[Openish] Letting the Days Go By

[purplexing]

Who: Donnie/Othello von Ryan purplexing and open!
What: Oh, you know.
When: Throughout the month
Where: Around Central
Content Warnings: N/A
Notes: Will match tag format!


I. Rest for the Wicked
It certainly isn't the sort of mission he's expecting, and he's a bit disappointed at his tasks, mundane jobs ranging from helping out the staff to doing repairs (okay, he doesn't mind those so much). Maybe you might run into him while he's off on an errand of some kind. And where exactly, might Donnie- or rather Othello von Ryan, be operating? Why, none other than a Society-endorsed group home for 'Reforming Super-Villains'.

Since technically he's enrolled as Othello through school, Donnie keeps to the part, even though he has a feeling certain people are well aware that he's not a human who might look like a male version of April O'Neil from another universe with a penchant for purple. But these people don't need to know that.

Having to sit and listen to old villains talk about 'the good old days' is a toss-up depending on who he's stuck listening to, but either way, once he's got a break or finished up for the day, all he wants is to relax with a cup of coffee. Thankfully there's a pretty good coffee shop down the street, and it's where Donnie slips off and drops his holo-disguise, slumping way down into a seat once he's got his drink and a snack.


II. Hood-n-Seek (Open to Red Hood(s) and potentially a blue turtle)
It's probably inevitable that Donnie decides to go seeking out Red Hood on his own after his conversation with Leo. No need to complicate things, right?

He slips out at night, not an unusual habit, even here in this world. Going about at night is just natural, even if Donnie doesn't do it a whole lot, especially now that he's got school to juggle, but this evening isn't for raiding junkyards or rooftop patrols. Since he did tell Leo he'd try to keep out of sight, he's using it as a good excuse to keep his ninja skills sharp, sticking to the shadows, blending in where he can. He even forgoes using his favored mode of transportation while he slinks around Backbreakers territory. …what was it with people and names like that anyway?

Comments

[robintohood]

[Jason’s all too well-experienced when it comes to tension between family members. It’s familiar witnessing the dialogue between Donnie and Leo. Maybe Jason isn’t the bigger concern for the turtles after all.

His body language and tone don’t change though as whatever’s going on between the brothers doesn’t matter much to him for now]

If you’re gonna keep snooping into the D’Amicos then you better take plenty of precautions, especially since this is related to a higher-up. Their paybacks hit hard and fast.

[purplexing]

[Donnie watches Leo go before looking back at Red Hood, holding back another huff. He knows it's advice he should take to heart, so he nods.]

Got it.

[He still needs to consider how he's going to approach things now, but that can wait. If it doesn't look like there's anything more to be said, Donnie turns to start after Leo.]

[faceguy]

[And he'll just be waiting over here, definitely looking like a cool guy and not someone waiting for their own execution.]

[robintohood]

[Jason gives several locations. All of them are away from Backbreakers territory. One of those addresses leads to a D'Amico warehouse he, the other Jason Todd, Sleeper, and Bucky attacked earlier in the year. Not that Jason will admit to that for now]

Those are spots where I've seen the D'Amicos hang around. They might've moved away from them and hiding themselves better now but maybe you'll find a clue or two. Have a little stake out if you're lucky.

[Jason's guessing that neither turtle are going to give up easily on this endeavor. He truly doesn't think they're bad. Maybe only annoying sometimes but they've managed to be Accelerator's friends. That's worth something. So he'll throw them a bone.

Plus, Jason has access to the Society. Maybe he can start to cash in some of the good favor he's built up with them and get better intel on the D'Amicos]

[purplexing]

[The information is a bit of a surprise, but Donnie takes in the information, and even though he doesn't move to physically bring it up, there's a slight flicker over his left wrist that suggests the holocomputer's come active somehow.]

Thanks...

[He gives Red Hood a nod, looking grateful for that small bit to start with at least, before he turns and is off.

Now it's just this unpleasant situation to deal with, so of course once he reaches where Leo is, Donnie moves on right past him.]

[faceguy]

[Well, that’s a bad start…

Leo quicksteps to catch up to Donnie, falling in beside him.]

Uh, so… sounds like it went… well?

[He didn’t hear all of it, but Donnie got addresses out of it.]

[purplexing]

[Donnie keeps a quick pace, not seeming at all inclined to answering Leo as he continues on towards the next convenient alleyway. He's sure he'd seen a manhole cover down here.]

[faceguy]

[Silence. Great.

Leo's not very good with silence.

He doesn't speak, but he's drumming his fingers against his shell and fidgeting constantly while he waits for Donnie to lead them where they're going.]

[purplexing]

[Silence is a curse and a blessing. In this case, Donnie knows it'll get to Leo, but he's upset at his brother, so Leo's going to have to deal.

He looks around only to make sure no one's around or watching once they get to the next street, ducking between buildings and making way for the manhole. Stooping down, he hauls it open, looking expectantly at Leo then, a glare that suggests he wouldn't mind leaving him if the other decides to think twice about it.]

[faceguy]

[Yeah, he's not going to test it.

He obediently lowers himself onto the maintenance ladder and climbs down the manhole, not stopping until he reaches the platform below.

By then he can't keep sticking to the silence and he tries again.]

Am I gonna get the cold shoulder the whole way back?

[purplexing]

[Donnie drops in after him once the cover's back in position. He eyes Leo with a tight frown before letting out a breath.]

You have the gall to ask? What, you don't think you deserve it?

[He doesn't even wait for a response, moving to brush past Leo to start down the sewer tunnel.]

[faceguy]

[Leo bristles a little at that, hurrying again to keep up.]

Uh, no, I don't think I deserve it. [He tosses up his hands.] Sheesh, you try to make sure a guy's okay and he jumps down your throat about it.

[purplexing]

[Donnie abruptly rounds on him then.]

Why now of all times, huh? You never tailed me any of the other nights I've been out. Or have you? Because I told you I messed up once and you weren't there? That's not on you, Leo. Okay? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

[faceguy]

I came after you because your stupid tracker told me you had gone into gang territory!

[He throws up his hands.]

But yeah, sure! Why not! Just don't tell me about it! Leo doesn't need to know about anything - not your new powers, not you getting caught, just go start a gang war without me, fine!

[purplexing]

[His eyes widen at that before his brows angle down sharply. Using his own tech against him, the nerve!]

Oh yeah, because that's what I'm doing, starting gang wars! Because you don't trust me!

[He brings his hands up frustratedly before expelling a sigh and dropping them as he turns again.]

[faceguy]

[Leo gives his own frustrated sigh, glaring at Donnie's back. Boy, do some of these words feel familiar...]

I trust you. [He does. He thinks he does.] I just... don't trust other people. These aren't normal guys, Dee - Red Hood's a meta, and I don't even know what all his powers are.

[He can summon weapons from hammerspace, that's all Leo's seen. He's not taking it for granted that that's all.]

[purplexing]

So you just don't think I can take care of myself.

[Donnie starts walking again.]

This world isn't normal. We're not even normal by our own standards anymore.

[faceguy]

[Leo follows behind, not bothering to get in step this time.]

This isn't about whether or not I think you can take care of yourself. My only job is to get you back home in one piece, and I'm gonna do it.

[And then it won't matter how normal or not normal the world is.]

[purplexing]

No one said that was your job, Leo. And last I checked, I was going to get you home.

[He hasn't forgotten his brother's predicament and it's hard not to be concerned about the potential that either of them could just up and vanish from here without any given notice. The thought terrifies him, of Leo being thrown back into that awful dimension with only that thing...

...and he hasn't made any progress. None. Some problem-solver he was.

His shoulders sag as he folds his arms, partially against the chill, mostly at the discomfort of fighting with his brother. They'd never really made up since that other argument, and as mad as he is at Leo, he's just as mad at himself for making his brother worry about him.]

[faceguy]

That's the thing, though, I was told this was my job. And the last time I didn't do it-

[Leo stops himself short, like going any further will speak something terrible into existence. He breathes in through his nose and out through his mouth.]

...I'm not trying to doubt you, I'm just trying to take this seriously.

[purplexing]

[Donnie hunches up at that.]

But that still means there's some doubt. You wouldn't have gone if you hadn't. I'm taking things seriously too. But all you seem to hear and remember are when things went wrong and you weren't there. I'm not blaming you for that, so if you're blaming yourself, then stop.

[faceguy]

[Just stopping a feeling is kind of hard to do. But the other thing Leo had to learn that day was how to listen to his team. So now he bites back what he wants to say and listens.

Donnie feels like Leo doubts him. And... maybe he's right. Maybe Leo does doubt him. Not in a direct way, but every time he loses track of Donnie, all he can see is Donnie buried under all that rubble in the museum, or the images his mind conjures up of Donnie being caught by a mob boss who hates metas...

His battleshell smashed to bits by a Krang tentacle, his body hurled toward the ground hundreds of feet below...

It's hard not to think that if he's not there, then no one is going to protect Donnie from all of that. It's a feeling that extends to Mikey and Raph and April too, but they aren't here, so Donnie gets the full brunt of Leo's new worrywort tendencies.

But if Donnie's going to stop telling him anything because of it, it's backfiring on Leo. And... well, he remembers when he felt like none of them trusted him. It sucked. He doesn't want to do that to Donnie.

He takes another deep breath and lets it out before he says anything else.]

...I don't know if just stopping is in the cards.

[He might as well be honest about that.]

But... yeah. I should have given you a chance. That's my bad.

[purplexing]

[Even if it isn't a promise, it's still something. That Leo's actually acknowledging what he's saying is some kind of progress. Donnie stops walking, half turning to look at Leo.]

You know...I keep wondering, if my being here changes anything for events back home. If there's another timeline that splits from whichever one you're from, except I'm not in it. I'm not there for you guys. Maybe I'm wrong, I hope in this instance I am, but it doesn't keep me from wondering sometimes.

[He inhales slowly, hesitating a moment.]

It's the same, thinking about when you were here those few months alone, without us, and whatever you might have gone through. I don't know everything of what all happened, what bad things might have or could have happened, and even if I did, I couldn't have done anything about it because I wasn't there and didn't know, but the thoughts still come up.

So. I know how it is. I... I guess it's not really fair to expect you to just be able to drop it.

[He rubs at his arm, glancing at the ground.]

The only thing that keeps me from cracking is knowing that my brothers don't give up so easily. Knowing that you're still here. Maybe I take that for granted sometimes.

Ever since the whole bomb incident, it's like I have to be doubly careful about anything and I'm paranoid every time I go into a building bigger than our apartment complex, because I don't want to ever have that happen again. I don't want to put you through that again either.

...but then when I mentioned something went wrong during our trip, that's all you focused on, and... it's not like I wanted things to go that way or hadn't admitted it, and it's not something I can just fix, as much as I want to. The only way I figured I could was to do things right this time. But you didn't even want to let me try.

[faceguy]

[Even though Leo has also wondered about different timelines, it still hurts to think that this Donnie might end up in a different time branch from him. He'll love and protect any Donnie in any timeline, of course, but to lose the brother he had with him here... It just hurts to think about.

(Assuming he can even get back.)

Hearing how paranoid Donnie has been hurts, too. He knew about the nightmares, knew Donnie had anxiety as he was healing from his concussion, but to know the fear hasn't gone away is another thorn in Leo's heart.

Which is maybe why he's being so overprotective. Letting all those thorns sink in and hold him hostage.]

...I wasn't trying to... to take your chance away from you. I mean, I wasn't even thinking about it like that. I'm not mad about what happened in the past, or, well, not mad at you. I don't need you to fix it, I just need you to be alright. I... needed to be sure.

And... [He scuffs his foot on the concrete. This is embarrassing to admit, but maybe he owes it to Donnie now.] ...maybe I... felt a little jealous, too. If you could get something out of that guy that I couldn't... [He grimaces.] Well, then you kinda don't need me as the face-man anymore, right?

[Leo has always needed his brothers; he wants to be needed by them just as much.]

[purplexing]

[Donnie supposes he can't be mad or annoyed that Leo wasn't even considering things the same way he had been. Of course Leo was thinking in terms of his safety, thinking in ways that would preserve whatever sense of security they had. Donnie just tended to think about all the things in between, letting gut sense get swallowed up by logic where things are easier to keep track of, not ignoring the past but actively wanting to improve things for the future.

He sighs, a weak smile working its way on his face as Leo continues with his admission, snorting lightly. Wow, if that didn't sound familiar...]

You know... I...kinda felt the same way, back before I was able to use any mystic abilities? But you and Raph and Mikey... You were able to use magic with your weapons without any sort of instruction and I, I just couldn't understand any of it.

[Come to think about it, he'd never really admitted this to anyone but April. Had his brothers even realized?]

The more magic we were exposed to, the more I started to wonder if I really had anything worthwhile to bring to the plate. I thought you guys wouldn't need me anymore if magic could do everything tech could do, but better.