The Red String Of Fate: Ch. 4

The Red String of Fate: Ch. 4

Pair: Donatello x Reader

Word Count: 4.6k

Rating: T?? (Characters depicted are adults)

Content/Trigger Warnings: None other than minor injury?? (I never know what needs warning or tagged. If there's anything let me know!!)

Authors Notes: aaaaAAAAAHHHH!! It's finally done!! 😭 I apologize again for this taking so long. I got hit with writers' block pretty bad, but it's finally here!! I just hope you all like it. 🥺 This chapter is very dialogue heavy btw, but onto the story!~

||Chapter 1|| ||Chapter 2|| ||Chapter 3|| ||Chapter 4||

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CHAPTER 4: FATE FULFILLED

Pain throbbed from the top of your head and you had a hard time opening your eyes. Your lids feeling heavy as they blinked, your vision blurry and dark. Just as your sight began to clear, you felt something touch your hand. Turning your head to the source, you saw a figure squatting next to you. Picking up your arm from the ground and reaching for the glowing light on your finger, and it was then that you remembered what was going on… 

You had gone out tonight in search of your soulmate all by your lonesome, without any means to protect yourself, and some fool had mistaken your cosmic tether for a real piece of jewelry and attacked you for it. Now you had to hope that your assailant was sane enough, doubtful, to leave you be once they realized that the ring wasn’t actually tangible. But of course, you weren’t that lucky… No, it only made them more curious when they couldn’t pry the light from your finger, and they took a cautious step closer to your body. Surely to inspect your being for any other possible valuables, since their first inquiry was technically a bust. 

Stupidly, you parted your lips to inform them that you had nothing on you. Except for your phone, which would suck if they stole it, but it would be better losing that than your own life. As soon as you took in a breath to speak however, the assailant suddenly levitated from the ground, and you heard them cry out as they were thrown into some nearby clutter. 

Your eyes grew wide, realizing this was your chance to escape. Quickly, you used your hands to push up from the ground and sit up. But just as you got on one knee, a spell of dizziness rushed to your head and your vision began to fade. Feeling that you were going to pass out, you put your hands to the cold hard ground once more and just as you braced yourself everything went black. 

You weren’t sure how long you had been out for, but there had been a strange sound of something solid colliding with, what you could only assume was your assailant by the groans of pain that followed; that brought you back to consciousness. You opened your eyes to find yourself lying on the ground again. Remembering that you had feinted, you opted to pick yourself up slowly this time, despite the concerning circumstance. The last thing you needed was to slip and knock yourself out entirely after being given the opportunity to escape. 

Shuffling onto your knees, you sat up carefully and rubbed the cloudiness from your eyes until you felt something wet on your left hand. Looking at the back of your palm, you squinted to make out the substance, but it became clear when red leaked into your vision. 

That would certainly explain why you were having so much trouble picking yourself up. 

“Please…” Your assailant croaked, but the only response that was given was another smack of that reinforced noise you had heard before. 

While you knew you should just mind your own business and get the hell out of dodge, there was a part of you that wanted to know who had come to your rescue. Quietly, you turned your body to face the scene. With your head still swimming from the blow and the limited light in the alleyway, you weren’t confident you were seeing things clearly. Looming over your assailant was a giant of a figure. You blinked in disbelief, not quite understanding the outline of their body. There appeared to be a large apparatus on their back covered with a variety of vaguely recognizable objects attached to it. 

They wielded a weapon that was foreign to you. There had been rumor of a masked vigilante in New York who would use a hockey stick, or cricket bat to fight off assailants. But this mysterious figure had been using what looked like a long metal rod, just as tall as they were to fend off your aggressor. You were unsure you could trust your eyes with anything you saw in the darkness of that alley, but there was one thing that couldn’t be mistaken. And that was the was your soulmate.

This shadowy savior that was violently beating down the fiend that attacked you, was your soulmate.

Your throat tickled with unease, forcing you to swallow your disbelief. Although, it did make sense. The love-binding string had led you to this area, and as unfortunate as it was to admit, you couldn’t count on the average New Yorker to come to your aid in an attack. A strange sense of pride and appreciation clashed with your concerned nerves, however, at the sight of your soulmate’s brutal retaliation on your behalf. If you didn’t stop them, they were going to kill the stranger who attacked you. And regardless of what their intentions were, you weren’t gonna let your soulmate commit such a tragedy for you. Even if the two of you were cosmically tied. 

“S-Stop…” Your voice came out weak, and it was clear that the command hadn’t reached your soulmates ears as they lifted the long rod over their head again; rearing to bring it down once more over the thief. “Stop! Please!!” You exclaimed with all of your chest and that struck them. 

They immediately froze on the spot. Their weapon halfway through its swing. 

You stared in silence at them, trying to take in their features now that they were standing still. Unfortunately, they had their back turned towards you, and the gold light that shined from their hand was mostly blocked by their massive stature. You extended a hand to inch yourself forward on the ground, and they suddenly moved. Turning their body quickly, and making an attempt to flee. 

“Wait!!” You called out to them and they stopped again, their back still facing you. “Please, don’t go! I–” You fumbled for words as you tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for them to stay. They should want to stay on their own, shouldn’t they? Didn’t they know that you two were soulmates? Fated by the magical string? But as you pondered these thoughts, you remembered your plea before you had been attacked. 

You had been begging for them to show their self. You knew they were in the alleyway with you, but they had chosen to stay hidden. They were… afraid. Which seemed a bit ironic for the fact that they nearly had beat a person to death, but perhaps that added to their fear. 

Blood trembling down your forehead and over your eyelid snapped you out of your thoughts. You rubbed the back of your hand over your eyes and injury. Smearing the red substance across your skin, but you could care less about that at the moment. “L-Look…” You placed your hands back to the ground and began to pick yourself up. “We don’t have to talk about the soulmate thing but could you help me get some medical assistance? I think there’s a gash on my forehead…”

Your soulmates' breath hitched and they covered the gold light on their hand. Submerging their self in the shadows completely, but you could hear them shuffling indecisively in the dark. If it had been anyone else, you would’ve just disregarded them and been on your way. But you came out tonight with the goal of meeting your soulmate… You just hoped they would make their decision before you passed out from blood loss. 

Finally, they spoke and it took you by surprise. Your own breath catching in your throat.  “I… want to help, it’s just–” they paused briefly before continuing their explanation. “I-I’m going to step out of the shadows now. Please, don’t scream.” 

You’d be lying if that didn’t rustle your nerves. Anytime you heard that phrase be used, it unintentionally gave you the heebie-jeebies. However, there was a tenderness to their voice that quelled your unease. You might’ve been more easily swayed since it was your soulmate the horror movie line had come from. Regardless, you could tell by their tone that they were genuinely concerned about coming face-to-face with you, and it tickled your heart.

“Only if you don’t judge me for coming out bare foot and in my pj’s.” You joked, and swallowed nervously when you didn’t receive an amused response from them. 

You strained your ears to listen for their approach, but they caught you off guard when they silently emerged from the shadows and into the minimal light of the alleyway. Your gaze was pulled upwards as you took in their towering height. They had looked massive before, but it simply did not compare to actually standing in front of them. Your eyes met along the way of taking in their stature. Emerald pools circumferenced with bronze halos, glimmered behind glass lens, and just as you noticed the purple material framing their eyes; you were blinded by a gold light that erupted from below. 

You recoiled from the abrupt light, shielding your eyes with an arm.

“Oh! Sorry…” They quickly smothered the light with their other hand once more.

“It’s okay.” You squinted your eyes to help adjust your vision. 

This time, they slowly revealed the golden light, which in turn illuminated the rest of their shadowed features. Your eyes expanded at the sight of them. 

Pebbled olive colored flesh patterned the top of their dome, and covered their cheeks. The texture extending down their neck and exposed skin of their upper body. Toned muscles stiffened behind what looked like pale plates of armor covering their torso. Which explained how they so easily maneuvered the long weapon against your assailant. You noticed that the weapon itself had been sheathed behind their back, on what you thought was a large pack of some sort, but now that you were in close proximity for inspection….. You still weren’t sure what it was.

Besides some knee pads and a few strips of purple colored fabric, the only clothes were modified pants and boots to fit the armored body of your soulmate. They brought up their left hand, giving you a meek wave, the golden light bringing attention to their digits… Or lack thereof. Three fingers, instead of the average five, and in an instant, it became abundantly clear why they were hesitant in revealing their self to you. What you were looking at… wasn’t human.

Your lips parted in awe, and you hadn’t even realized you didn’t return the small gesture until they frowned and dropped their hand. Fidgeting with their other, they turned slightly and averted their gaze from yours. The skittish motion made you frown in response, and you immediately felt compelled to console them. There was a part of you that questioned the sudden need to be so sympathetic to a total stranger but– They weren’t really a stranger… They were your soulmate. 

“I’m sorry, I just–” The two of you spoke at the exact same time and that pulled their attention back to you. Their eyes blinking in disbelief just like yours had at the strange occurrence. 

“You go ahead–” You echoed one another, followed by nervous laughter. 

“Ah–” A frustrated huff expelled from their nostrils after you both parted your lips to speak once more. However, they finally took initiative. Taking a step closer to you, you drew in a silent breath as you braced yourself. Lips pursing into a thin line as you stared up at them with curious eyes. 

You watched as their right hand approached your face. Noticing that the underside of the three-digit palm was lighter in hue than the top. Just before they made contact with your skin, their hand flinched and they pulled it back. Realization flickering in their gaze. They swallowed and you saw the tiniest blip of pink swipe over their bottom lip before it disappeared back inside their mouth. 

“Is it… Okay if I touch you?” They paused waiting for your approval but quickly added on to their statement, “J-Just to take a look at your injury?” 

You felt your cheeks rise as a small smile carved into your face. “What are you, a doctor?” you teased and your heart fluttered seeing their lips curve upwards into a soft smile as well. 

“Well, I don’t have a degree perse…” Their head cocked slightly as they inspected your injury with just their eyes. “But I am quite knowledgeable in the medical field.” 

A soft snort blew out of your nose. “Then sure.” 

They reached out for your forehead again, but stopped just before touching it once more. Their tongue clicked against the roof of their mouth. It opening to speak but nothing came out. Instead, there was a brief moment of silence where you noticed something processing behind their eyes. Their smaller digit curled downwards as the larger pointed up.

“Actually… Would it be okay if I– Took you somewhere else to be checked over? I promise I’m not trying to be weird or anything it’s just that right now I’m–”

“Exposed?” You filled in the blank, and they looked at you with genuine surprise. Although, it wasn’t exactly hard to guess. If they were hiding from you, their soulmate, then it was probably safe to assume that they kept their self hidden from others as well. Not to mention the fact that they were some giant reptilian man thing… 

“...Yes.” They confirmed with a slow nod of their head. 

“Ye–Yeah…” You nodded your head back but internally cringed at how hesitant you sounded. You wanted to trust them; they were your soulmate after all. But it was still a scary scenario to be put in, especially after what had just happened. At the thought, you leaned past your soulmate and back at your assailant who was lying on the ground. You couldn’t make out much through the dim alleyway lighting, but you could hear the sounds of labored breath, wheezing from their lungs. You couldn’t help but wonder what kind of injury they had sustained from your soulmate’s hand and it made you frown again.

“Will they– be okay?” You asked hesitantly.

Your soulmate turned to the source of your inquiry, as if they had completely forgotten about the person they had just beaten down. “...They should be.” They answered solemnly, their tone making your eyebrows arch but before you could ask anything more, you were suddenly lifted off your feet. In one quick motion, they had positioned you in their arms. One hand pressed against your back, and the other in the pit of your knees. The shock and sudden motion sending a rush of dizziness to your head again.

The same heaviness that had hit you just before you passed out the first two times came over you again. Your vision blurred and darkened, but through it all, you heard the voice of your soulmate call out to you. 

“Oh no… H-Hey! Stay with me!” They commanded and you mumbled in compliance. Although it was difficult to keep your head up and eyes open. Feeling the abrupt sensation of ascension, consciousness was futile. Your head rolled onto your shoulders and your eyes fell shut as you drifted away for the third time this night. 

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You regained consciousness feeling your shoulder being gently shaken. “Hey… Hey…” Your soulmate called, and you forced your eyes open. Albeit your vision came back slowly. You blinked the blurriness from your eyes and when everything cleared, you found your soulmate kneeling before you. Even on their knees they still towered in height. 

You couldn’t help but notice the change in lighting. Soft blue rays from the moon cascaded down from above, making more of your soulmates' features evident, than the dim lighting of the alleyway had. Your eyes focused on their shoulders and specifically the way the skin there seemed to be pulled into the textured rim that clung to their back. Just as you drew the observation it finally clicked for you. 

“You’re a… turtle?” You breathed. 

They blinked behind their glasses and their chest deflated with a soft sigh expelling from their nostrils. “Correct....” They answered sounding a little surprised. Without taking their eyes off of you, they reached behind their back and pulled out a small black container. Opening it, you saw a small stash of medical supplies that could be found in the average household. Band-Aids, disinfectant wipes, gauze, Q-tips, a wash cloth, etc… This time they didn’t bother asking your permission before going to work on your head.

You flinched and hissed at the touch of the wet wipe doing its job, sterilizing the cut on your forehead. 

“Sorry…” They cringed in response but you nodded your head for them to carry on.

“Is it bad?” You asked, and there was a click again as they parted their lips to answer but they lingered in thought. Their eyes flickered down to yours just as they noticed your brows bend with worry and they quickly spoke up.

“You won’t need stitches, but I’m worried you might have a concussion.” They finally answered, dropping the disinfectant wipe to then pick up a roll of gauze. They unfurled a section of the medical dressing before wrapping it around your head. Ripping it apart when the area of your injury was covered and securely taping it off to make sure it wouldn’t come undone. “I’m gonna ask you a series of question, answer to the best of your abilities.” They explained and pulled out a small flashlight from one of their pants pockets. 

You had a few questions of your own…

“Well, isn’t that slick?” You huffed and they paused briefly before running the light over your eyes. 

“What do you mean?”

You followed the light back and forth until they were satisfied with… whatever results was needed from this kind of test. You never knew what it was for when you went to the doctor's... “Claiming that I might have a concussion so that you can get information out of me.” Your lips curled upwards just a bit, but they just stared in confusion. You could tell they were processing the insinuation in their head, and when they finally got what you had meant their eyes popped. The prescription of their glasses making the expression look a tad comedic.

…But in a cute way.

“Don’t be–Don’t be silly! I’m genuinely concerned for your well-being! Not trying to inadvertently learn things about you!…” They refuted and dropped their gaze in avoidance. “But… Would that be so wrong if I was curious about you?” They sheepishly glanced back your way and you smirked. 

“Fine. Shoot.” You sighed, leaning back into whatever is what that had you propped up. Although, the soft smile that carved into your soulmates face at your compliance made your brows perk with attention and you felt a flutter in your chest once more.

“What’s your name?” They asked first.

“Y/N…”

“What state do you live in?”

“New York.”

“What were you doing before this?”

“Looking for you.” 

They blinked and shifted back slightly. Their gaze dropping once more but it flickered between you and their hands as they contemplated over something internally. “Right…” They finally spoke. Their voice coming out low and quiet. You were quickly realizing that your soulmate didn’t have much of a poker face as it was evident by their soured expression that something was eating away at them. 

“Are we… on a rooftop?” You tried to distract. 

“Yes,” they answered but their voice was distant. Obviously, still caught up in their thoughts. 

Still, you had to take a moment to let the amazement sink in. Even though it was clear that they had the muscle to support you, you still wondered how they maneuvered to the top of a building with your unconscious body. Regardless, your brows furrowed at the failed attempt to distract them from whatever was on their mind, so you tried a different approach.

“Can I ask some questions about you?” 

Finally, they turned their attention back to you. Success. 

“Ah…” Their body shifted, readjusting their weight that had been put on their one knee. You saw the bulge in their neck bob as they swallowed nervously. “Ah, yeah… Shoot.” They forced a reassuring smile. 

“What’s your name?”

“Donatello. Although, most refer to me by ‘Donnie.’”

Most, huh? So, there were other’s that knew him? Were they like him or was he talking about other humans? You’d be lying if you said the query didn’t prick at you. You were just so curious to know, but you didn’t want to pry. Not right now at least… So, you stuck with the basics. 

“Do you… also live in New York?” Your brows arched with interest.

His chest swelled at the question and he smiled again. Although, this one was genuine. “Born and raised.” 

You couldn’t help but to smile back at that response, but it was short-lived because of your next inquiry. “What’s bothering you?” You asked, or really commanded to know and he gave you that same wide-eyed look of surprise that you had caught him off guard again. 

“Don’t you…” He started but paused on his thought. Hesitant to finish what he was going to say. “...wanna know why I’m a giant turtle man thing?”

“Well, yes, but I figured that’s a subject I can ask about at any time because you’re always gonna be a giant turtle man thing. Unless… You’re a wereturtle by night?” One brow rose over the other and you smirked. 

Air blew from his nostrils in amusement. “Noo…” 

“I didn’t think so.” You smiled softly. “....So what’s the matter?” 

The corner of his mouth twitched and he lowered his gaze once again. He bent his other knee down on the rooftop and sat back on his rear. Hands in his lap. “It’s just…” He started, and you saw the little bit of pink wet his bottom lip again. “If I hadn’t been such a coward, I wouldn’t have to be concerned about you having a concussion right now. And because you were hurt, I lost control of myself… That’s never happened before.” His voice was quiet as he spoke, regret evident in his tone. 

You straightened your back at his admission. Feeling warmth spread throughout your chest, but there was also a sting of sadness in your heart. It was sweet knowing that he cared so much about your wellbeing, but he wouldn’t be so troubled if you hadn’t been foolish in going out tonight like you had. Your gaze dropped to his lap and your eyes were pulled to the golden glowing string attached to the smaller digit on his left hand. Just a few minutes of preparation and you might not have been attacked, but in those few minutes you might’ve missed the opportunity to meet your soulmate.

The situation might not have been ideal, but you didn’t regret it.

You extended your arm, reaching out with your left hand and gently placing it atop his. A small smile pulling at the corners of your lips feeling the texture of his scales against your smooth fingertips. You hadn’t noticed before when he initially picked you up, but they weren’t as rough as you expected them to be. When you looked back up, you found him staring down at your hand as if you were the one to only have three fingers. 

“You’re not a coward. Anyone with some common sense could understand why you would be hesitant on revealing yourself to strangers–” You saw him begin to part his lips to interject, so you hardened your gaze and continued before he could get anything out. “But what ended up happening was not on you, okay?” You spoke firmly and gave them a short nod. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing for putting the both of us in that situation.” 

You watched as he took in a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds in thought before letting out his exhaustion through his nose. “I just can’t accept that.” He shook his head.

Your brows furrowed with frustration, and your lips puckered in a small pout at his defiance. “Why not?”

“Because… I’m–I’m supposed to protect the citizens of New York. It’s… kind of the reason for the way I am.” He explained, averting his gaze again. 

You weren’t sure if it was a nervous gesture of his, or if it was because the whole ‘soulmate’ thing was making him more bashful the normal but it stung every time he looked away from you. You wanted to look into those beautiful hazel-colored eyes that lit up the dark. You needed him to know that he didn’t have to be afraid of you. So… you did something unexpected. 

“But Donatello…” You started, and then slowly wrapped your fingers around the top of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

That did the trick.

Instantly, he turned his attention back to you. His eyes flickering between your gaze and the hand wrapped around his. You couldn’t help but smile at the flustered response, but you continued. “You did protect me. You saved me and now I’m here, with you... The only place I wanted to be tonight.” 

His chest swelled and the pigment of his cheeks turned a shade darker at your words. He parted his lips to speak, but whatever he was thinking about saying got lodged in his throat so you took initiative again. 

Delicately, you moved your fingers between his. Your pinky on the outside of his largest digit and thumb, ring and middle finger in the gap of his hand, and your index and thumb between his smaller digit. It was… different than what you were used to, but it felt right.

This time it was you who dropped your gaze, but only to look at the gold strings attached to both of your hands. The glow of the fabric mellowed into a serene light, but it was still strong. “Is this… Where you wanted to be tonight?“ You asked, looking back up to him with large, hopeful eyes. 

Finally, he held your gaze. The green-bronze color of his eyes almost disappeared to the black of his pupils as he stared longingly into your pools. It sent an unexpected, but pleasant chill down your spine, and you did your best not to shudder. He drew in a silent breath, and relaxed his shoulders but tightened his grip on your hand before speaking. 

“I didn’t believe in this–” he nodded to his string, “before it appeared to me and even when it did, I was skeptical. It didn’t seem probable for the universe to pick someone like me to be fated to someone like you, but regardless… I came out tonight with the intention of finding you. So yes, this is exactly where I wanted to be.” He smiled and gave your hand a soft squeeze. 

Your heart overflowed with bliss and you could feel your throat seize with emotion. Moisture began to collect in your eyes for the third time tonight, but before they could over flow, the gold light coming from your strings of fate erupted into a flash. You clenched your eyes shut until you sensed the light die out. Peering one eye open slowly, you checked to see what had happened to the magical apparition and both of your eyes shimmered with intrigue when you found something new in its place.

Your once red string of fate had now solidified into a golden band of destiny…

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Iiiiiit's donnnneeee!! FINALLY!! I hoped you enjoyed it. This was a challenge for myself to write something on the fluffier side and I think I did alright. ^^; I do apologize for the lack of.... romance? I guess??? KISSING basically, lol. Idk if people will be mad about reader and Donnie not kissing at the end but the way I see it... Even though they are soulmates, they still gotta build up their relationship! I may do another one-shot in the future diving into some romance, but not any time soon. (I also have ideas for doing a RSOF fic for the other brothers but those too will be put on the back burner for now...)

Anywhoo... Hope you liked it!! Thanks to everyone who liked and reblogged the fic! And to those who sent me messages about it! It means so much to me and always brightened my day to see them! Love ya'll! 💖💕💕💖💕💖

Tag: @eveandtheturtles