Bad thing after bad thing happened today. I grumble curses under my breath as we head home, scratching at the new wounds I gained during the fight. Stupid Hypno and his stupid magic rings. I hold my staff closer to my chest, my hands wringing the wood as I walk. Leo was loud as always, his words ringing through the air and piercing my ears. I glare at him when he tries to put his hand on my shoulder, pulling back. I just wanted to go home. I had so many projects I needed to finish. SHELLDON needed his next upgrade, my jetpack battle shell was busted from a previous fight, and Raph had broken yet another phone. My face pulls into a grimace. I had so many things to do.
I slide down the ladder into the sewers, walking the familiar path back to the lair. I keep my eyes forward, ignoring my brothers and their loud antics. My shoulders hunch, my hands still clenched tightly to my staff. The world felt too small, every little sound shooting into my head like little bullets. I grit my teeth and speed up a bit, trying to get to my lab. I needed to be in my lab.
I ignore my brother's cries for me to wait up, speed walking into the lair and to my lab. I crash into my chair, letting myself sit for a moment. Stupid battle interrupting everything. I exhale slowly as I turn to my computer. I let the monitor start up, my body jittering. My leg bounces at a constant rhythm, a metronome to the song of my silence. I grip the mouse tightly, moving the small icon back and forth across my screen as everything starts up.
It was too slow, everything was too slow. I needed to be done already, I had so much to do. I open up my code files, scanning through them. The usually soothing process of coding was putting me more on edge, my skin crawling as I type.
I slam my fist down on the desk as another error code pops up, my teeth grinding together. I slump back in my chair, rubbing the heels of my hands into my eyes. I couldn't tell why nothing was working. By all accounts, it should be. The lines were precise and each segment was correct. But the code still refused to run.
I sat there for a while, staring up at the ceiling. I grit my teeth, my hands gripping the arm of my chair tightly. Nothing was working today. Was it my fault?
My eyes glide to the door as it hisses open. I watch (Y/n) walk in, their face pulled tight in concern. Of course it was. Mikey probably sent them.
I turn back to my computer, hunching over the keyboard as I grumble under my breath. I didn't need anyone to 'check up' on me. I was fine. The world was just too loud right now. I continue to watch them out of the corner of my eye. They walk past me and into my room, messing with something on my bed. I turn my head, watching them openly now. What were they doing? They didn't even say anything. My eyes continue to be trained on them as they come back out, one of my weighted blankets hanging over their shoulder. Oh.
They cross the room and hold the comfort item out to me, my eyes flicking between them and the blanket. I sigh, my shoulders falling. I take the blanket and swing it over my shoulders, sinking into the comforting weight of the fabric. (Y/n) hooks the chair they usually use with their ankle, dragging it over before falling into it. They lean back, spinning slightly as their toes push the chair back and forth. Their eyes shift to meet mine and I hold their gaze for a moment. The air in the lab was still, neither of us speaking. My body is still tense and I curl up in my chair. I spin my chair around so I'm no longer facing the code I was working on. If I saw another error code, I was certain I'd break something.
"You're upset." They remark, unhelpfully. I look at them, unimpressed.
"Impeccable deduction skills, Sherlock."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
They hum softly, their arms stretching above their head as they pop their back. I watch them for a moment, shifting in my chair. We both continue to sit in silence, my frustration growing. It wasn't fair.
"I just don't understand!" My voice surprises both of us. I don't meet their eyes, gesturing wildly at the computer. "Nothing I do is working! It's not fair! I'm a genius, so why can't I figure this out!"
"Probably because you're tired." Their voice is soft, encasing my buzzing head in a blanket of words. It was a much nicer sound than the rumbling air vents throughout the lair. I shake my head. No, no. I wasn't tired, I couldn't be tired. There was so much to do. I needed to get it all done.
"I'll sleep later, I just... Can you go make me some more coffee? I need to get this done." My voice was more pleading than I wanted it to be. I scowl at myself, I wasn't supposed to let things like this show. Everything was falling around me and I couldn't stop it.
"Coffee isn't going to help, Don." I shrug, turning back to my computer. I dismiss the error codes, looking back over the lines of code. I would be fine if I could just figure this out. I send a command to SHELLDON for my coffee instead.
I vaguely notice their head looking at my code, my body shifting slightly so they can see it better. The tightness in my chest was still there, but their presence was helping slightly. I start scrolling through my code again, looking for what caused the error.
"Are you using Python?" I glance at them before nodding. This specific project needed this language to achieve what was required the easiest. "Line one oh eight has 'def' capitalized."
I blank for a moment, my mouse moving to the line. They were right. I fix the mistake before continuing to scroll through the code, slower this time. We both look through the code for more bugs together. (Y/n) points out some more flaws and I fix them. We reach the bottom of the code and my body tenses. I run the command, watching the screen load for a moment. I hold my breath. No errors pop up. It worked.
A huge sigh of relief leaves me as I push myself away from my desk, my head hanging down. I look at (Y/n), smiling. "I'm glad you're the one I fell in love with. I'd be lost without you."
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Words: 1156
Posted: 07.18.23
Prompt(s) requested: 11(Calming down) & 20("I'm glad you're the one I fell in love with. I'd be lost without you.")
Request: prompt 11 with verbal 20 rottmnt Donnie
A/N, not important: I hope y'all like this because I sure don't! Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.
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TMNT Oneshots/Scenarios
FanfictionA collection of Oneshots/scenarios of various TMNT iterations as readers request and my brain poofs out stuff