#some people worried about her going after donnie again but like why would she? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nosnet · 5 days ago

Text

Dead and Dead Again: Pyat’ (5) - Reunions

by J. D. Dennis

Time Period: Greensboro, end of 2025

Perspective: Vyxen

Rating: PG-13

Content Warnings: deep sad stuff, lots of flirting, body modifications

Word Count: 15,497

Comments: Dead and Dead again hits its fifth chapter, where we rejoin the last of the paramours and Donnie makes a new friend. Donnie’s scene will be posted by C. Todd when it’s finished~

“No, Vyxen, I do understand what the concept of an aesthetic is; I was there when they coined the current use of the phrase. What I don’t understand is why you continue to gravitate towards giving yourself a genetic mutation, and not a particularly common one at that, and then tell me it’s either have differently colored eyes, or die. This is where my confusion lies, Vyxen.”

Vyx had been in Greensboro all of a week before they’d found themselves shuffled off to attend a party that their new boss, Molly, was throwing. This wasn’t really a surprise – she was a party person, and the fact was, her secretary had been texting with questions about dress sizes and other clothing related sundries almost since they’d arrived, so hearing that it would actually be that first Saturday didn’t come as a shock. Vyx’s attendance was not optional, though they took no issue with it, considering Donnie’s attendance was also not optional; they were going and he needed to stick with them, and that brought them some measure of comfort. They figured out, mostly from Claire, that the party wasn’t going to be particularly small – they’d rented out a floor of the nearby Koury Convention Center just for the night – but that was also apparently their fault. See, the party was a way of celebrating the fact that there were many people who had, successfully, survived the end of the world, and honoring those that hadn’t, and the numbers that had participated and survived weren’t small. The numbers for those that hadn’t made it weren’t small, either, but they knew that already.

No one minded that it wasn’t on the right date and, in fact, several months late. Schedules were hard.

The party had started just after nine, and they’d arrived a little early, determined to find a good space to park Donnie’s bike before everyone’s cars took every other parking space. It wasn’t a glitz and glamor kind of thing, unfortunately, so they had toned down the dress on Claire’s recommendation – they wore a short, red dress with spaghetti straps and a pink, long-sleeve shirt underneath, tights and boots and pigtails rounding out the look – though they worried they’d still be under-dressed all the same. Kindred didn’t do many things in half measures, and looks were one of them. Donnie had matched, a dark leather vest and dark pants and a debonair, almost scoundrel like aesthetic, driving boots and a jacket to keep the wind out and a knife tucked squarely in his boot. He didn’t need it – his fists did plenty – but there was never harm in having a spare knife around.

People had flooded in after they’d arrived, and Vyx somehow managed to find a back corner by the drinks and avoid greeting most of them. It wasn’t that they were on bad terms with many, of course – there were a few they weren’t exactly jazzed about seeing, some because they hadn’t been friendly during the war and others because they hadn’t exactly been friendly after – but it was a little overwhelming. Especially watching Molly do all the greeting, flitting back and forth between parties of people with pleasantries and deference and directions to people they might already know. It was exhausting, and Vyx was still trying to figure out how much they liked large groups of people and didn’t exactly want to waste all their time and energy on random pleasantries. Especially for people they hadn’t spoken to in nearly eight years, who hadn’t even bothered to try and reach out to them. It wasn’t like their coming back was a secret.

Luckily, they weren’t the only ones who had the idea, and within an hour of the party’s proper start, they’d found their presence graced not only by Molly’s husband, Konrad Varnhagen, but also Flidais. Konrad had found them, first, likely due to the fact that he was hoping to snag the space and do the exact same thing. Clearly, large groups of people weren’t his ideal, either, though he was a stoic enough man that it wasn’t visible that he minded. It was odd, considering he was in a position of power that would require such meetings, but it also made sense – he had pissed off most of the people in the room, Vince included, when he’d tried to raise Cain and eat him, kidnapping Flidais in the process and siring her away from her original ghouled clan of Malkavian.

Honestly, the fact that Flidais was willing to engage in conversation with him at all said how much he’d grown on people. He wasn’t an unkind man, just an odd duck with no filter, no capacity to joke, and no reason to try to make either work anyway. Though, the fact that they’d spent several years sharing the same body meant they’d grown much closer than probably anyone anticipated they would.

“At least they’re only changing their face. I remember when I’d tried to bend my leg back; you gave me quite a talking to.” Flidais said, standing next to Konrad, watching the crowd with the rest of them. Both were luckily dressed more down than Vyx had expected, though Flidais still wore a vest over a white shirt, with grey capri slacks and tall boots; Konrad had a suit jacket, of course, but it was over a turtleneck, giving him more of a well-dressed hipster vibe instead of something formal. Flidais hadn’t been so well dressed, before, so clearly, being around the man had rubbed off some.

“Oh no, I’ve done that too. Did he tut tut at you when he found out?” Vyx asked, sitting backwards in a chair next to Flidais, a glass of blood wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. They hadn’t asked if they could smoke inside, but the windows had been opened, so clearly, someone had expected people to smoke anyway. Flidais chuckled – she was such a cold person, after her siring, that what would even count as pure delight only registered as mild amusement – cutting her eyes to Konrad as though to say yes, he did. Konrad, for his credit, scoffed at the commentary.

“I did not tut, but you did leave half a city block of gravel in your legs. I will not have my name associated with sub-par vicissitude.” He grumbled, but Vyx only gave him a big smile, like that wasn’t really a big deal at all. From the outside, it was a weird interaction – Konrad wasn’t a particularly friendly looking man, all hard lines and strong jaw and a sense of sharpness that made him look like every part of his body was a knife edge; the fact was, being a Tzimisce, it was not unlikely that any one part of him could become a knife, if needed. Donnie watched him talk, the way he was relaxed but not necessarily smiling, the way he leaned like he was trying to be a statue and succeeding, or the way he held his glass of wine in his fingers like the glass was just part of his hand, and privately decided that he wasn’t as bad as people made him out to be. Sure, he’d been told the stories, but the longer he hung around the man, the less true they seemed. Before, he’d been the worst person any of them knew, and Vyx had admittedly freely to that – but this was not a man who Donnie thought capable of inspiring dislike, let alone rage.

“Honestly, Konrad,” Donnie started, looking the man up and down, Vyx turning to face him like they were surprised he was socializing. He hadn’t said much after Flidais had arrived, as the conversation between the three of them had been mostly about body modifications, how Vyx was getting on with the changes Konrad had made, how the three of them were all capable of minor adjustments on their own and how Flidais had found his taste in perfection to be too uncanny for her; it was a whole lot of nothing that Donnie hadn’t been remotely interested in participating in. But hearing the man talk, the way Vyx was so affectionate, had a thought forming, and he couldn’t leave it behind. “Ray told me, once, that people didn’t like you, and the more you talk, the less I can see why.”

“Oh, don’t rule out what you understand based on your current observations, Donnie.” Konrad said, with no smile and no hint of joking, even though something in Donnie said he was attempting to be lighthearted and maybe a bit funny. He wasn’t particularly good at it, but Donnie was starting to realize when he was trying. “I have given everyone in this room plenty of reason to dislike me, some more than others. It is bewildering to me, still, that you people have decided to remain in my company.” He shrugged, taking a sip from his wine, looking at Vyx and Flidais with an expression that said they were specifically the you people he was talking the most about. “Considering what I did to Vincent, and you, Flidais, I would not have been surprised if you’d tried to kill me every chance you had. I don’t believe you capable of succeeding, but I have yet to see any kind of effort and I do not understand why.” He paused again, taking another long sip and uttering his last line into his glass, “I would have at least made more of an effort, if someone did to me what I had done to you.”

“Konrad,” Flidais shook her head, giving him a weary look, “I ripped your throat out with my teeth, ate you, and then got stuck living with you in our shared body for nearly two years. If you can’t understand how we’re past being angry at each other for that, I don’t know if I can help you.” She shrugged, but she did flash the smallest of smiles, mostly at Donnie, who balked at the words. He’d been a Kindred for a while, sure, but the casual air by which she was discussing diablerie was not something he was used to. Especially considering she was talking to the victim. Donnie wasn’t sure he’d ever heard of anyone making it out the other side of having their soul consumed.

“And I don’t know if you could have actually hurt Vince enough to make him hate you.” Vyx added, with a shrug. “He was really bad at hating people. But I think it’s ‘cause he saw all of these idiots and went that’s a family and decided that, even if people fucked up, tough love was the way to fix them. I’m not gonna linger on the irony that he got shot for exactly that, but.” They shrugged again, draining their own glass of blood wine and looking to the table to get more. “But unfortunately for him, Q.B., he’s kind of right. You don’t get to be the bad guy in the story and not leave behind a legacy of bullshit. But hey, if you hadn’t fucked around and tried to raise and eat Cain, we probably wouldn’t have noticed Pip was trying the same ritual. Your fuckup actually helped a lot.”

“I did succeed at the ritual; I did not fuck up.” Konrad added, like he needed to correct the record. “Marcello failed to complete the ritual at all, thanks to the intervention of Malkav, if my understanding of the situation is correct. I do not wish for his failures to be compared to my successes, even if Cain didn’t appear before us, regardless.” Konrad’s sneer was deep, almost hurt, and Donnie could tell even he hated the Nosferatu from everyone’s nightmares – apparently Pip was a nickname - as much as everyone else. “He was neither intelligent enough to see through his own hubris, or politically savvy enough to not have to dominate his allies to his assistance. His only success was in uniting everyone against his cause.”

“If you succeeded, why didn’t Cain appear?” Donnie asked, confused. That actually received a smile from Konrad – and oh, no, that was probably the reason people found him strange, as his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and made him look almost manic rather than anything like kind – and a softer, sweeter smile from Flidais; it was like Donnie had asked about some private joke that everyone else knew about but didn’t want to spoil.

“Well, as far as I understand it, the ritual Konrad was doing was meant to take someone who was dead and bring them back, right?” Vyx started, and there was mirth there, something really funny about this whole situation that he hadn’t quite caught yet. “But the thing is, if someone isn’t dead, it doesn’t do jack shit even if everything works right. You can’t just raise non-dead people from the dead, after all.” They paused, letting the concept wash over Donnie a little at a time, and the other frowned.

“Wait, Cain’s not dead?” He asked, like that was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard, but the smiles he got in return – and maybe it was better if Konrad didn’t smile, honestly – told him he was, in fact, right. “No way. Cain’s not dead?” He asked, again, like he needed to hear it. Vyx snickered.

“Driving taxis in L.A. If you can find… Martha? I think Martha succeeded, right? Martha and… someone said that one Gangrel from West Virginia, Molly’s old friend, the short one, she also apparently met him but Vince was kinda dead by that point so that’s anecdotal, not to mention she’s a hard bitch to pin down so fuck if it matters, right?” They shrugged. “But if you can find either of them, I’d ask. I know Martha caught his cab, once, for sure. She can tell you all about it.” Vyx chuckled, and Donnie made a quick note that he should both find Martha but also to take the whole concept with a grain of salt. He was being told to ask either a Malkavian or a phantom no one really ever saw for their account of meeting Cain.

“I still count the ritual as a success. No one would have been able to guess that Cain had remained alive all this time.” Konrad shrugged, finishing his glass of wine with a tilt of the head. “And I did retain several childer from the situation, plus you all did eliminate several of my… ah, coworkers, I imagine is the most correct term, and while it was frustrating at the time, I think we are better off without them. Especially Leslie. I did not particularly care for her take on the blood, but her use of fire was needed.”

“Hey, we kept the pretty ones. Like Luis – speaking of, do you know where he might have gone? And did you ever give him that jaw back?” Vyx asked, and Donnie realized the tangent was starting off on a path he didn’t recognize – Vyx had only tangentially mentioned a Lasombra called Luis, whom they had hit with a car several times – and pushed himself up from the lean he’d settled into.

“I’m gonna grab a drink. Need anything?” Donnie asked, and Vyx offered up their glass as a way of asking for a refill. “Got it. I’ll be back.” He paused, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Vyx’s head, before heading away from the conversations he didn’t really need to be a part of.

“That was disgustingly sweet. Please don’t do that again.” He heard Konrad say, and it brought a chuckle to Donnie’s lips as he made his way away from the group he’d found and into the party at large.

It was a strange experience, honestly, being part of a party for an event that hadn’t happened in his undead lifetime. Donnie had heard stories, of course, but there simply wasn’t anything like living through a situation, and of the people in the room, he was one of the only ones who hadn’t been there firsthand, and it meant that no one really recognized him much. He was used to that, of course – he wasn’t exactly famous in New York, after all – but it was still such a strange experience to watch everyone else in the room hug and talk and reminisce. He was on the outside of a glass box looking in, watching the animals in the zoo, who had all met years previously for a breakout he hadn’t been a part of. The weirdest part, however, was that he didn’t feel isolated from the rest, even if he didn’t exactly know anyone and no one seemed to want to get to know him. He was just someone’s plus one at a party, and that was all.

He approached the drink table, quickly noting that the wine situation was getting low and taking a moment to rectify that situation before someone got into a fight over the last drops in a bottle. He was deft with a corkscrew, and quickly popped several new bottles open, knowing they needed to breathe, before filling his glass and his partner’s with the last of one of the old bottles. It wasn’t much, but he felt good being useful, and he turned, glasses in hand, with a smile on his face that said that, if nothing else, he’d made some kind of impact.

His eyes caught sight of a young woman across the room, and the definition of impact suddenly changed.

The woman was tall, though likely due to the fact that she’d been convinced to wear heels for the party, with dyed blue hair and rosy cheeks and a bright smile. Her dress was black, the skirt half-way down her calves, the top buttoned across like a military coat, and she held herself against the back wall in a way that said that she, too, didn’t quite feel like she was in the right place. Donnie watched her, watched the way her fingers wrapped around a glass of wine – she was Kindred, that was good to know, or at least she was good at pretending like she was – watched the way she laughed at nearby conversation and he felt his stomach fluttering in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. Vyx had wandered into his life, and their time together was enjoyable, but they hadn’t produced butterflies like this woman did. The concept of talking to them didn’t make Donnie wildly nervous.

“Did one of the corks get stuck---?” Vyx’s voice brought Donnie from whatever trance he’d found himself in, staring at this woman across the room like he was trying to memorize the look of her lips in red lipstick or the way the eyeliner made her eyes look round and dark, and they followed his gaze until they caught sight of who he was staring at. “Oh hey, that’s April! Haven’t seen her in ages. Glad she lived.”

“She was part of this?” Donnie asked, glancing at Vyx for only a second, enough to register their presence and their words before he was drawn back to staring at her. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, honestly, but something about looking her way felt comforting. She was cute, and she looked kind, and Vyx hadn’t immediately said anything of concern besides the fact that she was apparently involved in the mess from 2018.

“Q.B, everyone here was a part of this in some capacity. You’re at the therapy ‘cause you were part of that shit party.” They chuckled, watching him not look at them the second time, watching the way he gripped the glasses in his hands like he was trying not to shatter them but if he stopped thinking about it for more than a few seconds he would, and the realization came over them in a wave, lighting them up from the inside and making them grin. “Oohhhhh, you like her!”

“What?” Donnie finally had his attention pulled away – and something in him protested, like he was scared he would look back and she would be gone, a mirage in a sea of weird that would have saved him from the rest – and finally handed Vyx the glass he said he’d get them. “I just saw her.”

“And you were immediately infatuated, my good dude.” Vyx took the glass, taking a long drink, having been deprived for longer than necessary. “I literally came over here ‘cause you hadn’t come back and I was starting to worry someone had started shit with you.” They grinned over the edge of the glass, like they knew a secret Donnie didn’t want them to know, and if he hadn’t needed to blush voluntarily, he would have been red to the ears. “You have a crush.”

“Shut up.” Donnie replied. He didn’t want to tell them no, he didn’t, because yes, he did, and it felt like some school-yard nonsense to be talking about crushes, especially considering they were all undead, immortal beings from the beginnings of time – some of them, literally. “She’s… pretty.”

“Oh yeah she is.” Vyx agreed, and it was a little jarring, hearing the person Donnie was actively dating agree that someone he thought was pretty was, in fact, pretty. She was more than pretty, of course, but Donnie didn’t have anywhere near the kind of literary degrees to have the words to describe her any further – she was beyond description, almost a beacon of light in their darkened world, a brightness against the black evening sky. But Donnie rolled with it, because he knew being polyamourous was already on the table and it did extend both ways, and if Vyx was agreeing then they wouldn’t mind anything further. Of course, that would take the courage to go talk to her, but he’d get there. Maybe by next party. “Go talk to her.”

“What?” Donnie was surprised at the words and almost jumped at the suddenness of them, because he’d just mentally determined that she was too pretty and he was too nervous and he’d need to make at least another pass at trying to talk to someone less jarringly pretty before he’d consider going over to her, and yet, he’d already been thwarted. Vyx’s tone said they weren’t going to let a no stand between them and getting Donnie a new partner, though he knew they wouldn’t actually ruin anything, at least on purpose. “Vyx, I don’t know her. I can’t just---“

“The fact that you don’t is exactly the reason you should introduce yourself to her. Everyone else here remembers her as the skittish hacker chick that ran us through the wringer back in Richmond. You know her as the girl with hair that probably smells really good.” Vyx leaned in, the idea of the smell of her hair lingering in Donnie’s mind, and he wasn’t sure if he should grumpy that they were planting those kinds of thoughts in his head or if he should lean into it and let his imagination wander. It didn’t help that Vyx kind of had a point. “Talk to her. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I don’t know, she could punch me in the face.” Donnie shrugged, taking a long swig from his own wine to try and distract him from the fact that, unfortunately, he wasn’t exactly put off from the worst case scenario. He’d been punched fairly hard by people he liked, and while it would absolutely signal that she wasn’t into him, he wasn’t wholeheartedly against the idea of being punched. It was a consequence of his vampiric upbringing – he just spent a lot of time around guys who broke each other’s noses as a way to say I love you.

“That sounds like a grand time, Donnie. Why avoid it?” The voice that joined them had Donnie nearly jumping out of his skin, because Sven had not been part of the conversation the first time and for some reason, Donnie hadn’t believed that a man that tall or that wide could be as quiet as he was. He was, unfortunately for the Brujah, an incredibly quiet man when he wanted to be, and had snuck up on them a little while they were talking. Vyx turned, face split with delight on seeing him, before they scanned the area to either side of him and realized he was missing an uppity Tremere. Damon Wellington was not with him.

“Eyyy, Sven. How’s things? Where’s the ding-dong?” Vyx asked, making a bit of a show of peering around behind him, pausing only once to give Donnie a look – one Sven couldn’t see, as they were behind him – that said this was only delaying the inevitable conversation. Donnie pursed his lips, pointedly ignoring the look, because she was pretty and he didn’t want to ruin a good thing by bringing his stupid mouth into it, but he knew he could only get away with that for so long. “You’re down a wizard, I think.”

“Damon… elected to stay at home.” Sven said, pulling a flask from his belt and taking a long draw. Donnie could smell it from the moment it opened, and it smelled like paint thinner and copper. “After our previous meeting, we both believed it was better that I attend this function… alone.” Sven nodded, like that was all he wanted to say about that, turning to Donnie, who didn’t like having the eyes all focus on him again. “But enough about my troubles! Who is it that is to punch you in the face?”

“He saw April and went heart eyes and almost swooned. It’s adorable. Sven, tell him he needs to talk to her.” Vyx explained, much to Donnie’s chagrin; he didn’t need to get teamed up on by both of them, but alas, that was the crux of making friends. Sven laughed, a deep belly laugh of a thing, which actually drew April’s attention for just a moment; in that moment, Donnie looked over, and they briefly caught eyes, and—was that a blush, or her makeup? He wasn’t sure, but he knew she saw him, and she smiled – a polite thing, maybe, or something more, he couldn’t tell – and she tucked her hair behind her ear, briefly, before averting her eyes again. If Donnie’s heart worked, it would have launched itself from his chest, because he couldn’t tell if that was something reciprocated or if he was just dreaming. A large hand landed on his shoulder and brought him back down to Earth before he floated away into space.

“Donnie, I have never been failed by daring to speak to someone I found attractive.” Sven advised, leaning down so his head was more level with Donnie’s. He was a tall man. “And fear not! She was a Brujah, when she was a ghoul. Punching someone in the face is an act of love for many clans! Hells, I once punched Damon in the face when he requested it, and the next thing I recall, we were dating! Though I am not a Brujah.” He chuckled, giving Donnie a clap on the back as though to encourage him to go over there. “I would be careful, however. Kana was not one to let Ghouls run amok, so she was asked to be sired before the decade changed and now she is a Lasombra. I do not believe she lost the desire to punch, however.” He pulled himself back up, shaking his head. “Speaking of, Vyxen – Al actually asked about you.”

“He what?” Vyx found that they also had a moment where the record scratched in their brain, frozen briefly with their glass halfway to their mouth. They knew Al was likely there – he wasn’t exactly on the right side, but they knew Molly wouldn’t let him skip. This was her penance for their role in things, and that meant it had to be his. But asking about them, considering he’d rejected them outside, had something in them fluttering. They recalled Al, from back in the day. He wasn’t the most palpable, but Vince had seen sides of Al that no one had and those sides were worth more than their weight in his love. Donnie saw the opportunity and quickly turned the tables.

“He’s the guy that rejected you, right?” He asked, giving Vyx a sly smile that said they were in for the same treatment and he hoped they’d buckled up. “I think he’s figured out the error of his ways. You think you want to forgive him?” Donnie asked, raising an eyebrow, and Vyx’s sour face almost threatened to smack him – which he laughed at. Sven was right; punching was a way to say I love you in Brujah.

“Why did he talk to you?” Vyx asked, turning back to something more concrete to ask about, avoiding Donnie’s question with ease. Sven rolled his eyes, like he knew what Vyx was doing but he couldn’t avoid answering, because it was a valid question.

“He noticed that Damon had not arrived with me and was concerned. I informed him that Damon was alive, but unfortunately, my patience with his actions was not infinite, and it has come to light that he has meddled in a way that I cannot forgive easily. He was, of course, disappointed – I believe he finds something normal about antagonizing my husband, considering – but he’d also heard you and I had spoken and was curious.” Sven shrugged, trying to avoid the awkward conversation about Damon; Vyx already knew why, of course. They were part of the cause. “He wanted to know if you were anything like Vincent. I told him that I could not judge that for him, and that he’d have to talk to you and learn that for himself. He did not seem… disinterested.”

“Oh.” Vyx paused, their own vision caught in the middle distance, weighing the situation. On one hand, Al was asking about them, and about them and not about Vince, and that was something. On the other, he’d done a number on their psyche, and while they’d come out better for it, rejecting them outright was still kind of painful. They bounced from leg to leg, like they couldn’t make a decision. “Oh.” They said, again, instead. Donnie stepped in to meet them, putting a hand on their arm and bringing them from the spiraling headspace they’d gotten into. He could recognize when they were beginning to drift off elsewhere.

“Okay, I’ll make you a deal.” Donnie said, catching Vyx’s eyes, and they nodded, unsure what he was getting to but willing to roll with it. “You go talk to Al. I’ll go talk to April. We reconvene back here in, what, a half hour? Hour?”

“More than two and I’ll assume you got a room somewhere.” Vyx nodded, as a way of agreeing to the deal. Sure, talking with Al was going to be something interesting, but they’d determined that they needed to take a page from Vince’s book – the man wasn’t going to get forgiven by anyone else until they themselves made the move to do it, and while Al was an asshole, he wasn’t that bad. Besides, they kind of liked when he was shitty, just only when it was to other people. “Sven? Hold us to it?”

“Having witnessed this agreement, I will make sure it is observed.” He chuckled, putting his glass down and putting a hand on both Vyx’s and Donnie’s shoulders. Vyx stuck out a hand, and Donnie took it, shaking on the agreement. It felt weird, but also right, and Donnie knew it would be good for Vyx in the long run; how it would turn out for him, well, he could manage regardless. “Now go forth, and have fun.” Sven wished them well, all but pushing them off into the crowd, Vyx heading towards the other half of the room where they were sure Al would be, Donnie heading off to the edge where April stood, leaving Sven alone. He sighed, picking up his wine glass and leaning against the nearby wall. He could see Donnie, at least.

It was hard, witnessing young love when his own love life was in the shitter, but at least he could be happy for them. As long as it went well, anyway.

~*~

They found him on a balcony.

They weren’t even aware there was an upstairs, honestly, but that’s what they got for not exploring the space more. There was, however, a small upper floor, the space a double the height of a normal floor, with a balcony overlooking the main room with further chairs and tables taking up that space, and while it was mostly empty, they found Al leaning against the railing, watching the crowd. He didn’t see them immediately, and it gave them a moment to give him a good look over; they’d expected he’d look bad, honestly, but he didn’t look that bad. He didn’t look all that different, just a little more ragged. He was still short, as short as they were, now, and still blond, though his hair was shaggier, more unkempt, but in a way that tried to look like he meant it to look like that. The fresh-out-of-bed look, except it was likely he was fresh out of bed and just pretending like he’d spent three hours styling it that way. He was gaunter around the face, paler and ashier, more dead – Sven had said something about Kana not keeping ghouls around and used that to get to Al, so it was likely he’d been sired, too, though by who Vyx wasn’t sure – and he had a beard, an unkempt layer of scruff that could have been handsome had he not looked more like a mountaineer. He was at least kind of well dressed, a half-open floral shirt and matching pants and a bag across his chest that he left open, clearly containing his vape supplies. Honestly, for how they’d seen him before, he looked alright, if tired and maybe a little harried. But there was nothing about him that screamed leave in a way they’d hoped; they weren’t sure what that might have been, but they’d hoped there might have been something they could use to justify turning around and walking away before they were hurt again. Hell, even the blood was giving them a respite, refusing to see him as anything other than the man Vince had married. Sometimes, they found, the blood was kind and let them see the world as it was – maybe it was that, sometimes, their perceptions were too strong. Or, they realized, watching him take a hit off the vape and expel the cloud over the railing like he was making an attempt to be annoying but didn’t have the energy to do much more than vape, maybe the blood just knew they were seeing Al at his most truthful, anyway, and didn’t think any other layer would matter.

Vyx fixed their dress with their hands. It was now or never.

“Hey,” They tried to purr, to flirt, to sound enticing, and they knew they were bad at it but they honestly didn’t care. They were almost nervous, because, well, this was Al. The risk of things going very poorly was higher than most, and they didn’t want to try twice and wind up fucked over twice. Al was very good at wounding them directly at their core, where it hurt the most, which – wasn’t that love? Just done poorly? They weren’t sure. But they had to try – it was Al. They’d seen Al at his absolute worst, through Vince’s eyes, and they didn’t hate him then, so nothing would really turn that off; the only thing that could stop them would have been his second rejection. And even that would be only for so long. “Can I take a picture of you real quick? I wanna make sure Santa knows what to put under the tree this year.” Vyx tried the line, terrible though it was, and Al look up as they slid over to him with… a smile on his face. It was a sad, little thing, the hint of a smirk from a man too far gone in his sadness to really feel joy but who couldn’t resist the horror of the pickup line they’d tried. The smile was more than they’d gotten before, and that was something.

“Where the hell did you get that line?” Al asked, and it was a little judgmental, sure – they’d brought it on themselves, the line was awful – but it also had a little bit of a laugh in it, and that sparked something in Vyx that said keep going. That his chuckle was a crack in the levee and that the flood waters were rising and maybe, with the right application of force and tension and leverage, they’d burst that sucker right open. It was something, at least. Better than a swing and a miss.

“Well, there was this cute guy, that I kinda dated; I mean, technically, my twin brother married him but I got to watch the whole exchange from the sidelines so it was kinda like we dated? And he always had the worst pickup lines, but I’ve always been a sucker for a really bad one, y’know? Sometimes y’just gotta say something stupid.” Vyx laughed, and they leaned on the railing next to Al, only a couple hands away, enough distance that they wouldn’t touch but not so much they couldn’t have a private conversation. It wasn’t like anyone was up there with them, but they figured it better to not shout. “He was good about that, back when they dated. Saying stupid stuff to make the hard shit seem less hard. Like, damn, they went through the end of the world and I don’t know if I would have noticed ‘cause he was so good at trying to keep things light. Even when he fucked up.”

“Sounds like he fucked up a lot.” Al tried, taking a long hit off his vape, the self-deprecation oozing out of him like a dark sludge. Vyx half-scoffed, half snorted, like the idea that he fucked up a lot was absurd, not because he didn’t but because it wasn’t as bad as he was making it out to be.

“I dunno, I think everyone fucked up a lot, back then. Like Dan? You remember Dan Nelson, right? If I recall correctly, Varnhagen gave him these six bullets as a present, and Dan proceeded to give every cool ally we had one as a like, oh look dragon’s blood bullets, very fancy, very powerful. What we all found out later was that they were tracking bullets so he just happened to put a vampiric Air Tag on everyone we ever loved.” Vyx relayed the story, pausing only to let the chuckle escape from Al’s lips at the tale. He’d known the results, he’d been there, but he hadn’t recalled the moment until they spoke, considering it had been nearly a decade. “Dan almost got everyone we were friends with killed, and that was one of the light ones. Don’t get me started on some of the fuckups that didn’t make it, like Damien Shadow. Weirdo and a creep that got ghouled by Glamis only to antagonize Varnhagen in an Elysium and got his head and spine ripped out for the trouble.” They paused, fishing for a cigarette, which they had stored in the top of their dress; they didn’t have much to make a pocket from, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t still store a pack of Donnie’s cigarettes and a lighter there all the same. “We all fucked up, a lot. I think things would have been much simpler if any of us were capable of basic competence. But if we were, I also don’t think we would have gotten anything done, ‘cause they were pretty good at anticipating people who were competent ahead of time.”

“At least they didn’t chase away everyone they loved.” Al added, and it was clear he was trying to be distant, to be closed off, to keep them at arm’s length by using his mistakes as a block between them, but he was having trouble with it. Maybe it was the way Vyx leaned against the railing like Vince would, cigarette, now lit, dangling from their lips like letting go of it was the biggest mistake they could make. Maybe it was that they had talked him up, and the flattery was getting somewhere. It was hard to tell, but the façade was cracking.

“Well, the guy I know only thinks he did that.” Vyx shrugged, not playing into his self-inflicted misery. “See, the guy my twin married? He’s always had a hard time being humble and admitting people do fuck up sometimes. Like, yeah, he’s really good at what he does – and fuck, he’s good at a lot. Man’s a wizard with C4 and good on a computer and quick with a joke and quicker with an SMG, right?” They paused, leaning over to press an elbow, lightly, into Al’s side, a physical ribbing that he didn’t shy away from. They used the movement to slip a little closer. “But he also pushes people away when he thinks he doesn’t deserve them. He’s self-deprecating, and I think he thinks he deserves to be friendless and alone because he fucked up. I think he thinks that, because people have sort of stepped away from him, that they’re leaving him because he’s a mess, but they’re only leaving because he won’t let them get close.”

“What do you want, Vyx?” Al asked, and like that, the game was over and the real conversation was starting. His tone was tired, exhausted even, like he wanted them to get whatever the fuck they had to say out so he could go back to brooding on the balcony in peace. Vyx sighed, exhaling the smoke out from their lungs in a long stream, collecting their thoughts. Greensboro was, surprisingly, quiet on a Network level, at least as long as they ignored the sounds of the Palladium. It helped that most of their Malkavians were dead, or didn’t fuck much with the Network.

“I want to talk, Al.” They said, softly, turning to him with a smile that was all Vince wrapped up in lips that were maybe a bit too pink and eyes that weren’t quite right and dark pink hair that was too bright. “Like… look, I get it.” They finally hit on the thing they’d been trying to strike at all night, and Al could tell, the way their shoulders hunched and the way they picked up the pace when they started off, like they couldn’t stop speaking if they wanted to. For everything they were, and weren’t, there were parts of them that were so Vince it was almost painful to watch. “I’m not Vince.” They said, and for a moment it was a hard statement to believe, but reality always had a habit of focusing and Vyx really wasn’t Vince under the microscope. They didn’t let the weird look Al had stop them, however. “I’ve been told that over, and over, and over again, ever since I came back up to the real world. I am the walking embodiment of disappointment.” They inhaled, deeply, only cutting their eyes a little to see Al’s expression – and it was one of sadness, like he’d never wished that on them and he didn’t mean for them to feel that way, but it was yet one more way he’d fucked up. He was trying to take blame for actions he wasn’t even around to cause. That wasn’t where they were going, but they were glad, at least, he was aware that his initial meeting with them was kind of rough, even if he’d kind of swung it too far in the wrong direction. “But I’m also not trying to replace Vince. He’s in here, rattling around somewhere. And as long as he’s not trapped trying to solve some kind of SAW-escque, post death puzzle that he can’t get out of, he’ll wake back up, and I figure when he does you and he have a long conversation ahead of you. But until then, I’m here and I don’t want him getting in between us if that’s a thing we think is good.” They said, and they finally looked at Al, who was staring at the middle distance like a thing he’d been tossing around in his head for ages had finally settled into something more concrete.

“Honestly, I’ve been thinking.” He said, not looking at anyone or anything in particular, “I think… I don’t know if I actually want Vince back.” He paused, looking at Vyx for a second like he was calculating something, before reaching out a hand. They offered him the cigarette he clearly was asking for – and something sparked, just a little, as their fingers touched, the fact that they knew him so well as to know when he was asking for a smoke without him uttering a word something that stood out to them both – and he lit it with their lighter, letting it take the edge off. He’d replaced his coil, of course, but there wasn’t anything like the real deal. “I love the man, I do. I don’t regret getting married, and I’d even say I miss his stupid smile and the way he couldn’t hold a grudge to save his life. But… we weren’t… he was just so…” Al paused, snarled, a Gangrel holdover, unable to put the words to his thoughts. Vyx nodded, anyway.

“You and he brought out the worst in each other. I get it, I watched, I was there.” Vyx shrugged, the truth obvious – they were, in fact, there – as they took another long draw. It wasn’t an incorrect statement; Vince had been, as far as they’d seen, callous and uncaring and made quite a lot of decisions that would have been labeled terrible ideas had he thought about them for more than fifteen seconds. But Al hadn’t encouraged Vince to be better and had honestly only encouraged everyone to be just a little worse, mostly by acting like an asshole or lying to the group as a whole, and making Vince defend him without remorse. “He fucked you over a lot because he was an idiot who thought about very little before he did it. He got better, of course, but it did take the world ending before he realized he needed to think through his actions. Meanwhile, you lied to his face for months and never questioned your loyalties ‘cause you felt like Pip claimed you first.” Vyx paused, letting the words settle, and from the tension in Al’s shoulders, they could tell they were right and he wasn’t comfortable with it. They’d called him out as much as they’d called Vince out. “So, are you saying you don’t want Vince back? Like, ever?”

“I don’t know what I want.” Al said, the truest thing he could say, leaning on the railing and letting his head dip, briefly, as he did so. It was hard, being in love with a dead guy, especially when the dead guy’s cute twin was standing right there. Was that even weird? He had no idea and honestly, he had to fight down the urge to avoid it entirely. He’d pushed them away enough, and they kept coming back, and he had realized they were really the only one who did and he couldn’t, in good conscience, push everyone away. He had been without someone to talk to in so long, he couldn’t bring himself to reject them. “I think, if he comes back, we’ll need to… to talk a bit. I don’t know where to go from there, but it won’t be where we were before.” He nodded, a little resolute.

“So then… why push me away?” Vyx asked, softly, a real hurt to their voice, and Al, for all he was worth, only could shrug. He knew it was a disappointing reaction, but it was all he had.

“I dunno, I just… Vince had a way with people. For some reason, that idiot could walk into a room and everyone would eventually think he was a good enough friend, even if he didn’t do anything other than bother them all night. He was charismatic, even if he wasn’t great with words, and he just had a way of making people feel safe being soft. I guess I’d… I’d put a lot of faith in the idea that, if I just had him, people wouldn’t hate me as much. And even if they did, I’d still be with the one guy who didn’t hate me at all. But you weren’t… you weren’t going to save me from the me everyone knew, and it felt like that was… it. I wasn’t anything without Vince to cover my ass, and I wasn’t going to dig myself out of the hole I’d dug myself into without him.” Al shrugged. Vyx sighed, tucking the still lit cigarette behind their ear and turning so they were facing Al entirely, leaning with one arm on the railing.

“People don’t hate you.” Vyx said, firmly, giving Al a withered glare that said he could say that again if he wanted but it wouldn’t make it true. “You think people hate you, because that’s comfortable. Being hated isn’t a great place to be, no, but at least you’re sure how people feel about you. You don’t have to change anything because you know that, if they already hate you, you’re not going to be able to change that. But it isn’t true, and you know it.” They paused, letting that settle on his shoulders, and they got a glare in return, which was expected. No one was forcibly broken from a depressive state without some protest. “The fact is, you didn’t even do anything. You were the pawn in a game played by a dead guy, just like Molly. And yeah, sure, some people had to lash out at someone and that someone wasn’t always her and it couldn’t be Pip, but I think this party is the sign that people are getting over it. Molly’s throwing a shindig with every conceivable person would could blame her, or you, and no one’s dead yet. Like, has anyone come over to yell at you tonight?”

“No, but Damon’s not here, so maybe that’s why.” Al shrugged, but Vyx reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder, which brought his gaze back around to them. He was cold, under their hands, but they were cold, too. One of the many issues of being undead.

“Damon aside, no one’s come over here to yell at you because people don’t hate you. Trust me, we both know how people around here behave when they hate you and I know you’re not seeing it from them because you’re not dead. Hell, Kana? I know she’s here, I saw Nakamura recently and they’re attached at the hip and the ring now, right? If anyone was going to come over here and give you an earful, it’s her. You remember, she didn’t even have a good reason to dislike you, she just did. But even she decided to stay her hand, and she’s the Prince. Talk about motive and means.” They pulled their hand back, the length of contact only just long enough to make a point and not so long as to make Al uncomfortable, and he actually seemed disappointed that their hand had left. “I think the issue is, you didn’t have any control over the situation. Trust me, I was there for all of it, I know. You were a pawn just like everyone else, and if Molly had no control, you sure as shit didn’t. And I don’t think any of us know how to work around an apology for something no one here did, and especially since the guy we could actually blame is a pile of ash in the gutter somewhere. Which, nice shot by the way.”

“Yeah, that was satisfying.” Al actually laughed, something really joyous, the first time all night where the smile he had wasn’t a little sad. Vyx understood – it’s not every day you get to look at your abuser in the face and then hit him with an RPG.

“So yeah, it kinda sucks. It’s been a shitty couple of years. But people are starting to realize the bad guy’s dead and blame is for losers and it’s not like they can fault you, y’know? Like, you could have totally put on an evil cape and done the whole evil cackle and gone full bad-guy mode, but you haven’t. The only person who still thinks you’re hanging out in Pip’s shadow is you, Al. Everyone else has noticed that the sun is out and there’s nothing blocking the view. Metaphorically, of course.” They added, like they had to, even though they both knew that the sun being out would probably have killed them.

“I wish I could believe that.” Al sighed, the heart of things laid bare, clearly wearing on him. “But I’ve spent this whole party up here, alone. I even tried talking to Sven, but he didn’t stay. If people are as willing to forgive me as you say, they should be coming over here, or at least letting me talk to them without leaving.” He said, softly, and Vyx let out a loud, ridiculous sigh, half flopping over the railing. This seemed to catch Al off guard, and he perked up, like he wasn’t sure what exactly they were doing but he was confused by it.

“My god, Al, stop trying to give Vince the brain-cell, he’s dead and I’ve got one on loan.” They groaned, and Al couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his face, even if the words were technically dunking on him. They were starting to grow on him, a little at a time – sure, they weren’t Vince. They were more animated, more spirited, more vocal, with less hesitance and less seriousness about them. But that was also what Al wished he’d gotten more of, from Vince – someone who would meet Al in the middle with his persona, his ridiculousness, his façade. Vince was too much of a straight-man to Al’s terminally online persona and only served to highlight how shitty Al was to people. This felt like someone who would highlight his kindnesses alongside everything else, by being almost a little shittier. “Look, you made yourself out to be a complete piece of shit, right? That was a whole thing.”

“Yeah.”

“And now you’re surprised that maybe you were too good at the persona?” Vyx asked, and that seemed to unlock something in Al’s brain that hadn’t been unlocked before. “If people think the real you is an asshole, even if they don’t blame you for what you did, they’re not going to try and be buddy-buddy with you, either. You didn’t exactly make yourself a peach, y’know? Like, I love it, right, but also Vince got to see you at night when you took the costume off, and that means I got to see the man without the mask, too. But you didn’t really take that mask off, ever. So yeah, people are gonna think you’re an asshole and not wanna come say hi.” They shrugged, and Al paused, turning around to lean against the railing backwards, his elbows on the metal bar and the cigarette between his teeth.

“If that’s the way people see me, I don’t know if I can change that, Vyx. Where would I even start?” He looked to them, and they furrowed their brow, like that was a legitimate question – until the answer hit them and they brightened. Al couldn’t help but smile – the way they brightened, both in their expression but also physically, their whole body lifting onto their toes as the realization came over them, was simply too neat to witness.

“Well, how about me?” They asked, excited, extending a hand with an emphasis that said they didn’t know how to only kind of lean in to a situation. “Hi. My name is Vyxen Mia Riveria, I use she/they pronouns. I think I’m in my twenties, but honestly, fuck if I know, right, ‘cause Konrad made this meat suit for me and I definitely didn’t have a life before my unlife so I’m ballparking.” They waited, patiently, and eventually, he stuck his hand out, and they shook, like they were meeting for the first time. “Now you.”

“This is stupid.” He said, but they didn’t let go of his hand, effectively holding him hostage until he did as they asked. He sighed – but he sighed in a way that was enjoying the moment and he was simply trying to pretend he didn’t. “Hi, Vyxen.”

“Vyx. I like it like I like my boyfriends, short and sweet and to the point.” Vyx chuckled, and that had Al actually laughing, because it was just so stupid but he hadn’t had fun like that in years. “Admittedly, I’ve got one under the belt right now and he’s not that short, but his sweetness makes up for it. Now I’m in the market for someone who’s a bit shorter but maybe a bit spicy.” They rolled the word through their lips, and Al felt something just… click into place. It was a feeling of comfort, of sliding into something that felt like home, of opening the door after a long day and knowing there was food in the fridge and a robe to change into. It was like taking one’s boots off after a long trip, and he couldn’t define exactly what it was, but he felt it when they leaned in and he knew there was something here that wasn’t just bound by nostalgia and memory.

“Hi, Vyx.” Al corrected. He liked the way their name sounded in his mouth, and it was a weird sensation. “I’m Alphonse Renato, he/him, and I’m in my eighties, but I know, I know, I don’t look a day over twenty.” He chuckled, and they shook their hands together, again, like it was specific and important that they shake after introductions, before they let his hand go. “So, Vyx, what do you do for fun?” He asked, and it felt like they were still playing the bit, but also he was asking seriously, and they paused, taking a drink off a passing tray. Some of the drinks were more than blood wine, with ice and little umbrellas and all sorts of colors. They tucked the umbrella into their hair, and Al snickered.

“Well, I’ve been traveling a lot, lately, but I think it’s time I settled down in the city again. I like riding, mostly my motorbike, but that’s not the only thing I ride.” They gave Al a wink, the kind he would have given them, and he grinned in a way that said he understood. “I like finding hot people to date. I’ve got the one – his name’s Donnie, by the way, he’s over talking to April. He thinks she’s cute, so I’m rooting for him.”

“He’s lucky, she’s been single since the war, as far as I know.” Al nodded, like he approved of Donnie’s choice – he’d been on the receiving end of April’s hacking skills, and he fondly remembered her as a giant pain in his ass. He didn’t know Donnie for beans, but if Vyx liked him, he figured April was headed towards something good enough. “Does he know about this, by the way? I’m not fixing to get punched in the face tonight.”

“Oh, he knows. Sven said you were asking after me, and he wanted me to come talk to you, which, hey, good news, that’s two people who don’t hate you! Donnie doesn’t even know you well enough to hate you.” Vyx grinned, shaking their head and fishing around in their drink, pulling a piece of ice from the top and popping it into their mouth. “Anyway, besides motorbikes and hot people, I like spicy food, black coffee, shitty Mexican takeout, leaning in to whatever’s happening around me, and…” They paused, and Al watched their brain work through the motions one at a time. Glass, full of ice. Balcony, with people below them. Including at least one, well dressed, uppity Tremere. They weren’t really identifiable from the balcony, but the stiff shoulders and the stiffer suit said Tremere Magister. Al watched the three details merge in their head, a smile slowly crossing their face that said they had a bad idea, and the gleam in their eye said they weren’t going to stay their hand. “And I like doing this.”

They hardly hesitated, tossing one cube of ice over the balcony. It plonked, wetly, off the head of Elnora Winston, a Tremere in attendance from London; they were right about the title, but maybe a little reckless in the choice. She spun, trying to find the source of the ice, but Vyx had immediately turned to pretend like they had done no such thing, and Al had followed their lead. What she couldn’t see were the snickers from the both of them, hidden by their backs, Al reaching out to awkwardly flap at Vyx until he had a hand on their arm, like he could prevent them from doing it again. It wasn’t that he wasn’t against the moment – he liked being annoying, and clearly, they did, too. He’d made a whole business out of it – but he also learned how to pick his targets and they clearly didn’t care.

“Vyx, I swear to god,” He started, watching them watch him. He liked watching them think, because he could predict every move that came from them, even if he was unable to stop them. It was like watching a cat – sure, he could tell from the gleam in their eye and the wicked smile on their face and the fact that they were watching him laugh, their shoulders shaking with their own giggles, and they clearly seemed to like watching him laugh, that they were going to do it again, but he didn’t know how to stop them. Even as they raised their arm, slowly, ice in hand, their eyes entirely on Al, not on Elnora, who had turned back to her conversation with her hackles up, Al could tell they were waiting for his go ahead. That if he really and truly didn’t want to get up to the mischief they were offering, he could stop them and they would, in fact, back down. If he didn’t want to commit to the bit and have a little fun, they’d step away.

He didn’t stop them. The thing that clicked into place locked in. They were a matched set, whether he liked it or not.

They tossed the ice cube. This time, instead of plinking off Elnora’s head, it caught just behind her collar, and she shrieked the kind of shriek that said there would be blood split that night. She spun, and this time, neither Vyx nor Al were prepared for her speed, and she caught sight of them watching her, a glass in Vyx’s hand and their other raised like they’d just lobbed a piece. Vyx bristled, hair standing on end, because Elnora was mad and while they’d never met her personally, they recalled her power and whether it was worth crossing her – it wasn’t – and realized that maybe, just maybe, they’d fucked up. They looked to Al, their smile still in place but maybe a bit tempered by the fear of the moment, and he looked to them with a panic hiding beneath the smile on his face; they both realized quickly they were in fact sharing the brain-cell, because they both knew they had the same idea.

Run.

Al found that, while he was fast, Vyx was just as fast, and they kept pace as they turned and all but booked it for a nearby hallway. There were doors enough – mostly employee only doors, nothing fancy – that they had no problem finding something to duck through, trying to put as much distance and as many walls between them and Elnora as they could. Fighting her was right out; getting an earful wasn’t a pleasant end, either, and they both wanted to avoid that. The door led to a hall, which led to a bunch of different conference and ballrooms, all filled with tables and chairs and nowhere fun to hide. Eventually, however, Al opened a door and found it was a storage closet, with a big dresser at the back of the room and full of boxes. He leaned out of the room long enough to get Vyx’s attention, summoning them into the room and helping them step over the piles of boxes towards the back. With all the stuff in between them and the door, he hoped Elnora would see the room and give up without searching.

The dresser was cramped, empty but small; luckily, Vyx was small and so was Al, so they managed to fit. It wasn’t the best fit, but he knew they’d manage, closing the door and trapping them inside. Vyx shifted, and eventually they settled, his knee between their legs, their head nearly on his chest, pressed so close that they could have shared a mutual heartbeat had either of them had one. Furious footsteps raced down the hallway after them, only a few moments after the door closed, and Al had to remind himself that he didn’t need to hold his breath anymore, considering he didn’t breathe. He braced one hand against the cool metal and the other found its way around Vyx’s torso, and they bit back a sharp intake of breathe they didn’t need at the sudden touch, but not in a way that said they disliked it.

The door outside opened, and there was silence.

Silence ticked by, moment by moment, breath by breath.

And then the door outside closed, leaving the room behind as the furious footsteps started off and faded into the distance.

Al waited until they’d been gone for long enough that he knew Elnora wasn’t sulking around outside before he let out a breath, a thing meant to help him relax, letting himself lose the tension keeping him pressed against the wall. Without that tension, he found Vyx was closer than they had been before, all but sitting on his knee, their leg between his, their feet tangled, one hand pressed to the wall behind him and the other now settling on his chest. Their fingers laced, gently, through the floral collar that he’d left mostly open, the devil-may-care attitude a staple of his wardrobe, and he looked away from the door to find their face was so close they could smell that the drink with the ice had been something with gin and orange. They were close, and they were cold, but that hadn’t mattered before, and they were grinning madly like they hadn’t ever had that much fun, and there was something irresistible about it all.

Neither were particularly sure who actually moved first, but the gaps between them were quickly dashed. Hands, before so purposefully placed away from the other, kept distance, were no longer restrained, finding arms and sides and jawlines to cradle and press against and hold; their tangle of legs only got more tangled as they shifted their weight, unsure who exactly was holding them upright as they all but crashed together, their make-out furious as though to make up for lost time. Al could tell Vyx smelled like gin, and orange, and natural cigarettes and someone else’s detergent and what he thought was shotgun oil; they found he smelled a little like the sewer and a little like the detergent he always bought from the Dollar Tree, ‘cause it was never worth putting money into cleaning when you lived in a sewer, and the same brand of gun oil that Donnie used and the acrid bite of burnt cotton and the sickly sweetness of a vape juice they couldn’t identify the flavor of.

They would have stayed like that, locked in a perpetual meeting of lips and hands and teeth and legs and too much emotion contained after too much time passing, had they not been quite so furious about it, limbs trying to take up space they didn’t have. As it was, their fumbling in the enclosed space had the door opening on them, and after only a few minutes in the dresser, they tumbled back out of it, falling onto the pile of boxes and storage, tangled in each other, the empty boxes flying up from under them as they landed, hard.

Al laughed. He hadn’t felt that good in years.

“Well,” Vyx said, pushing themselves up from being splayed over a box, running a hand over their hair and finding that Al’s wandering hands had turned it into a mess they couldn’t fix without a brush. They giggled, letting themselves get flushed – it was worth the blood – watching Al, who remained supine, laying against a bigger box and laughing. They found the laughter bubbled up from somewhere in them as well, and they fought it back, just enough to be able to talk, the laugh still in their voice, “That happened.” They said, and that only had the laughter redoubling, because describing the situation like that only made it funnier.

“Yeah, that did.” Al nodded, staring at the ceiling, a series of white tiles that looked like every other convention center ceiling in the world. Vyx appeared in his vision, bending over him, offering a hand, and he used it to right himself, brushing off his shirt and pants from the layer of dust that had gathered. No one had been in that room in ages. “Since we’re there, you wanna grab a drink?” Al asked, like he was working backwards – making out first, drinks second – and Vyx giggled, delighted with the turn of events.

“Sure. Maybe a party drink? I should be checking back in with Donnie soon. He’ll think I ditched him to fuck you and while I am so here for us right now, I don’t know if I want to be the kind of person who has sex in the back room of a convention center. Like, I’m still finding me, but I think me has some standards.” They chuckled, and Al shrugged – he wasn’t planning on anything, so he couldn’t be disappointed – offering an arm for them to hold, like a gentleman. Vyx took his arm, letting him lead as they picked their way around the boxes under their feet.

“Before we go out there,” Al said, pausing in the hallway, happy to be surefooted and not in a pile of random cleaning supplies. Vyx paused with him, taking the moment to brush the dust from their skirts. It hadn’t been a well-used room, after all. “Can I ask why you threw that ice cube? Was that a Malk thing, like… Elnora needed to not be in the room or something?” Al asked, fumbling the example a little. He wasn’t a Malkavian and he hadn’t really ever indulged in the blood, so he wasn’t entirely sure how to spitball a Malkavian’s vision. Vyx shook their head, taking Al’s hands in both of their own, something sweet about the gesture.

“You laughed.” Vyx said, simply, watching Al’s face with an expression that was hopeful, and sweet, and loving, and kind, and almost hurt Al to witness. He’d pushed them away without giving them even a chance, and yet, they were still right there, trying to make him laugh just because they could. “You haven’t laughed since Vince died. I can just… I can tell. And I’ve done a lot of learning over the past couple of years. I’ve learned I don’t like having total control over things, but I don’t like being helpless either, and I don’t like assholes who are actually bad people, but I do like making people I date happy and I do like seeing people smile and you were due a giggle, I think.” They swung their hands back and forth, and Al couldn’t help but smile. He was lucky, they were good at what they did.

“Well, then, Vyxen Riveria, can I get you a drink? I think I’d like to start this meeting over.” Al asked, offering his arm again but this time in a show of affection, like he was asking them out properly, and Vyx grabbed his arm, laughing at the over the top display.

That was the Al they missed.

“Let’s start with that drink. Oh, and Donnie. You need to meet Donnie.”

~*~

Donnie was over at Sven first, but that was only because he’d only gone a few steps away, and he returned, beaming, holding his phone out like if he put it away, he’d find the number had vanished when he wasn’t looking. It was almost surreal, and he was still reeling from the moment. Sven didn’t say anything, giving him a clap on the back that was congratulatory, mostly because he could see the others returning through the crowd and he knew whatever conversation he was about to start, he wouldn’t get to finish it. Instead, he raised a hand, and Donnie could see Vyx’s small hand appear above the crowd in a returned wave. At least they were alive. He was a bit concerned, for a moment.

“I see you both have had success in your endeavors!” Sven said, once Vyx got close enough to hear him, and they approached with Al, his arm slung over their shoulder and a new drink in hand. Donnie found himself drug out of his brief moment of pure bliss by the fact that Vyx was clearly… rumpled, though it wasn’t so noticeable that anyone else would have clocked it. Their dress was wrinkled, dusty, and they’d clearly attempted to smooth it down; their hair was a mess, and they looked a little flushed, which he knew would only have happened had they really been in the moment. Donnie wasn’t entirely sure what happened – well, he kind of knew, but not to what degree - but he could tell something did, and while he briefly had to wrestle with the image in his head and prevent any negative feelings, he got away from the moment feeling happy for them. He knew from the start that he wouldn’t be their one and only, and while he had to take a second to process his first attempt at sharing, he made it out the other side intact.

“Oh yeah, we definitely didn’t get almost murdered by an angry Tremere, total success.” Vyx cackled, detangling themselves from Al’s arm so they could drink from their own drink, even though it had a straw. “But I think I need to stay out of London for a while.”

“Vyx, what did you do?” Donnie asked, and they gave him a sheepish smile, like they knew the answer was going to get them in more trouble – or at least, it should. Donnie simply wasn’t the kind to enforce rules; this was why Brujah were valuable bodyguards as much as boyfriends.

“Do you mean before or after they threw an ice cube down the back of Elnora Winston’s shirt?” Al replied with a laugh – and while Donnie didn’t know who that was enough to care, Sven sure as shit looked like they’d just threatened a world power with a nuclear bomb - stepping forward, now that he’d been freed, and extending a hand. “Alphonse Renato. I married Vince, back in the day. Maybe made a mess of everything after. I hope this one has told you about me?” He paused, this one referencing Vyx, like he was waiting for Donnie to tell him no and ruin the high he was clearly riding. Donnie nodded – much to Al’s relief – and reached out to shake hands; for a moment, they were equals, and there was an understanding. It didn’t matter if Donnie had only heard the bad parts, or if Al really was an asshole, or anything else they did, they were equal partners in love and that meant that, no matter what else, they weren’t going to kill each other. It was a promise they’d yet to put into practice, but it was, at least, a promise. Donnie was still wary of the man – he had hurt Vyx fairly badly, and that wasn’t easily forgiven.

“Donnie Lawrence. Vyx found me up in New York. They said they had an ex who had pushed them away; I figure that’s behind us now?” He gestured to the two of them, and Vyx nodded, reaching for Al’s hand and swinging it.

“We’re in the process. He owes me dinner.” Vyx said, inclining their head over to Al, who shrugged. He was easy enough with it, though it was clear the dinner bit hadn’t yet been discussed. “But, enough about me, Sven said you also had success? Did you kiss her?” They asked, and Donnie found himself trying not to turn red anyway; the blood really did fight back, sometimes. “You have lipstick on your cheek.” They added, nodding, like that explained how they just knew. Donnie reached up, a hand on his cheek like he wasn’t sure if he should wipe the lipstick off of just leave it, like if he removed it he’d remove her affections from him, but Sven only put a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“You are unmarked, Donnie.” He said, referencing the fact that apparently, the lipstick was only in Vyx’s eyes. That made him feel at least a little better.

“She kissed me, on the cheek. But I got her number.” Donnie said, holding up his phone, the proof of the words in the fact that her number was saved. Al gave Donnie a thumb’s up; clearly, the man was a little more drunk now that they’d reconnected, having clearly downed a drink between their escapades and returning, but not in a way that was depressed and more in a way that was celebrating. There was, as far as Donnie could tell, something about Al’s persona that was off putting; it was easy to see how people just didn’t find themselves attached to Al in any way, because even with the congratulations, it felt almost shitty. Donnie knew it was a persona, but it still rubbed him the wrong way, even if he was trying to make it not.

“Lemme guess, she put it in your phone for you?” Al asked, and Donnie squinted at him, like he wasn’t sure how Al knew that but he didn’t like it. Al raised both hands, a clear sign that he wanted no punches, affectionate or otherwise. “She’s a hacker, I’m a hacker; hacking someone’s phone is the number one way to tell someone you’re into them. It’s what I would have done. And Sven can probably attest, it’s what Damon would have done.” He shrugged, and Vyx shook their head, stepping over to Donnie and putting both of their hands on his cheeks. It was a weird angle, as they were shorter than he was, but he didn’t mind.

“Hear that, Q.B.?” They asked, only sort of pressing on his cheeks, clearly an affectionate thing rather than anything else. “Someone else thinks you’re important. I told you.” They grinned, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips, wrapping their arms around his neck after, and Donnie was able to see Al’s face beyond their shoulder and confirm that they, in fact, weren’t going to kill each other. It was one thing to make the promise, but Donnie could see in Al’s easy shoulders and relaxed demeanor that he had absolutely no problem with Vyx doling out their affection elsewhere. Donnie relaxed; he wasn’t going to get clawed in the back later. Vyx didn’t notice – or if they did, they didn’t acknowledge it – pulling away from Donnie and turning to Sven with their arms wide open. “And of course, I gotta hug my favorite Gangrel!”

“Hey now.” Al jokingly tried to chide them for the comment, even as Sven accepted the hug and wrapped them up tightly. He was so much taller than they were that his commitment to the hug meant they were lifted in the air, feet off the ground and arms around his neck. “Am I not your favorite Gangrel? Damn.”

“Al, you know as well as I do that you’re not a Gangrel anymore.” Vyx said, as Sven put them back down. They turned to Al with this hands on their hips, elbows out in a parental kind of stance. “Just ‘cause you haven’t told me who sired you, yet, doesn’t mean I know you’ve been sired and I can tell it’s not Gangrel. You don’t smell faintly like wet dog anymore.” They inclined their head, like that was proof of the matter. Sven frowned, concerned.

“Do I smell like wet dog?” He asked, concerned, and it was Al that jumped in to help ease his fears.

“No, that was just me. It was a Pip thing. He might have used Gangrel blood to ghoul me, but I guess you can’t scrub the Nosferatu entirely out.” He shrugged, giving Sven a reassuring smile. “Trust me, Big Guy, Damon would not have married you if you smelled like wet dog. He’s way too specific about looking and smelling nice.”

“Speaking of,” Vyx jumped in, turning back to Sven with something like an apology on their face. “I am sorry I yelled at Damon. And also threw a bottle. Did he deserve it? Kinda yeah. But there’s enough of me that’s still Vince and that part of me feels kinda bad.” They said, crossing their arms. Donnie instinctively put his arm around their shoulders, and he watched Al do the calculations, figuring out where he fit in the equation between bodyguard and partner. But the conversation was too distracting, and Al mentally abandoned the numbers when he’d processed Vyx’s words, knowing that the answer to his calculations were all pointing to not getting between them anyway.

“Wait, threw a bottle? What the fuck did Damon do?” He asked, looking first to Vyx and then to Sven, like he expected one of them to explain. Sven frowned, debated the conversation, saw that Vyx was gearing up to say something anyway – and the accuracy of their words might have been on point, but the intensity not so much, and Sven was still trying to save some face – and decided it was best if he just told it.

“I imagine you are aware of Damon’s roll in restoring part of Vince’s memory, should he have lacked any.” Sven started, making sure Al knew the context; as far as he knew, Al was there, so he should have known. Al nodded, clearly ready to hear what the fuck that had to do with anything. “Damon admitted to having altered a few of the memories in question in order to improve his image in Vince’s mind.” He stated, plainly. Al balked, shook his head like that had to be a joke, took a drink from a passing plate and drained half of it, before turning back to Sven and finding that the whole thing wasn’t just a joke he’d misunderstood. The shock returned tenfold at the realization. “Notably, a memory where he was very angry at Vince for not turning you in to the party before you’d betrayed them. Vince had, as far as I understood, realized you weren’t entirely honest with us, but hadn’t mentioned it for fear of being wrong. Kana and Damon saw that he could have prevented your betrayal and were angry he hadn’t.” Sven added, as though to make it real, and Al laughed, only for the laughter to die when he realized it really wasn’t a joke and he was the only one trying to make it one.

“Wait, he really did that?” Al asked, looking between Vyx and Sven, both of him looked dour enough to say it was right. “Is that why he’s not here?” He asked, turning to Sven, who sighed.

“Damon and I had a… long conversation. After, I believed it was best that I take some time to my own and reassess my place in things.” Sven said, and it was a diplomatic way of saying that Damon was very much in the dog house – which would have been hilarious, considering Sven was a Gangrel but his husband was the one in the dog house, had it not been terrible – and Al finished the drink, shaking off the alcohol bite in a way that still screamed Gangrel just as much.

“I yelled at him for it. Threw a bottle, though not at him, and it was empty. Also it was my bottle and my bar.” Vyx shrugged, leaning back into Donnie’s protective arm like they could fend off the bad memories if they were just close enough. “Like, I don’t… it’s not my memories, right? I just happen to have noticed the bait and switch because I already have memories of the conversation, and I’m not entirely sure Vince will be missing that bit in the first place, so it may not even matter.”

“It’s still a shitty thing to do to a person, and that’s coming from me. King of Being Shitty to People.” Al sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Of course Damon would be so self-serving as to try and make himself a hero after the fact, the asshole. Not to mention, it’s not just a shitty thing to do, it’s a shitty thing to do to Vince. I’m not gonna say he was the best of us all or something hokey like that, but the man rarely deserved all the shit he got, and the few times he did he got more than his fair share in return.” Al sighed, pulling out his vape and taking a quick hit off of it, like he was trying to process a thought that almost everyone else was also feeling. “God, I miss that idiot.” He chuckled. “Donnie, you’d have liked him.” He added, and Donnie tried not to frown, because it felt like a weird statement coming from Al, like he was insinuating that Donnie was Vince’s replacement. He was sure Al didn’t mean it like that, but he was just too hard to read.

“Vince would have forgiven Damon immediately, which is the stupidest part. I’m trying to figure out where he got the monk like patience. Something about a weird sound behind a thousand different doors?” Vyx shook their head, clearly having tried to search through Vince’s memories and come up empty. “Nope, no idea. Trying to root through his memories is like trying to sort out someone else’s storage unit and he didn’t label the shoeboxes.” They sighed. “But I know he wouldn’t be mad. He’d be disappointed, but only in the idea that Damon would think the memory would matter in how Vince saw their friendship.”

“He was, in fact, the best of us all.” Sven said, softly, and for a moment, it was quiet. It was quiet, like the whole group had realized, all at once, they missed Vince. That the heartbreak of having someone ripped away from them unceremoniously was just, briefly, too much for one person to bear, and so they were all sharing the load. Even Donnie, who hadn’t ever met Vince, missed him; he missed the opportunities he hadn’t gotten to have with Vince, the potential moments just as precious as the ones that had, already, happened, because he could feel the hurt, palpably. Losing vampires wasn’t an uncommon thing; people died in horrible, awful ways, as Kindred. Being eaten by their own childer, being eaten by their own sires, getting caught up in a scuffle between people more powerful than they could have hoped; not to mention Hunters or Werewolves or the Fae. Being Kindred was difficult, and for a group that was more immortal than most, keeping themselves alive was just hard.

Vyx pulled themselves from Donnie’s arm, snagging a glass from a tray and finding a nearby table, pulling themselves up onto the top. Luckily, no one was sitting at the table, though it was set as though it should have been. They wobbled, just a little – it wasn’t a great table and clearly unbalanced – before holding the glass up and, in lieu of a knife, tapping a sharpened finger against the glass. It was effective, as the conversation around them stilled, all eyes turning to Vyx. Vyx, the analog for the man that wasn’t there, the not quite right specter of his loss. They cleared their throat.

“I know Molly holds these parties for those of us who made it through to the other side of the war. I know this is meant to celebrate the people who stuck with us, through it all, across continents and state lines; the people who could put aside differences, like Clan disputes or political affiliations, just to make sure the world didn’t end. But I want to take a moment, just a moment, and think about the people who didn’t make it.” They paused, looking at all of the faces around them – the ones they knew, and the ones they didn’t, and the ones they knew but who didn’t know them in return – and they inhaled, slowly, an unnecessary thing. “I might not have been there, in the flesh, myself, but I know their names. Dodge Guilford. Lady Celia. Buck. Indesha. Bella. Glamis. Duncan. Vince.” They paused, feeling themselves choking on their words even though they were fairly sure crying was a voluntary action. “The people who make the biggest impact on us are the ones that burn themselves out just as fast. So, if… if we can, I’d like to have just… one moment of silence. For them. And for everyone else who can’t be here.”

They paused, and the room didn’t return to conversation. Everyone there understood what Vyx was talking about, and there was no disagreement. They’d lost, and lost, and lost, and while it was good to reconnect with old friends and see faces they hadn’t seen in years, there were people that wouldn’t ever get that chance, and those people deserved to be recognized. Vyx hadn’t even touched the breadth of the list, not really, but they didn’t need to. For a moment, the room was dead silent, not even a breath, the kind of quiet one would find in a grave, and for a moment, all thoughts turned to the dead. To the dead Sheriffs and the sires and the friends; to the ones who died as people and the ones who died as Kindred and the ones who hadn’t so much died as been lost to the hells of time itself.

They nearly jumped when Al climbed onto a chair next to the table, not quite as tall as they were but tall enough, lifting a new glass of blood wine into the air like he was calling for a toast and wrapping one hand around Vyx’s waist, mostly to steady himself. All eyes turned to him, as his movement had been loud in the silence, but he didn’t care. He was starting over, and this was his first good act. “To Vince. A man who could look at a group of blood sucking, murderous, supernatural monsters and think maybe, just maybe, we’re not all that bad.”

“To Vince!”

It was a chorus of voices, every person in attendance with the ability to speak raising a glass in front of them and intoning his name, because Al was right – if it hadn’t been for Vince, the party wouldn’t have happened. Kana was good at being a leader, but she’d been demure to start with; Dan never cared enough to work without being pressed into it. Vince had been the only one from the beginning that had ever had the kindness and the forgiveness to do what he’d done – hell, the whole thing honestly started due to one act of sheer kindness towards a random homeless woman he’d seen one time. And it had been that kindness that had Tremere not fighting with Salubri; it had been that kindness that had roused allies from London, and Paris, and the States. It had been that kindness that had heard someone call Kindred a net bad and had put its foot down to say no dice. Without it, and without him, Kindred wouldn’t have made it.

And somewhere, deep in Vyx’s guts, they felt something stir.

It wouldn’t be long, now.

#vtm #ttrpg #vampire the masquerade #fiction #j. d. dennis #vyxen rivera #malkavian #brujah #gangrel #kiasyd

3 notes · View notes

x--ghost--x · 2 years ago

Text

Drabble #1

TMNT 2012 transfem!Leo x reader

It was supposed to be a drabble but I made one-shot instead, sorry

Let me know if you see any mistakes!

━═━═━═━═━

"Do you really think I should tell them now?"

The turtle was sitting on the only couch (which looked like it had survived the apocalypse- oh wait, nevermind), fidling nervously with shell-looking phone, cobalt blue eyes trailing on the name displayed on the screen.

"Don't worry, dudette! I'm sure you guys will be perfectly fine!" Mikey answered tying the tails of the blue bandana into neat bow.

Finishing, he hummed in satisfaction taking a seat beside his, now, sister. Placing a three-fingered hand on her shoulder, he sent her one of his signature sunshine smiles.

Some time ago, the turtle's fearless leader decided to come out of the shell (pun intended) and explain to them how he, at the time, felt about himself thinking his brothers would help him figure out what the feeling was. After long talking session they all came to conclusion that the oldest brother is actually the oldest sister. Of course, everyone were really supportive, their father, April and Casey, Karai too.

But there was one last person who didn't know - her significant other. She knew that was wrong, you should be one of the first people to know. You both were talking many times about putting trust in each other and if there was something important you should let the other one know, that way, there wouldn't be any misunderstandings leading to unnecessary arguments.

But she couldn't help the uneasy feeling of dread that you wouldn't accept her, that you would turn your back and leave her. And she really didn't want that to happen.

Mikey took the phone out of her hand.

"Seriously, don't worry. I'm sure they would accept you like all of us did!" he encouraged. "I'm gonna text them to come to the lair and then go to my room acting like I'm not even there. Raph and Donnie are on patrol with April and Casey so you guys have time to talk. I hope they don't kill each other tho."

The other turtle chuckled appreciating her brother's attempt to cheer her up.

"Okay." she nodded. "Thank you, Mikey."

"No problemo, sis!"

━═━═━═━═━

You walked into the open space in the sewers that the turtles and their rat father used as home. And since the day you have met them, this also became your home, especially after you started dating their blue-bandana leader.

"Hello? Anyone here?" you asked not noticing anyone in the main area.

"y/n..." you heard a quiet voice behind you.

Turning around you smiled at the familiar turtle standing beside a couch, shuffling from one feet to another.

"Hi, Leo!" grimace appeared on the ninja's face. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

Concern washed over you.

"No, no, I'm okay! But we need to talk."

Now you started to feel nervous. Have you done something wrong? Are you guys going to break up now? You really hope that's not the case.

You both sat on the couch, both extremely nervous.

"I..." the turtle started. "I have something to tell you."

You held your breath nodding to show you're listening. After a deep breath the terrapin began to speak again.

"Lately, I began to realize I feel different about myself, that something is not quite right. At first, I didn't know why but I had a talk with my brothers and we came to conclusion that, well..."

Small encouraging small appeared on your face.

"I-I am a girl now."

You stared, frozen in place, trying to process the information. That's...

"Is that all you wanted to say?" you asked but realized how rude it probably sounded. "No, wait, that didn't came out like I wanted it to. I ment, I was stressed that you're going to break up with me!"

Now was her turn to stare at you dumbfounded.

"...Aren't you the one breaking up with me?" she asked confused.

That's not the reaction she was expecting at all.

"What? Why would I want to do that?" you asked, not understanding her way of thinking.

"Because, well..." she hesitated. "I'm not the Leo you fell in love with anymore..."

The cobalt blue irises left your face and glared at her clenched fists laying on her lap. Small glistening tears started to form in her eyes when suddenly a hand was placed on one of her own. She slowly looked up and froze seeing your face.

There was just so much love in your own eyes, warmth started to spread on her cheeks. Honest feeling almost radiated of off you when you wiped her tears using the thumb of your other hand, grinn slowly making it's way on your face.

"I fell in love with you. Not the fearless leader, not the mutant ninja turtle, not Leonardo Hamato, but you. It does not matter who you were before or who you are now. I love you for you and I want you to be yourself, whoever that is." you cupped both her cheeks in your hands. "You are still the same person who I fell in love with."

She sat there speechlessly, the look you were giving her was so soft it was starting to make her melt. That's definitely not what she was expecting, but that was better than the best scenario she had thought about before.

She lifted her hands and placed them on yours enjoying the warm feeling spreading through her body. She wanted to answer, say anything to let you know how happy she was, but nothing came out. The turtle felt if she tried to speak then she would just start crying again.

But she didn't need to speak.

"So," you spoke up after a while. "what should I call you beside 'my girlfriend'?

She laughed lightly, lowering your hands from her face with one hand and wiping the tears of joy with the other.

"I thought about Leonore maybe? I'm not completely sure yet..."

"I think it sounds lovely!" you exclaimed, smile becoming even bigger than before. "So, my dear and wonderful girlfriend Leonore, would you like to watch some Space Heros with me while eating pizza?"

She giggled again. She couldn't find anyone better, she thought.

"Of course, couldn't think of anything better." she replied matching your energy. "And thank you. For all of that. I love you."

"It was only what I was supposed to do." your smile softening. "And I'm sure you heard me said that countless of times before but I'll tell you that as many times as you need.

I love you too."

━═━═━═━═━

I think it turned out pretty good, let me know how you guys think! ^^

I made an # where I'll be putting any drabbles!

#ghost ☆: drabbles

Also tag for those ppl who wanted to read that: @disorganized-idiot @littlebeanprotector

#ghost ☆: drabbles #x reader #x gender neutral reader #tmnt 2012 #tmnt leo 2012 #tmnt x reader #tmnt #tmnt leo #transfem leo #mtf trans #transfem #tmnt fanfiction

96 notes · View notes

terrahlee-cup · 7 months ago

Text

The finale of the ‘holy shit she has a lot to say about this one fic’ series before I return to my regularly scheduled random bullshit. Enjoy lol @raphaelesbian

Chapter 11

*sees author’s note, immediate fear*

Him thinking they look like they should be scared of him hurts me. The baby is not doing too hot tonight huh? Let them like youuuu 🥹

OUTFIT TIME YES! “We need to match if we’re going to be a team!” I KNOW I KEEP SAYING THIS BUT THEY’RE ADORABLE.

“He’d gone past that feeling, to the frayed mess that he was now. He… didn’t want her to feel like this.” Buddy you shouldn’t feel like that either??? This child is so sweet with other people when he needs to be but never himself ow ouch.

These two are so excited to dress him up and I am excited to read it.

“Well, I love being difficult. Ask Leo.” And the self-deprecation is back. Ohp.

Love these two being legitimately concerned for him when they find out his family doesn’t know what he’s been doing. As much as everything they’ve been up to has usually been dangerous it’s really good for Raph to have more friends outside of his family.

Also, the actual effort to make him feel like he’s part of their little group is incredible and amazing and adorable and-

Ohp they found a landmine— wonder if that’ll come up again later?

Damn Raph didn’t even hesitate with that one did he. Call him a crybaby and he will have his revenge lol.

Oh yeah they still don’t get the turtle noise thing yet do they? And now the alcohol is really hitting time for the sad.

He’s… not going to be as quiet as usual while drunk. This could go poorly. He is so getting in trouble it is so obvious he’s intoxicated. Multiple people are up he is DOOMED.

Yep. Yeah his dad figured it out immediately. Oh boy. AND CASEY’S THERE TOO THERE GOES HIS EXCUSE FOR BEING OUT. I am. Uncomfortable. Agh, lying to his family is not good but he DOES need to be able to get out of the lair. He’s in a bad spot as it is without being cooped up all the time.

Ah. There’s the blow-up. Yayyyy. Donnie… hun, why in the actual fuck would you think suggesting that would be a good idea after everything that’s happened?

“None of you get to decide what I do!” Annnnd there’s the main problem. Sure, Raph may have been the ‘rebellious one’ before the brain worm, but people trying to control him (even if trying to protect him) is probably way more uncomfortable for him now. He lost all control of his body for what, 3+ months? Yeah can’t expect him to not need some level of freedom right now. Anxiety-inducing as hell for his family (entirely fair), but trying to keep him in the lair is probably going to do more harm than good.

Chapter 12

Oh hey he’s dissociating almost immediately after waking up that’s good! Yay! :D

“Karai would hate him for it.” Hun I very much doubt that. She definitely knows your family would find out eventually.

“If I’m such a disappointment, why do you even care what I’m doing?” Agh stupid dumb child must hug him.

“No wonder Shredder favored robots and mind control.” Oh boy. This can only go well. The self-deprecation is getting worse too lovely! Bud your family’s just really fucking worried damn it. They don’t hate you 😫

Mikeyyyyyy <3 bean. Lol he snuck Raph his phone, nice.

Of course he got caught immediately trying to sneak out. “for a moment he wanted him to give in.” This kid is NOT OKAY. AT ALL. That is NOT GOOD.

“the desperation woven into a noose that tightened with each word that fought its way through his esophagus.” EYYYYY HE SAID THE THING. (Ow.)

“Y’know, he said the same thing.” OW. FUCK. THAT WAS HARSH BUDDY- LIKE WAKE-UP CALL YES BUT ALSO WAY TOO MUCH.

I think I summarized a lot of my thoughts about these two chapters very well here:

But in all seriousness this is very well written and I am very excited for whenever the next chapter is uploaded. Seemingly we’re in for some more angst based on… certain posts *squints*

Love the chaos trio that is Shinigami, Karai, and Raph. They are menaces and will probably give Splinter gray hairs in the very near future lol. I suppose Raph and Karai have probably given him quite a few already on their own, though. Whoopsie.

#tmnt #tmnt 2012 #puppet tightly strung fic #rambles #I don’t know if I’m prepared for the emotional stabbing that it seems like the next chapter is going to be #Oh well #I signed up for this

4 notes · View notes

boots-with-the-fur-club · 2 years ago

Text

Chapter 2 of my reincarnation fic!

@rottmnt-background-screenshots

@daboyau

“Okay, this clearly is something beyond my scope.” Donnie comments as he watches the recording from last night.

This was after he saw the readings he got were nearly incomprehensible.

The recording showed them all having their markings glow throughout the night.

There was also the fact that each of them remembered the dream from their own perspective.

The exact same dream.

“Draxum could probably tell us what’s happening.” Mikey suggests.

“Normally I’d keep pushing for science, but I’m worried that this unregulated use of our mystic powers may cause damage like it did to our arms, so I’m in agreement for calling him.”

“Should we tell dad first? This might be some Hamato kind of thing.” Raph mentions.

“Could save us a call. Let’s go see if he’s awake.” Leo leads the way to the movie room.

They find him watching his usual commercials.

“Dad, we gotta talk.”

“What is it, Red? Did one of you boys break something again?”

“No, uh…..we shared a weird dream where we were all different people in a different place that looked pretty old.”

Splinter tenses and shuts off the projector, which immediately makes everyone realize how serious this could be.

“Tell me more about it.”

The turtles explain how the dream went from their different viewpoints.

Splinter frowns and rubs his beard.

“I do not believe this is anything dangerous, I think I know what’s going on.”

“So it’s a Hamato thing like Raph thought?”

“No, not exactly Orange. Maybe not entirely. Do you know what reincarnation is?”

“That’s what Tora was talking about, something about another life.” Raph answers.

“There’s one belief that when we die, we could come back as anything, even another person. These dreams might actually be memories.”

Mikey gasps loudly.

“We’ve been a family before!” He squeals and pulls Leo into a hug.

Leo dramatically moves him away.

“No way, apparently Donnie was your favorite! Go hug him!”

Mikey whimpers and gives him the biggest sad eyes he can muster.

“Kidding, kidding!” Leo quickly brings him back into the hug.

“I thought our ancestors all became ghosts after they died, so how did they become us instead?” Raph questions.

“It’s only a possibility they were Hamato. They could have been anyone. We should try to contact Karai, she would know more.” Splinter answers.

“I can’t wait to see gram gram again. It feels like it’s been forever since our last talk.”

“According to my records it’s been….2 weeks.” Donnie corrects.

“Still way too long! Let’s do it!” Leo encourages.

They all go to the area in the lair they set up specially for contacting their ancestors. It was usually just for talking to Karai since Splinter was still angry the rest of them for trying to make his sons martyrs, but his mom was also summoned for some nice chats from time to time.

They sit down on their color coded pillows that were put together close to each other in a circle. All at once, they activate their ninpo and focus on bringing Karai out. Her form slowly appears in the center.

“Hi Gram-Gram!” Mikey greets her with a smile.

“Hello boys. I’m glad to see you all again.”

“It’s good to see you too Gram-Gram, but we’ve got somethin kinda serious to ask about.” Raph comments.

“The dreams, they’re worrying you.”

“Yeah! How’d ya know?”

“When your ninpo activated, I was able to sense what was going on. Please fill me in on the rest.”

The turtles tell her what they told Splinter.

“Your father mentioned the mystic warriors that trapped the Krang, yes?“

They all nod.

“They were 500 years before my time, but it was strongly believed that they started the Foot Clan.”

“Hold on, pops said the Foot Clan worshipped the Krang! Why would they worship who they were tryna stop?”

“The Foot Clan only started worshiping the Krang after they gave the armor to my father.”

“Wait….I’m not good at math, but if the key was made 1,000 years ago and it trapped them, how were there Krang to give your dad armor?” Leo scrunches up his face.

“Some Krang managed to avoid being captured. Enough to cause centuries worth of damage….but not enough to get back the key.”

“There’s been Krang here this entire time….?”

“I don’t know what happened to them after I sealed my father away, so unfortunately I don’t have much information. What I do know is that the ancestors before we became the Hamato clan aren’t the same. Despite the mystic energy, it’s only once we separated from the Foot that we could cultivate the Ninpo. My father himself only appears because of the Ninpo used to free him.”

“Then what you’re saying is that getting our ninpo back could have helped uncover latent mystic energy from before it was actually ninpo. It shook free memories and our ninpo helps us see it all at once.” Donnie explains.

Karai nods.

“Raphael possibly experienced bits and beforehand because he was the first to dig deep. Now that you all have had major moments, Leonardo especially, they are flowing through. Because they’re not channeled, they are random and scattered still. Through meditation and shared ninpo, you could see them clearly and without having to sleep to do it. Some memories may only come through based on the person you’re sharing ninpo with.”

“Thanks for the advice Gram-Gram. We’ll start practicin.” Raph smiles at her.

“Stay safe and be careful.” She vanishes into green light.

“We should try it out now! I want to see more of what we were like!” Mikey shouts excitedly.

“I’m with Mikey, small Raph is hilarious.” Leo smirks.

“This may help be gather more data about this whole situation so I agree too.” Donnie states.

“Go on and try. I will stay with you in case something goes wrong.” Splinter adds.

“Let’s do it then!” Raph stands up and he helps his brothers bring their seats closer together.

Splinter sits outside the new circle and the turtles hold hands before closing their eyes. They each dig into their ninpo, causing their marks to light up like before. Thoughts of the lives they led before transform the dark in front of them into a bright and cloudless day. There’s a dirt road in front of them as well, one that’s moving. It seemed they were hitching a ride on a cart that was mostly occupied with hay.

Kosuke and Tora both kick their feet up and down as they sit together on the edge of the cart. Aoi yawns as leans against the hay and Tomo frowns while looking at the younger two of their group.

“You’re sure that you know how to earn money?”

“How do you think I’ve kept me and Tora fed? I told you not to worry. I’ve got everything under control. Now that I’m your big brother-“

“We’re the same age.”

“But I’m bigger, so I’m the biggest brother, and that means I take care of all of you.”

“They won’t take us to any orphanages?”

“I’ll be honest with you, the orphanage didn’t care that you left. They probably filled up the spaces there already. None of them want to take in any kids they don’t have to. We can stay together. That’s a sworn promise.”

“Don’t promise something you can’t keep.”

“That’s why I don’t! I can make sure no one gets taken away. Just like I can keep us fed. We’re already almost there.” He points towards a farm.

“A farm? What will we do there?”

“Anything they need us to. If they don’t need help then we go to their neighbors.”

“Ugh, physical labor….”

Aoi laughs.

“I’ll be doing most of the heavy lifting.”

“But I help too!” Tora interjects.

“That true, she is a force to be reckoned with. I saw her carry a hay bale twice her size.”

“Really!? No wonder we got that boulder down! You’re so strong!” Kosuke’s eyes light up.

Tora moves her sleeve up and proudly flexes her arm.

Kosuke pokes her arm in awe.

They eventually get off the cart before heading towards the house. Aoi introduces himself and everybody else then asks about any work they could help out with for money.

To Tomo’s surprise, the farmer eagerly accepts. Aoi is sent to take care of the farm animals while the rest of the three harvest fruit.

Tora pouts heavily as she picks pears off the tree and places them in a basket.

“No fair….they won’t let me help him because I’m a girl.”

“I’m surprised anyone had let you before.” Tomo comments.

“It’s because I was wearing a boy’s yukata. In my next life I want to be a big and strong boy like aniki.”

“You could grow bigger and stronger as a girl! So big and strong that you’re better than any boy.” Kosuke suggests.

Tora’s eyes sparkle like everything was just made clear.

“You’re a genius!”

Kosuke smiles widely.

They only stop working once the sun goes down. The three of them head to the house and see Aoi already there, talking to the farmer again. When he sees them, he ends the conversation and rushes over.

“Guys! He said we could sleep in the barn for tonight.”

“What? How’d you convince him of that?” Tomo questions.

“Aniki is the best at talking to people.” Tora says proudly.

“That’s not a real answer.”

“No worrying about how! Let’s just get to sleep.” Aoi walks past them and to the barn.

Tomo narrows his eyes as he watches him again and is the last to follow him. The farmer’s wife was nice enough to give them futons to sleep on before leaving them to rest.

Kosuke was snuggled into Tomo’s side despite the summer heat. Tora was already fast asleep, splayed out with her limbs on top of Aoi’s.

“How do you sleep like that?” Tomo doesn’t move his head, but he can see it clearly.

“You get used to it. It’s part of being a family. Goodnight!” Aoi closes his eyes.

Tomo sighs and does the same.

It’s difficult for him to actually fall asleep. He’s aware that everything is okay, that they’re safer than they had been for a while.

So why can’t he sleep?

After what could have been hours, he’s never sure when this happens, he finally opens his eyes and looks over back at Aoi.

All he sees is Tora hugging an empty futon.

Panic fills him as he sits straight up, still avoiding waking up. He notices that the barn door is closed. It only made everything seem weirder. He quickly leaves the barn and glances around outside to see if Aoi was nearby.

No luck.

He closes the barn door behind him and starts searching the whole farm. Once getting to the chicken coop, his seeking ends.

Aoi is in the middle of a yawn but jerks up in surprise.

“Tomo! Whaaat are you doing here?”

“That’s the question I have.”

“Just….getting some air. Couldn’t sleep.”

“Your words say one thing but your yawning says another.”

Aoi sighs.

“They only let us stay here because I agreed to guard their animals. Something has been spooking through chickens.”

“You worked harder than us today, why didn’t you ask for someone else to do it?”

“Because there’s no way I’m letting any of you get hurt if it’s a big animal! The rule is that it’s me before anyone else in this family.”

“I don’t recall agreeing to that.”

“Too bad, biggest brother makes the rules.”

“For the last time, you’re not-“ Tomo looks behind him and freezes.

Aoi turns around and sees glowing eyes in the darkness. His arm immediately shoots out and across Tomo’s chest.

“Get behind me!”

“I can’t just-!”

Whatever is in the darkness starts coming closer, fast, and Aoi throws himself over Tomo. His eyes shut right and he tenses as he curls protectively around him.

“…..Aoi. It’s okay. You can get up.”

He opens his eyes.

“Why?”

“It’s just a cat.”

Aoi quickly moves away from him and sees the cat casually stroll away.

“The gods are cruel.” He sighs heavily in relief.

“…..You really meant everything you said.”

“Of course I did. I really don’t know you or your brother, but when we became kenzoku, that wasn’t something to just say. We’re in this together now. Even if I wasn’t older than you, I’d still want to protect you. I’d want to help.” He smiles.

“I still feel like….the kind of person you are….the way you act, you don’t really exist. You can’t.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to keep proving I do.”

Tomo smiles back softly.

“Now come on, you should get back to sleep.”

Aoi starts pulling him along.

“I don’t think so. Stay here.”

Tomo makes him let go and rushes off. Aoi stays where he’s standing, confused.

That is until Tomo brings their futons back with him and lays them on the ground.

“We’re sleeping in shifts.”

“But-“

“No buts. It’s the only way I’ll be able to get rest. You sleep first before anymore cats get here.”

Aoi chuckles.

“Okay, okay, deal.”

He lays down and Tomo sits upright on his.

“Goodnight, for real this time.” Aoi closes his eyes.

“Goodnight.” Tomo looks at him and watches him actually fall asleep.

He then looks back at the barn where everyone else is sleeping.

“And thank you.”

The turtles snap out of the memory and open their eyes.

“Ohmigosh, we were so cute!” Mikey squeals.

“That cat part was pretty funny, right Donnie?….Donnie…?” Leo’s eyes widen as he looks at him.

He’s crying.

25 notes · View notes

hypocriticaltypwriter · 1 year ago

Note

(Since I can't find a post that give me the option to ask you to info dump)

✨️: Do you have anything that you would want to share about your character(s), but just haven't told yet?

SKY YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UNLEASHING RN BUT I LOVE YOU FOR IT AND IM GIVING YOU SO MANY FACE KISSES

OK OK IMMA USE MY RISE GOOBERS FOR THIS ASK >:D I have so many rambles for them AHAHAHAHAHA

During the colder weather (from late fall through winter and early spring), while the kids brumate, they tend to cling to sources of warmth a lot... Especially after Tamsin and Don go to sleep they share the same bed with the kids through the months to make sure they stay it safe sleeping positions, since the boys don't have shells like their sisters, they curl into themselves and roll onto their stomachs, so Don and Tams make sure they don't get caught in any pillows or blankets so they can't breath.

ANYWAY back to the warmth thing 🙌 Tamsin tends to become a personal heater at night, and most likely wakes up covered in little bodies while getting some of the most awful hot flashes she's ever had in older age+motherhood combined. But can she do anything? Nope.

But you know what's worse than a bunch of little warm bodies adding to your excruciating body heat? Your cold-blooded husband is adding to the bunch. 🙃

When Tamsin was pregnant with Galileo, Donnie had noticed how excited and happy she was through the whole thing- not that she wasn't content or delighted with her first few! But she just seemed to glow this time around.

She'd go to town with Karai, and April to go look for fabric for clothes, or toys, or She'd excitedly remind and tell her boys that they're going to have another baby brother she just knew it!

So Donnie couldn't help but ask why she was so chipper from day to night through everything, even the morning sickness and swollen ankles she always seemed to have a smile.

And she looked at him and said: "Cause I get to try again. I getting be a mom all over again... In a better time, in a better life... We can finally add to our family without having to worry about a bigger home, or food rations. We finally have a perfect home, for a perfect family."

A lot of people don't know, but when Karai was about four or so, she got super clingy to Tamsin, and would follow her around and cuddle/nuzzle into her armpit or in the crook of her chest or into the plush skin of her stomach. Tamsin was a bit confused with the sudden burst of affection, but wrapped it up to just being a kid, and kids are clingy. One thing that was weird was if Tamsin went somewhere without Kay, (I.E bathroom, shower, missions, ect.) She'd go into a fit- so much so even Donnie couldn't help.

Again, they just assumed it was her being clingy... Until the morning sickness started, and the little sign of menstruation coming around anytime soon. 😳

#TYSM FIR LETTING ME RAMBLE FOR MY SILLIESSSS #ILY SKY YOURE SO AWESOME #rottmnt #rottmnt oc #cherry answers #ask #cherry rambles #rottmnt x oc #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt donnie #self insert #selfship

11 notes · View notes

officiallyashley · 2 years ago

Text

“Let us help you guys...” (. tmnt 2003 .)

SUMMARY: Ever since their encounter with Draco and the Daimyo’s son, Alex, Raph, and the others had realized how odd Donnie and Ash are acting.

NOTES: enjoy! This takes place weeks after the episode called Same As It Never Was. This is one of my favorite episodes in the TMNT 2003 series, so I thought that I would write a oneshot about it and how those events really messed with Ashley and Donatello. You may want to re-read the Same As It Never Was headcanons that I made a while back for some clarity.

WARNINGS: depictions of self-destructive behaviors, elements of anxiety, elements of depression, mentions of multiple character deaths, implications of disordered eating patterns, depictions of clear mental health issues, arguments amongst couples. If there are any other warnings that a missed, then tell me and I’ll add them.

𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚��𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲, 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦. 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲!

{~~~}

THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ASHLEY AND DONATELLO.

The two ninjas have been fighting their inner demons and trauma alone for the past few weeks. It had been like this since Draco and the Daimyo’s son fused together, stole Lord Simultaneous’ Time Scepter, and sent the turtles and the kunoichis to different points in time. Once Ash and Donnie had gotten back from their point in time, they were vastly different from before. Everyone was extremely worried for Donnie and Ash. Their family desperately wanted to help the two of them with dealing with whatever they had to deal with, but it was so incredibly challenging to get anything out of them. Both Ash and Donnie became quieter and more reclusive. Ash’s irritation and self-destructive habits had started showing up again, and her patience and tolerance were practically nonexistent. Donnie was the same way in terms of irritability. His fuse was a lot shorter than normal, which was extremely unlike Donnie’s typically levelheaded demeanor. Donnie began to throw himself into old inventions and new projects, constantly keeping himself busy with something.

Everyone knew that Donnie overworked himself to distract himself from the troubles he was experiencing. Their family knew exactly the reason why Ash was wearing long sweatshirts in the middle of the sweltering heat. Ashley and Donatello weren’t the same people as they were before the time-traveling incident happened. For the turtles, April, Casey, and Splinter, all that they felt was helplessness and worry for their two family members. These drastic personality changes in Donnie and Ash have caused rifts in their relationships with others. Donnie was more likely to get aggravated at Alex accidentally knocking something over as she brought her boyfriend his third cup of coffee in the morning, and that led to Donnie blowing up in her face. When Raph would say something sarcastic as a joke, Ash wouldn’t take it as what it was and explode like a bomb.

It was like walking on eggshells when others were around Ash and Donnie. It was transparent that both Donnie and Ash needed some mental health help, but they both were constantly denying that they needed help. Leo and the others realized that their family members weren’t willing to talk about what they witnessed because they didn’t want to burden anyone. At first, Splinter had told everybody to just give Donnie and Ash some time to process everything themselves. For about two weeks, the Hamato family was patient with the purple-masked turtle and the brunette teenager. By the time the third week had rolled around, nothing was improving. Even now, coming up on the fifth week of no answers and pondering, it was clear to everyone that Donnie and Ash needed to talk about what they were going through. No one wanted to be the one to come off as invading or nosy, but it had become almost too much for the others to see Ash and Donnie deteriorate right in front of their eyes. Seeing how much their family members were suffering in silence was becoming frustrating for the rest of their friends and family because they didn’t know how to help them. Donnie and Ash weren’t giving anyone any sort of inkling as to how they could aid them because they both thought that they didn’t need and deserved the help that was right in front of them.

Ashley’s stomach growled ferociously. She didn’t have to ponder why the hunger pains were so strong. The brunette hadn’t eaten that much over the past three days, which is something that she didn’t realize Leo and Mikey had picked up on. Ash decided that, fine, she would go and retrieve a little something from the kitchen. Walking into the kitchen area of the lair, Ash saw that her loyal boyfriend was sitting at the counter sipping on a glass of water. Judging by the fact that he was breathing slightly heavier than usual, Ash could surmise that he had been training harder. That was one of his ways of coping with stressful situations.

“Hey, there, sweetheart. How are ya feeling?” Raph inquired. There was a genuineness to his tone of voice, along with a hint of concern.

“I’m fine,” The brunette said in a clipped tone.

It stayed silent for a brief moment. That was until Raph spoke up and broke the quietness. “Ya can’t just keep fighting in silence like this, Ashley. You and Don both can’t keep this up forever.” The red-banded ninja turtle commented on his lover’s and his younger brother’s unusual mannerisms. His tone was lowered and unsmiling.

Ash grumbled in response. They annoyingly grabbed the cherry and chocolate-flavored Greek yogurt from the top shelf at the back of the fridge, and they slammed the door. They stayed inaudible as they walked to the other side of the kitchen and opened the silverware drawer, retrieving a spoon from its holder. Ash tore open the seal to the Greek yogurt, expecting to remove it cleanly. However, to their dismay, the cover didn’t even come close to ripping off easily. There was only roughly half of it that tore off. This made Ashley growl in anger. “RAH! UGH!” Ash exclaimed loudly with rage in her voice. The brunette threw the spoon across the stovetop, clashing noisily with the top of the stove. “Why didn’t it open right?! Goddammit!” Ash screamed, “You know what? What’s the fucking point? I wasn’t hungry anyway!” Ash then pushed the carton of yogurt to the back of the stovetop.

Raph approached his girlfriend carefully. Ash had her head in her hands, her lavender-grey hues wide with so many different and complicated feelings that were locked inside of her. “Ashley, calm down,” Raph said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her, “please, you need to talk to someone.”

Ashley scooted away from her lover’s touch. This disheartened Raph, but he wasn’t going to give up on trying to comfort her. “Don’t touch me, Raph! I’m fine!” Ash protested harshly.

Raph narrowed his eyes. “Really?! Are you really fine, Ashley?!” The ninja turtle’s voice was rising from its normal vocal volume. “Yer getting upset over a fucking yogurt not opening right! Ya don’t usually get so damn upset about small shit like this! This isn’t like ya!” Raph infuriatingly pointed this out to his significant other.

Ash clenched their fists. Their demeanor was giving off vibes of irritation, depression, and reverence. All Raph wanted to was to help Ashley, and he wanted to know what had happened. What was going through their mind? “Raphael, for the last fucking time, I’m fine! I don’t need help!” Ash exclaimed arduously.

Raph balled up his fist, closed his eyes tight, and he slammed it against the counter. This caused a loud BANG! to ring out across the rest of the lair. He opened his eyes, looking straight at his girlfriend, who had fallen silent from what the ninja turtle just did. The atmosphere was tense and thick. Still, she didn’t let the loud noise, no matter how scared she was of them, falter her cutting gaze toward Raph. “You are so goddamn stubborn, ya know that, Ashley?” Raph spoke tightly and lowly. He sighed out of annoyance. “Fuck, it’s like I’m talking to a brick wall! Every time I try something to help ya out, it doesn’t work! There’s always an obstacle that I have to overcome. It’s the same thing with Don! Hell, am I doing something wrong?!” Raph exclaimed stressfully. The volume of his voice was booming at the beginning, but as he continued to speak, his volume went back down to a normal level. “I wanna help ya both out, we all wanna help ya both out, but we just can’t! We can’t because you and Donnie won’t give us anything to go off of!” His emotions were finally erupting, and he was getting everything off of his plastron at last.

Ash was thinking before they spoke. “Listen, I can’t speak for Donnie, but I’m okay. I don’t need help, so you and the others don’t have to worry about me.” The brunette declared in a low and calm manner. Their tone of voice was too steady for Raph. Far too even and collected to Raph to feel any sort of easement or reassurance from his lover.

Raph could feel the irritation and rage cloud his thought process. He could sense the pain and agony bubbling up inside of him. Raph bit his lip. All he could do was stare at the love of his life, someone who he loves dearly and more than anyone else in the world, and think about how broken they are. Raph couldn’t even imagine how Ash and Donnie were feeling. They were both feeling and experiencing the same emotions, as they were together when everything took place. “Ashley, I love ya so much. I want ya to be happy in life, and I can’t stand to see ya wallow in the negativity yer feeling. I’m telling ya this now, and I plan on telling Don the same damn thing to hopefully get this through yer thick skulls: ya both need to come clean about what happened when the whole Daimyo-Draco shit went down. This is seriously fucking you two up, and no one here wants ya both to continually suffer in silence.” Raph sighed shakily. It was like he was about to burst out crying from frustration and anxiety. “Please, it doesn’t even have to be me, but at this point, ya need to talk to someone. I’m beggin’ ya, baby, just… help yourself live happily by going to someone that ya love…” The red-masked ninja turtle was practically begging and pleading with Ashley for them to take his advice. He held Ash’s hands gently, tenderly squeezing back.

Ash just kept that same stone-cold expression on their face. They didn’t know what to say to Raph, so they made the decision to not comment on anything that was said. Ash averted their gaze from Raph’s gaze. Eyes are the windows to the soul, as some others would say, and the brunette teenager knew that Raph was trying to see the emotions carved out in her eyes. She didn’t want Raph to see into her trauma, just to spare him from having to hear everything. Ash doesn’t want that for Raph nor anyone else that they love, and neither would Donnie.

Ash didn’t squeeze Raph’s hands back. Raph took the hint, so he let go of his partner’s hands. Discouraged by this conversation, he decided that he would leave and give the brunette woman some space to calm down. Before he left the kitchen, though, Raph leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I love ya, Ash,” Raph muttered, “Don’t forget that.” After that, Raph left the conversation. Ash was frozen in place. Now, they were left alone with only their thoughts, the mess they’d made, and the quietness they’d created.

Meanwhile, with Donnie and Alex, things were going just about the same as they were with Raph and Ashley. Alex had come into her turtle boyfriend’s laboratory to check up on him. Alex still had that familiar anxious feeling in her gut. Nonetheless, the psychic woman was still very adamant about getting something out of the love of her life. Most every time Alex had dropped by Donnie’s laboratory, she would inquire about how he was feeling. That was her entryway into allowing Donnie an opportunity to voice how he was feeling and what he and her younger sister experienced together. To Alex’s disappointment, Donnie never took that chance to be vocal about his troubles. He would just brush it off like nothing, focus even harder on his work, and then ignore Alex for the rest of the time that she was in there with him. This was frustrating to Donnie’s girlfriend, but alas, Alex wasn’t deterred by his dismissive mannerisms.

Typically, Alex wouldn’t pry too much when it came to other people dealing with emotionally challenging situations. She knew that people had the right to their emotional privacy, as did she have the right to that, as well. However, under these circumstances, the red-haired woman couldn’t be complicit in Donnie staying silent about his sufferings. She had to say something to Donnie. Even if she didn’t want to be perceived as persistent and nosy, Alex had to get Donnie to say something about what had happened to him and Ash. Alex tried discussing this critical matter with her younger sister, but that didn’t go well by any means. If anything, it made everything so much worse for both of the sisters. If she wasn’t able to reach Ashley, then Alexandria sure as hell was going to reach Donatello. Now, after wanting her boyfriend to communicate with her, Donnie was, unquestionably, antagonized by Alex’s concerns.

“Alex, stop! I told you so many times already that nothing is wrong!” Donnie exclaimed with vexation, turning around in his swivel seat.

Alex sighed. She tried not to lose her composure. “Listen, babe, I want to help you. If you just… tell me what happened, if you talk about what you and Ash went through, I can help! I want to comfort you!” Alex expressed vehemently, standing up from her seat.

Donnie stood up from his seat. “I don’t need comfort, Alex, because I’m—”

“Okay? Okay?! You’re not okay, Donatello! You’re not!” The red-haired psychic exclaimed with a shattered voice. She almost let tears fall from her emerald green orbs, but, as of now, she successfully held them in. “I-It’s challenging enough to watch my baby sister deteriorate in front of me — I can’t lose you, too!”

Everything went silent. The couple didn’t have the strength to speak up, as they both let Alex’s statements linger in the air for a minute. “Dove… I, um, I-I…” Donnie trailed off, lost. He was rendered speechless.

“Don’t you fucking say it.” Alex stated darkly, glaring at him, “I mean it, Donatello! Don’t you say that you’re okay, or that you don’t need comfort! You do need those things now more than ever!” Her emerald gaze held tearfulness and worry.

Donnie thought about what he was going to say next. He knew that what he was about to say was going to piss off his significant other, but he didn’t know what else to say to her. “I’m fine. Just let me work.” He stated simply.

Even though his statement was barely audible, the redhead heard exactly what the purple-banded ninja turtle had just told her. With that response, she was pissed. Her eyes went wide, and she just went off on her boyfriend. “Donatello Hamato, I want to help you! We all want to help you! However, we can’t do that until you tell us how to do that! Talking to Ashley is fucking pointless because they won’t speak up, and trying to get anything out of you is a goddamn nightmare because you’re not giving anyone anything to work with!” Alexandria confessed with tears beginning to cascade down her face. She was beyond stressed out with her boyfriend, and she, along with the rest of Donnie’s family, was worried sick. This all showed in her voice as she ranted.

“Dove—”

“We are all feeling so damn hopeless with both you and Ash! Do you know how worried sick we all are of both of you?!” Alex questioned her boyfriend harshly, but she wasn’t giving him any time to respond. “I want you to be able to enjoy your life while you have it! I want you to love yourself and the family that you have! No one wants to see you wallow in your own misery, Donnie. Especially me. I can’t see you fall down the rabbit hole of depression and wander aimlessly through a wonderland of confusion and hurt. Splinter is worried about you. Your brothers, Casey, and April don’t know how to aid you. I… I’ve run out of all of the ideas, as well. I feel so incredibly fucking helpless…! We… We all feel so helpless! We just want to help you two…” Alex sobbed, an arduous and broken tone in her voice. The red-haired teenager began to cry, and the sound of her hiccups filled the room.

Donnie was stunned by her words. He could see how long Alex had been holding all of this inside of her, and he could only imagine what everyone else was feeling. Even though he wanted to inform his family of what he and his good friend had been through in the previous weeks, Donnie couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was frightened by what he had to go through, and he knew for certain that Ashley was just as haunted as he was. They were both extremely riddled with trauma.

“I don’t want to talk about it at all, Dove…” Donnie voiced after a moment of silence.

“Fine,” Alex muttered bitterly, “I’ll give you the space that you need to continue your work. I’m always open to talk if you need someone to rant to.” With that, the female psychic wiped the tears from her eyes and her cheeks. She silently put her hair up in a high ponytail, turning away from Donnie. Without another word, Alexandria Singh had walked out of Donnie’s laboratory. This left Donnie alone, reveling in the aftermath of this argument. He began to overthink everything that had just taken place, wondering what he could have done differently so this wouldn’t have happened.

Alexandria and Raphael both stormed out of the rooms they were previously in. They both walked into the living room, sitting next to each other on the couch. In front of them sat Leo and Master Splinter on the couch across from them. Mikey resided on the floor in front of the tv where he was playing his video games. It was quiet for a brief moment, as no one knew what to say at first. Splinter was waiting to see if either his second oldest son or the psychic teen was going to speak up, but neither of them did.

After a bit, Mikey paused his game. “Okay, someone has to say something. The silence is wayyyy too loud for my liking.” The orange-masked turtle commented as he broke the quietness.

“I’m assuming that you guys got in another fight with Ash and Donnie respectively?” Leo surmised before taking a sip of his chamomile tea. Although, no one needed to guess what happened because everyone else in the lair could hear both altercations going on from where they were. It was even louder because both arguments were happening at the same time.

“Yeah,” Alex sniffled quietly. She kept her voice low and her responses short.

Raph just grunted in reply.

Splinter hummed in thought. “Hmm… this is most troublesome…” He spoke with contemplation.

“Master Splinter, we’ve tried everything with Donnie and Ashley! What are we supposed to do now?” Leo asked his teacher, searching for some guidance.

“Fuck, I don’t know what to do! I already told Donnie that we want to help him, but we’re feeling incapable of doing so.” Alex chimed in with distress.

“I told the exact same thing to Ash, and they didn’t listen to a goddamn thing I said!” Raphael voiced.

“At least they both know how we all feel now…” Mikey piped up, trying to look on the bright side of things in this situation.

However, no one else in the room could do that at the moment. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that they’re gonna come to us to speak about it, Mike,” Raphael replied to what his younger brother said.

“Damn…” Mikey cursed under his breath. He was pondering something, but no one had pulled him up on it.

Splinter carefully stood up from his seat on the couch. “Master Splinter?” Leo inquired.

“Let me talk to them,” Master Splinter told the four teenagers.

“Good luck with that, dad,” Raph murmured under his breath.

Without another word and with no objections from any one of the four teens, Splinter retrieved both Ashley from the kitchen and Donnie from his laboratory. The three of them followed behind the elder inaudibly. Neither Ash nor Donnie even acknowledged Raph or Alex. The two of them couldn’t even look their lovers in the eyes after their respective arguments took place because of how guilty they felt. Ash and Donnie couldn’t even meet Leo and Mikey’s gaze. They wished that they could find the courage to finally tell their family the events that took place, but it was too hard for Ash and Donnie to do that.

Donnie and Ash sat next to each other. They were sat on their knees facing Master Splinter. “What do you need us for, Master Splinter?” Donnie asked his Sensei.

Master Splinter grabbed a tea kettle, and he poured the tea he prepared beforehand into three teacups. Calmly, he spoke. “My son, I brought you both into the dojo to discuss what has been bothering you.” Master Splinter stated simply. He handed Ashley and Donnie some tea, which they took with no objections.

Donnie remained silent. This left the answering up to the brunette. Begrudgingly, she responded to her elder. “I’m okay, Sensei,” Ash whispered briefly.

Splinter lifted his brow in question. “Ashley, Donatello, it has been quite evident that you are suffering in silence. Whatever it was that you went through, let us help you with processing it.” Master Splinter said calmly, attempting to ease the nerves of his son and his student.

Ashley took a sip of her tea. Hmm… Earl grey… They thought to themselves. Donnie didn’t bother to take a sip of the tea that his father gave him. “Splinter, I can’t speak for Donnie, but I can assure you and everyone else that there isn’t anything that’s bothering me,” Ash said with a sigh.

“If there is nothing wrong, then why are you trembling?” Master Splinter questioned with furrowed brows.

Ash’s stoic expression on her face morphed into one of confusion. Then, into an expression of surprise. What? Trembling? That’s when the brunette teenager glanced down at the hand that held the glass teacup. Sure enough, the teacup was shaking along with their hand. Ash’s lip quivered. Still, she stayed quiet. Donnie glanced over to see that, yes, indeed, Ash’s hand was unsteady due to some sort of emotional distress. Her mental and emotional turmoil was finally showing through after all of this time.

“You, my son,” Splinter began, making Donnie turn his attention to his father, “have been struggling. You and Ashley have been extremely traumatized by a specific incident. You know you can tell me anything that you desire.” The ninja master tried to appeal to the two young adults that he was a safe space for them to vent their mental and emotional wounds.

To the Splinter and Ashley’s surprise, it was Donnie that broke first. “S-Sensei, what we saw was awful… It's been over a month now, and I still can’t get those images out of my head! I can’t even sleep at night because of how horrible my nightmares are!” Donnie finally broke, and there were tears pricking his eyes. Tears were threatening to fall, and it became evident in his tone of voice.

“Don’s right, Splinter… Every time I close my eyes, I see all of the blood. I see all of the gore. I hear them take their last breaths, I hear their painful screams. They keep telling me that I could’ve done better, that—that I should have saved them!” Ashley just started to burst out in sobs. She was hysterically crying, tears falling continually down her cheeks. Her makeup had begun to smudge slightly. However, she didn’t give a care in the world at the moment.

“Who are you referring to?” Splinter asked his student, intrigued by what they were saying.

That’s when Donnie and Ash both started to explain everything that happened to them. How they were transported thirty years into the future in a dystopian future, and what happened in that timeline. How the Shredder took over New York City, how Donnie left and never returned, how Splinter died in front of his sons and the kunoichis, and how Casey had been murdered right in front of everyone’s eyes. They both commented on how broken the Hamato family had become in that timeline. Ash even mentioned how she died in childbirth with her and Raph’s fourth child, and how Alex ran away and never came back after losing her husband and their baby. They also mentioned the plan that Ash and Donnie came up with, and how they, with the help of that timeline’s version of Mikey, Leo, Raph, April, and Raph and Ash’s children, were finally able to bring peace to that timeline. However, this is where both Donnie and Ash choked up.

Splinter took in everything that the teenagers were saying. They were very clearly distressed. Both of them were crying heavily, Ash more than Donnie. It wasn’t like either of them to just start crying like they currently were, and Splinter knew this. Ash was biting her thumb as a small toddler would, and Donnie kept his gaze averted from his father. “Take your time, my children,” Master Splinter told them steadily. He was shocked by the information that was already told to him, but he didn’t let it outwardly affect him.

“Even though Donnie and I managed to defeat the Shredder and ensure peace in their timeline, so many lives were lost along the way. April has absolutely no other friends left, and me and Raph’s poor babies don’t have their mother nor their father around anymore!” Ash cried out, sniffling. “They don’t even have their Uncles or Aunts by their side to help them through this tough time…”

“It’s horrendously dark, Master Splinter. It’s all just so… bleak and miserable…” Donnie muttered sadly, his voice breaking under the pressure of his emotions.

“I am so sorry that you two had witnessed something as traumatic as that. Truly, I am.” Splinter said genuinely. He felt horrible that there was a timeline out there where his mortal enemy had won, his family became broken apart, and his loved ones ended up dead in one way or another. Splinter couldn’t imagine what it was like to see how it ended like Ashley and Donatello did. He paused for a minute, thinking of what else to say. “You both should be proud that you reunited the three brothers with each other. I would like to think that there was a sense of comfort for those three seeing you both there with them.”

“There was. That version of Raph was just so… broken. Leo and Mikey were, too! Mikey wasn’t as boisterous and fun-loving as he once was, and…” Ash chimed in after they had calmed down from their sobbing, “… fuck! It’s all so tragic! I wish I could do something to rewrite their history! N-None of them deserves what they got!”

Splinter silently stood up from where he was sitting. The great ninja master crouched down in front of his son and his son’s friend, and he hugged them tightly to comfort them. “You should be proud of what you two did. Even if you couldn’t save everyone, you, Ashley and Donatello, made such an impact on the people that were spared. Your bravery and leadership changed their course of time forever, and you should be fulfilled with what you two did. I know for certain that version of April and the others are beyond grateful for what you both did.” Splinter spoke to his two pupils gently.

Ash and Donnie immediately embraced their Sensei in response. Ashley sniffled a little more, but Donnie still continued to let the tears silently fall from his eyes. “Thank you, Master Splinter, for being there for us,” Ash expressed her and Donnie’s gratitude.

“Of course. We are all family here, and we need to be there for each other when we need it the most.” Splinter voiced truthfully.

As the three of them broke the hug, that’s when the rest of the Hamato family walked in. First, it was Mikey, then Leo, then Raph and Alex, and April and Casey. Donnie rushed over to Alex, who engulfed him in a big hug with a gentle smile present on her face. Ash walked quickly over to Raph, and she hugged him tightly. “I’m assuming that you all heard everything?” Ash asked softly.

“We did, babe, we did,” Raph confirmed as Ash gave him a kiss on the cheek, “ya don’t have to re-explain everything again.”

Both the couples dispersed from their hugs. Mikey offered his big brother a bright grin, and he pulled Donnie into a side hug. Leo approached Ashley, who was standing next to her boyfriend. “I-I’m sorry if I’ve been a dick over the last few weeks…” Ash trailed off.

Leo put his hand up. “Ash, we understand. You and Donnie have been through a hell of a lot. You guys need to rest and mentally recoup from what you’ve been through.” The blue-masked leader expressed his comprehension of the situation.

“Thanks for understanding, bro,” Ashley said with a smile and a thankful gleam in her lavender-grey eyes.

“Let us help you guys,” Leo started, “alright? We can’t have you and Don going through such an ordeal all by yourselves.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ash said as she gave Leo a quick hug, “You’re a good friend, Leonardo. Don’t forget that.”

Leo just grinned, giving his best friend a nod in response.

Ashley and Donnie were far from recovered, and they both knew that what they saw that day will still continue to haunt them in a way. However, with their family by their side, Ash and Donnie knew that comfort was just one initiation away. They knew that help was just one call away. Ashley and Donatello knew that they had plenty of support around them, and they also knew that they didn’t have to suffer from their inner demons alone.

𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 © 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑. 𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚. 𝐢 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥.

#tmnt #tmnt 2003 #tmnt angst #tmnt 2003 angst #tmnt 2003 raph #tmnt 2003 leo #tmnt ocs #tmnt 2003 oc #tmnt 2003 mikey #tmnt 2003 april #tmnt 2003 donnie #tmnt 2003 casey #tmnt 2003 splinter #tmnt 2003 ashley #tmnt alex #tmnt 2003 ash #tmnt 2003 same as it never was #same as it never was #ashwrites

7 notes · View notes

j-nope-not-today · 3 years ago

Text

Staring problem

Genre: fluff, crack, smut if you like squint.

TMNT Donatello x reader

It had been an incredibly long day and all I wanted to do was crumble into a heap on my bed, but alas I couldn't.

I had agreed to go with my friend April to a party. As she put it it was a small get together, but knowing her and her crazy ideas we were going to end up at a party.

I wanted to wear something comfortable. My pajamas had looked oh so tempting, but if she got into trouble which I knew in my heart she would I had to be prepared.

So I wore some of my comfiest leggings and grabbed a t-shirt and haphazardly did my hair up. Sighing and grabbing my backpack and filling it with a water bottle, first aid kit, and extra necessities I knew I would need.

Slinging a strap over my shoulder I grimaced to myself before counting down from five and right as I reached one I turned to my door as April walked in with a big smile.

"Are you ready?!" She smiled at me and I looked at her and smiled back.

"No, but who's ever really ready?" She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the hall and began walking.

"Don't worry it's gonna be so much fun!"

"With you..of course it's gonna be fun."

And I of course was absolutely right in my assumption we would get into trouble.

Twenty minutes into the "get together" a small smoke bomb went off a few yards away from us. Suddenly people began to shout and run away, and I looked and noticed what had to be the last members of the foot clan causing chaos.

"Wonderful.." I muttered before grabbing April's hand and turning to book it away.

I was suddenly pulled back and I had thought for a moment that my arm was suddenly ripped out of my socket with the force she used to pull me. I huffed and grabbed my shoulder looking at her incredulously.

"Why aren't you running away! You should be running away!" I panicked and grabbed her hand again.

"I have to get this on camera! We'll be fine trust me." She pulled away from me and held her phone up and began to walk closer to them.

"Are you crazy!? April they have guns!" I shouted and against my better judgement ran after my very dumb friend.

I looked around her and saw them pushing a man onto the ground and then pointing a gun at him, but before anything worse could happen.

A giant turtle man wacked the foot clan soldier with a..staff?

I stood shocked as April turned to look at me with a smile.

"I told you we would be fine."

I spluttered for a moment before my senses came back to me and by that time, I realized that the last standing soldiers had run off in well fear.

"You want to tell me why your so calm when there are..one..two..four turtle people looking at us?" I whispered to her, and she laughed before answering me.

"They're my friends y/n."

"Yeah ok. That's totally normal." I nodded and looked back to them before they stopped in front of us.

"Hey April." The one with a purple mask spoke.

"Hey Donnie! How have you guys been?" She spoke up and I looked slack jawed between them.

"Doing fine angel cakes. You should introduce us to your pretty little friend here."

"Back off Mikey." The one in the red mask shoved the orange masked man and they began to bicker.

"Hey guys! Knock it off. Your gonna scare her." He turned to look at me.

"Ignore them. I'm Leonardo, but you can call me Leo."

I slowly waved and gave a half-smile before the other's introduced themselves as well.

"Raphael, but you can call me Raph if you want."

"Name's Mikey angel cakes, but you can call me whatever you want." He leaned forward and winked at me, and I gave an awkward chuckle as Leo elbowed him.

"Uh..Donatello, but you can just call me Donnie..it's my nickname." He shyly waved at me, and I smiled and waved back.

Donnie seemed...sweet.

I seemed to be right. In my next few weeks of getting to know the four brothers I hung out with them more and more sometimes with April and a lot of the time alone.

I found myself spending a lot of my time with Donnie and I learned a lot about him.

I also learned I liked him, but only when I had tripped, and he caught me, and our faces were..oh so close.

I spent a week debating on if I should tell him and I was tempted to spend another week debating if I should be debating it. I definitely didn't want to ruin anything between us. We were good friends, and it would be so awkward if he didn't like me.

I decided to rip off the band-aid. It's better than being in a constant state of worry. If he doesn't like me, I need to know so I can cry and eat ice cream and wallow in self-pity.

I had decided to make myself at least look presentable, so I wore a small skirt and a cute shirt with little ruffles on the sleeves. I did my hair and wore a touch of makeup.

Looking at myself in the mirror I didn't look too bad, but now standing in front of Donnie I wasn't so sure.

"Um..Donnie are you like good?" I waved my hand in front of his face and he un gripped his hands from his chair.

"Fine..yeah I'm fine." He nodded and blinked at me, and I nodded back and took a deep breath.

"Why are you so dressed up?" He leaned forward and examined my outfit again and I felt my cheeks heat up from his intense gaze.

"Just hush and listen."

"Okay..go ahead."

I glared at him before continuing "I like you, but let me explain bef-"

"I already knew that." He pushed his glasses up on his face and trailed his eyes back to my outfit.

"You never wear skirts..or shirts that fancy so I assume you wore them to catch someone's attention?" He leaned forward again and folded his hands in his lap.

"I-first of all I wanted to look nice, and you know what how dare you!" I shouted.

"You already knew?! And said nothing! Letting me just suffer and oh my gosh stop staring at me like that!" I grabbed a pillow from one of the chairs next to me and threw it at him.

He caught it and placed it in his lap and laughed "What? I thought you wanted me to stare?"

"Well yes, but also no." I placed my hands upon my hips.

"If you keep staring at my ass through that mirror, I will not hesitate to throw another pillow at you Donnie." I squinted my eyes and his finally lifted to meet my gaze.

"Do you even like me back?" I threw my hands up.

"Come over here and find out." He smiled before opening up his arms.

I sighed before walking over to him and squealed when he pulled me into his lap. I looked down at him and he licked his lips before locking eyes with me.

"Let me kiss you."

"Go for it..by the way I'm loving the confidence." I smirked and brought my lips down onto his.

Our tongues instantly tangled together, it was hot and heavy, and he tasted oh so sweet. I didn't want to pull away, but my need for air became hard to ignore.

I pulled away for air and drew in a few ragged breaths before feeling Donnie began to trail hot, wet kisses down my neck and I moaned when he lifted a hand and rolled my nipple between his fingers.

"ooh spicy!"

I let out a shout and turned to see Mikey standing in the doorway and Donnie lifted his head to meet the eyes of his brother.

Throwing me to the floor. I gasped and looked at Donnie who sat there shocked.

"I-I am so sorry! Ipanickedand oh my-"

"Real classy." I laughed and let him pick me up off of the ground.

"Do you want me to come back another time?" Mikey spoke and I looked at him.

"No actually now is perfect. I lost something." I placed my hands on my hips and Mikey shifted uncomfortably.

"What'd you lose?"

"My dignity. It's on the floor now. I need help finding it."

"I'm sorry!" Donnie cried out.

I laughed before turning to him.

"It's fine Don. Just you owe me." I pointed at him, and he nodded before looking at Mikey.

"Tell no one."

Mikey gulped before opening the door to reveal his other two brothers trying not to laugh.

I let out a laugh before turning to Donnie.

"I take it back this is perfect. You owe me nothing." I patted his shoulder before walking around him to sit in his chair and watch their fun begin.

"So, you're an ass guy?" Raph laughed.

#tmnt 2014 #teenage mutant ninja turtles x reader #tmnt imagine #tmnt bayverse #tmnt donatello #tmnt 2016 #tmnt x reader

332 notes · View notes

yakumtsaki · 3 years ago

Photo

Our wedding(s) day is fast approaching, and Jojo, being a caring father-in-law, takes time to offer Sophie some words of encouragement.

-Listen, Sophie, you seem like a reasonable person- -I’m not. -And you remind me of a young me- -Gross. -So I can’t help but ask, what went wrong in your life and you agreed to marry Shajar? I mean she’s my daughter and ‘I love her’ but would you look at her?

-I can hear you, Dad, stop trying to ruin my wedding! -I’m only trying to protect you from an inevitable divorce! -You just want me to be alone and childless so Cyneswith’s kids will inherit!! -Oh God, Shajar, stop being paranoid, that’s why you’ll soon be single.

-Right, Sophie, clearly your dignity challenged you to a fight and it lost, but it’s not too late to back out from this dumpster-fire of a wedding. -Ya I’m not backing out on my literal wedding day, geezer. -Just think about it, ok? You don’t have to make a decision now, that’s what leaving people at the altar is for.

-Alright, listen here, assholes, I have jewels to buy and pets to train to buy them, and I already got a wedding tracksuit tailored! As soon as Shajar gets back from her stupid job I’m locking this down, and our kid is gonna wipe the floor with Cyn’s fug Don spawn, so you can all fuck off! See you at the wedding!

Shajar started at lvl 5 in her ridiculous political career (ty, La Fiesta Tech) and got promoted on her first day!

She also earned 5k! Big day for you, huh, Shaj?

-It is, and yet..

Yet what?

-My aspiration meter is low.. I’m just so worried.. So many questions keep gnawing at me..

Wtf do you have to be worried about, Shajar, your life has literally never been better.

-On the surface, yes.. But deep down..

Deep down what??

-You wouldn’t understand.

Will you just tell me already???

-How can I experience true happiness and achieve self-fulfillment through my relationships and work.. when I don’t own a stereo that costs at least $2500?

................. I am so fucking done with the fortune aspiration, even as a secondary, never again. Just go get married before I begin to understand where Jojo is coming from.

It’s double wedding time! Sophie is simply a vision in her white tracksuit, while Shajar honors her Egyptian heritage with this completely appropriate and non-offensive dress.

At this moment I’d like to call your attention to Jojo and his commitment to looking anywhere but at the ceremony, so first he looks to the east..

..then he looks to the west..

..and finally he faces north. Thank God the wedding is over because he was running out of directions.

-I, Sophie Fucking Miguel, take you, Shajar Turbocuck Union, to worship me for all eternity!

-Aw darling, I will! To the point of madness!

Ya you have already surpassed that point, Shaj.

-Awwww congrats guys, huhu!💗 Now clear out before I change my mind about this.

So I forgot to mention that during that first day I don’t have pics of, Don had a bad ‘joke’ interaction with Jojo and Jojo HATES him and hasn’t interacted with him since. Looking at Don’s profile now I can’t say I blame him, Lord help us..

..that said look who’s finally facing forward and is literally :D now, UGH JOJO

-Moonflower, I know we had our ups and downs, but we’ve come out the other side stronger than ever- goddammit, Cyn, did you just get a bad memory of our wedding? You proposed to me! -I sure did, Donnie, and I can unpropose any time I want, so let’s keep it moving, okie? Huhu!💗

Yes, Don, it truly isn’t a proper wedding unless you play a punching game with your bride right after-

-and then immediately start stinking. Cyn girl, what can I tell you, you’re the one that rolled the engagement want.

-Jojo, my good chap, after meeting your children I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for not picking me to be your husband. I truly consider you my best friend for sparing me this fate.

So this was officially our lamest party of all time, Gunther and Daniel straight up didn’t come and fucking Wulf and Angel spent the entire time serenading each other inside, legit that’s it, I’m never throwing a party again.

-________-

ANYWAY. Welcome to the family, Don and Sophie! I’m sure many happy interesting years await you.

~Oh I got the Union blues, my townie past I have disowned, oooh I got those Union blues, now I am forever boned~🎵

#gen 3 #ts2

78 notes · View notes

tmnt-obsessed-ace · 2 years ago

Text

When The World Crumbles: Chapter 11, Calm Before The Storm

'I'm coming home!' Mikey sent the text message, stuffing his phone back into the pocket of his warm thick hoodie. Several bags of groceries were hanging from his arms as he walked, several more being pulled behind in a cart Donnie had made.

The cart had a custom made forcefield around it so the contents inside would not get damaged. Not even by bullets, as the softshell had bragged.

Which was a relief since Mikey had bought a lot of stuff and having to repurchase everything would be insane.

The orange clad turtle whistled a bit through his gap tooth, glancing up at the gray skies overhead. Dark rain clouds crept ever closer, promising heavy rains to drench the city.

Oh well, Mikey was almost home with plenty of groceries.

After all, they had four more mouths to feed.

It had been several hours since their four older counterparts woke up from their nearly five day snooze. And with their ferocious appetites more food was necessary.

"Nine days…" Mikey whispered under his breath, his stomach clenching. Nine whole days without food. Granted that probably counted their week long nap of four and a half days.

So that meant they probably went without food for nearly five days before they got to this dimension.

That was still horrifying. To go so long without eating anything, and then having to fight in that condition.

Barely any sleep, no food in your belly, covered in dirt and injuries. It was truly a miracle that the four older turtles managed to even put up so much of a fight.

Mikey never felt so guilty before in his life.

He helped beat them into unconsciousness when they were already on the end of the line. How horrible do you have to be to attack someone who's starving and exhausted?

"They didn't seem too mad about it though…" The youngest turtle said out loud as he entered the sewers, walking down the familiar path to their new home in the subway.

Of course maybe they didn't seem 'too mad' because they were thinking about the invasion.

The thought made Mikey stop in his tracks, his stomach tightening even more.

How could he forget? The reason their counterparts ended up here was because they were trying to stop an entire alien invasion of their own dimension! There wouldn't be any room for anger at him and his brothers if they were thinking about their own home.

"The invasion has probably started by now. Millions of people are probably being mutated as we speak." Michelangelo's words replayed in the box turtle's mind.

The older turtles definitely have bigger things to worry about than Mikey's contribution in their beat down. With a small gulp he continued home, wanting to return to his kitchen and get to work on dinner.

He was gonna make something so good!

"I'm back and I got groceries!" Mikey called out, gaining April's attention.

"Need some help with all that?" Mikey nodded, his arms were getting tired. April grabbed the bags from his arms and carried them to the kitchen, with the turtle pulling the cart.

"Yeesh Mikey, how much did you buy?" April asked, struggling to lift the heavy plastic bags.

"A lot! We have guests and I want to be sure we'll have enough food." He tried to open the door to the kitchen, it wouldn't budge.

He tried again, maybe the door was stuck. Donnie could oil the hinges later.

Again the door wouldn't open.

"It won't open?" Mikey kept trying, why won't the stupid thing open!

"Lemme try," April set the bags down and tried to jimmy open the door. Like her little brother she had no success. Eventually she took a step back before slamming her foot into the door with as much force as he could muster.

The metal door loudly creaked, the hinges refusing to break. A scowl formed on April's face as she kicked the door again and again.

"I don't think it's gonna break, April." Mikey deadpanned as his older sister stood panting in front of the metal door. Damn you Donnie and reinforcing all the hinges!

"Maybe Leo can portal us in." April said between pants. Just as the words left her mouth, the now heavily dented door creaked open.

"Did you need something?" Donatello asked as he poked his head out from the door.

Mikey raised a brow, April put a hand on her hip.

"Uh yeah we got groceries to put away." The older turtle suddenly looked guilty. The door was opened all the way, with Donatello grabbing as many bags as he could carry into the kitchen.

"Ok why did you lock yourself in the kitchen?" April asked as she and Mikey brought the rest of the bags inside. Apparently Donatello wasn't alone. Leonardo sat at the table, surrounded by balls of crumpled up paper. A small stack of blank sheets was sitting nearby.

"Well I'm currently working on repairing my laptop since it's kinda…busted."

The purple clad turtle gestured to his laptop, or what remained of it anyways. The screen was in pieces and the keyboard had been snapped. Not to mention all the frayed wires and shattered circuit boards.

Both April and Mikey cringed at the sight.

"How did that happen?" Mikey asked as he started putting the groceries away.

"I'm assuming that most of the damage occurred from our battle against you guys at the playground. It was in my backpack after all and I did land on it quite a few times."

"Sorry about that…" Donatello just waved a hand.

"Nothing to worry about, truth be told I wasn't expecting it to stay in one piece anyways. Plus my laptop has been damaged far worse before." A loud groan cut off the genius, making all eyes turn towards Leonardo. He crumpled up the paper he'd been previously writing on, smacking his head onto the table with a dull thud.

"And I'm also here to make sure he doesn't give himself an aneurysm." Leonardo shot his younger brother a glare, mumbling a small 'shut up' into the kitchen table.

"What's he doing exactly?" April interjected, the frustration was near tangible. April only knew that feeling when writing essays for school.

"Planning. Well he's trying to anyways." A paper ball was thrown at Donatello, who deflected it so it bounced off of Mikey's head.

"Hey! Not cool, I'm putting the eggs away!" Mikey squeaked from the fridge. April snickered.

"Sorry little Mikey." Donatello playfully snickered, getting a small pout in response.

"I thought we would start planning tomorrow?" Mikey asked, confusion clear in his voice.

"Yeah, try telling Leo that. He's beyond stubborn. I fear I might have to tie him to the bed to get him to sleep." The purple clad turtle wasn't even trying to hide the playful smirk. The little shove he gave the blue clad turtle only solidified it.

"I can hear you, you know." Donatello held a finger to his brother's lips.

"No more talking, you've strained your voice enough for today."

The only response was an eye roll.

Mikey and April shared a glance, both amused and a little bit concerned.

"So where's tiny and other me?" Mikey asked, both older turtles snickering.

"Do not let Raph hear you call him that." Leonardo warned, despite the warning glare Donatello shot him.

"Leon challenged Mikey to some video games in the little arcade area, winner will play against Raph." Donatello added, the hard look never leaving his face.

The last of the groceries were put away, time to start prepping dinner.

"Well I'm gonna go join them, later!" April left the kitchen, with the box turtle waving goodbye.

Once she was gone, Leonardo went back to scribbling away on a new sheet of paper, with Donatello came over to the smaller turtle.

"You got any medicinal tea for him?" The older turtle whispered, though he had to lean forward a bit given the height difference between the two. "It'll help soothe his throat."

"Maybe, I dunno. But if you tell me the ingredients I might be able to brew it up quickly." Donatello smiled a bit, another groan and crumpled up wad of paper caught their attention.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea."

"Dude you are so bad at this game!" Leo taunted, kicking Michelangelo with his leg. The orange clad turtle grit his teeth, having resorted to an old classic video game strategy.

Mash all the buttons till something gives.

"Nothing can be the power of button mashing!" Michelangelo yelled, rolling over on the bean bag.

"Says the guy who's losing!" Leo fired right back. They were playing an old fighting game, with Michelangelo losing badly. They were in the final round, winner takes all. However Michelangelo had less than half his health bar left.

Next to Michelangelo, Raphael was draped across another beanbag, watching the fight with half interest.

He would be playing against whoever won this match.

Naturally he was hoping it would be Michelangelo, always root for your brother over a stranger.

However, judging by the fact that one of his younger brother's hands was wrapped in a tight cast and he was losing horrendously, it was more likely he would play against Leo.

That actually made Raphael a tad bit nervous. Not because he was scared of losing to a fourteen year old, hell no.

It was because he had previously threatened to kill this specific fourteen year old.

That thought made him sick to his stomach.

Fourteen.

The kid was only fourteen.

He knew the kid was young but fourteen!

They hadn't even been allowed to go topside at fourteen!

And yet Raphael threatened to run his sai through the kid's skull.

His mind wandered back several hours earlier, when Michelangelo was getting his wounds cleaned and rebandaged while Donatello took his turn in the shower.

That left Leonardo and Raphael alone together in one of the old subway cars they had claimed as their temporary bedroom.

"I don't understand something." Leonardo had written in a notebook while his throat recovered.

"What's that fearless?" The red clad turtle replied, absentmindedly fidgeting with the piles of blankets.

"Why did our counterparts attack you guys? They don't seem entirely malicious."

Raphael's face had fallen, shame washing over him.

"That…that was my fault." Leonardo raised a brow but let his younger brother continue. After a minute he spoke again. "I attacked Leon and earned little Donnie's wrath."

The marker squeaked a bit as it was scribbled over the pages of the notebook.

"You attacked him? How exactly?"

"It wasn't that bad, really! I just tackled him…and threatened him. God I'm such an idiot!" Raphael buried his face into his hands.

"Why did you do that Raph?" Despite not speaking, Raphael could tell that his brother was a bit ticked off, given how rigid he went.

"I wasn't thinking ok! It had been a god awful night of nearly fucking dying multiple times! First to the Kraang and then to a Freddy Fazbear knock off that apparently is immune to fire for some reason, don't ask!" Leonardo held up his hands, sitting down next to the red clad turtle.

"And then this little twerp came along and said that he knew where Mikey was! He didn't even tell me or Donnie until after I threatened him! Not to mention that earlier he said that they lost Mikey and that he had a broken arm! A broken arm!"

Raphael groaned again, trying to ease his racing heart. The more he thought about that night the angrier he got.

A warm hand on his shoulder made the short turtle look up, dark blue eyes meeting with his own bright green ones.

Leonardo's gaze had softened as he traced circular patterns into Raphael's shell. It was soothing, grounding.

After a few minutes of staying like that, Raphael continued yet again.

"This kid said that they would go get Mikey once the animatronic from hell finally died, but he said it so casually! Like he was gonna get a pizza instead of saving Mikey's life. Do you know how we found him?"

The leader in blue shook his head.

"Dangling from a beam at least fifteen maybe twenty feet off the ground. Hanging by the backpack with no grappling hook and a glider that wouldn't open! If we hadn't gotten there in time…he could've…" His eyes screwed shut, he didn't even want to finish that thought.

The nudging of the notebook got Raphael's attention.

"Did our counterparts know that?"

Raphael shook his head.

"Maybe…I honestly don't know. I just…snapped and the next thing I knew Leon was on the ground and threats were spilling out of my mouth." He leaned his head into Leonardo's uninjured shoulder. "God damn it, why am I like this?"

The blue clad turtle turned over to a blank page and began to write, leaving Raphael to stew in his own shame for a bit.

Eventually Leonardo finished writing and capped the marker. He laid the notebook in Raphael's lap and pulled him close.

With slightly nervous eyes he looked down at the page.

"While I don't condone you threatening our counterparts in the slightest, I can at least understand why that happened. It's been a nightmare of a week where nothing went right for us even once. The portal wasn't where it was supposed to be so he had to ditch the Shellraiser, we got chased out of nearly every single Kraang hideout, the invasion getting closer and closer and we got sent here with no food or medical supplies!.Then all of us getting attacked by the strange nightmares of this dumb dimension it only added to the growing pressure. Truthfully if I had been in your position and I was getting vague unhelpful answers about where my missing brother was, I probably would've reacted the same."

"I still feel bad for the kid, he didn't mean to make the volcano go boom. He just said the wrong thing at the worst possible time." Leonardo nodded.

"You didn't ruin anything Raph, just got off on the wrong start. I'm sure once you apologize it'll be water under the bridge." The blue clad turtle whispered, earning a small shove.

"Don't make your voice worse, Fearless. And yeah I know, I'll apologize to the punk later." Leonardo squeezed his brother a little tighter. After a few moments he spoke, voice just above a whisper.

"You better, or I'll make you go on a ride with Turtflytle." Raphael's eyes went wide.

"Don't you fucking dare that is one of the most annoying things on the god damn planet."

Leonardo chuckled as Donatello came back, still slightly dripping from the shower.

"Alright Raphie, you're up." Raphael nodded, leaving the two cool color brothers behind so he could shower.

Michelangelo smacked into the red clad turtle's shoulder as he squirmed around on the beanbag, knocking Raphael back onto reality, somehow managing to turn the fight around in his favor.

"What the fuck dude!" Leo whined, losing his cockiness.

"Button mashing is unbeatable!"

"We'll see about that!"

"What's the matter Leon? Mikey too good for you?" Raphael shouted, playfully shoving his now upside down brother in the side.

"Hell no I got this!" The slider replied, eyes still fixed on the screen.

Michelangelo growled, kicking his legs as he spammed every single button on the controller.

Leo suppressed a yawn, rubbing his eyes as he continued to play.

"What's the matter, didn't get your morning nap in?" The orange clad turtle mocked as the game became neck and neck, both players down to the same amount of health.

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Hey guys!" Leo looked up as April walked in, smiling brightly. "Mind if I join the next game?"

"Sure thing Apes! Just gotta beat Michelan-" Raphael swatted the controller from Leo's hands, smirking at the scream that came from his mouth.

"Get em Mikey! Wipe the floor with him!" Raphael cheered as Michelangelo quickly knocked off more and more hit points while Leo scrambled to pick up his controller.

"No! No! No! Noooo!" Leo whined as the last of his player's health bar was knocked away in a knockout. Michelangelo cheered, jumping on the beanbag.

"You just got played, son! Michelangelo for the win! Go ninja! Go ninja! Go!" Raphael and April laughed while the slider's eye twitched.

"You knocked the controller out of my hands!" Raphael smirked at the accusatory finger being pointed at him.

"Did I? I mean I didn't see that happen! Did you Mikey?" Michelangelo wore a devilish smirk.

"Nope! I saw absolutely nothing! I was too focused on being the best at video games!" The two exchanged a high three, watching with growing amusement as Leo's eye twitched yet again.

"April you saw that! Didn't you?"

Raphael shot April a look, a silent plea to play along.

She pushed up her glasses.

"Nope!" She said, popping the p. "All I saw was you lose." Leo's jaw dropped.

"Betrayed by my own sister! You corrupted her! How dare you!" Michelangelo only laughed harder, poking the younger turtle over and over in the cheeks.

"Alright Mikey, enough games! Let's do this!." Raphael taunted, cracking his knuckles. His brother returned the playful glare as April plopped down beside them.

"I play whoever wins!" She said with excitement. Leo grumbled but sat next to April, ready to be a little shit again.

"You got it sister!" The game was reset, a controller put in Raphael's hands.

"Be careful Mikester, he plays dirty! Destroy him!" Leo said with a clap of his hands.

"Oh I will!"

"Bring it on!"

The second game began.

"Crap…" Leonardo mumbled, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Out of paper."

All the paper from his stack had been turned into crumpled balls, all the attempts at plans scrawled on them and deemed not good enough.

"Time to take a break until tomorrow." Donatello stated, leaving no room for argument. The blue clad turtle begrudgingly nodded, tomorrow once he had a clearer head he would come up with a somewhat decent plan.

"Let's go see what the others are doing." He scribbled onto the notebook after a sharp glare from his younger brother made him keep his mouth shut.

He grabbed one of the empty grocery bags and slid all the crumpled paper inside, even picking up all the ones that fell on the floor.

The bag tied and thrown near the recycling bin at the far wall. "We're gonna see what Raph and our Mikey are up to." Mikey nodded but gave no vocal response while he cooked. He was in the zone.

As Leonardo stood up, his right knee painfully twanged, threatening to buckle under his weight. He grit his teeth, hands planted firmly onto the table to keep his balance.

However his little stumble hadn't gone unnoticed by Donatello while he stuffed the remains of his laptop back into his bag.

Leonardo shook his head, gesturing at Mikey. Not in front of him.

Donatello nodded, not saying a word as he helped his older brother stand. He leaned against him as they left the kitchen together.

Once the door had closed behind them, a quiet whisper broke the silence.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, stupid leg just threw me off balance." Leonardo sat down on a nearby beanbag, carefully undoing the knee pad and brace.

Donatello sat down beside him, carefully examining the offending joint.

"On a scale of one to ten-"

"Six." Leonardo said automatically. It was just a six. With his high pain tolerance that was annoying but tolerable.

"You strained it a lot these past few weeks." Was his brother's reply as he carefully turned the leg. The pain went up a tiny bit but nothing Leonardo couldn't handle.

"It's gonna rain soon."

"Ah that's it." Pressure changes made the joint ache more than usual. "You should use your cane for a while." Leonardo sighed and shook his head.

"Can't do that, I left it in the Shellraiser." Donatello shot him a sympathetic look. They could only take the gear they already had on, forced to leave everything else behind in the Shellraiser. Which was no doubt in Kraang custody by now. He had actually seen it, sitting next to his seat, surrounded by Kraang Droids.

"Well I'll just make you another one." The blue clad turtle sat up.

"Dee you don't have to-"

"It will only take twenty minutes Leo."

"But what about your laptop?" Surely a broken laptop took priority! Right?

"Like I said, twenty minutes."

"Is everything alright?" Another voice chimed in. It was Raph. Concern was written all over his face. Leonardo shifted a bit so that his right leg was out of view.

"Yeah everything's good, hey where's younger Donnie's lab? I need to grab a few things." Donatello said coolly, despite shrinking away a bit from the much larger turtle. Just like he and Michelangelo had been doing since they woke up.

It was clear that the snapper had noticed. Leonardo could see the tiniest flash of hurt in the large turtle's eyes.

"Oh yeah, the lab is that way! Just look for the neon purple door, you can't miss it!"

The purple clad turtle locked eyes with his brother, a silent conversation being had.

"Will you be ok here for a few minutes?"

"Yeah I'll be fine, don't worry."

Donatello nodded, leaving towards his counterpart's lab. However not before shooting the eldest brother one last look. A silent threat.

'Don't get up or else.' Truth be told, as much as Leonardo wanted to protest that he was both the oldest and the leader so he didn't need to be babied, the threat kept him glued to the beanbag he claimed. The 'or else' could mean anything! Donatello was nothing if not creative.

So the blue clad turtle stayed put.

An awkward silence began to form.

"So…" Raph started, sitting on the floor next to beanbag. Leonardo grimaced, why couldn't they have gone back to their subway car room? Because the living room was closer?

"Are you sure everything is all good?" The older turtle nodded, taking out the marker and notebook once again, if only so Donatello won't chew his head off.

"Everything is fine." He wrote, even underlining the word fine for emphasis. Another dull ache shuddered down his leg, making him wince. It probably started raining.

Raph didn't look convinced in the slightest. Leonardo turned away, waiting for his brother to get back.

Once again the two fell into awkward silence.

A high pitched shriek echoed from the arcade area, followed by loud cheering.

"LET'S GO! MICHELANGELO IS UNSTOPPABLE!" Said brother shouted with triumph.

"God damn it! MIKEY!" Raphael hollered, prompting the orange clad turtle to run out of the arcade. Michelangelo's laughter and Raphael's shouts echoed throughout the lair.

Eventually the orange clad turtle raced into the living room, eyes landing on Leonardo. With a burst of speed he slammed into the older turtle, quickly trying to scramble behind him.

All the air was knocked out of Leonardo's lungs as he tried to bat his brother off. It was too late, the menace had slipped behind him, wrapping his arms and legs around his body. His injured ribs throbbed from the sudden motions, with the younger turtle mumbling apologies all the way.

Raphael stumbled into the living room, his twisted ankle throwing him off balance.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The red clad turtle angrily hissed while Michelangelo played cute.

"Woah what's wrong little buddy?" Raph interjected, trying to deescalate the situation. All three older turtles let out a similar squeak, Raphael's eyes narrowing.

He decided to ignore his much bigger counterpart entirely.

"You're seriously hiding behind Leo!" Michelangelo had the audacity to look offended.

"No of course not! What? Am I not allowed to spend time with my favorite brother!" He nuzzled Leonardo's cheek for emphasis. The leader sighed, writing in the notebook.

"What did he do?"

"He LICKED me! He fucking LICKED me!" Raphael shouted, his younger brother laughing behind Leonardo.

"What's the matter shorty? Can't take what you dish out?" Leo called out as he and April came into the living room.

"No one asked for your opinion!" Raphael fired back.

"Come on now there's no need to fight!" Raph said, once again trying to play mediator.

"Whatcha gonna do Raphie? Leo's got two broken ribs remember you have to play nice!" Michelangelo taunted, acting like he didn't aggravate the wounds himself.

Raphael growled, crossing his arms.

Leonardo held up the notebook, a single sentence written on the page.

"Lick him back." The two eldest brothers shared a smirk, with Michelangelo suddenly realizing that his shield turned against him.

As the short turtle approached, Michelangelo piped up.

"Can I at least get a five second headstart?" He held up his broken arm, showing off the cast.

Raphael rolled his eyes, a playful glint shining in those bright green depths. One that had been missing for the past two months.

"Since I'm such a nice guy, sure! ONE!" With that Michelangelo squirmed out from behind Leonardo, taking off.

"TWO!" Leo pulled out his phone camera.

"THREE!" April gave Leonardo a concerned glance, he only smiled at her. It was just roughhousing, they both knew not to go too far.

"FOUR!" Raph looked worried, Leonardo put a hand on his arm.

"FIVE!" At the final number Raphael broke off into a sprint, chasing after Michelangelo. Well, as much as he could with a twisted ankle.

The two turtle's yelling could be heard throughout the lair, making Leonardo smile fondly as he relaxed into the beanbag.

"Should we stop them?" Raph asked, the blue clad turtle simply waved a hand before writing in the notebook.

"They know what boundaries not to cross, nothing to worry about."

"Right…while they're doing that wanna play against me Leo?" April asked, holding a controller in one hand. Leonardo nodded, putting the knee brace and knee pad back on. He stumbled a bit to get up, Raph holding him steady.

"You sure you're ok?" The snapper asked as a loud crash sounded from the direction of Donnie's lab.

"WATCH IT SHELL FOR BRAINS!" Donatello barked, Michelangelo's laughter filling the air.

Leonardo smiled brightly, this was exactly like how it was back home.

Or at least how it was supposed to be.

Ever since…that day, the lair had gone quiet. Donatello spent days upon days holed up in his lab, Raphael hardly ever left his room anymore and Michelangelo practically lived in the kitchen. And then there Leonardo, hiding away in the dojo.

They barely spoke to each other for weeks. Hell about two weeks ago was the first time they all ate together as a family since that day. And when the shock finally began to fade away so the broken pieces could be mended, the Kraang decided to invade.

Now they are stuck here. Is that really such a bad thing though? Listening to his younger brothers squabble like they used to, it was familiar. It was normal.

First actual shred of normalcy in nearly two months.

And Leonardo couldn't help the big dumb grin that spread across his face, the corners of his mouth starting to hurt from how hard he was smiling.

"Uh, Earth to Leonardo?" April said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. Leonardo shook himself from his thoughts. "You zoned out on me!"

"Sorry April, ready to lose?" She smirked and the two headed to the arcade, with Leonardo holding onto her shoulder to steady himself. Either she didn't notice or she didn't mind.

The grin never left his face.

Little did the four older turtles know that this tiny shred of normalcy was about to be shattered like glass against the rocks.

#tmnt 2012 #rottmnt #crossover #tmnt crossover #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #teeange mutant ninaj turtles

11 notes · View notes

chiliiscereal · 4 years ago

Text

chosen last: part three

The people asked and so they shall receive

https://chiliiscereal.tumblr.com/post/650808822043115520/chosen-last

https://chiliiscereal.tumblr.com/post/651201066386554880/chosen-last-part-two

Summary: a boy takes notice of reader for the first time and Donnie is worried that he’s bad news. Little do both of them know, he’s right

Warning: mentions of attempted rape

——-

You felt so much better about yourself when your birthday was over. It was honestly one of the best you’d ever had. Better than the ones your friends planned anyway. You still went, but it was nothing like the party that the turtles threw. You didn’t think it could get any better.

Until, that is, something happened that almost made you change your mind.

You friend put a picture of you and her, together, up on Snapchat.

And... for the first time in your life... a guy took notice of you.

It wasn’t much. It was just “who’s that? Low key cute. Whats their snap?”

That happened to your friends.

Never to you.

Even more surprising, your friend gave him your snap.

Eric.

Eric was his name.

And he also went to your school!

You were incredibly nervous about this. Every single time a boy took interest in you it never seemed to be what your thought it was.

Last time a boy took interest in you it was ACTUALLY so they could get with your friend. That, my friends, was two years ago. Your friends blasted through boys like there was no tomorrow. But you? You’d never had someone interested in you like that.

Until now.

You talked to him and... honestly... you felt like there was something there.

He asked a lot about you and just seemed like the one, you know? You both shared the same interest in shows! You both enjoyed the same music!

Whenever he responded to you, you just couldn’t help but feel elated.

You would fall back on your bed and stare at the ceiling, feeling like this was a scene from a movie.

He didn’t wait for twenty minutes to respond to you.

He acknowledged every single thing you said.

And when he met up with you after school...

Wow.

Just wow.

He was incredibly handsome and polite.

He even held doors open for you!

You found yourself meeting up with him again and again.

It made you feel so... important.

Unfortunately, the turtles didn’t feel the same way.

————

“Who ya talkin’ to?” Leo leaned closer to look over your shoulder from his spot beside you on the couch.

It was movie night with the boys and April.

You brought you phone to your chest to obscure his view. “Hey hey hey back off!” You playfully shoved him away. “Just a friend.”

Mikey gave you a shit eating grin when he noticed the smile slipping onto your face. “Just a friend huh?” He pulled himself off the floor and reached for your phone. “Let me see let me see!”

You held it away from him to. “Woah this is my phone! Get away!”

A metal claw snatched it from your hand, retracting back to Donnie.

“And is this ‘friend’ a boy or a girl?” He opened your phone. “Ugh, what’s your password?”

You leapt off the couch and tried to grab your device back. “Does it matter?”

Donnie tapped away at the buttons, using his metal claws from his battle shell to keep you away. “No, it doesn’t matter unless it’s a BOY.” You phone buzzed slightly as it opened to your home screen. “Aha, I am in!”

Mikey and Leo both crawled over to their soft shelled brother to observe from behind him.

“Donnie, give it back.” You ordered, looking to April for help. She just shrugged and continued watching with a smirk. “Guys, come on! It’s not a big deal!”

Raph pulled himself off the floor and placed his hands on his hips. “Alright, jokes over; give the phone back.”

Donnie groaned. “Come on! I’m so close to figuring out who y/n’s talking to!”

Raph gave him a stern look. “Now. It’s private and obviously Y/n doesn’t want you looking through it.”

Donnie, Mikey, and Leo all gave him giant puppy eyes.

Raph simply held out his hand.

Donnie sighed. “Fine. Here.”

You sighed as well but in relief.

Raph took it from him, glancing down at your phone. To your dismay, it was open up to messages. “Eric Sherrin?” He asked in confusion.

“AHA!” Donnie shouted in triumph. “A name is all I need!” He began typing in the device on his wrist.

“Raph!” You accused angrily.

Ugh what were you gonna do now??

You’d never hear the end of this.

“Hey! Raph’s on your side! I didn’t know he could find out with just a name!” He held up his hands in defense.

“Eric?” April asked as she swiped through her phone. “Does he go to our school?”

You glared at Donnie before you decided whether or not to share that.

He shrugged. “Hey, I already have his social media up and every piece of information I could find. Whether or not you say will change nothing.”

“Fine.” You growled. “Yes, he goes to our school. He’s a mutual friend with my other friends.”

April raised a brow. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better.”

You shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Well it doesn’t.”

April was dead set on despising your friends. You knew she had good reason but you didn’t need it brought up now.

Leo took the computer that Donnie had sent all the information to, scrolling through Eric’s social media. “Wow, there are a lot of pictures of him holding fish.” He snorted. “Does he think that’s gonna impress people or something?”

“I’ve never understood the appeal.” Donnie shook his head. “So what? You killed an animal good for you.”

“I think it’s about killing a BIG animal.” Leo squinted at the screen. “There’s also lots of pictures of him with other girls.”

“Guys can you just stop?” You placed your hands on your hips. “It’s sweet that you’re trying to make sure he’s not some idiot but you’re invading his privacy-!”

“Woah, look what I found in his records from the school.” Donnie waved his brothers closer.

Even Raph and April did so.

“He harassed at girl at school?” Mikey repeated as he read the screen. “Really?”

“Yeah no this guy’s bad news.” Donnie shook his head in disappointment. “Y/n, give me your phone. I’ll block him for you.” He even reached his hand out expectantly.

You held your phone closer. “No, that’s just a rumor that spread at school.”

The boys stopped what they were doing.

“You knew?” Leo narrowed his eyes. “And you’re still interested?”

“He told me that the teachers didn’t believe him.” You responded as you crossed your arms. “Some girl made it up cause she didn’t like him.”

“You can’t take that risk.” Raph crossed his arms.

“Raph, I thought you were in my side!” You protested.

“That was before Raph found out that the guy harassed someone.” He defended. “Come on, you know this can’t end good.”

Your stomach burned with anger.

Anger that they felt they could order you around like that.

That they wouldn’t even let you figure it out yourself.

That this might end just like every other romantic interest would.

“Why won’t you just let me handle this myself?” You stuffed your hands in your pockets and flopped back down in the couch.

Mikey crawled into the spot next to you, wrapping his arms around you. “You’re one of our best friends! We don’t want anything to happen to you!” He gave you wide innocent eyes as if that would erase your anger.

Well... it did.

Curse him and his adorable eyes.

You rolled your eyes and hugged him back. “I know. I just want to figure this out myself.” You gave Donnie a hard glare as your rested your chin on Mikey’s shoulder.

“Fine.” He closed all the tabs on his computer grudgingly. “But I know this is just gonna end in heartbreak.”

“What a vote of confidence.” Leo snorted and plopped down in the spot next to you.

He smirked when you ignored him, still hugging Mikey.

“Hey, come on, you know you can’t stay mad at this face.” He leaned against you dramatically. “I’m the face man! You can’t resist me!” He pulled you away from Mikey and draped his arm over your shoulder. “You know you love me.”

You turned your head away from him, more playful now than spiteful.

“Come onnnnn...” he smirked. “You love meeee...”

You shoved him off the couch with a laugh. “I’m still thinking that over.”

Raph quickly took Leo’s seat as his younger brother rubbed the spot he’d landed on.

“No hard feelings?” Raph rested his arm on the couch behind you as he started the movie back up.

“Fine. No hard feelings.”

Leo moved so he was sitting on the floor and leaning against your legs.

You couldn’t stay mad at them. Well, except Donnie. You could very well stay mad at Donnie.

And it seemed that Donnie could stay mad at you as well. He left the room with all his tech, grumbling something under his breath.

“I already know how this is gonna end.” He grumbled.

“Love you to, Donnie.” You muttered, sinking into the couch.

Whatever.

He’d get over it soon enough.

————

Donnie didn’t get over it.

Whenever you came over to hang out he brought it up again casually. Well, as casually as Donnie could be, which wasn’t very casual at all.

“Ugh, this game sucks!” Mikey shouted at the tv once.

“Not as much as Eric What’s-his-face’s record.” He’d commented, giving you a glance out of the corner of his eye.

Or even:

“Ugh you can’t trust those pop up ads.” Raph told Leo when his phone had downloaded a virus after he clicked an ad.

“Just like how you can’t trust Eric.” He’d ran into the room to spit that out.

If Raph ever asked how things were going with Eric, Donnie either magically appeared next to him with a hopeful look or disappear with a groan.

You and Eric weren’t even together.

But... you hoped you would be soon.

He invited you to a party that Friday! And he’d specified that he’s invited you as his date.

Your friends were excited, surprisingly. They wanted to help you find an outfit and everything.

Finally, you felt like things were going right.

Why couldn’t Donnie just be happy for you?

——-

“Why won’t you come?” You begged April as she flopped down onto your bed.

“You’ve got Eric and all of your other friends.” She waved you off. “Besides, you know I hate parties.” She sat up slightly. “And Eric gives me the heebie jeebies.”

You rolled your eyes and held out a dress. “Yeah, yeah. Fine, I won’t make you.”

April touched the fabric of the dress with a frown. “Is this what your friends picked out for you? I thought you didn’t like dresses?”

You shrugged. “They said Eric would like it and that it looked good on me.”

April fully sat up now. “But you’re gonna be so uncomfortable in that!”

“I mean, it’s supposed to be pretty, not comfy, right?” You shrugged, slipping it on over your head. “Does it look good?” You gave her a small twirl.

“Of course it’s pretty... but its a little... much.” She shook her head. “Does Eric really deserve to see you in that?”

The last bit was playful but still...

“I think so.” You say down beside her. “I’m just so incredibly nervous and I don’t know if this is a bad idea.”

You felt exposed.

But, you also trusted that the people at the party could be trusted with that.

April draped her arm over your shoulder. “Well you look stunning.”

You smiled back at her. “Thanks.”

“Alright, girl, your party’s in twenty minutes. Ready to head out?” She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the door.

You stood up and smoothed out the dress. “Ready.”

———

You stood in front of the house nervously. You could hear the music and see the lights and people dancing. You just didn’t know if you actually were ready.

“You look hot, y/n.” Your friend told you, glancing at one of your other friends. “He’s gonna love it.”

You didn’t really love it, but if he liked it then so would you.

“Hope so.” You muttered, checking your phone.

Donnie sent you a simple text:

Don’t trust Eric and keep pepper spray on hand.

Wow, such confidence.

You ignored it and stuffed your phone in the dress pocket. You didn’t need that. You needed all the confidence you could muster.

“Wow.” A voice said from behind you, causing you to jump.

There was Eric, dressed nicely and with a charming smile on his face.

“You look hot.” He grinned.

Your stomach fluttered. “Oh, thank... thank you!”! You smoothed it out nervously.

You didn’t know if your stomach felt this way out of nerves or out of feelings for him. You really couldn’t tell.

He placed his hand over your hip and pulled you to his side. “Well Let’s head on in! Can’t wait to show you off.”

Your stomach jumped. “Well, I just wanted to wait a little,” he opened the door and dragged you in, “oh okay!”

Your friends and Eric were at your side the whole time.

You still felt as if you were on display while you and your group were dancing.

You still felt like the dress was too short when you and Eric sat down on the couch.

You felt like he was staring at you when you noticed the couples in the room kissing and making out.

“You wanna head upstairs?” He asked as he took your hand.

Your heart jumped. “No, no I’m good. Really.”

“Come on.” He nodded his head in the direction of the stairs. “It’ll be fun!”

You shook your head. “No I don’t want to go upstairs.”

He looked disappointed but you stayed confident with your choice. You didn’t want that and you weren’t ready.

He recovered quickly and dropped your hand. “Alright! I’m just gonna go talk to a friend real quick, I’ll be back.”

You sighed in relief when you realized he wouldn’t push it on you.

He got up and you pulled out your phone, trying to decide if you wanted to text Donnie back.

You settled on typing:

Yeah yeah whatever.

You saw he read it but he didn’t respond.

What was with him?

Why couldn’t he just be happy?

You glanced up, noticing Eric talking to one of your friends. You noticed him glance back at you and then back at your friend. She handed him something and he left to go to the kitchen.

You went back to your phone, waiting to see if Donnie would respond.

You just wanted your friend back.

Why couldn’t he just... ugh no you had to stop asking that. He was being too judgemental and untrusting.

There was nothing untrustworthy about Eric.

He was just being crazy...

You glanced up again, noticing Eric at the drink table. Whatever it was your friend had given him, he was slipping it in his drink.

You looked closer.

It was some sort of... powder?

When he turned back around you immediately acted like you hadn’t been watching.

He made his way to you and sat down, a drink in each hand. “I thought you looked a little thirsty, so I got you a soda!”

He handed you the red cup enthusiastically.

No, he couldn’t be trying to spike your drink. He wouldn’t do that.

But he was looking at you so expectantly.

“Oh, thank you!” You swirled the soda suspiciously. “I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to corn syrup so... sorry.” You set the drink back down.

Again, he looked disappointed. Maybe even a little mad.

“Hey, We’re gonna go upstairs and play a game!” Your friend shouted from across the room. “Wanna join?”

“What game?” You asked, feeling incredibly nervous.

“Truth or dare!” She giggled. “You’ll love it!”

Eric jumped on that idea expectantly. “Come on lets go!”

“I don’t really...”

He pulled you up before you could even finish.

You wanted to stay where people could see you!

But... you WERE gonna be with your friends...

“Alright, Fine.” You settled. “I’ll go.”

“Awesome!”

You and your group headed up and down the hallway.

Your friend opened the door for you and let you in first. Eric followed closely behind you.

It was a bedroom. A very dark bedroom.

“Hey, We’re gonna head down to the bathroom and freshen up first.” One of your friends smirked. “You two have fun!”

“Wait, no-!”

They were already gone and the door was shut.

Eric had gotten you upstairs.

Alone.

————-

Donnie sighed, trying hard to focus on his work. “Why can’t y/n just listen to me.” He groaned to himself. “I’m just trying to help! How does that make me the bad guy?”

He continued wiring his latest invention, frustrated at how he kept messing up.

“It’s not gonna end well.” He growled. “It’s gonna end in heartbreak and I’m gonna have to pick up the pieces.”

“If y/n even trusts you with that.” Leo added from behind him, causing him to jump.

“Nardo, how long have you been standing there?” He glowered at him. “I’m busy.”

Leo held up his hands in surrender. “A while. Anyway, you’re just pushing y/n away.”

“But y/n isn’t listening to me!” He protested, dropping his tool. “I’m right!”

“Maybe, but you’re also being a jerk.” He shrugged. “Maybe she’ll get her heart broken but you could at least be there for support.”

“Oh no no no I’m not supporting that relationship.” He shook his head vigorously and picked up his screwdriver.

“Not the relationship, egghead.” Leo rolled his eyes. “Our friend?”

“Oh.” Donnie tapped the table in thought. “Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t have left y/n on read...”

“...And maybe go apologize?” Leo prompted.

“No she’s at a party.” He glanced around his phone, checking your location again. “Actually...” he leaned closer to stare at his screen, “y/n’s not at the party any more.”

“Perfect!” Leo clasped his hands together. “Go apologize!”

“It can’t wait?”

“Go!”

———-

You sat on the rooftop, clutching your jacket to your body and watching the city.

How could you have been so stupid.

How could have let something like that happen.

It was incredibly cold on the rooftop but you didn’t want to move. You didn’t want to go home. You CERTAINLY didn’t want to go to the lair either.

You just wanted to watch the city and pretend everything was okay again.

Why did you have to get your hopes up.

No one ever took interest in you like that unless they wanted something from you.

“Scoff, there you are!” Said the last person you wanted to talk to. “I thought you were in the building and spent about an hour searching for you.”

“Tracking device?” You asked, not even looking at him.

“Yep.” Donnie confirmed. “Now, might I inquire why you’re out here?” He glanced at his watch. “And not at your party?”

You stayed quiet.

“Something happen with Eric?”

You gave him nothing.

“I knew it!” He jumped up and cheered. “I was right! I was RIGHT! Ha!”

His every word made you feel colder and more embarrassed.

“I knew from the start! I knew he was untrustworthy!” He continued. “Eat that!”

Finally, he calmed down enough to sit next to you.

“Now, tell me, what did he do?” He leaned close expectantly. “Did he cheat? Did he kiss a girl? Did he try to get with one of your friends? Did he-?”

“He tried to rape me.” You spat out, bringing your knees to your chest.

Well I’m out of room XD

Part four up soon!

#rottmnt x reader #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #rottmnt oneshots #rottmnt leo #rottmnt imagine #rottmnt headcannons #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt x reader

225 notes · View notes