Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Casey regretted not waiting until later in the night to go on his first patrol. Now he was sitting on his bed listening to his father lecture him on electrical safety and morals. "Casey just what were you thinking" Arnold grumbled, "wow this really is something, did you make this?" He was gesturing to Caseys glove taser, "wait, no, this is a weapon, its illegal, it is amazing you could make this, but it's still bad" Casey fought the urge to roll his eyes. His dad never sounded mad, even when he was super pissed, you'd never have believed he was a regular red-card offender when he uses to play hockey. 

Hell, if it weren't for all the break scars in his nose, you wouldn't have thought he had the guts to play hockey. But Casey knew better, his dad was like him and his sister, a real stubborn hot head. Arnold Jones had just learned to control the flame of his rage over time, always making it so he got the most precise and painful burn possible on his victim. Casey was glad that his dad never directed his concentrated rage at him and his sister. 

Though Casey had to admit it was a little funny how, even when his dad was telling him off, he still managed to complement his son on his intelligence. now if only school thought I was this smart, "anyway... Casey, why did you have this, and your expensive hockey sticks geared up with your face coloured like a goon?" Arnold asked in that all too familiar 'I know what you're thinkin' it's stupid so cut it out' kinda way Casey knew and hated.

His dad just had to be nice about it, makin' him too guilty to even give some classic teenager attitude. 

"Look, there have been rumours lately, of these thugs in purple jackets and giant green lizard men, and I just had to go see and kick some faces in" Casey replied in an all too honest fashion, causing his father to shake his head. 

"Casey you can't just beat anyone ya want" 

"But why not? Petty thugs are just scum and giant lizard men? Come on, I ain't lettin' that danger anywhere near you or Ange" Casey puffed out his chest, an intimidation act that was ineffective on his father. 

Arnold just rolled his shoulders in that slow way he did when he was about to have a talk with one of his kids that might end with a few bruises and bite marks. The same roll he gave when Angel had knocked out her first bully and kept kicking, the same roll he gave Casey when he shoplifted Hot Wheels. The same roll he used when he told Casey and Angel that their mother was gone, minus the tear-red-rimmed eyes. 

Casey didn't like that roll. "Look, Arnie" Casey's dad never called him Arnie unless it was to tease him or to tell him something serious, he wasn't gonna like but couldn't get out of. Casey hoped it was the former and not the latter. "I'm glad ya wanna protect me and your sister, but beating up random thugs isn't the solution, it'll only draw you down to their level" Casey strongly disagreed, but wisely kept his mouth shut, allowing his father to continue. "And if there are giant lizard men, there is a better way to handle em than just shoot' n' kill" Okay, yeah, screw being smart and keeping his mouth shut. 

Casey chimed in, "but they're like monsters! Or aliens! Or some weird-ass government-powered mutant super-weapon!" 

Arnold fixed Casey with a signature, 'let me finish speaking' glare. Casey clapped his mouth shut. "Anyway, as I was sayin', never shoot first ask questions later. If it's intelligent and sentient, it's murder to kill it" Casey really wanted to disagree. Like really. But he could not find a fault in his father's logic. "Though, if there threaten you or Ange, I'll help hide a body, no problem and no lectures, human or lizard man" dammit, now his father's logic was flawless. 

Guess no arguing. 

"Tch" Casey grumbled, "fine, no murder unless absolutely necessary" he promised. 

Arnold smiled at his son, "Good, now for your punishment" Casey groaned, "now don't be like that. You're the one who wanted to commit assault with weapons" casey groaned louder. 

"Whatever grumbles. Let's see..." Arnold ponderd for a few minutes, "ah-ha!" He picked up Caseys hockey sticks, "You can have these back when ya can pay for im' yourself, and to earn that money, I heard your Tìa needs a little help at her shop" 

oh, no, oh, no no no no! 

"you can't be serious?" Casey asked, watching his beautiful baby's (his hockey's sticks) get dragged out by the wicked king (carried gently by Casey kind and considerate father) 

"Deadly so" Arnold chuckled, leaving the room before yelling, "oh and wash that shit off your face!" 

God Casey should have waited an hour. 

Casey moodily swept the coffee shop floors, giving customers angry glares if they looked his way. He was so annoyed by his dad taking his hockey sticks away, and for what? Just wanting to protect his family? 

well sorry if he was too much of a caring son and devoted big brother. 

Casey muttered swearing under his breath, mixing between Spanish and English in his anger. "Fucking Estùpido rule, that tu puta madre and his stupid ass rules, he can go chùpamela! Pinche cõno!" He hissed. 

His tìa just had to walk past at that exact moment, "¿Espero que no hables así delante de tu hermana?" She wacked Casey up the back of the head. 

"Sorry tìa, no I don't talk like that in front of Angel"

"Good. And you better not talk like that to me you dumbass, ya got that?" She threatened, Casey just let out an exasperated sigh. 

"Yes tìa" 

"Good" She seemed pleased by his answer, before walking towards the door and flipping the sign to say 'closed'. 

"ain't it a bit early for that?" It was only 4:30, though Casey wasn't going to complain. He'd been there since eleven and the novelty of the punishment had worn off. hell, maybe I can trick dad into thinkin' I'm here and go bust some skulls. 

"I have to take your cousin to the dentist, so you gotta close up shop for me" Casey let out a wide gapped grin before her words sank in. 

"Wait.." he began, hoping he had misheard, ' Did you just say I had to lock up?" 

His tìa gave him the most 'well duh' look he had ever seen, and he lived with Angel. "You are the only other employee apart from me and your cousin, so yes"

Casey was now even more mad at his dad. He'd made Casey work here specifically because it was his tìa's shop and she didn't have enough money to pay legal salary wages, so he was being used as almost free labour. And now he was going to have to work extra on his first day. Great. 

She handed Casey her keys, a warm, trusting smile on her face. God his tìa was too trusting, especially if she handed him the shop keys. Plus she was so nice about it, so he couldn't just ditch the responsibility without feeling guilty. Great. 

"I already told your father you'd be home late. He said he's working tonight so Angel is at a sleepover, if you need any food there's leftover pastries in the fridge. Bye, love you" she left Casey after that. 

He, Casey Jones, was left alone in a shop full of caffeine and sugar. 

huh... 

Donatello clung to the early evening shadows; grateful daylight savings was finally over. He couldn't wait any longer to get his caffeine fix, his supply having ran out that morning. 

Leonardo had told him to wait till night had properly fallen, but the genius was too jittery to wait that long, instead compromising to go at sunset. It was risky, but Donnie was willing to walk out in the bright daylight if it meant he could get a good mocha. 

Or an expresso, or a latte, or matcha or... really any caffeinated beverage would do. 

The turtle snuck up the wall of his favourite coffee shop, the one that was called 'Nutmeg Love', it actually smelt of nutmeg mixed with the bitter smell of coffee beans. Donatello loved that smell. The ninja absorbed it as he picked the lock on the coffee shop's roof, granting him access to the living quarters of the two-storey home/establishment. 

Donatello walked calmly, surveying the pictures that lay on the walls. He wasn't worried about getting caught, he had hacked the owner's phone and found out she and her son (the only other employee) had an urgent dentist appointment, so Donnie knew for a fact he was all alone. 

Or so he thought. The mutant heard rustling and hissing downstairs. Is there a thief? 

Donatello had encountered a few New Yorks petty thugs and criminals and had even taken a few crime bosses down with the help of his brothers since they had been allowed on the surface, but the sounds of another person still made Donnie twitchy and nervous. 

The genius stalked his way down the stairs, prepared to defend his favourite coffee shop and its very nice owner (he didn't actually know her, but she was a middle-aged woman who seemed fairly nice and was assuming Donatello was a homeless man who took her coffee and left the mouldy cash, so she never even called the police and left leftovers in the fridge for him always) 

Donatello rounded the corner, his bo staff ready, before pushing the butt of it into someone's nose.  The would-be thief cried out in pain, holding his nose as wet crimson dripped through his fingers, cursing under his breath, "ah mierda!" It was at this moment Donatello realized he had fucked up. 

Donatello recognized the bleeding, cursing boy who hobbled in front of him, clutching his nose like a lifeline as it gushed. Donatello recognised the boy's unruly black locks, his mocha-coloured eyes and his concerning lack of teeth. He was a boy from one of the countless family photos that littered the owner's shop, something Donatello would stare at and think about what it was like to get to take photos with your loved ones. 

Donatello assumed the boy was a cousin, or nephew, based on the fact that other than his (admittedly paler) similar skin tone and brown eyes, he didn't look much like the owner, and he was always in photos with an older man who looked like him and a younger girl. 

Donatello was hoping this was a classic familial robbery. One of those sad stories you heard online about how pepole would rob their own family, since their family would never expect it. Donatello didn't want the nice woman who left him food and accepted mouldy notes and pennies in exchange for coffee to be robbed, especially by her own family. But he also didn't want to be the guy who just broke the nice woman's innocent family's nose. 

Please be a bad guy, please be a bad guy... The mutant prayed. The boy's nose was still bleeding, and then Donnie noticed the (now blood-stained) green apron. It was a store apron. Fuck he works here... 

"what the actual fuck...!" The boy spluttered, lifting his head upwards in an attempt to stop the bleeding. 

Donatello couldn't believe how stupid this guy was, "what are you doing?! Do you want to drown in your own blood?" The mutant squawked, grabbing a nearby tea towel and handing it to the idiot, "Dab at it you moron" 

The boy took the towel dazed, and began dabbing his nose before his eyes widened. He pointed to Donatello with a glare, confusion, curiosity and finally anger flashing across his face. "Lizardman!" 

oh. 

Yeah, maybe donnie should stop viewing himself as a genius. Clearly he didn't know how stupid he was. 

"sewer apples"

Casey couldn't believe it. a real lizard man had just broken his nose. 

Casey grabbed the broom, trying to look as menacing as possible as he held it to the lizard man's shell. "Holy fuck!" He exclaimed, probably so happy for someone who just had his nose broken by an admittedly muscular non-human,  "a real ass lizard man!" 

"Actually I'm a turtle" the creature corrected, rolling his eyes like this was obvious. Which, okay yeah, it was. 

The lizard man- turtle -had a light brown shell (clearly giving away he was either a turtle or a tortoise, not that Casey really knew the difference) a purple mask, a really big stick (now covered in Caseys nose blood) and gorgeous red-brown eyes. Casey absently remembered the shade was called Russet. 

"Okay, whatever" Casey rolled his eyes, acting way too familiar with the intruder in his tìa's shop, "Doesn't matter what the hell you are, cause Casey Jones doesn't let anyone mess with im' or his family" 

Casey didn't give the turtle creature a chance to respond, instead charging at him with his broomstick held high, shouting at the top of his lungs "GOONGALA!" The yell had been meant to startle and intimidate the intruder, but the turtle just rolled his eyes, acting as if he was used to people shouting and charging at him. 

Casey swung the broomstick down, wishing he had his hockey sticks, as the turtle dodged. Casey would have thought that he and the turtle were on even ground, you know with them both having nothing more than sticks, but the other boy clearly had more training than Casey. He dodged swings left and right, hitting Casey on the head a few times, causing the hockey player to become slightly disorientated. 

Casey didn't fail to notice how the giant turtle guy avoided his nose. This pissed Casey off, a primal rage at being underestimated coming through as he charged head-on. Sadly, with the intruder having a shell, all this did was catch them both off balance. 

The turtle fell forward, seeming to instinctivley avoid hitting his shell, landing on Casey instead. Casey felt his soul leave his body as he was kneed in the crotch and all the air was forcibly removed from his lungs. He let out a weak cough, causing the groaning turtle to straighten up. 

"Ugh" the turtle groaned, but he kept one arm at Casey's throat and the other expertly placed in between Casey's legs. Since Casey needed both those areas undamaged, he didn't struggle. At least not physically. 

"Get off me ya .... ya turtle freak!" Casey didn't know what exactly the creature on top of him was, other than a turtle. And a know-it-all, based on the brief conversation earlier, before Casey went all berserker. "You leave my tià alone or I swear to god-" Casey was interrupted by russet eyes rolling with so much exasperation it actually made a sound. 

no, seriously, it did. 

"I'm not trying to hurt your... tìa?" The turtle asked, not sure what exactly that meant. 

Casey grumbled, but answered his unspoken question, "it means aunt" he spat, but the turtle didn't seem to notice, appearing pleased at learning something new. Great, a giant turtle, an intruder and now a nerd. 

Casey was having a great time. "Well I'm not trying to hurt her, or anyone" the turtle continued, oblivious to Casey's sarcastic thoughts. 

"Ye, tell dat to my broken nose" At least the turtle wasn't oblivious to that sarcasm, wincing as he studied the now dry blood crusting Casey's upper lip. 

"Yeah... sorry about that... I thought you were a thief" 

"I work here!" 

"Well, I didn't know that, now did I?!" 

He had a point there, but Casey was still bitter about his broken nose. He could taste and smell metal. It was gross. 

"Can ya get off me now? You're fuckin' heavy" 

The turtle seemed to consider this for a few moments, before glaring down at Casey, as if he was the intruder and not the other way around. "You promise not to try and kill me?" The turtle seemed genuinely scared as he asked this, the sarcasm in his voice sounding fake. 

Casey thought back to what his dad had said earlier, remembering his promise. 'no murder unless absolutely necessary' 

Casey guessed he had no choice, "Fine den, not unless deemed necessary" The turtle seemed to accept this answer as fair, "oh, and I have questions which ya owe me answers for, cause ya know..." Casey gestured at his crooked nose. it still tasted of metal in his mouth. 

"tch" the turtle grumbled, "fine" 

a lot of questions... 

Chapter Text

Donatello stared at the blood-soaked employee- Casey Jones- and had to wonder where his life went wrong. The turtle had just wanted a coffee refill, some beans for his machine and a mocha for the road, but instead, he had mistaken the shop owner's nephew for a thief and broken his nose. 

Now to save his shell he had to answer the boys' questions and hope he didn't tell anybody about him, or if he did tell people they wouldn't take him seriously because this was New York, there were weirder things than teenagers ranting about giant turtle men.  

Really the main issue was the fact Donatello was going to lose his favourite coffee shop, with its pristine coffee beans, kind owner and delicious pastries. It was a great loss, and the genius was going to be cursing his luck for the rest of his life. 

"So, like what are you?" Casey asked, eyeing Donatello's shell, his face mostly curious if not slightly mad from the broken cartilage. 

"Well, jones" Donatello used the boy's name, trying it out on his tongue, and relishing in Casey's realisation he revealed his identity to a stranger. Idiot, don't yell your name at intruders, "as we established before, I'm a turtle, freshwater to be specific" 

"And a know-it-all" Casey grumbled, "and I didn't mean like that. I meant, like how are you..." he gestured vaguely to Donatello's large size and sentience.  

The genius had to hold back his eye roll, biting down his sarcasm. "I'm a mutant"

"Cool, like in comics and shit," the boy exclaimed, and it was beginning to physically hurt Donnie to not roll his eyes. 

"Yes, like in 'comics and shit'" Donatello mimicked. 

This boy seemed to possess all the traits he dislikes in people, specifically an IQ lower than his own. 

"Okay, okay, so" Casey continued, ignoring the sarcastic tone of Donatello's voice, "how'd you become a mutant, were you just like minding your own business and boom some aliens took you to a lab and merged you with a turtle?"

"Yes, exactly, aliens just took me and turned me into a turtle, and I a normal human being made turtle-man am going on a coffee run because that is what you do when you find out aliens exist. Act calm and caffeinate" Donnie could probably win an award for his sarcasm. 

"Oh, piss off, I was asking a question, and aliens aren't a bad theory" Casey indignantly retorted Donnie's sarcasm, puffing out his chest in some weird mammal form of intimidation. 

"Sure, sure, aliens exist, and they have nothing betted to do than make mutants..." the other teen just scoffed, acting like this made perfect sense, "to answer your question, no I was not a human minding my own business, I was a baby turtle who mutated into a human-like baby turtle, because of some strange ooze" 

"Cool... wait, if you were a baby, who looked after you?" Casey asked, taking note of Donatello's clearly adolescent stature, "And how old are you now?" 

Donnie sighed. He considered lying to the human, but since no one would ever believe Casey and this was the first ever real conversation Donatello had had with someone who wasn't his family, the turtle decided to tell the truth. What harm could it do? 

"My dad raised me, he was a human who had bought me and my brothers from a pet shop before we were all mutated" Donnie hoped mentioning his brothers wouldn't bite him in the tail later on, "and I'm sixteen" 

"Huh... so your dad was once human... must' a been a hell of a transition for him" Casey didn't need to point that out to Donatello, splinter still had a multitude of nightmares and panic attacks over that night, the old rat sometimes having worse bouts of insomnia than Donatello. 

"Yeah..." was all Donatello could muster out. He was getting sick of being asked questions. "Hey, I think I've answered enough questions to make up for that blood nose" 

"Broken nose" Casey corrected bitterly. 

"It was technically dislocated, and I put it back in place" There had been a lot of screaming and yelling on both boys' parts, "so I think it's only fair I get to ask some questions" 

"Nope, not happening, I gotta get to know you better before you can have access to all of this" Casey gestured towards his body dramatically and Donatello mimicked retching at the sight, "besides, I don't even know your name"

"Well, isn't it too bad I'm done answering questions, if only I had proposed a deal where I could answer that question," Donatello said in a sweet sarcastic voice. 

"Well, you know my name, and it's only fair I get to know yours" the human tried, but Donatello wasn't budging. 

"Nope sorry, not my fault you're an idiot who yells your full name at total strangers" Donatello smiled, clearly hitting one of Casey's nerves. 

"Fine, what if I let you have access to my Tìa's shop?" Casey tried again, clearly too stubborn to budge on the question deal, but also too stubborn to let Donnie leave without learning his name. 

"Why would I want that? Couldn't I just come by whenever I want, like I already do?"

"Fair, fair, but this way the coffee would be free" he gestured at the mouldy notes in donnies strap bag (it was practical, okay, he was a ninja turtle, and a wallet just wasn't going to work!) "Plus, you can make special requests, for like donuts and crap, plus I'll make you your own custom coffee" 

Donatello had to admit, he did like the sound of his own custom coffee. 

The genius sighed, rolling his shoulders like giving in took a great effort, which for the turtle it kind of did. "My name is Donatello Hamato" 

"Casey Jones" Casey held out his hand to shake, pretended like this was a formal greeting and Donnie had never broken his nose. 

"I already know that it's redundant to tell me again" Donatello mocked and the other teen just rolled his eyes. 

Well at least Donnie didn't need to find a new favourite coffee shop.

Casey let out a long-exhausted sigh, plopping on his mattress with an extra 'oomph', his first day of work having been longer and harder than the hockey player could have ever imagined. 

I just befriended a giant mutant turtle

Casey may have been in shock, his mind was reeling from the reality of mutants being real, his nose still ached from being hit by the end of a large stick, and his head throbbed from questions. 

Casey still had so many questions for Donatello, but he wasn't going to give the unknown turtle unnecessary information about himself or his family. Hell, the turtle could probably find everything he could want to know on the Internet, assuming he had a computer. 

The hockey player had tried that route, searching for the name 'Donatello Hamato', unsurprisingly that search had turned up nothing. It made sense, if Casey were a giant mutant turtle, he probably would not be posting about it either. Humans were already awful enough to other humans; he could only imagine how they would treat 6-foot mutants. 

Casey was still lying on his bed, scrolling through crackpot articles about mutants and them eating children, scoffing occasionally when someone talked about how they were 'giant lizards who breathed fire' as if he hadn't believed the same thing just that morning when a small knock was heard on his door. 

"Come in" Casey called, setting his phone on his dresser. Angel walked in, a very out of place for a seven-year-old, look of defiance on her face. 

"What's wrong now pipsqueak?" Casey asked, his big brother's senses tingling. Angel had needed to come home early from her sleepover because one of the other girls was a bitch (Arnold had told Casey to stop referring to an eight-year-old child as a bitch, but Casey had decided to ignore that) 

"I... I can't fix it" Angel gestured to her knotty hair, piled so high on her head the hockey player wasn't sure how she could balance. 

Angel had started growing her hair out long a few months back, sick of the teasing from her classmates for being too 'boyish' and she was struggling with the thick tangles. That was the reason she had needed to come home because her friend Tiffany (the before-mentioned bitch) had kept referring to it as a rat's nest. (Casey did Not need that mental image)

So, Angel had spent the last hour since Casey had picked her up trying to brush her hair down. She had clearly given up and now needed her brother's help. Casey was used to dealing with knots and tangles, having grown his hair out to shoulder length three years prior. 

"Okay, c'mere" Casey gestured to the end of his bed, and Angel rushed over, handing him her hairbrush. Casey began go brush it, grabbing individualized sections at a time, while humming a heavy metal song as if it were a lullaby. "I Dunno why you grew it out, you hate long hair" Casey muttered, fighting back the onslaught of swear's ready to leave his mouth as he tackled a particularly nasty knot. 

"Because Tiff and the other girls said I looked like a gross ugly boy" Angel huffed, adding at the last minute, "No offence Case"

"None taken" Casey shrugged, almost getting the bastard of a knot out, "but haven't we already established Tiff and her friends are bitches who have no futures, why do we care about their opinions again?" 

Casey would have made a savage seven-year-old girl. 

Sadly, he was a seventeen-year-old boy, maybe in my next life, he mused. "Well yeah. but they apologized for the height thing and if I didn't accept it, I would be the bad guy" Angel huffed, like this was an obvious fact. 

Casey was still pissed at the girls from Angels school. They had spent months bullying her about how tall she was since she could pass for a tween, and then when they got bored of that they moved on to her clothes. She now wore daisy print dresses to match everyone else, only wearing her punk and grunge clothes when she was at home. 

And now the little devils had moved onto her hair. Casey missed her short wavy and floofy hair that was so fun to muss up, now if he tried to muss her hair his hand got caught on a known and he accidentally hurt her. 

"Remember my offer, if you want one of their older brothers bashed to send a message, I'm here for you" 

"Thanks, case, but then dad will ground you and I'll lose my chauffer"

"Touche" Casey yielded.

"What does that mean?" Angel asked, her face curious as she pulled on her newly done braid. 

"Uhhh, I Dunno actually, I guess it's something people just say when they've lost an argument, now stop pulling your hair ya lil monster, I'm not doin' it again" Angel just poked her tongue out. 

cheeky lil bugger. 

Casey playfully punched her arm before lying down, Angel snuggled in the crook of his shoulder. 

He doesn't know when he falls asleep, but eventually, the world turns black. His last thoughts were how fabulous a seven-year-old girl he would make, the best hockey play to win Saturdays game and judgmental Russet gazing down at him. 

Chapter Text

Casey swept the kitchen, whistling lowly to himself, some random Metallica song randomly mixing with the 'My Little Pony' theme. It was a surprisingly interesting tune. Casey continued to sweep and whistle, slightly spinning in a circle and hitting a day-old bagel like a puck. 

"Casey! Don't play with garbage" his tìa hissed, lightly slapping him on the shoulder, "you'll attract rats if you lose that under a counter" she tutted Casey scoffed, but picked up the bagel and threw it in the trash, shivering at the idea of the furry little rodents staring at him with their beady red eyes. 

Their horrible little red eyes... 

Ugh! Casey did not like that image. "Anyway Casey, are you sure you want to lock up shop again?" His tìa asked, cocking her eyebrow the same way Angel did when Casey was confusing her. Slightly upward, arched and on the right.

"Yes tìa, I already said I wanted to" Casey had, in fact, already asked to lock up that night. And the night before, and tomorrow night, and really every night onward. 

"Yes, I remember, I'm not that daft Niño, I'm only forty-three, too young to go senile yet" She whacked Casey up the head and the hockey player winced. Not in pain mind you, more in a form of respect. 

"I wasn't implying that tìa" he sighed. 

"Well sure sounded like it" she retorted, rolling her honey-almond eyes in exasperation, "any way you didn't answer my question, why do you want to close up so much?" 

"Cause I wanna be responsible and shi-take, Shitake mushrooms" Casey corrected, his tìa gave him a familiar 'tell me the truth and watch your language' look he had seen his whole life and knew not to dismiss or ignore, "ugh fine... why are ya and dad so good at readin' people?" 

"It ain't magic, it's called maturity and your easy to read"

"Sure, seems like magic" he muttered, stalling as the gears in his head turned, "look I just... uhm" the gears weren't turning quick enough, "I have a friend-" Fuck...

"oh, you are not bringing a girl in here, if you get a girl pregnant on my grandmother's rug I swear to- Dios, te castraré aquí y ahora, no me pongas a prueba, chico, no estoy jugando-" Casey began to drift off, rolling his eyes as his tìa switched from English to Spanish in her anger, talking too fast for Casey to understand and he had to suppress a laugh at how similar their habits were. 

He stopped laughing as he registered the word 'neuter' 

"Tìa, tìa... I'm not, my friend is a guy, I think" Casey exclaimed, but this didn't seem to stop his tìa. 

"Okay, but aids is still something that can happen, are you using condoms? Because just because he can't bring life doesn't mean you can't transfer other things-"

"TÌA!" Casey was glad his tìa instantly accepted the idea of Casey sleeping with a guy, he hadn't come out to her or his father as bisexual, only Angel knowing, and it made him feel happy she cared. He didn't want to have this conversation then and there though. "Tìa, it ain't like that, I actually met him at the shop the other day, he's... uhhh" Casey did not know how to explain this part. 

He couldn't tell her Donatello was a mutant, and if he explained how they met leaving that part out Donatello seemed like a crazy thief and Casey seemed like a total moron. (The jury was actually still out on both those accounts) 

"Oh, is he the homeless man who breaks in to buy coffee with those gruby notes?" His tìa supplied, continuing without waiting for Casey to answer, "He seems like a nice enough fellow, fixed one of my machines and left a tip without taking any money, but I don't think you should be talking to grown men or women, they could be a woman or neither, never met em' myself" Tìa corrected as she went, slightly rambling and losing her point. 

"He's a guy, I think, never asked their pronouns" Casey noted, "and they ain't grown, their sixteen, a year-ish younger than me" 

His tìa looked appalled by this information, shaking her head sadly, "that young, really, this city..." she tutted. 

"I don't think they're homeless, just... poor and anti-social..." it wasn't technically a lie, just a bent truth.

"Still ain't great..."

"Come on tìa, I wanna talk to this guy, he's interesting" 

Again, another technical truth, a giant mutant turtle who wielded a giant stick and spoke sarcasm as a second language, was interesting. At least to Casey. 

His tìa gave him a knowing look, and Casey had to fight back a scoff. It wasn't like that. 

"Well, I guess..." she relented, and Casey engulfed her in an ecstatic hug, "Okay, okay, calm down, there are rules" 

Casey groaned it was over-exaggerated and meaningless, but he did it anyway. For the principle, "One, you aren't to be doin' nothing in my shop"

"Tìaaa-"

"Don't tìa me, you're a teenager, the filthiest creature known to man" She rolled her eyes in that 'duh' way she and Angel had in common. "Two, they can eat as much as they want, but monitor the coffee. I don't want this kid to starve, but I don't want them to have a heart attack on my watch"

"And three, if they seem sketchy at all, call the police or me, I'll beat em' senseless" She snickered at this idea. 

"Right," Casey mumbled, ignoring the fact that everything about the turtle was a little sketchy. 

"Okay, you can lock up, remember to do it tight, me and your cousin are stayin' at the hotel around the corner till the reno's are done" Casey nodded along, only slightly paying attention, "and tell this person when ya see em' that once the renovations upstairs are done, they need to knock and not just pick the lock. Don't wanna break their nose or something" 

Casey ignored the irony. "Yes tìa, thanks, love ya"

"Te amo demasiado tonto" his tìa sighed, before going on with her business. 

Casey sat on the stairs between the cafe and his tìa's living quarters, still humming his combination song from earlier, the beat was actually coming together quite nicely. Casey sat there for about an hour, wondering if the turtle would show. They hadn't last night, and the hockey player had practically camped at his tìa's shop yesterday.

He was all about ready to give up when he heard a mumbled swear, "dammit" the turtle whisper shouted as they tumbled slightly down the stairs, falling on top of Casey.

"We need to stop ending up like this" Casey teased and the turtle went pink before making a gagging sound in the back of their throat. 

"Why are you here again? Seriously, I make sure to only come here when your tìa is gone, and still, I have to run into you. What higher being did I tick off?" The last part seemed sarcastic and rhetorical, so Casey didn't answer. 

"Yeah well, someone has to lock up" Casey shrugged. 

"Yeah, locking up definitely takes over an hour"

"Oh, fuck off, a machine was broken, and anyway you know you're happy to see me Donnie boy" Casey teased again, enjoying the turtles' reactions. 

"Oh, please don't let that become a thing" Donatello exclaimed horrified by the prospect, "Anyway, I'm going to take my free coffee and go" 

Casey stepped in front of the turtle, blocking their path to the coffee machines, earning a glare that made Casey fear he wasn't going to make it to next Saturdays hockey game. 

"What are you-" the turtle began, but Casey cut them off

"I had a deal remember?" The turtle warrior rolled their eyes, clearly annoyed Casey had remembered that. 

"Fine, but only three questions"

"Five"

"Ugh... fine" Donatello gave in, clearly not in a mood to argue, " but I want at least three questions answered by you, and no, nothing personal on your part assuming I'm allowed a veto?" Donatello offered. 

Casey assumed veto meant refusing a question that was too personal, so he nodded in agreement. 

"Okay, first off, what are ya pronouns? I've been assuming you're a dude cause of your like masculine build and shit... but that's rude and stuff" 

Donatello seemed perplexed by this question, "huh... I guess where I'm from I wouldn't have thought..." they mumbled to themselves, "um, well I'm biologically male... but I guess I'm fine with he or they, don't think I'd really care if I was referred to as a girl. What are your pronouns?" 

"He/him" Cassy answered, a smug grin forming on his face, "now it's my turn again, what do you do for fun, ya know as a giant turtle in all" 

This question had been consuming Casey, what does a big ass turtle do to entertain themselves? 

"Uh well" Donatello seemed to think for a minute, like he wasn't asked this question often, which to be honest they probably weren't. "I train with my brothers, patrol the streets and build stuff" 

"Ooh, what are your brother's names? What do ya mean by train? and what do ya build?" Casey blurted out before he could stop himself. 

Donnie deliberated for a moment before answering. "My brothers are Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo" huh, Casey thought, their names seem to have a theme. "Me and my brothers train in Ninjitsu, our father is from Japan, hence the name Hamato" Donatello gave Casey one of those duh looks he always got, and he had to wonder whether Donnie had ever met his tìa or his sister. 

"Cool, you're a ninja Turtle..." Casey muttered to himself. 

They continued ignoring him, "and I build all sorts, from robots to phones... last week I started a car"

Casey instinctively snapped to attention at the word car. "What kind? What model? How many km, cause if its-" 

"You're out of questions Jones" Donnie interrupted and Casey cursed himself for blurting out the first thing that had popped into his head. "Anyway" Donatello continued, an annoying smug grin on his face, making Casey wanna widen the gap between the turtle's teeth. "It's my turn, what do you do for fun and what are your family's names, the ones you live with, obviously" 

Casey was surprised by this question, expecting something a little more along the lines of blackmail. 

"Uhh, well I play hockey, and do art... plus I work on cars in my free time as well" Donatello surprisingly lit up at this answer, "and I uh live with my dad- Arnold- and my sister- Angel" 

Casey probably needed to stop giving away his personal information so easily. 

The turtle nodded like this was vital information, grabbed his coffee and walked up the stairs. 

"See you tomorrow, Jones" 

"I-yeah... see ya" Casey called out slightly late, mildly shocked by Donatello's words. 

Tomorrow night... 

Chapter Text

"Ah- shit" Casey hissed, shaking his hand manically and Donatello rolled his eyes. 

"That's not gonna help Jones" The turtle drawled, walking to the now familiar first aid kit in the back of the kitchen. It had been about a week since Donatello had broken Casey's nose and fixing the Hockey player's wounds had become a somewhat part of his life. Donatello grabbed a bandage and gestured for Casey to move to the sink, the human followed, wincing when the cold water hit his burnt hand. "Calm down, it's to help, quit your whining" Donnie muttered as he turned the sink off. 

Casey Just stuck his tongue out in defiance "I wasn't whining" he whined. Donatello was beginning to worry he would permanently get his eyes stuck in the back of his head with all the rolling he was doing. "I swear I had it this time D, it just... that thing is out to get me" Casey continued, accusingly pointing at the innocent coffee maker. 

"Don't blame the coffee maker for your inability to make a Chai Latte" 

"Don't blame the coffee maker bleh bleh bleh" Casey mimicked like a child. Yeah, Donnie's eyes were gonna get stuck in the back of his head. 

The turtle scoffed, wrapping the bandage around Casey's hand, "There you big baby, now it won't get infected" Rather than say thank you, the Hockey player stuck his tongue out like a seven-year-old. 

It had been a few days since Donatello had begun his, friendship? The turtle wasn't sure exactly what the relationship between him and Casey was, mutual curiosity? Yeah, that seemed right. Well, it had been a few days and Donnie had come to learn a few things about the Hockey player. 

The two teens exchanged three questions a day while Casey (Attempted) to design a Coffee for Donatello. 

Casey Jones had a younger sister, who Donnie was surprised to find out wasn't even eight yet, despite her height. Casey's father was a hard worker who worked two jobs to support his children, his Tia was from his mother's side and the only person from her family who lived in New York. Casey's mother was... gone.

A sad fact Donatello found out when he had asked the Hockey player, but Casey surprisingly didn't need much prompting to talk about her, and it was surprisingly endearing to the turtle. 
His mother was named Cassandra, and he had actually been named after her and his father (His first name was actually Arnold! Donnie had laughed for an hour straight) and she had been a hell of a cook apparently but was also shit at any form of drink (Something Casey had apparently inherited from her) 

Casey would talk about her for long lengths of time, a wistful far far-off look in his eye as he described how she sang to him and taught him Spanish, tears in his eyes as he began to bring up how she had died. He didn't end up finishing telling Donatello, breaking down into sobs, the turtle awkwardly comforting him.  

He now knew that Casey was warm, smelt like cinnamon and sweat and was a very caring and compassionate person. 
He was also a dick, Donnie remembered, shaking his head as Casey was Rambling about something. Casey apparently let his guard down easily, or at least he did with Donatello, a practical stranger and giant mutant.  

"-It's just I'm not a little kid and my dad's just being overprotective!" Casey exclaimed, Donnie only catching half his sentence. 

Donatello stared at his sludge in a cup, a faint scent of chai and doom radiating from it, "Uh.. Yeah" He replied absentmindedly, swirling his spoon in the very thick liquid.

Does this still count as liquid?

"Seriously!" Casey smiled a chipped tooth grin, his Mocha eyes lighting up with a terrifying amount of excitement, "You agree?!"  

I'm sorry what? 

"This is gonna be so fun Don!" Ok, yeah, Casey was too excited. 

Fuck, I need to pay attention... 

Casey couldn't believe he had gotten the genius turtle to agree to take him out on one of his infamous 'Patrols' but lucky for the hockey star Donatello had been distracted by Casey's not-that-bad (Terrible) coffee-making skills and couldn't back out since it proved he was zoned out. Casey was glad for this little peculiarity of Donatello's, along with many of the other ones. 

The two had grown close over the course of a few days and Case had become acquainted with the odd quirks that the turtle displayed. Like, he had to know everything but not in that annoying 'I know all' way that made Casey wanna shove a hockey stick so far up someone's ass they coughed pucks but in a more... he wasn't sure how to explain it. Innocent way? As if Donatello wanted and needed to experience as much of the world as possible, like if he didn't, he'd lose it. Which... may have been true. 

Casey guessed the Turtle was just naive and unknowing of the ways of the world, a bad combo for a New Yorker, but Casey assumed a giant mutant who knew ninjitsu didn't need to worry too much about being naive. 

Casey had also observed that Donnie had a habit of randomly info dumping, like when he had asked why the coffee maker was possessed the other day and Donatello went on a half-hour rant about how it worked or when Casey had casually mentioned his dad liked some old show called 'space heroes' and Donnie's russet eyes had lit up like a kid at *I-don't-wanna-be-fucking-sued-land-so-I'm-not-sayin-it* and explained every plot line in such great detail he may as well have watched it with Donnie.  

So now Casey knew random facts he would never remember and would probably be told about again in the future by an exasperated turtle who would pretend to be annoyed but in reality would actually be happy to re-explain, it was actually a pretty funny idea. 

It'd be so cute... 

"Wait... What?" Casey whispered to himself, his eyes blowing wide open, what did I just think? 

"Are you good Case?" Donatello asked, holding his arm out to Casey who skated on the roof in his borrowed skates, "You really shouldn't do that on a roof" the turtle sighed, rolling his eyes the way Casey had quickly become accustomed to. 

"Yeah D, I'm all good" Casey shook his head quickly, a manic grin spreading across his face, "And I'm perfectly fine skating up here" To emphasise his point Casey dangled a single leg over the edge before twirling like a ballerina. 

Donatello just scoffed, his eyes basically no longer centred naturally, "Need a Tu-Tu Jones?" he mocked

"Piss off, just cause I got the hips to pull it off" Casey did a small hip shake, causing the genius to crack up slightly. 

"Bloody sewer apples, you need therapy Jones" he cackled

"Like you can talk, at least I'm fabulous" 

They both couldn't help but crack up at that.  

Chapter Text

Donnatello really needed to pay more attention when pepole were speaking. Okay to be fair, usually the only 'pepole' he spoke to where his brothers, and they usually didn't have anything to say that was worth listening to. But now that the genius had a friend? (Donnatello still wasn't sure if casey could be classified as that) to talk to, he needed to listen, especially since that 'friend' was an idiot who thought it was safe to skate on rooftops. Seriously, if casey jones didn't acidentally kill himself tonight, Donnatello swears he's going to do it for him. 

"Jones, thats enough, you will fall" 

"Pfft, D ya worry too much, it's fine" Casey did a small jump that caused donnatello's heart to plummet, smiling his wide broken toothed smile that was far more charming than it had any right to be. The genius turtle just hit casey with his bo staff in response, making sure the hockey player fell on the roof rather than off it. "What the hell was that for Donnie?" Casey sputtered indignantly as he brushed himself off.  

Donatello rolled his eyes, feeling a slight twinge of pain from the muscles beimg overused, "oh, oops" the turtle fluttered his non-existent eyelashes, "did I do that, sorry" Donnie ducked as a puck was thrown at his head. does he keep them in his pocket?!? 

Donnatello was getting tired and bored, the earlier caffeine adrenaline wearing off (not that it had much affect, his drink had been practically tar with a splash of honey) He and casey had been at it for an hour, the hockey player excited to try patrolling. Donatello regretted telling casey about him and his brothers patrol shedule (leo takes out one theif and suddenly their a super hero team) and about how he used solo patrols as an excuse to hangout almost nightly. 

It had all led to Caseys stupid idea of joining him on patrol and because donnie had zoned out he was stuck actually doing it (no, before it is mentioned, he could not have backed out. It meant admitting he spaced, and that hurt his pride. A turtle was nothing without their pride) 

"God D, why do ya gotta be such a sarcastic arse?" Casey snickered as donnie gave him back his puck (seriously, where did he get it from?!?) "like can't ya switch it up every once in awhile" casey teased and donnie felt heat pool in his cheeks. 

"Well sorry if my personality puts you off so much, if you really want I can be a blunt asshole instead" The turtle offered up. 

"Nah, I'm alright, I don't particularly like my assholes blunt" casey snickered, a sly grin on his face, and donnie could hear the blood rushing in his ear slits. "Ow!" Casey yelled as his head met the end of donnatellos bo staff. 

"Don't be disgusting jones or I will personally push you off this roof" donnie slightly sputtered. 

"That'd be a bit of a waste since you've literally not shut up about how I should avoid falling,  my ears did not undergo that torture just for you to murder me in cold blood" casey snickered, "get it, cold blood? Ha, ha" 

Donatello rolled his eyes and casey slapped his knee whilst cackling at his own joke, a mixture of disgust at its premise and pride at casey understanding basic biology forming a weird knot in his stomach. "Whatever jones, it wasn't that funny, now if your done tooting your own horn I think it's best if we hea-" donnie was interupted by a loud resonating crash. 

The window on the building nextdoor was shattered, three men in ominously familliar purple jackets climbing onto the roof. Donatello barely had enough time to process this and begin forming the words 'lets go, the police can handle it' before he heard caseh jones loudly cry "GOONGALA!" 

"Kuso!" Donnie hissed before following.

Casey was so pumped. He was about to defeat his first ever bad guys and with a mutant ninja turtle as his back up, what was cooler than that? 

Casey leapt from the rooftop he was originally on, using the momentum of his skates to fully spring him up, before landing and curving infront of the thieves. Before he could even try and guess how long it would take donnie to get across he saw the turtle standing next to him. huh, must be a benifit of his long legs... 

Casey didn't let himeslf focus on that particular though for long, instead turning his attention to the thugsin front of him. They were each covered in tatoos, two of them were about caseys height, the third one barely 5'5 and they all wore satin purple jackets with sick ass dragons stiched on the back. seriously, if they made the purple hue lighter and better suited to olive green instead of sinister dark purple that reminded him of hockey bruises, then casey would defeninetly wanted one. 

"Shit, boss, its one of those turtle freaks" the taller on the right hissed to the shortest one, his 'boss'. Casey was suprised the goons weren't suprised by donnie. It was a suprising lack of suprise. 

"Fuck, where are the others, ya know short fuse, hungry and whatever the blue ones name was?" Shorty asks donnie, his foot inching towards the emergency fire stairs behing him, "and who's this kid with ya? What you freaks mind controlling kids now?" Casey did not like this short fuck calling him a kid, and he certainly wasn't going to let him get away with calling donnie a freak (yes, casey had done it before, but that was a life or nards situation) 

"I'm Cas-hmgh!" Donnie placed his cold hand over caseys mouth, quickly shooting him a "shut up' glare. Okay, yeah, donnie was totally secretly freinds with angel, had to be. Casey got the message, licking the inside of donnies plam as a sign to give him oxgen. It weirdly tasted like mint and nutmeg. Donnie kerked his hand away, his lips (beak? Casey still wasn't sure) going slightly wobbly as his face flushed. His russet eyes were filled with irritation and casey could feel the slight bump on his head ache, knowing it would get a twin later.  

"Put the stuff you stole back before I call the police" donnie stated calmly despite his face still being flushed. 

"How bout you call the police and they sned you back to whtever holding cell you came from?" Shorty snickered along wjth his freinds and casey finally lost it. He slightly stepped on donnies toe to stop him from trying to holf his back, before skating at full speed towards shorty and his goons. 

Donnatello let out a satisfying groan of exasperation before following, alreasy sweing it was too late before caseys fist made contact with right guys face. Right guy apparently did not like being punched in the face and attempted to tackle casey off the roof, but missed since casey skated backwards (admittedly almost off thee roof) 

Casey threw projectile pucks at righty's face, grinning like a maniac when one his him square in the jaw. Imagine how sick that woulda been with an actual stick! Casey didn't celebrate long however since rightys fist connected with his (still healing) nose and made a very ominous crinkle sound. 

oh fuck noses shouldn't crinkle... 

Casey ignored the throbbing in his nose and the warm liquid that tasted like copper slowly dripping down his lips and chin, and instead used his opponents sense of security to catch him off guard. Casey hooked his leg under rightys and knocked him off his feet, kneeing him in the chin as he toppled forward. 

"¡Ja, eso es lo que te pasa por meterte con la perra de Jomes!! Casey hollered in triumph, the dull ache where his brain and nose met becoming a spiking feelimg slowly. 

Casey turned to see if donnatello needed any help, but was not shocked to see the turtle had floored lefty and captured shorty. 

"I called in an anonymous tip to the nypd, they'll collect these guys in ten minutes, we should  go- holy fuck jones, your face!" Donnie looked aghast as he turned around, rushing over to inspect caseys nose, "what the fuck, this is defeninetly broken" casey winced as donnie poked the blood geyser now in the middle of his face. 

"Oh, shit... guess the crinkle was bad..." casey muttered, slowly leaning into donnies cold touch on his searing nose. 

"The what? You know what.... don't wanna know, shit jones, your gonna need more than your tias first aid kit" donnie muttered, his eyes shifting. Casey absently noticed this was the most donnie had swore in a row. It was kinda funny, in that pain indused hysteria way. 

"Well, thats kinda all I got, since I can't realy tell me dad what i was doing" it was hard enough to explain his dislocated nose, a broken one would be impossible. 

"Ugh... fine, I guess it can't be helped, but I swear if you breathe a word to anyone, I will shove my bo staff so far up your as-" as much as casey was loving this kinky threat on his life, donnie had lost him. 

"I'm sorry D," Casey began, slightly retching from the taste of metal on his toungue, "what can't be helped?" 

"I'm taking you to my house to properly treat your wounds, obviously" 

right. Donnies house. Wounds treat. 

Obviously. 

"o-okay..." 

Casey was defeninetly fully prepared for this. Yep. 

Chapter Text

Casey really needed to develop some more self-preservation skills because he clearly lacked them, since currently he was following a six foot turtle down a manhole cover in the dead of night whilst his nose gushed metalic crimson into his mouth. Yeah, he did not make smart choices. 

"blegh" Casey spluttered, spitting the blood that trickled into his mouth as he sharply inhaled and choked on lipsthe smell. "Why are we going into the sewers?" Casey asked Donnatello as they began to descend the ladder into the sewer tunnel, gagging as his nose burned from the strong smell of piss and shit. ignore the squishy stuff, ignore the squishy stuff Casey reminded himself as they splashed onto the ground. 

"Where do you think I live?" Donnie asked, a signature eye roll crossing his face. 

"Huh... " casey sighed, realization daunting on him. 

"Yeah, 'huh' " Donatello mimcked, a small smile playing on his lips (beak?!) "anyway, when we get there I'm going to need you to follow some ground rules"  

"Pfft- Casey Jones rules at rules" Casey winked, earning him a small snort. cute

"Sure, sure" Donnie smiled as he led Casey down the foul smelling tunnel, "okay so when you see my family don't freak out, okay?" 

"Wow" casey dramatically clasped a hand over his chest, " I cannot believe you have such little faih in me" donnie replied with a pointed glare and casey shivered in... fear? "I won't, I won't,  promise" 

"Hmmph" donnie huffed and Caseys cheeks did not warm "anyway, you are not to ever appear at my home again without permission, you will not interact with my brothers more than necessary, especially mikey" Casey really  wanted to talk to mikey. It was necessary now. 

"Okay, yes D, I promise" Casey slightly fibbed. He really wanted to talk to mikey. 

"You know what, just... followe my lead" donnie sighed, worry lines furrowing his mask. 

"So, do they know I'm coming" Donnie just held up his phone? (Casey thought it was a phone, it looked more like a turtle shell, but it had a clear message chain) "oh great... fully on the fly meeting, great" 

casey and donnie shared a worried look. great. 

Donnatello had made a huge mistake. He had felt guilty seeing casey's bloodied nose, crooked and out of place with a small gash on the side that oozed blood. Yeah, casey was going to need stitches, but the idiot refused to go to the hospital because he was afraid of getting in trouble with his dad. Which, okay, donnie could relate, but still. 

So donnatello had decided to take him back to the lair to perform quick medical aid (donnie was somewhat of an unofficial doctor since his brothers were morons with pointy weapons) and he had messaged his brothers asking them to inform splinter about him bringing in his injured human freind/ally of curiosity. And that he had a form of regular  contact with a human. And to let them know he had a form of regular contact with a human. 

Yeah, it had been met with some less than happy responses. 

Nerdaro:  WHAT? YOU KNOW A HUMAN! YOUR BRINGING A HUMAN?!?! 

SlutDropRed:  How tf did donnie make a friend? Lolz 

LittleMike:  All good bro, I'll let splints know, good job being less antisocial :) 

Why did donnies brothers have such strong beliefs that he couldn't make freinds given the opportunity?  Donatello was genuinley offended by their lack of confidence in his social skills. Not that he had much faith in his own social skills, but it still hurt. 

"So are we almost there D?" Casey asked, a clear look of fear and excitement on his face and donnie couldn't help but shake his head. Big, big mistake. 

"We'll be there soon, just keep the cloth to your nose, we don't need it to get infected moron" the turtle genius grumbled, wordlessly switching the cloth he'd given casey ten minutes ago with a new one, "we'll be there in fifteen" 

Donnie had decided to take the longest route from the building where they had gotten into a fight with the purple dragons. It was twenty five minutes long. Now only twelve minutes. Donnie was sweating and picking at his skin. It was slightly scratchy and sore, a small bump forming, which wasn't bad. It wasn't great eitheir, but it wasnt bad. 

Donatello and casey walked the last eleven and a half minutes in silence, the hockey players onky sound being small squeaks whenever a rat shifted and made a sound. It suprised donnie that casey was so easily startled, especially when he recalled how easily casey had attacked the purple dragons earlier. 

Eventuallythey made it too the lair, the familiar abandoned subway station greeting him with its overpowering incense that smelt oddly like lavender and pepperoni. 

"Looks like my brothers decided to leave, so we should be all good, my labs ju-" before donnatello could finish his sentence a blur of bright green and orange flashed before his eyes and landed infront of casey, his baby blie eyes rattling as he shook with excitment. 

"this is so rad dudes" mikey chuckled, poking his fingers into caseys sides as the hockey player bristled with suprise. 

"Mikey, leave casey alo-" 

"Holy shit, you actually brought a human? Mr science geek made friends first?" Raphael walked in, acessing casey with a keen eye before snorting, clearly decidig he would win in a fight. "What'd ya do to his nose?"

"I didn't do that, and I can make friends!" Donnie yelled far too loudly, still attempting to pry mikey away while he interviewed casey on his opinions about pineapple on pizza. Donatello really needed to gt him out of there before he answered wrong, he did not feel like stitching more wounds than one. "I really just need to stitch him up, so I'm  goi-" 

"DONNATELLO HAMATO!" God, they all just had to interupt donnie tonight, didn't they? Leonardo strutted over with purpose, his arms raised towards the hilt of his sword, his eyes narrowed on casey. "I cannot believe you  would be so reckless to let a human into our lair!" 

"Oh calm down leo, I doubt this twink could even make a fist" raphael snickered. 

"Oh I'll show you a fist" casey hissed, lunging slight towards raphael, only being stopped by donnie who held him back. 

"Not helping case" donnie hissed back, suprised by the sudden genuine aggression in his tone at being accused of not being able to fight. Donatello guessed it was a sore spot. "And raphael, maybe dont insult our injured guest?" Donnie asked in a way that was clear. 'Shut the fuck up'. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be nice" raphael rolled his eyes, casey still glaring daggers at him whilst beimg held in donnies arms. Donatello quickly let go, his face warm as mikey smirked at him. 

"Anyway, casey won't hurt us, he's had plenty of opportunities and hasn't layed a hand on me" not fully a lie, not fully a truth, donnies sweet spot. "We just got into a sciffle with the purple dragons, he's hurt and needs stitches, so I'm just bandaging him up"

Leo let out a little tsk sound, but didn't argue any further,  clearly needing a moment to say helping a hurt person was bad without sounding like an absolute tool. Donatello was not going to give him that moment. 

Donnie turned around, pulling casey along towards his lab,  walkkng as quickly as possible before one of his brothers could act stupid again, when master splinter walked out, a strained smile on his whiskered face. 

"Ah, hello my son, this must be your friend. I am master splinter, Donatello's father, pleasu-" thats as far as master splinter got before a blood curdling scream rang out through the layer, apparently belonging to the lungs of one terrified casey jones. 

"HES A FUCKING GIANT RAT!!!!!" That was all casey got out before prominently falling into Donatellos arms, apparently passing out from seeing master splinter. 

huh, casey was afraid of rats. Donnie had neglected to mention master splinter was infact, a rat. 

"fuck" 

Chapter Text

Casey's head was woozy and he felt a weird primal fear welling up inside him, and it wasn't from the giant turtle with large russet eyes staring down at him. It probably should have been, but whatever the turtle made well up inside him, it defeninetly wasn't fear. Though it didn't help with how sweaty his palms were, eugh. 

"Ugh, shit" casey winced as he lifted himself up, his nose and head sending shooting pains down his spine, "what the fuck happened D?" Casey remebered fighting those thugs, going down to the sewers, meeting donatellos family.  His suprisingly energetic brother mikey (he was donnie polar opposite, super talkative and earnest) his brother raph (casey wanted to punch that one, he didn't like the way he assumed casey was weak, nor the rude way he said twink) and leo (casey was mostly afraid leo would hide his body later) 

And then there was... 

"You don't remeber?" Donnie asked casey, a look of concern gracing his face before being replaced by a cocky smirk, "you passed out when you met my dad, I didn't know you were afraid or rats, let alone your voice could go that high pitch" donnie teased. 

Casey made a very mature gesture with his hands in response, causing the genius to scoff and work out his eye muscles. "Fuck off, why didn't you tell me your dad was a r-rat!?" Casey winced as his voice broke Slightly ar that last word, his body shivering witg revulsion and fear. 

"Never came up" donatello practically sung, clearly amused by Caseys very-rational phobia of rats. They were evil, souless demons who only exist to do the devils handiwork and spread disease. Again, eugh. 

"god your an ass" casey mumbled to himself, wincing as he shifted and ran a hand through his hair, no bumps or blood, that was good at least. "Hey, how'd I not brain myself on the floor?" The hockey player asked before he could stop himself, the answer being obvious as he felt a flush reach his face. 

"What a way you have with words Jones, I caught you, obviously" donatello stated matter of factly, a mixture of sarcasm and possibly concern (or judgment) in his voice. "Anyway, me and raph carried you back here to my lab" 

As Donatello said this casey noticed hia surroundings for the forst time, the rows and rows of clunky garage sale tables covered in a medical sheets. The various tools and devices lining the walls, tables and floor, each one tinted purple. The large and bright overheas lighting, the variety of half finished projects and multiple coffee cups (So many coffee cups. Casey feared he was helping fuel an addiction) and... was that a fucking robot?! 

"wow, cool place ya got Donnie boy" casey tried to sound nonchalant, a burning desire to go full gearhead/builder mode and ask questions about the robot threatening to overtake him. Play it cool Jones, he told himself, gritting his teeth as he inspected his section of the lab. 

It honestly looked like an accurate dollhouses hospital. Yes it only took up one corner, but it had a multitude of needles, bandages, surgical equipment, a hospital bed and what looked like a homemade heart-monitor, X-ray machine and MRI. 

"Thanks, I really wanted acknowledgement from you about what is cool" donnie scoffed, and casey made that gesture with his hand again, "anyway, sit up, I needed you awake to stitch that gash up. I already realined the carrtiledge so as long as your careful your nose should heal normally" 

Casey missed half of what donnie said, but the turtle kept going, "but I can't guarantee that until I dissenfect, and stich the cut on your left nostril so that I can then apply the large bandage as a sort of makeshift cast to hold your nose in the right place so it doesn't heal crooked. It will scar, but it won't really do much to your already you face-" 

Donntello began to rant on, and on about the medical mumbo jumbo required to fix caseys broken nose, and for some reason it caused casey to smile goofily, his earlier fears about being in a sewer with a giant rat who pronabaly had a rat army, easing at the sound of donnatellos voice. Honestly, casey could have sat their all day, taking in no information and only the sound, but donnie was looking him in the eyes. 

"Are you even listening Jones?" Russet pools that stared into caseys soul asked. Casey choked on his own spit when he realised what he had just thought. Russet pools? Soul staring?! What the fuck?!? 

"ah... yeah Don, of course" casey lied. 

"oh, really?" Donnie challenged, raising his non-existent eyebrow, "then what did I just say?" 

"Uh... something about scarring and stitches?" 

"That was five minutes ago, seriously jones" donnie sounded exasperated yet amused, "whatever hold still" 

Casey held still as donnatello wiped a stinging liquid over the gash in his nose, wincing as donnie dabbed the dry blood clean and added a numbing cream. As donnatello stiched the skin back together, casey tried to ignore how close the turtle had gotten. Donnatello's eyes were focused, his mouth hung in an odd frown with his toungue slightly poking out, as he hummed some tune casey didn't reconise. 

"There, all done" donnie startled the hocley player as he suddenly moved away from casey, apparently finished once ne had applied a very large bandage to caseys nose. 

"Thanks D" casey attempted to flash a charming jones smile, but slightly winced at the pain moving his face muscles caused. Gonna be fun to explain this to dad, casey thought, already preparing for the lecture and jokes. 

As donnatello was packing up his equipment, that focused little frown returned as he seemed to deliberate something, before finally he let out a lomg suffering sigh. "Uh,  your invited to dinner, if you want" donnatello offered, seeming skiddish, "mikeys makin pizza-something, though I can't guarantee its edible. He sort of eitheir makes something delicious or poisonous, no middle ground, but if you want to risk it you can,you don't have to, obviou-" 

"I'd love too" casey blurted out, cutting the geniuses rant short. Donnie gave casey a little grin that made his stomach drop. 

"Okay, I'll let mikey know, wait here. Don't. Touch. Anything" donatello walked out, seeming happy to have casey staying for dinner. 

"Wait.... will the giant rat man be there?" 

Casey quickly lost his appetite. 

Donnies heart was going to beat out of his plastron, Donnatello had just invited caaey fucking jones to dinner with his family. Casey was a human who donatello had known for the span of a week and a bit and donnie wasn't even sure how to define their relationship, reluctant to call it a friendship. 

And now donnie had invited him to dinned. Donnatello shook his head, tossing it all up to pure guilt over recent events, he had turned caseys nose into a faucet twice and caused a fainting spell when he hadn't realised casey was afraid of rats. Not that it was his fault, casey had never said he was afraid of rats. But still, it was all a plausible reason for donnatello to feel guilty. 

yep, a very plausible reason. 

Donnie sighed, walking towards the kitchen to let mikey know the had a guest, and to establish some ground rules. He had very little faith in his brothers. 

"Mikey?" Donnie called, enetering the small kithen nook and absorbing the smell of nutmeg and pepperoni. Was that a good combo? Donnie really hoped it was a good combo. 

"Hey don! Is your human friend staying?" Donnatello's youngest brother beamed up at him, his baby blue eyes sparkling with excitment at the prospect of having company. How'd such a sweet kid get stuck down here? Donnie wondered to himself before shaking he thought, best not to dwell. 

"he's not my friend mikey, but yes" donnies sarcasm was wasted on Michelangelos sunny demeanor. 

Mikey continued to cook whatever it was he was making (it appeared to be pork buns, but with pizza ingredients? Donnie wasn't sure if he was eating that) humming along to a cartoon track donnie had never heard of. 

"So the little punks staying?" Raphael asked as he walked in, pinching some mozzarella off of mikeys plate despite their youngest brothers glare. 

"For dinner, I feel bad about all the..." donnie gestured vaguely in the air, walking towards the sweet pot of coffeee that was brewing next to the stove. 

"...severe injuries?" Raphael offered up with a snicker, a small concerned glance as donnie picked up a mug and filled it with his sweet sweet wakeup juice. 

""Do you want a heart attack?! Put that down. Now." Leonardo walked in, glaring at donnatellos mug. Donnie just grit his teeth, returning his brothers glare tenfold. 

"Are you two seriously having another stare down over Don's caffeine addiction, donnie you know your just going to put the mug down, and leo you know he's just going to drink it when your not looking" raphael scoffed as both donnie and leo looked away, embarrassed he was right. Mikey was giggling. 

"Whatever" leonardo coughed, attempting to look 'cool' despite the fact no one in thatroom would ever see him as cool. "Anyway, how well do you know this human" 

Donnie could feel the internal want to sigh deeply and roll his eyes, but decided against it. He did not need a mama leo lecture on respect today. "The humans name is casey, and I've known him for the past week-"

"WEEK?!" 

"-And a bit, if you'd let me finish" 

"Oh, I'm sorry, and a bit, nevermind, that changes so much" god, why was the one thing leo picked up from donnie sarcasm? "You can't let a stranger into our home if you barley know them!" 

ugh, donnie internally sighed, feeling he beginnings of an argument building, "well sorry if I dont know how long counts as a regular amount of time to know someone before you can invite them over" 

"That's not the point, we're not in a regular situation, he could endager us all!" 

"I could easily take 'im" raphael muttered in the corner, still eating cheese while mikey swatged him with a spoon. 

"He's not dangerous, if he wanted to hurt me, he would have already done so" donnie grumbled in exasperation. 

"Unless he wanted to find more mutants to hurt, Look donnie I get you want to trust pepole, I do, but we can't jus-" 

"Fucking shut up leo" donnie smacked his face in annoyance, "you can't just assume that humans are bad, okay... they might be good, you don't know!" 

"Donnie, your not listening"

"No, Leo your not listening!" Donnie was really bot in the mood for this lecture. It was late, he was tired and he had been denied his coffee. 

"What is the meaning of this?" Splinter bellowed from the entryway of the small kitchen, glaring down slightly at his sons. 

"I, me and donnie were just discussing what to do about the human situation" leonardo stammered, bowing his head in shame at having raised his voice loud enough to gain master splinters attention. 

"What is there to do? Pack him something to eat, nave donnatello escort him home and call it a night, it is getting rather late, no?" 

"B-but sensei?!" Leo stuttered, his eyes growing large. 

"No buts leonardo, we shall speak later. Now donatello, go escort your guest home, I'm sure his family is worried. I'd say goodbye at the door, but I believe under the circumstances it is ill-advised" 

"Ah, yes sensei"

"Dismissed" 

Donnie took the weird pizzabuns mikey had made in a paper bag with him, escorting casey out of the sewers, the hockey player munching with a goofey grin on his face. "God D, these are so fucking good" casey gushed, taking another bite, "your lil bro can really cook" 

"Yeah, you wouldn't be saying that if you'd tried his spicy pizza icecream" donnie grimaced at the memory. 

"That sounds sick" 

"Not in the good way jones, not in the good way" both boys snickered, before a comfortable silence settled between them. "So, do you want me to drop you off at your tía's place or...?" 

Donnie didn't want to overstep by offering to take him home, but he didn't really want to leave him at his tìa's alone. Splinter was right, it was getting dark. 

"Uh, you can take me to my apartment window, if you want" casey offered, scratching his neck skittishly. 

"Uh... yea. I will, if tha alright" 

"Yeah. Cool, cool" 

The silence that followed was less comfortable. 

Chapter Text

Casey climbed up the rickety railing until he reached his apartments window. His room's light was still on, and it cast a warm glow onto the Hockey players face, he turned to Donatello, a sheepish smile on his face. "Well, this is it" Casey lifted the window slightly, using his body to block the view into his bedroom. Casey somewhat regretted not tidying it, if he had, he'd probably have invited the turtle in. He hadn't, so he wasn't going to, which was probably for the best. 

What would we even do? 

"Ah, thanks D, for walkin' me and all, I real-" 

"Can I come in?" Donatello cut him off, his green skin tinging a yellowish pink around his cheeks. "Wait, no that sounded..." The turtle began to back-pedal, his eyes wide as if he hadn't mean to blurt that out "I mean, no, I meant, sorry, I-" 

"Sure" Casey was going to punch himself. Donatello's eyes remained wide as he gulped. rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Just gimme a minute..." 

"Okay" 

The genius turned his back, facing away from the window, as Casey entered his messy room. The floor was covered in old shirts, his bedside table littered with family photos, nail polish (Some his, some Angels) and random report cards. He had a few cereal bowls laid down next to his bed, which was unmade and filled with random oversized hoodies. Casey began to kick a path through the clothes towards his bed, snatching the report cards and shoving them under the pillow. He quickly grabbed the bowls, some with milk still left in the (Blegh) and rushed off towards the sink, filling them with scolding hot water. He was lucky, his dad had work that night and Angel was at a sleepover, so he wouldn't need to explain why he was cleaning his room at half past one in the morning, or why he invited a six-foot turtle over. Casey rushed back to his room, frantically grabbing clothes off the floor when he heard a loud creak from the window. 

Did Casey say he was lucky? Because, if so, he'd like to retract that statement. 

Donatello was standing before Casey, his arms crossed and his eyes narrow, and Casey gulped as he dropped the pile of clothes from his hands. "Don..."  

"THIS IS WORSE THAN THE SEWER?!"  

Yeah. Casey saw that coming. 

Donatello had no Idea how Casey could live like this; it was absolutely atrocious and there was no way a human could survive in these conditions. His room lacked a floor, completely covered in an array of dirty laundry and what was somewhat clean laundry. Bits of random paper scattered in a corner, accompanied by lone Lollie wrappers, his closet was overflowing with jumpers, hoodies and boxers, the pile seemingly alive. The walls and doors were covered in family photos, held up by random coloured tape. 

"Look, Don, I didn't know I'd have company and it's really not that bad..."  

"Not that bad?! Jones it's a disease-ridden waste land, I wouldn't be surprised to find a corpse among your underwear!" At least the hockey player had the decency to blush at the mention of his delicates. Donnie even felt a little pink in the cheeks (Or more yellowish pink, as he had had the horror of learning) 

'Okay, I guess I did let it get a little bad..." 

"A little?" 

"Alright, a lot" Casey shrugged like this was just a fact of life, "Look I get it, if ya wanna just go home, your welcome to, I'll clean it for next time" Donatello felt a weird thump in his chest at the prospect of next time, but he shook his head. He was here now, and for some unknown reason he wanted to be here, with Casey. 

Having friends was weird. 

"No way Jones, I am not trusting you with the hazardous waste, you could die"  

"Har, har, very funny" 

"I'm not joking, this is a very toxic environment" Donatello began to pick up clothes, holding them slightly from his face and sniffing them. Ugh, dirty. "You're in charge of undies, if that wasn't clear" Donnie was enjoying the flustered look Casey was sporting. It was cu- amusing. 

"Tch, this is stupid" Casey grumbled, picking up the clothes as he went, "You don't have to help ya know" 

"Nah, what are friends for" Donnie answered absently, not really thinking, but Casey had gone slack, his mocha-coloured eyes going wide as saucers. 

"Were friends?"  Casey seemed genuinely hopeful and that weird thump in Donnie's chest quickened as his palms sweat. It was weirdly warm in here. 

"Well, yeah, I mean we talk without killing each other, despite the great restraint on my part, so yeah... Friends" Donnie was pretty sure he was having some kind of reaction to the toxicity of Casey's room. His palms wouldn't stop sweating, he could feel his heart vibrating throughout his shell, his veins going cold and every time they looked at Casey their stomach did a backflip. Like mutated butterflies were attacking his vital organs.  Donnie knew logically this was an overreaction, but he didn't know how to stop it. 

"Cool, friends..." Casey was wistful and flustered, but his smile was filled with such utter joy a piece of Donatello ached. He could see every busted tooth, the crinkle of Casey's eyes and a small hidden dimple in his cheek. Unguarded, joyful... Beautiful.  

Donnie's heart hammered. 

Sewer apples. 

After cleaning his room for an hour Casey could finally rest. He'd been riding on the utter joy he had felt being called Donnie's friend and had no plans to stop. This was probably the greatest high he had ever felt, and he was going to hold onto it. He wasn't sure what had happened, or changed, but within the span of a few days his heart had gone haywire whenever the genius was nearby. The hockey player couldn't explain it, but he had a theory... 

He did not know what to do with that. 

With his room clean Casey and Donnie were able to relax calmly, laid back on the bed talking. Casey totally didn't have weird flip flop stomach motions while watching Donatello relax on his bed, carefree, his gapped tooth smile on full display. 

"You know, you still owe me a coffee" The genius had been laughing about Casey's lack of ability to use a coffee machine. Those things were evil, not that Donnie seemed to understand that. 

"I will, but the machine, it's possessed dude!" Casey's flailing arms just seemed to make the turtle laugh more, his russet eyes crinkling gorgeously. Casey liked their laugh, especially when it resulted in Donnie's snort. It was like a dying pig and fucking adorable. "You know one day I'm-" 

Casey didn't get to finish his sentence as the door swung open, Angel yelling as she entered "Hey, have you seen the nightlight for the hallway!" 

Why the fuck was she home?! 

Fuck. 

Chapter Text

Donnie was pressed into the back of the closet, the clothes they'd just finished precariously putting away solid against his shell, his heart hammering. Casey's sister was in Casey's doorway, but thankfully Donatello was blocked by the closet door. "Hey Case, where's the light?" 

"What are you doing home Angel?" Casey's breathing was hard, his face flushed. 

"Um... Chloe was sick, so we all went home early, why are you leaning into your wardrobe past midnight?" Casey's arms were either side of Donatello, his face merely inches away. Donnie could feel Casey's breath ghosting on his face, the unfamiliar warmth sending goosebumps up and down his skin, Casey's mocha eyes wide like gorgeous coffee pools. Donnie gulped. 

"I'm... I'm a doin' some late night cleanin'" Donnie could see every chipped tooth in Casey's mouth as he spoke, his breath smelling like pizza masked with mint. He could outline the hard squareness of Casey's jaw, his fingers brushing the small beginnings of stubble... What was Donnie thinking? 

"Okaay" Angel didn't question why Casey was cleaning this late, or why it required him to lean into his closet, "Anyway, light?" 

"It broke, had to get a new one, third draw on the left" Donnie felt mesmerized by the strands of Casey's hair attempting to escape his bandanna, each lock long and ebony black. Donnie wondered if it was as soft as it looked. 

"Thanks Case, don't stay in the closet too long" Angel's voice held an odd note in it, like there was an inside joke Donnie was missing, "G'dnight" 

"G'dnight" Casey's voice was strained, his face flushed, as his body slowly leaned into Donnie's, his strength lessening as the door closed. "Ugh, sorry about her I-" 
Casey's face was incredibly close. Donnie's cheeks warmed along with Casey's, their eyes locking. "I... I didn't know she'd be home"  

Casey's voice was low, his eyes seeming to wander over Donnie's face. Donnie gulped; his heart was spasming out of control, his mouth felt dry, and his stomach flipped. "Uh, it's all good..." Donnie's voice trailed slightly as Casey seemed to lean in closer to him, almost in a trance. "What did Angel really mean when she said, 'don't stay in the closet too long?'" Donatello's voice was beginning to dip low as well, his instinct telling him to lean into Casey, the warmth of his body and soul. 

"Oh, yeah, guess I never really told ya, I'm bi and shit, it was a joke. She's buggin' me to tell dad so she can throw a party' n' stuff" Casey didn't seem to really note what he was saying, leaning down further, his lip quirking like he had a dumb idea. Donatello felt weirdly excited by that dumb idea. 

"Oh, yea, I've heard of that, so you like boy and girls...?" Donatello's heart hammered. He likes boys. Donnie was a boy (Kinda), could Casey... It was a dumb idea, and Donnie didn't know why hoped lunged out of him at that idea. He didn't like Casey... did he? 

"Boys, girls, both, either, neither" Casey's face was even closer, hips lips inches away from Donatello's beak-like lips. "Jocks, groupies, stoners, nerds-" Donnie wasn't sure he could breathe, every inch closing rapidly as Casey slowly spoke, his voice impossibly low. "Especially nerds. Tall, strong, smart nerds, with awesome shells and killer stick attacks" 

Donnie would have pointed out Casey was describing him, his anxiety probably turning it into a silly sarcastic quip, but he was too stunned to speak or move. Casey had fully leaned in, his lips pressing to Donnie, hesitant and gentle, one slight movement to see if Donatello would reciprocate. Against all reason and logic Donatello reciprocated. He moved his own mouth awkwardly against Casey's, lifting his hand up to maw at Casey's hair until the bandanna fell out, leaving the strands loose and wild for Donnie to weave his fingers through. Casey lent in, his own hand laying gently on Donatello's back, lightly twisting the mask tails and gently angling the kiss, his tongue gliding in gently and causing Donnie to emit a low noise, making Casey's lips smile against his own. 

Did kissing usually feel this good? With butterflies, anxiety and warmth. So much warmth. 

Wait... Donnie was kissing Casey. Casey was kissing Donnie.

Fuck... wait... no

"Stop" Donatello mumbled into the kiss, causing Casey to stop and pull away, his mocha eyes searching for what he had done wrong. Donatello's face felt hot, something inside him feeling sick. "No, this is... I, we, shouldn't be doing this" Casey's face coloured, like he knew the same thing. The sick feeling grew stronger. 

"Sorry, shit, yea, I should have asked, I am so sorry Don" Casey's eyes were apologetic, and Donnie felt a stab in his gut. Don't care, shouldn't care...

"No, that's not it... I'm, you can't" The confusion on Casey's face only made how sickening everything was becoming worse. 

"Again, I'm sorry, I know I can't kiss you without consent and I should really have checked whether you liked guys and stuff-" 

"That's not it." Casey was genuinely sorry, and it crushed Donatello. He shouldn't be sorry, not about this, not to me. "I can't kiss you, you can't... we can't" Every word stung to say, but the quickening of his chest was making it hard to breathe. Donnie needed to be quick. 

"You're putting a lot on emphasise on the 'we can't' part rather than the whole I forgot to ask thing, I feel like that should be your main thing. Cause I get it if ya don't like me and shit" Casey was so genuine, but he wasn't getting it. They couldn't. it wouldn't work. 

Humans are dangerous Donnie...
They just don't get us, dumb fuckers
We can't even go up top during the day
moshi watashi ga kanojo wa sake te i tara 、tabun ...moshika shi tara 、kanojo wa iki te i ta kamo shire nai... 

Donnie couldn't do this.

"We can't be friends" The words felt ice cold in Donatello's mouth, nothing like the feel of Casey's on him only a few minutes ago. 

"What do you mean?" Casey's eyes were wide, obvious hurt lingering in them, "I'm sorry if I crossed a boundary, you don't have to like me that's fine, but fucken' hell isn't cutting me off a little harsh" 

Donatello knew if he said that was why Casey would accept it. He knew it was the smart move, but he was sick of being smart. He wanted to be honest. "I think I do like you... I want to be your friend I really do... but I'm a mutant. A friendship can't work out, let alone something as stupid as a... whatever that meant" 

Casey clearly wanted to refute, to argue until Donatello agreed. Casey was stubborn. Donatello wanted to be swayed. He couldn't. 

"Sorry... bye Case" 

Being a ninja had its benefits. Casey couldn't catch him, his voice loudly ringing out from the apartment window.  

Donnie was sorry, but he couldn't. 

They just couldn't

Casey banged his head against the wall, emitting a loud groan. Fuck. He hadn't thought, he didn't even stop to figure out why he did that, he just did it. It was great, Donatello pressed against him, their mouths connected, smiles easy to feel as Casey shuddered against the cool feel of Donnie's skin. But it was stupid, Casey should have realized. Donnie hid from people; he was nervous sharing information. Casey should have realized, when Donnie would look into his coffee, wincing as his reflection showed, before he'd gulp it down.  

Donatello didn't like to talk too much about being a mutant, it always ended in an eye roll, sarcasm or an exasperated quip, he never went into detail. Their conversations always ended up being about silly things like coffee, or their weird ass siblings, simple things they could bond over. Casey had always assumed Donnie just didn't care about being a mutant, maybe it was the opposite, maybe he cared too much. 

Casey wasn't sure exactly what he felt for Donatello, having yet to analyse why the turtle was cute, or whether every time Donnie laughed it felt like a puck straight to the chest, he never wanted to let go meant something. 

But he knew one thing. He cared for Donnie. He was Casey's friend, he'd just said so himself an hour ago, Casey didn't want to lose that. Casey let a sound of frustration leave his throat, mild annoyance and anger at not being able to catch Donatello earlier flaring up as he accidentally hit a framed photo, the glass cracking. "Fuck" He'd overreacted. He knew where Donnie lived (Somewhat) he'd just talk to the turtle. It was simple, easy, Casey thought as he picked up the photo, a small piece of jagged glass nicking his hand. 

He watched as the small stream of blood pooled down his palm, his gaze feeling hollow. Maybe it wasn't easy? Picking up a photo with a mild cracked frame should be easy, and yet he still needed to be careful, one wrong move and things were worse than they should be. What if it was the same with Donnie? Casey already knew he couldn't risk losing the genius, his heart physically protesting the idea, but he couldn't just go there without a plan.  He needed to know what to say. 

but he didn't know what he wanted or needed to say. 

"Dios, la cagué" 

Chapter Text

Donatello felt his heart constricting in his chest, his eyes spinning and blurring as a new onslaught of tears and regret shook his body. He shouldn't have done that, just because Casey had initiated it didn't change the facts, and Donnie lived on facts. He shouldn't have given into his whims, his want, he should have focused on his needs. The facts. 

He needed water 
Not Casey's laugh 

He needed food 
Not Casey's hand in his 

He needed shelter 
Not Casey's arms around him 

He needed to protect his family, their secret 
Not the feel of Casey's lips pressed into his 

His vision was still blurred, his breathing ragged and his heart wouldn't stop, he just wanted it to stop. Stop spinning, stop thinking, stop caring, stop, stop, STOP- 

"Don?" Mikey's baby-blue eyes poured into him, his younger brothers face mixed with confusion and concern. He hovered over Donatello, his arms open, but he didn't touch him, wary of his older siblings' boundaries. Donnie couldn't take it, slumping into Michelangelo's embrace as sobs racked his entire body, feeling the cool press of Mikey's hand rub circles into his back as he tried to calm Donatello down. 

It wasn't working, Donnie could still remember the warmth. 

He missed the warmth

Casey had royally fucked up. 

He knew Donnie was an overthinker, he'd watched the turtle debate over whether or not a question was insensitive for hours during their talks, seen the way his eyes dulled when Casey asked mutant facts, he knew Donatello wasn't confident, but he never realised it was this bad. 

He'd never seen such hatred and fear in someone's eyes, and it killed Casey it was in such beautiful russet eyes, and it hurt so much worse knowing Donnie's hatred was directed at himself. He didn't know why the genius could hate himself. 

Sure, being a giant turtle probably wasn't easy, fuck being Hispanic and bisexual wasn't easy with the absolute bigots the world bred, but Casey thought Donatello was beyond petty shit like that. Donnie was awesome, his skin was a gorgeous olive, his face was rounded and adorable and his eyes. 

Casey could write an entire essay mooning over those gorgeous pools of russet. 

Sure, the turtle wasn't conventional, but really who was. In Casey's opinion Donatello was absolutely lit, gorgeous and amazing. He was smart, he was kind, his sarcasm made Casey feel bubbly inside, so what if he was a giant turtle who knew ninjitsu? 

If they can think, breathe and consent than Casey could like 'em

"Wait, fuck... Do I like Donnie?" Fuck the hockey player was slow. He'd been kissing Donatello a few hours ago, he literally talked about how if Donatello didn't 'like him back', he'd just had an entire mental rant about how likable Donatello was. Shit. 

"Fuuuuck"

"What's wrong with 'im?" 

"I think he's having a panic attack?" 

"Boys give him some space" 

"Was this that human?!" 

Everything was too loud, each voice breaking through like a rock in water. Donatello was swaying slightly as Mikey carried most of his weight to the couch, his chest still tightening, refusing to let oxygen inside. His head swam, a mixture of warmth and oppressive cold engulfing him. Sweet voices and laughter filling his head, only to be replaced by the crushing facts his own brain spouted. 

He couldn't deal with this, with Raph's feigned dis-concern and Leonardo's outrage, he just couldn't. 

"What's it to you?" 

His voice broke through the haze, sharp like a knife, he didn't want to deal with Leo's comments. Not now, his own head was enough. 

"Did he hurt you? Attack you, send some sort of government assa-" 

"He kissed me"  


His voice sounded hollow, even to himself, cutting off Leonardo's growing panic. He felt a new onslaught of tears threaten to break through, to take what little moisture he had left in his body and leave him a shriveled up husk.  

"He what?!" 

"He didn't force you, did he!?" 

"Wow..." 

Donnie couldn't even laugh. Leo was so surprised; Raphael was angry and concerned and Mikey just held his mouth agape. Any other time, it would have been funny.  


"I kissed him back... I liked it... I..." Donnie's voice was disintegrating, each vowel coming out frailer and weaker as he went, "I think I liked him"  


His family's embrace was warm, but it didn't help. 

His tears were cold
His blood
His heart 

But he'd felt a little warmer with Casey...

"Caseey?" Angel called, walking in to look at her brother standing in the window, in nothing but jeans, a shirt and with a bag strapped to his back. It was raining. 

Casey stared at his sister, his eyes red rimmed and his smile wobbly, "Hey Ange, you should be asleep" 

"Who were you talkin' to?" Casey sighed, unhooking his leg from the window, guess he'd been loud, huh? 

"Just a... friend" 

Angel did not look impressed. "Suuuure, everyone pins their friends in closets" Casey's cheeks warmed. This little shit. "So, what'd you do wrong?"  

Casey groaned, plopping on his bed. He couldn't hide shit from Angel, the twerp was too perceptive. "I kissed 'im" 

"And he didn't like it?" 

"He did..." 

"I don't get it then what's wrong?" Angel was young, and also not aware of mutants, so this was going to be hard to explain. 

"He's... Got self-esteem issues and some... cultural aspects that people don't like" He couldn't say he was a giant turtle, that was not his secret to tell. "And it's led to him thinking it couldn't work, because if we dated than we can't go on dates, or even really tell people, plus 'im meetin' you and dad would be difficult" When Casey thought about it from Donnie's point of view, the turtle did have a point. 

But still... 

"Do you care about that?" Angel's eyes were wide and innocent and... and she had a good point. 

"No. I like him, he's smart, talented, a total insomniac, but... He's him, ya know?" 

"I don't, I'm seven" Casey lightly cackled, a small smile on his face, "But if you don't care then what's wrong?" 

Casey's eyes were filling with tears, his gut tugging at him and twisting as he tried to smile for his sister's sake. "He cares... and I can't force him not to... I just wish... Fuck I don't have the words for this.... I just, he's so... Es increíble, y considerado, y no puedo... no puedo sacarlo de mi cabeza y si pudiera lo haría, pero hay tantas cosas que lo hacen ser él, y no hay suficientes palabras en ningún idioma para describirlo" Casey's panting, having run out of breath as he chokes out a mumbled sentence. 

"Well... maybe you should look for the right words, figure out everything that feels right... and maybe he'll change his mind?"  

"Yeah... maybe" Casey felt rigid, but Angel's words had some hope to them, even if it was childish and naive. 

"Just think before you act, okay?" 

"Will do" 

Yeah... He needed to think

They'd finally left Donatello alone, Splinter instructing them that he needed space. He'd felt an odd relief and heaviness at the respite, but it didn't last long. 

Leonardo never broke Splinter's orders, that was usually saved for Raphael and Mikey, but Donatello's eldest brother loomed over him, his expression indecipherable. 

"We need to talk" 

"I don't want to" Leo's eyes softened, the blue banded turtle leaning down so he was eye level with Donnie's curled up form. 

"Please?" 

"I'm sick of hearing how dangerous humans are, I don't want a lecture on how it could never work out, believe me, my head has that job covered" Donatello spat, pulling into himself more. 

"Donatello... It's okay to like him, or hell, even love him" Leonardo's words were like boiling water, shocking his system and risking getting him burned. "I... I'm not sure how I should say this, I've never had to think about you, or any of us finding someone because... well, we never interacted with people"  

"Because it would never work. If we meet people they put us in danger, or we put them in danger, hell Casey had a busted nose twice because of me" 

"He looks like someone that'd happen to regardless" Donnie glared at Leo for the unhelpful comment, "mi te 、 donny 、 kare ga anata to 1000 ni i tai to omotsu te iru nara 、 naze kare wa yurusa nai no ? watashi wa kare wa shinyou shi te i nai keredo 、 anata wa shiawase ni nesuru shi ... anata wa kare to 1000 ni iru to shiawase sou datsu ta yoi " 

"I know you think you sound poetic when you talk Japanese, all wise like sensei, but that could have been said in English" Donnie chuckled, small sobs escaping his body. "Do you really think so?"  

"Yeah, Don, you deserve it... I will break his nose again if necessary though" 

"Yeah, yeah... arigatou 、 o nichan" 

"Anytime"  

Donatello's head still wouldn't shut up, but his body warmed slightly at the idea. 

He did like feeling warm. And Casey made him feel like a warm coffee on an Autumns Day.

Sweet and overcaffeinated. 

Chapter Text

Casey hadn't spoken to Donatello for three weeks. 

Three weeks since Donnie had been at his tia's shop, three weeks since Casey had heard the turtles laugh... three weeks of hell on earth. The vigilante had been trying to give the genius space, to give him time, and he'd also been giving himself time to think of the right words. He'd sadly been unproductive, to say the least. 

He wasn't short on words to describe Donnie, he had hundreds in two different languages, ranging from sarcastic ass to cute shit, but he couldn't put them together. Each word swam in his head and choked him up whenever he thought about talking to Donnie, his mind racing alongside his heart in a competition to see which would give out first.  He'd spent the entire time listening to Angel whine about him moping and moping more because... honestly it was just an endless cycle, and people were starting to take notice.  

"Spit it out" Arnold grumbled, eyeing his son as he sighed for the sixth time that day. It was 7am. 

"I- nothing's wrong, why ya think sumthin' wrong?" Casey awfully deflected, his face scrunching up in annoyance and embarrassment. 

Arnold sighed, long and hard, "I'd say I don't get paid enough for this shit, but that would be a lie. Annoyingly, I actually pay for this, now tell me what's wrong"  

Casey squirmed, he didn't really want to tell his father. It was awkward, embarrassing and really... complex. Arnold continued to stare into Casey's soul, unrelenting and insufferable. 

"Ugh, stop lookin' at me like that, it's complicate okay..." Casey groaned, running his hands along his face. 

Arnold smirked, rolling his eyes. "What this bout a girl? Is it the red head in your class, or the... what are they called, goth?" 

"No, it's... it's not about them" Casey flushed, wishing Angel were in the room to deflect. Annoyingly the twerp was at her friend's house.  

Arnold cocked his eyebrow, chuckling slightly. He actually found romantic trouble to be a relief, far better than Casey's usual trouble. "Really? Didn't realize you knew any other girls, you're not exactly... Lets just say you didn't inherit my good looks, or your mothers, or maybe you did and they've been beaten out of you"  

Casey flipped his dad off, causing more chuckles. 

"Looks, it's not about a girl, okay" Casey grumbled, feeling the heat still in his cheeks. This was an awkward conversation he wasn't ready for.  

Arnold studied Casey for a minute. Taking in his covered blush, his defensive tone and the way he was moping for weeks. "Is it bout a boy then?" 

Casey choked. 

"W-what? why... why would you say that... I'm... uhm.. shit" Casey hissed. He'd planned to tell his dad about being bi, but not while he was in the middle of a crisis surrounding his attraction and confession of said attraction to a dorky giant turtle. Honestly though, he clearly had bigger things going on than gay panic.  

Arnold stood up and patted Casey's back. "It's alright, I don't really care if ya like guys or girls or neither" Arnold assured, and any other time Casey would have sworn and cussed like a maniac because his father gave him vindication for his choices, but instead he hugged him. It was... not awkward, but odd, since they were both nearly the same height, Arnold bulkier and Casey thinner limbed and lanky. Casey hadn't realized, but he hadn't really hugged his dad in a while, his head awkward on the shoulder he'd rested it on for years. 

"Thanks dad" 

Arnold shook his head, "No need to thank me, it ain't somthing you need permission for, though I hopeya know consent and protection are still needed for boys"  

"Daad!" Casey groaned. 

"What? The awkward consent talk is needed" Arnold smiled, enjoying his son's mild suffering. 

Casey felt his heart palpitate. He'd just... well, not come out, his dad had guessed and he didn't really need to know what words to say, his dad could fill in the blanks. 

He wondered if Donnie could fill in the blanks, or at least some of them. 

"Hey dad?"  

"Yeah?" 

"You think mutants and aliens if they, like, think and stuff can consent?" 

"That is a weird and specific question Casey"   

Donnie felt... relieved.  

After everything that went down with Casey, he had had a lot of time to reflect and analyse why he'd freaked out without any warning. He'd always thought he was relatively confident, sure, he'd felt jealous because his brothers were closer to each other and because they could fight and train in ways Donnie just... couldn't.  And he had come to a conclusion. 

He was confident. In some things. 

Ask him to learn medicine on the fly? Done. 

Ask him to build a supercomputer out of sewer scraps? Easy.  

Want a robot? He could probably do that. Actually, he might, at some point. 

But you want him to understand feelings? His feelings especially, you were out of luck.  

Donnie had never thought to hard about it in his small family, but he was... different, in more ways than he'd known. It wasn't enough he was the insomniac nerdy brother no one understood, it wasn't enough that he could only go out at night, no, it was never enough. He had to be a giant turtle who just wanted to go outside. He had to have weird feelings for an idiot, adding a sexuality crisis to his list of ever-growing thoughts. He needed to spend weeks writing pros and cons and crying because the cons out wayed the pros but his heart didn't give a flying fuck.  

So yeah... reflection, yay.  

Donnie now looked in the mirror more closely, studying his skin. It was a light olive-green, and smooth. It wasn't really scaly, but it was definitely different from the warm fleshy texture that humans had. He didn't have hair; his body was encased in a dark honey coloured shell and his eyes were weird. 

Even for a mutant, they were strange.  

Like fresh pools of rust. 


"Why am I even thinking about this?" Donnie was relieved, he understood why he was sad and anxious over... well himself. But he didn't know how to fix it, and his mind kept going back and thinking about Casey's face and his own differences. 

How he looked at Donatello, all smug and sweet, his crooked grin never fading just altering. How he stared at Donnie before he kissed him, how his face looked so... content. He heard Leo's words in his head, about how he looked happy with Casey and... and Donnie was happy with Casey. 

He loved having a friend and he liked Casey in a way that was... Indescribable yet warm. 

Donatello knew he would never say anything to the hockey player, hell he didn't think he had the guts to go and see him, but if Casey may have even slightly felt the same Donnie thought. 

No, he knew. 

He'd probably cling onto the idiot and never let go.   

Chapter Text

The sewer gate let out a guttural cry, like it hadn't been opened in months, and Donatello winced. It had only been a few weeks. The genius slinked down the dark paths, hiding from the narrow light that shined from crappy lampposts around the city. He saw the light shining from the coffee shop, the lower floor closed, but the top floor was active like there was some kind of party. 

It was tinged shades of pink and purple, with shadows of balloons behind it, Donnie was able to make out the shapes of adults and children dancing. "I guess I'll have to buy stock brand" The turtle mumbles, still standing in the alleyway transfixed by the sight. 

He'd finally left the lair in search of coffee, his supply now dismal, and on instinct he'd gone to the small nutmeg coffee shop. He'd been avoiding Casey for a while now, out of nothing but cowardly fear. Donnie had come to terms with the fact he... liked Casey. However absurd it seemed, the way he felt drawn to the other boy and oddly safe around him confirmed it (Donnie tried really hard to find reasons it could be something, anything, else)

But now the genius was stuck in a small cage of self-doubt. Sure, Casey had kissed him, and according to reports from Mikey and Raph the human had been wandering around the sewers trying to find their lair (Raph had messed with him and released a lot of rats to drive him off) but Donnie was still frightened. 

Sure, based on every logical part in his brain Casey liked him, but every anxious part said no, no and nope. 

Apparently, logic could be beat. 

Donnie couldn't get the idea out of his head that there was some other reason they had kissed, like maybe Casey fell (Yeah, no) 
Maybe it was some weird experiment (Casey was dumb but not a dick) 
Maybe he hallucinated it because he ate Mikey's cooking? (Plausible to be fair) 

Donnie couldn't shake the feeling it would go bad, that he would have his sheltered heart crushed and ripped and then stomped on all before his very eyes. Yes, Casey probably liked him, but that didn't mean the human wanted to be with Donnie. He was a giant mutant for crying out loud! 


Donnie hadn't realized that he was still staring up at the coffee shop, too focused on his internal struggles to fully comprehend where he was, he also hadn't noticed the hockey player staring at him from the first floor, his mouth agape in shock and offense.  

Casey just stared down into the Alley, his broom in hand as he felt his face physically contort in shock, Donnie was standing out there. He was just stood there, barely visible unless you were looking for him (Casey's eye may or may not have always been looking for him) 

He's there right now
In front of the shop
Just... standing. 

Casey was probably visibly offended, a slight tug of annoyance trying to take over as his body filled with warmth at seeing the turtle. He had spent the last week trudging around in the sewer trying to find Donnie so he could attempt to confess, to ask him out or at the very least salvage their friendship. He had survived a literal wave of evil bloody eyed rats to find him, had failed and was just now about to start preparing to mourn the loss of all his happiness and sanity, and Donatello was just standing... 

Right
Fucking
THERE

Yeah, no, Casey wasn't going to stand for that. 

The vigilante dropped his broom, opening the coffee shop door quietly to avoid alerting the clearly zoned out turtle, tiptoeing slowly until he was behind him. Casey was now glad his Tia had wanted him to clean the first floor so they could do Angel's cake there. Casey watched the turtle for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around the other boy's waist. 

"Boo" Caseys mumbled next to his ear slit. 

Donnie squawked. Like a fucking bird, he squawked. Casey couldn't help but cackle, his body doubling over as he held his side's. 

"Casey!", Donnie seemed too annoyed to remember he was avoiding Casey, going to slap the Hockey player up the head, Casey still laughing as he dodged and grabbed Donnie's wrists to keep him in place. 

"Got ya D" 

Casey thought he was smart. 
Tough. 
Absolutely smooth with that cool ass move.  


Nope, still a moron. 


Donnie flushed for less than a millisecond before he scowled and turned it back on Casey, flipping the vigilante over his shell and onto to ground, now pinned by a terrifying, kinda hot (Don't judge Casey, you would have agreed) genius. Casey really should have remembered that Donatello was a 6'foot mutant with ninjitsu training, wincing as something sharp in the alley poked into his back, his breathing slightly laboured from surprise. 

Casey wanted to say he'd never do that again, but he had to admit, this was a nice position.  

"Wow Donnie boy, forward" Casey had a death wish or he was a masochist. One or the other, maybe both. 

"The hell are you doing he-..." Donatello stopped midsentence, looking away as he realised it was stranger that he was here than it was that Casey was, "I mean... d-don't sneak up on me like that, I could have killed you moron" Donnie tried to sound irritated, but he was clearly flustered and Casey needed to hold back a cackle. 

"Well, if ya didn't avoid me for like, a month-" 

"Three weeks" Donnie interrupted.

He'd been counting? 

"Fine, three weeks, either way for a long ass time, if you hadn't avoided me then I wouldn't have needed to scare ya" 

"You didn't scare me" 

"You squaked" 

"I do NOT SQUAK!" Donnie semi-yelled, pouting, and Casey moved to pinch his cheek. 

His hand was swatted away, figures. "You do D, but that's not the point here, the point's you've been avoiding me since... well... since I kissed you" Casey could feel his own cheeks pooling with heat as he said this, but he tried to stay firm. 

He liked Donnie, and if Donnie didn't like him, he'd respect that... He just needed to confess in a way Donnie would get first. 

Yep. 

The genius turned away, looking embarrassed. "Oh yeah... That" And ouch wasn't that a boost to Casey's confidence. 

"Yeah that..." Casey muttered. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was fairly certain he was going to throw up, but he'd already decided to do this, and he wasn't backing out now. "Look Don-" 

"Casey-" 

Casey should probably have been scared about how quietly Donnie said his name, but the sound of it coming from the turtle made him feel fuzzy. 

"Sorry... you first" Donnie muttered, seeming scared and... yeah this was going to be a lot. 

Please read between the lines Donnie.

I can't talk for shit.  

Casey breathed in, his voice shaking as he looked up at Donnie. 

"Don-"

Donnie had never actually felt what it was like to be ripped apart by the vacuum of space, to feel his chest collapse inward and the air be ripped from his lungs forcefully, but he was pretty sure it felt like this.  

"Don... Look, I shouldn't have kissed you without askin' first, and that's on me" Casey was an alarming shade of red as he began this, still under Donatello and possibly losing oxygen to the turtles Weight. Donnie should probably move, but his muscles where somewhat stuck in a fight or freeze response because flight malfunctioned. "But I want you to know I don't regret it. The kiss that is, not the whole... Not askin' thing, I will definitely ask next time" Casey fumbled over his words awkwardly. 

Wait... Next time?! 
"
Casey wanted there to be a next time...  

Yeah, ripped apart by the vacuum of space. Very accurate description. Donnie could feel his chest restricting, whether from excitement or anxiety he had no bloody clue, but it was definitely shrinking around his lungs and pushing blood into his cheeks. Casey continued, either egged on or oblivious to the small melt down Donnie's heart was having, "And like I mean... kissin' you was nice and... your nice" 

Casey definitely wasn't a poet, but the sincerity in his voice was enough to make Donatello swoon.
Not that he did swoon. 

Ninja don't swoon. 

"Look... D, I ain't good at words, in any language really, and honestly, I don't think there are enough words to describe how... nice you are" Donnie could feel a stupid grin coming onto his face as Casey plastered a sheepish one onto his, "But I'm gonna try...." 

Donatello was a certified genius, he could probably figure out how to control alien spaceships if he wanted, but he honestly could not tell you how long the breath Casey took was, or how long he held his breath while the hockey player spoke. Probably too long if he had to guess.  

"Donatello, you're the smartest, most coffee addicted guy ever and you... you annoy the shit out of me in a way I can't help but admire, your confident in your genius and a real know-it all" 

Thump... thump... 

"And your strong as hell, like a godamn... what's the word, those stupid little things, cute and ferocious... come on Ange loves em.... there called... Nutria...? Ah, otters! You're like a damn otter!" Casey snapped his fingers and Donnie had no clue where the hell Casey was going, but his heart was about to implode. 

Thump.... Thump.... Thump...

"Look what I'm getting at here is your great... and cute and generally push my buttons in a way that makes my stomach do backflips, like I've just been flipped over on the ice and my adrenaline's all pumping and then you become my whole focus, ya get it?" 

Nope. Donnie did not get it, but he was sweating profusely... This almost sounded like a....a.... 

"Confession...?" Donatello mumbled under his breath; his eyes wide... Was this a confession?!?

Thump... Thump...  

Casey turned pink and nodded. "Y-yeah... ya get it" 

Casey was confessing. To him. Donatello. 

Yep. 


"You like me?" Was Donnie's voice always this small? He was stating the obvious, logic had already come to this conclusion for him and yet.... 

Thump... Thump.... Thump... 

"Yeah D... I like ya... " Casey was cute when he blushed, and Donnie was pretty sure he was suffocating as he stared down at the hockey player. "And look, I get if ya don't like me, that's all good... but I wanted to tell ya since I still wanna be your friend and..." 

Thump.... Thump....THUMP....

Casey liked him. He still wanted to be Donnie's friend.... hope wasn't lost. Yet. 

"You like me... as in you want to kiss me... date me.... that kind of thing?" Donatello was proabbly pushing his luck, why would a human ever want to date a mutant, even if Casey had feelings for him, it would neve-

"Yeah, I wanna date you" 

-thump-

"You do?" 

-thump- 

"Yeah, but if you don't wanna that's cool, I'm fine just being frien- hmph?!"  

-THUMP-

Casey's lips were soft, yet chapped, and moved along Donnie's awkwardly at first before moving upward with frevor, his body pressing into Donnie's and adding a warmth that he'd apparently been craving, shivers running down his spine as he pushed into Casey more. Donnie really wished he'd given Casey time to breathe before kissing him though. the vigilante needing to pull away for breath too quickly.

"You kissed me?" Casey panted slightly; his eyes wide in confusion. 

"Yeah"  

"After I confessed that I like you?" 

"Yeah" Donnie leaned in slightly, looking down at Casey. His eyes looked like mocha and Donatello oddly wanted to kiss above them. 

"D-does that mean ya wanna... date me and stuff" 

Casey was slow. 

Donnie leaned in and kissed him slowly, mumbling against his lips; "Yeah" 

Chapter Text

Hello :)

I have started rewriting the entirety of 2012 TMNT so please feel free to check it out. There is casey x donnie ofc, and some fun stuff planned. I am also asking for comments on that fic about title ideas, ships you want to see, and any head canons you want shown.

Click my profile to find it and yeah, thanks for reading this story and I hope you read my others :)