Hey all,
I hope everyone is doing well! Enjoy this nice little filler while I work on a couple upcoming chapters.
Later lovelies!
"y/n"
You glanced up at Donnie, a soft smile escaping your lips as you heard him say your name.
"Care for a cup of tea?" He said as he placed a warm cup beside you.
"Thank you," You mumbled as you took a sip. It was perfect. A soft blend of chamomile and honey.
It had been a week since the dramatic incident of you trying to scrape a tracker out of your arm. Donnie had thankfully been able to carefully remove and deactivate it while you were unconscious. Your arm was making a decent recovery, although you would always be left with a scar that would remind you of your stubbornness to struggle alone. Never again.
"You always pick the best blends," You sighed happily as you leaned back against the couch. Donnie settled in beside you, a cup in his hand as well. He shifted in hit spot, nervous to not sit too close incase you wanted space.
Michealangelo laid on his stomach in front of the tv, his legs kicking behind him as his eyes stayed glued on the screen. His mini shadow, Emily, mimicked him with her feet swaying in the air as well.
In the distance, you could hear the clanging sounds of Raph and Striker trainer. The two had become good friends over the past weeks, with their love of all things combat being a common ground they could unite on.
The soft hum of the thermal cycle machine in the lab echoed quietly, masked by the loudly animated TV show everyone was focused on. 3 days. You had 3 days until your batch of retromutagen was ready. You need to produce enough to have a semi-successful 'splash party' and turn the majority of NYC back into humans.
Donnie had come up with a rather brilliant plan on how to administer the retromutagen simultaneously to thousands. He always knew would what to do, always an optimistic. And that smile...you knew everything was going to be okay whenever he flashed that smile at you.
You hadn't told anyone what you saw when you were unconscious, of how James presented you with the very possible reality of the turtles being hunted again once humanity was restored. You couldn't face that prospect yet.
You couldn't lose your family.
"I want to show you something later," Donatello whispered in your ear.
Your face flushed as you nodded, his whispered breath tickling your ear ever so slightly.
What was he up to?
__________________________________________________________
"It's just after this next block!" Donatello shouted as he ran across the rooftops.
You panted as you struggled to keep up, climbing over a chimney. You had gotten stronger since meeting the turtles and your stamina had greatly improved. Before the fallout, you could barely climb a flight of stairs without being winded.
You smiled as you kept running after him, the two of you moving like shadows in the night. Mutant hardly visited the abandoned rooftops. They were too busy hunting below in the belly of the city.
"I'm gonna beat you one day," You panted as you tried to catch up to him.
He chuckled and paused a moment, allowing you to reach him for a moment. You skidded to a stop beside him and took in the view of city building. New York was so dark without electricity humming through it. An occasional light flickered in the darkness but the majority was cast in a onyx blanket.
"You probably will," He said as he pulled out a strip of fabric from a bag he carried. "Although, I wouldn't expect anything less from the stunning Dr. (Y/N)."
For the second time that day, your face heated. You could feel your cheeks turn crimson as Donnie took a step towards you and studied your eyes for a moment.
"Do you trust me?"
"With my life," You breathed.
"Hopefully that's not a mistake then," He tied the fabric across your eyes, temporarily blinding you.
"I'm hardly ever wrong," you said as your world went dark. Even though you couldn't see, you could sense a smile on his face.
"Then I'll hold you to it."
You felt your feet lift off the ground and let out a yelp.
Donnie chuckled as he picked you up, "Don't worry, I just want to keep it a surprise."
A rush of wind swirled around you as he leapt to the next rooftop and continued on. Eventually, you could sense him descending down a fire escape and heard the clanking of a bolt turning.
"I know you're an admirer of the stars, but they are always so far away." He said as he sat you down on a seat.
"That is the unfortunate part..." You mumbled as you tried to get a bearing of your surroundings through the mask.
"So, I figured that there must be a way to bring them closer. Just stay right there for a moment." His voice got further away. You turned your head in his direction and raised an eyebrow. There was a clicking sound, then small flecks of light shimmered through the mask.
"And because you have inspired me to be more creative, I found a way." You felt his hands slip off the mask. "Miraculously, the planetarium here has been untouched."
You blinked for a minute, trying to adjust to the light speckling the room. You glanced at Donnie, a bit confused. He gently turned your chin to face forward, and your jaw opened slightly in shock.
In front of you shone a shimmering galaxy, stars swirling around you as they danced throughout the room.
You recognized these stars.
"The Andromeda..." You breathed as you stood up, taking in the celestial beings whirling around you. They weren't stationary like most of the stars in pictures of the night sky. No, these stars flowed and rippled across you.
You reached out a hand, as if you could feel the heat source of the stars swimming around. One slowly crossed your fingers.
You smiled as you studied it, noting the details in the projection. "The Nembus..."
Donnie watched, the biggest grin on his face. "I could never thank you enough for everything you have done, for both New York, and my family...but I thought you might enjoy this."
You turned to him as you held the starlight in your hand, "Thank you. This is...amazing."
He nodded, his grin still apparent. "There's more too," He quickly said as he picked up a remote. The starry night scene then flashed to a mostly dim setting, with a giant blue orb floating in the middle.
Your eyes widened as you took it in.
"I have all of the major solar system planets on here as well." Donnie said, his eyes never leaving you.
You took a step forward, watching the blue swirling planet hum in front of you. "I've never seen anything like this..." You whispered.
"It's really just a simple projection that I added some...upgrades to. You can keep them, so that you're never truly alone in the dark again..."
And with those words, your heart sank. James' words echoed in your head.
Their life is doomed to the shadows.
You finally turned your eyes towards Donatello. "I am never alone if you are with me, Donatello."
"Y/N..." He voice soften as he walked towards you, "There may be a time when I'm not-"
"Stop," You held a hand up. You voice shook as you pleaded with him, "I'm not ready to have this conversation...Not yet."
He knew. He knew what would happen once the retromutagen was dispersed and humanity gain somewhat of a resemblance to what it once was.
His eyes held a deep type of sorrow that you had never observed. "We are never ready for change, Y/N...but it is coming."
"I know but...please, I want to remember this night as perfect as it is. I want to remember the stars dancing, with you here."
He nodded and kissed your forehead softly, "I swear to you, I will not let you live in the dark..."
And for that moment, it was just you and Donatello in a galaxy of starlight.