AN: TMNT AU, Slice of life romance, Raphael/Donatello, Leonardo/Michelangelo
"Listen here!"
Donatello slowly looked up from his computer, his chestnut colored eyes rolling in frustration. His roommate Michelangelo had practically kicked his door in, and was now standing in the doorway yelling at him. Donatello swiveled around in his rolling chair to turn and look at his friend with an annoyed look.
"You've been stashed in your room all weekend, dude! It's time for you to go out, get some sun, and meet some ladies!" Michelangelo chided at Don as if he were his mother. "So, we're goin' out, man."
Donatello sighed while resting his elbow on the arm of his chair and putting his cheek in his hand. "You just need a ride don't you?" He asked breathily with exasperation.
"Whaaat? No, of course not! I just want to hang out with my cool roommate," Mikey laughed nervously while rubbing the top of his head. It only took one disbelieving look from Donatello to make him cave in. "Okaaaay! You're right. I need a ride, but it's for a good reason!" Michelangelo put his hands up in defense, ready to plead his case.
Donatello shook his head, astonished at the shenanigans that his roommate could pull. "Mikey, you have a perfectly good car that you could use. Unless something happened to it... again."
Michelangelo chuckled, still nervous. "Well, you see I let my friend Gecko use it. You know, Jason, but that's not what's important. What's important is that I have a super-hot date that I totally can't miss because this guy is like mondo sexy, like he could straight up be a super model or something. I cannot, I mean CANNOT miss out on this once in a lifetime chance, dude." Mikey's words spilled out of his mouth in full force and speed. He had spoken so fast that Donatello had to back track in his own mind and go over what he had said.
Donatello rubbed his hands over his face. Suddenly he felt really tired, and he wasn't entirely sure why. Mikey had that effect on a lot of people. Don looked up and saw that Michelangelo's baby blue eyes were wide, and slightly watering. He was doing that puppy dog face that he was somehow so good at but would only do in dire circumstances. "Dang it... Okay, Mikey. I will give you a ride, and that's it. Nothing else, got it?"
Michelangelo inhaled forcefully and then let out an ear-splitting squeal. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mikey shrieked as he launched himself onto Donatello giving him an energetic hug as he kept saying thank you, over and over again.
Don jolted in surprise, making a strange, inhuman noise that easily could have been mistaken for a cat. The chair rolled back and bumped into the desk that his laptop was sitting on. "Oh... Okay, Mikey. Okay, Okay. You're welcome, it's no problem," Donnie murmured as he patted Michelangelo on his shell awkwardly.
As soon as Mikey had jumped on Don, he was right off, skipping out of the room in glee. "Okay, well we need to leave in five minutes!" Michelangelo called out as he ran through the apartment to get to his own room.
Donnie shook his head again, sighing. He got up out of his chair and looked down at himself, checking what he was wearing. He was wearing a black hoodie with purple drawstrings and his Legend of Zelda pajama pants that were green with yellow Triforce pattern all over them. Don shrugged and just slipped some shoes on. He was just dropping Michelangelo off somewhere, so there was no reason for him to get changed. He walked into the living room to see that Mikey was already in there, eagerly waiting.
"What are you wearing...?" Donatello asked incredulously. Mikey was wearing an orange jacket, zipped up, but it didn't have any sleeves. He was also wearing jeans that were a tad tighter than they needed to be.
"What, dude? This is the new trend. I gotta look nice and fresh for my date." Mikey looked at himself and smirked in his own satisfaction, clearly thinking he looked smoking hot.
Donatello decided not to comment. He grabbed his keys and made his way out of the door with Mikey trailing behind. They made their way to the parking garage that was attached to their apartment building. Once they found Don's car, which was just a silver sedan, they got inside. Michelangelo immediately plugged his phone into the auxiliary cord, putting in the address to their destination in the GPS on his phone. Which was followed by him starting to play music, that Donatello had never heard in his life, loudly. Don sighed, once again, and then started following the directions that Mikey's phone was relaying to him through the speakers of his car.
They had been driving for around ten minutes when Donatello decided he was getting kind of tired of listening to Michelangelo sing at the top of his lungs. So, he turned down the volume of the music but made sure it was still loud enough that he could hear the driving instructions. "Okay, Mikey, give me the details on this wonder guy of yours. Where did you meet him from?" Don asked, taking a split second to glance over at Mikey.
Michelangelo pouted for a second at his music being turned down, but then brightened up at being asked about his date. "Oh, I just met him online on some dating app." Mikey replied nonchalantly.
Don sputtered, "Wait... What?! You haven't even met this guy before?" He glanced over at Michelangelo again, in disbelief. "Don't you know how dangerous that is? They could be a completely different person than what they say they are. They could only be trying to kidnap you, or worse! Wha-"
"Dude! Relax! It's no big deal, I've done this before. There's no need to worry. Besides, we're already here anyway." Mikey claimed, pointing out the car window at a building that was painted entirely black, but was donned with a ton of flashing neon lights.
Donatello gripped the steering wheel and pulled the car to the side, finding a parking spot in the parking lot across from the building. He held onto the steering wheel tightly as he glared over at his friend. "Seriously, Mikey? There's nothing to be worried about? There's everything to be worried about. I don't approve of you going. Especially into a sketchy looking place like that." He pointed his thumb towards the rear-view window which was also towards the black building. They could already hear the thumping of the music from inside the building from all the way across the street.
"Whoa, man. Chill." Michelangelo unplugged his phone from the car. "I'll only be staying a few hours. It'll be cool; there's no need to be so spastic." Mikey winked at Don and then got out of the car, but Donnie wasn't having it.
Donatello got right out of the car as well, gritting his teeth all the way. He looked over the top of his car at Mikey who was looking at him confused. Don inhaled, locked his car, and then shoved his keys in his pocket. "I can't in good conscience let you go in there alone. So... I'm going in with you. I'm smart enough to know that I can't even try to talk you out of it because you obviously have your mind set on this."
Mikey smiled happily, jumping up and down in excitement. "We're gonna have so much fun!" Mikey exclaimed, running to the other side of the car and grabbing onto Donatello's arm. Next thing Don knew, he was being dragged across the street to wait in the line of other people waiting to get inside.
Donatello stiffened up when he noticed people were giving him weird looks. He had completely forgotten he was still just in his pajamas. He felt his cheeks get hot as he kind of shuffled his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. Don was completely embarrassed, but he tried to remind himself that he was doing this for Michelangelo. Mikey was going to owe him big time for this one.
Mikey glanced over at Don and nudged him with his elbow, silently reassuring the olive colored turtle.
They could hear the bass of the music get louder and louder as they inched towards the front door. They felt like it was reverberating inside their shells, which felt pretty strange. They kept getting closer to the front door and you could physically see the two turtles' demeanor change. Michelangelo was bouncing on the balls of his feet, ecstatic and ready to party. While Donatello was messing with the drawstrings on his hoodie, trying to make himself as small as he could. It was a wonder that these two were friends at all. They reached the bouncer at the front of the line and they both showed him their IDs. The bouncer nodded and let them through.
Donatello wasn't sure what to think of the place once they made it inside. It was dark inside because everything inside seemed to be painted black also, but there were neon and black lights everywhere. There was just one big dance floor where there was a ton of people flinging their arms in the weird ritual that is dancing. On the other side from where they were, one wall had a stage on it that had a live DJ playing the music that Donnie could feel beating in his chest. Then on another wall right by the stage was a bar with a ton of people surrounding it, waiting to either order or get the drinks they ordered.
Michelangelo was looking down at his phone, not even seeming to notice the environment around him. He suddenly grabbed a hold of Donatello's wrist and started dragging him through the mass of people. Mikey turned towards Don and yelled, "He said he's towards the back!" Donatello was only barely able to hear and understand what Mikey had said.
They made their way towards the back and headed up some stairs. It lead up to a kind of catwalk where you could look over and see the dance floor below. They reached the top of the stairs and there was a massive man standing there and glaring at them, with his arms crossed. "This is VIP only. Get lost." The man said menacingly, taking a threatening step forward.
Donatello gulped, taking a step backward, and impulsively grabbing onto Mikey's shirt.
"Oh, hey. It's fine. They're with me."
Donatello and Michelangelo looked over the hulking man's shoulder to see another mutant turtle standing there. He was wearing a light blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up just right above his elbow. His shirt matched his own blue eyes, which made them seem to kind of pop brightly.
Michelangelo made a face as if he was literally about to swoon. Mikey darted pass the bouncer and got right in this other turtle's face, admiring him. "Oh man, you look so much better in person than in the pictures!"
Donatello slinked past the bouncer and shuffled over to Mikey and the other turtle. He looked at the other turtle that he had never met before and noticed that he was looking down at Michelangelo, his face slightly pink. The turtle hadn't even seemed to notice that Don was standing right beside them.
The other turtle motioned for them to follow him, "Come on. I got us a booth over here." He lead them across the catwalk past little rooms that consisted of one large, circular booth each. After passing a few rooms, they reached one that already had another turtle sitting in it, but the stranger stopped and slid his way inside the booth beside the new turtle. This turtle had more of a rough look compared to the one that just sat beside him.
This new turtle had dark green, almost emerald, colored skin. He was, unbelievably, wearing a sleeveless jacket just like Michelangelo was. The exception was that his was dark red instead of orange. Since there were no sleeves on it, his arms were definitely very noticeable. If he were to say that he didn't work out, no one would believe him. The most noticeable trait on him though were his eyes. They were like beautiful, amber orbs which his dark skin accentuated.
The blue eyed turtle slid in beside the other turtle, with Mikey following right behind him. This only left Donnie to sit beside the muscled turtle, who looked like he wanted to punch a hole straight into the table.
"Hi, I'm Leonardo," Mikey's date declared, trying to get rid of the awkward feel. He also succeeded in drawing Donatello's attention away from the other turtle. Leonardo had his hand extended toward Donnie in a greeting.
Don smiled, kind of impressed at how charming this Leonardo was. He reached his hand over and shook the other turtles hand. "I'm Donatello, Michelangelo's roommate," Donnie told him, in case he had no idea why Mikey had brought some stranger along.
"This grump right here is Raphael." Leonardo motioned toward the dark-skinned turtle beside him.
Raphael just glared over at Leonardo. The look he gave him sent chills down Donatello's spine. Don got the idea that this was one guy that didn't liked to be messed with and would make sure it was known.
Michelangelo had been too busy admiring Leonardo that he hadn't even noticed Raphael. It wasn't until Leo announced what his name was that Mikey finally looked away from his mesmerizing date to look at the gruff looking turtle. "Holy crap! Donnie, look! I told you this was trendy, man." Mikey exclaimed, using both of his hands to motion at Raphael and his sleeveless jacket. "Don here was judging me on what I was wearing but look at him! He's wearing his jammies!" Michelangelo laughed, completely oblivious to how nervous Donatello already was.
Donatello looked down in his lap, folding his hands together. He was trying his best not to look at the others but he could tell they were looking over at him, quizzically. Don wished he was back at home playing games on his computer, and all comfy in his own room.
Donnie was saved from the embarrassment of the others staring at him by a server that stopped at their table to ask if they wanted anything to drink. The server placed down a couple of little drink menus, and Michelangelo immediately snatched one up. While Mikey was deciding what he wanted, Leonardo went ahead and ordered himself a dirty martini, straight up, with extra olives. Raphael just ordered himself a beer, still not sounding happy about being there. Mikey bit his lip and then finally ordered some ridiculous sounding drink that almost sounded like it could be a show in some fancy Vegas casino.
"And you, sir?" The server asked, looking over at Donatello.
Don put a hand up, getting ready to tell the server that he didn't want anything, but was interrupted by Mikey who grabbed his hand and put it down on the table. "He'll have the same thing as me," Michelangelo smiled, winking at the server. The server winked back and then walked away to go get their drinks ready. Mikey squinted at Donatello.
"Wha... What?" Donnie asked, not sure he liked the look that Michelangelo was giving him.
Mikey let go of Don's hand and leaned back in the booth, scooting closer to Leonardo. "Dude, you're already here so you might as well have some fun," Michelangelo retorted in a matter-of-fact tone. Once he was done chiding Donatello, he turned to Leonardo and wrapped his arms around Leo's arm. "Let's go dance! I can't resist these sweet jams anymore!" Mikey requested with a pleading tone in his voice. Leonardo grinned, but before he even got to reply, he was being dragged out of the booth and back down the catwalk.
Donatello watched them go, suddenly feeling the presence of Raphael more than before. Donnie turned his head and glanced over at the other turtle. Raph was still just over there sulking, but now he had crossed his arms over his chest as if to emphasize how upset he was.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes and before they knew it, their server was back with all the drinks. The drink that Mikey ordered for them was the kind of drink that some people would call a girly drink. It came in a highball glass, and the drink itself was orange in color. It had a little umbrella in it, along with a slice of orange on the rim of the glass and what looked to Donnie to be a mint leaf floating on top of the liquid. Raphael instantly grabbed his beer off of the table and started drinking it.
Donatello stared at his drink and then looked down at the dance floor. From where they were he couldn't see either Leonardo or Michelangelo. He hoped Mikey was okay, but he didn't want to invade his personal space more than he already had. He thought just coming here with him was probably pushing the boundaries. Don looked back at his drink and sighed. This really wasn't the kind of scene he enjoyed. He also wasn't much of a drinker. He didn't have much of a tolerance for it either. Donnie started to sip on his drink anyways. Mikey was right; if he was going to be here he might as well get something out of it too.
Donatello could feel Raphael glance over at him every once in a while, but neither one said a word while they just sat there and drank. Donnie had barely got over halfway through his drink and he was already feeling it get to him. He was starting to feel a little light headed and his cheeks were starting to feel kind of warm. Don didn't care so much though because just the few sips had seemed to calm down his nerves somewhat. He didn't feel as anxious as he had before and the music didn't seem to be pounding inside of his head as much.
"So, you get roped into coming here too?" Donatello asked, looking over at Raphael. He figured the answer was going to be yes just by the way the other turtle had been acting the whole time they were here. Don kept drinking his drink while he looked at Raphael. He noticed that Raphael seemed to relax a little, his muscles visibly unclenching, probably glad to have the weird silence broken.
"Yeah. Leo said there'd be beer, but he forgot ta' mention it was at some teenager rave club." Raphael took a swig of his beer, leaning back in the booth. "What about you? Doesn't seem like you're the type ta' come to a place like this either." Raph glanced down at Don's pajama pants and took another drink.
Don chuckled in agreement with Raphael. "No, I wouldn't willingly come to a place like this." He looked down and noticed his drink was all gone. He frowned and then grabbed the orange off the rim, starting to suck on it contemplatively. Once he was done, he threw the orange into his empty cup and then reached over the table and grabbed Michelangelo's drink since the sea green turtle hadn't come back yet. Mikey could just order himself another one when he got back. "Well you see, Mikey here needed a ride. So, being his roommate, I'm the immediate choice. How was I supposed to know this was some online date? I thought maybe he had met the guy before, but noooo. He was meeting some stranger at some dark club. Any number of things could have happened to him, so I couldn't let him come alone. God forbid he get roofied because I didn't come with him. Knowing him though, this was his plan all along just to get me out of the apartment." Donatello rambled on, taking a sip every now and again.
Raphael smirked at Donatello. It was incredible how the olive colored turtle had loosened up so much after just one drink. He watched Don just keep sipping on the straw as he drank his own drink. They once again drifted into silence but it didn't feel nearly as awkward this time. The music kept beating rhythmically down below as the two just sat there. They knew their two companions were probably somewhere down below, dancing the night away.
The server eventually came back by and asked if they wanted anything else. Raphael ordered himself another beer and Donatello pointed at his own drink as he kept sipping it, to signify that he wanted another one. The server smiled and left to go get them some more drinks.
By the time the server came back, Donatello had finished his second drink and was ready for the third. He slid his finished one to the side, and grabbed the new one, immediately drinking it. This time he didn't use the straw, he just drank straight from the glass.
At this point, Raphael was watching Donnie apprehensively. It was obvious that this nerdy turtle never got out and did stuff like this. He wasn't sure how many drinks Don could handle. "So, uh, what's with this music, huh?" Raph asked, sort of awkwardly as he kept glancing over at Don, who had already finished his third drink.
Donatello burst out laughing as if he had just heard the funniest joke he had ever heard in his life. "I have no idea but it's strange isn't it? It's just electrical noises with no words, like who thought of it?" Don's laughter slowly subsided into a fit of giggles. He put his hands over his face and just kept giggling.
Raphael couldn't help but laughing himself. Laughter is contagious after all. "You gonna be okay?" Raph asked, still slightly chuckling.
Donatello moved his fingers and looked at Raphael through them. "What?" He had trouble figuring out what he had just asked his. His brain managed to filter it through and finally figure it out. "Oh... Oh yeah. I'll be okay. It's hot in here isn't it? I think... I'm going to go get some air." Donnie had started fanning himself with his hoodie. He scooted out of the booth, staggering and fighting to keep his balance. "I,ll... I'll be... back." Don was having trouble getting the words out of his mouth. He stumbled down the catwalk, making sure to keep one hand on the rail.
Donatello made it back to the stairs and gulped as he looked down them. It looked like there were a lot more steps than there had been before. He took a deep breath and slowly made his way down the stairs. Every other step he felt a wave of dizziness hit him, threatening to send him tumbling down the stairs. He only had a couple steps to go when he suddenly stopped and put his hand over his mouth, trying to hold back a gag. The alcohol definitely wasn't sitting well with him at all. He hurried down the last few steps and looked for the nearest door. Luckily there was an exit door along the wall, not too far away from him.
Donatello rushed over and burst out the door, which led him to the alley outside from the club. The cool air slammed against his face. He only made it a few steps into the alley before he was vomiting all over the ground. Don was bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily from the exertion. A small whimper escaped his lips. He did not feel good at all. He stood there for a little while, afraid that if he moved he'd start throwing up again. Donnie closed his eyes as he stood there, feeling extremely tired. He couldn't help but wonder why people ever drank at all if this was the outcome.
Donnie could still feel the beating music in his shell which was fueling his newfound headache. He spit on the ground, hoping to get the taste of throw up out of his mouth. His brain felt kind of fuzzy and he just felt like all he wanted to do was sleep. He slowly got onto the ground, his eyes still closed. A soft grunting noise came from his throat as he managed to lay on the ground, unaware that he had just laid down in his own vomit.
The bass from the club made his mind feel numb and started to kind of lull him. The nights events started to fade away from his mind and in no time at all Donatello wasn't thinking of anything, not even how bad his body was disagreeing with him at the moment. He slowly drifted to unconsciousness, no one aware that he had just passed out, outside of the club.