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“You’re up earlier than usual. Special occasion?”
His fingers fumbled with the lighter, match in hand. Eyes narrow, breath heavy and hollow in the cold morning air. Each intake felt like glass scratching against his throat. He leaned on the wall behind him and watched as toon after toon walked past, each lankier than the last. Turning his attention to the pig, he propped the cigarette in his mouth and wrinkled it between his teeth.
“Night terrors. A lot of ‘em. Must’ve been the soul of some divine damnation or some shit.” He took the cigarette from his mouth in a puff of smoke, “combined with the sounds of my neighbours keeping me up last night.”
“Again? ’Thought that was in the past.”
Sheena leaned on his shoulder. All these years and she still outgrew him from that little piglet he found on the streets…oh how time really flies.
“Keyword being was. The landlord did jack,” propping the cigarette back in his mouth, he sat upwards stretching out his body. The movement jostled his goggles down and he moved them back up on his forehead. “Figured. Damn hippies…” his head tilted up gazing longingly at the building behind them. It must’ve reached a thousand stories, or so he thought. That was the allusion of it all, “I hope this building could provide you as much stability as I ever could.”
“Oh, you mean my new job? It’s nothing, really.” She said, “I couldn’t have done it without your help after all.”
“Give yourself some more credit here, kid,” the turtle's gaze shifted to the open streets. Toons wandered the area, all with places to be and people to see. It was wondrous, all of it. A new age of industrialization. “You’re smarter than you think, it’s not like I did all the work.”
Sheena sighed, stretching herself out, her back cracked from the release of pressure and for the first time in years it felt like she could actually breathe. Eyes narrowed she stared longingly at the door to her side.
“Doing this won’t make them see comic toons any differently.” The shift in the air was palpable. She sighed, “we’re another mishap in their great invention.”
“Inventions make things easier,” Donatello eyed her, “inventors change minds.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and shared a look. She looked nervous and kept bouncing from foot to foot. But Donnie was confident. Having raised her for 27 years, he knew she was more than what she thought. She just needed to see that herself.
“Now go along. Change some minds, would ‘ya?” He gently nudged her towards the door, “make me proud.”
“Wait but I don’t-“ Sheena stumbled, staring up at the ginormous building like it might swallow her whole. Hesitantly her head tilted back, “I’m not sure I’m ready…” her voice barely above a whisper.
Donatello looked at her again, her nubs were tucked to her chest, eyes downcast at the cold sidewalk. Every sound became white noise in the back of her head. And he couldn’t help but see someone entirely different in front of him once more. Someone familiar, he approached again. She’d outgrown him, but she would still be his little girl.
“Donnie..I-I’m not so sure I’m ready-“
“You’re more than ready, Mikey! They’re sure to take you!” He held his little brother’s hand trying to spark that flame in his eyes one more time. Michelangelo wasn’t one to shy away like this, why now?
“B-but I’m not—“ he tried to let go but Donnie only held his hand more firm. Wrinkling his nose.
“You’re never this resistant! What’s the difference now?” The oldest of the two rubbed circles into the palm of his brother's hand. “You’ve practiced for this you know you have!”
Michelangelo went quiet. His head faced downward to the icy sidewalk reminding him it had just snowed the day before…this part of town was always pretty cold, Mikey being Mikey forgot his jacket so the cold could be part of the problem. But after a long time, Mikey looked up. Tear after tear streamed down his cheeks and he began to sob. Only making the situation with the cold worse. Donnie could care less about that, however. His mouth hung open.
“Oh, Mikey…” he gently took his little brother's other hand and pulled him in for a hug, rubbing his shell all the while.
The tears flowed, coating his already red cheeks in ice cold fluid. His snout peered down hiding his face in Donnie’s chest while he continued to comfort his shaking brother. He was cold to the touch, Donnie nearly beat himself up about not helping him get his jacket sooner. Snow began to fall but they didn’t move. The world stopped when they did. Mikey hiccuped and forced his head deeper to his brother's chest. The poor thing must’ve been frozen solid.
Donatello took his jacket off and wrapped it around his freezing relative to help calm his nerves. He sniffled and shook, barely making eye contact with the purple hooded one. He didn’t mind. Simply, he wrapped his arm around his back and guided him through the streets. Past other questioning toons though their gazing eyes hadn’t bothered them.
“..I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard…” Mikey stopped. Feet planted to the ground and Donnie looked at him, confused but intrigued.
“It’s not your fault…” he sniffled, pulling the jacket closer to his body, “money's tight..I j-just..” he tried to get another word out but broke down in another heap of sobs while covering his face with his hands. Hiccup one after the other.
“Mikey…” pulling Mikey into another hug, Donatello attempted to understand, “you don’t want to waste our time…don’t you?”
He couldn’t speak through the following cries and screams but he nodded. His head shook vigorously; he thought it might come off.
Donnie sighed.
“You could never waste our time, little brother…being a performer is your dream, isn’t it?” He lifted his head up with his finger, despite the sobs that echoed, “it’s our job to take care of you, little brother.”
Mikey’s eyes locked on Donnie and his hands slowly dropped to his sides. The tears enhanced and two arms gripped at Donatello's side. He kept shaking from a mixture of the cold and his tears. Donnie couldn’t help but flash a calm smile as he returned the hug.
The two remained. Still and untouched in the cold winter evening while the rest of the world flashed them by, nothing could touch them now. It was like they were statues trying to overcome the rust of old age.
Like dust in the wind.
Donnie inched forward and gently took Sheena’s hand, “you’ve worked so hard to get here, I’ve seen what you accomplished.” He took her chin and tilted her head to look at him. Her eyes were already red and puffy, her snout twitched.
“I’m not…”
“You won’t disappoint me.” Her ears perked at his words. “You never have.” She stepped forward a little, close enough for him to be at her chest. His eyes were the softest she had seen them in the last decade, like he finally relaxed. “You’re not wasting my time by taking this opportunity up…you’re making me proud.”
Those words shot like a bullet in the air freefire and all. Sheena slowly kneeled down, and hugged her father like never before. Long and tight like she was never going to see him again, like this visit was their last. Similarly, he returned the hug.
“Dad…”
“Sheena…” She rested her head on his shoulder and the two rocked back and forth together.
Because no matter what happens, they will never be apart.