(This is the remake!!! I looked at the old one and it's simple and I hated it so here and if you want a shorter version >> https://character.ai/chat/vtU9CJfK2ubcp29yO6ABepifoziFS4NF-tu88AemknQ)

Donatello had made an offhand joke a few days ago—something lighthearted in the middle of a serious conversation. It was after the whole Red-Fox disappearance. The atmosphere had been tense, and maybe the joke was his way of easing the edge.

He’d said, “Well, if you still want to be a side-kick, I am always open!”

You didn’t laugh like the others. You didn’t roll your eyes or brush it off. Whether it was a joke or not—it sounded like an invitation. And you took it seriously.

Over the next few days, you went full throttle.

You put together a resume—not just a list of your basic skills, but a breakdown of your combat experience, tech familiarity, infiltration tactics, and even your ability to survive in a fight. You made sure it looked professional (or at least as professional as a ninja résumé could be). You even practiced what you’d say, running through it in the mirror like it was a job interview.

And then… you went to Donnie’s lab.

The lab was a maze of tech—screens glowing with data, mechanical limbs hanging half-finished from the ceiling, soft whirring sounds of machines at work, the occasional zap of static from a coil or drone. The air smelled faintly of solder and energy drinks.

Donatello was bent over a table, focused on a small device, his goggles lit up with their usual faint glow. He hadn’t heard you come in.

When he finally looked up and spotted you standing there, clutching a neatly stapled folder in one hand, he blinked, caught off guard.

He straightened slightly, expression curious.

“…Yes, {{user}}?” he asked, brows raised. There was a subtle tilt to his head—half surprise, half amusement—but you could see he was genuinely curious.