#muse| hamato raphael | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

twstgabrielle · 2 years

Text

Warning: Major injuries, a few scares and all around chaos. Also most likely inaccurate medical advice/information. If any of this makes you uncomfortable I highly encourage y'all to check out my other works.

Boredom, it was something that Michelangelo was extremely familiar with. Despite having three older brothers who he could mess around with or training in the dojo with his father or going to his room with all of his comic books and toys, there were still moments where the young turtle would get bored. And when boredom hit Michelangelo was a force to be reckoned with. Which is how he'd started on the current mission that he was starting. The young five year old turtle toddler had decided to start climbing things to see how high he could get before he'd have to climb back down. So far he'd managed to climb onto a chair in the kitchen by himself, managed to climb on the walkway rails that sat at one of the entrances of his home, and managed to nearly get to the kitchen counter before Raphael had came in and nearly scared him half to death and unknowingly deterring him from trying it out.

After that moment Michelangelo practically ran out of the kitchen leaving a confused older brother behind within it. The small orange clad turtle had ran as quickly and quietly as he could before he was sure that Raphael wasn't going to follow him and question him about him being in the kitchen. After somewhat hiding out in the pit area in the living room and not hearing his red clad brother coming after him for at least twenty minutes the youngest turtle finally relaxed and came out of his hiding place completely bummed out.

'Now I'll never know if I can climb up the kitchen counter....'

The turtle thought feeling a bit frustrated as he walked out of the familiar living room. Michelangelo glared a bit at the ground, annoyed that he was going to be bored again. As he glared at the ground he thought about what he should do next before an idea hit him.

'Maybe Donnie will do something with me.'

The turtle thought brightening up at the thought of his older brother hanging out with him. As Michelangelo ran to get to his brother's bedroom to see if he'd come and play with him the orange turtle stopped suddenly when he caught sight of the dojo and its opened doors. Curious the little turtle changed his course of action and made his way cautiously towards the dojo. Bright blue eyes peered in through the doors, expecting to see his father meditating within as he usually did. However to his surprise, his tall rodent Sensei was no where to be seen. All that greeted him was the familiar tatsumi mats and weapons that decorated the walls and the small shrine of Tang Shen and Miwa that sat within the corner. Michelangelo felt his curiosity grow and without thinking too much about it stepped inside the dojo.

'Wonder where papa went....?'

Michelangelo mused somewhat searching for the familiar figure in the dark red robes and familiar face of whites, browns and blacks. When he didn't see him the child somewhat slumped a bit before his gaze finally landed on a familiar sight. Sitting within the middle of the dojo was the family tree. The large tree stood amongst the room, its branches overhanging and filled with bright green leaves. It was tall and had been there for all of Michelangelo's life, and it was a well loved and taken care of tree that his Sensei Master Splinter took great pride in. As the young child looked at the large tree a sudden idea hit him, completely kicking his original idea of seeking out Donatello to the curb.

'What if I climbed the tree....?'

Michelangelo thought suddenly excited and giddy as the urge from earlier to try and climb things from earlier came back full force. The small turtle didn't even hesitate, instead making his way towards the large tree and its dark trunk to try and climb it. Gripping the bark and getting a good holding on it the youngest Hamato son began to climb up the large and sturdy tree, enjoying the thrill he'd received from doing so. He'd never been allowed on the tree, Master Splinter was very adamant about it and got very upset whenever he'd catch one of the boys trying to climb up it. He never knew why his father was so against it, seeing as how he was having the time of his life.

"This is so cool-!"

Michelangelo breathed climbing higher and higher until he'd finally reached the tree branches that hung over the dojo. Hoisting himself onto it Michelangelo perched himself onto it, relishing in the ecstatic feeling of actually accomplishing it. With a beaming grin on his freckled cheeks the little turtle sat on the branch for a few moments just basking in the feeling of pride and boyish excitement. After having his fill Michelangelo went to start his dissent down the tree when he finally took in just exactly how high he really was. Eyes going wide Michelangelo suddenly stiffened as he looked downwards towards the ground which now seemed like it was miles above the ground. A sudden feeling of fear hit him as he froze, and he couldn't move instead gripping the branch with his three fingered hands. However as he went to move himself to get a better grip he stumbled slightly causing his body to go forward. Michelangelo let out a startled shriek and he grabbed the branch to steady himself, his heart racing a mile a minute.

"H-help...! Someone help me-! Sensei....! Papa-! Raphie-! Donnie-! Anyone-!"

Michelangelo began to say his voice growing a bit hysterical as he struggled to keep himself on the tree branch. The once fun adventure and thrill of breaking his Sensei's wishes was now a terrifying experience to the five year old and he wanted more than anything to get down. Big large tears started to fill his eyes as he trembled with fear. He just wanted to get down, he didn't want to die, he wanted to get out of this tree and be on the ground again. As he broke down in his terror he failed to notice the person entering the dojo at that moment.

"Mikey?!? What are you doing?!?"

A voice childish and horrified came from below. Michelangelo's teary baby blues snapped towards the ground and were met with wide and scared dark blue ones.

"L-Leo....."

Michelangelo whimpered as he gripped the tree branch, relief hitting him as he saw his older brother Leonardo. The oldest Hamato son had already made his way towards the tree looking all in the world spooked as he stopped at the tree trunk.

"Mikey-! Are you okay-??"

Leonardo asked frantically as he took in the terrified and teary eyed gaze of his little brother. Michelangelo shook his head finally bursting into tears as he held onto the branch for dear life.

"N-no-! I'm not okay...! L-Leo I....I can't get down-!"

The younger turtle sobbed out as the older turtle stared at him in shock and fear. But just as quickly as the look appeared a new look came onto the other five year old's face. A look that he'd unknowingly have with him for the rest of his life.

A look of older brother determination.

"It's okay Mikey, I'm here. Everything's gonna be okay I promise. I'm gonna come and get you just don't move."

Leonardo said his small face scrunched up in a fiery determination as he began to climb up the tree himself, wanting nothing more than to get his little brother down and safe onto the ground. Michelangelo's eyes went wide as he watched his big brother, the brother who followed the rules and never disobeyed Master Splinter's wishes, completely disregard them as he too climbed up. Before Michelangelo knew it Leonardo was already on the branch, his gaze focused solely on Michelangelo. The oldest Hamato son carefully moved closer towards the youngest Hamato son, reaching his hand out towards him.

"It's okay Mikey I'm right here, just take my hand and we'll get down safely."

Leonardo said his voice soft and calm. Michelangelo shook his head trembling.

"I-I can't-! What if I fall-?!"

Michelangelo began to say before Leonardo interrupted him.

"You're not going to fall. I won't let you fall, I'll never let you fall Mikey. You'll be okay I promise. Trust me."

Leonardo said his voice strong and serious for one so young. Michelangelo stared at him, his trembling calming down somewhat as he looked at his big brother. The orange turtle had no idea why but for some reason he knew deep down that Leonardo would never let him fall. With that reassurance Michelangelo finally gave a shaky nod, his tears and sniffles slowly down.

"O-Okay....."

Michelangelo said his voice small and scared but trusting as he began to slowly reach out to meet Leonardo's out stretched hand. The youngest turtle had just managed to grab onto Leonardo's hand when the sound of a loud cracking filled the dojo. Everything moved in slow motion for Michelangelo as he felt himself begin to fall, the branch having broken underneath him. His heart froze as he fell, horrifically enough dragging Leonardo with him. The youngest Hamato son let out a scream of terror as he and the oldest Hamato son went free falling. Michelangelo closed his eyes not wanting to see him and his older brother hit the ground and die. However his eyes snapped open when he felt Leonardo yank him into his chest plate harshly, his hands coming up to shield Michelangelo from harm as he flipped them over while they fell, putting himself beneath his little brother. Michelangelo couldn't even process what had happened before they both landed onto the dojo floor harshly, the orange clad turtle landing on top of his blue clad brother who had taken the harsh impact of their free fall. The sound of a sickening crack, like a brittle branch snapping in half filled the dojo, along with a shell slamming into the floor and another shell.

Michelangelo panted the adrenaline high as he pushed himself up realizing that he hadn't even touched the ground. No the one who had touched the ground and taken the blunt force of his body landing on him was Leonardo. The blue clad eldest child held his little brother tightly within his arms, though now that Michelangelo was able to see one of his brother's arms was bent at an awkward angle, and already bruising. Leonardo's eyes were closed and his jaw was tight as if he was in pain. A feeling of dread hit Michelangelo as he realized what Leonardo had done and he'd paid for it. Practically going hysterical again Michelangelo scrambled off of Leonardo being careful not to move the arm that was hurt. Tears filled his vision once more as he gently shook Leonardo's uninjured shoulder.

"Leo.....Leo.....! Leo please get up.....! L-Leo.........."

Michelangelo said his voice cracking as he didn't get a response from his unconscious and injured older brother. The child's thoughts raced within his mind making his panic grow.

He'd kept his promise.

He didn't let you fall.

He should be okay so why wasn't he waking up??

Was.....was he......?

Michelangelo swallowed the hysteria finally hitting its peak and he did the only thing that his five year old mind could think of.

He screamed.

~~~~~

Master Splinter had just gotten back from checking the surrounding areas of the lair, making sure that no one had gotten too close when the sudden sound of a blood curdling scream reached his sensitive ears.

"PAPA-!!!!!"

A voice full of terror and fear and tears filled the lair, a voice belonging to his beloved youngest son Michelangelo. A sudden feeling of cold dread filled his heart at the scream having never heard such a terrified sound coming from his baby boy. Is was a sound that should have never been made.

Not while he was alive and breathing.

Splinter didn't even think, he only moved fueled by pure parental instinct and the desperate need to see if his sons, his babies were safe. He raced towards the direction of where he'd heard Michelangelo's blood curdling scream, to the dojo, noticing that already rushing into the same room was Raphael and Donatello. His two sons had the most terrified looks on their faces, looks that should never be there in the first place. The two five year olds saw their father rushing towards them their eyes filled with childish fear.

"Father-! What's wrong why is Mikey screaming-???"

Donatello asked as the large rat followed closely by his sons rushed towards the dojo.

"Father I can't find Leo-!!"

Raphael spoke up an uncharacteristic tone of fear appearing in it. Splinter didn't answer them only focused on getting to the dojo. Finally after what felt like an eternity Splinter and his sons finally entered the dojo and the sight that greeted them chilled Splinter down to his very bones. Sitting on the ground sobbing and gripping his brother was Michelangelo. The youngest son was hysterically crying, clinging desperately to his brother as he sobbed. The brother being gripped in question was none other than Leonardo. His eldest son was laying on the ground unnaturally still, his right arm bent in an unnatural manner, purple colored and swollen and obviously broken. His eyes were closed and other than his jaw being flat in a line of pain he didn't move, not when Michelangelo pleaded with him to answer him, not when he was being shaken. He remained completely and utterly still almost as if........

Splinter felt something within him break, the air in his lungs being stolen as he rushed forwards, hearing Donatello's horrified gasp and Raphael's terrified cry of Leonardo's name coming from behind him. He felt like he was running through molasses, as he ran to his two children's sides.

'Please....please if there's a god or deity listening out there please don't let my son be......! I can't lose him, I can't lose another child-! Not after Miwa, not after Tang Shen-! I wouldn't be able to bare it-!'

He pleaded praying to anyone listening to him as he finally made it to Michelangelo and Leonardo's sides. The orange turtle's head snapped up seeing his father and he burst into tears again his words rushed and barely understandable.

"Papa-! It's all my fault I shouldn't have climbed the tree-! And.....and now Leo's-!"

Michelangelo sobbed out as Splinter checked Leonardo over. The large rat about collapsed with relief as he felt the familiar heartbeat of his eldest son, pumping strong and clearly.

"Father is......is Leo.....?"

Donatello asked from behind him, his voice small and trembling as if he was barely keeping it together. Splinter turned to his other two children and saw the fearful looks on their faces. Forcing himself to remain calm and strong Splinter spoke.

"Leonardo is fine, he's just unconscious. But he needs medical attention immediately. His arm is broken and I need to set it before it heals wrong."

Splinter said already taking charge of the situation. Staring at his three shaken sons he set them to work, knowing that the distraction would help.

"Donatello I'll need you to get me the first aid kit and to clear off the bed in the spare room. Can you do that for me?"

Splinter asked making his purple clad child snap his wide and spooked reddish brown gaze to him.

"H-Hai father I'll get right on it!"

Donatello said the five year old already running out of the dojo to complete his tasks given to him. Splinter then turned to Raphael who was shaking slightly and barely keeping himself together.

"Raphael I need you to get me some splints and some ice for your brother's arm to help bring the swelling down. Can you complete this task?"

Splinter asked keeping a close eye on his second eldest son. Raphael's bright green eyes snapped up to his father, a whirlwind of emotions flying around in them. His son didn't answer instead just nodding before taking one last look at Leonardo and Michelangelo and then heading out to do his tasks. Splinter took a deep breath relieved that Raphael was listening to him, already knowing how fiercely protective his red clad five year old was. Finally he turned his attention to his sobbing youngest and placed a gentle hand on his shell to help calm him down.

"Breathe my son, Leonardo is alright. I need you to explain to me exactly what happened and how he'd broken his arm."

Splinter said his voice calm yet stern as he looked at his youngest. Michelangelo gave a small hiccupping whimper before nodding already calming down with his father's presence there. Satisfied with this, Splinter gently picked up Leonardo from the floor careful not to jostle his broken arm, and then with his other arm he picked up Michelangelo before carrying his two babies out of the dojo and into the spare room.

~~~~~

Michelangelo Hamato sat on couch staring at his hands in a shocked stupor. After Master Splinter had came home and had taken Leonardo into the spare room to fix him up, everything became a blur to him. All Michelangelo could think about was the way Leonardo had held him when they'd fallen and how he'd taken the brunt of it. It scared him, having Leonardo do such a thing and he'd told Master Splinter just as much when the large rat mutant finally asked him what had happened. Michelangelo had told him everything from his climbing in the kitchen to the climbing of the tree in the dojo. He told him about how Leonardo had saved him, crying brokenly as he recalled the promise that Leonardo said. Master Splinter listened quietly, his aura full of disappointment and yet soothing. After the youngest Hamato son told his story Master Splinter took a deep breath rubbing his eyes in an exhausted way.

"Michelangelo, I'm very disappointed in you and your choices. I had told you as well as your brothers many times to not climb the tree in the dojo. Yet you disobeyed me and as a result Leonardo was hurt."

Master Splinter said his voice stern and soft, full of the anger of a father and the disappointment that he felt for his son's choices. Michelangelo sniffled wiping his puffy eyes to stop his tears.

"I-I know Sensei I.....I should have listened and.....and now Leo's hurt....! I.....I didn't want him to get hurt....! I'm sorry Papa......!"

Michelangelo said his voice trembling and full of regret and sorrow. Splinter's gaze softened at hearing his son's regret and with a gentle yet firm hand he pulled his son close to him and hugged him.

"I know that you didn't mean for your brother to get hurt. My son you must understand that choices have consequences. And depending on the choices those consequences can be more than we're willing to pay. I want you to learn from this and use this experience to teach you to think before you act. Do you understand my son?"

Master Splinter asked his tone soft. Michelangelo nodded hugging his father tightly as be buried his head into his chest. As the father and son hugged one another Donatello and Raphael who had been eavesdropping gave each other a small look. The two were extremely upset by what had happened, and they never wanted something like that to happen ever again. Seeing Leonardo on the dojo floor like that had scared Donatello and Raphael. Donatello when he'd seen the scene had never felt so useless in his entire life. The purple clad turtle had wanted to help his father out in helping Leonardo out so badly, but he had no clue what to do. So Donatello could only watch the whole thing, powerless to help his big brother and to help Michelangelo who was falling apart the entire time. Raphael on the other hand.....seeing his big brother, his best friend on the ground like that had completely ruined him. Raphael at that moment felt like he'd failed when he'd seen the scene, when he'd seen Michelangelo crying and Leonardo hurt and unconscious. It angered the red clad turtle, who wanted nothing more than to protect his brothers, to be completely useless in doing so. Raphael hadn't been there to keep them safe and as a result Leonardo was hurt. The two turtles felt angry and scared and full of guilt at having been unable to help when their brothers needed them the most. As the red and purple turtles stewed over this the sound of their master's voice snapped them out of it.

"Raphael. Donatello, why don't you come and join us?"

Master Splinter said his voice full of knowing. Raphael and Donatello exchanged startled looks and embarrassingly made their way towards their father and little brother. Master Splinter took in the sight of his two other children and opened his arms inviting them into the hug. Raphael and Donatello didn't hesitate to launch themselves into their father's arms, clinging to him and Michelangelo tightly, sniffling a bit themselves.

"Is.....is Leo going to be okay Sensei.....?"

Donatello asked his voice small. Master Splinter gave him a small squeeze of reassurance.

"Yes my son, your brother will be alright. Other than being sore with his arm, Leonardo will heal up in no time."

Master Splinter said his voice soothing and confident. Donatello relaxed at this knowledge trusting his father's words. Raphael just clung to his father obviously distressed.

"Is there anything we can do to help Leo?"

Raphael asked his childish voice full of frustration. Master Splinter gave his other son an understanding look and squeezed him too.

"The best thing to help your brother is to let him rest and to keep an eye on him my son."

The rat explained knowing how hard it was to not be able to really do much. Raphael seemed to begrudgingly accept this, obviously not happy with the answer. The four mutants remained within their embrace for a moment or two before Splinter finally let them go with the intention of making them dinner. Once their father was gone and in the kitchen the three brothers looked at one another quietly and in silent agreement they made their way towards Leonardo's bedroom. Three tiny toddlers quietly made their way towards their older brother's bedroom, opening the door and slipping inside it. Once all three of them were safely inside they made their way to their sleeping big brother's side and carefully began to climb into bed with him. With delicate movements they avoided moving his broken arm which was now in a makeshift sling and snuggled into the large bed, all of them desperately wanting to be close to their older brother. Once they were settled in the three turtles one by one began to drift off into a light sleep.

~~~~~

Leonardo woke up to feeling incredibly warm and incredibly sore. The oldest turtle slowly blinked and saw his arm in the sling, the events of the dojo coming back in a hazy manner.

'Oh that's right......me and Mikey fell out of the tree in the dojo......'

Leonardo thought going to sit up when he finally noticed the three bodies surrounding him. Fast asleep and snuggled close to him was Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. Leonardo felt himself grow warm with happiness and went to settle back in when he caught sight of Michelangelo moving slightly.

"Mikey...? Are you okay?"

Leonardo asked his voice a whisper just in case Michelangelo was asleep. The orange clad turtle turned to look up at Leonardo, his baby blues shimmering with guilt.

"I'm......I'm okay.......I just.......Leo I'm so sorry it's all my fault that you got hurt....."

Michelangelo whispered his guilt and sorrow leaking through. Leonardo felt his heart break at the tone and with his good arm gently patted Michelangelo's head soothingly.

"Mikey, you don't have to apologize. You didn't know what was going to happen and neither did I. All that matters is that we're okay. So please don't beat yourself up over this little brother."

Leonardo said his tone sincere as he gave Michelangelo a tired but small smile. Michelangelo gave his older brother a small look, snuggling closer to him and Leonardo let him knowing that Michelangelo needed it. The two didn't say anything else, instead drifting back to sleep knowing that the other was okay and that all was forgiven even if it wasn't spoken out loud. As the youngest turtle fell asleep he couldn't help but make himself a promise.

'I'll keep you safe big bro, just like how you do to me, I'll always be there.'

And with that Michelangelo fell asleep surrounded by the warmth of his big brothers.

*I don't know what this is I guess it's a little side story???? Like as I was writing this I was thinking like A Universal Collision type of universe but like before stories???? Does that make sense?? Anyways it can also be a stand alone, I just wanted to have some Leo and Mikey stuff don't mind me too much lol, might make one involving the Rise boys idk we'll see. Sorry if this sucks y'all. Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!!!*

61 notes · View notes

cursed-anduknowit · 1 year

Text

30Min Muse: Raphael Hamato from Rottmnt (Rise! Of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!!)

#simple simple #my brain is running on 15% ngl #im so sleepy tbh i might take a nap #i have a few spreads im working on #but i feel like when im drained and try to draw it looks ASS #so yeah nap time probs #cursed babbles #sketch #30 mins or less #rottmnt #doodle #scribble #oof #lmao #pencil #paper #rise! raphael #raphael hamato #cursed

5 notes · View notes

ducknotinarow · 7 months

Text

// since it's Halloween gonna just put this out here vampire 12 raph is a muse I got here 👀 if ya wanna throw stuff at him👉👈

or have me throw him at your inboxes instead. Just say he didn't get cured because of his direct contact with Dracula so he mostly lives off the blood substitute Donnie made for him but he still craves the really stuff uwu

#muse| hamato raphael #[vamp!Raphael au]#((is spooky season after all uwu))#((comment below what muse you like vamp raph to interact btws and box open if you wanna throw stuff at him uwu))#((been talking about him alot on discord i have needs u_u))

5 notes · View notes

moved-at-forthehonorandtheglory · 2 years

Note

[Xever to Raph uwu] "Im starting to think you lack any brains in the skull of yours. At least your shell has a use unlike your head" (i don't know why they wanna pick on him so bad right now XD)

@ducknotinarow

What made him think this was a good idea? Thinking having a friendly, non fighting chat with Xever of all people! He'd be better off talking with Casey! Of course the bonehead had to be busy that day & well, Xever did ask to see him alone. He was starting to see the reason why. Trying to get him all riled up.

Well, it wasn't gonna work!

A small scoff escapes the back of his throat, hand resting upon his hip while he stares unamused in Xever's direction. "Yanno, fer yer information, I DO have brains. You just haven't witnessed it ! " Oh, yeah. Real good comeback, Raphael. He could hear Leo chiding him for it now. It only made him growl warningly.

Hands falling to his sides & clenching into tight fists, he eyes Xever down, as though challenging him. "Touch my shell & I'll backhand ya into next week ! " There. That should threaten him good enough.

"Just tell me what you want, Xever. I ain't here t' play games."

#⋆Your stupid everything leaves me feeling breathless every time. - Raph/Xever tag. ♡#ducknotinarow || Xever #ducknotinarow #( ffff - have fun Xever xD )#( main. )#( .closed. )#muse; Raphael Hamato #( look at queue now! )

3 notes · View notes

stcries · 2 years

Text

dropping some rottmnt muse headcanons because the brainrot has taken me in a chokehold:

raphael.

absolutely still has at least one soft animal that he sleeps with at night. it’s probably one that is really old, like one he’s kept since he was very young.

has muscles for days and sometimes isn’t aware of his own strength. sometimes he’ll accidentally break something without meaning to, or pat or hug someone too hard. it’s gotten a lot better since childhood, but sometimes it still comes to the surface. otherwise he’s very soft and is an excellent hugger.

because of his snapping turtle heritage, raph has a habit of chewing on things. he tends to prefer hard materials, wood being the most preferable. when he was a child, he would chew up absolutely everything in the sewers and drive his father mad.

casey jones.

is distantly related to the hamato clan, aka splinter’s family. i noticed that splinter’s human form and casey share a lot of similar features, such as the pointed chin, large nose and ears. like, he is EXTREMELY distant on the family tree, but he’s still there. this comes from his dad’s side.

casey’s body is quite lanky, but he’s not built like a twig. thanks to his life of living in a literal apocalypse, he’s built up some muscle. he’s not that strong, but it’s enough to be noticeable.

body is littered in scars, not as many as other’s in his timeline, but there’s quite a few. he would have more, but escaped death many times thanks to those around him protecting him. most of his scars came from his youth when he was more rebellious and oblivious to the world around him.

splinter / hamato yoshi.

his music taste definitely shows his age, as he’s a big fan of 80s and 90s tunes. these were the songs he grew up with, the ones from his childhood as well as the ones that came out during the prime of his career as lou jitsu.

as his family were very serious about the prophecy of shredder’s return, his clan took every possible measure to make sure everyone in the family was in their best condition physically. this meant that the meals cooked and eaten were extremely healthy and nutritious. whilst yoshi may not follow that diet nowadays, he still knows how to cook said dishes today. and yes, he is an amazing cook and you cannot tell me otherwise.

look at me and tell me that this man can’t recite every single one of his movies line by line, go on, i dare you.

#・ ˖ ✦ ⋄ . HEADCANONS ❝ raphael. ❞#・ ˖ ✦ ⋄ . HEADCANONS ❝ casey jones. ❞#・ ˖ ✦ ⋄ . HEADCANONS ❝ hamato yoshi. ❞#this got a LOT longer than i thought it was gonna get omfg #but u know what i wanna indulge for a bit cause like i said im drowning in this brainrot rn #( long post! )

3 notes · View notes

melodiaemfrp · 1 year

Text

Hello, Attuned! Thank you for participating in Melodiae’s ninth Activity Check! Listed here are characters that did not pass the check (Five (5) days of activity in-server) for the period from Thursday, November 8th, 2022 to Monday, January 7th, 2023.

If you believe your muse(s) are listed here by mistake, you may reach out to the Masterlist on or before Sunday, January 15th, 2023. All characters that do not have activity accounted for by 11:59 PM EST on this date will be removed from the server by the next inbox run (Tuesday, January 17th, 2023).

If you did not pass the check, you also have until Sunday, January 15th, 2023 to reapp your muse(s) by sending an ask to the Masterlist indicating your intent to reapp the character. You DO NOT have to resubmit the whole application; simply provide your name, the character’s name & series, your OOC contact, and the date in an ask. Muses marked with an asterisk (*) have failed two consecutive checks, and are ineligible to be reapped this way unless they are an OC. These muses must wait one full week, and may resubmit their entire application on or after Sunday, January 22nd, 2023.

Muses that are not reapped by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, January 15th will be removed from the server by our inbox run on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023.

Thank you for your continued interest in Melodiae!

- The Melodiae Team

ARKNIGHTS

Exusiai (Sid)

W (Hika)

BLEACH

Bambietta Basterbine (Maki)*

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS

Edgar Allen Poe (Ike)

Edogawa Ranpo (Cezanne)

Nikolai Gogol (Kit)

CHAINSAW MAN

Angel Devil (Bram)

COUNTDOWN TO COUNTDOWN

Iris Black (Kendal)

CRITICAL ROLE

Mollymauk Tealeaf (Logan)

DC COMICS

Bruce Wayne (Lee)

Edward Nygma (Thysto)

Harleen Quinzel (Nils)

Jason Todd (Benito)

Dick Grayson (Jess)

Roman Sionis (Thysto)

Stephanie Brown (Mace)

Damian Al Ghul-Wayne (Stan)

John Constantine (Nils)

Garfield Mark Logan (Logan)

DEVIL SURVIVOR 2

Yamato Hotsuin (Kem)

DRAGONFABLE

Notha Ly’Ehr (Birb)

DRAKENGARD/NIER

Kainé (Alex)

ELSWORD

Add (Doom Bringer) (Sitri)

Ainchase Ishmael (Bluhen) (Jaden)*

Ainen Rosso (Xanthe)

ELDEN RING

Morgott the Omen King (Thysto)

ENSEMBLE STARS!

Chiaki Morisawa (Liet)

FATE

Merlin (Caster) (Remi)

FINAL FANTASY

XIV

Azem (Nyx) (Lauren)

Haraya Viray (WOL BLM) (Caster)

Hermes (Bram)

Winifreya Sinahon (WOL WHM) (Elyse)

Prompto Argentum (Tom)

GENERATOR REX

Agent Six (Lee)

Doctor Rebecca Holiday (Rhea)

GENSHIN IMPACT

Scaramouche (Riku)*

Venti (Barbatos) (Noct)

GUILD WARS 2

Rhy’lua (OC) (Lavi)*

GOD OF WAR

Atreus (Candle)

Freya (Rhea)

GRAND THEFT AUTO

Cleo Valentina Running Elk (OC) (Suzie)

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

Bruno Buccellati (Cyan)*

Narancia Ghirga (Oz)

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

Sona Buvelle (Avi)

MARVEL COMICS

Peter Parker (Nils)

MEDAKA BOX

Kumagawa Misogi (Eve)*

METAL GEAR SOLID

Psycho Mantis (Thysto)

NARUTO

Madara Uchiha (Lizard)

Obito Uchiha (Wes)

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Annie (Fishnchipsnvinegar)

Daniel Dee (Cezanne)

Erika Ishikawa (Rhia)

Estella VaRossa (Hikari)*

EXPERIMENT-V [ VAL ] (Oz)

Grayson Grimm (Benito)*

Nikon "Niko" Mstislav Alkaev (Sitri)

Reagan Brennan (Thysto)

Rovaniemi, Lapland (KB)*

Rue Gabriel (KB)*

The Calid Saint (KB)*

The Umbral Vices (Cezanne)

OVERWATCH

Ana Amari (Rose)

Mercy (Angela Ziegler) (Rhea)

Widowmaker (Amélie Lacroix)

POKÉMON

Blue (Riku)

Iono (Carmen)

Red (Hikari)

PROJECT MOON WORKS

Angela (Freya)

Angelica (Freya)

Carmen (Corinthia)

Netzach (Cezanne)

PROMISE OF WIZARD

Akira (Karol)

Bradley Bain (Sitri)

Mitile Flores (Pidge)

REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA

Anthy Himemiya (Cecil)

SHUUEN NO SHIORI

C-ta (Tom)

E-ki (Shae)

SIGNALIS

Elster (Cyan)

SILENT HILL

Cheryl Heather Mason (Pax)

James Sunderland (Alivocch)

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Sonic the Hedgehog (Eve)

Whisper the Wolf (Dancer)

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Raphael Hamato (Mouse)

Leonardo Hamato (Sam)

THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

Gerard Keay (Kendal)

Oliver Banks (Kendal)

THE MANDELA CATALOGUE

Archangel Gabriel (Bram)

THE OWL HOUSE

Luz Noceda (Ash)

TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN

Nene Yashiro (Alice)

TOUKEN RANBU

Nikkari Aoe (Athiel)

TRANSFORMERS

Nautica (Suzie)

Airachnid (Suzie)

TWISTED WONDERLAND

Cater Diamond (Raine)

Idia Shroud (Sety)

Morrigan Desrosiers (OC) (Fris)

Trey Clover (Jin)

UTA NO PRINCE-SAMA

Ai Mikaze (Rai)

Eiichi Otori (Kem)

WARFRAME

The Operator (Oz)

YAKUZA/LIKE A DRAGON

Takayuki Yagami (Hikari)*

1 note · View note

turtlethon · 2 years

Text

“Michelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko”

Season 5, Episode 5 First US Airdate: September 14, 1991

Mikey returns to where the Turtles were mutated and encounters a half-boy, half-lizard.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season five continues with “Michelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko”. This is the only episode of the series written by Gary Greenfield, and aired as the second half of a double-bill with “My Brother, the Bad Guy”.

After Michaelangelo wakes the other Turtles due to a recurring nightmare, Splinter steps in. Using a medallion to place his student in a deep sleep, he has Mikey recount his dream’s events. We flash back to the fateful moment when a boy carrying a bowl containing the four Turtles would trip, leading them to fall through a grate into the sewers. We originally saw these events unfold all the way back in the very first episode of the show, “Turtle Tracks”, though this retelling of their origin is done with entirely new footage.

Eagle-eyed viewers of the show will notice that this version soon diverges from what we saw in season one. Here, the Turtles land in the mutagen immediately, whereas the original story had Hamato Yoshi find them and discover they had wandered into a puddle of mutagen later. Note, too, that mutagen was originally a pink/purple colour. Beginning with season four, the show adopted green as the standard colour for the ooze, in line with its usual depiction in other TMNT media, and so that’s how it appears here.

Michaelangelo remembers seeing a baby lizard emerge from the cracks between the bricks of the sewer walls and join the Turtles in the mutagen. It’s seen being picked up by a shadowy man with a large collar. Mikey screams in terror, despite never being in any danger and not knowing the lizard; I guess the idea here is that the mystery man was just that scary.

Raphael is his typical wry self and doesn’t put much stock in Mikey’s dream. Splinter suggests that it might not be as fanciful as it seems, and that “what seems to be fantasy often proves to be reality”. This is the second episode in a row that’s opened with Splinter’s supposed wise teachings being the most obvious, redundant platitudes: sometimes people don’t believe things that turn out to be true, no shit.

A fun gag follows where Leo, Donnie and Raph all complain that they’re never going to be able to get back to sleep now, before immediately all being out like a light. Michaelangelo is still up, however, and is fixated on learning more about what happened. He leaves the confines of the Lair, spending hours wandering around trying to solve this mystery. Eventually Mikey winds up standing beneath a grate that he’s convinced was the one from his dream, and logically, given the amount of time that has passed, that should be the end of it. For the purposes of the story, however, we continue.

Above ground, three hoodlums are seen robbing a bank: the quiff-sporting Sluggo, plus-sized crook Basher and a third individual in a long, hooded coat. Mikey confronts the trio, and as he has no weapons of any practical use nowadays – his character model doesn’t even include his nunchucks anymore, following their gradual phasing out last season – all he can do is charge at Basher, bouncing off his belly and flying into a nearby wall. He then gets hurled into a trash can, which is kicked downhill. I’ve never seen any of the Turtles get their ass handed to them by some random unarmed guy in this manner; this is truly a new low.

April and Stan arrive at the bank to cover the robbery. Our ace reporter interviews the Chief of Police, and as is so often the case in TMNT, the cops are entirely incapable of providing assistance and clueless as to what is going on. The Chief reveals he knows nothing about the robbery, and only happened to be on the scene as he was depositing his paycheck.

We briefly check in with the other Turtles, who muse over breakfast as to where Michaelangelo has wandered off to. Elsewhere in the sewers, Mikey has another encounter with the hooded robber, who rides a skateboard through the tunnels while carrying the standard cartoon sack of money (sans dollar sign). The thief winds up skating into an area that’s a dead end, and with his back literally against the wall is forced to reveal his true identity as Mondo Gecko, a mutant lizard.

Act two opens with Mondo Gecko using his tail attack, before turning Michaelangelo’s grappling hook against him, tying the Turtle up on a sewer pipe – his second humiliating defeat in the space of a single morning. The mutant gecko escapes, but Mikey is able to follow him thanks to the tracks left by his skateboard. Playing spy, he sneaks around a run-down warehouse and sees Mondo, Basher and Sluggo checking in via radio with their boss, the mysterious villain “Mr. X”. The trio are given instructions for their next raid, this time of a military truck that will be carrying a new and “devastating” explosive device. Mr. X explains that his plan is to only return the invention in exchange for an astronomical sum of money.

When Basher and Sluggo briefly exit the room to retrieve some dynamite for the mission, Michaelangelo steps in to confront Mondo Gecko again. This backfires when the other two crooks return, and Mikey soon suffers his third defeat of the day, this time getting thrown in a net for his efforts. He’s about to be fed to an improbable pool of sharks installed in the warehouse, but Mondo has second thoughts, suggesting that they should take him to be punished my Mr. X directly instead.

A still-restrained Michaelangelo is left in the back of a pick-up truck while the three hoodlums carry out their plan, knocking a tree onto the road and forcing the military convoy to halt. Mondo, Sluggo and Basher hijack the military truck containing the explosive device, hurling Mikey in the trailer and driving off to Mr. X’s hideout.

Mikey is able to use his Turtlecom to make initial contact with the Turtles, but Basher steps in to destroy it before he can relay his location. April is also on the scene, riding a news cycle as she covers the robbery of the truck for Channel 6. Leonardo asks her to steer clear of the situation due to the danger involved. April agrees, only to immediately turn around and follow the truck anyway: she’s not about to let go of such a big story so easily.

While Mondo Gecko orders his allies to dispose of the truck, the Turtles are tracking Michaelangelo’s “bio-genetic infrared code” from aboard their blimp. They determine that he’s at Devil’s Mountain, and set a course to travel there immediately.

Act two ends with Sluggo convincing Basher to murder Michaelangelo by sending the truck he’s in over a cliff with a thousand-foot drop. When we return from commercials, the two villains continue to cackle as the vehicle is seen hurtling downhill. Mondo Gecko steps in, furious at his allies for their behaviour. He uses his skateboard to catch up with the truck, jumping on-board and retrieving Mikey moments before the military vehicle goes up in flames.

Michaelangelo announces his surprise at being rescued by someone he had pegged as a villain. Mondo explains that he doesn’t know why he came to the aid of Mikey, his actions being purely instinctive; now back to his normal self, he holds the Turtle at gunpoint and marches him back to Mr. X’s home.

The Turtle Blimp arrives on the scene, and upon seeing the wreckage of the truck our heroes are briefly under the impression that Michaelangelo has perished. Raphael is even tearful for a moment before the team notice that his life signs are still present. Our heroes head off in pursuit, with April travelling in the same direction.

Mr. X is seen in a Dr. Claw setup, his appearance largely obscured by the back of his chair, as he demands five billion dollars from the military over the phone. If they don’t comply in the next seven minutes, then it’ll be “kablooey”. (Who is he going to blow up seven minutes from now given the super-explosive device is in his home isolated at the top of a mountain, other than himself?) When Mondo brings in Michaelangelo, Mr. X turns around to reveal his true identity, which I can only describe as “Norman Tebbit dresses as Colonel Sanders for Halloween”. Mikey immediately picks up on this being the man who he was having nightmares about; through a flashback, we see him picking the baby lizard out of the mutagen.

Mondo Gecko is ordered by Mr. X to execute Michaelangelo; when he expresses his reluctance, X tells him that “either you finish him, or I finish you!” before storming out of the room. For his final wish, Mikey asks Mondo to return a pendant to his mother, and presents it to the lizard. In reality, this is the same trinket that Splinter used while performing hypnosis earlier. Our resident Party Dude now uses the same tactic against his captor, placing him in a trance and having him recount his own origin story.

More flashbacks follow as Mondo recalls being picked up by Mr. X – it's never explained why – and taken back to the villain’s hideout. There, X raised Mondo as he grew into a half-lizard, half-boy, leading him into a life of crime. After ending the hypnosis, Mikey convinces Mondo that he’s not really villainous, but was indoctrinated to believe he was. Mr. X, Sluggo and Basher return and are about to open fire on the two mutants, but Basher manages to accidentally activate the military device.

Mr. X has Michaelangelo in his sights when the Turtles break in, tying up Basher and Sluggo. Furious, X attempts to shoot Mondo instead. The lizard is saved by the intervention of Mikey, who knocks him out of the path of the ray gun’s blast. Michaelangelo goes on to use his grappling hook to hoist Mr. X up on one of the roof’s beams.

April arrives and immediately declares that she wishes she had a camera to chronicle this “dynamite story”, before the Turtles explain that’s an unfortunate way of putting it, as the timer on the military device has been ticking down since Basher knocked it. Now there are less than twelve seconds remaining to deactivate the bomb. Donatello is forced to quickly choose which of the wires to cut, opting to go with the purple one and successfully stopping the timer. When pressed as to how he knew which one to choose, he reveals that he just went with his trademark colour.

Mondo provides April with the sacks of money that he stole to return to the police. Now without a home, he suggests that perhaps he’ll return to the sewers. Michaelangelo is thrilled by this, and is quick to welcome the lizard as a new neighbour for the Turtles. Later, we see the team helping him to move furniture in, and a lot of gushing follows about how the green teens will now have a new ally living next door that they can call on in their daily adventures. Mikey and Mondo head out to ride skateboards together, leaving the other Turtles to continue lugging furniture around.

(Sharp intake of breath through the nose)

No. No, no, no. I don’t care for this episode at all.

With more than a hundred adventures behind us, we’ve seen a multitude of different characters undergo some form of mutation, all of them under different circumstances. When you start meddling with the core aspects of the series and the origins of its central characters to squeeze another mutation out of it for a largely throwaway episode, that’s something else entirely. The retcon that the Turtles instantly wound up in the mutagen and Mondo Gecko also just happened to be there is, at best, a big ask for us as viewers who have been invested in the story of the green teens for years at this point, and at worst could be considered simply a gigantic middle finger to the audience. All of this for no real reason beyond shifting a few more units of one new action figure.

But wait! There’s more somehow.

Mondo’s mutation presumably is contingent on him having made contact with Mr. X, turning him half-human. But Mr. X, who must have had at least some exposure to the mutagen too, turns into... nothing? Splinter did much the same with the Turtles, and even if his transformation is confusing (because as we’ve covered previously, we saw with our own eyes that the last animal he’d been in contact with was not a rat, it was the Turtles themselves), at least he did change. If X had been an interesting new mutant enemy for the team to battle, we’d have that to chew on. Instead, we get one of the most laughably ineffectual big villains the Turtles have ever crossed paths with. Even his name suggests that this guy was a complete afterthought. Neither he, nor his henchmen Sluggo and Basher, will return. Good.

All of the Turtles are arguably diminished as a result of this episode meddling with the mythos behind their creation, but no-one comes out of it worse than poor Michaelangelo, who gets defeated by absolute schmucks over and over again. In-universe, it makes him look weakened due to the loss of his old weapons, and the fact that he gets to tie up Mr. X at the end does nothing to rebuild his credibility given that, as we’ve established, Mr. X sucks beyond belief. Mikey deserves better. We all deserve better.

Going off his toy’s file card you might expect that Mondo Gecko would be portrayed as a full-on Poochie, the most extreme radical dude possible, getting biz-zay consistently and thoroughly. For better or worse, we don’t really see much of that here. Instead, he’s largely handled as a cantankerous and gruff villain who just happens to also ride a skateboard, the need to keep his babyface turn until the end preventing him from ever becoming particularly likable. The ending of the episode suggests Mondo will be a regular fixture moving forward, but this won’t be the case: he’ll make one more appearance two years from now, in the late season seven adventure “Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter”.

Mondo’s role in the Archie TMNT Adventures comics is far more significant than his television portrayal, with the mutant lizard even appearing in the spin-off series “Mighty Mutanimals” alongside some other popular side characters like Leatherhead and Ray Fillet. His inclusion in the toy line at the height of Turtlemania seems to have boosted his profile despite only seeing a scant amount of TV time – call it “Ace Duck Syndrome”. The fact that Mondo would get a second action figure in 1992 suggests that Playmates were at least somewhat satisfied by the sales of his first toy; why they decided to dress him in full-on Woodstock hippie attire for his return to the line at the height of the grunge era is anyone’s guess.

I’m struggling to find anything positive to say here. There must have been some kids who had Mondo Gecko’s toy, or knew him from the comics, and I imagine they would have been excited to see him here, so there’s at least value in that. I suppose it’s not “Camera Bugged” bad, so that’s something? Definitely ranks alongside some of the all-time worst, though, next to “Michelangelo Toys Around” and the rest of the dreck from season four’s syndicated stretch. Given that our next episode, “Enter: Mutagen Man” will also introduce a new character from the toy line, I can only hope that it’ll be better than this.

#Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #TMNT #TMNT 1987 #1991 #Mondo Gecko #Turtlethon #Ninja Turtles #tmnt michaelangelo #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt mikey #mikey tmnt #Michelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko

4 notes · View notes

twstgabrielle · 2 years

Text

Reading Guidelines and Warnings: The 2012 boys will be addressed by their full names unless they're speaking about each other or addressing one another. The Rise boys will be addressed by their nicknames. Also this fic will contain spoilers for both shows and will have mentioned major character death as well as language. If any of this makes you uncomfortable I highly recommend that y'all check out my other works.

Today was already a somewhat interesting day in Mikey's opinion. From waking up to now being currently soaked by a water balloon it was suffice to say that his day was going to be a bit better than it'd been the last few days. The box turtle wiped his face to get rid of the water, already having a clue as to who was responsible for the prank. Especially when he'd caught sight of Raph earlier being completely soaked with an amused yet exasperated expression on his face and was now hearing Raphael's loud confused and colorful swearing coming from the living room.

"Classic Leon pranking. Never gets old."

Mikey mused softly a smile coming onto his face as he thought of the slider. The youngest Hamato was honestly surprised with himself for not foreseeing his older brother's course of action, given that the lair had been filled with nothing but grieving silences and mourning for those who were no longer amongst them. Leo was never good at the emotional vulnerability and it had only been a matter of time before his older brother would do something about it. The small box turtle looked at his hands now wet with water and picked off the little bits of latex from the exploded water balloon that had hit him, realizing that the mess was bigger than he originally thought. With a mindless shrug Mikey began to make his way towards the kitchen to throw the pieces of balloon away and to find either paper towels or a dish rag to dry himself off. As he drew near the kitchen he couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety hit him, recalling the last time he'd gone to the kitchen to do something.

'Wouldn't want to repeat what you did a few days ago. You've already upset everyone enough.'

The thought vicious and filled with guilt hit him hard and made him flinch a bit. He had never met to cause such a horrific turn of events by eavesdropping nor did he mean to hurt the older turtles as well as his brothers with it. He could still see the forced smile on Michelangelo's face when he'd exited the kitchen, the puffy eyes and the stained freckled cheeks.

'You made him cry, because you weren't paying attention. You hurt your friend.'

His thoughts hissed as he shook his head to disperse them. He didn't want to get upset again, didn't want to cry and think about the knowledge he'd learned. Forcing himself to get a grip Mikey took a deep breath and stepped inside the kitchen and took in the area. The kitchen was old and full of all sorts of things that were different from his own home. Kitchen utensils and cabinets and an ancient stove and fridge filled the room adding a homely touch of sorts. Pictures hung on the fridge as well as small sticky notes written in different colored inks and writing styles. A kitchen table and four chairs that were older sat in the middle of the room, on the counters sat the microwave and some food items. A little bit further down the counter sat a toaster that looked like it'd been fixed several times throughout the years and had a little sign hanging on the wall next to it. Mikey felt himself grow curious at the sight of the toaster and the sign, his earlier guilt filled thoughts being pushed back a bit as he stepped towards the counter to get a better look at it. Light brown hues squinted a bit to read.

No touching the toaster, I'm getting sick of fixing it, if you want to use it get me, Raph or Mikey. But for the love of pizza keep your hands off it! -D

The sign said making Mikey snicker in amusement.

'Seems like my bro isn't the only one who struggles with the toaster.'

Mikey mused absolutely giddy with the knowledge that the toaster was apparently an enemy of all blue clad turtles everywhere. A little bit lighter than he had been previously Mikey continued to look around the kitchen only now in search for a trashcan to get rid of his balloon pieces. It didn't take him long to find it and he disposed of the trash, before beginning his next search for something to dry himself off with. However this search wasn't as easy as the first one and he found himself digging around a bit. Opening a few cabinets and the one underneath the sink he was met with things such as food, plates, cleaning supplies and cleaners yet there was no sign of any paper towels or dish rags. The box turtle gave a small huff as he continued his search, opening up more cabinets. The next one he'd opened up was full of tins of different varieties of drinks. From coffee to punch to tea, it was practically filled with it. However one tin stuck out in particular since this one had a little hand written note on its side.

Tea bags for Leo's throat, please do not touch them. -D

The note said written in the same hand writing as the sign by the toaster. Mikey felt a pang of confusion as he stared at the tin.

'Tea bags for Leo's throat? Wonder what that's all about......wait no. Mikey don't go poking around in it, remember what happened last time. Save this for a later date.'

His mind scolded him making him tear his eyes from the tin of tea bags to continue his search. A few minutes later he still couldn't find the paper towels or dish rags, and he was about to just give it up and call it quits.

"Hey Raph have you seen my-oh! Little dude, sup? You need something?"

A voice suddenly came from behind Mikey nearly making the box turtle scream in fright. Whirling around his wide light brown hues landed on the familiar figure of Michelangelo. The older Hamato had jumped a bit as well from how fast Mikey had spun around, his baby blue eyes wide in a startled manner.

"Mike-! Holy shell you scared me!"

Mikey said his tone a bit rushed as he tried to calm his racing heart. Michelangelo gave him a small apologetic smile, rubbing his neck in somewhat embarrassment.

"Ah sorry little dude, I didn't mean to spook you so badly. I was just wondering if you needed something."

Michelangelo said giving the younger turtle another smile. Mikey felt his heart jump a bit in an anxious manner, offering his older counterpart a small half smile.

"Uh yeah I was looking for paper towels or some dish rags, I'd gotten wet earlier and I was hoping to dry myself off."

Mikey said. Michelangelo perked up and was already moving further into the kitchen to help him.

"Oh! The paper towels are behind the cooking utensils holder by the fridge!"

Michelangelo chirped happily reaching over to grab them for his friend. Mikey watched him, feeling himself relax a bit at his older alternate self's chipper attitude.

"To be honest I was going to get some myself, I'd gotten pranked and I wanted to clean up from the water."

Michelangelo said as he handed Mikey the paper towels after taking a few for himself. The box turtle took them finally taking notice of Michelangelo's wet shell.

"Leo got you too? Man he's on a roll today."

Mikey mused outloud earning a curious look from his older doppelganger.

"Leo? Wait your brother was the one who pranked me?? Bro that's sick, it's not easy to prank me like that. Your bro's got some mad skills son!"

The older orange turtle praised making Mikey smile a bit in pride for his older brother.

"Yeah.....Leon's always good at this stuff."

Mikey said thinking about all the pranks Leo had done as he went quiet and dried himself off. Michelangelo had began to do the same, causing a small silence to build between the two orange turtles. Mikey patted his neck with the paper towel, trying not to show just how nervous he was. The box turtle and his older counterpart hadn't really talked much since the incident in the dojo, mainly because the younger turtle had felt too guilty to approach the older turtle. Despite knowing logically that what happened was an accident, it still didn't stop the guilt and shame that had begun to build up within him which in turn made him somewhat avoid the older alternate version of himself for the past few days. And deep down he knew that eventually he'd have to face the music and confront these feelings he was facing yet he wasn't quite ready to now that he was in the same room as Michelangelo.

'Come on Mikey, this isn't like you. You're good at the whole feelings thing, and you know that if don't talk to him it'll cause problems down the line. So what's stopping you?'

A voice belonging to his inner Dr. Feelings whispered in his head as the silence began to stretch between the duo while they dried themselves off. It was a good question, what was stopping him from clearing the air between them, what was stopping him from facing the music?

'I'm afraid.....I'm afraid that I'd hurt Mike too badly and that he won't want to be my friend anymore. I'm afraid of what his answer will be when I apologize for all the trouble I caused.'

He responded back feeling that familiar wave of anxiety from the past few days come back. It was no secret that despite the short time spent with his older doppelganger, Mikey had grown somewhat attached to Michelangelo and now considered him a friend. And like many new friendships he had wanted to try and build up on it to make it more sturdy. It was a delicate territory to trend and anything that was too much could kill that new budding friendship and make it turn sour like rotting fruit. And he'd unintentionally killed that possibly friendship by bringing up an obvious traumatic and painful memory that Michelangelo had experienced not too long ago. A pang of guilt, shame and sorrow hit him, making his hands shake slightly in tremors. So much so that he didn't even realize that Michelangelo had finished drying himself off and had noticed the younger's distress.

"Hey little Mikey you alright bro? You're shaking..."

Michelangelo said his voice, usually loud and full of childish excitement, now soft and concerned as he reached out to place a hand on his younger counterpart's shell. Mikey snapped his head up towards Michelangelo, seeing the concerned look in his gaze, open and full of patience with no hint of anger. It was this look that made Mikey break. The box turtle didn't even hesitate before he began to speak.

"I'm.....I'm so sorry Mike. I'm so sorry for making you and your brothers cry, I'm so sorry for making you all hurt and I'm so sorry for eavesdropping-! It's all my fault that you and your brothers got upset and I swear I never meant to hurt you or your family I didn't know and I know that you probably hate me for it-"

Mikey began to say his sentences becoming rushed as he let his distress and regret get the best of him. The younger orange turtle was practically word vomiting when he was interrupted by a firm shake against his shell.

"Mikey! Little dude you have no reason to apologize for that stuff. You didn't know about Master Splinter nor did you know what we'd been through. Me and my bros don't blame you for what happened nor do we hold anything against you and I most certainly don't hate you!"

Michelangelo said sounding upset and serious as he shook the younger turtle a bit in the hopes of getting him to listen to him. Mikey's mouth opened a bit in a gap, his light brown eyes filled with a bit of a shiny moisture as he took in what the older turtle said.

"But.....but...."

Mikey began to say only to again be cut off.

"It's seriously okay little dude, no one's angry with you for what happened. If I'm honest with ya, it was probably for the better to get it out in the open then to stay quiet about it. So you basically did us a favor little dude, so don't beat yourself up for what happened."

Michelangelo said his tone sincere and strong with conviction as he stared straight into Mikey's gaze. Mikey just stared back searching for a hint of a lie, however he was only met with sincerity. Mikey felt his heart lighten as he realized that Michelangelo didn't hate him nor were he and his brothers angry with him. In that moment it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and Mikey finally gave Michelangelo a watery smile as he wiped his eyes to get rid of the moisture that had been building up.

"Still I'm....I'm sorry about what happened. I never would have brought it up if.....if I knew that it would hurt you."

Mikey said trying to show the older orange clad turtle just how much he regretted it. Michelangelo just gave him a small smile back and rubbed his shell comfortingly.

"I know you wouldn't. You're a good guy Mikey and me as well as my brothers already know that you wouldn't do something like that on purpose. So relax your shell a bit, you've already been forgiven."

Michelangelo said his voice a lot more lighter and back to its original cheerful tone that it was known for. Mikey practically sagged in relief and finally gave Michelangelo a brighter smile which in turn made the older one smile right back. Giving Mikey's shell one last comforting pat Michelangelo finally removed his hand. The once quiet atmosphere that had been weighing between them was gone and now replaced with a newer much more brighter one as the duo finally talked and cleared everything up. Michelangelo turned away from Mikey to go and throw his paper towel away, his chipper voice calling out.

"You wanna help me get started on lunch little me? I could definitely use the extra set of hands!"

Michelangelo asked as he started to get things ready and grab the cooking utensils. Mikey felt his face break out into an excited grin, the guilt and regret that had been eating away at him for the past few days now gone.

"Oh me gosh I'd love too!"

The younger turtle chirped happily earning a cheerful laugh from the older turtle.

"Heck yeah bro, glad to have your help! For your first task as my helper can you get me the vegetables from the freezer? We're gonna make a quick stir fry for lunch."

The older Hamato said already taking the lead as he got the stir fry pan to get started. The younger Hamato let out a chipper confirmation and went to go grab the frozen veggies for the older turtle. Practically skipping towards the fridge he reached up towards the upper freezer compartment of it and pulled the door open. Freezing cold air hit his face and arms making him shiver for a moment. Reaching into the freezer Mikey began his search for the veggies when he felt something graze his fingers. The orange turtle teen froze at the sensation, confusion suddenly hitting him. However he was taken out of it when again he felt that sensation against his fingers, a smooth yet rough kind of texture was running over his scaly fingers, in a motion that kept repeating itself almost as if.......

"Meow~"

A loud happy meow sounded from within the freezer, a puddle of Neapolitan ice cream moving from the corner of the freezer to come closer to the entrance. Two eyes blinked up at him and the ice cream began to take the shape of a feline, with two floppy cat ears peeking out of the head and two tiny front paws appearing from the pile of ice cream. Mikey's eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates, shock and disbelief written all over his expression before it morphed into a starry eyed look as a bright gap toothed grin stretched out on his dark green face.

"HOLY PIZZA SUPREME-!!! YOU HAVE A ICE CREAM CAT?????"

Mikey's voice practically cracked with how loud he had said the sentence in his childish excitement and glee. Michelangelo's head snapped up and his own pale green freckled face broke out into its own wide grin as he stepped away from the stove and stepped towards the freezer to greet the ice cream cat within. The frozen feline mewed in a chipper way, greeting her owner with happiness.

"Oh yeah-! I'd forgotten to introduce you to her-! Mikey, this is my pet Ice Cream Kitty! Ice Cream Kitty, this is my new little dude Mikey!"

The older orange clad teen said introducing the two. Ice Cream Kitty let out a series of meows and purrs as if she was saying hello to Mikey. The small box turtle couldn't help but giggle a bit, absolutely in love with the feline.

"She's so cute Mike! I've never seen a cat made of ice cream before!"

Mikey chirped as he began to pet the frozen feline. Ice Cream Kitty responded with a small purring noise, rubbing her dairy product head against Mikey's hand.

"Yeah, Ice Cream Kitty wasn't always ice cream. She was once a normal stray kitty that our friend brought to the lair, but after an incident of her eating ice cream and getting doused in mutagen she mutated into this. She's been like this ever since, but she seems happy."

Michelangelo explained reaching inside himself to pet his beloved pet. Mikey paused in his petting, turning his attention towards the older alternate turtle in curiosity.

"Whoa wait mutagen? You mean like the stuff that mutated us? But how did she get doused in it, if it's been carried by mosquitoes?"

The younger turtle asked making the older turtle pause his own petting to look at the younger with the same look of curiosity.

"She got into one of the broken canisters of mutagen that Donnie was studying, wait what do mosquitoes have to do with it?"

The older Hamato asked confused yet interested.

"Ah well in my universe we didn't have canisters of mutagen. The way mutagen was given to people and animals to mutate them was by mosquitoes, or rather mystic mosquitoes. They were released into the city after we'd faced off against our first bad guy, Baron Draxum. A sheep yokai scientist who was more or less the reason me and my family were mutated. But he's changed since then and has gotten a lot better!"

The younger Hamato explained smiling brightly as he thought about how far his second father had come. Michelangelo meanwhile just stared at his younger counterpart in shock and intrigue as he began to grow amazed by what he was learning.

"Mystic mosquitoes??? Yokai??? Like Japanese Yokai??? Holy shell dude that's insane!!!"

The older teen said his voice full of excitement. The younger turtle gave a head tilt in confusion.

"Yeah those, wait do you guys not have mystics or yokai here???"

The box turtle asked shocked by the thought of not having those things.

"No bro, we don't got stuff like that here! The only thing we've got is spiritual and healing mantra stuff though we do have some types of magic like witchcraft! Our friend Shinigami is an excellent ninja who can do witchcraft! And Leo's practically a master of spiritual and healing mantras! Like it's crazy! We also have aliens from another dimension, the Kraang, and they're the ones who made the mutagen here in our world!"

The older turtle said explaining in his ecstatic tone while Mikey just blinked in dumbfounded shock. Aliens??? Mantras???? Witchcraft????? What?????? The orange turtle was about to spew several thousand questions at his older counterpart when a voice suddenly broke through the conversation.

"Michael, other Michael you're both needed in the living room. Don and I's orders."

A voice plain and blunt came from the doorway making the two orange turtles turn around to catch the sight of Donnie. The soft shell didn't seem too pleased with something, his expression uncharacteristically serious. Mikey felt his gut sink at the look and Michelangelo seemed to straighten himself up somewhat as he took in the seriousness that came off of the purple turtle.

"We'll be there, I need to turn off the stove first and then we'll meet you and Dee there."

Michelangelo said his voice relaxed yet somewhat more serious.

"We'll be right there Donald, that's a promise."

Mikey piped up to reassure his older brother. Donnie glanced at the two of them, his dark brown eyes searching before giving a nod. Without another word the genius soft shell left the kitchen leaving Mikey and Michelangelo alone once more with Ice Cream Kitty. The two orange clad turtles exchanged a look with one another before they quietly split up to do their tasks quickly, the preparation for lunch now put on hold. Michelangelo bid Ice Cream Kitty a goodbye placing a kiss on her head before going to turn off the stove and make sure that everything was away from it while Mikey gave her a gentle head pat and closed the freezer door so he could help his older doppelganger. The two didn't say anything but they both knew one thing.

Something was coming and it wasn't good.

~~~~~

Being the oldest Hamato son wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Yet it was a role that Raph bared on his shoulders with a sense of pride. He was the big brother, the leader of the Mad Dogs and the one who his loved ones could depend on. It was a role that Raph did well, a role that made him essentially who he was. Even when the leadership role was given to his younger brother Leo, he still was the oldest Hamato son and it was his duty to support his family in times such as this. To support them when their world had shattered and crumbled around them after finding out about Master Splinter. And he did this task with no complaints, cheering his little brothers up and offering comfort when they grieved for the father that wasn't theirs and for a grandmother who had sacrificed her very life to protect them from the Shredder. He supported them for those few days, while also keeping a keen eye on the older turtles, ready to step in should they too need his assistance. Raph had been so immersed with his duties that he'd in a way forgotten to think about himself and his own needs.

It was something that happened from time to time, moments where he'd forget about himself and keep his inner feelings to himself so he could be there for his loved ones. It was a habit that was rarely used unless the situations grew dire. Such as the revelation of Master Splinter's demise, and the effects it'd had on his brothers as well as himself. It was a somewhat stressful situation that he was in and the habit had ended up rearing its head. So it was really no surprise when a few days later Raph had been somewhat greeted with a good dosage of classic Leo affection via water balloon once everything had settled down. The large snapping turtle could only let out a long exasperated sigh as he was suddenly soaked on the back of his neck and spiky shell, with no signs of the assailant anywhere. Raph knew that it was Leo who had been causing the pranks, since Mikey had passed him not too long ago soaked himself and the sudden loud and confused swearing that sounded from the living room filled the lair.

Raph was by the ping ball machine heading towards the bathroom to use the mirror to see the back of his shell to get rid of the shredded water balloon when the irritated growls of confused swearing came closer towards him. The snapping turtle didn't have to wait long to see his shorter counterpart Raphael come stomping by, his bright green eyes narrowed in irritation as he growled.

"I swear to God when I get my hands on who did this bullshit I'm gonna dunk their head in a bucket of fucking water...."

Raphael hissed as he stomped by, not even noticing Raph who was staring wide eyed at the nasty swearing. Dark green hues followed the shorter turtle as he drew further away, his head and ragged red mask soaked with water. Raph had to bit back a curse of his own when he realized that Raphael was going for the bathroom as well.

'This might not end well.'

The large turtle thought already feeling his nervous sweating start up as he followed behind to go grab a towel. It didn't take long to reach the bathroom and Raphael's voice coming from it.

"Stupid water balloons, stupid pranks pain in my shell I swear to God. I'm too old for this shit."

Raphael growled as Raph awkwardly stood by the open door. Shimmying a bit Raph debated whether he should knock or say something when Raphael's voice speaking up startled him.

"If you're going to just stand outside the bathroom door could you at least hand me the damn towel from the cabinet?"

Raphael said not even bothering to act like he was having a good time. Raph jumped a bit at being addressed by his older and shorter doppelganger and awkwardly went to grab the towel while not trying to make the hot headed red turtle more upset.

"Ah sorry man-! Didn't mean to just.....stand around I just wanted to use the mirror for a bit....."

Raph said rambling a bit as he grabbed the towel and held it out to Raphael. Raphael finally turned his attention towards the larger and younger turtle, his irritation still there but less burning as he regarded the large snapping turtle.

"The mirror? Why would you need the mirror for.....?"

Raphael began to question before he finally noticed that Raph was also wet, and that pieces of latex water balloon was stuck in his shell and its spikes. Suddenly understanding the shorter turtle glared a bit annoyed that he apparently wasn't the only victim in this prank fest.

"Ah they got you too? Bastard's gotta be fast if he's able to get two of us as quickly as he did."

Raphael said gruff as he moved over in the bathroom to give Raph some room to check himself out in the mirror. Raph only hesitated for a beat before carefully making his way into the bathroom to get a look at his shell, a bit relieved that Raphael wasn't going to snap at him. The large red clad turtle didn't want to start a fight with the shorter one, especially since the group of eight had finally managed to start moving forward with their mission and getting along with one another.

"We weren't the only ones that got hit, Mikey did too."

Raph supplied in earning a look from Raphael as he turned around to make his large spiky shell face the mirror.

"Mikey, I'm guessing your Mikey right?"

Raphael asked gruff but curious, the irritation dying down a bit now that he was talking to distract himself. The larger turtle nodded smiling a small snaggletoothed grin at the thought of the box turtle.

"Yep that's the one."

Raph said as he looked at his shell seeing bits and pieces of balloon stuck within his spikes. The snapping turtle felt a hint of annoyance when he realized that the pieces of the ruined balloon were in areas that he couldn't quite reach on his own.

'Oh Leon you little....'

The thought popped up annoyed by his little brother's lack of aim.

'Couldn't he have at least hit me somewhere where I could reach it?'

He thought as he seemed to glare into the mirror in his annoyance. Raphael must have came to realize what was going on because he suddenly spoke up from beside Raph.

"If you need help getting those out of your shell I can do it."

Raphael said gruffly making Raph's dark green hues snap towards him in a startled and flustered manner.

"What-? Oh no man you don't gotta do that I'll figure it out-"

Raph began to say only to earn a sigh.

"Look if you need help then accept help, there's no need to get all noble just because you don't want to inconvenience people. Now do you need my help with that or not?"

The shorter red clad teen said his voice short and holding very little patience for beating around the bush. The larger red clad teen stared at his older alternate self with a stunned look, not quite used to being spoken to so bluntly and shortly. Nor was he used to being seen so well then the way he'd just experienced. Raph wasn't the type to bother people with things like this, not wanting to trouble them with little things that he should be able to do himself. He was seventeen after all practically an adult. Yet here he was being essentially called out by this shorter, angrier and ruder variation of himself and he honestly had no idea how to respond to it. So instead of thinking too much about it he just gave a small nod embarrassed.

".......Fine can you help me get this off my shell....?"

The snapping turtle asked his voice small sounding as he felt the embarrassment of the situation hit him. Raphael on the other hand didn't bother to acknowledge it, instead taking it at a completely normal face value and placed his damp towel into the laundry basket.

"Yeah I can help you. We'll need to go to my room though seeing as how you're huge and I'll need to ya know have access."

The older Hamato said already stepping by Raph and making his way towards his bedroom so he could help the younger teen. Raph only took a moment to follow the two red turtles not saying a word to one another as they made their way to Raphael's room. It didn't take long and before Raph knew it he was sitting cross legged on Raphael's bedroom floor surrounded by comic books and weapons and weights. A punching bag sat in the corner of the room and a pinboard full of pictures filled the wall near the bed. Raphael had placed himself on the bed, a small trashcan beside his foot and the older turtle began to pick out the shredded remains of the water balloon. As he did this Raph took his time to look more throughly around the bedroom, curious about his older counterpart's life. Dark green hues scanned the living space finally landing on that pinboard full of pictures that were pinned up along with various other things such as childhood trinkets and drawings and cards. The snapping turtle's gaze flickered over the photos, taking notice of each of them. In one corner there was an old family photo of Raphael and his brothers, all small children. Another photo was one of them as younger teenagers, perhaps fifteen years old all of them smiling at the camera in their own ways. Standing behind them was Master Splinter, a small smile of his own on his face. Another family photo was there as well but now there were two humans in the picture. One was of a teenage boy with wild and messy black hair that was tied with a black and grey bandanna and dark brown eyes full of mischievous glee, a large smile full of a few missing teeth greeting him. He had his arm over Raphael in the picture. The other human was a teenage girl with bright red hair that was held up in a headband and ponytail, her face full of light freckles and a sweet smile. Steely blue eyes smiled back at him from the photo.

'Wonder who they are?'

Raph mused before his attention was on another photo. This one was of Raphael who looked a lot younger, holding what looked like a pet turtle in a gentle yet firm hold. The turtle child was smiling in the picture holding his pet with glee.

"You had a pet turtle?"

Raph found himself asking without thinking about it. Raphael who was busy picking the pieces of the balloon out stiffened at the question, stilling all his movements.

"........Yeah I did. His name was Spike."

Raphael finally answered his voice gruff and surprisingly soft as he slowly resumed his task. Raph felt his skin prickle at the sudden tone change, realizing that he had asked about a sensitive topic.

"Uh sorry I don't mean to be nosy about your life. I was just wondering is all."

The large teen said his nervous sweat beginning up again. The snapping turtle wasn't usually a nervous person when it came to these things, but he had no idea how to act or respond to Raphael. The shorter turtle seemed to radiate an aura of don't talk to me and it was difficult to figure out how to go about it. As Raph internally scrambled to figure out what to say Raphael meanwhile had noticed that sudden nervousness of the larger red turtle and couldn't help but mentally scold himself for being so blunt and unapproachable. While most of the time it was his intended goal, given the circumstances currently he had to at least try to be somewhat open with getting to know Raph. So with a deep breath and a small mental pep talk Raphael spoke up.

"Is this some kind of thing that you and your brothers do? Always apologize for things that's out of your control? Cause that's gonna get pretty old, pretty fast."

The older turtle said bluntly making the younger turtle sweat a bit more.

"If you're curious about stuff I won't shut you down, and if it's something that I don't want you to know then I won't answer it."

The older Hamato continued making sure that his message was getting across to the snapping turtle. Said snapping turtle was quiet for a moment processing what Raphael was saying before he let out a sigh and finally relaxed somewhat.

"Okay, I'll lay off on the apologies and take your word for it."

The red clad turtle said deciding to just go with it and trust the older teen. If Raphael said that it was fine to ask him things and to just talk to him then he'd do it. It was better for him in the long run given that Raph didn't like to think too much about these kinds of things, it made situations much more complicated than they needed to be.

".....Spike, it's a nice name for a pet, can you tell me what he was like?"

Raph asked breaking the ice somewhat. Raphael was quiet again seemingly taken his time before he answered.

"Spike was my best friend, he was my go too whenever I was angry or upset. We did everything together, we were basically family."

Raphael said his voice sounding reminiscent of his pet as he answered Raph. Raph remained quiet waiting for the older turtle to continue should he choose to, getting the gut feeling that pushing him wouldn't end well.

"But after a mutagen incident things......weren't the same anymore. He'd mutated and some stuff happened......but it was a long time ago."

The older turtle finished awkwardly not wanting to give out too much details. The younger turtle gave him a small sympathetic look out of the corner of his eye, before letting it go already getting the hint that the older red turtle didn't want to talk about it too much.

"There, your shell's free of the balloon."

Raphael said simply sitting himself back onto his bed to stretch himself out a bit. Raph stood up to get the blood flowing into his legs again and turned to the other turtle with a small smile.

"Thanks man, you really helped me out there."

Raph said sincere in his gratitude. Raphael awkwardly looked away obviously embarrassed by the thanks and waved him off.

"It's nothing don't mention it."

Raphael said gruff and mumbled as he seemed to shy away from the open gratitude from the younger turtle. Raph stared at his doppelganger for a moment, the atmosphere between them growing awkward somewhat. The snapping turtle rubbed his neck a bit as he tried to figure out what his next move was.

'Should I try to talk to him more? Or should I just leave him be? Ugh but if I leave him alone now I might not get a chance to talk to him again! Come on Raph it's literally you! Surely you can talk to yourself!'

The younger Hamato berated himself. As the poor teen struggled to figure out what to do next the sudden sound of a loud squeak filled his ear. Raph about jumped out of his scaly skin.

"HOLY HELL WHAT-?!"

The snapping turtle said spooked as he was once again greeted with the same squeaking. Raphael's head had snapped around at Raph's exclamation searching for any signs of danger before his light green hues landed on the larger turtle's massive shoulders and caught sight of the thing that was now perched in between one of them and the snapping turtle's spiky shell.

"Chompy-! You little rascal what are you doing?!?"

The older red clad turtle said making the younger one stiffen in confusion and turn his dark green hues in the direction Raphael was staring at. As soon as he did he was met with a small reddish purple turtle, who had snuggled into his shell somewhat. The tiny turtle let out another high pitched squeak and churred up at him. Raph's eyes went wide with shock at seeing the small animal while Raphael had gotten up from the bed and reached up to take Chompy off of Raph's shoulders.

"You can't be doing that stuff! You could have gotten hurt what if you'd fallen off???"

The older Hamato scolded the small turtle who seemed to be completely unbothered by the scolding instead making churring and chirping noises at the short turtle. Raph on the other hand was watching all of this his entire body trembling with massive effort to not completely lose his mind over the tiny creature that had climbed up on him.

"Oh my pizza supreme he's so tiny.........I wanna pet him so badly oh me gosh."

Raph whispered absolutely star struck with the small turtle. Raphael blinked up at the larger turtle having heard him and saw the longing look of a man desperate to pet something adorable. The shorter teen couldn't help but smirk a bit at the display.

Finally he could have something that he could comfortably talk about.

"You can if you want Raph. Chompy loves being petted."

Raphael said smirking a bit more when he was met with the disbelieving look of Raph.

"Can I seriously pet him? And his name is Chompy?? That's so freaking cute oh my God."

The snapping turtle said enthusiastic about the alien turtle.

"Yeah you can pet him, go on."

The older turtle said holding out his beloved pet. Chompy let out a loud and happy squeak at the younger turtle, his small tail wagging a bit in excitement. Raph at that moment was a goner, with a gentle hand he reached out and with a feather like touch began to pet Chompy's head. The little turtle seemed to vibrate in pure happiness as he started to churr loudly making Raph's face break out into a soft smile, his snaggletooth poking out.

"You're the most sweetest thing I've ever met, an absolute sweetheart."

The snapping turtle cooed earning more cheerful and joyful noises from Chompy. Raphael just watched the two of them content to stay quiet and let Raph pet the small pet turtle.

"So how did you get Chompy? And what kind of species is he?"

Raph asked curious about the colorful turtle. Raphael's gaze seemed to brighten up and he started to explain the story of how Chompy came into his care. Raph listened the entire time, petting the alien turtle and hanging onto Raphael's every word. For the first time since he'd spoken to his older alternate self Raphael actually seemed relaxed and approachable, the usually angry aura that he had around him had softened quite a bit. The large snapping turtle could only think of a few moments where he'd seen Raphael's aura relax and it was around his brothers. So seeing him do the same thing that he did with his brothers to him made Raph feel like he accomplished something big.

'It may not be the biggest step in the bonding area but it's definitely a start. Raph's got this in the bag.'

He thought pleased that he and his older counterpart weren't in an awkward atmosphere anymore. Now all that remained was a somewhat more open atmosphere between them and Raph couldn't be more relived and thrilled by it. However like many moments they're bound to come to an end when the sound of someone knocking on Raphael's door interrupted the two red clad turtles.

"Ralph? You in here with your alternate self?"

A voice belonging to Donnie sounded from the other side of the door. Raph felt his smile fade at his little brother's tone of voice, his big brother senses going off.

'Something's wrong.'

"Yeah Donnie we're in here, is everything okay??"

Raph asked serious and quickly growing concerned. Raphael had placed Chompy down onto his bed, his once relaxed aura now tense and serious as he quietly listened to Raph and Donnie.

"Oh good, I don't know to look for you both then. Your presence is needed in the living room, Don and I have something we need to discuss."

Donnie said serious and blunt. Raph felt a sense of dread hit him and he swallowed hard his throat suddenly dry.

"Alright we'll be right out Donnie."

The snapping turtle said earning a hum of confirmation from his soft shell little on the other side of the door. The soft sounds of Donnie's quick footsteps fading away from the door filled the sudden heavy atmosphere. Raph and his shorter counterpart remained silent, their postures a bit tense. It was only a beat before Raphael broke it.

"We should get going, don't want Donnie and.....Donnie to lose their patience."

The red clad turtle said already making his way towards the door. The larger red clad turtle followed close behind him, the two of them knowing only one thing.

When Donnie and Donatello were serious it meant bad news in the long run.

~~~~~

New York City.

It was a city full of life, pulsing with lights and music and people and cars and other noises. It was a city that was loud and packed and it was home to many who loved the city. Amongst those people who resided within this bustling city, a young woman of nineteen was currently making her way towards the alleyways, making sure that she wasn't being followed by anyone. Clutched within her hand was a cellphone in the shape of a turtle shell, the adorable piece of technology now currently pressed against her ear.

"Trouble myself? As if I'll let you guys do this on your own!........I'll be down there soon, don't you dare start without me Dee........of course I will.....see you soon."

The girl said ending the call with a small sigh. Snapping her cellphone closed she placed it within her pocket, making sure that it was tucked safely away. The sounds of her boots hitting the pavement filled the air, as she weaved herself through the crowds of people whenever she'd passed them. After a few minutes of weaving and dodging the crowds of people she'd finally reached her destination. The more decrypted part of the city wasn't exactly the safest place to be in however it was also the type of place where she'd be able to get to where she needed to go so she could get to the people who needed her. It didn't take her long to get to the alleyway and with one last discreet look around and she disappeared into the alleyway. With confidence strides she finally made it to the manhole cover, bending down she grabbed the edge of it and began to pull the heavy weight to move it aside. It took a lot of effort but she managed to do it, once she could fit through the opening she dropped down onto the ladder, using a bit of her powers to help pull the manhole back over the opening so no one would be able to follow her nor would they be able to get hurt.

Climbing down the ladder she finally reached the slimy and wet ground of the sewers. The sounds of her boots hitting the ground sounded throughout the sewers echoing tunnels yet she paid no mind to them instead focusing on getting herself safely to the lair. Steel blue hues glanced around the sewers as she walked, her bright red ponytail swaying with each step as she walked deeper into the sewers. The scent of the sewers made her nose crinkle up slightly but otherwise she ignored it. There had once been a time when she'd been younger that the sewers and their smell had bothered her but after doing this routine for a good few years now she'd grown to get used to it. The girl continued to walk humming softly underneath her breath as she continued on her way, drawing closer and closer to the lair. After about a half hour of walking the somewhat dark tunnels she'd finally heard voices coming up from further ahead. Picking up her pace she quickly made her way to the entranceway of the lair, stepping down the stairs and coming up to the gateway. Immediately upon entering she felt the familiar energies hitting her like a loving embrace. She felt the chaotic and energetic aura of the youngest of her boys, the nervous yet kind aura of the second youngest, the angry and protective aura of the second eldest and finally the calm and soothing aura of the eldest of her boys.

'They're all here and safe.'

She thought relieved before she felt the pangs of sadness that sprinkled their auras, making her instantly concerned.

'Something had upset them recently, really badly kind of upset, gonna have to check into that.'

She thought making a mental note to check up on the boys once they'd all spoken about what was going on. Entering further into the lair she realized that her boys weren't the only ones who were in the lair, but rather there were four more people here. Auras and energies, familiar yet foreign hit her full force making her senses go a bit haywire as they tried to identify who they were. The first new aura was similar to the youngest of the boys, chaotic and energetic but a lot more unrestrained. There was something else there as well, an energy that was buried underneath as if it hadn't been fully awakened yet. The second aura was much more colder than the first one, yet kindness filled it as well. The third one was protective, and somewhat nervous as if it was bubbling somewhat. Like a volcano waiting to erupt slowly. The last one was erratic and soothing, yet there was an under current of unease and being lost that made her heart twist for it. As she tried to familiarize herself with these new energies and auras she barely noticed the presence behind her until a familiar hand on her shoulder made her snap back to the world surrounding her. Blinking her steel blue hues she turned them towards the person who had placed a hand on her shoulder, familiar warm dark blue hues meeting hers. She couldn't help but smile a bit happy to see the person who was one of her closest friends.

"Hey Leo, hope I didn't make you guys wait for too long."

She said her voice soft and warm as she apologized for her tardiness. Leonardo just smiled warmly at her and gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"We weren't waiting long. Donnie's made sure that the meeting wouldn't start without you. Now come on, let's go introduce you to everyone."

Leonardo said his voice scratchy yet genuine as he let her go and the two began to make their way towards the living room. Voices both familiar and unfamiliar to her greeted her ears as they stepped into the living room. The girl looked around catching sight of her other boys fairly quickly. Raphael was next to Michelangelo the two bickering somewhat as they talked. Donatello was near the center of the pit area a few folders in his arms as he looked through them his tongue peeking out slightly. Among her boys were faces unrecognizable to her. Four other turtles all looking a bit younger than them and wearing slightly brighter shades of the older turtles colors. They were talking to one another and to her boys, their conversations varing topic to topic. She and Leonardo stood there for a moment their presence going unnoticed by the rest. Leonardo took a deep breath, clearing his throat up and before she realized what he was going to do it was already too late.

"Guys! She's here!"

Leonardo said his tone louder than it usually was, his voice cracking harshly from the strain of being raised volume wise. Seven heads turned towards them, the four younger ones looking spooked by the harsh cracking voice of Leonardo while the three older ones looked like they were torn between yelling at their blue clad brother or greeting her. Glaring at him as well she let out a concerned and angry hiss of sorts.

"Leo you can't be doing that kind of stunt!"

She hissed softly as to not be heard by the newer turtles. Leonardo just gave her a look and shrugged it off as they both had a silent conversation.

'When this meeting is over you are so going to pay for pulling a stunt like that, and that's a promise.'

Steely blue eyes said full of a stern look that promised a long lecture later.

'Oh I don't have a doubt that you will. You and my brothers will both see to it.'

Dark blue eyes replied already knowing what was in store afterwards. The two were taken out of their silent stare down by the one turtle in purple who was standing next to Donatello.

"Not to break up the moment but who exactly is this girl?"

He asked his tone holding a somewhat sharp edge to it. Donatello shot the other turtle a look that he ignored and the girl took no offense to it.

"I was about to explain that."

Leonardo said turning his attention to her and began introductions and gesturing to each of the new turtles.

"These are our newest guests. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey. They're us from a different reality. Guys this is-"

Leonardo said introducing the alternate turtles and went to continue but the girl took over from there, to spare her friend's vocal chords which were still recovering from the stunt from earlier and as a way to be slightly petty to show her displeasure at said stunt.

"April. April O'Neil, it's a pleasure to meet you boys."

April said seeing Leonardo giving her a slightly knowing irritation look to which she responded with a small smirk of her own. The four new turtles eyes went wide with shock.

"APRIL???"

Four voices shouted followed immediately by several questions being thrown at her and the older boys. April let out another sigh rubbing her temples lightly to mentally prepare herself.

'This is going to be a long meeting.'

~~~~~

New York City.

It was a city unlike any other, filled with people and other strange things not of this world. It was a city that was filled with mystery and beings unseen by the world of humanity. A city of bright lights, of spirits and yokai who wander beneath the colorful neon lights of shops and restaurants. And beneath the bustling city laid another city surrounded by mystical power and protection, guarding yokai and mutants alike. Yet upon the surface of New York a young girl was walking through the streets, her dark brown eyes searching for any signs of a familiar figure or shell. Brushing her dark brown curly bangs from her face she pursed her bright red lips as she was met with nothing but the familiar views of New Yorkers who were all going on their own merry ways, completely oblivious to the teen who was desperately searching for a sign. A sign of the people she loved the most. A sign that evaded her for the past few days, dragging her spirits down some.

'What if I never find them? What if something happened to them? Damnit all where did they go??'

She thought frustrated with her lack of results. She was so deep within her thoughts she didn't realize that her beloved pet had crawled from her bag and into her arms, letting out a small bark of sorts to get her attention. The girl snapped out of her thoughts her dark eyes softening as she scratched behind her pet's ears.

"Sorry Mayhem, I just got distracted is all. Let's go somewhere more private so I can check in."

She said her voice soft and gentle as she tried to get herself together. Mayhem let out a yip of agreement and went to hide back in her bag. Once he was safely inside the girl began to somewhat jog to a much less inhabited area of the city, the sounds of her sneakers hitting the pavement as she weaved through the crowds of people. After a bit of jogging she finally found an alleyway and quickly ducked into it, making sure that she wasn't seen. Once from view, her pet Mayhem peeked his head out once more.

"Alright Mayhem let's go check in."

She said earning a churring coo from the dog like creature. Mayhem's collar began to glow and in a flash of yellow light the teen and her pet had disappeared from the alleyway. The once loud and noisy city was now replaced with silence, the walls of the buildings once around her were gone now replaced by lights of all different colors and sizes that decorated the ceiling. The girl once in a dirty alleyway was now within a lair of sorts. The sounds of footsteps coming into the living room filled the lair and a short and stout figure came scampering out into the living his head looking quickly in both directions to catch a glimpse of four turtles. But alas he was only met with the sight of the teenage girl.

"I'm guessing that they haven't shown up in the lair yet?"

She asked hoping to hear some kind of good news, however that hope was snuffed out by the shake of a head and a pained face.

"No.....the boys haven't shown up here. I was hoping that perhaps they'd be coming back with you....."

The figure, a rat said his voice thick and filled with despair, causing his accent to thicken slightly. His whiskers were twitching and his tail flickered around in unease and distress. It broke the girl's heart to see him like this.

"Don't worry, we'll find them. They couldn't have gone far, knowing the boys wherever they are they're going to find a way back to us. We just got to keep looking for them Splints."

The girl said her dark brown eyes filled with resolve to find her boys. The rat, Splints gave her a small look, his old eyes filled with a pain of a father who's sons were missing without a trace. However they were now filled with that same resolve that she had knowing that what she said was true. His boys would find a way home, they always found their way home.

'From places such as Big Mama's arena to many others they've always come back, I just have to keep looking for my sons.'

The thoughts said making him determined to do just that.

"You're right April.....the boys will find their way back home from wherever they are. And if they can't come back on their own....."

Splints said his voice trailing off.

"Then we'll be there to bring them back. We'll bring them home no matter what."

The girl, April said her tone strong in her conviction to find the turtles that she'd known since childhood. The two would continue looking for the boys, no matter how much time it took they'd never give up on them. But even with the resolve within their hearts they couldn't help but fear the worst. After all it was only a few days ago that they'd been in the lair, laughing and joking around and helping both New York and the Mystic City with rogue foot soldiers and mutants and yokai. A few days ago of seeing Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey, of seeing them for what would unknowingly the last time. April could still remember what the boys had said to her and Splints before they'd went out on their routine mission that night.

'Don't worry April we'll be fine, we're only going to be gone for an hour, two hours tops. Just a quick scouting mission nothing serious.'

Leo had said giving her a smile.

'We'll be right back before ya know it April, besides Pops will need us later tonight for some training so we won't be gone long.'

Raph had said ever the comforting big brother.

'We've got this in the bag Ape! It'll be easy peasy!'

Mikey had said smiling that sweet gap toothed smile of his.

'You worry too much April, at this rate you'll turn into Papa with all that worrying. But if it makes you and Papa feel better I give you my Donatello Promise that we'll be back safe and sound within the next few hours.'

Donnie had said even promising her. She'd remembered it all and how she'd let them go alone because Donnie had promised her and Splints and Donnie didn't break his promises. Not to their father, not to their big sister. So she'd let them go, heading home that night to do some of her schoolwork that had needed to be done. She was a senior after all, eighteen years old and getting ready to go to college, she had to study and her boys were strong and fearsome ninjas. They'd be fine.

However they never came back home.

One hour became two, two hours became four and then she was getting a phone call from Splints the older rat asking if the boys had stopped by her apartment. That phone call had thrown the two of them into chaos and they'd been searching relentlessly ever since, coming up empty handed with every search. It was as if the boys had just disappeared from the planet. And that alone scared April and Splints more than they ever thought possible.

'Just hang on a little bit longer guys, we'll find you no matter what.'

April thought her fists clinching up a bit. She felt Splints place a hand on hers and gently pull her towards the kitchen.

"Let's go get something to eat so we can keep up our strength."

The older rat said earning a small nod from April. The two made their way into the kitchen, their heads held high in a determined way but their hearts heavy with the aching loss of the four boys who made up their world.

*Holy shit I'm alive what??? Okay so this took me literally days to get this planned out and to get it started up because work and personal life are trying to lowkey kill my ass lol. Anyways I don't know if this is any good but I wanted to try and do my best with these guys and their interactions. Which is why Raph and Raphael's bonding is somewhat awkward because they're both very awkward people let's be real lol. But don't worry they'll definitely warm up to one another. Also surprise you got not one April but two Aprils wooo!! I apologize if they're out of character I tried. Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!!!*

49 notes · View notes