#Now though. Mikey is much more desperate and excited to see his big brothers again so he completely disregards the walls Donnie's set up.

[clover-the-awesomest]

We interrupt my Tapakah spamming to bring you this VERY IMPORTANT COMIC MESSAGE FROM CASSEROLE HOLY FUCK-

Part 16!

There it is haha >:D The first half of today's update. The second half very soon~

Part 1 Next

[chiliiscereal]

Chosen last: part two

Rottmnt x reader

Summary: reader worries that their new friends are becoming exactly like their old ones, unaware that they’re ditching them to prepare a surprise

Platonic, of course!

Part one: https://chiliiscereal.tumblr.com/post/650808822043115520/chosen-last

———

“I’m SOOOoO gonna beat you, Mikey!” You gloated, smashing your fingers over the remote buttons and narrowing your eyes at the tv.

“Ha! In your dreams, baby!” He responded gleefully. He leaned forward and concentrated harder than you’d ever seen him.

It was your annual video game competition. Once a month you and the turtles (and April of course) have one day dedicated to seeing who was the video game champ.

Mikey won last month, Donnie won the month before, Leo won the three months before that, and Raph came close but April defeated him.

You were absolutely determined to win this month.

Surprisingly, Leo was on the couch behind you and rooting for you.

“Go y/n! You got this!” He shouted when your video game car passed Mikeys. He even jumped out of his seat, nearly spilling the popcorn.

“Why are you rooting for y/n??” Mikey accused lividly. “I’m your brother!!”

“Y/n hasn’t won a single competition! Besides, you won last month!” Leo smirked, sitting back down. “It’s hilarious to see you this worked up.”

“Oh you and Dr. Delicate touch are gonna have a looooong talk later.” You snorted.

“Hell yeah he is!” Mikey growled.

Before you could say anything else, Raph entered the room.

“Hey, guys, sorry to cut things short but... Dad needs us to clean!” He blurted out quickly. “Sorry y/n but you should probably go.”

You waved him off, shutting the tv off. “Oh, I can stay and help!”

“No! I mean, it’ll just be boring trust me.” He intervened and took the remote from you hurriedly. He even grabbed your arm and pulled you off the floor. “You don’t want to help clean! It’s fine!”

“Hold on, we have to clean?” Leo groaned. “We cleaned last month!”

“Yeah, why aren’t we fighting Splinter on this?” Mikey stood in Raphs way when he tried to push you out of the room.

You wriggled out of the red masked turtles grasp. “Come on! Don’t you want someone to help you debate this with Splinter!”

You were on the rats good side ever since you bought him the exclusive Lou Jitsu movie box. All the turtles knew this.

Why didn’t they want you on their side?

A small part of you whispered past insecurities but you brushed it away.

Raph sighed, clearly nervous. “Guys we gotta do... the thing. We gotta clean the thing!” He looked at them as if searching for help.

“What thing?” Leo narrowed his eyes.

“The THING. You know?” Raph cleared his throat. “You don’t want to know, y/n. It’s super gross.”

You placed your hands on your hips, suspicious.

“You know... the thing April mentioned a while ago?” Raph tried again, making some loose gestures that you couldn’t really understand.

Somehow, though, Mikey and Leo caught on.

“Ohhhh, the thing!” Mikey exclaimed and immediately began clearing away the snack mess that had been left from the video games.

Leo joined him. “Yeah! Dude, you don’t wanna be here to clean the thing.” He shoveled as much garbage in his arms as he could. “You can just head for the door and come back later! You know, when we don’t have to clean?”

Hesitantly, you grabbed your bag. “Okay..?”

What was this thing they had to clean?

Did they really think it would gross you out?

And why did it take them so long to catch on?

Whatever. It was probably more shenanigans. It didn’t mean anything.

“Alright then,” you stepped away from them slowly, “I’ll just head out.”

The turtles stood in their spots stiffly and waved goodbye.

You rounded the corner to walk over to the ladder, unsure of what to think.

They didn’t normally act like this...

But maybe Splinter just really wanted them to clean?

But why weren’t you allowed to know what the Thing was?

And April apparently already knew about it...

Maybe it was just that you were still relatively new to the friend group.

Yeah, that made sense.

Before you could touch the ladder you heard voices.

Two voices.

Coming from Donnie’s lab.

Well, might as well go say goodbye to Donnie right?

You shouldered you’re bag and headed over, standing in the doorway and knocking on the wall so he’d know you were there.

He and April were both sitting together looking at a computer.

You didn’t even know April was there! Well, she might get kicked out for cleaning day to. Maybe you could both do something together!

The duo looked up, panicked, and Donnie quickly shut the computer off. “Ah! Y/n! I didn’t know you were here!”

You frowned, a little hurt. “Today was the video game competition? I was here just like the last... five months?”

April gave you a too wide grin and shut the laptop. “Well! What... uh... what brings you to the lab?”

You shifted uncomfortably. “Raph and the others kicked me out cause they need to clean a Thing? They said it was really gross, and I came in to say bye to Donnie and maybe see if you wanted to go get ice cream or something?”

April turned to Donnie, wide eyed. “Well... I... I can’t exactly... I have a...”

“She has to help clean the Thing as well!” Donnie filled in for her.

Now you were really confused. “But... Raph said it was too gross for anyone other than family.”

“It’s fine!” April waved you off. “But let’s get ice cream later! Okay?”

You gave them a small wave and turned around. “Yeah... okay.”

———-

That Saturday you found yourself walking down the street with one of your old friends.

She wanted to get frozen yogurt and had a coupon for a “buy one get one free”.

Normally you’d have said no. But the turtles AND April denied you every time you asked if you could hang out!

So you said yes.

Just like old times.

“I’m SO sure Jake likes me.” She grinned to herself as she typed away on her phone. “Hope you don’t mind but he’s gonna be at the frozen yogurt shop with us!”

“Oh.” You mumbled. “I thought it’d just be you and me.”

“It’s fine!” She waved you off. “He’s nice! He’s not like the last guy... uh... what’s his name?”

“The guy who told me I was a prude or the guy who told me I looked better with makeup?” You couldn’t help but spit out bitterly.

“The first one.” She eyed you strangely. “And what’s with you today? You’re more pessimistic than usual.”

“That one was Brian. And I’m fine.”

She turned back to her phone, the two of you weaving through the new York crowd.

You’d rather be with the...

The turtles?

You stopped, hearing familiar voices coming from the alley.

“How could you forget!”

“You think I just meant to?!”

“Maybe!”

“Guys, shut up, it’s not a big deal, okay? There’s still time to figure this out.”

“Easy for you to say! You’re just gonna make up another lame excuse and leave!”

“I will not!”

“Can’t we just wait for April in peace?”

“No, because RAPH forgot about-!”

You cleared your throat and entered the alley.

The boys were huddled together, arguing. Quickly they jumped apart and tried their best to act normal.

“Heyyyyy, y/n!” Leo gave you awkward finger guns. “Didn’t expect to see you here!”

Mikey looked like he was trying to say something but couldn’t find the words.

You were suddenly less excited to see them. “Hey’ didn’t expect to see you guys either!” You bit the inside of your cheek nervously. “What’re you... what’re you doing here? I thought you were too busy to hang out?”

“We are!” Donnie nodded. “Very busy.”

“Yeah and dad grounded us from hanging out with people so-.” Raph added, only for his plan to fall through when April showed up from behind them.

“Guys! I got the-!” She stopped, spotting you. Whatever was in her hands she hid it purposely behind her back so you couldn’t see it. “Y/n!”

You fixed them with a small glare. “Too busy to hang out?”

You didn’t want to sound clingy or desperate, but now it just felt like they were going out of their way to avoid you.

“Well, you know, April doesn’t count! She’s practically family!” Raph chuckled.

That was enough for you to make a decision.

“Well, I’m kind of with a friend right now! I’ll... I’ll just talk to you guys later.”

You backed out of the alley, surprised to find yourself looking forward to meeting the new boy your friend was chasing instead of seeing whatever goofiness the turtles were up to.

You’d survived without them before.

Surely you could survive until whatever this was passed.

———-

“Hey girl your birthday’s coming up!” Your friend mentioned at the lunch table the next day. “I’m Definetely taking you bowling! We’ll bring all the girls, maybe even Jake!”

You didn’t even like bowling.

You didn’t even like Jake!

He was just like all the other boys she’d dated.

But it was better than just sitting at home and waiting for the boys to explain their recent behavior.

“That sounds great.” You muttered, stirring your salad half heartedly. “Can’t wait.”

You went back to sitting with your old group since this whole thing started.

You didn’t have anyone else to sit with! April would disappear during her lunch hour and say she just was going out to get lunch, but she never did that! Ever!

A part of you believed that maybe they finally realized you weren’t worth being friends with.

Maybe you were always meant to be the hermit.

“You excited?” One of your friends asked. “I am! I’m gonna invite Jaxon to go with me and I’ll get dressed up-!”

You tuned them out immediately.

What was the point.

They were talking about it like it was their party.

Not yours.

Just like every other year.

———-

Another day went by.

You found yourself with those same girls again.

They were planning the ‘bowling birthday party’ and coordinating rides. But, of course, there was no room for you to carpool with them.

“Hey, y/n!” April shouted across the lunch room.

You debated about ignoring her, and then debated about just getting it over with.

Ignoring her seemed easier.

“O’Neil, what do you want.” One of your friends asked almost boredly.

Crap, April was right behind you.

“I just wanted to talk to y/n!”

You didn’t bother turning around.

“I know you heard me. Why aren’t you sitting at our table?”

You clenched you’re fists under the table. “You haven’t been here, April. Besides I have other friends.” You finally turned to face her.

She narrowed her eyes.

But, not from anger.

“Well... I’m back now!” She grinned, placing her hand on your shoulder. “Also, Mikey wanted to know if you wanted to have ice cream with the guys later tonight?”

One of your friends burst out laughing before you could even answer. “This Mikey guy is real?”

Another one snorted. “Who’d have known?”

You tried to laugh it off.

You really did.

But that proved harder than you thought.

April placed her hands on her hips. “Excuse me? What do you mean by ‘who’d have known’?”

“You know what y/n’s like!” The friend beside you waved her off. “She hardly talks to anyone! He’d probably think she’s boring.” She turned to you. “Right?” She elbowed your side when you said nothing, as if she were joking with you.

You straitened your lips into a thin line and nodded. “Yeah... right.”

“So, when we go bowling for your birthday, do you think Jake will like my blue dress or my-?”

April slammed her hands on the table. “Hold on, you think this is all some game?”

Your friend shrugged. “We’re just playing with her! She knows it’s a joke!”

“Was it? Cause I couldn’t tell!” April huffed.

“April, drop it.” You mumbled. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not!” She nearly yelled. “You guys haven’t been a good friend to her at all! You forgot her birthday present last year and you make her walk everywhere-!”

You stood up from your seat. “I said stop, okay?”

Surprisingly, she did.

“It’s fine. Just leave it alone.” You walked over to the trash can and dumped in your long forgotten food.

She frowned. “Fine, if you don’t want me to do this, I won’t.” She walked next to you, casting a look over her shoulder at your table. “Even though I’m right.”

You said nothing.

What could you say?

“Hey, I... I gotta go talk to the guys.” April bit her lip and glanced at the door. “Can you possibly come to the lair? Tonight? Around... five?”

You set your tray back in the pile with all the other dirty ones. “Yeah, I can try.”

“Great thanks!”

April was out of there faster than you could say ‘hot soup’.

————

Wouldn’t you know it, five o’clock rolled around.

You didn’t want to go.

You really didn’t.

Well, you did, but you honestly thought this was going to be them ditching you.

All the signs were there.

Instead of over thinking you decided to just go. Don’t even think about it.

You arrived at the lair quietly, taking your time stepping down the ladder.

All the lights in the kitchen were off.

All the lights in their skating room was off.

By now, it just felt like this was one big joke. Did you misinterpret April? Did the guys even know you were down here? Ugh what if they were doing this just to laugh at you?

Finally, you got to their living room.

You clicked the light on.

“SURPRISE!!”

You nearly jumped out of your skin when the four boys, one girl, and one rat dad jumped out.

Confetti?

Cake?

Even a happy birthday banner?

Decorations with your favorite colors?

Your favorite movie ready and waiting to be played in the tv?

“Ha! Look! Y/n’s speechless!” Leo chortled.

“Happy early birthday, dear friend!” Donnie waved to showcase the room. “April told us your friends were having a bowling party on the actual day, and that you probably needed a little something fun, so here we are!”

“We got all your favorite things, facts checked by the master!” Raph patted April’s back.

“We even got your favorite video game from the store!” Mikey bounced over to the tv and picked up the disc case.

“We have cake, baked by me, and your favorite sodas!” Splinter gave you a toothy rat grin.

“And as for the gifts,” Raph chuckled guiltily, “you kind of caught us trying to get them at the store! April told us it was coming up but we forgot and had to rush to get things ready.”

You...

You honestly didn’t know what to say...

You didn’t have any words!

No one had ever done this for you before.

No one.

Not even the friends that you’d known for years.

A small tear slipped out against your will as you brought your hands to cover your mouth.

“Hey, what’s the problem? You’re supposed to be happy!” Leo dropped his party hat and rushed over, brothers behind him.

You wrapped them up in the biggest hug you could give them. “Thank you so so so much! I... no one has ever done anything like this for me!”

The family gladly returned the gesture.

“Ah, so they’re happy tears. Excellent.” Donnie nodded to himself. “You are happy with this, right?”

You released them and stepped back. “Definitely happy tears.”

April draped her arm over your shoulder. “Well then, what are you waiting for! Let’s get started!!”

That night was probably one of the best nights of your life.

For once, you weren’t chosen last.

You weren’t the extra.

You weren’t the plus one.

You weren’t taken for granted.

Let me know if you have any ideas for a part three! Possibly one where the turtles find out about the readers friends? 😏

@magicalfrickingfish

[tiptapricot]

Give Me Markael Headcanons 🤲

Hee hee hee yessir >:-) (though it doesn’t have to be, this is generally set in a the boys live post movie setting, or at the very least an amiable post vampire reveal AU)

Things start, unsurprisingly, because Marko is bored

He’s craving someone to pick on and fuck with, and Michael presents the perfect opportunity to do so

Marko comments on his looks, his hair, teases him about his music and fashion tastes, even jumps on his back to mess up his hair or interrupt a conversation, and Michael responds with gruff annoyance or short comebacks, or a harsh shove away

It’s a push and pull kind of dynamic (sometimes literally), ranging from playful to genuinely rude, and it stays the status quo for several months

(Implied sexual content under cut)

Marko even goes after Michael without the boys around, pops up at his house and follows him around the boardwalk to get an early jump on that night’s round of torment

It’s absolutely excessive, and would drive anyone up the wall, but the strange thing is that after awhile, Michael starts reacting less and less, until he’s just absentmindedly nodding along while he does his own thing. He stops being bothered to a weird degree, almost like no one’s there, and that frustrates Marko

Because if he can’t get a rise out of Michael, what’s the point? Where’s the fun in it?

Eventually he gets so worked up that he bursts

“What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t just ignore me, Mikey. You can’t pretend I’m not talking, say something!”

And infuriatingly, incomprehensibly, Michael still maintains his cool. He quirks an eyebrow, shrugs, and says he doesn’t see what the big deal is. “I just stopped caring. I mean you’re not really an asshole,” he reasons, “so why should I be mad?”

And that… Marko doesn’t know how to respond to that. Because… what? He is an asshole. He definitely is. Right? He hasn’t been nice to Michael by any stretch of the imagination, so what the hell is he talking about?

When Marko fails to respond, Michael puts his hands in his pockets and goes to do his own thing on the boardwalk, leaving Marko behind thoroughly confused and even more frustrated than before

No one has ever responded to him like that. No one has just decided… not to go along with his game of cat and mouse, just brushed him off like it was the obvious choice, and he doesn’t know… why. It doesn’t make sense, and he doesn’t know why it’s so offputting

He’s quieter around Michael after that. He still seeks him out and follows him around, but instead of making the usual jabs he just… examines him

They sit on the beach together, and walk around town, and bum around in Michael’s front yard, and talk. Well, Michael’s really the only one that talks. Marko asks the questions, and then trails after him like a curious cat, listening to the answers

At first he’s trying to figure out the why from before, harder and more quizzical, but somewhere along the way that goal goes out of focus. The questions become less about solving something and more about hearing about Michael’s life, about hearing his voice, about seeing him every night

Eventually Marko starts tentatively asking things about his family, his parents, and there’s always this feeling of unfinished-ness hanging between them afterwards, this knowledge that Marko wants to say something too, but just never does. He listens instead, keeps his mouth shut, and listens

And that should be fine, he should be fine with that. Marko tells himself so, over and over. He chews on the loose threads of his glove and listens, focuses on the way Michael smiles when he talks about Sam or Lucy, or on how his voice deepens to something hard and unsteady when he talks about his dad. He tries to focus on Michael, even as something creeps under his skin, wriggles into his fingers and his legs, tense and expectant, edging on panic

This isn’t going to last, he realizes. It can’t. It’s been too long, too easy, that’s not how things work. Something is going to go wrong soon, Michael will get bored or angry or something

Marko stops being able to focus on what Michael says when they meet, too busy listening for a change in tone or topic, for a sign that the gentleness has run out

It’s going to. It has to. Gentleness never lasts for Marko

One night Michael pauses mid sentence and Marko stiffens. “Hey, do you—” he begins, and there, that’s it

Marko snaps into action, adrenaline spiking, and in the next second Michael’s lips are smashed against his own

There’s a moment where they stay suspended, where neither of them move and Marko knows his heart would stop if it was still beating, but then Michael melts into him with this sweet little sound and there are hands working under his jacket and—yes this is much more familiar, this is easy, Marko doesn’t have to think about this

He slips out of Michael’s room before sunrise, something heavy in the pit of his stomach that he tries desperately to ignore

They go on like that for awhile, no more talking, just touching, until one night Michael stops Marko before they can start and doesn’t let him continue

“Hey… what’s going on with you,” he asks, and there’s that gentleness again, that strange strange gentleness that Marko knows is earnest because that’s how Michael is. But why now why… here? Is this not good enough either?

If so what does Michael want?? He ignored Marko’s jabs and insults, he hung around with him seemingly without expecting anything in return for months, and now he’s not satisfied with something physical either. And Marko is dumbfounded

He leaves again, wordlessly, and tries to mull things over on his own, but he’s right back to the why, and he still can’t figure that out. It makes no sense

The others can see he’s worked up, Dwayne and David keep exchanging those glances, and Paul tries to reach out but Marko’s to snippy and tired to explain

That night he confronts Michael again, this time about all of… whatever they have right now, about what he wants, and it ends up just being a long, long, talk

Michael doesn’t want anything, as it turns out. Well, he wants Marko, but he doesn’t want him to be anything. He just likes him. Likes having him around, likes doing things with him

It’s a strange thing to hear

By the time they’re done, by the time they’ve talked through more than Marko thinks they have in the last year, the horizon is tinged red and there’s a new hole in the edge of his glove

Michael gets him too much, he thinks. They both have shitty parental experience, they both crave people and contact and belonging, sometimes to a destructive degree, and they’re both much too connected to their human lives to fully relate to any of the boys

That’s one of the bigger things. Even though Paul has technically been a vampire for less time than Marko, he still doesn’t have the same ties to his human life, doesn’t have the same baggage Marko does

With Michael Marko can actually talk about it. He gets it, he gets the grey areas and the gives and takes and the blurred lines, he gets that even if things sucked there’s still that want to go back to it, a need to keep it with you

Marko hasn’t had that in so long

It’s those spaces that are filled with each other that make their relationship, though, and that’s mutual. Michael grounds Marko, makes him slow down, remember, process, yes, but in return, Marko helps Michael let go

He drags him into races along the highway, teases him and flirts with him, kisses him in public and stands too close and casually touches him in ways that make him blush and sputter

Marko gives him an escape, gives him a place where he can forget his responsibilities for awhile and just have fun

They both provide balance for the other. Michael brings Marko back to himself, reminds him he’s not just Marko the vampire, that life isn’t all about adrenaline and parties, and Marko gets Michael out of his own head, reminds him he doesn’t always have to be perfect and responsible, doesn’t always have to be the big brother or the reliable son

There’s a giddiness to their relationship, innocent and recklessly cynical at the same time

Marko’s torment morphs into a love language, they get drunk and dress up in stolen clothes, break windows and lay on the beach with their feet in the water, howl on the highway and whisper against each other’s throats, excited for every moment no matter how fast or slow

That duality permeates every part of their relationship, it’s excitement spilling into closeness, sparks melting seamlessly back into embers, a mix of dark oranges and blues and reds

It’s a taste of newness that still feels familiar, and it’s exhilarating in its rightness, in it’s closeness, in its awkwardness, and in its gentleness

And, against all odds, it lasts this time

Headcanons masterpost

[remmushound]

Beyond the Bay Chapter 19, Traximus

Summary: The Turtles meet a dinosaur

Tags: @brightlotusmoon @selfindulgenz @ilo-artistry @unhealthyobsessions101

Content warnings: swears

Bubble, bubble, bubble went the water as it swelled and displaced. Weapons were drawn, and the katana in Leonardo’s hand felt as foreign as if someone had just given him a book in Chinese and instructed him to read it. The handle was smaller than his odachi, and the blade was shorter, and it was thinner, and its weight was lighter, almost nothing. Still, a weapon was a weapon, even if he naturally navigated toward the back of the crowded group to put a wall of muscle between him and whatever was emerging from the cesspool.

There came two curved horns as long as Leonardo’s arm and as thick as Leo’s at the base, curved forward and angled close together. The gap between then formed an almost triangle shape. First came the horns, and then came an apricot head that rivaled the size of a small car, revealing a third smaller horn on the tip of a muzzle just before heavy, meaty flesh parted to a hard, bony beak. The head shook from size to side, a loud whoosh resulting as the broad frill caught the air. Further still the triceraton revealed himself.

His shoulders were as wide as the frill on his head, and he had a torso that could be mistaken for a brick wall. He was clothed in a red and orange regalia that could have once been a beautiful suit but was now stained with waste and ruin, heavy from the submergence. His nostrils flared to blow away the water that still cascaded along his muscular form, his breaths coming in heavy and labored grunts. Donnie couldn’t help but take notice of many wires hanging loosely around the triceratons shoulders, several of them severed or otherwise damaged; what use could they have once served? The options were limitless!

The triceraton didn't charge, but the clan held their ground. Eyes of an impossibly bright emerald sought something among the group; what that something was was anyone’s guess, but it must have been important. Apparently it was Donnie that held what the alien sought, because when his eyes found the box turtle they stopped searching. His head bowed and the turtles once more braced themselves for a charge. The triceraton lifted his arms up to his horns, arching his fingers downward so they formed an inverted triangle; joined with the angling of his horns, a diamond shape was revealed.

“Awaiting… orders… general Mozar.” He sounded as if he had swallowed a cheese grater.

Raph’s confusion disturbed the unyielding stance. “Who?”

All eyes gleaned over at Donnie. The box turtle paled at all the attention suddenly on him, his throat drying and a visible drop of sweat dripping down his forehead.

“Dudes this is so weird…” Mikey breathed.

“Woah!” Despite the many shouts of discouragement and several attempts to stop Michelangelo, the box turtle made his way to the front of the group to oggle the still giant. “How can we understand you?! Is there some super cool alien translation device?!”

“Actually Michael, I think he’s just speaking english.” Donatello commented absently.

“Oh.” Michelangelo deflated, “That’s less fun.”

The giant seemed to tolerate Michelangelo’s presence surprisingly well; that is to say, he didn't immediately try to beat the young turtle into a puddle.

“Should we be concerned that he’s not, you know… pummeling us right now?” Raphael asked, his hands still fixed firmly on his tonfa.

“Don’t let your guard down.” Leo whispered to the group, “He still might.”

“I don’t think he will.” Leonardo said, and his eyes were locked on the dinosaur as if seeing something no one else could.

“Excuse me?” With a hand perched on his hip, Leo addressed Leonardo’s words with scrutiny.

“Donnie.” Leonardo said to the box turtle, “Raise your hand…”

Donnie, though confused, raised his hand. The triceraton lowered his strange salute and raised his hand; Donnie leaned curiously to the side, and the dinosaur leaned to the side. Donnie leaned to the other side, and the dinosaur followed, like a baby mimicking its mother.

“Ooookay, things just got a whole lot weirder.” Mikey whistled.

“Guys, you remember that one really red triceraton?” Donnie asked quickly without removing his eyes from the ten foot giant before him. “The one with the lopsided horns?”

“Yeah, the leader.” Leo said just as quick as Donnie, just as urgent.

Donnie didn't answer verbally, but made a point of motioning to the goggles perched on his head, the lopsided lenses glistening.

“Aaaaand sidebar!” Despite being the smallest of all eight gathered, Leonardo was able to wrap his arms around the other mutants and whisk them to the side while Traximus returned to his unsteady salute. “Okay bros; how we feeling ‘bout this?”

“That dino dude’s acting weird…” Mikey said, and made a point of enunciating the last word,

“Yeah, like Mikey weird.” Raph whistled.

“Hey.” Mikey narrowed his eyes.

“And his gears all busted up.” Donnie reported, “He doesn’t have his mask on anymore for one.”

“And why is he playing some twisted version of Simon Says with Donnie?” Raph’s words came with a sharp scoff.

“Maybe he’s friendly?” Michelangelo offered up.

“Unlikely.” Donatello disagreed.

“Well the robot was nice.” Michelangelo pointed out.

“That is a fair point.” Leonardo nodded and agreed.

“And what’s that meant to be, some kinda salute?” Raph lifted his head from the group to look back at the giant. “An’ why does he think Don’s this ‘Mozar’ or whatever?”

Donatello cleared his throat to call everyone’s attention. “I would like to offer a theory if I may?”

“Yeah, shoot.” Raphael said.

“You mentioned something about a mask.” Donatello said, holding one hand over his mouth and nose to resemble a mask, “Like, a cloth mask or an oxygen mask?”

“Uh, oxygen.” Donnie nodded his confirmation.

“Right.” Donatello nodded, and pointed over at the dinosaur. “I see no oxygen tank. If he had one to begin with, it’s gone now, and yet he’s still up and walking.”

“I… don’t remember any oxygen tank.” Leo shook his head.

“That’s because it probably wasn’t an oxygen mask. Not if all five of your dinosaurs were wearing ‘em in a place where there was quite clearly oxygen. That, my dear friends, is a pattern, not a coincidence. If they all had it, chances are it’s some sort of filter, like they’re meant to be breathing something that’s not our air. And if someone from our planet breathes in something that isn’t oxygen…”

“It kills them?” Leo wasn’t following.

“Yes, and no. How about you?” Donatello pointed at Donnie.

“It can cause… delirium, confusion… hallucinations…” Donnie was following perfectly.

“Who’s to say the effects aren’t the same for someone like him?”

“You’re saying he’s deprived of some type of breathing apparatus?” Donnie’s eyes lit up like the skies on the Fourth of July, “It makes sense!”

“And it would explain the confusion.” Leonardo said.

Leo, wanting desperately to get on to a more important subject, urged, “Do you think he’s dangerous?”

“Yes.” Donatello answered confidently, “But he also thinks dear Donald here is his beloved General Mozar, and we should keep it that way.”

“General…” The dinosaur called,. “Awaiting orders…”

“Uh. At ease?” Donnie offered.

The dinosaur stared at him for the longest time, trying to decipher why his bold and brash commander had spoken so strangely before lowering his arms to his side. Donnie cleared his throat and stepped forward away from the group, trying to make himself as big as possible which wasn’t much of a task for the tree-like turtle.

“Remind me of your name and rank again, soldier.” Donnie’s voice slowly gained more confidence and tone, and the dinosaur seemed to be excited by it.

“Major Traximus of the Ygthian fleet, serving our great and powerful Prime Leader.”

“That’s right.” It felt almost fun being in a position of power, and it quickly went to Donnie’s head. “My command for you, Major Traximus, is to help me escort these… diplomats back to their home.”

“Yes Commander Mozar…” Traximus bowed the immensity of his head. “As you command…”

Though one could expect a beast of such immense proportion to lumber at an awkward gait, it was quite the opposite as Traximus walked with such speed and determination. The turtles parted to allow him plenty of space to pass by them. He was a man— or alien— on a mission that would stop for nothing. Glances were exchanged, followed by ‘what else are we gonna do?’ shrugs and curious excitement as the turtles were quick to keep up with the charging titan.

“How’d he get through anyway?” Raph asked; he was the one now holding Splinter, cradling the rat to his chest and still working absently to dry his fur.

“He was the one chasing us back in our world.” Leo said, “Maybe he got through the rift, ended up in the sewers. Lord knows the time rift had ask of us scattered to the winds.”

“Awesome…” Mikey breathed, followed up with, “I told you he was out here!”

“Yeah…” Both Leo and Raph faltered their steps, “You did…”

They made good time getting back to the lair where Yoshi and April were sat together at the living room coffee table assembling a puzzle; it was one activity that Yoshi didn't need help with, since the pieces were so big and obvious, and the old rat took great pride in each success. April, like her turtle brothers, had grown and matured greatly. She had forgone her usual buns in favor of tight braids clinging to her scalp and cascading to just above her shoulders, and she wore a modest yellow jumpsuit and rubber rain boots, perfect for traversing the wet ick of the sewer. One thing was familiar about her, however, and it was that same green coat she had been wearing since her younger adolescent. April looked up when she heard their approach, the smile turning to her mouth hanging open and her eyes bulging.

“Holy Jurassic Park…”

Leonardo took Splinter from Raph’s arm and immediately whisked him away, leaving Raph with his empty arms still out in a cradle, pouting and desperately pawing at the air that had once been his dad. Donnie parted from the group and tried follow Leonardo to the infirmary, but the red eared slider stopped him.

“I got him; you and the guys take care of our little… guest over there.” And Leonardo motioned to Traximus, who was still and awaiting orders.

“Oh. Right.” Donnie watched Leonardo leave like a distressed puppy watching his owner go to work without him. Seeking some guidance, Donnie turned to his brother. “Leo?”

“Maybe we… get him something to eat?” Leo offered.

“What do dinosaurs eat anyway?” Raph huffed; now without anything to hold, he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Nothing that still exists.” Donnie muttered bitterly, and his eyes passed over the orange dinosaur trying to make better sense of the alien presence.

“Well, he is an alien dinosaur.” Michelangelo pointed, “Maybe he eats something different.”

“If it’s alien, it still won’t be on our planet, Michael.” Donatello added.

“Oh.” Michelangelo’s expression deflated.

“But we can still try.” Leo said, arms motioning widely as he called attention to himself, “We need to make his comfortable before we can get anything out of him.”

“Are we sure he even knows anything?” Donatello asked, and he was looking absently at his nails, “Doesn’t look like there’s much happening upstairs.”

It was true that Traximus’ eyes did look remarkably empty, but Donnie wasn’t convinced he was completely gone. The dinosaur could talk, and could obey orders, even if he couldn’t recognize them as not being from his own species. And they had been there for two days now! He didn't know a damn thing about alien triceratops digestion, or how long they could go without food, but he did know a thing or two about empathy. Did this triceraton need food? Maybe. Water? Maybe. Donnie would make sure the creature didn't go without either.

“Major Traximus?”

The triceraton snorted and shook his head as he brought his focus to attention at the call of his commander.

“Would you care to… indulge in… sustenance?” Donnie tried to choose his words carefully, but it was difficult, if not impossible, with knowing next to nothing about who he was meant to be portraying.

Traximus tilted his head to one side, and then the other. “Commander Mozar…?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Donnie gulped, raising his head a little higher and keeping his expression still and serious. With eyes as beady and small as Traximus’, he wasn’t sure the alien could even see him. “You must be hungry soldiers. Follow me to the… dining room and select something to eat.”

Without another word, Donnie turned on his heels and guided the way to the kitchen. Traximus, confusion evident on all of his features, trailed behind with the gaggle of curious turtles following him. They got to the kitchen and he surpassed Donnie, intent on obeying the command and maybe just plain starving as he pulled the fridge door open— more like ripped it off its hinges— and began to dig around inside. The turtles watched in curious awe.

Now that they weren’t in immediate danger of being trampled and crushed by this titan of a creature, it was like they couldn’t stop watching him. Something not human, not yokai, not mutant— something new! You didn't have to be Donnie to see the beauty in this new creature, nor to feel a desperate urge to know more and more about them! Raphael was practically exploding with excitement. He had always wanted to be so close to a dinosaur but now it was happening? He could hardly breathe! The kitchen was barely big enough for them all, but they managed to crowd around in such a way that they all could get a good view of what was happening.

Traximus picked up the gallon of milk first, shaking it a bit and then promptly discarding it. In fact, he discarded all the liquid, tossing drinks behind him and letting them shatter and spill over the floor. Not even Michelangelo cared about the mess made of his precious ingredients— not when it was this beautifully intricate creature doing it! Once all the liquid contents were out of his way, Traximus began a long pattern of selecting food, taking a bite, deciding he didn't like it, and tossing it carelessly. This process continued on until the fridge was almost barren and Michelangelo was finally regretting not intervening sooner. One of the final things left in the fridge, chili peppers, were the next thing Traximus grabbed.

“Wait— maybe you shouldn’t—” Raphael tried a little too late, as Traximus was already shoving a handful into his mouth, stems and seeds and all.

Everyone cringed, even Raph— who had taken on a hot pepper challenge many times again Leo and always somehow lost (he lost because Leo had switched out all of his own peppers for sweet peppers, but Leo would never admit that). They waited for the burn, for the scream, for the desperate scramble to find coolness. Instead, Traximus chomped happily and his mouth began to drool in response to the burning stimuli, his lips curling up as his tongue poked out to lap up all the drool that tried to escape. He dumped the rest of the basket into his mouth and dove back into the fridge in pursuit of more burning delights.

“We have a winner.” Raph said with a satisfied smirk.

Michelangelo’s eyes were firmly fixed on the mess at their feet. “And we have no dinner…”

[dumbdotcomm]

a little luck and some frogs

(a/n) the iconic @pricklydapper​ drew this amazing piece for me of Mikey and Raph and I just had to write a angst/fluff one-shot for it!!!

//

There’s a still and a quiet that comes with rain, gentle and slow and lulling. They haven’t had quiet in so long, it seems; it feels like days blend into one another, new paths unlocked in their destinies or whatever.

Sometimes Raph would just like to stop. Go back to being that 15 year old kid living below Queens, having nothing but his tight knit family and a lair game tournament to worry about.

They’ve been firing on all cylinders for days, and god he’s just tired, overstimulated and definitely in need of, like, a detox or something- Leo and April go on about those kinds of things. Maybe he’ll give that a try.

But even as the days pass, long long after they’ve settled back into home and dealing with low-level crime, Raph still can’t really relax. Not in the way that lasts. He’s always looking, anticipating the moment their relative peace will elude them, and the next thing he’ll know is they’ll be miles high, falling from a building, pushing and pushing to catch one another- or at the docks watching his brother get torn apart.

Raph feels like he’s gonna hurl and he does, nothing but last night’s dinner and severe anxiety spilling out from him.

It’s gross and embarrassing and Raph knows it’s nothing he can control; the little helpful part of his brain is reassuring that way. But it was easier to feel so panicky when everyone else was still reeling from the fight.

Leo’s got his detoxing with April, Mikey’s gone off and found Draxum to rehabilitate for god knows what reason, and Donnie’s regulated his sleeping cycle again and he’s gone back to shittalking and watching gophers on Youtube so- he’s okay.

Everyone’s okay…. except for Raph.

But maybe what Raph doesn’t know is that the somewhat okay thing about it, the silver-ish lining in all of it is- even if he’s feeling alone… he’s not. He never is. And Raph has always hated his panic-stink but maybe it’s doing him some good, because he brothers are attentive, and Mikey’s especially perceptive.

It’s why, on this languid, rainy ass day, Mikey barges into Raph’s room with a shopping bag from Old Navy. How he got to, and inside, and outside of Old Navy, Raph doesn’t really have to wonder (humans were so funny in ignoring obvious things, it made raph wonder why mutants stayed hidden anyway).

But Mikey’s got a grin that stretches a mile wide and is pretty contagious, as he struts into the room after having stood in the entrance in that weird ‘younger sibling is now here to bother you’ stance.

“Whaaat are we doing…?” Raph asks cautiously, but can’t hide his own growing smile the longer Mikey beams.

He says ‘we’ because there’s always a ‘we’ in these types of situations, and he’d rather just include himself now off the bat.

“Glad’ja asked,” Mikey says, and dumps the Old Navy bag out of Raph’s bed, “Behold….the best freakin’ things ever.”

And woah- they kinda are the best freaking things ever. Practically see-through jackets with-

“No way! Mikey!” Raph clutches his- he already knows it’s his by the size, extra huge and all, “Bro this-? Is pretty sick. How’d you even get it this big?!”

The thing about them and clothes is: Leo, Donnie and Mikey are all, at least, human people sizes. It’s easy for them to snag just about anything, even some of April’s old stuff fits them. Hell, Leo could fit into Dad’s old suit. And that luxury was kinda foreign to Raph.

Humans barely even made enough fashionable clothes for all of their people- and Raph was kind of outside of that caliber.

He’s kinda getting teary eyed, but, like, who wouldn’t, and Mikey’s already slipping into his own coat, see-through and speckled with little oranges.

“Eh, it’s no biggie,” he sniffs, shrugging the jacket on the rest of the way (it’s totally a biggie), “I kinda...customized ‘em. They were havin’ this special, and I thought ‘screw it baby, we need raincoats’!”

And, careful of his strength, Raph goes for a hug that he knows Mikey was anticipating anyway, with the force that he hugs back and all. Raph doesn’t really need to say anything, but his warbly thank you to Mikey is just a fraction of the depth of emotion he feels now.

It’s funny, silly maybe, because this doesn’t erase the threat of a bigger fight, a worse enemy lurking in the shadows to trip them up- it’s just a custom made see-through raincoat with Raph’s favorite fruit, adorable little strawberries, on it.

And yet he feels indescribably lighter than he’s felt in weeks.

“I figured we could do some adventuring, and I gotta cooks tonight so…”

Mikey wriggles his brow ridge, and Raph can’t help but, like, wanna combust from this surge of excitement and normalcy that he hasn’t felt in too long.

“Trip to Katagiri, hell yes!”

/////

The nice thing about rain in the city is, even though traffic is all the same, and people are still moving around, the sky gets dark enough from the clouds that the lights kinda shine prematurely. The streetlamps come on with a dim, orangey light, and with the autumn leaves mixed with green ones still clinging on, it was just so peaceful.

No one, again, seems to care that two turtles are walking down Lexington, and one couple briskly compliments their jackets and so that’s a plus.

Mikey compliments the one girl’s hair, shaved with hearts dyed into her scalp, and Raph can only appreciate that his brother is so well-spoken- that he just is so natural and confident out here.

That he doesn’t worry.

Raph remembers his first time topside, and how his fear led him into the state of consciousness that he hates to be in- where he’s on all instinct and fear and nothing else.

It’s gotten better since then, but the unease still lingers all these years. Raph wonders if he’ll get rid of it all the way.

Donnie realistically told him he might not, but that all he has to do is count to ten and back again, look around, find something to focus on- something ordinary or something great, and cling to it till he can convince his body and mind that he’s safe- that things will return to normal in a sec.

And right now, Raph keeps his eyes locked on his brother’s feet, as they pound the sidewalk, making little splashes in rain water.

As he’s watching, a frog of all things, just hops along the sidewalk, right at Raph’s feet. It makes him halt, because....maybe it’s coincidental or maybe Raph’s reading too into it, but Mikey turns around too, sees the frog that Raph stoops beside, and smiles in soft understanding.

It’s an omen of some sorts, Dad always said so. Of good luck, and of things returning.

Raph breathes out a laugh, shaking his head.

Just as quickly as the frog comes, it hops away, and Raph stands, still a bit speechless, still kinda processing the meaning behind what just happened, desperately wanting to cling to it meaning good fortune.

He doesn’t wanna worry his brother though, and so he thinks of something to joke or talk about as they start to walk again, only for Mikey to beat him to it.

“I never told you thanks,” he says, gently, like he’s been reading Raph’s aura. Maybe he has.

And somehow Raph already knows what he’s thanking him for, but decides within himself that Mikey really, really shouldn’t. He was just doing his job. He tells Mikey this breezily, with a soft smile.

“Bullshit,” Mikey snaps back, but only because he knows Raphael so well, “We’re kids- we don’t got jobs- except for Donnie occasionally….suspiciously-” he shakes off the trailing thought, “Anyway- it’s not ‘your job’. It was just a shitty...long fight and ya really held us down, Raph.”

They cross the street, momentarily separating with the influx of people but find their way back in a second, the neon ‘Gonbei’ sign now visible to them.

And it’s not that Raph is all that surprised by Mikey. He knows his brother’s always had a knack for speaking in a way that just...made so much sense and was so profound without any complexity. But maybe it’s his brother being 14 now, that makes him even wiser.

“I know we don’t got jobs,” Raph concedes, as they pass the Lexington Flowers shop, “But, you know, I’m big...bigger than you guys, an’ I might not be as smart but when it comes to protecting, an’ planning….it’s what a leader’s s’posed ta do, y’know?”

They don’t often talk about the leadership thing- not that it’s touchy, it’s just not really relevant with how they function. But Mikey knows Raph’s internalized the role a bit more recently. And that Leo getting dropped from a building may have been the catalyst.

He knows his brother’s technically got a job to do. Mikey resents that, and their Dad a little bit, for not making Raph ready for all of what happened weeks ago.

Though he knows that’s not all fair. His father was only protecting them.

Still….it sucks.

“Well, if it means anything, I think you’re smart. And ‘m not sure if I can promise this, but I’m gonna do it anyway...” Mikey says, stopping in his tracks and turning to Raph, who also stops walking and gets called a ‘fuckin asshat’ for blocking a chunk of the sidewalk but- hey.

Mikey politely tells the guy to go fuck himself and when the guy turns to get a good enough look- not at Raph’s size, but at his little gremlin brother with a chain that’s starting to flame up- he decides this whole situation is not something he wants any parts of.

Mikey rolls his eyes and turns back to Raph, face all sincere and kind for someone who just...did that, “I promise we’re okay, and we’re always gonna be stuck together, Raph. I know that won’t magically make you feel better but...just thought I’d say it.”

And Raph tries to say something, but has to clear his throat, and it’s definitely the rain on his cheeks and beak.

“No,” he croaks, and laughs at his voice, happy that Mikey laughs too, “Nah, it- it really helps a lot Mikey….thank you- thanks, man.”

Satisfied, Mikey turns to keep on walking, patting Raph’s shell, “Anytime bud.”

////

Katagiri’s never disappoints. Mikey leaves with milk tea, shrimp tempura and shiso, more milk tea and a couple boxes of mochi ice. It’s one of those days.

He swings his groceries as they walk.

Raph doesn’t wonder about the frog and its meaning, and doesn’t doubt its luck and why it appeared to him.

He’s kinda figured it out. Because he still has moments like this, watching his brother merrily skip a few steps ahead of him, chatting breezily about pineapple upside down pancakes- and Mikey made a promise, after all, that they’re gonna be together, no matter what.

If that’s not lucky, being with his family, leaning on them when it counts, then Raph’s got no clue what is.

[imlostinsantacarla]

@beaming-ben:  hey! i just wanted to say i’m enjoying your lost boys posts :) was wondering if i was able to make a request with Y/N (so others can enjoy it) x Marko? it would be where the reader is new to santa carla and they are at the boardwalk looking at the stores and stuff. Marko notices them who turns out to be his mate and he starts talking to them. the reader would be quite shy in this but eventually opens up and Marko would be really sweet to them. Thanks for your time :) x

(a/n: heya love, sorry that this took so long for me to get around to! i hope you enjoy what i’ve come up with, i really tried my best! thanks for your request as well. - admin kat 🌙❣)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Title: You Don’t Talk Much Do You? (Marko x Reader)

Summary: Moving out to the Murder Capitol of the World and into the home of your eccentric grandfather after a divorce between your parents has you longing for a night of fun. When your two brothers accompany you onto the infamous Boardwalk for the night, their teasing ways get under your skin and you feel the need to break away and cool off. Doing this means that you run into a particular blonde-haired boy that isn’t just trying to chat you up to win you over for the night, but for eternity.

Word Count: 2,269 (lmaoo 69)

Warnings: mentions of parents divorcing, angsty teenager stuff?, nothing else really.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Being new to Santa Carla had an overwhelming pressure as nighttime rolled around and the Boardwalk was filled with the static buzz of teenagers having a blast of a time whilst the flashing lights of the fair rides busily illuminated the night air. There was a charge of excitement in the atmosphere which had you practically bouncing on your heels, a grin spread wide across your face. It seemed as though it had been an eternity since you had even stared fun straight in the face.

Currently you were situated between your two brothers, Michael and Sam, whom were bickering like school children over the topic of Sam needing and not needing babysitters to accompany him.

“I’m not a kid any more, Mikey! I can find my own way around here no problem.” Sam sassed with an exasperated tone, total offense clouding his countenance as he looked up at his older brother indignantly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Michael rolled his eyes, giving a hasty shake of his head, “tell that to mom after you get lost for the fifth time today.”

“Hey! The first time was my fault but the other four were your terrible sense of direction. Right, y/n?” Sam blabbered enthusiastically, though his face was heating up due to embarrassment.

“Huh?” You hummed, eyes averting from the roller coaster and landing on Sam who seemed even more offended that you hadn’t exactly been paying any mind to his side of the argument, never mind Michael’s point. “Sorry, what did you two losers say?” You inquired with a quick scratch to the back of your neck.

Michael grinned silly at you before staring down at Sam. “Jesus, and I thought mom was bad.” to which Sam laughed at, their brotherly bickering having become a thing of the past and your fleeting attention span now the main focus.

“You’ve seen plenty of rides before, I don’t see what the big deal is, y/n!” Sam stated matter-of-factly, his bright eyes illuminated with mischief.

“Yeah, I know. But when was the last time us three got to have fun instead of being stuck between mom and dad arguing?” You sassed, a tint spreading across your cheeks. Your statement was nothing more than sincere. Being in between two parents going through a divorce was messy and heartbreaking for everyone involved, but it seemed to have taken it’s toll on you the most. You’d assumed the role of keeping what was left of your family intact, like human glue, and it was the most exhausting job you’d slid into for awhile now.

“Jeez you make it sound like you’re the one going through the divorce yourself.” Michael scoffed mockingly, no doubt attempting to get under your skin as he usually did.

“YoU mAkE iT sOuNd LiKe YoU’rE tHe OnE GoInG ThRoUgH tHe DiVoRcE yOuRsElF.” you did a pretty bad imitation of his voice, throwing your hands up in the air as you did so. “You sound like you don’t give a shit.” you spat, pushing past your older brother.

“Great! Now she’s gonna go tell mom you were an ass to her and probably blame me too!” You heard Sam practically shriek behind you. You didn’t care, you just felt like you needed to get away from them, they were practically suffocating you.

___

Parting from your brothers had lead you to only dig yourself deeper into your own thoughts. You went from store to store that littered the Boardwalk and scanned the shelves of them absentmindedly with a lot weighing down the theme of your train of thought. Moving away from Phoenix had been challenging for you, especially parting from your friends, and your parents going through their divorce was hard, - even if your mother had managed to do it with little mess -. The change of moving to another state made you almost weak with nausea. When summer was over you’d be going to a new school with new people and the thought alone made you want to spew. Making friends back in Phoenix had been challenging enough as it was...

You missed your friends desperately, you knew you were gonna miss your old school even once summer was over here. Everything here was daunting and weird. I mean, your Gramps didn’t even own a TV! He had Taxidermy swarming around his whole house. The thought of that beaver he’d given Sam sent shivers down your spine as though The Angel of Death were tickling it. You were genuinely living with a crazy old man and your somewhat dysfunctional family. The odds of enjoying your time here didn’t look so hot. I mean, you were living in the Murder Capital of the World.

The exhaustion you felt seemed to morph into sore legs from having walked around the pier several times. You’d even walked past your brothers ten times, ignoring them whenever they’d called on you. They knew that when you were in a bad mood to just let you walk it off in order to cool down. Besides, they were the ones who’d agitated you in the first place. The least they could do was give you time.

The whole intention of coming to the Boardwalk was to have fun, engage in excitement: You’d wanted to go on every ride you saw, eat till you were so full you’d spew and watch the live bands play. You hadn’t bagged on miserably idling around a comic book store until the two kids behind the register eyed you all funny till you left.

Now you were at one set of stairs that lead down to the actual sand of Santa Carla’s beach. Your eyes scanning the scene before you with dull eyes of envy. The moon was strikingly pale against the velvety black night sky, tiny specs of stars dancing to the music of the local teenagers guffawing and fooling around on the sand beneath. The waves of the ocean were a velvety black, the moon casting an eerie silvery glow onto it, it’s reflection warbled as the salty water lapped onto the sand and retreated. There wasn’t just total darkness, on the sand, where there were teenagers, there were also oil drums glowing orange with dancing flames in the center of the group, providing warmth and light to their shenanigans. There were hundreds of oil drums littered all over the beach, like small beacons of light attempting to break through the darkness of night.

A sense of desperation to join them left your stomach jumping and twisting apprehensively, making you miss Phoenix all the more. You’d do almost anything to get out of the funk you’d sunk into, even if that meant doing something stupid and getting yourself grounded for all eternity by your mother. You weren’t astray to rebelling against her in the past. She knew that plain as day, which is probably why she had told your brothers to head out with you.

You climbed halfway down the stairs until you sunk down onto them, deciding you didn’t have enough courage to just throw yourself into any one of the orange circles that scattered the beach. Anyone of those groups could be filled with nutters and weirdos. You weren’t looking to get yourself into anything you couldn’t get yourself out of. But you observed the people your age, maybe even a little older than you, dancing and singing, - clearly both drunk and/or high on something -, with curiosity.

“You just gonna watch all the action go down from here?” You heard a voice clear as day in your ear, causing you to jump straight out of your skin, a yelp being pulled from your throat. You whipped around to find a boy your age with the dumbest grin plastered straight on his face, like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. “Whoa! Easy.” His voice came out husky as he placed his hands up by his head, partially gloved, palms facing you.

You were stunned for what felt like seconds but stretched on for well over a couple of minutes. The guy was stunning, blond and wore the most peculiar jacket of gold and red that possessed patterns, faces, pictures... You weren’t even aware that you’d been staring till he chuckled again. “You know, you might wanna close your mouth before you drool everywhere.” He teased, his nimble and icy fingertips coming under your chin and forcing your mouth closed with a soft tap. He had his head tilted to the side, blue orbs penetrating yours like he was staring straight through your soul.

“O-Oh, s-sorry.” You cleared your throat, tearing your face away from him and looking out over the beach once more. You were grateful that it was dark where you were, so the blush that consumed your face now was well hidden, - at least you thought it was -.

“Nah, it’s all good. I’m not complaining.” You heard the grin forming on his face as he spoke. Suddenly the space on the step beside you was occupied and you could feel his gaze on your face now. “You new here? I haven’t seen you around before.” He inquired, leaning closer to you in a non-intrusive way. There was curiosity in his eyes as you met them.

“Yeah.” You hummed, nipping your bottom lip between your teeth. This felt odd, no guy, - especially this attractive -, had ever really spoken to you. You always thought it was because you weren’t attractive, but you knew the biggest part of it was because your older brother Michael (by one year) wouldn’t let any guy get within twenty feet of you. So the fact that this guy was sat here chatting to you made you wonder where in the hell Michael was at.

“Cool. Where’re you from?”

“Ph-Phoenix.” You muttered softly, eyes dipping down as you spoke. The way that he was looking at you made you feel a little unsettled.

“Cool, cool.” He mumbled, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, plucking a smoke out and placing it between his lips before lighting it. The flame from his lighter made it possible for you to fully see his face, which almost made your jaw slack open once again. He was definitely attractive. He laughed again. “What? You want one?” He offered the opened carton to you, to which you declined and he chuckled once more. “Alright. You’re not much of a talker are you?” He quipped humorously to which you felt your ears redden and you shook your head.

“I’m Marko, by the way.” He mumbled around his cigarette, puffing smoke in your direction.

“y/n” you smiled softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear as you watched him.

“Michael’s sister?” Marko inquired with a quirked brow.

“How’d you know that?” You were baffled and slightly terrified to say the least.

“Me and my buddies met your brother, we’re friends. He told us about you.” Marko clarified with a puff of smoke flowing from his lips as he spoke.

“That’s funny, he never mentioned you...” You hummed thoughtfully, “Oh God, what’d he tell you about me? That I’m a Monster Bitch from Hell?” You rolled your eyes indignantly.

“Somethin’ like that.” He simpered, eyes skimming up and down your body with interest as he spoke. “With the way he was describing you, I thought you’d look like a Demon of something.”

“I’m so gonna flatten him when I get home.” You muttered under your breath to which he laughed at. You turned to look at him once more with creased brows. “Then what do I look like to you?”

“Hot.” You laughed when he said that, shaking your head as you tipped it backwards. “I mean that in a non-demon kinda way.” He added.

“Well, that’s good I suppose.”

“You think so?” Boy he was a flirt, you could already tell. He was definitely funny also, which you liked. Funny guys were always more interesting to you. They were better than the hotheaded types, at least in your opinion they were.

“I dunno, would you prefer that I looked like one?”

“Nah, not really! I think you look great as you are.” He flashed his pearly whites at you with a confidence you’d never seen before and it spurred the pair of you into a conversation filled with flirtatious comments. You swore you’d never spoken to someone this much in your life - even with your very own family -.

Speaking with Marko seemed to flow naturally between the pair of you, which made your heart gallop a million miles per hour. However, even though he was nice to talk to, there was something about him that caused a spark of suspicion in you, like danger lurked around the corner if you continued to converse with him. But there was something else that was pulling you towards him, something you couldn’t quite put your finger on because you’d never felt this before. It was like a rope was tied across your midsection and Marko felt it too. The more either one of you resisted the tighter the pull felt, forcing you in his vicinity. 

And sure, you’d talked to cute guys in the past before your brother intervened, and there was always a sense of giddiness in your gut as you did so. Yet it didn’t compare to the warmth that seemed to spread through your muscles as he inched closer and closer to you with each question and answer that flowed from both of your mouths. Something about this seemed natural and destined, like nothing could get in the way of or break it apart.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

please like, reblog and follow for more!

requests: open!

[srsly-messed-up-fruitloop]

Tug of War (Ch 4)

ch 1 - prev - next

Word Count: 2,816

Final exam season had finally come. To say the seniors of Casper High were stressed was an understatement, college application deadlines were also quickly approaching.

Wes Weston however, was stressed for a whole other reason. His attempt before winter break to awaken the angry ghostliness in Fenton wasn’t enough. He only saw Fenton ripping out all the decorations, without glowing green eyes or anything else ghostly he could catch on camera. And to make manners worse, the school’s caretaker blamed him for leaving shattered ornaments in the halls so he winded up with detention. It wasn’t even his fault!

Read on AO3 or under the cut

Stealing another glance at the classroom’s wall clock, he scowled when he realized that he still had twenty minutes to burn until his computer science exam ended. 

Might as well not let this time go to waste. Pushing aside his completed exam, he grabbed a scrap piece of paper and began to brainstorm other ways to infuriate Fenton. He stole a glance at Fenton’s sidekick, Foley, hastily writing away. Frowning, he turned back to his page. 

Meanwhile, for Danny, he has never felt this anxious ever before in his life. 

Before, when he was barely scraping by in class, he was beginning to accept that his dreams would remain as that. Just dreams. Protecting the town would always come first. He became indifferent to his grades because 1) he’d convinced himself that he was a bad student, nothing could change that, and 2) it wasn’t that important anyways. He could deal with his parents’ disappointment. 

However, after dealing with his exhausting responsibilities for a few years now, he finally learned to properly manage his time. And it showed when he found out he ended last year with a B+ average.

He told himself it was just a fluke, there’s no way Danny Fenton could get those grades. At most, he was a C- student. Yet, a tiny spark of hope flared up and drove Danny to try harder this year. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but who knows? What if it happened again?

And when it kept happening, sometimes even getting back A’s on his tests, then it hit him. He was actually capable of doing well in school. 

Allowing himself to believe that meant that his childhood aspirations were possible. But, there was always that question in the back of his mind: What if this all was just a fluke? His luck could run out anytime. He could easily fail all his exams and lose his chances. And what then?

He could not come back after letting himself believe that he had a future to look forward to. Of all the times he had barely escaped being destroyed by his enemies, it didn’t compare to the mounting fear he had of not getting into college. 

That fear was only accentuated by his stressed classmates. Danny felt ill every time he heard Star talking about all the schools her brother was rejected from, Mikey and Nathan discussing admission cutoffs, and practically everyone going into a panic when their average lowered. Even Dash was worried about meeting his minimum requirement for his football scholarship.

Thing is, Danny couldn’t even look forward to college itself. Don’t get him wrong, he likes learning, especially about space. But he would have to endure four more years of school, plus another two for a masters. 

At first, he just told himself to suck it up. It was a necessary sacrifice.

Now though, he was conflicted. He had to do his undergrad in some science-related college program to be eligible for the space program. However, what if he ended up in an undergrad program he didn’t like? He’d be stuck with it. What if college is too hard for him? He could very well fail everything and get kicked out. Then he wouldn’t even be able to continue to get a masters. And of course, the biggest question of them all: would he able to handle juggling his ghostly responsibilities and college for the next six years? Heck, with how stressed out Jazz seems these days, how much worse would it be for him?

Danny was simultaneously afraid of both getting in and not getting into college.

“Hey Danny, you alright?” asked Sam.

Like always, he pushed these worries away into that overcrowded space in the back of his mind. “Yeah, ‘m fine,” he mumbled before rereading the same sentence in his textbook for the twentieth time.

“Are you sure? We could just take a bre—”

Suddenly, his ghost sense went off.

~

Danny gripped his bleeding forearm. He just needed it to clot, then his self-healing would eventually kick in. But it wasn’t clotting. He worriedly watched as his blood tinged with ectoplasm dripped onto the floor. This wasn’t good.

He looked up at Sam with desperate eyes, who bit her lip. “Hang on, I think have something that’ll help. Be right back,” she assured before scurrying from their secluded refuge under the staircase.

She returned not even a minute later, holding a flat square object wrapped in colourful plastic. Danny’s eyes widened and before he could even protest, she unpackaged and wrapped it around his wound.

Sam’s gaze hardened when he started squirming away. “Danny, it’s just a pad.”

“Bu—”

“It’s either this or one of your socks. Now relax, we need to get the bleeding to stop before next period.”

“What’s next period?”

“Bio exam, remember?”

“Dammit.” He thumped his head against the wall.

“It’s okay, we’ve still got a bit of time bef—”

The two teens tensed as they heard footsteps coming from the height of the staircase.

“Danny, quick, hide it!” she said in a panicked whisper.

“How am I supposed to hide a bleeding arm?!” he quietly exclaimed.

She huffed at his reply before swiftly releasing her pressure on his arm, rolling up his sweater sleeve over the pad, and using his other hand to press on the wound again through his sweater.

“Ah, hello Mr. Fenton, just the man I was looking for. And Ms. Manson,” Lancer greeted, suspiciously eyeing how close the two teens were sitting. He wasn’t naive, he was aware of what some of his students get up to in these secluded areas of the school. “I’m sorry to interrupt, can I have a word with you Daniel?”

“Mr. Lancer, I swear I-I...”

“Relax, you’re not in trouble. I’d just like a moment to speak with you.”

“Uh…” Danny hesitated.

“If this is not the best time, you can always speak to me later. Although, I implore you that you should see me sooner than later on this matter.”

“Oh…okay.” He glanced at Sam, who was frowning in worry. Forcing a reassuring smile on his face, he stood up from her and followed Lancer to his classroom.

As they walked through the halls, he tried to arrange his arms in a more casual position while placing a little more pressure on the wound.

“Mr. Fenton, I recall reading that you aspire to become an astronaut from one of your essays in 9th grade,” Lancer mentioned as he unlocked his classroom’s door.

Following him into the classroom, Danny replied warily, “Uh...yeah?” How the heck did Lancer remember something so miniscule from something he wrote ages ago?

His English teacher approached his desk and grabbed something from a drawer. “Have you heard of the Young Astronauts program?” he asked, presenting a pamphlet to him.

“No?” Danny momentarily released his hold on his injured arm to accept it, only to regret when he felt something warm drip down his arm. Shit! He held the pamphlet with his index and middle finger while quickly resuming his hold, praying for nothing to bleed through his sleeve. Why won’t it clot already??

Meanwhile, Lancer scrutinized his unusual movements for a moment before continuing, “I’ve been informed that this program fast tracks you to becoming an astronaut at NASA. Though it’s very competitive, once in, you only have to complete a four year practical program before you’re fully eligible for the space program.”

“Really?” He used his thumb to flip through the brochure, getting more excited as he read the outline of the program. However, once he reached the admission requirements section, his excitement suddenly deflated. “What makes you think I can get in?”

“Daniel, if you maintain what you have right now, your grades will be good enough for the requirements. Also, I’d be more than happy to write that letter of reference for you,” he smiled warmly.

His teacher’s sincerity caught him by surprise. “Oh, uh...thanks Mr. Lancer.”

“Anytime. Now, I think there’s an email at the back to contact if you have any questions. I won’t steal anymore of your precious studying time.”

Right when Danny’s foot was out the door, Lancer spoke up again, “Actually, there’s one more thing I mean to ask. Is your arm okay?”

His question stopped Danny right in his tracks. “What do you m-mean?” he nervously asked, voice cracking.

“Well, I can’t help but notice how you’re holding your arm there,” he commented.

“I…” Danny’s brain frantically searched for an excuse. 

Lancer frowned at his hesitation. 

“It’s...it’s a temporary tattoo,” he blurted.

“Pardon?”

“Y-you know those stick-on tattoos you have to press down for like a minute? I-yeah,” Danny improvised.

Lancer blinked. He did not expect that reply at all from the boy. Though, it did make sense. “Ah, very well. See you later Daniel. Good luck on your finals.”

Danny uttered out a goodbye before he all but ran to the bathroom to check his arm.

~

Danny jumped when he felt someone poking him. Turning around, he realized it was only Sam.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“About what happened yesterday, I think you need this.” She thrusted a big first-aid kit in his arms. “We really shouldn’t resort to using my pads anymore,” she chuckled.

“But, I already have one at home though?”

“Yeah, but I think we need one here. Just keep it in your locker, okay?”

“Uh…” He suddenly thought of Wes. Would he even stoop that low to use this as evidence? Probably. Danny sighed, he better not mess with it. This kit looked pretty expensive…

“Sam, you didn’t have to go and buy this.”

“It’s no big deal. I wanted to.”

“Bu—”

“Danny, I don’t have time for this. Stop being stubborn and just take it,” she insisted.

“Fine.” He unhappily grabbed the first-aid kit. “One day I’m paying you back for everything.”

“You honestly don’t have to. Anyways, gotta go!” she blurted before hurrying to her English exam. Two seconds later, the bell rang.

Shit, their English exam! He quickly dumped the kit at the bottom of his locker and ran after her. Hopefully Wes wouldn’t make too big of a deal out of the kit.

~~

Danny turned the corner of the hall and halted in his step when he saw Wes at their locker. Nope, he wasn’t dealing with him today. There was way too much on his mind with the start of the new semester. Calculus was already proving to be the bane of his existence.

He was about to turn around but had to do a double take when he noticed Paulina was there too. Talking to Wes. Weird.

He was too far to hear what they were saying, but Danny’s former crush seemed to be really excited for some reason. Wes then pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. Danny swore he saw Paulina discreetly slip a wad of cash into his other hand before accepting the envelope.

What the heck. What could Wes possibly have that Paulina would pay that kind of money for? You know what, he wasn’t even gonna ask. He needs to start heading to chemistry. Wes could be selling drugs for all he knows; he doesn’t care. 

~

Seeing Wes that morning almost completely slipped from Danny’s mind until he approached his locker after school, this time with a backpack full of textbooks from his new classes. 

He instantly spotted a yellow sticky note on the door which read “MEET ME @ BACK FIELD - DASH” in a hastily scrawled blocky script.

The two most popular kids at Casper High both reached out to Wes today. That doesn’t just happen to anyone, especially someone like Wes. Danny couldn’t help but feel a little curious. 

Selling drugs seems a little too out-of-character for him. He’s the type of person to expose the school’s drug dealers instead of being one himself. What else could he be selling then? Test answers? No, the semester just started. 

As Danny placed his books on the top shelf, he paused when he noticed a small envelope in the very back. Squinting a bit, he saw that it had “Dash” written on it in tiny letters. Upon grabbing it, it felt like it contained something like cardstock. 

Wait. After flipping it, he realized the envelope wasn’t sealed up. And he caught the slight shine of photos peeking from inside.

Last time he heard, neither Dash nor Paulina were interested in photography...

Before he could even act on his now burning curiosity, an all too familiar voice startled him, causing him to drop the envelope in his hands. Its contents spilled all over the floor.

“Fenton, what are you doing?!” screamed Wes before stomping over to him.

“I…” Danny’s reply was lost to him when he stared in bewilderment at the photos lying on the floor. They all...they were of him. Specifically, him during a fight with Ember last week. What shocked him even more was their quality. There was one where he was kneeling, smirking almost directly at the camera while both of his hands held bright green ectoenergy, casting his face in an eerie yet alluring glow.

“You’ve been selling pictures of me??”

“What the hell Fenton? These are supposed to be for Dash!” Wes yelled angrily before crouching, carefully putting back the photos in the envelope.

“Did you not hear me? Wh—how long have you been doing this?”

“None of your business. The photos are mine, I can do what I want with them,” Wes arrogantly asserted.

Danny couldn’t even fathom the audacity of this guy. He knew Wes sometimes stalked him while he was out as Phantom. Sometimes he annoyingly distracted him with the flash of his camera. However, over time he’d realized there was really no harm to it, as long as Wes stayed out of the way. He only seemed to use the footage for his so-called “evidence”. Rather than wasting his energy getting him to leave, Danny understood that there were bigger things he should be focusing on. 

This was just crossing a line though. Danny usually doesn’t mind people making money off of his ghost half. In fact, he himself is probably the one who buys most of the unlicensed Phantom merch at Amity’s souvenir shops. But something about seeing Wes doing it too infuriated him to no end.

Instantly, Danny lunged at him to grab the envelope. Unfortunately, Wes reflexively sidestepped out of the way, and held it behind his back like a basketball a defender was trying to steal. Danny fumed, “Wes, you didn’t even bother to ask to take them! Give them back!” 

Wes kept nothing more than an irritated expression on his face as he continued to hold back the envelope.

Just before Danny was about to take another leap at the red-haired creep, he suddenly heard Dash’s voice from behind.

“Hey Fenturd, get outta the way. I need to talk to Weasel for a sec.”

Danny snapped his head around to see the school’s quarterback standing there impatiently. Fortunately, because of his growth spurt a year or so back, Dash no longer towered over him. Also, around that time, the bully has gradually moved on to harassing the smaller newer kids at Casper. Dash really wasn’t a problem at all for Danny anymore, though he still couldn’t help feeling at edge around him after all this time. He unconsciously took a few steps away from him.

Meanwhile, Wes scowled at his nickname. “Hey, don’t call me that. Otherwise the deal’s off,” he stated in an annoyed tone.

Dash huffed, “Fine.” He pulled out a fifty from his letterman jacket and handed it to Wes, who freely gave the envelope in exchange.

“Those demos I showed you last week plus a few extras are all in there,” Wes said while he sifted through the envelope.

“Looks good,” Dash commented, unable to keep the giddy smile from appearing on his face. He genuinely thanked Wes before slipping the photos into his pocket and leaving.

After a moment, Wes sneered, “Fenton, I’ll stop when you reveal yourself to everyone. Besides, why the heck should Danny Fenton be concerned about me selling photos I took of Danny Phantom without his consent?”

Danny’s glare only hardened as he watched Wes walk off.

[blazichu]

This is a so-belated-that-now-it’s-on-time present for @chantillyxlacey. I realize the context is lacking, and I’m afraid that pieces are going to seem weird because of that. The more I tried to get the characters to interact, the more I realized how complicated getting them to even meet would be, and it kind of turned into a big ol’ thing. A big ol’ out of control thing that I’m still trying to rein in and turn into something vaguely story-shaped.

In any case, I really wanted to make sure you’d get a piece featuring your favs for your birthday, so I hope that makes up for any disjointedness that comes from not having the buildup!

❤️ Happy birthday, Lacey! ❤️

“What’s the deal with that, anyways?”

Leonardo glanced at her, frowning, but didn’t say anything. Vivi had seen that look before. That was the ‘something’s bothering me, but I’m not gonna talk about it’ look. Vivi hated that look.

So, with little else but a fire starting in her belly, she continued onwards, “You got a beef with the concept of ‘home’? We’re not gonna go looking for you—that’s not even why we were in the sewers in the first place—so why’s it such a big deal if someone talks about how you guys live somewhere? Everyone lives somewhere, even temporarily.”

His expression and posture refused to betray what he was thinking, but just for a second, Vivi caught the tension in his form. The way he was looking at her had changed; she almost felt like she was under a spotlight.

“It won’t be temporary.”

The more she heard—the more behaviors she recognized—the more Vivi became invested. There was a note to what he’d said that was almost painfully familiar, a note she’d heard more than once as Arthur poured over maps far too late into the night; it was something wedged firmly between conviction and a plea as he’d said ‘That’s where he is. It’s gotta be.’

Tonally, the two statements couldn’t be any more distinct from each other. Between the late hour and his own desperation, Arthur’s had been… she didn’t have any words for it, beyond ‘soft’.  Leonardo’s was anything but—he’d said it with such determination that it was like he could simply speak it into being.

Somewhere, not in intonation or the slightest vocal tremor, but somewhere, she heard the same doubt.

“But it has been?” She asked, even though she already had her answer.

Leonardo remained silent and stared right back at her with narrowed eyes.

‘Temporarily’

The word hadn’t caught Leo off-guard, per se, but it unsettled him. He didn’t know what a temporary home was to humans—and, somehow, doubted a derelict farmhouse in the country was the standard definition—but he doubted it meant the same thing from his perspective.

He hadn’t realized it until he’d come back to ruins, but for them, every home was a temporary one. No matter where they went, no matter how much they tried to protect themselves, an enemy would eventually find them and leave them with nothing. The mousers were one thing—at worst, that lair could be called collateral in Stockman’s grand plan—but the Foot…

Leo was grateful for the opportunity to study under the Ancient One, grateful to have been led back to who he truly was, but if it meant he’d have been there with his family when they’d found their home under attack, he would have traded that clarity away.

Their first lair had lasted fifteen years; the second hadn’t even made it two.

He understood that nothing was truly permanent, that you had to adapt to change, but no one could take living in the eye of uncertainty day after day.

It was funny, in that regard, that Leo had initially intended for their current lair to be a place to rest, and then move on. The distance from the old lair had made it safe enough—for a time—that he’d been confident in it, but the longer they lingered, the less sure he became.

With the outbreak, it had become too dangerous to go wandering about in the sewers. Security measures were a must, and, in a sense, that was also what determined that they really were staying there. The sense of loss had weighed on each of them in different ways, but was balanced by the anticipation for what this new place might become.

(And then Donnie got sick. It should have been obvious—Leo should have known something was truly wrong the instant his brother’s usually-impeccable wiring failed, but he hadn’t thought anything of it, and now the phantom of a monster-that-wasn’t-really-a-monster had taken up residence in the living room.)

He was beginning to wonder if they’d stay there for even a year.

Leo cast a critical eye over his companion and, even as he considered it, said, “It won’t be temporary.”

“But it has been.”

It wasn’t a question, and Leo bristled.

The implication that she knew—that she understood—burned. If a human lost their house, they didn’t lose everything; his family had no such luxury. She couldn’t possibly understand the crushing gravity of coming home to find nothing. Even though they’d all been alright, he couldn’t forget finding Mikey camping out in the subway with only Klunk for backup, Raph hiding on Coney Island, fearing for the others’ safety, or Don trying to tend to their father’s injuries with whatever he could scrape up in an abandoned warehouse.

He understood that nothing was truly permanent—he wanted to believe that he’d taken the lesson to heart—but he’d seen what a transient existence entailed, and didn’t want his family to endure that kind of uncertainty again.

“You said you’re not going to come looking for us,” He said evenly, the sudden need to speak startling her, ”But, for my brothers’ sakes, I can’t take you at your word. You have to realize how suspicious that question is coming from a self-professed paranormal investigator.”

Vivi’s posture straightened and her eyes gleamed with renewed interest. For half a second, Leo wondered if he hadn’t just painted a bigger target on their shells.

“Consider the topic dropped.” She cocked her head, thoughtful, “I should’a caught it before—you’re the big brother here, right?”

He gave her a flat look, refusing to reward such blatant fishing.

She didn’t seem to notice.

“I get it. It would be weird to call me the ‘big sister’ for uh, reasons, but I’m the same. I mean, we’re a team; it’s not like Lewis and Arthur can’t take care of themselves—” She stopped abruptly, frowning exaggeratedly, “—though sometimes I wonder about that.”

Taken by surprise, Leo snorted. That, at least, he could sympathize with: he was extremely familiar with detached bemusement at someone else’s antics. He was so glad he could see his brothers’ harmless quirks as harmless quirks again, and not something that would get them all killed.

Mikey’s literal-but-also-metaphorical game of telephone came to mind.

Vivi’s entire expression lit up in response. “You know what I’m talking about! Like, who manages to chase his hamster behind the desk and then gets stuck? Who accidentally pha—whoops.” The brightness of her smile dimmed, and she adjusted her scarf self-consciously, “I’m, uh, sworn to secrecy on that, actually.”

Leo shrugged, still on guard, but his mood was ever-so-slightly lighter.

“At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility to watch out for them. I was the one who asked them to get involved in the first place, after all.” Folding her arms over her chest, Vivi sighed and glanced away, previous excitement nowhere to be found. “Anyway, I get it. I still wanna know more about you guys, ‘cause you seem awesome, but I don’t want to put anyone at risk, either.”

Quietly, like she thought he couldn’t hear, she added “Done plenty of that already.”

And even though he still wouldn’t trust them so easily, that one murmured aside mattered to Leo.

The contemplative silence they lapsed into was almost comfortable.

[sympathetichorror]

OKAY i got a couple of responses so here’s the first chapter of my WIP tentatively titled “little stranger!”

i’d love comment/critiques but please be kind

[word count: 3,034]

Dad bought Mikey the Rickenbacker for his tenth birthday, back in ‘64. The Beatles had hit it big and Mikey had decided that he wanted to be a rockstar too, so without hesitation or any real kind of money in his pockets, Dad went down to a music shop in Austin and picked up the same kind of guitar that George Harrison wielded. At the time, Dad had given up hope on making Mikey into a sports star, so he decided to try to make him a rockstar. Rock music was masculine in Dad’s eyes, and if Mikey was a big man rock star who could pull in girls like those English boys did, even with their floppy hair, then the rumors about Mikey being light in the loafers couldn’t be true.

But Mikey, being Mikey, was over the rockstar dream by the time he unwrapped the guitar on his birthday, much to Dad’s ire and disappointment. The guitar got hung on the wall of abandoned dreams in the basement, alongside Mikey’s old baseball glove, football helmet, and cleats. I was only six at the time, but I used to sneak down in the basement all the time to steal glances at the mystical instrument, which hung just high enough to be out of my little reach, not that my fingers were big enough to do anything with it. By the time I grew tall enough to be able to take it off the wall, Dad gave in and let me have it.

He didn’t want me to have it at first because he didn’t see the guitar as a “ladylike” instrument, but once he realized that Mikey was never going to be the guy in the letterman with a beauty queen on his arm, he didn’t care anymore. An unladylike daughter was bad, but significantly less bad than a queer son. He already had a queer son, so what was the harm in letting me, the often ignored second child, be a little unladylike?

That guitar was the only thing I took with me when I went to New York to try to find Mikey. Well, I took some clothes and all the money I’d saved up babysitting, but nothing else besides those necessities and the guitar. I didn’t want anything else. I wanted to leave everything behind in Lampasas to die in the Texas heat - the bullying, the rumors, the cruelty, Mom’s bruises, Dad’s growing pile of empty beer cans, all of it.

Mom might not have been able to gather the guts to save herself, but I was determined not to let myself have the same fate as her. So at seventeen, fresh out of high school and full of teen angst, I took a bus up to New York City to try to find my brother, who’d disappeared into the concrete jungle four years ago, just after he got out of school.

It took a while, but I did manage to find Mikey, though he now went by the name Oscar and was nearly completely unrecognizable from the brother I’d once known. At the same time, he never looked more like himself, even if himself looked rather ridiculous in leather and feathers and unkempt hair. He was an artist now. He’d been fronting a band for the past couple of years, a band that was the even poorer man’s version of the New York Dolls, but he was having a ball nonetheless.

That was two years ago. Now, Oscar was deep in a heroin addiction, unable to do anything but turn tricks and shoot up. I was the breadwinner of our little fucked up household, bringing in the money for everything other than drugs. I was the artist now, though I wouldn’t know if I’d call myself that necessarily. I fronted my own little punk group and I did my own shit my own way, and that was all I’d say about myself.

“I’m heading out!” I called to Oscar through the bathroom door. “You good?”

“I’m good!” Oscar yelled back throatily.

There was no doubt that he was in there slumped over the toilet, either from being too doped up or not doped up enough. I didn’t know which it was and I didn’t really care. So long as he wasn’t dead as I was leaving, I didn’t care. I probably should care more about my brother and his current state of absolute drug addiction, but at this point, I couldn’t. I’d cared too much for too long, and I’d learned that if he didn’t care, I couldn’t care either.

With that, I threw my guitar over my back and headed out of our little shithole apartment. For a New York apartment on the budget we had, the place really wasn’t that bad - but rats and mold and pushers still filled the place. If only Ma knew where we were living...she’d probably keel over just hearing a description of it.

But Ma wasn’t here. She was back in Lampasas with her bruises and probably more broken bones at this point. I called her once in awhile to let her know that I was doing okay and that Mikey had yet to die. I didn’t bother to tell her that he’d changed his name and become nearly totally unrecognizable from the son she’d last seen almost four years ago now. She’d had enough heartbreak in her life thus far. I didn’t need to add to it. Besides, that was Oscar’s story to tell her, if he ever got the guts and decency to call home sometime. He never had, not even once, since moving to New York.

“Hey, what took you so long?” Lenny asked.

I glanced down at my watch, then looked up to my bandmate and said, “I’m five minutes late. It’s only five past eight; that’s hardly late at all.”

“Yeah, but you’re hardly ever late,” he reminded me, keeping up with my strides as we hit the Manhattan streets.

We were too broke to afford cabs unless we were buddies with the drivers, so we walked the city for the most part.

“Well maybe you should find something to do to occupy your time other than hanging out around my building waiting for me,” I suggested with a wink.

Lenny rolled his eyes, but laughed. “Hey, things have been rough since I got kicked out of Marcia’s place.”

“I can’t be sorry for you for that,” I said, tucking my hands into the pockets of my beat up leather jacket. “You’re the one who decided to fuck her best friend on the floor at her place...you kinda deserved that one.”

“Yeah, but I mean, I never told her that we were like, a thing,” he told me, trying to justify his actions. Seeing the serious side-eye I was giving him, he sighed and relented, “Still, I guess I coulda told her that we weren’t.”

“Exactly,” I said.

We walked in silence for a bit, only the sounds of the ever-rowdy city filling our ears.

“You still think I’m a piece of shit for that, don’t you?” Lenny pressed.

His expression was serious - he was genuinely concerned that he’d permanently tainted my opinion of him. Lenny was the one of the closest things I had to a best friend. That position used to be occupied by my brother, until he went and fucked himself all up. He was definitely my best guy friend and my favorite guy out of the three of them who played in my little “band” with me. We both had similar stupid senses of humor and not-so-secretly harbored major loves for David Bowie. Lenny said he was the only guy he’d go gay for, and I couldn’t fault him for that.

We’d went and seen Bowie with Iggy Pop and Blondie a couple of weeks ago at the Palladium, and Lenny had nearly shit himself out of excitement and arousal. I was just as excited, of course, but I had a much better poker face than he did.

“I don’t think you’re a piece of shit, I think you did a really shitty thing,” I clarified. I gave him a small smile, seeing as he was still desperately waiting for my approval. “But that can be remedied...you can always learn from your actions. Just no more treating women like shit, right?”

“Right,” he nodded eagerly. “I won’t sleep around and I’ll--”

“You can sleep around,” I interjected. Seeing his surprised expression, I added, “As long as you’re being safe about it and you’re telling girls that they shouldn’t get their hopes up, that is.”

“Right,” Lenny said again. “Will do, Kathy.”

“Good,” I said. “The last thing the city needs is another misogynistic asshole in a band.”

That got him to laugh, which I was glad. I laughed alongside him as we rounded the corner to go into the back entrance of CBGB’s, the one reserved for the ‘artists’ that would grace their stage. We were one of those groups that got to use the door, though we weren’t big names like the people we opened for. Then again, in the grand scheme of things, we weren’t even that big.

“Jesus Christ, Kathy, don’t you have better clothes to wear than those in the middle of winter?” questioned Terry G., one of the bouncers/security guys. He was far beefier than he was brainy - I doubted he even had the brains to play ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ - but he was a nice guy nonetheless.

“Naw, I’m fine,” I told him with a polite smile.

“Your lips are turning blue,” he informed me. “And your cheeks are all chapped.”

He was right, but I brushed him off, repeating myself, “I’m fine, really. A little cold never bothered me.”

Lie. That was a big fat lie. The thing I hated the most about New York was the cold. I loved the cool autumns, the mild springs, and even the sticky city summers, but the frigid winters were the one thing that made me miss Texas.

“Well, either way, you guys should get inside,” Terry G. said. “The other two Black Eyes are in there waiting for you.”

“Thanks,” Lenny said, speaking for the two of us as we hopped the couple of stairs into the building.

By the other two Black Eyes, Terry G. meant the other two guys that played in our little band, Phil and Keith. Phil was on the bass, Keith was on second guitar, Lenny was on the drums, and I was on guitar and vocal duties. We were quite an odd foursome, having come together after our stints in other bands didn’t work out. Phil was hanging onto the New York Dolls look with his platforms, scarves, and eyeliner, while Keith dressed more like an accountant, in button downs and ill-fitting blazers. Lenny was the one who went the most wild with his punk style, loving the safety pin and spikes look, enjoying sticking up his hair with loads of Aquanet, and always working on bettering his impression of Johnny Thunders with that lip curl thing.

I, the lone female in the band, was also the most boring looking, except for my Kool Aid red hair. I’d cut it all off when I moved to New York, and now that it was long enough to graze my shoulders again, I’d decided to go a little crazy with the dye. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either, so we were working with it. Lenny and the guys were insistent that I keep it for a while - they said it was good for our image, that it made me stick out, which was exactly the reason that I kind of, sort of hated it.

“I always thought it’d be a cold day in hell when the two of you showed up after the two of us,” Phil joked as we entered the green room. He had a cigarette dangling from his teeth and bright blue glitter accentuating his eyes.

“It is like negative ten out,” I informed him dryly. “So that might have something to do with it.”

It was March, almost April. It shouldn’t have been this fucking cold still, but it was, and I hated the cold more and more each day.

“Haha,” Phil deadpanned. “Funny.”

“Are my drums all set up already?” Lenny asked. He helped himself to one of the beers in the cooler in the corner of the room, downing half of it in on impressive swig.

“Yeah, Keith and I took care of ‘em,” Phil nodded. We kept our spare equipment at Phil and Keith’s place, since they were the only ones with any space to put all of it. “We’re just waiting for someone to tell us it’s time to go out there and do the damn thing...unless you wanna do a quick soundcheck?”

The question was rhetorical, and he knew that. I shook my head to verify, though. I wasn’t one for soundchecks. That was too much effort, and unnecessary effort when playing at a place like CBGB’s. The louder and fuzzier, the better, or so I’d found.

“Hello hello, shiners,” came an all too familiar voice.

Before I knew it, I was being squashed in a hug by Ray. Every time I saw him I was shocked by how tall he was, more than a foot taller than me, to be specific. I should’ve been used to it by now, after everything, but I wasn’t. I lingered in his arms for a moment, taking note of his old familiar scent that I still loved - Camels, Pabst, and a dash of that cologne I couldn’t remember the name of.

“Hey, thanks again for asking us to open for you,” I said as he released me from the hug.

He pressed a light kiss to the top of my head before completely separating himself from me, something he still did everytime we saw each other, despite having been broken up for four months and some odd days. I’d been keeping track of the days for some time without really meaning to, but I quit when Lenny told me I should forget about it and try to move on to a new dick.

“Of course,” Ray said. He grinned down at me, his dark eyes glassy. He must’ve shot up not too long ago. “If I can’t have you playing with me, I’ll have you open for me, anytime, gladly.”

“Thanks,” I said. Glancing to Phil and Lenny, I said, “We all really appreciate it.”

That was true. Ray’s band, Raymond Garbage and the Trash Junkies, always pulled a big crowd. Their crowds were the good kind too - the people who really loved the punk scene for what it was, not the posers who crept it to check out what the whole ‘punk’ thing was all about. Ray and the guys were good, but their sound wasn’t the kind of sound the punk inspectors came to see, nor were we. Those curious spectators came for the Ramones or Blondie, not the Trash Junkies and the Black Eyes.

“‘Course,” Ray assured us, but mostly me. “Someday I’ll be opening for you guys.”

“I doubt it,” I said. “But that’s a nice sentiment.”

“It’ll happen,” Ray said. He flashed me that charming smile of his that’d won me over, rubbing at his eye. “Excuse me, shiners, I’ve gotta hit the little boys’ room before you go on.”

With that, he made his exit, much to my disappointment. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish that Ray and I were still together. I didn’t know if I loved him anymore in a romantic kind of sense, but I missed him. Sure, I saw him all the time and in reality we were closer than ever, albeit in a platonic way, but I still missed what we had. I missed waking up in his bed with my head on his chest and his fingers in my hair, and how we stayed up all night talking about Nietzsche or reading Vonnegut novels to each other.

“We need to get you fucked by someone,” Phil said, breaking the silence left in Ray’s wake.

“I’ve been getting fucked by plenty of people,” I said.

That was true. Since breaking up with Ray, I’d become just as promiscuous as anyone out here on the Bowery. Well, maybe not just as promiscuous. I refused anyone who refused a condom, which ended half of my encounters before they could ever happen. Still, I’d shared a bed with more people - mostly men, a couple of women - than I bothered to keep track of. A few weeks ago, I truly realized that the promiscuity thing just wasn’t for me. I was a monogamist at heart, and I’d learned that the hard way. I hadn’t stopped sleeping around, though. Once you got in the cycle, it was hard to get out of it.

“Clearly it hasn’t been good, though,” Phil replied. “Or else you wouldn’t keep on staring at Ray like he’s some sort of messiah.”

“She doesn’t wanna get fucked, she wants a nice guy to settle down with,” Keith chimed in, emerging into the room. His gray tartan blazer was so oversized that it was bordering on ridiculous. He stopped and thought about it for a moment, and said, “No, maybe you don’t want to settle down now, but you get what I mean.”

“What I need is to not date for a while,” I sighed. I flipped my guitar so it hung around me the right way, absentmindedly fingering out my arpeggios.

“Amen to that, babe,” Phil said, holding his bottle of gin up to me in praise.

He, Keith, and Lenny all took long gulps of their drinks. Lenny finished his entire beer, slamming the can into the wall. I was the only one not drinking, per usual. I was damn near being a teetotaler, something I got a lot of loving shit for around here.

“Black Eyes, you’re up,” said one of the CBGB employees, ducking their head into the room. “And just a heads up - you’ve got a bit of an unruly crowd out there tonight.”

[tmnt-fangirl101]

To the ends of the Earth 2k14 Leo x Reader Fic

This is a story I made up myself. A Leo x Reader Fic. Hope you all enjoy it. :)

Summary: You were trying to find a story to write for the News Paper Article for work and well you met a very interesting group of characters who are Mutant Turtles? One starts developing feelings for you but will you return them? Find out. :)

Warnings: slight cursing

Notes: Y/N- Your name

            L/N- Last name

            A/N- Actor name

            M/N- Movie name

I don’t own any of the turtles and you belong to you.

“Oh great.” You told yourself thinking how could this night get any worse. You had just been taken captive by some foot clan people and held hostage. You were on the ground with other hostages trying not to make any wrong moves. Karai was the one in charge of the whole hostage situation.

“Show yourselves. We know you’re out there.” She yelled loudly in the bus station. “If you don’t surrender, we’re gonna start killing hostages.” ‘Crap what am I gonna do?’ You think to yourself. At this moment there was only one thing you could do. You pulled out your phone and started recording the whole thing still on the ground trying not to be noticed. You thought this would make a great article for the paper right? Your job was to get something news worthy and this situation was definitely news. You then hear an older woman next to you not to do that in a low voice and Karai heard you. “You!” She pointed her gun at you. “Stand up!” She commanded. She’d be dammed if you got any intel on them and made her look like a fool.

As if on time the lights go off on the bus station and the next thing you know 4 giant figures come out from the tracks. They start attacking foot clan members and knocked everyone out including Karai. As you’re witnessing this you notice they look… ‘wait, are they green?’ you thought. Like lightning, they then retreat up from the ground and made their way to the roof tops. Everyone including you used that opportunity to escape, but you on the other hand had a mission to set out on.

As you were making your way to the roof you started hearing voices. You could barely tell from afar but they looked like giant looking humanoid animals, with a shell. You took out your camera phone again trying to get a better shot.

“Great elbow Donnie!” Leo praised him.

“Yea did you see that guy I knocked out? He’ll be drinking from a sippy cup for a week.” Donnie gloated.

“Yea this is our city these are our streets!” Raphael said.

“That’s what happens when you step into the woo.” Mikey said.

“Ah that’s what i’m talken bout brothers like shadows in the night completely unseen!” Raph gloated.

They all come in for a high three when suddenly they saw a flash of light and stopped dead in their tracks. You started to look really nervous. Had they spotted you? Then they start to whisper to each other.

“What was that?” Asked Mikey quietly.

“It’s a camera flash.” Donnie said nervously.

“We know it’s a camera flash.”  Leo stated.

“Who’s behind the camera flash?” Raph asked a bit irritated, demanding to know.

“By my calculations it’s a girl.” Donnie said.

“Are we gonna kill her?” Mikey asked.

“What?!” Donnie stated a bit nervous at his younger brother’s antics.

“With kindness.” Mikey said as his last comment was a joke. “We’ll buy her some flowers or chocolates. He said.

“I got this.” Raph said.

“No no wait Raph!” Leo begged his brother.

While you were climbing down from the roof, the next thing you know you were being dragged up on the roof by chains attached to his sai’s and landed on your face. Lucky for you you didn’t get a concussion from that land. Still on the ground you were looking around your surroundings desperately trying to find who was there. Suddenly a giant man looking turtle landed right in front of you startling you a bit.

“Gimme tha camera.” Raph demanded.

“Oh look he’s doing his ‘Batman voice’.” Mikey said in a joking way. You slowly looked up at him in awe disbelieving this was really real right now. “She’s so hott I can feel my shell tightening.” Mikey sounded a bit horney but it was a joke.

“We can hear you!” Raph said a bit annoyed to his brother. You got up slowly from the ground still scared. Raph took out his sai and pointed it to you in a threatening way.

If you don’t gimme the camera…i’m gonna-

“ENOUGH!” Leo shouted and jumped up in the air and landed on the edge of the roof. “Back off Raph!” Leo commanded his brother.

Raph held his hands in the air and backed away. “I only saw Batman once.” “Ma'am hello I apologize. My colleague here forgot to say ’please’. So would you please hand over the camera?”

You looked even more scared as he came approaching you and backed up but into something as Mikey jumped behind you. “Whoa whoa whoa chill, it’s just a mask see? Don’t freak out.” He took off his mask. “Right?” He smiled as he showed you his mask.

You tried to hold yourself together but you were freaking out so much inside that you fainted in front of them.

“Oh I think that went well.” Donnie stated sarcastically.

You start to open your eyes slowly as you heard voices.

“Make sure she’s stabilizing.” Donnie said.

“Why are we still here playin doctor?” Raph asked a bit annoyed.

“She may have a head injury.” Leo told him.

“Correction she’s a hott chick who may have a head injury, which makes it our sinic duty to-” Mikey was interrupted by Donnie.

“Ma'am ma'am can you hear me? Do you know what city you’re in? Do you know where you are?” Donnie asked.

“Have you seen that video where the cat plays chopsticks with the chopsticks?” Mikey asked being his cynical self.

“Can we focus here?” Leo said as he shoved Mikey out of the way and got a bit closer to you make sure you were alright.

“Guys please c'mon give her some air.” Donnie said.

“What are you?” You asked looking at all of them.

“Well miss um…we’re ninjas.” Leo said as he did a little bow with his fist in his hand.

“We’re mutants.” Raph said.

“Technically we’re turtles.” Donnie stated.

“Oh and we’re teenagers. But we can still have ‘adult conversations.’” Mikey said in a bit jokingly manner.

You got up slowly. “So wait…you guys are…ninja, mutant…turtle, teenagers?” You asked still a bit hazy from fainting.

“Well when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous.” Donnie said as he can’t believe you said it that way.

“See she’s lookin at us like we’re freaks! I bet that’s why you took our picture wasn’t it? Show your friends?” Raph said.

“Bro that’s a good thing, maybe she has hott friends!” Mikey said sounding a bit excited.

“Lookin fa this?” Raph asked holding up your phone.

“No don’t break that. No no no please.” You begged him.

Leo suddenly snatched it out of his hand. “How many times do I have to tell you? We don’t break things, we fix them. Donnie already wiped the phone genius. Problem solved, moving on.” He stated.

“And who put ya in charge?” Raph said as he pushed his brother back a little.

“You know who did.” Leo said to his brother looking like they were gonna go toe to toe.

“Whoa tension, it’s been thirty whole minutes since you guys had this argument.” Mikey said.

“Leonardo, we wanna make it home before master we gotta hustle.” Donnie told him in a more urgent tone.

“Leonardo…” you whispered as you looked up at him.

Leonardo turned around and looked at you and held out the end of his katana and pointed it to you almost in a threatening way.

“Do not say a word about this to anyone. If you do, will find you (Y/N) (L/N).” He said in a more serious and threatening tone.

‘How does he know my name!’ You asked yourself. You looked at him. You should be scared but for some reason you weren’t. You don’t know what it was but there was something about Leo that was just mesmerizing to you. Maybe it was his voice, or maybe how skilled or strong he was. It could be how calm and collected he was. Or maybe it’s his eyes. You stared into his eyes, those deep gorgeous deep blue eyes of his. The one thing you found attracted in anyone was their eyes. It said a lot about that person. They suddenly took a hold on you. And you wanted to know more about them. About him.

“We’re on the move Raphael.” Leo said to his brother.

“Raphael…” you said as you looked at him twirling his sai’s in a showoffy way.

“Yeeaaa we’ll find you…(L/N)” Mikey said trying to sound intimidating. “I’m sorry that come across super creepy…we will find you though.” With that all four of them flipped off of the roof and they all started howling and screaming. You quickly reached into your pocket and pulled out your phone and took one last picture of them before they disappeared into the night. Once you took it you zoomed in on Leo.

“Leonardo…” You said to yourself. You were interested in getting to know more about him.

           *************TIME SKIP**************

Months have passed since the whole, Sacks, Shredder and mutagen incident. Also since you’ve met the boys. You got to know all of them. You even got to know about Splinter. They loved and cared about you. They treated you like part of the family. You had lived in New York for almost a year and had no friends or family. The boys and Splinter were the only family you had. You helped them out a lot on their missions and patrol nights. You were a vital part in their lives and they were lucky to have you in their lives. You were lucky to be a part of it. But a certain turtle has grown feelings for you.

Leonardo was in the dojo meditating. Well he was trying to anyway. He was thinking about you. He doesn’t know why, but he’s been growing feelings toward you for some time now. He was imagining you in his arms and him holding you tightly. Planting kisses on your head and- 'No stop!’ He told himself. What has gotten into him? He knows he shouldn’t be thinking of you like this but he couldn’t help it. He was falling for you hard. 'Why am I thinking of her this way? I can’t do that. It would never work out. She’s a human, and beautiful, stunning, strong, smart and kindhearted. And I’m a well…a big grotesque, ugly mutant we’re never meant to be together. We’re just two different people.’ He said to himself. The boys have low self-esteem issues and have always felt they will never find true love anywhere unless it was with a mutant like them. As he finished up his meditation session he got up and left out the room and went in the living room where everyone else was. You just happened to be there watching tv with Raph and Mikey.

“What are you guys doing?” Leo asked.

You guys turned around and saw him. “Oh hey Leo, we were just getting ready to watch a movie, would you like to join us?” You asked.

“Oh um sure, I guess that sounds nice.” He said as he went over to you guys. “Found it!” Mikey said as he brought out the movie.

“Did ya find The Dark Knight?” Raph asked his younger brother.

“What? No dude we decided we’re watching a comedy this time, White Chicks, remember?” Mikey said.

“Are you kiddin me?! We watched a comedy the other day, it’s action movie night now!” Raph said.

“Dude we just watched something actiony yesterday with an alien in it remember?” Mikey told his brother.

“That was a sci-fi movie and it was Donnie’s pick. I don’t watch those sci-fi movies Mikey.” Raph said to Mikey.

“It still had action in it though didn’t it?” Mikey teased.

“Mikey we’re watchin The Dark Knight. End of discussion!” Raph said a little annoyed to his brother.

“Sorry bro but it’s a comedy movie kind of night tonight deal with it!” Mikey teasingly told his brother.

“Mikey don’t make me do that thing you don’t like!” Raph threatened his brother.

“Bring it bro I’m not scared of you anymore!” Mikey said still taunting his brother.

“MIKEY!!!” Raph roared in frustration.

Leo was just looking really annoyed with both of his brother’s antics. He let out a frustrated sigh. “Sorry about them. They can be a real pain.” He said looking at you and he giggled.

“No don’t be. They’re funny. That’s just how they are.” You said looking at him.

“But um while they are deciding on what movie to watch you wanna do something else?” He asked you.

“Sure like what?” You asked looking up curiously at him.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to get off my chest.” He said a bit nervously putting his head down.

“Yea sure let’s go someplace private.” You said as you two left the other brothers deciding what other movie they should watch.

You both went in the dojo where Leo goes to train and meditate. That’s the most personal private place for him to go to other than his bedroom or the bathroom since rarely anyone is in there other than for training or Master Splinter is in there. He uses it for meditation for when he’s having a bad day or needs to concentrate on something. Think of it as his 'sanctuary.’

“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about Leo?” You asked.

Leo had always been your favorite boy to hang out with. Though you loved and cared about all the brothers. There was just something so special about Leo that you really liked. You two were best friends. You could tell each other anything. You called each other, texted even hung out with him more at the lair when he wasn’t meditating, training or out on patrol. He even takes you back to your apartment at night and makes sure you get in safely. You could tell him anything and he wouldn’t judge you at all. Maybe it was his leadership or maturity. You were never one to care about looks because if you were you wouldn’t take out the time to be in the sewers with any of the boys or their giant rat father and would think they’re ugly, gross or scary. You also wouldn’t find any of them attractive. But you did. You thought Leo was extremely handsome for mutant turtle. He always had that charming spark to him. But you also liked how he took care of his brothers and their father. How he would always be ready to do anything to stop bad guys. He was fearless after all. Raph didn’t give him that nickname for a reason. You liked him a lot. Heck you might even say you were in love with him. But it could never work out if you two started dating. You were both from completely different worlds. You belong above the surface and he belonged in the sewers and stayed in the shadows. Plus, you knew he would probably never feel the same way anyway…could he?

“Right I um…I-I uh…” Leo started to stutter. This has never happened to him before. ‘This is it, just say it. Teller how you really feel you coward.’ He thought to himself. Usually he always knew what to say but at this moment he felt his heart stop and his brain not working right and felt weak in his body. He maybe fearless when it comes to fighting but when it comes to expressing his feelings, thats where he’s scared of the most. He’s scared to get hurt and turned down by a gorgeous human such as yourself. “Well there’s um something I um…I’ve had this on my mind for a while now and um…well…”

“Yes Leo?” You asked a bit anxiously to know what he’s going to say. “You can tell me anything remember?” You said reassuring him it’s okay.

“Well I know we’ve been best friends for a while now but…I feel there’s something a little more that I’ve been feeling for you. I can’t explain it and I don’t know or when it even all started or happened. But I do know that I like it and I don’t want it to stop.” He said looking at you.

You felt some blush creep across your face. That was the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to you. Your past boyfriends you’ve had have never said anything like that to you. But yet here’s Leo who has more charm and more romance than any of your ex’s will ever have. You know it’s sad when a freaking mutant turtle has more class and charm than any human male.

“Leo…that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” You continued to blush and your face was red as a beat.

He sighed in relief and returned the smile back to you. I’ve been in love with you for a while but never had the courage to tell you my true feelings. I was afraid you wouldn’t return them.“

"Oh Leo there’s something you should know as well. I’m in love with you too.” You said as you scooted close to him.

“You are?” He asked in surprise still looking at you.

“Yes I always have had a crush on you. I never thought I could develope feelings for a mutant but I have and I’m glad I did.” You continue to smile at him.

“You’re very important to me (Y/N), I never want to let you go.” He said as he wrapped a strong arm around your waist.

You leaned in for a kiss and he happily returned it and laid your head on his plastron and held you tight around your waist. You two stayed like that for a good solid 10 minutes.

“So does this mean we’re officially together romantically.” You asked him a bit eagerly.

He then laughed and smiled at you. “Yes we are officially.” He said as he kissed your forehead.

You blush and you both got up and went back to the Livingroom to see if Raph and Mikey worked out their movie problems. Of course being who they are they were still arguing over the movie and that’s when you steeped in.

“Okay guys listen up! I have the perfect solution for the movie I brought over.” You said as you looked up at them.

They both stopped fighting and gave their attention to you.

“Oh hey Angel Cake’s yes please help us with a movie, that would be nice.” Mikey said looking at you.

You reached into your bag and pulled out the movie. “Have you guys heard of (M/N)?” You asked them.

“I think I have just never seen it, is any good?” Raph asked.

“Ohhh is it that movie with (A/N) and (A/N)?” Mikey asked.

“Yes it is you’re right Mikey. And to answer your question Raph its really good. It has just the right amount comedy and action. It’s also one of my all-time favorite movies. I recommend it to anyone. Here watch it let me know what you guys think.” You hand them the movie.

“Well I guess I can give it a shot. I mean how bad could it be?” Raph said. “Sure anything for you Angel Cakes, since you recommend it.” Mikey said flirtatiously to you.

“Alright you guys enjoy them movie.” You said as you went back to Leo.

“You’re not gonna watch it with us?” Raph asked.

“I’m gonna hang out with Leo.” You told them.

“Aww alright, I guess Raph and I will watch it together.” Mikey said sounding a bit sad.

Leo was relieved when they finally settled down and started watching the movie. He was very impressed how you were able to shut them both up like that. You definitely were a keeper. You and Leo both spent the rest of the evening in his room cuddling, kissing and just talking about life.

“I’m glad we’re together Leo.” You said as you looked in his eyes.

“I’m glad we’re together too.” He said looking deeply back into yours.

“I love you with all my heart.” You told him.

“I love you too. I will protect you to the ends of the earth.” He told you as he kissed your lips.

You stayed in his arms until you fell asleep. This was going to be the beginning of a very beautiful relationship he could feel it.

The end.

Notes: Yes, finally done with this story. It took me a while to come up with the plot and have make everything fit. Anyway I did used a lot of dialogue from the first 2k14 movie. Just from the roof scene though nothing else. I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know what you guys think thank you. :)

[tmnt-imagines]

Haunting: Ghost!Mikey x Reader

WARNING: NONE

Requested by: Anonymous

Hello there!! Love everything ya write <3 Is it possible if you could write something like Ghost!Mikey x Reader ? Like he is been dead for so many years but for some reason cant move on and one day the Reader ends up in the Lair and since they are a runaway they decide to try and bring it back to life the place and it kind of goes from there? Sorry if its to much of a request -covers face-

A/N: Sorry it took a while - hope you like it :)

It was cold out on the mean streets of New York - November hit the city hard and the brisk winds were becoming more and more difficult to endure. Being homeless wasn’t a piece of cake, put it that way, and you were desperately searching for a way to get out of the cold. And, it wasn’t like you could just go home, so you had to look elsewhere. 

You weren’t entirely sure how it happened, or why the idea had crossed your mind at all, but after a couple hours of wandering the streets trying to keep warm, you found yourself in the sewers. It stank - obviously - but the chill wasn’t as bitter down here as it was on the surface. Even in spite of the stench, you thought this wouldn’t be that bad, at least not for one night. You could find a place to stay tomorrow, but while it was dark, these tunnels were your best bet.

You could remember those stupid comics you and your brother used to read as kids, about weird and wonderful things that would live beneath the city in the labyrinth of it’s sewers, and you couldn’t help but distract yourself with those fanciful thoughts as you continued to trudge around corners and down pipe lines in search of a place that seemed reasonably comfortable, or as close to that as you could get down here, in which you could spend the night. Perhaps there were monsters roaming down here, perhaps there weren’t, if they let you crash at their hideout for the night you couldn’t care either way. 

Another hour had passed before you found a suitable destination, where you could remain for the upcoming hours of darkness that was still looming over the city. It was a large, derelict subway station, or so it seemed. The place was littered with pizza boxes and old furniture, and so you presumed it had since become a drug den or something. It looked like it, but given it’s current state you would assume even the druggies got tired of the smell, and moved to find a better den elsewhere. This would be a good enough place to stay, if only for the night.

It was fair to say that over the upcoming fortnight, any attempt to locate a permanent location in which you could spend your cold, November evenings, had been shut down upon inquiry. There was no where for you to go, except back to the sewers. After the first week, the smell wasn’t as obnoxious anymore, and it became easier to stumble your way through the pipes to the ex-drug-den you had found before. The place was actually kinda cool. There were several rooms, which you explored, coming off of the old station, and in each of them there was an old bed and a few trinkets which you began to collect for your own entertainment. You thought it wouldn’t take much to redecorate and make this place actually inhabitable, and with nowhere else for you to go you thought that was not a bad plan. 

It was only as you walked towards an old arcade machine, which had been discarded beside an open drainpipe, with a mouldy blanket thrown over it, that things began to become somewhat strange. You’d been bringing lights, and old furniture items you could find, down here for over a month - and it was starting to feel like a potential hideout - and in all the time, there hadn’t been anything unsettling about it. Ok, perhaps an old place like this in the middle of the sewers was slightly unsettling on it’s own, but besides that there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Until now...

You somehow managed to pull the arcade machine upright, and though there was no power, it still looked pretty cool. It hadn’t seen use in several decades, you thought, and odd bits of tape had been used to hold it’s walls together, but all in all it was in pretty good shape. You marvelled at the multicoloured art on it’s sides, and only as you looked closer did you find the first clue to something odd. 

“Huh,” You said aloud, figuring no one was around to hear you talk to yourself. You ran your fingers over the different coloured writing on the side of the machine, and stared at it carefully. “Leonardo...” You read aloud, looking at the blue writing closely, “...Raphael...” That had been written in red sharpie; “...Donatello...” purple. And finally, in big, orange handwriting, “Michelangelo.” You recognised all of the names, they were famous Italian artists, but it seemed strange that someone had written those names on the side of an arcade machine, and abandoned it down in the sewers. You ran a finger over the last name; orange had always been your favourite character. You could understand the others being names of people, even Donatello, but Michelangelo seemed a bit far fetched. 

The next day, when you awoke, you found the screen of the machine glowing bright with the name of the game displayed in bright, blocky writing. There was no electricity down here, and the machine certainly wasn’t plugged into anything that could supply power to it, so how the hell was it on? 

You managed to convince yourself that the machine probably had some power stored in it from the last time it had been used, and it would soon run out and switch itself off. It was a stretch, but it was more comforting than letting your imagination come up with an explanation. 

You did your best to ignore it, but over the upcoming days it became clear the machine was going to stay on. More pizza boxes accumulated around the abandoned station as well, which was incredibly creepy considering you hadn’t eaten pizza while down here. It occurred to you then that someone else had to be down here. There wasn’t any other logical explanation as to how things were moving, turning themselves on and off, and multiplying without someone else being behind it. It was possible, you told yourself, that you could go about living down here without crossing paths with someone else, and so you set about trying to find them.

“Hello?” You called out, walking through one of the multiple tunnels. The stench by now was familiar enough that you weren’t fazed by it as you walked through the pipes, in some insane attempt to discover if there was anyone else down here. 

Your voice echoed around the stone labyrinth, and was the only audible sound above the squeak of rats and the rushing water. No one replied, and you couldn’t decide whether that was a good or bad thing. You continued to walk the sewers for what felt like forever, calling out in hopes of a reply, but no such luck. 

It was only as you walked back to the derelict subway station that you found the source of the problem. There, stood beside the arcade machine, was a figure. It was not human, nor was it like anything you’d seen before. It seemed to be a...turtle. Only, it glowed blue and pale through the darkness. If you were the superstitious type, you might consider it being a ghost, but that was impossible as far as you were concerned, yet you had no other potential thoughts as to what it could be.

“YES!” It cheered aloud, in an almost childish voice, as it raised both it’s arms into the air in celebration. “MIKEY WINS AGAIN!” It proceeded to do some sort of excited dance while it celebrated whatever it had just achieved on the arcade machine. It seemed cute, from where you were standing, in a mutated and abnormal way, and you wondered what exactly it was and why it was here, of all places. 

“Uh...hello?” You said loud enough for it to hear you, and stepped forward so that it could see you. It froze where it stood and didn’t say a word, as though if it stayed still you might no longer see it. “Don’t worry I’m...” You weren’t really sure what to say that could be reassuring, mostly because you didn’t know why it was the one afraid of you, it seemed only likely for it to be the other way around. 

You took another step forward, and this time it looked at you. It had a bandanna/mask across his eyes that looked grey in it’s pale blue glow, and on it’s belt was a pair of nunchucks, though you could not be sure they, or him, were real at all. 

“Who are you?” You inquired, holding your hands up in some feeble attempt to show you meant no harm. Why, you didn’t know, but then none of what was currently happening made any sense to you. 

It’s blue eyes grew slightly, but then it simply smiled. “My name is Michelangelo.” It’s - his smile was almost cute, and looked harmless enough, so you edged further into the room. “You...You can see me?” He asked with a slight frown, seemingly confused by this just as much as you were. 

“Well, yeah; unless I’m hallucinating. Which is highly likely.” You chuckled nervously, and watched as the ghost-turtle’s smile formed into a grin. “What...are you?” You asked meekly, hoping not to offend him. You didn’t now why you cared about his feelings, it was just that he seemed too friendly to upset. 

“I’m a ninja turtle.” He said with pride, and placed both of his hands on his hips. “a mutant ninja turtle.” he emphasised the ‘mutant’ and gestured to himself. You stared, wide eyed, at him for a moment, and acknowledged how seemingly unfazed he was by that sentence. “Oh, and I’m dead.”   He added with a priceless grin. 

This was slightly too much to take in, and so you simply stood there, most probably with a blank expression, waiting for it all to sink in. You didn’t understand how this was at all possible, or what this even was, but for some reason you weren’t nearly as terrified as you probably should have been. 

“Don’t be scared.” Michelangelo exclaimed quickly, probably sensing your hesitation toward him, “I’m a ghost, I won’t - can’t hurt you.” He smiled innocently and titled his head at you. For some completely foreign and insane reason, you believed him.

“Michelangelo.” You said it slower, remembering now why that was so familiar. It had been on of the names written on the side of the very same machine you were stood next to, the one written in orange. You supposed that the bandanna on his face would have probably been that colour too if he wasn’t all...ghostly. 

“My brother’s call me Mikey.” He shrugged, still smiling widely at you, as if trying to seem as harmless as possible. 

“Brothers?” You rose an eyebrow, “there are more of you?” 

“There were,” Suddenly, Michelangelo’s voice sounded sad. You gathered that seeings as he was dead, his brother’s probably were too. “Their gone now.” 

“So why are you still here?” You ask curiously, not entirely understanding how the whole dead thing was working. 

“Haven’t got a clue.” Michelangelo smiled lopsidedly, and lent against the arcade machine casually. “I’ve seen you around here, for a while. You moved in?” 

“Suppose so.” You said sheepishly, not unnerved by the fact he’d been watching over you the entire time. As harmless as he may be, it was still unsettling. “Kind of...ran away, a couple weeks ago. I found this place and figured it would be better than the streets.” You felt the need to explain, wondering if this was in fact Michelangelo’s home before he bit the dust. You guessed a group of mutant ninja turtles couldn’t just live in a house in the middle of New York City. 

“Fine by me, it’s nice to have some company for a chance.” He smiled, and to be honest you agreed. 

Michelangelo was cool, he was funny and entertaining and it was somewhat comforting to have someone to spend your time with these days, even if he was a dead, mutant ninja turtle. 

[skeletxnqueen]

flower crown fairy lights daisies 1975 matte black nail polish pantone moodboard stars plants converse lace handwriting cactus sunrise oil paints overalls combat boots winged eyeliner pastel tattoos piercings bands messy bun cry baby grunge space white bed sheets old books beaches eyes 11:11 painting lightning thunder storms love clouds coffee marble

T H E N E V E R E N D I N G A S K (I wasn’t ignoring you, I’m gonna be honest, I forgot this was sitting in my drafts waiting to be completed aaaaa)

flower crown: when did you last sing to yourself? - A few minutes ago. I left my iPod in my co-worker’s car so I kinda have nothing better to do. All my favorite apps are on there.

fairy lights: if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about anything, what would you want to know? - Are alternate universes real and is there one where I am content and happy? (sorry to get depressing there bud but life just ain’t what I want it to be rn)

daisies: what is the greatest accomplishment of your life? - I haven’t experienced enough things to  really say I’ve accomplished anything. I guess getting a job and keeping it for as long as I have? Six months and counting.

1975: what is the first happy memory that comes to mind, recent or otherwise? - Seeing a gif of a kitten walking over to a camera man and then proceeding to nap on him and walk all over his shoulders and sit on his head while he had to hold almost completely still.

matte: if you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? - This question as me depressed and low key anxious I don’t think I can answer it without crying sorry

black nail polish: do you have a bucket list? if so, what are the top three things? - Not really. I try to avoid really confronting my own mortality. Thinking about dying both scares and tempts me and it’s really weird and terrifying and no bueno. Gosh my answers seem so depressing I’m sorry bab aaAAAA

pantone: describe a person close to your life in detail. - I’m too lazy to describe anyone again but um my brother c’: Again. Heckie

moodboard: do you feel you had a happy childhood? - I suppose. I mean it definitely could have been better, but it’s not really on “tragic backstory” level so I guess yeah. I dunno how to answer this, in all honesty.

stars: when did you last cry in front of another person? - Earlier tonight

plants: pick a person to stargaze with you and explain why you picked them. - My friend Antonio. He’s weird but he loves space and it’s nice to hear how excited he gets talking about the stars and planets because he’s super passionate about it. I just like when my friends are happy ya know? So I know stargazing with my space buddy would be fun.

converse: would you ever have a deep conversation with a stranger and open up to them? - Honestly I have before. I don’t mean for it to, but sometimes the conversations just take that direction. I’m a big oversharer.

lace: when was your last 3am conversation with someone, and who were they to you? - fam I’m always up at 3am wym I stay talkin to ppl at 3am (for the record it’s usually my mom and/or brother)

handwriting: if you were about to die, and you could only say one more sentence to one person, what would you say and to whom? - Again, I can’t answer this without crying I’m sorry.

cactus: what is your opinion on brown eyes? - I have them and I love them why is this up for discussion why is this a question is there brown eye discourse???

sunrise: pick a quote and describe what it means to you personally. - “I don’t care what you think, as long as it’s about me.” …….. I really like attention. More seriously though, I like knowing that I’m real to other people. I know it sounds weird but sometimes I just like being reminded that I actually exist in other people’s lives and that I’m a real person???? Idk how to describe it but yeah. That line makes me think about that aspect of myself a lot.

oil paints: what would you title the autobiography of your life so far? - “Still Figuring It Out”

overalls: what would you do with one billion dollars? - cry because I can finally get my family out of our rough situation, spoil my mom and brother rotten, buy lots of pretty makeup, travel the world, and still have enough left over to live comfortably for the rest of my life without ever having to work again unless I want to to have something to do.

combat boots: are you a very forgiving person? do you like being this way? - I am. Sometimes too much for my own good. Sometimes I like it just cause it can help settle conflicts quicker and sometimes I don’t because not only do I let toxic people back into my life but it causes me to miss them and desperately want them back because I convince myself “it’s in the past, it wasn’t that bad, and they’ve probably changed so I should let it go”.

winged eyeliner: write a hundred word letter to your twelve year old self. - Dear Mikii,

First of all what a weird nick-name you dork. I’m Gabby. I’m still just as much of a dork so don’t feel bad. You’re going through a weird phase in your life right now. You’re confused and probably questioning who you are. That’s not really going to stop, but it gets better. It gets easier to deal with. Eventually you’ll work for your favorite pizza place and, while it’s stressful, you’ll make cool friends and you’ll make money, and nobody will be able to tell you what you can and can’t buy. It’ll be awesome. You got this

pastel: would you describe yourself as more punk or pastel? - I guess I lean closer to the punk side. It’s kind of funny because I have the soft cute personality that you’d think would fit on a pastel type person and honestly that’s my aesthetic but style wise, I usually go for darker colors and stuff. My brother is the polar opposite. Punk personality and pastel style.

tattoos: how do you feel about tattoos and piercings? explain. - Yes. Body art is yes. I love it and I want it. If you have tattoos and/or piercings I am 75% more likely to get some kind of crush on you.

piercings: do you wear a lot of makeup? why/why not? - yes, because I like it and it’s pretty.

bands: talk about a song/band/lyric that has affected your life in some way. - I dunno if this counts much, I had to think long and hard on this one, but Crossfire by Stephen makes me think a lot about current events and police brutality and the bombings in other countries and just a bunch of sad stuff that’s going on now which I know is the point but it makes me really think about the privilege I do have compared to those who face discrimination and oppression far more harshly than I ever will and I just heckin

heck

messy bun: the world is listening. pick one sentence you would tell them. - “Prince didn’t die for this.”

cry baby: list the concerts you have been to and talk about how they make you feel. - I’ve only ever been to one and it was a local band so

grunge: who in the world would you most like to receive a letter from and what would you want it to say? - Idk man probably my dad. Not gonna go in depth but I’ll say this. I’d want a large sum of money included and a 5 page long apology letter.

space: do you have a desk/workspace and how is it organised/not organised? - nope nothing is organized and I dont have a workspace

white bed sheets: what is your night time routine? - stay up til I physically cannot hold my eyes open anymore then fall asleep

old books: what’s one thing you don’t want your parents to know? - that I’m not Christian and that I have a um…. device. Of some sort.

beaches: if you had to dye your hair how would you dye/style it and why? - Keep it red / make it redder, probably some kind of undercut or side shave

eyes: pick five people to go on an excursion with you. who would you pick and where would you go/what would you do? - 1. Alin2. Mikey3. Kaylee4. Dom5. Rose

I’d take these nerds with me as I travel the globe and try new experiences, shop cool unique things, and just live my dream life with. I’d go to the ends of the earth with these precious babies.

11:11: name three wishes and why you wish for them. - (1) Wealth. I want to pay off my mother’s college debt, buy her a nice place to stay as well as somewhere for myself, buy my brother anything his little heart desires, donate to fundraisers and charities, live my dream life, etc. (2) Clear skin. I’m pretty confident in my body shape and all, but I can’t stand my skin. Especially everywhere that isn’t my face. My shoulders have it the worst. (3) Someone willing to date me who doesn’t live thousands of miles away would be lovely. I mean I can do long distance but I just crave physical affection ya know? I dunno man I’m just lonely.

painting: what is the best halloween costume you have ever put together? if none, make one up. - Well, last year I was a dead cowgirl. I used my day of the dead makeup and wore a flannel, jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat that I got from party city. Relatively simple, but it was still fun to see little kids’ reactions and everything at work.

lightning: what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done while drunk or high? - this implies I’ve gotten drunk or high before (I’ve been kind of tipsy before but otherwise I’m fucking lame and I don’t do that stuff)

thunder: what’s one thing you would never do for one million dollars? - kill somebody (there are a few exceptions but in general ya know?)

storms: you can only listen to one song for the rest of your life, or only see one person for the rest of your life. which and why? - both of these would drive me literally insane let’s not and say we did

love: have you ever fallen in love? describe what it feels like to realize you’re in love. - I think I have. I don't know. To me it's realizing the things I'd be willing to do for that person. Just wanting to make them happy. Wanting to spoil them, see them smile, hear their stupid jokes even if they aren't funny, see all the ugly or silly faces they make, and just loving everything about them. Overcoming my biggest insecurities and discomforts for them. Realizing that there are certain things I can only see myself doing with them. When I read those couple posts I think of them, even though it's been over a year since we've been together. Hearing a certain song or artist is tainted by thoughts of them, when nothing would come to mind before I got to know them. Filling spots in my mind and heart that for years had been left vacant. Realizing that despite how much they've hurt me, I'd gladly take them back if they asked. Feeling like it was the right love at the wrong time, even though it probably wasn't the right love at all. Falling in love to me is having them lurking around every corner of my mind, the darkest shadows, the deepest trenches, even when I'm not thinking of them, they're always there. Even when I'm not thinking about them, I somehow am. I don't know if this is love or obsession, admittedly. Maybe I just need help lol

clouds: if you’re a boy, would you ever rock black nail polish? if you’re a girl, would you ever rock really really short hair? - I’d rock both and look sexy while doing it

coffee: what’s your starbucks order, and who would you trust to order for you, if anyone? - I don’t go to starbucks enough to really say

marble: what is the most important thing to you in your life right now? - my family and getting us out of the tough situation we’re in right now