Okay, this has spoilers for my TCV au, but I really wanted to ramble about this plot point
Okay, everyone knows Rise Splinter wasn't the best dad, right?
I feel like, out of everyone, Donnie would hold the biggest grudge over that. Especially with the car demolition derby thing happening.
But. But. Think of how pissed Donnie would be once things start piling up.
Splinter never told them about their history, or Shredder, or their powers. Sure, fine, Donnie might let that slide. Splinter thought it was fake and Shredder had been gone for 500 years.
But then the Krang invaded. Something Splinter knew could happen based on his reaction to the Krang being mentioned in the movie. Something that, like the Shredder situation, he could have told them about.
Didn't Splinter learn from the Shredder situation? Didn't he learn that he should tell his family about these kinds of things?
Now Leo is rolling around in a wheelchair and still on pain meds. Pain meds that have the normally hyped turtle drowsy and loopy. Pain meds that Donnie swears Leo doesn't need anymore but somehow the slider is still in enough pain to say he needs them.
Mikey's hands won't stop shaking and Donnie is too busy to make anti-tremor gloves at the moment. Art is Mikey's thing, it's how the turtle processes things. By drawing his trauma, he feels like he has control over it, but he can hardly draw.
Donnie himself is getting phantom sensations of Krang tentacles worming into his skin. The nightmares are terrible, and he knows his brothers get them too. He's overstimulated to the point he can't wear his Battle Shell, sometimes not even his mask, because he's fucking stressed.
And Raph is in a coma. It's been months and Raph has been damn near unresponsive.
They could have been prepared, they could have been warned, but Splinter didn't tell them anything. Yet, Leo blames himself.
That was Donnie's breaking point. All signs pointed to Splinter at fault, but it took Leo, Donnie's twin who just got out of his own damn coma blaming himself for Donnie to snap.
He'd never argued with his dad before, but before he knew it, a few questions led to shouting, which led to screaming, which led to-
"THAT'S IT- GET OUT! STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING LAB AND STAY OUT OF MY LIFE! YOU WERE HARDLY IN IT ANYWAY!"
The words are out of his mouth before Donnie can process them. The pure hurt on Splinters face has a weight settle in Donnie's gut.
But, despite it all, Donnie feels glad. Good. Let him hurt. Let him feel a fraction of the pain his kids are feeling.
Donnie starts hanging around Draxum more after that.
