Tragedy Ever After

Meeting? No Thanks

        ~Normal POV~

     I woke up sprawled out on the couch, some show quietly playing in the background. I didn't even remember falling back to sleep or even moving out here. My hand felt around for my phone so I could check the time as I lazed on the couch.

     It was sometime past noon, meaning I had to get up, sadly. I forced myself off the couch, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, and headed toward the door to Donnie's room.

     "Don?" I called into the room as I knocked on the doorframe. I heard the shuffling of the turtle rolling around, his glowing yellow eyes peering at me from the bed. "I got another water for you," I told him and stepped into the room to give him the drink.

     Silently, he took it from me, looking me up and down before readjusting the blanket on his back. "Is everything okay?" I asked him gently and his eyes shot back to mine. Donnie simply nodded. "Let me know if you need anything, or if you wanna take another bath."

     I hadn't gone out shopping like I said I would, the turtle seemed to need more attention and I would give it to him. "You hungry? I can try and find something other than soup for you to eat," this silent treatment was weird. The turtle was acting much differently than he had been the past few days.

     Was this about last night? I wasn't going to bring it up to him, and he didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it. "I'll be in the living room. Call me if you need me, all right?" he looked away from me, quietly humming to let me know he understood.

     I left him alone, even if it seemed like I shouldn't. I don't think he was interested in my presence at the moment, so I didn't force it. I was sitting on the arm of the couch; it was just more comfortable than sitting normally on the furniture.

     My phone pinged quietly and I glanced down. It was a message from April saying Donnie's brothers wanted to meet. I didn't like that idea. Meeting all of them at once? I couldn't do that.

     I would never admit to my friend that I would rather spend my time with Donnie; at least then it was only the two of us, and we gave each other space. Well, most of the time when we weren't having surprisingly intimate cuddle sessions.

     Her next suggestion was to meet them each one-on-one over time. That might be something I was more open to, but I didn't know how exactly it would work. His brothers certainly couldn't come into my house, but I also couldn't leave Donnie by himself while he was sick.

     Before I could come up with some excuse, I heard Donnie call for me in the other room. I could use a distraction from this girl's persistence. I entered the room and saw the turtle sitting up in the bed.

     "I wanted to take a bath," he spoke quietly, letting the weighted blanket drop off his shoulders. He stood on his own, slightly swaying and my hands shot up as I readied myself to catch him if he fell.

     He seemed to stray away from my reach and I respected his wishes, keeping a few steps away as we went to the bathroom. He sat on the toilet lid as I filled the tub for him again. I was more prepared this time, placing a towel on the ground that he seemed to like resting on after a bath. I took out a second towel and put it on the rim of the sink.

     "You know the drill," I gently reminded him and he nodded and brushed me off. I shut the door behind me and began the search for another clothing item I rarely wore to give to the turtle. I found some old NASA logo sleep pants and cut out a small hole where the mutant's tail could poke out.

     I found myself sorting through my clothes for outfits to give the turtle to pass time. I wasn't sure if he would even wear half of it, but they weren't really things I could pull off. Maybe the mutant could. So that's what I did while I waited for him to call for me.

        ~Donnie's POV~

     I let my body fully submerge under the water in the tub. I was hoping that giving Y/n as little attention as possible would make this strange feeling retreat into the back of my mind. 

     Maybe burning hot water would feel better, maybe the heat would distract me from them. I didn't want to bring up what happened last night, not if they didn't want to talk about it. Did I make them feel uncomfortable? Or did they like the closeness we shared?

     My face flushed as I recalled how desperate I sounded for their touch. The way that my pleads left so involuntarily, was that weakness? If not, what was it? And why was it this human that made me feel it?

     I was certain it wasn't love, so lust? No, no it couldn't be that. Right? It was nothing but being touch-starved, that's all. I simply enjoyed them petting my shell, I didn't need anything more than that.

     I settled my mental fight with the outcome being I was not going to apologize for ignoring them earlier and let myself give in to them again. I want them to take care of me. I let myself relax for a while longer before calling for them to help me out by bringing more clothes.

     It was weird at first, but it seemed to make Y/n more comfortable when I wore human clothes. Maybe it gave them a sense of normalcy like I seemed more human that way.

     The outfit for today was NASA pajama pants. They were comfy, I liked the fabric they were made from. Everything this human owned was rather soft and didn't bother my skin too much. Maybe they had the same struggles as me.

     I threw the old sweatpants into the washer like they had the previous day with all my gear. I was actually glad it had been cleaned, it really needed it. Y/n was waiting outside the door, the weighted blanket hauled in their arms to offer it to me when I left.

     I took it from them, feeling their slightly warmer skin brush against my cold hand. I had noticed their fingertips were always cold, even when the rest of their body was warm. It didn't bother me, but I wondered if it bothered them. We walked to the living room where there was a new water bottle and a grilled cheese laying on the coffee table.

     They sat on the arm of the couch, one of their legs kicking gently while the other was pulled to their chest. Their balance amazed me, but I didn't say anything. When they didn't spare a glance at the food, I guessed they made it for me. The cartoon that was on had their full attention and I was certain it would soon have mine, too.

     Word Count: 1,207. Probably the only one tonight, but I might get some out later. I am currently very sleepy, but enjoy!