#Its still Birthday hijinks but with a touch of angst added in before tomorrow

[crazydazeymuses-archive]

Aislinn was on her way down to the lair, cutting through the garage where the Turtle Hauler and Turtle Taxi were to get there faster. She notices Ozzy’s car was also there, and she smiles, reaching into a bag. She slips a drawing for him onto his windshield wiper, then continues on. He’d been working very hard lately the past year, but things were starting to improve. Her Birthday was also tomorrow, so maybe he’d get a break and would be able to relax with her and everyone else. Lord knows he deserved it. And despite her busy schedule and momentary hesitation to be with them, she was doing better than she ever was before.

Seemed everything was getting back on track.

“ARE YOU KIDDIN’ ME, JONES?! I told ya ta watch where you park that stupid car’a yours!”

However, the sudden yell of an angry Raphael upon her arrival makes her blink. She steps in. Instead of Leo or Mikey, who was usually the source for some of Raph’s annoyed outbursts, it was the white blood cell cop. The two were up in each other’s faces, looking about ready to bite the other’s head off. Some of her other muses were present; Mikey and Donnie were off to the side and looked uncomfortable about the fight, and Leo was giving them a disapproving look from where he was meditating. Stanley was nervously watching, taking cover behind Donatello. Brooklyn was facepalming nearby, sighing and shaking his head. Spider-Man was ignoring from a wall nearby, reading the Bugle. Sonic was up relaxing on one of the rafters, picking his ear with his pinkie as he endured the quarrel with annoyance.

Now Ozzy would normally back down from the hothead’s rage a bit, and try to sweet talk his way out of it. This? It was NOT one of those times. The Chief had him working some major overtime, and had been knee deep in case files and such for the past two weeks. So he was more than a little irritated.

He was just looking to start a fight today.

“It was an accident! I SAID I was sorry, man! AND that I’d pay for the damage! It ain’t MY fault ya don’t park your bike right in there! I could’a avoided it easy if it wasn’t smack dab in th’middle’a th’room!!”

“OR ya could’a parked outside the garage! I know you ain’t got a GED, but I thought’chu’d at least be smart enough ta not make a dumb move like THAT! Nitwit!”

Ozzy’s angry look deepens at that crack at his intellect, poking his plastron.

“Whatchu say?!”

“Ah, jalapeña...”

Donnie notices Aislinn over them arguing, then comes over to her, Stanley following. He sensed her anxiety, and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey Ais. Good to see you.”

“Hey Donnie. Um, shouldn’t we do something before this gets ugly?”

She smiles, jerking her thumb at the two hotheads. Donatello looks at them, then rubs his neck.

“Ah, that might not be the best idea. I wouldn’t get involved...”

Mikey sees her, then grins, coming over to hug her.

“He-Hey, it’s our soon-to-be-Birthday girl! 25, huh? Man, where does the time go?!”

She starts to accept the hug, but the two stop as the fight began to escalate. Stanley yelps a bit, now hiding back behind Donnie.

“Last I checked, you ain’t no genius eitha’ Shell Fer Brains! All you do is think with yo’ muscles and yo’ fuckin’ temper! Y’act tough an’ expect ev’ryone ta run from ya. ‘Ooh I got knives and I’m a beefed up ninja reptile! One punch and you dead!’ HA! I seen MUCH tougher in the precinct than you. Though not as ugly. If anything, you should pay for the dent I got cuz’a yo’ poor excuse fer a ride!”

At that Raph growls, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. Jones shoves his arm away, then puts a fist up.

“Oh-ho-ho, yer just BEGGIN’ for it, ain’t’cha?! You betta’ write that check for my bike now or I’ll-!”

“Hands off, ya freakin’--!”

Leonardo had just gotten up when they started to get physical, but was beaten to the punch by Aislinn. He looks at her as she uses her hands to space them by their chests, surprised.

“Guys, ENOUGH!”

Raph stops immediately, also surprised by her sudden anger and bravery to cut in. He calms a bit, looking a bit ashamed. Ozzy eases back, but still glares. She looks at the cell firmly.

“Ozzy, I know you didn’t mean to wreck his bike, but maybe you should park out from the garage from now on. Just to--”

Ozzy looks at her in outrage, then chops a hand in Raph’s direction to gesture at him.

“You takin’ his side?!”

She looks at him in surprise, then feels a bit angry herself at that.

“I’m on no one’s side. But at least I have the decency to be humble and accept when I’m wrong in the argument, Ozzy.”

The overzealous cop scoffs, rolling eyes.

“Tch, yeah, I’m wrong. Not the first time I been told that. And later afta’ it turns out I’m right.

Like you ain’t any different from the people I have’ta deal with.”

Everyone suddenly looks up at this, alarmed by what was just said. Aislinn stares at him, mouth open. Even Ozzy himself seemed surprised by what escaped his mouth, now knowing he went too far. He tries to speak up and apologize.

“Ais. I didn’t mean--”

Her shock then changes to rage, and she comes over to get in his face, poking her own finger at his chest. Ozzy blinks, then backs up and his expression falters with each poke, his black pupils looking into green eyes that were filled with frustration.

And soon enough, tears.

“You’re so sure of that then? Then go. Walk away from me like every person who’s ever done it, if that’s how you feel. You don’t want me as a friend, who’s honest with you and has stood by you through EVERYTHING you have to go through? Fine. Be my freaking guest, Ozzy. If you don’t care, leave. I know how this ends. How this always ends.”

Ozzy frowns, brows sadly furrowing. She shuts her eyes, not wanting to look at him. He reaches for her.

“Ais--”

“I SAID GO!”

She turns away and sobs, running into Leonardo’s room. Everyone looks at Ozzy, just silent now. Raph gave him a dirty look, but shook his head and left to punch at his bag. Mikey looks at him sadly, then goes to hang in his room. Donnie heads back to his lab. After giving the cell a disappointed look, Leo goes in to see her and comfort her. Brooklyn glared, then left to rejoin his clan. Spider-Man frowned under his mask at Aislinn’s running off, then narrowed lenses at Ozzy. He grabs his web sack with his stuff in it and leaves. Sonic jumps down, gives Ozzy a look, then sighs and shakes his head before departing. Stanley leaves after looking at him in anxiety.

Guilt like never before began to well up in Ozzy’s nucleus. If he had heart strings, they’d be breaking right now at the sound of her sobs. God, he could just kick his own ass right now for what he just did. On the night before her Birthday, no less! He looks at the entrance to the blue masked turtle’s room, and takes a step, wondering if he should enter and apologize.

No...She wanted him to leave. That was probably the best option right now.

He turns away and looks down in shame and closes eyes, sliding hands into his jacket pockets. He exits, dragging his feet.

When he reaches the garage, he notices something on his windshield, and picks it up. It was a drawing of her giving the weary cop a hug, and him smiling and ruffling her hair in thanks. His guilt now felt like a ton of bricks.

He clutches the art a bit, now determined as he gets into his car.

Tomorrow he was going to make this right.