I don't quite recall why I picked "turn into a cat" as the story topic. But I remember I wanted it to be kinda silly, because that would be an easy start and easing into writing. No high demands, or angst drama or complicated plottwists or.. well difficult stuff. xD 10/13
The others had placed themselves by the TV and discussed how best to proceed with this... problem, when Donnie came out from the kitchen towards them. Yoda was sitting next to Mikey as they talked, he decided to place himself by April on the other side, as far away as possible.
"Alright! Let's see…" April started once the other two turtles slowly joined them as well.
"First things first, Donnie needs a sign language." She stated. "I got the idea off an ad… it had these hand sign lessons, and deaf people have been talking without the need for a voice for ages. You use them too during missions sooo.. I figured it was a good idea." April said and smiled a little.
"Great but... if you haven't noticed Donnie doesn't exactly have hands." Raph stated and crossed his arms.
"No but he has a tail, ears, paws and other things we can make use of, we just gotta adjust it to suit him, we've already established yes and no. It's not that hard if we keep it simple." April said optimistically.
"It's a great idea!" Donnie said, nodding, Splinter seemed to side with April's idea as well.
"Thought that will be difficult if I have to ask you to add chemicals in certain amounts… it's not going to work for that…" He said, mostly to himself and sighted a little. It would be good for getting simple things across though. Perhaps he could work around it somehow... After all he could point at things… maybe get April to draw up a chart with different amounts he could point at…
"Yea maybe that could work… but… I still have to somehow convey that to you guys…"
"Well Donnie seems thrilled, so let's get this going."
He decided to make himself comfortable and wait for the others to try come up with sign ideas in the beginning. As it was tricky to suggest them himself.
"Ooh how about a backflip?" Mikey suggested.
"That's just impractical, would YOU wanna do a backflip just to tell someone you're hungry?" Leo looked at Mikey sceptically.
"Totally! It would be so rad." Mikey exclaimed eagerly, earning himself a dunk in the head from Raph.
Donnie sighted.
"Alright guys, let's keep this simple, how about a paw on the knee? He can reach easily and it's not complicated." April suggested as she lifted Donnie up in her lap.
Donnie was glad April and Splinter were there, their suggestions made a lot more sense than most of Mikey's did. He was a bit caught off guard when April put him in her lap and felt awkward about it as he sat there, nodding when April asked him if that one was alright.
April took the pencil and scribbled it down on the list.
Then he noticed Yoda opposite seemed annoyed and flicked her tail, only to climb up in Mikey's lap, purring when she got petted. She almost looked smug.
"Is that a challenge?" Donnie glared a little at her, who only seemed to grow cuddlier with Mikey as he looked at her. Was she seriously challenging him to an attention contest..?
"I am not stooping to your level, you little fluffy devil." He said and looked away. Yoda seemed to have made him her involuntary rival, she seemed to like Mikey the most and got angry if he got close, though she seemed to know she wasn't allowed to attack him. It was like she had declared that all this was hers, and he was just an unwanted guest, the sooner he left the better.
Though she hadn't been able to make that happen, and he was not going to let himself get chased out of his own home by a cat.
"Awe she hasn't been this cuddly in a while, are you upset that we're talking without you~?" Mikey talked with Yoda in a sweet voice.
"Mikey, focus, please." Leo said and sighted a little.
They had debated for hours, it took a lot to try get his ideas across, even when Donnie started to get some basic words he could make use of, they hadn't exactly made him a whole language, and they had to start looking at the paper to see what it meant as the list grew longer.
"Okay so we got some basics established, but how will we do if he needs to tell us how to make the cure? We need some sort of system." Leo pointed out. Finally! Donnie looked at Leo and was happy someone started to bring it up, he had a lot of testing to do and desperately needed a lab assistant for it.
"Hmm.. How about purrs for numbers..?" Mikey suggested. "For all that sciency stuff..!"
"No, Mikey. I can't do it just like that. Though I DO need numbers…" Donnie shook his head. "I could tap my paw on my other arm for numbers." He suggested instead, showing his suggestion. As they had already established a few words by him making use of whatever surface was available and tapping almost in Morse code. As much as that would be helpful to make use of in full, his brothers struggled with remembering what it meant or picking up how many taps he did if they grew lengthy.
"This? You got it?" He looked up at April who seemed to understand and nodded.
"Alright, tap, on arm... numbers..?" She talked out loud as she wrote. "Anything else?"
"... Well... A lot." He sighted, he didn't even have words for colours, or any good descriptions of the chemicals, and not all of them even had colours… or words for describing what kind of amount, there is a big difference in 4 centilitres and 4 litres…
"I think I need a break." He concluded. "We don't have a word for resting… Uh…" He raised his paw up to make a point he had another word he needed, then curled up to pretend to sleep.
Every time Donnie had a word he wanted it was always a struggle to get it across, it was a bit like playing charades, which Mikey enjoyed immensely. Though Donnie preferred to have short signs for stuff where he could. Crude as it was.
"Oh oh me! Me! I got this one! Sleeping!"
"Mikey it's not a contest." Leo pointed out, he wanted to keep it at least somewhat serious, so they could get things going. It felt like he had a lot to worry about right now and getting this done felt like a good first step to making things right and normal again, as normal as it ever got around here that is.
Mikey was a bit of the opposite, he'd rather cheer up and make the situation as enjoyable and fun as possible rather than moping around about it. Though he had a point, people were better of cheerful than running around worrying about what to do.
"Sleep will do, even if rest would be more accurate..." He said and nodded slightly.
"Alright maybe paws to the cheek?" Raph suggested, he mostly sat quietly and listened, but occasionally he would suggest something here and there. Donnie nodded and tried out the motion.
"Gotta be on the side, I can't twist it more than this." He looked on as April added it to the list.
"We seriously need to copy this up for everyone, I don't think we'll remember it all, at least not in the beginning."
"And while you do that I'd like some rest." He made use of his new signs as much as possible when he talked, which by the end of it did look rather odd, at least for a cat.
"-I sleep. You, that-" Was basically what he said in signs and pointed at the paper. "I'm gonna go nuts if I have to talk like this long enough for you guys to remember it without the cheating list."
"Aww you look so cute when you do that~" Mikey said and pressed Donnie's muffles with his fingers on each side.
"Mikey! I have whiskers! They are sensitive so would you stop that…" He complained and drew his ears back to show he didn't like it. So he ended up being petted on the head instead, as Mikey didn't seem to be able to keep his hands off his fur.
They all ended up agreeing on taking a break and make some much needed food, Splinter calmly sat with his tea as Mikey and Leo cooked in the kitchen.
"…" Leo watched as Mikey feed Yoda the scraps as she begged for food while stroking herself along Mikey's legs.
"Should you really giver her all that..? I think she's getting fat." He pointed out.
".. Nah, she looks fine, she's just pudgy." Mikey brushed it off and handed her a piece of bacon, which she happily consumed.
Donnie and Raph were slacking off on the sofa while April worked on a list for everyone to have.
"Alright there... I think I'm done!" She seemed pleased with herself and looked them over.
"I know it's not a lot but it will help a bit." Donnie opened an eye as April talked to him and purred a little in response. He was grateful for the help, and the cat side of him didn't seem to be able to hide when he felt really pleased with something either.
"I'll take it you're happy with that." She said cheerfully as she started to hand them out.
"Guys food is ready..!" They heard Mikey cheer from the kitchen.
They had spent most of the day discussing back and forth, right now they were on a break, as they all needed a leg stretcher and some rest once in a while after all.
Donatello was contently resting on his father's lap in the sofa, he was watching a soap opera show that somehow seemed to amuse him, how Donnie really couldn't understand, there was too much drama for his taste. Raph seemed to agree when the guy lied about why he was coming home so late and groaned.
"Just say it already! You're only making things worse..!" He exclaimed at the TV, far more into it than Donnie first thought. Well, they could watch it if they wanted to, his new hobby was apparently to sleep in warm, cosy places…
April and Mikey was playing a game of cards, she had come over again to help out, he was glad they decided she was going to be his lab assistant, he wasn't sure his brothers would be careful enough with the mutagen, and they didn't want more accidental cats. April should be immune to it, but they still took precautions.
"Aw, you can sleep in my lap with Yoda, you guys need to get along better~" Mikey said and suddenly snatched Donnie from Splinters lap. He had noticed Donnie didn't seem to like Yoda, he either glared at her or ignored her, Mikey wanted them to be friends, not enemies.
"See, now you can sit here and be friends instead!"
"No, I don't wanna be friends with that lunatic." He grumbled as Mikey placed him down beside Yoda while pushing her a bit to the side to make space. The first thing she did was swat her paw right in Don's face to push him away. He leaned away from her.
"See? She's the problem, not me." He tried his best to sign.
"Sure you wanna do that? They don't seem to get along all that well." Raph pointed out as Don seemed quite unhappy with the arrangement, though who would be happy if someone hit a paw in their face. While Yoda seemed to be more open about her aggression towards him if she was pushed.
"She might be uncomfortable with another cat so close to her..?" April suddenly suggested, Donnie looked at her.
"That's... I've tried my best to make it very clear I have no intention of fighting with her! And I ignore her as much as possible, but she still sometimes walk up to me and start the fighting. And I'm not gonna try explain all that in signs."
"Perhaps it would be best to not force them, at least." April suggested as Yoda seemed determined to get Donnie off of Mikey while the former turtle made what sounded like complaints.
"Yea but.. I want them to get along…" Mikey sighted and let go of them.
"I'll leave, I'll leave! Gimme a break!" Donnie backed off as soon as he could and walked over to sit next to Raph instead.
"Well Donnie isn't exactly a cat, but I could try find a book on how to make cats get along if you want to?" She suggested to Mikey, if anything just to cheer him up a bit.
"That would be great! Thanks April!" Mikey smiled wide. Donnie just sighted in his misery, the last thing he wanted was Mikey's 'let's all be friends program' with Yoda.
"Oh, if you're gonna go look for a book… Perhaps you can go buy some stuff for us?" Leo suddenly popped in from the kitchen.
"We're out of bread... and some other things... Sorry for bothering you but..."
"Oh no that's alright! I can fix that." April said quickly, a walk and some fresh... fresher, air would do well.
"Oh great! Can you buy some cat food? ...For Yoda obviously, not Donnie." Mikey quickly added.
"Heh, got it. I'll just do it now before they close then!" She got up.
Donnie listened to the others while Raph absentmindedly petted him where he sat. Then he got an idea and shot up, making Raph jump slightly.
"April! Can I come?!" He looked at her with intent and tried to make her understand he was begging her to take him with her. Sure he wasn't human, but no one would react to a cat walking around, so he could, now that he wasn't a wandering mutant turtle, right?
"Do you want something..?" She looked at Donnie who suddenly seemed very excited, but was puzzled when he shook his head.
"Okay how about this... –I go, you, out-" He tried his best to fill in the gaps with charades and looked at her, hoping she would understand.
"OH. You wanna come with me..? Well... I dunno… I suppose.. The store doesn't really allow pets though… but maybe you could wait outside… It might be too risky though." She was a bit hesitant, leaving Donnie by the entrance wasn't sitting well with her, and what if some mean person came along? It wasn't that uncommon to find stray animals people had beaten up or been mean to…
Donnie quickly signed for April to wait, she watched as he rushed off into his lab.
Moments later he came back dragging a duffel bag and placed it at her feet, then he jumped into it, only his head popping back up from the bag.
"Ok. I'm ready."
April couldn't help but chuckle a little at the sight.
"Alright you win, but keep yourself hidden in the store, and no walking away on your own, okay?" She picked the bag up.
"Okay guys, we'll be back in an hour or two!"
"Be careful!" Splinter called after them, not being able to help but feel slightly worried.