#i cannot wait until Leo can put his brother down | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

chiliiscereal · 3 years ago

Text

Hamato Sirani

Kitchen mishap

Day seven

"Hey, Siracha, wanna see some magic?" Leo grinned as they sat together at the breakfast table, waiting for Splinter to finish cooking the eggs.

She looked up from her bottle curiously.

Magic?

Leo scooted up in his chair excitedly and held out his juice box. "See this apple juice?" He pointed at it. "I'm going to make it DISAPPEAR!"

Sirani didn't know what 'disappear' meant. Or 'apple juice'. But Leo seemed excited so she should be excited to.

Mikey leaned closer as well.

Now that Leo had captured the younger two's attention, he was ready.

"Behold!" He took a huge sip of the juice, opened his mouth to show them it was there, and then waved his hands dramatically. Quickly, he swallowed it and open his mouth again. "Magic!"

Sirani's eyes were huge!

How had he made the juice disappear?!

Where did it go?!

She tried to stand up from her seat.

Mikey was frowning curiously.

Leo stood proudly, hands on his hips. "I know, I know, it's amazing."

"Again!" Mikey ordered, slamming his hand on the table.

Sirani babbled something along those lines and copied Mikeys actions. She slammed her hand onto the table as confidently as she could. She NEEDED more

"I guess I'll give the people what they want!" Leo shrugged casually, continuing his phony magic act.

"Mikey, E, that's not REAL." Donnie stressed, looking to his father for back up. When he received none he continued. "There's not such thing as magic. What it IS is science!"

"No, it's magic!" Leo crossed his arms.

"Science!"

Raph watched Leo and Donnie argue back and forth, unsure of which side he should be on. On one side, he wanted to watch Sirani and Mikey be entrance by the trick, and on the other he wanted them to know that's all it was: a trick.

He decided the best bet was to watch it play out.

Keep it neutral.

"It's science and you know it!" Donnie yelled.

"Im sorry that magic is too complex for you to understand." Leo rolled his eyes. "But they like magic more than they like science!"

"Not true! E sat with me yesterday while I read her a book about the digestive system!"

"And she AND Mikey both sat with ME while we watched a magic show on tv!"

"Tv doesn't count! Every kid likes Tv!"

"Are you boys done bickering?" Splinter asked them sternly, turning from the stove to narrow his eyes at them "I am TRYING to fix breakfast in peace."

Leo glared at Donnie and sat back in his seat, Donnie copying his actions.

Raph looked from brother to brother. Neither one were talking so he decided to break the ice. "You could always try just asking them instead of fighting?"

"Siracha can't even TALK." Leo huffed as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, she and Mikey aren't even here." Donnie added.

The oldest frowned. "Well you still could- wait hold on they're not HERE?!" He jumped up, just now noticing the youngest two were missing. "They were just here! Where'd they go?!"

Their seats were both empty.

Not even a crumb was left.

"She can't even walk!" Raph leapt out of his chair. "How did they just leave?!"

"Well go find them!" Splinter nearly dropped the spatula when he noticed the youngest children were missing. "They can't be far!"

That's what happens when you turn your back for five minutes.

The three brothers scattered across the lair, searching every spot they could possibly be.

"Donnie, this is your fault!" Leo yelled as he nearly tripped over his own two feet. He tossed every pillow off the couch.

Donnie glared at him, coming out of his room empty handed. "My fault? You're the one that was obsessed with showing them magic! You distracted me from watching them!"

"Shut up and find them!" Raph ordered. "They can't be alone, okay! Hurry up!"

They could trip and fall, they could find something sharp, eat something they weren't supposed to... a number of things could go wrong.

Sirani sat beside Mikey happily, an orange crayon in her hand. He'd given it to her with an assortment of other drawing utensils.

She'd picked the orange because it was exactly what her brother was wearing. Why not?

Mikey grabbed ahold of her wrist and dragged it over the wall, both of them cheering as color was left behind.

To Sirani, it was almost as magical as what Leo had done. If not more so.

She swatted Mikey away and continued marveling at what the crayon was doing to the wall. She wanted to do it herself!

"Draw!" Mikey informed her with a toothy grin. He was trying to teach her what it was.

She giggled back at him, not even bothering to try repeating it. She didn't need to know the word to enjoy it.

She scribbled furiously.

Mikey picked up pink crayon and joined her.

It took their brothers way too long to find them.

About twenty minutes to be exact.

"I found them!" Raph's voice shouted, startling the drawing pair. "Dad!"

Splinter rushed into Mikey's room moving the chair the two were hiding behind out the way. Not only did it reveal his youngest children, it revealed a 'mural' they'd made together. Well, it wasn't exactly a mural. It was just scribbles. But it was a mural to Mikey and that was all that mattered.

Mikey gave his dad a huge grin. "Hi!"he waved at him, crayon still in hand.

Splinter didn't know what to do.

Yell at them?

Punish them?

Be proud that Sirani was being creative?

He settled on questioning them first.

He scooped up Mikey, Raph copying his actions by grabbing Sirani.

"Son, how did you and Sirani get here." He questioned him as he started picking up the drawing supplies. "You two can barely walk." He decided he'd put off his anger until he figured out what had happened.

"Dad it was so cool!" Mikey gushed. "We were flying! And- and- and Sirani!" He made a lot of wild gestures with his arms. "FLYING, DAD!"

Splinter couldn't make head nor tail of what Mikey was trying to say. "You walked?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No! Flying!"

Donnie gave him a suspicious look. "Flying is not possible, Mikey." he glared at Leo. "This is all Leo's fault for making you think magic was a real thing."

"Maybe you should have been watching them better, oh so manure one!" Leo bit back.

"It's pronounced MATURE! Which is something that you are NOT!"Donnie lifted his chin in the air.

"Enough." Splinter interrupted. "Orange, you and Sirani did not fly. There is no need to make up such absurd lies!"

"But Sirani did it!" He protested, trying to lean out of his furry arms. "She made us fly!"

Splinter gave in and set him on the floor. "No, you did not. Sirani cannot even walk."

At the mention of her name she looked up, no longer playing with the ends of raph's mask. She giggled and reached her arms out for Splinter.

Splinter took her from his oldest son, giving Mikey a stern look. "Michelangelo, you will never do anything like this ever again. You know better than to draw on the wall. Your sister, does not." He adjusted his grip as the small girl began fiddling with his robe. "You cannot take her like that again. You scared me AND your brothers. Now, apologize and never do that again."

Mikey looked down, upset that no one would believe him. "...I'm sorry."

He really did see her fly! And move things without even touching them! He wasn't lying to them!

But no one ever really believed him.

"Now that that's over," Splinter turned for the kitchen and reached down a hand for Mikey to take, "let's go eat."

Mikey grudgingly took splinters clawed hand and let himself be lead to the kitchen.

Donnie hypothesized that Mikey's imagination was too strong and he thought they flew, when in reality Mikey had just picked her up.

But Mikey knew better.

He remembered seeing the swirling colors as his pencils found their way into his hands by himself.

He remembered the way Sirani's eyes had glowed, both finally the same color of blue.

He knew what he saw.

But he couldn't prove it.

He waited a couple days to see if anything like that would happen again.

He stayed patient until no one had their eyes on her to put her to the test.

He sat her down on the floor across from him and took out a pencil. He sat it and a piece of paper just out of her reach.

"Fly." He said simply.

She just leaned forward and reached out for it.

He moved it further out of her reach. "No. Fly."

She blinked at him curiously.

He picked up the pencil again and moved it through the air as if it were an airplane. "Fly!'

She frowned and reached forward, taking it from his hands. Instead of making it fly she dragged it across the paper with glee.

Mikey sighed.

He must have imagined it.

It wasn't real.

Sirani was just a normal baby.

@amirulamani @dakotafinely

#rottmnt mikey #rottmnt x reader #rottmnt raph #rottmnt oneshots #rottmnt leo #rottmnt imagine #rottmnt headcannons #rottmnt fic #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt #rottmnt incorrect quotes #rottmnt spoilers #rottmnt movie #tmnt fanfiction #rise of tmnt

105 notes · View notes

remmushound · 4 years ago

Text

@assanmaharielsreblogs @dakotafinely

The withdrawal from the pizza puffs hit Donnie fast and hard. One second he was still on cloud nine, enjoying every moment of the drug-infused high. The next second he was clinging to a porcelain throne like his life depended on it and throwing up everything he had eaten and then some more into the water.

“Oh god…” More bile escaped, “Ughhhh....”

Despite being the one who cursed him with the sickness, Michelangelo was at his side gently rubbing his plastron while Donnie hacked.

“There there~ get it all out.”

“Screw you.” Donnie had just enough breath to say, glaring at Michelangelo until he had to shove his face back in the bowl for more vomiting.

“Yeah, you hate me so much right now.” Michelangelo just kept smiling and stroking the other turtle.

“So, if you’re done puking your guts out.” Leonardo smirked and came to Donnie’s other side, “I’m the one picking your next punishment.”

“Hooray…” Donnie groaned.

*****

“A… are you sure about this?” Donnie gulped and leaned over to whisper into Leonardo’s ear.

Leonardo smirked and wrapped an arm around Donnie’s shell, “Don’t worry, Hermano!”

The bright sign loomed above them life a monster that chilled Donnie to his core. Minotaur Maze.

“It’s just a Maze! You like puzzles, right?”

*****

Donnie was tossed from the maze on his shell, screaming as he slid across the floor and slammed into the wall. His carapace took no damage, of course, though the same couldn’t be said for the wall he collided with.

Hueso ran over, with eye socket’s wide and jaw dropped. “MY WALL!” He held on tight to his skull as he saw the damage inflicted by the mutant, and he shook his head while speaking swift swears and distressed words in his native language.

“Sorry Hueso!” Leonardo called over Hueso’s panic as he grabbed Donnie by the bridge of his shell and gently pulled him away.

*****

“Why?” Donnie squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head repeatedly, “Why why why why me?!” His hands gripped the wheel so tight that his palms paled, refusing to open his eyes as the cheers all around deafened him.

“Because you touched my staff, Othello!” Donatello recounted like a Shakespearean actor, “And that is a crime that cannot go unpunished! You’re lucky I didn't have you commit Yubitsume.”

Donnie gulped.

“But I know how important fingers are to a Donnie, so I decided to spare thine poor soul and the fingers attached to thou’s hand!”

“Uh. Thank you.” Donnie gave a nervous laugh. “But… why this?”

“Simple.” Donatello put his hands behind his head and feet on the dashboard as the guns shot off and announced the beginning of the yokai roller derby. “I’m an adrenaline junky and you’re a nervous wreck! In short, my dear other—this is gonna be fun~!”

*****

Donnie barely escaped the derby with his life, and he certainly didn't win. The first thing he did was stumble over to the nearest offered bin and throw up inside, as several other yokai who had participated were doing as well.

“Oh god.” Donnie wiped his mouth and clutched his chest. “Oh god I think that took ten years off my lifespan.”

“Well as the Great Galileo once said!” Donatello cleared his throat and straightened his posture, “ ‘We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.’ “

“Well the only thing I’m discovering is how much a mutant turtle can puke without becoming dehydrated!” Donnie snapped.

Donatello took a backward step and laughed. “Aght aght aght! You brought this on yourself, Ello!”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Whatever you say, Ello.”

*****

It was the last punishment. Donnie had survived the past three and he was sure this one would be no different. His stomach felt uncomfortably empty but he didn't dare eat until whatever Hell Raphael was going to inflict upon him was over. So far, though they had been emotionally traumatizing in their own right, none of the punishments had been outright dangerous. The pizza puffs (Donnie shivered just thinking about them) had been God awful, but it was a controlled dose and the side effects had ceased within the hour. And the high they brought was almost tempting enough to try again, but Donnie quickly shook the addictive thought from his mind. The maze and its enemies were terrifying, but it was more like a spar than anything-- he had been through worse just in training! And the roller derby, though much more extreme, was still forming into a fond, terrifying memory in Donnie’s head (he hoped he never had to go through that again). He was sure he could handle whatever Raphael threw at him.

Raphael held out a small vial of a green, jelly-like substance with an innocent smile on his face. Donnie took it hesitantly and sniffed it. It didn't smell like much.

“I don’t suppose you’re gonna tell me what's in it…?” Donnie asked hopefully.

“Just mutant jellyfish slime.” Raphael smiled.

Donnie whined. “Of course.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it looks!” Michelangelo offered kindly.

“That’s not very comforting considering you were the one who gave me the pizza puffs.”

“Serious dude, it doesn’t even taste like anything.” Leonardo agreed with his brothers, “It’s just like... a really weird texture.”

“And perfectly safe!” Donatello declared, and then added bitterly, “Believe me, I’d know.”

“Wonderful.” Donnie snorted, “Well… can’t be any worse than the puffs I guess…” He tilted the vial and the worst part was waiting for the jelly to actually squelch out of the vial and into his mouth. He swallowed it quickly and, like the others claimed, there was no taste, but the goop seemed to cling to his mouth in a thick layer of slime. “Agh. Cowabunga.”

******

“This is indignant!” Donnie squeaked, tiny hands balled into fists and stiff at his side.

“Awww he’s so cute!” Mikey cooed as he kneeled down beside the four year old Donnie, ticking the turtle tots chin. “Coochie coochie coo~”

Donnie slapped him away. “STOP THAT!”

“So much for being the tallest brother, ay Don?” Raph snickered.

“THIS IS TEMPORARY!” Donnie stomped his foot in frustration.

“Aww, baby throwing a tantrum!” Mikey picked Donnie up and giggled as the child struggled in his grip. “Does he need a nap nap~?”

“I DO NOT NEED NAP NAP!”

Leo leaned over to whisper to Donatello, trying to hide his smile of amusement. “How long does this last, usually?”

“Twelve hours.” Donatello replied.

“Poor… poor Don.”

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #tmnt au #2012 donnie #rottmnt donnie #rise raphael #rottmnt leo #Mikey

66 notes · View notes

redex-writes · 4 years ago

Note

AWO- childhood friends growing up au fic? Can be ship or platonic

Anon...I’m sorry...I was gonna write something short and sweet, a little drabble...

That was three hours and 3k words ago.

Thank you for this request, I genuinely really liked it! Sorry for making a monster out of it ^^’

(also this is my 100th post and i’m very happy about that)

Allusions to verbal child abuse; Allusions to emotional child abuse

On the first day of second grade, the new kid in class stole Vincent’s lunch. It had been his favourite--an apple juice box, a bag of animal crackers, and a peanut butter sandwich his mom had cut into the shape of a star--all tucked neatly into his Thomas the Tank Engine lunchbox. One minute it had been in his cubby, and the next, he was watching in horror as some kid he didn’t know devoured his food. When the kid caught him looking he just grinned, proud and mean, with peanut butter in his teeth.

On the first day of second grade, Vincent got into his first fight. He told his mom he’d fallen off his bike on the way home, and ignored the suspicious looks his parents gave him when he took third helpings at dinner.

---

On the first day of fourth grade, Vincent grit his teeth when he saw that mop of black hair from across the playground.

Leo caught his eye before he could duck away, and his face split into that stupid grin that Vincent had come to hate.

“How’s it going, Moretti Spaghetti?”

Vincent huffed through his nose, already annoyed. “That’s still a stupid name.”

“I know, right? Can’t believe your ma named you that.”

Vincent narrowed his eyes, but Leo’s smug look didn’t waver.

“Why’re you here?”

He looked at Vincent, furrowing his brow in confusion. “Because...it’s recess?”

“I mean, here.” Vincent gestured to the school. “Emily said that Sean told her that Harvey said you moved.”

Leo shifted, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn’t smug anymore.

“What’d Harvey say?”

“Uh…” Vincent hesitated, stomach turning uncomfortably when he remembered what he’d been told. Leo just stared at him, waiting.

“He said you...that your foster family kicked you out, and you went back to the...y’know.”

Saying it to Leo’s face was a lot more awkward than hearing it from his best friend. Leo was staring at the ground, tightly clutching his jacket on either arm.

“Well, I didn’t,” he said finally, voice strangely thick. “Harvey’s a liar.”

“I’m sorry,” Vincent started, but Leo was already turning and stalking away.

Guilty and subdued, Vincent couldn’t help but sneak glances at Leo for the rest of the day. When everyone got up to get their lunch boxes from their cubbies Leo stayed seated, staring down at his desk and ignoring the chattering of their classmates. The cubby with his name on it was empty.

On the second day of fourth grade, Vincent grabbed an extra juice box and bag of animal crackers when his mom wasn’t looking. Leo didn’t notice them sitting in his cubby until lunch time, and Vincent watched out of the corner of his eye as he looked around, hesitated, then scooped them up and took them to his desk.

---

Leo got a bicycle on their last day of sixth grade. Vincent was happy for his friend, but at the same time…

“Psst! Vince!”

Vincent blinked the last dregs of sleep from his mind. His room was dark, apart from the sliver of moonlight from the window. The light summer breeze washed over him, carrying the sound of crickets and the scent of honeysuckle and…

When did he open his window?

“Vincent!”

“Gah!” Vincent yelped, startling hard enough that he fell out of bed. He hit the ground with a thunk, elbow smacking painfully into the nightstand.

A snort of laughter from the window made him whip his head around.

Leo was grinning at him, bright-eyed and outlined by the light of the full moon. He was holding Vincent’s window open with one hand, tightly clutching the edge of his window sill with the other. Even in the moonlight, Vincent could tell his knuckles were white with how hard he was holding on.

“Leo, it’s--” he grabbed his alarm clock and turned it towards him, “--two-thirty in the morning!”

“Sure is.” Leo’s cocky look hadn’t faded, but Vincent had known him long enough to be able to hear the slight tremor in his voice. He was already wary about the height of the climb up to Vincent’s window, but it was the middle of the night--it must’ve been important to get him up there.

Vincent sighed, but there was no irritation behind it.

“Let me put on some shoes, at least.”

Leo nodded, continuing to cling to the windowsill as he watched Vincent slip his feet into an old pair of sneakers and pull his housecoat on. After a moment’s consideration, he opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out two granola bars, stuffing them into his pocket before climbing out the window.

The climb from his window onto the roof of the covered deck was easy by this point, but he made sure to keep it slow for Leo. They scooted to sit with their backs to the outer wall, Leo taking the granola bars Vincent held out to him and opening one without saying anything.

“So...that bike’s coming in useful?”

“Hm?” Leo looked over at him, mouth stuffed. Vincent raised an eyebrow.

“Your bike. I can’t see you walking all the way across town in the middle of the night.”

“Oh! Yeah.” Leo gestured in the general direction of Vincent’s yard without looking down, and Vincent peered over the edge of the roof to see Leo’s bike leaning against the side of the house where he’d climbed up the lattice. Leo made a quiet sound of discomfort, and Vincent hurriedly shuffled back to safety for his sake.

“Are you gonna tell me why you biked all the way across town in the middle of the night?”

Leo lifted a shoulder in a noncommittal shrug.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he muttered around a mouthful of granola bar. “Didn’t wanna be…”

Alone, Vincent finished in his head. He leaned back and folded an arm behind his neck, rolling his head to the side to look at Leo.

“What about Linda?”

“Didn’t want to wake her up.” Leo crumpled the granola bar wrapper and handed it to Vincent, opening the other one as Vincent shoved the trash in his pocket. “They got two more girls this week--I think they’re five and six? Anyways, the new kids usually don’t sleep easy, so I didn’t want to go to her room and wake them up.”

Vincent hummed, closing his eyes. He didn’t entirely understand Leo’s living situation--he’d never invited him to his house, and Vincent had never asked--but he knew that it was hard to get privacy.

They lay in silence for a while, the only sounds the crickets and the crinkling of Leo’s granola bar wrapper. When Vincent opened his eyes again, Leo was laying with his arms behind his head, looking more relaxed than Vincent had seen him at heights like this--not including Vincent’s roof.

“Leo,” he whispered. Leo’s eyes opened slightly, and he hummed sleepily.

“You wanna sleep over?”

Leo bit the inside of his cheek, glancing up at the sky. Vincent knew what he was thinking.

“I’ll wake you up once my dad leaves,” he promised. “Mom won’t come in my room either, so you’ll be fine.”

They shimmied back down into Vincent’s room, and Leo flopped down onto the bed on autopilot as Vincent grabbed the extra blankets from his closet. He tossed them to Leo and lay down next to him, pulling his own blankets back up and turning over to face away from him.

“Night, Leo.”

Leo mumbled a reply, already sounding half-asleep.

---

“Sorry I’m late!”

Vincent rolled his eyes as Leo dropped onto the cafeteria bench beside him, but he slid his extra bag of chips over to him without a word. Leo took it without comment, their unspoken routine a second nature by now.

“No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not,” Leo admitted, grinning crookedly. Across the table, Emily narrowed her eyes at him.

“Please tell me--”

“--that I didn’t get a behavioural warning on the first day of high school?” Leo stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth, talking with his mouth full and spewing crumbs. “I cannot tell a lie.”

“What in the world did you do this time?” Carol demanded. Leo shrugged, grinning slyly.

“Ask Linda.”

As if on cue, Linda slid onto the bench beside him, crowding him closer to Vincent. Vincent grunted when Leo’s elbow jammed into his side, but the two were already launching into a retelling of the trouble they’d gotten into in the last two hours.

“--so awesome, I’m telling you, the look on her face--”

“--she turned absolutely red, you know when someone’s vein pops out in their forehead?”

“--thought she was going to kick your ass right there in front of everyone--”

Vincent finished his sandwich and stood, excusing himself with a mutter that was lost in the chatter. Carol was the only one who noticed him get up, and he could feel her eyes on his back as he disposed of his trash and left the cafeteria. She didn’t follow him, though, and he didn’t wait for her to.

He spent the first week of high school eating lunch in the band room with Gary, pretending to watch as he practiced. He doubted that his brother bought his excuse of “just wanting some peace and quiet,” but he didn’t press the issue.

---

Vincent attended Gary’s graduation on the weekend after junior year. He sat with their parents, trying not to doze off in the uncomfortable plastic chair while the graduates were called onstage by name. He caught Carol’s eye from across the aisle, and she smiled at him for a moment, only turning away to clap when her cousin’s name was called.

He found her when the ceremony was over, desperate to get away from his teary-eyed mother and her camera, and the expectant looks his father gave him every time someone asked about Gary’s plans for university. She was standing with her own family and looked grateful for an out as well, joining him on a walk down the deserted hallways of the school.

“I bet it’s going to be weird with Gary gone,” she said. Vincent laughed a little.

“You said it. I’m not looking forward to a year alone in the house with my parents.”

She nodded. They walked in silence for a while, their footsteps echoing eerily off the walls. After a few minutes, Carol stopped.

“That’s gonna be us next year,” she said softly. Vincent looked back at her, seeing her looking at him hesitantly.

“Yeah,” he said lamely, suddenly at loss for words. Carol glanced away, seeming to be making up her mind about something, before apparently steeling herself and walking towards him. He stood frozen as she closed the distance between them and, with an audible deep breath, gingerly placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed her lips against his.

Distantly, Vincent wondered if this counted as a first kiss. Were first kisses supposed to feel so...weird? Disappointing?

After a few moments of Vincent standing unresponsive, Carol pulled back. Her face was red, and she seemed to be having trouble meeting his eye; when she did, though, she gave him a small smile that looked almost...sad.

“Just thought I’d try at least once,” she whispered. Vincent didn’t answer--couldn’t answer--wondered if he’d be able to recover from the sheer awkwardness of this moment, when--

“There you losers are!”

Carol pulled away quickly, both of them turning to look down the hall. Linda was walking down the hall towards them, Leo following closely behind. They were both dressed formally, though Linda had on sneakers and mismatched socks under her dress, and Leo’s tie was tied too-loose over his shirt and open vest. Vincent guessed they’d been lingering in the back of the hall instead of being in the visible audience while their foster siblings got their diplomas.

“I didn’t know you two were here!” Carol exclaimed. Her voice was slightly too high and strained to sound casual, and Vincent doubted that he looked any more inconspicuous. There was no way they hadn’t seen the scene unfold from down the hall.

Bless Linda’s heart, she didn’t say anything--merely started off on a mostly one-sided conversation about her summer plans. Vincent met Leo’s eyes, and was momentarily taken aback--his expression was entirely unreadable, blank for the first time since Vincent had known him. He couldn’t think of anything to say, and for once, it seemed Leo couldn’t either.

---

It was nearing the last month of the worst year of Vincent’s short life when Leo scaled his house for the last time.

He’d grown used to waking up to loud cursing, but not from outside of his window. So, when his eyes snapped open at the first thump and “god fucking damnit--” he knew immediately who it was.

Sure enough, a second later one of Leo’s gangly arms was hooked inside of Vincent’s window frame--then the other--and then his head popped into view. It had been a while since Leo had climbed up, and the sight was a bit of a surprise, but Vincent was only taken off guard for a moment before he scrambled out of bed to fully open the window, since they were both too tall for one of them to be comfortably framed in the windowsill.

They didn’t talk. Vincent pulled on his socks and shoes and pulled a sweater over his head, looking up in time to see Leo’s legs disappearing as he climbed up to the covered deck.

Out of habit, Vincent slid open his bedside drawer, only to realize that it’d been almost a year since he’d stored anything in it. There was an unopened box of raisins--for some godforsaken reason--that he brought close to his face to check the date on, before sticking it in his sweater pocket and clambering up to the roof.

Leo was playing with a swiss army knife he’d gotten for Christmas, but he put it away when he saw Vincent watching the sharp blade warily. Vincent awkwardly shuffled to sit beside him, not used to the angle of the climb anymore, and pulled out the box of raisins. He held it out to Leo, who stared at it for a second before breaking out into a wide grin. He laughed as he took the box, but aside from that, ripped it open without comment. The familiarity was welcome in the midst of everything his life had become over the past months, and it made his chest tighten with some emotion he couldn’t put a name to.

“It’s been a while,” Leo spoke up, startling Vincent out of his thoughts. He was staring up at the stars, legs splayed and stretched out leisurely, as if he’d been there for ages. His natural ability to fit in made Vincent smile.

“It has.”

Leo sighed, running a hand over his face. “I’m sorry for that.”

Vincent furrowed his brow. “What? It’s not your fault.”

“It is, though.” He looked over, and Vincent was taken aback by the guilt in his eyes. “It’s completely my fault.”

Vincent shifted uncomfortably. “Well, it’s not like I went out of my way to fix anything, either.”

“There shouldn’t even be anything to fix!” Leo huffed, throwing his hands up in frustration. “We’ve been best friends for years, and suddenly I just--I go and fuck everything up!”

He was getting to the point he got to sometimes--where his frustration came out without a filter, and would keep going until he’d gotten it all off his chest. So, as much as Vincent wanted to protest, he simply leaned back and listened.

“I mean, I didn’t even tell you why. I just kept it all to myself, didn’t do shit about it--probably ruined the best fucking friendship I’ve ever had--and left you completely in the fucking dark about everything, let you feel like shit over it--and I know you did, Emily told me--she had to threaten to beat my ass for me to actually get over myself--but by then it’s too late, and I waited until the day I leave forever to tell you that I’m in love wi--”

He cut himself off abruptly, the unfinished words floating off and disappearing into the night. As Vincent watched, wide-eyed and breathless, he opened his eyes and slowly turned his head, looking more unsure of himself than Vincent had ever seen.

“I...didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”

Vincent pushed himself to sit up, feeling suddenly dizzy. He rubbed his eyes hard, wondering for a moment if he was still asleep.

“You...you’re…”

Sorry? In love with me?

Leaving?

“Where are you going?” His voice came out small, unsure. He heard Leo sigh and sit up beside him.

“California. I’m gonna get my GED, get out of this town. As much as I appreciate my foster parents...I don’t know. This isn’t the place for me, Vince; hasn’t been for a while. Maybe ever.”

Vincent let out a shaky breath, trying to steel himself.

“And you’re leaving today?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re…”

“In love with you.” Leo’s voice was rough, would probably sound harsh to anyone’s ears but Vincent’s. “I’m in love with you, Vince. And I know it’s fucking stupid--you’re straight, I know that, you’re my best friend, you’ve done so much for me and you deserve so much more than--”

Leo’s words were cut off by Vincent’s lips when he grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in. It wasn’t awkward, didn’t feel wrong or disappointing--it felt right, felt like everything.

It felt like home.

“We’re so fucking stupid,” Vincent mumbled against Leo’s lips when they parted, and Leo’s laugh rang in his ears, as giddy as Vincent felt.

“Absolute morons.”

The giddiness faded all too soon when Vincent remembered what else Leo had said.

“You’re leaving.”

The mood dropped immediately. Leo pulled away, the miserable look back on his face.

“I--”

“Take me with you.”

The words were out of Vincent’s mouth before he realized he was even thinking them. Leo stared at him, mouth agape.

“What?”

“I mean--” Vincent squeezed his eyes shut and hurried to backtrack, “I’m sorry, that was--I shouldn’t have--”

“Do you mean it?”

Leo’s voice was hesitant, but he sounded...hopeful. Vincent opened his eyes again, scared of what he’d see in Leo’s.

Leo’s eyes glittered in the dim light. He was looking at Vincent like he held the fucking stars, and a small flicker of something big started in Vincent’s chest.

“Yeah.” He glanced down to where his hands were pressed to the shingles. “Leo, I hate it here. Ever since Gary graduated my dad’s been getting worse--I can’t focus on school with all the yelling. I could get my GED too, we could both find jobs in the city--I have money saved up from my part times, it’s enough to get us there at least--”

Leo was laughing, hands coming up to cup Vincent’s face, thumbs brushing over his cheeks.

“You moron--you beautiful, hopeless, genius moron--”

“That’s not--” Vincent started, laughing into the kiss that Leo cut him off with, “it’s not--Leo--”

“Let’s go, then, let’s get out of here.” Leo grinned at him, warm and bright and everything to Vincent.

It took him less than ten minutes to pack. He threw his bag down to Leo, who stored it in the trunk of his beaten-up car as Vincent scrambled down the lattice. He let Leo catch him up in his arms for a moment, lets him kiss him once, twice, before pulling away and getting into the car.

It was the first day of the rest of Vincent’s life when he sped away from everything he’d known, with the one person he’d ever wanted to learn it all over again with.

#a way out fanfic #awo fanfic #leo caruso #Vincent Moretti #vincent/leo #carol moretti #linda caruso #fluff #mild angst #why did i do this #unedited

104 notes · View notes

ttylfedora · 4 years ago

Text

The Rookiest Rookie that ever Rookied- Part Two

Oh god I feel so bad for Cole!!

Characters belong to the completely wonderful @lumosinlove

Cw, food

Enjoy!! 💚

“Right, mon fils, you remember the plan?” Pascal had sat Louis and Marc down at the dining room table and had his serious dad face on. The boys knew this face meant business and sat up straighter, as though they were in a proper business meeting.

“Oui, papa.” Louis answered. Marc nodded in agreement, both of them determined not to let their father down. After all, this was the difference between whether or not they could go out for ice cream at the weekend. All of the shots were riding on this!

“Repeat it back to me.” Dumo instructed.

��Which part?” Marc questioned, still getting his little brain around all of the instructions his father had given him.

“All of it, this is serious business. The two of you are embarking on a journey that can only be ruled as the greatest journey known to man. You two have a legacy to fill, mon fils, a legacy!” Dumo exclaimed dramatically, his arms out as though he was introducing a show on the West End.

“Ce n'est pas si dramatique, papa.” Louis rolled his eyes, and his father gasped.

“Say that again and you are grounded.” Pascal locked his eyes on Louis’. The famous Dumais pranks were a serious business and should be treated as such.

“There is a lot riding on this,” Dumo reasoned, “do you want ice cream or not?”

“I guess.” Louis huffed. “Alright, so we only answer to each other’s names.”

“Make sure all the clocks show a different time.” Marc continued “Can you help us get the higher clocks?” he asked his dad. Dumo nodded.

“Make sure the robot spider is under the couch.” Louis chimed in.

“Ask him where babies come from.” Marc giggled. “Where do they come from papa?” he asked curiously.

“Non, non, ask Cole. He’ll tell you.” Dumo wiggled his finger in front of his younger son's face.

“Okay, okay.”

“Parfait, right, he’ll be back in,” he checked his watch,”half an hour from hanging out with Leo. Let’s get this started, shall we mes fils?” Dumo rubbed his hands together and giggled, leading his children into the kitchen to get started on the clocks.

“Right, we shouldn’t be gone for long but if anything goes wrong, just call us straight away. We’ll be back by dinner time.” Celeste fussed. Her husband was already out in the car with Adele and Katie, ready to take them both to basketball practice.

“I will, promise.” Cole smiled. It was the first time they trusted him to look after any of their kids so he can understand why they were airing on the side of caution. “We’ll have lots of fun.” He smiled over to the two boys who were currently sat watching something on the television. Celeste thanked him again and left, shutting the door softly behind her.

Babysitting was a piece of cake. He could do this.

“Right boys, what’s the plan for today.” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together, sitting down on the couch that was adjacent to the two brothers. Marc’s eyes lit up.

“Can we make a cake?” he asked, practically jumping up from his spot on the couch.

“We certainly can, what flavour?”

Marc thought for a moment. “Chocolate.” he smiled.

“Sounds good to me, buddy, lead the way.” He reached over and grabbed the remote off of the coffee table in the centre of the room and switched the television off, following them into the kitchen.

“Right, let me see what we have here,” Cole started, going through all of the cupboards to round up the ingredients for the cake.

“Louis, can you grab me the eggs please.” He said over his shoulder as he went to retrieve the milk and butter from the fridge.

“No, no, no, Marc wait-“ Cole was cut off by the eggs Marc was attempting to hold in one hand dropping to the floor and smashing everywhere. He froze with his arms out mid step, and just sighed, laughing slightly. “Oh dear.” Marc looked up at him.

“Sorry Cole.”

“It’s okay buddy, how about you go and change your trousers and socks so that you’re not walking around all day with egg on them and we’ll throw them in the wash. It’s no big deal.” he smiled, grabbing a wet paper towel to start to clean the egg yolk off of the floor. Marc nodded and ran to his room. As he cleaned up, Louis gathered all of the ingredients onto the side, and grabbed more eggs from the basket.

By the time the floor was clean, Marc had come back down in a fresh pair of jeans and socks and popped his dirty ones into the washing machine for his mother to deal with later.

“Perfect, right, Marc, you’re in charge of weighing things, okay?” He looked at Marc but Louis nodded, sitting up on the bar stool in front of the weighing scales.

“Okay.” Louis smiled. Cole widened his eyes slightly but shook it off. Maybe he misspoke?

“Marc, you’re going to help me mix everything up, okay?”

“But I thought I was weighing the ingredients?” Louis asked, confused.

“Yeah, I was talking to your brother?” Cole said, though it came out more of a question. He placed his hand on his hip and scratched his head.

The boys just shrug and carry on anyway, allowing Cole to guide them through the recipe, one his mother swears by back at home. He was hoping it lived up to Celeste’s baking but he doubted his skills were that good. It was the least he could offer her for all the amazing meals she had cooked for him so far. She insisted that it was nothing but when one is so far away from home, having another mother cook a full homemade meal brought immense amounts of comfort to him.

They carried on working around each other, occasionally turning up the radio when a good song comes on, laughing and throwing flour and sugar over each other. Cole was an only child, but if he wasn’t, this is how he would want to spend his weekends with them. He supposed he wasn’t any more; his chosen family adding to the numbers ten-fold and he was beyond grateful for it.

Once all of the ingredients had been mixed, he asked Louis, well who he was sure was Louis, to help him pour the cake mix into the cake moulds. He started doubting himself as Marc, well who he was sure was Marc, came to help him. Once he had placed the moulds into the oven, which he noted had the wrong time displayed, he sent the kids through to the sitting room as he set the timer on his phone. His thumb hovered over the message app icon, wondering whether or not admitting defeat was wise. He quickly changed his mind as he thought up a better idea, opened the app and clocked on Leo’s name instead.

‘Hey man, I have a really embarrassing question but you CANNOT tell Dumo, okay?’

‘Oh god, this is gonna be good.’

‘Leo, PROMISE ME.’

‘Jeez man, okay, i promise!!’

‘Which of Dumo’s boys are older? Louis or Marc? Because i think ive been calling them by the wrong names.’

‘OH MY GOD HAHAHAHAHAHA COLE!!!!!!!!! PLEASE TELL ME YOURE JOKING’

‘Leo…’

‘Oh my god you arent joking.’

‘Please?’

‘Marc is the older one. Oh my god that is actually hilarious. Logan’s wetting himself.’

‘I’m never hearing the end of this.’

Cole put his phone away in his pocket, feeling incredibly embarrassed. Had he been calling these kids by the wrong name for the past month? It would seem so. He filled himself a glass of water and walked into the sitting room, sitting down on the couch next to Marc, no, Louis, the younger one.

“How long until the cake’s ready?” the older one asked.

“About twenty minutes now buddy. What are we watching?” he asked, gesturing to the television.

“Minecraft videos,” the youngest answered, smiling. Cole shook his head, clearly realising he had lost his touch with kids. Wasn’t Minecraft big, what, four years ago now? He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started aimlessly scrolling through Instagram, liking and commenting on a few of the posts until the youngest sibling piped up again.

“Cole?” he asked, an inquisitive look on his face.

“Mhm?” Cole replied, taking a sip of his water.

“Where do babies come from?”

Cole promptly spat his water back out looking at the youngest with wide eyes, stuttering slightly in shock. How was he meant to answer that?!

“I- well- have you not asked your dad this?” he stuttered, this was not what he expected to be answering today, to a nine year old nonetheless.

“Non, I just thought of it” the younger one shook his head.

“Oh, well, I mean, when two adults want to have a baby, they do a special hug, I guess?” Cole replied cautiously.

“So maman, and papa did a special hug for me, Louis, Katie and Adele?”

Cole just stared at him, mouth trying and failing to come up with a response to that. The last thing he even wanted to think about was Dumo’s sex life, no matter how many times the Lions’ sex lives were brought up in the locker room.

Thankfully, the timer for the cake went off, giving him the perfect excuse to exit the conversation. He set the cake on the side to cool, making a start on the icing. The boys decided to stay in the sitting room, engrossed in the video they were watching. He glanced up at the clock on the wall. Surely it wasn’t still early afternoon? He checked the time on the oven and it matched, as did the one on the radio, and the fridge, and everything else in the kitchen apart from his phone.

“Boys, what time is it?” he shouted through to them.

“The tv says it’s 3pm!” Marc, Louis, the older one shouted back. He ran his hands over his face and checked his phone, noting that the time read ‘17:30’. He just rested his head in his hands with his elbows against the counter; he evidently did not get enough sleep last night. He quickly decorated the cake to return his thought process to something concrete and set it aside, joining the boys in front of the television quickly after.

He couldn’t have been sat down for more than five minutes when the biggest fuck off spider he had ever seen crawled out from under the couch, right next to his foot. Like any normal, self-respecting 19 year old man, he screamed and jumped up onto the couch.

Both boys were in hysterics.

“Cole, we got you so good!” The younger of the two was currently beside himself on the other couch, tears streaming from his eyes as he held up a little remote; evidently the remote for the spider.

“You two are taking after your father it seems.” Cole laughed nervously. He was well aware of the notorious Pascal Dumais prank streak and it seemed. They pressed play on the tv until Celeste, Dumo, Adele and Katie came home. He was grateful only in the sense that he was completely and utterly exhausted from today.

“Aaahhhh, you boys made a cake!” Celeste mused, walking into the kitchen to have a look at it, “it will be perfect for after dinner.”

“Did you have a good day, mes garçons?” he asked. Both boys nodded, understanding that their father was asking if they did everything he asked of them.

“It seems your boys take after you, Dumo. Got me pretty good with a spider under the couch there.” Cole laughed from his position on the couch.

Dumo let out one of the biggest dad laughs known to man. “Incroyable! I’m proud of you both!” Both of his sons looked at him and began laughing with him, but followed their mother and sisters into the kitchen.

“I hope they weren’t too much trouble?” Dumo asked, hanging his coat up and turning to Cole.

“No, not at all. It was a fun day, a long day but a fun one. Really set me through my paces there. For a hot second i thought it was one of your tasks.” he laughed as he stood up.

Dumo froze.

“My children are a task to you?” he looked Cole straight in the eyes and cocked an eyebrow. Cole stared at him wide eyed and started stuttering, attempting to form and answer. Pascal laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m only joking, kid. You should have seen your face!”

“Haha, yeah, I’m just going to run to the toilet real quick and I’ll join you for dinner. Won’t be long!” He left, looking quite flustered as PAscal made his way into the kitchen. His wife was leant against the counter with her arms crossed and a slightly amused expression on her face.

“You are a cruel man, mon roi. A cruel cruel man.” she shook her head and turned back around as she continued to prepare dinner.

He stalked over and placed a kiss on her head.

“It’s called character building, ma reine.” he smiled. “And I am nowhere near done just yet.”

#coast to coast lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #lumosinlove #pascal dumais #Pascal Dumais Prank Series #Cole Reyes

53 notes · View notes

heyheydidjaknow · 4 years ago

Text

Can I have a lighthearted chapter? No, I cannot. Can I upload at the due date? Also no. But you can always count on me to make characters suffer. I would say that I'm sorry, but then I would be a liar.

Chapter 8

“Will you shut up?”

Donatello looks up from his computer. “Huh?”

Raphael’s eyes do not leave his magazine. “You’ve been muttering under your breath for the past hour and it’s starting to get on my nerves.”

“You’ll live.”

“You won’t for long if you don’t cut that shit out.”

He sighs. “Are you ever content with just leaving me be?”

“As your brother? No.” He sets the article down. “You’ve been acting weird all week. Usually, I could not care less, but you wreck enough shit without the added benefit of being distracted.”

He looks back at the screen. “So, I’m a ticking time bomb to you?”

“Yes.”

He looks back at the screen as he tries to think of how to answer. “It’s just that…”

“Oh, wait, don’t tell me.” He smirks. “You’re all depressed because your girlfriend has a life.”

He goes red. “I don’t care if—she’s not my girlfriend, first of all.” His voice rises.

“Sure, sure.” He stretches. “You know, typically, girls aren’t into guys who obsess over them.”

“Look, I’m worried about her!” He sets the computer down.

He blinks. “Why?”

“Are you kidding?” He throws his hands up in exasperation. “She killed a man!”

“Yeah,” he nods, “and I’m pissed I wasn’t the one to do it. What’s your point?”

“True,” he smiles cooly. “What you fail to consider, however, is that the rest of us aren’t psychotic.”

“I’m hurt.” He places his hand on his chest. “I will have you know that I’m definitely sane.”

“See, this is why nobody comes to you about their problems.” He leans his head back. “You ask why I’m down, and you immediately give me a hard time.”

They both turn their heads toward the entrance as their two other brothers walk back into the lair.

“How’d it go?” Raph gets up to meet them.

“You didn’t miss anything.” Leo sits down next to Donnie, glancing at his laptop before staring at the empty television screen. “Nobody was there.”

“Really?” Donnie’s eyes tear away from his computer screen. “Nobody?”

“Man, it was weird.” Michelangelo stays standing. “It was, like, two bots and then nothin’.”

“That is incredibly suspicious.” The tallest brother saves his work. “You used the stuff, right?”

“Worked like a charm.” Leonardo stretches. “So, what’d we miss?”

“Donnie bitching about not talking to his girlfriend for a whole week.”

“Can it,” he hisses.

“Donnie,” his brother speaks from next to him, “I’m sure that Y/N is perfectly fine. If you’re worried about her, you can and should go check on her.”

He groans. “If it were that simple, I would’ve done that by now.” He holds his head. “But what would I even say?”

He sighs, “I’m not going to say the same thing every time.” He gets up. “Mikey, you try. I’m going to go meditate if anyone wants to join.”

“Hey!” Mikey sticks his tongue out at him. “How come I have to do it?”

“Because Raphael is as cuddly as an eel.”

Raph glares. “Do you wanna go right now?”

“See?” He walks off. “And I did it last time. Your turn.” They hear the doors to the dojo slide closed behind him.

Mikey sits down in Leo’s spot. “If you want,” he offers as his brother walks off to the dojo, “I can try talking to her.”

“Would you?” He sighs. “I’m not good at this sort of thing.”

“For sure, man.” He gives him a thumbs up. “What are brothers for?”

“If you don’t make him do things,” Raphael warns, “he’s never going to learn to do them.”

“Man, he’s our bro.” He wraps an arm around his neck. “You can’t just leave your bro out to dry.”

“The hell I can’t.” He gets to his feet. “You guys have fun with that. I’ll be in my room.” He walks off, taking his pet turtle with him.

“Don’t listen to him.” He shoots his brother a thumbs up. “I’m sure everything will work out.” Mikey hopped to his feet. “Be back in a bit.” He waved, running out of the lair. “I’ll be back in ten.”

The look on his face is less than reassuring.

“Well?” Donatello, who has been checking the time religiously, is sitting at the door like a dog waiting for his owner. “How did it go?”

He smiles tightly. “I have good news and bad news.”

He groans, holding his head in his hands. “Just tell me.”

“Well,” he says hesitantly, crouching down in front of him, “she’s not dead.”

“That isn’t exactly a high bar to hurdle.” He takes a deep breath. “What’s the bad news?”

He pauses. “She’s… freaked out.”

“On a scale of one to ten,” he asks slowly, “with one being—”

“Nine.” His younger brother nods certainly. “At least a nine.”

He stands up. “I should go check on her.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what to do.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I think I made things worse, actually.”

“What else is new?” He runs out. “Tell Leo I’m going out,” he calls over his shoulder. He does not wait for a reply.

He does not blame himself entirely for the events currently happening; he is well aware that her inclusion into their mess was not willed by him. However, a part of him can not shake the belief that he and his brothers have, by virtue of their lifestyle, caused her more pain than he had ever wanted. A part of him, still, believes that he or someone else should have bitten the bullet; of them, you should be the last person in line to murder.

‘I should’ve said something, done something.’

He lands down on your roof, starting to scale down the building. You have left your window open: he can see your floral curtains fluttering in the autumn breeze. Artificial light streams from your apartment as soft music plays from inside. He lands on your windowsill carefully, reaching in past the curtains to knock on your wall. “Y/N?”

He hears the music shut off the shuffling of bedsheets, three steps. You pull the curtain open.

You have not slept in a week. You have continued to go to school, scared as to what would happen if you did not, but you have not eaten or drank in a while either; more accurately, nothing has stayed down. You have contributed these things, easily, to the newly introduced variety in your nightmares. You wonder, now, if seeing his body would have been such a bad thing; your head has conjured up every possible position he might have fallen in, anyhow. At least, if you knew, you would only have one image torturing you as opposed to the seemingly different variations your head could come up with.

Donnie is not a psychologist. He has never been able to fully grasp the subject as much as the others in the scientific field; all of medicine, for that matter, has, regrettably, been hard for him to wrap his head around, what with how different he and his brother are from humans, physiologically. His master was the closest he had to an actual human until you had shown up, but he was hardly exemplary of your typical human. However, be it by what knowledge he does have or by the way you hold yourself, he can easily tell you are off. The color in your face is gone, the bags under your eyes larger than he has ever seen them on you, and every move seems oddly sluggish to him.

“Oh, hey.” You smile tiredly. “If you’re here about Michelangelo, he was just here a few minutes ago.”

“I’m not.” He climbs inside. “He got back to the lair ten or so minutes ago. Are you alright?”

Your eyes are flooded with black for a moment, a wave of numb pain and vertigo washing over you as you spread your stance slightly, not wanting to trip over your own feet. You hold your face in your hand as you steady yourself. “Totally.” You wince as you nodded. ‘Let’s not move our head more than we need to.’

Years of attentiveness and common sense tell him that you are blatantly lying. “What happened?”

“Huh?” You close your eyes. “Oh, nothin.” You take a couple steps back, slowly sitting back down on the bed, which was covered in packets. “Please,” you insist, “make yourself comfortable.”

He shuts the curtains, crouching down in front of you to look your features over more closely as he tries to identify what, exactly, is wrong with you. “Am I allowed to touch you?”

You look down at him from your seat. “I mean,” you sigh, “you _can_, if you want. Just not anywhere a general physician wouldn’t touch, alright?” You give him a half-hearted thumbs up. “I trust you to know where you can and can’t put your hands.” You highly doubt that he has any bad intentions, really, but you want to make your intentions clear.

“O-oh, of course,” he nods quickly. “I wouldn’t do anything you wouldn’t—well, not that you wouldn’t—” his face went red. “I-I mean—”

“Dude, relax.” You roll your eyes good-naturedly. “Take a deep breath or I’m gonna the wrong idea.”

He does “S-sorry.” He rubs the back of his neck. “That was weird.”

“You’re all good.”

He presses the back of his hand against your forehead. “You don’t have a fever,” he notes, still red in the face. “Did you eat anything you normally wouldn’t?”

You give him a thumbs down. “I’ve only had soup. Do you want some?”

He blinks. “Soup?”

“Yeah.” You look back at the kitchen, where a pot of soup is sitting on the counter. “Ran out of leftovers a couple days ago.”

His eyes widen. “Days?”

You nod, wincing as you feel your brain pounding against your skull. “Yeah,” you sigh. “It’s been hard to keep things down. Glad I ran out, actually; I think I got a—”

He cuts you off. “How many days do you take between meals?”

You pause. “Now?” You shrug. “One meal every day or two.”

“Day or two?”

“Again,” you repeat, very confused as to why he looks as though he is about to have a heart attack right then and there, “it’s been hard keeping stuff down lately.”

“How are you not dead?”

You blink. “I beg your pardon?”

His voice rises as his speech sped up. “How many cups of that do you eat in a sitting?”

You sit up properly. “Maybe three or four and a couple pieces of toast?”

He looks about ready to pass out. “Are you insane,” he cries, an octave higher than usual.

You cover his mouth with your hand. “Shut up,” you hiss. “You’re gonna wake my neighbors up.”

He stops talking, grabbing your hand and pulling it off his mouth. He gets up, muttering something about being ridiculous as he pours you an unusually large bowl of soup and placing it in your lap. “Eat.” He stands there, glaring at you pointedly.

You are, admittedly, surprised by his icy, commanding tone. You do as instructed. “You act as though I’ve poisoned myself,” you point out between bites. “It won’t kill me, you know.”

“I’m not a licensed dietitian,” he informs you, clearly upset, “but the recommended caloric intake for a woman is approximately four thousand calories—”

“That’s wrong.” You are already halfway through the bowl. “It’s two.”

“Do you seriously want to get into a debate on something science-related right now?” You are genuinely scared by his expression; every word sounds oddly lethal, as if they themselves could kill you.

You swallow, standing your ground. “We can look it up, if you want,” you offer. “I know for a fact I’m… right…”

He has glared directly at you. It almost shuts you up.

You quietly eat the rest of the bowl. You set your spoon down with a gentle clatter, clearing your throat as you try to ignore the way he was staring at you as if he were trying to dissect you with his eyes. “Done.” You showed him the empty bowl.

“You genuinely see nothing wrong with your dietary choices?”

You shake your head, immediately regretting it. “I know it’s unhealthy, but not to the same degree you seem to think it is.”

“And you honestly believe that you only need to eat two thousand calories to be healthy?” His tone was softer now, likely in reaction to how quickly you had recoiled.

You nod hesitantly, ignoring the way your head pounds.

He pauses. “We’ll talk about that later,” he decides. “For now, I have to ask: why can’t you keep food down, exactly?”

You lean back, placing the bowl on the nightstand. You stay like that, closing your eyes. “I just keep seeing it,” you explain simply. “Hearing it, too; it’s kinda like tasting really bad and then having the aftertaste stuck on your tongue, but for memories. Or like doing something embarrassing and, every once and awhile, having something happen to remind you of it.”

“It? Oh.” As soon as he says the words out loud, he knows what you are referring to.

“Yup.” You pop the P. “I dunno if you knew, but it doesn’t splat.”

A heavy silence smothers you both, despite the sounds of the city.

You feel the bed shift. Your eyes glance over at the man lying next to you, hands folded across his stomach as he stares at the ceiling.

“I honestly don’t know what to say.” He sighs. "I wish I knew how to do right by you.”

“You don’t have to—”

He cuts you off. “I want to, though.” He rubs his face with his hand. “I want to be able to invent something that makes things easier for you, to keep you from getting hurt.”

“Dude, it’s fine.” You punch his arm lightly. “I’ll be fine, eventually. Just not right now.” You smile weakly. “But, hey? At least my dreams have a bit of variety, right?”

“Dreams?”

You chuckle tightly. “It turns out my head is rather creative when it comes to ways the body can bend. I almost wish I had seen the bodies; then they could all be consistent.”

He groans. “See, it’s stuff like that that makes me feel bad about not being able—not that it’s your fault,” he back peddles. “I just—”

“Stop stressing so much,” you cut him off. “That’s my job. Don’t put yourself into a tizzy on my account.”

“How could I not?” He threw his hands up in the air. “I care about you, Y/N. I’m obviously going to care if you’re alright.”

You pause. “My mental stability should be the least of your concerns right now, what with Shredder and all.” You close your eyes. “The only reason he hasn’t beaten you and your brothers within an inch of your lives is that I knew where he’d be when. All things considered,” you roll over to face him, “my having bad nightmares is a small price to pay.”

Another silence.

You sigh. “You should probably get going.” You pull yourself onto your elbows, leaning forward onto your knees. “I gotta stake out Shredder’s lair tomorrow so you guys know when to come in.”

He sits up next to you. “Y/N, I—”

“You should stop worrying so much, alright?” You smile gently. “I have some sleep meds if your dad needs them.”

He opens his mouth to say something, pauses, closes it again. “Alright.” He stands up. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“You didn’t.” He didn’t.

He stops in his tracks.

You rest your head on your legs. “Yeah?”

“Will we see you tomorrow?”

You purse your lips. “I don’t know,” you admit. “I’ll definitely call you, though; it’ll be something of a feat to hijack a hijacked chemical truck.”

He looks back at you. “Please, be safe.”

You nod.

“Eat, too.”

You nod again.

“And drink?”

You roll your eyes teasingly. “Yeah, Dad, I’ll eat.”

His face flushes again. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You got it, buddy.”

You look so small.

‘I did that.’

He climbs onto the windowsill, hesitating to leave. “Goodnight.”

You wave lazily. “Goodnight, Donatello.”

He climbs out of your apartment.

You wait a minute or two before you close and lock your window. You pull the curtains shut properly behind him, walking back to the kitchen to put the food away.

You sigh, doleful. “Sorry.”

You were maybe thirteen years old. It feels like longer, but you were most certainly in middle school

Driving home after school one day, you had stared out the window, the radio playing something you half paid attention to. You don’t remember, now, what prompted the conversation—you figure it was some sort of assembly you had mentioned—but, somehow, the question of what to do if you were tied up in the back of someone’s car had been brought up. This was not an unusual line of conversation, considering your family’s conviction that you would be kidnapped someday, but you remember it specifically because, after he brought it up, you had run the scenario over in your head what felt like a thousand times.

“It depends on where you are in the car,” he had said. “If you’re in the back seat, you have to reach forward and try to choke the driver out, if you can’t get the doors open.”

“And if I’m in the front?”

“Ram your body against his. Get a hold of the wheel and swerve the car.

The line of thinking had confused you. “But,” you countered, “then the car would crash; we would both get hurt.”

“You have a better chance of surviving a car crash than whatever would happen to you once you get to wherever you’re going.”

You two had not spoken for the rest of the drive.

Now, you stare ahead at the road, eyes occasionally glancing at the man in the driver’s seat as you try to come up with a plan. You wish, now, that you had gone with your initial instinct to call instead of sending Leonardo a text message; who knows when he will get it?

“I feel almost sorry for you,” the man sneers. “You would be better off getting killed in the explosion than what’s going to happen to you.”

You say nothing.

“Hey?” He barks out a laugh. “You’ll get to see what happens to them.” He sighs happily. “I can see it now. The smoke, the fire, the smell.”

You eye the door. ‘Locked. Shit.’

“Those freaks won’t know what hit them.” He leans forward, staring at the truck in front of them. “Shouldn’t have messed with us if they didn’t want to meet their maker.”

‘Could I even survive it?’

“You know somethin’, kid?” He grips the wheel tighter. “I gotta give ya some respect; not a ton of kids would’ve come this far. Personally,” he shrugs, “I would’ve killed you right then, but Shredder wants more out of ya, apparently.”

‘Would he?’ You shift your feet to your right.

“I’ll thank you for one thing, though; I was getting sick of that pompous asshole.”

‘I just gotta get his hands away from the wheel. There are people in the back of this van. They’d survive, right?’ You fight to keep your breathing steady.

“For someone who hangs with those freaks, you ain't slick, hangin on the street corner.”

‘They’re ninjas. I gotta believe they’d be fine.’ You shut your eyes, stealing yourself.

“How you got Bradford is be—hey!”

You slammed your torso against him, eyes squeezed shut.

“What are you, fucking suicidal?” He yelled, trying to push you off.

You pull away, slamming one foot against his cheek and stuck the other into the wheel. You hear honking as you desperately bang your foot into what you pray is his body. You feel the car speed up as he screams obscenities at you. You force the wheel away from you as hard as you can.

The next few moments are a blizzard of broken glass, voices, and blackness as the metal deathtrap tries to shake the life out of both of you.

You figure that you must have passed out a second, for the next thing you remember is the smell of gasoline.

Your eyes snap open. You look over at the man stuck half out the window. You reach back, trembling hands fumbling with the buckle strapping yourself in. You slam yourself against the front window as you hear it click open. You use your arms to pull yourself through the hole, the rope slicing against a stray piece of broken glass.

Your head is spinning. The only thought currently on your mind is to get away from the car.

For some reason, you find yourself unable to stand. You, instead, crawl, dragging your body desperately away from the wreckage. You do not feel yourself doing it, ignoring the glass shards sticking themselves into your palms and under your nails, the way they slashed into your stomach and sides as you drag yourself over them completely irrelevant as you claw towards the sidewalk.

You hear the explosion.

You pull yourself into an alley, waiting for the ringing in your ears to stop as you hear the conflict happening a few blocks down. You swallow your vomit as you stare forward blankly, the smell of smoke filling your nostrils.

Another.

You fall forward, tears filling your eyes as the pain settles in. You do not know what happened to your legs, only knowing for sure that they could not and would not support your weight. Every muscle and every tendon is vibrating. Your hair sticks to your body as your clothes soak in some sort of warm liquid.

You do not like that smell.

‘Why is everything spinning?’

You hear yelling, the screeching of wheels against asphalt.

‘I’m going to die.’

The sentence repeats in your head over and over again as you lay there in the alleyway.

‘I’m going to die here.’

You do not know why you are shaking right now.

‘I don’t want to die here. Not now.’

“Help,” you beg. “Please, God.” You feel a sob rise in your throat. “I don’t… wanna…”

You hear screaming.

“Help,” you breathe.

You black out.

Table of Contents

Chapter 7

Chapter 9

39 notes · View notes

freshouttaparsnips · 4 years ago

Photo

Leo had been progressing well; at least, Edge thought so. He was no longer hoarding food in the garage rafters, he was well on his way to learning fully how to read, and he’d gotten the last possible achievement on his farming game.

He’d come to Edge, proudly showing the switch with the game brought up, the little achievement icon glowing.

“That’s very good!” Edge had praised, Leo grinning from ear to ear as he took off to mess around on the game for a while longer.

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

woooo more Leo and the Fell bros :D theres some new tags for this, mostly that im adding in Edgelord Supreme! as always, Leo belongs to @thelordtypos

read chapter 4 on Ao3

or read it below!

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

He’d come to Edge, proudly showing the switch with the game brought up, the little achievement icon glowing.

“That’s very good!” Edge had praised, Leo grinning from ear to ear as he took off to mess around on the game for a while longer.

Red had been saving up to get him a few new games he could play, one of them involving little monsters you could collect, and another that was about as simple as they could find of a light horror game.

Leo was a bit on the scaredy side, but he still enjoyed watching thrillers and mysteries with Red on the nights he didn’t work, curled up next to him with a bucket of popcorn in Red’s lap. Edge encouraged his brother to warm up to their new charge, but really he hadn’t had to push all that hard.

Red had fully cemented himself as the laid back uncle who let Leo do what he wanted, but rained hell on anyone who dared to hurt him. Edge felt a similar sentiment, but he felt more like a father figure than anything.

Which was why it got on his nerves a little when he was called into work a series of times that led to bad experiences at home. Leo didn’t do well being left home alone for longer periods of time.

He’d tear something out of nervous energy, pace the house and be crying silent tears by the time Edge or Red returned, which was definitely not what either of them wanted to see. They cared about him, the damn neko, and there while there was nothing to be done about required overtime, certainly they could find someone to keep him company until they were able to return home?

The first thought was Papyrus or Blue, but neither of them had all that much free time. Sans was out, as well as Stretch, since while both of them technically worked from home, Sans was dealing with his own shit, and Stretch was still not allowed over on his own.

That left the least likely to fully get along with their kid, but it was either trust Razz and Slim to actually behave honorably, or leave Leo alone…

The main issue was that Razz and Slim hadn’t even met Leo yet, only learning about his presence in Edge and Red’s life through pictures and messages in their group chat.

Still, they were his only option. Razz could be trusted with important things for the most part, and Slim knew what it was like to be an anxious mess.

So in the end, it wasn’t that hard of a decision. Edge phoned Razz after a week of overtime leaving Leo lonely and distressed, his tone clipped.

“Hello? This is Razz Serif.”

Edge rolled his eyes. The bastard had caller ID.

“Its Edge, I have a rather large request but it is very important to me and you will be well compensated.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment, Razz seemingly taking in what he’d said carefully. “What is the request?”

Edge carefully explained what he needed; Leo needed a companion during the hours that Edge and Red were both working, depending on how long they’d be gone.

“It will be varying hours, but I am willing to pay double the going rate for you to do this.”

Silence again. “Isn’t he a grown skeleton? Can he not take care of himself for a few hours?”

The insinuation made Edge’s hackles rise. “Yes, Leo is a grown skeleton who is perfectly capable with his own free will.” Razz started to talk, but Edge continued. “That said, he can become very anxious when left alone, and I will not have him traumatized over something that cannot be controlled. Will you do it or not.”

Razz snorted on the other end of the line, Edge scowling as he waited.

“Yes, I will do it. But my pay will be groceries, not money.”

A strange stipulation, but perhaps one that made sense given how Razz and Slim lived Underground. A food shortage made things difficult, even after you no longer had to worry about it.

“Agreed. I’ll let you know what time to come over tomorrow. Goodbye.” And with that he hung up, not willing to talk to the little fucker any longer than necessary. Turning in his chair, he glanced down at the floor next to him, Leo sitting with his legs balanced up against his desk, his back against the floor, switch in his hands as he concentrated on his game.

“Leo, do you remember when I told you about Razz and Slim?” Edge asked, waiting for Leo to drag his attention from the screen and look up at him with dilated eyelights.

“Yeah? They’re the hungry ones, yeah?”

That was one way to put it; Red had regaled Leo with stories about their cookouts and how much food the Serif brothers could put back.

Chuckling, Edge nodded. “They will be “hanging out” with you when Red and I are at work tomorrow. If they behave and you like them enough, they’ll be doing it from now on. Does that sound acceptable?”

Leo squinted, but nodded. “Sure. Just tell them to bring their own snacks, I don’t want them to eat my oreos.”

Edge shook his head, amused, but nodded as he went back to his desk, Leo turning back to his game.

The sounds of clicking buttons filled the room once more, Edge grabbing his phone and sending a text off to Razz about the snacks, before sending another to his brother confirming that he’d found someone to keep an eye on Leo.

Sighing, he sat back in his chair, listening as Leo purred his contentment, tail thumping against the desk.

It’d go well. He would raise hell if it didn’t.

#fresh writes #undertale #fontcest #edgelord supreme #fluff #hurt/comfort #dad edge #uncle red

4 notes · View notes

we-rate-tmnt · 4 years ago

Note

I request: Leonardo. Please and thank you 🙏.

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

The iconic leador Leonardo (1987)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #leonardo #1987 leo #2003 leo #2012 leo #2014 leo #2016 leo #rottmnt leo #Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #asks #I forgot how my tagging system worked

59 notes · View notes

imjeralee · 4 years ago

Text

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 10 - Tentacools in the Ocean

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

Rating: General/Teen

Extra Note: this gonna be so long and so plot heavy, ngl. if y’all can get through this, well done :)

Tentacools in the Ocean (but None of Them are You) … … ["If there's something strange in the neighbourhood who ya gonna call?"] … …

It's night-time, and Horace the security guard is making rounds within the depths of Rose's Art Gallery in Wyndon.

The art gallery is not officially open yet; it is a brand new building with many exhibits and displays and the grand unveiling is due to open in a few week's time and many jobs were created thanks to this. Owned by Rose, it houses many ancient and wondrous antiques which his family had gathered for generations. They are finally put on display and will be available to the public after the Macro Cosmos marketing department discovered it could generate further profit considering people were willing to pay to look at old relics of Galar.

He whistles a jovial tune to himself as he patrols the empty halls with his torch shining on the floor, thinking about the TV show he watched yesterday and what he should eat when he returns home. He has a long night ahead of him but he's already into the new job for a week or so and it's been peaceful and quiet.

And it's a regular night as he follows the same route he takes, turning left to exit the butterfly gallery and into the conjoined, long stretch of the hallway where the benches are and that's when the silence and peace is shattered.

A loud banging noise can be heard a short distance away, and Horace pauses to listen but it is not the sound of the plumbing system or whatever noises buildings emits for Horace has a long career of being a security guard in buildings old and new and he knows what is right and what is wrong.

And this is wrong. It comes in twos or threes, and often it comes at random intervals. Perhaps there is someone else in here, he thinks, perhaps a group of rambunctious kids and should he catch them they will be in for a right scolding for there should not be anyone here at all, not at this ungodly hour anyway.

But what is this noise, and he cannot tell as he stops and shines his torch down the hall where the noise persists.

Something is knocking on the walls.

The noise continues, growing louder and louder in volume and as it started at the end of the hall, it seems to be growing closer. As though someone's palm is placed flat upon the wall and repeatedly pounding on the surface, he hears it all over as it travels from the end of the hall, moving closer to him, and the posters stuck on the walls begin to tremble and shake.

Confused, he moves the torch left and right but he sees nothing, feels nothing.

"Who's there?" he says, and he thinks it's a mistake for the noises stop as soon as he's spoken. He's informed it that he is here, that he is aware of it, and that he is alone.

Horace waits and the stillness returns and he's about to brush it off, perhaps he needs more sleep, yes, and his ears were playing tricks on him, but then one of the chairs begins moving, the legs forcibly scraping across the linoleum before it is lifted in the air and hurled halfway across the floor.

...

Oleana is the only person still working at Rose Tower at this hour.

She reads through the entries of your blog on her laptop quietly; Rose is too busy to look at it himself so he's designated his secretary to do the work and weed out the minor, trivial stuff and sift for the important details. She reads through your excursions in the Wild Area, the old house in the Rolling Fields, Gengar, the ghost of South Lake Miloch and many more until she comes to your first entry which is dated three to four years ago, more or less.

Penning down your contact number and some bullet points in her notepad, she silently collects her findings and is about to leave her desk until the phone rings.

Whilst she wonders who it could be, she picks it up and says, "Hello, this is Oleana speaking."

"Hi, this is - Arceus, I really didn't expect anyone to pick up!" a man squawks on the other end, clearly shaken.

"I'm still in the office, yes. How may I help."

"Ah, thank you, Miss Oleana, this is Horace...you know, from the art gallery? I'm a security guard and I'm on shift tonight...Um, I...I'm not quite sure how to tell you this but....the art gallery is....I think it's...I think it's haunted."

"Haunted, you say?"

"Yes, ma'am. I-I'm terribly sorry, um, I-I know how it sounds..."

"We're already looking into this matter."

"Oh, r-really?"

"Yes, we have received similar complaints. Chairman Rose is coming up with a solution. I'm terribly sorry, but can this wait until the morning?"

"Uh....s-sure...guess I'll pray to Arceus to keep me safe for now...."

"Thank you." Oleana promptly hangs up after exchanging goodbyes with the security guard.

…

Meanwhile, in Postwick, Leon can't sleep.

He's in his room, lying in his old bed, wide-eyed with insomnia and staring at the ceiling in the darkness. He hasn't been home for so long that his bedroom walls appear foreign to him. Having stayed many nights in hotels and inns, usually for his next endorsement or pokemon battle, he's used to the lively hum of the city outside so the quietness of Postwick is wholly welcoming yet sleep continues to eludes him.

Tonight's events keeps replaying in his mind over and over again, ranging from the many instances when he held your hand, the conversations he had with you and the casual glimpses the two of you kept throwing at each other throughout the entire duration. He finds himself smiling widely at thoughts about you.

You've passed the Charizard Test and according to Charizard himself, you had deliberately injured yourself for him that night without a moment of hesitation or lingering thoughts, and he still cannot fathom how you could've have done such a thing for him. In all earnest, Leon would do the same for you.

You had informed him that your family has vanished. Your father and little sister first, followed by your mother. He can't quite get his head around how that may have happened. The enigma of you is slowly being unravelled and Leon, having just managed to put a few pieces together, discovers there's far much more to know about you than he had realised.

He recalls how forlorn you had become once your family was mentioned and although you declined any form of assistance from him, there must be something he can do.

Troubled, Leon tosses and turns for the umpteenth time before he finally pushes the covers off him and sits up in bed, gets up and switches the lights back on and Rotom is snoozing but he gently picks up his phone and checks the screen. He's wondering if you may have messaged him but there is only a reply from Raihan whom he had messaged earlier.

The bedroom door squeaks open and he hears someone enter.

"Lee?"

He looks up from his phone to see Hop at his doorway. "Hop?"

"Are you okay?" his little brother asks, rubbing his eyes. Wooloo is by his feet, also looking rather drowsy.

"I'm fine. What's up?"

"Nothing, I saw your light was still on..."

"Yeah, I'm finding it hard to sleep. You okay?"

Hop shakes his head, "I can't sleep either. I think I ate too much...."

Leon chuckles. "Wanna chat?"

"Okay...I was gonna go downstairs to grab a drink though..."

"Let's make Tapu Cocoa," Leon suggests, and Hop grins widely in agreement.

He exits his room and joins Hop in the hallway with Wooloo trotting beside him and they both make their way quietly down the stairs only to see the light in the kitchen is on and Leon's mum is standing at the sink with rubber gloves, furiously scrubbing at some mould behind the taps.

"Mum!" Hop says, and she turns round, startled before she exhales a sigh of relief as she glances between Hop and Leon.

"Whoo, you scared me, boys."

"Hehe," Hop grins whilst Leon gives her a sheepish smile. "Mum, what are you doing?"

"Oh nothing...just doing some late night cleaning. What're you boys doing up?"

"Lee and I can't sleep!"

"I know what will do the trick; a good, big ol' mug of Gossifleur Camomile Tea."

"We were thinking Tapu Cocoa," Leon replies.

"Oh, that works too," mum says cheerily, and Leon and Hop each slide into the chairs of the kitchen table; Hop also settles Wooloo over one chair but it is so tiny it doesn't even reach the table. Mum adds, "Let me put on the kettle."

"Let me do it," Leon offers, but she shakes her head.

"No, no, dear, you just sit and relax," mum coos as she brings out three mugs from the top shelf. Hop has a white Wooloo mug and Leon has a blue mug with a Charizard on it.

As they sit and mum waits for the kettle to boil, Leon glances at his brother and mother before he says, "It's been a while since we sat down like this."

"You should come home more often, Leo."

"I'll try to. Are you guys okay when I'm gone?"

"Yes, of course we are, dear."

"How's gran and granddad?"

"They're fine, they just sit and watch TV with Purrloin," mum reassures him; as the water finishes boiling, she starts making the cocoa, pouring the hot water into each mug and stirring them with a teaspoon before she finally joins them at the table, settling down their mugs.

"Lovely! Here we are altogether, just like old times. This is nice... if only your dad was here..." mum says with a sigh as she takes a seat in the middle of the table with Hop on her left and Leon to her right. Wooloo hops off the seat and trots to a bowl on the ground, lapping at the water.

"Thanks, mum," Leon says, and Hop echoes him. The drinks are too hot so they leave it to cool down. It grows silent in the kitchen, the only sounds that can be heard are the Ledyba's clicking outside and the clock ticking on the wall.

"So...how is work, dear?" mum asks, breaking the monotony.

"It's good. I'm gonna be busy for the next few weeks or so but today was fun, right?"

"Yeah!!" Hop replies with vigour, grinning widely from ear to ear, "Lee, are you gonna invite your girlfriend over again??"

"Hop, she's not my girlfriend...We're just friends."

"But you kept holding her hand. Me and Gloria are friends but I don't hold her hand. She said only couples do that."

Leon splutters at once whilst mum giggles, taking a small sip of her drink. When did Hop see him holding her hand anyway? Leon begins rubbing the back of his neck, entwining his fingers into his unruly thick hair. "Well...um...That's because..."

"Did she keep trying to hold your hand? Was it the other way around?"

Leon shakes his head. "No, no! No, Hop, it wasn't her...ah, it was that obvious, huh?"

"Leo, you couldn't take your eyes off her," mum says with a giggle, "She's cute."

His cheeks grow pink. "Mum, I…” he leaves his sentence trailing and mum and Hop look at him mutely in response, waiting for him to finish but he doesn't. It's then Leon realises he is talking to his family about a girl...maybe he should've asked Raihan instead...

“What’s the matter?” mum asks, and his face grows warm before he gives her a reassuring smile.

The last thing he wants is his mother to worry about him. “It’s nothing, mum.”

Mum crosses her arms, pondering to herself and Hop imitates her action. Leon watches them wordlessly as mum unfurls her arms and sighs. "Just do what you think is right, what feels right. If she’s the one, then that would be lovely. But if she's not the right one, then…perhaps you shouldn't talk to her or hold her hand so much. She'll get the wrong idea. There's plenty of Tentacools in the ocean, dear. I just want you to be happy."

Plenty of Tentacools in the ocean, Leon thinks to himself.

It grows quiet as mum and Hop take sips from their mugs and Wooloo drinks the bowl of water. It occurs to Leon he hasn't thought about this properly.

There are plenty of Tentacools, but none of them are you.

...

After his grandma passed away and his sister moved to Alola, Jace lives on his own.

When he’s finished his shift at Wyndon stadium, he goes home with Joltik. He wanted to become an electrician and trained for a few years or so but unfortunately was unable to find a job and resorted to being a part-time Ball Guy, a job which he's held down for while now. Jace received an inheritance but avoids using it, concerned that it will run out soon in a few years if he doesn’t get a well-paying job, so he’s doing his best to find a new career.

Little does he know that you’re attempting to train him though he has much to learn. Although you dislike being called an ‘exorcist’, Ezra’s taught you everything he knows and he is recognised by the church as a fully-fledged exorcist and essentially you’re his successor, so you want to pass on everything you know too, and Jace seems like a good candidate.

He isn’t the bravest person you have met but he has good qualities. He’s good with people, he’s friendly (friendlier than Ezra, anyway) and he’s also had a spiritual encounter.

You’ve yet to tell him this so he goes on about his mundane, daily life: he has a microwave dinner whilst sitting in front of his TV, then he spends some time with his pokemon. He is aware of the Giant’s Seat incidence from the news and knew you had solved the case so he messages you to see if you’re alright before he heads to his room to fix the radio.

Jace works with the utmost attention to detail and care, grabbing his goggles with the magnified lens along with his box of tools. Aside from being a part-time Ball Guy, Jace is quite the handyman. The first time when your radio broke, he was able to piece it back together with barely any effort and since then, he’s fixed it for you time and time again.

He’s almost finished; Joltik sits on his shoulder, watching him work whilst Heliolisk sits in his lap. His Eelektross lazes on his bed, curling up to sleep and slobbering over his sheets.

Turning the radio around, Jace uses a small screwdriver to carefully ease some wires together and loop them around each other before he replaces some of the bolts and screws into their proper positions.

Once they’re fixed into their appropriate places, he inserts the case back on and turns the radio around again onto its front and does a test run, pulling out the antenna. The radio only has one dial and he rotates it gently, watching the little tuner move across the screen and the radio splutters into action.

It begins emitting white noise as Jace rotates the dial through all the channels and as he passes eighteen ninety-eight hertz, there is still white noise.

He proceeds to move the dial all the way to the very end. Satisfied that the radio appears to be back in normal working order, he moves the dial to the very beginning and as he passes eighteen ninety eight again, a male’s voice emits from the radio but Jace accidentally rotates the dial past the channel and so he misses what was said.

“What was that?” Jace utters to himself, before he slowly turns the dial back to eighteen ninety-eight and the deep, scratchy voice can be heard far more clearly.

“-a pocket full of posies, a-tishoo, a-tishoo, we all fall down. Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies...”

The mysterious voice unsettles Jace, it is sinister and full of malice.

“Hello, who’s there?” the voice says before it emits a chuckle, and if Jace knew any better it is as though whoever was on the other end was smiling. "Don't be shy. Say something."

Jace instructs his pokemon to keep quiet by placing a finger over his lips and he reaches over to turn the dial to a different channel.

“Jace, Jace, what a disgrace," the voice begins to chant, "Failure to his mother, failure to his father, should just kill himself hereon after.”

Eyes widening, Jace quickly turns the dial all the way to the very end and the room goes silent. He did the right thing by not responding and a sense of security washes over him. He breathes a sigh of relief, swivelling round in his chair only to be greeted with a tall and dark silhouette situated at the door to his room.

He lets out a howl of fright, his heart slamming hard against his ribs. In a blink, the shadowy figure is gone, replaced with the empty space of the doorway.

The silence is broken when the radio switches on with a loud click, sending Jace into another fit of temporary shock, and the dial rotates to eighteen ninety-eight, twisting around on its own accord and when the white noise disperses, the sounds of mocking laughter fills the room.

Reaching for the device with a shaking hand, he switches the radio off once more. When all goes silent, he exhales audibly, grabs his Rotom phone and dials your number.

…

A week has passed since the dinner with Leon.

He has returned to his duties as Champion and he’s left Postwick. You found out when you returned to their house the day after with the Wooloo plushie; his mum opened the door and she told you that he had already left. Then you check your Rotom phone and see that he hadn’t sent a message to let you know beforehand, which would have been nice.

You see him again when he is on the news, issuing his statement about the gym challenge and the Giant Seat’s incidence.

Leon addresses the people’s concerns and voices his empathy towards the deceased. Coupled with his good looks and overflowing charisma and confidence, his words are empowering and incredibly motivating. Just like that, people are returning to the gym challenge with renewed trust and faith.

The Giant’s Seat incidence is more or less forgotten, and Chairman Rose is very happy.

There was a funeral which Leon and Graves attended, but you didn’t go because you had no idea nor were you invited. Speaking about Graves, you're supposed to meet him tomorrow at Wyndon Police Station.

As you watch Leon on the TV screen with Gengar and Mimikyu, you remember watching the movie with him over a video call using Rotom, and afterwards you remember how enthusiastic he was.

You had engaged in lively discussion regarding the true meaning behind ‘Rosebud’ and you could tell how deeply moved he was by the film and he had even told you how much he had enjoyed watching it with you.

You mentioned you should watch another movie together and he agreed but following that, he has ceased to message you.

Out of your control, you messaged him first. Just a simple 'how are you' but unfortunately, you elicited no reply though your message was read and Leon was online which confused you but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise he is talking to everyone else except you.

You can't deny you feel a bit hurt, but you don't take it personal and try not to think about it too much for you assume he’s far too busy to deal with the likes of you any longer and so you should return to your normal schedule as well. After all, he’s the Champion of Galar and you’re a pokemon researcher. Your paths and priorities are bound to diverge.

However, you find yourself unable to stop thinking about him.

Leon occupies your mind day in and day out. When you’re meant to be working, you’re thinking back to the dinner and all the words that were exchanged, the looks he subjected you to and you would replay certain scenes in your mind again and again.

You think about what he said and what you said, and what you could’ve said differently… and you also think about what could happen should you see him again and what you would say to him. You think of all sorts of scenarios in your head: what if you bumped into him at a café, maybe in Wyndon? What if you saw him in the Wild Area again? So many endless possibilities.

These thoughts soon grow unhealthy because you had wanted to study Mimikyu and her origins and how she could speak human language, but then you’d suddenly find yourself recalling those fond moments of Leon’s dreamy eyes gazing into yours and how he held your hand. He held your hand so many times during that dinner.

You find that you are unable to study and with a heavy sigh, you rub your temples and groan. You need to forget about him for now because most likely, you're the only one who's thinking about him. With no new cases and Leon’s match scheduled more than a week away, you’re free to do as you please.

You have a new member on the team (your client did not want to take Mimikyu back so she will be staying with you) and it’s a good idea to head to the Wild Area tonight; you can even attempt some training…

After devising a plan to venture into the Stony Wilderness, you begin packing your bag until you are interrupted when you receive a call from Jace:

“H-hey chuck,” he sounds shaken when you answer, “…I-I-I fixed your radio…can you come over right now, please? Please???”

“Okay, I’ll come over.”

He breathes a huge sigh of relief. “Thanks!”

You abandon packing a full bag and merely bring some essentials with you before you head out and arrive at his place in roughly twenty minutes. You see that he had spent those minutes waiting with all the lights switched on and the TV turned up to a high volume in an effort to drown out the monotony. You ring the doorbell to his apartment and from within, you hear him exclaiming loudly with relief and rapid footsteps rushing over.

A pale-faced Jace greets you along with his Joltik, Heliolisk and Eelektross who cling to his arms and leg. Jace is trembling, holding your fixed radio in hand. His blonde hair is usually styled but he’s left it alone, loose strands flopping untidily over his forehead and eyes.

Before he can say a word, you glance around, looking at his lounge and the conjoined kitchen and utter, “Your house feels off. Let me do a quick sweep...”

He nods in agreement. “Thanks…”

“Good thing I brought holy water today."

“T-thanks, chuck…Your radio is soooo cursed, I hate it so much,” Jace moans as he returns his pokemon into their capsules in case they accidentally interfere with your ritual. As you remove your shoes and enter his lounge, he closes the door then hands you the fixed device and adds, “I heard a new voice: it was a man, not your father either. It knew my name and told me to go kill myself. I switched the radio off, turned round and saw this shadowy figure standing over there.”

He points to his bedroom doorway where the door is wide open and you head over to inspect.

“It went away but it scared me half to death," he says with a shiver. "Are you sure it picks up transmissions from the spirit world only?"

You ponder to yourself, glance at the radio then pocket it into your bag, “I'll check with Ezra. Jace, I'm so sorry…thanks for fixing the radio. I’ll make sure to be more careful and not break it anymore.”

“It’s fine, duck, I know you can’t help it and you know I’m always happy to lend a hand.”

“…Thanks, Jace.”

He gives you a wide grin as you smile weakly at him, then he pats you on the top of your head and shuffles to his kitchen in his flipflops so you can perform the cleansing ritual in peace.

Rolling your sleeves up, you begin murmuring the appropriate chant to bless and purify the house before you take out a bottle of water from your bag, unscrew the lid and empty some on your fingertips. Jace watches as you murmur under your breath and sprinkle some of the water over the doorway.

“Ave Maria, gratia plena, dominus tecum. Amen,” you murmur, and once the dark presence lifts, you nod to yourself; the task is complete. “That should do it.”

He gives you a wide grin as you smile weakly at him; closing the door behind you, you wander to the lounge and Jace gestures for you to take a seat on his grey couch. “Thanks. All good, right?"

"Yeah."

Whatever it was, it's gone now.

"Let’s have a nice cuppa tea and catch up.”

The décor of his apartment used to be old-fashioned and full of Purrloin plates on the wall or photos and calendars of Snubbulls in various costumes courtesy of his grandmother, but now it’s become more of a typical bachelor’s pad with the casual grey sofa, glass coffee table, the modern blinds and the high chairs that line the counters that stand in the middle of the kitchen which itself has become more modern; there are no more frills and florals, Jace has replaced the wallpaper with white paint and spotlights embedded in the ceiling.

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” you say and he grins.

“Thanks, it took me a while to get it renovated but I’m glad I got it done.”

“It’s more you.”

He chuckles under his breath. “Thanks, chuck. How’s things anyway?” he asks; he’s putting the kettle to boil for two cups which he’s laid out over the counter, tossing in teabags.

“I have a problem.”

The kettle finishes boiling and Jace pours the water in. “What problem?”

“I think I’m in love with Leon.”

“And so do ninety per cent of the female population of Galar,” he replies flatly as he stirs the tea with a spoon then heads over to the sofa with the mugs in hands.

It’s piping hot, so you’re extra careful as he hands you your mug of earl grey tea. “I’m serious, Jace.”

He seats himself comfortably on his plushy sofa, then grabs the remote and presses the button and the channel changes to some dancing show called Strictly Come Krumping where a dancer is busting some aggressive-looking moves with her Scraggy on the podium.

He flicks through the available movies and TV shows, passing a popular detective drama called The Killer Sableye and eventually move to the documentary section where Jace stares at the blurb of a comedy docuseries called ‘Hiker Dave’s Adventures in Alola with Kiawe’.

“So…Leon, huh. I thought someone like Kiawe would be your type. Not Leon.” Jace muses, “I didn’t think Leon would be your type at all.”

“Me either. I can't stop thinking about him, I can’t seem to focus on my work anymore. I noticed I can’t stop smiling whenever he’s mentioned or if I'm around him, my heart thumps like a Spoink on steroids and I get so nervous, it’s driving me bonkers and – is that a documentary about Leon?? Put that on, quick.”

Jace raises a brow and rolls his eyes but clicks on the program anyway.

“This is so exciting.”

He sighs and you deadpan all of a sudden.

“Dear lord," you mutter, "What’s happening to me?”

“Relax. You just have a crush on him, that’s all. It’s totally normal for girls your age. It’ll go away and you’ll realise it was just a phase and you’ll return to normal,” Jace mutters before he grabs a biscuit and dabs it into the tea.

What if you don’t want it to pass though?

And what if you want Leon to return these feelings?

“...You’re right," you end up uttering, shaking your head to clear such ridiculous thoughts, "this is just a phase. I need to snap out of it. I need to maintain a distance from him and I need to stop thinking about him because he sure as hell isn't thinking about me.”

“There are plenty of Tentacools in the ocean,” he adds. “Plenty of Tentacools.”

Yes, there are plenty of Tentacools in the ocean, but none of them are Leon.

…

In Hulbury, Leon is faithfully carrying out one of his Champion duties, which is to help out at a soup kitchen for the homeless.

He usually attends the one in Stow-on-Side, but on this occasion, the soup kitchen in Hulbury requires his assistance.

It’s wholly voluntary and the amount of people who turn up is staggering, ranging from up to thirty to three hundred so Leon has a busy half-day ahead of him.

Swapping his champion uniform and cloak for a t-shirt, overalls, apron and hairnet, the people of Galar probably wouldn’t recognize him nor would they find this hardly fitting for the Champion of Galar, but Leon is happy to lend a hand to the charity and they are extremely grateful for his assistance.

Leon enjoys working with the homeless; they are a lively bunch though most people would be repulsed by the foul stench due to living on the streets and their unsightly looks. They line up one by one in front of the tables that have been set up with Tupperware boxes full of food and cutlery, and Leon assists with the handouts.

“Arceus bless you, Mr Leon,” says a man with a toothy smile and an equally toothy Growlithe by his side.

“And you, sir,” Leon replies with a grin, as the man waddles away with his food for the night. “Enjoy your meal!”

The next individual steps up in line; it is an old man dressed in black with a mop of messy black hair and eyes that are entirely white and glazed over. He slowly shuffles over whilst coughing harshly, balancing an unlit cigarette between the cracked corners of his dry lips.

An Absol trots beside him, carrying a silver flask fastened to a harness that’s looped around her body.

“Here you are, sir,” Leon says, handing him a cutlery set and a plastic box full of hot rice, curry, potatoes and mushrooms, and the man blindly grasps for the box. Leon notices immediately and places the plastic tub into the old man’s palm, his long and gnarled fingers curling over the plastic.

“Thank you,” the man grunts out with gratitude, “C’mon, Absol, let’s go.”

The blind man begins to wander away with Absol plodding silently beside him until another homeless man comes rushing over in a hurry to join the queue and slams into his side none too gently, causing the blind man to topple over and the box’s contents to spill everywhere as it clatters to the ground.

“Oof,” the blind man grunts as he lands on the floor, cigarette falling out of his lips.

“Watch where you’re going, old geezer!” yells the other man before he sprints away, and Absol hisses angrily at him, her eyes glowing a bright blue. She attempts to chase him down but her owner stops her in time.

Having witnessed the entire scene, Leon hastily grabs a new food box and heads over. The blind man attempts to get up though he is helplessly sprawled over the ground, trying to locate his cigarette by patting the space around him with his hand.

Once he’s arrived, Leon lowers himself to his knees and helps the blind man up by grabbing the back of his elbow firmly. “Are you alright, sir?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” he grunts, rubbing his aching hip.

“Can you stand?”

The blind man nods and on the count of three, Leon helps him up though his knees shake and his legs wobble. Leon glances around the floor with all the spilled food and calls for some of the volunteers from the soup kitchen to help clean up; they acknowledge with a nod and arrive at the scene with a mop and long-handled brush.

“Where’s my cigarette?” the blind man growls under his breath, and Leon quickly picks up the little stick and hands it to him.

“There you go.”

“Thanks, kid,” the blind man proceeds to place it between his lips, “You new here? You don’t sound like the regulars.”

“I’m assisting the Hulbury soup kitchen for today only.”

“Hm. I see.”

“I brought you a new box of food.”

“That’s very kind of you, new guy. Usually if I cock up and rejoin the queue, they tell me to scram.”

“I couldn’t possibly do that. That’s not fair on you.”

The blind man lets out a huff of agreement. “They need to be more like you, new guy. You’re a good ‘un. Now, uh… I need to siddown …”

“I’ll help you,” Leon grasps his elbow and helps the man hobble over to an empty space near one of the stalls whilst Absol purrs with appreciation at Leon for his help.

Her owner pats her on the head and turning to Leon, he looks up at the Champion with his empty white eyes and says, “I can manage from here, new guy. Don’t mind me, I’m just a blind and useless old man.”

“I need to make sure you’ll be okay,” Leon replies, and he helps the blind man sit down on an overturned plastic box, allowing him to sigh and smack a clenched fist over his knees.

Another volunteer hurries over with a batch of paper towels. “Ezra, are you alright? That was a nasty fall.”

Leon blinks at sound of the name. “Ezra?”

“He’s one of our regulars,” the volunteer proceeds to inform him in a hushed whisper. “He’s an ex-convict…he was jailed for the murder of his wife and kid.”

“I may be blind but I ain’t deaf,” Ezra barks and the volunteer goes red in the face.

Leon glances at Ezra wide-eyed, unsure if he is willing to believe what his ears just heard. However, he chooses to stay put and asks, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m alright…” Ezra grumbles, before he throws his empty gaze to Leon’s direction, then jabs a finger at the volunteer, “Hey, you should hire more people like this new guy. You can learn a lot from him.”

“This is Leon, the Champion of Galar!” the volunteer exclaims.

“Champion, eh?”

“Yes!"

Ezra nods to himself. “New guy. You remind me of my disciple. You got a big heart, just like her.”

“I know your disciple,” Leon says excitedly before he can help himself. At the mere mention of you, his face has lit up and a huge grin has appeared. Reaching for Ezra’s ragged hand, he shakes it firmly and Ezra raises a brow, “She found me when I got taken by a Froslass and I went with her to a haunted house with Charizard and she deducted that it was actually a Zorua-“

“Whoa, hold it right there, champ. Slow down, have a seat,” the man replies, and Leon eagerly moves to sit beside him whilst the volunteer decides to saunter away. Emitting a wheezy laugh, Ezra rests a hand on his knee and says, “So, you’ve met my disciple?”

“Yes, Mr Ezra.”

He chuckles at Leon's formality. “Saved you from a Froslass, huh? You were one of the missing folk at the Giant's Seat?"

"Not exactly, but she still saved my life."

Ezra chuckles louder. "She tell you much about me?”

“Not much, only that you’re frightening and that you taught her everything she knows.”

“Hehe, that’s right,” the old man says with a smirk, “I used to be the pastor for the Church of Circhester. Decided it really wasn’t for me. I stay in Greyson’s Cemetery now. I’m the caretaker. Come visit when you have time."

“Thank you, sir. How did you meet her?”

Ezra snickers in response before he rubs his chin, “Huh, now you’re testin’ my memory…She tried an Ouija board in the cemetery and summoned a demon. Ended up possessin’ her. I found her and performed an exorcism, woke up in hospital and she was there. She kept apologizin’ and started cryin’ too, thought she’d gotten me killed… and I told her it’d take more than that to kill this old man. Think she was kinda…traumatized or somethin’ after that ordeal…but then she turned up to the graveyard one day and kept comin’ back every night and askin’ me if I could teach her stuff."

Leon nods in response as Ezra opens his flask and takes a brief swig. It smells of strong beer.

“She’s a good kid, Leon. A poor kid, too,” Ezra adds, wiping his chin.

“She told me her family are missing.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” the old man says with a sigh, “she says nobody believed her and that’s why she came to me for help. I was the only one who did. Now you’re best not to get tied up with our affairs, you know? It’s dangerous.”

“Yes, sir."

"And uh, could you do me a favour? If you see her...give her this, please?" Ezra lifts out a strange stone with a fissure in the middle and Leon recognises it as the Odd Keystone. "Tell her it needs one more spirit. She'll understand."

"Sure. Thank you, Mr Ezra. Take care.” Leon replies and he pockets the keystone and before they depart, they shake hands and he returns to his station, pulling on a new pair of gloves and begins serving the next few individuals in line.

When he’s finished with the soup kitchen, Ezra heads to the cemetery, waving to Leon. It’s growing dark and following a message from Chairman Rose, Leon returns to Rose Tower.

The journey to Wyndon is a short one and when he has arrived at the penthouse with Charizard's help, he knocks on the door and waits patiently. It’s been a long day but he still has many tasks ahead of him. Leon hasn’t even begun his training with his team yet. He hears the door click open and Oleana appears.

With a stoic expression, she greets him with a polite bow of her head. “Hello Mr Champion.”

“Hi Ms Oleana.”

“Thank you for coming,” she utters and she opens the door for him and he enters the penthouse without further delay to see Rose sitting on his large leather couch, engrossed with the little flashing screen of his Rotom phone which is playing a video.

"Good evening, sir,” Leon says, and he looks up.

“Ah, Leon! You’re here. Please, come over and have a look at this. Tell me what you think," Rose says as Leon joins his side, before he hands him the phone, pressing 'play' on the screen.

A screechy song can be heard, with a violent mix of percussion and bass guitar riffs blasting out in high volume.

"Ghostbunkers, hoooo yeah! Ghostbunkers, ghosts beware!!! GHOSTBUNKERS!!!" a charismatic but deep, gruff voice belts out. It ends in thirty seconds or so and Leon stares as a young man proceeds to appear on screen in the dark. His form is an eerie pale green in colour, his eyes are glowing pools of light due to the night-vision camera. "Hi, hello! Tan here, and welcome back to another exciting episode of Ghostbunkers! Tonight, we're heading to the abandoned Thrifty Megamart in Alola!"

He returns the phone. He's seen enough. “Sir, what is this?”

"An interesting duo who call themselves the ‘Ghostbunkers’," Rose mutters with a small smile gracing his lips.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

“Do you recall the art gallery event?”

“Yes sir. It was due to open but it got postponed for unknown reasons.”

“Indeed. Well, we received a call from one of the night security guards. It was another complaint regarding the art gallery being 'haunted'.”

“Haunted?” Leon says, surprised. This would be the first time he’s heard such a thing.

“Yes, we didn’t want news to spread so kept it secret. Anyway, I was thinking it's time we hired a couple of experts to inspect the building.” Whilst Rose hums under his breath in response, Oleana does not look amused with the direction as to where this conversation is going, “And you have just met a pokemon expert who deals with these sorts of things. It's great timing. If she's available, I'd like to ask her to help....if she's up for the task, that is.”

Leon is uncomfortable. He put in a good word for you and he told Rose about the Giant's Seat incidence but he didn't realise this sort of thing would happen. “Sir, she is a good person. Please do not-“

“Don’t get me wrong, Leon. I am treating this as a very serious matter…though I'm not inclined to believe in ghosts but what choice do I have? The art gallery’s opening has been delayed for far too long."

“I understand, sir.”

With that, Rose steeples his fingers together and nods to himself, "Excellent. Then it's decided, we'll ask this pokemon researcher and these...'Ghostbunkers' for help. Oleana. please call them at your earliest convenience. Explain to them our circumstances, the art gallery, the hauntings... The fee can be discussed later."

"Very well, sir," Oleana acknowledges with a short bow as she clasps her hands gently together.

"Thank you; I'd also like to meet the pokemon researcher in person. Can you arrange a meeting for me at the hotel tomorrow?"

"Yes sir."

As Oleana begins to exit the penthouse to make the phonecalls, Rose rises from his seat, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Very good. That's another matter off my chest. Leon, let’s go have dinner, shall we? I have a booking at The Captain’s Table. All the gym leaders will be joining us tonight. We're celebrating your smooth recovery.”

“Yes, sir…” Leon utters, as he follows Rose outside; he can’t help but wonder what he’s gotten you involved...

…

You’re on your way home, sitting in the Corviknight taxi whilst checking Rotom; you still have not received any messages from Leon. Suddenly, Rotom's screen changes, indicating to you that an unknown number is calling you. It must be a new client.

“Hello?” you say as you swipe the screen and hold Rotom to your ear.

“Hello,” says a stern voice belonging to a female, “Am I speaking to the ghost-type pokemon researcher of Wedgehurst?”

“Yes, that’s me,” you reply and she mentions your name for further confirmation, “Who’s speaking?”

“My name is Oleana. I work for Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos.”

“Ah, hello. How may I help you?”

“Chairman Rose would like to meet you to discuss a proposition. Would you be free tomorrow afternoon?”

You remember that you’re supposed to meet Graves tomorrow as well. “Sure, I’m free anytime except one pm.”

“Very good. Please go to the Rose of the Rondelands in Wyndon tomorrow and inform reception you have a meeting with the Chairman at three pm sharp.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have any questions?”

“What is this proposition?”

“The Champion has recommended and vouched for you and your credentials, so Chairman Rose would like to personally meet you to enquire about your services. You will find out more when you see him tomorrow.”

You're taken aback. “...Alright, sounds good.”

“Thank you. Have a nice evening.”

…

#leon #dande #fanfic #fic #archive of our own #leon x reader #Leon x you #reader insert #reader #pkmn #pokemon #pokemonshield #pokemonsword #pokemon shield and sword #jeralee #comfort in despair

19 notes · View notes

xxrainbow-princessxx · 4 years ago

Text

Line of Succession - TRR AU

Will Maxwell and Bertrand reveal Barthelemy’s plans? With their divorce coming to fruition, will taking up Lord Devereaux’s offer of legal counsel be in Isabella’s favour?

Chapter list:

Chapter 1: Enough

Chapter 2: Homeward Bound

Chapter 3: Band of Brothers

Chapter 4 Dearest Sympathies

Chapter 5: No Expectations

Tag list: @lorirwritesfanfic @drakewalkerfantasy @desireepow-1986 @rainbowsinthestorm @lorircreates @itslaniquelove @liam-rhys @hopefulmoonobject @speedyoperarascalparty @kimmiedoo5 @rafasgirl23415 @kingliam2019 @mom2000aggie @texaskitten30 @the-everlasting-dream

Trigger warning: Violence, death, premonition of death, sexual innuendo, swearing

“If you don’t fucking stop talking in riddles Beaumont...” Drake barked, “What opportunity...” Maxwell spat the pooled blood in his mouth towards Liam, “To make a better Cordonia you fucking idiot...” Maxwell smiled, his teeth stained from the blood as it caught the side of his cheek but Bertrand continued, “Leo was too unpredictable... he had the taste for violence, the taste for war but that wasn’t enough... Liam on the other hand...” Bertrand’s sly smile slowly creeped across his face, “Liam could be manipulated, he did as he was told. Unsuspecting, polite little Liam....” he teased, “... like his father...with the right encouragement...” Bertrand’s brow raised with a cruel chuckle, “The Sons of Earth could have done more than put an Nevrakis on the throne...

Cordonia could have been unstoppable... until your pathetic mother scuppered our plans...” Bertrand turned his nose upwards in disgust, his face reddening in hatred, “that Auvernese bitch ruined everything!” Liam leapt forward but Drake stopped him, pulling back his arms before he could do any further damage, “Li... not yet...” Bertrand laughed spitefully as it took all of Drake’s strength to keep the King in check, “Look at you... as pathetic as your mother!!” Leo pulled the dagger from Bertrand’s hand as he screamed and writhed in pain, Maxwell’s nostrils flared, “Now the next generation are here... they can lead and move us forward and will not disappoint...”

Maxwell’s eyes darkened as he tilted his head towards Leo raising his brow, “You may kill us... but the Sons of Earth are everywhere you turn; no matter where you go - we won’t be far behind!” Maxwell’s glare returned to a furious Liam goading him further with a look of disgust across his face, “Camille will despise you and all you stand for... She will lead us into the new world!!” Liam mustered all of his strength to break from Drake’s hold, his blood boiled with hatred and anger as he began to punch Maxwell like a rag doll. With his fist and jaw clenched, Liam didn’t hold back; an almighty roar escaped his throat as his fist connected with Maxwell’s jaw. Leo grinned as he held the dagger across Bertrand’s throat, “So where is daddy dearest hiding?” Bertrand chuckled, “You stupid, ignorant oaf, he’s been under your nose the whole time; the Rys line is gone... but it doesn’t matter... father will be replaced, the Sons of Earth will rise...” Leo had heard enough poison and toxicity for one day as he gritted his teeth, driving the dagger into Bertrand’s throat before punching him as hard as he could watching mercilessly as the blood poured from his mouth. Leo turned his head towards Liam and Drake, his chest heaving, “They’re no use to us now...” before reaching into his blazer jacket removing a revolver and aimed for each of their heads. The first shot was quickly followed by the second echoing through the dark Catacombs of the Valtorian Estate.

“Leo!” Liam gasped, “What?! You... you can’t...” returning the revolver to his blazer jacket, Leo chuckled, “Dear brother...” his sea green eyes glistened, “I still have diplomatic immunity...” his lips curled upwards as he chuckled, “Isabella cannot execute our divorce for another two months...” Drake and Liam looked at each other extremely confused, “What the fuck Leo?!” Drake exclaimed, “How the hell are you going to tell Sánchez the Beaumont’s are dead...” Leo snorted, “It’s good riddance, they’re collateral damage...” shaking his head, Leo continued, “I need a fucking drink...” as the three men returned to the library, Leo poured himself a large drink, throwing it back immediately wincing as the liquid quelled his conscious. “Leo...” Liam sighed heavily, “What is going on?” Leo ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair sucking in his cheeks, “I found something in correspondence between Constantine and Felipe. Felipe was worried that he was too easily swayed by the Royal Council and he suspected foul play after your mother was murdered... but Constantine being the pig ignorant fucker he was...” Leo clenched his jaw kicking a nearby table, “He never listened...” Leo turned to Liam glaring, “Even in death, he still manages to fuck with our lives!” Liam tilted his head slightly, “But what did you mean the divorce...?”

Drake raised a brow as Leo remained silent, the cogs in his head turning as Leo poured another glass, “You sick son of a bitch!” Drake reached out taking Leo by the throat, his face reddening with anger, “You’re fucking with her aren’t you?! You orchestrated all of this! Is she collateral damage too?!” Leo pushed Drake off of him grunting, “It was to protect her... she knows nothing about any of this other than Camille was taken by Barthelemy!” Drake turned up his nose, shaking his head in disgust, “Sánchez fucking deserves better and you know that!” Leo’s eyes narrowed as he brushed off Drake’s comments as Liam interjected, “Isabella’s still a Beaumont Drake... it’s best she’s kept at arms length...” Drake took a deep breath, his dark piercing eyes stared down both the brother’s who stood in front of him, “I really fucking hope you know what you’re doing Leo, because it’s not a case of if she finds out, she will and I don’t want to be there when she does...” Liam nodded in agreement as Leo thought for a second brushing his stubble with his hand, “That’ll be a bridge to cross when it comes but for now... we have still a lot of work to do...” Drake looked behind him where the hidden door slipped back into place, “What about those two?” Liam patted Drake’s shoulder, “I’ll sort it, don’t worry...”

“Lord Devereaux...” Jimena smiled as she announced Isabella’s guest, Matthew’s serene, calming blue eyes warmed Isabella’s heart and when he spoke she began to melt, “I believe you requested by presence?” he began to smile as her dark chocolate brown eyes lit up, “Good afternoon...” Isabella stood before walking towards him. Matthew’s eyes were drawn to the young monarch as she approached him. Dressed in a white and black Chanel tuxedo dress and her black heels, the Queen’s long raven hued curls tumbled over her shoulders. Matthew felt his breath hitch as her bright, dazzling smile met him, “Yes... there’s something I would like to share with you...” nodding, Lord Devereaux smiled, “I’m glad for the invitation...” Isabella’s hair bounced as she took Matthew’s arm, linking his with her own, “Follow me...” It took her a few days, but she wanted to repay Lord Devereaux’s kindness as she brought him to the library. Spread across the large Laurentian Oak table that graced the middle of the library, it had been adorned with open books and photographs. Isabella grinned as she looked up at Matthew sweetly, “There were a few things in the Royal archive regarding your grandparents, I thought it might be nice before you decided to head back to London to share these with you...”

Matthew picked up one of the photographs showing his grandmother and grandfather posing with Royalty at a Laurentian state function, another was a photograph of her with Queen Thérèse on the day of the Queen’s wedding. “I...” Lord Devereaux glanced at the petite brunette in amazement, “I...” he began to smile warmly, “Thank you...” Isabella nodded before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “It was the least I could do Señor... I must admit that my evening at the state dinner was rather dull until we spoke... and this...” Isabella gestured to the literature and photography laid out, “Is for you to do as you wish... you can take it all...” Matthew ran this fingers through his blonde feathered hair with a chuckle, “Isabella... I... I cannot thank you enough... my grandmother raised me, so for me to even see her past life in this way, is amazing...” Isabella fluttered her long dark eyelashes, “I do have one thing I would like your expertise on... if you wouldn’t mind to discuss over dinner this evening?” Lord Devereaux nodded in agreement, “Anything... of course...” Isabella blushed slightly as she slowly turned on her heel, looking over her shoulder at him, “I’ll leave you be and someone will be with you soon to let you know when dinner is served...”

Between courses, Isabella and Matthew spoke at length as they got to know each other a little better, “Your Majesty... as much as I am happy to be in your company, I believe you had requested me to review something for you?” Isabella nodded, “Of course...” as she passed him as sealed envelope, “I know you do not deal with divorce but I would appreciate if you could review this prenuptial agreement to ascertain whether there are any legal implications outside of this that may impact the constitution...” Matthew removed the document, scanning through the wording as Isabella waited patiently. Matthew’s brow raised slightly in question as his stunning blue eyes met Isabella’s, “Is there a page missing?” as he quickly flicked through the document again. Isabella shook her head, “No... I don’t believe so Señor... why?” Lord Devereaux took a deep breath, his lips were pursed, “Your Majesty... Isabella... I...” The petite brunette’s smile slowly faded as she tilted her head slightly to the left, “What is it?” Matthew nodded as he continued, “Legally, this as a prenuptial agreement is sound... but it is constitutionally invalid... there is a very old, unused clause in the constitution...” Matthew looked around to ensure that no one else was in the room, “There is an enforceable law hidden in the context of the ‘El matrimonio constitucional entre el rey y la reina debe ser igual y equilibrado’ clause...” Isabella’s eyes narrowed as she tried to understand but the sadness that filled Matthew’s eyes was a give away, “Isabella... I don’t know why there has been no provision in your prenuptial agreement to counterbalance or why this was overlooked in the Constitution but essentially it means that with a divorce or any death, the Monarch cannot rule alone... and any of the legal heirs can claim right to the throne... your children are still young but this can be any living relative...”

“This is why all Monarch’s were essentially betrothed at such a young age to ensure that they were classified as a legitimate heir; I was always confused why your father lifted the betrothal element but not the marriage element... this clause comes into effect two months after the decree absolute or death but an eligible heir can come forward at any time to claim the throne... unfortunately it’s well hidden, but in there...” Isabella bit down on her lip quietly, her chest tightened as she tried to hold back her tears; not only was Leo wanting to destroy her, he wanted to destroy their family - everything she had worked so hard for, gone. The only consolation was that he gave her a head start for forward dating the divorce papers. Matthew softly placed his hand onto Isabella’s as he gave it a gentle squeeze. Her eyes immediately locked into his, her long dark eyelashes fluttered as she listened to him whisper to her, “I promise I will help you as much as I can...

You don’t deserve this...” As he brushed his thumb against her olive, sun kissed skin, Isabella felt a rush like no other, staring into his hauntingly pale blue eyes as if she could see into his very soul. He was kind, charming and she felt a comfort that she hadn’t felt in a long time. As Matthew’s phone began to vibrate, he let go of Isabella’s hand, “Sorry Your Majesty... unfortunately the Duke of Lorien has passed, I must meet with the executor...” Isabella nodded, “Yes...” she cleared her throat bringing her back into her reality, “Yes of course...” As Lord Devereaux left Isabella sitting at the table alone, she stared at her engagement and wedding ring she still wore before her dark chocolate brown eyes latched onto the empty seat beside her. Swallowing hard, the petite brunette stood tall, removing her rings from her perfectly manicured finger placing them on the dining table and without a second glance, she walked out closing the door behind her.

#choices #the royal romance #leo x isabella #King Liam #drake walker #maxwell beaumont #prince leo #playchoices #choices fanfiction #choices the royal romance #queen isabella #royal romance au #playchoices fanfiction

31 notes · View notes

setoangel01-fanfiction · 4 years ago

Text

Ending

Crazy - Chapter 27 (Previous Chapter)

Fandom: TMNT 2014/2016

Pairing: Raphael x April (Raphril)

Rated: T

Chapter Summary: The ending. April comes clean about some things she's been meaning to say and Raphael can't fucking believe what he's hearing.

<><><>

I cannot thank everyone who has read this story enough. I've gotten so many messages from so many wonderful people asking me when/if I was going to write another chapter of this story which is more than for any other fanfiction that I have written before.

So, it pains me to have to inform y'all of this, but truthfully, I am done with writing fanfiction for the TMNT universe. I've moved on to other fandoms but I really wanted to finish this story instead of putting it in permanent hiatus.

So, here's the final chapter.

What I am presenting to you now is woefully unfinished - mostly pieces of chapters I started and written bits for but never completed fully but the idea is there. There are also larger chunks of it missing which I will summarize briefly (or even more in depth at points) what is occurring before getting to the next scene but the ending (approx last 1500 words) is COMPLETE. I finished the last chapter forever ago so it will have a (hopefully) satisfying ending but it will be rather rushed in getting there.

I planned at least 10 more chapters and this would fit into about 3 at most. And while I hate having to release something only partly finished as this final chapter, I wanted this story to have a conclusion. I would rather it be done than just be in permanent hiatus until I somehow got into TMNT again (which honestly, I don't see happening) and I thought most of my readers would agree, so hopefully, this is sufficient.

Thanks again for sticking with me through this long wait. I sincerely hope you enjoy!

<><><>

Author's Note: Scene starts from where we left off last chapter -

The following day, Raphael wakes up in the lair's infirmary suffering from a mild case of pneumonia from being out in the cold. He's frantic and wondering where he is when he finally notices Leo sitting next to him by the bed.

As Raphael stares at Leo, Raph suddenly recalls what he's doing here and what he'd just been through last night and the situation with April. Of course, it's a shock to the system as he's forced to confront that April had been with Casey and is understandably brokenhearted about the whole situation all over again.

A long terse silence passes before Leo and Raphael (reluctantly) have a long talk about everything that transpired. Here is a bit of that I did manage to write out; sorry if it's shit. XD It was a mere 15 minute word vomit more than anything.

<><><> "You can't keep doing this to yourself, Raph." Leo sighed, still internally wondering why he was even bothering with trying to reason with his emotionally unstable brother. Yet as he kept stealing glances at Raphael's face and into the molten gold of his eyes, Leo knew something was wrong.

Something had broken his younger brother last night - exactly what is the question.

For as troubled as Raphael could be, Leo had never seen Raph like this.

It was like a light had been turned off in him. Because as defensive as Raphael was while brutally fighting him last night in that alley, it was like the combative nature in Raph had been completely snuffed out upon awakening.

"...Yeah...I know, Leo." Raphael muttered what seemed like hours later.

Wait. What?

Leo stared at his brother wondering if he'd really heard his brother say that or during his vigil he'd kept over his brother, he'd fallen asleep without knowing it. He couldn't remember the last time Raphael called him by his actual name…

"...What was that, Raph?" he asked while sneakily pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

There was pain...so this wasn't a dream.

"...I said I fuckin' know, Fearless." Raph growled but it held hardly any of the heat it usually did.

Leo remained silent mostly in shock for Raphael was never one to say he was right - ever.

Just what the actual hell happened to Raph last night!?

Fists clenching on his lap, Leo stared at Raphael's profile for some of the answers but none were found. Just Raphael's nearly blank stare as the red-banded terrapin stared at the worn blanket crumpled around his lap. The bandages on his swollen and bloody knuckles knotting in the fabric almost absentmindedly.

"Hey, Raph…" Leo said softly, reaching over to touch Raphael's shoulder but pulled back when he thought better of it. "Talk to me."

Minutes passed in silence and Leo was prepared to speak or outright leave his brother to stew in his own misery when that quiet was broken.

"...I lost her, Leo… " Raphael said in a choked, broken laugh that might as well have ripped Leonardo's heart straight out of his chest. "I know wat cha gunna say too; like how da fuck can ya lose somethin' ya never had, huh? …I shoulda jus fuckin' listened ta ya…"

Leo was stunned into complete silence as Raphael continued.

"I…I really neva stood a fuckin' chance with April…did I?" Raph asked, looking at Leo and the agony lacing those golden orbs was something Leo only saw once with Raphael before - the night they almost lost Splinter. But before Leo could say anything in response, Raphael went on.

"Who da fuck am I kiddin'? I mean, fuck - look at her! As if I stood a fuckin' chance cuz who da hell could anyone ever want anythin' to do wit a freak like me?" Raph grunted, slamming a fist onto the bedsheet and Leo didn't care about boundaries anymore, he grabbed the edge of Raphael's carapace and pulled the much larger terrapin against his chest.

"Don't fucking say that ever again! She's a damned idiot if she turned you away because you deserve all the happiness in the world, Raphael! Don't let this define you! Ever! That's a fucking ORDER!" Leo yelled, holding tightly as Raphael tensed like a coiled spring in his arms.

Leo was waiting for the blow, for Raphael to punch him with his broken knuckles and scream in his face…but he didn't.

Leonardo swallowed the lump clogging his throat as he stole a glance at Raphael's face and it was almost like a physical blow to see the normally strongest brother look completely defeated. Resigned, just accepting of the shitty hand and heartbreak life kept handing him and the worst part was Leo couldn't fight this.

Curling his lip as he watched a rogue tear drip down Raphael's face and a new disdain for their Hogasha grew in Leonardo's heart as he held his little brother together as best as he could.

<><><>

AN: Raphael finally pushes Leo away and he coerces his older brother to leave him alone. The embarrassment catching up with breaking down and letting his oldest brother hold him together when he was always so strong. Finally alone, Raphael accepts what happened with April and thinks it's best that he stays away from her to avoid any more pain. If he kept being around her, he'd only be jabbing the knife deeper into his own chest. It's just not worth it anymore.

As much as he loves her and wants nothing but to be with her even only platonically, he knows that even being in her presence would be too much for him to take.

Finally listening to his better judgement, Raphael lets her go.

Raphael recovers and goes back to life - being more present in his family's life and away from the brunette reporter - and more shockingly, improving his and Leo's relationship along the way.

…A week later April visits but it doesn't go so well…

<><><>

April's heart hammered unsteadily as she quickly made her way through the manhole cover. The acrid stench meeting her nostrils immediately but she had grown used to it throughout the years even if it still turned her stomach especially in the summer months. But it was not the smell of the sewer that was bothering the brunette now.

Adjusting the half a dozen pizza boxes in her arms, she walks toward the turtle's lair.

It had been a week since Raphael fled her apartment; a week of turmoil and anxiety since the incident and it was only now she felt brave enough to confront Raphael. The terrapin who still refused to answer her texts even if it showed them as 'read' - he never replied.

"Hello?" April called into the lair; unsurprised when she saw Donatello in his usual spot and Mikey in front of the television further into their living area. Per usual, Leonardo and Raphael were nowhere to be seen.

"Baby Cakes!" Mikey excitedly burst into the room and approached the brunette in an explosion of energy that she missed so damn much. How long had it been since she visited them?

Mikey was careful to put down the pizza she brought before he picked her up and spun her in large circles with a chuckle. April happily accepted the hug from the smallest turtle; his arms strong and firm around her body.

"I missed you, Mikey! How have you been?" she asked when her feet touched the floor again.

"Just peachy, doll!" he announced before cupping his mouth with one hand and stage whispering in her ear, "But between you and me, Leo and Raph seem to have gained yet another stick wedged up their uptight asses, so watch out, m'kay?" he winked.

"I'll remember that," she giggled at his words; some sense of normalcy she craved filling her battered chest.

"Good evening, April," Donatello approached while she had been distracted by the youngest.

"Hey, Donnie! How are you?" she asked the genius terrapin.

Donatello shrugged, wiping his bloodshot eyes.

<><><>

AN: That's all I wrote but in summary, Donnie tells April about the attacks in the sewers that seem to be happening in greater frequency. The strange outages and power issues they've been having as well as the breaks in their security systems which is all very worrying and keeping them all on edge.

Yet instead of really listening, April is distracted, looking for a familiar flash of a red mask to ask about the incident last week and of course, to apologize, but Raphael is nowhere to be seen.

As her, Splinter, Mikey and Donnie eat the pizza she brought, Donnie and Mikey and intermittently, Splinter, informs her that Leo and Raph apparently have been closer than they'd been in years and have been patrolling together and trying to investigate the vast network sewers more than usual because of the strange happenings.

Donnie talks about the connections this has to Dr. Baxter Stockman and his inventions Donatello had studied and how it all links with the prison breaks - namely Karai and now they're waiting on pins and needles to see what is going to happen next. He warns all of them to remain vigilant and cautious of their surroundings at all times.

Hours later, April still sticks around the lair when finally Leo and Raph return…

Here's a clip of Raph and April's interaction -

<><><>

"Raph!" April jumps up from the couch as soon as she sees his red mask from across the lair.

Without caring about those around her and their sudden stares, she makes her way over to him but instead of being met with his lazy smirk and bright golden eyes, the second he sees her coming, he ignores her and heads in the direction of the showers.

"Hey! Raph! I- I wanted to apologize about last week. I'm so sorry to keep you waiting for so long, I really didn't mean to. I'm sorry." April says as she scrambles after him.

"It's fine," is his short answer and he still won't look at her as his stride barely slows down and she struggles to keep up.

"Well, still! I need to make it up to you! I know! How about dinner and a movie at my place this weekend? I could order from that new sushi place I heard is damn amazing! How about it?" she asks, grabbing his forearm is when he finally stops and looks at her.

Instead of his open expression, crooked smile, and bright gold eyes, there's nothing. His face is just like his mask - giving no emotion away - eyes a dull honey and mouth almost lined with irritation.

He hadn't looked at her like that since the very beginning when he didn't trust her…

April is not put off though, pushing through with, "So, what do you say?" she asks again with the brightest smile she can muster even as her chest feels tight while confronting this almost unrecognizable Raphael.

"Eh - Sorry, but nah, I'm gonna havta pass. Been busy lately, ya know," Raph replies and incredibly gently brushed her hand off his arm as he continues toward their bathroom without even looking back at her.

"But - I - W-Wait! But what about the weekend after? We can meet then!" she desperately inquires as she runs after him.

"Thanks for da offer but no thanks. Bye, April." is all Raphael says before he walks away; quietly closing the door behind him and April is left staring at it in shock.

A part of April is terribly confused and a little pissed but the other vast majority just wants to cry…

She feels an unexplained feeling of loss she hadn't felt in such a long time - as if she lost her best friend just now and she has no idea why. Just what the fuck happened for Raphael to treat her this way?

The sudden guilt hits her like a damn train as she wraps her arms around herself and feels the back of her eyes burning with unshed tears. She's tempted to slam her fists on the door, to demand Raphael let her apologize even if she has to grovel for him just to talk to her again or not look through her like she doesn't even matter to him anymore.

But she swallows back the desire and just whispers out, "Okay…M-Maybe next time then… Bye, Raph." before turning away.

Pressed against the door, he hears the soft click of April's boots as she walks away and it is then that Raphael gently falls to his knees. The pain of seeing April broke something in him and having to push her aside and seeing the undisguised hurt on her face almost had him disregarding his own pain to comfort her but somehow, he got through it…

Now that the initial contact is over, he thinks he can finally get through this with his heart intact…

Raphael just wished it wouldn't hurt so damn much to walk away from her…

<><><>

AN: Raphael and April stay away from each other for months.

April works, goes home, eats and sleeps; her life continues around her but she feels stuck in a limbo.

In case anyone wanted clarification about a few chapters prior -

Yes, April and Casey slept together that night when Raph was waiting for her at her apartment. Both were completely drunk and it was barely remembered the next day (but it was consensual!). Afterward, Casey tried to communicate with April to basically form a romantic relationship, but April refuses. She'd felt horrible guilty for the one-night stand with Casey but it stemmed deeper than just sleeping with the Detective when, while attracted to him, didn't love him in that way.

If April was honest with herself, the only reason she allowed herself to have sex with Casey was because she was horribly confused. Her feelings for Raphael had been more than platonic for a long time but she refuses to acknowledge them. Mostly in fear for what having affections deeper than friendship for a mutant turtle would mean in the long run. The species difference, the age gap, and most importantly, she worries these feelings she has for Raphael are only temporary and she has no idea what Raphael feels about her.

If she tells him how she feels and he didn't return it, she'd feel horrible and selfish and Raphael and his lack of self-esteem would suffer thinking she only spent time with him because of lust or misguided intentions. More than the rejection, she's more worried when she realizes that even after months of being ghosted by Raphael, her feelings remain unchanged. …while she loves all the turtles, this love she has for Raphael feels far more significant - but she could never tell him. Especially now.

As months pass and Raphael still refuses to talk to her, April slowly gives up on the notion thinking she did something to permanently fuck-up her friendship with Raphael. She wonders if it was to do with her sleeping with Casey and Raph finding out about it and thinking negatively of her. She's tempted to call Casey and give him a chance to stem the horrible loneliness she's experiencing and the guilt for feeling as if she used Casey somehow - but she can't because that would only be using Casey further and she refuses to do that. The feelings just aren't there - she's physically attracted to him, sure - but that's it. She doesn't have that same emotional connection she had built and grown with Raphael for over two years by this point.

It takes a long time, but April finally comes to accept that what she feels for Raphael goes deeper than friendship.

Their relationship was more than that - he was her best friend, someone she could talk to and listen to for hours without tiring. How seeing him smile and making him laugh were the highlights of her day and how she always wanted to spent time with him. How inexplicably her heart would pound whenever she felt those smooth scales underneath her fingertips and the sensation of butterflies would grow in her stomach when she caught herself staring at his mouth and wondering how it would feel pressed against hers. She just wants to be with him… It takes her a damn long time, but April soon accepts that she's in love with Raphael…even if now she'll never be able to tell him because she doubts he'd want to hear it.

So, she continues with her life thinking she ruined the one chance she had with Raphael forever. All her calls and offers to hang out remained unanswered and she realizes she also lost her friendship with him also.

Raphael on the other hand, throws himself in full time with his brothers to try and figure out the connection between Baxter Stockman, Karai and the increasing problems within the lair and the unrest in the city. Foot Clan being spotted frequently but not doing anything nefarious either. The turtles stay vigilant and mostly, Raphael stays busy to stop himself from thinking about April.

Even after months of being away from her, he still finds her at the corner of his mind every time he's not focusing on something else. Always in the background ready to fill him with guilt and anguish in the fact he hadn't seen or heard from her for months by his own volition and not answering her calls and texts. How pathetic he feels when he always finds a way to watch April on television if only to hear her voice and see her even in the grainy pixilated screen.

It's driving him absolutely insane.

Raphael thought that being away from her would help - but it's only getting worse. It's not he fact he lost out on any potential romance with her - he lost her friendship too - and he misses it desperately. Raphael is also terribly and constantly worried about her safety with all of the happenings throughout the city. So, Raph devises a plan to follow her home every day to make sure she's safe at the very least.

After weeks of following her home is when something happens no one could have predicted…

<><><>

Maybe he was a fucking idiot but he didn't care. Never mind that his creepiness factor was over 9,000...damn Mikey and his new old school anime obsession...

It didn't matter to him.

All that mattered to Raphael was making sure April was safe.

The pretty brunette reporter had no clue of his hobby of following her home every night - even Leo approved if he'd kept himself in shadows. Ever since he started ignoring her texts and calls, he noticed they'd stopped after the first month. Mikey and Donatello (who still spoke to the reporter frequently - which still filled him with bitterness even as he refused to see her) told him to call her back but he never did. When she'd show up at the lair, he was sure to leave without even talking or even allowing her to see him; he'd saunter off without a word. If there was a conversation, he gave short answers and gave an excuse that would allow him a quick escape. If his family noticed their lack of communication, they didn't say anything - even if the looks they flashed him spoke volumes.

But for their silence, Raphael was thankful.

After all, this fallout with April was bound to happen eventually. He'd go on with his life as he has been and she'd go on with hers. Let her continue her relationship with Casey; let them fall in love, get married, have 2 and a half kids, white picket fence, the whole perfect shebang - let the Detective give her the happily ever after like April deserved.

…As if he could ever compare or give her anything she truly needed…

Raphael shook his head of those thoughts and hoped that eventually, the pain of wanting her so bad would dissipate. That his once-obsession would fade away… For those first few weeks, it was freeing. A sense of freedom he'd not known for a long time.

It felt incredibly liberating..for only three months.

Three months being all it took for this unbearable gnawing ache inside him to form. This need and want to be with her like it used to be. He deplored this new relationship of skirting around each other just to not hurt the other's feelings.

...But he was certain that it had to be this way.

April's certain rejection of him would be the final nail in his coffin and he would rather control his own fate rather than wait for her to deal the final blow. Smelling Casey on her should have done that, but to hear it from her mouth would be the last straw. Yet, it still didn't stop the horrendous need to just be with her; aching to be in her presence and the chance to see her - so the shadows would have to do.

It was night like any other.

Fucking cold and windy even this late in winter, almost early spring, with small snowflakes landing and melting instantly upon his skin.

The frigid wind cascading over his reptilian skin burned, but the pain in his heart overwhelmed it enough to make it bearable and even welcomed at times. From the shadows, he watched her leave the building, walking side by side with her co-worker, Vernon. She said a few parting pleasantries to her camera man, who thankfully, quit asking her to go over to some new cafe for 'munchies' once the nerd finally got himself a girlfriend - a fucking bombshell one at that.

How Vernon managed to pull it off, Raphael would never know.

A parting wave later, she was off into the dangers of the city - not alone - but she didn't have to know that.

Raph followed her diligently, staying silent as night. Keeping a large vantage point around her and anyone who would pass by, look in her direction or walk near her.

She was only a few blocks from her apartment when Raphael swore that if he had hairs on the back of his neck, they'd be standing on end. A dreaded realization came over him when he saw the visage of someone he never wished to see again emerge from a nearby alley like an actual shadow. Yet instead of the normal ninjitsu techniques he'd expect - he saw the flash of an object he didn't anticipate them to carry and a sound that followed it - the non-mistakable metallic click of a gun being cocked than aimed straight toward the back of the unsuspecting April's head.

In an instant, he was jumping from the building and running as soon as the muffled pop went off.

The graze of the bullet sliced cleanly across the scales of his shoulder the second he heard April shriek and hit the ground in a blind panic. Raphael ignored his wound, pinpointing the attacker and the woman stared back at him in terror.

Karai.

The very appearance of her filled him with more rage than he could have imagined.

Without any care that she was a woman, he attacked, and for the first time, she flinched in panic at the utter fear that consumed her. Raphael supposed that just the sight of his burning amber eyes and bared teeth let her know immediately that mercy simply was not an option.

In what could only be desperation, Karai shot again.

The shot ricocheting off his plastron right before she tried to run, black hair flicking across her face as she hurriedly cocked the gun again, but she didn't have time to pull the trigger when he saw red; slamming her with every ounce of strength in his body.

Karai's thin form flying backwards at the sheer force; hitting the brick wall with a heavy thunk and the distinct crack of bone echoing throughout the area before she fell lifelessly to the floor. The woman let out a pitiful noise and Raphael was sorely tempted to snap her neck to finish her, but pulled himself back. If she was still somehow alive, there was no way he was ending her misery - she deserved every single bit of pain he dealt her for trying to kill April.

Raphael swallowed back a lump that clogged his throat and swiftly turned back to April.

The lump returned when he saw her sitting there - cornflower blue eyes wide, body shaking profusely with arms wrapped around herself but Raph highly doubted it was a response to the cold.

Raphael took a moment to look around just to make sure there was no foot soldiers nearby but from the look of it, Karai was sent on this assignment alone. He snorted angrily. Hating the fact April got caught up with them - the mere fact of her merely associating with them consonantly putting the reporter in danger. He fucking deplored it...but April still wouldn't stop. She still wouldn't even after their fallout…

Without thinking about anything but April's safety, Raphael scooped the brunette up into his arms and took off back into the night.

April was silent at first, but as the shock wore off, he heard her crying, pressing her face into his throat and letting out the most guttural sobs he ever heard from her. Every warm tear against his clavicle was another stab to his heart. April should never cry - her strength and resilience during so much of the shit they'd put her through since they met - not once did she cry. Not once did this woman break down - and yet, here she was, hiding her face in the concave of his neck - weeping uncontrollably and clinging to him like a lifeline.

"...Ya okay?" he finally asked in a gruffer voice than he intended, heart racing, pulse thrumming in his ears as he continued to run.

April was silent, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, hard enough to slightly cut off his airway, but he didn't have the heart to tell her to loosen her arms.

Raphael didn't dwell on what would have happened had he not followed her home that night.

Had he not been there to take that bullet...

Raph shook his head, not even daring to ponder that thought further.

As he made his way to her apartment, what just transpired flitted through his mind like scene from a horror movie.

The instant he understood what was happening, he just moved. Sheer instinct to protect April - it was like his body knew what to do before his mind could even catch up. It didn't matter that she'd broken his heart - didn't matter if she decided to never see him again - he loved her regardless. That was never going away and he accepted it. As long as he was drawing breath, he would protect her - would die for her if need be. This fierce protectiveness was daunting but he'd come to accept that he'd thrived with it.

There was something about seeing April broken like that - rigid, her knees and legs shaking profusely underneath her. Even after the threat had been disarmed and most likely dead, she didn't move; still, he approached her slowly and his heart nearly stopped when she flinched away from his touch. The pain of their mutual avoidance fell to the wayside when the tears started. Raphael didn't care if she didn't want to be touched, he wrapped his arms around her and to his relief, she quickly hugged him back, weeping into his neck.

Within seconds, he'd picked her up into his arms and they went off into the night, which brought him to his current point.

Raphael had frozen atop her apartment building. April had not spoken a single word since he saved her other than her broken sobs.

April sniffled into his neck and finally mumbled a choked, "I'm fine..."

Raphael couldn't recall the last time he moved so fast down her fire escape, opening her window and making his way inside her dark apartment. He's quickly flicked on a couple lights and made his way to place her upon the couch, but the second he tried putting her down, April screamed.

Flinching at the sudden scream, he embraced her tighter, hushing soft mantras of "It's okay", "I'm here", and "It's all over".

<><><>

AN: As soon as Raphael and April get back to her apartment, April becomes hysterical. Seeing Raphael's wound on his shoulder and the fact she almost got killed just hits her and she's frantic. Raphael can do little to calm her down so he allows her to control the little she can. Allowing the brunette to clean his wounds and bandage him up just to keep her quiet even as he worries over her seemingly shattered mental state.

It wasn't just tonight either. Raphael notices the dark circles under her eyes, the fatigue, and how she looks at him with the most heartbreakingly haunted eyes. So, apparently he wasn't he only one that was going insane from their separation… There are still a lot of bitter feelings between them that neither can fully accept or talk about yet but the silence does most of it.

Lost in almost a little world as the adrenaline and near death experienc e fades slightly as the night continues. There's little words but not much needs to be said. Raphael and April are sitting next to each other on the couch and April still has yet to take her hands off of him. Clinging to him like a lifeline and Raphael doesn't even bother trying to remove the touch.

He missed it.

The guilt of refusing to talk to her so long builds in him and he knows she feels horrible too for probably the same reasons. Eventually, April calms but still keeps her hands on him; her fingers gently running up and down his forearm and the backs of his hands and over the new scars from his knuckles he got the last time he fled her apartment.

There's so many things both want to say but don't.

The exhaustion mentally and physically hits April first. The brunette lying her head against his chest where she falls asleep and Raphael accepts it. Gently lying down, he lays her on top of him with a blanket over both of them.

Months ago, his heart would be hammering and his pulse drumming frantically at this interaction but now he just feels relief to have her close.

Closing his eyes, Raphael almost falls asleep when his phone beeps in his pocket.

It's Donnie's mile long text informing him in great detail that with the police interference and information, they located where Baxter Stockman was staying and trying to reestablish communication with the Krang and Shredder. They were able to stop them all. The only missing piece is Karai who is missing and it suddenly made sense to Raphael why she went after April alone - a final piece of hatred to leave when she believed all turtles would be occupied with Stockman. Even if Baxter failed, the pain of losing their closest human friend would devastate them all…

Raphael felt immediate relief at the outcome and wrote with one hand, 'Karai is dead she tride 2 kill April. Aprils ok btw.'

Donnie doesn't respond immediately but when he does, all it reads is, 'that makes things a lot easier. Where's the body so we can inform the police?'

Raphael returns the information before shutting off his phone and focusing on the slumbering brunette in his arms.

As much as he wants to stew in his guilt and frustration of these past few months, he instead relishes in her life. Her breathing and sleeping on top of his plastron as if these past three months of avoidance didn't matter…

Raphael soon joins her in slumber and it's the best damn sleep he ever had.

<><><>

…Now for the actual conclusion…

<><><>

The first signs of wakefulness was like a light dusting of snow - while it would hit your skin, it would be so light and airy, it would hardly register; leaving you in this limbo in that cusp of unconsciousness. It began to pull at his awareness when he felt a tickle of breath along his chest, the warm air brushing over those sensitive plates.

It hit him like a runaway train when the warmth that rested on his stomach began shuffling - the recollection of what had occurred the previous night slashed at the remains of sleep and caused his eyes to flutter open.

The first thing he saw was the tattered white ceiling of April's apartment, delicate cracks trailing along the surface like spiderweb patterns in the thin stucco. He trained his eyes to the source of movement; fighting the need to flinch upon seeing April resting upon his chest, her delicate fingers brushing comforting circles; tracing the grooves on his plastron. Blue eyes peering along the surface as her fingers continued their languid movements in an almost hypnotic motion.

April began speaking, as if sensing his state even though her eyes continued to focus at some point beyond her vision.

"...Do you know what I was thinking about... when I was certain I was going to die?" she asked, her small, shaken voice was broken and he knew that if his hearing wasn't as good as it was, he most likely wouldn't have heard it.

Raphael didn't answer immediately, still frozen in place at the sight of her; while April was always small and petite, how she was curled up into herself at this moment made her look downright fragile - like a glass doll that could turn to dust at the slightest breeze. Heart aching upon seeing her this way, broken and afraid weren't adjectives to describe this strong, fiery, and damn stubborn woman in the least, it was as if she inverted into herself; a shell of some sorts.

"...what?" Raph asked in a gruff whisper, as if she'd break into pieces if his voice was too loud.

"At first, my thoughts were all over the place...stupid things like that vacation I never got to take because of work. Not calling my aunt and wishing her a happy birthday last week. Getting the damn garden salad instead of the bacon cheeseburger burger I really wanted for lunch... Heh... Isn't the brain the strangest thing when you think you're going to die? " April chuckled, fingers never letting up from the pattern. Her voice was a low, withdrawn whisper as she continued.

"Regrets... I always thought I've always lived my life in a way where I wouldn't have any...but..." a heavy sigh punctuated the thought before she finally continued, "It was all a lie, Raphael. I do have regrets - mostly trivial things that mean nothing at all...but there's one that terrified me into a fucking panic attack last night..."

All of a sudden, her movement stopped; palm flat over his racing heart as she lifted her face and looked at him as if for the first time.

"Do you want to know what the worst regret I have is?" April whimpered, cornflower blue eyes boring into his own burnished amber.

"...What?" Raph asked in a barely audible whisper at the pain lacing those beautiful blue eyes - pain he'd be willing to die for just the opportunity to take it away from her.

"If I died last night... How I never would have gotten the chance..." her left hand reached out to lightly touch his face; dainty fingers brushing along his jaw before she continued, "...t-to tell you..." fingers brushed over his lips and signature scar marring them and he trembled at the touch, "...just how much I love you...how I've always loved you...so fucking much. I was just too much of a fucking coward to admit to myself…" The whispered admission was like a shock to the heart; blue eyes lined with tears as she continued staring at him.

For a long time, there was nothing but silence in the small apartment.

The only noise that could be heard was his heartbeat pulsating in his ears, their combined breathing and the soft purr of the heater turning on. Raph was certain she could hear and feel just how fast his heart was drumming in his chest, one palm still resting comfortably atop his plastron. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of dream - some kind of euphoric conjuring of his mind, but the pain he was experiencing just by witnessing the overwhelming sadness in her blue depths that told him this was indeed reality. It wasn't those sweet dreams where she'd kiss him, hold him in a way he was certain she never would.

Fate had never been kind to him.

He never imagined he'd be lucky enough to know what it was like to be loved, be accepted by anyone other than his family.

And yet - here she was.

This incredibly beautiful woman (inside and out) who'd become such an instrumental part of his world - who he had yet to thank for his very existence when he should have perished in that fire so many years ago. How she'd entranced him from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her. The blindness at his initial distrust peeling away when she helped him with tending to Splinter. She'd had him wrapped around her tiny little finger since; slowly melting the black ice that surrounded his heart. Years of resentment toward humanity who would hurt him, dissect, and kill him at the first opportunity.

…but she changed everything.

April showed him that he was wrong and he'd never been more thankful to have been. He came to care for her - protect her - and ultimately love her with every fiber of his being; fully accepting the fact she'd never return those feelings once Casey came into the picture.

The words she spoke now ripped all that pondering to shreds. This was the same little girl who fed them pizza and named them after Renaissance painters - the same one who grew up and lost everything only to give everything to him and his family. She owed them nothing, but he owed her his very existence, and yet, she was here; just admitted to him that her only regret in her life before this moment was her withheld feelings of love she'd harbored all this time.

It was enough to take his breath away.

This was not something he expected. In a moment right now where she was lying on his chest, curled into his body and looking at him as if just waiting for him to reject her - sadness and resignation overwhelming every sense of the word.

Raphael wanted to speak.

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to say something - anything - but yet, his tongue felt like a chunk of lead stuck to the bottom of his mouth. The words just wouldn't come. Words of his own confession, his own secret muse of being in love with her from almost the very beginning. Convictions strong; willing to die for this girl if only for the chance to see her smile...but his mouth just wouldn't move...

"I love you, Raphael…" she whispered again, a sad smile tipping up the edges of her lips, "I'm not wasting another second with this regret and I'd fully understand if you'd continue with us not seeing or even talking to each other. Heh...I just...wanted you to know..."

Raphael couldn't speak, but this time, he knew actions would speak something words never could.

He interrupted her musing with a giant, gentle hand on the back of her head; pulling her toward him.

Within seconds, his lips enveloped hers and he gave every emotion, every word that he could put into that one kiss. It was off center and sloppy, but God, did it just feel so fucking good... He couldn't count how many times he'd dreamt about this, those visions of the feel and taste of her lips upon his own were nothing compared with the reality of that beautiful, soft, pouty mouth loving caressing his own. Certain his heart was going to beat out of his chest as his other hand moved to press along the curve of her spine, the fabric of that ratty t-shirt clenched in his hand as he lost himself in her.

All too soon, he felt her pull away with a wet popping noise; while already craving her lips again, hearing her heaving breaths and rapid pulsation of her heart, he knew she felt it too.

That maybe...he wasn't so crazy after all...

...They were both completely insane...and it was the best fuckin' feeling in the world as she kissed him again...

The End!

#raphril #raphril crazy #raphril fanfiction #ending #the art is old as fuck #sorry it sucks #i did one in 2016 #holy fuck #XD

39 notes · View notes