#casey sneezed

[cokowiii]

They are relentless heheh

these are too fkn fun to do

first part

[aceofwhump]

Wings 8x20

[tworoadsandapenny]

It's Snot Funny

~*~*~*~*~*~

It came out of nowhere.

A slight itch, followed by a tickle, and suddenly—

“AAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The sheer volume echoed throughout Draxum’s lair with such intensity, it felt as though the walls might collapse in on themselves. Everything shook and swayed, taking several moments to settle as the sound slowly disappeared into the air.

Donnie poked his head around Raph’s shell. His copyright tech kept his ears protected and unbothered, but he noted the terror on his brother’s face. “You okay?”

“Raph’s sorry!” The larger turtle squeaked in hushed tones, clearly embarrassed by the ruckus he’d just caused. “I… I forgot that I could do that.”

Donnie smiled coyly, unwilling to admit aloud how much fun it was watching his brother rediscover his physical body. “Was it satisfying?”

Raph took a moment to think. “Yes.”

“Well good—”

“WHAT WAS THAT!?” A disheveled Draxum appeared in the room, his eyes wide and worried as he searched for the source of the near-earthquake he’d felt shake his home like a shivering mammal.  

Raph rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry, that was me.”

“What did you do!? Did you blow up my lab!?” He shouted, directing the last half of his ire at Donnie, who only scoffed at the implication.

Raph shrugged. “I sneezed.”

There was a full beat of silence as Draxum digested the reply, turning it over in his head a few times, silently panicking at the destructive potential this mutant possessed.

“Okay then.” He said cooly, his even-tempered demeanour returning immediately so as not to betray his inner turmoil.  

“Sorry, Raph won’t do it again. I… I think…”

“If you say so.” Draxum turned to leave, still silently calculating how one being—even one as large as Raphael—could create such immense sound, when he paused to call over his shoulder.  “Oh, you may want to check on your child.” He pointed just behind Raph’s shell. “I think you may have broken him.”

Both turtles turned to see Casey Jr on the floor, eyes wide and ears almost visibly ringing, his tongue hanging slightly over his lip, and muscles entirely limp.

He’d been sneaking up on his uncle to trap him in a hug when the sneeze assaulted his senses with such intensity, his entire body was still stunned and dazed.

Raph scooped up his small human and held him gently. “Casey! I'm so sorry! Are you okay!?���

Casey nodded slowly, the ringing in his ears finally dying down as he pulled a rag from his pocket and held it aloft with shaking hands.

“Bless you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Look, LOOK. Yes, it's rushed. Yes, it's dumb. And yes, it's my first sad attempt at writing for the Rise fandom. But I couldn't help myself. Reading through the non-robot Raph updates in @somerandomdudelmao's apocolypse AU, I had to add my own idea.

Given this post:

There's no way Raph rediscovers sneezing without some hilarious collateral damage.

My words can never be as good as Cass's drawings, but we mere mortals must accept our limitations, so here we are.

Anyway.

End of Line.

-TRAaP

[fletcherwilbury]

@sicktember Day 24: "Did you just sneeze?"

Warning for Illness, exhaustion, past hospital setting, medication

[redstringraven]

Fika

characters: don, klunk, leo, mikey and raph rating: g content warnings: n/a word count: 4288 relevant tags: sick fic, sick leo, post-episode: good genes

(n.) a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life a leo sick-fic, requested by @sakuradiva for @tmnt4p !

[ read on ao3 ]

You may as well have called the first sneeze an alarm bell. The instant it echoed through the reservoir station, each and every one of them in range perked up, heads swiveling like a bunch of prairie dogs.

Raph seeks out Don first. He scans the open first-level of the reservoir station until he catches Don’s eye--a second after Mikey does. Don glances between them, his expression at first wide. Then his lips curl downward, and he huffs. “—that wasn’t me.”

There's no attempt to hide the irritation in his tone (and Raph couldn’t blame him); a week or two of one helicopter sibling is annoying enough. Don had three. Plus Master Splinter. Plus April and Casey. Plus Leatherhead. Seven people in a semi-constant state of worry, hovering, asking questions, growing tense with anything that could be a small sign of 'relapse'. It had to get smothering at some point. And even Don had a limit to his so-called infinite patience.

“—Oh!” Mikey says. He pauses, his eyes darting from Don, to Raph, and back again--clearly scrambling to deflect from what Don had drawn attention to. “—Well. It wasn’t ME. My sneezes are a lot more… uuuuh…”

“Needy?” Raph offers.

“Yeah!” A beat. Mikey's eyes widen, then he shoots a squint at Raph. “—Hey, wait.”

“Sorry.” Leo moves out of the kitchen, mug in hand, having lowered the heel of his palm from his beak. “I, uh. I think I might’ve stirred up some dust while I was looking for the chamomile.”

Mikey relaxes, likely happy to accept this answer and move on, but Raph’s brow arcs. “Thought you’n Mikey gave the cabinets a good wipe-down earlier this week.”

“We did,” Leo says. He shrugs. “Guess… some of it must still be in the air. I dunno.”

...lying, Raph thinks, though he’s careful to keep the suspicion from reaching his eyes. He shifts his attention to Mikey just in time to catch the tell-tale signs of worry: a sudden stillness, like a deer in headlights, and the slightest strain around the eyes. It’s gone as soon as it arrives, and Mikey replaces any sign of it with an impish grin.

“Looks like someone was slacking on cleaning duty,” he jabs, knuckles propped on his hips. He tilts his weight forward and tuts his tongue. “For shame, Bronardo.”

Leo sends Mikey a passive smirk. He huffs and starts up the steps toward his room. His free hand finds the stair-rail and stays there. Raph locks onto it. He can't help but notice Leo's not resting his palm on the metal; he's holding it.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes with an idea of what we need to knock out today,” Leo says. There's a slight wilt in his posture—and now that Raph thinks about it, he realizes Leo's feet drag just enough to make his usual silent steps borderline audible. Raph shifts his weight and fixes his jaw, forcing himself to hold his tongue. Leo looks back over his shoulder after reaching the threshold of his room and continues, “Donnie, I’d appreciate it if you sat it out another day.”

Don sighs, but he waves a hand lazily over his head. “Heard loud and clear, boss.”

Leo’s door shuts, and silence settles back over the station. Raph remains by the weapons rack, and Don keeps his attention on the blueprints he has spread across the table he'd claimed as his temporary workbench. Only Mikey moves, plucking at one of his wrist bands, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the subtle rise in tension.

“...--you think I can squeeze in just enough Resident Evil 4 that I can get far away from a save point, and he’ll have to wait until I reach the next one to turn off the game?” Mikey asks. He doesn’t wait for an answer; instead, he flashes Raph a wide grin and bolts for the couch with a cackle. The televisions flash and hum to life, and Raph lets out a blend of a sigh and a growl. His eyes shift to Don.

Don’s already looking at him. Even with the faint purple stains under his eyes, the mild sag of his skin, there’s a sharpness in his stare. Raph recognizes it. He knows they harbor the same concern.

“Donnie?”

“Yeah, Mikey?”

Mikey huffs as he enters Don’s room, scratching at his cheek.

“Have you seen Klunk? He was snoozing on me like usual this morning, but… I kinda didn’t want to get up and give him his breakfast just yet." A terrible betrayal, if he were being honest. But he'd really just wanted five more minutes (which turned to ten, to fifteen, to twenty), and Klunk grew bored of swatting his face. Totally lost track of time after that. Mikey frowns, sending another short glance over his shoulder to eye the station. "He must’ve gotten cranky and left, but he wasn’t in the kitchen.”

“No,” Don says. He rotates a bit more in his chair to face Mikey and sets his pen aside. His jaw tightens, shivers as he points toward the door (an attempt to redirect attention as he stifles a yawn). “But--uh. I know he’s really fond of that one spot by the water?”

Mikey shakes his head. “Checked. Nada.”

“Oh…” Don’s brow furrows. “Well… --have you asked Leo? He might’ve seen where Klunk ran off to; he's been up a while.”

“Good idea. Thanks, Donnie!”

Don grunts a sound in place of a “you’re welcome”, and Mikey jogs back into the heart of their new lair.

There is, of course, a risk he ran entering Leo’s room: he’d narrowly managed to wiggle his way out of work yesterday, and he doubted he’d get similar results today. Leo may not be… grumpy anymore, but he was still Leo. A bit of a stickler—a: wet blanket, one might venture. You could only keep up a single ruse with him for so long.

Leo's door is open when he reaches it (a welcome sight, considering how often it’d been closed in the months before), and Mikey allows himself to cross inside. The space is rather bare--with little left to salvage from the second lair and a mutant outbreak to clean up, they found themselves back at square one in terms of decor. But Leo still found a way to make the few things he had feel clean and in order. Mikey could feel almost a rhythm in the way he'd stacked books on the floor, where he placed candles, and where Leo chose to sit when he meditated. He’s also quick to spot the ball of orange fur settled into Leo’s lap.

“Hey, Leo!” Mikey chirps, careful to keep his voice just low enough so as not to startle either of them. He waits a second for one of Leo’s eyes to open before continuing, “mind if I steal Klunk off ya?”

Leo smiles. But it’s… a tired? smile? Mikey can’t remember the last time Leo looked tired in the morning (y’know; like a normal person).

“I’m surprised you didn’t come get him sooner,” Leo mutters. He closes his eye again. “Sure.”

“Thanks!”

Mikey takes a wide step into the room and crouches. He digs around in his belt, locating one of Klunk's favorite snack-tubes.

“Oh Kah-looooonkkkk,” he says, putting on his best sing-song-I-totally-got-treats-for-you-love-me-please voice, “you want some tube~?”

Klunk lifts and tilts his head. Rather than get to his feet and trot to Mikey’s side, he shifts his weight, tucking his legs securely under his body. Mikey blinks.

That's weird. Klunk never turns down an offer for tube.

Even Klunk seems to acknowledge this; his tail twitches irritably, and his ears flatten out. It's like he wants to get up but…

“...hey, Leo?” Mikey props his elbows on his knees, frowning. “Has Klunk been with ya like this all morning?”

Leo’s shoulders lift in a half-shrug. “Guess so.”

“Huh.” Mikey pouts. Klunk hated a late breakfast. There hadn’t been scraps in his bowl, so no one had fed him yet. Why isn't he screaming for food? ...he's definitely still sending me dirty looks.

Mikey drums his hands on his inner knees. He opens his mouth—another question forming on his tongue—but snaps it closed when Leo suddenly sniffs. It's a wet, strained sound, and his posture rolls forward a little. Almost like he’d just gotten dizzy, or the breath had taken more effort than it should've. Come to think of it, it... did look like Leo was breathing through his mouth more than his nose. His lips were parted slightly. Mikey squints—glances from Klunk to Leo—and straightens up. “...your, uh... nose still bugging ya, bro?”

“A little.”

“...iiiis that all that’s bugging ya?”

Leo frowns, but he keeps his eyes closed. His brow wrinkles. “What do you mean?”

“I dunno,” Mikey says, “iiiit’s just�� y’look kind of tired? And… Klunk super doesn’t wanna leave your lap. Which is weird! Because he hasn't had breakfast! And I offered him a tube! He ALWAYS wants tube.”

Leo opens his eyes and frowns as he looks at Mikey. Mikey shifts his weight and wrings his wrists in his lap. Leo didn’t have that needling look in his eyes like he had a few months ago, but… guess he’d started expecting a half-hearted glare and a growl.

Leo must have realized this, too. He winces, and his features weaken.

“Mikey, I’m okay,” he says. Mikey's lips twitch into a weak smile, but it must not have looked convincing. Leo sighs, "really, I’m just… Maybe I've just got a cold.”

“—a cold?” Mikey echoes, all at once alert. His throat tightens. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knows it's irrational, but he doesn't care. He searches Leo’s limbs—any visible section of skin. But nothing looks open, or irritated or… mutated. They'd gotten separated in Bishop's lab for a while after Don got loose. Leo hadn't said anything about encountering other feral mutants, but...

Mikey rolls his lips together, eyes snapping up to meet Leo’s. “You… didn’t get, y’know. Stung. Or anything and didn’t tell us, did you?”

Leo’s expression drops. “What? --no, Mikey. Why would you—”

“—I should get Donnie,” Mikey interrupts, springing to his feet. “Just in case!”

“Mikey, I didn’t—”

“—I’ll be right back!" He jabs a finger at Leo and shakes his head. "Don’t even think about going anywhere! Klunk's loafing on you for your own protection!! DON'T DISRESPECT HIM!”

And he bolts before Leo has the chance to respond.

Don hadn't been the only one tailing Mikey back to Leo's room. Raph followed close at their heels, but he took to leaning on the corner wall rather than hover at Leo's side. Something Leo, admittedly, found himself grateful for.

Quick to busy himself as always, Don took to checking Leo for scratches, bites, stings--any possibility Mikey listed off, thought about or began to fuss over. Klunk, his duty now fulfilled, had grown tired of Don's close proximity, and he swiftly sprang from Leo's lap, trotting to headbutt and rub against Mikey's heels instead. He still circles them now, a soft, steady purr vibrating in his chest. Leo wonders if all cats are like this: aware and attentive of who needs their comfort, and so eager to provide. Or if it's something unique to Klunk... like the little animal knew Mikey had given him a better life, here, and he was in their debt. 

He almost snorts at himself. Probably silly to think cats thought in transactional ways... and something he still needs to work on, himself.

“You’re SURE he's not sick?” Mikey asks suddenly. He fidgets with his mask-tails, unable to stop himself from glancing in Don’s direction. “Like..." he winces, but hints anyway, "sick-sick?”

Don huffs, keeps his eyes down.

Leo frowns, and he shakes his head. “I didn't get stung or bit by anything, Mikey. I promise."

Unless we’re counting that mutant the dragons had set loose. There's a brief second where the thought sends a wave of alarm through his chest, but it's quick to settle. That happened months before the mutagen outbreak in the city. Surely, if it was a similar kind of illness, it would have made itself known by now. He'd been bitten long before Don had been stung, and Don's symptoms began surfacing in the following weeks. His brothers must be thinking something similar; Mikey continues to send looks in Don's direction, and Raph remains oddly quiet. The silence starts to feel heavy, and Leo winces. “Sorry, Donnie.”

“—don’t,” Don hastens, frowning at him. “Really.”

"So," Mikey starts, "he's not sick-sick? He's just... siiiiick-sick?"

Don sends him a dull stare. "You can just say 'infected', Mikey."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. But, no. I don't think he is." Don glances at Leo and shrugs. "There aren't any 'entry points', like he said. And I doubt he ate anything at Bishop's."

Leo grunts and wrinkles his nose. Mikey shifts his weight, unsatisfied. "What... --what about that thing we stole from Karai? --he's the one who touched it first. Do you think it cursed him?"

"Mikey--"

"--don't act like it's not possible, Don!" Mikey interrupts, clenching his fists at his sides. "We've time traveled! Space traveled! There's a whole city under our feet right now! --And--what about that... that big, red alien-monster thing that almost got Angel's bro?! --That old guy--he was totally cursed and stuff!! What if--"

“--it ain’t that deep,” Raph grumbles, his voice low but sharp enough to cut Mikey off. He pushes off the wall, propping his hands on his hips. “I bet it’s ‘cuz this bozo got back from Japan and hit the ground runnin’. Ain't stopped since.”

Leo squints, and Raph holds up a hand, 'counting' off his fingers as he continues, “I doubt ya slept on the boat trip over. Y’came lookin’ for each of us—got us all back in one place. Fought Karai. Got us back on our feet, the station up 'n runnin'. The first few mutants start showin’ their ugly heads. We get sent back to the jurassic period—”

“—cretaceous,” Don mutters, and Raph scoffs.

“Whatever! --Look, my POINT is, y’ain’t stopped movin’ once. You probably went and wore yourself out! Even more than usual!”

“You were kinda training like crazy for a while,” Mikey adds, rubbing his neck. “Like. A lot a lot. All the time. I guess maybe you chilled while you were in Japan, but... also not really.”

“Raph… has a point, Leo,” Don says. He looks to Leo and shrugs. “April’s talked about this sort of thing before. Like, when she was in college? She said during the holiday breaks, she’d come home and not have anything to worry about, and it was like her whole body released a ton of tension all at once. She’d have a horrible stomach ache for that first day home. Maybe… this is your version of that.”

“This is the quietest it’s been since…” Raph pauses, growls, and shakes his head. “It’s the quietest it’s been in a good, long while.”

Leo frowns. He can't think of any kind of argument. Or, at least, all the arguments that were coming to mind wouldn’t help with anything. Either Raph would get irritable, or Mikey would get antsy and more nervous than he already was. And Don... while Leatherhead had been confident there wouldn't be a chance of relapse, they'd decided not to risk anything. Guess it'd be pretty hypocritical of him to go on insisting he was fine, when they'd all decided he wasn't.

What was it the Ancient One said about surrender? Leo almost couldn’t help but smirk and chuckle to himself. “Alright. I guess I could take a few days to do nothing. Join Don in being a couch potato.”

“Sounds ideal to me,” Mikey says.

Leo’s smirk widens. “I bet it does.”

“If anyone deserves a ‘nothin’ day ‘round here, it’s you two workaholics,” Raph says, pointing a finger interchangeably between Don and Leo.

“And Klunk will make sure you both stay sitting down!” Mikey scoops Klunk off the floor. The cat mews in protest, wiggling for a moment before tucking against Mikey's chest. “He’ll be making the best biscuits this side of Brooklyn. Aren't you lucky?”

 Raph snorts, and he thumps a fist against Mikey's shoulder. “Mikey and I will finish what needs t’be done around the lair for the day. Take a load off. Enjoy free biscuits from the stupid cat, and be ready for movies and a hot meal t'night.”

Leo could hear Mikey and Raph in the kitchen, but he couldn’t tell if they were bickering or just talking. Guess those were one and the same when it came to those two.

He and Don had taken to the couch, as promised. Don tinkers with his shell-cell while Klunk watches from his lap, and Leo, settled under a thick blanket, adjusts the book in his hand.

It'd been surprisingly difficult to pick which of his few books he'd wanted to start, and there was something bittersweet in the reminder that he'd have to rebuild his library a second time. He'd selected one of the fiction novels--an old fantasy, filled with mists, magic, and a winding world. He'd already read it a time or three, but the familiar pages were comforting and easy to get lost in. A small voice in the back of his mind still grumbled and tutted that there was work to do, things to check, responsibilities and tasks he'd been setting aside for higher priority items. But he ignores it (for now).

Klunk stands and arches his back. His mouth splits into a large yawn, and he gives his tail a lazy little flick before carefully padding out of Don's lap. Leo smiles and chuckles as the cat moves onto his legs instead, already purring loud enough to drown out whatever conversation fills the kitchen.

Don smirks. “Looks like it’s your turn to get cat-sat, Leo.”

“Yeah.” Leo opens a hand so Klunk can headbutt it, and he ruffles his head with the heel of his palm. “Guess it is.”

Don chuckles. He sits back against the couch again and sighs, letting his hands and the shell-cell drop into his lap. Leo slants his eyes toward him. His smile sinks a little as he watches Don tug one of the throw blankets higher over his chest. “...feeling alright, Donnie?”

“Yeah,” Don huffs, “my energy just gets totally sapped after a certain hour. It’s really annoying.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Mn. ...what about you?”

Leo’s brow furrows. “I… think so? I mostly just feel… heavy.”

“Yeah.”

“But not… --not the same kind of heavy I felt before, just…”

“I know,” Don murmurs. There’s something… different in his tone, now. Leo can’t quite put a word to it. Don continues, “I think Raph hit it right on the money. You get back from Japan and… we get you back… but you haven’t really let yourself have much time to breathe, have you?”

“I could say the same to you,” Leo says, “you’ve been working to get the reservoir station up, functional and livable since we got here. Even while you were getting 'sick'.”

“Maybe. But… I hadn’t just come back from a huge trip with a completely different timezone—a-and, I hadn’t been…" He pauses, cautious. "...I dunno. ...struggling...? At least not like you."

Leo frowns. “Donnie. Whether you’re drowning in an ocean or drowning in a puddle… it’s still drowning.”

Don blinks, glancing at him. There's a moment where Leo can't quite read his eyes, but he remains quiet. Then, Don smirks, and he lets out a weak chuckle.

“I guess you’d know about that better than anyone,” he says, “considering you’re the one who dove in after me when my toy car almost got me waxed.”

“It’d be a pretty embarrassing way to go out," Leo says. "Especially for a turtle.”

“You’d also know a thing or two about that, wouldn’t you? Embarrassing ways to go out.” Don’s eyes glint, and his smirk sharpens. “Big Foot?”

Leo lets out a laugh, ducking and shaking his head in attempt to mask any show of sheepishness. “—Jeez! A guy steps on a landmine one time.”

“It wasn’t just a landmine. It was a landmine in clear water.”

“Please don’t remind me.”

Don laughs. There’s a small pause as his smile softens, and his shoulders sink into a more relaxed position. “...it’s good to have you back, Leo.”

“Hey.” Leo shifts his weight enough to gently jab his elbow into Don’s upper arm. “Right back at you, bro.”

“Alright, sickos.” Raph rounds the couch, his arms held out flat on either side of him. Two large plates balance on either inner-elbow, and in each hand he has a second plate and bowl of steaming soup. Its warm, soothing smell somehow seeps through all the congestion in Leo's nose and throat, and he sighs, letting it fill his ribs. He sits forward and extends his hands, offering to take one of the sets from Raph's person. Raph shoots him a knowing smirk, and he leans just enough to let Leo lift a plate from his arm. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup: comin’ in hot.”

“Oh, sweet,” Don says.

“Think you mean savory, dude!” Mikey chirps as he vaults the couch (and their heads). Leo passes Don the first bowl and plate, and he looks Mikey’s way as his brother drops to his knees to slide the remaining distance to the television set. He spots a DVD case in one of Mikey’s hands and realizes he recognizes it.

“—wait,” he starts, sitting up, “is that what I think it is?”

Mikey turns, flashing him a toothy grin. “Iiiiiiif you mean Kiki’s Delivery Service?”

“Where’d you get that?!” Leo asks, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

“April,” Raph answers. He chuckles and hands Leo the other plate and bowl, “figured it was time t’start usin’ her access to things to our advantage.”

Don arches a brow. “Like we weren’t doing that already?”

“I mean, sure,” Raph says, “but Kiki’s a classic! Gotta look a bit harder t’get your hands on one’a those; ‘specially a copy that ain’t totally trashed.”

“And because she’s totally awesome, she SPLURGED!!” Mikey says, jamming a finger against the DVD player's eject button. “This one’s got behind the scenes—interviews--storyboards even!!!”

“He’s real excited about the storyboards,” Raph mutters, though he fails to mask the fondness coloring his tone. He ambles back toward the kitchen, likely to retrieve food for himself and Mikey.

Leo settles the plate and bowl into the blankets on his lap. Klunk rises from where he'd curled between Don and Leo, and he pads onto one of Leo's knees in attempt to sniff the tomato soup. Leo gently nudges him away. “No, Klunk.”

“Let’s put you on the ground until food’s eaten, little guy,” Don says. He scoops a hand under Klunk’s stomach and lifts him off the couch. Klunk protests with a soft, but long, meow. He allows himself to be placed on the floor, but the look he sends Don—paired with a flick of his tail—is more than enough warning that he’ll be back before food’s finished.

Raph returns with a second round of plates and bowls, and Mikey finishes setting up the DVD. He sprints to the light switch as Raph eases their meals onto the coffee table. The lights shut off, and they’re left in the cool wash of the screen’s glow.

What comes next is a feeling Leo can’t quite put into words. Mikey slides into the open seat on his right, and Raph settles into the nook at Don’s left. The room fills with a familiar score—A Town with an Ocean View, if he remembers the track name correctly--and Don thanks Raph for dinner as the two pass down napkins. Mikey shifts his weight, taking care to move and tuck the blanket so it's evenly distributed between himself and Leo. Then, he curls up, bowl in lap, and lets himself lean into Leo's side. He takes a napkin when Leo offers it to him, and Don and Raph begin banter over who gets the remote for the movie's run time.

Leo has trouble putting a name to this feeling... and even more trouble recalling the last time it fell over him, warm and soft, like an old blanket fresh from the drier.

A sense of peace. Familiarity. Safety and home. He wants to wrap himself in it and stay. Let everything else sink away.

"Remember the first time we watched this?" Don asks. He fixes the plate on his lap and settles a napkin over one of the grilled cheese pieces.

"Feels like years ago," Mikey says.

Raph lets out a soft snort. "'Cause it was years ago."

"Think we were eight," Leo mutters. "It was the first and only time Mikey ever wanted to be near a broom."

"You're just mad 'cuz I won the race," Mikey sniggers. He wiggles enough to poke his elbow into Leo's bridge. "Totally left you and Raphie in the dust. Which you had to sweep up."

"Oh, brother," Don sighs, and Raph rolls his eyes, letting out a low growl.

"Leo? Smack him. I don't wanna spill my soup."

Leo smirks. He shifts his weight, gently jabbing one elbow into Mikey's arm. Mikey whine-groans at him, but the end of it is colored with a chuckle.

Raph (apparently having won whatever game he and Don were engaged in) lifts the remote and hits the center button. The town's melody quiets, and the room goes dark as the title menu fades to black.

[cokoweee]

Okay last one I think…lovely stuff as always, I’m just juggling another brainrot right now, but I was itching to make some remarks. First off I’m glad midwesternvibes mentioned the text thing in the most recent update, because I was tickled to see that too! Probably the first time he had color since before their “spat” in the kitchen. As much as I know it’s still a roadblock in his recovery, I’m glad to see the voices coming back for Donnie. I kinda get this feeling they are hanging out with him until they know he’s going to be “okay”. And I have this little idea to myself, that when Donnie is able to start healing and processing his trauma, he stops hiding from them and is no longer afraid to see them. Of course that would be when they would start to slip away. (And that would be so rough for Donnie) Grief is kinda like that too. Sometimes you can be okay for a long time and you’ll have bouts where you still miss that person(s) even when you know you have accepted and moved on.

So I’m curious what is the situation that Donnie is on a watch. Is it just Draxum’s concern? Is it in case Donnie gets catatonic again? Is it in case he gets violent again? Is it to save his liver (those supersoldier genes only thing keeping it from failing)?

Also Draxum fixing Donnie’s sweater like a dad (only for Donnie to have his femme fatale shoulder thing as soon as the door is closed)

I’m a little surprised that this is the first time Kendra has seen Draxum do his mystic vine magic…or… he just hasn’t had too…or…all the mystic stuff happening lately has made Kendra more aware to it…or… but whatever the reason…appropriate reaction, lol

So something I have noticed that has me enticed is Donnie has been wearing his hand prosthesis more often.

Before the trauma induced episode, the only time we ever saw Donnie wearing it was when he was out or in “mission mode”. It makes sense, he needs to be able to save his ninpo for more than just temporary fingers. So why now… I was gonna suggest he is on edge, but I also remembered, as I was writing this, that you mentioned him having a slight disconnect to his ninpo…so yeah fingies is not a luxury he can afford right now. In any case…. Hmm…Donnnie….you know…if you didn’t shut your second dad outside…he mighta told ya that Kendra went out…ya know…? Also not sure if it’s just clueing us into Kendra still being sick or that trope of “if you sneeze three times it means someone is talking behind your back.” ? (I quote this one when I sneeze a lot, I’ll go “okay who’s trash talking me?!”)

Anyway please take care! Also p.s. if you do start to play Minecraft I hope you have fun. (I tried to play it but my laptop is too old and it crashes, so I can’t give much advice on it) also p.p.s I found a WIP of a thing I started writing for this AU in July, and I kinda…forgot I had it. It’s gonna be so out of place if I ever finish it, so just heads up for whatever was the hot topic then… <_<

GAHH I ANSWERED THIS BUT THE APP CRASHED AUGHHH. Let’s see if I remember what I said

I think I showed it a few times that despite Donnie constantly wanting said voices to stop, whenever they actually do, he feels uneasy. It’s quiet and he feels alone. I don’t write every single voice he hears all the time but just ones that feel right to show. There’s a lot he hears. The good the bad and the horrible.

Dancin a bit in that prosthetic part it’s a bit of a ref to sumthin y’all like to tickle a good bit sometimes lol

DRAXUM! A man not meant to be a father but ended up being a guardian. He hasn’t used his mystics cause there’s no need! Also Draxums reasoning for putting pickle boy on watch isn’t just his!

Casey is one that enforced it so harshly. That episode at the farmhouse was technically the first time she’s EVER seen Doobie in that state. Literally witnessed him break down, almost wipe out a farm and try to tear apart his own body. Both want no risk of not being able to get to Dibble so keeping him out of the lab that he can lockdown is a must for them

OOF THIS IS LONG HOPEFULLY I MADE SENSE. Cause I forgot a bit of what I said before

[dancingdonatello]

Hiya can I get a one-shot of 2018 f!turtles separately finding out they have a daughter with their crush? Like how would they react? Like the girl comes to the present time and they look like their respective dads and also have a hidden similarity to their "mother figure". (I hope I'm using the right gn term for it, if not I apologize I'm unfamiliar with the terms.)

Thank you

rottmnt x gn reader

When Casey introduced the new turtle to Raph and his brothers, Raph didn’t really have an opinion. That was up until Casey revealed that it was his daughter. When he asked who was their other parent or did he raise them with anyone, Casey just smiled awkwardly.

Maybe Raph didn’t know them yet.

His daughter swayed back and forth nervously, asking Casey if she really wasn’t allowed to say who in fear of breaking time rules or whatever. And that’s when it clicked for Raph.

His crush, who he may or may not have been keeping away from his family so that he could spend the most time with them, did that too. Whenever they were nervous, they swayed.

It had been a week and Leo had finally decided to believe that this young turtle was his daughter in the future. She shared a lot of traits with him, not just the red stripes along his eyes. She had a good sense of humor (it had his brothers groaning), she liked comics, she liked basketball, she cracked her knuckles like he did, and she even knew some spanish.

There was one thing different though. She had a totally different laugh them him. But it sounded so familiar to him that it always caught him off guard. He listened to his family’s laughter, wondering if she picked it up from one of them. But no, it didn’t sound similar enough.

It wasn’t until he was horribly flirting with you and that you ended up laughing at one of his fails when he realized that his daughter’s laugh matched yours. Perfectly matched. He didn’t know what relieved him more, that he kept you laughing in the future or that you were able to put up with him long enough to raise a kid with him.

Donnie didn’t really think he ever wanted to be a father. But when a turtle younger with a soft shell and matching goggles (which he was later told was actually his that she took in the future), he inferred that for some reason he had changed his mind. But he couldn’t figure out what could’ve been enough to convince him.

Mikey demanded a family photo upon seeing the cute turtle. He gathered up everyone, including you and Casey and Draxum.

When Donnie looked at the photo, he noticed both you and his daughter were shyly covering their smiles with a hand in the photo.

That ended up being the first bullet point in his new journal as he began to observe both your traits and his daughter traits. When he reached about 50 shared mannerisms, he finally allowed himself to believe that he had a chance with you. Or at least, future him did.

“You guys didn’t tell me you had a sister!” you complained, rocking on the balls of your feet as you observed this new turtle. She was even shorter than you and Mikey.

She nervously stepped back and mirrored you, rocking on her feet as well.

Mikey blinked and looked back and forth between you two, the cogs and wheels in his brain slowly turning.

And then you both sneezed the same way. And then you both smiled the same way. And then—

Mikey could barely contain himself. He launched over to you and grabbed you, hugging you so tightly you wheezed for air.

[mollycabot]

Alex Cabot X Reader Cold sucks

A/N got this idea cause I’ve got a cold that I can’t shake off, so here’s an Alex Cabot comfort one shot, also sorry it’s a short one I’m feeling very tried myself lol and want some sleep maybe we shall see 😂

Alex Cabot and Y/N usually get home around the same time most evenings however Alex got a text earlier on in the day from Y/N she home early but didn’t state why. So Alex decided after court to take her paperwork home so she can get out early.

Once she arrived at her and Y/N’s shared apartment she pushed open the door and walked straight to the kitchen and placed her files and briefcase on the kitchen island and then put her coat and shoes away.

Alex frowned as she walked into the living and not seeing Y/N who would usually be downstairs reading or playing the play station.

Alex decided to check the bedroom and found Y/N warped in a blanket and the bedside table litter with tissues. “Oh honey” Alex said quietly and went to wake Y/N Up with a gentle shake “Y/N my love I’m home” she said and Y/N rolled over to face her lover.

“Hey Lexi” Y/N said in a quiet voice who sounded like she was full of cold “you feeling ok my love?” Alex asked as Y/N shook her head “I think my cold has gone worse” Y/N said and Alex rubbed her back.

“Aww my poor baby you need anything?” Alex asked and Y/N spoke softly “yeh please could I have some more water and tissues please and something for my head it hurts” Y/N said and Alex nodded getting some bits from the kitchen.

One Alex collected the stuff she decided to put the flies in her office for an other day as now Y/N is her top priority.

“Here you go my love” Alex said placing the try on the bedside table and Y/N got up to grab it but then she was hit with a sneezing fit and couldn’t stop sneezing.

Once it eventually passed Alex rubbed Y/N’s back and told her to take a min and catch her breath and then handed over the water.

“Here baby got you some pain meds for your headache” Alex said handing them over to Y/N who took them with no complaints as she wanted some a relief.

“Thank you my love” Y/N said to Alex who gently kissed Y/N’s forehead and frowned “baby your burning up a little” Alex said getting up and getting a clod wash cloth to place on Y/N’s forehead. Once the meds kicked in and Y/N was more relaxed and felt like she could breathe a tiny bit better she started to get sleepy.

“Go to sleep love I’m just going to get myself ready for bed then I’ll come and join you” Alex said walking into the bathroom.

A little while later Alex came out and climbed into bed “feeling any better my love?” Alex asked and Y/N nodded “I’m now your here Lexi” Y/N said and snuggled into Alex who held her girlfriend close to her and kissed her head “I’m happy to be back and cuddling you to Y/N” Alex said quietly who also settled down to go to sleep and after a few cuddles they both where out like lights.

Next day Alex was the first to wake and she decided to leave Y/N to sleep a little while longer as she phoned the DA’s office and Y/N’s workplace to say she won’t be coming in and that Y/N won’t ether and that they need Casey to cover for her. And once Alex had done that she decided to make some chicken soup for Y/N.

After she was done making the soup she took it up to Y/N and helped her sit up “here sweetheart made you some chicken soup and got some more meds” Alex said helping her girlfriend to do so.

“Thanks love for taking such good care of me” Y/N said and later on as Y/N had lightened up and has some more energy Alex and Y/N were sat on the couch cuddle up with Y/N playing Minecraft and chilling with her head in Alex’s lap as Alex was going over some files and they both knew the day off will be a relaxing one even if Y/N was still sick.

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

I've been binging your x readers the past few days, and they're so well done!! If it's not much trouble, could you do a 2k3 Donnie x GN Reader during the Adventures in Turtlesitting/Good Genes arc? I've been turning the thought of (Y/N) witnessing his transformation and going "Like Hell I'm not gonna do something about this" and doing what they can to make a cure; even standing up to Bishop and Stockman. I'm a sucker for "You helped me, it's the least I could do to help you" stories. >u<

Secondary Mutation (Angst)

2003!Donatello x reader

A/N: Thank you so much! That’s so sweet of you to say💚 This arch goes over three episodes, but I’ve tried cut it down and make it more precise, making the main focus the showdown and all that at Area 51. Hope you enjoy💜

---------

Warning: Spelling (was a little tired towards the ending. Long day😅), Donnie with a secondary mutation, Bishop and Stockman being assholes, a little hostage situation like?

---------

You were there when it happened. You witnessed the whole thing as it unfolded. Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo and dropped you and a sick Donatello off at April’s place. It had been Leo’s idea, citing it would be good to keep both of you out of the sewers, while he and the other’s went on a hunt for Bishop’s mutants. You too thought it was a good idea, except it meant crashing April and Casey’s long awaited date night.

It had started out great. Or as great as it could. Your boyfriend was continuously sneezing and sniffling, bags running under his eyes, and shaking even when covered by several blankets. The poor guy was going through it.

But then the black out happened, leaving all of New York City in darkness. That was the last thing you needed, sitting with your shivering boyfriend’s head in your lap, trying to sooth him with your fingers tracing across his head. But nothing helped. Donnie felt horrible, and the darkness only made it worse for him.

As Casey went to look for a flashlight, Donnie started groaning out in pain, complaining that the cut on his leg was beginning to act up. He said it felt like it was burning, causing you even more worry than before. April wanted to help, but with her own boyfriend knocking things over in her room, as he looked for the flashlight, she had to leave to make sure he didn’t bring the whole apartment down over the shop. But that was when the trouble began.

Donnie groaning almost turned to screaming, his thigh convulsing. You were terrified, asking him if he was okay, begging him for an answer, but Donnie could not speak. The pain was too much for him. Then suddenly he let out an ear piercing scream, his thigh doubling in size. He sat up, hugging onto his legs, screaming and shaking as sweat ran down his face. His body started to grow, his belt, elbow pads and knee pads ribbing before he hurried up from the sofa, as if he frantically tried to find a solution on his own.

“Donnie?”, you asked terrified, trying to find him in the dark, grabbing your phone in your pocket.

“(Y/N)”, you heard Donnie’s strained voice call out from the corner of the room. You quickly turned on your phone's flashlight, pointing it in his direction. There he stood, double in size, red eyes, sweat dripping down his face with an expression of pain. “Help me”.

“Don?”, you asked in confusion, stepping closer to him. “What’s happening?”

“No!”, he exclaimed, just as April and Casey came back into the living room. “Stay back!”

“Don!”, they called out.

“No!”, Donnie yelled, before pushing past all of you, making a b-line directly for the door, breaking it off the hinges before he ran downstairs. “Get away from me!”

The next few hours were horrible. Finding Donnie had turned into a giant alligator-like creature in the basement, before you and your friends had to defend yourselves against your boyfriend. Casey even had to go as far as mashing him over the head with a vacuum. It was even more horrible knowing he had run off into the sewers, leaving you scared and worried while the guys looked for him.

All of this led you up to this point, you and your best friends seeking out Agent Bishop in order to find a cure for your horribly inflicted boyfriend. Seeing Donnie like this broke your heart. Tears rolled down your face as you watched him unconsciously float around in the round glass bubble. Somehow this was even worse than having watched him slam against the glass or the other containment unit, roaring like a wild beast, trying to claw at whatever he saw outside the glass. Even you. You almost broke down when he snapped against the glass, wanting to bite you.

You paced around Bishop’s lab, unable to sit still. Because if you sat down you would stare, and if you stare you would cry. And you did not want to cry, you wanted to act. You wanted to do something. You couldn’t just sit around and wait for his brothers to get whatever Bishop had asked of them. Especially not when Leatherhead and Splinter kept reading Donnie’s vitals, giving each other sad looks. You knew what they were saying. You could not hear it, but you knew it. Donnie’s time was running out. His second mutation was breaking down his body. And there was nothing you could do but wait. And you hated it. You felt like you were going mad. Time was ticking and you could do nothing but watch, feeling the need to scream and cry.

“Doctor Stockman”, Splinter said, turning to the walking brain on a stick that had been testing your patience ever since you got to Area 51. “Agent Bishop told us that you would administer the cure to Donatello”.

“To think that I’ve sunk so low”, Stockman spoke to no one but himself, testing out different liquids on a creature in a different bubble. “That my unparalleled genius, would be used to save the life of one of these freaks”. You bite the inside of your cheek, holding from the temptation of smashing the glass that harbored Stockman’s brain. "Unfathomable".

“Where’s the cure, Stockman?”, Leatherhead asked, doing his best to keep his tone civil. But Stockman ignored him, moving from one console to another, still talking to himself as he went.

“I’m pulled from sweet oblivion, for what?! This?!”

Getting tired of Stockman’s rambling, Leatherhead grabbed onto the walking stick, forcing him to face him. “Show us the cure, now!”

“Cure?”, Stockman asked. “You stupid animal! Agent Bishop lied. There is no cure”.

“What?!”, Splinter exclaimed, his eyes wide. You felt your own body going pale, stopping dead in your tracks. For a moment you stopped breathing. Leatherhead growled, anger bobbling inside of him.

“You inhuman, soulless, monster!”, Leatherhead yelled, slamming Stockman against the keyboard, before getting ready to punch the glass head himself.

“Leatherhead, please”, Splinter called out, putting a hand on the mutant’s shoulder. “I share your anger, but this will not help Donatello! We need solutions not vengeance”.

“According to me, that piece of gum needs a good chewing!”, you yelled, pointing at Stockman.

“You too, (Y/N)”, Splinter said. “Please, my child. For Donatello”.

“You’ll be wise to listen to your inlaw”, Bishop’s voice sounded as he walked into the lab. Leatherhead growled and you felt your fists tightened at the sight of his smug smile. Both you and Leatherhead started seeing red, your anger so great that not even Splinter could hold you back.

“I’ve waited a long time to do this”, Leatherhead said before grabbing Stockman by the metal throat. “Now you’ll know the meaning of pain!” He threw the lump of metal onto the ground, before making his way to the well dressed man. You wasted no time stomping your foot onto Stockman’s back, making him lay flat against the floor.

“Doctor Stockman is working on a cure”, Bishop calmly said. “He’s the best change Donatello has for survival”. You sucked a breath in, staring directly into Stockman’s lone eye. Leatherhead fought the urge not to jump on Bishop. “Harm me, and Stockman stops. And your friend has no chance!”

You reluctantly let Stockman go, just as Leatherhead decided to back away from Agent Bishop.

“Fine, for now villain”, the large mutant said, before turning to the robot human hybrid that had just managed to get off the floor. “Doctor Stockman, show me what you have so far”.

The scientist sighed, before moving to the console with Leatherhead and Master Splinter. You however went straight over to Bishop, anger still fuming off of you. “This better work, Bishop”, you growled. “Or else you’ll personally have to deal with me”.

Agent Bishop faked a kind smile. “Your care for your friends is admirable, Miss (L/N), especially your care for Donatello. Although, I’m right to assume that your care for the turtle goes above just that of friendships?”

“How I care for my friends is none of your business”, you calmly said, keeping your anger in check. “What is your business, is making sure Stockman succeeds”.

“If you say so, Miss. (L/N)”, Bishop said, before walking away, leaving you back alone in your anger and sadness. How you wished you could be hugging Donnie, just one more time.

—

Leatherhead and Stockman made great progress on the cure, with the first test subject being a success. Who would ever have thought that you would be happy with Stockman’s work, even if it actually had been Leatherhead that had done the most out of the two? But all that slight happiness disappeared the moment the Bishop opened his mouth.

“Impressive, Mr. Leatherhead”, he said, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “And to think, I was going to dissect you”. Leatherhead growled. “What a waste that would have been. You’re even more brilliant than Doctor Stockman!”

“That doesn’t take much”, you mumbled, Splinter lifting a finger, telling you to behave. For the sake of Donnie.

“What?!”, Stockman questioned, not believing what Bishop had said.

“Then, it works?”, Splinter asked, watching as the test subject turned human again.

“Doctor, prepare an airborne version of the cure for the New York outbreak. As well as a sample for Donatello”, Bishop said, turning directly towards you and Splinter. “If his brothers fulfill their side of the agreement”.

“Don’t worry, Bishop”, you said, engaging in a stare down with the agent. “They will”.

“Brave of you to trust the life of your sweetheart with his brothers”, Bishop said. “Or maybe even foolish”.

“We trust them”, was the last thing you got to say, before there was news on a returning base helicopter. You sighed a breath of relief. They were back.

You went up to the main entrance, meeting the brothers as they came in. Bishop did not greet them, instead demanding that they handed over the item he was wanting. They looked to Master Splinter, waiting for his confirmation, before Mikey handed the stone over. The moment the stone was in Bishop’s hand, the alarm sounded, red lights shining all over the base.

“Base destruct sequence initiated”, sounded the alarm over your heads, making your ears ring.

“This base has been compromised by your presence”, Bishop said. “You have 15 minutes to collect your brother, and vacate the premises”. Then Bishop turned, smiling over his shoulder before he left. “Pleasure doing business with you”. You felt your fist clench.

It took you less than a minute to find Leatherhead. He was already working the cure on Donnie, leaving you all anxious in anticipation. Fog built up inside the machine, before the door finally opened, letting out a dazed and confused Donnie, rubbing his eyes as he took in his surroundings.

“Hey, guys”, he said tiredly. “What’s up?”

“Donnie!”, you yelled, running to him, throwing your arms around him before bringing him into a thigh hug. He wobbled slightly, leaning his weight on you as he found his footing.

“Hey, babe”, he smiled, still a little confused. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

“That’s a story for a different time”, Leo said. “Now we gotta go before this place blows up!”

He didn’t have to say that twice. Quickly you all ran outside, finding the chopper before taking off. You just managed to get up high enough, before the base blew up, sending red, orange and yellow light across the sky.

You all breathed a sigh of relief, happy to have Donnie back, safe and sound.

“Welcome back, my son”, Splinter said, taking a hold of Donnie’s hand.

“Thanks Sensei”, he smiled, still a little tired. “But I hope you guys didn’t go through too much trouble for me”.

The reaction on everybody’s faces spoke volumes. None of you had the guts to tell him, and neither should you.

You took Donnie’s hand in yours, smiling at him. “For you, nothing’s too much trouble”, you said, placing a kiss on his cheek. Donnie blushed slightly, not sure how to react in front of his family. But in all honesty, it did not matter much to him at the moment. He was just happy to be back to normal, feeling your hand in his once more.

[safficranger]

Fake Scenarios In My Head #04

It’s Friday, Casey comes home from work and is a little surprised to find Alex already lounging on the couch. She is reading through a few files, scribbling away on her pad, obviously working. The lights are dim, there is a huge cup of tea on the table, and a pack of tissues.

"Hey, are you okay?" Casey asks, concerned, feeling her forehead with the back of her hand. "If you're sick, you should rest, honey."

"Just a little cold. I need to get this done, but the office lights give me a headache," Alex replies.

"Okay, I'll make something light for dinner. You're allowed to work until dinner, after which you rest," Casey says.

Alex gives a small smile. "Yes, Ma'am."

After dinner, Alex cuddles in a warm blanket and switches on the TV for some background noise. Casey cleans the kitchen and takes a quick shower. Dressed in comfortable clothes, she comes back to the living room and slips under the blanket with Alex.

"Maybe we shouldn't... I don't want you to get sick too," Alex says.

Casey kisses her hair and pulls her closer. "Don't worry. I'm a big girl and I grew up in a military family. I don`t get sick."

"That makes no kind of sense." Alex mumbles half asleep, not denying that the warmth of Caseys embrace really helps to make her feel better.

"Stop arguing, counselor, and get some rest." Casey whispers while Alex falls asleep in her arms.

~•~

Early Monday morning, Alex is getting ready for work, prepping their coffee to go cups in the kitchen. Casey emerges from the bedroom, still wearing her pyjamas and a fluffy bathrobe, her hair ruffled, and looking even paler than usual.

"I want to file an official complaint," Casey announces.

"A complaint?" Alex is a little stunned.

"Yes!" Casey sneezes. "My girlfriend uses her knowledge about my big, warm heart and the fact that I can't stand to see her hurting to lure me into cuddling with her, making me sick with the flu in the process."

"Those are some serious accusations," Alex says, trying to keep a professional face.

"I am seriously sick!"

"How about your girlfriend brings you back to bed, brings you some medicine, and takes on your caseload for the day so you can rest?" Alex proposes, "for compensation."

Casey thinks for a minute and sniffs a little. "Throw in some ice cream for dinner, and we have a deal."

[ramonaboat]

More Alex Claremont-Diaz in NYU

Because if Casey was to write a book just about him navigating student life, having more of the college experience he didn’t get in Georgetown, while being Henry’s bf… I would read it hundreds of times over. So to fill in the need, I will supply my own headcanons

Alex gets a solid stable friend group throughout, and somehow he’s made friends with who many consider underdogs. One of them is the daughter of a plumber in NYC, who got into NYU for her undergrad under a full scholarship. One of them is a gay man who was disowned by his family, but is happily married now. His more privileged friends are more aware about the advantages they have and are not assholes about it. He himself is privileged guy after all

He does have classmates who he can sense want to use him for their own gain and social brownie points. His friends are protective about it

When it was apparent to the students that their friend group was a thing, all of a sudden the once underdogs became more popular just by association with Alex. Social climbers want in. Alex kinda feels bad about it but his friends reassure him

June and Nora are happy that Alex has friends from school and outside the Super Six

Alex’s NYU friends get close to Henry eventually, as the former hosts a lot of study sessions at the brownstone as soon as he’s sure he can trust them

Alex’s friends are fascinated by the fact that he can be so ordinary sometimes. Like yes, he’s a brilliant student, was summa cum laude for his undergrad, was a freaking prodigy, but he also gets toothpaste stains on his hoodie and forgets to shave his stubble when he’s busy. He also falls asleep in the library, waking up to one side of his curls flatter than the other. He trips and sneezes and makes mistakes and had to take several trips to the bathroom after insisting on eating his leftovers gone bad (he didn’t have time to get anything else that day, okay?) He was extraordinary but ordinary

They help him get through his fear of disappointing people, of always needing to prove that Alex Claremont-Diaz is deserving because of his own brilliance and not because of his parents (particularly his mother)

The friends also freak out when his Mom calls. They have moms that call them too but like.. hearing the President’s voice on the other line just talking to her kid and asking normal mother questions was a surreal experience. That they don’t quite get used to it.

For one of his friend’s birthdays he gives her an Apple Pencil, because she saved up to buy an iPad from her corporate job so she can annotate her readings from there but mostly used non-Apple styluses cause she didn’t have the budget for an Apple Pencil yet. When she received it she was shocked cause it was expensive for a stylus but Alex insisted. He doesn’t throw around his money, he doesn’t like to make his friends uncomfy with expensive gifts, but he knows when to help

They know Alex loves him when people genuinely don’t know things about him. There are loads of facts about him online and in the press, so when people ask him about things they know are out there and are public knowledge he gets excited. People often already know things about him, it gives him a semblance of normalcy

He still occasionally likes the spotlight though, he is ACD. He loves it most when he can use his influence to do good, like give spotlight to certain charities

He has a cool prof one semester that made them have a karaoke session during the last class. Used the class projector for it and everything. Alex sang London Boy and the class went wild

He once brings a tupperware filled with cookies to share. “My boyfriend baked them,” he said nonchalantly as if his boyfriend weren’t the Prince of freaking England. “He doesn’t have much kitchen experience but he’s been practicing and he’s pretty proud of this one” This was when his friends hadn’t met Henry yet so they were astounded

Eventually they get used to Henry making them tea, handing them drinks, serving them food (a lot of it takeout 😅)

Some study sessions end up being board game sessions, Henry’s included

Alex’s friends often tease him about how in love he is with Henry. Some fake gag when they’re being too sticky-sweet

Alex loves hosting dinners and study sessions and stuffing his friends. He knows a lot of them are struggling with scholarships and rent and jobs that barely pay the bills so he knows it helps them get their mind off a couple meals for the month. He also gets so much food that they all have leftovers to bring home and microwave for breakfast. He chalks it up not being good at estimating how much food they need, but really its his way of helping them. His friends catch on when they notice they always have their favorites ready.

This makes Henry love Alex even more

They discover Henry has a thing for when Alex uses legal jargon. They tease him about it. Henry threatens to throw them in the dungeon

His friends were once sharing horrible college dorm experiences. “Did you stay in dorms, Alex?” one of them asks even if they know the answer is now. “I, err, stayed at home” Home being the freaking WHITE HOUSE, one of them points out

His parents, June and Henry come during graduation. There was media coverage.

That’s it for today. To be honest with you I want to turn this into a fic in the POV of his classmates but I don’t have the time so let’s settle with this brain dump for now 😅

[tangledinink]

I know that Splinter didn't really train April, but I just think it'd be funny if the first person taught the Hamato way of fighting wasn't a full-blooded Hamato. Also, I want the Draxum kids to kind of look down on 'lesser humans' only for trained-since-she-was-seven Casey/Cru and student-of-Lou-Jitsu April to--well, probably they can't defeat them, but at least impress them and get a few memorable hits in.

Oh absolutely! April may not have been given a full-blown martial arts education from Splinter, but she most CERTAINLY knows a thing or two and can hold her own, and even the OCCASIONAL lesson from Lou Jitsu is nothing to sneeze at! Her and Casey/Cru can most definitely give anyone who messes with them a run for their money-- much to the Draxum Gang's surprise...

[scoobydoowhatareyou]

Ha, What’s New Scooby Doo won

Fred Jones:

-Loves snowboarding

-follows instructions from his gps to the letter

-Dad Friend

-tells Daphne that looking for clues alone is “too dangerous for a girl”

-He ignored Velma because he was talking to Shaggy

-Fred Jones tried to fight a whole sea monster so his friends could get away

-Installed an “emergency nap station” for Shaggy

-Loves sports

-Can bench 220 and likes to bring it up

Velma Dinkley:

-afraid of getting sick

-powerful fucking sneezes

-bro how did an experiment on how earth worms are affected by zero gravity beat sustainable fuel

-Nevermind, I guess it has interplanetary agricultural applications

-does not believe in violence

-gives a mean wedgie

-Doesn’t like roller coasters

-Loves hockey

Daphne Blake:

-BAMF

-Totally Spies energy

-She was a knockoff Girl Scout

-likes rollercoasters

-SHE ACTUALLY SOLVED A MYSTERY

-She can surf really well

-Likes alliteration

-Likes baseball

-Can pick a lock with anything

Shaggy Rogers:

-Doesn’t know a thing about sports

-Builds awesome sand castles

-Loves video games

-Vegetarian (Casey Kasem)

-Has an ex-girlfriend

Scooby-Doo:

-Does the stupid inflation gag that I hate

[the-hidden-writer]

No Escape From Reality.

An Alan Wake 2 oneshot. Spoilers for The Final Draft!

Summary: Despite both Alan and Saga's reassurances, Casey can't stop questioning his existence and struggles to draw the line between his own life and the books.

Words: 2,521 AO3 link: [Here!]

No Escape From Reality

He was out of the spiral.

Despite sitting relatively comfortably in the back of a van owned by the FBC, Alan felt exhausted. But he would take the deep-rooted fatigue in his body over The Dark Presence any day. Besides, he wasn't alone.

Albeit for a much shorter time, The Dark Presence had possessed Agent Casey and Scratch had used him as a vessel just as he had with Alan himself, so the FBC wanted to bring back the both of them. And while his gut told him that he would be with the FBC for a considerable amount of time, he was less certain what they had planned for Casey. Did they just want to examine him? Question him? Or did they want to run tests on him?

Even though he was fully expecting that for himself, Alan felt a sudden flash of anger at the thought. He felt strangely protective of Casey, despite only officially meeting the man so recently. He wasn't sure why.

He looked over at the man in question.

Casey sat opposite him, his head tilted back to lean against the side of the van and his hands gripping the seat, but otherwise unmoving. Alan absentmindedly wondered if he was experiencing the same exhaustion as he was.

Casey hadn't uttered a word for the entire journey. The last time he'd spoken was when he was parting with Saga, insisting that he was fine and to greet her daughter on his behalf. Though the FBC had questions for Saga too, it wasn’t as urgent and they allowed her to go home to her family first. Alan had the feeling that she would have gone even without permission.

As soon as she'd left his sight, Casey's small, reassuring smile had dropped. Alan had been too wrapped up in his own thoughts at the time and thought nothing of it. But now, with a long journey ahead of him and a familiar stranger in front of him, he started to itch for a conversation. Not to end the awkward silence between them, although it was very awkward, but instead because the two of them being alone together was beginning to remind him a little too much of The Dark Place.

Wanting to end the silence was one thing. Figuring out how to start a conversation with the stoic man after everything that had just happened was another.

Time had no meaning in The Dark Place and Alan was accustomed to being there, so he was unable to determine just how long he spent trying to think of how to initiate a conversation. Being a writer, words usually came so easily to him, and yet all of a sudden he couldn't find the right ones. Maybe it was a side-effect of exiting the loop. Or maybe it was plainly the exhaustion consuming him.

Whatever it was, it didn't matter, because Alan felt a sudden tickle in his nose and broke the silence with a loud sneeze.

"Gesundheit." Casey said, without looking at him.

"Thanks." Alan responded, slightly embarrassed.

Of course, he thought, with a hint of chagrin. His actions were no longer being determined by pre-written pages. You'd never see the hero of the story cough, sneeze, or need to use the bathroom.

At least the ice between them had been chipped at.

Alan readjusted his sitting position, purposefully making enough noise when shuffling around to catch Agent Casey's attention.

Judging by the shuffling across from him, his plan was successful.

Not wasting the opportunity, Alan spoke up.

"Are you okay?"

"Just peachy." Casey replied, his voice gruff and his words thick with disdain and sarcasm.

After a long pause, he sat forward and finally looked at Alan. His hardened features melted into a weary frown.

"Honestly, I'm just tired." He said with an air of defeat. "With that thing, that- that presence inside me… god, it felt so awful, so…"

His voice trailed off as he also seemed to struggle to find the words.

"Dark?" Alan prompted.

Casey barked out a small, humorless sound that wasn't quite a laugh.

"Yeah." He affirmed. "Don't know how you managed it."

"I'm just used to it."

They fell into a more comfortable silence then. The ice felt like it had finally broken, which Alan was grateful for. He needed allies if he was going to help Alice, and Casey seemed like a great contender.

Again, he had no idea how much time he spent listening to the gentle hum of the vehicle before Casey was the one to speak up.

"I should've asked, are you okay?"

"I've been worse." Alan answered honestly.

Casey gave a tiny nod. "Good."

His gaze lingered on him for a few more moments, before stiffly turning away. Alan got the feeling he wasn't really satisfied with the answer.

"Agent Casey?" He tried.

Casey turned back toward him, face suddenly hardened again, and his eyes locked onto Alan’s, almost like he was searching or scanning for something within them. Alan had to fight himself to not blink too much or look away. The more questions he saw in the man’s eyes, the more they started to feel like his own.

Eventually, Casey said: "Wake, I'm real."

It was a statement with no room for argument, but Alan heard the implied question underneath.

That’s when it dawned on Alan exactly what was gnawing at Casey. He must still be fighting with the concept of being a fictional character.

Alan could relate, to some degree.

“Yeah.” He replied simply.

“And your books,” Casey continued, unable to hide his distaste, “based on me, not the other way around.”

“That’s right,” Alan affirmed again, “you can’t create something out of nothing.”

Casey nodded, seemingly pleased with that answer. But he wasn’t done.

“And I’m in control of my life. Your goddamn writing didn’t start twisting it until after we got to Bright Falls. I’m my own person.”

Alan paused at that. As much as he wanted to be reassuring, the affirmation didn’t come to him as quickly.

The truth was that he had no idea. He’d only just discovered Alex Casey was a real person and not just a figment of his imagination. His books had all been unknowingly based on a real, living man. Alan tried not to dwell on that fact too much, otherwise he’d start doubting his own abilities as an author and creative.

If the real Alex Casey was a Private Investigator, then maybe the question of which came first would be easier to answer. But he wasn’t. He was an FBI agent, one whose partner possessed the necessary abilities to break Alan out of The Dark Place and one who had previously investigated Bright Falls and murder cults. That’s exactly what Alan had needed, and what he’d written about. It would be a stretch to call that a coincidence.

As for being his own person…

Alan didn’t know how many times he’d killed the Casey (that looked and sounded identical to this one) in The Dark Place. It didn’t appear to have impacted the real one, but he couldn’t be sure.

He’d come to consider the echoes of Alex Casey in The Dark Place as comforting. A friend guiding him through the endless night, written into the story to save him. His character of so many years- or so he’d thought.

They say that every character contains a piece of their creator. Heroes and protagonists are especially more likely to just be a mask of the author.

Alan tried not to think about Thomas Zane and his familiar face. Nor did he wish to dissect Zane’s film, Nightless Night, or how “Thomas Seine” playing the role of him swapped places in The Writer's Room with the man who looked like Casey playing The Detective, a role which Alan himself assumed in The Dark Place. It was unnerving to think about and Alan was afraid he would come to a revelation neither of them would like.

However, his mind did wander briefly to the actor he’d met whose name escaped him. He’d seen him before The Dark Place, he was sure of it, and he recalled that he looked so uncannily similar to Casey. His voice was nigh-identical in the movie clip as well.

And then the actor, bound to a chair by the reel of Zane’s films, desperately fighting against Alan’s pre-written narrative and begging for his life.

Wearing a mask.

Alan pulled himself out of his quickly spiraling thoughts and back into reality, realizing he had been taking a long time to respond. Casey was still looking at him expectantly, though the silence seemed to be an answer in itself. His hard mask had cracked slightly; his eyebrows furrowed and his lips slightly parted as he waited with baited breath. Alan saw a glimpse of a deeply-rooted fear, one that maybe even predated the events at Bright Falls, and an uncharacteristic sliver of anxiety.

No, Alan caught himself. He couldn’t decide that it was uncharacteristic. It might have been for his Alex Casey, but who was he to know the emotions and personality of the real one?

“Yeah.” Alan answered finally, brushing aside the reflections in his mind of the actor, the echoes, and Nightless Night. “You’re your own person.”

~-.-~

Looking out over the damned lake that started all of this, Casey sighed and took a big sip of coffee. Next to him, he noticed Saga doing the same.

The two of them had traveled back to Bright Falls to tie up some loose ends of their investigation, despite the case technically being transferred to the FBC. Both partners were thorough in their work and liked to see cases to completion if they could.

The real reason they’d come back was that Saga was concerned about the locals and wanted to talk to them. People like Rose and Ilmo had been through a lot and were kept more out of the loop of what was happening, and Saga wanted to see how they were doing and ensure that Wake’s story hadn’t permanently corrupted them in some way.

Casey himself, finally free from all the FBC’s prodding and poking, had no intention of letting her go by herself.

So there they were. Casey and Anderson sitting on a bench in Bright Falls overlooking Cauldron Lake with cups of Oh Deer Diner coffee in their hands, thankfully with the sun shining overhead.

It should have been peaceful. And yet any proximity to that cursed town brought back a lot of unwanted thoughts and fears in Casey. Particularly the memory of when Saga had told him that something he knew and remembered as fact at the time (Logan’s death) was untrue. Since he fully trusted Saga, he found that he couldn’t trust himself.

After spending many years contemplating the scary amount of coincidences and parallels with the fictional Alex Casey in Wake’s books, that feeling wasn’t exactly new to him. Didn’t mean it was any less unpleasant.

“What’s on your mind?” asked Saga, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Casey let out a small huff of amusement. He knew very well that she’d probably already deduced exactly what was troubling him and was only asking to be polite. He decided to humor her.

“I spoke to Wake the other day.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Was all he could say. He wasn’t sure why it was so difficult to explain what he was feeling. It was easier to think about it privately than to outwardly say: ‘Hey Anderson I think I’ve been twisted into a fictional character without realizing it’.

“Hey, Anderson?”

Saga gave him a patient smile. “What’s up?”

“I…”

I don’t know if I can trust any of my memories. I don’t know if my personality was mine to begin with. I can’t rid myself of the feeling of the dark shadow writhing around inside me. I think I might end up dying in an alleyway like in Wake’s book.

His hands began to shake, causing him to lose grip on his coffee cup which fell to the ground, leaving an ugly splatter on the floor. Casey held back a sob but couldn’t stop his voice from breaking.

“...I don’t know who I am anymore.”

The sight of the lake in front of him started to burn his eyes, so he tightly closed them. A few seconds later he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder.

“Look at me, Casey.”

Casey inhaled deeply and slowly opened his eyes. Saga had moved so that she was crouched in front of him, taking up most of his vision. Her face blocked his view of the sun, causing sunlight to outline her silhouette and give her an almost angelic look.

“You’re my partner, and you are real.”

He met her gaze and a stray tear found its way down his cheek. “The changes don’t affect me, remember?” Saga continued. “I’ve known you for years, and you’ve always been the same person I know and care about. A really great FBI agent, not some gritty PI.”

She had a point, there. She was the one who could tell when Wake’s story was changing reality, and if Wake really was the source of his life being altered, then Saga would know. And if she really did have some strange mind powers, then she would know that it wasn’t normal and he trusted her to tell him if that was the case.

“You’re right, Anderson,” he said with a small smile, “as per usual.”

She smiled at that. He knew that she liked to abuse her privileges of being one of the only people he actually listened to.

“See?” Said Saga. “Now, repeat after me: My name is Alex Casey, and I’m an FBI agent.”

Casey grimaced. “Do I have to?”

“Yes!” Exclaimed Saga, using the same patronizing tone of voice she’d use to get Logan to eat something she knew she wouldn’t like.

With a frown, Casey relented. “My name is Alex Casey and I’m an FBI agent.”

“And again.”

He groaned. It was all more than a little patronizing, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t help ground him and make him feel slightly better. He repeated the phrase again.

Saga was tenacious and wouldn’t let it go. “One more time?”

“My name is Alex Casey, and I’m an FBI agent.”

“Good.” Saga smiled, standing up. “I’ll go get you another coffee.” She began to walk back toward the diner, but he cleared his throat before she could get too far. She paused and looked back.

“Thanks, Anderson.” He said, and while his voice might not betray it, he could tell that she understood that he meant it from the bottom of his heart.

She nodded knowingly before heading inside.

Casey cast his gaze back to Cauldron Lake. The water looked innocent enough from an outside perspective- even beautiful on a day like this one. It chilled him to his core to think about all that had transpired because of it and what sinister secrets lay below the surface.

He closed his eyes.

“My name is Alex Casey. I’m an FBI agent.”

Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated :)

[lute-the-faller]

[Blue awkwardly walks in, houndoom ears pricked up trying to find where Casey is. That's not exactly hard, given the crying...]

Casey...?

@bluefall7

[casey sniffles, holding onto a crying davesprite tightly, looking up at blue.]

hai. sorry, im a mess right now. haha.

[AMEN BREAK SAMPLE ASS SNEEZE]

[firstprince-ao3feed]

Want U Around

Want U Around https://ift.tt/ApT4zYg by absolutelyrs When Henry greets Alex with a series of sneezes and coughs instead of his usual kisses that lead into hot makeout sessions, Alex makes it his job to nurse the shit out of his boyfriend back to health. — “Alright. No more talking for you, Your Royal Highness,” Alex combs his fingers through Henry’s sweaty hair, “just let your hot, responsible, loving boyfriend take care of you.” “God, please.” Words: 2601, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, June Claremont-Diaz, David the Beagle (Red White & Royal Blue) Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz & Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz & June Claremont-Diaz Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Sickfic, Sick Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Avengers, Fluff, Light Angst via AO3 works tagged 'Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor' https://ift.tt/BTYlJfD November 13, 2023 at 04:10PM