Second BTHB fic

tw: he *almost* dies

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Donnie rolled his eyes. "Scoff. Always with the Hawaiian."

Leo swallowed. "Shut up, it's good and you weren't here to say otherwise."

Donnie folded his arms and pointedly looked away. Leo just finished the slice he was on and grabbed another. Donnie glanced at him from time to time, but mostly glared at the table.

Okay, Leo had had enough.

"Dude, just take the pineapple off," the slider suggested. "I'm not gonna let you go home hungry."

"Taking the pineapple off doesn't mean it's not Hawaiian anymore," Donnie argued.

"But it literally does," Leo sighed.

"Can't you just let me get my own or something?" Donnie asked.

Leo narrowed his eyes. "You know what? No, I'm not. You either take a slice and remove the pineapple or we go home and I make Mikey cook you your least favorite food to have instead."

"Fine, fine! Just this once, I will have a slice and take the pineapple off," Donnie relented.

"That's what I thought," Leo smirked.

Donnie really didn't want to. He took one of the last two slices and slowly but surely made sure every piece of pineapple was gone. Leo groaned at his pace and slammed his forehead down on the table. Donnie side-eyed him as he took his first bite... Okay, he would admit it wasn't terrible, but he still hated it. His twin looked up right as he finished the first one.

"You done yet?"

"Once I have this one I will be," Donnie reached for the last slice.

"Go faster this time, alright? Raph and Mikey won't like it if we're late getting home."

Donnie hummed... and took his sweet time. Leo rolled his eyes.

"You are enjoying this way too much," he commented.

"Annoying you?" Donnie quipped. "Yeah, I am."

The softshell finished a minute later. Leo got up the second he did. Donnie had to jog to catch up. They left Hueso's, immediately heading towards home but staying on the street with the few people still out this late. Bad idea number one.

Donnie took his phone out to scroll instead of listen to Leo talk. Bad idea number two. Who knew you didn't walk as fast when you were on your phone? Not him, that's for sure.

They came out too fast for Donnie to react. One, probably the leader, got his hand over the mutant's mouth before he could scream. Of course, as all normal New Yorkers do, any bystanders either ran away with frightened looks or completely ignored the situation. And Leo? Well, Leo didn't even look back.

Donnie squirmed enough to get his teeth around the guy's hand and bite. They growled, but didn't let go, continuing to drag him deeper into the alley. Well, that's not good. Donnie tried again and thankfully this time they cried out in anger and let go. He immediately darted to get away.

"L--!"

He tried to call to Leo.

The shot rang out louder.

He yelped as pain bloomed up his left leg. He stumbled and fell, quickly checking to make sure the bullet hadn't gone through. It had only grazed his thigh over his stripe.

Oh thank Pizza Supreme.

The four other guys, he noticed now, had blocked his path anyway. He wasn't getting out of this. Leo was probably long gone too. The leader slowly approached from the opposite, blocked end of the alley. Donnie wished he could shrink away. They looked so terrifying, shadow cast up on the right wall. Once they reached him, they bent over to get to his level.

Donnie leaned back as much as he could. Not enough.

"Grab him and follow me," they studied him a second longer.

One of the bigger, stronger guys behind him hauled him to his feet. He sagged to try to make it harder, but they just squeezed harder, getting a huff out of him, and dragged.

The leader led them all to the back of the alley, pushing the piece of wood to the side. Donnie was shoved through first, just to be grabbed again. They half-dragged half-carried him to a door and opened it. Then they let him go. The softshell was confused until a solid kick was landed on his back and he tumbled into the room beyond. Ten more people glanced his way and started whispering among themselves.

"Look what we caught wandering our territory, fellas!" the leader's voice rang out.

Donnie hissed and backed away when someone got too close. He bumped into legs. Not Good™. Whoever it was kicked him away. He nervously glanced around at all the people glaring at him with threatening fists in palms before landing on the leader. A rage pooled deep in his chest, only growing stronger the longer he stared at him.

This was that guy's fault he was here. His fault Leo wasn't.

In the spur of the moment, the softshell leaped to his feet and rushed at the guy. Hands grabbed his arms and held him fast before he could reach... whatever his name was. Had he even said it? Donnie struggled against everyone holding him back. The leader just smirked. Then one of them grabbed his face as leverage. Fortunately, it was close enough for him to bite. He did just that.

They yelped and let go. The leader narrowed his eyes and growled. His hand shot forward and wrapped around Donnie's throat. Everyone else backed off. Donnie gasped and clawed at the hand fiercely.

Donnie heard a faint cheer that grew louder and louder of "Tony! Tony! Tony!", flooding his ears with the unpleasant sound. The hand tightened, albeit barely. There was no way he wasn't turning purple right now. The leader shoved him down to the floor a second later. Donnie gulped in air, a hand at his throat just in case. 'Tony' didn't wait for him to catch his breath before crouching in front of him.

"You wanna know what we do with freaks invading our part of town?" Tony asked, rough voice not even attempting to conceal the threat.

Donnie ignored him, eyes watering, still trying to regulate his breaths. Tony's hand shot forward again, and he flinched hard, but it only grabbed his chin to force him to look in the man's direction.

"We kill them," Tony spat and it landed right next to Donnie's hurt leg, releasing his chin with a push backwards for emphasis.

The softshell whimpered. He was allowed to be scared now.

He'll never get to see his brothers again. It was over. Leo was long gone and had no idea where he was. It. Was. Over. A fact, no longer a question.

Donnie's eyes flicked from knife to spare hammer to gun in each man's hands. The first one to lunge he barely dodged. The second he backed into getting away from the first and a boot landed right on his right hand. He cried out and pulled to try to free it, but the man in the boot just put more weight onto that leg. This had just started and he was already trapped. Good going, Donatello, now you really are screwed.

Three men took advantage of his weakness first, wielding two knives and a hammer respectively. Donnie tried again to free himself, but that just made it hurt more. A knife pierced his left arm and he screamed. It was quickly dislodged and another was dug into his wide open right leg right above his knee. He screamed even louder. The boot finally lifted and he practically threw himself backwards away from his previous attackers... Just for a sixth join in.

Donnie blocked his face.

The knife dug into his wrist.

He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of a third scream.

It came out and the man backed away. Donnie was confused for a split second before four of the obviously strongest guys, including the one that had dragged him here in the first place, came forward and grabbed his wrists and ankles to hold him up. Someone else pulled chains down from the ceiling. Donnie weakly pulled against the guys when he realized. They secured the chains around his wrists, one digging into his most recent stab, and backed off.

Throws were almost instant. Knives and hammers both clattering to the ground around him, some being retrieved for a second try. Some landed the first time around, lodging themselves into all over his body. He couldn't hold back his scream his time. Some laughed in sickening satisfaction when it came.

Donnie wanted to go home.

Eventually, people slowly abandoned their throwing game when they got bored. Donnie felt a rush of relief every time it happened. His head was hung from exhaustion and blood loss at this point, the dark red, sticky liquid coming from what he assumed was minimum twenty lacerations over his body combined. They left him hanging there limply.

"--ow the hammer," Tony hissed.

Donnie squeezed his eyes shut. Nothing happened.

"Throw it!" Tony commanded much louder.

Donnie braced himself. The hammer colliding with the side of his head still hurt.

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Donnie's conscious came back two hours later. How he didn't die, he had no idea.

He didn't dare move, but glanced around. His ankle was chained to a bar, something weighed heavy on his face, and he thinks he's in a cage or crate of some sort.

And Leo wasn't here.

Which meant he didn't know where Donnie was.

Which meant no one was coming for him.

Which meant he was going to die here.

Donnie subconsciously let out a small, pathetic whimper. He just wanted to go home, but apparently fate had other plans.

"Ayo, Tony. Thing woke up, come see," a voice on his left said.

Donnie curled into himself as much as he could. Anyone but Tony.

The man appeared anyway. Donnie went limp. Tony reached through the bars and poked his face, arms, anywhere it would hurt. He barely cracked open an eye.

"Surprised it's not dead," Tony murmured. "Should we have done more?"

No response that Donnie could hear. The softshell had given in at this point. If he was to die, so be it.

Destiny was stronger than fate.

The door to the room exploded into splinters. Donnie heard it, but couldn't see it, couldn't get himself to open his eyes again. Unfortunate. Tony stormed away from the cage. Donnie felt more tears flow without permission.

Two familiar sparks in his chest. He sobbed. He sobbed while people were thrown against walls. He sobbed while his saviors were injured. He sobbed while revenge was gotten for him. He sobbed while Tony was beaten the lights out of. He sobbed when it was over. It drained his energy. His wounds seemed to be hellfires of pain, ready to drag him down.

The cage door opened. The heavy thing broke off. The chain around his ankle fell away. He was carefully removed and lowered to the floor. Someone spoke, but he didn't hear any of it. The pain was screaming louder, begging to be taken away. A comfortingly familiar hand wiped his tears away and he subconsciously leaned into it. The person behind this hand could take the pain away for good. He wouldn't die if they stayed.

"--ple..." someone whispered.

Donnie shivered. He hurt and he was cold, what a wonderful combination.

Something new buzzed in his ears and he was suddenly falling, which abruptly stopped and jostled him, making him cry out in pain.

"Shh," someone soothed. "Don't want to wake Raph and Mikey."

Donnie gasped and his eyes flew open at the names. The two silhouettes hovering above him took notice.

"--onnie?!" one exclaimed.

"Purple!"

Oh, thank Pizza Supreme words were becoming clear again.

Donnie blinked a few times to get rid of the blur of his vision from tears and almost cried again at the crystal clear view of his dad and twin looking down at him. The softshell was back home.

Destiny was stronger than fate.

Donnie tried to lift his arms to wrap around Leo's neck for a much-needed hug, but Splinter gently pushed them back down.

"We need bandages on him immediately," their father commanded. "He must have lost a lot of... blood too."

When Leo spoke, he sounded much more confident. "Good thing we have a reserve. You make sure Raph and Mikey didn't wake up, and I'll get him to the medbay."

Splinter grunted and nodded, hurrying off. Leo carefully got himself to his feet without jostling Donnie too much and headed quickly to get him on a cot with bandages. Donnie struggled to stay awake, but he was nothing if not good at keeping his eyes open during late nights staying up on projects. As soon as Leo could set his twin down, he stared him right in the eyes and made him a promise:

"I'll never leave your side again. You have my word."