#if you think mikey looks significantly younger than the rest

[boldabolda]

human tmnt wip??? soon to be an au TRUST!!!!

[redbusters]

hi hannah. drop ur rise opinions if u haven't already by the time u see this. or just general tmnt opinions. xoxo

OH HENRY I CAN ALWAYS RELY ON YOU

this is gonna have to be under a cut too i have a lot . I'll do rise specific opinions bc I have so many opinions all the time so send an ask if you want other tmnt opinions

one: THE "CANON" HEIGHT CHART IS AWFUL.

this is the most ridiculous height chart i have ever seen. As a person who is in real life 4'9. APRIL IS NOT 4'8. she looks like she is of average height compared to other humans around her, and when you are below 4'10 it is NOTICEABLE and in fact it's very rare you'll meet anyone who is shorter than you that isn't significantly younger than you. also in this picture her proportions are off anyways? her body is usually slightly bigger. donnie is smaller than he should be in this picture and you can tell because he's roughly leo's size and both his head and plastron appear to be smaller than leo's which to me indicates they made his sprite smaller so he'd appear shorter. mikey's heels aren't even lined up correctly in the picture and he appears taller than april in it even though the numbers say he's shorter. this chart really seems like they picked 6'0 for the raph height because it seemed like a tall enough height and based all the other heights off that regardless of whether it makes any sense. i sincerely doubt that this was made by the creators of the show, despite being "official". it's just a lazy tweet from some social media manager for engagement and I refuse to acknowledge it.

two: PEOPLE ARE WEIRD ABOUT SPLINTER. HE IS NOT A BAD FATHER. it's like camila noceda all over again. splinter in rise is a complicated and intentionally flawed but good person. he's not nearly as neglectful as fans portray him to be. most people cite the demolition derby episode as proof, but to me this doesn't say that splinter neglects his kids. what's going on in that episode is that as his children outgrow what he can typically provide, he is losing his ability to relate to them and he's trying less hard to actively spend time with them as they become more independent. this is especially with donnie because donnie's interests are not typically something he can meaningfully engage in. additionally, due to his upbringing he doesn't really understand that donnie is the kind of kid that needs out loud explicit praise, so he doesn't typically give it. what donnie expresses in that episode is that he does enjoy spending time with his dad, and that he needs that kind of reassurance about his worth. splinter responds to this, and adjusts his behavior because he cares enough to make active changes for his sons. people also point to raph and say that he had to raise his siblings/ was parentified which is honestly baseless. raph doesn't really start getting that whole complex about protecting the team until mid-late season 2 when he is the leader of a vigilante team and their lives are being threatened. in the early season 1 episodes and in flashbacks he's clearly just as much of a dumb kid as the rest of them, and it wasn't splinter's parenting that made him grow up too fast but instead the world ending threats that were trying to take out the people he cares about.

also stare at these images for a half hour minimum and tell me he's neglectful. that's right shut up HE LOVES HIS BOYS HE DESTROYED THE ANCIENT SCROLLS WHEN THEY TOLD HIM TO LET HIS SONS BE MARTYRS HE ALWAYS JUMPS IN TO FIGHT WHEN THE THREAT IS SERIOUS BE QUIET!!! y'all really cannot handle it when parents of color show any signs of being complicated people on tv

okay NUMBER 3: nearly every single fanon portrayal of casey jones jr makes my blood boil. people are so much more interested in recreating the dynamics from the bad timeline than actually exploring how casey would interact with the others post movie. first of all he's not one of the youngest if you look at his design and his behavior and think about it for 2 seconds he's obviously meant to be around april's age. secondly the reason he calls present leo sensei at the end of the movie is because he's reliving the very recent loss of the leo he looked up to not because he sees current leo as a mentor. if you watch the scene where he yells at current leo, he's obviously taking on an authoritative role in the conversation where leo looks more like a child being scolded. also casey has FACIAL HAIR HE'S NOT 15. point is let casey jones jr be the strange and off putting college aged weird older brother he was always meant to be amen

[minumi-chan]

Words You Didn't Say - Ch. 1

Read on A03

Rated: G

Summary: Dad has to explain to him, when Raphael was much younger and upset himself believing that Donatello hated him, that sometimes children do not feel comfortable speaking, and so they do not. Dad tells him he should listen to Donnie with his heart, and that if he did, he would understand that Donatello does not hate him at all. Raphael takes that advice to heart, and makes an effort to understand all the alternate ways his little brother speaks to his family without words ever since.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seven years old ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It would be more stable if you widened the base. The structure could bear more weight and you can even increase the height.”

Raphael drops the block he’s holding in his hand, staring slacked jawed at his second youngest brother. The little turtle sitting on the other side of the blocks between them adjusts his glasses as his gaze shifts from Raphael to the blocks and back again. He has been on this earth for all of seven years-- which is not very long-- but in all of this time, Raph cannot remember a single instance in which Donatello has uttered a word to him. 

Dad has to explain to him, when Raphael was much younger and upset himself believing that Donatello hated him, that sometimes children do not feel comfortable speaking, and so they do not. It does not mean they do not understand you when you speak to them, and it does not mean they don’t like you if they do not answer. It just means they are more comfortable communicating in other ways. Dad tells him he should listen to Donnie with his heart, and that if he did, he would understand that Donatello does not hate him at all. Raphael takes that advice to heart, and makes an effort to understand all the alternate ways his little brother speaks to his family without words ever since. 

Once Raph gets the hang of it, only Leonardo beats him at the Donnie-interpretation game, and only because he has the freaky twin thing advantage. Come to think of it, Leo has insisted Donnie can speak verbally for years, but as the only witness (and as a known fibber), Raphie has pretty much brushed off the elder twin’s claim as one of Leo’s tall tales to make himself look better than the rest of his brothers. 

“Um... that means make it taller,” Donatello clarifies, stretching his hand over his head, assuming probably that Raphael’s stunned silence is because he cannot understand the advanced vocabulary Donnie chose to use in his first ever sentence to his eldest brother. 

Raphael laughs, and then promptly sniffles as his eyes water. Donnie blinks and studies his emotional reaction, scrunching his snout in what Raph recognizes as one of his ‘I’m nervous now’ ticks.   

“Why--” Donnie scrunches his nose again, rubbing his toes together and averting his eyes from Raphael, “Why are you crying?”

Raphael cannot believe that he is blessed with a third sentence-- whole sentences!!-- from his quietest little brother in the span of two minutes after years of wordlessness. He hugs himself to quell the urge to just reach over the blocks and pull Donatello to his chest. He knows Donnie doesn’t always appreciate hugs the same way Leo or little Mikey do. All the same, he feels like a chosen one in the adventure stories their Dad sometimes read to them before bed when he was not too tired. 

“Raphie?” Donnie’s voice quiets significantly this time, pouting and curling his toes together. 

Raph squeaks with glee at hearing his nickname, and realizes he might be making too big a deal of this. He doesn’t want to make his little brother feel uncomfortable or scared to speak to him again, quite the opposite. Pondering carefully on his next words, he thinks being honest and straightforward will be the best way as it always is with Donatello to help him understand others’ emotions. 

“I’m just really really happy, Donnie,” he sniffles and chuckles, wriggling his feet and rocking a bit as he continues to hug himself with a huge grin, “It’s nice ta hear my little brother say my name. It feels like ya trust me, ya know?”  

“Yes, I do,” Donatello says simply with a nod. 

“Donnie--” Raph can feel his lip quivering, “C-Could I hug ya, buddy?”

His little brother tilts his head and thinks about it for a minute, before leaning forward and crawling closer. Raphie opens his arms and lets Donnie approach on his own terms, shivering with delight when the little softshell crawls into his lap, curling his arms up between their plastrons, and leaning his cheek on Raphie’s collar. Raphael folds his arms around him (not too tight!), and rests his cheek on the crown of his little brother’s head.

“You’re warm, I like it.” 

Raphael nuzzles his cheek ever so gently and chuckles again, “Good ta know, Dee. Think ya can help me build a taller tower than Leo’s?” 

He is absolutely content to bask in this moment for as long as Donatello will allow, but he also wants to make sure to give his little brother a comfortable way out from their hug if he’s had enough. Assuming his offer will draw their hug to a close, Raph gives him a final squeeze, chirping happily with a gentle rocking motion. 

“Most definitely,” Donnie nods against his plastron, but instead of moving, nuzzles closer with a contented chirp of his own, “In a minute.” 

When five minutes later Donnie is still warm against his chest without complaint, Raphael feels like the luckiest big brother in the whole wide world. 

~~~

A/N: You ever have a very aloof cat finally choose to sit on your lap and start purring? That is exactly the feeling Raphael is experiencing right now. XDD 

I write Donnie as being on the Autistic spectrum, and how I chose to reflect that is drawn from personal experience but may not be representative of all who are on the spectrum.

Next: Ch. 2 || Masterpost

This is now part of a series: Wish we had just a little more time...

View on A03

[dunk-on-em-ao3]

Chomp (Or Three Times Donnie Bit Someone Accidentally, and One Time He Did it on Purpose)

It was early August in New York City. Three months of blistering heat had the city desperate to cool down. The public pools and private waterparks were at maximum capacity, as tourists and locals alike swarmed to the water, looking for a day of rest and relaxation.

And below the city, a turtle had the same idea.

Two sets of feet barreled through the underground tunnels, one set being significantly less enthused then the other.

“Donnie, c’mon! Put some pep in your step already!”

“Leo, if you don’t-,” Donnie squirmed, trying to free his arm from Leo’s determined grasp. “If you don’t let me go right now-”

Leo continued to pull Donnie along, narrowing his eyes in skepticism. “If I let you go, are you going to go back to your lab?”

“No,” Donnie immediately lied.

“Oh, you’re such a jerk.”

“But I’m working-”

“Forget about it! You got to trust me, bro, you’re going to love this!” Leo smiled while marching on. Donnie continued to sputter complaints and threats in the background, but at this point Leo had completely tuned his twin brother out. He stopped suddenly, scratching his head in thought. “Well, maybe not love it, but you’ll tolerate it for sure.” He pressed on, dragging Donnie through sewer tunnels at a quicker pace. “Mikey and Raph are already there! So let’s go!”

“I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that there is absolutely nothing in these tunnels that could be more important than the project I’m working on,” Donnie grumbled, although he had long since stopped pulling against Leo.

“Donald, you should know not to underestimate me by this point,” Leo drawled, one hand splayed dramatically across his plastron. “If I say it’s going to be amazing, you can bet your nerdy behind that it will be.”

Donnie sighed, and resigned himself to the fact the Turtle Tank would have to wait another day. In all honesty, he wasn’t too upset about it. While the sewers were a bit cooler than the outside world, the constant electricity thrumming through his lab made the temperature borderline unbearable.

He raised his head, squinting. In the distance, he made out the outline of Raph and Mikey, alongside a whole bunch of –

“Are those plastic inner tubes?” Donnie asked, almost laughing. “Is this what you dragged me out here for?”

“Donnie, please,” Mikey gasped. “They’re called floaties.”

“Oh my god.”

“Gentlemen!” Leo yelled, standing on a concrete cinderblock. “Welcome to New York’s first and only completely private lazy river!”

Raph looked over the ledge to the water below.

“This looks like any ol’ sewer river.”

“And that, dear Raphela, is where you’re wrong.” Leo whipped open a map of the New York sewers, where a particular section had been highlighted. “This river flows in a square. Completely uninterrupted, completely calm, completely cool. We hop in here, hop back out when we complete our loop. Won’t take more than an hour or two.”

“I love it!” Mikey clapped his hands together. “I call the orange tube!”

“But of course, Michael.” Leo smiled, as he passed out the swim tubes.

Donnie begrudgingly held out his hand for the purple tube as Leo approached him. The water did look inviting, and he really could use a cool down. He stepped in gingerly, wincing as Mikey and Leo jumped in with a splash. The water felt divine, and he rested his head against the plastic float. He glanced back up to see Raph still standing, still holding on to his red tube. Donnie raised an eyebrow.

“You joining us?”

“If you think this lil’ tube is gonna hold Raph, you got another thing coming.”

“Sorry about that, big guy,” Leo frowned. “They didn’t exactly come in extra-large.”

“Just hold on to it with one hand!” Mikey yelled as he padded around. “We’ll get you a new one next time.”

With that, Raph stepped in the water as well, holding on to the tube in front of him. He slowly started to kick, quickly joining his younger brothers.

“And we’re off!” Leo yelled, flopping back in his tube. “Let the relaxation begin!”

And it was relaxing, which was the annoying part of the whole situation. Donnie’s eyes had even started to flutter shut as they drifted down the lazy river, enjoying the cool water and the extremely rare silence. They snapped open only when Leo bumped into him.

“Well, what do you think?” Leo smiled, flicking water up at his twin. “Still wish you were back at your lab?”

“Yes,” Donnie lied for the second time that day.

And Leo just laughed, knowing full well that Donnie was just trying to save face.

“I’m wearing boardshorts next time,” Donnie scoffed, and kicked off of Leo, moving closer to Raph.

“What do you two think?”

Raph gave a sleepy thumbs up, his face half-submerged in the water.

Mikey didn’t immediately answer, as he was busy spinning around in his tube as quickly as he could.

“I think it’s great! But-” Mikey stopped, pointing ahead. “Which way to we need to go?” In front of them, the sewer river forked in two directions.

Donnie turned to Leo, who still had his eyes closed.

“Just relax. The current will pull us left, and that’s how we complete the square.” He traced the outline of their path with his fingers in the air. “Just let the water take you, boys.”

Donnie nestled back down in his tube, but only for a moment. The water around them was picking up speed, knocking the tubes into each other.

He turned to see Raph raise his head out of the river, and slightly frown when realized that he couldn’t touch the bottom.

“Leo?” Raph called, swimming closer to the group. “It’s pulling us right.”

“Raph’s correct!” Donnie yelled over the water. “And we’re moving fast!”

Raph abandoned his red tube, choosing to hold on to Donnie and Leo’s instead. Mikey soared out in front of them, howling with laughter. He was outside of his tube, choosing instead to just hold on to it.

“Hold on to your tubes, boys!” Leo cackled. “We’re taking a detour!”

The water roared as they all crashed through the opening on the right, yelling and screaming all the way.

And while the left entrance might have been a continuation of the lazy river, the right entrance was a fifteen-foot drop to a large pool below.

And that wouldn’t have been terrible. They had definitely been through worse. But as they crashed into the water below, Mikey’s tube bounced to the side. It sailed toward the concrete edge of the pool, and the three older brothers could only watch as Mikey’s head connected with the edge.

The sickening thunk was clearly heard over the waterfall. Immediately, Mikey’s eyes drifted closed, and his grip loosened on his float.

“Mikey?” Donnie threw his tube off, swimming towards the box-shell. “Mikey, just-”

And Mikey let go.

He slipped into the water silently, quickly going under.

“MIKEY!” Raph bellowed, and the three other turtles exploded into movement.

“I got him!” Donnie yelled as he swam. “Get ready to pull us up!” He reached the spot where Mikey went under, and took a deep breath.

He knew he was the strongest swimmer of the three. He knew he could hold his breath for longer. Distantly, he saw Raph pull himself up on the concrete, immediately turning around and kneeling down. Leo stayed in the water, ready to hoist Mikey to Raph when Donnie returned.

And he would return.

The three knew that they wouldn’t consider an alternative.

Donnie dived into the water, immediately opening his eyes. In the dark, murky depths, a flash of orange in the distance was all he had to go on. He swam down, kicking as hard as he could. His hands reached into the darkness, trying to connect with his youngest brother.

He had to be here somewhere.

He had to be.

Donnie’s arm reached the bottom, (Approximately twenty feet deep, his mind unhelpfully supplied), and there was still no sign of Mikey. (Box-shelled turtles can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes. No data on half-human box-shells, his mind continued to rattle.)

He pushed off of the floor, arms quickly moving side to side, still looking, ignoring the slight burn in his lungs.

And just as a wave of panic threatened to overtake him, his arms slapped in to the shell of his brother.

A yell of relief escaped as bubbles, as Donnie wrapped his arms around Mikey’s carapace. He kicked upwards, vaguely seeing the outline of Leo’s feet in the distance.

Twenty feet. He could make it.

He continued to kick, and the sludge that had accumulated on the river floor billowed up under them.

He looked around desperately, realizing that with the weight of Mikey, and without the use of his arms, they weren’t moving.

Donnie looked down, and in the darkness of the water, made out Mikey’s face. He was unconscious, obviously, but he had to be alive.

He had to be.

In one movement, and without much thought, Donnie opened his mouth and bit down hard around Mikey’s upper arm. The taste of iron quickly filled his mouth, and he pressed down against the feeling of nausea that arose.

His arms now free, he swam upwards, slowly making headway. The water in front of Donnie’s eyes was slowly colored red, but they were more than halfway there. He couldn’t stop now.

Above him, he saw the lower half of Leo jump as he recognized Donnie in the water. He saw Leo reach one hand toward him, and one hand towards Raph on dry land. With one last kick, one last push, he reached out as well.

As soon as Leo grabbed him, he heard a distant shout. Immediately, he was jerked clean out of the water by Raph, who took one look at Mikey hanging from Donnie’s mouth and screamed.

“Why the hell are you BITING him??”

“Not now, Raph!” Leo snapped as he grabbed Mikey. Donnie immediately let go, and Leo gently set Mikey on the ground. “I can feel a pulse,” he breathed, tension melting from his body.

“I had to use my arms,” Donnie whispered. His knees collapsed next to Mikey, he felt Raph kneel next to him, wrapping an arm around his shivering frame. “I had to get him out.”

“Mikey, are you there?” Leo tilted his chin up, and let out a laugh of relief when Mikey started to cough.

“Oh, thank god,” Donnie heard Raph sigh from behind him. Donnie took that moment to lean over to the edge of the water and spit, disgusted as nothing but red left his mouth.

“What-” Mikey took a sharp breath, turning his head to the side as he coughed up water. “What happened?”

“Donnie dragged you up with his TEETH!” Leo yelled, helping Mikey sit up.

Mikey glanced down to his arm, where a bite mark continued to bleed.

Donnie turned away, leaning a bit more into Raph. The guilt in his body was rising like the water that brought them into this mess.

“Mikey I-”

“That is awesome,” Mikey whispered, his voice still hoarse. “With your teeth?”

“What?” Donnie gasped. He felt tears rise in his eyes and he furiously tried to blink them away. “Mikey, I’m so sorry-”

“You got him out!” Raph cut in, squeezing him gently. “You did what you had to do.”

“And it is going to leave a kick-ass scar!” Leo cheered, wiping some blood away from the wound. “Provided Donnie got his rabies shot.”

“Language!” Raph immediately chided.

“No, you can’t do that. I heard you swear.” Mikey whispered, while Leo howled with laughter. “You said hell.”

“I was shocked!” Raph sputtered. “It’s okay when Raph does it!”

Mikey leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Donnie’s plastron. He smiled as he felt his older brother melt into the hug.

“Thank you, Donnie.”

Donnie squeezed back in response, and Leo and Raph joined the embrace.

Mikey was here.

He was okay.

And that was more than enough.

_____________________________

This is part two of a multi-part fic on AO3. Read it here!

[dumbdotcomm]

lessons in opposites

(a/n) a commission for my pal @fanfic-inator795! enjoy some raph and donnie bonding !

It’s not that Raph really prefers one brother over the other; he’s been blessed with three great brothers and one fantastic sister and Raphael is grateful every day, as sure as he’s got life and breath in him, he’s so grateful that he’s not alone. 

April asks, just for laughs, for a silly documentary on their Lair Games, if Raph had a favorite brother; and off the bat, on instinct, he wants to deny that he does. He loves them all. But then he blurts out Mikey’s name without thinking and then things start to shift, and Raph starts to wonder if he’s a terrible brother for that.

“It’s not a big deal, Raph,” Donnie says, after having seen the clips of how little faith his brothers had in his athleticism, and that one little clip of Raph easily admitting Mikey was his favorite, followed up by Leo, “It’s just a joke…”

But he says it in the way that’s pinched and just a little forced like he does when he takes hard hits and bad falls and just wants to laugh it off because he’s fine. 

Raph swallows, nods, presses a smile that feigns belief in Donnie’s words, but he can’t stop glancing over at his brother’s face the whole rest of the time they watch April’s (incredibly edited) documentary film. 

His brother keeps his eyes downcast and does that thing where he wrings his hands till they get weirdly slick with this mucusy stuff. 

Like when he’s hurt and holding back. 

And Raph makes a silent promise, then, that he’ll definitely make it up to his brother.

---

Life has a funny way of just screwing plans and promises over. Raph trains extra with his father on early mornings, learning to think, to focus, to get his fears under control. Donnie locks himself into work by the time training is over, and then they go patrol and watch something on Netflix and then the day is spent and it’s 4am. 

So it’s not exactly intentional, the way their paths just don’t cross long enough for Raph to really get the chance to make it up to Donnie. But it’s still shitty and Raph knows there’s something he can do- he has to. 

And so he googles a bunch of stuff going on in Manhattan, something that wouldn’t be so obviously intended on compensating for basically saying Don is his least favorite brother. Something Donnie won’t suspect, because if he did- 

“If you asking me is a way of ‘reparations’ for the Lair Games documentary, Raph…”

“It’s not-” Raph raises his arms in innocence, and crosses over his plastron, “Turtle’s honor, Donnie. ‘S just the guys...they’ll be all ‘that’s lame’, and you…”

“Wouldn’t think a teddy bear world is lame?” Donnie quirks his perfectly drawn brow and cocks his head a little at Raph.

This is going abysmally, but not quite in a way that wasn’t expected. Raph bites his own tongue from just spilling his intentions heartfeltly- because he can’t scare his brother off right now. He’s gotta play it cool. 

“Uhhh, I mean, I-”

“Because you’d be pretty accurate,” Donnie interjects, and despite his voice remaining flat, his lips curve into a ghost of a smile, and Raph’s heart stops pounding so hard, “I was wondering when you would finally ask one of us, ugh a dream come true.”

Raph genuinely cannot tell if Donnie is being sarcastic, though roughly fifteen years of training has at least let him gather, from that weird way his brother’s eyes got super overbright when he was excited, that Donnie really, like super straight up, means it. 

“Wow…. well, aight then,” Raph laughs with his words, still not believing how easy it was to simply…ask to spend time with his brother, “Just pick a disguise and we good!”

“Yup, normal disguise. Friday it ‘tis,” Donnie returns the laugh, a touch awkward, before taking his sandwich back to his lab. 

And the slightly manic look that Raph catches in his brother, just as he slips from view, makes a lot of little pieces in Raph’s head come together, like a little, horrifying jigsaw puzzle.

Because Raph has been blessed with having Donnie as a brother for fourteen years, he knows a terrible plan forming when he sees one. 

-----

Donnie takes pride in his intellect, like not in a super cocky way, he’s just glad he’s been gifted with the ability to make a pea shooter in one afternoon that also has the capability to laser off a bastard’s face. 

Still he’s not too prideful to admit that he’s sometimes stupid as hell, in the emotional department, and social department. And while that’s not exactly ideal, Donnie’s got four pretty incredible siblings to lean on for that and so he doesn’t really complain about the impossibility of picking up social cues. 

But sometimes, like when his older brother is standing across from him uncomfortably stiff, babbling on about Teddy Bear Town- well sometimes Donnie kinda wishes he did get it. 

It’s only until he’s stacking his third layer of his sandwich that Donnie really understands what this is all about. Because Raph’s got his ‘I’m nervously trying to make it up to you’ stink, and then Donnie remembers the documentary, and Raph’s commentary, and the really…awful way Donnie pretended not to feel afterwards. 

He doesn’t want Raph to pity invite him, he doesn’t need that. And Donnie’s gonna make sure his brother knows he’s fine- he’s chill and and he’s okay with potentially being Raph’s least favorite. 

So he’s supposed to respond to Raph nonchalantly, to just go with Raph and be cool about it but- 

“Shelldon, download all the info you can find on Teddy Town…”

-----

“Rise and shine, bud!” 

Donnie must’ve drank four extra shots of espresso to be this hype this early, and Raph grips the steering wheel of the Turtle Tank a little harder to try and not smell so nervous. Because there’s no way Donnie could have actually known what Raph’s intentions were, like he had to have just thought that this was a normal thing, and not a ‘I’m so sorry I made you feel less than appreciated, please forgive me’ type of thing. 

And Donnie is definitely onto something, even if he’s not onto Raph. He’s just got that glint in his eyes, and Raph feels just a little bit selfish for wanting this to be a normal day- for his brother to  just be-

“Uh...thanks for taggin’ along,” Raph doesn’t intentionally cut Donnie off, but his brother’s talking a mile a minute about the history of Teddy Bear Town and Raph knows that he’s only doing it because he feels he has to. 

Donnie stops himself, blinks, and puts his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, “It’s no big deal…” he says, in complete contrary to his hyperactive Ted Talk, “Being benched for a sprained ankle was shit, needed to get out anyway…”

He glances over at Raph and looks instantly, incredibly smaller. 

Raph thumbs the steering wheel, drumming against it in thought, in a search for words. 

He doesn’t have to do this kinda stuff with Mikey, and Leo never shuts up- and Donnie is just…

“Bluetooth, connect to my phone,” Donnie says abruptly, before Raph even gets the chance to think of something to say. 

And they stay quiet, listening to music the whole way there.

------

Things feel significantly less awkward in the bigger crowd. Raph is grateful for all the noise and movement that he can shift his focus on, instead of the downcast way Donnie’s been carrying himself since halfway through their ride over here. 

And Raph’s always kinda felt his younger brother had a tough time expressing himself- that they were different that way. That Raph carried his heart on his sleeve and that his brother didn’t. But now he’s starting to see that maybe he’s got some things twisted. That he and Donnie are a lot more alike in these things than Raph thought. 

“Stay close,” he tells his brother, because as aloof as humans are, they’re still humans, and they don’t always accept what’s different.

Raph remembers telling Donnie that, when they first met April, when Donnie surprisingly was the first to reach out and grab her little hand and compare it to his. And Donnie had looked at him weird, and yeah, well humans aren’t the only ones that don’t understand ‘different’. 

The memory hits Raph so suddenly, and almost makes him miss a step. 

He turns to find Donnie staring at him, which must mean Donnie noticed, because of course he did.

And Raph stares back because oh. Holy shit. 

“Uh…” Donnie glances around awkwardly, “Raph, you’re giving off a weird...vibe right now. You good-”

“Can we talk?” Raph blurts out, and surveys their surroundings, for a place to dip, “Like real quick?” 

Donnie looks like he wants to bolt now, which would be ideal in the packed hallway of the mall. But he doesn’t. He just swallows and darts his eyes and nods.

Sure. 

Pros to being trained ninjas is the ability to disappear quickly, and they find a quiet, tucked away spot where Raph finally lets himself breathe. 

“You’re different,” he says it quickly and rushed and Donnie’s eyes briefly widen in some sort of surprise, but Raph presses on despite his sloppy start, “You….you think different, you think, like, way smarter than us, an’ you make different jokes and express differently an’ that doesn’t. It’s not bad, Donnie.” 

His brother keeps his eyes to the ground, kicking gently at nothing, “I don’t care that you said I’m your least favorite, Raph,” he mumbles. 

“But you do,” Raph counters back, and keeps his voice leveled, tries not to talk to Donnie too softly or else he’d feel babied, “And that’s normal, and I wish I could say that what I said wasn’t...I dunno, like a…”

“Reflection of how you feel?” Donnie poses, but his words aren’t angry, even if Raph feels his brother’s got full rights to be.

He sighs, deflating a little, “Yeah...yeah, I guess it’s that. But not because I think...it’s because I get really...weirdly insecure man. You’re a freaking genuis and I know you never try an’ make us feel dumb, but- and then we’re both super bad at words and I just… I dunno Dee.”

Raph takes the extra step to go close the distance between him and Donnie, and Donnie stiffens up- at first, for just a couple of seconds, “But I love you, ‘cause you’re an awesome person, and ya not my least favorite. You’re not. And ya don’t gotta pretend you’re cool with everything.”

Donnie pulls back, a dorky smile on his face, which is infinitely better than the sad way he looked earlier, even better than the way he pretended like everything was good and it wasn’t.

“You don’t have to pretend either,” Donnie says, unlocking their eye contact, and staring back at his feet, “I know you were trying to...to make it up to me, but. You could’ve- you didn’t have to invite me.”

“But I wanted to,” Raph says it and means it with everything he’s got, “Really, Donnie. A-and I wanted to do somethin’ that ya wouldn’t think was me just tryna get on your good side, ya know. Somethin’ we could just...do.”

“And I messed up, the whole info-dumping….” 

He’s doing it again, he’s making himself smaller and Raph’s not allowing that. 

“Okay, half of that stuff, I woulda never known- and ya looked all’a that up just to get to understand me better. I just didn’t want you...t’ think you had to...say all that.”

“And I didn’t want you to think you had to invite me,” Donnie quips back, but ends it with a small smile, “So I guess we’re in the same proverbial boat.”

Raph snorts, “The boat of insecurity…”

And Donnie, stiff and awkward and still full of feeling, takes his turn to hug Raph fully this time, “Screw that boat.”

-----

In the end Donnie makes his bear with a shitton of detail, getting so wrapped up in it that they spend a couple hours there.

And Raph’s bear is simple, not all that complex like his brother’s- but that’s more than okay, actually.

Their differences were more than okay.

[paladinfeathers]

Can you do a headcanon for the paladin's wedding? Please and thank you!

I have 0 experience with weddings. If something is weird I'm sorry, I just got off work.-Mikey

LANCE-PARTY TIME-No really, this is going to be the most upbeat wedding in the history of ever.-You'll be surrounded by friends, and family, and acquaintances, and maybe the mailman who once said hi to you...-So, a pretty big wedding. But it'll be full of love, so. No matter.-You might not actually get a dance with Lance until later in the night. All of the parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins are vying for the chance to dance with you and give you their congratulations. Every time your new husband gets within ten feet of you, you're whisked away by another family member.-It's worth it though, since you love your new family.-But you better believe this sweet boy cried when he first saw you at the altar. Whether you're male, or female, or other, he thought you were the most beautiful person in the universe.-And since he was crying, you cried too. You guys are sappy.- You're kaput after the festivities end, so your wedding night consists of....a long nap. And sleeping in until noon the next day.

-Your honeymoon though? Oh, that's another story ;)

KEITH-It would be a quiet affair, with your closest friends and the family you're on good terms with.-For a while, you considered just eloping and then telling everyone about it afterwards.-But Keith admitted that even though he's not a people person, he really did want to have a traditional sort of wedding. Even if it's tiny.-You end up inviting about twenty five people.-And it's pretty much a guarantee that Shiro is his best man.-Both of you take your little wedding very seriously, making sure that the food is perfect and the decorations are pristine. "I'm only getting married once, Y/N. We have to get it right on the first try."-He's pretty calm through the whole ordeal, but on your actual wedding day, he's nervous and filled with irrational anxious thoughts. His friends do a good job of calming him. (”Keith, Y/N isn’t going to leave you at the altar. They love you, remember?)-All in all, it's a very pleasant day. The ceremony is short and sweet, the food is great (thanks to Hunk, who oversaw edible preparations), and your first dance together is romantic af-Keith claims he didn't cry at all, but you can count three separate moments when you saw his eyes shining with tears.

HUNK-Hands down, this is the warmest, homiest, most welcoming wedding ever.-And the food is fucking fantastic. You spend over an hour just....eating. At one point, Lance had to pull you away from the dinner buffet because it was time for the desserts to come out.-"Just one more bite of the noodles!"-”Y/N, you have to give your speech!”-Throughout the night, you and Hunk are never more than five feet from each other. You spend most of the time dancing with your new husband, or chattering with the guests.-And you tear up during his speech, about how happy he is to have met you, and how lucky he is to have you in his life. Then he cries because you're crying, and you dissolve into a mess of giggles and kisses.-It's an endearing and memorable event, and everyone has a great time.

SHIRO-The ceremony itself is very clean-cut, proper, and traditional. He probably wears a very official-looking (and handsome) dress-uniform. (You swoon a little bit, bc damn your soon-to-be husband has nice shoulders)-The only thing that isn't traditional are the vows. He wrote his own, and you wrote yours. You both poured your passion and love for each other into your words, and by the time it's time to say 'I do', you're both tearing up.-The reception is significantly more relaxed. All the legal stuff is out of the way, and now it's time to celebrate.-The music goes all the way from slow and romantic, to fast and upbeat, to those corny group dances that everyone knows and secretly loves.-And anyone who says Shiro can't dance is....correct. The man has good rhythm, but his movements are wriggly and loose. (you’d think a guy who can fight so well would be a better dancer than he is). -But you're both having fun, so who cares!-It's a sweet wedding, and you're both excited to spend the rest of your life together. and at the end of the day, you're already talking about adopting a pet.)

PIDGE-She honestly never though she'd be getting married.-She's always been so focused on school, and work, and technology, and saving the universe, that she never entertained thoughts about relationships or romance.-But now here she is, years later in a Zarkon-free universe, standing at the altar with you.-She's the least nervous out of everyone. She's just excited to finally be here with you.-Your wedding might be a little bit of a hot mess, but in like, a really sweet way? Like, you got engaged and she was just so excited to get married, that it happened in a matter of weeks.-So it's mostly only your close friends and family. Few enough people that you're able to fit everyone into her backyard.-And we've seen Pidge wear dresses when she was younger, so I think for the actual ceremony, she'd go with a traditional white dress. But during the reception she'd change into something more comfortable, like a semi-formal suit with the sleeves pushed up. -You think she's lovely in both.-During the speeches from the wedding party, you're both cracking up. Everyone tells funny and adorable stories about you guys, especially Matt (who ends up crying when he gets to the part about how proud he is of his sister and how happy he is for you).-You guys are just so happy to finally be together.