#2018 writing

[hannah-heartstrings]

A little moment I wrote six years ago of my Dragon Quest 9 party at camp. A very little moment, it's unfinished, and not all of my party members got mentioned. 😅

But still, I just love little moments like this of adventuring parties around campfires.

------

            A stick was thrown into the flickering fire. Around it the party sat on makeshift seats.

            “I didn’t think I’d become a nomad,” Celeste complained, pulling off her heels to massage her feet.

            “You went looking for an adventurer,” Maya looked at her. She snickered “You literally signed up for this.”

            Felix stirred the pot that hung over the fire while Hannah added herbs to it.

            “Traveling not as easy as you thought?” Hannah smirked at her.

            She looked annoyed back. “I wonder who keeps making it hard.”

[lapdogchase]

[tangledinink]

welcome back to our program! and welcome to arc two.

✩ the gemini ✩ [ start ] [ prev ] [ next ]

[kiivg]

.😐.

[le0n-ardo]

He catches you staring at him - TMNT Headcanons

Rise TMNT x female reader, slightly suggestive, established relationship. Turtles are aged up to mid twenties or so.

Leonardo is smug, smug, smuggity smug, smug incarnate, smug in turtle form, smug turtle ninja mutant.

You thought you'd already seen a lot of that shit-eating grin before this? Oh, think again. You're not living that one down with him.

His own attractiveness is one of the few things Leo's never doubted before. For all his insecurities, this man knows he's pretty. Catching you staring at him just strokes his ego.

His sense of humor quickly leaps into protagonism, and he immediately starts flexing and posing.

"Like what you see, huh?" He does have nice arms

As if he couldn't get you flustered enough with that sole comment, Leonardo walks up to you and takes you in his arms, spinning you around a bit.

"I'm liking what I see too," he purrs. "We look damn good together, don't we?"

That little encounter is followed by a very long, very breathless make-out. Your arms around his neck, his hands on your hamstrings, and at one point, he even lifts you off the ground and you wrap your legs around his waist.

For the next few days, the smugness doesn't fade. Leonardo will try to pose or flaunt to get your attention, and he'll wiggle his brow muscles. You already know what he's aiming at without him having to say it.

"For someone who likes looking at me, you're doing very little to show it," he says with that stupid grin that you love. In response, you'll throw something light at him - a stuffed animal or a scrunched up paper.

When you do give him the follow-up he wants, you exploit his praise kink and constantly remind him how handsome he is, whispering it really softly in his ear. Oh, he loves that.

"What? What is it? Everything okay?"

Donatello thinks of a number a reasons why you might be looking his way before thinking it's because you find him attractive, even after having dated for a while now.

"Please tell me my eyebrows look fine."

You can't help but giggle softly. You know that's what he's like, and it's one of the many reasons you adore Donnie. It just means you have to admit what you feel out loud more often.

You decide to get creative and tell him you got lost in his magnificent aura.

Immediately, Donnie adopts his signature smirk, with an elegant "Ah, of course," as he uses the controls on his wrist to dim the lights of his room and begin playing some mellow music.

"This lighting is better. You may admire me more efficiently now."

Donnie notices how flustered you are after indulging you for a bit with a couple poses and smirks, though he's not sure if you're flustered over him or being caught.

Either way, Donnie takes a seat next to you on his bed and wraps an arm around you before beckoning Shelldon.

"Leave us, and lock the doors when you leave."

Raphael is 100% the one getting flustered.

He is really flattered that you'd use your precious time and your pretty eyes to look at him.

Afterwards, he smile at you with extra affection, with his eyes shimmering at you and his little tooth poking through that adorable smile, as if he were trying to thank you for loving him and being with him.

He's the biggest cinnamon roll. No smugness, no arrogance.

Being the gentle giant that he is, Raph uses physical affection to show how he feels about catching you staring at him.

Side hugs and hand holding are abundant in the aftermath of said event.

The memory of him looking your way and you already looking at him has him dazed for days.

He's so dazed that he doesn't even pay attention to Leo's nagging or Donnie's Donatelloness.

When you're both alone, Raph will hug you from behind and pull you in really close, nuzzling your neck and taking in your scent.

"Hey, uh... you busy?"

When you look at him, you don't even need to talk to answer his question. All you have to do is give him that little smirk, and he already knows he's in for a great time.

Michelangelo initially pretends to have a staring contest with you when he catches you staring at him. He obviously wins, because your getting caught by him makes you look away.

"I win, baby!" He celebrates.

On the inside, Mikey is up in the clouds with joy at the fact that you like him enough to look at him that way.

He walks up to you and gives you a tight hug, not wanting to brush away the subject.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed, baby! I like it when you look at me!"

Mikey lets you know that you have his permission to stare at him whenever you want.

You hug him back equally tight and Mikey begins swaying you gently in the embrace.

Eventually, you two are dancing.

In truth, your staring at him makes Mikey proud of himself. It's like a rite of passage for him, to have the love of a great woman like you makes him feel more grown up and more confident in his worth.

If you're okay with it, he'll brag to his brothers about it.

As a thank you, Mikey prepares a special dinner for you. It's pizza with extra mozzarella and mascarpone-filled crusts that he made himself.

The whole night is the most romantic date you could possibly imagine, ending with a romantic getaway in each other's arms under the stars.

Bayverse version here!

[tearystarz]

Drew lil scene from @missylink 's dbh fanfic she's currently writing >:3 will link when published!!🫶

[regretisstoredintheme]

I just had an idea! And I think its cute yet funny and maybe even a little angsty, but hear me out. Reader got a crush on rise! Donnie but doesn’t act on it/tries to stomp it down cuz Donnie is obviously married to science. But then! He got accidentally splashed/drunk a love potion (which actually heightens the emotions and feelings for a person that are already there) and Donnie looks at reader and he falls for them! (He already had a liking towards them but now it got heightened)

He still acts like himself but in love and more boldly!

Reader feels conflicted because they like the attention and stuff Donnie gives them but also sad because Donnie only acts like that because of the potion. Shenanigans ensue, till the potion wears off andddd you decide how it ends

I thought this could be a pretty fun prompt/theme/etc to do

Also you��re amazing! Love you’re writing! I definitely vote for you! And I hope you have an amazing timezone!

*crawls out of cave and GRASPS request*

Well hello there heh… if it isn’t my imaginary audience!

In the name of Science (A oneshot) - Rise!Donatello X Reader

Warnings: Possibly OOC? if you’ve seen the ROTTMNT episode “mind meld” then this will be fine In comparison

A/N: I know this isn’t exactly what was requested, but I hope it’s fun to read! I feel like I’m a full fledged fanfiction writer now that I have a love potion story 😭😭 I doubt this person even remembers their request anymore, but it was great inspiration nonetheless, thank you to them!

—

Here’s the thing, Donnie wasn’t exactly the easiest turtle to get a hold of. Not when he’s holed up in his room, working on the next big this or the breakthrough that.. at least, he always seemed to be, around you. Clearly he was avoiding you, right? Why would he be so boisterous and proud around his brothers and then suddenly become a recluse with you? April suggested he was simply not warmed up yet, however the little inkling of doubt in your brain strung into the long thread of yarn that wove a different tale.

No, he had to hate you. Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much. If he hated you, and didn’t simply not like you.

That’s why this was so conflicting.

He had been giving a demonstration, only to you, of something that he had created. (Of course, nobody else was home for him to rant to, naturally he would target the one person who happened to walk into his lab. This wasn’t special, you weren’t special, right? It was a matter of chance— don’t get your hopes up.)

The genius scientist seemed rather excited about this mysterious concoction, which he held in a glass vial. Something, something Oxytocin something, something heartrate— it was lovely just to see him ramble to YOU for once— not that this was special, of course.

At the last possible moment, he had offered you the vial, a proud smile on his face as he suggested you take a closer look at its contents. Unfortunately, you were a little… side tracked. It was heavier than you had expected— even if only by a few grams— that unfortunately didn’t matter when you were staring at the glass on the floor and the mysterious solution that had spilled everywhere including on the two of your feet. You were wearing shoes, but Donnie— well, he never wore shoes.

Donnie’s eyes widened as he looked up at you, horror etched in every wrinkle of his frown. You looked so apologetic, so, so very sorry that his only successful experiment was lying in pieces on the ground. Your eyes were so worried, so caring about what he had to say, and well…

“Shit.” Donnie threw his eyes in another direction, grabbing a rag from off the counter and squatting to try and get the solution off his skin. He hadn’t thought of the idea that it might work through topical use… Ergo! He was royally fucked.

“Donnie? Donnie seriously, if there’s any way I can make it up to you—“

He swallowed, looking back in your direction only to see your face again. How he hated the worry on your face, if it was any other situation he would have been angry and frustrated— but this was different. The solution was for you, anyway, what did it matter if you broke it? It was yours, and so was his heart the moment he laid eyes on you.

“Don’t—“ he coughed, “Don’t you worry your pretty head about it, it only took me a few days to make.” He shrugged it off like it was nothing, the flames of his frustration strangely suppressed under the blush on his face.

Pretty? That was new. He’d never spoken that way before..

“Donnie?” Your head tilted, eyes widened.

He liked that look on you, the confusion of his behavior— it meant you were paying attention. “What? This?” He glanced down at the mess, which seemed like a puddle of nothing now, he stepped through it to get closer. “Don’t worry about that.”

You were starting to wonder what the experiment actually was…

Meanwhile, Donnie was wondering how important his mysterious bad boy image actually was..

“Don’t worry about it? Donnie, what did that liquid do?” Your voice was like music, if he were himself, he would have been upset with how little you had paid attention, but you were looking at him now, weren’t you? He’d be happy to re-explain!

“A neuron chemical enhancer.” He spoke in that way he always does, but upon seeing the confusion grow on your face, he found himself wanting to elaborate in your terms. He loved your terms. “I curated it specifically for… romance.” He continued to explain, getting a little closer to you now. It was subconscious, he didn’t even realize he was doing it, he simply was.

That’s when it clicked. A love potion, that’s what it was— he had chemically engineered a love potion — what for? Why did he make it? You weren’t sure, but you knew his sudden advances couldn’t be genuine.

And yet, as his hand grabbed your wrist, you found yourself.. yearning for this side of him.

“Are you hurt? Didn’t get hit by the glass, did you?” Donnie asked, despite the fact that he, himself was standing in the shards. Jesus— you knew he was made for war, but… Wasn’t that uncomfortable? You’d never seen him so worried about anything other than quadratic equations..

“No— no, Donnie— are you sure you’re quite yourself?” Your words were drowned out by the smile on his face, the sigh of relief in which he was so glad you weren’t hurt. He couldn’t bear if you were hurt by one of his experiments, it would crush him. “Oh I’m so glad!” He immediately lit up, the kind of expression you were sure only his brothers saw— if his brothers even looked hard enough to see it. It was the kind of look he gave when he entered a library, when he was showing off an invention. The way his eyes crinkled at the edges and he lightly squeezed your arm, “Well, now that that’s taken care of, how about we sit down so you can listen to more of my thoughts?” It was too much.

“Donnie, Donnie— I’m starting to get worried about you..” your hand rested on his shell— well, on his battle shell, and he frowned, his brows raised, “well, if you don’t want that, perhaps I could interest you in some other stimulating entertainment?” He gestured grandiosely back at his elaborate gaming setup, hoping to tempt you into gaming with him.

“No, not like that,” You almost wanted to laugh, he was suddenly so desperate to keep you in his lab. “You don’t normally act like this… this.. interested..”

Interested? Whatever could you possibly mean? He hadn’t the foggiest! “Surely you’re not declining?” He frowned, brows furrowed.

“No, I’m just saying,” You continued to try and explain your point, lightly pushing him away and watching as he descended into discomfort at the distance, “You’re never this touchy— you don’t touch at all, in fact. This all started with that experiment… are you sure you’re not…”

Donnie’s eyes searched your expression as you spoke. He was unable to make eye contact for more than a moment, but he blamed that on your superb features. “Not what?” He folded his arms, more and more upset as he was pushed away. “Do you suddenly dislike my presence?”

“Donnie, no..” you sighed at the soft shell’s… soft shell. “Are you sure you’re not under the influence of anything?”

The turtle laughed, no, scoffed right in your face. “Me? Influenced by something? Please.” Donnie ‘susceptible to hypnosis’ Hamato confidently got closer again, now convinced you weren’t avoiding him for the reasons he was worried about. “The only thing I am influenced by is the way you captivate me.”

He paused, a look of horror appearing back onto his face. Okay, he was seeing it now. Did that really fall out of his mouth? He… no, it couldn’t be— could it? He… he sounded like… like Leo! His hand covered his mouth.

It seemed his experiment had finally worn off.

“Oh no.” If it was possible, he went pale in the face, the confidence from earlier completely stripped away as he stood with only a racing heart and flushed face. “What happened? What did I do?” He speedily backed up, momentarily lapsing memory of the past five minutes. You immediately felt bad.

“Nothing, Don, are you okay?” Of course it wasn’t real, why would it be real? He was just embarrassed by how the solution affected him.

Donnie grimaced, remembering what had happened in the span of a few moments. Many emotions were coursing through him right now— discomfort, embarrassment, frustration… and disappointment. “I’m…” his furrowed brows softened, his expression shifted to remorse. “It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.” He folded his arms once again, his hands clenched into fists.

What did he mean by that? As a matter of fact…

“Donnie, what was the potion… originally for?” You took a step forward, over the spill on the floor. The terrapin huffed, “it’s not a potion. It’s not mystic— I made it myself!” He was caught between wanting to be haughty and proud of himself and feeling bad for.. well..

“And.. it was for you.” He sighed, fiddling with his elbow pads, “I thought I could win you over with the power of science— clearly my methods weren’t as successful as I would have hoped.” He didn’t feel guilty, no— rather, he was upset the potion.. sorry, SOLUTION hadn’t worked for a longer period of time. “It clearly wasn’t strong enough..” he frowned, frustration building back up in his chest, “I’ll have to start from scratch, perhaps I can up the concentration of the liquified gasses…” he turned to his work station, his notes, reading on as if you weren’t there.

“It was for… me?” It felt like a bomb exploding in your chest. He what!? For you? For why? You approached the desk, seeing as the lists of chemical compounds and experiments, diagrams of neuron pathways and the science of this thing called “romance.”

He was doing everything in the book BUT courting you.

“Donnie?” You placed his hand on his shoulder this time, to which he lifted up his goggles and met your gaze, “hm? Yes?” He didn’t seem at all phased by you figuring out his plan, rather he seemed more steadfast in his science.

“Was it for… you.. and me…? For…?”

Nod.

“You know this isn’t necessary, right?”

Pause.

“..What’s that supposed to mean?” He furrowed his brows, what were you saying now? He tapped his fingers on his desk, waiting eagerly for your reply. You took deep breaths, stilling your heart beneath his intense gaze.

“I already like you, Donnie.”

….

He stood from his desk, staring at you. His eyes held something unintelligible, searching your face. His brows furrowed and mouth slightly agape, you could swear he had stopped breathing.

……..

………..

“What?!”

—

A/N: considering Donnie had literally changed his brother’s brain chemistry in making them more like him, he is NOT above trying to change the thought processes of someone he likes LMAOOO

[deadtiredghost]

we deserved more of 2018 Casey

[scealaiscoite]

｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ。 ﾟ。　 january prompts

　ﾟ･｡･ﾟ

¹⁾ amber

²⁾ seven stitches

³⁾ a bare back

⁴⁾ homesick

⁵⁾ gone-cold tea

⁶⁾ kitchen table

⁷⁾ an empty train carriage

⁸⁾ shotgun shells

⁹⁾ blackberry jam

¹⁰⁾ an older woman

¹¹⁾ silver candlesticks

¹²⁾ cheap tattoos

¹³⁾ a shattered windscreen

¹⁴⁾ rosemary

¹⁵⁾ a half-full milk carton

¹⁶⁾ family tree

¹⁷⁾ backseat

¹⁸⁾ a broken lock

¹⁹⁾ thursday

²⁰⁾ lovers’ lane

²¹⁾ unrequited

²²⁾ someone tying up your seatbelt for you

²³⁾ soft persimmons

²⁴⁾ a beaded curtain

²⁵⁾ rusted nails

²⁶⁾ handcuffs

²⁷⁾ lukewarm bathwater

²⁸⁾ a divorce lawyer

²⁹⁾ thigh-high boots

³⁰⁾ cigar smoke

³¹⁾ worship

[whatup345]

Little idea I just had:

After Leo's tragic death, Donnie builds a robot that looks just like Leo (like in all those fanfics). The twist? Leo's actual spirit possesses the robot.

At first, Leo's ghost can't do much. He's weak, and so the robot just follows its intended programming while Leo goes along for the ride. But slowly, as Leo gets used to his new existence, he learns to override the robot's AI, and basically use the robot as a new body. But, there's a problem.

Leo's brothers don't know that the robot is possessed. So when Leo starts to disobey the robot's programming, it causes issues. Donnie barely convinced the family to let him undertake this project, and now, his robot is getting far too invasive, clinging to it's "brothers" even when explicitly commanded not to. Of course, this is just Leo trying to interact with his family after being thrust into the spirit realm. But in everyone else's eyes, it's a weird and creepy robot, with faulty AI that can't understand boundaries.

Finally, Donnie has enough. The robot crosses a line, so Donnie takes it out into a sewer tunnel and destroys it, smashing it into scrap metal. The family is glad to be rid of the thing, which they began to see as a flawed coping mechanism. But Leo's spirit still clings to the robot.

And Leo is terrified. He doesn't understand what happened, or why Donnie would do something like that to him. Leo had been using the robot to live a second life, to speak and move freely, to talk with his family. And once Donnie destroys the robot, that is all ripped from him. Without a vessel to ground him in the mortal world, Leo is forced back into the spirit realm, separated from his brothers all over again, rejected by his family. And in his confusion, Leo gets angry.

Strange little things start to happen in the lair. People get calls that just play static, mystic powers fail more often than usual, Donnie's tech malfunctions. It's weird, but no one minds too much.

Then, one day, Donnie walks into his lab, to see Leo's robot, sitting on the table. It's perfectly repaired, to the extent that no one could even tell it was broken in the first place. It's eyelights are on, and it slowly looks up at Donnie.

"I hate you," It says in a perfect copy of Leo's voice. "I hate you."

And for the first time since his robot was finished, Donnie understands that something is very, very wrong.

[toastytrusty]

i really like the idea of post-canon jfj returning to britain because he would just Not be okay. At all. which like obviously. who would be. but he would be so Uniquely not okay. we see through his storytelling and his confession to francis that he is always trying to create for himself a "great gilded life." and i love that phrasing. a Gilded life. because he passes off every horrifying terrible wretched thing that happens to him as a brilliant, daring exploit, and something that makes him Really Cool, actually. he turns every traumatic event he endures into essentially a form of marketing for himself. and their years in the ice are just about as bad as it gets. so what is someone whose primary defense mechanism their entire life's been turning their trauma into glory to do? continue doing that. build a new frame around themself. gild the walls of what they experienced. tell a story. retreat into the belief that you are better because of what happened, that it could not possibly have wounded you so deeply as you fear it did. and yet. and Yet. we saw throughout the entire expedition, but i'd say most especially after franklin died, just how Young james is. it's not obscure history to know he was passed over to lead the expedition because he was too young. and yet he had to lead it anyway, because franklin died like immediately. which was really embarrassing honestly. he had to be a leader and feel the crushing weight of everyone's death and everyone's suffering on top of his own and clearly in the moment he was Not coping well. and he would have to live with that after. obviously the degree to which things impact him would depend on when and how you choose to get them out of the ice, but he, and everyone he was close to there, would remember how undignified and painful it was. he can convince everyone who wasn't there that they were heroic and persevered off of honor and bravery---and doing even this much would require separating himself from everyone who Was on the expedition, because their undeniable and unforgettable suffering would be proof against the validity of his story---and to some extent he can convince Himself, but that all depends on the sensationalization; the dinners and dances and drama. it all depends on the story. and there's only so many times you can tell a story. there's only so many people that will listen. once it's been exhausted to every possible outlet---every newspaper has written about it, every family friend has heard about it---and the years pass, and the sensation dies, what's left? nothing. nothing but the suffocating reality of what you endured and the devastating lonliness you created to put off having to accept it. you are left with a deeply broken man who has completely isolated himself trying to ignore how broken he is. delicious

[bicryptide]

"Rise leo is not canon queer/MLM-"

Be serious.

[electricphantasy]

Hey everybody, back again with my art! I thought I'd come out with my designs for if some A.I.s had a robotic, more mobile form. I kinda wanna go through my thoughts about their designs, so here we go!

HAL 9000: I wanted him to be very human-like with a lot of his details resembling human muscles. No colors, and all monochrome except for his bright red accents. I imagine he was built to be more so function over form, so he's kind of simple compared to the other A.I.s. His outfit is very professional - suit, tie, and all. His cape being a reference to his memory banks, since I love that scene despite how sad it is.

AM: Now I also wanted him to be human but in a more spooky, skeletal way. Very hunched over, broken down, and needing repairs. He has a little monitor where his heart would be that says HATE. Also, I took away AM's leg privileges, so underneath his HATE cloak is just more confusing wiring. I also want to reference the HATE monolith, so his entire cloak is covered in the word, hate. If that doesn't scream AM, I'm not sure what does.

Edgar: Edgar basically has 2 different designs - The design of the movie, and the design of the poster. To combine them I made most of his body based on the one in the movie, like taking his monitor from the movie and putting some limbs on it. He also gets a devil headband and clip-on belt to reference his more common, movie poster design. Edgar also gets the comfiest wardrobe with a heart tee-shirt and jeans.

TAU: Now TAU gets a very odd body shape, mostly because I wanted him to match Aries, (The robot in the movie) but in a less threatening way? Also floating limbs, because I said so. TAU actually has quite a few colors, despite advertising just using red, so he gets a gradient of red to green in his accents. I tried for the life of me to give him a wardrobe, and the closest I could get was a little, see through cloak. :(

[blueberri-blu]

Learning You...

Leo

Omg!! My first writing!

If you have any constructive criticism I'd love to hear it! I'm pretty new to this so I'll take any advice I can get!

I feel like this can be interpreted as Bayverse or 2012 Leo

No Trigger warnings, but let me know if I need to add any ^^

Donnie ♡⁠˖ Mikey ♡⁠˖ Raph ♡⁠˖

Leo

Meeting Him

You meet on one of the rare times he goes outside without his brothers, looking for peace and quiet

You're walking back home after a long day, unfortunately in the dark

Some guys come out from an alley way and grab you, making you scream as loud as you can for help

Leo hears you, and runs as fast as he can

Although he tried his best to stay in the shadows as he beat them down, you were able to take a small glimpse at him

For a second you could see is hesitance, but you thanked him softly, as to not scare him

He was surprised, but pulled himself together to keep his cool, and gave you his number in case you needed anything (and only casually threatened you if you ever made his existence known)

Befriending Him

After a couple of incidents where you felt unsafe and wanted him to walk you home, he gained the confidence to invite you to hangout

He wanted to get to know you better (as one of the few people who knew about him) before meeting his brothers

He'd pick you up at your rooftop, and he gets there about 15 minutes early, not wanting to waste your time

You go on a long walk, talking about anything and everything

These walks became your weekly routine, and soon he'd feel comfortable enough for you to meet his brothers

When you go to meet his brothers, Leo is nervous, though he doesn't let it show

Mikey immediately warms up to you, Donnie just throwing in a quick Nice to meet you!, Raph on the other hand is apprehensive

It takes a while, and multiple visits to the lair, but all of the brothers get accustomed to your presence

Leo finds the bond you have with his brothers another reason to trust you

As friends, you and leo mainly sit and meditate, or have tea

Your peaceful walks are now almost nightly, as you two talk about your struggles, comforting each other with your presence

First Date

Being the traditional gentleman he is, it takes awhile for home to ask you out

He prefers to befriend beforehand

He wants to get to know you first

When he does ask you out, it's with flowers and chocolates

He totally asks Master Splinter beforehand for advice

He asks you out for dinner on a rooftop

He wants to do this right, and Master Splinters told him to be true to his heart

The night is filled with nervous giggles and bashful eyes

He takes note of everything you do

The way you look away when you make eye contact, or the foods you don't seem too keen on eating

At the end of the night, he walks you home

(more like carries you to your rooftop)

Once you get there, he doesn't quite know what to do

But you lean in and kiss him on the cheek and say goodnight and thank you

He practically skips home afterwards

Dating Him

After awhile, he gets comfortable with you

He won't look away in embarrassment as much

He is still very attentive and detail oriented

You'll find your favorite snack in the lair

And his brothers seem to be in their best behavior (as good as they can be) when you come over

You meet Master Splinter after the fifth date

He loves and adores you, thinking you'll help leo relax a bit and help him manage his many burdens

You get along well with master splinter, coming over for tea and meditation

Leo loves that you've integrated well with his family

He just loves you with all he can, bringing you flowers and your favorite snack whenever he can "just because"

All in all, I think with Leo it would be a slow burn traditional and romantic relationship 💙🩵

[tangledinink]

:000 happy one year of i'm sorry, teenage mutant what now?

[tmntxthings]

一∑Moth to a Flame・゜・。

author’s notes: this is my entry for @dancingdonatello ‘s competition :D this has been sm fun and I can’t wait to read everyone else’s stories!!!

prompt: "You like them...more? Is that it? Am I the second choice?" "That's not true..." "Then choose me. Choose us."

warnings: angst, situation-ship, aged-up characters, college au, alcohol consumption, jealousy, yandere tendencies? cliffhanger

—————————————————————————

Donnie didn’t know how much more he could take. His mind was simultaneously all over the place and singularly focused on one thing. You.

~

Mutants and yokai kind alike have been out for years. So in the ‘town’ he and his brothers grew up in, they finally came to be free from the shadows. As free as heroes can be at least. They still needed to be a bit secretive on where they lived, in case of revenge-seeking villains.

But with mutants out on the surface, New York had grown accustom to them. Well, as accustom as they can be…

Donnie has met many people. He’s been able to attend college. Mostly online. But he finds the time to attend some evening classes in person. He met you. A floundering classmate in need of assistance.

Usually Donnie can find an excuse to get out of helping every poor soul that crosses his path. That’s what the professors are for. The librarians. Hell the student mentors! But with you… he just couldn’t resist.

The study sessions were long. But in the end you were able to pass, “All thanks to you Dee!!” You had cheered shoving your research paper into his face for him to appraise your passing grade. Barely passing, but it showed your improvement nonetheless.

He had been about to tease you of this. Three months of his help and you hardly grazed by?! But the thought was cut short as you pulled the papers away from his face and up you jumped.

Arms going around his neck and squealing your joy. He was frozen for a millisecond before his arms twitched into motion. His hands going around your back, holding you. That was the first time you had initiated such skin-ship.

Sure there had been the occasional touching of hands, passing laptops, books and the like back and forth. There had even been moments of playful touch, nudging his arm with your elbow for his odd choice in coffee. A tap above his glasses when he got too focused on his own work to answer your sporadic questions.

The hug didn’t last very long in terms of time. Seconds merely. But it made a lasting impression on Donnie. With the class over, you had no other reason to see him again. The prospect had Donnie fumbling to invite you out, to do anything to prolong such an ending to this blooming relationship.

“What classes are you taking next semester?” He had asked. You promised to text him the list, already having to dash off for one last exam.

He worried that would be the end.

Thankfully it wasn’t. You texted him later that evening, telling him all about the rest of your day as well as the list per his request. Unfortunately the two of you didn’t share any other classes. And it seemed unlikely for the future as well, the two of you were on diverging paths. Donnie despaired.

But you found reasons to message him. By the time the next semester rolled around the two of you were study partners, no matter the subject. Donnie would help if he could, and usually he was able. But there was a shift in the relationship. Outings to the library and other study areas changed to coffee shops. Then to your place. It only felt natural to invite you over to his.

Preparations were put in place. As were warnings “Yes, I do live in a sewer with my brothers and dad.” And “No it doesn’t reek of waste or garbage.” And “Yes there is one rat actually, my dear Papa.”

You took it all in stride. The introductions to his family went as well as they ever did. Friends. The two of you were officially friends. Donnie couldn’t be happier. With such a title he took more initiative with online contact. His messages would ramble on, sprinkled with pictures and videos.

Semesters continued to pass by and the bond between the two of you only grew. In turn, with more trips to his home, you became friends with his brothers. With April. It was just natural.

And then there was graduation. A celebration was in order. Four years, you had been in his life for four years and he couldn’t imagine it without you. The plan was to dress to the nines, and go out on the ‘town’! Drinking and dancing.

Of course, his brothers were invited as well as a few of your other friends. Donnie was no stranger to clubbing. The bar scene had become somewhat of a regular occurrence once his friendship with you was solidified.

You liked to go out. You liked music. He obliged on a few occasions to be your dancing partner and thus every time after it was his official label. Donnie was adverse to the huge crowds. It didn’t offer much room for dancing, but he’d endure it for you. With you in his arms it all seemed bearable. The music that was so loud it thumped in his plastron. The heat in the room percolating from the sheer number of bodies. Even the taste of alcohol, on the very, very rare occasion you got him to drink.

It always tasted horrible. No matter the different shots or mixed cocktails. God forbid a beer. You had pushed all sorts of these beverages on him, eyes crinkling up at him with amusement as his beak wrinkled from disgust.

Those nights with alcohol involved always ended strangely. Your touch would light him up from the inside. He’d want to hold you closer, lean in as far as you’d let him. Pull at your waist, dig his fingers into your hips during the last dance before the two of you had to part for the night. Those nights ended with kisses.

And by the next day you would never talk about them. So he didn’t either. Even as his murky memory of all other events seemed to part with clarity for how you had panted heat into his mouth. He’d flush dark green at just the thought and have to swallow the spit that pooled in his mouth.

This had happened a handful of times. The kissing. And with no communication whatsoever afterwards it put Donnie on edge. He wondered why it happened at all if you didn’t want to acknowledge the deed once it was done. He wondered about what it said on account of his own self worth for him to continue to let it happen.

To look forward to nights out. To nights you pushed a shot glass his way. To want your lips on his by the end of it all.

So with this big celebration, Donnie was expecting the same routine if only highlighted by the fact that both of you were now graduates. He’d be your dance partner. The two of you would spin for an hour or two, or however long you wanted. And he’d order himself a drink this time. One that he found slightly bearable than the rest.

Only, that wasn’t what was happening. Drink in hand? Sure. Your hand in his other? No. He was grumbling over at the bar shooting hateful daggers where you resided on the dance floor. You were dancing with Leo.

Donnie grimaced as he took a long hard sip. It was like acid in his mouth. Donnie didn’t know how much more he could take. His mind was simultaneously all over the place and singularly focused on one thing. You.

You laughing as Leo twirled you around. How wrong it felt to watch your arms go up and around his brother’s neck. Donnie was a better dancer. He knew in his soul that he could beat Leo in any category. Waltz, disco, salsa, you name it, Donnie could dance it. But his prowess didn’t seem to matter. Which only further incensed him. Why were you doing this? How could you possibly allow Nardo to take his place? His rightful role. Donnie was supposed to be your dance partner. And the only time you were allowed to dance with another was whenever he deigned to skip such an outing.

He was here. Dressed in an aubergine suit. Jacket button undone. And his black dress shirt was unbuttoned as well. Three buttons plucked, showing off too much skin in his opinion for such a crowd. But he had been feeling flirty. Flirty for someone who wasn’t even glancing his way.

Donnie fumed once more. Cursing in his mind as he lifted his drink and threw his head back. Maybe the taste would kill him. His eyes squeezed shut as the liquid poured down his throat and he tried not to gag. Bad decision.

When his eyes reopened it couldn’t have been at a worse moment. Leo was dipping you, his face leaning dangerously close to yours, his hand snug on your waist. Leo said something in your ear.

Maybe it was the lighting. Maybe it was the heat. But when Donnie saw your darkened cheeks, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He stormed to the dance floor. Yanking Leo’s hand away from your body once you were upright.

“What’s up hermano?” Leo’s smile was grating. Donnie had to force himself not to snarl. He took your hand and pulled you after him. Leaving Leo. Leaving this place. He had to get out of here now.

“Donnie?!” You called out over the music. But you didn’t pull away. You let him lead you out of the club. Out on the sidewalk, then off to the alleyway.

“Is everything okay?” You asked once he finally stopped. When he turned to look down at you, your eyebrows were creased with worry. Lips pulled into a line. Donnie was cracking. He couldn’t do this any longer. Did you like Leo? Did you want a ‘face man’? Was he not enough anymore? Was he being replaced? The thoughts were suffocating him and he pulled you to his plastron, backing you into the building wall simultaneously.

“I’m here, but Dee you’ve gotta say something, I’m getting worried..” You mumbled into his clothes. Your arms going around Donnie’s shell, petting over his jacket. Offering him comfort. It wasn’t enough. He huffed his frustration.

“Should I go get your brother?”

It was the wrong thing to say. And this time he did snarl.

“No.”

Your hands froze. Falling back down to your sides. You’d never heard him so angry before. He couldn’t find it within himself to care at the moment. His displeasure written all over his face as you looked up at him.

“What’s going on?”

And Donnie remembered himself thinking that so many times with you. As you had took his breath away. And then again when you pretended like you couldn’t recall ever doing so.

“Don-“

He leaned down. Capturing your lips. Kissing you like you did to him. Only where you had made him breathless, this seemed to have the opposite effect. You puffed up. Bristling in his arms as you tried shoving him away.

It hurt.

He was much stronger than you. He could overpower you easily. But your push was like a blow to the plastron. He staggered back, all anger leaving him. A husk as he squeezed his fists shut, head hanging down as you berated him.

“What the hell was that?! Are you drunk?? Donnie what is going on? If you don’t fucking say something right now, I swear to god,”

“I don’t know!” He shouted back and it was enough to quiet you.

From there it was as if his mouth couldn’t be stopped. “I don’t know! I thought this was what we did. I didn’t hallucinate those three times you kissed me. Don’t deny it any longer!” He was heaving, face coming up to stare accusingly at you.

Your lips pressed together in a thin line once more.

“You kissed me! Drunkenly, but it was still there. And I can’t forget. I can’t pretend they never happened. I don’t know how you can.” His hands were in motion as he ranted. Throwing them out with the building of emotion.

“So I thought tonight would be no different. We’d get drunk. We’d dance. And we’d kiss! I want all of that. Even though I’d do it without the alcohol.” His voice cracked towards the end. But he continued to push on.

“But you danced with him. So I went and got drunk enough for the both of us.” He felt pathetic admitting this out loud. He staggered forward, unable to remain so far apart. Despite you having pushed him away. He was just a moth to your flame. He’d let himself be burnt.

“You like him more?” He asked in a voice so low it practically went unheard. His hand came up, a finger tracing down the side of your cheek.

“Is that it? Am I the second choice?” His lids lowered in time as he ran out of skin to skim. His hand fell away from your face but he had crowded you close to the wall again. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

“That’s not true.” You exasperated. But that hardly cleared up anything for him. If that was the case then what were you doing dancing with his brother and not him? Why couldn’t he kiss you? Why were the both of you still pretending to be friends?

“Then pick me. Choose me.” Donnie pleaded. He didn’t care how needy it sounded. He’d do whatever it took. Get down on his knees if he had to. Because you had become a part of his life four years ago. Four years of a presence he didn’t know he needed. Up until it was far too late. And now there was no turning back. He’d be damned if he let you get away.