Engaged - April is engaged and Donnie needs to be happy for her. Raph can try and help with that.
Donatello flinched as the cheering shouts from next door echoed into his lab. He bit back the urge to break down into tears, the swell in his throat making his mouth feel dry, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears as he clutched a rag over his mouth. Michelangelo's delighted shout echoed from the lounge pit where the rest of his family were gathered.
"I can't believe it, you're engaged!?" The sound of his orange-clad brother's oblivious delight made Donnie's stomach knot that much harder. The sound of April's startled laugh split his skin in two as the cold touch of bitter resentment crawled up his shell, snagging his carapace and keeping him in the dark recesses of the lab.
"I couldn't believe it either!" she replied giddily. "I thought Casey might just be sneaking around again, but he was working extra shifts to save up for the ring!" she squeaked.
"Jade, a fitting choice" came Splinters voice, a smile almost threaded through it. Donnie scrunched his eyes tighter, feeling his heart getting shredded behind his plastron, lungs burning for air as tears slid silently from his wide, chocolate coloured eyes, pouring over the hand he had clamped to his face. "When is there to be a wedding?" the dreaded question came from his sensei.
"We're thinking October" April's reply was slightly sheepish and hesitant "I don't want to leave it too long" she said, Donnie felt the twist of a scream threatening to split his throat at her reply.
"This is really great, April" That was Leo, Donnie could practically hear him place a gentle hand on the red-heads shoulder.
"Donnie?"
The gruff, concerned voice startled him and he only realised he was under the make-shift desk when his head hit it from underneath. His shocked, wide eyes blinked up like a nervous kitten as Raphael stared down at him.
"I-I..." came his hoarse, desperate attempt at speaking, his red-clad brother flinched at the tone. Donnie stared desperately up at him through the dark gloom of his surroundings and they stayed like that for a few long seconds. Raphael looked over his shoulder and turned on his heel, Donnie felt like running after him, what if he told the others!?
But Donnie couldn't move, not an inch as his brother headed to the door. He only blinked in confusion as Raph slid it carefully shut without alerting the occupants in the other room, and then faced his brother hidden in the shadows underneath the mish-mash of a broken desk. Raphael felt his chest become heavy as he took in the crippling sight of the devastated genius.
His red clad brother moved the chair out of the way, extending a hand which at first Donnie flinched away from. "Don…" he said softly. "Come on out…"
"Come on out Donnie…"
Donnie's young wide eyes stared sideways at his slightly older brother who crouched by his bed, staring at the young purple-clad turtle hiding underneath. "Come on out…" he added encouragingly, green eyes blinking hopefully at his brother.
"I broke it" Donnie sobbed, clutching the fragments of duct-taped plastic in his hands. "Raphie… I broke it" he choked out as he held the pieces of the remote to his plastron, the skin around his eyes slightly raw with salty tears.
"I can help you learn how to fix it?" Raph offered quietly, his hand still outstretched toward his seven-year old brother. "But I need you to come out first…" he said with a careful nod, he didn't want to startle his upset brother further.
"B-But sensei…" Donnie started to squeak but his red-clad brother merely shook his head with a light smile, cutting off Donatello's frightened murmur.
"It was an accident, Donnie, Splinter won't be mad…" he tried to sooth the frightened turtle.
"I just wanted to see how it works" He mumbled, staring down at his hands.
"I know…" Raph replied "Now we can see how it works when we fix it" he said. Donnie looked up at his brother with a glint in his eye.
"Really?" he asked, eyes as wide as they could get.
"Really" Raph confirmed, taking his hand.
Donnie stared at the outstretched hand, bandaged and scarred with years of training and combat on the streets of New-York. He flicked his wide, bloodshot eyes up at the pair of sad emerald orbs blinking back. With a shaky, uneven breath, he reached out and took his older brothers hand, allowing the more muscular turtle to pull him out from under the desk.
Before Donnie could react beyond that, Raph had pulled him into a hug, Donnie hesitated, his breath hitching, before finally returning it as tears rolled down his face, the gloom of his lab concealing the rare comforting gesture.
Raph patted his shell "It will be okay" he said quietly.
"T-They're getting married" Donnie muttered, his vocal cords feeling numb.
"I know…" came the sullen reply. Raph peeled his taller brother off of him and looked him carefully in the eye "And we gotta be happy for them, right?" Raphael said firmly, yet softness still threading through his gruff voice. "You gotta be happy for her, Don"
Donnie fell silent as Raphael's words sunk into his skin, soaked through his consciousness. They remained in the silence for a few moments, before Donnie slowly nodded, looking down at his feet.
"I…" he attempted to speak, before clearing his throat, scrubbing his face with the back of his hand to rid himself of the salty tears which gathered there. "I-I will… be happy for her… eventually" Donnie said hesitantly, like he was still unsure of what he was saying, blinking back the remains of the spilled damn behind his eyes.
Raph rubbed his head fondly "Good, now how bout' you pull yourself together" Raph said, draping his arm over the genius' "It'll look bad if we don't show up" he said with a light smile tugging at his defined features.
Donnie tried to smile, and he did… to a point. Raph sighed and gestured to the sink he'd helped Donnie install years ago in the lab. "Go an' wash your mug, I'll just say you got some chemicals in the face when we were arguin'" Raph said, sliding open the door, allowing a singular beam of warm light to spill through, cutting the gloom in the room like a knife to butter.
"Right" Donnie agreed numbly, fidgeting with the rag he still held in one grip. Raph paused to look at his brother.
"Ey, Don?" he asked.
"Yeah?" Donnie turned on his way to the sink.
"It will be okay" Raph enunciated his words as clear as day with a firm nod of his head. Donnie looked down at his shuffling feet, then back up at his brother and gave a curt, firm, nod of his head. Raph grinned openly and headed out into the lounge.
"I heard someone's getting married!" Donnie heard his brother call out into the room, a delighted squeak coming soon after and the grunt of somebody being caught off guard with a hug following just after that.
Donnie looked down at the cloth in his hand, then back to the lab door where the light streamed in, highlighting the dust particles in the air. Donnie smiled softly, his eyes glazed over with something new, something only Raph was able to let him see.
Hope.
Authors note: Hopefully you enjoyed this; I have always personally thought that April will eventually choose Casey over Donatello, So I wanted to have a crack at writing this scene. I hope you guys liked it!
I tried to sort out all the mistakes I could find, so I'm really sorry if you find any ^.^'