#idk i leave that up to you artist folk that's out of my wheelhouse

[desceros]

speaking of papatello. i have been putting into consideration the anon-chan who asked if there'd be another one and i've decided that when lavi's abt four, after one very memorable mating season it happens again. oops.

this time, you're the one who is panicking a bit more bc you remember how painful it was to carry lavi towards the end there. donnie's the one who is calmer about it, showing you all the data he collected from last time, and that he knows better how to help now.

but i imagine that it's lavi who is the one who convinces you to try again; she's been working on her ninjitsu with papa splinter, and she'd overheard you and donnie discussing the possibility of another one and she Flips Her Shit at having a sibling. running around screaming excited, asking when it's gonna come, what color it's gonna have as its life color, does she have to share all of her toys or can she pick a few.

throws a dart at the board and lands on angst wheeee!. it's a much more difficult pregnancy even than lavi's. several times you and donnie wonder if you're doing the right thing, but you decide to persist. you learn it's a boy, and that he's a little smaller than lavi was at each point. still, even earlier than with lavi, he pulls the plug on you carrying yourself. it's harrowing transferring the lil guy over to the artificial egg, and for the first night it looks like he isn't going to pull through... but then lavi comes in and grabs her favorite blanket and curls up next to him, and by the morning, everything looks good.

i went with niccolo for a name since that's part of donatello's (the artist, not the turtle) name. nico for short.

i imagine that where lavi is very outgoing, sassy, and stubborn, nico would be quiet and contemplative. he's the kind of kid who spends the first few years of his life ducking behind your legs when someone talks to him. he grows out of his shyness, but he's always more introverted than his sister. he's a carbon copy of donnie, down to how he wears glasses (though i've decided that unlike donnie, he doesn't grow out of them). also unlike his sister, you're the favorite parent.

lavi is a beast when it comes to protecting her brother. she and shelldon work out super intricate plans in crayon that then pin to the fridge door should anything go down so they can save him (some of which aren't half bad, actually). she's very sensitive to his moods, and she'll snap at anyone whom she feels is bullying him. (even people she really, really shouldn't, which causes one memorable incident with a giant yokai that ends in several thousand dollars of property damage you quietly pretend not to notice donnie hacking out of the hidden city police system.)