#something angsty

nothing i do is predictable

im a machine invented to cause emotional harm

"It's Jinx now, Powder fell down a well."

But it's strange.

“They’ve been like this for a month now... I’m going to end this.”

“Draxum! No! If you get involved, you’re just going to make things worse!”

“I highly doubt that! Now hush and allow me to stop the petty arguing between the twins!”

Anxious looks were shared between Raph and Mikey, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that they were beginning to look for a solid reason to leave the area without seeming fearful. As Draxum continued to walk up to Leo, he straightened his back, pulled his shoulders back, and made a face that conveyed nothing but dominance. It had been nearly three weeks since the twins had given each other the Silent Treatment, making the air in the lair become increasingly awkward and tense as the days went on. What had made the twins start fighting, no one knew, but it soon became too much for Draxum to handle, and he was now ready to force himself in the middle of the conflict and fix it in his own way.

“Blue one! Look at me now!” Draxum ordered, watching with hidden annoyance as Leo did so slowly. “I will not beat around the bush with this situation, mainly because it is most likely stupid and not worth the time. I am going to ask this once, and if you do not answer, I will go to the purple one for answers.”

“Oh dear Pizza Supreme, he’s going to get mauled.” Mikey whispered, moving closer to Raph and whimpering.

“Now tell me: Why are you and your twin brother fighting?” It was obvious that Draxum was expecting an answer, be it positive or negative.

What he didn’t expect, however, was being jumped by a 14 year old mutant who was way stronger than he looked.

“Mikey, go get the med kit.” Raph instructed, wanting to keep Mikey as uninvolved in the situation as possible. A heavy sigh was followed by Raph making his way up to the fighting duo, carefully reaching into the dust cloud and successfully locking Leo in a tight grip by the top of his Carapace. With one tug, Raph managed to remove Leo’s teeth from Draxum’s arm, holding the Slider in the air and whistling nervously. “So... I told you so...?”

Draxum groaned, blinking once, twice, thrice, before scowling. Pain rang through Draxum’s body as he moved, but he ignored it, standing and wiping himself down. “Fine, I’ll just ask the smart one.”

“Please, he’s as smart as our toaster.” Leo scoffed, turning his face to look at the lab. “WHICH EXPLAINS WHY HE’S ALWAYS FIXING IT!”

“I’M CONSTANTLY FIXING THAT DAMN TOASTER BECAUSE OF YOUR INABILITY TO USE IT, ASSHOLE!”

“EGGHEAD!”

“IGNORAMUS!”

“STOP IT!” Donnie and Leo silenced themselves at Raph’s command, going back to their silence amongst themselves. Raph growled to himself, setting Leo down and shooing him away. Once Leo was gone, Raph turned to Draxum. “See why we told you not to get involved?”

“Well yes, but actually no.” Draxum muttered. “I still believe that I can convince those two to stop this stupid argument.”

“Yeah? Well good luck with that.” Raph pinched the bridge of his snout with a frown, thinking over his most recently found hiding spots before continuing. “But can you at least promise to tell me when you next plan on doing something this dumb?”

“No.”

“Then I’m taking Mikey and dad to safety until you come to your senses. See ya until then!” Raph left Draxum without another word. With a prideful ‘Harrumph!’, Draxum made his way into Donnie’s lab, taking a deep breath before continuing on to stand next to Donnie.

“Hello purple one. How has your day been?”

“Oh, cut the crap, Draxum. No matter what you say, I am not going to forgive Leo.” Donnie huffed, keeping his attention on fixing S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. “He’s too obnoxious and prideful to forgive.”

“Granted, do you mind telling me what you’re upset about?” Draxum asked, thinking that he could use this knowledge to trick both brothers into forgiving each other indirectly.

“That is none of your business!” Donnie hissed, his pupils slowly slitting as he continued talking. “Now, if you don’t have anything productive to say, I suggest you leave before I lose my patience.”

“Trust me, bro; you don’t want him to lose his patience.” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. advised, gesturing to his current state. “I may or may not have tried to do the same thing you’re doing.”

With that warning, Draxum scowled, turning and leaving the lab. This was proving to be more difficult that needed, and part of the Yokai was starting to consider listening to his oldest “son” before someone- namely Draxum himself -got hurt. The rest of him, however, was refusing to back down from the challenge.

The rest of that day was riddled with Draxum attempting to get the twins to forgive each other, and with every attempt came a new battle scar. Despite Draxum not wanting to admit it, he had to at least acknowledge that the twins were stronger- and more feral -than he initially expected. Had he kept the boys in his care, Draxum would readily admit that he may have been unable to handle them both.

By 10:52 that night, Draxum was too tired to continue trying, and he plopped down onto a beanbag chair in the living room, falling asleep almost instantly. When he woke up, Draxum was surprised to find himself surrounded by Raph, Mikey, and Splinter. Content smiles were on the trio’s faces, and Mikey announced that they had something Draxum just had to see. Reluctantly, Draxum followed his family into the lab, where he was genuinely shocked to find Leo sleeping against Donnie’s natural shell. Meanwhile, the Softshell was calmly working on upgrades for S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., purring loudly and snickering every time Leo would move and unintentionally tickle him.

“I can’t... how did...?”

“It’s just like Raph said, pops,” Mikey chimed, “they didn’t need someone to help them. All they needed was to solve things themselves.”

“How anticlimactic.” Draxum muttered, crossing his arms and frowning. “Not even a single blow? Not an insult or a bite to convey a slow but sure redemption?”

“You watch way too many movies.” Donnie hummed, shifting to get comfortable. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do; on both the scientific and familial realm.”

“Stop movin’.” Leo complained, moving with Donnie until they both were content. A heavy sigh escaped Leo’s nose before he fell back into a deep sleep.

Draxum narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to make a snide comment. Before he could do so, however, he found himself being dragged off by Splinter, a slew of warnings escaped Draxum’s mouth, and they faded as the group grew farther from the lab. Once they were gone, Donnie turned to look at Leo.

“I know you’ve heard it five times now, but I’m sorry.” Donnie whispered, watching Leo’s eyes open slowly.

“I am too.” Leo replied groggily, purring as Donnie’s beak pressed against his forehead. “Now how about you stop being mushy and let me nap, yeah?”

“What time should we leave?”

The tent sides were darkening with dusk, but neither seemed inclined to leave the warmth of the combined sleeping bags.