#adult mutant ninja turtles

[indieyuugure]

After 3 long years, Sydney has found her crush Donnie and they nerded the night away. Poor Leo has become the newest subject of Sydney’s note pad, Lol 😂

This was originally only going to be one picture, but well, I had more ideas. And then some more. And well it turned into this so. Yep :] enjoy! ^v^

More of this concept

Prequel

[sultrysirens]

The Dancer [Part 53]

Universe: Teenage Mutant Teenage Turtles (Paramount movieverse)

Rating: PG (swearing)

Characters: Raphael, Jocelyn (OC)

Tags: interspecies, romance, fluff, ballet, dancer, original character, shameless pwp, sex

[<<<FIRST<<<]

[Part 52]

[Part 54]

A few weeks after that first phone call, Jocelyn received an invitation: fly down to Hawaii and spend a few days with her grandparents.

This followed Donnie working out how to get a DNA comparison done -- namely by having Laini and Alex get blood tests and email him copies while Jo got copies of her own from the last time she’d been in the hospital.

They matched.

She really was their granddaughter.

Getting the confirmation utterly wrecked Jocelyn. She lost it, absolutely breaking down and bawling where she stood; Raphael had to carry her to their room while she recovered. The whole time she’d been crying, she’d also been talking -- recounting how overwhelming this was and how she never thought she’d find her father’s family or have cousins or aunts or uncles, and now she had literal dozens.

She was pretty sure her boyfriend had cried, too, but she’d been too lost in emotion to check and by the time she stopped she found no evidence of it on his face.

Sneaky ninja.

Following that came a tearful phone call to her mother, then a trip down to the apartment so they could have another Skype call with her grandparents -- her real grandparents! -- and share the good news.

Alex, Jo had learned, was a very stern kind of man. Much like Raphael, he didn’t show his emotions often, and seemed a lot like he was acting as Laini’s bodyguard and emotional pillar constantly. And yet, when Jo told them that the DNA test came back positive, he kept verging on breaking down and having to stop and compose himself off-camera.

This was as important to him as it was to Laini, Jo and Cecilia, clearly.

And now they wanted Jo to come down to Hawaii -- not because they couldn’t come to New York, but because Jocelyn had never been. As far as trips went, she’d been to Florida twice and that was it (once when she was five to visit Disney World with her parents and once when she was sixteen, on a summer vacation with six of her friends). 

She’d always wanted to see more of the world but had never really been driven enough to do so. Seeing Hawaii would be incredible.

And so, after working out schedules with her job and school (which had finally finished the summer course and officially accepted her -- and Cassie! Hype!! -- as part of the troupe), she got a full six days free, purchased round-trip tickets, and now was just waiting for her flight day to reach her.

She was scheduled to leave on November 20th and return on the 25th. Cecilia had taken vacation days as well (unpaid, as she’d already used up her two weeks earlier in the year) to join Jo on the trip, turning the reunion into something truly great.

Jo could scarcely believe it was happening. Though it was still a ways away, she found herself counting the days with an increasing sense of anticipation. But...with it came worry; what if she disappointed her family? What if they didn’t like her? What if it turned out they were part of a doomsday cult and tried to get her to join?

There were so many unknowns, so much to discover. The meeting could go any of a thousand directions -- and she had six days to spend in new territory around total strangers.

Six days to have what was potentially the best or worst event of her life.

She wasn’t the only one worried, either; Raphael had a lot of concerns of his own. He voiced them more often than she did, though -- to the point of paranoia. The amount of “what ifs” he gave...it was almost comical. In the end, the sheer ridiculousness of his crazy theories calmed her rather than getting her even more tense.

What if a volcano erupted and she got caught in it? What if a tsunami flooded the island? What if a mosquito bit her and gave her malaria? What if her cousins were all nutso and held her prisoner? What if she was forced into a wedding with a stranger?

What if, indeed.

The last one made her laugh. If she didn’t mind being unable to marry the man she loved, what did she care if she was forced to marry someone else? It wouldn’t stop her -- she’d ignore him and stay with Raphael regardless. Marriage meant nothing to her unless the one she married was him -- not that she was ready for marriage or anything. Just, you know, she had her priorities set up already. 

But the fact that he was worried about that was super cute, she thought. She made sure to tease him a lot more than usual as a reward (setting up the framework for an amazing retaliation from him later).

To keep herself distracted, Jocelyn focused on Halloween for the entire month of October. It was too soon for her college to put on a show, but they decided to do a fun kind of event anyhow, something involving trick-or-treaters. When the instructors were going through ideas, she and Cassie talked about their characters in the past.

Aside from Jo’s reanimated ballerina character, Cassie frequently did a similar thing, her character being a kind of harlequin ballerina. Her outfit was covered in colorful diamonds and patterns and her makeup typically including painting her face half in blue and half in white with opposite-color diamonds on each cheek.

The instructors liked both characters and approved of them, giving the women free reign to use those costumes again. Jo was asked to not include the hanging eyeball she’d used last year, given they expected only children to attend their event, but otherwise they were fine with the undead ballerina.

Which meant Jo went right home, unearthed the costume, and got to work on it. She’d thought of a few changes since last year and was determined to make it better than ever.

This coincided with the turtles working on their costumes, too, which they’d on-and-off been talking about for most of September. Their final choices: Leo was a Predator/Yautja, Donnie was Chewbacca, Raph was a marine from Starcraft, and Mikey picked Bumblebee (largely because of the Halloween parade he’d jumped into when he was sixteen; Jo cracked up when she was told that story).

The five of them worked on their stuff together -- though Mikey complained the entire time about being apart from Lisa and checked his phone obsessively; apparently she had a really big payday down the road so she was spending a whole month working on a set of mixes -- with Jo sometimes going out to purchase supplies and Splinter sometimes lending a hand.

By the time Halloween rolled around, the costumes were looking fantastic. She could easily mistake them for professional, movie-grade practical effects.

Then Lisa showed up and Jo was literally pulled out of bed with her lover -- things had just been getting steamy and Raph was really annoyed about that, but when Mikey explained what he wanted (her help making a cat costume for Lisa), Jo was all over that.

The suit was done in twenty-four hours, thanks largely to Mikey working on it all night and Jo going out with Lisa for additional supplies, and then Lisa tried it on for them to admire.

Mikey often said that Lisa was “cute ‘n sexy”, and Jo had to agree; the other woman had a killer body and an adorable disposition, and her black-and-pink cat costume flaunted both.

Soon Halloween struck, and the next morning Jo was treated to a series of texts from Cassie. The gist: after Jo and Raph had abandoned the rest of the group, Leo had walked Cassie home, ending the trip with a kiss. Cassie had been so pumped nearly every single one of her texts contained at least three typos and multiple exclamation marks.

Everything was going perfect. Jo couldn’t be happier with her life (especially with her slowly repairing eyesight and lack of obsessive counting), Lisa and Mikey were clearly in love with each other, she had an entire family she was set to meet in less than a month, Cecilia was on the road to becoming a certified lawyer, the kid’s Halloween show at her ballet college had gone so well that nearly a dozen kids promised to take up ballet that night, and now Cassie and Leo were together?

Jocelyn spent a long time that morning just fighting off the urge to scream and cry at the same time.

This, of course, meant she was even more tense during the month of November. She kept expecting to be hit by harrowing news -- something like her father’s family home getting blown away by a hurricane so they had to cancel the reunion or her mother getting into a car accident on her way to work.

To her great relief, none of that occurred; instead, despite the growing number of knots in her belly, the 20th arrived with no great hurdles marring its approach. Other than a surprise birthday party on the 12th from Cassie and her friends followed by a private party with her lover and his family, the days just passed by in a calm sequence of repetition.

And then the day arrived.

She kissed her boyfriend goodbye (he was notably not panicking, a fact that left her extremely suspicious), got into a taxi, and met her mother at the airport. Together they went through the check (Cecilia nearly got extra screening but she talked her way out of it like a pro), found their gate, boarded, and spent the next eleven hours alternating between talking, napping, and amusing themselves any way they could.

They ended up reading books they’d brought: Donnie’s gift of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea for Cecilia and Misty Copeland’s Ballerina Body for Jocelyn. Powerful reader that she was, Cecilia finished her book in under three hours...then started it over again, since they hadn’t landed yet.

It was during the final hour of the flight that Jocelyn put away her book, too knotted up to keep reading at this point. Her mother noticed, of course, and did the same, putting her book back in her travel satchel.

Then, reaching out to clasp Jo’s hand, Cecilia checked, “Nervous?”

Visibly so, Jo thought, eying her trembling hands. But rather than answer that, she commented, “Did I ever mention that Donnie thinks I don’t get my hair and skin combination from you and Dad, but from my 5% Melanesian heritage?”

“Does he?” Cecilia asked, going with the change in subject easily. “What makes him think so?”

“I’m a black blonde,” Jo answered, giving her a look. “So are the majority of the Melanesian people, I think. He thinks those genes in you just happened to get selected when I was developing, and now, here I am -- I look like you and I have Dad’s curls and Laini’s eyes, but my hair color and skin don’t match either of you.”

Cecilia nodded to herself, thoughtful, before replying, “You know, I always thought you were just a mutant.” When Jo laughed, Cecilia added firmly, “I’m serious! Where do you think blonde hair and blue eyes came from, anyway? Mutants, that’s where.”

“Oh, the irony,” Jo said dryly, thinking of her boyfriend. He was a forced mutant; she was a natural one? Wouldn’t that be a kicker?

“It happens,” Cecilia told her. “You’d be surprised just how often, too.”

“I’m sure,” Jo chuckled.

The conversation continued from there to some Greek stories (Jocelyn wasn’t surprised), successfully keeping her distracted until their descent began. That was when her nerves kicked back up again -- and when she noticed that her mother was just as tightly strung as she was.

It heartened her; Cecilia was playing tough, going out of her way to keep Jo calm while she was obviously nervous, too. Seeing her mother’s knuckles nearly crack through her skin from how tightly she was holding her armrests spurred Jo on to provide the same series of distractions, demanding to know more about Apollo and Theseus and Danae until they’d touched down.

The disembarking process was achingly slow, unfortunately, giving both women ample time to stress themselves over the coming meeting. They both started trading texts with Laini and Alex, giving and receiving information, but it still took so long that Jo started toying with her hair just to have something to do.

She’d put a few little braids in to keep it pulled back behind her shoulders, and now she undid them from straight nerves.

Then she received a wholly different text -- from her beau:

[landed yet?]

Smiling, she replied, [Just a few minutes ago. Soon!!]

[kiss ur prettyest cuz 4 me]

[For you, I’ll french ‘em.]

[u spoil me ❤️]

Damn right, she did. But she replied, [You? Oh, yeah, I forgot. I was gonna do it for me. Get something freaky going while you’re not here to stop me. ;P]

[bad girl]

[Punish me. ❤️]

[dont tempt me]

[Oh, I will. Mercilessly.]

[roundabout, babe. watch out 4 it]

[Promises, promises...]

The banter didn’t last much longer before they were finally released from their seats, allowed to step off the plane. In that time, Jocelyn made a discovery: she wasn’t nervous anymore.

Oh, no -- now she was excited. Heart pounding and attention focused, all the fear had fallen away. Because she’d swapped texts with Raphael? Maybe, maybe not; either way she was suddenly ready for what was on the horizon.

It didn’t take long for the mother-daughter duo to find who they were looking for. Laini and Alex Matautia were waiting at Baggage Claim, and Jocelyn spotted them first, halting in place the instant she recognized them. Considering she was also holding her mother’s hand, Cecilia almost tripped when she was tugged back a step; she turned a startled look to Jocelyn.

“What’s--?” she started, only to fall silent when she saw the look on Jo’s face.

The blonde was verging on tears just from having spotted her grandparents, and for a long moment she could barely compute what she was seeing. Cecilia had a similar reaction once she followed her daughter’s gaze and recognized the older couple, her eyes swimming in moments.

Then, giving Jo a warm smile, Cecilia prompted, “Let’s go say ‘hi’.”

Jocelyn smiled back, then stepped onwards towards what was equally the most exciting and terrifying moment of her life.

Laini was the first to notice -- and recognize -- Jo; not a hard feat, considering she was one of the tallest people in sight, had chosen heeled sandals for the trip, and was a deeply-tanned blonde with flowing curls. Her hair, alone, heralded her approach.

And her grandmother lifted a hand to her mouth, snagged Alex’s arm, and held Jo’s gaze as the mother-daughter couple strode up to them.

A part of Jo wanted to call them “grandma” and “grandpa”, but this was their first meeting and she didn’t want to overstep any boundaries until she knew it was okay. So instead, as she neared, she checked, “Mr. and Mrs. Matautia?”

At once, tears began overflowing for Laini. She hurriedly retrieved a handkerchief to catch the moisture even as she brokenly replied, “J-Jo-celyn? M-Mrs. Delaghy?”

Alex hadn’t reacted yet, but when Jo nodded in affirmation, he choked on a laugh and demanded, arms wide, “Well, come here!”

As Jo stepped forward, she felt her mother release her hand, letting her have this first embrace all to herself. She took that freedom and ran with it, hooking her arms around each of her grandparents’ necks to hug them close, nestled against Alex’s shoulder.

He was tall, she found -- probably as tall as her father had been. Mikey’s height, she estimated, though with her heels on that was harder to determine. Laini, on the other hand, was somewhere between Cecilia and Lisa, and perfect for Jo to loop an arm around.

A part of her recognized that this was something of a bizarre thing to notice, given the situation, but it was quickly swept aside as thought gave way to emotion. And Jo’s emotions demanded tears.

She tried to fight it, honest to god; she didn’t last very long. Laini was openly sobbing against her, and when she heard Alex release a shaky, on-the-verge breath, Jo lost her battle.

An odd mix of joy and sorrow filled her: sorrow for what she, her father, and they had never had together, and joy for getting it now, at long last. Hot, burning tears rolled down her cheeks, her breath constantly hitching as she continued to fight against wracking cries.

Yet, strangely, she kept feeling an urge to laugh, too. She was hugging her father’s parents for the first time, after all, and it was one of the most moving moments of her life.

Only one thing could make it better.

Lifting her head, Jo turned her tear-stained face to Cecilia and held out a hand. Her mother was already clutching a wad of tissues to her cheeks, watching the touching reunion, but at the invitation she lost it, too.

With an audible cry, Cecilia dropped the tissues and stepped into the ring of arms, coming to squeeze herself between Jo and Laini.

What followed was a series of short questions and answers from all four, choked out between shaky gasps and harsh exhales:

“It’s so nice to finally meet you!” “You have to tell us about our Enoka, everything!” “Was the flight okay? Do you two need to rest?” “Pinch me -- I’m dreaming, I know it!” “Are you hungry? We could stop somewhere.” “Here, let me help with your bags.”

By the time they’d calmed enough to move on, Jocelyn was suddenly aware that they had an audience. Numerous people had paused their travels to stop and look, and she was pretty sure at least one person had filmed it on a cell phone. She’d have to have Donnie check recent YouTube and Instagram videos for her...

On their way to Laini and Alex’s vehicle -- a large, dark green SUV -- Jo mustered up the courage to ask, “S-so, um, I’ve been meaning to ask...what should I call you? Like, by your names, or...?”

She didn’t need to elaborate, clearly; Laini gave her a watery smile, answering, “Whatever you’re most comfortable with. Both of you,” she added with a look to Cecilia. “No pressure, alright?”

Nodding, Jo accepted that. Calling them “Mr. and Mrs. Matautia” had felt weird, but she thought going the “grandma and grandpa” route wouldn’t be any better. Maybe it was best to stick with Laini and Alex for now.

Though she was feeling hyped from the meeting, that crashed as soon as she was seated, it seemed; practically the moment they pulled out of the airport’s streets, Jocelyn was out. She barely recognized her name being called, questions being asked, and vague laughter. Then her suddenly swimming mind was gone.

When Jo started coming to again, she first perceived her mother’s voice as if from far away.

“--sorry...she’s...sleeper,” was the most Jo heard.

Then, strangely, she felt herself being moved and carried. Arms had banded around her, supporting her back and knees, and though a part of her wanted to get up and walk herself, she couldn’t shake off the lethargy enough to do so.

Her first semi-coherent thought was that Raphael had her, and it took her several moments -- halfway listening as booted feet went from stone to wood flooring -- to realize why that felt wrong. Haha, silly -- he hadn’t come. This was clearly someone else, and her drugged mind (somewhat tragically) seized on the idea that Julian had her.

Those strong arms, the tanned skin she could just see when she managed to crack open an eye; it was obviously her father. Even his smell matched. And though that thought, too, felt wrong, she was just groggy enough to accept it anyway. Her sleepy mind left her feeling like a seven-year-old again, safe in her father’s grasp, and she was happy to let the fantasy have her.

At some point she was placed in a bed, her shoes removed, and a cover thrown over her. She even recognized her mother joining her, and then she was out again -- with a vague sense of yearning for the arms that had left her.

Her dreams, as usual, refused to resurface the instant she woke, but she got the impression it involved dinosaurs. Probably because she’d recently watched Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom just a few days prior, she thought.

She was alone now, tucked into a bed with a curving, gold-tinted, metal frame. The room was adorable, she thought, with its white furniture, wood floors and Hawaiian floral decor along the tops of the walls. Two windows were placed on adjoining walls and both were open; she could hear waves rolling through them.

She recalled the sun being high in the sky when she’d landed, but now only the tiniest hint of gold remained. The left-side window must be facing east, she thought, and the sight of it drew her over to look out.

Her grandparents had told her they had a beachside view, but they’d also been quick to point out that pretty much everyone had a beachside view when you lived on an island. Even so, Jocelyn found it breathtakingly beautiful, her eyes picking out everything she could.

A small fire out on the beach suggested someone was there even now, but the distance was so great she could only made out silhouettes against the sand. Numerous bushes with large fronds framed everything, plants she didn’t know the names for, with only scarce palm trees in sight -- a surprise, as she’d built this mental image of a palm tree wonderland.

Though it was nearly winter, it felt like summer here. It was nothing like New York’s weather; the air felt clearer and so humid it was strangely tingly to her. Even now she could felt oddly strong winds, her hair and the drapes tossed with each gust and bathing her in wholly unfamiliar scents.

She loved it.

She was just considering hopping out of the window and running down to the water when she heard audible laughter from downstairs, startling her. Haha, right, your family, she chided herself, feeling ridiculous for having forgotten that damn fast.

As she readied to go downstairs, changing out of her travel clothes into something lighter, she kept getting flashes of memories from before her father died. Each one was so quick and vague she couldn’t recall exactly where they’d come from, but she kept seeing -- and hearing -- her father, in particular. She even suddenly remembered his smell, and the memory almost did her in; she had to pause, take a breath, and compose herself before she continued her dressing.

In the end, when she was in a halter top, cotton shorts and sandals, she exited the room. Directly in front of her was a wall with a written note taped to it, and it made her give a surprised laugh.

“Living room: downstairs to the right. Bathroom: room to your left. Grandma Laini,” it read.

Jocelyn whined, a hand lifting to her heart automatically. Grandma Laini. A compromise, then?

Another series of laughs from below tugged at her attention, and she recognized then that she was hearing more than just three people. Curious, excited and knotted with nerves, she headed towards the sound.

Her steps down the stairs were quiet, but there was no hiding her descent; half the staircase was lacking a wall on its right side -- the living room side. Silence filled the room as she reached the bottom, and she was treated to half a dozen gazes locked on her.

The living room was full. A large corner couch, a loveseat, and two recliners were all packed with bodies. Cecilia had taken one recliner and a pair of young children were crammed into the other. Two women sat on the loveseat, one of them with a heavy, visibly pregnant belly. And the couch held Laini, Alex, Leila, another woman and man, a young boy and two toddlers in sundresses.

“Hello...?” Jocelyn ventured.

With a scream, Leila leapt up from her seat and threw herself at Jo, colliding with the taller girl and nearly knocking them both to the ground. It seemed to give the younger ones ideas, because suddenly the two little girls were clinging to Jo’s legs and laughing madly. The older boy on the couch, she saw, just looked away with a scowl.

All of the unknown adults were giving her smiles, though, and she saw wet eyes and warmth on every one of them.

Laini introduced with a gesture, “And here she is: Jocelyn Delaghy, our Enoka’s baby girl.”

Alex tisked. “She’s not a baby, Laini.”

Chuckles wound through the room; at the same time, Leila suddenly reached up and ran her fingers through Jo’s hair, cooing over it.

“This is natural, you said?” she asked, clearly delighted.

Laughing softly, Jo nodded. “Yep. Born with it, never changed.”

“Leila,” Alex warned, “no grabbing. We talked about this.”

Leila said something back in what Jocelyn assumed was Hawaiian; Alex looked annoyed, but everyone else apparently though it was funny.

“Anyway,” Laini stressed, getting their attention. Standing up, she gestured Jo over; Leila and the unknown male peeled the girls off her legs so she could make the journey.

Then, one by one, Laini introduced them: Malia and her wife, Evani, were the two on the loveseat. The boys crammed into the recliner were their sons, Aleki and Lasalo, and the slightly-older girl was their daughter, Natia.

The man and woman on the couch were Naomi, Malia’s twin, and Enele, her husband. The boy beside Naomi was their son, Tataio, and the remaining girl was Lulu, their daughter.

Jo was then informed that Alana, the eldest, was Leila’s mother and was currently in Korea with her husband and their other three children. They had plans to visit before Jocelyn and Cecilia had to return home.

Kelly, the second-eldest, and her fiance couldn’t make it today but would be here in the morning, apparently. Alex’s parents, as well, would be coming down tomorrow; their names were Tau and Lalago -- and Jo was starting to get overwhelmed with names. The house was set to get much, much louder, she thought. 

“Fair warning,” she told the room, “I’m going to forget all of this by tomorrow.”

More laughter, then Malia offered, “We’ll remind you.”

Then, in unison, Malia and Naomi stood and crossed over to her. Side-by-side, Jo could really see the resemblance; they clearly weren’t identical, but they matched anyway.

And they looked remarkably like Julian, it was bizarre and a little painful.

Feeling herself starting to tear up again, Jo quickly looked away; at once her aunts pulled her chin back up and embraced her tight. For the second time in one day, she broke down, outright sobbing as the sheer magnitude of this encounter overwhelmed her.

There were ‘aww’s and strangled laughs and cries from all around her, including from her own mother. After a moment, too, she felt arms circle her waist from behind and a body lean against her, and she just knew it was Leila.

And then a flash of light and an audible ‘click’ got their attention. Jo snapped her head up to find her grandfather was holding a disposable camera and grinning, and as the heavy moment dissolved into laughter, the flashes kept coming.

Only one thing could’ve made this reunion better: if her father had been here to see it. And as those words crossed her mind, she found herself thinking...well, wasn’t he? A part of him was here, at least -- in her. She was half her father (the “best half”, he’d always said), and that was important.

In her mind, she made a little promise: I’ll have fun for you, too, Dad.

[>>>NEXT>>>]

[indieyuugure]

I can just imagine the student who has a crush on Don track him down, just to find out that he’s a a mutant ninja turtle 💀

lol

Girl’s freakin’ out of her mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if she genuinely thought Donnie was hot as a giant turtle man.

Referencing this post

Sequel

(If you’re wondering about the name, I suggest you go watch TMNT 2003, lol)

[sultrysirens]

The DJ [Part 22]

Universe: Teenage Mutant Teenage Turtles (Paramount movieverse)

Rating: PG (light swearing)

Characters: Michelangelo, Lisa (OC)

Tags: interspecies, romance, fluff, hip hop, disc jockey, original character, shameless pwp, sex

[<<<FIRST<<<]

[Part 21]

[Part 23]

On the way to the mall, Jocelyn called up Cassie, inviting her to come along. Lisa was alright with that. She liked Cassie; the redhead was a lot less...intense than Jo was, making her a much more preferred companion to have around for lengthy amounts of time.

No offense to Jo, of course, it’s just that Lisa couldn’t handle too much of Jo’s specific personality. And although Mikey had a similar energy to him, Jo was flirty while Mikey was affectionate. It was totally different.

Besides, Mikey had learned how to read Lisa and dial things back if she was getting overwhelmed. Jo had no such dial.

Cassie, by turns, was just plain calm.

Meeting them at the mall, Cassie joined the group and off they went. There was a lot of idle chatter about subjects Lisa didn’t generally follow -- fashion was a prominent one, and the girls stopped by every jewelry store to gawk at the glimmering gems, both things which Lisa had little passion for. Despite her multiple piercings, she just wasn’t into this stuff -- she had one accessory for each hole she’d punched into herself and that was all she needed, she thought.

Jocelyn and April, in particular, were of wholly different minds, and even Cassie perused the pretty earrings and necklaces at length. But while Lisa didn’t join them outright, it did make her think....she didn’t really like her brow piercings. She’d been thinking of taking them out, and maybe replacing them with a nose ring instead.

She wondered what Mikey would think of her if she came back with a cute little ring in her nose and her brows rings missing.

Ultimately Jocelyn couldn’t resist the lure of the shinies and got herself a pretty ruby pendant on a delicate silver chain, even wearing it out of the store. Cassie had convinced her not to get the matching ruby earrings -- yet -- by pointing out that they didn’t match all that well, anyway. And then the procession moved onwards, and Lisa found herself going from clothing outlet to clothing outlet as her companions gleefully went through racks of pretty, stylish things Lisa didn’t particularly like.

At first she just offered weak comments and opinions on the things the others held up and tried on -- until Jo went out of her way to drag Lisa into things.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like any of this,” Jo said, dumbfounded. She waved at the whole of the store, elegance in every corner; it was fully her style, Lisa thought.

But those skinny jeans and button-up blouses and sundresses were not Lisa’s.

Shrugging, she replied, “Not really? I mean, look at me. Unless you can find t-shirts with witty comments or baggy shorts and hoodies, I’ve got nothing to do.”

Jo gave her an appraising sort of look, then said, “I got a feeling there’s a hidden stylist in you, Lisa. You just haven’t let her out. So try again -- for me,” she prompted. “Take another look. Anything catches your eye, just try it on, see how it looks.”

When Lisa remained doubtful, Cassie threw in, “It’s just for fun, Lisa. No pressure to buy anything unless you really, really like it.”

Sighing, Lisa sent a look to April, wondering what the older female thought of all this; April just smiled back, shrugging.

“The point of coming here was to have fun,” she pointed out. “Go on -- give it a shot. Dress up, and if you don’t enjoy it, we’ll drop it. Right?” she added towards the others.

C-J nodded, so in sync Lisa couldn’t help a dry laugh. Those two really were just like sisters, she thought, and it gave her a pang right in the heart. Someday she hoped to have such a relationship, as well -- sure, she had Sam, but he was even less into the mall scene as she was.

Now, sighing, Lisa obliged, starting to prowl through the racks with a more discerning eye. And she could immediately tell how different her mind was to Jo’s; where the blonde meticulously perused the racks, holding up similar articles to compare them, Lisa just grabbed stuff that kind of looked okay.

She was quick to a decision -- maybe too quick, she thought. After all, Jo always looked like she’d walked right out of a fashion magazine, whereas Lisa looked like she was just plain poor. Maybe she should be more picky.

The other females trailed after her as she went, offering comments on the feel of this fabric or that pattern, and Jo even took and held the hangers Lisa pulled off the racks for her. And when Lisa realized she had given Jo a full armful of items, she hurriedly stopped the procession to head to the changing rooms.

The count came out to fourteen pieces, and she felt ridiculous as she started trying them on -- and wincing as her reflection kept showing a girl whose breasts were too big to comfortably fit into anything. Damn it.

She was about ready to call it a day when Jo called out, “Well, you gonna show us or what?”

Oh. Right. That was usually part of this, haha. Lisa was supposed to go out and do a pirouette for her friends -- her friends who had no idea she was a full f-cup (though, granted, that was her measurement, and actual bras sometimes failed to accurately reflect that).

Shit.

She opted to put on the least-defining ensemble she’d picked, then came out, careful to hunch a little so her tits were less noticeable.

She may as well have tried to hide a watermelon; all three immediately dropped their gazes to her chest and stared, thunderstruck.

In a snap, Lisa was back in the changing room with a tiny whine, thinking to herself that this was weirdly even more difficult than standing before Mikey had been. Having his gaze glued to her chest had made her want to run, too, but the point of the reveal had been to let him see it -- so she could get over her self-doubt and be more open with him. It was more of an exercise for herself than it was a gift for him, really.

Standing before the shocked eyes of April, Jo and Cassie had no such benefit.

“Whoa, hang on!” Jo called, yanking back the curtain as Lisa closed it.

Arms crossed over her chest, Lisa retreated, snapping, “Jo! Get out!”

Instead, Jo stepped in, pulling the curtain closed behind her. Then, facing Lisa, she lowered her voice, saying, “Okay, let’s back up a few steps here. First -- have you seriously been hiding those all through high school?”

When Lisa gave a stiff nod, feeling cornered and suddenly scared, Jo coughed out a laugh.

“Okay -- and why?” Jo prompted.

Giving a pathetic whimper, Lisa confessed, “Cause girls are mean.”

Understanding dawned, Jo nodding as she got the picture. “And I suppose I didn’t make it any better, barging in here?” she checked.

Lisa shook her head. Right then her mind was actively confusing Jo for Sarah, and she found herself unnerved and wary, as if she was expecting a hidden camera or sucker punch to the jaw. 

Both events had happened before.

“Okay, well -- stand up straight,” Jo directed, pulling on Lisa’s arms to make her stop hunching over. “Two things: one, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” she coached, “and two, you have nothing to fear. We’re friends, right?”

Hesitant, Lisa nodded, though she was unable to let go of her instinctive fear of pretty blondes at the moment.

“That means,” Jo told her, “I’m going to support you. No matter what. Now, what do you say we try this again? I’ll go back out,” she said, inclining her head at the curtain, “you wait a second and come out. I promise, no one will be staring. We’ll critique the outfit and nothing else. Okay?”

Desperate to be done with this confrontation, Lisa murmured, “Okay.”

Pleased, Jo nodded and backed out, and Lisa heard her explaining things to Cassie and April. Using the time to its full benefit, Lisa coached herself in calming her rampant, nervous heart and telling herself to straighten up. She didn’t need to thrust her chest out in the air, but she wasn’t going to let herself slouch, either.

And, she admitted to herself, this was probably a perfect opportunity. She trusted Jo and Cassie, and she believed April was a good person -- she knew they’d protect her from any kind of unwanted or hateful attention. All she had to do, then, was teach herself to quit hiding all the time. Luckily, that was her goal, anyway; now that she was out of school and away from immature children she desperately wanted to let go of her bullied past, to get over her fears and embrace who she was...and what nature had given her.

It was just ridiculously hard to follow through on that.

This would be good for her self-confidence, she knew it. The only problem was actually stepping back out there and letting the others really see her. She couldn’t imagine what they were thinking -- or, rather, she could, as she’d heard plenty of voiced thoughts during her early teens, and that was the main thing holding her back, now.

Ugh, what a disgusting girl. Must have daddy issues. Need more attention, bitch? How’s this? Have some self-respect. Haha, what, you tryin’ to be the most popular girl in school, whore?

The worst part about bullying, she mused, was how deep the words could cut -- and how it lingered for years afterwards. She wondered if those bullies would’ve still said all those hateful things, had they known how devastating they could be.

Probably. That was the nature of bullies, after all. 

Snapping herself back to reality, Lisa gave an inward shake, refocusing. The past didn’t matter -- Mikey had said so multiple times, now, and she believed him. Now all she had to do was follow through and let go.

Then walk out of the changing room and stand still, letting her friends eyeball her chosen clothing. Hah -- yeah, still hard, she thought, eying the curtain warily. It felt like there were crocodiles on the other side.

Treat it like a one-time event, she told herself -- again. No regrets. It was a strangely helpful mantra, and she repeated it over and over as she faced the curtain. Pulling it aside with difficulty, she stepped out, awkwardly gave a spin, and waited.

Jo, she saw immediately, was staring at her pants with a drawn brow. Cassie kept glancing between her shirt and pants, above and below her waistband, as if comparing the colors, and April seemed more concerned with Lisa’s choice of shoes. She was wearing her yellow Converse, as usual, and it clashed badly with the khaki slacks and blue long-sleeve blouse she’d picked.

Ugh, she looked like a fashion disaster, she thought.

After a moment Jo spoke up, declaring, “Okay, new rule: Lisa and brown don’t mesh. No more of that,” she told Lisa firmly. “And I think long sleeves aren’t flattering. I’m thinking halter top and booty shorts.”

“What?!” Lisa snapped, horrified. Booty shorts?!

“Trust me, you’ll look so hot,” Jo told her.

Lisa squeaked, she was so distraught. “I-I don’t want--”

“You have killer legs,” Jo interrupted. “Now do you wanna show them off or hide them away?”

The fact that Lisa couldn’t even answer that was apparently answer enough. And, taking that as her cue, Jo clapped her hands and then disappeared into the racks again.

Lisa looked pointedly at Cassie. “What just happened?” she demanded.

“You became Project A,” Cassie answered dryly.

For the next two hours, Lisa was dragged from one clothing store to the next, her three friends swarming her with suggestions, comparisons, and a full rainbow of color. In the end, Lisa didn’t buy a single thing -- she was too uncomfortable with it, on top of still being too poor for a shopping spree -- but Jo went ahead and got her something as a gift.

Lisa damn well tried to reject it, but Jo was adamant in this. “You deserve something gorgeous, something that accents your features,” Jo told her, “even if all it does is collect dust in a drawer.”

The chosen pieces? A halter top and booty shorts. Lisa had only put them on to placate the blonde, but Jo had immediately cooed over them, calling Lisa a “hot mama” -- a term that had gotten Lisa to quickly strip them right back off as she blushed to high Heaven.

And now they were in a bag, and whether she liked it or not (she kinda liked it), she was taking them home. Y’know, to gather dust in her drawer. Nothing else. She’d never actually wear it anywhere.

Ever.

But aside from the forced clothing shopping (resulting in one parcel for Lisa and multiple for each of her three companions), it really was fun. They did a ton of talking, learning a lot about one another as they went (excluding Cassie and Jo, who already knew everything about each other), and there was a lot of laughter involved.

Twice a group of males tried to hit on them and Lisa got to watch Jocelyn and April verbally throw a smack-down on the haughty guys. It was kind of hilarious, though Lisa did feel a little bad for one of the men -- he turned beet red, looked mortified, and afterwards he slunk off, clearly nursing a bruised ego.

She hoped he’d think twice before engaging with a group of queens (and one cockroach) in the future.

Noon rolled around and they had lunch in the food court, then made another round through the mall, poking their nose into each outlet and pointing out cute or pretty or interesting things they found. At one point they were in a Spencer’s and Jo, snorting, displayed a penis-themed drinking straw.

And then -- and Lisa had no idea how this had happened -- they went out for drinks and she ended up with a fuzzy navel. Being just barely over eighteen and never having consumed alcohol before, she was understandably wary, but she went ahead and tried it anyway.

Her conclusion: fuzzy navels were amazing. It tasted so good, and maybe that was because she overheard April directing the bartender to make each drink “light”; either way, she got a strong flavor of orange and loved it.

Though she was surprised that the bartender hadn’t carded the whole group -- technically, shouldn’t they have been thrown out? Three of them were eighteen; only April was over twenty-one. Evidently the guy either didn’t care or just really wanted a sale, because he left them alone.

And, Lisa noticed, whereas April let the girls order what they wanted, she only had one drink and followed it with plain waters. By the time they were out of the bar -- now well past noon -- the drinks had gone to Lisa’s head and all she wanted anymore was to just go with the others wherever they wanted. With April as their chauffeur, they hopped from place to place, stopping wherever anyone wanted to stop.

Among the list: two specialty clothing stores, Grand Central Station, a movie theater (nothing interesting was showing) and three more bars. April was responsible, keeping away from any alcoholic beverages and even stopping the others from drinking after a certain point -- which was good cause Lisa was feeling weird by the end.

She kept having blackouts of activity and coming back to find herself (usually) in the same place she’d been when it started, which she recognized was good, but while logic dictated she should feel alarmed by that, she didn’t. At some point she realized she’d taken off her hoodie and tied it around her waist, and was surprised to notice she felt no fear or embarrassment.

It was liberating as hell, and she enjoyed it while she could.

Overall, their group just kept getting louder with time -- Jocelyn’s was the biggest voice, but Lisa soon climbed to a close second. Cassie was constantly holding Jo’s hand, too, and after a while Lisa joined in by taking Jo’s other hand.

The blonde clearly loved it, grinning and swinging their joined arms.

But, eventually, the crazy date ended. April drove Cassie home (she’d taken the bus, thankfully, and had no vehicle to retrieve), then the remaining trio went back to the Lair. They sang along with the radio on the way back, and were still singing as they climbed out of the car and faced their respective boyfriends.

Casey was clearly amused, smirking at the females, whereas Raph was struggling to hold back laughter. He immediately took Jo’s bags from her, hoisted her up over his arm, and carried her off as she giggled madly. April, being sober by now, just happily went up to her man and kissed him.

Lisa barely noticed, her admittedly spotty focus zeroing in on Mikey. She was oblivious to the shocked looks she was getting as she tossed herself at him, having forgotten about her hoodie by now.

“Miss me?” she giggled, grinning.

Mikey was clearly surprised. “You’re drunk?” he demanded.

“Nuh-uh!” she denied. “I’m buzzed. April said so.” She thought.

He didn’t seem to know how to react to that. A little concerned, he tugged her hoodie from her waist, saying, “C’mon, you should put this on.”

She whapped it away when he tried to put it on her arms, whining, “Uh-uh, it’s hot. Don’t want it.”

“Lisa,” he said, holding her chin still to keep her focused on him, “I’m tryna help you. You’ll regret this later.”

Probably, but right then she didn’t care. Stepping back, she tossed out her arms and declared, “Maybe, but right now I just wanna be free, okay?”

He didn’t look any happier, she noted. Geez, she thought, why can’t he just be happy? Raph was happy with Jo...

Sighing, Mikey came up and hefted her up in his arms. She couldn’t help a delighted laugh from the move, the rush tickling her. She was immediately confused, though; why was he taking her into the tunnels?

Perking up, she demanded, “Hey, where’re we goin’?”

“Takin’ you home,” he answered, sounding weirdly grim.

Seriously? She didn’t want to go home -- and why was he so displeased? She’d had fun all day, and now he was clouding her high.

She wriggled, trying to extricate herself from his solid grip; he gave her a sharp look, and the surprise she felt right then halted her struggles. Okay -- what the heck?

Starting to feel her eyes fill, her good mood crashing, she murmured, “What’d I do...?”

He stopped, face falling. “I just...this isn’t you,” he told her.

Says who?! Her heart was starting to ache, getting this from him. “What’s ‘this’?” she demanded, hearing her voice crack. “Me being happy? Not feeling all ashamed of myself all the time?”

“Kitten,” Mikey whined, “that’s not what I mean. You’re not--”

“--confident, powerful, or happy with myself?” she cut in.

“No--”

“I don’t wanna be that stupid girl anyway, why can’t I be someone else for a little while? Why d’you hate that?!”

“I don’t -- you’re getting this all wrong,” Mikey told her, starting to panic.

“Right -- because I’m so stupid, I can’t figure out--”

“You are not stupid, Lisa!”

Well, she certainly wasn’t smart enough to understand what he meant, was she?!

“Put me down!” she snapped, anger erasing her sorrow.

Reluctantly, he did so, and once she was on her feet she snatched her hoodie from his grasp. Once she had it on and zipped up, she spread her arms, feeling angry tears brimming as she blurted, “Happy?!”

He looked like he was going to cry, actually, and though she felt bad about that, it was too weak to battle her pique.

Scoffing, she turned and went back to the Lair, wiping at the wetness in her eyes as she went. She sought out April again, getting the other woman’s attention with a choked, “H-hey, c-can you take me h-home?”

Concern radiated off April as she got up from her seat to approach Lisa. Though April was shorter, she was also wearing heels, bringing the two up to eye level. And, as she reached out to cup Lisa’s cheek, she asked, “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” Lisa muttered. It made her chest hurt even thinking about it, anyway. “Forget it. A-anyway, can you?” she prompted.

This sucked. She’d wanted to enjoy the rest of her day with her boyfriend, had envisioned them goofing off in the skate room and challenging his brothers to WiiU games and kicking their butts. She’d wanted it so bad -- but she couldn’t be here anymore.

Knowing Mikey didn’t like her feeling uninhibited made it too painful to stay.

“Of course,” April assured her, voice gentle. Giving Lisa’s arm a tug, she led them down to the car again. It was just as well, Lisa thought; her bags were in the car, anyway.

But when she reached for the door handle, her hand was suddenly caught and pulled; Lisa found herself getting spun around, and before she had herself oriented enough to figure out what was happening, lips crashed into hers in a desperate, frantic kind of kiss.

She heard herself squeak from surprise, body locking down as her previous anger battled against affection for supremacy. She knew, without thought, that this was Mikey kissing her and that he was apologizing, in a way, and her instinctive reaction was to immediately forgive him.

She wanted to -- but her heart ached too much to just give in. She yanked her face away, covering her mouth to prevent another such apology.

Undeterred, he just held her a little tighter, moving to kiss her cheek and temple instead. Just this was persuasive enough to get her to accept him, her free arm sliding around his neck in a loose but insistent hold.

“I’m so sorry, Lisa,” he told her between pecks to her face. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was just feeling scared, is all. But, hey, if you forgive me, I’ll let you beat me in Smash Bros,” he offered with a weak smile.

God, he made her want to cry. Her eyes felt like they were going to overflow any second, making him look all wobbly.

Sniffing, she muttered, “You were gonna get rid of me, though.”

Shocked, he blurted, “No -- I just wanted you to be somewhere safe while you recovered. Honest.”

“It isn’t safe here?” she pressed, her voice started to rise in pitch as her battle against sorrow steadily lost its footing.

She could feel him starting to panic again, and he actually did a little bounce in place as he fought with himself. “Well, yeah, of course it is -- b-but, y’know...it’s different,” he offered weakly.

This wasn’t helping her fragile emotional state at all. She whined, “Y-you just don’t wanna see me like this!”

Ugh, god, that was a crushing realization -- her own boyfriend didn’t want to see her as anything but the broken, weak, mousy little roach that she was! He’d just as soon get rid of her the moment she felt confident in herself!

With a panicked whine, he denied, “No -- I don’t want my brothers to see you like this!”

Like that was any better?! “Why?” she demanded, her voice rising to a sharp snap. “You think I’ll suddenly be like -- like hey, Leo, wanna shag?! You know I wouldn’t--”

“I don’t want you doing anything you’ll regret,” he told her firmly.

“Like what?!”

“Like -- I dunno, like stripping and running around naked or something! You’d regret that, you know it--”

Horrified, she shot back, “You think I’m so drunk I’d go streaking?!”

“No, but -- I dunno, I just--”

“Enough!” she snapped. “Might as well just say you don’t like me being happy with myself, cause that’s what you mean!”

All at once he looked pissed. But instead of saying anything, he instead yanked her against him and kissed her, his tongue delving past her lips.

A coil of hunger threaded right through her, undeniable even with her as incensed as she was. A part of her wanted to just bite down, teach him a lesson -- the rest of her just moaned, so easily seduced by his kiss it was pathetic. She kept trying to fight, but instead of pushing him away, she clung; instead of turning her face, she angled her head for better access; instead of making him stop, she kissed him back.

And it sent hot, needy pulses through her, coalescing between her legs and making her want to crawl up him like a vine. She might have, if he didn’t have such a strong grip on her.

By the time he drew back, she was feeling dizzy in a way that had nothing to do with the alcohol she’d consumed. And though she tried to follow him, lifting his head was all it took to get out of her range. She whined, trying to pull him back down with what feeble strength she had.

Now much more calm, he murmured to her, “I love you, Lisa. You know that. I love you when you’re cute, when you’re lost in your own world, when you’re sexy, when you’re taunting me, when you share your stories with me -- and when you’re drunk. That won’t change. But I also want what’s best for you,” he added more solemnly, “and right now, that’s being somewhere where you can’t do anything to harm yourself -- physically or emotionally. That means going home. Okay?”

And now she felt like crying again -- because his words pierced her right through the heart, as real as being struck by Cupid. Sniffling, she replied, “And all I want is to be here, with you. I wanna stay. I’ll do whatever you say,” she promised with another sniffle, “I just wanna be with you.”

Now Mikey looked on the verge of tears, too. He paused, seeming to think it over, before giving her a tentative smile. “You sure about that? What if I said you gotta do log rolls from one side of the Lair to the other?”

Straightening up, she made to walk over to the main exit tunnel, ready to show him how serious she was; he caught her, keeping her from going even half a step.

“Okay, okay,” he chuckled, “you’re serious. I get it. And fine, you can stay -- but I’m so gonna take advantage of this right you just gave me. I hope you like giving shell rubs, cause you’ll be doing that for the next three hours.”

“Should I get the hot oil first?” she retorted, starting to smile.

He grinned. Then, sobering, he directed, “But first: water. Wanna get you sober again.”

“Aww,” she whined, even as she followed him, hand-in-hand.

[>>>NEXT>>>]