#just throughout their lives raph gets to slap leo and he holds it over him

[mariusroyale]

rewatching himym and realising how funny it would be if leo and raph had a slap bet

with, their bros as slap bet commissioners ofc

#or splinter as slap bet commissioner #oR WAIT NO APRIL #just throughout their lives raph gets to slap leo and he holds it over him #when leo’s being his brand of annoying and raph decides he’s had enough #at leo’s wedding he uses it bc ofc he fucking does #he gives mikey and donnie a free pass to slap him too why not #i say this bc the slap bet is one of my favourites abt himym lmao #and also the idea that raph just holds this power over him and leo pretends he doesn’t lose sleep over it #if u know nothing abt the slap bet idk what to tell u #it’s sacred dude #it’s a sacred thing #(it’s not it’s dumb) #text post #rottmnt #rise raph #rise leo

[themafia-terrapins]

Into the night.

A/N: You should read the post before this to get an understanding of this AU. Fair warning, this is pretty long. Enjoy! 💚

Disclaimer: mention of child abuse ahead. Be warned!

Cold. Merciless. Dangerous. Mysterious.

They were the only words that many used to describe the Hamato Clan. No one wanted to mess with them in fear of what they would do, countless stories were told of those who had double crossed them and in result, hadn’t lived to see the next day. The most feared gang caught in a dark and ruthless world of crime, violence, blood and lust. Others wanted their wealth and power but not everything is what it seemed to be. 

The cold breeze hit Leonardo’s face, as he gulped down air quickly into his lungs. He was sure those horrid nightmares would have stopped, it had been almost 11 years for God’s sake. Cursing under his breath, he knocked down the tub of medication which rattled on the floor. The view of New York was beautiful from all the way up here and as frantically as he tried to focus on it, those poisonous thoughts blazed through his mind and he had no power to control it. 

“Father please don’t leave again” The young teen cried, trailing helplessly after the rat who swore angrily. Being only 13, he wasn’t able to grab those supplies that his brothers needed. They were forced to rely on Splinter but he would hardly help them. They were lucky if he even brought down the bare necessities for them to survive on. 

“How many times do I have to tell you leave me alone?! Enough!” Splinter growled, loosening his tie as he made his way to the sewers steps. But Leo had to try for his brothers, he couldn’t look at their pain anymore. He couldn’t go back empty handed, to witness Raphael put up a brave front despite actively bleeding and bruised practically everywhere on his frail body. He couldn’t see Donnie on the verge of another panic attack because he didn’t know how to fix them. He couldn’t bear to see Mikey trying to hold it all together but breaking down in the bathroom , when he thought nobody was listening because he couldn’t live in this nightmare. 

“R-Raph is hurt and we don’t have any more bandages” Leo spoke timidly, trying to sound clear and confident but his voice trembled. Splinter stood still and the turtle could already smell the sour whiskey from his clothes. It had been a bad day, he presumed. Whiskey was only drunk whenever a loss was incurred. And that usually meant he wouldn’t be home for days, much o the turtle’s pleasure. 

“What have I said about speaking back?!” Splinter bellowed, his arm whacking Leo backwards until his shell hit the tunnel. The side of his shell had already been damaged due to constantly training day and night to perfect the routine Splinter had set them. But an audible crack had been heard and a small gasp left his lips, already seeing a trickle of blood roll down his skin staining the previous bandages. He hadn’t even time to register the pain until Splinter loomed over his body, his eyes black and dangerous. 

“Father I’m-” Leo’s breath hitched in his throat, tears prickling his eyes painfully watching his hand raise slowly. ‘Not again, please not again’

“You’re absolutely hopeless, you hear me?!” Again Splinter punched the turtle, laughing each time when the terrapin recoiled in pain. Leonardo held his tongue, scared to further anger the drunken rat. Every slap, punch and kick was taken without a sound because the punishment for wincing was double the amount than the beating now. And he wasn’t so sure his shell could take anymore.

“Look at you! You expect to take on my legacy acting like a pathetic little girl?! Get out of my sight before I finish you” With one swift punch to Leo’s jaw, Splinter left to go topside. He could hear his evil voice cackle on the phone to one of his partners in this mysterious business he refused to utter a word about.

“Why do you hit us so much? What did we ever do to you?” Leo sobbed quietly, curling into a little ball on the floor. The punch on his plastron seared throughout his body, burning in hot white pain. Yet it must be nothing compared to what his brothers were going through. They were awaiting Leo but the eldest could barely move, let alone walk to their home. 

Home, usually described at being comforting and loving but he hadn’t felt any of these emotions since they moved in. He used to yearn for a mother to come and take their pain away but as he grew, that dream slowly died as hope in him also began to wither. 

Maybe one day things would be different...

---

Blaring traffic shocked the turtle out of his trance and with a shuddering breath, he took several deep breaths. He l

“Why must I be reminded of such memories?” Leonardo sighed, his hand drifting over his temple to soothe the dull ache. No matter how long it had been, the wound from his past was still fresh. They say time healed all pain so why did his still hurt? Some nights it was bearable and some nights it felt like he was being suffocated in his mind, slowly driving insane.

Physical pain definitely was a lot more tolerable than verbal, even now he could still hear the echo of Splinter’s voice reprimanding him whenever he failed. Those stabbing words ringing louder and louder in his ears, berating him for being stupid and weak. Laughing at how his ridiculous attempt of leading a team. Leonardo never wanted anything more than to make Splinter proud but during his years, he realised that it was never going to happen.

Splinter only cared for himself and Leo, along with his brothers, were merely pawns in his cruel game.

But now was not the time to dwell on these matters, things had to be done and completed. His phone rang jarring him out of his thoughts and he picked it up rather reluctantly.

“What is it, Silas?” His assistant/companion spoke quickly, picking up the disinterest in Leo’s voice. He was never one for sugarcoating his feelings or emotions, if the boss wanted something done it was pronto.

“Beast is requesting dinner with capo and the mob. Your presence is required, sir” Holding his urge to groan, the turtle glanced down at the lights that decorated the buildings of New York. They were so beautiful but he couldn’t even take the time to appreciate it, reality had called and with great reluctance he had to answer.  

Beast... what was there to say? He was a snob, ignorant, extremely wealthy but lacked any common sense or values. Leo’s patience was practically non existent whenever he communicated with him. While he provided a great reference for other business partners, Beast himself was on thin ice with the brothers.

“Dinner at... 1am?” Leo scowled, looking at his watch. Beast, while had been an average business partner, had constant demands and ideas that were completely absurd. The brothers were tiring of his constant requests and awful timing.

“I did not suggest the convocation at this late sir” The assistant began but Leo interrupted him, wanting to end this conversation. 

“Be that as it may, unfortunately I cannot attend. Cancel my plans for tonight, I have a reconciliation to attend to and the conference will take up most my time” He ordered, observing the bonsai trees that stood on the balcony. One thing he grew to adore was his plants, they were simple and with enough care and love, blossomed into something gorgeous. 

“I don’t think Beast will be pleased with the rejection. He only wants a few words with the mob and especially you, Capo” Silas tried to reason but the terrapin was adamant.

“Enough. Reschedule this meeting tomorrow at 11pm sharp. Am I understood?” Leo commanded and Silas nodded, already writing it down in his notepad.

“Crystal. Enjoy your night sir” ‘Unlikely’... Hanging up, the blue cladded turtle inhaled a deep breath to collect his thoughts. Cancelling the meeting is a mistake but there were bigger fish to fry tonight. Other duties lay heavy on his mind and with a turn of his heel, he left his safe haven. 

As he entered his room, a young woman appeared at his door. Her heels echoed on the polished marble floors, grinding on his last nerve. God he really didn’t want to deal with her right in this moment. Her eyes settled on his and her face lifted into a small smile, one he did not mirror back.

“Katherine, what brings you to my quarters? Surely you’re old enough to understand you cannot barge in whenever you please” Leonardo watched as the young woman quickly stepped back, picking up the heavy discomfort that lay in the air.

“My apologies Leonardo. It’s Raphael, he said that you guys are attending a conference tonight but it’s our 3 month-”

“I fail to understand how this is my problem” He was quick in letting her know, he hadn’t the time to listen to her. Truth be told, he would never understand why Raphael stuck with her. She caused more pain and grief than anything to him.

“Okay... but could you tell me at least why?” She cocked her head and Leo turned, his face set in a hard frown.

“That is between me and my brothers Katherine. I do not appreciate when people interfere in my business. That much should be painfully obvious” His tone was calm but the harsh voice was clearly heard.

Opening his cupboard door, the small picture of Eva caught his eye. A small pang of sadness washed over his body before getting a grip on himself, refusing himself to succumb to the weakness. Eva was the past yet it seemed no matter how long the years had gone by, the yearn was as strong as ever. He wondered if he would ever be free from the shackles around his heart that locked tightly in his chest.

He had to accept that no matter how much he hoped on a wishing star or to the sky, she simply was not coming back. On the side showed a glass mirror, outlining all the features on his face. Sleep hadn’t come to the turtle much recently, he was lucky to get 4 hours and that was on a good day.

“You know you can just call me Kiki like everyone else” She raised her brow as he grabbed his navy blue velvet suit, the unreadable facial expression plastered on his face while his dark sapphire eyes burned into hers. Still standing at the doorway, she felt almost scared of him. Despite being with his brother for around 8 years, she never felt like she knew Leo. No one did, he kept to himself and only showed his true colours to those he cared about.

“Katherine, if that is all you have come to say then I highly suggest you leave me be now. It would not bode well for you to overstep your boundaries” With an almost snarl, he walked forwards and closed his door. 

---

“Would you like some champagne, Mr Hamato? It’s the one you specifically requested, Dom Pérignon” The waiter asked and Leo nodded his head, flicking through the newspapers as he awaited the rest of his brothers to join him. This meeting was better suited to the office, he didn’t need any extra ears or eyes to listen in on the information discussed between them. 

“God, I need a drink” He could hear the brute’s voice carry through the halls and into the meeting room.

“Right away boss” Greyson, his assistant spoke and vanished to make his preferred alcoholic beverage.

“What is the occasion, dear brother? As much as I like to spend time with you, I’m assuming you haven’t called us for fun” Donnie sat down, his ankle resting on top of his thigh as his attention diverted to his brother. Delicately folding the papers up and placing them to the side, Leo eyed his younger brother with a smirk. 

“Always straight to the point Donatello. And you’d be correct, I’ve called this meeting to discuss our next steps” He spoke authoritatively as the turtles settled in their seats, glancing at the board which held ideas and secret plans.

“Did ya cancel tha meetin’ with Beast tonight?” Raph asked, eyes skimming at the tablet. That was very unlikely of the leader, he was the one always nagging to keep up with business meetings and such. 

“Yes, I’ll be damned if I have to listen to another lie of his again. He cannot speak clearly and I have no time for beating around the bush. Once we’re done with this proposal, it will be a big relief to have him off our backs” Leo sipped his wine, flicking through his notes. A few names picked up but on the whole, everything seemed relatively calm. But there was no resting, they couldn’t afford not to be on their guard. Trouble was brewing on the horizon, he could feel it in his body. 

“Fuck sake, how many times do I have to tell you I hate when you organise my notes like this” Mikey sighed irritably as his brothers smirked, looking at each other with amusement. 

It was a running joke that Mikey couldn’t hold an assistant down for more than 2 months. Perhaps it was his picky way of being organised or that he had a short temper and hated his things being out of place, they didn’t know. This new assistant fumbled with the drinks, paling as his boss shouted his displeasure. 

“What happened to Donetti Licata?” Donatello asked, chuckling at his younger brother expecting another childish story about organisation as it as had been the story before. 

“Fired him. Caught him screwing Mia in my bed. Which reminds me I really need to employ someone who actually has a working braincell” Mikey spoke nonchalantly while his brothers looked at each other wide eyed.

“Oh... shit. M’sorry Mike, that must’ve been hard” Raph murmured, surprised at how well his little brother was taking the whole thing. Almost... too well in his opinion. Amelia had been the light of his life, his love at one point. They both brought out the best in each other but perhaps it was simply a mirage to the toxicity that lay just under the surface.

She wasn’t the Amelia he fell in love with and as he came to grips with that, the idea of losing her forever felt absolutely scary to him. He tried everything to put their relationship on track but it was Amelia who refused to partake in anything.

“Hmm? Oh.. yeah. It was tolerable once I beat the shit out of him. I can’t ever believe I trusted the fucker....” Mikey leaned back on his chair as another glass of wine was placed in front of him. Yet the lump in his throat felt unmovable, rendering him breathless. 

“Don’t tell me ya still wit’ her Mike. Yer deserve better than that” Raphael’s hand ached to knock some sense into the terrapin. Even if she would countlessly cheat on him, which she probably had done, all she had to do was flutter her lashes and sweet talk him. And just like that Mikey would forgive her in that second. In his eyes, Mia could do no wrong. She had Mikey on a leash but of course, he was oblivious to it all.

“You still with Kiki?” Mikey retorted, venom in his words while his eyes glared at his brother. Raphael’s frown deepened, holding his gaze. While he knew it was in the heat of the moment, he wished Mikey could see the damage Amelia was doing to him. Kiki was different only because Raph knew her past, knew that she was damaged too. How could he, of all people, leave her hanging alone?

“Children, behave. What do we do about these last few payments? I’ve talked to Xavier and he’s saying Gomez hasn’t responded to anything. It’s high time we pay a special visit, he’s got to know who exactly he’s messing with here” Donnie rolled his eyes at the quarrel and adjusted his glasses, raising them closer to his eyes. Leonardo seemed to be in deep thought for a few seconds before looking at his family again.

“If that’s the case then I want you and Mikey to check it out tomorrow. Me and Raph will deal with Beast, we all know how dramatic he likes to get when he doesn’t get his way” They all knew the last time they messed with Beast, how he threatened to take his money away and leave them bankrupt. Regardless of his filthy money, the turtles were not affected without it.

Years of investing and saving up had allowed them to live luxuriously. They had everything they ever wanted, Beast was just a liability to them. They needed him to increase potential business partners. To be able to stay at the top, they needed to associate with people at the top. If that meant doing business with idiots who couldn’t hold their ground and lacked any sense of morals and values, then so be it.

This was the mafia, after all. Nothing was pretty here.

“He’s clearly trying to inherit the property, why not just kill him altogether” Mikey pointed out, leaning back on his chair but Leo shook his head.

“Too risky. He may be a fool but he’s a smart one. He has plenty of connections with others, much powerful than the ones we have. We’ll keep him on the side but don’t turn your eyes, he will strike when least expected. Once we secure this deal, you can unleash all your anger on him. For now, we stay in his good books. However long that may be” He grimaced at the thought of the meeting they were supposed to have instead of this one. How long the turtle brothers would remain on his good side was unknown but hey, only a few more months of his bullshit and it was home run. The brothers continued to talk about upcoming events and nearing the end of the meeting, they all grabbed their belongings. 

“Wait a sec, Amara’s coming here tomorrow?” Mikey read out the small note on the board and Leo nodded, finishing off his wine. 

“Yes, well technically she’s visiting but we needed some help around here and she agreed to stick around for a while” She was a close friend to the turtles, meeting them after they newly escaped Splinter’s clutches. She had found them at a time when they were barely breathing and even without knowing who they were, she nursed them back to health. They all were indebted to her. Throughout the years, she went back to Italy since her father was part of their own mafia but her loyalty to the turtles never wavered. 

“At least we get ta see a new face ‘round here. But goin’ back ta before, I can’t wait ta finally kill that bastard” Raphael cracked his knuckles, unbuttoning his vest. He never was one to take orders from people, he was incredibly stubborn and arrogant to take commands from someone else. He barely followed Leo’s on a good day, let alone someone who continually threatened him and his family. If it were up-to him, he would have Beast’s head on a silver platter and sent directly to his team 

“All in due time brother. For now, let’s focus on getting our money back and dealing with Beast”

#tmnt mafia!turtles #tmnt mafia!leonardo #tmnt mafia!raphael #tmnt mafia!donatello #tmnt mafia!michelangelo

[tmnthpdisneyjurassicpark-blog]

Meeting Mikey

Note: Sorry it took so long guys, I hope you like it! Might be a bit dark but there is some humor.

@callingyoutosayhello

Michaelangelo Hamato, goofball, best friend, adorable little brother, and the pranking king.

Not tonight.

Tonight, he couldn't afford to be carefree, couldn't allow his imagination get the best of him. He couldn't rely everything on his wits and expect to walk out alive.

Tonight, michaelangelo was gone.

It was time....

....for TURTLE TITAN!

Crouching on the building's edge, Michaelangelo- er, Turtle Titan gazed at the streets below.

He sneered. The city was sick, sick with a plague of hate, of violence, of a darkness that threatened to snuff out the light every day.

There were children playing in the park, just as there were gang lords having drug wars.

There were men and women who simply wanted to follow their dreams as a singer, writer, dancer, artist; just as there were secret corupt organizations claiming to be saving the world through torturing and murdering innocent mutants.

Turtle Titan saw it all, and did his part to keep his city safe.

To keep the light

Turtle Titan was a hero, but it was Michaelangelo who lived by the knight's code.

To protect those who couldn't protect themselves....

Mikey didn't feel like much a hero though, especially after what happened to Splinter a few days back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were rushing across the rooftops, chasing after Bishop's men. The jerk had somehow tracked the turtles back to their liar, and had ordered a strike. The turtles however, were out on their patrol during the attack. Bishop, in a fit of rage at missing his targets, had taken Splinter hostage. It wasn't until they had returned, hours later, to a broken home with a missing father. Donnie had checked the security feed throughout the sewers and had hacked the cameras of nearby shops to pin-point exactly what happened. He had found the license plate of the van used to kidnap Splinter.

From there, they realized the van was left in Foot territory.

It suddenly became clear that Bishop and the Foot Clan were working together, and that if the brothers did not get there soon, it would be too late.

"Come on! We need to get to Dad ASAP! Don, how is your software coming along?!" Leo barked out, leader mode in full swing.

"It's at ninety-six percent efficiency and is hacking into the foot head-quarters as we speak. It will also deactivate the EPF's main artelliry and leave them weaponless." Don responded, not looking back over his shoulder.

"Let's go get dad back." Raph growled, pushing past all of them in a speed unexpected of someone his size.

Mikey's heart was pounding hard. His feet were slapping against the pavement, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He had been sprinting for twenty minutes.

He didn't blink. He could barely breathe.

All the could picture was his poor father, at hands of Shredder and all the ways the jerk could possibly harm their agile dad.

Please don't be to late.....I'm coming sensei....

The foot headquarters came into view.

Mikey's world when black at the edges. He felt this dark and twisted need, a bloodthirsty urge to get to Shredder and just-

Mikey slammed his feet to the ground, skidding to a halt.

He was shaking, eyes wide in horror of what he wanted to do.

He wanted to kill Shredder. He wanted to actively take away a life and Not. Look. Back.

He almost lost himself in the darkness and he knew, the moment he stepped into that building, he would change forever.

His brothers stopped, several meters ahead of him, calling his name.

Rushing in there with no backup wouldn't be easy, even if Leo had devised a plan.

Not even a mile away was the mutanimals' secret hide out, close enough to keep an eye on the foot and the purple dragons but hidden in plain sight.

Decision made, Mikey turned on his heal and called out behind his back.

"Go get dad! I'll bring some help."

He ran as fast as he could, jumping over roofs and sliding down poles to get to ground level.

He pounded on the large silver door, calling out to leatherhead in a shaking voice.

The door slid to the side slightly and the giant-reptiles golden eye appeared. Once he realized it was Michaelangelo who was in need of assistance he pulled him roughly inside.

"Mikey, my friend, what is wrong?" Leatherhead growled softly.

"It's Bishop! His goons got Master Splinter! And they are working with the foot!"

"Then what are we standing around for? Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Hob blowed.

Slash nodded in agreement as the mutanimals took off towards the foot headquarters.

Mikey felt something tingle on the back of his neck and he knew something was off.

It was his connection with his brothers, their aura's almost entwined during a fight and he had only one thought.

Donatello

The world seemed to slow as Mikey burst past the others and towards the Foot Head Quarters.

FASTER MIKEY FASTER!

Five feet until the ledge.

"Mikey wait!" Leatherhead called out.

Three feet.

"It's too far kid!" Hob warned.

One foot.

"You won't make it." Slash roared.

He jumped.

The windrushed past him, full in his ears. In that moment mikey felt all his emotions boil up into the one single focus. He felt the joy of playing video games with Donatello, the happiness at pulling another prank on Raph, the comfort of his father's calm aura and the pride at seeing his eldest lead them towards another adventure.

He felt nothing but love.

The glass shattered.

The attack was unexpected as Mikey flung his nunchucks at the ninja. His chuck had hit temples, making several ninja's crumble to the floor.

Mikey had hit pulse points and had torn legiments, causing the other ninjas to cry out in pain.

Taking a step back, Mikey surveyed the chaos.

Leo and Raph were off to the left. Leo was holding an unconscious sensei in his arms while Raph had defended the pair.

To the right, Hob and Slash were defending an injuried Donatello. Mikey winced at seeing his brothers bent arm. He knew the elbow wasn't supposed to twist that way.

Finally he saw Leatherhead ripping into Bishops men, not holding back in the slightest.

That's when he saw her.

A girl, maybe about nineteen, with (y/h/c) hair bloodly and matted against your temples. Your (e/c) eyes were wide was fear as Shredder held his gauntlet to your throat.

"ENOUGH!" Shredder's voice boomed and the fighting ceased.

"Hand over Hamato Yoshi and I will spare her life!"

You had tears in your eyes but you held your head high. In the loudest voice you could muster, you cried out.

"Don't do it! He'll kill me anyway!"

A sharp flick of the Shredder's wrist and you had winced in pain, a deep wound across your right cheek.

Your eyes met the orange banded turtle, (e/c) against blue.

He sprinted towards you, not thinking twice.

The world around you two became a blur as Mikey rushed forward, his chucks in hands and he aimed the weapon right in Shredder's face.

Crying out in surprise at the bold attack, Mikey took the opportunity to sweep you up in his arms and throw several smoke bombs, giving his friends and family the chance to escape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A soft hand on Mikey's shoulder had the turtle nearly jumping out of his shell.

He turned around and found you there, giving him a soft smile.

His eyes were downcast and his breath was shaking. You knew Splinter- the rat you had learned raised the turtles practically from their 'birth' as mutants- was still unconscious. You knew Donatello, the sassy and technical genius had been in much pain from the fight and that Mikey blamed both of their pain on himself.

His fear that night that he confided in you, made him believe he was worthless.

You took his face in your hands and placed his forehead against yours.

He knew your name. He knew you grew up in a large, close-nit family. He knew of your parents divorce, the impact it had on your mental health, and that you moved to New York to pursue your dream of writing.

You knew his favorite food, color and video games. You knew his fake smiles from his real ones, you knew his joyful nature hid an array of darkness that threatened to snuff out his life.

He knew your eyes sparkled when you talked about something you were passionate about. He knew you were a huge fan of Harry Potter and Disney for the eternal magic they provide. He knew, deep down, you longed for a life of romance and adventure.

You knew each other for three days and yet, you knew each other better then you knew yourselves.

And in this quiet moment, on this rooftop, it was you and him against the world.

#tmnt #yes #my work #mine #tmnt x reader #tmnt 2k3 #tmnt sainw #tmnt leonardo #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2018 #tmnt donnie #tmnt raphael #rise of the tmnt #tmnt donatello #tmnt mikey #shredder #bishop #hobs #leatherhead #slash #angst but sweet at the same time #cute #romance #star-stuck lovers #violence #splinter #damn you shredder

[spectrumscribe]

a solo act is good, too.

a Humanverse general TMNT universe fic, mostly using 2012 versions and borrowing from IDW here and there. i’ve always headcanoned 2012 Mikey as an aro/ace, so on the free day of the lgbtmntweek i decided to finally write a fic up for the hc. 

(not @ them bc of a slight NSFW situation involved. nothing graphic,  it barely lasts more than five sentences.)

“So Mikey, when’d you and Angel start dating?”

Mikey, age nine and a half, hits pause on his current model building project to give a blank stare to his friend across the table. Mondo keeps staring back, expectant.

“What??” Mikey asks.

“Everyone’s saying you’re girlfriend and boyfriend!” Mondo exclaims. He shoves aside his own Lego to lean forwards, whispering fervently, “You know girls have cooties, right?”

“Uh, yeah? Duh,” Mikey says, then remembers that his cousin Karai and friend April will beat him up for saying that, and diverts the subject. “But we’re not dating! Angel just likes Bionicle, that’s all. She’s fun, and we live really close.”

“Girls don’t like Bionicle,” Mondo says. “My sister hates it. She’s gotta be faking it so you guys can date.”

Mikey feels confused. He thought they were just friends who liked the same toys and TV show. And Angel never said so, so they aren’t dating. “But we’re not-!”

“You totally are!”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Boys, settle down,” A passing TA says, and both boys quiet down.

There’s a moment of silence, and Mondo whispers, “Totally dating.”

And Mikey sticks out his tongue, not listening to another word his friend says all through free time. He’ll just ask Angel later, when they walk home from school together.

“My friends were saying the same thing, actually,” Angel says later, when they’re weaving through the streets back to their shared neighborhood.

Mikey scrunches his nose. “What? Why?”

Angel shrugs, reaching up and twisting one of her long dark strands around her finger. “They said we hang out a lot, so we gotta be dating.”

“That’s dumb. Donnie and April hang out a lot and they’re not dating.”

“I said that too, but everyone else thinks they’re dating anyways.”

Mikey groans. “So dumb.”

Angel shrugs again. “It’s not super dumb. I think dating sounds kinda fun.”

“Ew, no.”

“What, you wouldn’t date me?”

“You’re my friend.”

“So?”

“Friends don’t date, they do- friend stuff!”

“My big brother says that dating starts with friendship, though.”

Mikey thinks about that for a moment. “Really? People on TV just kiss a bunch, though.”

“Keno doesn’t kiss his girlfriend too much, they mostly just sit around and talk a lot,” Angel explains. “Or play music in his room, sometimes. So kinda what we do, but I guess big kid stuff instead.”

“So… are we dating, then?” Mikey asks tentatively.

Angel looks at him, contemplative as she examines Mikey’s baggy orange shirt, his cargo shorts, and wildly tangled brown hair. “Maybe? Do you wanna be dating?”

“Uh, we’d still do friend stuff, right?” Mikey doesn’t think kissing part sounds too bad. But only if it’s in little amounts.

“Well duh, we gotta finish Bionicle, right?”

“Oh totally.”

They keep walking for a minute, and Mikey remembers something that people who date are supposed to do. “I think we hold hands now.”

“Oh, right.”

Angel sticks out her hand, and Mikey takes it. They keep walking, go to his house where his brothers are already hanging around in, and they watch Bionicle season 2’s fifth episode together.

They end up kissing possibly three times over the course of the rest of the week, barely pecks on the lips, before Angel says they should probably break up.

“There’s no spark,” She says very seriously. “It’s not you, Mikey, it’s the spark.”

Mikey is hurt for about two seconds, and then shrugs. He’d only really been doing it because people said he’s supposed to. “Okay. You still wanna sleep over?”

It makes a lot more sense, around fourteen, why Angel hadn’t felt any spark for the brief relationship or Mikey. Mostly having to do with her dyeing her hair purple, getting a pink shaded button for her bag, and going steady with Alopex from her apartment building. Mikey isn’t really surprised- Karai had had the same kind of look Angel grew into at the exact same age, and his cousin had been dating girls since she figured out how to bleach her hair.

Mikey, by fourteen, has had exactly one relationship, three first kisses, and lacks motivation to seek out another situation to build those counts. He’s moved on from his Bioncle years- though he keeps some toys, for the sake of nostalgia- and dived headfirst into the Marvel comic’s universe.

The school library has an excellent selection, and at the beginning of his fourteenth year he meets a girl buried up to her ears in that section. Renet and Mikey hit it off immediately, swapping knowledge and recommendations and favorites and strong opinions about individual universes.

“Who’s your friend?” Leo asks after one evening, when Mikey had spent about an hour and a half debating heatedly on the phone. Guardians of the Galaxy verses the Avengers- who did more on the grand scale of things for the earth and its wellbeing? Mikey voted the Guardians, but Renet had fought back valiantly that ground troops frequently made more differences than long-range artillery support.

“Renet! She just moved here like, three weeks ago or something,” Mikey says, hanging up the phone. The debate would have to be continued at school, next lunchtime. He turns to his sixteen year old brother, grinning. “Can she come over for dinner sometime? You guys’ll love her, I swear.”

“Her?” Raph asks loudly from the living room. “Holy shit, did you finally get a girlfriend?”

Mikey frowns. “Uh. No? She’s just my comics buddy.”

“Who you’re inviting for dinner,” Leo says pointedly. “Who you just spent like, two whole hours talking to, instead of texting.”

“Hey Donnie, Mike’s finally got a crush on someone!” Raph hollers. Crashing follows and Donnie skids down the steps of their second story in all his fifteen year old lanky glory. He nearly wipes out on the pile of laundry by the steps.

“Did we get blackmail yet?” Donnie asks immediately, hardly taking the time to steady himself.

“Working on it,” Leo replies.

Mikey slaps his hands over his eyes, groaning. “Guyyys! Shut up! That’s not how this is! She’s just- really cool, okay? And knows about superhero shit!”

He hears his older brothers make disbelieving sounds, and Mikey ignores them all. Maybe he deserves a little teasing- he’d done so to all of them about their crushes- but it’s! Not! Like that!

And then the first school dance of the year rolls around, and Mikey is faced yet again by social pressure to be dating someone. He has limited options for a dance date: his cousin, who scares everyone and is probably too busy to come. His best friend, who has two dates already (Mikey doesn’t know how Mondo managed that or how he’s going to keep that a secret from both dates, but he promises his friend the funeral will be a nice one). His other best friend, but LH is twenty-something and would really scare everybody, even though he’s just a big softie who likes leather too much. None of those dates are acceptable, in hindsight.

Or there’s Renet.

Mikey wants to go to the dance, because dancing is great and he loves social events in general, so he agonizes a bit and finally asks Renet to go with him.

She turns bright pink when he does, and fumbles her hold on issue four of Wolverine and the X-men. “O-oh, Mikey. I didn’t know you, um, felt that way about me?”

Mikey rushes to abolish that idea. “No! I mean- I like you, but not like that! It’s just a stupid dance, okay? I just want to dress up nice and go dancing, I swear.”

Renet sighs in relief. “Okay, good. I’m not really supposed to date until I’m older anyways. I’m glad we don’t have to have such a totally uncomfortable convo.”

Mikey slumps in his chair, huffing. “You and me both. So will you?”

“Be your date?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure! I love dances, they’re totally bodacious,” Renet giggles, and Mikey grins in return. His friend’s outdated slang has to be one of his favorite things about her. He kind of wonders why isn’t crushing on her- Renet is curvy and cute and knows a ton about comics- but she’s just his friend.

Mikey puts that thought aside, and asks Renet what the hell a corsage is.

When the night rolls around, she shows up in a dress and hijab that’s color coordinated and he puts on actual dress pants for once. He wears his favorite flannel and a bowtie borrowed off Donnie- and grins and bears it as his father, brothers, and their friends all snap pictures of him and Renet.

“You two are so cute,” April comments, taking a picture as Mikey sticks his tongue out at her.

“I hate all of you,” He grouches, but smiles again so Renet’s parents will have good photos. At least he gets to have revenge, snatching up a camera and getting all the angles possible of Leo, Donnie, April, Casey, and Raph in their outfits. The five of them are going stag together- for reasons Mikey is Highly Suspicious of, regarding Donnie, Casey, April, and Leo in particular- and he’s only a little mad they didn’t tell him going stag was an option.

The dance itself goes great- good music, good mood, mediocre refreshments and minimal buzzkill from teachers supervising. Mikey sees and meets his family throughout the evening, throwing down on the dancefloor with Renet and their classmates. He sees Leo making his Nervous But Trying Not To Be face as he talks to a couple of his classmates, mostly towards one Asian guy with dyed white hair. Mikey also sees Raph drifting from the group with his friends and twin, towards the punch table and snacks, which leaves Donnie, Casey, and April shimmying in a circle and looking really awkward, and why can’t they just figure themselves out already, jeeze.

Mikey focuses mostly on twirling Renet around, and having fun with that. Mondo, who is soaked in punch from his dates dumping him and going off together, gives Mikey meaningful looks directed towards Renet.

Mikey ignores his friend and highly awkward family members, and just enjoys dancing with his comics buddy. Renet, at the end of the night, is flushed and grinning and Mikey really does wonder why he doesn’t feel the need to kiss her. She is awfully cute.

When the drop her off at home, all they say to each other is a reminder that comic swap is this Thursday and to remember to bring the ones they’d borrow from one another. And then Renet leaves, shutting the door and shutting Mikey inside a van with his stupid nosy family.

“So,” Leo says, and Mikey doesn’t have to look towards the driver seat to hear that grin.

“You two crazy kids kiss tonight?” Casey finishes, poking the back of Mikey’s head. Mikey swats the hand and tells them all to piss off. His family does not in fact piss off and pokes for juicy details for at least another few blocks.

There’s no ‘juicy details’ to tell, even after he and Renet meet up the rest of the week and keep meeting up. They swap comics and have debates and just hang out, still just friends and unchanged from the dance date. Mikey wonders on and off why he doesn’t have a crush on Renet- or anyone, really- but brushes it off in favor of the new Superior Ironman series coming out soon.

It stays that way, through years fifteen and sixteen- while Leo finally works up the courage to admit out loud he likes guys and ask Usagi out, Donnie and Casey and April keep making circles around each other and the elephant in the room, and Raph starts making eyes at a cadet in training he’s met at the gym. Even Renet starts going steady with a boy her family approves of, and she approves of even more so, and Mondo goes through about five more relationships, all ending in various states of chaotic mutuality.

Mikey watches his family and friends all be in love or at least interested in other people, and Mikey just keeps feeling more interested in his comics and skating.

“Maybe you’re gay, like me,” Angel suggests at one point, while they’re sitting at her kitchen table and cramming for a bio test.

“I dunno, maybe?” Mikey answers, and doesn’t feel against dating a guy, but feels about as enthused as he would dating a girl. Or anyone in between, honestly.

“You already tried girls, give some guys a shot. More for me.”

“You thinking of cheating on Alo?”

Angel flicks an eraser at Mikey. It lodges in his coils and he doesn’t even bother getting it out.

“Hell no, and if you say anything like that to her I’ll bust your kneecaps.”

“Noted.”

Mikey actually gives it a shot, dating guys. Dating in general. Keno introduces Mikey to a delivery boy his age at a local pizzeria, and Woody’s not bad to hang out with. He’s got curly hair to Mikey’s coily, freckles except in red, and skates most weekends. And he likes comics, albeit indie ones, and they find a bit of common ground by breaking in each other for new fields of reading.

It goes great, chaste kisses and holding hands and having coffee dates to skate parks- up until Woody asks to take it a step further. And Mikey doesn’t… want to.

“Is it your first time or something?” His boyfriend asks, and Mikey nods. “Then we’ll… wait, I guess. Until you’re comfortable.”

“Thanks,” Mikey says, and tries to not feel guilty for not being ready right now. He knows for a fact Mondo lost his virginity ages ago, described in detail that Mikey had to make his friend shut up about, that Angel lost hers a while ago, told in much less detail, and that most of their classmates have. He also knows that his brothers had at least tried things at this point, and Mikey hasn’t.

He feels a little left behind and frustrated about it.

He tells his buddy, Linnorm Hirutarum, named after a dragon because his parents had been awesome, all about it as LH tends to the vegetable patch behind his tiny house. Mikey flops all over the grass by it, grumbling and sighing, and snitching lettuce when he pretends LH isn’t looking.

“If you are not ready, then you are not ready,” LH says sensibly in his usual growling tone. Which is default for him and basically his version of a warm-fuzzy tone anyways.

“But I should be!” Mikey exclaims. “Everyone else was. Is. Augh.”

“Have you talked about this with Woody?”

“I… I don’t want him thinking it’s about him. Because it’s not! It’s just stupid whatever stuff for me and I need to get over it.”

LH’s shadow falls over him, and Mikey waits for his huge friend to gently lower himself onto the grass. LH’s wide scars move with him as he does, displayed by a sleeveless shirt only in the safety of the hedge protected backyard. His hand comes down on Mikey’s veritable afro, and pats Mikey’s head as he keeps talking.

“I know people who have made rash decisions about these sorts of things,” LH says seriously. “If you are not ready, then do not force yourself to. Respect your own boundaries.”

Mikey sighs, but agrees to respect himself. It’s easy to agree in that moment, with only LH’s non-judgemental presence near him, but it’s harder when he’s with Woody again and trying to explain himself without being rude.

He gives it a try, the whole sex thing. LH said to respect his boundaries, but Mikey thinks he can do it if he just figures out how it goes. Everyone else likes it, so shouldn’t he?

They talk about it, set up a date, and Mikey gets ready to experience the… experience.

It ends up being an unexciting, uncomfortable half hour of sloppy kisses and bumping parts. Mikey tries his best, but can’t figure out why anyone works so hard to experience this.

When it’s all over, Mikey hasn’t felt anything remotely close to pleasure, and actually feels a little over touched. Woody is a bit flushed, breathing fast by Mikey’s ear, but doesn’t seem super pleased either.

“…you didn’t enjoy it, did you?” He asks.

Mikey covers his eyes, and sighs. “No. Sorry.”

“Yeah, I thought you didn’t. Sorry, Mikey.”

“It’s not your fault,” Mikey says, taking his arms away and staring at the ceiling of Woody’s room. “I’m pretty sure this one’s all on me.”

They sit in stiff silence for a moment, before Woody asks if Mikey wants to stay for dinner. Mikey declines as gracefully as he can, and goes home instead. Slogging upstairs and heading into the shower to wash off.

He’s pretty sure he shouldn’t feel so much better, alone in his bedroom and freshly cleaned of the lingering smell of body fluids. His brothers find him there later, in a bathrobe and watching the original Twin Peaks on his laptop, and they ask him why he washed so early.

Mikey debates for a moment, and decides they’ll find out somehow anyways. “I had sex.” He’s unsurprised to hear Leo choke on his own spit, and Raph and Donnie make twin sounds of shock and disbelief. “Yup. Popped the cherry but good. You guys can stop teasing me about it, now.”

Does he sound a little bitter? Mikey thinks he does. From the way his brothers hover awkwardly in the doorway, they heard the bitterness, too.

“…you okay, Mikey?” Leo asks, genuinely concerned.

Mikey shrugs. “I’m fine. It just went awful, that’s all.”

Raph pats Leo on the shoulder, simultaneous with Donnie, as they both silently nominate the eldest to deal with the situation. Leo shoots them both an abandoned look, but steps into Mikey’s room to come sit on his bed. Mikey doesn’t pause his video, using it as a distraction from his prickling shame.

Leo watches him for a moment, before asking, “You used protection, right?” and Mikey groans, covering his face.

“It wasn’t that kind of sex, okay?”

“Oh. Um. Good?”

“Smooth,” Raph comments from the doorway, audibly swatted at by Donnie.

“Anyways,” Leo recovers. “You were both… you talked about it beforehand, right? You both wanted it?”

“Yeah,” Mikey says miserably into his sleeve.

“…you know first times are always bad, right, Mikey? It takes- um- practice-”

“It wasn’t because of that, Leo. You can stop.”

“Thank you,” Leo says gratefully. Donnie and Raph snicker from the doorway. “So… what was it because?”

“I can’t believe this is a conversation we’re having.”

“Shh!”

“If it’s somethin’ that kid did-”

“Raph we talked about that contingency already: only if Mikey says so-”

“It wasn’t Woody,” Mikey says, before death threats start getting thrown around. “It was me, okay? I made it suck.” He takes his arms off his face, shooting a look at all three of his siblings. “And before you say it- no it wasn’t just because it was my first time. It sucked ‘cause I suck and I couldn’t figure out how to enjoy sex, okay?”

A beat of silence, all three of his brothers staring at him, and then Leo breaks the lull.

“Mikey… you don’t ‘figure out’ how to enjoy sex. You just- enjoy it. It happens naturally.”

Mikey’s cheeks burn and he scowls. “Well apparently not with me.”

“Maybe you just haven’t met the right person yet?” Raph suggests. “I mean, you know me and how things go with that.”

Mikey shakes his head. “I kinda doubt it; I’ve tried to get crushes on like, ten different kids at school and nada. Zip.”

Donnie tilts his head, long hair following the movement. “Maybe when you’re older you’ll be more interested?”

Mikey sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe. I hope so. But it’s been like- never a thing, okay? I should’ve had feelings or whatever at some point, at least once, right?”

A collective “uhhhh” from his brothers and Mikey turns over into his pillow to suffocate himself. Leo pats his back comfortingly, saying Mikey should just give himself more time, keep an open mind to chances in the future- and Mikey makes a wordless complaining sound into his pillow for it.

He and Woody break it off a few weeks later. His friend tried, and Mikey recognizes that, but Woody needs a relationship that involves stuff Mikey just… can’t figure out how to give. He tries only two more times before they just call it quits. It’s not working, and trying to make it work is just frustrating for them both.

They keep being friends afterwards, and that’s actually better in the long run. It’s everything Mikey really wanted out of the relationship anyways, so he doesn’t feel like he’s lost anything.

He feels shitty for not being able to put out like he wanted to, though. And that drives him nuts for the rest of the year, until he’s seventeen and graduating finally, and gearing up to follow his siblings to local universities. Donnie graduated ages ago, but stayed local because of their family and he, April, and Casey’s really obvious secret relationship. Casey is in mechanics, and April in general sciences; Donnie is in both and more, because he’s insane. Leo is already a few years into his share of university courses, a hopeful nurse in the future, and Raph is neck deep in his art courses.

Mikey doesn’t know what he’s going to go for, and signs up for a random collection of electives to start with. Social sciences and psychology looks sort of fun, and so do dance courses. But those are months away, and before then is summer, family time, and June’s Pride Parade.

They’ve gone a couple times, when everyone has the day off from work or classes, and this year Mikey doesn’t have a shift at his outreach program scheduled on the parade’s date. So he, his family and friends, all end up watching the parade go by in a loosely connected group.

The standard drag queens, sponsor programs, and generally proud and loud folks roll by, music and cheer its usual levels of boisterousness. Mikey snags a couple plastic necklaces that are being given out, and just enjoys hanging out with his family. He waves to Angel and Alopex as they march by, part of the local lesbian representatives, watching the familiar pink and red flags flutter as they do, but pauses as the next group follows them.

It’s just a handful of people, walking with grey, white, purple, and black flags, mixed with ones very similar but instead of purple, they have green. There’s some polite clapping as they go past, and Mikey nudges Donnie beside him. “Hey, Donnie, what’re those flags for?”

“I… don’t actually know?” His phone is out within seconds, reflexes of a true technology addict. “Let’s see what our almighty lord and savior google has to say about it.” Mikey pushes close, reading as much as he can as Donnie flicks through the search faster than he can take it. “They’re- huh. They’re for ‘asexuality’ and... ‘aromantics’? I don’t even know what the second one is, and I’ve never heard about that first one being applied to anything other than asexual reproduction.”

“More explanation, please?” Mikey asks impatiently.

“It’s says- don’t push, I’m trying to scroll- it says it’s for individuals with little or no sexual drive, or little to no interest in romance. Actually that sounds contradictive, why are they listed together…”

Mikey’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”

“Well, that’s a gross oversimplification of everything here. There’s a spectrum for it, and apparently different categories? This is actually pretty interesting. I wonder why I’ve never read about it before.”

Mikey snags the phone from his brother, scrolling back to the top and rereading the first few paragraphs. He ignores Donnie’s grabby hands and keeps reading, feeling a twisty hopeful emotion build in his chest.

“Here,” He says, tossing the phone back at his brother. “hold my spot.” And he takes off at a jog to catch up with the parade members. They’re not too far ahead, and Mikey just has to avoid slipping on stray necklaces as he runs over to them.

“Hey- hey!” He shouts, catching up with the first person he can. The woman turns questioningly towards him, and Mikey blurts, “When did you- did you first know?”

She blinks at him, adjusting her hold on the big flag pole on her shoulder. “Excuse me?”

“That you’re asexual,” Mikey asks, heart tempo speeding up. “How’d you know?”

She stares at him a second longer, and then grins. “Around the time I had my first girlfriend, and I looked back at the times with my other partners and figured out I was always more interested in watching the movie than I was in making out.”

Mikey grins back. “Yo- same hat!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Totally! My ex always wanted to make out during Luke Cage and I was always like- dude no there’s good stuff happening. That’s. Wow.” Mikey feels a little breathless. “So that’s what it is? It’s not like- just a me thing?”

He barely hears the crowd around them, his focus tunneled around the conversation and the woman holding the flag. Mikey waits for a denial or an okay, a little scared while he’s so excited.

The woman smiles kindly. “No, that’s not just a you thing. We’re not a huge community, but there’s aces out there. Do you think you’re one of us?”

“I don’t know, I’m- I’m hoping so?” Mikey’s heart does a little twist. “I mean. My bro just pulled up the google explanation, and it sounds really, really. Um. Like me?”

The woman reaches up to the front of her jean jacket, and reaches into a pocket. When she pulls out her hand, she holds something out to Mikey.

“Look into it a little more, but if you think asexuality fits you- then welcome to the club, kid.”

Mikey takes the little button, grinning ear to ear. He thinks he’s shaking he’s so ecstatic. “Hey, would it be cool if I hugged you right now? I think you just solved like half my life problems.”

The woman laughs, and holds her arm out. It’s an awkward hug, because they’re both still walking and she’s carrying a flag, but Mikey appreciates it wholly.

When he comes back to his family, he’s got a new pin stuck to his shirt and an elated, hopeful feeling in his chest behind it.

“Hey guys, guess what?”

Turns out, not really feeling like dating people is fine all on its own.

So while Leo and Usagi go through the ups and downs of long-standing relationships, Donnie, Casey, and April all share their usual collective awkwardness and romantic overtures, Raph finally lands a date with the cadet Y’Gythgba he’s been following around for ages, and Karai and Shinigami disappear over the eastern horizon to share their seventh anniversary-

Mikey cracks a fresh pile of comics in his bedroom, turns up his music, and calls Renet on Skype to have a comparison hangout of their latest picks. He hangs out with Mondo and Woody around the skate park before that, and rolls by Angel’s place to say hi to his friend and her family on the way back. He pops in at LH’s place, trading half the casserole Angel’s mom gave to him for fresh veggies, chatting about his day so far and plans for a comic binge later. He sees his friends, does what he always does with them, and departs from them all one after another.

When he goes home, enjoying the summer heat all on his own and excited to video call his best girl who-is-his-friend and nothing more- he doesn’t feel even the slightest bit lonely as he walks. Like he always has.

#My writing #tmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt IDW #michelangelo #asexuality #what a great kid #i really enjoy relating to him on this subject #as well as sliding a few good pairings along the sidelines mhm #and fyi y'gythgba eventually joins the paratroopers and is raph's really cool and buff gf #and shinigami has her nickname in here because of her status as a veritable reaper in the online games she plays #And yes #the capritello trio do eventually figure themselves out and establish a relationship officially #all good things

[tmntreasures]

We have to break up... (Michelangelo)

Prompt:

   It was an unfortunate circumstance, but it was simply inevitable. College was pricey in New York and takes a long time to complete, especially for what you wanted to go for. But there was a small glimmer of hope; there was a community college in your home town that cut the completion time in half and was still accredited.

   There was just one problem: your hometown was six states away.

   This unfortunately made the possibility of a long distance relationship an impossible option. Although you would be living with family, you felt like you had an obligation to contribute to the household and would be working during your summer and holiday breaks; and of course the turtles couldn't just hop on a plane to see you either, especially with your college being so far away. There wouldn't even be anytime for the two of you to communicate online either; there was the time zone difference to worry about, plus the turtle's patrols were always irregular and hard to schedule around, especially if they happened to run into a Foot patrol. Then there was the possibility of enemies finding out where you were. If they were to hack into one of your e-mails and find out where you were currently living, there would be no way the turtles could come save you. You would be putting yourself and your family in danger. There was no other option...

   You had to break up.

Michelangelo:

   You knew Michelangelo would try to joke about it at first. He did not even give you a chance to explain why it wouldn’t work before the orange-clad turtle just started spewing random facts about comic characters. For the first two days you paid it no mind; if this was his way of coping with the bad news, then so be it. You two could always have a more in-depth conversation about it all later.

   It had been two weeks after you told him of your impending move and he still would not acknowledge it. First you wanted to wait and see if he would bring it up, but the turtle just kept talking about how cool he looked doing a front flip before knocking out some Foot Ninjas. You made sure you looked annoyed throughout his whole tale of action-packed ninja moves and flips, hoping he would notice and ask if something was wrong.

   During his retelling he would look at you to make sure you were listening and knew exactly the type of look you were giving him. He figured if he ignored it, that you would stop making that face and then you would not have to talk about what you brought up days ago. Sometimes he would look back at you and cringe when the same glare was still on your face. It was one of the few things that made him uneasy; and every time he looked again, your glare seemed to get more and more intense.

   “And then...! Then...” He paused and finally caved. His hands clapped together and he begged, “Babe, please stop looking at me like that, okay?”

   “I'll stop when you stop avoiding the subject!” You snapped, eyes shooting daggers.

   He winced at the tone of your voice and held his hands up. “Okay, okay! Fine, we'll talk!” He grumbled and sat down in front of you, crossing his legs. “What do you want to talk about?” He asked in a bored tone.

   This seemed a little too easy. You narrowed your eyes in suspicion but straightened your back anyway. “Well...I want to make sure you're going to be okay.”

   He chuckled nervously and his eyes looked about the room. “Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay?”

   An annoyed grumble came out of you as your hand rubbed your face. “Mikey, c'mon. You know what I'm talking about.”

   He shook his head and stood up, turning his back to you. “Mmmm, nope! No I don't.” Suddenly he snapped his fingers and turned on his heel. “Oooh, I know! You mean if I'm okay with tacos being your favorite food instead of pizza? Then yeah, I'm okay with it. Even though your opinion is wrong,” that big grin forced itself across his face and he turned around again.

   Your mouth fell open in disbelief. He really was gonna do this? Again!?

   You slapped your hands on your thighs, before throwing them up into the air. "Okay, fine!! If you don't wanna talk about it, then fine! But I do have something to say, and you're gonna hear it! I'm leaving Mikey!! And we have to break up!" You exclaimed.

   The moment you had started yelling Michelangelo covered his head and hollered. "Whaaat? I can't hear youuu! I got uh...wax build up!" The childish turtle started walking out of the room, still hollering. "I'm gonna have Donnie look at it, so it's gonna take all day. You should go home and we can try again tomorrow, 'kay?" He glanced in your direction to flash a nervous smile at you before rushing out of the room.

   "Mikey!!" You called out to him, but he didn't return. You wouldn't be beaten that easily though. You had to get the message through Michelangelo's big head. Even if that meant using the one thing he loved the most against him. You pulled out your cellphone from your front pocket, and dialed a number. "Yes, hi. I'd like to make an order for delivery."

   About forty five minutes passed before a pizza delivery guy arrived. No doubt he thought it was strange to meet you in the alley way, all by your lonesome to pick up the order, but once he got his tip he could care less. You brought the food through the sewers, and once you got back to the lair, the other brothers were following behind.

   "So, what'cha got there?" The turtle in red leaned over your shoulder.

   You swatted him away. "It's not for you, it's for Mikey!"

   "So, what, he gets breakup pizza and we don't?" Raph huffed.

   "To be fair, it would be easy for Raph to get a break-up pizza. If he ever got any," Donatello teased but paused. The lean turtle shook his head and nudged your arm. "Don't look now, but someone's watching..."

   The smell of pizza had lured Michelangelo out of his hiding spot, but once he saw it was you holding the precious box he stayed hidden behind a wall. He would peer around the corner now and then to see if you had left yet, but for once he was upset to see you still standing there with the food balancing in your hand.

   There was an endless battle going on inside of his head. On the one hand, his favorite person was holding his favorite food just feet away from him; it was like a dream come true! However, he knew it was a trap. There were things you wanted to tell him that should only exist in nightmares.

   "Mikey, man up and get out here!" Leonardo ordered.

   You smirked a little and put a hand on your hip, while holding the pizza box in your other hand. "Couldn't have said it better myself." You said teasingly.

   Leo smiled as well, and leaned down to whisper in your ear, "Save me a slice."

   You rolled your eyes and shook your head. "Go." You dismissed the other turtles, and they followed your command.

   Now it was just you and Michelangelo.

   Panic settled in as soon as his brothers started to leave. "Guys, hey! Don't leave me alone!" The youngest begged as he slowly came out from behind the wall. "C'mooon! W-we're brothers!"

   Donatello waved his comment away and shook his head. "Sorry Mikey. You gotta learn to face your problems on your own."

   He whined as his brothers continued to walk away. "But! I..!" He groaned when they disappeared. "How is it my problem when I didn't do anything wrong?" He muttered under his breath, crossing his arms in a pouting motion.

   You walked over to their dining room table, and sat down at it with the pizza. You tapped on the seat next to you and smiled at the turtle. "Please?"

   Blue eyes darted from the pizza then to you multiple times as he tried to judge the situation as best as he could. It was hard to think though with that wonderfully greasy aroma wafting through the air though. A tiny whimper came out of him before he finally gave in to the temptation.

   He was silent when he walked over, but as soon as he sat down he huffed. "You're lucky I think you're cute."

   You smiled again, but sighed soon after. "This sucks. It really does, but...we gotta try to make the best of it. I don't wanna leave you on bad terms. So we need to talk about it."

   "Hm? What'd you say?" He kept his arms crossed and barely looked at you. The air was getting tense and he did not like it.

   "Mikey," you said sternly. Grabbing his face and turning it towards yours. You stared deep into his eyes, not allowing him to break contact.

   When he stared at you, all of the memories he had came rushing back to him. How you two met, how much fun you both had, how you knew exactly the best way to get on each other's nerves. Now you wanted to leave all that for school and not bring him along? How was that fair? Anger, confusion, and sadness made his insides run cold.

   "D-don't look too long. You m-might change your mind, " He managed to choke out, doing his best to keep the tears at bay.

   Hearing him begin to choke up triggered emotions of sadness that you thought were long gone; apparently they had been drowned out by your feelings of annoyance due to Mikey blatantly ignoring the problem at hand. Your eyes became watery, and you sniffled a little. "You know I love you."

   "Then why are you leaving?" He groaned, hands gripping yours desperately. "There's tons of schools in New York! Can't you pick one of them?"

   “I would've done that by now if I could,” you started to explain. You have seen the giant turtle mope before, but this was just heart breaking. He had not even made a move for the box yet.

   Though it seemed you spoke too soon. A hesitant hand reached for the lid; it was as if he was debating if he actually wanted any or not. When he finally flipped the lid open his face scrunched in confusion.

   “Aw man,” He grumbled as he lifted up a calzone instead of a slice of pizza. “Great day to get your order wrong.”

   You licked your lips nervously before clearing your throat. “Actually, it's right.”

   There was a look of betrayal on his face as his mouth hung open. He practically threw the Italian food back into the box and began to rant. “Cool! No, great! First you're changing states now you're changing food!” He fumbled for words for a second, “You got anything else you want to tell me?”

   You sat there in silence, waiting for him to calm down first. Just as you were about to say something he interrupted.

   “I don't want it to be over.”

   It sounded more like a demand than a request. Despite this, you could hear his voice waver and shake and see the light that glistened off the tears that trickled down his cheeks.

   “Mikey--”

   “I don't want you to go!” He slammed his hands on the table to hide the crack in his voice.

   You tensed at his reaction but stayed firm; you had to be strong for both of your sake's. “Michelangelo I don't like this either but--”

   “Then why!?” He stood so fast that he knocked the chair back. Tears were streaming down his face but he made no move to wipe them away. Only a fraction of the sadness and hurt could be seen in his eyes as he glared down at you. “Why are you leaving if you don't want to?”

   “Because I have to!” You hollered, feeling your cheeks start to burn in frustration. It had been hard enough for you to come to terms with moving so far away; this added guilt-trip from him was not making it any easier.

   His jaw clenched and lips twitched as he tried to find something to say. Life was just playing a cruel joke on him all along; somehow he had gotten a hold of you as a girlfriend and just as things were really picking up, you had to leave. Not even for a short amount of time either, but for three years.

   “Okay. Then...I have to go with you.” He nodded his head.

   “Mikey, you can't.”

   He held up a green finger and stared you in the eyes. “Yes I can! I can sneak into the cargo part of the plane.”

   “I'm driving to Colorado,” you argued with crossed arms.

   He paused in thought and continued. “Okay then. I'll sneak into the moving van. And then sneak out when you get there!”

   His stubbornness was cute sometimes, but now was not the time for it. “Then where would you live for three years, huh?”

   A scoff came out of him and he gestured to his surroundings. “The sewers. Duh!”

   You raised a skeptical brow at him. “By yourself?”

   There was a slight hesitation from the turtle before he nodded. “Yes?” He sounded unsure of his answer.

   “Michelangelo,” You started, standing up and walking up to him. “Your brothers need you here.”

   He tried to wave your comment off, “Yeah right. They don't need me.”    “Yes, they do,” you grabbed his hands and squeezed them tightly. “You need them and they need you.”

   For a moment all he did was rub your hands with his thumbs, his eyes locked on the digits. “I need you too,” the words were barely above a whisper.

   You stared down at his hands and thought long and hard about what you were going to say next. “Well, you spent fifteen years without me. What's three years compared to that?” When no response came out of him you motioned towards the food still on the table. “C'mon. I can't finish that calzone alone. I know you'll like it.”

   He looked up at you and then down at the deceitful box. “I'll try,” he paused and then added in a slightly more cheerful tone, “but it will never replace pizza.”

–

   The next couple of days were not as bad as you thought they would be. Granted, Michelangelo would still refuse to talk about your impending move, but he still wanted to hang out like normal. It was nice, reading comics and watching shows as if you were not about to leave. The only thing that gave it away was he clung to you like glue. Any opportunity he had to touch you he would; if he could follow you into a room or hall he would be there on your heels like a lost puppy. It was cute until you had to go to the bathroom or turn in for the night.

   The only reason you did not get too mad at him was you understood why he was doing it. The poor mutant was just squeezing in as much time with you as he could before you left for college. Besides, you would be lying if you said you did not like the attention. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end.

   On the day before the move, you sent Michelangelo a message, telling him you had to stay home to finish packing. Surprisingly, he told you not to worry about it. Then he sent you a second message, saying he would see you tonight anyway. You sighed but figured you could stay awake for a couple of hours for him. After all, it would be the last time you see each other.

   Hours passed. Boxes were taped shut, big pieces of furniture were carefully brought downstairs and loaded into the truck. The only thing left in your room was the bed, a comforter, a pillow, a change of clothes for tomorrow, and a few necessary toiletries. The moonlight illuminated the barren walls more so than usual. A lump started to form in your throat as it was getting hard to see.

   A tap on your shoulder made you jump and turn quickly. Standing behind you was that familiar green face with a smile plastered on. You put a hand over your racing heart, hoping the gesture would slow it down somehow.

   “Why didn't you knock first?” You breathed, trying to keep your voice down so your parents would not hear.

   “I wanted to surprise you,” He grinned.

   "Yeah. Surprise me with a heart-attack!" You hissed before hitting his arm playfully.

   "I was kinda hoping your parents wouldn't be home... Then I could send you off with a 'bang'." He said jokingly, and finger gunned at you with a wink.

   You could feel the heat radiate off your blushing cheeks as you smacked him again. "Michelangelo!" You scolded him halfheartedly. "Is that why you kept following me around yesterday?”

   "Maaaaybe." He crossed his arms behind his head and grinned. "But you know.. If you still wanna, I got a way we could cover it up!" He reached a hand behind him for a moment before pulling out a cd case. He held it between two fingers, and there was a little orange turtle drawn on the cd with what looked like to be sharpie.

   Your heart melted at the sight of the CD case. "Aww, Mikey!" You smiled and took the case from him, making a cooing noise when you noticed the hand-drawn turtle on there. "Aww! This is so sweet of you!" You got on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. You looked at he CD case but then quickly turned back to him . "But no. We might not hear them come in if we have this too loud."

   Mikey chuckled, and waved you off. "I'm just kiddin’ babe! Mostly." He mumbled. He glanced over at the packed boxes and frowned a bit. “Do ya think we could listen to a few songs now?"

   At the sound of his voice you nodded. "Sure, just gimme a sec," you patted his arm and fished out your laptop. Once it was ready you popped the CD in and turned the volume down low enough for only the two of you to hear. "Are they good road-trip songs?" You asked before really listening to what the first song was.

   "Some." He walked over to your bed and sat down on it. "Some are just," He fiddled with his sunglasses that were hanging off his neck. "Something to remember me by," he smiled a little and shrugged as the first song began to play.

   It was a single by Vanilla Ice, with the main chorus being "Go ninja, go ninja, go!"

   At the sound of the song you smirked. Typical Michelangelo. “You know I'd never forget you,” You smiled, sitting down next to him.

   "Yeah..." He said quietly and smiled again, but this time not as brightly. He looked back to his sun glasses and stayed quiet for a while as the songs played.

   The first couple songs were familiar pop songs, and you were thankful for them because they'd keep you awake for the drive. But as you got further into the list, the songs switched focus. A love song began playing, and you could see Michelangelo was concentrating on the lyrics. His eyes started to water, and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep any tears from squeezing out.

   The song really was touching and you could feel your gut twist, already missing the mutant turtle. You intertwined your arms together until your hands grasped one another. You then rested your head on his firm green shoulder.

   “I love it Mikey,” you whispered, simply enjoying his company and the music that played.

   After a while, his emotions got the best of him and the tears began to flow. He clenched his eyes shut, and whimpered a little. "You... You sure there's nothing I could do to make you stay?" His voice was squeaky, and he gripped your hand tight.

   "Not unless you got a diploma with my name on it," When you felt his tears fall on you it made your throat tighten. You sat up and used your free hand to try and wipe the salty water from his face. "I'm glad I got to spend time with you."

   Michelangelo sniffled and wiped his nose. He turned his head to yours, tears still falling from his eyes. "I'm--I'm s-s-sorry. Th-they w-won't.. s-stop!!" He tried wiping at his eyes, now frustrated that he couldn't hold them back.

   You could not stop yourself from letting out a quick giggle, but the amusement was lost when you could feel your own tears drawing near. "W-well make them! You're gonna make me...c-cry next!" You throat constricted with every word, forcing down the sobs so as to not alert your parents. Instead you pulled him in for a tight hug, crying into the side of his neck.

   Mikey wrapped his arms around you, practically engulfing you since you were so small compared to him. He bent his head down, and sobbed violently into your shoulder. When he stopped to breathe, that part of your shirt was soaked. He took a few choppy breaths before whimpering out. "I l-love you so much! And I always will!! Forever! And-and! Even longer th-than that!"

   You wiped at your own cheeks and nose, trying to focus on his face through your blurred vision. "I love you too!" You stopped for a second and nodded, "I-I'll come back. As soon as I can, I'll come back here. I promise!" You did not care if you were promising the improbable; you just wanted him to know how much he really meant to you.

   "You better!!" Mikey held your hands tightly in his and rest his forehead on yours for a moment, before kissing you on this lips. He gave you no time to reciprocate. The kisses were sloppy and wet, and came one right after the other. Luckily for you, the turtle couldn't hold his breath for long and had to pull back, his breathing shaky.

   You giggled under his reign of kisses and bumped your forehead teasingly on his. You sat there in silence for a minute and then looked at your door in thought. Though it would be risky doing anything but talking, what with your parents home and all, that did not mean he had to leave immediately.

   "Listen," you spoke in a whisper, afraid your mother or father would somehow hear you. "We can't do anything, but if you want to sleep here tonight, that's fine." A smile tugged at your cheeks and you nodded at your phone. "I'll just set my alarm an hour early to give you time to head out."

   Michelangelo gasped a little at your offer. "Yes!" He said a little too excitedly and squeezed your hands tight again.

   Immediately your hand yanked out of his grip, putting a finger to your mouth. "Shhh!" You hissed through a smile. "We gotta keep it down, remember?"

   "Oh!" His eyes widened a little and he covered his mouth. His cheeks lit up red and he grinned. "Sorry." He whispered.

   The rest of the night had been perfect. The two of you just sat on your bed, listening to music, and making idle chit-chat. There were a few kisses here-and-there and a couple tearful embraces. Just as you were both about to lay down and go to sleep, the alarm on your phone went off.

   You grabbed it in disbelief; there was no way it was time yet. You had not even gotten a wink of sleep! Despite seeing the clock on your phone you still ventured to the window and saw the sun peeking over the horizon. The sky was colored a wonderful yellow and purple and you could smell the moisture of morning dew in the air.

   “Guess I'm really not waking up huh?” Michelangelo's voice cut through the silence.

   “No,” you mumbled. The realization of leaving suddenly took hold of you. You gripped the windowsill and felt another wave of tears coming. “I'll...I'll listen to that CD every--”

   The sound of footsteps outside your bedroom made both of you snap to attention. Michelangelo leaped out of your bed as you started to open the window for him.

   “Hurry! Go, go!” You urged him along in a whisper, waving for him to move faster.

   He stopped when he got to the window and looked at you. “You sure you don't want to stay?”

   “Mikey,” You whined a little.

   The smile on his face put you at ease, “Kiddin', Babe!” He stared at you for a long time and shrugged. “So...I will see you later right?”

   You gave him a weak smile and a quick peck on the cheek. “Much later,” There was a knock on your door, making your heart race. “One second!” You called out before you started pushing the ninja out your window. “Go! I love you!”     

   “Okay, okay!” He hopped onto the fire escape silently and looked at you one more time. “Love you too,” He waved and then jumped off the side, disappearing into the shadowy alley below.

#TMNT #TMNT 2016 #MichelangeloxReader #TMNTxReader #CharacterxReader

[thatcrazyfanfictionwriter]

Secret of the Sewers: H.A.T.E.

In a secluded brownstone on the edge of town, several angry New Yorkers were gathered up. Each was shouting and jeering, the walls decorated with old newspaper clippings and blurry tabloid photos. All of these decorations had one thing in common: they all had something to do with 'mutants' or 'monsters'. As the crowd roared, one man in particular went ahead of them to speak. He was an older man with poliosis, meaning he had black hair with a white patch where his bangs were. He wore cargo pants and a tactical vest over a black shirt with an x over an alien symbol.

"People of New York, you know why you're here!" He spoke. "We're here because we're the only ones willing to take action against these mutant freaks!"

The crowd exploded into angry jeers and shouts, throwing their fists in the air.

"These monsters have run rampant in our city while the police and the government have done jack to stop them!" He resumed. "Well now, it's time for the good people of this city to stand up for themselves!"

The crowd cheered again.

"It is time for us to show these monsters that they aren't welcome on our planet!"

The cheering grew louder.

"We've searched all over the city to try and find these freaks, but we haven't found a trace of them." the man went on. "That's when it hit me. They're not in our city..."

He slapped a map of the New York City drainage system that was tacked onto the wall.

"They're UNDER it!" he shouted. "Hiding right under our noses! Now we just need to smoke em out..."

…

Down in the lair, everyone was trying to find something to alleviate their ever growing cabin fever. Leo had retreated into the dojo, practicing his katas over and over. Raph was taking out his frustrations on his punching bag, with the occasional break to patch up a bad hole. Donny was tucked away in his lab, working on one of the many projects he'd begun in order to keep himself busy. Hisako was currently playing video games in the living room, enjoying the mundane nature of the activity. Splinter just sat in his room, meditating. Mikey peeked in to check on him, Klunk tucked under his arm as he did. Once he was certain the rat master was busy, he slipped passed him and made his way to Donny's lab.

"This is gonna be sweet." he whispered, holding a water balloon in his other hand.

Klunk meowed in agreement as Mikey gave a light knock on Donny's lab door.

"It's open!" Donny called out.

Mikey just knocked again, stifling a giggle. Donny sighed, then went to open the door. Before he could get a word off, he was pelted in the face by a water balloon.

"Yes!" Mikey proclaimed. "Dr. Prankenstein strikes again!"

"Michelangelo!" Donny screamed, prompting the orange turtle into motion.

"Uh… got other patients I need to see." Mikey let out. "Gotta go!"

He then bolted out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Donny tried to open the door, but it seemed to be stuck from the other side.

"Mikey!" Donny cried out. "Let me out of here right now!"

"Nope!" Mikey called out, already preparing to go after his next 'patient'.

Leo meanwhile, continued working his katas. Each movement was precise and focused, his concentration unbreakable. Mikey used this to his advantage, using every lesson in ninja stealth he had to sneak up behind him. He then threw the water balloon, Leo instinctively slicing through it. This sent the contents splashing all over him, much to his annoyance.

"Mikey…" Leo let out.

"Yes Leo?" Mikey asked.

"...run."

Mikey obliged and beat feet out of the dojo, slamming the door shut behind him. Unlike Donnie, Leo knew immediately it was blocked from the outside, the orange turtle having planned ahead. Wiping his face, he resumed his katas, assured that Mikey would get his dues when he went after the fourth turtle.

"Hey Raph?" Mikey called out innocently.

"What?" Raph questioned, still wailing on his bag.

"There's a giant spider in the bathroom." Mikey told him. "Can you squish it for me?"

"You're kidding right?!" Raph called back.

"Please Raphie, it's huge!" Mikey begged. "Even Klunk's scared of it."

Mikey held up Klunk, who gave a small meow while putting on his cute eyes.

"Alright!" Raph relented, opening the door. "This had better be a big-"

A water balloon collided with the back of his head, then Raph heard the sound of the door slamming shut and something heavy being slid in the way.

"MIKEY!" Raph yelled, trying to open the door.

"Forget it, Raph." Donny called through the wall. "Mikey's tagged us and trapped us. He planned this entire thing."

"Why are you so calm about this?!" Raph snapped.

"Two reasons." Donny answered. "One, he has to let us out eventually. And two, there's only one other person he can hit, and we all know how that's gonna end."

"Oh yeah." Raph recalled. "I can't wait to see how that plays out."

Hisako was still in the middle of her video game, and Mikey could tell it was reaching a climactic part. Mikey wound up his arm and heaved the balloon right at her head. Inches before it hit though, it stopped midair, a green halo of energy surrounding it. Mikey went wide-eyed, then he heard the sounds of his brothers being freed from their various rooms. Very slowly, he turned, watching as Donny and Raph walked out, both grinning maliciously. Even Leo took a break from his katas to come out and face down his brother.

"Hehe..." Mikey let out nervously. "Hey… guys..."

Without looking up from her game, more water balloons began floating in the air, gathering around Mikey like birds of prey. He dropped Klunk, the cat quickly scurrying to safety as Mikey braced himself.

"Not again." he squeaked.

From Splinter's room, the sound of a dozen or so water balloons hitting Mikey reached his ears. He sighed as Mikey squealed from the cold water and shock, shaking his head.

"Kids." he muttered.

"Ok! Ok! Uncle!" Mikey yelled. "I give! I give!"

Hisako finished her level, letting out a small victorious hiss before turning to her brothers.

"When are you going to learn, Mikey?" she questioned. "You're never going to hit me with a water balloon."

"Can't blame a guy for trying… right?" Mikey replied.

"Even so, locking us in separate rooms was not a good idea." Leo chastised.

"I was gonna let you out." Mikey promised. "I was just hoping if I kept you away from Hisako, she wouldn't know what I was planning."

"Well, you failed miserably." Donny remarked.

"Now you get to clean up all this water." Raph declared. "And I better not find any balloon remnants anywhere, or I'll make you eat them."

"Alright, alright." Mikey agreed, going to get a mop.

…

Out in the city, Casey was riding along on his bike, keeping an eye out for any trouble. With the turtles still homebound, crime had gone up, prompting Casey to go out at night to keep the peace. At the moment, everything seemed to be quiet, much to his annoyance.

"This would be so much better if I had someone with me." he lamented. "No wonder the guys always travel together."

As he drove along, several trucks sped past him, going easily twice the speed limit.

"What the heck?" Casey let out. "Where are they off to in such a hurry?"

Casey then drove off after the truck, keeping a safe distance as he did so. He followed them all the way to the Lairdman Island Chemical plant, where the trucks stopped and several large men came out.

"Alright Skonk, what's the plan?" one asked the black and white haired leader.

"The chemical the boys found out about should be inside." Skonk replied. "We find it, load it up, and make those mutants pay."

"Mutants pay?" Casey muttered. "Chemical? This could be bad."

He then ducked into the crowd, sliding his hockey mask on to obscure his face as the group all did the same with their own masks. He followed them as they split up, hitting the security cameras with paint balls. The guards standing outside the building were quickly and efficiently knocked out, laid down on the ground so they would be out of the way.

"Damn, these guys are professionals." Casey whispered.

He continued following the group as they made their way towards the storage area for the various chemicals.

"So, how do we know what this chemical looks like?" Casey asked, trying to sound like one of the group.

"Just look for anything that says 'chlorosulfonic acid'." one of the men told him.

Casey froze up, then let out a cough to play it off.

"Right, right." he let out. "And uh… what are we gonna do with it again?"

The same guy let out a groan.

"Jeez, weren't you listening at all during the rally?" He questioned. "He grab the acid, we take it into the center of the city, then pour it down into the storm drains. It detonates and eradicates all the monsters lurking down there, and our city is creature free."

"Right… great plan." Casey replied.

"I know, right?" the guy replied. "Those mutants are toast!"

Casey nodded nervously, grateful his mask was hiding the look of abject horror on his face.

"Jackpot boys!" Skonk suddenly shouted. "I found what we need!"

The others turned towards Skonk and watched as he climbed triumphantly onto a pile of chemical drums. They all had water hazard signs on them, as well as the name of the chemical itself. When Casey saw how many drums there were, he felt his heart skip a beat, fearing the worst for his friends.

"Grab as many as we can carry!" Skonk commanded. "When we're through, no one will mess with New York again!"

Looking around for anything he could use, Casey eyed the fire alarm on a nearby wall. Carefully backing towards it, he grabbed it and yanked. Almost immediately, alarms began blaring all throughout the facility, as well as a pre-recorded message demanding for an evacuation.

"What the hell?!" Skonk let out. "Who just-?!"

He saw Casey over by the fire alarm, just about to make his exit.

"Seems we have a traitor in our midst!" Skonk shouted. "Grab him!"

Casey took that as a cue to bolt, a certifiable army chasing after him while the rest grabbed the chemicals. As Casey ran through the warehouse, he grabbed a nearby shelf and pulled it over, knocking it down and slowing his pursuers down as Casey made his way out to his bike. He hopped on and started the engine, shooting off down the street as the goons came out.

"He's getting away!" one of the men cried out.

"Let 'im." Skonk declared. "We can't waste any more time. Grab the stuff before the cops show up!"

The man nodded as he and the others got to work collecting the chemicals and heading out.

…

Back down in the lair, Mikey had finished up cleaning his water balloon mess, plopping down on the couch and letting out an exaggerated sigh. Hisako paused her game, turning to him.

"Yes, Mikey?" she asked.

"I'm bored." Mikey whined. "I miss the surface. Being able to go topside and stretch our legs. Rooftop running and star gazing."

He let out another sigh, sinking deeper into the couch.

"When is this turtle hunt gonna end?" He questioned.

"It can't last forever." Leo assured him, joining him on the couch.

"Leo, you've been saying that for weeks." Raph pointed out. "And in that time, we've had cops on our tail, a bounty on our heads, a crazy guy lurking in the sewers, and the five of us so worked up that we're practically at each other's throats."

"I know it's been hard," Leo admitted, "but we gotta stick it out a little longer."

Just then, the entrance to the lair opened up, everyone immediately on edge. They relaxed, however, when they realized it was Leatherhead. Hisako grinned, rushing to him and jumping onto him.

"Leatherhead!" she cheered.

"Hey LH." Donny greeted. "Not that this isn't a nice change of pace, but what are you doing here? I thought we warned you that the sewers may not be safe."

"You did." Leatherhead replied, picking up Hisako and balancing her in one arm. "That's why... I'm here... I was worried... about Oracle."

"Awww." Hisako let out, nuzzling him. "I missed you too, big guy."

He just held her close, prompting Don, Raph, and Mikey to poke fun. Mikey immediately started making kissing noises, Donny and Raph snickering at his antics.

"Get a room, you two." Raph called out.

"What's the matter?" Hisako quipped. "Jealous my boyfriend came to visit?"

"Eh, ignore them." Leo told her. "They just have nothing better to do."

At that moment, Hisako's shell cell started ringing. She blinked, fishing for it and pulling it out of her jacket.

"Unknown number." she reported.

"Maybe it's a telemarketer?" Mikey suggested.

"Not possible." Donny insisted. "I've got our phones set to automatically redirect sales calls to a John Cena line."

"You totally got that off Tumblr." Hisako accused.

"Hey, it works." Donny shrugged.

"If it's not a telemarketer, then who could it be?" Leo asked.

"One way to find out." Hisako decided, answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Greenie, it's Casey."

"Oh hey Case." Hisako greeted. "You break your phone again? You better not have been out being a vigilante again."

"You got bigger problems than that." Casey told her. "A group of mutant haters has gotten ahold of a chemical that'll blow up the sewers."

Hisako went pale, switching her phone to speaker.

"Say that again?" she asked.

"A group of mutant hating psychos broke into a warehouse and stole some acid that'll incinerate everything in the sewers." Casey elaborated. "Including you guys."

"Acid?" Donny repeated. "What kind of acid?"

"Chlorosulfonic acid." Casey relayed. "They made off with a few barrels of it."

Donny's face lost several shades of green as he stumbled back. He caught himself on the couch as Splinter came out, drawn closer by the commotion.

"What is going on out here" Splinter asked.

"Some yahoos stole some clock oh sardonic acid." Mikey supplied.

"Chlorosulfonic acid." Donny corrected, still looking terrified. "It reacts violently with water, causing a powerful combustion."

"And we… live… in the storm drains..." Leatherhead realized.

"Not only will these guys completely torch us and every other living creature down here, but the sheer force of the explosion will cause massive damage to the entire tunnel system. They could collapse half the city."

"Yeah, well they don't seem to care about that." Casey informed. "They're hell bent on seeing you guys burn, no matter the cost."

"So what do we do?" Mikey questioned.

"We need to get out of the storm drain, that much is certain." Splinter declared.

"But where would we go?" Hisako asked. "We're clearly not wanted on the surface, and I doubt Lisa's place can accommodate all of us."

"More than that, hundreds if not thousands of people could get hurt because of this scheme." Donny added.

"Then we find these hatemongers and shut them down." Leo decided. "Do you have any idea where they'll be setting up shop?"

"My guess, the heart of the city." Donny proposed. "Perfect place to draw a crowd."

"And to ensure mass distribution of the chemical." Casey agreed. "More than that, it will be impossible for anyone to sneak up on them."

"They haven't met us." Leo replied.

"I will come." Leatherhead declared. "They threaten… my home… my friends..."

"Not that we wouldn't appreciate the help, but we can't afford to be seen." Donny tried to tell him.

"D, that ship sailed a long time ago." Raph told him bluntly. "We need all the help we can get."

"Then let's go." Leo declared.

…

Across town, Skonk and his men got all of the chemicals poured into a massive truck, ready to dump down into the storm drain. They had also barricaded off the streets with cars, dumpsters, and anything else they could find that was heavy enough.

"Streets are nearly blocked off, boss." one of the men reported.

"Good." Skonk declared. "Nobody gets in or out without my say so."

The man nodded as he got back to work.

Meanwhile, the police were pulling up, stopping when they saw the barricades. One car had Kara and Sterns, who got out to inspect what was happening.

"What the hell are these guys up to?" Sterns asked.

"We don't know, but none of our men can get close." Kara answered. "We have no idea what that chemical is, or what they plan to do with it."

"Just tell me Bomb Squad's on the way." Sterns insisted.

"As well as SWAT and sniper units."

"Good." Sterns replied. "In the meantime, keep the civilians back in case these bozos start feeling claustrophobic."

Kara nodded as she and several officers began trying to keep people back. News crews and reports gathered around the barrier, trying to get a shot of the action. Meanwhile, the police snipers moved into positions on various rooftops. As one sniper took his position, several figures appeared behind him. Before he had a chance to act, he was knocked out cold and dragged away from the edge, allowing the Hamato Family to take his place.

"There's that Skonk guy Casey mentioned." Leo pointed out.

"And that is a lot of acid." Donny gulped.

"So how we gonna play this?" Raph asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Leo admitted. "There's too many witnesses, and too many people who want us dead. The second we show our faces, we're dead."

"Unless we had a suitable diversion." Donny pondered. "If I can tap into the power grid for this block, I should be able to kill the power long enough for us to get past the barrier."

"Sounds good." Leo replied. "Once we're down there, think you can find a way to deal with the acid?"

"I'll do my best." Donny said nervously as he pulled out a small jerry-rigged game console. "It's all I can do."

"That's all we can ask for." Leo told him.

Down below, Skonk climbed up onto the top of the chemical truck, a megaphone in his hand. Every camera turned to him, as did the mutants watching from the roof.

"This is a day the people of this city have been needing for far too long!" Skonk yelled. "The day we finally rid ourselves of these alien freaks!"

As he spoke, a pair of his men dropped a banner over the side of the chemical truck. It read, Humans Against The Extraterrestrials, in blood red, with the first letter of each word emboldened. The Hamato family saw this and their blood went cold.

"We're in deep shell." Raph let out.

"We are the Humans Against The Extraterrestrials!" Skonk proclaimed. "We are the saviors of humanity! The heroes who will destroy the alien menace once and for all!"

"Down with the Aliens!" H.A.T.E. Chanted. "Down with the aliens!"

"Well that's peppy." Mikey commented.

"Donatello, time is running short." Splinter warned. "We need darkness."

"Working on it!" Donny hissed back.

Skonk then went over to the back of the truck, yanking open a manhole.

"With this truck of acid, all of the monsters and aliens haunting this city will finally meet the violent, fiery death they deserve!"

"Donny…" Leo let out.

"Almost… there…" Donny responded. "Got it!"

With one final button push, the power to the entire block started going out. The seconds the lights went out, everyone gathered around began to panic. The Hamato ninjas quickly vaulted off the roof, hoping to take advantage of the chaos.

…

In a government compound on the edge of the city, Bishop was watching the various news reports on H.A.T.E.'s stunt. When he saw the lights cut, his mouth tightened into a thin line.

"They're acting." he realized. "What are they thinking?"

"Sir?" One of his agents spoke up. "What should we do? If they get caught, we could have a full-blown riot on our hands."

"Prepare an extraction unit." Bishop ordered. "I was them on the scene immediately."

"Sir, yes sir." the agent replied, rushing off to comply as Bishop kept watching the screen.

…

Back in the center of downtown, Skonk looked around as the lights all died. He smirked viciously, knowing what that meant.

"They're here." he declared. "You all know what to do."

The men nodded as they bolted over to some nearby cars. The Hamato siblings moved quickly through the crowds, vaulting over the barricade and into H.A.T.E's cordoned off area. As they landed, they took down several H.A.T.E. goons in rapid succession. Just as they prepared to go after Skonk, the sound of several engines filled the air. Headlights turned on, set to their brightest setting. Everyone froze, the Hamato family and Leatherhead now in full view.

"Smile freaks." Skonk told them. "You're on TV."

If people weren't panicking before, they were now. Police couldn't decide who the bigger threat was: H.A.T.E, or the mutants. Civilians were just running to try and get away, and Skonk was pulling a pistol out of his belt.

"Glad you came." he declared. "Now I can make sure you monsters are truly dead."

"You're welcome to try, freak nut!" Raph yelled, pulling out his sai.

Raph charged at Skonk as the rest of the Hamato family dealt with the remaining members of H.A.T.E. Leatherhead tossed men left and right as twin tessen whizzed over his head, disarming several goons. Hisako caught the tessen and used them to slice the legs of two more oncoming members. Leo's swords made short work of two more guns before he quickly used the blades to block bullets. He then kicked the guy to the ground before moving onto the next one. Mikey combined his nunchuks into a three piece before going to town on the men, smacking one H.A.T.E. member in the face after another. Donny joined him, sweeping several goons off their feet with his staff as Splinter did the same with his walking stick.

The entire time this was going on, the police were struggling to contain the scene. They were forcefully removing civilians and media to a safe distance while trying to simultaneously keep tabs on the situation. Needless to say, it was difficult.

"Snipers!" Sterns called into a walkie-talkie. "Tell me someone has a shot."

"Negative!" a sniper replied. "Too much movement. I can't get a clear shot without risking shooting the chemical truck."

"Blast it." Sterns let out. "Well keep on em. The instant you have a shot, take it!"

"Yes sir!" the sniper replied.

Skonk and Raph continued to wrestle, the man a bit stronger than Raph and giving the red turtle a run for his money. Skonk managed to get on top of Raph and wrapped his hands around his throat, strangling him. Donny saw this first, rushing forward and jumping into the air, swinging his staff like a baseball bat.

"Hands off my brother!" he screamed.

The staff connected with the side of Skonk's head, disorienting him. His grip loosened and Raph gasped, kicking Skonk off of him as he rubbed his neck.

"Thanks, Don." Raph wheezed.

"Don't mention it." Donny said.

Suddenly, a shot rang out and Donny suddenly fell. His right leg was bleeding heavily and he was crying out in pain. Raph grabbed him and dragged him to cover near one of the barricading cars.

"Don!" He shouted, propping his brother up. "Are you okay?"

Donny grunted in pain before responding.

"Sniper…" Donny let out. "Got my leg…"

Raph turned towards the direction the shot had come from, glaring in rage.

"Those bozos can't tell friend from foe!" He exclaimed. "We need to get out of here!"

"If we don't destroy that chemical truck, we won't have anywhere to escape too!" Leo shouted.

"But how?!" Hisako yelled. "We can't get the truck out of here, and if even a single drop hits water-!"

She cut herself off, an idea coming to her. She leapt over to Mikey, grabbing him.

"Mikey, give me your water balloon." she demanded.

"Uh, what water balloon?" Mikey replied.

"The one you were gonna hit me with." She reminded. "I know you have it, so hand it over."

Mikey reached into his shirt, pulling out the balloon. Hisako snatched it up, turning towards the truck. Skonk had recovered from his blow to the head and grabbed a lever, preparing to open the tank and release the contents. The second he pulled it, Hisako threw the balloon, watching it shatter onto the spilling chemicals.

"Hit the dirt!" Hisako shrieked.

Leatherhead grabbed Leo and Splinter, pulling them over to where Raph and Donnie were. Mikey and Hisako quickly joined them, huddling together and bracing themselves. The massive explosion ripped through the truck, the chemicals igniting in a massive ball of greenish-blue flames. All of H.A.T.E. was sent flying as windows shattered and cars were sent tipping onto their sides from the sheer force of the explosion.

Leatherhead took the brunt of the explosion for the mutants, his back charred and smoking as he slumped, semi-conscious from the pain. The others were shell shocked as well, their ears ringing and smoke filling the air. The five siblings slowly pulled themselves up, Splinter holding onto Donny so he wouldn't have to put pressure on his bad leg.

"We have to go." Leo insisted, his voice almost drowned out by the ringing in everyone's ears.

"Easier said… than done…. Bro." Raph let out, disoriented.

Hisako struggled to pull Leatherhead to his feet, the massive croc barely able to lift his own head. Mikey came over to help her, but the two were completely out of it, and the endeavor proved fruitless.

"Freeze!" a shout suddenly rang out.

The mutants all turned to see Sterns standing at the freshly opened entrance of the barricade, his gun aimed right at the seven of them. His hands were shaking, but the cops behind him were far steadier.

"All of you, get down on the ground!" Sterns demanded.

"Well that's just great." Raph lamented. "We just saved the city you dumbass!"

"Raphael!" Splinter snapped. "It would be best not to antagonize the police officers."

"I won't tell you again!" Sterns shouted. "Get down on the ground, now!"

"What do we do?" Mikey asked.

"For now… we do what they say." Leo told him.

They all lifted their hands, then prepared to get on the ground. Then, several loud truck horns sounded. The cops and mutants all turned, surprised to see black vans with the Earth Protection Force logo pulling up. The vans opened up and men in full tactical gear poured out. One of these men approached Sterns, holding up a sheet of paper.

"This is EPF Jurisdiction." the man declared. "You are hereby ordered to leave the scene and turn over the mutants to us."

"What?!" Sterns let out. "You can't be serious."

"I am very serious." the man replied before turning to some of the soldiers. "Get them in the vans. Now."

The men closed in on the mutants, a team of four grabbing Leatherhead and dragging him off. One took hold of Hisako, ushering her towards the van Leatherhead was being put in. Two soldiers pulled Donny off of Splinter, basically tag team carrying him. Splinter tried to protest, but was simply ushered along with Raph, Leo, and Mikey.

"Hey, hey that's our sister!" Raph shouted once he realized he and his brothers were not being sent to the same van as Hisako and Leatherhead. "That's our sister!"

"She'll be alright." One of the agents reassured.

"Then why are you taking her?!" Mikey cried out. "Give her back!"

He started trying to run to Hisako, but the guards grabbed him, struggling to get him into the van. The brothers locked eyes with Hisako as she was gently pushed into the van with Leatherhead. For a brief moment, they saw the look of terror on her face before the doors slammed shut and locked. That sound caused them all to freeze, giving the agents the moment they needed to get all five into their own van before locking the doors.

"No!" Raph screamed, banging on the door. "No!"

The van began driving off as Raph kept banging, sagging to his knees as he did. Splinter began tending to Donny's leg, tearing off pieces of the purple turtle's lab coat for bandages. Leo held Donny's hand as their father worked, leaving Mikey to tend to Raph.

"She's gonna be okay, right?" Mikey asked, trying to rationalize what happened. "They just needed two vans to transport us all. They're not trying to separate us, right?"

"They'd better not." Raph swore.

"Wait, let me try something." Leo insisted, pulling out his shell cell and dialing Hisako's number.

It rang only once before the line clicked, Hisako's terrified panting filling the speakers.

"Guys?" she let out, clearly scared out of her mind.

"Hisako!" Leo let out. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm scared." She answered. "Leatherhead won't wake up, I don't know what's going on, I can barely read my own thoughts, much less those of the driver… I don't want to go back to a lab, Leo."

"You won't. I promise." Leo reassured. "As soon as we get our bearings, we're busting out of here."

"But what about Donny's leg?" Raph pointed out. "He can barely stand, much less fight."

"Forget about me." Donny insisted. "We can't let whomever these guys have all of us."

"We will not leave anyone behind." Splinter declared. "We all will get out of this, no matter what happens."

"Promise?" Hisako asked.

"I promise." Splinter reassured.

With nothing left to do, the ninjas all got settled into their vans, waiting to arrive wherever their destination was.

…

In the driver's seat of the turtles' van, the driver got on a communicator, connecting him to Agent Bishop.

"The extraction was successful, sir." the driver announced. "However, we ran into a problem."

"What problem?" Bishop questioned.

"The crocodile was with them." The driver explained. "We put him in a separate van and ensured the girl was with him. The turtles reacted very negatively to this and I fear they may try something upon arrival."

"I see." Bishop replied, pondering his next step. "We knew they would no doubt try something, no matter what the circumstances were. Proceed with the plan. It's all we can do at this point."

"Yes sir." the driver replied.

The driver then continued down the road, heading back to the compound.

…

The turtles curled up on the floor of the van, Splinter among them and the still connected shell cell resting in Leo's lap. Hisako had snuggled up against Leatherhead, the crocodile having finally come around. He held her tight, everyone tense as they waited for the ride to end. Soon, they all heard sounds of other voices, and the sound of a gate being opened.

"I think we're there." Hisako let out.

Everyone perked, rising to their feet. Splinter held Donny, keeping him off his bad leg as they all faced the doors. The vans came to a stop after a minute, then the rumble of the engine died out. Then, they heard the loud click of the locks on the van doors, but after that, nothing but silence.

"The doors just unlocked." Hisako reported. "But… nobody's coming in."

"Same here." Leo reported. "Something's up."

"A trick?" Leatherhead suggested.

"Probably." Leo replied. "When I give the signal, we spring out. Be ready for anything."

Leo, Raph, and Mikey put themselves between Splinter and Donnie. On their end, Leatherhead pulled Hisako onto his back, his eyes glowing red.

"Now!" Leo shouted.

They kicked the doors open, coming out with weapons drawn. Leatherhead came out as well, landing on all fours with teeth bared and claws out. Once they were out, they all paused, taking stock of their surroundings. The first thing they noticed was that the two vans were side by side, allowing for a quick reunion between the groups. The second thing they noticed was that they were in the middle of a fenced off compound, the initials E.P.F. on the massive building before them.

"They dropped us off… outside the sudo-military complex?" Mikey questioned.

"This doesn't make any sense." Donny insisted. "They should have taken us to some sort of loading area inside where we could be easily process and detained."

"If that was our intention, we would have." a voice spoke up.

Everyone turned as a man in a dark suit walked forward. He was the only person they could see in the entire complex, and he held himself like a man used to having people listen to him.

"My name is Agent John Bishop." He greeted. "Nice to meet you in person. We have much to talk about."