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true-blue-sonic · 1 year

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Happy birthday, @xxlea-nardoxx!🥳❤ Here’s your TMNT AU fic! ^-^

Title: How Sleep Is Don

Word count: 2124

Summary: Usually Donnie prefers to work on his inventions in peace when it is late at night, but having his dimensional counterpart pay a visit to his lab isn’t so bad, either.

The evening hours are usually when Donnie scrapes together enough solitude to work on his inventions in peace.

His brothers and their guests have already gone to bed, some time ago. Mikey had scampered off first this night, bullied gently by the older ones so he’d stop hogging the television and eventually deciding to call it a day once it had become clear his taste in goggle-boxing was left unshared this time. Their guests had had strong opinions about which program to watch once the screen had been freed, which had slowly phased out or switched to other ideas as the clock ticked onwards, and eventually they’d all crashed in exhaustion too and gone off to sleep as well. Leo and Raph had been soon to follow after a final argument about Leo’s favourite show, which Donnie had wisely not mingled in, and as the final bickers between the two had died down as they readied themselves for sleep also the genius turtle had snuck away towards his laboratory.

He’s got more than enough to work on throughout any other day to begin with, let alone now with all the new information and data and trinkets their guests have brought along with them.

“Easy now,” Donnie mutters to himself in the silence of the laboratory, screwdriver in one hand and tiny gadget pinched between thumb and pointer finger of the other. Just some minor repairs on some piece of technology owned by one of their dimension-hopping counterparts, hardly important or revolutionary enough for him to truly pay attention to what he is doing. A menial little task that is nice to occupy himself with and use to tire out his mind before sinking into sleep’s embrace...

Though, he cannot tell himself said mind is as fresh as it always is as his deliberate movements hitch and the device slips just barely from his grasp, and the screw jolts out of its destined spot and clatters right onto the ground.

“Ah, crud,” slips past Donnie’s lips before he can help it, screwdriver ricocheting off the table next as he flings himself onto the ground after the little metal object. He needs that...! But his room is dark and underneath his desk is only darker, the turtle grimacing as he feels around blindly with his hand. Where did the wretched thing go-?

Something sharp jabs his hand, of course when he’s patting his fingers in the furthest most invisible reaches away from him. “There,” Donnie smiles all the same, clasping his hand around his find. Awkwardly he shuffles back, half-leaning up already to rise himself up on his legs once more...

Before the silence in his laboratory gets broken by a muffled thud! outside, which gets promptly followed by a second one as Donnie jumps like a startled cat at the noise.

“Ouch!” Hand grasping his head where it banged right into the underside of his desk Donnie grimaces, scrambling back. “What the-?!” is spat into the darkness, hand grasping for the turtle’s weapon as the metal door to his lair slowly opens and a beam of light falls onto his floor...!

“Sorry,” a timid voice pipes up from just outside his vision. “I tripped. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You- Don!” Donnie realises, the door sliding open further to reveal his dimensional counterpart. And indeed, the other is rubbing his head just like Donnie himself is, face pained and eyes narrowed. By the way he pulls with his leg before awkwardly placing it on the ground once more and straightening it out, the older genius can easily discern it caught on something...

Like the stairs just outside the lab they keep warning their guests about, and Donnie can only sigh. “Did you not turn on the light while making your way here?”

“Nope,” the prompt response comes, Don half-limping inside and shutting the door as quietly as possible again- which, considering it is made of metal and clanks against the wall to close, is not all that subtle. “I, ah... was afraid the others would wake up. Everyone else is fast asleep,” the younger turtle adds, the door studied for a moment before he turns away in full to shoot Donnie a smile. Which tells the latter all he needs to know; if the way his counterpart comes skittering towards him next is any indication, contrary to everyone else he is wide awake. That only makes it more surprising to see the other in Donnie’s laboratory; he’s still recovering from his injuries sustained when arriving here, and with a firm bedrest imposed by his brothers on top. So far Don has not been allowed to traverse much of the sewers on his own; probably why he is showing up here at this time now and with everyone else in bed, Donnie realises.

A little chuckle follows from the younger turtle, leaning closer to flick on a light on Donnie’s desk and giggling as the older turtle pulls a face. “What’s wrong? You can’t work like that in the dark, you will ruin your eyes,” the teasing statement follows. “Your Leo won’t allow it.”

“Leo sits not even half a meter away from the television when watching his shows, he’s got nothing on me,” Donnie huffs back. The gadget grasped once more and the screwdriver retrieved from the ground from where it fell in all the chaos – and it is easier to see, even if he will never admit so out loud – the genius returns to the small screw he’d been fiddling with, two eyes burning into his shell and Don’s fidgeting somewhat distracting behind him.

“Are you not gonna ask why I’m here?” eventually pipes up behind him, Donnie merely humming.

“I presume you can’t sleep and were too restless to stay in bed so you decided to go out and explore.”

“...Yep, and a little bit.”

His counterpart is the most skittish of the bunch of brothers and not the one most inclined to go out to map out the sewers, but he gets into enough trouble all the same, Donnie muses. Well, he’s busy enough as it is; restlessness leading to shenanigans is nowhere to be found on his to-do list. “And now you need me to help you with the former,” he notes. “If anything, I’m not helping with the latter; I have things to do.”

Shooting a look of seriousness over his shoulder Donnie can only raise an eyebrow at the curious look on Don’s face. “That’s fine. But you’re not sleeping either. What are you even working on?”

“Repairing that phone of yours you dropped the other day. It should work even better than before,” Donnie informs him, nodding approvingly over his shoulder at the other... and blinking as Don comes scrambling closer, though instead of taking the gadget and studying it like he’d expected the smaller turtle grasps his hand and gives it a tug instead.

“That’s nice, but should you really work on it this late? It’s already after twelve.”

Merely humming at the other’s concern Donnie shrugs, undoing the hold on his limb. “It’s one of the few moments where I can work without getting interrupted, or bonked by a wooden staff, or forced into some crazy ninja world-saving scheme.” And sure, working like this mayhaps is bad for his sleeping schedule, but he doesn’t exactly have time during the day to work on such small things inbetween the dozens of other, much more grander and important tasks he does while the sun is up in the world above the sewers.

“You can’t work properly if you don’t sleep enough,” the response promptly comes, as if Don has read his mind.

Another hum following Donnie shoots his counterpart a smile he only realises is tired by the way his face hurts as he pulls it, and he also hadn’t noticed how his hand is rubbing underneath his eye until stars have basically swarmed his vision. “You can’t heal properly if you don’t sleep enough, and now you’ve got another bruise on top,” Donnie quickly switches the topic all the same. “You must be careful-”

A pouting squeak interrupts him. “Not my fault you’ve got stairs leading up to your room.”

“It’s not, but-”

“And I guess walking back to where I usually sleep will be irresponsible, so... I think I’mma just stay here, huh?”

“...What,” Donnie retorts flatly, over the quickly-growing cheeky smirk of his counterpart.

Gesturing to the side Don studies the dinky old sofa pushed against one wall of the laboratory. “Do you sleep here? You got a couch. With lots of blanket and pillows!”

“Well, often, but-”

“Alright!” And promptly Donnie’s arm is grasped next, though the taller turtle can dig his heels into the ground and prevent himself from being dragged away a fraction of a second before he gets flung face-first into the pile of blankets.

“Wait a minute!” he cries, sputtering madly. “I don’t have time for this, I need to repair your gadget! And some things from your brothers, too! And my own broke some stuff this morning, I need to look into that, and then the television could use some calibrating, and-!”

“Donnie,” his reasoning gets interrupted, “when were you planning on sleeping tonight?”

“...After all that is finished?”

Despite being the older one here, Donnie can only swallow at the unimpressed look sent his way. “Alright, to the couch with you,” Don dryly states, heaving right on his arm- and, to the injured turtle’s credit, it does make Donnie stumble a little bit despite him being prepared for the assault now. If anything, it only makes Don tug harder. “You have- to- sleep...!”

“...You will not let me go until I do, right?” Sighing deeply in defeat Donnie relaxes his tense muscles keeping him rooted on the spot. “Alright, alright, go lay down there. I’ll join.” And sneak away the moment Don has fallen asleep to go back to his list of tasks, he mentally adds, even if he keeps his lips firmly pressed together regarding that topic as the smaller turtle squeals.

“Okay! Come on!!”

Getting pushed right into the pillows and blankets of his couch, placed there by his brothers once they realised he preferred staying in his lap as opposed to trekking back to his bedroom each night, Donnie merely sighs at his counterpart’s fussing. “Will you go to sleep too?” he shoots back over the other’s delighted rummaging and fiddling with the soft fabrics. “You’re the one injured here.”

“And you’re the one exhausted and not sleeping enough,” the cheeky retort comes, Don fluffing the pillows once more and drawing a final blanket over them both.... before flopping right on top of Donnie’s plastron, the older turtle’s breath wheezing in his chest at the weight. And Don does not get off...

“Uh,” Donnie coughs, squirming uncomfortably. “Are you... going to be staying there?” Because if he is, then...!

“You’re comfy.” Shimmying down Don shoots him a little smile. “I can sleep like this. G’night.”

“Wh- You can’t just cuddle with me like that!” Donnie protests, though if the way Don grins and stretches himself out elaborately is any indication it is clear his younger counterpart is not listening. “Get off!” the ninja turtle protests all the same, weakly fussing before freezing. Don is still injured, he can’t just kick the other to the ground and make his wounds worse by accident...!

Don clearly knows that too, eyes closed all but mockingly and the occasional squeak or whine following as Donnie tries to push him aside. Which are... honestly quite grating, and thus in some horrid way that makes Donnie frown also very successful in stopping him right in his turtle-removing tracks. Plus, Don’s breaths are already deepening, one arm loosely wrapped around Donnie’s side and his forehead snugly pressing against Donnie’s cheek... “Fine,” the latter eventually concedes in a grumble, Don’s grin only growing. “But only for tonight. And I’m not repairing your broken phone first thing tomorrow, that’s for the next night I have some time off.”

“We’ll be here a while anyway,” Don murmurs, a huge yawn following; and Donnie can tell that one is genuine. And wrapping his arm around the other in return and giving him some awkward pats and staring up at the ceiling in the meantime definitely does seem to be doing more to quiet his mind than his work did...

Maybe having Don check up on him once every few days will be good for his sleeping schedule and work alike.

And with that thought Donnie’s breaths deepen too, until eventually he feels the weight on his plastron no more and his vision of the ceiling above with Don half in view is replaced by soothing black.

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt 2012 #donnie tmnt #tmnt au #blue's writing #title picked after long discussions with Lea about it after which we decided a pun would be top-tier :>

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