Oh, wow, this one's longer. I hope that doesn't bother anyone. Some things I've written it bothers people. Well, I hope you enjoy anyway!
Time slips through Donnie's fingers like sand. So much happens and his life gets so crazy he scarcely has time to breathe. This time, he doesn't forget Alopex. He thinks about her almost as much as he thinks about April and more so when April is particularly difficult. Or maybe he isn't being fair. April doesn't mean to be that way or feel the way she does, at least he doesn't imagine so. At least he knows he sure can't help his feelings. Hers are likely the same, only to the wrong person. His definition of wrong anyway.
In his perfect world April would come to him not just when she was in physical danger. She would come when she was lonely or upset by things. But as it is, she only comes looking for that when it's about Casey. When that little punk hurts her. It makes Donnie's blood boil just thinking about it. Still, he never says anything, he just stays there for April when she needs him and longs for her when she doesn't anymore.
This is just one of those cases – April needing him for protection. He and his brothers race through the sewers to her coordinates. Their desires burn brightly, but Donnie's is dimmed as her final words pound in his head. Karai's after me! And they're after Casey too. The words beat him senseless, but not so much as the way she said his name. It was so panicked, so desperate, so…nothing like she even sounded concerning him.
April is in danger though. He must save her. Even if that means simultaneously rescuing her punk friend, he'd do it. Besides, he probably won't even have to do that. Raph with his new bromance with Casey will ensure that the vigilante is saved and kept in one piece. Unfortunately.
"Alright!" Leo's voice cuts through his thoughts. "Time to split up!" Split up!? Don can already feel his heart constricting with the impending command. "Raph. You and me will go after April. Donnie! You and Mikey will go after Casey."
What!?" Raph and Donnie cry in unison. "Can't we switch?" Donnie knows Raph wants to ensure Casey's safety while Donnie wants to be there to catch April if she falls.
"No." Leo says sharply. His gives them both a hard look. "Casey is reckless. It'll be better to have someone levelheaded there to find him and rein him in. He'll just want to keep fighting until he drops." He looks specifically at Raph. "Like someone else I know."
Raph snorts. He crosses his arms and falls back a little in line. He's faster when he swings his arms. That and he probably doesn't want to be anywhere near Leo anymore.
Leo shakes his head. "You all know their coordinates, so go." Leo springs up at the next ladder and reaches the top in a breath. He shoves the cover off and hops out on the surface. "Hurry." He waits impatiently for his partner.
Donnie and Mikey come before Raph and don't wait for Leo to say anything more to them. They sprint down the street. Lately there have been even more robberies and muggings and violence. Donnie knows the reason behind the first, but the other two are unrelated. Either way the combination of it all has made most people wary and stay indoors after night falls. So running down the street hardly poses a threat of being spotted.
Mikey easily keeps pace with Donnie. Actually Donnie is pretty sure his little brother is going slower than usual in order to remain even with him. "Donnie," He says after a minute. "Where are we going?" He never was very good at reading the tracker.
Donnie sighs. He grabs his t-phone out and pushes a few buttons. The tracker screen lights up and a splay of dots appear on the screen. They're all moving and all pretty fast. He notices April's and how it's the slowest and his blood is set on fire.
His fingers curl especially tight around the t-phone and his hand trembles faintly. He can't let Mikey see it though. There's no need to let anyone know just how much the whole situation is upsetting him. So he drags his eyes from her position and searches for Casey's. "There." He points with his other hand to the screen. "It's a few blocks down." Far from April. That little punk. Abandoning her. It makes him want to leave him all the more. Still, April's voice rings clearly in his head each and every time. She cares about Casey. So he can't do that.
"Ok." Mikey nods.
They pick up their speed and make it the three blocks in record time. Only Casey has moved. Of course. Donnie grinds his teeth together. One glance at his tracker shows him that the punk hasn't gone terribly far though. Just another block. And he's not going particularly fast. Donnie bites his lip as a thought snakes its way in – what if he's hurt? What's worse is that Donnie doesn't know whether to feel vindicated or worried.
"Where is he?" Mikey was keeping a close count of the distance travelled. This should be where Casey is, or at least pretty close to where he is. Fear creeps up on Mikey's expression and his eyes widen. He waits with bated breath.
Donnie shakes his head. "It's fine." They keep on going with Donnie's guidance. "He just moved a bit. We'll see him in just a-" A scream rips through the air. It sends a chill up both their spines and their hearts skip a beat.
"What was that?" Mikey swallows hard. It sounded just like Casey. Only they've never heard him scream like that before. That sounded bad.
Donnie shakes off the heavy layer of fear and surges forward, ahead of Mikey. "Come on." He snaps. He may not care about Casey either way, but that scream was enough to make any person – man or monster – worry.
As they round the next corner they see him. He falls backward and lands on his butt with a grunt. That is the least of his worries though. He holds his arms out and it shakes profusely before him along with the rest of his body. On his arm his guard is snapped in half and a layer of red covers his arm instead.
Donnie's eyes widen dramatically, but the initial shock lasts for only an instant. He races toward Casey, prepared to fend off whatever did this to him. "What happened?" He tries to sound considerate, but he knows his voice is harsh and maybe even a bit demanding.
Mkey is right behind him. "Duuude!" He gasps. "That's awful!"
Donnie smacks Mikey over the head. "Casey," He urges. "Talk to me!" As he waits for Casey to speak, he looks for himself. Then the next wave of shock washes over him. His breath catches in his throat and the color drains from his face. These marks…they're… He stumbles back. They're…fox claws.
Casey struggles to breathe as his panic rises. He knew by now that there were a bunch of strange human-like creatures running around New York. Still, humanoid turtles and a giant walking plant were one thing. This, this was something else entirely.
Mikey's eyes jerk over to focus on Donnie. "Donnie?" He feels his heart quiver at the sudden shift in his brother. "Donnie. What's wrong?" A terrible thought strikes him. "You can fix this, right?" He grabs at the strap across Donnie's plastron and pulls him forward. "Right!?"
Donnie nods vaguely. His mind races. Did this just happen? Is she still nearby? Or is it all just in his head – an off branch of his desire to see her again? But no. Those marks are impossible to mistake. It must be her. "Mikey!" He says suddenly, cutting off his brother's desperate cries.
Mikey's mouth instantly snaps shut. He watches Donnie intently with wide, wild eyes.
"Mikey," Donnie says more softly but with no less urgency. "You've got to take Casey back to the lair – now. He-"
"What?" Mikey shrills. "No way! I can't go by myself! I don't know how to fix this! I-I…" He holds his head as he shakes it back and forth.
"Mikey." Donnie says sharply. "Listen to me." He grabs both of Mikey's shoulders and shakes him lightly. "You have to do this. Casey needs medical attention and I can't give it to him here."
"But you have to come to-"
Donnie presses his hand over Mikey's mouth. "No. Someone has to stay and find whatever did this to Casey. It could be a mutant." Is a mutant. "And we have to make sure it won't hurt anyone else." He slowly removes his hand from Mikey's mouth. "Splinter can patch Casey up. Ok? You got it?"
Mikey nods slowly. His eyes remain wide, but with a plan his calm returns. "Be careful Donnie." His gaze shifts to Casey by his side. Whatever mangled Casey's arm is surely a force to be reckoned with. Casey's a pretty good street fighter at least.
Casey clasps at his wound. The blood runs heavily through his fingers and stains his palm. "M-Mutant…" He strangles out. "W-Wolf…"
Donnie snaps to attention. He tenses and his gaze grows hard and furious. Casey didn't quite get it right, but he does know what he saw. He almost doesn't want to let him alone with Mikey, but he knows he has very little choice.
Mikey perks. "What dude? What'd you say?" He helps Casey up. He watches the boy carefully.
Donnie growls deep in his throat. "No time! Just go!" He orders and points to the nearest manhole. "Get underground already so Karai can't find you either." As he says it he realizes for the first time that that's what's missing. Neither Karai nor her goons are anywhere to be seen. It solidifies the fact that they had nothing to do with his injury.
Mikey jumps a little and nods. He pulls Casey along and they both disappear beneath the city. Casey's ramblings buzz in his ears until he moves and covers the manhole himself. He lets out a heavy breath, happy to be done with him. But it's nowhere near over.
In the sudden silence Donnie hears with sharp certainty the sound of snarls coming from within the alley nearest him. He turns sharply and squints into the darkness. He can scarcely see anything, but he makes out one thing clearly – golden orbs.
Donnie steps cautiously toward the alley. With each step he takes the vicious sounds grow louder and more threatening. It's much too dangerous to go in silence. "Alopex," He says, taking another careful step. "It's me. Donnie."
Alopex's ears are flat against her head. Her teeth are bared and her body tensed in preparation for anyone who might take advantage of her in her current state. That boy was one of them. He got to close and she just had to protect herself.
Donnie swallows hard. She didn't say anything. Maybe it isn't even her. But…what else could have caused such damage? There's no way it was an average dog. The marks were too deep and long. "Alopex," He tries again. He thinks to draw out his t-phone and use it as a flashlight.
Alopex cringes as the light shines in her eyes. She can not run away though. It reveals a chunk of her brilliantly white fur tainted with red. It is her shoulder and her ankle. She clutches at her shoulder as she looks through narrowed eyes up at Donnie. The scarf from last time is missing – thrown to the side.
"Alopex!" He gasps. He rushes forward without thinking. His fear of her is completely gone, replaced by a fear for her safety. "What happened?" Is this Casey's doing? His hands clench at the very thought. Another reason for me to hate him.
Alopex breathes heavily in and out. Her teeth remain bared, but she forces herself to calm down. "Just…a mission gone wrong." She hisses. "I…was careless." She glares heatedly to the side.
Donnie's stomach drops. Mission? "You're working for other people now." It's meant to be a question, but it sounds like a statement the way he is already so sure of it. He drops down beside her and brings the light closer to her shoulder to get a better look.
"It's a way to make a living." She says with obvious strain. "And isn't that what you wanted? For me to not steal." She struggles off of her side and into an awkward sitting position. It moves her ankle and she sucks in a sharp breath.
Donnie's eyes widen as he sees the pain flicker across her face. "Don't move." He warns. He shifts to better look with her changed position. "And you're still stealing." He grimaces. Whether it's from the truth of his words or the look of her injury he doesn't really know.
"Not as much." She shrugs with one shoulder. "It's only when I can't find jobs or the idiots that pay me won't buy things for me." She scoffs. "Those idiots. Like I can really just walk in even if I have the cash."
Donnie frowns deeply. It's true. Although he supposes she could get what she needs and just leave the money on the counter at night when no one is there. It's not ideal, but it's the only thing people like them can do. "Well," He stands slowly. "It doesn't look too bad. But I have to go get some medical supplies in order to fix it."
Alopex grins through the pain, but there is still a lingering edge of agony. "You gonna go steal for me?" She lays a hand over her heart. "I'm flattered." As she lifts her hand, a perfect image of red is left to mar her shirt.
Donnie scowls. "N-No!" He sticks his lip out indignantly. "I have supplies back at the lair. Supplies I didn't steal. I can go get those."
Alopex shakes her head. "Sure, sure." She believes he has what he needs at his home, but she doesn't believe he'll go all the way back there – wherever there is – to get them. They may have only met three times, but she reads him easily enough. He cares, and he'll take the quickest path to ensure her safety.
"Humph." Donnie shoves his head into the air and turns hard on his heel. "Whatever." He stomps off, but the moment he is out of her sight he lets out a heavy sigh and his face creases with defeat. He runs, but it is not for home. He stops only a block down in front of a store.
"I can't believe myself." He breathes. But he can. He's done the same for his brothers many times over. It's the only time they've ever justified stealing – to save a life. But Alopex isn't family. She doesn't fit into his brothers schema of justified theft, shouldn't fit into Donnie's. Yet he can't stop himself.
He works quickly and disables the alarms on the building. He easily walks through the front door and across the interior. He scans the aisles quickly until he comes to a section full of medical supplies. As he reaches for them a thought strikes him. He wonders if Raph and Leo are back at the lair yet.
He grabs his t-phone and turns the tracker off in one easy movement. Just like that he is gone, off the map. His little dot disappears. Now when Mikey tells them about what he was doing, they couldn't come looking for him – at least not with a set of coordinates.
Donnie gathers everything he needs and leaves just as easily as he enters. He doesn't bother resetting the alarm. A thief is a thief and they'll steal no matter what defenses are up. Alopex is proof enough of that. A few minutes later he is back at the alley.
Alopex's ears twitch at the sound of footsteps and she looks up with wary eyes. As she sees the green of his skin her eyes light up and a smirk curves her lips. "Back already?" She teases.
"Oh shut up." Donnie sits next to her. He lays his supplies on his lap. He sets the t-phone up on a camera stand that he snatched as well in order to give him good light to work by. Then he begins to clean the shoulder wound.
"You sure you didn't rob someone blind?" Alopex cringes as he works, but her smile never falls. "I mean, that was pretty fast."
"Please," Donnie grinds out. "I'm trying to do my job."
Alopex snickers. "So it's your job to go around and fix people up?" She raises a brow. "Because I'm pretty sure you left that boy out to dry. And he was hurt too."
Donnie growls in aggravation. He glares at Alopex. "What? Do you want me to leave you bleeding in a dark alley? Is that it?" His hands clench tightly around the wrap he has prepared to fasten around her bleeding shoulder.
Alopex's ears flatten. She frowns and looks unimpressed. "Chill Donnie. I'm only playing."
"Yeah? Well I'm not! You destroyed Casey's arm!"
Alopex's lips curl back in a snarl. "He got too close." She says through clenched teeth. "I was injured – am injured – and I didn't know who was coming. Instinct told me to protect myself." She narrows her eyes. "So I did."
Donnie lets out a heavy breath. Sometimes he really forgets the differences between them. They may both be mutants, but her instincts are nothing like his. "Look, I just want to help you." His voice is tiny. "Just let me do that."
Alopex makes soft inaudible grumbles, but she does not openly protest. It isn't until he withdraws his hands from her shoulder that she breaks the silence. "So is that boy your friend?"
Donnie starts at the unexpected intrusion on his thoughts. "Huh?" He looks up and meets her eyes. "Oh," He grins, but it's cold. "Ha. No." He shuffles around on his knees toward her ankle.
Alopex raises a brow. "Then why are you upset about what I did?" She lifts her hands and extends her claws. She stares hard at the claws, once black, now stained red. "Is it just because he's a human?" She shifts despite the pain so he can mess with her ankle and she can still see him.
Donnie sighs. He casts his eyes downward and for a moment doesn't mess with her ankle. "He's April's friend." His fingers twitch without his permission. They clench in a fist. "So I…I have to care."
Alopex shakes her head. "You're whipped."
Donnie slowly lifts his gaze. "Excuse me?" There is a cold edge to his tone.
Alopex is unaffected. "This girl, 'April' you say, whoever she is, she has you wrapped around her finger. I mean, she had you in tears a couple of months ago because she hated you. It's like you live and thrive by her whims."
Donnie glares, but it is only at himself. "I can't help it." He whispers. "I really care about her. And I just wish she would care about me the same way." He flinches the moment he says it. That sounded bad. "I mean…" April does care. She just isn't in love with him.
Alopex's ears rise somewhere between amusement and sympathy. "You can care about people and like them and still function." Ironic that she of all people would tell him that when premutation she had done everything for her master's sake with no consideration to herself beyond basic survival.
Donnie focuses again on her injury. It's just like her shoulder. He gently takes it in his hands to be sure that's all it is. He feels her tense even from this and is sure he already knows it's not so simple. He carefully moves it in a circle and stops near instantly.
Alopex gasps and yanks her foot back. She hisses and glares down at the injury before bringing her gaze back to Donnie. "What was that for?" She's no doctor, but she does know it shouldn't hurt this bad, especially when she's being helped.
Donnie throws his hands up in innocence. "It was just procedure. I needed to see if the bleeding was all there is. And it isn't." He lowers his arms and holds them out to take her foot again. "You sprained it too."
Alopex blows out a furious breath. "Great. That's just what I needed. More trouble." She lays her foot back in his hands. She crosses her arms. "So how long does it take to heal?"
Donnie shrugs. "It can take a month with people, sometimes shorter. With us though and our superior healing abilities…I'd give it about a week."
"What!?" Alopex slams a hand down on the concrete. "Are you kidding me? I can't be out of commission that long!"
"Relax." Donnie sighs with a flicker of amusement. His eyes light slightly and a tiny smile twitches at his lips. "You'll be ok enough to continue stealing from people."
"No." Alopex fumes. "That's not good enough! I have to complete this mission within the next three days or I don't get paid."
Donnie looks at her as if she is stupid. "Come on, Alopex. It's not that bad." He finishes cleaning the injury and wraps the whole foot in order to keep it from moving. "I mean, I never get paid." He chuckles. "And you don't see me complaining."
Alopex glares heatedly at him. "No, it is that bad. Use your brain." She shoves her finger against the side of her head. "If I botch this they won't just retract my payment. They'll probably punish me."
Donnie's eyes shoot open and fear creeps in at the edges. He swallows hard, trying to push down the emotion, but it's useless. He draws his hands back from her foot and his scared eyes meet her frenzied ones. "But…"
Alopex shakes her head. "No buts in the criminal world Donnie." She smiles sadly. "I have to do this." She pushes herself up with her good arm and hobbles to her uninjured foot, propping herself against the building.
Donnie stands slowly. His brows knit together and a deep frown forms. "Alopex…" He licks his lips. He reaches down toward his belt, for the item he had completely forgotten about until now. "Maybe I, I mean…just this once…could help."
Alopex's face lights like a firework. She smiles and for the second time since Donnie's known her it looks genuine. "Really?" Both her brows rise on her head. "Cause, it is illegal. You know that, right?"
Donnie nods slowly, sadly. "I know." But the thought of her getting hurt over this tears his insiders to bits. "But that's ok." He holds out the item to her.
Alopex looks down at his offering. She frowns. "What? What is it?" She cocks her head and her ear flicks slightly in interest.
"A t-phone."
Alopex snorts. "A t-phone?" She grins. "Like turtle phone." She throws her head back and laughs. "That's the greatest thing I've ever heard."
Donnie's cheeks turn a shade darker. He ducks his head. "Well that's what it is." He grumbles.
"Yeah, yeah." She settles down, but a smirk remains on her lips. "So what do you want me to have it for? I'm not a turtle?" She snickers beneath her breath.
"Ha ha." He rolls his eyes. "No, I want you to have it for cases just like this." He gives her a hard look. "What would you have done if I hadn't been looking for Casey? You'd have been lying back here for hours without treatment."
Alopex shrugs with one shoulder. "I'd have managed." She frowns and bitterness swims in her eyes. "Just like always."
Donnie shakes his head. "Well, I don't want you to have to 'just manage'. I want you to be able to get the help you need, when you need it." He says with a firm nod. "Also…it's a way for me to be able to find you if I need to or, you know," he shrugs. "If I just want to talk."
Alopex grins. "You mean if you miss me?" She pinches his cheek, but only for a second. "That's sweet." She, however, doesn't miss the other meaning inherent in his words. "But also so you can see where I break into." Her voice is low all of a sudden.
Donnie wipes at his cheek. "Yeah." He says weakly. "I just want to know." He holds the device closer to her. "So please, take it. Even if just so you can talk to me."
Alopex takes it. She holds it up and inspects it. "So how does it work?" Her ears flick.
Donnie points to the face of the phone. "There's a button right here. It's programmed to call mine so all you have to do it tap it and you're good."
Alopex narrows her eyes at him. "What about the tracking thing? Wait," She holds up a hand. "Don't tell me. You disabled it on my end."
Donnie smiles sheepishly. "Sorry. But I…I can't let you know where the lair is. And besides, if you get it taken our enemies could use it to find us." He shrugs. "I can't risk that."
Alopex smiles. "I get it." She can't blame him for not trusting her. She isn't exactly good, even if she isn't inherently bad either.
Donnie knows he doesn't have to, but he tells her anyway. "And you don't have to worry about my brothers hearing. I made this one specifically so that it only communicates with mine." He beams at his accomplishment.
Alopex chuckles. "You really are a regular little genius, aren't you? And here I thought you were dimwitted." She flashes her sharp teeth in her smile.
"Whaaat?" Donnie half whines. "I'm the smartest!"
"I can see that." She tucks the phone into her shirt. "You just didn't come off that way before."
Donnie makes a face and his cheeks burn a little. "You…you stuck it in your top?"
Alopex snorts. "Well, yeah. Where else would you have me put it?" She raises a brow. "I don't exactly have gear like yours." She motions toward him.
Donnie shrugs. "I guess." It's just weird to him, especially as he imagines April doing the same. Only April has pockets. And she better use them! "Hey, so are you alright?" He tilts his head slightly.
Alopex sighs. "As good as I can be I suppose." She shakes her head. "I can't use my leg and can't swing around with this arm for a while. So what do you really think?"
Donnie gives her a hard look. "I mean does it still hurt?" He crosses his arms.
Alopex smiles. "I know. And I feel fine, genius." She rubs his head. "Thanks."
Donnie nods. He smiles softly. "It's nothing." With those words a memory suddenly hits him. It's nothing. Only he had been bitter at the time. It was when he was making the t-phone for Alopex. He had nearly been done when Leo had to poke his head in and snoop around.
"What are you doing?" Leo had asked. It made Donnie jump in his skin and nearly break the t-phone. He glared at his brother and said he was working.
"On what?" Leo popped up by his shoulder. "Another t-phone?" He made a face. "What for?" His eyes narrowed as he looked carefully at Donnie.
Donnie froze. His eyes were wide and a panic quickly rose within him. His mind raced as he scrambled for a good lie. Unfortunately the only way out was, "It's for Casey!" He forced a large smile.
Leo scrutinized him a moment more before he too smiled. "Oh, well, alright." He patted Donnie on the shoulder. "He probably does need one now that he's becoming part of the family too."
Donnie nodded. "Yeah, and it's nearly done." He beamed.
Leo grinned. "Good work."
Donnie shrugged. "It's nothing." Only then as Leo left did Donnie let out a heavy breath. It was relieved, but tainted with bitterness. Family? No way. And now he had to make a whole new t-phone. It was the worst. The memory fades and another truth falls on him – that's the only reason he found Alopex tonight.
Without Casey receiving his less than intended t-phone they could have ran around the whole town without coming upon him. Worse still they might have found him at another spot and never known Alopex was hurt here. It burns Donnie up inside, yet he is undeniably thankful all at once. He feels just like when Leo left him alone before. This is the worst.
"Hey," Alopex's voice pierces his thoughts. "You think you could hand me my scarf?" She points at it. "It's kind of hard to get up and down like this."
Donnie clears his mind. "Yeah, sure." She picks it up and hands it to her. He watches her wrap it around her neck, around the patched wound. "Be careful." He doesn't mean to, but he realizes he sounds pleading.
Alopex smirks. "You know that's impossible." She grabs the t-phone from her shirt and presses the button, holding it to her lips. "But I'll be sure to tell you when it goes too far."
Her voice echoes through his phone. That's something else he tweaked. It doesn't ring when it's her. "You better."
"I'll also be calling you within the next few days for our little operation." Excitement twinkles in her eyes, but it is carefully tempered with regret. She doesn't want to make him miserable. But that's so hard when she thinks this kind of thing would be so much fun, especially with him tagging along.
Donnie grimaces. "Yeah, I know." He steps away from her. "So I'll...see you then."
"See you." She says and for once it isn't her that runs off. She watches him go until she can't see him anymore. She frowns deeply as she breaks her gaze into nothingness and looks from her shoulder to her ankle and back again. How is she supposed to eat tonight? Breaking in anywhere is nigh impossible.
She sighs and hangs her head. She glances at the t-phone still in her hand. She could call him back. As easy as that. But it's selfish and she doesn't need him. So she tucks it back in her shirt and hops on one foot out of the alley toward the nearest store. If she's lucky she'll find the one he broke into and the alarms will be off. If he is so smart, that has to be what he did. It's her best shot at least.
…
Donnie runs the rest of the way home. He hasn't forgotten about Mikey and more importantly Casey. He rushes into the lair to find everyone gathered in the living room, some sort of heated debate going on. And Casey is at the center of it all.
"Oh no…" Donnie curses.
"I swear!" Casey clenches his hand. "It was a huge wolf monster! Just like you guys!" He swings his hand around to point at all of them in a wave. "And it's what did this!" He jerks his now bandaged arm up for all of them to see for the umpteenth time.
"Casey," Leo moves his hands in a downward motion. "Calm down. I'm sure it wasn't anything that bad. We know about all the mutants in this city. Unless you mean Rahzar, but it doesn't sound big enough to be."
"Leo!" Raph snaps. "If he says he saw a mutant, then he saw a mutant." He squares off against Leo. "He's not craz-" Raph pauses, thinks about it, then changes courses. "Ok, he's crazy, but not that kind of crazy!"
"It was dark Raph. And he was scared. Who knows what was actually there." He narrows his eyes at Raph. "Unless we all go out and find it then-"
"Mikey!" Casey jumps in. "Mikey was there!" He looks expectantly at the orange turtle.
All eyes fall on him and he bows his head. He presses his lips into a thin line and twiddles his thumbs. "Sorry Case." He mumbles. "I…I didn't see anything. I was too focused on you and Donnie."
Casey groans. He throws his head back. "Come on!" He jerks his head around to Leo. "If April told you that she saw it and no one else did you'd believe her."
"Casey," April starts to say. She reaches out for him. She stops and snaps to attention as she sees a patch of purple out of the corner of her eye. "Donnie!"
"Donnie?" Everyone says in unison. Casey is the most distinct though. They all turn to face him. "Donnie!" Casey leaps forward. "Alright, man." He grins from ear to ear. "You went after the creature, so you can tell these guys what I saw was real."
Leo goes agape. "You went after it?" He cries. "Are you out of your mind?" He presses a finger to his head. "It could have killed you!" All doubts of its existence flee him in the moment.
Donnie acknowledges Leo, but his eyes never leave Casey. "Yeah, I went after it. Sorry, but it wasn't a big deal." He looks without feeling at the boy waiting with bated breath for his assertion. "Because it wasn't a mutant."
"What?" Casey grinds his teeth and his fists tremble fiercely. "You-You liar!" He bellows.
"Casey!" April gasps.
"No!" He throws his hand up in her direction, blocking her out. "This guy – he saw it! I know he did! And it was not nothing! How do you think I got my arm torn to shreds? Huh?" He glares fiercely at Donnie.
Donnie shakes his head. "You're right." His voice is as unfeeling as his expression. "It's not nothing. But it wasn't a mutant. It was just a dog. A really big dog."
Casey growls loudly. "No! No, no, no!"
Donnie steps forward, past his brothers and right up to Casey. His voice is low, but suddenly very cold. "It was a dog." He says again. "Get over it." He hits his shoulder hard against Casey's as he moves past him. He doesn't wait for a comeback. He goes straight to his room.
Casey glares fiercely at Donnie's back. This isn't over. He doesn't care how much April likes the green freak or that Raph is his brother. He won't be made a fool. He'll get them all on his side. Donnie'll see. Soon he'll be the one looking crazy.
Casey's roaring protests pulse in the back of Donnie's head even as he shuts the door and muffles the sound. Luckily for him he's a heavy sleeper. Even if Casey keeps it up forever it won't make him lose sleep.
Donnie grimaces as he stretches out across his bed. What can though is the thought of Casey convincing the others, of them going out and finding Alopex, especially in her current state, and then them ending her. A chill races up his spine.
Still, Donnie's word holds more weight. For now. He only has to worry if Casey sees her again. Then he'll really have to fight to keep her a secret. To keep her safe.
So, what did you think? This one's a bit more plot heavy I guess. At least it set a few things up. Also, I feel I should say I don't hate Casey. But I feel Donnie will on a certain level. And this is Donnie's story. Hopefully when Casey does meet the guys in the show this chapter won't feel completely out of place. At least he better have a bromance with Raph. *pouts* Look at me jumping ahead of canon. Bad me.
Oh well. I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. It was really fun for me. I love these two :) Please review!
P.S Do you think I should slow updates down?