Found Treasure

Let Me Take Care of You

Word count: 1900

Masterlist

Notes: A small, very light and cute one-shot in response to a post I saw a while ago. I really love Katakuri, and I’ve been wanting to write for him for a while, but I didn’t have a real project involving him. So when I saw your post, @mew-ya , I decided to go for it. I found your idea adorable, and it inspired this piece. It’s not much, but I hope you’ll like it nonetheless. I’m taking this chance to say that I really love your art, and your OC Maren is so cool! I absolutely love the duo he forms with Katakuri! 😍

Tags: Katakuri x gn!Reader, fluff, comfort, reader needs rest, SFW. English isn't my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes.

You’ve lost track of the days.

Since the failure of Pudding’s wedding, chaos has taken over Whole Cake Island, and rumors of the Charlotte Family’s disgrace are spreading like wildfire across the seas of the New World.

Alliances have been shaken, mistrust is eating away at the bonds woven between the different factions, and the pressure on Big Mom’s powerful family has become unbearable.

You were thrown into this turmoil immediately.

Your days blur together without pause, dictated by tense meetings, endless negotiations, and discussions where every word is carefully weighed. Even though she is not currently on the island, the Empress’s shadow looms over every exchange, and the slightest misstep could prove fatal.

But it’s not just the allies you have to deal with.

The Charlotte family members themselves have become more demanding, more impatient. They want guarantees, results, immediate solutions. You barely have time to breathe between requests.

"Prepare a detailed report on this week’s commercial movements." "We need to review the treaty conditions, make sure the new proposals are drafted by tomorrow." "Tell the cook I want a special dessert, now." "Why hasn’t this file been sent yet?" " The ministers of Totto Land are meeting in an hour, make sure everything is ready.."

Each demand piles on top of the last, forming a mountain of responsibilities that never seems to shrink.

You barely sleep, sometimes you forget to eat, but you don’t have the luxury of slowing down.

As Katakuri’s spouse, you cannot afford to fail.

Fortunately, you are never truly alone. There is always someone – or rather something – there to assist you without you even needing to lift a finger.

The Homies are everywhere around you. These little sentient beings, created by Big Mom, seem to anticipate your every need.

When you sit at your desk, a chair slides under you before you even pull it out.

When you reach for a pen, one of them is already handing it to you, practically vibrating with enthusiasm at the idea of serving you.

When an endless discussion with influential members of the Charlotte family leaves your throat dry, a cup of hot tea magically appears on the table in front of you, placed on a tray by a Homie who doesn’t say a word, preferring to slip away as soon as its task is complete.

If your stomach lets out a quiet growl - which you usually ignore, too focused on your work - a plate of food is suddenly placed beside you. Carefully chosen snacks, never too heavy, just enough to give you a boost of energy without forcing you to stop for too long. You’ve gotten used to eating without thinking, mechanically swallowing whatever is placed in front of you between two paragraphs, two reports, two meetings.

The Homies chatter cheerfully and frenetically around you, and you absentmindedly nod in acknowledgment, accepting what they offer without truly paying attention.

Everything is fluid, organized, almost too perfect. You never have to ask for anything. Everything you need is already there. You accept this silent help as a given, without questioning its origin, without even imagining that someone might be behind it all.

And yet…

That night, you are far too absorbed in your work to wonder about this strange phenomenon.

For weeks, you’ve been stringing together meetings and negotiations with relentless discipline. You barely sleep, you forget to eat, and whenever Katakuri tries to remind you to take a break, you always give him the same answer:

"I’m fine."

No.

You are not fine.

He has been watching you for days, waiting.

Each night, you stay awake long after Katakuri returns from his own missions. Sometimes, he finds you still sitting at your desk at dawn, dark circles under your eyes, fingers tightly gripping a pen or a stack of documents.

Katakuri is not a man of many words. He prefers to observe, to understand. He knows how to spot a crack before it becomes a fracture, how to anticipate a collapse before it’s too late.

And everything about you screams collapse.

He saw it in your posture, more tense than before. In your breathing, shorter. In your hands, trembling ever so slightly, a movement so subtle that no one else would notice.

But he sees everything.

He has been watching you, silently. He knows that look, the look of someone refusing to admit they are pushing past their own limits. He has seen it too often in himself, in his brothers and sisters… but seeing it in you is unbearable.

That night, it’s the last straw.

He comes back late from a mission and, just as he expected, you’re still awake, hunched over a desk buried under paperwork. You don’t even lift your head when he enters.

"You’re home late," you remark absentmindedly, scribbling something on an urgent mission report.

He doesn’t answer.

He has stopped in front of your desk, observing you in silence. He doesn’t need words to understand.

He has watched you exhaust yourself day after day, the fatigue deepening under your eyes, the stiffness settling into your body. He has noted every little sign: the dark circles, the slight thinness of your fingers, the way your shoulders tense under stress.

You want to be perfect.

You want everything to be under control, every task carried out with impeccable precision. Because you refuse to be a burden. Because you refuse to let anyone doubt your worth.

He knows this obsession. He knows what it’s like to want to be infallible.

But he also knows what it costs.

He steps closer and gently takes hold of your wrist, stopping your frantic movements. When he lifts your chin with his other hand to lock eyes with you, his expression is filled with concern.

His skin is warm against yours.

"You’re trembling," he states.

You pull slightly against his grip, trying to free yourself. But he doesn’t let go. He doesn’t squeeze too hard, doesn’t try to restrain you—only to hold you there, to make you understand that he won’t let this slide.

"I’m fine," you breathe out.

A lie.

Again.

And he’s had enough of hearing them.

"Did you take the time to eat properly today?" he asks.

Your gaze wavers.

"How much sleep have you gotten this week?"

You finally pull away, barely concealing your frustration.

"Kata, I don’t have time to rest. I have to make sure everything runs smoothly. The family has already suffered enough losses, I can’t…"

"You can’t what?"

He interrupts you, his voice slightly sharper. He doesn’t need to raise his tone.

"You can’t show the slightest weakness? Do you think that’s what will prove you deserve your place here?"

You clench your teeth.

"I have to be up to the task. After the disaster of Pudding’s wedding, we have to prove that we are still reliable. You don’t understand…"

"Don’t talk to me as if I don’t know what it means to carry a burden."

Silence falls. He still doesn’t break eye contact.

Then, without warning, he moves around the desk and lifts you effortlessly, his movements fluid and controlled. A small gasp of surprise escapes you, but he doesn’t give you the chance to protest further.

"Kata! Put me down right now, I have work to do!"

"No. Not tonight!"

His tone is firm.

He doesn’t slow down as he carries you away from your desk.

With slow but determined steps, he crosses the room. Every muscle in his body seems tense, not with anger, but with unwavering resolve and he gently sets you down on the couch before disappearing into the adjacent room.

You hear faint sounds: the opening of a cupboard, the soft clinking of porcelain.

A few moments later, he returns. In one hand, a thick, warm blanket. In the other, a steaming cup of tea.

Without a word, he drapes the blanket over you. Then, he places the cup in your hands. The contact of the warm ceramic against your fingers sends a slight shiver through you. You want to protest, to argue that you don’t need this, that you have to get back to work. But the moment the warmth of the cup seeps into your hands, something inside you cracks.

An invisible tension you weren’t even aware of carrying begins to fade, little by little. Your back, usually rigid and straight, sinks slightly against the couch. You slowly lower your gaze to the cup.

And suddenly, everything clicks into place.

The Homies who always seem to know exactly what you need. The snacks that appear without you asking. The supplies, the reports, the documents that always seem to be within reach.

It wasn’t coincidence.

It wasn’t just the Homies diligently doing their jobs.

It was him.

Katakuri.

Since the very beginning, he had made sure you ate, even when you were too absorbed in your work to think about it. He had ensured you stayed hydrated, that your belongings remained in order, that nothing was missing.

He had anticipated your every need, orchestrating everything in the shadows, without ever expecting anything in return. Without even telling you.

You slowly lift your eyes to him.

He says nothing.

He stands there, tall and imposing, arms crossed, watching you with that unwavering, piercing gaze. But there is no reproach, no irritation in his expression.

Only patience. And determination.

"You lecture me when I skip a meal, when I don’t get enough sleep… But what about you? Who takes care of you?"

You lower your eyes, unable to respond.

Because he’s right.

He sighs again and settles next to you. Then, to your great surprise, he loosens the scarf covering his face and lets it fall onto his lap.

This simple gesture is a silent declaration of trust, a way to show you that you are important enough for him to lower this barrier. One that he never lets down in front of anyone.

Katakuri never shows his face.

Even in your presence, he always ensures he stays in the shadows. He doesn’t want you to see him too clearly. He doesn’t want to witness that flicker of fear or disgust he has seen far too many times in others’ eyes. Even though you have told him, again and again, that his face neither frightens nor repulses you.

But that’s not the kind of thing one believes easily after a lifetime of rejection.

So, he never responded.

He never told you that he believes you, that he accepts your words.

But to you, it isn’t necessary. He doesn’t need to say it. You have understood for a long time that his scarf is not just an accessory.

It is his wall.

His shield.

And yet, tonight, he lets it fall.

Not for just anyone.

For you.

Right now, in this moment, there are no negotiations, no reports to write, no alliances to manage. There is only him, you, and this bubble of quiet he is trying to offer you.

He gently removes the cup from your hands and sets it on the table beside you.

Then, without a word, he reaches for the blanket he gave you earlier and wraps it around both of you, pulling you close to ensure the warmth envelops you both.

You take a deep breath, and the familiar scent of Katakuri soothes you more than you’d like to admit.

Little by little, your resistance fades. Your body gives in to exhaustion, and you let yourself lean into him.

You fought sleep for a moment, your mind still reluctant to completely surrender, but one last glance at him was enough to make you understand.

You can finally let go in complete safety.

Katakuri will not leave.

He will watch over you.

As he always has, in silence, in the shadows, without ever asking for recognition.

Tag list : @jintaka-hane @novemberhope @imveryyellow @lxshoxk @fanaticsnail @daydreamer-in-training @pandora-writes-one-piece Feel free to let me know if you’d like to be added (or removed) from the tag list.

Hi! First time caller long time listener, and I was hoping that maybe you could do prompt-

'' friends kiss each other all the time, right? ''

with Donnie (reader pronouns she/they). I always loved your writing (especially the one from today :,) )! You don’t have to go with this but when I read the prompt, I couldn’t help but think of Donnie trying to rationalize the kiss after the fact, like maybe to Mikey and he’s getting more and more flustered the more he tries to play it off and fails (and he’s all blushy and shy and cute) But if you come up with something better, go right ahead, I love all your works, I’ve read every single one, no exaggeration, multiple times. I am in your capable hands, your writing is truly and absolutely wonderful and awe inspiring

It absolutely warms my heart to see this and honestly it blows my mind that people like my stuff that much. Thank you so much and welcome to the madness 💖

I’m glad you chose this prompt cause I high key wanted it.

Rated Fluff

He must’ve been staring blankly at the monitor for too long because even Mikey noticed. He’d felt his younger brother nudge him, his own ramblings coming to a stop.

“Are you in that big ol’ noggin of yours again dude?” Mikey had questioned, before plunking one of Donnie’s many knick knacks from his desk. He had to fidget with something.

“Friend’s kiss each other all the time, right?” Donnie blurted out the question, a touch of worry in his tone.

Not like he hasn’t been running the memory on loop since it happened.

Not like he swore he could still feel how your lips landed on his own.

God damn it.

Mikey raised a brow ridge at his older brother. “Oh yeah, me and Casey make out all the time, in a bro way” He grinned when Donnie glared at his juvenile joke.

“Did you get a smooch from a pal? Who smooched man? I wanna know!” Now he was clearly invested, and surely he wouldn’t stop until Donnie caved.

How could he even begin to explain? He’d been running laps over this like any equation that would stump him. How did point A become point B? The evening had tan normal, the idle chat had been friendly and when he’d walked you to one of the exits in the Lair what he assumed would be a goodbye hug had turned into a goodbye peck.

Kiss? It was a kiss. You lingered. He’d counted.

Your smile had been sly but your blush had betrayed your resolve.

God, you blushed all the way down to your chest.

Why did he fucking like that so much?

“It was y/n…” Donnie received several smacks to the arm and celebratory whoop’s from Mikey. He’d much rather crawl into a hole right now.

“Dude she likes you! You gotta go for it!” Mikey ever the romantic, ever the hopeful.

“It was a friends thing I’m sure, I doubt it has to do with anything else, just forget I mentioned it” False alert, it just has to be.

As he got up he felt Mikey grab his wrist, all the immature fueled comments just taking a stand still. His gaze was honest and heartfelt. “Don, is it so hard to grasp the idea that a girl like them could be into you?” When the hell has Mikey gotten so wise?

He felt stumped, staring at his little brother in bewilderment.

The ghost of your kiss from last night made his lips tingle again. He swallowed doubt for once and allowed it to be a possibility.

“By their standards? No, it’s not really that imposible, but I mean-“

“Yeah this whole issue” Mikey waved at their bodies. “But listen, I for sure as hell know that she hasn’t kissed me or any of our brothers, sooo…” He shrugged a little and gave Donnie’s arm a reassuring squeeze.

The powers that be seem to concur with Mikey, because just as that was said the phone went off.

Your ringtone playing.

Big Mat and Smol Mat

Háganle un fanfic

what if

the mutant mayhem boys get dropped into the bayverse universe, where reader is and they have to stay with the reader for a little bit until they can figure out how to get home

well at some point the bayverse turtles end up meeting reader and ofc they don't really react bc these aren't the first mutant turtles they've seen

and the bayv turts are like "damn they they kinda" so they just keep 'accidentally' running into the reader in random situations and become and little obsessed infatuated

so at some point one or all of them follow reader home and they see the reader with a bunch of lil baby teetles and this sends like a little "protect" switch of in their head and then they go yandere

then basically reader is a little paranoid and start scavenging everything they can to send the guys home bc they aren't safe and they want to go home to their dad and stuff

anyways

observation haki

The nine of pentacles, Katakuri

Donnie x fem! Reader The little merturtle 4

Summary: Prince Donatello was the third of four brothers, the prince of an underwater yokai city, but he has always been searching for something else far more interesting than the mystic arts he is used to, he wants to know everything about the human world, their traditions, their creations... But when he finds himself entranced by a human princess it might just be the last push he needs to make his dream of exploring the land a reality.

“Do you hear that?” You wondered looking around curiously and Donnie just shrugged at you nervously, thank Poseidon he couldn’t speak, he was a terrible liar.

The change of ambiance seemed to be exactly what he had needed because when your gazes met again this time there was some charged energy in the air, very different from before.

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending, tooth-rotting fluff

PREV • MASTERLIST • NEXT

A month in writing

Donnie was on one of the castle’s towers, surrounded by huge windows with a beautiful view of the clouds and blue sky from where he sat inside a huge and luxurious bathtub; Sunita, your lady in waiting, whom you had introduced to him once reaching the castle, had taken him up there and sprinkled some sort of potion inside to make the bubbles appear.

“Washed up from a shipwreck,” Sunita said while making a signal to him, asking soundlessly if she could pour water on his head, Donnie was grateful for the warning and nodded, the water flowed and while it felt nice it also bothered him that his hair seemed to get in the way a lot, he tried to push it out of his face while Sunita continued talking.

“How horrible! But don’t worry, we’ll have you feeling better in no time, It might take a while for your long thick hair to dry but it will feel so much better!” She said; Donnie was mostly lost in his mind, excited to find out how the tub had been filled in the first place.

Leo was still somewhere on the sail that had covered Donnie, bored, he tried to get out when Sunita suddenly took hold of it, Leo was still tangled up there.

“I’ll send this to get washed! But we’ll get you some new clothes!”

As soon as Sunita said that Leo was suddenly pushed into some water, he scrambled up trying to get away from the cloth, but he was pulled roughly onto a metallic surface by the hands of a woman, he felt his carapace hitting pieces of metal repeatedly as he went up and down that thing over and over again, oh he felt like throwing up.

“Well, you must have at least heard about this boy” One of the ladies cleaning the clothes said.

“No!” Another answered, Leo was suddenly inside the water again, it tasted weird like someone had removed the salt and added something…sickly sweet?

“Gertrude says—”

The first woman scoffed interrupting “When has Gertrude ever gotten anything right?” Finally, Leo was pulled out of the water, he was hanging from the cloth and burped out…bubbles?!

He was thrown onto something firm “I mean really, he shows up in rags and doesn’t speak, not my idea of a prince.”

That tough thing started moving and Leo hid inside his carapace fast as he felt he was getting squished, he came out the other side and fell onto the rags, Leo moved wildly from one side to the other before the rags got hung from somewhere with him still in there.

The ignorant woman was still talking “If Y/N is looking for a boy I know a couple of highly available ones” While she said that, the rope holding Leo up started moving and then he fell on the floor somewhere else.

His legs felt wobbly, and he muttered angrily while standing on all fours “I have never been treated like this in my life, just wait until I’m back to my form, ugh”

His mumbling was stopped by what he saw next, Leo blanched at the sight, he could already hear his father’s voice telling him something among the lines of ‘I told you so’ and Leo felt his stomach that had been already unsettled enough twist again.

He saw the tail of a fish, cut in pieces by a sharp knife laying on the table, he could see an octopus’ legs pouring out of a boiling pot, and another fish was directly over the fire of the stove, was that a sailfish? He hoped it wasn’t a sailfish. Having seen enough, Leo wanted to get out of there immediately.

Yeah, he ate fish, it was the diet of most creatures down there in the hidden city, but the scene was grotesque, and he didn’t want to find a massacred turtle there somewhere, if he did THEN he would empty his stomach.

Somewhere else in the castle you were overlooking the sea from the dining room with a tall ceiling and windows just as large, Casey was trying to talk to you despite knowing that your mind was elsewhere.

“Your highness, be reasonable,” She said, she only called you that when speaking of royal duty, duty was of utmost importance to Cassandra who had been raised as your aid from a young age, and now she was repeating most of what she had already said for the past couple of days “Nice young men just don’t swim around rescuing people in the middle of the ocean and then flitter off into oblivion like some—”

You rolled your eyes finally looking back at her “I’m telling you, Casey, he was real, I couldn’t have made that up and I’m not going to stop looking for him” You concluded.

“And when you find him? Will you finally settle down?” she asked, almost hoping you were in fact right.

You just crossed your arms “That’d be too rushed, I may be infatuated with him but I’m not crazy” You said with a huff “Once I find him, I’ll get to know him, confirm what I felt is real, we can go from there, slowly” you emphasized the last word.

At that moment you heard Sunita close to the entrance of the room “Come on now, don’t be shy! You look great!”

It had taken a while for Donnie to be dressed, familiar with the human need to wear a cloth over themselves but uncomfortable with the texture of some of the ones he had received at first, he was silently thankful for Sunita who had seemed to catch onto that and got him something more comfortable.

And yet, showing up like that in front of you made him nervous now, but finally, Sunita got him to stand stiffly under the arch of the entrance, for a moment, he forgot he was meeting you as he examined the room like he had all the others, walking in completely in awe of the furniture and decorations inside.

As he got closer and was finally illuminated by the setting sun your eyes widened, you had found him handsome, of course, but still weren’t expecting him to clean up as well as he did.

You didn’t realize Casey had stepped close behind you, a smug grin on her face as she whispered in your ear, “Oh Y/N, what were you saying about your hero?” You turned to glare at her quickly before making your way over to your guest whose attention was back on you, he smiled tensely without knowing the proper etiquette.

“You look great, how are you feeling?” You asked, not one to forget your manners just because the sight of someone had made your traitorous heart glance away for a moment.

Donnie made a gesture to show he was better now and Casey guided him over to the table, speaking as firmly as ever “Come! It is important to get sustenance into your body after a horrible experience!”

You made your way to the table sitting next to your guest at the head of it, your mind wandered to the moment you found him at the beach, and you fought down the resurfacing disappointment from when you found out it wasn’t him you had been looking for.

The moment he sat on the table Donnie’s eyes drifted to the tableware, recognizing happily the instruments used for human eating traditions, he got excited, he would finally find out how a fork and spoon are used in practice! He was practically vibrating in his seat.

“Sunita, what’s for dinner?” You asked the moment your lady-in-waiting got close, hoping to divert your attention from the man at your left.

“Oh, you’ll love it, chef Swaggart is fixing his specialty, stuffed crab!”

Back in the kitchen Leo was trying to use his teleporting abilities to no avail, he huffed angrily “Really? I knew those two weren’t telling us something, why would the potion block our ninpo?” he asked himself before a singing voice interrupted him, Leo turned around to find the chef back in the kitchen.

It was his sign to run away, but his tiny turtle legs couldn’t get him far too fast, oh he hated being a regular turtle! He was so slow! His whole thing was to be fast!

So, lost in his mind as he was, the chef caught sight of him “What’s this? A red-eared slider?” The chef took Leo in his hand curiously “I didn’t ask for this, there’s just not enough meat on these tiny turtles” He hummed examining the turtle even closer “It’s also not flavorful enough…”

The chef was cut off, Leo had had enough and bit his nose the moment it was close enough, chef Swaggart yelled out in pain and Leo went out flying.

Not even Señor Hueso would treat him like this in the palace kitchen! Or well, he might have a couple of times, but at least Leo could defend himself then!

A battle began in the kitchen while Donnie was none the wiser.

Soon enough, the food was being served, and while it was, Casey was proposing that you take your guest over to see the sights of the kingdom.

You glanced up to look at her “Sorry, what was that?”

While Casey was scolding you about how you couldn’t keep moping about in the castle –Donnie wondered what you could have been moping about— a plate was served right in front of him.

Casey wasn’t looking at hers while lifting the cover, but Donnie was and he suddenly panicked at seeing his brother served next to a stuffed crab, Leo smiled sheepishly at Donnie who responded with an exasperated glare, how did he get there?!

Donnie lifted the covering of his own plate while you and Casey talked, signaling for Leo to hurry and hide in there, Leo didn’t have to be told twice, he rushed as fast as his tiny legs would take him and dove in, Donnie innocently closing the lid immediately and looking up as if he had been paying attention to the conversation.

“Well, what do you say?” You asked Donnie, smiling brightly at him and he nodded quickly, having no idea what he had agreed to.

Thankfully you explained right after he had already agreed “Great! We’ll go out tomorrow morning, is it Ok with you if we go by carriage for our tour of the kingdom?”

A tour of the kingdom, a tour of the kingdom! Donnie nodded ecstatic, not knowing how a carriage would be pulled on land and already wishing to find out, he was about to explore the human world like he had always wanted, in his immediate future! It was happening, and not only that, but you were going to be his guide, when he thought about it after saving you it had seemed like an impossible dream, and yet it was a reality now.

Casey herself seemed satisfied at your answer “Excellent, we shall start our dinner now before it gets cold, so you have energy tomorrow!” Casey looked at the crab on her plate, ignoring the empty space at the side of it.

Donnie observed your manners and use of utensils carefully throughout dinner, repeating motions the best he could and thanking April in his mind for telling him as much as she had about them, you got shy at seeing him pay attention to you so closely but continued eating and chatting like normal.

After dinner you guided Donnie over to the library, he looked curiously at the stacks of books that covered the walls when you reached a desk all by its lonesome on the far end of the library.

“I come here to read or work sometimes, when I don’t want to be cooped up in my office” you explained before pulling open a drawer on the dress and taking out something, a piece of parchment and what looked like a feather alongside a black container.

You looked shyly up at him before speaking up again “I, um, realized a moment ago that I never introduced myself, and was hoping we could do that now.”

Donnie faltered for a moment, it had started becoming infuriating not to talk, he ranted a lot, he liked doing that, and being unable to talk with you was becoming depressing.

You took him out of his thoughts by offering your hand to him with a small smile “My name’s Y/N” you said, and he smiled a bit, he grasped your hand shaking it firmly, instead of asking for his name though you offered the feather to him, he smiled, hoping really hard that the writing language was the same for humans as it was for yokai.

He leaned over the paper, and you watched attentively as the pen ran through the page.

Donatello.

You grinned while reading the name “Donatello” you said, taking him by surprise, he smiled sheepishly but was much more relieved now that you had a way to communicate even if it wasn’t ideal, with this realization he started writing again, your gaze following his hand again.

Or Donnie.

You realized he was giving you a nickname you could call him and nodded at him “It’s nice to meet you Donnie” you said smiling gently and he grinned while his heart fluttered.

Later that night Donnie was looking out the window of the room you had given him while Leo played around a table with a large mirror and jewelry that was left around.

“I hope you appreciate what I went through for you today, Donnie!” Leo exclaimed calling for his twin’s attention, Donnie just rolled his eyes, closing the window and walking over to the table, Leo kept rambling “It was humiliating, gosh, I miss Hueso, oh and just so you know the chef mentioned something about softshell turtle soup” Leo shivered and Donnie made a face of disgust.

Donnie took out a notebook you had given him to communicate and placed it on the table right next to Leo, he started writing and Leo rolled his eyes the moment he read the words.

‘No one asked you to come.’

“And leave you alone? Wandering around the human world all by yourself when your favorite brother could accompany you? Not a chance” Leo scoffed managing to hang a golden necklace over his neck.

Donnie thought for a moment before asking something he’d been wondering for a while, this could backfire on him easily and he’d never hear the end of it from Leo, but the curiosity was eating him up, so he just decided to roll with it, Leo was so tiny anyways, Donnie could just hide him in a drawer until everything was done if he bothered him, so he started writing and Leo only turned to read once he knew Donnie was done.

‘Why are you encouraging this now? Why did you go looking for her statue?’

“What? If you wanted the Leo special teasing you only had to ask, Oh I have been waiting to do this loverboy—” Leo had started with a grin but turned to look at Donnie’s serious face and faltered, Leo groaned loudly before continuing “Fine, It’s not fun if you can’t even complain about it.”

Leo removed the jewelry from his form and wandered off to the jewelry box to search for more things “At first, I just wanted you to forget it like Raph did, it was impossible and papa would have never approved, it was just a crush anyway, right? So, I thought you’d just move on.” Leo was throwing rings around, trying to find one that would fit his feet “But then I realized that you had never taken a real interest in anyone until now, it made me angry because why did you have to choose a human out of anyone? You just love making things hard for yourself don’t you Donton?”

Donnie made a face, but Leo was not looking at him yet, Donnie was about to write something else on the paper when Leo stopped his movements and continued talking “I just kept running scenarios in my mind of what would go wrong if you tried pursuing her, or the human world but…” Leo sighed with a frown “you were as insistent about her as you were about the human world and with just the tiny bit of hope that you had about meeting her, you just looked so happy.”

Donnie looked at his twin in surprise, but Leo kept ranting his tone immediately changing from the vulnerability that it held a second before to something easier “Don’t think I believe Big Mama and Draxum though, it’s just too easy, they’re definitely hiding something, but we’re here and you finally got a chance so why wouldn’t I help you?” Leo concluded by fitting a ring on his foot and looking satisfied about it.

Donnie turned his face the other way to hide his expression, Leo may not have been fully on board with him doing all of this, but it was obvious he had changed his mind for Donnie’s sake the moment he turned human.

Donnie smacked the side of Leo’s head with a finger “Hey!” Leo exclaimed but laughed while Donnie chuckled silently, he finally removed the jewelry and they both fell on the bed, Donnie jumped on it and bounced up slightly, and Leo bounced higher with a ‘Woah!’, almost falling off, Donnie looked surprised and then realized how comfortable the bed felt on his back, he could get used to that.

“Okay Casanova, tomorrow you start wooing her! I’m talking the whole nine yards Don, and with yours truly it would be impossible for you to not get your kiss before the month ends, better than that, you’ll get your kiss in a week, I guarantee.”

Leo didn’t realize Donnie had already fallen asleep, but the sea, even this late at night, was restless.

King Splinter was swimming in front of one of the castle’s windows when his messenger, the little seahorse showed up right in front of him in a hurry “Any sign of them?” King Splinter asked hopefully, but those hopes were crushed in a moment.

“No, your majesty” The seahorse reported “We’ve searched everywhere, we’ve found no trace of any of your sons, even with Shelldon’s reports.”

Splinter looked pained but continued firmly “Well, keep looking, leave no shell unturned, no coral unexplored, let no one in this kingdom sleep until they’re safe at home” he ordered before turning back towards his throne.

The seahorse sighed dejectedly “Yes, sire” they said before leaving with a bow.

Once alone, Splinter buried his face in his hands “Oh what have I done?” He lamented “What have I done?”

-

Night came and went, and soon in the morning, Donnie had dressed quickly with Sunita’s help, hiding Leo in his pocket without minding his brother’s grumbles and just chuckling at the poor turtle, Donnie then hurried to meet you near the doors where a carriage was waiting.

His gaze shifted into one of awe as he stared at the beasts that pulled the carriage, he neared them unconsciously before jumping a bit at the sound of your voice behind him.

“Do you like horses?” You asked, your head was tilted slightly to the side questioningly and your usual carefree smile was right there directed at him.

Horses? Like seahorses? He wondered; Donnie smiled sheepishly before nodding, you seemed to brighten up at his response “Me too! Have you ever ridden in one?”

Donnie shook his head negatively, even if you had been talking of seahorses, he had never been old enough and small enough at the same time to ride one of course, though these four-legged beasts were much bigger and different.

“Well maybe we can try that another day,” You said happily before walking over to the side of the carriage, Donnie looked at you in surprise before beaming at the realization that you were already planning the next time you both went out, he bumped the pocket where Leo was after hearing a small chuckle coming from him, receiving a small ‘ow’ he paid no attention to as he saw you opening the door of the carriage and offering him your hand.

Wait, you were offering him your hand! He stumbled to take it questioningly before realizing you were guiding him inside the carriage, he entered and sat on it, excited after the small burst of embarrassment had passed, you went in after and grinned at him “Also, good morning Donnie” You chirped before turning forwards and taking the ropes attached to the horses in your hands, thankfully fast enough to not see Donnie smile even wider at you.

You both turned to Cassandra and Sunita that were bidding you goodbye from inside the castle and waved before you pulled the reins and called out to the horses, the carriage quickly began to move on its way out of the doors being opened by guards.

Donnie looked around in awe, leaning slightly out of the vehicle to see how it moved without floating, he leaned down as much as he could and looked attentively at the wheels underneath the carriage wondering how they were attached, as he tried to figure it out he heard a light chuckle coming your way, he straightened up and turned around to look at you embarrassed when he realized the way he was acting, but halted when he noticed the soft expression on your face, and even though the expression left a dusted blush on his cheeks Donnie felt more confident after seeing it.

He got sidetracked when he saw some streetlights with intricate designs on the path you were following toward the town, when you realized what had grabbed his attention you started speaking.

“The lanterns are turned on when the sun starts setting, the design is Danish, actually most of our buildings—” You started talking about the town and the designs of most of its public services and buildings or the basic functioning of it, at some point you cringed at yourself, realizing you must be boring your guest with your rant, you turned your gaze from the road back to him to apologize but almost bit your tongue in surprise when you caught his gaze.

He had been paying you all his attention with an excited look on his face like he was truly interested in what you were saying, and though it was just basic knowledge you had about your kingdom as the princess it made you blush that he was so seemingly focused and happy to hear it.

You stuttered a bit before continuing your explanation with a bright smile on your face.

As the carriage walked over the water through a bridge, Leo, who had escaped the confines of Donnie’s pockets, leaned out after hearing some splashing, looking at the water he found Mikey swimming on the surface of the water, a spiky shell following him close behind.

“Has she kissed him yet?” Mikey asked with an excited smile and Leo rolled his eyes scoffing.

“No way, they’ve been talking about buildings or something, and he didn’t even listen to my plan to get him his kiss.” Leo knew Donnie had never flirted once in his life or been anything but curt to anyone he’d just met, his twin’s lack of experience made it so Leo could see his plans all going downhill.

“Aw,” Mikey whined still following from where he could reach in the water.

Leo looked back over to Donnie boredly, but his expression soon changed as he noticed the one on his twin’s face, Donnie was smiling more confidently at you while you explained something about the city and its architecture, holding every bit of his attention in your words, Leo was surprised at how his twin’s attitude had changed in just a moment, you both suddenly looked more comfortable around one another, like actual friends, a great contrast to yesterday when Donnie had seemed so sheepish at actually getting his wish and you both had only shared pleasantries.

Leo smiled a bit, realizing his brother might not be that much of a lost cause if the way you were smiling and speaking to him was anything to go by.

The day went by fast, with Donnie looking at everything with excitement and wonder that almost made your heart melt, everything new he found he looked back at you as if asking you what it was and you explained what the thing was or how it worked patiently, wondering more and more about the man that was hanging onto your every word like he was experiencing the whole world for the first time.

Where could someone as passionate and curious about learning as Donnie have come from? You asked yourself while seeing him grab onto a puppet happily before realizing he had taken the inanimate object from a hand, you laughed at his antics like you hadn’t laughed in a while.

Maybe his mutism had prevented him from learning about the world? You frowned at this thought, knowing there was a lot of bigoted people out there.

You realized after a moment that Donnie had stopped in front of a mural, you looked at it before humming and starting your explanations “This is one of my favorite stories, I used to love these murals as a child, they all speak of yokai and merfolk”

Donnie’s gaze never left the mural, but his eyes widened and his mouth parted in surprise at your words, you continued.

“Yokai were creatures that came from the sea many years ago, they could take many different forms, like birds, foxes, spiders, and most of all sea creatures, they all had tails when in the sea but were able to transform their tails into legs to walk alongside us and for a time they visited the land and co-existed with humans, helping them with the use of magic” you spoke while he looked at the beginning of the mural that showed various yokai coming from the sea.

You frowned again, remembering what you just had thought about how some people probably didn’t accept Donnie for his mutism, you continued your story “However there were some humans and yokai that didn’t accept each other at all, humans who feared yokai because of what they were capable of doing and yokai who thought of humans as a pest invading the seas” Donnie frowned at your words when he looked at a dark reddish figure in the mural, seemingly discussing with a human, there was something familiar about the figure, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

“I don’t know what happened next exactly, but the tale says some humans started hunting yokai and the rest of the yokai returned to sea, furious at the humans and vowing to never return.” You finished your story before tracing the figure of a mermaid with your eyes “I’ve always loved the idea of yokai and merpeople, and never understood why the tale ended so tragically, wouldn’t it be amazing if a world like that existed?” You wondered softly, finally, Donnie’s gaze went back to you.

Just recently he had thought humans and yokai had never been able to interact and now, after what his father revealed, bits and pieces of the puzzle kept falling in place, while he was still angry at hi father, he could also understand why what Donnie could figure happened to him would make him have that attitude against humans, but watching you and this beautiful mural that had existed probably longer than the both of you, made it seem more unfair that because of a share of humans and yokai the rest had to avoid each other.

There were so many things he wished to tell you, but writing them down didn’t seem like the proper way to go about it, his heart felt calm though, realizing you longed for the same world he did.

He had an entire month and in that amount of time he was sure he’d be able to explain everything to you and how your fairytales were more real than you could think, he was the perfect proof of it, you both seemed to look at each other then, and smiled, like you had reached some sort of understanding.

The sound of music called his attention, and Donnie turned his head around to see a kiosk full of people dancing as a band played, Donnie grinned, studying the way the humans moved their legs to dance, he personally felt it was more of a show than just dancing while floating on a tail where you would depend much more on hand movement.

You, as you had been doing, noticed his gaze and smirked before walking right in front of him, Donnie looked at you curiously before his eyes widened, seeing you bow slightly and offer your hand, palm up to him.

“Would you honor me with this dance?” You asked, your eyes sparkling mischievously as you looked at him and Donnie took your hand in reflex with a confident smirk, it made your grin widen as you guided him through the crowd towards the kiosk, before Donnie’s confidence was hit by a blow.

While he had always considered himself the best dancer out of his brothers there was no way the same rules of dancing were applicable to this situation, he had barely learned how to walk, how would he go around on both feet without embarrassing himself? Donnie looked around at everyone else, studying the movement of their legs anxiously before you grabbed his attention, pulling one of his hands to your shoulder and holding the other one with yours.

“Relax, follow my lead Donnie, just one foot to the left like this…” You demonstrated and he followed “And follow with the other one like this.” You explained, and a couple of steps later you were repeating the part, you both were dancing.

Donnie relaxed into the movements as he got used to the rhythm, soon becoming second nature as he looked back up at you, his smile turned softer as he looked at you having fun with him, making his cheeks warm but the expression never leaving his face, he only got smugger the more you danced, adding his own flair to the steps much to your delight.

Feeling daring he tried to spin you and you naturally followed his lead before returning to your rightful place in front of him chuckling slightly, your bright laugh making him feel dizzy.

The day continued like that before you were back in the carriage on your way to the castle as the sun started setting.

As you reached the castle and got ready to go down you suddenly stopped, looking thoughtful “Donnie?” you called for his attention and he looked at you questioningly so you’d continue “Would you like me to get a sign language instructor for you?” You asked while he looked surprised “That way we’d be able to communicate better and you can tell me what you think about everything.”

Donnie realized you probably noticed his anxiousness when he couldn’t rant about the things he was seeing or make a tough question, he immediately agreed to your proposal, smiling happily at you and nodding, receiving a heart warming smile back “Great! I’ll see to it in the morning!” Your words were accompanied by you reaching down to step out but Donnie beat you to it, he got down before you and reached your side of the carriage, offering you his hand to step down this time and taking you by surprise, you smiled a bit more shyly before accepting his hand and stepping down the carriage, the nearby lanterns illuminating you both as the sun disappeared in the horizon “Well, you better go inside, I’ll see you in the morning Donnie” you said, finally letting go of his hand and waving goodbye to him.

He waved at you before you disappeared through the doors of the castle and he sighed, burying his smile on his hands giddily while Leo popped out of his pocket again, laughing at his brother happily, because he’d never seen Donnie smile so much in one day.

The chemistry between both of you was almost tangible, he could understand why Donnie had seemed so head over heels so fast.

-

The days went by like this, in the morning you would both have breakfast together, and then an instructor would teach Donnie sign language in the library for a couple of hours and tell you afterward that he was a really fast learner having already memorized most signs and started practicing them with sentences.

“Not like you were, your highness” The instructor teased, you blew a raspberry.

“I wasn’t that slow, Donnie is just kind of a genius” You stated, smiling unconsciously at your statement.

Then usually the day would go with either Donnie and you doing your own thing, exploring the library for you to answer any questions he had, or going out into town.

Leo, Raph, and Mikey however were getting a bit anxious as the days passed, and despite how much closer the two of you were getting there hadn’t been any attempts at being more physically affectionate.

“Do you want to ride a horse?” You asked during breakfast one morning, Donnie was a pro now at eating with a fork, knife, and spoon, he looked up at you with an excited grin, the one he had whenever you proposed something new for him to try, he nodded quickly and you started explaining what kind of clothes he should use or what he should be ready for.

Later, you both stood at the entrance of the castle, but the horses and carriage that were usually there when you were going out were nowhere in sight, instead there stood two horses, a white mare and a black one, with you holding the reins of both and waving at Donnie to come.

“These are Nero and Blanche, very original names, I know” You giggled as he deadpanned the moment you said their names “They’re both very docile, so you can choose which you want to ride.”

Donnie thought for a moment before reaching out carefully to Blanche, who rubbed their snout on his hand, you chuckled rolling your eyes “Of course, you would choose the white horse, like a prince” You chuckled without noticing how flustered you had just made him with your statement.

‘I’d love being your prince charming’ he thought to himself before hiding his embarrassment and walking over to Blanche’s side.

You taught him quickly how to get up on the horse and once he was up you guided them out of the castle by the reins, you kept telling him what to do to ride before getting up on your horse and guiding him from there, both horses attached to one another so one wouldn’t stray far.

After a while you were both riding through a meadow happily, Donnie still didn’t know enough sign language to hold a conversation but you had a lot of laughs trying and teasing each other with signs.

-

While the sun was finally setting and you reached a river close to the sea, Leo decided this was the perfect chance to finally get Donnie his kiss.

Wanting to give the horses some rest you tied them close to the river and pointed over to a canoe, both you and Donnie getting on it to explore the river, ignorant of the three brothers that had reunited in the water and watched you attentively.

“Move over, move your big shell, I can’t see anything” Leo whined behind Raph who huffed.

“Nothing is happening” He responded.

“There’s only four days left! What is Donnie waiting for?” Mikey asked worriedly, while Leo made his way on top of Raph’s shell.

“I keep telling Donnie time is running out, and at night he seems like he is listening to me and going to do something about it, but come day when her eyes are on his line of sight, and bam! He suddenly forgets we’re in a hurry in favor of getting lost in them” Leo huffed tiredly, and a bit worried, since he still couldn’t figure out what Big Mama and Draxum were planning if Donnie didn’t get that kiss.

“If Donnie doesn’t start puckering up soon, Raph is going to make his way over there and make him,” Raph said impatiently “Let’s see how he likes that.”

“If Piebald was here, she would be setting up the whole ambiance with music, it’d be so romantic” Mike gushed, and an idea came to Leo.

“Hey Mikey, how long have you been watching Piebald direct and compose for?”

“Like, my whole life, you know this” Mikey said looking curiously at his older brother before it hit him “Oh, oh yeah! I can do this baby!”

While Mikey disappeared into the waters for some animals to help him, Donnie and you were chatting calmly, you mostly spoke while Donnie shifted between writing in his notebook and showing you or trying to sign something with your help.

He was happy with just that when he started hearing music, he looked around trying to find out where the music was coming from but saw nothing, Donnie was confused until he noticed his little brother a little further away talking to some ducks and insects, imitating Piebald.

Oh gosh, his brothers were trying something, and while he was immediately embarrassed by the prospect, when he looked back at you under the light of the sunset he also realized he needed to take any chance he could, his infatuation only grew stronger every day so much so it wasn’t only a crush anymore, he was sure, and he wanted so badly for you to feel the same.

He was fascinated with the way you spoke of your kingdom, and how you were so willing to explain even the tiniest details to him and ready to wait patiently while he wrote something he was excited about sharing with you, always lighting up at his words and making his stomach flutter with your laugh.

But you were also so sarcastic and you never missed a chance to tease him with that smug look of yours, it drove him mad because despite the glare he would send your way most times he absolutely loved your attitude, you were so much more than the determined princess he had crushed on for her heroic acts, you were snarky and confident and yet would blush at the slightest hint of smoothness from him.

You were everything he’d already thought you were and so much more, so, while he was nervous about his brothers interfering, Donnie had to take the chance that you might be feeling the same way as him.

He was just glad his brothers had opted for only music and no singing; he didn’t know if he could have dealt with that embarrassment.

“Do you hear that?” You wondered looking around curiously and Donnie just shrugged at you nervously, thank Poseidon he couldn’t speak, he was a terrible liar.

The change of ambiance seemed to be exactly what he had needed because when your gazes met again this time there was some charged energy in the air, very different from before.

You cleared your throat shyly before looking away and continuing to row the boat, to Donnie’s dismay; but Raph seemed to have other plans, he’d managed to get some fireflies your way and their light grabbed your attention as they filled the late sky with their light surrounding the both of you, Donnie lit a lantern you had brought up on the boat as the sky darkened, it only served to make everything look even more beautiful and once again your attention was on him while he smiled softly at you, a warm smile that made your own heart hit your ribcage.

You returned his smile with one of your own but as his face grew closer to yours you looked away suddenly, feeling some sort of guilt in you.

You had spent so long looking for your savior, a man you might never even find again, and yet why did it feel like you were betraying him the further you fell for Donnie? It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair at all, the way you felt for Donnie ran much deeper than the way you felt for your savior, with Donnie you had actually talked and spent time together, laughing like you hadn’t in years.

“What would I give to know more of your world…of you.”

His words lingered in your mind, you felt like you had to give him that, you had wanted to show your savior your world.

And yet, hadn’t you done all of that for Donnie?

Your gaze lifted slowly back to your companion and your heart sank as you saw him looking far away into the water with a sad expression, you had never seen Donnie look like that and you couldn’t stand the fact that it was your fault.

Realizing this, you took a firm stance within yourself, your savior may have been a lightning bolt experience, but Donnie was here, and he was already the most incredible person you had ever met, incredibly smart, and funny in a way that allowed you to let go of all your dark humor, maybe mean at times and yet even that you found endearing.

You liked Donnie, maybe even more than that, you really did.

The thought of your savior was pushed to the far back of your mind for you to forget later, and your hand reached out towards Donnie’s face, he startled for a moment before turning to you and allowing your hand to rest on his cheek, his eyes suddenly hopeful when he saw the smile on your face directed solely at him.

Without you noticing, the boat went under a weeping willow, hiding you from the moon in its darkness, and yet the lights of the fireflies and lantern still enveloped you, coloring you with soft yellow hues under which you looked like a painting from the eyes of a lovesick artist.

Donnie reached out to your other hand with his and your fingers got intertwined together, you squeezed his fingers lightly, the hands resting on his knee while you looked at each other, there wouldn’t be any chance for him to write or sign something.

That was Ok, you didn’t feel like saying anything either, not with the way he was looking at you right now, like you were the only thing that mattered, like he wanted this just as much as you did, so you closed your eyes, feeling his breath near your face and wondering when you both had gotten so close.

The moment you were about to kiss, the boat shook underneath you and you both were thrown into the shallow water.

You sputtered out water and Donnie helped you up worriedly, you smiled at him, apologizing for having lost track of where the boat was going, it probably hit a rock or something. The moment was completely gone and you cursed your absentmindedness, but when you looked up at Donnie who was trying to help you dry and get back on the boat you smiled, looking at him dreamily, you had all the time in the world.

---

We're almost at the end guys! I'm so excited for this, once the fic is finished I will start working on the Leo x reader Anastasia AU and at the same time on some of the requests that are already on my inbox, no more than the ones that were there before I closed them though!

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I randomly gave them a year of life just for aesthetics