Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or its characters. I only own my OCs.
A/N: Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for the continued support. It really does mean the world to me, especially since this fic, in particular, has been a struggle for me write due to the fact that it contains issues that I'm dealing with myself. Depression sucks, but writing about it helps me a little, so thank you to all of you.
Stephanie Phelps: You're gonna get to find out what happens with Marie at the lair right now :D Enjoy!
J: Thanks for the lovely review. Things aren't going to be moving too quickly for Donnie and Marie anyway. The fic's not designed to be a slow-burner really. It's more about how their relationship develops as a couple and how it's affected by their individual mental health issues. Plus, the fic's now completed, and I just don't have the time to go back and edit the remaining multitude of chapters, unfortunately. However, if it's just the mentions of sex that you're worried about coming along too quickly, it won't be happening for a little while yet. Just hormonal teenage exploration :P And, to answer your question about Mikey's fic, I will be doing a fic and sequel for him once Donnie's sequel and Leo's fics are done. That one will be a slow burner ;) I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic and thanks for taking the time to review!
The Silvernote: It would've been awkward as hell to write that. I'm so glad I decided not to haha poor Donnie. That would've been so bad. I hope you enjoy this update.
Happy reading!
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~ Salvation ~
{ Chapter Seven: Meet the Parent }
Donatello arrived at the alleyway next to the orphanage in a rather short amount of time.
He'd been so excited to see Marie again that he'd run himself almost into exhaustion, so as he caught his breath, he sent her a message to let her know he was waiting in the alleyway. Splinter had instructed him to blindfold the girl as he brought her to the lair, just for the first trip. The boys had done the same thing with April when they first met her, but Donatello was more concerned about Marie's anxiety because he imagined that taking her sight away would be a pretty big trigger for an anxiety attack.
'She isn't frail.' He reminded himself.
It was very easy to treat her as though she was weak or frail, and Donatello had detected a hint of hurt in her voice when she'd mentioned it to him earlier. He didn't want to upset her or make her feel uncomfortable, so he was treading carefully. He still had so much to learn about her, but he wanted to make a mental note of the things she liked and disliked so he knew how to please her and how not to displease her.
Within a few minutes, Marie appeared, bundled up in her winter clothes, a big smile on her beautiful face. Before he could even say hello she was in his arms, wrapping him up in a warm, loving hug. He smiled softly and closed his eyes as she seemed to squeeze him tighter, her body trembling with the cold of the mid-December air. She really was so loving and affectionate, and Donatello knew his family were going to adore her.
"Hi." She said softly, her sweet voice causing his heart to thump harder under his plastron.
"Hi." He replied, pulling back to look at her with a warm smile, "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Marie told him, taking in a deep breath as Donatello revealed the blindfold, which he pulled from his belt, "What's that?"
"I have to put it around your eyes... Just this first time." He said warily, taking in the look of trepidation on her face, "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you. Once my dad's had a chance to meet you properly, we won't need to use it again, I swear."
"I-I trust you..." Marie stammered, "I just don't like being blindfolded... It scares me."
"I know. I can see that." Donatello replied gently, "Just this once, I promise."
Marie nodded and stepped closer, if a little more warily, and Donatello carefully tied the fabric around her eyes before taking her hands in his own. She squeezed her fingers around his, and she didn't do so lightly, which made him more than a little aware that she was scared. He drew one hand towards his lips and kissed it gently, watching her shoulders slump a little in relaxation.
"It isn't too tight, is it?" He asked her, playing with the ties of the black fabric in a gentle manner while still holding onto one of her hands.
"No." Marie replied, "W-We don't have to go far, do we?"
"Not too far." He reassured her, "I'll carry you, okay?"
"Okay." Marie nodded, out a small squeak as Donatello scooped her up into his arms, bridal style, "Don't drop me, will you?"
"Never." Donatello promised, looking at her blindfold covered eyes, "Are you comfortable?"
Marie gave him a light nod and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning close to him. Their close proximity caused Donatello's heart to beat hard in his chest, while he savoured the feeling of holding that lovely, supple body to his own as he set off towards the far end of the alleyway.
He made sure he held her tight for the entirety of their journey to the lair, and they talked about all kinds of things. Lauren had apparently been so excited that Marie was already meeting Donatello's father, that she'd helped Marie pick a suitable outfit to wear and had offered to style her hair for her. Marie had politely declined because she didn't want to appear as though she'd made a huge fuss, but Donatello figured she would look lovely regardless.
Once at the entrance to the lair, Donatello eased her down and then took her hands, before guiding her into the entryway where he slowly untied the blindfold from where it was wrapped around her eyes. Marie blinked in the light of the lair, trying to adjust to being able to see again, so Donatello kept a hold of her for just a moment while she adjusted to the light.
"We're here!" He called out, and Marie watched nervously as Donatello's brothers emerged from various rooms, "Hey, guys. You remember Marie?"
"How could we forget?" Michelangelo asked as he jogged over to them, "Hey, sugar-babe."
"Mikey..." Donatello said in a warning tone, pulling his girlfriend into his side, "Marie, you remember my little brother?"
"Hi, Mikey." Marie said, smiling anxiously, "It's good to see you again."
This wasn't going how Marie had hoped. She was nervous as hell. She wasn't, strangely, having an anxiety attack, but she was really nervous, and Donatello could tell that she was nervous, because he was stroking her back with his thumb to try and calm her down. It felt so unusual to be in his arms like this, with his family. She'd never really had a boy in her life that she wanted to be with, but Donatello was now her first boyfriend, and she was entering her first romantic relationship with a person who wasn't human. It was so wonderful and so strange at the same time.
"You remember, Raph and Leo, don't you?" Donatello asked her gently as his older brothers approached.
"Yeah." Marie smiled, shrinking back a little when Leonardo approached her, "H-Hi."
"Look, don't be nervous around him." Raphael laughed, "He doesn't always have a stick up his ass, you know?"
"Yes, thank you, Raphael." Leonardo said with an irritated tone, unfolding his arms to try and appear more casual, "Hi, Marie. It's nice to see you."
"Yeah, you too." Marie replied, trying not to appear as nervous as she was.
Donatello wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her upper arm in a comforting manner, but all the young girl wanted to do was burst into tears. She'd been feeling so brave up until this moment, and now, she felt like she could just fall to pieces in his hands. She felt like a complete idiot for thinking that she'd be able to pull this off, and that this would go well. She had to meet Donatello's father yet, and the thought of that was terrifying to her now. Suddenly, a feminine voice then caught the girl's attention, and a very unexpected, familiar face came into view.
"Okay, so can someone come and take over dinner so I can say hello, or does the little woman have to stay in the kitchen?"
At the sound of her voice, the turtles had parted to reveal April O'Neil, who Marie recognised from her reports on Channel Six. Marie then realised that this was the April that Donatello had been talking about. The same April that had saved the lives of the turtles before their mutation, when they almost died in a fire. The same April that risked her life to protect them atop Sacks Tower in the spring of that year. Their Hogosha.
"Coming, Angelcakes!"
Michelangelo ran off in the direction of where April was standing and Marie clutched Donatello's arm tighter as the reporter walked over to them. She looked far more casual than Marie was used to seeing her, as she was wearing a grey t-shirt with a rainbow on the front, and a pair of skinny jeans with black boots. Brushing her hair behind her ear, the reporter offered her a gentle smile and Marie smiled back, trying not to look too nervous.
"Marie, this is Raphael's girlfriend, April." Donatello said quietly, "April, this is my girlfriend, Marie."
"It's great to meet you." April offered with a sweet smile, "Donnie's told me so much about you."
"Likewise." Marie said softly, "By the way, I love watching you on Channel Six. Not to sound creepy."
"Oh, thanks." April blushed and tucked herself into Raphael's side as he put an arm around her, "Nice to finally meet a fan."
"Hey, I'm a fan." Raphael told her, looking down at her as he then ruffled her hair, causing her to squeal and then suddenly run in the other direction.
Marie leant into Donatello's side, half hiding her face in his plastron as she watched Raphael chasing April around the kitchen, only to scoop her up and plant a kiss on her cheek before setting her back on the floor. Leonardo watched the young girl for a moment, realising that his presence was making her more nervous. He gave Donatello a brief smile before clearing his throat, rubbing his hands together in a rather unusual fashion, which made Donatello narrow his eyes suspiciously. What was with him all of a sudden?
"I'll go and get Sensei." Leonardo offered, smiling once more at Marie before turning on his heel and heading towards the dojo.
"I see I'm not the only one with the unusual boyfriend." Marie said with a warm smile, bringing Donatello out of his thoughts and causing him to chuckle.
"Yeah. We were all pretty stunned when we found out they were dating." Donatello said, "But, they do kind of go well together."
The dojo door opened, which caused both Marie and Donatello's attention, and out stepped Leonardo, followed by Splinter, who offered both teenagers a warm smile as he made his way over to them. Keeping Marie's hand held tightly in his own, Donatello eased her in front of him, and the pair steadily walked to meet Splinter half way. Marie had been warned that Splinter was a large rat, but the eighteen-year-old hadn't expected him to look quite so... Adorable. Was that the right word? He was much smaller than the boys and he wore a robe, which looked very cosy, but there was just something about him that made her want to just pinch his cheeks. Not that he'd appreciate that from her of course.
"Dad, this is Marie..." Donatello said quietly, squeezing his girlfriend's hand reassuringly, "Marie, this is my father, Splinter."
"It's nice to meet you, sir." Marie said sweetly, holding her hand out for Splinter to shake, "Donnie's told me so many wonderful things about you."
"I'm glad to say he's told me the same about you, dear." Splinter said softly, taking Marie's hand in his paw and squeezing it as he placed his other over the top, "I hope Donatello took care of you for the journey down here."
"He did." Marie nodded, taking off her hat before smoothing out her hair, "This place is amazing... Did you build it yourselves?"
"Donatello did most of the building work down here, but we all helped out where we could." Splinter replied with a warm smile, "Would you care for some tea?"
Marie smiled and thanked Splinter quietly as Donatello helped her out of her scarf and coat before he folded them carefully and laid them on the back of the couch that April had donated to them the previous year. He took her over to the sofa to sit down, and before he could say another word, Michelangelo had slipped into the seat beside her, while Donatello was on her other side, glaring at his younger brother.
"You haven't left dinner unattended, have you?" Donatello asked him with a growl.
"No, April's got it." Raphael's voice was deep as he came by with a can of Orange Crush for himself, and in his free hand, there was one for Michelangelo, who took the cold beverage with a grin, "Leo's helping Sensei."
Marie cleared her throat and smoothed out her dark grey sweater before running her hands nervously over her thighs, which were covered in dark blue skinny jeans. On her feet, she'd put on her ankle boots, for which Donatello was grateful since he'd be walking her through the sewer tunnels later that night to take her home. He took one of her hands in his and squeezed it carefully, before leaning down to tenderly kiss the top of her head in an attempt to soothe her.
"You don't have to be nervous around us, sugar-babe." Michelangelo said with a rather adorable smile, "We don't bite. Well... Raph does..."
"Hey, what did I tell you?" Raphael said in a threatening tone as he sat in one of the pizza box arm chairs, leaning over with a menacing scowl to point at Michelangelo, "Quit it."
"Boys..." Splinter said softly as he approached with Leonardo in tow, who was carrying a tray of drinks, "Enough. Michelangelo, you're needed in the kitchen."
Michelangelo whined but got out of his seat anyway, which gave Donatello the opportunity to carefully put his arm around Marie and pull her a little closer to him. The contact made both of their hearts hammer in their chests since they were obviously very new to this kind of physical contact, but Marie didn't make a move to get away from him, so Donatello took it as a positive sign.
Leonardo put the tray of drinks on the rather new looking coffee table and then eased himself down onto one of the large beanbag chairs that sat near the huge television with tea in his hands. Splinter took a cup of tea from the tray as Donatello handed the other cup to Marie, before grabbing his own coffee that Leonardo had made for him. April then approached with a cup of coffee of her own, and she sat on the couch on the other side of Marie, offering her a warm smile. Anything to try and make the clearly nervous girl feel more comfortable. April couldn't believe how pretty she was. She had such a lovely, elegant face, and such beautiful, thick, chocolate brown hair. Those eyes of hers were just captivating. It was no wonder that Donatello had fallen so hard.
"So, Marie..." April began, breaking the awkward silence that seemed to have fallen upon the group, "Donnie tells us you're moving into your own apartment in the summer. Are you excited?"
"Yes, and no." Marie answered, her voice quiet and shy, "I'll be glad for the independence, but from what I've heard, it can be quite hard making it out here on your own."
"As long as you have a job that pays the bills, you'll do just fine." April said sweetly, sipping her coffee, "If you need any help, though, let me know. Starting out on your own can be tough."
"Thank you." Marie said quietly, tentatively blowing onto her tea so that it could cool a little before she took a delicate sip.
"April's been excited to meet you since she first found out about you." Raphael said with a chuckle, turning his gaze to Marie who inched a little closer to Donatello, "She's happy to have another girl to hang out with around here. Apparently, hanging out with the guys gets too boring for her."
"Oh, that is so not true!" April retorted with a big grin, "I just want a friend who I can go shopping with, or who I can paint nails with. Stuff that big, strapping boys don't want to do."
"I like painting my nails." Marie said softly, looking towards her cup, "I haven't done it recently because I haven't had the time, but... I like it."
April smiled at her and then at Donatello, who mouthed the words, 'Thank you' to her for making the effort to talk to Marie before he took a drink of his coffee. Marie settled comfortably against his side and Donatello smiled, amazed at how comfortable he felt with being so openly affectionate in front of his family. He felt like he needed to do that, though. Was that normal; to need to be openly affectionate this way? It was like he felt as though he had to make a point that Marie was taken, even though everyone already knew as much,
"Anyway, who are you calling a boy?" Raphael asked the reporter, a rather flirtatious grin breaking out onto his face.
When April blushed, Donatello winced and shook his head at his older brother, who cleared his throat and took a sip of his Orange Crush. Splinter then cleared his throat and turned to his second youngest son, who looked at him expectantly as he took a drink of his coffee.
"Donatello, I would like you to give Marie a tour of our home after dinner." The ageing rat said softly, earning a nod from the tall turtle, "I imagine it won't be too long until it's ready. Michelangelo has really improved in his cooking lately."
"Apart from those disgusting, weird pizza toppings he keeps making us try." Leonardo muttered, shifting in his seat as though in discomfort, "Like that hotdog and pineapple one he made last week."
"Hotdog and pineapple?" Marie asked, looking horrified as she took a sip of her tea, "That's sacrilege! You can't put hotdog and pineapple together! Never mind on a pizza!"
"Marie's a foodie." Donatello explained with a grin, "You're not too bad a cook yourself, are you?"
"Well... I try." Marie was now blushing, half hiding her face.
She was so adorable. The turtles, their father and April all thought as much. So quiet, sweet and unassuming. Perfect for Donatello, who also quiet, sweet and unassuming. April could see the love in Donatello's eyes for this gentle girl, and she found herself looking across at Raphael, who happened to be gazing at her at the same time. She knew what love felt like. She'd been with Raphael for many months and she was madly in love with him, whether he believed that or not.
"Now, Marie, I trust that Donatello has explained the nature of our family situation to you." Splinter spoke up, noticing the young girl shuffle uncomfortably under everyone's stares.
"O-Oh, yes..." Marie nodded sincerely, "He has. And I swear that I won't tell a soul... Not even my guardians."
"Do they know that you're now in a relationship with someone?" Splinter asked her carefully.
"Yes, but I haven't told them anything other than I'm dating a nineteen-year-old boy named Donnie." Marie said quietly, feeling the heat flush to her face as anxiety settled into the pit of her stomach, "I don't want to endanger any of you in any way... But... I had to tell them something, even if it isn't the whole truth..."
Donatello saw how flushed her cheeks were and he could feel her breathing becoming unsteady. He was terrified that she was going to have an anxiety attack which was the main thing he wanted to avoid that evening. Splinter, however, could sense the fear and the sudden anxiety that the young girl was experiencing. He felt for her. Poor child. He couldn't imagine having to live a life where the tiniest thing could cause such horrible nervousness.
"It's alright, Marie." He said softly, watching her sit back in her seat dejectedly, "Don't fret, dear. You've done nothing wrong."
Marie nodded softly and stared down at her cup, now feeling very self-conscious. Donatello leant down to kiss her head again in an attempt at comfort and reassurance, but it didn't seem to do any good. Splinter and April shared a look of realisation and understanding that Marie and Donatello needed a little time alone, and the ageing rat then asked Leonardo and Raphael to go and help Michelangelo serve up dinner, while he and April set the table. Donatello was incredibly grateful that his father had shown such compassion for his girlfriend, considering the fact that Marie now had tears in her eyes.
"What is it?" He asked her gently as his family left the area to get ready to serve dinner.
"I made such a fool of myself." She muttered, reaching up and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"No, you didn't." Donatello reassured her, pulling her closer to him to hug her, "I promise, you didn't. You're doing really well right now. I can already tell that my dad likes you. And it's obvious that my brothers and April do too."
"You think?" She asked him, looking up at him.
"You're doing great, and they love you." Donatello smiled as reassuringly as he could, "Once we've had dinner, then you and I can have some time to ourselves. Maybe we can play some video games in my room or something if you want?"
"I'd like that." Marie said with a smile, leaning up slowly to gently kiss Donatello's lips, "Thank you."
Raphael watched from the kitchen with a warm grin, which he then shared with April as she moved to sit at his side. Donatello glanced over his shoulder at the dinner table and then got to his feet with his cup of coffee in one hand, and Marie's hand in his other, who carried her tea towards the dinner table carefully as she followed Donatello faithfully. Donatello didn't like it that she felt so shy because she wasn't normally this shy. She was the one usually pulling him around. Although, he supposed that having an audience of his family members wasn't particularly helpful.
"Dinner time." He said softly, "Mikey has actually made us a pizza himself tonight. We could've just ordered from Pizza Hut like usual, but, it's a special occasion, so..."
Marie squeezed his hand and he turned to look at her, noticing the smile on her face. Treating her to something 'special' made her happy, so Donatello made a mental note of it. His head was like a computer sometimes. He could store all kinds of information in there, so he had no doubt that there was plenty of room on his internal hard drive to store all these little bits and pieces of information about Marie. He pulled a chair out for her next to April, and he took the seat next her, separating her from Leonardo. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, and he could tell that Leonardo made her somewhat nervous.
"Dinner is served!" Michelangelo announced, placing a big platter of garlic bread on the table, and then a huge cheese pizza, with several bowls of assorted toppings, "Okay, we have pepperoni, salami, ham, pineapple, chopped up hotdog, bacon, chicken, and even some super spicy jalapeƱos. Pick your poison, guys!"
Everyone thanked the youngest turtle for his efforts, and as he sat down to join the family at the table, steadily, people started digging in. Marie sat quietly, only speaking when spoken to, and Donatello kept an eye on her while trying to involve her in the conversation. He was grateful to his family, who, for the most part, seemed to be on their best behaviour, and who were trying to involve Marie in the conversation as well. But, she was still clearly very nervous, so after dinner, Donatello gave her a brief tour of the lair and then they disappeared to his lab, where he closed the shutter behind them to give them some privacy.
Almost instantly, Marie seemed to relax. Donatello was worried that he'd brought her to the lair too soon, and that meeting his family was much more daunting to her than she'd allowed him to believe to be. He realised that she'd probably agreed because she knew it was in his and his family's best interest if she came to their home sooner rather than later. April had stayed over longer than usual just for the occasion, and Donatello had a feeling that Marie knew his family had made a special effort for her benefit.
"Is this your lab?" She asked him, drawing him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah. I do a lot of work in here." Donatello said quietly stepping towards her, "I program the lair's security systems from here, I treat injuries in here, I build things in here, I repair things in here... It's a room with many uses."
"You treat injuries?" Marie asked him, looking at him with an expression of concern.
"It doesn't happen often but sometimes, we get hurt when we go out patrolling." Donatello explained, gazing into her lovely silver eyes, "Anyway, my bedroom's in the back if you wanna play some video games."
Marie grinned at him warmly, reaching out to take the tall turtle's hand, and steadily, he bravely led her to his bedroom, closing the shutter behind them.
~ To Be Continued ~
Hope you enjoyed!
Thanks for reading so far!
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