Iâm aware that like Iâm literally months late on this trend (this also a re-upload from my YouTube). But at the time I only just heard about this trend (6 months after it was a thing lmao) so yeah Iâm also just posting this here đ
Also I SUCK at digital- I was going through art block + the way I have tabard won digital is ob my phone with my fingers đ so yeah.
I used alight motion, cap cut, and ibis paint x (all the free versions bc I canât afford the premium ones đ plus Iâm in middle school.. LMAO)
Neko, I don't know if you've seen the movie "Obsession" or not, but... people are seriously comparing Donnie to the FUCKING Bear. This comparison is just insane as hell. I want to cry about it. Donnie definitely has some boundary issues, but... goddammit. This is NOT what Donnie would do. HELL NO. JUST NOOOOOOOOO
Tell me you've never actually paid attention to the formation of 2012Donnie's character without telling me that you've never actually paid attention to the formation of 2012Donnie's character.
SO HERE'S THE DEAL:
I can't sit through horror movies, so I technically didn't watch it, but I do have a YouTuber who talks me through the events of horror movies, so I know what happens with the overall characters and plot. If we sat down and talked about the movie, you probably wouldn't guess that I haven't actually sat in theaters to watch it. But, if my information isn't perfect- I didn't sit down and watch the whole thing.
And to be frank, I am not going to.
ADDITIONALY: me and my turtle instincts heard about the movie's popularity and knew immediately that this kind of comparison was going to form. Ergo, I reviewed the movie to create my stance.
Which is basically: if you're making this comparison, you're doing it to feed your own bias, and I guarantee you can't back it up with contextual canon proof for why Donnie would stoop to Bear's level.
For those who doubt, let me walk you through the facts.
Right before the wish is made, Nikki directly asks Bear if he likes her, and Bear fumbles and tells her that they are friends. This would not be the case with Donnie. We're shown in The Invasion that when he thinks he has the opportunity to say something, he goes for it. The difference between these scenarios is that Nikki asks Bear directly, while April intentionally prevents him from saying anything about it.
In April's exact words, "You should stop talking."
If April directly asked Donnie how he felt about her, the canon supports that Donnie would just be honest about his feelings, because he isn't trying to hide anything- he's not talking about it because he thinks (then knows) April wouldn't/doesn't want them to discuss it.
The only time that he does bring it up again is in Foot Too Big, when he's apologizing to her. (Keep a pin in that. We move on.)
So let's say that he does get very nervous and fumbles the ball- would he make the wish? Yeah. I think he would. He tends to act out when his emotions are high, and I believe he would blurt something like "I wish April would love me the way that I love her." I do NOT think he would wish that April would love him "more than anyone in the whole world."
This movie is centered around a male predator who intentionally ignores a female's boundaries and autonomy to claim the female as his own. His wish was worded in that specific way because- as the movie shows- he doesn't like Nikki. He likes the idea of having her.
Donnie starts out with a crush on April, but at no point during the series does he claim ownership of her. And no, that one time that he fumbles and says "my April" "our April" "April" was not some subconscious revelation- it was a kid with a crush saying something inappropriate, realizing he said something inappropriate, and then correcting himself to fix the inappropriate.
He learns to know her, "she always answers the phone!" "April's usually at the park around this time," but he never pretends that she belongs to him. Whatever she decided to do during the series, he always supported that. Ever notice how Donnie's never depicted, even hinting that she should stop tutoring Casey?
Casey gets a whole conversation with Raph about how he has to back off of April because Donnie likes him. No one tells April how to feel.
And when she decides to become a kunoichi, Donnie's all for it. He never attempts to stop her because it might be dangerous. No attempt at control or persuasion. Just support. "It's amazing you made it to kunoichi, April. Ignore everything Raph just said."
When April told them that they can trust Karai, Donnie (who notoriously doesn't trust Karai) doubtfully says, "I trust... April." And doesn't say anything against them bringing her home.
He fights Casey around her, but when she makes a verdict, he respects it. Donnie never even tells her that she's wrong for blacklisting his entire family because of an accident that they are currently trying to repair. Upon 'losing' her for the second time, he leaves and goes home.
Bear's wish is a reflection of how he desired her to lose her autonomy by making all her love be centered around him. Donnie wants to be in a relationship with her, but he wants her to want it too. He doesn't want to own her. He just wants her to see him as more than a mutant.
I think he'd wish that she'd love him in his lowest moment. I don't think he'd wish that all her love (ergo, autonomy) would belong to him.
April is actually a super independent female character in the series because all of the brothers respect her autonomy as a person. There's never a point in the series where any of them try to tell her what she can or can't do. In Metalhead, when April wants to hunt the Kraang alone, Leo warns her that it "could be dangerous,'' and she warns him that it's more dangerous for him to be getting in between her and her dad, so he puts up his hands and steps away to let her go.
Canonly, Donnie has never tried to take her autonomy. When he thinks that he might be because of what Raph says, "now you know how April feels" in the events of A Foot Too Big, he goes to her and says that he's going to back off from her now. He understands what he's been doing and how it could be affecting her. He intends to stop.
Then April kisses him. And walks away.
Which is an incredibly confusing response for a boy who just bared his heart and said that he was going to back off because he guessed she wasn't interested. To then be shown that she has interest.
How on earth would you respond to that?
Another point that I would like to make, is Bear actively ignoring all of the harm that is happening to Nikki. All the crying fits, all the abnormal acts, he watches them happen and moves on.
There is no universe where Donnie does that. Donnie has acted as April's shoulder to lean on through the entire series. When she's freaking out in Fungus Humongous, his first instinct is to soothingly crouch beside her and tell her that she's okay. Out of all the brothers, he's the first person that she calls when she's in trouble, because she knows that he's going to show up. In City At War, when April's pulling out her blade and about to lose control, it's Donnie crouching next to her and gently telling her "not to let that weirdo get to you" which pulls her out of her psychic insanity funk and calms her down.
Donnie cares so, so, so much about her being happy and safe. He would not sit back and let any of this play out. The SECOND that she shows adverse signs, he's going to go out of his way to fix whatever it is that he did. In Bat in the Belfry, April goes to Donnie about her headaches and weird visions, and he tries to find a way to stop them. It shows that he's noticing every time that she acts off with the crystal. The Power Inside Her begins with Donnie trying to figure out what the crystal is doing because the vibes are off. He wants to figure out why and how to stop it in case it becomes bad for her/others.
Donnie wants the crystal to figure it out, but he never stops her from taking/keeping it when she wants it because he respects her and the fact that it belongs to her. He respects her autonomy to have it until it makes her go crazy, and she destroys the lab.
Then he steps in to separate them.
Even after she destroys the dojo/lair, Donnie chases her up a building alone. He doesn't care what happens to him if it means she's okay.
In the movie, he might buy some of her reasons, "I'm only emotional because of my dad," because he trusts her wholeheartedly, but as soon as she does the first whacked-out thing (memorial of the cat-esc crazy), he's going to know something's wrong, and he's going to start trying to figure out what it is.
He's going to have vibes that something is wrong from the get-go, and a restaurant-esc scene would immediately spur him to start acting. There's no universe where he sees her make a scene like that and learns that she lied to him and doesn't know that she's not acting like herself. That would be the point that he starts trying to figure out what the HECK is wrong with her and (very likely) blaming himself for it, which would only make him want to fix it more.
The scene where she's in bed and asking him to kill her to free her? There would be no "What's so bad about being with me?" He'd be sprinting back to her to promise that he's going to fix this and free her. During the show, he has nothing but her best interests at heart, and the SECOND that she reveals that she actually doesn't like this? That would be all it takes for him to know that it's wrong. That it has to be undone.
I think upon learning that he has to kill himself, he'd be like "no there has to be another way" because normal people don't want to die, and thankfully, his brothers are not useless people like Ian, and probably would wish for the wish to go away, which would fix everything.
Then we'd have a A Foot Too Big-esc scene at the end where Donnie apologizes to April for making the wish in the first place, because that's just the kind of person that the canon shows him to be.
To Summarize:
THERE IS NO COMPARISON AT ALL BETWEEN DONNIE AND BEAR, AND YA'LL NEED TO SOURCE CHECK YOUR MATERIAL.
"My hate is what kept me going. As I tore my way out of the belly of the Kraathatrogon. As I battled through the armies of the Kraang. Across alien worlds that would drive lesser men mad. Finally... Back here. Back to my enemies."
Tiger Claw gets down to one knee, head bowed. "I would have my revenge against Splinter, against his fiendish reptiles, and against those humans who trapped me in that wretched worm's belly."
"I would grant you this wish," Shredder considers, "But there is a catch."
"Catch?" He demands, rising. "What catch?"
"Toshi has been spotted in company with the turtles."
"Toshi? No. He wouldn't-"
"But he has. And they all seem quite content together."
"They did this to stop me." Tiger Claw's fists curl. "They will find that not so easy to manage. I will have their shells."
"Then go," Shredder waves. "Bring them to me."
"What?" Karai demands. "It's because of him that Splinter and the turtles are still alive in the first place!"
"Karai, you will go with Tiger Claw," Shredder stares her down. "Destroy Splinter and the turtles, at any cost."
She gives a faint bow. Tiger Claw's eyes narrow.
Tiger Claw catches her arm in the hall, claws against metal. "If you lay a hand on Toshi, my wrath will not stop with my imprisoners."
She rips her arm away, facing him. "Then you'd better hope your turtle doesn't get in my way."
Toshi finds comfort in Murakami's shop.
It feels like home, sitting on the stool with the smells and decor around him. He trades stories in rapid-fire Japanese with the kind chef, watching it frustrate the brothers to follow along with.
"You speak English very well," Murakami praises in said-language, maybe having pity on them. Toshi smiles bashfully. "Are you from America?"
"I don't know for sure where I was born, but my theory is that I was mutated here." Toshi offers, unaware of the looks traded behind his shell, before the brothers move closer. "I was found alone, half-crushed by a trash bag. From there, I was taken back to Asia, where I spent most of my time. I'm pretty adept at languages though. I can speak a couple versions of Spanish, Russian, and I'm learning German. It's a good way to occupy my time."
"That sounds very intensive."
"I don't mind it. It's a useful skillset," He smiles as Murakami places a plate in front of him. He gives it a curious look. "Is this..."
"A pizza gyoza." The chef beams. "The brothers' favorite."
"It has... Pizza in it?" Toshi pokes it. "That doesn't sound very-"
"Oh, you have to try it!" Mikey gasps, lurching for the counter. "It's- like- the bestest thing ever!"
"I've heard of your culinary tastes, Mikey. I don't have any interest in sharing them."
"Don't knock it 'til you try it." Raph teases. Leo goes to his other side and nudges him. "It's one of Murakami's most popular dishes."
"It is." He smiles. "I am still in your debt for such a wonderful addition."
"You really don't owe us anything." Leo says as he pushes away from the counter. Raph takes his place. "Don't be chickeeen."
"Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!"
"You promise it's good, Murakami-san?"
"I insist upon it."
Mikey lays his head on the counter. "Aw, don't you trust us?"
Toshi picks up one. "For this? No."
He stares at it. Then he puts it in his mouth.
Heaven implodes on his tongue as soon as he chews.
"Eh? Eh? Ehhhh?"
Toshi forgets table manners to shove his face.
Mikey jumps up with fists in the air as Raph and Murakami laugh. Toshi feels a little silly, but he enjoys his snack as Raph and Mikey get their own plate, turning to ask Leo if he is going to join them.
He's over by the window, looking solemn.
Raph glances up and follows his gaze. "He's brooding. Thinking about Karai."
"Karai?" Toshi asks, "What about her?"
Raph and Mikey exchange a look. Leo says, "She doesn't belong in the Foot. I told her-" He shakes his head. Toshi can tell that there's a piece of the puzzle they aren't sharing. "How can she still want to stay?"
Mikey seems to take that question in stride, getting on the bar and announcing some... Declaration or another. Toshi can't tell past the food in his mouth. Raph responds with a firm, "Personally, I don't trust her. Not for one second."
"She didn't seem all bad," Toshi shrugs. "Didn't take much a liking to me, though. She was... Happy to kick me out as soon as I asked what happened to Tiger Claw."
"See?" Raph accuses, "She's bad news!"
He goes to eat the gyoza that he'd picked up, unaware that Mikey had already stolen it. Instead, he chomps down on his own flesh.
As soon as he realizes who did it, he lunges for the thief. They begin brawling on the floor. Leo sighs and looks out the window.
Toshi wonders what it is they don't want him to know.
Toshi should've been heading back, but he was putting it off, making up excuses to stay in their company before he had to sit and sleep in silence.
When Mikey panics about his doggy bag, Toshi jumps on the chance and offers to go with. Then it becomes a group effort. They head back to Murakami's together.
The interior is a wreck.
Mikey finds Murakami on the floor, curling up with his hands on his head. The poor man is shaking as Toshi goes to his other side, helping Mikey get him to his feet. He hovers, uncertain what to do next.
"They came looking for you," Murakami explains weakly. "They wanted to know where you lived." He faces Toshi. "If you were with them," Toshi's eyes widen. "They asked about your friends. To my shame, I told them everything I knew."
Raph sounds volatile. "Who did this?"
"A girl... and a growling man."
Leo goes over to the wall. Toshi stares at the long marks, slashed like claws. He touches them.
His heart leaps when Leo asks, "Was this who I think it is?"
"He's back," Toshi gasps, clinging to the hope. "Tiger Claw's back! He's-" He glances at their solemn faces and then at the scratches on the wall. He looks to their friend. "He did this? To the shop? To Murakami-san?"
Murakami is facing at his hands. Leo sharply says, "And now he's going after April and Casey."
"The girl's gotta be Karai, Leo!" Raph snaps as Toshi steps away from the wall and the brothers. "I told you-!"
"Not now Raph!"
"Why can't you ever-!"
"Not now Raph!"
Toshi hears himself say, "I have to find him."
Everyone looks at him.
Mikey tries, "Toshi-"
"If he's out there, I have to find him." Toshi has his hand to his chest, stepping away from them. "Maybe I can put a stop to this- maybe-"
Raph shakes his head. "He's dangerous! He's out to kill us and hurt our friends along the way!"
"I can fix this." He turns and runs, "I can change his mind."
"Toshi!"
He's already out the door.
"Guess that ends plan Save-Tiger-Claw-So-He-Like-Us, huh?" Mikey asks nervously. Neither of his brothers respond, and he presses, "What- what do we do now? Leo?"
Leo shakes his head and exhales slowly, "Hopefully Toshi can slow him down. We have to focus on our friends. Get to them before Tiger Claw does."
There he is.
He cups his mouth. "Takeshi!"
He watches him whirl, scanning the rooftops, spotting him.
"Toshi!"
Takeshi sprints for him, and Toshi can't help a bubbling laugh of relief, leaping down the water tower to meet him halfway. Takeshi cups his face as soon as he can reach, large hands around his head, and Toshi leans into the nostalgia, curling his fingers around his wrists, unable to stop smiling as the tiger scans him for any injuries.
"Are you unharmed? You seem intact."
"I'm fine, I promise!"
"Then you have no excuse! I have been scouring the city for you, cub!" He snarls before looking him in the eyes, "Where have you been?"
"Where have I been!?" Toshi demands. "Where have you been?! And your eye- what happened to your eye?"
He lowers his hands, and Toshi lets go. "I was eaten by one of those infernal worms! I had to fight my way back here. I could not retain everything. But I have returned! Returned to enact my revenge on the turtles and their-"
"Revenge? You mean like attacking the blind man?"
"I was gathering information to find the turtle's lair." Takeshi pulls a small device out of his belt to show him. "Then I will finish them and bring Shredder his rat."
"No, see, that's what I need to talk to you about-" Toshi blurts, putting a hand over the screen. "-you can't hurt them, or their friends, because they-"
"I was told you had been seen with the likes of them." Takeshi scoffs as he turns away. "What have I told you about fraternizing with the prey?"
"They weren't! Aren't! They-"
"Are not any of your concern. I will finish this."
"Takashi, you have to stop!" Toshi begs. "They're my friends!"
He shakes his head. "They are not your friends."
"They are! They've been helping me find you!"
"They are the reason that horrendous beast ate me!"
Toshi freezes. "Ate- you?"
"They are liars, Toshi," Takeshi warns darkly. "Betrayers like so many others. They fed me to that worm, and now I will have my vengeance. Our vengeance! Nothing will stand in my way!"
"But they-" His voice cracks. "But I thought they..."
"I have told you before, Toshi." His voice softens, still dead serious. "Everybody wants something. You cannot trust anyone until you know what that is. And even then..."
"Even if- even if they lied to me-" Toshi looks at him helplessly. "Do you have to kill them?"
"It is what I do. It is my business."
"But you've made it more than business! This is personal!"
"You are too young to yet understand," Takeshi shakes his head. "But I knew that even when I brought you."
"Takashi-"
"No more of this."
"Please, I don't think-"
Toshi grabs his chin, claws at his jaw.
"You will listen to me, boy!"
Toshi doesn't move a muscle.
The tiger takes a heavy breath. Then he lets it out, and he lets him go. "Go to your gadgets. Distract your mind," Tiger Claw leaves no room for argument. "You will not question me anymore. When I return triumphant, you will leave this place and never return."
Toshi swallows, voice small, "But you will come back?"
"I swear it." He sets a hand on Toshi's plastron. "Now go."
Toshi lies in bed; face pressed into the blue scarf.
The room is upturned, matching his state of reality.
For anyone who might be wondering, the fact that Donnie gets lost is 90% his fault and 10% Splinter's fault. Splinter hadn't been paying attention to the boys because he'd heard Kraang trying to surround them outside and rapidly started packing their things.
The boys knocked over their box while being goobers and playing, and Donnie just. Took off. Yeeted his shell across the room.
The Kraang came barging in, and Splinter barely had time to grab their box and make it out without getting gunned down.
Donnie made it out without being captured because the Kraang were focused on the giant rat with a box of turtles. Thankfully, Donnie had the sense to duck away from the scary, loud robots, and they passed right by his hiding place. Splinter didn't realize that he was missing one of his sons until it was too late to go back.
Luckly (or unluckily?), Tiger Claw finds him later that same day.
It was a badge that he wore with pride, ever since the first day that heâd managed to coax a few words out of the nervous, older teen. He went out of his way to stay out of everyoneâs way, but Mikey was unbothered. He had dealt with challenges before.
Donnie was a back of the classroom kind of personality, even if his brain totally could have placed him up front.
Mikey was a middle of the classroom kinda guy. Close enough to look like he wanted to pay attention, and far enough back that the teachers didnât immediately notice when he wasnât. He was soo chill like that, and he liked helping others chill out too.
So when he saw the high-strung, awkward, stuttering mess of a foster kid, obviously, he had to help him out!
It had been hard, especially with his bulky twin dragging him around like he was personal property (something Mikey stopped judging him for when he learn about the time that theyâd been separated for a few months, and Donnie left the home with concealed bruises and a missing tooth), but Mikey learned to manage.
Much like Raph had his ways of keeping them together, Mikey had his ways of inserting himself into their circle. He was always challenged, always with a sneer (âHe bothering you, Don?â Never Donnie, always Don-) and heated glare, like he was always expecting an answer that he never got, no matter how uncomfortable his younger half seemed. (âIâm fine, Raph. Really.â)
(Mikey quickly learned that uncomfortable could sometimes translate into joy. He was uncomfortable when he rambles. Heâs uncomfortable at the lunch table with Mikeyâs friends. Heâs was uncomfortable when Mikey first invited him to his house.)
He wasnât uncomfortable the first time they met. It was something else. Something that stole his voice and made him hunch in on himself, looking at Mikey like he came from another planet.
Mikey didnât let that bother him. With the sporty twin distracted on the field, Mikey swooped in with the perfect excuse (âyeah, thatâs my big bro, Leo, riiiight over thereâ) an easy lie (âOh, yeah, I tots come watch him practice all the time.â) and a bright smile to keep the conversation going. (It was a one-sided conversation for the first few times, but he came around eventually. Everyone does!)
Seriously, it took foreeever to start getting a good reading on the guy, but once he did, it was like finally striking a match and getting a fire so big that it burned your fingers. He was awesome.
He had sketch books filled with all kinds of crazy things and a brain big enough to actually build them. Mikey volunteered his backyard as a construction site and, within two week, they had a crazy flying assault drone. One that he immediately used to fire nerf bullets at their brothers as they walked up the driveway.
Heâd tried to hand the remote back and Donnie refused.
âYou can keep it.â He smiled, eyes shining with pride, âI canât take it to the house anyway.â
It was always âto the houseâ and never âhome.â
It made Mikey sad, but he talked about happy things instead.
There was a lot to be happy about! Mikey introduced Donnie to everything that he knew. Carnivals, movie theaters, arcades, laser tag, and museums (Mikey loved the exhibits, Donnie gushed over the information behind them) were the tip of the iceberg. They went on hikes and had sleepovers and messed around in the dojo and played pranks that their brothers always tracked back to them. They would be uno-reversed and then the dynamic duo would have to get more creative to return the favor.
(Donnie introduced Mikey to things that he never knew too. A patient voice walking him along assignments that he canât sit through. An attentive eye that noticed the little things that got lost in big groups- words gone unheard, downcast looks flicking by, hidden fears that come out in nervous laughter, false confidence in a bright grin that never dares to fade- and never hesitated to remind him that they mattered. He mattered. Donnie heard and saw everything, and Mikey slowly realized what it was like to be seen without trying.)
They built all kinds of fire things in the backyard- literally set it on fire once!- because Papa was afraid that theyâd blow up the house. Leo tattled on them often, but Papa would take one look at Mikeyâs big, guilty eyes and Donnieâs honest, sheepish smile, and theyâd be off the hook. It frustrated Leo to no end, but Mikey thinks that easy forgiveness is why Raph kept coming over.
(Raph had that rebel vibe and didnât seem to like anyone, much less his twin, but he still kept coming over, and stranger still, spending all his time with mightier-than-though Leo. He actually listens to their father, looking to him for advice, which Mikey only discovered because he came home early and found them talking in low voice.)
(Raph was relaxed and attentive. Mikey left them alone. Wonders of the universe never ceased to happen in the Hamato home.)
Mikey asked Donnie why he was so mean all the time. Donnie stood up, dirt on his pants and a black smear on his cheek, thinking deeply about a simple question, âAdults donât care about you when youâre nice. Being mean is the only reason we stay together.â
Mikey catches the paintbrush as it falls off his nose. Some of the paint splatters on his shirt. âYouâre not mean.â
âI can do stuff.â Donnie shrugs as he digs in the borrowed tool box. âPeople notice that too.â
âBut you said that his temper gets you guys in trouble.â
âIâm okay with being in trouble.â Donnie turns around, desired tool procured. âAs long as heâs there.â
âBut I didnât know you could do stuff.â Mikey presses. (Heâs plenty nice and thatâs why people notice him. Couldnât Raph do that too?)
âI know.â Donnie smiles, in his small, sheepish way. Itâs infectious, and Mikey always beams back. âNot everyone is you, though.â
âOne of a kind, brah.â
âYeah,â Donnie looks away, kneeling back down. âYou are.â
They were both one of a kind. It was what made them so great.
They always managed to make their interests link, to find a way to have both wants met. Something only came between them once.
(Mikey remembers the horrible night of his school play, when Donnie had the mechanics meet where his club would show off their inventions. How the week before theyâd bickered endlessly about how Mikey needed Donnie to be in the crowd- he was scared of losing the words, of messing up in front of the school, he needed him- his club could show off the inventions without him!)
(Donnie had gone cold, ignoring his attempts to reach out.)
(The next day, Mikey went to his foster house. He waited there on the doorstep, refusing to budge until Donnie came out. He did, eyes puffy, and Mikey wanted to shake him, selfish and mean and terrified of losing him. âWhy did that matter more than me?â Donnie, selfish and mean and terrified too, didnât hesitate, âNo thing matters more than you. But I had to go. I had too.â And Mikey sobbed. And Donnie sobbed. And they hugged. And that was that.)
Donnie opened doors that Mikey never knew had been closed. He was Mikeyâs secret-keeper, a lock-box that no force on earth could open. Mikey was determined to be the same, no matter how bad his stories got. Donnie needed to tell them and nothing in this world, not even his crazy, silly brain, would convince him not to listen.
âKids donât like nerds.â Donnie placed one of Mikeyâs plastic stars on the wall next to his bed. They both loved space, even if it was for different reasons. âThey donât like feeling dumb. Iâve been a lot of places, but itâs always the same. They like you until they learn that you could be in college. And that makes the adults mad.â
Mikey makes a dog with tiny stars. âWhy?â
âBecause Iâm wasting potential.â He stares at the star. âI could be doing great things. I should be doing great things.â
Mikey smiles, âYour constellations are really great.â
âGreat enough to make mom proud?â He presses it against the wall. âOr to make Raphâs life better?â
âI bet your mom would be proud.â Donnie lays on the bed, knees pulled up to his chest. Mikey lays next to him, hands tucked behind his head and shoes on the wall. âAnd why isnât that the adults job? Why are they mad at you for it?â
Donnie shrugs, âI guess Iâm not smart enough to know that.â
âStill.â Mikey looks at him. âBet your momâs super proud.â
He plays with his hands, looking at the stars. âYeah?â
Mikey reaches over to squeeze his arm, âTotally.â
They were the perfect pair. They were the ideal friends.
Everything was great, until the rainy night that the Shen brothers appeared on their doorstep and said that they were being moved hours away. If there was a reason for it, Mikey was having a hard time catching it through Donnieâs heartbroken stutters and Raphâs dense silence. And Mikey couldnât make it better.
He froze there in the living room and all he could think was,
And Leo- rude Leo, perfect Leo, stiff Leo, dull Leo, tattle tale Leo (two-in-the-morning drunk laughter Leo, always gets Mikey the best birthday gifts Leo, first to speak up for the little guy Leo) decides to walk up and wrap his arms around the kid who had been no more than a nuisance to him for months, and say, âIâm sorry.â
Mikey watches Donnie break, knees knocking, tears streaming, hands clawing into the fabric of his soaked t-shirt as he blurts that he doesnât want to go. He doesnât want to go. He doesnât want to doesnât want to why canât he stay he wants to stay he canât lose them canât lose them please please-
Donnie sobs. Raph watches him, motionless.
Their father sets a gentle hand on his shoulder, âI will find you dry clothes.â
âIâm not going back.â Raph says, oddly void of emotion, once again using singular when he meant it to be plural. âThey donât want me.â
His father squeezes, gentle, âI will pass the message that you will be staying over tonight.â
He blinks, like someone in a daze, and looks at him. He mutters. âWeâre not supposed to be here.â
His father is quiet. Leo, now in need of a change of clothes himself, says, âItâll be rude to bother them so late, drag them out here. We can tell them in the morning, right father?â
Their fathers nods. Donnie cries. Mikey scrubs the tears from his cheeks and goes to make everyone hot chocolate.
(And if he crumbles there alone on the kitchen floor while the pot boils, thatâs between him and the stove. But the stove will never tell because it canât, and Mikey will never tell because itâs not Mikeyâs place to steal away attention and be this sad when he has it so good.)
When he comes back with the mugs, he finds his father gone and Leo on the rug, running his hands through Donnieâs hair, muttering under his breath, watching Raph.
His best friend, whoâs leaving too. Raph stares through the wall.
Mikey sets the mugs down, walks towards him, and wraps his arms around the older teen. He squeezes his eyes shut, cheek pressed into the sticky wet fabric, and says, âIâll miss you.â
Like a robot learning human affection, his arms slowly inch their way up. Then the hug is being returned, and he grumbles, âYou donât even like me.â
âI like you a lot.â He says, because he learned to while seeing the world through Donnieâs eyes. âYouâre a good brother.â
âIâm not.â He bites. âItâs my fault. Itâs always my-â
His voice cracks. His mouth shuts audibly.
After a moment, Raph tightens his grip.
His breathing changes. Mikeyâs shoulder gets wet.
He thinks it might not be hair that is dripping.
He doesnât have a clear memory of the rest of the night. He knows that Leo is the only one who drank the hot chocolate, sitting close to Mikey as the others changed. He remembers hugging Donnie, skinny arms clinging around him like they never wanted to let go, and feeling something deep in him tearing when they eventually do. He can see Leo handing Raph his old phone, looking him dead in the eyes like a promise being passed, softly asking, âText me whenever.â
He wakes up sitting in the armchair, fogged brain taking in Leoâs missing presence and the couch where Donnie and Raph are reclining. Raphâs arm is over his younger twinâs chest, leg hanging off the recliner, free of the blanket that hides most of a friend whoâd improved Mikeyâs life to the point that he doesnât know if heâll be able to go back. Back to friends that he canât share secrets with and activities that are perfectly safe without smiles that make him feel like he single-handedly brought the sun to a dark planet.
He finds out that Leoâs in the kitchen helping their father make breakfast. Theyâre talking in low voices, quieting when the rest of the small group walks in. Mikeyâs clinging to Donnieâs hand. Donnie doesnât look at him, but he also doesnât pull away.
Mikey has to let go so he can go to the van in their driveway.
They get a few steps, before Raph pauses in his tracks.
Without a word, he spins around and charges back up the stairs, throwing himself at their dad. He holds onto him, shaking, and he whispers, âIâm sorry.â
âI am proud of how far youâve come.â Papa soothes as he returns the embrace. âBe safe, young one. Be strong.â
âYeah.â He pulls away. âOkay.â
And he stomps back to the vehicle, snagging Donnieâs wrist as he goes. Donnie doesnât fight him, waving before he gets inside, door slamming shut behind his twin.
Mikey waves until the van leaves his sight and then he runs inside.
He locks his bedroom door behind him and stays there.
Hours later, the door unlocks from the outside and Leo comes in.
The light from the stars on his wall is gone, so Mikey throws a pillow. It bounces harmlessly off his side. Heâs quiet, sitting down at his desk (Mikeyâs desk that Leo claimed because he never used it and Leo didnât have room for one in his bedroom) to work. He turns on music (Mikeyâs playlist- he hates Mikeyâs playlist when heâs working) and starts reading some book that doesnât matter.
And Mikey stares at him and stares at him and stares at him and then whines, over the music, âI donât want them to leave.â
âI know.â Leo rubs his eyes, sighing. âMe neither.â
And somehow that makes Mikey feel a teeny bit better.
They numb the ache together until the weekend ends. The twins donât show up and Mikey gets sympathetic back pats and gentle smiles from teachers and it only makes him more miserable because Donnieâs going to some strange place where he wonât get that.
Donnie is always on his mind, in the fires on the tv shows and the drone under his bed and any smiles with a gap and the long boring lectures and the comic that Donnieâs never heard of and the tools that had been moved to the garage and the dead grass in the backyard. He though of him as he sent out birthday invitations, and when Leo pulled out his phone to check for responses that Raph hardly ever gave because his foster family didnât believe in meat products, giving wifi passwords, or children with technology.
He thought about him as the guests arrived and presents were all opened. He concentrated on him when he blew out the candles.
Mikey thinks about him late that night when he should have been sleeping, teddy bear taken out of his drawer and hugged close to his chest. (Donnie didnât think it was silly- he cradled it like it mattered- âI had one when mom was still here.â) He hoped that wherever Donnie was, he had something fluffy of his own to cuddle with.
(He should have given him the bear.)
Mikey wakes up miserable, heading downstairs and smiling at a fully dressed Leo (Mikey should probably find his shoes). Leo smiles back and says that fatherâs out. (Heâs driving and theyâre going to be on time, so get he better get his butt moving.)
(Leo proceeds to makes them ten minutes late because he forces Mikey find his math textbook before they leave. Mikey doesnât tell him that he probably wonât be opening it anytime soon.)
Papa isnât there to pick him up so Mikeyâs forced to sit through Leoâs practice. Mikey canât bear be on the bleachers, so he distracts himself by making sure Leo consistently remembers that he exists (âDID YOU REMEMBER TO PUT ON DEODORANT? YOU KNOW HOW YOU TEND TO SMELL!â âMIKEY!â)
Leo lectures him the entire way home. He refuses to feel any remorse for his actions, pleased to see papaâs car in the driveway.
He goes inside, kicks off his shoes to reveal mismatched socks (âThis again, Mikey?â) so Leo will do his laundry, and dashes to find their father for a very good explanation.
âPapa!â He screeches. âI NEED CHEESY BREA-â
He finds his father. And much more.
Donnie and Raph are in the living room, grinning like Mikey does on Christmas morning (Raph knows how to smile?), and Mikey gets two seconds to decide what to do.
So he runs, and Donnie meets him halfway, and as he stands on his tip-toes (did he get tall?), and hugs and hugs and hugs with all the loneliness and pain and love that heâs held inside, he gasps, âYOU DIDNâT COME TO MY PARTY!â
Donnie doesnât answer, fingers bunching in fabric (like they always do, like heâs always scared to be ripped away), and Raph announces, âItâs not like we didnât try. Government sucks.â
âIs it official?â Leo questions as he walks up. He hugs Raph, and Raph repropriates, and then theyâre splitting apart. âNot really. But Sharon said he could have us âtil it was.â
âSo just more fostering?â
âBasically.â
âWhat is happening?â Mikeyâs voice wobbles in happy betrayal. âWhy am I the only one who doesnât know anything?â
Donnie pulls away, and gestures helplessly, and admits, âThey only told me a few hours ago.â
âWasnât gonna get your hopes up.â Raph states.
âWhat he said.â Leo speaks up. (Awful, evil brothers)
Their father adds, âHow about you sit down and I explain?â
Mikey wanted to run around and scream with joy, but he sits down right next to Donnie, and learns their family of three is going become a family of five. And like the baby of the family that he still is, Mikey cries. His brothers- all three of them- three brothers- exchange the first set of looks of many that will define their relationship.
And then Donnieâs taking his hand, squeezing their fingers briefly, and smiling with the gap that always proved that someone can be happy despite every reason to feel sad, and pleads, âCâmon, bro. Show me around my new home?â
âYouâve been here.â Mikey laugh, struggling to calm himself down, wiping his snotty nose on his sleeve. âYou donât need me for that.â
âI saw your house.â Donnie beams. âNow I wanna see mine.â
Mikey understands everything unsaid. Heâs the Donnie whisperer.
And now he gets to spend the rest of his life listening.
hate when people say something along the lines of "we must get along so well because you are/i am [some astrological sign]" to me. what are you fucking talking about. we get along because im fucking nice. a decision which i regret when you say shit like that
learned about this ship when i was 10 and proceeded to forget about it for the last 9 years. most forgettable character #1 x most forgettable character #2
"Guy" and "man" have different connotations with adjectival nouns. Like "tree guy" = arborist but "tree man" = he lives in a tree, or maybe he is a tree.
#it's a good thing he teaches middle schoolers #bc if he was teaching any younger he'd be saying shit like âokay guys say goodbye to the fighter jet!" #and half the science team would respond âgoodbye fighter jet!â tags via @hylasregilla
Mikey would eat something that tastes disgustingâthat even he canât tolerateâand then heâd find a way to get all his other brothers to eat it as well.
To get Leo to eat it, heâd lie and say that it tastes amazing and goad him into trying it.
To get Donnie to eat it, heâd pretend to eat it in Donnieâs presence and gush over how great it is before finding an excuse to dip out and leave the food behind. Which would inevitably strike Donnieâs curiosity and heâd be basically compelled to try it.
To get Raph to eat it, heâd just say âthis is disgusting, try itâ and Raph would.
I am stuck and bored and now doing this until I can get up.
Letâs see where it goes.
"I thought you were working on a new invention."
"Inventions are all I do," Donnie grumbles, flat with his cheek pressed against the couch cushion. He turns his head to watch his brother. "Sometimes a guy doesn't wanna work all the time. Why do I even care that much? Not like half of them function properly."
"One of those days?" Leo teases as he sits down across from his brother, feet propped. "Less wrong side of the bed, more woke up in the floor?"
"I know exactly where to put your body when I bury it." He rolls over to stare complacently at the roof. "Unless I repurpose it."
"A cyborg would be cool."
"You'd have to still be alive for that."
"Boo," Leo flips the remote in his hand, "Also wouldn't repurposing my body be a kind of inventing?"
"I'll make an exception." He pauses and then slowly sits up, "Actually-"
"I don't wanna know," Leo says, voice rising to be louder than the temptation. "Whatever it is, I promise I don't want to know."
Donnie deflates into the cushions. "Doesn't matter, if you die your body would probably be disheveled anyhow."
"If it means you'll leave my corpse alone, I hope it is."
"I bet if Splinter let me look for my own parts, inspiration wouldn't be so hard. Iâd get so much more done."
"He'll let us up one day, Dee⊠Then you'll have all the junk you need!"
"Don't laugh at me."
"I'm not laughing!"
"You-"
"Hey," Leo sits next to his brother, metal glinting in the moonlight. "You've been off. One of those days?"
"I don't think I remember what sleep feels like."
Leo gives a soft hum of acknowledgement. "I guess you wouldn't."
Ears flat against the back of his head, Donnie admits, "I don't even remember what it felt like."
"To be in bed?"
"To be on anything comfortable. To feel tired, instead of having a warning pop into my vision."
He leans against Leo, burning against his skin. It used to be to establish a connection, or to have someone else bear his weight, or to share warmth. He doesn't know why Donnie does it now, but despite the frigid bite from the metal, Leo leaves him as he is.
They sit in the dark, at the edge of the forest, looking out to the desert. Donnie had been pacing the perimeter for hours after a morning of snapping at questions and breaking wood with his bare hands. They donât need a guard. Leo canât come up with another reason. Heâs tempted to ask as minutes tick by. He doesnât.
"I couldn't repurpose what was left," Donnie says finally. "If it was Raph, I would have let him die. I'd never have put you guys through this. Fugitoid⊠I knew what it might be like."
Leo has to process this.
"So why'd you do it?"
"He needed me," Donnie pulls away. "I have work to do."
"Have?" He asks, frowning. "Donnie, we're in the oasis. It's- it's nearly paradise. What is there left to do?"
"If we can find it, others can too."
"It's okay to take a break, Dee. We all could use one."
Donnie stands, one of his arms creaking as he does. His eyes glow a bit brighter as he looks it over. He blinks, and they dim.
"Weâre out of oil." He mutters, "And that's only going to get more annoying if I don't do anything."
He starts walking.
Leo asks, "Anything I can do?"
'No," He says without looking back. "Just relax. Take that break."
From what Iâm seeing in reblogs, Casey having a little sister named Angelica is not a new concept. Oh well! That just means weâve got a lot of headcanons we can sift through for this OC. Hereâs the link to my post detailing some of my headcanons for Angelâs broader arc. The fic is below the cut you guys! Headcanons, criticism, etc. always appreciated! @12yearsoftmnt2012
HC FOR THE SAKE OF THE FIC: Aprilâs not there to pick Casey up for patrol because sheâs so caught up in finals prep, and sheâs actually dedicated to her studies (unlike Casey, who still lives for patrols)
âTHE ONE, THE ONLY, ANGELICA JONESâ
In the buzzing, faint glow of the lights lining the hallway, Donnie doesnât quite know what heâs looking at.
Or, thatâs not true, he does, at least partially, he corrects himself in his head. He knows several things about this situation.
One: Heâd popped by at Leoâs request to alert Casey about patrol tonight. Which was⊠unusual. In fact, it was Donâs first time standing in their human friendâs complex. Picking up Casey was usually left up to Raph or Mikey, but with oneâs shoulder still on the mend, and the other already out gaining the intel Leatherhead had promised for the mission, Donnie had been the only choice left.
And Two: Heâd picked the right apartment. Heâd checked the address Raph had sent him twice, and he knew from tidbits of pieced-together conversations that Caseyâs dad worked graveyard, so no one else should be home.
Which was why, Three: heâd been so confused when the door had swung open before Donnie could even get through the third knock, to reveal a young girl. Streaks of magenta drugstore dye peaking through black sleep-tousled hair. Coke bottle glasses, perched on a nose that looked familiar (albeit straighter), and a cockeyed grin so identical to Caseyâs, it was uncanny.
Donatello blinks. Heâs caught off guard, of course, but heâs not about to run â not only has she not completely freaked out about the six foot turtle currently standing in front of her, but her eyes are wide, awestruck almost behind the thick black frames. Sheâs⊠intrigued, at the very least. A good sign? Heâs not quite sure yet.
âOh my god,â she breathes out, âYouâre Donatello.â
âŠAlright. Donnie blue screens, gawking right back, and for some stupid reason, canât think of any better response than a squeaked-out, âUhâŠâ
And before he can even pull himself out of his stupor, she starts in with a relentless babble, jumbled sentences that sound oddly like praise, peppered in amongst a lot of information she definitely shouldnât be privy to.
âYouâre the one that synthesized the retro mutagen!â She beams, swinging the door open wider. âYou turned a multidimensional transmat device into a mass displacement teleporter!â
The girlâs still talking, hands gesticulating around wildly. âI canât believe it, after all this time! I mean I knew when Casey told me about you that youâd be my favorite, but to meet you in person is justââ
Like the mention of his name summoned him, Casey finally appears behind her, scratching at his chest through his old Rangers jersey, sunken sleep-deprived eyes staring at Donnie under a furrowed brow. Damn, April hadnât been kidding, the SATs had been putting him through hell.
Donnie waves his hands out in front of him, and the girl finally falls quiet enough for him to mutter, âCasey, what⊠whoâ?â
But heâs cut off again, by a small hand gripping his and shaking it firmly. âOh, my bad. Iâm Angelica.â
Donnie glances up at Case with a quirked brow, and the human just rolls his eyes. âMy little sister,â he grumbles, reaching out to tug at Angelicaâs shoulder. âWhoâs supposed to be in bed right nowââ
âGod, youâre such a buzzkill,â Angelica grouses at him, wrenching her shoulder out of his grasp.
Caseyâs back to scowling at Donnie, as he tries to corral her back inside the apartment. âDude, whyâd you use the front door? I told you to come to the windowââ
âThe window was frozen shut, dude,â Donnie fires back caustically, teeth still chattering while he tries to huddle into the big trenchcoat he donned as his only defense against the cold. âAnd I could see your dumb ass conked out, drooling all over your textbook. Weâre late, and youâre the one explaining all this to Leo.â
âOh, Leo! The oldest, right?â Angelica pipes up, to Caseyâs chagrin. âHeâs the one who battled Shred-head, right? Badass.â
Donnie deadpans a look at her brother. âWhat did you, give her a play-by-play?â
âHe talks about you guys all the time.â She grins smugly, while Caseyâs face screws up in anguish. âWell, mostly about his goof-offs with Raph or Mikey, but I managed to glean some information on the rest of you guys, too. Ooh! Like how you built an entire Turtle Mech?! How do you even go about rendering schematics for a build like that, with such limited resourcesââ
Don smothers his incredulous chuckle behind a fist, while Casey claps a hand over his sisterâs mouth.
âShut up, Angelââ Heâs in the middle of hissing, when Angel grabs his thumb and twists it back at an awkward angle, making Casey yelp and lurch to one side.
âButt out, Casey,â she mutters back, and yeah, Donnie can see the family resemblance.
Been thinking about the mutant apocalypse boys in The Road by @rheadanai lately, so I had to draw them!
This fic is soooo beautifully written. It follows the brain and brawn duo in the early days after the M-Bomb, long before we see them in the show. My attention was grabbed instantly and was held through its entirety. The dialogue and interactions felt so real, and there's a true understanding of the characters. It's so good, please go give it a read!!
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