#sad but then casey comes back to the present

[condemnhim]

what if draxum and mikey try to help casey jr travel back to the future to see his turtles in the good future again but they're all assholes

[ursaspecter]

Idk what it is about playing red dead that fills me with such YEARNING. Like I wanna go camping. I want a horse. I want to wander the wilderness even though my suburbanite ass wouldn't last a day out there on my own. And don't even get me started on the transmasc yearning. Like do I want to be with Arthur or do I just want to be him?

[thewayhomehallmark]

3x01: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet -

The reunion was so beautiful! I love that Jacob is back and part of the family although I wish he'd kept the beard. The story they came up with to explain everything was good. It was sad to see him struggling but coming home and adjusting to life in present day is no easy feat, obviously. I really, really want him to reunite with Danny. I was disappointed we didn't get that.

It's great to see everyone functioning nicely months later. Kat and Elliot are cute but THOMAS IS ALIVE!! The recap really made a point of reminding us of that fact and Kat basically couldn't stop talking about him.

I honestly didn't expect Kat to go back going into this season. It felt like we'd wrapped that storyline up but I loved getting to see Susanna again. AND THOMAS!!! He waited by the pond for her!!! Ugh. I hope it's not the end of them but I guess it needs to be. Whatever. She can be with Elliot I guess. Fine.

The mysterious letters about Del's lie... did Colton and Del give up their first born son or something wild? Did Evelyn raise him? The secret could be literally anything. I was thinking maybe that baby grew up to be Casey's father but then where does that leave Casey if they're potentially a time traveler? So many questions already! Who is sending the letters? They look like they're from another time.

Colton knew about the pond! We already knew that, of course, since we saw him lurking in the bushes last season but it's all very exciting that the family is putting everything together and the world is expanding.

Can't wait for next week!

Let me know your thoughts and what gif requests you have.

[dandylovesturtles]

For @thecaptainstevie , Future Leo & Present Leo, trick

Doing it this way so I can keep the ask in my inbox in case I want to do any of the others later. Some of these are duos that other people have asked for, though, so I'll probably answer those and circle back to this if I have another idea.

I did see this prompt though and knew what I wanted to do. I don't think I've seen this particular twist on the Future Leo/Present Leo relationship, or at least haven't seen it very often.

CWs: sibling death (mentioned), discussion of the bad future timeline

Enjoy!

---

Leo's in the sewer tunnel by the wall, leaning forward so his shell doesn't touch, scrolling through his phone. Leonardo can't see what he's looking at from here, but it's probably Instagram, based on what he remembers.

He clears his throat a little awkwardly. Leans on his crutch and waits to be acknowledged. The still-healing wound in his side throbs, but he doesn't like how foggy the painkillers make him so he doesn't bother.

Leo's got his own crutches and his own wounds that Leonardo hopes he's taking medicine for, but Leo doesn't want to listen to him, so he doesn't bring it up.

Leo sighs dramatically, eyes not moving from his phone screen. "You're really bad at taking hints."

"I'm really good at ignoring hints," Leonardo rebuffs. He doesn't go any closer. "Come on, April's here and she brought Chinese."

"They couldn't just text me that?"

"I wanted to come talk to you."

Leo scowls and scrolls through his phone with more fervor. Leonardo rubs the back of his neck. Geez, why is this so hard...

"I know you want me out of your hair," he pauses for Leo to point out that they're bald, but he does not, so Leonardo continues, "but I'm stuck here until this wound heals. The least we can do is pretend to like each other. For everyone else's sakes."

"I already promised Raph that I wouldn't pick fights with you," said Leo with a petulant tone. "It'd be easier if you wouldn't come bug me."

Leonardo sighs. Maybe he should just drop it here, but every time he thinks maybe Leo will warm up to him, the temperature gets chillier.

"...Can I just ask why you hate me?"

Leo stops scrolling. He's quiet for so long Leonardo thinks he should just leave, but finally Leo speaks.

"From how Casey tells it... you were incredible. The greatest ninja to ever live. I didn't know how I could live up to that." Leo finally looks at him, and his expression is distinctly unimpressed. "Now you're here. Just a sad old man with nothing left."

Leonardo tries to let it slide off him. Like always, he pulls for a joke, a habit that he's never grown out of. "Okay, sad, I'll give you, but old? Splinter's older than me."

Leo doesn't laugh. He just regards Leonardo coolly and says, "Mikey died opening the time portal."

It's not a question, but Leonardo answers anyway. "Yes."

"Because you asked him to."

It rubs at a nerve still exposed. "I had to. He knew the plan, we talked about it before-"

"It was still your decision." Leo straightens as high as he can, even on the ground, even with his cracked shell and injured limbs. "You ordered Mikey to die."

Leonardo can't say anything to do that.

Leo grabs his crutch and pushes himself to his feet. He's angry; Leonardo can tell from the set of his shoulders and the fire in his eyes.

"How many others died from your decisions, huh? Donnie? Raph? April?"

Every name is a stab to Leonardo's heart. He's silent, doesn't bother to defend himself, doesn't bother to explain because what does it matter? They're all dead, Leo's not wrong there.

He's not going to use their sacrifices to win some kind of argument.

It's not satisfying to Leo, though. He squints up at Leonardo's face, challenging, like he wants Leonardo to push back, prove him wrong, and Leonardo leaves him wanting.

"...You're a failure," says Leo finally.

Leonardo looks down at him, and smiles sadly. "And you're a hero."

Leo scoffs. Swings his crutch to maneuver past Leonardo and back down the tunnel.

"My little brother died to send me a message, and I almost got everyone killed again anyway." He gives his head a shake. "Some hero."

He's retreating now. Leonardo fumbles, says, "Leo-" and Leo raises a hand in dismissal.

"Don't worry, old man. I'll smile for everyone else."

Then he's gone around the bend ahead.

Leonardo sighs, and follows him back.

[jerzwriter]

WIP Wednesday

Here's a sneak peek from Chapter 5 of my Tobias x Casey AU series, Mono-Poly. I can't wait to finish & post the chapter!

Series: Open Heart | Pairing: Tobias x Casey | Characters: Ethan, Jackie | Preview Rating: Teen

Casey stood quietly in the back room of her wedding venue. The soft hum of voices and laughter of guests who had gathered were seeping in through the walls. She adjusted the final touches of her wedding dress, its delicate lace and satin catching the light just so. She couldn't believe the day was finally here, and her heart was racing with joy.

She hadn’t noticed Ethan leaning against the doorframe, his gaze fixed on her. He smiled brightly, but for those paying attention, the hint of sadness in his eyes was impossible to miss. It was time to make his presence known. “It’s not too late to run away," he announced. Just say the word, and I'll go get the car."

Casey turned around, smiling brightly as her eyes met his. Ethan. Her dear friend, Ethan. Some would balk at a bride choosing to have her former lover in her bridal party, but Tobias didn’t mind. He knew how special their friendship was, and Casey was so glad to have him with her today. He wanted his bride to have everything she desired.

“Come on, Ethan, you and Tobias buried the hatchet years ago. Do you really want to hurt him that bad?” she teased.

He managed a smile, though it was tinged with melancholy. “Of course I don’t. And God, that would hurt him.” He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on the moment. “You look absolutely beautiful, Casey. Honestly, you’re going to take Tobias’s breath away.”

“Thank you,” she blushed.

“He doesn’t deserve you – you know that, right?”

Casey winked playfully. “I know.”

Jackie burst into the room, her nervousness palpable. “Hate to bust this party up, but the photographer needs us in 15 minutes, and I have to finish getting the princess camera ready.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Not ready? Impossible, she’s gorgeous.”

Casey chuckled. “See, I told you I need this man around to bolster my ego! But I do have some last minute touches to complete. Go - go join the other attendants and have fun. I’ll be down before you know it.”

Jackie clapped her hands together. “It’s almost showtime! You ready for this?”

Casey beamed with a joy that radiated from her. “Sure am! I can’t believe it’s finally here!”

Jackie looked at her friend in the mirror, then her smile faltered slightly. “I'm so happy for you," she whispered. "But you do have the prenup in order, right?”

Casey’s smile faded. “Jackie! Is that any way to talk to me 30 minutes before my wedding?” She tried to keep the mood light, but there was an unmistakable trace of annoyance in her voice.

Jackie’s grew serious. “You didn’t answer?”

Casey’s heart sank as she looked at her friend in the mirror. “His family’s attorneys sent one to the house, but Tobias was livid. He didn’t want it. He said we’re going to be together forever, so…”

Jackie rolled her eyes, and Casey didn’t miss it. “Jackie, really? You’re my maid of honor; tell me you’re joking about this. These are supposed to be the happiest moments of my life.”

Jackie’s internal struggle had her light-headed. She loved Casey, and she loved Tobias, too. She couldn’t deny they had a great relationship; they were relationship goals personified if only it hadn’t been for that one promise. Jackie was the only person besides the two of them who knew the promise Casey had made, and if Tobias ever decided to call in the offer of stepping into non-monogamy, she wasn’t confident her friend could take it. She didn't know if their marriage would survive.  Still, she forced herself back to the present. Casey was relying on her.

“You know I’m just an asshole,” she grinned. “I’m joking, girl. I love you, and I love Tobias, too. Let’s get you ready to marry your man.”

Casey took a deep breath. She'd have to be a fool to pretend she couldn't read Jackie's thoughts, and Casey was well aware of the promise she had made. But right now, her heart was full of joy, and there was no room for doubts. She loved Tobias with her whole heart, and he loved her back just as much. She couldn’t possibly be happier and she was absolutely certain... this was forever.

@choicesficwriterscreations Tagging others separately.

[veearrifarrariboom]

Got bored in class here’s a little Captainx2 but bad ending where the go back in time. You know the drill.

“-And you're sure he’s not some alien clone or something??”

Their minds started to stir at the muffled noises around them. It sounded like talking? But they weren't too sure. Maybe they just slept in again, or…did something happen? He knows that he should’ve been more quick in getting up but they felt so drowsy. Leo thought about taking a bit longer laying down in the surprisingly comfortable bed, but against his will their eyes slowly opened. It was all blurry, there was light, he squinted, he could make out a group with bright colors around their head, then he saw a blurry figure coming closer to him. His vision cleared at the figure.

“Casey…?”

“Sensei! You're awake!”

With the sound of his voice to reassure him Casey was actually there, he started to feel a strong sadness but also pride built up in him.

“Casey!”

He lunged off the bed ignoring the stinging at their side and engulfed the boy in a hug, patting his hair with their non metal hand.

“Casey I thought I’d never see you again…” Tears began to sting their left eye.

“I know I thought you were…but you're here! You're really here!”

“I’m here Casey, we're here.”

After a few more seconds of their tearful hug someone gave a loud-obviously fake- cough. They looked up from Casey's shoulder to the group of familiar faces all with color coded bandanas, The younger versions of their brothers and themselves. They were so happy to see Casey again that they forgot where they were, or when they were- how did they even get here? The resistance failed -Mikey… -time gateway -the laser… -how are we even alive? - how did we go back in time? -Maybe Mikey cast some spell or somethin’ -He never told us he had a spell to do anything like that -Maybe- There was another fake cough and they were snapped back to the present -past? -focus -sorry!

“Ah um- I’m sorry -um Hi” Leo said with his hand still on Casey's shoulder. Terrible opening -well they caught us off guard!

“Nice ta meet you?” They put their metal hand out in front of them. I mean technically we're not meeting them -Well what else am I supposed to say Leo? Nice ta ‘technically’ meet ya? -I don't know! The younger turtles glanced at each other and started pushing at each other. They kept squabbling and pushing until Raph was pushed in front. Do we really look that bad???

“Uh nice ta meet ya...older…Leo..?” He shook their hand with a nervous smile.

Leo? They looked confused and turned to Casey,

“Casey, did you tell them?”

“Tell them what?”

“About Raph…and the whole situation?”

“Oh! Right! um well… it never really came up..? I’m so sorry, Senseis!” He apologized with his hands together and bowed his head, it was kind of funny to them.

“It’s alright kid.” They patted the boy's head. That just means we get to wow some suspicious teens.

“Tell us about what…?” Younger Leo said, squinting his eyes.

The older double stood up to their full height which was equal to the younger Raph’s.

“Alright, you guessed half right on who I am…” Oh brother, they all got their hands close to their weapons -except for Casey, he looked like an excited puppy.

“I am Leo.” He said left hand over his chest. On his right arm, red ninpo started to flare up and twirled above until it took on a huge transparent form.

“And I’m Raph!” He said flexing one arm.

“Raph!!??” The younger turtles all said in unison, jaws dropped. The pair started to laugh at their amusing reaction -maybe a little hard as their side struck them with a sharp pain. Raph’s ninpo dissipated and they were hunched over hands on their bandaged wound. Casey quickly gave them support.

“Get him back to bed, not even a few minutes and he’s already exerted himself.” Doctor Donnie ordered and then they were set back in bed, their side throbbing. Sorry, maybe using my ninpo wasn’t a good idea.. -it’s fine. Even trying to think was hard to do. They saw Donnie dropping something into a tube that they hadn’t realized was attached to their arm.

“Donnie wait! Don’t put him to sleep yet, I have so many questions!!” Mikey was pulling on Donnie’s arm. The pain started to dull and everything became fuzzy again until there wasn’t anything.

[pontoonboat]

Ok so i just read One Last Stop by Casey Mcquiston and i really liked it. My literal one issue with the book is the science behind the time travel. I loved the concept of how it works. Jane was on the 3rd rail of the subway at the exact moment of a power surge and subsequent black out, which caused her to be stuck in a time warp thing tied to the train/tracks. I loved that. I loved how they "fixed it" by recreating it, having Jane stand on the 3rd rail and surging/overloading the system again, and the kiss was so sweet. My issue is that instead of Jane being in the present now, she seems to time travel to 3 months in the future?? We have 3 months of August being sad and grieiving the loss of Jane, but then Jane just pops back into exsistence???? If jane was stuck in the past, she should now be in the present, not shot forward. Maybe im just being to autistic about the science of it but it dkesnt make any sense to me logistically. From a narrative stand point i understand it, the author was trying to write a romance book, not a scifi. And as a romance book, it was amazing and my favorite ive read all year. But my nerd stance is the time travel isnt realistic and thank you for coming to my ted talk. Feel free to discuss or tell me your thoughts because this book is gonna be on my mind for weeks now

[momokohoa]

Rottmnt ☆ Star Child AU Part 2

Trigger warning: implied slight gore, trypophobia, and mild swearing.

‘Kay so, Leo finds himself in very overwhelming mood after having starry highlights on his irises. When he heard a footsteps coming from outside his room, he was so hella worried that they notices that he might be awake and escaped, but he definitely heard a sound of his brothers arrived in the lair, so Leo then returned to his bed and pretends that he was sleeping, so his brothers wouldn’t notice that he was awake (Except for Donnie, he knows what was going on with Leo.).

 Mikey, Raph, Donnie, April, Splinter, and Casey Jr. have arrived home, and Mikey and Donnie went upstairs in Leo’s room to bring the presents for him, except for Donnie, of course, has only a first aid kit along with him just in case. Mikey, of course, was very sad and scared if Leo was gonna die like this. Mikey then puts the two bags of presents right next to the doorway. Inside of the two bags, there were 10 sheets of unicorn stickers, a plushie, a sky-blue-colored tumbler cup, a unicorn hoodie, a mug with Leo’s name on it, and a picture frame. After that, Mikey then leave Donnie alone with Leo for a bit. Donnie then wakes Leo up by poking his forehead. Leo then wakes up like nothing has happened to him. Donnie then said “Are you alright, ‘Nardo?” “What the hell? I’m fine, Don-Tron. Nothing has ever happened to me, of course”, Leo responded. Donnie feels so skeptical about Leo’s answer to him, but plays it along, so he doesn’t get so upset so quickly. “Whatever you say. But me, Mikey, Raph and everyone in the lair was worry about you.” Donnie responded back. Leo then rolls his eyes, pretending that he’s alright. Donnie then checks on Leo’s right leg, and turns out he has 15 holes, with blood on them. Looks like Leo’s been affected by either the rocks or the shooting star, but theres one thing that exists called “Pockmarks”, they’re typically marks that caused by chickenpox, acne, scars, or any types of infection. Pockmarks cannot be dissappear or go away by itself, but treatment can usually help. Of course it can’t be the Krang One, because he was blown away when the fucking door closes, and plus, he didn’t fucking die, he was actually been defeated by Leo when was locked in the prison dimension. This infection was very unusual to Leo, because he never have this kind of marks on his leg before. Donnie then checks it again and sees bruises and a slightly opened-cut ankle that looks like a rock hit on it. “ I don’t think you’re okay, Leo.”, Donnie said. Leo then responds, “ What the fuck do you mean I’m not okay?! I’m alright now. Can’t you see my luxurious, beautiful face-“ “NO NARDO!! YOURE NOT OKAY!! And why are you swearing at me?! Who taught you that?!”, Donnie yells. “Don, I am okay-“ Leo says, as Donnie interrupts him. “‘Nardo, I swear if you scare me, our brothers, dad, April, and Casey like that, I’ll slapped your face!!” Donnie then starts to tears up, as he puts on a cast on Leo’s leg, but until Donnie notices a starry highlights on both of Leo’s eyes. That left him shocked, but still does not want to worry a bit too much. Leo then says, “ Donnie, I thought you hate e-“ “I-I-I’ts fine, just dont go and fucking kill yourself, okay?…”, Donnie says as he was about to cry. “Alright…”. Leo said, as Donnie then leave him in his room. 

Leo then grabs his phone from his nightstand, and then starts scrolling through YouTube, until he found the video that is unusual to him. A live singing performance of Mira Starr, a 20-year-old Indian-English singer. He then clicked on the video, as he gazes at her performance. He starts to feel like he’s a fan of Mira as he kept watching a video of her singing performance.

Fun facts:

Mira likes samosas and butter chicken.

Mira’s birthday is December 1st.

Mira’s favorite color is light or hot pink.

Mira can speak 3 languages (including English), except she speaks a bit of Punjabi.

FINALLY I FINISHED THIS!! dont worry y’all, im working on part 3. :3

! Not mine !

(First Part | Next Part )

[irish-urn]

may I present to you more Dasey songs for Derek to sing to Casey? Im a little obsessed with the idea of Casey realizing and coming to accept Derek through his heartsongs...

starting with Dirty Little Secret MUCH to Casey's confusion (cause surely there's another interpretation to that), or maybe Shes So Mean by Matchbox 20 in the middle of a fight, Chocolate by Snow Patrol (particularly the second verse) as he's pretending not to be in love with her), Jealous by Labyrinth when she's with another guy and he's sad about it, or alternatively Figure You Out in a particularly tense moment of angry jealousy, Iris by The goo goo dolls in a moment of tender vulnerability, Play Pretend by Alex Samson when he's comforting her after a breakup, She Is The Sunlight right before Casey decides to go ahead and kiss him, All I Need by Mat Kearney when they are together but facing the hard reality of what their relationship is ...

I just have sooo many ideas.

Ohhhhh my goodness. Okay, so I don't actually know half of these songs, which means I need to listen to them tomorrow, but, like--

WHEN does Casey get this ability? Right before she goes to University? Does listening to Derek's heart songs make her think that maybe he needs her around? After all, he asked her to stay, right? And that's... That's just... She's WANTED to be his friend for, like, ever! They're family! Somehow. In a weird way. And, yeah, maybe she catches hints of melody when he's glancing at her and she shoves it as far away as possible and purposely looks at someone else and ignores the sound of his voice behind her ("You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be and I don't wanna go home right now.")...

Does she run from it? Does she accept the first date she's asked on; hisses a little as she listens to Derek sing (because Figure You Out is SO GOOD, you're right), and then does this guy sing some crass song about getting lucky, all about Casey's looks and not she, herself; and does she leave the date early and does Derek find her because of COURSE he does; and when they're sitting on a bench together, does she admit she's afraid? Does she whisper, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. What's the right thing here? No matter what happens... Someone gets hurt."

Does Derek just knock his knee against hers, and there is blessed silence? Does he walk her back to her dorm, and teases her and pokes her like everything is normal? Does she wait for him to sing something, but there's nothing until, after her door is closed and she's opened the window for a small breeze, she catches a glimpse of him walking to his residence, and hears him singing, "And I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man that walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door."

And does she cry herself to sleep?

[firstprince-ao3feed]

With All My Very Best Floral Greetings

by Aurora09 His Alex, his golden memory never to be tainted or touched by the sad realities of life. That thought would come back to haunt future Henry, indeed it would torture future Henry. Future Henry believed he had bought fates wrath down not only upon himself but upon Alex too. Future Henry would conclude present Henry a wicked, wicked man. Words: 2582, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz & Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Gay Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Bisexual Alex Claremont-Diaz, Alex Claremont-Diaz Has a Bisexual Awakening, Angst and Tragedy, Sad with a Happy Ending, POV Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Loves Alex Claremont-Diaz, Florist Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz Needs a Hug, Lawyer Alex Claremont-Diaz, Alex Claremont-Diaz Loves Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Slow Burn via https://ift.tt/UCfY9om

[aurorawest]

Reading update!

So as you'll see below I've read a lot of books since the last time I did one of these. I'm not going to write a little blurb for all of them, only the ones I feel strongly about. But I'm going to start including my ratings.

Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert. 4.25/5 stars

Where We Left Off by Roan Parrish. 5/5 stars

Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian. 5/5 stars

This book was just. So lovely. Short and fast-paced, but I loved Peter and Caleb so much. I love the time period too. I know this is me being toxic and problematic and showing my internalized homophobia or whatever but I actually really like books set in places and time periods where homophobia is a real and present danger. I think it's because I'm totally a Love Conquers All romantic, so the fact that people dgaf and make a go of being together anyway scratches that itch.

Anyway, good book. I picked up the other two in the series but haven't read them yet.

Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih. 4/5 stars

Literature. Good but pretty sad.

No Gods For Drowning by Hailey Piper. 3/5 stars

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. DNF

I got 50 pages in before I gave into my hate and DNFed this.

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I find it genuinely upsetting that Natasha Pulley isn't a household name, because she writes the most beautiful, gutting books that I have maybe ever read. I don't understand how she's able to write what is, on the surface, a completely mundane sentence, and yet there's this roiling sea of heartbreak underneath it.

This is the sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, easily one of the best books I've ever read, and this one is at least as good.

Natural Enemies by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Us by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. 3.75/5 stars

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. 5/5 stars

Lovely little novella that read like a fairy tale.

The Prince's Poisoned Vow by Hailey Turner. 4.25/5 stars

At first I despaired of ever learning who all the characters were in this book because the first like, 10 chapters were all from a different POV, but I got a handle on all of them and liked it a lot.

Spectred Isle by KJ Charles. 4.75/5 stars

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. DNF

This is the book that made me realize I hate whimsical books.

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins. 4/5 stars

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune. 3/5 stars

I ranted about this one already but Jesus, Klune. This straight up reads like the kind of stuff I wrote when I was like, 14, and I don't mean that as a compliment to my 14 year old self.

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery. 5/5 stars

!!!!! This book was so good!!!! I picked it up way back when it came out but it only surfaced in the TBR pile in March, and it did not let me down. Thom and Clay are SO unlikable, but you start to like them in a way that's practically insidious because you don't see it coming. By the end, I was totally rooting for them and loved them both. And this is a romcom with a truly great villain, too, which definitely isn't standard in romances.

Red Skies Falling by Alex London. 5/5 stars

Second book in a series that revolves around a culture where falconry is hugely important. If you want fantasy that doesn't take place in fantasy England, check this series out. It has an A+ sibling relationship, a lovely romance, and high stakes. But this one was saaaaad ugh so sad.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer. 3.75/5 stars

I hated this book until about 80% through, and then it subverted all my expectations and I ended up liking it okay. I thought it was just about a pathetic middle aged gay white man (I know I know, that's my type, what's the problem?) feeling sorry for himself, but it was deeper than that. And it had a nice ending.

Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 5/5 stars (reread)

Bought this edition for the bonus chapter from Henry's POV and for @vkelleyart's end pages. Totally worth it. I love this book just as much as I did the first time.

Threshold by Jordan L Hawk. 4.25/5 stars

So this is a series with like, 11 books? I read the first one and was kind of eh on it. Good enough to buy the second, not enough to buy all 11 or whatever. But the second one was substantially better, so now I've acquired like 5 more of them. I continue to be a sucker for late 19th century/early 20th century settings.

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen. 4.5/5 stars

Is gay noir a thing? Because that's what I'm calling this book. Gay noir. I loved the main character and I'm really excited this is going to be a series (I've already preordered the second one). The only reason I knocked off half a star is because some of the side characters were irritating. And as a mystery, it wasn't great, so I wouldn't read this one if you're looking for a really good mystery. It's definitely more about the character development and the relationships.

Though possibly one reason I didn't think the mystery was that good is because it got spoiled for me on tumblr by someone who imo had a pretty shallow read on the book. Honestly not sure if they actually read it or they just skimmed it.

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly. 5/5 stars

AHHH. THIS BOOK!! This book was so good. So I've been making fun of it for a while because if you look at the cover, it looks like a Stucky AU. And you know what, maybe it was, but at least it didn't read that way, lol. It was really lovely and I'll be using it as a comp for the manuscript I finished last week.

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I don't even have anything else to say except that you need to read Natasha Pulley's books. Please. If you're reading this post, go get her books. Buy them, take them out of the library, whatever. Do it.

Work for It by Talia Hibbert. 4.25/5 stars

A Tree of Bones by Gemma Files. 4.5/5 stars

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles. 5/5 stars

Something happened in this book that made me close it and stare into the middle distance, then put it aside until I could process.

Anyway you should definitely read it.

Farview by Kim Fielding. 4/5 stars

Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen. 4.25/5 stars

Currently reading The Restless Dark by Erica Waters

Which I'm enjoying more than I thought I would!

[heckitall]

Just wanted to say that I ADORE your style! And yes. The toaster joke is peak TMNT humor, absolutely. No matter the “universe”. I was huge on 2k3 when they were coming out (though I was super young and couldn’t properly be in the fandom.) I’m in the same boat where I loved Tmnt 2003, then just one day stopped watching it and forgot about my beloved turtles.

Then the ROTTMNT movie came out. Watched it. Fell completely in love all over again. Binged the show and…. It been months now. Practically half a year and I can’t. Stop. Drawing. Them. Now. O.o

Anyways! Enough of me rambling. Welcome to the fandom, I hope you find it really enjoyable.

If you’re looking for the less edgy stuff:

I highly suggest reading through the Cass Apocalypse Series by somerandomdudelmao (for more humor based/canon-aligned stuff). Though it’s featured in the bad future primarily. They’ve recently gotten to the present time with Casey Jr!

bluskiesofsaturn, also has some very humorous comics. Very sibling-antics based. They also have this neat “Leo’s on the Moon” comic. Very interesting.

Meandtheyeehaws also has super short, super cute comics. Featuring interactions with even characters outside of the Rottmnt universe.

Baskeigh-ball and cupcakeslushie also has some cute stuff (though cupcake will dig some into the tragic side, haha)

And can’t forget kathaynesart! They’re comic is also canon-compliant! Though definitely sad. But I think it’s worth a read!

That’s all I can think up off the top of my head. But, again, welcome back to the turtle side of the internet! Hope I didn’t bother you too much, friend.

NOBODY TALK TO ME FOR THE NEXT 36 HOURS im jumping into this fandom head first

[coffeeheartaddict2]

Cruel summer

Book: Open heart (post series)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!mc Casey Ramsey; F!OC Christine Valentine, Tobias Carrick

Warnings: Mentions of pass pregnancy loss

Category: fluffy angst

Rating: Mature

Word count: 1578

Summary: It is five weeks after her missed miscarriage and instead of celebrating by announcing the news to the world, Casey is hit with another wave of grief as well a revelation from her mum Christine.

Disclaimer: non-original characters belong to Pixelberry.

Authors note: those who have read my fic Better days know that Casey is visited by her mum after her missed miscarriage. At the time I did not know if I would write a fic about this part but inspiration struck.

🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

It had been a warm summer by Bostonian standards, normally Casey would be making the most of the weather, beach days, romantic nights with her husband and bbq dinners with friends but this year was different. It had been five weeks when her world was turned upside down in the cruelest of ways. News of an unplanned but not unwanted pregnancy only to find out the next day that the baby did not survive.

The initial grief hit her hard, she even questioned if Ethan was going to stay. She thought she was turning a corner but then 5 weeks after having a d&c, her cycle came back, reminding her that her body had failed to sustain a new life and what hurt more is that if the pregnancy had stuck, they would be announcing to the world the happy news but instead she was sad, she was angry. Sad for what was lost and angry at herself for not being able to carry a baby to term. The doctor in her knew the statistics on miscarriage and how common they were and how little was known about the causes but it still did not quell her anger at herself. If anything it made it worse. Ethan was wracked with his own grief. There was a time he genuinely believed that he would never settle down and want have things like marriage and a family of his own but Casey was patient and understanding and showed him love that he thought himself unworthy of, this coupled with therapy to work through some of his issues and getting closure on why Louise abandoned him well, this helped him realize that he did want this life. It also hurt him to see Casey struggle with her grief too. They were in therapy together which was helping but grieving is never easy.

Casey’s mum Christine, finally made it to Boston to spend some time with her daughter. When her and Ethan called her and Michael about the miscarriage they were shocked and saddened. Christine wanted to be there right away but she decided to leave it a little bit. Christine had her own experiences with miscarriage but at this point it was unknown to her children and she wanted to give Casey some time before presenting this information. The flight from Oregon was pleasant and she stayed with Casey and Ethan.

Christine did expect her daughter to be sad, but she was not prepared for the anger that was accompanying the sadness.

“I understand being sad but why are you so angry?” Asked Christine timidly.

“If you had come last week I was better, truly but this week has been hard.” Replied Casey. Trying to hold back the tears.

“My cycle came back this week. That coupled with the fact that we would have been making an announcement this week…” Casey starts to cry.

Christine hugs her daughter and allows her to cry. After awhile Casey stops crying. “It just all feels so… so cruel. I know the baby was not planned, we had not even set a timeline for when we would start trying but the baby was wanted. I know I am more than just a breeding machine but I feel like that my body failed.”

Casey tries but fails to hold back more tears. “I know this happens, but the knowledge is not helping me.”

“My body has failed me too, sweetheart, more than once.

Casey looks at Christine, bewildered.

“What?”

“About fifteen months before you were born I had a miscarriage and I had another when Joel was 18 months old.”

“But why didn’t you say anything?”

“Firstly, until now it has never come up and secondly, is there an age appropriate way to tell your four year old and 18 month old that the reason why you are in pain is because you are losing a baby?”

Casey sat silently, in shock at what she had been told.

“We’re either of them like mine?”

“No sweetheart, I did not need surgery on either occassion.”

“Were you or dad upset or angry?”

Christine took a breath.

“Sad, of course I was but I do not recall being angry. The first time for us was like you and Ethan this time, a surprise but not unwanted. The second time I already had you and Joel so we took it as a sign that we were done.”

Casey nodded her head.

“How did you work through your grief and how did you decide to try again?”

“I just did what I needed to do. Yes I was sad but it is something that is not normally talked about…” Christine took a deep breath. “But I got through and that is what is important. As for trying again I can not answer for you.” Christine gave her daughter a hug and went into the kitchen to make a start on dinner.

Ethan arrived home and was greeted with the smell of a beef stroganoff. He greeted Casey and then made his way to the kitchen and greeted Christine. He was happy to see her, he knew how much Casey loved her family and she knew that the distance between Boston and Oregon made it difficult to see them. Christine asked how Ethan was going with everything. Ethan said he was going. Christine was happy to hear this. They enjoyed their meal and Christine turned in. Ethan and Casey sat out and enjoyed a warm evening on the balcony. Ethan could sense Casey was troubled.

“Mum told me today that she had two miscarriages, one before me and the other when I was four. I asked her how she got through and was she angry and how did you decide to try again. She said that she did what she had to go to get through but would not tell me about the decisions made to try again. I just feel so….so…. I don’t know.” Casey tries to hold back the tears but she failed.

“I would be lying if I said that I was not scared about the prospect of trying again, I do have anger but not towards you, at our profession yes, it is something we do not know the cause of yet we have made such great strides elsewhere. I am also scared that this will happen again.”

“This may be grief talk but do we try again?”

“Well not right now obviously. Not just because of the grief but whilst we are not it is a moot point.”

Casey nods in agreement.

“I love you, Ethan. Even though I am a hot mess right now…”

“You are my hot mess and we will come through this together. And I love you too.” He kisses the top of her head and she cuddles in close.

Over the coming days Casey processed her feelings. She also enjoyed having her mum around, despite the revelation, Casey started to again feel like that she was close to turning a corner again. Christine was also very heartened by how supported Casey was, not by Ethan but also her friends. She had met her friends at the engagement party and wedding so she knew how close but she was still heartened nonetheless. Casey’s six week appointment came and went. The surgery had gotten everything and Dr Watson was relieved that there was no adverse affects on her cycle with it coming back and being similar to what it was. She had the physical clearance to have intercourse but Casey still was not in the right headspace. Ethan was more than understanding and he was more than happy to have sexual intimacy happen on Casey’s timetable.

The time Christine spent in Boston flew by and before she knew it, the last weekend had arrived. Tobias invited Ethan, Casey and Christine over for a bbq. Ethan and Tobias got competitive about the food and the grilling but it was still fun and a lovely evening. Christine had never seen a competitive side to Ethan so it was a shock. Casey told her that it was par for the course with them but at least it was not toxic like it had become in medical school. Whilst the boys were cooking Tobias asked how they both were.

“Getting there, Casey has enjoyed having her mum here and I think it has been helpful. Everything was all good with Dr Watson but we are on Casey’s timetable now.”

“That is good news.”

It is Tobias, I understand her fear this time, I am scared too, it is grief that I am not in a hurry to relive.”

“That is understandable but I am sure you will have success at some point.”

“Thank you Tobias, I am glad we are friends again, don’t get me wrong it has been good having Casey’s friends…”

“I get what you mean. I am glad we are friends again too. It has sucks seeing you go through this but you will get through it.”

“Thanks Tobias, truly.” Both men embrace and get back to the bbq.

The next day Christine heads back to Oregon. It was confronting seeing her daughter so upset and angry but as the trip went on she understood why and most importantly she was loved, not only by Ethan but her friends and she was hopeful that like her, the next time she had news it will be happy and she would be a grandma.

———

Authors note 2. Casey’s anger is real, I know when I had mine it was frustrating because you Did not know the cause.

As regular readers know Casey and Ethan do have two children and no more miscarriages. If you read this far, thank you.

Tagging: @jerzwriter @jamespotterthefirst @cariantha @genevievemd @crazy-loca-blog @a-crepusculo @bex-la-get @trappedinfanfiction @youlookappropriate @potionsprefect @liaromancewriter @binny1985 @schnitzelbutterfingers @tessa-liam @socalwriterbee @lucy-268 @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[altosk]

♡ //TARGET LOCKED

●○○○○ | ATTRACTION ●●●●○ | AFFECTION ●●●○○ | INTEREST ●●●●● | LOYALTY ●●●●● | TRUST

​🇦​​🇹​​🇹​​🇷​​🇦​​🇨​​🇹​​🇮​​🇴​​🇳​ ⦂ flynn's cute. not his type though. ​🇦​​🇫​​🇫​​🇪​​🇨​​🇹​​🇮​​🇴​​🇳​ ⦂ raven had first met flynn when he'd joined the knights as schwann and from the beginning he could see just how pure of heart the young man had been. in raven's eyes, to the present day, flynn had always been a true knight in his eyes. one that casey would admire just as he does and while he rarely partakes in his role as schwann anymore, he does take a bit of inspiration from the young commandant as he does from yuri. ​🇮​​🇳​​🇹​​🇪​​🇷​​🇪​​🇸​​🇹​ ⦂ the only other interest that raven really had with flynn that didn't match with yuri was his experienced time in the knights. it is one of the things the two of them can see eye to eye on and make conversation over. while, there is some things raven is clearly uncomfortable talking about, he still had some stories to share. ​🇱​​🇴​​🇾​​🇦​​🇱​​🇹​​🇾​ ⦂ flynn had that kinda face that was hard not to be loyal to. you ever seen this kid look sad? it's like you've literally kicked a puppy dog. ​🇹​​🇷​​🇺​​🇸​​🇹​ ⦂ trust with them could go back to even their days in the knights. schwann would trust flynn to have his back, but raven would trust flynn with much more. he's come to learn more of flynn as a person while living his life now on top of it was hard not to trust someone yuri had admired so much.

[jerzwriter]

All in the Past

AU Mini-Series Part 1 of 3

This started as a request from @angelasscribbles for ONE scene. Three parts later... I decided to make this a follow-up and alternate ending to one of my favorite short, angsty AUs, Unblemished, because we needed more angst. All three parts will be posted today.

Series Summary: Tobias & Casey were friends turned lovers whose different dreams led them to become friends once again. Two years after their painful breakup, Casey has moved on. Tobias is in town to attend his friend and one-time love's wedding, with his new girlfriend on his arm. It's just the wedding of an old friend, or, is it?

Part 1 Summary: Tobias and Meghan leave Boston to attend Casey's wedding in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's a little getaway, a happy trip to see his two friends get hitched. But prewedding events lead to unexpected and uninvited emotions coming to the surface. Tobias gets a cold shoulder from Sienna, and their frank conversation leaves more questions than answers.

Book: Open Heart (Post Series)

Characters/Pairings: Casey MacTavish (F!MC) x M!OC, Tobias Carrick x F!OC, Sienna Trinh

Rating: Teen

Words: 2,700

Series Masterlist

Tobias x Casey Masterlist | OH Masterlist | Full Masterlist

Ladies and gentlemen, we have touched down at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where it is 80 degrees, and conditions are bright and sunny. We thank you for flying Transit Airlines and wish you the best with whatever brings you to the area. 

"Sir?" A woman gently nudged Tobias's arm when he didn't reply. "Sir... I'm sorry, but I need to get...."

"Oh, of course," Tobias apologized, jumping from his seat to allow the woman through.

He was usually the first to get off a flight, but today, he found himself lost in his thoughts, and he still hadn't found his way back as he reached into the overhead compartment to grab his bag. All it took was an arm looping around his waist to snap him back into the present. The petite, red-haired beauty's smile lit up the cabin as she held him tight; she was as happy as he was pensive.

"I missed you," she beamed. "You were such a gentleman agreeing to give that mom your seat so she could sit with her child, but I have a warning for you."

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "What’s that?”

“If we’re ever on a flight longer than two hours, you’re prohibited from doing that. I need you near me... deal?”

“I’ll tell you what. If we’re ever on a flight longer than two hours, I’ll spring for first class, so it’s not an issue.”

“Hmmm, I could handle that,” Meghan smiled.

“Good,” he smiled, taking her hand. “Now, let’s get off this plane.”

~~~~~

He couldn’t describe his mood if he tried. Melancholy was too sad;  wistful may be more fitting, though neither truly worked. He was happy, he reminded himself. More importantly, Casey was happy, too. It had been over two years since that cold Boston night when they tearfully said goodbye. Fast friends from the start, they eventually turned into much more. When different goals ended their dreams of “forever,” they were heartbroken and said goodbye, foolishly believing it was where their story ended. People don’t always see the invisible string that binds souls that are meant to be connected, and when Casey’s phone rang three months later, not answering was never a consideration. They started as friends, and perhaps that’s where they were meant to be. That’s what they were now. Friends. Good friends.

“Welcome to the Umstead Hotel,” an overexuberant young woman smiled. “What name is your reservation under?”

“Uh... Carrick. Dr. Tobias Carrick.”

“I have you right here! You’re in town for the MacTavish-Duncan wedding?”

“That’s right,” he nodded.

“Wonderful! The couple is hosting a cocktail reception for their out-of-town guests in the lounge at six.”

“That’s so sweet!” Meghan gushed, taking hold of Tobias’s arm. “We’re going, right?”   

“Of course,” he smiled with some apprehension. “As long as I get in a nap... that early flight wiped me out more than I thought it would.”

“Fine, old man,” Meghan laughed as they entered the elevator, her head firmly on his shoulder.

He was just tired. He told himself. Besides, it was normal to feel emotional when a good friend was married. And Casey was among his best. It all made sense. Perfect sense.  

~~~~~

The evening found him at the bar alone, anxiously twirling his old-fashioned in his hand. They had only been in their room fifteen minutes when Meghan realized she left her shoes in Boston. She was in an Uber on her way to the North Hills Mall in minutes, leaving Tobias to his nap. She promised she’d be back by six, but Tobias knew her well enough to know if shoe shopping was involved... he’d be lucky if she returned by ten.  

He noticed a small group of wedding guests mingling toward the back of the lounge but didn’t recognize any faces. The normally social doctor wasn’t in the mood for small talk, so he stayed put. He didn’t want to come at all, but hurting Casey’s feelings wasn’t something he was willing to do. Now, it looked like she was a no-show for her own party, so he made a decision. He had already waited the requisite twenty minutes; he was finishing this drink and then making a beeline back to his room. But as he raised the glass to his lips, he heard her voice. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, he’d know it anywhere.

“Hello, stranger!”

They were just friends now, nothing more. So why did he feel his heart flutter? His signature smirk was firmly in place before turning to greet her. A natural defense mechanism to keep the butterflies at bay. But when his eyes fell upon her, all pretense disappeared. 

How did she only become more beautiful? Etheral is how he’d describe her. Blonde hair pulled into a whispy updo, with delicate off-white flowers pinned to hold it in place. Her matching silk dress gracefully skimmed over every curve that he knew so well, and her smile. That smile had melted his heart and pulled him out of more bad days than he dared to count. And after all the years he’d known her, after all they had been through, it still rendered him speechless. Noticing his silence was lasting too long, he jumped from his bar stool to embrace her. A brilliant grin hid the war of emotions battling inside him.

“Stranger indeed! I haven’t heard from you in a while, kid. I was beginning to think you rescinded my invitation.”

“As if!” Casey laughed. “It hasn’t been that long. You try managing a busy career, a publishing deadline, and planning a wedding for two hundred of your nearest and dearest. See how much time you’d have to chat.”  

“Casey... do you ever see me in that position?” He asked wryly.

He swore he saw her smile falter, and a bit of her effervescence was gone. But why would it be? She was happy. It must have been one old-fashioned too many.   

“No,” she spoke softly. “I guess I don’t.”

“You look stunning,” he smiled. “How do you plan to outdo this on your big day?”

“Stop,” she said with a playful slap on his arm. “I’m immune to your flattery by now, don’t you know?”

They both laughed nervously as his eyes roamed the room. Still, no sight of Meghan, and someone else was missing, too.

“Where’s Craig? I haven’t heard from him either. I was going to see if we could shoot some hoops before the wedding.”

“He got called into an emergency surgery,” she shrugged. “The glamourous life of doctors. And where is Mandy? You said you were bringing a plus one. I assumed she’d be joining you.”

“Mandy? It’s Meghan,” he chuckled. “Mandy and I broke up some time ago.”  

“Oh, sorry. It’s hard to keep up with you. So, where is your latest and greatest?”

“She had to run to the mall for a few things. But she’ll be back soon.”

“Good,” Casey smiled politely. “I can’t wait to meet her. How long have you two...” She raised her hands, visibly checking herself. Her cheeks red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business...”

“It’s OK,” Tobias laughed, reassuringly touching her elbow, then dropping it when the gesture took both by surprise. “It’s not a state secret. Only a few months... don’t worry... we’re not headed down the alter anytime soon.”

Casey let out a wry laugh, and her words came out more curtly than intended. “I didn’t expect you would be.”

“Yeah,” Tobias muttered, gulping down the remains of his drink. “Walking down aisles isn’t exactly my thing. Is it?”

“Well, it was your excuse for ending things with me,” she replied with her arms crossed. “But you never know. Sometimes people change.”

Casey felt her stomach drop. What if he had changed? Accepting that Tobias was generally opposed to marriage was one thing, but if he ever took that step, she’d have to admit that marriage wasn’t the issue... she was, and that was too painful to imagine. She began to perspire, and was filled with worry. This wasn’t the reaction she should be having when her wedding was just over a day away. Her eyes darted around the room, desperate for a reason to escape.

“Well, I should mingle with the other guest,” she settled on. “Without Craig here, it’s double duty for me. But you and Meghan will be at brunch tomorrow morning, right?”

He hadn’t been aware there was a brunch. And since laying eyes on Casey, attending more wedding events was the last thing he wanted to do, but he detected the hint of pleading in her voice.

“Do you want me there?” he asked softly.

Casey nodded effusively. “I do.”

“Then I’ll be there,” he assured. “We both will.”

~~~~~

Brunch was... awkward. Tobias was sure Casey thought seating them together was a good idea, but she probably didn’t know how long Sienna Trinh could hold a grudge. And with Sienna’s plus one coming down with the flu, Tobias, Meghan, and Sienna made for an awkward trio.

Casey viewed their breakup as mutual, but Siennna saw things differently. Tobias was a stupid man who let his commitment issues ruin a wonderful thing, leaving her friend heartbroken. He hoped more than two years passing and Casey marrying someone else would have changed Sienna’s opinion of him, but all indications said otherwise. Sienna picked at her stack of blueberry pancakes as they all struggled to make small talk. Perhaps they could talk shop?

“So, Meghan, you’re at Edenbrook, too? What department do you work in?”

“I’m a paralegal. I work with the CEO.”

“Oh,” Sienna smiled politely, that didn’t work. After more uncomfortable silence, Meghan made the next attempt.

“I’m really looking forward to the wedding. The venue they selected is just beautiful! I’ve seen it on some wedding shows but never thought I’d get to attend a wedding there.”

Sienna held back a laugh. “I can understand that. I mean... because we live in Boston, and you know... you’re with Tobias.”

Losing patience, Tobias tossed his linen napkin on the table. “And what’s that supposed to mean, Si?”

“Just that you avoid weddings like the plague. I was shocked to hear you were coming.”

“It’s Casey’s wedding,” he smiled tersely. “Do you think I’d miss it?”

“I guess the answer’s no,” Sienna smiled smugly.

“You know, I’m going to run to the ladies' room,” Meghan announced. 

Sienna wiped her lip, “I’ll join you.”

“No,” Meghan insisted. “I need a moment away from this cold war, and if you both care about Casey as much as you profess to, maybe you should work out whatever... this... is before her wedding day. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Tobias and Sienna sat slack-jawed momentarily, then a slight smile formed on his lips. 

“I guess I deserved that,” Sienna stated. “Meghan seems lovely, and no matter my feelings toward you, I shouldn’t have made her uncomfortable. I owe her an apology.”

“Maybe what we owe her is doing what she asked us to do,” he replied. “Sienna... what exactly is your problem with me? I know people can be bitter about their best friend’s exes, but Casey and I are good friends. If we put the past in the past, why can’t you?”

Sienna shut her eyes, warring over how much she should or should not say.

“It’s different,” she started cautiously. “I got to see the extent of the damage after the two of you fell apart. Whose apartment do you think she ended up at that last night in Boston? Who do you think she sat on the phone listening to her cry all night after she moved? I know you were hurting after things ended, but I experienced her pain. You were spared that.”

“Sienna, breakups are painful. You know that! And no, I didn’t see her immediate aftermath because we felt not contacting each other for a while would be for the best. But I was living through my own personal hell. It was hard on both of us.”

“Then why’d you do it? Tobias? All she wanted was a future with you... You’re the one who said it wasn’t possible!”

“We wanted different futures. Hers included a wedding... just like this one... a house in the suburbs, two kids, and a dog. I never wanted that and didn’t want to promise her something I couldn’t guarantee. Don’t you think I had wished I could? I could put you on the phone with my best friend. Kerry would tell you how wrong it was for Casey to want that life more than she wanted me... but you’re both wrong. We made a choice together, and it was painful as fuck. But, Si, it wasn’t my fault.”

“I guess,” Sienna sighed. “It’s just hard to see you both throw something so special, so rare away. It’s two years later and still hard to see.”

“I understand, but... Casey was dating Craig six months later, and she’s marrying him tomorrow. She and I are friends, hell, Craig and I are friends... so why are we even discussing this?”

“Because I’m her best friend... and I know how someone should be acting before they get married... and I still don’t see that in Casey.”

“What... what are you talking about....”

“She’s happy, sure... to a degree... but I’ve seen her when she was truly happy, and this seems like a facsimile.”

“Sienna,” he stalled, “She’s busy planning this weekend and under a lot of stress, but I’ve been around them. She loves Craig.”

“I know she does,” Sienna replied. “But she was in love with you.”

Tobias sat in stunned silence when he noticed Craig mingling with guests across the way. Looking for any excuse to evade the topic, he spat, “There’s Craig, uh... I’ve been looking for him... wanted to see him before the wedding, but he seems a little evasive...”

“Of course he has. Don’t you realize? Tobias, you’re the one who got away. You’re her best friend... other than me... that is. Do you think he needs a reminder before he says his I dos?”  

“I... I thought coming here was the right thing to do... I just wanted to... to be here for them... and to see...”

“To see what?”

“To see she really moved on. To really... let her go.”

“Right,” Sienna smiled. “But you’re over her. I’m glad we talked, T. I think my bitterness toward you is just my overprotectiveness of Casey. I love her. But I can be a bit of a momma bear.”

“No shit!” he said with a half-smile as Sienna narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m trying to make amends. Shut up before I change my mind. Truce?”

“Of course. How could I be mad at you for being protective of Casey.”

“I know,” Sienna smiled, pushing away from the table. “Do me a favor. Just lay low until the wedding. Be there to support her, then go live your life and let Casey move on with hers. We have to trust that she made this decision knowing what’s right for her, and... we should both respect that.”

“I never intended to do anything but.”

“Good.” Sienna looked up and saw Meghan approaching the table. “I owe you an apology and want to thank you. This talk was overdue, and I promise. We’ll be grown-ups from now on.”

“Hey, I was being a grown-up,” Tobias protested.

“Tobias, is this the hill you want to die on?” Sienna snapped back.

“Continue...” he grinned.  

Sienna extended her hand. “It was very nice meeting you.”

“It’s lovely meeting you, too,” Meghan agreed. “Maybe we can get coffee back in Boston?”

“Sure, I’d like that. Tobias, I like her... be good to her.”

Tobias slipped his hand into Meghans and smiled. “That’s my intention. Thanks, Sienna.”

After Sienna walked away, Tobias turned to Meghan and thanked her for forcing them to talk. “You’re pretty special, you know. that?”

“I do,” she smiled sweetly. “But let's go back to our room because now it’s our turn to talk.”

"About?"

"About why we're at this wedding..."

"Meg," Tobias sighed. "We're here to see my friend... my friends... get married. Nothing more."

"Good, then it won't be an issue to have a quick talk about it...right?"

He let out a soft sigh. It was the last thing he wanted, but he knew better than to think Meghan would let it go.

"Right," he stood up, extending his hand to her. "Lead the way."

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @choicesjuly2023challenge - Fairytale

[angelmichelangelo]

brother i will devour any content of that human au

AH OKAY I HAVE MORE !!

so the purple dragons are like. preeettyyy prominent in this au. they’re just bad influence gang members. raph + casey + eventually mikey all get caught up in their, uh, escapades and it doesn’t really end well. poor mike ends up the worst out of it (sorry michael this is the curse of being the writer’s favourite)

but raph meets mona through them! and they become each others reason to be better people so. that’s cute :3

i also added yuichi to the list of side characters because who am i if not a leosagi enjoyer <33 and they’re happy… for now >:)

WOODY IS ALSO PRESENT!! we gots to have my main boy woody. he also is a good enough reason for mikey to get away from the dragons but.. but poor mike is a vulnerable kid. he’s had a tough childhood. maybe woody is sadly not enough to have him change his life around :(

donnie is just vibing. i haven’t really through it all the way through as to what his whole arc is gonna be in this fic. i know i wanna fix the whole april/casey/donnie love triangle in some way.. so yeah. maybe donnie gets the spicy arc lmao

i also love the idea of single foster father splinter. not sure where he’d actually fit into the story but he’s there. in my mind. with the rest of this fic LMAO anywho. here’s a flash forward snippet that i did the other day to kill my writers block :3

tw: mentions of drug abuse + vomit (i said this one was gonna be sadder lol)

Three am. That’s the time that his phone blinds him with when he grabs it off the end table, stopping it from skirting off the edge where it dances across the wood top as it buzzes fiercely at him.

Leo pulls himself away from Yuichi’s arm that’s lovingly and heavily slung over his waist and hits accept on the call.

“Mike,” he says, voice raspy and tired and coming out of him all slow like it often did when he was awoken so abruptly. “What’s up.”

Silence, only for a small fraction of a second, then shuffling and movement. A sniff, like he’d been crying and that gets Leo more awake in mere seconds.

“Leo,” he says, voice so small and far away sounding, like they were just kids again, scared and alone and, fuck. Leo’s heart is ramming hard against his chest. “Leo. I, uh. I need you to come get me. Please?”

Leonardo has now managed to entirely untangle himself from the loose limbs of his sleeping boyfriend beside him, slipping out of the bed to stretch the knot of muscles out of his calves and rub a knuckle into his eyes to smear away the sleep that lingered there.

“Yeah,” he says without a second thought. His alarm is set to go off in just a few hours. He has a full shift waiting for him but Mikey needs him. “Sure. Where are you?”

More shuffling. More movement. Leo wants to blink and have his little brother appear here in front of him. “I’m. Uh. I’m just leaving now. Can you meet me on 41st?”

It’s not far, and Leo can go faster knowing the streets’ll be mostly empty at this time of night. “Of course,” he tells him firmly. “Just stay there, okay? I’ll come get you.”

He hears the sound of a broken off sob and he’s cutting the call dead, spinning in a half circle to blindly search for his forgotten sweatpants on the floor when there’s the sound of Yuichi slowly waking from his side of the bed.

“Hmmm,” he says as he’s pulled from his sleep, stretching his arms out in front of him like a cat. “What’s wrong?”

Leo’s found his sweatpants, dancing about in them, one leg hopping about the room before he’s able to yank them up and pocket his phone away safely. “Mike,” he says plainly. Even in the dim room, he can make out the sad expression the other boy makes. “I’m gonna go get him. He’s– he’s in a bad way, I think, Ich.”

Yuichi makes no such fuss. He sits up, pushing back the shaggy locks of his blonde hair from his face – letting it stiffly stand up on end, he makes himself comfortable before looking at Leo with a loving gaze.

“Need me to come with?” He asks gently.

Leo shakes his head. “No. Though, I wouldn’t mind if you set the couch up for him for when we get back?” He asks.

Yuichi smiles, then gestures for Leo to come to him with little grabby hands. Leo gladly follows, pillowing his face between his warm, gentle hands.

“Love you,” he simply says, pulling him closer to press a soft kiss to his nose. Leo sighs, melting into the touch with ease.

“I know. Love you too.” He pulls away with a pout. “I won’t be long.”

And so he goes.

Leo’s old Sedan might be a heap of junk but it gets him to Mikey’s destination in good time. He pulls up, clipping the curb and bouncing the entire car with a jerk, to find his little brother perched sadly on a bench, his face wet and sunken, curls plastered damp across his face.

“Oh, Mike,” he says softly to himself as he peels himself out of the car to approach him. “What’s happened.”

Mikey almost doesn’t even notice that he’s arrived just yet, not until he’s up close in his bubble does his blank stared reserve seem to burst and his whole face crumples, reaching up for his brother like he’s five years old again.

“Hey,” Leo says with a breath, wrapping him up into his arms. He smells like booze and sweat and something else that has his gut turning in circles. He only pulls away to inspect him up close, holding his face between his palms like Yuichi had done for him, his heart sinks when he notes his brother’s blown out pupils and how pale he really was.

“M’sorry,” Mikey slurs, a mixture of intoxication and tears, bottom lip wobbling about on his face. “M’so sorry, Leo. Fo’everything.”

Leo pulls him in again, running his fingers through his matted, unkempt hair. “It’s alright. I got you now.”

Mikey’s breath shudders. He’s so small still, so lilith and… god so little. Leo is able to practically pick him up whilst he’s sandwiched up in his arms like this and guide him back to the car where it’s warmer.

They get in the car where Leo blasts the heaters on full and turns the radio down to mute.

He watches as his brother sluggishly slides his seatbelt over his chest, then wipes his nose with the back of his wrist, wetting his sleeve.

“I’ve been worried sick about you, Mike,” Leo says to him, unable to hold back the words any longer. “Weeks without any contact. I… I was thinking the worst.”

Mikey, unable to hold eye contact for longer than a brief, fleeting second, sighs, dropping his head down with shame as more tears spring hotly behind his eyes.

“I’m an idiot. I ruined my life, ruined yours and Don’s and Raph’s–” He hiccups, whole body shaking violently as a brutal sob crawls out of him. Leo’s instinct is to fly a hand out and land it on his arm to try and quell him. But he doesn’t.

He can’t. He just watches.

More silence. Aside from the sniffling and the grizzling, Leo takes a sobering, steady breath.

“What…” he loses his confidence. He clears his throat and tries again. “What did you take? Tonight?”

Mikey pinches his whole face together, like he was simply trying to just… pop himself out of existence into thin air. He scrubs a hand down his face and relaxes, eyes still closed, he tells his brother,

“I dunno. Think. Think it was somethin’ a lot stronger than I’ve taken before. S’okay. I didn’t. I didn’t shoot up. Just pills, this time.”

This was how it would go. This was how it would go for Leo’s littlest brother – his little brother that found a crutch with pills and substances rather than his own family. His little brother that had found a more solid foundation in pushing poison through his veins than his own flesh and blood.

Leo’s chest gives a little unsteady wobble. “Okay.” He says slowly. “Do…do you need a hospital?”

Mikey is quick to shake his head, his curls loose, go skirting about his forehead before he’s frantically pushing them away with the palm of his hand.

“God no,” he says in one breath. Eyes still shut, he tips his head back against the headrest and sighs. “Can. Can we just go? I don’t care where you take me.” His eyes slide back open, hazy and lost. “I’ve, uh. I’ve been staying at that hotel, the one with the flamingo on the wall. You know it?”

Leo shakes his head, swallowing thickly. “No,” he tells him. “I’ll take you home.”

Mikey blanches. Someone outside the bar gets loud and rowdy and starts singing a song with all the wrong lyrics.

“Home?” Mikey says, voice small. “What home?”

Leo swears he feels his heart dive to the long, endless bottom of his gut. “My– I’ll take you back to my place.” He tells his brother. “It’s your home, too.”

Leo has to watch the way tears well up, big and wobbly in his brother’s soft, brown eyes. Listens to the way his voice trembles when he asks.

“Will Yuichi be mad?”

Leo scoffs and then does he finally start the car, clunkily putting it into drive. “Course not. Your family, Mike. I’ve been waiting for you, remember?”

The drive is slow and long and bordering on torturous on the account of Leonardo having to sit beside his brother that continues to muffle his sobs into the palm of his hand. Eventually when they pull up to his apartment building, does it seem like the crying has subsided for now.

“Oh, shit,” Mikey says with a breath grazing past his teeth, climbing loosely out of his side of the car. He wobbles, catching himself on the door, and then laughs somewhat wetly. “Yeah. That’s— that’s hitting, now.”

Leo’s face tightens as he goes around the car, shouldering some of his brothers shaky weight, walking him up the steps like a baby deer, they finally make it inside.

Not before Mike pukes all over the welcome mat.

“Aw,” he says weakly, his entire body sagging against Leo’s now as his bottom lip trembles slightly. “I’m sorry.”

Yuichi, who seems to appear within the blink of an eye with bundles of blankets heaped up in his arms, shares a softened expression between both brothers.

“It’s alright,” he assures him, voice gentle, gesturing for him to follow him inside with a nod of his head. “Here. Come in. I’ll clean that up, you just go sit.”

Leo steers his brother around the puddle of vomit and towards the couch that is currently resembling more of a nest than it did a piece of their furniture.

Leo peels off his hoodie and unlaces his sneakers for him. Mikey hiccups, and Leo scoots away, mindful that he might just be sick on him, but untenses when he notes it’s just another little sob evading him.

Yuichi gets to work mopping the entryway and Leo tucks his brother up in his makeshift bed, flattening his unruly curls back with the palm of his hand.

“Sorry,” Mikey whispers again, eyes drooping shut. He whimpers another sad, pathetic sound, and then, finally, is he asleep

There’s the sound of running water, the squeak of the faucet turning off, and Yuichi’s bare feet padding across the small living room to meet Leo, bumping a comforting shoulder with his.

“I’ll probably stay up, keep an eye on him in here,” Leo says with one heaving breath. He runs a hand down his face, fully feeling the effects of being awake at such an hour catch up on him hotly.

Yuichi brushes his knuckles against Leo’s; a gesture so intimate and warm, it almost makes him fall asleep on the spot.

“You sure you don’t want me to?” He asks, mindful to keep his voice hushed. When Leo turns to face him, his brows are furrowed, a look of concern etched deeply across his face as they watch Leo’s sleeping brother sprawled out on the couch.

Leo hums. Knocking his knuckles with his with a small tap. “No, it’s alright,” he assures him, offering him a warm, easy smile. “You get some rest. I’ll call work in the morning. Tell them there’s been… a family emergency.” His voice goes tight as he looks again towards Mikey.

He’ll also have to call Raph in the morning also. And he could try Donnie, but he’s not so sure he’d really be up for caring all that much right now.

“Okay,” Yuichi says after a while, leaning over to press a chaste kiss across his cheek, lips lingering for just a second before he’s pulling away to stifle a yawn.

“Get some rest, Ich,” Leo says softly, nodding towards the direction of their bedroom. His boyfriend smiles warmly, and then does he go.

“Wake me if you need me,” he says before he disappears behind the door. Leo agrees and finally allows himself to slump his weight into the small, plush armchair that resides beside his brother.

He watches the steady rise and fall of his chest, coming and going, knowing that with each pump of his heart, he was shooting poison and pain through the very veins that kept him going.

Anxiety causes his gut to form like a hard knot. So he swallows the thought down, bitterly, and keeps watching the up and down motion of his brother’s chest.

Up. And down. And up. And down.