#no wonder leatherhead liked to grab donnie by the face

[forgetful-nerd]

2012 turtles’ design just makes me wanna squeeze them-

Like this:

Them some bug-eyed boys

[alostnarrator]

To Save Yourself- Chapter 8: Reconciliation

Universe: 2012

Day: 3

“I wish it was me.” Raph said suddenly, startling Leo out of the nap he was drifting off into. Leo grunted at him quizzically, not yet awake enough to properly form words. “I wish I swapped places with myself, instead of Mikey.” Raph numbly stared at the nearly finished sweater in his hands. “Did you see how that Mikey carried himself? How he bonded with Don’ so quickly… ‘wonder how nice his world is.” Raph mindlessly twirled a knitting needle in his hand. 

“I’d yell atcha’ and tell yah how stoopid that is…” Leo slurred, propping himself up on one arm to look over at Raph. “But I get it. I’ve been thinking lately… What with how Splinter reacted to… me. And how he treats you… I wish I could be sent off to some nice world.” Leo flopped back down onto his back. They both just stared at the ceiling for a while, back to the silence.

“Would you leave us behind?” Leo said suddenly. Raph laughed through his nose before seriously considering his words. 

“Yeah. Yeah I would.” And that was all. Neither turtle spoke, Raph went back to knitting. He assumed Leo fell asleep. He assumed as much, at least, until Leo rolled over again and nudged his arm. “Wazzup?” Raph watched his sibling out of the corner of his eye, but remained working. 

“I’m going to sound crazy- but just… humor me. Ok?” Raph hummed and Leo continued, “What if we… went with him. The other Mikey?” Raph finally turned to regard his taller twin, setting his needles down fully. 

“Hear me out! We could pack some stuff up. You, me, and we’d grab stuff for Mikey… Then we could talk Donnie into it…” A small smile warmed Leo’s face, but it died as quickly as it came. “Yeah right…” Again he fell onto his back. “Like he’d want us to go home with him.”

Raph couldn’t deny that the idea was tempting, freeing even, but there was no way that it would ever work. Even so, Raph couldn’t help but hope. “But what if… we tried?” He stared at his hands and felt a surge of determination go through him. 

Suddenly he stood, gathering the sweater and yarn. “Let’s do it!” He grinned, almost manically, “Let’s pack- and if we get turned down? We run! Who knows, maybe we’ll find somewhere better to live… April did mention a farmhouse out in the countryside once…” He trailed off, missing Leo’s reaction. 

“You aren’t kidding… You aren’t kidding!” His twin was practically glowing with excitement. A new adventure, an escape from someone who tore them down and made them worse versions of themselves. Leo began to mutter, trying to determine what he could live without. 

“I’ma go pack,” Raph slipped into his room, not before glancing down the hall to make sure their plans weren’t overheard. 

Raph didn’t want to bring too much. He, of course, packed Spike and his food. Next to get tossed in a box were his journals. His favorite drum sticks, some of his projects, and some smaller important items were shoved in a large duffle bag. Raph wondered how Leo would decide on what was important, his twin had so much Space Adventures merch. He saw the edge of his comics sticking out of a corner of his room. Mikey’s comics , he thought, and ice cream kitty. He also wondered if he could convince Leatherhead to join them. Probably not...

Raph finished up after one last bag. His load was nothing impossible for him to carry, so he considered it reasonable. Taking the next step into his own hands he texted Donnie.

Raph: Hey D

Raph: Donnie

Raph: Yo dorkus get to the lair. Leo’s made a decision, we want to know your opinion.

Raph sighed when he got no response. To send Mikey back, Donnie would need his lab; the purple favoring turtle had told them that much. They’d pack, and wait for Donnie to get back. To distract himself from the radio silence, Raph grabbed the cooler in Mikey’s room and silently snuck into the kitchen. 

Ice Cream Kitty meowed happily when the freezer door was opened. Once plenty of ice was inside the cooler he helped the mutant cat in. “There you go, just chill in there until we get to where we’re going.” He laughed half heartedly at his unintentional pun and moved back to his “little” brother’s room. 

Mikey’s comics, sweaters, action figures, skateboard- Raph knew they all had to come. He piled the two boxes, the bag, and the cooler in his room by his own luggage. 

“The blankets..” Raph whispered, sitting on his brother’s bed. He ran his calloused hand over the soft texture of the blanket, smiling at the memories they carried. Mikey had a total of four blankets, two Raph made, one Splinter provided, and the last was a small raggedy thing. Mikey’s favorite blanket… Raph grabbed the small one, the ones he made, and Mikey’s teddy bear. With one last look behind him Raph yoinked the t-pod off a pile of pizza boxes by the door and left. 

“You didn’t cut corners, did you?” The stout turtle could hear the smirk in Leo’s voice. Turning he saw Leo’s three bags, and a singular box. “There’s no way I’d screw over Mikey like that… We- I  have so much to make up for.” Leo placed a comforting hand on the shorter’s shoulder. 

“I know Raph… one step at a time, yeah?” They nodded at each other, both internally debating what came next. On one hand they could load up the Shell-raiser and track down Donnie, on the other they could wait it out. Raph took another look at Leo’s packing and thought of something. 

Grabbing a box he snuck his way out to the living room, anxiously listening and watching for any hint that Splinter may be looming. As quietly as he could he gathered the tapes of Leo’s favorite show and ran back to his twin.

“Raph?” Leo grinned, confused but flattered. He rolled his eyes, putting the box down next to the cooler. “There’s no way I’m going to listen to you bitch about missing ‘ Captain Ryan’ or whatever.” Raph huffed and crossed his arms, ignoring the genuine smile on his brother’s face. 

The moment passed and they both agreed to just wait, in the meantime they could talk specifics. Raph and Leo felt they could breathe easier with a plan in place for either outcome. Both turtles knew that in the end, Donnie wouldn’t fight moving too much. But it was the ‘going to another world’ that might be harder to sell. They’d have to take Timmy, of course, and Donnie’s backup harddrives. But if the other Donnie was anything like theirs, then they were sure their Donnie would be back up and experimenting in no time. 

The lair was eerily quiet while they waited. To ignore it Ralph started a new project, and Leo sorted through his comics.

“Should I bring a few? I can always find new comics… and if we end up just moving out to April’s farmhouse we could sneak back for the rest.” Leo spoke more to himself than his brother. Raph thought about the stacks of comics in his own room, and the various copies of untouched volumes remaining in Mikey’s room. Maybe they could start new collections wherever they ended up, maybe even find some new hobbies. 

“Well… I, for one, vote to find something new to do. Donnie could do tech things, Mikey’s good with music… You can cook.” Raph rearranged his box, making extra space for a special item he noticed Leo had left out. “I don’t have much going for me, aside from my knitting. But maybe we could just… chill? Not be so concerned about saving the world while wasting away our childhood? We could be… ‘normal’ teens.” He air-quoted. 

Leo leaned on the wall, sliding down it to sit. The leader folded his hands, leaning against them to process his brother’s words. Ever since they were children, they had been trained to ‘defend the Hamato name’, thinking back on it it all just seemed like Splinter trying to force his ideals on the young mutants. 

Raph chewed on the non-toxic “chewelry” that Donnie made for him back when he first got his braces. He was glad Leo had one stored away for him, all his others had been shredded on some of his harder nights. Raph took care to not chew too hard on this one, trying to keep this one in good shape for as long as possible. 

Donnie would flip out, he was sure of that. There would be yelling, fighting, maybe a week of silence before he would come to terms with whatever option they went with. Raph would need to make this chewie last until his brother would make him a new one. Luckily the ache subsided quickly, allowing him to place the piece into his bag. 

“Have you heard from Donnie?” Leo piped up from his spot on the floor, only needing to move his arm forward slightly to nudge Raph. Small room perks, he mused. Raph merely grunted, moving to sit by the wall across from Leo. Their feet pressed together, reminding them of how they used to try and stretch as far as possible when they were younger. They would sit across from each other and test to see how much they had grown. Then Leo hit his growth spurt and suddenly Raph didn’t want to do it anymore. 

Raph laughed wistfully, so caught up in his reminiscing that he hadn’t noticed Leo sorting through his comics. Raphael was content to just watch his brother do his thing, sit there and soak up the peace. He wondered how long it would be before they got another moment of just comfortable silence. 

It wasn’t long before Donnie and Other Mikey came through the entrance, the former’s iconic sigh cut through the silence. A quiet conversation that only consisted of one voice echoed clearly through the stillness of the lair.

The voices faded as the doors to the lab opened and shut. This was it, Raph and Leo were mere seconds away from their future. They had fought in battles that they weren’t sure they’d survive, they’d lived through Splinter’s training, but now? Talking to their brother was one of the scariest things they’d yet to face. They remained glued to the floor, Raph’s hands flexed and unflexed while Leo kept opening his mouth to talk- only to stop at the last second. 

“We should probably-”

“Yeah, maybe we should…” 

They both looked at each other, then the door. Would Splinter be lurking outside the door? Would Donnie scream at them for their idea and kick them out to be dealt with by the rat? They had no way of knowing until they just

- - - - - - - -

POV: 2012 Mikey

Day: 1

“So… We wanted tah know whatchu thought- now that yer calm ‘n whatnot.” Raph sat on the floor in front of him, slouching to appear smaller. The brothers had come back into the living room, openly discussing ideas in front of him, giving him the chance to pipe up and add his thoughts. April whispered something to D that made him smirk. 

“I’ve been thinking it over… And I… I don’t wanna go back. I wanna stay here, do something new…” He paused, stroking his chin in thought, “Like learn how to cook properly!” He exclaimed, ignoring the startled looks on the brother’s faces. 

“You can’t cook for yourself?” ‘Nardo asked. 

“Well- To be fair ‘Nardo, you can only make tamales .” D piped up from his beanbag nestled in the corner. ‘Nardo huffed dramatically and crossed his arms.

“Mikey and I were learning to make pan dulce for gramgram’s ofrenda a few days ago!” His hip cocked to the side, a teasing smirk that betrayed his offended tone. Mikey tilted his head to the side, “What’s an ofrenda ?” ‘Nardo lit up, finally it was his turn to info-dump. 

“Basically, an ofrenda is a shrine from hispanic culture. Me and my brothers-” 

“My brothers and I.” D corrected.

“ Me and my brothers were setting one up due to it almost being Dia De Muertos .” Noticing Mikey’s growing confusion he added, “Day of the dead. A day for celebrating those before us and remembering their story. Our Mikey was looking for a recipe for sugar skulls- calaveras de azucar -  before the switch happened.” ‘Nardo happily answered any of Mikey’s questions, never once complaining when Mikey needed him to repeat part of what he said before Mikey could fully process what he said.

Eventually April took over, returning with pizza and offering him some cooking lessons. Mikey was thrilled to be presented with more of the amazing pizza and lessons he’s always wanted.

- - - - - - -

In the spirit of the season Raph, ‘Nardo, and D joined in to learn how to make some traditional dishes for Dia De Muertos . Pan De Muertos, guacamole, tamales , and they started on some chicken Pozole that had to be slow cooked. By the end of it they had some not half-bad dishes, and the lot of them were very proud of what they had accomplished. 

Of course all the talk of ‘traditional’ meals got Splinter’s attention, and even though it took some time to warm up to him, Mikey found himself enjoying talking about dishes to make to satisfy Splinter’s cravings for his childhood meals. April nodded thoughtfully and suggested they make her mother’s cheesy broccoli casserole, or her dad’s homemade mac n’ cheese to which D practically sprung at. 

“YES- I mean, that would be a good dish to learn. Or what about your grandma’s candied yams?” D feigned disinterest, but ‘Nardo smirked knowingly. April laughed along with Raph and they discussed meals to make. So many ideas were thrown around that Splinter ended up making a list.

“As fun as it has been to discuss meal ideas we should probably get new Mikey his own room to stay in…” D scratched his chin thoughtfully, before snapping his fingers. 

“A-hah!” He said dramatically, “The old subway lair!” He marched out of the kitchen, leaving the rest to follow. The brothers lit up and followed quickly, Mikey hot on their heels.

His own room? He was thrilled to bits, but a bit overwhelmed at all this newness. He was grateful to be getting somewhere he could decompress for a bit. Well, until it was time to get everyone back. The more he thought, the more his heart ached for his brothers. He was determined to convince them to come over with him- They could live how they always wanted to, only fighting when THEY chose to! His brothers would get a chance to heal, and Mikey would get more of those soft moments he craved from his brothers. 

They stopped after only a few moments of walking down a lit tunnel, and the gaggle of mutants, and April, proudly presented the converted subway train. Mikey flapped his hands happily as he approached the train, it was covered in cool (and tasteful) graffiti. He noticed how the style matched the art in the room he woke in. Inside the train had been fitted to house the brothers. He didn’t know the story behind the train’s conversion to a home- but at the moment he couldn’t care less. 

“Down that way is a bathroom- don’t ask how we got that one working - and down the other way is a dining room of sorts.” The brothers explained that they got the lair back into shape quickly enough that they didn’t need to make an actual kitchen, and that Mikey was free to use theirs. 

All the talk of him staying here reminded him of what he wanted to bring up to the kind people that had so quickly taken him in.

“I was actually wondering…” He started, anxiety threatened to swallow him up- but he was determined to ask. All eyes were on him as he spoke. He was so close, all he had to do was

[singthebodyelectric-tmnt]

I Sing the Body Electric 2

Don

Don slowly sipped his coffee as he watched Leon now openly arguing with air. He’s assuming he is having a tiff with the brothers of his own guests. He glanced at Raphie who was listening to both Leon’s passive-aggressive ranting and Michael excitedly describing his “guests”. Raphie’s brows furrowed in confusion but he doesn’t stop them.

Eh. The big guy can handle it. He then glanced at his own guests; one smaller with olive green skin, one almost as tall as him and had eerie red eyes.

The smaller one was sitting calmly next to him, amused at all the commotion at the table. The other one was chewing on his thumb nervously with his teeth, and glancing at his brothers. (And not gonna lie, his gap tooth is cute. Too bad this Donnie is way too jumpy. Maybe neurotic but Don didn’t want to be an ass and self-diagnose).

“Is it always like this at breakfast?” the older one asked. He was reading a book. An actual physical book. Weird choice but who was he to question the recreational activities of his counterparts? He preferred podcasts, audiobooks, and the theatre. It gave his hands much more freedom to work on his projects. “More or less, yeah,” he took a sip of his coffee. The Donnie with the gap tooth sat next to him, and kept looking nervously at Raphie. Don frowned. Was this Donnie afraid of Raph? “You guys are different species of turtles, right? Your Raphael said he was the eldest as well, so I’m assuming you’re all different ages,” mused Donatello. Don liked this one. He was quite polite for an adult. Not many adults get his respect. “Yeah. Raphie’s fifteen, Me and Leon are fourteen, and Michael’s thirteen”.

The two Donatello's reactions were...interesting to say the least. Donnie’s red eyes widened in horror. A flash of grief crossed Donatello’s face before he took a deep breath and settled on a pained smile. “That’s...that’s really interesting”. Before Don could ask, Leon suddenly stood up. His fists were clenched and teeth were bared like he was furious. Then he tried taking a swing at himself. “Tried” because Raphie was able to stop him in time. Raphie began to mumble soothing words to Leon to get him to calm down. Michael looked terrified. “What’s going on?,” Don said through gritted teeth. He reached out and rubbed his little brother’s back to soothe him. “If you harm the person visiting you, you get harmed as well,” explained Donatello. He snapped his book closed with a sigh. The other Donnie said nervously, “It’s...It’s probably my brother. I mean... Leo...I mean my Leo...sorry”. He chewed on his thumb in worry, staring as Raphie kept talking quietly to Leon. Donatello shook his head, “No...I think it’s mine. He doesn’t know how to handle teenagers well...oh Donnie, you’re bleeding”. Don snapped his attention away from his brothers to stare at his counterparts. Donnie had chewed on his thumb so hard it broke through skin. Donatello gathered cloth and wrapped Donnie’s thumb to put pressure on it, even if his own thumb was bleeding.

Don looked at his hand and there was a thin line of blood that slowly dripped on to his hand. He tsked and grabbed tissue to stave it. “I’m so sorry-” began Donnie. “Hush, it’s fine,” interrupted Donatello. Don opted to not comment on it. Instead he asked, “You both said this isn’t the first time you’ve met other versions of us. Did this whole...situation where I only get to see you happen?” Donatello shook his head, “As far as I know, no. We met our other counterparts physically. This whole astral projection thing is new. The only reason I know about the host-visitor thing is because little Michael over there and Donnie's brother accidentally hit mine while playing yesterday. They all have bruises in the same place”.

Donnie muttered, “See, that doesn’t make sense! Astral projection has no scientific basis. There must be an actual explanation for this”. He began to pick at his arm scales. Don snorted, the others looked at him. “Sorry. It’s…that would be true, except in this dimension astral projection is plausible,” he inhaled in annoyance. “Magic exists here”. Donnie looked like he ate something really sour. Donatello on the other hand looked up thoughtfully. “Magic exists in my dimension as well...so it isn’t far-fetched”. He gently put a hand over Donnie’s who had unwittingly begun to pull at his scales. “If that’s the case, I can believe that would be one of the reasons we connected, Don. I can’t say for sure how Donnie here and the other Donatellos connected to us”. Don hummed. He stood and put his empty plate in the sink. It was Leo’s turn to do the dishes but he decided to help with the burden by preemptively washing the plates … “Would it help the situation if we met face to face? All of us- I mean not all the iterations of us, just our three dimensions” Donatello smiled while Donnie tilted his head. “Maybe it would...are you suggesting building a portal to each other’s dimensions?” Don leaned on the sink. “I insist on it. We each work on a portal on our end then connect it. It should be easy if we work together”. Donnie furrowed his brows while Donatello tapped his book’s spine to his chin. “It’s doable. I can ask Professor Honeycutt and Leatherhead to help me on my end and I already have a fusion generator”. Donnie blinked, “You have a Professor Honeycutt and a Leatherhead too? Um...sure. I’ll have trouble on my end, I’ll probably need Krang tech for this though…” Don nodded, “I don’t know who those are but we have Draxum”. He then turned to his youngest brother, “Michael, can you ask Draxum to visit? I’ll need help in a project and maybe he’ll have answers to our predicament”. Michael brightened the instant he heard Draxum’s name. “Sure!” he chirped. Michael tilted his head to the side and then said out loud, “Baron Draxum’s our creator and our other dad!” There must have been some kind of loud reaction on the other end because Raphie winced and Leon rolled his eyes. Raphie said out loud, “I’ll explain later…” while Leon crossed his arms. It looks like he still doesn’t want to get along with his own guests. Donatello and Donnie looked at Don incredulously. Don shrugged, “He mutated Dad too. Michael’s the only one who calls him “Dad”, don’t worry”. Donnie looked away while Donatello huffed, “That’s...a can of worms we won’t get into now. But I’ll take any answers I can get”. He eyed Leon, “And I’ll talk to my Leo, don’t worry about that”. “Thank you,” Don said, honestly grateful. This Donatello was just as gentle as Raphie, and Don knew it wasn’t a front with how he handled Donnie’s self-harm. He wondered what damaged him to make him this way. Don eyed Donnie. So different from Don and Donatello; skittish, and nervous and is on the verge of lashing out at everything. He wondered what this one had gone through too. Don patted Raphie’s arm. “The other Donnies and I will be in the lab. Call us when Draxum gets here” <--Previous         -o-        Next-->

[thelostandforgottenangel]

Happy Birthday Ashy

Okay we are going to try this one more time - I have literally fixed anything that could get flagged! Yes it is Lemon took the picture off @fyreball66 if this don’t post and you are unable to see I will just write it by hand and send it to you for your own personal enjoyment. 

Happy Birthday Ashley I love you sissy hope this is still good there is a lot I had to redo so not my best work but me and Donatello wanted it to be the best day for you

At first he had struggled in what to get Ashley for her birthday after some online shopping he had found her a few small gifts but – it never seemed like enough for the woman that had done so much for him and his family

She had left her life behind when they had been forced to leave the city, had been chased through the sewers by the Purple Dragons so stressed she had gone into labor with their twins and had been forced to quit her amazing job after his psychotic clone had tried to kill her while she was pregnant with their son, had given him three beautiful kids and in a couple of months would be giving him a fourth even if her creation was anything but a unhappy occurrence he was excited to be a father again and face this new path in life as long as she and his family were at his side

Since coming to the cabin she and the others made it a home but lately he had noticed her nesting constantly always moving around the house finding something that needed done since the accident which had left Angel’s blind to keep her sister from having to do much, she was a hell of a mother always taking care the babies; Vincent on her hip at all times when he wasn’t running her ragged with his games the girl’s following her like little ducklings, if she let him he tried to give her some much needed down time by taking the kids or getting his brother’s to help while she got to have a relaxing bath or a few hours to herself

Ashley had given so much in their relationship, done so much just to be with him, had gone through things he wished he could erase from her mind and he wanted to make the day of her birth better then every other day to show just how much he cherished the woman of his dreams

In all honestly all of them were content living at the cabin even Leo was starting to relax more; up there they found a freedom none of them had thought possible most of the kids had never saw the inside of the sewers and to this moment there was no need to go back since he continued monitoring showing crime had hit an all time low since the clones had vanished and the city had shut down, it made them uncomfortably nervous for a while wondering what was coming but after a long talk with the Chief it was stated they should stay out of the city for as long as possible to keep their family safe

With both crime groups missing they were on edge but they were safe until the time they felt he pull to return and as Maser Splinter liked to say the universe would tell them what path to take

Why jinx a good thing when the Foot and Dragon’s where silent and if they were needed they were just a call away few hours at most to return unless Angel could get up enough strength to get them there instantly, and since the last week had been rough on he redhead in that he had formed his plan finally knowing where they were going for her birthday

His first step was prying his body out of bed so early every day leaving the warmth of his bed and sneaking away for hours at a time always coming back just as everyone started lunch never telling any of them where he disappeared to every morning sometimes slipping away again to the barn making something that they would never see once he finished falling into bed every night so tired he was out in seconds

He might have been working harder then he had in a while but it was for his special someone

At the end of the day it was worth every second he spent working himself to exhaustion

They had quickly passed out after an active night of family time, games, and the struggle of getting all the kids to actually go to bed after he had finally gotten Rosie to lay down by placing her next to Killian shaking his head at how fast she fell asleep once the Raph’s son was hugging her and calming Vincent who was being clingy tonight

By the time he had walked into his bedroom Ashley had passed out just before midnight looking so adorable still only halfway in bed her hair framing her head like a halo

Getting undressed the turtle sighed picking his wife up climbing into bed pulling her into his arms and nuzzling into her neck wanting to give her a ‘early present’ after finally getting a moment alone hearing her moan as he played with her neck but before he could start anything she was sound asleep limp in his arms

How could his the redheaded love get any cuter?

As it just so happened she could do it so easily; his wife giggled in her sleep curling into him obviously having good dreams of him he had hoped, she needed her sleep knowing she was so exhausted he kissed her lips settling down into the bed knocking out just as fast with her cuddled up to him

Unwillingly he rolled out as Vincent started fussing for him wanting his milk from mommy seeing Ash still out cold he covered her up to let her sleep as long as she needed, he yawned and stretched out his limbs as he stepped into the room finding his baby sister passed out in the rocking chair with her two infants who must have been hungry earlier then normal nursing as she slept having looked to have just passed out the genius carefully picked her up placing the small woman in the crib with the still suckling infants covering the three up with a blanket until Leo could come to get her

Kissing his son’s head he lifted the little turtle heading down the stairs to find Angel struggling to make breakfast alone “What did I tell you about sleeping in…” she waved him off as the turtle kissed the woman’s head before catching the bowl she almost dropped “Always so stubborn- Need any help?” she was supposed to be on bed rest and had somehow slipped out of one of her mates bed without waking them telling him she had it as she mixed the batter for pancakes

Her being both blind and heavily pregnant hadn’t slowed her down by much

He started sneaking around behind her while preparing the bottle flipping her food and prepared his coffee multitasking while bouncing the cranky child until Mikey appeared from outside moving closer to help his mate nuzzling in behind her begging for her to act sick so he could stay home already hearing Leonardo yelling for them to come on in his normal annoying drill sergeant voice; muttering under his breath he cursed himself for forgetting they were training today seeing Raphael was in the same state of mind as him looking like he might be in a mood for once

Already her birthday wasn’t going as planned he wasn’t supposed to have work or training today

“Faith is on baby duty with Angel while we are gone – she will be sitting down helping only if needed and keeping her feet up are we clear! I don’t want to hear any arguments we aren’t having any more preemie births this one is staying in for as long as possible” Leo commanded as he passed through grabbing some bacon and toast while carefully pushing the woman out of the kitchen as the angel gave him a dirty look sticking her tongue out at the leaders retreating shell, he chuckled as she gave letting Mikey finish what was on the stove that the genius had already turned off, taking her little Vinnie telling him to ignore the grouchy male and that while Daddy was out training they were going to have fun taking the bottle from his hand without him really seeing her starting to feed the baby his warmed milk

No amount of complaining or bitching had stopped their older brother from starting the four hour long training regiment Leo had come up with to keep them in shape which consisted of their three mile run on the smaller trails, the weird and uncalled for obstacle course right in the middle before they had to run another mile, one ten minute break to catch their breaths before finishing up in the clearing where Leo was trying to kill them, it blew over into an extra thirty minutes after each of them had messed up in something until all of them were so tired they collapsed onto the ground refusing to do any more

The leader was displeased but the younger three turtles agreed – fuck him this was bullshit

Once Leo accepted they were done, called them for the day, and Donnie could feel his legs again he had hurried back to the cabin to shower stopping long enough to get some wildflowers for Ashley placing them in a vase with water seeing the two teenagers had the frozen movie on entertaining all of the kids and Angel was out placing the laundry on the line to dry the massive form of Leatherhead making her look so small as he guided her hand, going up the stairs finding his beautiful queen still curled up in bed to his relief.

Quietly he placed the new bouquet on her side table before hurrying for a quick shower

He wasn’t in there long before a set of arms was around him finding his wife who must had been awake after all pulling her close kissing her softly whispering against her lips as she teased him “Happy Birthday baby”

He was a bit disappointed having wanted to wake her with breakfast in bed but figured her waking up early without anyone disturbing her had been an unforeseen change groaning as she traced his arms complimenting him before he had captured her lips again letting the hot water pour over them as they held one another

They fooled around light touches formed from loving words and so many kisses before the frantic tapping on the locked bathroom door had him growling when he Mikey yelling he needed Donnie to hurry obviously not knowing he had company

After washing the two of them up he had carried her to the room shooting his brother a dirty side glance for ruining the fun but took the chance to lock their door before placing her on the bed and proceeded to worship her still damp body having her laughing and squirming while he loved on his wife both falling into a deep make out session spending a little more time in bed their nude bodies pressed so close yet he never took it any further

After a while the turtle reached over pulling a pink bag from the floor smiling as he waved it in front of her as she squealed in excitement telling him at least ten times he hadn’t needed to get her anything but on her extraordinary day he wanted to make her feel special and show her just how much he adored her placing it in her lap watching her open it pulling out a gorgeous purple and pink plaid dress shirt with leggings to go with the new shoes April was giving her

He had seen the outfit while searching the web months ago and although he knew she didn’t wear dresses often he though how fitting it would be, smirking at her amazed expression kissing her neck before moving away grabbing her stuff from the dresser and placing it in the bed so she didn’t have to search for anything kissing her once more before telling her to get ready as he got dressed

“Brunch for my girls in fifteen I really want to see it on you”

God she didn’t disappoint; he was halfway done making them food just after his brother’s returned from dropping off all the stuff he had asked them to take to where he had found when she came down everyone complimenting her on how beautiful she looked except the angel who simply took her sister looked radiant as ever stepping closer placing a broached clip in her hair to hold her red locks back from her face

He was still standing there gazing at her lovingly before the winged woman sniffed the air telling him any longer and he was going to burn everything making the genius scrambled to get it all pulled up just finishing as she stepped in the door grinning as she spun for him

As he leaned in to kiss her the kids ran in pulling the younger children in a basket they had tied a rope to surprising her with handmade cards and drawings each had made giggling as she adored them and hung eack on the fridge to see everyday

They finally sat down to eat after the kids had been ushered to the living room for reading time as Donnie placed a small bowl of french vanilla yogurt topped with sliced of almonds, chunks of white chocolate, apple slices and fresh raspberries topped off with a dash of cinnamon over it all, he had also made toast and gotten Ashley her tea knowing how much she needed it to get through her day having laxed in the last few months on his suggested healthy treats in order to keep a happy wife and instead just snuck them in here and there

To his amazement she ate everything without a problem looking pleased with his meal even grabbing a little more toast to nibble on as the turtle adored her and the baby bump

Since it was so late in the day they watched a movie with the kids until they had went down for their naps, the adults getting a much needed break to just relax and talk until Evangeline and Junior got into an argument crying over a toy they both wanted making Raph go up to break up the fighting but by the time he got up there all the kids were wide eyed waiting on him calling Mikey to help him carry them down

The girls giggled as both turtles walked down their arms full with all the little ones Lily and Rose hanging off their Uncle Raphie’s arm as Killian came scooting down the stairs like his mother tended to do when nobody was around to help her down the stairs laughing each time he plopped down on his butt seeing all the babies so active called for play time outside

Donnie remained on the porch with Ashley at his side watching the girls Rosie dragging Killian around the garden not that the little boy seemed to care, Raven and Faith were playing with Fayre, Shadow, Junior, and Sawyer making little flowered crowns and braiding the kids flowers into their hair, and Angel was sprawled out on the grass with the others playing with the kids who had taken to using the turtles as their personal jungle gym

“Tonight – what do you say to you and me getting away for a little bit? Have an adventure?” he saw the question in her eyes as he tilted her chin kissing his wife sweetly asking once more to get her excited yes

The day may have not started off how he wanted but tonight would go off well if he had to pay his family to give them some privacy, when they went inside to start dinner Angel and the twin teenagers surprised them having made her favorite special meal, baked her a beautifully decorated chocolate cake with fresh strawberries between the layers the night before and secretly had decorated the whole room just for the woman who made life so much fun

Tonight they were going to have a family party before Donnie whisked her away

They partied into the night Raphael drinking too much had dragged Leo into the fun after getting the leader to indulge a little making the evening more interesting as the two alpha’s got along better then normal everyone waiting until the kids had passed out getting their little ones in bed before giving Ashley their gifts

Since they had been out at the cabin for a while April and Casey had decided to go into town buying the redhead five new outfits, two new comfortable shoes, and a purse the man had found that came with a defensive pack after what had happened with the poachers it seemed like a good idea

Leo and Raven had made her some candles in her favorite scent with her favorite flowers forever entrapped in the lovely purple wax

Raph and Angel had went all out and made her a dream catcher out of wood and dried flowers with small shiny pebbles and the feathers Angel had lost off her wings hanging off the hoop they had worked thin twine around in an intricate pattern

Raven with the help of Leatherhead had gone to the lake and had found all sorts of shells, pebbles, and lost treasures crafting them onto a wooden frame with their family picture they had captured a few weeks back

Mikey had painted her the spot she loved to go when they went hiking on a piece of wood he had sanded smooth

Faith although new to the family made Ashley a crown from wild flowers which haloed her head beautifully

 Once the guys got to the point they were getting handsy with their mates and the humans had passed out Donatello grabbed his queen’s hand pulling her with him out the door finding the truck already running “Ready for our adventure” her smile was all he needed as he picked her up placing her in the front seat beside him heading out behind the house where he had asked her and the others to not go since it was uncharted what was out there

They drove for almost fifteen minutes before the turtle stopped his high beams shining on a small cabin hidden in the trees looking over as his wife asked him several questions before he parked offering her his hand helping her out of the truck before grabbing two bags his sisters had packed for him in the cool night the fireflies drifting through the misty air have it an bewitching ambiance

“Happy Birthday” as they stepped in it was obvious somebody had been there earlier – for as old as it looked it had been cleaned spotless fresh flowers were in a vase in the small table and there was a nice fire roaring on one wall warming the whole place

Ashley had walked towards the small living area as he pushed a door off to the side open revealing a room set up with new sheets and anything they could need smiling as he came back to see the pure joy on her face as if this were the most enchanting destination on the planet before she was looking at him questioningly

“I can’t take you anywhere fancy like Paris or Rome… I couldn’t give you a dream honeymoon to Europe but–” he smiled at the shocked look his wife gave him as he pulled off his hoodie dropping it over the chair eyeing her up and down before moving closer picking her up carrying her to the large bed “I can give you all my love, hard work in knowing I fixed this up just for you, and the knowledge of knowing that for the next week this is where you and me will be alone to celebrate my worlds birthday and the honeymoon we never g0t to have”

Rose petals made a trail to the soft looking bed, inside several candles were flickering around them and on the side table was a metal bucket of melting ice and a bottle of *non-alcoholic* sparkling juice to act as wine gently laying her down as he crawled over the woman his smile might have been her only warning to what he was thinking before she pushed him back asking him to give her a second grabbing her bag he had carried in and disappeared into the bathroom

Her absence gave him time to scurry around doing a few final checks and get comfortable undressing to save time just laying down on the bed before the bathroom opened

His eyes widened as she stepped out in a sheer lingerie set she had to have bought for their wedding night looking her over as she came closer blushing as the turtle looked at her in a way he hadn’t done since they had met back on November third three and a half years ago; like she was a goddess in human form sent to plague his universe with those thick hips, bright eyes, and loving smile setting off feelings he had never thought he deserved back before he met the redhead beauty filling him with those searing emotions nobody had ever came close to giving the mutant

But he loved that feeling craving it the same now as he did back then

He leaned up helping her onto the mattress noticing for the first time she had put on just a little make up and although she never need it there was just something it added to the whole portrait that was his woman loving how the dark lashes brought out her eyes that much more his hands being so careful to not damage her sheer outfit officially finding out of all the little numbers she had pulled out this – this one was his favorite

Each touch showed his appreciation the soft silky fabric complimented her so well loving how it showed off her baby bump churring as she touched him in a way that had him on edge yet so grounded in this moment

Donatello didn’t waste a second pulling her into his arms to kiss his wife deeply his finger tips tracing each curve he loved so much moving slowly to savor every moment; they had all week to go crazy tomorrow his heat could take control but tonight was special and that meant he was going to ignore that feral side she brought out during this time of year take his time in pleasuring her until she found heaven and then he’s take her even higher

His lips finally trailed down lower drifting over her neck nibbling at her smooth flesh, her hands on his body left him breathless and craving her even more but he still moved slowly marking her neck when she took hold of the unyielding mass between his legs getting a deep growl as he pushed her to lay down letting her tease him as he focused fully on his task

Her femininity was his drug and the sweet scent of her arousal made him drunk with every passing second

The turtles kisses went lower over her breast carefully uncovering one large mound then the other kissing and licking at the over sensitive peaks before he was sucking at the hardened tips churring happily at the sweet sounds he was getting her head dropping back on the bed moaning for him already, her body always so sensitive yet so appeasing to him loving how he could get her so worked up by just his planned out touches knowing her body as well as he did his own

The pulling of his lips on her nipples drew some of the sweetest praises and heated demands but none more so then when he slowly went lower worshipping her body the entire time gradually pulling her panties down her legs kissing wherever he could opening her hips to him looking up at the woman who was already breathing hard pleading for the turtle; that shining grin egging him to continue as he kissed up her thighs to his prize yet waited until she was begging for her husband to move closer

His mouth finally met the soaked lower lips and he devoured her enthusiastically his hands sending shivers through her system from the care he took, the echoing pulses that squeezed his tongue making him groan and growl with his desire as he brought her to the ledge so slowly until finally he touched the pearl he had avoided doubling his actions just to see his wife teetering on the edge

Her voice was his breaking point the second she cried out cumming on his tongue his body burned to move wanting to just push into her and pound her into the mattress but he waited lapping up his mess until she had grabbed his shoulders calling his name before her fingers caught the tails of his mask tugging on him until finally he came up over her kissing her hard as she stroked his throbbing cock pre leaking from the tip only lubricated her actions

She moaned as he thrust into her hand begging needily wanting him to take her and he could never say no to her and before she could say another word he had pulled her lower on the bed under him hooking one arm under her leg sitting up to take in every radiant feature before pushing against her irresistible heat finding himself lost in her beautiful eyes as he finally let himself sink in

Both were breathing heavily when she started moving first getting a deep growl as he finally thrust forward losing his mind at how perfect she felt, between her lust filled cries mixing with his resounding churrs as he filled her completely each time being so gentle in making love to her just like he had their first time his fingers tangling in the soft red curls as he kept his gaze on her tear filled orbs

Sweat dripped down his tense body rolling off his muscles as time slipped away until it was just them in the dark only the flickering of the dying candles providing light after the fire had burned out hearing her sharp cry as she soaked his thighs cumming suddenly making him slow down not wanting to end this before he was done

The room was filled with their heavy breathing and no matter how much she tugged at him he never settled his full weight on her always cautious of the swollen belly smiling as he saw her eyes start to roll when his movements increased giving her a few rough thrust once he couldn’t hold back

Ashley had grabbed onto his arms as her legs were pulled up his hips hearing him whispering he was close while she was voicing her pleasure just as he felt the woman’s finish started to wash over those heightened senses groaning against the soft swollen lips still lovingly kissing his own before he was rutting into her fast

Fists tangled into the sheets as dawn drifted through the forest around them the soft morning light drifting in though the covered windows, skin clapped as both bodies finally drew in close, and just as he felt the pressure become too much in his lower stomach he gave her what she had been pleading for

The shrill sound of her finish filled the air as she slammed tight locking up in his arms and he followed only seconds later grunting and churring as she held him in place until his cum filled her in thick spurts

His resounding moans rumbled the air as she took everything he had so lost in their passion the morning song birds told them it was time to start their day but he didn’t care looking up as her eyes drifted open and that sweet smile graced him, he nuzzled into her as she wrapped her arms around him once he finally felt his body rolling them to the side he didn’t pull away cradling his queen within his arms still happily connected with her too tired to even attempt to move once he was resting on the bed

Exhaustion hit them like a train once the high had dissipated his eyes fluttering closed just after hers falling asleep easily with his love beside him so content he slept peacefully until the light of the mid afternoon sun made him groan turning over on his side to escape the light only to feel a small hand caressing his cheek so lovingly pulled him to consciousness

Once his honey brown eyes opened he couldn’t help but smile seeing his beautiful wife still laying there her red curls wild and frizzed from their earlier actions, having probably gotten up a while ago her full figure now nude to his eyes barely covered by the blanket making him churr as he pulled her back against him fingers trailing over the smooth skin of her hips and eyeing her with a knowing grin as she climbed on top of him straddling his hips

Every promise he had made to make their honeymoon better then ever was at the top of their list of things to do today wondering if they would even leave the room but then again he wouldn’t be complaining with her hormones in over drive and how she was looking at him he decided the plans could be tossed aside for now giving her full control as her lips found his hungrily

This birthday week was about to really kick off with a round three

[brightlotusmoon]

TMNT Headcanon #224 and #225

Mikey in all incarnations is a naturally skilled computer tech. Playing video games his entire life and hanging out with his scientist brother Donnie has imparted more technical knowledge than he's given credit for. He's pretty good at hacking and is excellent at tracking. He likens many issues to game glitches and bugs.

Mikey is very adept at spiritual meditation, Astral Projection, and psychic manipulation in the spirit world. A natural telempath, he subconsciously receives emotional energies from both living things and the environment, but he also o doesn't consciously realize that he can and has the capacity to project his own emotional energy, altering landscapes psychically. Master Splinter noticed it in their teens but wasn't sure the boy was that interested. After the various battles, injuries, threats, and worries facing the team, Michelangelo had nightmares involving clairvoyance. Splinter subtly began training him. Leonardo started feeling jealous once he realized what was happening. Donnie began feeling relief because Mikey began assisting him medically and technically. Raph started wondering if he could benefit emotionally. (he could, he's a low level empath with no filters who needs help please,thanks lil bro.)

When with his brothers, Mikey's extrasensory perceptions and heightened spiritual senses will perceive and interact with their individual minds on different levels, wavelengths, and unique inceptions: Leo as color and shape, Donnie as words and text, Raph as feelings and sensations.* Mikey has begun teaching his brothers to form and harness their own psychic bonds between their minds.

(*this has been shown in my 2012 fanfics, particularly The Sunshine Child, which is a Season 5 extension of Mikey The Lifegiver which is coming to an end with a Year In The Future finale.)

Also: I will eventually start applying it to the Rise boys in my AU once I finish the first fic in that AU series. I dunno if I want an OC.

In the other fics I wrote Shinigami as a Canon Divergent OC, a polyamorous pansexual who winds up with both Karai and Mikey (also featuring Capritello, Ramona, eventual Leorai).

My 2003 OC is going to be based directly on 2012 Shinigami combined with my Cold Fire Sequels OC.

I headcanon Shini as having a surgeon uncle who worked for some high profile organizations, one of which is involved in cosmetology and plastic surgery, hence Shini having access to really good skin care**, which Mikey, Casey, and April take pure bisexual advantage of*** and which Donnie tries to use for prosthetics and camouflage tech.

The point is, I love all those imagines, fanfics, and headcanons that portray Michelangelo working with technology when Don isn't around, and surprising everyone with his knowledge and ability.

(**These geeks are really into body care and looking their best. April has sensitive skin, Casey has a lot of bruises and scars, Mikey needs to keep hydrated and moisturized as a turtle. Karai and Shini brought herbs and oils from Japan so April flirted with Donnie to teach her chemistry and she and Shini make balms and salves and liquid soaps. Mikey and Casey really love the body butter made with tamanu, moringa, camellia, cocoa butter, cacao extract, gotu kola, lemon balm, orange blossom, and mushroom extracts. April's father encourages her to set up an online shop but she gets overwhelmed. However she does use the money to buy all the Turtles silk robes and blankets. And Shini buys three silk night dresses - indigo for herself, black for Karai, orange yellow for Mikey. She also got Mikey a baby blue weighted blanket from an online autistic seller. Raph helped her stitch personalized patches into it. Mikey likes to drag it out to the Pit, silk gown whispering around his knees, to watch cheesy horror films. Leo and Raph like to subtly sidle up to him and run against the velveteen fabric while petting his nightgown. He's ticklish and they compete to see who makes him fall over flailing.)

(***Capril always enjoys a late night full body massage and try to drag Donnie from the lab to participate because he's Very Skilled With His Hands. If he's really caught up in work they will drag in mattresses or blankets to make a nest, and make cocoa coffee, and will flirt increasingly until Donnie gives in, pretending to complain, while his "annoyance"at being interrupted leaves Capril sore and flushed. Mikey will blatantly take any opportunity to massage himself and Shinigami, play with makeup, play dress up, and dance entire loops around the house while singing girl power ballads and heavy musical numbers. He'll open up about wanting to find Renet and take Shini on an adventure with her. He mentions his "little crush on Mondo Gecko" "and super crush on Leatherhead" before breaking into "Memories" from Cats and "In My Own" from Les Miserables - he grabs Shini to dance with. He drapes silk sheets over himself to dramatically fling himself on chairs and couches.,reciting Hamlet and Midsummer Night's Dream zm and The Tempest. Leo snaps at him to "sit in a chair properly" before he forgets who he's talking to. Sometimes Leo will join in. They wind up acting out angst episodes of Space Heroes. Raph and Karai will record the entire thing and provide commentary. Donnie and Casey pretend to be an entire audience. April provides the snacks and narrative, including intermission.)

(Since all of this takes place after Season 4, Splinter is unavailable, sort of.)

[thatcrazyfanfictionwriter]

Secret of the Sewers: Rescue and Revenge

Casey's head was throbbing like crazy as he began to come to. He went to rub his head, surprised when he found his wrists connected to each other. He looked at his hands, noting the futuristic cuffs with a note of disdain.

"Dammit." he cursed. "They got us."

April let out a groan from the ground next to Casey. He looked over at her, gently cradling her as she woke up. As he did, he noticed a strange straw dangling from the corner of her mouth. That was about the time he noticed a similar straw in his own mouth.

"What the-?" he let out, going to grab the straw.

Before he could, Splinter's tail wrapped around his wrist, preventing him from doing so.

"I would advise against that, Mr. Jones." Splinter warned. "These things are what are allowing us to breathe."

Casey went wide-eyed when he saw the rat master leaning against the wall, as well as Mr. Murakami. What really shocked him was the unconscious form of Leatherhead, bindings around his wrists, ankles, and even a muzzle over his mouth.

"Holy chalupa..." he let out. "They got all of us."

"Indeed." Murakami agreed. "These creatures were quite thorough in their hunt. Whatever the turtles and their sister did to anger them, it must have been quite a spectacle."

"From what we've seen of them, they're not one to do things by halves." April commented, sitting up and leaning against the wall of the cell.

"Yes." Splinter nodded, looking at his bound wrists. "I can only hope that their situation is less dire than our own."

...

Mikey was pacing back and forth across the floor of the rebel base. His fingers were running through his hair as he grew more and more anxious.

"Oh man, I can't believe this is happening!" He exclaimed. "They got everyone we knew! I mean, I can see them snagging April, possibly Casey too, but sensei, Murakami and LH?! That's insane!"

Raph whacked his brother upside the head, causing him to stop pacing. He shook his head, facing his red brother.

"Feel better?" Raph questioned.

Mikey thought for a minute.

"A little." he admitted.

"We need to find them." Leo declared. "Traximus, do you know where Zanramon would take his prisoners?"

"While he would normally send his prisoners to Incarceron, considering who he is dealing with, I doubt he would be willing to risk a repeat of what happened when he imprisoned the five of you." Traximus answered.

"I see our reputation around there is still intact." Mikey remarked.

"But Incarceron was his high security prison." Donny remembered. "Where else would he send them?"

"That is just it, Donatello." Mona Lisa spoke up. "I do not believe they are to be 'sent' anywhere. If anything, they are to be 'delivered'."

"Delivered?" Leo repeated.

"To Zanramon himself." Traximus concluded.

A silence fell over the siblings before Raph voiced their collective opinion.

"Frikken shitaki mushrooms on a stick!" He cursed.

"This is gonna make things a lot trickier." Leo dreaded.

"Hey, it's not like our lives were ever easy before." Hisako reminded.

"So, how are we gonna infiltrate Zanramon's place or whatever, rescue our friends, and put the whammy on our least favorite Prime Leader, all the while getting out alive?" Donny proposed.

"I don't know." Leo admitted. "I don't know."

...

With Splinter and the others, Commander Mozar escorted the five captives down to a private chamber where the Prime Leader was waiting. Two Triceratons were dragging Leatherhead, the croc still heavily sedated to prevent him from fighting. Casey scanned the area they were entering, Splinter doing the same.

"Uh, Splinter?" Casey whispered. "Is it just me, or does this place look like a private torture chamber?"

"Keep your wits about you, Mr. Jones." Splinter told him. "These are not the first adversaries that sought to break us."

April just let out a whimper, staying close to Casey as the group was finally brought before the Prime Leader. He looked as intimidating as ever, though now that they met him in person, the group could see some strange burns across his skin. April recognized them almost immediately.

"It looks like he was dumped in some sort of acid." she muttered quietly. "I wonder what-"

"Welcome, inferior creatures." Zanramon created, cutting off April's train of thought. "I suppose you five are wondering why I had my men bring you here."

"Actually, I was wondering what happened to your face." Casey quipped. "Lose a game of acid dunk tank?"

Zanramon growled in response.

"If you must know, these burns are thanks to the four Gamarons and the humanoid that you five ally yourselves with." He snarled.

"They did that?" April questioned. "But how? They're not capable of-"

"Silence!" Zanramon ordered.

Mozar then stepped forward, stabbing April in the back with a stun baton. She screamed and fell to her knees, Casey catching her as Splinter stepped forward.

"Enough!" Splinter snapped. "Your quarrel is with my children, not with them!"

"Any ally of those five fugitives is an enemy of mine." Zanramon dismissed. "And you have the nerve to call them your children so flippantly? It seems you are unaware of just how many crimes your so-called 'children' committed."

"Then perhaps you would like to enlighten us of these supposed crimes." Murakami spoke up.

"They assaulted officers of the Triceraton armada." Zanramon began. "They stole personal property of the Prime leader not once, but twice! They instigated a riot in our maximum security prison, as well as attempted an escape! They caused a full rebellion in my Arena of Carnage, freeing all of my gladiators! And, to top it all off, they held me hostage before feeding me to a Kraathatrogon!"

"I'm guessing that's the reason for your bacon face." Casey assumed.

Zanramon was seething with rage, to the point that he walked up to Casey and slapped him across the face. He fell to the ground, his face stinging.

"It seems that everything associated with those five pests is wrought with dissent and disrespect." the Triceraton snarled.

"Only to those who deserve it." Splinter remarked.

Zanramon lifted his hand to smack Splinter, but the rat didn't even flinch. Realizing that giving into his anger was pointless, Zanramon lowered his arm, adjusting his robe and taking a deep breath.

"You are merely eating away at your own time." Zanramon warned. "This planet's very existence lay on the line, and you stand here making witty remarks and trying my patience."

"Then I suggest you get the point." Splinter told him.

"Very well." Zanramon replied. "Tell me where your 'children' are hiding. I get them, and perhaps I will allow your planet to become part of the great Triceraton Republic."

"Never." Splinter said firmly.

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way." Zanramon declared. "Prep them, and start with the rat."

Mozar grabbed Splinter, dragging him over to a large, metal slab. He slammed him against it, thick bindings immediately grabbing hold of Splinter. The rat master instinctively struggled as several guards held back Casey, April, and Murakami.

"Even the most resilient of prisoners always give up their secrets." Zanramon bragged as Mozar picked up a menacing looking helmet. "Because we pry them right from your brain. Though I will warn you, the process is… excruciatingly painful."

Mozar slammed the helmet down on Splinter's head and it latched on. The rat stiffened as Zanramon leaned in.

"Last chance to do this the easy way." he warned.

Splinter remained silent, his fists clenched in anticipation for what was to come. Zanramon snorted, then straightened up.

"Fine." he let out.

All of a sudden, the helmet began to spark wildly. Splinter started growling in discomfort from the helmet's effects. The groans soon began to become louder as the pain grew, his claws scratching at the table as he struggled to free himself, the helmet delving deeper into his mind.

...

"Zanramon wouldn't have them brought to his throne room." Traximus surmised. "He's most likely taken them to his private torture chamber."

"Do you know where that is?" Raph questioned.

"I'm afraid not." Traximus lamented.

That's when Hisako brightened.

"I bet I could find out where it is." she suggested.

"You got a lot of ground to cover." Donny told her. "You sure you can handle it?"

"This place isn't as big as the whole city of New York." Hisako argued. "Besides, what choice do we have?"

She assumed a meditative position on the ground, branching out to try and find the others. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, she suddenly doubled over, clutching her head and screaming in agony.

"Hisako!" The turtles cried out.

She kept screaming, her fingers digging into her skull as blood began to run down her face. Still, despite the extreme pain she was in, she could feel another presence suffering with her.

"Sensei!" she cried out.

"Sensei?" Leo repeated. "What about Sensei?"

"He-!" she convulsed again, curling up tighter as she tried to fight through the pain. "He's hurting!"

She writhed on the ground, drawing in a crowd of concerned revolutionaries. Blood was now beginning to flow from her eyes, much to Donny's grave concern.

"Hisako, get out of there!" He shouted. "You're killing yourself!"

It was unclear whether she heard him or not, but she did not stop, reaching out desperately for her father's mental spirit.

"SENSEI!" she screamed, both physically and mentally.

...

In the midst of all his pain and agony, Splinter somehow managed to hear his daughter calling out to him. Needing something to focus on, he latched onto her voice, calling out to her.

"Hisako..." he mentally wheezed. "My child… is that you?"

"Sensei… it hurts… what's happening?"

"He is… trying… to probe my mind…" He barely replied. "For you…"

"No… He can't..."

"I need you… my daughter…" Splinter requested. "Use me… as a channel..."

"I can't! It's too much…!"

"Yes... you can!" Splinter told her. "I… have faith… in you… be strong!"

"I'll… try..."

...

Hisako's screaming began to peter out as her entire body began to glow. Small bits of rubble began to shake around her, floating off the ground. The turtles looked at this, realizing what was about to happen.

"Everybody!" Mikey shouted. "Hit the deck!"

The others went for cover, the rebels following suit as Hisako began floating in the air. She let out an ear piercing scream as energy exploded outward, sending everything and everyone flying away from her. Light poured from her eyes and mouth in perhaps the greatest display of power she'd ever shown.

...

The helmet attached to Splinter's head began dancing with green power. The lights flickered and the room began to shake. Casey and April exchanged looks, then grabbed each other and hit the deck. April dragged Murakami down as well, urging him to take cover. Then, the helmet completely exploded, sending out a wave of green energy that seemed to come out of Splinter himself. His eyes were glowing for a moment as his bindings disintegrated, the energy freeing him.

The wave of power knocked all of the Triceratons back and freed the other four captives. More than that, the feeling of power washing over him caused Leatherhead to stir.

"Oracle..." he groaned, fighting off the tranquilizers keeping him down.

The light died from Splinter's eyes as he slid from the table, disoriented and shaken from what had just happened. April quickly helped steady him, looking at him in surprise.

"Was that-?" she began.

"Hisako, yes." Splinter replied. "She felt the same pain I did, and helped to free me from that accursed device."

"Oracle… pain..." Leatherhead snarled, his eyes beginning to glow.

Casey saw the croc beginning to liven up and got an idea.

"Yeah, these guys hurt Hisako's dad." Casey explained. "And when they did that, she felt his pain. She was screaming, crying out, because of what these monsters were doing."

Leatherhead snarled at the thought, his eyes becoming bright red as the Triceratons were beginning to come to. Casey took a step back, then utter the phrase that signed their death warrants.

"If it had gone on any longer, they might have killed her." he told the croc.

With that, Leatherhead snapped up and barreled at the Triceratons. He picked one up and threw him into a group of others, knocking them down. He then whipped his tail around and smacked another Triceraton back. As one ran up, he leapt onto him and slashed at his face, causing him to cry out before falling to the ground.

"Restrain this beast!" Zanramon ordered.

Leatherhead snapped his head around and snarled at him before running straight at him. Zanramon stood his ground, catching Leatherhead's hands and wrestling with him. As the two struggled against one another, Casey grabbed Murakami as April continued helping Splinter.

"We need to get out of here." April insisted. "More Triceratons will be coming, and even with LH worked into a blood frenzy, I doubt he'll be able to hold them all off."

"Agreed." Splinter concurred. "We must escape and the sooner the better."

"What about Leatherhead?" Casey asked.

"He is strong of will and spirit." Splinter reassured as they got moving. "I have a feeling he will not be captive to them for long."

"Yo, LH!" Casey called out. "Hisako's waiting for ya!"

Spurred by the idea of seeing his precious Oracle again, LH gave Zanramon a hearty shove, sending him flying into a wall. The croc then lumbered after the group on all fours. With the mutant croc back among their ranks, the five bolted out of the room and down the hallway.

"Yoshi-kun." Murakami spoke up. "Do you know where we are going?"

"Yes." Splinter answered, slowly pulling himself from April's grip and taking the lead. "Hisako showed me the way."

...

In the aftermath of Hisako's mental bomb, the psychic had promptly dropped to the ground, motionless and groaning. Raph and Mikey hoisted her up while Donny checked for vital signs.

"She's alright," Donny reported. "But she's spent a shell ton of energy."

Traximus pulled himself out from under a pile of weapons, looking at Hisako with surprise.

"I am thankful that she chose a pacifist route when we crossed paths in the Arena." he said quietly.

"She's very selective on who she gets violent over." Mikey told him.

Hisako groaned in Raph and Mikey's grip, her head lolling about as she tried to focus.

"Sen...sei..." she let out, her voice weak and cracking.

"Take it easy sis." Raph told her. "You put on a shell of a show."

"Escaped..." she winced, weakly pointing off in the distance. "Coming… Need… to help..."

Her hand became shakier with each word before her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out, her arm flopping down once more.

"I think I know where she wants us to go." Leo deduced. "Trax, you mind carrying her?"

"Not at all." Traximus replied, plucking up Hisako and draping her across his shoulder.

The group then went down the direction Hisako was pointing.

...

Splinter and the others made their way out of the hallways, and down into the sewers to avoid detection.

"We should be safe down here." April said, though it was clear she wasn't quite certain about her statement.

LH began sniffing the air, his eyes still bright and he was still on all fours.

"Not… alone..." he snarled.

Casey and Murakami readied themselves as April held Splinter, still recovering from the mental strain. Suddenly, a cluster of shadows began to approach the group, making their way around the corner. The first to emerge was Traximus, a bloody Hisako still on his back. The second he laid eyes on the sight, LH completely lost it. He charged forward and tackled Traximus to the ground, ready to claw him to pieces. Fortunately, the turtles sprang forward and grabbed his arms.

"Whoa, Leatherhead!" Mikey called out. "It's cool!"

"This is Traximus." Leo explained. "He's a friend."

Splinter cradled his daughter, who had been knocked to the ground in Leatherhead's haste. As he held her, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled slightly.

"Hi dad..." she whispered.

"Hello my child." Splinter greeted back. "I knew you could do it."

LH turned towards Hisako, hearing her voice. He quickly went over to her and caressed her face, the glow dying from his eyes as she reached up and returned the touch.

"Oracle..." The croc said quietly.

"Hey big guy..." Hisako replied. "Don't kill Traximus. He's a good guy."

"If you... say so." Leatherhead relented.

"Aww." Mikey let out. "He acts all big and mean, but he's really just a big softie."

He then realized Traximus hadn't moved from where LH had pinned him, no doubt afraid to provoke the croc anymore.

"Dude, you can get up now." Mikey told him.

Traximus then got back to his feet and rejoined the others, keeping a wary eye on the croc.

"We're just happy you're all ok." Donny told them.

Mona Lisa then let out a cough.

"Perhaps we should retreat back to base camp before the Prime Leader sends out a search party?"

"What about Zanramon?" Raph asked.

"Hisako is in no condition to do anything to him right now." Leo told him. "We need to fall back and give her time to rest. Once she's fully rested and we have a plan, then we make our move."

Raph nodded in response before the group retreated.

...

Back in the torture chamber, Zanramon had just picked himself up as the troops not decimated by Leatherhead began to get up. Mozar dislodged himself from a broken table, his metal arm off to the side. As he fetched it and reattached it, he turned to the Prime Leader in fear and shame. He knelt down, bowing his head.

"Forgive me, Prime Leader." he begged. "The creatures have all escaped."

"This will not stand!" Zanramon declared. "Prepare communications to broadcast another message! It is clear that we have been too generous with these inferior pests."

Mozar gave a salute, then rushed off to do as he was told.

...

Once the group returned to base camp, Hisako was laid to rest on a small blanket off to the side. Leatherhead curled around her, acting as her guardian and pillow as she slept. Splinter took the time to rest as well, the mental strain from earlier still weighing heavily on him. All the while, April and Casey took the opportunity to meet their new alien friends.

"So, you're the alien salamander Raph told us about." April said to Lisa.

"Salamandarian." Lisa corrected. "And yes. You may call me Mona Lisa."

Casey grinned as he elbowed Raph playfully.

"Guess Hisako's not the only one who's attracted to powerful reptiles." he quipped.

"Oh get over yourself." Raph replied, playfully pushing him.

The two laughed as Leo introduced Traximus. The blue turtle also took the opportunity to apologize for earlier.

"Sorry about Leatherhead almost ripping your face off." he apologized. "He's extremely protective of Hisako."

"And it didn't help that I worked him into a frenzy so we could escape." Casey added, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry."

"It is quite alright." Traximus insisted. "It is not hard to see how protective he is of her."

"You have no idea." Leo replied. "The guy would both die and kill for her."

"At the same time if he could." Donny added.

As the group continued talking, Monza-Ram came running up with a distressed look on his face.

"Everyone!" He called out. "Zanramon is making another announcement!"

Everyone quickly gathered around a small holographic projector, even Splinter and a semi-conscious Hisako joining, the latter on LH's back. Monza-Ran turned on the projector, showing an image of Prime Leader Zanramon.

"It has come to my attention that I have become far too lenient with my ultimatum regarding the Gamarons and their allies." Zanramon addressed. "They have escaped justice for far too long, and I have grown tired waiting for you insects to hand them over. Because of this, you now have one hour to hand them over to me. Otherwise, your planet will feel the might of my Decimator Cannon!"

There was a collective gasp from every single revolutionary in the base camp. Lisa's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes going wide as she fell to her knees, her face a paler shade of blue. The hologram then cut out as a stunned silence filled the camp. The turtles looked around at their allies, feeling more than a little apprehensive about Zanramon's threat.

"Okay, I'll bite." Donny spoke up. "What's a Decimator cannon?"

"It is the ultimate weapon of the Triceraton republic." Monza Ram answered. "It is a deadly laser that can cut through to the center of a planet, detonating its molten core."

"Many planets have been obliterated by the terrible weapon." Lisa let out, shivering slightly. "Including Salamandaria."

The turtles were left speechless at the revelation.

"Can… can he really do that?" Donny asked.

"He can." Traximus dreaded. "And will unless his demands are met, or we manage to destroy that weapon."

"Then we got to get to Zanramon now!" Raph insisted. "We need to change his mind so he leaves before blowing up the earth!"

"Even if Hisako was in a state that she could perform such a feat, I do not believe it would do much good." Splinter spoke up.

"Yoshi is right." Murakami agreed. "I have heard that amount of hatred and venom before, from none other than Oroku Saki. Even if you convinced him that you five were not on this planet, he would simply destroy Earth out of frustration and anger."

"Then we gotta take out that weapon." Leo decided. "... uh, any ideas on how?"

A heavy silence filled the room once more, then one of the all-stars went to speak. However, Monza Ram quickly shushed him, giving him a pointed look. Leo noticed this, not needing Hisako's telepathy to know something was up.

"If one of you guys has something to say, then now's the time." Leo told them.

Monza Ram shook his head instantly, but the all-star he had shushed refused to listen.

"I will not hold my tongue any longer." the All Star insisted. "Our blind silence has caused enough pain and suffering."

"Cathar be silent!" Monza Ram ordered.

"We were once the team in charge of the Decimator cannon." a second all-star spoke up, much to Monza Ram's fury.

"Mor-Tax!" Monza Ram exclaimed.

"We know how it works, how to arm and disarm it, and how to destroy it." Cathar concluded.

"It is what we were arrested for before we were thrown into the games." Mor-Tax added.

"Tell us everything you know." Donny insisted.

The two all-stars began their explanations as Monza Ram turned away. Leo looked at him in confusion, following him towards the corner of the base. The Triceraton was grumbling to himself, several expletives slipping past his lips.

"Why did you want your knowledge of the Decimator cannon a secret?" Leo asked.

Monza Ram sighed, his anger giving way to what looked like resignation and exhaustion.

"My men and I were loyal to Zanramon." He explained. "We followed orders and destroyed many planets for the glory of the Triceraton Republic. We never thought to question what we were doing… until the day we found a young Salamandarian boy carrying a young hatchling hiding on the ship."

"Sal Commander." Leo realized.

"They were children, innocent beings." Monza Ram recounted. "It is easy to forget that such creatures exist in times of war. They were a stark reminder of exactly what we were doing every time we fired that cannon."

He sagged to the ground, leaning against the stone wall.

"We destroyed their home." He let out, turning to Mona Lisa, who was being comforted by Raph across the room. "Her home."

"She didn't know." Leo guessed.

Monza Ram shook his head.

"How do you tell someone you are responsible for the destruction of their entire race?" He questioned. "How do you even begin to atone for such a crime? And… how can she cope with the knowledge that her brother gave his life to protect the ones who doomed her to this life?"

"I… don't have the answer for that." Leo admitted. "Only you do."

Monza Ram looked down in resignation, letting out a log sigh. After a minute, he lifted his head and rose to his feet.

"For now, the best I can do is aid my men in finishing what we started all those years ago." he declared. "Destroying that accursed weapon once and for all."

"Then let's get to work." Leo declared.

The two returned to the group, where Donny was in the middle of drawing up a plan. The All-Stars were still giving him as much info as they could. Traximus observed it all, occasionally glancing at Mona Lisa. The Salamandarian kept her eyes on the All Stars, as if unsure of what to think anymore. Raph just held her, quietly petting her head like he'd done to Hisako a million times.

"You gonna be ok?" He asked.

"I do not know." she answered honestly.

"Alright, according to the All Stars, the Decimator cannon is located at the lowest level of the home world." Donny reported.

"Hang on, there's a level lower than the sewers?" Mikey questioned.

"The Prime Leader wanted to ensure that saboteurs would have a difficult time finding and reaching it." Monza Ram explained.

"There's a single access point hidden within the Home world's main armory." Mor-Tax interjected, pointing to a spot on a provided map. "From there, we take the transport lift down to the bottom. We may meet some resistance from the team in charge once we get down there."

"Yeah well, what else is new?" Raph remarked.

"After we reach the Decimator cannon, we'll plant charges around the power supply line." Canthar instructed.

"And blow this baby to kingdom come." Donny finished.

"You make it sound so easy." Mona Lisa quipped. "But since there is only one way in or out of the cannon chamber, we run the risk of walking right into a possible ambush."

"She's right." Splinter concurred. "We need something that could draw the guards' attention."

"We could." Mikey spoke up.

Everyone turned to him.

"Think about it, Zanramon wants us, right?" Mikey asked. "We can lure his forces away while Traximus' team plants the charges."

"But, wait." Casey spoke up. "What about your secret?"

"Yeah, if you guys put yourselves out in the line of fire like that, you run the risk of getting captured." April noted.

"More than that, Zanramon seems like the type who would make your execution public." Murakami added. "No doubt the entire world would know you exist, and in the event you survive and our plan succeeds, I doubt you would be able to return to being secrets of the sewers."

"Our little secret doesn't matter much if there's no one to keep it from." Mikey said.

"Mikey's right." Leo agreed. "If we put our desire for secrecy over the lives of billions of innocent people, then we're no better than the monsters we've worked so hard to fight."

"Besides, he's gotta catch us to execute us." Raph snorted. "He got lucky last time he caught us, and he ain't gonna get another opportunity like that again."

"Right, he'll leap at the opportunity to get payback for everything." Donny agreed.

"He made that much quite clear when we spoke with him." Splinter nodded.

"Then I guess it's settled." Hisako spoke up, leaning over Leatherhead's shoulders. "We earthlings will draw Zanramon's forces away while Traximus' team handles the cannon."

"My friends..." Traximus interjected. "I cannot ask you to do this."

"It's alright, Traximus." Leo insisted. "We know what we have to do, and we're all in agreement. This is the only way."

"Well if we're all in agreement, I suggest we get to work." Donny spoke up. "We've got less than an hour to pull this off, or Earth goes the way of the dodo."

"Right." Leo agreed. "Let's move!"

[thelostandforgottenangel]

My hero

I can’t believe I forgot to post this... What is wrong with me wrote this days ago put in my finished folder but never shared...

Okay Mikey girl’s hope you enjoy @homra-the-red-clan @devilsnevercry1388 (If there are more of you wonderful girls let me know and I’ll tag you)

It had been one of those long horrid days that had effectively drained her of any energy she might have had and she was just ready to get back in the sewers and to the lair just so she could finally sit down

Morning training had been bad enough with Leonardo still a little ticked over the previous night’s patrol where one mistake had cost them not only the chance to find out what the Foot were up to they had let them escape due to Raph’s need to question their leader again, she hadn’t done anything wrong but when one of them messed up they were all punished with the choice of time in the Ha’shi or hours on end in Leo’s ninjitsu boot camp as she liked to refer to it since he was just as bad as any drill sergeant off TV.

Then for her classes to run a lot longer than she had liked and being piled with so much homework she had lost track of time at the library finishing all her homework just as the night security guard had tapped her on the shoulder telling her the place was closing making her realize she had stayed way too long rushing to stuff all her books and notes in the bag on her hip as she waved goodbye and rushed off but by the time she slipped into the subways bumping into a man by accident just trying to get down the steps she had missed the train kicking the ground

It was going to be the last one for the night which meant she was stranded

She grumbled under her breath glancing up at the security camera wondering if Donatello was monitoring it or if he was already out with the others, she headed for the street wondering if she could catch a cab but didn’t have any money on her since she had somehow left her wallet sitting on her dresser… Leo was going to kill her for missing patrol, Master Splinter would no doubt ground her - she needed to get home now but it would take over an hour running on the roofs but would take more than three on the streets and she knew there was no way she could jump over most of those spaces on her own

That left only one option which was to walk to a street close to April’s and go to the abandoned sewer tunnels close to Leatherheads place in hopes Donnie was still there

The teen had been walking for a while when she notices a man following her – in fact now that she thought about it and was aware of her surroundings he had been following her since she had left the substation she glanced to the busy streets moving acting like she hadn’t noticed he was there heading across the road as the light turned for the cross walk

Once on the other side she walked to the corner turning it as she searched for her phone glancing back to see the man had followed and was looking right at her

Instincts kicked in making her calmly assess the situation shifting her bag tightening the strap shifting a few things in it before moving her shirt inside to make it curve over her belly before she turned the next corner untying her hoodie from her waist and pulling it over her head keeping her hood on as she kept walking keeping her head down before ducking into a crowd of people going the other direction

For a moment she was sure she had gave him the slip when she pulled out her cell to call the guys seeing the battery was dead going to slip it into her pocket when a hand grabbed her arm yanking her from the street pinning her to the wall as a hand went over her mouth “Cute disguise kid - had me fooled for a moment but then I saw that pink sticky note on the back of your jacket” she swallowed hard before a knife was at her throat seeing the man who had been stalking her realizing he had put a marker on her to be sure he didn’t lose her as he pressed down over her skin gritting her teeth as he pinned her into the bricks a small sting making her whimper as he cut her neck slightly only making him hold her mouth harder

Fear consumed her body to the point she couldn‘t move the further the blade slid over her skin feeling the warmth of a blood droplet oozing down her neck tears prickling her eyes realizing he had no thoughts of letting her walk away from this much less letting her live

“Hey get off her!” she was shocked when the blade was yanked from his hand before the man pinning her was tossed across the alley getting a big gasp of air hearing the scuffle as she pressed into the wall trembling as the man turn and ran his head bleeding from a wound just in his hair line before she saw who was standing in front of her protectively looked up from behind a shell to see a bright smile and a pair of baby blue eyes “Damn – I swear you are too good at misdirection one moment I was looking at you ready to snatch you at the next alley then you were gone… man if it hadn’t been for him turning around and following you I never would have-”

A soft gasp was followed by a relieved giggle “MIKEY” she slammed into him hugging the smaller turtle as a shaky sob erupting from her throat clinging to him tightly her face buried in his neck as he lifted her to hold onto the trembling woman

He was quick to hug her back shushing the teen in his arms before he picked her up in his arms moving back into the shadows still clinging to her as she cried into his shoulder “Hey – shhh it’s okay baby girl I got you” she nodded as he pushed her back kissing her face until she was smiling for him checking her over slowly seeing the small cut on her neck gently wiping the blood away before pressing a kiss to it “There all better – that jerk tried to hurt my girl bet it scared you pretty good”

He chuckled as she nodded before looking around slowly hearing a siren getting closer to them pulling her into his grasp before backing up all the way down the way looking to the roof before lifting her up laughing at the fake pregnant belly rubbing it playfully once they were safely on the rooftop

“Okay babycakes here’s the deal - I told the others to not worry cause I had asked you to stop off at the store to grab me a few things… But I also snuck out to come help you so do you think you can help me by maybe running in the store and grabbing a case of orange crush and a few of those snacks I like so they don’t find out about all this – Please I got the munchies so bad and I promise to love my baby girl always for doing this for her favorite turtle”

She giggled pressing a kiss to his cheek nodding quickly

No words could describe how thankful he had thought to cover her butt when she had never come home plus risking time in the Ha’shi for sneaking to the surface to rescue her so she wouldn’t get in trouble was more then she could have ever asked him to do and was more than happy to return the favor

“Mikey store closes in ten minutes we better hurry and I’ll grab you something special for being my hero tonight along with anything you ask for”

[brightlotusmoon]

TMNT Headcanon: Infirmary

I know Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as a parody of Daredevil, including the bits where they just recovered on the couch with bandages. But the modern Turtles don’t seem to have an actual infirmary. Not in 2003, not in 2012. Because you see Donatello’s lab but you don’t see a corner for medical care. Someone just sits on the couch and gets bandaged up, or lies on a couch unconscious. So I headcanon  the recent iterations with them as getting tired of not having a real infirmary, so with the help of Leatherhead and Casey (and Slash in 2012) they break into various facilities with backpacks and duffel bags, and they grab a whole bunch of practical medical care stuff every so often, including a couple of gurneys or hospital beds, and Donnie makes space in his lab.

In my fics, I keep giving them a corner of the lab that is a real infirmary, with a real hospital bed that they grabbed from an abandoned medical facility, and a cot or two in case there is more than one injured person, with real oxygen suppliers and heart monitor and IV stands. And Donnie has cabinets full of injection supplies, adrenaline and injectable painkillers and sedatives, pain pills, tubes for transfusions and drainage, oxygen masks, a defibrillator, multiple suture kits, bandages and gauze and adhesives, antibiotics in every form, ointments and creams and oils, a stethoscope, even a goddamn tablet-sized scanner gotten from Agent Bishop which works as an X-ray, a CT-scan, even an MRI, even if it’s too futuristic (it’s not, a basic scanner is coming to many hospitals), what am I missing?  Because sometimes you have to poke holes in canon and go “Okay, let’s get realistic here, they’ve got a couch and the dojo floor and a metal table in the lab and that just won’t do, we need a bed.” Like, setting up their bedrooms to care for them is great, but they would still need to be monitored. Plus, Leo can’t just do Healing Hands mantras for everything. Can he? Like, is the Healing Hands that much of a panacea for their injuries? If it is, no wonder they don’t have an infirmary. Look at what happened at the end of “Heart Of Evil” - “Oh wow, Mikey, you’re really beaten up really bad, don’t worry, we will take care of you!” and Donnie is super worried and it’s really sweet actually. And then you see Mikey in the beginning of “End Times” - which probably takes place mere hours or days later - and Mikey is perfectly fine, not a bandage on him, no limping, no wincing, no bruising. Which means Healing Hands and Donnie and April’s care must have performed some fucking magic right there, considering Mikey’s entire body was covered in bruises and scrapes, he seemed to have a concussion, and he was hopping on his right leg which meant that his left leg might have been badly hurtt, fractured, or broken. What fascinates me is that Raphael gets lasting visible bruises, bandages, and big black streaks of what look like paint or motor oil across his face, which probably represents a wound, but nobody else does. Since he’s the Muscle, the Team Bruiser, it probably represents the effects of him being the one who is allowed to look hurt. Mikey isn’t allowed to remained bruised and wounded because he’s the Youngest, the Cute One, the Little One, the Sweetheart, Awww, The Baby, Oh No. I’m not even speculating, I know this is how it happens. I’m impressed that there really is nowhere in the lab, other than that metal table, being used to care for the injured. I totally get the couch. Comic book heroes are fabulously famous for patching themselves up on the couch and then getting up and running around the city again. But the couch isn’t always sufficient!

[brightlotusmoon]

Sneak Peak: A long moment of Donnie

I think writing Donnie’s perspective on Mikey remains my favorite. With Raph, there is a massive amount of bromance and emotion and sometimes it’s so overwhelming, but with Donnie it never is. Maybe it’s because my autistic brain is both Don and Mike and it’s easy to find their depths together. With Leo, it’s a lot of self-exploration and attempts to relate with his brothers and doubt and guilt, which is heavy when it comes to Mikey, because Leo keeps missing the point of The Killer Cinnamon Roll, which is what frustrates Donnie, who knows Mikey’s skills and capabilities better than anyone. Which is why I’m slightly diverting from canon and making Donnie a lot more mellow, patient, gentle, and soft, because he knows why Mikey. Here’s the second part of the first ‘Earth And Oxygen” section from “Spirit And Oxygen: Across The Universe” which is going to be a long-ass fic that will wind up needing to have chapters. @mysillylittlesoapbox knows what I mean.

Donatello paces his lab, and remembers.

He looks around at the bareness of his space, but he sees how it is beginning to crowd, gratefully. Courtesy of break-ins at clinics, he now has a small clinic himself. There are two medical beds over there in that corner. There are oxygen tanks and cabinets filled with IV components. A computer to monitor vitals. A small, portable defibrillator. Cupboards containing medicines and treatments that can be used on them and their mutated bodies without rejection. And the one thing they don’t have, an EEG, but for now he’ll need to make do with the device for April and Mikey and Rockwell…and the brand new invention that he and Rockwell and Karai painstakingly created out of love for a brother.

Leatherhead and Slash volunteered to find and steal one of those small EEG machines, but when Leo stiffened and Donnie let out a strangled whine, Raph gently convinced them not to.

Rockwell finally explained how some hospitals were using Japanese-made mobile app based portable ultrasound devices, and that there were ways he could procure one. At the time, the turtles had decided they had already gone too far.

And then, Karai suggested using bits of the Dimension X technology scattered in the lab to create the proper silicone chips and build a device from the ground up.

Hours later, Donnie found himself holding a rudimentary portable terahertz scanner able to act as an ultrasound and CT scanner. It was flat like his tablet, as big as his laptop, and needed to be held over the subject, and very much reminded Leo of some of the scanner devices used in “Space Heroes”. So Donnie decided that Leo would be the test subject. Leo was rather excited.

The screen lit up and flashed as Donnie held his new baby up and moved it from Leo’s head to his toes, making him turn around. The three-dimensional images were perfect, and for the first time he could see his brother’s insides all the way down. Leo seemed the picture of health. His subject preened a bit. Raphael just rolled his eyes and muttered “Wonder Boy.”

But it’s now, and Donnie chews his lower lip, and paces the lab, picking up the tablet, rubbing his fingers along its screen. It’s his last hope. April did her best to scan Mikey’s mind, but she encountered only whiteness, and fog, and then a blue darkness too deep and too intense, suffocating, and Mikey’s slow soft pulse was a pressurized physical presence; the only thing she was certain of was the powerful flare of a miniature sun in the vast distance, and Donnie had to take her word for it that their baby brother was, in fact, still there.

Donnie thinks about the times Mikey would smile at him. The cheerful smiles, the cheeky smiles, the adorable smiles, the prankster smiles, the naïve smiles, the confident smiles, the scary smiles. In battle, Mikey never gives up, and the way his teeth will bare makes Donnie think of a wounded apex predator in a corner, turning into a hurricane full of force and fury and lightning and silence and feared awe. Mikey has always used his role of the cute baby brother to his advantage. Not even Master Splinter really understood; Mikey usually flew under the radar. Donnie kept missing that unless Mikey was directly underfoot.

There are no smiles right now. Donnie knows it’s no one’s fault but he really wants to blame himself. He and Mikey had made a promise to stick with each other, all those months ago, because of their neurodivergent brains. 

He should have figured out the gang members’ motives. He should have calculated. He should have kept an eye on the largest man, the one with the huge knife and the huge crushing hands, the one who seemed to stalk Mikey’s acrobatics until finding a chance to grab his ankle and and swing him, and strike him, and stab him, and crack him…

“I don’t need to hurt you all. Just the little one.”

Shut up, he tells his memory. He hugs the scanner tablet to his chest and runs from the lab as though the memory of that giant man could find him.

In Mikey’s room, Raph is in a chair someone had brought, his arms folded over his plastron. He’s staring at Mikey’s face as though glaring could force consciousness to happen.

Donnie clears his throat.

Raph moves just his eyes. “Oh, is that the scanner thing?” When Don just stands there, Raph grunts and moves the chair back so Donnie has room.

He sits on the bed and checks the IV lines, checks his brother’s steady vitals. Carefully positioning the tablet directly over Mikey’s head, Don turns on the proper application, and with his other hand he cradles the back of Mikey’s head to turn it this way and that. He watches the screen.

It’s there, he sees it, and his heart plummets and his gut turns cold, and his hands begin to tremble just a little. Raph notices before he gets them under control and shoots forward. “What is it? What’s the matter? What’s wrong with him?”

Donnie remains silent. With a finger he traces the section of the right temporal lobe housing the injury he hoped would not be there; the closed head injury and the bleeding head wound had frightened him enough. Between blood gushing from the baby brother’s left leg and a head gash that looked worse than it was, the family was panicking so hard most of the human gang had been taken down with far more brutal force than necessary. Donnie was the first to noticed the breaks and fractures in the left knee, stained by blood, and wound up setting it himself before the others could notice, scooping Mikey into his own arms and rushing home before the others could really see. All the sutures, all the bandages, and the brace were applied under swift, barking orders, because Donnie didn’t want his family to realize.

His family is going to realize.

Fuck, he thinks. I can’t do this anymore.

Mikey’s smile during battle was powerful, edging toward something extreme and feral, and Donnie felt nervous around it. It was frightening because it showed how Mikey could run toward a precipice no one else could see, not even Raph. It would be too easy for Mikey to dance over an edge rimmed with fire and ice. If Mikey applied that behavior, that scary playfulness, to an enemy, no force in the universe could help them.

Damage to the temporal lobe could cause abrupt changes in behavior, and Mikey already had temporal lobe epilepsy.

Sudden aggression was common, and Mikey was cheery and playful, especially in battle.

Combine it all, and Mikey’s smiles would transform.

Placing the device down, Don begins to unwrap the gauze on Mikey’s head. The wound itself is healing, bruise colors staining the light green skin from the right temple to the cheekbone. Donnie grabs the tube of antibiotic ointment and carefully applies some before the fresh bandages. Checking Mikey’s pupils, he notes they are still dilated. Fuck.

“Donnie,” Raph says. “Donnie, what’s the matter? You were shaking. You only shake when it’s really bad. How bad is it?”

Donnie has almost forgotten he was there. He blinks at his older brother, eyes wide. Raph’s sharp green eyes are also huge, pupils like pinpricks. They have that connection, Donnie remembers.

“It…” Don begins, and Raph grabs the tablet.

“W-” Raph frowns deeply. “Donnie, what…what’s this mean? This…this little spot, right here?” and he is pointing at the spot Donnie had found. “That’s, you know, the tempiral lobe, right?”

“Temporal,” he corrects absently, securing the bandages and moving on to the leg.

“But, there’s already damage there!” Raph’s voice is rising, high and stressed, throat closing. Donnie unwraps and looks over the long, ugly gash, which is slowly showing signs of healing, the stitches holding firm. He doesn’t bother checking the knee, but he does reach for the tablet so it can be scanned. Raph grips it tighter.

“Raph, I need my scanner, please, I need to scan his knee–”

And Raph is making a sound high in his throat, like a whine, his lower lip pushed out. Donnie stares at him.

Oh, he realizes.

“It’s going to be all right, Raph.” He switches to a soothing tone. “I swear. Mikey will be okay.”

And Raph gasps, “I don’t believe you.”

Oh, ouch.

Donatello bites his lip and just holds out his hand.

“I’m sorry, Donnie,” and Raph does sound so sorry, hanging his head and handing over the device.

“It’s okay, Raph, it’s fine,” and Donnie smiles, but Raph looks afraid now.

The scan on Mikey’s leg reveals a patella fracture directly across the left knee cap. The crack is wide, the entire knee area swollen and the joint unable to bend. Just as he figured. The good news is that it will heal with proper care; the bad news is that Mikey will be devastated that he can’t do anything athletic for at least a couple of months.

Then again, it does also depend on what the knife damaged.

The scan there reveals less damage than Donnie thought. The knife went two inches in, piercing the quadriceps tendon. Blood loss was substantial, but no major arteries were hit, and Mikey will easily heal. Donnie exhales, and realizes he is sweating. He shuts his eyes tightly and with both hands he presses down on the leg like he did during the battle, knowing that this time there is no blood flow to staunch.

A hand on the back of his head. When he looks up, Raph is staring at him, and Leo and April and Karai are there, staring at him, staring at Mikey, staring at the tablet, their faces drained of color. Donnie suddenly realizes how this must appear. He leaps off the bed, hands up and out.

“It’s okay, he’s okay, he’s just got temporal lobe damage again and a broken kneecap and he’ll be okay in a couple of months, I’ll take care of it.” “It’s…not okay,” Karai murmurs with a hint of shock.

Leo tilts his head. “Donnie…are you all right?”

“I’m fine, why does everyone keep asking me that? I just want to help Mikey be okay!”

And a hoarse, raspy whisper behind him croaks out, “Thanks, Donnie…”

And he whirls around. Mikey’s eyes are open, clouded and dilated but seeing and focused only on him. He can’t help the whoop of joy as he wraps his arms around his only little brother’s shoulders, burying his face in Mikey’s shoulder. “Hey, B-Team buddy.”

“I th-thought…you…h-hated that…” And Mikey’s voice sounds like tears as his arms weakly wrap around Don’s carapace.

“Nope. Not anymore. Welcome back, Mikey. Missed you.”

It isn’t until Leonardo’s arms wrap around him from behind that Donatello finally gives in to stress and exhaustion. He is carefully helped into the bed right next to Mikey, and he throws an arm across Mikey’s plastron, nuzzling his cheek. “Wake me in like six hours.”

Mikey gives a harsh, raw laugh. “Make it ten, dudes.”

The others are lavishing kisses and hugs on him, and it’s April who turns bright, teary eyes on Donnie, with a relieved smile, and says, “If Mikey can’t get out of bed for at least twelve hours, neither can you.”

Donnie is just too tired at this point to argue. As his eyes begin to close, he sees April take the tablet as if it were a treasure, and then he hears Mikey give a soft churring coo, like the beginning of a lullaby. Mikey is almost purring, nuzzling him, and then Donatello is asleep.

[thatcrazyfanfictionwriter]

Secret of the Sewers: Revelations

Leonardo slowly woke up, his entire body throbbing painfully. As he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find himself laying down on the ground in the living area of the lair. There were clean bandages around his various wounds, and an ice-pack resting on his forehead. As he laid there, his thoughts drifted back to the battle, and a gut wrenching fear suddenly coursed through his veins. He sat up violently, then immediately regretted it as both his head and his ribs screamed at him.

"Oww..." He moaned.

Hisako, who was currently bent over Raphael, turned towards Leo. Her face did not even attempt to hide the relief she felt upon seeing her brother awake.

"Leo..." She sighed, walking over to him and picking up the fallen ice pack. "Thank God you're okay."

"What happened?" he asked as Hisako eased him back onto the ground. "How did we get here?"

"I went and got Splinter." Hisako explained, putting the ice pack back on her brother’s head. "We dragged you all back here."

Leo turned his head slowly, happily noting Mikey and Donny in their own make-shift futons being tended to by Master Splinter. They turtles were all banged up and slowly coming to, but they were alive. Leo sighed, turning his head away. That's when he noticed a fourth unconscious form. Blinking in confusion, Leo tried to focus on the form, then his eyes went wide.

It was the creature from the tunnels, the very creature that had nearly killed him and his brothers. Suddenly wide awake, Leo struggled to his feet, instinctively grabbing his katanas, which were lying beside him. Hisako's eyes widened as she tried to get between her brother and the creature.

"What is THAT doing here?!" he demanded, attempting to push past her and draw his katanas at the same time.

Hisako maintained her ground, planting her feet and keeping both of her hands on his plastron.

“I brought him here too.” she hastily explained. “Please Leo, let me explain-”

“That thing tried to kill us Hisako!” Leo exclaimed, finally managing to get past her. “If it wakes up, who knows what it will do.”

Leo raised his katana, only for Hisako to once more stand in the way. Leo barely had time to stop his swing before he struck down his sister. They met each other’s eyes, Leo’s cold, hard gaze meeting her desperate, pleading one.

“Move.” Leo ordered.

“I won’t.” Hisako told him, not moving an inch. “Not until you calm down and listen to me.”

Leo gritted his teeth, his grip on his katana tight enough for the wood to creak. Before the situation could escalate further, Splinter’s paw came to rest on the blue turtle’s shoulder.

“My son, while I sympathize with your fears surrounding this creature, I believe it would be in your best interest to hear your sister out before make such a decision.” He remarked.

Leo looked back at his sensei, then at the beast, then finally back at Hisako. With a sigh, he lowered his sword, putting it back in its sheath.

“Alright Hisako, talk.” He told her curtly.

Hisako let out a visible sigh of relief, then looked back at the creature. Leo watched his sister, surprised to see a look of remembrance, as well as a strong sadness that seemed to penetrate deep.

“His name is Leatherhead.” she said softly, her eyes never leaving the creature. “He’s my friend, the first one I ever had. He’s the one who-”

Her breath hitched and her fists clenched, a sign Leo recognized all too well. She did that every time she tried to talk about her past.

“He saved my life.” she finally continued. “It’s thanks to him that you guys found me when you did… I thought he was dead… part of me hoped he was.”

“If he’s your friend, why did you hope he was dead?” Leo wondered.

Hisako looked at Leo with that same soul-crushing sadness.

“There are some fates worse than death.” she told him.

Leo looked at all the scars that practically covered Leatherhead’s body, then he looked at Hisako. Even after four years, her arms and wrists still bore the scars from the time before they found her.

“What I’m trying to say is this.” Hisako continued, pulling Leo’s thoughts back to the present. “He’s not a threat. Not anymore.”

From his futon, Donny let out a groan as he struggled to sit up, clutching an ice pack to the side of his head.

"I have a bump on my head the size of a grapefruit that proves otherwise." He mumbled. "He may not be a threat to you, but he sure as shell is one to us."

"He destroyed our weapons…" Mikey moaned, holding the broken bits of his Nunchucks. "He nearly killed us."

“He was being forced to do it.” Hisako explained. “That collar around his neck, it would have hurt him if he didn’t behave. It was newer then the ones I saw before, but if it’s anything like those, then you’d be willing to do anything to prevent the pain it could inflict.”

An uneasy silence filled the lair, then Raph spoke up.

“If what Hisako says is true, and Leatherhead here is just another victim, I say we hear him out.”

“Seriously Raph?” Donny questioned. “I figured you’d be the first turtle to suggest we lock him up somewhere.”

“You remember how Hisako was when she first came here.” Raph reminded his brother. “She was scared, didn’t know who to trust, and lashed out on pure instinct. This Leatherhead is probably just like her.”

“Only bigger, scarier, and with sharp teeth and claws that could tear us into tiny little bite-sized turtle chunks.” Mikey added.

Raph picked up his pillow and threw it at Mikey’s head since he was too far to smack the orange turtle.

“Look, all I’m sayin’ in the guy’s probably messed up in the head, and he needs help, not a poundin’.” Raph said as he crossed his arms. “So maybe we should talk.”

“Wow, that’s… rather mature of you Raph.” Leo complimented.

“Hey, if we were talkin about a Motorhead or one of those purple dragon deadbeats, I be all for beatin’ the snot outta them. But this guy’s a mutant like us, and one who’s probably been hurt enough.”

“Raphael is right.” Splinter agreed. “However, I feel it may be prudent to take precautions and chain him to one of the support beams.”

Hisako gulped a bit, but understood her Sensei’s reasoning. She knew what Leatherhead was capable of when he was threatened, and she also knew how he would most likely react when he came to.

“Hisako.” Splinter called, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Yes Sensei?” she replied.

“Once he awakens, he will no doubt be disoriented and confused. It may be best if you are the first face he sees.”

Hisako nodded.

“I couldn’t agree more sensei.”

With no more words to be said, Splinter got to work on restraining Leatherhead before the croc came to.

…

Leatherhead struggled to regain consciousness, his entire body battered and sore. The spot on his neck still tingled slightly from where Hisako had jabbed him.

As the memory of his long lost friend returned to him, his eyes snapped open and his initial fatigue left him.

“Oracle!” he shouted, attempting to rise to his feet.

His efforts to stand we cut off almost as quickly as they began. Several chains bisected his chest, keeping him pinned to a think concrete column. A few more were around his neck, not allowing him to bend it so he could bite through the chains. To make matters worse, he has chains binding his legs together at the ankles, as well as his arms behind the column. He was effectively immobilized, and it both terrified him and pissed him off.

Leatherhead’s eyes began to glow a bright red as he thrashed in his bindings, trying to find any slack or give in them so he could break free.

The sound of Leatherhead’s shout had already drawn the attention of the Hamato clan and they had been going to check on their guest/prisoner when he started fighting. While the turtles and Splinter maintained a safe distance from the wild mutant, Hisako dove right in, trying to calm him as best she could.

“Leatherhead!” she called over his furious protests. "Leatherhead, it's alright! Calm down!"

Her hand came up to try and grab his face, only for his jaws to sink into her hand with an audible crack. She nearly screamed, but quickly covered her mouth with her free hand, trying to keep herself calm so Leatherhead wouldn’t completely tear her hand off. The turtles acted quickly, Leo hitting a pressure point on Leatherhead’s jaw. This one didn’t knock him out, instead it just loosened the muscles in his jaw. Donny dislodged Hisako’s hand from Leatherheads jaw and quickly saw to it as Hisako kept trying to reach the mad mutant.

“Leatherhead, it’s me!” she cried. “It’s Oracle!”

That word seemed to do the trick. Leatherhead’s frantic attempts to break his bindings stopped. His eyes lost their angry glow as his snarling subsided. Hisako let out a sigh of relief, wiping tears from her eyes with her one free hand.

“Oracle…?” Leatherhead repeated, his eyes meeting hers.

“I’m here, big guy.” she told him softly, reaching out for him and gently caressing his face.

Raph instinctively moved to try and pull his sister’s hand away, seeing the blood soaked cloth Donny was using to try and save her other one. However, his efforts proved unnecessary, for rather than bite her hand again, Leatherhead nuzzled it, letting out a soft churr as he did.

“Sis your hands bleeding bad, and I’m pretty sure he snapped several of your metacarpals and phalanxes.” Donny interjected.

“Dude, we all heard that snapping noise.” Mikey reminded him. “Her hand is broken bad.”

Leatherhead heard this and his head came up.

“Sis…?” he repeated, confused.

“Short for sister.” Hisako explained as Donny continued his efforts to stop the bleeding. “These are my brothers. The one in blue is Leonardo, the red one is Raphael, the orange one is Michelangelo, and the one currently trying to save my hand is Donatello.”

Leatherheads gaze fell on Hisako’s injured hand and his face fell. His muscles went completely slack as tears came to his eyes.

“I… did it again… didn’t I?” he asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.

Hisako went to caress him again, only for him to move his head away from her as best he could.

“No...” he told her, his voice broken. “I have… hurt you enough…”

“Leatherhead, don’t say that.” she chastised him softly. “You and I both know you never mean to hurt me. My hand will heal, just like all the other scars did.”

Leo leaned over to Don, whispering in his ear.

“Her hand will heal, right?” he hissed.

“I’ll need to set up a cast, as well as put several stitches in it, but yeah.” Donny replied. “Think you can grab the stuff I need?”

Leo disappeared in an instant, the distant sound of Donny’s lab door being thrown open echoing through the lair. With Leo handling that part of the situation, the rest of the family was able to deal with the emotionally distraught crocodile.

Splinter approached Leatherhead, sitting down in front of him and gently moving Hisako’s hand away. Leatherhead met his gaze, the croc’s eyes narrowing in confusion.

“I do not… remember you…” he said quietly.

“I am Splinter, Hisako’s father.” the rat introduced. “I have been watching over her these past four years.”

“You… saved her…” Leatherhead simplified, turning his gaze towards Hisako. “You… healed her…”

“We have done what we could for her.” Splinter replied. “Though from what little she has told us about you, you are the one who made it possible for us to do so.”

Leatherhead growled a bit, though it seemed to be directed more at himself then at Splinter. As he did this, Leo returned with Donny’s requested equipment. As the purple turtle sifted through the supplies to get started, Leo turned his attention to the croc. Leatherhead felt the turtle’s eyes on him and met his gaze.

“Staring at the monster...” Leatherhead grumbled.

Leo quickly held up his hands.

“No, no.” Leo insisted. “It’s just… we’ve never seen another mutant before.”

“Yeah, if we’re honest, we thought we were the only ones.” Donny added, grabbing the needle and thread he needed. “Sensei, hold her please?”

Splinter moved towards Hisako, easing her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her. Even his tail curled around her as Donny began stitching her hand. She winced visibly, but Donny kept a tight grip on her wrist.

“I had always had my suspicions that we were not the only mutants.” Splinter continued, hoping their discussion would distract both his daughter and Leatherhead. “Hisako’s reaction to us and your presence confirm this.”

Leatherhead growled slightly.

“There are… dozens of us…” he said, his fists clenching behind the column. “Innocent animals… taken from their homes… twisted… warped into monsters… Then, he breaks us… tortures us… until we beg for death…”

The croc looked at the turtles and Splinter, seeing them all visibly sickened by what they heard. Hisako was whimpering in Splinter’s grasp, though whether that was from physical or emotional pain was anyone’s guess.

“It is a fate… I would not wish… on anyone… that is why… I tried to… to…”

“To kill us.” Mikey finished, his voice quiet.

Leatherhead nodded, then shifted his hips as best he could. Mikey spotted something tucked into the waistband of his pants and grabbed it. Once he took a look, he was surprised to see it was a photograph of the four turtles.

“Dudes, check this out.” he called out as he held up the photo. “This is from that fight the other day.”

Leo snatched it, looking at the photo in confusion.

“Donny, I thought you scrubbed all the cameras in the area.” he remarked.

“I did.” Donny replied, finally finishing with the stitches and beginning with the bandages.

“The van...” Hisako whispered. “It was a setup...”

“Shell!” Raph swore.

“Raphael, calm yourself.” Splinter ordered.

“Sensei, don’t you know what this means?” Raph asked, getting to his feet. “The motorheads we’ve been dealing with are in cahoots with the whack job that hurt Hisako!”

The turtles were all stunned. Mikey let out a choked gasp, Donny stopped working, and Leo’s jaw just dropped. Splinter pulled Hisako closer as she whimpered.

“He… He knows where I am...” she cried softly, burying her face in Splinter’s shoulder.

“No.” Leatherhead said, shaking his head as best he could. “I told him… I killed you…”

Hisako looked up.

“What…?”

“After...” his voice caught, but he continued. “After what happened… I let myself… be caught again… He… punished me… badly…”

He shivered violently, and Hisako pulled herself from Splinter’s grasp. Donny scrambled to follow her, still trying to bandage her hand as Hisako threw her arm around him.

“You did that for me?” she choked.

“I thought… you were dead…” he told her, his eyes closed as he leaned into her. “I thought… I deserved it.”

“Nobody deserves that.” Hisako told him, not releasing her hug.

Splinter let out a gentle cough, drawing their attention.

"Leatherhead." he said softly. "Hisako has said very little about her time before we found her, and we have respected her desire to forget that part of her life. However, I fear that is a luxury we can no longer afford. We must know all we can about the place where you two escaped from."

Hisako visibly flinched, but didn’t say a word. Instead, she reluctantly released Leatherhead and returned to her father’s embrace. Donny finally finished bandaging Hisako’s hand, and took a spot not far from his father and sister. The other turtles were not far behind, gathering in front of the croc.

“My tale… is not a pleasant one.” Leatherhead warned.

“We’ve been dealing with nightmare inducing red images produced by Hisako’s psyche for the past four years.” Donny informed him. “Trust me, we have no illusions of what you’re about to tell us.”

“When you are ready, so are we.” Leo assured him.

Leatherhead gave a single nod, then began his tale.

…

Leatherhead's first memory of That Place is one of pain. Every fiber of his being felt as if it was on fire. It went on for what felt like hours before subsiding. Even before it faded, he knew something was different about him. He felt bigger, stronger, and smarter. At first, he was happy to discover what new changes awaited him, but after he opened his eyes, he realized the terrible truth.

The newly transformed crocodile was in a cage, much too small for his newly enlarged form, surrounded by men and women in white lab coats. Many of these strangers held pens and paper, recording even the slightest movement he made. Others were congratulating themselves on 'another successful transmutation.' Others were chuckling to themselves, looking at Leatherhead like a predator does injured prey.

However, one doctor stood out among them. He approached the bars of the cage without fear, an almost maniacal gleam in his eye. When he spoke, his voice was laced with pride, and something that can only be described as vindictive or cruel.

"My name is Doctor Baxter Stockman," he said in a smug and twisted tone. "I am the one who gave you new life."

Leatherhead looked at Stockman, every instinct in his new body telling him that this man was evil in every sense of the word.

"Now that we're acquainted with one another, I want you to understand something." He leaned in close until Leatherhead could smell what the man had for lunch on his breath. "You. Belong. To me. So I suggest you make yourself at home, if you want to stay alive."

Leatherhead snarled at him, attempting to swipe through the bars. Stockman just backed away, then nodded towards a pair of men in thick body armor. One of them produced a cattle prod, nearly electrocuting Leatherhead. His screams of pain seemed to amuse Dr. Stockman, as well as the other doctors. Once he stopped convulsing, Stockman chuckled.

"That was only a taste of what is to come should you continue to resist me." Stockman promised. "If you wish to avoid further punishment, you will accept your fate."

The doctors and armored men then left him alone, giving him one last poke with the cattle prod before leaving him in the dark. Panting heavily from the pain, Leatherhead knew that he would have to escape from That Place, but it would take time. He would need to wait for them to let their guard down if he was to escape with his life.

...

After months of torture and humiliation, Leatherhead's patience grew thin as his lust for freedom became exponential. He was forced to allow the doctors to conduct experiments on him. Some were mundane, like basic exercise. Others were more painful, like seeing how much pain he could withstand or how much punishment his armor-like skin could take. He lost count of how many times he nearly died in that lab. There were times where he hoped that they would go too far and end his suffering. However, Stockman was much too careful with him to allow him to die.

On the 'anniversary' of his creation, Leatherhead finally snapped. His bottled up hatred and swallowed pride came back to him in spades. He broke free of his restraints, tearing through the bars of his cage as if they were plastic. Stockman did not know this, but he had been holding himself back during the physical examinations. He had only revealed a fraction of his strength. Now, he intended to show him everything he had when he tore the man limb from limb.

He broke through the door of the lab they had kept him in, only to find himself staring at a hallway of labs similar to his own. Quite a few held the bodies of failed experiments. Others seemed to have been converted into some semblance of living quarters. Then there were cells that seemed to be welded shut, with withered creatures attached to machines that seemed to extract all that made them unique.

Leatherheads anger flared at these sites. These creatures had been like him, transformed into monsters against their will and forced to endure the same tortures he had.

His vision clouded as he tore through these different cells. On some impulsive and destructive instinct, he charged towards the cells, tearing the doors open as if they were nothing, and destroying the failed experiments inside. One by one the creatures were dismembered and torn apart until they didn't even resemble their original form. No more would innocent lives be subject to Stockman and his delusional science experiments.

The more Leatherhead brought Stockman's work to ruin however, the more the feral beast that had been dwelling inside him all this time took over his mind. That anger all but dissipated when he came to one more cell.

This cell did not hold some monstrous creature, nor did it contain a desecrated mutated corpse. Instead, there was a small child inside. A girl, no older than 12, strapped to a wheelchair. She was so frail, her limbs her like brittle twigs. Her hair had been cut away and electrodes were attached all across her head. Monitors along the wall recorded every heartbeat and brain wave coming from this poor child.

Leatherhead entered her cell, determined to end her suffering. As he pulled the doors to the lab open, the girl looked up at him. Her grey eyes seemed to pierce his soul, and as he got closer, he felt something slip through the cloud of anger. A child's voice, telling him everything was going to be alright.

He didn't know how, but he instinctively knew it was her. She was communicating telepathically.

She wasn't scared of him, even though she probably knew why he was there. In fact, she seemed almost apathetic, unable to feel anything. It was this lack of emotion that stayed Leatherhead's hand.

In the end, he could not go through with it. He couldn't kill this girl.

At that moment, an image entered his mind. It was that of a guard coming up behind him with a gun. Leatherhead instinctively spun around, his tail knocking the guard off his feet, and his claws making short work of him.

He turned back to the girl, and still, she did not seem afraid of him. Despite the fact that he had just murdered someone in front of her, she continued to remain unaffected. She simply spoke to him mentally, telling me to run, to get as far away from That Place as possible. So he did just that, but not before tearing through her restraints and taking her with him.

…

All four of the turtles were listening intently to Leatherhead's story. Mikey had nearly begun crying with Donny comforting him. Raph and Leo were both just sitting their dumbstruck. Hisako was understandably upset, clutching onto Splinter desperately. Splinter held his daughter close, even his tail wrapping around her protectively.

“For days… all we did… was run…” he continued. “I didn’t know… where to go… just that we… we weren’t going back…”

“I still don’t get why you took Hisako.” Raph commented. “Believe me, I’m glad you did, but why?”

“I… don’t know.” Leatherhead admitted. “I couldn’t… bring myself… to kill her… as I did… the others.”

“But you thought you did at one point.” Leo remembered.

Leatherhead’s entire body tensed. Hisako’s hands drifted to her stomach, caressing the deep scars that decorated it. Donny put two and two together, and felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

“When we found her… she was bleeding out in a dumpster.” he recalled, his voice low. “Did you… did you hurt her?”

Leatherhead looked down, his eyes closed.

“Yes...” he replied.

“It wasn’t his fault.” Hisako said quickly. “He can’t control himself when he gets angry.”

“Hey, kinda like Raph.” Mikey commented.

Raph went to hit him, but from the smug look on Mikey’s face, it would only prove the orange turtle right. Splinter held no such reservations, and his tail quickly whacked his son upside the head.

“This is a serious matter Michelangelo.” he chastised before turning back to Leatherhead. “Please, continue.”

Leatherhead nodded again as he began his story again.

…

Leatherhead peered through the lid of the trash can he was using as cover, searching for his pursuers. For now, it seemed as though he had lost them. With a sigh of relief, he pulled himself out of the trash can, then gently removed Oracle from it as well.

"Oracle… Safe…" he told his young companion.

Oracle weakly wrapped her arms around Leatherhead's neck, shivering from a combination of cold and fear.

"How long?" she asked, her weak voice barely loud enough for Leatherhead to hear. "Find us… Always find us..."

Leatherhead cradled his friend, trying to help her preserve warmth. As he held her, he felt her tears begin to run down her face.

“Why...?” she sobbed. “Why hunt us… what did we do…?”

He honestly could not answer her question, but wished he could. He held her for a moment, then caught the scent of their pursuers. They were returning.

"I heard something over here!" a voice called.

"Check it out!" another ordered.

Leatherhead snarled, his eyes glowing red as Oracle tensed in his grip.

"Run." She whispered.

"No." Leatherhead replied.

Before Oracle could question why, He placed her back in the dumpster, closing the lid.

"Won’t run..." he snarled. "Not anymore."

With one massive roar, Leatherhead charged towards the squad of men that were coming around the corner. He jumped on top of one, about to bite into him when the other three started opening fire on him. Enraged, Leatherhead swiped his tail at one, knocking him off his feet and to the ground. Before he could get up Leatherhead brought his tail down on him, crushing him into the pavement. He then threw his fist at another squad member, sending him hurtling into a wall. His head rebounded off the bricks with a painful thud, and he slid to the ground unconscious.

The third one Leatherhead grabbed using his mouth. After swinging him around for a bit, the unfortunate soldier screaming all the way, Leatherhead threw him aside like a piece of garbage where he bled out on the ground.

Thinking all his enemies were defeated, Leatherhead stopped for a moment to catch his breathe. Unbeknownst to him, the first man he tackled earlier got out a taser stick and struck Leatherhead with it. The shock made Leatherhead scream in pain as he swatted away the weapon. Slowly, Leatherhead approached the man who was slowly backing away, realizing just how poor of a choice he just made.

"P-please..." He begged. "I have a family… I beg you..."

"I begged too… You didn't care."

He lunged at the man, his terrified screams being cut short.

Throughout the fight, Oracle had been desperately trying to lift the lid of the trashcan. Unfortunately, she had no strength to call her own. Luckily for her, one of the men Leatherhead had tossed aside had knocked over the can, sending the unfortunate girl sliding out onto the alley. As she watched Leatherhead decimate the final man, she could feel her friend slowly slipping away, replaced with a monster made of pure rage.

"Leatherhead!" She cried, her voice cracking from her weakness.

Leatherhead turned to her, the red in his eyes not seeing his friend, but another enemy he had missed. Roaring again, he ran towards her on all fours and slashes at her with his claws. She lets out a scream of pain as she makes contact with the alley floor. Her blood mixes with the rain that began to fall. Luckily for her, it was these precious water droplets that pulled Leatherhead from his anger induced haze.

As his senses slowly returned to him, Leatherhead was horrified by what he had done. Oracle was covered in long gashes, blood covering her slim frame as laid curled in a protective ball on the ground. He stumbled back, looking down at his claws in horror.

"What… have I done…?"

…

“She… was so still…” he continued, tears pouring from his eyes. “Her blood… was all over me…”

“That’s awful dude.” Mikey whispered.

“I hated myself… I believed I had… had killed… my only friend.”

“No wonder you let whackjob city take you back.” Raph mused.

Leatherhead looked down at himself and sighed.

“A monster… like me… deserves… to suffer.”

“No.” Hisako insisted, placing a hand on his leg. “You’re not a monster.”

Leatherhead shifted in his chains, the sound of them clinking together ringing through the lair.

“Look at me...” He told her. “Look at… what I’ve done… to your family… to you…”

Hisako looked down at her bandaged hand, then over at her brothers.

“Guys… He’s not a monster… Please let me-”

Before she’d even finished her sentence, the turtles were already in motion. They all moved behind the pillar, unlocking the various chains keeping the croc bound. They fell away from him, much to his surprise.

“You’re… letting me go?” He asked, looking at his now freed wrists,

“You ain’t no monster, just like Hisako keeps tellin’ ya.” Raph told him. “You’re the victim, that’s it.”

“You only think you’re a monster because that’s how people have been treating you.” Mikey explained, releasing Leatherhead’s legs.

“Besides, a true monster wouldn’t feel remorse for his actions.” Donny rationalized. “You feel bad for what you’ve done, and you recognize when you’ve done something wrong.”

“And more then that, any being that’s willing to lay down their life for our sister is good in my book.” Leo concluded.

The other three turtles nodded and Splinter smiled. Leatherhead looked over at Hisako, who was smiling at him brightly. He had never seen her so happy.

"Thank you." He said with a smile of his own. It looked a bit weird with his razor sharp teeth, but the turtles got the true intent.

Hisako jumped up and hugged her old friend, her arms wrapped around his neck. He caught her and held her, and for a moment, they forgot about their past, the ever dangerous future, and the enemy currently hunting them all.

…

In Baxter Stockman's Lab, Hun stared at the screens that had been broadcasting the footage of the fight between Stockman's pet and the turtles. The screens were now black with the words NO SIGNAL flashing in red. Stockman had disappeared a while back, searching through the old archives. When he returned, he had a thick file in his hands.

"I didn't think it was possible... but if what I saw was right…"

Hun went to tell him about the end of the fight, but Stockman merely brushed him to the side, bringing up the recorded footage. He brought it up to where the girl appeared, then paused when it showed her face. He zoomed in, and he gasped.

"I knew it…"

He flipped open the file, sifting through the different papers until he came across what he wanted.

A photograph.

He held it up to the screen, comparing the faces. She was older and had filled out some, not to mention grew out her hair, but there was no denying it.

"Hun, my boy, today is a good day!"

Hun stared at the doctor, thinking he had gone insane.

"Perhaps I should tell you that your pet failed to destroy the turtles."

"To hell with that overgrown lummox and those shelled freaks." Stockman exclaimed. "What we have here is far more important."

He looked up at the screen and grinned evilly.

"Project Oracle is still alive."