#especially writing Mikey and Casey’s parts

[faith-forgxtten-land]

Blush | Leonardo

this isn't me being modest or fishing for compliments, but i found writing this surprisingly difficult to write for some reason? and i'm not exactly ecstatic with how it ended up, but i've spent a while trying to edit and improve it (and of course tumblr decided to not save my edits, TWICE) and i honestly think this is as good as it's going to get because the more i edit and worry over it, the more difficult it becomes! with that said, i do hope you enjoy it!!

2007 universe!!

warnings: making out? there's not much honestly, leo being a little unhinged and possessive? she/her pronouns used once or twice, everyone is 18+!!

summary: leo likes it a little too much when you blush

word count: 1930 (honestly surprised by the length)

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The first time you meet the turtles, you feel faint even after all the preparation you've done with April. She'd told you all about them, yet she hadn't mentioned how intimidating and handsome they were, and you stumble over your introductions, stuttering and blushing, feeling small and unimpressive, like you're back to being a schoolgirl with an unattainable crush.

You have to repeat your name, your shy mumbles too quiet even for their mutant hearing, and you flush as Leonardo smiles patiently at you and ignores Raphael’s eyeroll. Donatello is kind and tells you to not to take his brother’s grumpiness to heart, and Michelangelo talks so much that you don’t have to for the rest of the evening.

From then on, Leo makes an effort to be kind to you; he's always patiently listening to you even as you trip over words, especially on the days where you can barely glance in his direction without blushing, leaning close and bestowing you with an intense attention you're not sure you'll ever get used to. 

And maybe sometimes Leo plays up how soft-spoken you are. You are quiet, and you do have a tendency to mumble your words, yes, but he’s not deaf and he really doesn’t need to invade your personal space as often as he does. It’s just so cute the way you fluster without fail every time he leans in, his breath fanning against your face as he asks you to repeat yourself. 

His brothers and your aunt aren’t as oblivious as you; Donnie shoots him pointed looks that he pointedly ignores, Raph’s eyes are permanently rolling, and by now Mikey, who had initially been supportive, has begun to find it sickening, miming puking in the background each time Leo so much as looks in your direction. Even Splinter has joined in, completely unsubtle in his offhand mentioning of grandchildren whenever he sees the both of you, whether you’re alone or together. And April... well, she had cornered him in the dojo and promised that he'd be running back to the rainforest she found him in if he ever did you wrong. 

He had no intention of ever hurting you, or letting anyone else hurt you, for that matter. You’re just so endearing; so precious and shy, a snowflake that has yet to feel heat, and he so desperately wants to be the only one to light that fire within you and watch you melt.

Perhaps it's a little obsessive, but everything you do, usually unknowingly, draws him in like a moth to a flame. And it’s a little mean, maybe, the way he delights as you fluster and flush with only the tiniest hints of encouragement from him, but it sends a thrill through him each time. You’re so shy, so innocent and trusting, it’s impossible for him not to take advantage of that (even if April’s threats ring in his ears whenever he does).

So he invites you over, a movie night with just the two of you because of course Mikey is busy doing something silly and senseless that you won't be interested in, and you know Donnie's always busy doing something painfully nerdy that's way too boring to be fun, and Raph is busy doing something boneheaded with Casey that's far too dangerous.

It's just you and Leo.

You're both quiet for the most part, but keenly aware of each other's presence. It would be impossible for him to miss the way you practically stop breathing whenever his leg brushes oh-so lightly against yours, and he knows you're not paying much attention to the movie because he isn't either, and you're not exactly subtle with the way your eyes keep flicking away from the screen to sneak a peek when you think he isn't looking. 

The eleventh time you do this, he decides enough is enough, and lets his eyes catch yours.

He keeps eye contact for a little too long to be casual, heart racing at the way your eyes dart away awkwardly but seemingly can’t resist finding his again no matter how embarrassed you feel. God, you’re so cute, he wants to squish your cheeks and eat you alive. He must not be doing a very good job at hiding that desire because Donnie shoots him a warning look as he passes by to grab something from the kitchen, and Leo elects to ignore it, sticking his foot out suddenly and smiling innocently as his brother stumbles and glowers but continues his walk without comment.

He slides his arm casually over the back of the couch when he’s certain you’re alone again, unable to cover his smirk as you stiffen and your breath hitches. He’s not even touching you and he wants to laugh at how innocent you are; he feels like a wolf waiting to pounce on a lamb and it really shouldn’t excite him this much. The thought makes him shuffle just a little closer, disguising his movements as a casual adjustment in his seating. He flashes you a kind smile. “You okay?”

Your smile in return is tight and nervous, and you can’t bring yourself to make eye contact this time. You nod quickly, not trusting yourself to speak without humiliating yourself further. That, of course, is ruined as Leo drops his hand to the bare skin of your shoulder from where your shirt has slipped, rubbing your warm skin gently. You jump, a squeak slipping past your lips, and you feel your face grow even hotter.

Leo looks at you with feigned concern, lips rolled together to hide his grin, pushing an earnest façade to conceal his amusement. Your skin is so soft, he thinks, brushing his fingers over it again. “You sure?”

You swallow thickly as his palm flattens and trails towards your neck. “Y-yes.”

He’s even closer now, muscled thigh pressed against yours as he peers at you. “You’re looking a little flushed…”

You look up and meet his unfaltering stare; his eyes are dark, pupils eclipsing warm brown irises, and you feel like they’re swallowing you whole the longer you get lost in his gaze. His hand slides up and you shudder as he cups your jaw gently. There’s only an inch or so between your faces now, and you’re not sure when you got so close, but it’s hard to focus on anything other than the rush of blood in your ears as your heart beats erratically. “Leo,” you whisper uncertainly, and his eyes darken before he presses his lips to yours.

You’re still for a moment, frozen as butterflies flutter so violently in your stomach you think you might vomit – which would be the most mortifying thing to ever happen to you (and you’ve had a lot of mortifying things happen to you) and you might have to take a leaf out of Leo’s book and head to Central America and cut all contact with everyone you know.

You're not really sure what you're doing, and your actions feel delayed, like you're moving in slow motion or you're underwater and your movements are sluggish despite your best efforts, but you must be doing something right because he groans quietly against your mouth and the sound makes your abdomen clench. He pulls back and your lips are tingling as he catches his breath. 

He looks the way you feel; a mess, flushed with his chest heaving, and you feel a little smug even as you blush further when he smirks at you. He doesn’t say anything, just keeps smirking at you because he’s insufferable like that, and you realise he’s waiting for you to meet his eyes. 

It's a Herculean effort, but you manage to return his heated stare. 

“I want it all.” Leo is gazing into your eyes in complete seriousness and, as much as you want to look away and bury your face into your hands, something keeps you transfixed.

"All?" It's a miracle that you find your voice, even if it's the weakest it's ever sounded, wheezing and as soft as the skin under his calloused palms.

Leo's eyes somehow darken further. "This isn't just a game to me, or a one-time thing. I want everything with you."

You swallow the reticence that threatens to burst from your throat and lick your lips, the taste of his own a heavy weight against yours. His eyes follow the movement, the intensity of his stare making you feel dizzy. “I’ve never done this before,” you admit, heat crawling up your neck. “I’ve never even been in a relationship before."

Leo smiles at you, a knowing curve of his lips, crooked and tender with a hint of mirth, eyes dancing across every inch of your face with your admission as if he can’t decide which spot deserves his attention more. “I want to be your first and last,” he says honestly, voice a little uneven as if he hasn’t yet caught his breath after your kiss.

He’s nervous, you realise, cheeks darker than usual and inflicted with the same timidity that's nestled in your chest – not that he’ll admit to it. His eyes keep flitting about, not in a loving caress, but in a nervy flutter. You make him nervous. You can’t stop the giggle that leaves your lips and, almost instantly, Leo’s nervousness melts away as he raises a non-existent brow. “Something funny?”

Your face is flushed, and you can feel that shyness threatening to rear its head, but you push through and beam a little bashfully at him. “I want that too. I want it all. With you."

Leo blinks slowly and leans in close again. It takes everything within you not to pull away; your face is scorching, and you wonder if it’s actually possible to burn your skin from blushing so fiercely. “Can I kiss you?” His voice is lower than normal, soft and rough at once, deep and dark like it’s filtered through gravel and dripped in honey at the same time, and you kind of want to faint.

“Haven't you already?” you mumble, eyes dropping from his as another wave of heat rushes to your face, resolutely staring just beyond the turtle that’s practically on top of you.

Leo laughs softly, hand on your jaw once more and directing your embarrassed gaze to him. He’s smiling wide and then he’s kissing you again.

It’s still sloppy and tentative, you’re still entirely unsure of what you’re doing and it’s almost embarrassing enough to make you retreat, but then his tongue, long and thick, traces the seal of your lips in question and your brain shuts-down. Hesitantly, you answer, your own tongue shy as it brushes against his and easily forfeits the short fight for dominance, letting him lick your mouth with practiced ease. Any remnants of anxiety over your own inexperience dissipate with every flick of his skilled tongue, and you melt into his embrace.

“Oh my god, Leo’s eating her face.”

Leo pulls back and you squawk, mortified and covering your face as embers of confidence sputter, fleeing from you while Mikey dramatically projectile vomits his nunchucks across the room where they hit the wall with a thud. Your face is on fire, and you die a little on the inside as you realise that the glistening around Leo's mouth is mostly your spit. 

You die a little more and make a mental note to book a flight to Costa Rica when Splinter arrives to investigate the commotion, his son still pressed against you on the couch, and simply murmurs about grandchildren before winking at you.

[sealofarchives]

Hello, could you do a Rottmnt headcanon of what kind of relationship Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey would be?

Headcanon: The reader might need 4 rings in the future since they couldn't decide on one turtle. (Requested prompt)

A/N: sorry for bringing up watt/pad again but, I did at least a couple of oneshots towards the reader in a poly relationship with the guys. So I had a bit of deja vu seeing this type of prompt again (probably around 5 years of writing) but anyway...

One last note: It was a bit difficult to understand the wording towards this particular ask. I already had some unpleasant interactions with "those fans" so I hesitated for a bit with this one.

So please double check your asks before sending it because I don't want to end up with another semi-hiatus because of asks that were out of my control...

If this isn't the kind of relationship you're into, then just skip this one.

Leo

He honestly wasn't expecting you to make the first move.

And tbh, he kept pacing around his room by the time the new feelings bonked him on the head. Like "Ooooh no... (Y/N)'s actually really really really cute..."

Surprisingly, he went to Splinter for advice. Part of his soul left his body when the rat man explained the importance of that special relationship in a lovey dovey manner. But, actually listened slowly realizing Splinter's previous relationships ended in failure. Especially with how things are with Splinter and Big Mama.

Its close to the end of the week when you suggest that idea to date all four of them. And you were very much taken back that he's okay with it. Though he can't promise not to be jealous from time to time. But, he and his brothers will make sure not to break your heart and will swear by it.

- More likely to do surprise visits (or alerting you with a text that he's dropping by for a few minutes. sometimes close to an hour or more if he's not really in the mood for a night patrol)

- Accidentally starts light hearted competitions with him and his brothers trying to impress you. He's still gonna be a showboat but tones it down the moment you pretend to ignore him.

- He's a bit insane and brave with the idea of wanting to meet your family members (the ones that you feel comfortable with). Or towards people that have been there for you in those darker times. Aside from April and his future self being close to a guardian figure to Casey Jr. And the brief time he and his family had with Karai, might be the reasons why he wants to reach out more. Mostly starting small though since the mental scar from the Krang and Shredder really changed him as a person.

Its usually Mikey or Donnie that challenge the red slider turtle to a friendly game on winning your affection. And when he's not feeling up to it, he just waits when Raph's turn is over and asks for your TLC (tender loving care).

Despite the horrors, he's still the same ol whiner. And will probably latch on to you with the most saddest eyes. That you're luckily immune to as you hold hands with one of his brothers for the start of the next week. Donnie has used a spray bottle with water at him and still does it even when its not his turn.

Raph

Very confused about the idea and trying to make sense of it.

It might be close to a few weeks where he finally understands. (mainly asking from April because his brothers can make it sound more confusing)

He hasn't really thought that much about the existential dread of the mutant/human relationship until seeing either Leo or Donnie silently anxious about it. Like the alligator snapping turtle is always more focused on keeping his family safe. And with you as a partner (and potential future spouse) being shared with him and the rest of his brothers. Mind Raph is pestering him even more just to say it out loud than just waiting for you to lead the relationship.

He'll eventually get used to it and given his oldest brother status. Takes it with ease being more patient compared to their high energy.

- Doesn't realize he acts like a "proper gentleman" (or gentleturtle as Donnie would say) when Raph opens the door for you while you're carrying boxes or something. Or offers to help you with the heavy lifting. Even Splinter calls him out on that behavior.

- When its his turn dating you, you get immediate "dibs" on everything. He plays very innocent with you but on his brothers. They always work together on a prank back at him for being annoying about it.

- Tends to look at your hands sometimes. He blushes thinking about how soft it feels around his face and lightly tracing around where its safe to touch his spiky shell.

While he always has good intentions, his brothers heavily hate the 'chaperone or third wheel checking in on the date idea'.

- It's mostly brought at least once a month and the trio usually try to tell you ahead of time before it happens again.

He'll be slightly grumpy whenever the trio share a single brain cell about a really stupid thing that he won't get.

- And he'll whine for a bit if you end up taking their side so, just take his side to save him from another wrinkle on his Raph chasm.

Donnie

He's silently making a fuss about it during the first month.

And a bit at himself, for waiting so long to ask you out. Before you went ahead with the bold move of "I don't want you guys to fight over me so... Is it okay if I date all four of you?"

It takes him a long while to get used to it. Or when Dr Feelings notices the softshell turtle not being open and honest about this relationship with you.

However once he's fully settled in, a very charming and laidback sort of relationship.

- I always get the vibe he uses 'dearest or darling' as his term of affection towards you. (His brothers used to tease him about it but, on days where bad luck decided to give this turtle a break and more on them. They're pleading for your help and whether you want to add fuel to that fire. That's on you)

- To me, he has that dramatic hopeless romantic energy. The only difference he pulls it off better than the dense couples in rom com movies/shows. With the amount of words he knows, at least a few or almost all of his compliments at you will send your heart into a flutter.

- At least every now and then, he'll try to dazzle you with something. Either one of his incredible inventions or surprising you with your favorite thing. (He'll boldly insist he was a step ahead getting it as a surprise. Even though his brothers actually chipped in to avoid another "The Purple Game" incident)

He sort of has a friendly rivalry with Leo on trying to make you laugh.

- If he starts to gloat about it, especially winning with the claim "Told you I was the funniest."

You kissing the softshell turtle's lips will instantly shut him down. use that power wisely

He unfortunately has jealousy issues by the time his turn is up.

- Like pretending to give the cold shoulder until you need help with something he's an expert at.

Mikey

Very much the mature one taking this relationship seriously.

Even though it took a few days with Donnie's help to get a better understanding of your idea of the poly relationship.

Dr Feelings and Dr Delicate Touch are working overtime because of these dumb dumbs sometimes.

Despite that, absolutely the sweetest turtle boyfriend. (and best future turtle husband material out of the four of them)

- While he has the Lou Jitsu charm, Mikey's bundle of sunshine is a whole another level. You can't help but, slowly break into a smile from his toothy grin.

- If you're the type who takes a long while to warm up to pda. He'll mostly stick to handholding and ask whenever you want a hug or kiss from him. (He's definitely more warm as a result of the mystic fire-based energy and ninpo that just naturally went with the flow towards him. So you sometimes fall asleep on his shoulder without realizing it)

- More likely to make any boring task you dread doing into a fun adventure. You both have matching hats from a previous grocery trip and pretended it was a mission from one of the Jupiter Jim comics.

His brothers were totally not jelly about it.

Very much tries to hide his embarrassment from his brothers suggesting 'better date ideas' to the best of his ability. He glared a few times at Raph with the chaperone idea. The usual youngest not getting along with the oldest brother sort of deal. So whenever you're around, the biggest sign is a strained smile on his face while lying that everything is okey-dokey.

- He almost clamped his shell shut when Splinter immediately disapproved the ideas with something even more embarrassing.

The only downside is he might go to some extreme lengths with how stubborn his brothers act.

- So you might need additional help from Splinter or April to prevent a new doctor persona along the lines of Dr Chaos.

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Tell me you did not write 11k in less than a week. My poor heart couldn’t take it…

(Joking aside, amazing job on Five Repercussions!!! I’ve only read Mikey’s part so far but my favorite parts are “Casey came back in and he and Draxum forced a straw into Mikey's mouth and told him to sip. Mikey was too tired to sip. He sipped. Begrudgingly.”

And, obviously, when everything started repeating and blurring together! It really got across that feeling of delirium!)

Naaaaah, it wasn’t a week! It was —

*checks the publishing date*

Oh. It was a little bit longer than a week, but essentially yeah.

I had the most fun writing Mikey’s chapter! I love writing characters being sick or sleepy, especially from their own POV. I wrote it based on my own experiences with really bad sickness as a kid, and how I feel when I have delirium. I tried to put a little of me into each chapter.

Mikey’s fever experiences.

Donnie’s hatred of eggs.

The relationship Raph has with Splinter, and the things Splinter says to Raph were directly based on my parent.

Leo’s reaction to nightmares.

[kissbeginswithkay]

Watching 2012 TMNT (aka peak TV) again and I have so much to say. I'm gonna combat the writer's weird romance stuff with ✨headcanons✨ (spoilers for season 2 in here!)

Leo doesn't have a crush on his (unknown for season 1 and 2, maybe season 3??) stepsister, (s)he wants to be her! Leo thinks Karai is pretty and realizes she might be a girl. April is a good friend, but Karai is cool, she's got a (literally) metal style, with a kickass hairstyle and rocker makeup. Leo wants to be as confident as her, as a girl!

I actually do ship Casey and April together, they have much more chemistry just from Casey's first appearance rather than how long Donnie and April have been friends. I'm lowkey a big fan of jealous Donnie though, it just fits him somehow. Not creep/stalker Donnie though, too creepy :(. Like I can understand that he doesn't know how to express his feelings for her, but I don't like this portrayal of him, he's not like in any other series! (As far as I know, I've only watched this and Rise, but I feel like I would've seen people talk about it if it happened in other TMNT series.) I don't ship Casey and Donnie either, I like the bromance between Casey and Raph much more. Casey and Donnie do Not like each other at first, cause they're both fighting for April (which is so ridiculous)

Also Casey writes in his diary that April is someone close to him! That's so sweet, whether it's romantic or not, (even if the intention is romantic) they have a really good bond.

Not liking how April will make Donnie believe he has a chance when he doesn't with kissing him, but I do believe she genuinely calls out for him because she knows he'll come for her fast, whether she's aware of his feelings for her or not (she probably is :/)

Also I'm watching season 2 episode 8 right now and why are they making Derp!April freaky???

I'm sad that Raph lost Spike, I wish he didn't turn into Slash, I think Spike was a great pet to show Raph's softer side, and a good constant in his day to day when his brothers were pissing him off. He literally starts destroying stuff now that Spike isn't around in season 2 episode 9!

I love how much Raph loves Mikey (AS BROTHERS!!! i feel like I have to clarify cause the amount of brother shippers is too many, and y'all aren't welcome on my page) like any time Mikey gets hurt Raph is the first one to notice and scream "Mikey!" I love their younger sibling dynamic since they act the most like siblings (though Leo, Donnie, and Mikey got their part of teasing their siblings)

Casey is so punk, you know he DIY'ed all the stuff he has, especially with the makeshift electrocuter. And wearing both face paint and a mask? Hell yeah! I wanna read more on punk history and why people wear a mask rather than Casey's reason of "cause it's cool!"

yeah I love this show despite all its problems, I enjoyed it when I was younger and I still love it now

okay let me actually keep watching instead of trying to write this post and watch at the same time LOL, I've gotten through 4+ episodes trying to write this post. This hallucination episode is scary cause imagining it in the perspective of people who experience hallucinations irl,

[cnwolf-brainrot]

Yet another Separated AU Comic

So I have been utterly devouring TMNT Separated AU comics lately and I realized that I literally have my own separated AU sitting in my google docs (though it's a "separated AU" that is also a cage fight AU lol)! I had been planning to write it as a fic but I'm realizing it'd actually translate really well to a comic... so, I want to try it!

The basic concept of this AU is that the turtles are separated from Splinter less than a year after they're mutated, and they end up being sold into a group of illegal fight clubs that have taken the idea of dog fighting, but started using mutants instead. Raph and Leo end up under the same owner, but they lose Donnie and Mikey... and while they're still together, Leo is starting to think he might lose Raph as well. It all comes down to a bit of human meddling and one fateful night to see if the brothers will actually be able to reunite -- and at what cost.

The main problem with this AU is that while I had originally outlined it with Mutant Mayhem as the base, I'm debating switching it to Rise. If I did it would change up some details, especially with how the characters interact... so, I thought I'd throw out both versions and see if there's an interest in this AU! If you are interested, let me know which version interests you more!

I also made sketches in of a few key moments in the AU (and just practice sketches) to show a bit of how the different versions would change the tone. (Casey and April both play a big part in this AU, so Rise!Casey would sadly not be Future!Casey, I'd just be putting him in the present)

Ok now that turtles have fully taken over my brain, time to actually sleep lol

[smiley-star]

Overwhelmed

OH MY GOSH CLASSES ARE MURDERING ME.

I got more stuff on the way, I promise!!!!

This was supposed to be a comic, but I'd rather not fail my classes ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

For the incredible: @xavitron883

Teddy Bear duo! :3

There's going to be a part 2!! I HAVE to write more of this duo, they're so wholesome!! 🥺ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

I got another short story on the way soon!!

The city was loud.

Loud-loud.

Extremely loud.

Casey shuddered as someone shoved past him, nearly making him trip.

Everything was different.

Now, it was a good different! They'd saved the world! They defeated the Krang!

But…

There wasn't that sense of unity.

People didn't care for people that way. They didn't need to.

Seeing another person alive wasn't some great news.

Helping someone up wouldn't help in life or death.

Shoving past someone wasn't a big deal.

Well, not to them at least.

Casey rubbed his aching shoulder, muttering under his breath as he walked. He remembered getting shoved to the floor once and his Mom nearly jumping the child that had accidentally done it.

Mom.

His eyes stung a bit at the mere reminder.

Mom.

Dad.

Uncle Raph.

Uncle Donnie.

Uncle Mikey.

Grandpa Draxum.

Grandpa Splinter.

Gone.

All gone.

He choked down a sob. His head hurt. Everything seemed too bright. The lights reflecting off the parked carts, the bright, flashing ads playing on the sides of buildings.

They all seemed to be stabbing into his eyes, making his head pulse as he fought the urge to cry.

Cars honking. The squealing of tires. Slamming of breaks. Yells. Music. Coughing. Talking.

Casey heaved a breath, turning and sprinting down an alleyway. He gasped, heart pounding and head spinning as it ached and his heart- oh gosh. Stop beating so fast!

It didn't seem inclined to listen, as his heart pounded faster while his breath came in quick gasps.

Panic attack.

He'd had many before and seen even more.

He heaved, gasping as he wrapped his arms around his trembling frame.

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

The grief threatened to choke him along with the overwhelming sounds and sights.

His ears roared with a rushing sound, his heart pounded so much he worried it'd break from his chest.

“Casey?”

Casey jumped, turning to squint through blurry eyes at the large form standing at the entrance of the alleyway.

“Raph?” He croaked out, the sound of his own voice grating to his overstimulated hearing.

“Woah- you're not looking too good, bud,” Raph said gently, walking over and sitting down beside him, “You able to talk?”

Casey shook his head, sending it spinning worse and making him whimper.

“That's okay,” Raph said in a calming voice, putting his hand on his shoulder, “We can breathe.”

Raph began exaggeratedly inhaling and exhaling, making it so Casey was eventually able to catch on.

His heart slowed a bit, his breathing evened out, but his head was still aching.

“You're okay,” Raph said softly, “Raph gets overwhelmed sometimes too. Especially in my bad eye.”

Casey leaned his head against his arm.

It was so familiar. And it hurt yet was so calming all the same.

“Here,” Raph said, and Casey felt something soft get placed in his hand.

He looked down in confusion, seeing a stuffed bear resting in his arms.

He'd been given a bear by his uncle when he was little. It was well-loved and worn down, but he'd kept it. If he been able to go back, well, forward, he'd find it on his bed in the base still.

“Thank you,” Casey managed, a few years starting to fall down his face.

“It's alright,” Raph promised, tugging him into a side hug, “Raph's right here. He's not going anywhere.”

And as Casey leaned into the hug and let out his grief, he felt a lot less alone.

And while he couldn't see the massive, red-glowing figure next to him, it was as if he could feel his presence.

When I get some free time, I'm gonna make a drawing for this fic!! :3

All ideas and inspo to this fic goes to @xavitron883

They give so many INCREDIBLE ideas!! I just write them!! XD 💙⭐💙⭐💙⭐

[aealzx]

Better Genes part 29.1

Part 1 of 3 extra, illustrated writing additions to the Better Genes comic.

Takes place between page 29 and 30.

Contains: Use of sedatives, character injury, blood, TV Medicine, TV Science, panic attack, mutation body horror, injured eye, severely sprained ankle, overall body pain

Comic: Start     pg 26-29  

Writing:  Part 2    Part 3

____________

I got a couple comments about being excited for monster Donnie content (despite mentioning that there wasn’t going to be much) and felt kind of bad for not having much. ;v; There was no way I was going to add another 30 pages or more to the comic though, especially since I’ve never even tried to do fight scenes in comic form before. X’D

So instead I wrote 8 pages and drew 3 more flat colored pics as a sort of middle ground.

Talking with my platonic waifu, since the comic is on tumblr I’m also going to put the writing on tumblr instead of AO3 despite it being long because cross platform content can be annoying. Everything will be split into 3 posts, underneath a read more break to hopefully not stretch the screen a horrendous amount.

____________

(Story and drawing under the cut)

With a quick swish of his temporarily manifested blade, Leo opened a portal to the part of the sewers that was a short distance from where he’d sent Donnie. He didn’t want to pop in right next to him and startle him into attacking them after all. It would be better if they could sneak up on him and pop a few rounds of sedatives into him first. Unfortunately, when Leo stepped through the portal he was greeted with Casey’s back coming in hot directly at his face, having gotten bodily launched across the sewer tunnel by Donnie’s clawed hand. With a startled, halfway muffled yelp, Leo dodged to the side slightly and flung an arm up quick enough to catch Casey and help him regain his footing instead of crashing into the others filtering through the portal as well.

“Alright there Case?” Leo asked with a forced grin, trying to remain optimistic despite the scene before him being the unwanted route. So much for sneaking up on their brother.

“Sorry Master-! Ah… Sorry Leo. He noticed we were following him and got angry,” Casey babbled hurriedly. His upbringing made him quick to give an update on the situation, which also ended up answering Leo’s unasked question about what had ticked Donnie off.

“Yeah, that sounds like Donnie,” Leo chuckled, removing his hand from supporting Casey now that he had his balance back. “He always was quick to lash out when we got in his space when he didn't want us there. Too bad it’s time for his medicine, so we can’t give into his cranky wishes for alone time,” he added dramatically, gesturing to the injection pens Mikey had now that he and April had joined them as well. “We got the antibodies, so we’re ready to take him down and bring him back home. Thanks for sticking it out until now.”

Casey’s expression turned into a sheepish yet grateful smile, but before he could respond Raph’s bellowing voice echoed through the tunnel from close by.

“LEO! You didn’t mention he’d grown another meter!” Raph complained emphatically as he was grappling Donnie’s mutated mouth with ninpo covered hands. He didn’t fancy getting bitten by Donnie’s new set of fangs, considering his original set of teeth already did enough damage when he was legitimately angry. And if Raph knew anything about Donnie’s levels of anger, then he would guess Donnie was beyond pissed at the moment. That combined with his new size made grappling him a losing battle, Raph’s heels dragging paths in the dirt as he was shoved backwards.

“I figured that was rather self explanatory considering what he got infected from,” Leo sassed back, loading one of the sedative darts into the gun and taking aim. He was hesitant to fire with Raph directly in the path, but luckily for both of them a quick snap from Splinter’s tail saved Raph from being Donnie’s new chew toy. The forward momentum was broken, and Raph quickly opened his hands as Donnie’s head was knocked to the side.

As April rushed forward, her name belted from her lips, Leo figured he should pass a word of caution to them all just so it would be explicitly known. “Try not to piss him off too much please. We need him rather still for Mikey to administer the antibodies,” he warned, pulling the trigger on the tranquilizer gun when he felt he wasn't going to hit anyone but the intended target. He ended up wincing in apology the dart smacked Donnie in the side of the nose, causing him to recoil slightly from the sting before shaking the dart dart off and turning to snarl at Leo.

“...Maybe you shouldn’t shoot him in the face then,” Casey commented lightly with a weak chuckle, a slight tease, and an analytical pause for an opening before he ran forward to join the fray once more.

“Okay, so aiming in real life is a lot different from video games,” Leo defended with a sheepish shrug. Donnie apparently thought that was enough of an offense to warrant revenge, for he started to charge towards Leo, causing him to start backing up. “Mikey, I need a weight estimate.”

“Got it!” Mikey chirped, securing the injection pens into his belts and darting forward to dash towards Donnie before feinting to the side. Considering Donnie was way too tall for him to grapple anything but his arms or legs now, Mikey had coiling chains wrap around Donnie’s middle as additional ones helped fling him overhead. Twisting in the air, Mikey latched onto the handholds he’d created and used them and his momentum to heave Donnie into a rather gentle toss a few meters away. “Uhhhh….He’s kinda like one of those tiny smart car things?” Mikey called back to Leo after landing on his feet again in a crouch. “When do I start poking him?”

A smart car? That was a weird comparison. But it actually made sense when Leo remembered Mikey’s usual choice of throwing arsenal. But that definitely wasn’t something he knew the weight of by memory. Which meant he was digging his phone out of his shell for a quick internet look up. “As soon as you’re confident you can hold it in place for 8 seconds,” Leo answered, half distracted by the phone. About 700 kilograms? Well, it was better than a complete guess. He’d just have to play on the safe side and maybe do one or two doses less than calculated for that weight. Loading another sedative dart as he calculated the maximum quantity he was allowed to use in his head, he tried to push away the usual second guessing his brain did. Based on the tests he’d done in Donnie’s lab with the left over blood sample, the mutated physique caused him to have a slightly accelerated metabolism rate with the sedatives, and therefore he should be able to safely use 8 darts before he risked an overdose. Now that he had a set number Leo raised the gun and fired another dart, stabbing Donnie in the crook of his shoulder. 

That made two.

This felt too slow. Half of his team was already worn down somewhat, and he was taking too long to aim and wait for an opening with all of them swarming around Donnie like flies on old cheese. Every time they tried to break away from him though he was immediately lashing out at one of them, causing the others to rush back in to support. Sliding another dart into the gun’s slot, Leo started walking towards his brother, hoping that closing the distance would make it easier and faster to hit him with more sedatives. It would also be great if he didn’t have to reload the gun after every single shot. But Donnie apparently hadn’t made the gun for rapid fire. Unusual for him honestly. Taking aim, Leo’s focus was split as he pulled the trigger when Raph gave an unusually pain filled yelp. Donnie’s new tail had caught him in the side of the head, close enough to the tunnel wall to bounce him off the surface slightly. It was enough to cause Leo to suck in a tense breath, knowing that Raph’s scar was fragile, and look towards him before the trigger was fully pulled. Consequently, the third shot ended up missing, crashing into the opposite wall and probably snapping the needle. That was fine. That’s why they filled an excessive amount of darts. There were more important issues at the moment.

“Raph?” Leo called in a nervous question, seeing his older brother pushing a palm against his right eye.

“I’m okay!” Raph assured, keeping his palm in place until the sting subsided, then pulled his hand away. While he checked to see if there was any blood on his fingers, Donnie’s back foot knocked him over and ended up using him as a pedestal to stand on while he avoided April’s swinging bat. Raph’s breath left him in a huff, and he wrapped his arms around Donnie’s toes to try and relieve the pressure on his chest.

Figuring he should help Raph out, Leo dashed forward as Mikey lept into a split arc over the top of Donnie, apparently having the same goal. Splinter was focused on keeping Donnie from hurting the others, knocking his clawed hand away when he swiped at April. “Boy! You better watch where you're swinging those!” April hollered, having ducked and shielded her head before realizing Splinter had protected her.

“Try not to hurt him too much, it’s still Donnie!” Leo hollered in return, rushing to dive underneath Donnie in a slide while also pointing the tranquilizer gun at him half blindly and pulling the trigger while barely missing getting swatted instead. Being this close to him it would be hard to miss. Or at least he hoped as such. But he also needed to check and make sure Raph was okay. Skidding to a stop next to Raph, Leo allowed Raph to use his ninpo to shove Donnie’s foot off himself before he took a glancing look at his squinting eye.

[melancholysway]

Hello! Could I request headcanons with the 2007 turtles reacting to their s/o thanking them (and by extension them, Splinter, April and Casey as a whole) for actually making them feel like they belong/are loved and that it could be okay to be themselves even though it’s still hard to, as they have always had trouble having any form of friendships/relationships before where they didn’t have to mask, as well as to actually treat like they aren’t forgotten?

Sorry, dunno if this is an old request or not– Just always in need for 2007 boys comfort lol. If it’s weird then you can just delete it ^^’’’

Also, just wanted to say that I really enjoy your content (especially for 2007 and 2012) and it always hooks me when I read it! Sending good vibes your way and hope to see more of your writing soon! *\(^o^)/* (Also hope you have a good day/night).

Ofc! I’m so  so so so so so SO SO SO (so) sorry this took so long!

Whoever sent me this request pls pls PM me so I can apologize more LMAO I FEEL SO FUCKING BAD BRO

and im so glad you enjoy my content! I hope I wrote this the way you wanted!

TMNT 2007 Headcanons: Their Reaction to you thanking them

Leonardo

family means everything to him, and in a way, you’re a part of that family too

He remembered how upset you were after he came back from South America a whole year after he was supposed to, 

how he tried his best to ease back into things with you,

And how you acknowledged his efforts

You felt forgotten at one point. There was a period where Leonardo just stopped sending letters to everyone, even you. 

It felt horrible, you overthought to the point where a scenario popped up- your own boyfriend forgot about you

He sits you down one day, when everything’s finished: Winter’s portal is closed, and everything is back to normal. While he did apologize when he came back from South America the same night, it wasn’t to the multitude that he was apologizing right now

“I’m…so sorry. I know you may have thought I forgot about you, but, how can I? How can I forget a beautiful face like yours?”

He can’t. He could never forget you. He couldn’t forget the platonic friendship he shared with you for the first 2 years of knowing each other, to then be in a relationship right before his training. 

He lets you know that. That you mean everything to him. Truthfully. 

The talk he has with you makes you love him even more, and it ends with a long, drawn-out hug. 

And when you finally get to the moment everyone in the family has been waiting for, you’re ecstatic. Where you, the turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey all get to hang out in the Lair like old times. 

Where you have a whole night to just converse with everyone, no matter what the topic is about.

 How happy you are to openly talk about Raph’s fame, Mikey’s daily beatdowns, Donnie’s shitty job, how big Leo’s bug bites would get, anything! It didn’t matter. 

As April and Casey leave to the surface, everyone except Leo retreats to their respective rooms. Now, it’s just you and Leo in the middle of the living room. 

He’s already yawning and offering his strength to carry you up to his own room when you stop him. You stop him to thank him. 

“Of course, love. I know you’re tired and I usually carry you upsta-hmm?” Leo’s brown eyes look into your own, trying to figure out what you’re thanking him for. 

“Just…for being there. All of you guys.” 

It was a lot more than that, and he knew it. As he lifts up your chin with his thumb and meets your eyes, he just kisses you. 

The thank you’s come out like vomit, and soon you’re thanking him for his understanding family, his entertaining siblings, and their two human friends that also walked into your life. How they really made you feel like one of them. From the moment you met Leo’s family to now, they truly love you like you’re family. 

He loves it. He loves that he not only gave you the love that you deserve, but he also gave you people- and mutants- that deeply care about you. 

Raphael

Raph isn’t as good as the rest of his brothers when it comes to dealing with someone else’s emotions. 

He isn’t sure what to say, or if he’s saying the wrong or right thing

But lately he’s been taking you out for nightly bike rides after things were settling back to normal. Sure, he dumped the Nightwatcher gag, but his motorcycle? No. He couldn’t. That’s his baby. Err, second baby after you. 

You loved the adrenaline rush it gave you, and on this particular night, Raphael knew there would be a full moon out (yes, I HC that Raph loves a good stargaze.) and wanted to take you to get the best view. 

“Ya like it?” He asks as he helps you take off your helmet, only to see your eyes puffy, and tear-stained cheeks.

“…did I do sumthin? Did tha ride give ya whiplash?” He isn’t sure. 

He’s trying to think of anything that may have upset you but he doesn’t find one.

“No,” you wipe your eyes, “No, it’s not you, or the ride, I just…” 

“Just, thank you. For being there for me. Always.” Not even just your boyfriend, but his family. His best bud Casey always looking out for you, too. 

You thank him for the bike rides, for being truthful about being the Nightwatcher, and because you were truly able to feel at ease around him. 

Raphael is already a pretty observant turtle, but the fact that you were able to be yourself around him comfortably is what this whole thing is about. 

Raph’s golden eyes stare at your form, and when your arms (attempt to) wrap around his whole body in an embrace, he smiles down at you.

 He’s not good at words, he never was. He was good at showing. So, he showed you how much he loved you. He showed you that he always wanted you around, and he showed you comfort when you didn’t have any. He was more of a soother. 

So, he doesn’t say anything. He just embraces you. 

“Anytime, babe. Anytime.” He pats your head like he always did, only for his hands to rest at your waist soon after. Pulling you close and in for a kiss, he can’t remember when and where he got so lucky. 

Because-- if he’s being honest- he didn’t like you like that in the beginning. When you first met him as the Nightwatcher one night, it was simply a damsel in distress sort of meeting. He saved you, did his job, and was ready to leave. 

But, he couldn’t. Not with you trying to get to know him better. He still doesn’t know what possessed him that night to get involved with a stranger, and he’ll never know. He probably just couldn’t resist someone as cute as you. 

Regardless of how you two met or how long it took for you to go from friends to lovers, Raph was also grateful to have you. Though, he probably wouldn’t tell you verbally.

Donatello

Honestly, out of all the four turtles Donnie is gonna be so happy if you thank him for anything.

I’m talking smiley face the rest of the day- even if you thank him for holding a door open for you

He loves it, he loves the praise (SFW & NSFW aside, Donnie likes being appreciated in general)

Since you’re also his first relationship (don’t bring up his April era) he really, REALLY appreciates you.

It happens one day in his lab. For starters, you were Donnie’s lab assistant often. He doesn’t have much to do in the daytime after he quit his I.T job, so he spends it doing experiments

And you can’t believe that 1) you’re Donnie’s permanent assistant, and 2) that you got so lucky to be a part of his life. 

Master Splinter told you that, though he said fate played a role as well. You may never have known that he and his sons existed if it weren’t for Donnie crashing into your window after a failed jump on the rooftops. Once you came running into your room and let out a scream, it was history. 

Donnie was a cutie, and his brothers were pretty easygoing (Leonardo being suspicious of you in the beginning, Raph not fazed, and Mikey excited that he gets to talk to yet another human being. He’s going 3 for 3 now.)

“Thanks, Donnie.” As the purple-banded turtle turns around, he looks at you confusedly with those magnifying goggles that make his brown eyes 1000x bigger. 

It’s sort of comical despite the serious moment you want to have with him.

“Not that I don’t enjoy when you thank me, dove,” He says,  “but for what exactly?”

“Just, you know, being you.” Having an amazing family, and two amazing human friends. You told him all of that. 

That if it weren’t for his clumsiness almost 3 years ago, you would still be with those “friends” who you had to put on a front for. With Donnie, no, you never had to. Even with his brothers and sensei, they knew the real you, and they loved it. 

“Oh, of course!...I…thank you, dove.” Donnie takes off his goggles and plants a kiss on your forehead,  “That means a lot to me, that you feel comfortable. That’s what I care about.” 

God he’s so cute. How he just smiles widely, blushing and fumbling with the test tube in his hands

Donatello felt accomplished that he made you feel that way around him, and that his family did the same. How you built bonds with all three of his brothers, and had a sort of guiding parent relationship with his rat sensei. 

He loved it all, because he never thought he would ever be able to experience being loved or someone appreciating him as much as you do.

Michelangelo

Ooh boy

Boy oh boy oh boy

He’s a people pleaser, don’t deny it guys

He really likes to make you happy, and he was the first one you befriended when meeting the turtles

You’ve come accustomed to being around your boyfriend and his family, especially because you were always invited to the Lair whenever you wanted to come down. Their home was your home

He becomes your boyfriend during Leo’s absence, and it means everything to him. Mikey constantly looked forward to getting a massage from you after a long day of getting beat up by little kids for a check.

Mikey becoming your safe space. He’s a good listener, and a damn good advice giver. Despite his brothers thinking he’s a doofus at times, Mikey really wants what’s best for you

He and his brothers becoming your main friend group. You hang out with them more, and although you already had a friend group up at the surface in your normal life, they didn’t compare to the joy that the turtles brought you

You never actually thanked him verbally, yet you showed and told him all the time how much you appreciated him and his family’s presence in your life. Not only that, but you were even able to meet two humans as well- and April and Casey were truly amazing. 

This thank you just comes out one day while you’re down in the Lair. 

You’re on the couch watching your boyfriend Mikey dictate someone else’s life in Sims while you both converse back and forth. Despite Mikey loving fast-paced action games, Sims was just something he loved to play with you. 

You take your head off his lap and lean in to give him a peck on the cheek, and he (almost) faints. He loved getting kisses from you, always. 

“In public?” Mikey whispers, peering over his shoulder to see the eldest brother walking by. After scoffing and lightly hitting him on the arm, you smile.

“No, silly, just a ‘thank you’ kiss.” You say, yet the orange clad turtle is a little clueless. What did he do?

“Not that I’m complaining,” He trails, “but what did I do for that one?” 

“You gave me a second family.” Not only that, but he gave you him. Befriending and dating Mikey entailed that you’d have access to his family and two human friends all the time, and there was always opportunity to talk to them. 

Thanking him for just being Mikey, and making you comfortable to be yourself around him, as he was with you. Mikey didn’t hide anything, and that’s what you loved about him.

He’s unapologetically himself. 

“Ohhh, anything for you, sweetcheeks!” Mikey exclaims, leaning in and soon getting a kiss from you. The air around you both is almost calming, as you never have to be on edge when around your boyfriend.

“And, for being my comfort person. Well, mutant.” You found comfort in your significant other, and that was the beauty of dating Mikey. You were able to be as chaotic, crazy, loud, and everything in between with him as much as you wanted. Mikey could always match your energy. 

“You’re mine, too.” You’re his comfort person, and it sets your heart ablaze when he says that. It’s a mutual thing, between you both. 

You’re each other’s comfort. 

//

Taglist:

@bee-1n-space @ducky-died-inside @xnorthstar3x

Masterlist Discord

[maddys-nerd-blog]

After five-six months of writing and chipping away at this beast…

I proudly present to you my short story!

For context before going in! This is a tie-in to my current Familia AU, this takes place between the end of Familia: Through Space and Time, and the middle of Familia Forever, hence the addition of Mikey on the team and Katie being able to mutate into a jaguar! Also since this is a crossover AU there’s multiple versions of the characters! Here’s the key to who’s who in each series’s release date order:

2003 Hun

2007 Raph

2012 Casey Jones, Mondo Gecko

Bayverse Mikey

Rise Leo, Dastardly Danny

Mutant Mayhem/ Tales of the TMNT Donnie

Katie is my OC, as well as Grace who’s only briefly mentioned. The setting is the 2003 universe. There’s gonna be tons of whump in this one so be warned! 🤣 And there’s some Spanish in here cuz Katie is half Hispanic, so please let me know if I got something wrong as I don’t know the language 😅

NOW ONTO THE FANFICTION PROPER!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ransom

A TMNT Crossover Short Story Fanfic

Part One: It Takes One Second

Sunlight poured into the room through the slits in the shuttered blinds, warm and inviting, greeting a new day. The loft was awash with streams of soft hues of yellow that colored the walls and floors. Beyond the tiny hovel of a bedroom they’d sorted this space into, the faint rumble of a train speeding through the Manhattan subway shook the ceiling’s foundation, akin to a mother rocking their newborn. It was a familiar sound that brought comfort.

For Danny, he couldn’t sleep without the noise. The Hidden City was a bustling jungle almost as big as New York itself, though he couldn’t say he’d traverse the metropolis as easily as his home turf. The streets were busier. Louder. Jam packed with humans that cast him sideways glances if he didn’t carry a Cloaking Broach on hand when he did make those trips. Too much noise, too many cranky business schmucks, rowdy pedestrians. It was easier getting through the damn alleys than taking the main roads.

But the quiet was nice. Especially if it came with a lovely view.

He was an early riser by nature— it came with the job. Always waking up at the crack of dawn just as the sun kissed the morning horizon to color the sky in brilliant tones of pale yellow and tangerine orange. There was no greater sight than the Hidden City in the early morning. Yet he couldn’t quite explain the catch of breath in his throat as he stared down upon the slumbering form of the human detective at his side.

Katie’s body was covered in the quilt that draped over her bed frame most of the time, lips pursed slightly as she breathed. Her hair was getting longer around the back, he noticed. Tussled charcoal locks fell around her face like a messy curtain that framed her brow. The robotic appendage was draped over her side, titanium glinting in the slim rays of sun that managed to travel across the bed. She somehow managed to look even more gorgeous every time he looked at her.

How th’ hell did a human woman manage to do this to me? He wondered.

Danny could lay beside her all day and just stare at her— taking in her beauty, listen to the gentle rhythmic sound of her heartbeat, put every detail of her face to memory to capture it within his fondest dreams. He would, if he could. But the day was just beginning, and they still had responsibilities to keep up on.

Putting a hand on her shoulder he gave her a gentle shake. “Kat. Hey. We gotta get moving.”

Katie sleepily grumbled something unintelligible under her breath, burying her face into her pillow.

He chuckled at the sight. “Maravilla,” he sang with another gentle shake of her shoulder. “Despertar.”

Katie moaned this time, metal hand slowly coming to reach for her face to rub the heel of her palm into droopy eyes that were thick with sleep. “‘See you’ve been practicing your Spanish,” she mumbled.

“Ya like it?” Danny arched a playful eyebrow, smirking down at her. “I think it’s coming together. It gives me more of a… how do ya call it, sexy charisma, ah?”

“Cabron.” Katie grinned teasingly at him.

“Madam!” He sat up on his elbows a little to feign an indignant gasp, dramatically putting a hand to his chest. “Such foul language!”

“I’m shocked you understood that much.”

“Okay NOW you’re just bein’ cranky.”

“I’m not a morning person.”

“Clearly.”

Katie’s eyes opened halfway— stunning bright emerald orbs glared against the sunlight, making them shine like gemstones. “You’re feisty this morning.” She cracked a devilish smile. “I like it.”

“Oh?” Dropping his voice low for only her ears to hear, he moved without hesitation; with one arm he drew her close to his chest, the other hand coming up to caress her face. “Maybe I should tell ya how I really feel.”

Still smirking Katie breathed. “Enlighten me.”

Danny happily obliged, capturing her throat in a lingering kiss that left the detective speechless. “Eres tan hermosa como el sol de verano. Con una figura asesina a juego.” He peppered her neck with kisses, making her giggle. Raising his gaze back to match hers he murmured, “Y un par de ojos que podrían matar a un hombre.”

Katie gasped so quietly he nearly missed it. For a moment he thought he’d said something wrong— he’d only been learning Spanish for a few months, he was bound to make an error in translation. She suddenly touched his face, loving and tender, lips drawn into a beautiful grin that looked moved by his words. “You really mean that?”

“Every word.” He leaned up and kissed her forehead this time. Properly pulling himself to sit upright, his spine cracked simultaneously from the movement, making him flinch. Katie nestled closer to him, head coming to rest on his shoulder as she drew herself up against the headboard. “It’s not everyday a man treats me like an equal instead of an object. This is nice.”

“You kidding?” Danny gingerly raked his fingers through her hair— taking care not to pull his claws through tangles or knots. “Any man should treat his woman like a queen. There’s no exception unless yer a callous prick.”

Katie stuck her tongue out at him playfully. “Such a gentleman.”

“I try,” he shrugged. “Some of th’ time it’s hard t’ keep up this image.”

“Why, cuz women will hound you?”

“Oh that’ll happen regardless. Have you seen my face? Ya don’t get perfection like this every day.”

“Glad to know you’re humble.”

“You know you love me.”

“Unfortunately I do,” Katie giggled, scrunching her nose in that mischievous way he loved. “You wouldn’t cut your losses and turn tail, right?”

Danny snorted; pushing her bangs out of her eyes, he lowered his forehead to let it rest against her own, letting this moment linger for as long as he could. She was warm. She was radiant. She was all the things he couldn’t be. “Ya ain’t getting rid of me that easily.”

“That a promise?”

“If ya want it to be.”

*********************

“Mooooooom! Raph’s hogging the bathroom again!”

“We have another one downstairs.”

“But it’s so far away!”

“If you can’t walk fifteen steps up and down to the basement, we have SERIOUS problems.”

Flopping onto the couch with an outlandish whine, Leo picked up a throw pillow and threw it into the love seat opposite of him. “Why couldn’t we live in a killer mansion?”

“Did you suddenly forget that we’re being hunted by a psycho-stalking yōkai with a fetish for mutant blood?” Without looking up from her task, Katie flipped the frying pan full of chopped carrots and diced onion, the roar of the sizzle making her arms prickle. “Mansions are too posh, too much of a target!”

“Plus it just screams, ‘I’m an oversized, big-headed piece a’ shit with too much cash and too much free time.’” Walking past with a freshly brewed mug of piping hot coffee, Danny planted a kiss on Katie’s temple as he went. “Stayin’ on th’ down-low is better. Trust me.”

“Says you,” Leo pouted. “If I gotta be a criminal, I at least want to live a life of luxury!”

“Livin’ th’ fancy life ain’t all it’s cracked up t’ be. Appreciate th’ things ya got and you’ll be ten times happier,” Danny leaned against the wall, mug in hand. “Take it from me. It’s a nightmare.”

Leo didn’t appear to be convinced. “Well my Dad used to be a movie star before he got mutated, sooo…”

Clearly not getting through to him, Danny sighed, rubbing his temple. “Never mind.”

“Don’t worry. It takes a while b’fore anything gets through that thick skull,” Raph teased, making himself known at last as he tied his mask on. “Also, you can have th’ bathroom now, Yer Highness.”

Offended, Leo snapped, “Hey! Not true!”

“It’s one hundred percent true!” Raph chuckled, flicking the slider’s forehead. “I gotta remind ya NOT t’ do stupid shit most of th’ time!”

Swatting his hand away from his face, Leo snapped at him. “Name ONE thing I did that you told me not to!”

“That list is longer than th’ Eiffel Tower.”

“Recently then!”

“When I told ya not t’ skateboard in the subway during rush hour and ya did it regardless of traffic.”

Leo pouted. “… that was one time.”

“Amongst many other things,” Raph headed towards the pantry to rummage around for a mug. “Mornin’ Ma. Dan.”

“Hey Red.” “‘Sup.”

“What’s for breakfast?”

“Lemme see… some omelets. Extra crispy bacon. Maybe if I’m feelin’ real jazzy, I’ll throw in some fruit salad.”

“Need help?“

“Nah! Can you just poke your head into the boys’ room and wake them up?”

Raph gave a nod, heading off to the corridor, leaving Leo to sit in the living room. Meanwhile the slider slouched in his seat with a pout, arms crossed as he sulked. His adopted brother’s statement clearly left him irritated judging by the scowl on his face.

“You know nobody thinks you’re trouble,” Katie reminded, looking at Leo with a caring grin. “Raph just likes to push everyone’s buttons sometimes.”

“I know,” Leo mumbled. “Still makes me upset.”

“Hon, I understand, but you gotta know that Raph has his own ways of joking around. He never means those things to hurt you.”

“Then why does he gotta use that Smartass voice when he does?”

Not even one minute later Raph re-emerged from the corridor, this time joined by Mondo— who looked both groggy and worried. “Um, Ma?”

Katie’s brow knotted together with confusion. “What’s up? Where’s the others?”

Mondo frowned in worry. “I think Donnie is sick.”

Katie stilled. Danny looked up from his drink, Leo’s expression pinched with concern. “Sick how?”

“I went to get him up earlier but he said he had a headache. I thought it was nothing, but…” Mondo rubbed his neck. “Now he’s throwing up.”

This caught her attention immediately. Turning the stove off with a swift click, Katie started for the bedroom with a fretful lizard at her feet, softly calling as she went, “Donatello? Honey, ¿Qué pasa?”

Leo was off in seconds, scurrying after the detective. He could hear the heaving cough of someone who couldn’t breathe, a sickly wheeze pulling in air. Due to the commotion of the situation next door, Casey emerged from his room with a yawn, looking between Raph and Leo with heavy-lidded eyes still thick with sleep. “Yo, everything okay?”

“I dunno,” Leo responded as he passed. Upon reaching the doorway of Mondo and Donnie’s shared bedroom, the sound of whimpering came from inside.

Donnie lay in the bottom bunk of the bunkbed he and Mondo occupied. He was bundled up in the galaxy themed throw blanket bunched around his shoulders, eyes pinched shut as he struggled to breathe. His normally light green complexion was wrought with pain, sickly, sweat making his face clammy. His glasses and mask were resting atop the small table near the mattress, but along with it was a bucket that had just been used to catch vomit. Mikey was kneeling at the bedside of the younger turtle, reaching up a hand to feel his forehead, expression wilting. “Oh, man…”

“He’s been like this for an hour,” Mondo explained, cringing when Donnie coughed again. “He can’t even talk without barfing.”

“Oh sweetheart…” Katie cooed with sympathy. Turning to look at Raph, she gave an order. “Red, grab me a thermometer please?”

Without hesitation the older of the group darted for the medicine cabinet.

Donnie fought to pry his eyes open, puffy and weary with exhaustion. Sucking in a gasp through chattering teeth the turtle groaned. “M-Mom…?”

“I’m right here sweetie,” Katie comforted, dropping to a kneel at his side when Mikey moved aside to let her through, rubbing his head to soothe his headache. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

Donnie shut his eyes, shying away from the light that struck his face. “Don’… feel good…”

“What hurts?”

“M-my… head… an’ stomach…” he rasped. “My th-throat…”

“How long have you been feeling like this?”

“Y-Yester-day…”

“What? Donatello why didn’t you tell me?”

“D-Didn’t want… t-to scare you…”

Raph returned in seconds, thermometer in hand. Danny appeared in the doorway, cringing at the sight before him. “He ain’t looking too good… what’s he got?”

“Probably a flu at best. Pneumonia at worst,” Katie put the thermometer in Donnie’s mouth, putting a comforting hand atop his head. “Just focus on breathing right now Donnie, I’m not going anywhere.”

Leo stiffened at the poor sight of the other mutant on the bed. He hated seeing his brother in pain. And though this Donnie wasn’t his blood, it didn’t change the fact that he was still a version of his twin.

And that internal instinct kicked in; Help him.

Leo knelt beside Katie to join her at Donnie’s side. “Hey, bud,” he greeted quietly. “What’s up?”

Donnie’s round features twisted into a mask of discomfort. “L-eo…?” He croaked around the thermometer.

“Yeah, it’s me,” the red slider tried to offer his tsudo-brother a warm grin to cheer him up. “Mom’s gonna help you. Need me to get you something?”

Donnie didn’t reply. The torn expression that crossed his face filled the slider with concern. “He hasn’t gotten sick in a while… you think it’s serious?”

“Hopefully not,” Katie took the thermometer out of Donnie’s mouth once it chirped. The tiny screen lit up bright red; he was running a fever of a hundred and three.

Katie’s face turned grim, the fingers holding the devise starting to tremble. “… just my fucking luck.” Turning to Danny, she spoke urgently. “Dan, can you get the boys out of here? I gotta quarantine Donnie.”

“What?” Leo blinked, looking at his surrogate mother with despair. “I don’t wanna just leave him alone!”

“I’m gonna stay here with him,” Katie reassured. “I can’t risk you guys getting sick too. Let me handle this.”

“But…!” Leo tried to protest.

“Leo.” Katie’s tone indicated no nonsense. “The last thing I want is for you to get sick too. Donnie needs space to start recovering. I’ll do all I can to speed up the process.”

The slider bit the inside of his cheek, pained, looking at Donnie with remorse. Part of him wanted to argue to stay, to comfort the box turtle, to make certain the doppelgänger of his twin brother was safe. To leave now would break his heart. It would feel like he was abandoning him…

“Leonardo,” Katie coaxed, a hand coming to rest on his shoulder. She rarely used his full name, not unless the situation required. Her eyes were empathetic. “I’ll help him. I promise.”

Hands were coaxing him to stand, guiding him by the arm. “C’mon,” Raph gently urged the slider. “Let Mom work.”

But the guilt crept through. It started gnawing on his conscience. Suddenly he was no longer a teenager— instead he was that same nervous boy struggling to help his twin breathe. He was back in that cluttered old bedroom surrounded by the stench of sick that clogged his beak, almost able to hear the far-bygone cries of his younger brother weeping for a father that never came.

With a painful grimace, the slider fled the room without another word.

**********************

“How’s th’ kid?”

Katie pressed the heels of her palms into her forehead, elbows leaning on the table to support her head as she sighed. “Running a fever of a hundred and three still. It’s getting harder for him to take a full breath— poor thing gurgles when he breathes.”

From where he stood at the sink, wrist deep in the soapy water of dishes he’d been scrubbing, Danny visibly flinched. “Damn. That don’t sound promising…”

“He’s the most susceptible to infection and flu cuz of his species type, but I didn’t think a reaction could happen this soon. I wish I’d seen the signs earlier.”

“I have connections. I can make a few calls, try and get a clinic—“

“Which ones are still loyal to Mama?”

Danny faltered. He hadn’t considered that.

“Sorry… I just… fuck, I’m such an idiot.” Katie scolded herself, fingers raking through her hair in frustration. “I should’ve restocked sooner, I should’ve gone topside—“

“Ey, ey, no ya ain’t.” Danny moved away from the counter, hooking a stool around with his tail to pull himself into a seat. “It’s been a long couple months. Ya had a lot t’ deal with. Nobody can fault ya for being stressed.” He put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to better face him as he offered a warm grin. “You’re still one woman. It’s fine. Everything will be alright.”

Katie’s emerald orbs fluttered between him and her knees, shameful. “How’re we going to get medicine for Donnie?”

“I’m sure we can find something. Have ya considered going topside?”

“A few times. But…”

“But?”

“… I don’t wanna leave the kids alone. Every time I do, shit hits the fan. I’m still technically a wanted woman up there too, even though my poster isn’t around. There’s risks of my being exposed.”

“There’s plenty of risks everywhere, no matter where we go. That’s just our life.” He brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Here’s the plan; I’ll go topside and get ya what ya need. Just write me a list of th’ important meds t’ keep an eye out for.”

“You? But—“

“I got a Cloaking Broach. Nobody knows what I look like as a human. I go in, get yer stuff, get back in under two hours maximum. I won’t be seen. ‘Sides, ya know how t’ treat th’ kids better. They need their Mom with them. Donnie needs ya.”

“… are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t be offering if I didn’t mean it.”

Katie leaned her face into his palms, closing her eyes to think. Steadying herself under his touch, the one remedy to soothe all her woes in a world of madness and despair, she tallied through the options left at her disposal.

There weren’t many. And they all proved too much of a risk. Katie’s exotic face was everywhere, plastered all over noteworthy newspaper tabloids or the TV screens. No matter where she went trouble was bound to follow. Plus, if the EPF caught wind of her being traced to the city they’d hunt for her location until the kids were found. And that wasn’t counting the yōkai bounty hunters who were interested in cashing in on her reward.

But Danny was slick, street-smart, clever, a no-nonsense man who knew his way around the city. He had the knowledge handy to find what they were looking for— specifically of the mutant and yōkai variety.

She trusted him to get the job done. That part was crucial.

“Fine,” Katie reluctantly agreed. “There should be a pharmacy two blocks down from here. Just… please be careful.”

With one of his signature sly smirks Danny leaned forward, planting a kiss on the corner of her mouth. “I’ll be in and out.”

Katie offered a wry grin. “You’re a helluva smooth talker, aren’t you?”

“Only when ya want me t’ be.”

**************************

He hated seeing Donnie sick.

Call it twin sense or sixth sense, but for Leo it was a memory that triggered emotional distress.

It wasn’t like this was new to him. On the contrary, he was very familiar with a sick brother. But the memory of such an event was one he wasn’t too keen on remembering.

Many years ago when Don first got seriously ill with the flu. They’d been seven, Raph was eight, and Mike was six. The first three days of the initial sickness were harmless— Don mostly hid himself away in his bed, sulking and whining, Raph doing his best to keep his spirits up. Mike drew him pictures. Leo had taken it upon himself to sneak his twin brother cookies when Pops was asleep.

But the fourth day was when Don started to get worse.

Don woke up weeping in pain. Not just weeping— screaming bloody murder. He could barely voice his agony, breathing stagnated between gasps or wheezes. His green complexion was pale, turning from the normal deep forest green to a lighter shade. He was throwing up violently and trembling to the point where he couldn’t speak between sharp hitches of air being dragged through grounded teeth. There was no telling when these fits of shaking would end. Between the confusion in the chaotic lair and the sickly turtle, Leo had never felt more scared in his life.

Mike was already crying hysterically in distress thinking Don was dying. Raph was rushing back and forth between the bathroom to fetch fresh water from the sink and Don’s bedside to offer meager comfort, lost and beyond his realm of experience because how could any kid at that age wrap their head around this?

Their father? Holed away in the living room, secluded, ignoring the ear-piercing cries of his twin, glued to a never ending television rerun of Japanese soaps with those vacant, unfeeling eyes that regarded the child with a level of neglect Leo had sadly grown accustomed to.

‘It is just a cold,’ he’d grumbled to Leo when he’d first come running to him. ‘It shall pass. Let it ride out.’

But Leo knew better.

Even at the age of seven he knew better.

When his father proved to be a stone wall the child raced back to his twin’s bedside, the wailing and crying shattering his eardrums. Don’s condition seemed to wither by the hour the more the children were left unattended. It got so bad Raph debated whether or not he could sneak out of the safety of the lair to go topside and find a doctor, but swiftly remembered he was too small to push the manhole cover off by himself. Three clueless toddlers fighting for stability in an environment where their only caretaker had shuttered himself away from his children, pretending they didn’t exist whilst one of their brothers had been suffering tenfold. Don’s prolonged agony went on like this for twelve hours until his crying simmered out, he’d emptied his stomach of what little he’d eaten and promptly passed out from exhaustion. Days later he was back to his casual self like he’d never been deathly ill.

On that day Leo made a vow.

He would never allow his brothers to suffer any type of pain, no matter how mundane or severe, he would be there to pick up the pieces and heal them. It was one of the main factors of why he’d taken up to studying medicine— to better understand how the process worked, to learn how to remedy the ailments his siblings went though should it happen again.

And he would never be his father.

He would never ignore his family, never abandon them, or push them away.

He’d fight tooth and nail to protect his brothers. There was nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice for their happiness or safety. Leo would do what his father would never dream of doing— being there for his siblings.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of the past, he brought himself back to the present. Peering into the bedroom, the turtle made sure the coast was clear before entering the dimly lit space.

Leo squatted at Donnie’s bedside, the younger turtle barely conscious in his sickly stupor. He knew Mom told him not to be in here for the sake of his own health, but he couldn’t leave Donnie alone. His conscious wouldn’t allow him to do so. It didn’t matter if this version of Don was significantly different or if they weren’t bonded by blood, to Leo, this was still his brother.

Donnie fought for breath. His chest rose and fell with each painful pull of air through raspy gasps, face damp with sweat. Half-lidded eyes were partially red and puffy. The bucket he’d been dry heaving into sat dormant at the corner of his bed, empty bottles of water scattered around the floor along with cough drop wrappers. The basin of water was growing warm, damp washcloth draped on the lip of the ceramic. What little Tylenol Mom had left over rested atop his drawer, untouched. He had yet to wake up.

Quietly the slider put a hand atop the younger turtle’s brow, recoiling when he felt how hot he was. It was like his skin was shimmering on high heat, boiling from within. Donnie hadn’t gotten this sick in a long time, not since he first came across their little group years ago. Just like his twin…

It was odd. It was like looking in a mirror.

The differences between his twin and this Donnie were as wide as a canyon, but the similarities were exact and precise.

Careful as he could Leo picked up the washcloth, dipping it into the basin to absorb some water. “Donnie, I dunno if you can hear, but it’s me, Lee.” He squeezed out the excess water from the fabric. “Mom says I shouldn’t be in here, but… I wanna make sure you’re okay.”

He dabbed the wet cloth on Donnie’s temple, motions tender and swift from years of practice. “Big bro’s gotcha now. I’ll pass the time by singing those J-pop songs you like! Or narrating all the Jupiter Jim comics I’ve got!”

Donnie didn’t speak.

“Or! I could pull my tablet out! Flip through Netflix, find some anime music for you to listen to?”

Once again, silence.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to choose right away! We can wait until you’re feeling better!” Leo tried to be as cheerful as possible. But the lack of conversation began to get to the slider’s anxiety.

Leo despised the silence. He’d always hated it; call it an uncomfortable memory from the past, but the quiet irritated him. No noise created unrest. No noise meant nobody was coming, nobody would bother checking on Donnie. He knew he was being ridiculous; Mom was hellishly attentive almost to a fault. One trait Pops wasn’t. One little indiscretion alerted her— even if either of them got a paper cut or a stubbed toe she’d immediately jump on top of it. ‘What do you need? Are you hurt? Did you eat poison? Oh my lord please tell me you didn’t eat the poison.’ It was a far, far cry from anything he was used to in his childhood, beyond the abandonment issues that were so engrained into Leo’s psyche not even the worlds’ best therapist could untangle those threads.

And yet that teeny, tiny smidgen of doubt poked through. The intrusive thoughts of ‘this won’t last forever.’

He shuddered. Leo scolded himself for thinking so little of his newfound family, for not letting himself be more trusting of his mother, the woman who took him in, the woman who put up with him for so long he was mildly shocked she hadn’t grown sick of his antics. The same woman who’d spent hours at his bedside, holding his hand, singing Spanish lullabies to comfort him as he sobbed after he’d woken from his coma. The same woman who’d hugged him when his crippling self worth crumbled like a stack of cards. The same woman who, despite her own demons, made him feel like he mattered in the grand scope of their crazy adventure when there were others just like him who were probably better than him.

Yet, to Katie, Leo was one in a million.

So why did he suddenly doubt her?

‘It’s cuz of you. You don’t trust anyone enough. You don’t think they’ll do more for you because of Dad,’ a voice hissed in the back of his skull. ‘If you didn’t hesitate so much when it came to talking about your feelings then you wouldn’t be a problem.’

Tears prickled the edges of his weary gaze. Why couldn’t he just allow himself to believe things were okay? Why am I like this?!

“Ya shouldn’t be in here.” Leo startled from the sudden voice behind him. Whipping his head around, he spotted Raph leaning against the doorway, staring at him with judgmental eyes. “Ma said Don needs t’ recover in quarantine.”

The slider blinked in order to stamp out the tears clinging within his orbs, trying to appear casual. “Yeah? Well, quarantine is overrated,” he said. “Who needs it am I right?”

Raph didn’t look too pleased. “Don’t dance around th’ issue. Ya know Mom ain’t gonna be thrilled t’ know ya went behind her back.”

The way he worded the sentence made Leo bristle, a wave of bitterness crawling up his shell. “I’m not going behind her back.”

“Ya ain’t?“ Raph blinked. “Oh sure, ‘course ya aren’t, what am I sayin’? It ain’t like yer disregarding th’ orders that were given t’ you in th’ first place, sneaking around when nobody’s here t’ notice?”

Leo scowled. “I just happened to come in here when everyone is busy, that’s not me sneaking. I’m… paying a visit.”

“You kidding?” Raph pushed off the doorway, tone hardening with disbelief. “Yer lying now? If ya wanna play this game, I’ll go get Ma and tell her what’s going on.”

“And what, are you the town snitch?” Leo countered, narrowing his eyes angrily. “Didn’t know you valued Mom’s praise so much you’d sell out your brother.”

“Then ya shouldn’t be in here!”

“Says who? Mom? When did you suddenly start being a rule follower?”

“Since th’ day I got my ass handed t’ me by guys who coulda done a whole lot worse t’ me had I just listened t’ Ma.”

He knew what he was referring to. Karai had nearly decimated Raph before Mom discovered his Nightwatcher persona and pulled the plug on those escapades. Fifty Foot clan members, a busted arm and spite hadn’t nearly been enough for Raph to take on single-handedly that night. It could have cost him his life. But Mom never let him go alone— she’d thankfully followed the oldest in the dingy pickup truck to ensure her suspicions were correct.

They were.

“So what? You’re the watch dog of this family now?” Leo spat, turning away from Donnie’s unconscious form to give Raph his full attention. “Over a stupid choice YOU made? Gee, sorry I’m not as good at getting caught as you.”

“Ya just don’t get it, do you?” Raph finally started showing his frustration. “Every time you do this, EVERY TIME you do this, you think you can get away scot free cuz you’re ‘Th’ Funny One.’ Bein’ funny ain’t gonna save ya forever! Donnie is SICK! Who knows if it’s contagious?! Ya get sick and waltz around th’ lair coughing and hacking out gunk, guess what?! Yer gettin’ all th’ rest of us sick! Ya want Ma t’ have t’ stress out?! Ya wanna put more on her plate?! She’s already got enough t’ put up with, th’ last thing we need is t’ have Mom on th’ floor having a heart attack!”

“NO, I don’t!” Leo exclaimed right back, shooting to his feet to face the older. “Just cuz I’m concerned for my brothers doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to check in on them!”

“I never said ya couldn’t! Ya have t’ wait until his fever breaks!”

“That could take days! Donnie’s never been able to withstand an illness that long!”

“What are you talking about?” Raph’s brows furrowed together, bewildered beyond reason. “Donnie’s never had a fever longer than three days! He’s—“

It clicked for him in an instant. Raph blinked, face pinched in an expression Leo hadn’t seen before. “… this ain’t about this Donnie, is it?”

“You do NOT get to ask me that.”

“Is that why you’ve been acting skittish all afternoon? Leo, man, he ain’t like yer twin. They’re two totally different people. They’re built differently from one another. For all we know his immune system is already working t’ get his infection out. Donnie’s gonna be fine.”

“I don’t care! You see this?! This is my not caring face!”

“There ain’t no one reason for you t’ be shouting at me! Donnie’s trying t’ sleep! What is WITH you lately?! Why do ya act like I’m your enemy?! What’s your ISSUE?!”

“YOU ARE!” Leo exclaimed. “YOU! You’ve been on my case for absolutely ZERO reason! Always nagging me, scolding me, telling me what to do, being a jerk! You act like you’re better than me but you’re just as clueless as the rest of us! You push me around like I’m a sock monkey and laugh at me for messing up, even if I’m trying to do what everyone expects of me! Mom already favors you cuz you’re the biggest suck up ever! I can’t STAND you sometimes! Why can’t you just leave me alone and do something with yourself instead of pretending you’re my big brother cuz you AREN’T!”

The way the silence fell was damning. Like a door being slammed in his face.

Leo immediately regretted his actions. He hadn’t meant to say something so cruel— but the words had escaped before he’d had time to stop himself. And he didn’t need to know he was in serious trouble when he saw Raph’s face morph from being stricken to curdling resentment. There had never been so much hurt behind razor sharp eyes before.

“… wow.” Raph spoke in a soft hiss, betrayed and incensed. “So that’s how ya really feel?”

Leo opened his mouth to apologize, thousands of words flooded throughout his mind, wracking him for anything suitable, but for some reason nothing came out. His tongue felt like a dumbbell in a parched mouth that forgot how to function. Words were locked in the depths of his unresponsive throat. His heart rate quickened the longer the pause lasted between them, unsure if Raph was going to pummel him or start screaming in his face. Either way, Leo knew he was in for it.

“Fine.” Raph’s voice was barely a whisper, bringing the tension to a standstill, his voice dripping with venom. “Fine. Ya wanna act like a self-centered brat? Do what ya want. If we’re putting all our secrets out in the open, then I’ll bite. But just remember; Yer th’ lowest of th’ low for putting yer own selfishness before th’ well-being of this family. Ya wanna know what yer worst flaw is? It ain’t yer ego. It’s th’ fact that no matter how hard we try t’ get through t’ you it ain’t about you, it goes right over yer head. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but ya better get that shitty attitude under control before ya get someone hurt.” And with a scowling glare the eldest stormed out of the room.

Leaving a shaken Leonardo to stand there and absorb his words, cemented in place.

********************

“How’s this?” Danny adjusted the collar of his button down lavender shirt, turning around to face Katie who sat on the edge of the bed. “Inconspicuous enough?”

“Very,” she nodded, sizing him up and down with her eyes. “Although if you loosen those buttons on your shirt by a few inches down, you’ll look sexier.”

Dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and his favorite brown loafers, the yōkai had just finished fastening the buttons to his sleeve cuffs when he gave her The Look. “Oh? What, like,” Danny reached a set of fingers up to flick his collar open to expose his torso, taunting her from where he stood. “That?”

Katie purred, leaning back into the bed, her arms supporting her upper body. “Me-YOW.”

“That’s all th’ show yer gettin’ until tonight,” he smirked, rebut toning his shirt closed with a wink. “Only if yer ready t’ handle all this.”

Katie threw a pillow at him, cracking a sly grin at him. “Ass!”

“Temper, temper!”

“Oh, you wound me sir.” Katie chuckled, rolling her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re so appealing to look at.”

Danny popped his collar down, adjusting his hair to comb it back with his fingers. “Ya know ya landed th’ lottery when ya found me. Although I can’t complain ‘bout th’ view in front of me either.”

Katie clicked her tongue. “Don’t try to butter me up, mister. I’m not an easy catch.”

“Ya sure as hell didn’t make it easy, I’ll give ya that,” Danny finally stepped away from the mirror, turning to meet her face. “But th’ chase was fun.” His tail made it’s way around her waist, acting as another appendage to hold her. The woman chuckled, sitting straight as the man casually approached with his swaggering smile. “And I’m always interested in playing th’ long game.”

“It wasn’t all that hard,” Katie hummed, raising her hand to touch his jawline with the tips of her fingers. “I had a mighty fine man to reel in at the end of that chase. And good lord was it worth it.”

Danny’s eyes turned mischievous; leaning forward mere inches from her face, he folded his hands behind him and offered the woman a playful smirk. “Oh yeah? Glad I’m such a prize.”

Her fingers pushed some of his hair out of his brow to better match his gaze. “Baby, you’re a jackpot. If someone gave me the option of choosing a million bucks or you, I’d choose you.”

“Awww, no cash? Ya coulda had it made.”

“I already do. In the past three years I’ve had the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve adopted six amazing kids. I found the love of my life. Even if I gotta put up with bigots and the occasional bounty hunter, I’d never trade any of you for my old life.“ She closed the gap to kiss him, chaste and sweet and everything he’d ever wanted. He fought the temptation to lock her in a passionate embrace, to clutch her face to his and take her in with all his strength, but he resisted. A patient man would find respite if he waited.

For now he settled for this. And it was still wonderful.

He lingered in the kiss for a moment more, pulling back once she’d withdrawn. His tail unwound itself from her waist as both his hands fell to rest on the woman’s shoulders— one cool to the touch, the other flesh and bone— to squeeze them. “I wouldn’t change a thing either.” The yōkai stepped away to start gathering his things for his trip as a thought came to mind. “I don’t think I ever asked ya, but how do you do it?”

“How do you mean?”

“All o’ this,” Danny waved a hand to gesture to the air. “Keeping a roof over yer head, juggling six kids’ t’ make sure they get equal attention, staying afloat and still managing t’ go forward? Honestly I’m a little jealous. Not even I coulda had th’ stamina t’ balance Len and Mick at my best, let alone SIX of them.”

Katie, for once, appeared surprised. Emerald eyes flickered somewhere around the room to think, properly gather her thoughts, as she straightened her slouched posture to sit. “I mean… instinct I guess. My sister and I raised her little girl together after her husband died for fifteen years, and things were great. I couldn’t HAVE kids cuz my body sucks. When I got roped into all of this and I found Mondo, some part of me kinda knew I had to step up not for my sake, but his. One thing turned into another and suddenly I became a surrogate parent to four overnight. Then Casey found me, Fugitoid blew up, Zog died, Mikey popped in and… Grace was taken.”

Her voice changed. The more the memories seemed to plague her consciousness the more somber her tone became. “Perspective really hit me when I was at Leo’s deathbed; his shell was split open like a chestnut when we found him in whatever the hell that prison dimension was, it was like I was carrying a carcass.” Katie’s face twisted with grief. Her hands folded together on her knees, metal fingers creaking anxiously. “I didn’t choose to be a mom, but destiny really kicked my ass when I got these kids. It showed me how I could be more than what I was, more than what I used to be. I’m not just some cop who doesn’t have all the pieces to her case to solve, I’m just… Mom.”

“… so… how’d ya make up yer mind about staying?”

“When those boys needed a parent to guide them through all this bullshit. Bishop almost killed me and they would’ve been left alone to deal with him. I couldn’t do that to them.” Katie shook her head to clear the muddied thoughts. “All it takes is one second, Daniel. That’s all it is. One second to decide between life or death.”

“… damn.” Danny couldn’t help but utter. “That’s kinda poetic, in a way.”

Katie, masking her inner trauma, merely smiled cheekily at the yōkai. “Awww! You think I can be the next Edgar Allen Poe?”

“Jesus, no! Ya ain’t a secret sadist are ya?”

“Daniel, there’s a ton you—“

“MA!” Her bedroom door was swung wide open, striking the opposite wall as the unexpected entrance startled the adults out of their skins. They were met with Raph standing out of breath, expression frantic, his eyes blown wide with concern. “Ma…! I messed up big time!”

“Red, what the hell—“

“It’s LEO! He’s—! He’s gone!”

Katie shot off the bed like a lightening bolt, face turning serious. “What do you mean he’s gone?!”

“I—! I said some really stupid shit t’ him, I was so pissed at him and I dunno what came over me! He, he must’ve taken what I said t’ heart and run off! There’s a portal in his room!”

Danny could sense terrible dread beginning to engulf the human. Katie’s shoulders went rock solid, her hands grabbing her hair as she panicked. He could see Raph desperately begging forgiveness, trying as he could to remedy the damage done. In all honesty the human looked ready to collapse and suffer a breakdown.

Danny knew she’d been through enough.

Danny understood she wasn’t in the right state of mind to go.

He knew, above all else, those kids were her number one priority.

So…

Snatching his black coat off the dresser and grabbing his phone with his tail, Danny rushed past the others. “I’ll get him!”

“What?! Daniel wait, you can’t—!”

“I’ll get him!” Danny called back once he reached the hall, darting to the direction of Leo’s bedroom. The door had been left ajar, a steady trickle of bright blue light shining through the gap as it spilled across the adjacent wall.

Bingo. He moved into the messy threshold just in time to see the blue vortex start to shrink. No time to back out now! Without delay, the yōkai threw himself into the unknown, barely managing to hear Katie’s distressed cry in the background as magic swallowed him whole.

Portal magic was a tricky business, one he wasn’t truly familiar with. Truth be told the concept made his head spin. It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment he was running into the open mouth of a mysterious mystic element, the next he popped up within the dirty, grimy alley of Manhattan, righting his footing as if he’d just gotten off a roller coaster, whiplash making his world tilt.

Where could the turtle have gone in such a rush? This alley was mostly dormant beyond the dumpsters and trash bags that littered the area. There was no signs of anyone else roaming the narrow passage, all the foot traffic was coming from the busy streets behind him. Danny swallowed his nausea down, shaking the feeling off before he pulled his coat on, going to reach his hand into the left pocket to retrieve his Cloaking Broach when—

… it wasn’t there.

Fuck. Danny turned his pockets inside out, searching for the artifact with a renewed fervor. Fuck fuck fuckfuckfuck are ya kidding me?! The more he checked his coat, the more the realization hit that he’d left it behind.

… he’d left it on the dresser.

“FUUUUCKIN—“ Danny threw his hands up and dragged them down his face, kicking a stray can in his frustration. “Rookie move, Dan! Ya go t’ prove ya can provide for yer woman, and ya can’t even remember t’ bring th’ one damn thing ya need t’ get past security! On top’a losing her kid!”

“Losing who’s what now?” Piped a voice from above.

“JESUS!” Danny whirled around, claws extended in warning, looking for the source of the voice as he craned his neck up to find a fire escape ladder drawn up… and a red eared slider sitting overhead on the landing.

Leo stood out in the dim lighting of the alleyway, crouched on the metal flooring to gaze down upon the yōkai from his platform six feet up. He wore a bright blue sweatshirt that was three sizes too big, grey sweatpants, and blue converse sneakers. His hood was drawn up to hide his mutated face but it was a dead giveaway once his bright yellow eyes shined through. He was sans his katana, which was unusual because he usually toted one or both of them to travel, but he retained his bright blue mask as he always did.

Leo gave the man a salute, half-hearted. “‘Sup, Rat Man.”

Unimpressed Danny responded flatly. “Rat Man. Really. Like I ain’t used t’ that one.”

“What ARE you used to then? Captain Rodent? Mister Fur Face? Whisker Dude?”

“Neither of those are clever puns.” Danny put his hands on his hips, brows furrowed in displeasure. “Can ya get down from there so we can go home?”

Leo frowned, almost a scowl, before turning away stubbornly. “Why?”

Danny balked. “Come again?”

“Why should I? It’s not like anyone will really care that I left.” The bitterness that coated his words made Danny feel uneasy. “Raph made it very clear— I’m not wanted at home.”

The yōkai didn’t know what to make of this. “What are ya talking about?”

“‘I’m the lowest of the low’, ‘I’m a self centered brat.’ You don’t need me. That’s what he said. It’s better if I left— cut off the weakest link to the team if you’re gonna have a chance at being functional.” Leo drew his knees to his chest, avoiding all eye contact with the man. “You guys are better off without me.”

Danny stood bewildered. “He couldn’t have.”

Leo shrank into himself, head buried in his arms. The way he looked made it seem like his hoodie was engulfing him.

The sounds of city life continued on without them, cars, buses, bikes and taxis whizzed by as the rush hour traffic picked up. More pedestrians started perusing the sidewalks in the corner of his eye. If they continued waiting around in this dark alley the stores would soon be crowded. Crowded areas meant grabbing medicine was next to impossible.

Danny hummed, contemplative as he raised his head to look at the mutant kid scurried in the dark. “Well I ain’t leaving. Either ya come down, or I’m climbing up.”

Leo’s yellow orbs peeked over his arms, watching the yōkai from below. He didn’t budge.

“Okay.” Danny rolled his shoulders, taking one step back as he moved; moving through tight and narrow spaces was like second nature to him, body angling and twisting around the gap between the decrepit ladder and a line of dumpsters that acted as his footing, his hands latched onto the flimsy metal. He hauled himself up with ease, climbing the rest of the way to reach the platform.

When Danny found the top he looked around the ledge to find the turtle still curled into a ball, eyes pinned onto him with mild awe. “What’s with th’ look?”

“I’ve never seen you move like that!”

“I practically grew up on th’ streets of Queens. Ya can take th’ punk outta th’ slums, but ya can’t take th’ street life outta th’ man.” Danny huffed as he pulled himself onto the platform proper, coming to sit beside Leo. The turtle didn’t move from his spot, but he sighed under his breath all the same. “Welp, we’re sitting here. Watching th’ trash in th’ alley. Didn’t know we were on garbage patrol.” He tried to joke, but Leo’s face turned melancholy. “Hey, kid. Why’d ya really take off?”

Leo shrugged lamely. “You guys don’t want me around, so I left.”

“Now who said that?” Danny quarried.

“Raph basically said—“

“Did he say those exact words to you? Verbatim? Did he say, ‘Leo, we’re better off without ya?’”

Leo went dead silent. His fingers gripped the sleeves of his hoodie.

“What’s got ya feeling this way? Anything you wanna talk about?”

“… not really.”

Danny pondered for a moment longer, drumming his claws on the metal flooring underneath him to think. “I dunno what’s wrong but I know I ain’t leaving ya by yerself. So I’ll stay here until yer ready t’ talk, okay?”

Leo was silent, unwilling to reply, but Danny didn’t hold it against him. Whatever had been said to the kid must’ve really gotten to him. He was willing to give the turtle time to think, but he had to keep an eye on the crowd; too many eyes on them wouldn’t be ideal if he had to go find a pharmacy. Who knows what Kathrine must be doing right now? She’s bound to be going hysteric.

Thankful he at least remembered to bring his cellphone, Danny fished it out of his jacket. Unlocking it he began to send a text;

Found Leo.

Seconds later a new message rang.

Kat:

THANK U GOD.

Is he ok??

Yeah he’s fine. Just upset. Gonna be a little bit.

Kat:

Ok

As long as he’s safe

Dan ur a lifesaver

Let me know when ur on ur way home please

You know I will.

Danny put his phone back in his jacket, glad to have at least given her some peace of mind in the middle of this confusion. Now how do I get him to come back home?

“I didn’t mean to be a jerk.” Leo suddenly mumbled.

“T’ who, Raph?”

Leo nodded solemnly. “Sometimes I jump the gun and say things without thinking about how it’ll hurt someone. And… I really didn’t mean it. But now he thinks I hate him.” His voice crackled guiltily. “Maybe you guys really would be better off without me. I’m just a screw up.”

“I don’t think any of that’s true.” Danny leaned forward, arms coming to rest on his knees as he regarded the mutant with empathetic eyes. “Nobody in that lair believes yer a screw up.”

“Yeah right.” Leo scowled deeper, three digits digging into the course material of his sleeves.

“It’s th’ truth. Why are ya so sure it ain’t?”

“Cuz…” the slider’s fingers clung to the sleeves of his hoodie, death-like and iron clad, avoiding all eye contact. “You guys don’t need a kid who’s gonna drag you down to rock bottom.”

“What do ya mean?”

Moments passed without conversation. Those moments turned into minutes. Leo closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath, steeling his nerves as he exhaled with an audible sigh. “… can you keep a secret?”

Danny folded his hands on his lap, slouching forward against the rails in front of them to get comfortable. “‘Course, as long as ya aren’t planning on hurting yourself, then I’m calling Kat.”

Leo bristled, but he decided to test the waters. “Have you ever felt like your family would be better off without you? Like… if you weren’t around to mess things up or do stupid things or say things that hurt your brothers, life would be better if you weren’t around?”

Danny thought about the words for a few seconds, giving it some thought. If he lied to the kid he’d only push him away further. Perhaps being truthful would ease Leo’s burden. “When I was yer age? Yeah.”

“But have you ever wanted to disappear? Like if you were to,” Leo snapped his fingers. “Poof! Just vanish into thin air, everyone would be happier?”

Danny frowned. Fingers itched for a cigarette, ruefully remembering they were also back at home, but he stamped the urge to smoke down. “On my worst days as a delivery boy for Lena, yeah. Sometimes I look back at my younger self and I think… ‘Damn, you were such an idiot for going t’ her in th’ first place.’ But ya know what changed?”

Leo flicked his gaze onto him, waiting, still unmoving.

“I found out that there’s more t’ life than bein’ a petty thief. I got out. Yer Mom gave me th’ strength t’ stand up for myself and wipe th’ slate clean. No more crime, no more constantly looking over my shoulder, no more living in a shithole apartment, and no more regrets. My life’s been better for it.”

“What’s this gotta do with me?”

“Ya shouldn’t wanna disappear. Yer Mom would miss th’ hell outta you, and yer brothers would be worried. I know I ain’t been around long, but I can tell just by how yer Mom acts she cares about you. Ya should never have any doubt in yer head about that.”

“What about Raph?”

“I’m sure he’s gonna be scolded for talkin’ about ya like he did. And he’s probably beating himself up over it by now.”

Leo’s shoulders sank, visibly deflating. He wrung his hands out to stave off the anxiety, low rumbling chirp coming from his throat with guilt. “… I’m sorry I ran off.”

“No need t’ apologize. I get th’ feeling of needing air, but I think Kat woulda appreciated a heads up that you were gonna go topside,” Danny offered a supportive grin. “How about I take ya t’ go grab some food b’fore we get Donnie’s meds?”

Switching on a dime his demeanor changed. Leo perked up, bright eyed and excited. “Wait really?! Sweet! Let’s get a move on!” He was moving instantly, leaping to his feet and darting down the ladder. When Danny didn’t stand right away, the turtle popped his head over the ledge and he said, “Get a move on, Old Timer!”

“I ain’t old!” Danny laughed, following the turtle down the fire escape. “Not even by a long shot!”

Leo landed below with a flourish, scoffing. “Yeah, yeah, and I’m the Queen of England! Come on, we’re burning daylight!”

Danny finally climbed the rest of the way down. “I hear ya, I’m right behind ya. Pick which spot ya wanna go and I’ll see what I can—“

Click.

His ear pricked up.

Danny narrowed his gaze, averting his eyes over his shoulder to locate the source of the noise. Leo, noticing his suspicion, became alert. His stance turned defensive.

Danny turned around, unprepared to find a human man pointing a Glock at his chest, blocking their way out through the alley. His eyes were beady and dark, short blonde hair combed over, his skin peachy, adorning a dark green zoot suit like he was about to go onto a forties gangster movie set. But it wasn’t his god awful fashion sense that made Danny start to tense up.

It was the Purple Dragon tattoo stamped on the back of his right hand, the one currently aiming the gun.

“Don’t move, freaks,” Green hissed.

This guy has guts, Danny thought. And he sounds like he’s imitating Steve Buchemi. Deciding to play the confident card, the yōkai smirked. “Aww, what? Ya ain’t seen a rat in New York before? Hate t’ tell ya this pal, but,” he brandished his hand, showing a set of long, recently filed claws ready to strike. “We’re everywhere!”

Green’s face morphed into disgust, fingers gripping his gun tight to the point of revealing the white of his knuckles beneath his skin. “Just my luck, running into youse things on my day off. Ya really are cropping up outta the woodworks!”

“Um, not to be THAT guy, but what’s with your accent?“ Leo peered around Danny comedically, the ridges of his brows quirked in curiosity. “Are you pretending to be British? If so, it REALLY needs work.”

“Wha— No! I’m from Jersey!”

“Oooooo boy, that’s rough buddy, sorry I asked.”

“Anyway,” Danny took a daring step forward, claws poised at the ready as he pointed them at Green. “Ya think you can take us? Yer alone here. So I suggest ya tuck yer tail between yer legs and piss off before I do something I don’t wanna do.”

Green’s eyes darted somewhere past the rodent and turtle, brief but very much obvious, and his shit eating grin took a more devious turn. “Oh… am I?”

In the mouth of the alley where their only means of escape left was cut off by the introduction of an unmarked blue Mercedes’ pulling up on the street to box them in. Coming out of the car were four more bigger, brutish men dressed in casual punk clothes… all of which boldly showing the Purple Dragons mark.

“Ya thought I’d just corner youse two alone? I know ya travel in packs,” Green snootily backed off, Glock still aimed at Danny. “I called my pals t’ give them the heads up that you lowlives were infiltrating our turf!”

“And we don’t LIKE mutants,” one guy with a tacky haircut snarled, tapping a short metal pipe on his shoulder for emphasis.

The air turned thick. Tension rose between the bigots and the outcasts. Leo glanced up and down at the human men, mentally debating whether or not he should start fighting his way out.

Th’ guy ain’t as dumb as I thought, Danny felt cold sweat cling to the back of his neck. He retracted his claws away from Green in favor of turning his heel and addressing the burly crowd of thugs with one of his famous pleasing smiles. “Gentleman, please, let’s settle down! This ain’t all that serious! Why don’t we just go out separate ways and pretend we didn’t have this conversation?”

“Or,” Green spoke snidely. “We all take a little trip.”

“Trip?” Leo chuckled— Danny noticed there was a slight clip to his tone that suggested something else. “Dude unless we’re all going to Hawaii I’m not going anywhere with you creeps.”

“Unfortunately for you,” another man stepped closer, his anger potent. “You don’t get to have a choice.”

Danny’s eyes shifted around the alley for a moment, calculating, trying to figure out what to do. Alright tough guy, ya barked up th’ wrong tree, do something FAST.

“Yeeeeah, nope, no thanks. I’m not really interested. Let’s take a rain check on the whole kidnapping thing, huh?“ Leo clapped his hands in front of him, trying to play this off like a big joke. “Been there, done that!”

Green tsked. “Annoying little prick,” he approached the teen, lowering his gun to reach out and grab Leo’s arm—

“Fuck off, dipshit,” Danny moved so fast barely anyone noticed his precise movements; he bashed an elbow into Green’s abdomen, sweeping his legs out from under him with his tail. The moment Green went down Danny seized a beat-up wooden rod from near one of the trash cans and swung with all his might, smashing it into another thug’s nose with tremendous force.

Following his example Leo leapt into the air, moving like water over stone. He jumped over the stunned body of Green to grab the fire escape ladder, swinging his body a full three-hundred and sixty degrees around to deliver a brutal blow into the back of Green, driving both feet straight into him and throwing the goon in a pile of garbage.

The guy with the pipe ran towards Danny with his weapon raised, but Danny was clever. He seized a tethered baseball cap lying to the wayside, flipping it around to expose the inside to catch the pipe like an umpire, using the momentum of the man’s flimsy footing up drag him down. Once he was on the floor, Danny’s tail wrapped around his throat and bashed his face into solid concrete.

Leo bounced on top of the dumpster, kicking and punching the meathead trying to nab him with all the finesse of an acrobat in the boxing ring. “What’s wrong? Turtle got your tongue?” He sang in his bold bravado. “Looks like you’re not as good as me—“

Just as they thought they had gained the upper hand, the tables turned against them.

CRACK! A brick was chucked at Leo’s face from the corner of Danny’s eye.

The teen yelled in a mix of pain and confusion, falling onto his shell as he went to grab at his temple to check for bleeding, but his assailant took this chance to grab the teen. Leo began to kick and struggle as the man held him in a death grip against his chest to pin the turtle down. “Hey! Get off!”

“Leo!” Danny went to try and assist the turtle, but he never saw Green sneaking up from behind with the fallen metal pipe to strike him on the back of the noggin.

THWACK!

One moment Danny saw block spots swimming across his vision, disoriented. The next he was being pinned against the wall, arms pulled behind him and a hand gripping the back of his head.

Fuck…

“Stupid mutants. They never realize that humans also travel in packs,” Green huffed, tossing the pipe aside to rise. “My boss is gonna give me one helluva raise for this catch.”

“Like hell he is,” Danny spat through gritted teeth, trying to pry his arms free. “You’re lucky I ain’t able t’ rip yer eyes outta yer sockets!”

Green approached; weasely hands frisking the yōkai’s jacket pockets until he located his wallet and cellphone. Danny rolled his eyes at the absurdity of it. Ain’t this a trip down memory lane.

“Well, well, let’s see what we got here.” Green flipped open his wallet and took a look at his human ID. “So… Danny, innit? Whatcha doing out here? Don’t you got some cheddar to gnaw on at home?”

“Sure I do. But I was craving some Gouda, personally,” Danny retorted sardonically.

“So youse got some jokes, don’t you?” Green tossed Danny’s wallet over his shoulder as though it were another piece of litter strewn about the alleyway. “I got news for you, rat man.” He dropped Danny’s cell to the ground, the devise clattering. Without a shred of thought he smashed it under his foot, glass crackling and crunching beneath the leather heel. Taking away the last true means of summoning any help. “You ain’t going nowhere.”

“Bastard!” Danny shouted, fighting to wrench his arms free. “Yer gonna pay for that!”

Green barked out a laugh. “Oh, sure I will!” He smashed he phone down harder to rub salt into the wound. “I’d love to see you try to call for more of your Frankenstein friends without a phone!”

Leo kicked and flailed his legs in defiance, writhing like his life depended on it to escape the clutches of the bigots. “Now what’s next? Stuff us into a trunk? Cuz like that’s not gonna get picked up on surveillance cameras!”

“No. We ain’t savages.” Green put a hand to his chest in mock offense. “We can do this the calm and obedient way!” He nodded to one of his cronies, who went to the car that still sat on the side of the street, opening the left backseat door.

“Unless you guys really wanna sit in a trunk the whole time until we get to our boss… I suggest you get in. Quietly.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND THAT’S PART ONE!

Thank you all so much for reading and for your kind words!! You’re all so cool!! I cannot wait to share the rest of this one, I hope this first chapter was worth all this wait!!

I truly could not have done this without your support and encouragement. So stay tuned for more!! I can’t wait to share more angst with you 🤣

@queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @figuringitoutasigoalong @goldenflowerdragon @yorshie @lameboobah

[dandylovesturtles]

Fanfic Writer Ask Game!

🎯 🦈?

🎯 Do you have a writing milestone you’re working towards?

nope. I am at the whims of my inspiration and energy levels.

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

in ROTTMNT I would probably say Mikey. I think it's a little easy to lean too hard into the sort of "sweet little brother" thing that a lot of fandom likes (this isn't meant as a callout, lol, I like it too) and forget that he is canonically a little gremlin who is very silly and sometimes pretty gross (I mean he's a 13 to 15-year-old boy so it tracks).

Also he probably has the least defined character arc of literally every main character in the series (including the supporting cast like April, Splinter, Draxum, and both Caseys). Leo has his struggles with his place and identity within the team as well as his growth as a leader, Donnie has his issues with feeling replaced and directly linking his family "needing" him to his family loving him, Raph is struggling to live up to the expectations of the clan and his role as a big brother, April deals with her struggles connecting with her own peers and her fear that she doesn't count as part of the fam, Splinter has a billion things going on, Draxum has a whole redemption arc (truncated as it was) and Casey Sr effectively does too, and Casey Jr. has grief and trauma. And Mikey... would probably have had a really good character arc if we'd gotten the rest of season 2 and season 3!

A lot of Mikey's episodes where he gets to really get feelsy and show his emotions are directly tied to other people's character development, especially Donnie's and Draxum's, so we don't get as much of what his deal is. The only really solid Mikey centric episode is Hot Soup The Game, which definitely brings up Mikey's frustrations with being the youngest and thus babied as a result, so that's something you can draw on for his character, but even that's more tied directly into what he wants from interactions with other people and less about what he wants for himself.

(the truffle episode is super weird... like Mikey learns not to take his friends for granted? I guess?? I wouldn't have expected him to in the first place but yeah I guess that's some character development lol)

(actually as a total side note, it does annoy me a little that when Todd is first introduced as a character in Season 1, the whole point of his superpower being niceness was that he was so nice you'd do anything for him, and even villains were unable to turn him down, which was a really good gag and made him an interesting character. Then at some point it became that Todd's niceness meant he couldn't turn anyone down and suddenly he was just kind of a doormat, to Mikey first in the truffle episode and then all of them later in Todd Scouts. I actually like the Todd Scouts episode but also you didn't have to do that to him lmao)

(actually actually even though I like Todd Scouts I would have loved a version of that episode where Splinter stayed with them in the woods and then we dealt with how his feelings were hurt by the kids being more interested in their phones than his teaching and they could have pointed out that their dad kind of waited until late in life to start teaching them life skills and IDK WE DIDN'T GET THE FAMILY BONDING CAMPING TRIP WHEN THEY GOT CAUGHT IN THE TURTLE TANK IN SEASON 1, WHY DIDN'T WE GET IT IN SEASON 2??)

cough. anyway.

yeah so I always feel bad that when I look at my AUs and stuff I always feel like I give Mikey the least. I'm so sorry, Mikey, you're just already perfect and I don't know where to take you. ;;

Thanks for the ask!

[tmnt-doomsday-au]

This stupid green thing is my fursona, Skrill, ignore him-

Anyways I figured that since I have posted all the main characters refsheets that I might as well introduce myself and my au!

Hi my name is Rodrick, but feel free to call me Ronnie or Skrill. I'm the main creator of the TMNT Dooms Day au, my brother @xxandyleedoomsdayxx is my co-writer! He helped me with the character designs and ofc he is helping me with writing as well since I'm not the best at it

I'm a guy so refer to me with He/Him and I'm Aroace, I'm 19 and I've been a part of the TMNT12 fandom since I was about 11(I think) but obviously I have been watching the tmnt series since I was like 6

I also have a meet the artist up on my non-tmnt account here!

Here are just some things about my au and the links to all the refsheets!

The Dooms Day au was originally supposed to be another 2012 re-write, but I decided against that since I really just wanted to do my own thing with the au. So the designs and the story layout is now just really inspired by the 2012 series since that's unfortunately the one I'm most familiar with😅

The au will contain ocs and Oc X Canon stuff, along with a whole lot of other stuff.

Cover art

Character Refsheets

Leonardo

Donatello

Michelangelo

Raphael

Turtles extra info

Turtle tots

Human Raph & Donnie

Human Mikey & Leo

April O'Neil

Karai

Casey Jones

Mona Lisa

Mondo Gecko

Venus De Milo

Irma & Vernon

Splinter

My oc/Lucius

Lucius mutant design

Brother's oc/Andy

Andy's main refsheets

The foot clan

Comic Links

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Dni list, my boundaries, and commission info down below-

DNI LIST!

TCEST MFs GTFO

Proshippers/Toxic shippers, Zoophiles,

Homophobes, Transphobes, Ableists,

Fujoshis,Racists, Really any kind of bigotry,

Dreamsmp & Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss fans,

Fetish artists, 2012 Leo X Karai shippers and lastly Ai Supporters.

If I notice that you have any of this shit on your Tumblr I'll block you

MY BOUNDARIES-

Do not repost my art without my permission or without credit(reblogs are fine obviously)

Do not spam like my posts, seriously it's annoying and I'll probably block you

No random criticism please it's rude and if I want criticism I'll ask for it(this goes for my art and my writing)

Please don't randomly make sexual comments towards me or my art, just because I'm over 18 does not mean I'm comfortable with it. I'm aroace and it genuinely weirds me out especially if I don't know you

And don't randomly vent in my comments or on my posts

Art requests and questions are always open as long as they are related to my au(unless I specify otherwise) so go wild! Just don't be weird

I ALSO HAVE A BLOG FOR MY ORIGINAL STORIES/NON-TMNT ART @xxskrillynnxx

But yeah that's it XD

[probably-not-a-rutabaga]

I love seeing your TMNT iteration and I just saw your Mondo post and I know you’re being bombarded right now and this is a no way hate! :) I find it very interesting how Mondo is such a jerk in this one, especially compared to how he was very close with Mikey and he’s always been super friendly and fun in others and this was a total 180 which is a really fascinating turn

but I definitely need to see more on the comic like a part two or something and I have to know:

how do you his brothers feel about Mondo?, Did the brothers help mikey in his situation, do they even know they’re dating?, Will they ever break up?, Is it more than just emotional abuse/neglect?, Will mikey ever feel loved romantically properly?, How did they get together in the first place?, and a few more

and I’m just so hyper fixated on finding all of this out

(by the way, sorry this is so long. I’m just so fascinated with this concept. Especially since I’m making my own adaptation where Mondo is also Mikey’s boyfriend, except for their very much in love )

i'll go ahead and vaguely answer a few,, bc unfortunately it's gonna be a bit before i can officially answer them clearly,,,,, gotta finish brainworm fic n other comics first

his siblings hate mondo, despise him. even casey and april dislike him!! they hate him even more when they find out they're dating,, but no one straight up tries to stop him until they realize it's getting bad

they don't like,, officially break up, but there's an event that pretty harshly splits 'em up

it's mostly just emotional

perhaps,,,, perhaps he will find love,,,,,, or perhaps he will find a cat to be his buddy,,,,,,,,, who could know !

mention of weed under the cut! last one so y'all won't miss anything if you don't wanna read it 💪

yeah so, flashback to this fic? (for those who haven't read it, it's a fic abt mikey getting high for his siblings [specifically leo's] attention)

they quite literally meet bc mikey stumbles into mondo smoking and starts using it as a coping mechanism bc he doesn't feel as valued as raph n donnie 👍

i have very much been trying to work mondo into aberration since writing that fic,, and initially they were supposed to have a healthy relationship once like,, mikey decides it's not a good way to deal with his problems?????

there's a lot more to it,, and after it,,, all will be addressed soon!

[valentinehorrors]

I have a few questions that have been on my mind

Does mikey still have adhd?

Did he meet leatherhead? And if he did how does he feel about him?

How does he feel about karai? Or shredder or even the kraang?

And does mikey fold a like a wet cat when Casey shows romantic interest for him?

-anon

Okay all good questions!

Everything that happens in the show, still happens, just with added context of Mikey not being who he says he is and essentially forcing Casey to start hiding too.

I don't want to explicitly say he has adhd as when I write him, I don't have that in mind, but if you would like to interpret that then I'm all for it!

The Leatherhead situation did have a lot more layers to it.

"Interesting... wouldn't hurt to add a powerful beast like that onto my strings..."

Essentially like most things, even befriending Leatherhead is all part of Mikey's manipulation game. He saw someone as traumatized and wounded as Leatherhead and thought he would be easy pickings, someone to pull in any direction he wanted.

In that same vein, Mikey's opinions on the Mighty Mutanimals:

Mondo Gecko: "Everything my mask is and then some, easy plaything. I wouldn't even have to try."

Dr.Rockwell: "He reminds me of Donnie, but a fool all the same as the rest of that little group. Too busy scrutinizing over every tiny detail on the dirt to see what's lurking above him with strings at his throat. I'd consider him more of a threat if he paid any attention to me."

Pigeon Pete: "....... No"

Slash: "I don't like him."

Jack Kurtzman: "Same as Rockwell, he'd be a threat if he even glanced my way, especially with those investigative skills. I'm almost surprised he hasn't seen what else lies just under New York's nose... Almost, they hide too well and have been for years."

As for the rest:

Shredder: "In my way. Annoying pest. And a complete and utter fool."

The Kraang: "Another pest, but more concerning. After all, if they have their way, I wouldn't be able to have my fun. However, I am grateful, I am aware they're responsible for my existence, the only non-foolish thing they've ever done."

Karai: "She's not as bad as April. I must admit, she impresses me at times, If I had no mask, perhaps we'd even be friends. But as it stands, she's another annoyance."

And for the last part of your question! Kinda? It's more the equivalent of a cat owner (Mikey) feeling joy at their pet (Casey) snuggling up to them. Casey has more pull over Mikey than others, but never forget who wields the strings.

[tmnt-reticent]

The songs that fit each silly the best from their respective playlists because I’ve been brainrotting over some of these songs so much recently (Raph, Casey and April barely have any songs IM SO SORRY ILL FIND MORE FOR THEM SOON- whenever I get a song rec it’s almost always for Leo or Donnie I was just lucky to find a decent amount of Mikey songs on my own cbsjcbjshcjd-)

You can guess why they fit them but I won’t tell you if you’re right fbsjbcjshck

Leo:

Streaks (ANIMA!), PIN-EYE (Jhariah), Oh No! (MARINA), Memento Mori (Will Wood), Passing Through (Kaden Mackay), Everything I Ever Thought I Knew (Zachery Levi), What The World Needs (Ride The Cyclone), A Sadness Runs Through Him (The Hoosiers), Goddamn Staying Power (Mother Mother), Explode! (Mother Mother), End Of Me (Mother Mother, specifically first verse and chorus), despair (leo.), She Used To Be Mine (Sara Bareilles), Top Of My School (Katherine Lynn-Rose), I/Me/Myself (Will Wood), Days (Mother Mother), Magic (MILGRAM)

THERES TOO MANY THAT FIT HIM PERFECTLY ISTG 😭😭😭 There’s so many others on his playlist (he has almost the entire Grief Chapter Album, same with Mikey) but these are the ones I feel fit him the best

Out of all of these I would say Passing Through, Streaks or PIN-EYE are his theme song but bro has way too many choices

Raph:

Maybe It’s My Fault (WILLOW), So Big/So Small (Rachel Bay Jones), I Really F**led It Up (girli), I’d Give Anything (Mandy Moore), Meteor Shower (Cavetown)

I wasn’t lying when I said there wasn’t a lot of Raph songs it’s bad fr 💀💀💀 ILL FIND HIM MORE EVENTUALLY

His theme song is 100% Maybe It’s My Fault, it was my top played song on Spotify last year because I was literally brainrotting over it for him for MONTHS. Bro feels so guilty 24/7/365 and none of it was even his fault.

Mikey:

God’s Plan (Mother Mother), End of Me (Mother Mother, specifically second verse and chorus), Nobody Escapes (Mother Mother), Normalise (Mother Mother), Wrecking Ball (Mother Mother), Sunsets (Jhariah), Art Is Dead (Bo Burnham), Look Who’s Inside Again (Bo Burnham), Love, Me Normally (Will Wood), Sweet Hibiscus Tea (Penelope Scott), Mirror Man (Jack Stauber), 2econd 2ight 2eer (Will Wood)

Mirror Man has basically been his theme song since I started writing Reticent but God’s Plan, Nobody Escapes, Art Is Dead and the end of Love, Me Normally fit him SO INSANELY WELL (especially God’s Plan and Nobody Escapes I have been listening to those constantly since they released partially because I was about to go see Mother Mother but also because I was brainrotting over them for Ret Mikey SO HARD)

If I had to pick one it would probably still be Mirror Man but God’s Plan is SO close to overtaking it

Donnie:

Outliars and Hyppocrates (Will Wood), Rät (Penelope Scott), Partner In Crime (Madilyn Mei), Interlude:I’m Not Angry Anymore (Paramore), Boys Will Be Bugs (Cavetown), dumb dumb (mazie), brutal (Olivia Rodrigo), Rule #4 - Fish in a Birdcage (Fish in a Birdcage), Waiting in the Wings (both of and reprise, Eden Espinosa), Sparkbird (Sparkbird), Laplace’s Angel (Will Wood), BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA (Will Wood), I Can’t Handle Change (Roar), What’s Wrong With Me? (Ashley Park), Run Rabbit Run (The Hoosiers), Magic (MILGRAM)

Most of these fit Season 2 Part 1 Donnie in particular so I’ve been having a hard time picking a specific one as his theme song but I think Boys Will Be Bugs would fit pretty well

April:

Hayloft II (Mother Mother), Lew’s Lullaby (Ritt Momney), Cut The String (Mother Mother), Feel Better (Penelope Scott), Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You (Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan), Meteor Shower (Cavetown), Anybody Have A Map? (Rachel Bay Jones, Jennifer Laura Thompson)

April has the same issue as Donnie where a lot of her songs are more specific moments rather than her as a whole, but it’s worse for her since she has way less songs than he does dbskcbkshc- Cut The String is probably the one that would fit the best as a theme song though since even though it is meant to be for a specific moment she does have a tendency to run away from her problems instead of solving them

Also side-note, I do have an unfinished April animatic to Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You because my The Last Five Years hyperfixation came back shskvcjsgfjd- I’m unsure if I’ll finish it cause it’s pretty old now but even if I don’t finish it I’ll still post the WIP!

Casey:

Little Big Boy (Madds Buckley), Bring It On (MILGRAM), Good Kid (Chris McCarrell), Sunsets (Jhariah), Meteor Shower (Cavetown), YELLOW (Yoh kamiyama), Dead Mom (Sophia Anne Caruso)

Him and April have the same amount of songs that fit them the best out of their playlists omigosh twinsiesssss dbskcbskhcjd

His theme song is Little Big Boy absolutely 200% it fits him so perfectly I love it so much for him

[nani-nonny]

First of all before reading and reviewing

Nani, for unknown reasons share your location, i wanna just visit you, me & my rope/j

The CHAPTER we've all been waiting for!! The chapter I'VE been waiting for!! IS HERE!!!

Oh lordy lordy, leo just walking slowly to the window and seeing CJ... So beautiful how their eyes met and here like " Yes! Yes!! Finally after 6 chapters!! Finding Casey Junior movie reached it end!! ".

And even tho i liked your snippet of where leo show off! I loved this part more where Leonardo asks for their help especially leo because it makes me think " He needs you! " and everytime leo roll his eyes or just drop a joke, i can't help but feel he's happy inside and giddy but won't show it!

The fight kick in and the foot already made a mistake..

I don't know if i said this before but i love it when parents get angry on behalf of their kids and like go instantly " beast mode " or " parent bear mode ".

Still trying to deny it and am like " yeah after this mission you gotta face the music "... Okay maybe AFTER getting better because he had opened his wound... AGAIN!

I love how the WHOLE foot were so scared they couldn't even move! I love how mikey and leo were sock and when i read the part where leo was more then impressed i immediately thought " oh he's forgiving him and he's happy ge's stepping + plus he cares " lol.

And then Donnie oh! Donnie, that flash bomb was... Well a BOMB (ba-dum-tss).

When i read it was purple i was like " oh it's ON!! The whole team is here!! " and i lowkey giggled when the Leonardo closed the door behind him last seeing was the lieutenant, i immediately imagined April opening the door violently and accidentally hit the lieutenant xD

The next part where Leo open the portal but i didn't read when he stepped in i was thinking " Wait was he the last one to step in? " which means he saw how Leonardo and CJ treat each other 👀 (don't mind me, just thinking how leo would wish old Leonardo treating him like that).

And the last part

Just made me so giddy, made me smiling! AAAAAHHHH AM SO HAPPY YOU DON'T KNOW!! YOU TRULY DELIVERED A GREAT CHAPTER NANI!!!! THANK YOU ✨💙

*sees your well-meaning threat* teehee

Idk what you’re talking about

Anyways yippee!!! CJ’s back!!

And Lil Leo agreeing to help F!Leonardo definitely made his wee-lil heart jump with joy! The old guy is paying attention to him!

When parents go in Mama-Bear mode>>>>

It’s the greatest thing ever, and also the scariest to be victim of lol

Although F!Leonardo is in denial, it’s funny that he is truly protective of the baby because the baby is seeking protection from him which he’s abiding to.

And Lil Leo being impressed by F!Leonardo’s show of protectiveness is Lil Leo realizing that F!Leo cares lol what a silly lil guy

Donnie with the bomb made me happy to write because he’s showing how much he has grown in terms of his ninpo skills hehe

Omg you made me realize that I forgot to write when Lil Leo went through the portal lol (he hesitated to go through after Raph, and only witnessed F!Leonardo fall to his knees before he willingly ignored it after CJ fell to F!Leonardo’s side) I have to fix that hehe (this is what I get for not editing for a longer period of time)

Casey Jr was just embarrassed to call F!Leonardo “Dad” in front of so many people hehe, to everyone else, CJ calls F!Leonardo “Sensei”

Thank you for reading, sniper!! I always look forward to your reviews lol (not to put pressure, again, you don’t have to :D)

[yellowhollyhock]

I noticed your fics mostly focused on the b team. I was wondering what’s your opinion on the other 2 I mean for 2003

Raph and Leo are good boys! They have such a close bond it’s like they share one mind. Raph is usually the one who’s emotionally driven and impulsive while Leo is the one who people pleases and watches their backs, but they trade off these roles more than any other set of brothers. I always saw Raph as the oldest, even after learning that canonically it’s Leo, and that’s still going to be my headcanon forever, but I think the fact that it’s so hard to tell says something about their bond. They both go to each other for advice, they both want to impress the other.

I love how Raph pushes Leo to do things that scare him. It may not always be a wholly positive thing, like when he talks him into sneaking out, but you can still see in their dynamic how they’re looking out for each other’s blind spots. Leo takes on extra concern about the rules because Raph has none. Raph is reckless because he wants Leo to let loose and worry less. The fact that he calls him Fearless gives me feelings, I’m working on a story about it but it is… in very early stages.

Some of my favorite moments are when Raph gives Leo a six for the move he did because he only has six fingers (I think this is in the episode where they meet Casey), when Splinter is missing and Leo recognizes Raph’s need to go off alone and is so nonjudgmental about it, of course when Raph helps Leo make new swords. Also Raph’s memory while Leo’s in a coma, where he’s riding the big crocodile hanging on for fear life and his (from my pov) little brother piped up with “Can I offer some strategy advice? 😀” and Raph’s like “No!” while clearly needing it. Very relatable from both ends.

Also also the City at War arc! That’s where their biggest fight is but it really shows how much they care about each other. Raph hates that Leo is blaming himself, partially because he’s worried about him but also because he and Leo do everything together and he doesn’t want to blame himself. Leo is also pretty deeply upset that they aren’t on the same page about this. It’s so interesting to me how they kinda switch roles when they’re in a bad place; a happy Leo looks for ways to avoid a fight and prioritizes protecting his family. A scared Leo goes looking for trouble. A happy Raph is ready for a fight and has confidence they can all face it together. An upset Raph withdraws to the sidelines and wonders why he should have to protect anyone besides his own family. It’s such a “when one of us acts like That the other has to act like This” and I love it.

Anyway I write mostly for Donnie and Mikey because I find them more relatable. I have two older sisters who share one soul and a little brother who can do literally anything, so I take all opportunities to project onto Donnie, especially in stories about the whole family’s dynamic. That, and it’s a bit easier to think of B Team fic plots since they don’t get as much canon attention.

Here’s my favorite Raph and Leo dialogue that I’ve written which is now part of a scrapped scene and will sadly never be posted:

Raph: Leo. I know you ain’t been acting all moody and jumpy because the colors didn’t match.

Leo: It was a wedding, Raph! The colors are supposed to match!