#exploring my fears and stressors can feel very cathartic in a sense

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Villain AU - Deadlock, Part 6

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 ||

Struggled with the beginning a bit, but now here we areeee.

Trigger warning: Panic attack (due to a fear of men :'] yeee)

It's been a while since she'd been asked to go after the Purple Dragons. The request came from some rich guy that wanted to be the next big tech guru and see their company reach the highest heights - or something along those lines. It was no secret that the targeted criminal organization had plenty of tricks up their sleeves, especially when it cames to technological advancements and anything of the sorts. Stealing from them was always a risky gamble, but it was one Vee was ready to take, especially for a good price.

It was deep into the Lower East Side, bordering the east river, that the woman made her way into a large warehouse. She knew the place would be empty, the Purple Dragons really keen on keeping a low profile about their stashes. The more "normal" and "unbusy" it looked, the better it wouldn't get picked up by any sort of law enforcements. Sure they had their usual security passwords, accesses and whatsnot, but that was a piece of cake to bypass when you knew what you were doing.

The lower floor was filled with rows of large stacked containers that Vee knew would be holding weapons, guns, drugs or any other illicit goods. She was mostly aiming for the upper floor which consisted mainly of modular rooms hugging the walls, all linked by a metal mezzanine.

Getting up there, she stealthily made her way towards the first room she found, wanting to start her searches there. Entering and closing the door softly, she could never expect her next sight as she turned around to glance at the room's interior.

Two pairs of eyes were now staring at her, one blue and one green. It was two of those mutant turtles; the big one sporting a red do-rag and the other smaller and wearing an orange bandana. Vee was completely frozen. What were they doing here?

"Hey, you're that girl from the Foot clan stronghold," started the red one.

"Yeah, so?" replied Vee in her flanged voice. She was ready to bail at any moment.

"We were startin' to wonder when you'd show your face again."

"Well, we can't see much of her face with those googles and mask," added the smaller one.

They were starting to get closer, the woman keeping her eyes on the nunchuck the orange terrapin was lazily swinging at his side.

"What do you guys want here?" she dared ask.

"We're here for nunya," said the orange clad one.

"... Nunya?"

They were now towering her, Vee feeling so small all of a sudden.

"Nunya business," he finished.

That got a quick laugh out of the two brothers, landing a quick fistbump between them. The tall muscular one next rested his forearm against the closed door, Vee now trapped between them and the only exit.

"What about you, smooth criminal?"

Oh she was starting to hate this very much. She could feel her anxiety rise, mostly from being cornered.

"Let me go," she simply said.

"We're just talking, sweetcheeks," added the orange terrapin.

"I said, let me go away!" her tone was now harsher.

The red clad turtle then forcefully rested his hand against her upper torso, blocking her even more against the door.

"We're not gonna ask again," he said, with a faint tint of menace. "There's no way we're lettin' you fail our mission once more. So ya better start talkin'."

Vee's heart was now beating fast out of fear. She usually could deal with people getting in her way, but for those behemoths to stop her, she felt some old repressed fears crawl back into light... Out of pure instinct, she did not hesitate to slap her right hand against the brute's face, letting her glove's claws scratch his scales. He backed out in surprise, giving the woman enough room to turn around and rapidly open the door. In her rush, she miscalculated her steps and faceplanted hard against the door frame first; knocking against the left side of her forehead and cracking the left lense of her googles. Quickly regaining her senses, the woman was then able to properly exit, hearing some commotion behind her. Her flight response took over, not even trying to reach a staircase as she prefered to jump over the railing and fall straight down - finishing her fall with a roll. That unfortunately brought her cracked lense to fall off, Vee now losing accurate sight from that eye. That didn't stop her still, prefering to rush inbetween the rows of containers, still hearing the two others call out to her. It was after she made a sharp turn that she bumped into something else, this time falling backward.

Her good eye spotted a black backpack first, the new form then turning around and revealing itself to be Donatello. The tall terrapin gasped, already reaching for Vee and getting her back up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. His hand already got to her forehead. "You're bleeding, what happened?"

The human wriggled out of his hold. Fear could be read in her visible eye.

"Don't touch me," she said in slight panic. "I need to go."

"Vee, you got hurt, let me help at least."

Her sight locked on another presence at the end of the row they were in, behind Donatello, this time being the fourth turtle. His icy blue stare was burning her soul, his stance making him more akin to a big cat ready to pounce its prey at any moment... She could feel Donnie's hands on her once more, trying to stabilize her and get an assessement of her state. But that only snapped Vee back to the current moment, looking back at the purple banded terrapin.

"Leave me alone!" her tone was now tainted with fear.

She was able to escape his hold once more, already turning heels and about to run away. She did spot the two others from earlier at the opposite end of the row, her breathing fastening again. Franctically looking at both sides, she finally settled for some smoke bombs as she saw the red and orange ones approaching fast. The thick layer offered her a chance to slip through two containers, unseen. In a renewed rush she got her grappling hook out, aiming for an opened window at the top of one of the building's walls. Zipping through it, she was glad to find a ledge to walk onto. Her steps were fast as she only wanted to get as much distance between her and the terrapins.

Reaching the ground level she almost slipped in her rush, her breathing labored as she franctically seached for the most nearby subway entrance. Most of her senses were now scrambled - her eyesight in a tunnel vision, her hearing amplified tenfold. It felt like a dream once she reached her goal. She didn't even bothered to pay for the entrance, jumping over the till. Her sole goal was to head home. Nothing more. Nothing less.

She could feel the stares on her, strangers looking over her like the freak she most probably seemed like at the moment. Sitting down, her right leg was bouncing franctically, her eyes lost on a specific point on the floor. Her chest was clenching her, making it difficult to breathe at each passing seconds. Not now, she thought. Not NOW.

The trek home didn't feel real. She didn't even mind showing herself in her gear. She climbed the stairs and it felt like a chore, her legs so stiff and heavy... Reaching the door to her unit, her hands were shaking as she struggled to find the key and unlock the damn thing. Once Vee finally stepped in, she fell against the door, closing it with a loud bang. Sitting on the floor, her emotions now could flow freely, removing her face mask in a hurry only so she could take in air more easily. Breathing loudly, tears escaped her eyes effortlessly, her legs shaking once more.

"Fuck!" she sobbed.

She hated being cornered. She hated feeling small. She hated loud voices and strong, harsh movements against her. In an instant, she relieved at those times men abused of their power on her. Loud voices that kept freezing her. A strength that would pin her and break her in every ways possible. She didn't want to remember, yet that's all she could do...

A vibration in one of her bags grounded her, guessing that it was her phone. She got the device out only to notice a notification for a new text message. Vee sighed, knowing it was Donnie. They had finally exchanged phone numbers after that time he came by her place. ... Right now was not a good time.

D: Please tell me you're alright. You were bleeding pretty bad... V: I'm safe. Stop.

That's all she could write. She only turned her phone off next, a long sigh escaping her lips. The weight of her panic finally fell down on her, lazily removing her broken googles. Her features were now wet from her tears - overall feeling disgusting and sore. The woman was able to make her way to the bathroom, first noticing her state in the mirror. A long streak of blood was now on the left side of her face, starting from her forehead. She did feel slightly light-headed, but didn't make a huge deal out of it, prefering to head into the shower instead.

The water running down her hair and skin felt like a cure. A balm that washed away any leftover fears. At once she was able to breathe, realizing that she was home. She was safe. She took the time to review her failure, trying to figure out how she'd tell her client that she either needed more time, or that she's drop the case completely... Right now her body and mind simply couldn't stand dropping by that warehouse again ... at least not in the near future.

Stepping out, she simpy wrapped her body and hair in towels, prefering to head afterward to her computer. There was a simple comfort whenever it came to mindlessly scrolling through the internet, somehow numbing her brain to any stressors. It was however when she landed on her usual forum that Vee noticed a notification from one of her contacts. FuttoGyangu...

FuttoGyangu: Requesting a status update about the agreed transaction.

A heavy sigh left Vee, feeling her hands shake a little once more. She was clearly not in the mood to handle this, but her fingers flew across the keyboard on their own.

smooth_criminal: It'll take time. Can be a matter of days, weeks, months even. This is a delicate situation and I need to make sure I can do this without any issues. smooth_criminal: This case remains my top priority, no matter what comes in my way.

It was true in a sense. Especially with the promised amount of money she'd receive, she simply couldn't fuck this up.

FuttoGyangu: My boss' patience has its limits. We will be keeping an eye on you. In hopes that this message will fasten your procedures.

Vee frowned lightly at the "keeping an eye on you" part.

"Great, are they also logged in my stuff?" she groaned.

She didn't have the heart to dig any deeper nor unplug her damn router again. Simply turning her machine off, she opted to beeline for her bed, falling down naked onto her mattress and blankets and hoping that sleep would claim her fast instead...

***

Oh was she glad that she had the day off today. She woke up close to noon, the sky awfully blue and the trafic roaring lively outside. With a groan she reached for her cellphone on her nightstand, turning the device back on. It was with slight surprise that she noticed a string of texts waiting to be read:

D: I'm sorry for whatever happened last night. D: Mikey and Raph told me they found you first and you clawed Raph! (nice btw, he needs to be bitchslapped more often) D: I failed to recognize that you were panicking... I'm sorry I tried to restrain you. D: ... Please let me know you're feeling alright. That was a nasty bruise on your forehead. D: I'm sorry.

A small smile crept on Vee's lips, somehow amused yet touched by his concerns. Simply to amuse herself, she only replied:

V: Missing some more 'I'm sorry', then I'll forgive you.

Lazily getting out of bed next, she simply slipped on a pair of underwear and a hoodie, slipping her phone inside the front pocket and resolving herself to get something to eat. Vee settled herself for some toasts, not even minding to get crumbs everywhere as she sat down on the couch. She needed to figure out a way to accelerate getting her hands on the green ooze... yet some details about the substance kept itching her brain.

The woman felt her phone vibrate, surprisingly. Taking it out, she noticed a new message from Donatello.

D: sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry

That got a quick snort out of her, instantly writing back:

V: That's it! Congrats, you're more Canadian than me. V:... I thought you'd be sleeping? Aren't you guys ever resting or something?

Maybe their mutant genes gave them unlimited energy?

D: I was starting to sleep. I just finished some freelance work. But I also wanted to know when you'd tell me you're okay.

Oh....

D: Can I call you? I'm too tired to type... V: Just go to sleep. D: Please

Vee sighed, finishing her small meal first.

V: Sure

It only took a brief moment before it rang, the human accepting the call with some hesitation.

"What's up, coconut," she greeted lazily.

She heard the faintest chuck on the other end of the line, which somehow brought a small smile on her features.

"I just wanted to hear your voice. I need to make sure you're feeling alright after that hit to your head."

Gosh, his voice had this je-ne-sais-quoi when he was tired...

"How did it happen, anyway?"

Vee faked a quick laugh: "I thought your brothers would've told you. It was really embarrassing.... I slammed my face against a doorframe."

"Oh-" he tried to retain some snickers. "Oh, I'm- I'm sorry. That must've- hmmrph- hurt."

"You can laugh, I don't care," reassured Vee. "It's really stupid. I can be quite clumsy at times."

He puffed, losing the hilarity: "No, no, accidents happen. I'm just glad it didn't get worse."

"I mean ... it did get worse last night, but not because of that," confessed the woman.

She instantly regretted letting that out, but at the same time it was absolutely not far from the truth. She could feel Donnie's sympathy through the phone.

"... Wanna talk about it?"

Vee could feel some tears swell up in her eyes again, rapidly drying them with her sleeve. God, she was still shook, it seems...

"I don't know," she answered in a weak tone. "I'm still processing a lot of emotions right now. ... Last night I felt some stuff I haven't dealt with in a long time." She tried to lighten her voice, forcing a smile: "I'm sorry, you don't need to hear this."

"Nonsense. ... I get it, my brothers and I can be quite intimidating. ... I just saw that fear in your eyes and I knew something was wrong, but I had no idea how to deal with that."

"It's no one's responsability for me to get my shit together," added Vee. "I just have to get over it and do better."

"There's no harm in asking for help when things go sour, Vee. Sometimes we can't overcome things on our own."

That somehow got to her, this warm feeling suddenly invading her body and senses.

"Stop it, you're too sweet. I'll get diabetes."

That got another quiet laughter from the turtle, improving Vee's mood.

"Although, you're a on thin line, mister. Your turtley gang prevented me from completing my job, so that sucks ass."

"What were you looking for?"

A sigh left her: "Schematics, technological advancements, files of any sorts that could help a rich loser bring his tech company to new heights. I was supposed to deliver that after going to the warehouse..."

A brief silence was experienced, the terrapin probably thinking.

"... Tell you what; I did get some files while I was there and maybe there could be something interesting. Since you first stole from me but then handed the data, I'd say I could reciprocate the generosity."

"Oh aren't you so kind," said Vee jokingly.

"I'm serious," added Donnie. "I wanna keep that trust, Vee. So if I can help you, then I'll do it."

She was frankly surprised by the proposition. That offer did feel like a good step in the right direction, her smile warm.

"Alright, monsieur Donatello. How about tomorrow night, at that music store's rooftop? I feel like this should become the spot for data brokering."

"I'll be there," he answered gently.

As they said their goodbyes and the call ended, Vee still had that smile on her features, somehow melting on her seat. His words and tired tone were still bouncing in her brain, the reality of having someone actually care for her well-being feeling like an unexpected dream... ... If she had to get close to him on a more personal level in order to get what she needed, then so be it. She could play that game.

((Part 7))

#it's-a-moi #villain au #usual sorry for any mistakes #the trigger warning is actually related to one of my personal triggers for panic/anxiety attacks :') #I feel like I want to explore that a bit more with this AU ... #exploring my fears and stressors can feel very cathartic in a sense #did that many times with physical abuse/rape lololololol #anywhoozle ... SWEET DONNIE IS SWEET AND I LOVE HIM UWU