#when donny first meets people he decides right away if he's going to be a sweetheart or if they will be under attack at all times

[yellowhollyhock]

well that made me wanna watch Darkness Within

When Donny is excited about an idea he wakes his brothers up to help him build 💜

And Raph's reproach is so gentle, I don't think he'd be that mild if it was anyone else

"guys you gotta help me"

"Angel?" <- Donny's voice. I am winning

They drop what they're doing immediately to help their friend. I care them. a normal amount

ajdhajsh Raph comforting her while Mikey and Donny exchange this look about the police not helping her

Don immediately unnerved by the lack of security

Angel established as one with intuition in this episode. Trusting their instincts is a big characterization thing especially with Mikey, Raph, and April. And now Angel

Donny just knows all kinds of random useful stuff

Raph 'look I found a skeleton'

Leo does not like that she's just pressing forward touching things, pushing buttons and making Things happen. The first time she did it they (especially Donny) were impressed but now Leo is getting Irritated

dramatic old man

Donny "Um, sir, aren't you the least bit freaked out?" I love how he talks like a teenager but like a teenager who is trying to talk like an adult

Angel is taller than Leo and Raph (and I think they're taller than Donny and Mikey? at this point?)

Leo looking to his team before he says they're still going after the beast. What he says is "we don't have a choice," they're saving Ryan after all, but the fact that he pauses and checks in with them first is neat

Leo said 'nope sorry Angel you pressed the skeleton button now you are staying behind'

Donny treating his peers like children (he is. one year older than her).

It is really interesting the different ways the creature manipulates them. Shredder scared Raph but not enough to make him freeze up. Okay. What if you're the Shredder? Your own worst enemy and the source of all your problems. Now will you stop fighting?

The fact that it tries Splinter multiple times with Leo. Splinter getting hurt, okay now what if he hurts you?

the fact that it's always family members turning evil for Mikey. hnnnnng

anyways it only showed us small snippets of each turtle's fears besides Leo, want to write more detailssss, for the othersssss

oh yes of course. before the cells all looked the same but now we can clearly tell that the active one is glowing. since we got to see each turtle's fear they may now find Ryan within seconds.

so Angel's just been. Alone with this guy. And now she gets to watch him dissolve coolcoolcool

Angel: Ryan! You're alright!

Donny: He will be, after a nap. And a shower.

shajsjdjd

[m-joys]

Bay!Donnie: crush dates someone else

@thequeenofcupps :Hi! I was wondering if I can request bayverse Donatello where he finally manages to have enough courage to ask out reader but because he took to long reader is already dating someone? I want the angstiest angst that you can make 😇 also can it be hc’s?

A/n: saw this rn and had to write it. Lord give me angst♡ this also isn't proof read and English isn't my first language so sorry🙏

Even tho your first interaction with the turtles was quite...harsh to say the least, you just had to accept the four mutants as a new occurrence in your life. Simply knowing of their existence and having the chance to endanger them in any way by them letting you go without a care was too dangerous.

You quickly adapted to them being in your presence, simply seeing them as your friends rather than some mutants. Though in case with Donnie, you seemed to like him a lot more than the rest and not in a friendly way. The same could've been said vice versa, but the purple masked turtle didn't seem to be as sure in his feelings as you are.

It was no secret that you two were particularly close with each other, most of the time when you would come over majority of your time was spent with him in his lab. Talking about random things, him showing you his latest finds and relaxing together were probably your favorite moments of the day and each day the bigger spark between you two was forming.

The thing being, you could never truly figure out his feelings about you. You knew he didn't hate you, that's for sure, but you couldn't help but wonder whether the feelings were mutual or you were just imagining things. With that said, you decided not confess as to not harm the friendship between you two.

Time passed by and you came to the conclusion more and more that he didn't feel the same way about you. Deciding that It's the best to just move on and look for love elsewhere, you cut your time with Donnie short. Still visiting the lair and his lab, but the visits became more infrequent as you have now focused on meeting new people and trying out your luck in dating.

Donnie, of course, notices your sudden change in behavior. How couldn't he? The thing he thinked about the most was you after all, anyone in his vicinity could surely confirm that given that he managed to always bring you up in conversations no matter the topic. To say he was infatuated would be an understatement. This being the first time he ever felt something like this, he wasn't really sure how to act or what to do. He's a teenager after all.

Your visits became less and less frequent, which deeply hurt him even though he wasn't expressing it directly. He couldn't help but think that he was somehow the cause of this and that you started despising him for some reason. Yet, he couldn't just sit still and wonder knowing that that way he would never get the answer he deeply craved and would have to live with his feelings for you never being confessed to, well, you.

Mustering up the courage, he picked the time when he knew you were most likely to be home and visit you to finally let his heart out. The burden of his most beloved person drifting away was too much for him to handle and the only way he could possibly fix it is to talk to you.

Leaping from roof to roof, in his head Donnie was only thinking and connecting sentences to find the best way to say everything he's been thinking about since you two first shared glances. Replaying in his memory some of the times you shared together, only then did he manage to figure out that you probably had a crush on him too. All of the little smiles, discrete touches and obvious favorisem only seemed to make themselves clear right now.

Taking one final jump onto your fire escape and carefully looking around so no one sees him, he wa ready to knock on your window and call out for you.

At first, he thought you weren't home as your bedroom was dark with doors shut and you weren't in there, but he notices the light beams that peeked on the bottom of the door from the living room. Deciding to change position and move from one windows to another, Donnie made a quick way towards the other side of the building.

The urge to knock immediately and call out for you quickly went away when he noticed the commotion in your living room. At first he couldn't exactly tell who was there with you or why, but it seemed to quickly make sense to him once the stranger grabbed you by the waist and left a kiss on your forehead whilst sitting on the couch.

Seeing another person with you didn't hurt him as much as seeing you so happy, the way you were happy when you were with him. At least it used to be him.

A tear couldn't help but fall down his cheek as he realized that all of this could've been prevented if he had thought about confessing sooner. He was the smart one, how couldn't he have figured out long ago that you were in love with him? The same way he still is with you? Right now he couldnt tell if he was sad, disappointed in himself, hopeless or all three of those.

Turning around to make his way back home, he couldnt help but ask himself what if's. If he was a little sooner? If he notices earlier? If he had the courage to tell you right away?

He quickly stopped, realizing that there is no point. You could never be his, and he could never be yours. Maybe thats just the way it's meant to be.

[writinandcrying]

Do you guys ever think about the fact that the tmnt turtles fav comic would probably be X-men?

That they would finally feel seen, heard, to have someone understand how others treats them the way they look, the way they simply are

“If someone wrote this, it’s because they know what’s like to be judged, there are good people who will accept us, right?” Mikey thinks out loud hopefully

But Leo and Raph cannot be so optimistic as their little brother, they can only focus on how once they were the ones that once starved in the sewers back then, that had to deal with screaming fits and profanities if they decided to look for food on top side, how they wished to play at the playground near the layer, to visit central park for once during daylight and feel the sun, to listen ti the birds, to have friends, to truly exist.

How lucky they were for master Splinter, how he didn’t abandon them.

They wish someone once saw them as “little boys, But no one did. No human did.

Leo has to step back into reading those comics, that alone drove him and his brothers away further. It’s already hard enough to see how humans treat “outsiders” within themselves. Racism, xenophobia, homophobia transphobia, ableism. If humans can’t accept their own kind, how and why would they ever accept them?

Donnie doesn’t outright say it, but he shares the same kind of thoughts as his older brother, he doesn’t indulge this passion for a while either, he already has enough crisis to deal with his own, an existential one due to s simple comic isn’t on his agenda

Raph on the other hand, consumes like his life depends on it

For the first time, someone understands it. For the first time. He can cry it out for the life he wasn’t blessed to have. For the first time, someone revenged his and his brothers kind. The rage some characters felt It fueled something he was scared of, there was days he wanted justice, he wanted for humans to feel what he feels

He’s scared of those feelings, with X-men, he can let go of it for a while

Mikey HATES panels like those tho lmao, he hates embracing this “gloomy side” of being a mutant, of realizing that some mutants are just. Mutants. No one was meant to be chained at their families basement, no one was meant to be abandoned by their parents and left in the cold

Do you know what kind of panels he likes?

The ones that shows how kind mutants can be

How they can help out, how generous, gentle, and sweet mutants are, the ones that show how they are truly like

He knows some people out there would accept him,accept them. He can feel it. he just have to look real close, and who knows, maybe they will be able to ride at the coolest skateboard park near by! Or try out those gelato stores near the Brooklyn subway, or finally try a croissant, a fresh bagel! or or- Play freesbie with someone’s dog that took a liking in him at the park, brunches at soho, thrift shopping, going to concerts, just… existing at time square, finally having a midnight kiss as the ball drops in New Year’s Eve

No more screams, only smiles when someone meets his eyes

Who knows, right?

Also not to call Mikey out or anything but

all Xmen are hot send tweet

[milks-thoughts]

Rottmnt x human sister reader, splinter decides she should go to a human high school so she could be around her own kind and learn more. And the bros are all pretty protective over this and are worried about her being in human school.

I’m trying out a new header style! Tell me if you enjoy it or if I should go back to the color strips!

Summary: Reader goes to school, hell ensues

TW: vomiting, a nasty panic attack in a public space, talk of animals insides

Notes: anyone mentioned in this that isn’t from Rise is an oc of mine! Please don’t use them in any works without explicit permission

Study Sessions

You stared at your father as he called a family meeting, usually, these go horribly wrong. Especially as of recently, when your father decided that you, the youngest and the only girl (other than your older sister, April) should go to school…and not the school Donnie and (as of recent) Draxum have been teaching. No, human school. A human high school. You sat down at the table and hugged your knees to your chest, Donnie leaning on the wall, Raph and Leo sitting in the chairs and Mikey sitting on the counter. Splinter smiled but before he could speak Red spoke “ Pops- if this is about school I’m sure Donnie could teach her about algebra and..whatever else human kids learn! “ Donnie snarked “ I could teach her rocket science! “ Splinter nodded “ I’m sure you could purple but, she needs to be with other humans, learn to socialize “ you looked away as he slid papers on the table “ April’s parents did me a favor and enrolled her with Casey Jr! “ you felt doom and anxieties cloud your chest, you took the papers and read it, the papers were illegal documents that Donnie made…you read through each line before getting your schedule. How fun. It was seven classes a day with each class being an essential skill…apparently. What I’m the actual fuck is Home Ec.

The next few weeks came quicker than anticipated. Donnie made you and Casey matching bracelets, they were emergency bracelets (ignoring that your ninpō could just…tell them if something was wrong). And of course they were genius tech! He was making an empire after all! You did clothes shopping with April and also learned how to be socially acceptable with not only April's help, but also Sunita…and finally, the dreaded day. You and Casey stood shoulder to shoulder and stared at the high school, it was bustling, a few interesting faces but mostly everyone already knew each other. There was a larger group, of about seven people. You noted how one had a pretty sapphire necklace and a prosthetic arm that was so fluid it rivaled Donnie’s own he made for Leo. You gave Casey a hopeful smile and walked into the high school, you were immediately overstimulated. Going from a rather empty sewer to a high school was anxiety filling. A blonde haired girl bumped into you, when you turned to apologize for being in her way she immediately apologized. She was probably 5 '6 with sea green eyes and blonde hair “ my names Nyssa, you two seem a bit lost- do you need some help? “ Casey immediately nodded, Nyssa smiled and held out her hand “ oh right! They/Them! "Oops. You smiled and spoke your name, Casey following your lead. Nyssa led you two to your first class “ Your schedules are exactly the same, I didn’t know they could do that. You may get separated when testing comes up, you could be boosted into honors or lowered to just skills class “ Nyssa stopped at the first door. How amazing, math at 8 AM.

When the class finished you saw the white haired boy meet up with a brown haired girl with a tiger eye brooch. All the jewelry you’ve been seeing was very similar to Sunitas cloaking device, the brown haired girl seemed to be a senior based on how old she looked and sounded. You smiled and led Casey to your other classroom. Science.. how lovely, you knew you’d get this fine. Casey had a bit less of knowledge than you, they didn’t exactly have a need for schooling in the apocalypse. While you…well your brain has been nurtured by your older brother since the both of your youth. You could speak four different languages fluently, you could do some math that college students learn, you could do most things. Your biggest problem? American history. You learned Japanese history, your father telling you myths and legends that he learned. And you knew a bit of history from China. A sudden electrical feeling ran through you and Casey, it was simply a blue warmth, less like a fire or a sun and more like an electric heat. You were more than happy to welcome it into your ninpō, walking with it through your science class. It was simple biology, you slept through most of it with Casey and answered any questions sent your way. It left soon after second period and left you alone during third.

Then it was time for your language class…you spoke flawlessly, holding a full conversation with the teacher in Spanish before halfway switching to Japanese to see if the teacher could too. He couldn’t. Casey suddenly spoke up next to you and you turned, the two of you happily chattering in Japanese, sometimes clicking at each other before you realized that was weird, so you continued in Japanese. Yes, both you and Casey are fluent in the “ turtle language “ but shhh that doesn’t matter. Language class moved quickly and then off to fourth. You met Nyssa again, they said hello as you sat down next to Casey in biology. It was announced that you’ll be dissecting something. When you questioned what the teacher smiled “ oh! we’ll be dissecting something super exciting tomorrow, a red eared slider! “ you felt queasy. Quickly shooting up your hand to ask for the restroom, you sped off and found yourself emptying your stomach in the school hallway, a trash can in your hold, your ninpō going crazy and altering not only all of your brothers of your panicking but also a feeling…someone who was spewing mystic energy somewhere in this school, and no, it wasn’t Draxum. His mystic powers felt a certain…way. It wasn’t long before Casey found you and rubbed your back. The feeling of Raphs sturdy ninpō wrapping around your panicking one helped calm you down. You breathed and wiped your mouth with a sanitary wipe Donnie was demanding you keep with you. Slowly you and Casey went back to class, you still looked clammy and jumpy as you sat down and looked anywhere but the board that was a display of snapping turtles insides, Casey was holding it together, but barely. Like an overstuffed suitcase. The bell soon rang after that.

You made your way to lunch where you spoke to Draxum a bit and then was swept away by Nyssa. Brought to a table with the same few interesting people you’ve seen that day. When you really got closer to them, most of the jewelry was spewing mystic energy…cloaking devices. The brown haired senior was named Bellezza, there was a tan girl with short curly hair and a seal coat named Öskra, a blonde senior with blue eyes named River, she had a opal gemstone in a choker on her neck. A brown haired girl named Ésme who shared a ruby ring with the white haired boy (whom you learned was named Mason) and was the only one who didn’t buzz with mystic energy. And the last person, a black haired boy with burgundy eyes named Alexander, he had a garnet bracelet on. They all seemed to be able to pick up on your free flowing ninpō, and how it was prickling from previous panic. You were stuck close to Casey as you rested through lunch, your ninpō reaching and searching for two in particular. One that kind of felt like Mc Donald’s sprite and the electrical warmth. They both responded immediately, their ninpōs like two cats curling around a scared kitten. Your ninpō is the metaphorical kitten.

You didn’t eat lunch that day, moving into fifth period, ELA. The teacher gave you a free period and you simply slept. Your lashes attached to your cheek before you woke up with a startled noise, your eyes wide before looking up. There was your purple clad brother, staring at you as you looked at the ceiling tiles. You glared at him, before looking around and getting yourself into the roof quickly “ what are you doing here?! “ you hissed “ I’m just seeing how my dear sister is doing! and if this school is really better than my teachings! '' you sighed “ it’s super easy right now- “ Donnie laughed “ of course it is! He said confidently “ you smiled at your brother and sighed “ How’s everyone holding up at home? '' Donnie hummed “ Nardo has been fighting Raph to not just portal in this school and hunt you down. I didn’t let him come! “ you stared at him dead panned “ and you can? '' Donnie stared and then slowly backed away into the shadows of the dusty air vent. You dropped down quietly after that and slipped back into your seat, knocking dust off yourself. The bell rang again…god you were tired of that damn bell. Time for sixth period.

Next was a world history class. The teacher had turtles as a class pet, you were immediately drawn to them. Casey watched as you quietly chirped and rumbled at them. The turtles craning their heads closer to you as you made noises at them, their quiet voices responding. You quickly scampered to your seat, far away from Casey. Squished between two boys that made your ninpō scream and demand you return to Casey’s side, anxieties pulling your brain into mush. The teacher put on a video about ancient Egyptian mythology. Stuff you already knew. Your eyes grew heavy as you fell asleep, halfway through your rest the sound of a large bang startled you awake.

You whipped back with a noise and fell out of your chair. Backing up a bit, you didn’t see a classroom. You saw the tunnels, kraang infested as they chased you and your brothers. Raph missing. That was your whole mission, to retrieve your oldest brother. Leo and Casey Jr got separated. Mikey and Donnie hid in the tank. Leaving you, to get stolen away. You fumbled and looked around for something, anything to fight the kraang. Someone grabbed your arm and you started hitting it, the arm didn’t relent, it was softly pulling you away from the tunnel. The whole…incident… was traumatic for you. any really, everyone. You, Casey, Raph, and Leo got the nastiest of the flashbacks. The yokai therapist that the family got said they were classified as panic attacks. Even as the soft arms pushed you to the floor you continued hitting and thrashing, pausing when the feeling of something wrapping around your ninpō entered your brain. Your body is basically shocked to real life. Casey was holding you by your arms, you had hot tears running down your face and hurt vocal cords. You stared at him and blinked before letting out a quiet sob and leaning forward, him just holding you throughout the entirety of sixth period.

You guys didn’t go to seventh period. You just sat in the corner of a hallway and breathed, at some point the same blonde senior, River, came and sat down with you two. And after that? Mason, the albino boy, and Bellezza the senior with auburn hair joined her. They were all siblings, Casey theorized that they were wolf yokai based on how they flocked like a pack. Seventh period ended quickly, when April came to get you guys she immediately noticed the tense mood from you two, walking back to the sewers…she could only wonder how the brothers would react. When the three of you walked in, Raph was the first to notice you being back, he looked at your and Casey’s sour faces and lowered his snout so it rested on your head and hugged you, chuffing hard enough your entire body vibrated. You made small similar noises, but they were weak and halfhearted. Raph was so worried about what happened to you at school. Leo and Donnie soon returned to the main area and joined the upwards cuddle session, Casey and April being pulled into it as they all wrapped around Raph to feel his churrs, Mikey soon attaching to Raphs shells and starting to chur as well, you forgot how amazing it felt to be held like this. You took off your cloaking device and the scars that were hidden from the public eye became known. Oh how much they wanted to ask about school, why your ninpō wailed in pain, why your chirps that normally sounded so nice were half hearted and deflated

[fishsticksloser]

Hello!! I saw requests were open, so if it's not a problem, i would like to request the rottmnt brothers (separatly ofc), falling in love at first sight with reader, since reader's job is near of the sewers and everytime (Turtle of option) comes out, he always see them, so when he asks April if she knows them, she reveals that reader it's a close friend of her, which makes April and the brothers to organize a meeting with him (i know is kinda cliche but anyways).

Don't feel with the need of doing this, you can easily delete or ignore this request if you don't like, hope you have a nice day :DD

Love At First Sight

Mikey x gn!reader

Warnings: kind of slow burn??, eventual fluff, awkwardness, aged up

A/N: this was a little difficult for me to write... Ngl, I've never felt this so I tried, please don't be upset if this sucks. :( I decided to just do one because coming up with 4 scenarios was too much for my tiny brain...

You work at an art studio. How did Mikey know that? Because you worked right next to the entrance to the lair. He saw you almost every time he was leaving or coming home. Sometimes he'd sit and watch you paint after hours. He wanted so badly to go in and paint with you, but he knew he couldn't... April, Cassandra, and Casey had been around weird stuff pretty much all their lives so 4 turtle men had no affect on them. But normal people? They'd probably faint.

"Hey, Mikey." April greets. "What's goin' on? Your brothers say you've been pretty quiet recently. Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Mike mumbles. "There's just this person that works at the art studio up there that I really like."

"I have a friend that works there, maybe I can help." April smiles, nudging him "What's their name?"

Mikey hesitates. Dr. Feelings wouldn't hesitate! So he spilled, your name falling out.

"No way..." April gasps.

"W-What?"

"I've been friends with them forever! You so got this!"

"Y-Yeah, well... I don't know if you noticed but I'm a turtle."

"So? I like you."

"You've known us since you were 8."

"Whatever, call me if you want help."

April left, off to talk to the other 3 turtles, hoping they could help convince Mikey.

"Mikey's got a crush?" Raph asks.

"Well why didn't he just say so!?" Leo grins. "We've totally got this."

"Uh. Leo? Are you forgetting?" Donnie scoffs. "He's both Dr. Feelings and Dr. Delicate Touch. This is going to be hard."

"Donnie's right." Raph crosses his arms. "Dr. Delicate Touch feels nothing. Plus, if he finds out that we know... I don't even want to think about it..."

"Well then, I've totally got this." Leo laughs.

A few weeks went by and they still hadn't convinced Mikey to ask April for help, so they came up with a plan to make them meet. It was dangerous, of course, but they still had hope.

He didn't have it.

≺✨*: .｡. 🧡 .｡.:*✨≻

"Mikey, come on!" Leo calls.

"Coming!" Mikey gets to the exit and the 2 of them start climbing. "Where's Raph and Don?"

"They're meeting us there with April." Leo answers.

Once up top, Leo disappears. Mikey looks around, helplessly. The back door to your art studio opens and you step out with April. Mikey is frozen, they set him up...

"Oh!" April fake gasps. "Mikey!"

"What?" You ask, turning your head to face wherever April was looking.

"This is my adopted brother, Michelangelo!" April grins.

"H-Hi, it's nice to meet you..." Mikey stutters, shaking your hand. You didn't seem scared, more confused, which April took as a good sign.

"It's nice to meet you too..." You nod. "Adopted brother?"

"They kind of adopted me." April shrugs. "He's half human."

"Half... Box turtle?"

"Y-Yep!"

It was silent for a minute or 2. Like you were decided on whether running away, screaming was an option. You studied Mikey and he started feeling self concious.

"... Weirder things have happened in New York." You finally spoke before turning back to April. "You said they. Are there more?"

[pianocat939]

Great Celina!! I have came far and wide to ask you ... HCs/theories on Yandere big mama BUT! He was raised by big mama instead of splints ~ 👀 love to see what you come up with

Hello traveler from afar! I shall heed your request!

Tw: Leo tries to eat bugs, betrayal, manipulation, murder and kidnapping at the yandere part (it's towards the bottom)

Theory on Leo if Big Mama was his Parent

(Now before we actually begin I assume you’re talking about Leo because I did briefly touch on a former post about it but if you were talking about all 4 I apologize.)

The only possible way I can see Leo being even in Big Mama's clutches in the first place is if Lou Jitsu dropped him on accident while trying to escape Draxum's lab. It can be both in the yokai or human world but either way, bro got left behind.

Big Mama finds a poor turtle baby and decides to take him home since there was no one to keep her company after Lou went dashy-dash on her. And guess what, she is a surprisingly great mom.

Spiders are known to just straight up leave their babies as soon as they are born, but as she is a yokai, not an animal, so she has empathy for infant Leo. She would do the things that society would consider a "loving mother". Although some of her spider behaviour does change a few things: she feeds him bugs, nips him lightly if she's in her spider form, and carries him around in her silk threads.

Oh, and he picks up her accent lmao.

By the time he's a child/pre-teen stage, he is 100% brat. He'll mess up his mummy's hotel decorations, steals food from the chefs, and do anything a child can think of. But there's one thing that's the most important in this stage, his development of manipulation. Not only is he the son of the owner of Grand Nexus Hotel, but he is also a child. And children can get away with anything if they use the right words.

Whenever he causes mischief and someone tries to report him on it, he'll do puppy eyes with a hint of sadness in his voice, and before you know it, he deceives the staff member. This lets him get away a few times until Big Mama notices his talent with words.

She starts giving him little tasks such as "Try to get that dealer to give you that fruit for free," or "Have that little boy let you play with his toys". This slowly starts turning gears in Leo's head and by the time he's a teen he helps his mummy out in "assisting" customers.

So the day when the turtles meet Big Mama, imagine their surprise when they see another turtle dressed in fine formal wear. The other 3 boys always heard stories from Splinter about how they had a missing brother that has red marks on his face. There was no possibility that he isn't their brother.

As expected, Mikey runs up to him in a big hug, which is lightly shrugged off by Leo as he thinks Mikey is just another customer. He's bombarded with questions from Donnie and Mikey but he waves his hand and walks off, stating he needs to attend to his job.

Skip forward to the time Big Mama reveals her yokai form and the two groups start fighting. Midway through the battle, Leo attacks one of them, most likely Donnie as he is the easiest to target. Donnie feels betrayed and painstakingly says 'brother' but Leo only laughs and retorts he's not their brother.

So now he's their eternal enemy.

Ok now for some Yandere Hcs because that's my job now.

He's not too different when compared to his normal counterpart but there are a few noticeable changes in his personality.

He tends to do some more indirect actions such as having hitmen, or throwing people in the Battle Nexus whenever there's a rival. If he's really feeling murderous though, he'll fight them right in the arena.

He doesn't have an "I feel useless" problem like normal Leo either. Instead, he has a more possessive and "what would you do without me" type of thing.

If he is to kidnap MC, they're going to be trapped in the Hotel as that is where he is often times and the security guards/cameras are everywhere (the staff does not want to upset Big Mama's son, he has a horrible temper if things don't go as planned).

If I were to summarize everything, he's a mix of normal Leo and Donnie.

——————————————————

Something tells me he would try to crawl around like a spider as a kid.

- Celina

[callmehere-iwillappear]

IMBI is going up against 2AL in @tmntaucompetition today SO I wrote a quick one shot with CMH Leo's perspective of this fic (plus a bit extra)! Vote IMBI so they tie (and check out both AUs if you haven't yet, they're both super good!)

-

If Leo has to be honest, he wasn’t all that thrilled about the whole… multidimensional sports competition thing when he first got there. Sure, normally he would’ve been. Normally he would’ve jumped at the opportunity to have some fun and meet some alternate versions of himself and his family, compare their universes and such (and, okay, maybe watch Donnie geek out too). 

But normally he wouldn’t be, y’know, a ghost. Invisible, intangible, the works, and surrounded by people who can’t. See him. He’d thought he’d gotten past the whole dissociation thing – and to be fair, his brothers have been wearing their goggles the whole time, which definitely helps – but… seeing all these versions of himself and his brothers and knowing that they can’t see him… knowing he might as well not exist to them…

Well. It digs up some old, not-so-good feelings. 

His brothers definitely notice, as much as he tries to hide it, and they offer to leave early, but he turns them down. Judging by the looks they give each other, though, no matter what he says they’re probably going to drag him back as soon as they lose – because considering the fact that his team is effectively down a player, and one of their other players is Donnie, Leo is under no illusions that they’ll end up winning the whole thing. One round? Maybe, if they’re lucky. Depends who they’re up against. But the whole thing? No way. 

And… he can’t help but feel guilty, just a bit. He knows for a fact all his brothers would’ve loved this type of thing under any other circumstances. Hell, they still do – Raph is looking around in awe, Mikey is barely holding himself back from running around to make some new friends, and Donnie – well, it goes without saying that Donnie is basically in heaven right now. He’s actually using the speech to text function of his tech gauntlet for once, dictating notes rather than typing them so he can stim with his free hand. And Leo just knows he’s seconds away from bolting off to gather up the other Donnies and compare notes. 

… Leo doesn’t want them to give that up. Not for him. 

Not that it matters in the end, since he can’t exactly stop them if they decide to go home early. And there’s… a tiny, selfish part of him – a part that he hates – that’s. Well. Kind of relieved. Which, of course, makes him feel even more guilty, because how could he be happy about taking something away from his brothers that would make them happy?

So. Yeah. All in all, interdimensional sports tournament? Not as fun as it sounds!

And then he meets another Leo. 

Key word: meets. Because this Leo? For some reason, he can see him. And Leo doesn’t understand how until they actually talk, and he finds out they’re in the same damn boat. Well – not the exact same, other-Leo is cursed while Leo is a ghost, but tomato Hamato. The point is: this is someone who gets it. Someone he can commiserate with. And as he finds out, staring in wonder at his counterpart’s hand on his shoulder, someone he can touch. 

The nice thing about being variations on the same person is that neither of them need to say anything, the other Leo wordlessly pulling him in for a hug that Leo desperately needs. There’s no warmth from it, just an odd sort of pressure, but it’s more than he’s had in such a long time and he finds himself clinging on like he’ll die (... well, die again) if he lets go.

He can practically feel the concerned looks from his brothers, but he does his best to ignore them. And, he thinks very hard in their directions, if any of them bring up the tears that are definitely not in his eyes when he finally pulls away, he will personally ensure they will never again know peace in their lives. 

-

They end up losing their first match. It was closer than Leo had expected, if he’s honest – he was able to use his invisibility to his advantage, sneaking up on the other team and smacking the ball out of their hands and towards his own brothers. But he ends up getting distracted near the end at one point, his hand phasing through the ball instead of hitting it, and it’s all downhill from there. 

He’s not actually too upset about it – sure, it would’ve been nice to win a round or two, but considering they basically only had two and a half players versus the other group’s full team, it’s not exactly surprising. His brothers ask again if he wants to go home, and like the last time, he tells them no – except he means it this time, and he’s pretty sure they can tell from the way their expressions soften. They don’t seem too surprised at his answer, though to be fair, he’s been very noticeably in better spirits (hah) since his encounter with the other Leo. 

They’d asked, earlier, when the two Leos got bored of scaring the shells off unsuspecting bystanders and went back to their respective families. They couldn’t see the other Leo, so Leo had to explain everything to them – and their faces had softened then, too. He knows they’ve been worried about him, made sure to have at least one of them by his side at all times, and he still feels kind of guilty about that. 

But it’s… less so, now. The guilt, the anxiety, the familiar feeling of not being real… it’s all settled down, for the most part. Knowing that even just one other person sees him, understands what he’s going through, helps more than words can say. 

So, yeah, this time when his brothers offer him the chance to bail out, he just shakes his head with a smile and turns to look for a spot on the bleachers so he can cheer his new friend on.

[aww-canon-no]

Let The Children Boogie

Hello.  I’m posting my WIP chapters on here from my Ao3.  Sorry to dash flood.

Let The Children Boogie

Prologue/?

Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Side ship- Robin/Nancy

Future fic, post canon, fix it everyone (almost) lives, trauma recovery, HoH Eddie, Steve Harrington’s bisexual awakening

on Ao3

Summary: 

A first apartment: Six people, four bedrooms, 533 miles from where the world tried to end.

And they're ready for the rest of what life is supposed to be.

*** 

It starts with a wad of cash, a key…

And a question. There’s a guy mowing a lawn about ten feet away so Eddie has to squint and read Steve’s lips when he asks:

“How would you feel about getting the fuck out of Hawkins?”

Eddie stares at Steve—at his perfect hair and his smile that’s a little more crooked than it used to be, and the dumbass polo shirt that looks so right and so wrong all at the same time. He looks like listens to Donnie and Marie—and honestly Eddie wouldn’t be surprised if he dug around Steve’s room and found a few old albums.

He thinks about the question and then he laughs.

“It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Why are you here tormenting me?”

Eddie’s dreamt of getting the hell out long before he was the serial killing freak who was exonerated, but everyone still kind of hates even though they know all about the curse, and the monsters, and…everything.

Eddie’s wanted to escape since he was twelve and his dad beat the absolute fuck—and hearing—out of him after finding a magazine under his bed that didn’t have naked girls inside. No. It had…others.

And Eddie had no excuses.

He was knocked unconscious and woke up in the hospital with bleeding ears and a doctor writing him a note saying that he was going to live with his uncle and his hearing would return in a few weeks, after the swelling went down. He’d stop being so dizzy all the time, the doctor assured him.

It didn’t happen that way at all, and that was the first time Eddie realized curses were real.

He got by. He made do. He sucked at lipreading so he just let everyone believe he was a useless loser kid who didn’t want to pay attention. He scraped by on pity Cs until high school when his teachers suddenly all decided they wanted to make an example out of him.

Two years and a bunch of murders and he was finally—finally—done.

He was pretty sure that last D was also pity, but at least for that one, he was able to say he helped saved the world.

“Where are we going?” Eddie asks when Steve doesn’t answer his first question, because yeah, it’s a dumbass one. Steve isn’t there to torture him. Steve is the one who holds him together on nights Eddie’s a billion percent sure he’s about to fall apart.

“I got us an apartment in Atlanta,” Steve says, leaning in close. He’s never asked Eddie if he’s deaf but he’s pretty sure Steve figured it out a long time ago.

For a moment, Eddie thinks maybe some cosmic asshole’s playing a trick on him. Steve wants to live with him?

The freak? The weirdo? The mess?

Steve looks like he hasn’t been sleeping well, though. None of them really look okay. It’s been four years and Eddie’s working part time down at Matt’s garage and it’s… not really working out. He has a permanent tremble in his left hand that makes it hard to tighten bolts and shit, and he jumps at every sudden movement.

The kids have all graduated now. Erica’s running Hellfire, and Corroded Coffin broke up when everyone else’s parents moved them across the country and away from Hawkins. Not that Eddie blames them.

He just…misses them.

He swallows heavily. “Steve.” It’s more like a plea than a question.

Steve takes one step higher onto the trailer porch and meet his gaze. “Please don’t make me do this alone.”

As though Eddie has ever—will ever—tell him no.

***

The first time Eddie puts his key into the lock and turns it, he can’t hear it. It’s too faint. But he feels it through his fingertips, a sort of rushing vibration that pools around his elbow and makes his fingers all jumpy. He opens the door and he’s met with the sight of Dustin passed out on a shitty, black vinyl bean bag and Steve unpacking kitchen boxes because of course he’s in the kitchen.

Nancy’s hanging ferns by the window and Eddie’s pretty sure they’re not fake. Robin’s trying to tackle a bookshelf that’s disassembled and looks like it’s partly made out of LEGO.

Max is in the far corner with her back propped up against the wall, headphones on, a fat binder-looking thing on her lap. Eddie knows it. It’s braille. She took her lot in life like a goddamn champ. Better than Eddie ever did.

Steve looks up at him and smiles and jerks his head to the side like he’s beckoning him over. Eddie’s forgotten that he’s holding bags full of sandwiches from a deli down the street, and he tosses them on the counter before walking to the boom box with two tape decks and a CD player that Steve’s parents were going to throw away when they were packing up their house.

They don’t actually have any CDs, but Eddie’s got enough tapes to last them a lifetime.

There’s tiny specks of puffy paint on some of the controls which Eddie knows is Robin’s doing. It lets Max use the thing without having to ask for help.

He feels a weird pulse in the center of his chest as he glances around at the piles and piles of unpacked boxes, then down the hall to the four bedrooms that are waiting to be claimed.

He rummages around and finds Fleetwood Mac, jams the tape in, then turns the volume all the way down before he hits play. He catches Steve’s eye as he surreptitiously puts his fingers over the speaker, then begins to turn the knob up until Steve nods.

Pressing his hand to the counter, he feels the beat in his fingers. It’s not as powerful as he wants it to be, but it’s enough for that moment.

“What’s next?” he asks.

Steve shrugs, then walks around the counter and snags him by the belt loop and tugs until they’re tumbling down the hall and into the furthest bedroom. The largest one. There’s a full sized bed in one corner and a futon in the other, and the dresser Steve took from his parents’ place.

“Robin and Nancy said we can have it,” Steve tells him near his right ear which is the one that has the most hearing. It’s not a lot. It kind of reminds him of listening underwater in the community pool when he was a kid. But it’s something, especially when Steve is standing close and the place is just…

Quiet.

Eddie looks around. Like, properly looks around. Above the bed is Steve’s bat hanging on a bunch of nails.

Below that is an oar.

He’s laughing before he can stop himself, and Steve tackles him to the bed. “Shut the fuck up!”

But he can’t. He physically can’t. He realizes he’s far away from everything that ever made him miserable with the only people that ever really made him happy apart from Gareth, Jeff, and Trey who are…you know. Long gone.

His grin hurts his face as he rolls onto his side, kicking Steve off him but not letting him get far. “Does that shit mean you got dibs on the bed?”

Steve shrugs and props up on his elbow, staring at Eddie for so long, it starts to make him feel all squirmy inside. Steve opens his mouth, then closes it again.

Eddie doesn’t know if he’s saying something and he absently tugs on his ear. Steve reaches for him and pulls his hand away. “There’s room for your guitar.”

It’s a new one. The one he saved the world with—his baby—is long-gone. It got swallowed up when shit hit the town, and a lot of things came back when they sealed the upside down for good…but not that.

Everyone—his own little personal band of freaks—saved up and got him a replica three Christmases ago. Every time he looks at it, his heart beats a little faster. It’s currently sitting in his car, cradled between several blankets in the back seat.

“I’m gonna need a job,” he says, well aware he and Steve are both avoiding each other’s questions and statements.

Steve sighs. “Yeah. We’re all gonna need jobs.”

Eddie flops onto his back and covers his face with one hand. The other one lies between them and it’s not long before Steve takes it. Eddie has never known how to tell Steve how much he appreciates being touched because he spent so damn many years with people avoiding contact with him.

And it wasn’t like he was shy about what he needed. He was always throwing his arms around people and bashing his body into them and they just laughed and pushed him off and gave him space. Like he’d asked for it or something.

But Steve has never…not really. Not since the very beginning.

His palm is warm against Eddie’s, and Steve grips him not too tight, not too loose, and he doesn't flinch when Eddie’s fingers begin to tremble.

“I don’t want to work on cars anymore.” He hasn’t heard his voice properly since he was a kid, but it feels kind of thick in the back of his throat with emotion he doesn’t really want to think about.

“This is our beginning, Munson,” Steve tells him. He moves his thumb so it’s pressing to the inside of Eddie’s wrist, and he pushes. Hard. It makes his fingers twitch for a whole different reason than injury and trauma. “We can do whatever we want.”

Eddie breathes out and lets Steve go so he can stretch his arms all the way above his head. He lays the tips of all five fingers against the wall and pretends like he can push his way through it. “I can’t hear shit.”

“I know.”

Eddie turns his head to look at him. “I want to be a musician.”

Steve smiles. “I know.”

He can’t make money doing that, but maybe he can…do something with it? He hasn’t explored the city yet, but it’s bigger than Hawkins with just…so much. There’s so much more outside the walls of their little apartment. Maybe there's room for him and his shitty, strange little dreams somewhere.

“This is our beginning,” Steve repeats.

Eddie hums and drops his arms and lets himself just feel the sensation of Steve lying close.

[donovanpaak]

INTRODUCING...Donovan Paak.

STATS:

Nicknames: Donnie, Don.

Character Age:  33

Neighborhood: Midtown

Occupation: Firefighter

Sexuality: Bisexual

Birthday: June 29th, 1990

Faceclaim: Charles Melton

Hometown: Asheville, NC.

Years of Residence: 25 Years

Pinterest Board /

Character Inspiration: Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Patrick Verona (10 things I hate about you), Kevin G (Mean Girls), Rick O'Connell (The Mummy), Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter)

tldr;

-- DONOVAN PAAK grew up in a loving home where knowledge was everything. his parents went missing when he was only seven years old and he ended up being fostered by the yoon's, a family that showed him nothing but real love. not long after, a single mother with means adopted him and helped him try to connect the dots of his biological parents' disappearance. after years and with no answers, donnie made it his mission to save people that needed to be saved. he became a firefighter after spending a year in south korea, thriving in his career until three years ago when he made a mistake and his friend decided to take the fall for him. since then, donnie wonders how long his conscience will let him keep the secret and struggles with keeping up with the lies.

READ BELOW for fun facts, biography, possible connections.

random facts

donnie loves drawing and will do so at any time of the day, even when he's having a conversation with his close friends or family

has quite the graphic novels collection; however if you ask him about any tv show or movie, he will probably not have any idea of what you're talking about

hosts video game nights once a month at his mother's home in carriage falls

can and will outdrink you under any circumstances

can be a little quiet and reserved upon first meeting him

will do anything for the people that he loves

donnie can fall asleep very easily and will take naps at random times of the day

owns too many backpacks

prefers to stay in rather than going out, but will still have fun when out with friends

owns way too many books, his collection includes all the books that belonged to his parents. he hasn't read half of their stuff but reads one book a week

he's a people pleaser and is mostly happy when he makes other people happy

biography

Donnie was born in Asheville to loving parents whose real and only love was their research and their son. The Paak’s had found love in what most people would call a movie story, two archaeologists that met in university and married right after. Donovan was born two years after their marriage, and then five years later they found a topic that turned their research into their whole lives.

Donovan doesn’t remember a lot of it, or of his parents, but they traveled more often than not when he was a child. His grandmother would take care of him until she passed away, then came the nannies,or the aunts. It was during one of those trips that his parents never came back from. Donnie was seven.

The foster system is one of the first things that he can remember, but unlike most kids, Donovan remembers it fondly as that is where he met the Yoon’s. Minhyuk came first as his social worker, but also who eventually became his foster dad which led to Donovan’s move to the town that he now calls home: Wilmington. With the man came Sara and Mahi, who Donnie grew so attached to that by the time that he had to say goodbye to his temporary family, he knew he would never be able to let them go.

With the Yoon’s, he learned what a home cooked meal was, what having siblings felt like, what sharing toys really meant, but most of all, he learned that his parents hadn’t left him, but that they’d been missing after their flight to Berlin.

It worked out perfectly when almost a year after being in the system, Donovan was adopted by a single woman in her thirties who’d always wanted children but couldn’t have them with or without a partner. Adela Garcia was a sophisticated, fairly rich museum curator and collector. But Donnie’s favorite thing about the woman was that she was local to Wilmington and that was all that mattered because that meant that he would stay in touch with his sisters. He could get through anything with them.

Adela was the perfect mother though, food was always on the table, traveling overseas only happened when she could take Donovan with her, she didn’t miss a school play or sporting event, bought him anything and everything that her son wanted. The one thing that she could not give him though? Answers. 

At thirteen, Donovan only wanted to know what happened to his parents, how could they have disappeared out of thin air and why had no one ever asked these questions? So, Adela helped him. She hired investigators, let him miss classes when needed, hugged him when they hit dead-ends. 

Slowly, Donnie realized that his parents’ disappearance would always be a mystery to him. This led to him acting out a little bit. He tried getting into fights with older kids in school, tried drinking, yelled at his adoptive mom, yelled at who’d once been his foster dad. High school was a roller coaster, too much pent up frustration and heartbreak that he was finally letting out. Donnie often wondered if his mom would give up on him but she never did, neither did the Yoon’s.

When no one left him, he realized that despite not having answers, he had a family, and although he would never stop looking for his birth parents, Donnie had to move on. Meeting Chloe helped, it was like someone finally understood him. He’d found the missing piece to his support system.

At eighteen, Donovan graduated high school. He and Adela spent a year in Korea, where they found his father’s side of the family and although he loved spending time with them, he was even happier to be back home in Wilmington when they did come back. Spending a whole year doing nothing but drawing, reading and sightseeing gave him answers that he hadn’t had upon graduation.

He joined the fire academy the day that they landed back in Wilmington. Two years later, he joined the Wilmington Fire Station as a candidate. His mother wasn’t particularly happy, she could have paid for any school, any major, but her son had chosen to put his life at risk everyday of his life. Donovan’s answer was and will always be that he can’t do anything that isn’t helping those who need it. 

Naturally, Donnie thrived as a firefighter, graduating top of his class and becoming the driver for the truck in record time according to the older firefighters. He has worked his way up in the past decade and is thought of very highly by his teammates and superior officers, but he’s never really wanted up the hierarchy as the reason why he wanted to be in the job was that he could save people. It’s his calling.

Three years ago, Donovan and another firefighter went on a call with everyone else and Donnie messed up by being impatient and not following his chief’s direct orders, which led to one of his teammates getting extremely hurt. When Donnie woke up, his friend had taken the fall for him, telling him in secret that with his injuries he couldn’t keep being a firefighter and Donovan deserved a second chance, he’d only done what he thought was right.

Despite his friend’s support, Donnie has felt incredibly guilty since then and for a few years struggled to be happy with his job, feeling as if he’d betrayed the firefighter spirit and honor by letting a dear friend take the fall for his mistake. He’s never told anyone but as much as he loves his job, he wonders if his conscience is going to let him continue working and has found himself not as centered as he’s always been, trying to see if he should follow his gut, come clean and lose everything he’s worked so hard for or to keep quiet and keep going.

possible connections

friends, childhood friends, fwb, hook ups, one night stands, enemies, rivals, drinking buddies, partners in crime, love interests, anything you can think of that your character can fit into his life!

[temunitu]

been rewatching tmnt 2012 with my sister (my other siblings joining occasionally) and WOW.

(take everything i say with a grain of salt)

ok so. from the beginning:

season one:

• i liked the build up of having to learn about the villains as they came in. it’s also a bit different because the kraang show up before shredder.

• the mystery of april’s connection to the kraang was enticing.

• I AM STILL MAD ABOUT TIMOTHY. they tried to make donnie seem guilty over it but donnie never seemed remorseful. timothy deserves BETTER OK? he was made out to he just some annoying guy but he wasn’t that bad. also just because someone is annoying doesn’t mean they deserve to get mutated into organs in a tank!!!

• the characterization of the turtles was still a bit rougher than i’m used to (my siblings and i are very close so seeing the turtles act mean for the sake of being mean is really… not my cup of tea).

• the ENDING is what sells this for me, though—when leo stays behind to destroy the kraang/technodrome and it explodes and they think he DIED? not a single tear onscreen. not one. yes there are people who don’t cry normally, and maybe they were in shock, but there’s almost no crying in the ENTIRE show for ANYTHING.

season two:

• ok, mutagen canisters sprinkled all over the city. makes for an easy way to bring in more mutants (they overused this)

• april’s mad. ok, interesting take. hey donnie maybe leave her the fuck alone and stop stalking her???

• krang invasion. ok, interesting. high stakes, new takes. can’t say I’m a fan of new york getting cured with no repercussions but whatever. 

season three:

• interesting, interesting, being in the woods is a nice change of setting

• that one can of mutagen just… continuing the entire plot of the show.

• a FUCKING CAR GOT MUTATED???? what are the limitations of mutation i’m going to scream

• they um… they were just goofing off and having parodies/references to horror movies before the last episode where they just… DECIDE to suddenly get off their shells to train????? because Leo got his ass kicked by a deer??? 

• big dino go brrrrrr

• splinter dies. no tears.

season four:

• a l i e n s

• Y’GYTHGBA AND G’THROKKA MY BELOVED. Y’Gythgba, girl… you can do so much better. what do you see in raph. he can’t even pronounce your name right???

• what the— the wyrm episode didn’t have ANY semblance on plot OR character development??? nobody knows casey defeated wyrm. there’s literally… no reason to have this episode??????

• ok so wait. bishop first meets the turtles ON EARTH like RIGHT before the triceraton invasion. why does bishop know who they are when they go to dimension x??? they went back in time SIX MONTHS

• they had. an ENTIRE. EPISODE. DEDICATED. TO BEING INSIDE MIKEY’S MIND. AND THEY DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING WITH IT????? none of his brothers treat him better. they don’t understand him better now. mikey himself doesn’t change. what is this.

season 5:

• oddly probably one of the more enjoyable seasons because it’s just so ridiculous

• mark hamill. my man. how did they get you for this role.

• why the hell does donnie hate don visioso SO MUCH? is it because his name is “don”? it’s because his name is don, isn’t it

• once again. mikey “dies.” no tears. no tears when he comes back. also why did they take away his powers without testing to see if they really would explode him???? that could be an asset???????

• what the ACTUAL FUCK was the mutant apocalypse arc. they dropped that out of nowhere and then never brought it up again. a mutagen bomb from the kraang but the kraang are nowhere in sight??????????? i have Questions

• monster arc was kinda garbage but the “I can’t find savanti ramiro anywhere i barely managed to track him to this time” “RENET! YOU FOUND ME!” was sorta funny

• bebop and rocksteady my beloved?? 1987 krang and shredder my beloved???? 1987 krang in not one, but TWO booster seats. this one was legitimately funny 

[floopers]

Snake in the Light

Series: Octopath Traveler II Pairing: Throné/Castti Word count: 8028 Rating: T Summary: What did she know of warmth? Snakes were cold-blooded; they sought for warmth that they did not have. Throné would slither on the ground in the shadows for the rest of her life, seeking what she could not have.

[AO3]

thought a little more about castti's story a bit and thought of the idea of throné and castti meeting pre-canon and decided to run with it

SOME SPOILERS for Throné's story and also references to certain things you only learn at the end of the game

"The target is still alive."

Throné slowly turned to Father. Though her expression betrayed nothing, even she couldn't hide the disbelief in her voice. "What? How? We saw him drink the poison." She had seen Donnie slipping it in into the target's cup while she distracted them. A strange immunity, then?

Father rubbed his chin. "We got unlucky. An apothecary saved him in the nick of time."

Throné frowned. The poison they used was lethal within a day as to be untraceable, and once it acted, it moved fast. Minutes were all an apothecary had if they were trying to save someone, if they knew exactly what it was in the first place. There should have been no chance for saving... and yet.

"Eir's Apothecaries... they're making quite the name for themselves. If people like them are running around, we'll have to lay low for a while. Or..." He smiled as he flipped a knife in the air, catching it with his hand as easily as though he tossed a pen instead, "we'll have to teach them a lesson."

"No," Throné said immediately. "It'll be too obvious," she added when Father looked at her.

"... you're right. I guess we'll have to go back to good old knives for now. Can't fix a heart with a hole, right?" Father laughed as if he made a joke. Throné remained silent. Better for him to think that. "Still, you've failed your mission. Mother will be displeased," he finished, and left her with that warning. Throné watched him go and took a deep breath afterward. Pirro had offered her and Donnie some expensive wine he managed to get his hands on tonight, but it looked like she needed to postpone her plans.

And hours later, she staggered through the dark alleys, the lashings still fresh on her skin. She'd been extra rough tonight, not that it mattered to Throné. Mother had ordered the other Snakes to keep her from returning to her room so she couldn't lick her wounds in peace as more punishment. Her back ached and throbbed, more uncomfortable than painful at this point. She knew she could hide at Pirro's but if anyone found out, he'd be punished too. The last thing she wanted was to owe anyone a favor, even Pirro... and Donnie would be hiding there already too anyway, for his part in being her partner. And Scaracci... he was always too nervous to keep his mouth shut.

Up on the roof, then. There, she would find peace. She... just had to get to it first. Throné moved through the alley before stopping to lean against the wall, grimacing slightly. How many days would it take to heal... she hoped Father did not give her any missions tomorrow.

"Miss? Are you okay?" A voice called out before she heard the sound of footsteps running down the alley. Throné froze up. The people here were used to the Snakes—they knew better than to willing approach her, not with the snake on her hand.

"Oh! You're hurt."

Throné looked over her shoulder to see who'd spoken. A woman she had never seen in the city before loomed over her—the concern in her eyes made Throné snap her own away. Being kind like that here only got people got killed. She hoped this woman was only visiting.

"Miss?" The woman crouched to her, blue sneaking into Throné's vision—

Blue. Throné glanced back.

The cloak the woman wore was blue, as blue as the sky itself.

Eir's Apothecaries.

... just her luck.

"... I'm fine, don't worry about me," Throné said, waving away the woman's hand. Mother's whip barely hurt but she needed to remember it left marks. The people who lived here were used to seeing them and knew to keep their distance from the Blacksnakes. This woman... she was new, and the reason Throné had these lashings in the first place. She didn't blame them—as Father said, they were simply unlucky. An assassin's job was to kill, and a healer's job was to heal. That was it.

"No, you should get that looked at." The apothecary reached into her satchel and pulled free several herbs. She set down her mortar and pestle and began to grind. Throné watched her for a moment, surprised that she had simply begun to mix her concoction without waiting for any word from Throné. This was the perfect chance for her to slip away though—

"Wait," the apothecary commanded.

Throné waited.

She watched as the apothecary crushed and grinded the herbs. It all looked the same to her but when she pulled certain ones out, the smell was pungent, made Throné wrinkle her nose. But underneath... she could smell it, the lingering stench of blood that no one could ever seem to erase no matter what. It followed this woman too.

But she was not the same as Throné.

"There we go." The apothecary stood up and gestured for Throné to turn around. "It might sting a bit with your wounds but it'll speed up the healing process and help keep it from getting infected."

Throné only looked at her, unable to fathom why this apothecary was going so far for a complete stranger who hadn't even asked for her help. She had only seen Throné staggering through the alley and come running over.

"Please, turn around. I only want to help you," the apothecary said, her voice soothing enough to almost convince Throné. But that meant she had to turn her back, show her back to this complete stranger who had every opportunity to put a knife into her instead. Perhaps this was an act; a good act, if Throné had ever seen one.

"No tricks, I promise," the apothecary spoke again, opening her palms even. "Would you like me to test it on myself first? I can do that as well." She rolled up one of her sleeves and there was a bandage on her arm. Before Throné could even speak, she had already taken out a small pair of shears and cut through it. "Had a run in with some of the ratkin outside before arriving," she explained plainly as if she were speaking about what she had eaten for lunch, but all Throné could do was stare, because what even was this woman doing? Underneath the bandage revealed red skin, the wound closed but still healing, also smelling strongly similar to what the woman had just made as well. She took some of the poultice and slathered it on carefully and then smiled up at Throné.

What was Throné to even make of this situation? Never had she had an apothecary demonstrate this in front of her. How could she even be sure the apothecary wasn't immune to whatever she had applied? But the fact that she was willing to go so far to show Throné that whatever she had made wasn't dangerous... Throné didn't know if she was brave or foolish. Both, most likely.

"Looks okay, I've made the right proportions," the apothecary muttered, examining her arm. She began to redress her wound as Throné tried to wrap her mind around the sheer bravado of this woman.

"Thank you for waiting, I needed to change the bandages today so that felt like a good opportunity as any." She smiled, as if she hadn't just done something outrageous and gestured for Throné to turn around. "Now, your turn please." And though Throné still felt that anxious put of showing her back to a stranger... she turned around.

The apothecary made a sound. Whatever it meant, Throné did not know. She was holding her breath, waiting, to see if she would live through this encounter, if she had fallen into some sort of trap. But instead of a knife she was still expected, she felt a hand. The apothecary's fingers were rough and callused, blunt nails scraping lightly against her skin as she slathered the balm, refreshing cool on her sore skin. Her lashings were still fresh though so Throné still winced.

And even so, it was the gentlest touch Throné had ever known. It came close to that same feeling... of when Father would pat her head when she was younger, when she was only as tall as his legs then... of the time before she'd been forced to kill.

She hadn't realized that she had no longer felt this... and that she even missed it in the first place.

"There!" The apothecary stepped back, and Throné realized a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Whatever she had put on though, the throbbing and ache seemed to have subsided for now. Throné rolled her shoulders, humming under her breath when she felt nothing.

"How is it?" the apothecary asked, and Throné looked away from that knowing look in her eyes.

"... all right," she answered.

"Not one for conversation, are you?" The apothecary smiled at her. "That's fine." She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small container. With a wooden spoon, she scooped the remaining poultice into it, twisting a cap onto it before handing the concoction over to Throné. "The most dangerous thing is inflammation and infection, you'll want to keep putting it on until your wounds feel better. You can have the rest."

Throné stared at it and then slowly back up at the woman. Apothecaries were just like any other jobs in the world, right? She would need to pay for this service. Throné didn't feel like she wanted to owe a favor to anyone, in any case. Perhaps this was why this apothecary ran to her, to render her aid onto Throné and extort payment from her. She reached into a pocket, grabbing her leaves—

"No, no, you don't need to worry about that." The apothecary reached out, taking her hand and putting the container inside, even curling Throné's fingers around it too. "Just think about getting better, all right?" She seemed to think to herself first before continuing. "I'm not sure how long I'll be in the area but if you run out, you can come to the inn." She smiled with a gentleness Throné had never seen on anyone here, her eyes crinkling slightly. "Just ask for Castti, and I'll be sure to remember you."

Throné watched her leave. She looked down at her hand, opening her hand to look at the container in her hand now. With a shake of her head, she staggered off, her back no longer aching.

Of course, her meeting reached Mother's ears. She always knew, somehow. She pulled Throné to the parlor again, forcing her to her knees in front of all the Blacksnakes. "A little snake hissed to me that you've received healing for your wounds. Were my lashings too rough for you, finally?"

Throné didn't answer, eyes trained on the floor. She had never risen to Mother's provocation and she wouldn't do so now.

"And not just any healing, but from the very same group that made you fail your mission!" The whip caught Throné across her back, over the same area she'd been struck.

Later, when she laid in bed, she held up the container she'd been given. When she opened it, a thick and pungent smell assaulted her nose. Reminded her exactly of apothecaries, really, the smell of herbs and healthy things. Smells that were markedly different than the filth of New Delsta.

"Just ask for Castti and I'll be sure to remember you."

"Castti, huh." Throné tested the name on her lips and laid her head back on the pillow. She had to lay on her front tonight. Her hand held onto the container tight, and she slept through the night.

———

"The hell's your problem, lady? I'll cut you up if you keep pushing me!"

Throné watched atop a roof, overlooking the lower levels. There was that apothecary—Castti—flagging down one of the Snakes, who now held his knife out toward her. Throné's fingers twitched. That particular Snake, he had a problem with his temper. Even Throné didn't like dealing with him for an extended amount of time.

Castti was entirely unfazed at his threats though, a wry smile on her lips even now. "Just allow me to patch you up before you do so, then. Your arm looks ready to fall apart!"

He gaped at her, more than taken aback. "What the hell's wrong with you? You've got a death wish?" He kept his knife held out toward her. Castti raised her hand—and he pointed it at her. "Get away from me!"

Without any fear, she slowly pushed his arm down and patted his hand as if she were merely soothing a child. "Just something for your arm. It'd be a shame if that got infected and you had to amputate it, right?"

He stilled, and Castti took that opportunity to apply the balm she already held in her other hand to him. It was different from the one she had made for Throné, a much different color. When she finished and let him go, he pulled his arm back as if he'd been burned instead.

"You should refrain from using that arm for a bit," she told him. "Feeling better though?"

He said nothing, only looked down at his arm and back up at Castti. He scowled at her but put his knife away.

"Thanks," he said and walked away without another word. Castti watched him leave, a smile on her lips somehow despite how rude he'd been.

What a strange apothecary, Throné thought. Apothecary, or person? She didn't know. There were apothecaries in New Delsta but most of them refused to treat them once they saw their tattoos, refusing to be involved. Some of the Snakes had learned on their own to treat each other with crude and rudimentary means, and that was it.

This apothecary... she made no distinction. If someone were in pain, she would run to them. Even when she saw the tattoo, she never wavered. Perhaps it was because she didn't live here, didn't know the true significance of that symbol. Maybe, if she learned, she would think otherwise. That other apothecary she traveled with, that white haired man, even he looked skittish when he saw their tattoos. Unlike her, he felt more like he would crumple to the ground if pushed. He treated them still but he did not have the unyielding strength that Castti did.

It took a certain amount of willpower to remain unflinching like that. Throné wondered how long Castti could keep at it.

Castti looked up then and Throné quickly slipped back into the shadows, off to her next mission.

———

The shops at New Delsta had gotten new wares in. Throné looked through the window, eyeing the accessories and clothes laid out. She looked around at the nobles and merchants around her, seeing who would be an appropriate target—

"Hello!"

Throné recognized that voice. She debated taking off into an alleyway to disappear... and turned around instead.

"Ah hah! I was right, it is you!" Castti gave her a smile, like she wanted to see Throné. She looked pleased, for what reason, Throné did not know. "How's your back?"

"... fine," she replied. "You're... still here."

"Yes." Castti seemed embarrassed. "I didn't mean to extend my stay here but a lot more people require the services of an apothecary more than I've realized. I can't simply walk away when they need my help."

"... hm." She was exactly the sort of person Throné thought she'd be. Always ready to run into danger, if it meant she could help someone. When was the last time she had found someone like that in New Delsta? Did people like that exist? Doing that here in this city was the surest and quickest way to being wrung out and left for dead, with no one to mourn for them.

Castti looked at her then, curious. "You've never told me your name—"

A cry from nearby interrupted her. Castti immediately spun in the direction of the noise, feet already carrying her off. Throné remained there, listening. It had sounded like a child but even children could be part of the Snakes... she cautiously followed, keeping her distance to survey the scene.

An elderly woman had collapsed in the middle of the street, next to a little girl crying out. She watched as Castti pushed through the crowd, crouching down to them. The woman had strange blisters on her arms and a flush to her that made her moan with agony, and a smear of blood across her head from where she'd fallen.

"Oh dear, she's got a fever," Castti said. She looked around the crowd. "Can someone help me carry her?" she called out to the crowd gawking at them. No one offered to move, some of them grimacing at the marks on the woman's skin. Castti looked through the crowd again... and then her eyes landed on Throné.

This should have been Throné's opportunity to disappear. She should have slipped away, left her there to learn how cruel New Delsta was, left her there to...

Instead, with a heavy sigh at first, she stepped forward, moving through the crowd. She noticed others looking at her tattoo but she thought nothing of it, reaching down to grab the woman's legs as Castti took the woman's arms. Castti smiled gratefully at her and Throné quickly looked away. People like Castti didn't smile at Throné like that—they shouldn't.

"Well? Where to?" Throné asked, looking at the little girl who suddenly seemed unsure. When she met Throné's eyes, she yelped and froze.

"Where to, my dear?" Castti asked, her voice gentler, and the little girl seemed to jump. She looked at Castti and Throné could see the immediate change, the way she relaxed and began to lead them down the street.

Later, Throné waited at the doorway to the room she had helped carry the elderly woman to. The girl and Castti were inside, at her bedside. She didn't miss the way the girl kept glancing nervously at her though, constantly going to her hand where her snake was.

"Your grandma is just sleeping now and she'll be okay. I'll stay here to help watch over her for a bit, okay? Don't worry, I won't let anything else happen to her!" Castti spoke gently, and she watched as the little girl held onto them, taking comfort. It was the way Castti spoke, that reassurance, that kindness, that warmth that made the little girl believe in her words... and maybe even Throné might have felt that twinge inside of her too.

Throné left them.

———

The sky was threatening to pour when they found it. Throné leaned to peer at the strange creature before gasping, falling to her knees now as she reached out.

"It's hurt," she said, cradling the bird in her hands. Its wing was bent strangely and it chirped so pathetically that even Throné felt something tug inside of her. She wanted to fix it. How could she do that?

"I think the wing's broken," Pirro said, leaning down next to her.

"Just leave it there, it's as good as done!" Scaracci scowled at them. "We've got worse things to worry about than a bird! We gotta steal something or else we're not getting dinner tonight! Donnie's already waiting for us at the theater!"

Throné glared at him and he yelped, backing away from her. "G-Geez, Throné! Just reminding you about tonight!"

"Mother keeps the bandages in her room though..." Pirro said, nervous.

"I'll go steal it then," Throné said, immediately heading over to the parlor. She was never afraid of Mother, not when it seemed like she was always out to punish Throné for every transgression she could think of.

"W-wait, if we're caught we'll be whipped!" Scaracci ran to block her path but she pushed past him.

"... you don't have to follow me," she said, and continued without waiting for his answer. She heard him yelling at her but she ignored it. She had something more important to do. If she didn't hurry, the bird wouldn't be able to get better.

Thankfully, Mother wasn't in her office when Throné sneaked in. She picked the locks and pulled the roll of bandages free. It would be obvious if she took the whole thing though. She ripped a small part of it carefully and put it back.

She went back to the bird and with Pirro's help, managed to somehow wrap its wing. The bleeding stopped, it looked like. If only she could take it back to her quarters, but there was no hope in hiding something like this when there were four other girls in the room, all of them eager to rise through the ranks of the Blacksnakes and also keenly aware of the favoritism Father had for her. She didn't care about any of it, but she couldn't trust them.

Scaracci and Donnie managed to steal something for the both of them in that time and they returned to the parlor with their spoils. But somehow, Mother knew about her sneaking into the closet and gave her a whipping for the night. How, Throné would never know, nor did she care. If she was caught... then she was being sloppy. Maybe in her hurry to treat the bird, she left clues and tracks. She needed to be more careful next time.

Next time... Throné went back to the bird still. It looked stronger, and she fed it berries she had stolen from the fruit stands. Soon, it was strong enough to stand on its feet, move its good wing though unable to fly. She would take care of it, until the bird got better, until the bird was strong enough to fly away, until the bird would soar through the sky... and leave Throné back on the ground.

When she came back to the bird at the end of the week though, the bird was dead. Why, she couldn't figure out. She wasn't a healer. As she looked at it, she felt nothing—death would come for them all, and birds were no exception. She sat there for a while, looking up at the sky. What else did she expect would happen, though?

The only thing her hands were good for was killing.

Throné woke.

———

"... you're still here."

Throné came upon her sitting on a bench near the theater. Castti looked up, and when she recognized Throné, her face broke into a smile.

"Thank you for your help the other day," she said, scooting over to make space for Throné. She looked at Throné so expectantly so Throné felt compelled to sit. She stared at it first though, debating... but allowed herself to sit.

"... I didn't do much. Just helped you carry the body."

"And that's exactly the help I needed in that moment," she said just as easily. "No one else stepped in so I'm glad you did."

"... hm."

"You don't need to do much to make a difference," Castti said, smiling at Throné. "Just reaching out your hand can be enough."

Throné said nothing in return. Just reaching out a hand... sounded too optimistic for her. People here always expected something in return. There was only take, take, and take. It was the only way Throné knew how to live... and she suspected the way she would die too, used up to the very last drop of blood in her body.

"You won't be seeing much of me for a while though," Castti began to say, "my colleague hasn't come back since foraging at the mountains nearby so I'll have to go check up on him to make sure he hasn't gotten his head stuck in the clouds."

Oh. Right. That scrawny white-haired man that was also part of Eir's Apothecaries. Throné hadn't seen him for a while and forgot he was also... there. The demeanor between him and Castti were far too great.

"Then, we'll head back home to our village. Ah..." Castti's smile turned apologetic, clearly reminiscing. "We're a little overdue for when we said we'd be back, I hope Malaya won't be too upset with us this time." Despite her worry, there was a fondness in her voice when she spoke. Was it for home? Was it for the person she mentioned?

Throné wondered how that felt. New Delsta was always filthy and suffocating to her. It was home, the only place she had ever known... but it never felt like a home. What even was... home?

"Leaving, huh." Throné hadn't realized she had spoken aloud until she heard a giggle from Castti.

"My apologies, I didn't know you enjoyed my company that much," she said, a teasing smile on her face now. Throné frowned; had she... been? She couldn't tell.

"With our kind of work though, it's imperative that we travel," Castti began to explain. Maybe she had taken Throné's expression the wrong way. "People cry out for help... and some don't realize they are, or they're unable to. Those people deserve help too."

"... how noble," Throné could only say.

"You think so? Helping people just feels like the right thing to do, doesn't it?"

Throné said nothing again. What could she say? In the face of someone so... bright like Castti, everything Throné felt was... she didn't know. She had never met anyone like Castti before. Was this how apothecaries were like?

Or was it... just Castti? Castti, who had the freedom to think this way? Castti, who had the freedom to do as she pleased? Castti, who had the freedom... to live how she wanted?

She rose to her feet and looked down at Castti, who seemed to know this would be their final conversation.

"... safe travels," Throné said, and left.

Days would pass and just as she said, she wouldn't see Castti around the city. Her missions kept her busy in the meanwhile.

There was never anything for her to look forward to in her days. Blood, death, decay—it was the only thing Throné ever knew, and it would be the only thing she would know. The Blacksnakes would grind her down until she was nothing but bones; what other future was there for her? There was no escape she could see, not with this collar still on her. And the only way to get rid of the collar...

Throné took out her knife, stared at the blade, and wondered if a future could even be possible for her.

———

There was only a second of warning before she whipped around, her knife parrying Father's own strike. He met her frown with a satisfied smile, backing away though he still held his dagger in front of him.

"Good, Throné, still sharp," he said. "I was getting worried."

"... about?" She eyed him warily, wondering if he would strike again at her.

He only chuckled instead of answering, but he put his knife away. Though she still felt wary, Throné sheathed her dagger as well.

"Throné... allow me to ask you something. What do you think is something that can't be stolen?"

"... what?" Even Throné couldn't help but stare at him incredulously. Was this one of his antics again? She never understood when he talked like this. She didn't answer him, never in the mood to humor him when he was being like this.

Father only smiled, never explaining. "You've got a mission, only just for you."

"What is it?"

Throné felt in her gut rather than saw, ducking to avoid Father's swipe at her head. Her dagger was already in her hands, but he had already backed away, a knife pointed straight at her. Throné's heart pounded as she stared at him, waiting, coiled like a snake.

"You remember Eir's Apothecaries, don't you? Your mission then..." he smiled with all of his teeth, "is to kill the woman."

Throné kept her face impressively still but her grip on her dagger turned white. "Why?"

"Let's just say she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be, and made some powerful enemies," he said. An understatement. Powerful enough to have Father order for her assassination, for whatever reason.

"Leave her colleague though. Your orders are only for her." His gaze seemed heavier than usual, and it also felt as if he knew something she didn't. Why he looked at her like that though, she didn't know. "So you'll do it, won't you, Throné?"

Throné still met his gaze without hesitation. "Of course."

———

No one on the roof when Throné stepped off the ladder. The way was clear, as she'd been told. She slipped into the building, old and abandoned already. There would be no one else here. A perfect spot for cleaning.

"We'll make it easy for you. Someone like that sticks her nose into everyone's business," Father had said, chuckling darkly. "It'll be easy to lure her somewhere, tell her that there's someone in pain and needs her help, and she'll come running like a lamb to the slaughter!"

Throné didn't care—as long as she was given her orders, she would carry them out. At least this way would make disposal easier.

Third floor, fourth room to the right... her steps were silent as she crept to the room. She waited, listening. She heard heavy boots thudding around inside and knew.

The door was locked and Throné easily picked it. She stepped into the room and allowed the door to close behind her. When it did, Castti turned around.

"You..." Castti's brow was furrowed but there was no confusion. "You're here to kill me, aren't you?"

"... what makes you say that?"

"In the mountains, there was a village and... a man... with Trousseau, he..." Castti trailed off, looking at her as if still searching for answers but Throné only stared back, expression blank. A village? She didn't know anything about that.

But she didn't miss the way Castti flicked her eyes down to her tattoo. Ah, so now she knew. Throné pulled her knife from its holster on her leg. Castti held up her hands, backing away from her.

"Must we do this?" she asked, her voice soft yet still firm. She wasn't pleading or begging like most people did when Throné pointed her dagger at them. She met Throné's gaze and there was no fear in her. Even now, she was still unwavering. She would have made for a perfect assassin, Throné thought, and quickly banished the thought from her mind.

"Don't take it personal," Throné only said, and lunged.

Castti threw herself to the floor and dove at her instead. Before Throné could kick out, she felt her knees being grabbed and she fell to the floor now as Castti pulled on them. She was flat on her back and Castti had grabbed her wrist before she could use her knife. In her other hand was a canister with a strange colored liquid—Throné was not keen on finding out exactly what was inside.

They struggled for a bit, Throné finding Castti much stronger than she thought. Soon though, Throné managed to find an opening and flipped them over, and Castti gasped as her head hit the floor. She still held tight onto Throné's arm though, but now the knife was inching closer and closer, her strength no match against both Throné and the pull of gravity.

Closer, closer, and closer, the knife's edge crept, the tip of it touching the palm column of her skin. A single prick of blood dripped out, flowing down the side of her neck—

Throné froze. She watched that drop slip down and stain the skin, watched... and watched...

Castti shoved and kicked her away. The knife flew out of her hands and Throné was now the one on the floor, curling up on herself from the kick. She had barely felt it but her body was reacting on instinct. Her knife was just barely out of arm's reach but before she could grab it back, Castti swiped it off the floor. Now, she was the one who stood over Throné, staring down at her with a knife in her hands. The moonlight from the window behind them seemed shine on the metal of her dagger, setting it aglow.

So a healer would judge her. That… didn't sound so bad. Fitting, almost. Throné closed her eyes and waited to take her final breath.

She waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing came... except for a quiet thud.

Throné opened her eyes. Castti had sat down next to her instead, placing the knife back on the floor. If Throné wanted, she could easily move and kill within the same second.

"You're still here," she only said.

"I am," Castti replied. Though she put on a brave front, she sounded slightly shaken. Not many people went through assassination attempts, Throné could guess. Went through one and lived though Throné's attempt was terribly shoddy. Her friends would have said she never even tried. Maybe she hadn't. She should have come in through the open window, surprised her with a slit to her throat and she would have been none the wiser. And yet...

"You should kill me. I could kill you right now without you realizing," Throné said.

"And yet, you haven't," Castti answered back. "Why did you stop?"

Throné wondered. Why had her hands shaken? She had killed healers before; some were drunk on the power they had over others... and others were also simply good people in the wrong place and wrong time. Her knife made no distinction.

"Killing you wouldn't have been a cleaning job," she breathed out. Her hands were already so dipped and stained with blood... to add one more body was merely a drop to everyone she had killed. And yet...

She saw Castti reaching out. Her hand touched Throné's shoulder and that touch, as light as it was, let her feel the full weight of Castti's compassion and kindness. It sapped all of the strength out of Throné, and she laid there now, staring at the blade of her knife.

Tired. She was... tired. She was tired. Tired of it all. Just... tired. Nothing else mattered to Throné in this moment than to lay there. If Castti decided otherwise to end her life, Throné wouldn't even have resisted. Her gaze remained fixed ahead of her, looking at nothing... feeling nothing.

Since she had failed her mission, there was nothing but punishment waiting for her if they did not decide death would be her punishment. She had thought she would cling to life, cling to it like a shadow that would never come to light, cling to it like how the smell of blood would always cling to her lungs. To be able to experience such warmth when she never had in her life—how could she live after? How had she lived?

What did she know of warmth? Snakes were cold-blooded; they sought for warmth that they did not have. She would slither on the ground in the shadows for the rest of her life, seeking what she could not have.

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?" Castti asked.

"... you're asking me?" Throné laughed though it was a humorless sound. "I almost put a knife through your neck and you're asking me if I'm fine?" She laughed again but her laughter trailed off into a whisper. "You... you should've been running away already. Get away from here. If you start now, they won't be able to catch up to you. Past the Brightlands, they won't be willing to chase after you. Don't ever come back to New Delsta."

"What will happen to you, then?" Castti asked, her voice soft. It made Throné feel sick, hearing that kindness even after everything she had done.

"... who knows if I'll be alive after tonight."

Another silence followed until Castti asked. "Then, why not try to run away?"

"We don't forgive and forget traitors who run away. And the collar I wear… if we try to force it off, it will poison and kill us."

Castti looked over at her collar now, as if seeing it for the first time. "In what way? Through fumes? Acid?"

"... I don't know, but I've seen what happens to the body when someone tries." Throné swallowed, "I couldn't recognize who it was until they told me."

Another silence stretched between them until Castti spoke again. "May I... examine it?"

Throné took a breath and slowly nodded. Castti reached out, gingerly touching the collar. Throné tensed, her insides coiled tight. All Castti had to do was take her knife and cut it open and the collar would break and her life would be forfeit. The thought of Castti being the one to break her collar though... perhaps, from someone like Castti, it would be considered an act of mercy.

"If only I could extract the poison, I could figure out an antidote," Castti murmured. Her hand fell away, and Throné could finally breathe easy.

"I couldn't tell you anything about that either. All I know is that it comes from the western continent."

"I'll make a note of that then. When I'm able, I'll venture out with my group to the western continent, see if I can find out more about it. And then—"

"No need for that," Throné interrupted, "since I won't know if I'll live to see the dawn."

Death—it wasn't something she feared. It was always an inevitable; it only came faster and messily for them as a Blacksnake. Still, she thought she could stave it off for as long as possible. Even when it felt like all she could see was darkness in her future... she still wanted to...

She had thought she wanted to live a long life but that would remain what it would always be: an afterthought.

"Just... just leave," Throné breathed out. "Someone like you... someone like you shouldn't even bother with me. All my hands have ever done are kill but yours... yours are for healing. You should go back out there to do good."

"And you are someone who needs help, too!" Castti said, her voice unexpectedly fierce. Throné blinked and finally looked over at her. She looked angry—for what? At her? At herself?

"Why? Even though I almost killed you, you think I'm still worth helping?"

Castti met her eyes, undaunted. "I did not become an apothecary to be a judge. I became an apothecary to extend a helping hand to those in need."

Throné tore her gaze away. She couldn't look at her anymore. It… it hurt, being looked at like that. What had Throné done to deserve that kindness? All the blood on her hands—none of it could ever be washed away no matter how hard she scrubbed. Even if she stopped and put her knife away, it didn't erase all the lives she had taken. Her life in the shadows... it was all she knew. Why, then... did Castti still look at her with so much kindness?

"Just as everyone's hands can kill, they also have the power to heal. Life and death are merely two sides of the same coin, if you think about it." Throné heard Castti rustling through her satchel and she pulled out a container. It looked the same as she had given Throné the first time they had met. She placed it down next to Throné. "For your wounds, and... if there's a chance we can meet again, Eir's Apothecaries are always open. We're always in need of more hands."

"... you would still take someone like me?" The thought was absurd to Throné. She couldn't fathom it. Why? Who could look at her and think her hands could heal?

"The line between life and death is so thin and... we both understand that more than anyone. If you are willing to learn, then I could think of no better person to be an apothecary," Castti answered, speaking so assuredly that… even Throné could believe in her words. "And perhaps, then, you'll be able to give me your name."

Castti reached out, placing a light touch on her arm, before she stood. She left the room, and Throné listened as she left, listened to her footsteps echoing down the hallway, listened for a long time even when the footsteps had long faded away.

Throné laid there for what felt like an eternity. The collar on her neck... it felt even tighter now, as if it was pulling itself through her skin until it would one day sink through her and rest on her very bones and tear through them. The light touch Castti had placed on her—it still felt warm, so warm. They would most likely never see each other again, and yet... for some reason, Throné wanted to cling to that hope.

Just as she was about to finally pull herself up, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

She recognized those anywhere. If he wanted someone to hear him, he would allow himself to be heard and so, Throné knew exactly who it was.

Father stepped into the room. Her back was to him. If he were to plant a knife in her right now, it would be the best time for it. Instead, he walked around her and sat down in front of her, just as Castti did.

"Throné... those apothecaries left town. I thought you had your orders?" His voice betrayed no emotion from him.

Throné didn't answer him. What else could she say? She had failed her mission and that was it. No excuses, only results mattered.

"What's my punishment?" she asked him instead. "Death?"

And Father laughed. "Throné... oh, Throné, Throné, Throné..." His chuckle faded away and he watched her for several long minutes, silent. It felt as if he was studying her, for what, she didn't know. Perhaps looking at her one last time before punishment. "You've tasted it, haven't you? Ah, what a fool you are... just like me."

Then he sighed and sat down. In that moment, he looked just as tired as she felt, a quiet resignation and an unknown sorrow as he looked at her. No, there was a faraway look in his eyes now, as if he was looking at someone else instead. Who, Throné would never know—he would never tell her even if she asked. He placed his hand on her head and the touch was so soft that it made her feel as if she were a decade younger, to when she used to hug his knees, to when he would pick her up to show her the street performers when the crowd was too big, to when... she killed for the first time.

When he spoke again, there was a grief to his voice that she wouldn't understand until she held his hand for one last time. "Your punishment is that you know what it means now to yearn for the light."

———

Throné left a single flower for each of the three new wooden markers that had been erected. She allowed herself to remain there for a moment, reflecting. Out of all of them, she never thought she would be the only one remaining. She would never see them or hear their voices again... and she would remember what Father and Mother had done. It was the final push she needed to realize what she truly wanted. This damned collar would be freed from her neck no matter what, she finally swore.

A bark interrupted her and she looked down, to see that same puppy. A smile came to her lips and she leaned down, reaching into her pocket to pull out a dried strawberry. The puppy eagerly took it, tail wagging up at her. Good. Dogs were honest, unlike people, Throné knew how to deal with them.

"I'm gonna be gone for a while. You'll be a good girl while I'm gone, right?" she spoke even though she knew it wasn't able to answer. Things were always happening in New Delsta and she only hoped this puppy would survive as she did, out here in the streets.

A loud bang startled the both of them and the puppy ran away, scared from the noise. Throné pushed herself up, debating whether to follow after it, or leave on her journey. It was good that it had found her first though, she did mean to feed it one last time before heading out.

There was a sudden yelp though and Throné took off, dashing for the puppy, hoping that it hadn't found trouble in the few minutes she had left it. She rounded the corner—

Throné slowed to a stop because there, in the middle of the street, with the puppy at her heels... Castti looked up at her.

Heavy bags sat under her eyes, and she looked haggard. Her sleeves were rolled to her elbows and Throné would see the hints of blackened marks peeking out from underneath, scars that had never been there before. There was a heaviness to her shoulders too that she never had... like a woman haunted.

And when she gazed upon Throné, there was no recognition in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, is this your puppy?" Castti smiled but there was barely any light to it. The warmth that haunted Throné for so long... it was gone.

"No, she's a stray," Throné answered.

"Ah... she's a good girl." Castti leaned down to scratch it behind the ears. The puppy leaned up to lick her mouth and she laughed. She stood back up and looked at Throné, an odd expression crossing her face now.

"I realize this might sound strange but... do you happen to know me?"

Throné blinked. "... I'm sorry?"

"I've... I've lost my memory, and I've been traveling to see if I might find clues about myself," Castti said slowly. "I... forgive me, that was a strange question to ask a stranger."

Throné pushed her lips together. "You said you've lost your memories?"

"I-I know, it sounds hard to believe but I didn't even remember my name!" Castti laughed but there was no humor in her voice. Frankly, it sounded hard to believe but... it had to be true, unless Throné considered the alternative, and that was she had forgotten her time here.

But perhaps, that was for the better. Nothing good came out of New Delsta. Throné released a breath before she spoke again. "No, I don't know who you are, and I've never seen you around here either. You would've had better luck heading the other way."

"Oh..." Castti's face fell. "Thank you then, for that information. I'm sorry to bother you with such a strange request... My notes did say I had stopped by Winterbloom... I'm not sure why I stopped here..." She turned around and began to head toward the entrance.

Throné watched her go. She leaned down to give the puppy one more pet and treat, and stepped forward after Castti. She followed her until they stopped at the entrance, and Castti turned around, eyes widening when she saw Throné there.

"Oh! Are you heading out too?" Castti asked.

Throné didn't answer her right away. She looked up at the sky, watched as a bird soared through the clouds, out into blue skies, and then looked back down at Castti. "Traveling by yourself is going to be dangerous. As it turns out, I happen to have some business in Winterbloom too."

Throné held out her left hand. "I'm willing to lend you a hand if you like."

Castti looked down at her hand and when her eyes landed on the snake, something seemed to flicker in her eyes but as quick as it had come, it was gone. Castti nodded, the corners of her lips curling upward. "It would be nice to travel with someone and... I don't know why but I just feel like I can trust you." She reached out, taking Throné's hand. Her grip was firm—her strength was still there, Throné noted. Her strength... and a flicker of that warmth. "My name is Castti, pleased to meet you. What's your name?"

"Throné," she finally gave.

[hypocriticaltypwriter]

BIG THINGS ARE COMIN' YALLS WAY, AND HERE THEY ARE!!!

So, as you all know, 100 followers, which is super epic mind you and I'm still squealing about it.

But I feel the reason I have so many is because of my ROTTMNT fancomic, and I'm glad to say that I'll be getting back to it whoever I can! I'm not really sure when, but be on the lookout~!

BUT, continuing it, I think I need to explain that it's not necessarily some Future Fancomic, it's actually a little AU!

Its called 'The Last Hope AU' and from the name you can probably get it already... Okay maybe no-

So, Mikey knows the Multiverse, he knows how space time continuum can bend at the will of time travel or mystic abilities, and knows there's multiple universes where the Krang don't win, where they didn't even show up in the first place... But there's one universe, one that decided to twist time to change the future they had before, to make it better.

That one universe, could change everything, could change their future, the one they've been given, it's their last hope, cause if it goes right, there's a chance that the Krang of their universe could be sent back to their prison... Casey Jones just has to complete his mission- er- well- the other universe Casey.

So the AU takes place during the Krang takeover, and also kind of an 'After The Krang Are Gone' since they have to replenish, or just- learn to lie in the desolate wasteland that's left of their world.

Soanyways, thats kinda what to expect of the AU!!

And the NEXT thing is... I'm making a Fic!! Specifically a Donnie x Tamsin Fic. Not sure where I'll post it, probably get a AO3, but I'll figure it out once I get a chapter planned out, but for now, I'll be explaining the fics basic plot!

It takes place after The Mad Dogs have successfully sent back the Krang, all recovering and getting New York back on its feet.

Tamsin and Donnie are... A bit complicated, they haven't exactly expressed how they feel for one another, and it's obvious is getting on both their nerves.

It doesn't help the fact Tamsins parents had just come back from a long business trip to see a destroyed New York and their daughter nowhere to be found.

Once she finds her parents, they are immediate to announce they are leaving- completely moving away from New York and back to Tamsins hometown... Wyoming.

Obviously the Hamatos are a bit hurt they have to give up their friend, saying their last goodbyes before she's finally gone.

Now, flash to six years later, and Tams is 23, and just graduated college, people wondering what she will do now that she's finally put of her parents house and graduated, her answer... She's going right back to New York to find some work... And maybe meet some old friends and mend some broken ties with a certain softshell... But that last option is just if she has the time! Right?

So here's what's gonna be some of my biggest projects to be looking out for! Thank you all for the support and I'll see yall then! 💜🧡💜

NOTE: Also making a tag list for some of my stuff, in case you guys wanna be tagged in my posts so if you guys wanna be apart of it, please comment!

[ducknotinarow]

[2k12]

Casey smiled, breath condensed by the cold atmosphere of the ice rink he knew so well. He was moving backwards, slowly, easily keeping his balance on his skates. Hands were gripping Raphael's arms tightly, faint smile on his face as they carefully moved,

"Easy Raph, yer doin' great," Casey tells him, "Heh, yanno, yer might find it easier if yer stopped looking at our feet, an' actually looked up."

Casey was practically born on the ice, he was the best person to teach anyone how to skate. And when Raph does dare to look up at him, Casey simply smiles. Soft, affectionate. They were dating, and Raph kissed him when Casey got Young Savage for him, but they hadn't really gotten this close before.

Casey kept his smile, hazel hues meeting green - they were always so beautiful. There's a flutter in his chest. Casey saw his shot, and decided to take it. Tilting his head slightly, Casey opts to lean forward, closer...and closer. Hands grips Raph's arms tighter, making sure they don't fall or loose balance.

A little closer and...his lips press to Raph's beak; soft, tender, Casey silently waits for Raphael to kiss him back.

| Muse Interaction

Look Raph knew things Casey liked. Casey liked to draw for one and they even would go and tag wall when hanging out, Casey liked music so they had listened to stuff together, even the Disney pop songs Casey apparently knew he blamed it on his sister still got teased over it of course. But one thing Raph knew Casey liked a lot was hockey. When they formed their friendship it came up pretty quick. Raph started to ask questions here and there and got into watching it on his own at home, of course Raph was into it all the hitting and such. Casey tended to fill him in and the rules and such and how the points were counted. If Casey couldn’t figure out Raph liked him before he confessed it was because Casey was to busy crushing on April. Because Raph felt so fucking obvious about it with how much interest he was taking in Casey alone. Still though this had to his worst fucking idea ever. He thought slightly crouched, bend at his knees as he was slightly moving across the ice right now.

For one it was fucking cold as balls! of course it have to be this cold sure the rink was inside but it was still well an ice rink it had to be cold Somehow that never crossed his head when this got brought up. Despite what he seen on tv of people bundled up to keep warm it just never once crossed his mind that oh Hey Raph ice rinks are fucking cold cause its a god damn ice rink! He just..thought it be nice was all. Donnie might have some points on him not thinking things all the way through. Slowly moving to stand up straight now, trying to get a hang of the balance he needed. Feeling like he was going to fall lucking Casey came over to give him a hand. Moving to stand in front of him offering for the turtle to hold on to him. Which he did that helped the slight unbalanced feeling go away. Now that he was safe from falling Raph just huffed, man people made skating look so easy. From the Hockey players to the figure skaters. Hell to Casey. Eh Raph was just bad about not being good at something when he first tried it.    Hands held on to Casey’s arms though, shift his weight their way as they helped to keep him upright. Listening as Casey started to move backwards on the ice, Raph kept staring down at their feet, mostly out of the fear of falling then he could easily catch himself if he did. Though..that wasn’t the only reason. It was stupid they were dating officially, even if Raph had kissed Casey that day they asked him to be his boyfriend you know after fucking falling off a building twice, dipping off to the woods only to return with Young Savage. But well this was kind of the closest they had been since then. Blame it on new relationship jitters Raph figures. Being all up an close like this, able to feel some of Casey’s warmth or maybe that was the heat of the blush daring to creep over his face. Mostly from embarrassment as if Casey hadn’t seen Raph look stupid before.

"Easy Raph, yer doin' great,"

Raph tugged his beak into a slight pout “Oh  yeah ‘m doin’ just fantastic here Jones, look how perfectly skilled I am as I humble around the ice.” Raph snapped a little with. Briefly looking up at Casey to fix them with a glare when he lost his foot suddenly. “Sewer apples.” he uttered  with a slightly stumble as he near fell forward luckily crashing into Casey, who had a steady hold on him preventing them from dropping down on to the ice.But he still fell into them, hard not to since the second help gravity ready to take him he let go of Casey’s forearms and grabbed on to their biceps. Face planted in against Casey. Only for Raph to groan, great that was just..great.

 "Heh, yanno, yer might find it easier if yer stopped looking at our feet, an' actually looked up."

“aye can’t tell what my feet are doin’ when I’m not lookin’ at them.” Raph points out moving to look up at Casey, as he slowly steady himself using Casey as support half expecting that dumb look when they are ready to tease him. But, once Raph looked up at them finally thier face was, soft. Words falling silent between them more aware how close he was to Casey now. How Casey was holding him by his arms. How they were..smiling at him right now. Eyes fixed right onto Casey’s own and wow Hazel might be his favorite color was the last lingering thought right now as he just sort of got lost staring at Casey. He liked them, he really liked Casey. Breath hitched a little as he watched Casey started to lean down, moving in closer to him.

 “Case”

There name trickle out from hit beak before their lips pressed against his beak. Raph startled once again, almost like when he slipped and near fell. Why he kept staring down to his and Casey’s feet he was scared. Scared to fall. His shoulder stiffen for a moment, but all at once Raph’s eyes closed and he melts against the feeling of Casey’s kiss. It was soft and tender two words no one would likely ever have associated with Casey. Raph sighs softly against their lips lending in to return it. He kissed them before but not like this. The kiss deepens. Slowly Raph adjusted to stand up a bit better, hands released their grip around Casey’s arms moving to rest on his shoulders.Slowly and tentative before he squeezed them. Pulling Casey in a bit more getting lost in the feeling as he felt a foot lift and pop out behind him. Good thing Casey was holding him right now. Funny thing was he wasn’t scared of falling anymore.Casey was supporting him, keeping him balanced. Slowly he pulled back from the kiss when the need for air was strong. Laughing softly under his breath as he couldn’t stop how he was smiling right now. Letting the warmth in his shell take him over looking over Casey’s face, hand lifting to cradle the back of their head so their foreheads could rest against each other for now. He didn’t want to lose out on how close they were right now. And well he didn’t know what to say in response to getting kissed, other then “do that again.”

[alwek]

OC POSTING; NEW SET

The Devilmen:

These ones have been bouncing around my head for a while. A team of 6 criminals who came together to stop a world destroying force because some idiot decided to break the seal holding a world eater trapped.

Donny: The only human born of the group, Donny was a mafia man in his life. He was the best of the best, a real John Wick type. Nobody fucked with him, and if he was sent after someone, everyone knew that the sorry sucker wouldn't see morning.

After years of faithfully serving as the right hand of the entire crime family, he retired to focus on raising his twin daughters, and living a peacful life like his wife wanted. His rival, however, killed him and his family the night of his retirement.

Donny used his and his families blood to draw a summoning pentagram, and made a deal with a deamon to gain supernatural powers to be able to get revenge.

The deamon ended up giving Donny the power to summon twin pistols, as well as boosted his physical abilities and reaction time, gave him minor night vision, and a devil tail.

Anne: She's lived in THE CITY her whole life and is the reason the original gang found each other. Being a human passing deamon, shes able to walk freely around the city without issue and is the primary grocery shopper of the group.

She's rather quiet and dry in personality and doesn't show her emotions easily. She spent her whole life bouncing around homes, doing odd and dangerous jobs to get by until running into Paul, a man made of obsidian, who invited her to live with him and his pall Shank in their bunker.

She can turn the plasma in her blood into wips, as well as having a deamon born healing factor.

Paul: Paul is made of obsidian and has super strength. Standing at near 7 feet tall, he can't go out in public much without causing a stir among the humans that make up 90% of the cities population, leaving him to stay mostly around the woods his bunker is in.

Paul is a real mans man. Always watching baseball, a lover of beer and beef, and preferres a more simple approach to life. He's never been known to get roudy or outright mean, and is known to have a quiet rage when threatened.

He'd much rather prefer to laze about and take life easily over trying to get involved with the people that keep attacking him.

Shank: Shank has the opposite stature to Paul, being just over 4 feet tall, and is made of pure electrical energy. This, perhaps obviously, makes him very quick, as well as lets him transport through any object able to hold a charge.

He's an excitable dude, always spouting out funky and outlandish ideas for any situation the gang find themselves in. Him and Paul were the first of the group to meet, having first encountered each other in the deserts not too far away from THE CITY. After finding the bunker, they bunkered down and have been living there since.

Thoebe: She found Paul and Shank not long after they moved into the bunker. The trio quickly connected with one another about their non-human appearances, and decided to help each other make it through life a bit more comfortably.

Unlike the rest of the gang who were born, Thoebe grew into existence from a seed that had deamon energy imbued into it via the cosmic lottery. Because of this, she's the only member of the gang who doesn't have any actual fleshy bits, as she's made entirely of dirt and plant matter.

She can speak to, control, meld into, and revive all plant life. She can also grow any plant she wants anywhere on her body, and grow indefinitely so long as there's nutrients for her to convert for her branch growth.

Eleanor: The last memeber to join the group, Eleanor is also a human born deamon, meaning she never had much issue with her differences to the others around her. All she needed to do was not let on that she had the ability to alter states of matter.

For example, she could grip a chunk of a couch and turn the part around her hand into a vial of acid to toss at people (a favourite move of hers). Of course, she got caught by the worst people.

Sometime during her high school years, a crime syndicate discovered her abilities and kidnapped her, forcing her to make products that would turn into worse quality things after her powers wore off of the object. Sometimes, she would even be made to change the appearances of others.

Shortly after escaping her captors, she ran into Anne, who took her into the gang.

[ray-jaykub]

Saw ur post requesting asks! Hmmm maybe somethinf with Raph and girl he just met who is shy, but really likes him! Shes an artist and tries to get him to paint..they maybe end up covered in said paint..which leads to kisses etc?

yeah I'm in love. I really love this and I actually have some other soft Raphael asks so this will definitely help fuel the ideas for those

Raphael x Reader

Warnings: None besides fluff and smooches ^^

word count: Idk I don’t keep track

When Raph first met Y/n he was almost positive they wouldn’t interact very much or even at all. That she’d probably float more towards Donnie or even maybe Mike, whose out going nature was toxic.

But, you had proven him wrong. When meeting with the group it was always you who would place yourself more near him. Although quiet it was obvious that you had preferred his presence over any of them and when Raphael had finally brought this up to his brothers they put it simply.

“No offense, but You come off as shy all the time.” Leo dries the cup Mikey had handed him.

“What? No, I don’t. When have I ever acted shy?” 

Mikey pipes up, handing another dish to Leo. “Well man, you’re always sitting away from everyone. Your arms all crossed and quiet, I always assumed you maybe had a hard time talkin to people.”  Raph shakes his head, thinking back to every event they were invited to. How he isolated himself in hopes of making people back off from his presence. Is that something a shy person would do?

“Why are you so worried about it anyway?” Leo cuts him a look, a look that say he thinks he knows more than he lets on. The red terrapin rolls his eyes, deciding to let it go.

----

The next time everyone's together it's for movie night, a every now and then weekend tradition April was insistent they do. They had just finished dinner, gathering plates and prepping snacks for the movie. Raphael sits in his spot on the couch, listening to his family decide on what movie to watch as they cleaned the kitchen together. His eyes are shut but when the seat next to him sinks with new weight he opens them to see Y/n. She isn't facing him, instead staring straight ahead. Her features are relaxed like she was doing the same thing he just was. He sits there watching her for another second before he speaks up.

"So uuh, what kind of movies do you like?" He thinks for a second, that was a normal question right? Especially since they're about to watch one. She tilts her head towards him and hums and reverently, like she's trying to keep the peace they've created, speaks. "I don't know, I kinda have a knack for anything. What about you?"

"Same, mostly action though." He doesn't notice the way his voice lowers with hers. "Every now and then April will put some romance on, those are nice too." She hums again and nods. "Good to know." They're both quiet again and before Raph can open his mouth again his family floods into to living room. Mikey jumps to sit right between Y/n and him, preventing further conversation. He turns away, the image of her relaxed face still fresh in his memory.

-----

They had already gotten used to each other at this point, having friendly conversation and this time when they speak to each other they're actually alone. She had been on the roof-top of her apartment when he had been on patrol. A blanket had been laid out with tubes of paint and worn paint brushes. Y/n hadn't noticed he was there, too immersed in capturing the scenery in front of her. He shifts his foot against the concrete to signal he was there but got no response. Cleared his throat even and she was still brushing over the canvas. He rolls his eyes, stepping to the edge of the blanket. "I didn't know you liked to paint."

Your head whips up, neck craning to see Raphael standing above you. "Raph! You scared me!" he huffs, biting his cheek to hide his smile. “Only because you’re so distracted. Should pay more attention, it’s dangerous out here.” You look down and in the light of the city Raph can see the way your face glows pink. Slowly he sits beside the blanket, cautious about disrupting your set up. “You’re uh, you’re really good though. Hell, Mikey only knows how to paint words.” You laugh and hands him one of the brushes, taking it, confused he raises his brow.

“How about you give it a try? I think you’d like it.” Over her painting? He tries to object but you tear the painting out of the book and set it aside to dry. Oh, that makes more sense. Better then letting him ruin it. He falters at the idea of ruining something, ruining this friendship.

“Raphael?” He blinks, focusing back on the small brush in his hand, back to the girl in front of him. “What?” You shake your head. “Nothing, just looks like you left me for a second... Anyways, as I was saying, you can paint whatever. Just don’t mix the paints.”

“Yeah, sounds easy enough”

It’s not even 5 minutes in when he knocks over a paint canister, it stains the blanket and he curses. “Shit, shit sorry! Hang on let me help.” He’s trying to pick the blanket up, to prevent it from spilling on the ground but doesn’t register the rest of the equipment. More paint is spilled and to his horror some splatters onto your clothes. It’s pure chaos and you jump up, grabbing your painting and the book, putting it out of reach. It looks perfectly fine and when you turn to make a joke you stop.

Raph stands among the blankets and paint, it covers his fore-arms and feet. His head is down and he’s sniffling. “Hey! hey, there’s nothing to be upset abo-” “I fucked up.” You slowly sit a paint covered hand on his shoulder. “I fucked up your paints, your blankets a mess and I got it on your clothes.” You look down, noticing the paint splattered on you and smile. You nudge him to turn and look at you, smearing purple on his shoulder.

“Listen Raph, the paint is washable. And I bought that blanket at a goodwill of all places, for this purpose. You didn’t mess up anything.” He still looks distant, losing himself in his anxiety. You look to your hand, mixed with purples, reds and greens.

“Boop!” A thick glob of paint is swiped across his snout, surprising him. “What?What are you doing?” “Boop!” another smear of paint on his pecs, he snorts and catches your hand. “What are you doing shorty?” “Trying to show you it’s not a big deal” Your left hand swiftly comes to wipe paint along his bicep, a thick pink streak. His shoulders shake with laughter, lifting his right hand, covered in a mixture of paint and pushing a hand print onto your cheek.

In a flash what was just playful smearing had turned into an all out paint war, globs of it had landed in your hair and his mask is coloured to the point of barely returning. It’s not long until you call a tie, out of breath you lean against him.

“Truce, you win! You win! No more” Your smile is so wide you can feel your cheeks ache. Looking up as he looks down you both end up nose to nose, your scent hidden by paint. Raphael takes a deep breath, lowering his voice. “Sorry for fucking up your paint again.” You shake your head and lean closer. “I told you it was fine, I’m having fun.” In the blink of an eye you step on your tip-toes, kissing one clean spot on his cheek. “I know I don’t act like it but I do like you Raph.” 

His eyes widen and he feels weightless, the kiss tingles his skin, embeds itself into his soul. Forming courage he leans down and presses a chaste kiss on your lips, slowly pulling back before he feels you tug him back down.

He didn’t ruin anything, far from it in fact.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sorry this took so long, Idk how I feel about the ending simply because I didn’t know how to end it :”) hope you enjoy it

[tblsomedoodles]

I gotta ask for your Family Web AU, out of all the boys, it's canonically shown that Leo is the least likely to really trust anyone he has/had a bad feeling about so quickly (also that maybe he can hold a grudge longer than his brother), example: Draxum with the "You threw me off a roof" (because yeesh that stuff can cause some nightmares lemme tell ya) and of course, Big Mama.

So what was his realization when he put 2 and 2 together and figured out where they all came from/who their spider traits came from? I doubt positive. And would he be one of the first to trust Big Mama, or the last?

She must want to get to know who her son is/became, because no one has ever outsmarted Big Mama before (so it all makes sense that of course the only one who could would be one of her own children), but as much as Leo loves his brothers (and his.... "mother's" *gosh that's still weird* tendencies to beat up Draxum), he doesn't really know how to feel about her. How would she react? And what about his brothers? Or would he hide it from them as well as he hides his insecurities?

Well i'm glad you asked! because you're right, it's very much NOT a positive reaction from Leo. (which is one of the many reasons he's the main pov of the fic lol.) In fact, when he first figures it out, he decides that can't be the answer and starts looking anywhere else. He doesn't even tell his siblings what he found out b/c he is so sure he has to be wrong (he very much wants to be wrong.)

But eventually he's exausted every other answer and found each one lacking, he has to except that this is correct. Big Mama is their mom. That he has to tell his siblings that the very untrustworthy spiderlady that keeps trying to capture them, is their other parent.

In the end, he's definitely the last one to trust Big Mama, despite being the first to figure it out. (Mikey trusts her first, almost as soon as he heard they're related. Raph very shortly after. Then Donnie, and eventually Leo.)

And Big Mama would definitely want to get to know her kids, especially the clever boy that used to mimic her during meetings and is now outsmarting her at her own game. But she'd know he didn't trust her, it's not exactly something he can hide. He didn't trust her before, a change in relations isn't going to make that go away, not for Leo.

But eventually he'd see that she was trying. That she very much does want to have that family relationship with all of them and trying her best to prove she cares (even if her way of going about it is a little odd. (ie. Battle Nexus NY definitely is one of those attempts. Like she pared the boys up with people they looked up to (at least for Mikey and Raph) then gave them challenges that showed off their talents, all as a debut to the battle nexus which she personally cares a lot about. Was it a good way of showing she cared? no. Was it an attempt? yes. Did she learn that maybe trapping all of NYC into an orb to show off how amazing your kids are probably isn't the best way of doing so? also yes.)

he'd see that she doesn't have any ill will towards them, that despite the misunderstandings and mistakes she is learning from them, even appologizing when necessary. And the fact that she listens to his suggestions, eventually puts her in his good books.

thanks! : )