#like how Rise Mikey likes to cling on to Rise Raph’s shell | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

taizi · 11 months

Text

always darkest before the dawn

rise of the tmnt x tmnt 2k3 word count: 4k title borrowed from the tornado by owl city post-movie

part two of this prompt

read on ao3

Raph’s not a crier.

When he was younger he might have said it was because he was too tough to cry, a New Yorker to his core. In his thirties he can admit, at least to himself, that it has nothing to do with being a tough guy, and everything to do with being extremely self-conscious in just about every avenue of his life, but especially about feeling things out loud where anyone might see it.

Blue’s Raph doesn’t have the same problem.

He’s huge, his shell and shoulders covered in dangerous-looking spikes, a big tail that puts Raphael in mind of Leatherhead dragging across the floor behind him. By looks alone this kid is the definition of a tough guy—and he’s weeping openly, tugging Blue into an embrace just shy of crushing.

“Hey, big guy,” Little Blue whispers, shaking hands fumbling for a solid hold on his brother’s shell. His fingers skate across the big hole carved through the top of Big Red’s carapace. He reaches up to touch the bandage packed over Red’s right eye. That’s about when his expression crumples and his own eyes fill with tears. “I’m so—Raph, I’m so—”

“Don’t,” Red rumbles, burying his face in the top of Blue’s head.

“It was all my fault,” he insists, breath hitching like he’s just a few seconds from bawling. “I’m so sorry, Raphie.”

“God, Leo, don’t. You don’t have to—” Red grits his teeth, a muscle in his jaw jumping. He looks like he’s remembering something that makes him sick to his stomach. One of his hands finds the nape of Blue’s neck, thumb brushing carefully over the grisly bruises there. “You don’t have to apologize anymore, okay? I don’t want to hear it. Everything’s alright now. Nobody’s mad at you.”

“I’m mad at you,” Purple interjects immediately.

“Donald,” Orange says at length, which seems to be enough to shut him up point-blank.

Blue’s next sob sounds more like a laugh.

Red only loosens his tight hug for as long as it takes for Purple and Orange to shove their way in, and then he has all three of them squeezed against his battered plastron like there’s a very real possibility he’ll never let them go.

They’re all clearly hurting, clinging to each other in a way that Raph recognizes, even if he wishes he didn’t. How many close calls has he lived through? How many nights has he kept a frightened vigil in the infirmary, counting a wounded sibling’s breaths, refusing to sleep just in case he woke up in a world he didn’t recognize?

The kids huddled on the floor look like it would take a small apocalypse to wrench them away from each other, and even then, they wouldn’t make it easy.

“You scared me, Lee,” Orange says thickly. His tone wavers between desperate relief and actual heartbreak, face screwed up as if he can’t decide how he wants to look at his prodigal brother. He curls his hands into fists around the strap that stretches across Blue’s plastron. “I thought you were—I don’t know what I’d do if…. Never ever ever do anything like that ever ever again.”

“If you do, I will make you wish you’d never been born,” Purple hisses. “There’s nowhere in the universe you would be able to hide from me, you scheming, self-sacrificial idiot.”

It’s definitely a threat, and it definitely sounds genuine. If it weren’t for the way Purple’s snout is tucked firmly into the crook of Blue’s neck and shoulder, the two of them pieced together like a familiar puzzle, Raphael might have been worried.

There’s also the fact that Blue looks absurdly reassured, like all’s right with the world again now that Purple is here to menace him.

These guys are weird, he thinks.

“These guys are adorable,” Mikey coos a millisecond later. That tracks—Mikey’s weird, too. He pitches his voice a little louder, his friendly tone effortlessly disarming. “Hey, kiddos. I’m absolutely a believer in group hugs, please don’t get it twisted. But there are comfier places to cuddle than the floor.”

“And it looks like some of you might need rebandaging,” Donnie adds gently. “I’m happy to help with that, if you like.”

Raph watches as their alternate selves seem to remember where they are in real time. The new arrivals scramble, each of them trying to shove Little Blue behind them protectively and only succeeding in jostling him around like a snowglobe.

He looks dizzy and tired and he’s probably sore as all hell, and his bloodied eye hurts Raph to look at, but he’s laughing breathlessly, trying to worm free. Red makes a deep rumbly noise in his chest that shuts all escape attempts down. His little brothers respond with clicks or chirps, like it’s second nature—first nature? Whatever, like it’s normal for them.

“Take a chill pill, mis hermanos,” Blue says, perpetually unruffled despite the tear tracks on his bruised face and the manhandling. “These guys are cool. They made me an omelet.”

The defensiveness goes out of Orange and Red right away—whether at Blue’s reassurance itself or just the certainty in his tone, Raph has no clue. Purple, who looks like he was born to harbor grudges with every fiber of his being, scoffs loudly and doesn’t let his guard down an inch.

A huff of laughter beside him makes Raph turn his head to find Leonardo smiling at their visitors ruefully.

“It almost sounds like it’s more meaningful to him that we fed him, not the fact that we treated his numerous life-threatening wounds,” Leo says.

Raph remembers being fifteen. He feels his mouth twitch toward a grin of his own. “It probably is.”

The mention of breakfast causes Mikey to loudly mention to the room at large that Blue hasn’t even touched his, which has the intended domino effect of an exodus out of the cramped infirmary and into the den.

The couch isn’t big enough to accommodate Red, something that Raph notes with a pang. The kid agreeably settles on the rug instead, tail curling around his brothers as much as it’s able. Orange picks his way up to Red’s shoulder, sitting among the spikes there comfortably. Blue is bundled in Red’s lap, with Purple shoving him over none-to-gently to climb in next to him.

“Cozy,” Mikey says, hands on his hips. “But we’re back on the floor again.”

“Losing battle, Mike,” Raph butts in. “You’re familiar with those.”

“Boys,” Splinter cuts them off. They’ll never outgrow that exasperated tone, apparently. “Before we become distracted by the tasks at hand, there is one thing I would like to establish first.”

The kids all straighten when he speaks, not so much out of respect as anticipation. They look more bewildered by him than anything. But they seem ready to follow Blue’s lead as a whole, and Blue is eyeing him curiously.

“What would you like us to call you?” the elderly rat says kindly.

“Ah,” Orange says. “Yeah, we all have the same names, huh? You can just nickname us!”

“Nicknames for you and full-names for us?” Leonardo says as if it’s not the best plan he’s ever heard but he’s made do with worse.

“Full names are a mouthful,” Red replies immediately. “Since, uh, you—” He nods toward Raphael a little bashfully. “—probably go by Raph already, I guess you can call me Ellie.”

“‘Ellie’?” Mikey says in absolute glee. Raph resigns himself to the inevitable—the absolute menace masquerading as his youngest brother is gonna run that goddamn nickname into the ground for the next month. “Really?”

“It’s what these bozos used to call me when they were little,” Ellie replies with a shrug, not at all self-conscious about it. “Mike, how ‘bout you, big man?”

“Angie’s cool,” the spotted turtle pipes up readily. “Looks like we’re going with the last half of our names as a theme.”

Purple, however, adamantly refuses to let Raph and his brothers even entertain the idea of calling Blue “Nardo,” because that method of address is his intellectual property and a Genius Built trademark, whatever the hell that means. Likewise, only Blue calls Purple “Tello,” and Purple looks downright murderous at the idea of these strangers using the name.

“If any of you must speak to me, I suppose you can refer to me as Othello.”

“I thought you hated that alias ever since the whole Purple Dragons situation,” Angie says with a wrinkle in his brow beneath his mask.

“Yeah, and I hate it here, too, so it’s perfect.”

Raph doesn’t take it personally. How could he? The kids look like they’ve been through hell and back. Ellie hasn’t made any move to let his brothers out of his arms. Angie keeps clenching his fists, and then shaking them out, like a tic he’s not entirely aware of—or like whatever is under the bandages wrapped up the length of his arms is consistently hurting him. Othello seems like he’s willing to take a bite out of the next person who looks at him for a second too long but he hasn’t let go of Blue’s hand once.

“And you, little lion?” Splinter asks of the only hold-out.

Leonardo’s younger counterpart hums thoughtfully, then surprises the hell out of Raph by looking right at him, past his own brothers and Raph’s more affable siblings.

“What have you been calling me in your head this whole time?”

Put on the spot, Raph doesn’t have time to think of anything to say but the truth. So he gruffly admits, “Blue.”

Blue’s face lights up. His brothers’ expressions shift into something pleased, a little relieved. Even Othello looks slightly less like he’s about to commit a war crime at any given moment. It’s the same way Blue looked at Mikey earlier, when Mikey knew what drink he liked best; like it’s a hint of home they weren’t expecting to find here.

“Fine by me,” the red-striped turtle allows magnanimously.

Smiling, Splinter begins hobbling toward the kitchen. “Donatello, if you wouldn’t mind looking over their wounds, please? Leonardo and I will make a few more omelets for our guests.”

Donnie mumbles agreeably, heading back into the infirmary, presumably for supplies. Meanwhile, Blue lifts his plate up to Angie, balanced carefully in his casted hand. Angie happily tears the cold omelet in half with his fingers, keeping one part for himself and biting into it like a taco before passing the rest back.

“Eggs?” Blue asks, shoving it under Othello’s snout next.

“I’ll reduce you to atoms,” Othello says plainly, tapping on his phone with his free hand.

“Noted. Eggs?” Blue asks Ellie.

“Leon, if you don’t quit fooling around and eat your dang food—”

“I can’t even tell you how likely it is that I’ll puke if I put anything heavier than jello in my body for the next twelve hours,” Blue says conversationally. It draws Ellie up short, something pained leaking into his expression, and Othello bares his teeth at no one in particular. Sensing that his light-hearted remark didn’t really land the way he intended, Blue adds, “I had some strawberry milk before you got here.”

Somehow he makes it sound like his family is here picking him up from day camp. Ellie’s visible eye gets very soft, the gruff concern melting away and pure affection shining through instead.

“That’s good, kid.”

“Hey,” Angie pipes up, with a depth of care in his voice that makes him sound twice his age, “how ‘bout a fruit smoothie instead, Lee?”

“Say no more, mini-me,” Mikey jumps in, clapping his hands together. “I can blend with the best of them. Baby Blue, don’t tell me your favorite combo, I wanna guess—pineapple and banana?”

Blue blinks owlishly at him. Ellie chuckles and Angie says, “Ohmigosh, the parallels!” so Raph is assuming Mikey was right on the money, yet again. He’s gonna get a big head at this rate—a bigger head—and be impossible to live with.

Don returns at that point, shouldering his Mary Poppins bag off onto the sofa and pawing through it. “Can I see your hands?” he asks gently, offering his own to Angie.

“Oh, no, my hands are fine,” Angie says, flapping them. “They’re not cut or hurt or anything, April only wrapped them ‘cause they kept shaking and the pressure helped.” When Blue shoves far enough away from his siblings to crane around and look up at him in alarm, Angie hastens to add, “I just strained myself, that’s all! It’s like, uh, a torn muscle? In my soul? Dad made us all drink this gross mystic tea that’s s’posed to up our healing game, and he promised Pops that all my pain would go away in a few days.”

Blue stares at him for a second longer. If he’s anything like Leonardo, then he’s able to see right through any attempt at bullshitting him from like five miles away. Angie must be genuine, because after a tense moment, Blue relaxes back against Ellie’s plastron.

“Glad I missed the gross tea,” he announces.

“We saved you some,” Ellie replies shortly. He glances up, and starts at the way Donnie is waiting patiently beside them. “Oh, uh, I’m sorry! I think we’re okay, but you could look at Donnie’s shell, maybe.”

“No,” Othello says shortly.

“Dee—” Ellie begins, but Othello jerks his head sharply, and then glowers openly when Donnie settles down on the floor in front of him.

Raph’s not going to say it out loud or anything, but he’d feel better if Donatello kept his hands away from that kid. Out of biting distance, at least. Don doesn’t seem bothered by his little counterpart’s attitude in the slightest, smiling crookedly at him.

“You’re a softshell, right?” he says mildly. “Your carapace must be spiny and leathery, unlike your brothers’ armored scutes. Is that why you built the metal shell you’re wearing? For protection?”

“Eughh boy,” Angie mutters under his breath, torn between horror and a sort of morbid fascination.

Blue squeezes the hand that Othello is still holding, and Ellie’s arm around him flexes—they’re all clearly anticipating a violent reaction. Raph is taking his cues from them, his muscles tensing as he prepares himself for the act of flinging his immediate younger brother out of harm’s way.

Othello is staring at Don with unblinking gold eyes. They’re a perfect mirror of Blue’s, except there’s a gleam in Othello’s that puts Raph in mind of a deep sea creature lurking beneath an unsuspecting fishing vessel, ready at any moment to casually fuck up someone’s whole day.

“Is there a point to this line of questioning?” he asks in a dangerously blank tone.

“I just think it’s interesting,” Donnie replies, every bit as if he doesn’t sense the danger he’s in. “Yours is one of the most dangerous, aggressive species of turtle that exist in the wild, second only to snappers, but most people wouldn’t be able to tell as much just by looking at you. I’ll bet you’re underestimated pretty often.”

That earns him a blink at least. Othello’s brothers are all frozen, eyes darting back and forth between the two hyper-intelligent turtles like they’re following a tennis match.

Donnie’s smile widens. It’s warm, as always. If you didn’t know where to look, you wouldn’t be able to tell that it was sharp, too.

“I know a thing or two about that,” he admits easily, like it isn’t a painful truth to part with.

Don’s vicious little parallel self tilts his head a bit, considering him. Among the items Donnie has pulled out of his bag is the handheld sensor he modeled after the tricorder from Star Trek. Predictably, Othello’s eyes linger on it. Donnie agreeably offers it to him.

The whole thing reminds Raphael of the countless hours he’s spent with Mikey in countless dark alleys, winning feral cats over with morsels of food.

Ellie, Angie and Blue all exhale in relief when Othello sets his phone down and takes the tricorder.

“My brothers and I are diamondback terrapins,” Don goes on. “You’d think that, by virtue of belonging to the same species, we’d have had an easier time understanding each other. But growing up, there were times I didn’t understand them at all.”

After a beat, Othello grudgingly engages him. “Human DNA complicates everything. Our genetic donor was equal parts martial arts superhero and an on-fire trainwreck of a man, so at least we come by our eccentricities honestly. But even if my dumb-dumb brothers were softshells like myself, they would still be their dumb-dumb selves, and I would still spend half my waking moments engaged in mortal combat with them at even the slightest provocation.”

“The Cain Instinct,” Angie supplies wisely.

“Indeed,” Othello agrees.

“I guess siblings are the same everywhere,” Donnie says with good humor. “That’s actually kind of a comfort.” He glances back at Othello and nonchalantly adds, “If you show me your shell, I can show you how the sensor works.”

The siren call of an unfamiliar gadget is enough. Othello finally lets go of Blue and extracts himself from Ellie’s hug to disengage his metal shell with a quiet hiss of hydraulics. He leans it against the front of the couch and hands the sensor to Donnie, turning his back to him expectantly and settling tailor-style with a white-knuckled grip on his own legs that betrays his nerves.

Blue plants his elbows on Elllie’s knee and props his chin in his hands so that he and Othello are eye-to-eye. He offers a stupidly charming smile. Othello says, “Get away from me, I’m busy.” Donnie snorts and activates the tricorder, narrating his every move.

A stunned Angie leans down to whisper at Ellie. “Dude, did you see that? Their Donatello just finessed our Dee. He made it look effortless. It took him like two minutes.”

“April is never going to believe this,” Ellie replies weakly.

“Speaking of April,” Blue asks of no one in particular, “how are we getting home?”

“Believe it or not, we jumped in face-first without an exit plan,” Othello says dryly. “We be we, et cetera, ad nauseam.”

“Um, in my defense, it’s really hard opening portals between dimensions, and I’m not even really sure how I did it the first time,” Angie says in a prickly tone. His mouth tugs into a frown, and he bites the inside of his lip, before he adds, “If I hadn’t thrown that chain around you before you disappeared, we might never have found you again, Leo.”

“In the immortal words of J Beiber, never say never,” Blue says immediately. He doesn’t lift his head or look away from the Donatellos, and Raph gets the feeling that the only thing keeping Othello from snapping at Donnie’s hands when they get too close is the knowledge that his brother is keeping an eye on things for him. “There’s nothing in this entire goddamn universe that you can’t do, Angelo, and that’s on god.”

“Jesus, Leo, language,” Ellie snaps. But Angie is smiling again, so Blue accomplished what he meant to.

Splinter, Mikey and Leo return at that point with plates of fresh food as well as reheated food from earlier, and Mike presents Blue his smoothie with a flourish. Othello is quick to scoot back around to press his carapace safely against Ellie’s side the moment Don is finished with his scan, and makes grabby hands at it to view the data for himself. Angie hops down from his perch to take his plate, beaming his thanks at Splinter.

“If I overheard you correctly, you don’t know how to get home?” Leonardo asks, passing food to Ellie with a worried line in his brow.

This is the sort of thing that would strike absolute fear into Raph’s heart—stuck someplace he didn’t belong, without direction or an immediate next step to take—but the snapper digs into his eggs and only looks vaguely worried about his situation.

“Not really,” he says slowly. “And we may have promised Pops we wouldn’t do anything stupid, but—”

“But if he believed us, then that’s on him,” Othello says unapologetically.

“But,” Ellie stresses, “when the portal opened and we felt Leo’s ninpo on the other side, what other choice did we have? Besides, Mikey tossed them a line before we jumped in.”

Humming around the big bite of omelet he just scooped into his mouth, Angie lifts a hand and makes a grabbing motion in thin-air. Chains materialize in his grip, the same burning gold links that had held onto Blue so tightly.

The length of chain is taught, as if the other end is anchored onto something, keeping the young turtles moored to their place in the unknowable vastness of the universe. Wherever they go, they’ll be able to follow that glowing lifeline back home eventually.

Angie lets it go after a moment and it vanishes. But Raph knows it’s still there, even if they can’t see it anymore.

“We’re not alone,” Ellie explains, as if just that says all it needs to say.

Blue settles back, sipping his smoothie through the pink metal straw Mikey thoughtfully provided. None of the fear or uncertainty that he woke up with has stuck around. He’s listening to his brothers talk without hopping into the conversation anymore, and each time he blinks his eyelids get a little heavier.

God, Raph thinks, these kids could make themselves at home anywhere as long as they were there together.

It’s that, more than anything, that Raphael recognizes innately. Their different species and personalities and abilities aside, they’re the exact same breed as Raph and his family in the ways that really matter, in the heart and soul and marrow of the thing.

Plates are scraped clean, and conversation is beginning to stall, starting again in fits and then petering out again. Blue is fast asleep by the time his brothers are nodding off. Leonardo is still talking in a low, level tone, a tried and true tactic to lull stubborn little brothers to sleep that he perfected when he was ten years old. Like clockwork, Ellie shifts to lie flat on his plastron, and Angie and Othello follow him down into a comfy-looking turtle pile. Blue turns onto his side without waking to take the pressure off his cracked carapace and tucks his beak under Othello’s outstretched arm with a content sigh.

“Finally,” Mikey whispers, blue eyes soft.

Splinter picks the massive homemade blanket off the back of the sofa and unfolds it with a gentle shake. It’s a multicolored mess of mismatched squares, a gift from April nearly a decade ago when she was going through a quilting phase, and a family favorite. Over the years it’s been worn to unbelievable softness, and it has kept Raph warm through even the coldest winter nights in the underground.

It’s big enough to cover their guests entirely. One of them makes a sleepy subvocal noise that’s echoed immediately by three others, and it makes Donnie huff out a fond, amused breath from where he’s silently gathering the pieces of the tricorder that he had gamely allowed his mad scientist counterpart to dissect. Raph helps Leonardo pick up the empty plates and Mikey turns the TV on, volume so low it’s almost inaudible, so the kids won’t wake up in total darkness and silence.

They never outright said what happened to them, what they lived through that left those brutal marks on their bodies, and wrenched Blue away from his siblings, and made them afraid to go more than an arm’s length away from each other. Concern weighs heavy in Splinter’s eyes, echoed in Leonardo’s—obvious in the way Donnie and Mikey find reasons to linger in the room—and hell, Raph’s worried, too.

But for now, they’re safe to sleep and heal. Anything that might want to hurt them won’t be able to find them here. And even if it did, it’d have to go through Raph and his brothers first. That’s not much, but it’s not nothing.

In about four hours, give or take, a very pissed off young woman is going to metaphorically kick the door of Raphael’s dimension off its metaphorical hinges, rattling the entire fucking foundation of the place with the sheer force of her love and loyalty, fully ready to fight god to get her little brothers back. She’ll be backed up by a small army—as mismatched and messy as the quilt Raphael’s own sister made them once, made up of pieces that have no business belonging together that belong together anyway, effortlessly, endlessly, always.

None of them will be immediately familiar, but Raph will still know who they are. Some things really are universal.

Family, he’s learned, is one of them.

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #tmnt 2k3 #hamato raphael #hamato leonardo #hamato donatello #hamato michelangelo #ratdad #my writing #tmnt fic #reduxi: the rise remix

39 notes · View notes

twstgabrielle · 2 years

Text

Reading Guidelines and Warnings: The 2012 boys will be addressed by their full names unless they're referring to each other or speaking about one another. The Rise boys will be addressed via nicknames and other variations of said names. This fic will also have spoilers for both shows and will contain violence, language, crummy fights, injuries, blood, slight body gore and mentioned major character death. If any of this makes you uncomfortable I highly recommend that y'all check out my other works.

Despite what many thought, Leo was someone who was surprisingly an early morning riser. Given that he was either battling against a terrible bout of insomnia that made it hard for him to sleep to begin with or because of his internal clock telling him it was time to get up and face the day, Leo was almost always up before his brothers. Which was how the second eldest son had been the first one to be awake amongst the pile of turtles and blankets and pillows who had currently claimed the living room pit area as their sleeping area. Leo looked around at his sleeping family, the other three turtles all snuggled up against one another. Mikey was clinging to Donnie, his thin arms wrapped tightly around the soft shell's bicep. Donnie was snuggled up against him, his free arm touching Leo's forearm in his sleep. And wrapped around the three like a large protective blanket was Raph, the snapping turtle's large muscular arms wrapped around them in his sleep as he snored loudly.

Leo felt his heart melt at the sight of his brothers, sleeping peacefully for once instead of restlessly as they had been for the past few days. With a soft smile the slider gently and quietly slipped out of Raph's embrace and Donnie's touch, careful not to wake any of the other boys who were still in dreamland. After a bit of silent maneuvering Leo had finally managed to get free from the turtle pile and blankets. With a soft sigh Leo quickly and quietly left the living room pit area, the gentle sounds of his feet hitting the cement flooring being the only noise amongst the snoring and drippings of water from the sewer drains. Light blue eyes gazed around to see if there were any signs of anyone else awake so early in the morning when he'd caught sight of the dojo's doors cracked slightly open with soft candle lights flickering from the doorway. The red eared slider found himself making his way towards the dojo, almost as if someone was beckoning him to the room.

As silent as a shadow Leo stepped inside the dojo, instantly greeted by the familiar tatsumi matted floors and the large tree that sat somewhat imposingly in the middle of the room. Among the ceiling Japanese lanterns now alight with the soft glow of a candle from within was one of the only sources of light that painted the dojo. Gazing around the room Leo's eyes finally landed on the familiar shrine that sat within the corner of the room, the candles freshly lit and the incense now burning anew and filling the room with its soothing scents. Almost as if in a trance Leo with soft cautious footsteps made his way towards the shrine and with a somewhat hesitant bow he settled himself down onto his knees in front of it and bowed his head. The slider was silent for a moment, taking in the sobering ominous silence that seemed to ooze from the shrine dedicated to those who were dead. Leo's light blue eyes slowly took in the pictures once more, before finally stopping on the picture of Master Splinter and his serious yet kindly face that somewhat smiled back at him. A moment captured of a man who was no longer with the world of the living. Kind and mischievous brown hues bore into his light blue ones, forever frozen in time. The sixteen year old stared at this picture noting all the differences that this Master Splinter and his father had.

Leo swallowed a bit as the thoughts of his own father back home filled his head, recalling all the times when he heard his father's laughter or jokes and everything that made him, him. He thought about his father and how he'd suddenly out of the blue made him the leader, with no explanation as to why. Leo took a shaky breath and continued to look at the photo of this alternate version of the man who he loved dearly but at the same time who drove him crazy at times with his choices.

'Why did he choose me to begin with.....? I'm not strong like Raph, or smart like Donnie, nor talented like Mikey. I'm the face man, the jokester yet.......for some reason he made me the leader......'

Leo thought his hands tightening into fists a bit as he felt that familiar sense of confusion and slight nervousness whenever he'd thought about his father and his choice. He glanced at the picture and he couldn't help but wonder what this world's Master Splinter had been like, couldn't help but wonder if he was just as confusing and somewhat distant at times like his father. His mind wandered and then he found himself thinking about Leonardo his older counterpart. He thought about the confidence that he carried, the sense of reassurance in his place amongst his brothers and team. He thought about how he led his brothers and how they all looked up to him, about how at ease Leonardo seemed to be whenever he played the role of being the leader of his clan. It was no secret that his older doppelganger had obviously been the one in charge a lot longer than he had been, that the role that made Leo's skin crawl with unease and that made him feel all so lost was one that his older self played and commanded with an air of confidence and ease.

'Will I ever be like that.....? Will I too lead my brothers with that kind of confidence like Lee does? Is that why he was chosen to be the leader by Master Splinter? Why it seems like he was born to do this leader thing?'

Leo wondered before he finally glanced away from the picture and stared down at his hands. Leo had so many questions, so many questions about his role and how he could be a leader who was confident like his doppelganger in this world. So many questions that he wished to ask his father, so many things that he wished had been explained to him by the man who raised him. Without thinking about it Leo's mouth had began to open and speak up into the silence.

"I've never gotten the chance to meet you, never got the chance to speak with you nor get to know you. Yet......yet you're still my dad in a way, even if you're not really him. I know that this isn't your problem, that you have no obligation to me but I can't help but ask......why......?"

Leo said his voice soft and soothe and small as he stared at his hands.

"Why me....? What makes me and Lee so special for this whole leader gig....? Why did you choose him, choose me for this role.....?"

The slider asked feeling so lost in that moment as he asked the photo sitting on the shrine. At that moment it didn't matter to the younger Hamato that the man in the photo wasn't truly his father, but rather the fact that he was finally able to ask the questions that he'd been wanting to ask since the moment he and his brothers defeated the Shredder and had set free his soul that had been trapped in the armor. Since the moment when his father had given him this heavy burden completely unprepared.

"Da-Master Splinter........I wish I knew why you chose us for this........."

The blue jokester said his voice soft as he spoke to the shrine. He went quiet for a beat when he felt a presence join him in the dojo. The soft sounds of footsteps, light and airy stepping on the tatsumi mats and making their way towards him and the shrine filled his ears, and the light and gentle scent of herbal tea filled his nose as the person made themselves comfortable next to him. Leo didn't dare look over, already knowing who it was that had joined him in the dojo. Instead he kept his light blue gaze on the shrine of Master Splinter and spoke.

"How much did you hear.....?"

He asked voice a barely concealed whisper.

"......Enough."

A voice soft and rasping yet soothing and calming answered him. The younger teen took a deep breath, once again feeling that familiar wave of embarrassment hitting him as he was once again caught out in the open and read like an open book once more. Finally gathering the courage to tear his eyes away from the shrine he looked over to meet the concerned yet understanding gaze of Leonardo. The older turtle's dark blue eyes were filled with unreadable, his thoughts and emotions hidden from prying eyes. The two turtles just stared at one another, a silence building between them. The dojo was filled with their silence, neither seeming to know what to say to the other. Leo felt himself start to get a bit uncomfortable at Leonardo's seemingly knowing gaze, wanting nothing more than to have the floor swallow him whole at that moment.

"Spar with me."

Leonardo's voice suddenly broke the silence making Leo jump a bit.

"Huh?"

The younger blue clad turtle asked intelligently.

"Spar with me, it'll help clear the mind a bit. Besides, we need to warm up before training starts."

The older turtle said slowly getting up to go and stretch. The slider watched his older counterpart get up, a bit stumped by the sudden shift before snapping out of his stupor and getting up to join him. Leo stood up, confusion clouding his mind as to what Leonardo had planned. After the two had gotten done with their warm up stretches they faced one another awaiting for their warm up spar to begin.

"Rules, no weapons for right now, and the first one pinned down for five seconds is the winner of the round. Ready......Hajimeru-!"

Leonardo explained to the younger turtle who got into position himself. Once Leonardo said the word Leo moved, his body moving in a fluent motion to try and take the older doppelganger down. Arm swinging around to land a hit on the older turtle, Leo was taken by surprise when Leonardo blocked the hit, his own movements quick and graceful. After that the two went at it, hits and kicks and dodges and blocks flashing between them in quick and efficient movements. Leo couldn't help but be amazed by how fast Leonardo could move and dodge. And it seemed that he wasn't the only one who was amazed seeing as how Leonardo's eyes would flash with a look of awe or approval whenever Leo did something that took the older turtle off guard. The two continued doing this, hands and arms flying in a whirlwind of movements when Leo stepped to the side to avoid a hit, accidentally stepping a bit wrong on his retreat. Leo's leg went a bit shaky and he about stumbled however Leonardo was quick to take advantage of the moment of weakness and with a practiced ease swiped his leg at Leo's knocking him onto the dojo floor. Both blue clad turtles were panting slightly from the workout as Leonardo stepped forward to help Leo up from the floor.

"You did amazing, though your footwork could use a bit of work."

Leonardo said his tone professional and somewhat critical however it was the kind of critical that a Sensei would use to help teach others rather than put them down. Leo reached out to the outstretched hand and let himself be hauled up onto his feet.

"Ah yeah, I don't usually lose my footing like that. I'll work on it though."

Leo said offering Leonardo a small smile. Leonardo gave him a small smile back and let go of his hand.

"Practice makes perfect. If you don't mind me asking.....how long have you been training?"

The older Hamato asked curiosity leaking through his tone.

"A few years, give or take. Me and my brothers started to actually train in the art of ninjutsu when I was......fourteen? Fifteen years old?"

The younger Hamato explained recalling the early days of his and his brothers early adventures and training sessions. The younger turtle couldn't help but internally cringe as he remembered his less than graceful moments during battles, and how he had tried to mimic his movie star hero Lou Jitsu. Leonardo's eyes went wide with an a surprised yet impressed look.

"A few years? I couldn't even tell, your technique is really good I'd thought for sure that you'd been training longer than that."

The blue leader said amazed. Leo couldn't help but preen at the praise, a smirk on his face.

"Really now? I'm guessing that you've been training a long time huh?"

The blue jokester asked earning a nod of confirmation from the older turtle.

"Yes, me and my brothers have been training since we were five years old. But this is a good thing, it'll make training for you and your brothers much more easier knowing that you all are fast learners."

Leonardo said his brain already collecting the information that he had received from his younger counterpart. Meanwhile Leo's eyes went to the size of dinner plates, stunned by the information he had learned.

'Five years old????? Holy pizza supreme that's like what nearly several years of experience????? Holy shell that's insane??????'

The thoughts flew around in his head as he looked at Leonardo in a new light, a feeling of admiration filling him for this older turtle that was him.

'If he's been training for so long does.....does that mean.....'

The thought echoed making him pause, without thinking about it his mouth disconnected from his brain.

"Wait so you've been the leader since you were five years old???"

The slider blurted out in bafflement before stiffening in mortification at having voiced his question out loud. The leader of the Hamato clan paused his own mental musings his dark blue hues snapping to the younger turtle beside him.

"Huh? Oh, no I haven't been the leader for that long. I had became the leader of our team when I was fifteen years old."

The older turtle answered honestly as the younger turtle processed. Leonardo was only a year younger than him when he had become the leader of his brothers. It was shocking considering how Leonardo and his brothers reacted with one another.

"Fifteen?? But you.....you seem like you've been doing this for ages!"

Leo said baffled and confused. Leonardo gave him a small look.

"Well-"

He'd began to say but Leo had accidentally interrupted him.

"How?? How do you make it look so easy when you've been doing this for such a short time???? Aren't you scared??? Lost???? Don't you ever feel anxious knowing that your brothers lives are in your hands and that if you screw up one time you could get them hurt or worse???? How do you do it Lee????"

Leo asked his tone becoming rushed as he somewhat blurted out some of his most inner fears. By the time he was done he was panting slightly his eyes wide and full of so many conflicting emotions that it gave Leonardo whiplash. The older turtle just quietly and patiently waited for Leo to calm down a bit, his expression careful but more open than it'd ever been. A gentle hand touching the back of Leo's shell made the slider pause, the soft vibrations of Leonardo's fingers tapping in a rhythm on the teal and yellow shell sinking into his body and making it relax. After a few moments of this Leonardo finally spoke to his younger doppelganger.

"To be honest with you Leo.......I'm terrified of being the leader. Even after doing this job for nearly four, five years I'm still completely lost on what to do. I still find myself wondering if I'm really cut out for this and if each day will be the day when everything goes straight to hell. I may seem calm and confident in what I'm doing but Leo......I'm far from it."

Leonardo said his voice soft and gentle, ringing with a honesty that made Leo quietly listen.

"Being the leader it's a terrifying job to do. And no matter how long you do it, there'll will always be that lingering anxiety and uncertainty about whether or not you're making the right decisions. But........if I learned anything in my years of being the leader of my brothers......it's that I got to trust myself and my instincts and learn from the mistakes I might make. That I not only have to trust myself but my team as well."

The eldest Hamato said softly his eyes zeroed in on the younger Hamato. Leo felt himself freeze in his older counterpart's intense stare, his heart stopping in his chest as he really looked at the older turtle. In that moment Leo finally saw through the tight walls and intersecting mirrors that Leonardo kept up. Now standing before him was a teenager who was lost just like him, who had no clue on what he was doing. Now looking back at him Leo couldn't help but realize that he was staring directly into a reflection of himself.

And it was terrifying.

"I know that you're lost right now but trust me when I tell you that even with all this uncertainty, you'll be okay. And you're not the only one who's been through this, my brother Raph has been through it too. And in fact your Raph has experienced this very thing as well has he not?"

Leonardo asked making Leo pause.

"I know that it's hard asking for help, but it's okay to do so. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that your brother as well as myself will help you out with this. You only need to ask."

The blue clad leader said tapping the younger blue turtle's shell once more. The blue jokester could only stand there and absorb what he was told, confused by it yet also feeling a bit of the pressure being taken off of his shoulders. Then he paused as he realized something.

"Wait a minute......Raph? Your brother Raph?"

Leo asked confused and disbelieving. Raphael from what he'd seen in the short time they'd been in this lair, did not seem like the type of person to be a leader. In fact he seemed rather cold and distant and not at all an approachable person. Leo tried to imagine the short angry red clad turtle as the leader and couldn't help but make a face unconsciously. Leonardo's amused chuckles filled the dojo drawing Leo's attention back to him.

"I know it sounds strange but trust me. Raph definitely knows how you're feeling. Now, let's go another round of practice before our brothers join us."

Leonardo said rubbing Leo's shell reassuringly before removing his hand and getting himself ready for the next warmup round. The slider stared for a brief moment before finally stepping out of his confused and dazed stupor and went to join his older counterpart, the blue leader's words ringing in his head.

'You'll be okay.'

'If only I could believe it.'

Leo thought before getting back into position to do another warmup.

~~~~~

Leonardo sat down by the tree in the dojo, his eight students now joined in the room with him. After his and Leo's conversation the two blue turtles had did another round before Leonardo had called for a break. It was only a half hour later that the rest of the lair had slowly began to awaken with them, the sounds of sleepy mumbles or grumbles filling the once silent morning. Michelangelo had made them a light breakfast with the help of his newest kitchen partner Mikey and all too soon the eight turtles were eating and getting themselves more awake. Leonardo had gotten his cup of medical tea that Donatello had made him the night before, sipping on it to help soothe his throat and vocal chords knowing that he'd need them today. Donatello himself in his grouchy morning mood had grabbed his usual cup of black coffee nearly inhaling its contents while Raph watched all of this in blatant big brother concern.

Once they were finished with their breakfast dishes had been placed in the sink and the group had began to make their way towards the dojo to begin the training sessions. It was about twenty to thirty minutes later when April had finally made her entrance into the lair and came to join them, her black and yellow jumpsuit carrying her bladed fan on her hip. And now there they were currently, with the eight students quietly waiting for Leonardo to get started. Flickering his dark blue gaze over the group Leonardo took a deep breath and spoke.

"Welcome to our training session. Me and my clan welcome our guests and are very pleased to have you join us this morning. Before we begin I'd like to see what each of you have skill wise, so we can all get a feel for what each of us can do. I'll pair each of you up with one another and we'll go from there."

The Hamato clan leader said his voice strong and sharp, resembling his deceased master more than he realized. He was met with nods or chimes of agreement giving them a nod of satisfaction. Leonardo looked around the room to choose before he began to pair them up.

"Donatello and Raph you're up."

Leonardo said watching as his younger brother stood up from the tatsumi matted floor, his reddish brown gaze full of focus and determination. Raph on the other hand looked a bit nervous as he stood up, his large hulking figure towering a bit over Donatello who was only a few inches shorter than the larger red turtle. The two turtles went to stand in the middle of the dojo, standing facing one another as they waited for Leonardo to give the signal to start the practice sparring. The others sat against the wall near the tree, watching with curiosity and anticipation to see them spar. Donatello got into position, his bo staff within his grip as he spung it within his hands to get himself ready. Raph hesitantly took out his sais, his dark green eyes unsure.

"Don't worry too much about me big guy. Just focus on the fight."

Donatello piped up making Raph look at him.

"Raph ain't worried. He's got this in the bag."

The snapping turtle responded however the thin sheen of sweat gave away his nerves.

"Remember, this is a practice spar, which means that your main objective is to either pin your opponent and keep them there for at least five seconds or to knock their weapon from their hands. Are we clear?"

Leonardo asked the two earning nods from them. Satisfied the eldest turtle raised his hand into the air and swung it down.

"Hajimeru!"

He said in a loud and clear voice, only cracking it slightly at the end. As soon as Leonardo gave them the go Donatello was already moving. The tall turtle moved fast, his bo staff spinning at a quick speed as he swung it at the large snapping turtle. Raph barely managed to move out of the way, the tails of his red bandana moving slightly from the after wind of the bo staff's projectory. Raph however wasn't quick enough to miss the second swing of the wooden staff and the loud smack of the bo staff hitting him in the side filled the dojo.

"Ow-!"

Raph hissed surprised by how much that actually hurt. However he didn't dwell on it as he again dodged Donatello's staff. The tall purple genius flashed him a gap toothed smile his eyes full of a fiery focus.

"I told you, don't worry about me. Focus on the fight."

Donatello said again repeating his earlier statement. Raph now realizing that he didn't need to completely hold back with the older turtle was quick to get over his nerves and a spark of competitiveness flashed in his gaze, a much more confident snaggletoothed grin on his face.

"Alrighty then, Raph heard you. Let's do this!"

The younger larger turtle said before launching himself at the other turtle. Raph flung his arm out, his sai slamming into the side of Donatello's staff in a flash of red sparks. Donatello stumbled a bit from the sudden boast of strength Raph had, eyes widening in a fascinated way. The two continued to spar, Raph now taking it much more seriously and Donatello managing to land a few hits on him. The large snapping turtle only used a bit of his mystic powers, not wanting to completely destroy the dojo by accident yet it was clear from the flashes of red sparks that appeared around his arms and sais that he was having an extra kick to his usual strength. It surprised the younger turtle how well Donatello could keep up with him even with the mystical aspect.

'He's a fighter, wouldn't expect anything else from my little brother.'

Raph thought a feeling of pride welling up in him as he blocked Donatello's staff with his sais. The two duked it out, trying to disarm the other with their strengths however it was clear who the strongest of the two were. Raph with a huff and a quick movement twisted his sais to the side, somewhat dragging Donatello a bit before he was forced to let go of his staff least he had his arms yanked out of their sockets. The clattering of the bo staff hitting the ground filled the dojo and Leonardo's voice followed shortly afterwards.

"Yame! The winner of the first sparring practice is Raph."

The blue clad turtle said. Raph preened a bit and Donatello smiled, going to pick up his discarded staff and with a pat to the snapping turtle's large bicep the purple genius spoke.

"Ya did great, congratulations."

The older turtle said obviously impressed by Raph. The younger turtle turned his dark green eyes to the other turtle and gave him a large grin.

"Thanks man, you were pretty awesome yourself. I wasn't expecting you to be so quick."

Raph said his tone full of praise and respect towards the other turtle. Donatello seemed to grow flustered and the two began to speak quietly to each other as they made their way back to their seats on the floor. Leonardo watched them picking up snippets of Donatello's voice questioning Raph on his mystics and how he used them, forever the curious one amongst them.

'Glad to know that he's getting along with the others as well.'

Leonardo thought pleased. Turning his attention back towards the others Leonardo once again picked a pair.

"Next up is Michelangelo and Donnie."

The older turtle said earning a happy woop from the youngest of his family. Michelangelo practically bounced up from his spot, his baby blues alight with excitement. Donnie on the other hand looked less than happy to be sparring, his expression pinched up a bit letting those around him know that he would rather be in the lab then here. The two like the last pair stood to face each other waiting for Leonardo to begin their match. Michelangelo bounced a bit on his toes shooting Donnie a beaming smile.

"Good luck Dee!"

The orange turtle chirped happily while the purple soft shell just gave him a small huff.

"Luck has nothing to do with the logistics of the outcome of this session."

Donnie replied tone blunt. Michelangelo blinked at him for a beat before shrugging it off not too bothered by it. Leonardo again raised up his hand before swinging it downwards.

"Hajimeru!"

He called out and the next match began. Donnie grabbed his staff already going to get ready to attack.

'If I'm quick about this then I've got a 40% better chance of winning this, all I gotta do is just get the swing right and the hit-'

Donnie's thoughts whizzed through his head as he swung the bo staff, which had changed into a glowing electrical purple hammer. However what the soft shell seemed to forget to add within his genius battle tactic was one very important detail.

He was fighting Michelangelo.

Who was this world's Mikey.

His wild and sporadic and unpredictable little brother.

Many years later Donnie would still remember the moment where he rather foolishly underestimated the older orange turtle, as he swung his mystic weapon only to have it hit nothing but air. Donnie's eyebrows went straight up his forehead, his dark brown eyes wide in a startled manner.

"Wait-! Where did he-?"

The soft shell began to question when he was suddenly grabbed by the foot with a metal chain of the nunchaku, before he was pulled quite literally off of his feet for a brief moment.

"BOOYAKASHA-!!!"

Michelangelo's voice full of glee and mischief cried out from behind him as the soft shell went down with a yelp of startlement. Donnie was stunned as he realized that the older turtle had managed to get behind him without him even noticing it and was now currently beating the purple genius with his spazz like behavior and fighting style.

'Oh fuck sakes he's a Mikey ugh how could I have forgotten that???'

Donnie berated himself as he managed to get out of the nunchakus's chains and get back onto his feet quickly before the five second period. With a quick movement he flung his mystic bo staff up to avoid getting grabbed once again by the chains, dodging Michelangelo's wild yet scarily accurate attacks. The soft shell quickly rolled onto his side as he again dodged the chains, panting slightly from having to move so quickly in such a short amount of time. Michelangelo was relentless and his attacks were a combination of what seemed like several different styles. It made it difficult to pin down just what the orange clad turtle was planning to do next and Donnie couldn't help but feel slightly stupid for not taking the possiblity of Michelangelo being like his own little brother into account. Then again Michelangelo while chipper and somewhat naive like his own baby brother, he himself seemed a lot more calmer than Mikey. More laid back in a way. It was because of this laid back and somewhat calmer attitude that Donnie had unknowingly underestimated the older turtle and now he was severely regretting it.

The session continued on with the two being evenly matched even though Donnie was having a somewhat difficult time adjusting to the patterns of Michelangelo's fighting given how they were quite literally wild cards with each new move. The soft shell went to swing his bo staff again, stepping forward to strike Michelangelo and managing to graze his shell. Michelangelo let out a startled yelp at the contact and went to again strike out his nunchakus making contact with Donnie's staff, making purple sparks of an electronic like nature burst from it. The two at the same time moved in different directions to try and disarm the other, before both weapons went flying out their grips the sounds of the weapons hitting different areas of the dojo sounding out. April's startled gasp and Raphael's cursing filled the dojo as Leonardo watched Michelangelo's nunchakus fly straight over the duo's heads, nearly taking them out. Donnie's bo staff meanwhile had went flying towards Leo and Mikey the two turtles letting out shouts of fear as they ducked to avoid getting slammed with the mystical bo staff turned hammer. Shocked silence filled the dojo as Donnie and Michelangelo stared at one another in slight mortification at the damage they nearly caused. Leonardo took a deep breath to try and calm his somewhat racing heart.

"Yame. The match is a tie."

Leonardo said his voice sounding somewhat exhausted already. Michelangelo gave him a sheepish smile before turning to Donnie.

"Well that's one way to end a sparring session. You were awesome dude!"

Michelangelo said his tone full of awe as he addressed the soft shell. Donnie blinked a bit and with somewhat awkward fumbling to try and mentally catch up with the insanity that had just occurred.

"But of course I am, though I must say that you're not so bad yourself."

Donnie said earning a sparkly eyed look from the older orange turtle. The two went back to their seats still on the rush of their sparring session. Leonardo mentally sighed.

'Next time, safe proof the dojo. Got it.'

Leonardo mentally noted for him to get to later before calling out the next sparring pair.

"Next pair, Raphael and Leo."

The older turtle called out. Leo was quick to get up from his seat on the floor, a somewhat cocky and confident aura around him. Raphael still somewhat peeved from nearly getting his head taken off by the earlier stunt got up as well, grumbling the whole time. The two faced one another, bright toxic green meeting light blue as they awaited their que.

"Hajimeru!"

Leonardo's voice filled the dojo and the match began. Leo grabbed his twin katanas, the pulsating blue sparks of his mystic powers bursting to life. Raphael grabbed his sais and lunged at Leo, his movements fast and furious. Leo quickly dodged the hits aimed at him, his swords blocking the sais from making contact with his skin. With ease Leo summoned his portal and stepped through it, disappearing from view.

"What the actual fuck??? Where did he?????"

Raphael asked with a growl instantly alert, his eyes flickering around the dojo. It didn't take long before the red clad turtle was met with a kick to his side, making him stumble a bit. Wheezing Raphael's gaze snapped towards the direction where the kick came from to see the somewhat smug smile of Leo.

"Are you gonna come and get me?"

The slider asked his voice challenging a bit. Leo couldn't help but get a bit competitive, wanting to see just how skilled Raphael actually was. After all this short turtle was a version of his big brother, and Raph was a fierce fighter. So he wanted to know if it applied to Raphael as well. The red eared slider didn't have to wait long before Raphael made his next move, his eyes narrowed in a somewhat annoyed manner at the challenge Leo had sent to him.

"You're gonna regret asking me to come and get you."

Raphael said in a growl as he swung his leg up to kick the younger blue turtle. Leo again made a portal and disappeared through it, barely missing getting kicked in the face by the shorter turtle. The two continued to do this furious and fast dance, Leo disappearing into his portals in the nick of time, barely avoiding Raphael's powerful hits and kicks within his direction. However it only lasted for so long before Leo had made a mistake. With each dodge Leo admittedly grew a bit more cocker with each success that he'd forgotten to actually keep an eye on Raphael. Raphael unlike Raph had speed and agility on his side, what the short red clad turtle lacked in the height and build department he made up for it with flexibility and strength. Which was how in the end he had ended up getting the drop on the younger turtle, who hadn't predicted that Raphael would catch on to him and his portals. Leo reappeared from one, ready to again land a hit on Raphael only to instead be met with Raphael and his sais which had blocked the glowing blue twin katanas. Leo let out a squawk of sorts having been taken by surprise and that moment had ended up costing him as he was quite literally with his glowing swords still trapped within Raphael's sais was yanked forward and in a ironic moment of deja vu he found himself once again thrown over a body and being slammed right into the dojo floor. Leo let out a wheeze, winded and dazed by the force Raphael used. Unlike with Leonardo's, Raphael obviously was the strongest of the older turtles and Leo was now feeling it straight down to his bones.

'Holy hell I thought Lee's throw was painful but holy fuck Raphael's is straight up murderous.'

Leo thought as he pushed himself up with his elbows to be met with a sai pointed at him. Raphael was staring him down, a somewhat smug look on his face.

"Told ya you'd regret telling me to come and get you."

The short turtle said a bit of snark leaking into his tone. Leo just blinked before a small amused smirk came upon his face.

"Yep you did and I can honestly say that I really am regretting it."

Leo responded, before Leonardo's voice brought his attention back to the dojo.

"Yame! The winner of this match is Raphael."

Leonardo said his voice rasping slightly. Leo went to get up when he caught sight of Raphael putting his sais away and then holding out a hand to help the red eared slider up from the floor.

"I don't usually say this kind of thing but you're one hell of an opponent kid."

Raphael said gruffly. Leo blinked as he grabbed the extended hand and was yanked up from the floor nearly falling forward from the strength of the momentum of said yank. Raphael caught him by the back of his shell and Leo felt himself grow embarrassed as he realized that this was the third time since he'd been in this world that he'd kissed the dojo floor.

"Thanks, you're pretty tough opponent too Short Stack."

Leo said honestly before biting back a snicker at Raphael's annoyed glare.

"Don't call me that."

The older red clad turtle said letting Leo go and going back to his seat on the dojo floor. The younger blue clad turtle just watched in slight amusement before going to take his own seat. Leonardo who had been watching them nearly sagged with relief. He'd been worried that an actual fight would break out between Raphael and Leo and that was the last thing he had wanted. The eldest turtle caught movement from the corner of his eye and noticed that Raph had also seemed to look relieved as well.

'Looks like I'm not the only one who has to worry about that kind of thing.'

Leonardo mused before finally speaking up again to call out the last pair for their practice session.

"Next is April and Mikey."

The eldest Hamato called out watching as the two got up to take their places. Mikey much like Michelangelo seemed to be buzzing with excitement however he also seemed a bit nervous to be going up against April.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry if I accidentally hurt you."

Mikey said wanting to get the apology out there to let April know that he was sorry should anything happen. April just shot him a small smile her eyes twinkling with a hidden secret.

"Don't worry, I'll be just fine."

The red head said reassuringly earning a warm smile in return. Leonardo held up his hand one last time and swung it down to signal the start of the match.

"Hajimeru!"

The shout sent the two into action. Mikey moved quickly, his nunchakus already out and crackling with bright orange mystics. With a quick swing the nunchakus lashed out towards April, bright orange flames bursting from the chains and head. April launched herself to the side quickly, her eyes wide with shock before she quickly pulled herself together and made her move. With a sense of ease she lunged for Mikey, dodging his weapons attacks with her quick and nimble movements. Quick as a flash she grabbed her fan, and swung it at the box turtle, the speed of it making the lethal blades sing. Mikey threw himself backwards to avoid being cut, a startled yelp coming out of him.

"Holy shell April you're fast!"

Mikey said awed by her speed. April just smiled and again went to strike.

"You're pretty quick on your feet as well Mikey!"

She responded back using her fan to block Mikey's nunchakus from striking her. The battle session continued on, the two smaller members of the dojo moving quickly and effectively, neither of them tiring nor wanting to back down. Leonardo and the others watched, awed and focused solely on the training session, just as they had been for the others. Mikey was quick, his movements more wild than his older counterpart's but yet just as difficult to pin down. April however kept up rather well despite how unhinged the fighting style was. Mikey swung his weapon once more the orange flames bursting to life. April barely missed getting hit by it, her ponytail barely avoiding being set on fire. The red head moved towards him, her fan again swinging out at him as she dodged and piered the box turtle's quick and chaotic attacks. They were evenly matched with one another and either of them seemed to be able to get the upper hand on one another. So much so that Leonardo finally decided to close the session down.

"Yame! The match ends in a tie."

The leader said as the two opponents lowered their weapons and stepped away from one another.

"Girl, your moves were sick! You gotta teach me how to move like that!"

Mikey said already cornering April somewhat as he gushed over her moves. April smiled at him and gently patted his head fondly.

"I'll teach you what I can if you agree to teach me how to do those flips you did. Those were out of this world."

April chirped earning a tight hug from the youngest turtle. Soon after they were all seated back in front of Leonardo who smiled at them with a bit of pride.

"You all have done well. At the rate we're going we'll be more than prepared to infiltrate the Kraang base once we've located them. Till then we'll keep training and learning about one another. For the rest of our training sessions I'll show you all different sutras and fighting stances and we'll try and correct anything that might need to be."

The Hamato clan leader said earning five shouts of.

"Hai Sensei!"

And four nods of agreement. Leonardo stared at the group in front of him, as they all went to get set up. Standing up himself to help them with their lessons Leonardo took a deep breath to prepare himself and joined his family in their training.

~~~~~

The city was quiet, which was surprising considering that New York as well as the Mystic City was always incredibly loud. There was always something going on in the bustling city, whether it was people yelling or cars and buses honking or music playing loudly from restaurants and other establishments or on rarer cases yokai running amok and reeking havoc on unsuspecting humans. So when Draxum had stepped out of his lab that evening and he had been greeted by nothing but an eerie silence the sheep yokai had instantly been on edge. Glancing around him Draxum locked up his lab, making sure that his newest security system was well and working. The purple one had explained the basics to him when it'd been installed nearly a month ago, when his lab had been broken into. He hadn't found out about the break in till he'd made his journey to do some research on a few things, such as the random bursts of mystic energy that had been happening on and off.

When he'd went to his lab it'd been turned upside down, his work and other instruments he used for his work overturned or ruined. It had been an absolute disaster, especially when he'd realized that some of his files had been stolen. Once he'd realized this he'd gotten in touch with his orange son and his family and they'd quickly came to help. His sons had checked the place all around yet they couldn't find even a clue as to who could have broken into his lab or had stolen his files. And while he usually would let those kinds of things go if they didn't have any leads, he couldn't simply drop this matter, because the files that had been stolen were critical. So critical in fact that if they'd gotten into the wrong hands it could quite literally spell disaster for everyone.

They were the files that contained all of his research regarding his creation of the ooze and the creation of his sons.

And they'd been stolen.

After that night his sons had been searching for any leads while also upgrading his security, hence why he was now currently making sure everything was in order. Once he was certain that things were in order and everything was locked up Draxum began to make his way into the Mystic City to head to the sewers. Reaching around in his robe pocket he pulled out the cellphone that the human April insisted he get and was greeted by a few strings of texts from three numbers.

The Rat: I've checked every part of the sewers that I could think of and still no sign of the boys. Let me know if you came across anything.

The O'Neil Human: Draxum, just wanted to let you know an update on the search. I've searched NYC as much as I possibly could and I've found nothing. Hoping that you're doing better in your search.

The Jones Human: Sir, I've come to report that there's no signs of the turtles. I will update you should I come across anything new.

Draxum gripped his phone a bit as he read the messages and their unhopeful news. The sheep yokai stared at the bright screen, his mind wandering as he recalled the last time he'd seen the boys. Back when he'd had that break in a few weeks back and his research had been stolen and his lab destroyed.

'Three weeks, the turtles have been missing for three weeks. Leaving nothing behind as to even hint at their whereabouts. Three weeks of searching and coming up with nothing.'

The sheep yokai thought a bit of frustration coming up within him. It was rare for him to feel like this, to feel helpless and frustrated. Yet it was a feeling well warranted given that the boys have been missing for nearly a month now. Draxum took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair mindlessly before responding to the messages letting them know that he too had no new news to give to the search. Pocketing his phone back into his pocket the scientist continued his walk towards his destination, trying to not let the ominous silence of the city get to him. He didn't have time to be worrying about it, since he had more important issues to deal with. Such as his research in the mission to find the boys. Draxum when the boys had vanished had noticed that the mystic energy surges which had been nothing but measly and not too dangerous to worry about had spiked suddenly within the span of two or three weeks and then on the night the turtles had went out on their routine patrol the energy surges had reached the highest levels they'd ever reached.

And Draxum knew that that was no mere coincidence.

So he'd spent countless hours learning everything he could, gathering each little piece of data that he hadn't paid attention to and he'd discovered a few things. The energy surges were of mystic origins, yet they also weren't which made them extremely hard to pinpoint when they'd occur next. They'd started about nearly a year ago, shortly after the defeat of the Shredder and setting his trapped soul free from the demonic armor. And it had only been recently that the surges had gotten stronger than they were. Those little details alone made Draxum all the more sure that they were somehow connected to the boys and their disappearance.

'The question is how are they connected and are they going to happen again?'

Draxum thought as he walked thinking about the days research. It didn't have much other than an increase in the surges once more and Draxum wanted to get to the lair to let that rat, Splints know about it. As the scientist walked through the dark mystic streets the silence seemed to shift around him and Draxum suddenly froze in his tracks his senses high on alert. With flickering ears the sheep yokai listened and realized with a small blooming sense of dread that the silence was so overbearing that he couldn't even hear the sounds of the bugs that usually crawled along the ground. Instead the atmosphere was tense, the surrounding areas around him deathly silent as if they were afraid to make a sound. As if they were waiting for something to happen. Draxum felt his body stiffen up as the sudden feeling of being watched filled him. Yellow eyes flickering around him he carefully scanned his surroundings, on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. He remained quiet and still for a long time, waiting with bated breath for something, anything to happen as the feeling of being watched grew by the second. His inner warning bells were screaming at him, telling him to leave and get out of the open. Before he even realized it he was already moving, his mystic powers bubbling up and ready to unleash his thorny vines on the possible threat.

The scientist walked his speed increasing in urgency as he tried to get away.

'Almost there, just a bit further and I'll finally get rid of this foolish paranoia-'

The thought was cut short as Draxum felt something strike him from the side, sending him flying into the nearby wall of one of the buildings harshly. Draxum let out a gasping wheeze stunned by the sudden attack. The sheep yokai struggled to get himself together and summoned his vines to protect himself when his nose was suddenly greeted with the most disgusting scent he'd ever come across.

It was strong, filled with the crackling scent of yokai magic, yet it was different. Alternated and mutilated, and surrounded by the scent of rotting flesh and drying blood. It was the scent that accompanied death, both mortal and yokai alike. A horrific amalgamation of the two. Draxum fought back the urge to vomit gritting his teeth together as he forced himself to stand up and prepare for a fight however he froze when he felt the vines start to be torn apart, the phantom sensation of sharp teeth and claws chewing their way through his shield filling him with a sudden terror he'd never experienced before. Draxum didn't think only responded on instinct as he swung his arm out causing the vines to do the same as they slammed into another wall. The sounds of bones breaking and an otherworldly screech of fury and pain sounded out into the night, rattling the sheep yokai down to his very bones.

Forcing himself to get a grip Draxum made the vines tighten on the thing and with a livid and cold stare turned his attention towards the lump of vines that had that thing that attacked him currently trapped.

"Whoever you are, you've just made a grave mistake."

The sheep yokai hissed teeth bared threateningly as he glared at the wall waiting for any signs of life. Draxum barely had time to prepare himself and the sudden sounds of vines ripping apart and that phantom sensation of chewing teeth tearing through them filled the air around him and out popped out the thing that had attacked him. What he saw made his blood freeze within his veins.

The thing no.....the monster was a moving corpse. It's eyes were glowing with mystic energy and its flesh was grey and reeked of death and rot and blood. But that wasn't what scared Draxum about this reanimated corpse no......

It was the sludge that was coming out of its body.

Bright green and glowing, yet with shaded parts of teal oozed out of the monster, mixed in with the scent of blood. It was a sludge he'd recognize anywhere.

After all he'd been the one to create the bright glowing green ooze.

The teal mixture however was something completely different yet seemed to be very similar. And it made him uneasy seeing it.

"What in the seven hells.....?"

He breathed shaken by the creature he now had trapped however he didn't get a chance to dwell on the horror show he had trapped within his grasp, because the next thing he knew he was being hit straight across the face, claws digging into his cheek and cutting it deeply. The scent of blood, his blood filled the already death filled air as he was thrown off of his feet. Draxum let out a livid pained hiss turning to see who had done the deed.

"Baron Draxum, we've been looking for you. And now you're coming with us."

The voice said in a hiss, cruel and cold. Before the sheep yokai could gather his bearings he was met with the heel of the kidnapper's boat and the world was shrouded in darkness.

*Cliffhanger whoops. The plot it's thickening lads! Just what exactly is going on? What exactly is this reanimated corpse monster and who had created it?? And who was the mystery person who took Draxum??? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z-!!!! Jokes aside I've been wanting to get this plot going and now we're in the beginning stages fam!!!! Fair warning though y'all might hate me when it's all said and done lmfao. Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!!!*

62 notes · View notes

dgknightblue · 1 year

Text

ROTTMNT boys making cannibalism jokes???:

Rise boys lining everyone up except the Mikey’s and measuring them.

“What are you doing?”

“Sizing up who to eat first in case we are low on food. All Mikey’s are off limits, so don’t worry about it.”

“We can just order out of we’re hungry!”

“Not in emergencies we can’t. Now I’m thinking we eat the big ones first and save the littles one for last.”

“Why?”

“Because big guys have a big appetite.”

“We leave one to protect the Mikey’s.”

“Mikey’s can protect themselves though.”

“Leave one to feed the Mikey’s.”

“Good Idea.”

The other turtles shake in fear and disgust. A few run to place their shells to a wall.

“You’re not eating anyone!”

“Why not? You look tasty.”

A turtle screams because Leo is biting their arm. He won’t let no matter how much they pull. Someone got the spray bottle.

Weakness found.

Raph almost taking a bite out of someone?

Spray bottle.

“Never look….*shiver*….him in the mouth!”

Do you guys know what the inside of an Alligator snapping turtles mouth looks like?

You don’t want to know.

Donnie crabbing his long neck forward to nibble on his brother?

Spray bottle.

Leo clinging onto the shell of a large turtle to naw on the rim of the shell?

Technically doesn’t hurt anyone, but still.

Spray bottle.

—————-

“Honestly Leo, you’re so cute I could eat you!”

“Thanks Raph! Donnie, Raph wants to eat me and not you!”

“Jokes on you! He’s saving the best for last and I’m the best!”

“But I’m his first choice! I’m a premium cut of grade A meat!”

Mikey has Leo stand still so he mark him as a diagram of where to cut and label parts of him.

“I still can’t believe you are okay with this!”

Cut to rise April bitting a robot like the complete feral she is.

“Never mind, I see it.”

——

“Why are you letting them do this to you?”

A smile, “if that’s what it takes to feed my brothers, I’m okay with it.”

———

“I was real bitey as a child- I’m not so much anymore but sometimes I have the urge.”, Raph looks at a turtle.

“Like right now, you look so fresh and tender! I bet you could feed all my brothers.”

“Or make a light snack- where’s he going?”

———

You can ignore this angst/ it’s optional:

One day, a turtle begs them to stop.

“Please! You have to stop! It’s unnatural! Tap into your humanity! I know you have some! I can see you hesitate when chomping down on your brothers!”

They look at them and then around the room. Everyone was looking at them. They laughed.

“In case you forgot- we were normal turtles before we had mutated! Cannibalism happens in nature!”

Their laughing died down as they had sunk to the floor. They were quiet and smile before they broke out into a sob.

None of them could stop sobbing they admitted to trying to be normal.

“We could have just been pets! Or wild animals swimming in rivers! It’s normal! We wanted to connect! This is all we have! Our instincts as normal turtles that eat meat include turtles okay! Sometimes….”

These kids were twisted and confused. They need help, they couldn’t just tell their dad. They saw him eat a rat once- to feel like he’s still a human and superior and just-he’s a person not a rat- well mostly human.

“In the wild snapping turtles eat other turtles.”

“In the wild soft shell turtles eat other turtles.”

“In captivity red eared sliders eat other turtles.”

“It happens! Not all the time, but it does! That’s why it’s a treat! To feel special!”

“We aren’t normal! We can’t be normal! I look at what I’m suppose to be and feel…well ugly.”

#au #fanfiction #crossover #ROTTMNT #tmnt #03 tmnt #12 tmnt #90s tmnt #07 tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #cannibalism #turtles

45 notes · View notes

primussavethesemechs · 2 years

Note

hey so you know that rise!/2k12 crossover you mentioned where the 2k12 boys realize the rise! turts lost their leo? are you still planning to write that? because it sounds delightfully angsty

Thanks for being my first ask ever!! 🥳🎉

Yes! I got a little side tracked with figuring out edits 😅 but I am still writing it, here’s a snippet from the parts that I’ve completed so far. (I’ll reblog the original post with this soon too, and attach the full thing there as well so it all stays together)

It’s Him.

A little hard to tell since he looks almost identical to his brothers, which really threw Raph off at first, but the blue bandanna sticks out like a sore thumb and he can see the hilts of his katanas sticking out from behind his shell. It’s too much, it’s everything he’s dreamed of since that day but also his worst nightmare because this isn’t him, this isn’t his little brother, it’s some strange older version of him and from the way he’s backing up in a defensive stance, he seems to be afraid of him.

Leo was never afraid of him, not until the Krang used him as a puppet and even then…. he might be sick. But he needs to keep composure, be a leader, for his brothers- now huddled behind him, but Raph can’t seem to force any words out. His brothers haven’t said anything either, and from the way Mikey is gripping Donnie’s arm… He figures they might have spotted him too.

The confirmation of this is a horrible groaning wail from behind him and an orange blur, and suddenly Mikey is clinging to Leo (not him it’s not him at all)- down on his knees sobbing for forgiveness, telling him how sorry he is for not being able to save him. Raph can hardly hear the words through the pulse in his ears, and it’s getting hard to see donnie from his peripheral from blur of tears, but he can spot that Donnie- HIS donnie (the other seems to be stock still with confusion and concern)- is backing away slowly with wide horrified eyes, curling in on himself, likely a sign of an oncoming panic attack and Raph should really do something about either of these things, he should, he really, really should, and he would if he could move at all.

Right now he finds himself swaying on shaking legs and most of his concentration is being used on keeping his knees from buckling. He supposes that’s why some hot tears slip out unnoticed- there goes any chance of being the unshakable leader they need right now- but then, when was he very good at doing his job? He already failed at being the protector and Leo paid for it, he can’t do it again, he can’t lose another- FOCUS!

He pushes through, packs it all in and takes a big breath- there’ll be time for tears later, but he needs to fix this first. Once he finds the strength to stand he realizes Mikey is still clinging to… he needs to deal with that first, before these other turtles get anymore freaked out then they already are. “Mikey… you need to let go”, Mikey finally peels his face off where it had been jammed against this Leonardo’s plastron, only to turn to him and shout “NO! W-what if he disappears again? We just g-got him back! I ca- We can’t lose him again!”. Raph struggles to word this as gently as possible, “Mikey, that’s… that’s not our Leo, you know that.” he inches out while slowly approaching.

It’s silent for a moment, then “I know.” is whispered out while Mikey untangles his arms from where they’d been wrapped around Leonardo’s shell, Leonardo silently taking one large step back once released as the other turtles step forward to be almost shoulder to shoulder with their brother, wearing grimaces with varying levels of confusion and distrust.

A large hand comes down on Mikey’s shoulder, warm and familiar- it should be comforting, but he only feels colder.

“…I know.”

26 notes · View notes

mediocrevideopodcast · 3 years

Text

Friendly Competition

Request: Now I can’t get the image of Mikey and Leo prancing around the lair to try to impress Y/N and Raph and Donnie just exchanging glances like wth in response to this X,D Wait, are you open to requests? Because then I’d totally request if you could do the idea of Leo and Mikey trying to impress Y/N in outdoing each other…

Characters: Leonardo (Pining)/Reader/Michelangelo (Pining)

Content Warnings: Swearing, really brief reference to The Walking Dead (Season 4).

Word Count: 1946

“Carl, Carl! Oh my god, dude,” Mikey squeals, clinging tightly to Raph’s side. Any other day, you might have laughed a little at his reaction - once a little brother, always a little brother - but you’re not in much better standing this time. The boy on TV backs slowly away from the zombies a little overconfidently for your liking, and you can’t suppress the rush of anxiety that courses through you. He’s a TV character, sure, but you’ve watched him grow up! He can’t die now, right?

And when the third walker appears, grabbing onto the young boy and pulling him down, you could have sworn the whole lair screamed. The room is filled with the “no’s” and various swears of your friends as the kid fights for his life, and you press yourself further into the couch to try and put some distance between you and the TV. You flinch at the sound of gunshots as he pushes the walkers away, barely managing to stay alive, when suddenly the room is pierced with a noise that’s somehow even more jarring and terrifying.

Battle alarm. Of course. Some yokai...alien… whatever it is... had to terrorize New York City now, of all times?

"Couldn't this have been an email or something? Really, the nerve of some people. Interrupting The Walking Dead now, of all times," You groan jokingly, pausing the show for the boys as they rise to their feet.

“If you unpause it while we’re gone, I will take you as a prisoner of war and treat the Geneva Convention as a to-do-list,” Donatello snarks.

You stick your tongue out at him, but you can’t help but giggle. “Noted, D. Hurry back guys, stay safe!”

“We will!” Raphael calls, waving to you with a smile before stopping at the exit of the lair, waiting for his brothers to catch up. Donatello walks right past him, balancing his tech bō over the expanse of his shoulders. You smile and wave back at Raph, but soon after, you’re met with the excited cheers of Mikey. He takes a running start at one of the nearby guard rails, grinning as he lines himself up at an angle. He jumps, grabbing the bar and spinning himself around it with ease to face you. In the brief second where your eyes lock, he shoots you a wink and a grin, before spinning himself back around and walking off. I mean, you know he’s a ninja and all, but has he always been that smooth with his parkour? Or like, that smooth in general?

He waves quickly at you with a smile and walks straight past Raph and into the tunnels of the sewer system. “Later, angel!” He chirps.

Leo boos before taking a running start of his own. Not to be outdone, he avoids the bar completely, instead choosing to flip over it entirely. He clears the bar with ease, landing on one leg and sweeping the other under him to perform a small rotation towards the ground. As he regains his balance, he pushes himself up with one hand and removes his feet from the ground to do another rotation before planting them once more and performing an angled flip. His movements are quick and fluid, as though such acrobatic feats were innate to his nature. As he lands he grins and shoots you a pair of fingerguns - which you laugh at softly - before backing out of the lair. “Later, sweetheart,” he coos, and turns around to walk out properly. You chuckle again once you hear Mikey’s voice echo from the sewers.

“Show-off.”

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

You swish the warm drink around in your mug and take a sip. You practically purr at the heat as it hits your tongue: it’s been far too cold for your liking lately. Or, maybe you’re spending too much time in the sewers. Maybe you should invest in some space heaters, if you’re gonna be down here all the time. You twiddle a pencil between your fingers as you fill out the tattered crossword in a vain attempt to wake your brain up a little. Who was Aphrodite’s son again? Did she even have a son? You suppose you’ll get back to that one.

Raphael stumbles into the kitchen with a groan, fumbling around for a fresh mug. “Good mornin’, Y/N.”

“Good morning, Raph,” you reply.

He finally manages to find a mug, pouring some coffee and creamer and pulling up a chair next to you. He leans his head in his hands, clearly not awake yet. You chuckle. “Sleepy?”

He hums affirmatively and takes a sip of his coffee. You pat his shell gently and return to your crossword. You’ve never felt more like an adult, you think sarcastically. It’s like some scene out of a Lifetime movie.

Out of nowhere, there comes a loud thump from the common area, followed by the quiet swears of Leo. You damn-near jump out of your seat at the sudden noise, barely managing to keep your drink in your mug. It sloshes around the rim, and you quickly put your hand up to steady it. Raph, meanwhile, stays glued to his seat, seemingly unbothered by the loud noise. “Good morning,” he repeats. You snort. “Good morning, indeed,” you reply.

After a moment of thought, you set down your cup and rise to your feet. You might as well check out the noise and make sure everything is okay. You pat Raph’s head one last time before walking out into the living room, only to find Mikey and Leo whispering loudly at one another. Their voices are so hushed that it’s difficult to decipher what exactly they’re saying, although you can certainly hear them. But judging by the force behind the indecipherable words - and the overexaggerated hand motions - it clearly isn’t a friendly discussion. You clear your throat and wave gently at them, which catches their attention.

“Everything okay?” You venture.

“Yeah-” says Mikey.

“Yeah- It’s- Everything’s all good,” Leo stumbles, only to be cut off by his brother.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” He elbows Leo harshly, emphasizing some point to his brother that you’re clearly missing.

“Hunky-dorey.”

“Peachy-keen”

“Perfect.”

The two keep stuttering and stammering, occasionally elbowing the other without warning. You raise an eyebrow at the strange behavior, and decide to intervene. “Okay,” you drawl, “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t just hear… whatever that was. For your guys’ sake.” You joke lightly, attempting to lighten the mood a little and divert the attention away from that… trainwreck of an interaction. And the boys seem all-too-happy for the excuse, as Leo quickly jumps in with a quick question.

“Hey, now that you’re here, could you do us a huge favor? We’re having a little…” he pauses, “brotherly competition, and we need someone unbiased to judge.”

“Oh, that sounds fun!” You chirp, “What kind of competition is it?”

“It’s-”

“It’s a parkour competition!” Mikey interjects.

The tension between the two turtles is thick, and you certainly don’t want to be the one to address it. Perhaps if you ignore it, it’ll go away on its own? Maybe they both woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, or maybe this competition has high stakes? You sigh internally: it’s too early to be thinking this hard. “Sweet! I’m ready to be impressed,” you jest. “Who’s going first?”

“Me!”

“I will!”

They reply in unison, cutting each other off for the umpteenth time today. You chuckle and roll your eyes, which catches their attention. You don’t miss the way their eyes light up… or the way Mikey begins to smirk. He looks almost devious, although you suppose such a mischievous look isn’t an uncommon sight with him.

“Leo,” he starts, “How about you go first?”

He takes the bait with a grin, clearly unaware of whatever plan Michelangelo’s formed. “Why certainly!” He rolls his wrist around in an overexaggerated motion, beaming with absolute confidence. “As the eldest brother in the room, I’d be happy to show you how it’s done.”

And with that, he’s off. His movements are as smooth as silk as he runs towards the nearest crate, grabbing it at an angle to flip himself over once. He lands on his feet with a loud “thump” against the concrete, but he doesn’t waste a moment as he runs towards the nearest wall. He runs up its length the moment he’s in range, this time using his body weight to spin himself during his flip. He’s fluid in his movements, years of practice and training shining through in this brief moment. This time he lands straight up on both feet, although he doesn’t take any reprieve. Instead, he kicks himself up and over, sweeping the leg to enter a combative stance. A final flourish in his display, you assume. And just like that, it’s over. The show only lasted a matter of seconds, but it’s still enough to leave you starry-eyed and in awe.

“That was fucking badass, Leo!” You clap.

“Really?” He smiles, “Uh, I mean, yeah! Thanks!” He fumbles with his hands for a moment before finding a spot for them. He rests them behind his head, shifting side to side on his feet. God, that’s so fucking cute.

You beam: You can’t wait to see what Mikey does! “Think you can top that, Mikey?”

He returns your excitement wholeheartedly, shining back with something that seems like… so much more than his typical positivity. In most situations, he radiates so much positivity that one could liken it to a lighthouse for the hopeful. But his attitude seems different from that usual beacon of light. He’s excited, positive, and confident, but that’s not what’s throwing you off. Sure, they’re competitive, but what’s the motivator this time? Ah, you suppose you’ll find out soon enough. You’re brought out of your thoughts by his cheers. “Easy!”

And god, Mikey’s movements are so graceful that he makes Leo’s look inexperienced, like a giraffe crossing a tightrope. He moves like a swan through water, scaling walls effortlessly and flying through the air like it’s his second home. He starts his routine off strong, leaping at the first waist-high object he could lay his eyes on, performing an impromptu 720 rotation and landing on the concrete protrusion hands-first. He leaps off it as quickly as he landed, using his momentum to propel himself onto a nearby set of steel bars. He throws himself from one to the other with ease, spinning and adding his own flair to each and every movement. You can’t seem to take your eyes off of him while he leaps his way to victory. He uses any ledge possible to propel himself higher and higher, and his movements are so light and quick that they hardly make a sound. And before you know it, he’s standing at the topmost bit of the lair. He plops himself down, dangling his legs off of the precipice and swinging them back and forth. From this far away, you can barely see the way his grin stretches across his face, but you know it’s there. He raises one hand to wave at you and Leo, and the way he wiggles his fingers signals that he knows he’s won. And to be fair, he has. You giggle at the way Leo mutters “show-off” under his breath - where have you heard that one before? - before signaling for Mikey that he’s won and to head on down. And god, the descent is just as impressive. He laughs as he kicks and spins his way down, and despite the competition being over, he continues to shine and demonstrate his skills flawlessly.

“One and one, baby!”

#rottmnt x reader #rottmnt imagine #tmnt leonardo x reader #tmnt michelangelo x reader #rottmnt michelangelo x reader #rottmnt leonardo x reader #tmnt imagine #TMNT x reader #leonardo hamato x reader #michelangelo hamato x reader #rottmnt mikey x reader #rottmnt leo x reader

170 notes · View notes

remmushound · 3 years

Text

@brightlotusmoon Part 2 of the Bay/Rise crossover!!

The memory just kept replaying in Donatello’s mind. He tried dismissing it, but it would return and dominate his mind like a storm over the city. Running. Running, and April was in the lead— Splinter was pulling her along. Michelangelo in his shell. He did that when he got scared, it couldn’t help it. It was biological. Leonardo was there with him…

Donatello’s legs ached. His back ached, and his arms, and his stomach. Everything burned from the strain. He kept going.

Everyone was running. Everyone was ahead of him— he couldn’t keep up. He was falling behind and he was—falling! Tripping. Splinter looked back and cried out to his son, and then Leonardo looked back. But Leonardo couldn’t leave Michelangelo…

Donatello noticed the camera in his exhausted stupor. He disabled it just as quickly. His spider arms couldn’t take much more of this. He needed a break. He felt warm dripping down his arms. He kept going.

There was a weight on his back. A comforting weight that covered him like a mutant shield, hugging him from behind and securing a wall between him and the Shredder. Raphael…

Donatello felt one of his metal arms give way. It echoed painfully and the additional weight made him stop. He could feel those eyes staring at him...

Donatello told him to get off, but Raphael held those seconds steadfast. Raphael held him.

Now he held Raphael. Donatello forced himself to backtrack in his desperation for rest.

The shredder was upon them. Claws of titanium slicing through hard keratin like it was butter. The scream. The blood. The portal…

A sword made him stop a moment. A katana, pointed at him. A clear threat. He tried to call out, but found the words stopped at his throat. He tried to step out into the light…

The rift was unstable. Something was pulling them away from their desired destination. Donatello clinging to Raphael. Leonardo clinging to Michelangelo. Splinter clinging to April. Everyone trying to reach out for the others…

Instead, the light came to him in a blinding flash that made him unsteady on his feet.

Then falling. Freefalling through the sky. The hovers on his battle shell the only thing keeping him and Raphael from hitting the ground too hard.

Donatello had to say something, and he tried to make it something distinguished and peaceful. A plea for salvation. All his mind could think to say was,

“Help…”

*****

At first nobody moved. The shock was too great and the confusion strong between them. When someone did move it wasn’t at Leo’s command. Donnie moved forward on his own, grabbing one of the spiked monster’s massive arms and trying to yank him up.

“You gonna help me or what?” Donnie snapped, looking back at his brothers for help.

“Donnie, we don’t know what they are!” Leo finally broke the shock to argue.

“I know I’m not willing to let this one bleed out, so stop standing there trying to catch flies and help me!”

“Raph.” Leo shook his head and motioned for Raph to help, “Help Donnie! Mikey with me.”

Raph hurried forward and grabbed the massive mutants other side, heaving him up together and supporting the hundreds of pounds of muscle between them.

“Shit!” Donnie eyed the damage to the turtle’s carapace, “Looks like he went ten rounds with a semi!”

“He looks kinda like Raph!” Mikey said, voicing the thoughts that filled his brothers minds.

Leo, Raph, and Donnie all exchanged looks. Leo heaved the smaller turtle onto his back, still muscular and a decent weight despite the smaller size, and Mikey was there to help him.

“Let’s get these guys home and have Don patch em up.” He held up a hand when Donnie tried to speak, “We’ll talk later. Let’s go.”

*****

No one said a word on the way back. Mikey tried a few times but when no one, not even Raph, reacted to his attempts at a joke, he eventually went quiet. They hustled at Donnie’s impatient prompting, and the whole way the box turtle was muttering equations and percentages under his breath that none of his brothers could quite make out. When they came through the tunnels, Splinter was there to greet them. His watery eyes went wide and ears back when he smelled the metal of blood clinging to his sons.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“It’s not our blood, sensei.” Leo answered.

Splinter’s eyes searched up and found the sight of the wounded young mutants supported by his sons.

“Oh my…”

“They’re really hurt, dad.” Leo shook his head.

“Here, here— lay them on their stomachs. Be careful!” Donnie guided his brothers to lay the wounded on a table after swiping everything off of it.

“I’m sorry dad, I—“ Leo tried to say.

“Don’t apologize, go!” Splinter urged, and Leo obeyed.

“They gonna be okay, Don?” Leo said as he laid the soft-skinned mutant on the table alongside the giant.

Donnie pulled his goggles down to get a better read on their vitals. “Leo, I need you to go get my mutant aid kit from my lab— the green one with a turtle on it, not the cross.”

“Okay, Don.”

“What can we do?” Raph offered.

“You can give me space.” Donnie growled, “Nothing you can do here, just try to stay quiet so I can focus…”

Donnie pulled himself onto the table, turning his attention to the struggling snapper— for that’s what he recognized the species as almost as once. He lifted the massive head in both hands, taking a quick look at the nostrils in search for blood. Then he came to the mouth and heistated.

“Actually, Raph.” Donnie called back to Raph before the turtle could get far, “Could you give me a hand here? Just— just open his mouth so I can make sure he’s not aspirating?”

“Sure.” Raph hurried over and pried the massive jaws open without a care as to losing a finger or two should the mutant wake.

“Mm. No blood.” Donnie sighed, “Help me take his gear off.”

Raph obliged Donnie’s command and helped him to remove the armor, tossing in a pile to the side. Leo hurried back with the kit Donnie needed and Donnie was quick to take it. Donnie took a flashlight from his belt and shined it into the massive blue eyes of the wounded beast, giving a grin of confidence as the eyes contracted and reacted to the light.

Donnie pulled on his rubber gloves before he started to examine the obvious source of damage.

“What could’ve caused this?” Leo asked, peeking over the bloody carapace.

Donnie hummed and hovered a finger across the cracks. “The cracks don’t follow the suture borders like any normal crack would. This wasn’t an accident, this was very deliberate. Something… some type of three-bladed weapon. Whatever it was, it got him good.”

Donnie opened the turtle care kit and pulled out a drill.

“Can it be fixed?” Leo asked.

Donnie was hesitant to give any answer other than, “We’ll see.”

*****

While he worked, Donnie made sure to keep a close eye on both the snapper and the smaller companion. A softshell, he suspected due to the face shape. His vitals were stable enough and if they did start to drop than Donnie would know. Fixing the shell without the bone sutures to guide him proved difficult, but not impossible. It just involved drilling a lot more screws in than he usually would, and a much slower, tedious process. Drilling the holes parallel to each other and connecting them with tightened wire to pull the cracks together. The more he worked, the more he realized why the slashes were as awkward as they were. Whatever had attacked him had attacked not only the shield of his carapace, but taken off a few of the many spikes that covered his shell. Two of the dorsal ridges had been taken off at their middle, and a third was slashed off completely. Several more were chipped and slashed at the top, but not enough to warrant repair— not deep enough to bleed. After near two hours of intense focus, Donnie finally backed off the snapper and started to remove his bloody gloves.

“How is he?” Leo was on Donnie in an instant, “Is he okay?”

“He’s… stable.” Donnie said, discarding his gloves safely in the bio hazard bin.

“So are we gonna talk about what the fuck is happening here?” Raph appeared just as sudden and quick as Leo.

“He was hurt.” Donnie said calmly, going to his sink and washing up to his forearms before placing fresh gloves. “Something attacked him.”

“Yeah, we understand that, but… why does he look like Raph?”

Donnie didn't have an answer to give, even if he wanted to.

“Mikey, leave him alone.” Donnie pushed past his brothers, holding his gloved hands out in front of him and avoiding contact with everything that might contaminate the rubber. Mikey had taken the opening of Donnie’s absence to jump on the table and start to poke at the subject that Donnie now turned his attention to. Donnie ushered Mikey off of the table and away from his patients. “If you wanna help, see if you can figure out how to take that shell peice off of him.”

Donnie started to give the other mutant the same mouth and nose exam he had given to the snapper. Mikey obliged Donnie’s request, if only to give him more time to be in contact with the new mutant. Mikey picked up the mutants hand and dropped it, laughing as it dropped hard.

“Dude! This guys out cold!” Mikey stood over the mutant and leaned down to stick his face in the softshell’s.

“Out of the way, Mikey.” Donnie huffed and nudged Mikey away with his shoulder.

“What? Come on dude, I’m helping— I’m helping! Hey, what’s this button do?”

“Mikey, do not—“

Mikey pressed the botton on the mutants belt, and the belt snapped undone.

“Oh.” Donnie blinked, “Guess that could’ve been worse. Might’ve helped, actually.”

“See? Told ya I was helpful!” Mikey picked the armor off of the mutants carapace and tossed it haphazardly to the side. “Yoooo! He looks like a burnt pancake!”

“Mikey!” Leo scolded, “That’s not nice!”

“Why’s his back like that?” Mikey gawked.

“Yeah. It’s more like a moldy tortilla than a shell.” Raph commented.

“Cut it out, both of you!” Leo snarled.

“Why’s he look like that?” Mikey laughed and poked the shell, “ewww! It’s all squishy! And flexible!” Mikey bended the bridge of the shell and made the unconscious mutant groan and wince.

“Stop That!” Donnie nudged Mikey away. “He’s a softshell.”

“A what?”

“A softshell. Judging by these ridges, I’d guess Apalone Spinerifa—“

“In non-geek speak, please.”

“Spiny softshell.” Donnie sighed, “Anyway, his vitals seem stable, and there’s no obvious signs of damage. I’m guessing he just exhausted himself trying to carry that snapper for god knows how long— hell, I was breaking a sweat just carrying him home, and that was with Raphael’s help!”

“But he’s gonna be okay?”

“Mm.” Donnie hummed and started to examine the fleshy parts of the mutant. “He has some minor scratching and abrasions— nothing a little rest TLC can’t fix. They’re both cold, though— I’ll need to hook up a heat lamp to try and keep their body heat from dipping too low.”

“When will they wake?” Splinter asked suddenly, the brothers parting as he approached to let him get a better view of the young mutants.

“Hard to tell— the softshell will probably be up before the snapper, so anywhere from a few hours to a day I’d say.”

“And their ages?” Splinter traced a careful paw between the two wounded creatures, his eyes soft with worry.

“Um. Can’t really get specifics, but still in their teens— no older than sixteen I’d say.”

“Just boys… younger than you four.” He took the softshell’s head in his hands to look at his features more closely.

“What should we do, father?” Leo asked, appealing to the old rat.

“Mm. Make them comfortable. They are our guests.”

“But—“ Leo went to argue.

Splinter held up a paw. “They asked for our help, and we will give it to them. For now, all we can do is wait for one or both of them to wake up…”

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt au #rise raphael #rise donnie #bayverse turtles

84 notes · View notes