any intruders before they can even get five steps into the lair dear brother.”

“Alright alright, imma head out before I could make yourself inflate your ego any further.” Leo scootched past Donnie, an all knowing grin on his face.

Donnie’s head followed his brother and with one glare aimed at the slider over his shoulder, turned back around to head further into his room.

“Oh, by the way, what’s with all that food?”

Donnie’s eye twitched and he didn’t bother to turn around to talk to Leo. “I am just hungrier than usual today.”

“Sure.” Leo waved Donnie off, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Let’s go with that excuse.” The curtain fluttered closed and Leo’s whistling faded further away the farther the slider walked away.

You peeked your head out from underneath the bed. “Woah, was that your brother?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Dude, he for sure knows.”

Donnie rubbed at the space between his eyebrows. “Did he see you?”

“I mean, no, but I don’t think he has to since I have a sneaking suspicion that he knows that someone was here anyways.” Crawling out from beneath the bed, you dusted yourself off. “Anyway, what’s today’s grub?”

“Fried eggs, sausage, and toast.” Donnie sighed, plopping down at his desk with his own breakfast. He nodded to another plate on the table in front of him.

Skipping over to where he was sitting, you ‘ooh’ed and ‘aah’ed at the selection.

“Your youngest brother is the one that cooks right?” You grabbed a fork Donnie held out to you and got a chunk of scrambled egg, dipping it onto the hot sauce and stuffing it in your mouth. Your eyes widened as you chewed on the fried egg, the fork still in your mouth.

“Yes, although me and my other two brothers do occasionally cook to let Mikey- are you crying.” Donnie watched, slightly slack-jawed, as you teared up.

“....I-It taste like warmth and sunshine…HOW DOES IT TASTE LIKE WARMTH AND SUNSHINE?” You shook Donnie’s shoulders, your plate of breakfast abandoned on the table.

“I will not hesitate to duck tape your mouth to cease your blabbering and let you starve.”

You pouted, taking your plate of breakfast back and sitting yourself on the floor, back resting against the side of his bed. Donnie nodded approvingly at your etiquette to not at least eat on his bed.

A few silent moments passed as the two of you ate breakfast. You happily wiggled your butt from where you were sitting on the floor, eating the best breakfast of your life.

“So, what does this ‘Donnie Day’ include exactly?” Donnie asked, breaking the silence.

You perked up. “Just us, vibing, with no work whatsoever because this is your day, your whole 24 hour me-time.”

“‘Me-time’?”

You nodded. “Yup, where you only focus on doing things that help you de-stress. And I’ve been forced to listen to you rant about Lou Jitsou movies too many times to know that a limited edition Lou Jitsou movie is in order, as well as other hand picked selections from…moi.” Holding a hand to your chest and with your plate in your lap, your other hand pushed back your hair dramatically.

Donnie crossed his arms. “As if you know my exquisite taste in film. What are these ‘hand picked’ selections-”

“The Lego Movie, Ready Player One, a recording of the Hadestown musical that’s probably illegal, Pacific Rim, Encanto, Baby Driver, aaand Barbie: Princess Charm School.”

Donnie tapped at his chin. “Hmm, not bad….assuming that you inserted your preferences onto the list as well.”

“Yup.” You popped your ‘p’. “You could guess which ones yours and which ones mine.”

“‘Princess Charm School’?” Donnie dryly asked, snickering. You rolled your eyes, scoffing.

“You’re just salty you’re not a princess.”

“You’re not one either.”

“There’s a princess in everyone.” You tutted. “But not with that attitude.” You wiggled a finger at Donnie.

Donnie gave you the biggest eye roll you have ever seen in your life before standing up, empty plate in hand.

“What ever did you do to pick your selections which are scarily somewhat accurate to my taste.”

“Oh you’re a theater kid for sure, no doubt about it.”

Donnie smacked the back of your head and you laughed, rubbing at the spot he smacked you and shooting a smug smile at Donnie.

He let out an amused huff. “I don’t suppose it wouldn't be surprising then at the fact that I’d used to force my brothers to watch my ‘musicals’ when I was a little turtle tot, is it.”

You let out a wheeze, smacking your knee from your place on the ground still. Donnie was standing next to you, looking down at your laughing figure with a few small chuckles of his own. His face was slightly flushed, most likely from the embarrassing information about his childhood.

“Ohoho, you are now obligated to show me your baby pictures.”

“No I am not.” Donnie bent down to pick up your empty plate next to you. You pouted.

“Ugh, lame.”

Chapter 9: Fast and Infuriated: Tokyo Jitsou

Chapter Text

You stood, fists on your hips, as you surveyed the scene in front of you. You felt like a proud bird, standing in front of their newly built nest.

After breakfast, you ordered Donnie to get as many pillows and blankets as possible, as well as the projector that he had mentioned his dad uses a lot.

“You owe me fifty dollars.” Donnie grumbled as he walked back into the room, projector at his side.

You let out a squeal, snatching the projector out of his hands, too excited to hear that you’ll be giving him fifty dollars later. “This is great. You sure it can play DVD’s??”

“Yes, I’m sure. I once saw my dad use it to play workout and fitness DVD’s.” Donnie shuddered, standing next to you and staring off into the distance. “....he even shaved for it.”

You let out a cackle, bumping your hips into his before wandering over to the blanket fort. Donnie stumbled slightly to the side, sputtering. You ignored it in favor of setting the projector down front and center of the fort.

Donnie walked over to where you were fumbling with the projector, speechless at the sight before him. You must have sneaked out of his room while he was bargaining with his dad for the projector because there were chairs supporting the fort that definitely wasn’t in his room before. Pillows were draped across the tops of the chairs and there was the lamp that was usually next to his table directly in the middle of the fort, poking up and into the blankets to make the ceiling of the fort higher.

Wait, was his lamp shorter than usual?

Looking around, he spotted some screws and long metal tubes off to the side. How the hell did you manage to deconstruct his lamp in the short time he was gone?

Deciding not to think about how fast you were, Donnie stopped in front of you and looked down. You looked up, grinning before scrambling up and standing off to the side of the blanket fort. You held your hands out to your side, encouraging him to go on in.

“After you, sir.” You bowed your head down.

Donnie had an expression on his face that you’ve only seen once or twice. His brows were scrunched up, though it wasn’t in anger or annoyance for once, it was almost as if it was in disbelief. He was gazing at the fort with a soft look, arms limp at his sides. A moment passed before Donnie made a move towards the fort.

Crouching down slightly to not hit his head on the blankets, Donnie made a move to go inside. But instead of going straight in, he stuck out his hand to grab at your forearm, which was still held up, to tug you along with him inside.

You let out a laugh, surprised that he initiated contact that doesn’t include smacking you for once. But you happily let him pull you inside, into the soft embrace of pillows.

Wow, the Lou Jitus movie is bad. Like, horrible terrible bad. It’s probably even worse than the Disney live action remakes, and those were bad bad. But Donnie seemed entranced with every second of the film, so you decided to keep quiet.

Holding out the box of Pocky’s to Donnie, you watched as he lifted his hand and took a stick out without taking his eyes off of the movie.

You both were on your stomachs facing the projector screen. You had your legs absentmindedly kicking in the air, hands busy with sticks of Pocky while Donnie had his fists curled against the sides of his jaw, supporting his head and feet resting on the floor.

Once the Lou Jitsou movie was over, you wiggled in your place excitedly as Donnie reached for the Barbie movie to put in next. You pulled the blanket more tightly around your body and got more comfortable, if that was even possible.

“...you can tell she’s a princess.” Your head bobbed along at the opening song. “She doesn’t need a crown…”

Donnie snickered next to you but remained quiet otherwise, letting you have your moment.

It was hours later, nearing dinner time, when the two of you decided to leave the lair.

“My body cannot take it any more, I need to move around.” You squeezed a pillow tightly against your chest. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie marathon but I feel super horrible eating all this junk food and sitting for hours straight.”

“I have a feeling the abundance of sugary drinks and chips we’ve consumed is contributing to our twitchiness.” Donnie’s eyelid twitches. “Can I assume that you aren’t opposed to a nice stroll?”

“Please.” You groaned, starting to stand up.

“Y’know, I gave that guy a dollar once ‘cuz I thought he was one of those street performers, y’know?” You pointed to a white bearded man wearing a yellow robe and a pointy hat a few feet ahead of you two on the street. “But he said he didn’t want my money. And so then I told him his cosplay sucked and now call him the ‘Trash Wizard’ now.”

“A riveting story, truly.”

“You right there!” A voice called out. “You shall not pass!” The wizard was now looking in your direction, a finger pointing at you accusingly.

“Take my f*cking money!” You yelled back, digging into your pocket for a dollar bill. Once finding a crumpled bill, you held it in the air along with a piece of gum wrapper, waving it back and forth.

“Never! Your corruption is what will lead to all of our downfall!” The wizard started waving his staff back and forth, trying to scare you off.

You huffed, looking over at Donnie and a finger pointing in the direction of the wizard. “See? What a douche.”

The two of you were walking through Times Square, just for the hell of it. Screens and electronic billboards were screaming at you from every direction and every possible weird character of New York was gathered onto the streets, as well as the usual tourists.

“Hmm, I must applaud the man. He sure is dedicated to the character.” Donnie rubbed at his chin, eyes narrowed. “But perhaps he will be swayed to take your dollar bill with a little bit of…force.”

Donnie started to rub his hands together next to you and you took it as a sign to stop him before he got arrested for battery. “Violence isn’t always the answer.” Slowly, you grabbed onto his battle shell and steered him away from the direction of the wizard.

“No, it is the solution.” He replied back ominously.

“...Have you ever been arrested?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

The two of you continued walking around, enjoying the fresh air and the chatter of New York city. You took a chance and glanced over at Donnie from the corner of your eye, but was surprised to find that his stare was on you already. You raised a brow and decided to turn your head fully towards his direction. Donnie seemed slightly startled at your sudden attention but didn’t stop his staring now that he was caught. Both of your steps slowed down until eventually you both were just two idiots in the middle of the sidewalk locked in a staring contest.

Your face was scrunched up in intense concentration, trying your hardest to not blink. Donnie meanwhile had on his usual deadpan face, and he even had the audacity to raise a brow at your obvious struggling. You could feel your eyes starting to dry up and the wind that flew by didn’t help either.

Finally though, after your eyes were narrowed to the point where your vision was blurry did you finally blink, breaking off the sudden staring contest.

“Ugh, damn it!” You threw your head back, groaning.

Donnie let out a laugh, brushing off invisible dust off of his hoodie on his shoulder. “You never should have challenged me, the four year winner of the annual staring contest of the lair games.”

You sighed, shoulders drooping. “Yeah yeah, I got it. Next time I’ll just squeeze some lemons into your eyes now that I know I’m up against a pro.”

“Do that and you won’t live another day to read another one of those romance books of yours.”

“That was a joke.”

“I’m aware. Mine wasn’t though, it was a threat.”

“Good to know.” You both continued your walking like before and you ignored all the weird looks you both got from the passersby. “Anyway, why were you staring at me?”

“I was under the impression that we were in a staring contest?” Donnie said, confused.

“No no, you were staring at me before the contest-”

“No I wasn’t.”

“Uh, I saw you-”

“I think you saw wrong.”

You huffed, crossing your arms but decided not to question him about it, based on the way he was looking everywhere but at you.

“Hm. Alright. Let's head back- ohhh ice-cream.” Your eyes immediately landed onto the small cart with pictures of cartoon themed popsicles plastered onto the sides. The man pushing onto the cart rang the bell a few times, trying to draw the attention of anyone nearby.

“Yes! Let us engage in the fun activity of eating delightful frozen desserts!” Donnie said, a finger pointed up in the air and the other hand used to all but shove you towards the ice-cream man, before muttering under his breath. You excitedly ran over to the ice-cream cart, startling the ice-cream man. “...Aaand good job Donnie, attention has been diverted.”

Donnie rubbed at his neck as the two of you stood just outside the alleyway leading to the lair. Both of you had gotten back before it got too late and Donnie had quickly ran inside to get your bags for you. Now that the two of you were about to part ways, Donnie was unsure how to thank you for all the things you did for him yesterday and today.

Donnie could feel your stare on him and felt himself starting to heat up.

“Alright, I’m gonna dip now. Heard there might be some bagels in the break room in the morning so I wanna get to work early-”

“Thank you.” Donnie interrupted you.

You paused, blinking at him but otherwise remaining quiet. Donnie let out a sigh, rubbing at his temple before looking into your eyes directly.

“My brothers…they see me overwork myself all the time, and don’t get me wrong, they do sometimes pull me away for breaks and such….but I’ve never..never had anyone go through the effort to plan a whole day for me….and so I just want to thank you, and let you know that I really..appreciate…” Donnie waved his hand through the air between the two of you, “....all of this.”

“Awww, is that the emotional Donnie that I’ve finally had a glimpse of? What happened to the emotionless bad boy image Don?”

“The one time where I show my gratitude-”

“I’m kidding, I'm kidding.” You quickly reassured him, hands resting on your hips. “No problemo dude. This was also kind of a day for me too…Oh! Also, forgot, I have something for you.”

Donnie watched with a raised brow as you started to dig through one of your bags.

“I saw this at the store and couldn’t help but think of you since, well, you’re kinda unhinged sometimes- but that’s not a bad thing…sometimes.” You murmured.

You finally seem to find what you were looking for and hold it up proudly towards his direction. Donnie grasped at the handle of the object and brought it towards him to take a closer look.

It was a light green mug with a cute cartoon turtle on the front. The text, ‘I’m about to lose my sh*t any minute.’ were printed underneath the turtle cartoon.

Before Donnie could say anything more, you were already skipping away, waving to Donnie over your shoulder. Donnie watched, unimpressed, as you crossed the street and just barely stopped before a car sped by. Then, after some slight cursing, you crossed the rest of the street and turned around a corner, disappearing from his view.

Donnie let out another sigh, looking down at the mug in his hands. His finger rubbed along the surface of the mug and Donnie told himself that the small smile he had on his face was because he doesn’t have to use his old chipped mug anymore for coffee in the mornings.

Chapter 10: Moms Spaghetti

Chapter Text

You squinted at your open fridge, trying to figure out if you could make something out of ketchup, expired tofu, a half empty can of canned peaches and sardines. Before you could make the most unholy meal known to mankind, you heard some shuffling from your window. Turning around, you watched as Donnie all but shoved himself through your window.

You squinted once more. “...Uh, why didn’t you-?” You paused. “Actually, nevermind.” Turning back around, you gathered every single thing you see into your arms. With your hands full, you kicked the fridge door closed and wandered over to a kitchen counter, dumping everything from your arms. “Anyhoo, what’s up?”

“Nothing much. I’m hoping for a retreat from the lair.” Donnie’s eyes twitched. You can only guess the retreat is from his brothers.

You shrugged. “Alright, well I’m not up to much so…enjoy your stay I guess.” Turning back around, you got to work.

Donnie observed your back for a moment longer before taking a look around. Your apartment wasn’t much, there was only really one main room where a mattress sat on the floor and a small coffee table at the foot of the bed, with cushions surrounding the small table on the floor. Along one side of the wall was where you were currently at, which was the kitchen consisting of only a few cupboards on the wall and a counter with a sink, the fridge next to the counter letting out a small hum. Your entryway was a short hallway and the only other door in this apartment, Donnie can only assume, leads to the bathroom.

Despite its small size, it was well lived in. Donnie could tell that you prioritized every available size there was to fill it up with personal items. Some plants were sprinkled throughout (though he could tell some of them were fake), a bean bag chair was shoved in the corner, fairy lights were hung from one corner of the room to the other, posters of your favorite movie and motivational cat posters hung on the wall and books were scattered everywhere.

“It’s messy,” Donnie thought to himself. “But it fits you.” Glancing over to where you were at, he watched as you hummed to a song that was playing on the radio next to you on the counter. Walking over to the coffee table, he settled onto a cushion on the floor and leaned his back against the foot of your bed. He pulled out his laptop to settle on the coffee table, letting himself relax against the warm and cozy space of your apartment.

It was only ten minutes later when you were finished with whatever you were doing did you finally walk over to where he was sitting to settle down from across from him. Lowering his laptop screen slightly to peer over the top of it, Donnie watched horrified as you held up what seems to be a tofu sandwich stuffed with sardines and peach slices with ketchup on the side.

“What in the- don’t eat that!” Quickly, before you could even take a bite Donnie flung his arm out and slapped the abomination out of your hands. You two watched as the sad excuse for lunch flew through the air before flopping sadly onto the floor.

SPLAT!

A few moments of silence took over the two of you before you swiftly turned towards Donnie, angry. “That was my lunch asshat! Now what am I gonna eat?”

“I refuse to let you eat-” He gestured to the mess on the floor. “Whatever that was. You’re going to get a stomach disease.”

“How’d you know the tofu was expired?”

Donnie turned to you. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Well I have nothing else in my fridge.” Quickly, you diverted the conversation. “...Plus Uber eats are expensive.” You murmured under your breath, but Donnie heard you anyway.

He observed your pouty expression for another moment before sighing, pulling out his phone. Meanwhile, you got up to clean the mess on the floor, too busy wallowing in your sadness to pay attention to what Donnie was doing.

Twenty minutes later, a knock sounded from your window and you looked up, confused. “Wha-?”

Donnie moved before you can, swiftly opening up the window and nodding to whoever was on the other side before being handed a bright red grocery bag. You just watched from your place at the coffee table, confused out of your mind.

“What is that? And who was that?” You demanded, getting up to shuffle to where Donnie was in your small kitchen. You watched as Donnie set the bag down onto the counter and started pulling ingredients out. Ground beef, tomato sauce and paste, some spices and dried herbs, a bag of parmesan and two boxes of uncooked pasta noodles. “Uhhhh.”

“I had Shelldon scour the kitchen back at the liar and had him deliver ingredients for whatever simple recipe he could come up with from what we have.” Donnie said casually. He turned to you, tilting his head. “You do like spaghetti, right?”

“I mean, yeah, but-?”

“Great. Let us get started then.”

And so before you could say another word, Donnie threw you the packet of ground beef. “Cook that on medium heat along with some oil until it starts to brown. I’ll handle the tomato sauce.”

Wide eyes, you nodded and took out your portable gas stove and a frying pan. Drizzling some oil on the pan, you turned on the gas stove and dumped the ground beef onto it. Grabbing a wooden spoon, you moved the beef around to let it cook evenly.

“Good good, like that.” Donnie praised you, which you perked up at.

Donnie meanwhile, pulled out another frying pan and looked around. You realized with embarrassment that you only had one available stove at the moment. Before you could apologize, Donnie shrugged and a mechanical claw shot out of his shell, holding a big torch lighter, which the claw held under the frying pan as Donnie started to dump the tomato sauce and paste alongside with the herbs and some water.

“Huh.” You let out but went back to work. Nothing but the songs on the radio filled the silence as the two of you worked on your tasks. Before long, you had your cooked beef, which you set aside in a bowl and pulled out a pot to boil the spaghetti noodles in. Donnie was still simmering the tomato sauce but instead of holding the pan like before, a second claw was holding it instead, which left his hands free to scroll on his phone while leaning against the counter.

You leaned your hip against the counter, crossing your arms and facing his direction. You stayed quiet, observing him for several minutes. Finally, having enough of your staring, Donnie rolled his head over to look at you, an annoyed expression on his face.

“What?”

Your expression was only blank for a moment longer before you threw yourself at Donnie, letting out a wail. He let out a yelp, positioning the hot frying pan and flame away from the two of you.

“What would I do without you?!” You cried, tightening your arms around his shoulders. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!”

Donnie was stiff as a board against you as you continued to bawl against him.

“I know that I can’t cook to save my life but for you to cook me my dinner like this using your own stuff?!” You hiccup, snuggling your face against his shoulder and feeling your nose all clogged up. “I don’t deserve you.”

Donnie grimaced at the sight before a third claw shot out from his shell holding a tissue. You gingerly unwrapped your arms from around Donnie and took it, blowing your nose into it with tears still in your eyes.

As you cleaned yourself up, Donnie could feel the heat creeping up from the back of his neck and slowly making its way onto his face. Not wanting to let you see, he quickly held up a hand to cover his snout, brows furrowing into a look of embarrassment. He could still feel the warmth from your hug, and deep down, he wished that it lasted a bit longer.

Finally wiping your snot onto the tissue and your tears onto your t-shirt, you turned to him, only to find the mutant hunched over, a hand covering his face and the other bunched up into his hoodie in front of his chest.

“Awww.” You sniffed, rubbing your eyes. “Let's hug it out one more time.”

Donnie didn’t get the chance to say anything else before you scooped him up. His face exploded into a blush once more, though luckily you were too busy snuggling your face into his arm to notice.

Well, looks like he got his wish.

Raph clutched the book in his hands, the words “The Krebs Cycle” printed across the cover of the book. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t really come up with a plan beyond ‘Go to the mystic library’ to find Donnie’s secret friend and that was made all the more apparent the way he just stood there, looking like a lost puppy in the middle of the library.

A tap on his shoulder made him whip around, startling the person behind him. Having to crane his neck down, Raph tilted his head at the sight of antlers greeting him. A reindeer yokai?

“Uh…” The person seemed to be speechless before getting a hold of themselves. “D-Do you need help sir?”

It was then that Raph noticed the name tag on the person's shirt. The person, Y/n, interrupted his thoughts once more.

“Sir?”

“Uh- y-yes! Just wanted to return…um, this book….?” Raph held the book out to you. You beamed, taking the book.

“Oh! I’ll uh, gladly take that off your hands. I work here.” You tapped on your nametag.”If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come over to mydeskinsection2Bokaybye!”

Raph didn’t even get another word in before you ran off. He scratched his head, pondering on what to do next. Now how does one go searching for someone who he does not know the name of, what they look like, and in a huge library?

Raph’s eyes widened. Wait, you work at the library, surely you could’ve seen who Donnie has been hanging out with! Frantically whipping his head back and forth looking around, Raph saw that you were nowhere in sight. Quickly, he scrambled towards section 2B in his search for you.

‘Oh my god oh my god oh my-’

You wiped a bead of sweat off your temple. What the hell was Donnies brother doing here? From what Donnie has described, none of his brothers were the type of people that go to the library, no offense to them. The sight of the very bulky and tall turtle and red bandana obviously clues you in on the mutant being Raph, the oldest. And he was here. For some reason.

You chucked the book Raph had given you into the bin full of returned books to sort through later and sped towards your desk. Alright, maybe you can just avoid him and not let him find out that you’re friends with Donnie-

You came to a stop to let out a silent frustrated groan. There, right next to your table, is Raph, waiting there patiently like a dog left out in the rain.

Plastering on a smile, you walked up to the mutant, who noticed your presence and perked up.

“Hey, Y/n right?”

Stiffly, you nodded. Raph slung an arm across your shoulder and pulled you towards him. The turtle leaned down, his other hand coming up to cup his mouth to whisper towards you, his eyes shifting back and forth for anyone listening in.

“So uh, turns out I do need ya help.”

You nodded, wide-eyed and listening.

“You don’t happen to have seen a turtle, have ya? Wears a purple bandana, goggles on his head and most likely wore a purple hoodie?”

“Uhhhh…”

“And if you did happen ta see him, I was wonderin’ if he was….with someone? Specifically, a human?”

Raph’s wide eyes were pinned onto yours and you felt sweat dripping down your back.

“A-A human?”

“So you have seen him?”

“Uh.” Well sh*t, there you go with your big mouth. “...y-yes?”

Raph pumped a fist, a smile spreading on his face. “I knew it.” And just like that, he was up in your face again. “So? Have ya seen a human hanging around Donnie? The uh, the purple turtle I mentioned?”

“Mmmmaybe?” You didn’t want to necessarily lie to the gentle giant of a turtle, even if he was terrifying right now.

“I see. I thank you for your service.” Grasping your shoulders, Raph gently pushed you away and straightened up. Before he left, Raph looked at you over his shoulders and flashed you a big smile, jabbing his thumb against his plastron. “The name’s Raphael by the way, but ya could call me Raph.”

And that was how Raph left you there, wide eyed and speechless.

Chapter 11: Tricky Little Problem

Chapter Text

“So uhhh, explain to me why we’re in the middle of a scrapyard again?”

You kicked at a deflated plastic ball near your feet and looked around. Piles of metal and broken machinery are all piled up around you, and you could even spot a magnet crane some meters away. Donnie had dragged you out of your bed at seven in the morning only to be brought here, standing in the middle of all this junk while he was hunched over something a few feet away, tinkering away on something that he was blocking the view of.

If he wanted to show you this, you were unimpressed so far.

You were contemplating throwing a suspicious looking moldy piece of a half eaten sandwich when Donnie whirled in your direction, holding something up in his hands proudly. It was some sort of gun, needing two hands to hold it and you could tell Donnie made it completely from scratch based on the purple accents. Always on brand huh?

“My dear friend, I have brought you along-”

“Unwillingly.”

“-on this bright and sunny day for an invention that I have been working on for months, using the shrinkage mechanisms of polyethylene when exposed to heat-”

You can still remember the way Donnie had slammed opened your front door, striding in and throwing his arms out at his sides like he was a 1950’s husband coming home from work to greet his wife.

“Oh honey bunch!” He exclaimed, waking you up from your sleep by aggressively shaking you back and forth on your bed.

You idly stood by, listening to Donnie rant a bit more. Hmmm, you could go for a breakfast bagel by now…

“....and so, let me demonstrate on this rubber tire.” Donnie grinned, a manic glint in his eye and positioning the gun against his shoulder.

What?

“What?”

You let out a screech as suddenly, the rubber tire that was only five feet away from you was blasted with a glowing green ray coming from Donnie’s gun. You whipped your head at him, scrambling away from the tire.

“You made a shrink gun??” You exclaimed, a slowly forming grin spreading over your face.

“I call it the-”

“Forget whatever name you call it, it’s called the shrinky dink now.” Slowly walking over to where the rubber tire once was, you crouched down to look down at the doll size wheel on the ground. “Woahhh.”

“...I’m sorry, the shrinky what now?” Donnie shook his head and hefted the gun up on his shoulders. “Sigh. For a shrink gun, one would’ve expected it to not be quite so heavy.” He muttered to himself.

“How ironic.” You skipped over to where he was standing, making sure to steer clear of the shrink rays pointed direction. “Blast that thing on the car.” You jumped up and down, stars in your eyes.

Donnie tutted, shaking his head. “This ray is meant only to be used in the case..of….missions.” He grounded out the last few words, trying to avoid the puppy dog look you were giving him.

“Then why did you show me it?”

He didn’t have a response to that and inwardly, you squealed at the thought of Donnie wanting to show off to you. It was cute…and made something inside of you feel warm.

Without speaking, Donnie adjusted the gun to point in the direction of the car you pointed at earlier. You let out a cheer, watching with rapt attention.

Another green ray shot out from the gun and hit the car. As a result, with only seconds going by, the car was shrinking down until it was the size of your hand. You ran over to the small car, grabbing it into your hands and trying to take a peek into the inside.

“Would the car still work?” You asked.

Footsteps reached to where you were crouched on the floor and you looked up at Donnie, seeing a smile on his face.

“Of course, though I would imagine it would be difficult to operate given our size.” With one hand holding onto the gun, Donnie gestured at both of your bodies with a small chuckle.

A thought popped into your head and you squinted up at Donnie, the sun getting into your eyes. “Can that shrink people too then??”

Donnie opened his mouth but the words died on his mouth as his brows furrowed, thinking your question over.

You smirked, standing up. “You didn’t think of that, did you?”

He rolled his eyes. “I was just…simply distracted.”

“Mhm.” You grinned and held your hand up. Donnie looked at you with a questioning look.

“What?”

“My turn.”

“Oh heavens no, I am not letting you-”

Aaaand there you go with the puppy dog eyes again. Donnie’s eye twitched. There’s no winning for him today huh?

With a reluctant grumble, he nodded at your hand. “Both hands.”

You couldn’t contain your smile, bringing both your hands up to get ready to take the gun. Shuffling closer, Donnie gently transferred the shrink ray over to your hands. Immediately, your arms dropped a little from the sheer weight and you let out a small noise of surprise.

Within the blink of an eye, Donnie was hovering over your shoulder, his hands finding purchase at where your hands were.

“No no, you’re holding it wrong. Like this…”

Gently, Donnie grasped your figures and moved them into the correct positions. Your skin tingles where your skin touches his.

“And this part rests on your shoulder…”

With one hand to support the weight of the shrink ray in your hands, Donnie nudged the part of the gun that was supposed to rest on your shoulder.

“Alright.” Donnie mumbled, right next to your ear. “This is the button you would want to press. Over here is the adjustable switch that lets you control the size an item will be shrunk down to, but don’t fuss over that.” You could feel goosebumps rise over your skin at the close proximity of his voice next to your ear. “I’m going to let go now.”

You nodded, unable to speak. Slowly, Donnie lifted his hand away from yours and stepped back. You grunted at the weight of the gun being held in your arms once more but let yourself get used to it.

Letting out a breath, you surveyed your surroundings. Not too far, you spotted a broken fridge, the hinges just barely holding onto the door of the fridge. Slightly adjusting your position, you aimed the gun at the fridge. Without a thought going through your head, you were pressing down on the gun before you knew it.

You can feel the thrum of the powerful weapon underneath your palms and couldn’t help but grin. Oh hell yeah.

You had shot at about ten more items and cackled at their small size. Too busy having fun, you failed to notice Donnie at your side observing you with a smile, eyes fond and smile full of amusem*nt.

Soon though, you felt your arms start to ache, at which point you handed the shrink ray back to Donnie.

“Geez.” You mumbled, rubbing at your sore shoulder. You didn’t realize that Donnie was that strong to carry something heavy like that, though you suppose that you forget sometimes he’s also a vigilante. But he sure doesn’t look strong at first glance.

Both of you had found a clean spot on the floor and settled down. You sat, criss-cross, across from Donnie, observing the toolbox at his side and the small metal parts scattered between the two of you on the ground. You didn’t necessarily understand why Donnie had brought you along to this little excursion other than to show off, but you guess this is a nice little break from your apartment. You needed the fresh air anyway, even if it was against your will.

Donnie was back to tickering with the gun in his hands and your eyes unconsciously slid down to his exposed arms. He forgo his usual purple hoodie that you were used to and showed up in one of his shells he made. Which was still a weird sight to you and even got you thinking if it was considered indecency if he can wear clothes but also not wear clothes.

But you weren’t complaining, closely observing the way his broad shoulders stretched and the way his muscles in his arms bulged as he adjusted his grip on the heavy gun.

Coughing a little, you stood up. Donnie looked up at you curiously but you expertly avoided his gaze.

“Just gonna look around a little bit.” You explained, throwing an easy grin over your shoulder as you started walking away.

Donnie shrugged in response, going back to working on the gun in his hands.

You let out a breath and turned back around. Just like you observed when you first got here, old machinery and junk lay in heaps around the place. You wonder briefly if this place was private property, because why else would all this junk be here?

Spotting something colorful out of the corner of your eye, you walked over to the object wedged between a broken washing machine and a metal beam. Upon closer inspection, you let out a noise of surprise and attempted to pull the object out. Finally, after some pulling, you looked at the object now in your hands.

The comic in your hands was slightly crumpled and the front cover was smudged with dirt but taking a quick peek inside, you found that the comic was in pretty good condition.

“The Adventures of Jupiter Jim: The Space Raceway!” You smiled, excited. Oh, Donnie is gonna be thrilled.

This is a great way to bribe Donnie.

Clutching the comic to your chest, you quietly snuck up behind Donnie. Upon getting closer, you saw that the tip of the gun was pointed directly at his chest, inspecting something on top of the gun, unaware of your presence.

You grinned and threw your hands out at your sides, the comic in one hand.

“Guess what I found!” You yelled, excited.

“AGH!”

Apparently that was the wrong move, as your yell startled Donnie so much that the next thing you knew, the familiar green ray from the shrink gun was blasting onto him. You stepped back.

“Uh oh.”

You watched as Donnie started to shrink in size until he was only slightly bigger than a mouse you see in the subways.

The shrink ray was now on the ground in front of Donnie, easily five times bigger than his size now as he stood there, silent. His back was still to you and you waited for him to speak up first. Eventually you couldn’t take it anymore and dropped down to your knees in front of him.

“I am..so sorry.” Your shoulders hunched up.

Slowly, Donnie turned around, having to crane his neck up to look you in your eyes even in your hunched over position. The twitch in his eye clues you in that you are not forgiven yet.

But oh my god, he is so-

“Tiny.” You said in awe. “Oh my god, you’re adorable!!” Squealing, you scooped up the small turtle in your hands and held him up to your eye level. “I guess the shrink ray does work on people hehe…”

“Are you serious right now?!” Donnie yelled, waving his arms around. “How in the hell am I-”

You quickly tuned him out, turning him around in your hands. You could only guess he’s about, what, like, four inches tall?

“-now why did you sneak up on me like that?” Donnie finished his angry rant with a huff, his arms crossed. You scratched at your head, sheepish as you held him in one hand. Donnie wobbled slightly at the moment and decided to sit on your palm instead, the pissed off look still resting on his face.

“Ahm, just wanted to show you this…” Slowly, you bent over, keeping in mind Donnie sitting in your hand as you picked up the comic you dropped in your haste to hold tiny Donnie.

Upon glancing at the item in your other hand, his eyes widened and his crossed arms dropped, jaw dropping as well.

“T-That’s…” His jaw moved, words failing him for a moment. “The limited edition 1996 Jupiter Jim Space Race comic.”

You held in your laugh at the sound of his voice. It was pitched up, sounding like a little kid.

“...Surprise?” You chuckled nervously. “Am I forgiven if I give this to you?”

Donnie’s eyes narrowed, gaze sliding back to you. You withered under his sharp glare.

“....and I’ll pay for lunch for the next two weeks.” You grumbled.

“Three.”

You pouted but relented. “Okay.”

You didn’t know if your bank account could handle being abused for that long, but for the sake of Donnie, you’ll do it for him.

“Hey!”

You whipped around at the sound of the voice, hiding Donnie behind you instinctively. You were greeted with the sight of a purple…mantis man? His jagged teeth were in a sneer and his large spikey arms were crossed across his chest. You couldn’t help but think that his slicked back graying hair looked kinda cool.

“What the hell are you doin’ in my salvage yard? This is private property!”

You plastered on your best charming smile. “O-Oh really? I was not made aware of the fact that we were trespassing.” You emphasized the last word, hoping that Donnie knew that you were specifically talking to him.

“We?” The mantis mutant raised a brow. It was then that the mutant noticed the gun on the ground in front of you. Eyes narrowing, the mantis cracked his neck, rolling it from side to side. “Oh, I see. Here to mess with me and my business huh? Well, Repo ain't going down without a fight!”

You grinned nervously. “This…this is all a big misunderstanding, I swear I’m not-”

“Run you idiot!” Donnie shouted from your hand. You brought Donnie out from behind you, grip tight on him, preparing to take his advice.

The mutant, Repo he called himself, let out a growl, eyes widening and a claw pointing in your direction at the sight of Donnie. “You!”

You looked down at Donnie. “You know this guy??”

“Well, I would say that we’re more like acquaintances-”

“He tried to scam me into giving my whole enterprise to him!” Repo yelled accusingly. “And stole my car! And let out my cat!”

You weren't even going to ask about the cat.

“It is called a moon buggy!” Donnie corrected him with a glare, a vein on his temple popping from the sheer amount of audacity that Repo had to call the moon buggy a simple car. “And I’ll have you know, we rightfully took what was ours.” He seethed.

Before they both could yell another word at each other, you pulled Donnie close to your chest along with the comic, snatched up the gun with your free hand, and started sprinting away. Problem was, you had no idea where the entrance the two of you came in, so instead, you just took off in a random direction.

Donnie let out a noise similar to that of a screech at the bumpy ride that he is undoubtedly experiencing from your desperate running. In response, you squeezed Donnie a bit tighter against your chest.

“Come back here!” Repo yelled from behind you, chasing you through the scrapyard.

“sh*t sh*t sh*t-” You couldn’t help but repeat under your breath. Up ahead, your path was blocked by a big metal construction beam, with the only opening near the ground, which is nearly impossible with all the items you were holding.

Keyword, nearly.

On the other side of the metal, you could vaguely make out a dirty mattress off to one side. You let out a breath, pressing Donnie as well as the comic closer to your chest. Your arm was starting to ache from the weight of the gun in your other hand but told yourself to suck it up if you don’t want to get arrested.

“Okay Don, I’m gonna throw you-”

“You’re gonna what-!?”

Snatching up the comic between your teeth-

Oh god don’t think about the germs don’t think about the germs-

You raised your hand, raising it back to prepare for the throw.

“I WILL NOT HESITATE TO STRANGLE YOU-!”

“YOUR HANDS CAN’T EVEN WRAP AROUND MY THROAT RIGHT NOW!”

And with that, and adrenaline pumping through your blood, you channeled all the strength you could and you flung your hand, throwing Donnie through the air like you were one of those baseball pitchers.

You vaguely heard Donnie screaming for his life but you were too distracted sliding against the dirt and sand underneath you under the metal beam. If you had a moment, you would’ve patted yourself on the back for how badass you probably looked but alas, life was unfair.

Snatching up a disorientated looking Donnie off the mattress, you heard a frustrated yell from behind you and grinned.

Luckily, you were able to soon find a small opening in the chain fence and squeeze through, all the while Donnie looked like he was gonna throw up.

You ran away from that scrapyard faster than that one time you were caught shoplifting a bag of bagels from your local grocery store.

Man, you really want that breakfast bagel now.

Chapter 12: Another Close Call

Chapter Text

You gagged, taking out the dirty comic out from between your teeth.

“I need mouthwash.”

Donnie didn’t respond to you and curiously, you turned around. You both were back in the lair and you had managed to sneak to Donnie’s lab without getting caught. Though there was a close call with his brother, Mikey, who you nearly ran into, but thankfully the youngest turtle didn’t notice you, too busy humming a song and pulling off one of the most impressive dance moves you have ever seen in the hallway.

Looking to where you had set him on his table, back towards you, you just barely noticed that he still looked sick. Feeling guilty, you made sure to let your footsteps be heard as you walked over and sat at the table. Hesitantly, you reached a finger out and let it touch his back hesitantly.

“I’m sorry that I threw you.” You mumbled, rubbing his back gently. “Just…didn’t wanna hurt you.”

Donnie turned his head over his shoulder and was just about to spit out a snarky comment about the contradictory in your statement, but snapped his mouth shut.

There you were, hunched over the table and looking like you just committed the biggest crime known to mankind. You weren’t even pulling the puppy dog eyes anymore and instead, avoided his gaze and staring pointedly at your lap.

It was obvious how bad you felt and Donnie couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at the despair radiating off of you. You rarely ever looked this way and he didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

He sighed, looking away from you and off to the side. He let a few seconds pass before turning to the side a little bit, patting his hand against the tip of your finger.

“I know.”

And that one statement had you looking up. Noticing the understanding look in his eyes, you let your body relax a little but didn’t move from your position.

“What could I do?” You asked quietly. “To get you back to normal?”

And that’s how Donnie instructed you through the steps of reverse engineering the shrink ray to reverse the effects of your mishap back at the scrapyard. Hours passed by but you were able to construct a shady looking device that, once turned on, was going to be used on the tiny Donnie.

“I’m gonna miss this.” You hesitantly joked. Donnie noticed the wary look in your eyes, as if you were scared that he hasn’t actually forgiven you already. “I’ve always wanted a pet turtle.”

Donnie rolled his eyes, letting out a huff. “I assure you, I would not make for a good house pet.”

You let out a hum. “You’re right, think I’d rather have a cool mutant turtle friend instead.” You grinned.

Donnie shook his head, amused. He was glad to see you were back. “Charming. Though I would like to add ‘genius’ to that description.”

Your lips quirked up, and grinned that stupid, crooked, adorable-

Donnie cleared his throat, loudly, at which you immediately noticed. In a heartbeat, you cupped him in your arms and held out in front of your face, observing him closely. The grin on your face had slipped into a worried frown.

“You alright?”

“F-Fine.” He let out another cough. “Now, can we please get myself back to my normal size?”

You groaned, cracking your back while walking out of the public storage building.

“Sup Johnny.” You greeted the guy behind the front counter, a video of a cute panda playing on his phone. He nodded his head at you in acknowledgement before going back to his video.

‘Johns the man.’ You nodded to yourself. You were worried that someone would report you eventually if you decided to leave work this way but thankfully, New York being New York, no one didn’t bat an eye.

Walking out onto the street, your stomach grumbled. You let out a sigh and stepped off to the side of the sidewalk to not block the way, and brainstormed for a moment. You didn’t feel like eating any Thai, which was your usual go-to. Maybe pasta? No, not that….

You snapped your finger, getting an idea. That pizza place Donnie showed you! It’s not that far from here and you wanted to try some of the other options the last time you were there. Nodding, you quickly made your way to what you think is the right alleyway.

“Hey Hueso!” You wrapped an arm around the skeleton man, who was oblivious to your incoming side hug.

You smiled at the side of his head and could make out the small twitch of his eye.

“Great. There’s another one of you.”

“Don’t know what you mean.” With that, you plucked the menu out of his hands and sat yourself down at a small little table in the corner.

You hummed to yourself as you browsed the menu. You scratched at your head, right where your antler headband was slightly digging into your scalp. Which reminds you, it probably wouldn’t hurt to wash it by now…

So lost in your thoughts, you were completely oblivious to the newest customer stepping into the restaurant.

Right before you called over Hueso, you heard a loud gasp near the entrance. Startled, you looked over.

A turtle yokai/ Mutant? Was standing next to Hueso, stars in his eyes and arms bunched up in front of his chest in surprise, and a dropped jaw that slowly shifted into one of the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen was what greeted you back.

Oh no. Please don’t let this be one of Donnie’s brothers-

“Donnie’s friend! You’re the deer yokai!” He screeched, his voice high in barely contained excitement.

Well.

Time to dip.

You shot out of your chair, the menu still in your hand. Silently apologizing to the nice looking turtle, you started to run towards the mutant. You flung the menu into the turtles brightly grinning face and zoomed your way past him and to the exit.

Some sputtering was heard behind you as the turtle, presumably, was fumbling with the menu flung in his face.

“Hey wait!” He yelled desperately.

“Sorry little guy!” You yelled over your shoulder, leaping through the blue portal that opened up for you.

“No! I won’t hurt you!” Mikey yelled, starting to run after you, the menu in his hand. He jumped through the portal, widely whipping his head back and forth in the alleyway. But somehow, you were nowhere in sight. Mikey ran to the sidewalk, looking around some more to see if he could still spot you, but the streets were dead empty.

Gripping his head in his hands, Mikey let out a whine.

“So close….” He whimpered, crushed.

Footsteps walked towards him from behind his back, and in a fit of blind hope, whipped around thinking that you had somehow had a change of heart.

What greeted him back was a displeased Hueso.

“I’ll be taking that back.”

Hueso plucked the menu that Mikey was still gripping onto with a huff. Mikey watched as the skeleton yokai stepped back into his restaurant through the portal without another word.

Well, even if you escaped from his grasp, Mikey now has solid evidence on what you looked like and can easily keep watch for you at Run of the Mill from now on. Putting a closed fist over an open palm, he nodded determinedly.

He’s got this. And that $200 will be well spent on that new mixer he saw in the store last week.

Mikey skipped into the atrium the next day, chipper as always, but for some reason today, even more so.

Leo raised a brow from his position on his skateboard. “What’s with all that sunshine ‘Angelo?”

Raph looked over at Mikey, curious as well from standing next to Leo showing off his latest skateboard trick. April, who was chilling on a beanbag with her phone, looked up in interest over her glasses, a brow raised.

Mikey stopped in front of the three, hands resting proudly on his hips. “Guess who got to see what Donnie’s secret friend looked like.” He made sure to drag out the last word to emphasize his smugness over his leg up over his brothers.

Raph gawked. “What? How’d you see them already? I’ve been lookin’ all over the mystic library for days!”

Mikey’s head tilted, confused. “Huh? But I saw the deer yokai at Huesos.”

“Deer yokai?!” Raph exclaimed. “They're a human!”

“Then why would a human be in mystic library? Obviously it’d be a yokai Donnie is hanging out with.” Mikey tutted, crossing his arms and glaring at his oldest brother.

“No no no-”

Leo watched as the two started to argue, along with April. The slider let out a curious hum, holding a hand to his chin in thought. See, Leo prided himself on his genius, and looking at the situation, figures that chasing after Donnie’s secret friend seems to be too much of a hassle. It seems his two brothers are getting the wrong all kinds of confusion and will only further confuse themselves more.

And now plug in Leo’s big brain once again.

Instead of pursuing Donnie’s secret friend, he’ll just let the secret friend come to him, specifically when they will inevitably come over to the lair again in secret. And then, only then will he not let them slip away again, unlike last time.

Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.

Leo couldn’t help his smug grin and walked off to his room, whistling. Maybe he could even set up a few camera’s, separate from Donnie’s own of course. Oh yes, perfect perfect.

April watched the three with a roll of her eyes. Whoever Donnie’s secret friend is, she thought, she can only pray for them.

“God?” you thought to yourself, “...what did I ever do to you?” You said out loud.

You were leaning against a wall of a random building, panting after you had practically sprinted about three blocks in a random direction away from, you could only guess, Mikey.

Man, you really need to work out more.

Taking deep breaths, you straightened up. Well, looks like you ‘met’ all three of Donnie’s brothers, though you don’t know if the one with Leo counts. Either way, mission ‘Avoid Donnie’s Brothers' seems to be going astray and you have a feeling it’s going to get worse

Chapter 13: Oh Doctor, I'm Sick

Chapter Text

You sat patiently at your desk, holding up in one hand a small pastel pink dress meant for dogs, with a fluffy tutu and a big reddish heart across the torso while the other hand held up a hot pink sequined sleeveless shirt to go along with some cute blue shorts.

“What do you think Gary?” You asked your little hushbat. “Which one do you prefer?”

The bat blinks his eyes lazily at you, not a single care in the world. You waited for a moment longer, before finally, Gary’s left ear twitched a little. You nodded, putting down the dress.

“I love the blue with the pink too.”

Picking up Gary, you dressed him up in the clothes you recently bought as if he was a doll. Gary didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, was almost like putty in your hands. He even seems a little pleased that he’s getting so much special treatment from you. He also doesn’t seem to mind the somewhat feminine clothes, though you suppose as a hushbat, there really aren't a lot of gender roles in his little world.

Satisfied, you scratched at his head, which he melts into. You cooed at him for a few minutes, giving him all the attention he wants like a spoiled little brat.

Little booger, mooching off of your money and affections.

A tiny squeak caught your attention. Turning around from the bookshelf, your eyes zeroed in one Gary, who had apparently sneezed. Coming closer, you worriedly held up a hand towards the hushbat.

“Are you sick?” You asked, scooping up the shivering husbat into your arms. “Oh you poor thing.”

Gary let out a small whine, snuggling into your arms and against your chest. You stroked his ear gently, thinking if you’ve ever read anything about taking care of magical sick bats. He seemed to be sneezing quite a bit and you can tell through his warbled squawking that he was badly congested.

Well, based on the symptoms you're seeing, Gary could just be experiencing the common cold. But then, would human medicine be safe for him to digest? Or is there some sort of yokai medicine shop you could go to? But then again, where the hell would that be?

Hmm. What to do, what to do…

Well, if you know one thing, is that if you don’t know what to do, call Donnie because he always knows what to do.

Cradling Gary in one hand, you pulled out your phone from your back pocket and clicked on Donnie’s contact. His profile was set as a picture of him when he was shrunk and it was taken in the middle of him taking a huge bite out of a donut.

Donnie’s deadpan voice greeted you. “Yes honey bunch?”

For such an endearing name to call you, his tone sure suggests otherwise. But it’s Donnie in this case, so you don’t worry too much. He started calling you that from time to time after he had first used that name on you ironically.

You snickered. “Oh sweetie.” You said in a sing-song voice. “I am in dire need of your assistance.”

“Is that the only worth my presence brings?”

“Hey, you said it, not me.” You hummed. “My dear little hushbat seems to have fallen ill and I have neither a clue or hint as to where a yokai pharmacy would be. Would you perhaps know of one?” You asked in a British accent.

You heard a chuckle on the other side of the phone call. “Mayhaps. What are his symptoms?”

You let out a breath, dropping the accent. “Oh thank god, Gary looks so miserable.”

A small squeak at your comment grabbed your attention for a minute, at which you chuckled at the almost indigent face Gary was giving you.

“Sorry sorry. You look great.”

With a satisfied look, Gary snuggled back down into your arm. “Lots of sniffling and sneezing. Definitely congested and he’s shivering. Most likely a cold.”

“Seems so.” Donnie hummed on the other side of the phone, trusting your judgement. “I’ll be there in approximately ten minutes, wait there.”

“Yes sir.”

“...Why do I have a feeling you are saluting?”

“Your instincts are sharp as always sir.”

Without even saying bye, Donnie hung up. You snickered.

You looked around curiously, eyes taking in every single thing that you could see. Donnie had arrived shortly and then proceeded to shove you through a random door in the library. Without so much as a yelp escaping your mouth, you stumbled onto the rocky, slightly uneven ground, the sights of the strange buildings and flying creatures grabbing your attention immediately. It kind of reminded you of New York actually, but as if you were looking through a weird, demented, clown mirror.

Donnie let you gape at the sight before you for a little longer, an almost fond look on his face at your speechlessness.

“Welcome,” Like most things when showing something, Donnie held his hands out, almost like a showman. “...to the Hidden City!”

Passing through the mass of creatures, mutants, and yokai’s didn’t bother you in the slightest, used to the kind of bustle above ground in the city. But all the same, this wasn’t just boring looking humans, the creatures around you were all kinds of different shapes, colors, and deadly looking appenages. Seems like yokai’s most resembled animals or mythical creatures.

The air was charged, as if a fight was about to happen. You can only guess it was because of the overwhelming source of mystic magic. Looking up, you can see the ceiling of the city. Buildings in the far distance were so high they even reached to the ceiling. Strange, you thought to yourself, that they were here all along, and we had no idea.

You passed by shop after shop, stall after stall, and alleyways and streets before making it to your destination. Donnie had to pull you away from a stall selling some cool looking rocks.

From outside, it looked like a normal human pharmacy, with its bright fluorescent lights and off white tile floors. But upon walking in and closer inspection, you could see that the products on the shelves were completely different to the ones you were familiar with. There were knock-offs of Advil, like ‘Adevil’ or Tylenol called ‘Tylenole’. The people could’ve been more creative with the names, you thought, amused.

There was one section dedicated to herbal medicine and remedies, which you found interesting. Bottled plant leaves and jars of strange looking goo filled the shelves. It looked completely out of place, like you were walking into a completely different store.

“I’m gonna head over there.” You said absently to Donnie, who had his eyebrows furrowed in contemplation between the two bottles of medicine he held in his hands.

“Huh? Oh yeah, sure sure.” Donnie waved you off as if you were some kid that had approached him at the park.

Readjusting your grip on Gary, who you didn’t want to leave behind at the library, you sauntered over to the section of the pharmacy that had caught your eye. The tiles on the floor changed to a warm brown color and somehow, the bright lights weren’t as harsh in this area. You stopped though, eyes widening, when you noticed the air was filled with little golden sparkles, like fireflies.

“Pretty…” You murmured to yourself and tried to touch one. It shimmered away.

Walking around, you let yourself observe the various things on the shelves. You had even picked a jar up with liquid inside and a single floating eyeball. It blinked back at you, and you slowly put it back on the shelf. Quickly moving on, you ventured further into the quiet area.

Just as you were reading the label for a bottle of sleeping tablets, wondering if it's safe for mutant turtles, you felt someone bump against the back of your shoulder, startling you enough to drop the bottle you were holding and almost dropping Gary as well with your other hand.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” A smooth voice said from behind you.

Turning around, you were faced with some sort of….reptile yokai? You weren’t sure, but judging by the scales along their thighs peeking out from underneath a dress, you can only assume. Long brunette hair cascaded down their back and a sly smile was sent your way, filled with sharp canines.

“Oh, it’s alright.” You beamed, having to slightly crane your neck up to meet their eyes.

Before you can even pick up the bottle on the ground, the reptile yokai bent down and picked it up for you. Holding it out to you politely, you took the bottle back.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.” She said sweetly, and tilted her head, curiosity shining in her eyes. “A…hushbat?” Though her eyes were still looking into yours.

“Oh yeah. My little guy, he’s sick. It’s a first for me, so I’m not sure what medicine he can take.”

“Poor thing.” She pouted, raising a hand to gently pet Gary on the head. Her clawed hand brushed against the side of your arm as she did so. You shivered a little.

“What’s your name?” She asked, continuing to pet Gary after you didn’t seem to object. The little hushbat seems to enjoy the attention. The yokai shifted just a bit closer to you, almost crowding you against the shelf behind you.

“Should I be giving that out so easily?” You said, chuckling nervously. “No offense to you, but I don’t exactly feel buddy buddy with you yet.”

“Yet, huh?” Was her reply, batting her eyelashes at you. You vaguely noticed that the sclera of her eye was yellow, like Donnie’s.

She leaned in closer, if that was even possible. Her chest pressed up against you now and you looked away to the side, uncomfortable at the way that her chest was directly in front of your eyesight. You held Gary away so he wasn’t trapped between you two. “I haven’t seen you around here before, can you blame me for being curious-?”

“Keep your filthy mitts off of them!” Seemingly out of nowhere, Donnie shoved himself between the two of you, hands held ramrod straight out from his sides in a defensive stance. Donnie shot the yokai a glare.

“Oh nice, you got the medicine?”

“Yes, and here's the receipt.” Donnie shoved the items into your free hand, not taking his eyes away from the supposed threat that he’s defending you from.

The bottle he gave you had a cute picture of a cartoon hushbat on the front. Aw, now that’s adorable.

The reptile yokai’s face twisted into a grimace, arms now crossed in annoyance.

“Hmph, I thought I sensed another person’s mystic energy around them.”

“Huh-?”

“Alright!” Donnie yelped, backing up slowly, and as a result, pushing you back as well. “Then we can both come to a formal conclusion to leave the situation as it be.”

You couldn’t see the expression that Donnie was undoubtedly shooting at the yokai, but it was enough for the other yokai to raise her hands, her eyes rolling.

Without another word, Donnie turned around and planted his hand on your shoulders, pushing you out of the store with haste while still staring at the yokai over his shoulder. You were, for the most part, speechless but let Donnie manhandle you without a word.

Though the moment you reached out through the doors, a sudden alarm blared out from within the store.

You both looked at each other, confused.

“Wha-?” You cut yourself off, now noticing the bottle of sleeping tablets in your hands. “Oh.” Cue your nervous laughter. “Oops?”

Donnie’s eyes widened, mouth open to come up with a retort, before sudden shouting rang out from the front entrance of the store.

“Hey!” A scary looking shark yokai, the store owner you presumed, shouted at you two, steam practically huffing out from the sides of his head. “Get back here, you thief!”

“I guess he wouldn’t believe me if it was an honest mistake, huh?” You grinned sheepishly. Donnie pinched the space between his drawn on eyebrows.

“Based on my observations, it is a resolute no.”

Quickly, Donnie’s arms were latched around your waist. Already knowing what was gonna happen, you clutched tighter onto Gary, the paid medicine, and the borrowed sleeping pills.

The store owner's angry yelling got more and more distant as Donnie carried you three away on his jetpack, his plastron warm where it pressed against your back.

“...And remember, make Gary drink the medicine, measured at ten milliliters, three times a day after his meals.” Donnie instructed you. You both had settled at your usual spots at the library after the little outing. Luckily, Agatha barely noticed that your presence was missing, too caught up in a new romance book that you had recommended to her earlier that week.

“How the hell do I measure ten milliliters??”

“The cup.” He deadpanned, ripping open the medicine packaging and producing the said small plastic cup that came with it. He settled it on the table between the two of you.

“Oh.”

“Do humans not have a small measuring cup for liquid medications?”

“Uhhh, I dunno.” You scratched your cheek. “Never seen one like that at least. I only got tablets. Whenever I get sick I just take whatever medicine I have all at once.”

“You what?”

Chapter 14: The One and Only

Chapter Text

‘101 Ways to Defrost an Ice Giant.’

Hm, no.

‘DIY Magic Wands for Beginners.’

Nope, not that.

April hummed underneath her breath. The crystal ball had said it was past Corridor C to get to the right area, but so far, she was having some trouble finding a book on crystals.

A noise pulled her confused attention away from a book titled ‘A Beginners Guide to Roasting Turtles.’ She looked to her left.

Doing a double take, April's wide eyes took in the form of another human a couple of feet away from her. They didn’t pay her no mind, leaning against a bookshelf with their back turned towards her, deeply absorbed into a book in their hands. What really caught her attention though, was the pair of antlers they were wearing atop their head.

Raph’s and Mikey’s argument a few days earlier surfaced in her head.

Oh.

OH.

She cannot pass this up.

As quickly as she can, as if the stranger with the antlers will disappear, April strode up to the human. It seems like they have no idea that she is right behind them.

Tapping their shoulder, April watched as they turned around, eyes peeling off of their book and traveled up towards her face. All at once, they froze.

“Hi!” April smiled, hoping it looked friendly. “Are you a human?” She was straightforward as always.

The stranger stumbled over their words, letting out a nervous laugh. “W-What? Pfftt, of…of course not…Can’t you tell?” They gestured up to their ‘antlers’ on the top of their head.

April raised a brow, unamused. “You serious?”

The stranger's shoulders sagged, letting out a sigh while doing so. “Figures I wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long.”

April let out a snicker. “I’m April.”

“Y/n.” You let a crooked grin take over your face, shaking the hand that April held out. “So, what brings a human around these parts?”

“Just trying to find myself a good book about cleansing crystals.” April held her hands up, wiggling her fingers for emphasis. “Y’know, to create good energy and all that jazz…I think”

“Oh, you’re not far from that section.” You noted. You nodded your head, gesturing for her to follow you. “C’mon, I know where it is.”

April walked up to your side, following along to your footsteps. A moment of silence barely passed before April spoke up.

“Sooo, I've rarely seen humans around here. You mind if I ask?”

You scratched the back of your head, sheepish and kind of embarrassed. “Well, I kinda ended up here by accident. You know the public library? I got swallowed up by a book there and kinda got a job here all in the same night.”

“Huh.” April wondered out loud. “That geology book really should be more hidden.”

“It’s not like anyone would even pick it up in the first place.” You snorted.

April laughed with you. “Yeah, you're right.” Again, her eyes slid back up to the pair of antlers you were wearing. “So what’s up with the antlers? You in disguise or something?”

“Yeah, it’s my fursona.” You paused in your talking at her silence. “I’m kidding.”

“Whew.” April wiped off nonexistent sweat off her brow, a grin growing on her face.

You snickered and answered her question. “Nah, I just don’t like the attention I get from the yokai’s around here. Somehow, this thing can trick every single person here that I’m a reindeer yokai.” You shake your head, still in disbelief at the notion.

“Hmm…interesting.” April said aloud, the grin on her face turning mischievous. “So my hunch was correct.”

“What was that?”

“Oh nothing.” April waved you off. “Anyways, I feel you. Humans aren’t very common around here. It’s a shame though, cause the Hidden City is pretty cool. But hey! At least I have a human buddy down here.” April nudged your arm with your elbow. You grinned.

“Right at you.” You stopped in front of a section of books, holding your hands out in a grand gesture towards the shelves of books. “Your stop, ma’am.” You winked. “And if you need me, you could probably find me at my desk.” You told her where your desk was in the library.

“Thanks!” April grinned at you gratefully. “Y’know, you seem pretty cool. Wanna exchange digits?”

“Sure.” You smiled.

Although April doesn’t visit the library as often as Donnie, you still look forward to the days that she does. She’s spunky and seems quite stubborn and determined when she wants to be. You two text each other quite often during the day, which you come to appreciate as some days in the library can be quite boring.

You also found out, with utter delight, that you two seem to have a fond enjoyment of internet memes and 3 AM humor. You’ve laughed countless times at the stuff April has sent you. Sometimes it’s the most cursed thing you’ve ever seen or the most dumb thing you’ve ever seen and it’s great.

You’ve also found out that she’s aiming to be a journalist, which you made sure you expressed how cool that sounded.

“Maybe you’ll uncover a secret underground drug ring, or expose a corrupt businessman!” You exclaimed, excited at the thought.

April pointed a finger in your face, a fierce look of determination in her eyes. “Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!”

Today was one of those days where she stopped by the library. The only difference today, though, was that she brought along some stuff for you.

“Okay,” She said, dumping a bunch of stuff onto your desk. You could make out some items, like crystals and some herbs tied up in a bundle, as well as two small plates. “I think I figured this stuff out.”

“Wha-”

“Get ready, to have your hair smelling like sage.”

And so, you watched with mild interest, as April ordered you to pick a crystal and cleanse it by burning the bundle of sage and waving it around your crystal on the plate. Well, it was better than sitting at your desk, consumed by boredom. And April looks pretty happy to be doing this with someone.

After a minute or so, just when you were gonna ask her how long this usually takes, a flutter from above caught your attention. Looking up, you watched with a growing smile as a familiar bat made its way down towards you. The sound seemed to have caught the attention of April as well, as she looked up from her crystal, though she didn’t stop her cleansing like you did.

You smiled, in mild amusem*nt, as April's jaw dropped at the sight of Gary landing on your shoulder, nuzzling his snout against your cheek and letting out a chirp.

“Y-You..is that the hush bats that…wha….”

“This is Gary.” You introduced, setting down the sage bundle and bringing Gary into your hands, holding him out to April. “Gary, this is April.”

The bat let out a noise of acknowledgement at April but did nothing else, instead settling into your cupped hands and closing his eyes.

April's wide eyes blinked in your direction, looking back and forth between you and Gary. “Can I pet him?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty chill.”

April raised a hand slowly, letting one of her fingers rub against the top of Gary’s head.

“Woaaahhh.” Is all she says. “I’ve only ever heard stories of hush bats snatching people up.”

“You’ve never got sent to the kiddie room?”

“Nah, though I know some friends who did. They were trying to get me a book because my pet was…” At this, she trailed off. You tilted your head.

“.....Was?”

April suddenly stood up and seemed like she was almost about to slam her palms against the table before remembering where she was. Letting out a cough, she sat back down and instead leaned across the table, palms on the desk, to look you in the eye.

You slowly pulled Gary away from her.

“Oh my god. I have a pet, his name’s Mayhem, and we should totally set up a playdate for them!”

“Hmm, I don’t know…Gary’s kinda a bat so uhh-”

“Oh Mayhem’s a yokai also.” April waved off your worries.

“He is?”

“Yeah, kinda in the shape of a dog but he has tusks.”

“Huh…..rad.”

Me:

guess who got a new friendddd

DonBon:

You? I’m surprised.

Me:

mhm! so now i have 3 people in my contacts! you, my new friend, and repo!

DonBon:

Wait wait, you’re friends with Repo now?

Me:

oh yeah, i made him some cat treats for his cat as an apology. we’re pretty gud buddies now

Donnie chuckled. Of course you’d befriend the guy that kicked you both out of that scrapyard.

DonBon:

Uh huh. So anyway, who is this new friend?

Me:

oh she’s great. she’s so funny and adorable!! she’s intense sometimes but honestly, i think im used to it now ;)

she’s been visiting the library and we hang out when im bored at work. her fav color is yellow, she just has the cutest hair buns, and-

Donnie frowned. He’s supposed to be the one to distract you from work.

Me:

-but yeah, im heading over to her place this weekend. so excited!!

Donnie’s frown deepened even further. You just met this girl, and are already going to her house to hang out? He supposes that’s what normal people do…but still. You’re awfully excited. Are you like this when you come over to the lair?

….Are you like this because of all the times you came over to the lair, you had to hide from his brothers?

Donnie felt a hint of jealousy creep up his spine. No no, you’re allowed to have other friends instead of him. You’re allowed to spend time with other people. It’s healthy for you.

But the explanations he told himself weren’t as effective as he thought.

As the days passed and the weekend was getting closer, Donnie felt himself growing restless. His thoughts kept spiraling from whatever he was focusing on. Instead of the twelve by twelve inch of testing metal that he’s supposed to solder on a project, he found his thoughts wandering.

Were you going to start hanging out more with this new friend? If so, what about him? What about the weekly hangouts at the library? Will he have to stop going so you can hang out with your new ‘cool’ friend?

Donnie growled to himself, throwing the gloves he was wearing off to the side and standing up abruptly from his chair.

Maybe he can read a comic book to take his mind off.

Grabbing a pair of clean rubber gloves to put on, he went over to a locker containing his precious comics. Taking one out at random, he settled at his chair and looked over the cover.

‘Jupiter Jim Space Race!’ In the corner, the words ‘Limited Edition!’ stared back at him.

Oh. It was the one you got for him back at the scrapyard.

He let out a sigh, slumping back into the chair.

“Oh my god this was a great idea April.” You held a hand up to your mouth and in the other, your phone which you were currently using to take a million pictures of what could possibly be the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. April was next to you, doing the exact same thing as you were.

The little playdate that you two decided to have at April's apartment had somehow turned into some sort of pet yokai fashion show. The latest piece? A light pink strawberry dress for Mayhem and a white and light blue knitted vest with patterned hearts all over along for Gary. The former is currently unamused with the impromptu fashion show while the latter was very much enjoying the brand new clothes that will be added to his ever growing wardrobe.

April squealed. “It fits perfectly! Look at him in his little dress.” She cooed at Mayhem. “I never even thought about buying clothes for him!”

“My little guy here loves clothes. Kinda makes him stand out against the other hushbats so I figured might as well buy a little piece for your little guy also.”

“I NEED to send these to my friends, they’re gonna love it.”

“And tell them it’s from me, your way cooler friend.” You smirked, leaning back against the couch from where you were sitting on the ground, arms draped against the seat cushions.

“Oh, totally.”

For the rest of the day, you and Gary hung out with April and Mayhem, who were a delight together. April talked to you about her latest article that she put out while you talked about your recent reads, both of you holding a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate to occasionally sip at. Gary, who had finally seemed to stop being lazy for once, played around with Mayhem, the bat flying around up in the air and Mayhem jumping through portals to try and catch him in the air. Occasionally, you two would take pictures of them in the middle of playing, the opportunity too cute to pass up.

The both of you had migrated from the floor to April's couch, settling in to watch a movie on her small box TV. Hearing a buzz from the coffee table, April picked up her phone to see the notification.

“Oh! My friends loved the picture! Look, they’re all gushing over these little two.” April held up her phone to show you her group chat.

You leaned in closer to get a better look.

RadSkillz:

woaahhh, look at these distinguished gentlemen! lookin sharp! the bat thing is a guy tho, right?

lilRed:

They’re adorable, but wait, since when did you get a pet bat april?

CookingitUp:

awww, their outfits compliment their eyes <333

GenuisBuilt:

….Where did you get that bat?

“Huh, guess that last guy doesn’t think so.” You scratched your head, head tilting. “Also, are your friends yokai’s? They don’t seem bothered by Mayhem and Gary….well except that last guy.”

“Oh, they’re mutants.” April said with a smirk, for some reason, going back to her phone to type out a reply. “By the way, did you buy these outfits at a pet store?”

“Yeah! They had this sale going on…”

After you had gone home and April had cleaned up the mess you two had created, she went back to her phone to check on her personal chat box with Donnie, which had a text from the turtle that she didn’t bother to check until now.

Othello von Ryan:

I’m serious April, where did that hushbat come from.

It was more of a demand than a question and she couldn’t help but let out a snort.

thatBeitch

Wouldn't you like to know huh? also, Gary was sooooo adorable

Donnie was so close to completely crushing his phone in his grasp, his tight knuckled grip not letting up. His eyes were glued to the screen, a feeling of exasperation and disbelief building up in his brain. How the hell did April meet you? And now you both are hanging out?

Though to be honest, he would rather you meet April first before letting you meet the rest of his siblings. But not this way.

But he can feel the jealousy and worry from before melting away. He should’ve known. Hair buns and favorite color is yellow? Who else could that be except April? He can’t help but let out a sigh, a hand coming up to rub at his face tiredly.

This cannot be happening.

What were you doing to him?

Chapter 15: The Look™

Chapter Text

“EY, ey you.” You turned around, looking for the source of the voice. A figure leaning up against the side of the building was the only person in sight, though they were hard to make out due to the shadow of the alleyway.

It was nearing midnight now and you had just gotten off the clock. You were hoping you weren’t running into trouble.

“It’s you, ain’t it?” The figure asked, swiveling their head in your direction.

“Uhhhhh.” Looking around once more, you saw that it was only you two. “I mean, yeah I’m-I’m me. Can’t be anyone else, right?”

The figure nodded, bending down to pick up something from the floor next to their side that you can’t make out.

“Good good, I already got the money you sent me, so here’s the thing.” The figure held up a clear plastic box to you. The lid was a bright green and the container was filled with sand. Through the clear plastic, you can see small tunnels dug out underneath the sand.

“What-”

“Hurry up!” The figure grunted, shaking the container at you. You reached out and took the plastic box into your arms warily. “Or else I’ll be caught!”

“Caught-?!”

Tired with your blundering, the figure decided to run off, leaving you behind. You watched their retreating back, plastic container clutched in your hands. Now that you're touching it, it feels more like a sturdy plexiglass material.

You looked down in your hands. What even is this? Holding the container up to your eye level to peer at closely, you squinted. You can make out small dots of movement within the tunnels of sand.

Huh, weird.

Shrugging, you continued your walking from before. Maybe you can figure out what this thing is in your apartment, where there was better lighting.

“Come onnnn.” April groaned, spinning around in his chair. “Just let them know already! Letting Y/n know me first is so much better than one of the other three knowing them first!”

“I will, in due time.” Donnie held up a finger at April’s pleading expression. “And when I say that, I mean next week.”

April threw her hands up with a cheer, spinning in rapid circles in the chair. “Yes! Finally! So what’s the plan?”

He clapped his hands together, pulling them up to rest against his lips in deep thought. “This would have to be perfect. I would say, since we are meeting up, the first step of action is to schedule and decide upon a meeting location that is easily accessible to all of us.” He started pacing back and forth, brows furrowed. “They’re usually free at noon, I know that. You and me will most likely have to wait for roughly ten minutes or so, as Y/n tends to run late, so let me say to meet at 11:50-”

“‘Ayo,” April read aloud as she typed out her text. “You should meet up with me and Donnie for lunch tomorrow. Yes, we will explain when we meet.’” Both of her thumbs moved across the screen of her phone rapidly. “Aaaand send.”

He whipped around to face his sister, hands held out at his sides in disbelief. “Did you just-!?”

April waved him off. “You’re gonna overthink this. Just chill and go with the flow.”

He inhaled through his nose, eye twitching. “April, nothing and I mean nothing cannot go wrong with this meeting.”

“Yeah yeah, whatevs….such a worry-wart.” He heard April mumble under her breath.

Meanwhile, the spoonful of ice-cream that you were about to shove in your mouth stopped halfway through its journey, suspended in the air. Your other hand was clutching your phone, your wide eyes glued onto the texts on the screen.

“Huh!?”

You slapped a palm against your forehead, spoonful of ice-cream dropping onto your blanket. Of course her four mutant friends were the turtle brothers. You should’ve expected that. You always thought it was strangely coincidental that every time April showed up was only when Donnie wasn’t with you.

Alright, lunch huh? With your (only) two friends, which actually sounds nice. Nothing can go wrong, right?

“Hey!” April turned at the sound of your voice and jumped as a clear box was set down in front of the table she and Donnie were sitting at. “Sorry, I had to bring my uh, my ants.”

“Why do you have an ant farm?” Donnie asked in disbelief, brows raised.

You waved him off, settling yourself down. “Long story short, this guy in an alleyway kinda gave it to me for some reason. I think he thought I was someone else.”

The three of you were in some outside food area. Multiple metal tables with chairs and umbrellas were spread out on the plaza. Food trucks lined the streets, and it was one of your favorite places to go to during lunch.

“That doesn't feel like a long story.” April snickered. You shoved at her playfully.

Donnie shook his head. “Back on topic. Y/n, this is April. My sister-”

“And why didn’t you tell me this earlier?!” Your expression changed to one of fury. Standing back up swiftly, which had knocked your chair back a bit, you pointed a finger in his face across the table. “I could’ve totally hung out with her way earlier!”

“Right?” April spoke up, nodding along to what you were saying. “Mr. Einstein here was holding it off when I was begging to him.”

You crossed your arms. “You know, I don’t push him about it because I want to respect his boundaries. But at the same time, you know how much I want to meet the people that Donnie has spent his whole life with? You all sound so fun and…I don’t know, this is the most fun I’ve had in a while…” You looked down, sitting yourself back down on the chair with a sigh.

Donnie watched you with a guilty expression on his face the whole time, his eyes not leaving your figure.

He’s never really thought about that before….that you might actually be looking forward to meeting his siblings and father. He just thought that the idea of his crazy family might have scared you off, so he’s been holding off on introductions. But you seem to fit in naturally with him and April, so….

His eyes slid back to your downhearted expression pointing in his direction. April was shaking her head from side to side slowly next to you, arms crossed.

Donnie sighed. “I’m...I'm sorry Y/n. Truly. I never considered your feelings in the matter. If....If you give me some time, I will be ready to introduce you to them. I swear by it.”

Your downturned lips slowly lifted up into a smile. “Really? Promise?”

He nodded, smiling softly. “Yes, I promise.” Clearing his throat at April's pointed look, he looked away at a nearby food truck. “Anyhoo, how does sustenance sound right about now? I am absolutely starved!”

You petted the clear box of sand on the table. “I’ll get whatever one of you two are getting, super spicy if there’s that option. Gotta stay here and protect my ants.”

“We,” April pointed at you, getting up from her seat. “Are gonna talk about the ants when we get back, okay?”

You nodded, shooting her two thumbs up.

As the two walked away, you turned back to your ants. You petted the clear box once more.

“There there.”

The two were silent as they walked up to the burrito food truck and got in line. April whistled, rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands stuck in her pockets. Donnie flicked down his goggles, zooming in on the small texts on the chalkboard menu.

“Whatever you want to say, I suggest you say it now.” Donnie said, not once looking in Aprils direction as he read over the menu.

“I don’t know what you mean.” April said innocently. “Just noticed the look you had on your face.”

“What look?”

“The look.”

Gritting his teeth, he slowly turned to April next to his side. His sister had the biggest sh*t eating grin he had ever seen. Trying to appear as straight-faced as he can, which looked goofy paired with his goggles on, he responded. “Based on the look on your face, I will do myself a favor and not ask what that is supposed to mean.”

“I think you know what I mean.”

“I do not.”

“Mhm.” April hummed with attitude. “Coming from the self-proclaimed genius.”

Donnie had nothing to say to that, flicking his goggles back up in annoyance. There was an extremely spicy burrito option on the menu called ‘Dragon’s Breath.’ It seems like something you’d like.

April’s poking and prodding at the conversation before the one they were currently in continued throughout the whole time they were in line. It was only when they arrived at the counter when she finally stopped.

“Welcome to Javier’s Jalapeno Burritos, what can I get you.” The deadpan worker asked them, looking miserable within an inch of his life.

“I’d like the Godzilla Goliath jalapeno burrito for me, extra sour cream please. Oh, and throw in some corn salad, coleslaw, and guacamole.” April said, leaning an arm against the metal counter.

“One jalapeno-less burrito and a ‘Dragon’s Breath’ as well.” Donnie ordered. The waiter blinked at him, before pointing up slowly at the sign mounted up on the truck.

“All of our burritos have jalapenos in them sir. It’s in the name.”

Donnie’s brows furrow and he grimaces. “I see. Well, replace my first order with the least spicy jalapeno you have.”

“Alright, that’s one Goliath and Tam jalapeno burrito, and a ‘Dragon’s Breath’ with a corn salad, guacamole, and coleslaw.” The worker paused. “Oh uh, there’s a waiver you have to sign if you wanna eat ‘Dragon’s Breath’.”

Donnie rolled his eyes, snatching the pen up that was offered out to him and signing the form for you. April watched on the side, worried and slightly concerned.

“Uhhh, shouldn’t we ask Y/n first-”

“April, I have seen them devour ghost pepper chips without a second thought and smack their lips before telling me that they were bland. I have no doubt that this will be nothing for them.” Donnie said, deadpan.

Your stomach was growling loudly as the two finally made their way back to the table, food in their hands. Oh man, you were starving.

“Man, I’m starving.” You said, basically salivating as they set the food down on the table.

“You look like you’re starving.” April chuckled, sitting back down.

Your hands hovered over all the food. “Which one’s mine?”

Donnie pointed down at one burrito, which looked like it had escaped the pits of hell before ending up at your table. You pulled it over to your side and lifted the hellspawn up, before taking a huge bite.

“Mmmm.” You nodded, chewing. “That hits.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Donnie chastised you, digging into his own burrito with a plastic fork and knife and never once touching it with his own hands.

April looked on in horror as you ate your lunch. “Is that even spicy to you?”

You took a spoonful of guac to add to the tip of your burrito, shrugging. “I’ve had spicier.”

“Don’t question it.” Donnie mumbled, stuffing the spoonful of burrito insides he had scooped up into his mouth. He chewed for only a second before choking, rushing to get one of the bottles of water they had bought at the truck.

You and April watched as Donnie knocked a fist against his plastron, eyes bulging out of his sockets as he tried to chew through his bite as fast as possible to swallow it down. With a gulp, he then proceeded to chug down the bottle of water held in his other hand.

“What did he order?” You whispered to April, eyes not leaving Donnie as he all but bent over the table, head down and hands clutched onto the edge, and dry heaved. His burrito was left abandoned.

“Something with tam in it or something? I don’t know, but tam jalapenos are supposed to be even less spicy than the average jalapeno.” She replied.

“But he can’t eat spicy food that well…”

“Yeahhh, it’s my fault. I wanted to try the food truck.”

Donnie didn’t listen to a word the two of you said, too busy fighting for his life as he dry heaved some more.

Chapter 16: Late Night McDonalds

Chapter Text

“So…the ants.” April started after you all finished your food.

You nodded, pushing the ant farm out to the middle of the table for the other two to see. “They’re my ants. I would name every single one but there’s too many of them, so they’re all named Brad.”

“These are…” Donnie squinted at the ant farm, a hand held up to his chin as he hunched over the table. “....Are these fire ants?”

You perked up. “They are? Ooooh, I heard they can make themselves into a boat if they’re in water.”

“Yes, an admirable trait if ever there is any sort of flood in their colony.”

“Wait wait, hold up. Don’t they bite?” April asked worriedly, looking between the two of you.

You shrugged. “They don’t seem too bad. Definitely better than my roommate a few years back, they’re quiet.” You waved your hand around as Donnie’s shell extended a claw out, which was gripping onto a magnifying glass. He leaned in even closer to observe your ants. “Anyways, the guy in the alleyway told me to hurry up and take the ants or else he’ll be caught or something, so I had no choice but to take them. He was very convincing, with his black clothes and business talk, saying that I apparently paid him already-”

“-That sounds like a drug deal.” April said, deadpan.

“-And ever since then, I’ve been taking care of all the Brads.” You patted the top of the ant farm.

“Interesting, your colony seems to have a queen fire ant.” Donnie mumbled, writing something down on a notepad in his hand that had appeared out of nowhere. “What have you been feeding them?”

“Uhh, I googled that. I’ve been going to the park to grab some caterpillars and small insects for them. But I do give them some fruit from time to time. They like grapes.”

“Hmm, omnivorous.” Donnie thought out loud, jotting down your answers. “Fascinating.”

“Anyways, enough of that.” You leaned your cheek against your palm, elbow against the table. “Donnie said earlier that you’re his sister? He’s mentioned that before and I assumed it was another turtle mutant.”

“Pfftt.” April laughed at the idea. “Nah, I’m as human as they get. Met these idiots when I was a wee little kid and kinda stuck with them since.” She wrapped an arm around Donnie’s shoulder. “They’re basically family to me-”

“-And you to us as well.” Donnie interrupted, still snout deep in his notes.

“And so, we’re siblings.” She shrugged, grinning.

You sighed, smiling fondly. “Y’know, I didn’t expect this but at the same time, I’m not surprised.”

“Why so?” Donnie asked, finally looking up.

You squinted at them. “Don’t know. Just a feeling. But April, if you grew up with them, how the hell did you go through the years and have your sanity still intact?”

April leaned away from Donnie, shaking her head as she folded her hands together and resting them on the table. “If I’m being real? I honestly don’t f*cking know. One single piece of advice I gotta give you? Do not interrupt whatever they’re doing if you have a feeling they’re up to no good. Especially this guy over here.” She said, nudging her head towards Donnie.

He rolled his eyes in response to his sister. “Please, every single thing I bring to the table are the greatest inventions known to mankind, of which I am still trying to get patents on by the way.” He added at the end. You snickered.

April huffed, crossing her arms. “Oh yeah? What about that one time that you made that ‘All-in-One-Hat’ back when we were kids?”

“Woahhh, what’s that?” You leaned across the table slightly, intrigued and smiling giddily at the fact that you can now ask April for embarrassing childhood stories of Donnie. “What happened?”

“We were like, what? Ten at the time?” April asked Donnie, who was glaring daggers at his sister. She didn’t wait for him to respond before turning back to you. “And Donnie made this wacky looking hat, most held together by duct tape.”

You snickered along with her. Donnie, meanwhile, had the most sour look on his face but didn’t bother to try and interrupt April.

“So not exactly a style statement, but he said the hat, and I quote, ‘is capable of deploying everything from propellers to an umbrella to a giant mallet at just the right time. And before you say anything, we have more uses for a giant mallet than one might think.’”

Donnie crossed his arms. “My genius was too much for your minds to understand back then.”

“And when he was testing it for us to see, this supposed mallet swung up and out of the hat.”

“Uh oh.”

“And swung down, smacking Donnie right in the face!” April laughed, slapping a hand onto the table as she wheezed. “And the damn thing hit so hard he was swept right off his feet and onto the floor. Let me tell you, he laid there for a solid five minutes.”

You laughed along with April, imagining the scenario in your head. Donnie rolled his eyes, leaning back against the chair slightly red-faced.

“Yes yes, let’s make fun of my ten year old self. It isn’t as though the greatest minds didn't come from trial and error.” He huffed out.

You pat his shoulder, giggling a little more. “Which is why you’re so smart now.”

Donnie turned his snout up. “I’m glad someone recognizes my genius.”

“As if you don’t show it off enough already.” April rolled her eyes.

“Changing topics,” Donnie coughed. “Are you aware that the sale of queen ants is extremely illegal?”

Your eyes bulged out of your sockets at the news. “Huh?’

Donnie nodded. “And to make matters worse, the ants you have are not native to America, which can potentially be invasive.”

You gripped your head, concerned. “Really? Oh god, but I don’t wanna give up my Brads.”

“Uhhh, or get arrested maybe?” April piped up, a brow raised in disbelief.

You nodded. “Right, yeah. That too.”

Donnie clicked away on his wrist band. “Yes, well. As an upstanding and law abiding citizen, you can either turn in the fire ants or turn yourself in.”

You pouted, pulling the ant farm back to you. “But who will take care of the Brads?”

April nodded along with your statement. “Yeah. You really wanna take them away from Y/n like that Don?”

He groaned. “What part of my sentence did you not understand? They are fire ants. Is that not already concerning enough?”

You two glared at him. Donnie’s eye twitched before he threw his hands up in defeat.

“Alright, fine! Keep your fire ants, but for your information, you are held accountable for any destruction to the surrounding environments.”

You cheered to yourself, a fist held up. “Yes.”

You three stayed there a little longer during your lunch break, with April telling you even more embarrassing stories of Donnie when he was a young turtle. Strangely enough, he didn’t try to stop April and glanced at you from time to time to gauge your reactions. You laughed at every single one of them.

Eventually, you had to get back to work and bid the two good-bye, ant farm squeezed under one arm and the other waving at the two walking away in the opposite direction.

“See? Wasn’t so bad, was it?” April said smugly as they walked away. “I was-”

Donnie rolled his eyes, letting out a defeated sigh. “Yes yes, you were right. As always, because you are-”

“The only one with a brain cell in this family.” April finished for him helpfully, grinning. Donnie grumbled underneath his breath.

Oh boy, Raph really wasn't letting up.

For the past few weeks, ever since the big turtle met you, he has been stalking the library in search of ‘Donnie’s secret friend’ as he had called it.

Honestly, you were starting to feel a little bad. He looked so defeated every time he walked out of the library after a full day of scouting. Every time though, you’d pat him on the back and encourage him to keep going, which always seemed to somewhat brighten him up.

“You’ll get them someday, I know it.”

Raph nodded, straightening up. “Yeah, I’ll catch them off guard someday!”

You would only nod at his sentence, waving at him as he exited the library through one of the many doors.

Sigh. Poor Raph. He has no idea.

Me:

he buggin he must not know that im thuggin

DonBon:

What are you talking about

Me:

*grips your liver aggressively*

DonBon:

Is there a reason you’re bombarding me with questionable roleplay or do you simply just want to bother me.

Me:

sir, this is a burger kings

DonBon:

…

Me:

...

wanna get some mcdonalds

DonBon:

Sigh

….Fine

You took a big bite of the burger held between your hands, chewing with a delightful hum and an approving shake of your head. Donnie watched you, rolling his eyes at the sauce on the edges of your mouth.

You both were sitting on the rooftop of some abandoned building near the edge of the city, right next to the lapping shores of the water. Soft sounds from further in the city sounded distantly in the area, but no other noise occupied the space, with the exception of you two.

He watched closely as you swung your legs over the edge as you appreciated the high view. Old warehouses and abandoned construction equipment littered the ground and no other person was around these parts. Thankfully though, some sprinkle of street lights lit up the area somewhat, so you two weren’t in complete darkness.

Donnie had flown the both of you onto the rooftop, where you settled down on the edge with the McDonald's take-out bag sitting between the two of you. Donnie had insisted that you could fall over the edge and that he might not catch you in time if you decided to turn into a pancake on the ground by falling off over the edge.

“You’ll always catch me.” You said back, tilting your head confusingly and speaking as if it was a fact and that there were no other outcomes that could possibly happen. Donnie had shut his mouth closed at that and at your unwavering confidence in him. He swallowed thickly at the memory that only happened ten minutes ago and remembered how quickly he had let you win the argument.

So now, you both were enjoying some fast food at God knows what in the middle of the night, both your legs swinging in the air and occasionally bumping into each other's feet. He wasn’t worried about the sleep he isn’t getting, he was already awake when your sudden text came through.

Coming back to the moment though, he watched as you made no move to wipe away the sauce at your mouth. He tutted and without another thought, reached a hand out and swiped away the sauce with his thumb.

You hummed, mumbling a “Thank you” with a mouthful of food. Donnie chuckled softly, wiping his thumb on a napkin.

“Slow down, lest you want to choke and die.”

“Death by McDonalds. What a way to go.” You laughed before suddenly choking, covering your mouth as you started to cough.

He rolled his eyes once more, taking a sip of his soda. You waved your hand at it, silently demanding him to let you have a drink.

He raised a brow. “And why should I, when you explicitly said that you didn’t want one when we ordered at the counter.”

You gave him a glare, though the sight was somewhat less effective with the tears at the corner of your eyes. He let out an exasperated sigh, digging a hand into the paper bag to look for the additional straw.

After a few moments, his brows furrowed as he didn’t feel anything in the bag that felt like a straw. Putting the drink down next to him, he leaned over to look into the bag.

…Well, looks like the employees only gave him one straw.

“They only gave us one str-”

“That’s fine.” You interrupted him, knocking a fist against your chest while your other hand reached for the soda. Before he could say another word, you were already sipping at the drink, trying to wash down the food lodged in your throat.

Donnie watched, his face slowly heating up, as you continued to sip at the drink. Using the straw that he just had his lips wrapped around a few seconds ago. That you were now using. With your lips.

His eyes didn’t stray away from the sight for even a second. It was only until you let out a satisfied sound, pulling away from the soda, that he snapped his face to look away.

It was silent for a few moments. He can feel you staring at the side of his head and can feel himself starting to sweat. Did you notice his stare? What if you thought he was being a creep? And why were you leaning closer?

A sudden loud burp to the left of his head startled him, the fry that he was holding falling down from the side of the building. He whipped his head around, watching as you laughed.

“Sorry sorry, I just had to.”

“Did you really?” He grumbled, glad that in the dim lighting you didn’t seem to see his flushed face.

You shrugged, giving him a goofy smile. “Mayhaps not.”

He snorted at your words. You smiled once more at him before picking up some fries to shove in your mouth.

“I’m kinda curious.” You hummed.

He started to unwrap his burger, nodding his head. “About?”

“Do you ever take your bandana off?” You asked him, leaning slightly to take a look at his face. Your eyes squinted, as if you were trying to imagine him without his purple mask.

He huffed. “Of course I do. Did you assume that I keep it on me at all times?”

You didn’t say anything to that, whistling while looking away. He shook his head.

“Well, I mean I never saw you without it.” You argued. “Hey, that brings up another question. Can I try your goggles?”

“Why on Earth do you want to wear it?”

“‘Donnie vision’” You said, wiggling your fingertips. “Seeing the world through a genius’ eyes.”

He smirked at that. “Well, I’m not one to argue with sound logic. Let us eat first, I don’t want your greasy fingers smearing the lens of my goggles.”

You both munched away at your meal, enjoying the peaceful ambiance. He was appalled when he found out you liked soggy fries and gladly gave his soggy fries over to you for you to devour. You let out a noise of delight each time and happily ate it. He shuddered, thinking of the mushy and wet texture.

Upon telling you that, you argued back without any hesitation, as always. You seem to love to argue with him, huh?

He felt himself shiver a little and distantly, he heard the paper bag crinkle as it was suddenly grabbed by you to put somewhere else. Winter was approaching soon and he cursed himself about how he didn’t think to bring a jacket. Out of nowhere though, a warm gentle weight was thrown over his shoulders and a sudden warmth enveloped his left side.

He turned his head, seeing your body scooch on over to him before it was basically flushed against his own. Your whole entire right side was touching his left. Turning his head even more, he noticed that your jacket was thrown over him, with you slightly underneath it as well.

You didn’t say anything, continuing to eat as if it was no big deal. Though he did notice the nervous look in your eye. He decided to not speak up either, letting the warmth of your jacket and your body heat warm him up, both outside and inside.

The nervous look in your eyes seemed to go away once you noticed that he wasn’t objecting to your proximity, and you both continued to eat with soft conversation.

He was wiping away at his hands with a wet wipe after giving you one of your own to use when he felt a stare burning into him. He closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

“Patience, honey.” He grumbled sarcastically.

“Donbon, my sweet, hurry it up then, will you.” You practically demanded.

Throwing the wet wipe into the paper bag turned trash bag, he turned his body slightly towards you. Though it was slightly hard, as you both were still basically squished next to each other.

“Do not touch anything.” He started, laying out the rules. You nodded, listening to every word he said. “My goggles aren’t particularly lethal like my battle shell, but I would prefer it if you didn’t touch anything. You will simply just wear them and I can adjust as needed, if you wish.”

“Okay.” You said, completely agreeing to his rules. He was almost struck by how easy you agreed but nonetheless, appreciated it.

He lifted a hand up, the jacket sliding off slightly at his gesture, and took off the goggles resting atop his head. Gently, he lifted it with both hands to rest it over your face, right above your eyes. You closed your eyes shut. He fumbled a little, making sure it was snug against the side of your head. His hand brushed against your hair and distantly, he noted that it was very soft. You didn’t move, letting him do all the work.

“Woahhh.” You opened your eyes once he was done, looking around. “Is this night vision?”

“Yes.” He said proudly. “It can also detect heat signatures, identify people, and several other features that can assist me in almost every situation.”

“Can I zoom in?”

He hummed, reaching a hand out to turn the sides of one of the lenses. You let out a laugh, swinging your feet harder over the edge.

“These are like those spy gears I only see in movies!”

“Yes yes, preach to me about my amazing tech.” He couldn’t help but say.

“Your goggles are amazing.”

He felt his chest puff up in pride. Wait until he shows you his latest projects.

“You’re amazing.”

That sentence stopped him shortly, his hands falling down to his sides. You turned your head towards him, the goggles still resting on your face, and gave him a bright smile.

The image of you, wearing his goggles and looking at him so softly with that amazed look in your eye, not even at his goggle anymore but at him-

He thinks the image will be forever burned in his mind.

Chapter 17: Science-y and Stuff

Chapter Text

A week.

A week has passed and he’s still thinking about what he now dubs the ‘Spittle Swap’ incident.

He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes as he lay in bed one night, the memory showing itself behind his eyelids.

Your look of relief as you drank from the straw that he had just drank from. He remembers the way his brain had blanked out for a moment at the sight, slowly processing the scene in front of him.

And he remembers the way you put the cup of soda down, looking so nonchalant despite the fact that you two just had an indirect kiss.

Groan.

He dragged his hands down his face as he rolled around in his bed, kicking his blankets around as he was trying, and failing, not to focus on the fact that you both shared an indirect kiss. Curse those McDonald’s employees, he grumbled to himself.

Why was he getting so flustered from this? He should be disgusted, sharing spit like this is what leads to germs and diseases, it’s completely unsanitary!

Instead, he just feels embarrassed. And he isn’t sure why.

At least that’s what he’s telling himself.

You whistled quietly to yourself, flipping a page as your eyes read over the dark ink printed on the paper. A sound from nearby pulled your attention away from your book and you looked up. Perched upon your table was Gary, who chirped at you once your attention was onto him. You set the book down and went to pet his head with a finger. He enjoyed the contact for a moment before shaking off your hand.

“What’s up?” You asked him worriedly.

He flapped his wings and started flying away from you. Just a few paces away, he looked back over his shoulder, as if beckoning you to follow him.

“Oh.” You realized. Agatha is most likely calling for you.

Getting up out of your chair, you followed the little bat until you were standing before the front desk. You pressed your lips together and your face turned to one of determination. You started stretching your limbs in preparation of climbing up the desk. God, every time. Why can’t your boss get a shorter desk?

You were sweating by the time you made it up.

“What’s for today?” You wheezed out.

She didn’t look up from what she was doing and instead pointed somewhere near the break room. “I want you to put up flyers.”

And apparently that’s all she had to say to you as you stayed there for a moment longer, seeing if she wanted to say anything else to you. You grumbled as you slid your way down her desk. All that climbing, just for one simple demand. Why can’t she text you? She had your number.

You trudged on over to the printer/break room and opened the door. What greeted you back was a hefty stack of flyers sitting upon the wooden table in the middle of the room. You frowned, gulping. The height of the stack of papers was as long as your arm. How the hell are you going to carry that while having to also tape it up on the wall?

Your solution came in the form of a big green turtle.

As you struggled to carry the heavy weight of the flyers in your arms, with Gary carrying the roll of tape for you, a sudden shadow fell over both of you.

“Ya need help Y/n?” Raph’s voice asked from behind you.

“Please.” You wheezed out, your arms starting to shake. Suddenly, your arms felt much lighter as Raph easily lifted the stack of paper out of your arms. You let out a sigh of relief, shaking your arms to get out the numbness that was starting to set in. You looked over to the turtle, shaking your head in disbelief at the sight.

Raph was holding the stack of flyers in his arms like it was nothing, not even breaking a sweat like you were. The stack even seemed a little bit smaller now that the big turtle was holding it in his hands…Damn, how strong was this guy?

You shook your head. “Thanks, I thought I was gonna collapse and then suffocate under the weight of the papers that would fall onto me.”

He gave you a bright grin, his snaggletooth poking out slightly. “Not a problem for big ‘ole Raph here. I could easily lift fifteen times my weight.”

Jesus f*cking christ.

“And fit a whole fist in my mouth! Wanna see?”

You stared at him for a moment, mouth slightly agape in both confusion and admiration.

“As much as I’d love to see that.” You grimaced. “I don’t want you dislocating your jaw.” You cleared your throat. “Anyhoo, you up for helping me put up these flyers?”

Raph looked around before shrugging. “Eh, why not. What’s the posters about anyway?”

You tilted your head, realizing that you hadn’t bothered to look yet. “Huh. I don’t know.”

Standing on the tip of your toes, you snagged a flyer off the top of the stack and read over it curiously. Raph looked over your shoulder.

“Robotics Summit & Expo”

“Come join us this Saturday to get a chance to marvel over the latest technological advancements in mankind! From the creators that brought you Baby Mop™ and Golf Robot™, we proudly invite all inventors in the engineering/robotics field to join us for a day of fun and learning, as well as a chance to show off your creations!”

The rest of the poster was sprinkled with some of the most batsh*t inventions you have ever seen in your life, along with a sprinkle here and there of normal and cool looking robots.

It was a two day event over the weekend. You tilted your head, a plan slowly forming in your brain. You had immediately thought of a certain someone upon reading the flyer and a smile slowly formed on your face. He’d love this.

“Hey, I know someone who would love this.” Raph suddenly spoke up, startling you slightly. With one hand holding the stack of posters, he flicked a finger against the paper you were still holding. “Man, this is perfect. Can I take one?”

“Yeah, sure.” You said, blinking. Right, Raph was also probably thinking of Donnie when he saw the poster.

The next hour consisted of Raph following you around the library as you taped up the posters, with Gary following along for no reason other than having nothing else to do.

Soon enough, Raph had to leave. Though by that time, the stack had dwindled down to a weight that was manageable for you to carry, so you bid him goodbye. He smiled at you brightly, saying that he’ll be back in another two days. You just chuckled nervously and waved at him as he left. You turned to Gary then.

“Alright, let’s put the rest of these posters and dip. I got a nice cup of hot chocolate for you waiting in my apartment.”

Gary perked up at that and you couldn’t help your smile.

Me:

hey, i got something that u might like

DonBon:

Please don’t send me another meme.

Me:

not today. look what came up in the library

>image<

You sent him a picture of the flyer, biting your lip in an attempt to stop your growing grin while waiting for his answer.

DonBon:

My interest is piqued.

Me:

sooooo, wanna go?

DonBon:

Let me ruminate on the idea

Not even ten seconds passed before his reply came.

Yes.

“What…are you wearing.” Donnie asked you, his eyes slowly traveling over your form. You stood before him proudly, hands on your hips and legs spread out, to showcase your outfit to him.

“An astronaut suit!” You exclaimed happily, shooting your arms out.

“....And why are you wearing an astronaut suit?”

“Because…it’s science-y and stuff?” You shrugged, flipping the dark black visor up from your face. “Plus, it’s a convention right? People dress up for those kinds of stuff all the time.”

“‘...scienc-y and stuff.’” Donnie repeated after you, sounding almost appalled at the words coming out of his mouth. He shook his head. “The conventions you are referring to are comic and anime conventions. This is a convention for robotics and engineering.”

“Still a convention.” You waggled a finger at him.

He raised a brow at you. “...Is this just a vain excuse to dress up as an astronaut.”

You narrowed your eyes at him.

“....Maybe.”

Donnie let out a small chuckle and reached up, flicking a finger against your helmet with a plastic sounding ‘twap’. You let out an annoyed sound, swatting his hand away.

“Dudes, I’m so freakin’ excited!” Shelldon, hovering near the two of you, exclaimed.

“Me too! Are we taking the turtle tank?” You asked excitedly, walking out of the alleyway the three of you were in. You had been waiting for him near the sewer grate when he had finally come out, bringing along Shelldon with him to your pleasant surprise. Donnie also had a huge bag slung over his shoulder, with what you can only assume are some of his inventions and gadgets.

“Of course we are. We can’t be pulling up in nothing less.” Donnie smirked, tapping some buttons on his wristband.

You and Shelldon looked at each other, conveying the unsaid words to each other with the looks on both your faces.

Show off.

Just then, you noticed something. Shelldon seemed to look even more shiny than usual and had some colorful markings all over his body.

“Is that paint?” You asked the robot curiously.

Shelldon nodded proudly, turning his body a bit towards you for you to get a better look. You leaned in closer. “Mikey did ‘em!”

“That’s so rad!”

“I know right?”

“Chop chop, let us not be late, hurry it up you two!” Donnie called out from a few feet ahead of you two, clapping his hands for you two to hurry up. He was standing in front of the turtle tank and was tapping his foot on the cement floor impatiently.

You flipped your dark visor down and started walking towards him.

“Let’s roll.”

“Wow.” You whispered, staring around at the convention space with wide eyes.

The wide area inside the building was filled to the brim with people. Many had their own booths showcasing their robotic and engineering projects, being watched by a big audience as they demonstrated its functions and purpose.

You gasped, tapping Donnie on the shoulder while pointing at a nearby booth.

“Look, it's drawing!” The company that the robot came from was from Japan, if you can guess from the name on the banner. The robot was pristine white but had on a beret, a monocle, and a mustache. It looked funny, you couldn’t help but think.

“Scoff. I built something like that when I was a turtle tot.” Donnie said, crossing his arms.

“Did it have a mustache?”

His eye twitched. “Well, no but-”

“Then I don’t wanna hear it.” You skipped a few steps ahead, looking over all the different booths with delighted curiosity. You can feel Donnie and Shelldon following from behind you, with Donnie grumbling under his breath the whole time.

“The mustache doesn’t serve a functional purpose…”

You three had barely walked around before you were stopped by a random passerby, who seemed amazed with Shelldon.

“Woah, who built this?” A random guy asked, stopping in his tracks. His two other friends stopped with him, stopping their conversation to look at Shelldon as well.

Donnie perked up, turning to the stranger and grinning brightly. “I did, my good sir!”

And then you watched as he went spiraling into a detailed discussion with the stranger and his friends about how he built Shelldon and his ideas behind his robot friend. You stayed by his side though as they continued to talk, not participating in the conversation yourself because you had no idea what they were talking about at all. It was beyond your understanding and you didn’t even attempt to understand the jumble of words between the four of them.

Eventually though, you started to become bored. Your eyes slid around until it landed on a cute yellow booth. Next to it, there was a robot behind a small wooden table, wearing an apron and a chef's hat as it cooked what looked to be scrambled eggs on a portable stove.

Peering at Donnie, who seemed to still be deep in conversation, you quietly slid over to the booth curiously. The people behind it greeted you warmly and asked if you wanted some scrambled eggs.

“Hey there star sailor, wanna try some eggs cooked by Chef Pistachio?” They asked, smiling at you.

You shrugged. “Sure.”

And you watched as the robot cooked your scrambled eggs, though looked over your shoulder from time to time to see if Donnie noticed that you were missing. It seems like he didn’t, as he didn’t spare a glance in your direction.

You shrugged it off. Let him be super nerdy for a full day, it might be good for him.

You couldn’t help your pout though as you turned back towards the chef robot.

Luckily though, your thoughts were quickly distracted by the steaming pile of scrambled eggs served on a paper plate before you.

Chapter 18: Amoungus (Halloween Special)

Chapter Text

Donnie sighed, pinching the space between his brows.

“I can’t believe you somehow convinced me to do this.”

“It’s great, isn’t it??” Your words were slightly muffled behind the clear plastic that crinkled slightly at your movement.

His eye twitched, not wanting to zip up his own suit and wanting to stall further. He watched as you ran around a small lap around your apartment, jumping and dancing around in that stupid costume.

“And may I ask what the point of this is? Because I don’t know if you are aware, but we are well past the age that is socially acceptable to go trick or treating.”

You turned your whole body towards him to look at him in his face, the costume limiting your movements.

“‘Cuz it’s fun. Obviously.”

He sighed, finally going to zip up his own suit. He grumbled the whole time though.

Gary chirped at him from his place on the bean bag and he couldn’t help but glare at the bat. The bat seemed smug as he laid there in his very own costume, which was a simple bee costume.

“This is stupid…There are way better costumes…especially ones that are actually scary and not this dumb…”

“It is scary!” You argued. You brandished a plastic knife in your hand. “I’m the imposter.” You whispered, waving the fake knife around as if you were gonna stab him.

His deadpan stare burned a hole in your head as he flicked the switch on the air pump. A whirring noise sounded through the silent apartment as his costume started to inflate slowly.

You smiled at him before skipping to your closet. He watched as you rummaged through it for a moment before brandishing a fedora hat with a triumphant grin. You skittered to your small desk and took out a bottle of glue, which you generously dumped over the rim of the fedora. Skipping back to him, you climbed onto your coffee table.

He held his hands out, hesitantly hovering them over your body, scared that you might hurt yourself. You didn’t notice though, and planted the fedora to the top of his now inflated costume. You made sure it was stuck on thoroughly before hopping down from the coffee table.

He hummed, walking over to your long mirror propped up against the wall.

“Although the costume is absurd, I do admit the fedora looks good.” Furrowing his brows, he turned to you. “Wait, don’t you have one?”

You shrugged, though it was kind of hard to see with the inflated costume.

“The costumes were like, 60 bucks each on Amazon. I don’t wanna spend anymore money.” You perked up. “Plus, I have the knife.”

Squinting at you, he looked around your apartment. Without a word, he walked over to your desk and started rummaging through it, seemingly to try and look for something.

You stood behind him and leaned around to see what he was up to. You watched as he took out a piece of printer paper, cut the side until it was a square (wow, he cuts really good free-hand squares) and used a black sharpie, then wrote out the word ‘dum’ in big bold letters. He let out a pleased hum and grabbing some scotch tape, he turned back to you.

You blinked as he stuck the piece of paper to the forehead of your costume, a pleased smile on his face.

“There we go, I think this will suffice, no?”

A big smile slowly took over your face and you nodded excitedly.

“Yeah! Okay,” You slammed a fist down onto your open palm. “Photo time!”

Even though this was possibly one of the stupidest things he has ever worn (aside from that frog costume), he let an exasperated smile take over his face as you held out your phone to take a selfie of the three of you. You smiled brightly as you held up the fake knife, obviously ecstatic while Gary folded out his wings, chirping as he was held up by Donnie’s hand.

“Send that to me later.”

He didn’t tell you that he set the photo as his phone background.

Chapter 19: Parallel Universes

Chapter Text

Well, the eggs are…decent you would say. It’s a little bit on the overcooked side and maybe a little bland, but honestly you weren’t going to waste free food.

The lanyard for your convention pass swung around on your chest as you went to throw the paper plate away. Turning back to where you last saw Donnie, you noticed that a bigger crowd had gathered around him. And he wasn’t just showing off Shelldon anymore, he seems to be holding one of his gadgets for the small crowd to marvel at.

You huffed. You want to look around the place with him, so this was starting to take too long for your liking. Plus, you had even seen a cute pink photo booth that you wanted to try with him.

You walked towards the crowd, stopping right at the outskirts of it. Way ahead of you was Donnoie blabbering away. A grimace took over your face and you took in a deep breath.

Mumbling out ‘excuse me’ and ‘sorry’ as you walked into the crowd, you grunted as a few bodies collided into yours as you made your way through the crowd. It felt like forever, with a few rude stares aimed your way, but you finally made it to Donnie. You stopped right at his side, tugging on his purple elbow pads.

“Donnie.” You grumbled. “C’mon, I’ve been wanting-”

He paused in his talking and looked at you in surprise, as if he just realized you were there.

“Just a moment more, Y/n. I’ve never met a crowd this excited over science!” He exclaimed, grinning brightly at you. “Never before have I heard of such well thought out scientific inquiries! Most of my presentations are done before my siblings, who as you know aren’t the most intellectual. I have been asked, ‘Can it make ice-cream?’ by them multiple times for my creations that obviously do not make ice-cream.”

You let out a sigh, your head lolling around as your eyes slid around the convention hall. “Okay, I understand, but can we get a move on? I brought you with me so that we can look around this place, together.”

Donnie had a conflicted look on his face for a moment, eyes going from you and back to the crowd and then back to you again.

“Just five more minutes?”

You stared at him for a moment, squinting your eyes at him. “...Okay, fine.”

And with that, you walked away from the crowd and found yourself a nearby bench to sit on and wait for him. As you both had agreed, five minutes have passed by in no time. Looking up from your phone, which you were idly scrolling on, you saw that the crowd had not dispersed in the slightest and Donnie didn’t seem to be done as of yet.

You purse your lips, debating whether or not you should go up to him again. After a minute, you shrugged and looked back down to your phone. You’ll give him a few more minutes, maybe he needs to wrap it up.

“-of course, it’s been patented so do not even attempt to steal my design.” Donnie smiled smugly. He’s lying, he hasn't had the time to do it yet, but the crowd doesn’t have to know that.

He stuffed the gadget he was holding back into his bag and rummaged through it to look for another thing to show off. Making a noise of satisfaction, he was ready to present his next finding to the crowd, the explanation already formed in his head, when his eyes caught sight of you a few paces away.

You looked bored, sitting on the bench as you swiped through your phone. He faltered as he took in the sight of you sitting alone on the bench, suddenly remembering how excited you had been on the way to the convention. But now, you’re stuck waiting for him to show off his inventions to a random crowd of strangers instead of…

“Yo Donnie, you done yet?” Shelldon droned, starting to look bored himself.

Donnie blinked, looking around the crowd. It was definitely longer than the five minutes he had promised and didn’t realize how long he was taking. Clearing his throat, he stuffed whatever he was holding back into his bag and zipped it up without a word. Confused murmurs sounded through the crowd.

Straightening his back and facing the crowd, Donnie spoke to the group.

“Uh, that is all folks.” He clapped his hands together, his smile strained. “I am…leaving now!” And with that, he zoomed past the crowd and speed walked to where you were sitting.

You looked up from your phone, perking up once you saw the sight of Donnie and Shelldon walking towards you.

“Are you done?”

“Yes…I’m..I’m sorry for the hold up.” He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, looking guilty.

“It’s okay, c’mon I’ve been eyeing that cleaning robot thingy!” You smiled, grabbing his arm and starting to drag him away. He lets himself be dragged away, focusing his attention on you wholeheartedly now as you talked with him, pointed out cool looking things for him to look at, and smiling into the selfie you three took together.

Eventually, Shelldon split off to do his own thing, talking about some kind of competition that he wanted to participate in to win some type of prize. That left the two of you wandering the convention around together, moving from table to table to marvel over at the things displayed there. The people walking past you two exclaimed happily as they saw your astronaut costume, which made you puff your chest out proudly. You knew it was a good idea.

Of course, Donnie commented here and there on how he can easily replicate the stuff displayed at some of the booths, but showed deep fascination with each one as the people dissolved into science-y sounding explanations.

At some point, he even took out a notepad from out of nowhere, nodding along and writing down notes as he examined some of the booths. You didn’t understand much of what the people were saying, so Donnie happily explained it to you whenever you turned to him with a lost expression.

Like what was happening right now.

“Do you wanna know about alternate universes?! Different timelines on a plane completely different from ours?” A man exclaimed as you walked past him and his booth.

You stopped, tilting your head. “Timelines?”

Donnie stiffened up from next to you.

You turned to him, curious now. “What? What is it anyway?”

“It’s ah…” He looked around for a moment, hesitation lacing his features. “Urm, well in some interpretations of quantum mechanics, some speculate that parallel universes may form every time a subatomic particle goes through any kind of interaction.” He coughed. “It’s fascinating really, but do not get caught up in any kind of conspiracy theories or hoaxes.”

“So, do you want to see what other versions of you are like?” The man asked you, listening in to your conversation.

You turned to him, getting excited at the prospect of another version of you somewhere out there. “Yeah!”

“Alriiight missy, be prepared to get your mind blown!” The man laughed, turning to his computer. He clicked a few keys before turning towards a scanner of some type. He adjusted it to point at you. You grinned, looking at Donnie excitedly. He gave you a nervous smile back, raising up a shaky thumbs up.

“This is so silly.” You whispered at him. “I mean really, it’s gonna scan me and tell me my alternate self! Blasphemy!” You snickered as you copied one of his many phrases.

“Well, although I am doubtful of this man's method, I assure you it is somewhat possible. Parallel universes, that is.” Donnie faltered and he looked like he was about to say something, before thinking better of it and shaking his head upon your confused look. “It is nothing.”

“I’m not able to show any type of images or videos, but you can read how your alternate self is doing! It’s not super specific, but you can get an idea!” The man said happily, his finger itching towards a red button. “Don’t move dear!”

“You’re gonna save me if this thing blows me up, right?” You whispered at him.

He stared back at you boredly. “You would be dead by the time I save you.”

You stopped talking as a green light came over you, running up and down the length of your face. A minute passed before the man hummed and turned his computer screen towards you.

You and Donnie both leaned in to read the green text against the black background.

‘Cataclysm.’

‘Scarlet.’

‘Sweet Parting.’

“I don’t…think I get the idea.” You frowned. The words feel strange and off-putting, somehow. Cataclysm…what is that supposed to mean, an apocalypse of some kind?

Donnie beside you seems to have the colors drained from his face. His eyes were distant, as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle only he can see. His whole entire body was tense, as if he was preparing for a fight. You turned to him worriedly, waving a hand in front of his face back and forth.

“Don?”

He snapped out of whatever trace he was in and blinked at you. He looked back at the man at the booth, who was staring at the both of you confused, before setting both of his hands on your shoulder and pushing you both away.

“I think! That’s enough of that, let’s move on shall we?” He laughed nervously.

You both didn’t acknowledge that strange moment for the rest of the day and you didn’t comment on the disturbed look on his face when he thought you weren’t looking. If he wants to tell you, he would when he’s ready.

“Look what I got dudes!” Shelldon exclaimed, balancing a basketball on one of his wings as he flew towards the two of you. You both had decided it was about time to head out and texted Shelldon. Now you both were waiting by the exit for the little flying robot.

“Woah Shelldon, you won?” You said to him, catching the ball that he threw towards you.

Shelldon nodded happily, looking proud of himself. “Yup! Super easy too, just a little drone race that I absolutely smoked yo!”

“Aww, congrats! They probably had no chance.” You patted his head. Shelldon hummed happily, enjoying the attention that you were giving him.

“I do feel as though the prize is insufficient.” Donnie plucked the basketball out of your hands, boredly observing the ball as he rotated it. “They should have-”

“Given uranium as a prize, we know.” You smiled at him in amusem*nt. Donnie held a hand up to his plastron, right over his heart with a touched look gracing over his features. The corners of his bandana crinkled as he smiled.

“I am moved that you know me so well.”

“You’re pretty obvious with your love of uranium.” You snickered. He chuckled, smiling at you.

“Mayhaps, but I feel no shame.” He stuck his snout up in the air pompously. “Think about it! The endless possibilities, the radioactive weaponry I can make!” He sighed dreamily.

You rolled your eyes. “Alright mad scientist, enough of that. I’m gonna have to stop you before you dissolve into a one hour uranium rant, for the sake of my sanity.”

“Tut tut. You will never understand-”

You pulled on the little purple knot behind his head holding his bandana together, feeling just about fed up with his uranium rants. He squawked, scrambling around to get away from you while also not wanting his bandana dragged off his head.

“You let go this instant-!”

“Let’s go Shelldon, I’m starting to get hungry and I’m craving some of that kraft mac and cheese I saw in the lair’s kitchen a few days ago.” And with that, you started to drag Donnie out of the convention hall as if you were pulling on his nonexistent hair.

“Yeah, I’m pooped man. I gotta go recharge.” Shelldon yawned.

“Y/n, I swear to the pizza supreme god you will regret this-!”

“Ooooh, I’m shaking in my boots. Stop struggling, will ya? My arms getting tired.”

Chapter 20: Rainy Times

Chapter Text

“Surprise sleepover!” Mikey cheered along with April, their arms thrown over each other's shoulders.

April and Mikey had gathered everyone up in the atrium, not speaking a word about what they were up to. It made Donnie suspicious that they’re going to do something. Two other people caught up in whatever the two were doing were Casey and Sunita, who stood in the atrium with the rest of them looking a little confused. Seems like they were dragged to the atrium from whatever they were doing.

He crossed his arms, raising a brow. “Uh, technically some of us live with each other already so strictly speaking it is not a-”

“Shush you!” April pointed a finger in his face, a stern look resting on her face. “We declare it a sleepover. Especially since it feels like we haven’t hung out like this in a while.”

“Hm, that does sound nice. We got snacks?” Raph asked.

Mikey nodded enthusiastically. “Mhm! Lots!”

Leo grinned, looking over to the two other confused figures standing in the atrium with them.

“Whaddya say Casey, Sunita? You up?”

“I mean, it does sound really nice…” Casey smiled sheepishly at everyone else. Sunita nodded excitedly, jumping up and down.

“Oh my gosh, let’s!”

“Where’s Cass at April?” Raph asked curiously. “She not joinin’ us?”

April sighed. “Nah, she says she’s busy with work sadly. But let’s enjoy the hell out of this sleepover then, in her honor!”

“I’ll cheer to that.” Leo grinned, holding up his cup of water that he was nursing.

Aw sh*te, it’s raining.

You peeked out from underneath the awning of the closed bakery that you were hiding under. Just your luck to get out of a late-shift and walk a couple of streets before the downpour starts. Your weather app didn’t say it was gonna rain!

You grumbled to yourself, pacing back and forth slightly as you tried to formulate a plan. You did not feel like running through the rain, getting soaked to your bones, to get home. It doesn’t help that the weather was slightly cold, so you would for sure get sick the next day.

You checked your phone and almost threw it out onto the street the next moment. It says that the rain would last for the rest of the night.

You groaned. You were so tired, you just wanted to get home. Apparently, one of the very few workers the library had that worked the night shift (the mystic library was open almost 24-7, for some god awful reason) was sick and you had to fill in along with your normal shift.

But hey, you need the extra money anyway. You’ve been looking to buy a bigger ant farm for Brads. They were settling well in your home…well as much as they can be for ants. You were no longer worried that something would happen to them while you weren’t home. Thankfully, they seem to do well without you.

Checking the time, you groaned once more. 2 AM. That’s just…great.

You really don’t want to make the trek home in the rain, it was usually a good 20 minute walk, maybe 9 minutes if you sprint the whole time. The only place that is closer is…

You snapped your finger, a lightbulb basically lighting up above your head. Donnie’s place! It was only like, 4 minutes if you ran! That’s way better than going back to your place, you can just crash at Donnie’s place for the night. Plus, you didn’t have work tomorrow either…or technically today actually.

The only thing that you can’t avoid though is getting wet.

Hm.

You shrugged it off. He won’t mind you borrowing his clothes right?

You coughed, feeling your face heat up at the thought.

Donnie grumbled at the red light blinking at him through his eyelids. What’s happening?

Cracking his eyes open, he pulled his face away from the pillow he was squishing his snout against. Ah, the light was from his wristband, which he had taken off at some point during one of the many movies they had watched for the sleepover. It lay a few inches away from him and he sat up groggily, looking around the projector room that they decided the sleepover was to be held in.

Everyone else was asleep, laying in their own nest of blankets and pillows. Picking up his wristband, he squinted at the words on the screen.

‘POSSIBLE INTRUDER’ blinked back at him in red flashes. His eyes widened and he strapped his wristband on. As quietly as he could, he rushed to his lab.

There was no need to wake everyone else up since it was only just a ‘possible intruder’ alert, so he’s just making sure that it wasn’t anyone possibly posing a threat. After all, this has happened multiple times in the past where it was a random animal rummaging through the sewers and stumbling upon their lair entrance. It will most likely be one of those cases again.

As he turned his computer on, blinking against the even brighter light flashing in front of his retinas, he went to navigate to the security system.

He paused as he took in the sight of who was walking around in the sewer system near the lair. It was you, walking through the sewer tunnels with your arms crossed as your hands clutched at your upper arms.

What were you doing here this late in the night?

Looking closer at the screen and squinting his eyes, he noticed the way your clothing clung to your frame. God, were you soaked?

Without another second wasted, he quickly made his way through the liar and out to the entrance where the rest of the sewer system was. It was perfect timing as well, as he came upon you just about walking into the tunnel leading to the lair.

“Y/n?” He asked in disbelief, hands held out, feeling unsure for some reason.

You jumped, startled at the sound before relaxing. Your face contorted into one of relief and your teeth knocked into each other as you spoke.

“D-Donnie! You don’t mi-ind me crashing a-at your place for a bit, r-right?”

You were shivering, he noticed. Quickly, he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and started pulling you through the tunnel to walk to the lair. It was dark, so you stumbled a bit as he led you into and through the lair.

“No, of course not. You know this. But question, why in Archimedes are you wet and what are you here doing at this hour?” He asked, a plan already formulating on how to get you dry and warm. Your skin felt cold, he couldn’t help but note.

“G-Got out of a late-shift and i-it started raining.” You grinned sheepishly, huddling into him a bit for warmth. “Y-Your place is cl-closer…”

He shook his head disapprovingly. “Still, there’s no need to run through the rain. Did you not call a taxi?”

You laughed nervously. “....Ahaha, d-didn’t think of that.”

He gave you a deadpan look.

“Well, I have some spare clothes that I can lend you while you can get yourself dried in the bathroom. Though fair warning, April is hosting a sleepover in the lair with us and two other people in the projector room.”

“Ah,” You nodded. He pretended not to notice as you bit your lip. “I uh, was hoping t-to crash for the n-night?”

He looked at you, surprised. “Really? Why so?”

“Just…w-want to.” You shrugged. “Plus, your b-bed is so much more c-comfy than mine. I’ll leave by early t-tomorrow morning.”

His heart skipped at the beat of you mentioning wanting to sleep in his bed. You, entangled in his purple sheets once more.

He felt your shivering increase in intensity just a bit and pulled you against him a little further.

He shook his head, focusing on getting to the bathroom that’s farthest from the projector room. Fingers crossed that you both won’t wake up the others or else he’ll be screwed. It was hard to make out what was in front of him, but he could manage. “Alright, dry yourself with one of the towels underneath the sink. I will…” He coughed, feeling his face heat up. He was glad that it was dark, you wouldn’t be able to see it. “...retrieve your new set of clothes.”

Just like it was too dark for you to make out his flushed face, it was too dark for him to make out your own red face.

“Y-Yeah, sure…”

He dropped you off at a bathroom and left to get dry clothing for you. Turning on the lights and flinching at the brightness, you started stripping yourself of your wet and soggy clothing. You followed his instructions and found some fluffy white towels. Snatching one up, you dried yourself off, feeling yourself shivering even more without any clothing on. God, you can’t wait to snuggle up on the bed.

A quiet knock at the door caught your attention and you quickly wrapped the towel around your body. Opening the door a tiny bit and peeking your head out, a handful of clothing was shoved in your face.

Your eyes followed the arm up, following the limb to his shoulder, then his neck, until finally up to Donnie’s face, which was turned the other way as he held the clothing out stiffly towards you. Interestingly enough, you couldn't help but notice that he didn’t have his purple bandana on. That was a first.

“Here.” Was all he said, sounding tense.

Murmuring out a ‘Thank you’ you grabbed the clothes quickly and shut the door quietly. Donnie had picked out a light gray shirt for you, along with some comfortable purple shorts. Once you put on the clothing, you noticed the shirt was slightly baggy and the shorts were a little big on you. Luckily the shorts had drawstrings, which you tightened until they fit on you. They ended just above your knees.

Turning to the long mirror on the back of the door to look at yourself, you thought the outfit reminded you of Adam Sandler a bit and you couldn’t help but snicker at the thought.

Ruffling your hair a bit with the towel, you deemed yourself dry enough and finally opened up the door. Right across the doorway, lit up by the bathroom lights and leaning against the wall was Donnie. He looked a little groggy and was pressing some buttons onto his wristband.

You smiled at his pajamas, visible now that there was light. He was wearing a soft looking long sleeve button up and comfortable looking sweats. Purple, as always.

Something else that caught your attention was his face. Up until this point, it was too dark to make out his features. But now, you paused as you took in his bare face.

Every time you saw him, he was always wearing his bandana, leaving the upper half of his face covered. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him without it.

Even back when you had shown up at the lair without warning Donnie to force him to relax from work, and had somehow led to you both sleeping on his bed, he never took his bandana off then. But now…

It’s a surprise for sure, but a welcome one.

“I’m done.” You whispered, holding up the wet pile of your clothing. He looked up at the sound of your voice, taking in your outfit with a look that you couldn’t decipher.

Clearing his throat, he stood up from against the wall and took away your wet clothes from your hands.

“Stay here.” He murmurs to you before walking away.

You watched as he turned around the corner, then looked down at your new set of clothing. You tugged on the t-shirt a bit, blushing. It feels so…intimate, wearing his clothes.

sh*t, should you have just ran back home instead? You’re starting to feel bad now, waking him up in the middle of the night to take care of you like this…

Looking around to make sure that he hasn’t returned yet, you plucked up the collar of the shirt and sniffed at it. Minty, with a hint of lavender. It was…nice.

Dropping the t-shirt just as you heard steps heading towards your direction, you watched as Donnie came into view again with a hairdryer tangled up in his hands.

“You,” He stated quietly. “Are not yet dry enough. We will need to make sure that you won’t get sick.”

You furrowed your brows. “Won’t that be noisy?”

“We’re far away where the noise won’t disrupt anyone else, no need to worry.”

And so you sat on the toilet seat as Donnie stood in front of you, blow drying your hair for you with one hand and the other gently carding through your hair. It made you feel even more guilty than before, making him dry your hair for you like you were some child that needed to be taken care of . But at the same time, it felt so good having his hands brushing through your hair and against your scalp, and with the warm heat of the blow dryer, it almost made you want to fall asleep. You didn’t though, instead just closing your eyes as you enjoyed his three-fingers carding through your strands of hair.

It felt like no time at all had passed before he was done. Despite his hands no longer being entangled in your hair, your eyes stayed closed.

“Don’t fall asleep on me now.” He teased.

Groggily, you blinked your eyes opened.

“That felt nice.”

That shut him up really quick, but you didn’t realize that as you stood up and let out a yawn.

“I’m gonna head to your bed in the lab.” You murmured sleepily. “Mmm, bed…’kay night.”

Donnie gulped and nodded. He watched as you stumbled your way through the hallway before disappearing from his sight.

He stood there for a moment, his arms limp at his side. Suddenly, his arms shot up to grip at his head, bending over by his waist and squeezing his eyes shut. He was tempted to let out a groan, but he’s scared that it’ll be too loud.

Why did he even blow-dry your hair for you? You were perfectly capable of doing that on your own. But for some reason, it felt almost instinctual for him to take care of you like this, especially when you showed up on the doorstep to the entrance of the lair looking like a soggy wet cat.

Shaking those kinds of thoughts away, he made his way back to the projector room. Maybe he needs to go back to sleep.

Yeah, maybe that was it.

He was as quiet as he could when he walked past the others, who were deeply asleep and snoring. Arriving at his designated sleeping area, he lifted his blanket and shuffled underneath it quietly. He settled himself in and laid there for a while, not once closing his eyes as he stared at the ceiling in the dark. He realized that it’s going to be hard to sleep now, knowing that you were only just a few rooms away sleeping.

“Did something happen?” Leo’s groggy voice startled him. He flinched before squinting his eyes, looking towards his brother's voice.

“No, I just…went to the bathroom.” He winced, hoping that his brother would buy the lie.

Leo just grumbled back at him in the dark before he heard some shuffling. After a moment, he heard Leo’s snoring joining along with Raph’s snores.

Cue his sigh of relief.

Chapter 21: Frying Pans Equipped (+80 Strength)

Chapter Text

Your eyes blinked open, seeing nothing but darkness and the soft purple glow from Donnie’s various lights set up in his lab. Smacking your lips, you grimaced. It felt like you were sucking on a piece of sandpaper in your mouth.

Deciding to get a cup of water from the kitchen, you sat up groggily, throwing the purple blankets off to the side. You stood up, your bare feet padding quietly on the metal ground as you started heading your way to the kitchen. You made sure to be as quiet as you can, not wanting to wake the other people over in the projector room.

You shivered a little as you walked through the lair, the cold metal ground kissing your bare feet and making goosebumps rise on your arms.

It was a little eerie walking through the place, especially in the dark and by yourself. You squinted through the darkness, trying your best to not run into the wall.

Finally, you made it to the kitchen. You decided against turning on the lights. You can see fine in the dark…somewhat. At least there’s a small opening in the ceiling where the moonlight shone down into the kitchen, providing light, even if very little.

You rummaged through the cupboards for a bit until you found some glass cups. Grabbing one, you paused as you noticed a familiar looking mug alongside some other cups. You smiled softly, taking the mug out and looking at it under the moonlight to make sure that it really was what you thought it was.

Seems like Donnie was putting it to good use.

You set the mug back into the cupboard and paused shortly. Strangely enough, the cupboards storing cups and ceramic mugs are stored alongside metal pans and pots. Not very smart, but you’re not one to judge.

Leaving the cupboard open, you shuffled over to the sink and turned on the tap. You held the cup under the water until it filled to a point where you deemed it enough to satisfy your thirst. Eagerly, you drank the water, closing your eyes at the sweet relief of water.

Much too distracted with chugging down the glass of water, you didn’t notice the dark figure standing by the kitchen entrance, watching you in silence.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, you wiped your mouth and quickly cleaned the cup. Going to put the cup away, your eyes barely caught onto a glimpse of movement out of the corner of your eye. It seemed to be right next to you, just a foot away. Just a dark shadow within the room, so silent you didn’t notice its presence.

See, when faced in a situation like this, your first instinct was to simply scream.

And so you do, screaming bloody murder. You didn’t care at this moment that your scream could potentially wake up the others in the lair.

Your second instinct was to grab the nearest object that you can to defend yourself with.

With both hands.

And of course, you did just that.

No thoughts were running through your head, your only priority right now was to protect yourself. Without stopping your screaming, you dropped the glass cup in favor of grabbing the nearest objects that you can defend yourself with.

Each of your hands managed to find something to grab onto. They were heavy and cold. Lifting both objects up, you swung the make-shift weapons in a fast sweep at the creature that was no doubt going to kill and eat you.

The frying pans smacked into the side of the monster's head with a resounding ‘SMACK’ It seems like you struck it quite hard, as the next moment you knew the shadow fell down in a heap at your feet.

Your arms were shaking as you didn’t dare lower the two frying pans.

Holy sh*t, the most blessed of feces, what the hell just happened?You thought to yourself, eyes wide as you tried to make out the thing at your feet.

“Who the hell-!?”

You screamed once more and swung blindly this time. You hit your target on the first swing again, feeling the force send your arms back a bit as the pan smacked into the second shadow that appeared in the kitchen from out of nowhere.

There was a thump as the second shadow fell down to the ground along with the first. You breathed deeply, looking frantically around the kitchen. Were there more of them?

Because you won’t hesitate.

You felt a soft brush of warm air from behind you. Whipping around, you brought a pan down onto the head of whoever was behind you in a single instant.

The third shadow fell down like a sack of potatoes, just like the previous two. The third shadow was shorter than you, you couldn’t help but note distantly.

You flinched upon hearing a voice a few feet away, near the entrance of the kitchen.

“What is with all this ruckus?!” A familiar voice called out in the darkness. In the next moment, the lights to the kitchen were turned on. You froze.

Donnie stared back at you, mouth agape in frozen stupor as he took in the scene. You looked like a deer in headlights as each of your hands gripped at the handle of the two frying pans, the unconscious bodies of his three brothers surrounding you on the kitchen floor.

April, who was standing next to him in her pink sheep themed pajamas, took in the scene with silent surprise as well. And then just slightly behind her was a stranger. The strangers eyes widened upon the sight of you, a flash of familiarity flashing through his eyes despite the fact that you have never seen him before.

Suddenly, April's face broke out into a smirk and she curled a hand on her hip.

“Y/n? Oh I am so getting 300 dollars.”

“....What?” You asked, confused.

“Officer Y/n!?”

“Huh?????” Now you were even more confused.

Upon his first year living in what was supposed to be his new home, it was a struggle to get used to his new life. There was just…so much that he has never seen before. That he never got to experience, and had only heard tales of from his family and higher-ups.

It was a lot. Even overwhelming at times. He knew he had the support of his family- well, past family? It was confusing being surrounded by people he knew so well, yet they didn’t know a single thing about him at all..

But he knows his Sensei would want him to enjoy it. A chance like this was something not to be wasted, his Sensei would tell him throughout the years. The chance to save survivors, the chance to fight for those who have been lost, the chance to keep doing what’s right.

Even though the fight is over, he still fights to enjoy every moment he can now, because it was painful at times. But he tries.

He remembers the way he had been talking with the others back on the rooftop of that fateful day and had heard snippets of names of other people the team knew as they talked. He recognized each and every person of course, he’s met and knew them back…back in his old home.

One name that didn’t pop up was yours, strangely enough. He remembers waiting for the moment the team would eventually mention you, curious where you were in all of this, but your name was never uttered once.

He remembers the way his brows had furrowed and he had prodded at the team, asking about you but never mentioning your name. He had a suspicion and didn’t want to ruin the ‘space time continuum’ or whatever Master Donnatello had mentioned before.

“Who?” Master Michelangelo had asked him, tilting his head curiously.

“Well, I mean- do you know anyone who, uh, uses a pair of tactical batons?” He remembered the way he had meekly asked the question, now that all eyes were on him now.

His Sensei raised a brow at him. “I mean, if ya want a pair of batons you just have to break Donnie’s staff in half.”

“Hey!”

“Do you guys…you guys really…..don’t know anyone who uses batons?” He asked one more time, his stomach sinking. Could parallel universes deviate from each other? Well duh, of course it can. But not to this extent, where a person so ingrained into the team in his old home would not be present in this timeline.

Especially if they were such a central part of Master Donatello’s life.

“Mmmm nope, can’t think of anything.” Master Raphael had tapped the side of his head before wincing. “Ah sh*t, right…”

The topic was dropped very quickly, though he was still ruminating on it. Were you really not here? He remembered thinking at that moment.

Did you not…exist in this timeline?

If that was the case, what about Master Donatello?

3 years passed and there’s still no sign of you. He felt himself starting to not hope for much, just starting to settle into the idea that maybe you really didn’t exist in this universe. But just to make sure, he went to one of his Masters for advice.

Upon asking if timelines can deviate from each other to a point where an important figure, not a central one but somewhat still important, can not exist in a certain timeline, Master Donatello had started a long rant about parallel universes and the space time continuum.

He was only able to keep up for a minute or so before he started getting confused as his Master had really started to get into the explanation. It eventually escalated into a slideshow presentation that the mutant turtle had pulled up out of nowhere and made him sit down as he continued talking.

But he got the general gist of it. That there should be no kind of deviation and that it was virtually impossible. That made him confused, because wasn’t that the case he was seeing? Why weren’t you showing up by now? It's been years and everyone else he knows is here as well.

But if that was the case though, he decided not to question it too much. Instead, he felt assured that you would come up eventually. After that (quite long) day in his Masters lab, he carried a little more hope than before.

And now, all of his questions were suddenly answered at once by the sight of you in the lairs kitchen at 3:30 in the morning, two frying pans gripped tightly in each of your hands as if you were fighting for your life.

Well, there could be better ways to meet you again.

Oh he was so getting that 200 hundred dollars.

Leo would squeeze April and ‘Angelo in the tightest hug right now for proposing the surprise sleepover idea on this very day but alas, they were asleep.

Instead, he’ll settle for giving them 10 bucks each for indirectly helping him win this stupid bet that he feels had gone on for far too long already. It was about damn time that Donnie’s secret friend would slip up eventually.

And he’ll be there to witness it all.

He remembers waking up upon hearing a creak in the hallway outside the projector room they were all in. Well, ‘waking up’ wasn’t the term, as he wasn’t exactly sleeping. He was just kind of in a daze that tethered on the edge of unconsciousness but nonetheless, that creak had instantly made him awake.

At that moment, for only a second, he wondered if it was Donnie’s secret friend. There was no way, right?

But he had his suspicions when, just an hour earlier, Donnie had suddenly woken up from a few feet away from him and quietly slipped away. It took quite a long time for him to eventually return.

He only got more suspicious as Donnie muttered out some flimsy excuse when he questioned him, knowing that his twin can’t lie for his life. Donnie was horrible at it, and the way he tells his lies can clue Leo in on exactly what his brother is hiding from him.

In this case, it was you.

So when he heard that single creak in the hallway an hour later, dollar signs were spinning around in his mind.

He quietly untangled himself from his blankets and stepped out of the projector room, peeking his head out to look both ways to see which way you had gone. Another creak to the left was his hint and using his super awesome ninja skills, he sneaked after you.

He didn’t make a single noise as he followed after you. Unlike you, who seemed to be trying just as hard and failing. You were no match for him, he knew every single point where the floor creaks and he avoided them easily, slithering through the shadows just like his training and Splinter had taught him.

He observed you from the kitchen doorway, bathed in the shadows and away from the moonlight, as you looked around the cupboards for a glass cup. He watched as you filled the cup up with water, drank from it, and washed it. You had no clue he was right in the room with you, a silent force observing you with sharp eyes.

He decided to move closer, to see if maybe he can catch you off guard and make yourself reveal yourself to him in order to explain why you were in his home.

And by that point, he expected himself to win the bet and finally get that sweet sweet 200 dollars that he rightfully deserves.

What he didn’t expect though, was a frying pan to the face.

“Y/n.” Donnie held a hand out to you as if you were a wild animal. “Put the frying pans down.”

The scene was reminiscent of Chris Pratt in that one dinosaur movie.

Your wide eyes stared at his own for a moment, before it seemed like you had come to your senses. You blinked, feeling your arms lowering slowly, bringing down the pans as well.

“That’s great, you’re doing great.” Donnie reassured you, stepping closer. “Can you let go of that for me?”

You nodded weakly. “Yeah…yeah I can.” You dropped the pans and it clanged on the ground loudly. You cringed, your eyes slowly trailing away from the pan next to your feet, to the shards of glass on the ground, to the three bodies around you. “Oh uh…sorry.” You meekly said.

He settled a hand on your shoulder as you looked around guiltily.

“It’s alright. If there was not the chance that my brothers had sustained concussions, I would congratulate you on your fast instincts.”

You laughed nervously. “I just went to get some water.”

“Officer Y/n!” The stranger said again, moving closer to you two. Your brows rose.

“I’m sorry?”

“I uh-!” The stranger cut off upon seeing something over your shoulder. You tilted your head, looking to where he was staring at. From behind you slightly, you saw that Donnie was sending the guy a dark glare from over your shoulder. It disappeared before you could question it and then suddenly Donnie was looking at you again with a worried expression. He grabbed your shoulders gently and looked over your frame.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Did the glass cut you?”

While Donnie was fussing over you, April had wandered over and looked over the three unconscious bodies with her hands on her hips and a grimace on her features. Letting out a sigh, she grabbed at Raph’s arm and started dragging him out the kitchen. The stranger eagerly joined her and started dragging Leo’s body as well, leaving the two of you, and an unconscious Mikey, alone in the kitchen.

You scratched your head. “So um, they probably know for sure now.”

Donnie sighed. “Yes, well. It was inevitable. At this point though, I would say I am ready, so no need for apology. Though I do wish it were under different circ*mstances.”

You leaned to the side to look behind Donnie, over to where Mikey was laying. “Are they going to be okay?”

“Well,” He turned around and nudged his foot against Mikey’s arm. “Their skulls are abnormally thick, so the likelihood of a concussion is low. Which goes to show how impressive it is that you easily knocked them out.”

You heard a hint of a proud tone in his voice and beamed at him. You flexed one of your arms, patting the nonexistent muscles on it with your hand with a pleased look on your face.

“I’m pretty strong, huh?” You asked him, slapping your upper arm. “If you need any help fighting bad guys, I think you know who to call.”

“Yes, you with your noodle arms, coming to my aid. My muscles simply cannot compare to yours.” Donnie droned in a bored tone, though the corners of his lips quirked up at the sight of you. He held his arm up and lazily flexed.

The smile on your face became strained as you observed his muscles, eyes not once leaving his arms as he flexed for you. How can a guy so bad at sports have muscles like that??

Sadly, he stopped flexing much too soon in your opinion. His arm flopped down back to his side, and yours did as well. Now, it was silent in the kitchen as you both stood there.

“I’m gonna go back to sleep.” You jabbed a thumb towards the kitchen entrance. Donnie looked like he was about to say something. You half expected him to not say whatever he wanted to say, but instead, you were surprised when he did speak up.

“I think I’ll go with you.”

You tilted your head. “Go to sleep with me?”

His face broke out into a furious blush, brows furrowing in embarrassment. “No! That’s not what I-!”

He cut himself off, turning his head away as he coughed into a fist. Five seconds passed, his hand still held against his snout, before he turned back to you, a calm expression on his face now. Though his blush did not die down one bit.

“What I meant was, I’ll go with you to my lab to work, if you don’t mind. I don’t think I’m able to sleep after everything that’s happened.”

Suddenly, you felt guilty again. “Oh…”

Noticing your expression, he quickly reassured you, waving his hands in front of himself. “It’s not because of you! It’s a common occurrence, I assure you. I don’t mind…really.” He hesitated. “You won’t mind, right…?”

You shook your head. “No, I don’t. I slept through an earthquake once, so not much can bother me when sleeping.”

He sighed, amused. “Okay, let’s go then.”

You two started walking out of the kitchen and into the hallways, passing by April who was heading in the opposite direction towards the kitchen, presumably to retrieve Mikey. You waved at her and she smiled, albeit a little groggily but brightly at you.

“Do you need help?” You asked her, feeling bad that you woke her up as well.

She gave you a reassuring smile, patting your shoulder.

“Nah, I got this. Don’t worry about it.”

You can tell that her sentence also meant that you didn’t have to be sorry about waking her up. You smiled at her gratefully.

You two continued walking to the lab quietly. You were starting to feel your energy drain more now, now that the adrenaline from the encounter was fading away.

You flopped onto the small cot the moment you stepped inside. In no time at all, you were fast asleep, not even having enough energy to cover yourself with the blanket that was shoved to the side of the bed.

Donnie went to unfold the blanket and draped it over your sleeping figure. Turning around, he went over to his desk to revise over the latest blueprint of what he was working on, glancing back at you from time to time.

Chapter 22: Second Contact

Chapter Text

He needs to talk to Casey.

Last night, when Casey had shouted out your name when seeing you, he felt himself freeze for a moment in surprise.

Casey knows you?

But there’s just no way. It already happened once with April, but for you to know Casey as well? Impossible. And the only hypothesis that he could think of to explain this was that Casey knew you in his old timeline, another version of you.

And the fact that he addressed you as ‘officer’ was a giveaway as well.

Still, he didn’t think…you, in a position where you were addressed as officer, in another timeline. He could almost laugh, if he wasn’t so busy overthinking.

You fought alongside them? If so, what was your relationship with his alternate self? Were you two ever…?

He couldn’t stop himself as his thoughts strayed a little further to something a little more dark.

And suddenly, the words back from the robotics convention came rushing back to him.

He felt himself shudder and shook the thoughts away. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly, and stood up from his hunched over position over his table. He blinked. Oh, he must have fallen asleep at one point during the night while working. Cracking his back with a satisfying groan, he looked over his shoulder over where you were soundly sleeping at.

You didn’t stir one bit as he fumbled around in his lab, quickly changing out of his pajamas and putting on his battle shell. He furrowed his brows upon not finding any of his knee and elbow braces, before remembering that he left it in the projector room. Right, the sleepover.

He flinched as his hands slapped on his face, feeling around desperately, and fruitlessly hoping…

Nope, his bandana was also back in the projector room.

He would let out a huge groan if it wasn’t for the fact that it could potentially wake you up. God, he was such a dumb dumb, and he rarely calls himself that.

Taking in a deep breath, he reasons with himself that it will be okay. You probably wouldn’t even remember...hopefully.

Alright, the first plan of action was to get his gear. After that, he’ll corner Casey and see what he can get out of the little bugger.

You yawned, rolling over onto your side. You hummed as you snuggled your face into the comfortable pillow, noting the soft scent of lavender. Mmm, that’s nice. You would sink further into the bed if it were possible and die happily.

You heard some shuffling from outside the lab and poked our head out groggily from behind the blanket. What was that?

You hear a little more scrambling and feel yourself becoming even more curious. Was that Donnie?

In the next moment, you heard harsh whispering.

“Shhhhh! You’re gonna wake them up, Leo!”

“Ey, I’m just taking a little peek! I mean c’mon, you guys didn’t have to follow me either, you know.”

“Are they in Donnie’s little bed? Aww, so cute!”

They were honestly doing a piss poor job of whispering if that’s what they were going for.

Looking over to the entrance, you saw two heads poking out from behind the doorway and peeking at you with fascinated curiosity. Blue and orange were the distinct colors you made out alongside two pairs of wide eyes. They ducked back behind the wall the moment your eyes made contact with theirs.

Before you can dissolve into a panic at the sight of Donnie’s brothers, April strolled in.

“Rise and shine Y/n!” April cheered as she walked into the lab at that very moment, carrying a tray full of food with her. She paused, looking over her shoulder and squinting at whoever was hiding behind the doorway. Whatever she saw, she let out a small groan at before walking over to where you were sitting on the bed. You blinked as she settled herself down near your legs on the bed, placing the tray delicately on the blankets so its contents won’t spill.

“Morning April.” You spoke, clearing your throat as you slowly sat up.

Alright change of plan. Food first and then panic later.

“Might as well come on out guys.” April grumbled.

You heard a yelp, then a crash near the entrance of the lab. You jumped, startled. What greeted you back were three mutant turtles, all in a heap on the ground and their limbs all tangled up together. The three craned their necks up at you two, expression contorted in surprise and their jaws agape at the sight of you. You couldn’t help but notice the bandages wrapped around each of their heads.

Ouch, did you hit them that hard?

“You know them?!” Leo shouted, his tone and expression a mix of anger and betrayal directed towards April.

“Y/n?” Raph said with a tone of recognition, his expression one of betrayal. “Wait, as in mystic library Y/n?”

Leo whipped his head towards his older brother. “Wait, hold on- you know them too?!”

April snorted. “Y'all need to keep up.” She turned back to you, continuing to speak to the three on the ground despite not looking at them anymore. “I expect 300 dollars in my venmo by tomorrow, by the way.”

The three turtles on the ground collectively groaned.

Casey perked up upon seeing Donnie entering the kitchen and greeted him warmly. He was just talking with Sunita, who had just left the kitchen to leave for work.

Despite the fact that three years had passed by and he got reminded time and time again to just refer to his Masters as their nicknames, the habit was hard to drop. At first, he used the term ‘Master’ along with their full names, which then dissolved into the title along with their nicknames until eventually, now just their nicknames. Although Casey finds it strange sometimes.

“Morning Donnie-”

“Ah ah.” Donnie held up a hand, eyebrows furrowed. Casey paused upon seeing Donnie’s serious expression and gulped. He has a feeling what this conversation is going to be about.

“You know Y/n.” Donnie stated, the phrase leaving no room for argument.

“Knew.” He corrected, but then realized his blunt phrasing. “I-I mean-!”

Donnie sighed, expression now turning into a grimace. “...I figured.”

The kitchen was quiet, all except for the beeping of the coffee machine.

“They put up one hell of a fight though.” He spoke up, wanting the tense atmosphere to lift a bit. “You two were a strong pair.”

Donnie let out another sigh, starting to feel himself get irritated. “Why didn’t you tell us? Tell me?”

Casey put his hands on his hips, frowning. “It was obvious you two hadn’t met yet in this timeline. What is it that you always say around me, it could break the space time continuum?” He huffed. “I couldn’t have let you guys know, and you of all people should know that.”

Donnie pressed his lips together in a thin line, hating the fact that Casey was right. “...You....have a point. I apologize for my temper.” He suddenly remembers something. “Last night, you- you called Y/n ‘officer’.”

Casey rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. “Yeah…They were, ah, the chief officer.”

“...What did they do?”

“The job was like,” Casey moved his head from side to side, thinking of what to say. “Kinda the bridge between us and the rest of the resistance.”

Donnie knew what he was referring to. In Casey’s old timeline, they were the ones leading the resistance. General, lieutenant, captain, they were referred to as any of those names by the lower ranks of the resistance. The reminder of what happened in the future timeline makes Donnie somber a bit.

“They…well, they worked hard. ” Casey chuckled sadly. “Served as an advisor to the lower ranked commanders, trained the newbies, even helped Sensei and you all to organize missions sometimes. Was one hell of a close combat fighter too.”

“…What were they like?”

Casey smiled at him, feeling bittersweet. “Well, the Y/n I knew was quite stubborn. Did everything they could to get their way. Also had a guilty pleasure of reading trashy romance novels, but those were rare since…y’know. They were also a…a happy-go-lucky kinda person, I guess, and….wanted to, I don’t know, bring the mood up whenever they got the chance.” Casey chuckled. “One time, they found this old beat-up mascot from this run-down pizzeria place and wore it around base. It was a…heh, strange sight, seeing one of the highest ranked officers walking around in a bear fursuit.”

Donnie smiled slightly at his description of you- well, another version of you. But he can obviously see those attributes apply to the current version of you he knows just as well.

Casey snapped his fingers. “I remember, during one of my first few lessons with them, I got my ass handed to me.”

Casey remembers it vividly. He was complaining to his Sensei upon hearing the news that he’ll be training with you in addition to his other training.

“Why do I need to train even more?”

“Because,” His Sensei scolded him, expression stern. “You need to work on your close combat and learn how to fight hand to hand. You won’t always have your weapon.”

And later, he walked into one of the many training rooms where you were waiting for him. He remembers pausing upon seeing your frame.

“They look so unsuspecting but-” Casey started.

“Y/n is strangely strong, I know. I have first-hand experience.” Donnie huffed, chuckling. His mind flashes back to the times you’ve manhandled him effortlessly and noogied him for the sake of annoying him. He shook his head. “I don’t think they realize their strength sometimes.”

Casey crossed his arms, an amused look on his face. “Right, like how they knocked down three highly trained ninjas last night with frying pans.”

Donnie groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Do not remind me of that Casey.”

Casey shrugged, an amused smile on his expression.

“So this is the ‘secret friend’ huh?” Leo leaned towards you.

You paused in your chewing, eyes darting up to his face that was observing you intensely. You slowly leaned away from him silently. April let out an annoyed groan, hiking up a leg and kicking away at the slider turtle.

“Get away, we’re trying to eat here.” April grumbled. Leo jumped back to avoid her kicks.

Mikey waved at you excitedly. You slowly waved back, smiling at the guy.

“This whole time, it was you…and I didn’t figure it out sooner…” Raph stayed on the floor, though he was on his knees as he stared at the ground blankly in front of him. Feeling bad, you reached out to pat his shoulder like you’ve done many times before.

“Sorry Raph.”

“Right, let’s do introductions!” Leo clapped his hands suddenly and a beaming smile on his face.

“Uh, in the middle of our eating-?” April started with an annoyed frown before getting interrupted by Leo, who slid into your view in front of you and blocked your sight of April with his smug smile.

“Name’s Leonardo, but call me Leo, the greatest ninja warrior in all of time and history and- well, ever.” He smirked at you, holding out a hand. You felt slightly embarrassed meeting Donnie’s brother like this, in bed and mouth full of food while wearing Donnie’s clothes. Ah well.

You shook his hand, nodding.

“I heard.”

“Oh?” He said smugly. “Was it from my dear twin brother, or is my reputation that famous?”

He didn’t give you a chance to respond to his question because in the next moment, he shot up from the bed and dragged Raph to his side, who still looked downtrodden. “This big oaf here is our oldest, Raphael, or Raph as you might know.”

Dropping Raph, who just slumped against the floor once more, Leo dragged Mikey over to his side next.

“This here is our baby brother, Michelangelo-”

“You can call me Mikey!” The guy looked like he could barely contain himself. Mikey ran up to the edge of your bed, hands gripping onto the blanket there. His eyes were wide in curiosity and excitement. “How’d you meet Donnie?”

“Err-”

“Enough!” April jumped off from the bed and started pushing the three towards the lab entrance. “Haul your green asses out of here and let us eat peacefully already!”

With one final push, she got the three turtles out of the lab and quickly closed the metal door with a slam. She leaned against the door, letting out a sigh before walking back over to you.

You can hear faint groans from the other side of the door.

“Sorry about that, they know better I swear-”

“This was not what I planned for my morning.” You sighed.

“It’s noon.” She deadpanned at you as she settled herself back down.

“Oh.” sh*t, you told Donnie you’d be gone early in the morning. Whoopsies.

You two enjoyed breakfast (or lunch, technically) in peace now that there were no bothersome turtles distracting you. Distantly, you wondered where Donnie was.

Just as you shrugged off the thought, the metal door started creaking open. Donnie emerged from behind the door, rubbing at his eyes.

His bandana is back on. You thought to yourself.

“Morning,” April hummed, not once looking up from her meal.

Donnie swiveled his head towards you two, looking surprised. It seemed like he didn’t notice the two of you when coming in.

Just as quick as though, the surprised expression made way for an irritated look.

“Are you two eating on my bed.” It wasn’t even a question.

“You want some?” You asked him, holding up your fork of bacon towards him.

“I will have to decline, though I appreciate the thought.” He said before walking over and letting himself fall face first down onto the bed between you and April with a groan. April let out a squawk, grabbing at the tray of food to hold high up in the air just before Donnie was able to knock it over from his impact.

You bit into the bacon of the fork you held up earlier. Is he alright?

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He replied to you, turning his head to the side to look up at you. He observed you for a few moments, in which you stared back at him in confusion. His brows were scrunched up in deep thought, and his eyes almost seemed…sad, as he stared at you.

You patted at his cheek softly, which seemed to break him out of whatever trance he was in. He blinked at you. “Sorry about staying here later, it’s definitely not early morning like I said.”

He sighed weakly. “No need, I figure you would sleep in. The question though, did-?”

“Yep, they were here.” April piped up, setting the tray back down on the bed, though farther away from before. “I kicked them out though, so you’re welcome.”

“Y’know, Leo reminds me of this character in a book I was reading a few months earlier-”

Donnie groaned. “Oh please god no-”

You laughed, holding a hand to your mouth to stop your sh*t eating grin. “You wouldn’t mind if I get his number-?”

“No, god no!” Donnie shot up, his arms holding him up against the bed. He glared daggers at you. You only blinked back at him innocently, though your grin gave you away.

“Ohohoh, don’t tell me…?” April smirked, peering from around Donnie with a cheeky look sent your way.

You laughed and waved both of them off. “Just kidding! The character in the book ends up as a backstabber, literally. So I won’t risk my chances.” You winked.

As April chuckled, Donnie had let out a small exhale of relief that you had barely been able to catch.

Chapter 23: The Gang's All Here

Chapter Text

After the very eventful morning, you were ordered to stay in the lab by Donnie. April had rolled her eyes at the news, but he assured both her and you that he wanted to make a proper introduction of you.

April huffed, though you didn’t mind. You were kind of excited and didn’t mind waiting in the lab. April left the lab first, taking the tray with her. You waved her goodbye and so now, it was just you and him.

“You really ready for your family to meet me?” You couldn’t help but ask, wanting to make sure that he really was fine with all of this. “I mean, all of this wasn’t really planned out, and I just wanna make sure that you don’t have to feel like you have to…”

“No no, I’m ready.” Donnie nodded at you, resolute determination in his eyes. “I’m sure. Although the circ*mstances are less than ideal, I think this…this was the push I needed.”

He felt touched that you were checking in on him for all of this.

You stared at him. He stared back at you. The only sound in the lab was the soft whirring of machinery.

A sudden grin broke across your face and you let out a whoop from your place on the bed.

“Yes!”

“Just- just don’t…embarrass me.” He sighed out, dragging a hand down his face. “Because I have a feeling you will if given the chance.”

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t mention the incident back with Repo…or that Shelldon tells you bedtime stories...or that one time I caught you pretending to weld a lightsaber fighting against-”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough!” Donnie shushed you, looking annoyed. “But I hope you know, this goes both ways.”

Your face drained of color. “You wouldn’t.”

“I must say,” He started. “I do like quite the video I recorded of you accidentally drooling while reading-”

A pillow hit him square in the face.

You hummed as you twirled around in Donnie’s chair, eyes lazily looking over all the machines and screen set-ups mounted. You smiled as you admired everything. So cool.

Just like the first time though, your attention was taken away by those batons that you remember being captivated by the first time. They were mounted inside of a rectangular glowing display case, displaying other prototypes. You narrowed your eyes, raising a foot and kicking at the desk to push yourself closer to the weapons. The chair squeaked as it rolled across the room.

You leaned a little closer, tilting your head at it curiously. Donnie probably wouldn’t mind if he just held them in your hands, right? It’s not like you’re actually gonna use them, you’re just curious what it would feel like to hold them. Slowly, you raised your hand, the tip of your finger inching ever closer to the pair of batons.

“Alright, let us do introductions, shall we?”

You jerked away from the display case, swiveling around in the chair to face Donnie, who was waiting at the entrance of the lab. His arms were crossed and he raised a brow at the startled look you aimed at him.

“Yep, let’s do this!” You jumped up from the chair, hoping that he didn’t see that.

It seemed like he didn’t, because he didn’t spare you another glance as he turned around and repeated your statement.

“Let’s do this.”

Before you left the lab, you grabbed your reindeer antlers and tucked it into the pockets of your shorts. You had a feeling you needed it.

“Ahem.” Donnie held a fist up to his mouth. You vibrated excitedly from where you were standing behind him.

Donnie had apparently gathered everyone up in the atrium before coming to retrieve you. You marveled over the huge two sets of skateboard ramps as you followed him into the atrium.

“I am aware that you three,” Donnie clasped his hands together and pointed out both pointer fingers at the three mentioned, glaring at them. “Have been up to something for a long time. I figured the problem would eventually be dropped, but it seems like I have been mistaken.”

Leo chuckled, leaning against the side of the skateboard ramp. “C’mon, you were so obvious. Not a chance we wouldn’t poke our noses in it…. wait, do we even have noses-?”

Donnie’s eye twitched and his teeth were gritted as he spit out his next words. “Moving on, I will admit that yes, I have been hiding something from you all.”

He moved to the left, revealing you to the five people standing in front of you two.

“This is Y/n, my….my friend.”

Before you could even say anything, you were crowded by four people, most of whom were scrambling to get your attention and asking questions all at once. April watched the scene from her place on a nearby bean bag, scrolling through her phone boredly.

“Do you like the Creepy Supreme or Noxious Wind??”

“Exactly how long have you known our resident scientist? Wait wait, let me guess, three months?”

“I thought you were a yokai!”

The fourth guy didn’t say a word to you though. Instead, he just looked starstruck as he stared at you with wide eyes, as if he was meeting a celebrity.

You held your hands out in front of you, trying to calm the small crowd as you gazed around helplessly.

“Woah woah! Slow down, one at a time!” You exclaimed, letting out a laugh at their eagerness.

Mikey shot a hand up, his arm ramrod straight in the air. You giggled, nodding at the shortest turtle.

“Noxious Wind or Creepy Supreme?” He repeated his earlier question.

You shuddered at the image of the blue worms on the pizza you saw the first time you had gone with Donnie to Run of the Mill.

“Noxious Wind.” Without a doubt, anything over whatever the hell Donnie likes. “The worms make me sick.”

“Hey.” Donnie piped up, sounding slightly offended.

A tap on your shoulder drew your attention back to the group.

“Uhm, hi.” The stranger that you’ve yet to know the name of smiled sheepishly at you. You gave him a friendly smile.

“Hi.” You held a hand out. “I’m Y/n.” You were hoping that he would stop looking so tense.

“I’m Casey.” He seemed to relax somewhat at your friendly smile. “I’v uh, heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” You turned to Donnie, confused. You thought Donnie didn’t mention you to anyone before this.

“Uhhh-!” Casey seemed to panic somewhat, letting go of your hand. April shot up from the bean bag and slid up to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders with a nervous laugh.

“‘Cuz of me! I’ve been telling him alllll about you!” April laughed, a drop of sweat on her temple as she all but basically squeezed Casey into her side. “Me and my big ‘ole mouth, haha! Right Casey?”

“Y- Yeah, yep!” Casey shakily laughed along. “Um, you sounded so cool, from what April has told me.”

“Oh, thanks!”

Just then, a pair of hands gripped your shoulders and swiveled you around. Raph stared at you in the most intense staring battle you have ever been in. You smiled nervously, gulping in anticipation.

“How,” Raph started. You couldn’t help but note that his right eye was slightly milky compared to his left eye, now that you were up close to his face. And strangely enough, three small scarred scratch marks around his eye. “...the hell did you disguise yourself as a yokai?”

Without uttering a single word, your hand reached into your pocket and slowly pulled out the headband. You put the headband on slowly, adjusting it so that it fits snuggly on your head. You let go, keeping your hands suspended in the air at the sides of your head.

Raph watched you in awe, alongside Mikey who was standing right beside him who looked just as captivated. Your hands flopped back down to your sides and you nervously stood in silence as Mikey and Raph both took you in.

“Woahhh.” Mikey said. “No wonder Raph thought you were a yokai, I would’ve thought so too!”

Raph nodded along, looking at you intensely. “Yeah, that’s a great disguise.”

April faced-palmed as Leo shook his head in disappointment, and Donnie let out a tired sigh from where they were standing a few feet away, watching the whole scene. Casey looked around with wide eyes from next to them, looking helplessly confused.

You almost didn’t want to believe it, but it seemed like the two mutants in front of you genuinely had no idea that your antlers were not, in fact, real and you weren’t actually a yokai.

“Uh, surprise?” You shrugged, smiling. “I’m just a little regular human.”

“I was right!” Mikey jumped up and down, gripping onto the edges of Raph’s shell. Raph sagged down in disappointment, muttering something under his breath and looking slightly grumpy.

“So,” Leo sauntered over to you and draped a heavy arm over your shoulders. He was about your height and was staring intently into your eyes. “Ya like onesies?”

You blinked, wondering if this was some sort of inside joke that you didn’t get. The only thing you’re able to respond with is a dumb sounding, “Huh?”

“Okay!” Donnie had a strained grin on his face as he clapped his hands together, before walking over to you and trying to wrestle his brother off of you. “That’s enough of that! I think introductions are done, no-?”

Just then, another figure walked into the atrium. The figure was short and stubby, their whole body covered in gray hair. They were absentmindedly sipping at a steaming mug of what you presume to be coffee and reading at a newspaper, before their yellow eyes slid over to the debacle happening in the middle of the atrium.

The creature did a double-take, their eyes widening the moment it made contact with yours. The rat(?) man looked like he was about to drop the mug.

“Dad.” Donnie gritted through his teeth, clasping his hands together. A drop of sweat beaded at his brow and he looked the most nervous you have seen him. “Uh-”

“Am I finally getting grandchildren?” The rat man asked, looking at you hopefully. Setting the mug and newspaper down, he shuffled over to you hurriedly, gently taking both of your hands in his. His pink tail whipped behind him excitedly and he looked up at you, only towering slightly below your chest. “Which one of my sons has chosen you as their mate?”

You could almost imagine your eyebrows rising up well above your forehead at his question. Your mouth opened and closed, not knowing what to say and looking like a fish out of water.

“Is it red? He is quite the gentlemen, I assure you, and will treat you right-”

“Ahahaha, it seems like you’ve forgotten your medication father!” Donnie interrupted with a tight grin, gripping the rat man's shoulder tightly and starting to push him out of the atrium. Your hands dropped from his.

Donnie’s eye twitched as his father started to resist him and he looked back at you. “I do apologize about that Y/n, he usually goes on rants about the most random of things when he forgets to take his pills. Come on papa, let's get your medication.”

“What are you talking about purple?” The rat man complained, trying and failing to get out of his son's strong grip. “I do not take medication-?” The rest of his sentence was quickly muffled by Donnie’s hand against his mouth, and before long the two disappeared from the atrium. Distinctly, you can hear the two squabble at each other in the hallway, their voices fading as they walk further away.

You stared at the round doorway they disappeared off to, before turning back to the rest of the group questioningly.

“Was that Splinter?”

“Yep.” Leo popped the ‘p’ in his answer. “Our dear sweet papa. He’s always been complaining about wanting grandchildren.”

You raised a brow at the way he emphasized the word in his sentence. Leo raised a brow back at you, pointedly looking at something above your head. Suddenly, you remembered that you were still wearing your headband, and let out a noise upon understanding the joke.

April rolled her eyes, groaning dramatically as she flopped back onto the bean bag. You couldn’t help it anymore and let out a small giggle, Casey snickering along with you. Raph dragged a hand down his face and Mikey skipped over to you, catching your hand and starting to drag you over to a skateboard on the ground a few feet away.

“Do you know how to skate?”

“Dad.” Donnie emphasized again, wanting to pull his nonexistent hair out. “We are just friends.”

Splinter squinted at him suspiciously. “Are you sure?”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Donnie shook his head, turning back around to head back to the atrium. “Just- whatever you did back there, don’t do it again… please.”

He hears his father let out a grumpy ‘hmph’ behind him. “Fine, fine… but I expect grandchildren in the next few years, I will not live forever you know!” Splinter waved a fist at Donnie’s retreating back.

Chapter 24: Reddit Saves the Day

Chapter Text

Donnie shook his head as he started his walk back to the atrium. He really hopes you’re okay when he had left, leaving you alone with his family

… Actually scratch that, he should totally be completely undoubtedly worried-

“How do I STOP!?”

He heard your scream from up ahead. Looking up, he saw your familiar figure speeding towards him. His eyes widened and he jumped to press himself against the wall right as your blurry figure sped past him on top of a skateboard.

“Y/n!?” He exclaimed, brows scrunched up in disbelief. He heard Mikey up ahead from where you came from.

“Y/n, slow down!” He heard his younger brother wail.

Donnie groaned, rubbing a hand across his face before he broke out into a run in order to catch you, before you inevitably crashed and destroyed something in the lair.

“Sooo, we’re not gonna talk about it?” Leo asked the three remaining people in the atrium.

“‘Bout what?” Raph asked, sitting down on his weight bench. April continued to boredly scroll through her phone while Casey sat himself down near April.

“Uh, at the fact that Y/n was wearing Donnie’s clothes?” Leo asked in disbelief. How did no one else not mention that yet?

Casey looked up.

Raph snapped his fingers. “Oooh, Raph was thinking their clothes looked familiar.”

“W-Well!” Casey spoke out. “Last night, I think the weather report said there was a lot of rain… maybe Y/n got caught in the rain and took shelter here?”

April hummed, rubbing her chin as her eyes looked up from her phone. “Now that I think about it, why would Donnie offer his clothes? Isn’t he worried about germs or whatever? Doesn’t seem like him…”

Casey started sweating, looking around nervously.

The three were silent as they thought about what April just said. Just as Leo was about to open his mouth to offer up a reason, a loud crash sounded from within their home, which was then followed by screaming and groans of pain.

“I really hope that wasn’t dad’s teacup collection.” Leo sighed out.

You watched, sitting on the stool in the kitchen, as Mikey lovingly placed a bright pink bear themed band-aid over your knee after he had smothered some kind of ointment over the injury. He smiled as he patted your knee, signaling to you that he was done. Donnie hovered over you the whole time, watching closely and making sure his little brother was doing it right.

“There! All fixed.” Mikey replied brightly, starting to close up the small aid-kit by his side on the floor.

You lifted your knee towards your face, looking down at the brightly colored band-aid with a laugh.

“Thanks, I like the band-aid!” It was cute and was fitting of Mikey to have them.

“I think it’s safe to say that you should remain far away from skateboards.” Donnie mumbled, a mechanical claw shooting out of his shell to grab a hold of your leg, right under your knee and lifting it up a little. He leaned in closely to observe the injury, squinting his eyes.

You let out a yelp at his action, gripping onto the metal table behind you to prevent yourself from tipping over from on top of the stool.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” Mikey scratched the back of his head guiltily. “I didn’t know you were that bad, no offense…”

You waved the young mutant off. “It’s okay, at least now I know that I suck at skateboarding.”

You took out your phone, checking the time as Donnie finally lets go of your leg. Mikey stood up and went to put the first-aid kit back against the wall of the kitchen, humming all the while. Donnie leaned over your shoulder slightly, watching as your expression pinched into one of slight worry.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have to go, I need to go check in on my Brads.” You pout at your phone.

His heart skipped a beat upon noticing your pout.

Was it more adorable than usual?

In the next moment though, you turned off your phone and hopped off of the stool. His arms instinctively shot out to steady you, but you swatted his hands away.

“Calm down, I’m cool.” You bent your knee a little to show him, then shot him a thumbs up.

“It is remarkable that you only sustained a lightly scraped knee…”

Unbeknownst to you both, Mikey was watching the exchange closely from his place near the wall. He didn’t dare move the moment he put the first-aid kit back and turned around, immediately noticing the mushy expression Donnie was unknowingly looking at you with. Mikey has never seen that look on his brother’s face before, let alone directed at another person.

Maybe the look was shot once or twice at them, but Mikey rarely sees it.

Mikey rubbed his chin as he thought.

Could it be…?

Stifling his giggles as much as he can, he skipped out the kitchen, leaving the two of you alone.

“I even put a little christmas charm in their ant-farm so their place has a tree, it’s so cute… “ You rambled to Donnie as you both walked to his lab to grab your bag before you were to leave the lair, neither of you noticing the fact that Mikey had suddenly disappeared from the kitchen.

“I don’t think they have the intellect to understand the concept of Christmas.” Donnie said dryly, turning his head to look at you.

“Well, it’s festive! I’m spreading holiday spirit, y’know? It is November after all.” You suddenly remembered. “By the way, are you doing anything for Christmas?”

At your question, he suddenly rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes darted away from yours to look at the wall. “Well… I was debating… it’s not necessarily a party but- we are hosting a Christmas ‘hangout’ as you will, and since you just met-”

“Oh can I come?” You asked excitedly as you both finally reached his lab. He held the lab’s metal door open for you. You skipped in and he trailed behind you.

He huffed softly, a small smile playing on his lips that you were unable to see with your back turned to him. “Yes, you may.”

You went to the end of the bed where you dumped your backpack last night and grabbed it, going to put it on. You paused as you looked down though, and took in your attire. Oh right, you nearly forgot.

“I’m still wearing your clothes…” You looked down at your body before looking up at him sheepishly.

He crossed his arms and sniffed the air, letting his eyes stray away from yours once again.

“It’s alright. Keep it on and I’ll get your clothes for you.”

“Oh, thanks.” That was nice of him to let you keep his clothes.

You sat down on the bed as he went to retrieve your clothes for you and swung your legs absentmindedly as you waited for him.

The start of today was certainly… interesting. Despite the- ah, not so great introduction to the rest of Donnie’s family, you knew right away that you were going to get along well with them. They seem like a fun bunch, especially with Donnie and April added in the mix. Mikey seemed like an absolute sweetheart, Leo was certainly the trickster of the family, and you’re glad you finally got to let Raph know you, officially that is. The encounter with Splinter…

The words the rat mutant spoke to you about half an hour ago rang through your head.

Right, well, that’s certainly strange.

Before you could ruminate on it further, Donnie came back into the lab with your clothes folded neatly in his hands. You opened your backpack and he helped you stuff your clothes into the bag. With that out of the way, you convinced Donnie to go back to the atrium with you to let you bid a quick farewell to the rest of his family.

“Stay safe out there!” Leo waved at you as you both stood in the doorway to the atrium.

“Yo, we still on for Saturday?” April asked. You were confused for a moment before remembering that you two had agreed to go check out a new cafe that opened up near the lair that April was dying to go to for a while.

You winked at her and shot her a thumbs up. “Yup! You know it!”

“Bye new friend!” Mikey waved excitedly at you. Raph gave you a simple nod from his place on a weight lifting bench.

“See you Y/n.” Casey smiled at you, giving you a significantly smaller wave than Mikey’s.

You felt a slight nudge at your arm from behind, right where Donnie was standing slightly behind you and to the side a bit. Your head turned towards him and you looked at him curiously, wondering if he was trying to get your attention. Your assumption seems to be wrong though, as he looked to be boredly scrolling through his wristband. His elbow bumped into yours occasionally, but he didn’t seem to mind. It almost seemed as though he himself was not realizing that his arm was brushing up against yours due to his close proximity.

You turned back and immediately noticed the strange look Casey was giving the two of you. You tilted your head, and it seemed in that moment that Casey caught your stare, as he suddenly sheepishly smiled at you. You just shoot him a confused smile back and give him a simple nod in response, before you turn around to make your exit.

Like many times before, Donnie escorted you out, despite the fact that you’ve been over so many times by now that you knew where to get out at this point. Still, it was nice of him to lift the sewer manhole cover for you and hold a hand out for you to grab while you climbed up the ladder and out the manhole.

“So,” You started as you stood in front of him in the alleyway, dusting off your (or well, technically Donnie’s but he gave them to you) shorts. “When’s the Christmas hangout?”

“The day before Christmas, or Christmas Eve. We’ll be inviting our other friends as well.” Donnie hummed. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Nah, I don’t. I just hope you have hot chocolate.”

“That is certainly a must, don’t you worry your pretty little head.” He smirked at you.

After quickly parting ways, you were only a little over halfway back to your place before you stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Your brows furrow in dawning realization as the words Donnie said to you a few minutes ago finally registered in your mind.

“Wait… pretty?”

“Uh, thanks?”

A stranger a few feet away from you looking to be scrolling through their phone looked at you warily. You jumped, waving your hands and shaking your head frantically.

"Oh sorry, not you! No offense."

Donnie groaned loudly, letting his head thump rhythmically against the wall of the alleyway he was still standing in after you left.

“What was that?” He talked to himself, looking borderline crazy to the strangers that walked past the alleyway out on the street.

“Pretty? That was stupid, who just- !? I- urggh.” His head shot up from the wall and he started to pace around in a circle, rubbing his hands over his face as he started to ramble to himself. “Well, technically it is not wrong but… what was that ‘Tello? I’m sure Y/n won’t notice that obvious move to them on my part, he said to himself sarcastically.”

He squatted down, letting his head hang down between his shoulders and his arms resting on his thighs.

When did he get so hung up on the things he has said to you? He’s been noticing that it’s been happening a lot more lately.

And another thing he’s noticed lately is the way that his heart speeds up just a bit when you’re close by, or when your attention is solely focused on him when he’s talking, or the way his hands start to sweat a little when you laugh at something he’s doing that was purposely trying to make you laugh, or when he first saw the sight of you dressed in his clothes, in his clothes, his.

And the strange overjoyed feeling he gets when your arms bump into his on accident, or at the way you initiate such casual touch with him that sends his heart lodging up into his throat despite the fact that he usually shutters away from any kind of physical outside of his family and that, weirdly enough, he wants you to do it even more-

Wait, he has a suspicion…

Shooting up from his crouched position, Donnie hurriedly rushed into the manhole. He was in such a hurry that he didn’t bother to properly climb down the latter, instead opting to slide down the latter with his feet and hands on the side to keep himself from falling off.

Frantically, like a mutant on a mission, he ran through the atrium, ignoring the exclamations and cries of the others as they watched him run past them in a blur.

“Uh, you okay?” April asked before just as he was about to exit the atrium.

Donnie paused in his running, panting slightly. He didn’t turn around as he answered her question.

“Everything is… fine!” Donnie gritted out, continuing to look ahead. “Do not panic. Everything is fine.”

“Err… we aren’t panicking-?” Leo asked confusingly, but got cut off as Donnie stomped off with one more exclamation of ‘Everything is fine, I said!’ and leaving the rest of the group looking at each other in confusion.

Marching on into his lab and walking up to his desk, he shoved an arm out and swiped off everything on the surface to the side and off the table. His books, pencils, papers, and other objects clattered down onto the floor, but he didn’t pay it no mind. There was something more at stake.

Dragging his keyboard closer to him, he opened up the search bar.

‘Signs that I have a crush’

It almost felt silly, using that word. But he can’t use the word ‘love’, that’s simply too… intense for him. This is, unfortunately, the next best thing he can come up with, with his limited knowledge and experience with feelings and emotions.

After staring at the words for approximately five minutes in complete silence, slightly intimidated to press the enter key, he added in another word at the end of his search.

‘Signs that I have a crush reddit’

Hitting the enter key, he clicked onto the first link at the top of the page. He read over the title of the post, which was asking the same question as he was, then headed on over to the responses commented under the post. His finger swipes down onto his mouse, and he finds the first answer in the sea of responses to the question.

’Does your stomach do a flip when you think about them?’

The image of you pops into your head. He imagines you smiling at something that you apparently find funny, before imaginary you directs your gaze to him. At this, he feels his stomach go through a strange feeling, as if he was on a rollercoaster.

’Are they always in your head?’

Well, he does think about you a lot… especially when he finishes a project and the first person that he thinks to contact and show off his new invention to is you. Or maybe when he finds something bat related, he wonders if you’ll like it. Or maybe when he’s scrolling on his phone and finds some dumb meme, he has an urge to send it over to you and wondering once more if you’ll laugh at it.

’Do you find yourself questioning whether or not they would approve of things you do/change?

Ah, that had just happened. He just indirectly called you pretty and almost felt like kicking himself in the stomach at what he said. You didn’t seem to notice, but still, he almost can’t believe how natural it was when it came out of his mouth.

He scrolled down further.

’Those are usually good signs of a crush.’

And that was it. His brows furrowed and he scrolled down even further, finding another comment.

’Being around them feels like home, warm/cuddly. No matter how mundain the activity you are doing.’

Ignoring the spelling mistake as best he can, he thinks back to all the times he's hung out with you. He enjoys the time he spends with you, no matter what the two of you are doing. Hell, you didn’t even have to say or do anything, just your presence is enough for him. At this thought, a sudden memory sprang into his mind.

He remembers sneaking into your apartment one time through the open window, only to find you taking a nap against your coffee table, drooling in the corner of your mouth and an open book abandoned in your hands.

Instead of leaving, he sat himself down on the floor at the coffee table, right next to you wrapped in your blanket you dragged from your bed behind you, and continued whatever he had been doing in the lab, only this time in your apartment. You had woken up some time later, staring at him for a minute in sleepy confusion (that he will admit, was very adorable now that he looks back on it) before seeming to wake up completely and then shuffling over to your kitchen to prepare yourself a snack, not once questioning his presence.

’Romantic (+18) desire’

He cooly scrolled past that one.

’They are high on your priority list’

Would he save you from a villain? Yes, without a doubt, that much was obvious.

Would he save you over his family? Well, that was a hard question to answer. It feels almost unfair to compare the two, because if he was being honest with himself, you were… something else. His adoration for you is something that he has never felt before for someone else, even towards his family. No other person, human or yokai or mutant, has he ever been so soft towards. Sometimes he even finds himself questioning his actions around you, because when has Donnie, the emotionless, walls of steel around his heart, and matter-of-fact Donnie, ever done such things?

Maybe…

No.

Nonono-

He doesn't want to admit it, but he thinks- he actually-

“Oh sweet potatoes.”

Chapter 25: Mikey Knows Best

Chapter Text

You stared at the pile of knotted and tangled yarn on the table in front of you in complete silence.

You swear you followed the instructions exactly as they were told through the youtube video. How the hell did it end up like this?

Well, to be fair the youtube tutorial was teaching viewers how to knit a five fingered glove, not three, so they got you there.

You’re gonna have to modify the instructions.

You set down the knitting needles onto your coffee table with a clack and slumped back against the side of your mattress. Gary was happily snuggling in your lap, wrapped around one of your many blankets. You were scared to move in case it would wake him up, but your left leg was starting to get numb in your criss-crossed position.

You yourself were also wrapped up in a blanket, though the one you had was a little thinner than the one Gary had. You don’t mind though, small sacrifices for the ones you love and all that, you think.

The heater in your apartment was broken down and you had contacted your landlord for months about it, though he still hasn’t gotten it fixed. You were worried for the upcoming months to winter and had been ignorantly hopeful that your landlord would get it fixed by then. But based on the current situation you found yourself in, it seems like it hasn’t been fixed yet.

The cheap bastard.

You sighed, leaning back a little more against your mattress to stare at your ceiling. The glow in the dark star stickers you stuck onto your ceiling a few months ago stared back at you. If they were real stars, you would imagine them twinkling back at you, sending you some unspoken message that you wouldn’t understand.

You smiled softly at the sudden reminder of Donnie flying you high up into the air on his jetpack, right after the two of you escaped from the kiddie room. Seeing the stars at that height, no matter how very few you had seen, it was… nice.

Your mind wandered off into different territory, specifically towards the Christmas hangout. You were looking forward to meeting more mutants or yokai. Hopefully they liked you. You were especially looking forward to the hot chocolate, which you had no doubt that April would be tasked with that responsibility. She loves hot chocolate just as much as you.

Your eyes slid over to the pile of gifts sitting next to you, all wrapped and ready for their recipients. Of course, when you had decided that you were going to get Donnie a gift, you weren’t going to leave the others out. The only difference between Donnie’s gift and theirs was that his was going to be handmade, while the others were bought.

They were small gifts, nothing too big, but you did put thought into it as much as you could. For April, you had gotten her one of those toys that, upon setting down a coin atop the surface, a small cat will peek out to snatch it away with its paws. The whole thing was designed like a small cardboard box that a cat would hide in. For Raph, you had gotten him a turtle squishmellow since you knew the gentle giant loved stuffed animals. For Mikey, you had bought the little guy a small Jupiter Jim action figure assembling kit. And lastly was Leo, who you had to admit was the hardest out of the siblings to decide what gift to get for.

His character was one that you couldn’t read that well, unlike Raph or Mikey. You know he likes Jupiter Jim just as much as the others, so you had thought about getting him something Jupiter Jim related, but you had decided that for Mikey. The next best thing you decided upon was something related to his weapons, which had led you to get some decorative leather wrappings for the handle of his swords.

Your eyes slid back to your current situation and you can’t help but let out a groan.

This is what you get for wanting to make something handmade for Donnie.

While you were busy suffering the consequences of your own actions, Donnie was just as busy trying to come up with a gift idea to give you during the Christmas hangout.

He knows it’s not necessarily necessary to get you a gift since it was just a hangout and he wasn’t going to give anyone else at the party gifts (except for his family, of course), but… he wants to give you something.

He thumped his forehead onto the surface of his desk, his elbows resting on the surface of the table as he crumbled up the piece of paper in his hands which held sketches of some sort of intricate device that he was thinking of building to give you. He threw the balled up paper off to the side onto the table, where it landed in a pile of other crumpled up pieces of paper.

No matter what idea he came up with, none of it just simply didn’t feel… right. The idea of giving you a gift seemed especially harder with his newfound… revelation. Now he finds himself worrying over whether or not you would like whatever it is he’s going to give you. Ideas that had seemed perfect to give to you were overshadowed by his growing nervousness and paranoia the longer he thought about the ideas.

Which leads to his current situation, currently holed up in his lab and close to gouging out his eyeballs.

He lifted his head and let his forehead thump onto the table once more, hoping that maybe it will knock a new idea into his head.

… It didn’t.

Letting out a long sigh, he decides that it’s probably best to take a break. If he keeps going at a rate like this, he won’t be able to get anything done. Plus his stomach has been grumbling for quite a while now and he thinks a quick meal and a flavorless smoothie will do him some good.

Lifting his head up and standing up, pushing his chair back with his legs in the process, he makes his way out of his lab and towards the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, he finds Mikey occupied there, hands busy chopping some vegetables on a cutting board and humming some sort of tune. His brother's back was to him and as he passed the threshold into the kitchen, Mikey still didn’t notice his presence.

Wordlessly, he made his way towards the cabinets to get his usual ingredients for his flavorless smoothie. While doing so, his brother finally made notice of his presence.

“Hey Donnie!”

“Hi Michel.” He greeted back in a daze, grabbing what he needed and setting them down on the table. Despite making himself take a break, his mind was still running a mile a minute still trying to debate on what present to give to you.

“Are you hungry? I restocked the fridge with stuff, you could probably make a sandwich.”

“Uh huh, I’ll do that.” He hummed, his tone of voice giving away that he had only vaguely heard his little brother.

Mikey dumped the chopped up vegetables into the stock that was simmering in the pot on the stove before taking a glance at him over his shoulder. Donnie hadn’t noticed but a confused expression passed over Mikey’s face.

“... Are you okay?”

“Yes yes, on Tuesday.”

“What?” Now Mikey looked extremely worried. He watched as Donnie floated around in the kitchen in a daze, looking as if his mind was in a different plane of existence completely. Mikey observed closely at Donnie and couldn’t help but note how his eyes were glazed over and his movements were slower than normal, as if it was an effort to move his limbs. Mikey felt his worry increase tenfold.

“Ooookay Don, I think you need to sit down.” As quickly as he could, Mikey rushed over to Donnie and pushed at the taller mutant's shoulder until he collapsed into the chair. This seemed to snap Donnie out of whatever trace he was in and his head whipped towards his little brother.

“Wha-? No, I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Mikey rested his hands on his hips, giving Donnie a knowing look that screamed the threat of whipping out his persona, ‘Doctor Feelings’.

“I didn’t say you weren’t, but now that you say that, it’s obvious now.”

His older brother slightly withered under his gaze but didn’t give up just yet.

“I am simply… occupied with something. I’m alright, no need to worry.” Donnie tried to wave off his concern, hoping that Mikey would drop the subject.

He didn’t. “You’re lying straight through your teeth! You looked like a zombie coming in here man.” Mikey wagged a finger in his face. “C’mon, what’s up? You can talk to your lil’ bro, I’m kinda curious!” Distantly, Mikey hopes that making Donnie talk would help relax the tension in his shoulders.

Unfortunately, Donnie didn’t relent right away. Instead, he had only crossed his arms in lazy defiance and raised a brow.

“W-”

“You don’t want to get Doctor Feelings involved, do you?”

At this, Donnie finally gave in, feeling a drop of sweat running down his temple at the thought of encountering one of Mikey’s alter egos. He took in a deep breath, wanting Mikey to know that whatever he was about to tell him will be kept between the two of them.

“You will tell no one of this.”

Mikey felt himself perking up, nodding frantically. “Cross my heart and hope to die.” He went through the motions of the promise with his hand.

Donnie let out what felt like the hundredth sigh today.

“Christmas is coming up quite soon…”

“Yeah?”

Donnie squirmed uncomfortably under Mikey's intense gaze and hovering. His eyes wander around the kitchen in an attempt to avoid his younger brother's piercing gaze.

“I want to… give Y/n a gift…”

Mikey clapped excitedly. “Ohhh, sounds fun. What did you get them?”

Donnie let his shoulders sag at the question and he threw his arms up in irritation, tired of holding back now that he’s given the opportunity to air out his frustration.

“I don’t know!” Donnie exclaimed, thoroughly frustrated now. His drawn-on eyebrows scrunched up and he was now diving into a full on rant now. “I’ve thought about building an automatic fully hands off coffee machine, but I feel as though that’s too much and wouldn’t fit on their kitchen counter. Then I moved on to possibly making a holographic digitally stored library for all their favorite novels but I don’t have a list of their favorite books. And so then I drafted up a blueprint for a self-driving motorized chair for them to use in the mystic library-”

Mikey listened intently as Donnie listed off a few more ideas that he had attempted to do but for some reason, either hadn’t gone through with it or dismissed it completely. Which had Mikey a little confused because, from what he thinks, every single one of those ideas sounded fantastic. He really couldn’t see the problem in any of them and wonders why Donnie is worrying so much over them.

As his older brother continued to talk, Mikey let a hand rest against his chin in deep contemplation. Why was Donnie so suddenly worried? From what he saw that day in the kitchen, when you had injured yourself riding his skateboard, Donnie seemed so comfortable around you. Comfortable to the point that he even initiated contact with you multiple times, not the slightest bit embarrassed over his concern over you despite Mikey being in the same room.

Was Donnie worried about how you would react to his gift?

Mikey felt himself almost dismissing the thought, because since when has Donnie ever cared about the opinion of others? He does his own thing on his own terms and is usually successful at whatever he sets out to do (which Mikey admires greatly). So why has something so simple as gift giving gotten Donnie in such a tizzy?

Maybe… maybe the idea that he had in the beginning, starting at the point where he had cooked heart-shaped pancakes for Donnie and was only reinforced further during that day in the kitchen where he helped treated your injury…

Oh, there was no doubt about it now.

He had a suspicion of Donnie taking a liking to you at first, but he never realized how strung up Donnie was over you up until this point.

Donnie must have it bad.

Donnie didn’t notice as Mikey’s eyes snapped onto his figure in realization. He didn’t notice the widening pair of eyes staring at him, nor the agape jaw that slowly turned into a giddy smile directed at him.

“And not to mention, Gary could potentially get hurt-” Donnie abruptly stopped, eyes sliding over onto Mikey who could barely contain his excited expression and giddy vibration of his figure. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Hm? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He slung an arm over Donnie’s shoulder, the height difference with Donnie sitting down and Mikey standing very apparent now as he hovered over Donnie’s head. “So, you’re all out of ideas?”

Donnie rubbed at the bridge of his snout tiredly. “Unfortunately so. No matter what plans I come up with to build, none of it… none of them seems right.”

Mikey nodded, immediately thinking up of a solution. “Well, why don’t you make something handmade?”

“Handmade?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Like a piece of jewelry, or even a knitted hat!”

It was no surprise that Mikey would suggest something artsy.

“I don’t know Angelo… I’m not particularly artistic.” Donnie looked down at the floor, brows furrowed in thought. “If I were to make something handmade, it would be through my inventions…”

“But that’s not working out so far, is it?” Mikey straightened up and went to stand in front of Donnie’s sitting figure. “So let’s try a different option, which is the one I’m suggesting, and plus, I could even help you out!” At Donnie’s hesitating look, he decides to argue further. “Trust me, everyone knows I’m the best gift giver in the family. You won’t regret getting my help!” Mikey puffed out his chest proudly.

Donnie couldn’t help but agree. His little brother was undoubtedly right, he was the one that always gave out the best gifts to everyone during the holiday season. A memory filtered through his head at the thought. One time during Christmas, Mikey had given him a small memory book of all the times they hung out with each other, which he couldn’t help but feel sentimental over every time he flipped through it.

Donnie let the corner of his mouth quirk up at his little brother, the hesitating expression making way for an amused one. “Alright alright.” Holding his hands up in defeat, palms facing out, he stood up from the chair. He gestured at the excited mutant in front of him. “I will not argue with the artist.”

“Yes!” Mikey fist pumped the air in victory.

A sizzle came from the stove and Mikey whipped around in a panic. Donnie raised a brow as the younger turtle let out an alarmed shout.

“MY BONE BROTH!!”

Chapter 26: Campanula

Chapter Text

You stood in the alleyway nervously, shifting from foot to foot as you held up the two bags of stuff you had brought along for the Christmas hangout. One bag contained the gifts for the Hamato family, the other contained two bottles of apple cider and Christmas themed cupcakes. They didn’t exactly tell you to bring any food to the hangout, but you only thought it was fair of you to do so if they- actually correction, if Mikey, was planning on preparing some food for everyone.

Gary snuggled up against your neck from his place on your shoulder. You let out a hum.

You had texted Donnie, at least as best as you can with your occupied hands, that you were in the alleyway and also asked if he could assist you to get inside the lair. He immediately saw the text and had told you to wait right by the manhole cover while he went up to help you.

You didn’t have to wait for long, as the cover was lifted up and pushed to the side less than five minutes later. A familiar shade of purple popped up from the hole. Belatedly, you realized that his face was facing the opposite direction of you, evident by the head swiveling back and forth in search of you and the lack of eyes facing your direction.

“Turn around, ya nut.” You snickered.

Donnie swiftly turned his head around and, if you weren’t being delusional, his face lit up.

“Here, let me assist you.” He grunted as he hopped out of the manhole and went over to your side. You shrugged one bag off your shoulder and Donnie helpfully grabbed it and shouldered it over his own. He paused as he heard glass clinking inside of the bag and lifted one side of the bag to the side to take a peek inside.

“You brought food?”

You shrugged, giving him a bashful smile. “It’s the polite thing to do, duh.”

“Hm, I’m sure Mikey will greatly appreciate it.” He nodded approvingly. He motioned for you to follow him. “Let us go. April is about to start making the hot chocolate.”

You perked up. “Really? Well c’mon, hurry it up!” You were tempted to kick his butt back down into the manhole, but instead settled on rushing past him to make your way down into the sewers.

You heard his chuckle from behind you but didn’t focus on it too much. You eagerly climbed down the ladder as fast and safely as you could, looking back up in impatient anticipation. Donnie made his way down carefully and once his foot met solid ground, you looped your arm through his and dragged him through the maze-like sewer system.

Donnie let out a sputter before he was able to reorientate himself before he could trip over from your dragging. You two zoomed through the sewers and before long, you were at the entrance to the lair. You slowed down a bit but had now transitioned to a speedwalk, with Donnie still getting dragged along with you.

He didn’t argue about it though, instead he simply lets himself get man-handled by you. You turned your head back to look at him, amused confusion spreading across your face. It was a little strange that he hasn’t let out a grumble or complaint yet as you all but basically hauled his ass to the lair.

He only stared back at you, adoration in his eyes that you were surprised is being directed at you.

You tilted your head, the confused amusem*nt still across your face.

“What?”

“It’s nothing.” He simply answered, but the look was still in his eyes.

You let a suspicious look take over your expression and lifted the arm not looped through his. Your finger slipped under the bottom edge of his bandana and you pinched at the fabric with your thumb, pulling down at his mask and causing the eye holes to drag down and the fabric of his bandana to cover his eyes.

Donnie let out a noise, scrambling to drag his bandana back up and fixing you with an annoyed glare. You only smiled at him in response.

“Where’s the hot chocolate?” You slammed your hands down onto the metal kitchen table. April jumped up from where she was standing behind the table.

“Y/n!” She exclaimed, clearly startled. She took one glance at your face. “Jesus, you scared me… well maybe you’re sort of still kinda scaring me with that expression…” She cleared her throat, straightening up. “I’m setting it up right now to give to everyone later.”

Mikey swiveled his head around to look at you from his place at the counter, where he was preparing some bowls of snacks. “Hi Y/n!”

You blinked, remembering. “Oh, right. Should probably introduce myself to the people here.”

“Did you just head straight to the kitchen once you got here?” She raised a brow.

“Yes, they did. More specifically, they ran.” Donnie rasped out from somewhere behind you. Whoops, you forgot he wasn’t that athletic. He was slumped against the floor, his side leaning against your leg and his arm still lifted up and looped through yours. You were practically keeping him from laying down on the ground.

April furrowed her brows, leaning over the table to glance down at Donnie sprawled against the floor. “Huh.”

“C’mon, get up.” You heaved him up. “I brought some food by the way, just some cupcakes and drinks.” You told April and Mikey. “Where’s the bag Don?”

He held the bag out to April across the table shakily. She took it, a grateful look on her face as she peered into the bag. Mikey perked up, skipping over to April to peek inside as well.

“Ooooh, apple cider!” Mikey clapped. “Thank you!”

“No problem. I should probably go introduce myself to everyone else now.” You saluted the two with a wink. You glanced over at Donnie and he stared back at you desperately.

“Please don’t drag me along with you when you do that.”

You snickered, turning around. “Fine fine, I’ll give you some mercy… for now.”

Donnie let out a groan, but you knew he was only doing it to be dramatic and to play along with you. You beamed at him and walked out the kitchen, your arm still looped through his. He didn’t pull away, instead leaning slightly against your side and letting out a loud and exasperated sigh from his place next to you.

April and Mikey watched you both disappear out into the hallway, the sound of both of your bickering trailing off the farther you two walked away.

Mikey let out a sigh, shaking his head in exasperation and crossing his arms knowingly. “Children.”

“They’re both older than you.” April deadpanned.

Donnie watched with fond amusem*nt as you zipped around the atrium to introduce yourself. You chatted animatedly with Sunita and Leo, clapped Casey on his shoulder like you two were old friends, got noogied by Cass, cooed over Shelldon and petted him with all your might, and got stared down at by Baron. You had also greeted Raph from his place on his bench press.

Gary had flown off your shoulder at one point to chase after Mayhem once the two saw each other and were now chasing each other throughout the lair. He had taken the bag containing gifts off your shoulder to put away for you.

He wasn’t surprised in the slightest at your ability to meet so many people at once and not get drained. If he were you and met so many people in less than half an hour, he would probably need to retreat to his lab for about two days to recover.

“Oh my god!” You squealed as you bounded over to Donnie. “Sunita is so cool! She was so down in reading some human books, so I just had to tell her all about my favorites.”

“You’re indoctrinating her.”

You let out a scoff, plopping yourself down next to him on the bean bag that he was sitting on.

“Am not.”

You two watched as Raph attempted to bench press Sunita and Leo, with Cass cheering on the side and Shelldon recording the whole thing, flying around in the air to get in multiple angles. Meanwhile, Baron had wandered off into the kitchen at some point and Casey sat himself down on the only other beanbag, also watching the debacle happening in the middle of the atrium.

Your side pressed into his with the both of you squished on one bean bag, but he didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Yes you are. I will have to warn Sunita to not fall to your charming influence.”

“She’ll join the dark side soon enough, you’ll see. And you’ll be helpless to do anything. More people need to see the greatness that’s Stolen Love.”

He chuckled from his place next to you, slumping back against the beanbag and letting his shoulder bump against yours. You wiggled your butt a bit to get more comfortable before taking out your phone to mindlessly scroll through it.

From his place a few feet away, Casey couldn’t hide his fond smile from the sickeningly sweet sight that the two of you made. Casey watched as you snickered at something on your phone before you poked at Donnie’s shoulder to grab his attention. Donnie’s attention immediately shifted over to you, leaning his head down to gaze at your phone that you held out for him to see. The both of you then dissolved into giggles like some teenagers.

Casey shook his head, relaxing back against the lumpy bean bag. He already knows how this is going to go, and it looks like he’ll experience it for a second time too. He only hopes that this time, it’s going to take less time.

Eventually April came out to announce that the hot chocolate was ready in the projector room. You perked up, hopping up from the beanbag excitedly upon the news. Donnie got up from behind you, trailing after you and everyone else into the projector room.

Mikey had proudly showed off the set-up that the two had probably been working on the whole time. Bundles of blankets were draped on the ground and across the couch, with many pillows spread throughout. In front of it all was a coffee table full of snacks, as well as an additional table pushed next to it holding the cups of hot chocolate and an assortment of treats and a can of whip cream to put in the hot chocolate.

The projector was ready and was set up to project the home screen of Netflix. You can only assume all the movies you all are watching are going to be Christmas themed.

You nudged Donnie, knowing right away that you wanted to sit next to him, and he looked at you. You nodded at a spot. His eyes slid over to the pile of blankets on the floor, right in front of the coffee table of snacks and he nodded back at you, no words exchanged at all for the two of you to understand each other. You both headed to sit. Everyone soon followed suit.

With Donnie sitting closer to the small table of hot chocolate, he grabbed a cup for you and handed it over to you. You smiled gratefully at him, looking down excitedly and blowing at the steam, letting the warmth flow through the ceramic and into your palms. He watched you softly for a moment before going to take a cup for himself.

Everyone settled into their positions. April and Cass snuggled up against each other on one side of the couch behind you two with Casey sitting on the other side, Sunita lay on the floor on her stomach and her chin propped up in her palms with Raph sitting next to her, Baron begrudgingly let Mikey sit next to him on the floor, Leo had dragged a bean bag from the atrium for himself, and Splinter was sitting in his usual spot in his armchair off to the side. Shelldon happily started the movie and let himself rest against Donnie’s other side.

Halfway through the first movie, Mayhem and Gary finally found their way into the projector room to join the rest of you.

You zoned out a bit near the end of the first movie. You had drained your cup of hot chocolate and you were starting to get full from the amount of snacks you shoved in your mouth. So you took that moment to reflect on the day.

Meeting everyone was definitely fun. Everyone is so nice. Sunita is an absolute sweetheart and had happily chatted to you about her experience living up top in New York and you recommended her some activities to do, like visiting the local libraries.

Meanwhile, your meeting with Cass had been a bit more intense. Apparently she had heard of what is now dubbed ‘The Frying Pans Incident’ and had complimented you with a very powerful clap to your back, which you had stumbled a bit from. Your strength had apparently impressed her so and she praised you for it, before promptly asking you if you could show her how you did it.

You were also able to talk to Casey for a bit. The boy seemed a bit shy at first but with your natural ability to get along with just about anyone, he seemed to open up a bit. He asked you about your job in the Hidden City and told you some funny stories about the Hamato family throughout the years he’s known them.

Baron had been even more intense than the introduction with Cass. He stared at you for some time with some small part of disdain on his face. Of course, the look made you nervous but you didn’t let your eyes stray away from his. Instead, you narrowed your eyes at him and stood up a little taller. At this, he let out an amused huff before turning away to walk to the kitchen. Which, you think that’s a good sign.

“Hey Don.” You whispered at him. He hummed.

“I don’t wanna be rude, but who’s Baron to you guys?” Cass, Sunita, and Casey seemed within the age range to be friends with the siblings, but not Baron. He was definitely older.

Donnie faltered at this, a contemplative expression crossing over his face. “Uh, well… He is kind of our second dad?”

“Second dad?”

He waved you off. “Long story short, he was the one who turned me and my brothers into mutants. Splinter had been the one that raised us.”

That’s certainly interesting. “Hm, didn’t know that.”

Now that that curiosity was solved, you settled back into the movie.

Two movies were watched through before Leo declared that it was time for a break. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly, with some standing up from their positions with a stretch and a groan. You stood up, letting out a small burp under your breath and patting your stomach. Donnie lay on the floor on his back, relaxing against the pillows and blankets.

“I’m gonna pee.” You declared, shuffling past everyone. Donnie shot up from his place on the floor, his arms supporting the top half of his body, before taking a nervous look over at Mikey. His little brother gave him a look before pointedly nodding in the direction you had headed off into.

Donnie nodded resolutely before getting up from his place on the floor. Quickly, he speedwalked over to his lab and grabbed at the gift-wrapped box sitting on his desk. This was a good opportunity for him to give you his gift.

He made his way back over to the general direction of the bathroom, waiting for you in the hallway that would lead back to the projector room.

He heard the toilet flush and then the sound of running water. He could distinctly hear you humming through all of it. He rubbed at his neck, pursing his lips and feeling his heart speed up the longer it took for you to get out of the bathroom.

You eventually opened the door, still humming. Your eyes met his and your humming trailed off, confusion filtering across your face.

“H-?”

You let out a startled yelp as a colorful box was suddenly shoved into your arms. You stared at him, wide-eyed, before looking down at what was in your hands.

“It’s…” He shifted on his feet nervously. He then took a deep breath. “It’s your Christmas present. From me to… to you.” His sentence started out strong but then descended into a whisper at the end.

You looked at him in surprise before your expression morphed into excitement. “… Can I open it now?” You couldn’t help yourself. You were dying to find out.

“If… you wish.” Actually, it made him even more nervous that he was going to have to stand in front of you while you opened his present, but he kept that to himself. You seem so excited, he didn’t want to ruin that.

The moment he finished his sentence, you tore through the reindeer themed wrapping paper. You threw the paper over your shoulder, mumbling to him that you’ll clean it up later when he shot you an annoyed look.

You opened the flaps of the box to the side and stared at what was inside. In the center, among a sea of your favorite color tissue paper, sat a bundle of purple flowers. But they weren’t real flowers, no, they were made out of fuzzy sticks. The sticks were clearly bent and shaped to resemble actual flowers and the green fuzzy stem twisted around the base of every flower, connecting it all together

“It’s made out of pipe cleaners.” Donnie explained, looking at you for a moment before looking to the side. He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “Mikey had helped me in making them. I know you are horrendously terrible at maintaining your plants, so I thought to give you a uh… a plant that would be impossible to succumb to death under your hands.”

You were silent as you lifted the bundle of flowers out of the box, and held it out in front of you to admire softly. It was beautiful, every single pipe cleaner intricately twisted to resemble the petals of every single flower. You don’t think anyone has ever put this much work into a gift for you, and you don’t think anyone else will as much as the mutant in front of you.

A warm feeling spread through your chest.

Donnie finally had the courage to look back at you. Your eyes had moved from the flowers to him at this point, a soft smile across your face and the bundle of flowers held up to your chest tightly in your hands. He didn’t even notice that the box dropped onto the floor.

“Thank you.”

You seemed touched at his gift, more touched than he would’ve expected. He had expected you to just give him a big smile, wave the thing around excitedly all the while saying how pretty it was, and maybe give him a hug before scurrying back to the projector room.

You didn’t do any of those things.

Instead, you stepped closer to him. He tensed, not knowing what you were going to do. He’s never seen you this way. You still had that soft look across your face and the bundle of flowers was now held between the two of you. It grazed gently against his plastron.

In a flash, you leaned up and kissed the side of his cheek, quickly pulling back afterwards. His mind blanked out the moment your lips touched his skin and it didn’t reboot after that, even after you pulled back. His eyes stared off into the distance, clouded and no longer registering your presence. His arms lay limp at his sides and he stood there looking like an idiot.

You shot him an amused grin, despite him looking to be in a different plane of existence altogether. You let out a sigh when seconds passed and he didn’t move a muscle. You held up a hand and tap at his cheek with a finger.

“Come back to me Donnie.” His skin felt hot under your finger.

He blinked, looking at you once more. You gave him one more teasing tap before dropping your hand, your other hand still holding onto the flowers.

“I hope my gift is as good as yours.” You joked, hoping to get him back in the present.

His mouth opened and closed, looking like a fish out of water. In a flash, he slapped a hand across his eyes and turned away from you, his brows furrowing in embarrassment. He started mumbling under his breath, seemingly unable to face you.

You blinked, leaning to the side a bit and trying to get a look at his face. Unfortunately, he was hunched over in a way that blocked your view of his face. But you were able to see a dust of red at the upper corner of his cheek.

You straightened up and whistled, bouncing on the balls of your feet as you patiently waited for him to reboot like a computer.

How could you stand there and look so casual? You just kissed him on his goddamn cheek before giving him a grin as if it was the most normal thing in the world for you to give him a kiss on his cheek. Did you have any idea what you were doing to his limbic system and his brain’s reward system?

“-nie? Donnieee?” A hand waved in front of his face and your worried expression came into his view. “Please don’t die on me, otherwise I won’t have anyone to do my taxes for me and TurboTax is expensive.”

He blinked, thrown off course at your mention of taxes. “TurboTax is not expensive.”

“It is for me.”

You two stared at each other for a moment. You nodded your head back towards the projector room, a smile tugging at your lips.

“Ready to head back? They’re probably starting the next movie already.”

“… Yeah.” He mumbled. You bumped your hip into his before starting to walk away, with him trailing behind you. He noticed that you didn’t go to put the flowers away in your bag on the way back. Instead, as the two of you settled down once more in the projector room, you clung onto the flowers, occasionally looking down at it and pinching the fuzzy petals between your fingers gently.

Chapter 27: Hidden City

Chapter Text

You felt a sense of deja vu as you found yourself standing in a familiar alleyway, your bags hanging on your shoulders and your hands holding Donnie’s gift. Gary was snuggling into the crook of your elbow and Donnie was standing across from you, his fingers nervously wringing together.

“I had a lot of fun today.” You said softly, not wanting to wake up Gary sleeping soundly in your arms. “I don’t think I’ve had that much fun in a while.”

Donnie’s face scrunched up, his brows furrowing at your sentence. You couldn’t hold in your smile even if you tried.

“With a bunch of people at once, at least. I always have fun when I’m with you.”

His expression relaxed at that. He cleared his throat and took in a deep breath, looking up and staring straight into your eyes. You raise a brow at the look across his face, which was one of determination.

“I know-” He cleared his throat once more when his voice suddenly cracked. “I know that you had already given me a ki-” He coughed, seemingly unable to finish the sentence. It was silent for a second or two. He started back up. “...back in the lair, and I want to formally ask… for one more. From me to you.”

From his shell shot out a familiar metal claw, which was pinching a small green plant decorated with tiny red berries. The claw stretched out over his head and hovered in the air above you two.

Your eyes widened, shocked that he would ask for a kiss of all things. You didn’t think that Donnie had actually enjoyed the small kiss you gave him back in that hallway, you assumed his reaction to it was due to some sort of embarrassment because of the intimate gesture, of which he most likely doesn’t deal with very often.

Did he… like it that much?

Donnie is looking extremely nervous now the longer the silence is dragging on. You blinked, then nodded your head at him.

“I need a verbal response Y/n.”

“Yes. You can give me a kiss.” The situation would’ve been funny, if your heart wasn’t beating a mile a minute that is.

Unbeknownst to you, Donnie’s heart was beating just as fast, if not faster. He can almost hear his own pulse in his head if he listens close enough. He couldn’t believe he was actually going through with this, even more so at the fact that you accepted his piss poor attempt of wanting to get one more kiss from you.

After the first kiss you had given him back in the hallway, he had been quick to daydream about receiving another one from you for the rest of the hangout. Your face had been so close to his, your lips inches away from his own, and the scent of you flooding his nose as you lean towards him was all too much for him to process in the moment, but afterwards? He couldn’t think about anything else.

He knew it was too soon to hope for something like that to happen again though, so he eventually was able to reign back the daydreams.

But when the last movie had ended and Donnie was about to walk you out of the lair, the universe seemed to have granted him his wish once again.

Mayhem had trotted up to him with the mistletoe plant in his mouth. The yokai had looked up at him expectedly, looking as though he wanted him to take the plant. Donnie had no idea who set the little yokai up with this or if this was all Mayhem’s idea, but he was scared to find out either way. In the end, he plucked the mistletoe from Mayhem and stored it in his shell to use for later.

And the mistletoe was a perfect excuse for what he wanted to do.

Donnie stepped towards you, lifting an arm and letting fingers grasp your chin gently. You stare at him in anticipation, wide-eyed. Was he not going to kiss your cheek? You thought he was doing this for payback for the stunt you pulled earlier-

Donnie squeezes his eyes shut, his expression morphing in a way that made him look borderline constipated. You pressed your lips together, trying your hardest to not let out a laugh at his adorably awkward stance and expression. You were glad his eyes were closed or else you’ll feel bad.

In the next second, you felt his snout press up against your face as his lips finally made contact with your cheek. You sighed at the touch, feeling warm in your chest. His fingers gripped your chin a little tighter but his grasp was still soft. So soft.

At the sound of your soft sigh, Donnie slowly and reluctantly pulled back. His fingers slipped away from your face and his arm flopped back down to his side. His eyes made contact with yours and you gave him a warm smile, feeling giddy for some reason. He returned your smile, his own smile a little shaky and dazed. It seems like kissing for the second time didn’t make him blank out as bad as the first time.

At that thought, you let out a small huff of laughter. Donnie’s smile widened ever so slightly, now looking a little more put together. He watched as you snicker to yourself, committing the sight to his memory.

“What is it?”

“How long has this plan been in the works?” You nodded up at the mistletoe. His soft smile widened into a grin.

“Approximately ten minutes ago.”

You let out a laugh, all the while Donnie watched you with a soft grin.

It was only in the middle of night, where you were staying up late reading with your head-lamp wrapped around your skull and snuggled in your bed, that the realization of what happened today finally registered in your head.

You slammed your book down into your lap, sitting up and staring across your small dark apartment at nothing in particular. Your head lamp lit at a motivational cat poster taped on your wall.

“... We kissed. Two times.” You scratch at your head. “Well, on the cheeks but still…”

You sat there for a good five minutes, pondering over your feelings and trying to grasp at what exactly your feelings were at Donnie.

Well, it wasn’t hard to figure them out.

You do read romance novels on the daily.

You bit your lip to stop the smile that was threatening to spread across your face but it was futile.

Donnie.

You like that guy. You like the crazy mad scientist, the dangerous bo-wielding vigilante, the turtle mutant, that guy.

You fall back into your bed, giggling into your blanket. You shuffle around in your bed for a bit, not knowing where to put your giddy feelings and excitement. Instead, it all escaped through your body in a series of wiggles and rolling around in your bed, your giggles filling your small apartment.

The next day, you went to work with a skip in your step. You even greeted Agatha with an enthusiastic wave and the bat librarian raised a brow at your behavior, but didn’t care enough to question it. You set about going through your usual routine, which consisted of setting up your unofficial desk, poking your head into the kiddie room for a quick check-up, and picking up your cart of book returns. Gary eventually flew down to greet you and you gave him a quick pat on the head before setting to work on putting back the returned books.

At 11:20 AM sharp, right when your lunch break begins, you receive a text from Donnie.

DonBon:

Lunch at Sarothi Curries?

Me:

yumm, yes pls 👍

You returned to your desk where you found Gary sleeping on his usual pillow. You pulled out a laminated card from underneath a book sitting atop your table. The words displayed in plain black text ‘On lunch break, will be back at 12:30.’ were printed across the card and you set it on top of your table, letting any library goers know that you were on break. With that and a fond peck to Gary’s head, you grabbed your bag and skipped out of one of the many doors within the Mystic Library.

The door took you out to the Hidden City, the warm and dark lighting of the underground city bathing your whole figure as you stepped out into the streets. The area you were currently in was a somewhat busy one, the rough stone path walked upon by small crowds of yokai as they went about their day. Open kitchens and small shops line the street you were currently on and you looked around, trying to spot Donnie.

You found him standing a few feet away, right next to a small food cart selling some sort of steamed buns. He noticed you the same time you noticed him, and before you could take a step further he was already walking towards you, putting his phone away. His usual hoodie is nowhere to be seen, as he’s taken to wearing his gear whenever the two of you venture into the Hidden City.

”For protection, in any such cases of danger arising. Obviously.” He had said when you had asked him about it.

“You read my mind, y’know.” You chirped at him. “I was craving some curry so badly today.”

He puffed his chest out. “Well, we shan’t wait any further. Delicious spicy curry will be delivered to you shortly. Let’s go, before it gets too busy.”

You two set off a brisk pace, walking through the city streets. You passed by shop after shop, the sound of chatter and the energy of city life a familiar sight to you. Oddly shaped buildings loomed above you, the styles of each so different from each other that it was almost like a mish-mash of the buildings had fused together. Up in the air were lanterns providing a soft glow for light, as well as clothing drying on clothing lines.

You felt a pull on your arm and let out a noise as you were suddenly pulled to the side, bumping into Donnie’s side. You looked around, noticing that Donnie had just barely saved you from bumping into a tall bull yokai that was standing in your path.

“Please watch where you’re going.” Donnie said from somewhere above your head. His grip didn’t falter, nor did he let go of your arm.

“Whoopsie daisy.”

He rolled his eyes at your nonchalant reply.

“I feel as though leaving you alone down here for five minutes will result in you getting into a situation that you cannot get yourself out of.”

“Hey! Just so you know, I took karate lessons as a kid.” You puffed out. You felt his hand that was wrapped around your elbow slide down your arm a bit.

“Uh huh. And what was the highest belt you got?”

You wilted a little at that.

“... Orange.” You mumbled, kicking at a random rock you saw on the ground as you passed by it. His hand was starting to get to your wrist now. “But I could probably beat a kid with an orange belt though.”

“Hm, yes, though a child with a green will most likely beat you in a match.”

You lift your arm that wasn’t currently held in his hand and pinched his bicep. He flinched away from you but didn’t let go of his grip on your wrist. He swiftly turns his face away from you, but you could still clearly see the amused smirk across his stupid face. Bastard.

His hand slid down to hold your palm and that was where it stayed for the rest of the journey.

“... level 0 please.” Donnie hummed to the cook behind the counter.

“Level 10 please!” You repeated after him, swinging your legs in the air atop the stool you were sitting on.

The phoenix-looking yokai behind the counter replied with a grunt before turning around to get started on both your orders. Both you and Donnie were sitting at the counter of an open kitchen shop, your backs facing the street and you both were sitting on a line of stools placed alongside the counter where your food will eventually be placed.

“I think we should get you conditioned to spicy food.” You piped up. “Your life must be so boring eating bland food all the time.”

“My ‘boring’ life,” He put up air quotes, rolling his eyes. “Is perfectly fine at the moment. No need for spices, thank you very much.”

“How about this,” You started, turning to him in your stool and leaning an elbow on the counter. “I scoop up a bit of my curry from my plate and mix it in yours. We can start small and get you used to some spice in your food.”

“I do not remember agreeing to your conditioning.”

You set a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a bit. “Your taste buds will thank me.”

You waved one of the cooks down for an extra glass of water for Donnie, just in case. As the beetle cook roughly slammed down both your plates onto the counter, you scooped a small spoonful of curry sitting next to your rice in your plate and dumped it into Donnie’s own curry. He watched you warily, gripping his spoon, as you mixed it.

“How spicy is it exactly?”

“Well, your own curry should dilute it enough where you should be able to still enjoy your curry.” You finished mixing and lifted your spoon, taking a small lick at your spoon to taste test. “Hm, yeah, very little prick in the tongue but not too bad. Try it!”

Donnie hesitantly scooped up a good spoonful of the curry and rice, eyeing the portion with resignation. You watched as he carefully lifted the spoon to his mouth and took a bite, chewing slowly.

You could tell the exact moment when the spice had hit him when his face started to scrunch up and he squinted his eyes, but despite that he continued to chew and endure the very visible pain. You pushed his cup of water closer to him but he vehemently shook his head, refusing to even touch it. Before long, he finally managed to swallow his bite.

You gave him an excited smile. “Soo, how was it?”

He pursed his lips, thinking intensely for a moment. “It was difficult to taste the curry when the spice hit me full-on at first, though it gradually faded- or at least, I got used to it the more I chewed… it was- hm, sufficient.”

That meant it was good, which is definitely a win in your book. You gave a small cheer, nudging him with your own shoulders.

“We’ll get you to level 10 in no time.” You joked.

He let out an amused huff. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

You two enjoyed the rest of your lunch break eating, though the time in-between his bites was significantly longer than yours, which was no doubt thanks to your interference. He seemed to gradually enjoy his curry more though as time passed on. The two of you chatted as you ate. Donnie informed you about the current shenanigans going on in the lair, which as of late consisted of Raph currently trying to beat the world record for the loudest burp.

You sighed in content when you finished your plate, thoroughly satisfied now that your craving has been fulfilled. Donnie paid for both your plates, as you didn’t have any of the currency used down in the Hidden City.

“Thanks.” You said to him as you hopped off the stool. Donnie got down from his own stool and pulled at your elbow when you started to make your way back to the library. You turned your head back and looked at him in confusion.

He gave you a grin. “I believe it is only proper that we go get dessert after our lunch.”

You perked up at the sound of dessert. Something itched at the back of your mind at this whole situation and you couldn't help but think that this whole thing almost felt like a date. Which is silly, you and Donnie have gone out to eat a bunch of times in the Hidden City before, but with your newest revelation, you can’t help but look at everything differently now.

“Ice-cream?”

“Mhm.” His hand found its way down to your palm again. You curled your fingers slightly when his own fingers bumped against yours. “C’mon, it’s not far from here.”

You couldn’t help but squeeze his hand in excitement as you two ventured further into the Hidden City. You asked him what the ice-cream was like and what flavors were offered, but he kept his mouth shut, not letting you know a single detail. He even told you to not even look at the menu, as he was going to order your ice-cream for you.

“Whaat?” You exclaimed. “I can’t even pick my own flavor?”

“It’s a surprise.” He groaned, rolling his eyes playfully. “I do not go out of my way for these kinds of things often, so I suggest that you don’t take this for granted.”

You rolled your eyes, making sure it was exaggerated as humanly possible.

Donnie eventually sat you down at a table a few feet away from the ice-cream shop. You complained the whole time, but complied with him when he told you to stay put before going into the shop. You huffed, resting your chin in your palm as you looked around and waited for him to come back out. Out of the corner of your eye, you could spot a yokai heading towards your way. When they were only a few feet away though, they grimaced before they abruptly turned around, abandoning what they were going to do.

Now that you think about it, you started to notice that happening a lot more often lately. Yokai still approached you, though it was obvious on their face that they noticed something off about you, their expression looking as though they knew something.

Why does that happen? I don’t smell, do I? You worriedly thought to yourself. But that can’t be possible, you showered everyday. You don’t want to toot your own horn, but you consider yourself a highly hygienic person.

So what else could it be?

Before you could think on it further, Donnie walked up to the table you were sitting at. In one hand, he held an ice-cream cone topped with two scoops of black ice-cream and in the other was another ice-cream cone topped with two scoops of purple ice-cream.

He handed you the cone with the black ice-cream before settling himself down in the seat next to you. You peered closely at the ice-cream, delighted at the small plastic decoration stabbed into the top ice-cream scoop. The ice-cream itself wasn’t a complete black color like you initially thought, instead there was a subtle purple hue tinted in the ice-cream.

You nudged the bat-shaped decoration, looking closer before noticing the bat-shaped sprinkles. You let out an excited noise, looking over at Donnie.

“This is cute!” You exclaimed. You didn’t even want to eat the sweet treat. “What’s the flavor though, charcoal?”

He snorted and shrugged, trying to look as if he wasn’t the one that ordered it for you. “I suggest you eat it to know what the flavor is.”

You look back at your ice-cream, taking a moment to admire the decoration before taking a bite out of it. Donnie let out a surprised exclamation at your action, shuddering as he watched you chew your ice-cream.

“You-?!” His eye twitched, looking at the indent in the ice-cream from your bite.

“Hm.” You nodded approvingly. “Grape?”

“And blueberry.” Donnie answered. He went to take a lick of his own treat.

“Mmm.” This was possibly the best ice-cream you’ve ever had. It was milky and rich, melting in your tongue like smooth butter.

Donnie watched as you enjoyed your ice-cream, unable to keep his fond smile down. He knew you were going to like it and he was rewarded with your bright smile as you bit into your ice-cream. He felt himself get a little giddy at the sight the two of you must be making. It almost looked as though you two were on a little date instead of a lunch break.

“Your ice-cream is starting to melt.” You interrupted his thoughts. Donnie blinked before registering the sticky feeling on his finger. Looking down, he noticed that his ice-cream started to drip down his cone and was pooling around his finger. You handed him a napkin and he took it gratefully.

“Thank you.”

Afterwards, you had skipped back to work with Donnie in tow. The plastic bat ice-cream decoration was stored securely in your bag and you excitedly showed it to Gary when you were back in the library, waving it around in front of him and telling the little yokai that it was in your ice-cream. Donnie absently gave the small bat a pet on the head as he watched you talk to Gary.

Maybe one day he’ll ask you out on an official date, but for now he found that this was more than enough.

Chapter 28: Warmth

Chapter Text

Mikey straightened up from his crouched position, watching as Mayhem trot away from him in the direction where you and Donnie had headed off into. The young turtle couldn’t help but pat himself on the back, feeling satisfied at his plan that was now set in motion.

With Mayhem delivering the mistletoe, there’s no way that Donnie could trace this back to him. He can only hope that his older brother will use that big brain of his and put the mistletoe to good use.

Mikey let out a dreamy sigh.

Oh, to be in love. What a wonderful experience. He hopes someday that he could find the one for him as well…

… Did his future-self ever find a partner?

Mikey thought about the question for less than a second before he suddenly remembered Casey, who was still in the lair somewhere. He let out a gasp, slapping his hand onto his cheeks as the realization set in.

Does Casey know whether or not Donnie ended up with you in the future?

Scrambling around, he rushed through the lair in a blur. He looked through the atrium and the projector room before he was able to find Casey, who was in the kitchen digging through one of the cupboards and muttering to himself.

Casey paused what he was doing as Mikey suddenly slid between him and the cupboard, staring up at him as if he held the answers to the universe. Mikey’s eyes were large in excitement and he was visibly vibrating.

“Was your future-Donnie with Y/n?” The turtle blurted out, not bothering with slowly approaching the topic.

Casey’s eyes widened and he immediately slapped a hand onto Mikey’s mouth, worriedly looking around to make sure that no one had heard. After knowing for sure that the coast was clear, the human finally looked back at the mutant, letting out a sigh.

“Is it too much to ask to keep this between us two?”

“Is gona bwe harr, buh I’ll trye!” Mikey talked as best he could behind the hand still held against his mouth.

He let out another sigh. “Please please try as hard as you can. The Master Donnie I knew and the one I currently know wouldn’t want this to spread around without their knowledge or consent.”

Mikey nodded, understanding shining in his eyes. Casey finally, though hesitantly, let his hand drop down.

“I know my older brother, of course I wouldn’t tattle this to the others.” Mikey tutted. “It’s a breach of his privacy. But this doesn’t mean that I would stand on the side doing nothing.”

Casey dragged a hand down his face, getting flashbacks to when he first witnessed the growing chemistry between you and Master Donnie, and Master Mikey’s interferences to drive the pair of you together. That was already enough of a headache, now he has to witness this for a second time.

“I don’t think I could stop you even if I tried.” He groaned out. He felt a hand pat his shoulder.

“Chillaaax, I got this under total control. I’ll do a little master manipulating behind the scenes, a carefully planned accident here and there, an encouraging little shove, a sprinkle of rose petals there and in no time the two will-”

A loud tired yawn sounded out at the entrance to the kitchen, interrupting Mikey.

Both jumped, swiveling their heads to see Leo walking into the kitchen. The slider paused in his steps, raising a brow at the expressions across their faces.

“Did someone die or what?”

Mikey clasped his hands together, sweat breaking out across his brow as he looked at Leo nervously. Casey internally groaned. So much for having this under control.

“No! No one died. Why would anyone die? No dying here haha!” Mikey rambled. “We were just talking!”

“... About?”

“Uh, about-!”

Casey coughed, interrupting Mikey before the mutant could accidentally say something that he shouldn’t have. He set a hand on Mikey’s shoulder.

“Our Christmas gifts. We’re pretty excited to open them. I heard Raph got me something pretty huge this year.” Casey cooly answered.

Leo’s brows furrowed. “Did he? I thought my gift was gonna be the biggest.” The slider mumbled to himself, lost in his thoughts as he walked out of the kitchen.

The two let out a relieved breath.

Ever since the two of you went on the not-date in the Hidden City, Donnie seems to invite you along to anything and everything now. Even if it was for the smallest of things, like going to the grocery or a walk in the park, Donnie would shoot you a text to ask if you want to accompany him. You accepted every time, of course. You wouldn’t put down the opportunity to spend time with the softshell turtle.

Right now, you were waiting at the entrance to the park for Donnie. He had texted you two minutes ago, telling you that he’ll be there soon. This particular outing was just a way for him to get out of the lair for a little bit for fresh air, as told by the mutant himself through text.

Snow fell in gentle showers around you, covering everything in a light soft layer of white fluff. The air was frigid, but manageable enough with your many layers of clothing. Your hands, covered by a pair of warm gloves, were stuffed in your coat jacket. With every exhale of your breath, white mist bounced around in front of your face.

You bounced on the balls of your feet, excited at the thought of building a snowman somewhere in the park with Donnie. It feels like it’s been forever since you’ve played in the snow, let alone build a snowman.

You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned around.

Donnie greeted you with a small smile, his hands held behind himself for some reason. Just like you, he was bundled up in many layers of clothing, looking quite warm. Everything he wore was purple, of course. Atop his head was a warm looking hat with flaps on the sides to cover the sides of his face. He gazed at you, unable to keep the smile down around you.

“Are you holding something behind you?” Before you could lean to the side and attempt to take a look at what he was holding, his hands shot out in front of you, displaying his hands proudly.

You let out a noise at the sight of him wearing the gloves you knitted for him. Some threads were poking out here and there, but for the most part it looked like it fit comfortably on his hands.

“Do you like it? It doesn’t feel too tight, does it? Are your hands warm?” Without thinking, your own hands raised up to grasp at his own, moving his fingers around and making sure that there weren’t any holes that you had missed.

He hummed at your touch, tensing up slightly before relaxing in your hold. He watched as you poked at his hands and adjusted the gloves around his fingers gently.

“It’s warm, don’t fret. I would even say it’s the most comfortable pair of gloves I’ve ever worn.”

“Really?” You looked at him suspiciously.

He nodded, patting your hand gently with his own. “Wholeheartedly.”

You beamed at him, tightening your hand around his.

That was great to hear, you had been really worried that the yarn you had picked out felt too itchy to be used for something that would be worn on hands. You hoped that it could withstand the snow.

You started dragging him through the entrance of the park, your grip never faltering around his hand. Like always, he lets himself be dragged by you.

Eventually, after walking around for a little bit you were able to find a suitable area to build your snowman. Donnie opted to help you instead of building his own snowman and you happily accepted his help.

“So how’s the case with the Purple Dragons?” You asked him. Lately he’s been caught up with trying to catch a particular group of dangerous sounding hackers. Donnie doesn’t tell you much about his vigilante duties, especially near the beginning of your friendship, but it seems that he is starting to get more and more comfortable telling you about what he does in his free time.

“It’s going alright.” He grunted as he hefted up a big balloon of snow, which would be acting as the head of the snowman. “I caught the tail-end of one of their most recent stunts. It gave me enough info to track down their current whereabouts.”

You tilted your head, crouching down into the snow to look for any suitable sticks to create the arms for the snowman. Your eyes scanned the different selection of sticks and branches.

“Why aren’t you going after them now?”

It was strange hearing him talk so casually about tracking down a dangerous group of hackers, almost as if he was doing it as a hobby instead of trying to keep the city safe. You would be worried for his safety if it weren’t for the many times in which you saw his capabilities of warding off danger and his tech that has undoubtedly protected him many times.

“It’s better to carry it out at night, I’m able to conceal myself in the darkness and it won’t draw as much attention from any wandering bystanders.” Donnie leaned back to observe at the snowman’s face, his eyes swiveling back and forth between the two different beads that serve as the eyes of the snowman. “Hm. Rocks or acorns?”

You finally found two pairs of sticks that looked good enough for you and carried it back to where Donnie was standing in front of the snowman. He was standing with a critical look in his eye, hand held up to his chin and arm supported by the other as it crossed against his chest. You looked at the left eye, and then at the right eye.

“I think I like it like that.” You nodded as you went to stick the branches into the side of the snowman. You heard Donnie groan from behind you.

“The asymmetry is throwing off the whole look.” He almost whined. “I would highly suggest that you pick one or the other.”

“I’m sorry, who was the one that agreed to help me build my snowman?”

You threw a smirk over your shoulder at him. Instead of the annoyed look that you were expecting from him, all you got in return was a face full of snow.

You sputtered, stumbling back before you landed on your bum. You swiped a hand across your face, breathing harshly from the freezing bits of snow that clumped onto your face and eyelashes. You sent a glare over at a smug looking Donnie.

“You asshole.” You spat out, your hands reaching down to grab fistfuls of snow on the ground beside you.

Donnie stood there, a hand on his hip and the other casually tossing a snowball in the air to catch back in his hand.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“Oh you want to do this now?” Your voice took on an edge with a hint of playfulness underneath. You slowly stood back up, both hands threateningly holding handfuls of snow. You clapped your hands together, forming a single big snowball. “You’ll regret this, just so you know.”

“You’ll eat those words.” He replied back.

“I eat words for breakfast!” You yelled, hauling the snowball at his face. He easily dodged the projectile, the same stupid deadpan look plastered across his face.

And thus started the thirty minute long snowball fight, though calling it a fight would be an overstatement. It was very apparent that you were significantly less skilled than him, very apparently losing the battle. None of your snowballs had even hit Donnie once. The mutant meanwhile, shot at you cleanly with every attempt made. The worst part was that he wasn’t even using any kind of gadget or any of his metallic claws. His arm strength and aim was far superior than yours and it wasn’t long before you surrendered, dropping down onto your knees and bending over with your palms resting on the ground. Your frame was slightly shivering from the melted snow that Donnie had pelted you with and it showed in your voice as you admit to defeat.

“A-Alright, you win.” You whined.

Footsteps walked towards you, every step being accompanied by the crunch of snow. Donnie’s boots appeared in your vision and you looked up, watching as Donnie crouched before you with a victorious smile.

You pouted as he patted your cheek softly. The affectionate look that was across his face shifted once his fingers made contact with your cheek, expression shifting to a small frown.

He dragged you back up onto your feet, swiping away at any remaining snow stuck onto your clothing and fussing over the wet spots left behind by the snow. His finger swiped over your cheek.

“I didn’t realize…” He shook his head as you stumbled a bit from his fussing. “I may have gone too far...” He mumbled to himself.

“Eh, I never stood a chance.” You gave him a smile, hoping to reassure him that you were fine. Though, when you looked down at yourself, you noticed that your body was still shaking. You felt an arm wrap itself around your shoulder and your body was pulled into a firm chest.

You two decided to walk to the lair to warm up, his arm never leaving your body. You felt his hand absentmindedly rub the side of your arm, as if he was trying to warm you up as best as he could, no matter how little warmth he could only provide.