Chapter Text
Donatello was, for all intents and purposes, a smart person. He rarely, if ever let his emotions get the better of him and did his best to keep his impulsive nature in check with varying results. This was something he had always been proud of. However, there were times that he caved, when he let those fleeing emotions and impulsive thoughts get the better of him and ultimately did something stupid and reckless.
So, when in the midst of a battle against some massive bug-like Yokai, he saw Leonardo get thrown across the battlefield, one of the monster's legs hurtling towards him, dead set on impaling him well… Well Donnie acted just a bit impulsively. Against his own best interests.
Donnie couldn’t tell you what happened in the next few moments; it had all happened so fast. Quickly abandoning his spot in the fight, Donnie sprinted towards his older brother and without a moment’s hesitation, threw himself between the leg of the monster and Leo, his battle shell taking the brunt of the force.
He could feel the wind get knocked out of him, the piercing sound of grinding metal making his head spin. His legs buckled beneath him, forcing him to his knees as he desperately tried to hold his ground. Gritting his teeth he dug his staff into the ground just beside Leo, holding steady as he looked at his brother.
“I can’t hold this forever Leo- You gotta move NOW- “Donnie hissed through gritted teeth, wincing slightly as he felt the metal of his battle shell caving beneath the weight of the Yokai and beginning to pierce his back. The arms of his battle shell responded in turn, grabbing onto the leg in an attempt to stop it from doing any more damage than it already had.
Beneath him, Leo stared up with wide eyes, a mix of what Donnie could only guess was fear and horror. After a moment of hesitation, Leo scrambled to grab his sword from beside him, quickly opening a portal on the ground beside himself and rolling through it.
Turning some, Donnie tried to scan the battlefield, catching Leo tumbling awkwardly out of a portal, a few meters away. Having confirmed that Leo was safe, even a little, Donnie let out a sigh of relief before being snapped back to reality by the feeling of pressure against his shell. Without another thought, Donnie forced himself into a standing position, the leg finally piercing through his shell and into his shoulder. He had to think fast.
Clicking the button on the side of his staff, a rocket quickly formed and with full force, spun Donnie. Between the force of the sudden jolt of movement and the grip the arms of his battle shells had on the Yokai, Donnie tore the leg from the Yokai’s body, a blood-curdling scream echoing from it as it was ripped from the beast.
Unable to keep himself steady from the inertia, Donnie stumbled, his back slamming into a nearby wall. In that moment, Donnie’s vision went white, as remains of the leg that had already started to pierce his soft shell dug deep into his shoulder, the pain of bone shattering hitting him like a truck.
Instinctively, his hand flew to his mouth, muffling his own pained screams so as to not draw his brother’s attention. He didn’t dare interrupt them, not in a battle like this, not when one of them could get hurt.
Leaning on his staff, Donnie watched with bated breath as Raphael delivered a toppling punch to the yokai. The monster stumbled back, its weight and its missing leg causing it to hit the ground, hard. Leo and Mikey reacted quickly, both using their weapons to pin the beast's remaining legs to the ground for good. Or at least until someone more qualified than them showed up to handle the situation.
A sigh escaping him, Donnie crumpled to the ground, a sigh escaping him, suddenly more aware than ever of himself. The weight of the leg hurt, hanging awkwardly from his battle shell, only being made slightly more tolerable thanks to the arms holding it in place. The nauseating feeling of his own breathing, how the sharp tip of the leg was mere centimeters from his lungs. The excruciating pain that rippled through his body with every small movement.
Briefly, he thought of removing it, tearing it out in an attempt to be rid of that uncomfortable weight, in some desperate hope to be rid of the pain. Though he knew that removing it would be far worse, especially without knowing the extent of the damage. So instead, he just tried, desperately, to ignore it. It was all he could do.
“DON YOU GOOD?”
Looking up, Donnie felt his world spin slightly as he tried to focus on whoever just yelled, a ringing in his ears making it harder to do so. After a moment, his vision focused just as Leo knelt down in front of him, a deep-set frown on his face. After a moment, Leo offered a hand, which Donnie took with some hesitation. Quickly and not so carefully, Leo pulled Donnie up into a standing position, barely catching Donnie just before he could fall again. Steadying himself against Leo, Donnie got his bearings as best as he could with the world twisting around him. It was nauseating. Throwing an arm around him, Leo spared a glance at his brother, huffing softly as he did so.
“Yeesh, that looks terrible… Least you got a leg up in the fight?” Leo offered in some attempt to lighten the mood… though if Donnie was being honest, it didn’t feel as sincere as Leo’s jokes usually did.
Offering a dry laugh, Donnie humored Leo some before looking toward their brothers. Quietly he watched as Mikey was picked up by Raph and tossed in the air, clearly being praised for his work in the fight. It made him feel a bit woozy watching honestly… Not that Mikey didn’t deserve the praise of course. Simply seeing the motion made his eyes jump around too much for his own liking. Slowly, Donnie shook his head, before sparing a glance at his impaled battle shell in an attempt to find something else to focus on.
The damage was bad, far worse than he had honestly expected. He wouldn’t be able to remove the leg until they got home. Both to avoid questioning from his brothers and to not risk any more damage to himself and his battle shell. It would be embarrassing to bleed out here from his own stupidity… So, he’d have to tolerate the pain a bit longer.
“Ugh… It's going to be a pain to rebuild this… so many materials to gather…'' Donnie mumbled, biting the inside of his cheek in some half-hearted attempt to be disappointed by his choice. Beside him, Leo let out a groan, likely rolling his eyes in annoyance as he did so.
“Materials shmerials- Don you have a dozen of these things, you can use a different shell or something-“ Leo’s words felt sharp, uncomfortably so. As if he was holding back like he was upset… Well at least, Donnie thought he sounded upset, though he didn’t have the energy to ask questions right now. Gripping his staff tightly, Donnie looked to the ground, biting back his own words as he tried to take some weight off Leo and distance himself some.
“Let's just go home already… I need to fix this…” Donnie said softly, a feeling he didn’t know or like settling in his chest. Guilt perhaps? He wasn’t sure.
Leo groaned, mumbling something about Donnie being a “Killjoy” before picking up the pace, practically dragging Donnie toward their brothers.
And for the first time in what felt like years, the silence between them was suffocating.