#mikey is endearing in the way that only a youngest sibling can be

[deadtiredghost]

Can we make Team Red a thing?

i think they would get along like a house on fire. we need more fanfic of this trio.

^^ how i think they might bond.

[purpleturtle9000]

*skitters in through a hole in your ceiling*

Hi

So. The oranges. How much emotional damage are we lookin at, if any? Youngest siblings who have watched their older siblings die/almost die club? Is there guilt for not sacrificing sooner or does old Mikey have the self awareness to not fall into that? Are they cooking buddies do they swap recipes who helps them with their nightmares? Do they compare scars? Is there art done to cover/reclaim that pain?

Are there pranks involving floating

Until next time

*skitters back out the ceiling hole and patches it on my way out* 👍

🍊🧡🍊

Angelo is perhaps weirdly well-adjusted to everything that happened to him in the future. It affected him, of course it did, but he had the temperament and knowledge to deal with it a little better than the rest of his family. (He's not actually doing quite as well as he thinks he is, but like, he's ten out of ten compared to Leonardo.)

He doesn't feel guilty for the last minute self-sacrifice. Seven years after the apocalypse started, they tried the same plan as in the movie, and Angelo died. The rest of the family was barely able to bring him back, and his mystic powers hadn't done shit toward making a portal, so they called off the whole idea. None of them could bear to make the call, especially when it likely wouldn't work.

There's also the fact that going back to the past was going to reset the whole future. The more intel they could take back, and the better-trained that person would be, the more likely their chances of success. Besides, if it worked, all the suffering and death technically would have never happened, so he technically would have nothing to blame himself for.

He kind of still does, though. He'd always trained toward the idea of trying the time gate again, they just hadn't been sure if he could pull it off until it was time to try it out. Sometimes he wishes he tried earlier, if only so he didn't have quite so many memories of his loved ones dying, but at least they're all still alive in the past/present.

Little Mikey, on the other hand, has an absolute damn boatload of nearly-watched-my-brother-die trauma. He heard the wrist-comm recording of what happened in the prison dimension (he wasn't supposed to) and blames himself for every injury Leo got while Mikey was trying to open a portal to him. He could have had stronger powers, he could have been faster, he could have done something else-

Hearing Angelo's account of the future, what with the first attempt at the time gate and all, helps ease his guilt a little. But it's not like Leo's prison dimension injuries can be unwritten with a time gate, like all the drama from the future. There's not as much help there that Angelo can offer, besides being a listening ear, though that does help quite a bit.

They are cooking buddies absolutely! Angelo knows a thousand and one tricks for outdoor cooking and has April's mom's much-coveted brownie recipe. He won't share it, but he will let Mikey help stir things once all the ingredients are in a bowl. Mikey keeps guessing at what's in there, much to Angelo's amusement. And Angelo knows a bunch of new secrets about greenhouses and hdyroponics that endears him to both Mikey and Donnie (botany and tech nerd that he is).

Angelo also knows the best teas for soothing stressed-out turtles, which helps with everyone. The smell always wakes him up, so he goes looking to see what's happening whenever it's in play. He and Mikey have a lot of late-night conversations. Sometimes it's about serious stuff, sometimes it's about the Lou Jitsu fanfic that Angelo kept writing all through the apocalypse.

There's not a lot of scar comparison, because Angelo doesn't want to freak Mikey out by showing him everything that happened. Y'all've seen that post about Mikey missing a part of his shell in one frame? Angelo's not gonna show a fifteen-year-old kid that, doesn't want to freak him out.

Besides, his shell has healed, and Mikey's hands haven't quite. Angelo is actually quite helpful there! He's the only turtle with strong enough mystic powers to use them to heal, but it requires a use of his hands that still causes some pain for Mikey. Angelo can do it just fine, and add a bit of warmth to help soothe any lingering aches.

Angelo doesn't compare a lot of his art therapy, either, cause uh. There's a lot of blood in some of them and he doesn't think he should really show a fifteen-year-old that either. But not all of it is vent art! And he shows Mikey everything he draws that's a little less gory, cause there were still beautiful moments in the apoclaypse, and he's glad to have someone to share it with.

Mikey shows Angelo absolutely everything he makes an attempt at, and Angelo encourages all of it. And provides some art tips! Cause he's had twenty more years to hone his art skills so there's quite a bit that he can pass on.

There are so many pranks involving floating. Angelo teaches Mikey how to make his cape float behind him even when there's no wind, and how to open doors ahead of him. Mikey calls it their Jedi mind tricks and does the hand wave every time. (He also tries to mind-trick his way out of the chore list sometimes, which Raph never falls for). It's their favourite thing to do and they use Leonardo whenever they need to work on floating people/objects. He's patient about it and only whines a moderate amount when they drop him (Angelo does it on purpose, Mikey doesn't).

Thanks for patching the ceiling hole, I've been saying I need to get to that for weeks now!