#cinnamonroll mikey

[borgijin668]

Hello, fellow turtle fans! Here are several simple exercise doodles of our dear ninja boys, as I am still struggling to find my own drawing style for them- I hope it will make your wait for the next part of my comic more pleasant, haha! Also, I wanted to draw something that wasn't apocalypse-related, so here ya go;) A turtle pile, some scetches of Mikey and my favorite - turtle tots! They are so adorable as little kids, I just had to draw them.

Btw, the next update of my comic will come around next weekend - all drawings are finished, so I just have to do few minor corrections here and there. If some of you have questions about my story, don't hesitate to ask. So yeah, see you soon :).

~~!Masterpost!~~

[justawhitewolf]

💙Name: James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (he/him, demisexual and bisexual)

💙Nicknames: Bionic Staring Machine (thanks Sam), Jerk (Steve), Miłość (Lina)

❄️Alias: The Winter Soldier (formerly)

💙Born: 10th of March 1925 Indiana or 1917 in Brooklyn (fucking multiverse)

💙Star Sign: Pisces

💙Father: Deceased

💙Mother: Winnifred @winnifred-winni-barnes

💙Sister: Becca @the-barnes-girl

💙Nieces: Morgan @the-cinnamonroll-stark and Serena @serenastark-official (both adopted)

💙 Daughter: Novie @they-call-me-birdsong Em @just-a-fucking-civilian Dani @the-good-redheaded-witch Rosie @thecrazyrplayerosie Charlie @themagneticbarnes

💙 Son: Leo (adopted) @poor-lost-leo Wyatt @they-call-me-ricochet

💙 Stepson: Mikey @stream-fire

💙Languages: English, Russian (but I don’t like it), some Polish, Xosha

❄️Species: Super Soldier

❄️Powers: Enhanced speed, strength, hearing and healing, vibranium arm

❄️Skills: former assassin, sniper

💙 Wife: Lina Lehnsherr @mutantontheloose

💙Affiliated: The Avengers, Thunderbolts

💙Friends: Steve Rogers @americas-favourite-fossil Sam Wilson

🦾❄️🦾❄️🦾❄️🦾❄️🦾❄️🦾❄️🦾❄️🦾❄️🦾

[pandakatt]

Random ROTTMNT Bros Headcanons

First time posting in a looong time. Fk it I need a creative outlet.

✧✧✧✧

RAPH

Huge sweet tooth. Fave thing is chocolate. I picture him always reaching for milk chocolate or a cookies and cream bar

Prefers crunchy snacks

A moka type of guy.

Needs to have something sweet after dinner or else he feels like the day isn't over

Loves Sanrio characters. Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamonroll are his favorites

Cracks his knuckles and neck constantly. Sounds super loud and concerning ("dude you ok?" Is usually what he hears after)

Gives the tightest most secure hugs

Finds ASMR relaxing but dislikes slime videos

Drinks A LOT of water and is reminding his brothers (mostly Donnie and Mikey) to stay hydrated

LEO

Likes chewy candy and lollipops. Go-to candy is Starbursts

Iced caramel macchiato guy. Will try seasonal drinks as long as they're iced. Only has hot drinks at night, it's like his little ritual

Takes forever to get ready for the night. Has a 10 step skincare routine that he is very diligent about

Has very rough but pretty hands. No matter how much lotion he applies his skin remains a bit on the dry side

Has a beautiful voice when humming but when he actually tries to sing he screams. Not tone deaf, just has bad projection

Likes to build figurines and model cars

The walls on his room are completely covered by posters, drawings (by Mikey of course) and pictures. Not a lot of frames, prefers tape

Likes those reddit voiceover TikToks

Tosses around in his sleep a lot and often kicks his blankets off. Sleeps with his mouth open and wonders why his throat feels dry.

DONNIE

Likes sour candy and salty snacks. Go-to's are those Airheads rainbow strips and Sour cream and onion chips.

His usual coffee order is a cold brew. Likes clean and intense flavors and NEEEDS his caffeine. Very little to no sugar, might add milk if he's in a particularly good mood.

Picky eater except when he cooks for himself. Knows what he likes and doesn't trust anyone else to make food exactly how he wants it (maybe will let Mikey cook for him but will micromanage him. Mikey hates it but complies most of the time)

Cannot eat spicy things at all. Ever so often he tries to see if he likes it he never does

Chews a lot of gum

Won't drink water unless it's flavored somehow and ICE COLD. Otherwise he feels like he can taste it and gets grossed out.

His hands are very nimble but covered in small cuts. Bites his nails and picks at his skin when very stressed

Likes soggy fries

MIKEY

Loves gummy candy and chocolate with add ins. Never can decide on what snack to have so he must get a sweet, a salty and a chocolate one, eats a bit of everything.

Licks the powder off Takis and spits out the chip. Prefers popcorn to chips.

Dislikes coffee. Prefers to have soda, likes how the carbonation feels in his mouth. Never passes on a good milkshake

Always has paint under his nails and on his face, not because he doesn't wash but because he uses it constantly.

Most of the things he owns are covered in stickers

His phone screen is cracked but visible. Destroys headphones and has to replace them frequently

His room is the messiest but somehow never misplaces things. Has those "mom powers" where he finds lost things without even looking

Loves cooking, hates doing the dishes. When it's his turn to cook for the fam, always asks one of his brothers to "help" him but he only makes them clean after him. Usually it's Raph.

Snorts and wheezes when he laughs

Collects gachapon miniatures and pins

Fave art medium to use is spray and acrilic paint. Least favorite is colored pencils and watercolor

✧✧✧✧

I have so many more of these headcanons. In the last month Rise has been occupying the majority of my brain and I need other people to know about my hyperfixation.

Also if I made any spelling/grammar errors I appreciate corrections! English is not my first language and sometimes my brain glitches

Hope you enjoyed and let me know if you want any more ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡

[mewjirou]

mikey and emma joining the cinnamonroll trend! 🎀💗

[brightlotusmoon]

... oh.

This sweet potato pie

This cinnamon roll

This sunshine child

... who will severely damage you if you harm what he loves. Which is everything. So you're doomed. Which is why we love Mikey.

[bbnibini]

AZRAEL, AVATAR OF PATIENCE (TO COMBAT WRATH)

(ao3 vers.)

Angel-of-Death-in-training

A pure cinnamonroll who just wants to help

The youngest of the Seven Virtues

Smol boi energy in a tall boy's body (around 185 cm)

He looks up to the other angels and acts very politely with all of them. In fact, he speaks very formally to everyone--even the human souls he escorts to the afterlife.

He thinks Michael's manner of speaking is really cool and attempts to imitate him...with adorable results.

"I ask of thou...doth...ah! I bit my tongue."

He tries his best okay, and that's what matters.

Is conscious of his slender figure. He had his snow white hair grown long like Michael's (his mentor), but due to the fact that so many people mistook him for a girl, he cut it short. He doesn't really like his red eyes, as he remembered Michael saying that Lucifer had the same eye colour when he turned into a demon. That is to say, he doesn't dislike Lucifer. It just doesn't sit well with him  knowing that he shares a common physical attribute with a demon. "Does that mean, I'm also a demon?" kinda like that which is of course far from the truth.

Was too young(maybe he wasn't even born yet when it happened) to remember the Celestial War, so he isn't really acquainted with any of the Demon Brothers. Even then, the only one he knows is Lucifer because Michael talks fondly about him from time-to-time. He doesn't understand why his mentor would act in such a friendly manner with a fallen angel, and is genuinely concerned his kindness would put him in a tight spot someday.

The Avatar of Patience was never seen angry, living up to his name.

The innuendos Uriel speak fly through his head. He is the last to realise something inside Uriel snapped and defended his senpai's honour (or lack thereof) from the naysayers.

Has a sweet tooth but only eats them on special occasions. (He couldn't decline when it's his brothers who offer him sweets though).

Is good friends with Luke. Believe it or not, they are of the same age.

Official taste tester of Raphael's healthy snacks along with Luke. He still feels guilty that he knows that Seraphiel's portions always had some vegetables in them. But he promised Raphael he wouldn't speak about it so he didn't.

Can be a bit hard on himself so it's up to his "older brothers"(or in Mikey's case, "grandpa") to spoil him. He's the youngest after all so it's his privilege and his alone.

Wears a hood while doing his "internship" since he doesn't want to scare the human souls with his "disgusting red eyes". Michael knows the stubborn angel couldn't be convinced even if he reassures him, so he settled on buying him a few sets of hoods while they're on the job. (It evolved into a hobby for Michael and he genuinely started liking dressing Azrael up).

Used to hang out a lot in Uriel's office before the Avatar of Chastity "snapped". These days, he did notice the visits are getting less frequent--what he doesn't know is that Raphael is going out of his way so the two wouldn't meet, out of fear that Azrael would be taught "weird things". He misses eating pancakes with his older brother and listening to his conspiracy theories though...

"Raphael, what's an orgy?"

This meme is basically Raphael's reaction.

Due to his polite and thoughtful nature, he's liked by everyone. He often comes home with snacks and treats in his arms that he shares with the other angels. Apparently, Gabriel is the same. Azrael is happy that he resembles his brother in that manner and listens to his pieces of advice earnestly.

In human world years, of course he'd already be dead. But in terms of physical age, he looks like he's in his late teens to early twenties. (A fact that Luke doesn't take so well. They're almost the same age, so why is it only Azrael that gets to have a growth spurt?!)

No route for this cinnamonroll. Only headpats

His route (if ever he will get one) is platonic and is probably going to be the reverse harem route where Azrael would be your oblivious cupid to his older brothers.His route is the adoption route. Protect the child.

He thinks getting married is really serious business (thanks to Raphael's teachings) and even "proposed" to his brothers once without understanding its meaning.

"Please marry me! I want all of us to stay together forever!!" (Imagine a baby Azzy pre-growth spurt saying this. Shorter than Luke and has a habit of switching his consonants ex. 'mawwy me pwease!')

Cue in his older brothers+dad and grandpa dying of cuteness.

No, Uriel. No orgies.

Is too...patient to get pranked? Probably got pranked by Gabriel before and he just smiled and looked at the older angel cluelessly.

This applies to Uriel's nose booping too. He doesn't understand it, but if it makes his brother happy, then it makes him happy as well.

Accidentally called Cain "Dad" once.

A silent advocate of #TallBoysNeedHeadpatsToo

Is the reason why Raphael became a Ruri fan. Once upon a time, when Azrael was a lot younger, they watched the anime together and he liked it so much that he demanded they watch it every time it's Raphael's turn to babysit him. He grew out of his Ruri phase once he got older, but unfortunately...it wasn't the same for Raphael.

If you tell him to wait for you somewhere as a joke, 100% of the time, he would take it seriously and would really wait for you there. Rain or shine, even if it's really cold outside, he'd be there. (He has a hard time distinguishing jokes so it's best to just say things to him in earnest.).

One time, Seraphiel forgot him in the human world while he was on the run from a persistent vegetable stall owner(Sera had promised Azzy that he would take him to one of his missions). It had been 2 days and Raphael had been losing his mind looking for their youngest one when Michael chanced upon Azrael on the very spot Sera told him to wait on, not moving even an inch. Aside from the rare time the mild-mannered Avatar of Charity had unleashed his rage, it had been a cautionary tale for the other Virtues to ALWAYS be sincere with Azrael from then on.

Would be the type to follow a stranger in their white van if he's bribed with candy. He's too trusting for his own good.

Because he has a child's innocence in an adult's body, he's surprisingly popular with "oneesans".

And since he earnestly listens to Gabriel's seduction lessons...it wouldn't be a surprise if he would be a lady killer (albeit unintentional) when he gets older.

Is good with his hands. He likes painting and making handicrafts in his spare time.

Raphael's hair pins, Seraphiel's earrings and Michael's favourite brooch are among his many creations.

Was good friends with some famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso, whom he met on some of his assignments. Meeting them again in the afterlife was bittersweet.

Like Seraphiel, he believes in the importance of treasuring the present. Although every being in this world has an end, it doesn't necessarily mean that one should only dwell on the end. Acknowledging the transience of life and treasuring those rare fateful encounters, he believes is what was important. Though the friends he made in the mortal world may never remember him as he ferries their souls to the afterlife, it doesn't depreciate the value of the memories and bonds they shared when they were still living.

Though he could know almost everyone's "expiration" if he wants to, he doesn't really use those powers unless necessary. Some things are better left unknown.

He has an ever growing journal of every soul he had guided to the afterlife. In the ever silent night, when humanity is slumbering, he offers an elegy for the dead...even those long gone and long forgotten. Even if it were only him that would remember them, he didn't mind. In fact, he wanted to be the one who would never forget. Every life matters, even the lives that had already found peace in the afterlife. If even the person themself couldn't remember their hardships in the mortal world, he believes it is his job to remember for them. He's stubborn and hard-headed like that.

Of all the traits he had to inherit from their third eldest, it had to be his disregard for his own well-being. He also shares Michael's tendency to overwork himself and Uriel's fondness for pancakes. Thankfully despite it all, he's growing up as a fine young man.

[nei-ning]

Just watched newest Rise episode and I FREAKING LOVED IT! Oh my God, Leonardo with his many wonderful expressions! Cute sweet cinnamonroll Mikey and then, ohohoho, April! I so can relate to her about ghost hunting! So eager and excited! I love this April more and more :D and once again animating was SUPER! Seriously this tmnt has so damn amazing animating and it pleases my eyes greatly!

Ps edit: I said this in my tags but I say this here too; there is a new character in the show but I won't say anything about them, in this post, because I don't want to spoil my followers who might not have seen the episode yet!

[anime-grimmy]

This took entirely too long.Like, for real.

But it was kinda fun, to be honest, mostly cos i got to here the audio for this over a thousand times and it never gets old XD But man, I love the tmnt panels, all the voice actors are such sweet hearts, but I love these 3 the most. Rob Paulsen is a legend and he’ll always be under my top 3, Greg Cipes is freaking Greg Cipes, he’s a cinnamonroll, too precious for this world (just like mikey!) and Seth Green is such s sweet bean, I love him. For anyone who’s interested, I took the Audio from the nickelodeon SDCC tmnt panel 2015, around the 10 min mark.

Well, here’s the video: http://anime-grimmy.tumblr.com/post/163535863101/rob-paulsen-please

[dickplinko]

My Chemical Romance

Listen to them : FUCKING OF COURSE WHO THE FUCK YOU THINK I AMFirst song : I'm not ok (I promise)Favorite song: Division BoyFavorite album: Three Cheers For Sweat RevengeFavorite music video: BloodMerch: three shirtsLive: I literally found them a week before they broke upMember: my cinnamonroll Mikey

[brightlotusmoon]

Another Sneak Peek at TMNT 2016 fanfic "Pale Sunlight, Clouded"

This part comes a lot later but it is in my head right now.

***

It was the first time Mikey had really actually paid attention to a human woman aside from April. Chief Vincent didn’t really count, she wasn’t that interesting except when she praised them, and she was just doing her job.

Aevalyn was different in so many ways and it puzzled him so much he found his mind spiraling. Her looks, her scent. The way she casually brushed against him. Hah, casual. He knew that trick; she was getting to know him.

Wait, was she flirting? She rarely looked people in the eyes. Wasn’t that a general Autistic thing? She confused him and mesmerized him and she had such pretty hazel eyes and they had this gold ring around them and her dark brown hair had red streaks like fire and her skin smelled like cinnamon and looked like honey and he wanted to lick her and gaahh, stoop.

He pressed his palms to his eyes, pacing his bedroom. It was weird now that Raph's bed was next to his instead of above, and he still wasn’t certain. They had said it was so Raph could hold him when he was “in a depression episode” or had a migraine or even another seizure. Mikey decided it was mostly to convince him he was depressed and sick in the first place.

A soccer ball lay at his feet; he kicked it toward the doorway.

The ball never hit the ground.

Eyes narrow, he glanced up.

There was Casey, Detective Freaking Jones, holding the soccer ball. And standing next to him, hair loose around her shoulders, was the very source of Mike’s confused mesmerized frustration, standing barely over five feet in hiking boots, her glittering eyes narrow just like his.

Michelangelo swallowed. “Hey, Casey. Hey, Aevalyn.”

“Hi, Mikey,” Aevalyn said in that low honeyed voice that sent shivers through him. “I didn’t mean to be telepathic at you, but I got a strong sense that you’re really upset and it has to do with me. Can we talk?”

Oh, very direct, not like last time. She wasn’t being cautious and shy anymore. He bit his lip. And looked directly into her eyes.

He watched her hands twitch but she looked right back at him.

“Yeah, okay,” he muttered, and quickly slammed up the thickest mental shield he could think of. If he was going to confess his crush, damn it, he was going to do it vocally.

***

[spectrumscribe]

In the TMNT 2012 fandom, we have a number of categories that fans can possibly fit into:

-the leo fanatics.

-the raph fanatics.

-the apologists for both of them.

-b-team fanatics.

-b-team defense squads.

-’mikey can do no wrong and is a cinnamonroll U w U’ fans.

-’donnie and april 5ever!!!’ fans.

-the tcest fans.

-the Heterosexual Shippers (AKA: the ones that loudly ship ramona, capril, apritello, leorai, etc etc etc)

-fans that can’t accept ships that aren’t straight, and are in denial about their homophobia.

-actually the last two categories often crossover.

-true adults in this mess of a fandom that let drama pass over them without blinking.

-fourteen yr olds just learning about fandoms and starting their careers as fan artists.

-the artists that everyone knows and loves, and have fanwork of their fanwork submitted to them regularly.

-the oc generators.

-the self insert fans.

-the fans that still use ‘Yaois!!! OMG!!! XD’ in their tags.

-the mpreg fans.

-canon fix-it/critiques of the show and writers type fans.

-fanfic writers who write nothing but porn and get hundreds of followers for it.

-miserable fanfic writers who write long in-depth fanfics that are given very little recognition in comparison to the smut writers.

-similarly are the artists that draw nothing but shipping or smut and have thousands of followers, while the ones who do not have a few hundred if they’re lucky.

-the small pool of POC individuals with racially diverse headcanons and fan content.

-the enormous pool of very obviously white individuals with white headcanons to match.

-the even larger ocean of fans who don’t know how multi-siblings households work, or how siblings act around each other in general.

-the puddle of femslash shippers.

-polite and sensible fans that don’t get involved in anything and only bring encouragement to the table for all the fan content creators.

-the lurkers who never say anything but leave likes on everyone’s work.

-the ‘excuse me, this is why you’re wrong-’ fans who start chain post wars.

-that one corner of the fandom that likes the Foot clan henchmen more than the main cast.

-the dickbags and rabidly crazy fans no one likes at all.

-the tired fans who just want to leave. 

[brightlotusmoon]

Dear those who severely dislike the new reboot for waahh reasons: It's culturally iconic, now a part of history, and will evolve to be better than it currently is, which means more for the rest of us. This interview proves how beloved the characters are and how constant change, growth, and novelty is as refreshing as a new awesome way to use The Force. (Cough, speaking of legendary fandoms that are multi generational and have become bizarrely toxic. Dear TMNT Fandom, don't be toxic, just be happy.)

The Turtles are over 34 years old. I am five years older than my first favorite franchise and main autistic interest. NICE.

Rise of TMNT Cast Interview 🐢🗣| HALF SHELL WEDNESDAYS!

[brightlotusmoon]

Whaaaa I swear to Splinter I was just throwing around headcanon theories what do you mean I was actually right oh my gods I LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS sometimes I actually am psychic with TMNT fandom stuff.

I feel like rubbing my hands together while cackling.

(Psst @wildmaniacal can I headcanon your AU stuff more????)

[brightlotusmoon]

TMNT Fanfic: Fire And Oxygen: Where My Demons Hide

Testing out the full “Mikey The Lifegiver” fanfic based on that headcanon where Mikey, still new to his Utrom-enhanced inborn psychic empath powers, teaches Raph to control his emotional rages, for which Angel123 did a beautiful illustration. Going to edit and post on both AO3 and FFnet later. Do give feedback here for content and such, like if I should add anything, etc. Remember, right now it’s just telepathy and intuitive sensing and some clairvoyance, and the telekinesis comes much much later in the series once he and April and Splinter start training. Plus, there are always side effects. He’s got temporal lobe epilepsy and a migraine disorder now. Sometimes headaches precede visions too.

 Fire And Oxygen: Where My Demons Hide

 Raphael was having nightmares again.

They were always the same. The endings were always different.

This time, Michelangelo took the katana in the side but Leonardo didn’t notice in time.

This time, Michelangelo took the knives to the chest meant for Donatello, but they couldn’t save him.

This time, Michelangelo was raped by that Foot ninja more than once, more than just fingers, and Raphael could not reach him.

And Raph bolted up in his bed roaring, tears streaming down his face. He was rasping out his little brother’s name. Chompy had climbed onto his chest, pawing at his face, making those little frantic whimpers, the same whining sounds he had made when Tokka came to get him and he realized he would be leaving Earth – Raph – behind.

His hands trembling, Raph clutched the puppy-like alien turtle delicately and growled, hiccupping.

Just a dream, his mind begged. Please, it’s just a bad dream, Mikey’s alive and he’s fine, there’s nothing wrong.

This time, Mikey’s latest seizure – the one caused by Raph hitting him and yelling at him – didn’t stop, it led to what Donnie called status epilepticus. Which, Donnie added, often lead to Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy, it had its own acronym.

Mikey had stopped breathing. His heart had stopped beating. His brain shut down. He had died.

Raphael let out a sob that Chompy somehow echoed.

Raph’s bedroom door opened, not slowly, and it banged against the wall. Raph kept his eyes shut.

Someone sat on his bed; he felt the bottom of a carapace brush his blanket-covered leg. A three-fingered leathery smooth hand landed on his left shoulder. It began to rub up and down his arm. Another hand cupped the right side of his head. A large smooth leathery thumb wiped under his eyes.

A kind of energy – undeniably familiar from so many meditation sessions, breathe in breathe out – very carefully swept over his head, down his shoulders and arms, covering his torso, all the way down his legs, pooling into his feet, then disappearing and gathering in the very center of his forehead, swirling, full of all the shades of red, fading down to pink, then very slowly shifting into dark dark orange, cascading through that color wheel until the orange was bright, almost dark yellow, almost sunset, tinged with dark pink, red and yellow bleeding into one another, the way orange did, delight and passion eternal twins.

Raph felt himself take three deep breaths. He opened his eyes.

Michelangelo’s faces was inches from his own, kissing close. His mouth was tilted up on one side into a gentle smile and his eyes were overwhelmingly kind and gentle.

“Hey, bro,” he said quietly.

Swallowing, Raph suddenly felt humiliated. “H-hey.”

“You okay now?”

“I, um, I think so.”

Sighing, Mikey leaned in and pressed his forehead to Raph’s, still looking into his eyes. “It’s okay, you know.”

Raph didn’t blink but he mentally shrank back. “Uh…?”

“Freaking out. The nightmares. I’m like an expert now. I literally have no shame. It happens.”

Raph’s throat closed up a little. He pulled away just enough to wipe his face with the palm of one hand, and then he noticed that Chompy was snuggled in his lap, looking at Mikey with his tongue lolling. “But…I, um…they…”

“They’re memories,” his brother confirmed. “And then they change, and they’re nightmares. And you can’t do a damn thing.”

Raphael just nodded. “Y…you kept…dying. We…we couldn’t…nothing…”

Mikey suddenly grabbed Raph’s shoulders and narrowed his eyes, although his smile didn’t fade. “Dreams, Raph. Just dreams. Your fears. Your…your demons. I’m still here. Leo and Don, still here.”

Raph felt himself swell with what he could only identify as anguish. “But. Mikey. It could happen. It could really happen, for real, okay? It’s not my imagination, it’s stuff that could happen to you! And I can’t stop it! I can’t!” Heat gathered in his eyes and he sucked in a shuddering breath.

Mikey nodded and leaned back a little, clasping his hands together, as Chompy reached up to lick his fingers. Mikey kept smiling. “Y’know, a while back, I was helping Leo in the dojo because he was super duper tense and Sensei was worried he was pushing himself too hard. I picked up on that, and I went to see him and he was totally tense and zoned out. I put a little too much empathic energy into him, I had a seizure, Leo freaked out. Like, I think he thought I was dying. But I always come back. You know that. I’d never leave you guys.”

Raph looked down at Chompy for a few minutes. When he inhaled he tasted tears. “But…remember that time…you were so depressed…you let that katana wound get infected and you didn’t care, Mikey. I was holding you, you were crying. And then you got even worse, you were in a coma for over a week! And…and remember when you took that hit to the chest for Donnie, you were out for two whole weeks, you needed machines to breathe for you, you were in so much pain, Mikey, we really thought you might die, and when you woke up you were so numb…you…you…”

And Raph was crying, and he didn’t care.

And Mikey was hugging him tightly, and he sobbed into his little brother’s neck, deflated and defeated, grasping and grabbing Mikey’s carapace, holding on for dear life as though his baby might fade any second.

“I’m here,” Mikey whispered. “Raph, Raph, I’m here. It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. I have you. You won’t let me fall. You won’t let me drown. Remember? Remember the squirrelanoids? You got me. You caught me. I didn’t drown because you caught me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Raphael gasped, “Lucky shot. Got lucky. I could’ve missed. I dream about it. I didn’t grab your hand fast enough. I didn’t hit the squirrelanoid that grabbed you. You got pulled down. Into the water. You were screaming for us. They bit you. They…they ki-”

“Sshhhhh. Raph, it’s all right. That’s not what happened. We’re home, you an’ me, and we’re safe. I promise.”

“Mikey, fuck, I love you. I can’t breathe.”

“Breathe, bro. C’mon. Breathe for me, Raph, I got ya, no one’s gonna hurt ya, I won’t let ‘em.”

Raphael gasped for air and found it somehow, tinged with sunshine.

“I love you, Raph.”

That same soothing energy washed over him, crashed through him, and it wiped away the fear, the anxiety, the rage. His body stopped shaking.

He pulled away and huddled against his headboard, frowning, breathing breathing breathing. Chompy was now pressed against his side.

Mikey was staring at him with a rakish, lopsided grin. His hands were folded, index fingers raised and pointing at his chin. “Feel better?”

Raph nodded. “Calm.”

“Good. Calm is my speciality.”

“Mikey, your speciality is being an annoying little goof.”

“But it brings calm and sanity to the group, doesn’t it.”

Raph found himself grinning. “If by sanity you mean utter confusion.”

“Hey, I never said I resonated with this reality.”

“Mikey, you’re a separate reality on your own.” And Raphael found himself reaching out to give his baby brother a noogie, which was graciously accepted.

“I know it’s, like, three in the morning,” Mikey said, “but I can sense you can’t fall asleep without help. Feel like a lesson in how to soothe your emotional rages?”

Raph grinned. “Why the hell not. You’ve been good at that all our lives, just by givin’ me an outlet.”

Mikey booped him on the nose. “’kay. First step is learning how to breathe.”

Raph began to roll his eyes, until he felt Mikey’s entire hand slam against his face.

“Dude. In for as long as you can go. Picture gold light as you inhale. Out for as long as you can go. Picture silver light as you exhale.”

Raph pushed the hand away. “Whatever you say.”

But it worked.

As the breathing exercises continued, Mikey cupped Raph’s face in both hands and pressed their foreheads together. “Remember. You control your flow. Even when it gets away from you. It’s yours. I am going to tell you exactly what I told Donnie and Leo. The first rule of being is this: Let yourself go. Let it surround you. Don't push it away, don't fight it. Just exist in the moment. Let everything come into you and breathe. Just breathe. Got that?”

Wordlessly, Raph nodded.

“Your anger is always in you, right at the surface,” Mikey said. “It’s part if you, like logic is for Donnie. You have a kickass temper, you have a short fuse, it’s who you are. But it’s like a controlled burn, if you let it be. It’s power.”

“Like yours?”

“Yeah, a little. It’s energy. You gotta direct it or it just slips out and does what it wants. It can hurt. It can hurt other people. But it can help. Let’s make sure it helps, my bro.”

Biting his lip, Raphael felt and saw the crimson glow of his anger surrounding him, waiting for orders. It was like a creature, a beast. Something with teeth. Surrounded by his own psychic darkness, kept hidden yet right at the surface. He reached out mentally to touch it and felt it press against him, curl around him purring. His creature. His emotional rage, his emotional excitement. Everything he felt to the core, even the happy emotions; he could sense its odd ability to break off into smaller beasts to represent all his feelings. It was beautiful, it was his, it was terrifying, it was beautiful, it belonged to him.

A ring of orange suddenly surrounded it, and brushed against it; some of that light wrapped around the red like a harness. Mikey, he realized. The creature purred louder and seemed to relax into that orange, like old friends.

“Let your flow exist,” Mikey’s voice drifted through his ears and his mind. “But let it stay close to you. It wants you to work with it.”

Raphael leaned back and opened himself wide. As if sensing the acceptance, the red glow, massive and thick, moved through him, thrumming, growling softly. He realized that he had never felt such peace with himself.

“There ya go, awww” Mikey said, out loud or telepathically he didn’t know. It didn’t matter. “S’gonna be super hard to maintain when you’re fighting in battle, but at least it’s a good start.”

Raph opened his eyes. Mikey’s hands had begun to move away from his face. Without thinking, Raph reached up and grabbed them, squeezing. Mikey’s eyes widened a little. The blue, thinned due to dilation, was glittering, like a gemstone, slightly glassy, and his face was a little pale.

“Thank you, baby brother,” Raph whispered, a lump in his throat.

Mikey swallowed and nodded. His left eye twitched a little.

“You okay? Raph asked. “You need anything?”

Smiling wanly, Mikey inhaled. “I’m cool.”

“You sure? You look like you’ve got a hell of a headache.” Raph ran his hand down the side of Mikey’s face. Concern and fear gripped him, but somehow that force of calm held them back from rising too quickly.

“Just…a side effect from these powers, y’know? I’m still learning.” Mikey smiled again, but Raph could swear he looked dizzy.

“Here, lay down.” Raph shifted until he was against the wall. “It’s three in the mornin’ after all.”

Mikey instinctively shifted and shuffled until he lay on his side. Raph guided his head to his own plastron. “I’m glad you’re here, Mikey.” And he yawned.

“Me too, Raph.” And then Mikey was silent, and his body slumped and he began to softly snore. Raph simply let his hand rest on his brother’s head.

Chompy burrowed a little further into his opposite side, and Raph scratched his chin. “’Night, Chompy,” he whispered. “Hopefully, no more nightmares.”

When he closed his eyes, a bright mix of red and orange danced across his mind, and he found himself smiling.

[brightlotusmoon]

Mikey is a cat lover, after all. And Callisto is a super friendly little cat.

[brightlotusmoon]

This smug brat. I tossed him on the bed toward my pillow and he landed just like this. I am going to tackle cuddle him to sleep. He is so hecking soooft.