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travlersjoy444 · 1 year

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2012 Donnie with a secret human friend who he gets caught hanging out with by one of his brothers? I

Hm, good idea

'Cuz We Need Secrets

2012 Donatello x reader

It's pretty platonic, but one could read it as like an early stage of friends to lovers if they want to. In the text though it doesn't go anywhere past friendship. It's in Don's POV, and Donnie gets he/they pronouns. The reader's gender/pronouns aren't mentioned as per usual.

Work count: 3.1k

Warnings: Light angst, the age-old 2012 Donnie vs insecurity conflict, light swearing, a mentioned past crush on April

Donatello Hamato had not meant to befriend another human. Honestly, April and Casey were plenty as it was. More than plenty, actually, in Casey’s case sometimes.

In fact, they hadn’t even meant to befriend you in the first place, actually.

And yet here he was, sneaking you into the lair at three in the morning.

Hey, it wasn’t his fault that you were curious, and as a man of science, curiosity was something he highly encouraged!

“Ooh-kay, so you really weren’t joking about the ‘living in a sewer’ thing, huh?” you whistled, sounding more fascinated than judgemental as he opened the manhole cover. “I’ll admit it Dee, I almost believe you about the ninja thing now.”

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Oh yeah, ‘cause it’s the ninja-ing that’s unbelievable, not the mutant turtle thing.”

“Look, it’s New York! Mutant reptiles are a dime a dozen, bro. Ever seen Godzilla?” you teased.

Donnie snorted. “That takes place in Tokyo, actually.”

“Eh, it’s a big city. Same difference.” you said with a shrug, sticking your hands in your pockets casually- as if talking to a giant talking turtle was something completely normal for you.

Eh, he supposed it was, at this point. But he also knew for a fact that you had not been this chill when he first met you… But then again. That one was kinda on them, seeing as they were the one who showed up in your house unprompted.

(It hadn’t been personal! He’d needed a hiding place and your window had been open! You were basically asking for a mutant turtle teen to break in.)

(And apparently, he had basically been asking for a human teenager to hit him with a frying pan. Okay, he had maybe deserved that one.)

(Nonetheless, it had all worked out and you guys were buddies now! Yaaaay!)

“-onnie? Don? Don-tron? Dee, ya there?” you said, waving a hand in front of his face, effectively snapping him out of exposition mode.

“-huh? Oh, right, sewers, yeah.” Donnie grinned sheepishly. “Me first or you first?”

“Oh you, definitely. If there’s like, a sewer monster down there, I’d prefer to not be the one mauled by it.” you said definitively.

Donnie bit their tongue to keep from making a comment about how technically he was a sewer monster. He didn’t want you to think of him as a monster, regardless of how lighthearted the context was.

Honestly, it was so nice how you just treated them like a normal person- not that April didn’t, but y’know, she was…April. And he was a sewer monster.

Okay, that sentence didn’t make much sense: What he meant was that…April had already basically good as rejected him- whether because she genuinely didn’t like him or because he was a giant talking turtle, he had no clue. And he wasn’t even sure if April herself knew either.

So having you, a cool as shell human teenager who didn’t owe them your life (or at least not any more so than the rest of New York), like him and enjoy their company, made him want to scream in excitement.

Not that they would do that, obviously. That would be-um- really embarrassing!

So, shaking his head, he said “Sure, I’ll use my ninja-ing on any sewer monsters we happen to come across.”

“Aw, my hero.” you smiled, clasping your hands dramatically.

“Anytime.” he said, hoping they didn’t sound too awkward as he began to climb down the ladder. You followed him down, landing on the ground a few seconds after him.

“So am I gonna meet your brothers?” you said, looking around the tunnel curiously.

Donnie snorted. “Absolutely not, they’d kill me. Or, alternatively, they’d tell my dad who would then kill me.” (Or alternatively to the alternatively, you’d find them all much much cooler than Donatello. And then you’d be everyone’s friend instead of just his. Not that you weren’t allowed to have other friends, obviously, but still…he kinda liked being your favorite mutant turtle, if that made any sense?)

“Ooh, rule breaking. Sweet.” you said, sounding slightly nervous yet somehow relaxed. He did not even slightly understand how you managed that.

“Your family won’t like…murder me if I met them…right? Um, not because of the mutant thing, but because of the whole um…secret ninja thing.” you continued.

“No. Um. Maybe Raph would, but probably not- If anything, they’d be scared of you murdering me.” Donnie chuckled, leading you down the subway tunnel.

“Oh. I mean. I am entering your home secretly in the dead of night, so it…may not be entirely unfounded?” you shrugged. “But then again. Your home is a sewer, so I think that’s one point on the ‘Donnie is more likely to murder me than vice-versa’ scorecard.”

Donnie snorted. “Oh yeah, and the ‘being a scary mutant’ part is just normal?”

You shrugged. “The scarier part was when you showed up on my fire escape completely unannounced that one time.”

Donnie cringed at the mental image of Donnie-of-almost-a-year-ago. “I’m sorry about that again, I thought it was normal!”

You chuckled, patting his shell. “It’s fine dude, really. It’s hilarious in retrospect, actually, and let’s face it- you’re way too fun for me to stay mad at.”

“Oh- you think so?” Donnie grinned. “Thanks.”

“Although on the topic of mutants…um…really quick question, and you don’t have to answer, but…um….I’ve wondered this forever, but keep forgetting to ask you until now…” Eguh boy, here we go.

Donnie frowned. “Um…go on?”

“Does the space behind your shell ever itch and then you’re like. Unable to scratch it or reach it?” you said in one breath, looking slightly embarrassed as if you were asking something incredibly personal and maybe offensive.

Donnie blinked, trying their best not to laugh.

“...No?!”

“Oh okay cool. That’s good. That’s important. I’m happy for you.” you said, nodding.

“It’s like how it doesn’t itch under your fingernails, y’know?” Donnie chuckled.

“Huh. I guess that makes sense.” you said thoughtfully.

“Oh, here we are!” Donnie said, smiling as you stepped towards the turnstiles. “Lair sweet lair.”

You whistled. “Pretty neat! So this is where the secret science stuff happens?”

“Actually, that’s over here.” he said, waving proudly at the garage door by the entrance.

“Wooooah! You’ve got a sick personal lab?!” you grinned, stepping inside. “Oooh and it’s all purple too? I love this!”

“Ooh let’s keep the volume down and- oh my gosh, you think so?! Thanks! It’s mostly stuff I stole- um I mean found- from that old military junkyard, but uh hey! At least it’s purple!” they rambled, tossing their bo from hand to hand.

“There is no way that that’s legal,” you said, wandering around the lab. “Which just makes this all so much cooler, of course.”

“You could come with me next time!” …Idiot! “Um- if you want, obviously, no pressure-” he backpedaled.

“No, that sounds fantastic. I’d love to accompany you to the junkyard.” you said sincerely, before pausing. “....Woah….hey Dee, what’s with the um…organs in a tube?” you said.

Donnie winced. Of course. “Oh…that’s Timothy.”

“...Timothy.” you repeated. “Care to…y’know, elaborate?”

Donnie swallowed. “I still feel pretty awful about him…he was some human that wanted to become a vigilante, and um…got himself mutated.” they sighed, staring at the glowing remains. “I’m trying to turn him back, make a retromutagen…but um…I haven’t had any luck yet.” he finished glumly.

“Jeez.” you said softly. “That is…pretty brutal.”

“Yeah…” Donnie shrugged. “Um…yeah. I wish there was more I could do for him. Mostly I wish I had done a better job of stopping him…poor guy wasn’t too bright, but he definitely doesn’t deserve this…”

You patted them on the shoulder. “Hey, knowing you, you probably did your best, Dee.”

“Well, I certainly tried, but…I dunno. I should have tried harder.” he sighed, leaning into your shoulder pat that had somehow morphed into a side-hug.

“Well if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that you do your best Don. And plus, you’re working on that retromutagen, so hey! Maybe Timothy will be Timothy again someday, right?” you smiled.

“Yeah…” Donnie said, smiling half-heartedly. “Well…sorry about this, I’m being such a downer, huh?”

“Hey, s’okay! And Dee…I dunno much about chemistry, but if there’s anything I can do to help, lemme know, okay? Like anything. Even just bringing you snacks. I’m great at snacks.” you grinned.

“Really?” they smiled, more sincerely this time. “Gee (Y/N). That’d be great, actually- I have this bad habit where I forget to eat when I’m working, so that might actually help a lot to be honest! Man, you’re the best.” he grinned.

“I know, I know.” you said, tossing your hair. “Everyone says so- and I mean like, yeah no I totally get it, I am so cool.”

“Hey, you know what, I’ll believe it.” Donnie chuckled. “You’re definitely pretty c-”

“Hey Donnie, ya mind telling me why you’re all cozied up with a human?”

Donnie froze.

Uh oh.

“I think I was too loud.” you mouthed, eyes wide.

Donnie slowly turned around to see a short turtle with a cracked plastron and a look in his eyes that gave Donnie a very bad feeling.

“Hi Raph.” they squeaked.

“Hi Raph.” you echoed, waving weakly.

Raph narrowed his eyes, glaring at Donnie. “...So you finally get a partner and then keep it secret?” he smirked. “Come on Don! I promised I’d stop calling you sad-dorable!”

Donnie blinked, flustered. “N-no Raph, (Y/N)’s not my partner-”

“Sad-dorable?” you grinned, staring at Raph. “That’s…that’s pretty good, actually!”

“Right?! Mikey and Leo just said it was ‘unempathetic’- see Don, your partner gets it!” Raph grinned, prodding Donnie’s shoulder.

“Speaking of Leo.” said a new voice.

This time, both Raph and Donnie looked nervous. “Uh…heya, Fearless.” said Raph awkwardly, glancing over his shoulder.

“What the heck are you two doing with a human at three in the morning?!” Leo exclaimed, looking incredibly done with his siblings’ crap. “God forbid a guy get any rest around here…”

“Aw shuddup Leo, you weren’t asleep.” Raph scoffed.

Leo suddenly looked a bit nervous. “Sure I was.”

“No, you were writing-”

“-I was writing a short story!” Leo said unconvincingly.

“Yeah, aka Captain Ryan x reader fanfiction.” Raph said flatly.

“Shut up Raphael.” Leo mumbled, blushing. Donnie resisted the urge to laugh in favor of stepping in front of you protectively.

“So what, has the whole lair decided to show up in my lab tonight?” Donnie said, rolling his eyes.

“Um-”

“Go back to bed Mikey.” they sighed, not even having to turn around to know that their youngest brother was there now too. “Actually, all of you, just go back to bed. Please.”

“Not fair, I wanna meet your secret lover!” Mikey groaned.

“-Friend! We are friends!” Donnie exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. “(Y/N) is my secret friend because you guys feel the need to drag our friends into the stupid ninja nonsense, and last time that happened, look what it did to Timothy!” they yelled.

Maybe they were exaggerating a bit. But he didn’t want you to get inevitably wrapped up in the world of aliens and mutants, and being around their brothers was a surefire way of ending up in it.

And on a more selfish note, maybe Donnie liked having one friend that was just his. Raph had Casey, Mikey had Renet, Leo had Karai, and Donnie…well, arguably there was April, but then, she thought of him as a repulsive sewer monster.

Maybe, as selfish as it was, Donnie wanted to have just one friend who liked him more than their brothers.

Raph, Leo, and Mikey stared at him. You also stared at him.

Donnie blinked, slowly lowering his hands. He swallowed. “Um. So. Yeah.”

Mikey raised his hand, but didn’t bother waiting to be called on. “Casey didn’t end up like the Pulverizer, and he’s friends with us!”

Raph shrugged. “Well yeah, but to be fair, Casey’s also kinda like a roach. I’m pretty sure he’s impossible to kill.”

You raised your hand like Mikey had. “Um, for the record, I don’t think I’ll be falling into a vat of mutagen any time soon. It’s ah…y’know, not exactly on the agenda.”

Donnie sighed, staring at the ground. “I know, I know…but like…What if. What if something happens and I can’t save you. What then? (Y/N), you mean a lot more to me personally than Timothy- I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt because of us.” they whispered.

Leo sighed. “It’s dangerous, yeah. We can’t deny that. But Dee…you didn’t have to keep it secret either.”

Raph coughed something that sounded like ‘Karai’, and Leo shot him a glare.

“We both know that was different.” he hissed.

“Cough- hypocrite- cough-” Raph continued.

You snorted. “I mean…well Dee, they know now, y’know? I don’t really plan on dealing with your ninja stuff, but if it makes ya feel any better, I took a bunch of martial arts classes a couple years ago. Obviously I’m not a freaking ninja, which is very cool and I believe you now by the way, but like…y’know, I can fight decently.”

“Oh yeah? Wanna spar?” said Raph, grinning.

“Not at three in the morning.” you dismissed.

“Aw.”

“Maybe tomorrow though.” you coughed.

“Nice.” Raph smirked, cracking his knuckles.

“Really?” Donnie said flatly.

“Uhm if Donnie’s not cool with it then I guess we can’t.” you said bluntly, giving Don a look.

Donnie sighed. He did kinda sound like a jerk, huh? “Whatever.” he said finally, fidgeting with their staff strap. “So um. Surprise, I guess. We’ve got a new friend!” they said, trying to smile at his brothers.

You stared at him for a second longer before Leo, who had looked kinda tired and ambivalent the whole time, suddenly jolted towards you. “Oh my god is that a SPACE HEROES SHIRT?!” he exclaimed.

You grinned. “Yeah! You like Space Heroes?!”

“Are you KIDDING? I love Space Heroes!” he squealed, bouncing up and down in a very Mikey-esque way. “Donnie I take it all back, your friend is amazing.”

Donnie gave a strained smile. “...Yup.”

Mikey gave him a look this time as he stepped away from the group. “Hey brah, are you…jelly?”

…At least he had the courtesy to whisper.

“What makes you say that?” Donnie mumbled.

“Well I mean…instead of like, being happy about your friend being like, friendly and bonding with us, you’re like…mad, dude.” Mikey said, poking them in the cheek. “Lookit that scowl bro! It says things, dude.”

“Is it that obvious?” Donnie sighed, both annoyed and relieved that Mikey had noticed his frustration.

“It’s pretty obvious, yup.”

“Coolio.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Mikey said.

Now normally, a talk with Mikey meant a lotta joking and Mikey being purposely annoying. But something about the way Mikey sounded so earnest made Donnie say:

“Eh…sure. (Y/N)’s busy, anyways.”

“C’mon, I gotta get my therapist boxers on.” Mikey said.

“I’m already regretting this.” Donnie deadpanned. “Since when does ‘Dr. Prankenstein’ have a therapy license?”

“Okay, okay man- no therapist boxers, I gotcha.” Mikey nodded, dragging Donnie to the far corner of the lab, where they sat down against the wall. “So what’s scraping your shell, dude?”

“Oh jeez. Please never say that again.”

“Ya dodged the question, D-man. D-person. D-gender neutral term.”

“Well…I guess it’s just that…I don’t know. It’s kind of unfair of me, but…well, (Y/N)’s my friend. You guys have your friends, so why can’t I have one friend who’s just there for…me, y’know?” Donnie tried to explain, watching you chat animatedly with Raph and Leo. “Anyways, of course (Y/N)’s getting along with everyone. (Y/N)’s awesome…and Raph and Leo are cool and strong…and obviously I’m hypercompetent too, but they’re the A-team for a reason…so I guess it’s just…well, next to them, who would ever wanna hang out with me?”

Mikey stared at them. “Um…(Y/N), probably? I mean like…you guys’ve been friends like…waaaaay longer than (Y/N) and Raph or (Y/N) and Leo, brah. And anyways, lookit how (Y/N) keeps looking at you, dude! It’s ‘cause you’re being weird and your friend is worried ‘bout it, yanno?”

Donnie snorted. “Sure.”

“Hey (Y/N), if you become friends with us you won’t ditch Donnie here, right?” Mikey hollered.

“Mikey-”

You raised an eyebrow. “...Wait, is that why you’re being weird, Don-tron?!”

“No- I mean- Maybe, I mean- it’s stupid, really-” they rambled.

“Yeah no that’s really fucking stupid.” you said.

“Jeez Don, really?” Raph said.

“Hey-”

“Not now dude, they’re dealin’ with brain stuff and…stuff.” Mikey said wisely, ushering Raph and Leo away.

You shook your head, coming over to the corner. “I mean- dude, we’ve been besties for what, a year now? Ya really think I’d ditch you like that?” you grinned, holding out your hand to help them up.

They took it hesitantly, smiling softly. “You mean…I’m your best friend?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I’d say so.”

“Oh.” he said, squeezing your hand. “I uh…didn’t know that. You’re mine, obviously, I just didn’t think I was yours.” they murmured, suddenly overcome with a weird, sweet emotion that he wasn’t quite sure how to describe.

“I can still befriend your brothers, dude…they’re cool. I like your family. But I like you best, so you don’t needa get all insecure on me, doofus.” you smiled. “And if you're still worried about safety, then you should teach me how to make cool weapons. Because not only would that be metal as fuck, but it would also be a great excuse to hang out with you.”

Donnie laughed. “Sure!”

There was a beat of silence, and Donnie glanced at you. “But um…I’m really sorry about tonight, (Y/N). I was…well, am being kind of a jerk, huh? Eugh. Sorry.”

You shrugged. “I mean yeah, but like, you talked it through and now we both are closer for it, right? And besides- meeting your brothers was awesome. But between the two of us, my favorite part of tonight has been hanging with you, you dork.”

Donnie grinned. “Same.”

You smiled at them again, and squeezed their hand one more time. “Ready to go face the others?”

“Ohhh boy, I should probably apologize to them too, huh?” Donnie winced, pushing the garage door open.

“Eh, I mean sure. Why not-”

But it was not their brothers who were waiting outside.

“Why is there a stranger in the lair? And more importantly- WHY ARE ALL MY CHILDREN OUT OF BED?” exclaimed Splinter, emerging from the shadows.

Oh no.

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