#one could argue that mikey knows exactly what he's doing here

[tei-to-tei]

December 16 - Mischievous Activities

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | ...

[stop-talking]

You're his ex, but he's desperate for a babysitter. (pt. 3)

Mike Schmidt x fem reader

2.8k words

Tags: 18+, mike x reader, no use of y/n, smut, porn with plot, gag, bondage, exes, enemies, enemies to lovers, slowburn? sassy mike, sassy reader, brat behavior all around, switch mike, sub mike, munch mike, dom reader, oral (fem receiving), pet names, banter, angst, love-hate relationship, hate fucking, aftercare, fluff.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

This chapter is pure smut. If you're here for the story (cuz pfft who reads this stuff right...) you can skip this and still understand part 4. TLDR: they fuck.

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You sit next to Mike on the couch as you down the last bit of your coffee.

"You know, I think I'd like to use one of my favors." You smirk and put a hand on his leg as you set your mug down.

"O-oh yeah?" Mike stutters out lamely, attention immediately pulled away from whatever stupid show you turned on the T.V.

"Yeah."

Mike yelps softly as you squeeze his thigh, but doesn't make any moves to stop you. Damn it, you know exactly how to push his buttons. You always did.

"What exactly do you want from me?" He narrows his eyes at you, brow furrowing as he desperately pretends he doesn't like to be toyed with.

"What do you think I want, Mikey?"

Mike's eyes go wide as your hand inches up his thigh, but he swallows and returns the sass.

"Why don't you tell me yourself, Princess?"

You huff and shift on the couch, throwing yourself across his lap dramatically. Your back arches from the way you're laying on his legs, and you stare up at him with a pout.

"Just take me to bed already."

Mike does just that, hooking one arm under your back, and the other under your knees. He fucking princess carries you. That's new.

"Damn, you been working out?" You tease him, feeling up his bicep with one arm as you hook the other around his neck for support. He doesn't look especially muscular, hell, he doesn't feel muscular either. Of course, that could be because of the soft hoodie he's wearing.

"What do you think?" He swings you around to face the bench press in the corner of his bedroom as he nudges the door closed with his foot. You'd never seen him actually use the damn thing, but... well, he was carrying you fairly easily.

"I think you've missed me." You look up at him, eyes trailing down to his lips.

"I'm just doing you a favor, sweetheart." He tosses you on the bed before you can get that kiss you were thinking about.

"You mean you're just doing me."

"As a favor."

His stubbornness irks you, and you crawl over next to him as he sits on the edge of the bed.

"Here, let me help." You grab his leg and start taking off his sneaker. Mike's a little confused, but he lets it happen. You take the other one off as well, then wave a dismissive hand at him as you start untying his laces.

"You can take off the rest yourself."

"Fuck are you doing with my shoes?" He grumbles as he removes his hoodie and shirt.

You don't bother to answer him, and when he looks over again he realizes you're completely un-lacing his shoes.

"I need the laces."

"Do I even want to know why?" He scoffs and starts to undo his belt and shimmy out of his jeans, leaving him in just his boxers.

"Oh, you'll find out. Lie down and wait."

Mike stays put, scowling. However, It's a little hard to feign annoyance when he's, well, a little hard. He finally gives in when he realizes you're not gonna throw him any hints, and sighs as he scoots back on the bed.

"Good boy." You tease him, finally pulling the 2nd lace completely free of his shoe.

He groans, but makes no effort to stop you as you climb up on him in a straddling position. He only wishes you'd taken your shorts off first. Oh well. Not like they're covering much, anyways.

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"Not as much as you'd regret not doing this."

Mike can't argue with that. So, he doesn't try. He wraps a hand around the back of your neck and pulls you in for a kiss. His other hand finds its way to your lower back and he gives a little tug down, silently begging you to lower yourself onto him.

"Mmmph... nngh..." When the gentle tugging doesn't work, he tries whining, but everything comes out muffled with your tongue practically down his throat. He's not usually the type to just take what he wants, but damn it, he might try it soon if you keep tormenting him.

"What was that, Mikey?" You pull away from the kiss and sit up on him, finally making contact with the twitching hard-on in his boxers.

He's already breathless from the kiss, and now that he can feel you... he can't even talk. You've broken him already. He just pants and looks up at you with those big brown puppy eyes of his.

"Use your words." You scold him, and adjust yourself on top of him to brush up against him. When that doesn't get him to talk, you gently trail your nails down his chest with both hands. That really gets him going.

"Please." He hates begging. He hates this. Wasn't HE supposed to be doing YOU? And yet, here he is, already melting.

"Please what?"

"Please just do whatever-the-fuck you want." He sighs and goes limp, letting his arms drop to the bed as he tries to get his breathing under control. All that kissing made his brain go fuzzy.

"Thank you. I will."

Mike practically growls as you lean down and bite him in the crook of his neck. It quickly turns to a whimper when you start rocking your hips as well, grinding into him with those infuriatingly tiny shorts.

"Shh... Abby's asleep, remember?" Shit. The last thing he wanted to think about right now was his little sister in the room across the hall. You were right though, the walls here are thin. Mike nods and bites the inside of his cheek to quiet himself, then tugs desperately at your hips. He wants you to keep going. He needs you to keep going.

"Aww, you're so worked up already." You can't feel much through your shorts and his boxers, but you can tell his moves are getting desperate. After a minute or so of biting all down his neck and grinding on him, you decide to switch things up before he explodes.

"Fuuuuck." Mike lets out a low groan as you climb off of him. He tries to pull you back down by the hips, but you swat his hands off. No fair.

"Here, gimmie." You take his wrist and hold his arm up, fiddling with something. Before he can even process what's happening, his wrist is tied to the bedpost. Is that... his shoelace? He's not sure whether he should laugh or try and get out while he can.

"You're an evil woman." He groans, but doesn't even try to pretend he doesn't like this. Not with it literally jumping in his boxers.

"This evil woman misses your tongue, Mikey." You tsk at him quietly as you tie up his other wrist. Tight. Damn it, that's gonna hurt later.

"Fuck... sit on my face."

"What was that?" You look down at him with a smirk as you slip out of your shorts and panties, kicking them to the floor.

"Sit on my face." He repeats. "Please."

"Only because you asked so nicely."

Mike nearly dies right there when he feels your thighs wrap around the sides of his head. You aren't quite on his face, instead choosing to sit up on the top of his chest. It's still enough to drive him mad. Damn it, he shouldn't enjoy this so much.

"I... You're so..." He looks up at you, his usual scowl replaced with that dreamy expression you only ever got to see in times like this.

"So what, Mikey?" You prompt him, running your fingers through his dark brown curls with a hand. "Hm?"

"Sooooo mean." He closes his eyes and groans, leaning back into your hand as you play with his hair.

"I wanna be meaner. Suffocate you a little."

"Evil woman." His eyes twinkle as he looks up at you again, unable to hide how eager he is.

Laughing softly, you lift your hips and position yourself over his face. Much to your amusement, his arms tug at the restraints. Has he forgotten he's tied up?

"Hold still." You scold him, carefully lowering yourself. His stubble tickles a bit, but it's a familiar feeling. This isn't your first rodeo, especially not with him.

Mike already has his tongue out before you even touch his face. Honestly, he probably wants this more than you do at this point, even if you are the most infuriating person in his life. He moans when you finally make contact, surprised at just how wet you are. Damn it. You really do love toying with him.

"Shush. No moaning."

Mike whimpers a bit when you scold him, and starts bucking his hips into the air. God, he wishes his hands were free. He can't even bring himself to beg for it, too absorbed in you.

"Fuck, right there." You start to buck your hips slightly as well, grinding onto his face. His tongue is hitting just the right spot, and he fuckin' knows it. Bastard.

As soon as you give him that little sliver of praise, he loses it. Completely. He's a desperate, writhing mess beneath you, pulling against his restraints and thrusting up into the void while he eats you out like he's starved.

With one hand gently pulling his hair, and the other clinging to the headboard to steady yourself, you rock your hips. This earns you another low moan from Mike, and while the vibrations feel amazing against your clit, he needs to shut the fuck up.

"Quiet, or I'll fuckin' gag you." You hiss, yanking his hair a little harder for a moment to make a point. He returns to whimpering, for now.

God, you missed this. Mike Schmidt was a jackass, but he was a jackass that knew exactly how to make you squirm. In fact, you were squirming now. Fuck.

"I'm almost... mmm.... Mike..."

Fuck, now you're moaning his name?

Mike wants to grab your hips and pull you down into his face harder, but his hands are restrained.

He wants to grab himself and finally get off, but again, restraints.

He wants to moan, but you're threatening to gag him.

He wants to keep you in this bed with him forever, but he can tell you're close, and pretty unlikely to stick around afterwards. Even if you could be convinced, he's too stubborn to ask.

He wants to taste your cum. So he does.

"Fuuuuuck." You turn into a trembling mess on his face, your legs going weak as he licks and sucks in just the right way. He knows your body so well.

"Nngh, Mike, stop." You lift your hips, leaving him licking at the air for a moment.

"God, that was..."

Mike watches as you scoot back to sit on his chest again, and feels your thighs gently squeeze his face. When you run both hands through his hair as well, he's in heaven. He doesn't need you to say he did a good job to know he did well. He can tell by the way you caress him, and the slick dripping down his chin. He smiles at the glazed over look in your eyes, and he's sure.

"Did I earn the right to use my arms again, Princess?"

That little smug comment breaks you out of your trance. Bastard.

"Yeah, yeah. One minute." You sigh and stare down at his face. Poor boy is wrecked, your mess all over him.

Mike's eyes go wide as he watches you take off your little white tank top, your only remaining piece of clothing. He only gets a brief look at your tits before you swipe it across his face, cleaning him up.

"Hey, I was gonna eat that." He teases, staring up at your chest with hunger in his eyes.

"Yeah, well, you still can." You chuckle and stuff the tank top in his stupid smug mouth, a makeshift gag for what's to come. or cum. hah.

Mike can't help but be annoyed with you. He's clearly going insane with how badly he needs to cum, he just worked so hard to finish YOU off, and his wrists hurt. And what do you do? Gag him. Wonderful.

As soon as you finish untying one of his wrists, Mike uses his newly freed hand to yank the gag out.

"What was that for?" He scowls, reaching to untie his other wrist himself as you crawl on top of him.

"You're loud when you cum. Put it back in and bite down or you're not getting any."

He rubs his wrists and looks at the woman straddling his legs so confidently. If you'd just scoot up a little, you'd be where he really wants you, right on his cock. But he figured that probably wasn't going to happen.

"You're infuriating." He willingly shoves the gag back in his mouth, attempting to scowl through a mouthful of cotton. All his anger melts away when you tug his boxers down and finally wrap your hand around his dick. He shudders. Fuck, he's not gonna last long.

"Just let it out, Mikey." You coax him, using a soothing voice and quick hand to finish him off. He bucks his hips up into you and whimpers through the gag, eyes rolling back into his head. Precum drips from him almost immediately, and you smile. He definitely had fun.

After hardly a minute of pumping, he explodes all over his stomach and chest. Fuck, some even gets on his neck. You laugh and make a show of licking your fingers clean, eyeing him up and down.

When Mike's eyes finally flutter open, he almost gets hard again. He tries to let the image of you straddling him, completely naked, and sucking his cum off your fingers soak into his brain. He wants it burned into his eyes, Christ. Why did he ever let someone so hot get away from him?

"That was fast."

Oh, right, because she's a total witch.

"You told me to let it all out."

"Mhm. And now look at you. A mess."

Mike props himself up on his elbows and snorts.

"Gonna lick me clean too, sweetheart?"

"Nope."

God, why did he even ask? He lies back down on the bed, sexually satisfied, but mentally and physically exhausted. He hardly registers you climbing out of bed until he hears his bathroom door close.

A few minutes later, you return and toss him a rag. It's warm and damp.

"Clean yourself up, you're a big boy." You taunt him while you slip back into your shorts and panties.

Mike sighs but accepts the rag and starts to wipe himself down.

You reach for your tank top, lying discarded at the edge of the bed. Then you remember you used it to wipe up... hm. Probably best not to wear it.

"I'm stealing a shirt." You announce, turning to rifle through his dresser. Is this the shirt drawer? No, this one?

"Keep the tank-top. Free souvenir."

"Stealing? Not borrowing?" Mike scoffs, sliding his boxers back up.

"Yep. Can I take this one?" You turn and hold up a faded grey shirt with a cheesy pun on it.

"No. I like that one."

"Oookay... what about this one?"

"No. Sentimental value."

"This?"

He's tempted to keep denying you, if only to see you shirtless for longer. Damn, if you hadn't tied up his wrists he would have been all over those...

"Mike? Can I have this one?" You repeat, annoyed.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure." He grumbles, turning away in an attempt to hide his blush. It was stupid. He just ate you out, and he blushes at the sight of boobs?

You chuckle to yourself as you throw on his shirt. It smells like him. Or at least, smells like his detergent.

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"Hope you had as much fun as I did, Mikey." You lean against his bedroom door, preparing to leave.

"You don't wanna stay for a bit?" Damn it. He sounded pathetic, begging his ex to stay. This was just a favor to you, a quick release. He couldn't help but try, though.

"Hm. Don't you have to take Abby to school?"

Mike glances at the digital alarm next to his bed. Shit. They're definitely running late now.

"...Yeah. I'll, uh, see ya?"

"You promised to get a new babysitter this weekend."

He swallows, heart sinking into his stomach. Yeah, he did say that, didn't he?

"Right. Yeah."

An awkward silence lingers in the air for a few moments, so you clear your throat and speak up.

"You wanna walk me out?"

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After quickly shuffling into some shorts and a t-shirt, Mike walks you to the front door and unlocks it for you while you gather your things. His heart wrenches at the sight of you in his shirt, though he tries not to show it. That sort of thing would usually mean you're his. But you aren't. Not anymore.

"Tell Abby I said good luck in her witching endeavors."

"Will do."

He watches you leave, and the exhaustion finally crumples him. Fuck, Abby's just gonna have to miss the first few hours of school today. He needs a nap. Or a medically induced coma.

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Author's note: This was my first time writing smut so uh hope y'all enjoy. This series is also my first attempt at fanfiction in general. I'm so excited to write the last chapter! Sorry to end on a sad note. I love angst. Sad little babygirl Mike. <3 <3

Also, is tying Mike up with shoelaces very realistic? Probably not. But it's hot. And I can't imagine he keeps bondage stuff.

Edit: Part 4

[bellaxgiornata]

Ask the boys! What are Mikey and/or Matt's favourite comforting ways to decompress (with reader)?

Ohhhh, thank you for this one!! I had to sit them down for this little dialogue! As always, I'll throw everything under the cut because this'll be longer. But please enjoy this gif depicting Matt's enthusiasm levels today at me being distracted from a particular fic update he wants.

Bella, dramatically shouting: So who's ready to play ASK THE BOYS?!

Mikey, cringing a little on the couch: D'ya really need to say it like that, pet?

Matt, raising a brow: Yeah, we're not exactly on an episode of Family Feud. This isn't a game show.

Bella: No, but could you imagine if you were? Maybe Fog could be the fourth player. And you know what? I'd actually pay good money to see that because it'd be hilarious. But now that you say that, I think I want to play Ask the Boys like it is a game show every time someone asks for it. So thank's for that, Matty!

[Matt dramatically sighs loudly on the couch beside Mikey]

Frank, shouting from the kitchen as he makes coffee: Can you just let the lady have some fun? Play along, dammit. Don't you know better than to argue with a pregnant woman, anyway?

Mikey, settling into the couch: He has a point. Best not to argue.

Matt, reluctantly: Fine. What's the question?

Bella: Okay, since you're being a sourpuss I'm asking Mikey first. What's your favorite comforting way to decompress with Reader/a significant other?

Mikey, scratching his beard in thought: Suppose I'd say...somethin' calming. Like takin' a walk, just holdin' hands and enjoyin' each others' company. Or maybe cuddlin' up in bed or on the sofa with a book and just readin' together, not even sayin' a word. I deal with enough excitement with my family, don't exactly need anymore outside o' that, y'know? I'd rather just...slow things down for a bit together. Be able to hold them and just be with them.

Bella: Ohh, I like that. You definitely do need less stress and a slower paced environment with some of the stuff your family puts you through constantly. Or like...an entire change of scenery that isn't Dublin.

Mikey, humming in agreement: Ya can say that again.

Bella, focusing on Matt: Now Matt, same question.

Matt, growing a sheepish smile: I'd have to say...in my bed with both of us not wearing clothing--[quickly holding up a hand to quiet everyone before they interject] solely because it's far too irritating if I'm trying to decompress and relax with too much outside stimulation, not for any other reasons. I'd rather just feel them over anything else. Because I'd prefer to focus in on their heartbeat and their breathing, listening to the sound of their voice as they talked. Sometimes outside stimulation just gets to be too much with my senses, and that's where I'd feel the most comfortable with a partner while trying to decompress. Somewhere without some of that extra stimulation. And uh...I wouldn't mind being the one who was being cuddled instead of doing the cuddling, I guess, too...

Bella, nodding: Makes sense. I think we're all well aware of how touch starved you tend to be--especially for a touch that isn't someone punching you in the face for once. Obviously for you to decompress with a partner, you'd want them doing the comforting. Though I highly doubt you'd ever just, you know, ask for what you wanted, so you'd need a partner that already could intuit that. But you know, there's nothing wrong with asking for what you need, Matt.

Matt, abruptly rising from the couch: Okay, I wasn't expecting this to turn into a therapy session. Are we done now?

Bella, rolling her eyes: If it was a therapy session with all of you, we'd be here for months. But yes, that does answer the question for this round of Ask the Boys!

Matt, grinning: Great, now maybe you can get back to that thing you're almost finished writing for me. You know the one.

Bella, sighing: Fine, fine. I'll let you three get back to pre-baby panicking in here for now while I finish it.

(Bella's Follower Celebration Post for those who want to join in the fun!)

[thisbarbiereallylikesbirds]

A Visit to Draxum's - a @tmnt-write-fight attack

@ozymdis you have been attacked!!

Read the fic on ao3!!

It wasn’t normal for Mikey to still be in his room this late in the day. Normally by now he’d be out, already have cooked his family breakfast, and have waltzed into the lab, sketchbook in hand, to draw while Donnie worked on his latest invention. But by now it was nearly noon. And Donnie had yet to see him.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. Or maybe, since Donnie had been the only one who’d seemed to notice, it did.

Raph and Leo had fought before. They’d always squabbled here and there, ever since they were both old enough to talk. But things had gotten worse since the leadership change. Much worse. And the only way the pair seemed to communicate with each other anymore was through a screaming match. And there was only so much of that junk that Mikey could take.

Donnie didn’t know what they were fighting about today. Frankly, he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to him was the fact that the arguing had kept Mikey locked up in his room. Mikey, who rose before the sun. Mikey, who was always the first to get cabin fever and beg to go up to the surface. Mikey, who only hated one thing more than isolation: fighting.

Stupid, selfish, dumb-dumb brothers.

In their old lair Mikey hadn’t really had a door. He’d had a curtain to give him the semblance of privacy, but you couldn’t really knock on that. To fix that problem Mikey had begged Donnie to build him a doorbell. He could still remember his brother's tiny, squishy face when he’d presented him with the finished project. His little brother was only five years old at the time.

He’d brought the contraption with him to their new house, and with Donnie’s help, had affixed it to his new door. 

Donnie stared at it, a small orange button with a smiley face haphazardly drawn on it by Mikey’s tiny hand all those years ago. Back when things were easier. Back when their dad still helped them with stuff. Back when Leo and Raph did more than fight.

Shaking himself free of his thought, Donnie pressed the button. It only took a few seconds for Mikey to appear at the door. A smile was plastered to his face, but Donnie could tell from his red-rimmed eyes that he’d been crying.

“Morning, Donnie,” Mikey said quietly.

“Good morning, Micheal,” Donnie said, shifting his backpack to better fit over his Battle Shell. “Would you care to accompany me to Draxum’s?”

Mikey’s eyes lit up. Donnie could acknowledge that Draxum had been invaluable during their fight with the Shredder. But that still didn’t mean he had to like him. Mikey did, though. And apart from wandering the New York City streets aimlessly (not exactly the safest thing to do, especially in broad daylight), his apartment was the only place they could really go. 

Besides, he was done listening to all the fighting too.

“Really?” Mikey asked. “You’ll come with me?”

“Yes. I know you’ve been going over there to practice your mystic stuff and I figured I could come too.”

“You want to practice with me?” Mikey said, his voice climbing at least three octaves. That wasn’t what Donnie had meant. He’d planned to sit and work on Shelldon’s new body while Mikey and Draxum practiced. But he wasn’t about to extinguish the light that had just returned to his little brother’s eyes. He wasn’t that mean.

“...Yes,” he said with some struggle. “I would love nothing more than to spend my time working on something not useful.”

It must’ve been a good lie, because Mikey shot forward and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing as tightly as he could.

“This is gonna be so much fun!” he said. “We can practice our Ninpo! Ugh, I’ve been trying to help Draxum unlock his, but he just hasn’t gotten it yet. I wonder if–”

Mikey continued talking, but at that point Donnie started to tune him out. He desperately hoped he hadn’t just gotten himself in over his head.

“What are you doing?” Draxum asked.

“Exactly what you told me to,” Donnie bit back. “Are you sure the problem isn’t your teaching? Maybe we should try something else.”

“You need to master the basics first,” Draxum said. “I already told you, if you can’t do this then you’re not ready for anything more advanced. It can be very taxing on the body. Do you want to turn to dust?”

Donnie rolled his eyes. He’d prefer turning to dust than spending one more minute doing this.

“Your brother got this easily,” Draxum muttered under his breath.

“You know what, work with him for a bit,” Donnie said, walking over to the table and opening his backpack. “I’ve got other stuff to work on.”

Draxum didn’t argue.

As stupid as he was, Draxum was right about one thing. To Mikey, this stuff was easy. In the past few months Mikey had blown past the basics and was now working on some more advanced things with Draxum, particularly learning how to fly. This was where Mikey had hit a roadblock.

He’d tried explaining it to Donnie on the way over. But, considering that almost none of this made sense to Donnie, he hadn’t been much help in discovering a solution. Something was keeping Mikey from unlocking his true potential. They just couldn’t figure out what.

Luckily, Draxum was a bit kinder in helping Mikey with his issues than he had been for Donnie. But, if he appreciated one thing about Draxum, it was his honesty. Even if it meant that Draxum didn’t try to hide his favoritism. Besides, out of all of the brothers, Mikey was a good pick.

In between their practice sessions, it looked like Mikey had a good amount of time to work on sprucing up Draxum’s apartment too. The last time Donnie had been here (that horrible family dinner) the place had been nearly empty. Now there was a vase of fresh flowers on the table, the pantry was stocked with snacks, and pictures of their family that Mikey had sacrificed from his own room hung on the walls. 

One of the first things Mikey had done when they’d got there that particular day was start making lunch. He’d cut up some meat and vegetables for a soup and set it to cook. When it was finished, it would signal it was time to take a break and eat. 

The pleasant aroma of the soup filled the air around Donnie as he worked on his designs for Shelldon’s new (and hopefully indestructible) body. He had been smart enough to not ask what was in the food. Another thing Mikey had been learning from Draxum was how to cook with Hidden City ingredients. And as much as he enjoyed that most…eccentric dishes at Run of the Mill, he figured he would enjoy the food a lot more if he didn’t know what was in it.

“Have you brothers been practicing their exercises too?” Draxum asked. Donnie resisted the urge to sigh. Leave it to Draxum to bring up the one topic that they’d come here specifically to avoid.

“I think they’ve just been too busy,” Mikey said. A familiar tone had returned to his voice. It was the same one he used whenever he talked about Raph in Leo. A quiet melancholy that he was trying desperately to cover up.

“Well, moving is time consuming,” Draxum said.

Donnie paused what he was working on. Despite the fact that they’d been in their new house for months, they hadn’t really started “moving” yet. They had their rooms, sure. Their necessities. But most of the rest of their things still sat in stacks of brown cardboard boxes, scattered around their new lair. A good amount of their stuff was still at the old one too. Had Mikey not told Draxum any of this yet?

Then again, maybe that was a good thing. The stuff that was going on at home was family issues. And as much as Mikey tried to include him, Draxum wasn’t family. He never would be. Not to Donnie.

“The soup should be ready by now,” Mikey said, cutting the conversation short and walking over to the stove. He grabbed three bowls from Draxum’s cabinets (before Mikey he’d only had paper dishes) and ladled soup into all three.

Donnie cleared the table in front of him, shoving all of his stuff back into his backpack. Back home Raph, Leo, and Splinter would all be eating lunch separately. If they ate it at all. 

The only times that the Hamatos bothered to have a meal together was when Mikey insisted upon it. He’d always been like that. The family’s glue.

Donnie looked across the table at Mikey. And then suddenly it clicked. Why he cared about Draxum so much, why he was so insistent on bringing them together. No matter what he did, Mikey couldn’t get Raph and Leo to get along. He couldn’t bring his family together. He couldn’t restick the bonds that had begun to sever. He felt useless without his job. Something Donnie understood all too well. 

He wasn’t gonna let his little brother keep feeling like that, though. If getting along with Draxum, if playing family with him was what it took to help Mikey, then he was willing to do it. He’d do anything for his little brother. 

“Draxum?” Donnie asked. “After lunch maybe I can try that exercise again.”

[robinofinashiro]

"it's like your Bonten's mother! how sweet!"

characters/fandom: rindou haitani x reader

request status/note: closed /

pronouns: she-her

"oh my god my eyes are burning," you murmured, trying to stop yourself from continuing to rub them. sanzu gave you a look, insinuating that the smoke was more than likely the problem, "some of us got allergies you dick," you replied, throwing him a few pieces of ash that were on the table.

you weren't very keen on hanging out with sanzu but rin, ran, nor mikey were in the building and your brother was out of the country for the moment with a few of your partners.

between you and sanzu, the two of you acted like siblings that constantly argued with each other. it came off as a surprise to everyone in bonten when you appeared with rin's arm around your shoulder. never in a million years did ran think his dorky younger brother would have bagged you of all people but in his own brotherly way, he was proud.

another big surprise was the life you lived. when rin first saw you, you didn't seem like you were the type to be in such a lifestyle. you had finished up your schooling, even did some college classes and tried to finish up a degree for it but your real lifestyle got in the way of it all and stopped it.

he hadn't realized who you actually were until he got a good look at who were. rindou was shocked to see who your family was and who you were connected to.

-

you were sitting at a table in a bar on the outskirts of Roppongi. you were with a couple of friends that you had met in college. they weren't exactly excited to be at a bar like this but you knew that if all of you minded your business, the patrons who frequented the bar would leave you all alone.

"how did you even hear of a bar like this? it doesn't seem like your type," one of your friends said. you giggled, not wanting to give them the real reason, "oh, uh, my brother comes here all the time with his friends! it's not as bad as it looks, i swear!"

they all remained silent, taking your word for it. you ordered another round of drinks for your table and handed the bartender what seemed like a debit card. you all continued to drink and sing to the songs that were playing through the speakers. being that you came here often under different obligations, you knew this place like the back of your hand; however, certain pair of a eyes had just noticed you for the first time.

rindou and ran had walked into the bar, going immediately to the back to start handling their business. rindou had ordered a couple of beers for all of Bonten when his eyes landed on you. you were laughing at something hysterically, holding the beer against your chest as you tried not to spill it.

ran had noticed his brother was not paying very much attention to the matter at hand but figured he didn't need to pry unless it was extremely distracting.

rin wanted to go up to you, he really did, but figured that you must've ended up at the wrong bar and had no idea what this entire place was actually about. when all of you got up to dance, he noticed what looked like an outline of a tattoo on your shoulder but knew that unless you were in gang affiliated business, tattoo's weren't common with just regular ole' people so it must've been his eyes playing tricks on him.

"rin, are you paying attention or did you come here to just stare at random people all night?" ran exclaimed, snapping his fingers in front of his brother's face. rin rolled his eyes, not bothering to play into his antics and finally composed himself. he knew he had no chance with you and decided to finally stop being a creep.

/

"rendai, do i really have to be here? i'm going to be the only girl in this dong fest," you exclaimed.

he laughed knowing that you were right. you were going to be the only girl in a country mile but you were needed in this situation and there was no way you could have gotten out of it, especially when you held such a high position in your familie's gang.

you picked at your nails, wanting to get this stupid gang fight over with. now that your families number two had stepped down, you were prompted up to be right under your brother. you were making more important decisions for your gang and although it upset you that you'd eventually have to drop your college courses, you knew it was your fate. it wasn't everyday that a girl ranked higher than most men in a gang and you were told from a very young age that you and your brother were eventually going to inherit your families gang.

as you and your brother arrived to the dirty and abandoned parking garage, you noticed several of japan's most prominent gangs in attendance. you greeted those that you had alliances with and didn't spare a second glance at those who you didn't know.

the both of you got comfortable on top of a car and waited for the shitshow to start. you didn't bother to care for who was fighting but you knew that these types of meetups usually meant making some kind of connections with other gangs in the area.

rin, ran, sanzu, and mochi arrived to the scene, scooping out the area and finding a place to sit down at. they had zero need to be in attendance but figured it gave them something to do for the rest of the night. a fight like this never hurt anyone.

as soon as they sat down, rin looked all over the place to see who was here. his eyes widened when he locked eyes on you. what the hell were doing here? several questions ran through his head and he turned to his brother.

"who's the girl and the boy sitting on the car?" he asked. ran chuckled, "that's ( your name ) and rendai, they're brother/sister duo from the ( last name ) family. they're the ones that had taichi killed last year. ( your name ) was the one that called for the death and rendai was the one that executed it," rindou's eyes widened.

the death that ran was talking about shocked almost everyone last year. they heard it was a pretty gruesome death to those who witnessed it but hearing that you were the one who called for it was surprising.

"since when did she become so high in the gang?" he asked. ran shrugged, "i think someone stepped down and she immediately was put into his place. she's pretty sadistic from what i heard from others. negotiations are pretty hard to come across with them in general so not many of the people here know them well. plus, she does the dirty work others don't want to do without actually having to do it herself so you can see why they're successfull."

as the fight started, you kicked your legs up, laughing at how ridiculous these men looked. you knew that nothing was going to come out of it besides bragging rights so you when you locked eyes with a blond and blue haired boy, you smiled at him shyly. rin shot you a head nod before looking over to ran.

"i say we start some negotiations with them," he stated. ran shrugged, "i don't know, ask mikey about that, " he replied. rin nodded as you jumped off the car when you realized that the fight was coming closer to you and your brother.

you gave the men in the fight a dirty look as a few specs of dust got on your clothes.

"watch where the fuck you're going you dumb fuck, i really don't need to involve my people over this useless fight."

rin laughed seeing the way you jumped onto a different cars hood and wiped yourself off. you crossed your legs and leaned against your brothers shoulder, wanting to fall asleep but fought against it.

-

from that day on, it become history. bonten and your family were bonded through yours and rin's relationship making the tokyo gang scene a lot more scarier now that your gangs were somewhat combined.

"by the way, where is rin and the rest of them? they were supposed to be here an hour ago," sanzu pointed to the garage insinuating that they were following through with a drug deal that had went wrong. you nodded, "ugh, it doesn't take this long for a punishment. i'll be right back."

sanzu shot right up, trying to stop you but you grabbed your gun from the back of your pocket and walked into the room.

"rin, we're going to be late for our date tonight if you continue your little torture game," mikey chuckled as he and ran looked to half dead man sitting in the chair. you aimed your gun at the mans chest and shot off a singular bullet to his chest making his body hit the floor instantly, "see, it's all done, now lets go before i fall asleep talking to sanzu."

ran shook his head in slight disbelief. he never understood how you were able to do such insane things like quite literally murdering a man without hesitation and act like it was second nature.

"are they coming over later for dinner? if they are, i need to stop at the store after lunch," you stated to rin. he nodded in agreement as you felt ran's shoulder come across your shoulder, "it's like your Bonten's mother! how sweet!" he teased.

you gave him a look, wanting to say something sarcastic but rin had beat you to it. he started screaming at his brother to take his filthy hands off of you. you looked to mikey, shaking your head in disbelief as he laughed at how ridiculous the two brothers were being.

[underratedmurder]

Richie Jerimovich x Reader ~ Tastes Like Stew

__________________

Reader burns their hands and Richie offers to help :)

Stuff in this: Soft Richie, reader and Richie argue… a lot, reader is a little bit rude, Richie has a soft spot for reader but hasn’t come to terms with it yet, his love language is caring for others, he’s mean when he cares

Richie is my favorite character on The Bear rn, and I couldn't resist writing a short little something about him.

Just read this in his voice and it's great trust !!!

cw: mentions of death, getting first degree burns (ouch), very subtle sexual themes, that's it

And if anyone is interested in reading more about this dynamic or has a request I am totally open to that!

Note: yeah I know the title is so creative and beautiful and romantic thank you for noticing

Also sorry I called your eyes ‘freakishly blue’ Carmen, it’s just how I honestly feel

Okay just imagine the washcloth is tucked into his apron

__________________

Hot steam coated your forehead, as droplets of sweat dribbled down your nose. The heat and moisture from the giant pot of stew below you was starting to cook you more than the fire, and rolling up your sleeves didn’t seem to be enough to alleviate the sweltering conditions. 

The Beef was bustling, more than it had been in weeks since Carmy took over. Customers filed in like sardines in a can, and the kitchen could hardly pump out sandwiches and fries fast enough. 

You had been spending overtime at the restaurant since Mikey’s passing, and for Christ's sake, even your analogies were becoming food related. 

The stained walls of that sweat box called a kitchen were starting to seep into your dreams. All you could see was the steam and the heat of the stove top, and the unforgettably annoying image of Richie's face. The bustle of the kitchen during lunch rocked your body like an earthquake, and yet you remained standing, somehow accustomed to the unsteadiness of it all. 

Carmy seemed to have plans to fix the place up, though you weren’t exactly sure things would workout. But you hoped, you really, really hoped. 

You at least wanted a proper AC. A thick stream of sweat nearly rolled off your nose and into the stew, before you caught it with your sleeve.

Alright, that’s it.

You sighed and snatched the nearest washcloth you could find, which happened to be the one attached to Richie’s hip. 

You almost didn’t care to mind what you were doing, until you saw him whip around in shock.

You quickly wiped the sweat from your face and on your neck, then threw the cloth over your shoulder.

Richie, still exasperated, stared you down like you were crazy.

“Alright, give it back,” he stood there, hands on his hips as his eyes widened, like they did right before he was gonna start an argument.

“It’s literally hot as balls in here and I’m sweating my ass off, let me use the damn thing,” you turned away, not wanting to prolong the encounter, for you had a stew that needed attending to.

“Get your own damn washcloth okay, you sweaty freak, huh? You ever heard of deodorant?” He said it like he was a genius, carefully annunciating the “t”. What a dick.

“Uh yeah, I have Richie. It’s just that the sweat is pooling on my face and about to fall directly into the food. So, if you please, let me borrow the fucking washcloth, and just get another one” You clenched your fists by the sides of your face, pulling them down to exemplify not only the sweat, but also your growing anger. 

“That’s my favorite one,” he said. You knew it was a petty lie.

“Excuse me?”

“That’s my favorite one, you can't just-,”

“Oh for fucks sake-

“It’s softer! And more durab-""Just get another washcloth Richie!”

Your voices were overlapping now, his neverending excuses piling on top of your unheard reasoning. His arms were waving all around like the fins of a windmill, almost hitting Tina twice. You swore the man didn’t know his own size. Standing above you, you tilted your head up to scowl at his face, washcloth still over your shoulder and unintelligible yelling spewing out of both of your mouths. It was chaos, verbal chaos that matched the actions around you, the scrambled nature of your mind. In the midst of all that chaos, you forgot all about the stew.

It was boiling over, hot and molten like lava it oozed onto the stove, getting everywhere.

“Shit shit shit. Fuck!” You scrambled over, and reached to move the giant pot from the heat.

“Here, let me help with that,” Richie offered loudly.

“No! I got it-” your hands touched the handles, and boom. Instant regret.

The pot was so hot you were burned instantly.

“Fuck!” You quivered and shook your hands outwards as fast as you could, before cradling them by your chest. 

“Shit, are you okay? Let me see, let me see-” Richie quickly grabbed an oven mitt and moved the pot himself before reaching to grab your hands.

You shot back, “No Richie! I fucking got it, just fucking, back off!” The searing pain of the burns had relinquished any kind of filter you had, all your words were pure anguish. 

“Come on, just let me see-” he took a step closer.

“No!”

“Whoa guys, what’s goin on?” Carmy was there in a second, hands on his hips and an equally chaotic look in his eyes that you could feel in your soul. 

“Nothing, chef, I’m fine,”

“Uh, no, they are not fine. They just burned their hands on a hundred degree pot!” Richie stuck his bottom lip in his mouth, face contorted like a hysterical bird. 

“And I have it handled, Richie!” You scowled at him again, part of you didn’t want to be helped, but really, you just didn’t want to place any extra stress on Carm. The guy looked like he was falling apart as is. 

“I severely fuckin’ doubt that!” he inched closer, waving his arms again.

“Oh you severely fucking doubt it? Richie?” you met him just inches away, chest facing his with your hands still cradled close.

You started yelling over each other again, this time stew wasn’t the only thing that was breaking it up.

“Alright! Alright! Guys, please! Chef,” He looked at you,

“Go clean yourself up, there's a first aid kit in my office,” You nodded and headed out of the kitchen immediately, without seeing Richie actually reach out for you before you were gone.

“Cousin,” Carmy announced loudly. Even a foot in front of him, Richie couldn’t seem to listen.

His face was twisted with frustration.

“Go clean up that stew, and get another fucking washcloth, alright?”

Richie opened his mouth to speak, his head rolling back in that way it did when he was about to completely disagree with someone.

“Alright?” Carmy’s freakishly blue eyes were as wide and as commanding as ever.

Richie glanced over again at the door to Carmy’s office, you were out of sight. He sighed, and nodded.

“Yes, chef,” 

Hunched over on Carmy’s swivel chair, you tended to your wounds. Or at least, you tried. Rubbing neosporin all over the swollen flaming mess on your hands didn’t seem to do anything to ease the pain. Looking at all the tools in the first aid kit, you couldn’t help but notice you had no clue what you were doing.

Your fingers twitched when you tried to soothe them, bandages stuck to your palms like tape, and worst of all, you hadn’t even stopped sweating. 

You winced and quietly cursed yourself after accidentally pinching a sensitive spot, unrolling the bandage from your palm swiftly and without much care.

Your leg began to bounce up and down with anxiety and pain, gritting your teeth, all you could do was scold yourself.

Idiot, idiot, you fucking idiot. How the fuck could you let this happen, you’re such a fucking id-

Before you could finish the provocative thought, Richie was strolling his way through the door, a large bowl and water bottle at hand. 

You looked up, a redness in your eyes that hinted at tears but would never dare to actually let anything out, the salt would sting like a bitch on the burnt skin. 

Your expression quickly twisted into anger and annoyment.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m here to help,” he announced and walked closer.

“I don’t remember asking,” you mumbled, watching as he grabbed a stool from the corner.

“Yeah, cause you never fuckin’ ask me for anything. Could’ve asked for my washcloth, maybe then you would’ve gotten it,” He placed the stool down by your knees, then looked down at you.

“I did get it. And fuck you, I could name a million things that you haven’t asked for but should have,” there was a spiteful but honest gleam in your eyes.

“Yeah like what? A diploma in this cooking shit? A valid liquor license? Or- or- or what? An extra fuckin set of fancy kitchen knives?” He placed the bowel on the stool.

“Yes…?”

“Nah, fuck that fuckin bullshit, I have this place handled. And yeah, you did get it, but maybe you wouldn’t have burnt your hands if you simply said please and thank you,” he sounded so righteous, but also so full of it. He looked too serious to actually mean it.

“Oh do not fucking lecture me on manners, Richie,” you rolled your eyes, he could’nt be talking.

“Oh I think I fucking will, you got a lot a’ nerve just snatching shit from me. I’m not cool with that,” He seemed genuine, you paused.

“What’s the bowel for, anyway?” you shifted forward, and suddenly the view of his waist felt a lot closer.

“I noticed you didn’t wash your hands, that’s like the first fuckin step in treating a first degree burn,” his arms were crossed, and he actually looked disappointed in you, but more so, just worried.

“Ah… I see,” 

Idiot.

“Yeah you fuckin see, whats the point of this neosporin bullshit if your hands aren’t even fuckin clean,” he guestured at the first aid kit.

“Alright, lets see those hands,” he held his own out in front of him.

“Just let me do this myself Richie-”

“No,” he commanded, hand still held out in front of him.

“Don’t you have a boiled over stew to clean up? You already told me what to do so just let me do it-”

“No,” he emphasized.

“The stew is fine where it is. Let me do this, I know what I’m doing,”

He made direct eye contact with you, his gaze honest and almost pleading. He wasn’t being annoying this time, just earnest. He wanted to do this.

You very slowly, very sheepishly held out your hands to his own.

His fingers were warm on your knuckles, but light, and more gentle than you had ever seen him care to be, at least towards you.

The last time he was decently nice to you was when you first met. When he reached to shake your hand and smiled, his cheeks were somewhat red. From the heat of the kitchen… obviously.

“Let's get this mess off,”

“Hey, I… tried,” you stammered, angry but also a bit embarrassed. 

“You did a piss poor fuckin job is what you did,” he spat, fingers still entirely tender despite his tone.

“Watch it,”

“Just sayin’,” he tilted his head to the side and flattened his mouth.

He carefully unwound the gauze from its loose hold around your palms, slowly revealing the sticky, red, inflamed mess at his fingertips.

You winced when the final bandage was torn away, and he frowned.

“Look what you’ve done,” he sounded like he was just about to tisk at you, how dare he.

“Me? Look what you’ve done. This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t scream in my face. I wouldn’t have forgotten about the damn pot,”

“Yeah but, you grabbed it,” he watched your hands as he grazed his thumb over yours, there was a slight tickle.

“No fucking shit, I grabbed it Richie,” you were just about to pull away at this point.

“Just shut up okay,” he muttered.

“Excuse me-” you exclaimed

“Shush,” he remarked even softer.

Suddenly his grip was around your wrists, and you had little room to protest.

He reached for the water bottle, and simultaneously guided your hands over the bowel.

With haste, he untwisted the bottle cap with his teeth and spat it to the floor.

“This might sting a little,” he said softly, all of you wanted to recoil, and push him away.

Your eyes widened with fear, “Let’s just do this at the sink-”

“Relax, I’m just gonna rinse them for now, Jesus. Plus, you really want Carmy’s voice ringing in your fuckin ear? He’s freakin’ out about that stew you know?” He grinned, you were less unnerved.

“Of course he is,” you smiled.

He poured the water over your palms, cool liquid buzzing on the heat of the burns, at first unpleasant, but then relieving.

You breathed in through your nose, mouth twitching into a frown.

“Sorry,” he whispered, his thumb rubbing your wrist lightly to calm you. 

You simply shook your head to reassure him.

It was so strange hearing his voice in this way, low and quiet, but still just as gritty as usual. It was strangely soothing. Way more pleasant than his loud nagging. 

He set the bottle down and dug his fingers through the first aid kit, retrieving a small sachet. He fiddled with the package, clearly very focussed on opening it.

“Is that-,”

“Petroleum jelly. It’s like the ultimate neosporin,” he noted, eyes still trained on the square plastic.

Peeling the package open, he knelt down and reached to hold your right hand, and began to squeeze some of the cool jelly onto your palm.

“How come you know so much about treating first degree burns?” 

“I know how to do things, you know? I’m not useless like you love to assume,” he uttered, and it hurt to hear him say it. 

The jelly was like instant gratification to the highest degree, you wondered why people used neosporin at all.

“I don’t think you’re useless,” you paused, “I think you don’t know what the fuck your doing a lot of the time,”

“Well, some of us have a lot more on our hands than just working at a restaurant,” 

You knew it was true. You worked at The Beef full time, and didn’t exactly have much going on at home. Your life was relatively quiet, no roommate, no partner, no pets, just a job and a few hobbies. Your life wasn’t boring per say, no not boring at all. Richie made sure of that. 

Compared to Richie though, you had it undoubtedly easy. Between Mikey’s passing, his divorce with Tiffany, and working to keep The Beef afloat, he was being stretched thin, with seemingly no clear direction to head in. You wished you could help. 

All you could do in that moment though, was sit there and listen, and just be there. Granted, you didn’t have much of a choice of leaving right then, but you could still just stay. You weren’t sure if anyone else had.

“I uh, used to treat Carmy’s burns when he was a kid, he was a fuck up in the kitchen before he got any good,” he smiled while smoothing the petroleum over your other hand.

“Oh really?” you snickered, that was fun to imagine.

“Oh yeah, he'd spill shit everywhere, and touch the stove when he forgot he even put it on. Mikey was pretty ruthless about it,” his smile slowly faded, his fingers tracing yours slower and slower, until they stopped.

You were both still, air quiet but not empty. It was filled with your heart, the rapid beating ringing in your ears. When Richie's eyes met yours, you were sure there was no other sound on earth. Just your heart and the pulse that you swore was his. His eyes were sunken and sad, but as you held his stare, they morphed into something like an aching hunger.

“What are you freaks doing in there?” Carmy’s voice rang from the other side of the door,

Your head snapped in its direction, loud ringing eliminated, but the breathless feeling still lingered.

“Fucking on your desk shit face!” Richie joked, a comment so out of left field you were about to become deaf from just how quickly the ringing returned. Suddenly your face was filled with heat, and it wasn’t from the kitchen anymore.

Asshole.

“Come on, you should be good now,”

“Mhm,” you nodded, face blank but barely stunned.

He quickly wrapped new gauze around your sensitive palms, his thumb lingering on your wrist longer than it probably should have.

Richie smiled at you, and suddenly placed his hand where your neck met your shoulder.

“No more touchin boiling hot pots, okay?,” he winked and lightly squeezed at the sensitive area. The touch caught you so off guard, you swore you were about to melt.

He quickly stood up, swung the office door open, and angrily announced, “And don't steal my god damn washcloth,”

He’s very concentrated and it’s very endearing

[fuzzysocksstuff]

Leo has been the leader since day one

Alright, I haven't seen this conversation yet, but I can't be the only one who's noticed this. This isn't my usual post- not that I post often- but art is WIP.

~aannnnyyway~

Leo has been the (back seat) leader of the Mad Dogs since day one.

Mobile users, RIP no seriously, you are digging your own grave

In the first two episodes he shows his potential, he thinks ahead, guides the team, makes astute observations, shows his knowledge of his team (including himself), and makes his own plans (even if Raph has made a plan, he almost always has his own).

I'll go through the first two episodes chronologically.

First is Mystic Mayhem.

-This is a good example of understanding himself-

Leo: So . . . You guys from Jersey?

Mikey: Really Leo?

Leo: What? I can't make a joke in the middle of the craziest thing ever? That's how I cope.

-Leo stops his brothers and forces them to think ahead-

Mikey: Should we just ask him for it?

Leo: And what do we say when he asks us why we want it? That we need to go after our best friend, who disappeared into a wall after our priceless weapons were destroyed by mystical jogger guys?

-Not only is Leo showing how well he knows his dad, he executes his own plan when Raph's first plan fails, without asking his brothers first-

Raph: How'd you get that?

Leo: You know he always passes out after milk and cake.

-Now, this example is a debatable one, yes it shows his understanding of Raph, but it may also just be to shown to establish relationships in general since this was the first episode-

Donnie: A few hours ago I would have called this foolish and impossible. Now I just call it foolish.

Mikey: Say what you want Donnie. Raph'll pull is off 'cause if he doesn't, we'll loose our best friend forever.

Leo: Mikey, don't say that. You know he chokes under pressure.

Donnie: Leo, he's even more self-conscious when you talk about it.

-Here, while happy to see April again, he keeps the team on the task that got them in the hidden city in the first place. It can be argued if this was on purpose or not; but it still showcases his natural ability to lead-

Donnie: According to my calculations, we are in a tertiary-metaverse.

April: Actually, I've been doing some exploring, and we're in a hidden city deep under New York!

Leo: So where's the dog thingy?

-There are even subtle moments where Leo takes the lead; after Donnie takes out Draxum's robot with his tech, Leo is the only one talking to Draxum directly for the team. This is another debatable example, you could say Leo is just being the face man here, but I'd like to include it-

Draxum: Accidently impressive. With a little bit of training you can be formidable as I hoped.

Leo: Okay, well, great, and since you're surrendering. . .

Draxum: Baron Draxum does not surrender.

Leo: Okay, well, when he gets here we'll deal with him. . . oh, ho, ho, I see. You're doing that whole "sinister talking in the third person" thing.

-Here, he is the only one to once again question Raph's decision, and present his own idea instead-

Raph: We just defeated a boss villain. We're heroes. We deserve a name like Mad Dogs.

Leo: Mad dogs? You don't think something like Mutant Ninja Turtle Teens or. . .I don't know. Maybe - we'll keep brain storming.

The very next episode has soooo many parallels to the movie.

Origami Tsunami.

The dialog is long on this one and, despite the humor, throughout this scene Leo guides his brothers to the best mission for their skill level.

Mikey: Yo, Leo, we're gonna be heroes!

Leo: Okay, what's the plan? Solve the city's rat problem?

Splinter: Hey now. I am standing right here.

Raph: Pfft, no way. We're crime fighters!

Donnie: Okay, check this out. The Spine Breaking Bandit!

Raph: Yeah. Go big or go home!

Leo: Yeah, go home in a stretcher. What else you got?

Donnie: Hmm, well this one's kind of lame. Someone stole paper from a delivery truck.

Leo: Not on my watch! This is exactly the kind of junior level mischief we can put an end to.

-Leo then hypes his brothers up for this mission-

Raph: Really? That'll make us heroes? But it's only paper.

Leo: It's only paper. I'm so sorry. Donnie, what did he say? Did he say it's only paper?

Donnie: Yup.

Leo: Did he say it's only paper?

Donnie: Yes, he did.

Leo: Okay! That's what they all say. You think the road to hero town is paved in real crime? No! It's paved with the tears of the poor paper man. And who helps that guy? I'll tell you who; we are who!

Raph, Mikey, and Donnie: Yes!

-When Raph's first plan fails, and he sees how discouraged his brothers get...-

Donnie: Uh, quick question. Did we seriously get schooled by paper thieves?

Raph: I didn't swoop like a boss. I swoop like a noob.

Mikey: Man, this seemed like a really cool idea until we didn't succeed at it.

-...so, Leo gives a "hero" speech, like he does in the movie. Although this motiving speech needs some help, he still tries-

Leo: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where'd my brothers go? Mikey, where's your. . .legendary optimism? Raph, where's your, ya know, your go-getter attitude? And Donnie, where's your. . . your thing, your - emotionless passion?

Donnie: Here.

Leo: We can still catch these lame old paper crooks and be heroes!

-In continuing this scene, we see the Leo make and execute his own plan, now that Raph's impulsive plan has failed-

Donnie: Yeah, that's gonna be hard. This was the last paper store in town.

Leo: Hmm. . . or was it?

Donnie: Yeah, I. . .I literally just said that.

-Again he takes the lead talking to the foot clan first (could just be that he's a face man here, but nonetheless)-

Leo: Okay twerp. . . and surprisingly big man. It's four against two. So what you say we just call it a day, right?

-Leo uses his observations to guide the team, here when the foot are making their origami soldiers, Leo realizes taking out the paper ninjas isn't a solution-

Leo: We're getting no where fighting these guys. We gotta take out the source.

-After Raph ~properly~ uses his ninpo for the first time, Leo again uses his surroundings to find a solution, in doing so he shows both guiding his team, and astute observations-

Leo: Hm. Mikey, the sprinklers!

-Even at the end of the second episode, they look to Leo for reassurance and support-

Mikey: So. . .does this count as a win?

Leo: Well, I don't know. Let's think about it. Did the bad guys get their big supply of paper? Uh, no. Did they build their army of soilders? No. No they didn't. Are they otherwise Thwarted, and we unscathed?

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey: Yes!

Leo: Hero mission accomplished, my friends!

Alright.

First off, if you've made it this far, thanks for attending my not even close to life changing ted talk. I hope you have enjoyed my rant.

In conclusion,

Leo has the potential to lead, just prefers to do as little work as possible. He almost always passes resonsibility onto someone else, however when he has no other choice but to lead he does it well without realizing it. There are many other subtle examples sprinkled throughout season 1 and 2.

I have more thoughts on this, but this post is already the height of the empire state building.

Class Dismissed.

[yellowhollyhock]

Nightwatcher and Ghost of the Jungle would've been such a cool team-up though. Nightwatcher, in the city that never sleeps--describes his shift, literally like "I'll be in this place at this time come get me if you've got the guts." The whole point is to be so intimidating people afraid to try crime so that there's less for just one turtle to do (that's what he and Don were arguing about, I have normal feelings about this). Then, the Ghost of the Jungle-- vague, whimsical even, says I am Part of Nature and I will always Find those who need me. Giving 'no one sees my face and lives' vibes. Intimidation through mystery instead of sheer straightforward power.

They would have worked so well together. I kinda wish Raph hadn't hung the helmet up at the end of the movie. I mean, I get it. It was an identity that was always going to be connected to Leo's absence, and he thought his brother was gonna die because of him so that would be pretty traumatic. But just. Think of the shenanigans. And how well they would understand each other.

And also how different Nightwatcher and Ghost are to Cowabunga Carl and Just Donnie, Your Friendly IT Tech Support (not your enemy) (long suffering sigh).

Mikey parallels Raph in how he's using visibility as stealth. He's disguised as a giant turtle so no one will suspect he is actually a giant turtle. Pretty mich the exact same strategy but opposite; instead of trying to be intimidating, he's made himself friend-shaped. And that! Doesn't work at all! :D (do you think it was Donnie's idea. do you think Mikey was waiting to be asked about what he'd do if he was human. do you think the two of them talked late into the morning about what direction their lives could possibly take now that they aren't a team of ninjas, with Leo being gone and Splinter pausing patrol. do you think they hoped getting jobs focused on helping others would earn them some degree of acceptance, even if it'd be fragile and conditional. do you think Raph spat at their feet for trying to make themselves feel human, accused them of being ashamed of what they are, and maybe he wasn't totally wrong)

Leo and Donnie have interesting parallels too. I'm here to help, but you come to me and you can't see my face. These are the conditions, now I'm a tool in your hands, use me till I'm blunt. or something. Themes of selflessness but for Leo it's detachment from all he knows and loves, while Donnie is planted at home so that everyone else can branch out.

Mikey and Donnie both hate what they're doing. Or at least they're exhausted from doing too much of it. But. They help each other. Donnie set up Mikey's van so it would be as easy as possible for him to have some independence while still being button clicks away from help if he ever needs it. You know with the hours Don's pulling that Mikey is the one reminding him to eat, sleep, etc. Even though they're exhausted they fall asleep on the couch watching movies together instead of going to their beds.

Meanwhile Raph and Leo are the same and they're finding their callings. They're growing into their own identities as individual Ninjas. They were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; now they're their own brand of Cryptids. Really growing into themselves. It's beautiful and probably exactly what Splinter intended Leo's training period to be for. But. They're both alone. And that self-isolation is now linked with that growing up journey, for both of them. I'm sure this will not have any repercussions (yes it will). They can easily slip back into working as a team, the horror of almost losing Leo surely fixed all underlying issues (no it didn't).

Anyways what if Leo talked Raph into taking the mantle back up. What if the two of them start a habit of sneaking out since they can't seem to get back in on the bond Mikey and Donnie formed while they were both absent. What if this also causes more problems even as it smooths over some. And plus also too what if it's super cool because Nightwatcher and Ghost y'all

[tangledinink]

Love love love your human au of the turtles!! I've had a burning question for a while though:

What do the boys assume about their relation to Splinter? I doubt they wouldn't notice the fairly obvious fact that there does need to be two biological parents for reproduction, and that they don't really look like their dad, despite having no memories before him to suggest adoption. There's no way they didn't know he was kidnapped and held captive for seven years because when you're a celebrity that sort of thing isn't hard to find. Combining these facts, I know what conclusions I would've come to. Granted, I'm not exactly the golden representation of your average child, but at the very least Donnie would've definitely wondered.

So... What's their conclusion about the situation??

Ah, thank you! And this is actually a topic I explain way more in the I'm Sorry, Teenage Mutant What Now? fic! But basically, the boys, for a majority of their lives, believe that their dad is their biological father and that their biological mother, who they do not know the identity of, was abusive in some way (leading to both their father's disappearance from the public and to eventually taking sole custody of them and them moving to New York,) and/or abandoned them-- but they've never really discussed it. Here's an excerpt from the fic on the topic, conveniently from Donnie's perspective:

---

"Donnie frowned a bit, shrugging. He was loath to admit it, but Leo did have a point. Their Dad hated to talk about himself or his past outside of trivia about his acting career. Donnie had tried to ask him about their extended family once, and he totally shut down. He wouldn't even tell them what his parents' names were. And the four of them had always tried to respect that. I mean... they knew it was all really complicated. I mean, jesus, he had basically been kidnapped and presumed dead for, like, twelve years. That had to be traumatic, right?

Most of what Donnie knew, factually, about their move to New York, he had gotten from old magazine articles and talk show segments that he found online later in life. He knew what all the reports and stuff said, sure, about the abusive ex, (their mom, he thought dimly in the back of his mind, whose face he couldn't even remember,) the going into hiding, the forced isolation. But none of them had ever talked about it. He had been really little back then, so he couldn't really remember very much. His memories were more general feelings or ideas rather than actual events. He remembered playing pretend games with his brothers more than anything. He used to think that that was odd, because he had never been much of a 'pretend' kid growing up, but his therapist noted that it was common for small children to use fantasy or make-believe to 'escape' from bad situations or explain away trauma. So he supposed maybe that was it.

He remembered it being dark most of the time. And he remembered his feet being cold a lot. There was this sound that he heard in his head a lot when he thought of it, but he had no idea what it was. Shhhh shhhhh.

... But that was about it. He and his brothers, in turn, didn't really talk about it amongst each other either, or with other people. It just felt... weird. Or wrong, somehow, he supposed? Whatever."

(... And, just for fun, another small excerpt from a one-shot sidefic I did from April's mom's perspective, back when the boys were still itty bitty...)

"She had, at one point, tried to convince the boys that they could just call her “Carol,” but when she had pitched it to the group, April had gasped loudly in offense and said that that was too weird, and if anything, they should just call her ‘mom.’ And then Mikey had declared that they didn’t have a mom. And then Raph had argued that they did have a mom, she was just dead. And then Leo had refuted that they did have a mom, and she wasn’t dead, she just didn’t love any of them. And then Donnie had signed something in ASL, too quick for her to quite catch, and Leo had nodded and quickly corrected himself, clarifying that their mom was probably alive and also existed, but she didn’t love any of them and also wanted their father to die."

[goodlucktai]

Feel free to ignore this ask if it's overstepping, but whenever I have to do something stressful involving my mental health I channel/process those feelings by writing fanfic of my blorbos doing the same thing. So, any thoughts about rise Leo going to his first therapy session post-movie in the Hidden City? Could even take place in the City Lights verse.

x

Mikey is kicking the heel of his foot against the waiting room chair over and over, full of a restless sort of worry. 

It was an uphill battle getting Leo to agree to this in the first place. God, Mikey would almost rather fight the Shredder again then relive that first conversation about it. Being stubborn is a Hamato trait but Leo takes it to a whole new level. 

Thankfully, he is and always has been a daddy’s boy. 

“I have not always been a good father to you,” Splinter finally says, interrupting the beginning stages of Donatello Losing His Absolute Shit Out Of Love. He pats Leo’s cheek gently. “But I am putting my foot down this time, Blue.”

“You’re the medic,” Raph points out. “You wouldn’t let one of us walk around with a broken bone, would you?”

For all that he’s spent the last two years in a state of constant anxiety and frustration, he never lost that softness that makes him their Raph. He still carries it around with him, and hands it out freely where it’s needed, and right now he’s wrapping it around Leo as deftly as a blanket. 

And for all that Leo has this stupid idea lately that he’s supposed to be perfect and self-reliant and never burden his family with anything he could handle on his own, he’s still their Leo. He buckles under genuine affection like a house of cards. 

He puts up one last token protest. “That’s not the same thing.”

“It’s exactly the same thing,” Donnie says, just barely not a snap. “You have literally bullied me into telehealth sessions before.”

He’s not angry, not really. He just cares so much and he can’t get the words to come out right and he wants Leo to do what is best for Leo without arguing about it, even though they all know that’s just flat-out impossible. 

“It’s different,” Leo stresses, well and truly at his emotional threshold. “You deserve—”

He cuts himself off but the damage is done. Everyone knows what he was going to say, what he meant. The tension in the room ratchets up to a solid fifteen on a max ten scale. Donnie starts flapping his hands. Casey looks pale and haunted. Mikey bites down on the wounded sound he wants to make, but Raph’s arms tighten around him like he heard it anyway.

“Yeah,” April says in a tone that lets all of her little brothers know not to mess around, “you’re going to therapy, Leon.” 

Splinter grips Leo’s chin before he can sink into his shell. There’s an ocean of grief in the rat’s eyes that Mikey is worried he might drown in. But there’s love, too. Mountains of it, rising out of turbulent water, steady and immovable and forever.

“Don’t hide yourself away,” Splinter says. Maybe it’s something he would have liked someone to say to him, once upon a time. “We love who you are, even if who you are is someone who is struggling right now. Lean on us, Leonardo. You are not alone.”

So here they are. The latest in a string of failures. Mikey keeps bumping his foot into the chair leg, trying not to stare at the clock. 

This is the longest an intake session has lasted. The first one was about ten minutes, but none of them expected the first one to go well. Leo joked about the whole thing and wouldn’t answer anyone’s questions directly. But he went straight to his room afterwards and didn’t come out until he was extracted for dinner, which said plenty. 

The session after that went on for half an hour, but Splinter—and Draxum, who had come along that time and sat in with Leo’s permission—agreed it wasn’t the right fit. The session after that was another no-go, and then the disastrous fourth session almost shut the whole operation down entirely. It lasted all of twenty minutes and ended in property damage. Whatever was said in that office caused Splinter to go full Lou Jitsu and break the desk, a chair, and the door on their way out. Leo was glassy-eyed and unresponsive in a way that caused actual murder to flash through Donnie’s eyes. 

Leo crawled directly into Raph’s open arms and stayed there, cheek pressed to plastron, to better hear the comforting rumble that started up in his brother’s chest. When Mikey crawled in next to him, his hands opened so Mikey could hold them, but otherwise he just blinked slowly and didn’t speak and it was the worst thing ever and Mikey very heroically managed not to burst into tears but it was close. 

They were kind of expecting him to cite The Fourth Session as a reason why they should pack this whole idea up and mail it far away from them to the next bunch of jokers but he didn’t. He just heaved himself off the sofa without a whine or a joke or anything and shuffled after Splinter out the door. 

It made Mikey feel like a bully. It was for Leo’s own good, but it was clearly taking a toll. Opening himself up again and again for a complete stranger, only to have that trust totally unrewarded and sometimes even thrown back in his face. For someone like Leo, whose guard is constant and unwavering even when the only people he has to guard against are his own family, it must be grueling. It must be awful. 

But if they could just find the right fit, Mikey thinks desperately. If they could just find the right person…

“Hey,” Raph says, nudging Mikey’s arm, jolting him out of his thoughts. “He’ll be okay. Pops isn’t gonna let it get as far as it did the last time. He promised.”

“At worst, we’ll be accessories to murder,” Donnie says without looking up from his phone. He sounds like the idea doesn’t bother him at all, and also like it’s much preferable to anyone making his twin even the smallest bit upset for any reason. “In which case I suggest swinging back around to Session Four’s office and tying up loose ends.”

Raph closes his eyes briefly, looking as though he’s actively making plans to wrestle Donnie into therapy next, and then continues as if the softshell hadn’t spoken at all. “Leo’s perfectly safe.”

“No I know,” Mikey says quickly. In part because he knows Raph is trying to make him feel better, also in part because it sounds like maybe Raph is trying to make himself feel better, too. “I just—we’re running out of names in the Hidden City white pages, you know?”

“I can’t believe they still use the white pages here,” Donnie mutters. 

“There’s still a lot of options left for us to try,” Raph says patiently. “And when we run out of options, we’ll come up with another plan. Don’t borrow trouble just yet, okay?” 

Mikey leans on him, trying to absorb some of that steadfastness for himself, and Raph puts an arm around him, drawing him and his whole chair closer with a short shriek of plastic on linoleum. 

A sudden high-pitched, frantic beeping fills the lobby. A few heads in the waiting room turn, but the yokai behind the desk don’t even blink. 

“Is that the fire alarm?” Raph asks in a polite, I’m-not-freaking-out-but-I’m-about-to tone. 

“Oh, honey, it’s okay,” one of the receptionists reassures him at once. She’s been nice to them since they got here and her teal face is lined from a long life of smiling. “This happens all the time. We have wards to prevent fire, but they don’t stop smoke.”

“Um, okay,” Mikey says. “But why is there smoke? In a clinic?” 

The door leading to the offices opens and Leo steps out looking slightly scorched and a little bemused. Splinter is nudging him along, looking like he’s aged ten years in the last sixty minutes, and a beetle yokai shuffles after them sheepishly. 

It’s the beetle yokai who introduced himself as Cricket, the clinical psychologist with licenses from both yokai and human institutions who passed Donatello’s extremely invasive vetting process, and the first doctor to somehow last the full hour with Mikey’s most stubborn brother. He’s five foot nothing and his exoskeleton is a pretty coral color.

“What did you set on fire this time?” one of the employees says in a long-suffering tone. 

“You don’t know for certain that it was me,” Cricket replies with a nervous little yank at his wrinkled button-down shirt. 

“Like the entire lounge,” Leo answers immediately after. “It’s amazing, I’ve never seen anyone fail at cookies that hard before in my life, and I live with Donatello.”

“Offended scoff,” Donnie says loudly. 

“It’s a nice gesture!” Cricket says. “I was making a nice gesture!” 

“Whoever left their lunch on the counter in there, I have bad news,” Leo goes on. One of the yokai tapping away at a computer stops, puts her head in her hand, and sighs. Splinter draws Leo down far enough to pat him on the cheek and then heads toward the reception area to do paperwork things. Leo and Cricket bicker their way across the waiting room.

Mikey feels something buoyant and bubbly happening in his chest, like someone shook a can of soda up in there. This is the most Leo-like Leo has been after a session, in all his playful, sarcastic glory. He glances up and sees the way Mikey is vibrating in his chair and laughs. 

“Jeez, Michael, if you needed to go outside and run around the block I would have understood.”

“I’m saving all my energy for giving you the biggest, proudest, love-you-est hug of my entire career,” Mikey says very seriously. 

Leo’s golden eyes get very bright, which is how Mikey can tell that his heart is smiling even if his face folds into something theatrical and performative. “Am I gonna need to clear my calendar?” 

“The WHOLE day, baby!” 

Cricket is smiling at the picture the four of them make, mandibles clicking idly. Splinter is watching too, his eyes impossibly soft and full of the same pride Mikey’s feeling in spades. 

“What do you say, Leo?” Cricket says. “Same time next week?”

Leo tugs at the sleeve of the purple hoodie he borrowed from Donnie that morning. He glances sidelong at Splinter, who gazes back fondly but doesn’t answer for him. Mikey’s on pins and needles, waiting to hear what he’ll say with his heart in his throat. He thinks he can feel Raph holding his breath. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Leo says after a moment. “Maybe we can burn your office down next time.”

Cricket lets out an affronted little clicking noise but he clearly doesn’t mean it, because he sends the clan off with warm goodbyes. The second they’re out the door, Mikey flings himself at Leo bodily, barely remembering at the last second to be gentle. Donnie has his arm linked through Leo’s good one, and Splinter is hanging back to make a quiet, exhaustively relieved phone call to April and Casey, and Mikey keeps saying how proud he is. He can’t stop. Leo’s the bravest person he knows, the best person, and he has to keep saying it or he’s going to explode. 

“Alright, alright,” Raph says, gently disentangling Leo from the bramble of clingy brothers and lifting him up onto his shoulders instead. “Take us home, Fearless.” 

There’s a smile on Leo’s face that’s almost familiar. It’s not the one Mikey knows, but it’s one he’s getting to know. The fact that his brother is here to smile at all is more of a miracle than most people get in a whole lifetime.

Even if Leo never makes it all the way back to that shining boy he used to be, Mikey can think of at least a billion things to love about the person he is right now.

[nights-flying-fox]

Deep (Purple) Thoughts (and Realizations)

◇ Click here to read on AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 6 ◇

Chapter 4: Tell the Truth

Donnie wants the truth from Leo, but his twin has never been the best at telling the truth.

 Leo would’ve taken them if I didn’t.

 As Donnie walked he couldn’t stop thinking about what Shelldon had told him.

 I watched the security cameras, he came to the lab yesterday too.

 What was Leo up to? Why would he want the recordings? To watch them? Delete them? At least now he had an answer to what Leo was up to in his lab. Maybe he really had heard them, or maybe he was already in the lab long before Donnie and April decided to watch the records.

 Yet, Donnie couldn’t place his finger on what Leo exactly was up to. He knew his twin well. They all knew how he disliked facing his negative emotions, not sharing them easily. Was it why he was acting like that? But why? Did he want to find something? Watch something certain? Take the files, as Shelldon said? Delete everything, forever?

 Did he want to hide the truth from everyone, delete it, and hide his feelings again?

 Donnie wasn't sure if that made sense. But he couldn't know until he asked Leo. 

 Getting out of Shelldon's room he didn't pay mind to his family. They probably were arguing over something dumb or Raph was telling them why they shouldn't be up so late. Donnie right now had a different task in his mind. 

 "Leo," He called to the turtle that was sitting on his table. 

 "Oh hey Dee! Figured out the problem with the recordings?" Leo turned to look at him and Shelldon.

 Donnie didn't answer his question. "Why did you want to get the records?" 

 He briefly saw the surprise on Leo's face. He was quick to act as if he didn't know anything though, "I don't know what you're talking about."

 "Nardo, don't lie to me. I know you came here last night. I know you wanted the records. But I don't understand why." Donnie said. "Is that why you were here tonight? That was your plan from the start?" 

 The room was quiet now. April, Raph and Mikey were watching them. 

 Leo looked away, "Okay okay, you caught me. I came to the lab and wanted to see the records." He admitted. "I was a bit curious, that's all."

 Liar. "Then why didn't you watch them last night?"

 "Who said I didn't?" Leo smirked.

 "Do you really want me to prove it?" Donnie challenged. 

 They stared at each other for a moment. Then Leo sighed, giving up. "Fine. I was here to watch them because I couldn't last night. You are right." He huffed.

 "Why?" Donnie wanted to know, not get a confession from him.

 "It doesn't matter really." Leo shrugged. 

 "It matters to me." Donnie stated. "I want an answer, Leo."

 He looked at Donnie, he didn't seem to be eager to have this conversation. But Donnie wanted answers. 

 Silence kept going on for a while. It was uncomfortable and overwhelming, but Donnie waited. He was glad the rest of his family didn't interrupt. 

 At last, Leo spoke. "Don, I know you don't just record from your point of view."

 Donnie hadn't told them. How could Leo know about this? "You know? How-?" 

 "How else would you know about the thing?" Leo pointed out. The thing, a.k.a. that time Leo tried to make a backflip and failed in a very funny and stupid way. It was Donnie’s precious blackmail. 

 "Good observation." Donnie nodded.

 “What thing?” Mikey asked.

 “Nothing.” Leo and Donnie said.

 "Donnie, when were you planning telling us about this?" Raph cut in.

 "Soooooooon?" Donnie tried.

 Raph shook his head, "You are getting another talk about privacy mister."

 “Privacy? Leo is also guilty here, how did you even figure out my password?” 

 “It wasn’t hard.”

 “I changed it multiple times and added extra security ones.” 

 Leo simply shrugged, “Not a problem for me.”

 “Donnie, we are having a talk.” Raph repeated.

 Donnie huffed, "Can we do this later? Because I still don't know why Leo wants those records."

 "Come on Donnie, it is–"

 "Important." Donnie interrupted. "Speak."

 Leo groaned. "It really isn't. Why do you even care?"

 Donnie was about to explain why he cared and why it mattered, but Mikey beat him to it:

 "Leo, I know you don't like talking about what happened that day but… is it about your time in Prison Dimension?" 

 Silence. Averted eyes, a sigh. 

 Mikey approached him with a soft and encouraging smile, "Talking helps, remember?"

 The youngest had been telling this to them a lot. April did too, but Mikey had taken the lead in making his brothers talk post-almost-invasion. Nobody had wanted to open up, but he had made it easier for them. He always did. 

 "I… well… I don't know." Leo began, pulling his knees towards himself. "I don't want you guys to watch them, okay? That was why I wanted to get rid of them but… it felt wrong."

 "Wrong?" Raph repeated.

 "Yeah. At first the idea of deleting them seemed appealing. Getting rid of the evidence of it ever happening sounded so good. And yet, it also sounded… wrong." He whispered. 

 Donnie wasn't sure if he understood it. But he could see why this troubled Leo. The idea of what they'd see in the recordings was what scared Donnie the most in the beginning. Why would it be different for Leo? 

 Though now that Mikey had mentioned, Leo never had gotten into detail about what happened in the Prison Dimension… What was it he didn't want them to know? 

 What was the truth? 

 Raph walked towards the slider, "Leo, if you don't want us to see what happened in the Prison Dimension, we won't." He said comfortingly. "But I don't want you to keep anything that burdens you to yourself."

 "Heh, the same thing goes for you too, Big Guy." Leo smiled slightly. It was nice to see them trying their best to support each other after the past months. 

 He seemed to not understand what Leo meant though. "Wha–"

 "Donnie's spy cameras must have recorded your day too." Leo pointed out. 

 Raph paled. He somehow must've not realized this fact until now. "Nobody watches the records. Not even a second of them."

 Now that was a bit too much! "But–"

 Mikey looked tiredly at Donnie, "You want to show them your time in the technodrome?"

 "What's wrong with Donnie's time in the technodrome?" Raph asked.

 Uh oh. "Let's not talk about this?" 

 "Boys, boys, boys. I think you're missing a point here." April walked between them, arms open to get their attention. "Do you realize that you don't need to watch them? And the actual reason you are in this situation?"

 "Which is..?" Donnie raised a brow.

 "You don't want to relive that day, which I totally get it, by the way." She explained. "But you're avoiding it. You've been avoiding talking about it even a bit. I fully support you guys, take your time and open up when you're ready, but if you're hurting…" 

 Mikey nodded, "Exactly."

 "This goes for you too, Mike." 

 "What?! Why?" Mikey exclaimed, turning to April.

 "Because you can't keep trying to make everyone feel better and push away your issues."

 "I don't." He retorted. 

 "You do." She said with complete confidence. "You keep saying it is fine, but you never really talked about it, did you?"

 “I don’t have anything to talk about? I am dealing with them fine.” Mikey reassured.

 Liar. Donnie thought. He had seen what Mikey had drawn. All the vent art, involving the Krang. They all had seen it.

 Yet, nobody dared to say anything.

 And the room was filled with silence again.

 Donnie watched as Mikey started fidgeting nervously. Subtle, but it was there. And Leo had slightly curled up to himself. Raph and April looked equally worried and stressed. 

 …

 Okay, maybe they had some issues they all should talk about. He didn't like this, but… 

 Knowing those recordings existed made things worse, didn't it? Donnie never wanted to hurt his family. He wouldn't let anyone get hurt ever again.

 "I'll get rid of them." Donnie announced.

 Now all eyes were on him. 

 "What?" Leo asked.

 "I'll get rid of the recordings. So you won't have to worry about them. Don't worry, I will not watch them." Donnie explained.

 "No- wha- Donnie don't." Leo got off the table and approached him. 

 "Why not? It is what's caused all that mess." Donnie said. He was genuine and was trying to help.

 Leo seemed puzzled for a second, not sure what to say. An unusual sight. Donnie waited for his twin to explain. 

 Finally, Leo said quietly, "Donnie, these recordings are the only thing left from there." 

 There? He couldn't mean… "What do you mean?" 

 He sighed. "Look, I-I know this sounds stupid but, deleting the only evidence of-of that damned place… it's like trying to get rid of the fact it ever happened. A-and yes maybe I am trying to ignore it, but thinking-thinking it never happened feels wrong… after… after everything." He took a deep breath. "This is probably the part where you call me dumdum?" He tried to smile and joke. The keyword was “tried”. When would his twin learn that Donnie was the funny one? Donnie looked at him, and noticed how… fragile Leo looked. And maybe he didn't understand his words exactly. Maybe it didn't make that much sense to him. 

 But he could see Leo was hurting.

 Donnie pulled him into a hug.

 "You're a dumdum for thinking of me ever calling you dumdum for talking it out." He said. 

 He heard Leo's small "heh", then he hugged him back tightly. Donnie could see his brothers and sister looking at them softly. Mikey was the first to join the hug, then Raph and April. Donnie could feel Shelldon leaning towards his side as well. 

 It was comforting. 

 After a while they decided to sit down, leaning at each other kind of like before ending up making a "turtle pile". 

 "You know, I agree with Leo." Raph was the first to talk after the comforting silence. "I think we should keep the recordings. Just in case."

 "Just in case?" Mikey asked.

 "It has information against enemies, right?" Raph sounded unsure.

 Donnie hummed, "That's a good point, Raph. There isn't much information about them after all."

 "I still think we shouldn't watch it unless it's necessary." Leo said.

 "I agree." Donnie immediately said. As long as it kept his family well, he didn’t mind. For now. Definitely.

 "Huh, would you look at that, Donnie agreed with me." Leo smirked. "Eating your words from the previous day, I see."

 Ah, here it was. The immediate regret of his actions. "Shut up Nardo."

 "Never.” He smiled evilly.

 Donnie glared at him.

 “So…” April began, “Do you guys wanna talk about it, or we do it another day?” 

 Donnie glanced around, watching his brothers. Nobody seemed to want to talk about it, not yet. But there was something telling Donnie somebody had to say something. Make way, make it easier. (Was it Dr. Feelings’ sessions working?) And that somebody was him, wasn’t it? After all this mess, he owed them to at least tell them what exactly happened there. Mikey kept telling him talking about it would help after all, so why not now?

 It shouldn’t be that hard.

 He looked at his family.

 …

 Theory wrong. It was hard.

 He took a deep breath. Now or never.

 “I will talk.” 

 Once again, all eyes were on him. April smiling softly, Raph surprised, Leo most likely having a mixture of emotions of surprise and… Donnie wasn’t sure what exactly. Was that guilt? And Mikey looked at him with prideful eyes. 

 Suddenly Donnie didn’t want to do this anymore. 

 “Are you sure about that, Donnie?” Raph asked, his voice caring and careful. 

 He nodded. “I must. Or else Mikey will never stop being Dr. Feelings around me… and I am worried he’ll change his mind and use Dr. Delicate Touch against me.” 

 Mikey grinned, while the rest shivered even with the thought. 

 Donnie didn’t want to mention what they might see or hear in the records if they ever had to look at them, and how much it scared him. It had to be him who would tell them what happened.

 And now, it was time. 

[twicethetrouble]

Writing Family Web Daily: Day 8

“Tranquilizer gun.”

“I’m not using an unfinished tranquilizer on you.”

“But the darts are done,” April interrupted. “That’s what Donnie said a few days ago, right? That the darts are done, just not the gun part.”

“Not you too.”

“I’m just saying, if we have to do this, it’s an option.”

“No it’s not! Tranquilizers aren’t the same as anesthesia!”

“Close enough,” Donnie signed. “Do it.”

“No! I’m not carving you like a damn pumpkin! I don’t-“

“Time out,” April called before things could get more heated. She grabbed Leo’s arm and lead him away towards the door. “We’re gonna talk.”

“But Donnie-“

“Is fine for two minutes. We’re not going far anyways,” She replied. Once the two of them were firmly in the hallway she spoke again. “Look, I know this isn’t the best idea but I don’t see us having much of a choice right now.”

“We can come up with something else.”

“What, Leo?”

“I don’t know. Something. Anything is better than having to use a knife on my brother,” Leo stressed, his nails digging into his palms as he clenched his fists enough that he swore he felt the bones creak.

April sighed, pulling him down some so she could wrap him in a proper hug. He relented, resting his forehead on her shoulder but not reciprocating. Instead, he just stood there, trying to focus on the comforting feel of his big sister’s embrace and not the conversation they were having.

“I know this is hard,” she said softly.

“I’m the medic,” he muttered back. “I’m supposed to help, not hurt.”

“I know.”

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

“He’s already hurting,” April stated. “And this is the fastest way to make it stop.”

“I don’t want to do it,” Leo said even quieter.

“We don’t have much of a choice right now,” April said back, rubbing circles against his shell. “Even if we could find someone in the Hidden City that would do it right now, they wouldn’t know the first thing about your guys’s anatomy. You are the leading expert in mutated turtles, and the one most likely to do this properly.”

“Dad knows more,” Leo tried to argue.

“I highly doubt that,” April stated. “Plus he doesn’t have nearly as steady of a hand as you.”

“All that eyeliner practice comes in clutch, huh?” Leo joked quietly.

“Exactly,” April answered with a chuckle. “It can’t be much worse than doing a perfect wing tip on a squirming Mikey, and I’ve seen you pull that off. You can do this too. And I’m going to be right here helping you. Ok?”

Leo was silent for a long moment. He knew this was necessary. Deep down he knew as soon as Donnie had requested it. There wasn’t anything else he could do, besides letting it work itself out. But considering how much pain that would cause him, and the risks that went along with it, that really wasn’t an option either. But that didn’t stop his stomach churning at the mere thought of it.

“Ok?” April prompted again.

“Fine,” he relented, straightening up out of the hug with a sigh.

“Where are we doing this?” she asked, immediately switching into business mode.

“Don’s lab. It’s the closest to a sterile work environment we have around these parts,” Leo stated. “This is the one time I’ll say this, thank Pizza for Donnie’s inherent need to de-germ everything in the place.”

“What are we going to need?”

“Most of it should be in the lab, but I’ll probably need the spare gauze and saline bottles from my room.”

“I’ll get them. You get a space ready, yeah?”

“Yeah, let’s just… get this over with.”

[eveandtheturtles]

Started with a Kiss Chapter 8: Return the Favour

Ship: Donnie x OC

Warning: This chapter contains a graphic description of an open wound. Proceed with caution.

Summary: A simple mission goes South and forces Kara to act. Donnie says more than he'd like.

A/N: Check out previous chapters on my masterlist or on AO3 :) If you're curious about Leo's secret outings - Check out Through Fire and Smoke that goes into this ;) BetaRead by amazing @thoughtful-raven you are the best.

Tags: @madammuffins @turtle-babe83 @tinkabelle19 @thelaundrybitch @m1dnyt3-w0lf @scholastic-dragon @sharpwindow @pheradream-15 @dilucsflame33 @leosgirl82

After her confession, Donnie didn't know if the situation between them got better or worse. She still avoided him. No matter how much he wanted to go back and stop himself from mentioning that bastard's name he couldn't. What was done was done.

At least the missions and patrol could get his mind off of his issues.

"Alright team," Leo spoke during the debriefing. "Tonight we have a big mission. Together with Chief Vincent, we’re busting our friend Big Boss' weapon deal.” He looked over his brothers. “You all know the procedure. We hit them quickly, break formations and let the officers do the cleanup. Any questions?”

Raph raised his hand. 

“Related to the mission, Raph,” Leo replied, annoyed.

Raph and Mikey snickered, exchanging a fist bump. Donnie shook his head. Every damn time.

“But seriously though,” Raph continued. “Where were you last night?”

It wasn’t exactly a secret that for some time now Leo had been leaving the lair on his own. This wasn’t so strange when Raph was doing it. They all knew why and where he was going. Not that he’d share much of the info but Donnie knew. All he had to do was to check the news for a ‘mysterious lone fighter’. The red-clad turtle always came back smelling like smoke, with rips in his disguise, and blood on his clothes - never his. 

Leo on the other hand was coming back clean, sometimes with a nicer smell than the one he left with.

“Irrelevant. Let’s go,” Leo cut the talk shortly by heading to the turtle tank.

“We’re gonna getcha Fearless!” Raph called after him. 

Donnie shook his head. As long as his brothers stayed out of his business.

"We have quite the company," Donnie said checking the x-ray scanner. "The drone detects about 15 people inside."

"Sounds like a party," Raph said, excited about the fight.

"Easy, we don't want to go in blind." Leo tried to cool down his enthusiasm. "We don't know what weapons they have. Kara said they have been planning this for months and the seller is high on the list of most inventive."

"And expensive," Donnie added. "She mentioned this is a 'special commission'."

"So we’ll hit them hard and fast enough before they can." For Raph things were rather simple.

Leo decided he didn't want to argue too much. "Donnie, do we recognize anyone there?"

"Well, there's Weasel, I don't see Big Boss there," the purple terrapin switched filters in the drone's camera. The soldiers were the regular assortment of minor criminals he easily pulled records of. The camera's angle switched. "Oh boy. Guys, you won't believe who is back."

"Who?" Leo leaned in. "No way."

"Who is it?" Mikey also got curious. He stuck his head between his brothers. "Hey! Isn't this that Boxman guy?"

"Baxter Stockman," Donnie corrected him. "And yes, that's him."

"What's he doing back here?" Raph shoved Mikey's head down so he could also see.

"Hey!" Mikey protested. 

"Well, he apparently switched to weapon deals," Donnie replied. 

"We need to be careful then," Leo repeated, pointedly looking at Raph. "We don't know what he has in store."

"Alright, alright," Raph huffed. "What do you suggest then, Oh Fearless Leader?"

Leo focused on the screen. He analyzed the way everyone was standing. 

"Let's go with Dragonfly formation."

Kara looked up torn from her thoughts when Splinter’s tail poked her forehead. They have been playing shogi again but her heart just wasn’t in it.

<What’s wrong?> The elder rat signed. He picked up on the language so quickly and tried to use it with her as much as possible, which was so kind of him.

His face was also very expressive once she got used to the whiskers and ears. 

She sighed. <Nothing.>

What he wanted to say next was too much for his knowledge so far so he still took a pen and paper and wrote: “You seem to be deep in thoughts my dear. I’ve been trying to get your attention for a couple minutes, I think there’s something.”

He was also way too perceptive to her liking sometimes. 

“Three days ago, I found a particular book with a page and a passage marked in it. I assume it was left for me. Do you know who it could be?” She replied, trying to turn the situation around. Get him to maybe confess.

“Perhaps it was April or your friend Cheryl? Leonardo keeps his collections close and for good reason.” Splinter wrote back. 

Kara narrowed her eyes. The rat was lying. She just knew it. She had no proof but her gut said otherwise. “It was Haruki Murakami. Kafka on the shore. Do you know it?”

Splinter stroked his chin, reading her message. “I do. In fact, it has been missing from my shelf for a couple of days now. I assumed Leo or you have helped yourself to it. How was it? I find the author quite insightful. What was the quote?”

He knew that she knew that he did it. No other way around it. But alright. Let’s play this game.

Kara sighed, stood up, and went for the book. She returned, sat down, and showed him the bookmarked page.

Splinter took the book. In a very dad way, he tilted his head back, lifting his chin up to look at the text. “You were hurt badly, and those scars will be with you forever. I feel sorry for you, I really do. But think of it like this: it’s not too late to recover. You’re young, you’re tough. You’re adaptable. You can patch up your wounds, lift up your head and move on.” He nodded thoughtfully and returned the book to Kara.

<What do you think?> he signed.

<It’s not wrong,> she replied, clearly ticked off. <But why they didn’t talk to me?>

<Hard to tell.> He looked over the marked quote. <It is a good quote, but it misses one thing.>

<What?>

Splinter sighed. Then he reached for a piece of paper and wrote his next response. “To truly move on, one must forgive themselves. For allowing themselves to be hurt. Being vulnerable isn’t a flaw of character. It’s a true strength and bravery to approach others with an open heart and mind. You’re never at fault for others' actions that hurt you.”

She read the message over once it was handed to her. She fought the urge to crumple the paper and throw it over her shoulder. <It’s not easy.>

<It is not, no.>

After that Splinter stood up, stretching his aching bones, and made his way to the kitchen to boil some water for his tea. The game came to a halt. Maybe that was for the best as Kara had a lot to think about. 

She moved to her usual spot on the couch. Not doing anything was out of the question but she needed something to keep herself busy. She grabbed her tablet and started sketching mindlessly - game controller, TV, pillow, teacup. Teacup? 

She blinked and focused back on her surroundings. A teacup and a teapot. And Splinter's back slowly moved away to his corner of the lair. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her with a nod. Kara smiled back. She took her cup and inhaled the comforting scent of green tea. 

Things like these made her realize how much she missed her own family. Her dad. He wouldn't give her tea but a hot cup of cocoa. She wiped the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. It was a long time ago. She needed to get herself together. 

She didn't get much time to enjoy her drink. 

Right after the first sip, all four brothers rushed into the lair. They looked worse for wear but her eyes immediately zeroed in on Donnie. He was slumped over Raph's shoulder, barely holding on like a ragdoll. Their mouths were moving and they were clearly shouting. The noise echoed through the walls making it hard to understand anything. Clearly, their mission went very far south.

She and Splinter exchanged looks and rushed to the four brothers as they hurried with Donnie to the needle room. On their way, she looked down and her stomach went up to her throat as she noticed the thick trail of blood. Not good. Everyone was rushing about, freaking out. Raph had to push Mikey out of the room, while Splinter and Leo took charge but she could see both of them were at a loss. 

<What’s going on?> She asked Splinter.

The rat looked at her and replied calmly. “My sons are extraordinary. They heal fast but for some reason, Donatello isn’t.” 

<Let me take a look> She signed and took a deep breath before looking at Donnie.

He was placed on the table. He was weakly moaning in pain, while Leo was trying to hold him down as Splinter tried to stop the bleeding.

Splinter hesitated but allowed her. He stepped to the side. 

The wound was to Donnie’s right leg. Kara pushed the bandages aside and took a look. She tasted bile in her mouth but managed to hold it. It was nasty. Deep and wide, the bone was visible and splintered. She looked up from the gore and inhaled through her nose and closed her eyes for a second.

<Impartial, impersonal, think test subject, think theory,> she told herself then looked down again. 

Okay, so what was going on? The wound clearly wanted to heal but something was stopping it, reopening it. A chemical agent? She turned her head to Leo.

<What happened?>

“We went after the arms trade like you told us,” the turtle in blue started explaining. “They were trading some futuristic weapons, Donnie recognized some stuff as prototypes and,” he tried to recall more details, “Stockman was there. It got messy really quick. I noticed too late that Stockman was aiming a weapon at Donnie. I got to the bastard too late to stop him, only to change the trajectory.”

<What did he shoot him with?>

“I thought it was a bullet. I- we,” Leo paused thinking quickly. “I think Raph took the gun. Raph!” He yelled.

“What?!” Raphael rushed inside ready to fight if there was anything to fight. 

“Where’s the gun?”

“What gun?”

“That fucking gun!”

“Don’t yell at me! What gun?!”

“The one that shot Donnie!”

Kara winced from the noise of their arguing. 

“Boys!” Splinter struck the ground with his cane, immediately calling back some sense into the two brothers. 

“I tossed it in the living room,” Raph grumbled, his worried eyes on Donnie.

Kara tried to step into his line of vision. <Show it to me.> 

Raph merely glared at her then grabbed her around her waist and carried her downstairs. It was faster. The gun was on the sofa, discarded like a broken toy. 

“Donnie would know what to do with it, so I hope you do too,” the big guy said, letting her work.

The weapon was sleek and futuristic but she wasn’t interested in the design. The ammo was far more absorbing. She got a few round bullets from it and ran to Donnie’s lab to inspect them. 

The bullets were round. The seemingly liquid core, shimmering like glitter mixed with mercury, was encased in see-through material, smooth like glass but there definitely was more to it. This was easy. So much easier than the blood and… tissue and Donnie potentially dying… She shuddered and refocused on her work. 

A quick look under the microscope had her cursing. Nanobots. This was bad. So so bad. She immediately got to work. She pulled out all the tech she could and started building as fast as she could. Nanotech explained so much. The little robots were fighting the mutated immune system right now, hopefully, they didn’t get far. She didn’t want to think what might have happened had they already reached his brain or heart. 

Reprograming the bots could be useful but did she have time for that? Killing them was an option. But they had to make sure they left his damn system so… killing and purging? Fuck it. Let’s try that.

While working she was painfully aware of the timeflow and the fact that Donnie might… Not, thinking that. Once the device was ready she ran as fast as she could back to the needle room. Her hands were shaking and her eyes stung with the tears that threatened to spill when she saw Donnie again. 

He was ashen. His green scales almost lost all color. He wasn’t moaning in pain anymore, just painfully wheezing. He didn’t fight Leo anymore, just laying there still. 

Kara swallowed hard and put down a clunky prototype that hopefully worked. She set the generator on Donnie’s midsection and turned the dial on. On her phone, she typed in commands. She was aware that Leo and Splinter were talking to her but she had turned  and taken off her hearing aids as the impulse she was about to release might destroy them. Again.

She set up a petri dish next to the festering wound on Donnie’s leg and stepped back. One, two, three, she exhaled and pressed GO on her phone. The lights flickered. Four, five six… She counted in her mind. Then she switched the dial setting on the generator. Seven, eight, nine. 

The silvery liquid started trickling down onto the petri dish. Ten, eleven, twelve. The flow stopped. She pressed stop and removed the generator from Donnie’s stomach.

<He needs a transfusion,> she signed to Leo and started walking out of the room. The bathroom was too far away. She went to the kitchen and hurled into the sink.

Donnie woke up properly the next day. A proof of turtles' resilience. After a difficult night and tons of painkillers, he finally wasn't in danger of dying. It did leave him loopy though.

He looked around and smiled softly. Something inside him melted. His father was sleeping on a chair, Raph with Mikey on a pile on the floor. Leo, also in a chair, had his head on the bed, snoring softly. 

He didn't see-

A snap of fingers brought his attention to the door. 

<Hey,> Kara greeted him. She was leaning over the entrance wall, drinking her pink abomination. She walked further into the Needle Room and set the cup on a table. <Welcome to the land of the living.>

A dopey smile spread on his face. Ah, there she was. Even drugged up though, he noticed the deep dark circles under her eyes. Right. If anyone here had enough biotech experience to deal with whatever Stockman has done, aside from Donnie himself, it was Kara.

She moved to check his vitals and change the IV bag. 

<How are you feeling?> She asked.

<Like if I had a collision with at least three Raphs on Mach 3 speed,> he joked.

She giggled. <Something like that.> She smiled, wobbly but still.

The only reason he said what he said next must have been due to the amount of drugs in the IV. <If you're gonna be my nurse maybe I should get hit more often.> 

She snorted. <Correction. Leo was your nurse. I am the doctor.> 

Donnie looked at his brother and frowned. <Ew.>

She covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. 

<You are very pretty,> he said. <And smart. I like you a lot. But you might sell our secrets to the highest bidder and I don't know if I can live with that.>

She stopped laughing. 

<You think I'd do that?> She tilted her head, frowning, concerned. She sat on the bed. 

<I have no point of reference aside from the fact you're HOAX and our enemies would pay you a lot,> he continued on. 

<I see,> she noted. 

<But I still sometimes want you to kiss me like you did in the van,> he added and she could help but smile and snort. <But you won't because you hate me now because I did a stupid.>

<We can have this conversation again once you stop being high as a kite.> She patted his arm. Then before she could change her mind she placed a kiss on his forehead. 

Quickly, she jumped off of his bed and left the room. She didn't notice Splinter and Mikey's open eyes following her out.

Donnie was recovering. As Kara played the doctor in this scenario, she wondered if he remembered the under-influence confessions but ironically the roles have reversed. 

Now it was Donnie who as much as possible, given the circumstances, tried to avoid her. Which gave her some incline into the state of his memory. 

She didn’t know if she wanted to continue the talk just yet though. Eventually, he realized she wasn’t going to push him to talk and so over the next couple of days they returned to somewhat natural interactions.

<9?>

"Go fish," Donnie replied. 

Kara grumbled and picked up a card from the stack. The lights flickered and she saw Raph enter the room.

"Sup nerds," he greeted them.

"Hi Raph," Donnie replied while Kara just flipped him off. 

"Nurse Leo has a night off. Again." The red brute smirked. 

"Joy," Donnie replied.

<Nah, that's in Pokémon,> Kara joked.

Donnie snorted. "Any 7s?"

<Go fish.>

"Come on, me and Mikey can't be the only ones who are curious!" Ralph huffed. "Leo somehow got a girlfriend!"

<Or a boyfriend,> Kara pointed out. <2s?>

Donnie handed her two cards with a pout. <Are you cheating?>

She blew him a kiss. <Any 8s>

<Go fish.>

"Boyfriend??" Raph frowned confused. 

"I told you," Mikey popped up jumping in immediately taking a seat on Donnie's bed, and pulling out markers to draw on the cast.

"Mikey, is there even free space?" Donnie looked at his younger brother. 

"Yep, and Michelangelo is fixing that!" Mikey grinned and Kara giggled. 

<Seriously, where have you been last week when we were watching the 90s Mummy?> Kara asked. 

"Huh," Raph blinked. 

<The only thing straight about him is his face when he lied about peanut butter,> Kara added with a raised eyebrow and a smug face.

Mikey cackled at that. 

"He ate the peanut butter?" Raph looked absolutely offended. “I thought it was Mikey.”

“And it wounded my delicate soul,” Mikey sighed, faking hurt.

"Our brother truly has dark secrets," Donnie deadpanned. 

"Pot - kettle, pop tart licker," Raph reminded him. 

Donnie flipped him off. "That was ages ago!" 

"Four years isn't long, brother," Raph smiled smugly. "And didya stop?" He crossed his arms. 

Donnie grumbled and looked at his cards. <Do you have any 4s?>

<Go fish,> Kara responded. <What's up with the 'pop tart licker'?>

Ralph grinned. 

"Don't you fucking dare, Raph," Donnie warned him.

"Hey, don't move!" Mikey scolded him. "You'll mess up my lines!"

"Oh, I am sure she noticed," Raph said, trying his best to incorporate signs he knew. "Donnie here has a thing for licking the icing off of the pop tarts then putting the cookie part back in the box."

<I see,> she grinned. There was a joke there she thought of in regard to his tongue skills but decided against it.

Donnie huffed and waved his hand to get the attention back to himself. Why was everyone picking on him?

<Are we still playing?>

<Sure,> she signed looking mischievous. <Poptart licker.>

Donnie looked at her offender. <Just you wait, I am asking Cheryl for something compromising you.>

<I am surprised you haven't dug something up already,> she shot back. 

<I said I was sorry,> he retorted, shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

That earned him a hiss of warning from Mikey. 

<And I forgave you, doesn't mean I will forget it though,> she gave him a pointed look. 

<Fair.> He sighed. 

<Give me your kings,> she told him and he handed her the cards.

She completed the set and placed it down. 

<Any 6s?> She asked next.

Donnie handed her his only 6 and she set the second set down. 

<Any 3s?> She looked so smug. How he hated that. Her lips were doing that thing, that one thing, where they quirked to the side and her lower lip just a tiny little bit stick out. Why was he even paying attention to that?!

<Go fish you card robber,> Donnie replied with an annoyed huff and she giggled at his expression.

Mikey and Raph exchanged looks over the pair's heads. 

"So, are we doing anything about Leo?" Raph tried to get everyone back on the topic.

“Why should we do anything?” Donnie asked. <Any 2s?> He glanced over at Kara knowing full well her answer.

She glared at him and handed over three cards. 

“Thank you~” he placed them in his hand. <Any 10s?> 

She stuck her tongue at him. <Go fish.>

“What do you mean why should we?” Raph stomped around the room. “Fearless gonna get himself and us in trouble!”

“Wow, who knew you’d worry so much bro,” Mikey snickered.

“I care for us,” Raph gruffed. “There’s no way some human would be interested in either of us like that.”

“Sounds like a bitter experience to me,” Mikey looked up and Donnie nodded.

“Are you not telling us something, Raphael?” Donnie grinned at his older brother.

“None of your business.” Raph shifted a bit and got this tone in his voice the two younger brothers recognized as ‘full of shit’. 

Kara decided not to weigh in on the conversation, keeping her personal opinion out of it. She glanced at Donnie. He caught her look and licked his lips on reflex. Kara bit her lips trying not to grin.

“Well, I don’t think we should worry too much, if Leo thought things were getting serious, I’m sure he’d ask me to run a background check on whoever it was,” the purple terrapin replied, trying to regain his composure. 

<Has that happened before?> Kara asked him, trying to hide her hand from Raph.

<Perhaps but don’t tell Raph,> Donnie replied also using his ‘whispery’ hands.

Raph glared at them. “I know enough ASL now to know when you’re talking about me, nerd squad.” He said slowly trying to incorporate signing although it was awkward and he made a few mistakes. 

<A+ for effort,> Kara grinned.

<Fuck you,> Raph replied. 

“Of course, you know that one,” Donnie shook his head amused, and Mikey cackled. 

That reminded Donnie… He glanced over at the next cast art. “Is that tiny Einstein?” He turned his head, staring at the figure with a tiny body and large head, like a Funkopop of the famous scientist.

“Yup! Kara gave me the idea,” Mikey replied and he and Kara high-fived. “Plus why wouldn’t a human be into us? We’re dead gorgeous! And we know plenty of humans who like us.”

“Yeah, as long as we protect them,” Raph shot back.

“April likes us,” Mikey pointed out.

“Well, yes but she did faint and tried to make us news when we first met,” Donnie reminded him.

“April’s like the one exception-” Raph started.

“Casey,” Donnie reminded him.

“One of two-”

“Verne,” Mikey tossed in.

“Three-”

“Chief Vincent,” Donnie added and he and Mikey fist-bumped.

“Fine!” Raph stormed out cursing under his breath.

Kara’s neck was starting to hurt from all this back and forth. <How many humans actually do know about you guys?> She knew they were an urban legend and popular cryptid story on the Internet but she wondered who else was in contact with them.

<A few actually,> Donnie told her both signing and speaking so Mikey could follow. <The ones we mentioned: Casey, April, Verne, Chief Vincent, the police officers we worked with in the past, you, Cheryl, and of course our enemies, who are humans. There’s Granny in Harlem, couple of people in Brooklyn.> He paused to think. <Well, there are the people we rescued and had to show ourselves in order for saving to work…>

“The folk at the Chinese market!” Mikey threw in.

Kara grinned. <Keep going and I’m gonna start thinking that your ninja ways aren’t all that ninja.>

<If you’re getting involved in people’s business people notice you,> Donnie shrugged. 

<Speaking of business - I have one for you.> Kara set the cards aside. <I was thinking-,>

<Always dangerous with you,> Donnie joked and she playfully shoved him.

"Careful!" Mikey protested. "Almost done."

<Sorry. As I was saying! I want to collaborate with you on something,> she finally finished.

<Alright? What's the idea?> He furrowed his brow ridges, intrigued but cautious. 

Immediately, Kara jumped from the bed and ran outside. 

"Soooo…. You gonna date her?" Mikey asked, capping his markers. 

"Mikey," Donnie warned him. 

"Just asking," the orange turtle raised his hands up. "Gotta go bro." He got up and started heading to the main area. Just before leaving the room, he turned around. "But if you aren't tapping that lemme know," he made finger guns and clicked his tongue.

Donnie threw a pillow after him. Kara caught the last part as Mikey made his retreat cackling. She decided not to ask. 

Kara sat on the med bed next to Donnie, putting a stack of papers on his lap, and opened her laptop on hers. He shifted a little, having her so close to him. The heat radiating off of her made him so aware of her that it was hard to focus on what she brought him.

He looked up at her waiting for explanation and distraction. 

<So, while I’m stuck here, I got a bit bored and went through my old scrapped projects to see if I could maybe revive one.> She signed with one hand, starting up her laptop and navigating the folders. <This one I thought would be pure sci-fi but I’ve seen some of your inventions and that holocomputer on your arm and I think we can actually make it real.> She finally opened the right schematics. <Plus, it might come in handy for you guys.>

Donnie leaned in closer to the screen. His eyes widened. This… this would certainly be useful. While he read through her files she dove under him for the stack of papers in his lap. Waving her hand, she got him to glance at her. <I started doing some math and redesigns.>

They were so close. Her face was right there. Donnie cleared his throat. <Sure, it looks complicated but with us both on it?> He looked at the papers. <Some of the construction pieces might be hard to acquire.>

<Not if you have a fully equipped lab, which I do have,> she pointed out with a grin. <How long do you think you will need the cast for? 3 weeks?>

<Two probably, we heal fast.> None of them broke a bone before but taking in other injuries the brothers have recovered from this was a fair assessment.

The excited smile on her face made him swallow hard.

<Excellent,> she said. She spun a pencil between her fingers. <Okay, now help me with this bit here.>

Obediently, Donnie checked out her equations. Why can’t feelings be as easy as Math?

[mewintheflesh-2]

Team sky people I haven’t talked about yet:

June/Junebug: Higher Grunt. Team Sky’s Official Tumblr Account manager. Gets into a lot of arguments with people over which Pokémon should be allowed into the team. Has to be convinced to stop arguing endlessly with people. Dresses in very scene clothes/makeup

Victoria: Grunt. June’s queerplatonic partner. Co manager of Team Sky’s Official Tumblr Account. Very gothic, loves the vampire aesthetic. Is the one who has to convince June to stop arguing with people online by letting her just talk about how stupid they are to her instead, who she herself shares the same feelings.

Millie: Not exactly an official member, as a result he doesn’t have a rank, but he might as well be an official member. Professional Artist. Hired/frequently commissioned by Mikey to make paintings for him. A lot of his paintings seem to depict future/sinister events of “other realities” said by Millie himself. Mikey will just walk up to him like “Hey Millie! What’re you painting this time?” And it’s just him being overcome by sinister shadows and being curled up into a ball and Millie’s just like “Have you ever wondered what would happen if Team Sky turned truly evil?” And Mikey’s looking at it bewildered, first of all because of the concept, but also because the art is just absolutely stunningly beautiful. And Mikey’s just like “No, I haven’t, but holy shit your art is beautiful.” And Millie’s just like “Thanks :)”. Millie also kind of has a giant crush on him. No biggie!! Mikey is a very striking muse to him.

Trixie: Grunt. MANIC PIXIE DREAMGIRL kind of. She’s like 14 (no she’s like 16), straight light pink hair, dresses very scene, has little wrist warmers that are majority black with neon green stripes. Has just straight up pilot goggles without the little flaps on them. Has a Noivern and Swoobat :)

Tricky (v similar names I know, it wasn’t me though): Higher Grunt. Very much punk. Most of her head is shaved aside from the front part of the right side of her head, where her light purple hair falls over her face, curled in the fashion of a cartoonish tornado. Wears leather, studded jackets and a lot of fish nets. A lot of piercings, even in the most painful places, stretched out earlobes, and lots of rings, along with thick platform boots. Her fav drink is passion fruit tea and she is very bisexual. I think she has a big sister kind of relationship with Tricky.

+@##83: h43$@+53$j

and I’ve already talked about Theo, but I want to talk more in-depth about him!:

Mechanic. Despite how young he looks in the only art I’ve posted of him on here, he is actually 16-19! He is trans, uses he/him, and is a faller from a similar reality as Nightsky is! Back at his home, he very much viewed Nightsky as somewhat of a father figure to him, as they were decently close, virtue of Theo not having a family of his own. When Theo fell into the world he lives in now, he was very much bewildered at the state of the world. Why was it back to its “normal” state?

That’s when he found Team Sky again. He was very very weirded out, but after awhile of trying to go back home, he eventually realized the best he could do was settle for a new life here. He was very intrigued by Mikey, who he himself was very intrigued about Theo. Mikey and Theo ended up building a very much passive father/son relationship, which Theo was content with as he continued his life in this alternate reality from his own. Theo ended up being brought into Team Sky as a trusted and skilled mechanic, as despite his age, he is very handy with all sorts of tools.

In an alternate timeline, Nightsky does end up coming to his reality via the Time Machine in Area Zero. Theo finds Nightsky alone and is very much shocked to see him “again” (it’s a different guy entirely, but he’s similar enough.) Nightsky recognizes him as the Theo from his own reality, neither of them are aware they’re not talking to who they think they’re talking to. Either way, Theo is just relieved to see someone else from his home, as is Nightsky, though he doesn’t admit it. It’s settles the anxieties in his chest somewhat.

Team Nighsky has a salute that every member is to memorize and enact when appropriate, this is how Nightsky identifies that Theo isn’t lying about him previously being a member of Team Nightsky. I like to think since Theo gets to know both of the Sky Mikeys very well at some point, he’d be the one to start negotiating between them until they can talk face to face. Theo does get tired of them refusing to negotiate at first and just using him as a messenger-boy to hurl insults at each other back and forth, so he ends up refusing to carry over the messages unless it’s to actually speak about their problems with each other.

[ducknotinarow]

[2k7 Don @ Raph + Mikey - totally didn't forget to send this nope nope uwu]

"Oh good, you're both home," Don starts with a beaming grin that hadn't been seen in a while, "I have a new project I want to show you guys."

Instead of leading them to his lab though, he instead holds up a polaroid photo, not quite showing them yet though as he goes on to explain this 'project',

"Well, I say 'I have', it's actually something Yvonne and I are working on," He explains, a wag to his tail, "Biomaterials, we're estimated everything will be ready between thirty seven to forty two weeks max, and we're already six weeks in; that's how we were able to get this photo."

And that's when, finally, Donatello shows it to them, handing it to Raph first - call it twin privileges. Though he won't go into details how he got an Ultrasound picture, he does give a second to let the penny fully drop,

"We're thinking Ariel for if they're a girl, Eric if they're a boy," He announces, obviously feeling proud and excited as he tells his brothers, "So, what do you guys think about being Uncles?"

| Muse interaction

Mikey's laugh easily echoed across the walls of the lair as he skated ahead of Raphael hot on their heels. For a turtle he was fast more so when Mikey annoyed him enough, which was why Mikey was laughing so giddy as he had been. Raph throwing out threats and swears as he was running after Mikey it looked stupid with him running back and further just barely catching up t them. Leonardo was near by watching them being stupid as they could, and that was only annoying Raphael even more. Being made too look like some fool because of the youngest of them. "Fuck you Mikey I'm too old to be acttin' 'ike this anymore."

Mikey slowed down beside him ready to argue that point or make the old statement more annoying to his brother he hadn't picked just yet when he went to open his mouth ready to let which ever choice just happen, when everyone paused at the sight of Donatello.

"Oh good, you're both home,"

Mikey forgetting he was in the middle of annoying Raph can't help but smile back when seeing Donatello's big wide beaming smile just now. Kicking the back of his board so he could hold it under his arm. "yeah just making sure Raphie here ain't trying to pull more Nightwatcher when no ones watching him." he teased ducking away when Raph decided being mature was over rated for a chance to hit Mikey.

"I have a new project I want to show you guys."

Both the orange and red banded turtle shared a confused expression when Donatello help out a photo to show this 'project' he was talking about. Raphael turned to look at Mikey as if they were going to be able to clue him into anything. Mikey Offered a shrug of his shoulders at first glance they couldn't tell what the image of the polaroid was meant to be off. it was all just grey and black maybe some sort of this being shown but even Mikey could make sense of the randomness. Well seemingly random. So the pair turn towards Leo but he didn't seem to know as he joined the group.

"Well, I say 'I have', it's actually something Yvonne and I are working on,"

"So you an' Von are off bein' nerds 'bout what exactly?" Raph asks wishing they just tell them what was up instead.

"Biomaterials, we're estimated everything will be ready between thirty seven to forty two weeks max, and we're already six weeks in; that's how we were able to get this photo."

Silence fell between them all a few blinks between them all as they each tried to figure out any of those words that Donnie let out just now. They didn't even need to share a look this time before Raph opened his beak again to speak up.

"Biomaterial? Donnie drop the geek speak and fuckn' use English here will ya!"

Don's response was to hand the photo over, Raph took it with out much argument and pulled it over his way as Mikey leaned in over on shoulder trying to take a peak at what Donnie and Yvoone had been making. Raph noticed something though, tugging the photo up to his eye. He never seen this sort of photo before. But he swears there's something there? That was a head right? and what might be arms and some legs? something living? Wait was this ? He turns to Leo they seemed ti figure it out to about the same time Mikey giving a delight squeal beside him a moment later.

"We're thinking Ariel for if they're a girl, Eric if they're a boy,"

"Seriously! At first I thought it was some alien freak" Mikey started off with finally having the verbal confirmation and well to be fair the ultrasound was kind of weird looking after all. "Like no one else was talking yet so I was all dang are Von and Donnie just finding aliens now? I mean possible I guess but you made it sound like ya made something so then I though oh they are making aliens. But I couldn't figure out why? But instead ya guys made a baby!" He rambled on a moment there.

Raph doing the honors of hitting Mikey ti get him to shut up so Donatello could speak once again.

"So, what do you guys think about being Uncles?"

Despite them all finally clueing in there it kindnof didnt hit that this meant they were uncles. Thier family was growing. Mikey and Raph wasted no time running right Donnie arms thrown out to snag him into a group hug, clearing him over and landing together in a pile to the floor. They couldn't help the excitement that went through them all just now.

"This is amazing! I can't believe it! I always knew you would make for a great Dad Dee and now you are gonna be a great dad to little Eric or Ariel!" Mikey exclaimed first having not gotten hurt himself so his excitement didn't come to any end.

Raphael meanwhile managed to work an around around Donnie, trapping him in a slight headlock as knuckles grind in against the top of his head laughing slightly. "Can't believe you guys been keepin' 'his from us!" Raph remarks clearly happy for them though, just not as vocal compared to Mikey for that excitement. Letting go of Donnie once he felt he had enough and first to move to sit up as he grabs at Mikey so he could pull them off right after. So the Dad to be could finally get some air himself. Raph holding up the photo ones more as he slightly held it for Donnie too.

"Look at that Don you made that." Raph stated because well it was something to truly marvel over. This little blob of a thing was going to become Donnie's kid their family was going to grow by one more. After everything fell apart they were still working on building it back putting the pieces together once again. It was nice to see Donnie smiling as wide and bright as he told them he was going to be a dad.

"oh oh we gotta start getting you baby things" Mikey jumped to his feet now. Grabbing at Leo and tugging him as he made way to leave the Lair. "Were gonna be their favorites cause your too slow Raph!" Mikey yelled over his shoulder heading off.

Raph just sat on the ground and groaned a little letting his own eyes drop to the picture him self. Actually he had a better idea for them. Why dig through the trash? His niece or nephew should have something new made by hand even.

[rottmntquotes]

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Ignore the gentle pitter-patter of Mikey's little feet here and the not-so-subtle drag of Raph's tail there. Eyes closed at all times, scales down, tail still; wait… wait…

Now.

Leo leapt up from his place on the training room floor, just narrowly dodging his youngest brother's attempt at a sneak attack. He landed on his feet almost silently with his beak curled back to express his brief pain. He couldn't do this exercise for too much longer - his legs were bound to give out on him the longer his brothers continued to pounce.

Speaking of.

"THINK FAST!" Raph shouted, launching forward with a large smile.

Letting out a loud groan, Leo ran towards Raph, preparing to either land a hit or take a pulled one. A good explanation as to why he let out a yelp of surprise when Raph rammed into him like a bull.

"OW! RAPH, WHAT THE HELL?!" Leo hissed, struggling to squirm out from under Raph's body. "I thought you were gonna pull that punch!"

"Which is exactly why I didn't!" Raph triumphantly replied. His tail thumped on the floor as a sign of his happiness, the smile on his face ever bright even as he stood to face a pissed off little brother. "You gotta remember that our enemies aren't gonna pull their punches on ya just because you're-"

"Weak?" Leo scoffed, making no comment on how that one word erased Raph's smile completely. "Yeah, I know that, Raph! I know that villains aren't gonna just take it easy on me because I have a fracture on my plastron or a cracked carapace! If anything, they'll take advantage of it!"

"EXACTLY!"

"Guys, please! Stop fighting!" Mikey cried, reminding his brothers of his presence. The tears in his eyes created a pool of guilt that settled in Leo's gut, one that drowned him in his thoughts that he believed he'd gotten over weeks ago.

Everything was his fault. The invasion, the injuries, the trauma; all of it. Had he just listened to his brothers, not been all of the things Casey- his own son -had called him, he wouldn't have to listen to this rant. Wouldn't have to see Mikey cry every time a beautiful drawing was destroyed, wouldn't have to hear Donnie groan in pain when he moved in certain ways that pulled the healing gashes on his shell, wouldn't be afraid to think that Raph would look at him with nothing but disappointment and frustration whenever he made a poor decision in battle.

A heavy sigh escaped through Leo's lips as he took a moment to bring himself back down to earth. It wasn't doing anyone any good to argue, and it sure as hell wasn't doing anyone any good to make Mikey cry. Once he was completely calm, Leo looked back up at Raph, fingers just barely fluttering and giving away his stifled annoyance.

"I just wanted some time to myself." Leo slowly started. "I don't see why me sitting with my eyes closed was taken as an invitation for you to-"

"Boys! We've got trouble!" April shouted as she raced into the training room. "Hypno and Warren Stone are trying to steal another ancient artifact from- HEY!"

Leo didn't give April the satisfaction of receiving an apology, as his brain had become focused on one thing and one thing only.

Find the bastards that helped me start this mess.

"LEO! WAIT ON YOUR TEAM!" Raph shouted, groaning as his order was promptly and easily ignored.

"As per the usual, he runs off to save the day on his own." Donnie snarkily commented, a look of utter annoyance on his face as the group entered the Turtle Tank.

As they left the garage, there was the collective feeling that something was missing. Though they looked around, no one could find any physical items missing, and no one remembered leaving their weapons at the lair.

THUMP! THUMP!

"Ah, that's what we were forgetting." Mikey chimed, watching with a smile as Casey Jr. and Cassandra Jones climbed into the tank through the roof. "Hey there Cassie and Casey!"

"Hey Uncle Mikey!" Casey replied, seeming disturbingly excited to join a potentially dangerous situation. He looked around intently, soon frowning worriedly. "Where's dad?"

"Probably off being an idiot." Cassandra muttered as she looked through the tank's telescope.

"Mom!" Casey huffed, casting a brief glance of frustration towards his mother.

"Well, your dad may have kinda sorta… ran off to fight the villains before us." Mikey nervously giggled.

"Called it!" Cassandra shouted, not noticing Raph's slight leap of surprise.

Casey sighed, biting his bottom lip worriedly. There was no telling what Leo could get himself or others into, so the boy could only hope that the family got to the scene before things got too out of hand.

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

They didn't get there before things got too out of hand.

"THE LEADER IS SUPPOSED TO WORK WITH HIS TEAM! AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THAT IS!"

"I HAD IT HANDLED, RAPH!"

"YOU WERE TRAPPED UNDER A CAR!"

Had there been enough time, one of said teammates would stop and take time to yell at Raph and Leo for wasting their breath on arguing in the middle of a fight. Sure, what Leo did was reckless, irresponsible, and even dangerous, but that didn't need to be brought up now. Not when one and a sixteenth villains were currently beating the group's asses into the ground.

"How are they beating us?! We stopped an alien invasion for hell's sake!" April scoffed.

"It likely has something to do with the artifact!" Donnie replied. "I'll use my goggles to look for any mystic energy! Casey or Cassandra; cover me!"

"On it!" Casey eagerly shouted, running towards Donnie and just narrowly dodging a flying dagger. "Whoa! Where'd you pull that from?"

"Oh, would you really like to know?" Hypno asked, moving swiftly to pull a rabbit out of his hat as well.

"Oh, my God! Dad, he's a wizard!" Casey shouted, swinging his hockey stick frantically. "Do a sword next!"

"Yeah, you really are your father's son…" Donnie muttered. Taking the moment to pull his goggles down and search for the artifact. "Come on… where are you?"

"Looking for something?" A voice asked, spooking Donnie long enough to draw his attention away from the fight.

"I'll do you one better than a sword!" Hypno chimed, pulling a sledgehammer out from his hat. "THINK FAST!"

Casey yelped and ducked, an action that Hypno hoped for as he swung and made contact directly with the side of Donnie's head.

"UNCLE DONNIE!" Casey screamed, drawing everyone's attention towards him.

The sight at his feet was horrific, blood pooling out of every orifice it could, a dent that was a sure sign of how much strength Hypno put into his swing, an eye that just barely popped out of its socket, and teeth that pressed down to bite off the tip of Donatello's tongue. By all accounts, the softshell should be dead, killed by such force, yet there was a wheezing gasp that told Casey otherwise. A rise and fall of Donnie's chest that said 'I AM alive, I AM here, and I. AM. IN. PAIN.'

"DAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Another agonizing cry came from Casey, echoing through the eerily empty streets and breaking Leo out of his stupor.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit!" Leo gasped, racing over to his boy and brother and trying not to gag at the sight. "No… not you, Dee. Not you, it should've been me…"

"Why don't we make it both?" Hypno darkly chuckled, raising his sledgehammer up over his head. The look of desire for blood made something akin to both terror and fury run down Leo's back, and he hissed like a wild animal before pouncing.

Loud screeching accompanied Leo's next actions; claws and teeth tore into whatever flesh they could, working hard and fast as the Slider received nothing but amused laughter.

"LET'S SEE HOW FUCKING AMUSED YOU ARE WHEN YOU'RE DEAD!" Leo roared, digging his teeth and claws deeper and deeper, growling louder and louder the more Hypno laughed.

Fuck, he wanted to stop that disgusting laugh.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" Leo screamed, stopping for a moment and gasping at the realization that Hypno's body was regenerating itself the moment it was able to. "No…"

"Yes!" Hypno cackled, throwing Leo back and using a card to- somehow -make himself disappear.

"Leo!" Mikey called, giving Leo no time to wallow in self hate or plan his revenge. "What do we do?!"

Leo took a deep breath, looking down at Donnie and keeping his focus on Donnie alone. He couldn't bear the terror on Casey's face, the fury on Cassandra's, the horror on Mikey's, the despair on April's…

Or what he was absolutely sure was hatred on Raph's.

"Okay, here's what I need everyone to do…"

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

The ride back to the lair was a less than pleasant one. The moment Donnie had been put together enough to be moved into the tank, he was cautiously transported onto a specially built cot. After that, no one seemed to want to talk to anyone.

Save for Casey, who only wanted to talk to his dad.

"I didn't mean to get him hurt, Otōsan." Casey whimpered, seemingly terrified to make eye contact with Leo.

The statement honestly spooked Leo. Not only because the tank had been silent at the time, but also because Casey rarely ever used Japanese. He was just being taught by Splinter, and didn't seem to take to it as much as he did to everything battle related.

"It's okay, Casey. You didn't mean to." Leo assured. "You made a mistake. We all do."

"But look at what my mistake did!" Casey sobbed. "Uncle Donnie could… he might… and it's all my fault!"

Leo sighed, pulling Casey into a tight hug. "Your uncle is going to be fine. You know how I know?"

Casey sniffled, looking to Leo with teary eyes.

"I know because he's one of us. A Hamato-O'neil-Jones. And we're the most stubborn creatures on earth!" Leo cheered, smiling with relief as Casey laughed, albeit briefly. "I bet my right arm that Donnie will be okay. Forehead and all."

"Thanks dad."

"Anytime, son."

~~~~~

The moment they got home, the first place everyone went was the med bay, where Leo hissed and snapped at everyone but Casey, who was the only other one with medical knowledge and training. The two worked for hours on Donnie, doing their best to keep their tears from blurring their vision or falling onto Donnie's injuries.

"Is this really all we can do?" Casey nervously asked as the duo finished cleaning their operating table.

"You don't have to stop at surgery." Leo replied with a well-practiced false smile. "You can come visit your uncle as often as you'd like. Read books to him, tell him about your day, talk about what's going on in school - stuff that'll keep him happy."

"Well, that means that you and Uncle Raph can't argue." Casey replied. "It annoys everyone when you both get in your 'moods'."

"Really, now? Did Donnie teach you to talk like that?" Leo asked.

"No… yeah." Casey replied.

Leo sighed, shaking his head slightly and tapping his claws against his thighs just as slightly. "I'm not equipped for this."

Casey opened his mouth to respond, though no words were found as he attempted to reassure Leo. This wasn't his area of expertise, and he knew the most efficient thing he could do right now was take Leo's attention away from the current frustration.

"I've only seen you get like that one other time."

The comment was enough to make Leo turn and look at Casey with interest, and it took everything in the boy to keep from outwardly celebrating.

"It was before I was sent back; I was five, maybe six years old, and all I was trying to do was ask you a question." Casey grimaced at the memory, a flash of red making him briefly cringe. "Granted, I should have known better than to interrupt a meeting, especially one about invading a Kraang base, but I was just… so excited to get your opinion on an idea I had.

"No one else seemed to mind me rushing through the crowd to get to you. Even if I did step on a few toes by accident. All I could think about was how happy you would be… until one of your best soldiers pushed me to the side and called me a spoiled brat."

Casey saw how Leo tensed at the mere mention of the incident, fearing that he would cause the Slider to go into some sort of uncontrollable rage. It was a silly fear, but one engraved into Casey's mind ever since that one fateful day, the day he was forcing himself to recall.

"I didn't find the term offensive, didn't even know what it meant, really. I just thought he was pushed over the edge and needed an outlet; everyone did, so no one really took insults to heart in the future. Like normal I just planned to brush it off and go back to running towards you, but that was until I noticed everyone staring at you like you were some terrifying monster.

"Of course, being the stupid kid I was, I told everyone to stop being mean, to stop looking at you that way. I went on a rant about how you weren't going to hurt anyone… until I saw what everyone was afraid of.

"When I looked into your eyes that day, I didn't see the master and father I had come to know and love. I saw… I saw an animal. A monster. There was no color, no joy, no life. I barely had any time to say your name before you had leapt forward, and I believe part of my brain has buried a large part of what happened next, since all I remember afterwards is seeing ten soldiers pulling you away from that man's half eaten corpse."

Leo stayed silent throughout the entire tale, breath heavy and pupils slitting as the seconds passed. All of the boys knew that nothing could stop them from being animals, no matter how much they tried to hide behind their human tendencies. They tried so desperately to keep from giving in to their feral nature, and had one rule, one fucking rule; never draw blood by claw or fang.

"…right dad?"

"What?" Leo swiftly turned to look at Casey with a somewhat fearful expression.

"I was saying that you'd never do something like that again. That you can control those tendencies now. Right?" Casey asked, tilting his head and hoping that the lights in the lab didn't reflect on the tears in his eyes.

They did.

Leo stayed quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time, grinding his teeth before sighing. "I think it's time for you to go home, son. Your mother is likely worried sick about you."

"But-"

"I have everything covered here, Case. I'll be fine, and so will your uncle." Leo calmly stated, pulling Casey into a stiff hug. "Go get some rest. You deserve it."

"But what if I have nightmares?" Casey whimpered, his shoulders beginning to shake as a sob threatened to escape. "Mom doesn't know your special story to chase away nightmares."

"Damn it, how are you so good at guilting me?" Leo groaned, relaxing his grip and feeling himself practically fall apart as Casey burst into tears. "Okay, you can stay."

"In here with you and Uncle Donnie?" Casey requested.

"Don't push it." Leo muttered, sending Casey off to his room. "You know where my extra comfy blanket is!"

The moment Casey was gone, Leo groaned, sitting on a nearby swivel chair and hissing. Now that he was alone in the med bay- meaning next to his twin brother, who had his face wrapped up completely so that it didn't literally fall into a thousand pieces -Leo was forced to go over the day's events by himself.

"How could I let this happen?" Leo whispered, tensing at the sound of creaking behind him. It was a familiar sound, that of someone moving on the med bay cot. "I'm sorry, Dee."

"I know you are." The reply was muffled, stunted even, though there was no hint of anger or disdain present. "Otherwise you wouldn't have broken our rule."

"I didn't mean to!" Leo shouted, turning toward the cot and grunting at the sight of Donnie lying completely still. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, occasionally matching the beeping of his heart monitor. "Ugh… I need sleep."

"You need more than that." Donnie's voice claimed, spooking Leo into looking to his right. "When was the last time you ate anything?"

As if proving the softshell's point, Leo's stomach growled like a ravenous bear.

"Kinda hard to worry about that when I have a team to care for." Leo muttered, looking down for a second and huffing as he looked up to find Donnie gone once more. "Agh, make this stop!"

"Leo?" Mikey asked, drawing his brother out of his loud tirade. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, y-yeah! Yeah, I'm okay. Just… tired." Leo replied. "And… upset. I'm sorry for scaring you. Now and then."

Mikey nodded, keeping a distance between himself and Leo. "I saw Casey heading towards your room. Is he staying the night?"

Leo nodded, huffing quickly. "Call his mother and tell her. I would, but you know she doesn't like me."

"O-okay." Mikey nervously replied. "You'll get some sleep after I do that, right?"

"Sure, sure." Leo curtly responded.

With a frown, Mikey moved to say something else, but stopped upon hearing Raph grumble something nearby. "Fine. Just try not to stay up too late. You deserve rest too."

Leo smiled, chuckling at his baby brother's concern. "Alright, you've tugged my tail. I'll get some sleep."

Mikey beamed at the statement, wagging his tail as he turned and left to call Cassandra. Once Mikey was gone, Leo groaned and ran a hand down his face, pulling his mask down around his neck.

"How do you know if you're a bad leader?" Leo asked after a few seconds of silence. He didn't expect an answer, but by God did he want one. "Because it feels like I'm the biggest damn example of one."

"That seems like more of a Raph question." Came Donnie's reply. The voice that Leo now knew was fake, but was more than ready to pretend was real.

"Yeah, but YOU'RE the one in a coma right now." Leo snapped. "Good leaders don't let their teams fall apart like this. Don't get their kids involved in relationship drama, don't break important rules that KEEP THEIR FAMILIES SAFE!"

Donnie stayed silent, much to Leo's dismay.

"I don't know what to do right now, Dee. I have the flesh of a villain's blood under my claws and between my fangs, and his blood is mixed with yours on my hands, even after they were washed!" Leo buried his head in his hands with a whimper. "My son blames himself for your injuries, his mother hates me, Mikey is scared of me, and Raph is probably trying to come up with some sort of lecture worse than anything he's ever given in his entire life!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" April asked as she sauntered up to Leo. Her brother's hisses were promptly ignored, and she let out a breath of relief as they were replaced with sobs when she hugged Leo. "You have to stop doing this to yourself. It's making you completely unhinged."

"I just wanted to be a decent leader. Someone useful to this team for once." Leo cried. "And what do I get for it but a brother who almost died."

April shushed Leo and sat them both down on the floor, holding him close and encouraging him to listen to her heartbeat until he calmed down. "No one's perfect, Leo. And Donnie could have gotten hurt under anyone's leadership; you gotta remember that."

"I know that, April! I know that it was an unfair fight! I know that Hypno had a stupid advantage! But it's just so hard to accept!" Leo sobbed. "I can't just move on and say that I forgive myself, because I don't, and I'm so scared that I never will!"

April frowned, running her hand along Leo's shell and sighing. "I can't say that you will, hon. All I can say is that we'll have to hope that time will help you heal."

Leo shuddered, snuggling closer to April and opening his mouth to say something more.

"DAD! DAD! DADDY!" Casey shouted, rushing into the med bay and practically tackling both April and Leo onto their backs.

"AGH! CASEY! WE NEED TO BREATHE!" April gasped, waiting for her sort-of-nephew to back up before letting out a loud breath. "What was that about?!"

"I had a nightmare!" Casey replied, hugging Leo with as much force as possible. "We were fighting that villain again, and I was looking for dad to make sure he was okay, but I couldn't find him anywhere!"

"Oh, Case." Leo whispered, wiping a bit of sweat soaked hair out of Casey's face.

"I was so scared that the villain had… that he had…" Casey couldn't finish his sentence, clearly too upset to do so. "Please… don't let him hurt you… please don't go off without us so we can't help you. Not again."

"I won't, Casey. I promise." Leo assured.

"With all your heart?"

"To the moon and back."

Casey smiled and sniffled, nuzzling against Leo's chest with a shuddering breath. "Tell me your story to chase away nightmares?"

Leo nearly burst into tears again then and there. Even as someone a year younger than him, Casey still seemed so innocent. He saw Leo as a hero, someone who could chase away those ugly monsters and fight off the demons that plagued everyone's mind. It was a lot to ask of a teen, but if it made Casey feel safe, then so be it.

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy who was born in a land of peril…"