#in all seriousness though i think i’ve been saving since like. leo

[asherasgayagenda]

ashera i am looking at ur dia count please can i just be you /j/j (pls dont answer this if it makes u uncomfortable !!!!!!!!!!!!!! jksdjhhfskkf)

NOO MY DIA !!?!!!1!!11!

did you use all of yours scouting on hiiro… 🙏😔🫂

I don’t even know what I’m saving for….. natsume fs? pretty five?? aira fs??? kohaku fs? (probably that one. but idk it’s a LONG way away) ariadne???

[bvselincs]

[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { MIKEL BALLART } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { HE/HIM } is/are ? they kind of look like { JACOB ELORDI } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { 27 } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { YEAR }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { JAMIE TARTT } from { TED LASSO }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { - } as a { TENNIS PLAYER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { REDEEMED BAD BOY } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { SELF-CENTERED } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { CHARISMATIC } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { 6A } apartment beside me over in { CORAL COVE }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you! 

⸺   ONE   ,     LINKS .

biography

connections

plot ideas

pinterest

playlist

musings

visage

⸺   TWO   ,     STATS .

✦ full name. mikel river ballart ✦ age. twenty-seven ✦ date of birth. august 15, 1997 ✦ place of birth. melbourne, australia ✦ gender. cis-male ✦ pronouns. he/him ✦ sexual orientation. bisexual ✦ occupation. tennis player ✦ faceclaim. jacob elordi ✦ zodiac. leo sun, capricon moon and rising.

⸺   THREE   ,     INFORMATION .

trigger warning: domestic abuse, addiction, alcoholism, bullying

mikel was born in melbourne, australia, the youngest of three. his mother fought to keep the family afloat, scrimping and saving while his father let the unemployment benefits slip through his fingers.

as mikel came of age, the pattern of his father’s self-destruction became all too clear. the police visits were a frequent occurrence, each one followed by his father's promises of reform. but those promises were as fleeting as the wind, and soon, everything would return to the same broken state.

despite this turmoil, mikel yearned for his father's approval, believing that making him happy could alleviate the family’s distress. their mutual love for tennis provided a fleeting escape, with cherished afternoons spent at the local court. in these moments, his father’s aspirations weighed heavily, nurturing the belief that mikel’s rise as a professional player could be their salvation from the clutches of poverty.

mikel’s love for tennis became his refuge in school, where he struggled with undiagnosed adhd and dyslexia, and faced harsh bullying for his academic difficulties and reserved nature. his fortunes changed unexpectedly when a sports agent, noticing his talent at a local tournament, offered him a scholarship to a prestigious academy in brisbane.

mikel’s life changed fast at the academy. he went from an outcast to a rising star, with everyone wanting his friendship. his tennis skills soared, and so did his ego. he was just eleven, but his pride was even bigger. yet, the cheers at the academy were a stark contrast to the silence at home, where bruises told stories he didn’t dare speak of. things had gotten worse since they left melbourne, and as mikel got older, he grew more afraid of his father. unable to challenge his father about the mistreatment of his mother and siblings.

in 2009, sitting in a hospital waiting for her son’s broken arm to be set, mila made up her mind to leave her abusive husband. mikel had been hurt in a fit of rage after losing a set. mila packed their bags and bought tickets to her parents' hometown in spain. at first, mikel thought it was a short stay, but as his arm healed and no talk of going back came up, he grew angry and silent. for months, he didn’t speak to his mother. finally, mila enrolled him in a local school and academy, trying to help him settle and find some peace.

the academy he attended was small and lacked the resources to nurture his talent. it wasn’t long before one of his coaches, seeing his potential, arranged a scholarship for him to attend a prestigious academy in spain. at just thirteen, mikel left home once more, this time moving to alicante on his own. there, he found himself among other young tennis hopefuls, training hard and competing on the junior circuit.

his junior career was fairly successful; he reached a junior grand slam final and climbed to a ranking of fifth in the world. but it was when he stepped onto the professional tour at sixteen that his talent truly began to shine.

mikel’s journey was shaped by a partnership with a coach who became a father figure to him, guiding him to his first professional title. his breakthrough year was filled with remarkable triumphs, including his first grand slam victory and a swift rise in the rankings. yet, off the court, he battled his own demons. the specter of his estranged father still loomed over him, affecting his personal life and gnawing at his mental well-being.

mikel’s talent was undeniable, yet his reputation both on and off the court told a different story. he was the rebel, the bad boy of tennis, known for shouting at umpires and refusing to shake hands with his opponent after a loss. his tumultuous relationship with the press always grabbed the headlines, while his striking looks brought him fans and sponsors. he was the kind of player people loved to hate, his name always on their lips.

though mikel had found success, his career was thrown off course by a serious injury that led to a dependency on painkillers, which resulted in a suspension from the sport. his battle with addiction and the relentless pressure to maintain his public image and keep his sponsorships forced him into rehab. he released a statement to the press, explaining he’d miss the rest of the season due to a lingering foot injury. he spent two months at a rehab center in florida before moving to palmview grove for the remainder of his suspension.

it has been four months since the suspension was lifted, yet he still grapples with the fear of slipping back into his old habits. this fear has kept him from returning to the court, even as his coach insists he is ready. mikel’s sights are set on being prepared for the next season in january.

over the past year, mikel has learned that being a star isn’t as satisfying as he’d once thought. fame and fortune looked good from the outside, but underneath, he struggled with many demons. for the past year, he’s been working on those personal battles, focusing less on being a great player and more on becoming a better person.

⸺   FOUR  ,     PERSONALITY

at his core, he's a people pleaser, shy, and compliant, reminiscent of his childhood self.

he struggles with expressing his true emotions and uses a fake confident persona to hide his insecurities.

he's perceived as egotistical and rude, but few realize his vulnerability and fear of being broken.

mikel craves attention and sometimes struggles with sharing the spotlight.

in relationships, he commits sincerely but moves on quickly if it ends.

eager to learn and strives to be the best, even if it doesn't always succeed.

currently, he is trying to acknowledge his past mistakes, make amends, and improve himself as a person.

⸺   FIVE  ,     HEADCANONS

he goes to therapy twice a week, although he mostly treats it as a interview and struggles to really talk about his issues.

has a four-year-old mix golden retriever/labrador named sadie

claims his favourite book is "to kill a mockingbird" because he sort of watched the film at school

hates when people call him mike

he took on his mother's surname when he became a pro player and legally changed it when he was 18. his last name surname was bancroft

he’s not very into fashion, he likes comfort so something he likes about being an athlete is that he gets to dress comfortably most of the time.

often wakes up before 7 am, but since he hasn't been an active player he's been trying to sleep past 8 am and stay up longer.

while he's not the best cook in the world, he can cook different types of pasta and sauces. mostly, because it's what he normally ate when he was training and playing.

he can speak fluent Spanish. his mother was born in australia but her parents come from the basque country. he can speak some basque but not a lot.

even if he has double citizenship (spanish and australian), he represents australia.

if he had gone to university (which he wouldn't lol) he would have studied something related to cinema. he loves movies and it's pretty much the only form of entertainment that can have his attention.

for the previous reason, he rarely watches tv shows because his attention span is too short and binging a tv show makes him feel uneasy.

a year ago, he was offered to participate in the latest love island australia but he turned it down when he learned he would have to share bedroom with other people.

it might come as a surprise but he's only been drunk twice in his life.

while he can be a dickhead to most people, he’s usually one of those players that try to give autographs to every fan who asks for one.

his best ranking has been #1 in the world which he achieved when he was 21. his first grand slam was the us open at 20. in total he has 6 grand slams and 35 titles.

his proudest moments in his career was when he won the australian open at 24 and again at 26.

he's sponsored by: adidas, head, tag heuer, calvin klein, evian, porsche, BBVA, hugo boss.

⸺   SIX  ,     WANTED CONNECTIONS

tba

[dreamerfms]

[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { camden lomax } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { he } is ? they kind of look like { leo woodall } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { thirty } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { thirty years }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { will gorski } from { sense8 }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { lomax auto repairs } as a { owner/mechanic }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { the anchor } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { burnt-out } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { nurturing } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { 3 room } apartment beside me over in { seaglass heights }.

BASICS

full name : camden wade lomax birthplace : palmview, florida date of birth : january 5th, 1994. parentage : wade lomax & estelle fike ( estranged ) sibling(s) : four younger children : dominic adeyemi-lomax ( 3 years ) occupation : owner of lomax auto repairs / mechanic relationship status : single gender identity : cis male ( he/him ) sexual orientation : bisexual faceclaim : leo woodall

ABOUT

camden never desired to be the hero in anyone's story, but life didn’t give him much of a choice. he was just thirteen when his mother walked out the door, leaving behind five kids and a promise of better days that never came. their father though there, was someone they never really knew. spent most of his days out at the bar, or passed out on his chair in the middle of the room. drunk, angry, no interest in being any kind of solace for his children. if anything, he only knew how to make their lives hell. while never physical, spiteful words often provided their own level of damage. camden stepped up, became more than just a big brother. he was their protector, their provider, their only real safe space in the world.

growing up in a rundown trailer park on the outskirts of town, he learned fast that no one was going to save them. that he was the one who had tha chance to break the cycle. while other kids his age seemed to be worrying about crushes, school dances and summer vacations, camden spent his days in the backyard, elbows deep in engine grease, fixing up whatever beat-up cars and bikes he could get his hands on. the sound of a motor roaring to life became his only peace, a reminder that if he could rebuild broken machines, maybe he could keep his family from falling apart too.

motocross was his one passion, the thing that made him feel alive. he was good, too. really good. but racing professionally was a dream he couldn’t afford to chase. with his siblings relying on him, camden buried his own ambitions, dropped out of school and began working at the local auto shop. he spent years working his way up, making sure his family kept a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. eventually the auto shop would be put up for sale, and something in his heart told him that this was his future. so he chanced his luck, applied for a bank loan, and to his surprise his offer was excepted. he was now the proud owner of his own shop and as the years went on, business only bloomed.

camden is a natural protector, he simply can't help himself. but there's a burden that comes with it, a heaviness that's always placed on his shoulders. beneath the exterior is a sea of trauma he's never been afforded the time to sort through. instead he does as he always has, carries on, pushes forward, work as much as he can.

to his siblings, he’s always been more of a dad than a brother, even though there’s barely any age gap between them. he’s rough around the edges, hardened by necessity, but beneath the gruff exterior, there’s a fierce love that drives everything he does. he's the guy that stays, that always shows up no matter what. even when it feels like he has nothing left to give.

camden had never given much thought to having kids of his own, feeling very much liked he'd already raised four. but life took an unexpected turn when his high school sweetheart came back into his life at the age of twenty-five and they found themselves more drawn to each other than ever before. within the year, she was pregnant. while both scared, they decided to stay united and have their child. however, as camden juggled being a father and supporting his siblings, it became clear their relationship had shifted to more of a partnership than lovers. they decided it was best to separate and co-parent, prioritizing their son’s well-being. this decision led to a strong co-parenting dynamic, with regular family outings and open communication, proving that family can take many forms.

CONNECTIONS

best friend - preferably from childhood, someone who knows him inside out and knows how much he carries on his shoulder. someone he can be more open with ( but tbh he'll still say he's fine ) and have fun with. ex ( not the mother of his child ) - someone he was with in his early twenties. again this probably ended due to how much he had to juggle, but we can work out the in-between details. muses 27+ m/f. support group - i imagine since becoming a father he's attempted to take some steps to resolve his childhood and reluctantly joined a support group for those dealing with familial trauma. this would be someone he met there, who is maybe always on his case for not showing up. autos shop regulars - self-explanatory, but some fun, playful customer interactions for my rough around the edges mechanic would be fun. riding friends - whilst camden has to often swap his motorcycle for a family car these days, he finds a lot of peace getting on his bike and enjoying the open road. some friends would be nice for this !

one night stands, past fwb. general friends. anything tbh !!!

[whoreadsnowadays]

@squiddy-buddy this one’s for you😚😚

OLDER LORENZO HEADCANONS WOOO

RBF!! HE HAS A RBF AND NO I WONT ACCEPT OTHERWISE

Guy is literally this emoji😐 all the fucking time and he and Raph always get asked if they’re mad

One way to get him to break away from the RBF is to scratch under his chin, absolutely melts and gets embarrassed when he’s churring

Okay, so I’ve mentioned this in my general Lorenzo headcanons that he has the meanest glare ever when he’s mad

It was bad when he was younger but when he’s older there’s literally MORE PRESSURE coming from his glare that makes anyone just 🧍😨

yeah, not even his brothers can save you now

Becomes more rebellious as he gets older (going through that teenage rebellion😪😪) and give Leo heart attacks everytime he sneaks out

HAS SUCH A LOW VOICE??? LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HIGH PITCHED SQUEAKY ONE😭😭

omgomgomg lowkey good with kids/babies but PANICS when they cry

cries with them

Super happy he grew but then sees his brothers are still taller than him and deflates

Sometimes runs his fingers over his scar subconsciously

Doesn’t realize he’s doing it until Donnie pointed it out

Is better at multitasking

wants to do the Spider-Man kiss

AMAZING SINGING VOICE OMG THIS GUYS VOICE IS SO LOW AJD HE LOVES SINGING MICHAEL BUBLE SONGS

Still paints his nails

Watched Ninjago one time and tries to do Spinjitzu in his room

Needs reading glasses

Though he’s small, he’s still unnaturally strong and literally picks up people and runs

Like this ^ (it’s his favorite way of carrying someone)

Can braid hair (he practiced on April)

Takes training a lot more seriously and gets sorta upset if his brothers aren’t into it as much as he is

Argues a lot more

Always wants to try Leo’s katanas cause he thinks they’re cool

When they were younger, Lorenzo asked Leo if he could have his katanas. Leo smiled and replied,

“Only when you’re big and strong. Then I’ll think about it.” (Remember this conversation🙂)

Since he’s the youngest he’s been heavily influenced by his brothers personalities, so he’s just a little bit of everything

I have nothing else to say rn, but get ready for another ask thingy ft Leo and Lorenzo🤭🤭

cackling rn

I GOTTA CHECK ASKS MORE OFTEN IM!!!!!! HIM!!!! OLDER HIM I LOVE HIM SM WOW WOW WOW WOW

[beetlegoose01]

Frostbite (Casetello)

AN: do these two have a ship name? Caseytello? eh whatever it’s casey x donnie and they’re gay

special thanks to cal for reading this for me and saying i should post it <3

There were quite a lot of things Casey Jones loved. Hockey, pizza, riding his motorcycle, video games, beating the crap out of his opponents. Normal teenage stuff. Lately he had been doing the latter, ever since he and April officially joined the 'Unofficial Turtles Team' , helping alongside the teen mutants on patrol. Goofing off with Mikey and Raph were the highlights, but he couldn't deny spending extra time with April was also a benefit. Even if they barely got a single word out- too busy fighting off random mutants scattering the city, it was still nice.

But what wasn't nice, downright unpleasant about patrol...was Donatello. There was an unspoken, mutual loathing that the pair shared that even quick glances at each other led to glaring and arguing. Leaving them together in the same room was never a good idea. Casey hasn't understood why the purple genius was so hostile towards him at first. But the reasons became obvious the first time he caught him staring helplessly at April, fumbling his words and blushing profusely. Not that Casey didn't feel similarly, heck, that was the problem. Both were attracted to April. Obviously Casey had the upper hand, being human. A turtle and a human girl in a relationship was built for disaster.

But their hatred didn't stop there. It wasn't just about April.  Eventually, everything about Donatello annoyed him. His whiny voice, his love for using complicated words to sound superior, soon every little thing bugged him.

Things were easier if the two stayed as far apart as possible.

Of course, fate seemed to work in mysterious ways.

It was starting to get late, the moonlight illuminating the sky. The group stopped on a rooftop, perched by the edge. Leo halted them silently, then turned around.

"Why'd you stop, Fearless?" Raph asked.

"I think we should split up. We'll cover more ground. If you see any sign of trouble, use your T-Phones." said Leo.

"No way dudes!" Mikey squeaked. "I saw this scary movie last night where the team split up! And then..." He paused for dramatic effect. "They all got taken out one by one. Starting with the cute funny one!" He trembled, hiding behind Donnie, who rolled his eyes.

Raph smirked, always prepared for a sassy remark. "Which means, you'll be just fine since you're neither of those."

"Hey!"

"And you'll be in pairs." Leo crossed his arms. "I've got it all planned out. Raph and April. Mikey and me."

"Mikey and I." Donnie corrected under his breath. Casey fought the urge to whack the smart aleck turtle with his hockey stick.

Leo ignored him. "Donnie and Casey-"

Casey involuntary let out a loud groan. Just his luck.

Leo narrowed his blue eyes, unamused. "Something wrong, Jones?"

"Er..." His eyes darted to Donatello, who seemed stoic, but equally frustrated with this predicament. On one hand, he wanted to argue and beg to be with literally anyone else. On the other, he didn't want to deal with the leader in blue getting annoyed with him.  "Nah Leo, that's fine by me. Right, D?"

Donnie huffed. "Yeah, that's alright."

"I think this will be good for you both." April grinned.

"Of course, April." Donnie agreed.

"No problem at all." Casey smiled through gritted teeth. When she turned away, they both shared an equally menacing glare.

"I knew I could count on you two." April smiled softly, though even she didn't look entirely convinced.

This was going to be a long night.

~•~

Turns out, Casey had underestimated the scrawny (ugh, svelte) turtle. In what Donnie lacked in muscle, he gained with his speed, mobility and of course, his mind. It was practically impossible to keep up once Donatello had leaped from the first building, tumbling and landing with ease, while Casey was coughing his lungs out as he ran desperately after the brainy terrapin.

"Okay, now you're just showing off." He panted irritably, nearly collapsing once he finally caught up with him.

"Are you coming or not?" Donnie gave his trademark gap tooth grin as he turned, slowing down.

"I am! You're just moving too fast!" Casey complained. "I thought turtles were supposed to be slow! I didn't even have time to get my grappling hook."

Donnie shrugged, ending the conversation with one simple movement.

They walked side by side, neither wanting to say anything. They both knew it would only end in arguing.

"Can I just say-" Casey started.

"No, you can't."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Exactly."

"Listen, Gap Tooth, I don't like this either!" He flicked a stone off the roof with his shoe. "But we have to ..." He swallowed. "work together, right?"

Donnie said nothing. He looked deep in thought.

"Is it because of April? Because it's not my fault she...y'know likes me more."

At the mention of April, Donnie turned away, eyes flashed with hurt, which only filled Casey with that annoying feeling of guilt.

"It isn't about her."

"Alright." Silence. "Sorry, let's just-" He cleared his throat. "Let's just work together, we don't need to be friends. Just get through the mission. After that, we can go back to hating each other."

"That was...surprisingly mature, Jones. Glad we can agree on something." Donnie quipped. "And for once, you're right. This mission is more important than our petty squabbles. No matter how insufferable you may be."

"Now you're just making up words."

Donnie fought the urge to roll his eyes. "So, that's two more hours of this."

Casey scoffed, but couldn't help but chuckle. Quietly of course. Last thing he wanted was for Donnie to think he was actually amusing.

"So...deal?"

"Deal." Donnie said, then added: "Cave Mouth." Which made Casey shove him lightly.

For a brief moment, they seemed to share a mutual understanding. The silence that followed wasn't awkward or forced, it was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as they could possibly be.

Donnie paused, startled by something. Lifting his bō carefully, he tried to follow whatever the sound was.

"What the-" Casey raised an eyebrow.

"Shh!" He hissed. "Do you hear that?"

"No?" Casey scrunched his nose, listening closely. It sounded like a...buzzing noise? Like a fly or mosquito. Irritating, but not dangerous. "Chill Don, it's just a bug or something."

"No, listen!" The turtle looked frantic and alert.

The buzzing became louder. Then, it was followed by the sound of snapping wood. Deliberate and exact. Casey gulped, taking his own weapon.

A massive shadow flew over their heads and landed in front of them. Donnie yelped in surprise, stumbling forward.

"Ah, shell." He swore, lifting his head to face the hideous insectoid mutant with acid green eyes. Scumbug spread his deformed wings, antenayes raised, prepared to strike.

"Well, I was right. That definitely is a bug. Scumbug! Wicked! This'll be fun!" Casey sneered.

"Which makes no sense, considering stag beetles aren't even bugs! They're insects!" Donnie spun his staff like a propeller, hitting the mutant face on.

"Not the time!" Casey tackled Scumbug, who roared, jostling him aside like a ragdoll. He smacked the floor with a sickening thud, directly on his arm. He fought back a scream of agony.  "Do you- gah- seriously have to be such a know it all, all the time?" He looked at his arm, which currently looked seriously messed up.

Donnie looked affronted. "I am not a know it all!"

"Yes you are!" Another whack of his trusty hockey stick, followed by a knock to the ground, face first. He wiped his mouth from the metallic taste of blood.

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you- Donnie, look out!" Casey shrieked, sounding less manly than he intended.

Scumbug, now furious, had efficiently used his enemies' bickering to his advantage. Before he could turn around, a spider web twirled from its appendages binding Donatello to the ground, who kicked and struggled furiously.

The mutant now crouched over the captured turtle, prepared to strike with his signature acid spit.

"Hang on, D! Casey Jones is here to save the day! GOONGALA!" He bellowed, racing towards Scumbug and latching onto him like a demented parasite. It was hardly the most graceful of moves, but it distracted him briefly.

He raised his hockey stick, poking him hard in the eye in an attempt to gouge them. Eyes were sensitive- he remembered Splinter telling him that.

With the extra time, Donnie reached for his bō, ripping the web apart with the extended naginata blade.

Scumbug, now looking more disheveled and horrifically disfigured than normal, retreated blindly into the misty air.

"I didn't need your help." Donnie said bitterly.

"Aw, is that any way to say thank you?" Casey retorted. "I just saved your shell." He poked his plastron roughly. "I think I deserve a little appreciation for my heroism."

"I had it handled."

"Did you? Because you looked just about ready to be eaten by Scumbug."

Donatello scowled, moving closer. "And he got away. So your heroism didn't exactly work, did it?"

"Would you rather have acid stuck to your face?" Casey growled. "You'd look even freakier than you do now. Next time you're a little 'turtle in distress' don't expect me to come save your-"

"I didn't need saving." Their foreheads pressed together, any moment ready to face each other on.

Casey gritted his teeth. "Sure, whatever you say. I didn't help because I actually cared about you or anything."

"Then why did you?" Donnie snapped, pulling away. "You could have left me."

"Because I- you- argh!" Casey felt his temper rising. "Because I'm not a monster, alright? We're a team, and we help each other. That's the deal." He wiped his chapped lips again, the disgusting taste of blood still lingering. He winced, clutching his arm.

"I can patch you up at the lair." Donnie said softly. "It just looks sprained."

"Mm." Casey grumbled, still pissed. Stubbornness was taking over any injury he had. He'd rather have his arm stay at this awkward angle than admit he was hurt in front of his rival. "I'll just wrap it up at home. I'll be fine."

Donnie sighed, raising his palm to his face. "Don't be so stubborn, I can help you."

Casey didn't look convinced.

"To repay the favor?" His warm brown eyes looked surprisingly sincere. "You did help me, after all. I'd probably be toast if you didn't."

Casey snorted. "You got that right."

A beat. Donnie looked unsure, as if he wanted to say something else. But whatever it was, it was holding him back.

"So...we should go back to the lair then?" Casey suggested, easing the awkwardness.

"Huh? Yes, of course. Totally. " Donnie nodded. "Naturally."

"Alright then."

"Jones?"

Casey turned, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say...thanks."

"Hey, no problem. But don't tell anyone I saved your ass."

"Deal."

~•~

Casey never expected to be sitting in Donnie's lab table, in between Timothy the blob-organ filled mutant and several bunsen burners, but life tended to be weird that way. He also didn’t expect to be pouting on said table like he was at some freaky doctor’s office. The rest of the team returned shortly after them, and seemed surprised that Donnie was actually willing to fix Casey's arm- and not begrudgingly.

Donnie returned with a first aid kit, setting it on the table. He hummed a familiar tune to himself, as if to fill the empty air of any more awkwardness.

"I've seen these before." Casey said, poking the bunsen burner tap, immediately then swatted away by Donatello. "At my school's science lab."

Donnie nodded, rolling up Casey's sleeve to examine his bare arm. Casey flinched, not comfortable with the random act of touching. "Hey don't!"

"Do you want your arm fixed or not?"

"...yeah."

"Then let me work my magic."

Casey frowned, staring at the bottle the turtle was holding. "Your magic looks like antibiotics and advil."

Donnie's lip twitched.

After his arm was treated somewhat, Donnie wrapped him up gently with a clean bandage. The slow movement made his heart race increase every time Donnie's fingertips brushed his arm, but he ignored it.

Don't be weird, Jones.

"That should be good. Don't put any pressure on it." said Donnie, passing him the advil. "And take this, it'll soothe the pain."

Casey pretended to look offended. "Here I thought you were gonna kiss it better."

Donnie rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "Don't push it, Jones. We aren't there yet."

Casey laughed. "Yet. Thanks for fixin' my arm, D. You...aren't so bad, I guess. But let's go back to hating each other, alright?"

Donnie smirked. "Whatever you say."

[hyenahunt]

Werewolf - 3

Writer: Nishioka Maiko

Season: Summer

Proofreading: 310mc (JP)

Translation: Bella & hyenahunt

Natsume: Just look at Jun-kun. You're leaning against him so much that he's starting to go sideWAYS. Poor THING.

[Location: Seisou Hall Common Room]

Hiyori: You have my utmost thanks for not voting me off! And with that, my victory is decided!

Shinobu: Hooray! Our werewolf team's come out on top~!

Eichi: My, and I thought they were harmless… They certainly pulled the wool over my eyes.

Sora: Haha~, game over! That's a win for the werewolves~♪

Rinne: Dammit… If you hadn't hung me first, we mighta had a chance of winnin'.

Yuta: Excuse me? We all thought hanging you was the safest thing to do, okay? Makes sense, since you're the absolute worst and all. Why're you even so full of yourself to begin with?

Rinne: Damn, kid, ain't it obvious! It's 'cause no one else on the villager side's got smarts and skills like me!

Yuta: Yeah, yeah. Save all that sleeptalk for when you're snug in bed, 'kay~?

Natsume: Good GRIEF… It's that kind of idiotic behavior that cost us the GAME.

I didn't think someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth would be so good at this, THOUGH. I wonder if being rich made him so wickED?

Jun: Right? Ohii-san, that didn't seem like your first time at all.

Hiyori: Heheh ♪ It was an absolute piece of cake~

All the same, it doesn't feel too great to play such a cruel game. A foul weather...

Sora: Cruel…?

Natsume: Big talk from someone who had the time of his life fooling us ALL.

Jun: Is this game really that cruel? Personally, I think it's fun and easy to understand.

Sora: What makes you think that, Dazzling-oniisan? Sora wants to know!

Hiyori: Well I mean, that's it, isn't it? Playing this game requires you to think anything and everything could be a lie. Doubting your own friends is just how you start making progress.

Make a single mistake and you'll be made an example of, and once you are, you have no choice but to be eliminated.

You doubt and deceive your own friends, and despite knowing that one word from you could decide their fate, you up and say it anyway... Isn't that rather cruel?

Natsume: Hmph, how ludiCROUS. It's just a GAME, that’s why we can take it eaSY. Confusing fiction and reality like that is just nonSENSE.

Or WHAT, do you actually think that mystery writers are murderers in real LIFE?

Hiyori: Of course I'm aware of that. That's why I said it doesn't feel too great, but the game itself is fun and all.

This game may be built upon a foundation of cynicism, but I much prefer happier things and the ideal of inherent goodness. Those make a much finer weather ♪

✦✦✦✦✦

[Location: Seisou Hall Dorm Room (Leo, Natsume, Nazuna)]

Jun: I haven't been getting any good cards for a while now~ Every pull you’ve swapped with me has wound up in your favour, huh.

Natsume: Yup, seems like I'm in luck toDAY ♪ I must've taken all of YOURS.

Jun: Seriously~? C'mon, gimme a break.

Ah, my turn's over.

Hiyori: ...Is it just me, or have the two of you been getting closer lately? Natsume-kun. Don't you snatch Jun-kun without my permission, got that?!

Jun: He’s not, though. Even if I was being snatched, why would anyone need your permission for that?

Natsume: You KNOW… You're just barging into my room and saying whatever you LIKE, Tomoe-senpai.

Jun-kun's the one who dropped by and said he wanted to play a game in the first PLACE.

I've got the game he wanted to try so badLY, so I'm just playing with HIM.

Hiyori: In that case, Jun-kun's the naughty one here!

Jun: Why.

Hiyori: It's a beautiful thing to form bonds, but it's no good to wag your tail at just about anyone. You ought to have more dignity!

Natsume: ...AnyWAYS, Tomoe-senpai. Would you please stop trying to squeeze between Jun-kun and I?

There's plenty of room elseWHERE. It's too cramped like THIS.

Hiyori: I simply feel like sitting here, you see. I'm just exercising my freedom of choice ☆

Natsume: Just look at Jun-kun. You're leaning against him so much that he's starting to go sideWAYS. Poor THING.

Jun: I can barely even see the screen since he started this.

He's bored 'cause we're ignoring him, so he's being a pain to get back at us.

Hiyori: Never mind all that. Jun-kun, I'll have you know I'm hungry.

Jun: Geez, ignoring me the moment you don't wanna hear something, huh... Well, that's Ohii-san for you.

So? You're hungry, right? But if you eat at this hour, Ibara's gonna pitch a fit, y'know?

Hiyori: That viper's always spitting his venom everywhere, so I shall simply pay him no heed!

Natsume: Come to think of IT, it's already TEN… I was so absorbed in our game I didn't even noTICE. We've been at it for a WHILE...

Jun: In that case, shall we call it a night soon?

Hiyori: Yes, yes. Now then, Jun-kun, let's be off right away for a late night snack!

✦✦✦✦✦

[Location: Seisou Hall 1st Floor Passage]

Natsume: Then maybe I'll go to the kitchen TOO.

Hiyori: Hm? What's this? Natsume-kun, you're heading for the kitchen, too? Will you have a late snack with us?

Natsume: No WAY. I thought I'd just get something to DRINK.

—Hm?

Sora: ......

Natsume: (There're people outside… Sora and Kaminari-san? Did they just get back from WORK?

It seems like they're in some sort of deep conversaTION…?

I've almost never seen Sora look so seriOUS… It's different from when he's giving his all at WORK. What could have hapPENED…?)

Hiyori: Whatever's the matter, Natsume-kun? Don't just stand there zoning out — I'd like to hurry over to the kitchen at once!

Natsume: (I'm worried, BUT… Well, I'm sure it's FINE. It's probably not a good idea to pry too MUCH.)

I’m coMING.

✦✦✦✦✦

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[blingywitch]

Good feelings

Ohmygod hi!! Long time no see—well, in the form of something I’ve written anyways. Here is something that has been in my drafts for forever that I finally got around to finishing.

It’s a O’knutzy coffee shop au! I’m not sure if this has been done before but I tried to switch mine up as much as possible... so yeah that’s that. For some context, Finn and Leo still play for the lions (along with the rest of the team) and Logan... well, you’ll see what he’s doing with his life :))

This will be multiple chapters and now that I think about it I probably should have waited until I had some of the them written— or even planed out for that matter— before putting this out but I was just too excited.

Sorry for the long ass introduction, I think that’s all I wanted to say. I hope you enjoy this little story I’m writing :)

Full Masterlist & Good Feelings Masterlist

Characters belong to the lovely, @lumosinlove

CW: mentions of food

“C’mon!” Finn singsonged as he dragged Leo by the hand down the street.

A new coffee shop had opened up in downtown Gryffindor recently and being the coffee Addicts they were, Finn and Leo had gotten up bright and early and decided that they would go try it out. So slipping on their shoes and coats the couple set off in search for the warm beverage.

“My god, Finn how do you have this much energy right now?” Leo questioned, having to jog slightly to keep up with him. Stifling a yawn he continued, “Before your coffee?!”

“I don’t know.” Finn shrugged. “I’m just- excited? I have a good feeling about this place.” Finn slowed his pace, and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s waist. “...and I want a croissant.” The redhead admitted.

Leo chuckled and pressed a kiss to Finn’s temple. “Of course you do.” Finn just smiled.

A couple a blocks and a right turn later the two had reached their destination. In front of them was a small building, made of tan coloured bricks and with glass windows covering just about the entire front of it, an open sign shining in one of them. There was a few sets of tables and chairs outside shaded by a striped canopy and Leo could hear soft music coming out of the open door. Finn looked around, searching for the name of the place until his eyes landed on a sign to their left, ‘Tremblay’s’ it said, in elegant cursive.

Finn pointed the sign out to Leo, “Tremblay’s huh?” Leo paused, taking one last look over the place. “Sounds cool, let’s go.”

The blonde took the lead and walked forward, stopping just before he walked in. Moving to the side he said, “After you.” and motioned for Finn to go ahead.

Rolling his eyes playfully Finn walked through the door, Leo following his actions.

The pair were immediately taken by surprise; despite the openness of the coffee shop, from the inside it felt quite small— a good small. It felt warm and cozy and had a weird sense of home. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling and sat in the corner, a record player—Playing the music Leo recognized from earlier.

The place smelled like fresh baked goods and Finn could faintly make out the smell of vanilla, he wasn’t normally a person for sweet things but whatever was causing that smell he wanted immediately. Turning to Leo he said, “Nice place.”

“Yeah,” Leo looked around and spotted a table in the corner and took Finn’s hand in his. “let’s go sit down.”

After pulling a chair out for his boyfriend the blonde took his coat off, draping it over the back of his own chair and sat down. “So,” he asked. “What are you ordering?”

Finn leaned his elbows on the table and looked down at the small menu set before them. It consisted of pastries and breakfast sandwiches and of course, coffee beverages of every kind. “I honestly don’t know, everything looks so good.”

“Let me see?” Leo asked softly.

Finn handed the menu over to him and in the process of doing so, reached over and laced their fingers back together over the table.

It still felt strange, being able to do this in public. Kiss and hold hands and be more than just teammates, be a couple. Sometimes one of them would forget and freak out when the other gave them a kiss after a good goal— or save; or a hug that would last longer than what would be considered “normal”. They would soon realize though, that they could do this now. They were out to the world, the league, and they couldn’t be happier about it.

They looked at their options for a little while longer, pointing out things that they thought they would like, which to be honest, was basically the entire menu. “Why does everything look so fucking good?!” Finn had said. Then followed by asking if they could just order one of everything. He received a scolding for that, Leo saying as good as that sounds it definitely was not on their diet plan.

“Oh, this looks good! Look,” Leo was about to point something out to Finn but before he had the chance to respond he was interrupted.

“Bonjour, welcome to Tremblay’s,” The new voice said, “I’m Logan. What can I get for you two?”

Finn looked up at the stranger and my god he didn’t think he would ever want to look away. This stranger— ‘Logan’ his name tag said— was gorgeous. He had green eyes, the kind you could get lost in if you stared for too long and brown curls that were mostly covered by a snapback but Finn could see they ended at the nape of his neck. He wanted to run his hands trough them— “No. Stop it,” Finn thought. “That’s weird.”

“Holy shit.” Was the only coherent thought in Leo’s head when he met the boys eyes— he’d heard him introduce himself as “Logan”. Leo discovered he liked that name; he repeated it to himself in his head, “LoganLoganLogan— Finn.” Shaking his head slightly to get rid of the sudden thoughts Leo took a final look at Logan, he was definitely shorter than himself and Finn but he was broader, shoulders and arms straining against his t-shirt— Okay Leo seriously had to stop. This was getting creepy.

Logan screwed up his face a little, like he was getting uncomfortable and it was just then that the two realized they hadn’t said anything yet.

Leo cleared his throat. “Oh, um... sorry. Finn?”

Finn’s head snapped back to his boyfriend— his boyfriend. The redhead internally scolded himself for having those thoughts about this boy. He had a boyfriend— one that he loved. “Right, uhh, I’ll have....” He trailed off, ordering, Leo right after.

Logan nodded, “Alright, sounds good. I’ll be back with that, you guys sit tight.” He smiled politely and made his way back behind the front counter and trough a door that must have been to the kitchen.

Finn took a deep breath and tore his eyes away from where Logan had disappeared. “You okay?” He asked Leo, concerned.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah.” Leo replied. His bottom lip was between his teeth and he was wringing his hands together on top of the table— having since let go of Finn’s hand— eyes cast down on them. He looked similar to how Finn felt.

After a couple minutes of slightly uncomfortable silence—which was really strange for them. Nothing was ever awkward or uncomfortable with them, not since they got together anyways— Logan returned with their food and drinks.

“Okay, so, we have the breakfast sandwich and the black coffee for you.” Logan placed Finn’s coffee and sandwich in front of him—made with a croissant instead of a bagel of course. “And just the medium two sugar two cream for you.” He handed Leo his coffee.

“Thanks.” Leo said, looking up at Logan.

“No problem!” Logan replied, emerald eyes tearing into Leo’s baby blue.

Logan abruptly looked away then, and when he turned to smile at Finn the redhead could have swore his cheeks had turned a light shade of pink. Finn gave him a polite smile of thanks and Logan turned around, he watched as walking away, the boy took his hat off and ran his hand trough his curls, only to put it right back on.

Having their morning coffee it seemed, eased whatever weird silence had fallen over the couple. In no time the two were back to their normal selves. Sipping on their coffee they talked about anything and everything; from their predictions for the upcoming hockey season or just what they were going to do later today.

Soon enough though, stomachs full and cups empty, Finn and Leo were ready to leave. A girl who’s name they found out was ‘Noelle’ had come around and handed them their check and then the couple was off, putting their coats back on and dropping their cups in the trash on the way out.

“So,” Leo spoke up, leading them out the door. “Was your ‘good feeling’ about this place correct?”

Finn brought a hand up to his chin and put on a face of fake thought. Staying like that for a couple seconds he removed his hand from his chin and placed it on Leo’s, pulling him in for a kiss. “Yeah,” he said, pulling away. “I think it was.”

What they didn’t know at the time was that the ‘good feeling’ was not from what they thought it was.

[opes-magnas]

『 as lonely as time can get. 』

It’s finally here!! I’m a terribly slow writer, and am really thankful to all those who waited for this! Hopefully you enjoy. Thank you so much to @hamjjy, @kaavijournals and Lady L for beta reading this, you guys are the best!

Listen to this playlist here for the best experience!

tw: cursing, body sensitivity, very subtle idea of anxiety and toxic relationships are portrayed.

~calypso <3

I. the moon can't shine on her own.

She looks serene tonight - high up in the night sky, not a single star to accompany her. Does the moon feel lonely like that? Does she ever need a warm hug? Perhaps she gets one from the sun, and he accompanies her all time. Does the sun shine for her? So that the world can see her beauty? Perhaps so. When she can't see him, she turns bloody red; she seems disturbed. Hurt. Lost. Her fury always frightened the humans. It made them shiver inside their homes, praying to see the familiar ball of light rise from the east to calm her down. Perhaps it is better if they could only see her beauty. But does that mean the sun shines, not to show her beauty, but to protect the humans from her true self? Perhaps so.

The sun and the moon are a pair. And they will continue to be.

As long as the moon can't shine on her own.

Let's stop thinking, Luna.

The moon seems lonely.

I look up at the clock. A red, metallic light tells me its 3:48 am, 3rd April. Great, now I can have four shots of espresso for breakfast. Thank you, oh great mind, for deciding that we needed to have that conversation earlier. I sit up on the bed and rub my eyes. The curtain flutters from the soft wind blowing in through the window. Cicadas fill up the silence as I look at the full moon illuminating my room another time. Oh, how I hate the moon. What a hypocrite. I look away, and my eyes find the pile of open textbooks and spark notes I abandoned. A small smile creeps up my face. At least I'll ace that History test tomorrow. I could imagine the Boba Tea reward from Leo in my hands already. Leo. The annoying kid next door who's been stuck with me since I was five. Don't worry, though. I don't like him. Not anymore. He made it extremely clear that I was 'a size too big' for him. Then why do I still hang out with him? Short answer - I beat him up, he apologized. I shall offer no elaboration. Still, a lump forms in my throat. And maybe because he wasn't completely wrong.

I get up to go grab a glass of water. Mochi is lying in her bed in the hallway. This is the first time she didn't stir awake when I thumped across the room. The poor fluffball of a cat is probably very tired from the bath I forced her into in the evening.

You need to lose a few pounds anyways, Luna. Get rid of those love handles. Maybe some fat on your back too. That'll make people find you more approachable.

It isn't toxic if it's true, right?

That night, I decide that my glass is half-empty rather than full, and go back to bed. Suddenly, Mochi wakes up and runs into my room. She snuggles in and throws her paws on my hair like it's her property. I choose to oblige the demon for today.

The last thing I see before sleep lures me is the clock gleaming '3:59 am'.

/////-----

It's too warm in my blanket. I almost want to peel my skin off. I need to get sleep, I have a test soo- I jolt awake. Mochi is no longer next to me. I assume she's back in the comfort of her bed, considering the temperature in the room. I let out a groan as my hand outstretches to the switchboard. After a few terrible attempts, I finally turn on the ceiling fan. As sleep threatens to take me again, I see that it's still dark out and the moon looks just as annoying as it did earlier, its ever luminant light breaking down the walls of my privacy. My eyes turn to the direction of the clock- 3:48 am, 3rd April. Huh, weird. I realize I must have had one of those five-minute, extra strength-giving, amazing nap- Wait why does the clock say it's 3:48 am?

I grab my phone. The sudden light blinds me for a second, and through squinted eyes I see 3:49 am on the screen. Huh, really weird. Wasn't I awake just now  - err, earlier? Wait what? I realize I make no sense, maybe I just read the time wrong the first time. My brain is repeating the features of the Hammurabi Code, my drowsy eyes are drooping, and I meet slumber once more.

I barely feel Mochi slipping back into my blanket.

/////-----

I wake up in wonder why my alarm hasn't rung yet. The room is still dark, the moon stares at me curiously. Give me some privacy, moon. My eyes turn towards the clock for the third time this night- 3:46 am, 3rd April. Bullshit. I've been asleep for hours now; I won't need those four espresso shots for breakfast anymore. My tongue clicks involuntarily. Is this some sort of a stupid prank? Leo is definitely behind this, I'm going to hunt that dipshit down.

Come to your senses, Luna. The universe cannot prank you. That's impossible. And stupid.

I grab my phone again. An attempt in vain, I realize, when I see the screen displaying the same time. I text Leo.

| loser |

you (3:46 am, 03.04.2021): you awake?  (read) 

loser (3:48 am, 03.04.2021): no

A chill goes down my spine. Did the just relive 3:38 am? I decide to call Leo. Two rings in, I hear a familiar voice, 'I said I wasn't awake.' He sounds tired, voice raspy and strained. You'd think he'd just woken up from the but he's the sort of person who thinks sleep is for the weak. 'Yeah no shit, Sherlock. I'm speaking to your alter ego, Thomas.', I reply.

He decides to ignore my bad retaliation, and saves me from the embarrassment. 'Why is my star pupil awake at 3 in the morning? Has she forgotten about the test she will help me cheat tomorrow?', he asks. Ah, this freeloader. I'm gonna kick his ass. My hands move frantically in the air out of annoyance, 'I am not helping you with anything!', I scream-shout into the phone, afraid I'll wake Mochi up in the hallway. She's a bigger annoyance than Leo; no one in the universe has energy to deal with a grumpy Mochi.

'Honey, you love me.'

'You're being delusional.', I deadpan.

'Is my chubby baby irritated?', he says in a fake cooing voice. And that got me.

'Leo, I did not call you at 3 in the fucking morning for you to put me down.'

The other side of the line immediately goes silent. Silence that reminded me of the last time this happened. Silence between the two of us on a Boba Tea study session in the park after an argument, the only sound being the pages of my sociology textbook being turned, and of the sound of baby birds in a nest nearby. Though I know that Leo meant it as a term of endearment, I couldn't believe he wouldn't ever, well, consider me more than just a friend because of it. A few seconds (sometimes minutes) pass before -

'I'm sorry, Lunie, you know I don't mean it,'

Another apology.

I sigh. I'm tired of this conversation again. I'm tired of having to deal with the same problem again. I'm tired of people putting me down. I'm tired of blaming myself. I'm tired of trying to look pretty. I'm tired of Leo. I'm tired of me. I'm tired of another heartbreak. I know his apology is genuine. I know he doesn't mean it. I know he's just being the Leo he always is. But somehow his words still continue to haunt me. Maybe it's because it's coming from someone who means to me the most, coming from someone who brightens me up, like the sun does to the moon.  Then why am I the only one taking it seriously? Why am I trying to fit into someone else's standards? Why am I so painfully aware of everything but still choosing to be blind?

Why am I not able to love myself even though I want to?

'Luna? You there?', his voice breaks me from my train of thought. Weirdly, he sounds quite scared. 'I didn't realize how much it bothers you, I swear I won-'

Mochi jumps onto the bed and snuggles into my head again, paws in a similar place in my hair. A weird sense of Deja vu washes over me again. And then-

『 pop! the world has reset.』

My eyes opened in fear as a gasp escapes my mouth. I'm sitting on my bed, trying to comprehend what just happened. The curtains flutter with the wind blowing by. The moon stares in curiosity. My phone's on the bedside table. The clock gleams with a bright '3:01 am' displayed on it. And the problem is that I wasn't dreaming, and I wasn't mistaking the time either.

I'm in a time loop.

II. a tub fills with water only to spill it.

I fucking hate whoever wrote Groundhog Day.

Like who decided that? Who decided to say 'Hey, let's make a movie based on time loops!'? 'Let's make a dude live the same day all over again till he gets it right! Let's make him really happy, then really sad!'

Son, I'm this close to pulling an Ides of March on you.

I seem to be looping every hour, more specifically from three in the morning to four. Five hours have passed by, but my clock tells me it's precisely 3:18 am. Great. My dearly detested friend, the moon, is my only companion in this war with time (sorry Mochi). In the five hours that should have gone by, I have accomplished the following:

Two and a half hours of sleep - though I wake up when the clock resets.

Half an hour of revision for that History test I need to write after I get out of this shit.

Thirty minutes of planning a workout, Fifteen minutes of Yoga.

Five minutes of trash talking the moon, Ten minutes of dealing with grumpy Mochi who woke up as I exercised.

Thirty minutes of wondering if Leo's looping with me, and

Half an hour of figuring out what went wrong, and how to make the night perfect.

I don't know how much longer I'll be able to remember anymore. I've tried everything - making notes, scribbling on the wall, writing on myself, engraving things on desk - but none of them seem to make it through when the loop resets. I'm too tired to talk to Leo, knowing very well that he would definitely not believe me. And partly because I'm afraid I'll lose my temper and get hurt again. I'm afraid I'll end up being the insecure bad guy, and he doesn't deserve that. He deserves someone better. Someone who's prettier, kinder and happier. Not telling him for the time being also meant that I'll never find out if he was looping with me. But that probably isn't the case, the universe is cruel for a reason. This is perhaps its punishment for me. I must go through this alone.  No one's ever been by my side anyways.

I'm as lonely as the moon.

/////-----

Another few hours pass. The pop between every reset scares me lesser and lesser. But my desperation to return back to normal is growing. I've been trying to figure out what went wrong for the past hour in the neighbourhood park. The cold air  perfectly paired up with the mint chocolate chip ice cream in my hands. Was it me staying awake this long? Should I have just gone to sleep?  There must have been something I did wrong that hour. My heart wishes to call Leo and confide in him. And the more time goes by, the more my mind wishes to oblige to that crazy request.

I pull out my phone, which gleams a bright '3:58 am'. It's almost time for the reset. In two minutes, I'll be magically transported back to my bed. I sigh. I can't take living the same hour again. The hour grips my sanity like it is a play toy. I waste another countless moment wondering where I went wrong.

『 pop! the world has reset.』

Well, I guess there's no place like home. I wonder if Mochi was worried the previous hour when she didn't find me in the bed. Do cats feel worry for their owners? Does Mochi care for me? What kind of a disgusting ship is this? Cringe, cringe, cringe. Shut up, Luna. I bury my nonsensical idea of my cat showing me love for once in the deep pits of my mind, and pretend I never thought of such blasphemy. I shift under my blankets, and decide to sleep through this hour, foolishly hoping that the reset would never take place if I was never awake, though I woke up when the clock reset each time earlier. My eyes look at the clock - 3:05 am.

That's when doorbell suddenly rang. I launch up in surprise. This didn't happen before. My heart begins to pound extremely hard, my head hazed in confusion. I run towards the door as quickly as possible stirring Mochi awake in the process, and fling it open.

It's Leo. And he's in tears.

His eyes are filled with fear, breath unsteady. Beads of sweat line his neck as he tries to get words out. Leo grips my hands tightly, as though he wants me to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay. This hasn't happened in a very long time. He's gotten a much better hold on his anxiety in the past few years. I pull him into a hug and mutter words of comfort. His head is leaning on mine, and his breath slows. I tell him we'd be alright, and hum a calming tune. And we stay like that for the next five minutes.  

'Luna,', Leo whispers into the night. 'Would you believe me if I told you something crazy?'

'Like what?'

'Like a war against the clock.'

And that's when I knew. Tears start brimming in my eyes as I give out a sigh of relief. 'Like a time loop?', I say as I hug Leo a little tighter. This time I needed one to remind me I wasn't alone. He seems to catch on as well, a sob escapes from him as he melts in. We stay in each other's arms, in each other's comfort - a place where walls were deaf to all the shared secrets, a sanctuary with no limits.

Oh, what I'd do to protect it.

Leo pulls away, his eyes disappear and his lips form into a sheepish grin. His face is puffy from all the crying, but it glows in the soft moonlight. My eyes widen in surprise as he grabs my hand and drags me out the door. I manage to see the clock on the kitchen counter gleaming with a bright '3:15 am.' before blood rushed to my face upon meeting the cold air.

'Where are we going? Are yo- ah it's fucking cold out here!', I complain.

'Ice Cream.' Classic hungry Leo. This boy is a demon.

iii. the twilight hour.

'What's wrong with you?!', I huff as I bend down to catch my breath and hide myself under a tree. Leo, on the other hand, is breathing quite easy, a stupid grin plastered on his face (oh, how I want to punch him). His hands hold up a bag with three tubs of mint chocolate Ice Cream like they're the greatest creation of God. 'Did you really have to steal Ice Cream?! Are you five?', I say as I recall the incident that just took place, how Leo basically ran out the convenience store with the sweet goodies without paying and left me, his dear, penniless (and only) friend as the bait to a potential flat-earther of a cashier (long story, don't ask).

And now we're here, the park I was in the previous hour. There's not a single soul around. The only companion being the moon once again. His smile shines through like the sun, however.

'I'm rweally sowwy, delulu,', he retorts.

'My name is Luna, and no one can ever be as delusional as you, you dill hole.', I say, my ears red.

'Good now, I shalt promoteth thee to 'Deluna'. Thee has't been felicitat'd.'

I click my lips in annoyance. I know quite well that when the clock resets, all the stolen Ice Cream would be back in the freezer. But I try my best to maintain a straight face to show my discontent. That's right Luna, assert your fucking dominance. I notice that his hazel eyes shining with the mischief I'm used to once again. He's back to the loud, obnoxious and teasing Leo he's always been. Leo who's carefree, Leo who's horribly reckless, Leo who finds happiness in uncertainty. My Leo. My lips slowly curl into a smile, and I give in. He's happy, and that makes me happy too. Leo suddenly pulls out his phone.

'Look here, Partner in time.', he says cheekily.  I hear a click. My brows wring into discomfort and confusion.

'What? You look pretty in the moonlight.', he states without skipping a beat. There's a million tugs in my stomach, and blood rushes to my bronze skin. Butterflies soon turn into more sinister as I remember our conversation on the phone earlier. My face falls, if only this boy knew what he puts me through. First I'm not good enough, and now I'm pretty? Does he really throw around stuff like that without giving it a second thought? Does he not realize all that he's putting me through?

This is pointless. My feelings for him are pointless. The amount of time I waste on this is pointless. 'Our friendship is pointless.', I say. Regret follows immediately. Leo's face turns grim too; an unreadable expression plastered on his face. I suddenly remember something I jotted down my sociology textbook.

words left unspoken, my hearts screams, my head's in pain, we are in conflict.

Tears well up in my eyes again. This is a conflict, the most peaceful one at that. Terrifying. One that makes you curl into a ball and wish you never existed. One fueled by guilt, by insecurity, by ignorance. I remember the rest of the poem.

one of us was meant to get hurt, almost as though the heavens proclaimed it, on the day of creation. the celestial sky cried tears of gold, for it knew fate was cruel, but humans are crueler.

My hands are getting colder. My breath is hitching as my sobs get louder. Leo rushes towards me and tries to pull me into another hug. As much as I try to resist, he pulls me into his embrace. Fear devours my heart as I realize how I didn't feel at home anymore. I knew this sanctuary was going to break sooner or later. My heart is sick. It pains far too much as it beats in his embrace. Will it stop if I pull away? I try.

It does.

'Luna, what's wrong?!', Leo asks, truly afraid of what was happening.

'Us, Leo. Us.', I reply, voice barely a notch away from a whisper.

'What's wrong with us? We're Leo and Luna! You're the other half of thi-'

'Stop. Please.', I say firmly. My head feels too heavy, my heart too light. The moon shines down on me in its disgusting glory. I can't take it anymore. 'You're the reason I hate the moon, Leo. Because you are the sun. You only shine on me to mock me. To make me feel inferior.'  

'What're you talking abou-'

My tongue clicks loudly. 'You're so hypocritical!  You're an asshole who makes me feel like I'm the only one in the world, before throwing me out yourself. You make me feel insecure, Leo. I don't feel like I'm myself with you anymore.', I say, vitriol burning my throat. 'You disregard what I feel for you, because I'm the moon. You outcast me, because I'm the moon. You tie me down.

'You remind me of why I'll never shine on my own.'

I look at Leo. His hazel eyes turned dark, head down in shock. There's not a single drop of water in his eyes. He stands under the moonlight in silence. I can hear my heart palpitating.

'Why do you think the Sun shines, Luna?', he whispers. 'Is it to light the day, or to light the night?', he asks, a little louder this time. I open my mouth to answer.

'It's to light the night, Luna.', he interrupts. He knew I'd say neither. The sun shines for himself. He is selfish.

'The sun sheds it's light, because if it didn't, the moon would never-'

'That's exactly the prob-'

'get to see the world.' I stop midway in confusion. What is he saying?

'The sun shines because he wants the moon to see the world, Luna. He shines because if he didn't, the moon would be lonely. He makes sure to shed the perfect amount of light on her, so that she guides the traveler without scalding them, without making them blind.

'If he never shone, he'd have never have found his other half. The sun would have been just as lonely as the moon would have, Luna. The sun and moon are a pair, not because the moon can't shine on her own, but because they are lonely without each other.', Leo says.

And epiphany struck down like lightning. Leo needs me as much as I need him. He'd be just as lonely as I'd been without him. The moon's identity without the sun hadn't ever been her own. It was due to the sun's light she was herself. The sun made her the moon, and the moon made him the sun. They were inseparable, as destiny willed them to be, for they needed each other. For the sun to shine the brightest, and the moon to give comfort. But all that didn't answer why-

'Why did you say I wasn't enough for you?', I say, reminiscing that day in the park.   I remember picking out a bouquet of purple lilacs after studying a book about plant symbolism in the library. I spent hours trying to make myself look pretty. I spent a lot of time trying to make up my mind. And everything came crashing down.

'Because you deserve more!', Leo says in defeat, fingers brushing into his hair. 'Do you know how much of a loser I am? You deserve a hunk-a-ilicous person, are you really going to settle for a noodle?!', Leo says, gesturing to his lean figure. As sarcastic as his response seemed, he meant every word of what he said. That's just how Leo is.

'Leo, that's exactly how I've been feeling this whole time.' I pull Leo into a hug.  

Leo is no different than I've been my whole life. He's just as insecure and broken as I am, as I've always been. All my life, I'd seen him as a completely different person. We have different hobbies, we have different personalities. But we're still similar in ways that make us, well, us. It's just that our sanctuary needed to break to have it's walls built back stronger. I feel at home again.

'You're more of a sausage though. Alri-ALRIGHT lemme clear up, you're MY sausage okay? The best one in fact, I will use you in all my dishes.', Leo says as I pull out of his embrace and find a stone on the road to attack the disrespectful brat. Leo runs away and makes his way behind the usual Banyan tree at the edge of the park. 'That's literally the worst nickname ever!', I yell as I chase him.

'Mine own dearest sausage I begeth thee to reconsid'r!'

'TRY ME BITCH.'

'Hey, hey wait.', Leo holds down my hands and blocks my attack, and I'm left with no weapon except for the daggers in my eyes I choose to use against him. 'So, what are we now?', he asks.

'We're still Leo and Luna, dumb head.', I say after giving it a thought. Leo opens his mouth to refute, but soon decides against it. I assume he's content with the answer. We were friends, nothing could ever break that. Would we ever be something more? Who knows, maybe we would in the future when we love ourselves a little more, when we're comfortable with who we are, rather than who we're with.

Until then, we are Leo and Luna.

///////------

My eyes flutter open. I am leaning on the trunk of the Banyan tree next to Leo. I find myself in sleepy laughter as I look at his head lodged in between the roots of the tree. And suddenly, I see light in the distance. I immediately wake up from my position near the tree and walk to the edge of its canopy, heart beating in my stomach and look at the sky outside. The dark navy night melts into a light lilac, small streaks of tangerine bordering the the horizon. The birds are beginning to chirp in the trees, though the street lights are still on.

The time loop has stopped.

Meanwhile, Leo had stirred awake. He runs with his eyebrows up in surprise and squeezes the life out of me before his eyes turned dark in fear.

'WE HAVE SCHOOL.', he exclaims. I ignore him, and choose to stare into the sky. I look at the twilight hour. The sun and the moon were side by side, in harmony, like Leo told me. Tears escape my eyes in a sense of accomplishment. I could rest now. I give myself a small hug, and tell myself I'd worked hard. ('LUNA DO YOU REMEMBER THE HAMMURABI CODE.' 'That is not important right now!') The sun rises up, and salvages the few moments he has with the moon. I turn my head to the side and see that the moon looks serene, her light glow slowly fading as she decides to rest too.

But above all, I see that the moon is no longer lonely.

a/n: ahhhh yes if you’ve made it this far, i truly truly appreciate you for reading this, it means a lot to me. the past few days have been a little weird for me, and it took more than just motivation for me to get through writing this. again, thank you to all my beta readers, i really treasure all of you! i’d really love to get an ask about the short story, so if you enjoyed, make sure to send me one! i hope everyone’s staying safe! stay tuned with us because we have another surprise coming soon!

alatcg taglist:  @blue-hairbrush, @kaavijournals, @artbyeloquent, @47crayons, @writing-is-a-martial-art

general writing taglist: @shinesundark, @the-writing-avocado, @raenawrites​

@original-writing​

[tmnt-mags]

Michelangelo x Fem!Reader

Soulmates

Mikey has always been one of my favorites and I feel like he always gets the least amount of love from the fandom. The turtles and reader are 18+ cause that's what I do.

Warnings: brief mention of abuse.

Mikey had been in love with the idea of a soulmate since he could remember. A person made by the universe that will love you the best. For a turtle mutant that lived in the sewers it was the ultimate fantasy. However, Master Splinter had told them it was very unlikely that they would have any. They weren't human after all. Still Mikey held on to hope and dreamed for the day that he might meet his one and only. He was straight as far as he could tell so he went out of his way to watch any video he could find about ladies. He would be the perfect boyfriend. He learned about periods and makeup and watched hair tutorials. He even found a wig and after cleaning it up the best he could he would practice braiding on it. Mikey had also watched videos about the female body, more than just porn, he watched women talk about sex and listened as they complained about human dudes. He couldn't exactly practice, but he would try to prepare best as he could. He would make up for being a mutant by knowing more and being better than any human man.

He was doing a cool down after a pretty intense training session with Leo.

“You did good Mikey, but you can't celebrate after every hit. You lose concentration and will get hurt.” Leo said stretching off to the side.

“Yeah bro you got a pretty good hit on me at the end.” he opened his mouth to stretch his now sore jaw. “Hey leo we’ll be 20 soon right?

“Mikey not this again.” Leo stopped and walked over to his younger brother. “We’ve talked about this, there is almost no chance of any of us having a soulmate.”

“You don’t know that Leo. Donnie doesn’t even know! I don't wanna give up hope.” It was the same argument that they had been having for years and years. His brothers had all seemed to give up on the idea, but Mikey wouldn't.

Mikey counted down the days until their birthday. After meeting April they finally found out their real birthdays from her father's notes. They all hatched on the same day, but at different times. Donnie actually turned out to be the oldest than Raph, Leo, and finally Mikey. He had been hoping that he would turn out to be the oldest but it was meant to be he guessed.

Mikey shot up and looked down at his arm excitedly, but didn't see anything. He wasn't worried though, the day was still young! He grabbed a black sharpie and wrote a simple ‘Hi angel’ on his forearm. He checked it throughout the day but still nothing. His brothers didn't even bother writing anything.

Everyday he would write a message or draw a picture hoping that his soulmate would see it. After 2 months he started to get sad. His dad was the first to take notice, and suggested that Mikey meditate. After an hour with no luck in concentrating, Mikey was about to stop when Splinter sat across from him.

“My soulmate hasn't written me back.” He said, “Maybe you guys have been right all along.”

“I would not worry yet my son. It is possible that your soulmate is younger than you, should you have one.” Splinter reached over to pat Mikey’s knee, “I have always been hopeful that you boys would have one, but I do not want you to be disappointed.”

“Don’t worry about me pops! You know me nothing gets me down!” Mikey cheered and jumped up. He ran out of the dojo throwing a thank you over his shoulder.

Splinter did know his youngest. He was happy and enjoyed having fun, but he was also sensitive. He always had been, and out of all of his sons he worried the most about Mikey and what it would do to him if he didn't have a soulmate. He sighed and decided it would be best to meditate as well. It had always been very helpful to him.

But months passed and soon a year did too and he never heard from his soulmate. Some days it was harder to write his morning message, but he still tried. He didn't want his soulmate to wake up on her 20th birthday with no message. As far as he knew his brothers never even tried to write theirs. Mikey knew they were just afraid of the possibility that they really didn't have one. He was too. He really wanted a soulmate.

It had been a busy 2 weeks. They met a girl, who also happened to be the first human they met, they totally kicked Foot Clan ass, uncovered a super villain plot and saved the city. They truly were heroes now and that was really fucking cool. They had made a new friend in a woman named April. She was pretty and nice and didn't seem to mind the fact that they were giant turtles, after the initial shock of course. He didn't even realize he hadn't written anything on his arm during all of this. He sat in bed and stared down at himself. He didn't write anything for 2 weeks and nothing had changed.There was a painful uncomfortable feeling in his chest as he looked at his arm trying to manifest words there somehow. Nothing had changed. The world didn't end because he didn't write anything. He sighed and laid down; he looked over at the black marker he kept by his bed. He started to reach out for it but instead rolled over and tried to go to sleep.

It had been 3 months now since he had written something on his arm. He tried not to think about it, sometimes he felt a tickle there but whenever he checked there was nothing. His mind was just playing with him. The brothers were on patrol tonight and Mikey was trying not to get distracted but it was one of those days he couldn't help but think about his soulmate. Leo and Raph had already got on to him about it tonight. He realized he should have tried harder when his jump to the next roof fell short and he went crashing down to the fire escape below.

“Mikey!” His brother yelled and came rushing down to see if he was alright.

“Im good dudes,” he grunted and he started to get up. “That hurt though.”

“Are you okay?” The boys jumped and turned and sitting on the steps a couple feet from them was a girl. “Ummmm, hi.”

“Hey” was all the boys could say. She nodded and looked at them, and there were a couple of moments where they all just stared at each other.

“So, i'm gonna take a wild guess here and say this isn't normal for New York?” she said and then pursed her lips.

“No it's not.” Raph grunted at her.

“Did you think that it was?” Donnie questioned. She shrugged at them.

“I'm not from here and it seems like wild things always happen in New York.” The girl defended. Mikey stared at her. She was pretty and was wearing shorts and a large t-shirt that was covered in dried paint. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun and she had bangs that covered her forehead. She was holding a cup in both hands and looking at them. She didn't seem frightened at all.

“Should I be freaking out?” the pretty girl asked.

“No! You don't need to be afraid of us.” Mikey suddenly forgot about any pain or soreness from his fall and stood up the rest of the way and moved in front of his brothers. “I’m Michelangelo, but everyone calls me Mikey.”

“I heard your name.” She giggled at him but then looked him in the eyes. “You are okay right? That seemed like quite the fall.” the turtle smiled widely and did a spin in the tight space.

“Right as rain baby.”

“Oh so you suddenly don't hurt?” Leo said, crossing his arms.

“The voice of an angel healed me I guess.” Mikey said and gave the girl a wink who raised an eyebrow at him.

“Sure it did, lover boy.” Raph said and then smacked the back of Mikey's head who yelped out.

“Not cool bro.” he groaned. “Whats your name angelcakes?” the girl let out a gasp.

“How did you know my name?” she said with surprise. The boys blinked at her dumbly.

“Seriously?” Donnie asked.

“No, my name is (y/n).” She laughed. “What are your names?”

“Oh these are my brothers Donnie, Leo, and Raph!” He motioned at each one and she gave a small wave as he did.

“You’re really not scared?” Donnie asked her quietly.

“A little shocked but not scared.” (Y/n) said happily.

The boys sat and talked to her for a little bit but Leo reminded them that they had a job to do. So with an invitation for them to come back and hang out again they boys parted with their newest friend to continue patrol. When they got back to the lair Mikey felt like he was on cloud nine. She was pretty, nice, and had a great smile. Mikey sat and smiled thinking about (y/n) when his eyes caught sight of a little black marker. He frowned. He wanted to find his soulmate, he really did, but now he didn't want to write anything cause what if it wasn't her. He really wanted it to be her.

“I think I’m in love~” he sighed.

“Sure you are Mike.” Leo grunted. “Go to sleep, it was a long night.”

Mikey sighed and rolled onto his side. He looked at the marker and felt guilty for some reason. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Life was good the boys went over to (y/n)’s apartment about once a week and April would come down to the lair to visit them about the same amount. A couple of months after they met they introduced the girls and they got along really well. Mikey sat April down and told her that he was sorry but his heart now belonged to (y/n). She smiled at him and patted his shoulder and told him that she forgave him and even though it would be hard she would heal. His brothers laughed but he ignored it.

April was working and the boys were at (y/n)’s place. They had eaten pizza and were talking about whatever came to mind.

“Do you guys have soulmates?” (Y/n) asked rather suddenly.

“Well we actually don't know, but we think it's very unlikely that we will.” Donnie replied.

“Oh. I hope you do.” she said. Mikey felt nervous as he asked his question.

“Do you have one?” she looked over at him.

“Not yet, but I hope I do. I’ve written on my arm every day since I turned 20 6 months ago.” she said, pulling her legs up to sit criss cross on the couch.

“We missed your birthday?” Leo asked.

“It was like a month before we met.” she shrugged.

“I can't believe I missed my true-love's birthday!” Mikey exclaimed and threw his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into him.

“You're squishing me!” She pushed away from the orange clad turtle laughing. “Do you guys want soulmates?” the boys quieted, and fidgeted awkwardly.

“I mean yeah but what's the point? Looks at us! We’re freaks.” Raph called out before crossing his arms.

“But soulmates are made for you! The universe wouldn't have given us someone who is scared of us!” Mikey defended. It was a conversation that had been had many times.

“Actually I'm not sure about that.” (y/n) said. Four pairs of eyes turned towards her.

“What do you mean?” Donnie asked.

“Well my parents were soulmates and my dad used to beat my mom senseless until he was arrested and they divorced when I was 8. They were soulmates but he used to hurt her so much.” (y/n) looked down at her hands. “It took her awhile to realize that just because the universe made you soulmates didn’t mean you were meant to be.”

“What happened after that?” Leo almost whispered the question.

“Well she met my step dad who is a great guy. His soulmate isnt the romantic type so they just ended up being close friends, and then he met my mom. They fell in love and he became my step-dad. You don't need to be soulmates to love each other, sometimes soulmates are just platonic, and sometimes soulmates aren’t good for eachother.”

“I’m sorry.” Mikey said softly.

“Don't be! Everyone is happy now. I mean, I don't know about my dad. He's never tried to reach back out. I kinda don't want him to anway.” (y/n) looked back up at the turtles.

“So you must hate the idea of soulmates.” Raph suggested.

“When did I say that? I want a soulmate, I really do. I want that fairy tale happily ever after people always talk about.” She sighed and smiled. “That's why I write my soulmate everyday. I had wished that they would be older than me but I guess they are a bit younger. I just hope that when I'm 42 I don't suddenly get writing from my soulmate who just turned 20.” She laughed.

“That can happen?” she looked over at Donnie and nodded.

“You guys don't know that?” the boys, except for Mikey, nodded.

“We never thought we would have them, so beyond movies I don't think any of us really looked. Didn’t want false hope.” Leo looked at her.

“Well I did cause I’ve always wanted a soulmate!” Mikey interjected.

“Mikey used to write on his arm every single day but hasn't in months.” Raph told her.

“Hey how do you know that?” Mikey looked at him.

“You think we didn't notice? We just never brought it up cause we know how you are.” Leo mumbled. The youngest turtle pouted at this.

“Why did you stop?” (y/n) asked. Mikey sighed and leaned his head back.

“It just kinda felt pointless. I would write something every day and nothing ever happened and then I realized one day that I hadn’t written anything for 2 weeks and still nothing changed. It just kinda felt pointless lately.” Mikey told everyone. There were flashes of sadness or pity from his brothers. They always knew the day would come when Mikey realized that none of them had soulmates. They knew it would come, but they didn't want it too.

“Well thats dumb.” (y/n) said rather bluntly. “What if today is her birthday and she's waiting to see if her soulmate will write anything. There were girls in my highschool that swore that they wouldn't write first and that their soulmate had to be the one to write first.” She said, leaning into Mikey.

“Well I think thats kinda dumb.” Mikey pouted at her. She rolled her eyes and leaned forward grabbing a cup of markers.

“Here write something!” she said, giving him the cup. He grabbed a black marker and opened it.

“Fine. Anything for you angelcakes.” he blew a kiss at her and looked at his arm. He felt a weird tightness when he brought the marker to his skin. He decided to write a simple ‘Hi I’m Mikey. What's your name.’

(Y/n) shivered as he started to write and felt a tickle on her arm. She gasped and pulled up her sleeve. The brothers' eyes widened as they watched Mikey’s hand writing appear on her arm next to the old writing that she had done. Mikey did not notice.

“Mikey! Look!” The oldest turtle said pointing at (y/n). Mikey looked up at Donnie and then at (y/n)’s arm.

“Oh haha very funny. That's not really nice.” He rolled his eyes.

“What Mikey? It's not a joke!” She put her arm right next to his and told him to keep writing. He drew a squiggle and watched as it seemed to magically appear on his friend's arm.

“What? Dude! Thats awesome!” Mikey cried out. This was the best thing in the world! His angelcakes was his soulmate!

“Why haven't you written me back?” She asked slightly outraged. Mikey stopped and stared at her.

“Cause I haven’t gotten any writing.” Mikey said, remembering how she said she wrote to her soulmate everyday. The room fell quiet and Mikey felt the beginnings of a horrible pain in his heart.

“So I’m yours, but you're not…” She trailed off feeling a sudden wave of emotion and felt tears in her eyes.

“Um sorry to interrupt, but I don't think there's any reason to get upset.” Donnie started. He grabbed the marker that matched the writing she already had on her arm. “Try writing something (y/n).” She nodded quietly as a few tears fell. She opened the cap and wrote hello. Mikey felt a tickle and shivered at the phantom writing on his arm, but he looked down and there was nothing there.

“Nothing” Mikey whispered. He felt like the world was crashing down. A moment so happy followed by something so heartbreaking. Raph and Leo looked down and away. Their faces filled with sorrow for their brother, and for the hope they had just felt for themselves.

“Now hold on just a moment.” Donnie rolled his eyes. “(Y/n) why do you write in that color?”

“It's my favorite.” she sniffled.

“Do you always write in green?” He pressed.

“Yeah, like I said it's my favorite and I want my soulmate to know that. I feel like it makes it a little more personal.” (y/n) continued. Donnie leaned forward and grabbed her marker. Everyone watched as he took the marker and held it up to mikey.

“Everyone look.” They all looked and Mikey’s eyes widened.

“It's the same color as me.” he mumbled.

“(Y/n) please try again with black.” She quickly snatched up the black marker and wrote ‘I hope this is Mikey.’

“Donnie you're a genius!” Mikey tackled his brother and then quickly went back to the couch thrusting his arm at (y/n). “Do it again!”

She quickly drew a heart while staring at his arm and watched as the black lines began to appear on Mikey as she drew them. She practically threw herself at mikey wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his face.

“Woah. I think that we should probably leave.” Leo suggested as his two other brothers got up and followed him to the window.

“Thank you Donnie!” (y/n) shouted out. Donnie gave a thumbs up and went out the window and closed it behind him.

“I can’t believe we’ve known each other for 5 months without finding out!” Mikey said nuzzling her face and wiping whatever tears were still there.

“I can't believe I never thought to write in black!” She laughed and kissed his cheek.

“Wait!” He leaned back. “The turtle thing doesn't bother you? Really? Truly?”

“Of course not! I’ve had a big crush on you for like 2 months now! This is the best news ever!” his soulmate cheered. “Also I just kissed you like 10 times.”

Mikey laughed and held her close, kissing her cheek. He had a soulmate! His soulmate was a beautiful, funny, nice girl who liked him!

“I knew there was a reason I’ve always loved green.” She said with a smile and leaned in to kiss mikey’s lips. It was a nice sweet kiss and just what he always thought a first kiss should be, yet so much better. He sighed and relaxed against the couch with (y/n) in his arms.

He had a soulmate and things couldn't be better.

[arse-crack-thistle]

gifts

rwrb and the five love languages | part two

in which june struggles to have a nice valentine’s date with nora

June never expected to care this much about a stupid holiday like Valentine’s Day, but here she is, practically renovating the apartment to give her girlfriend a perfect night. She strings LED lights around the entire living room ceiling and uses Command hooks to drape the sheer, white Ikea curtains she bought on sale months ago in preparation for this. The lights glow pink through the curtains, making the usually neutral-toned living room appear like Aphrodite’s palace. June’s moved the coffee table into her room and replaced it with a fluffy blanket and a picnic set-up to rival TikTok lesbians.  All she needs now is Nora, if only she weren’t stuck at school.

The texts say, Will be late! Data mining for the gods! [Monet X Change gif] I want to be home with you though. Will bring noodles! And chocolate! Scratch that, I ate the chocolate. Sorry.

June knows she shouldn’t be annoyed because Nora has no idea what she’s coming home to. She also knows who she got into a relationship with—a brilliant mind that’s constantly moving parsecs a minute and has a hard time communicating her feelings. June has to remind herself that Nora loves her even if she doesn’t always show it.

That’s what tonight is for. It’ll give them time to slow down and just be together. Break the routine. Talk or not talk. She doesn’t expect it to be mushy or obnoxious—June isn’t a super, flowery romantic herself—but she does want another sentimental moment to hold onto forever.

Like the night of the 2020 election over a year ago. After Alex and Henry slipped away and everyone else was celebrating in their own groups, Nora pulled June into a storage closet at the venue and kissed her point blank, leaving no questions in her mind that their dabbles the months before meant something more than spectacular.

Or like six months ago when Nora asked her if she wanted to move in with her. She didn’t do anything particularly special, but she slammed her laptop shut while June was throwing on one of her sweatshirts and asked her to stay—to take the second bedroom because Nora needs space sometimes—but to stay with her because she was her favorite person. June answered with a happy “yes,” and Nora got up and kissed her. They didn’t talk much more about it; June just packed up her room at the White House and let the world think they were very best friends.

June pours a glass of wine and waits on the couch, flipping through social media. A few hours ago, her brother posted a picture from the Valentine’s gala he and Henry threw for the London queer youth center. Alex, Henry, Bea, Catherine, and even Philip and Martha hold champagne flutes with cheeky smiles on their faces. The POTUS account has a sweet yet posed picture of her mother and Leo. She likes everything she sees, from the various celebrities she follows to the photos she’s tagged in by fans. The time on her phone reminds her Nora’s now over an hour late.

She texts her, Home soon?

Ten minutes later her phone dings. Need more time. Almost done!

You are aware it’s Valentine’s, yes? And that we had plans?

Yes!!!! But flexible plans, right? Not like we can’t eat noodles and make out later. Will leave soon though. Promise.

I got food covered. Just get home please.

June sighs. She thought she made it clear this morning that they deserved a night with no distractions. God, they need to talk; she’s afraid to, but nothing will get better if she doesn’t say anything and if they don’t try.

The charcuterie board spread she copied off of Pinterest has been sitting out for a while so she moves it from the floor to the fridge. “Soon” for Nora could mean an hour. Empty coffee mugs line the sink. An open pack of weed gummies sits on the counter, hardening. Binders of paperwork and schoolwork collect on the kitchen table. There’s so much Nora in here. June redecorated the living room and kitchen when she moved in, but Nora’s managed to touch everything.

She smiles. If this were Alex, she’d be pissed at the mess, but it’s Nora. The beautiful, erratic mess that is Nora. The girl who can have four different shows on at once and can still get shit done. The girl who always burns pancakes when she tries to cook breakfast for June. The girl who never fails to kiss her first.

June won’t lose her. So she sits down on the floor, runs her fingers over the fleece, and waits. And drinks more wine.

Sometime later, when a key turns in the lock, she downs the last sip in her glass and sets it down. Some old love songs play from her phone, the ones she and Nora love to make fun of. She hears her girlfriend curse when her key gets stuck, and then she bursts through the door and catches herself before she could slip on the hardwood.

“I know you said you got food covered, but I got noodles any—Whoa! You did all of this?” Nora walks into the living room with takeout bags in her hands and stares, mesmerized, at the ceiling. Her contacts must’ve been bothering her because she has on her back-up glasses.

“Hi. Happy Valentine’s Day,” June says and reaches for Nora’s hand to pull her down.

“I’m sorry, June. I had no idea. I thought we both hated this holiday, so tonight wasn’t that big of a deal. But this—this is beautiful,” Nora says, having a hard time meeting June’s eyes.

“Thanks.” June rubs Nora’s hand with her thumb. “And this isn’t really about the holiday. I just wanted to give something nice to you—to us—just us. With no distractions.”

The strings from “At Last” by Etta James play from the phone. The curtains billow from the air blowing out the vent. As much as she hates to ruin the moment, June has to start the conversation.

But Nora takes a deep breath and talks first. “I know I’m a bit all over the place but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I just have a lot going on.”

“I know, but sometimes it feels like you don’t care about us as much as I do. It feels like an afterthought to you,” June says.

“That’s not true, June! Come on! You know me.” She grabs June’s other hand and squeezes.

She squeezes back. “You don’t act with feelings in mind, but I know you have them. And I know it’s hard for you, but I need you to share them with me more. I need a reminder that you care every once in a while.”

Nora’s quiet. She uses her arm to wipe her eyes, knocking her glasses off.  “I—I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do.”

June’s chest collapses. She wraps Nora up in her arms. “I’m sorry, Nor. I don’t mean you’re not enough for me. I love you so much. I—”

“No, I understand. I just—I need help with that. I need you to tell me when you need more—maybe not after the fact like now but—”

June laughs and pulls away. “You’re right. I have a stewing problem. I just assume you’ll eventually get it.”

“Yeah, don’t assume that.” Nora laughs too—the big kind that shows all of her teeth. “Reign me in when I’ve been off for too long. And know it’s not on purpose. I’m seriously spiraling in my own head the majority of the time.”

“Ha! And a hot head it is too.”

They both pause and look into each other’s eyes. And bust out into laughing fits. June makes a fart sound with her mouth, and Nora tackles her. They rumble around on the blanket for about forty seconds before June’s wine glass tips over and surprisingly bounces instead of shattering.

The girls take that as an opportunity to stop and pour some more glasses of wine. Nora preps the takeout while June brings the charcuterie board back to the indoor picnic. Nora changes the music to some weird techno shit, but June snatches the phone. They compromise with One Direction, which makes no sense since 1. June only knows their last album and 2. Nora definitely remembers the story of June turning down the advances of one Niall Horan when she did the daytime talk show circuit after her book deal was announced.

Either way, they stuff their faces and end up cuddled on the floor.

Nora interrupts the moment. “Before we get to sexy time—"

“Jesus Christ.”

“I just wanted to give you something. I would’ve saved it for your birthday, but I can get you something else.” She pops up from the floor and jogs to her bedroom. When she reemerges, she’s carrying a bunched-up blanket. “I didn’t have time to properly wrap it because—you know, you weren’t going to get it yet—although, it probably wouldn’t’ve been wrapped later either—but anyways, happy Valentine’s Day.”

She crouches down and hands over the present. She smiles and bops up and down in anticipation. June unwraps the blanket and sees a book.

It’s one of those photobooks you can get at Walgreens, and on the cover, it reads, “Catalina June Claremont-Diaz and Nora Elizabeth Holleran are NOT good friends…” June flips it over. “They’re fucking GIRLFRIENDS!” Inside is page after page of pictures as early as the day they first met and as recent as New Year’s Eve a month ago. A lot of candid pics they take of each other—Nora’s favorites. A lot of sleepy, cuddle pics—June’s favorites. It’s so perfect.

“Nora—this is—wow.” She feels the tears coming. No one has given her anything like this before.

“I’ll be better—”

“So will I.”

“No matter where my head’s at, I’m always thinking of you—just 50 million other things as well,” Nora says and cups her chin.

June leans in. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Nora kisses her, and everything wound up in June relaxes. Her body is so warm. “Best Song Ever” starts playing.

Cue sexy time.

check out the rest of my rwrb and the five love languages series: part one, part three, part four, and part five. (links to come as they’re released)

so this could be for quality time or gifts, but i decided to go with gifts since i had no other ideas for it! it’s definitely not my love language (quality time for the win!) but i had to write something lol. so i made it sapphic bc everything gay is better! <3

rwrb romance week | @rwrb-fests

[plutoswrath]

i’m sorry to annoy you with this again. i just look up to your kpop mixed with astrology content. but lucas’s neptune contact with his mc is going to annoy the shit out of me until this is fixed. the cloudiness that neptune brings to his public image is something that i think possibly fuels these situations further. false accusations and mixed perceptions based off of them is exactly what makes these scandals to continue on and on. and i’m sick of it. both sides ignore what the other is saying and it gets nowhere. neptune, the malefic bastard.

Hello! I saw your recent asks and I appreciate your words regarding my content, thank you so much for the kind words! <3

I will touch on astrolgy under the cut, but before this happens, I want to leave a few words. There's a reason why I didn't answer the previous questions I received (not only yours op) regarding the Lucas situation so far. For several reasons I didn't want to feed into any sort of (perceived) sensationalism in regards to the Lucas situation, even though I'd really love to look at the situation from an astrological point of view. That people are divided on this topic is to be expected, but I think the way it has been handled by majority so far is very bad. I really want to elaborate on my reasoning why we should rethink the way we talk about/represent the Lucas situation right now, but as this topic is very kpop specific everything will be under the cut.

My reasoning for avoiding any questions about it until now:

1. People already don't take the situation seriously enough: Regardless of what your standpoint is, I'd like for people to consider looking at it from a more critical point of view for a second: The allegations are not about him being exposed as ‘just a f-boy’ as some people make it out to be, they are more serious than that. Lucas allegedly manipulated and used these women for his own emotional/sexual/financial needs and ego boost. The fact that he has money and allegedly still used other people to provide financially for him just demonstrates the power play underneath it all. He abused his position of power as an idol, the power dynamics between him and fans who idolize him are plain and simple just completely off. Please think about the fact, that he allegedly decided who to date on at fansigns. This alone gives no security to any fans that want to attend fansigns in the future. TW SV: he also talked one of these women into having sex with him + doing it unprotected, which is not only emotionally/sexually manipulative/coercive and can possibly be traumatic for them but also heightens the risk for transfering STD's as END TW he was supposedly seeing people at the same time/cheating. In general, the behavior he gets accused of leaves trauma and is abuse, to be more specific abuse of power on multiple levels and his social position makes it just easier to continue abusing that power. As you've mentioned yourself op, there is a huge back and forth about the allegations, and I know people like to take situations like the one of Taeyong as an example to justify that not every public apology is real and that allegations turn out to be false years later, but I believe it's different this time and that the allegations that came forward were real. Even his cbar closed, a fanbase that works closely with Label V (!), that alone shows that there is 'at least' some truth to the story, or else his hardcore fanbase wouldn't have decided to turn their back on him in matters of just days. Also, all the 'jokes' and the portrayal of 'juicy gossip' people make about the situation just downplays and ridicules the possible traumatic experiences of the people that were hurt by his actions. If anyone decides to not believe these allegations until SM gives a more specific statement, that's fine, but please do so without making fun of the people who were victims of his behavior, as there is already little to no sympathy for them online. It makes it just way harder for any survivors in the future to speak out on their experience. People say it's 'nothing illegal, just morally wrong' but given the fact that he is also a person in power, the line between 'just' morally wrong and illegal can be very thin in some cases. And please overthink arguments such as: 'this is typical boy behavior for someone in his 20's'/ 'he's just an f-boy' or 'boys will be boys' because they are deeply misogynistic and we shouldn't normalize behavior like that, thus making the root of the problem actually way deeper than most people think.

2. WayV's future: This mainly goes for people who are fans of WayV. I know not everyone probably likes to hear this, but another thing why wild speculations, sensationalism or even possible defence about this situation should be kept on the low is WayV's career. I want to be honest here, but I'm scared for their future, their comeback for october has been cancelled for now and they are put on a hiatus for several months as far as I know. They were on a good path of gaining more and more recognition and establishing themselves even better as a c-pop group, but now Luca's reputation in China (their target audience) is as good as gone and that pulls all of WayV down to rock bottom with him. People really need to try seeing the story out of the eyes of the korean and especially chinese fans as well, their perception of the allegations (especially after the Kris Wu situation!) are way different and more serious than the ones of i-fans and i-fans have to accept that. Also, we all know how companies (especially SM) handle these type of situations: keep the people on the low till the storm has calmed down. But will the storm ever calm down for Lucas when his public image is basically destroyed, and thus WayV as well? What I want people to understand is that this whole situation affects WayV and their career directly, actually on the biggest scale possible. All the work so far is at risk to be for good and I think a lot of fans tend to forget that, things look especially critical for HenXiaoYanKun if WayV would be to continue/redebute/fall apart. It doesn't matter if Lucas talking bad about the members/the companies/shows he works with/for was real or not in the end, because unfortunately damage is already done, WayV's image (WayV= family) is already tarnished and WayV as a group will suffer from this. You summed it up with malefic Neptune the best actually: We all don't know the full confirmed truth about the situation and will most likely never know it. (small astro insight here as well, but part of Neptune is to accept fantasy for what it is: fantasy, and thus turn to cold reality when you're in too deep)

3. What O'd advice the fandom to do right now: Regardless of your opinion on the situation, what we as a fandom can do best right now is staying on the low, wait things out, and stop adding more fire to the situation with our actions and wait how the situation actually developes, since a) we can not fasten the process and b) a lot of rumors, false information and unnecessary details get exposed to mudd the waters and to discredit the statement of the victims as well. I've seen some strong reactions from both sides, but as someone who's a big fan of nct in general I really just want to say that part of the fandom throwing a fit on the internet leads basically to nothing, it actually only reflects even worse on nctzens/weshennies and thus on WayV's (and also NCT as whole) image as well. Things right now are handled internal, not extern. Whatever gets through to the public will be half of the story anyway. A lot of people seem to forget, that we talk about SM and all they care for right now is saving themselves economically (think about the domino effect this situation has on the whole group/company), so we will have to see what their final decision is going to be, if anything will happen at all. For now, be patient, wait and see. Last words: It's okay to feel hurt/confused/angry/drained. Even though most of us are aware that we dont know any celebrity's character, it's still hard to swallow and to digest because you were a fan of that artist. Let it take time and vent. Take a break from it if it gets too much! Talking about it to process your emotions better is okay and very valid, but keep in mind that you should not worsen the situation by doing so - it's already absolute chaos.

Also: This statement is by no means a direct attack to anyone or me trying to push my opinion onto you, just my two cents in how to handle the situation best right now, because our hands are basically tied. Also: agree to disagree. If you don't like that I side with the victims (unless there is an official statement that Lucas is proven not guilty, which I doubt, unfortunately) then so be it, but don't start a war in my inbox for our opinions differing.

-------

Now, to astrology:

Disclaimer: This analysis will not be very light-hearted, but remember that it's just a theory and not me trying to confirm anything!

First of all op, sorry for just answering you know, but I neded some time to think through how to adress this without adding to the fire with my astrological analysis! Boy, does the birth time fit the shoe right now. To be fair as I did my short rising sign analysis about him recently, I cancelled out every other fire rising except for Leo, because I got stuck on the ego part a bit. Anything for me made sense, as long as it highlights his ego, which by itself doesn't have to be a bad thing automatically, but there's always two sides of the coin as we all know.

I looked into the transits the past week and added a few asteroids/mathematical points as well. An anon before pointed to the full moon happening in his tenth house, conjunct his sun, etc. (I deleted the ask because I didn't know what was going on at that time and thought it was just the 'usual' rumors that once in a while get spread around, but after looking more into it I decided this was not the right time to stirr the pot in any kind of way or treat it as funny, hot gos). But yeah a full Moon in Aquarius happening in his 10th house AND on top of that Saturn in Aquarius, conjuncting that Moon and his natal Uranus in the 10th! Talk about destrcution of any stable foundation and a change in a public image! Honestly, looking at astrologically the way his public image just got radically destroyed over night, with Saturn and the Moon having been in a conjunction (in his chart it was in the 10th house) is kinda eery even. Talk about collective consciousness - not only exposing quiet literally the feelings of the collective, but also doing so in the favor of others and gaining collective emotional consciousness. Take this with a grain of salt (!), because we're still in a tense situation, but I'm tapping into the darker, unfriendlier side of astrology now. Taking his confirmed birth time, he has Nessus in Sagittarius in his 8th house and as I saw that I could feel myself shifting into the surprised pikachu face. I am not saying that this prooves the allegations whatsoever, but as you seemed to be very interested in anaylzing the case in-depth as well, the allegations fit his Nessus - jumping from partner to partner, carelessness (regarding physical intimacy as well), making people share all their ressources with him/finacial gain, and basically the whole jist of gaining control/being in a power position in intimate connections. Keep in mind that this is only one interpretation of Nessus though, Nessus can also show the complete opposite to someone 'turning to their dark side'. On top of that, his Nessus was conjunct transit Phollus the past week, so if anything, we can see that a large event triggered him to 'open his eyes' and face anything of an 'obstacle' that hinders him from seeing the 'truth' to a larger picture and his own nature/destiny. Pholus can symbolize change that will alter your perception of the responsibility you have for yourself and others.

But my latest new interest with these two asteroids aside (asteroids just add a little more nuance to a situation after all), I want to touch on Lilith too, since you (op) have mentioned Lilith before in one of your asks!

He has his Lilith exactly conjunct his Descendant when we consider his confirmed birth time. What happened just now can be seen as 'backfiring' of his actions, either Lilith embodying the women who expose him now for his 'inappropriate' behavior, but also simply fans shaming him now for his alleged manipulative/imoral behavior, especially shaming him about who he chose to date and how. Next to that, you've mentioned Lilith opposite Moon and it just makes me think about him possibly feeling very indecisive and potentially in denial about what he actually needs to be fulfilled in order to be emotionally happy and thus leading to him appearing to have this 'second, dark side' to him now. BML is not necessarily opposite the Moon in my opinion, it's just the side of the subconscious we don't really like to deal with and all we're told not to express and desire because it can be conflicting in the eyes of others (thus BML also leading to a lot of recklessness on the negative side). I think if we take the allegations into consideration, regardless of how much of it is true of it, it can be a good example what happens, when an opposition gets out of balance, as it also manifests outwardly a lot! Lilith shows in his 'double life' aka what he allegedly did with fans. Lilith wanted an outlet and found one by working behind the scenes. If we take in his supposed Taurus rising, which his Lilith is in an exact opposition with, it's a good example of what can lurk underneath the surface.

And of course, last but not least, Neptune and Sun conjunct his MC. People are quiet literally blinded by him more than they would like to think. Also: Lucas was always known for his 'flirty & charismatic' nature, this is another reason why people think we shouldn't be surprised he 'turns out to be like that in real life'. I'm not analyzing this argument right now, but what I think is very interesting is how Sun conjunct MC literally ties a good amount of their personality to their career - they want to be accepted and shine for their personality/big part of their individuality. Idols play a role, no matter how transparent they appear to us, but it's really funny how this 'image' of him melts almost seemingly with parts of his personality (almost af if you were to quiet literally sell your self) and as you've mentioned: Neptune only adds to that, unfortunately.

[molzies-fanfics]

Admiration

A/N: Second Leo writing, thank you for all the positive feedback on my last one! If you see me reply under a different account name that’s just my personal blog, I have no idea how to switch accounts whilst commenting but oh well. Anyway, this one is shorter than my last one since it’s technically supposed to be an imagine (I have no idea what the difference between a one shot and an imagine is anymore) so, here it is! (Also if I make any slip ups with pronouns please tell me so I can correct them!)

Leo x Gender neutral Reader

Leo liked you. He knew exactly why, you were confident, not afraid to speak your mind, you weren’t afraid of much actually which led to Raph calling you both ‘the fearless duo’. It embarrassed him at first, since it made you sound like a couple, but over time he had grown into it. The blue banded leader got used to you being around, he felt like he could let his duties go for a bit and could just be Leo. Although he was aware it wasn’t like he could take off the shell and be an entirely different person, but you didn’t mind that and it made him comfortable.

One of the other things that made Leo let go was that you could diffuse a situation between his brothers faster than he could. Which was a difficult quality to have in the first place since it took a lot of experience beforehand. Most of the time he thought you did it for him since it stressed him out so much in the first place.

Today was just like any other day, you had come down to the lair and was sitting next to Leo conversing back and forth. He was calm and extremely happy, you could see it in his eyes since his smile was so infectious, it just put you in a good mood. But of course something had to ruin the moment sooner or later, and that came in the form of the three younger brothers.

“MIKEY THAT WAS MINE AND YOU KNOW IT!” Raph screeched, all up in Mikey’s face as he held a sorry excuse of a fitness magazine behind his back. It looked like he had taken the thing down the water-slide and only realized what had happened when it had dried out, you could barely read it let alone make out what the photos were. “Sorry dude but it was just lying around I didn’t know it was yours!” He attempted to fight back under his brother’s thunderous gaze.

“That didn’t give either of you the right to come bursting into my lab and wrecking my progress on my gadgets! There’s no respect for our own property around here!” Donnie cried out, upset with how much time he had lost with the setback. Sure, if it was down to a lab mishap where something exploded it wouldn’t have been so bad, he’d learn from it and get back to work to make things better. Although he saw this as downright disrespectful.

You could feel Leo tense up beside you, knowing what was coming next “LEO!!” all three of them shouted. “Alright, that’s it. Don’t bother your brother he’s had a long week.” You started as you climbed over the back of the couch. “We all have! I just want Mikey to replace my magazine!” Raph lowered his tone with you, he was still way beyond annoyed but it was a huge difference from when Leo dealt with the situation.

“Okay, Mikey you did kind of ruin what Raph bought with his money so it’s only fair that you should replace it. He would do the same for you.” Mikey looked at you skeptically before handing the money over. “Thanks ding dong.” Raph chuffed before counting the bills. “Now I think you both owe Donnie an apology. He spends a lot of time working on stuff for you guys in his lab.” Leo watched as you looked between the red and orange banded ninjas as they mumbled out the best apologies they could. “Thank you.” Donatello beamed before making his way back into the lab.

“Sorry I destroyed your magazine Raph.” Mikey stared at his feet as he said this one more clearly. You couldn’t help smiling as you looked back to the older brother, quirking your eyebrow as in saying ‘well say something’. “It’s alright just don’t do it again.” Raph muttered before shuffling back to the gym. “No promises!” Mikey yelled as he bounded out of the kitchen area.

You laughed under your breath as you made your own way back to Leo, a soft smile now plastered on his face. “You’re amazing, y’know that?” He let out as you jumped back into your previous seat. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of practice to diffuse those kind of arguments. Being the eldest sibling myself, and all.” You picked at your nails as you admitted. “You have siblings?” Leo was surprised, you didn’t talk about your family much but from the look on your face as you talked about them, it seemed you were quite fond of them. “My parents worked a lot so most of the time I had to pick up the pieces surrounding temper tantrums, petty arguments and well, destroyed stuff.” You giggled as you indicated to what just happened.

“How many?” The leader smirked at you, as if anticipating your answer. “Three. All boys.” You tried to keep the blush at bay as he shot you that look. “Seriously though, I never asked you to do that and yet when you do I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet.” He sheepishly admitted. Moving your hand so it rested over his, Leo hoped his mask hid the blush creeping up on him. “I understand how hard it can be sometimes, plus you have to act as a leader as well as big brother, being a leader is hard enough with all those decisions but big brother stuff is a constant that will be with you for the rest of your life, so it’s okay if I resolve a few for you along the way.” You bit your lip as you brushed your fingers along his.

Leo had never seen you so shy or nervous before and he couldn’t help thinking what your lips would taste like, especially because of the way you teased your lower lip, it was driving him up the wall. “Y/N?” he was suddenly aware of how close he had gotten to you in the last few moments. “Yeah, Leo?” You whispered, a quiver rippling in your voice. “Can I kiss you?”

The question settled over you both, this was the border between friendship and something more. “Oh hell yeah.” You breathed out as he shuffled just that much closer. His lips melded into yours, skimming the flesh there every few seconds as you could tell how stiff and nervous he was. This was his first kiss, you didn’t want nerves to get in the way, so you wrapped your arms around his neck, twirling the tails of his bandana through your fingers. He followed your lead, one of his hands planting firmly on your waist whilst the other cupped your jaw.

Becoming bolder, you let your tongue lick his lip and bit it lightly, just to tease him a bit you thought to yourself. You felt a light churr rattle though his chest, causing goose bumps to erupt up and down your arms. Turning your head slightly you couldn’t help sighing into his embrace, his lips were warmer than you expected…but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Leo decided to separate before a louder churr could make its way to the surface, perhaps even alerting his brothers of what was going on.

He stared into your eyes, a bit anxious about your verdict. “Wow.” You shuttered against him, practically made up of jittery energy as you giggled into his neck. “Is that a good wow?” he pecked your temple, “Of course it’s a good wow. Are you sure that was your first kiss?” You asked him, quirking your eyebrows in that way he just adored. “Yeah! It’s not like there are many people around here to kiss besides…I’ve kinda been saving it for you.” He almost whispered, keeping that part to himself. “Really?” You beamed, so happy he returned your feelings.

“Really.”

[tessathaitea]

New Year’s Eve

Great, it was New Year’s Eve. Don’t get Percy wrong, it was a great holiday. But the day also marked the day that he would never forget, or forgive himself for. Last year, Mrs. O’Leary had passed away to save him and some new demigods from a vicious hoard of monsters. Oh, yeah, it was also the day that Percy and Annabeth had broken up (but that wasn’t really a bad thing. The spark had just died). 

Camp Half-Blood was having a celebration to start the new year, with a very own ball drop of their own, courtesy of Cabin 9. 

So, the demigods were having a party that started at eleven. But, for some odd reason, Annabeth was coming over to ‘make sure he came’. Like seriously, what was he going to do? Skip out on the ball drop and get killed by Harley and Leo? No thanks.

“Let’s go, Seaweed Brain,” came Annabeth’s voice. She stood by the door, grey eyes boring into Percy’s head. “Don’t drink anything. Alice and her sister heavily spiked everyone’s drinks. People know, but they don’t really care. They’ll do just about anything to go against Chiron.”

Later, Percy was sitting at the Poseidon table, occasionally chatting with people who were passing by. He watched as people started to get tipsy, or drunk, and retreated further away from people. Despite what he might seem like on the outside, Gabe had left a mark on his life. 

Percy found himself in the back of the crowd. Being around so many tipsy/drunk people made him nervous, and Percy wasn’t having as much fun as he could’ve had.

“You know, he can’t take his eyes off of you. He’s been staring for the last 45 minutes,” Hazel said, walking over. Luckily, he caught no scent of alcohol, but he was confused as to what she said. Who was this ‘he’ she was talking about?

“What are you talking about? Nobody’s staring at me,” he said to Hazel. A drunken Legion Member passed by, and Percy flinched. Hazel took notice, but said nothing. She knew it was a sensitive topic for him, and for that, Percy was grateful.

“You’re telling me that you haven’t noticed,” 

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about,”

“Percy, look around. Who’s staring at you right now?” she asked, gesturing around the pavilion. Nobody was, but for some odd reason, Jason was holding a bright red apple while talking to Piper. Percy didn’t think that the party had apples, so what was he doing with one.

His eyes lingered on Jason a bit too long. He saw Jason glance over at him, and they made eye contact. Percy looked away first, as he didn’t want to reveal the small (okay, big) blush on his face. Hazel grinned, and skipped away. Percy just leaned back on a column.

“The moment this ball drops, I’m going,” Percy muttered to himself. He felt as if he were twelve again, fearing the next punishment Gabe would give him. He silently cursed Alice and Julia for spiking the drinks.

“All the sudden hating the world? Mood,” Piper said. Percy jumped, and literally almost punched her. She had snuck up behind him, and put an arm around his shoulders. Piper saw the action, and wisely decided to ignore it.

“Hey Pipes,” he managed to croak out. She gave Percy’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. 

“Something wrong?” she asked kindly. If Percy were thinking a bit more clearly, he would have noticed she put a bit of charmspeak into the question.

“Nah. Just had a bit of a rough childhood, and alcohol brings back some...unpleasant memories,” he mumbled, just quiet enough for Piper to hear. She didn’t inquire, which made him thankful. 

Piper gave him a reassuring hug. “I’d better get going, but see you soon!” she said, before rejoining the party. 

“Hey, Percy! Think fast!” called the voice that Percy recognized later as Jason. He whirled around, and saw a red object flying at him. It was the apple. He snatched it, and stared at Jason strangely. Why would he do that? Then it clicked. In Ancient Greece, if you were to throw an apple to the girl and she caught it, it was a sign of proposing. 

Jason ran over, panting slightly. There was an excited shine in his electric blue eyes, one that portrayed a lovesick puppy. Seeing him was enough to turn his mind into mush,

“I- What? We’re not even, err, um,” Percy stammered. Jason just laughed, though it sounded nervous.

“Dating? I thought this might’ve been the way to ask,” Jason said, staring at Percy. “I know what I’m about to say is cheesy, but it’s true. Since the day we met I’ve envied you. You were so perfect, so strong, so brave, that I felt as if I couldn’t compare. Until Piper broke up with me, I didn’t actually realize what those feelings were. But now I know. I wasn’t jealous of you, I was in love.” Jason looked at Percy, hope gleaming in his eyes. Percy felt so confused, as if the person Jason was talking about wasn’t really him. It couldn’t have been. He was just Percy. Not a hero, but Percy.

“That really was the cheesiest line ever,” he managed to croak out. Jason gave a sheepish smile.

“But was that a yes?” Jason asked. He seemed prepared for the worst, waiting for bad news, but there would be none.

“I’ll tell you after the countdown,” Percy said. Jason’s face fell, and Percy laughed. He gave Jason a kiss on the cheek, and pulled him close, Jason’s face slightly above his (dam that one inch). “But I’m pretty sure you already know.”

Jason hummed in response. “I can only hope I’m right then,” Jason said to him. “Now, let’s go see the ball drop at a safe distance, okay?” he started to lead the way, but Percy shot him arm out, grabbing Jason’s hand tightly. 

“ What? If I’m going out there, I need a guide who’s sober,” he said defensively, watching Jason laugh. Jason was someone that Percy could let his guard down with, and he took full advantage of it. 

‘10, 9, 8, 7!” the demigods shouted, as Jason asked Percy something.

“So, what was your answer?” he said, brushing his finger along Percy’s jawline. Percy looked up at Jason, nervousness in his eyes.

“6, 5, 4,’ the count continued. Percy gave Jason’s hand a squeeze.

“Yes. My answer is and alwa-”

“3, 2, 1!” 

As soon as the countdown reached zero, fireworks went off. The ball actually was dropped, smashing into more fireworks. But Percy payed no attention to this, as he was busy with something else.

Jason’s lips were pressed against his, not going any further, but reveling in their success. The moment that they had collided, he was a goner. 

Later, he would curse himself for melting with no resistance, but he wouldn’t really mean it. With Jason, he was like a dog who would follow its owner blindly, not asking any questions.

But Percy didn’t really mind. 

[arcgeminga]

What is the mun's opinion of all the gold saints from TLC?

♚— Oh boi. This is gonna be a mouthful. I know you said "all" , but I can't do saints like Avenir and Sage since I haven't read Shion and the Old Twins' gaiden in English. And I'm not about to act like I know Spanish enough to write a review on those saints.

♚ Aries Shion - Should've been the Hades Arc Shion. Like damn, I really like Shion when he's an angry sheep!! I mean, he yeets the five bronzies in Hades Arc like "Fuck dem kids!". 

I really like Specter/Pope Shion. But TLC Shion I do not hate. In fact, I can understand how and why he becomes Pope. I really like TLC Aries Shion! I just wished he was more angry sheep, but TLC Shion is not bad. I especially loved his Gaiden, at least the part where Avenir was shown. I feel like they should have explained more on his thoughts on becoming pope or exploring him having some sort of survivor's guilt but hey. I don't dislike him!     

♚ Taurus Aldebaran/Hasgard/Rasgado - Honestly, the only thing I can say about Hasgard is that... I don't hate him. I love his English Voice actor (because I'm a really big fan of Jamieson Price since Tales of Vesperia), but for Hasgard himself... I don't really have an opinion or thought on. His teenage years with Sisyphus and Aspros seemed fun, and I'm kinda... hm... sad that their relationship mellowed out? Or at least, we didn't get his and Sisyphus' opinions or reactions to Aspros' death.     

♚ Gemini Defteros & Aspros - OH BOY WHERE DO I START!? ----- Gemini Aspros - I understand why Aspros was the way he was towards everyone and his brother. It's honestly not his fault. I am happy that he doesn't have a "split personality" at all throughout TLC, even though that is something I would never diss Saga for (even if it wasn't really a split personality). He was simply manipulated into behaving cruelly because someone showed him something that he was scared of, and that was akin to his brother not needing him. His Gaiden harks back to that too, during that 'flashback' when he told Defteros that he was going to become pope, Defteros donned the gold cloth and said 'yeah so we can be equals and I won't need you' (paraphrasing). If Aspros is just going to be used and tossed away, might as well harden his own heart before then. And it doesn't help that he saw himself as a Specter and his brother as a Gold Saint when he went to the oracles.

 I feel for Aspros because, in the end, he had no idea that he had been manipulated hard enough that his goodest boy personality changed. And honestly, I can relate to that. I've had my personality take a deep dive some years ago after I had a panic attack. So I don't fault him for his actions. He was just trying to make the best with what he knew, understood, and could do, even if that meant doing terrible things. After all, it is his mindset that the weakest people are the ones that don't do anything.     ----- Gemini Defteros - I also can't fault him for anything. He was dependent on his brother, and there was no way he could understand what was going on in Aspros' tortured mind since Aspros never spoke about his feelings. But I believe that, contrary to what Aspros thinks, Defteros would have been very dependent on him even after Aspros became pope. After all, he didn't have friends, lacked social skills, and couldn't find it in himself to trust anyone aside from his older brother because of how Sanctuary treated him as they were growing up, so he would have been stuck in like a childish headspace of needing a protector and provider, which was Aspros. You can tell that much because he was asking Asmita what should he do when he was possessed by the DEF. 

When Aspros died (or rather, when Defteros killed him [which seriously broke his heart]), it forced Defteros to grow up and look after himself. This isn't a terrible thing--but it was a terrible and such a trauma-inducing way to go about it. But how he died--or rather, the fact that he wanted to sacrifice himself to save his brother... honestly it still makes me cry a lot. You can see in his eyes that he loved his brother even after the very end, and wanted him back. And just IMAGINE how many times Defteros' eyes have shown nothing but the purest love for Aspros, and how Aspros had been manipulated to see those eyes as nothing more than hate. ----- Gemini twins in general - If it wasn't obvious already, I love these two so much. I hate--I ABSOLUTELY HATE--that their brotherhood was RUINED, because these two are so... important to me. I see myself and my sister in the Gemini Twins so much. To the point where it's so personal to me. Even after being manipulated and losing his brother, Aspros still held his little brother very close to his heart and lamented and regretted the fact that he will never get the chance to be the brother he should be. And Defteros... I can't explain why his loyalty and patience for Aspros affect me so much, but it does. It does in a way where it hits me more than just an emotional way. I guess that's because I see my sister in Defteros much more than I should.

I love the twins in such a profound way where I cannot find the right words for it. They obviously still love each other so much, even after all is said and done, and I think that is so important. Having that kind of unconditional love for your sibling is the most important thing in my opinion.

God, look at me, I'm crying over the Gemini twins again for like the 100th time oiwhfowef

     ♚ Cancer Manigoldo - So, Manigoldo... Honestly, I love him, too. But in a different way. When I see Manigoldo, I remember the private threads that a friend and I used to do on Skype, and I am frankly very enamored with him. But also because of that, I do not see him the same way as everyone else too. Besides, he makes up the second half of my OTP, so ofc I'm going to see him differently. Especially since I single ship!

    ♚ Leo Regulus - He's another one that I like a lot! Not only because he's adorable, but I also see him in a different way because I'm a single shipper, and I will never say aloud who I ship Regulus with. I won't say that he's a part of a different OTP (since I only have one OTP in all of Saint Seiya) but I do like Regulus a lot because of a friend's interpretation of him in Private threads a very long time ago. 

Yeah, he might be kinda OP/Gary Sue, but he's not too hateful in my opinion. I wouldn't say he's the best TLC Saint, since my heart is stolen by the twins, but he's a very amiable character when interacting with the characters of the TLC verse, and I wish I can squish his cheeks one day!! He's so adorable! I will say though that he is impressive to replicate a Big Bang(?) by himself... I don't remember if it's the thing that really killed him, but... huh. To be that unafraid of death, I wouldn't be surprised if he has some sort of mental/personality disorder that made him... like that? Something undiagnosed? Hm... thoughts, thoughts.

     ♚ Virgo Asmita - Asmita is one of the gold saints that, I honestly, don't know about. It's different from how I feel about Hasgard. For Hasgard, I don't have an opinion for, but for Asmita, I just don't know. I love how Teshirogi drew his hands. Like damn, bruh, can we switch hands? We're both Virgo, and I think we can make it work out... /kicked

     ♚ Libra Dohko - LOL DOHKOOOO!! My sister's favorite. I feel like he's super impulsive in TLC. I haven't read his gaiden at all, so I can't say much about that, but I do like him! Like with Shion though, I feel like he should have had some sort of heavy Survivor's guilt in the end. I'm also insanely curious about what ability Defteros zonked on him to erase the memory of Athena's blood and cloth. I don't know if it's shown in Dohko's gaiden, but I would love to see how TLC Dohko came across and raised Shiryu.

     ♚ Scorpio Kardia - As a character, I adore him. He's charming, spontaneous, and, like Aspros, wants to live his life to the fullest. And his fullest means just having fun before his short life is ended. Krest might have made him practically immortal, but he's still suffering. However, Kardia also holds a lot of bad memories for me from days before, and his entire character serves as a painful, but a graceful reminder of who I was back then.

      ♚ Sagittarius Sisyphus - Honestly, I don't ever think he was qualified to be a candidate for the papal throne. He's so melodramatic. Yeah, he might treat everyone with kindness and all, but I feel like he doesn't have the knowledge part down. Let alone, he's a brawn brain! Bruh!! Shooting an arrow at "hades" is always a bad idea!! What made you-?! 

Lmfao, if possible, I feel like he and Aspros should have dual-pope'd Sanctuary. One has the brains, but lacks compassion while the other has the compassion but is "shoot first, ask questions and think about that later".

      ♚ Capricorn El Cid - I... should love El Cid, but my mind goes blank a lot around him. He's impressive, I give you that, but I don't think I have an opinion on him. And I've read his gaiden in Spanish a LONG time ago, so I'm not going to pretend that I know him enough to talk about him.

      ♚ Aquarius Degel - hm... I think he's cute. Especially in his gaiden, he's really cute.

     ♚ Pieces Agatha -

[tmntgirlie]

Saviors in a Half Shell 5

“Let me get this straight. You guys were the ones who really saved the city? Twice?”

The commotion had made national news headlines for weeks years ago. The most recent occurrence was five years ago, way before Y/N had made her way to the city.

It was the sort of thing that led to many online conspiracy theories, but none of them had any solid evidence. The media led people to believe it was a man named Vernon Fenwick, who had subsequently called himself ‘the Falcon’.

How obnoxious.

“We knew we wouldn’t be accepted by the general public, and he just so happened to be working with us- it made sense,” Leonardo shrugged.

“People are so gullible,” she snorted. She shook her head. “Even I had a feeling he couldn’t have taken that thing down without help. I mean, one man? Unless it was dumb luck. I’m still trying to understand why someone wants to take over a city. A single city. What, turn it into his kingdom? He knows there are bigger and better cities out there, right?”

“Bigger and better? Oh, man! We have been so busy saving this city, we haven’t been able to finish our hip-hop Christmas album!” Mikey couldn’t have sounded more pitiful.

Y/N laughed. “I’d love to hear you guys try to rap Silent Night. Ninjas and all.”

Right as Michelangelo opened his mouth to give her a proper demonstration, he was pushed over by his red-banded brother.

“Someone’s a party pooper.”

“I just spared your eardrums,” Raph said, looking quite pleased with himself.

“What a sweetheart,” Y/N said through a snort. These guys were definitely brothers, the way they treated each other.

“Speaking of sweethearts,” Mikey grinned. “What are you going to do now? Now that you know us and all. You gonna stay here for good?”

“Mikey-” Raph growled.

Y/N just shook her head. “I have an apartment in Brooklyn I should probably get back to at some point. And a job.”

“Do you think you’re ready to get back to all that?” Leonardo asked her quietly. He still wasn’t sure what pushed you so far towards the edge- depression, that was pretty clear. Was there a more specific reason?

She shrugged again. “Have to sooner or later. It comes and goes. Good days, bad days, you know?” She looked around the room with a small smile. “Plus, if I go back to… All that, and I feel like it’s all going down the drain again- well, you guys make a mean cup of tea.”

The brothers looked between each other. It was obvious they all felt some type of way to hear that she was leaving. They had known this woman for less than twenty-four hours, and yet the thought of her leaving them left them feeling empty. She was one more human that accepted them for who they were. She didn’t run, she didn’t scream, she just accepted it.

“I took the liberty of adding our numbers to your phone,” Donatello said finally. “In case you ever need us for any reason.”

“Need a cup of tea, an escape, a friend-”

“-Boyfriend-” Mikey cut in.

Raph wasted no time knocking him over completely this time.

“I don’t think I could handle you, Michelangelo,” Y/N gave him a small smile. “You remind me of me when I was younger.”

Mikey got to his feet, dusting off his thighs. “How old are you again?”

She grinned. “Twenty-one, legal drinking age.”

He shook his head in confusion. “We’re older than you.”

“I really can’t thank you guys enough for this,” Y/N said, ignoring Mikey’s statement. “Especially you two.” She looked between Raphael and Leonardo. “Especially you two. And the Thai food of course.”

~

It felt like it had been an eternity since she left. It was almost dusk, it had really only been hours. Donatello gave her an extremely detailed map of the sewers, including the streets they followed, in case she wanted to come down by herself. They all figured she’d just ask for an escort, but in case she didn’t feel like it.

“And as soon as she comes into our lives, she leaves,” Michelangelo said through a dramatic sigh. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

“She’ll be alright,” Donatello said. “I added multiple suicide hotlines and therapists to her phone when I added us.”

“She can’t just stay here forever,” Raphael grunted. “She lives up top, she belongs up there. April and Casey don’t live their lives down here with us, do they? No, they live up top with the other humans.”

Leonardo stayed quiet. They were right- she belonged up there with the other humans. She had a job, an apartment, a life- they were just four turtles that lived in the shadows. They saved her from a mistake she couldn’t go back from. What she did now was up to her.

“Maybe we should check on her tonight!” Mikey said, disrupting Leonardo from his thoughts. “Don, you got her address, right?”

“You think I’d let her leave without knowing where to find her? Do you even know me?” Donatello let out a ‘pfft’. “I have her address, her workplace, her social media profiles.”

“Isn’t that going a little too far?” Leonardo said.

“It’s all for her safety!” Mikey argued, even though the question obviously wasn’t pointed towards him.

Leonardo sighed. “Fine. We can check on her tonight.”

He tried to convince himself it was for his brothers’ sake.

“Since you did all that research on her, might as well not put it to waste. Whadoya got, Donnie?” Raph asked as he plopped back down on the couch.

Donnie pushed up his goggles, more for effect than anything. They were quite literally strapped to his head. “According to all of her profiles, she was born in Iowa and moved here a year and a half ago. No listed family members. Says here that she works for herself, doesn’t say what, but I’m seeing a portfolio right here with a bunch of different headshots.”

Mikey made his way over to Donnie’s corner, squinting at the screens. “Maybe she’s a professional photographer. Do you think she could shoot the music video for our Christmas album?”

“I have a feeling it’s more of what’s in the picture that is her job,” Donnie said slowly. “My money’s on makeup or hair.”

“What do you know about that stuff?” Raph questioned.

“Hey, if it was a photography portfolio, you’d definitely see more variety than just heads,” Donnie replied, rolling his eyes.

“Too bad we don’t need a new hairdresser,” Raph snorted, running his hand over his bald head. “Alopecia right here.”

“We’re turtles, we don’t grow hair in the first place.”

“It was a joke, Don.”

“It wasn’t a very thought out joke.”

By that point, Leonardo was no longer paying attention to his brothers. He was no judge of skills with hair, but these pictures didn’t look half bad. Maybe he needed to pay attention to pop culture a bit more to understand. Was she dissatisfied with her work?

She hadn’t mentioned a roommate. He figured she lived alone. Leo recalled April saying how expensive it was to have your own apartment in any part of New York. She couldn’t have been that bad at her job to be able to live on her own.

His thoughts were disrupted when he felt his phone buzz.

Miss me yet? - Y/N

He frowned, looking down at the screen. It had only been hours.

You guys seriously messed up my sleep schedule, I’m wide awake and it’s almost nine at night. - Y/N

Oh yeah? Almost time for us to get to work - Leonardo

Ah, the night shift. Latest I’ve worked was probably until two. I didn’t want to even think about waking up the next morning. - Y/N

You work that late? - Leonardo

I had no idea this client was going to take me eight hours. We were almost sick of each other by the end of it. - Y/N

Maybe Donnie was right. He had no frame of reference for photography, but that seemed late. Did hair related things take that long?

I’ll let you get back to work. Maybe you’ll even save another damsel tonight. - Y/N

Let’s hope I don’t have to - Leonardo

He wasn’t sure his brothers could handle two humans in twenty-four hours. Mikey would go crazy.

“Leonardo? Earth to Leonardo?”

He bounced back into reality. “What did I miss?”

“Um, our entire conversation?” Mikey said, poking him on the shoulder. “It’s your head that’s in the clouds today.”

He sighed. “What, then?”

“April says she has a lead on the Purple Dragons,” Donnie said, turning towards them. “They’re hitting several spots tonight. We need to get going.”

“Alright, you know the drill,” Leonardo said loudly. “What are we waiting for?”

He didn’t have to ask twice.

~

Meanwhile, Y/N was settling back into her apartment. She regretted leaving it in such a mess the night before. It had taken her until now to finally get it straightened up enough to have company.

Not that she was expecting company.

She let out a small sigh as she placed a mug of tepid water in the microwave. She briefly recalled the events that ensued in the past twenty-four hours.

She did not wake up yesterday thinking she was going to get that close. It had taken all of her courage to even stand on that ledge. Heights were not her friend, ever since she was a child. Maybe it wasn’t the fear of heights so much as it was the fear of falling.

It didn’t make sense that it was her chosen method.

She shook her head quickly. No, those were not the kind of thoughts she needed. Not this soon.

Truth be told, it was hard to live in a city such as New York. It was so easy to get carried away with the hustle and bustle the city was known for. Even on her daily walk to the shop, she felt like a tiny speck in the big picture. Nobody gave her a smile, nobody even looked at her. It wasn’t what she was used to.

Hell, back in the Midwest, people smiled at strangers as they passed them on the road. They waved to people driving tractors, and were even pleasant if one was going ten miles per hour. But here?

If you so much as stopped on the sidewalk, you were given death glares and knew people wished you didn’t exist in that moment.

Maybe she wasn’t meant to stay here.

It was almost every hairstylist’s dream. If you could make it in New York, you really made it. It was a cherry on top if you ended up catering to hair shows, took on a sponsorship for various brands. If you made it in New York, you could even create your own line of color and hair products.

Two and a half years after gaining her license in hairdressing, it just wasn’t what she expected. The hair was great, that wasn’t the problem. The environment drained her. She wasn’t sure if it was worth the heartache.

But those four brothers…

“Maybe I should check in on them,” she told herself.

The microwave began to beep. She reached in to pull the hopefully hot water-filled mug and gasped when the ceramic burnt at her skin. No, she’d give that a minute to cool off, actually.

She glanced over at her phone, it was dangerously close to falling off the edge of the couch. Y/N made her way over and unlocked it with her fingerprint. As she did so, she quietly wondered how Donatello managed to get into it in the first place.

In fact, their four names were now listed as her emergency contact numbers. They were even color coded, not that she needed a reminder on who was who. She decided to text Leo.

Miss me yet? - Y/N

After thinking for another second, she sent another text. Hopefully they weren’t weird about double-texting.

You guys seriously messed up my sleep schedule, I’m wide awake and it’s almost nine at night. - Y/N

It wasn’t completely true, she didn’t typically go to bed until midnight or so. There was no harm in friendly banter, right?

She set her phone back down, on the counter this time, and went to check on her mug of hopefully no longer boiling hot water. Before her fingers even touched it, it dinged.

Oh yeah? Almost time for us to get to work - Leonardo

She looked at the message for a while, her mug of tea leaf-less water all but forgotten.

Ah, the night shift. Latest I’ve worked was probably until two. I didn’t want to even think about waking up the next morning. - Y/N

You work that late? - Leonardo

Did I ever tell them what I did for a living?

Not that it would really matter to them. They obviously didn’t need a beautician.

The hair thing, she was definitely referring to the hair thing. Turtles didn’t have hair. Not that she saw, anyway-

Y/N, I swear, they’re fuckin’ turtles. Of course they don’t have hair anywhere.

I had no idea this client was going to take me eight hours. We were almost sick of each other by the end of it. - Y/N

She remembered that night well. It was actually one of her first clients that she ever got since moving to the Big Apple. And boy, was this girl loyal. She bought product every time, tipped well, even consulted for possible wigs. Y/N wasn’t sure why she would want wigs, she had beautiful hair, but she wasn’t about to judge. That was money.

Plus, she worked for some TV station local to New York. This client was a dream client.

As soon as she sent the message, she groaned. He probably didn’t even care to hear about that kind of stuff. He was probably busy anyway. You know, saving the city.

I’ll let you get back to work. Maybe you’ll even save another damsel tonight. - Y/N

She had to admit, knowing she was the first person they’d saved in such a way made her feel special. Sure, it was the worst possible circumstance, but… In her mind, it was almost like fate. They were different, but they accepted her into their home so easily. They knew she needed help and didn’t hesitate to try their best. They gave her a safe space to sleep, away from her own world. It gave her time to clear her head. Maybe the meditating had something to do with it.

Let’s hope I don’t have to - Leonardo

For some reason, the last message didn’t hit quite right with her. It suddenly drew her back.

Just make some tea, Y/N. Light some candles. Deep breaths.

The last thing she wanted was to be a burden to these four new beings in her life she’d love to consider her first real friends in the city. She crossed her fingers that he didn’t mean his words the way she took them.

Candles lit, tea freshly brewed (and with a chunk of ice for good measure), Y/N settled down on the couch with an oversized blanket and decided to watch something on TV. That’d clear her mind.

“April’s hair does look so good,” she mumbled to herself with a smile, the first thing on TV was the nightly news. “Good job, me.”

[hyenahunt]

Beast Survival - 7

Writer: Nishioka Maiko

Season: Summer

Proofreading: royalquintet (JP & ENG)

Jun: Well, there'd be no point to fishing if that were the case. The real thrill comes from how it's a showdown between man and fish, doesn't it?

[Location: Beach]

Jun: First, cast your line into the sea... And then all we've gotta do is wait for a fish to take the bait. Easy, right?

Aira: Wha, we're starting already!?

...Um, so I cast my line — hiyah! Like this?

Jun: Yep, just like that. All that's left for us is just to be patient and wait.

Aira: Gotcha~ ♪ Oh ravely lil' fishies, dear lil' fishies ♪ C'mon and meet me already~

Y'know, I never realised just how convenient fishing gear was. Whoever first came up with it is amaaazing ♪

Jun: It's really not something you'd notice unless you're in this situation, huh. I'm sure there's loads of other convenient things we've always taken for granted.

Aira: It'd be even more convenient if we had fishing gear that was completely automatic, though~

Jun: Well, there'd be no point to fishing if that were the case. The real thrill comes from how it's a showdown between man and fish, doesn't it? It'd be pretty boring if we didn't have to lift a finger for it, yeah?

Aira: Hmm? Sazanami-senpai, have you gone fishing before?

Jun: Sure have~ Just a few times when I was real small, though.

I was super happy when I made my first catch. You can't afford to be careless when you're reeling in a fish, and that feeling of tension really hooks you in.

Aira: Ooh~ Sounds like it might actually be pretty fun! Wonder if I can reel one in soon myself~

Jun: Not just yet. Fishing's also a real test of patience, y'know~ It starts from when you're wondering if you'll even catch one or not.

Well, since this is kinda our last resort I've got no intention to lose my catch, of course.

— Ahh, I see. Maybe this is just how hyenas feel, actually...

They don't even know if they'll find any prey, and even if they do they can't be sure they'll catch 'em without a hitch. It's a given they'd go all out with desperation.

Aira: We're just as desperate now too, aren't we~

We ran into some obstacles at first, and did have our regrets, but I'm glad it seems like it's doing good for getting you into character!

Jun: For real, though. We've realised just how important it is to find food and a place to sleep, or kinda like... I feel like I'm getting an idea of just how harsh life would be after getting exiled from your own kingdom...

Aira: Hehe. Well then, let's make sure we return victorious from this trial ♪

✦✦✦✦✦

[Location: Starmony Hall Courtyard]

Leo: With a heave! And a ho! And out they go! Can I leave all the veggies I've gathered here?

Tatsumi: Ahh, yes. Leaving them there should be no problem. I've collected some firewood here, too.

This may be breaking a few of your rules, but just in case, I borrowed some sleeping bags as well.

Leo: Wahahaha ☆ We were supposed to be getting a taste of savannah life, but now it's more like we're going camping~

With all this, it might be pretty different from animal life. But hey, we're having fun so who cares!

Tatsumi: Perhaps I wouldn't wholly agree with that. In the very same way that beasts live by tooth and claw, humans make use of fire and tools to survive, after all.

I do believe the ability to make and use tools is a special talent of mankind.

Leo: Yeah! I think so, too!

But what Nami~'s tryna do is become a hyena, though~ That kinda complicates things, right?

Tatsumi: Heheh. It does, doesn't it? But I do feel that Jun-san's been overthinking it just a touch...

Ah, never mind me. There's no point discussing this while he himself isn't around for it.

On that note, I wonder how those two are getting on... Even if they don't catch something big, fishing up anything at all would be nice.

Leo: It'll be fiiine~ We're on the brink of starvation here, so we're all desperate! They're gonna come back with a heck of a catch, I just know it!

And if he doesn't, my stomach's gonna glue itself right up against my spine! I'm gonna turn all harp-shaped!

✦✦✦✦✦

[Location: Beach]

Aira: ......

Wehhh. I'm not catching a thing~! The bobber isn't moving at aaall!

Jun: Like I was telling you, fishing is all about patience. Not to mention if you shout so loud, you're gonna scare off all the fish, y'know?

Aira: Urgh. But just sitting like this and staring at the water is boring me outta my mind, and I end up remembering just how hungry I am~

Jun: Well, I totally feel you there. Doing nothing but waiting is reminding me of my own hunger, too. Let's see... We could take our minds off it for now by playing a game of Shiritori or —

Mm!? Shiratori-kun, it looks like you've got something on the line!?

Aira: Huh!? Wahhh! Y-you're right!? W-What should I do!?

Woahhh!? The line's pulling completely taut! It feels like I'm gonna get yanked right into the ocean—! Nghhh... Sazanami-senpai, save meee~!

Jun: Stay calm! Please make sure you stay right there and brace yourself, okay? I'm gonna help you out!

Aira: A-Alright—!

Jun: Wow, it's really pulling hard, huh...!

Okay, let's haul it up in one shot! Here goes! One, two, threeee—!

Aira: Hiyaaaaarrrghhh!

—I did it! I fished it up...

—Wait, huh......!?

Jun: ...I-It's a... broken umbrella?

Goddamn! Who the hell did this!? You're not supposed to dump trash in the sea!

Aira: Seriously! It even got my hopes up and all! I won't forgive 'em!

Ah, geez... And here I thought we'd hooked a big one~ ...Hmm?

Huh? It looks like this time there's something pulling on your rod, Sazanami-senpai?

Jun: Woah!? There really is!?

Jun: Damn, it's strong as hell...! Feels for sure this is gonna be something huge!

Aira: Dear God and Buddha~! Please let it be anything but another umbrella~!

Jun: Alriiight, here we goooooo—!

✦✦✦✦✦

[Location: Starmony Hall Courtyard]

Leo: Those two sure are taking their time~... It's been so long that even my tummy's stopped grumbling out music...

Tatsumi: Are you alright, Leo-san? They certainly are a little late...

Hm? Over there, is that...

Leo: Mom, Dad, my little angel Ruka-tan... Please forgive me for passing on first. The savannah was just too much for me...

Tatsumi: Leo-san, Leo-san. Please have a look over there.

Leo: ...Mm~? Whazzat? If it's a waste of time I'm gonna bite ya! Grrrrrr—!

Tatsumi: It's alright. It seems like it's good news for us ♪

Jun: Heeey~! Sorry to keep ya waiting~! We're back and managed to catch a big one~♪

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