#Raphael is just like 'ah yes the boys are arguing and one of them wants to drink a river of the dead'

[drraphaelmd]

Lucifer wants to drink the River Styx? Raphael is going to get the stomach pump just in case.

Gods above the man needs a tylonol.

#dash commentary #why am I doing this #Raphael is just like 'ah yes the boys are arguing and one of them wants to drink a river of the dead'

[n00dl3gal]

Like Old Times (Father-Son Bonding AU)

A direct sequel to the “Expiration Date” fic, which I’ll link in a reblog. I’ve also posted all my fics in this AU to AO3!! Thanks again to @thetriggeredhappy for their help and just generally being a cool dude, and the Scoutsune Discord server for indulging my brainrot

No warnings beyond family schmoop!

Less than an hour after the bread monster incident, the Administrator called for a ceasefire. “Only while your base is repaired,” she said over the TV screen. “BLU is quite disappointed in this negligence- as am I. Regardless, you may use these three days as you see fit. Go home, stay here- whatever you do, no more bread monsters.” The screen turned off with a click. 

Scout exhaled through his nose. He was thankful there was no mention of him or Miss Pauling’s woodchipper. 

Spy decloaked behind him. “Less time than I wanted, but c’est la vie.” Scout looked at him over his shoulder. “I’m meeting with an old contact during our break,” Spy said in Italian. “Would you like to come along? It’ll be like old times.” 

Scout’s brow furrowed, but he nodded. At least this way, he’d get out of helping Engie and Heavy with repairs. And possibly meeting Miss Pauling’s woodchipper. 

“Excellent. Our flight is at 7 AM tomorrow.” 

“We’re flying commercial?” Scout asked, also in (more hesitant) Italian. 

“Our destination is continental. We’ll leave the base by 5:30.” Scout groaned as Spy started to leave. But- wait, he hadn’t- 

“Oi, where are we going, anyway?” he called back in English. 

Spy paused to look at him and smile. “Boston.” 

“Why do we always get the ass-crack-of-dawn flights?” Jeremy asked groggily, reclining his seat.

“They are the ones with first-class seats available,” Raphael replied. He took a sip from his mimosa. 

“Yeah, cuz God forbid you fly coach for once.” Jeremy shifted, trying to get comfortable. “Hey. Have I ever been to Boston before?”

Raphael didn’t answer immediately. His lip sucked in, as if in thought. “Yes. When you were very, very young. You wouldn’t remember.” 

Jeremy nodded. He wanted to ask more, there was something Raphael wasn’t saying but… well, he was never a morning person. He fell asleep before the plane even took off. 

. . .

It was mid-afternoon by the time they landed in Boston. Jeremy was never fond of long flights; having his legs cramped like that for extended periods of time was murder. He was half tempted to take a jog around Logan International. Raphael, on the other hand, was ushering them both to the car rental. “Can’t even get a stretch in, huh?”

“Unfortunately, we are expected by 4, and I would hate to keep my contact waiting,” Raphael explained in French, accepting the keys from the girl at the counter. “She’s not a very patient woman, in some regards.” 

Jeremy huffed but didn’t argue. He just followed his father to the rental, tossing his suitcase in the backseat. “Y’know, the girl at the counter-” 

“We will not have time for you to go out on a date, Jeremy.” 

“No! No, it was- her accent’s kinda like mine, it’s weird,” Jeremy said. Raphael started the car. “Cuz I’ve only been here as a baby, and I got mine from TV and shit. It’s just… really strange, is all.” 

Raphael made a quiet noise of agreement. “Some of the shows you watched as a child were filmed here. It’s not as complex as you think it is.” 

“Yeah, probably not…” 

The pair lapsed into silence as Raphael drove. Storefronts and high rises morphed into houses. It had been a while since they were in a residential area. RED, for understandable reasons, kept away from civilians. 

Raphael took the roads with practiced experience. Sure, it had been implied he knew the area. If he had a contact here- one with a house, presumably- he must’ve spent time here. But this- this was far too familiar. A bit suspicious, actually. 

Eventually, Raphael slowed in front of a more rundown Brownstone. Still quite nice, just needed a little work. It felt… welcoming, in a way Jeremy couldn’t name.

“Lotta cars,” he observed as Raphael parallel parked. “Must be a party going on somewhere.” 

“Hmm, perhaps,” Raphael said, turning the car off. “Would you mind ringing the doorbell for me? I need to grab something from the trunk. Ask for Sara Jane.” 

OK, now Jeremy knew something was up. He was never the one to make the first contact, that was always Dad’s job. Jeremy might be a full-grown adult, but there were some things that didn’t change. This was one of them. 

Still, he nodded. He climbed up the front steps and ringed the doorbell. He heard- multiple voices from inside, predominantly male, but they quickly silenced themselves. A TV, perhaps? They really ought to get that flower box on the second story window fixed- 

The woman who opened the door was a bit shorter than him, though not by much. She was wearing a simple dress, hoop earrings, and flats. Her hair was dark, curved to her chin. But her nose and earlobes felt… achingly familiar. Like Jeremy saw them all the time. 

“Um, hi, I’m looking for Sara Jane? My name’s-” The rest of his speech was knocked out of him as the woman launched herself at him. Jeremy braced for an attack, but quickly realized she was… hugging him. 

She was hugging him, sobbing, and choked out the word “Jeremy.” 

Wait. He knew that voice. He had only heard it a few times in his life, few enough he could count them on one hand, but he knew it. “M-Ma?” he whispered. 

The woman- Sara Jane- Ma looked up at him, still crying. Her hands found his face as she observed him. “Y-yeah, sweetie, it’s me, it’s-it’s your ma,” she said. 

“Ma!” he laughed, tears of his own dancing down his cheeks. He hugged her back, practically lifting her off her feet. “Oh my God, Ma! I-I never thought I’d-” 

“Oh Jeremy, sweetie, look how tall you’ve gotten! Last I saw you, you fit in my arms! My baby, my handsome baby,” she spoke over him. She rubbed circles into his back as they embraced. It felt so, so right. 

Jeremy laughed even harder. “Are you kiddin’? I got it from you, you’re beautiful, Ma!” He stared at her, trying to commit every mole and wrinkle and perfect flaw to memory. “I can’t believe- oh my God, I’m actually meeting you!” 

“It was long overdue,” another voice said, as Raphael joined them on the front stoop. “I had put it off for safety reasons, but considering our current, ah, situation… I felt it was worth the risk.” 

Sara Jane squealed, pulling Raphael into the hug as well. “You’ve been taking good care of my boy, you promise me, Raphael?” 

“Don’t worry Ma, he’s the best dad I could ask for, considering,” Jeremy teased. 

“Oh, don’t I know it. Called me up last night and told me to get the whole motley crew together. Even managed to get Melvin to bring his twin daughters, bless his wife’s heart,” she explained. 

Jeremy blinked. “Uh- Melvin? Daughters?”

Sara Jane laughed. It sounded so much like Jeremy’s it practically hurt. This was his mother. Lord, he’s finally seeing her. “Melvin’s your older brother, sweetie. Eh, sixth oldest. Bobby’s the oldest.” 

“I have a brother?”

“Oh honey, you’re the youngest of eight,” Sara Jane said plainly. 

“...fuck,” Jeremy whispered. 

. . .

He didn’t just have seven brothers. He had seven brothers, four of which brought their wives, one who brought his boyfriend, and three who brought their kids. And the kids totaled to an additional six, counting the babies. 

It was… an admittedly tight squeeze in the living room. 

Sara Jane introduced Jeremy. Jeremy had been expecting to be treated like a stranger. He had vanished when he was a baby, after all, and his younger-older brothers probably wouldn’t remember him at all. 

And yet, it was like he knew them all his life. 

They teased him and punched him playfully and acted so friendly, so familial it nearly made Jeremy break down. He was still crying from meeting Ma, but being dogpiled with so much affection was suffocating. In a good way. He had seen on sitcoms the intrinsic bond between family, and while he felt it with Dad, they also risked their lives nearly daily. But it was real, it was here, and it was wrapping him in a warm blanket. 

Despite the chaos and the sheer number of people, Jeremy didn’t feel overwhelmed. He laughed and played along with their jokes, cracking some back when he could get a word in. Scott ragged on his dog tags, he countered by pointing out the hole in his pants. Michael told him he was still a shortass, he replied with “it takes one to know one.” Elliot and Ricky were the closest to actually getting hurt, and that was only because Jeremy elbowed them both so hard they nearly fell over. 

For the first time in 25 years, Jeremy understood what “home” meant. 

The kids were especially curious, eager to meet their uncle and step-grandfather. Within seconds, young Rebecca- only four years old- was challenging Jeremy to a race around the house. “I’m the fastest kid in the world,” she bragged, puffing out her chest. 

“Oh yeah?” Jeremy asked. “That a fact?”

“You wanna test me? I beat Johnny Three-Legs at running, and he’s got three legs!” Jeremy laughed and stood from the couch, letting her lead him outside. “On the count of three, OK?”

“You’re on, pipsqueak,” Jeremy teased.

“Onetwothree GO!” Rebecca yelled, taking off in a sprint. Jeremy knew that, by all accounts, he should beat her. His legs were longer, she didn’t have the proper running stance, and it was his job to be fast. That’s what he got paid to do. But some small voice was telling him to let her win, so he did. “Ha! I told ya!” 

“Ya sure did,” he replied, mock panting. “Look at you, a freaking blur on the green. You’re goin’ to the Olympics, kid.” 

Rebecca beamed and hugged his leg. “Promise, Uncle Jeremy?” He nodded because, after that display, there was no way he could speak without squeaking like a chew toy. 

Rebecca skipped back inside, past Raphael, who was watching on the stoop. “You’re a natural with children,” he observed. “I used to do the same thing when you were that age.” 

“Wait- wait, really? You sure fooled me,” Jeremy said. 

Raphael rolled his eyes. “What’s my job again, mon lapin?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Jeremy leaned against the railing, watching Raphael’s cigarette smoke in the wind. “Hey. Uh… thanks for arranging all of this. You really didn’t need to.”

“But I did. I meant it when I said this was overdue. I’ve been wanting to introduce you to the rest of the family for a while, but have been unable. Then that whole ordeal with the supposed tumors, and-” Raphael exhaled slowly. “It wouldn’t have been fair to you if you died without knowing them. I would’ve never forgiven myself.” 

Jeremy punched his shoulder lightly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, pops. It all worked out, we’re still kicking, and that roast chicken Ma’s making smells incredible. Everything’s perfect.” 

Raphael finished his cigarette and smiled. “Oui. It is.” 

. . .

While Sara Jane had been able to get the rest of the family here, it was a school night. Kids needed to be tucked in by 9:30, so most of Jeremy’s brothers were gone by 8. Elliot was staying overnight, as was his boyfriend. Otherwise, the house quickly went from bustling to barren. 

It gave Jeremy a chance to explore his would-be childhood home.

He made his way upstairs, pushing open one of the doors. It led- to little surprise- to a bedroom. It was set up like a nursery, with a crib in one corner and a toddler bed in the other. Toys were scattered about across the floor. 

He heard Sara Jane sigh behind him. “This was your room, you know.” Jeremy turned to look at her as she flipped the light switch. “That crib… I had put you to bed the night your father planned to fake his death. I was in on the whole plan, naturally. He wanted to hold you one last time, so I said OK. When I woke up the next morning… you were both gone.” She exhaled slowly, grabbing onto his shoulder. “I wrote both of you off as dead, but I knew what had happened. Honestly, should’ve figured it out before then. You hadn’t woken me up crying,” she joked. Her eyes were watering. 

Jeremy hugged her, pulling her close. “You never took the crib down?” 

“By the time I was ready, Bobby’s wife was pregnant, so I kept it up for my grandbabies. I knew- I knew you were out there, sweetie. Both of you.” She kissed his cheek, squeezing him.

“I-I never got to be a normal kid, really,” he confessed. “I mean, Dad did his best, gave me comic books and board games and stuff, but-but I never went to school or made friends or anything like that. I-I didn’t even know I had a family. It took me forever to even realize I had a Ma. An-and everything I did-” The tears were flowing again, more freely than earlier. “Ya missed me losing my first tooth, and potty trainin’, and all that stuff parents should know about. I-I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

Sara Jane wiped his cheek dry. “Don’t apologize for what your father did, Jeremy. And definitely don’t apologize for me not potty training another kid. Besides… hold on, I’ll be right back.” She made her way down the hallway. Jeremy didn’t follow, instead deciding to examine the crib. This was where he grew up. It was a simple crib, obviously well-used. Not worn-down, mind, just… used. It had a history. A history that Jeremy wanted to decode, but unlike his dad’s ciphers, he didn’t have the key. 

“Took me a second to find it,” Sara Jane said. She handed him what appeared to be a scrapbook. “Raphael- he wrote when he can. Taught me some basic codes, would send out letters whenever you’d leave a town. Never left a return address, but…” Jeremy flipped through the pages, moving to sit on the small bed. The letters were all coded but appeared to be about how much Raphael missed Sara Jane. Updates on Jeremy’s growth. Letters from a father to his lover and son’s mother. 

One page jumped out to him, though. “I remember this,” he said, running his fingers against the paper. It was a simple drawing of a young boy, holding a catcher’s mitt, and a taller man next to him. “I drew this after Dad took me to my first baseball game, for my eighth birthday. I thought I lost the drawing after we skipped town, but- he sent them to you?”

Sara Jane nodded. “And I kept them all. Oh, honey, the day I first heard your voice on the phone- Mikey can tell you, I damn near fell over. You sounded so happy, and even if I couldn’t see you, that’s all a mother wants.” Jeremy leaned against her and she shut the book. “That’s all a mother wants, sweetie. To see her kids be safe and happy.” 

“I am, Ma,” he assured her. “I promise.” 

They sat like that for a while, with Sara Jane commenting on various letters and drawings in the scrapbook. Apparently, Raphael sent her money when he could- more frequently now that Mann Co. paid so well. She also had a rough idea of their current occupations. “I figure, if you and your father are working for the same company- with his skills, there’s gotta be a whole lot of nonsense going on out in that desert.” Jeremy laughed at that because she wasn’t wrong. “But I also figure since he raised you right, he’ll keep the both of you safe.” 

“I keep him safe too, don’t worry,” Jeremy added. “Uh- listen, it’s touching and all you kept the crib, but I don’t have to sleep in it, right?” 

They both had a good chuckle over that. Their laughs were in perfect harmony. 

. . .

The next two days were a mix of learning the family history and exploring Boston. It was the offseason, so there weren’t any games going on at Fenway, but Jeremy still got a picture in front of the park. Sara Jane took the pair to a restaurant that served “the best damn clam chowder in the contiguous United States.” Which, incidentally, led them to discover Jeremy was allergic to clams. Thankfully they didn’t have to go to the hospital- he just sort of immediately got sick before it passed- but it did suck.

It was damn good chowder, though. 

They went down to the harbor where the Boston Tea Party happened. It was crowded with people, resulting in them not staying long. Jeremy was a bit better with crowds than Raphael, but neither was great with them. Came with the job. Getting overpriced memorabilia from a nearby gift shop, though, went over much more smoothly. 

When not out on the town, Sara Jane dug out more scrapbooks and photo albums, catching Raphael up on what his stepsons had been up to. She showed Jeremy pictures from Ricky’s first school play to Scott opening up his butcher shop. Graduation pictures, wedding pictures, baby pictures- it was all there, and Jeremy devoured it. He wanted to know these people. He wanted to know his family. And he did. He learned about Michael’s stint in the Navy, Melvin meeting his wife, how Bobby’s son could dribble a basketball for twenty minutes straight. He learned about how his parents met. How Raphael loved each of Sara Jane’s children, even if they weren’t biologically his. How Jeremy wasn’t planned- few of the kids were - but they were both so, so happy to realize he was coming. 

He also learned that, while diner food would remain the undisputed king, homemade meatloaf came pretty close. 

. . .

The only problem came when it was time to leave. It wasn’t that Jeremy didn’t want to return to work, or leave his Ma behind. Sara Jane wasn’t even torn up over losing her son and lover again. It just felt like there was so much left to say, to do. There was uncertainty as to when they’d be able to return. “We get time off for Smissmas, I know that’s months away but I’ll be here, I promise,” Jeremy swore, hugging Sara Jane for the eighth time. 

“You better,” she said, squeezing him tightly. “You have 25 years worth of gifts to catch up on, not to mention birthday gifts-”

“Ma, you don’t have to go that far,” he whined. He was touched, sure, but the thought of that much luggage was truly frightening. Oh God, he was going to have to get gifts for everybody, wasn’t he? What do kids even want for Smissmas? 

“Hush, let me spoil my baby,” Sara Jane told him, kissing his cheek. “Oh, Jeremy…” 

Jeremy nodded. “I know, but I’ll call. I’ll write, too. Send pictures if I can.” 

“I’ll make sure he does,” Raphael assured her. Sara Jane stood to kiss his lips, with Jeremy looking away pointedly. “You have my word, ma petite chou-fleur.” 

“Alright, alright- now get going, I don’t want you two missing your flight. That boss of yours sounds like she’ll tear you both a new one if you’re late,” Sara Jane said, shooing them away. “Love you boys!” 

“I love you too, Ma!” Jeremy shouted back, for the very first time. 

The drive back to the airport was quiet. Jeremy stared out the window, watching his hometown- he had a hometown- pass by. “Hey, dad?” he asked, still looking outside. Raphael grunted to acknowledge he was listening. “One of these days, our contracts with Mann Co. are gonna expire. We’re gonna have to find new jobs.” 

“Yes, that’s correct,” Raphael said. He tapped a rhythm against the steering wheel. 

“And-and I was thinking when that time comes… maybe we could come back to Boston. Find some gigs out here,” Jeremy suggested. 

Raphael sighed. “Unfortunately, being a spy means that you don’t have the option of retiring, Jeremy. Not until you’re unable to complete your job. At that point, though, you’ve probably died a dozen times over,” he explained. “Even if I could retire, settling down somewhere so close to people I care about- I would still have enemies.” 

“Right. ‘Course,” Jeremy said. “It’s OK.” 

“That being said,” Raphael continued, “you have the luxury of youth and not being tied down to such a career. If you want to find a job in Boston after we finish with RED, there’s nothing stopping you.” 

“But people will still be after me, since I’m your son. And you wouldn’t be around.”

“Every child leaves their parents someday. And you’re strong, Jeremy. You can protect yourself and your family.” Raphael smiled. “I don’t believe Sara Jane needs much protecting, but I do worry.” 

Jeremy laughed. “I mean, did ya see the muscles on Scott and Michael? Guys can probably bench press a tractor!” 

They both chuckled before settling into quietude. Eventually, though, Jeremy had to break the silence. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, mon lapin.”

“...so your nickname for Ma is fucking ‘little cauliflower?’ What the hell, Dad?” 

#father-son bonding au #Team Fortress 2 #team fortress 2 au #tf2 #tf2 fanfiction #tf2 scout #tf2 spy #tf2 scout's mom #dad spy #thetriggeredhappy #spy x scout's ma #noodle writes

[goldenspecter]

Cosmo’s TMNT Masterpost

(Rise, 2003, 2012, and others)

Here’s where you can find pretty much everything I’ve ever made for the TMNT fandom! Fanfics here[haven’t gotten the courage to post fanart here yet], hope you guys enjoy my work. Reblogs are appreciated!

Fanfics

1. Finding my way home(and moving forward)

Out of sheer curiosity, Leonardo and Donatello looked up, and there it was.

A portal.

Had the Universe really taken pity on them? Had it really heard his desperate prayers for one more chance?

It was not like the ones they had seen before, it was an irregular circle made up of several shades of blue, completely different from the perfect and symmetrical pink triangles of the Kraang.

Leonardo and Donatello looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, "Should we go in?" Donatello asked, almost shouting, drawing the attention of the others, who quickly turned to the portal and to see each other, then the two brothers in question.

"It's our best bet, and our only chance," replied Leonardo.

Or rather, with the 2012 kids' home gone, they end up in the Rise verse after a strange portal shows up. Therapy is needed, and start the slow process of healing from their trauma.

(Rise/2012, Work in Progress, written with @keeryd​ )

2. Strawberry Cookies:

"Mikey here was just about to tell me what we could do to cheer Raph up while he's sick," Donnie says. "Mikey continue?"

Now that Mikey had both of his older brothers attention, he grins. "I was thinking we make strawberry cookies!" He does his jazz hands as he says this and is met with looks of something that he can only put as disapproval. "What?"

"You do know that everytime that we have tried to make it-" Donnie starts.

"We mess it up and Raph has to come in and save our butts from burning the cookies?" Leo finishes, "What would be different this time?"

Mikey huffs, "We are doing this so we can cheer him up and to prove that we can do something on our own!" he says, "That's what got Raph sick in the first place!"

Or rather, Raph gets sick after helping his brothers recover from the poisoned pizza puffs. Mikey, Donnie, and Leo take a shot at baking cookies for Raph while trying not to burn their kitchen down.

(One shot, complete)

 3. Chicken Fried Rice:

“I only poured in half a pot of rice,” Donnie complained.

Mikey stared at him, really stared at him before he spoke. “You do realize that rice expands when cooked right?” he said, “You do realize that?”

Donnie was silent, looking away from Mikey.

“Donnie!”

Donnie makes chicken fried rice. Mikey watches over. Shenanigans and brotherly fluff ensue.

one shot in which Donnie is in the kitchen, cooking rice and Mikey, Mikey is positive he should have gotten Donnies braincell. 

(One shot, complete)

 4. Tea Time with Hortense and Patty: 

"Sooo," Raph starts. She's always been weird with awkward silences. "Are these grandma kinning hours?"

"Grandma hours!" Mikey exclaims excitedly. "Grandma time!!!"

"Ah, if it isn't our favorite girl and her little brother!" Hortense tilts her head over in their direction slightly. "Are you going to join us? We were just about done arguing," she says.

---

Today is Tea Time. Two old ladies have a tea party, one of them forgets to bring the food, and they are joined by Mikey and Raph. A good time is still had.

(One Shot, Complete)

5. One of those Days

When Donnie woke up this morning, he woke up with the familiar thrum of anger and irritation running through his body with more intensity than normal. Rubbing the crust out of the corners of his sleep-addled eyes, he jerkily grabbed his phone and turned off the alarm. It's one of Those Days, Donnie noted. Those Days where Donnie isn't capable of handling Mikey's over-enthusiastic optimism or Leon's chaotic trickster nature. His safest bet is to hang out with Raph, his calm and mellow demeanor always helped calm down before Donnie went on a rage fest and say anything he couldn't take back.

Or, Donnie and Raph help each other out, balance each other, and make things a little less difficult.

(One Shot, Complete) 

 6. Gift Hunting: 

“It’s Leo. Tiny Leo,” the voice answers. “I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t say until you say yes first,” Leo says. “It’s really important though.”

Angelo is silent, weighing his options. He could say no, he really could-

“Please, Angelo, you’re the only one who can really help me with this,” Leo pleads.

Rather, Angelo and Leonardo go out in the streets of New York to help the blue banded turtle find gifts for his brothers' sixteenth mutation day. Bonding and fluff ensues.

(One Shot, Complete)

 7. Aftermath:

“Raphie bear?” Mikey called out, gently tapping Raph, with relief washing him when Raph turned his head to face him. “What’s the matter teddy bear?”

“Th-thi-this doesn’t feel real.” Raph stuttered out, his voice cracking as a sob broke through. “I’m not really here. Neither are you and everyone else. I’m still alone with Draxum and his minions. No one’s coming to save me because I was stupid enough to get captured and no one wants such a worthless turtle like me.”

In which Raph was kidnapped and tortured by Baron Draxum and his family has to deal with the aftermath of it.

(One Shot, Complete)

 8. To Be the Eldest

Donnie, the second youngest in his family, wishes he was the eldest for once. Then one night, Donnie gets his wish granted and now he was three small turtles in his care.

Donnie adjusts to being the eldest, comes to some realizations, and makes a promise to his (now) younger brothers.

(Work In Progress)

 9. Wanted: Snaggletooth 

Dr. Noel bent down on his knees in front of Raph, a manic smile that showed too many teeth coming about on his face speaking of pain and suffering that has yet to come. He stretched out his hand towards Raph’s face, placing a thumb under his mouth, pressing into his snaggletooth. “Beautiful. Just as I expected,” he crooned, pulling out a syringe and injecting it into Raph’s neck, pushing the contents of the syringe into his system.

Raph’s eyes fluttered as he started losing consciousness, watching through hooded eyes as Dr. Noel's smile grew even wider, with his last thought right as darkness consumed him being that he hoped his family would find him before it was too late.

Post S2 Finale, Dr. Noel remembers Raphael, his snaggletooth, and manages to find and capture the red masked turtle. It doesn't end well for Raphael.

(Work In Progress)

 10. Dimensional Differences:

They bow. Not like one of those pretentious bows like she would do at Yokai parties and not like the ones she would do with her brothers when they hosted tea parties. They bowed deeply, heads stopping at her stomach, one hand closing around their fists. This spoke of respect and honor.

And that unnerved her a little bit. Why are they bowing so deeply?

“Thank you,” they said in unison. It’s unnerving to April and she felt the uneasiness coming from her brothers too.

“Why are you thanking me?” She said finally, voice sounding foreign to her.

“You saved my life?” Baby Leo said slowly, voice tinged with confusion. “That was an honorable thing to do?”

April blinked, “It shouldn’t be considered honorable for doing what any big sister would do,” she said. “That’s not honor, that’s just being a good older sibling.”

In which April, Sunita, Casey, and the turtles end up in the 2012 verse after a mishap with Leo's ōdachi and stay with the 2012 turtles until they can go home. They find out a lot of things that don't quite jive with them. Some things are the same, some things are different and they're not quite sure how to handle those differences.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

 11. Mind Meld Part Deux:

“Oh thank Galileo that you all are back to normal!”

“What do you mean we’re back to normal?” Raph questioned, pulling back from the hug. Mikey and Leo also pulled back to stare at Donnie. “We’ve-we’ve always been like this?”

Donnie went quiet. He shouldn’t have said that.

“Donnie, what did you do?”

The brothers found out about Donnie’s Mental Intelligence Reprogrammulator. Arguments are had, words are said, words that tear a rift between him and his family, and it’s up to Donnie to earn his brothers’ forgiveness. The only thing is, will he get it?

(Work In Progress)

 12. I'm a little kid and so are you(don't you go and grow up before I do):

The 2003 turtles somehow, someway ended up in the Rise verse, with Rise Splinter and his turtle tots, and stay with them while the boys try to figure out their way home. 2003 Raphael got attached to his tiny counterpart the moment he laid eyes on the tot. (Raph centric)

(Rise/2003, Work In Progress)

 13. Dimensional Self-Isolation

Post S2 Finale, Raph finds himself trapped in the 2012 universe and has a difficult time coping with all of the differences that this world has in store for him. From new villains, unfamiliar familiar faces, and the way the 2012 boys and Splinter treat each other and him, Raph has a heavy plate on his hands during his long term stay.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

14. A Collection of Turtle Thoughts

A collection of drabbles and ficlets about Turtles I've been writing since October 2020. Ranges from humor to hurt/comfort, I have it all.

Requests are open. SFW only though.

(All Iterations, Work in Progress)

If y’all reblog, read, and share my work, I’d really appreciate that! Anything and everything is appreciated, money or not! Thanks folks 🐢💕

#tmnt #tmnt fanfiction #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2003

[remmushound]

Beyond the Bay Chapter 10: Whats up with Yoshi?

Summary: While Raphael tries to calm down with the help of Splinter, Donnie has a talk with Leonardo about Yoshi.

Tags: @selfindulgenz @digitl-art-monstr @ilo-artistry @brightlotusmoon @rottmnt-addict

Leonardo stood up just as suddenly as Raphael had, leaving his plate at the table as he stormed out of the kitchen.

“Leo!” Donatello was the next to stand, hurrying after his brother.

Michelangelo didn't react. He just as stiff and speechless as his guests were. His expression broke. His lip began quivering as he tucked into himself and started to cry. Tears came heavy and fast; Raph was the quickest out of his seat and ushered to the box turtle’s comfort, wrapping Michelangelo in arms as big as he was. Michelangelo leaned into the hug, resting his head against Raph’s neck and curling his body into a tight ball that the older shinobi could easily embrace.

“Perhaps we… overstepped our bounds…” Splinter said slowly, his eyes holding nothing but patient understanding toward the young teen. “I apologize for causing such emotional distress…”

Michelangelo wanted to respond, but the tears wouldn’t stop to let the words through. Instead, he just leaned his weight further into his friend to hide away from the world.

***

Raphael needed to calm down. He needed to breathe and think somewhere away from questions, even the ones left unsaid. His hands were shaking too badly for the accuracy needed to knit, and when he had tried all he succeeded in doing was clacking the needles together and making nothing more than a tangled wad of yarn. Busywork always seemed to help, so that’s what he fell to doing. He settled on making up Michelangelo’s room for the brotherly sleepover that Michelangelo was so excited for. It would be cramped quarters, but he was sure they could all fit in Michelangelo’s race car bed with a little maneuvering; Raphael even had his own rubber sleeper shell so his spikes wouldn’t hurt them in the night! The bed had been a birthday gift from Donatello the previous year, and Michelangelo himself had handled the decorations of the wooden frame. As one would expect, it was just as vibrant as Mikey was.

There came a gentle knock at the open door.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Splinter said in that soft, humble voice of his.

“Uh… n-no, just some... “ Raphael let out a long breath and motioned vaguely toward the blankets and pillows he had assembled into a comfortable nest. He couldn’t find the words, so he melted away into low mumbles.

“I see.” Splinter nodded, “It looks very comfortable. Are you sure you don’t mind sharing your rooms?”

Raphael shrugged. “Eh, it’s whatever. Mikey loves sleepovers, so…” Raphael bit his lip out of habit and rubbed his arm.

“Still, I appreciate your generosity.” He approached Raphael at a slow gait and held out his paw near Raphael, but not quite touching him, allowing Raphael to take that final reach if he so choosed; and he did. Splinter ran a finger carefully across the far-larger hand, his expression a splitting smile. “I’m sorry if my family overstepped our boundaries at supper. Leonardo is simply… eager to get back home, as we all are.”

“No no no, it’s not your fault!” Raphael quickly reassured. “I know how Leo’s can get when they’re antsy.

Splinter gave a cheerful laugh. “Yes; I suppose my son and your brother are more alike than we initially realized.”

“Yeah, especially recently...” Raphael caught himself. He growled, swiping at his face trying to clear the cloud in his mind. “Sorry. Just a lot on my mind right now.”

“Of course.” Splinter nodded, “I understand completely.”

Raphael sat down with enough force to shake the room; Splinter sat down beside him.

“Your father is… unwell?” Splinter asked cautiously.

“Erm…” Raphael pursed his lips and gave a thoughtful grunt. “Uh. Physically he’s as well as he can be— Leo and Don make sure of that.”

“But mentally?” Splinter prompted.

Raphael couldn’t answer. It was all he could do to shake his head and give a weak, gasping sob, though no tears came to match. Almost out of habit, Raphael pressed his weight into Splinter and rested his head on the old rat’s shoulders; Splinter carried the burden of Raphael with little trouble, carefully shushing the mutant's sobs while stroking his carapace.

“There there, it is alright.” Splinter soothed. “I can imagine how difficult it is to care for your father while maintaining your duties at the same time.”

“It is.” Raphael shook his broad head. “And… and I try to balance things so we can do both, but Leo’s just making it so hard! We’re yelling at each other all the time, Donnie holes up in his bedroom, and Mikey is just so sad. I don’t know what to do…”

“Hey, easy…” Splinter stroked the unscarred side of Raphael’s face, “You will figure it out. Would I be overzealous to ask about…?”

“Uh.” Raphael took a deep breath to think. “We took him to a yokai specialist that uh… said LBD or something like that. Protein deposits in the brain or nerve cells or whatever. I… kinda blanked out.”

“Of course.” Splinter nodded, “It is only natural.”

“Leo handles all of that medical stuff anyway.” Raphael waved a dismissive hand, “Doctor appointments, physical therapy, stuff like that…”

“You’re awfully lucky you have all those options.” Splinter said, “Perhaps we could get Michelangelo checked out— my son, I mean. Donatello is wonderful with him, but internet searches and medical books can only go so far.”

There was no verbal response, but Raphael grunted and nodded with eyes averted. Splinter frowned and lowered his head to meet the snapping turtle’s gaze, smile just as patient.

“Do you agree, Raphael?”

Raphael shrugged. “I dunno. I mean— it’s worked so far for us. I get that Leo wants dad to have all these specialists and these caregivers and—and I understand that dad needs the care, but it’s expensive and we can do half that stuff by ourselves! If dad really needs something then it’s not an issue, but Leo keeps wasting all this time and money to get the same exact answer! It’s stupid!”

“I see.” Splinter nodded, “I understand that pride may be a difficult thing to overcome with something so personal…”

“And it’s not just the appointments!” It was nice to have someone to talk to, an unbiased source, so Raphael just kept talking. He could feel a weight lifting off of his shoulders and chest. “Leo’s has it in his head that dad needs a full-time nurse!”

“You don’t think so?”

“I don’t know…” Raphael shook his head, “I mean, I can’t really stand the thought of some stranger coming here and… trusting someone we don’t know with taking care of dad.”

“You’re untrusting of strangers…”

“Well, yeah. We’ve been pretty sheltered most of our lives. All of this… out in the open stuff is really new to us.”

“It is a valid worry.” Splinter reassured, “Is there any alternative?”

“I don’t see why we can’t do what we’ve been doing! You know— take turns staying behind to take care of dad.”

“You would split up the team…”

“I mean… it’s for dad! And it’s what we’ve been doing for the past two months, and it’s worked out great! Leo just doesn’t want to put in the work…”

“I’m certain that’s not what it is at all!” Splinter insisted, “You said Leonardo was taking your father to all of these appointments! That doesn’t seem lazy to me!”

“It’s lazy when it gets him out of training and patrol constantly.” Raphael said bitterly.

“Ah.” Splinter understood, “Well, why not take turns accompanying Yoshi?”

“I tried that; Leo’s the only one who knows enough about this stuff to fill in the doctor's.”

“Your Donatello isn’t of help?”

“Not with medical science. He’s more of a tech nerd.”

“My Donatello is much of a… jack of all trades, if you would. Perhaps during our stay he could help out.”

“You think he would?” Raphael had a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“I don’t see why not. I will ask him about it in the morning.”

“Thanks.” Raphael breathed, his smile coming back with a more genuine emotion, “Gee, we really owe you for everything you’ve done for us.”

“We didn't help you boys just to get something owed.” Splinter stated, “It was just the right thing to do.”

“I know!” Raphael insisted, “And helping you guys is the right thing for us to do!

“You are a very kind soul, Raphael, and I am so thankful that me and my sons had this place to turn to in our hour of need. Friends to rely on.”

Raphael took Splinter’s hands in his. “You’re always welcome here! We would have visited sooner but… life happened.”

“Do not be guilty, young Raphael. Guilt does not suit those eyes well.”

Raphael rumbled a laugh. “I’ll try to remember that.”

~~~

“Hey.” Donnie opened the closet to find Leonardo sitting inside; he closed the door and joined Leonardo, having to pull his knees tight to his chest to cram all seven feet of him inside.

“Hey.” Leonardo muttered, hardly acknowledging Donnie’s presence.

“Your Donnie’s looking for you, you know.”

“How’d you find me first, then?”

Donnie shrugged. “I’m a ninja. Do you… wanna talk about what happened?”

“What’s there to talk about?” Leonardo scoffed, almost laughing, “You saw what went down. There’s nothing more to it.”

“Oh, I think there is.” Donnie said; when Leonardo looked in the box turtles eyes, he was met with the cold, cobra stare that Donnie was known for. “I’m curious. Enlighten me.”

Leonardo gulped. “Just… the past six months have been an… all-round crap fest. Just one thing after the other— it’s exhausting! And arguing with Raph doesn’t make things any better.”

“Haven’t you and your Raph always butted heads?”

“Not like this!  Not every day— and not so violent! Not over something as important as this… as important as dad.”

“Do you know what caused it?” Donnie asked vaguely, but he trusted in Leonardo to know what he was talking about.

“It’s LBD.” Leonardo shook his head, “Doc says so.”

Donnie frowned. “LBD shouldn’t have progressed so quickly. You said it’s only been six months?”

“Five months, and that’s since he was diagnosed, not since it developed.” Leonardo corrected, “He’s had it for a long time we just… didn't notice. Little things like… forgetting our names and mixing up who was who…”

“That would have been around the same time as your injury, right?” Donnie asked, “I mean, I can only estimate given how much you’ve healed.”

“Yeah, right after it.” Leonardo took a shaky breath.

“That must have been… difficult to handle?”

“Raph… struggled a lot.” Leonardo’s voice began to waver, “I… let’s just say I was MIA for a while. I… wasn’t there when… But he got through it. We’ll get through this too. Always do.”

“You have access to doctor's, don’t you?” Donnie said, “Neurologists, geriatricians, physicians?”

Leonardo nodded, “All of those. And I’ve been looking into palliative care, but it’s… hard to find all this stuff in the Hidden City. Yokai illness and human aren’t the same and… and dad’s isn’t either of those.” 

“It sounds like you’re doing everything right to me.” Donnie assured.

“Try telling that to Raph! I told him that we needed a nurse to help us stay on top of this whole thing, and he nearly blew a gasket. He’s too proud to admit that we need help.”

“Pride is a dangerous thing.” Donnie agreed, “How can I help?”

“No.” Leonardo shook his head, “This is personal business. You don’t need to get involved.”

“Leon.” Donnie’s voice dripped with venom.

“D-don’t you do it.”

“Leon.” Donnie leaned closer to Leonardo, his eyes wide and slitted  as he hissed out the words in a slow voice, “How... can I... help…?”

“You can start by not looking at me like that!” Leonardo shoved Donnie away and shivered.

Donnie blinked and his eyes were back to normal. “You’re not in this alone, Leon, and I won’t let you think that you are. Just know that.”

#what’s up with Yoshi? #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #tmnt au #tmnt 2014 #tmnt 2016 #bay turtles #beyond the bay

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT Oneshot: Sweet Sixteen

((This scene just popped into my head, aaaaand I don’t feel like writing anything else atm so- hope you all enjoy))

It wasn’t often that the lair was bustling early in the morning; the Hamato-Jitsu family stayed up late, and often slept in even later. But on certain days such as these, only one person was allowed to sleep in...

At about 7 a.m., all activity was quickly shushed as silent shadows crept towards a specific room - a bedroom with red-tinted walls thanks to the small lamp that was still lit. They could hear quiet snores, and grinned to themselves as they snuck inside.

Still somewhat asleep but awake enough that his ninja senses were reacting to certain noises and scents, Raph snorted a bit and turned over as he began to stir from his slumber. He instinctively hugged his teddy - he had chosen Dr. Huggenstein the night before - close and tried to bury his face in the back of its head, hoping for just a bit more sleep.

And yet, his mind was slowly starting to wake. He could smell something fruity and buttery near. He could hear quiet giggles and quiet steps padding across the floor of his room. And, despite his eyes being closed, he could still somewhat ‘see’ figures coming closer and closer, until they were standing right in front of him...

With his curiosity now too much for even his sleepy mind to ignore, Raph opened one eye, and-

“SURPRISE!”

The snapper flinched, startled as he sat up and nearly throwing a punch at his ‘surprise’ - although this was anything but a surprise attack, and due to expecting it, his family easily stepped back, avoiding the hit expertly as they laughed. 

Donnie and Mikey threw bundles of red and green confetti at him, and as Splinter held up the stack of strawberry and chocolate waffles, Leo leaned over and placed a plastic “Sweet Sixteen” tiara right on his big brother’s head. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~!”

Although he groaned a bit at being surprised by one of their family’s longest running traditions (again. You’d think expecting it would be enough to STOP him from freaking out), Raph still smiled as his family sang and clapped. 

When they finished, Raph naturally invited them all in for a group hug. “D’awww, thanks guys.”

“No probles, Big Brother.” “Happy birthday, Raphie!” “Heh, seems like we got you pretty good this year, huh?”

“Ugh, only ‘cause I was in a deep sleep!” Raph argued, pouting only a little, “I’ll be ready next year.”

Splinter just chuckled at his boys, shaking his head. He hadn’t expected this Birthday Morning tradition to last sixteen years when he started doing it when they were all tots (albeit with less screaming involved, at first) but he was sure glad that it had. “Here,” he said, handing the snapper his breakfast, “Best to eat them before they get too cold and soggy.”

“Right, don’t wanna lose that crunch,” Raph agreed, quickly digging in. Although they still had their own breakfasts to prepare, his brothers and father kept him company as he ate. Honestly, Raph appreciated that just as much as he appreciated the breakfast itself.

Naturally, they discussed Raph’s ‘birthday wish’ plans for that day first - another family tradition, the birthday boy (or girl, in April’s case) gets to decide what they all did as a group that day. For his Sweet 16, Raph had decided on some sparring with Frankenfoot, go-karting at Albeartoland, a small shopping spree at Teddy Bear Town (gotta spend that bday money somehow) and capping off the night with a three-hour wrestling special that was premiering on TV (after presents and cake, of course). 

His bros approved of all these ideas, and after texting the schedule to April and CJ, they gave her approval too.

Afterwards, the brothers moved on onto talking about past birthdays, followed by Leo, Mikey and Donnie all talking about the plans that they had for their upcoming birthdays. But as fun as this conversation was, Raph couldn’t help but notice his father growing quieter the longer it went on.

Eventually, his brothers excused themselves to both grab their own breakfasts and give Raph some space to get ready for the day. (The guy didn’t even have his bandana on yet! How embarrassing - or at least it would’ve been if there was anyone but family there). The only one who stayed was his pop, sitting there as content as ever with a soft, slightly bittersweet smile on his face.

“...Everything alright, Pops?” Raph finally asked, once he had polished off his waffles.

“Hm? Oh yes yes, I’m fine... So, how are you feeling, my son?” Splinter asked, “Sixteen is a pretty big milestone, after all.”

“Heh, I’m good. ...Honestly, it doesn’t feel all that different from fifteen” Raph replied. Thinking about it, he added, “Maybe ‘cause a bunch of stuff has already happened in the past year?” He was now officially a year older, yeah, but it felt like he had already done plenty of changing and growing before then.

Who would’ve thought that he would be given mystic weapons (and later mystic powers), learn about his dad’s past, take down several city-ending threats, meet the spirits of his family, and become a hero alongside his family and friends all before his next birthday? That whole situation was... pretty crazy to think about. Amazing, yeah, but definitely still crazy. In that sense, maybe a more normal and lowkey birthday was just what he needed.

Raph was brought back to the present when he felt his father patting his shell. “Yes, you make a fair point... Still, this birthday is just as much an accomplishment as anything else, and certainly worth celebrating properly.”

The old rat sighed a bit, closing his eyes for just a moment. “You boys are growing up so fast... Before I know it, you will be all grown up. You and your brothers...”

“Aw, come on, Dad...” Setting his plate to the side, Raph pulled Splinter in for a one-armed hug. “We’re always gonna need ya, no matter how old or grown up we get.”

“Heh, I know...” But it was still admittedly nice to hear. “Still, you cannot blame me for being a bit... well, a bit shell-shocked as it were whenever I think about how far you have come, Red. I remember when you were all small enough for me to hold in my arms, and now-”

Splinter stopped, his eyes widening as if he realized (or maybe remembered) something - something apparently funny enough to make him laugh. “Did I tell you- ah, no, I wouldn’t have... Well, no time than the present. Want to know something about the day you were born?”

Raph’s eyes widened at the suggestion, more than a little surprised at his dad’s sudden openness about that day, which Splinter supposed he should have expected, considering previous reactions to anything (or anyone) relating to it.

“I know I do not always-” or ever- “talk about the day I was mutated, but it was not a completely bad day.” He smirked. “I got you boys that day, didn’t I? Heh, you were all so tiny and cute! And you-” Splinter laughed again, and while he was still a bit surprised, now Raph was curious about what was so funny, and how did it involve him?

“Okay, so- this was before your boys were- yourselves. Back when you were norm- ah, average turtles. I was picking you all up, looking at how cute you all were and, well, at one point I decided to give you a kiss on your little head - and you know what you did in return? You bit me!”

“Pffft-!” Raph brought a hand to his mouth, hiding his laughs. “I did not!”

“Oh yes you did!” Splinter shot back, grinning now, “Bit me right on the lip! And I am pretty sure I still have the scar to prove it, somewhere under all this fur. Oh, I was so mad! Heh, but only for a few seconds. It is cruel to be mad at a baby, after all...”

His expression softened a bit as he thought about what happened next. Although Splinter was sure that he would always have mixed feelings about what happened that day and the transformation he received, he would always see the creation of his sons as a blessing that he would always be grateful for.

“Once you were all yourselves, I did all I could to get you boys to safety. And when I held you and your brothers in my arms and saw you all looking up at me... I knew that I would never be able to let you go.” 

Even before he began calling them his sons, even when he still only saw them as ‘innocent creatures’ and had no idea what they would eventually become, they were still his. And they always would be. 

“You have all grown so much that day... And I am not just talking about size, although you especially have certainly gotten bigger.” Splinter looked up and smiled at his eldest. “You are strong, and brave, and so kind... You are more of an honorable man at sixteen than I ever was, and I am so, SO very proud of you, Raphael.”

By this point, Raph’s tears were already beginning to fall, but the snapper could hardly care about that. He just brought his rat dad in for another hug - one that Splinter happily returned. When he eventually felt his son’s grip begin to loosen, Splinter moved to stand on his tip-toes and moved his tail towards his son’s head.

Understanding what he was getting at, Raph lowered his head, allowing Splinter’s tail to lift up the silly tiara as his dad planted a kiss right on the center of his head. “Heh... Happy birthday, my son.”

Wiping his eyes, Raph nodded back. “Thanks, Pops.”

“Oh please, thank YOU for not biting me again.” 

The two shared another laugh, staying beside each other a bit longer. When Splinter did finally decide to leave, he made sure to grab his son’s plate to take back to the kitchen. “Try not to come home too late, I’ll be sure to have supper waiting for you all when you get back. But make sure to enjoy yourself today too, okay?”

Raph chuckled, nodding again. “I will,” he promised - easy enough to do, considering it already felt like a great day. Splinter gave him one last smile before walking away.

As he put on his bandana and his wraps, Raph continued to smile to himself. Maybe he didn’t feel any different than he did at fifteen, and maybe in comparison the days where he escaped a Battle Nexus or fought a dark armor, a birthday wasn’t THAT big of a deal.

But maybe his dad was also right. Maybe it was still an accomplishment that he was a year older - that he was still there, still living and still right beside his family, even after a less-than-normal ‘birth’ and everything that came after. 

Maybe that really was worth celebrating, especially when that celebrating was done with the people that actually made his life worth living.

Speaking of which- “Hey, Raph! You still in there?” “Come on! We’ve already got the dojo set up, and we’re pretty sure Buddy’s just gonna start punchin’ stuff if you don’t get in here!”

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming - and you guys better be ready!” Raph shouted back, grinning. 

With his wraps, belts and bandana all now on, he grabbed his sai, spinning them a few times before sliding them into their holsters. Once that was done, he happily raced out of his room and ran towards the dojo, more than ready to seize the day - seize his birthday - for all it was worth.

THE END

#rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #raphael tmnt #splinter tmnt #oneshot #my writing #fanfiction #I love family fluff and birthday fluff #it's my weakness lol

[nights-legacy]

Staring Confessional - TMNT

Requested by @nesting-dreams​

Prompt: The Boys reacting to their S/O just casually admitting that they have thought about them sexually even though they have only been dating for a few months time. (Was requested for 2003 boys but it can be read in the other versions too.)

Leo:

It was on a lazy Saturday when Leo and Y/N are left alone for more than 30 minutes at a time. They were able to sneak away to a secret loft that Y/N knew. They were cuddling on the sofa while watching TV. Y/N wasn’t paying much attention to the TV and more to Leo.

“You’re staring sweetheart.” Leo said without taking his eyes of the screen. Y/N chuckled and shifted so their head was in Leo’s lap. Leo’s hand immediately went to Y/N’s hair.

“So?” Y/N asked/ Leo rolled his eyes and chuckled. He glanced down with a smile before turning his attention back up. Y/N looked over his features. His dazzling eyes, strong jaw, confident shoulders. Y/N reached up and traced a finger across his collarbone and caught ahold of his mask tail. Y/N began to twirl it.

“You are very distracted darling.” Leo comments. Y/N didn’t answer for a bit. They sighed as Leo ran his hands through their hair.

“You know you’re sexy, right?” Leo breath caught in his throat and his hand jerked, getting caught and pulling Y/N’s hair. “Ow! Leo!”

“I’m sorry!” He quickly untangled his hand from their hair and rubbed the spot where it pulled. He gulped as Y/N’s statement roared in his head. “What did you say?”

“I said you’re sexy.” Y/N sat up and looked at him. They smiled at him and set a hand on his shoulder. Leo’s eyes widen and he set his hands on the back of his head. He leant back, processing. “You’re sexy, confident, sweet, strong…” They leant forward and brushed their lips across Leo’s collarbone.

“Y/N…” He sighed before gently pushing them away. He looked at Y/N in the eyes and knew they weren’t lying. “I never thought you would be attracted to me like that.” He said while brushing his thumbs across their biceps.

“Of course I would.” Y/N moved into his lap. “I’d be crazy not to. I have been attracted to you long before we ever started dating.” Leo smiled wide and chuckled. He moved his hand to Y/N’s waist.

“I can’t say I haven’t thought some of the same things.” He moved his hands up and down Y/N’s waist. Y/N smirked and grabbed his mask tails. They pulled him forward into a fiery kiss.

Raph:

Raphael and Y/N were in the training room on a rare day where the city was void of criminal activity. Raph was beating on a punching bag while Y/N was sitting on the side on a lounge bench the boys put in for Y/N, since they’re in there with them most of the time. Right now, Y/N’s gaze was locked on the places Raph’s hands were continuously striking.

“Holy hell.” Y/N muttered under their breath. Raph stalled for a second and looked at them. He noticed they were zoned out but zoned in on something at the same time.

“Something got your attention?” He asked out loud. He caught the swinging bag as Y/N shook themselves out of the trance. They looked at him and saw him smirking.

“I, umm, well.” They stuttered. Raph laughed and walked over to a side table. He grabbed a hand towel to wipe the sweat off his face. As he moved his mask to wipe his brow, Y/N spoke up. “Your hands.”

“What?” He dropped his mask to hang around his neck. He looked at his hand and back at Y/N with an eye ridge raised. “My hands?”

“Come here.” Y/N waved him closer. He shrugged, tossing the towel, and walked over. Y/N sat up and crossed their legs as Raph knelt and sat back on his feet. Y/N made grabby hands and Raph rolled his eyes but never the less place his hands in theirs. “They’re so strong.”

“Okay…” He gave them a look to go on. They turned his hand over and started tracing the creases in his palm before tracing the outline of his three fingered appendage.

“They’re strong, big, and trained. They could easily pin a little person like me.” Raph’s eyes widen to the size of golf balls. “I can only imagine how that would feel. You above me pinning me down, doing whatever you want with me.” Y/N looked at him with a serious but curious gaze.

“Seriously?” He asked. Y/N nodded. He started to blush so much that you would think he still had his mask on. “You think of me in that way? Me? A mutant?” It was Y/N’s turn to blush.

“Yeah. I know we have not been together that long and haven’t done anything, well, sexual but I’ll admit if thought about it.” They bit their lip and looked down. Raph shook his head in shock. “But we don’t have to do it, I mean any of it. Not yet. Or, or ever, I don’t know.”

“Wow.” He looked down at his hands that were still in theirs. He smiled, chuckling, and then smirked. “Well, why not make those thoughts a reality.”

“What?” Y/N looked up but gasped as Raph pushed them onto their back. He pinned their hands by the wrists by their head. Y/N looked at their wrists before looking up at him. His smirk sent chills down their spine.

“Even if it’s one step at a time.” Y/N gulped at his change in attitude. He grinned before swooping down and kissed them hard.

Donnie:

Y/N was laying on the cot in Don’s lab, just watching him work away on another project. They were getting annoyed slightly because he said he would be done about 40 minutes ago. Y/N was fidgeting and picking at spots on their jeans. Bored out of their mind, Y/N groaned out loud.

“Something wrong?” Donnie asked. Y/N rolled onto their back and threw their legs straight into the air.

“Yes! You said you would be done forever ago.” Y/N complained and let her legs drop. “And don’t even argue on my forever logic.” They looked at Donnie and saw him raise his hands in surrender. Y/N watched him and calmed down.

“Just a little longer and I know I can fix this.” He told them. They rolled their eyes but waited none the less. As Y/N waited, they watched him move, concentrate, and works. The watching turned into admiration. Y/N smiled and got up. They walked up behind Donnie and set their hands on his shoulders.

“I admired your determination.” Y/N said as they gently rubbed his shoulders. He paused and sighed as he let them distract him for the moment. He closed his eyes and leant back. “Not only could it be used for your work but maybe in…other situations as well.” Don stilled at the tone of voice Y/N had.

“What do you mean?” He asked. He turned to Y/N. They smirked.

“You’re the genius. You figure it out.” Y/N placed their hands behind their back and started to back up. Donnie pushed up onto his feet and slowly followed. “You’re determination is hot.”

“Oh really?” He narrowed his eyes at them. Y/N hit the wall and looked shocked for a second, glancing back. “That’s news to me.” He stopped close to them. He placed his hand on the wall next to Y/N’s head.

“Shouldn’t be. I’ve always been open in what I think of you.” Y/N grabbed the top of his plastron and pulled him closer. “I mean come on. You’d have to be a total moron not to think that you’re one fine piece of work.” A blush rose on Donnie’s cheeks but he kept his cool.

“I could say the same for you.” He pecked Y/N’s lips. “But I can assure you…my determination by far transcends just my work.” Y/N giggled before kissing him passionately and pressing themselves flush against him.

Mikey:

Y/N was sitting on the counter in their own kitchen as Mikey was making some food. He was dancing around as music was playing from the radio. Y/N was watching with trained eyes. Every now and again he would go from being a smooth mover to tripping over his two left feet, causing Y/N to burst out laughing.

“Careful please! Leo will kill me if you get hurt in my kitchen…again.” Y/N yelped as he whipped around too fast to look at him, effectively setting him off balance. Y/N covered their face as he struggled to right himself.

“I’m okay, Y/N. You can open your eyes.” Y/N peaked through their fingers and saw him up right and not moving. Y/N sighed in relief and dropped their hands.

“At least put down the knife when you feel a dance frenzy coming on. Please?” Mikey nodded and turned back to the food. It was a few minutes of him actually standing still before the song “We Built this City” by Starship came on.

“Ohhh I love this song!” Mikey yelled. He started swaying his hips before going to full on dance mode.

“The knife! The knife!” Y/N screeched before getting the knife away from him without getting cut somehow. He jumped around, moving to the music. Halfway through the song, Mikey stepped on a discarded dish towel and slipped. He fell to the floor with a thud.

“Ah! Ow!” He slumped on the floor. Y/N scrambled and looked down on him from the counter. They bared their teeth in worry.

“Are you okay?” Y/N asked. He nodded but kept his eyes closed and stayed on the ground. “Glad I got the knife?” They wiggled the knife in the air. He nodded again. Y/N set the knife aside and laid on their stomach on the edge of the counter. “I hope you’re not this clumsy in the bedroom.”

“What?” He shot up. He shot up fast enough that it spooked Y/N. They jumped and fell off the counter. Mikey caught them before they could hit the ground too hard.

“Holy smokes, don’t do that.” Y/N slapped Mikey’s plastron. They moved and knelt on the floor in between Mikey’s legs.

“What did you say?” Y/N looked up at him and thought back before blushing madly. They cover their face in embarrassment. Mikey chuckled and set his hands on their shoulders, rubbing in a soothing motion. “Hey it’s okay. It’s just the first time it’s been mentioned. Well, mentioned by someone other than my brothers but that doesn’t count.”

“Mikey…” Y/N groaned.

“So you’ve thought about me in that way?” He bit his lip suggestively. Y/N rolled their eyes but nodded. He looked excited for a second before his expression dropped. “But why? I’m a mutant. Why would you want to with me?”

“Mikey. You are more human than half of New York.” Y/N grabbed his face gently and pulled him into a kiss. He kissed back without hesitation. “I fell for your personality. So whatever you are or whatever you were, it wouldn’t have mattered. Turtle, human, some other intelligent being…I would still feel the same.”

“Thank you.” He whispered and set his head in Y/N’s.

“Plus, I’ve always loved turtles so I love this.” Y/N trailed a finger down the side of his neck and onto his plastron. Mikey watched the digit.

“Lucky me.” He said with a grin. “And to answer your question. No. I wouldn’t be that clumsy in the bedroom.” He smirked and pulled Y/N to him tight.

#tmnt imagine #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles imagines #imagine #imagines #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt donatello #tmnt raphael #tmnt leonardo #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2014 #tmnt 2016 #tmnt headcanons #requested #raph #mikey #leo #Donnie #tmnt imagines #tmnt 2007

[kaesaaurelia]

deals and contracts and paperwork fiddle-faddle

For @whumptober2020 day 11: Psych 101 (specifically "defiance," although this turned out to be much less “one person defies their captor” than I intended it to be and more “one person inspires another’s defiance.”)

Continues on from day four, wherein Aziraphale met up with a distraught coworker, waited for Crawly at the base of the Tower of Babel, and then it fell on him, day five, wherein Aziraphale did his best to help the citizens of Babylon, and was caught by demons for his trouble, and day eight, wherein Aziraphale found brief and unexpected camaraderie among the prisoners of Hell.

Background Aziraphale/f!Crawly, although this is mostly Aziraphale having a dialogue with an OC who’s trying (slightly) to sell him on a deal with the Devil.

When somebody finally came for Aziraphale, though, it wasn't Crawly.  It was Nisroc, with a gaggle of Legions.  "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" she asked brightly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.  He'd been planning to have an argument with Crawly about whether she'd betrayed him, and found himself very disappointed she wasn't here, but Nisroc had betrayed Heaven, so Aziraphale was determined to pick a fight with her instead.

"Ugh," she said, rolling her eyes.  "So, turns out Michael is a huge bitch?  Like, I guess God had to sign off on it all but I'm sure She would have been fine with it if She had the real story, Michael probably --"

"What are you doing here in front of my cell?" Aziraphale cut in.  "Can you get me out of here?"

"Hmm, well, yes and no?" said Nisroc.  "Satan's authorized me to give you his proposal, and if you accept it, you can get you out of here."

"But you're not even a demon yet!" said Aziraphale.  "Are you?"  He squinted at her.  She didn't look like a demon, but maybe it was subtle.

"Nope," she said.  "He's too busy fixing everyone's languages to remake me, all he did was give me Hell's new standard common language.  Turns out I'm the only person we know can talk to you already, so..."  She said something incomprehensible to the Legions, one of whom presented her with a clay tablet.  "Okay, so, just so you know the stakes of this?  Good news is, my whole status isn't gonna be affected by whether I can get you to do this, so no pressure there.  Bad news is, I think they might kill you if you don't?  So, probably a lot of pressure overall!  Sorry about that," she said.

Aziraphale sighed.  "What exactly is the deal?  Do they want me to become a demon?"

"Pretty much, yeah," said Nisroc.  "I guess some other demon was talking about what a great asset you'd be?  Slimy or something, I don't know, Satan trusts whoever they are."

His heart sank.  Crawly had betrayed him, hadn't she?  He might as well stop pretending it was at all likely that she hadn't.  "Crawly," he said.

"Yeah, something like that," Nisroc said.  She skimmed the tablet.  "You won't get to keep your name, unfortunately -- but honestly, probably more trouble than it's worth if you're not pregnant?  Like, that was why I did that whole --"  She waved vaguely upwards.  "-- y'know, that thing.  Also, apparently you have no control over what kind of animal stuff you end up with, just generally?  I am so worried.  Like what if Satan turns me into a slug or something?  That would ruin my whole aesthetic."  She looked at Aziraphale.  "Sorry, don't want to make you worry, I'm sure you'll be fine on that count.  You'd make a great slug."

Aziraphale gritted his teeth.  "Is there anything I actually get out of this supposed deal?" he asked.

"You get to live," said Nisroc.  "If you want more you can probably negotiate up?  But also Satan's a huge asshole so I super wouldn't bother if I was you.  I did and it's still a really shitty deal."

"Why did you take it, then?" he asked.

"My options are pretty limited these days," said Nisroc.  "Being powerless but unchanging and immortal, doomed to walk the Earth forever, accepted neither by Heaven nor Hell was not cutting it.  Especially since being pregnant literally forever is worse than Hell.  Or, I think it is?  God, I hope it is," she said, sighing.

"Ah," said Aziraphale.  "So -- you actually are --"

"Yeah, like I said, Michael got really mad," said Nisroc.  "Although actually I think Raphael snitched on me?  Which I would not have expected out of him.  Don't trust that fucker."

"I... didn't think anybody did?" Aziraphale said.  There had been a big scandal a while back, where it had become obvious that Raphael's blueprints for primates and Gabriel's blueprints for humans were awfully similar, enough so that somebody had obviously been copying.  Officially, no conclusion had ever been reached; unofficially, though, Raphael had been pushed out of all the important decision-making and shuffled off to the perpetually understaffed Recorporation Office.

"Well, good for them," said Nisroc.  "So, uh, what do you say?  You gonna take the offer?

"You make it sound so appealing," said Aziraphale, “how could I possibly say no?”

"Yeah, no, I get that it sucks," said Nisroc.  "Listen, do you know anyone else down here you could bribe?"  Aziraphale looked pointedly at the Legions.  "Oh, don't worry about them, they don't understand me," she said.  "Isn't that right?" she asked them.  "You are all very cute, but kinda stupid!  It's great!"  They smiled confusedly at her, and Aziraphale was satisfied that they didn't understand her.

"Why can't you help me, then?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I don't think I should.  Everything's a little..."  She made a gesture representing the shakiness of the situation.  "Like, if it was just me I'd totally help, but I'm kinda scheming for two here?"

"Ah," said Aziraphale.  He was still so terribly uncomfortable with the idea of... of reproducing like that with humans.  Still, he tried to dredge up some of the etiquette he had learned for dealing with new parents.  "Is it a boy or a girl?" he asked.

"Probably," said Nisroc, shrugging.  "I just want it to be okay.  I'm sure God would have understood if I could have explained.  It's creation, that's Her jam."  She began to cry again, and tearfully turned to the Legions, giving them some instruction Aziraphale didn't understand.  They looked very sympathetic, and scurried off.  Nisroc wiped the tears from her eyes quickly.  "Sorry," she said.  "I just -- I really don't wanna be a demon, what if I don't even want my kid after all of this?  What if I'm a totally different person?"

Aziraphale felt terrible for her then.  "Is that what happens?" he asked.  What had Crawly been like, before she had become this?  He couldn't really imagine her as a better person -- not that she was particularly good, and not that badness was fundamental to her personality, but... he didn't really like the idea of a Better Crawly.  Unless maybe it was a Crawly who hadn't got him stuck here.

"I don't know," said Nisroc.  "That's what everyone says happens?  That you stop being able to love, and, and you can't be nice, and stuff like that."

"Oh, I don't think that's all true," said Aziraphale, surprising himself slightly.  He'd thought he was just saying it to be comforting, but he did believe it.  Crawly could be kind, whether she'd betrayed Aziraphale or not.  "I think you'll still be yourself," he said.  "Just... different."

"I really hope so," she said, blinking back more tears.  "But -- but just in case I don't..."  With some difficulty, she dug a little hole in the dirt with her toe.  Then she showed Aziraphale the key she had.  "You're gonna say no, right?"

"Well..."  Aziraphale didn't want to be a demon.  Hell was a miserable place, and Crawly seemed to avoid it as best she could.  It wouldn't suit Aziraphale at all.

"You should say no," she said.  "If you have any way of getting out of here.  I bet you could bribe someone easy enough.  It's a shitty job."  She lifted something over her head and Aziraphale realized she'd been wearing a key on a chain around her neck.  "This goes to the cell.  I don't want them to connect this to me, so I'm not gonna give this to you, I know you'll bolt -- but if you can get someone to give it to you later when I have an alibi?  Go for it," she said.  Then she dropped the key in the hole and scuffed dirt over it.  "God, I'm so tired," she said.

"You probably shouldn't have done that," Aziraphale said, eyeing the patch of dirt.

"I probably shouldn't have, yeah," she said, sadly.  "But what if I stop being a good person when Satan remakes me?  What if I never really did anything good at all and this is my last opportunity?"

"I think if Satan could make you a worse person against your will, he wouldn't bother with all the deals and contracts and paperwork fiddle-faddle," Aziraphale said.

"Well, I hope you're right," said Nisroc.  "Ah.  Looks like my pals are coming back," she said, glancing off to her left, and indeed, the cadre of Legions were stumbling towards her, all of them at once bearing aloft a small scrap of cloth, which they argued over before one of them successfully handed it to her.  She dabbed at her tears with it, and gave them a grateful smile.  "I'll tell him you're thinking about it but you need more time.  A little while longer in here should convince you, right?"

"Perhaps," said Aziraphale, doing his best not to look at the spot where the key was buried.

"Good luck," she said, and she walked off, dabbing her eyes with the cloth and talking to the Legions in nonsense words.

[next part]

#whumptober2020 #no.11 #psych 101 #defiance #good omens #fic #aziraphale #fallen principality nisroc #text #fiction #kaesa op

[effable-ineffability]

Prompt: unfallen Crowley (idc if Raphael headcanon or not) has a higher ranking than aziraphale in heaven. Slowly falls in love with aziraphale through the ages, but weird dynamic because of rank. Aziraphale much worse at lying to Gabriel with no demon to learn from. Gabriel has little “punishments” for Aziraphale if he messes up a miracle. Crowley doesn’t know until he finds Aziraphale delirious with exhaustion after trying to do enough miracles to make up for fudging one. Please angst.

i gotchu anon i am here for the angst but also i am a sucker for happy endings let these boys be happy ok

honestly, i waver back and forth on raphael hc, because i absolutely love the idea, but at the same time, it’s nice to think that crowley was a no-one in heaven and is a no-one in hell and still manages to fuck up all their plans; so anyway, i left it up to interpretation and just refer to him as “crowley” because i can because maybe it’s just the name he chose to blend in with humans because his angel name is a bit too obvious?  reader’s choice 👍

long boi here because i found myself thinking that i could write an entire novel-length fanfic about this.  perhaps one day… 

--

Aziraphale stumbled into his bookshop, only remembering to lock the door behind him at the very last moment before very nearly tripping into the armchair across the shop.  He put a hand on his head and tried to get his eyes to focus on something, but was a little surprised to find that he seemed to have two - no, three - desks, and rather more bookshelves than he seemed to remember having installed.  The word exhausted came to mind, but he wasn’t really sure what to do with it.

“Aziraphale, is that you?” came a voice descending the stairs.  “Thought I heard you come in, expected you’d be back some time ago, been waiting--- Aziraphale?”

“Oh, yes, hello,” Aziraphale said in a cheery but slightly slurred voice.  “Yes, I’m back.”

Crowley dropped the cups of tea he was holding; they forgot to shatter, and simply landed upright on the floor.  He rushed over to the other angel and took Aziraphale’s face in his hands.  “What happened?” he asked urgently, his thumb rubbing against Aziraphale’s cheek.

“S’nothing,” Aziraphale slurred.

“You’re bleeding,” Crowley said, his voice a little sharper than he’d meant it.

“M’not.”

Crowley took his hand back and showed it to Aziraphale; there was gold staining his thumb and palm.  “You’re bleeding from your eyes, what happened?”

“S--- s’nothing,” he mumbled, swatting Crowley’s three hands away.  That didn't seem like the right number of hands.

Crowley didn’t relent, wiping up more of the shining blood-tears with a frown.  In a low, almost dangerous tone, he asked, “Did someone hurt you?”

It had been just over three thousand years that Crowley had been stationed on Earth with Aziraphale.  At first, he had thought it was a punishment for something he’d done, or maybe someone had heard him asking too many questions.  He was assured that no, he’d done nothing wrong, and that the angel Aziraphale simply required extra assistance and/or oversight from someone of higher rank, and that Crowley would be quite good for the job.

At first, he’d found Aziraphale to be a bit too by-the-book and uptight.  But over the centuries, Crowley found himself becoming rather fond of the other angel; still by-the-book and uptight, but instead of annoying, these characteristics became endearing.  They would argue regularly; at first, Crowley’s exasperation could get overwhelming, but these days, he found himself smiling, even while shooting down another of Aziraphale’s ridiculous ideas.

And lately, he had found himself not even arguing.

“No,” Aziraphale said as firmly as he could manage (which was with all the firmness of yogurt).

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I-it wasn’t--- it was-was me, I-I had to---”

“You had to what?”

Aziraphale frowned, dropping his eyes; he had been a little confused as to why Crowley had decided to have two heads this evening, anyway.  “M-make up for a mistake,” he mumbled.

Crowley sighed, and wiped away the last few streaks of gold down Aziraphale’s cheeks; he didn’t much like the sound of that, but wasn’t willing to push too hard while the other angel was nearly delirious.  “Okay, here, it’s all right, you’re home now.  You should lie down, can you get upstairs?”

Aziraphale shifted and tried to stand, but collapsed right back into the chair.  He chuckled weakly and closed his eyes.  “M’fraid not.”

“Okay,” Crowley said, taking a deep breath.  “That’s all right, just stay here, I’ll make you some--- tea, some tea,” he muttered distractedly, looking around.  “Ah, yes.”  He picked up the two mugs from where they were waiting, and pressed one into Aziraphale’s hands, refusing to let him not take it.  Crowley sat down on the floor, resting his arms on Aziraphale’s legs to keep an eye on the other.  “It’s chamomile,” he said when Aziraphale just sat in silence with his eyes closed.

“Your chamomile?”  Aziraphale’s voice was soft, and a little cracked, as if it was coming from somewhere deep in his chest and had to climb out of a fresh grave.

“Mmhm,” Crowley confirmed, nudging Aziraphale’s hand a bit with his own.  “Your favorite.”

Aziraphale’s lips twitched, and he hummed a little, but still didn’t lift the mug.

Crowley could remember the day he realized the difference between his usual feelings of angelic love and the warmth of the encompassing love he felt for Aziraphale.  It had been a few centuries ago, when Crowley had first taken up gardening.  He had purchased a tea plant, and spent an afternoon researching how to care for, harvest, dry, and brew it all properly - only to realize that he had done all of this simply because he wanted to make a proper cup of tea for Aziraphale.

Their ranks made it all rather difficult, though; consorting with subordinates was generally frowned upon.  So Crowley kept his realizations to himself; rule-following Aziraphale certainly wouldn’t be interested, anyway.

“Try it,” Crowley said gently, nudging Aziraphale’s hand again.  “It’ll help.”

Aziraphale swallowed, and shakily lifted the mug to his lips.  “Smells lovely,” he managed, taking the smallest of sips.  “Mm.”  But it really did seem to help, because he took a second sip before lowering his arm again.  His hand bumped against Crowley’s.  Neither of them shifted to change that.  He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes.  Concern was etched in every corner of Crowley’s face.  “Hello, my dear,” Aziraphale said, touching his cheek with a little smile.

Crowley relaxed, if only a little.  “Told you it would help.  Keep drinking.  Can you tell me what happened?  I can’t heal you if I don’t know what happened.  Please.”

“Oh, no, none of that is necessary,” Aziraphale assured him, taking another sip.  “Mm, it really is quite good.”

“Aziraphale.”

“There’s nothing to heal,” Azirphale said gently, “because it’s just exhaustion.  No injuries.”

“What in God’s name---”

“Really now---”

“---have you done to get yourself so bloody exhausted?”  Crowley ignored the interruption; he’d blaspheme if he felt like it.  It wasn’t the first time, and he hadn’t Fallen yet.  “You must have had to do a thousand bloody miracles in an hour to bleed from your eyes.”

“Well,” Aziraphale said, avoiding his gaze, “it was closer to four hundred, I think, but---”

“Four hundred in an hour?” Crowley interjected.  “What the--- why?”

But it seemed like Aziraphale couldn’t answer.  He looked into his tea for a moment, then took a few more sips.  “I’ll be quite all right,” he said with his best attempt at assurance.  “So really, the tea was lovely, but---”

“Aziraphale.”  Crowley set his mug down and rose up to his knees to hold the other’s face again.  “Why won’t you tell me what happened?”

Bright blue eyes looked at him, and Crowley waited.  He waited as the seconds stretched into minutes.  He was quite prepared to wait if the minutes wanted to stretch right on into hours as well.  But then Aziraphale’s face fell, and tears - real tears - began welling in his eyes; he couldn’t keep this up any longer.  “I messed up a blessing,” he whispered.  “A-and Gabriel--- well, he said I’d have to fix it, so-so I tried, I tried to fix it all, a-and---”  He took a great, shuddering breath, and Crowley stood without thinking in order to hold him as he broke down.  Aziraphale clutched onto him, sobbing into his chest.

“Sh,” Crowley murmured, stroking his hair.  “It’s all right, you’re all right.  S’just us here, and I’ll take care of you.  You’ll be all right.”

While his hands and voice were as gentle as ever, anger was boiling inside of him.  Vitriolic, unadulterated anger.  He knew Aziraphale might not always be the best with the blessings and big miracles, but to punish him like this?  To push him to the point of near-discorporation?  If his desire to nurse Aziraphale back to health hadn’t been so strong, he would have teleported straight to heaven in that instant and had a word with Gabriel.  Several words.  And probably a few punches, as well.

“I’m sorry,” Aziraphale managed a few minutes later, hiccuping slightly.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to--- and it’s such a nice shirt---”

Crowley didn’t let him go.  “It’s fine,” he assured him.  “It’s just a shirt.”

“I-I think there was--- just a bit more blood---”

“Just a shirt,” Crowley said again firmly.  Then he sighed.  He had hugged Aziraphale before, had held him while he cried.  And every time, it brought about these terribly conflicting emotions.  Oh, he’d do anything for Aziraphale; but just once, he wanted to hold him when he wasn’t crying.  “Are you feeling all right?”

Aziraphale hummed confirmation.  His hands were still gripping the back of Crowley’s shirt, and he hadn’t fully lifted his head.  “Much better.  Think I just… needed to get that out.  Thank you,” he mumbled.  “I-I know it’s just tea, and… and watching me cry, but.  But you always take care of me.  Always.  And you do it so well.  Thank you.”

“Mmn yeah, well.”  Crowley felt himself frowning, and was glad Aziraphale couldn’t see it.  “What else are friends for?”

“Hmm.”  Aziraphale shifted slightly, and put the side of his head against Crowley’s chest.  “Mm yes, friends.”

“What’s that tone for?”

“What tone?”

“Doubt, there was doubt in your voice.  You don’t think you’re my friend?”

“I don’t think I’m just a friend, my dear.”

Crowley’s heart skipped an unnecessary beat, and he tried to pull back; but Aziraphale kept him held tight.  “What are you talking about?” Crowley muttered, feeling heat creep up his neck.

“I can hear it, you know,” Aziraphale said, tilting his head slightly to indicate the ear pressed over Crowley’s heart.  “I always can when you hold me.  And it’s so very comforting.”

“You’re--- you’re feverish, don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?”  Aziraphale pulled back and smiled up at Crowley.  “I am feeling a bit warm, I think, but I also know what love sounds like.”

“Course you do, we’re angels.”

“All kinds of love, my dear.”  He tapped Crowley’s chest.  “And that is not the same love you have for the world around us.”

Crowley was flustered.  “Look, you’re clearly feeling better, so let’s get you up to your bed so you can lie down, all right?  Maybe even sleep off the rest of this--- this--- whatever this is.”

Aziraphale giggled a little and let Crowley pull him to his feet.  They didn’t speak as they made their way upstairs and to the bedroom, where Aziraphale shed his shoes, jacket, and waistcoat before collapsing into the pillows.  He lay still for a moment - Crowley collected the discarded clothes and laid them out for whenever Aziraphale awoke - but finally turned to look at the redhead.  “Can I hear it again?” he asked.

“Hear what?”

Aziraphale made a grabbing motion with his hands, and Crowley found himself drifting over to him as if magnetized.  “I know you can’t say it out loud, so let me hear it from your heart,” Aziraphale murmured, taking Crowley’s wrist when he got close enough and tugging him down onto the bed.

“Aziraphale, I-I don’t---”  But his protests died in his throat as Aziraphale pushed him down against the pillows and shifted to lay down with his head on Crowley’s chest.  To his credit, Crowley showed an admirable effort in keeping himself composed.

“It’s really quite lovely,” Aziraphale said, then yawned.  “I wish you’d let me hear it more often.”

Hesitantly, Crowley wrapped an arm around Aziraphale; the sleepy angel smiled, so Crowley added his other arm.  “How long have you known?” he whispered.

“Long enough.”  Aziraphale’s eyes fluttered closed.  “Did you think you were hiding it?”

“I’d hoped I was.”

“No such luck, I’m afraid.”  His voice was starting to drift.  “Don’t worry.  It’ll be our secret.”

“Our,” Crowley repeated, and couldn’t help but smile just a little.  “No more secrets from me, though, understand?  Next time Gabriel gets on your case, you tell me, agreed?  Otherwise, I’ll not let you hear this again.”

“Bit unfair.”

“Agreed?”

“Mmmnh yes, all right.  Agreed.”

Crowley ran his fingers through Aziraphale’s hair and stroked his back until he fell properly asleep to the steady rhythm of I love you beating between them.

#good omens #ineffable husbands #my writing #unfallen crowley #seriously though #if i had the time i would 100% turn this into a full-length fanfic #basically just 'good omens' but it's two angels working against two demons #who would the demons be? hastur and ligur? #hmmmm

[axelsagewrites]

Welcome Home*Shadowhunters

Masterlist HERE

Wattpad HERE Alec, Isabelle, Magnus, Jace, Clary X Platonic!Lightwood!Reader

"uh," I groan and squeeze my eyes shut as sunlight blinds me in my bed. The shrill ringing of my phone is still going on. I roll over and lazily feel around for it before turning the alarm and prying my eyes open to see the time. 4:23 am. Uhh. I fling my phone somewhere and curl back up. Why am I getting up at 4 anyway? Wait, "Is it..?" this time I actually sit up and grab my phone, "It is. I'm late!" flying the covers off, I run to my wardrobe and stuff on jeans and a jumper over my pajama top. Grabbing the first suitcase, I begin cramming all my clothes inside, flinging my shoes in as well with some non-breakables. Suitcase 2. I sweep everything off my shelves and out of my drawers into my suitcase. mi not stupid so I save all my souvenirs and breakables for my backpack. Glancing over at my desk I sigh. I don't even pay attention to what papers I'm gathering as I try to make them neat enough to fit in a folder then in my bag. Finally done. The clock reads 4:56 here. Okay, this is fine. I double check for loose ends and when I'm sure I stand in the doorway and look over the room. This was-had been my room for the past year. I'd grown accustomed to it, loved it even. Despite its faults and culture shocks. As I walk along the hallways for the last time I nod to the few awake at 5 am. Most people awake were night shift desperate for a bed. They give me smiles and nods in returns, even a few goodbyes. I quickly duck into the kitchen. Hayato was hunched over the coffee maker. An older man with greying hair and wrinkles deep in his forehead and in his smile lines. He was always smiling, a good thing really as he was my mentor, "Morning," I said. He rolled his eyes and scrunched his lip up to his nose, "Or evening," I laugh. "I'm 58, I shouldn't still do the night shift," Despite his grumbles, he pours me a mug as well, "Here," "I should really be going; I only came for..." I trailed off knowing id sound stupid. He raised an eyebrow, "Your mug? It's in the cupboard," he smirks at my red face, "Nothing wrong with being a little sentimental," I shrug as I grab the 'I heart NY' mug my friends had given me before leaving. "See you later," Hayato didn't say goodbyes. He nodded, grabbing something from the cupboard, "For your collection,"  he added as I took the box. "Open it later." I nodded and left. I don't bump into anyone else as I head to the portal. We said goodbye last night. When I get their Kaori was waiting, "It was good to have you," I smile, "Good to be here." Normally her hair was pinned back but she left it down for once, a waterfall of ink down her back, "if you ever need anything just send word," "Same goes," She grins, "Okay go. You're missing them after all," I take a quick breath before stepping through the portal. I hate portalling. You feel weightless and there's always the chance of getting stuck. My eyes open to a sight and a half. All the stations were filled with people silently doing their work, like a perfect machine. Frightening. But New York had always been like this. When I didn't see any of them I began to retrace the hallways. Sure, it was a little different but also the same. It was dinner time here and it smelled like takeaway. The dining room was filled with quiet chatter. It used to be before I was even alive, that a cook would make the food for everyone and the dining room would always be filled. It's different though. Maybe 10 to 20 people are in here. Tony and David, two older men sit up at the top of the table playing cards like always and drinking a pint. Tony had been my teacher so when he saw me he nodded but cards were important. A group of pencil-pushing 30-year olds sat at one table, no one attempting to talk to them, eating their food while talking about work. About halfway down the middle table was a group of 4 teens. I leave my suitcases at the door and walk over. I drop my bag into the crook of my right elbow, silently. Moving silently without notice is one area of being a shadowhunter I always excelled at. I dropped the bag next to a chair, grabbed a chip off someone's plate, and sat down, "So what's the gossip?" I ask. They all turn to me, "(Y/N)!" Alec smiles, arms pulling me into a hug, "I didn't think you were back today," "It was a secret," I laugh as he finally realizes me. "Stop hogging (Y/N)," Izzy whines, forcing me to sit in between her and Alec and across from Jace. "I missed you," she says, hugging me as well. I let out a breath and look at Jace, "hey," "Hey," He said plainly before we both burst out laughing. He stands up gesturing me to do the same. Despite the table making it awkward we sort of hug over the table. I plonk back down, sliding Alec's plate my way, "Ah breakfast," I grin.  Alec rolls his eyes and moves his plate in-between us so we can share. "And this is..?" "Clary, (Y/N). (Y/N), Clary," Jace introduces us. Holding my hand out to her, "Hello. I'm the loveable one of the groups," she laughs, and I grin and shake her hand. "I'm lovable," Isabelle says. "Same here," Jace joins in. Rolling my eyes, "Isabelle, I may love you but your lustable, not lovable," She smirks as Alec chokes on his food. "And as for Jace," he grins, "you're a prick." The table laughs. Before Jace starts a fight Alec cuts in, "How was Japan?" And so, I began recounting my tale. Obviously making it more interesting. "But that's boring," I say after telling the tale of Hayoto and I fighting this rare Japanese demon. My friends roll their eyes but clary's impressed. This would be fun, "What's happened here?" By the end of it I'm staring at clary, mouth gaping, "So you've been here for two months got your friend turned into a vampire, starting going with Jace-" She went to protest but I continued due to his arm being around her shoulder, "brought valentine back, and became a shadowhunter? No offense but please don't plan my return party. I don't think I could handle that," "Technically she didn't bring Valentine back," Jace said. "Is now really time for technically?" I ask, "And besides I think the biggest issue is I wasn't informed of Alec's boy toy," "Magnus isn't a boy toy," he argued with red checks. I give him a look, "Boyfriend then," "He's not," he mumbles. "What are you then?" He shrugs and looks down, "Dunno," I give him my best-shocked look before turning to Izzy, "And you allowed this? If Alec is dating someone it needs to be official so we can spill the tea," I get up from my seat, "Come skyscraper," he rolls his eyes at his nickname, "This cannot last," "What?" Rolling my eyes, I drag him up, "We are going to Magnus' to make this official," his face went pale, "And I need to meet this man," "No," "You act like this is optional,"So, there we are standing outside of the high warlock of Brooklyn's apartment at 8 in the evening for 'no reason'. The rest of the group had joined for 'moral support'. Alec didn't press the button fast enough, so I pressed it. "Who dares disturb the high warlock of Brooklyn?!" a voice boom. When Alec makes no move I step forward, "Hi it's (Y/N), Alec's sibling. We're going out for drinks and Alec wanted to see if you wanted to come," Alec tried to pull me away, but I managed to finish. He held his head in his hands while we waited for a response, "Give me 5 minutes," The door buzzed, and we all looked at Alec. "I'm going to kill you, slowly and painfully," I roll my eyes as did my sister. "Alec, calm down. You'll be thanking (Y/N)," Isabelle said, linking arms with me. 5 minutes isn't as long when you are taking the rise out of your blushing friend. Magnus walks out and I have to take a moment. I get he's not straight, but I thought this was a stereotype; skin tight blue glitter trousers, a black button-up shirt (clearly expensive), smoky eye, and the best highlight I've ever seen.  Why does he look so good? Alec one this battle. Magnus grins at Alec and looks over the group, "You," he points at me, "Must be (Y/N)," "Yes, I am that lucky," I say. Jace rolls his eyes. "And you say I'm cocky," "But the difference is I have a right to be cocky. I'm amazing," I say in a 'duh' tone. Magnus cuts us off, "Well who's leading the way?" I look at Jace. "Why me?" "You'll know the way," I grin. He rolls his eyes, "Twas a compliment. Now onwards." As we're walking I hear Magnus ask Alec, "Has (Y/N) been drinking already?" My brother chuckles, "(Y/N) may be weird," understatement, "but it's never boring," "I can tell," I grin and turn, "Thank you," I fake curtsey before linking arms again with Izzy. I couldn't help but notice Alec holding Magnus' hand. The bar wasn't packed, so we were able to have space and play a couple games of pool. Clary had called Simon to join, (who was kinda cute and not as irritating as Jace said) and I bumped into Raphael. We weren't friends but we were? It was strange. We swapped insults, wit, and good gestures. Going back up to the bar I order a coke (pretending it was vodka coke) and sit down. I glance over the bar. Alec was playing pool with Jace, taking it too seriously, clary was watching and rooting for Jace making him smile for real. Isabelle was talking to Simon, making him uncomfortable and giggling at his mundane jokes. Giggling? Really? I smiled at the sight, taking my drink from Maia. "I'll have a Cosmo," Magnus said sitting beside me, "Thanks," he turned to me, smirking, "Do you drink? You can't pretend that's vodka coke with me," I shrug, "I don't need to be drunk to enjoy a night with the family. Someone's got to make sure they end up home in one piece," Magnus chuckled as he got his drink from Maia, "I never thought I'd get on with this many lightwoods," "We're a confusing bunch," He nodded, "Alec has defiantly proven that," "Your...?" He rolled his eyes with a smile. "Boyfriend, official if you must know," he said. I grinned, "Though I suspect you were the one that got him to talk," I shrugged, "Prove it," Magnus chuckled and held up his glass to me. We clinked glasses, "Welcome home,"

#shadow #shadowhunters #shadowworld #shadowhunters imagine #shadowhunter cast #tmi #tmi imagine #the mortal instruments #the mortal instruments imagine #platonic #lightwood reader #lightwood #Alec Lightwood #alec lightwood x magnus bane #alec lightwood imagine #alec lightwood x reader #alexander lightwood #alexander lightwood imagine #platonic alec #platonic alec lightwood #magnus #Magnus Bane #magnus bane imagine #magnus bane x reader #platonic magnus #platonic magnus bane #Isabelle Lightwood #isabellelightwood #isabelle lightwood imagine #platonic isabelle

[timetrickster]

Living W/ Immortality: Episode 2: The Return Of The Madness

CUT TO:

NEXT DAY. MORNING

FINN is walking to school.

LUCIAN/ NARRATOR (V.O)

And we’re in act 2 of our story. Now… where were we? Ah! Our dual-faced soon to be dumbass was frightened by his first experiences of pain, idiot. He is yet to meet his dark old fool of a mentor and the other two immortals morons.

The song “Vertigo” by Raphael Lake. FINN is silent while walking to school.

ERIN (V.O)

Are you okay? It’s alright if you’re not.

FINN is still silent and doesn’t respond.

ERIN (V.O) (cont’d)

Finn, say something.

FINN

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?!

(He screams loudly and breathes heavy in anger)

ERIN (V.O)

Calm down, it’s okay.

FINN

It’s not okay! Everything, that happened yesterday. Being stabbed and cutting my own hand, feeling pain for the first time. It was freighting, I never expected this to ever happen in my cursed life and look what happened! Something normal happened.

ERIN is silent now.

FINN (cont’d)

I’m sorry.

ERIN (V.O)

It’s okay. We can figure this out later.

FINN

Thank you.

Without noticing, a STRANGER follows FINN. He brandishes an article of full black clothing with a black trench coat. FINN stops in his tracks for a bit and gets serious in the moment. FINN pauses the music. Stop the music at, “Why’d it end so soon.”

FINN

You see him too right?

ERIN (V.O)

Yup.

FINN

Random stranger, a black trench coat. Kidnapper, you think?

ERIN (V.O)

Most likely, it’s obvious because that entire outfit spells out “You want some candy?”

FINN plays the music again at Verse 2 and continues his walk while ERIN keeps an eye on the STRANGER. FINN keeps walking till the end of Verse 2. The situation gets tense when the STRANGER suddenly appears right next to both of them.

STRANGER (ACHERON)

Hello.

Chorus of the song plays. FINN out of sheer panic gives the STRANGER a couple punches to the gut and face. He then makes a run for it, running past random people in the streets. He turns around to find the STRANGER looking back at him. ERIN takes over suddenly. He runs at the STRANGER about to attack.

FINN (V.O)

Erin stop!

The STRANGER attempts to grab him by the arm but ERIN manages to throw more punches at his gut releasing him from his grip. The song stops once FINN’S body suddenly stops moving and hits the ground.

INT. FINN’S MIND.

FINN pulls back ERIN and both end up in an empty space of darkness. With a light looking above them in a circle.

ERIN

What the hell?!

FINN

We can’t fight him! We don’t know what he’s capable of!

ERIN

Screw being cautious! I’m tired of you wanting the peaceful way.

With the two of them arguing, Neither FINN or ERIN was in control. FINN realizes this at the last second, the STRANGER is seen kneeling down in front of them.

STRANGER (ACHERON)

We need to talk.

He reaches his hand onto FINN’S shoulder. They both teleport to a different location and are sitting on a bench.

STRANGER (ACHERON)

Take your time kiddo. It’s not like I have nowhere to be.

FINN looks at ERIN and he nods in responses. FINN walks into the path of light showing the outside images. He awakens and back into his body. He holds a fighting stance and the STRANGER doesn’t react. He simply motions him to sit.

FINN

For a kidnapper, I expected to be in a dark room or a van or drugged.

STRANGER (ACHERON)

Sorry for not living up to your expectations…  But to clarify, I am no danger to you or the person I can see floating about in your brain. I’m only here as a counselor.

FINN

A counselor?

STRANGER (ACHERON)

Yup and I know you and the other one are immortal.

FINN & ERIN were stunned by the statement.

STRANGER (ACHERON)

I’ve met my fair share of immortals and you both are one of the youngest ones. It’s my job, as a counselor to immortals, eternals, whatever you damn please call yourself.

FINN

There are others like us?

STRANGER (ACHERON)

Oh, yes, many immortals, but recently the Big Man Upstairs decided only three immortals can roam the Earth.

FINN

Just who are you?

STRANGER (ACHERON)

You’ll both figure that out one day. Just call me Acheron.

FINN

Alright, Acheron. Why are you here?

ACHERON

Well, like I said I am a counselor. I’m also here lawfully bound to inform you both of the rules of your immortality given by the Man Upstairs.

FINN

Is there a field trip?

ACHERON

Yes, there is. You’ll learn how your immortality works and you will meet the other two.

FINN

Oh… cool, love a good field trip. I just have a question?

ACHERON

What’s your question?

FINN

Is there a way to take away my immortality?

ACHERON

That’s an interesting question… I have no clue.

FINN WHAT?!

ACHERON

Kid, I’m a primordial being with the main job. This is part-time gig and immortals are born whenever which literally takes years or you and the other two die.

FINN

Jeez, sassy much?

ACHERON

Again, primordial being, watching every being in the universe is a difficult job.

FINN

Oh dang, sorry, it’s just that my powers had gone crazy the other day and I’m curious if there was anything that could affect it.

ACHERON

All your questions will be answered on the field trip to Fortune Valley, meet in Chinatown.

FINN nods as a response.

FINN

Fortune Valley?

ACHERON

There are places in this world, humans without magic or without creature status can’t see. This one is in Chinatown.

FINN

Crap, that’s far from home.

ACHERON

If anybody’s got information, it’ll be the Knowledge Dweller who we’ll meet.

(He looks at his watch)

I have to go, my main job is calling. I’ll meet with you at Fortune Valley, once you get there whenever. I’ll keep my eye on you.

ACHERON gets up from the bench and walks away.

FINN

Wait!

He says as he gets up from the bench. Stopping ACHERON and looking toward FINN.

FINN (cont’d)

Can you bring me back to school? Ya took me to Waipahu and the last time I was here I ran into a group of kids who for some reason had a pink scooter, a shopping cart, a chicken and a red balloon.

ACHERON looked at him with a face that was about to say, “What The Fuck?” He snaps his fingers and they instantly teleport back to Campbell High.

FINN

Thank you.

ACHERON

Oh, forgot to mention.

FINN turns around and ACHERON throws a blue jewel attached to it, and FINN catches it.

ACHERON

Protection charm. Should keep your immortal scent hidden away. I really have to go… I’ll see you both around.

He disappears into a cloud of smoke and FINN looks at the charm in his hand.

ERIN (V.O)

Was it just me… or did he say hidden?

FINN

Yeah, he said hidden…

ERIN (V.O)

You think we can trust him?

FINN

Probably, but the field trip means information and that info could actually help us understand all of this.

FINN closes his hand and walks toward school.

CUT TO:

CHINATOWN AT NIGHT.

Night has fallen and FINN had snuck away from home. His headphones are in and playing the song, “Sorcererz” by Gorillaz. He takes a bus to Chinatown. Shows a montage of him on the bus, bobbing his head, moving from seat to seat, sleeping. He ends up at Chinatown’s East Gate, where two Guardian Lions had stood.

FINN

Well, here we are.

ERIN (V.O)

Alright, let’s hope Acheron shows up before we get robbed.

FINN

Right…

He notices two other people nearby, a boy and a girl. It was ATHENA & TAVEN. FINN attempts to hide but they both notice him and confront him. Sorcererz stops playing

TAVEN

Finn? Is that you?

FINN

(awkwardly)

Hey, Taven, Athena…

Song stops and FINN takes off his headphones placing them around his neck.

ATHENA

What are you doing here?

FINN is nervous and doesn’t know what to tell them. Not wanting to reveal his secret of his everlasting life. He struggles to make an excuse but blurts out a random word.

FINN

Drugs?

ACHERON shows up in that puff of smoke frightening everyone in company.

ACHERON

Ah, you’re all here.

FINN becomes shocked at the fact that his friends are actually the other two immortals in the world. ACHERON moves past him and whispers some strange chant. A portal opens revealing a world different from their own. Red skies were floating in the air and they had entered a place full of exotic creatures. The three kids looked both amazed at what they see before them.

ACHERON

Welcome to Fortune Valley. Lovely place. Now, let’s find the Knowledge Dweller.

FINN/ERIN, ATHENA, & TAVEN follow ACHERON into Fortune Valley. As they walked through the magical town, they passed by different creatures alike.

RANDOM KAPPA

Cucumbers for sale! Freshly stolen from the local farmers!

RANDOM KAUPE

Fresh human organs for sale! Just lured away and ripped apart fresh!

ACHERON leads the three young immortals to what looks like a library.

ACHERON

We’re here.

The enter the library and find a simple mid 50s Chinese old man near a desk.

ACHERON

Wan Shi Tong, hello old friend.

WAN SHI TONG

Acheron…  I’m guessing you’re here with the newborns?

WAN SHI TONG looks at ATHENA, FINN, & TAVEN.

WAN SHI TONG

Interesting, one flourishes in life and this wanders through death. But the two in the middle, they walk in time both light and dark. Fascinating… you know what to do.

ACHERON

Understood. Come on kids, time to learn the rules.

ACHERON leads the three to a room, with a table and a few seats and a mirror in the back.

ACHERON

I have some business to attend to. You three know what to do.

He disappears in his cloud of smoke and the three look at the book.

FINN

Well, let’s do this.

TAVEN

Did Wan Shi Tong know about our powers?

TAVEN looks toward ATHENA

ATHENA

Acheron says he’s a Knowledge Dweller, whatever that is. He must know many immortals that have our powers.

FINN steps into the conversation.

FINN

You guys have other powers too?

ATHENA

I’m able to control plant life.

TAVEN

I can change into a ghost. What powers do you have?

FINN

Accelerated probability, semi-telepathy, enhanced condition. I haven’t even developed any time powers.

ATHENA

What did he mean by the two? When he looked at you.

FINN sighs and closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath and lets ERIN take over. His full physical features manifest.

ERIN

Hi, my name is Erin Nitty. The split personality of Finn. His immortal powers affected me somehow and well I became sentient and we’ve been like this since we were kids.

ERIN retreats back into the mind of FINN and takes over again.

FINN

So yeah…

ATHENA

So the times, you’ve been talking to yourself? That was Erin?

FINN

Yup.

TAVEN

Why didn’t you tell us?

FINN

People would think I’m crazy. Which I technically am, the fact that I have a Hulk in my brain… Can we just move on?

The three read the book, and each learns the rules of their own immortality.

TAVEN

Reliant immortality, their existence tied to an object, soul fragments, or even a person or concepts. So long as these things exist, the user can never die.

ATHENA

Multiple Lives, the user is able to become back to life after being killed or fatally wounded, giving them multiple chances to live. WARNING. User may be limited to a certain number of lives, be cautious.

FINN

Immortality… healing factor. Blah blah blah, know all this. If advanced enough, the ability will cause the body… granting immortality. Turn the page to find out the different levels.

FINN turns the pages.

FINN

Level 1… no. 2? No. 3… fuck no.

TAVEN

Finn? Read Level 7.

FINN reads the paragraph.

FINN

Level 7: Meta Regeneration. The user can heal from anything completely, even if there is absolutely nothing remaining of the body… No. No. No. No No! Why? Really?!

FINN looks at the paragraph in disbelief.

ATHENA

Are you okay?

FINN starts to freak out over this fact.

FINN

I literally can’t die. Even if there’s nothing left. I can heal from a metaphysical level of existence and think my injuries were all just a dream.

TAVEN

You want to sit down bud?

ATHENA

Yeah, you should sit down.

FINN does so and keeps his head down. With FINN’S face down on the table, he mumbles an unintelligent noise.

FINN

I have immortality figured out, I just haven’t figured out my emotions.

TAVEN

Well, maybe there are limitations too. There’s always a way around something, we can find out right now.

TAVEN grabs the book and looks up the weaknesses of FINN’S powers. FINN drags his head on the table and chair to their side of the table to hear the possible weaknesses.

TAVEN

Alright, Divinity… Emotional Spectrum & Self Judgement. An immortal with a specific type of healing can be weak to the Emotional Spectrum. Embodiments of specific Emotions. For example, Love.

FINN’S head raises up after hearing the word.

TAVEN

Falling in love with a non-immortal can result in a fluctuation of their ability, and possibly loss of immortality.

FINN

Serena…

He says under his breath. ATHENA seemed to hear him.

ATHENA

You love her, don’t you?

FINN looks at ATHENA, he simply nods and looks his head down in shame.

ATHENA Hey, don’t feel ashamed. There’s nothing wrong with loving someone. Especially Serena, she a great girl.

FINN

She makes me feel normal. Like my immortality never existed. I feel genuinely happy whenever I’m around her or when we hang out. She makes me feel mortal. And thank you.

NARRATOR (V.O)

Aw, that’s touching. An immortal boy falling for a mortal girl. Now entrance music!

All three of them here the voice talking, looking around to find the source. The song, “Return Of The Mack” by Mack Morrison plays all of a sudden. Shouting is heard from the main room. The three immortals investigate and see WAN SHI TONG being confronted by a gang of mythical creatures.

NARRATOR (V.O)

And so meanwhile our three immortal soon to be heroes are now listening to this new conversation of a turtle, a fox and an owl disguised as an old man.

RANDOM KAPPA

Where are they old man? The three immortals that walked through the valley.

WAN SHI TONG

I have no idea what you’re talking about.

RANDOM KITSUNE

You can’t hide them forever. He’s looking for them you know?

WAN SHI TONG looked at the KITSUNE with grave concern. He realizes who the two creatures were referring too.

WAN SHI TONG (cont’d)

Lucian.

LUCIAN (V.O)

Yes, old man me.

LUCIAN had appeared suddenly, dancing to the beat of the song. While also mumbling the words.

LUCIAN

Return of the mack… Return of the mack… don’t ya know. Return of the mack… here I go.

He was this average man glowing blue. His face was cracking like a porcelain mask. One eye was glowing while the cracked side showed darkness. He held his arms out as the song continued to play toward WAN SHI TONG.

LUCIAN (cont’d)

Wan Shi Tong, one of the last great Knowledge Dwellers of the Pantheon of Wisdom. You haven’t aged a day, old man. But anyway, let’s get on with what I’m after, I know that they’re here.

He snaps his fingers and the music stops.

WAN SHI TONG

You shouldn’t be here. Let me rephrase that. You should’ve been destroyed, your existence is a rule broken by the laws of Him.

LUCIAN

Aw. That hurts my heart you know.

He says sarcastically.

WAN SHI TONG

Your heart’s nothing but dust and sand.

LUCIAN laughs.

LUCIAN

Where are they? I just want them to join me on my crusade of creating a better world between us and them. If not, I can still take away their immortal lives and extend mines for another 300 hundred years. Like I did the last two… thousand? I usually forget that.  

WAN SHI TONG

Even if I knew you know I wouldn’t say a word.

LUCIAN

Oh, old man, that wouldn’t be any fun. Although a little blood and death didn’t hurt anybody.

WAN SHI TONG is silent.

LUCIAN/NARRATOR (V.O)

The great wise man was effortlessly fierce in protecting the newborns. Yet it was impending that I knew where they were. As they weren’t ready for the grand acts of heroism just yet. That was a finesse, that dear old Acheron didn’t bother to teach them!

WAN SHI TONG

Who are you talking to?!

LUCIAN

As of right now… a bunch of college students trying their best to voice the characters of this act. A professor who thinks how horrible this shit show is. And the one student who created this story, who has no idea what he’s writing at this point.

WAN SHI TONG

You still think you control this story, don’t you?

LUCIAN Haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary old friend.

He points to the door where FINN, TAVEN,& ATHENA were hiding behind

LUCIAN (cont’d)

Now, if you will excuse me I have to meet the newborns.

He walks toward the room. WAN SHI TONG now intensely worried, he transforms into a giant owl and dragonish hybrid. He creates this windstorm sending LUCIAN and his two hench-creatures away. He transforms back into his human form and rushes toward the door. He opens it, finding them behind the door instantly.

WAN SHI TONG

You have to go. All of you. He’ll kill you. There’s a mirror portal in the room that will take you back to the mortal world. Now there’s no time for arguing. Go!

ATHENA, FINN, & TAVEN run back into the room and find the mirror. TAVEN goes first, touching the mirror and instantly is grabbed and thrown in. FINN hold ATHENA’S hand and both jump through. They both land on the ground outside of the entrance to Fortune Valley next to TAVEN. They all groan in pain from the fall. FINN gets up first and picks up ATHENA then TAVEN.

FINN

Who the hell was that?!

ATHENA

Acheron never mentioned him.

ERIN switches in.

ERIN

Yeah, no shit Athena!

ACHERON appears before them, which then ERIN proceeds to grab him by his coat collar.

ERIN

WHAT THE HELL?! We almost died when you left!

ACHERON

I’m aware…

ERIN raises a fist quickly but TAVEN & ATHENA try to hold him back as best as they could.

TAVEN

Erin stop!

ACHERON grabs all of them and they disappear in a puff of smoke. Reappear on the hill with the benches,

ACHERON

It was him, wasn’t it?

TAVEN

(intensely worried)

You said there can only be three immortals on Earth. Why does he exist then?!

ACHERON

He was the first immortal. Guardian of peace between the two worlds. Years of endless living drove him insane.

ATHENA

Wan Shi Tong mentioned he started wars?

ACHERON

The Chronicle Wars, old and long forgotten wars between humans and mystics.

ERIN

Then why us?! Three kids who had no goddamn reason to do with any of this!

He screams at ACHERON.

ACHERON

Other immortals tried to stop him. He’s killed many and taken there lives and immortality. Only three were left, they stopped him. Imprisoned him, by suspending him in time.

ATHENA

Who were the last three?

ACHERON

(He is silent for a bit)

Life, Time, and Death.

ERIN

Which one are you?

ACHERON is silent.

ACHERON

Do you all really want to know that?

They are silent.

ACHERON (cont’d)

This is what I am called. I am called Azrael, Thanatos, Mors, and Four. I am La Calavera. I am also called Samael, and Shinigami. I am Keres and The Dullahan. I am Grim Reaper, Dark Angel, Pale Horsemen. I have as many names as there are winds. As many titles as there are ways to die. My parents are Erebus and Nyx, Darkness and Night! My siblings are Dream and Vengeance! My horse is the ashen! I am Death!

As his words were spoken, it was menacing, having echoed as he stood before them. The surroundings roared with screams and thunder. Causing the three immortals to look at him in such grand fear. A black smoke surrounds him like a cloak and his face had shown parts of a skull.

The awkward of silence fills the air.

ACHERON

Can we move on, please?

FINN switches in and nods with ATHENA & TAVEN in agreement.

ACHERON (cont’d)

Back to the matter at hand. Lucian… I never the return of the madness. But some things are inevitable. Has he seen any of your faces?

They all answer with a nod.

ACHERON (cont’d)

Good. You guys have time. I’ll work my way on covering your tracks. Just go back to your normal lives. This time I turned your protection charms on and keep them close, I’ll find you again.

He snaps his fingers and the three of them disappear in clouds of smoke. FINN is outside of his home and sneaks back into his room. He sits on his bed and contemplates his entire situation.

FINN

(Intensely Worried)

Erin? What do we do?

ERIN (V.O)

(Intensely Worried)

I have no fuckin clue.

Tags: @cometworks, @cookiecuttercritter, @coloursintheblur

[shitsumon-abound]

Lilith Ascends

I was wondering yesterday about Good Omens.

Like, okay, so Adam denied his Hellish father, well done. 

How about his mother though?

Got me thinking about Lilith being the core of it all, the first Angel-Demon war, the reason Crowley fell, and then the reason Crowley is deified(?) according to Book of Tobit.

Yeah, I’m the ‘Crowley is Raphael’ supporter, sue me. Same universe as this, but post-canon

May continue later or not. Bit busy at the moment.

It was sometime after the not-Armageddon.

If Anathema didn’t burn the book of prophecy, perhaps she’d told Aziraphale and Crowley of it, and they’d have time to prepare. Or maybe Adam. The boy was, after all, the center of it all. And he was still, even after he’d denied Satan.

A woman entered Aziraphale’s shop, miraculously. Aziraphale set very unreasonable opening hours because he never actually wanted to sell any of his books but didn’t think that keeping them in storage would do them justice. Besides, opening a shop would open opportunities to gain more books, so he persevered.

Aziraphale froze when he saw her. The woman felt familiar. Which was peculiar, because everything changed too quickly for Aziraphale or other immortal beings. Nothing ever felt familiar these days, except for Crowley who’d been by his side for a decade now.

(Technically, their first meeting was in the Garden, but they only started to see each other daily after the birth of Anti-Christ)

Then, there’s the demonic aura.

Of course, she’s a demon, he thought. There’s universal preference to the color black for demons, Aziraphale thought. Though, she’s more like Crowley than the rest of them, with how clean and proper she looked. Sort of like Anathema, really.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but we’re closing.”

Aziraphale regretted not accepting Crowley’s offer to buy him cellphone. For a demon to come to him so soon after the body-swap stunt they pulled, his first guess was that she’s an envoy from Hell, here to wreck vengeance. He wondered if an angel had come to Crowley.

Maybe Michael? Or perhaps Gabriel himself?

“Greetings, Aziraphale, Angel of Eastern Gate.”

The voice was familiar too, in an odd sort of way.

Friendly.

A demon, friendly with an angel? He didn’t know it’s possible except for Crowley. There’s chill down his spine now.

She smiled, beamed at him, and Aziraphale unconsciously took a step back. She walked closer; arms spread. She was so familiar, so seemingly harmless and nice while at the same time strange that he feared her.

It showed in his face, probably. She stopped; brows scrunched in confusion.

“Oh… I’m sorry, I was taught that this is how the humans greet each other these days. Am I mistaken? Do they still curtsy?”

“No… Uh, I believe not. Not in these parts. It’s just… uh…”

“Too intimate? How about a handshake?”

She tilted her head and the motion was so achingly familiar. Aziraphale swallowed.

“Angel and demon… probably explode?”

She seemed even more confused.

“But… I’m not a demon. And you held my son just fine the other day.”

“I’m afraid to tell you that deception is futile, you are most certainly a demon… Wait, son?”

“Yes! Well, is he? Still my son, I mean? There’s this girl I met in Media who used to be a boy. Poor girl, every man who married her went crazy when they found out! Six of them, was it? Can’t recall. Raphael also takes female form sometimes, as I recall.”

“You must be mistaken, I… I don’t remember ever touching a demon’s child. Well, except for-“

Adam.

The Anti-Christ.

Satan’s son.

Aziraphale gasped as the pieces started to fall into place.

==

He took her to the back and had her sit down, then excused himself to make her drink and to call Crowley. Aziraphale had made a promise with Crowley for lunch, though it wouldn’t be for another two hours. Still, he figured it’d be safer to check if the demon was safe and not as he’d feared before, smitten by Michael. He’d preferred if Crowley could come faster too because he’d rather not talk to Queen of Hell on his own and she was looking for Crowley.

“Crowley, I need you here, immediately. I know our appointment is for later, but please, I need to be sure you’re alright. That, and there’s also one more thing...”

It’s not surprising that his call went to voicemail. Crowley was nocturnal, and Aziraphale thought the demon preferred to sleep through the day if not for his promises with the angel.

“The Queen of Hell, Lilith is here.”

There’s a click.

“Be there in five minutes, don’t say anything unnecessary.”

Another click.

Well, he sounded fine. Mission accomplished, he supposed.

“Do mind the pedestrian!”

By the way, from Crowley’s penthouse to Aziraphale’s bookshop was not far, but there’s always traffic. It’s impossible for the trip to be five minutes if one was to follow traffic regulation.

“You haven’t answered my question, by the way.”

“Ah, uhm, yes, I suppose… Last time I met him, Adam is still, uhh… your son.”

In a matter of speaking.

Aziraphale didn’t know how to put it. Adam had denied Satan as his father and had basically refused to do anything both Heaven and Hell wanted him to do. He’s not sure if his defiance also included his Hellish mother.

To be honest, he didn’t know that Lilith was the mother. Crowley hadn’t mentioned any names but thinking back it should be obvious.

“Lovely. I may be absent, but even I know that missing out on his growth and development is bad. And I’ve missed so much... Oh, thank you, Aziraphale. This cocoa is divine.”

“Ahahaha, you are welcome.”

“I’m so sorry for the sudden visit. It’s just that… you know, I am certain that boy wouldn’t want to see me, and I’m not sure Raphael would appreciate visitors from Hell. You’re friends with him, so I just assumed you’d be more receptive.“

“No one has ever visited me from Hell before. Only Crowley.”

“Oh yeah, he’d changed his name, hasn’t he? Oh, I do wish he doesn’t change his name so often…”

“Just twice, actually. It’s not that often. Though it did take hundreds of years for me to adjust.”

Aziraphale still wasn’t used to Anthony, admittedly.

“Twice is one more than I know of. No one in Hell ever changed their name. Except for my husband, of course. Lucifer, Samael… Satan now. I hope it’s not a familial trait. It’s hard to keep track, names.”

At the mention of Satan, Aziraphale couldn’t help but laugh nervously.

Lilith.

The very first human created by God.

The cause of The Revolution. The one which divided the celestials into two groups, Angels and Demons.

Crowley would surely argue that it’s Gabriel’s fault, for trying to guess the ineffable. Chasing away Lilith… well, Aziraphale had to admit it sounded so dreadful.

“... I’ve told him off, by the way.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Satan. For taking my baby. For not getting Ra- Crowley to help me give birth. The last decade was horrible. I had to make do with Dagon for housewife and it’s simply a nightmare. He then had the gall to tell me he did make Crowley helped with my delivery, by being the one who gave my son away to humans!”

“… the nerve.”

Especially since Aziraphale was pretty sure Dagon’s specialty was not that kind of fertility.

“Yes! Thank you! I’m glad someone understands my pain!”

Aziraphale considered taking some of his wine. Clearly, the lady was in need of them. Crowley very rarely accepted food, which Aziraphale knew it’s because of his angelic nature which he still couldn’t forget completely, but he loved alcohol. Crowley once taunted about the lack of good alcohol in heaven. He wondered if there’s alcohol in hell.

Lilith sniffed.

“I objected to it, but they all insisted… Then, I thought, well, as long as I can watch over him, rather than him taken without me noticing. Then, then Beelzebub told me to not worry, Crowley is caring for him personally as his nanny… But… it turns out to be a lie…”

That’s… well, that’s not anyone’s fault, really. Just terrible luck. Blind poker game was never a good idea. Leaving things to Crowley was never a good idea, but best not say it, he reckoned.

Aziraphale squirmed in his seat.

“Speaking of Beelzebub, do not worry. I have ordered them to stand down. Unlike my husband, I have no grudge towards my siblings nor their descendants. They should have gotten that hint when I was the one who helped Eve caring for her children, honestly.”

She huffed and drank more of her cocoa.

“Thank you very much, Milady.”

“Just Lilith is fine. I am in debt to you and Crowley after all. This is really good, by the way.”

There was a loud slamming noise and then the sound of shoes against the wooden tile.

#good omens #kou tries to write #crowley #aziraphale

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT/Baron Jitsu Fanfiction: Dating... With Children - Chapter Two

(Also on AO3 if you want to leave a comment or kudos)

Plot:  Benjamin Draxum hardly considered himself a man of high social standing. Not because he was uncouth or unworthy of it, mind you, but simply because he didn't have much of a social life. Hard to have one when he usually spent his days at work, cooped up in a lab for so long that he often had his lunches in there, and his nights at home reading or doing research for more personal projects. But perhaps meeting handsome semi-retired movie star - as well as his four young sons - could change all that...

((Chapter two, ya’ll! Thank you to everyone for their support on this story so far, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! ^v^))

“...What’ve you got there, baby?”

Mikey smiled, and held the drawing - consisting of crayon, marker AND a bit of paint - up for his father to see. “Lots of drawings!” he replied, “Didn't wanna choose one, so I made ‘em all! Like this guy here is a super cool dragon, an’ here's his friend who’s a turtle that can skateboard, and this is a bee that's always makin’ up words and making people spell them!”

“Heh, I'm sure I know what that's inspired from,” Lou chuckled, remembering how Raph shared that his class was having a spelling bee a couple weeks ago. He sat and listened to his youngest explain each doodle, nodding and making quick comments of his own as he did so.

“And that's all I really have so far,” Mikey finished, setting the paper down, “but I think I wanna try to add a few more drawings. Maybe some stickers too, THEN it'll be perfect!”

“Alright,” Lou nodded, “But when you're finished, would you please clean off the table? Remember, we have company coming over tonight.”

“Oh yeah! Don't worry, Papa, I will!”

“Good,” Lou smiled, ruffling his curly hair and making the boy giggle, “Thank you.”

“I'm glad Dr. Draxum is coming over,” Donnie spoke up from the beanbag, looking up from his textbook, “I wanna talk to him more about science stuff. And look!” He held up his book - ‘The Building-Blocks of Life’. “I'm reading up on genetics too! And I'm pretty sure I’ll be about as smart as him on it by the time I'm finished.”

Amused, Lou raised an eyebrow. “I didn't realize they were teaching genetics in the first grade.”

“They aren't. I finished my work early and got to go to the library again.” “Ah.” Lou made another mental tally in his head. The school hadn't said anything yet, but if this kept up, he'd have to go there himself and look into possibly moving Donatello up to Raph’s grade. “Can you believe that some kids aren't even interested in looking at the big kid section of books? Or at the non-fiction section? Those are the best sections!”

“Heh, no, I can't. But then it's a good thing that you can appreciate them.” He began to stand up, but stopped when his ears picked up on something. Some quiet whispers, a couple soft footsteps… The martial artist smirked, and prepared himself.

After a couple seconds, he felt something heavy run into him, slamming him to the carpeted floor. He let out an “OOF!”, unable to help himself, while giggles filled his ears. “I got you, Pop!” Raph grinned, “You're pinned!”

“Oh, are you sure?” Lou asked, “because I think-” He twisted his body quickly, knocking a surprised Raphael off before scooping him up into his arms, making the boy squeal. “That I have YOU!” Raph squirmed in his father’s grip while Lou gave him a couple quick noogies before kissing him on the top of his head.

“Daaaad!” Raph groaned, sticking his tongue out. Lou just laughed, letting the boy go.

“Told ya you couldn't beat him, Raphie,” Leo said, grinning at the whole scene as he sat on the arm of his pop’s chair, growing legs swinging, “He's like, the best fighter in the whole world!”

“Yeah well, I still pinned you for a second, right Pop?”

“Mm-hm,” Lou nodded, “Though next time, make sure to actually pin them once you have them on the floor. Don't just sit on them, but try putting your hands and weight on their shoulders. Makes it harder for them to move, slows them down some.” After a moment, he added “But, maybe don't try to tackle our guest tonight, hm?”

“Heh, I won't.” “Good. Now why don't you and your brother wash up?” Raph and Leo both glanced down at their grass and dirt covered limbs, grimaced at them and dashed out of the room.

Still chuckling a bit to himself, Lou picked himself off the floor and headed back into the kitchen. He had already started prepping a couple dishes, but he still had plenty left to do for their meal. His smile softened a bit as he thought about their guest…

It had taken five days for Draxum to call him. In that time, Lou had tried looking him up online. Draxum’s social media was pretty standard, nothing offensive or red-flag raising but nothing too interesting either. The only other piece of the man online was a brief biography on his lab’s research site along with a photo - where he had a very serious and professional expression on his face. A far cry from the fairly casual man he had met at the art gallery.

When he did finally call, it had been late at night, just after he'd put the boys to bed and right before heading to bed himself. Lou had wondered if perhaps this was planned, as a sort of “welp, I tried calling but there was no answer, oh well” type of thing. But Lou had answered, and much to his (and certainly to Draxum’s) surprise, they had ended up talking for a couple hours.

The conversation had started out pretty slow and standard. Lou asked how his day at work was, and Draxum asked how he and the boys were doing. After a while though, things became a little more natural, and their conversation almost became more of a banter. They’d go back and forth, discussing their favorite forms of entertainment, hobbies they enjoyed, and even sharing a couple personal anecdotes. And after all that, there was no way Lou wasn't going to end the call by inviting him over.

Draxum told him he'd have to check his schedule. It only took until the next morning for Draxum to text, letting him know that he would be free the following weekend. Again, Lou couldn't help but wonder if Draxum actually had to check his schedule or if he just didn't want to appear to eager, but said nothing. Instead, he simply gave him a date, time and his home address, and let him know that he was looking forward to it.

Lou had to admit, Draxum wasn't usually his type, but he was still unique enough to catch the ex-movie star’s interest. After all, how many buff science-type bookworms did one meet in their life? Draxum was certainly intelligent, and had a bit of a dry wit but never seemed like a snob. He was a bit stiff but not boring, spoke his mind and, if Lou was really being honest, was so hot. (Again, buff bookworms. Who knew?) Plus, his kids really seemed to like him too. In Lou’s opinion, that last bit was the most important one of all. So, with all that in mind, Lou just figured: “Eh, why not?”

It was funny how often that phrase came up during the big decisions in his life - like when he had decided that he wanted to try being a father when almost everything else in his life seemed hollow, and ended up adopting four kids instead of just one.

---------

Draxum looked at his watch. 5:17. A bit early but, wasn't that better than being late? Really, it was a good sign he was there at all, given that he was still a bit surprised at himself for even accepting the invite. ...Not that spending more time with Lou was necessarily a bad idea...

He then glanced up at the house he was now in front of. Having never actually been invited to a celebrity’s home before, he hadn't quite been sure what to expect. But a medium sized, cozy looking and slightly run-down home in Brooklyn certainly was a bit of a surprise. Maybe making action movies didn't pay as well as Draxum thought.

Still, he kept these comments to himself as he went up the walkway that was littered with chalk drawings and up to the door, knocking twice. It took a couple moments for someone - one of the boys, the one with light patches of skin around his eyes who was wearing a blue tee - to open the door. “You know the password?” He asked.

Draxum’s expression twisted slightly in annoyance, but he kept his cool. “Open says me?” He guessed.

“Mm nnnnope, sorry.” With that, the door was slammed in his face. From the other side, he could hear more young voices, scolding and lightly arguing with each other. The door opened again, and one boy had become four. “I was just joking!” Leo insisted while Donnie continued to glare.

“Hi, Dr. Draxum!” Mikey greeted with a wave.

“Sorry about my dumb brother-” “Hey!” “You can come on in,” Raph added.

Draxum nodded. “Thank you,” he said, moving his arm a bit so he could reveal more of the small box he had been carrying. “If you hadn't let me in when you did, this probably would have melted.”

Leo’s eyes widened. “Wait, you brought cake?! Well you should’a said so!”

With a ghost of a smile on his face, Draxum walked inside. The living room to the Jitsu home was inviting and very much in-use, but not the cluttered and messy space that Draxum had been worried it might have been. There was a reclining chair, a love seat, two kid-sized beanbags, a coffee table with several colorful marks now permanently on it, and a flat screen tv that was playing some cartoon. There were a couple toys on the floor, though not enough that Draxum had to worry about tripping over anything, as well as a few framed pictures on the wall. One of Lou at what looked like some award ceremony, one of him with a Chinese woman (ex wife, perhaps?) and of course, one of him with his children that looked like it was taken just a couple years ago.

“Hey, Doc!” a voice called from the kitchen, bringing Draxum out of his thoughts, “How’s it going? You find the place alright?”

“Yes, there's this wonderful thing called a gps that really helps,” Draxum dryly replied.

Lou chuckled, smiling at him over his shoulder, and blinking when he saw the ice cream cake in the taller man’s hands. From the look of the packaging, he could guess that it came from a pretty high end bakery. “Oh, you didn't have to bring anything.”

“Well, you said you were making supper, I figured the least I could do was bring dessert,” Draxum told him, “Should I just put this in the fridge, then?”

“Yeah, go right ahead.” Draxum did, and then sat down at the table. He noticed that Lou was just in a loose fitting, pale yellow tee and some jeans. Immediately, he felt overdressed, even if he himself was just in a button-up long sleeve shirt and some dark khakis. Still, Draxum tried to look as ‘casual’ as possible, but clearly it wasn't working by the way Lou kept glancing back at him from the kitchen counter

“I'm glad you could make it, by the way,” Lou spoke up, trying to break the ice a little, “I'm sure you get pretty busy, being a scientist and all.”

“Actually, unless I hit a big breakthrough or doing work on a time sensitive project, it's pretty much a nine-to-five job most of the time,” Draxum replied, “The work stays steady, at least.” Lou nodded, and went back to his cooking. Not wanting to risk falling into uncomfortable silence once again, Draxum decided to ask something that had been on his mind since they first met. “And what do you do for a living these days, given that your last film was in, what, the early 2000s?”

Rather than being offended or caught off guard, Lou just smirked. “...You sure you're not a fan of my films?”

“Definitely not,” Draxum retorted so quickly that it made Lou laugh

“If you say so! Anyway, yeah, that was about the time I moved from LA to here. I was smart about my last few paychecks, so I pretty much live off my savings.

Draxum blinked. “...Seriously?”

“Seriously. Though, I know I can't use ALL of it - I know at least one of my kids is going to be going to college - so I do odd jobs when I need to. Make appearances at conventions, do a quick commercial or two sometimes- heh, last year I was even paid to play on a gameshow. A stagehand kept an eye on the boys as they watched me play from the audience, I won some money for a charity, and then the next day I took them to Disneyland. Used most of that paycheck to do it, too. So, I guess you could call me a bit of a sellout.” Though judging by his tone, Lou didn't seem bothered by this at all.

“I don't think anyone could really blame you for taking less time consuming work,” Draxum offered, “Still, do you ever miss making movies, as cheesy as they are?” Or rather, were.

Lou thought for a moment as he tossed the last few ingredients into the frying pan. “...Yeah,” he admitted, “I do. Though, there are plenty of things about the industry that I definitely don't miss, and besides…” His smile softened a bit. “I've got plenty of other things to occupy my time.”

Suddenly, there was a shout. Turning in surprise, Draxum looked through the doorway and watched as Donnie tackled a laughing Leon to the floor. “...Speaking of which, do you know that your kids are tackling each other?”

“Oh yeah, they do that sometimes,” Lou nodded, not even moving from the counter, “Boys will be boys and all that. They're going to roughhouse no matter what I say, and as long as they follow the rules, I usually don't need to step in.”

“Rules?”

Setting down his stirring spoon, Lou counted them off his fingers. “No holding anyone down for more than a couple seconds, no using force to get someone to play what you want to play, if someone says they don't want to wrestle then just leave them be, and no making anyone cry. They're good boys, so that last one is usually punishment enough when they accidentally break it.”

“Ah, I see,” Draxum nodded. Well, that was one way to teach kids how to control their strength and think about their actions. Still, he wondered how Lou would go about things once his sons got a little older and possibly became interested in following in their father’s martial arts footsteps.

It didn't take much longer for their supper to be finished. The kids came to the table without even needing to be called, smelling the food and eager to eat as well as being excited to talk with their guest again. While Raph and Leo told Lou all about the latest exciting climax in their cartoon, Mikey shared one of his drawings with Draxum, who could only stare at it.

“It's, uh…” He tilted his head a bit, staring at the mess of bright colors and scribbles. What on earth was it supposed to be? A natural disaster mixed with a rainbow? “...Very nice, yes.

Mikey beamed. “Really?! Which one is your favorite?”

Shoot, there was more than one drawing there? Well, that at least explained why everything was so cluttered. “Er, well…” He focused a little more on the drawing, and try to find anything that resembled something other than a blob or a tumbleweed to him. “I like this… Cat. Yes, this cat over in the corner, with the… Ice cream on it?”

Mikey looked back at the paper. “That's not a cat.” “Oh, sor-” “But that's a good idea!” The boy gave Draxum another bright smile. “I’ll draw you a kitty with ice cream later, kay?”

“Heh, very well,” Draxum nodded, relieved that he didn't offend the young artist.

“-And then, they used the magic sword, and blasted the bad guys right into the sky!” “Yeah, and the main hero guy said the BEST thing afterwards! He's soooo cool!”

“Well of course, he IS the main hero, after all” Lou chuckled, setting the last of the dishes down at the table, “Donnie, please put your book away now.”

Donnie frowned, reluctantly closing his half-finished textbook. “Fine…” As he placed it back into his ever-present backpack, Draxum managed to catch the book’s title.

“Genetics, hm?” He asked, smiling a bit. Perhaps the boy had been inspired. “Enjoying it so far?” Donnie nodded, keeping his eyes on the silverware in front of him.

The meal was fairly simple. A baked fish as the main course, with fried rice and an easy-to-make salad as the sides. Still, what it lacked in uniqueness, it more than made up for in good flavor. “I'm usually not much of a fish eater, but this is quite good,” Draxum commented, after only a couple bites.

“Mm-hm,” Lou smirked, “I'm not just a handsome actor-martial artist, after all. I know how to cook.” Draxum just rolled his eyes, mildly amused at his date’s cockiness.

“You should try eatin’ the fish and the rice at the same time,” Raph advised, “They go really good together!”

Draxum was the type to keep his food, as well as the tastes and textures, separate while he ate, but he did try the combination once just to appease the eldest Jitsu child. As he continued to eat, Draxum kept glancing over at Donatello out of the corner of his eye. The boy in purple nibbled and picked at his food, fidgeting a bit and staying silent. Certainly different from the eager and inquisitive boy Donnie had introduced himself as, so what had brought on this sudden shyness?

Was it something Draxum had said? He couldn't think of anything that could've been taken as discouragement or dismissal. So, maybe Donnie just didn't care for his field of science but didn't want to offend Draxum by saying so? No, that didn't seem right either. So then, what-?

He noticed Leo leaning over, whispering to Donnie for a moment before being nudged away. Rather than being annoyed, Leo just looked a bit concerned while his twin just looked… Embarrassed? An epiphany went off in Draxum’s mind. So THAT was why Donnie wasn't talking to him.

“Donnie,” he began, getting the boy’s attention, “I was wondering if you had any thoughts on your research so far?”

Donnie continued to squirm, squeezing his fists in his lap. “I-I mean, I'm still reading through the book so, so I'm not really an expert on it yet.” Truth be told, while he liked all sciences, he had really taken a shine to robotics and technology the most. “But talking to you ‘bout it before gave me a good head start, and I know the basics of it already and, um…”

“Yes…?”

“A-And, I…” Donnie scowled before suddenly shouting, “I have a scientific theory! A-About genetics, I mean.”

Draxum nodded, keeping composed (because, wow, even he could admit this was kind of adorable). “May I hear about it?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice neutral to avoid sounding patronizing, knowing that a child as smart as Donnie would definitely notice.

“Well… O-Our genes are inherited from our birth parents, right? So we only have a possibility of getting what they, or the rest of their people in their family, had. But, maybe there could be a way to, um, switch out genes somehow? Maybe with gene samples from other people, or with genes made by scientists, and then those new cells could develop and make whatever kind of person with whatever features they wanted.” Donnie winced a bit once he was finished, and waited for Draxum’s reaction.

The scientist hummed. “Well, that is a sound theory. Perhaps a bit difficult to test at the moment, but I can understand the basis of it, as well as see how it could be possible one day.” Donnie’s eyes widened. He stared back at Draxum, and began to grin widely, as if he had just received the best compliment ever. Draxum held back a chuckle. “Would you like to discuss this theory further?” “Yeah!”

Unsurprisingly, once Draxum began sharing the concept of gene mutation, the conversation devolved into a mix of scientific theorizing with some sci-if-esque levels of speculation (Donnie) and a debate over which animal features and mutations would be best to mix with people (the rest of the boys). Still, the discussion was no less enjoyable, to the kids or to Draxum.

And as for Lou, he just watched and listened, a warm smile on his face. This may have been their first shared meal together, but Draxum already felt like a seat at the table that had always somehow been there

----------

“...I think I just made it impossible for your kids to go to sleep tonight.”

“Eh, they've had worse sugar rushes. Trust me, this is nothing. Besides, they'll burn it all up soon enough.”

The remaining slices of the ice cream cake had already been placed back into the fridge, and because it was still somewhat light out, the boys had been allowed to go play outside for a while. So, they raced out the door, leaving their father and his date to watch by the window while they started playing what Draxum could only describe as a mixed up version of soccer and cricket.

He wasn't even sure if they were keeping score. All he could tell was that the game involved running all around the small yard, using foam swords and hockey sticks to hit a ball as well as kicking it with their feet. Either way, they all seemed to enjoy it, with Raph happily teaming up with Mikey and offering him a piggyback ride whenever his youngest brother struggled to keep up.

Draxum hummed, taking a small sip from the tea Lou had made for him before setting the cup back down. “Your kids are definitely unique.”

“Heh, they sure are,” Lou agreed, “They really are good boys… And they really like you, you know.”

Draxum nodded. It was still sort of hard to believe himself, given how he often thought of children as nothing more than tiny annoyances. Yes, Lou’s kids were loud, and strange, and still a tiny bit annoying. But they were also clever and endearing, and even a little cute. So, he had no real problems with them liking him, or with liking them in return.

“...And,” Lou began, taking a step closer, suddenly making Draxum very aware of his presence, “I really like you too.”

“I-...” That was all Draxum could get out as he turned from the window, looking Lou directly in the eyes now. The handsome (‘ugh, why did he have to be so handsome,’ Draxum thought to himself, knowing this would all be so much easier if he wasn't) man stared back at him, lips curled into an honest smile. No cockiness or playing up his ego, Lou simply wanted him to know how he felt.

“And I mean it too. And uh, heh, no pressure or anything but… I hope the feeling’s mutual.” Draxum didn't say anything, but he didn't look away either. Lou took another slow step forward. Close enough together to do so now, Draxum dared himself to take his hands.

“I think… That's a possibility,” Draxum told him quietly, finally finding the words to reply.

Lou smiled, letting out a soft chuckle that made Draxum’s heart leap a bit. “Good to know…” They were closer now, enough for Draxum to see himself in Lou’s glasses. He told himself that he wasn't the kind of man to kiss on the first date, but Lou was making it SO tempting!

Their faces were getting closer, with Draxum’s own feeling much too warm. He placed his hands on the shorter man’s chest… And gently pushed him away.

The ex-action star blinked, the intimate mood gone in an instant, suddenly leaving him feeling cold. Still, despite his disappointment, Lou backed away.

“...It’s getting late,” Draxum stated, “I should probably get going.” He didn't waste time moving past Lou, now standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room.

Lou nodded. “Right, of course. Well, thanks again for coming over. I had a nice-”

“I’m-” Draxum suddenly began to say, still refusing to look back at him, “I’m… Available next weekend, as well. So, perhaps you could come over to my place and we could have dinner there.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Just the two of us. It, it's the least I could do, cooking for you in return.”

“...” Lou’s grin returned. So there WAS going to be a next time! “Yeah, that sounds great! Just text me a time and your address and I’ll be there!”

Draxum nodded. “I will.”

“Heh, I’ll be looking forward to our next appointment, Dr. Draxum.”

Even with the light blush still in his cheeks, Draxum turned back around halfway, scoffing at him. “You don't have to keep calling me that. I have a first name, I won't be offended if you use it.”

Despite his internet search on the man, Lou continued to be coy. “You never told me it, Dr. Tall, Dark and Handsome.”

His date rolled his eyes, sighing slightly. He was tall, definitely, but he wasn't anywhere near dark. His skin just barely had a tan! “It's Benjamin. Benjamin Draxum.”

“Ah. Well, Ben, I’ll see you next week.” Draxum nodded, hesitating for only a moment before moving once more. Lou followed him to the front door, and they each gave a quick good night before Draxum left.

“Heh, a second date,” Lou told himself, still grinning about it, “How about that?” With his steps light and earlier disappointment being unable to touch his now sky-high mood, Lou went into his backyard and began trying to wrangle up his kids and get them back inside for pajamas and teeth brushing.

#baron jitsu #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #lou jitsu #baron draxum #fanfiction #my writing

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT Oneshot: Family Karaoke Night

(Also on AO3 if you want to leave a kudos/comment there)

Plot: No matter what their singing abilities, anyone can get into karaoke - even an old rat.

((Finally finished this after having it in my drafts for like a month. Basically, I love family fluff, I love silly fun, and I love imagining characters singing. Put them all together, and you get this. Enjoy! ^v^))

While most kids her age probably had to be pushed and dragged into getting their homework done early, April had no problems with it. Of course, that MAY have had something to do with wanting to hang out with her brothers for a couple hours before having to go to bed and prepare for another exhausting school day, but hey, motivation was motivation.

Though, naturally, this motivation waned a little on the weekends, where it was far too easy to just push everything off until Sunday afternoon. It was a bad habit, April could admit that, but she had gotten a bit better at doing at least a little work each day before rushing off the sewers. And, on nights like tonight, she didn’t want to risk anything weighing on her mind and possibly ruining her night.

So, she worked through her assignments as soon as she got home, and munched on reheated leftovers as she wrote out the outline for her essay that was due the next week. Once she was satisfied with the progress she had made, April shut down her computer, grabbed her already packed bag and heading out the door, making sure to give Mayhem a quick pet goodbye before leaving. It was a bit later than she had hoped, though that hardly mattered when you were staying up all night.

“Heyyyy, I’m here!” April yelled once she reached the entrance of the lair. Almost immediately, she heard footsteps race towards her, and with a grin, she ran towards the brothers with open arms.

“See, boys? I told you she’d show up soon!” Raph said as soon as their group hug ended.

“Of course! I just had some homework I had to finish up, but there was no way that I was going to miss-”

“Karaoke niiiight~” Leo sang, holding a pretend microphone to his mouth. His brothers joined in, harmonizing. “Karaoke niiiiight!” “Karaoke ni-i-iiiiiight~!”

April snickered, shaking her head. Such dorks, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. After a moment though, she noticed the missing member of their quartet. “Hey, where’s Donnie?”

“Oh, you know how he is,” Raph answered, “He’s still downloading songs. I guess there was this album that was just released that he really wanted to sing?”

“Ah,” April nodded. That definitely sounded like Donnie. “Heh, you’d think he’d be happy with the songs we have. He texted me yesterday, tellin’ me all about how it was apparently ‘the most advanced karaoke machine of all time’. Wouldn't be surprised if that thing had a thousand and one songs on that thing by now.”

“Thaaat sounds about right, but apparently it’s still not enough,” Leo shrugged. Not that he could really complain, more songs could only be a good thing, just as long as they weren’t a bunch of cheesy love songs that he and his family sang at literal nauseum while they were high off a case of Rat Flu. No matter how fun the idea of an all-night karaoke night might have been, Leo wasn’t and would never be in the mood to hear a another three hour rendition of “My Heart Will Go On”.

“Come on, let’s go grab the snacks and then we can ask him about it!” Mikey told them, already grabbing April’s arm and eagerly dragging her towards the kitchen, “Oh! And April, did you bring-?”

“Of course!” April grinned, holding up her bag full of goodies. Beads and tacky sunglasses, huge hats and feather boas, and at least half a dozen old halloween costumes. It would seem that one person’s trash was another person’s stage outfit. Mikey grinned back at her, giving her a quick hug.

“This is gonna be AWESOME!” “Heh, isn’t it always with you guys around?” “Could say the same thing about you, sis~”

It took a bit of maneuvering to grab all of the snacks and treats Mikey had made in one go, but thankfully the box turtle’s near perfect balance and April’s experience in waiting tables helped them enough to carry all of it into the next room without spilling a single crumb - though they’d have to come back for the drinks. Naturally there were pizza puffs, as well as chicken wings, tortilla chips, popcorn shrimp, and even cupcakes (and in three different flavors, no less). Even with supper still settling in her stomach, she couldn’t deny that it all looked delicious!

“Gee Mike, you think we have enough to get us through the night?” April asked, smirking a bit despite the weight on her arms.

“I sure hope so.” Mikey placed the final bowl on his head, making sure not to tilt it. “But, if we get really desperate, I think we’ve got some ice cream in the back of the freezer.”

“Uh huh, and how old is it?”

Mikey thought for several moments before he finally answered, flashing a sheepish grin as he did so. “Uhhh, probably best not to ask.”

The tv room had been completely transformed. Leftover streamers from past birthday and holiday parties had been strung around haphazardly while a small ball with rainbow lights spun in the corner, giving the whole room a sort of disco effect. The lights were low and the projector was already on, and near the screen were two speakers that had been dragged out specifically for this night. From the karaoke machine, Donnie (whose classic goggles had been replaced with a pair of purple shutter shades) gave April and his youngest brother a brief wave, barely looking up from his tablet.

Beanbags, blankets and pillows had also been dug out, creating a classic sleepover mood. Near Splinter’s chair was their usual eating table, where they quickly dropped off their load. Almost immediately, Raph and Leo dug in, putting their “Best Power Rock Anthem of All Time” argument on hold for the time being.

“So, we about ready to start this night, already?” April asked, “Cause I’ve had a loooong day, and I’m ready to get singin’!”

“Just a few more minutes!” Donnie told her, “Just have to finish downloading these last few songs, plus install the love song blocker-”

“Tha’k yuu!” Leo said through a mouth-full of pizza puffs. His twin simply gave him a thumbs up.

“If April’s callin’ the first song of the night, then Raph’s callin’ the second one! After all-” He smirked, his voice deepening. “Someone’s gotta bring a bit of soul to this shindig. Awww, yeahhh~”

April snorted, covering her mouth before her giggles could escape. How Raphael managed to get into soul music of all things, she would never know. But hey, whatever made him happy. “Heh, second song’s all yours, Raph.”

“Sweet. Thanks, girl.”

“Ooh! And we’ve just GOTTA do duets!” Mikey chimed in, quickly turning back to his genius purple brother, “That thing does duets, right Dee?”

“It had precisely two hundred and thirty nine duets programmed into it, as well as a second microphone plug-in available. ...So yes, ‘Angelo,” he smiled simply, “It does duets.” Mikey leapt across the sea of blankets to pull him into a hug, silently thanking him for all his hard work. Not that it was really THAT hard or even that much of a bother - Donnie was just as much of a showman (er, show-turtle) as the rest of his brothers, and it didn’t take a genius to realize that they would be hearing quite a few Broadway numbers that night. Still, he appreciated the gesture, and returned it with a quick pat on Mikey’s shell.

“Well then come on, guys! Let’s stop talking about it and get started already!” Leo grinned, standing from his seat and striking a bit of a pose, “I hope you’re ready to be blown away by my sweet singing skills.”

“Hmph, gonna be hard to be ‘blown away’ if all you sing are meme songs,” Donnie retorted, rolling his eyes while everyone else snickered.

Leo however was hardly offended. “Don’t act like you still don’t consider ‘All Star’ to be a jam even after all the memes,” he said, smirking back at his twin.

“You know, in my time, people went out for karaoke rather than just taking over the nearest space for who knows how long.” Everyone turned to see Splinter in the doorway, looking not too happy about losing control of the tv room for the night. Sure, he had a tv in his bedroom, but the smaller screen plus what was sure to be a whole night of loud singing and laughter wasn’t much of a consolation.

“Aww, come on, Pop, don’t be like that,” Raph said, offering his father a welcoming smile. The rat man just huffed, crossing his arms.

“We’ve got snacks!” Dashing back over to the small table, Mikey picked up the bowl of chips. “You looooove snacks~”

Splinter hummed. “I do love snacks,” he mumbled, softening a bit.

“And-” Leo began, hoping to seal the deal and free themselves from their rat-dad’s grumpiness towards their special night once and for all, “I’m sure we could fit in some time to let you sing a few songs too! Come on, Dad, join in on the fun!”

At that, Splinter’s yellow eyes narrowed and hardened once more. “Ohhh, so NOW you don’t mind me singing, huh?” he asked, “Have you boys learned to appreciate other people’s musical talent, or do you simply not mind listening to something that ‘belongs in the sewers’?”

While April could only look on in confusion, the four turtles all winced in harsh realization. So THAT was why he was so upset and annoyed…

“Okay, but that was different!” Leo argued, “That was for our band and, and we just wanted it to be OUR thing!” In a lower tone, he added, “Plus it’s not like weird opera singing would’ve fit anyway-” Splinter growled. He tries to impress his sons a little with something unique and this is what he gets?

“BUT, that still doesn’t make it right!” Raph said, quickly jumping in (and shooting Leon a glare for good measure), “We’re sorry for what we said, and for bein’ so rude about it, okay Pop?”

“Yeah!” “Totes!” April nodded as well, despite having nothing to do with whatever incident brought all this up, just to give her support. Getting an idea, she then reached over and grabbed one of the microphones.

“You could even have the first song!” she offered, handing him the device as a peace offering, “What do you say, Master Splinter?”

“...” Splinter looked at the microphone, then at the faces staring back at him. All of them (the boys especially) were looking at him with concern as well as encouragement. Splinter sighed through his nose. He might have been petty at times, but he wasn’t so stubborn that he’d totally ruin his kids’ night. “I suppose I could sing one song.”

“Then step on up, Dad!” Donnie smiled, giving a dramatic wave of his arm towards the karaoke machine. Splinter smirked at the gesture, and began scrolling through the seemingly infinite song list.

“So you’re SURE there’s no love songs on there,” Leo whispered. Donnie nodded - though, he still wasn’t expecting that great of a ‘performance’ judging by how far back he moved, phone in hand. He just hoped whatever his father picked, it wasn’t too long of a song.

Thankfully, the genre tabs made it a bit easier to search for something familiar to him. He didn’t expect there to be any non-anime opening Japanese songs on there, but- “Aha!” He selected a song, and after a couple seconds, a light enough tune began playing through the speakers. First a keyboard and guitar, and then a blast of trumpets.

Immediately, everyone sat up a bit straighter. “Whoa! Is this-?” Raph asked, beginning to grin.

“I didn’t know he liked THIS kind of music too!” Leo commented.

“Ha! I grew up with this music, frankly I’m surprised YOU all even know it!” Splinter chuckled. The wonders of the Internet and timeless hit songs, he supposed. He then began to sing as he struck a bit of a pose, not even needing the words.

“Do you remember... the 21st night of September? Love was changing the minds of pretenders, while chasing the clouds awayyyyy~” His young audience started clapping along with the beat, giving a small cheer or two as they did. “Our hearts were ringing, in the key that our souls were singing. As we danced in the night, remember how the stars stole the night away~”

Sure, Splinter’s voice was still a bit gravely and off-key, but- “You know, he’s actually not that bad,” Donnie smiled, “Definitely has stage presence.”

“Heh, yeah,” Raph agreed, “And he can sure put a lot of energy into somethin’ when he wants to, don’t you think-?” April’s laugh cut him off, bringing the snapper’s attention back to the ‘stage’ in front of him, where his younger brothers now stood beside their father, happily singing along with the chorus despite not having microphones of their own. Splinter just grinned at them, not minding them all.

“Ba de ya!” Leo and Mikey sang.

“Someday you’ll remember-” Splinter sang back.

“Ba de ya!” They sang again, with Raph and Donnie now joining in as well.

“Dancing in September~”

“Ba de ya!”

“Never was a cloudy dayyyyy!” Splinter and April both belted out, with the latter still trying to hold back her laughter. The song went on, and not a single voice completely dropped out, with Splinter naturally taking the main part while his children kept the chorus strong. Even as the tune faded out, they all still sang and danced and giggled until Splinter finally spoke up once more.

“Well, I think it’s clear that I’ve properly gotten this karaoke night started~” He smirked, “April, I believe it’s your turn.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” April grinned as the rat passed the microphone.

April and Raph kept things in the 70s a bit longer with “Hanging On the Telephone” and a bit of Stevie Wonder while the twins brought it back to more moderns hits with  “Never Gonna Give You Up” (“Seriously, Leon? We were having such a great time and I feel so annoyed right now.”) and a bit of Daft Punk. Mikey nearly brought the sewers down with his rapping, and then it was back to Splinter with “Right Back Where We Started From”, a song the boys could swear they remember him singing from the childhoods, either while he was preparing food or just a light sorta-lullaby to calm them down.

The song selections went from disco to glam rock, broadway to hip-hop, soul to techno, and everything in-between. Costumes were naturally dragged out with each new performance, further adding to the fun as numerous pictures were taken. Snacks were replenished twice and Splinter grabbed some sake from his second “Do Not Touch” cabinet in the kitchen. He wasn’t much of a drinker these days, finding milk and cake more appealing, but he figured a glass or two wouldn’t hurt. As for everyone else, they loaded up on sugary pop and juice, not minding missing out.

It didn’t take long for Splinter to drop out after that, though he was still content with sitting in his chair and watching everyone else sing. He clapped after the surprisingly impressive rap battle between his youngest and his oldest, and laughed along with everyone else when Leo tried to sing some Vanilla Ice.

But, not even the most fun karaoke nights could last forever. The time between songs, where they’d just talk about random things or play on their phones, was getting longer and longer. Donnie had begun singing one of the more mellow songs currently on the billboard top 100 when Splinter finally closed his eyes.

When he woke up, the atmosphere in the room was much different. It was quiet, warm and peaceful even, despite the harsh neon lighting from the spinning light ball. On the screen, a turtle-shell logo silently bounced around. Surrounding his chair, Splinter could hear the light snores and mumbles of his sons and their friend. He could also see all the empty cans and wrappers, not to mention all the dishes and crumbs.

Splinter shook his head, mentally scolding them for the mess before shrugging it off. They were teenagers and making messes was just a thing they did, they could always clean later. He then put a paw to his mouth, muffling his cough. He didn’t lose his voice, but his throat was still pretty dry.

Slowly, he got up, and crept around the covered lumps, silent and swift like the ninja master he was. He stole one last glance at them once he reached the doorway, their laughter from the night before still echoing in his mind. He smirked at the memory, chuckling lightly before making his way to the kitchen.

Not wanting to wait for tea, Splinter just grabbed a cup and ran some warm water, drinking that instead. He made sure to sit as well, his aging joints still aching slightly despite being plenty mobile. He had accepted his age, having fought off any ‘mid-life crisis’ thoughts pretty well so far, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still notice certain things. The aches, the fatigue, the white hair.. (He still wasn’t completely sure if that last one was simply the mutation’s doing, or if raising four kids really stressed him out that much.)

Even so, nights like the one they just had and the content mornings like the one he was having now reminded him that he still had plenty left to enjoy and much more life to live. He definitely appreciated that… Perhaps that was why, once he finished his drink and his throat no longer ached, Splinter began getting out various pans and ingredients.

Ever since Michelangelo developed his cooking passion at the age of eight, he and his brothers had taken care of whatever meals that weren’t just ordered in. But just because Splinter was no longer the chef of the house didn’t mean he still didn’t know how to prepare a decent family breakfast. He started the rice first, then the eggs. They would have just enough for everyone to get one omelette each. He was just about to start cracking them when he heard footsteps.

“Morning,” April said quietly, giving him a nod.

“Good morning, April,” Splinter nodded back, “Feel free to go back into the tv room and relax, it’s going to be a while.”

“Actually, I think I’m gonna stay here for a while,” April replied, “I needed to stretch for a bit, and I do have another set of hands right here for you to use.”

“I’m capable of making breakfast on my own,” Splinter told her, his tone betraying his otherwise distancing words. You are a guest, don’t feel like you need to help.

April just smiled, and walked over to the counter. “I know, and so am I. Mind handin’ me a peeler?”

Having no real reason to argue, Splinter did as he was told. “...By the way, thanks for joining us last night,” she told him. With all the adventures there were to be had around the city and Splinter’s shows that he enjoyed watching, the six of them didn’t always get to hang out together too often. But just because these instances were more rare didn’t mean they weren’t still wanted. “The guys and I really enjoyed havin’ you around. ...You’re a pretty cool guy, Master.”

A warm smile crept onto his lips. “...I could say the same about you, April.”

The two worked in silence, with Splinter concentrating on the rice and eggs while April made her favorite hashbrown recipe as well as some bacon. Slowly but surely, the rest of their underground home (or in April’s case, home away from home) started coming back to life.

Mikey woke up first, greeting them both with a hug and eager to help by making toast. Raph came next, having smelt the food. With the food covered, he assigned himself table setting duties. Finally, a very groggy pair of twins joined them. Donnie started up the coffee machine and tea kettle (with the majority vote settling on camomile with a bit of honey) while Leo got out all the juice they had left in the fridge.

By the time everything was done, conversations had started up, hoping to hide the sound of their stomachs growling. “You know, we should try to do this next week!” Mikey said as they all began to sit down, “Or next month or, you know, just sometime soon!”

“What, karaoke till we pass out and then breakfast the morning after?” Donnie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mikey nodded eagerly. “Yeah! At least once a month! Come on, you guys are lyin’ if you say you don’t want to do that more often.”

While Mikey’s brothers and sister considered it, Splinter hummed in consideration. “Not a bad idea, Orange, though why don’t we focus on eating breakfast and cleaning up last night’s mess before we plan anymore karaoke nights, hm?”

The box turtle gave a sheepish smile. “Heh, right,” he said as he began digging into his food, “Got it, Pops.”

Splinter smiled back at his orange son before looking back down at his own plate. He nibbled on his rice and toast, and resisting the urge to start humming a certain song from the night before… Fun karaoke nights with his family were one thing, but getting a tune stuck in his head for hours on end was quite another.

Still, it wasn’t a bad idea… Not a bad idea at all.

THE END

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #master splinter #april o'neil #leonardo tmnt #raphael tmnt #donatello tmnt #michelangelo tmnt #oneshot #fanfiction #my writing