just the way you are

it felt like betrayal

----Notes----

This chapter is great tbh.

Kaylatello is finally showing itself to the party.

YAYAYAYAY

Have fun :D

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Kayla lay on the top bunk, her eyes glued to the ceiling.

She couldn't sleep, yet again.

She debated looking down to check if Donnie was awake, but she didn't want to come across as a creep. "Come on Kayla, control yourself."

She turned to face the wall when she heard a tired voice say, "I talk to myself a lot as well."

She nearly jumped. "Donnie?"

"Yep," came a muffled voice from below. "Can't sleep."

She leant over the side. Donnie was sitting upright, his back against the wall, staring into space with the blanket wrapped snugly around him. She smiled. "Good, I thought I was the only one."

He offered a small smile in return. "I was asleep for a bit... but the nightmares... yeah."

Kayla sighed, pushing back the covers and jumping down without even so much as brushing the ladder. She sat on the bed beside him. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I know about Rage being a double agent," he said, almost diverting the conversation. She didn't wanna press him about it.

"Rage..." she started, her brain sorting through thoughts. "Oh, yeah, Raph. Rage."

He nodded, still bundled in the blanket. It must be warm in that cocoon. Safe.

He looked at her, his eyes a deep maroon in the dark. The only light came from her Jupiter lamp on the table in front of the bunk bed. "Why are you nice to me? Why did you save me? I don't..." He sighed. "I don't know."

She felt helpless as she was hit by the sad look on his face. "Donnie, why wouldn't I?"

"Because you barely know me. I don't understand why you seem to... want to." He paused. "Correct me if I'm wrong... I probably am..."

"No, I want to know you. I just wanted to get you home to your brothers because it's the right thing to do. We'll keep trying..." she trailed off, knowing what she was about to say would sound kind of selfish. "I'm kind of glad I get to know you better."

"Same. Can't say I've had too many human friends before, or mutant friends really." He looked down.

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded, the blanket slipping down to his shoulders, resting on the top of his shell.

"Do my powers bother you?"

He blinked, seemingly surprised. "No, I mean... I was kind of scared for a moment, but it's... it's fine."

Kayla looked away. "Sorry, I just thought after..."

"No," he said softly. "It's different. What bothers me about all these powers is just how illogical they are," he laughed. "I just realised I haven't properly interacted with a fully human girl before." He turned to her, a small gapped-toothed smile spreading across his face. "Kind of wild."

"Yeah, because April is half-Kraang. And it is." She smiled back. "Everything can be explained by science. But some things we don't have the ability to understand yet."

He nodded. "That's a comforting thought."

"Hey, do you wanna go to the surface? It's night time right now, and I know somewhere we can go. People don't go out much these days."