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hopelesslyromanticshark · 2 months

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Hi, I just saw your request with Leo and Reader where Jason walks in on the two of them in compromising situations, so I was wondering if you can do the same thing, just that this time is Jason and Reader and she is Percy sister, I think it would be very interesting

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ The Two Times Percy Nearly Caught Them, And The One Time He Did

content: jason grace x daughter of poseidon! reader warning: language, sexual allusions but a bit of stretch author's note: i feel like jason is ooc but i think he should be allowed to be fun. break that romanness from him and what do you get?? a child who just wants to have fun GODDAMN IT-

percy jackson can be obvious. we know this. but, let's just see how obvious, shall we?

i. the welcome home committee

percy was finally coming back to camp after a brutally year at school. he wanted nothing more than to curl up with annabeth and waste the summer away. oh, and i guess to see his sister too. kidding, kidding, he's counting down the seconds to see his baby sister again. he was bounding up the steps of cabin three, only halting as he thought he heard two voices. he frowned and his face scrunched up, leading him to lean his ear close to the door.

"...percy's gonna be here soon." he heard y/n say, though he missed the first part of her sentence.

"i've got time," a voice replied with a laugh and percy knew he should be able to pinpoint it, but he just couldn't place it.

"that's what you think and then im gonna be without a shirt and percy's gonna swing the door open and -"

"you worry too much. just go with the flow," the voice joked once more and percy could feel the name of the person just on the tip of his tongue. thinking he'd be able to catch them, percy instantly swung the door wide open and glared over at his sister's side of the cabin.

"percy?! you're back early!! oh my gods, look at you!!" she cheered, instantly leaping from her bed and pulling percy into a tight hug. percy kissed the top of her head as she pulled him into a hug, his eyes glaring all around as he tried to see if someone was hiding under her bed or behind some curtains. once he was sure there was no one, he pulled back and began to unpack

"i could have sworn i heard two voices as i walked in," percy started, glancing over his shoulder as he put a pillow on his bed. instantly, she pointed over to where her laptop was, some movie playing. without a second thought, percy's shoulder's relaxed and he smiled brightly at his little sister.

"alrighty, then. i'll leave you to it, gotta see the misses," percy joked as he left the cabin, a pep in his step now that he was certain there were no guys snooping around his little sister.

y/n peeked out the cabin, making sure percy was going to stay gone, before looking up at the roof of the cabin, where jason was floating with a smirk.

"you're quite proud of yourself up there, huh?"

"what can i say, i'm fast on my feet!" jason cheered only to come crashing to the ground after a spirt of water splashed against his face. he looked up at the daughter of poseidon, now, who was glaring down at him.

"out?" jason assumed

"OBVIOUSLY!"

ii. capture the lips - er - flag

chiron had, recently, been placing rules on capture the flag. athena and poseidon weren't allowed to be on the same teams anymore, as percy and annabeth would just end up fighting each other. no more than two cabins of the big there were allowed to be on the same team, due to unfair advantages. normally, that wouldn't be a probably as nico didn't like to play. but, since getting with will, he's grown out of his shell and said he would play in the next game with the apollo cabin. which had already teamed up with the poseidon cabin. so that meant the zeus cabin (jason. it's just jason) was with athena. to say he was disappointed was more than a lie, as he would typically use this time to drag y/n off to make out in the woods until it was over. not this time though, as jason had to suit up in a different colored armor than y/n, pouting the whole way.

then y/n marched past him, following after percy, as her shoulder's collided with jasons. she apologized and offered him a quick wink from under her helmet before chasing after her brother once more. jason looked down at his hand, noticing that a note had been shoved into it.

meet me at the creek

ps you look cute in red, does great things for your ass

jason couldn't help but smile at the note, shoving it into his jean pockets and pretending to listen to whatever orders annabeth was giving, knowing he wouldn't follow a single order from her. there was one girl in jason's life that he listened to and if she told him to go to the creek, flag be damned he'd be at that creek.

she was a vision in bronze and jason had her pinned against a tree within seconds of seeing her. both of their swords had been stabbed into the ground and helmets were tossed to the nearest location. jason had her face cupped between his hands, his lips firmly pressed against hers. then they heard footsteps, rapid, followed by shouts of protest. without much thought, y/n grabbed jason's wrist and flipped him over your shoulder, sending them both sprawling across the ground as though they were in the middle of a fight. jason groaned as he was winded on the ground, glaring over at the girl. she then produced a dagger and held it agaisnt his throat as the other campers scrambled past, will cheering as he and nico dragged the flag across the creek. once certain no one was looking, you pulled your knife away from jason's neck and helped him up.

"that was what you thought of? break my back?" jason groaned, stretching as he stood.

"you'd know all about breaking backs, huh?" y/n taunted with a smirk and jason laughed, shaking his head as he picked up both their words.

"funny."

"careful, might fall in love with me."

"might? it's far too late for me," jason teased, but you could hear the seriousness in his voice. you smiled at him, leaning up to press your lips against his once more until you heard percy's voice calling for you. your eyes widened in panic and you quickly shoved jason to the ground before pulling your sword out and shoving the point of it to his throat.

"y/n! y/n! there you are- hey, good job taking care of jason! my sister kick your ass or what?" percy taunted as he threw an arm over his sister's shoulders with a wide smile. jason groaned on the ground, glaring over at the girl who offered him a sheepish smile

"something like that," he huffed.

iii. the cabin one curse

percy had just wanted to hang out with jason. his best roman bud. he didn't think anything about the fact that his sister had been missing for the whole day, or the fact that he actually hadn't seen much of jason that day either. it wasn't on his mind as you bounded up the stairs of cabin one and swung the door wide open.

"hey, superman, wanna hang out-" percy called but as he took in the sight before him, the words died in his throat. his sweet baby sister, straddle the lap of his one of his best friends. his eyes instantly sharpened on jason, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"you're dead, grace."

"wait- wait- c'mon man, let's talk this out like civilized people," jason all but begged, rapidly removing y/n from his lap and jumping up, holding his hands out to percy like he was a feral beast.

"civilized? you wanna talk about civilized?! someone civilized wouldn't put their hands on my sister!" percy bite back, circling jason like a shark.

"she started it!" jason blurted like a child.

"pussy!" y/n shouted from jason's bed, jumping to her feet and joining her brother in the circling of the son of jupiter.

"she's not denying it!" added jason and percy halted, turning to his sister with narrowed eyes. the girl instantly shrunk, holding her hands up as a sign of innocence.

"...you didn't," percy huffed, instantly pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh, "i gave you specific instructions."

"no, no. you told me not to flirty with jason. we've definitely done more than flirty-" y/n replied easily before her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. she jolted forwards, grabbing hold of jason's wrist and dragging him out of the cabin. percy came running after them, chasing them as they weaved around camp.

"THATS IT! IM KILLING BOTH OF YOU!"

#postcards from covey ౨ৎ #all my love ౨ৎ #pjo #pjo fandom #heroes of olympus x reader #hoo #percy jackon and the olympians #jason grace #jason grace x reader

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mytheoristavenue · 9 months

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TMNT 2012 Raphel Hamato x Reader - Give Me a Chance

This was a commission from @virtualdonutenemy, thanks for the work! For any questions regarding commissions, go here.

Summary: After Raph watches your date with a classmate go south, he makes sure not to waste you getting all dolled up.

Warnings: Inuendo, angst, fluff, lime, possessive!Raph, overprotective!Leo, sheltered!Reader, rebounding, lust, sad/desperate!Reader, perv!Raph

You weren’t capable of letting down your smile. There was just no way, you were too excited. After months of subliminal flirting, bashful compliments, and loaning pencils, the cute guy in your comp sci class had finally asked you out and you couldn’t be happier.

Carefully, you drug the felt tip of your lipgloss wand across your bottom lip, pursing and puckering to spread the shimmer evenly. Glancing down at your phone, you read the time and beamed again. You’d have just enough time to put on some earrings and shoes before having to leave. After doing so, you did a once-over in the mirror, twirling and giggling at the way the hem of your dress flew outwards. Suddenly, as if to rain on your parade, your phone began to buzz, shimmying around in its spot on your bed.

You were expecting to see the name of the gentleman you were meeting tonight, probably calling to cancel your evening plans. The name of your ‘eldest brother’ scrolling sideways across the screen brought you little relief, though. If the boys found out about your date, no doubt they’d try to interfere.

“Hello?” you answered cautiously, pacing through your living room.

“Where are you right now?” Leo’s stern voice rang out through the speaker.

“Home, why?” you asked, secretly impatient as you checked the time. Now you were definitely going to be late.

“Hang tight, I’m on my way.” The announcement was so sudden that you hardly had time to react but blurted out a flustered opposition.

“N-No, I have a date!” Silence befell his end and you began to wonder if the line had gone dead or he’d maybe lost signal somehow.

“A date?!” Leo furiously sprang back to life. “With who?!”

“The guy I told you about the other day…?” you murmured, hoping he could recall the conversation well enough for you to avoid elaborating.

“You didn’t tell he’d asked you out!” He pressed further, irritated at your lack of communication.

“I knew you’d freak out!” you reasoned, a distressed tremble in your voice. “And besides, I didn’t think it was your business!”

“Your safety is our business,” Leo argued, stony as ever. “(Y/N), you know the rules.” The ‘rule’ in question forbade you from doing most things that required you to leave your home unless for school, or to visit the lair; on the few occasions you were allowed to, you were to wear bland clothes. Nothing attention-grabbing like the low cute, crimson red spaghetti strapped cocktail dress you now wore. “There’s no way you can be discrete in that dress, what if someone sees you and follows you home or worse-”

“Please, Leo!” you suddenly interjected. “I rarely ever leave get to do anything and I really like this guy! Please just let me do this one thing!”

The eldest sibling paused for a moment as if taken back, before finally sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Do you promise to be careful? Call us if anything- and I mean anything- goes wrong?”

“I swear, Leo!” You promised, holding your fists tightly to your chest, likely to keep your heart from beating out of it as you waited for his response.

“Fine,” he reluctantly submitted, shaking his head on the other end. “Have fun and be careful, okay?”

“I will, thank you so much!” You squealed, excitedly stomping in place before abruptly hanging up, presumably to be on your way.

Rolling his eyes and pivoting to return to his training in the dojo, Leo froze when he noticed Raph standing in the doorway to said room, peridot eyes zeroed in on the exit. Before the older knew it, he was being passed by as the other turtle prepared to leave. “Don’t follow her,” Leo warned knowingly, crossing his arms as his younger brother bustled about the room to gather his things. “This is a terrible idea and you know it.”

“Leo’s right, Raph,” Don piped up, exiting the lab and trekking to the kitchen, empty mug in hand. “You know how she gets, there’s no way this is gonna end well for you.” The first pair both glanced up at the new player in the conversation before going back to it. “I’m just sayin’ I speak from personal experience,” the brainiest turtle continued, pouring his umpteenth cup of coffee for the day and stirring additives into it. “Give her some space, man.”

For just a moment, the hotheaded brother halted, taking his family’s advice into account, before ultimately deciding that, he wouldn’t heed it. “Yeah, whatever. You guys don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” he grumbled, continuing his descent down the stairs toward the exit of the lair.

Obviously, the others didn’t know you the way he did, he thought. They didn’t know how clumsy and gullible you could be, how badly you needed his guardianship. That's what he told himself anyway, it would be much too embarrassing for him to admit that the real reason he was following you out on this date was to pretend that the guy you were going out with was him.

—--

You stifled a giggle, kicking your legs beneath the table and clenching the rusty satin of your dress in your fists, all in an attempt to calm yourself before your date arrived. Admittedly, you were a tiny bit disappointed to find that your date was nowhere to be seen, even though you were five minutes late yourself. Nonetheless, you got a table for the two of you, ordered a pair of waters and an appetizer, then waited. The tantalizing smell of garlic bread enticed you as it sat untouched in the middle of the table. You thought it was probably bad etiquette to start eating without your date.

Minutes ticked by as your throat became more and more parched- no doubt a product of your constant nervous swallowing. Surely, it wouldn’t be too rude to sip your drink while you wait. Before you realized it, your glass was nearly empty and a waitress was at your side offering a refill. She glanced down at you with a sympathetic smile that you didn’t quite understand at the time before turning and hurrying away. Another check of the time revealed your gentleman caller to now be nearly fifteen minutes that, though to you it felt more like thirty. Screw this, you were hungry.

One basket of bread and another refill later and you found yourself obsessively checking your phone for any word from him, only to find yourself sorely disappointed every time. You were very rapidly beginning to lose hope, when suddenly, your phone vibrated, dancing about on the table. You hastily checked it to find a text from the man of the hour:

“Sorry, can’t make it tonight. Sick.”

You hadn’t even noticed the tears well up in your eyes until you felt them roll off your chin. Even though he’d excused himself as ill, you still felt so…unwanted, so cast aside. Shuddering, you instantly flagged down the waitress, desperately trying to conceal your hurt. You just wanted to pay out and go home.

—--

From a nearby rooftop, Raph watched the entire scene unfold with glossy eyes. It almost reminded him of the pilot to a show you’d made him sit through last summer, only this wasn’t a sitcom. This would likely have a lasting effect on your self-esteem.

He was a little relieved when you finally stood up and stormed out of the restaurant, frantically wiping tears away with your wrist. You were a bullet train now, racing down the avenue needing to get home as fast as possible. Startled, Raph jumped to his feet, seeing his time to intercept you being diced into seconds. In the blink of an eye, he was on the wet pavement of a sketchy alleyway, stalking behind as your figure darted between cars and tall structures.

Suddenly, he halted in his pursuit of you- what would you say if you found him following you? There was a good chance you wouldn’t just fall helplessly in his arms like he hoped you would. Was there a way he could surprise you and sweep you off your feet without letting you in on his possessive tendencies?

—--

Wailing, you barged into the lobby of your apartment complex, face hidden in your shoulder as you blew past the doorman, cutting his greetings short. Too embarrassed to sit in anyone’s presence long enough for the elevator to arrive, you burst through the stairwell door, clumsily speeding up them, tripping all the while and crawling back up yourself. After falling up four flights, you finally reached your floor and bolted for the exit, fantasizing about the way your plush bedding would envelop you in security. Still sniveling, but with sanctuary within reach, you shoved your key into the lock and threw the front door open, only to fall forward into the apartment dramatically, catching yourself before gravity could take over.

Exhausted, you haphazardly tossed your belongings onto the floor, shedding layers and accessories as you traversed the space. Heels in the hall, purse on the couch, and earrings on the kitchen island, you finally reached the bedroom in only your red cocktail dress, dainty necklace, and smudged makeup. As your fingers gripped the door handle you stopped, smelling something smokey, possibly with a floral hint. Alert to a possible intruder, you raised your guard and prepared for the worst before gently pushing the door and letting it creak open on its own.

Beyond the door, Raph lounged on your bed, waiting for you to arrive home. Surrounding him were throw blankets and pillows, an open take-out box with a steaming pizza, piled with your favorite toppings, and a rose-scented candle burning on the nightstand. Illuminating it all was your television, set on the menu screen of your favorite childhood film, the remote control resting on his chest. “Welcome home,” he said cooly, voice full of gravel, but a languid smile speaking volumes. You couldn’t hold back the sobs that poured from your throat as you lurched forward, collapsing against him.

Raph went rigid beneath you, having been concealing his anxiety about your reaction for quite a while. As you heaved and wept against him, he eased back into you and slowly wrapped you in his arms, hushing your woes. “Dollface, what’s the matter?” he asked carefully as if he didn’t already know.

“Leo was right,” you shuddered. “I never should have gone out with that stupid prick!”

“A date, so that’s where ya been?” Raph asked lightheartedly, pushing you away by your shoulders so he could see your face. “No wonder you’re all prettied up.” Your heart skipped a beat at his words and blood rushed to your face. “Now tell me who that asshole is and what he did to you.”

“H-He…” you sniffled, sitting up fully on your knees and in between his. God, you looked so vulnerable in that position, and the way the ruching of your dress pulled your waist in- That wasn’t the point. “He just never showed up…” you muttered weakly. “He didn’t tell me he was sick ‘til way after he was supposed to be there…” You couldn’t keep yourself from crumbling again, falling back into his arms.

“Shhh…” he cooed, scaly hand caressing your shuddering back. “I got ya, babe, it’s okay.” What seemed to be hours passed with him simply holding you as you cried when you finally spoke again, albeit in a quiet and broken tone.

“R-Raph, do you think I’m pretty…?”

“My God, babe, is that even a question?” he suddenly snorted, prompting you to erect yourself to gain distance from him. He could plainly see the hurt in your eyes as you loomed over him, though his eyes were elsewhere- darting all over your body and eating you up. “Like seriously, how honest do you want me to be, 'cause we’ll be here all night.”

“I don’t want you to lie…” you answered, anxiety bubbling up in your blood.

“I mean where do I start?” he laughed, hands ghosting over your hips, but never actually making contact. “You got these perfect hips and that pretty face, tight ass,” he smirked as you flustered more and more above him, eyelids becoming heavy with want. “You’re a total fox baby.” he dazzled, finally laying his hands on you. “I always wanted to make you feel pretty, just give me a chance baby and I swear, you won’t ever doubt yourself again.” You felt dizzy under all his attention. You’d always had a feeling Raph had a crush on you, but you never would have thought him so passionate. Gradually and instinctually, you leaned closer to him, hazily sealing your lips against his, humming lightly. Kissing him felt so natural, and so necessary, neediness taking you whole.

“(Y/N), I love you,” he confessed, eyes trained on your lips as he parted from you. You weren’t entirely sure whether or not to believe him, as everything around you moved so fast but you felt so special… “So whadaya say, dollface? We got food, your favorite movie, and all night…” he persuaded you, pulling you closer into his lap. “I can help ya get changed into something a little more comfy if ya want...”

Finally, your painted lips curled into a beaming grin and tears pricked your eyes once more, this time for overwhelming joy. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Taglist: @sunshinesdaydream @helpyaw @thelaundrybitch @momii @camillahorne26 @turtle-babe83 @fyreball66 @sharpwindow @roseygardenfan @witchofthenorthstar @pheradream15 @post-apocalyptic-daydream @hyunonion @killmewithafanfic @virtualdonutenemy

#tmnt #tmnt 2012 #x reader #headcanon #txt #tmnt x reader #raph x reader #tmnt lime #tmnt smut #tmnt fluff #raphael tmnt #raphael hamato #raphael x reader #tmnt raphael #tmnt raph

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fishsticksloser · 4 months

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Can I request an angsty future Donnie x Reader where Reader returns to the base severely injured after a patrol goes wrong, they and Donnie are together but not fiances yet or anything like that, and then dies before Donnie gets there?

Sorry I just want heart murdering angst you don't gotta write this dudjfjj

Someone Fucking Loved Me

f!Donnie x gn!reader

Warnings: major injury, Donnie focused, angst, blood and death, swearing, non verbal Donnie, grief

A/N: *nodding* Yes. Yes... F!Donnie angst... My favorite. Yummy. The bold is Donnie using sign language. I didn't want to use '' " so you guys didn't get confused.

Leo didn't get to say much to Donnie. Barely able to say your name before he lost contact with his twin.

The base was loud, everyone wondering what was going on, wanting to help all the injured. He was in a hurry to get to you, sure he hadn't let Leo finish, but waiting for his blue brother to finish his statement would've wasted time and based on how Leo spoke it wasn't good.

"Move out of the fucking way!" He growled out, pushing and squeezing between people.

The crowd murmured your name, Donnie's heart racing. He had to get to you. He tried to squeeze by a bigger group, but they didn't budge. A few people saw him and moved aside though, he could feel tears forming. Fuck. He's crying and he knows if you see it you'll tease him. But at least you'll be okay.

He finally push past a group and into the med bay. It was bustling, people with their families, a few cloths over beds. Donnie heart ached, praying that you were okay. He made his way deeper into the med bay, seeing people being bandaged and taped up. His heart pounds in his ears as he got to the separate rooms. Donnie's eyes met Leo's and his heart shattered.

"No. No. No. No. No." Donnie murmurs softly, shaking his head aggressively.

Leo.

Leo was waiting for him. If it was Mikey or Raph he'd go in and tease you for managing to get hurt. He'd sit by your bed, telling you about his latest invention while you're being bandaged.

But Leo?

Donnie voice broke, unable to speak. Leo looked at his twin, his own heart breaking.

Leo meant nothing good.

"Donnie... I'm... So sorry..." He whispers, gently touching Donnie's arm. Donnie couldn't hear him, not showing any sign acknowledging Leo, his eyes glazed over.

Donnie stepped into your room, seeing the machines pulled away, your clothes soaked in blood. He stood and stared at the unfamiliar body on the bed.

This couldn't be you.

Just yesterday you were telling him what you'd do when you got back, that you couldn't wait to be buried in his arms again.

This can't be you.

This person Leo claimed to be you didn't have warmth in their skin. Their blood was too dark, their eyes too cold.

This wasn't you.

This couldn't possibly be the person Donnie was supposed to be with for the rest of his life.

No.

NO.

You just hadn't come back yet. You'd be home later tonight, entering his lab with an overly dramatic sigh, draping yourself over his shell.

You were too alive to be laying in this bed.

You were too warm to be this cold body.

You were too bright to be in this dark room.

Too kind, too perfect, too careful.

Too important.

Donnie hesitates, stepping closer, your hand hanging off the bed. He sees a glint of something shiny. His hands shake as he takes your hand, lifting it to his gaze.

Your ring. The one he made you.

Tears slowly fall, his gaze lifting to your face.

Your eyes still the color he remembered, but blank and cold.

Your nose with the same bridge he loved kissing, but splattered with blood.

Your lips, the ones he loved pressing his own to, now split and saturated.

His hand trembles as he cups your cheek, no words, no sound leaving his mouth. Donnie's eyes stay on your face, the face he loved waking up to, the one that displayed your smile so beautifully.

His thumb brushes your blood stained cheek, his eyes searching yours. As if he's hoping to find any sign of life, any sign of you.

He doesn't.

His thumb brushes over your cheekbone, silent sobs racking through his body. He leans down, pressing his forehead to yours, his tears falling onto your face.

Leo moves closer to his twin, gently placing his hand on Donnie's shell. Donnie turns quickly, shoving Leo away.

Your. Fault.

"Donnie... Please, I tried. They got in front of me." Leo explains, his own tears falling. Leo holds his hands up, taking a step away from Donnie to give him space.

You promised.

"I know. I know, Donnie. Believe me. I didn't want this... I never wanted this... Please, Dee..." Leo whispers, sniffing and wiping his tears. "I'm so sorry..."

Donnie ignored him, turning back to you.

⋆｡ﾟ｡☁︎👾｡ﾟ｡⋆

"You're so nasty!" You laughed, smushing your pillow over his face. Donnie laughs loudly, grabbing your waist, interrupting you as you tried to get dressed, and pulling you back into bed with him.

"Nasty? Nasty, my love?" He pins you under him, tickling your sides. "Am I not allowed to admire your perfect body?"

"Nasty and pervy. Gross." You squirm underneath him, playfully trying to push his hands away. He grins, squeezing your hips.

"My darling... Do you not also watch me change?" He teases, looking down at you, a playful glint in his eyes. Donnie leans down to whisper. "So... I believe that also makes you nasty."

⋆｡ﾟ｡☁︎👾｡ﾟ｡⋆

He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, feeling your soft cold cheeks. He wasn't sure how long he'd been crying, not sure how many kisses he'd pressed to your forehead.

But Raph came to get him.

The last thing Donnie wanted to do was leave, but Raph hugged him tight, carrying him out of the room. He had no energy to fight, no will to do anything but drift.

Donnie's cheeks stained with tears, his eyes felt distant as Raph tried to talk to him. Donnie just looked past his giant brother, not seeming to be there at all.

How could he possibly see a bright side, have faith in the Resistance, when his life was gone so quick? How could he move on when you were the only person he loved? When you were the only one who could get him to take a break?

How could you be gone?

You promised till death do you part - even before you two got married, but it had taken you before he had time to blink.

You promised that you'd always be there, but you're not anymore.

Someone fucking loved him.

Someone fucking wanted him.

Someone chose to live their life with him.

But that someone is gone.

That someone is cold.

That someone no longer breathes.

That someone he'll always be in love with.

That someone hell always be waiting for.

He fucking loves someone.

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tangledinink · 11 months

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Chapter Thirteen of I'm Sorry, Teenage Mutant What Now? is up! The gang journeys through the Hidden City to investigate the Battle Nexus. They journey through and investigate old memories on the way. Read it on ao3 or below the cut!

[ prev ]

"BARON DRAXUM!"

Everyone in the room winced, including Baron Draxum, who awoke with a start, sitting stark upright and snarling in response as he swayed.

"Jeez, Recruit... Love the enthusiasm, but tone it down a bit, maybe," Lieutenant bit out, rubbing his ears, still reeling from the volume of her wake-up call. Casey flushed just the tiniest bit.

"My apologies, sensei!" She cried, immediately falling into a bow, but privately she thought to herself it worked, didn't it? Nothing else that they had tried had even begun to stir the yokai, who they had found tied up and in an unconscious heap inside his own underground lab. They had arrived expecting to help transport the Hamato children to their main hideout, certain they would be, of course, apprehended neatly by Draxum by now... but evidently this was not the case.

"What in the world happened?" The Lieutenant voiced Casey's own thoughts aloud, holding his hands out exasperatedly. "You said you were going to get the Hamatos."

"Yes, well, things were a bit more complicated than I anticipated..." Draxum hissed, gritting his teeth.

"You said you could handle them on your own! We offered to send you back-up, but you didn't want to wait! Surely four children didn't overpower you--"

"They did not overpower me," Draxum snapped, turning to snarl as he dragged himself back up to his feet. "Some damned witch placed a protection spell on them," he seethed, absolutely bristling. "I can't touch them..." He grit his teeth. "... I will simply have to account for this in the future..."

Lieutenant and Brute seemed somewhat unimpressed, Cassandra noted, glancing at them from the corners of her eyes as the two exchanged looks.

"Yes, well," Lieutenant mused, his hands on his hips. "I'm sure there will be other opportunities to kidnap children in the future. However, the Dark Armor remains our priority. Come on. We've wasted enough time here, and we have a new lead to investigate..."

"Don't worry. You'll get 'em next time," Brute tried to encourage, patting Draxum's shoulders, to which he snarled and batted his hands away, grumbling to himself as he stalked off after them, discussing as they went.

Cassandra sighed softly, rolling her shoulders back and forth a few times before she trailed after her three superiors.

Yes.... The Dark Armor was the priority.

---

The collective shriek of their group was cut off by a loud thud, immediately followed by a chorus of groans. Okay, so, travel by teleportation was... a little disorientating. The fact that most of them currently sucked at staying on their own two damn feet didn't help matters. Some more than others.

"Sorry!" Raph immediately bit out, wriggling from atop the heap, an awkward chuckle escaping him.

"Raph, my wonderful brother," Leo grit out. "You know I love you dearly. But I'm really gonna need you to stop knocking us all over like bowling pins."

"Well, look, you try walkin' around with a giant tail you ain't used to! It's not as easy as it looks!" He defended, throwing his hands up. "I'm doin' my best over here!"

"Whoa!" Mikey effectively ended their squabble with his gasp, sitting up quickly in order to give a wild gesture. "Guys, look!"

And damn. Whoa was right.

Raph was a New Yorker, so he wasn't easy to impress. He wasn't immediately awed by big, sprawling cityscapes or towering skyscrapers, but this place was... something else. It looked somewhere between an actual city and some sort of mystic ruin, residing as 'neither' and 'both' all at the same time. The buildings themselves seemed to grow from the stone landscape, curving and sliding to match the terrain. Glowing mushrooms, crystals, and occasionally the eyes of massive statues provided brightly colored lighting, leaving the various neon signs and backlit advertisements of the city seeming pale in comparison. Street vendors, kiosks, and tents lined the bustling streets, and each and every creature making up the massive crowds was something completely alien that Raph had never seen nor imagined before. Yokai, he thought to himself. That's what April said they were called.

Rather than sharp, straight lines and confident corners, this place seemed built from jagged outlines and curving bends, looping and winding around itself as if the entire city were hanging on, clinging to itself, holding hands, nestled in between the hulking forms of unmoving stone creatures that Raph was unsure how to categorize. He didn't feel confident saying that they weren't alive after the day they had had, despite their frozen forms and their dead, unseeing eyes.

"This must be the Hidden City," Mikey said, and Leo let out a low whistle as the five of them took in the view.

"Good job, little guy. Knew you could get us here," April hummed, giving the little yellow creature they had rescued a squeeze. His tail wagged wildly in reply, snuggling up in her embrace.

"Alright, now we just gotta get to the Battle Nexus from here," Leo said with a sigh, shifting his weight onto one leg, hand on his hip as he glanced over at the yellow critter. "Any idea where that is?"

The creature chirred in response, nodding excitedly and scrambling down from April's arms in order to lead the way. Leo grinned.

"Okay, I take back all my earlier doubts and hesitations. Bringing this guy with us was a great idea," Leo declared as the group set off.

Though the acquisition of weapons, all tucked or stowed away in backpacks or belt loops or pockets, had helped a bit, Raph had still been, admittedly, pretty nervous about entering the city, a pool of anxiety swirling around in his gut. Given the day they had had so far, he couldn't help but imagine a hoard of devious yokai dogpiling him and his siblings the moment they set foot into unknown territory. But, to his quiet surprise, no one spared them even a second glance, all seeming far too occupied with their own errands and lives to glance over at their ragtag group.

Somehow, this made Raph feel a bit better. For several reasons. He supposed that, at the very least, they didn't seem to be freaks here.

"Don't worry, Dad, we're on our way," Mikey chirped, and despite his current relief, Raph still couldn't quite understand how his little brother could be so cheerful. Mikey always amazed him with his emotional resilience. Wished he had some of that.

"Eugh, is he even gonna recognize us when we get there?" Leo said with a wince, wrinkling up his face a bit. "We look, uh... a little different than when he last saw us."

"I'm pretty sure he knows, Leo," Donnie remarked. "He's the one who put the bracelets on us in the first place. He knows."

Raph glanced dimly down at the little golden bracelet still encircling his wrist, the red gem now seeming a bit duller somehow, and he frowned. So this little trinket was mystic all along, huh? Now that he knew, it seemed stupidly obvious. He wondered anxiously if they still worked anymore, or if they were broken forever.

"No wonder he didn't want us to take these things off," Leo muttered, looking over his own, holding his arm up to examine it. "Jeez. I can't believe he kept this a secret from us. How did we not know?"

Mikey gave a thoughtful hum. "Do you guys remember when we were really little? Before we moved? And we used to pretend we were turtles all the time?"

"Somehow I don't think that was pretend, Mikey," Donnie said with a roll of his eyes.

"That's what I'm saying!" Mikey insisted. "But you guys do remember that, right? I just... I always thought that that was just us playing a game or something, but it must have been real! So we knew at some point!"

"And then we forgot..." Donnie mumbled, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully, already obviously doing calculations in his head.

"You guys were pretty weird when you first moved here," April remarked.

"Oh come on. How do you just forget that you're a turtle?" Leo argued, glancing over his shoulder at the others. "That seems like the kind of thing that'd stick with you."

"I dunno," Mikey shrugged. "But obviously we did!"

"You're not implyin' that Dad did somethin', are ya?" Raph questioned, narrowing his eyes, and Leo immediately huffed.

"No! Of course not!" He frowned. "It's just... I dunno. It's weird, is all. It's crazy to think about how much stuff that we just... forgot."

"Well, what do you remember?" Donnie nudged. "Like, from before the move."

"Not much," Leo admitted, scrunching up his nose. "Everything from back then is fuzzy. I don't even know where we moved from."

"I think..." Donnie hesitated a moment. "I think we moved from there."

"Where. The Hidden City?" Mikey questioned.

"No, no, back there. I mean. The sewer we were in before," Donnie pressed. "Didn't it seem... kind of familiar to you guys?"

"Well..." Raph frowned.

"Mikey! Wait!" Raph laughed, stumbling as he chased after his littlest brother. He still didn't walk with a terrible amount of grace, but he crawled like a madman, and Raph took great joy in chasing him around. Mikey did, too, giggling maniacally as he attempted to dodge the other.

Raph could feel, reaching back into the memory, that the bottoms of his feet were cold. The ground was hard beneath them, like stone. Like concrete. He remembered worrying about Mikey's knees. And, thinking back on it now, he swore he could almost hear the sound of running water in the background.

"I go’chyu!" Raph declared, grabbing Mikey, who squealed in response, wriggling against him.

Everything from back then was blurred; cobbled together like pieces of glass glued into a mosaic, appearing in his mind’s eye as a series of blotted, wrinkled images. Were they turtles or people back then? He wasn't sure. Where were they?

"I remember it was dark..." He said. "And cold a lot. The ground was stone or somethin.’"

"I remember that, too!" Mikey gasped.

"Whoa, wait!" Mikey squirmed his way out of Raph's arms again, attempting an escape, and a flare of panic flashed through him for a moment. He dove for Mikey for real this time, not playing anymore, grabbing his brother before he could get too far.

"We can't go that way, Mikey. Daddy said 's not safe yet," he explained when his brother whined in complaint, hoisting him back the way they came, his footsteps clumsy while trying to drag his brother along. "We gotta stay in these tunnels."

"And... I think I remember there being… tunnels," he continued. "Or somethin' like that. It was really big, wherever we were, but we could only go into certain places. And the rest was off-limits, ‘cause Dad said he hadn’t checked them all to make sure they were okay yet. I remember keepin' Mikey from wanderin' off."

"I remember tunnels!" Mikey exclaimed. "I remember yelling into them when we were little and listening to them echo. I remember doing it until Leo made me stop!"

"I don't remember that," Leo protested, crossing his arms.

"You did!" Mikey insisted. "You said I had to play something else because it was bothering Donnie."

"That would be in character for you," April remarked with a tiny grin.

"Sounds like sewers to me," Donnie said with a shrug.

"Maybe," Leo conceded. "But why the hell would Dad keep us in the sewers?"

"There’s probably limited options when your kids are literally part-turtle," Raph reasoned with a grumble.

"Yeah, but abandoned sewers?" Leo pressed. "Come on. Was that really the only choice? Couldn't he have just... kept us inside or something?"

"I don't think so," Donnie said, frowning a bit, shaking his head. Leo sighed.

"Why not?"

"Leo, Dad has one of these bracelets, too," Donnie said. "Remember?"

---

The rest of their journey through the Hidden City went about the same way. One of the boys would bring up some old memory, and they'd discuss for a while, before the conversation would peter out and they'd walk in silence for a bit before the cycle started all over again. April pointed out that they had all regularly chirped and clicked and made other odd noises when she had first met them, but eventually, they grew out of it (mostly.) Raph discussed his memories of watching his younger brothers when they were very little, waiting somewhere dark and quiet for their dad to get back from wherever he was going. Donnie and Leo both remembered sleeping together as toddlers, somewhere very small and curled up, like a nest of some kind, both agreeing that it didn't quite seem like a crib or a bed. Mikey mentioned how many times he got in trouble for painting or drawing on walls when they first moved into the apartment, and how much it had upset and confused him in the beginning-- was that because their dad hadn't bothered to correct the behavior when they lived in the sewers?

"When we first started swim team," Donnie mused, tilting his head back to stare up at the sky. "I remember sometimes, we would have contests with the other kids to see how long we could hold our breaths."

"I remember that," Leo agreed. "And we'd always win!"

"Yes, but..." Donnie hummed. "I think we probably could have won by a lot more if we wanted."

"What do you mean?" Raph questioned.

"Well," Donnie explained. "I recall, or, at least, I think I do, that… that when we first started partaking in those contests, it was... it was easy. Everyone else would have already come up to breathe, but I'd feel completely fine. I'd only come up because I had won and the contest was over. But after a while, people started being weird about it," he frowned. "To be fair, people were weird about a lot of things I did. And I will admit I didn’t always catch on, but I noticed this one,” he said, laughing dryly and giving a wave of his hands. “And at the time, I just wrote it off as one of many! Just another thing that I did that made me different from my peers. But I started coming up earlier so I'd be more... normal," he confessed. "And I'd pretend like I was out of breath when I wasn't, so people would stop looking at me like that. Or, well. People stopped looking at me like that for that particular reason. And I guess eventually I just... I got so used to pretending that it just became second nature, and I didn’t even realize I was pretending anymore."

Leo nodded slowly, looking thoughtful, his arms crossed over his chest. “Yeah… Yeah, that sounds… that sounds right, actually…”

"I remember thinking the same thing!" Raph exclaimed, his eyes wide at the realization. "Except I felt bad that all the other kids kept losin' so bad! I started pretendin' 'cause I didn't want everyone else to get discouraged, and I just did it for so long...!"

"But you're the best swimmer, Dee," Leo remarked, nudging his twin slightly with a tiny smile. "So I wouldn't be surprised if you can hold your breath the longest, too. I mean, christ, you literally have webbed fingers now."

April glanced down at her brother’s hands, noting quietly to herself that it was true. If she was being totally honest with herself, it was a bit alien to look at, so she drew her eyes back away after a moment.

"That does make sense," April hummed. "And it'd explain why you guys are so good at swim meets and stuff, too."

The other three paused, and Leo frowned a bit. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean. If you're turtles, then... obviously you're gonna be good at swimming," she reasoned with a shrug. "It makes sense. Of course you’re gonna win!"

"Mikey doesn't swim," Donnie pointed out.

"Maybe he's a different kind of turtle who doesn't swim?"

"A terrestrial turtle..." Donnie hummed, resting his chin in his hand, brows furrowed. "Maybe a box turtle or something..."

"You think I'm a box turtle?!" Mikey gasped, his eyes lighting up.

"But obviously the rest of you would be good at swimming if you're, like, aquatic," she continued. "So I'm not surprised you all always kicked so much butt at swim meets and stuff!"

"... Yeah. I guess so," Raph said, but he seemed kind of... dejected, almost. Like he was upset. The conversation shifted shortly after, focus shifting to Mikey’s new identity as a box turtle, but April's mind lingered.

Why did she feel like she had just said something wrong?

---

“This is the Battle Nexus?!"

Raph gawked slightly, suddenly feeling a lot less confident. He could feel the various winces and mumbles around him. "It's a goddamn fortress! We're never gettin' in there!"

"Oh, come on. What were you expecting? To just walk in?" Leo scoffed. "It's not that bad!"

"Not that bad?!" Raph squawked, turning to gesture wildly to the massive walls, the towering, heavily guarded entrances, the watch towers perched on nearly every corner... Christ, was that a blimp overhead!? "Are you crazy?! There’s no way!!!"

"Well, not with that attitude," Leo said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah! We're basically ninjas, Raph, we got this!" Mikey cheered, ever optimistic.

"We’re not ninjas, Mikey. And there's no way in hell we're sneakin' in there. You two are out of your mind," Raph said with a scowl.

"We don't gotta sneak!" Leo insisted, waving away the other's concerns. "Don't worry! I'll talk us in there, no problem! Leon's got this. I'm an actor, remember? I just gotta charisma our way past one of those guards."

"You wanna talk your way in?" April questioned, raising a brow. "Leo, are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure! This'll be a piece of cake. C'mon-- watch and be amazed!"

They were not amazed.

"Seriously, Leo?" Raph hissed, no more than five minutes later, the group slinking back into the same alley they had started from with a few new bumps and bruises and their metaphorical (literal?) tails between their legs. "Caravaggio? The awards show host? From the Bloodsporties?"

"I thought it'd work!" Leo cried, throwing up his hands. "Everyone likes to be flattered! People love it when you bring them awards!"

"Why do you need four assistants to drop off an award?" Donnie hissed.

"It's a very important award!" Leo insisted.

"That no one's ever heard of?!"

"Yet," Leo huffed. "Okay, look, it's fine. Leon's still got this. We just gotta switch over to plan B."

"Plan B had better not be at all similar to Plan A," Raph said, crossing his arms. "Or involve any of us being strong-armed off the premises by a massive yokai guard!"

"It won't, it won't, I promise!" Leo assured, getting to his feet again. "Okay. Watch and be amazed! Again!"

Leo shook out his limbs, straightening his posture, rolling his shoulders back, and setting his feet apart. And then, for just a moment, he was completely still. His chest didn't even twitch with a single breath. All at once, he inhaled sharply--

... And nothing happened.

"Wow. Amazing," Donnie said dryly.

"Well, just, gimme a minute! You're breaking my concentration!" Leo snapped, repeating the motion-- and then again, and then a few more times, until he was basically flailing in place, repeatedly thrashing in the same spot. "Come-- ON! Work already!"

"Leo, what the hell are you doin'?" Raph sighed. Leo groaned loudly in frustration.

"I am trying to use my mystic teleportation powers! Obviously!"

"Your what?" Donnie scoffed.

"I'm sorry, you mean the weird mystic things that we've been doin' completely against our will for the past two weeks and have absolutely zero control over? That one?" Raph grit out.

"Well, I'm starting to get the hang of the pattern..." Leo muttered.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me!!!"

"Well, maybe he can really do it!" Mikey chipped in with a bit of tentative encouragement.

"So, let me get this straight," Donnie said, rubbing his temples. "You are trying to teleport all six of us inside of the Battle Nexus... using your mind. Is that correct?"

Leo scowled. He shuffled his feet at the dirt, his lower lip poked out.

"It could happen," he huffed.

"You're an idiot."

"Leo, there's no way this is ever gonna work! We barely even know anything about these powers!" Raph insisted. "What if it's dangerous?!"

"I'm getting the hang of it!" Leo repeated. "I could do it! And how would you know, anyway? You don't even have any powers yet!"

"Guys!" April yelled over the chaos, and the rest of the group paused to glance over.

Scowling, she gestured wildly to the little yellow yokai creature that had led him here.

Oh, right. The one who teleported.

There was a long beat of silence.

"Yeah, that's probably a better plan," Leo reluctantly conceded, though he was still pouting.

"Thank you," April said, scooping the yokai up, who purred and waved his tail, seemingly happy to help. "Okay, come on guys, huddle up. And try not to fall over this time!"

The whole group obeyed, scrunching up around each other and grabbing onto various hands and elbows to make sure everyone would make it to where they needed to go. But something Leo had said nagged at the edges of Raph's mind, gnawing at him even as a bright flash of cyan light overtook them, the world going out from under their feet as they teleported once again.

Why didn't he have any powers yet?

---

Donatello wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting the inside of the Battle Nexus to look like, but it wasn’t ‘literal sports stadium.’

Though they stumbled a bit, they all managed to keep their footing this time once they teleported inside the halls of the Battle Nexus, thankfully in a quiet, unoccupied corner just outside of a stairwell. Perhaps it had been naive of him, but he hadn’t expected the inside of this place to so closely resemble the inside of a modern football arena.

“Nice job, little guy,” April whispered to the little yellow yokai, who looked just a bit more tired than he had before, Donnie noted, panting softly. “We’ll take it from here. You rest,” she instructed gently, tucking the critter into her jacket.

“Anyone have any idea where we’re going?” Leo questioned, looking around suspiciously.

“No,” Raph admitted. “But everyone stick close. And… act casual. This place has gotta be crawling with yokai!” Donnie concurred; he could hear the roars of the crowd from here. “If we don’t call any attention to ourselves, we can just blend in. Dad has be around here somewhere.”

“You got it, bossman,” Leo hummed. “Come on. I think the main stadium is over there. Let’s check that out first and see what the deal is.”

Now, Donnie may be a theater kid, but he was not exactly an actor the way Leo was, (or claimed to be, anyway,) and so ‘acting casual’ was a bit of a demand. He was very focused on trying to make his body language ‘casual,’ in keeping his muscles untensed and his expression neutral, to the extent that he was not especially paying that much attention to their surroundings as the group trailed after Leo. He followed his siblings’ lead into the main seating area of the arena, adjusting the settings of his headphones slightly as they moved to join the edges of the crowd, hoping to keep out the excited screams of the fans.

As a result, he was a bit taken aback when he did look up to take in the scene of the ring below them.

And oh. Oh my god.

This really was fucking bloodsport, huh?

“Jesus christ--”

He was vaguely aware of Raph’s hand hurriedly slapping over Mikey’s eyes before he could get a good look at the scene not just in the battle ring below, but also projected onto the massive jumbotron, and the younger immediately gave a yelp of protest.

“Hey! Raph--”

“Mikey, I know that you don’t wanna be babied and you’re gonna complain, but I really need you to just trust your big brother on this one,” Raph hissed out, his voice tight. “Don’t. Look.”

April had her hands over her mouth, and Leo bristled, mumbling a few curses. Donnie really, really didn’t want to be watching this, but he couldn’t quite take his eyes away. There was a wet, crunching noise, so loud that they could hear it even from up here in the balconies (were they mic’ed up? Sweet baby Galileo--) and the entire party winced around him as the crowds roared in delight.

“What happened?!” Mikey cried from behind Raph’s hands.

“Donnie?” April said, glancing over at him.

He swallowed hard, his stomach flipping. No, no, no. Come on. Keep it together, Vomitello. Not the time, not the place, not at all casual…!

Leo, to his credit, caught on pretty quickly, paling a bit at the realization and jumping forward to bodily whip Donnie away from the scene, beginning to herd the group away.

“Okay, well, Dad’s definitely not down there!” He bit out with a nervous laugh. “Thank fucking god… Look. Obviously, we’re up super high. Let’s find the stairs, start heading down, and see if we find anything on the way,” he said hurriedly, not slowing his pace until they were basically back out where they started, in the near-abandoned outside hallways.

“Sounds like a plan,” Raph said, finally releasing his grip on Mikey’s head. “Uh. Don…?”

“I’m good,” he squeaked out, leaning over slightly, his hands on his knees as he coughed a few times. “All good, no problem…! Just… gimme a second…!”

“Donald,” Leo said through gritted teeth, clapping his hands together decisively. “I am literally begging you not to puke right now.”

“I am doing my best, thank you!” Donnie snapped in response, squeezing his eyes shut. “Oh my god, why was it so lumpy? It looked like cottage cheese!”

“What are you doing!? Stop thinking about it!” Leo cried.

“Think about something else instead! Like… the periodic table! You love that thing,” Mikey suggested brightly. “Like, uhhh, what’s the symbol for chlorine?”

“C-L,” Donnie bit out, flapping his hands a bit and letting out a slow breath through a clenched jaw. “Come on, Mikey, that’s way too easy.”

“Okay, uhhm, what’s the atomic number for iodine?”

“Fifty-three.”

“Yeah! And what’s the atomic mass of titanium?”

“Forty-seven-point-eight-six-seven.”

“Yep! And uranium?”

“Oh, uranium, my beloved, my white whale…! Two-hundred and thirty-eight-point-zero-two-eight-nine.”

“AHHH!” Mikey imitated a buzzer. “Wrong!”

Donnie’s head snapped up. “What?!”

“Just kidding!” Mikey chirped happily. “I don’t actually know the answer. You’re probably right.”

“Oh, you evil genius,” Donnie said, shaking his head. “I’m never helping you study for science class ever again.”

“Pshhhh, yeah you will. Plus you feel better now, don’t you?” Mikey pressed, grinning wide.

“Yes, okay, fine. I owe you one,” Donnie sighed deeply, offering just the smallest of smiles and rubbing the other’s head as though tousling hair, (not that he had any anymore. Ugh, don’t think about that, either,) eliciting a giggle from the other. At least the nausea had backed off now. “Okay. Come on. Leo’s right, shockingly enough. Let’s head downstairs and see if we can find anything.”

“Oh thank god,” Leo whispered, yanking the door to the stairwell open and gesturing to his siblings. “Okay, c’mon, let’s go! Vamanos!”

The trip down through the Battle Nexus was long and boring, but admittedly, calming. Donnie had always been a fan of repetitive actions, and so far, every new floor they investigated they found much of the same, not uncovering much save for more seating for screaming, cheering yokai along with the occasional food court or souvenir stand. Any guards they found they made sure to steer clear of, slowly working their way down through the stadium.

“This is going nowhere,” Raph hissed softly, leaning into Leo as they did a lap through yet another floor of stadium seating. Quite frankly, Donnie was beginning to wonder if all these floors were exactly the same. “Where the heck do you think they’re keepin’ Dad?”

“I don’t know! How would I know?” Leo questioned, bristling a bit.

“This was your plan!”

“Yeah, ‘cause no one else had a plan!” He bit back, scowling. “Look, we’ve just gotta… uh… we’ve gotta…” He looked around for a moment, floundering for just a second before he lit up, pointing.

“We’ve just gotta follow one of those guys!”

Everyone glanced over, and April frowned a bit.

“Follow one of the guards?”

“Yeah!” Leo nodded excitedly. “Look, if anyone’s gonna know how to get into the secret, spooky parts of the Nexus, it’ll be an employee! There’s no way Dad’s just in the stands somewhere or in any of the other public bits of this place. And we’re just walking in circles.” He said with a roll of his wrist. “But I bet if we tail one of those dudes, they’ll lead us straight to him! We just gotta be sneaky.”

“He does have a pretty good point,” Mikey reasoned.

“I dunno. It seems kinda dangerous,” April said, raising a brow.

“Yeah, but we don’t have any other ideas…” Raph said, crossing his arms over his chest.

The three of them glanced over at Donnie, and he sighed, tilting his head back and forth for a moment to do some rapid calculations.

“I do agree that the risk associated with this plan of action is… significant,” he said, frowning a bit. “Butttttt… just wandering around aimlessly isn’t going to get us anywhere. Following someone has a much higher probability of success.”

“That sounds good enough to me!” Raph said, giving a nod. “Alright. Let’s do this then. Everyone’s just gotta be ninja-level sneaky. Got it?”

“Got it,” the group agreed, giving a nod.

Would this go horribly wrong? Only one way to find out.

Finding their target was easy enough. This place was crawling with guards, quite frankly, they just had to pick one. After rejecting the first few targets, as they were all rather beefy, they settled on a slightly smaller, less-deadly-looking Nexus employee to follow.

“Okay,” Leo said. “We’ve just gotta tail him for a while and see where he goes. Everyone stick close, and be quiet.”

“Obviously! You don’t have to tell us to be quiet!” Donnie hissed back.

“Both of you shut up!” Raph whispered. “Look, come on, pay attention! He’s on the move. Mad Dogz, roll out! We can’t lose this guy.”

Donnie huffed and grumbled a bit, resisting the urge to hipcheck Leo as the group began picking their way through the halls, taking care to stick to the shadows. At first, Donnie thought that this was just another waste of their time, and they would end up doing even more laps around the stadium. He dared to get his hopes up, however, when the fox-like yokai paused in front of an unassuming wall. It looked about the same as any other portion of wall in this place, but once the Yokai placed his hand (paw?) to it, it lit up white, and suddenly, there was a door that wasn’t there before.

“Whoa! Lookit that!” Mikey gasped.

“We’re all already looking at it, Mikey, be quiet,” Donnie hissed.

“What’d Raph say!? Shut it! And come on! Quick and quiet, before the door closes!” Raph whispered with a hurried wave of his arm, and the five took off, closing the gap between themselves and the guard in order to slip inside the secret panel, quiet as ninjas-- just like Dad taught them. Even April was surprisingly quiet, and Donnie was privately impressed. It took them years of lessons with their dad (and ill-advised shenanigans that they wished not to face consequences for,) to get this good at sneaking.

All five of them made it in, and the guard was already halfway down the hall by the time they joined them, seemingly none the wiser. Donnie didn’t make a sound, but silently, he fucking whooped and cheered. Yes!!! He had been really fifty-fifty on whether or not this was going to work out.

At the end of the hall, the fox guard clicked a button on the wall, and about five seconds later, the wall opened up like an elevator.

The elevator had about eight other yokai inside. These yokai did not have their backs on them.

“HEY!” One of them immediately shouted, pointing at their group, as they had not yet managed to find a proper hiding space in the long, but sparse hallway. Every single other yokai snapped around to look at them. “What’re you doing in here!? This is employees only!”

Fuck.

“Uhhh…” A pained smile spread on Leo’s face. “We’re looking for the bathroom?”

“Sure,” the fox scoffed, turning to face them properly now, beginning to make his way back down the short hall to meet them. “Alright, lemme see your tickets. I’ll escort you back to your seats.”

“Our tickets? Uhhh… Sure…” Raph spluttered for a moment, laughing nervously. “Let’s see, uh, where did we put--”

April yanked her club from her backpack and promptly slammed it into the yokai’s head with a loud thunk.

“APRIL!” Raph screamed, jumping in surprise. “What the hell!?”

“Well, there’s nowhere to run!” She shouted in response, and, ah, welp, there she went. Full charge ahead, then? “Come on, we gotta get into that elevator!”

Donnie sighed deeply. Well, he had predicted fifty-fifty.

He set his jaw, rolling his shoulders a few times before whipping his bo staff from his back. “Alright, well. Here we go.”

“COWABUNGA!” Raph shouted as he charged forward, and Donnie resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They were gonna have to work on battle formations and plans later.

But he was prepared this time. He wasn’t gonna freeze up and back down.

Yes, this was a fight. An actual, for real fight, which he had never been in before! But he hadn’t trained for nothing.

He got this. They’d be fine. They got this.

Leo laughed, sliding forward with quick, practiced ease, his odachi flashing forward to smack the blunt of the blade against the ankles of the nearest yokai and send them tumbling to the ground while he darted past them. April was right on his tail, beaning anyone who got too close and following her younger brother’s lead. “Come on, guys, keep up!”

“Right behind yah!” Mikey cheered, both him and Raph rushing forward at a matching pace. Despite the size difference, the two easily kept up with one another. Where Raph elbowed his opponents out of the way, clearing himself a path by bodily throwing their enemies to the side, Mikey darted and danced his way around them, a zig-zagged ballet to Raph’s straight, unyielding path. He whooped loudly as he went, always just out of reach with each step.

“Hot Soup!” Donnie noted their eldest brother howled out another battle cry (wasn’t that copyrighted?) Mikey’s kusari-fundo whipped about to fling him forward, tackling the largest of the guards to the ground and sending them both tumbling down the hall.

Like… Both of them tumbling.

Also, Mikey was in the mix too, still attached by the chains of his kusari-fundo.

Well, at least it was still forward momentum!

Donnie inhaled deeply, his muscles coiling.

Couldn’t get left behind.

He darted down the hallway, jumping over and dodging around anyone already on the ground. At one point, a hand flashed out, grabbing at his ankle, and Donnie bit out a series of curses. He wrenched himself out of their grip, stumbling slightly, and nearly ran straight into one of the other (quite large) yokai in the hallway. A rapid equation darted through his head, however, and he just barely managed to correct his footing at the last second, turning sharply on his heel to transfer the momentum into his staff. The weapon curled around to slam into the guard with a heavy, satisfying thawk, sending them sprawling to the ground, and the entire hallway shuddered at the impact.

Well, that was a close one. He hopped over their fallen form and surged ahead, reaching down to grab Mikey’s hand as he went, dragging both him and Raph to their feet behind him, “Come on!”

The two found their footing quickly with the assist, falling back into a sprint-- smacking and dodging enemies as they went with about a seventy-five-percent success rate. Jesus, had this hallway always been this long? It felt like it was taking a stupid amount of time to get to the other end of it! Out of the very corners of his eyes, Donnie just barely spotted one of the larger guards rising back up to their feet, lunging at him from behind-- only for a neon green club to come whipping out of nowhere at the very last second, colliding with the side of his assailant’s head and throwing him right back to the ground.

“Hey! Only I get to hit my little brothers!” April shrieked, her face set in a furious scowl. The guard, a huge, stocky, lion-like creature snarled in reply, lashing out with his legs to send her sprawling to the floor with a yelp.

“Oh, you did not just do that to our friend!” Mikey snapped, flashing forward to stand protectively in front of their sister, his kusari-fundo whizzing around them, filling the air with a barely-there whine. “Back off!”

He lashed out with the weapon, his arm whipping forward with the movement-- only to blink in surprise when physics failed to behave as expected. Which, uh, was pretty unusual for physics. Physics were typically pretty reliable. But the weight at the end of his weapon spun wildly in place, suspended in air for several long seconds, before it promptly lit up in a blazing flame.

“Ooh!” Mikey shrieked in delight. “Magic weapon! Guys, loo-- ACK!”

And there they were, Donnie thought dimly to himself.

The uncontrolled variables.

Donnie gasped, immediately ducking down and covering his head as his brother flew about the room like a deranged bird, still hanging onto his (seemingly demonic) mystic weapon. He all but pinballed off the walls, screaming the whole time. The lion just barely managed to leap out of the way before Mikey crashed into the wall, flopping down with a small squeak on impact, luckily seeming shaken but not injured.

“WHOA! Mikey! That was awesome!” Raph gaped, his eyes widening. “Dude, how did you do that?!”

“I dunno!” Mikey said, stumbling to his feet and kind of wavering a bit with dizziness. “I was just swinging my weapon around and it just-- did it!”

“Let me try!” Raph said, shaking his tonfas about like they were goddamn maracas. “Come on, magic weapon, magic weapon, magic weapon-- OOH!” He yelped in surprise as one of the remaining guards crashed into him, snarling as they all but whipped him from his feet. But Raph held his ground. “Okay, alright-- magic weapon tests later! Fight now!”

“Can’t wait to see what mine does!” Leo laughed as he leaped over the group, diving towards an oncoming yokai. He swung his blade forward, slicing through the air with a loud crackle of near-electric energy--

A bright blue circle of mystic energy promptly opened up beneath Leo, and he yelped in surprise as he went plunging downward.

And downward.

“Hm,” Donnie remarked. “I guess he can teleport.”

“GET! ME! OFF! THIS! RIDE!” Leo howled, flailing as he plummeted endlessly through the two parallel portals he had sliced through reality, one below his feet and the other up above his head, only picking up the pace the longer he fell.

Donnie sighed loudly. He was sure someone else would get him. Eventually. In the meantime, someone was gonna have to take care of the remaining yokai guards. Luckily, this one was suitably distracted by his twin brother’s infinite falling.

“And that’s why I like fighting the old-fashioned way,” Donnie hummed, slipping past the yokai’s side and into his blind spot, watching their eyes widen in surprise as he jabbed sharply at them with his bo staff. They were just barely able to dodge out of the way of Donnie’s attacks. “Though the portal does make for some quality entertainment, I must admit--”

They jumped out of Donnie’s range, swiping forward with a clawed arm, and Donnie’s body immediately, instinctively moved in response, his bo staff flashing upward to block the move and force them off-kilter. He hardly even had to think. His body already knew what to do when he needed it.

It’s just like a tournament. No different from a tournament. You’ve won thousands of fights. This is exactly the same thing. Just keep your head, do the math-- You’re good at this, remember?

Bouncing off the yokai’s arm, Donnie’s staff whipped back around to ricochet into the side of their head, earning him a frustrated and perhaps pained snarl in response. See? Donnie grinned, just for a second, ducking easily out of the way of the guard’s counterattack and leaping to the side, finding himself the space once more to adjust his stance and run rapid calculations. Numbers danced in front of his eyes, and he quickly zeroed in on the equation with the best probability of success, building his plan of action around that.

The yokai snarled, leaping after him-- exactly as he expected. Donnie’s entire body instantly snapped downward and out of their path in response, ducking away from their attack. At the same time, they pitched themselves to the left, whipping their bo staff around as they went to find their mark. The guard made a short, strangled noise of surprise as the weapon collided with their throat, sending them reeling in the opposite direction. They were almost immediately on their knees, choking and spluttering as Donnie darted away, just the tiniest bit breathless as he went.

“Just like I planned it--!” He had laughed, quietly delighted that it had, in fact, gone the way he planned it, and why had he been worried? He could do this, he knew how to do this!-- when his youngest sibling went flying into his side with a yelp.

The pair of them tumbled across the hallway before slamming into the wall, bringing their unexpected trip to a sudden and grinding halt. Donnie groaned softly, wincing as he slowly forced himself back up, stars all but dancing in front of his eyes, Mikey flopped over beside him and seeming just as dazed. Ow. Okay. That hadn’t been in his calculations.

He just barely caught sight of the lion yokai diving for them, catching on about half a second before the attack landed.

He didn’t run any numbers this time. He didn’t have the chance.

His muscles moved quicker than even his brain could, throwing himself bodily over top of his baby brother to shield him from the coming impact.

[ next ]

#sorrywhatnowau #sorrywhatnowau fic #rottmnt #tmnt #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt au #rottmnt fanfic #rottmnt fanfiction #tmnt fanfiction #rottmnt human au #tmnt human au #fanfic #fidgetwing #fighting and potential injury #my beta reader has already informed me ill be hearing from their lawyer so don't worry abt it #also i make my best (and by that i mean dumbest) jokes in this chapter

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theyhavetakenovermylife · 4 months

Text

They Realize They Have Feelings For You

2003!Turtles x reader

Warnings: Description of injury. Otherwise none💙❤️💜🧡

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Leonardo:

The dojo was bathed in the soft glow of training lanterns, casting shadows that danced with each movement of your body. Leonardo and you faced off in a spirited sparring session, the clash of yours and his katanas echoing through the otherwise quiet space. But as the two of you engaged in a series of well-practiced moves, Leo couldn't help but be captivated by the way you moved.

Your grace and precision were unmistakable. You did everything he had taught you ever since your first training session. The determined set of your jaw, the fluidity of your strikes - it was as if you were a sudden force of nature, and Leonardo found himself drawn into the dance of combat. His eyes, typically focused and disciplined, occasionally betrayed a subtle softness as they followed your every move.

In the midst of the training, there was a moment. A moment when you executed a particularly tricky maneuver you had been begging him to teach you, and Leo's attention wavered. Instead of focusing on countering your attacks, his gaze lingered on you. The strands of your hair, tousled from the intensity of the spar, framed your face in a way that captivated him. The subtle smile on your lips as you fought added a warmth to the room that had nothing to do with the training lanterns.

The realization was subtle, like a whisper in the wind. Something had shifted within Leonardo. The friendship and closeness that had defined your relationship now had an undercurrent of something more. But what was it? He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Days passed, and the turning point came during a mission. Danger surrounded you, adversaries closing in, and Leonardo's heart raced with a fear he hadn't felt before. This protective instinct when it came to your wellbeing wasn't new - he'd always been the guardian of his brothers and those close to them. But this was different. This was a worry that cut deeper, a fear that extended beyond the bonds of brotherhood. It was almost feverish. And it did not go away before he was sure you were okay.

After the mission, the weight of that worry lingered. On the rooftop, amidst the quiet of the night, Leonardo grappled with his emotions. It was then he realized. He left like he had been hit with a brick. It wasn't just concern for a teammate or a friend; it was something more profound. His feelings for you had shifted, transformed into a form of care that went beyond the dojo, beyond the missions, beyond a friendship.

As he stood there, the cityscape sprawling before him, Leonardo accepted the truth. His heart had chosen a different path, and it led directly to you. From that moment on, every training session took on new meaning. Every clash of your katanas, every smile you shot him, every shared victory - it was all part of a journey, a journey that Leonardo was now ready to embark on, uncertain but willing.

Raphael:

In the aftermath of a grueling mission, the lair was shrouded in an air of exhaustion and tension. The stench of battle hung in the air as the turtles stumbled back, battered and bruised. Among them, Raphael found himself particularly worse for wear, his body a canvas of scrapes and bruises.

Every step back to the lair was painful. Raphael needed help from his brothers, his arms wrapped around their shoulders as they helped him walk. The weight of his injuries pressed upon him, a stark contrast to the adrenaline that had fueled him moments ago. Raph couldn't help but wince with each movement.

Upon returning to the lair, Raph's weary steps were met with concerne by Master Splinter, April and Casey. However, one set of eyes stood out among the rest - yours. The genuine worry etched across your face tugged at something deep within him, a sensation he couldn't quite put into words.

As Raph wearily lowered himself to the floor, you wasted no time in rushing to his side. You barked at Donatello, telling him to find the medkit, while you began to inspect his wounds with a practiced care that spoke volumes about the countless times you'd performed this ritual. Being close friends with Raphael often meant looking and treating his wounds.

There, in that moment, as you delicately tended to his injuries, Raph felt a warmth that transcended the physical pain. It was the warmth of your presence, the undeniable comfort of knowing that you were there for him, ready to mend not just his physical wounds but the emotional ones too.

It struck him like a revelation - a realization that your care for him went beyond the realms of friendship. In the quiet of the lair, Raph understood that you were the constant in his tumultuous life. The way you looked after him, the worry etched on your face, and the tenderness in your touch - it all resonated with a truth he couldn't ignore. A truth he had unintentionally denied for longer that he would admit.

In that moment of vulnerability, Raph's walls began to crumble at your touch. Sure you were able to get close to him as his friend, but this was different. His gruff exterior gave way to a newfound awareness, and he couldn't deny the surge of emotions welling up within him. That was the instant when he knew - amidst the chaos of battles and the close proximity of his brothers and friends, his feelings for you ran deeper, and the realization lingered in the air like a quiet acknowledgment of something profound.

Once Raphael managed to get some time alone in his room, he just laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling, finally admitting the full thought to himself. Raphael had feelings for you, one of his best friends. Oh shell…

Donatello:

The lair was quiet, except for the occasional soft hum of machinery blending with the occasional rustle of paper. Donatello was in his element, surrounded by the glow of computer screens and the intricate dance of wires and gadgets in the lab. It was during one of these late-night sessions that he found himself drawn to a realization that would change the dynamics of the lair.

You, one of Donnie’s best friends, was engrossed in a conversation that transcended the usual banter with the purple clad turtle. The topic ranged from scientific theories to the latest inventions, and the exchange of ideas flowed effortlessly. As you spoke, your eyes lit up with passion, and Donatello couldn't help but be enamored by the depth of your intellect and curiosity. You had questions that not even Donatello had thought about. The way your mind worked, the brilliance of your ideas - it was magnetic.

The turning point, however, came during a moment of distraction, even long after you had left the lair that day. Donatello found himself daydreaming, his gaze shifting from the computer screen to the intricate gadget in his hands. In that instant, it wasn't the technical details that captured his attention; it was the thought of your smile. The way your eyes crinkled at the corners and the warmth that radiated from that smile - it had a gravitational pull on him.

Caught in the midst of his own thoughts, Donnie realized that his feelings for you had evolved. It wasn't just admiration for your brilliant mind; it was an appreciation for everything about you. The late-night conversations became more than just exchanges of scientific theories; they became moments where Donatello discovered the depth of his connection with you. Donatello could not deny that he had thought you were pretty for a long time, but he had never given it a second thought. But you were so much more than just a pretty human.

As the days passed, Donnie found himself navigating uncharted territories of emotions. The lab, once a sanctuary for technological pursuits, now bore witness to the subtle dance of feelings that unfolded between the two of you. Every late-night conversation, every shared project, and every stolen glance became a part of a journey that transcended the boundaries of intellect.

On the rooftop, overlooking the city lights after a particularly successful invention, Donatello contemplated the truth. He acknowledged that what he felt for you was more than friendship. It was a complex tapestry of emotions woven into the fabric of their shared pursuits. In the quiet of the lab or the chaos of battle, Donnie had discovered that the heart, much like the universe he explored through his inventions, held mysteries waiting to be unraveled by you and him together.

And so, within the confines of the lab, amidst the glow of computer screens and the soft hum of machinery, Donatello embarked on a new experiment - the experiment of love.

Michelangelo:

The lair was alive with the sounds of laughter and the aroma of fresh take away pizza from the nearest pizzeria. Michelangelo, the eternal optimist, was in his element, surrounded by the warmth of friendliness and the joy of shared moments. Little did he know that amidst the goofing off and pizza nights, a revelation was waiting to unfold.

It happened during one of those laid-back evenings, a time when the brothers and you had gathered in the main living area to unwind. The air was filled with the familiar sounds of button mashing and virtual explosions as you and Mikey dove into a session of video games. It was during these light-hearted moments that the unexpected occurred.

As the two of you navigated through the virtual world of one Mikey’s favorite video games, your laughter rang out, infectious and carefree. Mikey couldn't help but be drawn to the joy that radiated from you. Your smiles and shared banter created a magnetic atmosphere, and in that simplicity, something shifted within Michelangelo.

The realization that dawned on Mikey was surprisingly subtle. It wasn't an epiphany that struck like lightning but a gradual understanding that unfolded like the plot and levels of their favorite video game. Mikey found himself smiling just because you were there, and the joy he felt in those moments surpassed even the thrill of victory in the gaming world.

The turning point came when Mikey noticed a shift in his priorities over the next few days. Pizza nights, a sacred tradition in the lair, took a back seat in his anticipation. The excitement of your company became a highlight that he looked forward to, eclipsing even the allure of his favorite food. It was in that moment of preference that Michelangelo knew he was falling for you in a big way.

Days turned into nights, and the laughter filled video game sessions continued. Mikey, the carefree spirit, embraced the change in his heart. Every shared joke, every victory dance, and every stolen glance during those gaming nights took on new significance. Michelangelo, often dismissed as the goofball, navigated the uncharted waters of emotions with a sincerity that surprised even himself.

On the rooftop, under the starry night sky, Michelangelo contemplated the truth. He admitted to himself that his feelings for you were more than just carefree friendliness; they were the threads that wove a tapestry of connection and affection. In the heart of the lair, amidst the laughter and the scent of pizza, Michelangelo's journey from the goofball to someone in love had begun. And as the days unfolded, he discovered that the greatest adventure of all wasn't battling mutants, ninjas and aliens or saving the city - it was navigating the complexities of the heart, especially when it involved someone as special as you.

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