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daflangstlairde-art · 9 months ago

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lightning in our fingertips today

Work 1 of DFL's Whumptober 2024

Summary:

Donnie and Leo get hit with a wayward body swap spell. You could say it gives Donnie a new perspective on the matters of his dear twin. When was Leo going to tell them that his Ninpō hurts him?

—

Chapter 1

It was an autistic nightmare, sure. While yes, Donnie felt like a god in physical form on good days, on bad days, he barely dealt with his own body. Especially after the Invasion. He shuddered.

And now–

“Duudeee, you seriously have to take this thing off more!” his own voice teased in Leo’s cadence, and the softshell turtle body let out an exaggerated sigh as he put down Donnie’s battle shell.

Donnie stared at him, as he moved over to take his battle shell. Dang it, it shouldn’t just be put down in the living room, he has a specific place for it.

“Man, this is still totally boggling Raph’s mind,” Raph commented. He hadn’t stopped looking between them and addressing them incorrectly the whole way back from the mission to their Lair.

“Eh, I’m sure it’s got an easy fix or something,” Leo shrugged with Donnie’s shoulders, unconcerned.

Donnie stared at him, holding the battle shell close. Fingers flexing with a phantom memory.

“Oooohh, maybe I can magic you up!” Mikey wriggled his fingers in their general direction.

“No way Mikes, let’s leave this up to Draxum, huh?” Leo countered.

“Yeah Mikey, your hands are still recovering,” Raph reminded, and Mikey let out a dejected-slash-annoyed grunt.

Oh, perfect opportunity, Donnie cleared his throat.

“Right, Mikey’s hands,” he started smoothly, and eugh it was weird to hear Leo’s voice from his own mouth– “speaking of, uh, Leo, can we–”

“Oh, truuee!” Leo grins with Donnie’s face, and starts doing carpal tunnel stretches in the middle of their living room. “Now I can finally prevent you from ruining your own!”

Donnie huffed at yet another change of topic. Was Leo seriously unaware? Or was he doing this on purpose?

Donnie tried to bring this up several times ever since the Hidden City mission that caused this whole Freaky Friday situation (on a Tuesday, no less).

Some overly-confident-but-otherwise-clearly-inexperienced wizard with a staff violently going wild. It wasn't even the mage herself that was the culprit; the staff seemed to be firing off on its own. Not really important. They just grabbed the staff from her.

But not before Leo jumped to block a wayward spell, causing him and Donnie to get the ol’ switcheroo in the middle of the whole thing. And sure, at first, it was jarring! Then, at second, it was kind of fun, actually. Leo laughed and rolled with it, and amidst the action and all, it gave Donnie the thrill to also roll with it. They are twins after all, much as he denies it for The Drama.

And then... at third...

Donnie stared at the sight of Leo, in his body, retreating to med bay to inspect for injuries.

When they got switched, Donnie had been in the middle of a swing with his bō, a Ninpō construct of a hammer at the end.

When they got switched, Leo continued the arc of the swing, smoothly. This gave Donnie, ever the curious scientist ready to experiment within new circumstances, an idea.

And he swung Leo’s sword.

And that is when he felt it.

Mikey’s hands, hah. Ironic. Donnie flexed his fingers again, shuffling the battle shell to one arm. He looked at his free hand—Leo’s hand. Like there would be any indicatory, enlightening wounds, which of course, there were not. He rubbed the fingertips together, remembering the feeling. It's like it lingered still.

When was Leo going to tell them that his Ninpō hurts him?

—

Well! One positive of this body switch thing: Donnie could be sure Leo would check them both over for injuries, and do it well. Since one was Donnie’s body and the other was, currently, Donnie’s perception.

As Leo was doing now, in med bay. Standing in front of Donnie, in Donnie’s body. Donnie sat on the gurney, going along with the examination. Leo clicked off the light, and Donnie blinked to clear his vision.

“No concussion,” Leo commented, and oh, that’s good. His shell—an actual, hard-scute carapace—and his right shoulder were a bit achy, but if Leo found nothing wrong, it was probably regular fight aftermath and would all be gone by tomorrow.

Donnie had never before questioned whether Leo treated himself medically as well as he did with them. But, well.

Donnie looked back down at his hands—Leo’s hands—rubbing the fingertips together, frowning.

“Alright, you’re good to go,” Leo said, in Donnie’s voice but in his own manner, very odd. The words lilted all the wrong directions, down instead of up. They even spoke with slightly different registers. He patted Donnie on the shell, getting up.

Donnie had never questioned Leo’s care of himself before, but this situation made a lot of new queries pop up.

Did Leo’s mystic powers hurt him? Or was this a consequence of Donnie being in his body? Or, if it was a regular thing for Leo—since when? Since always? Since they unlocked their Ninpō? Or was it some sort of recent development?

And, more upsettingly, if it was a regular thing... why did Leo never say anything? How did they never notice? Donnie wracked his memory, but not a single peep about it arose. No complaining, no jokes, no flinch or wince, no stutter when summoning up a portal (except back when his portals were at their most... faulty), nothing. Not a single thing.

Perhaps– perhaps Donnie really was just making far-fetched assumptions. Classic Donnie overthink! It was most likely just a side effect of the body swap—their Ninpō was a reflection of themselves, it was unfitting and unnatural to use someone else’s, surely. He wasn’t even sure why he’d considered the option!

(“Casey, when I get to the other side, you close that door–”

Staring upwards, shellshocked.

Color and light and debris hurling as a portal snaps shut.)

Donnie’s breaths were shallow and perfectly measured, and he–

“Dee?” his own voice questioned, and Donnie blinked, clearing his throat and pushing himself to his feet. He was faced with his own questioning eyebrow arch. Man, that really did look great. What an occasion, to truly witness oneself from an external point of view. Fascinating!

“I’m good, I’m good, no concussion,” he affirmed.

“You’re spacey,” Leo pointed out, arranging his stuff in med bay. Which was hilarious, considering he left a mess literally everywhere else. But med bay? Always stocked up and organized.

...Well. Hm. Thinking about it... Leo’s room was... cleaner recently, too. Or perhaps that wasn’t the most precise of descriptors. More... neater. Far less clutter.

Far less trinkets and colorful posters. Odd.

Anyway. Wow, Donnie’s face was expertly skeptical.

Donnie rolled his eyes. Leo’s eyes. The eyes that were currently under his temporary ownership, responsibility and control.

“Yeah, I was... thinking,” he said casually.

“Uh, yeah, when aren’t you?” Leo joked, his lighthearted grin cracking over Donnie’s face.

Donnie generously ignored that, because he had questions to dig out answers for.

“Hey, you kinda used my Ninpō during that fight, right?” he started.

“Sort of, I guess,” Leo shrugged, closing the cabinet and leaning on it relaxed to face Donnie.

“Did it hurt?”

“No.”

And then.

“Yeah, a little, now that I think about it,” Leo tapped his chin, casual, easy. No tells whatsoever. Donnie scrutinized him. Absolutely zero deviation from his regular mannerisms. Heck, he somehow made them sit comfortably even in Donnie’s body.

But.

But Donnie had caught that. The immediate denial. He narrowed his eyes at his twin.

There were two options:

Leo had not felt the pain, and it was specific to Donnie using Leo’s mystic ability;

Or Leo had felt the pain, and his immediate reflex was to lie about it.

Donnie had absolutely no clue which one was the truth. At his sides, he rubbed his fingers together, reflecting.

It was sharp. Like a shock. But a... shock from a very tiny blade. But if a small blade could cover the entire surface of his hands. His fingertips and palms, gripping the katana’s hilt.

“Did you?” Leo asked, approaching and reaching a hand to take Donnie’s current ones, probably to check them over.

Ack. Welp, can’t really get out of this one.

“Yes, a little,” Donnie said, offering his—Leo’s—hands for inspection. Oh, wait, this was a perfect opportunity! Leo was actually engaging the conversation instead of deflecting! “Does it usually–”

“‘Course not, imagine that,” Leo laughed, gently rubbing and prodding his fingers and palms. No pain.

“...Huh, I... guess it must be from the switch,”

“Oohh yeeaahh yeah yeah yeah!” Leo nodded, “Totally, you’re so right,”

...Very weird to hear that from Donnie’s mouth, but, okay.

—

All things considered, dinner was pretty normal. Sure, Donnie’s body felt... weird, and their brothers kept getting them confused, prompting a quick mask switch. Donnie also took his goggles and arm brace.

Seeing Leo’s blue bandana on his own face, and with no additional eyebrows, was incredibly... well. Donnie never quite understood the feeling of “uncanny valley”, but he was now getting a Bachelor's. Maybe he'd experienced something similar when seeing humans for the first time? But he’d been so young, it had been easy for his mind to adapt and roll with it. They're mutants and they engage with all manner of other sapient and non-sapient and of-questionable-sapience beings—he doesn't pick up on facial expressions on all of them equally.

Not the point.

Point is, he was watching his body, with Leo’s cut mask and Leo’s mannerisms, across the table. But Leo appeared... unbothered, really. Behavior: standard. Which seemed to be putting everyone else at ease.

Donnie wondered how he looked from the outside. He tried to imagine Leo’s body with his own posture and expressions, and it just felt... uncomfortable. They're twins, so a lot of their attitude often overlaps—to the point where their brothers call it creepy sometimes. But when it differs? It differs. Kind of like when Donnie messed with their brains and accidentally overdosed them with his personal brand of Neurodivergence™, but... in reverse. Mmmmkind of.

But! Right now, they were just eating pizza, with Mikey showing them videos of a new Youtube channel he got into. Uhh something about scrapbooking or journaling?? And Donnie actually felt quite hungry, so he was just... eating.

Everyone was just... sort of alright with the current situation. It's just a thing that is. Draxum will fix it. And if he doesn't, they'd find a way. Compared to the world ending due to an alien invasion, this seemed banal.

“Hey hey hey, dudes, watch this,” Leo caught their attention, waving his hands and getting up. Then, with Donnie’s voice and way too accurately in Donnie’s style, he leaned back and crossed his arms, saying “Eugh, this pizza has cheese? That is way too much flavor for moi’s precious taste!”

Oh so that's how it was going to be, huh?

“That's not how you use moi,” Donnie said dryly.

“That's not how you use moi,” Leo parroted, in Donnie’s voice, just as dry. With just a toooouchh of mockery in it, and their dual-trademark smirk. Raph and Mikey, the traitors, giggled and cackled.

Donnie leaned back, a hand to his plastron—Leo’s plastron—for The Drama™.

“Well I, your lea-dur, say it isn't flavorful enough!” he stated with a swooping tone. “Put some kiwi on there! Throw in a couple marshmallows too, for good measure!” he declared, making their other two brothers laugh.

“I prefer mine with radiation,” Leo said primly, sticking Donnie’s snout up, making Mikey chortle.

“Careful, it may mutate you,” Donnie warned kindly, trying to mimic Leo’s way of speech from memory, “And then you might actually gain a second brain cell,”

It... hm. Yes, they teased each other, yes, it was banter. Raph and Mikey wooped, they started placing bets, and Donnie and Leo did increasingly stupider impressions of each other, and it was fun.

But it didn’t... feel right. Now that Donnie was seeing everything through a new perspective—quite literally—Leo was acting... odd. Unusual, as in, outside of what Donnie grew used to being Leo. He was only noticing it now, when Leo’s face and his voice couldn’t deceive him that it’s still Leo, of course he’s acting like himself.

Leo didn’t escalate it. Not really. He didn’t go for the throat. He didn’t go Full Silly. His entire demeanor felt... dampened, which was really, really weird for their Always Full-Max Silly brother.

...Oooorrr Donnie was just being weirded out by watching his own face and body move externally and out of his control.

—

Donnie felt nausea upon going to bed, but that's alright. Stomach upset sounded like a reasonable side effect of being body swapped. The pizza sat heavy.

His shoulder and shell were still cramping, too, even after he'd done some stretches. Eh. Not like he isn't used to some cramping or whatevs.

It just... felt like he couldn't get comfortable in his bed. Maybe it was the hard carapace, he'd theorize, but it's not like he hasn't slept in his battle shell before which, sure, wasn't exactly snuggly, but he'd still been able to sleep.

He tossed. He turned. His eyes—Leo’s eyes—felt a little buzzy, like the melodic hum of electricity all around, so it's not like he wasn't sleepy. And it felt like there was a... some sort of weight on his chest. He couldn't decide whether his blankets were too warm or not warm enough.

Donnie sighed, rubbing his face. Leo’s face. Weiiirddd.

He turned on his side yet again, to check the time on his epic purple analog clock.

00:23 p.m.

Not even that late. And yet it felt like the night was stretching endless. A liminal space. He turned to lay on his plastron. Leo’s plastron. The weight there persisted. Hm. Hopefully Leo wasn't having lung issues. Just in case, Donnie inhaled. Long and deep, feeling the air pass through his nostrils. Until he felt his lungs stretch and strain.

Nope. That felt like a pleasantly deep inhale. No whistling, no obstruction, nothing.

Strange thing: Donnie’s room smelled like... him. It smelled like Donnie. Which... shouldn't be surprising. But usually you can't smell your own scent, due to being exposed to it constantly, and therefore being entirely desensitized.

Donnie couldn't smell Leo’s, right now. Yet he could smell what he could only, logically, deduce was his own scent. Or at least that of his room.

Metals and plastics and other materials. Soldering. Ever so slightly—pen and marker ink. The bed sheets. Something specific he could not quite describe.

It... wasn't a bad smell, he was pleasantly surprised to note. He could see how this smell could be comforting, even. Familiar and homey and secure. He pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself, curling into himself. Yawned. Buried his face—Leo’s face—into his pillow.

...

Simultaneously, the weight in his chest both loosened, just a little, and ached more. His shoulders—Leo’s shoulders—felt too wide, his thighs too thin, his back... weird. He curled his toes.

Donnie wondered if... there was something he needed. Something the body needed, that he just couldn't analyze and figure out. Water? Food?

...No, no it didn't feel like any of those, even though he was not an expert on the matter. He’d practically just eaten, too. Maybe it was the ache in his shoulder and his shell that was off-putting?

...You know what! There could be a simple, obvious solution to this. Donnie grabbed his phone.

The smarter twin™: I can't sleep and I feel weird

The smarter twin™: Is there something I'm missing for your body

It was immediately seen.

Yapper boy™: lol

Yapper boy™: cmere

The smarter twin™: ???

Yapper boy™: youkl see

The smarter twin™: SIGH

Donnie sighed, for realz, rubbing his eyes. He hated it when–

...Hm. Well, actually. Thinking about it.

Leo hasn't really done the very annoying “not telling them the plan” that he used to do. Not since the Invasion. Only really for silly stuff.

Huh.

You could say this situation was giving Donnie a new perspective, zing. He was really seeing the world through different eyes, ha!

He grinned a little, wrapping the blanket around himself. Time to go tell these to Leo and then gloat how he had been the one to think of them first, because he is hilarious.

Leo immediately opened his arms upon Donnie’s arrival, smirking, and huh.

Huh.

The press of another’s body helped tremendously with that... weight. With the odd sensation of misplacement. Like everything slotted into place as easily as slotting into an embrace. Literally.

This wasn't much like Donnie. Sure, it's not that he hated physical contact—was quite the fan of it, really, unless he was actively upset. Or if it was from somebody who wasn't his loved ones. He wondered what brought on this new craving. Leo’s body?

...Strange.

Leo never came to them to snuggle.

Even though he was a huge cuddle-bug before. But not anymore, evidently.

Donnie, ever-so-discreetly, frowned at that.

...When did that happen?

—

When he woke up, the light pain in his right shoulder and that one crick at his shell—Leo’s shell—remained.

Donnie grunted, rolling sort of on his side, sort of on his back, digging his heels into the mattress and rolling his shoulders. Pushed himself up, smacking his lips, blinking. Rubbed his eyes. Yawned.

Eugh, his breath was rancid.

“Do you ever brush your teeth,” he muttered, jarred to hear his voice sounding so different. Right, right. Body swap.

He was a little surprised to hear an off-tone chuckle, and he properly cracked his eyes open. Oh huh, Leo—in his body—was, in fact, still here. He looked to have been awake for a bit. He was scrolling on his phone, but clicked it off and put it to the side now.

“It's a waste of time, I've got so much leadering to do,” Leo joked, also pushing himself up and stretching.

Donnie rolled his shoulder, trying to rub it a little to see if that’d relieve the persistent ache. It didn't. He yawned again.

Leo got up, snatching a hoodie to put on.

“My battle shell is–”

“I know, D,” Leo cut him off. “I’ll go get it in a mo. Your shell just feels weird bare,” he shuddered theatrically. “Like a lizard,”

“Yeah, well, yours feels like a badly fitting box,” Donnie fired back. “Box boy,”

Leo gasped. “My curves! You wound me,” he dramaticized himself out the room, and Donnie chuckled.

That just left him. Still sitting in Leo’s bed, in Leo’s body.

He should get up. Right.

It just. Felt... like... mmm. Not fun?

He... doesn't usually have this pause before getting up. Usually he's itching to get out of bed and get back to whatever ongoing project he has.

He stared at Leo’s room, still sitting there on Leo’s bed.

...Dang. Leo’s room... was cleaner. Hm, well, again, maybe not cleaner.

...

Emptier. Where did his many posters go...? Now there were only two left. One of Lou Jitsu, and one of Jupiter Jim.

...Welp, Donnie wasn't going to judge his brother’s turn to the light (tidiness)!

Now he just had to get up.

...Except... there was a new weight. Was it Leo’s shell? Was he not used to the weight of a natural, irremovable carapace? Weird.

That didn't ring very plausible, because the weight wasn't at his back. It was... it was...

Chest. Legs. Everywhere. Making it difficult to break the position he hunched over in the longer he remained in it, a vicious cycle.

He just had to get up! Go and brush his teeth so his mouth didn't taste foul. Get water to drink. Coffee, perhaps breakfast, even though he did not feel that hungry. Maybe. He wasn't sure. There was just a prodding in his stomach.

Ugh.

Thinking about it all made the weight worse. It felt like standing on that rooftop, looking up at the Technodrome. Raph lost. No plan, no direction, no hope. Nothing. And now, no Leo to turn around with a crazy idea that nonetheless inspired some desperate hope within.

Just weight. Just... dread. Anticipatory exhaustion at the awaiting cardio.

Why was he feeling like this?

In the end, Mikey called him for breakfast and that aided in kicking his buttocks out of bed.

—

Donnie didn’t feel much like eating this morning, so, he wasn’t eating much. It wasn’t unusual for him. Mikey knew not to be hurt by it. Donnie was focusing on some fruit.

Leo was eating normal as ever. He was smiley and fresh as ever. Which were strange observations. Not things you’d pay mind to. But Donnie was. He wasn’t sure why, but he was paying a little more attention to Leon after their switcheroo.

Leo was hurt after the Invasion, but he’d bounced right back up. In fact, he’d bounced back up faster than any of them. In fact, he’d bettered himself.

Case in point,

“So when’s Draxum coming by with his magic whatever-there?” Leo said, in Donnie’s voice, slurping on a smoothie.

Readily asking for Draxum’s presence. Donnie would bet it was for his sake, not due to Leo having a sudden change of heart about the man.

“A little later!” Mikey answered. “Why, is something bothering you??”

“Nah, not really,” Leo shrugged. “I just want to go back to feeling happiness looking at the mirror,” he teased, and Donnie rolled his eyes. “Plus I’m sure D can’t be enthused about this,”

“Meh,” Donnie shrugged. “Honestly? It is not as abhorrent as you’d imagine,”

Leo looked at him, just for a second. Over too quickly for Donnie to pay proper attention to it and to then analyze it.

“Wanna know whose body would be super cool to warp into?” Leo brought up.

“Oh! Oh!” Mikey waved his hand up like he’s in a school classroom, grinning, “Lou Jitsu?”

“Lou Jitsu, babeeyyy!”

It was half an hour later that Donnie realized just how smoothly Leo had diverted the conversation.

(And only later would it occur to him it might’ve been intentional.)

That half an hour later just so happened to include Donnie’s alarm blaring.

“Oohh, a crime,” he stated, checking the info to rattle off the relevant code.

“Alright team, let's roll!” Leo exclaimed easily, his energy immediately bouncing off the rest of the team, everyone going off to grab their weapons.

...Wait.

Their... weapons, oh, boy, uh, well Donnie had leagues more experience with a bō, buuut they never tested if they can access their own Ninpō like this, ah, dang–

That question was quickly answered by Leo skidding to his lab.

“Dude, you would not believe this–”

“You can't access your Ninpō? Yes, me neither,” Donnie agreed, already holding his bō out for Leo to take. “You know how to use it?”

“...Well if I don't, I'm about to learn real quick,” Leo was grinning with his face, “Portal us in, leader in purple!” he tossed his katanas to Donnie, and Donnie scrambled to catch them by the hilts and not roughly in the middle i.e. where he would catch a bō staff.

Hoo boy was this about to be an experience.

At least like this Donnie needn’t relay the location information to his portal-able brother, because now he was the portal-able brother.

Now all he had to do was make a portal. A proper one, with concentration.

And with that same shock-burn to his hands.

Hhhngh. Well! At least getting lightly (or medium-level) electrocuted wasn't a new experience for him! Honestly, Donnie wasn't sure why it was so hhhngh to him. It should be familiar as anything.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Classic. But judging by his scanners, they had to get to the scene now.

So as Mikey and Raph joined in on their huddle, Donnie sucked in a breath and slashed the swords through the air in one of the ways he's seen Leo do.

“No, you gotta put more juice into it,” Leo commented oh so helpfully upon the nothing that took place.

“Ah, thank you, such constructive critique,” Donnie deadpanned, hands gripping the hilts. Ugh. He'd already struggled with one set of mystic powers, now he had to figure out another?!

...Hmm, y'know, that might be a good idea. Donnie thought back to his own arduous mystic journey.

He never quite managed to get the hang of “just do it”. It didn't come naturally to him, not in the same way it appeared to with his brothers.

But Donnie focused on the same feeling that helped get his Ninpō thrumming. Acknowledging the facts: that this was something he could do for his family, to help them, to boost them, and he liked helping and boosting them. Even now it pushed this not-unpleasant tightness at his chest that made him want to shake his hands and chuckle a bit.

In the same rhythm, a glow crawled up the blades.

“Oh, uh, also you gotta think about exactly where you wanna go,” Leo mentioned, and now that was actually useful guidance. “And where you are and the distance between the two. And, y'know, the size of the hole you're shredding. Ooh, and also the angle and where it's facing, and–”

“Jeez, do you seriously think about all that when making portals?” Mikey was staring at their– well, their current soft-shelled brother, which, huh. Good point. Now they were all looking at Leo, who shrugged, nonchalant as ever.

“Donnie, portal,” Leo snapped his fingers, and right! Right, crime!

(Another diversion Donnie only caught later, when he thought back to it.)

“Right!” he slashed the blades through the air, and then once more with the crackle of mystic energy and–

Donnie yelped as the electricity-like pain bit down on his hands, immediately dropping the swords to the ground. Gah! It was worse the second time around!

Leo snorted and clapped his back, hopping into the portal that hung before them. And he did need to hop, it wasn't particularly large, oh boy, Donnie sure hoped Raph would be able to fit through.

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giarossin · 10 months ago

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#arcane #jayce talis #jayce arcane #jayvik #disaster cringefail bisexual men are my favorite fictional men

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bookshelf-in-progress · 2 months ago

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Through Time

In response to a prompt from @twinklingwatermellon: two friends see each other again for the first time in years and feel a sudden spark that wasn’t there before.

Though this stretch of shore in this point in history was as quiet as one could get, plenty of people got stranded here, tossed about by the currents of time. When the buoy alarm went off, Meg went out expecting to find another stranger. She didn’t expect to see a friend.

Calvin had been seventeen when she’d seen him last—a skinny, lanky, sandy-haired kid. Time had filled him out. His skin was darkened by the sun. He was bleeding from the shoulder. But his smile when he saw Meg was bright.

“Meg!” he cried, throwing his good arm around her shoulders and pulling her into an embrace. “How long has it been?”

It was a hard question to answer. In one sense, it had been nearly two-thousand years since they’d left 1994 Los Angeles—this monitoring outpost was situated in one of the most isolated and peaceful moments in Earth’s future. In another sense, it had been nearly half a lifetime, though it was hard to keep track when you didn’t stay in one time period.

“I’d say it’s been about twelve years since LA,” she said.

He pulled away, his brow furrowed. “That long?” he asked.

“Time flies,” Meg said with a shrug.

“Time flows,” he corrected, echoing the agent who’d educated them about the world of time travel. His eyes sparkled at the memory, and his smile made Meg’s heart skip a beat.

Time had been very kind to him.

She shook away the thought. They’d been friends, nothing more. They’d fallen onto different paths—Calvin traveling the currents of time, helping out across history, Meg staying in one place for months at a time, helping stranded travelers and fostering lost children.

So she turned the talk back to business. “We should take care of that shoulder.”

She brought him into her cottage, settled him onto a kitchen chair, and helped him to clean and bandage the shoulder.

He told her a bit about his current misadventure—he’d intended to wind up half a continent and half a millennium away, until a ripple in the Flow had sent him careening off-course.

As he wrapped up the story, he said, “Of course, I’m always glad to see you.”

The way he said it made it feel like no time had passed at all. And the way he squeezed her hand, the look in his eye—there was something almost intimate about it. Like he knew her, not just as the kid she’d been, but as the woman she was.

She escaped to the bathroom to gather her thoughts. She’d been alone for too long. She was reading way too much into a few gestures. They hadn’t seen each other in years; they’d both been through so much they might as well be strangers. There hadn’t been time to build any sort of relationship—and there wouldn’t be. He’d be on his way in a few hours and she’d go back to her ordinary (as far as this existence could be considered ordinary) life.

She returned to the kitchen to find Calvin pulling forks and spoons out of her silverware drawer, with a water glass already half-full on the table.

Nothing like making yourself at home.

She swallowed back sharp words—her job was hospitality—and opened the food preservation cupboard. “If you’re hungry, I’ve got gran-apples, some protein meals, half a loaf of seaweed bread—”

“The bread’s fine.”

She pulled out the loaf and placed it on the counter. “I’ll need to cut it.”

Without looking, Calvin reached to his left, opened a drawer, pulled out a bread knife and handed it to Meg.

Meg stood frozen.

Calvin hadn’t hesitated. He hadn’t fumbled. Yes, he’d been rummaging through the drawers, but Meg had only been gone for a minute.

Meg had lived here for months and she still had to think about where she stored things. He knew.

It was a cliché in the time travel world—the guy who claimed to know your future self. Something that girls laughed about, and never believed. But Calvin hadn’t made any claims. He’d just shown up out of the blue, looking at her like she was someone special. Knowing his way around her kitchen.

With equal confidence, Calvin opened a cupboard to his right, pulled out a jar of saltberry spread, and placed it next to the loaf of bread.

Meg’s favorite—a food that hadn’t existed when they’d been kids together in the 1990s.

I’m always glad to see you.

Somehow, she managed to slice the bread without cutting herself. She applied the spread and served him his meal.

Calvin tried to act casual, even distant, but now that Meg had seen the truth, she could see a hundred other signs. He made jokes about things in the house she’d never told him about. He pulled out Meg’s favorite chair for her. He spoke in rhythms that matched her conversation and sense of humor. He was comfortable here—comfortable with her.

She couldn’t bring herself to speak her suspicions out loud—could barely say anything. But finally, he was fed and rested and started making motions toward the door.

And she found she couldn’t let him leave without knowing.

“Calvin?” she asked, her voice thin and strangled. “Have you been here before?”

He blushed. “Not before, chronologically. But, yes, I’ve been here.”

“You know me in the future.”

“Yes,” he admitted. “You still live here. We’re still good friends.”

“Are we…” The words rolled out before she could stop herself. “Are we...more?”

He met her eyes then, and there was so much depth to that look that it almost answered her question. “Do you think there could be?”

The man before her was so like—and so unlike—the boy that she’d known. That combination of familiar and strange was both comfortable and fascinatingly new.

“Yes,” she said.

He smiled. “Then let’s see what happens.”

She squeezed his hand. “I can’t wait.”

#the bookshelf progresses #time travel #here's the response to the flash fiction prompt #apparently my response to any prompt is 'but how can i make it time travel?'#this is set in my very complicated time travel verse where disasters across history can send people outside of the normal flow of time #i don't know if this works out of context but it's all i can do right now

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thedoomedhometown · 2 months ago

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Reminder to vote in the poll! 3 days left and we have a solid tie between

Xenogears Disc 2 (a Gray Goo nanomachine consumption/replication disaster combined with a genetic mutation/zombie apocalypse with the Wels transformations)

Chrono Trigger BC 65000 with Lavos impacting as an asteroid + 1999 AD if the future did not change with a Supervolcano/Verneshot disaster)

The runners up also at 7.1 percent each are

Star Ocean: The Second Story R's Kurik (An earthquake and generated tsunami disaster)

The Sims (Fire)

#fictional disasters #fictional disaster analysis #star ocean: the second story r #xenogears #the sims #chrono trigger #open poll #nano machine #gray goo #zombie apocalypse #supervolcano #verneshot #earthquake #tsunami #fire

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sara-the-wizard · 2 months ago

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Two Hearts Beat as One

(t.w blood, injuries)

Give these two all the therapy puppies!

Last

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tdillustrates · 1 year ago

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GTROTM chapter two releases tomorrow!!! check it out, it's grieve to run of the mill by TDcreates on Ao3 :)

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lady-harrowhark · 1 month ago

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*twirls hair* how big is your book collection

Pretty big

#lol this was taken in january of 2023 so over two years old now #around the time i took this photo a friend actually asked me to count and i came up with just under 800 fiction books at that point #i've thinned out some of these but replaced them with others... and then some #i also have about three of these same bookcases full of books at my parents' house whoops #there's also two shorter bookcases that are out of view of the photo #but those are for my textbooks/nonfiction/professional resources etc so they aren't as exciting #but also the book collection has outgrown the shelving availability again #(don't even worry about the piles of books on my nightstand and in the living room)#i need to get an updated pic since it's my favorite room in my house #this doesn't even show my full current collection of tlt special editions/art/merch #unfortunately the office is a bit of a disaster zone right now #it's sort of become a box/storage room and holding area for stuff i'm decluttering/reselling #so a lot of the shelves are stacked rather haphazardly two rows deep #i think i might be able to just barely fit one more bookcase along that one wall so that'll help whenever i get around to it #(they're just the cheapest particle board bookcases that target/walmart/wherever carries)#but at least i have this very satisfying photo to remember the golden days by #(and in case you were wondering - they're shelved alphabetically by author's last name and then chronologically by series per author)#ask #maliceious

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katheyn · 4 months ago

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Since I share my birthdate with Sanji, can I take this as my horoscope from Robin??

Any other walking disasters born on March 2nd? We should make a support group.

#one piece #my birthday #black leg sanji #sanji #march 2nd #march babies #fictional birthday twin #nico robin #god usopp #walking disaster #queer mess

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other-fan-fiction · 2 years ago

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Dragonfly it is... PT1

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #other fan fiction #save rottmnt #rise donnie #rise leo #leonardo rottmnt #rise shelldon #donatello #donnie #rottmnt shelldon #disaster twins #pun wars #unpause rottmnt #silly doodles #leon neon #rottmnt leo

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daflangstlairde-art · 9 months ago

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lightning in our fingertips today

Work 1 of DFL's Whumptober 2024

Summary:

Donnie and Leo get hit with a wayward body swap spell. You could say it gives Donnie a new perspective on the matters of his dear twin. When was Leo going to tell them that his Ninpō hurts him?

—

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Draxum rubbed the bridge of his snout, sighing, already tired of their crap.

“And you're sure you don't know anything else about the spell that you are being affected by, the caster, or their method of casting?” he repeated.

“Nope,” Leo repeated, popping the p sound.

“So then how do you expect me to, and I quote, fix this?” Draxum raised his eyebrows.

Donnie shrugged. “You're the mystic guy, right? Isn't that kind of your job?”

“I–” Draxum sighed again, dragging a hand down his face. Donnie couldn't help but feel greatly amused by it. Judging by Leo’s expression, the sentiment was doubled. “Can you at least discern whether the spell affects only your bodies or your minds as well?”

...Donnie and Leo shared a look.

“...Uh, what?” Leo asked the question for them both, thankfully, looking at Draxum.

Draxum sighed yet again. He should check his lungs.

“Swapping spells and curses can function in a variety of ways,” he began explaining. “They can only switch your bodies—the way you experience being in that body remains the same as you’d experience the world in your own body. Or they can, ah... let’s put it like this—they can swap out your self but put you in the experience of the other person,”

“Ah, they can swap our essence through mystic-magic-whatever but they don't swap our brains,” Donnie echoed, “Ergo all those neural pathways and malfunctions and whatnot remain the same,”

“Hey! Don't call it malfunctions,” Mikey chastised. Him and Raph were mostly here for the Exposition™.

“I... suppose you can put it that way,” Draxum blinked. “Though don't take it so... literally. As I've mentioned before, spells, curses, any sort of mystic–”

“–involvement can be highly metaphorical and swayed by our mere perception of things, yes, I remember,” Donnie said like he was in pain. Eugh. These are some of the parts of magic that he wasn't strongly affectionate towards. He didn't like their loosey goosey rules.

“Well?”

Oh right, Draxum had asked them a question.

“I mean, I dunno,” Leo scratched his head, “I guess I kinda think more... uh... like Donnie? Sometimes?”

Donnie frowned. “...Huh, that would explain your sudden willingness to view your own mystic powers through a more scientific lens,” he realized.

Leo cleared his throat, “Right, yeah, that's what I was talking about,”

Donnie sent him a look, but didn't have time to question it.

“And you?” Draxum turned the question to him.

Hmmm.

Had he noticed any odd behaviors in himself? Anything that wasn't very like himself?

...Hard to say.

Him and Leo overlapped in many a manner, and where they didn't, they differed greatly.

...Donnie remembered the craving, the need for a second person’s presence from last night. Which also made him realize his inability to sleep wasn't born from obsession over a project, which was the reason why he usually couldn't sleep; he kind of just... wasn't able to, which... did sound more like Leo. They were aware of his insomniac struggles.

Huh. Donnie hadn't thought about it. This line of thought was making him view the last two days in yet another new way, comparing his behavior to Leo.

It wasn't much like Leo to freeze up in the middle of a fight—that one was admittedly more of a Donnie thing. However, it was supposed to be a thing of the past—a thing that happened when he was overly reliant on his tech, when it would suddenly be unavailable to him for whatever reason. Ever since he got on the same page with his Ninpō, obstacles like a piece of fried equipment or drained battery weren't so monumental.

...He suppose it was logical he’d return to that state of mind due to the sudden inability to use his trusty mystic powers. Which sounded a bit too uncomfortably familiar.

The meltdown it induced was more Donnie’s thing as well.

...Except... except...

...The way his thoughts sounded.

They... they didn't sound like Donnie. Whereas so far his mental voice still sounded the way it always did.

No no, they sounded... like Leo.

The realization made liquid nitrogen pool in his stomach.

He– he would have to reflect more on it later, because the others expected an answer from him. Donnie cleared his throat.

“Uh, yes,” he said, coughing awkwardly. “Yes, I have also noticed... the same. As what Leo answered,” smooth.

“...Ssssoooo,” Leo, thankfully, turned the conversation back to Draxum. “Can you do something about it?”

“Yes,” which made Leo grin, “I will do research,” Draxum stated, and Leo’s expression turned to a groan.

“Duuuudeee!”

Personally? Donnie wasn't all that mad about the fake-out.

Quite frankly, he had some research of his own to do.

“...Pluuss it would be too risky to initiate any spells involving your bodies and minds currently, considering one of you is concussed.” Draxum deadpanned.

Raph reached over and flicked the side of Leo’s head, making him loudly complain. Donnie snorted and Mikey giggled.

—

Night come, Donnie had two options.

A. Try to sleep on his own. Observe the effects it had on him.

B. Immediately head to somebody else’s room to spend the night with them.

He was a scientist, so of course he went with option A.

This yielded the expected results, though still, Donnie was unable to figure out the exact cause of his sleeplessness. Due to his usual modus operandi, he just wasn’t that used to pointedly analyzing his feelings, much less differentiating them from someone else’s. It was a bit frustrating, which did not aid the sleep matter!

Sooo here he was, once again rooming with Leo for the night. He’d kicked Leon to the outer side of the bed this time, so Donnie could lay on his left side, because his right shoulder was still hurting for no particular reason. And his shell, Leo’s shell, was aching. And once again, he felt nauseated after dinner, and he was starting to feel like that really wasn't just because of his personal sensitivities.

It was dark in the room, though not completely. There was a night lamp on. And the light of Leo’s phone. He wasn't sleeping either, just scrolling aimlessly. Donnie didn't pay much mind to it. He was here for research.

Aaand also to sleep, but, you know. Research.

...Though with Leo here, he was admittedly growing sleepy. It was just the two of them. Leo’s room didn't smell like much, but it still smelled like home. Donnie was laying on his side just passively observing the side of his twin’s face. His own face, that is, maskless in the night.

Just the two of them and their slow breathing. The subtle sounds of tapping whenever Leo would scroll down. He didn't even have the volume turned up. Some video popped up on his feed, and Donnie watched Leo watch it soundlessly for barely three seconds, with no indication of interest, before he scrolled to the next post.

Donnie idly played with the edge of the blanket over him (of course they had two separate ones because otherwise it will be WAR at DAWN). It was... a nice texture. He wondered if it would be a nice texture were he back in his body. He wondered if it felt nice only because he was sensing it through Leo’s.

He wondered how much this whole body swap thing was really affecting him. Draxum’s words made him realize there was a lot he hadn't noticed, likely because, well. He was operating like Leo now, and Leo acting like Leo wouldn't be odd to Leo’s perception. However, Donnie’s perception also still remained, and it was odd to him. But was it odd when compared to his normal or to Leo’s normal?

Gah. It was all so... so...! He wished this stupid spell had clearer lines!

But, alas, dramatic sigh. It does not, which meant Donnie had to map out the lines himself.

Was Leo not sleeping right now because of his usual insomnia? Or did he feel preoccupied with the desire to Do Something, which is what usually kept Donnie up?

...Was there a distance?

...It occured to Donnie that he wasn't entirely sure how Leo perceived his own Slumber Struggles. Donnie– hm. This situation was making him realize a lot of things like that, and it hasn't even been that long. He wondered just how much they didn't really know about Leo. How much they didn't think to learn, because it just... it just... it was just never brought to focus. Donnie wondered if that was just him, if Raph and Mikey did know. He wondered whether it was intentional.

Leo wasn't commenting on his staring. Donnie appreciated it.

“...You know you're supposed to rest with a concussion, right?” Donnie muttered.He frowned. “And– aren't screens also bad?”

Leo’s thumb (or, well, Donnie’s thumb, technically) paused. Donnie wasn't sure whether it was due to the comment or just because he was reading a post online.

“Yep, I know,” Leo said simply. Resumed scrolling.

“Theennn... why aren't you still up?”

Quiet.

The distant sounds of papá’s running shows. Some electrical hum. Soft breathing.

At last, Leo shrugged. “Can't sleep, you know how it is,” he glanced at Donnie just for a moment to throw him a grin, before returning to his task.

All in Donnie’s voice and with Donnie’s face. It made the action less smooth than it would be on Leo’s. Donnie wondered why, exactly, it felt that way.

“...I don't, actually,” he voiced his earlier thought. It came out flatter than he wanted, maybe because he was tired. “You've never really told us how it is,”

Leo paused again. Or maybe he was just idly reading another post, none of it really sinking into his brain. He shrugged.

He exhaled, and shut off his phone, slapping it somewhere on the bed to be immediately lost to the caverns of blankets and pillows. Donnie scheduled a morning expedition to dig out the lost treasure of Phone.

Leo shuffled a bit, getting more comfortable and laying down, blanket over him. Donnie could only see the larger shapes of his face in dim blue light from the night light.

“Happy?” Leo asked, and Donnie was pretty sure it was meant to be teasing, but it fell flatter than what was probably intended.

“Most definitely,” Donnie replied smugly, grinning, and shuffled to also get comfortable for some actual sleep.

Now it was just the darkness and the two of them. He felt relieved said darkness wasn't absolute, and when he caught that feeling and tried to examine it, he wasn't sure why he felt it.

The room was pleasantly chilly, so they felt just the right amount of cozy under their respective blankets. The air was well ventilated.

Donnie breathed in, and out, closing his eyes. He yawned. Leo yawned two seconds afterwards, and then mumbled an unintelligible complaint at Donnie for making him yawn. Donnie exhaled through his nose in mirth.

Why was his shoulder hurting? The shoulder Donnie remembered watching Casey Junior and Raph set after the Invasion? Why was there a persistent crick in this one specific spot in his shell? A spot that Donnie distinctly remembered having a crack post-Invasion? Mm, he forgot to ask Leo about it. Whatever. He’ll ask Leo tomorrow, or, something.

Donnie’s thoughts floated around, and he once again circled back to their fight with Baxter and his big robot.

In all fairness, Leo had been trying to get him involved in the tussle. He’d gotten quite skilled at coordinating them, actually. But he himself didn't want Donnie to use the portals if they hurt (hypocrite), and without them, there just wasn't much to do against a huge metal machine.

The plan was just to open it so Donnie could deactivate it. It went awry due to Mikey needing to step aside and Stockboy’s miscalculations. However, Donnie wondered if the whole thing would've gone smoother if he’d just sucked it up and used the portals. Their efficiency vastly overshadowed some mystic zippy zaps at his fingers.

...But it just– it just– it felt uncomfortable. There was an element to the faux shocks that felt... wrong. He couldn't quite describe it, but it made him feel... discomfort. Unease. Like sitting on the edge of a chair, a hard and lumpy chair. Like code that is ever so slightly buggy, even though he’s already spent hours making it as efficient as possible. Like that time his brothers (cough, Leo, cough) reprogrammed Shelldon. Something that just... isn't supposed to be Like That.

But for the life of him, he couldn't identify what exactly that meant.

Why did Leo fly directly into a collapsing building? Why did Leo keep a concussion away from their attention?

...Why did Donnie freeze up during the fight like that? Why was he hit with a meltdown like that?

...It just... it felt...

He tried to double down on everything he’d felt in that moment, like pressing down with your thumbs to locate a bruise.

There was just something about... something about...

It just overwhelmed him.

Watching debris and glass rain down in pieces, a curtain of destruction. Listening to the cacophony of car alarms, of people yelling in concern, sirens approaching.

His Ninpō was bust, his brothers were missing, his brothers were in danger. Two of his brothers were down for the count, and they were going to die and there was only one thing to do.

And it was terrifying and it was all his fault. It was the scariest moment of his life.

So Raph was off to save them, and he pushed himself to his feet. Even though his body was so sore, it all hurt from all the fighting, but he didn't have a choice.

Even as his knees betrayed him, he forced himself upwards. This was all his fault and it was choking him. He had to fix this, for his family.

A hulking figure in the distance. Metal and sharp and hateful. A red light, like a sign screaming GET AWAY.

But he couldn't. This was his last chance to just make. Things. Right.

It was a desperation that made him want to cry, so he set his expression and readied his stance.

The wind blew past him, as he shot forwards into the fight. And he lunged through a portal and he hurled his sword, and the Krang grabbed him and hurled his sword away and–

“YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!”

–and–

“YOU WRETCHED–

–LITTLE–

–PEST!”

Each vitriol-packed punch from the Krang leader, massive and hulking and sharp and metal, rammed into his body with the force of an entire failed genocide.

Each hit was an admirable competitor to be his last. With each hit, the harm tripled—shell and bones shattering and collapsing, blood desperately trying to escape.

The only thing he had in his personal hell was a reminder of why and how he earned his place here in the first place.

Life swam in and out of his vision, everything blurred by pain until the pain blurred too. He dedicated the last flashes of color to that reminder, the most important thing in the world:

A small photograph showcasing his family’s smiling faces.

Tears rolled down his face, and he loved them so much it hurt. Everything hurt, and he was dying, and yet, and yet, and yet.

It’s okay.

They would live, this time around.

He hoped they would forget him, because selfishly, he didn't want to drag them down even in death, not more than he already has. He hoped they would thrive.

He couldn't help but feel... happy to be dying, haha. Because they would live, because they won, because it was over. Because he deserved it the most. It was right.

He couldn't help but smile.

“WIPE THAT GRIN OFF YOUR FACE, GAH–!”

–Donnie awoke with a desperate gasp for breath as his entire chest and lungs and heart collapsed under the–

–the...

...the nothing.

It was just him in Leo’s bedroom, trying to inhale in big wet gasps. Shaking in Leo’s body, washed in cold sweat, blanket half kicked off.

That... that was not a nightmare. There is no way that was just a nightmare. It was too, too... clear, detailed, too potent, too real.

Donnie would know, because after the Invasion, he had nightmares. It was like... leftover data from the avalanche that came with his connection to The Technodrome. Data, horrible data, that just needed an outlet, and his subconscious was the perfect ground.

“Leo–” Donnie let out, strangled, feeling around for– for–

Leo wasn't there.

Donnie shot up, but no, the half of the bed Leo had taken up was empty. In fact, Donnie had imposed upon it in his sleep.

The sight sent a fresh new wave of terror through his body, doing the exact opposite of helping him in this highly stressful situation!

Donnie stumbled to his feet, frantic, looking for his arm brace to track Leo down– no, wait, not the blue dot, he had to look for the purple dot–

—

“YOU!” Donnie leveled the shape of his twin with an index finger immediately upon stumbling out of the portal and onto the rooftop. Teeth gritted through the sharp sparkling between the layers of his hands' skin and flesh. “You gave me a HEART ATTACK!”

“Sorry,” Leo sheepishly shrugged, dissipating the purple constructs.

Donnie halted his terrified-infuriated momentum, gaping.

Wait.

Was Leo... training with his Ninpō?!

Did Leo. Get up in the middle of the night. And fly with Donnie’s hover shell to a random rooftop. To train with Donnie’s Ninpō?

The Ninpō that SUPPOSEDLY HURT HIM?!

Donnie was just beyond himself with this brother of his! His heart was in too fragile of a state to take this! He made strangling motions in the air, and Leo just looked amused.

“Are you– are– are you training with my Ninpō?!” Donnie exclaimed, incredulous.

Leo just shrugged, idly spinning his bō and turning around.

“No– no! You aren't– slithering out of this one!” Donnie seethed, following after the casual walk of his twin much less casually.

Leo just went to the edge of the rooftop and for a moment Donnie’s stomach swooped and his heart stopped–

(The portal collapsing on itself, an explosion, colors–)

–but Leo just... sat down. Legs dangling, but otherwise, considerably safe. Looking over the night life of NYC.

Donnie slowly exhaled, heartbeat erratic. He observed the figure of his brother, even if he was technically in Donnie’s body.

Dark, in the night. Though still visible, what with New York’s light pollution.

His back was to Donnie. He was looking out at the buildings. The bustle far down below.

He was... so... subdued. Smaller, even with one of Donnie’s shells on; smaller in presence, somehow. Like instead of spilling outwards and filling up a whole cathedral, his presence was kept neatly to himself. No more, no less.

Donnie rushed to be beside Leo, arms crossed.

“I had a nightmare,” he stated, and that got Leo’s attention. He winced, turning sympathetic eyes to Donnie.

“...Yikes, Dee, I’m sor–” he began, all soft and gentle and ready to turn the concern towards Donnie, but Donnie was not having it.

“I had YOUR nightmare,” he clarified through teeth.

Leo cringed. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Augh, I’m really sorry about–”

“THAT'S NOT WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY!” Donnie yelled, throwing his hands.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” Leo said, calm and gentle as ever, “I’m listening to you bro,” he affirmed, smiling.

Donnie clenched, unclenched, and re-clenched his jaw.

“You,” he whispered, “never told us you had nightmares.” he emphasized each part.

And Leo, Leo had the audacity to shrug.

“I mean, who doesn't, am I right?” he joked.

Donnie dragged a hand down his face, and sat down on the edge, next to him. At last, he tried to get his breathing under control. Tried to get his heart to stabilize. Tried to get the sheer horror thrumming through him to chillax.

That nightmare hit something sensitive. And not just to Leo’s brain.

Through all their altercations with all the different types of foes, there were few tragedies Donnie and his family experienced. Few real tragedies.

Because sure, it wasn't fun when, say, Draxum snatched them up to use them as bait for dad. It wasn't nice when Raph got Got during Big Mama’s Battle Nexus: New York.

But they handled it! Because they were still together! At the end of the day, they were together. And they could do anything together.

Shredder was one of those real tragedies.

Karai’s death, even though they didn't get to really know her– well. That is a tragedy in and of itself. They didn't know her well, but she was family and then suddenly she was no longer with them.

All of the Invasion still haunted them, in little and big ways.

But...

...That moment. That chain of moments.

(“Casey, listen to me. When I get to the other side, you close that door.”

“This is the only way.”

“Hero moves–”

“I’m proud–”

“–Casey, PLEASE!”)

Staring up at an objectively marvelous explosion as the portal closed around The Technodrome for good. Colors of light expanding, crystalline through his tears, it was the ugliest, most horrible thing Donnie had born witness to.

It was the scariest, worst moment of his life.

Donnie brought his feet up, propped his elbows on his knees to hold the sides of his head. Squeezed his eyes shut, tears prickling just at the memory of it.

He would go through the entire Invasion twice over, if it meant he would be sure to never go through that one moment ever again.

“You–” his voice cracked, and he swallowed. “You almost died, Leo,”

We almost lost you. I almost lost my other half, my mirror, the outline of my own existence.

How could you feel that was ever “right”?

“But... I’m alive,” Leo smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. Well. Donnie’s hand on Leo’s shoulder, technically. “Soo it's all good!”

Yes, Leo was alive, and that was all well and good. Except it wasn't, because Leo wasn't well and good.

And, to make matters substantially worse, none of them noticed.

His physical injuries recovered, and he bounced right back up. Better than ever. Less pestering, more serious, more dedicated. More sincere, or so they thought.

It was a beautiful act, crafted oh so carefully, and it was by design that none of them noticed. It was the second ugliest thing Donnie had ever seen.

“Hey,” Leo caught his attention, gentle and soft and caring. Because he was still directing this Donnie’s way, he was still trying to take care of Donnie.

Donnie glared at him. It wasn't as effective with the built-up tears.

Leo was unaffected by it, and even though he wore Donnie’s face, Donnie recognized the smile he was giving.

Leo opened an arm.

Donnie’s lip wobbled, and he readily sunk into the embrace. Immediately clutching onto his twin like he was going to perish right here and right now.

It was a little awkward, with the way they sat side by side on the edge of a rooftop. But it was good. Cars and people moved far below them, lights humming against the blue of the night sky. It was starting to smell like autumn chill. But being held by Leo, his twin, Donnie felt a little warmer.

He swallowed the distress, to say–

–Oh.

He winced as the sharpness of a concussion headache sunk in very suddenly.

Oh.

O– okay then. Huh. Hm. Well. This is... fine.

“Ack, wait, hold on–” Leo tried pulling away from his hug, because it was Donnie who was holding him now. Donnie didn't allow it, just squeezed him tighter to indicate he was not letting go under any circumstances!

Leo was going to be hugged and loved, whether he wanted it or not!!!

...Well, no, of course Donnie would let go if he was genuinely uncomfortable. But he wasn't going to let Leo deny himself some affection.

This was about him.

“My head hurts,” Donnie muttered a complaint, just to taste his voice that was his own yet again. Leo had the audacity to chuckle.

“Sorry,”

“Yeah, yeah,”

But... thinking about it... really, beside the head injury...

Donnie rubbed his fingertips together. There was no leftover static to it. No soreness, no displeasure, nothing. Even though Leo had supposedly been training for a bit now.

Donnie had been looking for something definitive, this entire time. But if there were any definitive signs, they would have noticed something was wrong much sooner. They didn't.

Something that would spell out, in no unclear terms, Leo is struggling. Leo has been struggling. Leo needs help. You aren't just overthinking this.

The nightmare-flashback, yes, but.

“...Using my Ninpō didn't hurt you, did it?” Donnie whispered.

Silence. Their breathing. Their heartbeats.

Minutely, Leo shook his head, now his head.

Why did you lie? Donnie didn't ask. How long has this been going on? he didn't ask.

“...Why does the magic born from the power of family, love and togetherness hurt you, Leo?” Donnie dared to ask, quiet. Like otherwise it would scare away the poor skittish animal that was vulnerability.

“I think,” Leo started, now in his own voice. In a tone that was trying to make it a lighthearted matter even as Donnie’s heart was audibly being ripped apart. “that if you're asking it like that, you... kinda already know why,” Leo answered in mirth, teasing.

But he was wrong. Donnie really, really didn't. He didn't know why. He didn't understand. He didn't understand why Leo would hide from them, why he would feel this way.

And all his well-informed theories hurt. They hurt. He supposed he knew why the feeling of Leo’s Ninpō was so... wrong.

Something like that wasn't supposed to hurt him.

Was that... really... how Leo felt about it? About their, their–

Donnie squeezed his eyes shut again. Might as well make them match, both tearing up due to his emotions.

“My head hurts,” Donnie said, just a bit choked up but you have no proof.

“Sorry,”

“You already said that,”

“Sorry 2.0 then,”

Donnie snorted. Damn Leon.

“We are going to bed,”

“Whaaattt! Dude–”

“Do not argue with me, Leonardo, or I sweear– you are going to sleep,” Donnie emphasized, squeezing Leo tighter.

Leo complained, but didn't resist being dragged to bed.

They still had to work on fixing his Ninpō. Donnie had questions to ask, including the matter of Leo’s shoulder and shell and his persistent nausea and on and on the list went.

But for tonight, this was enough.

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