ANOTHER DRAGONSHELL ONE-SHOT
WE GOT THE EIGHTEEN UP TO TWENTY AO3 FICS NOW!!!
also since it's mostly dudes in this one, if you see she or her used know that I'm talking about Donnie lol
"Dee, hurry up! You're gonna make us late!" Raph shouted up the stairs.
Donnie struggled to pull on some jeans and almost tripped. "Leave without me then!"
Raph sighed. "We go together everyday!"
"But if you're worried about being late, then don't make me the reason!" Donnie huffed.
Raph glanced over at Leo and Mikey, the former trying to help the box turtle finish tying the shoelace that came undone. The oldest waited for Leo to finish before gesturing to the door with his hand.
"Donnie can catch up," he added at the confused looks he got.
Leo and Mikey seemed to understand. They abandoned the couch and followed Raph out the front door. Donnie, meanwhile, forced his favorite hoodie on, tied his shoes, grabbed his backpack, and dashed down the stairs for the door. He threw it open and immediately shut it behind him to start heading to school.
He didn't expect the walk to be boring without his brothers, but it was. He pulled his headphones up and hit play on the music he last listened to. The school wasn't far from the house, but it was far enough for her to need music.
He pulled his hood up before he went inside, turning the music off as well. He stared strictly at the floor the entire way to his first class. Unfortunately, that meant he missed the group of five that usually tormented him, giving them the perfect opportunity to sneak up on him.
Donnie felt his hood get yanked off and an arm slung itself over his shoulder.
"Hey, softie," the leader, Kai, greeted. "Late today, are you?"
Donnie growled at the stupid nickname they all always called him. "Leave me alone."
"Aw, come on softie, I'm just teasing," Kai punched his arm playfully.
The four guys behind them snickered. Kai took it and ran.
"And I'm just saying leave me alone," Donnie ducked away when Kai tried to put his arm around her shoulders again.
Why did his first class have to be so far away?
Kai's face twisted suddenly. "You don't want to make me angry."
Donnie just continued walking. "Correct, I want to be in my first class right now actually."
Kai had stopped, but right as Donnie finished saying those words, he stormed up to the softshell, grabbed her jacket hood, motioned to one of his friends, and slammed her against an empty wall by her hoodie collar after the friend had made her lose her balance. Kai smirked and leaned in close to her ear.
"You better be behind the school when it ends or I'll do much worse here than what I'll do there," Kai warned.
Donnie shivered and whined. Kai released her, but as soon as he did, she raised her fist and--
"He started it!" Kai shouted, nose still bleeding a little and eye still black. "He punched me first!"
The principal sighed and turned to Donnie. "Is this true?"
"No..." Donnie whispered.
The principal sighed again. "Well we can't--"
"There is no way Donatello started this fight!" Draxum's voice growled as he stepped into the office.
"Kai didn't start it either!" the teen's dad retorted, following behind, then adding, "We wouldn't be here unless your son started this!"
Draxum narrowed his eyes as he took a seat on Donnie's right. Kai's dad mirrored him. The principal glaced between them both.
"Unless one of your sons admits to initiating the fight, I will have to suspend them both for four days," she explained.
Kai's dad turned his glare to Donnie. "Obviously it was him. Just suspend it and get this over with."
The softshell flinched at the word he used and Draxum looked about ready to gain a body count. The principal focused on Kai's dad with a sharp glint in her eye like glass.
"Mr. Myler, we do not use that kind of language in my school," she hissed and Donnie swore he could see a forked tongue when she faced them all again. "Now, since neither son confessed, I have no choice but to suspend Kai for four days and Donnie for two."
Kai's dad slammed his fist on the desk. "How come his was lowered?"
"Donnie doesn't have record of any past misbehaviors," she replied simply. "But I don't have to explain myself to you, Mr. Myler. I too suggest fixing your language for future... interactions."
Kai and his dad stormed out of the office, but not before Kai could mouth "I'll see you after school" to Donnie, accompanied by a too-wide smile. The softshell curled into himself and didn't want to move. Draxum rested a comforting hand on his back and for the first time ever, Donnie wrapped his arms around the goat's neck wanting be comforted by him or someone, anyone. Graciously, the principal busied herself with a paper off to the side.
"I want to go home," Donnie sobbed.
Draxum didn't know what else to do except gently peel Donnie away from him, get up from the seat, and extend a hand. Donnie took it and Draxum thanked the principal before they left. As soon as Donnie got halfway out the door, Kai's four friends came from both sides and dumped the milk they stole from lunch on her head and down her hoodie.
The milk was cold and wet and really, really (that's two reallys) uncomfortable dripping down his softshell. Draxum didn't have time to react initially, but now he got in between a frozen, visibly uncomfortable Donnie and the boys. Just like everyone else, the four all cowered nervously.
"Mr. Draxum! We, uh, d-didn't see you there!" one stammered.
"Wait, are you his dad?" a second asked.
"Yes," Draxum answered. "I suggest you find something to clean up your mess immediately. It better be clean when I come back or I'll have you helping the janitor all night, understand?"
The principal, who had watched the whole ordeal with full confidence in Draxum, left her office with four pieces of paper and handed one to each of the boys. "This detention will be served in my office for three hours after school tomorrow. I will be expecting all of you, so I don't suggest being late unless you want another."
The boys sulked away to get paper towels. Draxum, satisfied, turned around to reassure Donnie and take him home, but when he did, the softshell was gone.
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Donnie gasped in short breaths and rested his head on his knees. Maybe running here wasn't such a good idea. He kept his eyes closed until a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up into the warm eyes of his crush and blinked.
"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked. "I saw what they did and decided to follow you when you ran."
"I-I'm fi-fine," Donnie stuttered embarrassingly.
"That's good," Jeremy stood back straight and held a hand out.
Donnie held his breath and accepted it. Jeremy's hand was soft and warm and... she yanked her hand away suddenly like she'd been shocked.
"Sorry. You didn't have to follow me," she looked away and tried to shove her hands into the pocket of her hoodie that she didn't have on anymore.
"No, I'm sorry. They're my friends, I should've said something," Jeremy awkwardly returned his hand to his side.
She didn't know what to say, so she just ducked her head and nodded absently. He eventually asked a new question to divert the topic.
"Hey, did Kai happen to... say anything? After this morning?"
She opened her mouth to say yes, but stopped herself and shook her head instead, knowing full well how bad of a liar she was. He sighed.
"Did he say behind the school?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "After school."
Jeremy hummed in thought. Donnie risked a glance in his direction and tried not to get caught up on every little feature on his face.
"You'll go," he said suddenly.
"W-what?" she startled, tearing her eyes away to stare at the ground again.
"Don't worry, I have a plan!" he quickly added. "To make up for not saying anything before, at least."
"You don't have to..." she trailed off.
He held and squeezed her hands, making her turn bright red. "I want to. Trust me, I'll be there."
Donnie looked back up when the blush disappeared. "You will? But they're your--"
"I like you more," Jeremy interrupted.
"You... l-like me?" Donnie stammered. "Why?"
"I believe it's because you liked me first," Jeremy replied.
The softshell turned an even brighter red than before when he noticed how much closer the teen had gotten. Jeremy chuckled at his point proven.
"I'll be at the school," Jeremy repeated. "You can count on it."
Donnie nodded vigorously. And so, he had gone home (and Jeremy back to school) for the rest of the hours school lasted. When the clock struck 3, he hurried out of the house and headed straight for the school. He trusted Jeremy. He had to.
Donnie slipped toward the back of the school, spotting his brothers waiting for a ride they could just ask Draxum for and ignoring them. He slowly and cautiously dangerous territory. He had every right to be scared when two sets of hands grabbed his arms from behind.
"Softie, you came!" Kai exclaimed with fake excitement. "Up against the wall."
Donnie cursed himself for forgetting to put a new hoodie on as he was once again slammed against a wall. The boys on either side of him (the only ones Kai had with him by the looks of it) held him still as Kai approached.
"You gave me two things to get you back for, softie. One was this black eye," Kai raised his fist and struck Donnie in the same eye. "And the second was this morning."
Donnie flinched when Kai raised a fist again, but it landed on his guts this time, making him bend over as much as he could (not much at all). Then Kai reached down to his back pocket and pulled something out.
"It's funny how they punish you for getting into a fight with someone, let alone a freak like you, but forget to check your pockets," Kai held the thing a little higher and let it catch the light.
Donnie's face drained of color at how sharp the pocket knife was. Too sharp. Kai pressed it experimentally against Donnie's throat, smirking at the desperate head shake that got.
"Let me tell you a fun fact, softie," Kai dug the knife in a little. "Some humans eat softshell turtle. I might get to try some tonight if I'm lucky."
Donnie had read that somewhere before. It hadn't scared him then, but it definitely did now. Kai dragged the knife down Donnie's now forcibly extended arm slowly and painfully, leaving a trail of blood behind. Donnie swallowed the bile and scream rising in his throat, but couldn't hold back the latter when Kai reached his wrists and slit them both.
Where was Jeremy? He promised he'd be here!
The two boys holding Donnie unceremoniously tossed him to the ground when Kai backed up two steps. The softshell's wounds all screamed for attention, two of which dripped blood that gathered in a small puddle underneath him.
The next second he was on his plastron, shell bare and already throbbing from what was to come. Sure enough, a prolonged cut was driven through his shell. Donnie shivered, sobbed, and cried out but didn't dare move any more then that for risk of it getting even deeper and needing more stitches than it already did.
His crying almost drowned out the "Kai!" that was shouted from the corner of the school building. The teen wielding the knife removed it from Donnie's shell and set it aside.
"Jeremy! Here to get in on the action, huh?" Kai greeted as Jeremy got closer.
Jeremy widened his eyes at the blood and state of Donnie in general. Kai picked up the stained knife again and offered it to his friend.
Jeremy took the knife and closed the blade away. "How far were you willing to go with this?"
Kai watched him put the knife away. "Far enough until it got what it deserved."
The words stung even more than every wound on Donnie's body. Jeremy's brows knotted together.
"Donnie is a he, just like you and me, Kai."
Kai scoffed. "Don't tell me you're going soft on him! He's just a freak who doesn't belong in this school. Neither do his brothers, now that we're on that train."
"So what if I am? Better than being friends with guys like you," Jeremy defended.
"Guys like me?" Kai asked disbelievingly. "You are guys like me, Jeremy! We're supposed to be on the same team here!"
"We weren't on the same team the second this whole situation started," Jeremy growled. "Go home. All three of you."
Kai narrowed his eyes and stood up to be at eye level. "I'm not leaving without my knife."
Jeremy turned and tossed the knife back in the direction he came from. It was caught mid way there.
"It's quite intriguing to see what you human boys think you can get away with."
Kai's heart shot straight into his throat at the sound of Draxum's voice. Jeremy smirked. Donnie tried to raise his head.
"Well? Go home. Principal Figgs can deal with you tomorrow when I send her the video," Draxum prompted.
Kai and the two other boys scrambled to their feet and deadsprinted out of the area for their homes. The goat watched them before rolling his eyes and heading over to where Jeremy now kneeled beside Donnie. He scanned over Donnie's visible injuries.
"I will call his brothers to come help if you try to stop the bleeding," Draxum offered.
Jeremy nodded. "I can do that."
Draxum walked away a few steps and dialed Leo on his phone. Jeremy tore the jacket he had on off and into strips (it was old and wasn't his favorite, so it was fine). When Leo answered, Draxum dove right into informing him of the situation.
"Donatello has been injured. He needs you to portal him home quickly. And Leonardo do not tell your other brothers yet."
Leo listened. A sparking blue portal appeared nearby after Draxum showed the slider where they were. Leo waited for Jeremy to finish to pick his twin up. Leo looked Jeremy right in the eyes when he had Donnie secure enough.
Kai isn't going to be used outside of this fic here for obvious reasons, but Principal Figgs might be idk
and originally the ending was gonna have Jeremy just, like, fight those three off and have him holding Donnie close, sitting against the wall of the school thinking about what to do next when Donnie's phone rings with Raph calling him and Jeremy would answer and they would get Donnie home and safe that way but Draxum decided it would be a good idea to enter the scene without permission and make me change everything and not be able to change it back bc I'm tired
