#PLEASE leave raph alone

[tending-the-hearth]

begging y’all to leave my boy alone and stop acting like he’s some type of terrible person

[normalenjoyer-png]

HES FUCKING PROTECTING HIS BROTHER I AM GOING TO CRY!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK AT HOW DONNIE IS HOLDING ONTO RAPH I AM GOING TO LITERALLY START CRYING

[forgetful-nerd]

All I wanted this morning was to read some good 2012 tmnt fanfics, but it looks like only the “Mikey is ab*sed” fanfics updated today.

[drexee]

I’m dead tired but my brain!!!! My brain!!! It won’t leave me alone with these thoughts for Raph🥺🤧

So here’s quick sleeping headcanons for Big Red as I try to convince myself to go to sleep.

Bayverse Raph x gn!Reader

Warnings: Fluff, spelling maybe?

Donnie | Leo | Mikey

Raph Sleep HCs

His bed is large. Huge, even.

As soon as he was able to get his own room away from Mikey, he took advantage of it. He loves his little brother, but mannnn does he need his own space.

The bed takes up a pretty good portion of his room, but it still leaves a good amount of walking space for him

Raph likes to have his bed somewhat firm with a bit of give to it. Semi firm, semi plush. Right in the middle.

He has a solid two (2) pillows on his bed. One firm and one soft, both king. He’s a heathen who doesn’t care

His blanket is very large and used to be nice, but it has a bit of wear and tear on it due to the many years of use

He does have a throw blanket that he keeps around (which he knitted himself thank you very much) , but usually uses it for when he’s out in the living area and resting on the couch to watch a movie or something

Raphael prefers to sleep on his stomach due to his shell and him usually not having the care nor the pillows to properly support him and keep him from rolling over

When you’re in bed with him, he’ll have you tucked into the space in between the lip of his shell and the bed

leg hitched up in between your own and arm wrapped around your middle to hold you to him, his other arm tucked up under his pillow and head

Usually, he has his hand nestled closely to you and palming your chest,

He tells you it’s for you to hold on to because he knows you like to grip onto things while you sleep, but also it’s to reassure you (and him) that you are safe and protected

But also he just likes to sap as much heat from you as he can

And also you’re soft and he can feel your heart and he loves it but he never said that🤫

Another thing he really likes about this position is how he’s able to easily bury his snout into the top of your head and just breathe you in

He doesn’t churr in his sleep, but he does the moments just before and he’ll be nearly shaking the bed because he absolutely loves that you’re there with him, and it fades out the deeper he goes into sleep

He does snore, but it’s not as bad as Mikey

Raph has more of a light rumble, and it can sooth you to sleep, but if you don’t like it, just shake him a bit

He’ll huff but will readjust, pull you closer, and knock back out lol

He doesn’t move around too much in his sleep, may shift his legs a bit, but once he’s out, he’s out. Dead weight

And mans Is H E A V Y.

Yes, having his arm around you like that is very grounding and nice, but he’s NOT letting you go 😮‍💨

At that point he’s not even doing it on purpose

So please prepare for this and go to the bathroom before you get in the bed with him!

Otherwise you have to wake him up and you’ll have a very grumpy and grumbly turtle on your hands!

When you come back, he’ll wrap you up in his space even more than before you left

But it’s ok bc he’s the softest for you right when he wakes up in the morning and he sees you next to him!

Raph wakes up relatively early, but he’ll snuggle back into you and let the moment last a little bit longer or until you start to wake up

He loves it so much

And there we have it!! My very first set of headcanons!

‘Til next time!!

[our-happygirl500-fan]

Though the Hamato clan in Rise is often more openly affectionate than past iterations I’ve noticed that the amount that each family member actually says the words ‘I love you’ actually differs for each family member.

Mikey: I’ll say it again, I love you guys

Leo: We did it!

Mikey: Love you dad!

Splinter: My sons, you know I love you, but you only remember lessons when you learn them the hard way

Splinter: We are not giving them the evil teapot, we are going to save my beloved sons!

Throughout the series Mikey & Splinter are the ones who tell their family that they love them the most, often either staying it in their everyday life or having it come up in conversation. They’re the ones that most easily say ‘I love you’ because it’s a simple fact to them, they do love their family why shouldn’t they say it?

Raph: Tests are easy, it’s answers that are hard 

Donnie: I love you so much! Let’s do it!

Leo: We learned a valuable something about never something-ing you alone again

Raph: Aww I love you guys!

In contrast to Mikey & Splinter, Raph & Donnie are the ones who use the words ‘I love you’ the least out of the family because they have other ways of showing their family that they love them, Donnie shows his love for his family through his inventions & Raph shows his love for his family by protecting them & keeping them safe.

Donnie & Raph save the words ‘I love you’ for moments where they’re particularly excited or touched such as when Raph gives Donnie the go-ahead to use an untested invention because he believes in Donnie’s inventions enough to think, even untested it will help or when Leo promises Raph they won’t leave him alone again, even taking care to not say the word ‘leave’ because he knows the word is upsetting to Raph.

Leo: I love you guys!

Leo on the other hand is firmly in the middle, he says the words ‘I love you’ more than Donnie & Raph, but he’s not as able to simply say it in everyday conversation the way Mikey & Splinter are.

In fact Leo seems to save the words ‘I love you’ for situations where he feels as though something is wrong & he feels as though he’s let down or upset his family in someway.

Leo: Raphael, I love you my brother but you do tend to fail in big moments.

Leo: Raph, you know I love you but people don’t focus on punctuation when they’re stuck in concrete

Leo: Donnie, you gotta stop this! I love you and your gaming is hurting me!

Leo: Okay Señor Hueso, my beloved brother Donatello and I had a bit of a spat

Raph is the person Leo typically says ‘I love you’ to the most & he usually says it when he’s pointing out a flaw in his older brother’s plans, it’s Leo’s way of saying even when he’s telling Raph something isn’t going to work he still loves him.

The second person Leo says ‘I love you’ to the most is Donnie & it’s usually reserved for when they are fighting such as in episode The Purple Game when Leo thought that Donnie was still controlling the robot that was attacking them & during the episode The Hidden City Job where after Leo has an argument with Donnie he primarily refers to Donnie as his ‘beloved brother’.

Leo: I love you

Splinter: No!

It seems as though Leo reserves the words ‘I love you’ for when he feels as though he’s upset a family member, either by disagreeing with them or getting into a fight with them & combining this with the fact that in the episode ‘Flushed But Never Forgotten’ when Leo thinks he might loose his family forever, the last thing he wants to say to them is how much he loves them, ‘I love you’ might be the words that Leo says when he thinks he’s done something that would make him loose his family.

When Leo says ‘I love you’ what he’s really saying is ‘I love you, please don’t be mad at me, please don’t be upset with me,’ ect

[oleander-nin]

Yan!Rottmnt find you sleeping in their bed

A/N, not important: Told you I'd get out more this week. I figured out a system to (hopefully)stop me from burning out as quick. Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.

Tw: watching you sleep, implied kidnapping, yandere themes, Raph overthinking and slight babying, unconsentual touching(nonsexual)

Words: 961

Summary: The Yan!ROTTMNT turtles find you sleeping in their bed, and they didn't even have to bribe you for once.

-Ollie

Mikey:

He’s surprised at first.

You’ve been fighting him on this for so long, despite him trying to reason with you. You hadn’t even touched his bed of your own volition so far.

And yet here you were, curled up in between pillows and blankets and the small rabbit stuffie Mikey had given you when he first met you.

He doesn’t touch you at first, opting to silently watch from a distance.

Has the biggest grin on his face as he coos at your sleeping figure, admiring you.

In his mind, this was a step forward to you accepting him, to you loving him.

Depending on the time of day and what Mikey was doing/how important it is, he’ll either get in bed with you and cuddle you while trying not to wake you, or he’ll sit on his desk and watch you as he draws.

Mikey hushes anyone who walks by, making sure his loud brothers don’t disturb you.

Until he wants your attention.

Then you’re getting dragged out of bed, an excited Mikey holding you in his arms.

You can always sleep later, after all, you obviously don’t care about sleeping in his bed anymore.

Don’t fight it, he knows you better than you know yourself.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Donnie:

Knew about it as soon as you fell asleep.

Is a bit miffed, especially if you didn’t wash before getting into his bed. He’s big on cleanliness, and will not stand for you making his bed all gross. He has to sleep there too, you know.

If you didn’t wash up first, he wakes you up and makes you go take a shower/bath first, taking the sheets to be cleaned and replacing them with spares as you do so. Drags you back to bed once you’re done, you don’t get a choice now. Plus, if you're so eager to sleep in his bed dirty, you’d enjoy it even better now that you’re clean.

If you were already clean, he leaves you be for now, having SHELLDON keep an eye on you to make sure nothing goes wrong while you sleep if he’s too busy to do it himself.

If he can spare the time however, he goes into his room and sits at his desk, being able to work while still being near you.

If he’s done with his work and is feeling up to it, he’s crawling in with you, collapsing on top of you and using you as his pillow. You’re soft and warm, you should’ve expected this to happen.

Gets pissy if you fight back, considering you most likely awoke when he flopped on top of you.

You should be grateful he’s showing you such kindness, he can always make you sleep on the floor.

Overall, he is quite indifferent about it. He doesn’t need you to sleep in his bed by your own volition, he can always just make you. Thinks nothing of it as you should be doing so anyway.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Raph:

Very pleased with you.

Seeing you sleeping under the covers of his bed of your own volition, just as he wanted you too was so comforting to him. He almost melted at the sight of you surrounded by his various plushies, one of the bears being held in your arms.

The problem lies with his anxiety, however.

You are currently in his bed, alone. If he leaves, you could get hurt. What if a plush falls on your face and suffocates you in your sleep? What if he leaves and you roll off the bed, breaking your neck? What if you have a nightmare, and he’s not here to comfort you?

Despite what he was doing prior, he drops it to watch over you, not trusting you to be safe on your own as you sleep. There were too many things that could go wrong, too many variables that could lead to your suffering.

No, he had to stay with you, to protect you.

It’s what he’s here for after all.

He tries to stay away for as long as he can hold out, watching you from the opposite end of his room as he sits on the floor, just silently staring.

If it gets too much for him, seeing you there all cozy paired with the worry he has for you, he’d crawl into bed with you. He tries his best to not wake you up, simply depositing your body on his plastron as his arms wrap around you.

Freaks out if he wakes you up by accident, shushing you and trying to coax you back to sleep. You need your sleep after all.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Leo:

This man’s ego raises so high, you have no idea. Is incredibly smug for the rest of the day(unless you do something wrong after you wake up).

See’s this as a win, thinks you’re finally giving in to him. Takes a photo to commemorate the memory before walking over to you.

Depending on his mood, he’ll either slip into bed with you, or sit on the bed next to you and just watch you while you sleep, enjoying this small step towards your reciprocating love.

No matter what, he drops whatever he’s doing to stay near you, not caring how much his brothers fuss at him.

If he slips into bed with you, he’s full on wrapping his arms around you and clinging to you like he’s never felt the touch of a lover before. Absolutely milks it.

If you wake up from his movements, he just shushes your complaints, refusing to let you go now that he’s with you.

You’re the one who was here first, why do you want to leave now?

Is very proud he’s finally making some progress, he knew you’d come around.

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

May I please request something involving Rise!Raph where he confides in the reader that he’s a little insecure about his size when someone calls him “bubble butt”?

Big Teddy Bears Are The Best (Angst/Fluff)

Rise!Raphael x reader

A/N: Gotta show Raphie and his beautiful size some love❤️

Warnings: Insecurities about size, cat calling, expression of insecurities.

There was no doubt in Raph’s mind - you were the best thing that had ever happened to him. Ever since you had gained knowledge about him and his brothers, you had always been there for them. A close friend that they could always count on, always ready to help with whatever they needed. The fact that you were so calm and helpful when taking care of him and his family, made Raph’s head calm yet his heart flutter. It didn’t take long before he started developing feelings for you. You were absolutely amazing.

But if there was one day better than the day Raph met you, was the day the two of you got together. It was like a dream come true for the snapping turtle. To be able to hold you close and call you his.

But there were times where Raph would get… insecure, is probably the right way to put it. You were a beautiful human. The prettiest Raph had ever seen. There were times he still couldn’t believe you were real, and not just an amazing dream come true. And he… yeah, he was what he was. A big, large, mutant snapping turtle, so large that his hand was as big as your head. There were times where he would spend much of this time, thinking about it, feeling his insecurities nag inside of him. That gave way to many questions, that just wouldn’t leave him alone. What did you see in him? How could you love someone like him? Would you want to stay with him?

But whenever you would enter the room, all those worries would fall away, lightning up Raph’s state once more, as he would hold you close and let you pepper his face with kisses, the same way he would with you. He would remember the nickname you had given him, exactly because of his large size - teddy bear. Your teddy bear. Words you would tell him, before embracing him in another loving hug. Truly the best thing that has ever happened to him.

Together, you and Raph would frequent many places together, hand in hand on many wonderful and amazing dates, that the two of you would remember forever. In the disguise of human clothing, you would bring Raph with you out around New York City, or Raph would bring you with him down to the Hidden City. So far neither you or Raph had experienced any problems with that. Your dates had always gone smoothly, providing you with the time together that the both of you held so dear. During these dates, Raph would be too occupied to worry about his size or nature. Well, that was until the two of you took a stroll around Central Park.

Hand in hand, you and Raph walked together through the park, laughing and smiling at whatever conversation you were in, with not a worry in the world. That was until a group of three women came by in the opposite direction. Their eyes were locked on Raph, taking in his towering height with awe. Raph grew uneasy, feeling their eyes on him. For a moment he feared that he hadn’t brought his hood up high enough, and that they had noticed his turtle-like features. He tried to keep his focus on you, yet out of the corner of his eye, he kept an eye on the staring women as they came closer and closer, just about to pass by the two of you. But then one of them spoke, a teasing smile on her lips as he stared directly at Raph, her words causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

“Looking good there, bubble butt!”

Raph froze but you turned, staring daggers into the woman that had just cat called your boyfriend. One thing was to cat call a person in general, but to do it while they were walking with their partner? They must have lost their minds! You would have run after them and given them a piece of mind, but instead you turned your focus to your boyfriend, who’s spirit seemed to be dampened quite a bit. His gaze was now directed towards the ground, his brow muscles pushed together in a worried expression.

“Raph?”, you asked, holding his hand in your much smaller ones, your thumb stroking his knuckles with loving care. “Raphy bear, are you okay?”

Raph did not answer. Instead his head started flooding with the same insecurities that normally only seemed to take place when he was alone. But with the soft feeling of your thumbs on his hand, he finally brought himself to look you in the eyes, unsure on how to explain the tumult of emotions he was feeling. With a sigh, he finally decided to tell you, realizing there would be no benefit of hiding his thoughts any longer.

“(Y/N)”, Raph said, avoiding your eyes as he spoke, nervousness growing within him, fearing the worst would happen. But he had to say it. He just had to.  “Am I… Am I too big for you?”

You cocked your head in confusion, clearly understanding what he was asking you. “What?”

Raph swallowed the lump in his throat. “It’s just… for some time now… I’ve been feeling… I’ve been fearing that I’m too big. That I’m too big for you”. You stared at Raph, your thumbs coming to a halt, your silence causing him to grow even more worried. “(Y/N)? Babe? Please talk to me. I need to know-”.

Before Raph could finish his sentence, you cut him off by wrapping your arms around him, as far as they would go, pulling him in for a tight hug, smiling up at him with that beautiful smile of yours that made him weak in the knees.

“Raph, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me! You’re the sweetest, greatest and most wonderful person I’ve ever met”, you said, resting your chin against his clothes-covered plastron. “And your size? I’ve already told you that you’re my teddy bear, and big teddy bears are the best!”

Your words made Raph’s heart flutter, feeling small tears of happiness press against the back of his eyes. Wrapping his arms around you, pulling you closer against him with a happy sigh.

“I’m so lucky to have you, (Y/N)”, he said, resting his forehead against yours. “I love you so much”.

“I love you too, Raph”, you smiled, pulling him in for a small sweet kiss. “All of you”.

[citruswriter]

Hey so how do you think bayverse leo would deal with having a s/o where they tend to get asked out by human’s a lot and s/o says no confidently every time and usually the human’s leave s/o alone nicely. Also flip side whenever s/o is talking about Leo casually, s/o is like gushing over how awesome their boyfriend is. And also how They don’t really meet any human men who act like him. His personality is extremely rare. S/o has a type and it’s not common. Maybe their standards are too high but they got lucky to find Leo?

High Standards

Leonardo x Reader 🧡

Listen in with me! ↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ

Warnings: They/them pronouns, fluff, not proofread.

A/N: Ur literally so real for this. I think Leo definitely has a more rare personality.

"Dammit I forgot my lunch..." Your coworker muttered as she dug through her bag. Looking over you offered up one of your sandwiches. "You can have my other sand which if you want. Leo made them for me." You said and your coworker gave you a look of gratitude before grabbing the sandwhich and digging in. "Holy shit. This is actually so good, what the fuck?" She said, looking up at you and you giggled, sipping your drink. "Oh yeah. Leo's a wonderful chef. He's always trying new recipes with Mikey. It's super cute. His food is always so good, I can never get enough of it". You beamed, taking another bite. "You always talk about that man, swear to god. You two need to get married already". She said with a roll of her eyes but she smiled none the less. You giggled again, face heating up. "Oh please, trust me. I'd marry that man in a heartbeat if he asked me. He's definitely one of a kind. I don't meet many other individuals with his personality." You said casually, finishing your lunch and shrugging your shoulders. "I know. You constantly turn down anybody pining after you. Your standards are so damn high". She muttered.

"Well I deserve nothing but the best and Leo does exactly that. I'm so lucky to have him". You cooed with a lovesick smile. The door rang as a customer walked in. "Hello! What can I get for you today?". You asked before taking the man's order. He rattled off the ingredients for his coffee and you cashed him out as your coworker began to make it. "Say uh, whats your name?" He asked and you looked up. "(Y/N). Why?" You asked, tone suspicious. "Just wanted to know the name of the individual I was gonna take to dinner tonight." He said with a wink. You couldn't help but laugh, mouth behind your face. "Oh you're cute. No". You said gently but firmly. The man blinked at you, surprised. "Why not?" He asked and you grinned. "I'm taken by a wonderful young man". You said, giggling as you fiddled with the necklace that always hung around your neck, a golden chain with a brilliant blue sapphire. "Bet I could treat you better..." The man purred, leaning in.

"Highly doubt you could," your coworkers voice came as she slammed the hot coffee in front of the man, startling him. "They got standards so high you'd need professional climbing gear to scale them". She said, looking at you with a grin and the two of you giggled. The man rolled his eyes in anger before snatching his coffee up and sulking off and out of the store. "Seriously babes, I know you said Leo was a rather private man but I've got to meet this dude one day". She said with a quirked eyebrow and you hummed. "I'll talk to him about it."

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

You were greeted with a chorus of noises as you entered the lair. Mikey had taken Raph's sai and was now being chased while Donnie attempted to scold them. April and Master Splinter were quietly speaking over tea and Leo... Wait where's Leo? You thought. You glanced around for him before creeping to his room. "Baby?" You said softly before opening the door. You slunk inside, closing the door behind you. Leo was on his bed, book in hand and under a blanket. "Seems like your brothers are at it again". You mused, smiling softly as you approached him. "They always are." He sighed, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you close to him, head resting on your stomach. "Got your coffee," you murmured and Leo eyes the cup before gently grabbing it and happily taking a sip. "Good as always, blossom". He muttered before dragging you down into bed with him, you kicking your shoes off as he did.

"My coworker wants to meet you". You said and you chuckled when he groaned. "This is the eighth time she's asked". He grumbled, burying his snout into your neck. You laughed and kissed his head. "Yeah she had to come to my rescue after some guy asked for my number, teasing my high standards." You said, nails drawing patterns on his shell. Leo sighed and looked back up at you. "Do you ever wish I was human?" He asked suddenly and you raised your eyebrows in surprise and curiosity. "Not really. I don't really care if you're a mutant or a human". You answered and Leo grumbled, setting his coffee down before burrowing himself into you. "Why do you wish to know, beloved?" You asked, gently picking at the knot in his mask to pull it off. He let you, relaxing into your touch as you rubbed his neck and shoulders. "I don't know... So many humans seem to fawn over you. Sometimes I wonder what you see in me". He confessed.

"Leonardo I fell in love with you because you treat me well. Because you're kind-hearted and a gentleman. Because you love with your whole heart and do your best to protect those you love". You said, thumb brushing against his cheek bones. "Leonardo you're everything I want and more." Leo placed his hands down to lift himself, hovering over you and staring into your eyes. "I love you so much," he whispered before kissing you gently. You hummed and kissed him back, hand moving to cup his face. "I love you too, darling".

A crash was heard from the living room along with the sounds of Raph's shouting and Mikey's feral giggle. "You should probably go deal with them." You mused, Leo groaning as he begrudgingly pulled himself out of bed. "You're probably right." He replied and you drug yourself up to go follow him. You couldn't help but watch in amusement as Leo mothered his younger siblings. At some point Leo came back, grumbling about how they were such children. "You'd make a good dad, you know". You murmured, splaying your hands on his plastron. Leo looked at you in shock and you looked away, flustered but Leo just grabbed your face and kissed you. "I think you'd be a good parent too". He said softly and the two of you just stood there looking at each other with utter adoration.

[twignotstick]

Liar, Liar

Note: The characters in this fic are from @rufwooff 's teenage mutant ninja everything-but-turtles au. Leo is a salamander, Mikey is a toad/frog, Donnie is a gecko, and Raph is an alligator. It can sort of be read as a rise fic if you ignore the... frog stuff? But there are things that might not make sense without knowledge of the au. This post specifically inspired the fic.

Tags: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ROTTMNT, Leo-centric, NOT MY CHARACTERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Everything-but-Turtles, tmnebt, turtle tots (still unsure abt that one), dialogue written like a child, lying, extremely fluffy, but with a hint of angst

Warnings (if there's anything I should add here, tell me please!): nothing, why would i ever hurt kids :)

Words: 4,647

Summary: Leo finally gets to spend a day alone with his little brother, Mikey. When things go wrong, he decides to save himself. After all, what's so bad about a little lie?

----------------------

“Can grow to doo-ble the size in a few… h-owers…”

Leo held the small package he'd found close to his face, trying his best to read what the label said. Donnie had told him it was some kind of toy, but it just looked like a plastic whale to him. Mikey watched Leo from the bowl he was quickly outgrowing, listening intently to Leo's somewhat successful attempt at reading.

“Leave in a cup or bowl of wwwater and watch the magic!” Leo read triumphantly, holding the toy in front of him. The salamander looked over to his little brother. “We just need a cup or something to use it!”

“Wah'der!” Mikey noted wisely, bracing himself on the edge of the glass.

“Right!” Leo nodded, face turning pensive. “But I can't reach any of the cups or bowls in the kitchen, and Dad doesn't want me climbing on stuff anymore…”

“Waphie?” Mikey suggested.

“Raph's busy with Dad cooking dinner. Bo-ring.” Leo sighed. “And Donnie said he was studying today…”

“Hmm…” Mikey hummed, before his eyes lit up. “Bow’!” He squeaked, rocking his bowl side to side. “Bow’! A bow’!”

“No Mikey, we need a-” Leo caught on. “Oh, a bowl. You're a genius, Mikey!”

Mikey squeaked and squealed in response to the praise, wiggling what was left of his tail in the water. “Tank you.”

“Alright then, Mikester. You're gonna have to show off how good you are with those new legs.” Leo wrapped his arms around his baby brother's body, struggling for a moment to get a good grip with both of them having slippery skin, but he eventually hefted Mikey out of the bowl under his armpits and placed him on the stone floor. “This'll be a good oppa-tunity for you! You just gotta stay here while I fill up the bowl the rest of the way, okay?”

“Okie-dokie!” Mikey replied cheerfully, patting his newly grown hands on the floor. They had been fully developed for about a week, but he had yet to do much with them other than waving and clapping.

Taking Mikey's word without any doubt, Leo picked up the half filled bowl and carried it away to the nearby tunnel. Sure, he knew he wasn't supposed to go into the tunnels by himself. And sure, he knew he wasn't supposed to leave Mikey alone when they were playing. But Leo was a big boy! And so was Mikey! Mikey had all of his limbs now! That, Leo didn't exactly understand, because Leo always had all his limbs, just like Raph and Donnie. Mikey was just a ball with a tail and eyeballs. A tadpole, Donnie's voice reminded him. Now Mikey was a toadlet, which meant surely he was grown enough to be on his own for a few minutes.

It wasn't like Leo didn't like spending time with Mikey. He loved watching movies with him, coloring things with him, even chatting with him despite his more limited vocabulary. Mikey just… couldn't play a lot of the games Leo liked to play. Leo liked to move, and Mikey couldn't move a lot. Mikey couldn't play tag, or hide and seek, and he could only play Jupiter Jim if he was playing as Godfred, the Goldfish King. Even then, he was no fun to play with without his royal guards.

Today, Leo got to play with Mikey without supervision, a job usually reserved for his older brothers. It was a total breeze, he had found out, because Mikey was so stationary. Babies were boring, but they were easy.

Leo carried the bowl back, making sure to spill as little of the mildly murky sewer water he had collected as possible, and put it down right next to the toy he had left on the floor. Right next to the puddle where Mikey was sitting before.

Puddle?

“Boys! Come eat!”

“...spit.”

----------------------

Leo walked into the kitchen with a nervous smile on his face, finding that Raph and Donnie were already seated with food in front of them. Both plates were filled with vegetables and meat, and Splinter was preparing two more plates with more of the same.

“Hello, Blue,” Splinter greeted, glancing around Leo's sides. “Where is your brother? I thought he was with you.”

“H-he was! He just got reeeally tired,” Leo lied, swaying on his feet and swishing his tail slowly. “So I tucked him in bed. He was really, indubitably tired.”

“You don't even know what that word means, Leo.” Donnie glared right into Leo's soul, pushing his glasses up as Leo sat down next to him.

“Yes I do! I-it means Mikey was really super tired!”

“Purple, do not be rude to your brother,” Splinter scolded. “If Orange was tired, he should sleep. He is a growing boy. Thank you, Blue, for tucking him in. He can eat later, after he wakes up.” Splinter finished preparing a plate for himself, then sat down next to his sons and began eating. “Did you all enjoy yourselves today?”

Raphael nodded. “I showed Cheech how to beat up the practice dummy right! He wasn't too good at holdin’ Raph's sais though.”

“That is very kind of you, Red. I'm sure that Cheech will improve if you keep training him.” Splinter smiled kindly.

“He won't,” Donnie whispered, leaning into Leo's ear. “Teddy bears can't do ninjutsu.”

“I think Raph can teach him, Raph's good at teaching,” Leo whispered back.

“What about you, Purple?”

Donnie straightened his posture, his tail sticking straight up for a moment, straightening his glasses again. “I actually did some very helpful research using the encyclopedia that Dad found and the book on reptiles we got a while ago.” He looked around at his brothers. “I learned a lot about our different species. I looked pretty closely into toads and frogs so I could talk to Mikey about his current state, but apparently I can't, because he fell asleep at 6 pm.” Donnie side eyed Leo questioningly.

“You can tell him about what you learned tomorrow, Purple,” Splinter said. “I'm sure whatever he and Blue did today was exhausting, was it not?” He asked, redirecting the conversation to Leo.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Leo agreed fervently. “Me and Mike were having so much fun. Like, Mikey was having sooo much fun, he literally passed out! And I put him in bed, like a good big brother!”

“He… passed out?” Raph asked worriedly.

“Yeah! Like, knocked out hard. Totally asleep. And I tucked him in good!”

“In his tub.” Donnie raised a drawn eyebrow.

“That's right!”

“Boys, there is no need to argue about this,” Splinter said with a strained smile as the brothers finished eating and put their plates away in the sink. “We should all be happy for Blue, who has proven himself as a big brother.”

“He's sure proving something, alright…” Donnie murmured with crossed arms. 

“You can spend a little more time up, but I want you to get to bed soon as well. Meanwhile, I will be taking this opportunity to take a nice, long shower.” Splinter shook his robed arms, showcasing the small clumps of fur gathering across his body. “This stuff gets oily way faster than you would expect.”

“Don't worry Pops!” Raph said, standing absurdly tall for a child of his age and swishing his unruly tail. “I'll check on Mike, then I'll make sure Leo and Don get to sleep too! You have my word!” Raph tried to hold up a military salute, but he caught his hand on his large jaws and hit his head backwards, tail and arms flailing to make sure he didn't fall. He looked distraught for a moment, before making a show of shaking off the pain to be strong for his dad.

Splinter sighed. “Thank you, Red.”

Leo straightened up, eyes widening as he saw his brothers going toward their room,  and dashed over to the sink to drop off his own plate so he could follow. Quickly, would be preferable. 

“Blue? May I speak with you?”

Spit.

Leo stood with the most relaxed posture he could muster as he faced his dad, leaning on the countertop behind him with one elbow. “Sure, Pops!”

Splinter kneeled down in front of the salamander. “I wanted to thank you for spending the day with your little brother. I know that he is still unable to do many of the things that you can, but it is good to hear that you included him in your games anyways.”

“Oh,” Leo said, losing his fake nonchalance for a moment. “It… it was no big deal, Dad.”

“I would say it was a big deal, Leonardo.” Splinter placed a paw on Leo's shoulder, smiling softly at his son. “Once Orange hits the growth spurt he is bound to, it will be much more difficult to keep you boys from bouncing off the walls. I am glad to know I can trust you to take care of your little brother.”

Leo's heart dropped in his chest with guilt, but he kept his outward appearance well enough. Internally, he was screaming to run away and stop his brothers from reaching the bedroom. “Of course, Dad. Mikey was actually really really super fun to hang with! Not boring at all! He actually was playing way more than me, and like, he was really cool and stuff. And fun to play with,” he added carefully.

Splinter stood up, cracking his back. “That is great to hear. Now-” he clapped his hands- “to wash the gunk out of this gross fur!” 

As soon as Splinter skipped away, Leo fumbled over his feet to rush to the bedroom. He kicked his tail a few times, but ignored it in his frenzy. His brothers were already there! It was over! He would never be trusted again! Not by Raph, not by Donnie (though who really cared about that), and most importantly, not by his dad!

When Leo got to the shared bedroom, he slid on the floor to turn in the doorway as fast as possible, only to find Raph terrifyingly close to Mikey's tank.

“WAIT!”

Both of his brothers looked up at him immediately. Donnie's glare from where he sat on his bed quickly changed from confused to exhausted. “And why, dear Nardo, would Raph need to wait?”

Leo hesitated. “Well, b-because-”

“No, Leo. You've been super suspicious ever since you came to dinner.” Donnie stood up, putting the book he had in his hands down.

“No I haven't!” Leo defended. “I don't even know what that means, so I can't be that.”

“It means you've been acting weird because you're hiding something!” Donnie accused.

“Am not!” Leo defended.

“Yes, you a-”

“Guys!” Raph whispered furiously, catching the other boys’ attention. “If you're gonna fight, do it quiet. Mikey's still asleep.” The oldest brother turned away, not being able to see the despaired expression on Leo's face, and approached Mikey's corner of the room where his small tank sat.

Donnie looked back at Leo with disdain. “Whatever you're hiding, you should just cough it up. Dad doesn't like liars.”

“Well that's great, cause I'm not lying. I'm like, the least liar-est person ever.”

“Uh, Donnie?” Raph asked quietly from his spot by the tank. “Didn't you say Mikey was supposed to mecha-morph-uh.. whatever?”

“Metamorphosis. It's the process through which a tadpole becomes a frog or toad. Commonly associated with frogs and butterflies, which come from caterpillars. And technically, the word would be ‘metamorphose’, in this context.”

“I think he meta-morph-osed into a whale instead…”

Leo held his breath.

“What?” Donnie walked over to the tank, continuing to ramble. “No, he's supposed to metamorphose into a fire bellied toad, not a whale. There's no way that- GASP!” Donnie plunged his hand in the tank, coming back out with an unmistakable item. “You left his bowl in the tank?!”

“What?! I-I don't know how that got there, I swear!” Leo stammered, grabbing the hem of his shirt.

“You said you put Mikey to bed! Mikey isn't here, but his bowl is!” Donnie shouted. “You lied! You lost Mikey!”

“N-no I didn't!”

“Oh yeah? Then how did his bowl get here?”

Leo puffed his cheeks, fuming. “It wasn't even my fault! Mikey said I could use his bowl!”

Raph gasped this time, like a normal person. “You really lost Mikey?”

Leo's anger faltered at the sad face on his big brother. The reality of the situation was finally settling in. “I-I didn't mean to. I just went in the tunnel for one second-”

“You went in the tunnels?!” Raph screamed.

Leo winced. “It was just for like a second, and nothing even happened!”

“Clearly, something did happen,” Donnie interjected, putting the bowl down. “You. Lost. Mikey!”

“I did not! Mikey said-”

“GUYS!” Raph slammed his tail on the ground, scaring his brothers into attention. “Right now, Raph's gonna ignore all the rules you broke. We don't need to fight about who to blame, because Mikey is missing. He could be in danger, or worse, already hurt. We need to find him before Dad finds out.” Raph stepped closer to Leo. “Now, where did you lose Mikey?”

“I didn't lose hi-”

“Mikey was under your supervision. Now he's gone. You lost Mikey,” Donnie said sternly. “Where did you lose him?”

Leo stared down at his feet, then sighed heavily. “It was right by the tunnel entrance, by the toy room. When I came-d back in, there was just a puddle where he was sitting before.”

“A puddle?” Donnie asked.

“Yeah, that's what I just said,” Leo groaned.

“No, that could be a clue. Show us where the puddle was,” Raph urged.

“Uh, okay.” Leo turned around and walked down the hall with his brothers in tow. He couldn't help but feel their eyes glaring into his back, judging him. Hating him for lying. For putting his baby brother in danger.

Maybe he wasn't a good big brother like Dad had said. Mikey was the only little brother he had. How did he screw that up?

They reached the end of the hall, and Leo was surprised to see a little bit of dampness still on the floor, even after almost an hour. “He was right here,” he said, crouching down to look.

“Hm,” Donnie hummed, crouching down as well. “Just as I thought.” He put a finger in the spot on the ground, surprising his brothers when his hand came up with something slimy. “Mikey didn't just leave the water from his bowl, he also left mucous.”

“Mucous? Like, he snotted everywhere?” Raph questioned.

“No, it's not snot. It's mucous. Many frogs and toads produce mucous with glands on their skin that helps keep it moist. In some, it also helps them breathe through their skin,” Donnie explained.

“So, Mikey left his skin snot on the floor,” Leo gathered.

“No. It's mucous, not snot.”

“Hey, look!” Raph pointed to another spot on the floor. “More snot!”

“Follow it!” Leo said, running over to the spot and searching for more.

Donnie pinched the bridge of his snout. “Again, not snot, but okay, we have a lead.”

“Why's it in spots, and not, like, little froggy footprints?” Raph asked, following as Leo spotted more spots.

“It's possible that Mikey figured out how to hop,” Donnie said.

“Ha! So this was worth it!” Leo said, pumping a fist. “I taught Mikey how to hop!”

“Or, you taught him how to hop off a cliff and die. Or hop right into a human's home,” Donnie replied.

“Donnie…” Raph whispered.

Leo didn't respond, instead choosing to keep following the spots. There were a few he saw on the walls, which he noted curiously. They traveled all throughout the lair, slowly becoming more recent. Eventually, the brothers found a place where they entered a door.

The bathroom door, where soft singing could be heard on the other side.

“Aw, spit.”

Raph elbowed Leo's shoulder. “Dad said you shouldn't say that anymore.”

“Why? It's not a bad word. I can say it all I want! Spit, spit, spit-”

“Guys,” Donnie said, “let's worry more about the mucous going into the room where Dad is showering.”

“Oh, right.”

The trio opened the door slowly, getting facefuls of steam that fogged up Donnie's glasses, causing him to back out. Leo and Raph stuck their heads in, surveying the area. Splinter's operatic singing filled their ears, making them wince. However, in the midst of the steam filled bathroom, they spotted what they were looking for.

Mikey was perched on the edge of the sink, looking at the closed shower curtain with wide eyes.

“Mikey!” Leo whispered, getting Mikey's attention and drawing his eyes. “Hey Angelo! Come here, come to Leo!” He held his hands out, beckoning.

Mikey squeaked softly, waving at Leo, then pointing at the shower.

“Nonono, don't go there buddy, hop over here!”

Mikey grinned, then readied himself to jump straight at the curtain.

“MIKEY!”

The clattering of metal and screams of the boys cut off Splinter's singing, as Mikey hopped right onto the curtain and pulled the curtain rod down. Raph pushed past Leo into the room, catching Mikey before he fell to the floor with the curtain.

Splinter, despite being covered with soaked fur, tried to cover himself and turned the shower off. “Boys!? What is the meaning of this?!”

Raph fumbled to keep Mikey in his arms. “Sorry, Pops! Mikey was just-”

Mikey turned around in Raph's arms, reaching out to Splinter. “Hi Daddy!”

“Orange? What are you doing awake?”

“He, uh, he woke up!” Leo said, pushing in front of Raph. “We had to follow him here.”

“Follow him?” Splinter raised an eyebrow.

Raph looked at Leo, unsure.

“Yes?” Leo said nervously.

They all stood still, Leo patting his toe on the floor. He couldn't tell if he was sweating of fear, or if it was just the steam in the room. The tension felt as thick as the steam filled air.

“LEO LOST MIKEY!”

“What?!”

“DONNIE, YOU SNITCH! I DID NOT!”

“YES YOU DID! AND YOU LIED! LEO LIED!” Donnie screamed from outside the room.

“Donnie! Stop being mean to Leo!” Raph said, struggling to keep a hold on the boy in his arms. Mikey wriggled around, bracing his feet on Raph's chest and hopping off, sending himself flying into Splinter's arms while also hitting Raph's jaws shut with a clack and nearly sending Raph falling backwards.

“Orange!” Splinter caught Mikey deftly, checking him over. Then, he looked back up to his other sons. More specifically, at the one who had just been basically slapped by his own jaw. “Red, are you okay?”

Raph grunted, but nodded slowly as he held his snout.

“Good. That was very rude of you, Orange,” he said to the son in his arms. “What do you say?”

“I'm sowwy, Waphie…” Mikey mumbled with innocent eyes. Raph gave a weak thumbs up in response.

“Good job. I'm very proud of you for learning how to jump.” Splinter looked at Leo, who physically shrank.

“I-I swear, I didn't meanta lose him. We were just playing, a-and he said-”

“He can tell me what he said.”

Leo felt tears trying to force their way out behind his eyes.

Splinter sighed, dropping his shoulders. “Red,” he addressed, “make sure your brothers get to bed. With no screens,” he said, shooting a glare at the door.

“I would never!” Donnie scoffed from outside.

“I will come to tuck you in as soon as I am done with my shower. I have a feeling that Orange won't let me go without giving him a good bath, too,” he added, causing Mikey to squeak and laugh in his hold.

“No problem, Pops,” Raph said, walking toward the door.

Leo blinked, confused. Where was his scolding? Where was his slap on the wrist? This couldn't possibly be that bad, right? “B-but I-”

“Go to bed, Leonardo.”

Leo shut up fast, swallowing all of his tears and excuses. He followed Raph glumly out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Raph was standing outside with a concerned look on his face, while Donnie wore a smirk.

“I told you Dad doesn't like liars.”

Leo walked past, trying to get to the bedroom with as little eye contact as possible. Raph reached to grab his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and walked faster. Donnie's words echoed in his head.

Dad didn't like liars. Leo was a liar. Dad was the one that took care of them.

He could kick Leo out.

He'd have to live in the tunnels. Or maybe, Dad wouldn't let him live in the tunnels. He'd have to live on the surface, with the humans. The humans who wanted to catch him. Who wanted to pull him apart to see what he was made of and then piece him back together to see what he could do. He would die without his dad. He didn't want to live without his dad. Without his brothers. Without Mikey. Because he did love Mikey, even if he lied. At least he thought so.

Maybe Dad wouldn't care now. Maybe Dad didn't love him now. Leo was a liar. Dad doesn't like liars. Why would he?

Leo flopped into his bed as soon as he reached it, pulling the covers over himself and turning in to face the wall. Raph attempted to talk to him, but Leo only curled up tighter, pulling his tail up so far he could see it in front of his face.

Eventually, Raph gave up. Leo heard him softly scolding Donnie, but tried to ignore it as silent tears fell off his cheeks.

Just when he thought he was about to fall asleep, Leo heard the bedroom door opening. He wiped his face and turned slightly, seeing Splinter walk first to Donnie's bed, then to Raph's, before finally coming toward Leo's.

He noticed Mikey sitting in the doorway, who waved when he caught Leo's eyes. Leo waved back slowly.

Splinter kneeled by Leo's bedside, just like he would any other night to tuck him in. Usually, this would bring Leo warmth and comfort, reminding him that his father loved him. This time, Leo couldn't fight the sense of dread that filled his chest, making it feel like he was breathing something heavier than air. He wasn't getting tucked in. He didn't deserve that anymore. He was a liar.

Dad doesn't like liars. 

His father's eyes seemed to see right through him. “I am very upset with you, Leonardo.”

Leo tensed, but kept looking at Splinter.

“I am not upset that you lost track of your brother. You are a child, and I cannot expect you to be perfect. Do you know why I am upset?”

Leo nodded slowly, then mumbled, “Because I lied…”

“Exactly. It is because you lied. You could have told me as soon as it happened, and I would have helped you look for him. Instead, you lied and put your brother at even more risk. You could have fessed up when I saw Michelangelo in the bathroom. But yet, you still didn't. You didn't admit to your own fault. It took Donatello telling me for you to finally confess. And even then, you tried to rid yourself of all guilt.”

Leo sniffed, tearing up again. “Are you gonna kick me out?”

Splinter's eyebrows raised in shock. “What? No, I will not kick you out. Why would I ever do something so horrible?”

Something shattered.

“But… but I lied! I hurt Mikey! I-I'm a bad brother!” Leo's tears started flowing openly.

“No, no, Blue, you are okay. Shh…” Splinter rubbed his hand across Leo's face, wiping a tear away.

Leo sniffled and hiccuped, holding onto the back of Splinter's hand and softly sobbing. “I'm sorry, Dad, I-I didn't want to…”

Splinter rubbed his son's cheek, hushing him quietly. “I know. But that does not change what you did.” He looked deeply into his son's eyes, ensuring he had his full attention. “I forgive you, but this cannot go without punishment. I will not kick you out, and I never would. You are my son. Instead, you will be grounded for a month.”

Leo whined, but nodded. “Okay…”

“However, I believe that taking away the things that bring you joy will not make you learn the lesson that you need to learn. That is why, during this month, you will not be disallowed from doing anything in our home. Do you understand that?”

Leo nodded.

“The only caveat is that you must spend the entire month with your brother, Michelangelo. You will only do things that he wants to do. You will not plant ideas in his head or put words in his mouth. You will only do things that he says he wants to do. If he ever wants to spend time away from you, you will spend that time with me. Do you understand?”

“Mhm.” Leo nodded again.

“Perfect.” Splinter smiled. “I forgive you for this, and I hope that through this grounding period you can regain my trust.”

Leo smiled as well and nodded one last time, wiping one last tear with the heel of his hand. “I hope so too.”

Splinter turned to the doorway and waved Mikey over with his hand. Mikey grinned and hopped over, much quicker than Leo had expected. He stopped at Leo's bedside, slowly using the bed to brace himself as he stood up on shaky legs, then looked at his father.

“Tell Blue what you told me, Orange.”

Mikey wobbled for a second, then looked up at Leo. “I, um, I'm sowwy I went away when you said not go away. And I'm sowwy, um, I jumped at Daddy when you said not to do… And, um, I wwwanted to s'eep in a big boy bed tonight, cause imma big boy now, but I don't got a big boy bed, can I s’eep wi’ you.” Mikey finished the sentence like a statement, not a question, but his intention was clear.

Leo looked for just a second at his dad, who nodded encouragingly, before looking back at his little brother. “Sure, Mike. Hop on up here.”

Mikey did just that, with more force than Leo had expected. “Wow, Angelo, you've really got good legs now!” Leo said, catching Mikey in his arms and helping tuck him into the blankets. Meanwhile, Splinter walked to Mikey's tank and came back with his bowl and a towel.

“Alright, boys. Orange, your bowl will be right here if you need to soak, and your tank will be there if you want it.” Splinter pulled the blanket up, kissing each boy on the forehead. He cringed and wiped his lips after kissing Mikey, making the boy squeak and giggle. “Sleep well, my big boys. I am so proud of you, and I love you.”

“Love you too, Dad,” both boys chorused. Mikey snuggled into Leo's chest, letting Leo hold him like a stuffed animal. Leo only flinched for a moment at the slimy feeling of Mikey's skin (mucous, not snot).

Splinter walked out of the room, and it was barely even 20 seconds after he heard the door close that Leo heard a whisper coming from beside him.

“I'm sowwy, ‘eo,” Mikey murmured.

Leo looked down at his brother, confused. “You already said sorry. You don't gotta say it again.”

“But I said sowwy then cause Dad said,” Mikey explained. “Now, I said sowwy cause Mikey said.”

“Oh.” Leo settled back in, putting his chin on Mikey's head. “Well, I'm really sorry too. And that's cause Leo said,” he added, smirking.

Mikey giggled and squeezed Leo tightly, wiggling beneath the sheets. In a matter of minutes, the young amphibian had completely fallen asleep, slightly drooling on Leo's pillow. He didn't mind.

Leo grabbed onto Mikey and closed his eyes as well.

He never wanted to let go again.

○●○●○●○

Did I tell myself I would write au comp propaganda? Yes. Did I write a fic about an au completely unrelated to the comp? Yes, and I'm not sorry. I figured since another round finished up today, why not post something?

For real, I've had some insane art block recently, and writing has been keeping me sane. I tried writing propaganda, hated it, then realized, you know what makes me feel better every time? Turtle tots.

In this case, everything-but-turtle tots.

Shoutout to @rufwooff for making one of the most serotonin filled aus I've seen in a while, and fueling my exhaustion-induced writing spree. And go check out @tmntaucompetition! We're getting closer to the end! AAH!

[camsthisky]

1 + Leo and Mikey? (Or any combination of the quartet!)

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit, c’mere.”

Leo’s not having the best day when Mikey corners him. Sleep has been non-existent the past couple days and Leo’s been quietly ignoring all of the crap piling up in his own head with an expertise he’s perfected over his sixteen years of life.

He’s been great at not acknowledging it. Doesn’t mean that it isn’t still looming in the back of his mind, waiting to pounce. It has Leo on high alert. 

So, when Mikey finds him that afternoon, and nervously tells him, “I know you’re not okay,” there’s no way Leo’s letting it pounce without some serious coercion. 

“What’re you even talking about, Miguel?” Leo brushes him off. “I’m totally chilling. Family movie night tonight, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Cool, I can go on a snack run,” Leo volunteers. “Why don’t you go grab everyone’s requests real quick while I tape up?”

Mikey’s mask crinkles in the middle. If he keeps it up, Leo thinks he’ll have a matching Raph chasm. “Leo, I know you’re not sleeping, and I’ve tried to give you space because everyone works through things at their own pace, but even Donnie says he’s worried about you.”

Leo waves him off. “I’m fine, Mikey. I’ll probably doze a little during the movie, and we can always do a sleepover.”

“Okay, that’s fine, but I’m—usually you go to Dee about why you can’t sleep,” Mikey tells him, looking a little distressed. 

Leo groans. “Donnie needs to keep my insomnia out of his goss sessions. His sleep schedule is worse than mine, and you don’t see me going to April about it. He said he stayed up for like forty hours total last week. Bro was totally living on nothing but coffee.”

“It didn’t really sound like gossip, Leo,” Mikey says, not falling for the slight misdirect like Leo hoped he would. There’s a certain distress to his face that Leo doesn’t super enjoy seeing. “He said you keep brushing him off. He’s super worried about you, and I sorta am, too.”

“No need to be, hermano, I’m all good.”

“You’re not!” Mikey protests, actually stomping his foot. “I’m not stupid, Leo. If you don’t wanna talk about it with me, that’s fine, but will you at least talk to—”

“Nothing to talk about, baby bro,” Leo says, pretending his heart isn’t in his throat as he winks and tries to walk away, because this conversation is scarily reminiscent of the one he had with Raph right before everything went to shit. 

Of course, Mikey isn’t Raph. Raph is Leo’s big brother, and he’s never been afraid to tell Leo that Leo needs to get his act together. If Raph were here right now, Leo thinks that maybe he’d be okay being at least a little vulnerable, maybe, but he can’t loosen his grip on his emotions because it isn’t Raph this conversation. 

It’s Mikey. His baby brother. Who does not need to have Leo unload all of his problems onto him, especially when Leo’s barely hanging on by a thread as it is. Every thought he’s fought tooth and nail to keep away is steadily creeping closer with every second this conversation goes on.

Leo can’t let that happen.

But of course, because Mikey is Mikey, he reaches out to stop Leo from leaving.

The problem with pretending that everything is fine, is that it works all the way up until it really, really doesn’t.

“Leo, please. Can I at least—”

“Just leave me alone already!”

Mikey stumbles back as Leo spins around and shoves.

Silence. 

“Shit,” Leo breathes out after the silence rings in his head for a solid five—five—seconds because that’s four seconds too long. Leo stares at Mikey, eyes wide and mouth agape, because he can’t believe he just said that. He can’t believe he just did that. “Shit, shit, shit, no, Mikey. C’mere. I swear I didn’t mean to—”

Mikey steps back when Leo reaches his hand forward, and why wouldn’t he? Leo just physically shoved him away while fucking yelling at him. Leo has never in his life pushed Mikey away like that, except for now.

What the hell. What the hell? Why did he do that?

“Mikey, I’m sorry,” Leo tries again, but Mikey only steps back again, wide-eyed like he can’t comprehend what just happened. 

Which—Leo can’t either. He reaches his other hand out for his little brother. 

“Mikey—”

And Mikey runs away.

Leo’s hands fall to his side. 

Shit.

[turtlecleric]

Me: We don't give rise!Raph enough attention

Me to me: Then write something for him

Me: ...

Me: ...

Me: You've convinced me

-

Female pronouns used, suggestive toward the end but nothing happens because Raph is a gentleman, I promise

---

"Told you she wouldn't last."

For a moment, Raph doesn't know what Leo's talking about. Then he follows his brother's amused gaze to where you're passed out on the couch and smirks right along with him. You'd been so adamant - so stubborn. All those claims that yes, you were gonna make it through all three movies they'd picked. Yes, really. All three. 100%, for sure, you would not fall asleep. And here you were. Halfway through the first one and already out cold.

You make a small sound in your sleep, your brow twitching slightly before smoothing out once more. Raph feels himself soften, feels his smirk shift into a genuine smile. He couldn't blame you, really. You'd taken a double shift today and still come by for movie night. Even now, as you slept, he could see the exhaustion weighing you down.

"Eh, leave her alone, Leo," Raph says, keeping his voice low despite how loud the others were being as they quoted the movie and tossed popcorn into each other's mouths. "She deserves some rest."

Leo is quiet for a moment. Then he speaks with a tone that hints at something that Raph doesn't quite catch. "She deserves to sleep somewhere better than our ratty couch. Don't you think?"

Raph pulls his eyes away from your face, trying to read Leo's expression and failing. He's not smirking anymore, but there's something there that Raph isn't seeing. "...Yeah. I guess so."

Leo hums. The corners of his mouth tick upward. "Maybe you should take her to your room. Quieter there, yeah? More comfy, too."

Raph narrows his eyes. Searches Leo's face. Looks back at you, noting that your neck is at an awkward angle against the arm of the couch. Looks back at Leo.

Hm. That tone usually means Leo is up to something, but he's not wrong. And Raph would hate for you to get woken up by their stupid shenanigans after you'd had such a long week.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll, uh," Raph grunts as he pushes himself up to stand. "I'll let her have my room tonight."

He gently scoops you up, and his stomach does a strange little flutter. Too much soda. Or too much pizza, maybe. Either way, he pushes it down, carrying you slowly so he doesn't jostle you too much. You're warm. Soft. Pliant in his arms.

He's walking slowly so he doesn't wake you. That's all.

When he makes it to his room, he's pleased to find that it is, in fact, much quieter in here. Slowly, gently, he lowers you into the bed and pulls the covers up to tuck you in. You don't wake, though you do make another soft sound in the back of your throat. There's another flutter in his stomach.

Weird.

He pulls back, knowing he should return to the movie, but. He doesn't move. He doesn't really know why, but he wants to... stay. Watch you sleep.

Wait, that's creepy, isn't it? He should go. He should...

He wants to stay, though.

"Raphie?"

Your voice makes him jump despite how quiet and raspy it is from sleep. He feels his cheeks heat, feels his eyes widen as he takes in your bleary stare. He clears his throat, squeaking out, "Yeah?"

You look so tired. Barely even conscious. Even as you reach out a hand, making a grabby gesture at him, he can tell you're still halfway asleep. It's... really fucking cute. And then you speak again.

"Lay with me?"

Okay, now his chest is doing something weird. He's really starting to wonder if he's actually getting sick or something.

You're still reaching for him, your arm starting to shake in the air and your mouth pulling into an adorable pout despite your eyes having fallen closed once again. Then you make a sound of distress that has him huffing out an exasperated, fond sigh.

You're gonna be so embarrassed when you wake up tomorrow, Raph thinks.

He climbs into bed, settling in behind you. Careful, always careful, he places an arm across your waist and holds you closer. It's not close enough, apparently, as you scoot yourself backward so that your back is flush against his plastron, so that your legs tangle with his. You pull his arm from your waist to your chest, wrapping both of your arms around it and holding it close. He stiffens at that, while you let out a contented sigh.

Something is definitely wrong with him. His heart is beating way too fast, and his chest feels like it's... too full? Or something? He should leave so you don't catch whatever it is that has him feeling so-

You make another breathy sound in your sleep. It's completely innocent, it's just a sound, but at the same time... it does something to him. With him pressed so closely against you, with his arm trapped against your chest and the smell of your shampoo in his nose and the way the blanket falls over your curves, he suddenly has the mortifying thought that he wants to-

Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

He's going to kill Leo tomorrow.

[nordidia]

May I request some pain, Raph flavored

Pretty pleaseeeee

i hope i dont sound angry writing this, but please dont send/ask me stuff like this! i've gotten a lot of similar asks like this and this is scary for me but i need to set a boundary!

.

i dont like making "angst" or sad things, i dont make non-happy content for the sake of inflicting pain, and i dont like people assuming/thinking i do! i make it for meaningful emotional impact, i dont want people to tell me how much they like that i "put raph through pain" or assume im appealing to people who like doing that .. it makes me very sad!

i dont make "angst" to purely hurt characters, im making fanart of a character with emotional depth, and to explore the character's reaction to serious matters, and to let people know that theyre not alone, and that struggling can look like many things

some of the most motivating things ive been told by people who like my comics is that it's helped them (and their therapist sometimes!) figure out what was up with them, because i write a lot of things such as ptsd and anxiety and general mental pain to look different than the media portrays. because there really is alot of forms mental issues can take, and not all of them get portrayed, which leaves real people wondering "whats wrong with me" when its right there, just different form!

i think the closest i'll get to making it "just because" is vent art, but that too has meaning. and i will specify when its vent art for that very reason. to say "this isnt necessarily me exploring anything, or canonical, its to make myself feel less alone, and hopefully, the people seeing this as well"

and thats why i make the content i do, its not because i enjoy putting characters i like through bad things,,, in fact, i often hesitate/regret posting because i feel bad about the things i create for the sake of this. but i try to look past it because it can genuinely help a lot of people, and it does help myself too.

i think that assuming i make emotional stuff just for the sake of pain takes away from that.. i try very hard to not over-do sad stuff and i often cut down on it because i dont want to overwhelm people with it, and to prove that i only do the necessities for the sake of healing from the things i put emphasis on

any of the pain i "put them through" is my take on what they've canonically been through, and exploring their reaction and way to deal with the aftermath of that. nothing more,,, nothing less.

ugly things are still worth talking about, especially for the sake of healing growth

this got alot i hope i made sense uhh yeah!! yeah.,, apolocheese!!

TL;DR: i personally make pain for the necessity of healing, not because i think its fun

and now back to our regularly scheduled program

[cambion-companion]

Hi, hope you're okay! Can I please request Thirst part 2 (it was simply outstanding🥵), or something like Raph and Tav trying for a baby, while Haarlep is being unhelpful and a menace ("You're having a sex marathon without me??")🫣🙏🏻

Yes, I am finally caving and doing this (rolls up sleeves).

Raphael x f!reader (recently had a baby and trying for another) | Smut

Part One here

Raphael stood in the darkened doorway, his eyes as molten magma, examining how you fed your baby.

The tender caress of a mother. Your hands holding the little bundle close to your chest.

It stirred something within him, something he'd buried and repressed until not a ghost of it remained. Until now.

"Come, I grow weary of waiting for you." Raphael curled his tail around your ankle, the possessive movement familiar in its demand. "Finish quickly with your child and return to me."

"Our child." You reminded the cambion, your tone holding a chiding edge. You were careful not to overstep, the fragile agreement of you keeping the baby here hung over your head like sword held by crystal thread.

"Now." Raphael tugged at your ankle before removing his tail and departing to the boudoir.

You shushed your child as they made a soft gurgle and coo. Knowing better than to test Raphael's patience further, you tucked your baby in and softly exited the makeshift nursery, walking on silent feet back to where you could feel him waiting.

It had been a shock when Raphael had allowed you to stay in his house after giving birth. However, he had become withdrawn somewhat, going out more than staying in and leaving you alone to fend for yourself and the newborn.

You entered the boudoir carefully, looking around at the dark room, the air a little too warm even in the night. Raphael stood at the arching window, looking out at the deep red landscape.

You could tell by his tense shoulders and the way he held his wings something was on his mind. You approached, laying a careful hand on his arm. "Are you alright?" Try as you might to fight it, the emotions you held for this devil went beyond fondness.

Raphael turned to you, encircling an arm about your waist and pulling you to him. He bent, his massive form folding around your much smaller body, and kissed you. It was demanding, his teeth and tongue pulling sounds of surprise and pleasure from your mouth.

With a click of his fingers, Raphael magicked away your clothing, his hands quickly covering where the fabric had been.

When he began backing you toward the bed, you found your voice. "Raphael, it's too soon." Your protests were weak even to your own ears, and Raphael pushed you onto your back upon his luxurious mattress.

He stood over you for a moment, his eyes raking from head to toe. "Months have passed wherein I have been denying myself the luxury of your body." He moved over you and peppered bruising kisses to your neck. "No longer."

"Raphael-"

"Hush." Raphael took hold of your hips and rolled so you were now on top of him, straddling his broad torso. He leaned up and bit at your shoulder, holding you between his teeth for a long moment. "You are mine." The growling sound he made sent a shiver of desire straight to your womb and sent fleeing any remaining reservations.

Your whimper was swallowed as his mouth slanted over yours again and Raphael kissed you with such fervor it stole your breath away.

When he withdrew, it was to see you panting with dilated pupils and heaving chest.

"Good." He murmured and trailed a single sharp finger down your throat, along your collarbone, to cup the swell of your breast. He squeezed gently, watching as the white milk pilled against his rich red skin.

Raphael's other hand tugged your hair back, bending you as he dragged his tongue up your navel and to the breast he held. You squirmed in his grip as he swirled around your nipple, taking it into his hot mouth and sucking down several languid mouthfuls of your milk.

"Hells." You moaned, beginning to rock your hips upon his ridged thighs. "Leave some for my baby."

"Our baby." Raphael corrected, sending another wave of pleasure straight through you. "I promised to keep you ripe and bare within my bed." He took your other breast into his mouth, his hands smoothing along your skin to support you by your upper back while he drank.

When his mouth came away, it was coated with a fine film of white liquid. He kissed you again and left the sweetness upon your own tongue as well. "And I always keep my promises."

[imagionationstation]

More- more gender swap Donnie? Please? Pretty please?

(No pressure)

OKAYOKAYOKAY- SO GET THIS!

There are a lot of things that stay very, very similar to canon, but obviously some things HAVE to change to make room for big adjustments like lack of love triangles, SO I was debating a couple of episodes and how they could be altered or fixed and literally rewrote an entire episode and OOPS MY HANDS SLIPPED AND NOW I’M SHARING BC YOU ASKED NO TAKE-BACKSIES!

Baxter’s gambit: Happens exactly the same except Fishface keeps doing those weird, uncomfortable, cringe flirty comments at Donnie and at one point he gets too far into her comfort zone and Raph punches his face straight into the ground and threatens to gut him if he ever tries that again ‘cause SHE’S A TEEN DUDE BACK OFF.

Then they bond, and he reminds him of the threat, but nicer.

Needless to say, Fishface leaves Donnie alone.

Slash And Destroy: After Spike is almost blown up, Raph wants Donnie punished, but it was an honest accident, and Splinter only warns her to keep her lab door shut. In a fit of frustration, Raph nabs the mutagen and shouts that “she only gets away with stuff because she’s a GIRL!” and then slams his door to lock himself away. When Slash is bragging later, he reminds Raph of what he said while enraged and insists that he “gave her what they both knew she always deserved” and also implies that Leo’s next.

This scene haunts Raph when Donnie opens up about her insecurities down the line and he realizes that he’s partly to blame.

Showdown: Shredder tries to get under his skin by challenging the false fact that Splinter ‘replaced’ Miwa and with a shelled freak, no less. He taunts him by threatening to kill Donnie, asking if he’d get over her just as easily. Splinter hisses that he loves both his daughters, dead or alive, and the fight leads to Karai’s reveal.

The Pulverizer: The brothers ditch Timothy with Donnie and she makes a halfhearted comment under her breath about stereotypes and “women getting left with the children” as Timothy destroys several beakers in the background and she resigns to her fate.

The Invasion, Part 1: During the argument over whether to use the bot, Donnie accuses Leo of not trusting her because “she’s a girl” and Leo insists that’s not why. When she demands an explanation, all he says is that he’s “the leader.” She’s visibly dissatisfied.

The Invasion, Part 2: While April wraps her arm, Donnie admits that she thinks Leo only separated from them because she was the one who got shot. That if she had been paying attention, or if she hadn’t picked a fight, it would never have happened. She asks if April thinks that it’s her fault that he’s out there alone. Before April can answer, a tremor shakes their building and Kirby freaks out.

A Foot Too Big Disclaimer: ERASE EVERYTHING YOU KNOW.

A Foot To Big is actually about Donnie being unnecessarily nice to Leo and Leo being too distracted by his own issues to really notice. Donnie gets distressed and confides in Mikey that he must be “really mad at her” and doesn’t listen when he’s skeptical. Raph tells Donnie that she needs to give him space, does the “you know what you need? Huh? You know what you need?” bit and then drags them outside. Leo’s already out there and Donnie’s too distracted looking his way to fight well. Raph sends him and Mikey out into the forest to put some distance between the two.

There, they run into a Big Foot. Donnie notices that she’s injured so they bring her home. She’s ecstatic to meet another female mutant that’s essentially a historical endangered species. There’s no weird love thing- only Donnie being her obsessive self and diving head-first into studying Big Foot. Leo notices that change from doting to basically pretending he doesn’t exist, and mentions it to Raph. Raph tells Donnie that maybe she should talk to Leo, and she fires back that it was his advice to give Leo space. Raph argues that he didn’t mean ignore him altogether, but Donnie doesn’t listen. They get into a shouting match that ends with Donnie spotting Leo walk out of the house and her quickly stomping off into the forest.

Later, Donnie’s sulking in the shadows when Leo finds her. Or, he reveals, Big Foot led him to her, hinting that she knows the forest really well. Donnie fires at comment about ‘betrayals’ and Leo sits down next to her, meaningfully saying that he’s grateful Big Foot did. Leo tries to get Donnie to open up, but she keeps denying that anything is wrong, more and more tense as he insists that she’s been acting strange ever since he woke up.

There’s a cliche “wait, I hear something” “what?” “shhh” “you’re just trying to shut me up” moment before they hear a shout.

They move to Big Foot’s aid, only to get knocked out themselves. Upon waking up, they realize what situation they’re in and Donnie gets an idea. She pleads with Leo to follow her lead and he does without missing a beat. They escape and fight The Finger, The Finger and Big Foot have their… moment, and then Leo and Donnie exchange baffled shrugs as they leave.

The last scene has Donnie supporting Leo on their way back to the farmhouse. Leo stops her on the porch and leads her into sitting down on the stairs with him. Donnie’s anger has clearly left her by then, and she hunches in on herself as he reveals that he knows that Raph and her were arguing about him. He pleads with her to tell him what’s wrong, and eventually she breaks.

Donnie pours out all the guilt that was eating away at her- how she didn’t listen and he ended up in a coma for three months, and how she knows he has every right to hate her but she’s sorry and going to try her hardest to make it up to him- only interrupted when Leo drops his crutch and pulls her into a tight hug. She shrivels in it, burying her face in his shoulder, and he assures her that nothing was her fault. He was being just as stubborn as she was. They could have found a compromise. None of his choices were hers to bear, and if he had to choose between protecting her or himself, he’d choose her a million times over. And not just her, all of his little siblings. He ends it with a light tease of “sorry, Donnie, you’re really not that special.”

He earns a shaky laugh that makes him smile. They separate and Donnie says that she’s going to do her best not to question him in the future, and he scolds her, saying that she better not let him make dumb plans just because she feels guilty. They poke fun at one another until the tension clears, and then Leo shivers, and Donnie frantically insists that he shouldn’t be out in the cool night air.

Her amused older brother lets her lead him inside and the episode ends with her shouting for someone to grab a blanket and to start up the fire, and then a black-and-white image of the farmhouse door.

YEAH YOU BET I JUST DID THAT

The Creeping Doom: Instead of chasing Icecream Kitty across the floor, they manage to calm Donnie down by letting her play with April’s hair. It ends up being a tangled mess of bows and hair clippings that April takes out on the way to the lab to check on Mikey, but she waits ‘till Donnie gets distracted, since it’s visibly clear that she both enjoyed herself and was proud of her ‘creation’.

The Power Inside of Her: When Donnie says that she’s okay after everything, Leo interrupts to say that she’s not. When Donnie stiffens, her older brother is quick to reassure her that if any of them were in her place, they would be far from okay.

After April thinks that “at least some good came out of this,” the scene transitions to just the turtles watching tv. Donnie says that she’s sore and headed to bed, but her brothers all visibly panic. Mikey’s the one to say that maybe they “should just hang out a bit longer?” and Raph insists that they should for Mikey’s sake since “he’d just wake them up later,” implying that he commonly wakes them when he has nightmares. Leo asks Donnie to “humor them” and Donnie gives in, lightly teasing her big, bad brothers as they scoff and crowd her, but overall looking immensely relieved.

I HAVE FIVE HUNDRED BUBBLING THOUGHTS, BUT ALSO THINGS TO DO, THE STRUGGLE! GAH!

THANK YOU SM FOR THIS ASK!

[oleander-nin]

Valen-Time 01: Hand Sewn(Rise! Raph x Reader)

A/N, not important: Guess who's writing for 29 days straight again! Or, I'm attempting to at least. This is what I needed lots of luck on lol, mostly because February is a bit busy for me, but I really wanted to do this again for Valentine's day. Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.

-Ollie

CW: needles(sewing), stitching, teddy bear, fluff(hopefully)

Words: 1039

Summary: Raph tore his stuffed animal and you agree to help fix it.

Tag list(I didn't actually know if I should add it or not, but I'm going with yes for now. Tell me if you want your name off): @f1oricide @itsyagurlchip @lordfreg @acutiewithagun @rottmnttmnt2012 @lixnininotnay @lexiechr @ssak-i

The ruined stuffie in your hands made you frown, it’s torn stitching letting the stuffing that once shaped it fall out. Raph sat next to you, a tight-lipped frown on his face as his fingers twitched on his led. He watches you inspect the bear in silence, his shoulders brought forwards and touching his jaw. You don’t comment on the stench of nervous sweat filling the air, not wanting to bring down his mood even more. This was the bear you gave to him when you confessed, and now it sat ruined in your hands. While the sentimental value of it wasn’t huge to you, Raph was practically attached to this bear by the hip, which would eventually be the poor stuffies' downfall.

“I can just get you a new one, it’s not a big deal.” You assure him, trying to help bring up the large terrapin’s mood. Raph shook his head, his snaggle tooth biting into his lip as he frown deepens.

“Raph doesn’t want a new one.” He says, a tone of distress lingering in his tone. you watch as his eyes linger on the ripped stitches and protruding filling, knowing he felt bad for breaking his stuffed animal. You purse your lips, trying to decide how to move forwards. You flip the stuffed animal over, inspecting it from top to bottom. You weren’t new to fixing broken stuffies, many of your own having been patched over the years, but his spikes really did a number to the one in your hand. 

“If I were to try and sew it,” You start hesitantly, your hand caressing the black buttons the small teddy had for eyes. “I think we could patch it back up. It would look a bit messy because I don’t have extra fabric on me, but he would be fixed.”

Raph visibly brightens at the idea, his arms wrapping around your shoulder and pulling you into a tight hug. “Thank you. Dad has a sewing kit in his room, we could ask him for it.”

You fondly roll your eyes and pat his forearm twice before starting to ease the stuffing back into the bear to try and fatten it out. Your hands twitched at the scratchy feeling of the cotton, Raph’s weight on your shoulders making it harder to move your arms than you wanted. You don’t say a word though, letting Raph continue to lean on you as he watches you remove whatever stuffing refused to back down. Although his eyes hold worry for the removed stuffing, he doesn’t say a word about it. 

“Raph will go get the sewing kit.” He remarks, finally letting you go as he stands up. His chasm deepens as he glances back at the stuffed animal in your hands, but he says nothing. With no more words exchanged, Raph disappears from your room and presumably heads off to where Splinter keeps the sewing kit, leaving you alone with the bear.

You softly rub it’s torn stitching, pulling loose thread to make it easier to sew back up. Its bright eyes reflected the light above you, making the inanimate object seem as if it had life breathed into it. It's limp arm stubs laid on your knees, asking for a hug. You chuckle lightly to yourself at the thought of the bear wanting affection, as being hugged was what destroyed it in the first place. 

You continue messing with the stuffing as Raph re-enters, a small dingy shoebox so full of thread and needles and spare fabric, the lid couldn’t close. The bed dips to the side as Raph settles next to you once more, head peeking over your shoulder and hands tucked into his chest. You don’t say a word about the feeling of his breath on your neck, merely turning slightly so you wouldn’t have to deal with it as much.

“Was your dad a seamstress?” You easily tease, the bear left to lay in your lap as you start to dig through the extensive yet scattered supplies. Raph gently shoves your shoulder as he grins.

“Nope, we just kept tearing everything he gave us. Some of the baby clothes he has stashed away are basically patchwork at this point.”

You smile fondly at the thought of a younger Raph and his brothers with their clothes that were a medley of colors, having seen some of them yourself. You finally pull out brown thread and a thin needle, sticking the chosen needle into the thread of the spool so it would stay put. “Have you ever sewn before then?”

Raph shakes his head, his lower lip jutting out in a slight pout. “Nope. There wasn’t much of a need, and Dad fixed everything we ripped anyways.”

“Would you like to learn?” You offer, gesturing to the stuffie's open stomach. Raph tilts his head as he looks down at the teddy bear, considering your offer for just a moment. 

“Yeah,” He nods, looking both determined and excited. “I would.”

You beam at him, quickly shuffling around until you’re facing Raph so you could show him what to do. The bear is soon found in Raph’s lap instead of yours, the fallen stuffing in between his thighs to keep it safe. You thread the needle and wax it for him while describing to him what he was going to do, assuring him he couldn’t really mess it up even if he tried. You hand him his needle, gently guiding his hands through the first few stitches. As he continues to sew the rest on his own, you start to add the rest of the stuffing into the bear so it wouldn’t flatten.

The final stitch is soon placed, and you easily instruct Raph on how to secure it, only having to help him once before he got it. The stitch job down its stomach was sloppy, but secure, no more stuffing leaking onto the floor. You return the needle and thread and set the box onto the floor, watching fondly as Raph admires his stuffed animal. It doesn’t surprise you when Raph pulls you close, whispering his thanks into your ear. You simply smile, kissing his jaw and praising his needlework.

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Please write some hsc for tmnt bayverse (all of them) when during an argument a child tells them that he hates/doesn't love them

Thanks you

They Have An Argument With Your Child

Bayverse!Turtles x reader

A/N: Time to bring Romeo, Joan, Gali and Sunny back! And with that, say hello to some of their siblings; Marcello, Dorothy and Luis💙❤️💜🧡

--------------

Warnings: Family fights.

--------------

Leonardo:

Leonardo would be shaken to say the least. One thing was arguing with his own brothers, finding it hard to understand how or why they wouldn’t follow his orders, but fighting with his own children was different, and absolutely horrible.

Marcello, you and Leo’s second oldest, a teenager with a fiery spirit that mirrored his father's, had clashed with Leo over what seemed like an age-old disagreement – the issue of independence and the perceived favoritism toward his older brother, Romeo. Romeo, who was just shy of reaching his adulthood, had finally been allowed to go to the surface, without any kind of supervision. Marcello had not taken too kindly to that, believing that his father had started to favor his older brother.

An argument followed soon after, where Marcello's frustration boiled over. Harsh words were exchanged, and in a moment of anger. But all of that came to a climax, when Marcello shouted at his father, as loud as he possibly could.

"I hate you!", he yelled before storming off, leaving Leo alone in the middle of the lair.

Leo stood there, the weight of Marcello's words sinking deep into his heart. Parenting had never been easy, and juggling the safety of his family with the desire for independence his children inevitably felt was a delicate balance. The sharp sting of his son's declaration left him feeling vulnerable, questioning his decisions and even his capabilities as a father.

Unable to shake the hurt from Marcello's outburst, Leonardo retreated, seeking solace in the comforting presence of the person he felt the safest with - you.

Without a word, you sensed the turmoil in Leo's eyes and opened your arms, welcoming him into an embrace. The silence spoke volumes, and Leo, allowing himself a rare vulnerability, leaned into the warmth of your embrace, his worries momentarily eased by the love and understanding that emanated from you.

As Leonardo rested his head against your shoulder, he began to recount the events leading up to the argument with Marcello. You listened with unwavering patience, offering a sympathetic ear to his concerns. The complexities of parenting in a world filled with danger and uncertainties were not lost on you, and you knew that misunderstandings were an inevitable part of the process. Your gentle words of reassurance became a lifeline for Leo, reminding him that parenting was an ongoing journey filled with challenges. Together, you explored ways to bridge the gap between father and son, recognizing that communication and compromise were the foundations of any healthy relationship.

The next day, as Romeo headed out once more, Leo took intentional steps to mend the strained relationship with Marcello. It was time for Leo to communicate and spend time with his son, in ways that went beyond training in the dojo.

Raphael:

Raphael would get mad. He would feel anger towards his child, but in reality, it was all about him. He would get angry at himself, blaming the whole argument on how he handled it, and how he failed to calm his child down.

Your daughter Joan, now 18, had recently taken a significant step into adulthood by entering into a relationship with a human guy. But the news didn’t settle well with Raph. He found it hard to reconcile with the fact that his little girl was growing up and venturing into the complexities of human relationships. So the evening when Joan told you and your husband about her new boyfriend, the two of them quickly found themselves locked in a heated argument.

Raph, with a furrowed brow and a heart weighed down by the realization that he was losing his grip on his little girl, confronted Joan about her newfound connection with a human. His protective instincts flared, clouding his ability to see Joan as an independent and capable adult. Joan, however, had grown tired of being treated like a child, and in the heat of the argument, she raised her voice, declaring that Raph was stifling her growth and that her boyfriend, who saw her as an equal, understood her better than her own father. The words hung heavily in the air, leaving a bitter taste of regret and sorrow.

Raph's anger was palpable, his eyes narrowing as he struggled to comprehend the fact that his own daughter felt unloved by him. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut, and the weight of his own shortcomings as a father bore down on his broad shoulders.

Fuming and hurt, Raph stormed away from the confrontation, retreating to a secluded part of the lair. It was there that you found him, grappling with the storm of emotions that threatened to consume him. Your presence served as a balm to his wounded heart, and in the quiet sanctuary you shared, he laid bare his fears and frustrations. Your gentle words, woven with understanding and love, reminded Raph that parenthood was a constant journey of letting go. You encouraged him to see Joan not as a child who needed protection, but as a young woman capable of making her own choices and learning from her own mistakes.

In the days that followed, you played the role of mediator, facilitating a conversation between Raph and Joan. As emotions cooled, they began to see each other's perspectives more clearly. Raph, in a rare display of vulnerability, admitted his fears of losing his little girl, while Joan, in turn, acknowledged her father's love and concern.

The healing process was gradual, marked by moments of shared laughter and understanding. Raph began to see the strength and resilience that defined his daughter, while Joan appreciated the depth of her father's love, even if it was expressed in a way that clashed with her newfound independence.

Not long after that, Joan brought her boyfriend down to the lair, in order for him and Raph to meet each other. And much to both you and Joan’s relief, the two men got along great. Talking and a few times joking with each other, as they slowly got used to each other’s presence. But as Joan and her boyfriend left for his home, Raph started tearing up. His little girl was an adult now.

Donatello:

The lair was unusually tense as the echoes of a recent argument lingered in the air. Donatello found himself feeling stressed and frustrated, caught in a storm of emotions after an altercation with his pre-teen son, Gali.

The source of the tension was a disciplinary moment involving Gali and his younger sister, Dorothy. Gali, in a fit of teasing, had pushed Dorothy to the point of tears. Donnie, in his role as both father and protector, had grounded Gali as a consequence for his actions, while you took care of Dorothy, comforting her in the other room. But little did Donnie anticipate the storm that would follow.

As the lair's tunnels settled into an uneasy quiet, Gali, his face contorted with a mixture of anger and frustration, confronted his father. The exchange escalated quickly, with harsh words exchanged and Gali, in a moment of youthful defiance, started shouting.

"I hate you, Dad!", he yelled, before storming off to the room Donnie had told him to go to - his room.

Donatello stood there, the weight of his son's words sinking deep into his heart. The shock of hearing such words from his own child resonated, leaving him momentarily paralyzed. However, his love and commitment to being a good father quickly kicked in, prompting him to follow his son into his room.

Upon entering Gali's space, Donnie saw his son, red-eyed and visibly upset, sitting on the bed and staring at the floor. Taking a deep breath, Donnie approached Gali with a mix of determination and concern.

"Gali", he began, his voice steady. "We need to talk".

Gali, still seething with frustration, avoided eye contact but nodded begrudgingly, letting Donnie take a seat next to him. As they sat in the dimly lit room, Donnie began talking once more.

"I know you're upset, and so am I. I care about you and Dorothy deeply, and it hurts me to see you two at odds".

Gali, feeling a mix of guilt and stubbornness, finally spoke. "I just don't get it, Dad. Why do I get grounded when she's the one crying all the time? It's not fair!"

Donnie sighed, acknowledging the complexity of parenting. "Life isn't always fair, Gali. But my job is to teach you right from wrong and help you grow into a good person. Teasing your sister to the point of tears isn't okay. It's about learning to treat each other with respect".

Gali's frustration softened, replaced by a glimmer of understanding as he reached for his knees, hugging them against his chest. "But it feels like you don't trust me", he mumbled.

Donnie, realizing the importance of addressing Gali's feelings, and how this was about much more than just the episode with Dortothy, wrapped an arm around his son, holding him close before he spoke. "It's not about trust, Gali. It's about helping you make better choices. I believe in you, and I know you can learn from this. We're a team, and I want us to work together."

A thoughtful silence filled the room as Gali absorbed his father's words, his eyes still not looking at his father..

Donnie continued. "I'm here for you, even when it seems like I'm being strict. Let's find a way to bridge the gap between us, okay?"

Gali finally looked up at his father with a small smile. “Okay”, he said before he wrapped his arms around Donnie in a hug. “Thank you, dad”.

Michelangelo:

Given the nature of Michelangelo, he would get sad. But with his strong empathy, he would quickly realize what was going on, working to fix the problem in the best way possible.

The lair was filled with an unusual stillness, interrupted only by the soft coos of the newest addition to the family, Luis. The arrival of the baby boy had brought joy and excitement to the lair, but it also introduced a wave of change that affected every member, especially the energetic and ever-cheerful Michelangelo.

You and Mikey's sunny disposition had dimmed slightly as he navigated the challenges of balancing your time between caring for the newborn and ensuring that your oldest, 5 year old Sunny, felt just as cherished. Sunny, despite her name, found herself grappling with the stormy emotions of feeling overshadowed by her baby brother. She missed the days where she was all you and Mikey looked for, craving the attention she once held so easily.

One afternoon, while you were out on a rare girls night out, Mikey sat on the floor, playing peek-a-boo with baby Luis, he sensed a pair of angry little bright blue eyes fixed on him. Sunny stood at the entrance of the nursery, her small hands clenched into tiny fists. Her cherubic face contorted with a mix of frustration and sadness, she declared out loud; "You always play with Luis, and you don't play with me anymore, daddy!"

Mikey's expressive eyes widened, a pang of guilt hitting him square in the heart. He gently set Luis down in his crib, making his way over to Sunny, his voice laced with concern.

"Aw, Sunny, baby, I didn't mean to make you feel left out”, he said. “You're my sunshine, you know that, right?"

But Sunny, in her 5 year old wisdom, shook her head defiantly. "No, daddy, you don't love me anymore!", she exclaimed, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air.

Mikey, feeling a mix of hurt and determination, crouched down to her level. "Hey, little star, that's not true. I love you and Luis with all my heart”, he said, reaching out for her small hands. “How about we play together? You, me, and Luis - the ultimate superhero team!"

Sunny, her anger slowly giving way to curiosity, looked at her father with wide eyes. "Really?"

Mikey beamed, his signature grin returning. "Absolutely! You're my first little hero, and Luis is the newest member of our awesome team. What do you say we play together and show Luis the ropes?"

Sunny's face lit up with a bright smile, her grievances momentarily forgotten. "Okay, daddy!", she exclaimed, rushing forward to join the trio on the floor, while Mikey went to get little Luis from the crib.

And so, the nursery became a battleground for imaginary adventures and laughter. Mikey juggled the role of a playful father and referee between his two little ones, ensuring that both Sunny and Luis received equal attention and affection. Sunny, in turn, discovered the joy of being a big sister and basked in the warmth of her father's love.