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skylarmoon71 · 4 years

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TMNT 2014/2016 Raphael x Reader-(Short Story) Chapter 2

"You should have just let me take him, he was right there! "

"Come on Raph, we're just supposed to help not make it worse. Besides, we stopped the train. They won't be bringing in any more weapons." Raph grumbled, sheathing both his blades. Apparently they were discussing what took place in their most recent case. Raph lived to defy Leo, it wasn't anything new.

"Whatever, next time I'm going out on my own." he shoved Leo as he brushed passed. Leo grabbed his shoulder, halting him.

"You're not going out on your own, we do this together Raph!" You really hated it whenever they fought. Despite that, you never said anything when it got like this. Even Mikey and Donnie knew better. Raph pushed Leo back roughly, and the blue bandana turtle hit a shelf close by. Lucky for him he had his shell to take the brunt of the hit. Unlucky for you, you didn't. You were on the other side of the cupboard, and when it started to fall you panicked.

Raph saw it falling, yelling out for you. You braced your hands, closing your eyes. You heard a few items clattering to the floor at the sides of you, but when you realized you were unharmed you looked up. Donnie had his arms spread, holding up the cupboard. He lifted it in the other direction, bracing it back against its previous spot. "Are you alright?" Leo was at your side in an instant, and you sighed relieved. You smiled at Donnie who was already checking your body for injuries.

"T-Thank you Donnie you might have just saved my life." He gave a sheepish smile rubbing his neck.

"I-It was nothing. "

Now that the danger was over, Leo glared at his brother. He stomped in his direction enraged. "What the hell are you doing! You could have really hurt (Y/N)!" You stepped over placing a hand on Leo's arm to calm him down.

"I-It's fine Leo. I-It was an accident. H-He didn't mean to." Raph would never intentionally harm you.

"Yeah Leo, listen to your girlfriend. " That made you a little annoyed. Because he was already angry, you just let it slide. Leo was still sizing Raph up, and you knew you wouldn't be able to handle it if they got into another fist fight because of you. Leo glanced down at the unease in your eyes. Reluctantly, his shoulders slumped. He stepped down, and Raph just wore an arrogant smirk.

"Just like you to fold. Sometimes I wonder why you're the leader." Leo didn't reply, taking your hand and guiding you out the room. You wanted to stay there and try to get both brothers to work out the problem, but you didn't have it in you to pull away from Leo's hold, especially since he looked so worried when he thought you would get buried under the cupboard. So as he pulled you along, you sent a longing look in Raph's direction. He looked up at the last second, right before you went around the corner. That split second, you could have sworn you saw a hint of hurt in his eyes.

~~~

"Are they still fighting?" you were chatting with Donnie on your cell phone. It was pretty late, and you knew you wouldn't be able to sneak out, so you were in your room, laying down on your bed.

"Yeah, don't worry too much. Master Splinter will make sure they don't go at each other's throats." you smiled.

"That's good to hear. Well I'll check in tomorrow. Spring break is about to begin so I'll get to spend more time with you guys."

"That's-"

"Hey is that (Y/N)? Dude what's up!!" you laugh hearing Mikey in the background.

"Hey Mikey, I was just telling Donnie about the upcoming break. We may finally get to settle that score in Call of Duty."

"I'm so gonna kick your butt!" You couldn't wait.

"I'll be looking forward to it." you spoke. After giving your goodbyes, you hung up the phone, flopping back on the mattress. Somehow you'd become a little better at interacting. Before meeting the turtles you pretty much avoid interacting with people.

For good reason to. But with them, it was never a challenge. Leo was like an older brother. Mikey the goofy childish younger brother. Donnie was like a middle child. Smart, techy and a little bit of a dork. Raph was obviously the rebel. Even with all their differences, it was weird that you found comfort trusting them rather than your own species.

Maybe it was because the turtles lived by a code. They were natural born protectors, saviors. At heart, their main purpose in life was helping. And they did. They helped you, not just physically. But also mentally, emotionally. If you could offer them the world, you would do it without a second thought.

You flinched when you heard a small knock on the glass on your window. You looked over at the curtains. Maybe it was a bat? You stepped out of bed, moving to check the glass. When you shifted the curtain, you were shocked at who was hanging unto your window sill.

"R-Raph!" you slapped your hand against your mouth, because that came out much louder than intended. Opening the window, you ushered him inside quickly. As soon as you did it you ran over, turning the latch on your door.

He was lucky your room was located in the back of the house, covered by trees in your yard. It would be pretty awkward if you had to explain him to your neighbors.

Now that you were no longer in autopilot, you stood by the door. Raph was still by your window. He rolled his shoulders after climbing through the small space. And now he was just standing there, clearly unsure of what to do, or say.

"This is awkward.." you had absolutely no idea why he came, and the fact that neither of you had ever had an actual conversation alone didn't help your nerves.

"This is stupid." He groused. You kept playing with your fingers. "W-Why are you....is something wrong back home with Leo?" at the mention of his brother's name his face turned sour. "It's always about him isn't it. Leo. I came all the way here to apologize to you and that's all you have to say!"

Unconsciously you took a step back. You never did like it when he yelled. Especially since this was the first time it was directed at you. Not just that, but yelling right now wasn't the best thing since your parents were only a couple doors down. He must have realized, because he turned his head. "Forget about it. I don't even know why I came." You could feel him fuming from all the way over there. And as much as you wanted to say something, you'd already irritated him, you didn't want to say anything to make it worse. Although at this point just about anything would.

"I'm sorry." you whispered. Raph stopped in his spot, looking over his shoulder.

"I-I know I barely ever talk to you. And I always make things awkward when it's us two. I don't mean too. A-And I didn't mean to get you in trouble with Leo the other day. I-It's my fault that you guys are fighting right now." In a way it was.

Raph sighed defeatedly. He came to apologize, and instead he scared you into doing what he should have done the moment he stepped in, instead of picking a fight.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one that always messes everything up."

"That's not true." When you said that he turned to you fully. You burrowed your hands behind your back, finally feeling a little confident now that he wasn't as pissed.

"You do have a bad temper, and you suck at taking orders, but you don't mess things up." Where those words came from, you had no clue. But you were liking your sudden boldness.

"Your brothers depend on you. You guys have each other, no matter how much you think you mess up, they'll always be there for you. You just need to be better at working through your issues rather than just walking away from them."

Raph was just standing there listening, he seemed to be actually taking in you words. When he sent you a small grin your cheeks darkened.

"Here I thought you were just a little shrimp. You're a lot braver than you look. " you giggled softly. "I mean, compared to you guys I really am." you joked. Raph was smiling at you, actually smiling. He looked so damn sexy when he smiled. "No! Stop it stupid brain! I'm actually having a conversation with him, don't' ruin it!" Right now really wasn't the best time to fall for his charms.

"Thanks (Y/N)." He was thanking you. Could your night get any better.

"(Y/N) sweety are you alright?" you stiffened, and Raph looked side to side panicking.

"Aw shit!" he mouthed. You shook your hands advising him not to make a sound or move.

" I thought I heard yelling."

"I-I'm fine Mom. It was j-just a nightmare. I didn't want to wake you or dad. I-I'm sorry."

"Nightmares, do you want to talk about it." you could tell she was offering to stay awake longer to help you.

"I'm really fine mom, I promise. It was nothing. I'm going to go back to sleep. "

"Are you sure? I can make you a cup of tea or something. "

"There's no need. I promise I'm fine. Just go back to sleep." She lingered at the door for a while, before she relented. "Alright, but if you change your mind let me know."

"I will. I love you mom."

"Oh sweetheart I love you too. Try and get some rest okay. "

"Yeah I will." You waited in your spot until you heard her footsteps retreating. When you heard her bedroom door close, you sighed, placing a hand to your chest.

"That was close." you whispered. Raph was smirking at you, and it did weird things to your chest.

"W-What?"

"Nothing." It didn't look like nothing.

"Come on tell me why you're wearing that smug little woah!" you had planned to march over, but you slipped on something on your floor. Raph was quicker, he caught you almost instantly. You must have stopped breathing for at least a few seconds, because you just stayed there in his arms. Your eyes connected, and that's when you let out a shallow breath. Raph was just as taken as you. He didn't move a muscle, just held you upright. You palm flattened against his chest, eyes never straying from his hypnotic gaze. With him slightly bent, all you had to do was lean up a few inches and you could close that space.

"Raph.." the sound of his name broke the spell. He straightened your body, pulling away. He cleared his throat, taking a couple steps back. "I should get going I need to-" he knocked into your desk behind on his way to leave and you winced at the sound that echoed. Raph froze, listening to make sure he didn't give your mother another reason to come back. When there wasn't any sound he relaxed, moving to your window.

"Be careful." you said gesturing to his head as he almost ran right into the glass. He just gave a force laugh, raising the window glass. You smiled. He was sort of cute like this. All fidgety. He ducked, creeping out the way he came in. "I'll come by tomorrow." you stated.

"Yeah..." he responded, but it didn't sound like he was really listening. He looked distracted.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

He nodded, inching up the wall.

"Yeah tomorrow." And just like that, he was flipping to the top of your roof. You bent your head, watching as he took off into the night.

You were looking forward to tomorrow, that was for sure.

#raphael #leonardo #donatello #michelangelo #teenage mutant ninja turtles #shy reader #fights #raphxreader #scaredoflove #ninjaturtles #tmnt 2016 #tmnt 2014 #hurt #Crushes #splinter #sam smith #fire on fire

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bloody-hands-pure-hearts1329 · 6 years

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TMNT Imagine: Vampire Reader x Turtles the life of a vampire is not easy

Chapter 2

videoblocks.com))

A few minutes later you sat with the turtles beside you before their father a old mutanted rat clad in a elegant black golden kimono. His hair in a japanese warrior knot on his head.

"My child I can see you are afraid of what happend to you and you feel guilt for the life you took" the wise rat named Splinter told you.

"Hai Master Splinter I am afraid but not only for what became of me but also for my family and friends...I cant go back to my own life. Who ever turned me took all from me" you explained you couldnt hide the anger and hate in your voice for your maker.

"I understand you free to stay here for as long as need to. My sons will empty one of the storage room to put a bed and closet for you inside. And you may would like some help from Michaelangelo to give the room how you say it a personal touch?" their father offered you, you nodded feeling relieved to have a place you may with time could call your new home.

But the thirst changed your vision all that you saw was now the heart and veins going through his body. You shook your head to stop it.

"I am sorry but...I need to...feed on..." you didnt wanted to say it after all he was a rat himself.

It was so disgusted and ironic you couldnt feed on your own kind but feed on his kind.

"I understand my child Leonardo will show you a place where you can have your evening meal" he said it with a smile but it didnt made you feel less horrible.

Few later...

Silently you followed the blue clad leader in to the sewer. There you where immedatly surrounded by the sweet smell of the little filthy animals.

Growling you attacked one and started to suck its blood out, it was...

Disgusting!

After you thirst was stilled for now, Leo and you burned the corpses. You couldnt look him in the eyes afraid to see disgust reflecting in his ocean blue.

So you jumped as he put his hand on your shoulder making you look at him. His free hand wiped with a cloth from the pocket on his pants the rest of the blood of your chin and lips.

"Its fine dont you are not evil you and less worth now as vampire" he told you with a grin. You looked at him still unsure if you could believe his words because you felt like a monster.

"Thank you" you whispered he nodded and you both walked back to the lair.

After you brushed your teeth and washed all of your cloths getting some of the turtles wide shirt from Raphael and some fresh packed up boxers from Donnie.

"So the thing with the mirror is a part of the movies and books" you realized as you looked into whole body mirror standing in the little room before the group showers.

"Okay enough whining you are what you are now and need to live with it!" you told your reflection. "We will find this bastard and will ask him our questions and after that we will decided what to do with him, her or it!"

You felt much better after you said it out loud. This turtles would help you their job was to take care of the city and their citizen right? So you where on of them so they will do all to help you. You could trust them!

This realizition filled your heart with hope and cheered up your mood.

Smiling you left the bathroom and walked over to the turtles. "Can I help with my room?" you asked them with sweet smile on your lips. It made the large mutants stare at you in awe of how much more beautiful this relaxed and happy mood made you.

It made you much more beautiful and them blush as they noticed it.

A while later Mikey and you looked for a color to put on the walls of the room while Leo, Raph build you bed and closet with Donatellos help.

"How about orange its my favorite color!" the youngest brothers suggested. "Okay the big wall here will be orange and the others white the one by the bed black thought about white phoenix or dragon in chinese or japanese style would look nice" you suggested.

"Our father could help you with such design he is pretty talented in japanese art" Leonardo offered you making you look at him.

"Mhm if japanese then I think a Phoenix would look better here" you thought out loud and nodded smiling. "Thanks could you ask him for me Leo?" you asked him a bit nervous.

"Of course" Leo gave you a smirk, you smiled and felt like blowing a kiss at him.

"Tsk enough flirting help me with this shit fearless" Raphael growled while hammering the frame of your bed together.

"Fucking shit!" he growled it all broke and he cut himself on the sharp metal.

The sweet smell of his blood made your growl and look hungry at the red masked turtle. Who looked at you in shock as you jumped him and bite him in his arm starting sucking his blood.

It made him moan in pleasure at first like your bite and sucking felt nice to him but then he came to himself and punched you off him.

All four looked at you shocked and Raphael with disgust holding his arm.

"GET OUT!" you shouted at them growling and watched them leave before you rammed your fist in to the wall.

I hurt him...I hurt one of them who helped me! I cant let that happen again I need to train this. I need to train to be strong enough to hold back when I smell their blood.

You thought deadly serious after you calmed down wiping the blood of your face. Nervous your opened the door to apologize to your new friends...

@tmntwhat-you-get-is-what-you-see, @thelostandforgottenangel

#tmnt imagine #reader vampire #leonardo #raphael #donatello #michelangelo #blood and violence #chapter 2 #the life of a vampire is not easy fic

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the-tell-tale-poet · 6 years

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to be human (part one maybe?)

Donnie sat at his desk hunched over with his head in his hands for once in a long time his mind was racing with questions and his train of thought was off its rails, about a week and a half ago he found more purple ooze and he has had it stashed away so he could secretly work on it since then and it wasn’t hard for him to synthesize it but it has taken all this time to decide what to do with it. Donnie had never felt so overwhelmed with a decision before nor has he ever questioned himself or his work so harshly but this is only because he wanted what was best, though he still had no clue what to do today was the day he would finally make a decision or at least that’s what he told himself so he wouldn’t be stuck in this rut. He asked his brothers to meet him before they would head out for patrol so he could tell them his decision whether that was the right choice was still undetermined by him, looking at the time he saw it was about 15 minutes until he had to meet them in the garage he stood up and turned to walk out but stopped. Donnie turned around and walked back to his desk to open the top draw for just a look of where the ooze has been kept locked away for his eyes only or so he thought in his mind, fortunately nella his female counterpart did him a favor since she knew her brother would be indecisive with it reengineered an antidote and was planning something drastic with the sisters. Donnie swiftly walked out of his lab and to the garage smiling when he saw the great master piece that was the garbage truck then suddenly feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders he let out a sigh. Donnie knew this was a demon of his own creating but he couldn’t help himself really he couldn’t with all that had happened during that time to persuade his mind; raph had saved a family from a burning apartment but when approached to ask if they were alright the family thought they were the devils advocates, mikey became more quiet and no one will say anything about it though they can all hear his screams and sobs as his dreams turn nightmares, and leo is worst of all he has shut out all his family it now is a rare thing to see him ghosting the lair and even then he is cold and disconnected yet neither of them know why. Donnie hoped the ooze would save them or at least bring them together but his greatest fear is that this will tear them apart a frown graced his face slowly then he heard a voice that startled him “a young mind was never meant to bear the weight of the world, my son”, splinter walked closer with a sly smirk being the father of the four he knew why he was there but he still wanted to hear him say it “that ooze has been a menace to your head son hasn’t it?” he asked and smiled wide over his sons shocked face. Splinter chuckled a little while he walked over to his son as he took a knee to see eye to eye with him, "you do not always need to bear the weight of the world alone donatello if your brothers truly believe and trust you they will understand" splinter turned to walk away as Leo raph and Mikey walked in talking about something. Donnie felt a big better after his talk with splinter but that didn't stop doubt from weaseling its way back into his mind "hey guys before we go I wanted to Talk with you about something important", as Donnie spoke the brothers mostly ignored him to busy with their own conversation they didnt really pay attention until he said the word important. Leo walked up to Donnie "important, What do you mean?", Donnie gulped afraid to speak about what he found but ultimately deciding whether the consequences were good or bad he would deal with it. But before he could speak a loud bang rang through the room and in the blink of an eye it was suddenly filled with a big smoke cloud, each brother waved away the smoke coughing as they tried to leave quickly not know what it was or how it happened "Donnie what was that?" Raph asked a little pissed. The purple genius shrugged unsure of what happened "I dont know raph ill have to look back at the security feed before...." Donnie stopped staring at his hand in disbelief, his skin had started to change from green to a more human like tan and his awkward three fingers had now been changed to five. As the brothers stood in the living room area they had all noticed the same change as Donnie "whoa bros what was that smoke stuff?" Said Mikey excitedly, Donatello tried to explain or give a theory of what he thought happened but his large and rather intellectual vocabulary got in the way of his brothers understanding though they payed him no mind. As the four of them stood there now fully human they each were unsure in their own way of what to do now, leo was the first to break the silence between them "Donnie any ideas?" He asked looking at him concerned "my first guess is a full analysis and examination" don replied.

A/N: hey everyone let me know if you want a part two to the story i have been messing around with this idea for awhile and i thought it was finally time to do something with it if you all like it i might think about keeping the bros human

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt 2016 #human tmnt #tmnt 2016 donatello #tmnt 2016 leonardo #tmnt 2016 michelangelo #tmnt 2016 raphael #leonardo #raphael #donatello #michelangelo

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spectrumscribe · 7 years

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Maybe something with one of those weird soulmate AUs? Like "You can see through he other's eyes when you're dreaming" or "There's a time on your skin counting down when you'll meet them" or something along that effect. Any pairings fine! (but bonus if it's capritello and they're confused because? its all three of them?)

(I spent two days on this I hope you’re happy anon)

((AO3 VERSION))

Every person- every person-is born with a countdown on their wrist. Every person. Not animals, just people.

So when Yoshi accidentally becomes the father of fourfreshly mutated turtles, he’s surprised to find that they have those countdownswhere they didn’t before. Tiny little watches printed on their green scales,ones that will grow in size and coloration as they age; all the little handsticking down merrily on the bodies of four children who’ve just become actualpeople, instead of just animals.

That fact is part of why Yoshi takes them into his arms-quietly mourning that his own watch has long since stopped ticking, crackedthrough the surface of it, and now hiding beneath his new fur- and chooses toraise them as the people fate has decided they in fact are.

Except, he notices at a later time, when they’re not on therun and he’s not newly trying to figure out how to be a father of fourrambunctious boys- that the child he named Donatello is a bit… odd. Odder thanjust being a turtle.

He has a clock on his right wrist, as is the most typicalspot to have one, but also… on his left wrist.

Yoshi stares at this revelation about his son, unsure ofwhat exactly he’s supposed to do about it- he’s never heard of such a thingoccurring, is it a side effect of once not being a thinking being?- butultimately decides there isn’t anything he can actually do about it. His son ishis son, whether he’s a turtle with two soulmate clocks or not.

He puts it aside, and doesn’t really question it afterwards.

Donnie grows up with two clocks on his wrists, and questionseverything about that for years to come. He’s not human, and was originally ananimal- so who could those two people be? It makes him fret, because what ifthey hate him for what he is, or worse, what if they’re not even capable ofthoughts? What if they’re not human at all, and he’s destined to find two animals as his soulmates?

His brothers all have single clocks, but Donnie has two, andwhile they all sometimes worry of just who they’re fated to meet, Donnie feelshis worries are doubled.

—

April O’Neil is born in a farmhouse, surrounded by whatlittle family she’s got. Her mother and father hold her between them, and curlaround her in exhausted relief. In their eyes, she’s a perfectly healthy baby,and the doctor confirms this when they call him over in the morning.

Except, April’s wrists have twin clocks on each, and herparents are terrified of what that could mean. Terrified of the heritage theyknow their daughter has, and how it’s already begun affecting her. April maylack any obviously alien features, but the knowledge that she isn’t entirelyhuman weighs on them both.

But, they love her too fiercely- futilely, for they knowthat one day the Kraang will come for her- to ever consider ostracizing thegreatest expression of their love together. Her mother kisses them each day,and prays to all the powers there are that her baby girl gets to grow up andmeet these people; that they’ll protect her from the forces that want her fortheir own gain.

When April’s father is forced to leave his wife- hissoulmate, his other half, the only person he’ll ever love- it’s like tearing apart of himself off, and he carries April away in his arms as his clockshatters across its surface.

April’s wrists are covered from then on, now that they livein the city and not an isolated farmhouse, and her father warns her that sheshould never show others her twin clocks. April grows up confused by herclocks, and wonders on and off of just who those two people she’s destined tomeet could be.

She only finds vague stories on the internet of other twinclocks, or erotic fantasies that make her lips purse and force her to clear herbrowser history. Her father never speaks a word of his worries about herclocks, but she can feel them anyway. She worries too, but is mostly curious.

Who would those two people turn out to be? Were they alsofated to meet one another, like she was fated to meet them? Or were they not,and it was just her meant for them but not them meant for each other. Shedaydreams vaguely about it as she gets older, and can never put concrete facesto either of her soulmates. She just hopes they can make things work, ascomplicated as the whole idea seems.

—

Casey Jones is born in a hospital, and while his bizarredual clocks are documented, no media story ever comes of it. Kind nurses anddoctors keeping things confidential, for the sake of the family as they go backto their small apartment.

Casey never really decides what he thinks of his clocks.They’re just there, and that’s that. Mostly, he thinks of himself as somethingspecial; after all, no way a single person could ever handle the whole CaseyJones experience all on their own.

His father and mother pat his head, and tell him thatwhoever his two soulmates are, they’ll probably think he’s as amazing as hehimself thinks. Behind his back, they trade fondly exasperated glances, andknow that fate will work things out for him. Their own partnering happened, andmillions of other ones have over the eons; such as how fate wills it for eachcouple. One boy with two clocks might be a bit strange, but Casey is Casey, andhe tends to make things work out for himself one way or another.

Casey grows up with armbands around his wrists- like mostother kids have, since society is strange with customs like that- and a generalcertainty that whenever he meets his soulmates, they’ll probably all get alonggreat.

The more the merrier, right? Love happens as it’s meant to,no ifs ands or buts. That’s how Casey treats the whole thing, and even afterhis mother passes, and his father’s clock shatters across its surface, he keepsthe confidence that his own soulmate meeting will work out fine. Fate is fate,and while Casey tends to say he makes his own, he’s fine with the idea ofgetting not one but two people tojoin him on his quest to be the most metal person alive.

He grows up excited for the day he’ll meet his soulmates,and expecting the whole thing to go off without a hitch.

—

Clocks stop the first time you come into physical contactwith your partner.

Donnie catches April, and exactly that happens.

Their wrist clocks- which had been ticking down down downfor days, and they’d been antsy about the fateful meeting, worried andwondering- chime loudly as Donnie holds April in his arms, staring at her.Stunned.

April finally opens her eyes, having closed them tight andonly startled open both by not hitting the pavement and her clock’s chiming -sees Donnie- and promptly shrieks.

Donnie shrieks right back, drops her, and April faints deadaway before she can really acknowledge her clock. Donnie is too distracted bynot getting killed, and doesn’t have enough brain space to notice a clock onhis wrist is done counting down.

And then April is gone, swept away in a van with men who allwear the same face, and Donnie has a moment to tear off his wrist wrappings tostare at it.

He stares at it. And stares at it. And tries to wrap hishead around what’s just happened.

“…dude,” Mikey says, grimacing along with all their brothersas they stare at Donnie’s wrist. “You just met your soulmate.”

“And then lost her right afterwards,” Raph adds unhelpfully.

“…wow,” Leo says, inching away from Donnie. “Awkward.”

Donnie’s mouth gapes, and he can’t find any sound besides awheezy whisper of, “Oh my god she was my soulmate.”

“Yep,” Raph says, patting Donnie’s shell comfortingly (not).“And she got kidnapped literally right after. Good job with the firstimpressions; the screaming really sealed the deal.”

“Oh my god SHE WAS MY SOULMATE,”Donnie screeches. He grabs the closest sibling near him- Leo- and drags hisbrother close to his face to further shriek, “And she literally just got kidnapped WE HAVE TO GO GET HER RIGHT NOWHOLY FUCK!!”

“Oh boy,” Mikey says under his breath, and that sums up thegeneral mood Donnie’s brothers are all sharing.

April wakes up, far across town and in a prison that glowsin unearthly ways. She’s more preoccupied with checking if he father isalright- he is, if shaken- and seeing if they can get out, than she is withremembering that one of her clocks stopped.

And then she does remember, when she’s banging on the windowof their cell and glances at her wrists and realizes oh my god one of her clocks stopped.

She hurriedly removes her armbands, and finds her rightwrist’s clock has stopped moving. Now, it’s got a pleasantly glowy tint to thesurface of it, which will fade as she and her new partner spend more timetogether.

April stares at it. And stares at it. And realizes itstopped when that thing had caughther.

April sits down hard, trapped in a literal alienenvironment, and completely unsure of what fate has just brought into her life.

—

The fact that the girl’s first reaction to him was to screamin fear stings in places Donnie always knew it would. But, she’s his soulmate,and he’s going to get her back whether or not she’s afraid of him.

They break April out of the compound, and when it comes downto the moment- where April is being carried off in a helicopter and he’s aboutto lose her, and Donnie yells at her to trusthim and holds his hands out- she does, and she jumps, and he catches her asecond time.

April jumps because she’s desperate, and because somedistant part of her says yes, I can trusthim. Shell and all.

She loses her father, and that puts a damper on things. Shecan’t think around that fact- or around all the earth shaking things she’slearning about the world tonight, like aliens and mutants- and just doesn’thave the space to approach the elephant in the room. She can’t see Donnie’swrist anyways, wrapped in bandages like it is, so she decides to addresseverything later, when her mind feels less like a smoothie.

Donnie can’t see her wrists when they escort April home, toher aunt’s place, and he doesn’t know how to open his mouth and ask to see ifher clock stopped, too. Or, if she has twoclocks, like him. Or… if she actuallywants him as a soulmate. Donnie hasnever been more aware of his inhumanity than he is in that moment, sayinggoodnight to a normal girl and promising they’ll be in contact again soon.

A part of Donnie is elated that he’s not fated to an animal;a larger part is painfully worried April will reject him completely. He keepshis wrist covered, and vows to confront the situation… later.

April is distantly and completely shocked that one of herfated partners is a mutant turtle. She has no idea how to absorb thatknowledge, let alone figure out what to do with it, so she decides she’llconfront the situation… later.

Donnie’s brothers all exchange glances behind his back, andshrug. So one of them met their soulmate; the rest of them have months, years,even, before theirs. None of them are really sure how to help their brotherthrough this, and even less sure how they’re supposed to interact with Aprilabout it.

They ask if Donnie is going to talk to their father.

Donnie says he’s not sure.

April’s aunt sees her stopped clock as April goes to brushher teeth, and asks with wide eyes just who she’s met on this traumatic night.

April says she’s not sure.

Both of their separate family members are unsure how to helpApril and Donnie, and decide to give them space to deal with the issue whilethey attend to others. (A missing father and an orphaned daughter; aliens arereal and dad I swear we actually punched some in the face.)

—

Eventually, because they can’t avoid it forever, Donnie andApril very, very, very awkwardlybring up the topic of their clocks. At the same time. Standing alone inDonnie’s lab, finally done dancing around a subject they know that everyone hasbeen watching them avoid.

They stare at one another for a long moment, and then,moving with the same carefulness, they unwrap the covers over their wrists.

They only remove one, the one with the clock that chimed thenight they met. Privately they’re still deeply afraid of showing their secondclock, for personal reasons and for ones unknowingly mutual.

April stares at the stark way Donnie’s clock stands outagainst his large, green scaled wrist; Donnie in turn, stares at the stark way April’sclock stands out against her small, pale skinned wrist.

“So…” He says quietly. He clears his throat awkwardly. “Iguess. I guess we’re soulmates?” His voice cracking on the last words; utterlyterrified that just because April is sort of their friend, she’ll turn him awayfor who and what he is.

April looks up from comparing their wrists, and Donnie isdistantly relieved that she looks as uncertain as he feels. “I guess so,” Shereplies in a soft voice. She smiles tightly. “I can’t say I ever expected-well, someone like… you, Donnie.”

Internally, Donnie flinches, because that’s understandable.“I know,” I’m sorry, he doesn’t say.He covers his wrist, rubbing it as he tries to keep a calm head. “Um. Guess thesame could be said to you? I never really knew what to expect from mys-soulmate. Since I’m. You know. Me.”

April blinks, finally catching how tense Donnie is, andreaches out for his hands. “Well, that would be something I’d be unsure of too,if I were you,” April says kindly, taking Donnie’s hands in hers as he watcheswith unsure eyes. She meets them, and steadies herself as they link themselvestogether. “But I guess fate works things out, one way or another.”

Donnie tries not to stare at how their hands look sostrangely right together, and attempts to hold all his anxious thoughts at bay.“I’ve been told that, yes. And- and do you think this is… fate? Us?”

He barely holds back following questions. Is this okay? Are you okay with me being me?Do you not want me? Do you want this at all?

“You saved my life,” April says. She squeezes Donnie’s largehands as she does. “And you turned out to be a really great guy. I think that’sproof enough.”

“So… are you…? Are we…?” Donnie doesn’t want to say it outloud, not when he’s still so unsure of the answer. He struggles for anotherbeat, and manages a hopeful, “Can we try?”

“I think we can,” April says softly, staring up at someoneshe never expected to have in her life, and is grateful to have met regardless.Then, she remembers her other wrist, and her mood sours. She bites her lip, andglances away from Donnie. “But there’s… there’s something you should know,before we go forwards with this.”

“…there’s something you should know, too, about me,” Donniesays, shoulders slumping slightly. He feels dread returning, because even ifApril will accept their attempt to try something between them, could she acceptDonnie having another partner, somewhere in the future? And what if thatpartner was against it as well, when they finally met them? And that is assumingthe person would even want Donnie as a soulmate. He’s already been so lucky,he’s not sure if it’ll hold.

April releases Donnie’s hands, clutching her still coveredwrist. She’s worried now that Donnie will be upset by her other clock; theirsituation is so precarious as is, new and unfamiliar, and what if her otherfuture partner can’t accept Donnie or the dual relationship? She’s only knownhim for a short while, but she can already tell that Donnie isn’t someone sheever wants to lose. Even at the cost of her other soulmate.

April pulls off her armband the same time Donnie removes hissecond set of wrapping.

“April, I’m sorry, but I’ve got-”

“Donnie, I’m sorry, but I have-”

They stop, and stare at one another.

“…another soulmate,” They whisper together, staring at eachother’s wrist. They blink in confusion at one another, not quite convincedwhat’s happening is happening.

Donnie purses his lips, and April thins hers.

Well, this makes things even more complicated.

—

“So, what, we have- individual other soulmates? A jointother soulmate? Is this a fourway or a threeway, my god.”

“I have no idea, Donnie. I have no ideas about anythinganymore. I don’t think it even really matters- four or three or- fuck, what ifit’s two other people, who also have another person besides us- how many damnclocks could this go?”

“I don’t know and I think I feel a little dizzy.”

“I can’t believe having a mutual other soulmate is suddenlythe easy outcome here.”

“I know. This is like something out of Leo’s bad fanfic bookmarks.”

“Leo’s- Leo’s what?”

“I am the only person in this house with a computer, and Leoroutinely forgets how to clear the history of it after he uses it.”

“That’s. Well.”

“I feel slightly violated when he reads them.”

“Eugh, same feeling here.”

“Let’s not talk about that anymore. Please.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“I know. I regret it deeply.”

“Again, same feeling. Gross.”

“So… um, anyways, can we… can we try the kissing thingagain?”

“…you know, that sounds like a better topic of conversation,so yeah. Let’s do that.”

“Okay, uh, cool, great, how do I angle- oh- mmph-”

“Shh. No more talking.”

“I’m. I am on board with that plan.”

—

They figure out a relationship after that, one that worksfor them and is as unconventional as their lives require it to be. Their secondclocks keep ticking down- their individual destined meetings at differenttimes, furthering the question of just who the other(s?) to their relationshipwill be. But, for the most part, their lives are too hectic to ponder deeply onwho the person(s) will be.

Particularly when Mikey’s clock rings loud and clear in themiddle of a fight, and is echoed by a matching one-

-which happens to be on the wrist of a massive mutant crocodile,hell-bent on murdering everything in his path.

“Oh boy,” Donnie says, exchanging glances with his olderbrothers as Mikey fusses over the other mutant’s unconscious body. Leo and Raphgive him equally confused and slightly panicky looks, and between the three ofthem they help Mikey drag his gigantic soulmate back to the lair. Which onlyhappens because Mikey turns a sternly stubborn look on them all, and demandsthey do so.

Everything from there is a total mess- Donnie nearly diestoo many times, and has his face grabbed repeatedly- and the night eventuallyboils down to Mikey proclaiming that the crocodile is in fact his soulmate andalso called Leatherhead now.

And Donnie thought hissoulmate situation was strange.

At least Leatherhead apologises for grabbing Donnie’s faceso much. He’s possibly one of the only people to have ever apologized forassaulting his person, and he also builds excellent traps and Donnie wants tipsfor that, so he ends up forgiving the newest addition to their family.

Mikey and Leatherhead spend much of their spare time gluedtogether after that, and Donnie asks his older brothers if he and April were asgrossly PDA as that, what with Mikey and Leatherhead curling around each otherin plain sight on the couch every chance they get.

“Oh yeah,” Raph confirms. “Except worse, because there wasall this pining before that.”

“It was actually quite sickening,” Leo adds with a solemnnod. Donnie gives him a flat look, says “browserhistory,” and watches Leo go satisfyingly pale. Raph has a similarpaleness, because once again, Donnie is the only one in the house with alaptop, and he knows more about his brothers’ search history than he everwanted to.

Nothing eventful having to do with their clocks happens fora while, post addition of Leatherhead to things. There’s a brief interludewhere Leo unsubtly sulks around that Karai isn’t his destined soulmate, butthey all ignore his whining or remind him that his clock has always said thathis soulmate is years further into the future. (Later, they are all very, very,very, very glad Karai was not Leo’ssoulmate, because while their lives are strange and complicated, that is onebucket of incestuous worms none of them ever want to tip over or evenacknowledge ever again. And besides, Shinigami probably would’ve murdered themall if they tried.)

Then, after experiencing near death and near heaven with hermore times than he can count- April leaves them.

And Donnie’s heart breaks in half.

—

April breaks her own heart, storming away from her bestfriends and her partner, who betrayedher, and took her father a second time from her.

She doesn’t have a clear plan to anything- nothing besidesneeding to be away from them all- andjust tries to be an ordinary girl for a while. Like one that helps fellowclassmates pass their grade.

Which goes along fine, pleasantly distracting from all hertroubling thoughts and drawing her attention from everything. Including thesteadily ticking clock on her wrist and its silent twin.

Or, it goes along fine and distracting, until Casey clapsApril on the back after a late night study session, and two sets of chimingalarms go off. They’re the only two people on the street, so there’s not even aneed to check their wrists if it’s their alarms that have just gone off.

“Oh… ooohhhh-!”Casey exclaims, gaping at April. “Oh my god! It’s you!”

April is as stunned as he is, and can barely react beyond astuttered affirmation, before Casey sweeps her into a hug. He’s laughing loudand freely, and looks utterly elated that April’s his soulmate. The sheeropenness he has with everything, his emotions, his thoughts, his dreams, drawsApril out of her shock and makes laughter bubble up in her chest.

Casey hears that laughter, and it makes something warmappear in his chest. He’d known he kind of liked April in a vague sense, likemost casual crushes he’s had over the years, but now he knows he likes her. Likes herlikes her. His study partner was one of his destined partners; who’d havethought?

He twirls her around, and presses a messy kiss to her cheek.It makes April giggle, and Casey feels like he wants her to make that sound ahundred times more right then.

“So, just to clarify,” He says with a grin, still holdingApril off the ground and almost too-light to feel anything beyond her body onhis. “You’re my soulmate, and I’m yours, and we’re gonna do the dating thingnow, right?”

April’s gone through nothing but harshly painful thingslately, and the spot of kind-of normalcy Casey’s become in her life is oneshe’s started cherishing. Now, he’s looking at her like she’s got everythinghe’s ever wanted, and she finds his goofy smile so much more endearing for it.

“I think so!” She laughs, feeling free of burden for thefirst time in weeks. Casey replies with a vague, “cool,” and moves to press another kiss to her. This time Aprilsees it coming, and meets him halfway for their first proper kiss. She’s alittle tired of thinking and worrying about everything; she chooses to kissCasey and feel nothing but glowing happiness at least for now.

“Oh yeah, by the way,” Casey mumbles after a few repetitionsof those affections. “I kind of have a second soul clock, hope that’s not gonnabe an issue here.”

That brings all of April’s other thoughts rushing back, andshe leans away to give him a wide eyed look. “What? Seriously?”

“Uh, yep. Pretty sure. See?”

April stares at the uncovered wrist of Casey’s left arm, andhow the clock on it is still ticking along. She blows out a harsh breath, andgoes to bare her own wrists. “Well, I think I’m alright with that, so long asyou’re alright with… this.”

Casey stares at April’s two wrists, both clocks stopped atdifferent dates and time. He looks her in the eyes, and says very clearly,“Well, that makes everything a little more complicated.”

“You’re telling me,” April says tiredly.

As it happens, very unfortunately, Donnie has been watchingthe whole exchange on a rooftop he stopped on after patrol.

He watches his soulmate kiss another man- a real man, a human- who is assumable her second soulmate, and feels hurt andfear curdle in his stomach. If Casey is her other destined partner, and sheobviously likes him already, then where does that leave Donnie?

He wants to leap down from the roof, confirm that they’restill just taking a break from each other, that April isn’t going to leave himfor Casey, see if Casey is the other half of him, too-

-but Donnie knows he’s still got time on his clock, almostweeks until it’s supposed to hit zero. And, he knows that he can’t go downthere. The streetlamp April and Casey stand beneath is a spotlight he can’tenter safely, and that fact makes his shoulder slump in defeat.

He leaves without saying a word to either human on thestreet below, and waits in his home underground to see what April’s decision isgoing to be; about them, about Casey, about everything.

—

April comes back to Donnie, and they spend hours apologizingto one another through the night. They’re not meant to be apart, however deepthe wound they put in their relationship was. Soulmates- when the other isalive and well, and you’re the sorts who need to be regularly close to oneanother- need to remain together. Being apart from each other felt wrong, and it’s hurt them both.

There are kisses and apologies and a long, long talk inDonnie’s bedroom about what the future holds. April tells Donnie about Casey,and Donnie says he knows, he saw them on accident the night their clocksstopped, and that he’s sorry for spying.

April admonishes him for stalking her- (“I was just checkingup on you, I swear!” “I have five knives and a bladed fan on my person at alltimes, Donnie. I was fine.”)- butforgives him after a few minutes of more kisses. She missed him fiercely, andthat alone is enough to make her forgive him; even more so for the genuinesorry-ness he has for the intrusion.

“…I saw you show your wrist, before I left,” Donnie adds alittle while later. “I didn’t. I didn’t stay to see how he reacted.”

April sighs, and nestles her head a little closed toDonnie’s neck. “He said he was fine by it, so long as I was fine… for him havingthe same situation.”

Donnie’s brain actually stops for a moment. Confused.

“Um. What??”

“I had the same reaction.”

“Oh my god. I can’t believe it.”

“Mine are both stopped, but his other one is still ticking,”April taps Donnie’s left wrist, where his watch counts down still. “Like yours,so there’s… is hope the right word for this?”

“I don’t know,” Donnie says, looking at his still runningclock. “God I hope the infinite second soulmate theory isn’t real. April, Idon’t think I could handle this chain going any further.”

“Truth be told, I’m not sure I could either.”

“So what do we do? Are we- am I supposed to meet him? Shouldwe arrange it right when my clock’s supposed to stop?” Donnie pauses, old fearsand worries rising again. “And even if he’s not my other soulmate, he’s stillyours and I’m- I’m yours too, but not- human. April, what if he hates me?”

“He won’t hate you,” April says firmly, putting a protectiveand leanly muscled arm across Donnie’s plastron. “And if he does, I’ll smackthat empty head of his until he doesn’t. We’ll make this work, Donnie. I don’twant to lose either of you.”

“…do you already care about him that much?” Donnie askssoftly, both warmed by April’s protective conviction and a tinge hurt by herattachment to Casey only weeks after meeting him.

“Yeah, I think I do,” April replies, just as soft. “That’sjust how this soulmate thing works; you can’t fight it.”

Donnie nods, understanding that this isn’t something theycan change, and something he would never ask her to. “Okay. Okay then, we’llmake this work. I promise.”

They decide not to plan any sort of meeting between Donnieand Casey until their clocks stop, and they get confirmation of things straightfrom fate itself. If they’re each other’s soulmates, destiny will find a way tobring them together. Trying to force it wouldn’t work.

Donnie is watching his wrist’s clock tick down, anxiouslyworried that he’s home and it’s nearlythere- when a noise startles him and his brothers off the couch, and theyturn to find an intruder in their home.

The masked psycho bellows a challenge at them as they chargeone another, and the second Donnie’s fist makes contact with the man’s mask-

-two sets of chiming alarms go off, and everyone freezes.

“Oh no way,” Donnie whispers, staring at the mad man whobroke into his home and tried to kill them all.

“Oh fuck me,” Saysthat mad man, staring at Donnie with equal horror.

“God dammnit,Donnie,” Raph says, and the fight resumes as they try to restrain this personwho is apparently Donnie’s soulmate.

They get the mask off- and Donnie’s not sure what he expects,but the Halloween terror makeup isn’t it. The crazy teen bares his gap-toothedsneer at them, and snarls in Raph and Leo’s hold. Donnie is slowly putting thepieces together, stunned and shocked and failing to take in the situation fastenough, when April emerges from the dojo to yell, “Casey?!”

“You know thisguy?” Raph asks, and Donnie makes a weak sound in his throat as Casey- Casey- shakes off his brothers.

“April, you knowthese guys?” Casey spits with the same amount of disgust Raph did. And he turnsimmediately to Donnie right after, pointing an accusing finger at Donnie. “And you- the fuck did you do to my soulclock?!”

April’s eyes go wide, same as Donnie’s father’s, and Leowhispers the ever favored words, “Ohboy,” under his breath as he gets out of range. Raph and Mikey quickly followhim.

“Me?!” Donnieaccuses right back. “You’re- you’re the one who made mine go off! You’re the psycho who broke into my house!”

“House?! This is thefucking sewers!”

“Abandoned subwaytunnels, thank you very much!”

“Fuck you! What’d youdo to my clock?!”

“I don’t know, WHATDID YOU DO TO MINE?!”

“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING, YOU’RE THE ONE WHO DID SOMETHING TO MINE!”

“Oh my god,” April says despairingly, putting her head inher hands and wondering what powers decided her life needed to be thisdifficult. Master Splinter pats her shoulders comfortingly, and tries to find atidbit of ninja wisdom to impart to his third son’s struggles. He finds none,and settles to for separating Donatello and Casey before they can do more thanfrantically shout at one another in their fear and shock.

—

“So, he’s a mutant turtle,” Casey says in a reasonablevoice, once the metal robo-ninja apocalypse is over and he’s sitting in akitchen full of appliances older than he is.

Said mutant turtle and his- their??- soulmate exchangeglances.

“Yeah, that’s me,” The mutant says. “Formally introducingmyself, I’m Donatello. Yes I’m a turtle, yes I’m a ninja, yes I’m April’s othersoulmate. And apparently yours as well.”

“I know this is a lot to take in, Casey,” April says gently,reaching to Donatello’s hand and grasping it in hers. “But Donnie’s a good guy,and I’m hoping you’ll give… us, achance.”

“He punched me in the face,” Casey deadpans.

“You broke into my home,” Donnie deadpans right back.

“Boys,” April saysin a warning tone. They had their screamfest and fighting earlier, now is timefor talking like sensible people. Donnie ducks his head, and mumbles, “Sorry,April,” and Casey mumbles the same. April shakes her head; it’s barely past tenthirty and she’s already worn out from tonight’s events. “So how do we do this?Are you two going to be able to get along at all?”

Donnie and Casey glance at each other, and share a resignedsort of look.

“I… guess I cangive this a shot,” Casey says reluctantly. This wasn’t at all what he’d beenexpecting his partnering to end up as. “Although honestly, I’m not entirely onboard with where this is going.”

“Same to you, Jones,” Donnie says coolly, burying the tingesof hurt he feels from Casey’s tone. This could go very bad very fast if he-they- weren’t careful, but Casey also aggravates him deeply, so Donnie findscourtesy a bit hard to muster.

April gives Donnie’s hand a squeeze, and sighs to herself.However this is going to go, it won’t be easy. Not with her two boys already atodds with one another.

But then again, when has anything in her life ever been easy?

—

There’s hardly any time for Donnie and Casey to get to knowone another before the whole world comes crashing down around them.

There’s so much loss packed into one horrible day, andeverything moves too fast to even take in- but somehow, Donnie finds a momentwhile April is bandaging his arm to say what’s been growing in him the pastmonths.

“So, um, since it’s kind of the end of the world all overagain… I just wanted to say how I feel about you,” Donnie says softly, hopingher father won’t hear the confession and his brother will give them space.

April pauses her tending to Donnie’s quick first-aid, andlooks up at him, already feeling the importance of what Donnie is trying tosay.

“I love you,” Donnie says, and it’s the first time he’sadmitted it out loud. He fights the instinctive worry that it won’t bereturned, because they’ve been through so much together; he knows that even ifApril doesn’t say it back, they’ll still survive this. “And even if we dietoday, I want you to know you’re the most amazing soulmate I could’ve gotten. Idon’t regret anything, and I think I don’t ever want us to be apart, even as…difficult, that could turn out to be.”

April stares up at him, softly stunned, and then smilesslowly as her heart swells.

“I love you, too,” She says quietly, and for a moment,there’s none of the disasters outside and there’s only them. “And I think I’dlike us to be together for good, too. And,we will be, because none of us are dying here today. I won’t let that happen.”

For that brief pause in their complicated lives, there’sjust the two of them, and the miracle they’ve come to consider theirrelationship. Two clocks each, and yet, they’re still making things work.Against all the odds- despite April’s inhumanity, and Donnie’s even more so-they fell in love, and though they’re young, they know it’s real and they neverwant to lose it.

Before the rest of their group meets up, before Caseyarrives and brings with him the part of their relationship that’s still budding,before Leo flies through the window more dead than alive- they take a momentmore to bring their foreheads close, and promise each other they’ll get throughthis, together.

They link hands as the world tries to end around them, andkiss quick and fluttery. No time for lingering, they’ve got a city to save.

—

It’s somewhere after that, when the world slows to astandstill and they run out of things to hit. When Casey is stuck in a barnwith someone he’s fated to love and still not sure how he feels about that.It’s somewhere during that time, that they lay down the barbs they’ve beenexchanging over and over since they met, and just… talk.

April takes long shifts at the diner in town, and sleepswhenever she isn’t working. Sometimes it’s with one of her boys, but more oftenit’s alone. Her powers are shifting, growing again; other minds are becomingexhausting to be around constantly, and her soulmates understand she needsspace to herself after a long day of overstimulation.

So that leaves the two of them, unfamiliar with one anotherand trying to broach that barrier, if only for April.

It’s easier than either of them expected, once they let goof their suspicion.

Donnie finds that Casey isn’t half obnoxious as he likes toportray, and in Casey’s opinion neither is Donnie. When Casey comes back fromfarmhand jobs, he’s often too tired to put up his usual bravado; it givesDonnie glimpses of the teen underneath that, and he slowly begins to find bothsides of Casey endearing. Alternatively, Donnie will sometimes burn himself outby not sleeping for days, and it leaves him too tired to filter his outwardemotions and conversations. Casey finds himself kind of liking the mutant whenhe’s not spewing words no one but dictionaries know, and starts to empathizewith what Donnie’s had to deal with the past few years.

Sometimes it’s easier to not talk at all, and that stillleaves plenty to do.

There are farm repairs and car parts to tinker with. Caseyadopts the truck as his personal obsession, in place of being able to find anenemy he can actually fight. Donnie gets drawn mostly against his will into theproject, and is convinced to put down his mutagen experiments from time totime. Casey’s not quite the numerals and logic sort of thinker like Donnie, butCasey’s hands-on and kinesthetic type method makes sense once they really getinto things.

April sometimes stops by, leaning on the barn doorframe andsmiling fondly to herself as her boys figure themselves out. The best moments,in her opinion, are the ones where they’re so caught up in debating or buildingor just laughing together, and don’t even notice she’s there.

She’s not there when her boys kiss for the first time, butshe does hear about it later from both of them.

It happens same way most things do for them- kind of onaccident, a little bit messy, and an action taken in the heat of the moment.They’re elbow deep into the old truck’s still not quite functioning engine,when they slowly lose track of what they were saying, and close the last bit ofdistance between them both.

Donnie kisses Casey, and Casey kisses Donnie, and neither ofthem thinks it’s anything like kissing April, but are fine with that. This issomething new, something different- something for just them.

They sort of stare at one another when they break apart, notentirely sure where the kiss had come from or if the other wanted it to happen.

“Uh…” Casey says, trying to find something to say. “So- Iguess that happened?”

Donnie blinks owlishly, seeming just as caught by surpriseas Casey feels. He gives an awkward half smile. “Uh, I guess so?”

Casey can’t tell if he’s supposed to move away, orapologize, or what. He decides to go with one of his other impulses, and leansslowly back in.

Donnie has the chance to refuse, but he doesn’t evenconsider doing so, and leans in as well.

It’s again messy, again completely new, but it’s sort ofwonderful for those things, and they embrace it.

—

Fate finds a way, one way or another.

Fate finds them sharing a bed for the first time, the nightafter Casey and Donnie broach the final barrier between the two of them.

April feels stable enough to have people close to her onceagain, and even if she didn’t, she would have done this anyways. The three ofthem are still new, still learning each other, but this is real, and it verylikely could be love.

She’s exhausted as she falls asleep, like she always feelsthese days, but she’s warm and cared for between the two most important peopleshe has in her life. They all fit together on the queen sized bed with minimalsquishing, and somehow find it to be one of the best sleeps they’ve had inmonths.

Donnie and Casey exchange brief questioning glances- is this alright? Is this really alright forus?- but don’t find any sign of either of them not wanting to be close likethis.

It’s the first time they share space so intimately- sleepingas a trio, and not in separate duos- and it’s hardly the last. But, the firstis always the first, and often the most special.

It’s an act of trust, deciding to really try being the destined three they’remeant to be. And it’s one that they all know the weight of.

April opens her eyes briefly the next morning, sees andfeels the sleep that still holds her boys, and smiles softly as she rejoinsthem. Her mind doesn’t hurt when it’s just them, her ambient senses findingonly affection in each of her soulmates, and she feels safer than she has inmonths nestled between them.

Casey stirs only once, blearily confused in the dead ofnight that he’s suddenly missing a portion of the blanket on his legs. He findsit pulled towards Donnie’s side of the bed, and rolls his eyes before tuggingit back from the reptile’s hoarding. Before he closes his eyes again, heglances at the two people in his bed. April and Donnie seem so right, sleepingpeacefully like that against one another, and he finds that he feels none ofthe jealousy he originally did for them.

Donnie doesn’t sleep for a long time, watching his partnersdrift off before he does. He scarcely can believe this is happening, thatthey’re really here and that they care for him, despite all the flaws he countsin himself. He worried so much that his twin clocks would lead him to peoplewho could never love him, and yet, he finds those worries swept away, staringat April and Casey’s sleeping faces.

When they finally do drag themselves from the comfort ofbed, it’s only because Mikey cruelly comes in and drags the covers off byforce. The action elicits groans and curses, and only encourages Casey to hidehis face in April’s hair, April to burrow deeper into the sandwich she’smiddling, and Donnie to put an arm across the whole pile to hold the humans’heat close to him as long as possible.

“You’re all gross,” Mikey says, shaking his head at hisbrother and friends. “Me an’ Leatherhead are way less disgusting with PDA.You’re all straight up public nuisances at this point.”

“This is my bedroom,Mike,” April gripes from under her boyfriends. “You’re the one being a public nuisance right now.”

“And for the record, you and Leatherhead are downrightscandalous sometimes,” Donnie adds grumpily, already feeling his pleasantwarmth fading.

“Snnrffmrrgmff,” Casey adds incoherently, further mashinghis face into both April’s hair and the pillow.

Mikey clicks his tongue at them all, and leaves them to dragthemselves back to the land of the living. Taking the blanket with him, thelittle shit.

“’m gonna kill your brother,” Casey says when they finallysit up; hair a complete snarl and with a shadow along the edges of his jaw.

“I’ll help you,” Donnie says, and leans over to kiss thestubble on Casey’s chin because he can. Casey mumbles something about using therain barrel and some rope, and gives a kiss in return.

April just groans from the bed where she still lays, andthen shrieks as both her soulmates elect to take advantage of her ridden upshirt and shock her to wakefulness with a tickle attack.

They’re both banned from kissing her until after breakfastfor the trick, but April lets them sneak in for smooches anyways as they servethemselves dubious pancakes.

—

There are many hard experiences after that, and one of theonly things that get them through it is the bond they’ve forged.

War and strife dog them at every turn, and the moments theyhave together are few. But, they’re still there, and that’s enough to get themthrough each new tragedy.

They go to space, after losing everything they’ve ever hadin one fell swoop, and thought it’s an experience rooted in a catastrophe, it’salso a blessing.

Donnie’s never been able to go anywhere public before. Now, he has the opportunity to see wholeworlds that won’t even blink at the sight of him walking down the street. Thegrief of losing his father still clings to him, but the elation of feeling normal for once nearly eclipses that.

He can go into shops, restaurants, theaters; any and all theplaces he wants to without worrying of being killed just for being himself. And,for the first time, he can hold the hands of his soulmates in plain view of theworld, and have no judgement cast on that fact.

He gets to visit cities filled with people and relationshipsfar stranger than the three of them, gets to talk and kiss and laugh with Caseyand April in all those places and not have to feel ashamed of it. Donnie getsto experience having soulmates without feeling guilty that they can’t ever livenormal lives with him; because out here, they are normal, and it’s the most amazing feeling ever.

They almost die more times than they can count, lose trackof the planets they scour and visit, and fight through grief and regret thatwill likely never go away. And, April and Casey get to see Donnie light upevery single day in a brand new way, and it only cements the feelings they’vecome to have for him.

Donnie and April fell in love years ago, and April and Caseyfell for each other fast and hard; Casey and Donnie finish the trianglesomewhere in the depths of space, and seal the deal with promises and impulsivetouches.

The sleep cycle they do, when April’s powers are too rawfeeling to be close to anyone at the moment, it’s just them as they trysomething they’ve already both tried with April in the past.

April said she never minded, that she thought Donnie wasperfectly amazing just as he was- but his fear lingers up till the last momentbefore he and Casey cross the line. Donnie stops, just before that line, andcan’t even bring himself to properly voice his question. If Casey really wantshim like this.

“Hey, look at me,” Casey says, turning Donnie’s head backtowards him. He cups Donnie’s cheeks, and in the low light of the room hestares his soulmate dead in the eyes. “I don’t care that you’re not human.April told me you were worried I would, and this is me telling you I don’t. Okay?”

Donnie feels exposed, and disbelieving that he could be solucky twice- and asks in a waveringvoice, “Really?”

“Of course,” Casey says, drawing close again and putting hisnose to Donnie’s. “I love you, don’t I?”

And even though he’s heard Casey say it before, even thoughApril has said it a hundred times more than Casey, Donnie still struggles tofully believe those words that have been given to him.

But he doesn’t need to. He just needs to accept them, andsays, “I love you, too,” in return.

Casey grins, roguish and brash, and pushes them backtogether without a hint of hesitation or reluctance. Donnie gives into theobvious affection this boy- this man-has for him, and finally thinks he could believe that this is real, and thathe’s really in love and being loved.

April slinks into their bed some hours later, fresh frommeditation to quiet the coiled power inside her mind. She finds her boystangled together and so obviously in love it makes her heart melt. She thenslips around Casey’s back, and snuggles comfortably into the place she’s alwayshad with them. A perfect third piece to their triangle.

Three sets of dual clocks have long since stopped, each pairat a different time, and somehow it works. Fate has always intended them tofind each other, and no amount of time travel or world destruction orinhumanity was ever going to stop that.

That’s something they take comfort in- that no matter what,they would have found each other somehow and thus found this bliss- as they curl together under thethick blankets of their shared bed. They’re messy, and sometimes bicker, andare all at least a little traumatised, and they love each other.

The last part is enough to cancel out everything else.

—

Raph also finds his soulmate in space, and ends up fallinghard for a woman twice his size and with a weapon longer than his arm.

Y’Gythgba’s people have no true soulmates, but she washatched with a clock regardless. When she meets Raph, the tiny and fiercewarrior from a planet far away, she can’t help but listen to his insistingwords that they’re meant for eachother.

They’re nearly mauled, nearly frozen into icicles, nearlydie of oxygen deprivation- and come together irregardless.

They’re not the types of soulmates that need to spend alifetime together. One night is enough, talking and kissing and experiencing aonce in a lifetime pleasure. It’s enough, and then they part ways to followtheir individual paths in life.

“I get it now,” Raph tells Donnie and Mikey later, staringat his stopped clock with something akin to wonder. “Why you two just- knew.”

“Well, I was a little unsure about Casey at first… but yeah,I knew eventually,” Donnie says with a warm and understanding smile.

Mikey just shrugs. He and Leatherhead knew it from themoment they first got to actually talk together, and they’ve never questionedit since. He misses his soulmate fiercely, and can’t wait to return home.“Dunno how you can stand it, Raph. Leaving your lady out here and never seeingher again.”

“Y’Gythgba has her own thing to do,” Raph says with a fondsmile he probably doesn’t know he’s got. “If we meet again, we meet again. Ithink this fate stuff is real with that sort of thing, so I think I’ll just…let it happen if it’s going to.”

Leo quietly sulks at the table with them, staring at hisclock continuing to tick onwards. He’s got another year and some before he’ssupposed to meet his soulmate, and he’s starting to feel a little left out ofthings.

(He meets his soulmate later, one whose wrist has alwaysbeen obscured by white fur and has no knowledge that he’s fated to meet Leo.

Leo gets swept into a romance that’s stilted at first-because how exactly do you convince someone with no concept of soul clocks thatyou’re meant to be together?- but eventually finds the other half he’s alwaysbeen searching for.

Usagi is someone who meets him equally on plains Leo’salways been alone on, and draws him into new things he never would haveconsidered. He feels he does the same for the rabbit, and wins his soulmateover through steady devotion.

His siblings snicker and call his a furry without realcruelty, prodding him about his decade long obsession with cartoon characters,and Leo is too smitten to do much more than shut them up about it wheneverUsagi is within earshot.)

—

Things don’t go smoothly, further down the road. Casey andApril and Donnie face things that nearly break them apart, and come throughanyways.

Their bond is corrupted, when April’s mind and powers are high-jackedfrom her and she becomes an enemy to them all. It’s a night that almost tearsthem apart in the same way April tears Donnie apart.

Casey screams as it happens, feeling the loss and thesickening crack that goes through the clock on his wrist. It wrenches throughhim sharp and cold, and drives him to his knees as he loses a part of himself.

April screams as well, trapped in her head and horrified ofwhat she’s just taken from them all. One of her clocks shatters its surface,and it does so in time as Za’naron splits the sky with her powers. Her heartfeels like it’s bleeding out, and what little control she has of her body letsher weep for what she’s done.

She gets Donnie back, shredding reality itself to do so- andit’s only because of that miracle that they don’t fall apart.

Casey and April’s clocks mend themselves, but a silvery lineis spider-webbed through each one afterwards. Donnie was gone- for too long, too many minutes- and that scar on the three ofthem will never vanish.

April clutches Donnie close, sobbing and terrified ofherself and for him. He’s shaken and still trying to resync with reality, but Donnie’salready forgiven her as he holds her back. Casey bends, and wraps his lankyarms around them both; trying to hold his partners together as they attempt topatch the cracks split through their souls.

It takes weeks for April to even consider forgiving herself,to think that even for a second she deserves the love that her boys insist onstill giving her. But she can’t close herself off from them, not fully, andtheir steady love draws her back out of her shell. Even when nightmares plagueher- and Donnie- and Casey, too- none of them think for even a moment that thethree of them should separate.

It takes weeks, but eventually April can meet Donnie andCasey’s eyes again, and not feel like hiding herself in shame. It takes weeks,but they find their rhythm again, and resume the relationship that they’vebuilt together.

And then master Splinter dies, and Casey and April have tohold together Donnie as he tries not to break under the tragedy’s weight.

—

April loses her second father figure who’d cared for her foryears; Casey loses a steady adult influence he’d come to love and will miss forthe rest of his life; Donnie loses the only parent he’s ever had, and it nearlykills him.

They cluster close as grief takes the Hamato household, andkeep one another steady as the stages pass by.

Its months before they do, months before the grey haze liftsfrom their lives, but it does happen and they keep moving forwards.

The war is over, all their wars are over, and finally, it’sjust them and whatever they chose to do in life.

—

Donnie grew up wondering if his partners would love him.April grew up pondering just who her partners could be. Casey grew up knowingthey’d make things work no matter what.

They finish growing up together, and somehow, three sets ofdual clocks find each other, and come together as fate intended.

Whether it’s late nights in the garage, grease and oilgetting up Donnie and Casey’s arms, or hours spent in the dojo sparring withweapons and grinning at April as she shines like an open flame; whether its sneakyventures getting Donnie into their apartments, or lounging in the one placethey can be in the open, far underground; whether it’s night or day or winteror summer, whether they’re young teenagers or young adults, they make thingswork.

They make things work.

Three sets of clocks followed the course of fate they wereset on, find the love they were always meant have, and swear to never let itgo.

#Request Night #capritello #this ended sappily but i don't even fucking care #i'm proud of myself for finally doing the soulmate AU and doing it damn well #Donatello #April O'neil #Casey Jones #tmnt #TMNT 2012 #my writing #two days #two days i worked on this #i hope you people are happy #that was like #at least ten hours of work all together #it took a long time bc of life stuff getting in the way #hur dur dur time to post on AO3 too

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spectrumscribe · 7 years

Text

These days.

Inspired by both my utter salt for the current brother-brother dynamics in canon, and the song These Days by the Black Keys.

Previous related fic, and AO3 version of the series.

Summary:

Donnie and Mikey can’t stay in the lair anymore. Their father is gone and the war is over and all that’s left is their older brothers. Who, as Donnie has come to slowly realize, haven’t been treating them well. Not for a long, long time. They can’t stay, they have to leave.

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Part One.

There’s a night, sometime after their father is buried and their enemies defeated, when their home is too quiet and unspoken tension is rising and coiling and choking at everyone- Donnie knows.

He knows he has to leave.

It comes, after another night, a different night. One that’d had another realization, and another quiet, insidious feeling upheaval.

On that night, he wakes up, starts to head to his lab on automatic, even though there’s little reason to anymore- and Leo stops him. Leo asks Donnie, and their other siblings, to meet him in the dojo. Saying that it’s time they had a family meeting, broken as their family is.

There’s a tone in Leo’s voice that Donnie hasn’t encountered before. It’s new, and he doesn’t know why it unsettles him.

Donnie isn’t sure what he’s expecting, kneeling on the dojo floor, like he has for years and years, waiting for Leo to address them. Whatever he might have expected, it’s not what Leo has to say.

Leo kneels in front of Donnie, in front of all of them, instead of with them. Setting himself apart. Donnie watches him, confused by the change.

“Sensei- Splinter,” Leo says, correcting himself for some reason, and that’s when alarms start going off in Donnie’s head. “Splinter gave me a final message, the night he… died. A few hours before.”

Donnie sees Raph and Mikey beside him shift, sitting up straighter. None of them had known about that, and it’s been days since their father’s passing. Donnie wants to ask “Why didn’t he leave one with us too?”, but he can’t before Leo continues.

“He told me that he knew his time was short,” Leo says, hands on his knees and completely serious. “He knew that he was going to die, and he told me that I’d have to take his place. I was chosen to be our leader because he knew that it would be me, all along. Not for skill or for training- but because that’s who I was meant to be. A leader to all of us. He told me I was to take up the mantle as both a master and a father to our family, and I intend to.”

Donnie feels his stomach drop, and his eyes go wide.

“From now on,” Leo says, continuing despite the shocked noises Raph and Mikey are making. “I’ll be our Sensei, and I’ll expect your respect for that position. It was our father’s dying wish, and I’ll see that I carry it out.”

Donnie swallows thickly, and he can’t speak.

He shouldn’t feel that way. He shouldn’t feel dread at the idea that his eldest brother holds all the power in their home, but he can’t not feel it. And he doesn’t know why.

Donnie’s vision blurs, and he misses what happens next. He doesn’t come back until after, when Leo and Raph have gone to train, to “-test out whether or not you really can call yourself my Sensei.” as Raph puts it. Mikey slinks away, and Donnie almost misses his brother’s retreat; utterly silent, and the complete opposite of his usual self.

Donnie is left alone, unsure of why he’s feeling so upset, so viscerally upset, about everything.

He takes five deep breaths, and then hides.

Hides in his lab, doors locked shut and his stereo turned up high enough he could feasibly miss someone knocking.

He sits at a lab table, empty of any projects, and stares at his hands. He stares and stares and for once doesn’t know what to think.

His father had known he was going to die, somehow, and he hadn’t told anyone except Leo. Only Leo. No messages or goodbyes to any of the rest of them. Splinter hadn’t bothered to. Or worse, hadn’t thought to at all.

Donnie feels lost, and in a private second all to himself- he admits that he’s also scared.

He’s scared and he doesn’t know why.

He avoids Leo’s eyes, Raph’s eyes, even Mikey’s- when he emerges from his lab, much later in the night. One or all of his brothers tries to talk to him, but it all sounds staticky to Donnie. He replies vague niceties, and gets by without really knowing what’s going on.

He’s in shock; he knows that on the edge of his mind. He’s in shock and he thinks it’s for multiple reasons. Because of his father, dying, dead, because of his brother, newly empowered and smiling and for some reason that makes Donnie nervous as anything, because they suddenly don’t have any goals anymore, no Shredder no aliens no anything-

Donnie avoids the eyes of his family, and keeps to himself.

The night Donnie Knows comes soon after. After he’s spent days thinking and drifting and feeling unsure and nervous about everything. After Leo looks him in the eye, and Donnie can see it.

He sees that Leo fully expects to have control of their home. Of their family. Of Donnie.

Donnie thinks back to months ago, before space and before losing New York and before the first invasion. Before the coma. Before this Leo had become the only Leo.

It started then, and Donnie pretended not to see.

It’s here now, the look in Leo’s eyes. The piece that’s so obviously missing. The piece that Leo lost while he recovered from near death, and then never got back.

It’s just trauma, he’d told himself over and over, it’s just something he has to work past. Things will be normal later. It’s my fault anyways, I’ll just give him space until he’s better, we can talk about it after…

Things hadn’t gone back to normal, and how things were had become the new normal.

Donnie blames himself, and he’s scared.

Donnie sees this, thinks this, and feels this all at once- seeing the look in Leo’s eyes, as he tells Donnie it’s time for training. That it’s time for their first session together with him in charge.

Donnie can only mutely nod, and follow along.

He thinks- after the training session, after listening to Leo’s commands for hours and having to follow each one- he thinks to himself, I can’t do this. I just can’t.

It’s strangling, the atmosphere of his home. He can’t look his brothers- his older brothers- in the eyes, and not feel apprehension. He can’t listen to what they’re saying, and not feeling like their words are deafening him. Just the one training session leaves him hollow and tired.

He can’t live like this, and he hates himself for having that thought.

And besides- what other way is there? There’s only his family, there has only ever been his family. There’s nothing else for him, other than to keep building for his brothers, keep protecting them from whatever comes their way with intent to harm. Keep listening to his father.

But is there even that anymore? There’s none of that left.

No enemies. No wars. No Sensei.

Donnie feels lost at what to do, and he feels hateful of that fact.

Even more so, he hates the thought that follows I can’t live like this, because it whispers what if I just leave? And Donnie cannot do that.

He has a duty. A duty to his family and his clan. To his brothers. He owes them his care and his protection and his efforts. He can’t just leave.

Can he?

Donnie, looking in the eyes of his brother, his eldest brother, who is smiling and proud despite their father’s death, smiling despite the sheer pointlessness of everything they do- and he wonders if maybe, just maybe, he actually can.

What if I just leave?

The question haunts him for hours after, following Donnie as he moves listlessly through maintenance of their vehicles. His vehicles. The ones he built almost entirely by himself, but everyone uses. He’s not sure if they ever thanked him for that.

Donnie, wavering and hateful of that wavering, quietly asks himself where he would even go if he left. He can’t just pack up and drive away without a plan. He has nowhere to go that would be safe.

What if I found somewhere? Is his answer to that. And what if he did? What then?

Could he really do it?

Rambunctious voices coming down the tunnels interrupt his thinking, and Donnie has to scramble out of the engine block for the Party Wagon to look at the sources.

Leo and Raph and Mikey- all of them sidle into Donnie’s- into their garage space. Leo grins at Donnie, and holds up a hand, swinging the spare set of keys they have for the Shellraiser. “Hey Donnie, we’re going out to meet up with Karai and Shinigami. Hope you don’t mind it, but we’re taking the Shellraiser and the stealth-bike.”

Donnie takes a second to respond, and in that second his brothers are already clambering into the vehicles. “I- no, the repairs aren’t done yet, and if we push specific parts much harder I’ll have to replace them entirely-”

“So then replace ‘em,” Raph says flippantly, sliding into the stealth-bike and starting it up. “It’s not a big deal if one or two gears gotta get replaced later, right?”

“No- you don’t get it, those parts were hard to get as it was and I don’t want to have to replace them so soon-” Donnie tries to at least catch Leo, because he knows the Shellraiser needs its pipes cleaned and checked for cracks, even more than their bike. “Leo, please- if you guys could just wait another hour, I promise I’ll have them done, I swear-”

“Nope! Can’t keep the girls waiting,” Leo says, shutting the sliding doors right in Donnie’s face. From inside, Donnie hears a muffled, “I’m sure if anything breaks, you can fix it easy later on! You’re good at that kind of thing, Donnie. Trust yourself a bit!”

The stealth-bike goes roaring past Donnie from behind, and he has to dodge backwards as the Shellraiser rumbles to life as well. He can’t do anything to stop it as it leaves, and then his brothers are gone, taking with them his inventions, and not paying him any mind about their condition.

Donnie can’t even muster enough energy to yell in frustration, because he feels drained by just how normal this all is.

They didn’t even bother to invite him along, let alone ask for use of his vehicles.

Donnie stands alone in his garage- not theirs, they never do anything useful in it, nothing to deserve calling it theirs- and repeats the question to himself could I leave?

He finds himself saying, I just might.

He can’t just runaway. He can’t just disappear with nothing but his bo staff on his shell, escaping into the wilds of New York with nowhere to go. He needs a plan.

Donnie is an expert at plans, though his brothers rarely listen to them. So he starts searching.

He goes out, not a word to anybody- because who’s to care if he’s out past their designated roaming hours? Who’s to attack him when there’s nothing left but thugs and regular human gangs in New York? He has no father and he has no arch enemy- so Donnie searches.

He follows maps he searches up, scouting locations underneath the cement ground above. He’s searching for somewhere with ideal conditions, somewhere he can modify and shape as he wants. Somewhere he’d be safe.

He briefly considers asking to stay with Karai and her clan- but he banishes the idea even faster than he’d thought of it. Karai can’t be trusted, for all the work she’s done to earn their trust. She doesn’t have Donnie’s, not about this. She’s too close to Leo, too likely tell. And the Mutanimals, maybe they would let him stay, but Donnie doesn’t feel it would work. His brothers would find him too quickly, too easily, there wouldn’t be any point.

So Donnie embarks alone, with a flashlight and multiple maps, and looks for somewhere to- live? Hide? Escape to? Maybe a combination of the three.

Donnie has to stop, over and over, and laugh at how ludicrous this is. Who is he running from? His brothers? He- he shouldn’t be, he loves them and they love him. He’s supposed to stay with them for the whole of their lives, because they’re all they’ve got now. All they’ve ever really had.

But then Donnie remembers the slow strangling feeling of being in his own home, speaking to his own family, and staring at the picture of his now deceased father- and he keeps searching.

He’s supposed to want to stay with his brothers, and he feels like shit for not.

He finds a place, a ways away from his home and his familiar territory. It’s sizable, and close to a power grid, and not too far from a couple junkyards. It’s perfect, despite the dust and the crumbling stone.

It’s another abandoned subway station, though considerably smaller than the lair. It’s not made for a whole family.

Donnie supposes, it’s a good thing he’s not bringing his whole family.

Donnie has a place in mind, a goal of moving into it, and now all he has to do is… actually accomplish moving into it.

He needs to make it livable first. Hook it back into power connectors, and then set up the plumbing again, and then add additional stabilizations to the one pillar on the far left side…

He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s used to the work load. He’s done all that and more before, and sometimes on a tighter schedule.

He sneaks out, night after night, preparing his escape. He takes with him tools and supplies, using the Party Wagon to transport everything. Its slow going, the amount of stealth he has to use to get in and out of his home, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it to see the steady improvements to the small station, and feel like he’s actually accomplishing something. Like he can breathe again, thanks to his secret success.

Until, he goes home one night, late, and all the air whooshes out of his lungs, as Leo storms into the garage with an angry expression.

Donnie doesn’t want to get out of the car, but he has to. It’ll only be worse if he doesn’t just get it over with right now.

“Where have you been?” Leo demands immediately, before Donnie even shuts the door. “I called you ten times, and I got no answer. I was worried about you.”

“I was out scavenging,” Donnie replies smoothly, riding out the fury in his brother’s voice. “I needed parts to fix the Shellraiser’s shocks, and I needed time to search for them.”

“Why was your phone off? You know you aren’t supposed to turn it off,” Leo says, still mad, still glaring at Donnie.

Donnie lets it flow over him, not bothering to let it touch him now, not in this tense, horrid moment. He lies again, “I turned off it to charge it earlier, and forgot to turn it on again. Honest mistake. I’m sorry.”

“You missed training, again,” Leo snaps, seeming to pick a new topic to be upset about.

“It’s just one night, and I thought you’d prefer to have a working car rather than me showing up for class.”

Donnie crosses the line with that one, and Leo’s hissed words, “I am your Sensei and you will not disregard me like this”, speak that quite clearly. Leo glares at Donnie, waiting, watching. “Are we clear on this? No more skipping sessions. At all. We will work as a team, and I won’t have you undermining us like this. Do you understand me?”

He sounds like their father did, and Donnie can’t tell if his brother has done this on purpose or by accident. The effect is the same though, if worse.

Donnie swallows, and nods. Leo takes this as being enough of a response, and leaves Donnie in the garage. Alone again, having watched his brother- his Sensei, stalk away, still in a huff, Donnie balls his fists and bites his tongue hard.

He keeps going out. He keeps fixing up the small station he’s found, and he keeps building his quiet hope.

I wouldn’t be gone forever, he tells himself, as he finishes bolting a steel support into place. Just until we’ve all calmed down. Just until we’ve figured things out again. Just enough time for us all to get some space from one another and think. Just, just, just…

He wavers though, even after he tries to cement his resolve to leave, just for a little while. He wavers and thinks maybe I’m being too hard on them, maybe I’m being overdramatic, maybe I should just give this up and try harder…

But then Leo and Raph will say something, or do something, or demand that Donnie do something or say something- and Donnie will remember why he’s doing this. Why he’s leaving.

He can’t live like this. He can’t live with his two older brothers, especially his eldest brother, breathing down his neck. The two of them trying and obviously failing to figure things out, now that their father is suddenly gone, and using Donnie and Mikey as footholds to do so. Donnie wants to be able to handle that, but he can’t. He just can’t. Not anymore.

Donnie finishes as much as he can in his hiding place, and figures its time he start moving things into it.

Like the other outings, he has to time it right. His brothers- they never pay attention to what goes in or out of his lab, not unless it explodes or it’s something they can steal to play with. Donnie just has to time it right, so the latter doesn’t happen.

He plans around his brothers’ outings, which are frequent and long. Spent with Karai and Shinigami and Casey, running around the city doing something or other. Donnie doesn’t know most of the time, and they don’t seem inclined to inform him. He doesn’t feel upset that they don’t so much as he’s resigned to that fact.

Donnie has begun to realize that he’s resigned to a lot of things, and wonders when that happened to him.

He starts moving out his big pieces of equipment about a week after finishing the station. He can’t take everything, much as he wishes, but he can take most of it. One by one he can move the biggest and most delicate pieces in the Shellraiser, whenever his brothers aren’t using it.

In his efforts to avoid detection from the two elder siblings- Donnie forgets his one younger.

Mikey is suddenly there one evening, when Donnie is struggling to fit an awkwardly shaped bit of equipment into the train car. Donnie stops dead, and feels gripping horror slide around his neck.

Mikey stares at him, and Donnie, hands shaking, stares back.

“You’re leaving,” Mikey says, not asks. Donnie starts to reply, something about just needing to toss this machine out, get a new one, but Mikey cuts him off with, “And don’t lie to me. You’ve been doing this for weeks. You’re leaving, and not just to throw something away.”

Donnie sags, and he feels the horror turn into resignation. That’s it then, it was a nice dream while it lasted. “Yeah. I am.”

“Were you even going to tell me?” Mikey asks.

“I… I don’t know,” Donnie says honestly.

“Well, why not?” Mikey asks, accuses. “You were just going to fuck off without saying anything?”

“I don’t know!” Donnie exclaims, his panic suddenly flooding in to cover his resignation. “I didn’t- I didn’t know if you’d tell, okay? I didn’t know if- if I could trust you!"

Mikey looks like he’s been punched by Donnie’s words, and Donnie feels the same. Worse, maybe, because they’re true.

“I… I couldn’t predict how you’d react,” Donnie says, shoulder slumping again. “I couldn’t… Mikey, I… I’m sorry. I have to leave. I can’t stay here anymore. Not- not with how things are.”

Mikey looks down at the floor, and his shoulders hunch up. “Yeah. Well. Maybe I’m not exactly happy here either, ever think about that?”

“I didn’t…” Donnie can’t finish that sentence, because he did.

He sees it with Mikey too. The sullen quietness, covered almost entirely by the overreaching cheer. The way that their brothers push him around, push him down. The way Raph has gotten more physical lately, and has for a long time, with shoves and punches that land just a bit too hard. And every single time Mikey’s opinion on something comes up, he’s talked over. Ignored.

And Donnie does it too, mimicking their brothers that way, just like Mikey comes into his lab with their brothers, comes into the garage and takes and takes and breaks his things.

Neither of them is happy, and Donnie’s been selfish. More than just because he’s leaving- because he was leaving without Mikey.

“I’m sorry,” Donnie says, tired and worn out. He doesn’t know what will happen next, if Mikey will be furious and tell what Donnie has been trying to do, so all he can say is-“I’m sorry.”

Mikey is silent for a long moment, and then he says, “I wouldn’t’ve told, you know. If you told me you were going. They would’ve asked me, and probably made me tell them that you’d gone- but I wouldn’t tell them where you went. Promise. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“…thank you,” Donnie says quietly, thickly, feeling undeserving. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I was just… scared. I didn’t know if I could trust anyone except… me.”

Mikey shrugs, and then both of them stand in awkward silence. It’s tense, but not like it is with their brothers. The tension is different.

Mikey breaks it, when he quietly, so frighteningly quiet for him, asks in a soft, desperate tone- “Can I come with you?”

Something old and scarred in Donnie breaks a little harder at that, and he nods jerkily, eyes stinging for reasons he won’t say. “Yes. Yes, of course you can.”

The first time Donnie shows Mikey the hidden station, far enough from the lair that they don’t seem close to it at all anymore, his brother’s face lights up and he smiles for real, maybe for the first time in weeks. It’s a good sight to see.

There was plenty of space for one mutant turtle before, and there’s still plenty of space for another. There’s space for a living room and a kitchen and separate bedrooms… a lab and an exercise room and an infirmary… there might even be space for experiments Donnie could never do at home.

The tunnel leading in is large enough to park the Shellraiser in, and that’s probably the one Donnie will have them take. It’s defensible, and good for running away in. They could and have driven through complete battle zones before, and come out with only minor issues to repair afterwards. Donnie has faith that it could protect him, should he ever have to evacuate his hiding place, and now he has faith that it could protect Mikey too.

Donnie hates that he hadn’t implicitly trusted Mikey, right from the start. That he hadn’t been able to look at his single younger brother and say “Come with me” without hesitation.

But he hadn’t been able to, and hasn’t been able to for a long time. And maybe he’s not alone in that, because Mikey quietly lets slip about things that bother him, while they move equipment and furniture around the station. He lets slip moments that he still thinks about that Donnie has never even heard of.

Mostly it’s about things they had no control over. Losing battles, losing friends. Sometimes it’s about their brothers, things they’ve said and done. Once, it’s about their dad, and how Mikey doesn’t understand why he didn’t say goodbye.

Donnie doesn’t have an explanation for the last thought, and they both let it pass in heavy silence.

There’s still a lot to be done, beyond what Donnie accomplished on his own. Furniture, appliances, painting… lots of work, and Mikey seems willing.

It’s less lonely, scavenging for lights and tables and couches, when he’s got a companion. Mikey picks the couch, an ancient and plush blue thing, and Donnie chooses the dark wooden coffee table to go with it. They both pick the lights; multiple shapes but all the in same green, and put it all together with a thick rug on the floor underneath it all.

They get a TV, a big one, and Donnie fixes it so it’ll get every channel this side of the hemisphere. The fill the kitchen with mismatched plates and pans, and Mikey has final say on the wares they select. Donnie’s lab is set up over time, and when he’s done, he loves it despite the decrease in space. He chooses to think of it as compact, since he wasted much of his original lab’s space anyways.

Eventually- only weeks later, even if it felt like painstaking years- they’re done, and it’s time to leave. For real.

Donnie’s lab is stripped of what he can take with him, all the essentials already long moved to their new location. It’s only got the bare bones now, in his eyes at least. His brothers haven’t noticed at all.

That leaves his room, also stripped of its essentials. There’s only day to day things left, and the most noticeable and iconic things. Donnie goes to sleep with the morning, staring at his assembled collection of weapons and possessions in the corner. It’s time, and he’s still not sure.

But, he’s sure of one thing though. If he doesn’t go now, then he never will, and the strangling sensation around his throat will worsen. He has to leave tonight, or else he doesn’t know what will happen.

He sleeps fitfully, exhaustively, and wakes hours before Leo and Raph will. He dresses shortly, cinching his belt and mask into place without emotion. His cases of throwing stars and books and last remaining computer make no sound as he picks them up, and neither does his bo staff as he slides it into its familiar loop on his shell.

As he exits his room, he sees Mikey doing the same, and they meet eyes. Mikey has Ice-dream kitty in her cooler already, and his duffle of miscellaneous items. With his nunchucks in their holsters, he’s ready to go, both in literal and emotional sense. Donnie can see it in his eyes.

There’s no words spoken as they go, leaving the silent halls of their long-time home. Donnie and Mikey both spare a glance over their shoulder at it, and Donnie feels a great swell of emotion.

This has been their home nearly all their lives. Where they grew up and learned to be who they are. Where their father lived.

Its empty feeling now, and haunted by spectres that no longer exist. It feels cold and sucked dry of everything Donnie once loved about it.

He turns away from it, from his still sleeping older brothers, and doesn’t look back.

The drive is tense and silent. The only sound is IC kitty’s soft mewls, her attempts to comfort Mikey’s obviously maelstrom emotions.

For once, Mikey doesn’t return the coos with his own, and sits quietly in the passenger seat. As Donnie drives them another block from the lair, kitty finally gives up, and settles for purring worriedly in her cooler.

Donnie pretends he doesn’t hear Mikey’s near inaudible sniffle, and pretends it doesn’t nearly drag his own emotions to the surface.

He shifts the Shellraiser’s gears, and drives a bit faster.

It feels like it’s not real, pulling into the station’s tunnel. It feels like they should be just here for more repairs, not to actually stay.

Donnie moves in a daze to put his things away, trying to distract his mind from his emotions as he painstakingly ensures that everything goes to its new home. He doesn’t leave his new bedroom until he’s done, and it’s a hard thing to leave his bo staff by the wall. He shouldn’t, but he feels like they’re waiting for an attack now. For the backlash of their actions.

Donnie drifts back into the living room, warmly lit by the lights he and Mikey had spent so much time finding. His brother is already on the couch, knees to his chest and kitty on the coffee table in her favorite bowl.

Donnie sits down on the other end, slumping back against the cushions breathlessly. He takes one, shuddering inhale, and runs a hand over his skull. “I can’t believe it,” He says shakily. “We actually did it.”

It’d been nice to talk about in theory, fun, if a bit nerve wracking, to set it up- but this is real. This is real and they can’t take it back anymore. They did it. They left.

Donnie doesn’t know how to feel at all.

“So… what do we do now?” Mikey asks quietly, mostly addressing his knees.

Donnie shakes his head, swimming in disbelief still. “I- I don’t know. Eat breakfast maybe?”

He suggests it, even though he feels sick instead of hungry. Mikey seems to accept it as a task though, and gets up to wander into the kitchen in the next room over. Soon enough, he comes back with microwavable cups of instant oatmeal, and sets them on the table.

He pushes one in Donnie’s direction, and Donnie accepts it gratefully. He picks it up, mindful of the spoon stuck into it, and starts stirring the hot oats around.

It doesn’t take long for their brothers to start calling them, texting them. Donnie’s phone rings again and again, and he sets it on the table to stare at it. Mikey does the same, and then they’re both staring at the t-phones on the coffee table beside kitty. They look like parodies of mini-turtles, minus legs and heads, as they vibrate and call out.

Donnie finally has the sense to reach out and mute them both, and then it’s silent again. Their oatmeal, both portions uneaten still, has long since gone cold and Donnie still doesn’t know what they’re supposed to do.

Mikey dares to check his phone’s messages, and from the way his expression flickers with emotions, they aren’t good. He sets his phone back down hastily, and pushes it so it skids across the table and away from him. Donnie doesn’t look at his, and he decides not to touch it at all.

Minutes- hours maybe- later, and Mikey asks in a rough voice, “Want to watch TV?”

There isn’t anything else for them to do, and the question covers up the one that’s been hanging in the air all evening. Are we really doing the right thing?

So Donnie nods, and grabs the remote off the table to turn on their salvaged television. It’s easier to not drown in anxious second guessing with it on, especially once Mikey steals the remote and starts surfing through channels without aim.

It’s not perfect, but it’s enough for now, and Donnie settles into the musty old couch to just… let go.

After weeks of constant stress and activity, it feels unfamiliar. Maybe even before that it would’ve. Donnie can’t actually recall the last time he sat down and just did nothing.

His eyes burn, and everything catches up with him all at once, and Donnie wipes his eyes before Mikey can see. Not that it would matter, because Mikey has been wiping at his eyes all night.

An insidious whisper in Donnie’s mind says they’re making a mistake, that they’re abandoning their brothers and their duty- but Donnie can’t give a damn about that right now. He’s tired of always keeping to his duty, and he’s not going to let a voice in his head bully him into giving up everything they’ve worked for.

Donnie watches the television with Mikey for a long while, and tries not to think of anything at all.

It’s not perfect, but it’s better. Donnie can feel it when he wakes up the next evening, and doesn’t dread getting out of bed.

He gets up, and he takes his time doing so. There’s no early evening training to attend, no surly brothers to sidestep as he gets ready, and no life-saving projects he absolutely has to get done right that second. He can breathe again.

He wanders into his new kitchen, and finds Mikey making eggs on the stove. The toast pops in its toaster as Mikey turns around to face Donnie, and they both sort of stare at each other for a moment.

“Could you butter those?” Mikey asks, and Donnie nods. He can do that.

The coffee maker is already set up, and Donnie turns it on as he goes to butter the toast. Mikey finishes the eggs on the stove, and then brings them to the table. Donnie grabs a cup for when his coffee is finished, and follows.

They sit down on either side of their small table, and share a breakfast for the first time in a while. The coffee maker dings, and before Donnie can get up to fill his cup, Mikey snatches it out of his hands and does it for him.

Donnie blinks, and feels caught off-guard by the simple kindness.

“Thank you,” He says, genuine and odd emotion climbing up in him as he takes the cup. Mikey doesn’t seem to know what to do with the situation any more than Donnie does, so he shrugs and sits back down.

There’s silence following that, but it’s not tense silence. It’s amicable, and Donnie can’t recall when he last had that.

Somewhere across the city, their brothers wake up for the second time without their younger siblings, and Donnie and Mikey are too far away to know what reactions that causes.

Donnie swings back and forth between waiting for the other shoe to drop, and actually being able to believe that this is happening. That they actually got out.

Their new home isn’t home, but it also is. It is because they made it their home. They built it, piece by piece, and made it into something they could live in.

They both have space to themselves, and where they crossover with one another, it’s not terrible. There’s relearning happening, and Donnie can see it properly now. How they both forgot how to interact with each other without their brothers involved, or maybe that they’d never known at all.

Sometimes, Donnie finds himself saying something snide or spiteful, and sees how it makes Mikey’s shoulders hunch. Sometimes, when Donnie reaches out to grab something close to Mikey, or moves his arms too fast, his brother will tense up and close his eyes. Waiting for a blow. It hurts Donnie probably just as much as it hurts Mikey, dealing with the following moments after those interactions. The regret from them both.

Mikey isn’t perfect either. He crosses the line multiple times with Donnie’s things, and breaks two precious beakers in the first few days. He belittles Donnie’s work once, scoffing at Donnie’s ideas to farm a tiny renewable hybrid vegetable patch, and obviously regrets the way Donnie shuts down afterwards. Donnie doesn’t do it on purpose, the way he shuts everything down like that, but he does, and Mikey tells him he’s sorry.

Donnie returns the sentiment, about getting into Mikey’s personal space, and for the hurtful words that slip out without his say.

It’s a work in progress, but they’re working hard on it.

Donnie’s phone continues to pile up with phone calls and texts from their friends and family, and he ignores them all. He doesn’t want anyone to know about this yet, not while it’s still new, still becoming real.

He reads the texts though, listens to the voice messages, if only because he still feels guilty. Guilty for not being strong enough to bear everything he needed to, and for running away. He listens to them and reads them in case they’re distress calls. In case his brothers really need them.

If they’re hurt, if they’re in a fight- Donnie will go to them. He won’t even hesitate. He might have run, and taken Mikey with him, but he won’t abandon them fully. Family is still family, no matter what.

They’re all they have anymore, and Donnie doesn’t think he could bear to lose his big brothers too, hard as it is to deal with them right now.

So Donnie keeps an ear open, tries to remember how to interact kindly with his little brother, and attempts to believe his reality.

He thinks, about the second week into their escape, as he enters the living room and Mikey doesn’t jump and instead smiles at Donnie, that he might be able to believe it just a little. For now at least, until they go home again.

But, for the time being, Donnie slides onto the couch, and pushes his anxious, guilty thoughts away, and watches bad cartoons with his brother.

continuation.

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