#Also all of these ones (except for the youngest leo au) are au's based on other media

[familyofpaladins]

(From a post talking about how I make an au everytime I watch another movie)

Oh you're spoiling me @sonderquill by indulging me in my au's. Also careful what you wish for lol

Okay heres a list of different Tmnt Au's that I've made in my head!! :D

Princess bride au

My own tmnt iteration au =Youngest leo (and oldest Mikey, but I tend to focus on leo)

Turtleverse - not so much an au as.... a big ol crossover and filling in some gaps from canon

Pacific rim au- I was actually gonna do a tmaynt promt with this au, but I skipped it because it was giving me trouble but I might come back to it

Treasure planet/island au - set in space like treasure planet but I pull in a bit more of the plot/events from the book

brother bear au - setting and details a little iffy

Looking through my notes to double check my Au's, I apparently also had a pokemon au, but I dont really remember where I was going with it lol

And now, Princess and the frog turtle au

Longer descriptions under the cut because uh. It got long lol (most of these are personality and character based from 2003 series, but could also be from other series/general/non specific iteration as well)

Princess bride au and Youngest Leo Au have links to their own posts so I'm not gonna say much more about them on this post

Turtleverse- So this is .... mostly just a place for all the iterations to hang out and meet each other. Kinda like the place in Across the Spiderverse. Theres not much for plot, except. The turtle in charge of everything in the turtle verse is the Donatello who disappeared in Same as it Never Was (2003 series). In this au, that Don was experimenting with alternate dimensions and time travel and accidentally sent himself to another dimension. Because of where ever he was sent, it takes him a while to travel through dimensions and then spends years hopping from universe to universe trying to find home. But because of [science stuff that I'm going to blame on quantum physic even though that's probably not the right term] his body isnt tuned to his home dimension anymore, and so if he ever made it back he wouldnt be able to stay there. And/or by the time he makes it back the events of same as it never was have already happened. So instead, he "maps" out the other turtle universes and allows crossovers to happen and a big ole hang out. (Like I said before, theres not really a Plot, but if there was, itd would probably have somethign to do with Don being A Bit controlling of the different universes and them not messing with Canon Events (like Manuel in Spiderverse), because he knows 03 Don made it to his home dimension, and while 03 Don got his brothers tow work together and defeat shredder, Don's brothers died and SAINW Don holds that against 03 Don and dosnt want other turtles interfering with other universes. So the plot would be addressing... all that while probably also dealing with some other interdimensionalproblem)

Pacific Rim au- like I said, I hope to draw of this and explain it more there. But I'll go ahead and give a run down. This is a human au. The bros are 4 identical brothers that pilot the only four man jaeger. They can also pilot a normal two man jaeger in any combination. But one day when a kaiju that comes out of the rift is more powerful than they expect, it tears into their jaeger and Donnie gets ripped out. After they get their damaged jaeger back to shore and injuries taken care of. They search for Donnie but never find him and (logically) assume he died. What they dont know is that donnie miraculously made it to shore and got picked up by some locals. But Don got a head injury and doesnt remember who he is and no one else realizes that he's the jaeger pilot who was lost at sea. (The bros are fairly private and so their faces arent publicized, and after people from the jaeger program looked for donnie, they really figured he was gone ((okay actually there is debate between the brothers)) so they didnt keep up the search.) As for Donnie, he assumes he's just a person whose home was destroyed by the kaiju and that theres just no one left to look for him. A man that goes by the nickname Leatherhead, takes him in and as the years go by the work on building the wall to protect against kaiju attacks (Don does his own research on the kaiju on the side tho). Anyway. After Don is gone, they cant pilot the 4man jaeger anymore and work in teams of two. But because of disagreements about Don's fate (like how they argued in SAINW) they dont work quite as well together. So Raph and Casey are drift compatible . And Leo and Usagi are Drift compatible. Mikey probably Could drift with others (if I wanted to bring in Mondo gecko into the au theyd be drift compatible), but he's trying to make sure his bros stay together and works with them.

BUT. Mikey hurt his arm during a fight. (Maybe just broken, maybe loses it if I want to lean into the SAINW parallel) So he's benched for a while. With all the gossip of the 4 drift compatible brothers losing a member and getting new drift partners eventually photos of their faces get out there. Someone who works on the wall keeps up with jaeger pilot gossip and thinks, "hey that guy kinda looks like those pilots. Guess the jaeger program really is going to shit if one is retiring to work on the wall" and maybe jokes about it with others. Eventually a rumor starts that theres a retired jaeger pilot working there. Don, who is probably going by a different name but I havent decided what yet, doesnt pay much attention to rumors and if he Does here, absolutely doesn't think it's about him. He doesnt pay much attention to the jaegers and focuses more on the kaiju themselves. Anyway, Mikey ends up hearing the rumor (because he's bored when benched and so goes out and wanders and also is secretly working on rebuilding their 4man jaeger) and goes "well it's not me, and I know it's not Raph or Leo... ". So trying to keep his hope down in case it's not what he thinks, (because really, it's been 5 years. If it was donnie he would have come home. Right?) He goes to see who this look a like is. He goes to where the wall is being built and looks around for a while and is about to call it quits when he bumps into someone. Don does a double take at the person he bumped into because he was looking at his notes instead of where he was walking. Realizes he's probably in the way and apologizes and goes to walk around. Then Mikey, who was so stunned to suddenly run into his brother (who he knows is donnie. Even with the scar he can see peaking out underneath his hair on his temple) who has been Gone for Five Years. He stops Don and questions where he's been. Don is very confused doesnt know what to make of this person who looks such like him. Eventually they put it together that don has lost his memories and Mikey begs Don to come back with him. Don isn't really sure what to think, (could this really be his brother?), he doesn't know this guy and doesnt know if he believes the "yeah I'm your brother and you have 2 more identical brothers as well" and he has been gathering impressive data on the kaiju that he doesnt want to abandon. So mike goes, come see my brothers and you'll see and if nothing else, you can conduct proper research with other scientist there. So don says yes. (But really. After just a minute of talking with mikey, Don would have gone back with him because he could Feel a connection and he Has to figure out the truth of what happened to him). Anyway they go back, Don meets his other missing brothers, theres crying and hugs and apologies and awkwardness. They do a drift at some point and Thats what brings back all of Don's memories. Something something they end up saving the day. I havent thought much plot past the bros reuniting lol

(God that was long. sorry)

Treasure planet/island au- setting is in space like Treasureplanet, so the boys are turtles. But some plot/events and character roles taken from the book. Splinter and the bros help run an inn. Theyve all grown up hearing stories of the Pirate Krang and his hidden treasure. Someone comes to the inn with a map (I'm thinking baxter stockman. Possibly in this weird brain/tentacle form since this is space and I can use his weirder forms) and other pirates pancake the inn and burn it down with the bros barely escaping with the map. Casey is a friend of the family and they go to his house. Leatherhead is a doctor/scientist and was with the turtles at the time. Mikey and/or Don are messing with the map and are the ones to figure out how to open it. Once they realize they have Krang's Treasure Map, they set out to find it. Casey and leatherhead hire the crew. Leatherhead hires the well renown Captain April O'Neil with firstmate Traximus the triceraton. Casey hired the cook and his daughter who helped hire the rest of the crew. Oroku Saki is an utrom in an exo-suit "with a passion for cooking". His adopted daughter Karai is an excellent sailor. :) Anyway they set sail. April knows soemthign is up with the crew and doesnt trust them one bit. The turtles are slightly suspicious of Saki, but mikey likes cooking with him, Don is fascinated by his exo-suit, and Leo likes training with Karai, and is charmed by Saki's "Honor". Raph doesnt trust them at all, but has no proof for anything and his brothers seem okay with them so he keeps his temper down (as much as he can. He's raph tho lol) anyway. Leo (and mikey maybe?) eventually overhear Shredders real plans to create a mutant and take over the ship. The rest of the events are a little unplanned because it's a mix of book events and movie events and I didnt write down everything that I apparently originally thought of. But two of the brothers (originally wrote down Mikey and Raph but that might change) sneak off the ship to join the pirates pretending to think that they are still good loyal crew. They get away from the pirates and meet The Fugitoid, Professor Hunnicut, former navigator for the Pirate Captain Krang. Later 2 of the other turtle brothers (maybe leo and don?) Are trying to get the main ship back and have a epic fight with ... someone. Maybe hun or bishop and/or Karai. Idk. Like I said. Iffy plot points. Karai is the one who has a change of heart and helps the brothers. Also the pirates may not be after treasure so much as, say, a giant portal that can take them across the galaxy in the blink of an eye. Fugitoid may or may not have actually been the one to booby trap the planet so no one could use the technology again for evil.

Brother bear au- setting would probably change. but idk to what/where exactly. The brothers, when reach a certain age are given totems/amulets/soemthing(depends on setting) with a certain trait. Leo the oldest gets Guidance. Don second oldest gets Wisdom. And raph is supposed to get his. he gets Love. Gets mad about the animal he gets. (I havent fully decided if I'm sticking with the whole turning into a Bear thing and giving the eagle and wolf to leo and don. Or to turn raph into a turtle demon(like the ones from the ninja tribunal arc) because then I'm not sure what animal/creature to give to the rest of the brothers. Anyway). Mikey is the youngest and hasnt recieved his yet. things happen, Raph goes a bear/turtle monster and Leo does saving his brothers (I'm sorry leo 😭). Raph decides to go after the "monster" again, despite Don and mikey telling him not to. Raph goes out, kills it, and gets turned into said creature. Donnie who had followed after Rpah thinks his other brother has now died as well and decides he need to go after it as well. Mikey may or may not join him (I havent decided). Raph meets a young one along the way, and while I was originally thinking Tyler(? From lone raph and cub 2003) I think this would be a good spot for Spike/Slash. (I could also change it that mikey is the kid he picks up along the way, it could work. but I also like the idea of the 4 of them actually being brothers the whole time) anyway. travel shenanigans and raph realizing that the "monsters" arent monsters meanwhile Don is having A Time following the creature who killed two of his brothers.

Pokemon au- I'm just gonna screenshot what I have in my notes because I dont really remember where I was going with it lol

And then the newest addition to the Au's and what prompted that other post

Princess and the frog, I mean turtle- theres so many different ways I could go with this. But I think I'm leaning towards an au where, somehow, at least one of the brothers (who are mutant turtles) gets cursed into a normal turtle (because I think its funny). They're all trying to figure out how to break the spell/curse. They find April and think she is a princess whose kiss will break the spell, but she's not a real princess and ends up cursed too. So then they're ALL trying to figure out how to fix it. Havent decided if it's the situation from some of the original stories where the frog has to eat off the princess's plate three times, or kissed by a princess or "true loves kiss". But if it is the true loves kiss, I'm going the Platonic Love is just as true love as romantic love route.

This one hasnt been cooking in my mind as long so it's not as detailed, but I do like the idea of the turtles and april helping each other try to reverse the curse. (It could also be that casey and/or april got cursed originally and the turtles are there to help them find a solution. Or it could be that the brothers are supposed to be human and got turned into turtles/or turtle mutant)

So yeah, theres the different Tmnt Au's I have :)

[silverfirewolfsurtleaus]

Annnd back with more for this au!

Specifically my promise of how the boys look whrn they start travling with ash...and them with their starters!

Now yes Im aware that none of their starters are the Kanto starters. Im also aware that the begining of the anime happens around when gen 1 was the only one out and they were plotting gen 2 BUT! This is an au taking place 9 gens later with all of them being turtles from diffrent gens I think I can bend the rules here.

Now why I chose ehat I did as their starters and how they got them. Now being diffrent ages (except Donnie and Leo) they all got their starters at diffrent times and will go in order of age

Raph and Litten: I chose Litten because Incinaroar is very much wrestling thing and Raph being highly invested with wrestling would deffinatly pick one as his starter if he had the ability to! Plus having a partner he doesnt have to worry about rough housing with would probably be a relife. (I know he could rough house with most if not all of them but Incinaroar seemed like the best one to do that with.)

Prof. Oak probably pulled some strings and got paper work together for the boys to have nonkanto starters because the boys admitted it felt wrong to have Kanto starters. He kinda agreed with Leo being well a squirtle. It probably took a lot of phone calls and paper work for him and them to get these 4 nonkanto starters in Kanto.

Leo and Sprigatito: like raph I chose because of Sprigatitos final evo invoking something leo's intrested in. In this case its Leo's love of magic and magicians. Meowscarada is very much a jester/magician in design which fits with this. It also to some degree fits Leo's trickster nature as all is not what it seems with it. (Also yes I did give leo a female starter...but its because I spun a wheel and he got lucky all the rest of em got boys.)

Donnie and Popplio: honestly I had a bit of trouble choosing between popplio and the many grass type starters. Ultimatly I chose Popplio due to two reasons. Reason one is that popplio very much has an opera singer vibe after its a primarina which I thought fit with Donnie's theater kid vibes. The other of which is donnie is practical and a fire type who knows he wont always be with leo and raph (who are both water types) to put out fires...

Mikey and Fenniken: another tough decision mon for one of the turtles. I chose fenniken due to the fact its well based off wizards and stuff in its final evo and mikey is the most powerful mystic warrior. However this wadnt the only reason ultimatly you see several psychic type pokemon have been noted to read peoples emotions not just their minds, which people dont exactly think about their emotions so. Which I thought itd be cool if he got an empath Delphox as a partner.

Though uh yes they are a bit worried about the grass type turtle having a fire fox as a starter but relax by reminding themselves Mikey eventually will become a ground type...

And yes the boys themselves will eventually evolve, except donnie but hes a species that cant evolve, Raph will eventually be a shiny (yes he is shiny) Dreadnaw, Leo will eventually be a wartortle (and grab an everstone to not become blastoise), and Mikey will become a grottle then torterra. However when and why they evolve is diffrent...mikey takes the longest not cause hes the youngest but because he doesnt feel ready to evolve for the longest time...and yeah leo will never become a blastoise because being a wartortle of all pokemon species feels the most right to him...raph litterally cannot evolve beyond Dreadnaw so...

On that note yall remeber me mentioning they cant go in pokeballs? Yeah this means legally they cant usethemselves as pokemon in offical battles like gym battles turnament or even offical contest! If they want a pokemon of their own type to use in one they have to go catch one.

Now Im going to go work on the pokemon they are going to catch over this anime journy and why they were chosen and how they joined.

Also draw their looks for every region post Jhoto (not going to draw them post evolution because I like drawing them as a group for these sorts of things so its generally going to be a look change before next region...except Jhoto because it was post Jhoto when that trend started)

[twicethetrouble]

ANOTHER ROTTMNT AU that I probably won't write

Turtles are Lou Jitsu/Big Mama's kids before turtle mutation

- b/c why the hell not

 (Everything under the cut b/c apparently this is a long one)

start

- Basically Big Mama decides she'd rather have Lou join the battle nexus willingly than as a captive. (She likes the thing they have going on and would rather it not end anytime soon.)

- she introduced him to the Battle Nexus.

- After the shock wares off, he's fascinated by it. (The movies were great but he was getting bored.)

- Lou joins the Battle Nexus willingly and the two stay in a relationship (not married, just together.) (Some talk about how he's her pet champion but those that talk too loud end up disappearing.)

- As a result of their continued relationship, they end up having kids. 4 boys (the middle 2 being twins, of course)

(I can't decide if they have the same names or not so we'll skip that for now.)

- Now, a quick note for this AU. Part of the reason Yokai stopped interacting with humans was b/c whenever a hybrid was produced, they tended to be more human than Yokai. (Even more if a cloaking broach is involved. It throws in extra genetic variables so the offspring can end up inheriting traits from that as well.)

- The boys are no exception. They look human except for a few... oddities.

- Raph has the fluffy mint colored hair and red eyes of Big Mama's spider form. (Not fully red eyes.) He's also exceptionally strong, having once thrown a temper tantrum that resulted in throwing his entire crib across the room. He also likes to pick up his brothers and bodily carry them for no reason. Much to his parents panic upon finding the baby just missing.

- Leo is the oldest twin (by 2 minutes). He and Donny look the most human (with Lou's black hair and dark eyes) the only odditys being from the lavender purple spots on their skin they got from Big Mama's human form (think Leo's marks except more organic looking). (Tho they seemed to both start developing extra, spider like limbs by the time they're 1). Leo likes to follow around Big Mama whenever he can, often sitting on her lap during meeting and trying to mimic her facial expressions.

- Donny is the youngest twin. Again, mostly human looking. His purple spots are different then Leo (again his turtle markings but different, tho he does also have one over his right eye as well.) He is very frustrated about not having extra limbs like Big Mama. He is constantly wearing a spider themed backpack with little bouncy spider limbs as a result and will scream whenever it's removed.

- Mikey is the baby (obviously). He has Big Mama's human form hair and eyes, tho if u lift up his hair and there's 4 spider eyes on his forehead that he hasn't figured out how to open yet.

mutation day

- On mutation day, Raph is 2, the twins are a little over 1, and Mikey is 3 months.

- Draxum sends his gargoyles to grab Lou like originally planned.

- Huggins and Muggins arrive at the room, finding only the 4 boys asleep in their beds (Lou is currently arguing with Big Mama in another room about wanting to stop fighting for the boy’s sake.)

- Huggins and Muggins thinks one of the boys is Lou so, not knowing which it would be, grab all four.

- Draxum sees the four and realizes they’re Lou’s kids (but he’s not paying attention to gossip so he doesn’t realize they’re half yokai) and decides starting with a young human base might be more beneficial than an animal base.

- He has them each interact with the turtles he was going to mutate before mutating the children instead.

- Lou shows up just in time to see his boys mutated into turtles.

- Draxum is woefully unprepared for the fury Lou fights him with. He destroys the lab and steals his sons back, getting covered in mutagen as he does.

- He’s back in the NYC before he realizes that his boys are alright, just turtles, and that he’s now mutated into a rat-man.

- (Also that the mutation has overrode their yokai dna so they no longer have those traits)

- He can’t go back to Big Mama like this. He certainly can’t fight in the Nexus like this and she made it exceptionally clear that’s the only reason why she keeps him around (a lie but he doesn’t realize that)

- so he stays in the human world, eventually finding a decent place to hide in the sewers and raises his sons alone.

- he doesn’t talk about before they were mutated, keeping the only human(ish) picture he has of them hidden deep in the do-not-touch cabinet.

- If they assume they’ve always been turtles then, well, he doesn’t correct them. It was probably for the best anyways.

post mutation

-The boys were so young, they don’t really remember a before.

-Mikey definitely doesn’t.

- Leo doesn’t really either. His only memory being sitting on someone’s lap as they sat behind a big desk and made faces at weird men, but he assumes it’s just an old dream he can’t quite shake.

- Donny knows there was..something. He knows they used to look different (but not exactly how) and has a foggy memory of being caught pulling apart a new toy and a women praising him for being so smart. (he still is very much frustrated by lack of extra limbs, hence his spider limb battle shell, which was probably the first non-standard battle shell he designed.)

- Raph, without a doubt, remembers the most. He remembers they had a mom and how pops looked different back then. He remembers being chased by an owl man after escaping his  watch. But he also remembers how mutation day felt, and is forever grateful his brothers do not.

Series

- series doesn’t really change much

- Big Mama never knew her boys got mutated (instead thinking Lou had taken them and left after their fight) so 13 years later, when 4 turtle mutants start causing trouble for her, she is exceptionally confused as to why she immediately thinks of her lost boys.

A strong one in red, carrying his brothers without thought

A clever one in blue, who seems to see right through her tricks like his mind works just like hers.

A smart purple one with fake spider limbs.

And an smiling orange one who trust his brothers without fault.

- She tries to keep them at the hotel to figure out why, but Blue is too clever for that.

- It’s not until she meets Lou/Splinter again does she put the puzzle pieces together.

- She doesn’t quite believe it until Blue cons her in her own game.

-after that, i’m not sure what would happen. maybe she would sit back and watch them from afar? Maybe she would continue her plans for a weird “they’re my kids, i know they can handle the challenge” sort of way? Either way she knows now. And she’s not going to be able to pretend that she doesn’t.

[b--tchcraft]

「   ʰᵃᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᵉᵉⁿ 𝓶𝓪𝔂𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓵𝓲𝓷 ʸᵉᵗ ᵗʰⁱˢ ˢᶜʰᵒᵒˡ ʸᵉᵃʳ ?? ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ⁱⁿ 𝓸𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓪, 𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓲𝓻, ᵒʳ 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪 𝓬𝓵𝓾𝓫 ?? ⁱ ʰᵉᵃʳᵈ ˢᵒᵐᵉ ʷⁱˡᵈ ʳᵘᵐᵒʳˢ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉ 𝓼𝓲𝔁𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷 ʸᵉᵃʳ ᵒˡᵈ ˡᵃˢᵗ ˢᵉᵐᵉˢᵗᵉʳ, ᵇᵘᵗ ⁿᵒʷ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉʸ’ʳᵉ ᵃ 𝓳𝓾𝓷𝓲𝓸𝓻 ⁱᵗ ᵐⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵇᵉ ᵃ ᵈⁱᶠᶠᵉʳᵉⁿᵗ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ. ᵃᶜᶜᵒʳᵈⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉⁱʳ ᶠʳⁱᵉⁿᵈˢ ᵗʰᵉʸ’ʳᵉ ᵖʳᵉᵗᵗʸ 𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷, ᵇᵘᵗ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗⁱᵐᵉˢ 𝓼𝓱𝓮 ᶜᵃⁿ ᵇᵉ 𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓭𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰. ʷʰᵒ ᵏⁿᵒʷˢ, ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵐⁱᵍʰᵗ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵇᵉ 𝓱𝓮𝓻 ʸᵉᵃʳ !   」

LIGHTNING ROUND

full name: maya ruby matlin

date of birth: may 9, 2004 @ 11:50 AM (16y/o)

star signs: taurus sun, leo rising, capricorn moon

birth order: youngest

gender: cis female (she/her)

sexuality: bisexual

romanticism: biromantic

personality: ambivert, idealist, infp-t

moral alignment: neutral good

temperament: melancholy-choleric

hogwarts house: slytherin

spirituality: undecided, only vaguely spiritual

positive traits: tender, prodigious, visionary

negative traits: naive, intrusive, self-involved

faceclaim: kiernan shipka

AN OVERVIEW

tw: illness (multiple sclerosis), hospitals, overdose, addiction, eating disorder, mental illness, anxiety, depression

this interpretation of maya matlin is a little bit all over the place since i wanted to have her come in on a mostly fresh note (especially since so much is au around here so obviously a lot of her more formative plotlines didn't happen) but i wanted to keep what i consider to be some of her key character traits. so some liberties have been taken not that anyone ever cares xx

maya was interested in music from a very young age while simultaneously always having trouble with making friends. when she was in second grade and her parents noticed that she’d been invited to way less playdates and birthday parties than her older sister, katie matlin, did by her age, they figured getting her music lessons would be a good way to both enrich and socialize her. 

the cello was love at first sight for maya. her parents tried to talk her down to a violin since she was comically small compared to the larger instrument, but she couldn't be swayed. she was also a natural when she got her first lesson as a sort of trial run, and so maya x cello began.

growing up hearing things like gifted and talented, even child prodigy did make her ego grow with her, but it wasn’t without reason—even she could see how much she excelled in orchestra compared to her classmates, to the point where she took up other instruments along the way just to keep feeling challenged. but other than that, she didn’t have much going for her; her overall grades were pretty good, and she was generally nice to the other people at school (even the ones she had no problem telling her family she didn’t like) but no friendships ever stuck. music really was like her one thing. 

so, her parents did what they could to nourish it—including enrolling her in a middle school for the performing arts, which she loved. but in a few years when katie started high school at degrassi and was more well-rounded than ever—having friends, clubs, soccer, taekwondo, etc.—it really did highlight how little maya did outside of her little musical world. mr. & mrs. matlin started to worry that, in allowing and encouraging this, they were only enabling maya to alienate herself from other people and opportunities in the world. so, much to her dismay, the next year she, too, was enrolled at degrassi. 

with lots of cliques and friend groups carrying over from previous schools, maya felt like a new kid in the worst way. luckily for her, one kendra mason noticed how much she looked like a lost puppy and took her under her wing, already knowing her way around despite being in the same grade since she had an older brother in katie’s grade and already knew most of their peers. to say that maya latched onto bonding with kendra would be a massive understatement, and the two have been best friends ever since.

although maya’s made no secret of her disdain for how undemanding degrassi’s music curriculum is, with kendra’s friendship (and the way she has no problem telling maya when she’s being a little brat) she finally started branching out more, joining a few clubs, making some more friends, getting crushes (lots of crushes) and just enjoying being a teenager for the first time, like, ever. so, imagine her heartbreak when she found out kendra was gonna be going away to boarding school the following year. 

despite how much more involved she was now, maya started sophomore year feeling lost all over again. however, she at least knew that kendra’s ex, toby isaacs, would be missing kendra just as much as she did, especially since it wasn’t like they had broken up on bad terms. so the two gravitated towards each other—well, no, it was more like: maya gravitated towards him, which got them to hang out more and actually become closer friends, and that was nice for both of them...but maya also totally developed a big crush on toby in the process that was not only unrequited but unspoken about so that no one would ever know (except maybe katie, who could always read maya like a book). it really wasn’t even that she had any intention of dating him, he had just kind of become her closest friend at degrassi without kendra there and they both bonded over missing her and it was nice, and i mean, it’s toby, he’s nice, and funny, and adorable, and oh my god did maya not want to be feeling any kind of way about her best friend’s ex and had a whole lot of feelings about the whole thing and wrote a whole lot of songs about it that she never wants to see the light of day. but she never did get rid of the journal she wrote them in.

eventually she got over it, at first because the weirdness of it all turned her off from the whole idea of liking him, but then especially when she found out kendra was coming back. whether that had more to do with guilt about ever having crushed on toby in the first place or just the sheer excitement of getting her bestie again remains unclear. she just tries not to think about it too much. 

A RUNDOWN

maya’s trademark savior complex is still very present, having started with her mom; with her dad usually working and katie always busy, maya grew up spending a lot of time alone with her mother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. while, fortunately, margaret matlin maintained a lot of her independence, some days were worse than others as with any chronic illness, and maya was always checking in on her and seeing if there was anything she could do to help. her compulsion to “save” her loved ones later grew when katie wound up hospitalized from an overdose, and maya learned (from general talk among the parents and medical staff) that not only did her sister have a pill addiction but had struggled with disordered eating as well. 

although none of it had anything to do with her, maya couldn’t help but feel like things might not have gotten so bad had she monitored katie more closely like she did their mother, but she didn’t want to make it about herself, so she just kept quiet about these thought patterns, only internalizing it more. at the fault of no one in particular, this developed into a sort of anxiety, which makes her worry a little too much about her friends and family—often to the point of nosiness or straight-up invasion of privacy in the pursuit of a maya matlin wellness check.  the fact that she goes to degrassi, of course, doesn’t make this any better, by the way, with all of the shit that goes down there all the time.

this habit of catastrophizing has also led to a currently undiagnosed mild depression, which often even seems totally latent in her behavior but does circle back to worsening her anxiety. she tends to fixate on stressors (usually personal, but sometimes as big as world events) and will have racing/spiraling thoughts. her lower points tend to be worsened based on circumstance, so she’s more likely to “look” or “seem” depressed in times of higher personal distress, contrasting the heightened nerves and paranoia that will often come beforehand (and serves as a good warning sign). basically, the girl needs therapy, we’ll get there eventually.

ANYTHING ELSE?

i definitely played up the amount she was affected by her mom and katie (even tho i will argue that those were starting points in her mental health journey) but since we’re in a super au and i was trying to serve fresh maya realness alongside later!maya personality/mentality traits, i kinda had to chopshop her backstory a little. that’s also why this turned out so long, i knew i had some differences that needed some explaining.

(also pls note if we do get a katie who doesn’t want to keep the aforementioned plots OR wants to change it up some, i’m obviously open to that!)

i also figure that maya’s relationship with katie would be figured out more when/if we get a katie, but by default, i like to imagine they’re very close with a pretty clear “wiser big sister looking out for her baby sister who thinks she knows everything” dynamic, like best friends but katie puts on the big sister hat when she needs to.

i’m also trying to be very mindful of her mental health because i don’t want her to be quite the extent she ever reaches in next class, but i did also appreciate and apparently relate to a lot of the nuances in how her mental illness really surfaced and inevitably spiraled. so she’s going to be a little mix of happy lil early day maya and the nervous wreck she became later one, with just a splash of next class’s touches like “disaster porn” and having days where stays home from school because she just feels too down. basically, it fluctuates.

maya kind of always knew that she was bi, but like, quietly, since it’s never really been a big deal to her but she also didn’t want to seem like she was looking for attention (not for that, anyway). she definitely acts more outwardly boy-crazy though.

she is also a serial crusher and goes through them faster than even she can keep up with. other than toby, some highlights of the crushes she’s had include: adam torres, alena montanez, alex nunez, amy peters-hoffman, ashley kerwin (like, right when she started her cool goth look), danny van zandt, dave turner, imogen moreno, reggie dever, sean cameron, spinner mason, yael baron, and obviously zig novak. she’s totally got a thing for cam saunders at the moment, and she thinks that craig is, like, the coolest, but not even in a dating kinda way just in a wow-you’re-so-cool-and-talented-i-wanna-open-up-for-you-on-tour-one-day-pls-notice-me-senpai kinda way. and she’s almost definitely felt some type of way about kendra that’s more than friends, more than once, at some point, but even she hasn’t realized that.

despite the fact that she’s got a song written for almost half the school, maya has never dated anyone or even had her first kiss! obviously nothing wrong with that, but a fun trivia bit.

the basement of the matlin house is practically dedicated to being maya’s studio. it’s like half practice room, half hangout, filled with just about every instrument maya took an interest in over the years (mostly string instruments, some miscellaneous, she’s currently trying to build up a drumset that she’s convinced she’s gonna teach herself, and her next fantasy/goal is to get a theremin) as well as an iMac with a composition and production softwares, a sound system, and then just like a couch and a tv and stuff. it’s a pretty impressive amount of musical equipment that looks like a lot (and it is) but again, it’s really like her one thing and her parents want her to be happy. most of it comes from various holidays and occasions since she only ever really asks for additions to her collection as gifts, so between that and random bits and pieces she saved up to buy herself (and a few her parents just felt like treating her to) it’s built up over the years. 

yeah i literally always play maya with this basement, it’s basically become a staple of my maya matlins, i’ve designed it a couple of times but i’ll probably redo it once more for this verse because it’s her favorite place to hang out.

aaand i’m gonna make myself end there because i’ll just keep going and this is already far too long but yeah welcome to the world my latest edition in maya matlins~ 

[khhunniewriting]

The Others (15)

[ Mafia/Gang AU ]  [ Index ]

Warning: Suggestive/Mature content

In order to give you and his son an official title Joonkyung went to work. He had to find Jia’s real father, assert his dominance over Ambition, and most importantly... divorce Kylie.

Joonkyung presented the divorce forms to you as a result of his work the past few weeks. Everything was in place. He worked his lawyers day and night to look for any and all loopholes. If he was going to do this he had to make sure everything was covered. 

He would keep all of Illionaire and Ambition. He would share custody of Ji-hoon until he was of age to make his own decisions. If money was all that Kylie wanted then Joonkyung would willingly compensate her, he would give half his fortune as long as he was free of her. Besides, he could always make more money. His businesses were in place and would continue to make revenue while she piddled away at the finite amount. 

By then she would be another man’s problem.

“I thought you said divorce was impossible.”

It was strange, Leo knew nothing of other families except for what he had seen on television but he knew this wasn’t normal. Their lives revolved around these meeting-like gatherings in Joonkyung’s office.

It was obvious Ji-hoon was used to it by how he often tuned in and out at appropriate times. 

“Our marriage was based on a contract between my father and hers. I handed over the contract to the lawyers who specialize in the laws of our organizations. They know the rules pertaining to the others.”

The others meaning, the other son and mother.

You looked over at Leo who simply looked back showing no sign of discomfort. 

After several weeks of this, he found himself quickly adapting. All he had to do was sit idly and listen to the information. Like this, he quickly found out what kind of man his father was. He found out what he did, how he did it, and why his life was so complicated after finding out he was his son. 

Despite knowing his father’s circumstances, a part of Leo refused to accept him. He felt that if he truly loved his mother he could have looked for her despite her leaving him. He obviously had the means to look for people.

His thoughts were broken by Ji-hoon’s abrupt stance. 

Ji-hoon sat up stomping his feet on the ground to lean forward. Everything seemed in place to the adults but there was one problem Ji-hoon wished to address.

“She can’t force me to go with her right?”

Both you and Joonkyung put your qualms on hold to address the teen’s concerns. 

“Shared custody means she has equal rights of interaction with you. The lawyers took into account the fact that you have been living with me for the past five months and that you are enrolled in a school nearby. If anything your mother can claim her rights every weekend. You won’t have to live with her but-”

“I have to see her every weekend? What if I don’t want to? Is she just going to show up like last time?”

Clearly, Ji-hoon had many concerns that you felt were best handled by Joonkyung. You gave him a look asking him to assure Ji-hoon that everything would be alright but Joonkyung had his own way of handling his son.

“I can’t stop her from claiming her parental rights until you are eighteen.”

“Joonkyung, I’m sure you can do something if he doesn’t want to go with her.”

Ji-hoon had been dejected until you stepped in to help him. His eyes grew wide with the hope that perhaps he could set the limit on his interactions with his mother. As it was now, seeing her every other weekend was enough of a challenge. She continuously asked about his father’s business and interactions, pestered him to continue studying things he had no interest in, and polishing his image.

Joonkyung silently contemplated. 

He hadn’t foughten for full custody of Ji-hoon knowing very well that Kylie was solely interested in their son inheriting everything. He figured this would be the only way she would sign the papers. If he dared to fight for full custody it was probable this would amount to nothing. 

“There’s not much we can do.”

Ji-hoon looked over at you with pleading eyes knowing there was a much better chance of you convincing his father.

You held his hand assuring him you would do your best to help.

“But there is something right?” You were quick to catch onto the meaning behind his words.

Joonkyung relented and regathered the papers that would have to be redrafted. “I’ll see what I can do.”

\\\

After weeks of drama with their parents and each other Leo and Ji-hoon were happily getting back to their usual routine- despite the legal talk. They would go to school where they could be themselves- to a certain extent. 

Leo still forbade Ji-hoon from calling him little brother while Jihoon practically begged to hear him call him big brother once more.

“Don’t we have a game soon?” Ji-hoon asked Cjamm as he settled down into his seat and put his feet up onto his desk. After being benched the last game due to having missed so much school and practice, he was feeling a build-up of energy and possibly aggression. 

Cjamm nodded, “Should be this week but coach says it might be canceled.”

“Why?”

“The team we’re going up against has some major issues. A few of their stars were injured after going up against this really tough team. Their team was small to begin with so there aren’t many people to stand-in.”

“I really want to play~” Ji-hoon groaned.

“Don’t worry, we might play that tough team instead.”

“Anyone is fine just let me play-” Ji-hoon yawned not even a few minutes after arriving into his classroom. He pulled the hood of his jacket down over his eyes and began drifting not without mumbling first. “Leo’s mom really wants to see...”

Nauen immediately perked up hearing Leo’s name.

“I want to see Leo’s mom,” Cjamm sighed.

Ji-hoon immediately sat up, “Don’t even think about it.” Now he understood Leo’s previous actions. Leo’s mom wasn’t just Leo’s mom anymore. She was also his father’s girlfriend- Illionaire’s Lady. 

“Not you too... she’s not your mom.”

“Still, she and my dad-”

That’s all Naeun was able to hear before the bell rang signaling the beginning of class.

\\\

After following Kylie around Beenzino was able to report the places she frequented to Dok2. Out of all the places, there were a few hits for known money launderers and they all pointed to one group.

“So it’s JM?” The Quiett speculated who out of the group was the one crazy enough to associate with Kylie. They had a few high-ranking officers that would attract Kylie but only a couple of names came to mind. “Could it be Vasco?”

“He’s married and has his own kids.”

“That’s clearly not a problem,” Hyoeun chimed in.

“Then what about Swings, he has a long history.”

Beenzino nodded bringing said list to their attention. “There are five kids, all boys from different mothers, the youngest is seventeen. I looked into them but none were ever married to him. They all got compensated but none hold power of JM.”

“Did he suddenly mature and grow a conscience?” Changmo asked.

Beenz shook his head, “According to my information, it seems he has maintained a stable relationship since then with a married woman. Is this married woman Kylie, you ask?” Beenz tried to add some dramatic pauses before slamming down the damning evidence. “It is!”

There it was a picture of Swings and Moon Jia.

“Swings, legal name Moon Ji-hoon.”

No one had been able to dig up much of his personal life. Swings wasn’t like them who inherited their groups or were born int the organizations they serve. He built it up from nothing, he was an orphan with no record... or so everyone thought.

Joonkyung held back his anger. Seeing his wife’s lover wasn’t the problem, what bothered him was the fact that she dared to name their son after him. It was a slap to his face and his ego.

“Donggab arrange a meeting with the lawyers.”

“Yes,” The Quiett immediately stepped out of Dok2′s office relieved he was dismissed after such a revelation.

The rest awaited their chance to escape never meeting Dok2′s eyes.

“You three,” Dok2 pointed to the top three Ambition guys. Hash Swan, Changmo, and Hyoeun. They had been newly recruited when Ambition first came into his possession so they were incredibly loyal to Dok2 despite deriving from Ambition. “Find out who knew about this and who within is still loyal to Kylie.”

“Yes Boss,” the three responded and escaped in unison. 

Only Beenz remained. He was now able to take a seat in one of the empty chairs. “What now Boss?”

“I need 100% assurance that it’s his.”

Beenz was slightly startled by the dark tone. Jia suddenly became an object rather than a person as Dok2 continued to talk about them.

“I can’t just get a sample from JM’s leader.”

“Do the same thing you did with Leo and Ji-” Dok2 inhaled sharply unable to say his own son's name. “Get one of his sons to cooperate. A willing testimony from one of the older ones should assist our case. Compensate if you have to.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Once his office was emptied Dok2 slammed his fist into the desk. Now he knew why she insisted on naming their son. She had been playing him for a fool all these years. 

“What!” he shouted when he heard a knock on the door.

You hesitated but opened the door slightly. “Sorry, I thought you said to come back at this time.”

Joonkyung had sent you off to another room where he asked you to look through countless files pertaining to AOMG while he held his meeting. You had to quickly familiarize yourself with the threat in order to assist him.

“No, it’s fine- come in.” Dok2′s hands unclenched feeling the slightest bit of relief after seeing you.

You stepped up to him going beyond his desk to stand beside him and set the files down. “I went through everything and-” you jumped at the feeling of his hand running up the back of your thighs before resting on the bottom of your ass. 

“What are you DOING?!” Your voice went an octave higher as his other hand joined in the mischief.

He wrapped his arms around you pulling you against him so his face hid in your abdomen while his hands continued to evoke a blush from you. There was no response for a while. He eventually sat you down on his lap securing you there with his arms around your waist, only moving them when your hair or clothes got in the way. 

Joonkyung kissed your shoulder continuously going up to your neck and ear.

“I’m upset.”

“What did I do?” You quickly asked not aware of the situation.

“Not you.”

His responses were annoyingly short.

“Then why- ah!” You groaned loudly as he bit down on your sensitive spot. “Joonkyung!” You slapped his hands but he responded by readjusting them on the swell of your chest. 

Your shirt began to ride up as his movements became needier. You tried pulling it back down into place but Joonkyung got a hold of your hand and instead brought it behind you to rest on his lap.

Instantly you felt his need and began to hear the thumping of your heart. Blood was rushing to all the wrong places. Your mind was no longer thinking straight, you were no longer wondering what upset him. All you could feel was the warmth that overtook you. 

It was strange how often you found yourself going along with his desires. It took a lot more out of you to match his pace now than before when you first met but- “Joonkyung we just... this morning.”

“So?”

His hand held your chin turning you to the side so his lips could claim yours. The kiss was automatically deepened as he felt starved for attention. His heart was settled having you near but his mind was in a bad place now due to the new information. He felt like killing someone but he knew he couldn’t... yet. Instead, he would focus on what he could do now that Kylie had dug her own grace. 

Now he could fully enjoy your company to his heart’s content.

“It’s never enough,” he panted as he released your lips. By now your shirt was rolled up to your neck, one of his hands was inside the black lacey cup, and the other was on your lap working on the button and zipper of your jeans.

A knock on the door startled you into a panic imagining yourself being caught exposed like this. The door was clearly not locked, as you had proven by entering earlier. If someone uncourteous were to come by they would open the door to a sight.

“Go away!” Joonkyung immediately responded. 

At this point, he could no longer be stopped.

His kisses were deeper, his tongue pushing past your lips to tangle itself around yours. There was nothing he wanted to do more than you. 

“Clothes off,” he demanded after finally letting you go.

“What, here!?” Your eyes widened seeing him toss his own shirt and jacket aside, now only his chains hung around his neck. It was a sight that took your breath away. “What if someone-”

He didn’t allow you to finish voicing your concerns. He continued to kiss your neck until your mind was once again muddled. With only Joonkyung on your mind and in your eyes, you began acting on instinct.

Outside Dok2′s office, The Quiett stood watch knowing exactly what was going on behind the closed door when his assistant informed him you were the last person to enter. If anyone else were to interrupt they would all surely pay for it. Since the lawyers were all present in the building and available he thought it best to bring them by as soon as possible. He was only gone a few minutes, he never imagined his Boss would be so quick to get in the mood.

The Quiett ignored the lawyers questioning looks and directed them to instead wait in one of the meeting rooms. 

“I will bring the Boss shortly.”

The Quiett’s low voice was overpowered by a sudden chorus of moans on the other side of the door. Everyone in range averted their eyes as they pretended to hear nothing.

“Joonkyung!” You bit your lip unable to suppress every moan. Your hands were holding the edges of Joonkyung’s desk, knuckles turning white, to avoid from falling face-first into the wooden surface. 

Papers were scattered everywhere in the heat of the moment but Dok2 didn’t care. He was enjoying the intimate moment- as primal as it was. After rekindling their relationship Joonkyung had yet to be this brazen or demanding.

It was embarrassing but you were also enjoying. It reminded you of your younger selves when Joonkyung could hardly keep his hands to himself. When you heard him begin to grunt you knew he was close.

Soon his grip on your hips began to tighten and his movements became far more erratic. “Y/N I’m-”

“I know,” you panted allowing him to finish however he pleased.

There was one last moan. 

The Quiett sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. He was trying to rid himself of the blush that had inadvertently taken over his face. If he hadn’t left his notes in Dok2′s office he would have run off without a care in the world. 

He waited several minutes before knocking once more.

This time there was no verbal response only shuffling. 

Dok2 quickly picked up the papers that littered his floor while you locked yourself in his personal bathroom. Once everything seemed normal, to an extent, he called Donggab in.

The Quiett warily entered his eyes focused solely in Dok2′s direction afraid of seeing something he shouldn’t. “The lawyers are in the meeting room on the second floor.”

“Alright, let’s go talk to them.” Dok2 quickly knocked on the bathroom door to let you know he would be leaving. 

It was then that The Quiett saw the disarray of files on the boss’ desk. That was the end of The Quiett’s patience. “There is a couch right there!” He exclaimed while pointing out the nearly new leather couch in the corner of Joonkyung′s office.

\\\

After cleaning and straightening out your appearance you emerged into the empty office clutching onto your chest. The adrenaline and euphoria that helped you forget your environment were now gone. The thought of stepping out and meeting people after what you just did had your heart thumping in your ears.

You decided to wait for Dok2 there. Sitting down in his chair you began to fix the files that had been corrupted. Some were torn and crumpled rendering them useless but you did what you could. 

As you organized you came across the files pertaining to Jia and her father. It wasn’t clear whether you were allowed to read these files but you were hardly able to look away. When you saw the picture of a  man carrying a little girl you immediately put two and two together. 

“This must be Moon Jia...” you realized she looked exactly like Kylie. It was scary to think there would be another version of her to deal with later in the future. Although you hoped she would be far less threatening than her mother.

Next, you picked up a stapled packet, thick with various pages. You quickly browsed them until you were left with an unhinged jaw. “Five different mothers!”

Joonkyung walked in at that moment with The Quiett in tow.

You quickly put the scary file together and stacked it atop the rest. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked seeing your shock still clearly present on your face.

“Nothing, it’s just-” your eyes wandered to the file. “Jia’s father is... busy.” Busy was the only word you could manage to use to describe him. 

The Quiett would argue you two had no right to talk when you couldn’t be trusted to be left alone in an office.

“You read it?” Dok2 circled his desk but allowed you to remain sitting while he stood. You deserved to rest after what he just put you through. 

“Not all of it.”

Dok2 searched through the documents to pull out the old juvie record from a foreign country of a young Swings. “He goes by Swings, his real name is Moon Ji-hoon.”

Once again your jaw was left to hang. “Ji-hoon,” you repeated. It was hard to call it a coincidence. Had she not known about Leo and Ji-hoon having their blood tested she might have begun to suspect Kylie was unfaithful long before Jia. Still, she had the nerve to taunt Joonkyung like this?

“I have people looking into their relationship for anything useful that might help us with my son’s case.”

\\\

At home Leo finished his homework, having started as soon as they arrived from school while Ji-hoon lazed around and took a nap. 

“Finished already?” Ji-hoon stumbled into Leo’s room not bothering to knock despite Leo’s constant warnings to do so. “if only we were in the same class...” he sighed wishing he could just copy his little brother’s work.

Leo silently glared at him not bothering to remind him that he could easily do so if he would do well on more than just the tests.

Of course, Ji-hoon understood that is what he meant with that glare- now that he was proficient in his brother’s silent language. “There’s more to life than school and basketball my dear little brother.” He plopped down on Leo’s well-made bed with a sly smile. “Don’t you have any other interests?”

Leo looked over at the trophies and belts that rested in a display case on the opposite wall.

“Besides Taekwondo.”

Leo blinked, there was nothing else he particularly found interesting.

“What about video games, cars, motorcycles, fashion, girls...” Ji-hoon suddenly remembered how much attention his silent brother got from the female population at school. “What kind of girls do you like?”

Leo shrugged.

“Fine, I’ll say it first. I like sexy girls that like to dress provocatively and wear strong perfume.” Ji-hoon thought for a moment what else was important, “big boobs too.”

Leo rolled his eyes at the last part. “You would say that.”

Although Leo had never put much thought into what kind of girls he found favorable, he knew what he didn’t like. “As long as she isn’t annoying.”

Ji-hoon laughed. “Sure but what about looks?”

“Does it matter?” Leo shot back. Honestly, he didn’t think much of the girls that approached him. They always seemed to be like the girls Ji-hoon just described. He noted they tended to roll up their skirts and unbutton their shirts until a portion of their chest was visible. “Someone with some sense would be better,” he thought out loud.

Ji-hoon nodded understanding what it was all amounting to. “So you like the smart shy types.”

“Smart and shy is better than dumb and annoying.”

-end-

A/N: I’m setting up a lot for the future content of this series. That’s the best I can do when it comes to smut and such.

I also included an index since this is getting lengthy.

[ryukoishida]

OtaYuri Week | Day 1: First Time | In which figure skaters become mobile suit pilots in this self-indulgent Gundam AU.

Written for @otayuriweek

Title: Touch of the Martian Sun Day/Prompt: Day 1 – First Time Author: ryukoishida Summary: Yuri Plisetsky may have the eyes of a soldier, but even the bravest warrior and one of the most formidable Mobile Suit pilots in Korishiro Corps can break at the seams when he reaches his limit. [Gundam (Iron-Blooded Orphans ‘Verse) AU] Rating: T Warning: Mention of past physical and emotional abuse A/N: That Gundam AU that literally nobody asked for. Also includes some Mila/Sara because I couldn’t resist. This is one of the most self-indulgent things I’ve ever written, probably. You don’t need to know anything about the Gundam ‘verse except it’s kids piloting giant fighting robots.

-

“Yuri, what the hell are you doing?”

His captain’s voice is grainy through the intercom, but his hands – slender, graceful, scarred with old and recent wounds – continue to move like a fluttering dance, pushing buttons and pulling levers.

Every movement delicate and precise. Deadly.

Connected through the Alaya-Vijnana System embedded into his spine, his mobile suit, a customized version of Rhyannon – towering at over 18 meters tall and made of nano laminate armour painted with contrasting shades of ink black and cardinal red – propels itself across the field in smooth, effective arcs as if it’s an extension of his own body.

A red warning sign flashes hastily in the left corner of his monitor: one of his short-barrel cannons mounted on his shoulder has been severely damaged during the last scuffle with a particularly insistent Reginlaze. He still has plenty of armament though – sufficient to at least administer significant destruction against those who are foolish enough to engage him in a one-on-one fight.

His sea-green gaze is piercing, darting left and right in quick succession to try and see through the thick sheen of red dust swirling a wild waltz that refuses to settle as multiple mobile suits drift and cross paths in such speed only the sun catches glimpses of their shapes in specks of reflected light against metal.

In the back of his mind, Yuri can faintly make out the other man’s voice but his focus has been splashed bright red with fresh blood and the endless fury brought on by the memory of those animals in human disguise, their voices and words and agony inflicted by them that still rips him away from peaceful slumber, causing him to wake up drenched in cold sweat and lingering fear.

“I’m not letting those bastards get away this time,” Yuri grits out, fingers drumming irritably on the control grips as he searches for the ragged shapes of the enemy troop’s Reginlazes and Hugos.

As big and bulky as these machines are, in this thick curtain of dust, they are impossible to detect with the naked eye.

Yuri waits, the coldness in his eyes unforgiving. He’s waited for this chance for almost a year since the day Yuuri Katsuki found him among the wreckage of what used to be one of Afanasiy’s largest ships; a few minutes’ time means nothing to him right now.

“Yuri Plisetsky, fall back, right now.” Otabek Altin’s usually quiet and collected voice is clipped with impatience and tinged with a hint of panic as he watches the elegant lines of his friend’s mobile suit glinting faintly in the distant sunlight.

“You weren’t there, Otabek,” the statement isn’t meant to be in any way accusative, but the deep-seated vehemence breaks open the surface of his whisper, a chilling tone that makes even one of the best pilots in Korishiro Corps shudder. “You have no idea what they’ve done to me – to the others.”

Guang Hong Ji – a shy, sensitive boy of Chinese descent who was so frail when he was first captured by Afanasiy that Yuri thought he wasn’t going to make it through the Alaya-Vijnana implanting operation.

Leo de la Iglesia – a dark-skinned boy from the Americas with eyes full of hope and determination that gradually diminished as he became numb to the physical pain and battle scars, and the emotional agony of losing comrades who fought alongside him.

Mila Babicheva – a feisty red-head from what used to be Russia who rebelled against her captors until she became quieter and more withdrawn as bruises and lashes bloomed all over her body like a field of violets.

And those are just the ones who survived long enough – lucky enough, perhaps – for them to be rescued by the crew of Korishiro when the wall that had been constructed to confine them and iron chains thick and heavy around their necks were tear apart by Yuuri Katsuki and his Gundam Saleos.

Of course, back then, they had no idea of the influence and power, as well as the danger that comes along with it, that having a Gundam frame on their side would entail.  

Otabek’s voice filters through the stark images of his mind, tainted with rusted blood and bitter fury.

“Remember what Mr. Nikiforov said! Retrieve and secure the Gundam frame, and––”

Yuri can’t hear Otabek’s next words.

He breathes out, limp, blond locks fluttering and sticking to his sweat-stained cheek. His fingers grip the controls reflexively the moment Rhyannon’s sensors signal two mobile suits heading his way from opposite directions.

From the midst of the dust storm, two mobile suits armoured in teal and grey, with Afanasiy’s insignia of a red and yellow phoenix branded on their shoulders, emerge at full speed like some crazed ghouls seeking blood and violence.

Yuri will give it to them: bruised skin, broken bones, severed limbs, and pain beyond comprehension.

He pulls out his railguns and shoot at both units without hesitation, aiming directly for where the cockpits would be located on the robotic suits.

The one to his left explodes immediately, scattering fireworks of spitting flames and raining shrapnel.

His eyes flash towards the remaining Reginlaze, now less than five meters away with its blade brandished and ready. Yuri grins, the expression horrifyingly sharp and callous, and he shifts his control grip to face the oncoming attack as he unsheathes his own smaller assault knives.

Without any warning, Yuri throws one of the knives towards the Reginlaze, and the blade lodges itself into the crook of the mobile suit’s right shoulder, successfully disabling its sword-wielding arm. The young pilot wastes no time to get closer after one well-aimed kick lands his opponent flat and hissing smoke on the ground, Rhyannon’s other knife raised in an angle perfect for stabbing right through the cockpit of the other mobile weapon.

Blood roars in Yuri’s ears, and exhilaration rushes through his body like a living beast, making his eyes unnaturally bright and his lips twisted into a grin.

That’s when a shadow descends from above. Silent and unexpected as death.

Rhyannon alerts him much too late, the echo of the urgent beeping in his cockpit enshrouding his other senses.

“Yuri––!”

He can barely make out Otabek’s voice – he can always hear Otabek amongst the chaos. It’s a deep, rumbling river that always gives him a sense of calm when he fears the dark, uncontrollable storm of his emotions threatening to drag him past that threshold between sanity and madness.

It’s a thin line that Yuri has been straddling for these past long months.

The solid weight of the other mobile suit crushes him from the top, and the deafening collision – like a prolonged clap of thunder invoked by the angry gods – rings in his ears long after the impact.

A hit from a mace from the side sends him sprawling on the ground, and then the Hugo that’s been attacking him is stepping on him to ensure he’s not going anywhere. Metal groans and creaks around Yuri from the pressure, the monitor screens cracking and blacking out, and the safety belts strapped across his bare chest is cutting into his skin and pressing sharply against bones.

Black oils leak through breakages, and glittering sparks and small flames sputter from Rhyannon’s broken circuits as the Hugo savagely punches into Yuri’s battered mobile suit.  

The last thing he remembers is Otabek yelling into the intercom, “Yuri! Stay with me, damn it! Mr. Katsuki, we need to––”

‘I don’t need to be saved,’ Yuri thinks, fingers slipping off from the control panel.

He’s strong enough.

A rivulet of red drips into his eyes, sticky and warm, but he feels no pain, just a strange white noise buzzing in his ears.

He opens his mouth, prepared to protest but instead of words, he coughs out blood that tasted coppery sweet on his tongue.

It’s familiar and comforting, and Yuri thinks that’s the scariest part of all.

-

The rising sun on Mars is dazzling – disorienting, almost.

“Shouldn’t you still be resting in bed?”

Otabek settles beside him, two cans of chocolate-flavored protein drink in his hand, and he offers one to the other man.

“I got bored,” Yuri takes it with a nod of thanks, but he doesn’t drink it, just rolls the can between his hands.

Loose strands of his hair that have escaped the half-ponytail tied messily behind his head flutter in the breeze and fall into his eyes. Yuri makes no movement to fix it.

“That’s what I figured,” Otabek chuckles, the sound low and smoky. He takes a swig out of his own can, wincing when the saccharine taste of the artificial flavor hits his palette.

“How’s your fractured ribs?”

It’s small talk, but that’s fine by both of them. The morning is quiet, the Korishiro base a peaceful sanctuary without its usual fanfare during the day.

“Fine,” he replies, lips twitching, “still hurts like a bitch, but I’m alive, so that’s always a plus.”

His gaze is focused on the horizon, the roseate light of dawn making his pale blond hair gleam. There’s no humor in that bitter smile.

“About that, Yuri…” Otabek starts, but hesitates to continue. Indecision has never been a trait of the 19-year-old, who has become one of Korishiro’s youngest and most capable mobile suit pilot, and dependable leader of the Human Debris (though they don’t use that term anymore since the rebellion) – those who were orphaned at a young age and sold cheaply as child soldiers through various means.  

“Am I grounded from piloting Rhyannon?”

“What?” Otabek turns towards him with a confused frown. “What would make you assume that?”

“Mila told me. You had a long talk with Nikiforov the day after we came back…” Yuri places the beverage down beside him, and he turns to face Otabek, teeth worrying his lower lip. “She said neither you nor Katsuki would talk about the meeting though, so it must have been something serious. Was it about me?”  

“Mr. Nikiforov was concerned about you,” Otabek treads carefully, knowing full well that Viktor Nikiforov, founder of Korishiro Corps who’s known for his impertinent but oddly genuine nature, is not Yuri’s favourite person.

Yuri scoffs in a sharp exhale but keeps his mouth shut.

“Mr. Katsuki and I as well,” Otabek’s tone turns softer, dark gaze lowering to stare at the half-empty can in his hands. “What you did back there was reckless; you could have gotten yourself killed––”

“We completed the mission, didn’t we? That’s the most important part, isn’t it?” Yuri snaps, the frustration in his voice churning and the fire in his eyes barely contained. He lowers his torso into a defensive pose, but the sudden movement jostles his wound, and he hisses in pain while bracing a protective arm around his abdomen.

Otabek begins to reach for him, but when he sees Yuri curls further away, wordlessly refraining from being touched, the other man relents and heaves a soft sigh.  

“Not if it means having one of our own injured,” he tries to reason. “We could have retrieved the Gundam frame without engaging the enemy, but you…” Otabek sends him a wary glance then, “don’t try to deny it, Yuri, but you wanted to fight them, didn’t you?”

“So what if I did?” No hesitation or a hint of repentance at all. “If you’d experienced what I had – what Mila and Leo and Guang Hong had – you’d do the same.”

“I’d seen what they did to you and the others; I was there,” Otabek reminds him, and the image of when they first found the four youngsters in the rubble of the ruined ship was still painfully fresh in his mind: the bruised, battle-hardened bodies had been beaten – worst, they had been abused by adults who had exploited them for their own gains. He swallows hard and continues, “and I’m not about to tell you to be a saint and forgive those bastards, but letting the hate and anger control you like that – that’s dangerous.”

Otabek doesn’t want to say more – doesn’t want to belittle Yuri’s emotions or trespass into a territory he has no right to be in.

“You figure I don’t know that?” Yuri bites out after a shaky breath, gaze downcast. “Why’d you think I offered to go solo in the first place?”

He’s not responsible for anyone else’s lives but his own; he’s always lived by that rule. That’s how he survives. That’s all he knows how.

“Because Viktor can see right through you,” Otabek says, and he drains the last of the beverage before continuing, “because he knows, with that temper of yours, you’ll end up injured – or dead – if you’d gone on your own.”

He’s not wrong – Viktor does care, even if he has an annoying and strange way of expressing it – and Yuri hates that even more.

“You needed someone there to tell you to stop, and I guess that was why Mr. Katsuki and I were chosen for this mission as well.”  

“If he’s so worried, then why’d he let me go anyway?”

“You’re one of the best pilots we have, and Mr. Nikiforov acknowledges that and trusts that you will deliver in the end,” Otabek says with a faint smile, a quiet sense of pride in the curve of his lips.  

The older pilot turns to him once more, eyes searching calmly until Yuuri glances up to meet his gaze.

Something in Yuri’s eyes waver – the desire to believe in Otabek’s words, the wish to let go of the past.

“The thing about working in a team is that you have to trust others: you have your family’s backs, and they have yours,” he leans towards Yuri, and when he senses that the blond has no intention to back away, Otabek lifts his hand and carefully brushes Yuri’s bangs out of the way, winding the strands behind the curve of his ear before cradling his jaw.

At this range, Otabek can count the lashes framing Yuri’s sea-green eyes, perplexed and curious by their proximity.

Otabek needs him to understand this. “Yuri, you’re not in Afanasiy anymore; you don’t have to fight by yourself.”

Maybe that’s the issue, Yuri doesn’t voice out his thoughts, just quietly mulling over Otabek’s words, the warmth of the other man’s fingertips a slight but pleasant distraction.

It’s difficult for him to place his trust in others.

He’s never seen that as a problem before – never really considered it – but Otabek has saved him time and time again since he’s been accepted as part of the Korishiro family, and Yuuri – sweet, meddling, quiet-spoken Yuuri who’s like an elder brother to the younger members in Korishiro – can be fierce and frightening when his family’s lives are endangered. The trail of wreckages of those who had threatened Korishiro left behind by Saleos should be proof of that.

Yuri feels the soft caress of Otabek’s thumb across his cheek, the gesture simple yet filled to the brim with something he can’t quite name, only that it causes his face to heat up and his blood to thrum a melody not unlike the adrenaline before a battle.

But this strange pull in his body is unlike any sensation Yuri has ever felt, and he finds himself grasping the sleeves of Otabek’s jacket, knuckles tensed and wide eyes unable to look away from the other man.

“Yuri…?”

Wetness stings his eyes, and he can’t comprehend what’s happening at first. He tries to blink it away, but it only serves to blur his vision more: hot tears rolling down his cheeks and breaths shuddering to catch up.

Yuri can’t remember the last time he cried. Maybe it was when he said goodbye to his grandpa back at the spaceport on Earth six years ago?

He had cried only once while he was imprisoned by Afanasiy after an especially grueling training session, which had involved lots of mobile suit simulation and even more beatings afterwards during physical drills. Later, he had sobbed into the dirty sheets on his narrow bunk bed while the other children feigned ignorance. He’d thought about his grandfather, still living and relatively safe on Earth thanks to the remaining savings he’d sent not too long ago.

That was when he made a promise to himself.

Otabek is the first person to see him shed tears like this since then – defenseless, all choked sobs and ugly crying that Yuri is unable to stop – and he thinks he should be afraid, ashamed, but when Otabek wordlessly wraps his arms around him, being extra careful not to bump against his wounds, Yuri can only feel thankful as a sense of relief flows through him like a serene current.

He lets go, bit by bit.

There’ll always be a small part of him clinging to the past – not because of fond reminiscence but because that imperfect fragment is one of the pieces that makes him who he is. Yet once he accepts that and moves on, Yuri figures that life on Mars, with those whom he calls brothers and sisters, is going to be better than he’s ever hoped for.

“Yuri, what’s the matter? Did I hurt you? Should I––?” Otabek starts to pull himself away, unsure of what to do.

“Don’t you dare,” Yuri sniffs, pulling him closer, or as close as it’s possible for his injuries to not protest too much.

Otabek’s eyes soften into a warmer russet, and he stays there, palm on the back of Yuri’s neck, as they wait for the younger man to calm down. Violent shaking eventually turns to slight tremors, and then he’s still as a statue.

“Better?”

Yuri nods into his shoulder.

“Woah woah, are we interrupting a moment here? Please excuse us!”

A cheerful melodious voice bursts through their reverie, and the speaker, a young woman with short, burgundy curls and bright green eyes, is currently draping herself all over another female with tanned skin and long dark hair bunched up messily into a ponytail as if the definition of “personal space” doesn’t exist in her dictionary.

The other woman doesn’t seem to mind much, though she does send her companion a meaningful glare.

Her exasperated “Mila, don’t be rude!” is said at the same time as Yuri’s nonchalant “Mila, fuck off.”

Yuri leans away from Otabek, cheeks rosy and streaked with drying tear marks that he tries to rub away with the sleeve of his too-big jacket.

“Sara, Yuri’s being mean to me again!” Mila Babacheva clings closer to her friend, who can only tug her along as she smiles apologetically at the two men.

“Come on, you little monster, didn’t you say you want to see the upgraded armament for your Stagioni?” Sara Crispino laughs and takes Mila’s hand in hers. Neither seems to be bothered by the gesture, and Yuri and Otabek share a knowing glance.

“Heading to the hanger?” Otabek asks as he gets on his feet.

“Yeah,” Sara nods, “you and Yuri should come, too. Yuuko’s purchased some new parts and she’s been itching to do some upgrades on Ulises.”

“I hope she hasn’t done anything to it yet,” Otabek looks uncharacteristically startled and even a bit distressed at the mention of upgrades and the name of his mobile suit in the same sentence.

Mila and Sara burst into simultaneous laughter, and even Yuri can’t help the small grin on his face as they recall the failure of one particular upgrade a few months ago.

“Never forget the hip canons,” Sara giggles.

Needless to say, putting short barrel canons on a lightweight class mobile suit’s waist has not been one of Yuuko’s brightest ideas.

As the four of them make their way to the hanger, Yuri asks, “How bad is Rhyannon’s condition?”

Sara glances over at the young pilot before setting her eyes forward again, “Yuuko was mad when they hauled it in.”

Yuri gulps nervously.

Yuuko never gets mad. She’s usually easy-going and greets everyone with a friendly smile; her only fanatic obsession is taking apart and putting together the mechanical parts of mobile suits. If Yuuko had been mad, Yuri figures he must have fucked up quite royally.

“That bad, huh?” he only says, throat dry, though his facial expression remains impassive.

“She said her team will need at least another week with it before it’s fully repaired,” Sara adds, and she watches with amusement as Yuri’s face turns another shade paler.

“Oh, hell,” Yuri mutters, stalling midway, “maybe I should, uh, wait until Yuuko’s done with the repairs before I see her. I’m sure she doesn’t want to be bothered when she’s clearly busy.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Otabek blocks his way before Yuri can think about turning back. “You have to help me convince Yuuko to stay away from adding anything ridiculous on Ulises. We have another assignment next week and I don’t want a repeat of the hip cannons.”

The women snicker behind him, but Otabek looks serious, imploring Yuri with his earnest eyes.

Staring at Otabek’s openly honest expression – rarely seen on the usually stoic pilot – Yuri hides the trace of a smile threatening to show on his lips by turning his head slightly away, murmuring, “Fine. Just this once – as thanks for saving my ass. Again.”

“Aww, this is great, isn’t it, Sara? Look at them!”

“Yes, yes,” Sara ruffles the other woman’s hair affectionately, “now let’s get going before Yuuko decides to upgrade everyone’s mobile suits.”

Their pace significantly quickens after that.

-

Explanation Time! Definitions (within Iron-Blooded Orphans Universe):

- Gundam frames: A series of 72 mobile suit frames that were produced and developed by Gjallarhorn (an international peacekeeping force) during the Calamity War 300 years ago; the Ahab particles generated by the two Ahab Reactors within each suit give it a lot of powers, which can be burdensome on the pilot’s body since man and suit are connected through the Alaya-Vijnana system.

- Alaya-Vijnana system: A man-machine interface implant that improves a pilot’s spatial skills and reactions while piloting a mobile suit. The surgery to get the implants is risky and many have died during the process.

- Mobile suits: A type of mobile weapon that is a humanoid combat vehicle. I.E. Giant robots that people can pilot even in space.