Chapter 1: Cover
Chapter Text
Chapter 2: Years 1-2
Summary:
Leo’s in denial and everyone needs a babysitter like April.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Another squeal from the main room and Leo slammed down the stirring spoon. Striding to the curtain and peeking out, he snapped, "Raph! What did I just say?!"
"Something bossy?" Raph questioned as he caught the falling turtle.
Without missing a beat, he tossed him back into the air. Face flush with laughter, Donnie squealed and flailed in the air, and Leo felt his heart attempt to jump from his plastron as Donnie fell upside down, only for the hothead to catch him.
Becoming nineteen had done nothing to remove the shrill note of fear from his voice. "You're going to drop him!"
"I am not." Raph scoffed as he turned Donnie over. "And he loves it, don't you, Donnie?"
Not yet having pronounced any intelligible words, Donnie only giggled, looking up at his older brother with shining eyes. Leo wished that the two could find ways to bond that didn't involve potential injury. "Can't you just watch tv or something?"
"Nah." Looking the leader dead in the eyes, Raph tossed Donnie in the air. Leo hurried forward when Donnie tilted off course, but the hothead moved to catch him without tearing his gaze from the leader.
Leo lowered his hands anxiously, inwardly swearing that watching them was more terrifying than Shredder used to be. "Be careful!"
"Awe, would you look at that? Momma Leo doesn't trust me." Raph mocked with a smug grin as he relaxed the one-year-old into a cradled hold. "Haven't killed him yet, have I?"
"Yet being the concerning factor here!" Leo snapped before adding, "And I told you to stop calling me that!"
Raph's grin widened. "What? Momma Leo?"
"Yes!"
"Why? Would Sensei Momma Leo be better?"
"No!"
"So I shouldn't call you Sensei."
"Ye- No!" Leo pinched between his eyes. "I am his brother! You keep calling me momma and he's going to get the wrong idea!"
"He's a baby." Raph deadpanned. "I doubt he even knows what a mom IS."
"I am trying to make soup." Leo expressed almost pleadingly, "I cannot do this with you right now."
"Great." Raph acknowledged. "So don't."
He proceeded to turn away, and the moment that Donnie left his hands, Leo bolted from his spot, using the couch for momentum as he snatched the small turt from the air. He landed smoothly, fragile form safely tucked away in his arms, and turned to glare at his immediate younger brother.
Raph's grin had returned. "Momma Leo."
"I am not-!"
"Dudes. What's with all the yelling?" Mikey questioned as he came out into the bedroom hallway, an earbud still in.
Leo had an entire rant and lecture planned, hoping to get their second youngest on his side to put a stop to the recklessness when he was interrupted. But not by either adult brothers.
"Momma!"
Leo looked down at beaming turt, mouth agape. "Did you just-"
"Momma!"
Raph burst into a fit of laughter that sent him keeling over on the floor and Mikey followed his lead the minute that the word sunk in. Leo looked between the two of them, the joy at Donnie's first word and the horror of what it was fighting an intense war that left him stuck.
"Momma?"
Leo's eyes twitched as his hysterical brothers paused to stare at him eagerly.
"...Momma?"
The already timid voice quieted and Leo looked down helplessly, "Yeah, Dee?"
Donnie made grabby hands at him, the sigh for getting picked up, and considering he was already in his arms, it wasn't hard to guess what he was hoping for.
Raph and Mikey completely broke. Leo stomped over to Raph, dropping the turt on his plastron and leaving the main room with the frustrated proclamation of, "I AM NOT ANYONE'S MOM!"
April used to be annoyed with being put on toddler assignment, as if being the only female of the group made her the first pick to watch Donnie when danger emerged and ninja duty called. She was the go-to babysitter every time- not that she minded the show of trust that Leo portrayed by looking to her when there were limited options, but something about it still rubbed her wrong.
Then she had what some might call a revelation.
April had years of ninja skills under her belt, but even the brothers couldn't have dodged this avalanche of metal and concrete. And now, her hands outstretched and a terrified tot hugging her crouched form, her power alone being the only thing keeping the area of apartment from crashing down on them- she was beginning to wonder if there was more to it than just being female.
Maybe Leo was right when he said she was the best for the job.
A scrape of metal from the outside, and a whimper from the small form under her protection, obediently keeping his head down and eyes shut like as she asked- and she couldn't even comfort him, hoping to preserve the air that they had left in this bubble of pure energy.
And then there was an opening, and she let a small door flicker out, encouraging Donnie to rush through it and into the arms of his brother. Casey shouted her name afterward, and she took a deep inhale, letting her power slip through her fingers and charging to the safety of his arms.
Everything crashed down behind her, clouds of who-knew-what spreading in their wake, and Casey dragged her back further, clutching her like a lifeline. And maybe she's clutching him back just as tightly, unable to get out the terror clogging her lungs.
"I've got you, Red."
She wanted to make a remark, a "You better" on the tip of her tongue, but April didn't realize how exhausted she was until the weight of everything wasn't all on her anymore, and she couldn't even stand. Casey led her to the ground as she panted and shook, looking up at what was left of the crappy college apartment, and to the side as all three brothers closed themselves around the crying but untouched Donatello, beaten and bruised but still standing.
Another crisis and everyone was still alive and accounted for.
Once the brothers were done squeezing the living daylights out of the possibly traumatized toddler, brown eyes darted about in search of something, and then they landed on her. They watered and he trembled, so April held out a hand and beckoned, encouraging the little one back into her arms.
"'Pril!"
Donnie didn't hesitate to comply- he rarely did- and she hugged him properly this time, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You did so good, Dee."
He only clutched her tighter, small hands curling into her jacket like before, and she looked up with watery eyes, smiling at the relief in those that looked back.
Mikey helped Raph to his feet, a nasty cut along the hothead's leg, and Leo knelt, setting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. "Thanks, April."
"No problem." She muttered. "I was just the best for the job."
Notes:
1 = April and Casey begin dating.
Donnie’s very much doted on. Leo has mother hen energy, Raph is attentive though moody, and Mikey is the fun uncle. He gets all the attention that they can spare, which is good, because for a quiet child, he’s certainly a handful.
2 = Hamato Yoshi is born to Karai.
The brothers try to remain in the lair often to tag-team caring for Donnie, but over time, they resume patrols, but in a team of two. The Mutanimals have the city covered, so it’s more out of nostalgia and habit than anything else. His brothers only take Donnie out of the sewers when a serious danger threatens the city, and they need to seek out April to act as his guardian until they have it handled.
This was the last time they let him above ground for many years.
Chapter 3: (Clip) Storm
Summary:
Just a little something based on a true story <3
(Elements changed for TMNT purposes, obvi)
Notes:
*Takes place during year one*
Chapter Text
Raph knows his brothers.
He also knows their brands of silence. Leo and Donnie have two. The normal silence and the suspicious silence. Mikey has a third, the ready-for-a-beating kind. So even though the tv is on and every brother is accounted for, when Raph starts getting uncomfortable for no explainable reason, he decides on a headcount.
Mikey is banging around in the kitchen. Leo hasn’t left his room. Donnie is watching tv-
Scratch that. Raph tilts his head. Watching the roof?
Donnie’s back is to the tv, eyes dilated and plastron close to the ground. He looks like a cat that’s about to pounce, but Raph can tell by the anxiety fluttering in his eyes that he’s debating another action entirely. His eyes dart about the roof, combing for something that Raph doesn’t see. Raph lowers the comic, readying to begin the frustrating task of getting a baby to speak without words-
Thunder rolls from the surface.
Donnie flinches, curling a little bit closer to the ground, eyes locked on the roof.
Oh.
Raph watches him, waiting for a real signal of fear to tell him if he needs comfort or a distraction, but Donnie stays in his awkward spot, waiting.
Another roll of thunder, and Donnie chirps.
It’s not in fear or dosed with a plea. It’s a weak question, a tiny attempt to communicate with the large noise.
Raph stands up and Donnie snaps his head to him, panic dying out as he walks over. “You hear that?”
Raph points upward and he chitters in his little Donnie way.
He pulls himself off the floor and Raph meets him halfway, holding out his arms so that Donnie can waddle in. He lifts him up, small hands against his plastron as the youngest pushes a bit, using his new vantage point for any visible sign of the thunder.
“It’s not gonna hurt ya.” Raph grumbles. “It’s bark is worse than it’s bite.”
He chitters, soft clicks intermingling, full of intellegent thoughts that Raph will never hear the end of someday.
Thunder rolls. Donnie ducks against Raph, silent as it quiets. He watches, as if waiting for the beast on the other side to come crashing through concrete.
“Alright then.” Raph states as he checks his belt for his t-phone and then heads for the bedrooms. “Let’s go find you your monster.”
Raph takes every path that he’s one hundred and twelve percent sure is safe.
The thunder follows them and Donnie never moves his head from it’s upward position, continually tapping Raph and alerting him of their stalker. He mutters reassurances, unconcerned by its presence, and eventually Donnie calms.
Raph bundles him up in trench coat, smirking when the little goober tries peeking out and gets a face full of rain water. He decides to stay safely tucked against his chest as Raph hops up to the rooftop, taking them both under the water tower. Once he’s satisfied that the rain has no plans on going anywhere but straight down, he crouches with the child busy gnawing on his jacket sleeve.
“Stop it.” Raph sets his booted feet on the ground, tugging the plastic fabric from his mouth. Donnie shakes his head like the stubborn brother he is, foot stomping, only to self release when he splashes himself with water.
As Donnie investigates the puddle under his feet, Raph decides that he’s glad Karai had gone nuts with shopping and that he was young enough that there were outfits three times his size that would fit him comfortably for a good while. “You can eat junk you’re not supposed to when we get home. Now, look.”
He crouches, hands on both Donnie’s sides to turn him around, and his younger brother freezes. After a moment, he starts to throw one of his hands back towards Raph, eyes never leaving the rain. Raph picks him up, stepping closer to the droplets from the sky, letting him get a better look at the clouds.
He chirps, looking to Raph urgently.
“It’s called rain.” Wind brushes at his mask tails. “You taught me about it. We were like- what, four? Five? You wouldn’t shut up about it for days after Sensei got you that book.”
He chitters, looking to the sky, tapping Raph’s plastron.
“Yeah, just like that.” Raph smirks as his younger brother continues explaining every individual thought on his mind. He listens, waiting for their guest of honor, a roll of thunder crossing overhead.
It’s loud and present, prompting Donnie to duck down, Raph’s trench coat clenched tight in three fingers. It echoes longer when they’re above ground, barely muffling his favorite word.
“Momma.”
“We don’t need Leo.” Raph dismisses indignantly. “It’s just a little thunder. Trust me, for mutants like us, it’s gonna be the least of your problems.”
Donnie peeks up to watch his face, gaze intent, and Raph grumbles, “Wish I could remember a single thing you told me. Doubt we even have the book anymore with all the stuff Mikey used to color on. Maybe I’ll ask Foot princess to grab you a new one. She seems to like throwing gifts at you instead of being around.”
Donnie looks to the storm.
His older brother reaches out to place his hand under a stream of drops. “See? Harmless.”
Donnie watches him, leaning forward, and Raph fists his hand before quickly flicking it all in his face. He squeals, batting the rain from his eyes, and Raph grins. “You don’t seem to mind water when you’re the one splashing me.”
His baby brother looks back to the rain, droplets smeared across his face, and then reaches out. Raph steps forward, gently angling his hand so the water drips onto his palm, smile softening as the curious tot processes the new sensation.
Donnie pulls his hand back, sticking wet fingers in his mouth.
“Tasty?” Another burst of thunder, and Raph points out the lightning that streaks in front of them. He looks back, just as the white bolt fades from brown eyes. “Now, that. That could kill you. That’s a monster you don’t want to bite.”
He chirps. Raph pulls his fingers from his mouth. “Then again, guess it’s only a matter of time until you start pokin’ around in things you shouldn’t be.”
Donnie throws his hand forward and Raph obliges, walking out into the rain to set him down. He doesn’t have a hood, but he makes sure Donnie’s is tucked over his skull. The last thing he wants to deal with is a whiny leader and a sick baby.
Donnie watches the drops pour down his purple sleeves, giggling when he shakes his arms and the water splashes off. Thunder roars and he shrieks in return, arms flailing and positivity beaming as he lowers himself in preparation to crawl.
Raph laughs, grabbing his elbow to pull him back into his arms, lifting him off the ground. “Yeah, you showed it who’s boss.”
He squirms but Raph holds tight, “No way, lil’ man. If Leo and Mikey miss out on your first rain party, I’m a dead man. Just making sure you’ll have a good time.”
Donnie looks back to the rain. Raph assures, “Don’t worry. You’re not gonna have to wait fifteen years a second time. I’ll get you out here.”
Donnie chitters, full of words that he doesn’t know and smarts that he’s dying to share, and Raph smiles fondly.
“Let’s go home, little brother.”
Chapter 4: Years 3-4
Summary:
The anniversary is coming up, and Donnie is too curious for his own good.
Happy Father’s Day!
Who’s up for celebrating with a healthy dose of angst?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
There was a time when Mikey never knew what it was like to have someone who listened eagerly to his every story, or trusted his word like it was law.
And yet, when Donnie was cuddled in his lap requesting a 'night-night 'venture' or bursting into tears when he thought Mikey was upset with him, he found it hard to remember the time before he was the big brother.
Donnie learned to walk before he found really found his voice, and even now that it was found and his speech was immaculate, he was always more than happy to let Mikey do all the talking. Raph insisted that once Donnie felt he knew everything, then they'd have a hard time shutting him up.
None of them doubted it.
Mikey can’t name the exact moment that he became the smart brother, but he guessed it was the moment Donnie forgot everything he knew. Leo was smart in ninja ways and Raph had his street smarts, but Mikey was smart in only the way that the previously youngest brother could be.
He knew what it felt like to be confused by the smallest curiosities, to feel left out, or like there couldn't be as much bad in the world as everyone said. He knew what it was like to be pushed to the side, or looked down on for childish interests that others had outgrown.
He never wanted Donnie to know what that was like.
So every question and and request was answered to the very best of his ability. Every fairytale book was read, every block-town civilization was built, and every imagination world was explored, complete with costumes, superpowers, giggles, and funny looks from their brothers.
The brothers knew exactly how to handle Donnie because they’d grown up together. They had rough estimates of how things happened, but if they followed them, then Donnie would grow up like before. It was so simple.
Then something flipped.
Donnie no longer wanted the blocks that he adored until he was almost five; he wanted to decorate his walls with messy sketches of impossible creations. He didn’t want to be read storybooks about heros and villains like he gushed over until he was twelve; he wanted to know how subways and cars worked. He didn’t want to create somewhere fake like they all did for their entire childhood; he wanted to study what was real.
He wasn’t much for watching their kiddie shows, but he was always happy to take advantage of his pitiful brown eyes and talk his way into one of their laps, cuddling close to a lucky brother and studying the less kid-friendly, but still very child-safe show that they strategically put in when he was around.
He requested books about hockey. He carried his teddy the way that Karai and April held Yoshi. He mimicked Leo in the dojo. He memorized tool names so Raph would let him ‘help’ with repairs. He mixed batter and decorated pizzas with Mikey the kitchen.
Donnie was still Donnie, but also not. Donnie was so small, but he wanted to do everything they could. It was like some part of Donnie knew that he wasn’t supposed to be that little, like he knew he should be grown up right along with the three.
Leo and Raph gave Mikey tired looks when he said as much. So maybe not.
They all knew Donnie got confused sometimes, about his place and his origin, and they always did their best to explain, but telling a three-year-old that he used to be an adult and evil alien’s science goo turned him into a kid isn't exactly the easiest thing for even a genius toddler to wrap his head around.
The only thing that never seemed to change was the stories.
Telling of their adventures was the perfect mix. Unbelievable enough to capture his attention, and every word was a piece of their history, so Donnie absorbed the information like sponge.
They wanted to keep him innocent, not naive, so Mikey was free to tell him stories of their adventures on Earth and in space, explaining that the great galaxy is exactly where Mona came from. He got to watch his eyes light up when he told Donnie about how they traveled through time and dimensions and hold him close when he told lighter versions of events with The Triceratons and Shredder.
Still, there were many stories that hadn't been explained to the young mind starving for knowledge. Stories that Mikey preferred to keep in the back of his mind, hoping to never have to tell, because to tell is to relive, and reliving certain events is hard.
So maybe it was his fault that he came home from a kinda-date with Renet to find Donnie sobbing quietly in his room, tucked away in a corner. Mikey wasted no time in collecting his baby brother in his arms, not even bothering to seek out the root of the problem as he pulled him to his chest, rocking and shushing him so he’d know he wasn’t alone.
Donnie hid away in his embrace the way he always did, but the sobs didn’t stop. So Mikey rocked and hummed and reassured in the room filled with trinkets and toys, a mix of the old Donnie and the new Donnie that they couldn't bear to erase.
It was only when Donnie began to calm down that Mikey allowed his gaze to stray from the distraught form, and he spotted the picture frame lying facedown on the floor. With a worried frown, he steadied an arm around the small shell as he reached for it, feeling Donnie smush himself into his hold as he turned the picture over and glanced at the photo.
A lump formed in his throat, and he looked away.
"Dee?" He whispered as he set it to the side. "Where did you get this?”
“Dojo.” Donnie sniffled. “Off the shelf.”
Mikey guessed he’d find a chair dragged through later. “Why?”
“No.” Donnie squeezed his eyes shut. “No, no, no, no.”
“I’m not mad.” Mikey soothed as he ran fingers over his carapace. “But I do need to know what happened, lil’ bro. Lay it out for me.”
“I-I- just-!” Donnie pushed his fist in the way of his mouth to stop the words and Mikey nuzzled the top of his head, letting him know that whatever it is, he won't be upset. Donnie whimpered.
Mikey kept his voice light. "Safe zone. Not mad."
Donnie lowered the fist. “Sorry.”
“Thank you.” Mikey acknowledged. “But it doesn’t really work until I know what to forgive you for. Help me out, will you?”
“I-I made Momma and Raphie mad. They’re gone."
Donnie only ever used the nicknames when he was really upset or scared, and a million emotions cycle through at once. Variations of confusion and sympathy and worry hit him first.
Then Mikey's eyes widened in shock and understanding because they basically made a silent pact to never leave Donnie alone under any circumstances.
Finally, a surge of fury was kept under wraps as he carefully asked, "Oh, yeah? What'd you do?"
Teary eyes shied away. "He keeps making you sad. Wanted- wanted to know why."
Mikey closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"You asked, huh?"
"Yeah." Donnie trembled. "Raphie was quiet. M-Mama said no. I-I just wanted ' know but-but then Mama got m-mad and Raphie got sad-angry a-and g-ot loud-"
Another guilty sob broke him off and Mikey pulled him back into the tight hug, shushing him and listening as he let the fear and guilt loose. He knows that Donnie isn't to blame, not with the anniversary being so close and him being too young to remember or understand those visits to the farmhouse. They hadn't even tried to explain it before.
But maybe it's time they did.
"We're sad because he's gone, Dee."
"So tell him to come back!" A bitter remark stirred, but he buried it quickly, holding his tongue to keep from saying anything that he might regret. "Make him come back so you don't have to be sad!"
"Donnie..." The little brother stared back, round eyes scanning his face for answers that he was not ready to give, and Mikey exhaled shakily, forcing a watery smile.
"How 'bout I tell you a story?”
He's four years old and understands death.
Raph hated a lot of things about the world they lived in, but that's definitely one of his top ten. Somewhere under they aren't supposed to exist and he doesn't even remember how awesome the guy they're mourning was.
Donnie still didn’t know him, but to a point, he seemed to understand why Splinter hadn’t come home. Mind filled with stories and pictures, he’d studied the grave like it was a puzzle that he had yet to solve. Emotions had gotten hard to swallow for all of them when he’d patted the ground in front of it and whispered a genuine, “Hi, daddy.”
Donnie didn’t spend much time around the grave as he did with them. It was grounding to have him there, fiddling with something by their side as they tell Splinter about how things are going back in New York. At least, that’s what Raph did.
He didn’t really know what Mikey and Leo did during their mostly private moments.
Donnie was a good listener, but he was also four, and it was far past his bedtime.
So here they were. He'd curled up in Raph's lap with his cheek pressed against the larger plastron, body slumped into a steady hold that wouldn't let him go, even if another Creep burst out of the forest and tried to rip them apart. Donnie was sound asleep, paying the price for forgoing today's nap and bedtime because schedules and plans didn't work well during the week up here, and no one thought to tuck him in.
Raph couldn't remember when Donnie ended up outside, resting peacefully in his lap as they sit next to the grave of the father that raised them both at a time that felt like eons ago.
One moment Raph was alone, and the next he had a small body seeking his heat.
He brushed a hand over scutes only scratched by minor accidents and silly child-genius mistakes, and the tension in his muscles relaxed, unseen tears trekking their way down. He bowed his head to lean his chin against the side of Donnie's skull, wondering why it was fair that Donnie would never get a chance to know him.
Nothing in their lives ever truly played fair, but this was the least fair of all.
They'd made a mistake, not telling him nearly enough about their father because of his age and how much it hurt. It was selfish, but they felt like they had time, and the questions came up too fast, much faster than they were prepared for.
He and Leo had gone to take a breather without double-checking that the other was going to stay with Donnie, and the little tike was left alone to assume that he'd upset them to the point of sudden abandonment.
It wasn't fair, but they were fixing that. They were fixing their mistakes.
"Maybe..." Raph looked up, the moon beaming gentle rays through the tree leaves and onto the tombstone. "Maybe he can't meet you, Master Splinter, but he'll know you. I promise; we'll make sure he knows you."
The tree leaves rustle, even though the cool night held no wind.
Emerald eyes harden beneath the heartbroken sheen. "He'll know you."
Notes:
Year 3 = April and Casey are married.
Patrols continue, crime slows a bit, and the brothers continue to dance around the topic of their father, unaware of how much attention their little brother is paying. They do their best to be tolerant of his endless supplies of questions, and Mikey is more than happy to fill in gaps from their past.
Year 4 = Cass Jones is born.
Donnie wonders what Splinter would have been like sometimes, watching the way their eyes grow misty and fond when they talk about him. He sounds amazing- a real-life superhero stronger than his brothers but nicer than the nicest humans combined- and Donnie bets he would have hugged like Leo.
(Donnie contemplates stories and reads between the lines later- wondering if Splinter was as perfect as his brothers seem to believe. But he never voices these thoughts, because that might spoil the images they cling too, and it isn’t fair for him to judge a man he never knew.
They love their father, and Splinter cared for him once, so Donnie loves him too. Splinter’s important to his brothers, so he’s important to him.
Even as the years pass, this never changes.)
Chapter 5: Year Five
Summary:
The brothers have been careful to separate Don and Donnie.
Their youngest does not understand why.
Notes:
Most years pass right by. Other years hold a level of importance.
For the longer, more dramatic years, a chapter will consist of one year.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It's far from unexpected to open Donnie's door and find a screen hidden under the covers after bedtime. Especially after Karai went behind their backs and gave him a tablet during their last Mutation Day. When cornered about it, she dismissed him with a casual, "He's a techie, Leo. Let him have his tech.".
While that is a legitimate observation, it’s not a real reason to offer unlimited tech to a child. Anything Don had was built from his own intelligence and resourcefulness. He'd made a laptop all on his own from books and broken parts. He'd earned the right to use it, and Splinter couldn't very well dictate a device that he'd spent hours crafting by hand.
This is a different story. Leo knew she had Yoshi pretty darn spoiled, but he's trying to teach Donnie the importance of good habits and proper eyesight- which involves not getting him attached to a device that he sneaks to bed every other night to play with under his blanket.
And maybe he would make a device of his own someday, but for now...
"Oh, Dee." He hums ominously as he draws the blanket from over his head, readying himself for a light scolding before he removes the tablet from his possession until they can have a real conversation at breakfast.
When he finds a look that's drenched in guilt as the pillow is roughly dragged down to cover the screen, Leo's big brother senses go on high alert.
"Leo!" He yanks off the earbuds that he must have borrowed from Mikey before Leo swipes the tablet, flicking open the password-free device. "Leo, wait, I-!"
It's a long list of files that seemed vaguely familiar, each one a jumble of letters and numbers.
Leo disconnects the wire, pressing one with a tense frown. He pales as a familiar face pops onto the screen; a voice that had faded from memory ringing brightly through the speakers.
"This is it. Today's the day." A long breath of relief is released as a bright smile reveals a gap. "Project Roboturtle's blueprints are finished and I'm going to start on the body. Thanks to Mikey's creative genius, I have a wide range of new ideas to add to this baby."
He glances at something on the tablet in front of him. "I... Think I'm going to take Leo's advice. Stick with the old AI code..." There's a pause as brown eyes sadden before he looks up. "Maybe I'll be able to do it again. It won't be him, but it can't hurt to try."
Leo stops the video with a shaky hand. An intelligent gaze brimming with life and loss stares back with the renewed inspiration that Leo had helped influence. He'd always felt bad for being part of the reason that they'd lost Metalhead, and when Don had nervously brought the suggestion up years later, Leo had jumped on it.
He helped whenever he could, eager to show all the support that he neglected previously.
Roboturtle lays unfinished in the lab.
"Donnie." He makes sure his voice is steady as he addresses the turtle with a bowed head. "What is this?"
"SD card. It has a bunch of videos." He fiddles with his hands. "I- Found them in the lab."
Them. His heart rate picks up. "How many are there?"
Donnie stares at his hands.
"Donnie." An edge enters his voice. These had been here all this time and none of them knew it. How did they forget that? "I want you to tell me where you found these."
"They're mine." His voice rises a bit as his fingers entwine. "I just wanted to watch them."
"They're not. You know that. That's why you hid them from us." Leo turns off the screen, ignoring the ache deep in his chest. "I can't believe you'd do that."
"I didn't want you to take them." His younger brother pleads as he looks up. "Please, they're mine. I made them! That's me!"
"No." Leo feels along the edge and then presses down. The SD card comes out easily. "I can't let you keep this."
"But it's mine!" Fury and desperation mix in his expression. "You can't do that!"
"Watch me." Leo shoves it in a belt pocket and then holds up the tablet. "And you're losing this too until you show me where the rest of them are."
"That's not fair!"
"It's plenty fair." Leo narrows his eyes. "They don't belong to you."
"They don't belong to you either!"
"Maybe not." His hand tightens around the stupid tablet that he should never have allowed Donnie to have in the first place. "But that doesn't give you the right. I should have known you were too young for this responsibility."
"You're not listening-!"
"We trusted you!" Leo snaps. "We trusted you, Donnie! Don't act like I'm the villain!"
"This is why!" Donnie practically screams, fingers digging into the bed. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd be mean and now you're being mean and it's not fair because it's mine!"
"They are not!"
"They are!"
"Would you stop-"
"That's me!"
"YOU’RE NOT HIM!"
Donnie flinches and the room light flicks on. "Leo?"
Leo faces the floor, grinding down on his teeth and taking a moment to collect himself. He breathes out and looks up. "Sorry, Mike. Didn't mean to get loud."
"No big." He steps in with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "What's going on?"
"Donnie..." Leo glances at him pensively and realizes that he isn't even bothering to face him anymore, body turned away and curled in on itself, facing the wall away from them. Leo's patience snaps. "Nothing. Something to deal with in the morning. Hamato Donnie, I better come back and find you asleep or you'll be permanently kissing this goodbye."
Without another word, Leo storms from the bedroom, refusing to acknowledge the other turtle that they must have woken up as he heads to the kitchen. He shoves the problematic tablet into the highest shelf.
He flings the curtains as he exits, planning to head to the dojo to blow off some steam, only to practically slam into a brother.
Leo steps back in exasperation. "What?"
Raph narrows his gaze. "What'd you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Leo growls as he shoves past. "How about you go interrogate the little liar?"
"Stop it." Raph grabs his arm. Leo refuses to look at him. "What'd he do?"
"Raph-"
"Let's not act like I won't hear the whole story in some big lecture tomorrow." Raph tightens his grip to keep the eldest in place. "When Donnie is red face and yelling, what do you always say?"
"I'm not in the mood-"
"Didn't ask."
"Raphael, would you just-!"
"What do you say?!"
Leo sucks in a deep breath, holds it for a few beats, and then releases it. He continues steadying his breathing until his heart rate settles and the urge to maul something dissipates. The anger is still buzzing under his skin and pressing down on his chest, but it's a bit more manageable.
Raph seems to reach the same conclusion.
He releases his arm. "Great. Okay. Run down. Now."
Leo opens and closes his hands, letting out a final sigh. "Remember those records Don used to take?" Raph frowns in thought. "Talking about his inventions and blueprints and all kinds of other stuff he'd rather talk to a screen about than us?"
"Yeah, 'cause we couldn't understand half of it." Raph huffs with a tinge of amusement. Leo gives him a sharp look as it starts to dawn on him. "Wait, did- did Donnie find those?"
"He's been watching them behind our backs." Leo stops leaning his weight away when he realizes that Raph has every intention of having this conversation. "He won't tell me where the others are. Says they're his."
"They kinda are." Raph shrugs half-heartedly. "He just doesn't remember making them."
"They're not." Leo challenges fiercely. "Whatever happened to 'different turtle, different kid' and 'can't make him Don 'cause he's his own turtle'?"
"And I stand by that 'cause it's true." Raph scowls. "But treatin' him like this Donnie doesn't mean we ignore that he was also Don."
"I'm not ignoring that! It's just-" Leo cuts himself off, trying desperately to put the reality into words. "Don't you hear the way he talks sometimes? Like, when he talks about Don? It's constantly I made or I did or straight-up claiming Don's stuff as his! He didn't do those things! Any of them! He's not in those stories! This wasn't him."
"We know that, but he's five." Raph crosses his arms. "He's still figuring things out. It took us forever. Gonna take him some time too. Most kids don't grow up hearing stories about themselves."
"I know!" Leo throws up his hands. "Of course, I know that!"
"Then what is the big deal?"
"I don't know!"
"Not good enough!" Raph growls. "You can't wake up the entire lair screaming at our little brother for no reason!"
"I was not screaming and there was a good reason! He was going behind our backs!"
"You were! And he's a kid! He's gonna mess up!" Raph jabs a finger at his plastron. "But I've heard you lecture him enough time to know you know that. So what's. Your. Problem?"
"Why do I always have to be the bad guy?"
"You're not always the bad guy, but you are acting like a total jerk!" Raph shoves him. "Now man up and give me a good reason or I'm giving that tablet back!"
"We talked about undermining me-!"
"And we talked about not screaming at Donnie but here you are not taking your own advice!"
"He yelled first!"
"HE'S FIVE!"
"HE-!"
"-IS DON WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
Leo snaps his mouth shut, heart pounding against his ribs and adrenaline coursing through his veins. He doesn't know why he's madly struggling against a flight-or-flight instinct, but he plants his feet, forcing himself to stay put.
Raph stares him down. "One day he's gonna look like Don. He's gonna talk like Don. He's gonna invent and ramble and even yell like Don. And you can't be mad at him for that."
"I wasn't-"
"Would you just let me be right for once?!"
Leo looks away.
The hothead scowls. "Look, I get it. Sometimes I can't look at the picture in the dojo 'cause he'll be meditating with you and- and he's right there, but it feels- it feels like- I dunno, like Splinter." Raph gestures uselessly at nothing and then heaves a heavy sigh. "I get it. I hate it. But I can't be mad at him. That's not fair. He's just as confused as me and you."
Leo blinks away the collecting moisture. "He went behind my back."
Raph raises an eye ridge. "You ever think he might have a reason for that? He figured out Splinter all on his own. And you know how we handled it?"
Leo's heart sinks. "Yelled."
"Yeah." Raph lowers his hands.
A beat of silence passes between them.
"...He's a smart kid. He'll figure this out."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Leo swallows a mixture of emotions. "I'm a bad brother."
"You messed up." Raph rebukes. "So fix it."
Leo looks towards the bedrooms and Raph shakes his head. "Tomorrow. You gotta shake yourself off. Let Mikey do damage control." He hesitates and admits. "Don't think the squirt will want to talk to you anyway."
Leo's shoulders slump and Raph lightly hits one, trying to offer some comfort. "Get some sleep."
"Night Raph."
He watches his younger brother head back to the bedrooms and lets out a long sigh, turning back for the kitchen. He swishes the curtain and plops on an island chair. After a long moment of staring blankly at the island, he gets out his t-phone and the SD card.
He flips it between his fingers, stomach churning in an emotion that he can't quite describe.
He puts it in, takes a deep breath, and presses play.
***
It's hard to avoid anyone in a home as small as theirs, so self-seclusion is the only way to successfully never interact with whoever is upsetting them. When Donnie doesn't show up for breakfast or lunch, Leo knows he has to do something before his younger brother's reluctance to conflict drives him to starve himself.
So he orders his younger brother's favorite pizza, swallows his pride, and heads to his bedroom.
"Dee? You hungry?"
His younger brother is curled around the teddy propped in his lap, duck-taped chest mostly covered by a comfy purple t-shirt with a science beaker bubbling over. He doesn't say anything in response to Leo's call, mutely staring through the words in the textbook in front of him.
Leo lets another minute tick by. "...I just want to talk, little brother."
Another beat of silence and then a timid, "No yelling?"
"No yelling." He swears as he enters the premises, sitting down on the bed next to him. He closes the textbook that Donnie clearly isn't reading anyway, and sets the pizza down in its place. Donnie lets the bear sag in order to grab an offered slice.
Leo sighs when he refuses to look up. "Look, Donnie, I shouldn't have... Reacted the way I did last night. It wasn't fair and... Maybe a little mean."
Donnie swallows. "Yeah."
"But- you know I wasn't trying to be mean, right?"
"Yeah."
"You just- you can't take things that aren't yours, especially when you know you might get in trouble for it. It's dishonest and I expect better. You can't be going behind my back like that."
"Okay." Donnie takes another bite.
One-word answers. Leo can tell he's not really listening. Frustration spikes and he feels his fingers tighten on his lap, nails digging into skin, but he allows himself a moment to think before speaking. He breathes in slowly, manually loosening his fingers until they're flat against his thigh, and then lets it out.
He looks back to his younger brother, voice even, "Can you tell me what's on your mind?"
More silence stretches. Leo waits it out.
"I'm mad at you." There's a defeated finality to the bitterness. He bites into the cheesy crust and stares down at his plate. "You won't listen."
Leo hesitates on an answer. He knows that Donnie doesn't have much of a right to be mad. He's the entire reason this situation came to be.
Yeah, Leo scolded him, but only because he disobeyed. And maybe he raised his voice, but it wasn't like Donnie was being receptive! He heard all of his excuses, but that doesn't mean this is excusable. He should know better than this kind of dishonesty. It's unacceptable! What's so hard to understand?
And yet, if he comes down on him for admitting his perspective and feelings, Donnie will only duck further out of this and future hard discussions. How does one get through to a five-year-old that his judgment sucks?
Leo sighs. "I'm sorry."
The statement leaves an off taste on his tongue, but he knows that the best way to reach a disgruntled brother is a bit of humility. "I did more talking over you than I did listening to you last night, didn't I?"
Donnie nods, peeking sideways at him. Leo offers a small smile, "We can try the conversation again, if you want. Different this time. With us both listening."
His younger brother frowns, swallowing down the last of the slice. "I was listening."
"Were you?" Leo tries to hold back the bite. "Kinda seems like you were doing a good amount of talking over me too."
"You were angry 'cause I lied." Donnie states, voice stronger, the plate forgotten. "And it squished your corazon and that hurt."
These are obviously Mikey's words, but Leo lets it slide. Donnie wasn't the only brother who needed an outside perspective. "Donnie, I was upset because those weren't yours."
"They were!" Leo opens and shuts his mouth before he can give in to the knee-jerk reaction to correct him. "That's me. I'm not that big yet; I know- but I'll look like him and talk like him- he's me, just when I get bigger! That's the me I'm gonna be, Leo! I just wanna get him right!"
Leo's eyes widen. "No- no, Donnie, that's not-"
He knew it- he knew this would happen- he knew-
He struggles with the new panic until he can get it settled, trying not to look at the earnest eyes of his younger brother who can't possibly understand how impossible that is.
He tries again, "Donnie, you can't-"
His voice falters and he gives up, pushing the pizza to the side and holding out his arms. His younger brother's brows furrow, but he releases the bear to crawl forward, allowing Leo to scoop him into his lap.
Leo takes a calculated breath to calm his nerves. He feels the shifting of his brother as he gets himself comfortable- the present brother- his baby brother- the brother who might spend his entire life tearing himself apart trying to be someone who can't exist again- and blames the stinging of his eyes on the lack of sleep from the late night.
He waits till Donnie relaxes to mutter, "I don't want you to be him."
"What?" Donnie scans his expression with wide eyes. "But Don-"
"He's gone. And we're okay with that." Leo ignores the way his voice shakes. "He was someone else. He's Donatello, Don, and we loved him. And you're Donnie, our little Dee, and we love you too. We love you for different reasons, because of different things."
Donnie frowns skeptically. Leo hesitates, "Don never liked Space Heroes, you know that?"
"Really?" He gawks. "Not even Dr. Mindstrong?"
"Not even him." Leo vaguely recalls his irritation and disappointment, but it overlaps with clearer memories of laughter and fondness. "But we never miss an episode. And I've loved sharing it with you."
He gives that a moment to sink in, releasing his grip. "Do you think you're going to hate it tomorrow? Or in a year? Wake up and never want to watch it again?"
"No." He sounds almost offended. Leo tilts his head, "Then how can you be the same?"
Donnie stares at his plastron in deep thought. "But... But, he's- we're-"
"You look the same. Maybe you have the same interests. But that doesn't make you the same." Leo urges carefully, trying to make sure the message sticks. "And you don't have to be the same. Never. We love you how you are now. As Donnie."
Donnie leans against him. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Leo squeezes gently.
"Even if Donnie is a liar?"
He huffs a laugh at the serious tone. "Yeah, well, then we might have a couple lectures lined up in our future, but I'd hope that this will be the last time you feel the need to lie." Leo studies the guilty face. "I don't like lies among family, Dee. You should be able to trust me."
"I didn't want to make you mad," Donnie admits. "I was only gonna watch one, but then- then Don was really interesting and-and smart an- and I just wanted to see more."
"I get that." Leo concedes, because he does, in a way. It had been hard for him to detach from the memories that came with every word of a past brother. "And I know this subject is delicate. And that you're used to it having... Bad results, when brought up... But when I say no, you have to trust that there's a good reason. Even if I seem mean."
His face scrunches. "I don't like when you're mean."
Leo scoffs and sets him back on the bed. "I gathered. Trust me, I'll work on it."
"And I'll work on it for not lying." Donnie decides as he gets to his feet. "And then no one ever has to be not listened to or mad."
"Sounds like a plan." Leo smiles and holds out his fist. Donnie bops it and they both vocalize explosions. His younger brother goes for the plate and Leo gets to his feet. "How about we head to the kitchen? There's more box to finish... If Mikey hasn't already gotten to it."
His youngest brother gasps. "Noooo- my pizza!"
He darts for the door and Leo watches him go, deciding to continue the conversations about the tablet and the rest of the missing cards later. He needs practice with this whole listening thing, but he'll work on it.
"MIKEY NO!"
"IT WASN'T ME!"
"IT'S IN YOUR MOU- RAPH THOSE ARE MINE-"
"I don't see your name!"
"LEOOO! LEO, THEY'RE EATING MY-!"
A loud squeal and laughter cut off the cry for help. Leo rolls his eyes and smiles fondly, switching off the light to head for the kitchen.
Looks like they're going to need another pizza order...
Notes:
This will be the main year.
Most writings and images will consist of this year, as it's the last year of the brothers being together.
Chapter 6: (Clip) Heroes, the Q & A Session
Summary:
Kids often have qualities that are both endearing and annoying.
Donnie’s is his adorable inability to shut up.
Chapter Text
Leo's training sessions were more constant before Donnie grew old enough to walk, talk, and touch everything that was in arms reach. Tinkering followed closely behind and taking their eyes off him for half a second usually ended up in disaster. He doesn’t know how one blows up a portable radio, but when Donnie managed it at the ripe age of three years old, they learned to keep a close eye on him. He was grateful there were three of them because he didn't know how Splinter did it.
His body was stiff and shaky by the time he finished with the rigorous session, wiping some of the sweat from his forehead as he turned to grab a quick drink before moving into mediation. He paused as he spotted the five-year-old watching him eagerly from an exhausted Raph's lap.
"Uh... Hi." Leo slips his katanas back into their sheaths, wondering when they had entered and disappointed in himself for not noticing. He’s noticing just how rusty he’d been getting recently. "Need anything?"
"He got bored of tv. And comics. And he doesn't like kid stories." Raph grumbles as his arms lay sprawled on the floor. "So I found a way to entertain him. You're entertaining."
"....Thanks?" Leo surveys his audience and Donnie hopefully questions, "Did I do that too?"
"Katas?"
“Were you doing them?”
“I guess.”
“You don’t know?”
“That’s not what I-”
“How come you don’t know what you were doing?”
“Of course, I knew what I was-”
“Then why did you ask me if you already know?”
Leo sighs. Raph gives a half wave, as if to say, see what I’ve had to deal with?
“Yes, Donnie, I was doing katas.”
“Raph does katas and Mikey does them too.”
“Yep.” Leo glances towards the exit, missing the previous quiet and thinking of his dry mouth. “They do them too.”
“Did I?” Leo looks at him. “Did I do them?”
“When you were big?”
Donnie nods quickly, scanning Leo's features with an intensity that was both off and completely normal for their curious brother. It prickles memories of the past, of small hands entwined together late in the day, of Donnie’s loud voice speaking questions that he’s too nervous to voice. He’d always admired his blantent confidence and his endless demand for answers, asking and searching until the universe has no choice but to provide.
Who was Leo to hold back?
He smiles. "Course. And soon, you'll learn it again."
"Why?"
"So we don't all die at the hands of some jerk who doesn't like how we look."
Leo bristles in surprise, shooting the hothead an appalled glance, and Raph only shrugs, apparently beyond caring whether or not they protected Donnie's innocence. Their youngest brother now has eyes the size of saucers. "But why?"
Leo shoots Raph a dark look when his mouth opens and then walks forward, crouching down in front of Donnie. "Some people are just bad people, Dee. They hurt people because they can."
"But..." Donnie frowns. His eyes fall to the ground, darting about in thought, soul-searching for any horrible acts he'd committed that could deserve such retribution. “What did we do?”
"Nothing. That's what makes them bad." Leo explains gently. "And we train to protect each other from the bad guys."
"Haven't you asked them to stop yet?" Donnie tilts his head, expression serious. "Mikey says that if someone says 'stop' it means they don't like it and you gotta stop or they'll be sad."
"Donnie..." Leo hesitates and Raph sits up, unexpectedly rubbing his head and taking on a lighter tone. "That's the thing, Donnie. Bad people don't stop. They're jerks like that. So we gotta be there to stop them."
"How?"
"By fighting them," Leo says promptly. "That's why we train."
"So you stop them from hurting people by hurting them?" Donnie blurts nervously. "But then people are still hurting. And what if they ask you to stop? If you keep doing it, doesn't that make you bad too?"
His eyes water, voice trembling. "Are we the bad guys?"
"What?! Oh- bud, no." Leo pulls him from a startled Raph's lap and wraps him in a tight hug. "Donnie, we're not. I promise that we're not. It's just complicated. It's..."
His mind races and he gives Raph an anxious look, but the hothead only stares weakly at Donnie, thoroughly disturbed by the turn of events.
"It's like... Superheroes." Leo takes a steadying breath, collecting his thoughts. "They have to fight to help, because bad guys want to hurt people. It's mean and it's not fair, but it's true. We don't want to hurt anyone, but we have to. Because if we stop the bad people, then we can keep all the good people safe. And if we don't stop them, then a bunch of good guys will get hurt and the bad guys will just keep hurting more."
He carefully pulls Donnie away to look him in the eyes. "Not all good guys learn how to fight like us. We try to be there to make sure the ones who don't want to fight don't have to. We protect them."
Donnie bites down on his lip. He’s silent for too long
“Donnie?” Leo encourages, brushing away the stray tear. “Do you have any more questions?”
His little brother looks at him, considering, and then exhales, "...Could I do that?"
Leo tilts his head, "Do what?"
"Help." Donnie squares his shoulders. "I wanna help too."
Leo's chest squeezes at the earnest expression, and Raph mutters, "You don't gotta fight if you don't want to, Dee."
"I used to." Donnie expresses firmly. Leo imagines he can see the million thoughts flying within the brown eyes. "So... I know I can. I can fight to help, like you guys." He glances back to Raph with new enthusiasm. "And then I can help Cassie and Yoshi and everyone else! And- and if fighting feels bad, I can just help without fighting! Yeah?"
He returns to scanning Leo’s for confirmation, and memories of inventions and chemicals and medicine and late nights and unrelenting dedication comes flooding back all at once. Leo knows not to compare the new Donnie with the old, but it’s hard not to sometimes. What’s the harm in encouraging the want to help people?
It isn’t like the earth finds itself in impossible perils anymore.
Leo grins, "You bet."
“Can we start training today?” Donnie gasps, suddenly excited. “I’m ready! I’m so big I can learn anything!”
“I bet you could.” Leo agrees, watching him glow with pride. “And I guess it can’t hurt anything…”
“Does that mean I call you Sensei, now? Like Raph and Mikey have to?”
“I don’t have to do nothing.” Raph huffs indignantly. Leo rolls his eyes at him, and then smiles at Donnie. “Only in the dojo, when we’re training. That’s when I’ll be your teacher.”
“A real teacher! Wow!” Donnie cups his cheeks, “Oh, I’ll be the best student! I’ll learn everything and then I’ll beat up everyone!”
“Hold on.” The Sensei interrupts. “You should never go looking for fights. That’s not what heroes do. We protect. And the first rule of being a ninja is, do not do harm; unless you mean to do harm."
"Then do lots of harm." Raph chimes in maliciously, scooping an arm around his waist and lifting him off the floor. "That's my favorite part!"
Donnie squirms in his hold, "Then you're not a very good ninja!"
"Excuse me?!" Raph grounds his fist against his skull and Donnie shrieks, one that was more of a laugh than a plea of help. "Ack, Raph, no-no-no-!"
"How about another rule- don't start a fight you can't finish." Raph deposits him onto the floor and he lands on his tailbone, flailing as he falls back. The hothead steps away, leering over him. "Guess you're not a pretty good ninja either."
"'Cause I haven't trained!" Donnie crosses his arms, cheeks puffed. "Just you wait! One day, I'm gonna learn everything and beat you!"
"Don't count on it."
Leo rolls his eyes good-naturedly as Raph holds out a hand, raising Donnie to his feet.
"Come on, you two." He beckons after him as they bickered playfully, finally heading for that glass of water. "Let's go tell Mikey the big news."
Chapter 7: Years 6-7
Summary:
Why does everyone think I’m about to off someone!?
Do you really trust me that little…?
…Okay, maybe I did bring it on myself. Fair enough! Carry on!
Notes:
Don’t expect all chapters to be this long because YEESH
I have outdone myself with this one
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"I'm making the right choice, right?"
Leo hums noncommittally, dropping his other leg flat on the mattress as he watches Chompy snooze on his plastron. He's currently claiming his younger brother's bed, but Raph hasn't called him out on in yet, sitting on the edge within reach as he continually turns the t-phone over in his hands. He stops flipping it, turning on the screen and then shutting it back off again, bringing a hand to his lips before groaning.
He throws his hand back out, screen facedown against his sheets. "Tell me I'm making the right choice."
"I would." His younger brother doesn't look up, conflicted eyes locked on the floor. "But I get the feeling you'd rather me tell you the opposite."
"If that's what I wanted, that's what I'd ask." A growl enters his tone, but Leo pays it no heed. "You've been planning this for weeks. Seriously, you've been trying to get out your whole life."
"We know I make a lot of dumb choices." He grumbles. "It's your job to stop me."
Leo quirks a smile, sympathetic and fond. "If I thought that this was dumb, I would in a heartbeat. Honestly, I debated it for a while in the beginning."
"You're supposed to be impossible about this." Raph clenches the bedsheets. "You're not supposed to be so- so-"
"It's your life, Raph."
"You helped me pack!" He gestures furiously to the room that's sparse, but not empty. "You should be yelling at me! Grounding me. What is wrong with you?!"
"It's okay to have cold feet with decisions like-"
"I do not!"
Chompy stirs, chirping in his sleep.
Leo lets the silence fall. Raph glares at the ground.
"We'll be okay." Leo says finally. "It's not forever. A few months of distance isn't going to hurt anybody. You visit whenever you can, be here every day that matters, and everything will work out. You've spent your whole life worrying about us. Take some time to think about you. In a little while, you're going to have other things to worry about."
"I can't be a Sensei. Not like you. Or him. I'm not-"
Leo sits up suddenly, catching the startled bundle of turtle in his arm, dropping a hand on his arm to squeeze. His younger brother desperately tries to face away, likely to hide the sheen over his eyes. "Then don't be a Sensei. Just... Be a dad."
Chompy squirms, rolling from Leo's arms to waddle over to Raph, climbing onto his lap with a yawn. Raph sets a hand on the spiked carapace and Leo smiles, "We both know you're already pretty good at that."
Raph doesn't answer and Leo lays back down. He watches the roof, ignoring the shuffle of movement in his peripheral. Eventually, his younger brother mutters, "I can't believe you're actually kicking me out."
"Hey, keep in mind that I have Mikey's full support."
"Traitor."
"It's your own fault, you know."
"I know."
A beat of quiet as Raph carefully sets Chompy on the sheets.
"...Better not let Donnie forget me."
"That'll be an impressive feat."
"Something fearless finally can't do?"
"Don't tempt me to try."
"Like you'd ever-"
The t-phone dings. Raph stiffens. Leo sighs, "That's the bell."
His younger brothers shoots him a slightly panicked stare that he pretends not to see as he sits up and scoots next to him. He stands tall, grabbing the pet alien as he goes, heading to the doorway with an inviting, "Come on, then."
He takes Chompy to the main room to find Mikey pacing and Donnie fiddling with his latest pet project. "How's it going?"
Mikey spins as Donnie's head shoots up. Anxiously, the second youngest demands, "Already?!"
"Already." Leo agrees as their youngest scrambles up from the couch. The device rolls from one hand to the other as Raph trudges out from behind him. He keeps his gaze on the ground and Leo prods, "You wanna give Raph his present?"
Raph looks up, surprised burdened by apprehension, as a blur of turtle darts to him. The white cylinder is held out on two palms, presented like a delicate artifact. His face is bright red, but he pushes through to burst,
"Thisisforyouforspacewhenyou'rereallyreallyfarawayandwithMonaitsjustpicturesbutIthought-"
"Woah, woah, kid, slow down." Raph interrupts with a false irritation, taking it from his hands and kneeling down to his level. "Just tell me what I'm looking at."
He inhales loudly. "A projector." He exhales in a puff. "I didn't make it, but I had to do that photos and Mikey says that's okay and it- it's for you! If you want it. While you're gone. It has pictures!"
He turns it around in Raph's hand, pressing the button on the front. An image appears; a digital copy of the one from the dojo, four turtle boys standing in front of their Sensei. Raph's smirk freezes on his face as Donnie clicks a small arrow, moving through several more pictures.
They're taken through the era of Don and then Donnie, from old film and newer photos and even directly out of the frames. It hovers like people, 3D snapshots of memories, and his gaze strays from the image to the real turtle next to him.
Donnie stares forward, unable to meet his eyes. "I really, really wanted to make you one but it was really hard and I had to do all the editing and that was fun! but hard, and Leo said I had to still train and I was worried you'd peek and I can still make something else if you want something else I just thought if you were so far away you might forget our faces and this would help and you don't have to like it if it's silly or dumb or-"
He's cut off with an arm around his waist, dragging him into the bear hug of his lifetime. He presses himself into it, shaking hands stilling as Raph presses his beak into the side of his head. He swallows, voice small, "Is it okay?"
Raph squeezes tighter, if that's possible. "I don't want anything else."
He gets to his tip-toes, arms looping around his neck. Moisture presses against skin. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." He promises. "Totally."
"Do you have to leave today?" He looks up as Mikey hops on his heels, clinging to one of Leo's arms. The quivering lips almost stir regret, but the soft nod from the leader reminds him of the answers that he'd spent way too long carefully articulating. "Can't you stay a little longer?"
"No can do." Raph takes Donnie with him when he stands, making sure that he's every inch the confident bother that he wants to be remembered as. "Mona's waiting for me at the ship. Time for Raph to go prove to the lizard people what a cool reptilian really looks like."
"But we'll miss you." Donnie sniffles. "What if I have a nightmare?"
Raph smirks. "Hey, you got these guys around for a reason."
"But Leo makes me drink tea."
Raph only laughs because the eldest looks more put out by that statement than he did the night he barged into his room and demanded that they talk. The night that he'd actually said "okay."
"You better not forget us." Mikey accuses as Raph sets Donnie back down. The hothead's a bit reluctant to, seeing as the little guy clings an extra second before allowing it, but he can see that look in the eyes of his more-mature, but very much still baby brother.
Raph hasn't even straightened fully before he has an armful of Mikey. The older Hamato offers a firm return squeeze, allowing Mikey as long as he needs to get the rest of his hug out.
"Never gonna happen," Raph swears earnestly. "Me and Mona are gonna visit so often that you guys are gonna get sick of us. No one in the whole universe is gonna keep me from comin' back to you guys. Not even stupid Dregg."
"What if you get attacked by bug warriors?" Donnie prods. Raph's eyes harden, "Then I'll teach them exactly what happens when any creatures get between me and my brothers."
"And tear them limb from limb?"
Considering Leo looks mortified, Raph remembers that this wasn't talk that the eldest approves off in front of Donnie, and simply agrees, "I'll teach them who's boss."
Donnie looks at him with a mix of worry and awe, and Mikey pulls away, wiping at his eyes and sniffling. Raph pushes against his shoulder, knocking him a step back. "Big baby."
"Don't worry, Mikey." The recovered Leo reassures as he offers a fist. Raph smiles and bumps it, an explosion happening between them. "Mona told me all about how Raph was blubbering about leaving us when they got their place."
The smile falls, "I was not!"
"Suuuure."
"Raph doesn't have blubber," Their puzzled little genius points out. "Mammals have blubber. Like seals! But Raph's a turtle."
"Blubber also means to cry, Donnie," Leo informs him slyly. "Like, really, really hard."
A curious gasps, "Really?"
"No!" Raph lies through his teeth. "Leo's just exaggerating."
"Exaggerating." Donnie muses with a finger on his chin. "Making a big deal out of a small thing?"
"Exactly," Raph confirms in relief, kneeling and implementing a quick topic change. "Now. You promise not to get into any trouble?"
Donnie offers a cheeky grin. "No."
"Perfect," Raph smirks when Leo groans. "Leo better have all kinds of crazy stories for me when I come back to earth. As long as you're not doing anything really bad, 'course- like leaving the lair without permission. Got me?"
Donnie salutes him. "Got you!"
"And when you do get into trouble?"
"It's Leo's fault for not watching me." Donnie quotes a matter-of-factly. "And Mikey's for being such a knucklehead."
"Hey!"
"You are literally the worst."
"Good boy." Raph pulls him into a hug and Donnie nestles into it. "I'll miss you, Raphie."
Raph tightens his grip around his gift.
"You too, little brother."
"She's going to eat her baby?"
Yoshi stares at Donnie with wide eyes as he stretches on the dojo rug. His young uncle nods enthusiastically even as he focuses on his task, beaming, "Mmhmm! Lizard mommas try to eat early babies 'cause they think they won't be good warriors. Raph says she loves her a whole, whole lot, but they can't be together too long or Mona starts getting bitey."
"That's so weird." Yoshi grins. "I bet the baby's ugly. No one wants to eat a cute baby."
"The baby's not ugly." Donnie defends as he straightens, palms on the ground in front of him. "She's just small."
"Oh!" He giggles. "I wonder if she's tasty."
"Ew." Donnie scowls, "She's your cous'n. A baby cous'n."
"Did you get to see her? Did she look tasty?"
Donnie gasps, appalled. "Yoshi!"
His grin widens, teasing, "Bet she tastes like tuurtle."
Donnie's cheeks puff as he bites, "You can't eat turtle."
"Everyone else eats turtles at home." He argues. "Isamu says-"
"Stop it!" Donnie whines, hands over his head. "Leo says I don't have to listen if you're mean."
"Can't you take a joke?" He flashes a smile, eyes sharp yellow and snake teeth bared. "I'm just having a little fun. Why you gotta ruin it?"
Donnie hunches back. "I don't like those jokes."
"Lame." Yoshi pouts, blinking back to human features. "You'll never make friends with humans if you're so stuck-up."
Donnie stares at the tree, unresponsive. Yoshi frowns for a moment before he prods, "You think Unc'll let me taste her?"
He jerks his head towards him, horrified. "NO!"
Yoshi falls on his back and devolves into cackles, kicking out his legs.
"It's not funny!"
"Your face is funny!"
"Woah, woah." Leo smiles as he walks in, looking between the red-faced children. "What's going on in here?"
"Just jokin'." Yoshi stands quickly and accepts the passing noogie with an eager grin before he looks to the fuming uncle. "Right, Dee?"
Donnie only has eyes for Leo, "Can we train now?"
"Later." Leo promises as Karai enters in behind him. Yoshi immediately gravitates towards his mom. "Karai needs my help with something first."
Karai winks at him when Donnie looks to her uncertainly. Brown eyes trail back to Leo as he continues, "Mikey's going to be out for a while, so I need you to keep an eye on Yoshi while we're gone. Can you do that for me?"
"Yoshi can watch himself." Donnie kicks at the rug. "He doesn't need me."
“Yeah!” Yoshi seconds as his mom runs her fingers through his hair. “I can watch myself.”
“I know you can.” She assures cooly. “But it’s your Ojis’ home, and Leo thinks Donnie should be in charge.”
Leo’s eyes narrow, but he turns back to Donnie with an even tone, “I just need you to keep an eye on him. You’re older. I’m counting on you.”
"Okay." Donnie mumbles. "I'll watch him."
Leo smiles, "Thanks, little brother."
Donnie can't help the warmth in his chest or the smile that twitches, looking at his older brother as he turns back to their sister. "Okay, good to go."
"Finally." Karai strolls over to bring Donnie into a hug and press a kiss to his forehead. "I'll bring your big brother back, so don't you worry."
"I know." He assures as she pulls away. "I won't."
"You'll bring me back?" Leo scoffs as she brushes past him and to the entrance. "Who's the one in here asking for help in the first place?"
Donnie laughs as he sends him a who does she think she is? look before following her steady gait out of the room. She blows them all a kiss before leaving and Leo gives Yoshi a quick look. "You both better be good, understood?"
Yoshi bows solemnly under his stare. "Hai, Ojisan."
"I'm serious." He warns, looking to Donnie. "Anything leaves my room..."
"We won't touch anything else." He crosses an X over his heart. "Promise."
Leo's shoulder relax. "Have a good time, you two."
Karai calls his name and Leo disappears from view.
"I bet I could help too." Yoshi announces to the skeptical turtle. "My Master's taught me all kinds of moves."
He shows them to Donnie, punching and kicking the air, but he's not all that impressed. "Leo says that there's more to fighting than cool moves."
"Yeah, well, they help." Yoshi preens. "I beat up Isamu all the time. Sensei says I got talent."
"Leo says not everyone has to be a fighter." Donnie earns an eye roll, but he presses on. "My brains make me strong."
"Oh, yeah, strong brains'll be so strong when evil punches you."
Yoshi pretends to throw a punch and Donnie catches the fist without blinking. "Leo says that he'd never have defeated the aliens without Don's brains."
"You brag too much," The turtle shrinks under his frown and the boy brightens. "We should play."
"Play what?" Donnie asks. The younger boy thinks hard before, "Fruit Ninja!"
"We can't." The elder boy argues. "Leo says no more taking weapons from the dojo."
"He won't know." Yoshi moves but Donnie quickly gets in his way. "He will. He always does."
"Only 'cause you're a snitch."
"I am not!" Donnie pleads, arms up. "He just, knows, okay?"
"You're a bad liar." Yoshi crosses his arms. "Be better."
"Leo doesn't like lying."
"Neither does mom. You just can't let them catch you." Yoshi regards him before smirking. "I wanna do tag."
"Tag?" Donnie slowly lowers his arms, thinking. "That's okay, I guess-"
"SEWER ROUND!"
"What?!" The elder boy isn't fast enough to stop him from bursting out of the dojo, charging after him until he flips onto the turnstiles. Donnie freezes in front of them, heart pounding as he shouts, "I can't leave the lair without a buddy!"
"I'm your buddy!"
"A big buddy!"
"Scaredy turtle!" Donnie knows that competitive glint and his stomach sinks as he realizes that he doesn't stand a chance with reasoning with him. Yoshi sticks out his tongue. "Scared of the big bad sewers!"
"Leo said-!"
"Leo said to watch me!" Yoshi points accusingly. "So you have to play with me! So play!"
He disappears onto the tracks and Donnie frantically shoves through the turnstiles. Yoshi lights up when he does, estatic as he waves his arms and skips backward, "Come and get me!"
Donnie doesn't have the time to think, watching him take off down the tracks, knowing that his older brother is trusting him to keep him safe. He jumps down and takes off in a sprint, following him down tracks and then into the sewers, slowing at every corner to track the familiar surroundings that his brothers had guided him through before.
He’s terrified to reach a point that he doesn’t recognize, calling after his escaping nephew. "YOSHI!"
He finally manages to catch up when Yoshi slips, tackling him to the ground and sending them rolling. Donnie can feel the sewer gunk clinging to his skin, itching to get it off but focusing on the root of the tremors in his limbs. "There! Tagged! Now you're it!"
He throws himself to his feet, scrambling away, desperate to lead them back home.
Yoshi stands, but he only has eyes for the cracked open manhole. Donnie's skin crawls as he realizes that he could have been seen. Any human could have been passing by and looking through the trickling moonlight to see his shell. To see him.
"Yoshi." He begs, voice cracking. "C'mon."
"No way." Yoshi hoists himself onto a ladder rung. He reaches out a hand, fangs visible. "We gotta go up!"
"No! No, I can't." Donnie steps back. "I have to go home. Yoshi, I wanna go home."
"It's your chance, Dee!" He presses hopefully. "No one will see you! I promise!"
"I-" Donnie looks up, to the moonlight streaming in the sewers. He steps forward, foot crossing from the dark and into the light, and then to Yoshi's outstretched hand. Abruptly, the moonlight flickers as a shadow passes over. It's too small to be a human, but Donnie can practically picture the prying eyes peering down from above.
He cloaks himself in the dark and shakes his head. "I can't."
"You can."
"Yoshi stop."
Yoshi scowls. "I want to go up. You have to go with me."
"Leo said-"
"I don't care what Leo says!" He places both feet on the ground and stomps up to him. His eyes glow the piercing yellow in the dark, scaley hands grabbing his arm. "He's not you! Think for you. You want to go up there! I'm helping you!"
Donnie digs his heels in when he tugs, shaking his head. "I don't! I don't! I want to go home!"
"You're so lame."
Yoshi gives a sharp tug and Donnie stumbles when his stance is dislodged. Panic smothers him as his eyes flash white, other arm shooting out as he grabs his assailant and flips him, knocking the air out of his lungs when his spine hits the ground.
Donnie stares down at him, hiss slipping between his teeth, meeting the shocked gaze. "We're. Going. Home!"
Yoshi struggles, but pure mutant strength keeps him still. "No, I don't-"
Donnie can't breathe, terrified that he's going to lose his grip and Yoshi is going to leave and Leo'll never trust him again. He can't let that happen. He can't let him down. "I am your Oji and I say we're going home! Right now!"
"But-!"
"NOW!"
"Hai." Yoshi swallows. "Hai, Donnie."
Donnie stares at him, disbelieving, only pulling away when Yoshi makes no more moves to fight him. He points down the tunnel and Yoshi trudges onward with a scowl. "So lame."
Donnie doesn't answer, still firmly held by the terror that stings his eyes. He makes sure that his glare never falters until they get back to the lair. Yoshi refuses to look back at him as he slumps on the couch and turns on the tv. Donnie dazedly sits next to the turnstiles, hiding his face in his knees, numb to the tears that make their escape.
He looks up eventually, watching Yoshi like he promised his big brother to do, trying not to think about the fear in Yoshi's eyes. Or the hurt that flashed before he bowed his head.
Yoshi falls asleep on the couch and Donnie stays on the cold floor, thinking about the moonlight streaming into the sewers. About his brother's face when he finds out that Donnie's a bad brother and uncle. About how he thought, for just a little bit, what if?
About how, even now, he wonders if he still has time to learn how be a good liar.
Metal creaks and Donnie looks up, dread filling in with the introduction of green, catching the shift when Leo's smile drops into a worried frown. The mirth fades from his eyes and Donnie can't bear the disappointments that'll flood in after.
"Donnie?"
"I don't like lies among family, Dee."
"Is that… Where’s Yoshi?"
"You should be able to trust me."
Donnie points with a shaky hand as Karai passes by them. Leo watches her go, brows pinched in worry. Donnie gets a few seconds away from his stare to make his choice.
So, swallowing his fear, he does.
"Leo," He whispers as the steady gaze returns. "I messed up."
Notes:
Year 6 = Raph goes to start a life with Mona
Mona is unwilling to start a family on a planet that would not accept them, but she was willing to wait as long as Raph needs to get comfortable with the idea of leaving. After seven years of patience, Raph gives in. It’s the first time that any of them have separated, but if anyone’s going to take that first step, he figures it might as well be him. Not one of them stand in his way, but that doesn’t make the lurking concept of separation any easier.
Year 7 = Hamato Mandonna (earth name) is born.
They’ve adapted to the new normal. Raph drops by whenever he can, but he never stays for very long. Karai and Yoshi spend the majority of their time in Japan, but they pop up randomly and without warning. Donnie’s not the biggest fan of Yoshi, but he doesn’t get his pick of friends, so he tries to keep the peace when they end up hanging out.
Consistently living around adults, Donnie doesn’t have much experience with standing up for something. Tonight is the first night that Donnie learns how to say no.
Tonight is also the last night that Leo holds his tongue when Yoshi acts up or Karai permits it. After a careful reassurances, a hot bath, and a gentle exchange of guardianship to Mikey’s hands, Leo tracks down their sister and lays down the law.
Either Yoshi gets his act together, or he won’t be coming back to the lair. After seeing the potential danger with her own eyes, Karai finally gives in.
Chapter 8: (Clip) Meet Cam
Summary:
Donnie deals with nap time and a stalker.
He ends liking one more than the other.
Chapter Text
"NO NO NO NO NONONONO!"
"I'm so sorry about this, Leatherhead." Leo says over the sound of their screaming brother, watching him kick at Mikey in a futile attempt to earn freedom. "He's just not feeling like himself today, he- Donnie, we do not bite!"
Mikey catches Donnie's mouth before he can, kicking his legs out from under him and then heaving him onto his shoulder. Donnie hisses when his mouth finds freedom, banging on Mikey's carapace, but the smirking brother carries him up the basement stairs easily. Donnie pounds away as Mikey passes Learherhead with a bright, "Hey, big guy! Don't mind Dee. He hasn't taken his nap."
Donnie muffles a screech in his hands. And then grants one to the open air.
"Does he do this often?" Leatherhead asks, concerned. "He seemed like such a peaceful soul."
"RAAAAAAAAA!"
"He is." Leo reassures. "He just... Has his moments."
"IT'S NOT FAIR!"
Leo sighs, "Donnie, we've been over this-"
"I'M A NINJA TOO!"
Mikey takes him up to the second floor of the three story building and cheerily says, "Place is getting better and better! I like the lamp. Guest bedrooms still here, right?"
He points and Leatherhead nods, "There are many rooms still open. He is free to stay where he is most comfortable."
"Hear that, buddy?" Mikey asks as Leo opens the door for him. "You got the whole motel to yourself!"
"I DON'T WANT A MOTEL! MOTELS ARE DUMB!"
"Ouch." Mikey sets him on the bed and Leo inserts himself to adjust Donnie's creased mask. The second youngest stretches his arms, "No need to go insulting the Mutanimals home, bro."
Leo looks over his shoulder meaningfully, "Leatherhead. Could you give us a minute?"
Leatherhead nods respectfully. "Of course, my friend. As long as you need."
Mikey hurried out the door after him, closing it behind them. Leo starts to stand and Donnie clings to Leo's wrists, "NO!"
Leo pulls away anyway, bringing the stubborn turtle off the bed. Their stubborn six-year-old hangs with a glare, nails digging into the wrist wraps. "I'm going with you."
"You're not." Leo says evenly. "You're staying with Leatherhead."
"I'll run away!" He threatens. "I'll run away and you'll never find me! 'Cause I'll find YOU!"
Leo's eyes narrow. "You better not leave this motel."
"I will!" Donnie's eyes prick with tears. "I will! I WILL!"
"I'm going to put you down." Leo warns as Donnie tries to swing a kick. "And then I'm going to pick you back up. Because I can tell you want to be held."
Donnie scowls darkly. Leo raises an eye ridge. "Am I wrong? Should I walk away?"
His little brother stares at him, panting hard with the flush of fury over his beak.
"Well?" Leo prompts, the most patient. "One time offer."
Some of the anger bleeds out and then he bows his head. He sets him on the floor, his younger brother releases his wrists, and then Leo scoops him from the rug.
He sits on the bed with Donnie on his lap, running a hand over his forehead. Donnie ducks his head away, hiding his face in his neck and collarbone. Leo cooes, "Did you just need a hug?"
Donnie grumbles angrily.
"Mmm. So mad." Leo rubs his carapace as Mikey pops in with a mug of water. "Someone kept you up way past your bedtime with movies again, didn't he?"
Mikey laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He offers the mug. Leo sends him a confused, frustrated look. Looking helpless, Mikey sets it on the dresser near them.
"I like movies." Donnie whines. Leo nods, "I know you do, bud. Movies are great, huh?"
"Mhmm." He shifts to get comfortable and Leo adjusts his arm to support his carapace so he can slump sideways. "I like 'em."
"Nothing wrong with that. As long as you don't watch them past your bedtime."
Mikey takes a quick step back, hands up in defense.
Leo begins a precise rocking as Donnie mumbles, "Imma ninja."
"A ninja in training." Leo agrees. "One who still falls when he kicks too high."
"No, I d'n't. I c'n kick." Donnie argues with no real venom. With no further argument to make, he adds, "Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Don't like i' 'ere."
"I gathered."
A tired whine. "Leo."
"No."
"Wan' go."
"Shhh." He hushes before he can get himself riled up. "We'll talk later."
"No." He pries his eyes open. Leo runs two finger down the middle of his beak. He squeezes his eyes shut, smacking the hand away and then scrubbing at his face. Leo rocks as he makes an angry chitter, slurred with impending sleep.
"Shhh," He scratches at his shell. "Shhh, shhhh, shhh."
It's takes a little while, and they both sigh when he finally goes completely limp.
Leo moves him to the bed, tucks him in, and then waves for Mikey to get out with one hand as the other hovers nervously. Donnie settles against the pillow, goes still, and Leo counts to sixty in case the light sleeper changes his mind. He breaths peaceful. Leo straightens in relief. With a light nod, he joins them outside the room and immediately heads to the mutant alligator.
Mikey locks and pulls the old door shut behind him. It creaks as it goes.
Leo shoots a glare. Mikey throws up his hands.
On the other side of the door, sleepy eyes flicker blearily.
His hand subconsciously reaches for a familiar bear and finds nothing.
His brows furrowed. He sits up to get a better reach, shifting blindly before it hits him that this is not his bed. All at once, the memories flood in, and he's wide awake.
Donnie throws off the blanket, slides to the floor, and creeps for the door.
It doesn't open so he presses the side of his face against it.
The adults have moved off, taking in low tones.
"...ow long...missing..."
"...ery worried..."
"...ad you call u..."
"...ig city... how..."
"...oordinate...Slash..."
"...big guy?"
"...let me look a...urts when I...ets go..."
Then they're gone.
Donnie twists the door knob a few times and then stomps his foot furiously. Tears pricking behind tired eyes, he turns around and falls back, carapace knocking against the door. "It's not fair. Buncha meanies..."
"Are you a pris’ner?"
He jumps. A cries bounces out of his throat, bounding around the small room.
A figure stares back at him, long shadow made deceptively big by the distance from the lamp light. The green form is slim, the voice is soft, and there's a pattern of red over the eyes and the forehead. When he looks down, there's a tall dragging on the floor.
"Woah." He whispers, forgetting to be scared. "What are you?"
The figure straightens, looking at four fingers. "I think I'm like you."
"I'm a turtle." He stands up, finding that he's taller. It makes him feel braver, circling around the mutant, taking note of the circles of blue and red down the back scales. "You're not a turtle."
The figure's tail curls around the waist, nervous hands grabbing at the appendage. "I'm not?"
"Definitely not." He confirms confidently. "No shell!"
A whimper and then the figure is gone. He blinks and then looks around, panicked, "Hey! Get back here!"
He doesn't get an answer.
"I'll scream!" He challenges. "I'll get someone!"
"Don't yell at me." The high voice trembles. "I don't like it."
"Oh." He sets a finger on his chin. "Okay, if you want, I won't."
She reappears, now sitting on the bed, two-toed feet pressed together and tail lying across her lap. Eagerly, he runs over to the bed and climbs up.
On his knees, he gushes, "How'd you do that?"
Shaky fingers run over tail scales. "I need to hide sometimes."
"Why?" Donnie scoots closer. "Are you scared?"
She nods. He smiles, "My brothers can protect you."
"They trapped you." Her tails twitches. "What if they hurt me?"
"They won't hurt you." Donnie settles back on his heels. "Not if I tell them not to."
"What about the really big one?"
"Leatherhead? Him neither. He's really re-cep-ative."
A frown, "You said they were mean."
"That's different." His face flushes. "Naps are dumb but they don't get it."
"...Oh."
He tilts his head. "Where'd you come from?"
"I followed the big one."
"Leatherhead? Why?"
"He said he'd help me."
"I'll go get him-!"
She grabs his wrist, frantic, "No!"
His brow furrows, "Why not?"
"I don't want him to catch me." She pleads, tugging. "He can't see me."
"But he can't help you if you're hiding." Donnie points out. She lets him go. "Why not?"
"He's gotta see you."
"But why?"
"Cause. He just needs to." He nods assuredly. "Trust me, I'm super smart. I'm going to be a super hero one day."
She scoots closer, their knees touching. "You are?"
"Yep!" He beams, "I used to be one but then I got small. Now I have to learn to be one again, but I bet I'll be even better this time."
"I used to be someone." She says. A brief silence. "I don't know who that is."
"Were you nice? I bet you were nice." Donnie thinks about it. "I didn't know who I was until my brothers told me. Maybe you need someone to tell you."
She bows her head, "I don't know who to ask."
"You don't have a family?"
"Could he be?" She asks. "The really big one? Is that why he wants to help me?"
"I don't think so." Donnie rocks, deep in thoughts. "He's an alligator. Alligators don't turn invisible like you do. But you're a reptile, so maybe you're a chameleon. Are you a chameleon?"
"I don't know what that is."
"You are!" Donnie pushes on, triumphantly, clapping his hands. "OH, I bet you are! That's how you do the invisible thing! I figured it out!"
She shrinks away and he slaps a hand over his mouth, muffling his embarrassed, "Oops."
She doesn't look at him. He removes his hand to ask, "Can I get my brothers?"
She shakes her head.
Donnie stares at her as she runs her fingers over her tail, over and over in a repetitive motion. "Why are you doing that?"
She shrugs meekly.
"Why aren't you talking to me?"
She looks at the bed. He hesitates, "I didn't mean to make you mad."
Her hands don't stop moving. Her gaze doesn't leave the bed.
Donnie leans over to get a better look at her face. Her eyes are wet.
"It's okay," He says gently, "You don't gotta be sad or scared."
No response. The silence in the room is thick.
Determined to fix his mistake, he shifts closer to her and hugs her.
She freezes up, and he squeezes tighter.
For a long moment, neither of them move. He can feel her breathing beginning to even out, following his slow pattern, until her hands slowly come up to hug him back.
Donnie pulls away when she sniffles, two hands on her shoulders, looking into her glassy eyes.
She looks back, scanning his face.
He smiles, "Are you better now?"
She runs a hand along her tail, voice small. "I- I don't know what it is."
Donnie blinks, "Huh?"
"Chameleon." She whispers. "What is it?"
"It's you, but smaller." He shows her how small with his palms. "And it can't talk."
"Ever?"
"Nope."
"Oh."
"It's 'cause you're a mutant. Bigger and better and stronger and smarter."
She shakes her head, "I don't feel like that."
"You are." Donnie dismisses. "I can tell."
"I don't know anything." She insists. "Not even my name."
"That's why you figure it out." Donnie grins. "Like, when Leatherhead didn't know his name, Mikey named him. Leatherhead- cause he has a leather head. But not for purses. I bet I can name you!" He quickly lowers his voice to a loud whisper, "Um, if you want me too...?"
She thinks. She nods meekly.
"Hmm." Donnie looks her over. "Red spo- no, uhm, green- no, scaley- ew, no," His brows furrowed intensely, "This is harder than it sounds. How about, it, uhm, uh, it- you're a chameleon, so- Cam? Or Cami?"
"Cam." She repeats. Her tail falls to her lap. "Cam Cam Cam Cam. I'm Cam. Cam."
"Do you...?" He shifts nervously. "Do you like it?"
"Yeah," She smiles, eyes lighting up. "Cam. That's me."
"That's you!" He beams. "I named you!"
She giggles. He leans forward, close enough to almost boop their beaks.
"Do you want to meet my brothers now?"
"Why?" She questions, "Why're you keep asking?"
"You need help. And they can help." He pleads, lowering himself down with a pleading look that usually gets his brothers on his side. "Please? Please Cam?"
She looks at the door, and then at him, "They're nice?"
He straightens. "The best! ...Unless it's nap time."
"It is nap time."
"It's-" He looks at the bedding. His stance deflates. "Oh man."
She considers, "But they'll help after?"
"It's dumb." He pouts. "Nap time is dumb."
"I ran a lot." Cam admits. "I'm a little tired."
Donnie looks at her and then at the bed. He sighs heavily, with all the woes of a young genius forced to sleep. "Only a quick one. Then we tell them."
"And then they'll help?"
"And then they'll help."
She smiles, tail swishing as she stands, "Okay."
When Leatherhead goes to check up on Donatello at the first steady interval as he'd promised the brothers, he's shocked to find two children passed out under the covers on different sides of the bed. Their peaceful breaths are the only sound when he approaches.
Donatello’ head is on the pillow, clutching the covers over his chest.
The young reptilian that they had found in a containment capsule, unconscious for an innumerable amount of time and terrified to face the world when they freed her, was curled up in a ball, tail tucked under her chin and the edge of the pillow on her back.
He steps out of the room, refraining from doing anything just yet.
The others are out searching the city for her. They need to know that she is safe.
After they return, he can wonder about how that situation came to be.
Notes:
Donnie: I named her Chameleon!
Leatherhead: *spends the next week trying to talk her into the name Camela because she is attached to Cam but she is definitely not getting named Chameleon on his watch*
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 4 Thu 13 Jul 2023 08:06PM UTC
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T33la on Chapter 5 Sat 19 Aug 2023 06:11AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:35PM UTC
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KKscendants on Chapter 5 Sat 19 Aug 2023 07:10AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:36PM UTC
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CricketFerguson on Chapter 5 Sat 19 Aug 2023 04:52PM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:37PM UTC
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CricketFerguson on Chapter 5 Thu 11 Jul 2024 09:34PM UTC
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PenelopeValentine on Chapter 5 Sun 20 Aug 2023 02:28AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:38PM UTC
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Peskygay on Chapter 5 Sun 20 Aug 2023 07:11AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:40PM UTC
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Leah (Guest) on Chapter 5 Thu 23 Nov 2023 08:48AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:40PM UTC
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HowDidYouKnow on Chapter 5 Mon 25 Dec 2023 07:30AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:40PM UTC
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Juanita27 on Chapter 5 Sun 21 Apr 2024 12:40AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Jul 2024 11:41PM UTC
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Peskygay on Chapter 3 Sat 20 Apr 2024 11:46PM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 3 Wed 22 May 2024 03:00PM UTC
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Juanita27 on Chapter 3 Sat 20 Apr 2024 11:56PM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 3 Wed 22 May 2024 03:03PM UTC
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T33la on Chapter 3 Sun 21 Apr 2024 05:23PM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 3 Wed 22 May 2024 03:07PM UTC
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Juanita27 on Chapter 3 Fri 05 Jul 2024 05:02PM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 3 Thu 12 Dec 2024 06:53PM UTC
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CricketFerguson on Chapter 7 Fri 05 Jul 2024 03:25AM UTC
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NinjaNekosLibrary on Chapter 7 Fri 25 Jul 2025 02:50PM UTC
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