Don woke up at exactly 4 am. He had went to bed a lot later than he usually did, but his biological clock didn't know that he wasn't in the Shredder's lair anymore. He was in his family's old one. It was cold without the generator, but the darkness was a nice change from the constant gleam of the white and silver lab. And no whirring of Baxter's mechanical body. Damn, that was really nice.
Sitting up, Don placed his bare feet on the cold floor and looked down at the garbs he'd taken off. He slowly remvoed the last of the black fabric. There was an ugly mess of metal strips bolting cracks together and deep cuts littering the belly and back of his shell. The Shredder had been more than a little impatient back when Don first started working for him. He use to have a bad habit of taking his anger on the cpative turtle when his brothers did something highly infuriating. Or when the mere thought of Master Splinter was just overwhelming, and damn, did that hunk of metal think about his father a lot.
Don sat there, wondering if he should hide the scars. He didn't want to answer questions, though Raph or Leo probably wouldn't care to ask. Mikey would. Orange warmed his chest. Mikey would. Mikey believed him whole-heartedly. Mikey trusted him and cared for him, despite everything that Don had done.
Then a noise came from down in the sanctum, echoing through the pockets of tunnels, and Don realized held been sitting still and in thought for a few hours. He sat up, unuse to such quiet, and padded through his lab to the lip of the enterance that overlooked the rest of the lair. Leonardo was down there - probably hadn't slept a wink, if Don guessed - and so was Rapheal. The two were talking - er, kinda shouting, actaully - about one thing or another. They seemed to be attempting to keep their voices low and Don would have ducked away and left them be had not been seen by the red-banded turtle.
"Oh hey, looks who's up and at em'!" Raph called angrily, sweeping an arm up as Leo turned. "The traitor! We still gonna let him poke Mikey, huh? Let him use our brotha' as his own personal lab rat?"
"Enough, Rapheal."
"No. Can it, Fearless! We ain't gotten a say in this fro the get-go! Why are we being so reckless about this! You just wanna hand over some blood, maybe a bit of flesh? Oh, how about we jsut strap Mikey down to a dissection table now?!"
"You're overreacting."
"I'm lookin' out for the family! Something you forgot about!"
Leo remained calm. At this point, he should have returned the insults and a shouting match would have ensued. Instead, he merely crossed his arms, looked to Don, and asked him to come down. Don dropped the few stories and landed a bit wobbly, having not eaten anything the last few days. He had forgot to ask. Or maybe he just didn't want to. Either way, he steeled himself and walked towards the duo. Leo's eyes widened marginally and he cleared his throat. Raph was fine looking him up and down, no shame as he scoured the scars and criss-crossing bands. Don's face warmed. Raph might have reacted worse to the foot garbs though.
"What?" He asked, a little too defensivley. Raph's golden eyes snapped up and flashed in indignation.
"Don't get snappy with me," Raph warned. "You're a prisoner here, and until we figure out this whole Mikey thing, you better learn to watch ya mouth."
"Stop it," Leo ordered. "Did you bring the generator?"
"Yeah, but I didn't bring no blood. No way in hell we're doin' that till we clear some things up."
"And what would that be?"
"We're gonna have a chat. Just me and him."
"No, Rapheal."
"We need to-"
"If we talk, I'll be there too. I'll give you free reign of the conversation if it'll help ease your mind, okay? I know this is hard-"
Raph snorted. "Hard? You think seeing Donatello standing here right now is hard? It's fucking hell, and you-" he turned to Don with an accusing finger, "are the cause of it. Do you know how much agony out family went through because of you?"
Yes. And he hated to admit that Raph was right, but he knew. He had known how badly this would affect his family as soon as Karai had appraoched him while he was on a junk-yard run. He took a deep breath and nodded.
"I understand."
Raph growled like an animal. "No! No, you don't!"
"Let's talk this upstairs. Raph, go grab the generator and take it to the lab. Meet us in the dojo when you're done. Donatello, follow me."
The red-banded turtle gave Don another peircing glare and stormed off. Leo impassivley watched him go then headed towards their old training grounds. Don's heart stuttered a little, nerves flaring as they ducked under the stone archway. It was completely barren in here. It didn't look at all as he remembered.
I wonder what their new home looks like? He wondered absently.
"Sit."
The order had Don slipping down onto the floor where he stood. Leo gave him an odd look and sat down across from him, knees folded.
"Rapheal is having a very difficult time," Leo began slowly. "He may say things-"
"I understand," Don interuppted. "I understand exactly why he's upset."
"Do you?"
Don swallowed thickly, trying to remain as stoic as Leo was. He felt horribly inadequete. He was competly bare and stipped of any weapons. Hell, even his kamas would offer some sort of comfort. When Rapheal walked in and leaned up agaisnt the wall rather than take a seat, his nerves skyrocketed into anxiety land. But there was a burning question he'd been dying to ask. He blurted it aloud before he could second-guess himself.
"Does Master Splinter know?"
There was a beat of silence, then Leo spoke. "No. Not yet."
"And you think Mikey will keep quiet?" Don asked, unable to stop himself. It must have come off as an insult, and not a mere observation, because Ralph wetn rigid.
"Shut ya' trap and listen to Fearless. None of that ain't any of ya concern."
Noted. Sit down, shut up. Don mused.
"We want to know everything. From start to finish," Leo stated. "If you're telling the truth, we're giving you a chance to tell us. We are worried for Michelangelo, but we can't fully trust you."
Ouch. That stung. But Don took a small breath to compose himself. "Where do you want me to start?"
"With Karai."
How to start, how to start... "As I said before, I was in the junkyard and she appraoched me. Alone. She explained the situation to me and how during our last encounter with the Foot, Mikey was shot and injected with the posion. She gave me a choice. Leave with her now and receive the antidote, or Mikey woul be dead by daylight. She was lying, obviously-"
"And you didn't come back to the lair? Didn't try to figure it all out for yerself like you just so happen to be doing now?" Raph interjected.
"I was told he had a few hours left to live," Don shot back, trying his damnest to hold in his frustration. "I panicked."
"Like how you 'panicked' when you left him bloody and wounded last year? Yeah, sure."
"Stop it," Leo ordered. "We won't hear the whole story if you keep interuppting."
"Why should we listen?" Raph sneered. "He shows up outta' the blue telling us this crap, when he had plenty a' chances to do the same thing over the years/ You think The Shredder would just let him run free with his little ninja friends if he didn't trust him - even a little. He even admitted to workin' with Baxta'! Come on, Leo! He'd helped build machines meant to destroy us!"
"I did no such thing!" Don shot back, venom in his voice. He stood, legs aching where the cold stone had numbed his muscles. "I was stuck with menial tasks as that bastard's assistant! I was nothing more to them than a punching bag to vent their frustrations when you destroyed a weapons shipment, or pummeled Hun's pride! I made a mistake leaving that night, I know that now! But telling me off for trying to protect Mikey-"
"You don't get to say his name!" There was a shove. Tempers were flaring like a gasoline soaked t-shirt, and Don couldn't help but stoke the flames.
"Mikey! Mikey! Michelangelo!" He burst, feeling a bit like a child. But damn it, if it didn't feel good to throw a tantrum. "I can say whatever I damn well please!"
A punch struck him across the face. He was blind for a moment and then his own body was falling into the unthinking motions of defense, blocking the second blow to his stomach and upper cutting Raph in the jaw. The red turtle said something too smothered in rage to make out and Don realized he made a very bad mistake. Sais were lunging for his face and he was ducking and turning with little thought but - holy shit, he's going to kill me. He's really trying to kill me again.
A katana was drawn and slid through one of the sai handles, retching it from Raph's grip. The pommel slid back and struck him in the chest. Raph stepped back, body shivering and tense, spitting in Don's direction. The shoved Leo's sword out of his way and it lowered slowly.
"There will be no fighting-" Leo began.
Footsteps. Everyone heard them, and Leo stopped the begining of his lecture to look towards the entrance of the lair. Hurried footsteps - four in total - were quickly making their way through the dark. Don lost his voice, and his throat went dry, when Master Splinter ran into the dim light of the sanctum, Mikey running behind him with a fearful face and his nunchucks drawn. Splinter stopped, Mikey running into his back with an oof! when he saw his missing son. Don's heart stopped altogether.
"M-Master Splinter!" He stuttered. He felt a different kind of nervous energy than he did when meeting his brothers. He had grown use to their disgust and hate. He had grown use to fighting them on the rooftops of the city, as an enemy. But he hadn't seen his father in so long, seeing the old rat's face was a slap to the face. Seeing the father who he failed was as bad as Raph attempting to slit open his throat.
"Donatello," the rat whispered, one of his paws opening and closing, reaching out as if he weren't real. Then he was walking swiflty towards him and Don felt his face crumple and took a step back. Humiliation curdled in his stomach. He felt sick. "My son... oh, my son." A paw reached out, reared back when he noticed Don's carpace. He suddenly wished he hadn't removed his garbs. So he did the only thing he could do. The only thing that kept him from receiving further humilation when under Shredder's foot. He fell to his knees, bowed his head, and begged.
"I-I'm sorry, Master Splinter!" Don's forehead was cold against the ground. He felt his whole body shake and squeezed his eyes shut. Too many emotions were running through his head. "I've failed you - I- I've helped your enemies and-" What else could he say? Sorry for buddying up with the man you hate, the man that killed your sensei? Sorry for betraying our whole family and leaving you broken and miserable?
Splinter had crouched down before him, hands running over his shoudlers and then down his face. Don didn't want to look up, but he did when Splinter lifted his face to meet his. His eyes weren't angry. They were a far cry from it. He looked tired and old, sad and heavy with guilt. Guilt. Don foguht back the tears that wanted to flood, grinding his teeth together.
"Do not be sorry. Michelangelo has explained everything to me, my son." He was pulled into an embrace. It felt... nice, he supposed. He didn't feel deserving of it, but the familiar warmth of Splinter's fur and the touch of someone who meant him no harm won out. He embraced his father back and shuddered.
"I promise to make things right, Master," he said. "I promise, I promise, I promise. I'm going to help Mikey."
"I know you will. You have a good heart, my son. You did what you had to do to protect him. I understand."
God, that hurt. A good kind of hurt, like the soreness in his legs after a particularly rewarding workout. Or the stiffness in his shoulders after being hunched over a project for so long, until all that frustration was rewarded with desired results.
"I missed you so much," Don choked.
"We all missed you as well." Splinter said. "But now we have you back."
Not even Rapheal said anything, and Don was grateful to just hold his father. Then Mikey took a step forward, hands wringing together, face a little pale. Splinter drew back and Don looked to his orange-banded brother.
"We heard what sounded like a fight," he began shakily. "Are you okay, Donnie?"
"He's fine," Raph put in gruffly. He wouldn't look at anyone. Mikey ignored him and crocuhed beside his father, reaching out, asking for a hug. Don couldn't help but laugh a little and take Mikey into his arms, finally able to hold his brother he had hurt so badly. He could see the knotted scar tissue that ran up from collar bone to shoulder when Mikey fell into him, shaking and sobbing and unable to hold back.
"I want you to come home," he cried.
"I'm not leaving again, Mikey," Don told him firmly. "I'm going to cure you. And I'm never going to hurt you. Never again."
Mikey laughed wetly into his shoulder. "I don't blame you for anything. And I'm not scared, you know? About the posion. I know you'll fix me up. You've been keeping me alive this whole time. I can never thank you enough for that."
Don's breath hitched. "D-don't thank me, Mikey. Please."
His hug grew tighter. "Like it or not," Mikey said. "I never truly believed you betrayed us. I know that for sure now."
And that did hurt. More than Splinter holding him close or Rapheal trying to kill him or Leo's cold indifference.