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#Will also say that when Leo does these moments of standing up for his bros he’s never expecting praise for it
turtleblogatlast · 21 days
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I think a lot about Leo standing up for his brothers in the things that really matter to them.
Like- Leo is the one who immediately pushes Mikey and Donnie into finding Raph the second it’s clear that their oldest brother is missing because he knows Raph can’t handle being separated like that.
Leo is the one who stands up for Mikey when Mikey wants to go on a solo mission, actively vouching for him and being the one to convince Raph into letting Mikey go, because being independent and proving himself just as capable of standing on his own two feet as everyone else means so much to Mikey.
And Leo defends Donnie’s honor in particular when his brothers’ intelligence is insulted because Leo is well aware of how important Donnie’s smarts are to him - and how important having those smarts valued and acknowledged is as well.
All this goes right into just how well Leo knows his brothers. For as much as he’ll tease or fight with them, he knows them, and he loves them.
#rottmnt#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles#rottmnt leo#rottmnt headcanons#rise leo#listen Leo loves his family SO MUCH#and like it’s no accident that Leo is consistently the one to give pep talks that#very notably#are less ‘everyone as a group’ and more ‘all of you individually’#it’s heartening to see honestly and like#it works with how he is as both a person and as a fighter#he knows people he knows them so well he knows how they work what they’re like#which is SO USEFUL for subterfuge AND portal/teleportation strategy#my guy is charming his charisma comes from his understanding of people at an individual level#when he wants to be he is very very good at that#he’s still a teen who is too cocky for his own good at times but that does not negate his stellar other moments#he can be selfish he can be mean he can be rude but when push comes to shove he is so quick to stand up for his family#Mikey’s statement at the end of the movie about how Leo NEVER gave up on THEM is so important because it’s not JUST about the movie!!#that’s Leo as a whole he will never give up on his bros#portal jacked is telling of this too because although it has a lot of comedic moments#never once does Leo stop looking for a way to get his bros back#they’re everything to him#he’s the face man he’s a people person and he’s the number 1 pet turtle which I will discuss the implications of in this essay-#Will also say that when Leo does these moments of standing up for his bros he’s never expecting praise for it#he’s just glad they find Raph he just smiles when Mikey tells him he loves him he never mentions defending Donnie#leo has a tendency to show off fancy glittery moves but his real actions and feelings are sooo much more lowkey#that you have to be actively looking for them to catch them all#and I really really like that about him it’s so interesting HE is so interesting
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pinkiealexie · 2 years
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𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 ♡ 𝘏𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘴
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❥ REQUESTED: Anonymous
❥ REQUEST:
"Can I request all of the rise bro's (separate hc's) with nb s/o who gives them lap pillows and forehead kisses? Fluff fluff fluff pls"
❥ WARNINGS: None!
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♡ Melts at any type of affection you give him but specifically these two actions make his heart pound in his chest so much
♡ Like- He actually has to kneel down for you to be able to kiss his forehead? Because of his height you usually make yourself taller by standing on top of something such as the couch; Raph, finds it very cute of you
♡ Fun fact, I personally like to believe that Raph enjoys receiving most of his smooches from you on his forehead out of anywhere else
♡ As for lap pillows...
♡ LOVES IT ‼️
♡ As much as he loves to hold you protectively in his arms, this big dude deserves to be held just much as well!
♡ His physical body frame has its pros and cons, BUT when he lays his head on your lap it's makes him feel so loved and so much smaller than he actually is
♡ Most people would be quick too assume that he'd be the one always big spooning and such, which they'd be right sometimes
♡ But whenever he gets to enjoy moments like these with you it makes him feel so so so so so giddy! His stomach fluttering with butterflies as he lays his head on your lap
♡ He had a long day❓ Loves nothing more than to lay his head on your lap as you ask him about his day, what he was up too, and how your own day was. You may or may not know it but just being able to do this with you makes so much of the stress on his shoulders disappear
♡ Not only can you give him lap pillows, you could also give Raph his forehead kisses! It just makes this whole experience even better for him to be honest 😊
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♡ Mikey already loves and appreciates anything romantic you do for him! He treasures any precious memory that is with you as every small thing counts
♡ Probably lets out a small squeal or has a beaming smile on his face after he receives a small kiss on the top of his head from you. Depends on the situation, like he just won his favorite video game
♡ In return he'll kiss you all over your face as well! You deserve to get some love dovey kisses from him as well otherwise it wouldn't be fair
♡ Love and I mean LOVES when you give him lap pillows! Mikey just loves that his upper view when he lays on your lap is just you
♡ When laying on your lap he just enjoys you and himself rambling to each other about your special interests, how your day was, and other sweet conversation stuff!
♡ His favorite times to lay on your lap is when you're both watching or having a movie night.
♡ Something about it just feels awesome to him as he will look up at you throughout periods of the movie and make comments or ramble about the movie, especially the characters
♡ "(Y/N)! Did you see that! That dude totally got his butt kicked by that other dude!" He points and does exaggerated hand movements lmao
♡ Will sometimes fall asleep on your lap, hope you don't mind that
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♡ Takes every single kiss you give him as an award for how awesome of a boyfriend he is too, so Leo wouldn't mind kisses anywhere on his face as long as you're giving him some sort of loving affection
♡ Nothing else to comment other than the fact he always has a very big and proud smirk on his face after every smoochie woochie you give him
♡ Leonardo loves to be the bigger spoon and be the one to give you all of the acts of affection such as cuddling, being the big spoon, etc. It makes him feel like he is protecting you and that he is such a knight in shining armor; your knight in shining armor
♡ Though, whenever it's his time to be held he acts all pouty.
♡ Claims that he doesn't want to be the smaller spoon but his actions say otherwise. Psst...secretly, enjoys being held by you but won't openly admit to it because he has a very prideful ego.
♡ So, whenever you are giving him lap pillows he tends to whine a bit the first minute but then stops after a minute
♡ Snuggles his head into your lap as he lightens the mood by telling you some of his dad jokes, oneliners, punchlines, etc
♡ Another thing, he enjoys hearing you talk more than he likes talking himself. Like to listen to you talk about everything and anything you like, dislike, etc as you mess with the tails of his mask. Maybe...it's because he stated more than once that you have an angelic voice
♡ Doesn't realize it but he lays on your lap more than he planned. 5 minutes? My guy, it's been a whole hour!
♡ Whenever you eventually try to get up Leo starts making excuses for you to stay for a bit extra
♡ "Wait! You know- all of sudden I have this very big and very bad headache and I need a something soft to rest my head on-"
♡ Dramatically puts a hand up to his forehead for extra effect 🙌
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♡ Donnie used to scrunch up his face a bit whenever you planted a kiss on his forehead. It's not because he didn't like it, but because he isn't used to such affection like that, and now with how often you do it he's gotten used to it and stopped that repetitive reaction
♡ Donnie kisses your forehead back. He just feels the very strong need and urge to give you something back in return or else it'll bug him for the rest of the day
♡ Openly shows that he loves your lap pillows that you give him, probably way more than his brothers in my opinion
♡ Bro is literally a workaholic and it'd make sense as to why he loves to lay his head on your lap so much.
♡ He'll ramble about his next greatest invention to you, all his ideas, plans, etc and what makes it even better is that you actually listen to him as he rambles!
♡ This action almost becomes a daily thing due to how much Donnie loves it! For many reasons too: You listen, you compliment him, you give him some ideas for a next big tech project, give him constructive criticism, etc
♡ Leo and the rest of his brothers are surprised but also thankful of you to listen to their dear brother talk about his interests.
♡ Like- How are you able to listen to him talk and keep about such boring [their words not mine] science-y things that they can barely even comprehend, and now they don't have to be the ones to listen
♡ "Darling (Y/n)! You have yet again given me another brilliant idea. Oh, I could just kiss you!"
♡ And he does lol
♡ Like everyone else, Donnie enjoys it whenever you talk to him about stuff too!
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julsvu · 1 month
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Hiiii I dunno if your still taking requests but could you write headcanons for leo valdez x daughter of hecate who has a pet dog (cause their hecates sacred animal ofc) and maybe has a lot of tattooes? Thx sm <3
(No pressure)
leo valdez x daughter of hecate! reader
📒: headcanons, fluff <3, making out is mentioned once
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he's absolutely enamored by you
at first he was lowkey intimidated because of your godly parent but the moment he got to talk to you he could feel himself melt?? bro was questioning if he was still fireproof at this rate
he ABSOLUTELY loves your dog (your dog probably barked at him at first sight though 😭)
gifts your dog little accessories or trinkets, as well as you!! for example, a new collar or a lead for ur dog, and a necklace for u
i feel like your dog would appear randomly everytime you and leo are making out?? idk man i feel it'd just be standing in the corner, lurking
leo prays for his life
leo walks around saying harry potter picks up lines to you so casually
HE'D GIVE YOU ONE OF THOSE HOGWARTS LETTERS AS A JOKE I SWEAJRJRR
but instead of the letter saying "congrats, you've been accepted into hogwarts!" it'd say, "congrats, you've accepted into Leo Valdez's heart, the bad boy supreme!" with a little wink under the text
scared of your siblings bcs he doesn't wanna accidentally piss them off and make himself hit the magical ball that turns people into a pig
because of that, you two resort into sneaking off into small remote spots in the camp instead of into eachothers' cabins
bro calls the spot "our spot" !! he gatekeeps it IMMENSELY
how is he gonna gatekeep a public place? he just can.
since children of Hecate have the ability to shift themselves into the persona of 3 different people, i feel like he'd definitely fall in love with you 10000x more whenever he sees you shift into "The Mother" which basically is used to soothe anyone
he falls asleep immediately after hearing your voice in that form
he is also IN LOVE with your tattoos.
once tried to doodle a copy of your tattoos on his arm 😭 (he gave up when he smudged it once)
since he couldn't doodle it properly on his arm, he doodles it on multiple machines he'd make, like a little contribution for you
it's really noticeable too, he does NOT hide his love for you at all
if your tattoos have like little gaps or aren't fully colored, he fills in the gaps every time he could, drawing a small marker from his hand and colouring it in
when he's in a bad mood, he runs off to find you and snuggles his face into your neck, tracing your tattoos with his index finger while his other arm is wrapped around your waist
he also definitely asks you what the stories of your tattoos are, why you got them, or how it felt like when you got them
he always ends up debating whether or not to get a matching tattoo with you
eventually, when your relationship had been going on for at least six months, you guys got a matching tattoos
when you guys got matching tattoos, he was so so so giddy 😭 showing the tattoo off to the seven or anyone that'll listen to him
the relationship would be so 'sunshine x sunshine protector' coded for real
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© 2024 JULSVU. all rights reserved. please don't plagiarize, translate, put in other websites or copy my work without permission. ty!
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naviaknell777 · 10 months
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Hello again! (Gosh am requesting a lot)
Can i please request rottmnt of leo x little sister!mutant turtle! reader?
Request type: fic, comedy, platonic, happy ending.
Plot: the story is about reader who's about 10 years old, of course she's rarely allowed to get out of lair due to her age and her begin weak but god she have such sonic energy, she can't stop running, jumping..etc.
So it's obvious on patrols the brothers have to leave someone behind to babysit her & it's leo's turn, leo was understatementing babysit job as he put reader in living room to watch mlp and went to his room to read a comic book, time pass & he went to check on reader only for her to vanish, leo panic as he go get the baby tracker Donnie made for reader & he found out she's outside the lair.
So leo's job is to find reader, get her back home before his brothers find out or he won't hear the end of it from raph especially.
“Babysitting”
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ROTTMNT - Leo x little sister! Reader
Notes: not proof read, and might have made it unintentionally a bit angstier than I hoped hehe. Enjoy!
“Okay, Leo, it’s your turn to babysit,” Donnie said as he played around with the tech screen projected from his armband, using it to investigate further about the wild mutant activity going on upstate.
“Oh, sure, I’ll babysit” Leo started, inching a bit closer to Donnie “But if you three get pizza afterward without me - I mean us… We won’t be happy turtles.”
“Yeah! I’ll beat you all up!” Y/N exclaimed, jumping to the conversation and now standing next to Leo.
“Uh-huh, sure, okay” Donnie mumbles, still focusing on his tech. Y/N reached up and tugged on the long ends of Leo’s mask, pulling on it to get his attention. When he looked down at her, she smiled, latching onto him and climbing up his form, pulling herself on him and climbing up to sit on the top of his blue shell.
Leo sighed, “I feel like you’ve been getting more and more rambunctious lately, [nickname]”
“Nah, I’m just growing taller” She replied.
“My calculations say at this rate she’ll be as tall as Raph when she gets around our age… but regardless, we should get going,” Donnie said, his tech screen dissipating and looking to Raph and Mikey so they can start heading out.
“Haha, I’ll be taller than you when I’m your age, Leo, you’re such a loser!” Y/N teased, letting go of Leo and falling backward onto the floor.
“Also, don’t forget to set an alarm for 8, Leo, she’s gonna need to eat by then and -“ Raph started.
“She can’t remember for herself?” Leo asked.
“Nope!” Y/N answered “Too lazy, and I don’t have a phone yet”
“Oh, and Y/N!” Mikey rushed over to Y/N, grabbing her face “do not watch the ending of season three without me, I have a sense It’ll be really good, okay? Or else I will not be a happy turtle.” Y/N simply nodded, feeling a shiver down her spine.
“Okay, see ya!” Mikey headed towards the sewer exit first, followed by Raph.
Donnie turned to Leo, “Remember to not let her on the surface, okay? The last thing she needs is to get hurt” He headed out as well.
“Pfft, Donnie can be such a stick sometimes, I know you won’t go above to the surface, especially without me, right, [nickname]?” Leo turned to Y/N.
“Well… Why can’t I go out again?” Y/N mumbled, focusing on playing with her fingers as she now said cross on the floor.
Leo sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, “You’re too young to go by yourself, Y/N… you haven’t had as much training as us, if something bad happens, you won’t be able to hold your own… you know? It’d just be better if you don’t go into the city with us in the first place.”
Y/N continued to look down and just nodded, “Yeah, I get it, that makes sense.”
“Great!” Leo stood up, “Now if you excuse me, I got some reading to catch up on, [nickname]”
“Huh? You’re not gonna hang out with me?” Y/N, looked up at Leo as if the tender moment between them hadn’t happened. ‘Does he really not care…or does he not know what he just said to me?’
“Well, now that the bros aren’t here it gives me some quiet time to read the Jupiter Jim special edition issue where he fights laser unicorns on Pluto! But don't worry, I’ll be sure to hang out with you later tonight, okay? I gotta come out here to make you food anyway” He said, walking towards his room with his hands behind his head.
Y/N nodded, getting up and wiping away some loose tears she tried to hold back, “Okay, that makes sense.. I’ll just watch some My Little Pony then”
“Sounds good, [nickname]!” Leo said dismissively as he locked himself away in his room. Y/N stood up, attempting to swallow away the knot in her throat that was getting tighter. She walks over to the recliner that Splinter was sleeping on, puts the My Little Pony DVDs in, and projects it on the white screen. She sat next to her father’s chair, hugging herself as she sighed, and pressed play.
. . .
Leo grumbled when he heard his alarm for making food for Y/N go off, pulling away the Jupiter Jim comic that was on top of his phone and stopping the alarm. “Okay, time to feed the rascal…” he mumbled, taking off his blanket and leaving his room to the kitchen.
He prepared some frozen pasta in the run-down microwave, food stains, and splatters covering the appliance inside and out. “I’m making some leftover pasta for you, [nickname], Don’t complain about it, 'cause I think it’s the last edible thing in the kitchen” He yelled towards the living room, still facing the microwave as it headed up the frozen dish. He then opened the utensil drawer, “Now, do you want the big fork or the small fork? I know you love your small forks, but they’re all in the sink and I don’t feel like doing the dishes, and it's faster to eat it with a regular-sized fork, right?" He turned around and made his way to the living room,
“Heard what I said? [nickname]?” He didn’t see her anywhere. He looked around for her in the living room where My Little Pony was still playing.
“Tell me that my friends are lying to me and avoiding me because they don’t like my parties and they don’t want to be my friends anymore!” A pink character said on screen that took his attention for a second, growing a bit more tense as he continued his search for Y/N. He checked her room, and all of her brother's rooms, and reluctantly, he checked the sewer opening, seeing it left ajar a bit.
Leo smacked himself in the face, “Why’d she have to go up there of all places! Ugh if Raph finds out…” He races towards his room, getting the emergency tracker that Donnie had made previously in case of emergencies. He checked the tracker, “Where… where is that…?” He looked at the tracker, turning it upside-down and reading the text of Y/N’s location “New Jersey?! How’d she manage to get all the way to New Jersey already?”
. . .
In reality, following the train system, it was only a thirty-minute ride to a university in New Jersey, but Y/N was on the move. She jumped from building to building, albeit a bit clumsily.
“Ah, that wind feels so nice! Ah, and the stars are so pretty!” Y/N said to herself, continuing to run and smile in the process, feeling freer than ever before - the feeling on the concrete on her feet, the wind in her face, the refreshing cool spring air in her face. She stopped on the last building of the block, looking up at the stray stars that peeked through the city smog.
She took a seat at the edge of the building, tightening her loose mask and looking up to the stars. “If only Leo could enjoy this with me…”
“Why didn’t you just say that? That way I didn’t have to go on this wild goose chase to find you, Y/N!” Leo yelled from across the building, trying to catch his breath. Y/N turned around, tensing a bit seeing Leo sweaty and tired from trying to find her, seeing him hold the black device with a purple screen that was glowing light.
“What? You tracked me or something, Leo?” She said.
“You left without telling me”
“You were sleeping!”
“That doesn’t matter, Y/N!”
“You would’ve gotten mad at me for wanting to go outside the lair…”
“I wouldn’t have, I promise. But you know the rules-“
“I don’t like the rules”
“They’re there for your safety, Y/N! You’re not strong enough yet, we-“
“But I made it here all by myself and I’m fine! You guys just…” Y/N sighed and took a seat, legs dangling over the edge of the building again. Leo walked over to her, sitting down next to her. “I feel like you guys make me seem weaker than I am… I can do things too, like cook for myself, go out, at least with you guys…”
“We don’t let you cook because with your speed you spill everything, make a mess, and put a fork in the microwave”
“You guys didn’t tell me it would explode! And you leave all your dishes out for bugs to lick at, you’re messy too!”
“…okay well to be fair I didn’t make that rule, Raph did.”
“And I don’t like that Raph won’t let me do easy things, like using the vacuum and stuff!”
“I think he’s worried you’ll explode that too… we could barely afford a new microwave, [nickname]”
“Yeah… but, like, you guys don’t trust me with things. Or myself. It makes me, um…” Y/N started growing a bit more nervous, the knot in her throat coming back, preventing her from speaking.
“Sad? Is that what you mean?” Leo asked. Y/N nodded. Leo wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a tight hug, and she soon returned it, her eyes watering a bit.
“I’m… sorry, Y/N. I suppose we’ve just seen you as our baby sister for too long.. You’re growing up… and literally, too, I sure hope you don’t end up being as tall as Raph, that’s a bit scary to imagine. Regardless, I’m sorry… Why don’t we go home and talk about this with our brothers, okay? I suppose the rest of them, including Raph, need to realize that you’re out a baby anymore. Does that sound okay?”
His sister nodded, and slowly let go of the hug. Leo gave her a soft smile, wiping away the stray tears on her cheeks.
“Let’s go home, yeah? Before our brothers find out you snuck out, especially Raph… He’ll go bananas. It’s a long way home… I’m actually proud that you managed to get here by yourself without getting hurt, and I saw you running, I’m impressed how fast you are! How did you find your way all the way to New Jersey anyway?” He asked, standing up and taking Y/N’s hand in his.
She signed to him as they journeyed home, “I just followed where my heart took me.”
——
All Rights Reserved ©️NaviaKnell777 2023
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pianocat939 · 1 year
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Yan Northern Midwestern Donnie and Yan Southerner Leo fighting Over y/n just sounds hilarious and I love it 😂
Tw: Leo guilt-trips- I think that's about it
Ok imagine this: (and yes I'm sorry this will be mostly stereotypical)
You're just a person who just moved into a middle region state and you know just trying to live a life-
And then you see some turtle dude leaning against this truck smirking and he speaks, "Howdy neighbour, you new here? Well nice to meet you, I'm Leo. What's your name sugar~?"
And you tell him your name and kinda want to focus on other things but bro just keeps talking and then he's like "Ooh, I just got my peach cobbler done, I'll be happy to share it with you neighbour~!" So he goes inside his house to get the dessert meanwhile you notice on your other side another neighbour, also a turtle except he's got a skeptical expression. (idk but where I live people are like introverted af until they become friends- then they're like buddy buddy)
You kinda stare at him for a second before looking away and then he asks, "Are you new?"
[insert response]
"Huh. Stay away from him, that unmannerly southerner will you do no good except constantly asking for your company and asking if you wanna drink beer with him."
And just like that he's entering his house-
Then Leo's already slinging an arm around your shoulder and asking if you wanna drink beer with him while sharing the peach cobbler.
So basically from that day on Leo's constantly going over to your house, hell, he sits on your porch waiting for you as if you're really close. He isn't a bad cook though the times you eat his food.
And you've found out more about your neighbour who you've come to know as Donatello- or Donnie as Leo likes to say. In Leo's opinion he seems to be an anti-social angsty man who has a biased hate for southerners.
But he isn't unpleasant to you in anyway- and the rare moments he does talk to you he's polite and calm. It is funny when he bashes on Leo though.
Ok so when it's winter, Leo's literally a whiny brat and asking if you could snuggle up with him in one single blanket because "I help you keep cool in the summer, so won't you spare me some empathy~?"
You are friends so you comply, but you make sure you're on opposite sides of the blanket so you aren't touching shoulders as Leo would have hoped. Meanwhile, while it's pitch black and you can't see anything outside, (unless if you turned on the lights ofc) the snow on your driveway is getting shoveled away by none other than Donnie himself. (listen- idk about you guys but shoveling snow is heavy af- but then again I rarely do it lmao)
And when he's done he stands there for a second, watching Leo trying to get closer like a clingy mf and he instantly gets pissy and gets back in his home, imagining murdering Leo in his mind.
The next morning, you notice your driveway is shoveled and you're confused but grateful- and to your biggest surprise, Donnie asks if you wanna eat Schwarzwälder (german chocolate cake) bcs he's got a lot left over.
And soon enough Donnie also becomes a good friend of yours, and does little things for you and it helps your life a lot. He constantly bashes on Leo and southerners, you would think it's almost a daily ritual.
He has a weird and perhaps grotesque thing of eating Jam and cheese together- and he seems to love it. (NOT AMERICAN CHEESE- GOUDA CHEESE OR SOMETHING LESS STRONG)
Soon enough you notice Leo getting more annoyed when you say you can't hang out with him because you planned something with Donnie and-
I'm gonna stop here lmao maybe next time will I write the yan stuff haha
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yellowhollyhock · 7 months
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1990s Donatello y’all
When his bros are all saying things like “radical” “right on” “perfecto” and he’s like, Perestroika! Uhhh. A capella! Uhhhm. Pepperoni? He doesn’t understand how slang works and he’s trying him’s best 😭
When he calls April looking for Raph and Leo is yelling and dropping things on his foot, Mikey’s right in his ear the whole time like “gimme the phone gimme the phone gimme the phone gimme the” all so he can be sillay with April. Donnie just looks so done with all of them. Poor stressed child
When Splinter is missing and April says he “latches on” to Casey. Like, at the beginning of the movie he was the one trying to get Mikey to talk with him about how they would feel if something happened to Master Splinter. Then when it happens he’s like, lol processing who’s she? I found this guy to make fun of, that’s my personality now. Lookitim he’s claustrophobic
HE’S SO POUTY when they find their origin story and it’s not as cool as he thought it’d be. Very real and sweet moment honestly, also funny tho. He said, What do you mean we were an accident?! I don’t believe you! Master Splinter we’re still special right? 🥺
The lil happy dance he does when he finds a computer ❤️ And when Mikey asks him to open the file, the “Wellll I could try, but” idk the way he moves and talks is so muppet-coded.
The fact that he’s always following along/compromising/pretty much down for whatever but when they want to stay in the past he (understandably) just puts his foot down. “Do you think I could live without ONe sInGLe MIcRoCHiP?” And the way he appeals to Leo, like Excuse me you’re the assertive one here. YOU talk some sense into them. Tell them we HAVE to go back.
When he rips Raph’s gag off and Raph yells at him so he puts it back on. Then later when he rips off another guy’s gag and he’s like “I gotta get the hang of that.” No sweetie you’re doing great, there’s not a painless way to have tape ripped off your face. Unless he meant he should get the hang of untying them first, then ripping the gag off, so he isn’t stuck right there when they scream 😆
When he falls off the horse and Leo rides by standing up looking like a pro and he’s like “Sometimes, I really hate guy. Yeah!” He looks like he’s trying on anger for the very first time and can’t decide if he likes it or not.
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fanfic-inator795 · 2 years
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Okay, I just gotta ask. To the people who say that Raph “raised his siblings” and who write fanfics where he’s the main caretaker of the other turtles while Splints lays in bed depressed/watches tv... Do you guys have a reason why you think this was the case, or are you just projecting?
I don’t mean to be rude, I really don’t, but some of the fics I’ve seen recently just kinda take this idea to an extremely OOC degree. I know the Turtle Tots stuff we got in the show was pretty light so their past is pretty open to interpretation, but I just don’t see any indication that Raph was ever parentified.
In the Turtle Tots short, he’s fooling around with the weapons just like his brothers are, not being worried about them hurting themselves or trying to be all that responsible. Same with the flashback in the s1 finale, where it’s RAPH who decides to play with/throw a fragile tea pot. Again, Raph is playing WITH them, not babysitting them.
I’d also like to add that while Splinter isn’t fully supervising them, he does come check on the boys IMMEDIATELY after he hears a smash in the s1 finale example. Speaking of that ep, we see brief flashbacks of Splinter engaging with his kids (encouraging Mikey’s art, patching up Donnie, playing lemonade stand with Raph and Leo) and we know that Splints did things with them when they were younger too, like take them trick-or-treating (Turtle Tots short) or help out with their Lair Games. Flash forward to their teen years, and for as much tv watching as he did, the moment that the Turtles asked for more training in the ELoM ep, Splinter immediately got to work with them, only using the Lou Jitsu method because he thought the Turtles weren’t ready for tougher things/was being protective NOT because he was being lazy/wanted to relive the glory days (at least, not entirely).
Could Splinter have been more hands-on/responsible as a parent? Yeah, absolutely! But there’s a big difference between you and your siblings being allowed to play in a different room/do your own thing while your parent does their own thing, and you having to babysit your siblings and fend for yourself while your parent does nothing. Yes, Splints became more distant as the Turtles got older and became more independent, but even in early s1 where he was at his ‘worst’, he showed that he cared about them. 
Honestly, if Splints truly was an extremely neglectful and emotionally distant parent during their early childhood, then why do the Turtles still love and care about him so much? Yes they’re his kids, but those natural family ties only goes so far - a parent still has to put in at least some work for their kids to truly love them, and the Turtles love Splinter! If they felt like he didn’t give a crap about them, they would’ve left as soon as they got their mystic powers. If RAPH felt like their dad didn’t care and thought he could find a better life for himself and his bros, then HE would’ve left and taken the other turtles long ago. 
Hell, APRIL HAS BEEN THEIR FRIEND SINCE SHE WAS 11 YEARS OLD! If there was serious neglect and emotional mistreatment going on, April would have noticed and talked to Raph about it. She certainly wouldn’t be as close with Splinter as she is in canon if she heard about him forcing Raph to be the one to make sure their home’s pantries had food/be the one making their meals/being the one putting his bros to bed/being the parent/etc.
“So why is Raph so protective/why does he feel like he has to be responsible?” you may ask? Well, maybe that’s just in his nature!
As the eldest sibling in my family with a brother who’s only a year younger than me (same age gap as the turtles), I’d usually be the one letting him inside after we both got home from school. I wasn’t ‘babysitting’, I was just keeping an eye on things until my parents got home from work, where I’d usually just watch tv or whatever while my brother played video games in his room. I had to be responsible, yeah, but there was no parentification or anything like that.
Guess what? I still ended up being protective of my brother - not because of any influence from my parents, but because I love my brother and (back then, at least) I had a mother hen-esque mindset when it came to him. And I just feel like Raph was the same way - it’s just what kinda happens when your siblings are also your closest friends growing up. He was never forced into caring for his bros, he just did it! He was never told to be a good example, he wanted to be one! He took up the role as leader of his own accord - and if anyone should be blamed for making Raph feel like he had to be responsible, it should be the other turtles who (during specific moments at least) chose to relax instead and ‘just let Raph handle it’.
And really, for as responsible as Raph can be sometimes, he’s just as much of a goofball as the other Turtles, and can be just as reckless (if not more so at times)! He doesn’t feel like a mini adult or a parent, he feels like a kid who has a better grasp on when to get serious than his brothers do (which makes sense for Raph, since he cares the most about protecting others and actually being a hero!) 
I’m gonna reiterate: I DO NOT THINK that Splinter was a perfect parent. I fully believe that there were likely moments where he could’ve been better - less forgetful, less distant, less focused on TV - and he certainly could’ve been more responsible. But Splinter still ACTIVELY TRIED to be a parent - at the very least, he tried to when the Turtles were little and actually needed more care and guidance (VS them being teens and being able to be more independent, which I could see Splints - who didn’t have a good parent relationship himself - interpreting this as them not needing him or wanting him around).
He wasn’t the best parent he could be, but he was FAR from the worst. Furthermore, I don’t believe there was any true parentification of Raph done. Maybe it could have been done accidentally - I’m sure there were times where Splints had to leave Raph in charge while he went to go scavenge for food - but purposely? After the treatment that Splinter went through from his grandfather, who was essentially trying to force him to grow up (for a noble and important cause, but still)?? I really doubt it.
tl;dr: Splinter was an imperfect parent but he wasn’t THAT bad. Just because Raph is naturally a bit more responsible and a bit overprotective doesn’t mean he was parentified. And if you’re going to write angst or hurt/comfort fics based in the Turtles childhood, PLEASE make it in-character instead of only focusing on the angst bits.
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neyxmessi · 1 year
Note
Bestie, idk if I'm being delusional.... but that vid of Kymessi you just posted where Kylian is full with energy and going towards Leo to get the ball and Leo puts up his arms and hands but then sees Kyky just grabbing the ball and going away..... do you think that was like second instinct? Like a natural reaction from Leo? Like he has gotten so used to Neymar charging towards him with energy and just leaning, clinging, cuddling, holding, snuggling up to him. Like Leo might have done it automatically and then when Kyky didn't hold his hands or touch him, Leo put down his hands like "oh.... It's not Ney." Like we've seen this a million times, where Ney loses it and starts laughing at something Leo did/said (bro...I know it aint that funny... he's just so damn whipped and I'm over here like STAND UP, that tiny man cannot be that funny hahah) and then Ney just doubles over and goes to Leo and Leo puts up his hands and Ney grabs them and holds on to them while he leans his head on Leo and laughs to his hearts content! Like it must be like second nature to Leo by now to just provide some support while Ney falls apart laughing. Or just touch in each other you know? Anyways, all of this is to say that my hypothesis is that Leo misses Ney and that reaction was a form of second nature only to just realize that Ney isn't there with him, that it wasn't Ney coming to him with a burst of energy, that Ney wasn't there to hold his hands and cling to him.... or you know I'm just making something out of nothing and this is complete BS and I'm on my Neymessi feels hahahah (but aaah also im so happy for the Kyky and Messi moments im glad theyre getting along!!!) But yes, I'm missing Ney so damn much!
WHO IS THIS BECAUSE WHEN LEO PUT HIS HANDS UP LIKE THAT I ALSO IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF THE COUNTLESS TIMES HE HAS DONE IT WITH NEYMAR.
Lowkey it did feel like second nature to me! I mean the difference though is Leo’s face when he does it. Like with Kylian, Leo looked happily confused confused 😭 but with Neymar, Leo kinda does it as a playful “defense” mechanism (and sometimes even in a way where by putting his hands up, he knows Neymar will come over to grab them 🥲)
I’m glad that Leo and Kylian are getting to a friendlier place too! I mean they had a good friendship on the pitch when Neymar was out injured in the past, and when they REALLY connect, they can make some great moments happen. Same thing with Leo and Hakimi!! I just hope that these relationships can be maintained once Neymar comes back, because this team NEEDS chemistry desperately 😭 It makes sm of a difference when you have greater levels of friendship with your teammates on the field when you play, and I feel like that’s very evident (and ofc when I say this I mean the same things for when Leo is off the field and Neymar’s relationships with other players).
Anyways, I miss Neymar too :( I hope he’s resting up and that his ankle heals quickly (but not too quickly because the last thing we need is for him to play pre-maturely and his ankle gets all busted again).
Whoever this is, I love your analysis and if you don’t blog stuff about neymessi already YOU BETTER!!!
Ugh I love all my neymessi pals/moots 🫶🏼 for all the real ones out there, ily 😘 u make my day brighter all the time 🤍
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raisin-shell · 2 years
Note
Well hello there u sexy bitch!
Ok, so could I request a jealous Raph please? He is crushing on a fem reader and being all mr macho and cocky (how we like him) but as soon as his crush starts getting close to his bro’s, in a friends only kinda way of course, he starts to get all jealous and pouty and eaten up about it.
Either fluff or smut, your choice 🤗
I will leave u to work your magic my kinky sweet pea ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Green Is The Color Of Envy: Or is it Red?
NSFW/SMUT/LANGUAGE/18+ Bayverse Raphael x Fem Reader
Your new found friends couldn’t astound and intrigue you more. How lucky you felt to have such gentleman surrounding you. And not of the human form! All had their finest qualities but none of them compared to Raphael’s cool, smooth finesse of confidence. You snuggled yourself up on the couch hidden deep within their lair beneath the city streets as once again you watched the massive brute lifting his weights.
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“Like whatcha see?”
He purred to you as he lifted the bar, both sides filled with manhole covers, effortlessly.
“I can do this all day long baby girl, with you sittin on top of me.”
The deepness of his voice had your panties soaked with warm dampness as you continue to watch with lustful eyes. Those same eyes boring over every solid inch of his perfectly chiseled body. He was eating the attention up like a dog that had been starved. Sweat trickling from his body was left unkept only to please and tease your senses even more. Fuck. He knew good and well what he was doing.
“Whaddaya say sweetheart? Come straddle me and lean up against tha bar.”
You had almost gotten up when a flicker of blue and lime green flashed before your peripheral vision. Your line of sight quickly snapped to the leader in blue, standing upon a closed sewer drain practicing his moves vigorously. You couldn’t help but to watch the magical show of agility, eyes brightening every time he’d catch you watching him and he’d flash you the most glimmering smile. All this completely and abruptly interrupted by the sound of the bar full of weight hitting the floor with a crash.
Your head snapped back towards the massive brute who had a look of dismay on his face as he started pounding towards he and Mikey’s bunk. Questionably you rose from the couch, unsure of what was the matter when the door to his room slammed leaving you outside this burly man’s personal space. Hands placed on your hips in confusion, you knocked on his door with authority.
“Go away”
You could hear his deep voice clearly through the door letting you know he was still against it.
“Raphael Hamato you open this door right now!”
You seethed as your arms crossed now with more agitation than understanding.
The brute let the door crack open slightly.
“Whaddaya want?!”
He snapped harshly as your brows began to rise.
“Excuse me! But you were just lifting weights. I was enjoying the show. Then all of a sudden you storm off in a huff! What gives?”
You slink your way past the crease in the door to enter his room and confront him face to face. Normally this would scare the flying shit out of you but the expression on the massive turtles face was one of complete defeat. The brute slammed the door shut once more, taking a few steps back from you and crossing his own large arms in protest.
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“What does Leo got that I don’t got huh?”
He blurted out, refusing to make eye contact with you. It was at this very moment you realized what was wrong.
“Raph… are you… are you jealous?!”
You ask inquisitively as a small smirk curled from both of the corners of your mouth.
“No!! No!! I’m not jealous of fearless! I’m… im not jealous I’m just… I’m not.”
His golden eyes hit the floor as his chest began to heave and you could have sworn you saw his eyes begin to tear up.
You approach him softly placing yourself in front of his massive frame as you looked up at him.
“God gave me eyes to look Raphael. That’s all. He also gave me a heart and that belongs solely to you no matter the eye candy placed in front of me.”
You tried to explain but your disgruntled beast wasn’t having it.
“No. No! You like Leo. I saw tha way ya looked at him. It was tha same as me!”
His bottom lip began to pucker outward with a tremble. The thought of you with his brother completely making a sobbing mess of the largest brother.
“Oh baby. No. Come here. Please?”
Your hands reached up for his face as he turned is head again in protest, this time his sad longing eyes settling on yours.
“I’m not jealous! I just don’t like when you… notice my other brothers. Especially Leo.”
His eyes began to rounden, pooling with tears as your cheeks heated pink in a complete fluster. How? How could someone go from being so cocky and confident to being so self conscious and unsure of himself? It was almost as adorable as it was saddening to you.
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“Raph”
You spoke very gently as your hands began to rub and palm the length of his forearms causing them to unlatch themselves and fall heavily to his sides as his head dipped down in defeat.
“You’re perfect in my eyes. Yes I was watching Leo but only for his skills. It’s you who truly makes my panties wet.”
A smile curled from your lips as his eyes lifted and brightened to what he just heard.
“I… make yer panties wet huh?”
His nostrils flared a bit, inhaling the air for your sent and rolling his eyes back into a satisfied close as the sweet smell of your essence hit the air.
“Of course you do. You always have that effect on me… Raphael.”
Hearing his full name leave your lips sent a pulse straight to his cock and even more so to his ego. A deep chuckle ruffled from his nostrils as his eyes remained closed, his mind still wrapping itself around your potent essence forgetting all about his fears of Leonardo. Both golden eyes snap back open burning with fire as he lunged against you firmly, pinning your body snuggly against the firm plates of his chest and the flat coolness of his closed door.
“Ya get wet just watchin’ me?”
He growled against your skin, his thick fingers diving into your hair curled and pulled your head back craning your neck as his bite sank down into your flesh. You moan a desperate yes, both answering his question and praising him for more as he begins to firmly suckle what is his. You had chose to wear a skirt that day thank god for had it been anything else he’d have shredded it. You found your thighs spread comfortably around his waist, the weight of his massive bulge teased and rolled heavily against the slick fabric of your panties, tantalizing your thickened folds. Another desperate gasp left your throat as your hips rolled against him in need. Damn him.
“Oh yeah? Ya want this cock that bad baby girl?”
Oh yes. You did want his cock that bad but dammit did he have to look so damn sexy when he was being so smug? So cocky? So…
“Raph!”
You squealed desperately, biting your bottom lip and gliding your wet petals up and down the length of his engorged cock.
“Can’t you see how bad I need you to fill me? How much I want you to fuck he? Please Raphael? Fuck me proper.”
You knew he wouldn’t resist it, his eyes flashing as the word please left your lips. With one swift movement his arms tucked beneath your legs, post tugging his shorts down just enough to allow his massive rod to bob free. Tucking the soaked fabric to the side, he allowed his thick bulbous head to roll and glide through the glossy thickness of your folds until he was completely coated with your excitement. He lined himself up with your tiny entrance and slowly inch by inch stretched you open. His eyes remained on you, chuckling darkly as your mouth pursed into a silent moan as he slowly filled you to the brim.
No matter how many times you had sex with this man, it always felt so deliciously overwhelming upon his initial entry and even more so as time would go on. A cry cracked through your moan as you felt him bottom out, his head swelling to twice it’s normal size budding at your cervix in the best way. God he made you feel so full. He reached every spot, every time. Your eyes flutter open to look at him. He’s got a curious grin on his face as he retracts himself fully leaving you breathless. Your eyes snap back shut again and your fingers begin to curl into the thick pebbled skin of his shoulders.
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He spreads your legs further against the door as his hips snap up into you, your head flying backwards as your moan cries to the ceiling. His thick hardness is striking your g spot making you see stars on the back of your eye lids and causing your legs to jolt to the sensation.
“Leo could never fuck ya like this. I know just how rough ya like it.”
He chuckled darkly as his hips began to snap harder and your back tried to crane into his powerful juts. His cock was sliding into you easily now, hitting the firmed band that was quickly beginning to come unraveled. The brute pulled your body from the door, holding you upright and letting your weight fall onto his advances as the band deep within your belly snapped and wave after wave of ecstasy began to snap through your body. The brute allowed your back to arch as he to plunged in deeply, allowing himself to bury his cock inside you. A low churr escaped him as he released rope after rope of his hot thick seed, filling you to the brim with that same cocky smile on his face.
Once you had caught your breath and came back to your senses, you wrapped your arms around your beau lovingly and let your lips land softly against his.
“See? You have nothing to worry about.”
You coo with a genuine grin as your cocky beast cups your cheek drawing you in for a deep kiss.
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chasingpj · 3 years
Text
𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐦𝐞?
"My soulmate is so mean. He’s done nothing good with these stupid drawings. You know, all I want is something cute, like a picture of, maybe, flowers?"
pairing: leo valdez x gn reader
words: 2,994
warnings: cursing, mentions of genitalia
category: one-shot, soulmate!au
You don’t know who your soulmate is, but when you find out, you know the first thing you’ll do is punch him in his face. You don’t understand why he does this. Why can’t he be romantic like everyone else? You have a few friends who have the same connection you share with your soulmate, through your skin. Your friends rise from their slumbers with beautiful sketches on their arms; Or throughout the day, lines will appear as they’re being drawn, creating the most beautiful artwork you’ve ever seen. However, of course, you don’t get that; instead, you get this.
You stare at yourself in the mirror with pure disbelief, and you can’t decide whether to cry or scream. You’re used to these kinds of drawings in places like your arms, stomach, and legs, so they were easy to hide. But this has never happened before; it's never been in a place so… so visible.
You fill with rage as you observe the sloppily drawn dick on your forehead and your fist clenches as it lays on top of your bathroom sink. You fucking ass. How the hell am I going to hide this? You have to be at work in fifteen minutes, and you have this vulgar drawing on your forehead. You’re sure if you tell your boss your situation, he’d probably dismiss you because this is obviously not appropriate for the workplace. Still, you can’t even imagine trying to explain this to him. It was way too embarrassing.
"What am I going to do?” You whine as you rub your hands on your face. The drawing won’t be removed from your skin unless your soulmate removes it on his, so you had to think of a solution right away.
“Where could he possibly be where this is acceptable?” You try to refrain from sobbing hopelessly as your frantic mind searches for a solution. You think maybe a hat will work, but you discard the idea knowing your boss will tell you to take it off once you’re indoors. Suddenly, like a sign from the heavens, your solution hits you right in the face when you catch sight of your makeup bag lying on the toilet seat. You reach over, grabbing the pouch and unzipping it. Your quivering hands move too fast, causing the products to fall out and scatter into the sink. Your eyes skim over them in search of your thickest foundation and concealer. When you find them, along with your primer, you sigh, saying a silent prayer before getting to work.
***
Leo gasps sharply as the sight of his face in the mirror shocks him out of his fatigue. He touches his forehead, trying to recall the memory of last night while ignoring the pounding headache surging through his skull. He remembers getting to the club with a group of friends and how they took one shot after another until their vision was blurry. He has a faint memory of dancing with some girl, and the chaos of his 4 am Macdonald’s run with his friends. However, he doesn't recall the moment when this picture was drawn on his face. When did this happen? More importantly, who did this? He pauses, gawking at his reflection. His jaw clenches as the culprit comes to mind. He felt foolish for questioning who did this because he lives with, and he went home with one person last night, and that's Percy.
“Percy!” He yells angrily, and in the next room, he hears Percy’s manic laughter getting louder as he runs down the hall and into the bathroom with him. Percy can’t help but laugh even harder at the sight of a distressed Leo, and he silently congratulates himself for pulling such a successful prank. Leo’s expression hardens, and his gaze snaps over to him, “It's not funny!”
Percy snorts and nudges his shoulder, "Come on, loosen up!" Leo laughs sarcastically,
"Come on, loosen up!" He mocks with clear annoyance, making Percy’s laughter ceases. Leo usually takes things like this so well; he's never been angry at him because of a childish prank. The two of them have been pulling pranks on each other since they moved in together, and they would always laugh it out while deviously planning their revenge. Percy tilts his head, now growing annoyed that Leo’s annoyed.
"Why are you so uptight today?" He almost snaps, not understanding his fury. Leo's eyes narrow at him,
"My soulmate is linked to my skin." He speaks slowly and carefully, accentuating his words to make sure Percy understands how bad this is. Percy's mouth drops open, and he stares at the vulgar art on his forehead.
"Oh… shit," is the only thing he can think of saying. “Fuck, I forgot. I’m sorry,” Percy apologizes even though he knows it doesn’t help anything. He didn’t share the same connection with his soulmate, so he had forgotten entirely about Leo’s bond with his. He’s now left with regret knowing that there's someone out there going along their day trying to hide this lewd image.
Leo groans as he throws his head back. "I-It'll wash off? Right?"
Leo flips up the sink’s nozzle, dipping his head in the cold tap water to wet his face. He scrubs with his fingers, blindly grasping the soap next to him. He runs it over, spreading the suds and lightly scratching his forehead. He rinses everything off and returns to his original position to check his face now. He yells in panic when he sees the drawing didn't budge at all; it didn't even fade. Percy audibly gasps,
"I used permanent marker."
"BRO!"
"I'm sorry!"
Percy shifts on his feet as the memory of last night comes back to him. Leo fell asleep in the cab ride home, and Percy, somehow without much balance, carried him over his shoulder into their apartment complex. He squints his eyes, and with a vague remembrance, he recalls plopping him down on the couch. Leo was unconscious, and Percy’s drunk mind saw this as a perfect opportunity to prank him. He picked the first marker he saw, and in the middle of a giggling fit, he sloppily drew the phallic item and took a picture.
Leo frantically puts his head back in the sink to scrub again, and Percy stands by the door, watching panic wash over him. Leo continues scrubbing his skin, and though his skin becomes red under the friction of his nails, he persists. Percy shakes his head, walking over to him quickly, and he pats his shoulder.
"Come on, man. It's not working; you’re gonna hurt yourself." If Percy let him, Leo would scrub his skin raw. He disregards his advice and continues to scrub, bringing the soap over the drawing once again before scratching harshly. Percy, not wanting his friend to hurt himself, turns off the tap, and Leo groans, standing straight. He stares at himself in the mirror, his face dripping wet, and his skin is red with irritation. I'm so sorry.
***
Your day hasn't gotten any better since this morning. First, you wake with a dick on your forehead; second, you miss your bus because you took so much time layering makeup on your face. Then, you get to work about 15 minutes late because your commute, which usually took about 5 minutes, was delayed due to traffic. You assumed that your day couldn’t get any worse, but you discovered you spoke too soon when the system your job uses to put in orders crashed, making your job even harder than it had to be. Also, you spilled hot coffee on yourself during the morning rush, and that almost sent you straight into tears, but somehow, you prevailed.
By the afternoon, you wanted to rip your hair out when you realized you forgot your wallet, leaving you unfed and cranky. Your boss was no help to your mood either. He picked at everything you did today and held a grudge about you being late this morning. You've never had such a shitty day at work, and there is a sense of relief when you witnessed the clock turn to 4:30 pm. You immediately stood up from your chair, collecting your things before walking straight to the computer to clock out.
The last challenge you're facing is to get home in the slippery aftermath of the pouring rain earlier today. It was colder than usual; the sun’s hidden behind stormy gray clouds, and the smell of wet soil is in the air. You shiver, your arms wrapped around your frame in a poor attempt to keep you warm. You don't have an umbrella, and you hope it doesn’t start raining again. You were sure that if your makeup washes away in the rain for everyone to see the mystery under it, you will lose your mind.
You stand in the corner of the waiting shed, resting your head on the side. You take a deep breath, noticing your hands are anxiously chipping away the week-old nail polish. From the corner of your eye, you see someone join you under the shed, and out of usual curiosity, you look over. A tall, slender guy stands in the opposite corner; he wears distressed blue jeans, a black hoodie with a print you can’t see from your view, and a black winter hat. In his hands, he fiddles with a piece of scrap metal. His skin was tan, and his brown curly hair peeks from under his hat. Oblivious to your staring, he looks away from his fiddling and happens to glance over at you. There's a moment of awkward eye contact before you snap your vision away and out to the street.
You cringe at yourself for staring too long, shifting on your feet. You casually lean over the side of the curve, and you swear the light of the heavens was shining on your bus as it drove toward you. You couldn’t help but smile, a sense of relief washing over you. It’s here; you were one step closer to getting home and relaxing.
The excitement was taken away as quickly as it arrived, your bus passing your stop making a mini tsunami in the process. A wave of water splashes directly on you, and it takes you a moment to process what just happened. You stand there, cold and wet staring blankly at the curve. You felt overwhelmed, not being able to hold back the cries that you’ve been suppressing all day.
"are you-" a sob releases from your lips, stunning the unknown guy next to you. You miserably walk over to the bench, plopping down and resting your elbows on your thighs to lay your head in your hands. You sob freely, not caring about the boy's presence, and he stands in his spot, not sure what to do. He had an innate urge to make you feel better, and he doesn't know why but it pains him to see you like this. He clears his throat and decides to settle in the seat next to you. "Bad day?"
You sniffle, trying to find your breath, "The worst."
You don't look up, your hands doing their part to cover your face and your forehead. "I don't understand why everything is going so wrong.” You didn’t even care that you were pitying yourself, but you felt like you had the right considering how shit your day has been.
"I woke up with an awful drawing from my soulmate. I was late for my bus, which made me late to work; I haven't had lunch either. I'm hungry, cold, and now, soaking wet in street water." You sniffle once more. "My soulmate is so mean. He’s done nothing good with these stupid drawings. You know, all I want is something cute, like a picture of, maybe, flowers? I'd even take a tacky picture of two stick figures falling in love... shit; I’d be satisfied with a grocery list. But of course, with my luck, that doesn't happen. I get stupid drawings of... genitalia."
Leo’s body tenses next to you, and his teeth bite the inside of his lip. Drawings of genitalia? Sounds like him. Now he needed to see this drawing you were talking about, and he feels himself getting anxious at the possibility that you could be his soulmate. You continue to cry, refusing to move from your position.
"Well... it can't be that bad?"
"Oh, it's bad,” you managed to respond in your ragged breathing. Leo hesitantly reaches over, affectionately rubbing his hand across your upper back. Your breath hitches softly at the back of your throat, and there is a surge of warmth that radiates from his hand. You feel your tense shoulders begin to relax, and you furrow your eyebrows as your breath miraculously finds its regular pace. You even have this strange desire to cuddle into his frame to acquire more of his touch.
"Come on, show me. It's probably not as bad as you think." He speaks from his experience this morning. If you aren't his soulmate, he's sure that whatever you have isn't as traumatic as what he and his soulmate have.
"No! You'll laugh," you whine, your head laying firmly on your hands.
"I won't! I promise." You can tell from his voice that he was genuine, and for some reason, you can trust him. You slowly remove your hands from your face, but your head is still in an embarrassed bow. His heart pounds in his chest at the anticipation and leans forward to get a look at your face. You close your eyes, not wanting to see his initial reaction.
There it was. Right under your concealer, there is the familiar drawing faintly present. Leo's mouth drops, and his eyes widen; how is he going to tell you that he has the same picture on his forehead? You sigh shakily,
"It's bad, isn't it?" Your face burns in pure humiliation, and you now regret showing him. Leo is silent for a bit, trying to find words to explain himself.
"I'm sorry," he blurts out. Your eyebrows furrow and your eyes flutter open to look at his guilty expression.
"Why are you sorry?" He doesn't even attempt to explain himself in words. He simply slides off his winter hat, showing you the original drawing on his skin. You inhale sharply, your mind trying to process what is happening in front of you.
He's your soulmate, the person that you ideally would spend your life with. You didn't think you'd find him anytime soon or even at all. Your stomach flutters at the sight of him, and your cheeks get warm. You both gaze into each other’s eyes, and there was an immediate connection. You take in the tousled curls on his head, a bit frizzy from his hat and his big brown eyes. Your heart pumps hard in your chest, just as fast as the boy’s heart in front of you.
A few people told you that you’d feel like the world will slow down when you meet your soulmate. You’ll feel complete, and all at once, you’ll fall in love. You thought it was a load of over-romanticized bull, but you found that it was true even with your strange circumstance.
You finally found him…
But he's done this.
Your anger somehow counteracts this "in love" feeling, and you momentarily hate him for starting your day off on a sour note.
"You!" Your arms lift to strike him in the chest, but before you could attack, he grasps your tight fists.
"I'm sorry! I can explain!" He says quickly. Your arms loosen up, and you narrow your eyes at him,
"Explain yourself then." Sheepishly Leo cowers and his hands remain around your fist, just in case.
"Well," he sighs, "I partied a little too hard last night, and um, my roommate, Percy, thought it would be funny to draw this on my forehead."
"Your roommate is an ass."
"Well, yeah. Sometimes. But he was just as drunk as I was, and he didn't realize that the marker was permanent. When I saw it, I immediately thought of you, and how you’d have to walk around with this." He chews on the inside of his cheek, "I tried getting it off, but it won’t go away." You sigh, willing to forgive him since it wasn't his fault.
"So, we're gonna have this for a while?"
"Probably a couple of days or so." You groan and don’t say anything in return. You look down at your lap, still hiding your face from anyone around. "Oh, here, take my sweatshirt. The hoodie can keep it hidden.” He puts his hat back on and pulls his sweatshirt over his body, passing it to you. You smile softly as you take it from him. You pull it over your still soaked and cold frame, slipping your arms in and bringing the hood up. You mutter a small thank you, shoving your hands in the front pocket. He replies with a hum, allowing the sounds of the passing cars to fill your comfortable silence.
"Again, I'm sorry,” he apologizes sincerely, and you turn your head. You smile reassuringly,
"It's okay. I'll forgive you this time,” you say teasingly, and he chuckles. "I'm y/n, by the way."
"Leo." You reach over, taking his hand, and you guys share a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, soulmate.”
masterlists
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moxfirefly · 3 years
Note
I!! Have an request!! If you want, thats up to you! But how about the turtles have a friend (the reader) and no matter what they see hints of or how it seems she just doesnt seem to be in a relationship ever and then leo starts acting "odd" (in love) and one day michelangelo of all people catches leo and the reader in a romantic (or heated) moment! What do you think would happen? How would they handle their older brother in love? 😂 i just thought itd be a funny one-shot
Ok I’ve been wanting to tackle this for a while now and ima do my best for you friend, also I hope this reaches cause I know it’s been tough so I send you lots of love💕
Blue boi all in lovey dovey
Rated Mature (Romance but will a little sprinkle of smut) 18+ Only
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Raphael squinted his eyes.
For the past twenty-two minutes he’d been wondering what was wrong with this picture. His breakfast was getting cold and he’d even neglected to smack Mikey’s hand away when he stole a piece of bacon off his place.
Raphael took pride in his observation skills, often he noticed plenty of things in his environment but while Donatello ran commentary on it he usually kept the information to himself. He shared a room with his youngest brother so he knew any odd shift when it came to Mikey. He is very close with Donnie, spending a few sleepless nights by his side while the genius tinkered away at projects, even lending a hand here and there.
Leonardo for all of his hard headed ways and their personality clashes, he felt he knew him well enough too. The leader though, was much more guarded in his emotions which made for some difficult moments to completely gage his older brother.
You on the other hand were an open book, plenty of times he’d spent time with you, getting to know plenty of your ticks and thoughts. Raph considered you a close friend, a confidant he could turn to.
But as you all sat together for a late breakfast. Mikey inhaling his while Donnie’s overworked eyes looked into his coffee cup as if lifes answers laid there, Leo and you were just sitting there, suspiciously.
You were still in your sleep wear, Leo’s groggy movements mechanical as he ate on autopilot. You yawned reaching for a coffee refill and without command or hesitation Leo had pushed the creamer and sugar towards you, going so far to place the exact amount of both in your mug. You had given him a sweet smile, reaching a hand to thumb a crumb away from the corner of his mouth.
Raphael raised a brow ridge, well naturally that could translate to common kindness. You all knew each other, often April had in some form or shape probably done something similar. He poked a few pieces of eggs into his mouth, now he was intrigued.
He picked up a few more instances where his curiosities got the better of him.
For instance one afternoon while you were over he had decided to gather info. Raphael had kitchen duty and you had stuck around to help him out. “What’s up with you?” A common not so invasive question, you shrugged. “Same old, same old” You gathered plates to set the table. Raphael kept his gaze at the task at hand, cutting tomatoes for the sauce he was preparing. “Yeah but have you done anything? Gone out with friends? Maybe found your future husband?” He chuckled even more so when you nudged him with an elbow. “A forget you have a sense humor under all that angst” Raph smiled, the two of you often bickered Iike this.
Truth be told you had never mentioned a boyfriend or a girlfriend, the subject was never really breached. With the amount of time you spent in the sewers with them it never came up if you had some partner or if you even were dating. Raphael added the tomatoes into a pot, you joined his side ready to help with more cutting of condiments.
Then Leo arrived and he felt the air shift, he peaked a glance at you, a small smile playing on your lips. Leo in turn greeting the two of you before he made his way towards the fridge to retrieve something to drink. “Want something?” He asked from the fridge and honest to God Raph was very sure he wasn’t asking him. You nodded extending a hand for the soda he gave you, he leaned against the fridge and chatted you up as nonchalant as ever.
Nothing in the small chat raised any flags, Raph’s sauce almost burning from how intently he was concentrating of quite literally eavesdropping on you two. You laughed at something he mentioned, that was bizarre because Leo was seriously not even funny but he could be biased on that end.
“Your hair looks pretty that way” Leo spoke, a tad bit shyly. Raph stirred the sauce, brow ridges shooting up, ‘real smooth big bro’ he couldn’t help but think. Then again he had probably at some point told April the same thing, well they all had commented on April being pretty in all manners of ways.
But this felt just the taddest bit different?
He excused himself having to get back to whatever he was doing. Raph squatted to get something from the bottom cupboards, he didn’t miss the blush on your cheeks.
“Yer hair does look nice like that” He tested, you beamed brightly at him. “Thank you, you’re very sweet when you put your heart into it” She teased smacking a hand towel at him.
Inconclusive results.
For now.
This stupid notion continued to bother Raphael, curiosity would kill the turtle in this case. He wanted to know if truly something was amiss there and you both being friends he wondered why you just hadn’t flat out told him what was up. Nevertheless he couldn’t drop the bomb on you, you could be motorfide or maybe deny it to high hell. Asking Leonardo was out of the question, he sure as hell wouldn’t say a thing.
So Raphael kept his gaze glued as you parted ways for the night. You gave a hug and kiss to everybody, quite normal for your loving nature. He got his hug and kiss, so did Donnie, April and Mikey. Once you landed on Leo you did the same.
He could’ve sworn you lingered a little more, going so far as to whisper something to him because Leo gave a little huff of a laughter and smiled. He definitely slid his hand away from your lower back quite slowly.
Maybe, just maybe...
One patrol night he got stuck with Leo while Mikey and Donnie were doing rounds on the truck. They were scouting out a bank that was rumored to be hit soon by a group of robbers. Raph didn’t mention you, in fact he patiently waited for these robbers to possibly show up.
Something vibrated and his gaze landed on Leo who was reaching a hand into his pocket to pull out his phone. His concentrated and serious featured softening with whatever he read on the screen. He typed back something quick, shaking his head from whatever image or words or whatever had been provoked out of him. “Everything good?” Raphael asked, Leo nodded as if back to ‘normal’ and that absolutely was suspicious in his book.
That night didn’t yield any resolution and honestly it’s around this time that Raph regrets this little task that had occupied his time. He had originally decided to leave it as inconclusive, at some point You two dummies had to say or do something. He had been rummaging his room for his hand wraps, more than ready to get his nightly workout in order. When he had come up empty handed he exited towards Leo’s room, he always had them which annoyed the red banded brute.
His first mistake was not knocking or making his incoming presence known. A rookie mistake considering he lived with three young adult brothers.
His second mistake was just barging in like he owned the place. An annoyed “Jesus Leo quick taking my shit” spewing out of him.
If mistakes One and Two had been adverted he wouldn’t be standing here, wide eyed and frozen.
Because he really didn’t need to see his brother stark ass naked on top of his best friend who he basically considered a little sister, equally naked to boot. There was a solid fifteen seconds where Raphael didn’t know if he running out was the best option, mumbling a ‘shit my bad’ was better or if covering his eyes and screaming at his brother that he better be a gentlemen to you cause you’re a great gal.
Leonardo’s hands cupped your exposed breast for modesty sake, the need for the ground to dramatically open up and swallow him whole heavy in his mind. You had squeaked when Raph barged in, hands super glued to Leo’s rear and god why couldn’t you scream and let go and scream some more.
Raphael finally turned around, an embarrassed heat breaking over his body as he groaned in disgust. “Shit fuck, sorry sorry! I didn’t see shit!” Oh but he did and oh did he crave bleach. “Raph get out! This is why you knock!” Leo chucked a pillow at his brothers shell. You had finally let go of Leo’s rear, covering your face in mortification. “Hang a sock or something outside then!! I can’t read minds!” Raph bellowed.
Mistake number 3 happened because Raphael was a drama Queen through and through and the shouting only helped to alert his brothers towards the room.
“Can you two not fight for five whole minu-OH GOD SORRY!” Donatalleo had exited as quickly as he had approached the room. Mikey thankfully barely saw anything since Raph and Donnie yanked him out which Leo was thankful, he knew Mikey would never let this situation go.
A very quiet hour passed by.
Nobody wanting to say anything. Mikey had left for the tunnels to skateboard for a while. Donnie had thrown himself into truck repairs not even wanting to discuss what his eyes had briefly seen.
And Raphael had sat on the couch, every few minutes making a face whenever his brain decided to bring back the nights events. He heard movement from Leo’s room, the small pitter patter that belonged to your feet. Raph kept his gaze down, whatever playing on the tv long forgotten, he saw your feet when they tentatively approached the couch.
“Um Raph” Your tone was hushed.
“Didn’t see anything, matter of fact nothing happened” Raph grabbed the remote, you sat down and sighed. “Listen you weren’t the one with your tits out here” You crossed your arms grumbling, Raph almost chortled but then he remembered Leo and simply made a face.
“Why didn’t you tell me you and him were a thing? We’re friends, I mean you can do better but you know” He smiled when he felt your elbow smack his arm. “He’s really nice don’t be so mean” You sat back on the corner, Raph looked at you, you were wearing an oversized shirt clearly spending the night.
“Sorry for ah, not knocking” Raph spoke softly.
“Sorry for no telling you I had it bad for your brother” You smirked, enjoying Raph’s disgruntled expression.
You scooted close and hugged his massive arm, Raph smiled. “He better be good to ya... and well, don’t break his heart, he’s an ass but he’s my big brother” You nodded against his arm.
You had stayed for a little before returning back to Leo’s room, the leader was reading on his bed but quickly looked up when you came in. “Everything alright?” He asked tentatively. You nodded climbing into bed and in between his legs to lay on him. “We could’ve so gone a better way telling everybody, at least it’s out and we can just be ourselves” You rested against him, Leo’s chin a top your head.
He wrapped his arms tightly around you and smiled. “I’m never living this down but I’m happy we can just be ourselves” He poked your sides earning an earnest squeal from you.
Outside Raphael could hear the quiet giggling and laughter. He was happy for the two of you, it made sense.
Mikey walked in, board in hand and sweaty from skating for hours.
“So Leo loses his V card first, huh brah?”
Raphael groaned.
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dakotafinely · 3 years
Note
Okay yay! How about Splinter finding out about savage Raph and finally revealing the trauma that caused it? (Captured by hunter and escaped in savage mode after biting the man’s hand off...alligator snapper CHOMP)
Wow, immediate angst. Not that I’m against it or anything. Also, I like how you add that little () note. It’s a nice touch (and totally helps me start writing so-) anyways! Let’s get into it!
Side note: WOW this gets super long. So I put a little keep reading for those who don’t actually care about the story.
Raph never intentionally kept it from Splinter. It was something he didn’t like thinking about. And his brother’s never really thought to ask about it. One could suppose everyone thought the old rat knew and just didn’t want to explain it. Or that maybe it was something he just couldn’t explain away. Either way, that had all changed today.
The trio of little brother’s had made the mistake of leaving Raph alone down deep in the sewers. It wasn’t intentional, as the trio often forgot their older brother would break the longer he was alone. Since they usually didn’t really leave each other’s sides. And didn’t have the same issue as Raph had.
It was a chase. It was always a chase.
On the rare occasion that Raph did become savage. It was usually him chasing them, or something he was going to kill. The instinct to survive his main priority and the trio being seen as potential threats in the lenses of savage mode. But something was different.
Mikey had noticed it when the group returned to Raph’s location. Instead of the enraged attacks of Savage Raph, or the whines/scolds of Raph telling them they shouldn’t have been gone for so long. Raph sat in a corner, pressed against the wall furthest from the brothers. He was growling, a threat of course. But it seemed empty as with each step they took towards him. He simply wiggled, as if trying to get further away.
“Hold on guys, I think we need to approach one at a time,” Leo finally spoke up, he’d been slowly assessing the situation at hand. Deciding that if only one of them went in, it was less likely for Savage Raph to attack.
That statement of course, made it a unanimous vote for Leo to be the sacrifice.
“Well, go on then. We need to calm him down before April comes down,” Donnie spoke, checking his phone. April had already sent a text that she was on her way. They had to get wrap this up quickly. Leo looked to his twin and huffed. Before taking slow steps toward Raph.
Raph’s growl and squirming continued. But he still made no move as Leo’s empty hands held themselves up as non-threateningly as possible. It wasn’t until Leo tried to touch Raph that it finally broke the tense silence.
Raph roared, knocking Leo back as the other two pulled out their weapons. Ready for an attack from the blindly raging brute. But instead he ran off. Making the two look at each other confused. Before checking on Leo.
“You alright bro?” Mikey asked, pulling Leo up from the floor. Leo rubbed his shell and took a shake. Before nodding.
“Yeah, it’s more the surprise then the pain...” Leo trailed and looked around “where’d he go?” he asks, having expected the Snapper to fight them like the other two did. Donnie shrugged, looking off the direction Raph had fled to.
“Don’t know, he just... ran off,” Donnie spoke putting his Bo-staff away.
“Well, what are we doing just standing here? We gotta find him!” Leo immediately ran off the direction Donnie had been staring. Mikey not to far off his heels. Donnie sighed, taking a speed walk to still keep the two in his sites.
April had joined them about ten minutes later. Donnie sending her their location as they traveled through the maze of sewers in New York. Their efforts still fruitless as they’d completely lost the Snapper. 
What had been nothing more then ten minutes quickly turned into a few hours.
“Guys,” April spoke as the group had taken a moment’s rest. Having been on their feet for so long they’d chosen to take a pause. Just in case they’d have to fight the Snapper down when they found him again. The group looked to her as she spoke up “did you hear that?” she asked with concentration on her face.
No one spoke. All trying to hear what she’d just heard.
“What did-” Mikey was cut off by a noise. A much louder then the one April had previously heard. It was a whimper, a pained and tired whimper. If it weren’t for the fact that the voice was so recognizable. The group would’ve believed it was a small child lost in sewers with them.
“Raph!” They spoke in unison, chasing after the voice. And the heavy footsteps that ran from them.
It was a chase, but not a chase they had ever been use to.
Splinter was sitting comfortably in his recliner. Another uneventfully evening as he’d began to slowly fall asleep in the chair. The cake and warm milk filling his stomach in a comfortable and lulling way. Eyelids heavy as he no longer tried to focus on what was happening on the screen before him.
Until he was startled by his phone ringing. Immediately waking to “panicked parent mode” he began looking for his phone. Unable to find it despite it ringing next to him. Shuffling and shoving hands down the sides of the recliner until he let out a small, victorious, cry at his discovery. Only to disappointed at finding the remote instead.
A few more rings and a few more minutes of aggressive searching. He’d found his phone and felt his stomach drop at April’s name on his screen.
Not that he wouldn’t have panicked if it was one of his sons. But April was a whole knew level. He quickly answered and tried to not to yank the phone away from his head as April yelled on the other end. Most of it unintelligible through the phone aside from “Raph” and “we need help!”. He took a breath, trying to calm himself, knowing it wouldn’t help if both he and her panicked.
“April, slow down, I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
“Raph! He’s gone into this- like -savage mode! He keeps running from us and throwing the guys if they get to close! Please! You have to come here quick! We just got him cornered but he won’t let us near him!” April spoke as quickly and clearly as she could. Trying to leave little room for more conversation as she watched Raph throw an aimless hit toward Mikey. The box turtle barely dodging out the way of the blow.
Splinter, of course, had already begun moving out of the lair.
“Okay, stay calm. Tell the boys to keep him their but don’t make any movements toward him. Tell me which part of the sewers your in,” Splinter began, keeping a calm demeanor. April took a hum before finding an indication of which sewer pipe they got him stuck in. Quickly giving the location to Splinter.
“Good, I’ll be there soon.”
When Splinter had arrived onto the scene. He was relieved to find the group sitting a few feet from Raph. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey all singing parts of the lullabies they could remember from their younger days. Back when they still asked Splinter to sing for them. It seemed to put the Savage Raph in a trance. Having calmed down. It was April who noticed him and backed off from the group to talk to him.
“Leo said he noticed something was attached to Raph’s tail. He can’t take a good look at it ‘cause Raph won’t let him come close.” She explained, looking back to the sight before her. She’d seen Raph go savage once, but it had been on the tale end of the savage episode. Splinter simply nodded and walked toward his sons.
He’d hummed the tune and the trio backed off. Quieting down, Raph started to growl at Splinter, before seeming to recognize him. And calming down, a soft and cautious churr came from him. But he didn’t flinch when Splinter passed the invisible line.
He did, however, flinch when Splinter raised his hand. Before relaxing as Splinter took a light touch to his forehead, sliding it down to his cheek. Still humming the lullaby. Raph had fully relaxed now, his body visibly easing as he let himself sit like a cat. Letting Splinters hands trail down his shell as he went to assess the damage.
It was a small, basic rat trap. Pinching his tail in a way uncomfortable for the mutant. Splinter grimaced at the memory that came with the realization of why his son had acted out this way. And had, with as much gentleness as he could manage, pulled the trap off his son. Raph let out a yelp and ran from reach of his father. Before noticing the lack of pain on his tail. A happy churr came from him as he slowly eased out of Savage mode.
Donnie, using the help of his enhanced limbs, began carrying the large mutant. Who had barely been awake enough to realize he was beginning carried to begin with.
The way back to the lair was mostly silent. Most of the group begin tired, energy spent on the chase. But April couldn’t help but speak up, having several questions.
“So... does anyone know why Raph does that?” She asked, looking to anyone for an answer. The brothers simply shrugged, having no answer. But Splinter looked surprised.
“Wait, this isn’t the first time he’s done this?”
“Well, he usually fights us,” Leo spoke up with a shrug “but this is the first time he’s run away instead.” Leo said with the wave of his hand. A partial dismissal of it.
“... You didn’t know?” Mikey asked walking next to his father. Who quickly shook his head, partially in disbelief.
“No! Why didn’t you boy’s tell me!?” Splinter asked with some exasperation evident in his tone.
“Well, you didn’t tell us you were Lou Jitsu for most of our lives,” Leo pokes, as if this was some sort of competition. Donnie rolled his eyes.
“It just never came up, we always thought you knew,” Donnie deadpanned, adjusting a bit to keep Raph steady. The snapper mumbled something incoherent but it didn’t seem all to important to the conversation.
“So, do you know why he does it Splints?” April asks trying to get back to her questions. They needed answer darn it! Especially after this most recent episode.
Splinter, nodded slowly. A part of him unsure, before nodding quickly. It was the only explanation.
“You all were only tot’s when it happened...” Splinter began.
--
Splinter knew that an enriching environment was important. Whether it was for kids or pets. So he did his best to take his sons down to a stream. One with no hiking trails nearby and not deep enough for fishers to use. But still enough that it was basically a naturally made kiddie pool.
He’d been tending to the box turtle, dubbed Orange for his little spots ‘til Splinter could find better names for them. Orange was the only one who couldn’t really seem to swim. Nor did he seem to want to engage with the water at all. So Splinter had been helping him make little piles of dirt, and rocks. Nothing fancy or necessarily pretty. But it brought utter delight onto Orange’s face every time one was completed. So how could he stop him?
Splinter had been keeping weary eyes on the other three. Wanting to make sure the shallow tide hadn’t swept them away. However, the other three seemed to mature faster then the box turtle to a degree. So he gave them trust to make some sort of noise to capture his attention if they needed it.
The only problem with that was, they would have to know they needed it.
Splinter would notice in 30 minutes that Red was missing. Dubbed Red because he, just like the color, was bold and brash. And Splinter had already used his other two favorite colors on the soft-shell and slider.
In 30 minutes Splinter would realize that his little snapper had decided to wander the forest. And he would panic because what if someone found him? What if someone took his son away from him? What if they hurt him?
It would be a few hours before Orange gets fussy. And Splinter realizes just how long he’d been searching for his eldest son.
It would be another hour before Splinter had to retire back into the sewers. Feeding and putting the other three to rest before he ran back out.
It would be three days of searching and failing to find Red. Splinter in a desperate state of trying to keep it together while in a constant state of worry for his boy.
It would be day number four. When Splinter would find a group of hunters. Cages set around them like trophies. And it would take everything Splinter had not rush down and attack them when he saw his son in one of them.
Locked in cage like some sort of savage animal. Curled in a corner, clearly afraid and confused. Whimpering like he was hungry. And Splinter could only soften in a pained way as he watched his son suffer.
“Aww, what’s the matter little guy? Ya hungry?” A hunter spit at Red. Tossing a small piece of beef jerky just outside of Red’s reach. Still, the naive snapper would go after it. Starved for days. And he would be mocked, and laughed at as the hunters around him would do nothing but watch him be helpless.
Splinter had to retreat. Wanting to go stealth with retrieving his son. Despite the rage inside of him telling him he could fight every single hunter in the group head on and come out unscathed.
Splinter didn’t see the one hunter that snuck Red some jerky. Watching with a small smile as he ate up. Before dumping the whole bag into his cage. Walking off as though they hadn’t done anything.
Splinter came back that night. A fire now lifeless as most of the hunters slept. Splinter had begun creeping toward the camp before freezing at the sound of a voice.
“Your not like the others are you little guy?” It cooed, soft and gentle. Splinter could barely see it. But he saw a woman crouching down in front of Red’s cage. And cursed himself for not taking the brash approach earlier.
Red churred a bit in response. Still unable to really form words. But his churr was curious and cautious.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so. I’ve seen snappers before and you don’t really look it,” she said, before letting out an awkward chuckle “I mean, you do kinda, but not really if you get what I mean.”
Another churr, confused.
“Yeah... sorry,” she said, Splinter heard the light click of a cage opening. And with the moon finally deciding to show itself from the thick clouds.
A tall, black woman stood up, thick curly hairs draped down her shoulders. Red in her arms with a gentle care of a mother. She’d turned, facing Splinter with eyes grown wide, mouth agape in shock. And that’s when he realized he should’ve moved to an actually hiding spot. The moon didn’t hide away as they stared at each other. Before Red began chirping happily, arms outstretched to his father.
Splinter held his arms out, staring a hole into his son. He didn’t want to speak, he wasn’t sure if he could. This was the first human that’d seen him in... well he wasn’t even sure how many years at this point.
Slowly, but surely, with eyes still wide and mouth agape. She handed Red to Splinter. The two sharing a tight, hopeful and relieved hug. Splinter couldn’t hold back the little sobs that came from his body. He had his son back, his son was safe. His son was here.
“Go,” the woman’s voice was a hoarse whisper, still recovering from the shocking sight. Splinter looked to her, startled at the interruption of his blessed reunion. She looked to him with concern, before glancing to the other sleeping hunters “if you want to get out of here with him now. You need to go,” she whispered. Splinter nodded, rushing off with a flurry. Leaves rustling, and with no cation in his rushed movements. A branch broke.
“O’Neil? Is that you making that racket?”
“Yeah, yeah, just go back to sleep, thought I saw something but I was wrong.”
--
Annnnnnnd I’m ending it there! Mostly because this is getting longer then I planned it to be. However, I’m extremely happy with how it came out. The idea’s just came like BOOM! BOW! POP! and I had to do ‘em. I hope you like it! This was fun! I loved the concept, I’ve seen many takes on it so I wanted to change it up a bit!
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phykios · 3 years
Text
honesty and promise me, part 5 [co-written with @darkmagyk] [read on ao3]
 Annabeth is making her periodic pilgrimage to the gynecologist when she gets Leo's call. It's very fitting--two uncomfortable and invasive things for the price of one. She answers her phone, ignoring the doctor's chastising frown. Surely she can place her new IUD while Annabeth deals with whatever Leo wants.
 "What are you doing on the 18th?" he asks, about the only type of hello she ever gets from Leo.
 The two of them never really grew out of pretending not to like each other, after they had gotten over their initial dislike. When he and Piper first got to Miss Minerva's, more or less straight out of juvie after Piper's dad made a lot of calls and called in a lot of favors, she and Leo had really hated each other. They used to fight over everything, from Piper's attention to the position of captain of the Mathletes team. And also, over Leo hating a rich white girl on principle, which, in retrospect, is totally fair. But then, by a weird twist of fate, they wound up in Boston together.
 If Annabeth had to choose between hanging out with her creepy, Norse mythology-obsessed uncle and hanging out with Leo, she'd pick Leo every time. They had gone through a lot together, things both big and small.
 "Of August?" she asks.
 "Please be still, Ms. Chase," says her doctor. Annabeth rolls her eyes.
 "Duh."
 Wracking her thoughts she can't think of any prior commitments she might have had. Maybe there's a concert that day, but if she can't remember, it probably wasn't that important anyway. "Not much."
 "Good, because we have plans."
 She frowns. "Piper didn't mention any--"
 "No, you and I have plans. I'll see you in Philly, yeah?"
 Philadelphia? Ew. "Why Philly?"
 "Our Smarter House thing won an award."
 "No shit?"
 "Eta Industries Award. The gala is on the 18th. You're my plus one."
 She sucks in air through her teeth, readjusting her hips as unobtrusively as possible. Eta Industries was… a very big deal. "Isn't that, like, an engineering specific award? Maybe you should accept it by yourself." She'd be better off staying out of the limelight for this one, she thinks, even as some part of her longs once again for recognition.
 Something electric whirs in the background, tinny and buzzing. "I'll see you on the 18th, then," says Leo, not having heard a word she said. "Also, you've been summoned to the castle."
 "Leo--" she jumps as the gyno touches something she really shouldn't have.
 "No arguments, she's expecting you today at two. Adios!" He clicks off.
 "Okay, Ms. Chase," says the doctor, a little too chipper for Annabeth's taste. "You should be all set."
 Annabeth leaves the doctor's office with her brand new IUD, a handful of medical literature which immediately gets tossed in the trash, and a sinking feeling in her gut as she gets on a train to Brooklyn, headed to Piper's place for another annoying and unnecessary fashion show. It's not that she doesn't enjoy being Piper's model--it's a position she's held since their time at Miss Minerva's, and it's never really a hardship to be told how gorgeous she is--but Piper has a way of just... getting information out of her that she doesn’t always want to share.
 Stopping off early, Annabeth gives herself a moment to walk down the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, to settle her nerves and indulge herself a bit. That skyline gets her every time.
 Turning down Pierrepont Street, she is once again struck by just how quiet the city can be. Manhattan is loud, rude, in-your-face, almost an entirely different world from the stately, deafeningly silent Brooklyn. For Annabeth, who is incapable of falling asleep without city horns blaring, it wigs her out a little.
 She barely has time to ring the doorbell on Piper's dad's place before the girl herself wrenches it open, grabbing Annabeth's hand and yanking her inside. "You're late!" she trills, suffering what Annabeth can only assume is the onset of a caffeine overdose.
 "I thought I had until two."
 "That was before I had the best idea."
 The brownstone is a mess, as per usual, reams of fabric tossed over every available surface, enough dressforms strewn about to make it look like Piper is hosting a party exclusively populated by headless zombies, adorned with a warehouse's worth of half-finished dresses and jackets. Based on the loud fabrics and structured angles, it looks like Piper is in the middle of a Klimt-ian phase of inspiration. Annabeth eyes a bright gold gown with a huge, extended collar, embroidered with silver eyes, the raw edges trailing the floor. "Please tell me this isn't your idea."
 "First of all," Piper releases her arm as they enter her kitchen-turned-photo studio, gingerly stepping over a box of assorted beads, "even though it would look amazing on you, that dress is for an actual paying client. Second of all--" she snatches up a dressform from its position behind the camera, setting it down in front of her with a flourish. "This is my idea."
 Annabeth was right--Piper is definitely on a Klimt-ian kick.
 Pulled straight from her art history classes, the dress looks like a two dimensional painting come to life, a stunning skirt like a column of liquid silver descending onto the black mat, pleats like fluted columns precisely draped over the dressform's hips… and not much else. Annabeth points. “Is that it?”
 Piper makes a face. "I have a bodice, promise. Now go take that shit off."
 Annabeth looks down at her repurposed The Police shirt, fished out of a thrift store bin some months ago, shirt collar cut and sides resewn to bring the waistline in. "I like this shirt."
 "Oh, I like the shirt plenty," she agrees. "But you could stand to wear a nicer pair of jeans."
 She does have a point there--her jeans are clinging to life at this point, the knees and hems all but obliterated, strings of fabric valiantly attempting to hold their original shape. "Fine. Be right back."
 When she emerges from the bathroom a minute later in just her bra and panties, Piper has laid out another bolt of fabric in that same color, silver with a blue shift beneath the studio lights. Piper, bent over with a strip of measuring tape, looks up at her, then squints. "So who is he?"
 Annabeth starts. "Excuse me?"
 "The guy you've been seeing."
 How... the fuck does Piper always know these things? "I don't know what you're talking about."
 She flicks her eyes down to Annabeth's thigh, Annabeth following her gaze to the remnants of the bruise that Percy had left there with his mouth two days ago. Dammit.
 Piper tsks, a smile distorting the sound. "Naughty, naughty, Annabeth."
 "How do you know it wasn't from a girl?" she asks, petulant.
 "Because if it had been a girl, you wouldn't be nearly so defensive."
 Shit. "We've been friends way too long," Annabeth grumbles.
 "That we have," says Piper. "And out of respect for our friendship, I will refrain from grilling you about him until you are more comfortable sharing."
 "So, for a few hours?"
 She shrugs. "More or less."
 "I suppose you want me to thank you for holding back."
 "Don't thank me yet," she grins, wide and toothy. "I've been cooped up here working on my collection for three days, and I am dying to talk to someone."
 Annabeth sighs, but obediently raises her arms, making room as Piper crouches down to pin the skirt on her. "Okay, you got me. I'm seeing this guy."
 "Seeing or seeing-seeing?"
 "Just seeing," she clarifies. "It's pretty casual."
 "Can't be that casual if you're telling me about it," Piper points out.
 Fuck. This is why she never tells Piper about her hookups. "You're the one who asked."
 "Another business bro, I assume?"
 "He's--" Piper swats at her as she automatically sucks her stomach in, their long held code for "stay put." "He's a dancer."
 She hums, arranging pleats over Annabeth's knees. "Like on Broadway?"
 "Ballet."
 Piper glances up at her, eyes sparkling. “Un danseur! Ooh la la,” she trills. “What’s his name?”
 “I can just leave,” Annabeth says, distinctly not thinking about how Percy will occasionally slip into French whenever he stubs his toe.
 “Okay, okay, no more boy talk.” Piper moves in front of her, adjusting the fabric about her waist. “Tell me about the thing you just won with Leo.”
 “I had honestly forgotten about it,” she says, lying a little, pulling her arms forward. “You remember his master’s thesis?”
 “The shmart kishen thing, right?” Piper asks around the tape measure in her mouth.
 Leo, the prodigal boy that he is, had spent his last year of school dedicated to a singular problem faced by people around the world: the sudden, out of control kitchen fire. Using very complicated electronics and engineering that Annabeth does not understand, he devised a handful of mechanisms to sense, contain, and ultimately douse random fires as soon as they popped up. Annabeth came on as his design partner after he had graduated and had gotten some funding to conceptualize an entire safe house.
 “Well, it just won an Eta Industries award.”
 Her head snaps up, hands freezing in their tracks. “Holy shit.”
 “Yeah.”
 “Congrats.”
 “Thanks,” she shrugs as Piper gets up to grab some more fabric. “I mean, it was mostly Leo’s doing. I just made sure he didn’t leave any stray pipes around.”
 Holding out her arms again, Piper slides them through the sleeves of a heavy, corset-like piece, structured and straight and very forgiving on Annabeth’s lack of curves. “You shouldn’t sell yourself short,” she says. “I’m sure your skills as a guinea pig were very valuable.”
 “Are you ever going to let that go?” Annabeth asks, she who has literally burnt pasta while it was submerged in water.
 “You’re just lucky my dad was out of town that weekend. Have you decided what you’re going to wear to the awards ceremony?”
 She shoots her friend a strange look. “I thought I was wearing this?” she gestures to the unfinished silver gown currently making her feel like an absolute goddess.
 Piper makes a face. “What do I look like, the fucking Flash? This isn’t going to be ready for another thirty hours, at least. I’ve got decals to add, Swarovskis to bead, not to mention all the hand-stitching on the neckline because for whatever reason my machine has decided to hate me this week.”
 “Okay, well,” says Annabeth, appropriately cowed, “then I guess I’ll wear the black one you gave me.”
 “2019 fall/winter?”
 Annabeth nods.
 “Styling?”
 “Luke gave me this really nice scarf for my birthday.”
 Throwing her head back, she groans.
 “What? What’s wrong?”
 “You’re so boring,” she moans, pulling Annabeth’s hair out of the way. “Let me guess, you’re going to pair it with the black shrug and opaque nude tights.”
 “Well… yeah, I was.”
 “Exactly! Boring.” Coming back around, she pushes Annabeth lightly into the light, before taking her place behind the camera. “You could do so much with that dress and you choose to make it boring. Why not some fishnets? Or a big statement necklace?”
 Annabeth waits after a few shutter clicks to answer. “Because I doubt that the people at Eta Industries are going to be big fans of my tattoos.”
 “That is a bald-faced lie and you know it,” Piper says. “Your tattoos and piercings are gorgeous and you would look absolutely rocking with them. Knock all the old farts right off their feet. Turn.”
 Obediently, Annabeth rotates, letting Piper snap off as many pictures as she likes. “This isn’t a Vogue event, Pipes,” she says, rolling her eyes where her friend can’t see them. “Punk isn’t exactly accepted practice yet.”
 “Punk was the Met Gala theme almost a decade ago, babe. It has filtered down from Vogue. It's practically cerulean now. Side.”
 Annabeth turns again, keeping her eyes straight. Side-eye would ruin the shot, no matter how much she wants to give it.
 “I will never understand why you both refuse to wear halfway decent jeans and then refuse to go guns out in my dresses that demand it. I can almost guarantee you that Leo will show up in those stupid suspenders with grease on his face. And you’ll have to get him to leave his tool belt in the car.”
 “Then it’s probably for the best that I have a modicum of professionalism, huh?”
 Piper leans out from behind the camera, glaring. “At the very least,” she hedges, “will you let me set you up with some shoes?”
 “I don’t know…”
 “You are not allowed to wear those horrid Manolo pumps you wear everywhere. And your nude Louboutins won’t look right with the black.”
 “What did you have in mind?”
 Piper’s grin is evil, and the way she scampers out of the room means she’s got something she’d been trying to force on Annabeth for a long time.
 Five minutes later, Annabeth is presented with a set of black strappy sandals, its edges detailed in a gold zipper, with safety pin pull to match. She frowns. “Are you sure? They look kind of… hardcore for something like this.”
 “They’re Versace,” Piper says. “I was not lying about punk’s democratization.”
 Well. They are pretty cool.
 “It’s either this or the McQueen boots. They have studs.”
 Annabeth sighs, holding out her hand. Piper squeals, bouncing a little, wrapping her in a brief, but exuberant hug, kissing her cheek with a loud, wet, smack. “You’re the best!”
 “I haven’t even done anything.”
 “I am saving up favors to cash in. Now,” she releases Annabeth, retreating behind the camera. “If you’ve got some time, can I borrow your head? I’m working on a helmet and all my mannequins are busy.”
 ***
 “Hey,” Percy begins. It is so late at night, the dawn is on the edge of breaking, and they are both exhausted from some particularly good sex. Which is saying something, because all their sex is particularly good. “You doing anything on the 18th?”
 “Yeah,” She says, distractedly, snuggling down into his bed. The fact that she’s also snuggling into him is just a coincidence.
 “Oh.”
 “Why?”
 “Nothing. Was going to invite you to a thing if you weren’t.” She nods her head against his shoulder and falls asleep in his arms, thinking absolutely nothing about it.
 She continues to think nothing of it on the train to Philadelphia on the 18th, half-asleep and listening to Paramore to pass the time, blasting Misery Business on repeat as she changes in her hotel room.
 The Eta Industries event is pretty much exactly what she expected: a lot of old rich white people milling about, sipping champagne and verbally circle jerking each other, the insipid strains of classical music spilling out of the ballroom as Annabeth steps up to claim her name tag. “Name?” asks the young, college-aged girl, skimming her printed guest list over the rim of her glasses.
 “Annabeth Chase.”
 She runs a long fingernail over the assorted collection of name tags, before settling on the correct one, handing it to Annabeth, her star tattoo on the inside of her wrist free and open to anyone who would care to look. “Here you are, Ms. Chase,” she says, smiling. “Have a wonderful night!”
 Automatically, Annabeth goes to pin it on Luke’s scarf, before she remembers that something is already occupying that place--Percy’s Acropolis pin. She had taken to keeping it in her pocket these days, something of a good luck charm, and thought that it might… she doesn’t know, maybe send a subconscious signal to Percy that she’s thinking of him. Even though there is, quite literally, no way he could know, she hopes that maybe he can sense it, and that maybe he’s thinking about her, too.
 Ugh. She snatches up a flute of champagne from a wandering waiter, eager to get that thought out of her head, making a beeline straight for the refreshments table. It’s there that Leo finds her, not five minutes later, munching on some chocolate covered strawberries.
 “And here I thought you might ditch me entirely,” he says, even as he bumps her shoulder. True to form, he is absolutely, 100% dressed in those stupid suspenders, a smudge of grease behind his ear.
 “You’ve got a…” Annabeth trails off, motioning behind her own ear.
 “Huh? Oh!” He snatches up a napkin, rubbing discreetly. “Thanks.”
 She squints. Something about him is distinctly different. “Are you taller?”
 Kicking out a foot, he wiggles it, triumphant. “Platform shoes.”
 “Seriously?”
 “Hey, if they're good enough for Robert Downey Jr., then they’re good enough for me. After all, I am Ir--”
 She groans, good-natured, taking another gulp of champagne. “If you quote Marvel in your speech, I’m leaving.”
 “Fine by me, Your Highness, they’ll give me the award either way.”
 “Excuse me, Mr. Valdez?” The same college girl from before sidles up to them, clipboard clutched in her hand. “They’re about to start.”
 He claps his hands, rubbing them together. “Excellent. You coming?”
 “I…” She casts her gaze to the makeshift stage they’ve constructed, eyeing the bright “Eta Industries” placard, the sharp angles shiny and alluring, the siren-song of recognition.
 This is a big deal. There are photographers in the audience. In the write-ups and reviews, she would be listed as a co-winner of the award, a co-designer of the world’s safest house, a thought so happy she practically starts flying.
 “I think I should stay out of the limelight for this one, Leo,” she says, politely. “This is your moment. I don’t want to ruin it.”
 He frowns. “You sure?”
 Were it not for the fact that people were watching, Annabeth would have leapt up onto that stage without a second thought, snatching up the trophy like she had just won the Oscar, holding it up like the goddamn Olympic torch. “What, you want a white woman stealing your glory?” she says instead, arching a brow.
 “You get a pass this one time,” he quips, holding out his hand. “Don’t make me regret it.”
 Whatever social grace she has left crumbles. She’s denied it enough--she wants to be up there. “Oh, fine. Since you insist,” she says, following clipboard-girl to the stage.
 There’s a quick burst of feedback, then an elderly gentleman at the podium begins speaking into the mic. “Excuse me--sorry about that. Yes, yes, thank you all for coming tonight to the annual Eta Industries awards presentation ceremony. It is always such a pleasure to come together with our hard-working and generous board members and shareholders to honor the best and brightest upcoming talent in engineering.”
 Internally, she rolls her eyes. Rich people.
 “It is my pleasure, however, to introduce the young man who is the recipient of this year’s Millennium Prize for innovation and safety. One of MIT’s youngest and most decorated graduates, he was a recipient of the Mead Prize for Students, the Friedman Young Engineer Award, and the Collingwood Prize, among several others. His master’s thesis, ‘Towards the Design and Implementation of Autonomous Safety Measures in Commercial Kitchens,’ formed the basis of the project which we recognize tonight, the so-called ‘SmartSafe House,’ reflects the pioneering spirit and outstanding creative vision of not only Eta Industries, but also the field of engineering as a whole. Please join me in congratulating this year’s Millennium Prize recipient, Leo Valdez.”
 From the sidelines, she claps enthusiastically with the rest of the crowd as her friend takes the stage, shakes hands with the Vice President of Eta Industries, and accepts the award, a blue, blocky triangle which almost seems to glow in the light of the ballroom. “Thank you, Mr. Helms. This is--this is a really big honor.”
 She can see him shaking a bit, taking a quick drink from his water glass. Public speaking was never really his strong suit.
 “As--as a lot of you probably know, this project is very near and dear to my heart. Growing up in Houston with my mother, a car mechanic, I was eight years old when her beloved shop went up in flames, like that.” He snaps his fingers, his other hand pressed to the podium where no one can see, joints white with pressure. Annabeth is proud of him--he hasn’t been able to speak this candidly about it in years. She knows firsthand how much his mother’s near-death haunts him still. “Thankfully, we were able to rebuild, and my mother went on to bigger and better things--including a shop with cleaner vents. But I can definitely pinpoint that moment as the day I knew I wanted to make the world a safer place, for my mom, if not for everyone else.”
 She remembers, so clearly, that snowy night in the dorms at Miss Minerva’s. The power had gone out, and Leo had made them an illicit campfire out of their trash bin and Annabeth’s failed English exam. Cold and miserable and with dying phones, they passed the time instead telling scary stories and funny memories, until the conversation had gotten suddenly, intensely real.
 “But I would be remiss,” he goes on, cheerful, “if I didn’t acknowledge my friend and collaborator, without whose work I wouldn’t be here today: Annabeth Chase,” he waves to his side, indicating her. The whole crowd, as one, turns their gazes on her. She straightens up, imperceptibly, hoping she doesn’t look too haughty or anything. “I’ve never been very good with people. My mama says I’m just like my dad that way. Give me a car, or a computer, or pages of multiplication tables, and I’m golden. But people?” He blows out a breath, and the crowd chuckles, naturally. “Now, if it had been left up to me, the SmartSafe House would have been a top of the line, cutting-edge metal box, efficient to a fault, but completely unlivable. Thank God I had Annabeth on my team to remind me what the project was really about: a home that families could feel safe in, so that what happened to me and my mom might never happen to anyone else.” He hoists his award above his head, leaning into the mic. “Ma, este es para ti. Thank you all.”
 Stepping down from the stage, they reenter the crowd, ready to receive adoration. In another life, she might have been embarrassed by such praise. Here and now, however, she takes each handshake and word of congratulations like a starving man in a desert who just came across an oasis, hungry and greedy.
 Hey, it’s her night, too.
 After what feels like a whole-ass sixty minutes of shaking old people's hands and polite nodding, though, she is in desperate need of a break. Escaping the throng of mingling bodies, she darts into a dark corner of the ballroom, leaning against the back of a rounded stone column, just barely out of sight of the party.
 Rubbing her hands over her face, she sighs, just short of a scream. Blowing out all her air, she lets the faint music and fake laughs melt into each other, becoming white noise, a blank canvas, empty of concrete thoughts and feelings.
 Then, her ear picks up a strand of conversation.
 “...announcing tomorrow that the CEO of Pallas Inc. is choosing a successor,” a woman says, the sneer in her voice almost visible. “About time.”
 “I thought she already picked a successor,” says the woman’s conversation partner, a man with the kind of cookie-cutter cadence that she heard every time she took a business major to bed. “Pallas is a family business, isn’t it?”
 “You haven’t heard?” Annabeth can almost picture it, the furtive glance around the room, the woman placing her hand on her partner’s arm, leaning in to share a juicy secret. “Supposedly she was grooming her daughter for the role, before she went in for rehab.”
 “Rehab? Really?”
 “What else could it be?” says the woman. “She’s disappeared off the face of the earth, and her mother refuses to talk about her. Let’s be honest, if she were dead, she would have raised a bigger stink about it.”
 Annabeth closes her eyes, sucking air in through her teeth. That… wasn’t totally untrue.
 But the woman doesn’t stop. “It’s always the same story,” she scoffs. “You throw countless hours of schooling and millions of dollars into girls like her, and what do they do? Turn around and blow it all on drugs and partying. Honestly, she should be grateful her mother is even bothering with her rehab at all. Hasn’t she wasted enough of the family’s money already?”
 Blood roars in her ears, drowning out the fancy party. Sharp points dig into her palm, pinpricks of pain, before she realizes that they’re her own fingernails.
 The lady has got it all wrong. Her mom couldn’t even be bothered with that.
 Luke’s scarf, the shrug, it’s choking her, suffocating and constricting. Percy’s pin feels heavy on her chest.
 Blinders on, she would have sprinted for the exit were it not for the Piper’s stupid Versace heels, reduced instead to a teetering, tottering wreck, like a baby colt running from a predator. The night is hot and humid, heavy with the threat of rain, and Annabeth can barely breathe, dark spots in her eyes, until she ducks into a nearby Target, the frigid blast of air a welcome distraction.
 Almost in a daze, she watches herself pick up a few things--clippers, an electric razor, beef jerky, a blue Gatorade she considers for a moment before putting it back, choosing a lemonade instead--practically throwing them at the poor cashier who begins checking her out, mechanically. He doesn’t spare her a single glance for her odd assortment of items. He doesn’t even look at her at all.
 The walk to her hotel room disappears in the blink of an eye. Blink--she breezes past the check-in counter, slipping into the empty elevator. Blink--she kicks off her heels in her room, nearly hitting the wall mirror, leaving a scuff mark on the white plaster. Blink--she’s down to her underwear and tights in the bathroom, shaving the right side of her curls clean off. She’d gotten them professionally done for the night, perfect spirals held together by expensive products. And now she wants them gone.
 She pauses and breathes too hard, looking at herself in the mirror. Her mother didn’t like that she was blonde. Maybe because of dumb blonde stereotypes, maybe just because it reminded Athena too much of her failed romance with Annabeth’s dad. And that thought stays her hand from getting rid of the rest of them.
 That, and maybe the idea of Percy, of some broke dancer, tangling his fingers in it as they lie together.
 Fuck her mother, and the fucking stories she tells.
 She likes it. She likes her blonde hair and her fresh undercut.
 She can get Thalia to touch this up later, maybe. Now, though, she needs this.
 It doesn’t look perfect. The left side of hair is too long, her gold laurel earrings too fancy for a homegrown haircut like this, her makeup too pristine. Shoving her hand under the running water, she rubs at her eyes, mascara and eyeliner smearing until they’ve reached something much more respectable for the failure that she really is.
 She misses her industrial. And her eyebrow rings. And the tongue piercing. But this will have to do for now.
 Breathing heavily, eyes hot, she doesn’t register her phone blinking, signaling an unread text message.
 It’s from Thalia. surprised you weren’t at kelp heads bday party, it reads. was pretty boring. Kno he missed you  
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danzinora-switch · 4 years
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Typing the Turtles (ROTTMNT) Part 3 - Leonardo
This started out as an investigation into the turtles’ insecurities, because one thing the show does so well is demonstrate that they are still teenagers. And being a teenager is a confusing experience - there’s angst, drama, exploring one’s identity, a lot of growth, and overall figuring out who you are. That’s a messy process, too! And we see this mess in our turtles: they mess up, they’re learning, they self-doubt, they have fears and insecurities, but they’re also discovering their strengths and how to overcome their inner obstacles.
So after thinking about all this way too long, here’s my psychological breakdown of each turtle (I’ll be referencing MBTI and the Enneagram a ton, but will include links for more general information on those if you don’t know what I’m talking about). 
Parts One and Two found on the links for Raph and Don.
Leo: ESTP, 3w2
The Achiever, the Entrepreneur, the Charmer, the Explorer
I’ve wanted to say this for a long time: Leo is such a 3, he is such a 3 it hurts, oh my goodness. Read this: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-3 and tell me that isn’t Leo to a T.
It took me a little longer to figure out the MBTI for him, but he has a lot of similarities with the ESTP. This does mean we need to step away from the ‘frat bro’ stereotype of ESTPs, though. They are a lot more keen than convention would suggest.
Really, a big thing with Leo is his need to be The Best. What that means, to him, is normally something physically-related. He needs to be the best at sports or performing certain moves, which we see in episodes like The Longest Fight where he bets he can pull off the impossible skateboard move, or Shell in a Cell where he asserts he can out-perform Ghostbear. Additionally, episodes like Air Turtle really showcase the ugly side of his competitiveness. But he also desires physical perfection. He is rather image-conscious, fretting about his body in Stuck on You, and routinely referring to himself as the team’s Faceman. The biggest example of this was his idea for a disguise in Hidden City Job: the Turtle Adonis. An adonis is considered the peak physical ideal, handsome and attractive to boot. If this drive doesn’t scream Enneagram Three I don’t know what does.
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Leo at his worst: Leo’s competitive side can certainly get the best of him. We see this in episodes like Air Turtle, where his ‘win at all costs’ attitude starts to alienate him from the group. Raph has also described him as a ‘poor winner’ which refers to his tendency to gloat when he does beat out the competition, or was proven right (Bug Busters, The Gumbus, You Got Served, LAIR GAMES). He’s smug, gloating, and when he does lose tries to wiggle out of it through technicalities. The one time he says something isn’t a competition is after Mikey beats him at Skateball (You Got Served). And when he ‘loses’ the Lair Games, Donnie’s win comes with a catch that Leo built in.
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Threes do this for approval and validation, though, and we see that underlying his need to be the team’s Champion in Minotaur Maze and Portal Jacked! “I’m nothing without them!” he cries to Hueso. “What good is a team with just a Faceman?” Threes have a need to distinguish themselves from others, to be admired, to have attention, so that they then feel valuable and worthwhile. Other people, then, are necessary. When Leo wants to get on the Wall of Champions in Minotaur Maze, his brothers factor in to his unmet needs. “...because what good is being a Champion if you can’t rub it in your brothers’ faces?” Leo doesn’t just need to be The Best… he needs others to acknowledge it, as well.
Average Leo: He’s got a practical eye for situations and the quickness to adapt and act as needed. The ESTP is known for being bold as well as perceptive. We see this in fight scenes such as Battle Nexus: New York when he is quick to determine that physical comedy is the key to making the sprite laugh and immediately changing his approach.
He also displays a remarkable amount of common sense when making decisions. In Origami Tsunami, as the guys discuss becoming heroes, he’s the one who shoots down ideas until they reach a more achievable goal: taking on paper thieves. And he’s got a point, can you imagine the turtles taking on a spine-breaker or mangler at that point in time? When everyone else is blinded by ideals concerning fixing the Mutant Menace, he’s the only one who asks “anybody down for staying home during the anti-mutant panic?” Of course, he still goes along with their adventure, because ESTP’s live in The Moment, so why not?
Something else that I want to mention is Leo’s appreciation for the Machiavellian. He has an incredibly intuitive grasp on it, and actively appreciates twists, turns, betrayals and deceptions. His love for magic probably stems from this (The Clothes Don’t Make the Turtle) and he is the only one enjoying the series of betrayals in Warren & Hypno Sitting in a Tree. Hidden City Job also expands on the fact that Leo doesn’t have a problem with betrayal, as he revels about brotherly betrayal happening all the time. He’s cool with being betrayed… just know that he can betray you back. It’s all fair game.
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This can have upsides and downsides. On the upside, his understanding of trickery can lead to brilliant plans and solutions such as what we saw in Many Unhappy Returns, where he was able to outsmart Big Mama herself. On the downside, this kind of behavior is not always the best move - his family does not appreciate being left out of the loop of his schemes, or actively being manipulated as part of them (Leo’s plan in Many Unhappy Returns worked, but he still left his brothers alone and exhausted, and did not consider the emotional effect it would have on Splinter being sent back into the arena). At that point it’s no wonder he asks “why does no one trust me?” Because you tend to have an angle, ‘Nardo. Be careful how you use that.
He is also incredibly persuasive. This is partly why I feel he is a 3 wing 2, ‘The Charmer’ because he knows how to communicate to get what he wants. When used for the right reasons, we see him settle discord such as cooling the mobs in You Got Served or apologize when he knows an apology is needed (Todd Scouts, Air Turtle, Hidden City Job). We see it used neutrally (and a bit skeptically) in Many Unhappy Returns when he declares he’ll just go to see Big Mama and “turn up the Leo”. It can also be used deceptively, however. Todd Scouts shows this when Leo is the one who convinces Todd that they’re ready to kick things up a notch by going out alone… when really they just want to get away from him. He’ll also use words to get under people’s skins: dismissing Warren Stone in Stuck on You, but also pointing out Donnie’s beach ball fear in Mind Meld. He knows which words will get the responses he wants, for better or for worse.
Leo at his Best: Leo is the team’s motivator. He’s the one giving the others the pep-talks and encouragement they need to continue (Origami Tsunami, Finale: Rise). Donnie said it best after Leo’s redemption in Air Turtle: “your confidence is giving me confidence!”
Because that’s the healthy thing about Threes: they strive to reach their own full potential, which also inspires others to reach theirs. Leo doesn’t like to fail/lose, but he won’t let anyone else succumb, either. He has the most confidence in each Mad Dog’s ability. “I knew you guys could handle it!” he says in Many Unhappy Returns, and points out with amazing accuracy just what his brothers are capable of. He not only believes in himself, he believes in those around him. And he’s able to inspire them when they’re feeling down about their own abilities or not enthused about the task (see his speech about standing up for the paper men in Origami Tsunami).
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This also includes encouragement and compliments in other areas. Regarding the Shell Hogs: “Donnie, these are amazing! And I know everything I say sounds sarcastic, but I’m being completely genuine this time” (Stuck on You). When Mikey isn’t sure Hypno will like him: “What? Of course he will, you’re adorable!” (Newsworthy). To Raph, “Does this place have smoke detectors? Because you’re on fire, Big Daddy!” (The Clothes Don’t Make the Turtle).
He’s also able to step in and take charge when Raph falls because he can see what action needs to be taken (that practical and observant, yet bold ESTP side coming in). When Raph gets separated in the sewers, Leo’s the one who doesn’t treat it casually and gets the others moving to find him (Man vs Sewer). When his older brother is hypnotized by Hypno in Stuck on You, he quickly reacts and tells Mikey and Donnie what the plan is and enacts it. We see this leader potential grow bit by bit, and his awareness of each individual’s role on the team allows him to step back from areas that he knows aren’t his forte: Raph can handle the ‘teamwork’ stuff, Donnie has got the technical know-how, and Mikey takes care of positive outlook for any situation. Leo can keep things fun and inspire confidence. His puns help lighten the mood, his jokes break the ice of tense situations, and he never stops believing in their own abilities, which keeps them all going (Donnie’s Gifts, Many Unhappy Returns).
Leo Relationships:
(While Leo has a competitive episode with each of his brothers: Shell in a Cell, Lair Games, and You Got Served, there is more going on than just that).
Raph: Both Leo and Raph have strong gut feelings that can be blindsided. Leo picks up immediately that Big Mama is not trustworthy while Raph is more than happy to believe her, but Leo is blinded by his fan-love for Jupiter Jim to realize that Marcus Montcrief is a crazy and suspicious adult, which Raph becomes aware of early on (Bug Busters, Jupiter Jim Ahoy!). They both can be a little too head-first when diving into plans, such as checking out the creepy bus in One Man’s Junk or doing their best to help April in Hypno: Part Deux. But they do trust each other to have each other’s backs, and there’s (thankfully!) no Leo vs Angst in this version of their characters. It really allows them to be comfortable with each other (and egg each other on with more than just missions: see the pizza pigeon in Mind Meld).
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Donnie: In some ways Leo acts like a foil for Donnie. His own natural confidence counterbalances a lot of his twin’s insecurities. They butt heads over it, sure, with Donnie perhaps taking things too seriously and Leo seemingly not taking them seriously enough, but I like I said in Donnie’s typing: one’s chill and one’s uptight. There’s a ton of back and forth between them: they are the epitome of siblings fighting one minute and getting up to no good together the next (Example from The Mystic Library: Leo grooves out with Donnie’s rap one moment and tries to get him kicked off the team in the next scene). They may antagonize each other in Lair Games, Smart Lair, the beginning of Snow Day and Hidden City Job, and so much more, but also demonstrate brotherly love (and antics) in Operation: Normal, the end of Hidden City Job and Smart Lair, and, of course, Battle Nexus: New York. “For Donnie’s honor!”
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Mikey: Leo sticks up for Mikey a fair amount, especially to Raph. He supports Mikey trying to open the portal in Mystic Mayhem, and going out on his first solo mission in Hot Soup: The Game. We actually need more Leo and Mikey episodes; of the two we have one is a competition episode (You Got Served), and The Gumbus has Leo tag along intent on proving Mikey wrong. It seems they like to hang out during the down time a lot, as they play in the arcade and skateboard off-screen in episodes such as Mrs. Cuddles, You Got Served, Mind Games, and Sparring Partner. And of course, we have the gripping image of Leo protecting Mikey’s shell with his own in Battle Nexus: New York. I’d really like to see them get up to more shenanigans, though. (hint, hint @nickelodeon​, @netflix​).
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Ultimately, Leo is a confident, competitive turtle striving to reach his full potential. He is normally great at encouraging his brothers to do the same, and devising grand strategies, but tends to forget the emotional effects his actions can have on them, especially if he gets carried away on his quest to be The Best. He’s still learning, and these traits will likely flesh out as he grows into a more leader-like role.
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For more information on the ESTP and Enneagram 3 personality types, click here:
https://www.16personalities.com/estp-personality
https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-3
https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram/type-3-wing-2
https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.155775924.2701/flat,800x800,070,f.u5.jpg
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Mikey x Fem! reader ch: 2 & 3 (combined)
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(Y/N) had no idea who that stranger was. Despite the dangers ahead, she doesn't care much about that. She couldn't stop thinking about those hands however. She has never seen anyone with three fingers in her whole life. Other than that, she wants answers. With a boost of confidence, instead of going home, staying out late should be a breeze. In her opinion to be exact. It was the next morning, and she grabbed some extra food and soda to help her stay up all night as much as possible. School is the same as yesterday. Thankfully she wasn't given any homework today either. She met up with her friends at an after school club and hopes she doesn't forget what she has to do afterwards. After the club has ended, it's time for her to find the mystery stranger.
(Y/N)'s P.O.V
I was walking around trying to find the figure. It was very quiet as usual. There was no sign of anything....nothing. Just myself. I sighed thinking to myself if I would just give up, but I chose not to. I kept on walking far and wide into the streets. That is until I found it. The figure.....it was standing before me. But why? Whatever it may be, I do feel a bit uneasy. Without saying a word, the figure runs off quickly. I decided to follow it. I ran to its direction as fast as I could. When It got to a corner of a random street, it stopped. I hid in a corner of a wall that way it won't see me. I waited for the figure to make its move. That's when it jumped into a sewer. "A sewer? B-but why would- *sigh*. Who am I kidding?" I walked towards the sewer area. I know I couldn't get in that way because the lid itself is too heavy to lift. I looked around to see if there may be a second entrance to it. And I did. There was a rectangular hole that seemed big enough for me to squeeze in. I took off my backpack, and managed to enter. I grabbed my bag, and started to walk into the sewer line. It was really dark so I had to take out my phone to turn on the flashlight. I kept on walking until I fell into a slide like area. I was sliding downward screaming but laughing at the same time. It was kinda fun, it almost felt like one of those water slides you go on in a local water park. I landed on my ass which kinda hurt. "Ouch!" I rubbed it, and got up immediately. There are so many sewer pipes, I couldn't figure out where the figure may be, so I decided to go straight. It was a long path to get through. Just as I felt like I may be close, I heard footsteps. No. more than just footsteps. A skateboard too? I started to panic a bit but managed to find a sewer pipe large enough for my tiny body to fit. I hid in there, and waited for whoever was coming straight ahead. What I saw, made me wonder. There was.....four creatures running passed me. "Hey guys! Wait up!" said the fourth mysterious figure trying to get its skateboard running. What's weird, is that it has rockets on it. Plus, I can't even see the person at all. Just a silhouette. "Come on Mikey! We got some foot clan butt to kick!" another one said in the distance "okay okay! Calm down Raph! It's not the end of the world you know!" it rode away with the others and the sound soon went to silence. I slowly got out, and decided to keep walking "that was.....Fucking weird." I said to myself trying to figure out who those people were. I walked a couple more steps until I found this strange looking door. Well technically it's not a door per say. I noticed it was slightly opened. I looked back for a quick moment to see if no one else was around. The coast is clear thank god. I slowly opened the strange yet mysterious entrance, and revealed some kind of lair. It's weird that a lair is located in a sewer. I also noticed The height of the entrance from here all the way to the ground does seem a little high. So basically I had to jump down like as if i'm in an action movie. I took a deep breath and counted to three. "one.....two.....Three!" I jumped and managed to land on my backpack since it's on my back obviously. I got up and stared at the place. "Woah!...." I walked around, and it had crazy technology, bedrooms, exercise weights, and a ramp for I'm guessing skateboard tricks like the ones you see at a local park. I looked around and noticed there was a sleeping rat in one of the rooms. A huge rat to be exact. I almost made a single sound after it scared me. But thankfully my words were stuck down to my throat. I sighed in relief that it didn't wake up at all. Guess it's a heavy sleeper. I walked around some more, and the bedrooms have doors. The same exact shape as the one where I entered the place. I entered one of them and noticed a small TV with a PS2 and DVD player sitting there. The room was kind of a mess too. It was littered with pizza boxes and candy wrappers. Gross. In the corner of the room, there was a mini fridge with a pack of Orange Crush Soda hidden in the back of it. After taking a look at that, I checked at the condition of the TV and PS2. surprisingly, they were in good shape. Even the DVD player is too. The TV is an early 2000s model. Old, but still good. I turned both of them on, and they work. "Oh. neat" I smiled a bit and I made the decision to play with it. I slowly and quietly closed the strange door, and took out one of my old games I always played in my childhood. "I haven't played Sonic Unleashed in a while. Might as well go ahead and play for a bit." I turned down the volume as low as possible so I didn't wake up the strange rat, and started playing. An hour in a half passed, and I started to get tired. Although I did eat a few of my snacks and since I ran out of drinks I ended up drinking some of the orange crush soda from the back of the mini fridge, I kept on yawning. Since I'm too lazy to head home, I might as well just spend the night here. I paused the game, and ended up falling asleep on the nice bed. It's kinda nice here. Quiet, no interruptions, a nice spot to play some games and have some time for myself. I just hope nothing goes wrong at all.
end of P.O.V The Mysterious heroes who are actually turtles have returned home to the sewers and one of them spoke. "Sensei! We're back!" the rat was meditating and no longer sleeping. "Where have you four been?" The turtle with the blue bandana named Leonardo spoke "we had another foot clan attack. We managed to stop them on time." The rat sighed. "Did anyone see you? Anyone at all?" they all shook their heads. "No Sensei. We got away as quickly as we could." The rat nodded and responded. "Good. you may all rest now my sons. We have a big day tomorrow." they all looked at each other. "What day is it?" Leonardo asked. "Training day." they all groaned and the rat chuckles. "Now go. I must concentrate." they all went to their rightful rooms and the youngest of the four named Michelangelo stretched his arms and fiddled with his orange bandana. "I'm gonna go on ahead and play me some video games!" as he got to his room, he noticed the TV was on along with the game system. "Huh? Hey wait a second! I don't remember playing this game at all!" He removes the game disc from the system, and yells out to one of his brothers. "Raph! Were you messing with my game system again!? And where did you get this game!? Did you rent it or something!?" The red bandana turtle named Raphael comes into the room. "What? No! What are you talking about? Lemme see that!" he takes the game disc from him and takes a look at it. "You serious? Do I look like the kind of guy who likes playing as a blue furry that runs like the flash?" Mikey stares at him in an irritating way as his own brother tosses the game disc across the room. He looks down and notices the empty cans of soda on the floor and looks back up at Raph. Raph himself was now getting angry. "You hid a stack of orange crush soda from me without even telling me!?" Mikey starts to get angry too. "Yes I did! And don't lie to me! I know YOU found them, and did this for a good laugh!" Mikey and Raph argue back and forth until they stopped when they notice movement in Mikey's bed. "What was that?...." Raph pushes him out of the way, and takes out one of his weapons. "Stand back." He grabs the sheets, and snatches them out of the way and sees (Y/N) sleeping. They both stood back as Raph dropped his weapon in complete shock. "How- what-.....where-?....oh god there's a g- a gi-..." he couldn't speak and they both looked at each other and ran out of the room in a panic. "Donnie! Leo!" they both yelled as the other two were busy doing their thing. "What? What happened?" Donatello said as he adjusted his glasses and purple bandana. "There's a g-girl in my room! And a- and uh R-Raph almost killed her on my own bed! And-" Donnie stopped Mikey. "woah woah woah! Slow down! You're saying there's a girl in your room?" Mikey nodded frantically. Leo shows up eventually and spoke to them. "what are they talking about?" Donnie responds to him with a sigh. "it appears they saw a human girl in Mikey's bed." Leo looks at them and takes a deep breathe "show me. Now!" they take them to the bed, and see (Y/N) still asleep. They all looked at her and Donnie started analyzing her. "Okay. according to my analysis, she is 18 years of age, 5'0 feet tall, 125 pounds, (H/C), (E/C), and somehow it shows me her uhh.....cup size. They're quite an impressive size for a young adult if you ask me. Wish it didn't scan them though." the other three's eyes lit up when they heard that word "cup size huh? What is that?" Mikey asked. Donnie whispers to them what cup sizes are, and they widened their eyes in surprise. Mikey blushes bright red. "Aaaaand I am now questioning my own innocence, thank you very much." Raph smirks giving his younger brother a noogie "all right Mikey! Our own little bro's first lesson in becoming a man! Woo!" Mikey playfully pushes him off shaking his head smiling. "tch. whatever bruh." Donnie finishes analyzing, and looks at Leo. "what shall we do?" Leo looks at the girl and sighs "well uhhh-" Mikey interrupts him jumping up and down excitedly "Can we keep her? I promise to take good care of her! please?" Raph and Donnie facepalms, and Leo looks at Mikey with a long pause, then proceeds to speak. "We'll might as well let her stay for the night. But we're taking her back home tomorrow!" Mikey squeals excitedly "Yes!" Leo then talks again "and one more thing! If Master Splinter finds out, we gotta tell the truth. But first when she wakes up, we gotta know how she got here. First thing in the morning before our training day starts. Got it?" Mikey nods. "Oh yeah! Totally. Yeah...." Leo nods. "Good. come on guys. We gotta go to bed. Sensei wants tomorrow to be on point. That goes for you too Mikey!" Mikey nods with a smile on his face "aye aye captain boss bro!" Raph looks at Mikey who is staring at (Y/N) "she's really pretty man." Raph nods "yeah. Never seen a girl like her before. Hopefully when she wakes up, we can have a nice chat with her." Mikey nods. "What about April? She's pretty too." Raph chuckles shaking his head "nah. She's too bland. Maybe this one may be a keeper." he winks with a daring smile. Mikey chuckles and Raph pats him on the back. "Well it's getting late. Night Mikey. See ya in the morning." Mikey looks at his brother as Raph leaves the room. "Night bro." Mikey decides to sleep on the floor and hopes this girl may be the one for him. Despite that, in his heart, he can feel it beating like a steady drum right now which means it's love at first sight for him. TO BE CONTINUED!....chapter 4 and 5 are next soon! :)
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dumbdotcomm · 4 years
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a little luck and some frogs
(a/n) the iconic @pricklydapper​ drew this amazing piece for me of Mikey and Raph and I just had to write a angst/fluff one-shot for it!!!
//
There’s a still and a quiet that comes with rain, gentle and slow and lulling. They haven’t had quiet in so long, it seems; it feels like days blend into one another, new paths unlocked in their destinies or whatever.
Sometimes Raph would just like to stop. Go back to being that 15 year old kid living below Queens, having nothing but his tight knit family and a lair game tournament to worry about.
They’ve been firing on all cylinders for days, and god he’s just tired, overstimulated and definitely in need of, like, a detox or something- Leo and April go on about those kinds of things. Maybe he’ll give that a try.
But even as the days pass, long long after they’ve settled back into home and dealing with low-level crime, Raph still can’t really relax. Not in the way that lasts. He’s always looking, anticipating the moment their relative peace will elude them, and the next thing he’ll know is they’ll be miles high, falling from a building, pushing and pushing to catch one another- or at the docks watching his brother get torn apart.
Raph feels like he’s gonna hurl and he does, nothing but last night’s dinner and severe anxiety spilling out from him.
It’s gross and embarrassing and Raph knows it’s nothing he can control; the little helpful part of his brain is reassuring that way. But it was easier to feel so panicky when everyone else was still reeling from the fight.
Leo’s got his detoxing with April, Mikey’s gone off and found Draxum to rehabilitate for god knows what reason, and Donnie’s regulated his sleeping cycle again and he’s gone back to shittalking and watching gophers on Youtube so- he’s okay.
Everyone’s okay…. except for Raph.
But maybe what Raph doesn’t know is that the somewhat okay thing about it, the silver-ish lining in all of it is- even if he’s feeling alone… he’s not. He never is. And Raph has always hated his panic-stink but maybe it’s doing him some good, because he brothers are attentive, and Mikey’s especially perceptive.
It’s why, on this languid, rainy ass day, Mikey barges into Raph’s room with a shopping bag from Old Navy. How he got to, and inside, and outside of Old Navy, Raph doesn’t really have to wonder (humans were so funny in ignoring obvious things, it made raph wonder why mutants stayed hidden anyway).
But Mikey’s got a grin that stretches a mile wide and is pretty contagious, as he struts into the room after having stood in the entrance in that weird ‘younger sibling is now here to bother you’ stance.
“Whaaat are we doing…?” Raph asks cautiously, but can’t hide his own growing smile the longer Mikey beams.
He says ‘we’ because there’s always a ‘we’ in these types of situations, and he’d rather just include himself now off the bat.
“Glad’ja asked,” Mikey says, and dumps the Old Navy bag out of Raph’s bed, “Behold….the best freakin’ things ever.”
And woah- they kinda are the best freaking things ever. Practically see-through jackets with-
“No way! Mikey!” Raph clutches his- he already knows it’s his by the size, extra huge and all, “Bro this-? Is pretty sick. How’d you even get it this big?!”
The thing about them and clothes is: Leo, Donnie and Mikey are all, at least, human people sizes. It’s easy for them to snag just about anything, even some of April’s old stuff fits them. Hell, Leo could fit into Dad’s old suit. And that luxury was kinda foreign to Raph.
Humans barely even made enough fashionable clothes for all of their people- and Raph was kind of outside of that caliber.
He’s kinda getting teary eyed, but, like, who wouldn’t, and Mikey’s already slipping into his own coat, see-through and speckled with little oranges.
“Eh, it’s no biggie,” he sniffs, shrugging the jacket on the rest of the way (it’s totally a biggie), “I kinda...customized ‘em. They were havin’ this special, and I thought ‘screw it baby, we need raincoats’!”
And, careful of his strength, Raph goes for a hug that he knows Mikey was anticipating anyway, with the force that he hugs back and all. Raph doesn’t really need to say anything, but his warbly thank you to Mikey is just a fraction of the depth of emotion he feels now.
It’s funny, silly maybe, because this doesn’t erase the threat of a bigger fight, a worse enemy lurking in the shadows to trip them up- it’s just a custom made see-through raincoat with Raph’s favorite fruit, adorable little strawberries, on it.
And yet he feels indescribably lighter than he’s felt in weeks.
“I figured we could do some adventuring, and I gotta cooks tonight so…”
Mikey wriggles his brow ridge, and Raph can’t help but, like, wanna combust from this surge of excitement and normalcy that he hasn’t felt in too long.
“Trip to Katagiri, hell yes!”
/////
The nice thing about rain in the city is, even though traffic is all the same, and people are still moving around, the sky gets dark enough from the clouds that the lights kinda shine prematurely. The streetlamps come on with a dim, orangey light, and with the autumn leaves mixed with green ones still clinging on, it was just so peaceful.
No one, again, seems to care that two turtles are walking down Lexington, and one couple briskly compliments their jackets and so that’s a plus.
Mikey compliments the one girl’s hair, shaved with hearts dyed into her scalp, and Raph can only appreciate that his brother is so well-spoken- that he just is so natural and confident out here.
That he doesn’t worry.
Raph remembers his first time topside, and how his fear led him into the state of consciousness that he hates to be in- where he’s on all instinct and fear and nothing else.
It’s gotten better since then, but the unease still lingers all these years. Raph wonders if he’ll get rid of it all the way.
Donnie realistically told him he might not, but that all he has to do is count to ten and back again, look around, find something to focus on- something ordinary or something great, and cling to it till he can convince his body and mind that he’s safe- that things will return to normal in a sec.
And right now, Raph keeps his eyes locked on his brother’s feet, as they pound the sidewalk, making little splashes in rain water.
As he’s watching, a frog of all things, just hops along the sidewalk, right at Raph’s feet. It makes him halt, because....maybe it’s coincidental or maybe Raph’s reading too into it, but Mikey turns around too, sees the frog that Raph stoops beside, and smiles in soft understanding.
It’s an omen of some sorts, Dad always said so. Of good luck, and of things returning.
Raph breathes out a laugh, shaking his head.
Just as quickly as the frog comes, it hops away, and Raph stands, still a bit speechless, still kinda processing the meaning behind what just happened, desperately wanting to cling to it meaning good fortune.
He doesn’t wanna worry his brother though, and so he thinks of something to joke or talk about as they start to walk again, only for Mikey to beat him to it.
“I never told you thanks,” he says, gently, like he’s been reading Raph’s aura. Maybe he has.
And somehow Raph already knows what he’s thanking him for, but decides within himself that Mikey really, really shouldn’t. He was just doing his job. He tells Mikey this breezily, with a soft smile.
“Bullshit,” Mikey snaps back, but only because he knows Raphael so well, “We’re kids- we don’t got jobs- except for Donnie occasionally….suspiciously-” he shakes off the trailing thought, “Anyway- it’s not ‘your job’. It was just a shitty...long fight and ya really held us down, Raph.”
They cross the street, momentarily separating with the influx of people but find their way back in a second, the neon ‘Gonbei’ sign now visible to them.
And it’s not that Raph is all that surprised by Mikey. He knows his brother’s always had a knack for speaking in a way that just...made so much sense and was so profound without any complexity. But maybe it’s his brother being 14 now, that makes him even wiser.
“I know we don’t got jobs,” Raph concedes, as they pass the Lexington Flowers shop, “But, you know, I’m big...bigger than you guys, an’ I might not be as smart but when it comes to protecting, an’ planning….it’s what a leader’s s’posed ta do, y’know?”
They don’t often talk about the leadership thing- not that it’s touchy, it’s just not really relevant with how they function. But Mikey knows Raph’s internalized the role a bit more recently. And that Leo getting dropped from a building may have been the catalyst.
He knows his brother’s technically got a job to do. Mikey resents that, and their Dad a little bit, for not making Raph ready for all of what happened weeks ago.
Though he knows that’s not all fair. His father was only protecting them.
Still….it sucks.
“Well, if it means anything, I think you’re smart. And ‘m not sure if I can promise this, but I’m gonna do it anyway...” Mikey says, stopping in his tracks and turning to Raph, who also stops walking and gets called a ‘fuckin asshat’ for blocking a chunk of the sidewalk but- hey.
Mikey politely tells the guy to go fuck himself and when the guy turns to get a good enough look- not at Raph’s size, but at his little gremlin brother with a chain that’s starting to flame up- he decides this whole situation is not something he wants any parts of.
Mikey rolls his eyes and turns back to Raph, face all sincere and kind for someone who just...did that, “I promise we’re okay, and we’re always gonna be stuck together, Raph. I know that won’t magically make you feel better but...just thought I’d say it.”
And Raph tries to say something, but has to clear his throat, and it’s definitely the rain on his cheeks and beak.
“No,” he croaks, and laughs at his voice, happy that Mikey laughs too, “Nah, it- it really helps a lot Mikey….thank you- thanks, man.”
Satisfied, Mikey turns to keep on walking, patting Raph’s shell, “Anytime bud.”
////
Katagiri’s never disappoints. Mikey leaves with milk tea, shrimp tempura and shiso, more milk tea and a couple boxes of mochi ice. It’s one of those days.
He swings his groceries as they walk.
Raph doesn’t wonder about the frog and its meaning, and doesn’t doubt its luck and why it appeared to him.
He’s kinda figured it out. Because he still has moments like this, watching his brother merrily skip a few steps ahead of him, chatting breezily about pineapple upside down pancakes- and Mikey made a promise, after all, that they’re gonna be together, no matter what.
If that’s not lucky, being with his family, leaning on them when it counts, then Raph’s got no clue what is.
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