#my lungs hurtttt

[eyelesslover]

i want to rip my lungs out and pound them with a meat cleaver

[truths33k3r4]

TMNTember 2024 ~ “Carnival Ride Gone Wrong” - SIW

(TW for descriptions of dizziness, nausea, injury, and vomiting)

“Guys c’mon!!!” An eight year old Raphael called out as he led the way to the newly-constructed carnival rides.

The cool, autumn air nipped at Leonardo’s beak as he ran after his mischievous little brother. By Leo’s side was Donatello, heaving and sighing as he tried to keep up with the rapid pace of Raph. Leo had to hold back from laughing as he watched his freckled sibling continually need to readjust his still-too-big glasses during the sprint.

Throughout the whole trip from the sewers, the brothers had to take multiple breaks to allow Michelangelo to catch his breath or be carried. Seeing how the youngest was only five years old, they couldn’t blame him for not being able to keep up. To Leo, it was both admirable and annoying that his smallest brother always pushed himself to do the same things he, Raph, and Don did. This included when they did something stupid.

The four of them had been running for what felt like two hours now, going by the taut muscles in Leo’s sore limbs, and the spicy burn in his nostrils and throat from the chilly air. The extra weight of his youngest brother in his arms didn’t help much either.

Sheesh- how FAR is this thing?!?!

.  .  .

Finally all the brothers, sans Raph, collapsed onto the ground. Leo’s rapidly beating heart skipped and stuttered as he noticed the sky growing darker and darker. His skin let out a small shiver as the mist crept in, enveloping him and his brothers in smears of white and gray.

…He never said it was this far away…

“C’mon!!” Raph called out, as he waved his gasping and panting brothers to the gate of the carnival. “We got this place allll to ourselves~”

Leo masked his scoff as a groan while he lifted himself off the damp grass. After rubbing the moisture off his knees and shins, he walked over to Don’s sprawled out form on the ground.

“Don.. ya good?” Leo wheezed as he tried to force air back into his aching lungs.

Donatello’s body remained cemented to the grass as he fought to catch his breath. Leo watched as his brother’s plastron rose and fell in huffs, but eventually evened out to a steady rhythm. The oldest patiently waited with an expressionless face as Don gave out a long, dramatic sigh.

“...I’m takin’ that as a yes.” Leo finally mumbled as he turned around to check on Mikey. 

The youngest wasn’t panting or groaning, but rather fighting the battle of his life to keep his eyes open. As his eyelids slowly fell, his head would lull and roll to the side. Slumber would quickly be cut off with a harsh jolt as he shot his eyes open again.

Leo inwardly berated himself for letting Mikey come. Well, kind of. He shouldn’t have let the youngest hear the plan to sneak out in the first place. But, as always, Mikey used his youngest-sibling-powers to convince the other brothers to let him join them. And by that, he meant if they refused to let him come, then he would run straight to daddy and get them in trouble.

Blackmail~ the greatest weapon a sibling can possess.

“Mmmmmm can you cawwy mee?...My wegs hurtttt..” Mikey whimpered, as he lifted his hands into the air. His sky blue eyes grew triple their size, and shimmered with the reflection of the moon and stars.

Of…freaking….course.

With a more obvious groan, Leo leaned over and slipped his hands underneath Mikey’s arms. The oldest’s brows raised in concern when he was met with silence as he hoisted the youngest onto his shoulders. Normally Mikey would squeak or giggle when he was picked up, but the only sound that squeezed out of him was a feathery whimper.

..Guess he really is exhausted.

“C’mon! C’mon! C’MOOOOON!!!” Raph groaned from the other side of the gate. Leo shot him a quick glare as he held down Mikey’s legs to his plastron and stood up. After a curtly kick to Don’s side with no reaction, he found that his freckled brother was fully asleep in the grass.

Seriously???... HOW???

“DUUUUDE. The human said this place opens tomorrow!! That means we can only try out these sick rides tonighttttt.. Get your shell OVER HERE!!!”

“Oh yeah, a temper tantrum-. That' real ninja-like, Raph. You remember what dad says, ninjas are s’posed to be sneaky and- what was it again? Oh yeah~ silent.” Leo retorted as he began to scale the wire gate. Something so simple would normally be cake for him to complete, but the adding of Mikey’s vice-like grip onto his neck made things a bit more difficult. Kinda hard to focus when your oxygen is being cut off. He also didn’t realize the extra weight on his shell would throw off his balance.. When he pushed off the top of the gate, he attempted to curl himself and somersault as he landed. But that decision was quickly reprimanded as he tumbled to the ground, landing flat on his rear, and nearly throwing Mikey off his shoulders by the harsh impact.

“BAHAHHAHAHAAHA!!! I might not be sensei’s best student, but even I know that wasn’t very sneaky or silent.” Raph wheezed as he choked on his laughter.

Leo bit his cheek to keep an embarrassing whine from escaping his clenched teeth. 

Owwwwwwwwww.

“Oh shut up! I’m not used to climbin’ with Mikey on my shell!” Leo grumbled as he shakily stood back up. The fall only enhanced the growing soreness in his arms and legs. And now, he can officially add his bottom to the list.

“Hehe~ Come on, Snailanardo, let’s go try one out!!!” Raph excitedly pointed to the nearby spinning teacups ride. 

Despite the absolutely lame insult Raph had called him, the oldest was sincerely happy to see his brother allowing an expression on his face besides rage and spite. Leo couldn’t help the teeny tiny smile tickling his cheeks as he watched his brother sprint towards the ride with a smile as wide as Mikey’s.

Ah.. Right.. Mikey…

Leo began to crane his neck to see his youngest brother, but was abruptly halted at the sudden flop of weight onto his skull. Thin, short arms fell limply at the sides of Leo’s head, as a tiny huff sounded from Mikey’s lips. 

Aaaand he’s gone. Great~

Leo huffed out an amused chuckle as he ran to catch up with Raph, who was now red-faced and stamping his foot on the ground waiting for Leo again.

“I’m comin’ Tinkerbell! Don’t get your wings in a bunch.” Leo whisper-shouted as he finally arrived at the teacup ride. 

Embarrassment-tinted pink blended in with the anger-fueled red burning Raph’s cheeks. Leo loved calling him that nickname ever since dad found that old cassette tape of “Peter Pan” in the lost and found of the abandoned library. It was just too good of a nickname to pass up. The resemblance of his brother to the fiery fairy was uncanny.

“D-dad told you not to call me that!!!!” Raph squeaked with another stamp of his foot.

“...Just like how he told you not to call me names??...” Leo shot back with his head cocked and a smug grin on his face.

Raph opened his mouth but froze before another retort could escape. He stuttered and sputtered as Leo just stood there basking in the glow of victory.

“Fine! Imsorryforcallingyouabadname. Now can we PLEASE go on this ride????”

Leo’s smile shifted from teasing to genuineness again as he nodded. He was actually very excited to try going on his first ride. Carnivals weren’t really a thing that came by their part of the city all that much, so who knows when he’d get the chance to try one again?

Excitement flooded his senses as he jumped onto the seat of the ride by Raph.

They waited. 

Nothing happened.

Oops.

“Uhh..” Leo turned to Raph with an embarrassed, (and frankly disappointed) look. “I don’t think we can ride unless there’s.. power.”

Raph’s face plummeted through every stage of grief as he tried to comprehend what Leo just said.

“I…Y-you…B-b-but….WHATTTT?!?!??!?!?!” 

If Leo thought Raph’s face couldn’t get any more red earlier, he certainly was corrected now as his brother’s cheeks burst with hues as vibrant as his new mask that Sensei made him for his eighth birthday. Before Leo could utter a word, Raph stood up and took a very deep breath.

“DONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!” He shrieked into the night sky with all the volume his little lungs could muster. 

The sonic BOOM of Raph’s voice made Leo flinch something awful, as he shot up and slammed his head into the ceiling of the ride. He expected stars to dance in his vision, as he curled into his plastron and rubbed his head, but… His head was fine. He gave himself a few seconds to see if the adrenaline was keeping the pain away, but no. His head was absolutel-

MIKEY.

On cue to his realization, he and Raph heard a loud, squeaky groan from the youngest.

“OOOOWIIEEEE!” Mikey hiccuped as he started crying.

OH CRAP- OH SHOOT- OHHHH OTHER BAD WORDS-

“M-Mikey!! Uh- It’s ok!! It’s ok! You’re ok!! YOU’RE OK!!!” Raph pleaded as he pulled the youngest off of Leo’s shoulders and into his lap. He began to look at Mikey’s head as best he could, but the darkness looming over the carnival was making things much harder to see. “Uh- Leo, I-I can’t see anything! Is he bleedin’? You check!!”

“W-what??? Uh- okay?” Leo slid over to Mikey in Raph’s lap, and began feeling around the youngest’s forehead. His fingers smoothly traveled across Mikey’s skin until they were stopped by a large egg forming. The youngest chirped in distress by the contact of the sensitive area. “You’re okay, Mikey!!! It’s just a bump!! We get those all the time in practice!”

As Leo tries to gently rub the tears out of Mikey’s eyes, he hears the faint sound of footsteps.

And grumbling.

Raph’s whole body tenses as he begins peering into the streets for the owner of the sound. Leo scoots closer to his brothers, and shields Mikey by wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close to his plastron.

“What was that?” Leo whispered to Raph.

“D’know….” Raph quietly growled back.

Their heads both snapped to the left as the sounds of metal being pried open screeched. There were a few clicking sounds, followed by wire snips, and screwdriver twists. 

Then the night sky was swallowed by bright neon lights.

“WHAT THE-” Raph began, but was abruptly cut off as the whole world began moving.

Leo yelped as the ride started. He gripped tightly onto his little brothers as the outside world jarringly smeared into colors of navy, reds, and yellows. The spinning made him shift in his seat, forcing him to latch onto the safety railing for dear life just to keep upright. 

Raph wasn’t fairing any better.

The sickening circular movement was making the second oldest’s body yank, jolt, and slam into the railing and the sides of the cart. Leo winced as he imagined how thoroughly bruised Raph would be afterwards..

..And Mikey..

..Mikey looked like he was gonna die.

The youngest screamed and cried into Leo’s arms, shaking all over. Leo had to continually tighten his grip on his little brother, for fear that letting go would result in Mikey being flung off the ride into the cold heart of space. Yeah- That’s not gonna happen.

After an eternity passed of suffering through a spinning hellscape, the world began to slow.

Soft mechanical gears hummed and sputtered as the worst decision in Leo’s life mercifully came to an end.

His head rang with the echoes of his and his brothers screams. His chest ached as his heart seemingly attempted to break through the walls of his plastron. His stomach gurgled and twisted, like the spinning of the ride forced his insides to braid into a pretzel. 

“Ughhhhhh…” He groaned as he pulled away from Mikey to rest his head on the back of his seat.

He didn’t want to open his eyes.. Even though the spinning had stopped, his world still teetered and tipped like he was on the other end of a seesaw. 

And then he heard a familiar voice clear their throat.

Leo risked the world toppling over like Lincoln Logs and opened his eyes.

There, in front of the ride and picking at the dew-dusted grass.. was Don.

“So, dear brothers…how was the ride?” He grumbled with an exhausted shade under his eyes. “Tell me- was it worth it waking up all of FREAKING NEW YORK????”

Leo just sat there with wide eyes and a greener face.

Ohhh I don’t feel good..

Raph apparently felt the same, because simultaneously they lurched forward and painted the platform of the ride with everything they had eaten prior. Don’s face glitched as he recoiled back, and gasped with horror and disgust.

“AIIIEE!!! EW- WHY- EW- WHAT IS WRONG WITH- EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!”

Leo wiped his mouth with his arm, and turned to look at his two fallen brothers. Raph hadn’t even stopped throwing up yet, and Mikey looked like he was about to start.

As all oldest siblings know- THE YOUNGEST HAS THE WORST AIM.

Running on instincts alone, Leo grabbed Mikey from under his arms and leapt over the ride’s safety railing. Landing shakily on the grass, Leo held Mikey out over a trash bin and let the youngest do what he had to do to feel better. The smell wasn’t exactly helping Leo’s recovering stomach, and he would DEFINITELY have to clean his feet in the pond nearby after this-

-But at least they’re all alive..

Once Mikey was finished, Leo pulled him away from the trash, (still holding him an arms length away just in case), and began walking to the pond.

WORST. DECISION. EVER.

“RAPH!!” Leo called out to his deceased brother still leaning over the side of the railing, “NEXT TIME YOU GET AN IDEA FROM A SEWER WORKER THROUGH THE GRATE, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!!”

The End XD

~ TMNTember Prompts List~

[truelyqueer]

"no regards?!" "Sorrry I was eating a Milky Way"