#but Donny just had the vibe when i drew them

[tblsomedoodles]

Donny's info from my 03 separated au (which i think i'm just calling the Ninja Club au for now. b/c it's stupid and gives me high school vibes.)

But yeah! I wanted to post Mikey here as well, but he's not done yet. (my cringe son will have to get his own post. Darn lol.)

ANYWAYS! Details!

Donny, of course, was raised by the Jones family after they all got separated during a sewer collapse (or something. I may rework the that later) when they're about 2-3 yo. Donny gets found and brought home by a 9 yo Casey.

Splinter finds him when he's eight and spoke with him briefly. But Splinter was in disguise so Donny didn't recognize him past a vague feeling of safe (which he fought against b/c this is Donny.) After realizing that Donny is safe and well taken care of, Splinter leaves him be. (the best splinter could offer was a place in the sewers and if Donny was able to not live in the sewers, Splinter was not going to take that away from him.)

They gets reunited with most of his mutant family (Raph's still missing) when their fifteen. And that's only b/c Mikey refused to wait anymore and surprised him late at work before Splinter could tell him not to.

He's pretty confused about it all, at first, but he eventually happy to have contact with his siblings. (tho he's less stoked about the adventures he keeps getting dragged out on during school nights.)

for the first few months, he's very against learning to fight. He's a high schooler. Sure Mikey and Leo can fight, but that doesn't mean he has to learn.

But then there's an incident involving Shredder, Leo, and a very breakable window, and he realizes he needs to learn so he's not the weak link and so he can protect himself and his brothers. (it also helps that they found out the Shredder had been targeting Donny for said treatment first due to his lack of training and how easy it would be to grab him from school. But Donny hadn't went to school during those days so they went after Leo instead.)

I have so many stupid ideas for this, you have no idea. anyways, that's all for now. Mikey's might be up later today, but i have work to get to rn.

edit: Links for Mikey, Raphael, and Leo's info dumps

[twignotstick]

So I saw an ask from @probably-not-a-rutabaga

Got sad, decided I should write sad

Here we are :,)

Words: 1,403

Warnings: Major character death (tho its implied it happened offscreen, so more just major character dead?), Grief/Mourning, general sad vibes [if there's anything missing here, tell me please!]

Other tags: tmnt: aberration, turtle tots (kinda?), sad turtle pile, all the kiddos are sad, not my characters, hurt/little comfort, bittersweet ending, no beta we die like- uh- :|

Summary: Leo finds something he never wanted to find.

Splinter hadn't left his bed for weeks.

It was no secret that he was sick. Leo had tried to keep that secret, but his brothers weren't stupid. They knew what it looked like when someone was sick. They had all been sick before.

They had just never seen it get this bad.

Leo tried to keep up hope, but every day was more terrifying than the last. Every time Splinter would start coughing, hold his eyes tightly shut and shake his head, or even just trip, Leo would be terrified. He just couldn't tell what moment would be his father's last. He didn't want it to happen. He wanted Splinter to be there for his life; for his little brothers'.

Donnie had been working tirelessly on a project, despite Leo's better judgment. Part of him wanted to scold his little brother for barely sleeping in favor of working, but the other, smarter part of him knew this was just how Donnie coped. Working until the bad thoughts don't feel so bad anymore. That was why, when Donnie was finally done, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It was Donnie's biggest project to date; a fully operational game console. Sure, it was an old Game Boy with only a cartridge of Tetris, but Donnie had saved it. He found it tossed in with some other miscellaneous materials Leo had grabbed from the surface, but it was completely unplayable then. The screen didn't work, and the sound (what little did play through the scratchy speakers) obviously didn't match up with the inputs. But somehow, with scraped together materials and a couple months of work, Donnie made it good as new. It even got a new coat of paint with Mikey's help.

Donnie was so proud when it was done, and all of his brothers gathered around to see it boot up for the first time and take turns playing.

Leo thought that Dad might like to see it, too. Maybe even take a turn.

“Dad?”

Leo shifted on his feet in the doorway, facing the dark room where his father had been for the past eternity. He saw his father's form laying under the blankets, but didn't get a response, as usual.

So he continued.

“Donnie finally finished the Game Boy. The one he told you about? It works perfect now!”

Splinter laid still.

“We all took turns playing Tetris. Donnie was really good at it.” He snorted under his breath. “We had to keep Raph from throwing it when he got mad. He wasn't that great at it…”

Silence.

“Mikey drew some really pretty designs on the back with the markers we found! They're all swirly and stuff.”

Again, silence.

“I thought you might want a go? I know you said you aren't that good with phones, but I thought…”

Too much silence.

“...Dad?”

Hesitantly, Leo approached his father's bedside. The sheets were laid neatly, just like when he had tucked Splinter in a few days ago.

A cup of water, left for Splinter to drink that day, was undisturbed on his bedside table.

Slowly, Leo lifted his hands to lay them on his father's arm beneath the sheets. He shook Splinter gently, just enough to wake him. He needs to drink, he thought, or he won't get better.

When Splinter's face stayed turned away, Leo started getting frustrated. “Dad, you need to at least look at me.”

Splinter did not turn, nor did he wake.

Leo sighed, then started climbing onto the mattress. Splinter had the nicest bed of all of them, but it was also the springiest, so it took a second for Leo to fully get his balance. Especially when he was trying to fit in the small space between his father and the edge of the bed. However, he was able to settle on his knees and look down at his father.

Splinter's face was lying to the side, and his dark hair was laid about on the pillowcase. He had neglected to cut or even brush it, so it was somewhat knotted at certain points. His eyes were closed softly, and his mouth slightly open.

His chest wasn't moving.

Leo reached over and hovered his hand in front of his father's mouth, checking for a breath.

Nothing.

“Splinter?”

He placed a small hand on Splinter's neck, searching for a pulse.

Nothing.

“Dad?!”

Leo grabbed his father's head with his hands, shaking it gently. Just enough to wake him up.

Splinter did not wake.

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

At first, Donnie wasn't sure of what he heard. He turned the Game Boy in his hands off and lifted his head, seeing if he could find the source.

“What was that for?” Raph huffed, shoving into Donnie's side. Donnie put his hand palm out toward Raph in response, still not turned to look at him.

They sat silently for a moment, then Mikey spoke. “You were doing so-” Donnie covered his mouth to shut him up.

There it was. A sob, a sniffle, coming from elsewhere in the lair.

Leo was crying.

There was no need for words; in an instant, all three brothers were on their feet and getting out of the pit. Donnie was the first one to reach their father's doorframe. There he stopped, halting his brothers behind him.

Leo was curled over Splinter's body, holding it to his chest. With every shaking sob, he would clutch the body closer. Like he was scared to let go.

Donnie turned to face his younger brothers. “G-go back to the pit.”

“What? Why?” Raph spat.

“I said, go b-back to the p-pit.”

“But Leo's crying, and-” Mikey's eyes filled with realization, and he clasped his hands over his mouth as his eyes started to water.

“Go back to the pit!”

“FINE!” Raph hissed, grabbing Mikey's arm to drag him away. “Not like Leo would even want us there anyway.”

“But- But Papa-”

“He doesn't care, Mikey.”

Mikey's tears finally spilled when they were out of Donnie's eyesight. Breathing deeply, he turned to see his big brother in despair.

He approached the bed quietly, knowing that Leo had already heard their argument. Hesitantly, he crawled up onto the springy bed and took a place behind his brother. Leo was clearly trying to stop crying, now that he had a brother to be strong for.

Silently, Donnie reached under the covers to find Splinter's wrist, if only to confirm what he knew to be true.

Something in him screamed to leave- to run away. Maybe he could find some way to fix this. But the better part of him knew that the best thing- no, the only thing he could do was work to fix what was left.

So he scooted closer and wrapped his arms around his shaking brother, letting his weight ground him. Then, he let himself break.

Leo broke the silence.

“I don't know what to do, Donnie.”

He finally lifted his head and turned, letting Donnie see his reddened eyes just a bit. He couldn't look straight at his little brother.

Donnie inhaled deeply and hugged Leo tighter.

“You do what you c-can, r-right?”

They sat like that for a while. Leo holding onto the body in the bed, Donnie holding onto him. The shedding of tears wasn't addressed.

Eventually Donnie caught another sound, just barely coming from behind him. A shuffle, and a sniff. Weight fell onto the bed. It could be mistaken for one, but Donnie knew it was two. Raph's face, soaking wet, appeared to Donnie's right before flopping onto Leo's shell.

Mikey came up on his left, crawling up further. Donnie tried to grab the lip of his shell, but the smaller shook it off easily. He laid himself down right next to their father, grabbing his face and holding their foreheads together.

“Its okay Papa,” Mikey whispered, as Leo rested a hand on his shell. “W-we're here now…”

Leo's breath hitched, but he grabbed Mikey and pulled him closer. Raph leaned deeper in the space between Donnie and Leo, and Donnie took that as a reason to wrap his arm around the turtle. The only one that could bare to look at their father now was Mikey, though it was through a curtain of tears.

The hiccups and sobs started to fade. Four little turtles laid there and wept, soaking in what warmth their father had left before it all melted away.

As all things must.

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

Hehehe

Again, these aren't my characters!! They belong to @probably-not-a-rutabaga 's awesome TMNT iteration, abberation! This fic is also just my take on how the turtles could have found out about Splinter's passing. That I wrote like, so fast-

I promise I don't just write sad stuff like this, but I just got inspired and couldn't control it. So, this is the first thing on my tumblr writing portfolio. My iteration (still unnamed, sadly) is more psychological introspective nonsense and spookiness with a sprinkling of sad, which is more my usual writing style! And still in the works,,

So in summary, check out tmnt: aberration, and thanks for reading this sad fic that actually made me tear up writing it! hahahhhaha

[dandylovesturtles]

TMNT AU Propaganda whooo

Hello, I'm back again. With fic this time.

I bingeread all of Call Me Here (I Will Appear) by @callmehere-iwillappear a little while back and it's so good! So heartbreaking but so heartwarming at the same time! And with both IMBI and CMH both being in the @tmntaucompetition we decided they are ghost buddies, and then they drew this adorable artwork and I had to write a little something because listen I need good things to happen to both of these boys.

So here you go! And please vote for both I May Be Invisible and Call Me Here in the TMNT AU polls tomorrow!

(And also 2 Arms Left, those boys aren't really in this fic but listen if you vote for both IMBI and 2AL then Ell and I will face off in the next round please it's so funny-)

cough ANYWAY HERE'S THE DRABBLE OK BYE (spoilers for both fics within)

Was getting abruptly kidnapped to an interdimensional sports tournament the weirdest thing that had ever happened to them? Hard to say, but it was certainly a surprise anyway. Right in the middle of Leo's very dramatic catatonia arc, too...

The place is a madhouse. There's so many different versions of himself and his brothers, some of them older, some of them missing limbs, and some of them from different universes entirely. There's cheerleading. There's fighting. There's an older Michelangelo giving all the visible Leos bats for some reason.

Leo guesses he shouldn't be too disappointed that even in this crowd, only his own specific brothers can interact with him; he hasn't had dramatic life-saving encounters with any of these other people, after all. He keeps getting walked through, talked over, and he can't very well take part in the actual basketball playing.

But it's fine! He can vibe! He's so cool with vibing. His brothers seem to be enjoying themselves, after all, and Pizza Supreme knows after the weeks they've been having they deserve something fun and... probably not life-threatening (he's still eying those bats, though). So he can just... watch. Spectate.

So fun.

He's standing by while Raph chats with a whole group of assorted Raphs, surveying the diverse crowd when it happens.

His eyes lock with another Leo's.

The other Leo seems just as startled as he is to be seen - his mouth pops open in surprise, posture going stiff in a mirror of Leo's own reaction. Other than that, there's no immediate signs; he's not see-through, or floating, or anything else one might expect. The only immediate difference he can see is that the three clones of his brothers standing near the other Leo are all wearing their own version of Donnie's goggles.

And yet, he still knows.

"Hey, I'm going over there for a sec," he says over his shoulder to Raph.

"What? Hey, don't wander off!"

"It's fine, big guy, I'll stay in range."

He trots off across the court, not bothering to dodge anyone who steps in his path. The other Leo and his group aren't too far away, and once he gets there, the two of them look each other up and down, like wary dogs unsure about entering another's space.

He gives the other Leo a very serious look, which is mirrored back to him.

And the other Leo starts them off.

"What's a ghost's favorite fruit?"

"Booberries. What's a ghost's favorite car?"

"A Boo-gatti. Why don't ghosts go out in the rain?"

It dampens their spirits. What-"

"Who are you talking to?" the other Donnie asks, turning their way. He has his goggles pulled down. Leo gives him a wave, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Just another Leo," says the other Leo, before turning back to him. "You can't be seen by the goggles?"

"Nope. That hasn't worked for us."

"But I saw you say something to your Raph."

"Yeah! Raph can hear me, Mikey can see me, and Donnie can touch me."

"Huh. Sounds inconvenient!"

"Oh, it is." Leo shrugs. "Curses, man, what can you do?"

Something quick passes over the other Leo's face; he only notices because it's so like his own. "You were cursed?"

"Yep! Some bad guy thought it would be a good way to get rid of me. You?"

The other Leo's smile droops only slightly. "...Do you know about the Prison Dimension?"

Leo's own smile drops, and he hunches in on himself, which just makes the other Leo's grin slip further. It hurts; he was there, for real, and again too recently in his mind, and now he can say this with certainty, with clarity:

No Leo deserved that.

But this Leo, who has persisted after death, who's with his family now... even if it's a tragedy, Leo can admire that. And they can see him - they can apparently hear him, and Leo knows from experience that that's everything.

(And still not quite enough.)

"...That sucks," he says, because what else do you say?

The other Leo shrugs, looking a little self-conscious. "It's not too bad. Donnie's making me a body."

"Oh, that'll be sweet." Leo picks his grin back up. "Wait, can you actually touch stuff? Are you going to haunt a robot?"

"I can if I focus." He looks smug. "It takes practice, but I'm getting better."

"Whoa, nice. I can't touch anything other than Donnie. Can't float or anything, either."

"Me either!" The other Leo throws his arms up dramatically. "What a ripoff, right?"

Leo matches the movement. "That's what I've been saying!"

"Man. It's nice to finally talk to someone who understands."

"Heh, same here," says Leo. He reaches out to give the other Leo a friendly pat on the shoulder.

He expects his hand to just pass through. He doesn't expect it to connect.

It's not really feeling, not like when he touches Donnie. It's more like when he touches his own body - his hand stops moving through the air, but he's not getting any tactile sensation from it.

He doubts the other Leo can really feel it either, but the way his eyes latch on the point of contact tells Leo everything he needs to know.

He doesn't hesitate, just wraps his arm around the other Leo and pulls him in for a hug. He doesn't resist, just puts his own arms around Leo, and he can't feel it but he's pretty sure he's holding tight.

He doesn't ask how long it's been since he's been hugged; he feels like he doesn't have to.

They stay that way almost a minute (and he's glad for their reputation as Leos that no one can see them), before the other Leo pulls back. His eyes are glassy and his smile wavering, but it's real and it's there, and Leo can't help but smile back.

He decides to save them before this gets too mushy.

"Hey, you said you can touch things, right?"

"If I focus."

"Well!" Leo moves so his arm is draped around the other Leo's shoulders, walking him toward one of the goals. "Get ready to focus on making sick dunks."

Instantly, the other Leo's eyes light up with delight. "Ooooh ho ho ho yes. We are going to freak some people out!"

He offers his fist, and Leo gleefully bumps it.

[axolotlicepop]

Ok so i really like rottmnt, but i unfortunately only draw humans (and only recently started trying to draw mutants), which isn't too much of a problem, but it meant i drew human versions of the rise crew before i drew them in their full turtle glory. And with drawing them as humans, i came up with some bits of a story idea!

I've mostly just come up with the backstories and have some ideas for their growth as the story would progress, but it's been a while since I've even thought abt this au so it's highly unlikely I'll come up with much more of it.

Anyway! Basically the story ideas started as a "how would lou jitsu have four kids, only a couple years apart but also still have the vibe of being different species like in the show?". The answer? Different moms. That's right ladies and gentlemen, lou jitsu had a hoe phase in my au!

Lou doesn't know abt 3 of his sons (he knows abt mikey), but they all end up under his care for different reasons (which is where the story would start if it was an actual written story and not just random ideas mashed together).

I also feel like i need to warn ppl I'm a HUGE leo fan so most of my stories/ aus are focused on him or his parts are the most thought out.

Here's the actual background ideas:

Mikey:

Mikey never met his mom. She and lou were engaged and super happy when they found out she was pregnant. Unfortunately she died in childbirth. Lou did pretty well with dealing with his loss and becoming a new dad, but it was hard. Mikey did his best to cheer up his dad every chance he could, and even tried to cook for him! Everything was starting to get a bit better when all of the sudden, he has three new siblings. His father starts to spiril back into his depression. If Miley's being honest he's a little miffed that his new siblings made his dad worse, but he also doesn't understand why he's not just as happy as mikey is. Even so, he takes it upon himself to help everyone in his now much bigger family.

He's Lou's favorite, even if he doesn't mean to have favorites.

Mikey's mom was a tattoo artist and met Lou on a blind date. She has never had the same hair color for more than a month and loves bright colors. She's spunky and adventurous, mikey takes a lot after her, which is bittersweet for Lou.

Raph:

His mom was Lou's ex. They end up meeting a few years after they break up and have a fling. She's still in love with him, but he isn't. When she finds out she's pregnant she's kind of happy. She keeps the baby and tells him all about his amazing father. Years later she's sick and in the hospital. She calls Lou and asks him to help take care of her son. He agrees. Somehow the news gets out and soon after he has two women claiming he fathered their children... and they were telling the truth. He can't say yes to taking care of one child and not the others, that's bad for his image as a movie star and he can't bring himself to do it because of his morals, so he agrees.

Raph's mom isn't dead, but has been in the hospital for almost a year how and still can't take care of him.

Raph idolizes Lou and tries to be strong just like him. He's excited to learn he has younger siblings. He doesn't get why leo and donnie dont like being here, after all they're with the best man in the world! Lou gets depressed though, and raph won't lie, his opion on him changed. So raph does his best to be strong for his whole family, just like his idol from the movies! Even if he's different in real life.

Donnie:

Donnie's mom ran away from home senior year of highschool. She's very poor and lives in homeless shelters. She works all the time and drinks to cope. She and lou have one-night-stand and she can't afford abortion. She has the baby (she tries and fails to kill baby w/out hurting herself) and abandons him. She hears abt two women claiming lou jitsu is the father of their kids. She instantly recognizes him and forms a plan. She reclaims donnie, claiming she'd lost him and guilt trips lou into taking care of donnie and sending her money as compensation. She then leaves again.

Donnie hates his mother, and has a lot of trust issues. He's closed off and it takes a long time for him to open up. He's taken to playing by himself and tinkering around with whatever is in the house.

One of his foster parents had been a professor and gotten him interested in learing engineering and science.

Born the same day as leo (TWINS)

Leo:

Leo's mom is a new actress. She starts in cheesy flics, some of which being Lou jitsu's films. They get drunk at a cast party and they end up sleeping together. Later she finds out she's pregnant, but tries to play it off as her boyfriend's, but her sister (who also likes her bf and is very jealous of her) shows her bf evidence of her cheating. He leaves Leo's mom durring her 3rd trimester. Leo's mom is depressed and blames Lou and Leo by extension for her loss. She eventually turns to drugs and alcohol and neglects leo. He is mostly taken care of my nannys. He tries to be a good boy at first, but finds out acting out gets his mom's attention. This leads to him getting different nannies all the time. Eventually his mom gets so stressed and upset she overdoses. She doesn't die, but is seen as unfit to care for leo and taken away. His mom refuses to let him go into foster care or let her sister steal her baby away from her, so she tells them he's Lou jitsu's son.

Many of Leo's interactions with his mom when he lived with her were public appearances. She fussed over his looks and then just dragged him along to show off to all the other celebrities.

Here's a bit I'm a little stuck on what sex leo is born as, or if he's just intersex. It's not super important. The reason i bring it up is because no matter what, his mom raises him as a girl. Basically treats him as her own "mini-me" (think Nagisa from Assassanation Classroom). He's also going to be a trans man for this reason.

Leo is very protective of his mom and idolizes her. He tries to be just like her (especially the characters she plays in movies) as he grows up. He's obsessed with looks and is always looking for attention, even if it's negative.

Leo doesn't want to leave his mom, and acts out in hopes that, like is nannies, if he was bad enough he'd be brought back to his mom. It doesn't work though. After about a year or two his mom starts to visit him sometimes, only four times a year, since she's still unstable. But it helps.

He's very sensitive to drugs biologically and is at a high risk of getting addicted to most recreational drugs, so he needs to be careful.

[donnyvibes]

Donny couldn't help but chuckle at the notable changes he noticed in the woman's version of the fairytale. "From what I remember, the prince was pretty clueless," he said with a smile. "Good; and you're not a 'Drew Green'? Drew was this guy I'd often see at parties back home, but he always brought the vibe down with his negative, judgmental comments. Another personality that I try to avoid at parties. I've met a few 'Drew Greens', and some of them aren't even aware they're doing it."

He continued, "Oh, Gaston from Beauty and the Beast? He's okay, I guess. Yeah, I should rewatch Dracula Untold. I remember very few details about it. I liked that The Originals took place in New Orleans. I love that place." Curious, Donny asked, "Where does Scott Disick fit on your list? Does he even still appear on their show? I stopped keeping up with them a long time ago. If it's not blasted on X and IG, I don't know about it." When the woman mentioned the drink, he laughed and went to confirm, saying, "Is it really?! I don't know why I changed it in my head to, like, a frozen margarita," all the while keeping the ordered drink.

"Two things, if you count not getting over vampires," he joked. Understanding the challenge of long separations, Donny remarked, "I get that." If he remembered their previous conversation correctly, the woman had left for Paris around eight years ago. He couldn't imagine not seeing Sean for that long, but the brothers were getting there. "My trick is to pretend we haven't become complete strangers. I just go on like we're still best friends, whenever I see him." Donny admitted. It was easier to pretend during the few days he would spend near his brother, although those times had become less common over the years, with the last being Christmas 2021. But pretending was better than dwelling on how out of touch they had become.

"Well if my prince doesn't realize who I am before the clock strikes 12. Then I might have to before I turn into a pumpkin," Mila shrugged and laughed. She then shook her head " No, not a party ruiner unless I bake something that makes people sick," she shrugged. She then thought about it " Probably the 2014 Dracula Untold one. He slayed that roll and looked hot while doing it. I wanted to be his wife falling from that building myself. But not so dead wife," she laughed. She nodded " I liked them both. But I will say The Originals was better," she smiled.

Mila laughed " My first are a tie between Kylie and Khloe. I like them both equally. Even with the bond they have, it's so freakin cute. Then it's Kris," she nodded. " More like a martini with 2 olives," she laughed. She turned her body towards him as soon as she found out they have something in common. " Oh really? That's pretty cool. Now we have something in common," she smiled. Mila then thought for a moment about her and her sisters relationship. Then shrugged " Well... I haven't seen her in like years since I've moved to Paris. So I always miss her. But sometimes we don't agree on alot of things and it gets kind of shaky. I mean right now we're fine. We just don't know how to...I guess get back into be comfortable with eachother so easily," she nodded. It was hard to explain her and her sisters relationship. They loved eachother very much but they were always so distant somehow.

[mytheoristavenue]

I have seen your masterlist and (ignoring the soon top come) it needs more Leo fluff fics (read the rest multiple times already; some good freaking work)

If you don't feel like it that ist perfectly fine. I really just wanna throw something in here:

2k12 Leo ist pretty traditional so how would he be with the complete opposite as a s/o . Like "If your gotta, throw that katana" kinda vibe.

Anyhow, love your writing! Keep up the great work.

Have a lovely dayyy ok thx byyye<3

Sure, sorry for taking so long!

TMNT 2012 Leonardo x Reader - Unconventional

Summary: Leo grows to care for you, despite your lack of respect for tradition.

Warnings: Angst

If nothing else, you irritated Leo. He had spent hours arguing with Splinter, trying to appeal his decision to train you to be a kunoichi, fruitlessly, obviously. Those around the terrapin couldn't understand his distain for you. You were intelligent, out going, and determined, all traits that were well received in any other situation. In all honesty, Leo didn't understand it either.

----

"How's that lock coming, Donnie?" the leader asked his brother, a bit nervous.

"It'd be coming a lot faster if you'd quit asking about it." the tallest turtle snapped back, his tongue peaking out in concentration.

"Well, I'd love to just let you be," Leo responded rolling his eyes, only being halted by the need to defend himself from the android attacking him. "But currently I'm the only thing standing between you and the Kraang."

"So helpful." Donnie scoffed as he continued to struggle with picking the lock. He glanced over his shoulder to scan the room, finding you in the far corner, with your own set of problems. "(Y/N)! Come help me!" he shouted, instantly grabbing your attention.

"What's up?" you asked, skidding to your knees, behind the shield of Leo's shell.

"Can't get this lock open." he said, frustrated. "I need you to hold these two plates open so I can get into that control panel."

"You want me to stand here and hold this open for you? Don, I've gotta go help fight!" you argued.

As you both bickered about the importance of your time, Leo's eyes narrowed as the enemy forces suddenly drew back. From the other side of the room, a bay slowly began to open, giving an entrance to the room for a behemoth of a bot, which stomped into the room. "Um, guys? Maybe stop arguing and pick the damn lock?"

"Shit," you muttered, glancing back to see the new threat. "Donnie, I've got an idea-" You rushed to pick the last two arrows out of your quiver before plunging them into the panel, effectively securing the the plates open.

"That'll work." Donnie snickered, before getting back to it.

Now that one problem was solved, you had another entirely. Scanning the battle field, you found Mikey lying on the floor toward the center of the room, seemingly incapacitated, and Raph standing over him attempting to hold the menace off. Leo had since began to charge into combat with the droid, carving off bits of scrap metal wherever possible. And there you stood, lacking a weapon, but filled with passion to help your friends.

With little thought, you swiped Donnie's staff and back up before taking a running start and using it to vault yourself into the air. As predicted, you landed close to the monster, hanging from it's right arm. Leo's eyes widened as he watched you scale the thing as if you were climbing a tree. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted up at you, imagining all the ways you were going to fall off and hurt yourself. You ignored him, simply sitting at the back of the giant's neck, and doing anything you could to pull out as many parts and wires as you could.

While you did, the leader's attention shifted to the crevice that was opening with a fit of steam in it's chest, revealing a cyan glowing sphere. Donnie, now finished with the lock, turned to inform the team on his victory with guaranteeing their way out when he noticed the light, eyes wide. "Leo! That's the power cell, if you shut that off, the whole thing'll go down!" he shouted at his frozen brother, while patting himself with anything that he could throw, but turning up empty. Your ears perked hearing this. You had an idea.

"Throw one of your swords, Leo!" you called from the droid's head, dodging it's attempts to reach you. "Maybe if you throw it like a dart, you can hit the cell!"

Leo could feel his eye twitch with your interference. That's not how these tools were used and you should know that, but before he could protest, his younger brother piped up in agreeance. "Wait, that's actually not a bad idea. If you can throw it at precisely and 183 degree angle, it should be a direct hit, more than powerful enough to destroy the cell."

With reluctance, and a bit of distain for you and your ideals, Leo did as suggested, and just as predicted, the hit turned the tides of the battle in his favor.

-----

Back at the lair, after the fight had ended, and everyone's wounds were tended to, you, along with most everyone else were sitting in the living room relaxing and filling Mikey, Splinter, and April in on what had taken place. You were coated in honey glow listening to Raph regale the story, showering you, Leo, and Donnie with compliments- a rare occasion. "Oh, yeah you shoulda seen it, Mike. (Y/N) was sittin' on the back on that thing's neck just diggin' in, it was crazy!"

You modestly brushed it off as he began going into the details of Leo's finishing blow and you stood up to get a drink from the kitchen. You decided to treat yourself to some of Mikey's orange soda, pouring the off-brand liquid into a chipped glass, likely one of many that Splinter had salvaged from the trash.

"You shouldn't be drinking that, you're still in training, remember?" you jumped at Leo's stern voice, nearly dropping your drink before sighing.

"I think after the day we've had, I can cheat on my diet a little, right? Besides, you're all still in training and splinter lets you drink soda." you dismissed with a nervous laugh, hoping he'd drop the tough guy act. Sadly, he didn't.

"That's the problem with you."

"Excuse me?" you prodded, cocking an offended brow.

"You have no respect for us or our heritage or how we do things." he said flatly, crossing his arms and leering down at you, something he always did instill that he was superior.

"Heritage? Leo you're a fucking turtle. Being a ninja is separate from that. Anyone can be a ninja with the right amount of training, that's why Splinter chose to train me and April."

"You're not a ninja." he spat coldly turning to walk away. "You don't care about any of the principals that ninjutsu holds."

You felt tears prick your eyes. Why is he always so mean to you? It's so unfair, you do whatever you can think of to impress him, but he's always so disgusted with you. Sniffling you catch his arm to pull him back. "What is this really about?"

He freezes for a moment before relaxing his shoulders. "You don't do things the way they should be done, and yet you still get all the positive results. You use our tools like toys and still end up winning. It's disgraceful."

"Yeah well, my ideas kinda saved our asses today, so I guess your opinion doesn't really matter, now does it?" with that, you pushed passed him, making sure to shoulder check him on the way out of the kitchen, before sitting back down with your friends.

You pretended not to notice as he stared at you from the island, hunched over the countertop. He thought about how he treated you, usually much worse than he intended. It was hard to ignore how he was feeling, and he figured that maybe, blanketing it with hate might help. But if that's the case...why was the ache so much worse now?

Taglist:

@thelaundrybitch

[imaginashon]

Hi! I just wanted to say that the way you draw the Rise tots gives me Peanuts (ya know, snoopy and Charlie brown) vibes and I don't know why. I dig it tho! I really like your style for them!! That's all thanks.

Sorry this took forever to respond, I wanted to draw something and never had a chance to or forgot ^^;

Yay! I’m glad you say that because I’ve always loved the way Charles Schulz drew expressions with dot eyes in his comics :D That was part of the reason I wanted to draw Donnie with dot eyes and giant glasses when he’s young.

The other influence was Jeff Smith’s Bone characters, Fone, Phoney and Smiley Bone. Fone especially, since he was the more level headed one of the cousins, a lot of his annoyed expressions are what I use as inspiration for Donnie.

[we-rate-tmnt]

I request: Leonardo. Please and thank you 🙏.

Idk if everyone loves Leo or if my header and avatar just remind everyone about this amazing blue boy. (This one’s super silly btw. I’m just sillier as time goes on. Character development I guess?) 

The iconic leador Leonardo (1987)

Bro idk why but I loved this Leo. I have a tiny memory, especially with this version but I clearly remember that I thought he was the funniest and the coolest. I mean, he had swords, what was I supposed to do as a 7-year-old. NOT like him??? Anyway, while Raph was the best at insult comedy, I think Leo had the best puns and punchlines. I really like how nonchalant this Leo is compared to his iterations, going along with really silly ideas and having fun along the way. But because of this, his leadership is a little forced at times, he seems like such a chill and fun dude that when he gets serious, I have to squint and ask ‘are you Leo? Or were you just putting on act a moment ago?’ Or my perception is entirely warped over time. Either way, good turtle boy, could have used some work tho. 5.7/10

Here comes grumpy lad wooo this is all read very monotone btw Fearless Leader (2003)

What. What the fuck happened. I was actually so confused when Leo turned really angry and serious and almost manic. I thought that episode when he popped into Casey’s window and was like ‘Hey bitch lets go beat the shit out of some lowlifes’ I was WOAH THERE BUDDY BACK UP BACK UP BACK TF UP. It was so sudden to me and when it was finally explained, it made some sense??? Like yeah, character development is great an’ all but this ain’t it chief. I can’t imagine what it was like having to wait for these episodes to release one at a time. Bc I watched every episode back to back on Youtube and I was genuinely bamboozled. But when you have an experience like that where guilt is weighing down on you from a situation you couldn’t control, it would’ve been HELLA HELPFUL to have at least a flashback, like a line saying ‘I was so useless!’ at BARE MINIMUM. Like right after Shredder is booted off to Planet Zula, Donnie would notice that Leo didn’t seem all that happy and would ask why and Leo would get upset and yell at Donnie saying that ‘You wouldn’t understand’, ‘You don’t know how I felt, how I feel because of that’, etc. Like you don’t even have to say he felt guilty or helpless, just give us something to grab onto. We’re merely six-year-olds who thought they could climb the YMCA rock wall in easy mode but instead the script riders harnessed us up on the hard one and wouldn’t let us come down until we rang the little bell at the top. I think that is the only problem I had with his Leo. The sudden change of calm and decisive to angry and irrational was so jarring that it felt unnatural without that crucial context. If you want a surprise reveal, at least hint at the reveal (like just about every Disney movie with their ‘twist’ villains) not wait until the very last moment. I think this might be my least favorite Leo and I think the season where he stood out the most and seemed the strongest was Fast Forward (Which was GOOD FIGHT ME), especially in scenes with Dark Leo, his clone. He sees so much of himself in Dark Leo but he also sees something he had once grasped (AKA the poorly written character arc, I CANNOT stress how bad I thought it was). Although, I honestly think he’s a really good character and he’s a pretty neat guy. However, this score is entirely held up by Fast Forward and his connection with Usagi, sword bros to the end of time. 3/10 (2 for FF and 1 for Usagi)

And now a Leo that makes me genuinely feel UWU Leo (2012)

I cannot stress how much I like this guy! Like his design is so appealing, his dedication, his obsession with Space Heroes, like I FUCKING LOVE IT. And everyone knows, that shit with Karai, at first when they didn’t realize they were related, I can let slide but kajsdflksadf what even like why did the writers feel the need to add in more ‘love interest’ implications like yuck yuck yuck. The only two interactions with Leo and Karai that I really like are when Leo defeats her using the healing hands technique and when Leo has a goth/emo/punk/idk I’m new here phase and they team up and EXPLOSIONS. He was introduced to us as being incredibly naive and his idea of leadership is from some old cartoon that’s basically star trek but ethically questionable. After his fights in season 1, to the finale with the technodrome, you can see his growth. He’s able to formulate plans and make life or death decisions. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. When Leo got hurt, I felt like the oof sound effect mixed with some tears I normally shed at some Shojo manga bs. While the episodes following were super weird, it was a nice way to help Leo recover, not only physically but spiritually (Although I don’t remember the spirit arc at all except the epic Raph vs Fishface fight, so we’re skipping that). When Master Splinter really died, you could tell there was a huge impact on Leo, but he had to remain stoic and lead the family now. A lot of heartbreaking moments in this series came from Leo and I’m glad they took at least some thought into developing him. Tiny head Leo will haunt my nightmares, but the giggly fanboy will warm my heart constantly. 6/10

I only have one word for this Leo (Heroes in a Half Shell: Blast to the Past)

This is a super crazy bad idea accent on the super crazy bad part have I mentioned it’s also a really terrible idea/10

Okay, spoiler alert, didn’t really think this Leo was that grand Leo (2014/2016)

Painfully average. He didn’t stand out that much, Raph was part of the focus and had that touching scene at the end, Donnie was ICONIC and Mikey (with his weird-ass eyes) was super lively and funny! Leo? Uh, I don’t remember a single line he said. Because he never really grabbed my attention, I don’t have too much to say on this version. The Raph and Leo fight felt forced and the whole ‘keep this stuff that could turn us human a secret’ was pretty pointless and was added just to cause drama, I don’t even remember what that Splinter and Leo conversation was about. Design-wise, really neat! You can see some more traditional Japanese clothing/style mixed with modern (I’d feel a lot better about this assumption if some could tell exactly what the heck he’s wearing, but I get traditional Japan warrior vibes from it) in his look which was super neat! Other than that, if you like him, please tell me why because I don’t get. He was just kinda eh. 5/10

AHHH MY BOY YASSS WHOOO!! Neon Leon (2018)

Okay, I loved Ben Schwarts already from Parks and Rec but like him being Sonic AND Leo, like DUDE. He’s super funny by himself but teamed up with this shows writing and animation, it makes it hilarious. I literally love this Leo so much, maybe because we’re alike but honestly, he’s amazing. I love his design with the red and yellow crescents accenting his skin and livening up his color pallet. He has a very healthy and natural dynamic with his brothers, he’s the first to know what’s wrong and tries his best to make up for his actions. This is really prominent in the most recent episodes, along with the episode portal jacked. In both, Leo is separated from his brothers. Portal Jacked is in a more literal sense, while Air Turtle handles in more of an emotional sense. While both are brief, Leo sees his error and tries his best to make it up to them. I love his dynamic so much and it’s so nice to see something like this compared to the unnecessary drama and tension between the brothers in the previous series. It’s refreshing and this is something a younger audience needs to see; instead of fighting, it’s better to work together and improve yourself along the way. Improvement is a big theme for Leo here. He’s a goofball, makes jokes at every opportunity and isn’t quite skilled at fighting or using his weapon. But he grows over time, he learns to manage his power and he’s working on mastering it. He’s trying to put aside his narcissism more and focuses on his family. I think the approach they took with him rising to leader rather than slapping it on his forehead was the goddamn best decision they could make. He’s making plans, finding loopholes, helping out and getting out of his comfort zone. I cannot stress how well this show has handled Leo, along with the other characters. I can’t wait to see more episodes about his growth and I am awarding him with one of the greatest honors I could give... 10/10

Storytime: I drew a super cute 2012 Leo, you should look at him. Shameless self-promo, but you should follow me on my main blog bc I’m nice and I draw pretty pictures. Also. I have a little 2012 Leo Happy Meal toy??? I think??? guarding my window and he’s been there for YEARS. I need to bring him in and refresh his paint job.

Wow! I didn’t expect this many requests for Leo, so the blog will be momentarily spammed with the requests, but it shouldn’t be too much! Up next should be the last turtle (Mikey) and then we can get to some REALLY great requests I’m eager to answer. As usual, please comment and reblog! I’d love to hear your opinion!

[rnaryjune]

ALRIGHT Y’ALL LET’S DO THIS

since im not getting all access this year this is entirely based on the bios, NOT the videos with jeff

Holly: “wine safari guide”? the hell is that. anyway she looks like amber/rachel and while i immediately feel put off by her she seems fine for now (wait was that one’s name amber last year ider wait no wasn’t it like....Andrea? NO ANGELA IJDSAKDHFJSDKAF I COMPLETELY FORGOT LMAOOOO)

David: hmmmmmm guy SOUNDS like he has potential but ngl i can’t help but worry he’ll completely squander it all. sounds like he could have the whole package tho.

Nicole: IM SORRY I HAVEN’T EVEN READ IT YET SHE LOOKS LIKE CHRISTINE NO NO BAD oh my god i love how she feels the need to like.....explain what hard-working, determined, and hilarious all mean like we’re IDIOTS jdwl;hfldshaflas “The most difficult part of living in the Big Brother house, for me, will be making sure that I think before I speak and that I bite my tongue when I really want to tell someone off. But, then again, I have to do that every single day at work, so at least I've had practice.“ fuck okay she got me wait no paul’s her favorite nvm she lost me WAIT ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME SHE PLAYS THE NANCY DREW GAMES OMFG I LOVE THAT SERIES HOLY SHIT I HAVE TO STAN NOW OMFG oh god this woman is POLARIZING she is probably NOT gonna last long at all she actually mostly reminds me of swaggy where it’s like i think she has real potential but i have a feeling she’s ultimately gonna be useless lol

Tommy: aight he gets brownie points for liking da’vonne and for saying he’d bring earplugs because tbh that’s comPLETELY REASONABLE

Kathryn: im getting elena vibes lol maybe she’ll be okay though? kinda like that she doesn’t just pick a HG out of thin air i can appreciate that, awfully bold of her to assume we’re going to like her and dear lord she damn well BETTER BACK UP HER CLAIMS. also her strategy is fine but. “stay woke my friends” what on EARTH does that have to do with her strategy she’s just using aave and it’s MAJOR cringe tbh

Kemi: yo can they stop casting black women who call themselves bitches just so production can like really up the bitchiness in them like you KNOW when they introduce her in the premiere they’re gonna go all in on that shit and make her look as unlikable as possible Y’ALL ALL THESE PPL ARE OBSESSED WITH THEIR PHONES like really THAT’S the most difficult thing? okayyyyy....okay tho Kemi actually has a solid reason and i can get behind it. anyway I think I like her but you fucking KNOW she’s gonna get targeted IMMEDIATELY so i really really hope she can be a beast at comps

Jessica: oh cool a bigger girl OH EVEN COOLER SHE’S A MODEL she’s cute i like her answers and i think i like her wait okay i see the g-slur so that’s kind of disappointing okay but i also just saw her age is “30ish” lol

Cliff Hogg III: i. okay. already. the fucking name what the fuck? okay im immediately put off but i mean who knows maybe he’ll end up being a donny kinda g--aaaaaaaand he says he loves debating politics nvm send him home then again wasn’t hayleigh an aggie? so maybe he’ll be okay......he gets bonus points for mentioning vanessa i guess but he’s on thin fucking ice

Ovi: awwww he’s gonna miss his dog ;-; hayden of all ppl really tho? like. i BARELY remember that guy there were SO many more personalities in that season. i guess i get his reasoning but for that to really work he’s gonna have to win first HOH sooooooo. good luck....okay you know what actually THIS guy reminds me of swaggy a lil bit lmaoooo

Nick: dude. DUDE. UR FUCKING HAIR SAHKFDSHFJLHSADLJF oh he’s a bowler bet he felt a real connection with tyler then. anyway boring.

Jack: so far maybe the best looking guy? which i don’t really feel good saying that since he kinda looks like austin....not much else to say here

Jackson: ew he likes paul AND brett throw him away. he’s gonna make it depressingly far isn’t he.

Christie: oh oh shit she gay im gay too heyyyyyyy she’s cute tbh and i completely get being away from work being hard lol oh man all the guys are gonna be fucking CRYBABIES about her tho

Sam Smith: isn’t that a singer kel;hflksdhafl jkjk “Be true and be a little bit of a rat for my alliance.” those cancel each other out lahfdslhfsda 

Annalyse: oh shit she cute too she reps dick and danielle and that’s cool but really tyler played “one of the best games in bb history” sweetie. no. 

Isabella: she’s cute to :o “ I liked when Isabella Wang won Season 21.” I STAN. well your mom knows now doesn’t she sdahfdlshflsdaf this woman gives NO fucks she better not disappoint

[tblsomedoodles]

Ok but let's talk a bit...

Wouldn't Angie (and presumably Dee as well) have some insider knowledge about the classic villains being bad news form growing up in 03?

An example would be the Purple Jacket, specifically with Angie and not Dee. In p3 the Purple Dragons a gang, possibly even the same gang thay attached ked the turtles with Hob, and very very dangerous. While Angie has accepted not everyone is going to be the same, (Stockboy sure as hell wasn't as big a threat as his 03 counterpart) seeing Donnie walk in wearing a purple satin jacket and bragging about how the tech club at April's school let him join them didn't really vibe right with him. He's all for giving people chances of course but he also knows that this world has had a Foot Clan and a Baxter Stockman (Stockboy in this case) that ended up being enemies so he isn't exactly expecting this familiar group to be the good guys either. He tries to warn Donnie but, well, Donnie is Donnie and needs to learn for himself before soemthing like that will stick sometimes.

Another one would be Shredder himself. For both Angie and Dee, the moment they met the Foot Clan they were taking them a lot more seriously than their Canon counterparts. They know the Foot, knows their connection to the Shredder, and while they don't know these Foot they're obviously up to something. It isn't hard for them to imagine that is this world has a version of their family than there'd be a version of their family's enemies to match and few if them are more threatening than thw Shredder. They don't know how he's going to appear or what his plan will be when he shows, but they know it's going to be bad.

Also segway jnto the movie cuz I do want to point something out. Whichever iteration of the au happens the movie is going to leave them shaken. Not just cuz of Canon reasons but because of the Kraang itself. Because in the 03 universe the Kraang are known as the Ultrom. The Utrom aren't enemies, they're jsut funky dude trying to find a home after their planet or whatever got destroyed. They're allies to the turtles! Suddenly though these are Kraang, and these Kraanga rent allies. They're the msot terrifying and dangerous enemies they've ever faced.

Yeah, pretty much! I've mentioned this on occasion (specifically the Purple Dragons b/c Angie just assumes Donnie joined a legit gang. And the first thing i drew for Dee was him assuming he accidentally joined a legit gang)

So yeah, they'd both have a bit of knowledge, but with the enemies being so different, it doesn't really equate to much. Like they occasionally have trouble matching the people here to their 03 equivalents simply b/c they are that different. (if i remember correctly, that's how Angie was with the Rise Foot clan. He sees feet on their face but these are just two weirdos doing origami. And the foot isn't even the same design as the ninja clan he knew. It's not until he runs into Cass and she mentions 'the foot clan' does he put two-and-two together and panics a bit.)

Thank you!

You're right! That poor boy! He just had to sit back and watch as his other two parental figures send him away. He would not be handling that well at all!

Thank you!

Raphie just...not knowing...for two years. Like he hopes Angie's alright (and if anyone asks, he tells them he's certain Angie's fine) but he doesn't know. that's just...very ow.

thank you!

[ontheline-ff]

2 | somethin’ cute

A/N: y’knooooooow... i think i’ma change the title soon. I might also add again before thursday. thanks for clicking on this. I appreciate it.

Venus was hungry. That was enough to get her up and get her going.

The chicken fried rice she’d scarfed down earlier got digested like wafer crackers. She was definitely hungry as hell as she finally got off of the couch, so breakfast didn’t sound bad. Meeting up with Adonis wasn’t going to be anything good, and she knew it.

Adonis: wear something cute, maybe we can take a walk or something after we eat...

Venus blew out a long breath as she tried to figure out what all of this meant, honestly. It would get her out of the house, and that’s all that mattered. She needed that, alone anyway, because it wouldn’t be long before she had to face Juanita. She didn’t want to think about that right now though.

Her mind was focused on a distraction, and this was definitely one way to accomplish that.

Venus kissed her teeth after re-reading the text, knowing it wasn’t a request, but a demand. She wasn’t going to respond, but knew he was doing her some good, luring her out in the daylight. She knew it would help recall things, which was good too. She needed to find something to latch on to, and she knew he always had something up his sleeve that did just that.

She was trying to reason with herself as she got off of the couch, and pulled open the curtains in her room as she walked into the center of it. The sunlight was still bright, but just not as intense. She figured she could go, she would go, will, is, going, that was settled. But, if he wanted his shit, which she’s still finding in places she didn’t expect, or simply overlooked the first time, he’d have to come back here and get it for himself.

She attempts to convince herself the the only reason she's acting this way is because she deserves a redo, more than anything else. It was so unfortunate that her mind seem to just basically corrupt the memories of last night, because they had been bullshitting around when it came to being physical for a while, and she didn’t remember shit.

The short video clips she didn't send to her snap story didn't make matters better. They were all over each other in the back of an uber; his hand was actually weaving into her hair, and grazing her scalp while he licked at her neck until he pulled away and kissed her temples. It was more sentimental than explicit, and even while they were both visibly buzzed, a warmth filled her that made her lips turn up in a smile.

There was a whole video of the two of them lipsyncing to some super old Ace Hood, just holding hands, both matching the intensity of each other. They synced up like that; that, was instinctive. It was natural in a way that didn’t happen without the two of them realizing it, and smiling about it.

They just fit, in a way that she couldn’t put her finger on sometimes.

She wasn’t worried about being taken advantage of with Adonis, and that was probably the one thing that gave her hope about how her night went, even if she didn’t know any or most of the details. She knew that she wanted to have sex with him. They never had disagreed about it; they just never pushed for it to happen, despite how bad they both wanted it, considering…

She wasn't focused on hurting anyone's feelings, anyone talking shit, or any of that right now. She couldn't recall the last time she had good, really good sex, or got blackout drunk, either. Funny how the only person who usually didn't want to indulge in that kind of shit was the one to make sure she'd got all of that out of him as soon as they linked up.

The text thread under his Brooklyn based number, which was saved as Donnie in her contact information, had all of the tea. She had been wondering if he would come out, and once he did, she was on his ass until he stopped responding to her fuckery and just latched on to her hip. At some point he'd lost the phone, she realizes this now, or switched to the 215-line for whatever reason. The texts had stopped on the Brooklyn line and resumed later in the night on the other line; she doesn’t know why she just realized that.

Venus had time to sit and analyze everything now that she had trekked to the north side of Williamsburg from Crown Heights, just for him, and still beat him here.

Last night was still weighing heavy on her mind though. She was never heavy on drinking. She had her limits, always has, but on occasion, she was known to let her hair down and show up when she needed to. The entertainment business would keep her thoroughly entertained and even more thoroughly drunk off of whatever she wanted to endorse, so why not? The same for him. She knew damned well he was promoting that damned liquor, so no wonder he was going to be able to finesse more than just liquor courage out of her once she opened up.

Venus definitely saw more explicitness in her my eyes only section that made her shift her hips against the chair she was sitting in. She knew the sex was good, but she couldn't explain how she didn't remember what she knew what was memorable as fuck. Just another side effect, she supposed.

Venus had showered, gotten dressed, and found herself staring blankly into a menu that she didn’t need fifteen minutes after she’d gotten the text to go. She hadn’t moved that quickly in a while, but she was here, and there was no turning back.

Once she heard the jingle of keys drop onto the table, and the second menu got picked up, her stomach flip flopped. She was never really nervous around him, but she knew it wasn’t impossible for the situation to make her feel that way. Venus’ eyes drew up and down slowly as she looked up into a face of mischief, gold teeth, and an all american pullover that she knew read CREED on the back.

“You order yet?” He asks, smirking.

She was waiting on him, actually. Le Barricou ain’t cheap at all. There are daisies in a little mason jar on the table, and water in a green carafe, waiting to be poured. The menu is in French on the other side. Kamasi Washington is playing quietly in the background of things. It’s upscale, but casual.

She has money of her own, but honestly, if he wanted to get her french toast, they could have just gone to Tom’s. The ceiling fan above them hovers and spins slowly, and distracts her from answering him. She doesn’t recall ever being shy, or silent when it comes to interacting with him. Today is just filled with a hesitant, uneasy vibe that she wishes she could stop maximizing.

“What do you want to go with your French Toast?” He asks, sitting the menu back down.

“Or are you going to just sit there and not look at me or talk to me?” She’ll actually do anything but lock eyes with him, and she cuts her eyes as he calls her out on it.

She opens her mouth to speak, but shuts it, and shakes her head softly. She’s thirsty now, and doesn’t know what to say to even get a conversation started. She’s still pulling her thoughts together, and wanting to look at her phone, watch the videos again, and interrogate the fuck out of him about the things she can’t recall. There are several rows of liquor backed up against a wall across the room, and her eyes cut to the bar, but the last thing she needs is another drink.

There won’t be any mimosas today.

“Duck hash. Orange juice, no mimosas.” She rattled off as he chuckled, and caught her off guard as his hand extended to touch her face, and lift her chin up.

“Quit being mean to me. Say hi, or something. Actually, stand up,” He instructs, and she pushes away from the table instinctively.

“Bring it in, give me some love.” His arms loop around hers as he pulls her into his chest, a little taller than her, but not too much.

Her mumble of, “Hey, Donnie,” gets trapped in his chest as she breathes him in, and he squeezes her tightly, and presses his lips against her forehead before she bats him away, immediately putting him in box mode. She sucks her teeth and waves him off as he laughs, and sits across from her again.

“Whussup V? You good?” He asked, eyebrow up.

Venus got a good look at him and scoffed softly. She wanted last night to pour into her, really, but, it just didn’t. She pressed her fingers into the bridge of her nose as she looked at him, taking in what she saw. He wasn’t smug, he wasn’t being an asshole, but he was sitting across from her, genuinely curious about her current state.

“I’m good. I’m just… fighting my thoughts internally. Trying to piece shit back together. I really don’t know how to feel, other than confused as fuck, and a little bit annoyed. Jealous. I didn’t even know it was possible to be jealous of yourself.” She shook her head softly, and he did as well, mirroring her actions.

There was so much she wanted to ask about, and maybe even yell about, but she just couldn’t. There was no point in flipping out or causing a scene, or anything to draw attention to the two of them, but she needed answers. Heads already turned when Adonis Creed walked into the room, and she had her fair share of looks when people pointed out Venus Carter, so, the last thing she needed was a scene.

What she did need though, was for him to fill in some blanks before she considered what was going to happen next. He sat a cell phone out on the table, not the same one she had recalled him having in the past, and her eyebrows went up at the sight of it.

“You left Philly three years ago, whussup with the 215 bullshit?”

It’s a cop out, but it’s a start. He gets eye contact, with her head tilted a little, and hands gesturing at the idle phone on the table.

“It’s a burner.” He shrugged, not elaborating. She decided to pour herself a glass of water, and cut her eyes back up at him.

“You could have just told me that, asshole.” She hissed with a little edge, and he didn’t look as out of place as he used to, sipping the water from the little flute after he pours it for himself.

“About the Philly line? It’s just easier. I can talk to certain people… and won’t have to pull them into the shit I have going on in Brooklyn. I didn’t think it was going to fuck you up like that,” He admitted as he licked his lips, and eyed her.

“But, you’re right, I should have said something. I apologize.”

“Your memory’s getting better though,” He added, smiling. “I told you, you’ll be back in shape in no time.”

Venus waved off his praising and tried not to smile at it. He locked eyes with her and sat back, slouching a little, instinctively giving into bad posture that she would usually tease him about, but she didn’t. They were avoiding the bigger situation that lingered over the two of them, and they both knew that too.

She wanted to call him out for trying to distract her, but instead, she just sipped her water and slid her phone back across the table, with the thread open between the two of them.

“I still can’t remember all of last night. So, I suggest that maaaaaybe, you start talking.” She insists, and he runs his hand down the plane of his jaw before leaning in forward, and smirking.

“I don’t know where to start, but I’m pretty sure that you know as well as I do that last night wasn’t a mistake,” He starts, telling her what she wanted to hear.

It’s the tone of his voice that makes her shift in her chair though. She knows he’s not bullshitting here. With that level of honesty between the two of them, she feels comfortable enough to just listen, and see where it’ll take her.

“We were both a little fucked up, but, we knew what we were doing. We were both rational enough to make that decision.” There was no beating around the bush, acting coy, or denying what happened. She appreciated it that much, but fuck. She wanted to remember what happened, not just be spared the details.

“You know we’ve been skirting around our feelings since Vegas. After the fight even.” They rarely reference the accident, the one that pushed her out of the game for a minute.

He pauses at he glances at her, waiting to see if he’s overstepped a boundary, or tripped anything, but she doesn’t respond. Venus just looks at him, hanging off of his every word. Her eyebrow goes up, and he keeps talking.

“Even then there was still something. Right when we thought you'd lost everything… I knew you were still in there, fighting temptation, and the way I made you feel. You never had to say anything, ‘cause it was all in the way you looked.” He pulls his phone out, the Brooklyn line, and after a few seconds, a video she knows well plays.

They were at Summerlin Hospital, still in Vegas. Venus was in the bed, fully conscious, but definitely a little bit beat up still. Her right eye was puffy; her head still partially bandaged. It was fucking bad. But, while the wounds would heal within a few days, her memory would take nearly a month for her to fully grasp again. Donnie was there, holding her hand, pulling her through the entire time.

“Before you even started talking again, before the PT and the rehab, you knew me. You focused in on me, looked for me, before anyone else. Even Juanita, even before your parents. You’d look at me too long. Grip my hand too long. You'd avoid punching me when you finally got back into the right state of mind to start sparring again. You treated me more delicately than you used to, like whatever dream world you were in for just a few hours made you realize what you wanted deep down. We’ve been fighting our attraction to each other for too long.”

She hates when things get intense like this between the two of them. It doesn’t happen that often, but when it does, she just hates it. He’s proactive with his feelings, whereas she, treads lightly.

She has to admit, it’s admirable when a man knows what he wants, but for whatever reason, in the back of her mind, and sometimes, even in the front, the direct front, she fights matching the energy she knows she can put forth with this. It’s just a little too messy, too delicate to pull apart or attempt to make right without fucking it all up.

“Last night was just… a fucked up, but good first date, honestly.” Donnie shrugs, and Venus scoffs again as their drinks arrive, and her head shakes again at the word date as if that was just it.

“A date? That I don’t remember at all, huh? You gon’ just claim it, just like that?”

Instead of responding, he just shrugs, and flicks to another video on the phone on the table.

“If I wasn’t married, I’d still be tryna date and fail. I deserve a good night out though, I always wanted to go out and just get sooooo drunk, ion’ remember what’s up when I get up, but I know I had fun. I’m just glad I got somebody by my side who’ll help smooth that thang out, know what I’m talmbout? I always wanted a nigga who would take me to like Paris or somethin’, you know? I always wanted somebody who’ll… give me a full surprise on my birthday, with you know, a candlelit dinner, fire ass hotel room in like, Tennessee or something so we can get in good on the snow, I want… roses just because. I always wanted to be courted. Ion’ think niggas do that anymore, unless you’re lucky. You gon’ court me, even tho’ we already married?”

“You know, I'll never let you forget the fact that you thought we were married.” He teases her as she rolls her eyes softly.

Her face gets warm and she can’t vocalize that her stomach is literally flip-flopping, like it always does when he brings that up, with video receipts. It's been a minute since he's reminded her of that day; probably the only highlight out of the entire situation.

And, for the record, she thought Juanita was her assistant, and she was like a second coming of Beyonce, so, he can honestly pull himself from whatever alternative universe she was in after suffering from head trauma and post-traumatic amnesia.

But, as devastating as that entire ordeal was, he was there for her through the whole thing.

Venus remembers how she came to, initially realizing what was going on. She’d been in a bad fight, had been assaulted, actually. The papers did a good job of not sparing any detail and pulling that back to her mind with vivid clarity.

There had been a coma - a few days, and then, she was up again. After the brief coma, she woke up looking for her husband, a husband that she did not have, but definitely had been identified as Adonis. He was there, sleeping in a chair, with his hands folded across his chest, slipping in and out of consciousness himself. His knuckles were still bruised, and his eye was still swollen. She could see the dried blood all over his shirt, and knew that little of it was his.

Donnie swiped the phone, with more videos to share. She didn’t need her memory jogged on this though; she knew this was just a way to butter her up, and get her to relax. She knew he was a good guy before anything else, but husband material?

The jury was still out on that one.

“Where is my husband? Nurse Marie, you seen em? He ‘bout, this tall? Probably has gold teeth in the bottom still? Looks like the ‘Merican flag threw up on ‘em? Angry for no reason, arms big as …. I SEE YOU, DAMNIT.”

Venus’ eyes rolled as he smiled at her, and when their eyes met, she was smiling too. She recalled that video, when she was finally stable enough to talk, and once she did, she wouldn’t shut up. He was hiding in hallway with takeout when she had got up, and recorded the whole thing from his vantage point against the wall.

“I need some more recent stuff,” Venus insists as food arrives, giving them a second to pause. 

In retrospect, last night went exactly like she anticipated it to. Venus told herself that she deserved a night out. She deserved to get cute, no, fine as fuck, get fucked up, and go home and do things that she would possibly regret with someone who looked good enough to come back with her.

Maybe.

She doesn’t live life with many regrets, except for this one.

She also admitted to herself that she was drinking to forget, but she didn’t need to do that. Her memory is spotty at best. Like a forgetful ass blue tang fish, at times. It’s frustrating because she wants to remember what the fuck happened, honestly, it’s spotty. She knows it’s useless to be upset about it - this has been the reality for her for the last two years, with little breakthrough.

It’s not helping a fucking thing that she doesn’t know what exactly she needs to do to trigger her memories to be easily recalled, and now she has to deal with it. It’s not impossible. She knows that, and Adonis does too. There has been many breakthroughs between the two of them, but sometimes, she just can’t recall things like she should be able to. Like she used to be able to.

The lingering after effects of barely escaping brain damage and suffering through post traumatic amnesia wasn’t really that bad to live with, it just was… a difficulty.

Venus wonders if her request went unheard as he tears into his super fluffy pancake and pushes the plate of lamb sausage that she wanted, but wouldn’t order, towards her. Spearing a link, her eyebrow goes up, silently anticipating him showing he something that she hasn’t seen before.

She’s not patient about it either, and he laughs.

“You’re so damned antsy,” He smiles, and then motions down at the giant pancake, which she shakes her head at. “Try the pancake. It’s good as hell, V.”

A second later though, she does scoop a little of the strawberry butter onto a small piece and tries not to blush as he smiles at her.

“You trust me, V. Never forget that. I won’t steer you wrong.” Donnie insists, and somewhere near her heart, Venus knows it’s not a lie, or a line. It’s real.

“I could go into my phone and pull up thousands of videos that prove my point when I say that you want me just as bad as I want you. History kinda tends to send me a good woman when I’m not looking for her, and in our situation, I looked the wrong way.”

“I know it’s going to be fucked up once it grows legs, but, I just… I want this. I feel like it’ll be good for you if I just… prove it to you. Gimme a chance to stay with you. A night, a weekend, whatever. I know it’s better now to secure the things I want and not let them slip away from me before it’s too late.”

The conversation resonates with her as she just nods, no protest, and eats her food. Underneath the table, his foot bumps hers. She can’t recall ever seeing Adonis be as smooth as he is, but he is, it works for her, and then, she recalls a time, and smiles.

“You weren’t smooth like this when we first started to flirt, but once you realized I was flirtin’ back, you kinda scared me,” Venus spears a piece of potato, and he chuckles.

At some point, they went from separate dishes to sharing, after he pushes the spring mix to a different plate, it’s a cohesive mesh of pancake and duck hash on both of their plates.

“I used to think… he’s big as fuck. I’d ask Ju before we even knew you personally, like, you see his arms? You see how cut…” They could be having this same conversation in several different places, with the two of them acting the same no matter where they were.

“That’s what does it for you? The arms?” He flexed his muscles for a second as she bit down into her lip, and rolled her eyes softly.

“These same arms are strong enough to lift you up, pick you up when you’re down…” He finished off his water, and repoured it for the two of them as if it was an expensive bottle of wine.

Venus exhaled. For a second, she damned near forgot that she was in public.

“You remember, or you wanna see?”

Her eyes go to his immediately. “Lemme see.”

The bottled tension in her shoulders slipped away when he stood up, making an excuse to go to the restroom, but not before coming behind her chair, and gingerly massaging her shoulders as if she was about to head back into the ring. Venus’ head immediately dropped forward, and seconds later, picked back up to see the Brooklyn line on the table, with the videos section open.

“And, before I come back, just know that it was your idea to record, by the way.” He whispered gently, and her eyebrow went up as he pressed a kiss behind her ear, and served her nothing but back as he headed towards the restrooms.

She watched him the entire way, feeling familiarity overcome her like she hadn’t in a while.

[bluedelinquent-blog]

         i. right, where do i even start with ep 2? hold on, lemme roll myself an after work joint.... 

         right, where were we? episode 2 !! i’ve literally been holding all this in for days bc i didn’t want to spoil anyone but omg hrgdfhgkjdfhgkjh !! it was so, so good. there’s so much i want to say about it, so i’ll go through it step by step, whatever stuck out to me. you don’t have to even read this, it’s all just crazy, fangirl ramblings. i just love chloe so much ok??? 

         so imma just say THAT BEGINNING. i knew chloe was going to end up being suspended/expelled at some point which i knew was gonna be a bummer, but the way she went out !! that’s my lil firecracker. <3 i decided to go with owning up & taking all the blame bc i feel like she hella would’ve done that for rachel. you think she’s gonna stand there & let them kick her girlfriend out of the play like that?? hell no. also lowkey loved the bit where justin robbed her hidden stash. i’d murder a bitch.           ALSO MY FAVOURITE BIT OF THE WHOLE EP WAS WHEN CHLOE TRASHED THE TOILETS WITH GRAFFITI TO DAUGHTER ‘NO CARE’ THAT WAS THE FUCKING BEST THING EVER !! LITERALLY HAD TEARS IN MY EYES BC IT WAS SO FUCKING CHLOE          then the car park bit with eliot. kjhfdgkdfg. it’s so cute, the little crush he has on her. the little book of poems he dedicated to her, secretly. chloe’s not used to people crushing on her, it’s usually the other way around. but yeee, i’m loving how they’re kinda continuing on the legacy of max/warren but with chloe/eliot.          OKAY AND THE DISAPPOINTMENT CHLOE MUST’VE FELT WHEN HER MOTHER ‘CHOSE’ DAVID OVER HER PRETTY MUCH. ;_;  SHE LITERALLY FEELS LIKE EVERYONE IS GETTING UP & FUCKING OFF. EVERY SINGLE DAY SHE WAITS FOR THE NEXT PERSON TO GET UP & LEAVE.           okay & then we have the junkyard scene which always gives me hella feels bc i think of all the people that have died there or have parts of their death there ( the wrecked car, rachel’s body, chloe was shot there...twice). anyway, i love any scene where chloe’s chilling out & smoking, so where she’s hanging upside down, i like... squealed. also the bit on top of the ship, with the daughter song. <3           CHLOE’S MOTHER FUCKING CAR & THE DREAM SEQUENCE. i legit cried when i saw william & how fucked up he was, that whole scene was my aesthetic goals in life tbh. gave me severe donnie darko vibes, idk. it just kinda shows that chloe’s series is gonna be hella dark, which i kinda assumed anyway. WHICH IS WHAT I KINDA WANT BUT THEN I’M SO PROTECTIVE OF CHLOE. ;_;           ALSO CAN I JUST SAY ALL THESE REFERENCES TO FIRE ARE LITERALLY GIVING ME LIFE. <333333 IDK WHY BUT I REALLY DO RELATE FIRE TO CHLOE (AND OBVS RACHEL), BUT I FEEL LIKE IT FULLY PORTRAYS HER RAGE & HATRED AT THE WORLD. LIKE SHE ENJOYS IT.            THEN WE HAVE THE RACHEL/CHLOE CAR SCENE. ;_; ;_; JUST KINDA PROVES THEY’RE GF’S. i also like how they can literally talk to each other about anything, no filter. their little therapy sesh. <3 the fact rachel let chloe put her legs up on her & held onto them. <3 the little bag of clothes she brought her. <3 rachel resting her head on chloe’s shoulder. <3 chloe’s so shook, she never expected this to happen to her. it still feels so surreal for her.           MY SECOND FAVE PART OF THAT EP WAS THE RV SCENE WITH CHLOE & FRANK. :’) literally, related so much man. her trying to sneak the bag of weed he kept on the side & him calling her out, i was literally laugh crying. the funniest bit by far. y’know, i reckon their relationship is one of my faves? they’re both dropouts, both feel super worthless, they compliment each other really, really well. you can tell frank cares too tbh.           it’s also official that samuel is the deepest character in this game tbh. :’) that mother fucker had chloe stunned, she never shuts her mouth when kinda being insulted?? also steph having a crush on rachel, i was like nahhhh, back off my girl. fite me. you gotta understand rachel/chloe be my otp. also that fucking scene with skip outside the boys dorms, period talk literally works every fucking time. trust me. xD that scene with mikey & drew shook me up too. i hate the sound of someone being beaten the shit out of. you can tell that sucked for chloe too, cause she couldn’t do anything to help. :(          WHEN THE SCENE BACKSTAGE OF THE PLAY BEGAN I HAD SHIVERS BC THE MUSIC, THE ATMOSPHERE. WELL DONE LIFE IS STRANGE YOU’VE DONE IT AGAIN. GZ. the bit that got me the most was chloe sticking up for nathan, yet again. his dad’s a fucking asshole. but yeee, it makes me sad thinking about chloe standing up for the person that killed her all the time. like they have no idea what’s to come?? it makes me so so sad.... knowing chloe’s going to lose rachel soon.          CHLOE IN THE FUCKING BLUE BIRD OUTFIT I ALMOST DIED. HER FUCKING PISSED OFF FACE. also, the fact rachel can literally make her do anything. i love that about my otp, anything is possible. <3 THE SCENE ON THE STAGE AS WELL WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. ALL OF IT. RACHEL AMBER LITERALLY GOT ON ONE KNEE & SPOKE TO CHLOE LIKE SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE ROOM. IT GAVE ME SHIVERS. i also fucking hated the bit where everyone laughed at nathan, that’s bullshit. those assholes are what pushed nathan towards snapping & killing chloe. -.-         OKAY AND THE KISS. IT WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED IT TO BE. ;_; ;_; THEY’RE SO GOOD TOGETHER HONESTLY, THE CREATORS HAVE DONE SO WELL BC YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE HOW MUCH THEY LOVE EACH OTHER. I JUST LOVE THE WAY CHLOE HELD HER CLOSE & KEPT GOING BACK FOR MORE KISSES LIKE LOVE ME. THE LITTLE SMILE RACHEL HAD ON HER FACE AFTER. GUYS HOLD ME. MY OTP KISSED. FINALLY. <33333

        then there’s the amber household scene, which i loved bc chloe turned up to a ‘bad example, scumbag boyfriend meeting the parents’ type of situation. i literally related to chloe so much in this scene tho bc she comes from quite a poor household, not used to much glam & she’s being shown this completely different life, THEY HAVE PLATES. NICE PLATES. AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF GLASSES. they actually sit at the table like a normal family, like chloe used to.... but yeeee, THE CONCLUDING SCENE.          RACHEL’S FATHER IS A MASSIVE ASSHOLE. -.-  BUT I’M LOWKEY HAPPY BC HE CALLED CHLOE A DELINQUENT & I SCREAMED BC OF MY URL. c;  rachel losing her shit at her dad was cool tho, i’m happy someone called him out. alsoooo, what is it with rachel & her like extreme rage? it’s a lot scarier than when chloe gets angry?? that table smashing gave me chills tho. I’M ALSO DISAPPOINTED I DIDN’T FUCKING FIGURE OUT THAT THAT WOMAN WAS RACHEL’S REAL MOM. I’M SO DUMB.... 

        I ALSO GOTTA PRAISE THE FACT THEY USED SOOOO MUCH DAUGHTER IN THAT EPISODE. FFS MY FAVE BAND. IT’S ALL SO SO PERFECT TBH. although, i kinda feel like they’re missing out so much?? there’s only one episode left & we still don’t know a lot of shit. like when does jefferson arrive? when does rachel actually go missing? when does chloe dye her hair & get a tattoo?? who the fuck is this dealer guy?? what’s he got to do with anything? etc etc etc etc.         thanks for letting me bore you guys with my thoughts on the ep, if you even read up to this bit. :’) this is probs the longest thing i’ve ever written for any fandom. i just love this game so much...

[velcr0kitty]

What If?

Title: What If? Summary: You indulge yourself in a harmless passion, following a train of thought, but when Mikey catches a glimpse it may not be so harmless after all. Author: Velcr0Kitty Characters: Mikey (2016) x Reader Word Count: 1846 Warnings: Angst, fluff, body image… issues? I guess? Author’s Notes: Welcome to my first fic, I’m so sorry. I seriously didn’t expect it to become so sad my original idea was so happy ;-;

You drift to the bottom of the sketchbook and scrawl a title of sorts.

What If - Mikey

Under it, you put your signature. It’s hard to deny your feelings for the charismatic turtle, but with that whole “different species” issue complicating things you doubted the feelings would ever be mutual. That hasn’t stopped your daydreams yet.

You never imagined you’d be in a situation where you even could think that. Once upon a time you could only imagine yourself with your beloved art degree in a pleasant flat somewhere other than NYC. You would be a master of your passion and your passion, a career. Before you got your chance, however, your best friend fell very ill. You spent your time with her, being supportive. This was the snowball that became the avalanche.

Your friend was released after a few weeks. Then in succession, like a machine gun of shit, your mother died in a car accident, you were hostage in a bank robbery, your new apartment building out of town exploded (You didn’t honestly believe the landlord at first). Three foot clan attacks and a load more bull-shit later, you were broke, homeless, family-less and living, quite literally, under a rock (a storm a few months prior had upturned it in central park.) That’s where the turtles found you. Dirty, starving, and huddled up under a blanket some random do-gooder’s gave you. Though you suspect it was mostly Donnie’s doing, for whatever reason, they took you in and welcomed you into their home.

That was three years ago. Over those three wonderful years, they nursed you back to health, welcomed you, and loved you as one of their own. It didn’t take long for feelings to develop for the youngest. You spent day in and day out with all of the brothers, of course, but most of your time was with Mikey. Donnie always patched you up and made sure you were okay, but Mikey sat with you and made sure you were okay. He quickly became your best friend.

He comforted you, stayed up with you when you couldn’t sleep, you two have more inside jokes than you’d care to count. The only thing you don’t know about him is how much the guys have been hounding him for months, just small remarks during training or while on patrol, to get him to “just turtle up!” and ask you out or something.

For some reason, you kept your art from them. As close as y'all were, having even one thing to yourself can do wonders for your sanity. Sometimes, while the boys trained or for the hours Splinter had them in the Ha'Shi, you snuck out to buy supplies. Nothing too big, just sketchbooks and pencils that you stashed under your bed when not in use.

You often drew the brothers, for good reason. They had both ridiculously interesting lines and unique shapes, as well as always being around. Plus you had found a few well-hidden hidey holes to draw from if you wanted a live reference.

It’s only natural when crushing on a giant talking turtle to, even just once, imagine what he’d look like as a human, right?

Today, you ran with that thought. So, as you finish the drawing, you scan the page for any last minute fixes. You run your fingers over the sketch, being careful to not smudge. You feel the bumps and ridges of your pencil marks travel underneath you like a road map. As you move over his face, your hand reveals his brilliant and goofy grin, but you can almost see the way his blue eyes light up and glint with mischief when he laughs, the way the green of his cheeks shimmer in the light with his constant smiles and grins. You soften and fall into a lazy smile.

Your hand continues over his torso, your mind wandering to the endless amazing hugs, his muscular arms, his surprisingly comfortable plastron. Hesitantly, you move left, over a man. Lean, but built, muscle hidden under a wildly patterned t-shirt. His mid-length blond messy hair falls into his eyes, but the mischief and brilliant smile remain. He stands with his arms crossed. His pose screams youth, confidence and energy. Your eyes flick back and forth between the drawings. You are nowhere near as familiar with this man, but your curiosity is sated.

The sounds of training float from the dojo as you come back to reality. Heavy grunts and dull thuds tell you how far into training they are and, not realizing how late it really is, decide it will be some time until they’re done. You abandon your art supplies on your bed for the makeshift shower down the hall that Don whipped up last year.

When you emerge toasty and clean in your favorite PJ’s, you waddle towards your room and revel in the silence. You’re nearly winded when just how silent it was hit you like a freight train and you took off for your room. Mere footsteps away from the right corner and a soft hiccup of a sob makes you freeze, your heart dropping. You stop, inches from the door. You know what’s coming. Something in you tells you to run. What's around this corner? You know it will break you. You can leave. You don’t have to see those baby blues hating you. Thinking you’ve betrayed him.

You run a hand through your hair. Ruined.

You wring your hands. He hates you.

You take a step into the room, almost trembling. Looking everywhere but where you need to. His eyes are burning into you. Your room is dull. Face this. You could have run, but you didn’t. So, FACE. THIS.

When you make eye contact, you couldn’t and will never be able to accurately describe the sheer betrayal in his eyes. He’s gripping your sketchbook, the drawing. His eyes are red, his mouth agape. He opens and closes it a few times, searching for words.

———

“You know, we were almost human once?” You drop your controller and shift on the couch to look at him better. Disbelief paints your face.

“No kidding?”

———

“… What,” his voice breaks, as does his eye contact, which drops to the paper in his hand. “Y/N, what is this?”

———

“Seriously, Angelcakes. It’s crazy, Donnie had this ooze that we got from…” As he tells you his story you can see how important it was to him to find some normalcy. He wasn’t cracking jokes, he was barely moving. Just talking. This became the most personal and serious night you two had ever shared. He spoke of growing up with ninja turtles. You, of school, of bullies, of humans. You shared worlds.

———

You couldn’t find the words. You knew you had hurt him. Badly. It was just a drawing and a thought to you, but to him… to him it meant you didn’t like him for him. Maybe even not at all.

———

You swapped so much about each other that night, not just talking but learning. He finally opened up wholly when he wouldn’t look at you.

“I wish…” His hands suddenly become very interesting. “I wish I was human, you know? It would just be…” he searches for the word. The word he finds will break him. As he says it, he will cry through his half-hearted smile. You will hold him until you both fall asleep, cradling him to your chest, TV still on.

He looks up with pain and resolve.

“… Easier.”

———

“Y/N!” Mikey slams your sketchbook against the wall searching your eyes for an explanation. For the first time you’d ever heard, your best friend raised his voice. He was pissed.

———

The next morning he woke up embarrassed. He remembered your sweet coo’s and soft-spoken words of comfort from the night before as he took down a wall he never knew he had, for you. He never realized how much he wanted to give you the life you deserve, and just how much he couldn’t actually give you. A certain melancholy took him. He felt so bad as you talked about your life. As far as he knew no one in his family knew anything about you from before they found you, just that you had suffered a great deal and had no one left, but last night? He hadn’t thought about how much had to have happened for you to end up that way. For a moment, you had both bared yourselves, completely.

As these thoughts ran through him, the grogginess of waking up left him. He watched your eyes move behind your eyelids, your mouth open slightly as you breathed through your dreams. He pushes himself up so his full weight isn’t on you and with the loss of heat, you stir. Your sleepy eyes captivate him and he feels like he’s really seeing you. You have no idea. “Morning,” you quietly utter, not wanting to break the peace. Running a hand down your face, you sit upwards slightly. Noticing the vibe rolling off your normally talkative terrapin you sober up and give him a questioning look.

He hovers over you effortlessly, arms holding him up on either side of your hips. He has yet to move his gaze away from you, drinking in your features like a dying man. The only thing he can think of is kissing you until you melt, of running his hands down your waist. Steamy images fog his vision as he disappears in the thought of you. All you see is his expression softening until he closes his eyes with a small sigh.

“Um… Mikey, you good?” This snaps him out of his trance. He’s blushing and burning up but, lucky for him, you don't notice a thing. He coughs.

“Uh, yeah babe,” the nickname that had been used countless times felt heavy on his tongue, “I’m fine, just uh… tired. Do you mind if I…?” He slowly lowers himself back onto your midsection, eyes asking permission.

“Oh yeah sure,” you stammer, concerned. “Go for it.” He snuggles into you further, wrapping himself around your stomach and breathing in your smell, suddenly feeling like a brand new person.

———

When you don’t say anything for a few seconds he storms off, taking your sketchbook with him. You yell a helpless ‘No!’ after him. The room swarms around you and you feel like the floor left without you. The air leaves your lungs and you land on your knees. Soft, wary footsteps pad into your room and pair with your light sobs. Leo reaches down and wraps you up in his arms rubbing your back, speaking calming words, soothing you.

You can faintly hear Raph yelling after Mikey but as your own sobs wrack your body you lose all concentration on them and instead melt into Leo. He picks you up, carries you to your bed and lays you down. He hesitates, wanting to ask about what just happened but not wanting to push your already fragile state.

(THERE WILL BE A PART 2 :D )

Tags: @another-tmnt-writer @darkumbreon9