#I definetely didn’t edit this cause the ending said boy instead of boys

[thegodovereverything]

TMNTober prompt: Try Again?

Ao3 link

@tmntober-2023

Cw: death, but he gets better, Time loop, blood, injury

(Please let me know if I need to add anything else)

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The Utrom stalked the rocky plains of what used to be New York, their metallic whirring the only sound in the desolate wasteland they created. Underneath them was a city in fear, just waiting for the moment they were found out. Splinter and his boys were determined that they never would be.

All five of them were above the surface. They had heard rumors of a human working for the Krang, assisting with luring refugees into a “safe place”, only to bring the might of the Krang upon them.

They needed to find this human and get as much information out of them as possible.

They walked as a group, keeping to the shadows to evade notice.

Leo gave the hand motion for everyone to stop. The Technodrome towered above them. With one quick portal, they were inside. The walls reminded Splinter of flesh, pulsing in time to some unknown heart beat. His mouth pulled up in disgust and he motioned for his sons to quicken. He didn’t want to spend any more time here than he needed to.

They explored the Technodrome for what felt like hours, but according to Purple’s gauntlet (somehow still at full battery), they had only been in there for twenty minutes. The ship was filled with strange rooms, pink flesh arranged into consoles and machine shapes with unknown purposes.

About forty minutes into their exploration they find more clues of human inhabitance.

There were the shells of utroms laying on the ground in various states of disassembly. A coffee machine sat proudly upon a flesh desk, hooked up to a portable battery. Purple was able to somehow fit it into his battle shell.

They continued onwards. They passed what looked like a kitchen, stocked with strange foods, and another lab before they found their target.

Baxter Stockboy was laid back onto a fleshy consoles, pink tentacles wrapping around and into his body.

“He must be the human everyone was talking about,” whispered Raph, motioning for everyone to start the investigation.

The sound of wet, moving flesh stopped them in their tracks. Splinter and his sons readied themselves to fight whatever would come to be.

Stockboy was slowly raised up, until he was nearly standing. The tentacles still trailed both over and under his skin and his eyes shone an unsettling white.

“Hello, turtles,” Baxter wrinkled his nose, “and rat. So nice of you to join us. Please. Have a seat.”

Tentacles shot up from the floor, forcing Splinter to sit.

His sons struggled against their confines, but were ultimately powerless, their weapons knocked to the ground from the tentacles. Stockboy laughed. It wasn’t the laugh of a human. It was dry and layered, like multiple people were speaking at once, just out of sync.

Orange’s hands crackled with his ninpo, slowly reaching out to his brothers. Splinter’s had long dried out, from constant use without proper technique.

Stockboys feet touched the floor, the tentacles loosening so they trailed behind him like wires and tubes as he paced.

“You five have caused quite a lot of trouble for us here, you know. You’ve destroyed our camps, evaded capture. Haven’t even had the decency to subscribe and donate to ‘Baxter Stockboys Tips for Living in the Apocalypse’. Maybe if you had, you would’ve done what I did. Joining them was really the only choice.”

He chucked again. Splinter’s heart raced inside his chest, frantically trying to get out.

His sons ninpo connected, their markings glowing in response. He winced. Their family heritage was many things, but subtle it was not. Baxter Stockboy immediately noticed. With one flick of the teenagers wrist, his sons had tentacles racing towards them. Thankfully, they had had countless training dealing with tentacles trying to stab them through. And now that they had a better grasp of the situation, his sons were ready to attack.

Blue summoned a new sword from the pen he always keeps on him. Slashing at the tentacles that raced towards him, he took quick work of his confines. Purple summoned a bazooka, blasting through the approaching threats. Blue freed the rest of his brothers, each of them facing Stockboy in turn. Their ninpo made weapons nearly glowed.

The Krang infected teenager caught on quickly. When Blue raised his sword to free Splinter, Stockboy raised his hand.

Out of the ground came a sharpened tentacle. Its aim was focused, exact.

His son stopped, sword raised, face contorted in horror. Splinter had a piercing pain in his head and one of his eyes had lost sight, leaving a black spot on his left side.

Splinter knew he wouldn’t live through this. He tried to lift his hand, but it refused. Instead he opened his mouth to speak, to assure his sons. He needed to let them know he loved them, that he was proud of them. All that came out was a strangled croak. He settled with a crooked smile. He hoped it was assuring.

The tentacle pulled out with a tug. His head leaned down without his control, his son now out of his now blood filled sight.

Goodbye, my sons.

And his life faded to black.

______________________________

Splinter came to in a stadium. He was standing on top of a dead yokai. A loud roar surrounded him, shaking the ground underneath his feet.

“THATS ANOTHER VICTORY FOR THE LEGENDARY LOOOUUUU JITSU!!”

He was completely surrounded with yokai, cheering louder than anyone’s been in nearly five years.

He brought his hands to his face, feeling for the gaping hole that was just put through it. There was nothing there. His face was completely different, smooth and furless.

He was taller than he’s been in years. His feet were kept in shoes that fit, with no claws in sight.

As he stood upon the corpse of his past victory and stared at the crowd that roared his name, he came to a dawning realization.

He was back again.

He’ll have to fight to kill. He’ll have to live as a human just to have it snatched back from him. He’ll get to raise his boys again, but this time learning from his mistakes. He gets to do better.

With legs that were way too long he stumbled off the corpse. He was going to survive for his boys

#time loop #stabbing #blood #temporary death #Rottmnt #tmntober 2023 #tmntober2023 #words exist #don’t even know what to warn for with Baxter Stockboy #I definetely didn’t edit this cause the ending said boy instead of boys #whoops