#don't ask where casey was in all of this he's barely in the show at all

[naivesilver]

things that only happen in the 1987 tmnt italian dub for no discernible reason

(with special thanks to retrotaverna for collecting them, as there were many I wouldn't have thought to include - go give them a watch if you know italian!)

they only make references to italian pop culture. this does not mean, and I can't stress it enough, that they're in some parallel universe where the story is set in italy - they go to italy, some seasons down the line. they go to venice, florence and rome, they dress up as catholic friars and splinter gets to geek about art. what it does mean is that these american turtles live in american sewers, pay for pizza with american dollars and still make jokes about pippo franco.

a notable exception is gone with the wind, because apparently, they ALL love gone with the wind. donnie quotes gone with the wind. shredder quotes gone with the wind. everyone quotes gone with the wind. beats me why.

mikey does a passable neapolitan accent constantly and unprompted. he also has the same voice actor as ash ketchum. a man of many talents.

cowabunga got translated as other stuff for like three seasons straight and the first untranslated one was not said by any of the turtles but by shredder.

upon having to take care of an injured alien, donatello's first demand is for someone to bring him boiled water, to which raphael replies "what are you talking about??? it's not like he's about to have a baby!!!"

people keep bursting into songs........except it's never something related to the story, but only a vaguely appropriate pop tune. the kraang leader hums frank sinatra. there is a robot singing a blues brothers song. other notable mentions feature lucio battisti, vasco rossi and the kessler twins.

they also consistently break the fourth wall to acknowledge the fact that kids are watching them and that they should hurry up before the episode ends.

bebop is from the province of milan and he makes it his whole personality. his accent is the most lombard accent you'll ever hear. he allegedly accepted to work for shredder instead of taking a steady job in milan because "he didn't want to commute". rocksteady hijacks a train and he demands to be dropped off at the municipal square (of milan). upon being asked where his boss is, he earnestly says "I don't know, maybe he went to milan". commitment to the bit 101.

they are always a cautionary bleep away from cursing. always. especially april and raph.

shredder can't drive on his own because he only has a learner's permit. he also promises kraang to bring him coffee in bed if he helps with a mission.

usagi shows up and has to disguise himself as a friar. this is, of course, unrelated to the friar disguises the turtles use in vatican city, and they say it makes him look like a character in the name of the rose.

last but not least, vernon enters a pub and asks for hot cocoa to recover from the disappointment of seeing april on live tv. he gets the cocoa, drinks it, complains that it's "sparkling"(?) and leaves.

close-up on the sparkling cocoa.

it's beer.

get 4kids-ed idiot.

[somerandomdudelmao]

So, Casey's a turtle mutant, and he has obvious links to Leo (skin markings + color), some subtle links to Mikey (Shell design), and a very subtle link to Raph with his fangs.

I wonder though, how long did it take them to notice that he has fangs? And just how much did this…

Hurt to see?

Not to mention that the fangs could probably be written off as a link to Donnie, since spiny softshells bite pretty hard and Casey hasn't had physical contact with Raph's original body in about 10 years.

Raph sees the kid he was basically a dad to, as a turtle, with physical traits of his family, and almost no trace of himself. Casey doesn't remember him, and he resembles Leo more than anyone else. It hurts. But Casey and Leo are so happy, Raph can't ruin that. So he doesn't.

He shows annoyance/exhaustion at the unexpected mutation, and it's more directed towards his brother's tendency for scietific chaos that the actual mutation.

He also seems to avoid Casey until Draxum arrives and is able to "fix" Casey. Leo, Mikey, and Donnie all actively bond with Casey over being a turtle mutant. Raph barely shows up in this episode, and directly interacts with him even less, barely even paying attention when Leo throws Casey at him, and not even fully addressing Casey the whole episode (from what I remember).

Anyway, imagine Raph finding out Casey's mutation was never actually reversed and feeling a bit of pain because Casey wanted to stay a turtle mutant so he would always have a reminder of his family, and still not seeing much of any trace of himself.

Ok, now imagine Casey's fangs getting a bit too big and developing a snaggle tooth.

That's all ok byeee!!

Oooooouuuuh~ A little fact about Casey's mutation - originally, at some point I wanted to make him a snapping turtle instead of a red-eared slider. He had a spiky shell, little claws.... and a tail...also....like...Spiky lil tail....Yes. (Don't ask me why he had it while turtles don't. My concepts don't have logic~)

But then I thought it would be weird...where would he find that kind of dna? So, yeah... It's just the fangs. Maybe if I'm in the mood I'll come back to this topic haha~

Also, I want to add that even though Raph was the first one to adopt Casey, that doesn't make him the only real parent or smth. Leo literally raised that kid for ten years. He didn't take the title of father away from Raph. He joined it. And he was doing a good job of telling Casey about Raph. The only problem was that Leo could only talk about Raph from his own, brotherly point of view.

Casey grew up knowing what Raph was to Leo. And he was too young (and traumatized) to remember what Raph was to Casey.

[escapingrealtiylovinginsanity]

Who is a girl dad and who is a boy dad: Matt Casey, Kelly Severide, Brian Otis Zvonecek, Jeff Clarke, Sam Carver, Will Halstead, Ethan Choi, Connor Rhodes, Crockett Marcel, Jay Halstead, Adam Ruzek & Antonio Dawson?

Before I answer this I want to remind everyone that I don't currently write for Chicago Fire. I probably won't ever do reader inserts for it just because I'm not a huge fan and I feel like that show died a painful death around season 4. But I will attempt some of the headcannons that hit me the right way. This one was just too fun to pass up.

I didn't do Sam Carver-Sorry I didn't make it to season 11- I stopped at 6/7ish.

I also want to say of course I think they would be good with the other gender too. I just wanted to pick one to be fair to the question. I spent way to much time on this and made them way longer than necessary lol. Hope ya'll enjoy and thanks for the ask <3

Will Halstead: Boy Dad!

I think Will needs to have a son. I think raising a mini version of himself is exactly what the doctor ordered (pun completely intended). We all know that Will has a stubborn streak a country mile wide and that when he gets an idea in his head, he can't let it go. Could you imagine that in child form? His red headed little boy going through a stubborn streak where is sure that any green food is icky because he didn't like peas. How about when he wears his basketball shoes to bed every night of the season because he is sure if he doesn't his team will lose? A son would teach Will to be more flexible in his viewpoint because his son will challenge his- well everything. The questions his little boy will ask with have Will rethinking things he never thought to question.

The main reason I think Will needs a son is that he can heal the wounds his dad carved into him. He gets to understand the struggles of raising a child with a personality like his own. It helps him better understand his father's frustration but he also never felt more disconnected from the man. Because Will could never understand the need to make his child feel the way he did growing up. Disconnected and a disappointment. Will raises his son the way he would have wanted to be raised- with understanding, acceptance, and praise. No one is prouder of their son than Will Halstead is. And with all that love, attention, and support Will gets to see his son not only live his life but thrive in it.

Ethan Choi: Girl Dad!

I don't think that surprised anyone. Ethan is a hardass veteran. He is all structure all the time. He kept getting better as time when on but you know what would push him along and make him absolutely melt? A little girl with dark hair and lashes. He thinks he will be a strict parent-and when it comes to school and safety he is. She will learn how to protect herself and have good enough grades to do anything she wants when she graduates.

But when it comes down to the little things Ethan has a hard time saying no to his little girl. Because she is warmth and innocence. She is the biggest smiles and climbing onto his lap to cuddle. So does it really matter if her clothes don't match because she loves them. And who really cares if they have dessert before dinner on occasion. And how can anyone say no to her staying up late so that they can have father daughter time- even if it is just them rewatching Star Wars for the millionth time.

Connor Rhodes: Girl Dad!

Connor absolutely spoils his little girl- not with money- but with attention. He doesn't want a nanny or money raising his baby. From the very beginning he makes a promise not to miss a single doctor's appointment and he nearly keeps it too- an emergency trauma caused him to miss one ultrasound. He takes the full paternal leave that is offered through work to bond with his blue-eyed little girl. He barely puts her down not wanting to miss a minute. His daughter is the biggest daddy's girl. Her first word is dadda and she says it nonstop for almost a month.

When he goes back to work, he books mandatory time with his daughter. He goes to at least three tea parties a week. When she gets a little older, they share a hobby of making food. It starts out with her helping him cook and trying recipes together. When she starts forming a preference for baking the dynamic changes slightly. They teach each other recipes and are a dynamic dinner duo. There are some growing pains. Connor struggles with his little girl not needing him anymore. He has tears in his eyes when she tells him, "I will always need you daddy."

Crockett Marcel: Girl Dad! (This is also just true to the show)

Crockett cherished every moment with his little girl. When she is a newborn, he holds her constantly and lets her sleep on his chest. Then he starts using a baby wrap to carry his daughter and be hands free. The long stretchy cloth was supposed to be a gag gift and obnoxiously bright fluorescent colors with a bold feminine print, but Marcel wears it with a smile. (It was a gift from Ethan to welcome him into the girl dad club. He included a gray one too, but Marcel only wears the bright on around work and his collogues.) The constant affection because a habit and his little girl has a hard time falling asleep anywhere but daddy's chest.

Crockett is a constant picture taker as his daughter grows. He phone memory is maxed out with pictures of her. He teaches her to speak Farsi. Every important or emotion filled conversation between the two is spoken in Farsi. Every tragedy, accomplishment, argument, exciting news, heartbreak and success. There is a comfort in words and bond the word share between the pair.

Jay Halstead: Girl Dad!

Jay fully embraces being a girl dad. He dresses her in the cute girly outfits. He learned how to take care of and do her hair. He never found a braid or hairstyle he couldn't master that his little girl wanted. He even kept extra hair ties in his wallet because she was constantly loosing or breaking them. He let her paint his nails bright pink and yellow while he watched the sea hawk's game. He always got up to do the dance parties and twirl her around. He never complained about playing dress up or wearing a taira or a brightly colored feather boa. And he was always willing to give up his half of the bed so that she could cuddle up with him after a nightmare or just because she got lonely in her room by herself.

Jay is a supportive dad. He does everything in his power to give his daughter the confidence to do anything and everything that she wants to. He wants her to feel safe enough at home that she can be daring (but not unsafe) in her choices. She can go against the grain, and he will still be proud of her. He supports her when she wants to play softball instead of do ballet. Then supports her when she decides that she like science and then when she hates it. He just smiles and buys her lava soap and Gojo pumice hand cleaner when she decides to take an automotive class instead of economics. The only thing that Jay struggles to be supportive of is when his little girl starts dating. He reconned her first date he watched her twist the guys wrist back when he tried to grab her butt then storms away after giving him a piece of her mind. Jay is proud of her boundaries but feels guilty for spying- even though he didn't get caught. He stops spying on dates but can never stop himself from giving them the talk with his gun and badge on his hip (Even well into her twenties).

Adam Ruzek: Boy Dad!

Adam had a good relationship with his dad growing up. He knows what a good dad looks like. His father sacrificed a fulfilling career to be able to be there for his son. Adam struggles with not being able to do the same. He misses games and holidays. His son says he understands but it is clear in his eye that his is disappointed when Adam doesn't show. But he makes up for it because when Adam is there- his all in. He helps his son practice his slap shot and cheers the loudest at his son's hockey games, he helps him with homework (even when he doesn't understand it and has to google it, gives him advice on girls (even when he doesn't want it), and checks him when he needs it.

It takes a lot for Adam to hard check his son. His son is a good kid- even if he does tell him at 10pm that he needs a posterboard for his school project that is due the next day and it is worth 1/3 of his grade. But when his son vandalizes a store with an Asian owner to get in with the "cool" crowd Adam loses his shit. He might even be madder than the store owner. His son thinks he is kidding about the consequences- Adam is a cop surely, he can get him out of trouble. Adam makes him stay 24 hours in holding, then has to apologize to the store owner. The owner doesn't press charges. He has to clean up his mess and the rest of the store and work to pay off any damages- even those caused by his "friends", and he is grounded indefinitely. His son learns the lesson the hard way, but it sticks with the added bonus of falling for the storekeeper's daughter.

Antonio Dawson: I cheated with this one because he actually has a son and a daughter. So instead of picking I'm doing a paragraph for each.

Antonio is from a large tight knit family for better or for worse. That means for the first few months his fighting to be the one that gets to hold his little girl. He practically has to steal her from his mom, Gabby, and all the other female relatives. The only thing that is to his advantage is that his little girl loves him. Whenever she sees him she is always saying and reaching for daddy. She is a beautiful, happy baby with dark curls and brown eyes. Antonio buys a new gun and then another, and then another. He figures he will need them all by the time she finally finds someone worthy of her to settle down with.

Antonio raises his son with the expectation that someday he will be the man of the house. He wants his son to know responsibility and how to take care of himself and other. To stick up not only for himself but for others that can't. He teaches his son to be aware (but not fearful) of his surroundings. Antonio's son takes all of it to heart. When Antonio gets a call that his son had laid out a bully for teasing a shy bookish girl. Antonio doesn't scold his son whose suspension ends up being more of a vacation. He just asks if he put his weight behind it and pats his son on the shoulder when he said he had. When the shy girl starts coming over to help his son with his homework almost every day, he isn't surprised to walk in on them making out on his couch. He is, however, surprised when his son brings her to his boxing gym to show off and that shy little girl throws one hell of a punch.

Greg "Mouse" Gerwitz: Girl Dad! (I added this one)

When he finds out that you are pregnant Mouse is afraid when he finds out that the baby is a girl, he is terrified. His daughter is so small and fragile. When she is placed gently in his arms his world changes. He has spent enough time at war to know that it is always the woman and girls that are at most risk. How could he possibly protect her from everything when there were so many bad people in the word. Mouse dotes on his little girl but keeps her close. He has worries that civil fathers don't. When she becomes weary of other people and children at age two clinging to his leg he wonders if it was his fear that was passed onto her. Even when people assure him that it was the typical age for stranger danger. Mouse painstakingly (and with Jay's help) starts to change his behavior. He doesn't want his little girl to have the anxiety and hypervigilance that he has to deal with. As Mouse eases up he watches his little girl's personality bloom.

She gets downright spunky. She is curious too. She learns technology with a swift ease. She spends a good deal of time on her daddy's lap and the clicking of a keyboard is relaxing. Mouse had found that it could help put her to sleep even on her crankiest days. He doesn't scold her when she starts taking things apart to put them back together. And while he does help and assist, he swears his daughter picks up most of her coding knowledge from just watching him. As she gets older he starts hacking her computer and phone to leave her cute little messages. When she is a teenager, she finally manages to hack his highly secured system back (She had the advantage of him being the one who taught her) When she goes to Tech school she is leaps and bond ahead of her classmates. Nobody is surprised when she ends up on government watch list and is soon offered a job. They want her on their side.

Matt Casey: Boy Dad!

Matt's son is his little buddy. Matt has wanted a baby for so many years that he is ecstatic when last little bundle is put in his arms. He does everything he can with his son and his son wants to do everything he does. He is his son's idol. He always wants to be at the fire house. He dresses up as a firefighter for Halloween for five years straight as kid.

Matt tries unsuccessful to keep his sons interested broad. He wants his son to at least consider other options, maybe going to college. His son is hellbent on going on being a firefighter. And Matt stops pushing after he threatens to go to the police academy instead. His son excel at during his training and Matt is so proud when his son graduates the academy.

Kelly Severide: Boy Dad!

Kelly's son is a mini version of him. Full of energy, testosterone, and charm. Kelly raises him with good manners, treat woman right, and to be respectful of authority. He also teaches him to question and act when the authority isn't doing their job, or something doesn't make sense of needs to be changed. Kelly's son is popular and plays football. Kelly goes to every game, and he know his son has a real chance at football scholarship but knows he is does not want to further his education and that he wants to follow in Kelly's footsteps to be a firefighter.

Kelly's son is a player. He goes through the girls in his high school (and multiple others). Kelly doesn't say anything- how could he when he had his own Casanova phase that took up a large portion of his life. His son should have fun as long as he is using protection. His son never brings any of them home for him to meet. None can seem to hold his son fickle attention. When his phone rings at midnight he expects a slurred request for a pickup not a fully sobered "I found her."

Jeff Clarke: Girl Dad!

Jeff's daughter is his princess. She is a tenderhearted happy little girl. He calls her the light of his life. They live in Hawaii, so everything is a slower pace. Jeff gets to enjoy the time with his daughter with nothing to rush him. They spend hours in the sun and on the beach playing in the sandy and splashing in the waves.

When his daughter is five, she demands to learn how to surf after a friend takes her out on their board. Jeff thinks it might be a phase- her just wanted to do it because she sees it every day. It becomes apparent very quickly that isn't the case. His little girl loves the ocean and asks him to go nearly every day. Jeff does one better than just taking her and learns how to surf too so they can do it together. He isn't great and she is much better, but she loves going out with him. He just loves seeing her so happy and at peace. It doesn't hurt that it he can keep an eye on the surfer boys that get more and more interested in her as she not only gets older but better on her board.

Brain "Otis" Zvonecek: Boy Dad!

Otis is a nerdy dad. He is the dad that does the Starter Pokémon test when he started to crawl (Charmander) and pick his Hogwarts house (Hufflepuff). Otis starts him young on all the classic movies and shows. Otis buys Legos for the two of them to build together (way before his old enough to really help. Otis reads to his on every night that he gets to put him to sleep. They start with short stories but as he gets older, they quickly switch to chapter books and Manga.

Otis doesn't know what to do when his son starts having trouble in school. When he is told that his son has a learning disability, he doesn't know what to do. Otis never had a hard time with academics he blew through his classes without much effort. He can see the absolute frustration in his sons face when he is struggling to read. Otis tries to help but his son, but it only seems to create more friction making the problem even bigger. The break though comes when Otis finds out his son's anger is a cover for his embarrassment and feeling like a disappointment. When his son accuses him of thinking he is stupid Otis' heart shatters. His eyes are water when he tells his son that he is one of the smartest people he knows- he just learns different his son breaks down and hugs him tightly.

[bbrissonn]

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 - 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲

↬ in which after years of pinning after you, gavin finally decides to go for what he truly wants. ↬ pairing: gavin brindley x casey!reader ↬ wc: 5.3k ↬ warnings: slightly nsfw, read at your own risk, not proofread, lowercase intended ↬ disclaimer: gavin's lowkey an asshole for a bit, but they get a happy ending ! ↬ autors's note: this was requested by an anon, but i accidently deleted it so oopsie, was supposed to just be a small blurb but i got carried away like always. i was listening to a random playlist when experience by ludovico einaudi started playing and this became so angsty to sorry about that

you and seamus had always been close. when he started playing hockey, so did you. hockey wasn't all that popular in florida, the boys barely being able to have a team for their age group each years. meaning the possibility of having a girls team was pretty much impossible. which lead to you joining seamus' team when you turn 8. you joining the team meant you were now teammates with gavin brindley, a boy from your neighborhood, who also happened to be shea's best friend.

the two of you were never close, whenever is familly came over you'd chose to spend time with his sister. even if the two of you were on the same team, you were still just his best friend's little sister.

when seamus left for the NTDP, everything was weird. not only did you lose your defense partner, but it also felt like you had lost a part of yourself. which is why when the umich women's hockey team offered you a spot on their team, you waisted no time accepting their offer.

of course it wasn't going to be like before, you and shea playing together, but it was close enough. the two of you would be back in the same time, having the time of your lives playing the sport you love the most.

unfortunately, the two of you couldn't share a dorm like you hoped. so, shea opted for gavin as his roommate, and you with another freshman on your team. but you barely ever spent time in there, always being over at shea's dorm. the brindley boy never minded much attention to the two of you, leaving the two of you to be in your own little world.

you and gavin had maybe spoken no more than four sentences to each other since you both arrived in michigan. couple of greetings here and there, but nothing more. which is why when he showed up along with your brother to your team's home opener, you were shocked. even more when you saw him waiting outside of the locker room after the games, your brother no where in sight.

"hey." he smiled at you when you walked out, making you stop in your tracks. you looked around quickly, seeing if seamus was near, but no one else seemed to be around.

"hi?" you spoke confused. this was probably the first time the two of you had ever spoken to each other with no one around.

"you did great." he said with a smile. a small one of your own grew on your face, rocking backwards on your heels.

"thanks. uh, i don't wanna come off as rude or whatever, but what're you doing here exactly?" you questioned him with an awkward smile. he stared at you for a couple of seconds before snapping out of whatever weird trance he was in.

"i came with shea."

"i meant what are you doing here?" you repeated, looking around the hallway.

"oh. um, well, i was waiting outside but one of your teammates brought me here."

"gavin, you know that's not that i meant." you pushed. you weren't exactly sure what game he was playing, but you were already growing tired.

"honestly?" he asked, making you nod your head, which made the boy in front of you sigh. "i don't know." he answered, making you scoff slightly.

"gavin we played on the same team for 7 years and you barely ever spoke to me. now, all of the sudden, you wait for me after my games? what's going on? did something happen with shea?" you panicked. normally, it was always seamus waiting for you after game, and vice-versa, never seamus' friends.

"shea's fine. i, uh, i went to the bathroom and when he came back he was gone."

"it's a five minute walk, gavin." you mumbled as your last teammate left the locker room. the boy in front of you looked down at the ground, biting his lip slightly as he realized he had been caught, no more excuses coming to him.

"i wanted to see you." he whispered honestly, a slight shade of pink taking over to apple of his cheeks. he sighed when his eyes met yours, your brows furred. "i just... i don't know, ever since we got to michigan, it's just been different."

"what do you mean?" you questioned confused. you truly didn't understand what he was trying to say, and you were growing tired of him beating around the bush.

"you've always been shea's sister to me, right?" he started. "but i don't want you to just be his sister anymore." he continued when you nodded. your brows furred again at his words, still confused.

"gav..." you trailed off as the boy started avoiding eye contact again.

"when i came over for the first time when you guys moved, i wasn't there for shea. i wanted to have a playdate with you, but my mom called yours and then i got dragged to your garage. i've always wanted to get to know you, but seamus told me to stay away from you, but i don't wanna stay away anymore." he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"gavin..." you trailed off again, being at a lost for words. he had always been seamus' best friend. always. the two of you have known each other since you were kids, yet he felt like a total stranger because of how little you knew about him.

"i've seen the way you look at me, y/n. and i know you've seen the way i look at you." he whispered softly, taking a stop closer to you. your fingers brushed against each other, your heads inches away.

"shea-"

"what shea doesn't know won't kill him." he smirked, using a phrase he's heard you use so many times during your gossip sessions with your twin.

"he's gonna know, i physically can't lie to him."

"then we can just tell him, y/n/n. why do you think he left without me?" he asked, his pointer finger coming bellow your chin and lifting your head so you were looking at him. you could feel his breath against your face as his eyes looked down at your lips, and that's all you needed before leaning in and connecting your lips.

both of his hands quickly flew to your waist as yours went to the back of his neck and head, your fingers brushing through his curls. your kiss quickly went from soft and slow to messy and quick. his arms fully wrapped around your waist as your tongues met in the middle. a groan left his mouth as you pushed your body against his, your chest flat against his as your hands travelled deeper in his curls.

after a minute or two, one of your hands came to his chest, your fingers looping in the necklace that adored his neck. when the boy pulled away from you to catch his breath, you were quick to pull him back after a couple of seconds. the two of you smiled into the kiss, your teeth clashing together as a small giggle escaped your lips.

gavin's hands started to travel down further your back, until a loud couch was heard in the hallway. the two of you pulled away, looking in the direction of the cough, only to see one of the janitors staring at the two of you. a dark shade of read appeared on your face before the brindley boy grabbed your hand and started guiding towards the exit of the arena.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

it had now been a week since that night, and you had yet to tell your brother about your new found romance with his best friend. it wasn't like you didn't want to, you did, you really did, and you tried. you were planning on telling him after three days, but that plan quickly dissipated when seamus started rambling on and on about how thankful he was that gavin had chosen michigan as well, and how grateful he felt to have a brother by his side.

guilt took over as you couldn't shake the feeling that you were betraying your brother. scared of how he was going to react, you decided to keep it to yourself, and you had yet to find another moment to tell him about it. you called gavin, freaking out about what the two of you had done, but he was quick to calm you down. he reassured you that seamus should be happy that the two of you were happy together, and if he wasn't, he'd have to get over it.

which lead to this moment, gavin's large frame above yours as the two of you were in nothing but undergarments. his lips slowly travelling down your body as soft moans echoed in his shared dorm room.

seamus had a class, meaning gavin had the dorm to himself, and you two were quick not to waist a single second you could have alone. shea's class was two hours long, and his professor often went beyond that time by thirty minutes, meaning the two of you had plenty of time.

"gav!" you gasped when his fingers started rubbing small circles against your clit. you had quickly rushed to his dorm from your class after seeing his text almost an hour ago, your body still full of need after the previous night. the two of you were sharing a heated make out in your dorm until your brother called gavin, urging him to come back to their dorm.

thankfully you and gavin shared a class, so using the excuse that you were helping him study was one your twin brother believed quite easily. he did find it a little weird how quickly the two of you became close, but he decided to brush it off, telling himself he was probably just overthinking it.

but this, this he was sure he wasn't overthinking. the first thing he saw when he walked into his dorm was your bra flying to the ground. at first, he just though gavin had decided to use up their free room and get laid. he couldn't blame him, sharing a dorm was making the two of them quite sexually frustrated as hooking up with someone while your best friend is laying on the bed at the end of yours was pretty awkward. seamus was supposed to be gone for at least three hours like always, but his professor's wife went into labor and ended the class early.

he was about to walk away when he heard gavin mumble something that made him stop dead in his tracks. he wasn't sure if he had just misheard what his best friend said, but when gavin repeated himself louder, he was sure he was hearing right.

"fuck, y/n/n."

"gav, hurry up, please!" he heard you whine as what sounded like a condom packaging was being opened. seamus felt his heart drop in his stomach. he had left gavin at the rink after your game because he just wanted the two of you to be friends, not have sex in his room while he was gone.

"don't worry, baby, shea won't be back for another two hours. we got plenty of time. gonna make you feel so good." when he heard those words, his hands went numb, and the door handle slipped from his grip, making the door slam shut. the loud noise made you and gavin jump slightly.

"y/n?" you heard seamus' shaky voice ask. when you looked to your side, no one was there, meaning he was still standing at the door. your heart broken at the sound of your brother's voice, the guilt once again coming back. gavin had a finger over his mouth, telling you stay quiet, but you couldn't.

"shea." you breathed out loud enough for your brother to hear as you pushed gavin off of you. your hands reached for your shirt that was on the bed, quickly throwing it on as you avoided making eyes contact with gavin. the boy tried to stop you from reaching for your underwear, which were also on the bed, but quickly gave up when you brushed him off, standing up from the bed and slipping them on.

you grabbed both your pair of pants that were laying at the end of the little hallway leading to the door, your eyes meeting seamus' when you leaned back up. your brother was frozen, tears starting to form in his eyes. you were about to started walking towards him, but gavin joined you. one of is hand reached for his pants you were holding, while the other landed on your back. his pressed a small kiss to your temple, trying to reassure that everything was going to be okay.

but his action only seemed to make the situation even worse. seamus' brows furred as anger now took over. his eyes went from broken to angry and the words he spoke next were not the ones you wanted to hear.

"get out." he whispered harshly, his eyes staring into gavin's.

"shea-"

"it's fine." gavin mumbled in your ear before grabbing a hoodie. "i'll be outside." he added before making his way to the door. your brother's eyes never left his best friend until the door was close, and they shifted to you.

"with gavin? really?"

"i tried to tell you, i swear i did-"

"how long?" he asked firmly, cutting you off. "a month? two? five? a year?"

"no, god, no, shea. a week. it was after my game, when you left gav at the rink. i never meant to hurt you, but i deserve to be happy, shea." you admitted, the two of you still standing in the same spots.

"and you couldn't find somebody else to be happy with? it had to be him?"

"shea you've known since we were kids how i've felt about him."

"you said he was just some childhood crush, y/n!" seamus spat, raising his voice slightly as he approached you.

"he is! he was! but he's felt the same way about me all along, and i'm tired of not letting myself be happy just for you." you said, standing up for yourself. all your life you had always just listened to seamus without really questioning what he was saying, almost letting him dictate your life, but you were tired of that.

"you really wanna be with him?"

"yes."

"then go be with him, but stay the hell away from me." he mumbled harshly before pushing past you and going over to his desk where he dropped his bag.

"shea, please."

"leave." he said firmly. his back was facing you and it wasn't until he heard the door close that he let a tear slip from his eyes. on the other side of the door, gavin was met with your red eyes filled with tears. the boy was quick to bring you into his chest, holding you tight against him. thankfully your dorm was on the same floor as theirs, so the brindley boy waisted no time bringing over there.

your roommate was gone, having a class of your own, something you were grateful for as you started breaking down in gavin's arms once the two of you were sitting on your bed. the mood completely different from the last time the two of you were there together.

"it's okay, sweetheart. he just needs some time." gavin mumbled as his thumbs rubbed small circles on your arm and back, trying to help you calm down.

"he hates me." you cried out, and gavin felt his heart ach for the two of you. you had always been so close, and he couldn't help the guilt he felt for making the two of you drift apart.

"i'm sorry."

"it's not your fault, gav. he's an asshole."

"he's your brother. twin brother."

"who's an asshole." you spoke through your sobs. gavin chuckled slightly at your words, you were never really one to use foul language, expect when it came to your brother.

"hey, look at me. i promise, everything's gonna be okay. he's just shocked right now, and the way he found out wasn't... ideal." he said, trying his best to comfort you.

"i'm scared he's gonna hate me forever."

"he's your twin, y/n/n, he can't hate you. just give him some time to clear his head, okay?" gavin said, his hand cupping your face and pressing a kiss to your lips after you nodded slightly.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

the next couple of days were weird for everyone. gavin and seamus barely ever spoke to each other, something everyone on their team noticed. nolan had tried to make them fix whatever the problem was, but neither of them wanted to talk about it.

whenever gavin would leave their dorm during the evenings, seamus would shoot up a dirty look, making gavin roll his eyes every time he would end up in the hallway. things between you and gavin were amazing, no one had ever made you feel as happy as he did. he was doing an amazing job at making sure you were okay at all time, waiting for you outside the class you shared with your brother.

it was truly perfect, well besides the fact that seamus still hadn't talked to either of you. even your parents all the way in florida could sense something was wrong, especially when the two of you joined the weekly family face time from your own dorms and barely spoke during said facetime.

but that all change one morning when you and gavin got woken up by a loud knock at the door. you let out a loud groan as the person once again knocked. your roommate had gone home for the weekend since he family lived in detroit and you guys had the weekend off.

"can you go open it, please?" you asked gavin, who had officially asked you as his girlfriend the night before. the boy didn't answer, instead just pressing a kiss to your forehead before getting out of your bed and going to open the door.

"hi." you heard your brother say, almost making you jump out of your bed. gavin stood at the door, only wearing boxers, giving your brother the very wrong idea of what he just walked into.

"we were sleeping." gavin mumbled harshly, knowing where his best friend's mind went to.

"can i come in?"

"depends. are you gonna yell at her again?" gavin asked, crossing his arms over his chest. before seamus had the chance to answer, you appeared next to your boyfriend. the two hockey players were both looking at you, waiting to hear your answer. your fingers interlocked with gavin's, his hands squeeze yours lightly before you nodded, stepping to the side to let your brother in.

you and gavin ended up sitting on your bed, your hands locked together, while shea sat at your desk chair.

"i'm sorry for how i reacted. i shouldn't have gotten mad like that, 'm sorry." your brother spoke after about a minute of awkward silence. you could tell by the look in his eyes that he truly felt bad for how he acted.

"i'm sorry we lied to-"

"we didn't lie. we just didn't say the truth." gavin cut you off, making you let out a sigh. you knew he was right, but him saying that wasn't going to make the situation any better.

"you know, i don't remember asking you to be here for this conversation." seamus said harshly, his eyes staring into gavin's. the younger boy scoffed at your brother's words, making himself comfortable on your bed.

"i'm apart of this."

"doesn't mean i was talking to you."

"she's my girlfriend, you talk to her, you talk to me." gavin said protectively. he hated having to see you cry in his arms almost every night for the past week, and he wasn't going to let seamus off the hook so easily for what he did. seamus' started throwing daggers gavin's way, and you knew you had to intervene before the situation escalated.

"gav, can shea and i talk for a moment, please? alone." you said making gavin take a deep breath as he started into seamus' eyes. you squeeze his hands slightly, making him look over at you. "i'll be fine. i'll text you if i need you, okay?" you added as gavin leaned his forehead against yours, your free hand cupping his cheek as you pressed a small peck to his lips.

"i'll go see what the fants are up to." he whispered in your ear before standing up from the bed, sending a glare in shea's way, before leaving your room.

"so... you guys are official?"

"yup."

"i'm happy for you, y/n, i really am. and you were right. you deserve to be happy and be with someone who makes you happy. but i want you to understand how it makes me feel. gav's been my best friends since forever, and you've been my best friend forever. i don't want to lose you to him, or lose him to you, y/n/n." he explained.

"you're not losing anyone, shea. your my twin, you're stuck with me forever." you joked, but when your eyes met his you were reminded of why he was here. "you were an asshole, shea."

"i know, and i'm so sorry, y/n/n."

"if you do it again, i'm gonna have to snitch to mom and dad." when his brain registered what you had just said, he finally realized that you weren't mad at him. "but you can't be mad at gav, shea. if you're not mad at me, you can't be mad at him, it's not fair."

"y/n-"

"no. he went behind your back just as much as i did. it's not fair, shea. we never meant for you find out the way you did, and i'm sorry it happened that way, but you can't be mad at him." you cut him off.

"i can’t not be mad at him, y/n/n. he promised me nothing was going on between you two, he lied to me.” shea spoke, making you a little confuse.

"he lied? when?"

"you know when i went on that little rant about him, i asked him earlier that day if anything had happened after your game, and he swore nothing happened. he lied."

"he only lied because i told him i wanted to tell you, shea, not because he wanted to. he wanted me to tell you that same night, but i... i was too scared of how you were going to react. and clearly i was right for being scared." you stated, getting a little angry at the end. your brother scoffed at your words, standing up from your chair and pacing around the room.

"of course you're gonna side with him." he mumbled under his breath, but it was still loud enough for you to hear. his words made you stand up from your spot on your bed, placing a hand on his chest to stop his pacing.

"okay, now you're being an asshole again, shea." you said, a stern look on your face as you stared into his eyes.

"whatever." he whispered, rolling his eyes before leaving your room. you let out a loud sigh before hearing the door open and close once again. a pair of hands landed on your hips, lips pressing a kiss behind your ear.

"you lied to him?" you mumbled as you leaned back against the brindley. he let out a sigh of his own as his arms wrapped around your waist.

"i did." he confirmed. he knew that lying to his best friend was eventually gonna come back and bite him in the ass, he just didn't except for it to come from you.

"you could've told me."

"i know, and i'm sorry i didn't. but you already had so much to worry about, i didn't want shea's and i's friendship to worry you even more." he whispered softly in your ear, pecking the shell of your ear after.

"things were going so good, and then he just started being an asshole again." you informed him, turning around in his hold so you were chest to chest. your hands went to the side of his neck, your fingers playing with some of his curls.

"he's mad at me, baby, not you. heard him and rut talkin' 'bout it." gavin mumbled in the shell of your ear as he pulled you into him.

"it's not fair."

"i know, baby, but it's gonna be okay. listen, i know it's bad timing, but coach wants me to go down to the rink. i'll be back as soon as i can, okay?" he said, as the two of you pulled away slightly. you nodded your head slightly and gavin pressed a kiss to your lips before leaving the room with his things.

you decided to meet up with some of your friends to go grab a quick breakfast at a cafe near your dorm. you talked with them about what happened, desperate for some advice. you eventually settled on a plan, and as soon as you got back to your building, you went straight to seamus' room.

when your brother opened the door, the two of you just stared at each other, before you pushed past him and into his room. you heard him let out a long sigh before joining you in the middle of the room.

"sit." you said, looking at his desk chair. he quickly listened, wanting to get this over with. "gavin's your best friend, shea. he's always been your best friend. he loves you, and he cares about you. and this you being mad at him thing is stupid and selfish of you. we're happy together, and you should be happy for us, not mad at us. he's your best friend, and he's hurting because you're not talking to him. i am the one who waited to tell you, if you're gonna be mad at anyone be mad at me, but not him." you cried out, tears forming in your eyes as memories from two nights ago filled your head.

gavin was over at your dorm, watching a movie when the two of you started talking. he eventually admitted to you how much it hurted him that shea was ignoring him. he even cried a little in your arms because of it. never had you seen gavin cry, not even after he was injured or a hard lose. never.

"i know, but i can't be happy for you, y/n. i know how he is, he breaks hearts, y/n. i don't want him to hurt you. even if he wasn't my friend, i wouldn't be happy for you. this isn't about you being with my best friend, this is how about how he treats girls. and i'm not just stand there and act like i'm okay with you being with him. i don't want you to see you hurt. he cheated on his last two girlfriend's, y/n, and i don't want that to happen to you too." seamus explained. tears started falling from your eyes as the more he talked.

"that's not true, he isn't like that."

"i was there, y/n, both time! i was the one who told them! i don't want the next girl i'm stuck giving that talk to is you, i can't. i won't be the one who hurts you." your brother added, as tears of his own pilled in his eyes. meanwhile, more started rolling down your cheeks.

"i really like him, shea. he makes me really happy, and he's different now."

"you don't know that." seamus exclaimed, standing up from his seat.

"he's not like that, shea. please, just give him a chance. i really want this, shea. i really wanna be with him." you begged. the look on your face finally making him break his protective big brother roll.

"fine, but i swear, y/n, if he does anything-"

"thank you! thank you!" you said, rushing into your brothers arm. your arms wrapped around his torso as you let out a small sniffle, while his went around your shoulders.

"if he hurts you-"

"he won't."

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"what's going on?" you asked walking into your dorm room later that week. after your little talk with seamus, he had a long with gavin. first talking to him as your big brother, warning him about what would happen if he hurts you. then as his best friend, telling him not to mess it up because he could tell how happy you two were.

gavin wasn't really sure what you had said to him while he was at Yost that morning. but whatever you said, he was thankful you did. you could hangout outside of your dorm room, hold hands whenever you wanted, and you could swear you had never been happy before.

"thought we could finally have that playdate." gavin said, walking towards you as he held a hand out. the lights were out, a bunch of candles light up on your desk as he guided you into the room.

on your bed were a bunch of your favourite snacks, along with some flowers. next to those was a box, the words guess who? written on it, making your jaw drop.

"you remember?" you asked excited, but at the same time embarrassed.

"do i remember you harassing shea until we were like 12 to play guess who every day? of course i do."

"gosh, i am so glab puberty's a thing."

"so am i." gavin smirked, his eyes staring at your boobs. you were wearing a shirt with a very deep v neck, the bra you were wearing making your boobs show even more.

"hey, eyes up here mister." you said, snapping a finger in his face. the boy chuckled slightly before grabbing the flowers and handing them to you.

"my lady."

"thank you kind, sir." you answered, also using a british accent. the two of you laughed slightly before gavin pressed a long kiss to your lips.

the two of you spent the night eating snacks, playing guess who over and over again until gavin finally won. you had also convince him to finally start watching pretty little liars with you.

that night spend together was probably one of the best night of your life. it only made your feelings for the boy that much stronger, and the he felt the same way.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"okay, could you at least not shove your tongue down each other's throat while i'm here." seamus mumbled from his bed, making you and gavin pull away from each other. "i don't want any nephews or nieces."

"you're just jealous."

"your boyfriend has a bigger butt than you, y/n." seamus said bluntly, making you and gavin gasp at his words.

"it's not that flat." you said, looking at your brother before turning to look at gavin. "right?"

"it's not. gavin's butt is just huge."

"i do have a pretty big booty."

"and i still can't believe you won't share your ass workout with me." you sassed your boyfriend, making seamus chuckle slightly.

"and i'm telling you it's genetics!"

"i'm serious though. if you guys wanna get all freaky, go to your dorm." seamus cut your little chat off. his eyes were looking at your eyes, making you roll your own.

"it's girl's night over there."

"sucks for you, but you're not having sex here."

"shea, when two people love each other..." you started, but you were stopped by your twin brother throwing one of his extra pillow on you.

"shut up! i'm going to sleep. get that smile off your face, brindley. i'll still hear you."

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 29: Affective Science and Emotional Psychology

Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club

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"Well, I think that might be everything, so I should get going..."

"Here, let me help you with that!" Leo says with a snarky smile, his sword slashing the air and creating a portal beneath Agent Bishop, causing him to fall through. The last thing they hear is him yelping before he vanishes completely, the portal snapping closed with a spark of light.

"Leo!" Casey sputters. "Why -- what -- what was that for?!"

"What?" Leo asks nonchalantly with a shrug and smug smile. "I was only helping him get home."

"You just wanted him gone," Casey accuses.

"That, too."

"Leo!!"

"Oh, come ooooooon!" Leo groans, leaning against his katana. "What's the big deal? I don't know him yet, and until I know him better, I don't wanna trust him!"

"Leo, he literally just risked his life against superpowered bounty hunters to keep Mikey safe," Casey reminds him.

"Yeah, yeah...." Leo sighs, lifting the katanas again and sheathing them.

"Besides, I already told you guys we can trust him!" Casey reminds him. "Doesn't my word count for anything?"

"Yeah, but that was in an alternate future where things kinda went south," Leo says with a roll of his eyes. "So forgive me if I don't warm up to him so quickly."

"What is up with you?" Casey asks angrily. "You were never so bullheaded when you were the leader of the resistance --"

"Yeah, well, I'm not that guy." Leo's voice is stern and strong. Cold. Tired of going through the same conversation over and over again. "And we spoke about this. Several times. I don't think it's appropriate to talk about the future --"

Casey growls loudly and throws his hands up into the air.

"Rrrgh! You always say that! And I'm sick and tired of it!"

He jabs a finger into Leo's chest and pushes him back a step as he fumes with fury.

"Why won't you let me talk about my life?!"

"It's not just your life, Casey," Leo refutes, pushing his hand away. "It's... it's more than just that! It's our lives, too! And I don't want you to unintentionally weigh them down by telling them what happens to them --"

"You don't know that's how they'll react!" Casey argues. "And it's not like I'm going to just waltz up and start telling them how they'll die! It won't even happen anymore!"

"It's not just that, Mikey may never be the person he was before the double mutation! How do you think he'll react to hearing he was a mystic warrior when he doesn't even remember what his ninpo is?! Or Raph, you can barely even remember what he looked like in the future! What are you gonna tell him about his life?! You don't know that they'd be willing to hear that stuff!"

"It wasn't all a horror show!" Casey snarls. "My life wasn't a complete abomination! How would you know, you won't even hear about it! The others might not feel the same way you do!"

"But they might!" Leo yells back. "And I'm the leader, I have to make that kind of decision for everyone, and I say that --"

"THAT'S IT!" Casey screams. "I've been trying not to cause a scene or pick a fight, but I've had it! I've snapped, this is me snapping -- I'm gonna fight you on this now!! And you're gonna listen, got it?!"

Leo's goes wide-eyed with shock, his mouth opening and then closing as Casey continues to shout.

"I wanna talk about my life! I want to talk about my family! It's not fair that you ask me to not talk about that stuff!! It's my entire home, world, everything I ever cared about! I can't just sweep my whole life under the rug and pretend it never happened!"

Casey starts pacing as he spirals.

"You guys were everything to me! And it's not that I don't like you as you are now, I do, you're great and you're like a new family to me -- but you're not the family I grew up with! You're right, you're not my Sensei, and you'll never be him no matter how hard you try! He was a fierce, stoic leader of the apocalypse; he led armies and fought alien monsters everyday of his life and he only had one arm! You are not him, and no matter what happens, this world will never be the one I knew. So you will never be the Leo I knew. You'll never become my Sensei..."

Leo looks down at the ground sadly, hand reaching up and rubbing at his elbow. He looks guilty, if not a little sick to his stomach.

"...Casey, I --"

"And I get why you didn't want me to talk to them about the future, but what does it matter now?! It's never going to happen! I'll never see my family again! Why shouldn't I tell Donnie about all the amazing things he did and created?! Why shouldn't I tell Mikey about how cool he was and how he could fly?! And don't you think Raph would like to know that he was a respected hero?! Or that I should tell April that she was the most kick-butt commander and the youngest human to lead a frontline attack ever?! And don't you think I deserve a chance to ask my Mom questions about her life?! Do you know how crazy and weird this whole thing is for me?! DO YOU?!"

Leo flinches at Casey's volume.

"I... I'm sorry..."

"Dude, I am losing my MIND!" Casey screams, throwing his hands up in the air before wringing them through his hair. "Everyone treats me like the plague! They have no idea what to say to me, and I have no idea what to say to them! If I don't talk to someone about my life, about the things I did, or the people I loved and grew up with, I'm gonna explode! I can't just pretend that they didn't exist! I can't just pretend that my Sensei didn't exist!"

Leo looks pale, like he might puke. Something about the idea of 'not existing'... Casey doesn't notice though, and continues.

"And it HURTS! It hurts how I can't talk about them, about myself, about any of it!! And it wouldn't hurt so much if I could see them again, it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't know that they were totally gone! But they are now! I didn't even get a freaking choice about it, I was literally thrown into THIS WHOLE SITUATION and -- I have nothing anymore! No pictures, no family photos or letters or anything! My childhood home doesn't exist, my life doesn't exist, I MIGHT NOT EXIST NOW. Do you even know the existential dread I have about an alternate timeline me being born?! Everything about the future has changed, and..."

Casey's fists shake as hot tears streak down his bright red and infuriated cheeks.

"...and that means that I'll never, EVER see my family again. You can't be the Leonardo I knew. You never will be. He's dead and gone and erased from existence. And I'm stuck here with that knowledge. I love you guys, I really do, but... you'll never be what I want. You can never be the people I loved the most, and... I don't want you to be them. You can't replace them, and even if you could, I'd never want you to have to go through what they did to become who they became. I'm not asking for that, I don't want that, I just... I don't want to dishonor their memory by ignoring them. I don't want to forget them."

Casey heaves a hot and angry breath, grunting and growling before composing himself.

He stands there, glowering as Leo stands before him, frozen stiff. The two of them are still reeling from Casey's outburst. Finally, when it gets just awkward enough, Casey brings his eyes up to the leader.

"...Well? Don't you have something to say?" he asks, glaring at Leo.

He was ranting so much, he didn't even really look at him. Now he is.

Leo looks very, very small.

The slider refuses to meet Casey's eyes, simply holding himself sheepishly and looking very guilty. His head is slowly retracting into his shell. His forehead is wrinkled, his lips pursed and tight. His feet shuffle in the sand, moving back and forth as he tries to force himself to speak.

"...You're right," he mumbles. "Of course you're right. I... I had no just cause to make you stay quiet. It was totally unfair, and you should be able to talk about it. So... go ahead. You can talk about it."

Casey stares at Leo. He's... letting him win the argument? Why? He didn't yell that hard at him, did he? Leo kicks the sand as he continues.

"...I mean, I can't really stop you from talking about it anyways. You're your own dude, and I'm not your Sensei, like you said... I should never have asked that of you in the first place. I'm sorry."

Casey feels uneasy about this. Yes, he's relieved he got what he wanted, but something in the way Leo is taking this... rolling over and acting all wounded and weird. Giving up and giving in too easily.

Leo isn't like this.

He's cocky and confident and stubborn.

What's going on?

"Leo --"

"A-and I'm sorry," Leo continues, voice cracking slightly. "I'm really sorry for everything you had to put up with and all the stupid stuff I put you through, and --"

"Leo, wait, I --" Casey tries again.

"I just didn't want to freak them out over the whole 'dying in awful ways' part of the future, but since that's not going to happen anymore, and... who knows, maybe they'll take it better than I did, I mean... i-it wasn't their fault, and --"

"Wait, what do you mean 'their fault'?" Casey questions.

Leo finally looks at him. Casey can see the strain in his eyes from how he's trying to keep from crying.

".....Nothing. F-forget I mentioned it," Leo mutters, turning to walk away.

"No, wait," Casey says, grabbing his arm and tugging him back. "I got a chance to yell, now you should too. What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Leo doesn't look back at Casey.

"I don't have anything to say. You're right. I was wrong. End of story."

His lips curl and he pulls his arm away.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, Casey. I never meant to hurt you, I just... I don't know..."

"Neither do I. What's going on with you?" Casey asks.

Leo doesn't respond, apart from a sharp inhale and shaky exhale.

He takes one of the katanas and slices a portal open.

"....I think maybe I should just go. I.... I need to be alone."

Leo steps through the portal, and Casey hears him mutter under his breath.

"...it would probably be better for everyone if I just left, anyways..."

Casey yelps in protest, but Leo vanishes before he can get him to stay and talk it out.

He grumbles. Why can't Leo ever just listen?

No, he did listen. That's not the problem.

The problem is he won't talk.

....Maybe he and his Sensei are more alike than he thought...

.

.

.

Casey peeks around the corner and watches as his Sensei is getting patched up by his twin, 'Uncle Tello.' The purple-clad turtle mutant grumbles as he pulls items from his all-purpose overalls and adjusts Leo's prosthetic arm.

"And how long has it been acting up like this?" Donatello asks.

"Not that long," Leonardo says, clearly lying through his teeth.

"Leo. How long."

"Um.... maybe.... a month?"

Donatello smacks Leonardo upside the head.

He growls as he pulls the arm off of his brother's shoulder, revealing a long halo of rust and torn flesh from where the metal in the robot arm has been digging and scraping.

"....Leo."

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I have to tell you that this is not satisfactory."

Leonardo chuckles.

"Heh heh, yeah... I figured."

"Did you know how bad it was?" Uncle Tello asks him, though the question is so laced with irritation that it sounds more like an interrogation.

"Sort of." Leonardo shuffles in his seat on Uncle Tello's desk. "I knew it hurt, and that it needed repairs... but, uh..."

Leonardo tilts his head to get a better look at the wounds.

"Yeah, that's pretty gross. Sorry, hermano."

Donatello grumbles and gags as he cleans the injuries and disinfects them. Everyone knows that Donatello prefers machines to humans, and Leo is the medic of the two. Donatello hates the sight of blood. He gags again as he scrapes the dried blood off of Leonardo's arm stub and cleans it with antibiotics and antibacterials.

"You know, this is how you get tetanus or septicaemia or --"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it Dee..."

"I don't think you do. Something like blood poisoning in the apocalypse is not to be taken lightly, 'hermano'. And this is the third time you've stalled on coming to me for repairs. What's wrong?"

Casey sees his fearless leader hang his head in shame before covering it with his non-robot hand.

"I just... I knew we were low on supplies, and didn't want to bother you."

Uncle Tello looks at Leonardo with an expression Casey Jones Jr. cannot name. Regret? Anger? Confusion? Sadness? Maybe all at once? Donatello is never easy to read. But there is a hint of understanding in his eyes as his brow furrows a bit more.

"...Is this about --" he pauses, swallowing before whispering the rest, just quiet enough so that Casey has to strain to hear the words. "Is this about what happened with Raph?"

"Maybe," Leo whimpers. "...Yeah."

"That wasn't your fault. He was just too injured, and... there wasn't anything we could do for him."

Leonardo grips onto Donatello and cries into his overalls. Donatello holds him and rubs his scarred shell.

"But if you'd had the supplies you needed -- If I hadn't taken the last of it for my arm --"

"Leo, you went on a three-day trek by yourself to try and save him."

Leonardo looks up at Donatello. He's trembling. Uncle Tello rolls his eyes and pats him on the back, a mechanical arm reaching out to hand him a tissue. Leonardo chuckles as he takes it.

"...Why haven't you said anything about this? Why didn't you tell anyone you felt this way?"

"There's more important things in this war than my regret," Leo mumbles.

Uncle Tello raises a drawn-on eyebrow.

"That's dum-dum talk. And you know it."

"Donnie, I'm serious. They need me to be a strong and stoic leader, and I don't have time to just sit around moping --"

"And you think we have time for this kind of thing? Where you refuse to address what's wrong and you let it fester until you end up fainting after a meeting because the pain from your prosthetic was too much?"

Leonardo stays silent.

"...Kick a mutant while he's down, why don't ya."

Donatello huffs an exasperated sigh.

"I don't want you to end up like Raph. You need to tell me if something is wrong. If not me, then Dr. Feelings."

"Pizza Supreme, no," Leo jokes. "I'll try to do better."

"You'd better."

Leonardo chuckles as Donatello finishes with the bandages on his stub and shoulder, then moves onto the prosthetic. Casey continues to watch nervously from around the corner until his Sensei turns and sees him. He smiles and motions for him to come forward. CJ climbs up to sit on his lap and stares up at his Sensei.

He looks so much older than he really is. His tattered and worn mask has tear stains and wrinkles. He's pale and tired. Casey hugs him, hoping the hug will help him to feel better. It's what Master Michelangelo would do. He vaguely recalls Raphael hugging him as well.

Sensei Leonardo hugs him back, rubbing his hand over his spine. Everything will be fine, he'll get better and he won't cry as much because the world is not lost and it may be sad, but everything will work out.

Casey hugs his dad tighter.

.

.

.

Raph relaxes happily, watching as Donnie builds a miniature civilization in sand. Mikey had run up a few minutes earlier and asked to join in the fun. Don had reluctantly allowed Mikey to assist, gathering water and mixing it with sand. He was having a fun time playing with the muck and splashing it around before passing handfuls to Donatello, who used it like brick and mortar in his tiny colony.

Raph smiles every time Mikey cackles with his sensory beach sludge entertainment. He smiles when Donatello finishes a new house and in self-congratulation throws his head back and yells 'I've done it again!' like a mad scientist before calming and moving on to the next one. He smiles when Mikey finds pebbles and shells in the sand and offers to help decorate a few of the buildings, which Donatello agrees to. Mikey's sense of colour and design is still on point, and his additions to the homes make the tiny kingdom the envy of the world. He even uses his claws to create delicate and intricate indented drawings and designs on the walls, like vines climbing up the castle towers or brick patterns or flowers or stars. The two work in tandem to make the town a masterpiece.

Even though the trip was unplanned, everyone is enjoying it immensely. April promised to come down today after classes. Cassandra suggested that she might also hang out after a mission taking down another sub-par plot from the Foot Clan. He hopes they can make it. April loves the sun and sand and surf; and while Raph isn't sure how Cass feels about it, he thinks that she could use a nice rest and vacay.

At the very least, he's glad that his brothers are enjoying it!

"...Raph! Raph!"

...He didn't just jinx it all, did he?

Raphael turns to see Casey Jr. running up to him.

Mikey sees Casey running and whistles a chirp at him to say 'hello'.

Donatello waves a mechanical arm at him in greeting.

"What's up, CJ?" Raph asks with a smile.

"Rrrracing again?" Mikey asks.

"No, no... I was just... I need to talk to Raph..."

He turns to Raphael and speaks in a much quieter tone.

"Something's off with Leo," he pants. "I... I just had an argument with him..."

"That's not out of the ordinary," Raph jokes halfheartedly.

He regrets the joke immediately when Donnie glares up at him.

Donnie told Raph about the many times he and Mikey had been forced to listen to their screaming matches. And before his mutation, Mikey had also sort of more-or-less-very-vaguely-so-as-not-to-worry him-mentioned to Raph that their arguments may or may not have caused a few restless sleeps and nights where Mikey would just cry himself to bed. He didn't say that exactly, and he wouldn't outright admit it, but Raph had long since learned to read between the lines. He is fairly certain that Mikey couldn't even remember that conversation now, much less the many arguments he'd overheard before the invasion. Raph secretly hopes that is one thing he'll never recall...

"This was different," Casey remarks. "It wasn't even a fight, it was more of just me yelling and Leo simply taking it. He didn't fight back. He didn't even really say anything."

"What did you argue about?" Raph asks, concern growing.

"Just... the same old stuff," Casey mumbles. "I was mad because he didn't want me to talk to you guys about the future."

"Why not?" Raph is sure he already knows the answer.

"He thought that knowing how things ended for everyone would kind of... mess you up."

Casey sighs.

"Saying it out loud... it makes sense. But, not everything that happened was bad! A lot of it was just... hiding in bunkers and hanging out. Movie nights. Scouting."

Raph nods slowly. He knows that the future was scary, but even still... Casey shouldn't bottle it up. He might overshare and trauma-dump on occasions, but that's common for people who have been through a lot.

"So, what did Leo say?" Raph inquires.

"He said I could talk about it with you guys now."

"Just like that?" Raph asks, surprised.

Leo had -- in an inebriated state from the painkillers -- told Raph a Cliffnotes version of what Casey had told him. Everyone dies fighting the Krang. He knew that was why Leo had sacrificed himself, and he knew that was why he'd asked Casey Jr. not to bring that stuff up again.

"Just like that," Casey nods. "He was mostly quiet, and took it like a sad puppy. And then when I asked him if he had anything to say about it... he just went on a rambling apology. I've never seen him so... I don't even know what word to use. Remorseful, maybe?"

As much as Raph is glad that Leo had relented with CJ... This didn't sound like something he'd do. At least, he wouldn't be so meek about it! Casey is right, something must be off.

"Where did he go?" Raph asks.

"He portaled away. He said he wanted to be alone, and then... something about 'it being better for everyone' or something."

Raph immediately gets up.

"Donnie."

Donatello looks up from his architecture.

"Raph," he answers, matching the tone but with no seriousness behind it.

"Where's Leo's tracker?" Raph urges.

Donnie looks down at his wrist and mutters.

"Good news, he's somewhere on the island. It looks like he's near the north side. His altitude is inclining, so I suspect that he is climbing up the mountain."

Raph nods.

"Okay. Can you give me your wrist tech so I can track him?"

Donnie scoffs.

"As if I would let you touch something so precious that by this point it counts as a part of my person!"

Raph growls low.

"But I can send you a link to the tracking program."

Donnie taps away for a moment before a ping on Raph's phone lets him know that he now has access to at least Leo's tracker. Raphael nods with a grunt to let Donnie know he got it, and walks towards the beach.

"Sh-should I come with?" Casey asks, cautiously stepping after him.

"Nah, Raph's got this," he replies, waving a hand nonchalantly at him. "I'll call if something's up. But I get the feeling this is a brother situation."

Mikey turns to see him go and churrs. Raph pats him on the head to assure that everything is okay before going through the rainbow archway and trekking into the jungle.

.

.

.

Raph wanders across the wooded lands, following the tracker. The glowing blue image of his younger brother's face travels in circles around the center of the island. It takes Raphael longer than he'd like to admit to realize that he's climbing a looping path around the mountain and not just playing ring-around-the-rosie with the ginormous hill. Raph passes a troop of monkeys that hoot at him as he walks through their territory. Leo's icon continues to go around and around and around. Raphael gets tired of walking and wonders if he's even going in the right direction. He climbs a tree to get a better view. While climbing up he meets a family of toucans. One squawks loudly at him.

"Pardon me, folks," he says before continuing upwards.

Raph looks past the branches and sees the lay of the land. He can clearly see the island's dormant volcano, tall and towering into the sky. He spots something like a ledge around it, several cliffs that bunch together and lead upwards. He wonders if he could see Leo climbing it...

Nope. Can't see jack squat. Especially with his eye...

Raph climbs down and heads toward the volcano. After an hour or so, his phone chimes. Leo's icon has halted on the mountain trail, off-center towards the north-east.

The icon doesn't move from there, it stays stationary. Raph is curious, but relieved that he doesn't have to chase Leo all over the island.

He keeps going for the mountain, traversing across canyons, rivers, a lake here and there, sand pits, tropical gardens with flowers he's never seen before and spiders that almost look as big as Big Mama and snakes that are long and fat and could probably swallow him whole.

Oh, and a few more monkeys. Man, this island is really populated.

Raph eventually makes it to the volcano, and starts climbing up the cliffside before finding a rocky pathway that leads near to the top.

He walks along the path, rounding the mountain for quite a while. He wonders why Leo just walked along this path rather than portaling to the top. It's so boring and arduous...

And quiet.

Raph finds himself thinking about things, enjoying the peace and contemplating the events of the day, the week, the month, the year. It's calm, and he can almost hear his own thoughts as he continues to walk. At some point, he realizes that the reason he can hear his thoughts is because he's been talking to himself, making company with his own voice as he tries to entertain his mind. He talks about everything that's been on his mind, from the latest issue of Jupiter Jim, to worrying over Mikey. It's somewhat therapeutic, actually, getting to be alone and think things through...

Oh. So this is why Leo walked instead of portaling.

Raph is about to die of exhaustion and boredom when he turns a curve and sees a ledge leading out, overlooking the island.

Leo sits on the edge of the cliff, chin resting on his knee as his mask tails float calmly in the breeze.

"Hey, Leo."

The slider turns slowly, movements somewhat sluggish and melancholic. He feigns a smile.

"Hey. I saw you coming up."

"Mind if I sit?" Raph requests.

"It's a free island," Leo shrugs.

"Good, cuz' Raph's about to pass out," the snapping turtle gasps, slumping besides his red-eared slider brother as he works to catch his breath.

He waits in silence for Leo to say something. Leo's always the one to start a conversation, just like how he's always the one to try and have the last word.

But Leo is quiet. That's not a good sign.

Raph looks over at him. He looks kind of like how he did during the first month post-Krang.

Tired. Emotionless. You could almost mistake his demeanour for serenity, but he's separated from the others. Casey probably picked the perfect word. Remorseful. Something is holding him back.

"You okay?" Raph asks.

Leo had apparently been zoning out, and jumps a little at Raphael's voice.

"Yeah. Well... no. I mean..."

He turns to look at his brother.

"I don't know, actually. Physically, I'm fine. But mentally, emotionally? I'm not sure what to say."

"Well, start simple. Are these good feelings or bad ones?"

Leo looks away, concentrating on the ocean before them.

"...Probably bad."

"Oh. Wanna talk about it?"

Leo smiles a bit before bringing his dangling leg up from over the edge, burying half of his face behind his knees and wrapping his arms around them, attempting to bundle himself together.

"Casey talked to you, didn't he?"

"Yeah. He said you guys had a spat."

Leo chuckles.

"You could say that."

"He said you were acting strange after. I just wanted to check up on ya."

Raphael places a hand on Leo's back, scooting in a bit closer.

"You can tell me about what's bothering you. I'm here to listen."

Leo glances out of the corner of his eyes to look at Raph. His brother smiles at him, trying to make him feel safe and comfortable.

"...I guess I felt badly. About what I put Casey through. And I started thinking about what I put everyone through, and then he mentioned that I'll never be the Leo he knew, and... he's right. And it's stupid, because it will never happen, but... I'm terrified of what he would say if he saw me."

"Who? Casey's Leo?" Raph asks.

"Yeah I know, it's a dumb 'what-if', but I'm scared all the same. He was this huge monument, the king of the end of the world, a hero and an inspiration, yadda yadda yadda, more apocalypse propaganda. But I'm the guy who almost doomed humanity. I'm the guy that was so stupid and cocky that I got you captured. The brother that got Mikey and Donnie trapped in a tunnel with a monster train. The leader that brought the key to the Krang. I'm --"

"Okay, I get it," Raph says, stopping him from continuing. "But Leo, that wasn't your fault. You didn't know what that thing was, you couldn't have! You ain't psychic, and you did your best."

Raph sighs.

"...And part of it's my fault too, I pushed you too hard. I gave you the wrong idea about what being a 'hero' means. I just wanted you to take things a little more seriously and be responsible, but you just sacrificed yourself! That was a selfless thing to do, sure, and maybe you were just trying to take responsibility for us, but I never meant..."

He pauses, thinking maybe he stumbled across something he didn't mean to when Leo starts crying. Raph panics.

"Leo? What? What did I say?"

Leo can't speak for a moment, and Raph holds him close. Leo just shakes, crying into his big brother for what feels like an eternity. Raph can feel him holding in the sobs, desperately catching his breath to force out a meager sentence.

"...I ...I thought I was gonna die..."

Raph nods, stroking Leo's shell in long strides to soothe him. He knows that Leo knew what he was getting himself into. He knows Leo understood what being trapped in the Prison Dimension with the Krang Prime meant. He knows Leo knew that his sacrifice was just that, a sacrifice. He knows what Leo thought was going to happen.

"...I wanted it."

Raph stops. His hands freeze in place, his breathing halts, his head goes numb. He slowly looks down at Leo, shaking and sobbing in his arms.

"I... I wanted it to end. At first I expected it, I was just waiting for it to happen... I kept waiting. But... then I almost begged him for it! Because it just hurt and hurt and hurt, a-and --"

Raph is trying to calm him down, stroking Leo's head gently.

"Leo, that's not --"

"And I thought about the hurt I put you through! How much trouble I cause, how many times my stupid ego got in the way, and -- and I'm sorry!"

Leo wails, clinging onto Raph as tight as he can, afraid that if he lets his brother go he'll leave him like the sorry, pathetic, wretched little pest that he is.

"I'm so sorry! I'll always be sorry, I know I screwed it all up, I know I failed, I know I -- I know, and I'm sorry, I'm just -- just -- sorry..."

To Leo's surprise, Raphael pulls him even closer, matching his tight embrace. Raph's tail curls around them both. Leo can hardly catch his breath, but he's grateful for the tight hold that Raph has him in. It grounds him, it keeps him safe, he can't think about the infinite failures and the monsters waiting for him in the Prison Dimension if Raphael is protecting him like this.

"I wanted to... to make up for what happened.... I hoped that... that maybe it would..."

"No."

Raph squeezes him tighter, forcing him to stop.

"No. No. That wouldn't... Leo, how could you even think...?"

"I thought you'd all be better off without me--" Leo whimpers.

"No!" Raph says again, pulling Leo away from his chest.

Leo whines, trying to get back into the embrace, wanting to have his brother's comfort but afraid to see his face or meet his eyes.

"I just -- I hate myself, Raph," he admits. "I just hate everything about myself. I hate what I do to this family, I hate the kind of leader I am, I hate how I can never be real and always make stupid corny jokes, I hate how scared I always am, I hate it, I hate me, I hate --"

"Leo," Raph says, lowering his head to try and get him to meet his eyes. "I don't know how to make you understand, but I love everything you hate about yourself."

Leo stares up at him.

"Sure, you being scared sucks, but everyone gets scared."

"I feel like I'm scared all the time, now..."

"I can help you with that. And I may be self-projecting here, but I think the fear you have now is mostly just about us and your role as leader, right?"

Leo nods, bowing his head low as he rests it against Raph's chest.

"You love your family and you care about them," Raph continues. "You're smart and you see every angle. That's what makes you a great leader. I love the kind of leader you are. I really do. I was never really that good at being leader --"

"You were a great leader!" Leo counters.

"And so are you," Raph smiles. "I was terrified as leader, and usually I ended up causing all kinds of problems. Remember the hippo costume? The F.A.B. four? Or how I had us trust Big Mama? Or any of the other countless times I screwed up?"

Leo chuckles softly.

"Point made. But Raph --" Leo looks up at him, eyes wet and sparkling, "I really did like you as leader. You fit the role better than I ever could."

"But Pops chose you to be the leader. And I honestly have to agree with him. You might not like it, but you have the head for it."

Leo sighs and nuzzles against Raph's chest. His older brother rocks him back and forth as he continues.

"And I love your jokes too, man. You always crack me up, and you make even the scariest situations seem normal. Maybe it's not the best coping mechanism, but definitely not the worst. And for real, your jokes are hilarious, not stupid."

Raph feels Leo smile a little against his plastron. He can also feel tears streaming down Leo's face.

"And Leo. This family would be nothing without you."

"But --"

"Ah-ah-ah!" He stops Leo before he can argue the fact. "NOTHING. Without you. I mean that. You've saved our skins countless times. You take charge in ways I never could when I was leader. Our bros listen to you, dude. And beyond being a leader, we love you because you're our brother. And even beyond that, we will always love you because you are our Leo."

"But, Raph..."

Leo reaches up and traces the crack in his plastron, the hole in his shell. The scars under his mask.

"...Your eye..."

"It'll heal," he says with a smile. "And it was not your fault. Stop blaming yourself for something that was not your fault and start seeing yourself the way I do. Leo, I wouldn't even BE HERE if it weren't for you! You pulled me out of the Krang, you got me back to normal! You got me home."

Leo looks up at him, eyes searching for anything to say that Raph is insincere, or hiding some anger or blame. He could search for eternity. He'd never find anything other than love.

Leo bursts into tears and wraps himself around Raph again.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so so so sosososososo so sorry.....!"

"I know, bud."

Raphael holds Leo close.

"I know you're sorry... But I love you too much to let you stay in these thoughts. Tell me what I have to do to help, and I will."

Leo is quiet for a moment before looking up at him with a pout.

"Carry me back?"

Raph laughs as he picks Leo up and carries him on his shoulders back down the mountain.

"Sure thing, bud. So long as you fight those intrusive thoughts, okay?"

Leo nods, hugging Raph again.

"Whatever you say, leader."

"I'm serious. I don't like the way you've been treating yourself."

"I'm not exactly having the time of my life about it, either."

"Leo," Raph scolds.

"Sorry, but you said you liked my jokes!"

"Yeah, yeah," Raph chuckles, hopping over a light crevice in the path. "But for real, we gotta work on this. You need to stop beating yourself up and cut yourself some slack. If you can forgive me for everything stupid I did when I was leader, and for all the hurt I caused when I was krangified, then why can't you forgive yourself?"

Leo pauses, wrapping his arms under Raph's chin and resting his cheek on his face. He thinks it over.

"...I dunno. I guess I should, but I feel like hold myself to a different standard than you guys. I can forgive you because I know you never meant anything cruel or bad."

"And you didn't either, right?" Raph questions.

"That's the thing," Leo sighs. "I don't really mean any malice behind my dumb decisions, but I know every reason for those decisions. I can't give myself the benefit of the doubt or any grace for what happened because I know every dark detail. Even if it isn't a big thing, even if it's just a stupid mistake, like I spilled the milk or something. I still should have known better. I expect better. I can't control what you guys do, but I can control what I do, so that means I should be better about everything."

Leo pouts.

"And I'm not."

"Leo, you've only been leader for maybe a year and a half by this point," Raph reminds him. "And you had to fight a whole alien invasion, and you're only sixteen. Most sixteen year olds just have to worry about their drivers' exam, not stopping a war or battling mutants!"

Leo sighs.

"I guess you're right... but I can't really help feeling this way."

"You gotta get out of your head, man."

"I know," Leo mopes. "I just... don't know how."

"I'll help you figure it out," Raph promises. "We all will."

.

.

.

Casey paces across the sandy shores, walking along the waters' edge. The waves creep up and try to attack his feet, but he steps out of the way before they can get to him. He's been pacing for a while. Raph hasn't come back yet. Leo hasn't come back yet. Every ten minutes, Casey would ask to see the tracker and would check on them. After the seventeenth time, though, Donnie got sick of it and sent him a link to the trackers as well.

Casey looks down at the tracker on his phone again.

The two had finally met up and paused at one location for a long time before leaving together down the mountain. It looks like they finally reached the bottom, and are trekking out of the jungles.

Casey paces again.

The tide laps up and tries to get his toes. Casey steps out of the way. The tide retreats.

Casey paces.

He shouldn't have gotten so mad. He shouldn't have yelled. He didn't mean to make such a mess...

Casey avoids the waves again and watches them slide back into the water.

Casey doesn't pace. He watches.

The waters bubble and foam, tiny tides folding over each other and spilling into one another. They float back and forth, getting closer with each wave. They leave traces of the foam and bubbles in the sand as they recede. Tiny clams or sand crabs are revealed as the water erodes the gravel, but they crawl back under the sand quickly to be hidden away again before a bird can get them. Tiny fish with silver scales swim in schools in the deeper areas of the water. The waves crash again, coming closer to attack his feet.

This time, he lets them.

The water runs over his sandals. It's a little cold, but not uncomfortable. The foam covers his toes, grit gets stuck under his feet, a stray strand of seaweed wraps around his ankle. He sinks in a little as the waves drag trace amounts of the sand out from under his shoes.

Casey hears a rustling from behind him, and Raphael saunters out with Leonardo climbing off of his shoulders.

They're talking, smiling. Though Leo looks exhausted.

Casey runs up to the duo.

"Raph! Leo!"

Raph turns and waves him down, smiling brightly. Leo shrinks and looks guilty again.

Casey slows and fidgets with his hands as he approaches them, unsure of what to say. Raph turns to see Leo hiding behind him and breathes loudly through his nose. He turns back to Casey, and rolls his eyes at the awkward tension in the air. This won't do. He pulls Casey a little closer and directs him to Leo.

"We talked. Now you two talk. Patch things up. Leo, don't hold back. He needs to know. When you two are done, come and find us so we can talk it over with Donnie and Mikey and Pops --"

"I-I don't want Mikey to know yet," Leo whispers. "He's already got enough on his mind, and I doubt he'd understand... I don't want him to worry."

Raph stares him down.

"Fine. That's your call. But Donnie and Pops should know. And I think we should also tell April too, but that's your decision. She'd wanna know."

Leo nods in melancholy agreement. Raph waves again at Casey before heading towards the portal.

Casey and Leo stand awkwardly, each one shuffling their feet and shifting their weight while they try to find the words they want to say.

"Casey--"

"Leo--"

They both pause.

"You first," Casey offers.

"Okay. Um... I-I'm sorry for... everything. Again."

"I don't care about that anymore, I wanna know why you were acting weird and why you ran away," CJ responds.

Leo swallows. Casey can see he's shaking a little.

"I... I needed some time alone. I've not been... honest about my mental state as of late."

"What do you mean?"

Leo spills his guts to Casey about how ever since he told him about the future, ever since he discovered that the Krang killed everyone in the alternate timeline, he's been tormented by thoughts of how worthless he was, how much better for everyone it would be if he just... stopped existing. Leo can hardly even say the actual word, he can barely admit that he's been struggling with thoughts about his own life and whether or not he actually deserves to live. About whether or not he wants to.

Casey is silent the entire time. But things start to make sense.

So that's why he didn't want the others to know about the future... That's why he hated it everytime Casey brought it up.

Leo starts rambling, the words spilling out like vomit. At one point he mentions that he feels like he might actually throw up. Casey sits him down and helps to calm him. He still feels pretty queasy, but he continues to ramble. Part of Leo wishes he would just puke already. Maybe then he'd stop talking about this. Leo wants to stop talking, for once in his life -- but he can't seem to find the off switch in his brain and he just continues to sob and over-explain himself.

And Casey listens carefully. He sits it out and listens to every stammer and stutter and deep dark reveal that Leo has to offer.

Leo finally calms down, panting and heaving from the overly-exerting talk and the sick feeling in his stomach. But he feels lighter. It's good to get it all out and off his chest. He hates that he had to show this part of him; he feels like he revealed a horrible secret or a deadly weakness within him. But he's glad that he did, all the same.

He waits for Casey to respond. He sits beside him, quiet and patting his shell.

"...Feel better?" he whispers.

Leo nods.

"Yeah, actually. Thanks for sitting through all that," Leo chuckles half-heartedly.

CJ smiles at him, wrapping an arm around the turtle in a side-hug.

"That's what family does, dude."

"Some family I've been," Leo mumbles. "I treated you awful."

"You were scared and hurting," Casey states. "It's no excuse, but under the circumstances I can understand why you reacted the way you did. We'll call it even."

Leo huffs a soft breath that Casey interprets as a chuckle.

"So, uh... what now?" Leo asks. "I mean, I do not want to talk anymore, if I'm honest. I'm exhausted."

"Makes sense," CJ remarks. "I guess it's my turn to talk, anyway."

He clears his throat, and Leo prepares himself for another scolding about why he should have let him talk about his family, or another heartbreaking recount of the events of the bad timeline, or something terrible that he deserves because he deserves to hurt, deserves to suffer, he's a good for nothing wretched little pest.

"I'm sorry for what I said."

Leo's mouth softly falls open. He, uh... he wasn't expecting that.

"I shouldn't have said those things. I was angry and I wanted to get my point across, so I intentionally hurt you. The same way I did when we were in the tunnel and I told you about how it all ended. And that wasn't cool of me. I was being a jerk, and you didn't deserve that."

"...Well, I was being a jerk too," Leo articulates. "I needed the reality check."

"Yeah, but I could have been better about it. I was spiteful, and angry, and what I said was brutal. And you held on to that, and you shouldn't have. It wasn't your fault, dude. None of it. None of the attack, invasion, the krang -- none of that was because of you."

"...I wish I could believe you on that," Leo mutters. "But it was my fault. I was stupid and self-absorbed and I let them get away with the key. It was my screw-up that almost doomed humanity."

Casey looks back at Leo, who is slowly slinking into his shell again.

"...Y'know, there was this one mission that me and my Sensei went on," Casey says quietly. "We were supposed to help these refugees back to our hideout. But I got cocky and reckless... I almost screwed it all up. I thought I could get everyone out safely in one night, and I unintentionally alerted the Krang to our location. I could have gotten everyone killed, including Sensei. You. And I went through a lot of negative stuff afterwards. But then... Sensei told me something important."

"...What did he say?" Leo asks with hesitance.

"He said that I wasn't a bad person. He said I was just fifteen. Well, at the time I was. I didn't get it back then, but now I do. I was just a stupid kid who was trying to be bigger than I actually was. And I'm still a stupid kid. The point is, you're still growing up and learning how to be yourself and you'll make dumb mistakes. That's what makes us teenagers. So you should learn from the mistake, but let it go. Cuz' at the end of the day... it was just a mistake."

Leo stares at him before looking out over the water as the sun slowly starts to set.

He smiles.

"...Huh."

He slowly stands up and wipes the sand off before offering a hand to Casey.

"Come on. Raph'll be wondering where we are."

CJ takes his hand, and the two walk back to the hotel to explain to the others about Leo's dilemma and healing.

"Oh, and Casey?"

"Yeah?" CJ answers, pausing to make sure that Leo is okay.

Leo smiles. A genuine, bright smile. He's okay.

"Thanks for telling me that story."

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[pinkomcranger]

About the white asshole line: it's not as left field as people think tbh There's a similar line in the first AW game from Alice (in the DLC, Wake's version of her since it's all in his head). She uses the term 'while male melodrama'. This is literally Wake's own mind so he knows a lot of stuff he put her through was from a perspective of a person who has a lot of advantages. Back to Saga, that line aligns with the racism we are hinted she dealt with in her field and STILL deals with in present day. Mulligan and Thornton are racist af (haven't seen anyone discuss this yet) to her even if they seem pleasant at the start of the game. Not entirely either, when Saga and Casey meet Mulligan he automatically assumed Casey is the lead agent. He apologizes about it but there's an air that neither him or Thorton take Saga seriously. They barely speak directly to her and instead more to Casey unless she directly speaks to either. It's that seemingly benign, passive racism that is more toxic sometimes, especially in a work environment. In her face they show some surface level, thinly veiled respect but behind her back they called her a 'stuck up FBI bitch'. Part of the horror story adds she let her daughter drown so they doubt her work entirely. And concerning the Bookers, there's this passive aggressive comment where Thorton says the case of the murder of Nightingale would've been solved if the FBI wasn't involved. Thorton says something like "they stick with their own". Now, this could be seen as city folk stick with their own but the Bookers are black, this was purposeful imo. I honestly liked how Remedy incorporated this in such a realistic way. Some could dispute this and say "that's circumstantial/reaching" but lets not forget both Mulligan and Thorton are literally the bastard law enforcement type that kills are the drop of a pin. They killed that woman while enthralled with this feeling of power (referencing the page about it) and threw her body in the well to hide it, blaming the death on each other at first before they decide it's neither of their faults and hide the evidence. They become taken being so twisted in their dark ways. They are bad guys, I'd argue misogynistic too. And lets add a layer of actual parallels to rl racism to the mix here now. If she dealt with that in Bright Falls on her first day I can only imagine the assholes she had to deal with climbing her way up in the FBI, in life in general. This is why her mother is a strong foundation, they are not only close because they loved each other but she made sure she'd be strong. Parents who have mixed kids (black kids especially) know what they will deal with. Maybe even a meta thing like Spiderverse, adding the backlash into the story. Which she did and still does get from gamerz (tm). People STILL bring up that "race swap" from the Quantum Break trailer which is honestly just early concept stuff. Saga is written so well and carefully that even her problems outside the pace of the story seems to have been considered. So while it does seem random and may make people uncomfortable it's purposeful. Remedy really captured this aspect with Saga without making it her personality or the core part of her (like she just there for black trauma, so glad they did not do that and made her a character with experiences). Let's not forget Saga's field of work. We know it's predominantly white. Her saying 'another white asshole' says more about her experiences than anything else. And being at her lowest where her insecurities, doubts, fears thrive it says something about her agency and how sometimes it can feel taken from her based on her skin tone, gender, so forth. Sorry for the long ask! It's just, this line definitely does not feel like it's random to me. I was just shocked I heard it but the game lays down the ground work for it to be said. It's as subtle as the worst kind of racism though imo

I'm VERY interested by imagined!Alice's line because while we don't know if she actually feels that way, we see Alan can acknowledge that he KNOWS how lucky he is by virtue of being a white man, it might not be something he thinks about daily, but he's admitting he's aware of it.

You're right in regards to what Saga deals with in her work environment and most likely her daily life. It sucked for me that Mulligan and Thorton ended up being racist, misogynistic assholes because they truly just seemed like the goofy, slightly dimwitted small-town cops. I think maybe because I haven't actually played the game yet (shame on me, I know! I just managed to get it last month and haven't had the time to dedicate to it like I want) that I kind of brushed Mulligan and Thorton's behavior towards Saga off until we learned their true nature.

But we see how they're more comfortable deferring to Casey over Saga, and we can even see that Casey is NOT the least bit pleased with it. Saga clearly picks up on it, and it's one of the reasons she chooses to leave them with Casey. She can handle the Bookers easier, because yes, they ARE black, she KNOWS they're going to open up to her far easier than if it had been Casey. Do we get reflections of their shared experiences? Not really, but the Bookers weren't going to trust the FBI regardless, Saga being a black woman lowered their defenses a little.

You can argue that she was better suited for talking to the witnesses because it's just her personality, Casey was dry and sarcastic from jump while Saga was the opposite. But did the Bookers know that? Absolutely not. They were less cautious with Saga, Ed especially. They weren't hiding anything to be malicious, they just wanted their own things to be successful.

Hearing Mulligan and Thorton's true thoughts about Saga really tore me up. Not even so much at the fact they felt that way, but because they didn't have the guts to say it to her face. You don't hear that venom directed towards Casey at all, even though he's the EXACT same stuck-up government agent who's worse to them than Saga.

But it's what black people tend to see when dealing with the police force. Condescending, impatient, better-than, bitter, power-hungry and drunk on their self-importance and position of authority. There's a REASON they were made Taken when the Koskela brothers couldn't, but that's really neither here nor there.

Seeing what she had to deal with in Bright Falls from two guys that were SUPPOSED to be on her side and help her is very telling and it made me even more interested in her backstory. How many people actually believed in her when she joined the FBI? Who dismissed her out of pocket simply because of the color of her skin and her gender? You can even get a hint of her past simply by her questioning Casey on why he wants her to be the lead on the case instead of jumping in straight away.

And that's to her PARTNER, a man she’s known and trusted for years, who clearly never had a problem with her being a black woman, or there's no way in hell they'd have the kind of relationship that they do.

Freya being such a strong influence for Saga was evident in her card to her daughter. She knew the struggles Saga was going to face by going after what she wanted to do and never discouraged her. I'll always be bummed over Freya lying to Saga about her being a Seer though. I know it was to try and protect her from even more shit she didn't deserve to go through over something she had no control over. But it almost felt like a vote of no-confidence. And there's no feeling in the world like thinking your mother might not believe in you.

I'm still VERY annoyed at ANYBODY bringing up the "Return" concept from Quantum Break JUST to say Saga was race-swaped when almost NOTHING from that teaser made it to the main game proper. Sam and the team took all of that and flipped it on its head. That was clear the second FBI Alex Casey stepped into the background instead of being in the lead.

I love the fact we don't get the "another white asshole telling me what to do" until the end of the game, and it's when Saga is at her lowest point, when the Dark Presence is trying to do its best to break her down. But like I tend to bring up, Alan says it can't create something out of nothing. Meaning those doubts and resentment were there for a LONG time, and it VERY easily could have been her entire personality.

The fact that it wasn't showed how much thought Remedy put into creating Saga and I appreciate it so much. She wasn't her trauma, she wasn't her anger, she was the exact OPPOSITE of that. She faced her problems with determination and PUNS! Even when shitty things were going on, her mind wandered to humor "More like "Underwatery" I'll have to tell Casey that one later." Speaks volumes about her character.

I think that's one of the reasons she fought SO hard against the horror story. OBVIOUSLY her main motivation was saving Logan, and then Casey. But she wasn't about to let her agency be taken from her like she's been fighting against it for years. She was the one that was going to be in control, she was going to tell this story, and Alan himself (some of that as him being the face of the Dark Presence for her) "no, fuck you. Another white asshole is NOT going to tell me how to live MY life. You're not using my doubts and fears against me to take my family from me"

And she did it, she did what the white man couldn't do on his own in 13 years. How am I NOT supposed to root for her? How could I NOT want to know more about her history? There's no way I can look at Saga Anderson and go, well her story is done, there's nothing else to be written for her. As I said, I do love FBI Casey, but he's practically a blank slate compared to Saga, I could live without him because, for me, outside of his personality (I'm also grumpy and sarcastic), I cannot relate to him.

Despite not being a wife and mother in the FBI, I CAN relate to Saga. I can understand her struggles and pain. I feel her love for her family, I can relate to her love and disappointment towards her mother. The struggle of being a black woman in a world that still caters to white men and the pushback she gets just from existing. I understand her in a way I never could with Alan Wake. I understood and related to his issues as a writer struggling with inspiration. But the thing with that is Alan didn't HAVE to struggle like that, he could have chosen, at any time, to stop being a writer and do something else.

Saga couldn't choose to change the color of her skin. Her challenges would be with her simply because of how she's perceived at first glance. She'll never have the advantages of Alan and Casey in that regard.

I'm sorry for the long answer! But I LOVED your ask, and that's why it took me a hot minute to answer it. I had to get my thoughts in order and give this the response I felt like it deserved. So thank you for letting me see your thoughts towards Saga! ❤️

[mimisempai]

Unexpected

Summary

When Casey followed Hunter B-15 to meet the man she called O.B., he certainly didn't expect to meet his lifelong idol, Ouroboros, the author of the book that never left his side.

But what he also didn't expect was that the other man would be so kind and have the most charming smile.

Notes

I fell in love with these two sunshines…

On Ao3

Rating G - 870 words

Casey followed Hunter B-15 and had no idea where she was taking him. But he appreciated not being tied to his desk and finally felt like he was doing something useful, so he eagerly followed her.

They arrived in a semicircular room that seemed empty, and B-15 called out, "Hey, O.B., this is Casey. I thought he could help."

A voice answered, "We're all gonna die!" but no one was visible.

Advancing into the room, B-15 called out again, "O.B.?"

Rapid footsteps drew their attention to the left, and Casey saw a man emerge from the stairs, shouting again, "We're all gonna die!"

Then, to Casey's surprise, he stopped in front of him and shook his hand vigorously, saying, "Oh. Hey, nice to meet you."

Then he gave him a quick smile and, not giving Casey a chance to react, continued on toward B-15, repeating, "We're all gonna die."

The hunter asked, "What do you mean?"

The man, O.B., put his things on a desk and turned to them and said, "The blast doors won't open."

Casey interjected, "Did you try the C-12 bypass?"

Then, putting his money where his mouth was, he pressed the appropriate control button as O.B. replied, "That won't work.

Casey chuckled slightly and asked a little mockingly, "Are you sure?"

The man casually replied, "Of course. I wrote it."

Casey froze and said nothing for a moment, mouth agape.

This guy had just said he'd written the command. But then... that meant...

Casey managed to articulate despite his stupor, "Wait..."

He pulled out the booklet he always kept in the back pocket of his pants and asked, barely able to contain his excitement, "You're Ouroboros?"

O.B. looked surprised that Casey had asked as he replied, "Yes?"

Casey, wanting to be sure, asked, pointing to the orange booklet, "You wrote the TVA guidebook."

The other man looked absolutely delighted when he asked, "You've read it?"

Casey immediately replied, not a little proudly, "Read it? I practically memorized it," then laughed slightly as he looked at B-15 before asking the other man, "Will you sign mine for me?"

O.B. replied enthusiastically, "Of course I will. Happy to do it."

They both leaned over the book and Casey showed him where to sign, "Yeah, just next to your picture."

"Hold on." 

It was B-15.

Casey had completely forgotten about her, and apparently O.B. had as well.

When she got their attention back, she continued, "You just said we're all gonna die."

O.B. became serious again, and in the same state of stress as at the beginning of the conversation, as he said, "Oh, right. The containment doors are locked, and only the person who designed it can open it with a live scan of his temporal aura."

B-15 caught on and calmly said, "He Who Remains."

O.B. continued, "And he's dead. So without Miss Minutes to help us override the lock, we're stuck."

Casey replied matter-of-factly, "So we have to convince a rogue artificial intelligence to come back to work.

O.B. replied, "Whatever we're doing, we gotta do it fast. The more those branches grow, the closer this thing comes to melting down. I'll build the device, but you need to find a way in or it won't matter."

They stood in silence for a moment, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task, then B-15 was the first to come to her senses and headed for the door. Casey followed suit when he was held back by O.B., who had put his hand on his arm.

Casey turned to him and although he looked worried, O.B. asked gently, "If you don't mind... uh, Casey. I'd like you to come and talk to me about what you learned in my manual. That is, if we can get this mess straightened out. You're the first person to talk to me about it like this in... I don't know how long, and since I've never had any real feedback, I'd love to hear yours."

The last few months had brought many changes to Casey's life. Sometimes unsettling, sometimes very destabilizing, but the fact that someone wanted to talk to him and listen to what he had to say wasn't one of them.

And there was no way he was going to turn down an invitation from his all-time idol. The mysterious person behind the ingenious and practical words of the TVA guide.

So with a big smile on his face, Casey held out his hand and said, "It's a deal!"

O.B., also smiling, took Casey's hand, and this time the handshake was not hasty and rushed like the first one, the glances and smiles were not the polite ones of people who don't know each other, but of two people with a common interest. That, too, was new to Casey.

As he left, he told himself that he'd try to help as much as he could on his own level so that he could visit O.B. as soon as possible.

Of course, he was looking forward to talking about the manual, and his haste had absolutely nothing to do with O.B.'s smile.

Nothing at all.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: My favorite thing to do is hurt my OC's and force them to keep fighting to show how badass they are and they never disappoint I love my babies -Danny Words: 1,959 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Make Me An Option' -by Carousel

XIX. Why Am I Still Here? Just to Suffer?

When I walk into the cabin Silena's nowhere to be found, but a couple of my siblings are there. 

"You," Drew gives me a nasty glare.

I stop and look at her. "What?"

"What are you wearing?"

In case you're curious, it's Percy's old shirt and a pair of singed shorts. I'm also using second-hand Converse that have not been washed since I first got them six months ago, and now have been completely ruined after an empousa tried to kill me. 

"I was running for my life, sorry if I look messy," I scowl.

"You should be," my sister makes a face. "You need to throw all that away."

"No?" 

I make my way to my usual bunk bed to tidy things up, but as soon as I put my stuff down, Drew gets in my way.

"You can't sleep there."

I stare at her with a frown. "Why?"

"Because it's near the window, and if someone sees you they'll think we're all as ugly as you," some of my siblings gasp, it's forbidden to call each other ugly. "I'm done with your lack of Aphrodite etiquette! You're covered in dirt and bruises, your hair is always in that hideous ponytail, and your hands—ugh!" Drew cringes in disgust. "Casey, hide her away!"

Casey grabs my stuff with an absent look in her eyes "This way, Ara..." She puts my bag at the back, where the oldest bunk beds are set. 

"She's a charmer, don't listen to her!" I argue. "You can't do this, Drew! You're not in charge!"

One of my brothers hesitates. "You're also a charmer... Why would we listen to you?"

They look at us in confusion. You see, being a charmer isn't as common as you'd expect. The ones who get this gift, most times, they're manipulative people. Drew is my age, but I'm smaller. Percy and I met when I was slightly shorter than him, now I barely reach his chest. Drew sees me as an easy target, and it seems I've pushed the last of her buttons.

"Listen, slug," she speaks to me in a threatening voice. "I advise you to shut up and do what I say."

"You're not a counselor," I say, voice quivering with anger.

"So? If you don't like it, you can sleep outside. And don't even think about telling Silena," Drew raises her voice. "We hate rats here, don't we guys?"

There is a murmur of agreement. Tears swell up in my eyes and I leave the cabin determined to find our oldest sister. I don't look for Chiron or Lily. I want to find Silena, but my feet take me straight to cabin three where Percy and Tyson are.

I crash against Percy sobbing my eyes out, shaking with rage. "Ara!" He holds my face. "What happened?"

I'm trying so hard to be taken seriously, so I don't have it in me to explain, it's shameful. I know he'll try to confront Drew, and I don't want her to mess with his love life. I don't want to cause more trouble for anyone. I'll be the one who takes care of this.

"I thought Nico would be back by now!" I lie. 

"Grover would let us know if that happened, Ara," he says, rubbing my back. Percy's feeling guilty about this already, but at least I'm not adding a new problem to the list.

I nod, trying to get a hold of myself. "I was hoping things would get better..."

He pats my shoulder. "You know, I thought about it, and we can ask Quintus if he can give you extra lessons?"

I clean my nose with the hem of my shirt. "Lily suggested that too."

"She's as smart as Annabeth," he smiles.

I look at the Cyclops next to Percy. "Hi, Tyson."

"Hi!" He reaches out so I hold his hand, though my whole palm can only wrap around his thumb. "Don't be sad, I'll make you a sword."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Percy replies.

Hedge sits up groggily. "Did I do this?" His energy comes back in typical Hedge fashion, and he lifts up his club. "Yeah, you wanted some hoof? I gave you some hoof, cupcakes! Who's the goat, huh?" He starts dancing, flipping off every mount of wet clay that encounters.

Jason bursts out laughing. 

"Coach," Leo raises his voice. "Coach! Your MVP has a broken arm!"

Hedge looks at Ara. "What?"

Tristan McLean gets up a little further ahead. He's very weak, and not all there. "Piper? Pipes, what—what is—" The girl runs and holds him as tightly as she can. 

"We need to get him out of here," Jason says, his laughter quickly dying.

"Yeah, but how?" Leo helps Ara to sit on a rock so Hedge can examine her. "He's in no shape to walk."

The helicopter gets closer and Ara looks up. "You think this will be in the news? Man, don't want my mom to find out..."

Leo frowns. "Your mom sent us here."

"I meant my adoptive mom," she groans. "Oh crap, if the lightning marks don't go away... If she sees me like this she'll freak out..."

"Worry about that later," Jason tells her. "Leo, can you make us a bullhorn or something? Piper has some talking to do," he points to the helicopter.

"What about me?" Ara scowls.

"You're not making any unnecessary efforts for the next hour. I'm readjusting your bones, your nervous system is in trouble," Hedge informs her. "I can immobilize you, but I can't heal this."

Her stomach churns with anxiety. She needs her arms to fight, and to forge. She could do without a leg, but her hands...

"Hey, you'll be fine," Jason places a hand on her good shoulder and squeezes reassuringly. "You're tough, it'll take more than lightning to get you out of the fight."

Ara nods, not entirely convinced. Peptalks used to work just fine, a few compliments, some hyping, and she was ready to go, but now... Is this how it feels to grow up, or did she make a mistake?

Percy loses it completely after he dreams Nico is trying to bring his sister back. Now he's certain the boy's trying to kill one of us, so he pushes me to train harder. There are other pending businesses as well, though, much more important than I: the labyrinth and Grover's search. 

Annabeth finally gets to lead a quest and she asks us to go with her. And notice how I said us. She's asked me to come too. The last thing Percy wants is to offer me to Nico on a silver platter, but Annabeth says I'm a good charmer and I won't be easily confused inside the maze, which is true. The labyrinth will have a hard time trying to distract me.

"Also," she ruffles my hair. "I promised I would bring her. What do you say, Birdy?"

I love Annabeth, she's always giving me opportunities to prove myself, even if she doesn't believe I can do it. The important part is to figure out my own limits. Besides, she and Percy are well-trained and we're traveling with a cyclops. I'll be looked after by the people I trust most in the world.

Lily's even more excited than I am, she believes training can only take me so far, just like Annabeth. She thinks the real experiences are out there. 

The girl hands me a small but thick book. "The maze is full of monsters, it's the biggest challenge any hero can face nowadays. I'm very happy for you."

Trust me, she's not being sarcastic. 

She grabs my shoulders and squeezes. "You survive the labyrinth, you can do anything, Ara. Find Nico and bring him back to safety." Lily sounds so confident that I believe her. 

The book she gives me is from the private collection of her cabin, it's a big deal. I press the book against my chest, eyes bright with affection. "I'll bring him back," I promise. "And I'll read this whole thing too."

Lily chortles. "At least one of those things ought to happen. May wisdom and courage guide you, Queen B."

Michael approaches and hands me the dinosaur-shaped bag Percy gave me on Valentine's Day. My teddy bag perished during the first half of the year, hence why Percy got me a new one. The T-rex is packed with first-aid stuff but still has room for Lily's book. 

Mike pats my shoulder. "Come back alive, okay?"

I hug him. "I always do."

Once everyone's in the helicopter, Leo takes the seat next to Ara. He's taking care of her, and she doesn't know if it's out of guilt, or if there's something else he's finally allowing himself to act on.

Ara shifts in her seat trying to get comfortable. Her skin is still glowing silver, but it looks dimmer than before, maybe that's stopping her from feeling pain.

"Stop that!" Leo scolds her anxiously.

She frowns. "Stop what?"

"If you can't feel, you can't know if you're making it worse," he eyes her as if trying to make sure her bones are all in place.

"I know being hit by lightning is rough, but I was not run over by a train, so I think I can move a little without causing internal bleeding," she replies irritated.

In front of them, Piper is talking to her dad quietly, trying to ease him. Jason keeps his eyes on the view below, while Hedge rummages through the medical supplies in the aircraft to see if there is something that can help Ara and Piper's father.

"Hey, the bombs you gave me... Did you make those?" Leo asks.

Ara nods. "Your dad must've put them in my bag..." She looks down at her T-Rex, which is scorched and missing its tail. "It's all busted again, Mom had fixed it so nicely..."

She pouts, and Leo hurries to distract her. "How did you come up with the design? I mean, they were small and light but really powerful..."

"Charles Beckendorf," she says hoarsely. "He gave me a notebook with tons of his ideas sketched out. Jake, Nyssa, Lily, and I built those bombs..."

"That's awesome," Leo admits.

"I changed the design so we could use water as well as fire," she adds. "They were meant to hold Festus under control, but I didn't use them because I was afraid to make him short-circuit or something... they're still a prototype."

"And they ended up working perfectly, they saved our lives," Leo responds, nudging her healthy arm gently and looking at her with genuine admiration.

"Yeah, but I might not be able to build something like that again if it turns out my arm's dead," her voice breaks. "How am I supposed to look after all of you if I can't even look after myself?"

Leo scoffs. "Are you kidding? You killed a cyclops—heck, you slapped a werewolf with a piece of scorching hot lumber! Sunshine, girls like you are the stuff of daydreams. You're a hero."

Ara reaches for Leo's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze as a thank you, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Well, if everything goes as planned, maybe Phoebe can heal me after we free Juno."

Leo groans. "Those hunters are mean, I don't know why you like them."

"Artemis said I would've made a fine hunter, so watch your mouth," she snorts. "I don't think Nico would've forgiven me had I joined the hunt, though..."

"Nico?"

"The son of Hades," Ara looks up and tilts her head trying to remember. "Didn't I mention him before? The aviator jacket I brought is his. I'm sure I mentioned it."

She's holding Leo's hand still, and she feels a brief twinge of something, but she can't fully identify it, it's too quick. He lets go of her, pulling out random stuff from his tool belt to keep his hands busy.

"So the hunters didn't get you to join," Leo looks at her in a weird way. "Why's that?"

Ara shrugs. "I wouldn't give up love, not even for a goddess."

"Hah," he says, but it's not his real laughter.

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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[inafieldofdaisies]

18. bear hugs

For Mary May and Cal (with Zorro maybe?) <3

Prompt from this post.

Mary May followed what could barely be called a path snaking through the woods, her eyes periodically darting down to the crudely drawn map Calahan had left for her. "I will be waiting, Angel." was scribbled next to an X marking what he deemed his favorite fishing spot that as far she could tell wasn't any of the ones the locals frequented. Multiple times she questioned her decision to come at all, trying to convince herself to turn around and trek back to her truck before she would inevitably lose daylight and end up completely lost. "This is dumb. Foolish as hell.", she mumbled out loud, her frown deepening as she navigated the rough terrain, "And Casey from all people is manning the bar. It would be a miracle if it's still standing when I return." Yet no matter how many times she reminded herself John's men could choose that exact moment to make another move, a part of her that always took over against her better judgment anytime Hartley was around, pulled her forward like a niddle of a compass, like she could feel him near and was drawn to find him at any cost. Compass- another thing she wished she had taken with her along with a goddamned flashlight. For a second she contemplated calling out for Calahan, sensing she must be getting closer to the place he was supposed to be waiting for her at, then she decided against the idea, worrying about drawing the attention of any Peggies that knowing her luck, could be lurking in the woods. "Should have brought my shotgun. Fucking stupid… leaving it in my truck, because 'who the fuck brings a shotgun to a date'?", her hands clutched the map tighter when she heard twings snapping somewhere to her left that made her pick up her pace.

Just when she was about to spin on her heel and completely give up on Calahan's reckless plan, the path finally opened up to quite the breathtaking view, especially with the sun beginning to set: a shoreline of a small lake that John by some miracle still hadn't stained with a Baptism spot. "Rookie?", she hollered as she shoved the map into her back pocket and scanned the area for any signs of life, "Cal? You better not have sent me on a wild goose chase, I swear I won't let you leave it down." Then a sight made her release the breath she was holding as she got confirmation she was where she was supposed to be: a raccoon emerged from one of the overgrown shrubs ahead of her, its small head twisting to look her way. "Zorro, bud.", Mary May rushed to cover the distance that separated them in case Zorro decided to play hide and seek like his human father, "Where did your daddy go? Don't tell me he got into trouble…" The second the words left her mouth, arms wrapped around her from behind and enveloped her in a bear hug, a chuckle breezing over her skin before Calahan smushed his cheek to hers, "I'm right here, Angel. Was starting to think you won't show and it would be just me and Zorro again." There was a note of vulnerability to his playful tone, causing her heart to skip a breath as she covered his hands with her own, and their fingers intertwined. Zorro followed suit, paws encircling her leg, "Your little map and note certainly piqued my interest." Calahan swayed lightly, and she tried to stop herself from melting into his body when his lips brushed over her cheek, "I knew mystery would do the trick. How do you like my favorite place in the Valley?" "It's… peaceful. Almost like there's no war going.", Mary May muttered slowly, wishing she hadn't asked the next question the moment it escaped her, "You bring other girls here?" He let out a deep laugh, making the ugly feeling inside her fester further. Jealousy. "Never mind, Rookie.", her attempt to shrug off his hug was unsuccessful as he held on then as swiftly as he had embraced he twirled her around to face him, hands coming to rest on the small of her back.

"Calahan." "What?" He smirked, "That's my name, Mary May. You back to actin' all disinterested? Calling me Rookie?" Mary May shifted her eyes to a spot on his shoulder, annoyance swooping in at how easy he was able to read her and how satisfied he seemed with that ability. "Jealousy, Angel, not something I ever imagined from you. But damn, if it's not addicting… You know why? It means you care for me." His hand cupped her face and forced her to raise her gaze back to his before he continued, "Just my favorite people, Mary May. You, my son, my boys, Sabrina. Made the mistake to drag Pratt here once, kept complaining he couldn't catch any fish, the fucker." A couple of beats passed where she found herself unable to stop herself from returning his smile, "Damn it, Cal." "What?", Calahan asked in amusement. "I wish I hadn't… waited so long." His thumb storked her cheek as he nodded knowingly, "Me too. Come now, the view's about to get even better when the sun dips completely." He grasped her hand, leading her down the shore until they stopped at a blanket, one he had no doubt taken from her closet, on top of it was an old picnic basket, another thing of hers. She lowered herself to sit next to him as he started to pull out food and laying it down on the free space, "Let me guess, you rummaged through my fridge, too?" "Nope. Well, kind of... Drinks are on you, yes... but", he offered her a cheeky grin, "Dinner's on John tonight." Mary May raised an eyebrow, making him add, "I looted one of his trucks on the way. Don't worry, I left him a little thank you note." "Of course you did." She leaned her head on his shoulder as they watched the sunset with Zorro nestling comfortably at her feet. For the first time in a long while, she realized she felt… happy and as much as she hated to admit it - it scared her, because in her experience the rare feeling never lasted. John Seed always managed to slip in at those moments and destroy any source of happiness. Her calm life before the Project. Her family. Her father's business. The fragile peace that held on for surprisingly too long in his region. Yes, she was afraid. Afraid he'd take Calahan away from her, too.

[up-to-some-good]

Don't Blame Me

In honour of Taylor Swift announcing Speak Now (Taylor's Version), have a song fic.

Fics from my playlist (2/?)

I would fall from grace

Just to touch your face

Keeping a secret at Hogwarts was a near-impossible task, Remus had learned. Sometimes, he was surprised at how long he had managed to hide his own secret. The trick, he had discovered, was making sure to never share anything with a Hufflepuff. Once they knew, the whole school would be in the know within an hour.

"Did you hear about Sirius Black? Everyone's talking about it."

Remus hadn't even made it to the marauders' train compartment when he overheard what had happened.

"He showed up this morning with a black eye. Jen heard from Emily, who spoke to Patrick, who heard from Casey, that he ran away from home on Boxing Day. Apparently, he barely made it to the Potter house alive. He ran all night from London."

"That's unbelievable. Where's the proof?"

"Well, Roberta saw Regulus heading towards the Prefects' compartment, and she told Sam, who told Tiffany, who told me, that he was wearing the family ring, which means he's the official heir now."

"Merlin, that's insane."

Remus had heard enough and started running towards the back of the train. He hadn't spoken to his friends over the break, his father having blocked all wizarding contact while Hope's family was visiting for Christmas.

He slammed open the compartment door to find his friends, Sirius with his head on James's lap and his feet on Peter, the black eye stark against his pale skin. He started at Remus's abrupt entrance.

"Never pegged you for the dramatic entrance type, Moony." James smirked.

Remus ignored him, staring intently at Sirius.

"You ran away from home?"

"It was more that I was kicked out," Sirius responded, sitting up and stretching. "But, yes, you could say that."

"What the hell happened?"

"Well, Moony, someone told me last term that I should try being honest with myself and it didn't go over well with my mother."

"Thats not what I meant and you know it," Remus responded angrily.

Last term, during their end of term party, Remus had argued with Sirius. There had been tension all night between Sirius taking shots of Firewhiskey and Remus dancing with Benjy Fenwick. He knew exactly what he was doing, even when he pulled Benjy into a corner and let him line his neck with bruises.

Sirius had pulled him into the dorm and they had yelled at each other until James came to calm them down. Remus was furious that Sirius couldn't admit the reason he was so angry. They'd left for the break the next day, barely speaking.

"Hey, Wormtail, let's go find out if the girls have arrived yet," James said, already pulling a confused Peter out of the compartment.

Neither of the two remaining boys paid him any mind, staring intently at each other.

"I did what you asked, Remus, so why are you upset?"

"Are you insane? You know why I'm upset, Sirius. You could've been killed!"

Sirius barely reacted, leaning back against the window and stretching his legs across the seats.

"You know what they say about the Black family madness," he responded. "No one leaves that family sane."

"What did you do, Sirius?"

"I told my mother that I'm gay, that I'm a blood traitor, that I'm in love with my half-blood roommate and that the only way she'd get me to take the Mark was if she killed me first."

He stood up as he spoke, grey eyes blazing and fists clenched, taking a step towards Remus.

"What happened?" Remus breathed.

"She took that as a challenge, so I grabbed my wand and got the hell out of there."

"That's it?"

"That's it. I'm out, burned off the tapestry and everything. Haven't got a penny to my name besides the pocket money Effie gave me this morning." He reached out and traced a finger down the scar on Remus's cheek. "It's done, Moons. I'm yours and you can take me or leave me. If this is all I get, I can live with that. It was worth it."

Remus leaned closer and kissed him slowly, letting them relax into each other.

"You're insane."

Sirius grinned and pressed another kiss to his lips.

"Can't blame me for that, love. It's genetic."

Other TS fics: Starlight (TV) The Great War

[thatseventiesbitch]

LOVE your analysis of why Eric and Donna are soulmates and wanted to add that it's with Eric that Donna can show the softness and vulnerability she doesn't really allow herself to feel elsewhere---at home, she's the Responsible One, among her friends she's the rational voice of reason, at school she's the tough tomboy etc but with Eric, flawed but inherently kind Eric who has known her forever, she can finally get in touch with her deepest emotions, you know?! I've seen so much Jackie/Eric on my dash and have to admit I just don't get it---they were barely friends, let alone more, and they genuinely annoyed each other constantly!

Thanks for the ask!

That's a fabulous addition, anon, and you're so right. Donna is vulnerable with Eric in a way she isn't with anyone else (same for Eric, but more on him in a second *lol*).

Donna would talk to him about what was going on in her life - whether its her parents marriage dissolving, the fact that Bob's dating/sleeping with someone new (and this was in S4, when they were broken up even!), feeling like a sex object at her job, etc - because she always trusted him. He didn't always say the right things (in fact he usually didn't 🤣) but he was always the first one she went to. It breaks my heart at the end of season 8 when she's running from Randy's apartment, and she turns to go to Eric's house but then stops when she remembers he's not there. 😭

Donna also only cries a handful of times throughout the series, and they're all with (and because of) Eric. She's tearing up in S3xE25 "The Promise Ring" when Eric breaks up with her. She cries in the season 4 finale "Love Wisconsin Style" when she tells Eric she's sorry and he turns her away. She's almost tearing up in S8xE6 "Long Away" when she tells Hyde that Eric broke up with her. At the end of S6 she tells Hyde that when she called her mom to tell her the wedding was off, she "just cried and cried" (and Hyde says he can't picture her crying). And then she cries in the finale when he comes back, apologizes, and they kiss. I love the scene where Eric threatens to kick Casey Kelso's ass if he makes Donna cry, but the truth is that Eric Forman is the only one who can make Donna cry! Who's gonna kick his ass? *lol*

I think Eric is also vulnerable with Donna and only Donna in certain ways. I see it even from moments early in the series, like in the episode where his grandma died. Telling her why he really said 'I love cake' - because it scares him to put it out there and say he's in love with her because what if he loses her? But there's also his little outburst in S6xE1 when he realizes he has to stay behind from college to help his parents. He has some moments with her in season 4 - I think the scene with them in the basement at the end of "Eric's False Alarm" when he tells her how he felt when he thought she was going to sleep with Casey Kelso is him at his most vulnerable. Even in That '90s Show, their little talk on the car, I think Eric only opens up like that with Donna.

As far as Eric/Jackie go - I've made my feelings clear I think. I agree with you, it's a pass for me. I don't like to yuck anyone's yum though so I just don't look at that stuff. The good news is, there are also a lot of Eric/Donna shippers active and around these days. I really, really hope we get some more of them in season 2 of That '90s Show.💛

[starlightshadowsworld]

This might be a bit long since I have a lot of questions-

1. Does behind the hockey mask Casey ever struggled to get his family by? Like I'm going to assume he pays the apartment bills, does he ever struggle with to pay?

2. What was April's reaction when she first meet Casey in your Raph adopts feral cat Casey au? I mean he's a 14 year old that acts like a cat and is kinda quiet.

3. Do you remember that one episode were the 7 are fighting Super Shredder and he trys to throws Raph off a building. The only reason why Raph didn't fly off the building was because Casey skated in between Raph and the ledge. Well Casey ends up flying off the building and almost falls to his death, but he managed the grappled hooked himself to a balcony barely though. What if he's grapple hook failed? (I like angst)

There was another question but I can't remember it...oh well :)

Thanks for these!!!

1. Yup yes he does.

I mean Casey basically lost both his parents and had to raise Angel when he was 12.

So you can imagine it was hard for him to get money.

Not many people wanted to hire a 12 year old. And he had to figure out how to pay said bills.

It took a while before he could get to where he is now, and he got fired multiple times from jobs.

For being unable to show up to his shifts, either he was bad injured, passed out, his dad having the mother of all hangovers and needed looking after or just being unable to get Angel a babysitter.

And it's gotten, somewhat easier with Angel being older but she's still a kid.

But Casey worries about money a lot, he works in sketchy areas and odd hours, some treat him like a nuisance, others pretend he's invisible.

Few actually see a scared kid, like Mr Murakami and allow him to bring Angel with him and slip him tips at the end of the night with leftovers.

And that's without mentioning that Arnold has stole Casey's money for rent and food at times to go hit the bar.

So Casey has to hide it too.

.

.

2. Hehe their meeting was actually a reunion.

See April knew Casey, sorta.

They went to the same school as kids, they didn't know each other but they were aware of who the other was.

Like not friends but in the same class sorta thing.

And at times saw him wandering about and just... Befriended him by sharing her snacks with him.

Because that's what she did with stray cats so... Why not a person?

Food = love

And just yeah got him to see she wasn't a threat and she would talk about who knows what.

Sometimes asking him questions but he never answered so she stopped.

Casey never really responded, just nomming on the snack. But he always met her in the same spot.

She was very worried when he went poof.

When they met the turtles were trying to give her a talk like what to expect and hey our friend is a lil different but he's very sweet you just gotta be patient.

... Only for Casey to light up, wander over and nuzzle her cheek.

Which made her giggle and hug him like Casey!

.

.

3. That scene is like, embedded in my brain.

I like to think he'd make it, but be horribly injured fighting through on pure adrenaline because of the rush of the fight.

Uses last of his strength to close the rubbish disposal crusher... Thingy on Shredder after Splinters passing.

Everyone is so busy looking at mourning Splinter they don't notice.

Or the blood that quickly spilling from Casey's trembling body.

Raphs the first.

Running to him and steading him as Casey sways and falls into his arms.

"Can't hurt... You now..."

He wheezes.

That's when they all see Shredders corpse.

"Case..."

"Raph.."

"I'm here, Casey I'm here."

Casey blinks and pokes his cheek with a giggle but Raph is pained.

"Tell.. Angel... Love her"

"Tell her yourself, asshole." He says but the bite is gone.

"Raph"

"I'm here, still here Jones."

"H-hur..." Casey coughs up blood onto his hand.

Raph feels his own run cold.

Begging Casey to stay with them as they begin to get him and Leo to safety.

Casey ends up blacking out, barely able to make a weak peace sign before his arm drops still.

And you could have it he dies from his injuries in Raphs arms.

Or

And what I prefer 😅

Casey falls into his own coma. Donnie works so hard to stabilise him, but much like Leo no one knows if its enough.

Leo everyone knows hell wake up, it's just the wait that's killing them.

Casey tho... Casey's lucky to be alive.

Casey's body is covered with injuries.

It hits them how lucky he is to have survived this long.

How much he's done for them.

Unlike Leo, Casey wakes up at times, barely aware and not even knowing where he is.

Sometimes he's begging for his dad to stop.

Sometimes he's comforting Angel.

And other times staring blankly.

He's never awake for long.

He wakes up properly after Leo does.

I like to think he pulls an Oracle from Batman, unable to fight so much anymore he works on his tech know how and is the guy in the chair.

Tho it takes him a long while to get to being okay with that.

Casey Jones has always been a fighter.

When he thought he was done for he protected his people, his family, avenged Leo and Splinter.

Just him being the one to be helped now, and just having long term issues and disabilities such as having frequent migraines, losing his hearing and having chronic pain because he can't boubce back from it all like nothing anymore.

Raph having to deal with that guilt and doing his darndest to help him thro it.

Casey having to accept help, feeling powerless, grieving himself and learning to accept help and that he's not okay.

And he and Leo supporting each other because they both find understanding in the other.

The protector being the protected.

(Casey still drives speed Demon tho, he'd do anything for the others. I'd say Donnie was the OG driver but after he got possessed Casey took the wheel.

He luckily didn't get hurt any worse.)

Sorry that was hella long I hoped I answered them well 😅😊

[just-another-wasteland-merc]

From the Soft OC Asks for both Em and Mars:

2, 6, 10, 17

Thank you!

Hey, I'm here! Sorry this took a while!

2. Does your OC have any endearing qualities?

Em has the biggest and kindest heart anyone in the Wasteland has ever seen. People are thrown off by how nice she is and how generous, mostly because they've been taken advantage of from people who simply pretended to be nice.

Mars has a decent sense of humor. She sort of has to in order to put up with Sharky and his stupid ideas. Most of the time she's running after him, screaming about how it's definitely not safe, but with a few things, she just giggles once she knows no one will be hurt.

6. What calms them down most when they're anxious?

Em gives out some good advice for dealing with anxiety, but it doesn't mean she takes her own advice. She tries to, but Mac knows how to help her the most. He will rub circles into her back nice and slow to help her match her breathing, and he'll remind her that everything is okay. She tries her best on her own, but this is one thing where she sort of depends on Mac. And he's happy to help.

Mars doesn't like to show her anxiety around others, especially the Cougars when Faith is screwing with her. She doesn't cope well, so she will bottle it up unfortunately. Until something minor happens and she's a crying mess. Sharky tries his best, and it seems to help, but his coping strategies with her is "hey let's go take a nap". He tries.

10. Your OC is surrounded by puppies/kittens/ducklings. What do they do?

Em. Cries. In joy. She wants to take all of them home immediately and tries to name them all. And then she cries more when Mac tells her no. She will pet and hold all of them for equal amount of times, but she can barely see them cause she's crying so much. Along with a lot of "you so cuuuuuuute".

Mars loves kittens. She finds petting small animals relaxing and lets the kittens climb all over her and into pockets. Sharky adores the sight of course, but don't put a duckling by him, he's scared of birds.

17. Do they have a comfort food? Who makes it best?

Em loves sweets. She used to make donuts when she worked at Slocum's Joe when she was a teenager, and still remembers how. She makes them the best, especially since Mac is not allowed in the kitchen unsupervised.

Mars likes the more savory flavors. Her favorite dish is tied between beef and vegetable soup, and chili. The soup is best made by Casey at the Spread Eagle, and Sharky takes the crown for the best chili. He even tones it down for her cause she can't handle the spicy as much as he can, so he makes a separate batch just for her. She doesn't even use a spoon. Give her scoopy chips and some sour cream and she's completely happy.

Thank you for the ask! And thanks for letting me talk about Mars! :)

[yoursome1-rbwebb]

Caught in Haze

Previous | Next

Chapter 7

There were already about fifty people in the house by the time we walked into Noah’s party. There were drunk people all over the place.

"Fuck yes," Casey said, pulling us toward the keg in the middle of the room.

"I don't think I want to drink," I said quickly. Like I said I am usually the responsible one. Someone has to get us home tonight and it’s not going to be Casey.

She spun around and grabbed my shoulders.

"This is our last high school party. Please just let loose and have fun." She said in an exasperated tone.

She is right. I don’t like partying during the season which is coming up fast. I could just pretend to be a teenager this one last time. I never really did get the chance to be one after all.

"That sounds like peer pressure." I grinned, letting her know I would try to have fun.

"I'll show you peer pressure." She smirked back.

Casey suddenly shoved me backward and I fell. My body collided with my back and strong hands gripped my waist to steady me.

"Are you okay?" A deep recognizable voice said behind me.

I quickly stood up and pulled out of the person's arms before spinning around to find Noah standing in front of me.

"Hi, Noah. Sorry about that." I said awkwardly. I looked back towards Casey to cuss her out but found her slipping away through the crowd with a smirk on her face. That bitch.

"It's okay. Happy to help." He laughed. He really does have a cute laugh. Just the sound of it sends endorphins flowing through my body in an instant.

"Thank you." I blushed before looking up to meet his gaze. His usual disheveled black hair was replaced with perfectly coiffed curls that sat just above his golden eyes. He chose a simple combination of jeans and a sweatshirt but managed to make it look good without even trying. 

“No problem Walker.” He smiled and held out a hand to me. “Can I get you a drink?” He asked.

One or two drinks wouldn’t hurt. Especially if those drinks were had with Noah.

"Sure," I answered, placing my hand in his.

We walked towards the kitchen where he let go of my hand and poured me a mixed drink claiming he wouldn’t subject me to the nasty beer in the front room.

I laughed and accepted the drink then he turned and made himself one.

“Your house is so nice,” I said when he finished with his drink. I didn’t have to talk as loud seeing as there were fewer people in the kitchen.

"Yeah. It looks way nicer when there aren't drunk people everywhere.” He shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

“I’m sure.” I giggled. “It must not be like that very often though seeing as you have a party every other week.” I smiled.

He shifted on his feet awkwardly and I realized I might have said the wrong thing.

“Yeah, I don’t really like being here by myself all the time.” He shrugged and took another sip of his drink to diffuse the tension.

I studied him for a moment longer. Is he here alone a lot? Asking him doesn't seem like the best direction for this conversation to go though. He clearly doesn’t want to talk about it.

“I bet going to camp will be a nice change of pace.” I smiled up at his handsome face. I wanted to change the subject to common ground.

"Yeah, it will be a lot of fun.” He shrugged and leaned against the counter. “I’ll miss our shooting practice while I’m gone though.” He grinned down at me. 

“Aw, you’ll miss me? How sweet Haze.” I teased, taking another sip.

Noah laughed and moved so that he was directly in front of me. My breath hitched in my throat when I realized how close we suddenly were.

“I will miss you, Charlie.” He spoke softly so that only I would hear. 

My heart sped up in my chest. He enjoys my presence enough to miss me? We barely hang out outside of our training sessions. But I would be lying if I said our training sessions haven’t been the highlight of most of my days in the last few weeks. Ever since…

Arms wrapped around my waist interrupting my train of thought. They forcefully picked me up in the air and I let out a squeal at the sudden intrusion. I was just able to catch Noah’s face scrunch into a frown as the arms spun me around to face the person they belonged to.

Rick was the culprit, grinning down at me with his hot alcohol-laced breath smacking me in the face. It took everything in me not to physically cringe.

Rick is the last person I want to see right now. I should've known that he would be here though. Rick doesn’t miss any parties. He’d never miss the opportunity to find a poor girl to have a one-night stand with.

That's all girls are to him. Something to play with and then throw away when he is done with them. The only reason our on-again-off-again relationship lasted so long was because I did enjoy the sex and Rick enjoyed my stamina. My sex drive has always matched that of a teenage boy so any fight would just disappear because we both just solved everything with copulation.

But that wasn’t enough for Rick. He never really wanted a girl like me. He wants a girl who will stay home to make him babies and food whenever he wants. My dreams of being a professional athlete meant nothing to him. In fact, I think my success in soccer really bothered him. 

That was his reasoning for cheating on me. I spent too much time playing with my stupid ball and not enough time playing with him. 

"You look hot in this little dress." He grinned, pulling my body against his. 

Being this close to him made me feel physically ill.

I wrenched his arms away from my waist and he had to steady himself on the counter next to us so he wouldn’t fall over. God, how is he this drunk already?

"You are wasted, Rick." I frowned, taking a step away from him. He grabbed my forearm before I could get too far.

"Oh come on baby. Let's have some fun." He pulled me back into him. “I miss you.” He whispered into my ear.

I’m going to throw up. It’s so funny to me thinking about how him saying those words a month ago would have made me feel compared to now.

I can see through all his bullshit now that I am out from under his stupid sex spell.

"High school is over and so are we." I pulled his arms off of me again and shoved him back into the counter. 

I didn’t wait for his response before turning back to Noah. I genuinely felt bad for the interruption.

He wasn't there. 

Fuck.

Everyone in the school knew about my on-again-off-again relationship with Rick. Seeing Rick with his arms around me must have sent the wrong message to Noah.

I groaned and downed the rest of my drink. 

I know I shouldn't go for Noah knowing both of our lives are about to change drastically. But I didn’t want him to think that he had no chance.

I poured myself another drink feeling the little fuzzy feeling of alcohol take over my body. It felt good to let go of myself just a little. 

I made my way around the house until I found Casey in what looked like a spin the bottle circle. The room was dimmer than anywhere else I had been in the house and I couldn’t quite make out who all was in the circle. 

I made my way behind Casey and pulled her hair. She spun around her eyes blazing until she realized it was me.

"Take me to dinner first, why don't you." She smirked before turning back to the circle.

"That was for shoving me into Noah you bitch." I grumbled, shoving her back playfully.

Casey laughed and took my hand in hers.

"Yeah yeah. Come sit down. We are playing truth or dare." She pulled me down next to her.

I rolled my eyes at the cliche game but moved to sit down anyway. I looked around at the darkened faces spotting a few people from school that I recognized and a few that I didn’t

"Charlie! Welcome!" Ben, one of Rick's baseball buddy’s said excitedly. "Truth or dare, baby?" He grinned sloppily.

I wanted to tell him not to call me baby but his drunk ass probably couldn’t even process it.

If I say truth, he will most likely ask me a pervy question. If I say dare he will make me do something pervy. This is a lose-lose scenario.

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my drink before answering.

"Dare." 

Might as well have some fun. Especially with the liquid courage flowing through my veins.

"I was not expecting that!” Ben exclaimed, clapping his hands together in excitement. 

“Hmmmm. What should I have you do." He tapped his chin and smirked at me.

"If you ask her to do something weird to you I will kill you," Casey said from next to me with a smile on her face. She looked like she was joking but everyone that knows Casey in this circle knows that it was a serious threat.

That's my best friend. I chuckled at Ben when his face fell for a millisecond. 

"Chill. I got it!" He snapped his fingers. "7 minutes in heaven with..."

My stomach dropped. Seven minutes in heaven is not what I expected. Who the hell was he about to subject me to.

"With Riley." He pointed at a girl I hadn't noticed before. She was sitting two people away from me with a beer in her hand. 

My breath hitched in my throat the moment I looked at her. Even in the dim lighting I could tell she was the prettiest person in this room. She is a person I have never seen before, yet something about her seems so familiar. 

She looked at me and raised her eyebrows in surprise over my sudden attention. She studied me for a second then a smirk took over her face. She looked at Ben and shook her head with a grin, as if this was some sort of inside joke between him and her. 

I didn’t like that very much. They must know each other but why the hell was I a joke to them. 

Did they think I wouldn’t follow through on the dare? Do they think I am scared? Who the hell is this bitch?

I’m not homophobic in any way. I've just never experienced the attraction to a woman that others say they have. Hell I’ve never even kissed a girl before. I’ve never had a reason or want to.

Riley looked back at me with a smug smirk on her face. The room was really too dark to get a good look at her but I could just tell she was sizing me up. A small amused chuckle left her mouth as she shook her head.

She doesn’t think I will do it. 

She doesn’t know who the fuck I am.

There is a challenge that is being conveyed in the way that woman looked at me.

"Fine." I huffed, not willing to lose whatever this weird interaction was to either person involved.

Casey was cackling along with Ben as I stood to my feet. I looked down at her and glared. This is her fault and I will be repaying her for it later.

I crossed my arms and turned my attention to Ben.

“Lead the way then,” I said sarcastically while tapping my fingers on my arm impatiently.

Riley stood up then with a chuckle and nodded her head at Ben with another wink.

What the hell is going on between them?

“This way.” The woman I’ve never met before said and started walking towards the door.

I let out another bored sigh before following after her. I still haven’t gotten a good look at the girl that has already managed to get on my nerves.

The small group of truth or darer’s followed the two of us into the hall, excitedly whispering behind me. I wanted to turn around and glare at all of them but knew if I did they might all just laugh at my frustration.

Ten minutes ago I was in the kitchen flirting with my crush only to get interrupted by my ex. Now I am being led into a room with a woman I don’t know because I am overly competitive. This party blows.

Riley opened a door leading into a bedroom and I didn’t even look her in the face as I marched in past her. I just want to get these seven minutes over so I can beat Casey’s ass then go home. 

I turned around just in time to flip Ben off as Riley shut the door in his face.

The room was dimly lit by a small soccer ball lamp sitting on the dresser so I could just see the way Riley was still grinning from across the room. I stood there waiting in anticipation of what she thought was going to happen in these seven minutes alone together but she didn’t move. She didn’t make a sound. All she did was stare at me, taking in my yellow dress and tanned skin.

I suddenly felt very self conscious about how I looked. I had worn this dress to gain attention tonight. Just not from whoever this woman was, in a random room in Noah’s house.

After another few seconds of waiting for her to say anything, my anxiety turned into anger at the situation.

“Can you turn the lights on?” I asked in a tone that was anything but welcoming.

Riley’s eyebrows raised in surprise before she let out a chuckle. She reached over without looking and turned the light switch on.

The instant I got a good look at this mysterious woman I knew exactly who she was.

The moment her golden eyes fell onto mine all the air rushed out of my lungs.

Riley.

As in Riley Haze. Noah’s sister.

Previous | Next

[roseverdict]

drops this here and runs lmao

〜

Splinter was jolted awake by a crashing sound, followed by multiple unfamiliar voices.

"Ughhh…what'd that thingy do? My head hurts."

He scrambled from his chair and bolted for the voices.

They were coming from the boys' room.

"Well, if you'd been listening to me, you'd know we should have teleported to April's house! Considering the fact that someone decided to switch out my fuel source, though, who knows where we ended up?"

Splinter hadn't attempted to use any of his childhood training in a couple years, but silence still came to him almost too easily as he approached the boys' room.

"Ack! My phone's being all weird when I try to check my texts! Guess letting Apes or CJ know we're having a problem is off the table. Greeeat."

"Can somebody turn on the lights? I've got color vision, not night vision!"

Splinter tried to assure himself that, while he could barely make out anything of what the teenaged voices were saying, what little he did understand seemed to point to them unintentionally arriving in his home rather than purposefully breaking in where his boys were napping.

…somehow.

His tail darted into the room and flicked the light switch.

The voices all squawked at the sudden light, but Splinter just froze.

His eyesight had yet to recover fully from his mutation, but even the blurry shapes and colors were enough to light a fire in him.

They were big. Far too big.

It was impossible.

The four large turtle shapes scrambled upright, and Splinter found himself staring at each of them in shock.

The largest of them, standing easily head and shoulders above Splinter's original height, back when he could still call himself Lou Jitsu, with a unique little snaggletooth in the corner of his mouth, and wearing a red bandana over his head like a traditional Hamato warrior.

The smallest of them, just a few inches shorter than Splinter was now but with stickers decorating his plastron that were familiar in the way the colors popped, even if Splinter had never actually seen the stickers themselves before, and with an orange mask tied around his eyes and ending in a bow.

The two in-between their brothers' heights, one with red markings peeking out from a blue mask and standing with a fake nonchalance, the other with a purple bandana and metallic goggles shifted up onto his head.

"My boys…? What…?" Splinter breathed.

For their part, the four turtles all shared a wince.

Purple frowned and inspected a glowing panel hovering by his forearm. "Hm. You know, after Casey first showed up, we probably should have expected more time travel to be on the agenda. In retrospect, I'm shocked it took this long."

"Wait, wait, waitwaitwait, real time travel?" asked Blue in disbelief. "Not some sort of trip down mystic memory lane, but actual time travel?"

"Affirmative," Purple said.

Orange got a starry-eyed look to his face that only hammered home that these were definitely Splinter's sons. "Coooool…"

"Mikey, you're forbidden from trying your mystic hands to get us back to the present unless we've all agreed there's no other option," said Red with finality, as if pre-emptively cutting off the idea.

"Seconded," added Blue. "Definitely a last resort only sorta dealie, there."

Orange saluted. "Aye-aye, capitáns!"

"So…it's really you?" Splinter asked, looking between the boys as the realization fully hit. "Wait- where are the babies?"

"Babies?!" Red squeaked.

The four looked around in shock for a moment, then Blue swallowed. "Well, the good news is, I don't think we squished 'em. Er, us."

Purple was already consulting his glowing panel again. "If my readings are correct- and they're my readings, of course they're correct- then it looks like when my equipment surged and sent us back, it also brought four ninpo signatures forward that are identical to ours, save for their miniscule size and unawakened status."

"So we swapped?" asked Orange.

Purple nodded. "Correct."

Instantly, the boys relaxed, and Red turned to Splinter. "You- uh, well, our you- was with us when the accident happened, just a bit further away. He oughta be aware of the swap and able to get Baby Us out of Donnie's lab and somewhere he can keep an eye on us. I think we're as safe as we can be."

"Aside from the inevitable mass of blackmail photos that April takes once she realizes she can dress Baby Us up in every single overly-adorable outfit she can find," Blue moaned.

Splinter frowned thoughtfully. "You've mentioned that name twice now, this 'April.' Who is she?"

Blue took out a small rectangle- clearly, this was his 'phone,' though it was nowhere near as blocky as the phones Splinter saw humans carrying these days- and tapped at it for a moment, then turned it to face him. "She's the one Mikey's squished up next to here."

Splinter took the device and inspected the massive display.

Shown in full color was a photo of what could only be himself and his boys, lit by the golden rays of sunrise. Or possibly sunset- it was difficult to tell.

Also featured prominently were two humans Splinter did not recognize in the slightest. One was dressed in a cloak and a mask that was flipped away from his face, and he and Blue had arms over each other's shoulders.

The other had, indeed, squished her cheek up next to Orange's, both of them beaming.

The version of himself in the photo was older and grayer (and shorter…and plumper…), but he was smiling in such a way that Splinter realized he knew about the humans' proximity to his boys and was glad for it.

"How old are Baby Us? We should probably know before we say anything else too indicative of events that have yet to pass for you, since we didn't come back in time with the intent to change it," Purple explained, cutting off that train of thought.

Splinter turned his attention away from Blue's device and looked up at his sons. "Orange is one, Blue and Purple are two, and Red, you're three."

"Overly-adorable baby outfits," repeated Blue in a horrified whisper.

"Fourteen years back, eh?" Purple said at the same time. "Not particularly ideal, but I can work with that."

Fourteen years…so that meant Orange was fifteen, and the others were a year or two older than even that.

Splinter handed Blue back his oddly-thin phone, then looked, really looked, at the boys.

Purple stood stiffly, his eyes never leaving the panel on his arm as he tapped away. Part of it was just his natural way of motion, Splinter was sure, but occasionally he would shift in place and wince, as if his shell rubbed up against something he disliked. Yet he was only wearing armor accented in his trademark color- most likely of his own design. Curious.

There was a shimmering patch in Red's carapace, just over his left shoulder, and there was a scar along that very shoulder that seemed to have come from the same injury. Additionally, Red's right eye seemed to have a hard time focusing in sync with his left whenever he turned his head.

Blue seemed the worst off, in terms of how many physical injuries he seemed to have. The faintest rings of bruising dotted his skin between yellowish crescents that more closely resembled natural coloration. Hairline cracks spread from multiple places in his plastron, thin enough to clearly be already on the mend but numerous enough for Splinter's heart to skip a beat.

Even Orange had not escaped whatever-had-happened unscathed. Scarring in a geometric pattern that Splinter could have recognized in his sleep extended from his fingers all the way up to his elbows, and with a minute gasp, Splinter realized that Red and Purple each had an arm with matching scars.

And Orange's hands trembled, even as he smiled and seemed completely happy.

Orange loved to work with his hands, even as small as he was supposed to be.

Splinter didn't realize he'd taken Orange's hands in his own until he was already folding the boy's fingers back to steady them.

"Pops…?" asked Red quietly.

Splinter swallowed. "Oh, my sons…what has happened to you?"

I am in the need of an au/fic in which the rottmnt boys switch places with their kid selves

I mean post movie, overly traumatized mystic teenage turtle boys switching places with small kids who have no idea what's a head of them

I really want to see past splinter be fucking broken when he learns about all the shit his son's have gone through. He'd probably feel like he failed, he failed to protect them from his family legacy, he failed to keep them safe from all of the shit the world put them through, he'd probably have a full break down because of it

Meanwhile present splinter is enjoying the presence of his younger boys while also bieng mildly concerned for his older ones

Also we need draxum to hang out with the tots no exceptions

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

Even more ROTTMNT headcanons: Small movie spoilers if you still haven't seen it

Leo demanded to be carried everywhere after he got injured 

Raph and Casey agreed because they felt guilty 

Mikey agreed because he would do anything for his brothers

And April and Donnie agreed because Leo kept bitching about his legs hurting

Leo’s little bag is filled with medical supplies (because you can pull medic Leo out of my cold dead hands)

When the boys were younger they would roughhouse a lot and it wasn’t uncommon for one of them to start bleeding

And Splinter (bless his cold lazy heart) got tired of his kids interrupting his tv show to ask for medical aid

So he asked the group of boys “who wants to be the medic” and Leo volunteered because he didn’t know what that meant and he thought it sounded cool 

At first, it was really boring and he kind of wanted to switch with Raph but after a while, he realized how important a medic is on the battlefield so he stuck with it

This ended up working out perfectly because Leo works well under pressure  

Don't get me wrong his brothers do too but Donnie has a terrible bedside manner 

Mikey freaks out at the sight of blood

And Raph fainted the first time he saw a broken bone 

Donnie still knows the basics because he refuses to admit that Leo knows more than him 

And Leo used to use him like a practice dummy and he would explain what he was doing and why he was doing it 

Donnie would have complained more but it was interesting to see Leo genuinely passionate and focused 

And he would never admit this but he learned a lot from Leo during those sessions 

Leo has little to no time to himself because Raph is clumsy and cuts himself once a week

Mikey always sprains something when he’s practicing his acrobatics

Donnie burns himself or shocks himself or cuts himself once a day in the lab

And April is incredibly accident prone

So it’s not uncommon for Leo to hear a crash a thud or glass shattering and then someone yelling “Leo get in here”

And even though he loves his siblings very much he teaches them how to take care of minor injuries after being pulled 4 different ways for a month straight

Mikey has the record for most broken bones in the family

April is a close second

and Donnie is right after her (his bones are very brittle like chips) 

After the movie, Leo is right behind him

Splinter used to do all his own stunts so he’s broken a few bones

And Raph’s bones are the size of Donnie’s arms so he’s never broken a bone

Even though Leo is a great medic he’s a terrible patient 

He hates sitting around and doing nothing 

It doesn't matter if both of his legs are broken you will find him somewhere in the house either playing video games or eating snacks

And every single time they find him splinter always complains and says “if only you had this much energy when the dishes needed to be washed”

And next thing you know Leo is back in the bed complaining about how bad the pain is 

Donnie is just as bad but he’ll usually be in his lab messing with something 

Mikey is a decent patient because he’s full of energy but he usually stays put and doesn’t complain that much 

April and Raph are angels sent from above they stay where they’re supposed to they don't complain and when they’re healed up they don't push themselves 

Splinter kind of just lays there and rests he doesn't really eat he barely drinks water and if he didn't have a heart monitor attached to him the group would think he’s dead