Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Donnie knows he really only has himself to blame for this. It was supposed to be a straightforward mission; get in, gather the data needed, and get out before anyone suspected they were there. 

The Kraang’s defeat six weeks ago had led to stagnant reports of criminal activity. It seemed that even the bad guys wanted a break after the almost end of the world. Donnie couldn’t have been more grateful. With his twin still in recovery, it actually gave him time to focus on his injuries rather than the typical array of mutants. 

Leo almost died in the prison dimension. He had died for approximately one minute and twenty-eight seconds while he and Draxum operated on him. And in that horrifying span of time? Donnie learned that their twin bond was most definitely real, despite the fact they couldn’t actually be twins. 

It was an experience he did not want to live through again. 

And that’s how he found himself in his situation. After Mikey had almost lost the use of his arms opening that portal to get Leo back (completely ignoring that it did just as much damage to his and Raph’s arms), he spent the past five weeks building some kind of portal device that would be able to open to any dimension they needed to access. It would work in the same sense as his brother’s portals, only interdimensional. That way, if one of them found themselves making another dumb dumb self-sacrificing move, they wouldn’t have to risk any of their limbs to save them. 

Kraang technology could still be found around New York. Human authorities haven’t had the time to clean it up and really, Donnie would rather the human government keep their hands off the alien machines anyways. Who knew what they’d do with such things. So, shortly after the invasion ended, Raph and April gathered as much as they could and hid the tech in specific abandoned places across the city. 

Donnie planned on rummaging through it all eventually. He just found it difficult to leave Leo’s side unless absolutely necessary most days. But, he conceded to the fact that his teleporter really needed to get finished. Who knew when the baddies would make themselves known again. 

Raph was with him. His brother led him to the building where he put the original transporter. Using Shelldon to hack the interface was easy enough and the download into his servers would only take a few minutes. That happened to be just the perfect amount of time for everything to go wrong. 

“We really gotta find somewhere else to put this stuff.” His oldest brother muttered, kicking a busted scrap of metal away from where he was standing. Donnie leaned against the wall, arms crossed with his signature disinterested look while Shelldon worked. 

“Give me the locations and I’ll sift through everything later. Then, I say we throw the rest into the heart of an active volcano.” Raph gave him the patented big brother disappointed look but even Donnie could see the temptation under his gaze. 

Raph’s mother-henning tendencies increased tenfold after the invasion happened. He could be found dotting over at least one member of the family at any waking moment. Yet, at the same time, Donnie noticed how terrified he was of touching any of them. 

His older brother described the experience of being Kraangified akin to the likes of being a passenger in your own body. He could see and feel everything but had no control over it. Essentially, he was forced to watch himself hurt his brothers. Donnie couldn’t imagine what that must've been like. 

Though, the two of them had found common ground in remembering the feel of those disgusting, slimy tentacles invading their mind. Donnie hadn’t lost his willpower like Raph had but neither of them could eat most pastas anymore so at least he wasn’t struggling alone in that regard. 

The first time Mikey had made spaghetti after everything, Donnie suffered a panic attack just by the sound of his dad mixing the noodles and sauce together. Splinter and Mikey didn’t understand what had set him off, but Raph had. It felt…good to have shared sensory issues with someone as horrible as that sounded. 

“How much longer till Shelly is done? I wanna check up on Leo and Mikey.” A comment that would’ve elicited an eye roll in the past. Nowadays, Donnie was in the same boat as his brother. He hated being away from his family for long periods of time. 

He raised his wrist to type a few things on his tech gauntlet, glancing at the progress bar on the bottom. There was only about a quarter left which roughly translated to approximately fifteen more minutes till he had all the necessary data. 

Donnie wasn’t able to inform his older brother that though. One of the machines near Shelldon whirred to life, sickening pink hues illuminating the warehouse they were in. His stomach churned at the color.

He dove forward, typing on the interface frantically in an attempt to shut it off. Raph had joined him, eyes watching the device in a panic. 

“Donnie? What’s happening?” There were sparks above the machine, swirling energy he’s unfortunately come to associate with the Kraang appearing and growing rapidly.

“I-I don’t know! It shouldn’t be functional!” Donnie took a step back, eyes trained on what he now knew was a portal developing. It was pulling in loose scrap and belatedly, Donnie felt his own body being dragged towards the opening. Raph grabbed his shoulder but he was slipping too.

He didn’t know where this portal would take them. For all he knew, it could be an entrance to the Prison Dimension. The sadistic smile of Kraang Prime flashed through his mind and Donnie knew he couldn’t let Raph get trapped. He just couldn’t live with the near loss of another brother. 

His body acted on his own. Donnie pivoted to fully take in the fearful face of his older brother, heart clenching painfully at the idea of this being the last thing he saw of his family. But his mind was made and he refused to fail.

With a few quick motions across his gauntlet, his battle shell opened to allow a new and improved escape pod free. He watched as it wrapped around Raph just as the gravitational pull of the portal became too much. Donnie lost his footing, his world being engulfed in that horrible pink color he’d rather forget. 

But Raph was safe. His older brother was headed back to the lair. That’s all that mattered.

~~~

Donnie was flung from the portal, his battle shell crashing against a wall with a resounding crack. The wind was ripped from his lungs and there wasn’t much he could do to break his fall. Behind his closed eyelids, he could make out the flash of light and suddenly, it was quiet. The electric hum of the portal was gone. 

Slower than he was willing to admit, Donnie peeled his eyes open to peer at his surroundings. Luckily, the portal had the decency to spit him out in a secluded alleyway. He could make out the sound of cars despite not being able to see the street and, thankfully, it was night. The last thing he needed was a full blown sensory overload. 

With a groan, he clutched the wall to pull himself up. The world around him spun dangerously and he had to force the nausea down. None of his bones seemed to be broken but he’d definitely have bruises from how hard he got launched out of the portal. He was pretty sure his shoulder had dislocated briefly and his ankle was certainly sprained. A quick check of his gear showed that they were fully operational. 

That only left him to face the growing anxiety he was currently facing. A precursory glance at the world around him was enough to know that he wasn’t in New York. Or at least the New York he was used to. It was dark, dreary. The world here just seemed to be…heavier. A glance at his oddly solid hand only made him feel worse. 

And the kicker? No mystic energy. Even when they found themselves in other countries (like that one time Leo accidentally portaled them to Tahiti), there was always an abundance of mysticism. His goggles had never failed them before and they certainly weren’t broken if the diagnostics he ran were to be trusted. And Tahiti definitely never looked this congealed either so it wasn’t just a New York thing. His own Ninpo felt far weaker in this world. He wasn’t even sure if accessing it would work. 

None of the trackers he placed all over their new lair nor his family were found either. Even if he had been transported into the far end of the Earth, his tech was good enough to access his lab from miles away. 

There was a kink he was trying to work out where his trackers went offline in other dimensions. Leo’s hadn’t worked when he was…trapped and he can’t track any equipment in the Hidden City unless he is physically there with his gauntlet as well. That meant he was probably in another dimension. A weird, 3D dimension that felt all kinds of wrong. 

He honestly wasn’t sure how he ended up in this situation. The machines that they had been inspected aren't functional. After the mothership was destroyed, a lot of the tech shut down without its main power source. All they were good for now was scrap metal and any data that may have survived in memory hubs. None of their meddling should have activated the transporter, even if Shelldon-

Donnie’s eyes widened and he hastily pushed off the wall. Shelldon got sucked into the portal with him. He managed to get Raph out of the danger zone but Shelldon had been right there. 

There, underneath a pile of garbage that was kicked up from the disturbance, was a sliver of all too familiar purple. He shoved the trash aside to reveal his most beloved creation. 

“Shelldon?” No response. Donnie’s fingers swiftly traveled across his wrist gauntlet in an attempt to connect to the AI’s interface with no such luck. The energy from the portal overloaded Shelldon’s systems and Donnie could only hope the damage wasn’t too severe. 

Carefully, he cradled the bot in his good arm and rose to his full height once more. He wasn’t going to gather much more information in this alleyway. The buildings around him were all several stories tall. Ignoring the ache in his shoulder, he began to scale the only one that had a fire escape. 

He set Shelldon down on the roof, flipping his goggles so they rested over his eyes. As he expected, the only mystic being he could find was himself. Usually, when he peered into his world with his goggles, it was an astonishing swath of colors clashing together. Most humans were void much like his dimension but he’d find mystic energy hidden around everywhere. And looking at his brothers was always astounding.

Mikey’s entire being was orange and lively like the fire his abilities often manifest as. He was so full of life, bright and caring that reflected in the way his Ninpo appeared through his goggles. His energy was the strongest out of any of them, even their father’s, and Donnie can’t say he’s surprised by that. From what he gathered, mystic powers were heavily tied with one’s emotions. Because Mikey was easily the most in tune with his emotions, it made sense he was the most mystically talented.

Raph’s Ninpo was strong and sturdy. He was their protector, their rock when they needed to be grounded in stressful situations. The red was calm, comforting, but absolutely electrifying when fighting those who dare hurt his family. Raph knew exactly who he was. He was their older brother, their defender, their leader and that translated into easy control over what he was able to accomplish with his ability. The months after Shredder, before the invasion, that surety wavered after Splinter had made Leo leader. Raph was doubting himself and that showed in his Ninpo. 

Leo was smooth like water, reflecting the ‘go with the flow’ attitude he so often had. It was always moving, always changing like the ever adaptable way his twin always seemed to be. But it would grow sharp and cold like ice when he needed to be. It was like that against the Shredder and again when facing the Kraang. Donnie was proud of his twin, he was really shaping up into the amazing leader he could be while also learning to be true to himself. He could just make do without the self-sacrificial tendencies. 

The goggles were shoved back to sit at the top of his head as Donnie shut his eyes to stave off the wave of nausea that overtook him. Past him would have been ecstatic to be in another dimension. Donnie two months ago would have been bouncing off the walls that his multiverse theory had truly been proven. 

“Get it together, Donatello.” He snapped to himself, thumping a fist against his thigh. Having a breakdown on a rooftop in an alternate universe wasn’t a great idea. He had no idea what kind of threats existed here. The last thing he needed was to get caught in a situation where he couldn’t defend himself. 

He moved to scratch the palm of his hand as he observed the city once more. Even though it was nighttime, New York was quiet. The only lights were the streetlamps and occasional cars he could see on the streets. For the city that never sleeps, everything was awfully dull. The noise, the colors, hell, even the smell. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the slightest sound of gravel shifting behind him. Donnie tensed ever so slightly, forcing himself to appear relaxed as he tuned out everything else around him. The argument that he and his brothers weren’t the best ninjas were definitely valid but after the invasion well…things had changed. Techniques they originally struggled with became like second nature. 

It took a second but he was eventually able to pick up the sounds of four other breaths. It was quiet enough that Donnie was able to guess they were most likely trained. His own thrumming ankle told him he definitely couldn’t take on four perpetrators by himself. Subtly, he moved the hand that had been scratching his palm to enter a few commands on his wristband. 

The one off to the left made the first move. They dashed forward, their footsteps remarkably silent for a run. Before they could reach Donnie, however, a spider arm shot out from his battle shell and grabbed their leg, lifting them off the ground to toss them into the other nearest person. There was indignant squawk as they collided and Donnie snatched his tech bo from where it was on his shell. He spun around, twisting the metal until his weapon was fully extended in time to block an incoming strike from a katana. He pushed the assaulter back, the other three spider arms making their appearance. The bottom two lifted him off the ground to not only give him an advantage but also to alleviate the pressure on his ankle. 

The two he had knocked down recovered quickly enough to join the fight. Soon enough, it was four on one and Donnie was quickly losing his edge. His shoulder still ached from when it dislocated in the fall from the portal and swinging his bo around was not helping. This weakness was picked up by the other four and they began focusing attacks on the right side of his body. 

Donnie yelled when a nunchuck came into contact with said injured shoulder. The pain was instantaneous, radiating through his neck and rendering his arm utterly useless. One of them took the opportunity to lunge, knocking his bo out of his grip with their own wooden version. Then, he was being thrown to the ground, his spider arm barely grasping the other’s wrist in time to prevent their sai from pressing against his throat. 

That’s when Donnie finally noticed who had attacked him. Four turtles identical to each other with colored bandanas tied around their eyes. Blue, red, purple, and orange. Weapons that were the same as his own brothers. By the looks on their faces, they seem to have come to the same conclusion as him. 

“Dudes…” Alternate Mikey was the first to lower his weapon, blue eyes wide but sparkling as he took in the pinned turtle. Donnie guessed his own royal purple mask was a dead giveaway of who he was. 

“Again?” Alternate Raph groaned, throwing his head but made no move to actually get off of him. The other version of him slowly walked up to stand next to his red-banded brother, taking in the sight of the turtle on the ground. His smile was tentative.

“Wow, you look nothing like the other ones we’ve met.” Donnie raised an eyebrow, regarding that statement briefly before he decided it was a conversation for another time. Instead, he opted to point his glare at the Raphael still pinning him down. 

“As fascinating as that sounds, perhaps this could be a discussion we partake in where a dangerous metal weapon isn’t trying to decapitate me.” He deadpanned, watching with satisfaction as the ridge above one of Alternate Raph’s eyes twitched. The other turtle scowled but he did withdraw his weapon and stand up. In turn, Donnie had the spider arm release his wrist. 

There was no offer to help him up and he rolled his eyes at that. He wouldn’t accept it, of course, but it was the thought that counted. One of the mechanical arms retrieved his tech bo for him and he gladly took it to use as a makeshift crutch. His shoulder still throbbed rather painfully and the fight hadn’t done his ankle any favors either.        

“So, you’re another version of my brother?” Alternate Leo asked, katanas sheathed on his back. He appeared calm but Donnie could see the tension in his muscles. He was ready to strike if need be. 

“If you couldn’t tell by the purple bandana.”  Was his response. Other-Raph snorted at Other-Leo’s unimpressed frown. Donnie didn’t care if he wasn’t making a good first impression; they attacked him so there was no way he was going to be civil. He bent down a bit to pick up Shelldon, tucking him safely in his battleshell so he wouldn't be damaged further.

“Where’s the other us’s? I wanna see alternate me! They’re always the coolest out of the bunch.” Other-Mikey was suddenly in his field of view, personal bubble be damned. He wasn’t touching luckily but Donnie mused that some things probably wouldn’t change no matter the universe. 

“My brother’s aren’t here.” Against his wishes, his gaze softened at the disappointed look washing over this Mikey. It wasn’t his baby brother but he could already see so many similarities between the two. Sue him for his big brother instincts kicking in. 

A hand fell on Mikey’s shoulder and pulled him back. Other-Leo looked as if he wanted to scold him but didn’t say anything. Donnie took note of the interaction, namely, how this version of his twin appeared to be far more serious than he was used to. He wasn’t sure what to think about that. 

“Sorry about him.” Donnie didn’t understand why he was apologizing for Mikey but he didn’t comment on it. “How did you end up here?” Donnie shrugged.  

“My dear brother Raphael and I were collecting data from some Kraang technology when one of them opened a portal. I fell in.” It was a simplified version but they didn’t need to know why they were messing around with Kraang technology in the first place. He certainly wasn’t willing to share the details that occurred merely six weeks ago.    

Other-Raph twirled one of the sais around in his hand, taking a step forward so he was standing next to Other-Leo. Donnie assumed he was trying to be threatening but it just kind of fell short (pun fully intended). 

“Okay so why isn’t he here too?” Donnie cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms and peering down his snout at the much shorter version of his older brother.

“Because he didn’t fall in, Chihuahua.” Other-Raph bared his teeth and Donnie only smirked at the response. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He sneered. Donnie leaned forward. 

“It means you’re a tiny creature with an astronomical anger management problem-” Before another fight could break loose, the far more mature version of his twin stepped between them.

“That’s enough, you two.” His voice was stern, much like the kind of older sibling voice Raph would use whenever any of them were getting under his skin. It was a weird concept to think about. “I think the best course of action would be for you to stay with us until you’re able to get back to your dimension.”

Tiny-Raph opened his mouth to argue but Mikey swooped past him to link his arm with Donnie, dragging him towards the fire escape. The contact made his skin tingle but it was gone as soon as it was there and he was thankful for not having to make an excuse.

“You have to tell me all about your world!” Mikey’s enthusiasm was contagious, forcing a small smile on his lips as they descended the ladder. Other-him wasn’t too far behind, no doubt wanting to ask his own questions. The remaining two were a bit further away, a hushed conversation between them that Donnie didn’t really care to eavesdrop on. 

“Well, I can tell you my dimension has a much more satisfying hue to it than yours.” He kicked a nearby piece of cardboard for emphasis. Who knew something as drab a cellulose could be even more boring than it already was. 

“Fascinating.” Other-him caught up to the two of them, his wooden bo tight in his grip as he smiled. He was taller than Donnie, probably taller than his twin too. He’d be lying if he said wasn’t a tad bit envious of that height. “What other differences are there?”

Too many. Donnie thought with a grimace, turning to face forward and follow just a step behind Mikey. There was no mystic energy, the world was so dark, Tiny-Raph wasn’t right, Other-Leo was so many kinds of wrong. 

“You all look the same.” Was what he said instead. He brought a finger up to tap against his temple, schooling his face to remain impassive. 

“Yeah?” Other-him tilted his head. “Don’t you and your brothers?” 

“We’re all different species of turtle.” That caused Mikey to halt in his tracks, spinning on his heels to stare at Donnie wide-eyed. 

“Wait, but wouldn’t that mean you aren’t brothers?” Other-Leo and Tiny-Raph were behind them now, their secret discussion seeming to have ended. 

“Technically, we’re half brothers. We came from different clutches but the same human DNA was used to mutate us.” Mikey’s eyes got even bigger if that were even possible.

“You’re part human?!” Donnie glanced between the four of them.

“Aren’t you?” 

“No.” Other-Leo spoke this time, his own gaze trained curiously on Donnie. “We were regular turtles that accidentally came in contact with mutagen.” 

Ah, so they weren’t purposefully created as the perfect soldiers to wipe out humanity. Something told Donnie he shouldn’t just tell that little fact as if it were nothing. They’d probably make a big deal out of it. 

“I see.” An awkward lapse of silence overcame the group and eventually, Other-him started walking the rest of the way to a different alleyway. Mikey was practically vibrating next to him with excitement. Donnie suspected the only reason he refrained from asking anything was because of the look Tiny-Raph was giving him. 

Admittedly, Donnie was glad the rest of the walk was quiet. He didn’t want to talk about the differences between their worlds.

The group reached a manhole cover and disappeared into the sewers one by one. Donnie spared one last glance at the city that was so different yet nearly the same, ignoring the lump in his throat as he followed the others to the underground.

Chapter Text

Raph couldn’t breathe. 

The warehouse was getting further and further away, the image of Donnie disappearing through the portal burned into his brain. Just like when Leo had…

The escape pod stopped moving. Raph didn’t know how long it took. The doors opened with a hiss but he wouldn’t budge. Donnie was gone and if he had just been a little stronger, he wouldn’t be. They both would be here. 

Why couldn’t he breathe?

Someone put a hand on his arm. His eyes snapped up to find the faces of his worried brothers. Mikey was the one touching him, rubbing his shoulder now that he was able to register something other than his own panic. Leo was just behind him. His leg was still in a cast and his ribs were still healing. He had to take it easy, why was he up?

“You okay, Raph?” His baby brother asked and he couldn’t answer him. He didn’t know what to say. How could he tell his family that one of them was gone someplace he didn’t know. 

It was like he was back on Staten Island, helpless as one of his little brothers sacrificed themselves to save the world. To save him. 

Raph shut his eyes, shaking his head like that would convey what happened. As if that would truly get across how he failed one of their own. His throat was tight and his lungs burned from the lack of air and why couldn’t he breathe. 

“Where’s Donnie?” Raph met Leo’s eyes, tears falling down his cheeks at the open worry on his face. His brother knew something was wrong. He was looking to him to tell him otherwise. But Raph couldn’t.

“Raph.” Leo’s voice was harder, verging on panic and he pushed past Mikey to crouch down in front of him. After the Invasion, while all four of them had grown closer than they thought possible, Leo and Donnie were practically inseparable. Just like when they were kids.

“You okay, Donnie?” 

It was a conversation Raph wasn’t supposed to hear. They should’ve been asleep, healing from their wounds. But then again, it wasn’t like he was any better either. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Donnie hadn’t talked for two weeks. It was common for him to go non-verbal during high stress situations but the most it would last was three days. Two weeks…worried all of them. Including Donnie.

“Yeah, nice try. You can’t fool me, Donton.” 

There was silence. Raph was about ready to burst in there if only to calm his worries but then he heard shuffling and the sound of the bed shifting under extra weight. 

“A twin isn’t supposed to be without their other half.” 

That was the last thing either of them had said. Later, when Raph was sure they were asleep, he finally entered the room to check on them. They were cuddling up to each other in Leo’s medical bed and it was just like looking through a mirror in time when they still shared a room. 

Raph didn’t know what it was like to have a ‘twin bond.’ But he remembered how Leo disappearing into the Prison Dimension shut Donnie down. Looking at the slider now, seeing the absolute terror on his face as he clutched his chest, Raph wasn’t sure he even wanted to know what that felt like. 

He squashed down his panic. Raph was the oldest brother, he couldn’t let his siblings see him like this. Even if the effort felt pointless.

“We…we were gathering data. Donnie needed it to build something.” He was on his knees. He wasn’t sure when that had happened. Mikey had his arms wrapped around his neck. Raph couldn’t hug back. All he could do was stare at his hands. 

“Shelldon was getting what we needed. But one of the devices turned on and a portal opened.” Leo let out a shuddering breath, lowering himself to the ground with the help of Mikey. 

“Donnie put me in the escape pod. I tried, I tried to get him away. But he…he-” His sentence was cut off by a sob. He couldn’t tell if it was his own or Leo’s. 

He was gone. Raph could feel it through his Hamato Ninpo. The little section that held the steady, pixelated spirit of his genius brother was void. 

Raph knew what happened to them in the future. Jr had told them about how he had been the first to go protecting Leo and Donnie had followed suit years later taking a fatal blow for Mikey. When the idea of losing any of his siblings crossed his mind, he hadn’t dared imagine what that would’ve been like. 

Now, he didn’t have to. First, it had been Leo. Then it was Donnie. 

Mikey stood up, eyes locked on his hands. They still shook every now and then but the physical therapy and compression gloves Donnie made had done wonders. But it was the look of determination in his baby brother’s misty eyes that gave his intention away.

“Mikey, no!” Raph stood on his own shaky legs, gently grabbing his brother’s shoulders to get his attention. “If you try to open another portal, it will kill you!” The box turtle stepped out of his grip, glancing at Leo who was staring into nothing then back at the oldest turtle. 

“I was able to get Lee back. I can do the same for Dee.” Raph shook his head, tongue flicking over the tip of his snaggletooth. 

“You don’t know where he is! And there’s no way we’re going to risk losing another brother, Mikey!” His eyes flicker down his brother’s wrapped hands. They ended just above his elbows but Raph could see the scars peeking out from beneath the gloves. 

His baby brother squared his shoulders, eyes hard with a sort of stubbornness he rarely saw on his face. He opened his mouth to no doubt argue some more but there was movement behind them that drew both of their attention. 

Leo was standing now, hands grasping his elbows that were crossed in front of his stomach. His mask was wet with tears but his face was set. 

“Raph’s right, we don’t know where that portal led and we have no idea where Donnie ended up.” There was a seriousness in his tone that neither of them were used to. They had only heard it a handful of times, when things were tight and Leo needed them to listen to his orders. Raph never thought it was necessary. Sure, they may challenge his decisions but it wasn’t out of distrust like he thought it to be. 

“We’re going to get him back.” It was a promise and the surety of it was enough to calm Raph’s nerves. Leo had always been good at rallying them when they needed it. “But in order to do that, we’ll need to figure out where he went.” 

He turned on his heels, heading back towards the subway cars holding their rooms. He was in full blown leader mode now. 

“Mikey, call Draxum. He’s the only one who may have a chance at interpreting Donnie’s blueprints. Raph, we’re going to see if any of the information from Shelldon uploaded into his computer. Afterwards, we’ll develop a plan.” Mikey scampered off to grab his phone as Raph followed behind his blue banded brother. 

Raph’s stomach still curled with anxiety, images of his little brother disappearing through that Kraang portal still burned into his mind. But Leo was determined to get his twin back and perhaps, that was more than enough hope for Raph to cling onto. 

He wouldn’t fail Donnie. Not a second time. 

~~~

There were two things Donnie absolutely wasn’t expecting the more time he spent with these versions of his brothers. While very different from what he was used to, he could see the similarities between them all, even if they were far and few inbetween for certain turtles. 

Other-Mikey was the most similar to his version of his baby brother. They were both bright and cheery, so full of optimism that Donnie couldn’t help but be a tad bit envious to how he viewed the world. This Mikey didn’t appear to be into art, not in the way his was anyways. Despite that, Donnie found himself gravitating towards the orange banded turtle the most. 

Other-him was…not entirely what he was anticipating either. He was lanky, much like Donnie, and no doubt pertaining a genius to rival his own. What Donnie didn’t understand was why someone of his caliber would continue to walk around and fight crime with a stupid stick. Sure, he found himself using his own tech bo less and less but his mystic abilities made up plenty for that.

Other-Leo was when the similarities were getting hard to spot. This version of his blue banded brother was just so serious. There was not a single shitty joke to try and diffuse the tension between them all, it was just orders and calm inquiries whenever it suited him. He could maybe draw very thin connections to how they lead but even then, his twin was far more open to outside opinions than this Leo appeared to be. 

Tiny-Raph compared to his own was probably the most jarring. He just…couldn’t find anything except the fact they both wore the color red and used sais. Sure, his older brother had anger issues but that was when they were kids. By the time he was ten, he had it all under control. The only reason Raph even gets angry nowadays is when his family is in danger. Not to mention the sheer height difference between them.

At this point, Donnie was looking for any sense of normalcy in this entire dimension. He thought he might get some of that in their lair. Oh how wrong he had been. 

That was the first thing he hadn’t expected. The absolutely underwhelming nature of their home. It was dark, a theme that he was quickly learning was just how this world was, and not a single wall had a lick of color on it. The smell was still distinctly like the sewer and Donnie has no idea why Other-him hadn’t fixed that yet. It was one of the first things he did when he first began inventing. 

At least it appeared to be relatively clean. Well, if he ignored the stack of greasy pizza boxes that no doubt had mold growing on them. There were some retro arcade games too, though, he suspected perhaps they weren’t quite as retro as they are in his world. 

All in all, looking at their lair made him miss his own even more. There was just no personality. His Mikey had ensured that their lair was anything but boring and Donnie really did appreciate the artistic skills his baby brother possessed. Maybe he was judging too harshly. Maybe their rooms were spectacular. 

“Wait here a moment.” Other-Leo moved past them towards a room off to the side. Donnie only shrugged, glancing at the couch to decide if it was clean enough for him to feel okay sitting on. There was a suspicious red stain that had him scrunching his nose. Yeah, that was a no. 

“So Donnie, what kind of turtle is other me?” Mikey (he should really stop putting ‘other’ in front of their names) asked excitedly, bouncing in his spot in front of him. Donnie chuckled, pulling out his phone that was luckily still alive and functional. He’d probably have to build a charger that would work in this dimension. Now that he thought about it, he’d have to do the same for Shelldon too. 

“To avoid confusion,” Donnie spoke as he scrolled through his photos, “I will refer to my brothers by the last half of their respective names.” He found the picture he wanted, one of just ‘Angelo standing proudly next to one of Donnie’s favorite graffiti arts in the old lair. It was the wall next to his lab, painted in several different shades of purple with just a splash of blue and green to round it all out. 

“‘Angelo is an ornate box turtle.” He handed his phone to Mikey who snatched it from his grip to examine the photo. “You remind me a lot of him, actually.” His eyes were wide, darting across the screen before he threw his head back with a groan. 

“Aw man, why can’t I have cool markings like you guys.” Donnie couldn’t help but straighten his back in pride at the comment. Tiny-Raph (no, he was not going to drop ‘tiny’) sauntered over when it seemed his curiosity ran out, glancing at the picture before Mikey handed it back. He opened his mouth, probably to ask about alternate him if Donnie were to guess, but they were interrupted by Leo coming back into the room. 

Followed by the second thing Donnie hadn’t been expecting. A very tall, very stern looking version of his father. 

Splinter’s eyes immediately honed on him. Whatever Donnie wanted to say was gone as he stood there frozen. He walked with a cane and a limp that favored his left side. An injury that was still healing, one that probably should have killed him. 

The other four turtles lined up next to either other, bowing as they each muttered a ‘sensei’ quietly. Donnie shifted, hating the way his own body straightened up as this Splinter approached him. 

“Welcome, Donatello.” He hummed, eyes shifting from his battle shell to the gauntlet on his wrist. “You are ways away from your world.” Donnie crossed his arms if only to stop his nervous stimming from becoming obvious. 

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” He saw the others look at him in surprise but Donnie didn’t relent. ‘Nardo used his shitty one-liners to deal with stress while Donnie often became too sarcastic for his own good in turn. It was natural at his point. 

Splinter only chuckled though and Donnie suspected it was because he was able to tell how anxious he was. This version of his lazy dad was unnerving. Donnie didn’t like it. 

“You are more than welcome to stay here until a way to send you home is found. It would help if you recounted your side of events.” Donnie glanced around the room, finding a clean wall that he could lean on. Just from what he’s seen of the technology, or lack thereof, in their lair, he wasn’t confident in the possibility of building the Kraang portal or even the one he had in the works back home. 

But, Splinter was right. They would need all the information available if he wished to find a way back to his dimension. 

“Do you have the Kraang in this world?” The four turtles had straightened up now, sharing a look that was filled with annoyance at the question. 

“Yeah, we have the Kraang.” Donatello answered, rolling his eyes and grumbling something under his breath. 

“They aren’t much of a threat nowadays now that the Kraang Prime is dead.” Leo offered with a shrug. Tiny-Raph smirked, spinning a sai in his hand. 

“They never were.” The brothers shared a smile and Donnie found himself looking away. They talked about the Kraang like they were nothing more than a nuisance. Like how Donnie talked about Ghost Bear with his own brothers. 

The grip on his biceps tightened. Images of the Invasion, of the Kraang taking over ‘El’s body and forcing him to fight them, of them doing everything they can to stop Kraang Prime in a fruitless effort against the armor he sat in. Oh how he wished those aliens were nothing more than an annoyance. 

They were still talking, Donnie noticed, and he took the time to collect himself. To push all those memories to the back of his mind where he wouldn’t have to think about them. The sensation of those tentacles digging into his shell wouldn’t leave though. It never really had, he supposed. 

“Me and my brothers first encountered the Kraang a little over a month ago.” His voice was monotone, not daring to reveal anything he didn’t need to. Donnie didn’t want to talk about the Invasion and he certainly didn’t want them asking questions. 

“After the fight, pieces of Kraang technology were scattered across New York when the Technodrome was destroyed. Human authorities hadn’t had time to clean up the mess and we hid the most important bits in places they wouldn’t be found easily by both the government and pedestrians.” Donnie finally looked back to his audience, ensuring his mask was tightly in place. It was easier knowing these weren’t his brothers. It helped when he only thought of the differences. 

“I was in the process of building a device capable of creating portals.” To save ‘Angelo’s hands. “The Kraang’s technology held valuable data that would’ve aided in a quicker completion. So, ‘El and I bounced between warehouses.” Slowly, he pushed off of the wall to pace around the room. 

“We were at the last location for the day. Shelldon was collecting the intelligence we needed. None of the devices should have been functional. Perhaps he may have triggered a back-up function but even then, there was a significant amount of damage to the mainframe that should’ve rendered it inoperable.” Donnie shook his head, turning on his heel to face them once more. 

“But alas, one of them turned on and created a portal. I was able to get ‘El to safety but in doing so, I was sucked in. I believe you all know the rest.” He decided to sit on the floor, moving his arms in a grand sweeping motion to symbolize this moment. Neither of them made a move to do the same but Donnie didn’t really care. His ankle was starting to bother him and he probably should’ve stopped putting weight on it hours ago. 

“What of this Shelldon?” Splinter asked. Donnie swiped his fingers across his tech gauntlet, two spider arms appearing to extract his prized AI from where he was tucked safely in his battle shell. They deposited the robot into his arms and Donnie placed him carefully on his lap. 

“The electromagnetic field of the portal overcharged his systems. The data he collected should still remain on his hard drive but I won’t be able to access any of it until I repair him.” Donnie shrugged if only to hide how bothered he actually was about Shelldon’s condition. He almost lost him after the Shredder and his current state was bringing back many unwanted memories of then. 

“First order of business should be those repairs, then.” Leo stated, turning his attention to Donatello. “It’s getting pretty late but tomorrow, you two should get started on that. I’m sure whatever it managed to gather would be helpful in getting you back.” Donnie tensed at use of the word ‘it,’ honing his glare onto the blue banded turtle who didn’t notice. 

“I am sure you will figure something out, my sons. For now, make yourself at home, Donatello.” Splinter nodded, offering one last look at all the occupants before heading back towards the room he and Leo came from. 

Donnie frowned, looking back down at his creation as an uncomfortable silence fell over them. Despite all that happened that day, he wasn’t tired and Donnie was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to sleep well in this world anyways. 

He wasn’t sure how he felt about alternate him messing around with Shelldon either. Donnie didn’t doubt his genius but the last time anyone had messed with Shelldon’s wiring ended with him trying to kill Donnie. 

Then again, it had been at the hands of his dum-dum brothers. The point still stood though. 

Mikey, as always, was the first to move next to Donnie. The excited smile was back on his face as he plopped down, elbows on his knees as his head rested in his hands. 

“So, what about the other two?” He asked and Donnie couldn’t stop the smile at the enthusiasm. He could almost fool himself into thinking this was his own brother. Almost.

“‘Nardo is a red eared slider.” He started as he pulled out his phone again. “He’s annoying and loves to go out of his way to inconvenience me as much as possible.” He’s insecure and self-sacrificial and the better half of myself. 

Donatello took a seat next to Mikey followed by the last two, all four of them looking at the photo curiously when he flipped it around. 

“Wow those markings are…something.” Leo touched above his eye where Donnie knew his brother’s red stripes were located. 

“Yeah well, at least he sounds just as annoying as you.” Tiny-Raph smirked, nudging Leo who scowled back at his brother. “I bet other me is badass.” 

“Well, Chihuahua, he most certainly is.” Tiny-Raph growled, leaning forward as if to lunge but Leo held him down with a hand on his shoulder. And, because Donnie was a little shit, he decided to pull up a picture of all four of them just so they could get an idea of ‘El’s size.

Watching each of their faces change from shock to disbelief to awe was wonderful. Tiny-Raph plucked the phone from his hands to take in ‘El’s towering form. Donnie would give anything to see these two standing next to each other for his own amusement. 

“Is he an alligator snapping turtle?” Donatello breathed, eyes not leaving the phone where it was held out in the middle of them. 

“Yes. One of the largest species of turtles.” Donnie smirked, overly excited to brag about his eldest brother. “I estimate him to be approximately six feet and seven inches fully grown.” He took his phone back to swipe to another picture, this one of him carrying all three of them on his back as if they weighed nothing. 

“His punches must hurt.” Mikey mused, smiling at Tiny-Raph’s flabbergasted expression. Donnie cocked an eyebrow, resting an elbow on his knees so he could lean his head against his fist. 

“I wouldn’t know personally but it certainly appears to hurt our enemies.” He shrugged, taking his phone back once it was offered. 

“What kind of turtle are you?” Donatello asked with a smile and Donnie froze. 

He wasn’t necessarily…ashamed of his soft shell. Not after that sparring session with April opening his eyes to many ways not having a hard carapace like his siblings had its advantages. But he knew there were others that wouldn’t see it that way. That fact of the matter was he didn’t know how these turtles would react to him having a more vulnerable shell. 

His markings were more unique than ‘Angelo and ‘Nardo’s. They weren’t a telltale sign of his species like theirs and he could easily pass the battle shell off as just extra tools. 

“I’m a pond slider.” The lie rolled easily off his tongue despite how terrible he usually was at it. When they were kids, before Dad had told any of them what species they were, Donnie had thought he was a pond slider despite his soft shell. Thinking back on it, he realized it was probably just him being in denial. 

They chatted for a little while longer, Donnie ensuring not to stray any further into the details of his world. It only put him more on edge than he already was. Besides, he was stuck in this dimension for the foreseeable future so it was beneficial that he learned about this world, even if it was only temporary. 

And, as much as he yearned to see his brothers, the scientist side of him was buzzing with the differences between their worlds. It was fascinating how they had very similar building blocks yet they were so fundamentally dissimilar that Donnie wanted to dissect those and theorize how that was even possible. 

But alas, the Leo of this world declared that it was time for them to retire to slumber. Donatello gave up his room, stating he didn’t mind sleeping on the futon so Donnie could have an actual bed to rest properly. He didn’t get much of a say but he wasn’t about to turn down a private area for just himself. 

Eventually, Donnie found himself standing in the room alone. It was pretty bare, and he supposed that other him most likely spent more time in his lab much like himself. There were a few blueprints slapped on the walls and an alarm clock resting on the nightstand alongside a picture of Donatello with some red haired girl. The bed was twin sized with a purple blanket draped over the mattress. Luckily, there were sheets as well. Mattresses always had been a hard texture for him to deal with. 

The blanket wasn’t weighted but Donnie didn’t let that bother him. Even if he wanted to, sleep wouldn’t come to him that night. His muscles were wound tight, thoughts running faster than even he could keep up with. He hadn’t felt this anxious since…since the Invasion and he couldn’t even rely on his usual comforts to help calm him down. 

His brothers weren’t here. April wasn’t here. He truly was alone. Once upon time, Donnie probably would’ve enjoyed that. 

With a wince, he lowered himself to sit criss-cross on the bed. Donnie laid Shelldon out in front of him, deciding that if he wasn’t going to sleep then he might as well get a headstart on repairing his robotic son. 

He pulled off his compression glove to reveal the electric-esque scars ending just below the bend of his arm. It shook and Donnie knew he should’ve expected that. It was common for it to flare up in states of high distress. 

He ignored the tremors in favor of laying out the tools kept in his battle shell (no, he would not be taking that off soon).

It certainly wasn’t an excuse to keep his mind busy. To prevent his thoughts from wandering to an unwarranted territory he didn’t want to deal with on his own. Into the realm of issues that he hadn’t even confided in his brothers about. 

Plus, by restoring Shelldon he would also be gaining just a semblance of his normal back. Donnie desperately needed that at the moment. 

He didn’t acknowledge the tears that began to soak his mask. 

Chapter Text

As expected, Donnie didn’t get any sleep by the time the other occupants began to rise. He had worked on Shelldon all night and made good progress, he wasn't up and running quite yet but Donnie suspected he could repair him by the end of the day if he kept this up. 

His back ached from being hunched over for several hours and he pointedly ignored the way his battle shell dug into his shoulders as he leaned further down to fuse plates on Shelldon’s rotors together. 

Working on a project allowed his mind to wander away from the stress of being in another dimension. There was a point, two weeks following the invasion, that Donnie couldn’t bring himself to touch any of his tech. He’d like to tell himself that he hadn’t had the time to do so as he focused on tending to his family, but he wasn’t one to blatantly lie to himself.

The Technodrome had done something to him in the brief moments they were connected. Trying to use his tech felt wrong. It still does. It felt like his mind was reaching out, trying to form some sort of connection with tech that he hadn’t been able to before. He couldn't help but fear what would happen if that connection was established. Would he be able to regain control? Would he be himself or just another part of a machine? Would he have to be ripped away in the same manner he was at the Technodrome only to deal with the aftermath of uncertainty. 

Shakily, Donnie thinks back to when he had first tried to use an X-ray on ‘Nardo. Everything was going as expected until there was a push within his Ninpo that he had never felt before. The buzz traveling underneath this skin was something he’d long since become akin with, but never once had that happened without him triggering it. 

And then came the visuals, and that's when he really began to freak out. He had been fine the hours following the Invasion. But when the adrenaline was surely wearing down...there was an unexplainable bloom of colors invading his vision. They sparked and curled around the X-ray like static on a TV, he could almost hear it and it was affecting his ability to think. It was just like controlling that damned ship and if there's anything Donnie hated more than the invasion of his body, it's the inability to think. 

Had 'Nardo not been there in need of his brother, Donnie was sure he would have spiraled. He had forced himself to focus on what mattered most: his family. He didn't have time to figure out the why or a know-how on finding his own fix for the issue and he still didn't.

A spasm ran up the expanse of his left arm and he barely had time to turn off the torch before he accidentally set the bed on fire. He grit his teeth in pain, clutching the fabric underneath his palm as he rode out the tremors. 

It was hours, minutes he corrected himself, for the muscles in his arm to stop seizing. He was left with a dull ache as he stared at the wall. Eventually, there was a knock at the door before Leo walked in. He appeared to be fully geared up sans katanas. Donnie glanced down at Shelldon in front of him surrounded by a wide array of tools. 

“Were you up all night working on that?” Slowly, he set down his portable welding torch in its case to make sure the blankets didn’t get dirty. 

“...no? And it’s Shelldon.” Leo looked wholly unimpressed. Donnie was never the best at lying. 

Leo shook his head, “well, you’re definitely a Donnie. Breakfast is ready.” While Donnie would much rather finish his repairs on Shelldon, his father did teach him manners, surprisingly, and boarding himself up in someone else’s room was decidedly not proper guest etiquette. 

“Allow me to put away my tools first.” It didn’t take long what with his mechanical arms helping and soon enough he was following Leo to their kitchen. Tiny-Raph, Splinter, and Mikey were already there with the latter cooking something on the stove. 

It smelled…questionable. But since the others appeared to be unbothered by that, Donnie decided not to say anything. Leo took a seat between fun-sized Raph and Splinter, leaving the two chairs across from them open. He decided to sit on the edge seat. 

There wasn’t much conversation going on. The only noise that filled the silence was someone occasionally shifting in their chair. As much as Donnie enjoyed the quiet, this was just uncomfortable. 

Meals had never been a quiet ordeal for his family. ‘Angelo was always the one cooking, at least that was the same, but ‘Nardo and Donnie would usually be arguing about something while ‘El would try and separate them. Papa always just looked on with a vaguely amused expression.

Breakfast with your brothers wasn’t supposed to be quiet. It was meant to be fun, lively. A time to rib your family and get the same in return. This…this wasn’t anything like that.

Luckily, he didn’t have to stew in awkwardness for much longer. Mikey plopped a plate of something he couldn’t quite distinguish on the table, presenting it with a bright smile on his face.

“Behold my latest masterpiece, bros and alt bro!” He grabs one of the flat, greasily breaded monstrosities to hold it up over his head before swallowing it whole. “Pizza pancakes!” 

There was silence before a resigned sign leaves the beaks of the other three turtles who move to grab their share. Donnie could only stare. 

Unfortunately, one ends up in front of him. It quite literally just looks like someone threw pepperoni and cheese into pancake batter. If his ‘Angelo were here, he’d be having a completely justifiable cooking meltdown right about now. 

No one appeared to be vomiting from the food crime in front of them, save for Splinter who was drinking a cup of tea, and Donnie hadn’t really eaten anything in the last day. So, against what his brain was screaming at him, he took a tentative bite while glaring at the adult in the room. 

That proved to be a huge mistake. The taste itself wasn’t terrible, Donnie could definitely stomach it if he really needed to. The texture, however, was enough to make his skin crawl. 

It wasn’t fluffy like the pancakes his younger brother made and parts of it were undercooked. The slimy feeling of the batter against his tongue was atrocious and the burnt pieces of pepperoni that scratched at the roof of his mouth only made it worse. 

He forced himself to swallow the bite he took without chewing it any further, dropping the ‘pancake’ back onto his plate as if it had burned him. Donnie couldn’t keep his lip from curling up in disgust as he glared at the monstrosity before him. 

“You don’t like it Donnie?” Mikey asked around a mouthful of food, earning him a displeased look from Splinter as he reached over for Donnie’s leftovers.

“It’s not that bad.” 

“Absolutely not.” 

Donnie glanced at his counterpart who offered a sheepish smile at having spoken at the same time. Tiny-Raph snorted, leaning back in his chair as he finished off the last of his breakfast. 

“We should probably figure out names for you two.” Leo started stacking the plates in front of other him. He hesitated before Donnie’s empty platter but the very pointed glare at the food residue still there was enough for him to get the idea. 

“Oh! How about ‘Tello since you call your brothers by the last bit of their name.” Mikey suggested brightly but Donnie felt himself go tense. 

Maybe it was a bit selfish on his part because it did make sense to call him that. But there was only one person allowed to use the name ‘Tello and his twin wasn’t here. It wasn’t right. 

“Just call me Dee.” His tone had a bit more force than he intended but none of them questioned him on it. Leo gathered the dishes in front of him, heading to the sink to begin washing them. 

Splinter took that as his cue to clear his throat, finishing off the rest of his tea. 

“It is time for training, my sons.” He rose from his seat at the table and the others were quick to follow suit. “I wish for you to join us.” Donnie quirked an eyebrow, getting up at his own pace. He’d much rather be working on Shelldon but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t mildly intrigued over the tutelage routine here. 

They all made their way out of the kitchen and to what Donnie could only assume was the dojo. There were expertly installed wooden sliding doors lining the concrete walls and mismatched carpets covering almost the entirety of the floor. The most interesting part was the giant tree growing in the middle of the area. 

“Fascinating.” Donnie flipped his goggles to rest over his eyes, approaching the tree carefully as data started flooding the lenses. “It shouldn’t be possible for such growth to occur in an environment like this. And the tree itself appears to be quite healthy.”

Donnie desperately wanted to gather samples but an amused hum pulled him away from his research and he begrudgingly put his goggles back on the top of his head. With a huff, he turned around to face the rest of them. Splinter was sitting on a zabuton, Leo and Tiny-Raph directly across from him while Donatello and Mikey sat behind them. There was an empty cushion next to Mikey. 

He grumbled before taking his seat, tucking his feet underneath him and folding his hands in his lap. 

“Now, my sons. We will begin this session with some meditation.” Donnie really had to hold in a groan at that. “It is important to allow your body to become one with your mind. Achieving this balance is essential in unlocking your true potential as ninjas.” He adjusted to sit in the lotus position and all the turtles followed the motion. Donnie wasn’t a huge fan of this form of sitting. The way his legs were bent was uncomfortable and it was kind of hard keeping his back straight with his battle shell weighing him down. 

Still, he knew the effort was fruitless. Emptying his brain was never something Donnie was good at, even more so after the Invasion. His connection to the Technodrome had only been brief but in that time, it had somehow altered the chemistry of his mind and became even harder for him to even just relax. Not thinking just wasn’t viable anymore. The amount of times he had to just remind himself he wasn’t in the void was…too much.

The two weeks after the Invasion, when Donnie couldn’t bring himself to so much as look at any tech he created, he had almost gone mad. Inventing and repairing was his way of coping with the uncontrollable and without his usual passions to fall back on, he felt as if he was losing himself. 

That had been a terrifying realization and after a much needed talk with Dr. Feelings he had gotten himself comfortable using his tech again. It was slow, and he wasn’t completely there, but it was far better than how it used to be. 

“Michelangelo, stop fidgeting.” Donnie was suddenly flung back into reality by the sound of Splinter’s voice and only then did he realize that Mikey was indeed moving restlessly next to him. The orange turtle did stop but Donnie could feel how tense he was. 

“Why should he?” Donnie opened his eyes, catching the surprised gaze of Splinter. Even the other turtles turned to face him, mouths open slightly. 

“He cannot meditate, he must improve if he wishes to keep up with his brothers. Did your Splinter not teach you?” It was a genuine question yet the tone sounded as if he were talking to a child. Donnie dug his nails into the muscle of his thigh. 

“Papa tried. But it was quickly evident that meditation was only beneficial, as you put it, for one of us.” He shrugged, lifting a hand to gesture as he talked. “‘Angelo and ‘Nardo can’t sit still for the life of them and Papa was fine with it because he understood there was nothing wrong with his sons for not being able to. The same should apply to your own sons.”

“If that were the case, how could they ever hope to be proper ninja if they cannot simply sit still?” Donnie cocked an eyebrow before adjusting his position to sit normally. He’s not going to bother pretending like he was actually going to meditate. 

“Apologies, I didn’t realize there was a How to manual when it came to being a ninja, and yes that was sarcasm.” He rolled his eyes, resting his cheek against his closed fist. “Sitting still has nothing to do with their ability to engage in combat. ‘Nardo and ‘Angelo are our best fighters. No meditation required.” 

Donnie leaned forward, a clear view of Splinter now that Leo had moved to get out of their way. None of them had dared try to speak and he appreciated that because there was so much more he wanted to say. 

“I can’t clear my mind, much like Donatello here if I am to assume correctly. There is too much to think about, too many upgrades and too many inventions that will allow my family to live just a little bit easier. I don’t have time to waste on meditation when there are far more important things that need to be done.” He chuckled as he ran a finger along the cool metal of his gauntlet.

“‘El was the only one who took to meditation. It helps calm him. But he, nor my Papa, have ever used it against the rest of us. There are different ways to attune your mind and body. This way isn’t conducive to aiding Mikey in being a better ninja or whatever bullshit you’re trying to spew.” He snapped, baring his fangs slightly in a show of aggression he hasn’t used in a long while.

“Dee!” Leo cut in harshly but Donnie turned his glare onto him to shut the terrapin up. 

Perhaps Donnie was just reading into this. Maybe he was putting together a hypothesis from minimal context clues he gathered from his short time with these turtles. But he had noticed the way this Splinter seemed to be raising them to be carbon copies of each other. Individuality wasn’t encouraged and Donnie couldn’t understand why.

The differences between him and his brothers were their greatest boon. They had learned to work with each other, to adapt to the unpredictability they all used. There had been growing pains in the beginning, of course, but now they functioned together like a well oiled machine. 

He couldn’t imagine a life where his family hadn’t encouraged his love for engineering. Donnie didn’t want to think of what that must be like.

Splinter opened his mouth but Donnie didn’t let him speak. He didn’t want to hear the excuses he would use to defend himself. 

“You want your sons to improve?” He was standing now, staring down at the still seated Splinter. “Allow them to grow as their own people. Let them develop their own identity instead of forcing them to be something they’re not. Then you’ll see just how much more they can do.” 

The silence that followed his outburst was thick. ‘You can cut the tension with a knife’ was a phrase that Donnie never really understood until now. It made the air feel heavy, like you were trying to breathe underwater while desperately attempting to break the surface. 

But he didn’t regret it. Not a single word that left his mouth had been untrue and Donnie would do it again in a heartbeat if meant defending Mikey for something he can’t help. He’d never let anyone talk to his siblings like that. There wasn’t much of a difference here. 

“I understand that you may not agree with my methods.” Splinter spoke after a long while, nose twitching as his intense gaze rose up to meet Donnie’s. “You must understand that while my sons are alternate versions of you and your brothers, they are not the same. You cannot possibly speak on something such as this after only being here for a day.” 

Donnie scowled, crossing his arms as he looked away to glare at the wall. He should’ve expected this dismissal. 

His Splinter was far from perfect. They were essentially raised by Raph once he was old enough to look after them and Donnie used to resent his Papa for that, though it was hard to do nowadays. There were a lot of unfortunate circumstances surrounding his father that caused him to spiral. It would happen to the best of the best. 

“But perhaps what you say may have some truth.” Donnie glanced back at the rat, taken aback by the sudden fond gaze directed his way. “You are brilliant, just as my Donatello is. You have managed to gather a large amount of information in only a few interactions. I’m impressed.” 

The warmth that followed adult validation curled in the pits of his stomach and Donnie found himself floundering for something to say. It was rare that a conversation caused him to become speechless. 

“I will take your concerns into consideration. All that I ask is that while you are in this world, in our home, you treat me with the same respect you do your father.” Donnie finally took a step back, tapping against his thigh as he considered his options. Admittedly, he had let his emotions take over momentarily. It was increasingly common after the Invasion for him to become snappy. This entire situation only made it worse. 

“Papa isn’t perfect. He made mistakes that he still works to resolve.” He spoke carefully, mulling over his words in his mind. Donnie wasn’t ready to talk about his dad yet. Not fully, anyways. “If you want me to respect you like I do my Papa, you have to earn it. Just as he did.”

Splinter gave him a curious look before simply nodding. Donnie regarded him one last time before sitting back down on the cushion, crisscross because he wasn’t going to try meditation again. 

The four turtles still hadn’t said anything, only staring at him with the same flabbergasted expressions they had the entire conversation. Donatello was the first to recover, readjusting his sitting position before clearing his throat awkwardly. That seemed to do the trick as they all scrambled to get back to the lesson at hand. 

“We will move on to sparring. Donatello,” he turned to face Donnie. “I wish for you to spar against Leonardo. I would like to get an idea of where you stand in your training.” He decided not to tell him formal training for his family was very short lived. 

The rat gestured to the racks leaning against one of the walls. There were wooden versions of all of their weapons and Donnie knew that he was asking for him to not use his tech. 

“No fun.” He grumbled under his breath, depositing his tech-bo on the zabuton. He followed Leo to the rack, grabbing the regular bo to give it a few spins. The surface was smooth, most likely to prevent splinters, but he could tell it was well used. It was lighter than his own tech-bo but felt about the same as the staff he uses combined with his mystic powers. 

“The rules for sparring are simple.” They took their spot in the center of one of the carpets as Splinter spoke. “The spar only ends when one gets knocked out of the ring or if there is a forfeit. No hits that will cause a serious injury.” The viewers moved to sit a few paces away from the ring. Tiny-Raph’s smile was wide as he elbowed Donatello’s side who only shoved him away. Mikey was practically bouncing in his seat. 

Donnie rolled his shoulders, spreading his legs out as he tucked one end of the staff under his arm. Leo took his own stance before Splinter gave the affirmative to start. They circled each other, sizing the other up before Leo lunged, bringing one of his bokkens down. Donnie blocked it easily, twisting to avoid the side sweep he attempted next. He pushed back against Leo to put some distance between them.

His fighting style was very different from his twin’s. While ‘Nardo was all speed and confidence wrapped in a package of shitty one-liners mixed with unpredictability, this Leo was calculating and boring. Donnie could gather his next ten moves easily. 

He stayed on the defensive, watching closely for any openings he may find. There weren’t a lot, and despite how dull this spar was, Donnie could admit that he was definitely a skilled fighter. He kept his weaknesses close with very little opportunities for him to strike. Still, he would have to fight back eventually.

“Dude, you’re about to lose to a Donatello!” He heard Tiny-Raph laugh and Donnie shot him a glare when it wouldn’t impede on the fight. That seemed to fire Leo up though as his swings became a bit more forceful. 

An opening came when Leo dove in to try and disarm him. Donnie stepped out of the way, digging the end of the bo into the ground and lifting himself up to swing around and landing a kick on Leo’s shell. He fell forward, catching himself before he could faceplant. Donnie spun his bo once before moving to the offensive. 

He didn’t allow Leo the luxury of recovering. The blue banded turtle barely had time to roll away from the onslaught of jabs, hopping to his feet to block the next attack. Donnie ducked under a swing, using his staff as leverage to twist Leo’s wrist in a way that forced him to drop one of his bokkens. 

Leo merely readjusted his remaining weapon before jumping back into the fight with a grin. They traded a few blows, Donnie keeping himself one step ahead as he slowly forced Leo back. He had almost gotten him to take a step out of the ring when he must’ve realized what was happening. Leo dodged the next blow, dashing away from the edge of the carpet. 

Donnie’s upper hand didn’t last long though. While he could read Leo’s next move quite easily, it didn’t account for the fact that he was an overall better fighter. He was able to hold his own parrying whatever Leo tried until he landed a hard shove against Donnie’s plastron pushing him out of the makeshift ring. 

Mikey whooped from the sidelines as Leo bowed. Donnie only huffed, walking back towards the rack to put the bo back. He wasn’t a sore loser by any means, he just wasn’t one for sportsmanship either. 

“Well done.” Splinter approached them calmly, nodding towards his eldest who straightened up at the acknowledgement. “It is clear you are not well versed in proper ninjutsu. Despite that, you nearly beat my son in a duel. With training, you can become quite the formidable fighter.” Donnie couldn’t help but scoff at that. 

He already was a formidable fighter. It didn’t matter that he and his brothers were basically self taught. A lot of what they did on the field was improv. Donnie would argue thinking on the spot like that was their greatest weapon. Well, aside from the obvious power boost Ninpo gives them. 

But this Splinter didn’t know that. It was clear their enemies didn’t utilize mystic abilities like his did. It made sense to him why their father would be such a stickler for tradition. They were far less protected and having a mastery over ninjutsu would be beneficial. 

Of course, Donatello could just upgrade all of their equipment to include tools that could end this much quicker. Something told him Splinter wouldn’t appreciate that though. 

“I think that will be enough for today. There is much to be done. Leonardo, I trust that you have it handled?” Leo quickly nodded, bowing as Splinter began to make his exit. 

It was silent for approximately one second before Mikey practically threw himself at Donnie.

“That was awesome! You totally almost whooped Leo’s butt.” Said turtle made an indignant noise but Donnie just smirked, walking past him and Tiny-Raph to pick up his tech-bo. 

“I don’t use a regular bo often. It’s far less exciting than fighting with highly-futuristic tech.” Just to prove a point, he activated the rocket hammer, letting the momentum swing the bo around with practiced motions. 

“Amazing! What else can it do?” Donnie was fully ready to run through all of the features but of course, there was always a buzzkill there to put a damper on his fun. 

“Maybe another time. Right now, we really need you two to finish repairing that robot.” Donatello visibly deflated at that, giving one last longing glance at the tech bo before heading for the door. Donnie silently cursed boring Leo as he followed. 

Tiny-Raph stayed back in the dojo with the other turtle but Mikey caught up with them, a tentative hand coming to rest on his shoulder. Donnie met his gaze and tilted his head in a silent question. 

“Um, thanks dude.” Donnie furrowed his eyebrows causing Mikey to smile sheepishly. “For sticking up for me and all that jazz.” 

“Ah.” He turned to see the other Donatello entering the room he was staying in. “No probbles. I wouldn’t let someone speak such things about my brothers.” He shrugged, offering an awkward smile before following his counterpart. 

The room had been just as he left it with Shelldon resting carefully on the bed. Donatello was observing the little robot curiously but made no move to touch. Donnie appreciated that greatly. He was never the best at allowing others to touch his inventions without his supervision. 

“I made a lot of progress in his repairs last night.” Donnie decided to get straight to the point, sitting down on the bed with his shell pressed against the wall. He picked Shelldon up to allow Donatello enough space to join him. “I can make the final fixes here while you work on adjusting his charging port to be able to work in this dimension.”

A spider arm extended out of its shell to reach into the storage container, grabbing the emergency charge station Donnie carried with him. It required to be plugged into an outlet and unfortunately, it appeared that was not translated amongst universes. Donatello took the device from him, studying the plug carefully before grabbing a few things from his desk.

They worked in relative silence, the only sounds being the shifting of metal and electricity crackling as Donatello modified the charging port. It was nice, in a sense, to have someone able to work alongside him without Donnie constant checking on what he was doing. Sure, he still did that but it was a habit he couldn’t just kill and he found his alternate version doing the same. 

“Hey, Dee?” Donnie hummed an affirmative to show he heard but didn’t look up from what he was working on. “Do you talk to your Splinter like that?” He chuckled at the question.

“Sometimes. But it rarely occurs.” He flicked up his goggles, running his eyes along the inner workings of Shelldon’s circuitry. “Papa wasn’t always present when we were growing up. I was what ‘Angelo described as salty when he started to have a more active role in our lives.” 

He scrunched his snout up when he spotted a burnt wire. Carefully, he removed the offending piece and tossed it on the ground to be thrown away later. Donatello seemed to notice though, offering him several new wires to choose from. Donnie grabbed a blue one.

“I wish I had that kind of confidence.” That did grab his attention and Donnie finally looked up from his task. Donatello was hunched over, putting the last finishing touches on welding the copper cords together. It was done with such precision even though it was clear his mind was elsewhere, working wires was second nature to him. 

“‘Angelo would probably say it's the differences in our upbringings.” Donnie offered after a while, returning back to make the final repairs on the circuits. “I would say it’s my neurodivergent urge to destroy anyone who makes ableist remarks.” 

Donatello choked on air, setting down the cord as he coughed around a laugh. Donnie smirked, closing the hatch on Shelldon once he was satisfied with his work. All that was left was getting him charged enough to run a few diagnostics before turning him on completely. That probably wouldn’t be feasible until tomorrow though. The electrical system wasn’t nearly as powerful as it was back home so it would take a few hours for Shelldon to charge. 

“I’ll ask my questions about that another day.” Donatello chuckled, wrapping the new wires in electrical tape. They moved over to a nearby outlet, plugging in the cord now that it had the proper piece. The pad showcasing the power lit up and Donnie carefully placed Shelldon in the port. 

“Right now, I really want to talk about your fighting moves. I’ve never been that close to beating Leo. And that one move with you using your bo as leverage to kick him? You gotta teach me that.” Donnie smiled at the praise, moving back to the bed so they could face each other properly. 

“I say this with complete and utter offense towards this verses Lame-o-Nardo but his fighting style was totally boring and completely predictable. Where was the flair?” Donnie shook his head and leaned back to rest against the wall. “He kinda fights with the same passion as ‘El but even my big brother can switch things up to keep us on our toes.” 

“Your Leo doesn’t fight like that?” Donatello seemed genuinely surprised by that. Donnie pulled out his phone, glancing at the battery and making a mental note to create a charger before finding the video he wanted. 

“‘Nardo is fast and he definitely has used similar moves but he’s totally unpredictable in what kind of style he decides to use on a day to day basis.” The video itself didn’t contain any hint that his twin possessed any mystic abilities. It did, however, showcase his expert application of his agility. 

“It is kind of disconcerting how many differences there are between our worlds.” Donatello remarked, brown eyes following the image of ‘Nardo as he dashed around the screen. Donnie only offered a half-hearted shrug. 

Donnie glanced down at his hands, running his finger nail along the grooves of his glove. This world was starting to become less daunting to him. He would much rather be at home, yes, but he’s adjusted fairly well to the circumstances at hand. 

“How about a proposition?” Donnie inquired, catching Donatello’s gaze. “Yes, it is true that my ninjutsu could probably use a tune up. I’d really rather not be stuck in a lesson run by your Splinter. So, let’s swap moves. It’d be better for us to trade techniques we learned as fellow bo masters, anyhow.” 

A large smile spread across Donatello’s face and he extended a hand out between them. Donnie grabbed it, giving it a firm shake to seal the deal. Then, when they’ve let go of each other, Donnie let a sly smile cross his face.

“Now that the buzzkill in blue is out of our shells, why don’t we go test out my rocket powered bo.” An equally mischievous look appeared on Donatello’s face and the two quietly snuck out of their rooms to a secluded part of the sewer.

Donnie could get used to having another scientific, bo-wielding genius around. Besides, with two Donatellos working together to send him home, he was 89% certain his stay here wouldn’t extend longer than two weeks. 

Nothing, however, could prepare him for the events that came with an 11% chance of uncertainty.

Chapter Text

Three hours had passed since the two Donnie’s snuck away to practice. Donatello led them to a secluded part of the sewers, far enough away that they wouldn’t be heard but still close enough to haul ass back to the lair if need be. 

Donnie, for his part, was impressed with how quickly Donatello got a handle of the hammer part of his tech bo. They hadn’t advanced to the rocket powered aspect of it quite yet but he was still proud of how fast his counterpart got used to the uneven weight. 

On the other hand, Donnie was not pleased over the fact that traditional ninjutsu was…a challenge for him to get a good handle on. Hand-to-hand combat was not his forte, hence the use of a long distance weapon. It wasn’t that he believed himself to be so physically weak compared to his brothers (even if he was the weakest), it’s just that coordination wasn’t his strong suit. 

Ironic, considering his weapon required the most precise movements out of all of his siblings. It’s gotten to the point that his staff was just an extension of his arms. Donnie could switch between regular bo to rocket power to chainsaw as if it were second nature. Each mode required a different technique that he’s long since perfected. 

It all came so easily to Donatello and logically, he knows that he’s been trained this way his entire life unlike Donnie. However, it still irked him to fall behind to such a degree.

But even Donatello seemed surprised by his lack of progress. And that, above all else, irritated him more. 

Donnie knew that Papa had given him the bo staff to help with his coordination. It was something he always struggled with as a kid. It never bothered him back then, but as they got older and delved more into the fighting lifestyle, it became evident just how far behind his siblings he was. 

Watching this Donatello didn’t help. Sure, he’s said that he had never gotten that close to beating Leo before but just from the three hours they spent swapping techniques, he guessed it was because Donatello struggled with the ability to be spontaneous in a fight. 

Leo was undoubtedly a talented fighter but he was willing to bet that he could prime Donatello up enough to give the blue banded turtle a run for his money. He’d much rather do that than practice ninjutsu any further, even if he did agree to let Donatello teach him. 

Luckily, just as he was about to fail to properly execute a move, there was a ringing that permeated the air around them. Donatello halted in his step with an apologetic smile as he grabbed what looked like a shell shaped phone. Donnie scrunched up his nose at such an archaic looking device. 

“Oh no.” Donnie glanced at his counterpart who fumbled with the wooden bo he left against one of the walls. He cocked an eyebrow but twisted his staff so it shortened enough to pin onto his battle shell. 

“Sorry to cut this short but it seems the Foot is up to something.” They began heading back towards the lair as Donatello continued to fiddle with the device. Ever the curious one, Donnie peered over the other’s shoulder. The interface was a touch screen, albeit smaller than what he was used to. There was a flashing dark blue dot on the map of New York that was moving and Donnie suspected it was probably a vehicle of sorts. 

“Did you place a tracker on their automobile?” Donatello looked back at him with a smile, moving the contraption so he could better see it. 

“Not quite. I’ve set up cameras all around New York specifically designed to track activities from our usual villains.” He pressed one of the buttons and a drop down list appeared on screen. “I’ve color coded each of them. The Foot Clan is dark blue, Shredder is red, Rocksteady and Bebop are yellow, the Kraang are pink-”

“How’d you program it for each group?” The interruption would probably be considered rude but Donatello didn’t seem to care, his eyes lighting up at the chance to talk about one of his creations. 

“It was fairly simple, actually.” He inserted a few commands that pulled up the code and Donnie couldn’t help but marvel at it. He knows he shouldn’t expect less from any Donatello but it didn’t mean he still wouldn’t feel ecstatic over a shared genius. 

They spent the rest of the five minute run back to the lair talking about their inventions. Despite the lack of advanced technology in this world, Donnie was impressed with what his counterpart was able to create. Maybe once he gets back home, he’d be able to give Donatello more advanced technology to work with. 

By the time they got back, the little dot on the tracker app stopped moving. Donatello traced it back to an abandoned warehouse in only a few seconds before sending out a text to round up his brothers. They came relatively quick, another oddity compared to his own family sans ‘El, and gathered around a wooden table. 

“Where were you two?” Leo immediately asked just as Donatello opened his mouth to give a rundown of the situation. Donnie met his eye, leaning his hip against the table with crossed arms. 

“Irrelevant.” Donnie definitely wasn’t about to say he was training Donatello up to kick his ass in a fight. “What is relevant though is your Foot Clan is probably causing mayhem.” That pulled the leader’s attention away from him and to his own brother. 

“Yes, my scanner picked up Foot activity.” He opened his laptop that Donnie honestly didn’t see him grab, pulling up a larger version of the application that was on his outdated phone. “They were traveling via vehicle but it looks like they’ve stopped at this warehouse.” 

He switched to a camera that was focused on the building, a few black vans lined up outside. There were several men in black uniforms with red goggles over their eyes moving boxes into the warehouse. They were closed so it was impossible to tell what they contained but the Foot Clan was never up to good. 

“Everyone gear up. Donatello, do you think you can get us a layout of that warehouse?” Donatello offered a small nod before scurrying in the direction of his lab. The other two left down the hallway that led to the rooms. Donnie could have helped alternate him with his task but at the same time…

“Can I come?” There was no way in hell he wanted to be stuck in an unknown lair with Splinter of all mutants. Besides, he wanted to get a feel for how they fought and what their enemies were like. The Foot Clan existed here as well as the Kraang so it wouldn’t be too far-fetched if they shared all their villains. Hypno, Meat Sweats, Big Mama, Shredder…they could all viably exist in this world. 

Leo looked up at him with a closed off expression, his blue eyes sharp. This was the first time Donnie spotted any resemblance between him and his twin. This Leo was so serious but this right here? ‘Nardo got the same look whenever he was deciding if he could trust someone. He’s always had the easiest time reading people out of their entire family, maybe that was a trait that translated here. 

“You have to follow my orders.” And any notion he had of similarities went right out the metaphorical window. Donnie mulled his response over for a moment before crossing his arms and meeting his gaze. 

“I know how to work in a team, in case you forgot I am a counterpart of your far superior brother.” Leo inhaled through his nose in a manner that resembled ‘El when he was irritated but didn’t want to show it. 

“I’m serious. I will not allow you on the field if you do something that endangers their lives.” They stood in silence, the pair staring each other down. While Donnie’s younger brother tendencies were begging him to be as annoying as possible, he also really wanted to go on this mission. So, he huffed but ultimately nodded in agreement. 

The other three came in shortly after. Leo gave them all a once over before they made their way out of the lair as a group. The trip to the warehouse was spent sticking to the shadows, masterfully parkouring across buildings in choreographed motions. And, a common theme it appears to be with these brothers, it was silent. 

Who knew that Donnie could miss his twin purposefully bugging him on missions. 

They reached their destination soon enough, Donatello pulling out that phone again to pull up the schematics of the building. Everyone gathered around him to see the screen. 

“There’s three ways we can enter the warehouse. The front entrance, the back entrance, and through the windows lining the upper part of the building.” As they continued talking, Donnie moved his goggles down to rest over his eyes, setting it to the function that allowed him to see the interior of the warehouse.

As expected, the front and back doors were swarming with Foot members though none appeared to be armed. While mystic energy didn’t exist here, they certainly had some other tricks up their sleeves. 

The windows, however, were trickier. Several of them led to a long drop that would definitely give away their position while the others had unstable platforms that wouldn’t support their weight. Only one window was a good option but they could easily be spotted trying to get five of them in. 

There was, however, a well hidden vent that would not only give them the cover they needed but it would also allow them to easily hide in the rafters lining the ceiling. It was their best tactical bet compared to the other options and if this vent didn’t show up on Donatello’s blueprints, then perhaps the Foot didn’t know about it either. 

“There’s a vent located on the right side of the roof that’ll give us the access we need.” Donnie interrupted as he moved his goggles back to the top of his head. “The doors are obviously a bad idea and the windows don’t offer much in the whole stealth department, if anything they probably expect you guys to enter that way.” 

Donatello squinted at his map, mumbling something to himself with a frown. If he was anything like Donnie, he’s probably upset he missed such a thing. He doesn’t fault other him for that though; it was a well hidden opening that wouldn’t be spotted with simple cameras. 

“They’ll probably be waiting for us to use that opening as well. A vent doesn’t allow for much room to move if we’re caught.” Leo countered and Donnie had to admit that was a valid contingency as well. 

“Dee might be right, Leo.” Donatello smiled sheepishly at the offended look the leader shot him. “This blueprint was created looking through all the cameras around the warehouse. If I missed it, they probably did too.” 

“Not to mention we’ll most certainly get caught going through the windows. Three of them don’t have anywhere to go after you enter and the other two are unstable. The vent is the only sound option.” Donnie added, waving his hands in the vague direction of the building as he stared Leo down. 

Leo examined their options for a moment, eyes locked on the small swarm of Foot members standing guard at the front. His gaze flickered back to the phone in Donatello’s hand. Eventually, he stood up with a shake of his head. 

“The vents are too risky. We’ll split up and each take a window. From there, we’ll be able to climb onto the beams on the ceiling and attack on my signal.” Donnie shot up, gritting his teeth at the blatant dismissal of everything he had said.

Sure, it was true that using the vents was still difficult when it came to maneuverability but he just knew this was the wrong choice. Leo wasn’t the one who saw the poorly maintained structure of the scaffolding, Donnie was. He could put his tech bo on one of them and the entire thing would collapse. 

“That plan will get us caught!” Donnie snapped, fingers twitching as he barely managed to contain his angry stims. 

“I don’t know how things run in your universe but in this one, I’m the leader. What I say goes. If you don’t want to follow my orders, then wait out here.” Without another word, the eldest turned on his heel and began to move quietly along the rooftops. 

Tiny-Raph and Donatello followed after him, Mikey offering a half-hearted shrug before doing the same. Donnie, when they were far enough away, brought his palm up to hit against his temple as he tried to calm his breathing. 

The absolute nerve of that guy to just brush off everything he had said. Him! The clearly far more intellectual one!  

After a few more seconds of just stewing in anger, he decided it would be best for him to just meet up with the others and take out his frustrations on their enemies instead. He leapt across the two rooftops until he came to the only empty window; the one that led to a two story drop, of course. 

As quietly as he could, he broke the rusted lock and shimmied the window open. Everyone else was already perched in their respective windowsills and once Leo caught his eye, he made a hand motion that gestured towards the steel support beams running along the area above them. Donnie glanced around him, lifting his wrist to summon his spider arms until-

There was a crash followed by a scream and then silence. The Foot soldiers inside all turned at the noise, rushing over to investigate and since Donnie knew this was going to happen, he was already prepared. 

He jumped from the window, landing in a roll where Tiny-Raph was currently splayed across the ground. Donnie pressed the button that activated his rocket powered hammer, swinging it until the end slammed into the Foot Clan members. Instead of the shouts he was expecting, there was a spark before they broke against the impact of his hammer. 

That’s when Donnie realized that these were not in fact humans but robots. Yet another thing to unpack later. 

The other three turtles quickly joined them on the floor, Donatello helping Tiny-Raph up as Leo and Mikey helped force the other bots back. And maybe, just maybe, Donnie was still a tad bit salty at Leo. 

“Oh wow.” He deadpanned, blocking an attack before using the now normal end of his bo to push right through some of their stomachs. “The platform couldn’t hold any of our weight. Who would’ve seen that coming, he said sarcastically.” 

“Now probably isn’t the time for this, dudes!” Mikey interrupted whatever Leo was gonna say, ducking as a robotic arm jabbed in the place his head once was. Tiny-Raph rejoined the fight looking as pissed as ever. 

“New plan!” Leo grunted, kicking a robot away from him. “Fend off the Foot Bots and figure out what’s in the boxes!” And they split from there. 

Leo and Tiny-Raph fought together back to back, moves perfectly practiced to work around each other. He already grasped the kind of fighting style the blue terrapin had but it was fascinating to see how the other’s were so similar yet different. 

They followed the same basic steps, dutifully keeping to the traditional ninjutsu that was drilled into them. But bite-sized Raph was definitely stronger whereas Leo was more agile. His punches packed more power, allowing him to take down the Foot far easier than the rest of them whilst Leo was more meticulous about it. 

Donatello was as he expected: a competent fighter but unable to deviate from his plan. He’s always steps ahead yet at the same time, he’s predictable to a well trained eye. It was something Donnie struggled with for a while too. It took a lot of spars with ‘Nardo and ‘Angelo before he felt comfortable enough adjusting to change in battle. 

Mikey, without the careful eye from Splinter, deviated from tradition the most. He was skilled much like his own little brother, quickly proving to be the most flexible as well as a total wildcard. Donatello appeared to be able to read his style easily enough, working around the razzmatazz he threw in whenever it suited the situation. 

Between the four of them, they were making quick work of the Foot Bots that were left. Donnie decided he should get a start on the second part of the mission. So, after maneuvering his way around without being noticed, he found himself at a stack of boxes that were furthest away from the action. 

He peeled off the tape of the first box only to reveal scraps of metal that he didn’t have time to figure out what it was for. The second one proved to be the same. Then the third. And the fourth. 

Donnie continued to move through the piles, almost every box yielding some sort of equipment that he didn’t recognize. It wasn’t until he got to the 15th box that he stopped. It looked just as inconspicuous as every other package thus far with one exception.

A single piece of metal glowed a horrific neon pink. 

Kraang pink. 

The static was there again, buzzing in the back of his mind as the machines whispered his name. Donnie’s breath hitched as his vision narrowed on that singular hunk of metal. Slowly, just as the colors invaded his sight, he moved a hand towards the technology in front of him. In the corner of his eye, he could see the lights in the warehouse flicker. 

He could feel his ninpo humming beneath his skin. It flared where it sat alone in his chest, void of his family, begging for that connection. For a link to fill what he was missing. 

Donnie wanted to complete that bond. 

Despite what his mind was screaming at him.

Donnie needed it. 

Just one touch…

“Dee!” He blinked, the static receding as the world rushed back to him. Right, he was in a warehouse in an alternate dimension. His other brothers were fighting the Foot Clan. They were robots. 

Wait, why did they scream his name? 

His body moved on instinct, rolling out of the way as something, no- someone, slashed at where he once was. 

There was a man. Long blades adorned his hands and wrists as armor covered only certain parts of his body. Arbitrary if you asked Donnie. One of his eyes was milky white and covered with a scar that gave a pretty clear idea of what happened. The remaining eye was cold and sharp, never leaving him even as the other brothers tried to rush to his aid. 

Donnie rose to his feet just as the man straightened, spinning his tech bo as he got in fighting position. His opponent did not move though, instead opting to examine him where he stood. 

“You are not the purple nuisance I have become accustomed to.” His eye flicked over to the four brothers who were surrounded by more Foot Bots. Donnie hadn’t even realized there were reinforcements. 

“And who exactly are you?” He opted to ask, quirking an eyebrow. 

“I am Shredder.” The man chuckled, “prepare to see why I am known as such.”

Donnie really wasn’t expecting that. Well, he probably would have gathered that information had he paid closer attention to the now obvious claws and spikes adorning his outfit. But this man, this Shredder, was just so underwhelming. 

“Well that’s disappointing.” That seemed to tick Shredder off because next thing he knew, he was fending off an onslaught of attacks from the surprisingly strong human. 

Still, it was abysmal compared to the all-powerful, ten-foot tall demon armor he and his brothers fought. 

He blocked the first few hits, taking the time to analyze his style and take stock of his surroundings. There wasn’t much in the way of the environment. The most he could do was use the boxes as coverage or projectiles but that’d most likely damage the contents. He could use his spider arms to his advantage and put some distance between them.

The issue with that, though, was the fact that a good chunk of the warehouse was being used in the battle against the Foot Bots. Donnie could potentially get in the other four’s way and vice versa. 

Besides, he didn’t need that extra distance anyway. It’s not like he could use his mystic abilities and he had to be closer for a majority of the additions on his bo. 

This Shredder didn’t provide much when it came to openings. He was a seasoned fighter, each move purposeful and accurate. He could block the attacks easily enough but there weren't many options when it came to his own offense. Donnie would have to make his own openings. 

A slash, followed by a hard knee to the stomach, an attempt at grabbing his arm. Shredder was all about using methods that would throw him off his game. While something like that would have certainly worked a few months ago, nowadays Donnie was almost too calculating when it came to fighting. All thanks to his own Shredder. 

He picked up on the pattern easily enough, using his bo to block the next slash. Instead of pushing the man back to create distance, Donnie instead pulled his weapon closer so the ends of Shredder’s claws would get caught on the titanium. He dug his heels into the concrete, twisting his body and yanking on his tech bo causing the other to stumble slightly. 

Donnie took the opportunity to grab Shredder’s wrist and throw him over his shoulder, his opponent rolling until he came to a stop a couple feet away. He activated his hammer, leaping into the air and swinging it masterfully around his body to create the momentum he needed. 

It came down with a resounding crack, bits of concrete flying around them as his weapon left a notable dent in the ground where Shredder was only moments ago. He had managed to get out of the way in time and Donnie only felt slightly annoyed by that. 

But the man didn’t attack right away, instead slowly getting to his feet as he stared at the newfound crater in the floor. His eyes were wide but not from fear. No, he almost appeared to be impressed. 

“Had that blow landed, it would have killed me.” Donnie didn’t miss the underlying chuckle as he spoke. The turtle simply raised a single brow, tucking the middle part of his bo under his armpit and retaking his stance once more. 

“I’m aware.” A statement that should have worried him, what with his readiness to commit a murder. He was done allowing enemies the chance to hurt his family. That extended to alternate universes. 

After the Invasion, he made a promise to himself during one of the many nights he spent sitting in a chair next to ‘Nardo’s bed. It pained him to see his twin so broken, to see his older brother run into walls because he couldn’t see out of one eye, to see his baby brother barely able to hold a pencil. He wouldn’t let anything hurt them again. 

Shredder laughed fully this time, his shoulders shaking with the force of it. Donnie gripped his staff harder, a growl escaping his throat. He felt as if he was being mocked. 

“This will be fun.” He pulled down his mask to reveal the full extent of his smile. It was crazed and full of teeth, like a man who had found something he lost long ago. 

There wasn’t much more room for thought as Shredder lunged once again. This time around, the entire fight wasn’t as meticulous on both sides. Donnie allowed the anger he had been feeling since he got here to add force behind his attacks that he doesn’t usually include. It wasn’t often he let himself go like this. While it did allow for a few more openings on his end, it also made his hits just that much harder. 

Shredder, on the other hand, appeared to be having more fun himself. Perhaps it was the thrill of a new opponent that allowed him to act carelessly, to shed the calm and collected persona he clearly wore. He was more unpredictable, like a feral animal fighting for survival. It made him dangerous, more so than he was before, but Donnie was up for the challenge. 

He had faced worse and he would be damned if he let this walking tin can keep him from his world. 

The battle between them continued on for a few minutes, the world around them drowning out as they focused on taking the other down. The Foot Bots were easy enough to defeat and he figured the other four would have no issues beating them. 

Neither got the upper hand on each other, they simply continued to move in a delicate dance as they tried to go for the finishing blows. Sparks flew as metal claws met titanium and it became clear that the entire battle was going nowhere. 

It wasn’t until he heard a choked scream that he tuned back into his surroundings. He shoved Shredder into a stack of boxes that tumbled down at the impact and onto the man. It gave him enough time to check up on the others without fear of being impaled. 

Donatello was crouching behind his three brothers who continued to fend off the robots, his hand gripping his thigh where blood trickled between his fingers. Now that he actually took in the state of them, it was clear the four turtles were getting worn out. They wouldn’t have a lot of time before they were overwhelmed. 

He activated his spider arms to get to them quicker, saving Leo from a Foot Bot about to hit him from behind. The extra appendages allowed for him to keep more distance between them and the enemies. 

“I have a plan but I need you guys to cover me!” Donnie shouted over the noise, ducking to avoid a knife and driving his bo through the robot’s chest. 

“What kind of plan?” Tiny-Raph grunted as he took a hit for Donatello. It would leave a bruise for sure but was otherwise superficial.

“I’m going to rig some of the tech to explode! It shouldn’t take long but I’ll need you to keep them off of me.” Shredder was emerging from the boxes, his eye scanning the space until they locked onto him. “As soon as I turn around, that’s your cue to get out!” 

“Are you crazy?” Leo slashed one of the bots with more force than strictly necessary. “No way, you’re going to get us killed!” His tone suggested there was no room for argument.

Donnie, however, was never really the best at listening. 

“You didn’t respect what I had to say earlier,” he snapped, glaring at him just as Shredder began his approach to them, “I’m not going to respect you now.” With that, he used the Foot Bots as stepping stones so he could get the drop on Shredder, flinging him towards the turtles to give him the time he needed.

Tiny-Raph engaged with the man immediately, placing himself between the horde of enemies and Donnie. Luckily for them, upon his cursory examination of each box and their contents, he knew exactly which pile he needed to go to. 

He moved his goggles down to rest over his eyes, tearing open the cardboard he needed to begin the rewiring process. Donnie’s mechanical arms worked with him, pulling out small explosives he always kept on hand and fixing them to the pile of boxes. It didn’t take long for him to wire everything together.

If he were being honest, he wasn’t actually sure how large this explosion would be. The inner workings of these machines were unknown and his own explosives spread out as they were would make the reaction too localized. As long as it created the diversion they needed, it didn’t matter in the end. 

Just as he set the last piece in place, Shredder finally appeared to break through Tiny-Raph and charged his way towards Donnie. He grumbled, meeting with him halfway to ensure that he couldn’t undo his work. 

“As much as I enjoy this little soiree, it is really about time I bid you adieu.” Donnie offered his most shit-eating grin, glancing behind Shredder so he could see Leo support Donatello as they made their escape. “I’d get outta here if I were you.”

The man finally seemed to register what he had done, his eyes widening almost comically as he rushed past Donnie to the boxes. 

“Or don’t. Watching you get caught in this burning warehouse would be quite the spectacle.” The turtle shrugged, saluting as he broke out in a sprint towards the front entrance where Tiny-Raph was waiting for him. 

Donnie didn’t spare a second glance behind them as the two reached one of the buildings with a fire escape. They quickly scaled the metal stairs, scanning the surrounding roofs until they spotted Mikey and Leo tending to Donatello’s leg. 

They leaped across the two buildings and came to a stop next to the trio. Tiny-Raph immediately knelt down to check on his brother and Donnie took the chance to look at the warehouse. If his calculations were correct, which they would be, the explosives should go off in approximately five seconds. 

“3…2…1.” The ground shook as the warehouse lit up in flames, the entire building crumbling as the support beams were taken out. Okay, so maybe the explosion was bigger than he expected. At least everything inside would be utterly destroyed in the force of it. And the surrounding structures weren’t too affected save for a few windows broken by flying debris. All in all, it turned out pretty well if you asked Donnie. 

“We should get back to the lair. This place will be swarming with cops soon.” Leo’s voice was clipped, his shoulders tense as he helped Donatello to his feet. Mikey was on this other side and slowly, they all helped get him across the rooftops and to the manhole. 

The walk back was longer due to the injury and much, much more awkward than before. It was clear Leo was mad at him, which was fine because Donnie felt the exact same. 

For one, despite what the others might think, he did not put them in any more danger than they already were. Donnie ensured that there would be enough time for all of them to get out, even increasing the time to count for the fact one of them had a bum leg. Secondly, they would have ended up dead had he not done anything. All of them were getting tired and Shredder had just joined the fight. 

Really, they should be thanking him for his quick thinking. But no, Leo was brooding instead. Donnie hoped he was upset that he was wrong not once, but twice this entire mission. Oh how he’d love to rub that in his face. 

By the time they reached the lair, Mikey looked as if he was two seconds away from passing out. Tiny-Raph had taken over in support of Donatello's weight and they meandered over to lay the tallest turtle on the couch. 

“What happened, my sons?” Donnie glanced over at Splinter who came into view from the kitchen. His eyes landed on Donatello almost immediately and he slowly approached the couch. 

“I’m fine, sensei. The mission was just a bit more than we expected.” The turtle winced as Tiny-Raph got to work on patching the injury. It wasn’t anything serious and if their healing factor was anything like Donnie’s, he would be fine by tomorrow night. 

“It would have gone better had someone not tried to blow us up.” Leo didn’t take his eyes off of his brothers, watching the gauze go over the cut as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. 

Donnie stiffened, turning his body so he was completely facing Leo, like it would help him hear that particular bullshit better. He was well aware the other turtle didn’t like him but he couldn’t seriously think that to be true. 

“If I recall,” Donnie crossed his arms with a huff, “it was your plan that got us caught in the first place. We would have been swamped had I not thought of something brilliant.” 

Leo finally stood at that, training his glare on him completely as he stalked forward. 

“You call that brilliant?” He shook his head in disbelief and Donnie bristled. “We had everything under control! You disobeyed a direct order that put not only yourself at risk but everyone else too! And who knows how much property damage you caused when you blew up that warehouse!”

“The only building that was destroyed was the warehouse, the others were perfectly fine.” He leaned forward to be more eye level with Leo. “The way I see it, that mission was only going to end in disaster no matter what. Not only did Shredder show up but that warehouse was riddled with Kraang technology. I did this world a favor.” 

Leo brought a hand up to rub at the space between his eyes, taking a few deep breaths as he fought to control himself. Yet another instance that reminded him too much of his own eldest brother at home. 

“By destroying those boxes, you’ve made that entire mission a waste of our time.” He said it much quieter this time around, his voice now adorning a slight rasp to it. 

“Scoff.” Donnie held out his hand as one of his spider arms moved out of his battle shell to place the part he successfully managed to swipe before Shredder interrupted him. “I’m offended you would think I’m incompetent enough to just destroy valuable information.” 

“Is that…?” Donatello gasped, slowly getting up from the couch with Mikey supporting the weight on his bum leg. Donnie handed it over to alternate him. 

“If you’re thinking about motherboards, then yes. I looked through almost all the containers and deduced that this one will most likely possess the data we need. But,” Two more chips were dropped into his waiting palms. “I swiped the others as well. You’re welcome and thank you” 

Donnie took great satisfaction in seeing the slightly embarrassed look on Leo’s face. It felt almost as good as when he would one-up his twin back home. This time, there was just a little sprinkling of pettiness on top that made it even better. 

“I can’t be the only one who thinks his plan was crazy.” Leo said after a while, glancing over at his brothers and Splinter who were standing off to the side. Donatello was too focused on the motherboards in his hands while Mikey just gave him a nonchalant shrug. 

Tiny-Raph was the one to move forward, placing a heavy hand on Leo’s shoulder as his face took on an uncharacteristic seriousness to it. 

“You know what, Fearless?” He asked almost solemnly, his eyes shut as he let the silence stew for a moment. The last thing Donnie needed was for another to join the argument. It felt as if he were arguing in an echo chamber.

Then, before anyone could say anything else, an almost deranged grin broke across Tiny-Raph’s lips as he lightly shoved his brother away and approached Donnie. 

“It was badass!” Donnie floundered for a moment, looking down at the red-banded turtle who wasn’t glaring at him for the first time since he arrived in this world. “I’ve been wanting to blow something up on a mission for years!”

It took a second for Donnie to place what expression Tiny-Raph had, but it finally clicked that he was impressed. A smile, a genuine one, slowly graced his features. The familiar buzz of excitement at being able to share an interest with someone made his hands flap.  

“You thought that was impressive?” Donnie pulled out his phone and scrolled through his videos, clicking on the folder lovingly dubbed ‘Junkrat’ by April. “That was nothing compared to these.”

He selected one of the oldest videos in the album. It was from a few months into their roles as vigilantes. Donnie and ‘Nardo snuck up on the surface to test the new device he created in an isolated area ways away from New York.

“Make sure to stay behind me, Leo.” Donnie reminded his twin as he finished making the final adjustments on his new invention. It was a simple upgrade he wanted to add to the Turtle Tank that would incapacitate their enemies in less than lethal manners. 

There was a test dummy, set up about 50 yards away from the brothers. In front of them was a reinforced glass barrier that would protect them should something go wrong. Donnie was confident it wouldn’t but Leo had insisted. 

“Come on, Donton. You’re cutting into my beauty sleep.” Though there was the expected whine in his voice, Leo couldn’t keep the smile off his face as Donnie stood from his crouched position. The device that looks a lot like a rifle with a larger barrel was set up in the small opening of the glass and ready to go. 

“First off, don’t call me that.” He glared at the shit-eating grin on his twin's face. “Secondly, you and I both know you wouldn’t be asleep right now anyways. Lastly, there isn’t enough sleep in the world to make you beautiful.” 

Donnie smirked as he dodged a swipe from his brother who let out an indignant squawk. They stuck their tongues out at each other as if they were five but they quickly broke out in a set of giggles. It wasn’t often that they got to have Twin Time anymore. Donnie relished these moments. 

He positioned himself behind the device, glancing over Leo to make sure he was safe before he took aim. The scope allowed him to get a clear view of the dummy from the distance they were at. 

Leo was fidgeting next to him, whether it be from excitement or impatience he wasn’t sure. Admittedly, Donnie may have dragged it out a few more seconds than necessary to mess with him. 

At the slap on his shoulder from Leo, Donnie rolled his eyes dramatically before pulling the trigger. The recoil was far stronger than he expected and the handle of it dug painfully into his collarbone. 

He pulled away to rub at the spot with a grimace but dutifully ignored the worried look his brother was giving him. Instead, he watched the projectile sail through the air and make contact with the dummy.

What was supposed to happen was that it would open up to a set of web-like arms that wrapped around their target and shocked them until they fell unconscious.  

What happened instead was the entire thing malfunctioning in such a manner that resulted in a massive explosion. The force of the wind alone was enough to push the glass panel back into the twins. It did its job, however, in protecting them from the flying rocks and metal raining down around them. 

It took a minute for everything to wind down. The sky above them was now hazy with dust and smoke, settling over the stars like a blanket. Neither of them said anything for a while, just staring up at the muddied moon from where they laid on their backs. 

Then, the silence was broken by a snort followed by a chuckle. Soon enough, the pair had broken out in a fit of laughter. It disturbed the serene quiet of the night yet neither seemed to care. 

They turned their heads to face each other with matching cheshire grins, raising their fists to bump against each other. Leo was the first to get to his feet before offering his hand to help his slightly younger (for the week) twin up as well. 

“I’m assuming it wasn’t supposed to do that,‘Tello.” Despite the fact the experiment had gone drastically wrong, Leo wasn’t upset. He was enthused by the results and shockingly, Donnie was too. 

“Nope but this leads to so many possibilities, ‘Nardo.” 

The video cuts off there and he gladly rewound it to replay the explosion again. It had been much bigger than the one he created today, though that had been a choice made so they wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire. Raph (Donnie supposed he could drop the ‘Tiny’ now), was smiling wide, bright green eyes fixated on the video in front of him. 

“Wow, I don’t know what to be more surprised by.” He started, finally glancing up to meet Donnie’s gaze. “The sheer size of that mushroom cloud or the fact that Leo was the one to do that with you.” 

“Hey!” The two chose to ignore the eldest, and Donnie quickly shuffled through the videos to another one taken during a mission. 

“Oh, ‘Nardo was usually the one just as enthusiastic as I was to test out something that would probably end in explosions. ‘Angelo would sometimes come too if he was ever awake for it.” Then, his smile grew wicked as he glanced up at Leo. “Actually, it was ‘El who was very much against it.” 

Leo’s eyeridge twitched, signaling his frustration with the entire situation. He looked over at Splinter in a clear plea for help but the rat only watched on with slight amusement. 

“If it makes any difference, I’d rather you two go back to hating each other’s guts.” Leo groaned, throwing his head back and running a hand along his scalp. Donnie and Raph shared a look, a seemingly silent conversation going on between them before they came to an agreement. 

“No thanks. I’ll always take the side of arson.” Donnie laughed, tucking his phone away and slinging an arm over Raph’s shoulders as he headed in the direction of Donatello’s lab. The other three brothers just watched with wide eyes. 

“You should see what I can do with trinitrotoluene. In fact, there was this one time when we were fighting Meat Sweats in this abandoned section of the docks. He knocked me through a building right into a pile of dynamite that I’m sure was there illegally.” Donnie removed his arm from around Raph and sat down at one of the stools, the smaller turtle pulling himself to sit up on the cleared work table. 

“I lured Meat Sweats into that building and used my flamethrower to light the fuses. The resulting explosion was brilliant.” He smiled fondly at the memory. “‘El wasn’t too happy that I blew up half the dock but in my defense, it’s not like anyone that isn’t sketchy goes there anyway.” He shrugged as if the millions of dollars in property damage he caused that night meant nothing to him.

Well, it really didn't, considering they wouldn’t have to pay for it. And his moral compass was never as strong as his brothers. 

Raph stared at him, mouth agape before leaning forward a bit to grab his shoulders and give him a shake. Donnie slapped his hands away, raising an eyebrow in a silent question as to why he was so excited.

“Dude, you have a flamethrower?” Donnie chuckled before reaching behind him and pulling out his tech bo, twisting the metal until it formed into that particular function at the end. 

He walked over to a corner and aimed the tip at the empty wall, pressing the button that immediately caused flames to erupt from the end of the staff. The fire licked at the stone wall for a minute before Donnie decided that was probably enough showing off, not to mention Donatello would definitely kill him if he accidentally set something on fire. 

“I have no words to describe how surreal this moment is.” Raph truly looked like he was in awe and Donnie puffed his chest out at the feeling of approval. 

“Please, continue to sing my praises, Chihuahua.” He barely had time to avoid the stapler that was thrown at his head for the nickname. 

“Like you’re the one to talk, fivehead.” This time, Donnie couldn’t move away from the slap to the forehead from Raph. He glared, irritated with himself for the very little annoyance he actually felt. 

While Donnie certainly noticed that this Raphael was a little less than insane the first time they met, he hadn’t actually expected to get along with him at all. They were both easily irritable which had already caused problems between them.

But, Donnie could respect anyone who shared the same amount of love for arson as he did. In fact, maybe he could actually come to think of Raph as more than just a nuisance.

“What the hell did you two do to my wall?!”

Chapter Text

Truth be told, Donnie hadn’t gotten any sleep for the third night in a row. Four days in, himself and Donatello hit a snag in terms of figuring out what to do next and Shelldon didn't need any additional work done until he was charged enough to run a diagnostic test. So regretfully, work wasn't what was keeping him up this time around.

No, he knew the real reason he couldn’t sleep was the fact that nothing about this situation was comfortable. The other versions of his family weren’t bad and he didn’t think that they would do anything to him while he slept, especially now that he and Raph were on good terms. But at the same time, he wasn’t comfortable because of them. 

Donnie always struggled the most when it came to change. This? This was more than he could handle. That became evident the more nights he spent alone, staring up at the ceiling as the thoughts he tried to keep away surfaced. 

The stress itself was making his left arm act up more than usual too. While ‘Angelo took the brunt of the damage when opening that portal, neither Donnie nor ‘El came out unscathed either. ‘El, for the most part, was fine. It was rough the first two weeks after the Invasion but he would heal up well enough.

However, unlike his brothers, Donnie had to connect his nervous system to an alien spaceship. The same spaceship that he was then ripped out of. It had done some damage though he couldn’t be sure of the full extent. It wasn’t like he could just waltz into a hospital and get an MRI. 

The week after he had suffered from full blown clonic seizures. It had scared the living daylights out of April who he had been helping carry supplies when the initial one hit. It hadn’t lasted long, only a little over a minute which was perfectly normal. Though when he woke up he was disoriented and all he could register was the fact that his sister was holding his head in her lap while she cried. 

Nowadays, he mostly dealt with myoclonic and absence seizures. The absence ones were the most common for him. It freaked out his entire family when he would just check out at random moments for a few seconds. 

The myoclonic ones often flared up whenever he was stressed and typically only affected his left arm which would logically have the most nerve damage. Donnie was fairly certain that his stupid limb had seized more times in the past month and a half than not. 

Being stranded in an alternate dimension was not helping with his levels of stress. 

So no, sleep hadn’t come again for the third night in a row. When the bedside clock read 5:00 am he decided it would be a waste of his time to just lay there. 

The lair was silent except for the soft snoring coming from what he believed to be Mikey’s room. The lights that Donatello strategically placed were off but he didn’t need them to see. Donnie had implemented night vision into his goggles for a reason. 

He reached the kitchen which he deemed a safe enough distance to turn on the lights. Aside from the singular bite he managed to have of the monstrosity the orange brother considered food, he hadn’t eaten since his arrival. It was starting to get to him, and combined with the lack of sleep so far, he was feeling weak.

The mission yesterday definitely hadn’t helped either. 

There wasn’t much in the fridge, the only things he could find was a carton of expired milk and eggs. The eggs didn’t appear to be rotten so Donnie figured he could make himself an omelet. ‘Angelo wasn’t here to criticize him for the lack of vegetables and while there was unfortunately no cheese, he could make do. 

Luckily, eggs were one of the few things that he could cook without burning it completely. There was a reason that he wasn’t the chef of the family. A year before they became vigilantes, their dad had tried to impose a rotating schedule that would task each brother with the preparation of a meal. 

It lasted two days before it was promptly chucked out the metaphorical window. Donnie hadn’t been able to make anything remotely edible and ‘Nardo had nearly burned down the kitchen when he tried to make rice. Splinter banned the twins from the kitchen and ‘El was adamant he didn’t want to cook anyway. 

Donnie couldn’t help but smirk at the irony. Here he was doing the exact thing he was banned from ever doing again in order to survive. Oh the joys of breaking the rules placed upon you by a beloved parental figure.

The omelet was done fairly quickly and he rummaged through the cabinets until he found the ones with plates. He carried his breakfast to the table, snatching a fork from one of the drawers before digging in. 

Thankfully, he was alone as a moan escaped his lips when the first bite of bland eggs met his tongue. Surely, this had to be one of the best tasting things ever compared to the pizza pancakes and applesauce/cottage cheese anomaly Mikey tried feeding him. 

As he downed the omelet in three more bites, the painful curl of his stomach loosened. It was a relief not having to hear his belly rumble every five minutes. Now he would be able to properly focus on how to get home. 

His eyes wandered over to the unused eggs on the counter and he debated whether it would be disrespectful to go for seconds. Before he could ultimately make up his mind, Leo and Splinter walked into the kitchen. 

They were talking quietly and Donnie wasn’t able to pick up on what, considering they halted their conversation as soon as he was spotted at the table. Leo’s expression immediately closed off and he rolled his eyes at that. 

Ah, so he was still mad about yesterday. That was fine, two could play at that game. 

“Good morning, Donatello.” Splinter drew his attention as he moved to start a kettle of water. “I hope you have rested well?” Donnie cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing away from the rat and to his empty plate. 

“Oh yes, it was the best sleep I’ve had in ages.” He threw in a thumbs up for extra measure, hoping he came off convincingly enough. Based on the looks that both of them were giving him, his attempt fell short. 

“You didn’t sleep the night before either.” Leo crossed his arms, voice slipping into the big brother tone that made Donnie’s metaphorical hackles raise. 

“I was busy brainstorming ways to get back to my dimension.” Donnie snapped, glaring at the terrapin for his false concern. It wasn’t a total lie because he did try and get some ideas. Key word here being try. 

Leo raised his hands in surrender before shrugging and turning towards the cabinets. He opened one of the higher ones which revealed three boxes of cereal. The tea kettle began to whistle and Donnie winced slightly at the noise as he grabbed his plate to put in the sink. He turned, fully ready to go back to his temporary room when Splinter gestured towards the spot he had just been sitting in. 

Donnie groaned internally before lowering himself into the chair. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a room with these two, but alas, the universe clearly had it out for him. 

Leo sat across from him with a bowl, opening the milk carton and pouring it into his cereal. It came out clumpy and Donnie rested his chin in the palm of his hand with a smirk.

“The milk’s expired.” He added helpfully, earning himself a glare from Leo. The eldest stood up to discard his now ruined cereal. 

They fell into a lapse of silence as the other turtle went about to make himself something else. Splinter was sitting now, sipping a cup of tea. His gaze was focused on Donnie, the intensity enough to make it uncomfortable yet he stubbornly held it as the rat drank. 

It stayed that way even as the rest of their family came in. Mikey made a beeline for the fridge, mumbling to himself as he looked at the sad contents within. Donatello shared a few quiet words with Leo before gathering his own things to eat. 

Raph leaned against the counter, eyeing Leo as he continued to scramble the eggs he was making. Then, when he turned to tell Donatello something, he snatched the toast off of the other’s plate and moved to the table.

He took the seat next to Donnie, the two sharing a smirk as Leo glared at them from across the kitchen. 

Finally, only when Leo sat back down with his own plate of scrambled eggs and toast, did Splinter set his tea on the table and clear his throat. 

“Donatello provided me with the footage of what happened in the warehouse.” His voice was calm, betraying nothing of what he felt about the entire situation. Leo winced though, stuffing the toast in his mouth as a distraction. 

Splinter finished off his tea, setting the cup away as he eyed each of the teenagers sitting at the table. His gaze stopped at the leader of the group who was adamant about staring at his food instead. 

“Leonardo, look at me.” Leo’s shoulders tensed but he did as asked. “A leader’s job is to lead his team in an efficient manner while keeping them safe. It is important to listen to the input of your team. While I can understand your apprehension when it comes to our guest, I am disappointed in you choosing to ignore Donatello’s concerns.” 

Leo visibly deflated at that, dropping his gaze to the table once more. The room lapsed into an uncomfortable silence that had Donnie picking at the skin around his fingernails. 

Splinter leaned forward to cup Leo’s cheek and lifted his head to look at him. His paw moved to rest on his shoulder once he had his attention. 

“You must learn to open your mind and be receptive to what your team is trying to tell you. They are your brothers above all else. They trust you to make the calls to keep them safe, it is only fair you extend that same trust to them.” Donnie couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction for being proved right. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

“Hai, sensei.” Leo’s voice was quiet, gripping his biceps as Splinter retracted his hand. It wasn’t hard to miss the tone in his voice, the one that told Donnie he was upset with himself. He had heard it plenty of times in ‘Nardo. Especially after the Kraang. 

That gratification was quickly smothered at the comparison. 

“Dona-Donnie.” Donnie looked over to Splinter who was staring right back at him. “You must work on your humility. Conducting a mission as a team is not a competition to win.” He scoffed at that, crossing his arms as he rolled his eyes. 

“Everything’s a competition if you try hard enough.” He said instead, shrugging as nonchalantly as he could. Raph snickered next to him and Splinter shot him a quick glare. 

Splinter sighed, “thank you for helping my sons get out safely. I would appreciate it if there was a little less arson next time.” Donnie rolled his head so he could catch Raph’s eye. The smaller turtle sent him a very subtle smirk. 

“No promises.” They said at the same time which earned a groan from both Splinter and Leo. The rat took a moment to collect himself before looking at Donnie once more. 

“I must say that I am impressed with how well you held yourself against Shredder. From what I saw in your spar against Leonardo, I would not have expected you to not only hold your own against our greatest foe but to get close to beating him in battle.” 

Such praise would have left him giddy with excitement. He would’ve been stimming if it weren’t for the look in Splinter’s eye. The one that said there was something he was displeased about. His hatred for causing a parental aged adult to be disappointed in him was much more than his love for the same adult being proud of him.

“Yes well, we’ve beaten the Shredder in my world. Not that hard to do a second time.” All eyes snapped to him, mouths hanging open at his revelation. Donnie probably should have guessed that admitting that would cause this sort of reaction.

Splinter hummed, leaning forward against the table. His gaze softened though he didn’t say anything for a few moments. Donnie shifted in his chair. 

“I can only imagine what your Shredder must have been like to elicit such a reaction from you.” Donnie scrunched up his nose, leaning back in his chair until it balanced on the back two legs. He crossed his arm to rest over his plastron. 

“Your point?” His voice was clipped, defensive at what Splinter was implying. More than that, he hated how easily he was able to read him. 

“To get to that level…to see you willing to kill another man without hesitation. It must have been something awful.” They stared at each other, neither one daring to breathe. Donnie’s shoulders were tense.

Sometimes, it was easy for him to forget that everything with Shredder happened less than a year ago. The Invasion was only six months after that. It wasn’t enough time for him, for any of them, to get over what they went through. 

It wasn’t enough time for him to forget the feeling of those claws tearing through his battle shell and puncturing his real one. Some nights he awoke with the fear that Shelldon was gone again, destroyed in his attempts to protect his home and family.

Sometimes, he would find himself sitting in front of ‘Angelo’s mural of their family, staring at the painting of Gram-Gram and wishing that she were still here. 

The chair fell back onto all four legs with a loud crack and Donnie shot to his feet. 

“I have things in the lab that require my attention.” He spun on his heels, stalking out of the kitchen and over to his solace. Most of the tables were filled with either unfinished inventions or blueprints that hadn’t been brought to life quite yet. 

There was a single worktop that was clean. Donatello had cleared it off for him earlier after the tour of the lab he was given. He tossed his now dead phone on the table before heading to where he remembered the wires were kept. It was about time he made that charger. 

He grabbed what he would need, sitting down at the spinny stool and grabbing the tweezers. It was a delicate process to weave the wires together but with the help of both his goggles and muscle memory, it was infinitely easier to accomplish. 

Once that was done, he grabbed the rubber strips he would use to wrap around the wires. He heated the metal of the tweezers enough to melt the rubber together. Donnie would have to make the correct port from scratch. USB-C didn’t exist here as far as he could tell. That was fine; he’d made many of them in his time. It’s not like they could just go to the surface to buy a new one each time his brothers lost theirs. 

Just as he was inserting the metal part of the charger into the plastic slot, a pair of voices filtered through his headphones as Donatello and Raph walked into the lab. He didn’t look up from his project but did lift his hand in a brief wave to acknowledge they were there. 

Donatello returned the gesture but limped past him to one of his own projects. Raph plopped into one of the chairs between them, kicking his feet up onto the tabletop which earned a glare from his brother. 

They sat in relative silence for a while and Donnie appreciated the peace. He was able to finish the charger fifteen minutes later, plugging it into the wall and then his phone. It took approximately 7 seconds for the screen to light up, letting him know it was charging. Not his best work but it would do for now. 

He glanced over at Donatello who was hunched in front of his computer with the three Kraang motherboards. He could go over there and help, two Donnies are better than one after all, but honestly, he didn’t have the energy to move. His lack of sleep was really starting to catch up to him. 

Today marked the fourth day he was in his dimension. Donnie hadn’t gotten good sleep the week prior either. 

“I can’t imagine your Shredder was much of a challenge with all the shit you’ve added to your bo.” Raph broke the silence and Donnie lazily looked over at him. He was flipping a sai in one of his hands. Donnie placed his elbow on the table, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand. 

Donnie knew what kind of game he was playing. Raph didn’t seem like a turtle that would get into emotions, not his own and not others. He didn’t think that Raph was trying to get him to open up. He simply wanted another cool story. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t one. 

Maybe it was the sleep deprivation that had him willing to talk about what happened with these two, even if it was just small details. Donnie supposed it was fair that he extended a little bit of his own information if only to pay them back for their hospitality. 

“Villains like the Shredder are the reasons I’ve upgraded my bo.” He sighed, pulling out his tech bo to set it on the table. He could probably make some adjustments, make sure everything was up to code. Instead, all he could do was stare at it. 

“You always put ‘the’ in front of Shredder.” Donnie’s gaze slid over to his counterpart who was holding one of the motherboards. He was looking at him though, the computer running some sort of program that he’d ask about later. 

Then, it seemed he came to some sort of realization as he carefully set the motherboard down on the table. 

“Your Shredder wasn’t human.” Donatello’s declaration made Raph nearly drop his sai. Donnie shrugged, running a finger along the grooves in the metal of his weapon. He was getting to the stage of his all-nighter binges where his limbs felt as if they were made of stone. Usually it would be his cue to finally go to bed. 

“No. My Shredder was a ten foot tall, 500 year old demonic suit of armor that consumed the souls of those who tried to wear it.” The silence was loud after he said that. Which shouldn’t be possible because, by definition, silences were the opposite of loud. 

His arm spasmed and Donnie’s hand flew to his wrist to hold it down. That hadn’t gone unnoticed by either of them but he dutifully kept his gaze on his bo.

Eventually, Donatello cleared his throat and wheeled his chair closer. He lifted a hand, intending to rest it on his shoulder but upon seeing the fairly noticeable flinch, he dropped it back to his side. 

“You know, Leo may not be able to see it but I know the decision you made in that warehouse was to make sure we got out safely.” Donatello smiled and Donnie focused a bit too much on the tooth gap. It reminded him of ‘Angelo. “Leo has…always had issues listening to other people’s opinions because he wants to protect us. Don’t take it personally.”

Raph scoffed, “Lame-o-nardo is a total stick in the mud. We’d get so many more missions done faster if he’d just let me blow some things up.” 

“Raph!” Donatello glared at his shorter brother who only shrugged at the response. 

“But, Fearless does make the decisions with us in mind. Even if he's often throwing himself in danger.” Raph glanced away, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair. “He’s an idiotic worry wart with a lot of sand in his shell but he doesn’t have some, like, vendetta against you.” 

The Donnies share a look, turning their attention to Raph with sly smiles. They didn’t need to verbally say what they were teasing him for; the scowl on his face told them he knew.

“If either of you two tell Leo what I said, I’ll kill you.” He growls and Donatello only laughs, walking over to his slightly older brother to pat his shell. 

Donnie stared at his phone, the screen black as it charged but he knew the lock screen photo was of him and his siblings. In the middle was ‘El, ‘Angelo and April hanging off his flexed biceps as himself and ‘Nardo were sitting on his shoulders. They had wanted to see if ‘El could carry all of them. 

He could, of course. ‘El was an immovable rock, their strong older brother that was always there for them. He was always there to shield them from a blow, to put a bandaid on their scrapes and kiss their knees better. 

‘El was always there for them when their father wasn’t. Donnie had thought the pressure and responsibility thrust onto his big brother’s shoulders was unfair. That was the ultimate reason he even started inventing for his family. He wanted to alleviate some of that responsibility. 

“Why can’t I do this?” 

Donnie remembered that day clearly. It was one of the few times he had ever seen his brother, his sturdy, rock wall older brother, finally crack under the pressure. None of them knew what to say. Rarely had they ever had to comfort him before. 

“Awh, you do love Leo.” Mikey sang from the entrance of the lab, hands clasped and brought up to his cheek where he was smiling at Raph. The red-banded turtle immediately shot up to his feet, chasing his youngest brother around the lair with curses on his tongue. 

Donatello only shook his head fondly before continuing his work. Donnie continued to stare at his phone.

Perhaps he was drawing comparisons in the wrong places after all. 

~~~

It had been several hours since that little talk and Donnie hadn’t accomplished much in that time frame. He helped Donatello briefly with the motherboards but it would take a while before the data finished downloading onto his computer. His counterpart took the time to work on his own personal projects. 

Donnie could’ve but…he just didn’t have the energy. His limbs had become sluggish, operating a few seconds behind his brain in a manner that made it difficult to accomplish anything. Eventually, he opted to just scroll through the files on his phone. 

When he grew bored of that, he decided to wander around the lair. Donnie wouldn’t stray far out into the sewers, he wasn’t foolish enough to do so as tired as he is, but it had gotten to the point where he was taking a mental note of how many cracks there were in the walls. Maybe he’d fix that while he was here.

His walk-through of the lair ended with him standing in front of the entrance to Leo’s room. He wasn’t sure how he got here but now that he was, he felt rooted in place. 

Honestly, he was beginning to feel remorse for his argument with Leo. Not because he suddenly thought he was wrong, but since his brain made that connection between him and ‘El, Donnie noticed just how much the eldest brother was drowning under the pressure. 

Feeling sympathy for a person he was hardly familiar with was foreign territory for the soft shell. Maybe that’s why he ended up knocking on the wall next to the entrance. The door opened shortly after to reveal the terrapin. He seemed surprised to see Donnie standing there, which was fair considering what happened. 

“Do you need something?” Leo asked after an awkward silence. Donnie internally cursed at his sleep deprived self for not thinking of what he’d say beforehand. 

Apologizing wasn’t something Donnie was good at. He wasn’t intending on doing that, he wasn’t sorry for his decisions nor what he had said, but he did want to extend a truce of sorts. If they continued to be petty towards each other, his time in this world was going to be unnecessarily annoying. 

“You okay?” He must’ve taken too long to answer because Leo’s uncomfortable look was replaced with one of concern. He would have to start a physical list of all the similarities between him and ‘El at this point. 

Donnie sighed, crossing his arms and glancing away briefly. 

“Look, I don’t regret what I did at the warehouse nor will I apologize for it.” Leo mirrored his position and he looked back at the other turtle, speaking before he could get a word in. “But, in the future, I will try my best to defer to your plans if you will do the same for the information I gather.” 

There was a beat of silence though it was much lighter than all the times before. Leo was looking at him with curiosity in his eye and Donnie quirked an eyebrow in an attempt to ask what he was thinking. 

“What are the team dynamics with your brothers?” Ah, a fair question. He hadn’t really discussed how he and his brothers functioned as a team. He shrugged, fiddling with his tech gauntlet. 

“My brothers and I aren’t the same age. ‘El is 17, ‘Nardo and I are 16, and ‘Angelo is 15. Our dad wasn’t really…present in our lives and since ‘El was the oldest, he took it upon himself to take care of us.” Donnie ignored the shocked look on Leo’s face at the revelation. “When we started the whole vigilante business, that translated him into being leader.” 

“Wait, Raph is your leader?” Donnie shot him a glare at the tone of his voice. However, with how the Raph here behaved, it didn’t give him the right to judge Leonardo's reaction. 

“Is that an issue?” He challenged. Leo floundered for a minute, gesturing in the direction of Raph’s room.

“It’s just, Raph is a smash first, ask questions later kind of guy.” Donnie scoffed though he knew Leo was right. ‘El didn’t always have the best plans but they always turned out fine in the end.

“‘El only ever wanted to protect us and he was good at it. You wanna know why?” He spread out his arm, the other hand placed on his chest. “Because he listened to his team. It was never up to only ‘El to make a plan. Sometimes I would make a plan, other times it would be ‘Nardo. Occasionally ‘Angelo would throw in an idea.”

Leo was getting defensive again, he could tell by the closed off body language Donnie himself often used. He sighed and closed his eyes before collecting his anger. This conversation was getting them both riled up again. This wasn’t his intention.

“That’s besides the point. I’m here because I want to extend a truce.” Donnie straightened up, holding out his hand between them. “I believe we can act civilly towards each other at the very least.” 

The older turtle stared at his hand for a moment before shaking it, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. The touch felt like needles against his palm and he retracted his hand as subtly as he could. 

“Alright well…see you around then, Dee.” Leo awkwardly waved before retreating back into the safety of his room. Donnie took that as his cue to head back to Donatello’s room. It was late and he desperately wanted to just…lay down.

But he couldn’t. Shelldon should be fully charged now and it would take an hour to run through all his programming to make sure everything was right. Truthfully, Donnie was terrified. The last time his precious creation was down for this long…

Donnie shook away the thoughts of everything that happened with the Shredder, grabbing Shelldon off of the charging port and sitting down on the bed. He set him in his lap before pulling up the data on his tech gauntlet. 

Despite the fact he was running on the last bit of energy, he was intently focused on the coding in front of him. Donnie had to make sure that his son was okay. He wouldn’t allow his sluggish mind to overlook any possible mistakes. 

The final line of his handiwork appeared soon enough and when the gauntlet screen turned black, he was left to gaze at the robot. All that was left was to power him back on. He moved his left hand to hover over the button but he just…couldn’t. 

He didn’t know what he would do if Shelldon didn’t turn on. He should, Donnie knows that, because everything was okay. His code was fine, his memory chip was fine, his body was fine. Yet the crushing anxiety gripped his chest like a vice. 

What if Shelldon was too far gone like after the Shredder? Donnie had spiraled after Shelldon appeared to be gone. When he opened the hatch that held his memory chip, the same chip that was destroyed beyond repair, Donnie didn't know how to cope. He hadn’t until his brothers confronted him about his new habits. But even then, the death had plagued his mind. It scared him to try creating an invention to the same degree as Shelldon.

But then ‘Nardo and ‘Angelo, in all their reckless glory to help him feel better, somehow managed to get access to his old computer that was crushed in their old lair. They brought him the memory discs that held the backup files of all of his creations.

Shelldon included. 

Donnie was pretty sure he hugged his brothers all night. The next morning, he spent the entire day rebuilding Shelldon’s body. By the end of the week, his robotic son was back to life. 

That memory was what urged him to power Shelldon on. There were a few beats of anxiety filled silence before he whirred to life, eyes glowing their soft purple as he looked up at Donnie.

“W-What happened?” Shelldon spoke and tears sprung to Donnie’s eyes unbidden. He grabbed the robot, holding him close to his chest in a hug as he cried silently. 

Shelldon didn’t ask anything, only returning the embrace as much as he could with his rotors. It was comforting to feel the hum of his inner machinery working beneath his fingertips. The steady beat of it was lulling him to sleep. 

He abruptly held Shelldon in front of him, eyes scanning every surface of the little robot. He turned him this way and that, nimble fingers dancing across his surface to find anything that was out of place. 

“What are you doing, man?” Shelldon asked though his voice came off as slightly slurred. This alarmed Donnie and he spun him back around so he could look at him. His eyes were slightly droopy, rotors hanging just a bit more than usual. 

“How are you feeling? Any concerning symptoms we need to fix?” Donnie was anxious, rightfully so if you asked him. Shelldon rolled his eyes yet he couldn’t find it in him to be annoyed. He only pulled him a little closer. 

“We need to run a full diagnostic report, figure out where the error is. Are you able to do that at the moment?” Donnie shook his head, rubbing his temple with one hand. “Wait no, you were out for a few days and you probably need time to operate at normal speeds.” 

“Donnie-”

“But we also don’t know what that Kraang tech did to your systems. We have to make sure everything is optimal. I should be able to do that without putting any unnecessary strain on you.” Donnie rambled, eyebrows pinched together as he thought. He shifted his gaze to his wristband though he found it hard to let go of Shelldon in order to start the process that needed to be done. 

“Donatello.”

“Your processing speeds are clearly delayed and that in itself is a concern. There might be some internal damage of the modified GPU unit I imputed into your systems. That will be a problem. The technology here isn’t as advanced, I don’t know how quickly I’d be able to fix that and-”

“Dad!” Shelldon snapped, hovering his way just out of Donnie’s reach. The turtle looked up at him with wide eyes, mouth hanging open as he processed the words. It wasn’t really the first time he had called him that but it still managed to shock him every single time. 

“I’m fine. The wave of energy was a lot on my systems but I’ll be up and running normally in a few hours. Stop with your mother henning, you’re starting to sound like Raphie.” Shelldon groaned, throwing his little head back as much as he could. 

“I…right. I’m sorry.” Donnie muttered before dropping his hands into his lap. He stared at them, fingers twitching with the anxious energy still coursing through his veins. Shelldon looked at him curiously.

Donnie knew that his overbearing tendencies were a little too much for Shelldon sometimes. Which should be obvious considering the soft shell felt the same way whenever ‘El treated him like that. Don’t get him wrong, he feels bad for acting that way towards his AI. 

After losing him, it was difficult to let the little robot out of his sight. Shelldon hadn’t seemed to mind then, Donnie sometimes thought he felt just as clingy as his creator was then. He had been doing better the last couple weeks. This was just…a relapse that would pass.

“When was the last time you slept?” Shelldon asked quietly, hovering down so he would be in Donnie’s line of vision. His sensors drifted to his arm that hadn’t stopped shaking since this morning. 

“That Kraang portal…it spit us out in another dimension four days ago.” He said in lieu of answering. Shelldon’s eyes narrowed, he knew Donnie better than that, and moved forward to nudge him until he laid down. 

“You should take off your battle shell.” Donnie tensed and Shelldon seemed to sense the discomfort. He let out the closest thing to a sigh, hovering over until he could rest on the bed next to Donnie’s chest. 

“You can fill me in on everything when you wake up, okay? And we’ll run those diagnostic tests too. I just want you to sleep first.” Donnie's smile was soft, the one he reserved for Shelldon and his family when they weren’t looking. The care Shelldon was feeling for him now wasn’t something he had programmed him to possess. It was something the drone had decided to learn. 

It was what reminded Donnie that he was someone that could be loved. Especially when his brain is unhelpfully filled with thoughts that his family only put up with him out of obligation. 

Shelldon hadn’t stayed out of obligation though. 

Donnie reached out, pulling Shelldon closer as his eyes slipped shut. He could feel the quiet and steady vibrations of his apparatus working as it should. In a way, it was like Shelldon’s heartbeat. 

“I’m glad you’re here.” He whispered. The last thing he felt before sleep took him in its embrace was Shelldon nuzzling his snoot against his cheek in his show of affection.

Chapter Text

It was the first night in a long time where he wasn’t plagued by nightmares. There was no Shredder to rip into his soft shell, no Kraangified murderous version of his older brother, and most importantly, no alternate vision of ‘Nardo staying trapped with that monster. 

Perhaps his body recognized how exhausted he truly was. None of the Hamato family had been getting any sleep that could qualify as “good” for the past few months. Donnie’s tech binges had gotten…worse since the Shredder and especially after the Invasion. 

Even when he worked his body far past what could be considered healthy, sleep wasn’t the escape it was supposed to be. Not when he was forced from his rest in a panic attack. 

No, his dreamscape was thankfully blank this time around. Donnie relished in this small reprieve. 

Unfortunately, he was pulled from the black abyss of slumber by the sharp whining crescendo of machinery charging. 

Donnie groggily peeled his eyes open, taking a moment to stare at the ceiling and gather his sleep-addled thoughts. There was talking behind him though he didn’t recognize the voice immediately. It was high pitched with a panicked edge to their words. It made the thumping in his skull feel worse. 

The escalating noise was getting higher right alongside the voice. That was enough for Donnie to lazily roll onto his side. Shelldon was hovering in front of him, his glowing eyes narrowed at a turtle with an orange mask whose arms were held straight up above his head. The laser gun built into the robot’s chest was pointing at the turtle. That’s what was making the whining noise. 

Wait, turtle?

It took an embarrassing amount of time for the situation to make sense to Donnie. He shot up from the bed, his vision going white from standing too fast yet he continued to stagger over to Shelldon. He stopped between the two, arms held out at his side to block Mikey. 

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Shelldon, but this isn’t an enemy!” Shelldon cocked his head to the side, examining Mikey whose eyes were wide with shock. He huffed but put away the laser gun. Donnie’s shoulders relax and the two of them dropped their arms back to their sides. 

“Apologizes.” Donnie sighed, turning to face Mikey as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I forgot to tell him the circumstances of this alternate universe.” He rolled his glenohumeral joints, wincing at the deep ache in them. He’s been wearing his battle shell for too long. 

“It's…cool.” Mikey laughed nervously. “I was just coming in to check on you. The little guy here didn’t like my answers.” Affection warmed his chest and Donnie reached over with a small smile to give Shelldon some scritches. The AI leaned into the touch. 

Donnie gave Mikey one last apologetic shrug as he let his hand drop. Save for the battle shell, his gear was placed neatly on the bedside table. Shelldon must’ve taken it off while he slept. Despite having no arms, he would be able to create an interface with the spider arms in his shell to help him. 

Though, that also meant the lightning-esque scars running up the length of his arm that ended just above his elbow were visible. It didn’t take a genius to spot them, especially since he lacked his compression gloves to lessen the tremor. 

“What happened to your arm?” Donnie turned his back to the other turtle, making his way to the nightstand all his gear was at. Carefully, he pulled the glove over his left arm and felt his muscles relax as the fabric did its job. It wouldn’t make the seizures stop completely but it made it much more manageable. 

“I…don’t want to talk about it.” Was his lame response as he put on the rest of his gear. Donnie hoped it would be enough to deter Mikey. ‘Angelo was never one to let his older brother’s bottle their feelings. He was a firm believer in talking it out. 

Donnie prayed to Pizza Supreme that this Mikey wasn’t like that. The last thing he wanted was to snap at the turtle he was most comfortable with. 

“How long have I been asleep for?” Donnie asked before Mikey could get a word in. He huffed but didn’t argue against the topic change, instead curiously eyeing Shelldon from where he stood. 

“Well, I dunno when you fell asleep but it’s 11 pm now.” That didn’t help Donnie at all considering he doesn’t actually have a way to track the time here. He should probably ask Donatello for a clock or something. 

“You’ve been asleep for about 13 hours, dude.” Shelldon supplied, hovering nearby though his sensors never left Mikey. Donnie’s eyes widened and he spun around to face the little robot. 

“Woah, same voice. Not cool, Greg.” Mikey muttered, inching closer towards Shelldon. Donnie decided he would unpack that later, instead rubbing at his temples to stave off a headache. 

“ What? Why didn’t you wake me up?” Donnie groaned when both of them only shrugged, moving past Mikey to head to the lab. Thirteen hours was a lot of time wasted on something as menial as sleeping. They could’ve made so much progress on the portal to get home. 

At least Donatello should have been working on decoding the chips he recovered. If he was lucky, his counterpart might’ve finished that already and they could begin building the actual device. 

Except the lab was empty. 

The chips in question were still by the computer and Donnie powered it on. It prompted him for a password and while he would have no issue hacking into Donatello’s system, he also knew that the other turtle would not appreciate it if he did that.

He made his way to their atrium, finally noticing that the lair was silent. Donnie looked over at Mikey, him and Shelldon appeared to be on good terms now, and noted the way the turtle was wearing his gear. 

“Where is everyone?” Donnie knew the answer to that, though he wished it was different. 

“Oh, they’re on a mission. Don got a tip that there was another Kraang shipment coming in tonight so they’re going to intercept it.” Mikey was distracted by the several tricks Shelldon was showing him, gasping every time the little robot did a complicated air maneuver. Donnie scratched at his forearm. 

“Shouldn’t you be with them?” Donnie moved closer towards them, ducking just in time to avoid a head collision with his AI. Shelldon, being the little shit he was, only laughed. 

“Leo wanted someone here with you and since they needed Don, the honor went to moi.” Mikey flipped his nonexistent hair and Donnie couldn’t help but imagine his twin doing the exact same thing. 

“...do you often get excluded on missions?” Donnie asked carefully as he lowered himself onto the floor. He refused to sit on the couch with the suspicious red stain. Shelldon hovered in front of him and the softshell reached out to give him the scritches he knew the little robot loved. 

“Not a whole lot but there’s been a few times where Team B gets left behind.” Mikey shrugged, sitting down on the sofa behind him and pulling his legs up to sit criss crossed on the cushion. “It’s totally lame, unless I’m being a distraction or Donnie is using his mondo brain to fix the problem, we tend to get sidelined”.

“Team B?” Donnie quirked a brow. The question caused Mikey to huff, leaning forward and resting his head in his palm. He looked annoyed.

“Me and Don. Leo and Raph have always been better fighters than us so they’re Team A. If anyone has to stay behind, it’s never them.” Mikey muttered, appearing dejected at the notion of two separate teams. Donnie couldn’t blame him; the mere thought of his own brothers having a clear separation such as that made his own blood boil. 

‘Nardo was the most skilled when it came to combat, that was absolutely true. He was agile and despite the limitations of his portals, the slider had mastered them in a way that gave his fighting abilities an extra edge to them. When it came to mystic powers, however, ‘Nardo was the weakest out of all of them. It wasn’t a bad thing and his twin has used his Ninpo to his advantage in a manner that even Donnie has begrudgingly admitted was impressive. 

‘El, both in physical feats and mystic abilities, was the strongest, as well as beating all of them in defense. While they were all created to be the perfect soldier, stronger than even the most powerful human, their oldest brother was clearly crafted to be a tank; a warrior able to take a lot of hits and do a lot of damage. The skills that his Ninpo allowed him only enhanced those features. 

‘Angelo outclassed all of them in raw talent and mysticism. His fighting style was hard to pin and it was what made him such a dangerous opponent. Donnie knew that their own Ninpo couldn’t even hold a candle to the kind of power his baby brother held within. Future him literally ripped a hole in time and space with his bare hands to send Junior to the past. At 15 years old, he created a dimensional rift in order to get ‘Nardo back. Donnie doubted any of them would ever be able to do that. 

Despite his own insecurities, Donnie knew he wasn’t a slouch either. His Ninpo allowed him far more versatile abilities than either of his siblings. He could create powerful shields that put him second to ‘El’s defense, regardless of his softshell. He could will any of his tech into existence and create mystic weapons of all kinds, his only limitation being his imagination. Without his battle shell, he outsped even ‘Nardo and a softer carapace allowed for more flexibility than ‘Angelo. 

There was never that kind of separation in their family. On the rare occasion they had to split up, they would base it off of which combination of skill sets would offer the best outcome for that mission.

‘El  and ‘Angelo together were the heaviest hitters if their mystic powers were needed while ‘El and Donnie were the power duo without Ninpo. ‘Nardo and ‘El were often paired if they needed to keep enemies at bay. ‘Angelo and ‘Nardo were both more unpredictable fighters and kept their opponents confused and on their toes. ‘Angelo and Donnie fought the best together as a pair, their shortcomings made up by the strengths the other may have. The twins were the most elusive pair, often working together on stealth missions.

It didn’t surprise Donnie that this version of Mikey and himself were considered worse fighters. The traditional style of ninjutsu Splinter insisted on sticking too just wasn’t for them. If Mikey was given more freedom, he had no doubt he’d be just as much of a force to be reckoned with as ‘Angelo is, mystic powers or no. 

And, of course, Donatello could outsmart any of their enemies if given the chance. Unfortunately, Donnie has noticed how often his science and technology is looked down upon by his alternate family. They clearly didn’t understand the potential they were harboring if they truly thought his inventions didn’t have the same importance as ninjutsu. 

“Your Splinter created this divide because his style of fighting wasn’t conducive to you or Donatello.” Donnie scoffed, turning to face Mikey more directly. “If he truly wants you to be the best version of yourselves, then he should let you all develop your own way of combat.” 

“It’s not like that in your world?” Mikey asked, looking genuinely confused at Donnie’s anger. The softshell only shook his head. “Huh. It’s just…all the other alternate versions we’ve met were kinda the same thing.” 

Donnie threw his head back with a groan. Of course it was his universe that was the outlier. Nothing about his family was normal; their differing species, differing dynamics, and differing villains (though he desperately wished his Kraang were like this world’s). He wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole thing.

“Let me put it this way.” Donnie activated his gauntlet to pull up pictures, sans mysticism, as he spoke. “Me and my brothers have our own ways of fighting. It is foolish to have the same combative moves with four totally different weapons. If we ever pair off, we do it based on which duo would surmount the most success.” 

The photos highlighted each of their dynamics, how their fighting techniques changed depending on who they were fighting alongside. Mikey peered at every single one with rapt attention, practically bouncing in his seat. 

“It would be stupid to send ‘El and ‘Angelo on an infiltration mission just as it would be idiotic to have ‘Nardo hack into a security system. We each bring our own strengths to the team.” Shelldon flipped in the air, coming to hover right next to Donnie. 

“Yeah, just like Donnie would never fight any beach ball mutants.” Donnie threw a pillow at the robot who dove out of the way just in time. 

“Beach balls?” Mikey laughed, doubling over at the look of horror that crossed Donnie’s face. “It’s cool. Don’t tell him I told you this but,” Mikey leaned forward conspiratorially, “Raph is scared of bugs.” 

Donnie smirked, “your betrayal is safe with me.” He patted his shell before turning back to take in the lair. The moldy pizza boxes were still there and he scrunched his nose up again at that. Maybe it was his clean freak attributes talking but he just couldn’t understand how any of them could live comfortably knowing that was nearby.

Perhaps that’s what he would do when Donatello got back. Donnie wasn’t sure which scrap metal would be okay for him to use, he was doing his best to be a good guest, so he was hesitant to work on anything in the lab at the moment. Despite how archaic a lot of the technology here was, he didn’t doubt he’d be able to create a cleaning bot to help maintain their lair. A total fix. 

That way, if he could deep clean the couch, Donnie would stop having to sit on the floor. 

“Oh!” Mikey jumped up from his seat. “Wanna see something cool?” Instead of waiting for an answer, he grabbed Donnie’s hand and pulled him up. Unfortunately, he grasped his bad hand with a little too much force. 

Donnie yanked it away, holding the appendage to his chest as a hiss of pain escaped through his teeth. With his lack of proper sleep and food combined, his hand was a bit more sensitive today than usual. It’d typically be the kind of day where Donnie wouldn’t let anyone touch his injured arm. 

“Shit, I’m sorry, Dee. I forgot about your hand and I wasn’t thinking-”

“It’s fine.” Donnie grit out, rubbing at his fingers gently to massage the pain from his muscles. “What did you want to show me?” He was essentially begging Mikey for a change of topic. As hesitant as he was, the terrapin dropped it and led him towards the kitchen. 

He let the tremors run naturally through his arm. His muscles ache from trying to hide the myoclonic seizures. Donnie was positive they’ve all noticed it. He couldn’t outright will the shaking to go away as much as he wished he could. 

It was his pride that continued to make him attempt to hide it. At least none of them had asked questions, aside from Mikey. Donnie hoped it was his generally closed off personality that prevented that. 

Mikey stopped at the freezer and opened it with a flourish, holding a hand out to gesture at its contents. Donnie raised a singular brow before coming to stand next to him. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary; a few bags of frozen vegetables, an ice tray with no ice, and a tub of neapolitan ice cream that was uncovered. Donnie thought that was pretty unsavory. 

“I don’t know what-” He stopped when, out of his peripheral, he could’ve sworn he saw the ice cream move. Donnie trained his gaze on the frozen treat, eyes widening when a pair of eyes peered right back at him. 

He took a step back as the ice cream rose from its container, taking the form of what appeared to be a cat. Mikey reached into the freezer to pick it up before holding it out to Donnie. 

“Dee, I’d like you to meet Ice Cream Kitty!” Donnie got over his shock rather quickly, dropping his goggles to rest over his eyes and sticking a finger out to the mutant. “She was a stray we found a while ago. She ate some ice cream mixed with mutagen and boom!” 

Ice Cream Kitty meowed softly, nuzzling the side of her face against Donnie’s finger. A streak of strawberry was left in its wake and Donnie found he didn’t actually mind. She was very affectionate for both a cat and a mutant. 

“Fascinating. Your mutagen must work in much of the same way as our ooze back home.” Donnie pulled his hand away to wipe the ice cream off on a nearby washcloth. The data his goggles collected automatically transferred to his wristband. They wouldn’t upload onto his computer until he got back to his dimension but it would still be valuable information. 

“Well, we’re not mutated from human DNA like you. Which, by the way, you have to tell me about.” Mikey kissed the top of Ice Cream Kitty’s head before licking the ice cream off of his lips and putting her back. Donnie scrunched his snout up at that. The idea of eating her was a little…weird to him. 

“The first round of ooze was essentially your mutagen combined with a human’s DNA. Baron Draxum used Lou Jitsu, one of the greatest fighters of all time, as the human aspect. The second round of ooze, however, only changed the human into the last animal they’ve come in contact with.” Donnie pushed the goggles back up onto the top of his head. 

“That’s awesome.” Mikey breathed, stars in his eyes. “Whose Baron Draxum?” 

Donnie looked back at him in surprise, opening his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the voices filtering into the lair. Both of them decided the conversation could wait and moved back to the living room just as the other three walked in. 

Shelldon came to hover next to Donnie and he opened up his arms in an offer for him to rest. The little robot took it and he gently held him to his stomach. Mikey walked past him to greet his siblings while the soft shell just leaned against the back of the couch. 

“How’d it go, bros?” Mikey asked with a smile, bouncing from foot to foot. Donatello held out a USB drive in his hand, a proud smirk on his lips.

“It took no time to hack their computer and download the information on it. All that’s left is to sift through everything and get what we need.” 

“There wasn’t even any good action! Total waste of my time.” Raph groaned, tucking his sais back in its place on his belt. Leo rolled his eyes but didn’t respond, looking past Mikey at Donnie. 

“I’m glad to see you finally got some rest.” Donnie looked up from Shelldon to meet Leo’s gaze. He tightened his grip a bit on the AI to hide the tremor though he didn’t look away. If he didn’t de-stress soon, it was only going to get worse. 

“Oh! Is that Shelldon?” Donatello asked, saving Donnie from responding to Leo. He looked back down at the drone who was eyeing them all carefully. 

“Yes. I haven’t had time to analyze the information he gathered but he’s back to being fully operational.” Donnie confirmed, smiling softly at Shelldon. He already felt better knowing he was here with him. 

“You two can start sifting through the data it has then. Maybe it’ll help find a way to send you back home.” Shelldon shot out of his hold, flying right up to Leo’s face with a glare. The eldest stumbled back in shock. 

“Excuse you, dude, but I’m not an ‘it.’” Shelldon huffed, watching with satisfaction as Leo held up his hands in surrender. He hovered back to his place right next to Donnie. 

“Sorry, um, Shelldon.” Leo cleared his throat, looking uncomfortably over at Donatello. The tallest turtle appeared amused as he moved towards his lab, gesturing for Donnie to follow. He did, Shelldon trailing after him as well. 

They entered the space, Donatello closing the door behind them and moving towards his computer. The program he was using was done with the motherboards and he set the USB down next to them. Then, he turned to face them both.

“What kind of robot is Shelldon?” He asked excitedly, clearly wanting to touch but refraining at the weary look he was getting from Shelldon. Donnie placed his hand on the drone’s head, a way to communicate nonverbally that he could trust this guy. 

“He’s an Artificial Intelligence. I wrote the code for the basics of his operations but his personality, how he talks, and how he acts is something he learned on his own.” Donnie smiled, puffing his chest up proudly. Shelldon chirred under the affection. 

“Amazing! A fully operational AI!” Donatello smiled, waving at the robot in question. “It’s nice to meet you, Shelldon. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m Donatello.” Shelldon stared at him for a good minute before the metal parts making up his frame began to shift. Alternate-him watched in awe as he went from drone-esque to more turtle-like. He was short, a little over three feet tall but he had hands and legs.

Shelldon held out his hand and Donatello hesitantly shook it. 

“At least not all the alt-bros are dum dums.” Shelldon quipped and Donnie chuckled at the implication. It bothers him just as much as Donnie whenever he was referred to as an ‘it’ or a thing. He was so much more than that. 

“Okay,” Donnie clapped his hands, “Shelly, do you have access to the last data we collected back in our dimension?” Shelldon shifted back to his drone form, hovering silently next to Donnie a moment before he hummed a confirmation.

“We should be able to hook him up to my computer. That way we can have all of the information for this portal on one device.” Donatello offered, clearing off a spot on the other side of the table so Shelldon could rest. The pair moved over to stand next to the terrapin and Shelldon landed on the clean space.

As expected, they didn’t have a proper cord to connect him to the computer. It only took five minutes between the two geniuses to rig up one that would work. Donnie didn’t have to alter the port created previously for Shelldon, instead melding it halfway to a wire that would work with the computer. 

“That should do it.” Donnie plugged Shelldon into the computer, watching the robot power off as they expected. It took a second before the screen lit up with a bar showing the progress on the files being downloaded. 

They wouldn’t be able to look at it until it was done so Donnie figured it would be best to see what they got from the motherboards. He didn’t think there’d be much in terms of how to create a portal home but it would give much needed insight into how Kraang technology worked. It would also help them understand what they were trying to build as well. 

He turned to ask Donatello where that would be on his computer but the inquiry died on his tongue. The other turtle was looking at Shelldon, a sort of longing on his face that Donnie recognized all too well. 

He cleared his throat, “I’m uh, surprised you haven’t attempted to build your own AI.” Donnie stuttered awkwardly, flinching at his terrible attempts at starting a casual conversation. He suspected it would probably lead to an emotional talk which would no doubt be uncomfortable. 

“I…did. A while back.” Donatello glanced away from Shelldon, inputting some commands into the computer. His eyes were suspiciously wet. Donnie winced at that. “His name was Metalhead. I’ve thought about rebuilding him but…” His gaze once again drifted, this time to the corner of the lab. 

There, tucked away where it was just out of sight, was scraps of metal that didn’t appear to be anything of importance. It was only the head-like piece that gave away what it was. Donnie’s stomach twisted as memories of Shelldon’s body crushed under the rubble of the old lair surface. All that had been left of him was his decapitated head. 

Donatello wiped at his eyes before getting back to work and they sat in a rather uncomfortable silence. The only sound was the clicking of the keyboard as Donnie mulled over his words. He didn’t know the best way to comfort Donatello. He wasn’t really like him in that sense and nor was he like any of his brothers. 

He really wished ‘Angelo was here to help him. 

“I…didn’t want to rebuild Shelldon after he was destroyed.” Donnie started hesitantly, scratched at his arm when Donatello turned to him with interest. Pizza Supreme, he didn’t want to talk about this. “The Shredder found our lair. Shelldon tried to protect Gr-our home. But he was destroyed. And then when our home was destroyed, what remained of him was crushed.” 

Donnie fixed his gaze on one of the mother boards, willing the tears he could feel away. Shelldon’s loss was still too fresh. He may be back now but Donnie hadn’t had him for three months. Those three months were some of the worst of his life, with the exception of the Invasion and losing Gram-Gram. 

“I’m really sorry to hear that, Dee.” Donatello’s hand hovered over his shoulder and when Donnie didn’t flinch away, he brought it down carefully. “What made you change your mind?” After a moment, he removed his touch.

“His memory chip was beyond repair and I had no way to access my old computer. It felt wrong to rebuild him, you know? Like I was trying to replace him.” Donnie smiled gently, reaching out to touch the cool metal of his AI. “I guess ‘Nardo and ‘Angelo got tired of my moping cause they somehow managed to get the memory disks from my old PC. All I had to do was rebuild Shelldon’s body.” 

He turned to face Donatello then, gesturing over to where what remained of Metalhead rested. “I can’t speak on his condition but I can tell you that rebuilding Shelldon was the best thing I have ever done. Maybe it’d help you too.” 

Donatello stared at Metalhead once more, face contemplative until he smiled. He seemed determined now and Donnie couldn’t help but feel proud at the fact that he actually managed to comfort someone he didn’t know.

“Thanks Dee. I think you’re right.” Donatello moved the computer so they both could see the screen. “When we get you home, that’s the first thing I’ll do.” 

Donnie chuckled, “we definitely have to find a way to stay in contact. I’m very invested in Metalhead’s recovery already.” 

They got to work in relative silence, comfortable this time, and Donnie found that this universe was feeling less daunting the longer he spent here. 

He was still worried about his siblings, and they were no doubt worried about him, but maybe it’d be okay if he opened up to this alternate family a little bit. Maybe it’d even help. Donnie moved his hand to rest it against his plastron, right over where his Hamato Ninpo hummed quietly in his chest.

Maybe he wouldn’t feel so alone.

Chapter Text

Five days, eleven hours, and thirty-eight minutes. 

That’s how long Donnie had been missing. 

Everything had gone to shit since then. 

April got the call close to three in the morning. It pulled her from the first night of dreamless rest she had gotten since the Invasion. Mikey’s name flashed across her phone and she was fully ready to chew him out for waking her. 

“Donnie’s missing.” That was all Mikey had been able to say. He repeated it like a mantra, words broken around his sobs. April felt her blood run cold. She was frozen, phone gripped weakly in her hands as her brain struggled to register those words. 

Then, as soon as it clicked, she threw herself out of bed and scrambled to grab the things she’d need. Her laptop, enchanted bat, and chargers were shoved into her bag. She’d come back for clothes later. There wasn’t any time for that. 

She promised Mikey she’d be there shortly before hanging up, nearly tripping over Mayhem in her rush to leave the apartment. April snagged a piece of paper from the living room, writing a quick message for her mother to read when she woke before finally exiting the space. She barely remembered to lock the door behind Mayhem who had clearly picked up on her panic. 

Scooping him up in her arms, she scaled the flight of stairs to get to Draxum’s own apartment. The yokai was waiting outside his door and April assumed Mikey must’ve called him too. He wore his typical mask of indifference but she could make out the veiled look of concern. 

After everything with the Shredder, Draxum had actually put in effort with integrating himself into the Hamato family. Well, as much as the goat yokai’s pride would allow him to. Mikey had been ecstatic, of course, and Raph took very little convincing to actually spend time with Draxum. 

Donnie, Leo, and Splinter, on the other hand, were very much against it. Splinter could at least act cordial towards him, if only to not disappoint the youngest. Leo continues to hold a grudge against Draxum though April couldn’t really blame him. He did throw the slider off a roof. 

In Donnie’s case, April suspected it was a mix of both resentment and his struggle to adapt to change. Despite how hostile the twins act towards Draxum, he still cared for them and the fact he left in just as much of a rush as April only proved that. 

She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder so Mayhem would have an easier time teleporting them to the lair. They appeared right in the middle of the living room. It was empty and silent, a familiar sight the past six weeks. The life in this area had died as Leo recovered in the med bay, only used occasionally if April or Junior spent the night. 

The subway tunnel containing the train cars turned bedrooms was lit up and she could faintly make out voices coming from there. April tossed her stuff onto the couch before sprinting in that direction, Draxum hot on her heels. 

She found them all in Donnie’s lab. Mikey was standing off to the side, silent tears running down his cheeks as Splinter comforted him despite his own evident worry. Leo was pacing, as much as one could with crutches, in front of the computer where a bunch of blueprints were pulled up. His eyes were bloodshot. Raph was pressing himself into the corner by the PC, arms wrapped tightly around his stomach and clearly staving off a panic attack. 

“What happened?” Draxum broke the silence, brushing past April to approach the computer. They all turned towards the yokai though it was Raph that answered. 

“Donnie and I were goin’ through the leftover Kraang tech. We…we were just jokin’ around like we always do when-” Raph spoke around a sob and April quickly moved towards him. She grabbed one of his hands, rubbing the back of it with her palm in a soothing gesture. 

Raph breathed, “one of the machines turned on. It opened a portal and Donnie put me in an escape pod before…before he got sucked in.” April felt her blood run cold and she knew immediately their minds had gone to the same conclusion.

Oh how April hoped they were wrong.

“Draxum, you’re the only one who has a chance of deciphering ‘Tello’s blueprints.” Leo basically dragged the yokai closer to the computer. “He was trying to build a teleporter capable of jumping dimensions. While you figure that out, we’ll find where Donnie ended up.” 

“I can try but mechanical engineering isn’t my specialty.” Draxum began to sift through what was already on the monitor, eyes darting across the screen as he sorted them. “I will have a better chance altering these plans until they’re more on the mystic side.” 

“I don’t care what you have to do, just make a functioning portal.” Leo turned to face April. “The data Shelldon collected didn’t have the chance to upload onto his computer. April, do you think you’d be able to ask Gram-Gram for help? Maybe she’d be able to feel his Ninpo and locate the dimension he landed in.”

April’s face hardened as she nodded, giving Raph’s hand one last reassuring squeeze before letting it go. She moved to the beanbag Donnie kept in his lab, for the night’s he was too tired to go to his room, and sat lotus style in front of it. She could feel Mikey settle next to her but he didn’t dare touch. 

It was hard to meditate in such a state. She was anxious, terrified, for her genius little brother and that in itself made it feel impossible for her to clear her mind. But Mikey was breathing loud, steadily, and she felt herself copying the pace. 

Slowly, the world around her began to melt away the longer she relaxed.The muscles in her shoulders unwinding, the rest of her body following suit. She cleared her mind the best she could, focusing only on the hum of Karai’s Ninpo deep in her heart. 

As always, she felt her reach out and in the blank space of her mind, an image began to form. April was sitting in a clearing of lush grass, a forest of cherry blossoms surrounding the opening. They were in bloom and covered in gorgeous pink flowers. Petals traveled through the air, riding the currents of wind that she couldn’t feel. 

“Karai?” April called, getting to her feet. For a moment, nothing happened and April began to fear that something was wrong. But, before the panic took over again, the petals began to swarm past April and towards the area just in front of her. 

They circled as if stuck in a tornado yet thick enough to where she couldn’t make out what could possibly be in the middle. The winds eventually began to settle and the petals drifted to the floor where they came to a stop. Karai opened her eyes with a smile. 

Karai looked the same as the last day they spent together, fires of jade surrounding her that matched her aura when she fought. It brought tears to April’s eyes and she rushed forward to throw herself at Gram-Gram.

She was solid and that only made the sobs harder. 

“What troubles you, my dear?” She was holding her tight, fingers running through her curls effortlessly despite the tangles. April gripped her even tighter before pulling away. Karai wiped at her tears and she could only offer a weak smile. 

“Donnie’s missing. Like, a whole other dimension missing.” Karai’s expression immediately warped to one of concern. “He disappeared in a Kraang portal and we have no idea where he ended up. We were hoping maybe you’d know a way of figuring that out?” 

She hummed, “as a spirit, I can stretch my Ninpo further than you and your family. I can check in the surrounding universes, the ones that were once under Kraang control before the Hamato clan sealed them away.” 

Karai turned her back to April, waving her hand in an arcing motion that the cherry blossom petals followed. They formed that tornado again, except much smaller and what was left was a shrine of sorts. 

There was a picture of Donnie sitting in the center, one of him tinkering on what looked like Shelldon. There was a faint violet glow of what she recognized as Donnie’s pixelated Ninpo around the photo. Burning incense was placed on either side and across from that were two purple zabutons. 

“Each member of the Hamato clan has shrines used for various purposes. Mostly, it is meant to honor the deceased. In our case, we will use it as a means to locate Donatello.” She lowered herself onto one of the pillows, gesturing for April to do the same. 

“How will this help us find him?” Karai smiled softly, her eyes trained on Donnie’s picture. 

“These shrines are imbued with that person’s unique Ninpo. It is a manifestation of their spirit, woven into the complex web that forms our family. It is why any member of the Hamato clan can access them.” She held out her hand and April tentatively took it.

“Naturally, the Ninpo infused here will be calling out to its owner. That’s how we’ll track him.” Karai’s eyes slid shut, a sign that they were about to start. The glow of the aura forever surrounding her intensified. April did the same. Fiery tendrils of jade from Karai reached out, followed by April’s ever shifting Ninpo. It drew what they had of Donnie’s Ninpo close as April’s took on a more pixelated appearance as it got closer before they met in the middle.

Without warning, the tranquil forest of cherry blossoms disappeared. April felt weightless, like that feeling you get on those free fall rides at amusement parks. Despite that, they weren’t moving. She wasn’t falling through the air and her body never left the zabuton beneath her. 

And then, just as quickly as it started, they were thrown into a different world. Karai’s eyes opened and the silence was palpable. 

It wasn’t like the woods they were just in. It wasn’t anything like Earth. No, this world was filled with debris floating in an endless, dreary space. She couldn’t make out what most of it was, but she could piece together that some of these were rubble of buildings. Wherever they were, it made April’s stomach turn. 

“What is this place?” She asked quietly, her voice echoing in the silence. Subconsciously, her grip had tightened and Karai ran her thumb along April’s hand. 

“This is the Prison Dimension.” Karai whispered and those words were enough to make April’s blood run cold. 

She could see it now. The bits and pieces of what was left of the Technodrome. The same ship that had caused Donnie’s nerve issues, piloted by the same creatures that took over Raph’s mind and body, trapped in the same dimension that Leo would have died in had it not been for Mikey almost tearing himself apart to bring him back. 

She could’ve sworn she saw a figure in the distance rearing back to let out a guttural scream.

“Donatello is not here. Let us move on.” April could only nod, allowing Karai to pull them away. They landed in a much more pleasant landscape though she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it. 

April knew that the thing she saw was Kraang Prime. It wasn’t practical to assume he’d be dead by now. A large part of her hoped that was the case. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, seeing just that small glimpse was enough to rattle her to her core. 

“I apologize. I should’ve warned you that’s where we were first looking.” Karai leaned closer to her, resting her free hand against April’s cheek. The younger leaned into the touch before taking a few deep breaths to compose herself. 

“How…” April cleared her throat, finally able to take in her surroundings. “How did you know Donnie wasn’t there?” This world was clearly recovering. There were patches of scorched earth, trees that hadn’t grown any leaves and unfamiliar vegetation all about. There was a deer-like creature with four eyes and antennas grazing on the blue grass. 

“If we are in the same dimension as him, his shrine will begin to react to that presence. You’ll know when you see it, April.” They stayed there for a moment to allow April's mind to fully recover. “Because he disappeared through a Kraang portal, I thought it best to check the dimensions the Kraang have taken over.” 

April nodded, and after one more confirmation that she was ready, they continued jumping between several worlds. Some were recovering, others were thriving, but most were barren wastelands. It was a hard pill for her to swallow that this would’ve been Earth had they not stopped the Kraang. 

She wasn’t sure how long they did this for, and she lost track of the dimension after the 56th. All April knew was that with each failed search, her heart grew heavier and heavier. Eventually, Karai called off the search for the day.

They were back in the cherry blossom forest and April just had to ask the question plaguing her mind the more they looked. 

“Karai?” She muttered, tired eyes meeting sad ones. “Will we be able to tell if Donnie is still alive?” 

She was quiet, gaze far off though she appeared thoughtful. April felt her anxiety spike at the silence and the consistent lump in her throat growing larger. Eventually, Karai sighed, looking at the young woman once more. 

“I don’t want to worry you, April, nor do I want to lie. I…I don’t have a way to actually tell if Donatello is still alive. For now, all we can do is hope.” April felt the tears again, wrapping her arms around herself as she let out a shaky breath. Karai moved to rest her hands on April’s shoulders. 

“Do not give up so easily. Your brother is smart, resourceful, and stubborn. I do not doubt that wherever he may be, he is safe and trying his hardest to get home.” Despite her uncertainty before, it was clear to April that Karai believed every word she had just said. That determination bled into April and slowly, a real smile crept on her face. 

“Thanks Gram-Gram.” Karai pulled her into one last embrace, one April enthusiastically reciprocated. With a promise to do this again tomorrow, she disappeared in a flurry of flower petals as April carefully tuned back into the real world. 

When she came to, she was still in her spot in front of the beanbag that was now filled by Raph. Her back rested against his leg and Mikey was on one side wringing his hands nervously. Draxum was still at the computer, though he was scribbling furiously in his notes. 

No one said anything and for the next five days, it was much of the same. 

Karai and April would spend anywhere between one and three hours searching for Donnie. The amount of worlds they visited dwindled with each day. They had already checked the closest dimensions, and the further out they had to go, the harder it was for them to reach. 

Draxum did most of his work in Donnie’s lab, occasionally leaving to grab materials from the Hidden City. Leo hovered over him, whether it be from distrust or to be right there should the yokai figure something out, April wasn’t sure. Raph didn’t stray far from Leo who was very much still recovering. More often than not, he was in the corner silent or holding Mikey close. The youngest hadn’t had the motivation to do much these days. She could see they were slowly tearing at the seams.

So April took it upon herself to make sure they were taken care of. She’d cook meals and basically force them to eat it, promising that they could keep looking as they ate. Whenever one of them dozed off, she would cover them with blankets. In the off chance that all three were asleep, she’d cuddle up to them in hopes that it would help them feel more comfortable. 

That wasn’t often though. In fact, there was only once when all three had slept but that only lasted five minutes before Leo woke up. It was beginning to take its toll, despite their denial. The deep bags under their eyes was evident enough. 

On the fifth day, when April’s session with Karai ended after two hours, she found herself where she had started. This time, all three of her brothers and Splints were with her in the living room. Draxum had, at some point, left for the Hidden City again. 

Leo was standing next to Splinter’s chair with his crutches, all weight on his uninjured right leg. Raph was sitting on the ground with Dr. Stuffinton held close to his chest. Mikey was between her and the snapper, knees pulled up to his plastron and eyes downcast. 

“Anything?” Leo asked and when she shook her head, he visibly deflated. The silence was heavy, melancholic, and through it all, April realized one thing. 

They were losing hope. 

Five days. Five days of searching for Donnie with no signs of him anywhere. Five days of Draxum attempting to build what Donnie was planning, only to fail over and over again. Five days of sleep deprivation, worrying, and fear eating away at their spirits. 

“Do you think Donnie is dead?” Mikey whispered, the most words he had said consecutively since that first phone call. April’s breath left her with a shudder and she reached out to weakly grasp his hand. His shaking, scarred hand. 

“No.” Leo answered immediately, his voice strong and sincere. His teary eyes betrayed him, though. “He’s not dead.” 

Raph winced, “Leo…” He set aside his plushie, standing up to approach the slider and wrap him in what was meant to be a hug. But Leo slapped his arms away, stumbling back and catching himself on Splinter’s chair before he could aggravate his already casted knee. 

“No!” Leo nearly screamed, one arm wrapping around his stomach as the sobs overtook his body. They must’ve been painful with his ribs that were still fractured. Raph opened his arms this time, a silent offer, and Leo practically collapsed into them. The crutches clattered to the floor.

The eldest lifted him with ease, holding him close but gentle. Leo just cried. 

“You mustn’t lose hope, my children.” Splinter eventually spoke, standing up in his chair so he could look back at Raph and Leo easier. “I have faith that wherever Donatello is, he’s alive.”

Slowly, he eased out of his recliner and moved over to Mikey, reaching out a clawed hand to caress his head softly. The youngest leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering shut as tears soaked his mask.

“I understand it is disheartening. We have hit a snag in the road. For now, I think it is best we rest for the night. Draxum will not be back until the morning and there is not much else we can do otherwise.” Leo turned in Raph’s arms quickly, hissing through his teeth when his body objected to the sudden movement. 

“You can’t just give up that easily-”

“I am not giving up, Leonardo.” Splinter interrupted sternly. “We cannot help Donatello if we do not take care of ourselves.” The slider scoffed, looking away to glare at the wall. Their dad eventually sighed before retracting his hand. 

“Donatello would not want his family to risk their health for his sake. You may not like it, but you know I am right.” With that, the rat sauntered out of the room and disappeared to his own space. No one moved but eventually, Raph faced April and Mikey with a strained smile.

“How about a turtle pile?” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead moving to set Leo on the recliner. “Mikey, you wanna go grab some blankets?” The box turtle nodded silently before heading towards their rooms. 

Raph flitted about, adjusting the pillows until they formed a nest on the ground. There would be no snacks tonight. None of them were up for a movie. When that was done, he moved Leo over to the nest who, for once, didn’t protest. 

Mikey came back with an arm full of blankets and tossed them into the middle. In his hands, he clutched Donnie’s purple weighted blanket. Raph patted his shell before moving the pile so he could lay down in the middle. Mikey immediately cuddled into his left, pulling Donnie’s blanket over him. Leo moved a bit closer to his right. 

April smiled, adjusting the blankets until her brothers were all cozy. She shot Leo a silent question, asking if he needed comfort, but he just shook his head. She settled next to Mikey, wrapping her arm around him as he threw Donnie’s blanket over her. 

Raph’s snoring filled the air shortly after, the past few days of restlessness finally catching up to him. Mikey was quick to follow and as much as April tried, she just couldn’t. 

And it seems she wasn’t the only one. 

Around two am, there was a rustling to her right. Leo extracted himself carefully from Raph’s hold, standing still for a moment to ensure he was still asleep before hobbling towards the train cars. Without his crutches might she add. 

Annoyance immediately took over April. If he was planning on working, she was gonna give him a very strongly worded piece of her mind. 

It took longer than expected to free herself from Mikey’s hold. He was clinging to her much like a koala, and while she felt bad, she really needed to go drag Leo back to bed. So, she carefully deposited the box turtle onto Raph before storming, quietly, down the hallway. 

She expected him to be in Donnie’s lab. Leo hadn’t left it much the past five days, especially when Draxum was there. It would make sense if he wanted to continue searching for Donnie. 

He wasn’t there though, and April stood there confused for a moment. She stepped out of there, looking around to spot anything out of place. There was nothing and April had half a mind to access the trackers to find him.

It wasn’t necessary as the sound of something being dropped caught her attention. It came from the directions of the rooms and through the soft violet shine of Donnie’s room, she saw a shadow move. April’s heart sank.

She approached his room quietly, pulling back the curtains slowly as not to spook Leo. He was sitting in front of Donnie’s bed, gripping his bad leg as his face was contorted in pain. Some of the stuff that was once on the desk was now on the ground. Their eyes met, his suspiciously wet, and that’s when she noticed the oversized purple hoodie Leo was wearing.

“Oh, honey.” April whispered, swooping down to engulf her younger brother in a hug. He was bigger than her, by a lot, yet somehow she managed to wrap him up completely. Leo held onto her like his life depended on it, muffling his sobs in the crook of her neck. She only rubbed his shell, whispering words of comfort. 

It took a while before he calmed down and eventually, Leo pulled away. He stayed close as he held April’s hand. She leaned her head against his shoulder. They stayed like that as the minutes ticked on. Donnie’s alarm clock read 2:36 am and something told her neither of them were gonna get sleep that night.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” She asked gently. April wasn’t gonna make him talk if he didn’t want to, and Leo knew that. He stayed silent, eyes fixated on the family picture of them placed proudly on Donnie’s night stand. 

April wasn’t expecting an answer. Leo and Donnie both were infuriatingly stubborn when it came to talking about their feelings. She mainly asked so the slider would know she was there for him if he needed it. To her surprise, it looked like he did. 

“I’m scared he’s dead.” Leo confessed, using his free hand to play with the strings of Donnie’s favorite hoodie. “I trapped myself in the Prison Dimension to protect you guys. Mikey nearly tore himself apart to make sure our family was whole. But now…” 

Leo trailed off at the end and April wasn’t quite sure what to say. Instead, she opted to lean forward, twisting enough so she could untie his bandana and pull it off. April hadn’t even noticed he never took it off. 

“Splinter is right, Leo. Donnie is counting on us. We’ll find him and we won’t give up, even if it kills us. And when we find him?” April smiled, knocking their shoulders together so he would look at her. “We’ll kick his ass.”

He barked out a wet laugh, a shadow of what it once used to be. It was genuine though and April would take whatever she could get. It was rare to hear it from any of them ever since the Invasion. 

“When we get him back, he’s going to be the younger twin for the following three…no, make that six months.” Leo grinned and April felt the tension slowly lift. She settled back down and they sat in comfortable silence. No, they weren’t going to sleep that night but April found she didn’t mind. 

Leo shifted, and in the dark of Donnie’s room, she watched him bring a closed fist into the air. Right, it was Sunday. That’s when Leo and Donnie would play a match of rock-paper-scissors to decide who was older for that week. 

She watched silently as his closed fist bounced in the air three times before he extended two fingers. It hung there for a moment before Leo dropped his hand with a sniff, resting his head against April’s shoulder.

Unbeknownst to them, in a world parallel to their own, Donnie laid in a foreign bed staring at the ceiling. Above him was one of his hands flattened. 

Somehow, he could feel that Leo had won that match.