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rewrittenwrongs · 1 year

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@somerandomdudelmao oops my hand slipped

Donnie smiled giddily to himself as he plugged the tiny cord into Casey’s mask, absolutely stoked by the opportunity to analyse and pick apart something of his own creation that he’s never seen before. The technology crammed into every nook and crevice of the mask had him smothering an excited churr, treacherous tail wagging non stop as he wondered what amount of data and information could await him.

He was, for once in his life, so incredibly glad Leo decided to open that big mouth of his. It was, after all, his comment that led to them addressing Donnie’s curiosity and Casey nonchalantly handing over his tech.

His computer takes a suspiciously long moment to download all of the data, and suddenly he’s met by at least three dozen folders and files, all storing incredible amounts of data by the looks of it. The majority of them were labelled in seemingly random letters and numbers, except there was something about it that felt more organised for the purpose of looking random rather than actually being random. He opened one of the folders and was met with more folders, maybe fifty of them, all labelled in various kinds of gibberish.

It took a good minute or two of wondering why the fuck would he organise files in such a way to recognise his simple-but-complicated titling system: the one Donnie’s been implementing into his recording files for years now. His brain began automatically translating the letters and numbers into their actual meaning, while something in the back of his mind screamed that this was an invasion of Casey’s privacy.

Donnie soon realised he folder he’s currently perusing should be labelled with the year, but was instead labelled with a simple 21. Maybe it meant 21 years into the apocalypse? Casey never said how long it lasted, but he did say he’s sixteen, so it’s not too far of a stretch of the imagination that the apocalypse could’ve lasted that long.

He’s clicking on another folder just as he realised the implications of there being recordings stored in Casey’s mask.

He was, essentially, perusing through Casey’s memories.

That was bad. That was an invasion of privacy, and he should absolutely be unplugging the mask and telling Casey about this (assuming he doesn’t already know), and yet.

And yet he doesn’t. And yet he doesn’t unplug the mask and he doesn’t delete the data, and he does select a random file and click onto fullscreen to watch something he may regret seeing.

He’ll only watch one.

Judging from the angle, the camera (probably something stored in the mask) was propped up against something, giving him a decent view of what looked to be some sort of medbay. Someone was lying beneath crisp white sheets on a bed mostly out of frame, and someone else…

…

Donnie was seated at a surprisingly old looking computer, typing furiously away at a speed that’s more than a little impressive for someone with six fingers. He’s hunched over in a way Donnie knew wasn’t comfortable as he worked, occasionally leaning forward and shifting more of his face into the view of the camera. He’s covered in scars of varying severity and age and appeared to have gained several more markings, including three purple stripes that trail from his chin down his neck. He’s significantly taller by the looks of it, and was wearing not only a version of his battle shell, but also his mask and goggles.

It’s kind of like looking into a warped mirror, even though Donnie could only see maybe a third of his torso, the rest hidden by the camera angle. It made the breath freeze in his chest as he watched this twisted version of himself work in silence, eventually slumping in his chair as he stared at the grainy image of his future self.

Donnie - the one in the video (he’s going to refer to him as Donatello for convenience’s sake) - paused his typing and leant forward, furrowing his brow - god he had worry lines - and frowning in a way easily recognisable as his ‘I’m talking to an idiot and I have to be civil about it’ face.

Donnie couldn’t look away, even though, objectively, nothing interesting was happening. His future counterpart was simply typing, working on something while guarding a sick or injured patient. He silently watched at least two minutes of Donatello typing monotonously before something interesting happened: the person on the bed shifts.

Donnie couldn’t see who the patient was thanks to the camera angle, but his curiosity was soon satiated at the awkward little “uhh” sound Casey let out, sounding noticeably younger. Donatello jolted so violently at the sound a keycap literally went flying, and the small corner of his face Donnie could see displayed a very complicated emotion. Donatello was up and exiting the frame in less than a second, presumably grabbing Casey’s arms while a limb from his battle shell extended to grab something above the camera. Casey had just enough time to ask “Uncle Tello?” (oh come on, Leo and Mikey get master but he gets uncle?) before Donatello was speaking overtop of him.

“How are you feeling? Any pain?”

“No.“

“Hungry?”

“No?”

“Thirsty?”

“A little.”

Donnie heard another mechanical limb reach out and grab something, presumably a glass or mug.

“Want to destroy humanity?”

“Is that a symptom or a suggestion -“

“Do you need anything?”

“Umm…” A short second of silence. “Where is sensei? Is he okay?”

Donatello moved to sit on the edge of Casey’s bed, allowing a small portion of his body to be displayed to the camera.

“I remember I attacked him,” Casey continued, and okay, what??

“Yeah, well.” A small sigh. “You didn’t succeed.”

“But I tried,” Casey’s voice wavered, “he’s not mad at me, is he?”

“I don’t think so,” Donatello said, voice both soft and stern. “But he has his responsibilities, so he couldn’t stay here all day - he tried though.”

“Hm.”

Donnie could practically feel his future self panicking through the screen - thankfully, though, he seemed to be saved by the proverbial bell, and faint footsteps became audible as two people rapidly approached the medbay. Donnie managed to catch the end of “pretend I’m dead, and use your brain instead of mine for once” as he heard mechanical doors slide open, light illuminating part of the floor.

Leo - a very much taller and older Leo with a freaking metal ARM - dashed into full view of the camera, and Donnie barely had time to take in his appearance before, with a quick shout of “Sensei!” Casey practically flung himself into the turtle’s arms. The turtle in question looked suddenly very conflicted and concerned as his hands hovered over Casey’s back, listening to his little repetitions of “I’m sorry.”

He seemed to realise that Casey would not, in fact, fall apart at the slightest touch, and gently placed his metal arm (METAL. ARM) on his shoulder, patting Casey’s head with the other. “You don’t need to apologise, Case,” Leo said, sounding like his voice hadn’t aged a day despite the twenty-two years that’d supposedly passed, “you didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you did amazing!”

In one smooth motion Leo was suddenly cradling Casey in his arms and turning in a circle, a movement somewhere between twirling him and just holding him as he spoke, “You were literally too cool for the kraang! How can I blame you? Haha, Casey Jones is now certified cooler than aliens!”

Despite the joyous laughter filling his ears, Donnie felt dread creeping up his spine as their words began to paint a very unsettling picture.

“Maybe even I won’t stand up to him now!” Leo laughed, now holding Casey bridal style in a way that finally displayed his bandages to the camera.

“Pfffhaha!” Casey laughed, smiling so easily despite the bandages and cast covering his arms. He used the arm not in a sling to reach up and grab Leo’s mask tails, tugging on them with a smug smile that matched Leo’s as he successfully blinded the slider.

“Oh no! My only weakness!” Leo crowed dramatically, slumping onto the ground as if bested by a mighty foe, Casey giggling childishly as he slid down to sit in his lap. “Donnie,” Leo said, facing the direction of the purple genius, “can you help Raph lead the resistance instead of me? I think I’m defeated.”

And just as Casey let out another boisterous laugh and Donatello his own amused chuckle, the recording ended, displaying their smiling faces as the footage sat frozen on the last frame.

Donnie exited fullscreen with a slow blink.

Was he misreading the situation, or had Casey been… kraangified?

That… would explain a lot of his scars. Not that Donnie could exactly confirm or disprove his theory, because it would reveal that he knew of and had access to these recordings.

Speaking of which, he really should stop watching these. He really should unplug the mask and delete the footage from his computer, and finish his examination before giving the mask back to Casey with an explanation regarding the footage.

C’mon, Donnie, just exit the fucking files, you’re being insane. This was a ridiculous invasion of privacy and he’d probably try to kill - or at least maim - Casey if he did this to him but god damn it, his hand. Won’t. Move.

It’s like he’s hovering his hand over a hotplate. He had the autonomy and know-how, but no matter how much he tried he couldn’t even brush the red hot surface. His hand was hovering midair, only inches away from doing something part of him will inevitably regret, but that’s all it would do. Hover. His eyes were glued to the screen as he scrolled through the files, and god, there were dozens of them - hundreds, even.

Donnie exited the folder and perused through the 21 folder for a moment, before clicking the last folder listed. They seemed to be organised and labelled as different weeks, so this one would’ve taken place around Christmas time.

He clicked on the first file, entered fullscreen and pressed play.

“What? It wasn’t me, I swear!”

~~~

His brothers (plus Casey and April) were just finishing cleaning up after breakfast when Donnie burst into the kitchen, clutching Casey’s gear to his chest and with his purple hoodie slung over one shoulder, shouting, “SHUT UP LOSERS WE’RE GOING TO THE ZOO.”

Pretty much everyone did that slow blink of what the fuck did I just hear, staring at Donnie with expressions ranging from pure bafflement to startled surprise.

“…What?” Leo spoke up, putting down the plate he was in the process of drying.

“I had a revelation while reviewing Casey’s tech,” Donnie started, holding out said gear to the human, “thank you, by the way - it was very informative.”

“You’re welcome?” Casey squeaked, accepting the gear and placing most of it on the table he stood next to.

“But yes - the revelation!” Donnie slid the purple hoodie off his shoulder and began squeezing the fabric as a stim, smile spreading slightly when he saw how Casey eyed the fabric with recognition. “Casey grew up in the apocalypse, yes? That means that he’s missing quite a few experiences we deem normal nowadays, such as eating certain foods or watching certain -“

“Yes yes,” Leo interrupted with a roll of his eyes, “we’re working very hard to introduce him to fast food, science fiction and Lou Jitsu. Your point?”

Donnie smirked triumphantly as he slammed both hands on the table (a little louder than he intended), “Animals.”

Casey blinked. “…Animals?”

“Animals,” Donnie nodded, “what with the those-that-shall-not-be-named rampaging across the world, it’s not hard to assume that a lot of animals would’ve gone extinct, or at least become very rare. Tell me, Casey - have you ever seen a horse?”

“What’s a horse?”

“See!?”

“You don’t know what a horse is!?” Mikey exclaimed, practically materialising in front of Casey. “Even I’ve seen a horse! What else have you never seen before!? Sheep? Cows? At least tell me you know what a kitten is!”

“U-uhm, I do know what a cat is,” Casey stuttered, leaning away from the hyperactive teenager.

“Have you seen one?” Raph asked, giving him a look that said ‘your life as you know it depends on how you answer this question’.

“No?”

“We must rectify this!” Mikey shouted, darting out of the kitchen and ignoring Donnie’s mutter of “why do you know what rectify means but not imminent?”

“We must!” Raph agreed, practically sprinting out of the room. April rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, only to close it as a faint crash could be heard from somewhere else in the lair. She promptly disappeared to look for the source.

“Great!” Donnie said, “Now that that’s settled…” He turned back to Casey, holding out the ball of fabric that was his hoodie, “Wear this. Just for today.”

“Oh, thanks Unc-Donnie,” Casey stuttered, accepting the outfit and promptly putting it on. It fit him almost unreasonably well.

“What!?” Leo exclaimed, and Donnie had the distinct feeling that if he was still holding a plate it would be shattered across the ground. “You’re giving him your hoodie!? You don’t give anyone your hoodie! Not even Mikey!”

“Oh shush,” Donnie said, rolling his eyes and blushing slightly. “I do so, stop being dramatic. Besides, it’s cold out and Casey doesn’t have any winter clothes.”

“Then we can get him some!” Leo sputtered, gesturing wildly as he struggled for words. “Why are you giving him your hoodie!??” he eventually hissed.

“Would you believe me if I said out of the goodness of my heart?”

“NO!”

“Well then, I guess l’ll never tell you.” With that, Donnie walked past Leo into the living room, planning to grab his winter jacket from the cupboard, only to stop as Leo grabbed his upper arm and whirled him around.

“What’s going on with you?” Leo asked, voice low as he gave Donnie a surprisingly concerned look. He searched his twin's eyes for a long moment, taking note of his deep eye bags and his missing mask, and how he adamantly refused to make eye contact. He saw how his hands shook as they were folded against his plastron, and that he looked a little pale and off-balance.

“Nothing.”

“Donnie…” as Leo looked closer at his twin's face, he could’ve sworn he saw dried tears covering his cheeks. But that’s impossible, because Donnie never cried.

His mouth flopped open and closed uselessly for a moment, before Leo finally spat out, “Are you okay?”

His question was enough to startle Donnie into making eye contact. Eye contact with his brother who, objectively, deserved to be asked that question a thousand times more than him.

Donnie’s eyes wandered over to the cracks in Leo’s plastron, held together by fibreglass and covered by resin, and suddenly he was surging forward and wrapping his arms around Leo, burying his face in his neck willing himself not to cry.

They were both frozen for a long moment, before, slowly, Leo slid his arms around Donnie’s softshell and held his twin close. They both felt as Donnie’s breath stuttered in his chest, and as he pressed his snout deeper into Leo’s shoulder and neck. “I’m okay,” he whispered, and they both knew he was lying.

And with that, Donnie withdrew without another word, walking away and leaving Leo to ponder what the fuck just happened.

#oneshot #writing #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #Rottmnt fic #my writing #rewrittenwrongs fic #dual post

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rewrittenwrongs · 4 months

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Title: Blue birthday cake

Rating: general

Warnings: referenced homelessness

Prompt: alternative ending / missing scene

Word count: 1318

Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson

Characters: Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson, mentioned Sally Jackson

Summary: “Come inside for some cake and ice cream,” Percy said. “It sounds like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Nico hesitated. He wanted to, he really did, but he didn’t want to intrude. If there was birthday cake it was probably someone’s birthday. He didn’t want to interrupt a party - gods know he’d bring down the mood. “Um, I don’t need to stay,” he told Percy. “I just want to tell you something real quick.”

Percy smiled sadly. “Nonsense, come inside.”

Ao3 link (registered users only): https://archiveofourown.org/works/52656898

!Percy Jackson and the Olympians spoilers!

“Come inside for some cake and ice cream,” Percy said. “It sounds like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Percy smiled sadly. “Nonsense, come inside. There’s plenty of cake to go around.” He climbed back inside through the window, abandoning the strange silver flower he’d left in the plant bed.

Nico hesitated, then slowly followed.

Percy’s room looked like a generic teens bedroom. A single sized bed with blue and grey sheets, a wardrobe with several photos taped to it, a poster of some movie star he didn’t recognise, and the dresser with the slice of cake on top. There was a skateboard propped up in one corner, and a book written in Ancient Greek lay abandoned on the bed.

Percy handed him the plate of cake with a - somewhat strained - grin. “Come on, there’s cards in the lounge room.”

“Cards?” Nico repeated to himself. He awkwardly followed as Percy led the way out, entering a kitchen connected to the lounge room.

Percy pointed at the fridge. “There’s ice cream and more cake in there, help yourself.” He grabbed a mostly empty packet of chips off the counter, and went over to the dining table and sat down, clicking on the light on the way. He picked up an abandoned deck of cards and began shuffling them as Nico hovered in the middle of the kitchen.

“Um.” Nico stared at Percy blankly, then at the slice of cake that’d been forced into his hands. “What?”

Percy grinned at him. “D’you know how to play blackjack?”

“Yes.” Nico’s frown deepened. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Percy gestured vaguely. “You seem hungry. We have food. And if you don’t have somewhere to spend the night, the couch is a futon so you’re welcome to sleep here.”

Nico blinked. “Uhh… and the cards?”

Percy grinned. “Cards are fun.”

Nico furrowed his brow. “…Right.” He slowly walked over to the table and sat down opposite Percy. He set down the plate and picked up the two cards he dealt him. A ten of hearts and a two of clubs.

“What did you want to talk about?” Percy asked, drawing a card and adding it to his hand.

Nico hesitated. He drew a card. An eight of spades. “Um, it’s about the Titan war.”

“Oh.” Percy drew a second card. When Nico didn’t do the same, he asked, “Ready?” Nico nodded, and they set down their cards face up at the same time. “Eighteen.”

Nico’s lips twitched, not quite a smile. “Twenty.”

Percy smiled. “Nice.” He collected his cards and began shuffling the deck. “Did you think of a battle strategy or something?”

Nico chewed his lip. “Um, kind of.”

Percy raised his eyebrows. “Kind of?” He dealt Nico and him two cards each then set down the deck.

“Yeah,” Nico said. “It’s not… it’s just an idea right now, but I think it will work.” His cards were the ace of spades and the queen of hearts.

Percy drew a card. “What’s your idea?”

Nico avoided Percy’s gaze. “You’ve heard of Achilles, yeah?”

Percy frowned. “Yeah?” He eyed Nicos hand. “You’re not picking up any cards?”

“Nope.”

Percy set down his cards. “Nineteen.”

Nico placed down his. “Twenty-one.”

Percy shook his head with a grin, then scooped up the cards and began to shuffle. “What does your idea have to do with Achilles?”

Nico hesitated. “I… I know how to give you his invulnerability.”

Percy froze, staring at him.

Nico avoided eye contact at all costs. “It, um. You just need to get your mother’s blessing, and-and to bathe in the River Styx. We could do it today if you wanted, but I think… this is the only way I know for sure that would let us fight against Kronos.”

Percy exhaled shakily. “You… Achilles’ invulnerability?”

Nico nodded. “It wouldn’t be total invulnerability. You need a spot to anchor your soul, an Achilles heel, that can still be wounded. But it-it would make fighting Luke a whole lot easier.”

Percy leaned back in his seat and sighed. “So I… how would I do that?”

Nico shrunk in on himself. “In all honesty I don’t know for sure, but I’m ninety-nine percent certain you just need your mother’s blessing. Then I take you to the Underworld, and you swim in River Styx. Theres, uh. There’s a chance that it could kill you.”

“Fuck.” Percy closed his eyes. “This is one hell of a bombshell to drop on me at -“ he glanced at a clock on the wall -“half past midnight.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t…” Percy sighed. “I’m just surprised. And a little confused. And this… is there a time frame for this?”

Nico shook his head. “Not really. But Kronos is getting stronger everyday, so… the sooner the better.”

Percy frowned, then picked back up the card deck. He dealt Nico and him a new hand.

Nico frowned. “You still want to play?”

“Why not.” Percy picked up a card. “And the offer to stay the night still stands. So does the cake.”

Nico looked at his cards. Eight and six of hearts. He picked up another: the two of spades. “Whose birthday is it anyway?”

Percy grinned. “Mine. I turned fifteen.”

“Oh. Happy birthday.”

Percy smiled. “Thanks. Gonna pick up another?”

“Hmph.” Nico drew another card, then grimaced and set down his hand. “Over.”

“I win!” Percy cheered quietly. He collected the cards and started shuffling. “Want to watch a movie after this round? Paul brought his dvd collection.”

Nico hesitated. Then, “Sure.”

Percy smirked that blinding smile of his. “Great.” He dealt the cards. “Have you ever seen Princess Bride?”

“Hmm, I’ve read the book.” Ace and nine of spades.

Percy fiddled with his cards. “Annabeth’s been trying to make me read it. You wouldn’t happen to have an Ancient Greek translation, would you?”

Nico snorted. “No.”

They set down their cards. Nico won by one point.

“Are you staying the night?” Percy asked. He got up from the table and headed over to the couch, which was in front of a small TV. He began fiddling with the dvd player. “I have spare blankets and pillows in my room.”

Nico winced. He shouldn’t stay the night, but also he really did not want to spend another night sleeping in the streets. “Are you sure your mother wouldn’t mind?”

“Nah, she loves when I have friends over.” Percy finished with the TV and began unfolding the futon. “Can you turn off the light?”

Nico did as he was asked, then retrieved his cake slice and laid down on the couch which was now a bed. Guilt swam in his stomach but he tried to ignore it. Percy started the movie and immediately turned down the volume a bunch so he wouldn’t wake anyone up. He then disappeared for a minute to retrieve two blankets and an armful of pillows. A fluffy blanket was thrown over Nico and fell in front of his face, almost making him laugh. He pushed it out of his eyes and turned his attention to the movie, taking a bite out of his cake slice just as the grandpa was introduced. It was soft and sweet, one of those melt-in-your mouth foods that was so delicious your tastebud almost couldn’t comprehend it. It was the best thing he’d eaten in… as long as he could remember, actually.

Percy tucked a pillow under his chest with a soft smile. “Hey, Nico?”

“Hmph?”

“If you ever need a place to stay the night in the future, swing by here, okay?”

“…Okay, Percy.”

#riordanverse fic #riordanverse #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #rewrittenwrongs fic #dual post #oneshot #percy jackson fanfiction #fan fiction #my writing #no romance #riordanverse fanfic #percy jackson #nico di angelo #no art

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