#Splinter would go rat dad mode

[ezrahayls]

Random incorrect quote about the fic

April: Why and how is Raph a tot!?

Donnie: I might've accidentally turned him into a tot? He thought it was apple juice.

April: What- I'm not surprised, that's Raph. Also why are you guys so chill?

Leo: Relax, weird stuff happens all the time.

Mikey: Yeah, and Raph will be back to normal soon!

[love-killed-the-superstar]

mikey ask game, 8 and 13!

(these answers will be about 2k3 mikey unless stated otherwise because he's ~my~ mikey. i apologise for the length of these answers, it seems i had a lot to say?! i also apologise for how much i bring up fast forward here, it seems that i'm fixated on it really hard right now.)

8. what��s your favorite dynamic of him and any other character? what makes it your favorite?

It's so hard to pick just one!!

i thought a lot about this, but i think splinter? he's exasperated that his son can be a bit lazy and distracted from ninja training, but still had him specialise in nunchaku, showing that he believes in his ability to master a difficult weapon. splinter surrendering in the battle nexus so that mikey could advance was so heartwarming and honestly makes me emotional to remember. in the first turtle titan episode even though he doesn't understand why mikey admires superheroes so much he acknowledges that his intentions are noble and he needs to follow the path truest to his heart. veering a little more into headcanon territory, i do think that being the most openly affectionate, baby mikey was a master manipulator in terms of melting his rat dad's heart. i can picture him climbing onto splinter's lap every time he sits down and being the most reluctant to go down for naps. and in a particular au i'm cultivating that delves more into mikey's potential romantic life, i think he would go to his father for advice. splinter may not be well versed in romance outside of his soap operas, but he will always be here for his kids when they need him.

(this, of course, makes me very bitter over the flanderisation of their relationship in fast forward. ff!splinter might as well walk around wearing a shirt that says "i hate my lazy video game addicted son" and it breaks my heart.)

honourable mentions for other characters i think he has a great dynamic with: leo, silver sentry, klunk, serling, angel, april, renet and turtle titan ii.

13. what’s something about mikey that nobody seems to talk about that should be talked about more?

tbh i think a lot of people love mikey and have analysed him in just about every way possible and what i end up saying is probably not the most groundbreaking take, but here is something that i've thought about a fair bit but haven't really seen from anyone else?

in fast forward, mikey is depressed. it is handled by the narrative about as delicately as a bull in a china shop, but it's there.

5 seasons of being bombarded with trauma-inducing storylines culminates in temporarily dying, going full dragon avatar mode to defeat the demon shredder and then finally they are able to relax, breathe easy, process some of these emotions - but noooo, instead they get ripped out of their timeline and dropped 100 years in the future with no way home and the studio execs wouldnt let them rightfully lose their shit at cody so instead we see the turtles bottle that rage and slowly descend into semi-flanderised madness. /lh

mikey in particular becomes very sensitive to rejection (see: losing his goddamn mind and going on an all out offensive against turtle titan ii, after being talked down the first time he raged out, because raph made One Comment about how his successor is better at heroism than he is), prone to emotional outbursts, especially anger (remember that iconic clip of him beating up cops and stealing their cars because they pissed him off?), loses interest in his ninja training, maintains very poor hygiene/living conditions, grows addicted to video games, and in rare moments of vulnerability (namely in graduation day of 2105) he expresses that he sees himself as lazy, unfocused, a 'goofball', and undeserving when it comes to being recognised for his ninja skills like his brothers. my man's self-esteem is in the toilet, he is craving normalcy after years of constantly fighting for his life, and his dopamine is clearly critically low because he is dependent on all the fancy material goods of 2105 to be happy. his method of coping with the difficult emotions being stranded in the future has brought up, while still maintaining the silly funny guy routine that his family expect from him, is to bury himself in VR. and why wouldn't he, when among the uptick in mikey roasts over the course of this season we literally hear splinter say the words "where did i go wrong with that boy?" THOSE WORDS STAY WITH YOU WHEN THEY COME FROM YOUR PARENTS. THEY HURT.

he's very empathetic to leo's own depression in season 4, being the voice of reason at the beginning of samurai tourist when raph is ready to fight him. we also see at several points in seasons 1-5 that his loud ego is a front and he is actually very aware of his shortcomings, especially seen in grudge match. in a different timeline where 2k3 wasn't neutered following insane in the membrane, i do wonder if the turtles would have been able to explore their turbulent feelings regarding the 2105 situation. since mikey and leo are often paired up for adventures in 2k3, it would be an interesting parallel to see leo recognising signs of depression in his brother and helping him, imparting some of ancient one's wisdom (and, in the great year of 2105 where mutants are equal citizens and cody has money to burn, finding him a good cognitive behavioural therapist).

i don't think the writers INTENDED to code mikey as depressed / struggling to cope in season 6 - i think it was a toxic combo of writing more 'mikey is lazy/immature/irresponsible and needs to be taught a lesson' episodes than the usual season average + thinking it was a funny social commentary gag to make him obsessive over video games. but i saw a lot of those traits in myself when i was deep in a depression hole. the show has already told us that the turtles' mental states have been impacted by the ridiculousness they have gone through. why would mikey be any different?

I DIDN'T MEAN TO WRITE AN ENTIRE THINKPIECE, BUT IF YOU REACHED THE END, THANK YOU FOR READING. AND THANK YOU FOR THE ASKS!

[beetleviolet]

(To tune of Spiderman theme song) Raaat-man, raaat-man, does whatever a rat can! From his master learns to fight. Takes down shredder with a single bite. Look out! Here comes

SPLINTER (and origin story)

So I've done minimal research on rats. Like very minimal. Like I know that 1. One breed of rats that are pets are called Fancy Rats (which would be the greatest thing ever if not for fact two) 2. Apparently father rats carry baby rats on their backs. So I will absolutely be drawing that at some point.

Also I accidently used a pen that bleeds so I couldn't color some of the images 😭

But anyway I made Splinter a white and gray rat because uhhh I felt like it. And isn't he cute??? (Yes. The answer is yes.)

Splinter grew up a rat and was the pet of Hamato Yoshi, a ninja master from Japan with the mission to defeat the Foot Clan. Yoshi was asked by a friend to hide a canister of mutagan. The Shredder was after it and it would be awful if he got his hands on it. Unfortunately, the Shredder found out and showed up at Yoshi's apartment complex. It was a long fight, in which it was revealed that the man who had given Yoshi the canister had been killed. Anyway there is an epic fight scene and Yoshi ends up being taken down. They ransacked the room before finally checking Splinter's cage, where the canister was hidden in some sort of rat cage toy thingy under shredded paper and stuff.

Shredder opens the cage and Splinter bites his hand. So Shredder does the natural thing and bitch slaps Splinter and the entire fucking cage out the open window right behind it. This is when it falls onto some sort of moving truck for a turtle sanctuary. This is how I justify using wildly unique turtle species from all over the US, one of which is deaf and wildly endangered. The canister lands on the street and breaks, mutating the turtles and Splinter. Splinter grabs the turtles and runs into the sewers.

Splinter struggled a lot with his kids when they were younger. It was risky to leave them alone, but he had to go to the surface to get food and supplies. As the kids get older its easier to leave them at home, even take them with him sometimes. He is super careful, but at some point Leonardo and Donatello end up getting out on their own. This is what leads to.. the incident (I'm being so cryptic I'm so sorry) (oh wait no I'm not im enjoying this quite a bit)

Things became harder after that. Leo was super scared of his Dad leaving the sewers, and even more scared of leaving them himself, so Splinter went out for groceries when the kids were asleep or got Raph to distract Leo for a couple hours. As they got older they got better. Leo goes out to the surface on a regular basis for errands, so Splinter assumes he's doing great now! (Cough he uh. He's really not.)

After witnessing Rise Splinter, I really wanted to give the boys a positive role model, but I also knew he has to have flaws so. Uh.

Splinter is a good Dad. He takes care of his kids, knows them well, and loves them to bits. However, he just isn't a good teacher. He doesn't know how to hold back in criticisms, which totally reflected on Leo whenever he leads training. Raph tries to compensate by being super nice and supportive, even when he doesn't mean it. It kinda skews the dynamic when Splints is in teacher-mode. Splinter also applies this style of criticism to himself and is super hard on himself about the death of his mentor/owner, Hamato Yoshi. This reflects on his kids more than he realizes, particularly Donnie, and I plan to explore this sometime at the end of or right after the first arc of the comic. Which... we won't get to for a WHILE.

I still need to develope Splints a little more, but since in the present comic we haven't met him, I figured I have some time to work out the kinks.

When he's training his kids call him Sensei, but otherwise they call him Dad, or when they were little they called him Papa. His signing style may be the best next to Leo, his hands are a little quieter and softer most of the time.

[whoreadsnowadays]

How about Splinter going into "Dad Mode" when he heard about his sons's crush? Giving advices, hinting at s/o how GREAT they look together... Telling his sons about the bounduries and the trees and bees (and NOT to do It). You know, Dad Mode,😁

I love this prompt, but admittedly I had a hard time coming up with enough material for each turtle :( so unfortunately these are quite short, I do genuinely enjoy writing Splinter shenanigans tho lol

-

Warnings: (very vague) reference to sex/the "Sex Talk", cussing

( Romantic ) Rise ! Turtles x Gender Neutral Reader + Familial Splinter & Reader

-

Dad Mode

Splinter was never a.. subtle rat. If something needed said he said it.

Which is why it was so weird when he started giving you vague compliments and even vaguer comments on your dating life.

You had mentioned offhand that you were single, and instantly Splinter was rushing into the room, which was odd by itself.

He stood next to you with a sinister grin, "You're single? No partner to speak of?"

You blinked, confused and a bit concerned by his line of questioning, "Uhm.. yeah?"

"Perfect." He stated, before walking slowly out of the room, a satisfied look on his face.

You and the others watched him curiously, all confused by his behavior.

All but one turtle, who stood at the back of the group, sweating bullets as he realized he had been found out.

- Raph -

From that day forward Raph did his absolute best to keep Splinter in the dark about you coming over.

But of course, that backfired quickly, as you insisted on loudly announcing your presence as soon as you entered the lair.

Splinter hardly ever left you alone, constantly making offhand comments about how red went with your outfit

(But more often than not Donnie would come stomping into the room, scolding Splinter for even suggesting that red went with charcoal grey, what was he thinking?!)

And he about died when Splinter called him into the projector room to give him "The Talk"

His embarrassment stink could be smelled throughout the lair for weeks afterwards

- Donnie -

Donnie did everything he could to keep you away from the lair entirely, simply to avoid you speaking with Splinter

He'd make up (very bad) excuses left and right, sometimes going as far as to literally drag you away from the lair

Of course Leo found this hilarious, and often tried to coax you into coming into the lair when Donnie wasnt with you, whether that be for food or for a gift, and much to Donnie's displeasure, it worked fairly often

One specific instance of this, was when you had been invited over for pizza and movie night by Leo.

You had happily waltzed into the projector room, pizza slice in hand, as Donnie sat stiff as a board next to Splinter.

He kept giving his father quick glances, trying to figure out his master plan.

Unbeknownst to Donnie, Splinter had already known about your arrival an hour earlier, and had left a particular handbook on Donnie's lab desk before you arrived.

Needless to say when he found "Flirting For The Obnoxiously Dense" on his desk, he certainly doubled his efforts in keeping you out and away

- Leo -

He was a mess.

He already had a hard time with flirting and romance, but now he's having the worst time of his life

Every time he talks with you, Splinter comes up behind you and starts miming out advice for him

He'll stand there and make kissy faces, pretend to make out with himself, or even just wiggle his eyebrows at Leo.

And once you see the distraught and flustered look on Leo's face, you turn around to see no one there.

So you think he's crazy, Splinter has embarrassed him to no end, and he's too anxious to really explain to you what's going on.

So he just.. grins and bears it

- Mikey -

Mikey wasn't one to get nervous around you, but Splinter reeeeaaally pushed it.

Whenever you and him were sitting together in the lair, Splinter would wander in and supervise.

He didn't say anything, just watched.

You didn't seem to care, but Mikey felt every second of his dad's intense gaze

You'd be talking about some game you rented the day before, and Mikey will just grin and nod along, trying and failing to ignore the heavy stare on his shell.

He watches you both so much he might as well have a bowl of popcorn in his lap.

Sometimes he does.

Mikey doesn't like to think about the implications of that.

[toothlesshat]

Ok but even Leo got freed form the prison dimension he was pretty badly injured. I doubt any portals to the Hidden City were working at that time (because invasion) and who knows where Draxum was... I heavily subscribe to Medic! Leo so it's not like anyone else in the group could have healed him so...

What if at least one human family learned the truth about the turtles and their role in saving New York before anyone else did because one of April's parents just so happened to be a vet??

I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH EVERYONE LISTEN

after they get Leo home, everyone is too knocked out to properly treat him. Raph has to deal with having his mind probed by the kraang, Donnie had his own body taken over by a spaceship, all of them and Mikey definitely have fucked up hands from opening the portal, and Casey passed out because he hasn’t slept in days. April and Splinter are the only ones left and they don’t have the expertise that Leo or Casey do, so April has to do what she hoped she never would. She has to call her mom.

It’s a really awkward phone call since it’s the first time she’s gotten in contact with her parents since the beginning of the invasion- she didn’t even come home after her classes before, they’re terrified. So imagine their shock and confusion when she calls asking them to go into the alleyway by their apartment and wait by the manhole because she has a very serious emergency. Both her mom and dad go, worried sick she’s in trouble and it only gets worse when she’s so scared she can’t even complete her sentences, she just asks them to follow her, she needs them now.

Of course, the most shocking part is seeing four injured mutant turtles in dire need of medical care. Mrs. O’Neil wants to ask questions but April is in shambles panicking over them, and now this rat man is asking for her to hurry so she jumps into professional mode while Mr. O’Neil tries to calm her down and get answers out of April. He doesn’t get much out of her except for a few broken “he almost died”s and “please help them”and even a “they’re my brothers please don’t let them die” until she passes out from her own exhaustion.

Now it’s just Mr. and Mrs. O’Neil in the lair with six unconscious teenagers and one exhausted rat man who looks like he’s going to drop at any second. It’s definitely not the ideal first meeting.

[mishacakes]

I'm generally curious how you feel the other Turtle brothers treat Tomiko. For instance, would Donny make a indestructible tablet for Tomiko to keep her away from his gadgets? Would Mikey try to teach her some cool tricks on the skateboard? Would Raph try to teach her some fighting moves?

For the most part they’re kinda wary of her at first, but since Leo is the most skeptical forever-holding-a-grudge guy they know if he gives her the A-OK she’s good to go.

Donnie would make a laser pointer function for Shelldon to get her out of his lab and away from his stuff. and it always goes like “HA that’s not gonna work…this time……👀 👀 👀 👀 👀” and she chases it out of the room.

Mikey would be the first (after April) to accept Tomi, and I feel like she’d hang out with Mikey in small cat form the most. He’d put her on a skateboard and they’d make those memes with the sunglasses sticker and all those stupid glitter blingee effects. They make a series of cursed cat memes

Raph I honestly feel would be the last of the bros to be cool with her, weirdly enough. Like she’s a mob brat who interns at the battle nexus, at least when he first learns about her, of course he’d be wary. They’d have a serious heart to heart between him wanting to protect his family and her not having much of a family at all so the last thing she wants to do is hurt them. They wouldn’t be automatic besties, but have a really healthy respect for one another. Plus when she gets a handle on her feral monster form they’d become weightlifting buddies for funsies

Same with Splinter, hella wary at first (she’s a cat he’s a rat already sets him on edge), but learning about her dysfunctional upbringing and his sons are cool with her and willing to help her he’s like “alright dad mode activated”

April and her would be chill, she’s dealt with weird before, a cat yokai with a bad family life is hardly anything new to her. Plus one more addition to girls night!

[misteria247]

Forgotten

Chapter Five

If looks could kill then Casey had a sneaking suspicion that he'd be dead where he currently sat. The vigilante suppressed a shiver as he felt the dark blue eyed gaze bore into him like an ant under a magnifying glass. Sitting across from him tied up by zip ties was the once believed dead Leonardo Hamato, the turtle glaring at him. From the moment him and April had brought him back to her apartment and he'd woken up, Leo had been glaring nonstop at the man. His gaze held nothing but distrust as he kept his gaze on Casey at all times. It was unnerving to have someone who was a friend look at him like that, to have him look at him like he was an enemy. Casey couldn't help but flick his eyes towards Leo, only to regret it instantly. Leo's stare held no friendly affection, no recognition, only barely concealed anger.

Casey had only seen this look a few times before. It was a look of someone who wouldn't hesitate to try and possibly hurt him if given half the chance to. It was a look that was often times directed at Leonardo's enemies, the look of a furious warrior who would show no mercy. Casey swallowed hard trying not to lose his cool. It made his stomach sink at seeing this nasty look being directed at him. Leo the kind and wise eldest son of his best friend was looking at him like he was a threat and it made him feel ill especially when he recalled what April had told him earlier in the van.

'Casey when he attacked me it.....it was like he didn't know who I was.....almost like he....he doesn't remember who we are....'

The man bit the inside of his cheek and clenched his fists in frustration. Now he understood what she'd been talking about. Casey had to bite back a frustrated groan as the gravity of the situation hit him. If Leo didn't know who they were then it'd make things difficult, especially if he didn't know who his family was.

'Oh god if that's the case.....Raph and the others are going to be crushed.'

Casey thought somewhat bitterly. After finally finding their friend they'd still in a way possibly lost him. The vigilante was taken out of his thoughts by April's shout.

"Wait Master Splinter I need to tell you-"

April stopped mid sentence before letting out a loud noise. Casey gave Leo a look over to make sure he wouldn't move from his position, which was met with an even nastier stare from said turtle before he made his way towards the kitchen where April was. Poking his head through the doorway he took in the roughed up look of April who was clutching her phone staring at it in a conflicted way.

"Ape....?"

Casey called out to her making her look up at him.

"I told him. He was.....shaken to put it bluntly. But I wasn't able to tell him about the uh....situation. Master Splinter hung up on me saying that he'd be here soon."

April mumbled running a hand through her hair. Casey bit back a swear realizing just how bad this was. With Leo being all murderous distrustful ninja mode, the meeting with his father and brothers could end very, very badly.

"What are we gonna do red?"

Casey asked keeping his voice low as to not get their guest even more riled up. April gave a small look, eyes conflicted before she answered him.

"We'll just....have to hope for the best and hope that things don't go straight to hell."

She responded her eyes flickering towards the living room where Leo was held in custody. She could barely make out the turtle from where she was sitting but she could see enough to notice that he was as strung up as a rubber band just waiting to snap at the tiniest amount of pressure.

'Please don't let this end badly.....'

~~~~~

'Leonardo's alive.'

The sentence rang through his head like a record, refusing to stop. Splinter stared at the phone that he'd just hung up, gripping his counter to keep himself from falling over from the shock and various other emotions that slammed into him. His son....was alive. After four years of grief and suffering Splinter was given a miracle. The old rat couldn't stop the sudden tears of joy from spilling over and he let out a choked sob. Leonardo was alive, his son was okay. Another choked noise came from him as he tried to get himself under control. It was surreal for him.

"Master Splinter....?"

A voice spoke up from the entryway of the kitchen. Splinter jumped at the voice being caught off guard for the first time in a long time. Turning towards the doorway his dark eyes met the twin hues of baby blue that belonged to his youngest son, Michelangelo. The turtle stiffened his eyes widened in concern as he saw the tears that stained his father's face.

"Dad-! What's wrong?"

Mikey said panicking as he made his way to him quickly looking the old rat over for any possible injuries. Splinter couldn't help but smile a watery smile at his son's concern and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I am okay my son. In fact I'm better than okay. I have been told the most wonderful news my son."

Splinter said in a somewhat choked tone. Mikey's eyes filled with confusion and he tilted his head a bit like a puppy.

"News? What kind of news Master Splinter?"

The turtle teen asked curious and somewhat cautious. The old master felt his heart twist at the cautious undertone in his child's voice. There was once a time when Mikey would only have curiousity in his voice, but when the tragedy happened his son had become more cautious with receiving news.

'Hopefully it'll be better once we bring him back home.'

Splinter thought warily before smiling at him.

"Go get your brothers and met me in the living room. This is something that they need to know as well."

Splinter answered vaguely, not wanting to say anything till all of his family was in the same room. Mikey gave him a small concerned look before nodding silently and going to do what his father had told him. Splinter watched his son leave the kitchen, letting out a sigh as he mentally prepared himself for the conversation that was to come. Leaving the kitchen as well he made his way towards the living room to wait for his family to be gathered.

~~~~~

Mikey woke up his brothers, his nerves on edge as he led them to the living room trying to ignore their questioning gazes. The youngest son had no idea what was going on but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Something was going to change, big time. Something that would shake his family up all over again.

'I can't do this again. I can't do another strike.'

His heart cried out. While his father had said it was good news it still didn't help him feel at ease. He always felt like that these days, ever since the death of his older brother.

'Leo.....'

Mikey swallowed the sudden lump in his throat as he thought of Leo. Never in any circumstances did he dare to imagine not having any of his brothers in his life. They were his family, his role models and his protectors. Mikey loved his older brothers more than anything in this world and when he'd lost Leo it was as if someone had come and cut his heart out of his chest. It still haunted him even after four years.

Raphael coming home bloody and bruised.

The two broken swords that were lain in front of Master Splinter's feet.

The broken sobs that his older brother let loose and the sentence that ruined everything.

'He's gone....The Shredder he.....he killed him.....'

At that moment his worst fears had come to life in the most horrifying way possible. He could still hear the broken wails of Donnie, could still see the absolute devastation on his father's face as he broke, could still feel the sudden agonizing pain that overwhelmed him as he joined Donnie's sobbing. Mikey shook his head not wanting to burst into tears again over the memories that would forever haunt him. He needed to keep it together, especially for his family. He needed to be strong like Leo had been before he was cruelly ripped away from them. The turtle took a shaky breath, and nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shell.

"You okay Mikey?"

Donnie asked softly, his reddish brown eyes knowing. The teen swallowed the sob that wanted to come out and gave Donnie a small smile.

"I'm good Donnie. Just wondering what the news is about."

Mikey answered, earning a huff like noise from Raph.

"Maybe that bastard finally got what was coming to him."

Raphael growled lowly making Michelangelo and Donatello look at him, their own expressions mirroring his. The two knew exactly what their older brother was referring to.

The Shredder.

"If that's it I'd throw a celebration party."

Mikey said simply though the barely concealed anger was heard in his voice. Donnie nodded stiffly, his mouth formed into a tight grimace. The three brothers all felt the ungodly hatred for their worst enemy, as soon as he had taken Leo away from them the trio had let their anger fester somewhat, especially Raph who was dying to get a crack at The Shredder.

"I'll help you decorate."

Raph said with a somewhat smirk. Donnie huffed slightly in somewhat exasperation while Mikey shot him a somewhat smile.

"Awesome dude."

He said. The trio found themselves in the living room shortly after, the sight of their master standing in front of the couch and recliner greeting them. The ninja master gestured towards the seats and the boys quickly sat down before waiting for their father to speak.

"I received a call tonight from April."

Splinter said eyes gazing at them. The brothers stiffened slightly surprised. Splinter continued.

"She has found something. Something important to us. She and Casey found him. They found Leonardo. He's alive my sons."

Splinter said simply, his tone soft. The room fell into a stunned silence, three pairs of eyes burning into their master with disbelief. It didn't last long however when Raph broke it, his voice booming somewhat.

"Leo....! He's alive?!? Then where the hell has he been????"

Raphael shouted his green eyes wide and filled to the brim with conflicting emotions. Donatello sat back in his seat, his eyes wide and frozen in shock as he tried to process this. Michelangelo on the other hand felt his eyes sting as he was overcome with emotion. Splinter gave Raph a small unreadable look.

"I do not know where he has been Raphael. I am hoping that he will explain to us when we go to see him."

Splinter answered soothing Raph's anger for the time being.

"We're....we're gonna go see him? Right now....?"

Mikey asked his voice thick and small. Splinter gave the youngest a smile his eyes alight with warmth.

"Yes we are my son."

He said softly. That was all that was needed before the three boys were out of their seats and going to grab their things.

"I've got to go get my medical kit, Leo's probably got some injuries knowing him."

Donatello rambled under his breath already rushing towards his lab to grab his things. Raphael and Michelangelo were also going towards their own destinations.

"When I see him I'm gonna sock him so hard, that absolute bastard-"

Raphael growled though it was clear to see that he was beaming with unbridled joy as he went to go get the shell raiser warmed up.

"I'm gonna have to make him his favorite dish as a welcome home surprise when we get him home!"

Michelangelo chirped sounding much like he used to be. Splinter smiled warmly as he watched his sons do their thing, feeling his chest well up with hope and happiness.

'Soon he'll be home. Just wait a little longer my son.'

~~~~~

He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, tied up and being watched constantly by the two humans who had captured him. All he knew was that his wrists and head hurt and that he was scared and angry. He was angry at his thoughtless decision when he'd jumped them from the trees to protect his semi permanent home, he was angry that his mission to be undiscovered had backfired so horribly, he was angry that he was in this mess because of those strangers in his old home that forced him to run. But the thing that made him the angriest was the woman who made him hesitant for that split second. The way she had looked at him, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing, like she felt scared and betrayed by him. It had messed with him badly, making him pause for that precious moment. Not to mention the name that she had called him, the name that had been haunting him since that night when his world went to hell.

Leo.

She'd called him Leo.

The same name that those people who raided his old home had been searching for. It confused him and put him on edge, that he was being mistaken for this Leo person. He had no name, he was just a turtle who lived in the forest before he was forced to flee. He could hear the two humans whispering in the one room voices soft and frantic.

"So how are we gonna explain this April? Master Splinter and the guys are gonna be here soon and he's still looking at us like he wants to gut us!"

The masculine voice, Casey whispered harshly making him narrow his eyes even more in that direction. This human was really pushing his luck with him, after hitting him with that baseball bat and then tying him up like a pig to the slaughter.

"I don't know Casey, I'm hoping that maybe if he sees them....."

The feminine voice, April trailed off quietly.

"That it might jog something?"

Casey finished for her.

"Yeah."

April said softly. He bit back the urge to sigh as he leaned his head on the couch, trying to figure a way out of his predicament. He needed to get out of his bounds so he could escape. He didn't know what these humans wanted nor who this Master Splinter was but he wasn't going to stick around to find out.

'I've gotta get out of here, fast.'

He hissed as he struggled somewhat. He wished he still had his knife but that Casey guy took it from him. The turtle teen continued to struggle with the zip ties, becoming a bit more panicked when they wouldn't budge. He was going to be sold or killed or experimented on at this rate. He hissed as he felt the plastic cut into his wrists and he couldn't help but curse.

'This is it, I'm going to die aren't I?'

The thought made his stomach sink in horror as he realized that he couldn't get out. He felt the fear build up inside him as he tried not to hyperventilate. He should have stayed in his shack, he should have stayed in his forest. Coming to the city had been a terrible mistake and now he was paying the price for it. He was so lost in his turmoil he didn't realize that the front door had opened up and a voice rough and accented filled the air.

"Where is he??"

The voice nearly barked making him flinch in slight panic.

"Nice to see you too Raph. We'll show you in a moment but me and April gotta tell you something-"

Casey's voice answered the one before another voice called out, this one childish and desperate.

"Where's Leo??? You said he'd be here???? Why hasn't he come to greet us???"

The voice questioned before the sound of footsteps could be heard storming into the apartment.

"Mikey wait-!!"

April's voice called out somewhat rushed as the footsteps drew closer to the living room followed by several others. He stiffened, desperately wanting to disappear. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. The turtle teen bit his lip hard the taste of copper filling his mouth as he braced himself for the inevitable humans. Instead what he got left him winded. The footsteps stopped in the doorway of the living room before a small gasp was heard. He looked up at the noise and felt the breath leave his lungs. Standing by the doorway was another turtle.

Just like him.

The turtle was frozen in the doorway, his baby blue eyes wide and stunned. Unshed tears were gathered in the corners of them and he wore a bright orange cloth around his eyes. Light green skin covered in freckles and twin weapons hung from his hips.

'Nunchucks.'

His brain supplied making him pause for a moment before the turtle in front of him was joined by others. His dark blue eyes went wide as two other turtles and a giant rat filled the room, their stares the same as the orange turtle. April and Casey were the last ones to join them. He sat there unable to process everything.

There was more of him.

He wasn't the only one.

"L-Leo....?"

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the orange turtle, who looked at him with a somewhat confused and broken look. A sudden swear made him snap his head away from him towards the other turtle.

"What the shell happened to him?!? Casey did you do this to him???"

The accented voice came out of the other turtle. This one was dark green in his skin, and had bright green eyes filled with confusion and anger. A red cloth was around his eyes and he too had weapons on his hips.

'Sais.'

His brain again supplied for him.

"Oh God Leo....! He's bleeding what the hell happened?!?"

The last turtle finally spoke up, his voice smooth yet high strung with barely concealed horror and anger. The last turtle had light green skin and was somewhat taller than the other two. He had reddish brown eyes and a purple cloth that surrounded them. His weapon however was on his back.

'Bo Staff.'

He felt himself getting annoyed with his brain supplying him with this knowledge that he didn't know before another voice this one soft and soothing spoke out.

"My son....what happened to you, who did this to you?"

He looked to the last figure in the room. The rat was older than the turtles and wore a dark colored rob and held a staff in his hand that he somewhat leaned on. His fur was a mixture of browns, whites and blacks and his eyes, a dark brown were looking at him with such a tender look that it made him flinch. The orange turtle moved towards him, a hand reaching out for him somewhat hesitantly.

"Bro.....?"

He asked softly his voice wavering as he went to touch him. The captive turtle looked at the group of unfamiliar faces, his eyes that were once full of panic narrowing into a threatening look when he noticed the orange one trying to touch him. A sudden silence filled the room as the air grew thick with sudden tension.

"I don't know who this Leo is but if you touch me so help me I will end you."

He spat out coldly, his eyes hard and indifferent. The orange turtle flinched harshly like he'd just been slapped. The other two turtles and the old rat froze, their expressions stunned for a moment. He continued to glare in a nasty manner refusing to show how afraid he truly was. April bit her lip and Casey swore. The swear caught the red turtle's attention, the once stunned expression turning into barely contained anger.

"You'd better start explaining Jones."

He snarled his green hues poisonous. Casey looked at the faces that were now staring at him and April before letting out a small exhausted sigh.

"Ya may want to sit down for this one Raph, cause it's a long story."

*Well then things took a rather upsetting turn didn't they? (I'm so sorry Mikey I didn't mean to hurt you baby boy-). Anyways we've finally gotten the fam reunited but it's unfortunately far from the happy reunion they were picturing sgdgdhfh. And our poor boy Leo is lowkey freaking out. Now for this story I want to make clear that it's not really set in a main universe. It's basically a little bit of all the Tmnt franchises I've seen. So while the boys have their 2012 versions looks they also have some of their other versions personalities like from 2003 to 1990 to 2018. Ya get the point, it's basically freeform and up to the reader to decide which one they wanna go with. I'm sorry I wasn't go at explaining that in the last chapter it was late when I'd posted it and I was tired lol. Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!!!*

[rottmntquotes]

Out Of Commission

"Ooooohhhh yeeeeeaaaahhh! I can't believe Hueso allowed us to be the first ones to try his new pizza!"

A symphony of agreements was let out in response to Leo's cheer, followed by excited chanting as Hueso approached the table. Despite the cacophony the boys were creating, Hueso managed to fight back an annoyed sigh, setting his new pizza down on the table and watching as his best customers prepared to dig in. Before this could happen, however, Donnie got a call from April, who alerted them to a battle that was going on between two mutants in Central Park. Much to their dismay, the team was unable to gather the pizza to go, but Leo decided to take a slice and swallow it whole as they stood to leave.

"Can't let your kindness go to waste!" Leo shouted, stopping mid-run and turning around to swallow another slice. And another. And another. "Hueso, this pizza is super fucking good!"

"LEO! GET OVER HERE!" Raph ordered, huffing as Leo complained loudly. No more words were said afterwards, and the boys were gone in no time. Once they were finally gone, Hueso chuckled, gathering the remaining slices of pizza- which meant the two slices Leo was forced to leave -and taking them to the back to throw them away. Knowing that the pizza was good enough to feed any of the turtles was enough reassurance to Hueso that it would be good enough to feed everyone else.

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

"I swear to bob, if we have to deal with those ferret mutants one more time, I'm going to use my Ōdachi to dig my own grave."

"You said it brother."

"I hear that."

"Don't have to say that again..."

Calming silence followed the brief conversation, and the boys sat on the floor in the main atrium before deciding to break apart and go to their rooms. For the moment, none of the boys had enough energy to take showers, so they collectively decided that they would take care of those necessities in the morning. As bedtime came, everyone seemed fairly relaxed, and the night went by without a hitch.

At least, for everyone but Leo.

"Ugh... stupid stomach... why are you so upset?" Leo whined softly, curling in on himself and shuddering. Teeth chattered rapidly and low growling echoed through Leo's room, accompanied by soft whispers that made Leo's eyes shift constantly in search of the sources. At one point, Leo swore that he saw a small child run past his room, and it aroused a side of him that he didn't even know existed. Low growls turned into loud hissing, and Leo crawled onto the ground, stalking towards his room's archway on all fours. With every step, Leo became more and more tense, his body instinctively preparing itself for a scuffle. Once he was finally at the archway, Leo crouched down, going silent and waiting exactly six seconds before racing out of his room, screeching loudly and yelping as he fell off the ledge of the sewer.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHO'S THERE?!" Raph roared, shooting out of his room with a pillow in his hand. Donnie and Mikey ran out of their rooms as well, holding a paint brush and a snow globe respectively. No sight of an intruder was found, and Raph started to think that they had all dreamed the same thing.

That is, until Leo let out a loud cry of pain.

"Leo!" Raph, Donnie, and Mikey shouted in unison, hopping down and circling around their blue loving brother to see what had happened. At close range, it could easily be seen that Leo had broken his left arm, and twisted his right ankle, explaining his pained cry. Donnie went to work effective immediately, helping Leo up and handing the Slider to Raph, following his brothers back onto the ledge and leading them to the lab. Leo was then sat down on Donnie's resident cot, being distracted by Raph and Mikey while Donnie got to work on setting and slinging Leo's injuries. Granted, Leo did attempt to bite and scratch Donnie with every bout of pain that appeared, but other than that everything turned out fine. After being patched up, Leo was left alone in the lab, having been given a few pain pills to keep him stable throughout the night. Unfortunately, Leo's insomnia chose to strike that night, leaving him unable to get a good night's sleep.

The next morning, Donnie walked into the lab to check on Leo, raising a brow as he caught his twin sitting in front of a wall and mumbling. Nonchalantly, Donnie walked up to Leo, crouching down and trying to decipher what Leo was saying. Despite the close range, Donnie was unable to understand his brother's words. With a hum, Donnie gasped with revelation, snapping and focusing his attention on attempting to use their ever-popular twin telepathy. It took a good while, but Donnie was finally able to enter his brother's psyche, humming in surprise at the strange sights he was met with.

Unlike the normal bright and beautiful landscape that his twin's mind usually harbored, Donnie found himself in the middle of a foggy and dark swamp. The sounds of bubbling sent shivers down Donnie's spine, and he groaned in distaste as he realized that he was standing in some sort of dark sludge. The vegetation around Donatello was rotten and crumbling, the sky was smothered in heavy clouds, and any sort of wildlife present let out terrifying screeches in place of their normal chirps, squeaks, and sweet sounds.

"Brother... what has happened to you...?" Donnie whispered, forcing himself through the thick sludge and using his limited sense of smell to try and search for his brother's scent. The task proved to be difficult thanks to the messed up atmosphere, but Donnie soon caught sight of Leo. Smiling, Donnie moved faster, eventually managing to get next to Leo. "Hey, what's going on here? Why is everything so messed up?"

Leo whimpered, turning to face Donnie with a deep frown. The sight alone was enough to make Donnie sick, and the feeling got worse as Leo opened his mouth to say something, only to fall forward and begin hurling violently. This was all it took to drive Donnie out of Leo's psyche, and the Softshell backed away from his twin with the trademark speed of his species. Loud panting seemed to be all Leo needed to stop his staring, and he groaned pathetically, falling forward and shaking. Donnie- being the scientist he was -went into doctor mode immediately, checking all of Leo's vitals and cursing under his breath as every one of the tests proved to be spiking aggressively.

"Leo? Leo, can you hear me? Leo!" Donnie shouted, drawing Leo close and cradling Leo until he stopped shaking. "Leo...? Are you okay?"

An eerie silence was what Donnie received, and he held back a concerned huff, lightly gripping Leo's jaw to turn his face forward. As soon as the duo made eye contact, Leo hissed, moving like a viper despite his injuries and biting down on Donnie's shoulder, clamping down hard enough to make sure that he stayed attached to Donnie's shoulder. Screams and cries of pain and terror rang through the lair, drawing in the rest of the family. Raph went into action as soon as he saw what was happening, using one of his claws to loosen Leo's grip.

"Mikey! I need you and dad to pull Leo back! And do it fast because I have no idea how long I can keep Leo's bite loose enough!" Mikey and Splinter nodded, racing forwards and tackling Leo back, holding him down and doing their best to ignore the bits of skin and scales that were caught between Leo's teeth. "Keep him down! I'll wrap Donnie up!"

"No! We will not be able to hold him down for that long! Raphael, I need you to go into my room and look under my bed! There is a box labeled with a dragon's tooth, and I need you to grab it and bring it!"

"But dad-"

"DO IT NOW!" Raph squeaked, racing off to do as told. In the meantime, Mikey was following Donnie's instructions on how to patch up the large injury, and Splinter was using every bit of strength in his tiny rat body to hold his son down. As much as it hurt Splinter to watch his son suffer like this, he knew that feeling sorry for Leonardo and trying to talk about things was not going to work. Thankfully, before Splinter could drift farther into his thoughts, Raph returned with the box, sliding it next to Splinter and panting. "Good. Now hold your brother down."

"Master Splinter, what's going on with him?" Raph asked, his heart nearly stopping as he finally took notice of Leo's rapid heartbeat. Splinter shook his head, admitting that he did not know, much to his dismay. Two more seconds passed, though they felt like two hours, and Splinter was not surprised by the gasps of shock that he earned when the boys saw what was harbored in the box.

"This muzzle and these bindings should be strong enough to keep Leonardo stable. They are made of the strongest and finest material known in the Hidden City, and I have been saving them for a time like this." Splinter explained, scooting close to Leo and using a finger to press down on a pressure point to put Leo to sleep. "I never wanted this to happen, but I knew that it was destined to. You boys are growing up, and your animal instincts mixed with the ooze in your blood was bound to become a normal part of your lives."

"Wait, are you saying that this is because of us growing up?" Mikey asked, watching with slight disgust as the muzzle was placed on Leo.

"I am saying that it is likely. But we cannot know that for sure. I learned many of the things about raising you as children from books, movies, and TV shows. But there is only one person who is able to tell us more about the ooze and how it affects the composition of those it mutates..."

"Ugh... are we going to go to Draxum's apartment?" Raph asked, catching the beaker that Mikey threw at him; much to Donnie's horror.

"Yes." Splinter confirmed with annoyance. "We are going to Draxum's apartment."

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

"So you are saying that he simply started to attack the purple one out of nowhere?"

"Yes, Barry. That's what we're saying."

Baron Draxum snorted, putting a fist up to his mouth and snickering softly. Splinter and Raph sneered at Draxum's reaction, holding back choice words and leaving Donnie and Mikey to themselves. At the moment, Donnie was instructed to sit down on Draxum's refurnished couch, resting and trying to keep himself calm despite the blood that was still beginning to pour out in generous amounts. Next to Donnie sat Mikey, who was attempting to cheer Donnie up by regaling tales that happened between him and Todd. On the floor lay Leo. No sounds came from Leo, even as his eyes stayed wide open. His pupils were dilated, breathing unsteady, and though he would make eye contact with his family regularly, they each swore that it was like he wasn't even looking at them; rather that he was looking through them.

"Draxum, when you are done with your childish behaviors, we would appreciate it very much if you helped us understand what is going on here." Splinter hissed through clenched teeth, throwing his ears back to convey his anger. Draxum chuckled one last time before clearing his throat, looking down at Leo and humming.

"I hate to disappoint you, Lou Jitsu, but I must admit that this is something I am unable to help you with." Draxum admitted, feeling an odd sense of... something at the sight of one of his creations being in such a state. "Unlike what you might want to believe, the things you have described to me are in no way, shape, or form related to my ooze. And do be reminded that I spent years studying both the ooze and turtle species before combining them."

"Well then what are we supposed to do?! Who could we possibly go to that knows enough about the mystic types to help us?!" Raph groaned, letting a tense quiet befall the group before a loud gasp resounded between them. "No..."

"Raphael, we must."

"But father, she has done so many awful things to us! How can we trust her to help?!"

"We cannot, Donatello, but unfortunately she is the only other one we can go to..."

"If that's the case, then I would like to go as well! Let me say hello to an old enemy." Draxum rubbed his hands together, smiling darkly as he did so. "Let us go and try to bargain with Big Mama..."

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

"Alright, you know what to do boys. Look for Big Mama, and when you see her, do not engage. Keep her in your sight and keep us updated on where she is so we can join you."

"Yes, father."

"Got it pops."

"We'll find her, dad."

Splinter frowned and watched his healthy sons fan out through the Hidden City, his ears swiveling to better pick up the sound of Leo's labored breathing. A mustard coloured plastron rose and fell with each of Leo's breaths, and quiet wheezing drove spikes of pain and sadness through Splinter's heart. A heavy hand fell on Splinter's shoulder, and he turned to look up at Draxum.

"Do not worry, Jitsu." Draxum started, sitting down and staring at Leo's stiff body. "While your children may be stubborn, and reckless, and irresponsible, and make stupid decisions, and-"

"Are you trying to make me feel better, or insult my sons for the next half hour?" Splinter interjected, glaring at Draxum sharply.

"Right, my apologies." Draxum then moved his hand from Splinter's shoulder to Leo's neck, showing a rare display of affection. "While they do have all of those things, they have many other positives that outweigh the negatives. They are each intelligent in their own ways, strong in their own ways, perseverant, caring, sympathetic, energetic, and so many other things! They are all of these things, and not because of themselves. They are all of these things because of you, Jitsu. You have done a wonderful job taking care of these boys, and there is no one else who could have possibly-"

"DAD! DRAXUM! YOU HAVE TO TAKE LEO HOME!" Raph's frantic screaming startled Splinter and Draxum out of their conversation, and they stood up abruptly. In one swift movement, Draxum picked Leo up, holding the young turtle close and keeping a tight grip on the blue clad mutant. The duo stood still, looking around for any movements that would signify that Big Mama or her goons were nearby. The atmosphere was tense, and it took only one mistimed step for Splinter to throw a kunai at a nearby alleyway, smirking at the sound of the blade hitting even the smallest bit of skin.

"Draxum! Take Leonardo to the Candy Store!" Splinter ordered, knowing that Draxum was aware of what the order meant. In a split second, Draxum raced away, not turning to watch Splinter take down Big Mama's goons with little to no effort.

"Do not worry, blue one. We will find some way to fix you." Draxum assured, stopping and hiding behind a thick buildup of brush. More wheezing came from Leo, leading Draxum to believe that Splinter may have fastened the muzzle too tight. Out of an unexpected bout of pity, Draxum loosened the muzzle without second thought, doing the same with the rest of Leo's bindings. As soon as Draxum loosed the bindings surrounding Leo's legs, the mutant turtle screeched, easily sliding out of his binds and pinning Draxum onto the ground. The action was enough to shock Draxum into fighting back, and he used a vine to throw Leo out of the brush, his ears falling flat against his face as he watched Leo race off into the Hidden City. "This is not going to end well..."

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

 Where am I? What am I doing here? How did I get here?

Leo panted and whimpered with every step as he raced through the Hidden City, shocking each citizen with the sight of seeing a teenaged turtle running past them on all fours.

 I have to find my family! Where are they?! Why aren't they with me?!

Blurry vision and terrible coordination accompanied Leo in his frantic search for his brothers and/or father(s), leading him to believe that he had been injected with some sort of virus or poison. Part of him didn't want to believe that he had been poisoned, as the last time he was poisoned he had caught on fire.

 Why is everything so weird?! I can't see anything right! Raph! Donnie! Mikey! Splinter! Draxum! Where are you?!

All of a sudden, Leo felt two hands wrap around his waist, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, taking the time that his enemy was shocked to attack. With a bite to his assailant's arm, Leo kicked the enemy back, returning to his search for familiar faces.

 Where are they?! Where is my family?! Where. Is. My-

"Well, lookie-lookie what we have here! My little champion turtley-boo!" Leo knew that voice, those words, that tone. It was Big Mama, but he couldn't see her! He could smell her, he could hear her, he could sense her presence, but all he saw was a blurry blob of lavender.

 Big Mama... oh-ho-ho, wait until I'm done with you! When I get my claws on you, I'm gonna-

"Gunna eat... dump the... and keep... you see the... GOT YA!" Leo fell forward, coughing and whining as he attempted to even out his breathing. "Brothers... eat... keep at... don't you... hope..."

"Oh, you poor thing! You seem to be more woozy-frazzled than normal!" Big Mama chimed, leaning over to boop Leo's nose. A weak bite was sent in Big Mama's way, followed by a wheezy hiss. "And here I thought you were smarter and stronger than this."

 I am! You awful Yokai! I'm not so weak that I can't fight you!

Leo gave another weak hiss, trying his best to push himself up. When he failed, Leo started to sob, taking notice of how weak his body had truly become. He didn't feel anything, he couldn't see anything, and his body was beginning to give up on him. Whatever this was, it was attacking Leo with a vengeance, and wasn't looking to give up until Leo was dead.

"Hmm, I must say that I am beginning to feel a bit of pity for you." Big Mama admitted, patting a finger on her chin as if thinking intensely. "Hey! I have an idea! What if I were to help you? I could help nurse you back to help, and in turn-"

"NO! No... don't... coin... flip..." Leo spat through his tears. Big Mama shook her head in disapproval, booping Leo's nose once more.

"Let Big Mama finish." The disguised Yokai then smirked deviously. "Now, I will help you, and in turn... you will fight in my Battle Nexus for the next year. You will be in my debt, and you will not be allowed to have your family help, or see your family without permission."

"Would... die..." Leo ground out, high pitched whimpers becoming more and more audible. "Rather... would... death..."

"I'm sure you would, young one." Big Mama giggled. "But I don't think your family would enjoy that very much."

 No... don't do this...

"Just think, how would your brothers feel?" Big Mama hummed, putting her hands on her hips. "And your father, and your close friends? I'm sure none of them would be very pleased. Now, of course, none of them would be jumping up and diddly-down when they find out about the deal, but at least you'd be alive! To make it sweeter, I may just make it so that you can see your family twice a month for 12 hours each time! How does that sound?"

...

"Don't... can't..." Leo stopped, thinking over Big Mama's words and grimacing at how awful the truth was. "...Okay..."

"Good boy! Now, let us go and get you fixed up! Can't have a weak champion now, can we?" On any other day, the word Champion would have made Leo's heart soar, but now it just seemed like a mockery. The sound of grunting was followed by Leo feeling his body being lifted up. He had no strength to fight back, so he did nothing more than let himself be carried to Big Mama's Battle Nexus.

And, dear Pizza Supreme...

A nap really sounded good right now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, yeah; I realize that I left out the others after the second third of the fic, but I couldn't really think of anything to use them for that wouldn't end with the whole "Family getting back together and learning a lesson about love and acceptance" trope. That would have completely ruined the original intention of ambiguity for the ending, so I shall leave it up to you to determine how they react/respond to learning about this deal.

*It took me a while to realize that I didn’t make it clear what was affecting Leo. In short, he has Belladonna (Nightshade) poisoning, and it was contracted by a new ingredient in Hueso’s pizza that was mixed in with the pizza sauce. The side effects were displayed throughout the fic, and trust me when I say that it took some time to think of how it would effect him - what with him being a mutant turtle with human DNA and all.

[rainbowtransform]

NO BECAUSE THATS WHAT IM SAYING!!

When the lab was destroyed, Splinter went to help the turtles because his sense of Justice and because he cared about them. He stayed with them because he got turned into a rat, and couldn’t be human again (unless he got a broach, but he only knows that Big Mama has some, and he doesn’t want to go there. The wound’s still fresh, he still misses her, even if she did kidnap him).

So if he was human, Big Mama would still be after him. She wants her champion, but that doesn’t mean he has to stay. He could leave the boys on Big Mama’s doorstep, or anyone’s. He got them out of the lab, and that’s basically what he needed to do. He could just leave them, too.

But at the same time, he’d feel that tug towards them. He’ll see Mikey cuddling with his hand, and his other sons sleeping—and when did he start calling them his kids?—and he’ll love them. So maybe he’d choose to go to Big Mama, but stealth mode. Steal four broaches, buy a bigger apartment or a house in the countryside and raise the his sons that way.

And on each other their 13th birthdays, he gives them a broach, and maybe then they either move back to New York, or are allowed to go outside in the daytime. He still trains them and he still lets them be kids—but we’ve taken away the want to be human again, and the depression that Splinter has.

So he’d be a very in their lives dad, especially as teenagers. He’d have to homeschool them, because once they have their broach they’ve got to go to school (nobody even knows they exist, why is he letting them go). It should be said that Donnie take over the lessons.

And I think they’d still be a very close family, even if Splinter is human.

Nah bc rise (and rise specifically) makes me wonder how splinter would raise the boys if he stayed human