#atib update

“Dick,” the kid said. Don frowned. “Well, now. No need to be rude about it.” The kid tilted his head. “No. My name’s Dick.” “Oh.” Don bit his lower beak. “My name’s Don.”

o v o

“Fuck! Is that a giant turtle?” Green Arrow exclaimed. Flash flinched at the sudden loudness, whipping his head towards Don. His eyes widened in surprise but he refrained from making any noise. This time, Bruce did react, squinting at his friend. “Don’t be rude, Oliver. This is just Donatello.” “What do you mean just Donatello? Like I’m supposed to know who that is?”

“Can you hide in your shell like real turtles?” the kid asked. “Not all turtles can go into their shells,” Don explained. “And hey, I am a real turtle.” “Only the lame ones can’t,” the kid said. “Are you a lame one, Mr. Turtle?” “I’m not going to answer that,” Don said.

“Speaking of that, B, you should think of getting more sprays for the other oceanic creatures, like barracudas, whales and manta-rays,” Robin advised. “They’re slippery and unpredictable.” “What?” Don asked, but his question remained unanswered. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Batman said, clearly amused.

“What’s so great about him?” Bruce grunted. Dick’s reasoning was all too simple. “His uniform has red like mine does and blue is my favorite color!” Don swore he heard Bruce mutter under his breath that purple was better. Superior, even, because it was a combination of red and blue. “Oh, and he can fly!” “I can fly, too,” Bruce grumbled, this time loud enough for Dick to hear. “Not without a plane, you can’t!” Dick countered.

Don leaned over, poking at the area between Bruce’s furrowed eyebrows, startling the young man. “Your face is going to stay stuck that way,” Don warned. “I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten stuck inside the suit,” Alfred added, “since he practically lives in it nowadays.”

“You guys didn’t tell me there’d be so much pinching,” Dick complained, massaging his face. “My cheeks hurt.” Don barely managed to stifle his laugh. “You’ll get used to it, chum,” Bruce told his ward. “I don’t know if I want to?” Dick’s words were so full of sincerity that Don had to mute his mic so he could outright laugh. A chortle, one could even call it. “Is it just me, or is it kinda stinky?” “Stinky?” “Yeah. Some of them just stink and it’s hard to breathe when they get near.” “Ah,” Bruce said in understanding. “You’re talking about their perfume and cologne. Yes, some guests have over-applied their fragrances.” “Stinky,” Dick repeated. Don wrinkled his snout. If Dick was having a problem with the smell, Don could only imagine how he would fare in the situation. “You can’t call them ‘stinky’, Dick.” “Well, they smell. And things that are smelly are stinky.”