A/N I made the cover for this chapter because I was inspired, used Photoshop.
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Mikey approached Donnie first. Donnie smiled at Mikey, who smiled back. Raph approached Donnie, and they smiled at each other, too. Donnie laughed and put a hand to his mouth. He hugged them. They squeezed the daylights out of him and he gasped.
"I missed you guys..." he whispered with a smile.
"I missed you too," Mikey smiled.
"It's been quiet, without you talking about whatever you're doing," Raph stated. He and Donnie chuckled. Donnie didn't let them go.
"This is Delilah, by the way," Mikey stated once they separated a while later. "She-"
"Is from One Columbus Place, near Columbus Circle?" Donnie asked.
"That's me," she smiled and waved.
"Hi. Donatello, er, Donnie, if you didn't already know." She chuckled.
"I could tell, but it's all good." She offered her hand, and he shook it. "Woah, that's all your tech?" she asked excitedly.
"Oh, yeah. About half are my inventions. Want to see?"
"Of course! Is that an x-ray and night vision ray?"
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Donnie and Delilah had tinkered with some of his technology and inventions for a while. They wanted to make sure it was still working after being underground for nearly two weeks. Raph and Mikey were shocked she knew so much, and Donnie was pleasantly surprised to have another nerd in his circle.
Then they settled down and Delilah made drinks. Mikey and Raph got their usuals and Donnie wanted a Masala chai.
"Good choice; masala is my favorite chai," she said as she finished making it.
"I agree. They always put me down for it."
"I'd rather have green tea, okay?" Raph shrugged. He and Donnie looked at each other. They burst into laughter.
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"Anyways, you will never guess what the hell I went through," Donnie stated. He shook his head and laughed, then sipped his tea.
"What happened?" Mikey asked. He leaned in like a child listening to their favorite story. "Start from the truck. Did you hear us? We were talking to you."
"I heard you. I would have responded, but I had a gun to my head and a knife to my throat. I was scared shitless."
"Damn," Raph muttered.
"They drove for hours. I didn't know exactly how many, but it felt much longer than the ride back felt. The gun stayed at my head the entire time, but the knife left eventually. When they stopped, they blindfolded me and took me through a maze of a place and put me in a cage. It reminded me of when we were taken by Sacks, to be honest. But also worse, since the cage was made of steel bars and I... I felt like a caged animal."
Mikey hiccuped.
"Are you crying?" Raph laughed.
"Um... No..." Mikey wiped his nose. "Well, yeah..." he sighed. "Being stuck in Sacks tower was scary. If being there was worse..." Mikey shivered. Raph looked regretful.
"I..." Raph shook his head. He looked at Donnie.
"For you, I'll compare it to... When we were falling off of the top of Sacks tower on that tier, but... All the time."
"I... Yeah... I don't feel good thinking about it."
"When they put me in there, they had taken all of my techs and put it just out of my reach. I could reach for it all I wanted, but I wouldn't get any closer." He sighed. "They forgot my watch though, but it wasn't working-"
"Until it did!" Mikey exclaimed. Donnie chuckled.
"Well, yeah. I got all of your messages at once," Donnie smiled. "Then I sent you my location and escaped."
"How'd you do that? Weren't there Foot everywhere?"
"Everywhere."
"Karai was guarding me, and when I started getting out, she called for backup. I stole her gun, shot the backup, then I was just able to shoot her, too."
"You killed Karai?" Raph asked.
"Yeah. Turns out I'm not bad with a rifle," Donnie chuckled. "I shot six of the eight soldiers she called on the first try. I also got her in one shot, so." Raph and Mikey were looking at him with wide eyes
"What happened to you in there?" Mikey asked, chuckling slightly.
"You turned into a badass," Raph stated. Donnie chuckled and put a hand to his neck.
"I guess."
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The staff door fiddled open as Donnie was talking. No one noticed until the kitchen door opened.
"Hey, Dee, why was the door-" Dill asked. They froze in the doorway. The turtles froze, already knowing they were caught. "-locked..." Dill looked at the four turtles. "Dee, what the fuck is going on?" Delilah looked at the brothers. They nodded. She sighed.
"Dill, these are my friends. Their brother was the officer killed when Columbus fell." Dill shook their head.
"No." They shook their head again. "I- No! Dee, the news said an officer! Chief Vincent and that Casey guy said it was an officer!"
"I know what I said," Chief Vincent stated, emerging from her spot in the corner. Casey was standing next to her.
"Jones, by the way. Casey Jones." Dill looked at the two, wide-eyed. Vincent held Casey back. He did the American Sign for fuck you. Dill did it back. Casey scoffed. Dill rolled their eyes and looked back to Vincent.
"I said that so these brothers could be protected. We don't want the public to be afraid of the ones saving them."
Dill sat in the chair behind the register. They stayed there for a few minutes before standing up again, looking slightly less disheveled.
"I'm sorry. I just came for my coat but I got tied into this, so I'm here for the ride. What're your names?" They asked the turtles.
"I'm Mikey!"
"Raph."
"Donatello, but you can call me Donnie if you'd like," Donnie smiled.
"I'm Dill." They looked at Donnie, then smiled slightly. Only Delilah recognized it.
"I see you smiling, Dill," Delilah laughed.
"Fuck you."
"Nah, I'm good." Dill and Delilah made faces at each other and laughed. Donnie flushed.
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"So you guys save this city from the Foot? Not Vern?" Dill asked after a while of calming down
"Yeah, we do," Mikey smiled.
"Want more cocoa, Mike?" Delilah asked from the counter. She was making Dill a drink and herself a refill of her Galão.
"Yes please!" Mikey chirped. "Catch!" He tossed his mug across the shop, and Delilah easily caught it from the counter. "Nice catch"
"Thanks! No effort."
Dill was so confused.
"How long have you known them, Dee?" They asked their friend, the mood changing to be suddenly serious. Delilah sighed.
"We met the Monday after Columbus fell."
"And you hid them from me?"
"Yeah."
"Why? We're best friends, you always told me everything-" Delilah snapped.
"What did you expect me to do?" She shattered the glass holding her Galão.
"Did you expect me to just go around saying 'Hey I met three mutated vigilantes that don't want to be seen' to anyone who would listen?" Delilah fumed.
"Not anyone who would listen, to me!" Dill retorted, standing up.
"How would you have reacted in a setting outside of now, huh?" Delilah asked. She was fuming. She forcefully handed Mikey his cocoa as she approached Dill. "You wouldn't believe me, huh?" She got into Dill's face, looking up at them. She was still fuming as Dill thought.
"I'll keep this between us, but I wouldn't have believed you in a different setting. Until I saw for myself."
"Which you have, so please do not speak to me like I'm the asshole when it's really the public," Delilah whispered, looking at the ground. She was starting to calm down.
"I won't. I'm sorry." Delilah looked up at Dill.
"I am too."
Dill burst into laughter. Delilah did, too.
"You're so cute when you're angry," Dill laughed. Delilah smacked them but kept laughing.
"I don't like you."
"You're right, you love me."
"Yeah." Delilah suddenly felt almost numb as she felt it this time, and she gasped. Raph felt the same way and gasped as well. "Fuck this..." she whispered to herself. She closed her eyes, gathered herself, and went to go clean up the broken glass.
"What was that?" Dill asked. "You both just kind of... acted... Strangely..."
"It's nothing!" Raph and Delilah responded at the same time.
"Good lord, it's like you're one person or something," Donnie laughed.
"Exactly! It's like my parents, they always are on the same wavelength."
"Exactly. Are you guys hiding something?" Donnie asked them.
"No! Shut up!" Delilah pointed at Raph as they said this, together once again.
"They've been acting like this since we met," Mikey smirked.
"No, we haven't!" Raph said, finally on his own.
"We're not acting weird at all," Delilah added as she finished cleaning up.
Dill and Donnie looked at each other, then laughed. Dill looked at Mikey and he, too, started laughing. Raph and Delilah looked at each other as she started making herself another Galão. She shrugged. He did too. They kept eye contact until she had to stop and finish the drink.
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"Alrighty, beardos and weirdos. Unfortunately, the sun is going to start coming up soon," Delilah stated. It was around 4 in the morning, and Dill had started to get sleep-drunk.
"But that means we have to leave," Mikey whined.
"I know, I can't help it." Delilah cleared their mugs as the turtles stood up. "Dill, Casey, can you check the staff door then go with Vincent to make sure the front door is clear?"
"On it!"
"Sure thing, Dee."
"Thanks, Delilah, for letting us be here," Donnie stated. He offered his hand. She gladly took it and they shook.
"Not a problem. I enjoy all of your company; it makes the nights less lonely," she stated.
"I can imagine," he stated. They released their hands and she looked at the others.
"And you can call me DeeDee or Dee, by the way, Donnie," she added.
"Oh, um. Okay," he smiled.
"I'm not a fucking pickle, Casey, my nickname is just Dill!" Dill exclaimed as the two came out of the kitchen.
"Why is it Dill and not Bread and Butter? Or sweet pickles? Or Gherkin?"
"Because my name is Devon Ivan Lopez. My initials are D.I.L, so I turned that into Dill." Casey nodded.
"Makes sense," he stated.
"Your name isn't really Dill?" Mikey asked, shocked.
"What'd you think, numbnuts?" Raph asked. "What mother will name their kid after a pickle?"
"Exactly!" Dill exclaimed, motioning to Raph. "It's a nickname, idiots! Not my name!"
Donnie laughed. He snorted and was quick to cover his mouth.
"Whoops," Donnie blushed. Dill laughed. They snorted accidentally.
"One moment please." They immediately walked back into the kitchen. Everyone heard them scream to themself. Donnie chuckled.
"Someone's got a crush," Delilah and Raph said at the same time.
"It's pretty obvious," Casey added.
"The way you look at them-" Mikey smirked.
"I guess I'm pretty fucking gay!" Dill exclaimed as they walked out of the kitchen.
"Mood. What?" Donnie questioned himself. Everyone laughed.
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Vincent, Casey, and Dill were at the front of the shop to keep an eye there. Donnie and Mikey were already on the roof, waiting for Raph. Raph stayed for a moment as Delilah put the mugs in the sink. He looked around the shop and noticed the guitar.
"Do you know someone who plays the guitar?" he asked. Delilah looked at him then guitar.
"I actually play," she smiled and went to stand next to Raph. "My siblings and I had a band, Lawless Music. Bean killed it at the drums and Marquis did awesome on the keyboard. I sang and played the guitar." He smiled at her.
"Will you play for me?" She flushed red. "You don't have to," he added. "Just curious."
"I will, it's okay. Um... Okay."
She made sure the strings were in tune and started playing.
Can't say how the days will unfold. Can't change what the future may hold. But I want you in it; every hour, every minute. This world can race by far too fast; Hard to see while it's all flying past. But it's clear now when you're standing here now. I am meant to be wherever you are next to me.
All I wanna do is come running home to you. Come running home to you. And all my life I promise to, keep running home to you, keep running home to you. And I could see it right from the start- right from the start- that you would be, be my light in the dark, light in the dark. Oh, you gave me no other choice but to love you
All I wanna do is come running home to you. Come running home to you. And all my life I promise to, keep running home to you, keep running home to you.
Can't say how the days will unfold. Can't change what the future may hold. But I want you in it; every hour, every minute. (Running Home to You- Grant Gustin )
The last chord hung in the air when Delilah stopped playing. Raph was watching her, transfixed, as if she were a siren. Neither moved for a moment until Delilah put the guitar down. She looked up at Raph and he smiled slightly. She smiled back the same way and stood up nervously. He approached her and they just looked at each other.
"What is happening?" Raph asked Delilah in a whisper. She shook her head.
"I have no idea," she also whispered. "But I think I like it."
"Me too..." He laughed through his nose slightly. "Any director would have us kiss, but that just feels wrong." Delilah's smile grew slightly.
"Yeah."
He put his hand to be level with her shoulder. She put her hand against his. They felt it again, much stronger than it was earlier.
"What the hell..." she whispered to herself.
"Can I hug you?" he asked. "I know it's random, but I just..."
She stopped him by pulling him towards her and wrapping her arms around his neck. He relaxed and put his arms around her torso, careful to not make her uncomfortable. He stood up straight again and held both of her legs on his right side. She sang again, quietly.
"Can't say how the days will unfold. Can't change what the future may hold."
"But I want you in it; every hour, every minute..." She smiled at the sound of Raph's voice.
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