#thanks again for writing with us and leo's continued nonsense day after day! <3

[badboysupr]

to all the muses out there who have been genuinely nice to leo:

i'm sorry

he is literally a disaster and a half (or maybe about 5385865363 disasters, tbqh) and is2g every single time anyone just shows common decency to him, he has an Entire Moment that should be backed up by a dramatic musical number at this rate bc jeezum

jeezum

[imma-lil-teapot]

TMNT 2003/2K3 Headcanon: Crying - (Raphael)

Feel free to scroll past this first part if you’re not interested in my silly rambling and nonsense. I won’t mind. Promise. ;)

Alrighty then, lockdown has officially started here. :/ *Unenthusiastic streamers fly* Oh well, look what we have all the time in the world for: WRITING! *Enthusiastic streamers fly* Not too much extra to add in this regard since the last headcanon (thanks a bunch for the likes btw, guys :D ), so I guess we’ll just get right into it. :)

Please bear in mind that I’m SUPER rusty! Haven’t written in ages so there are bound to be typos and all matter of general errors scattered throughout the post. Don’t pet them! They bite!  

Anyhoo~ Despite attempting to create and share with the goal in mind to uplift spirits, I decided to start on a rather upsetting subject (PLEASE DON’T LEAVE! They end on happy notes ;) ) because, Imma just come and say it, I enjoy seeing my favourite characters shed tears (not for just any old reason -their personality plays a huge role in this- and CERTAINLY not for sadistic reasons, land sakes no! But… well, you’ll see~ ;) ) It makes me all gooey and fuzzy inside to see them display such raw emotion and I just wanna leap into the TV screen to hug and console them. I dunno why. Maybe I’m nuts like that. (Remembers Raph crying at the farm when Leo was badly injured and wishes she could just hug them all and take away the pain) Oh well, if you enjoy visualizing the same, then *High Fives*. :)

So yeah, if you read the title, you’ll know this is based on the 2003/2k3 series (my favs). Hope you all enjoy~ :D Grab tissues cause sad turts ahead! :’(

Jibber jabber stops here~

TURTLES~

LEONARDO

RAPHAEL - You are here

DONATELLO - Coming soon

MICHELANGELO - Coming soon

WARNING(S): Because of the subject, Angst and Hurt/Comfort will be present.

RATING: G (General)

WORD COUNT: Uhhh... *Shrugs shoulders*

ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD:

Well, you’re just gonna have to scroll down to find him, Master Splinter. ;) I really didn’t know what to add so... *Shrugs* And look at da squishy Turtle Tots, dey so cuuuuute!!! <3 

TO THE HEADCANONS~~~~

~RAPHAEL~

– With his infamous hotheadedness and quick capacity for battle, it’s of course natural at first for one to expect Big Bad Raphie-Boy to be completely opposed to the very thought of crying. He is the resident ‘tough guy’ after all.  

– However, this notion couldn’t be farther from the truth: sure, he can be brash, quick to temper and lash out at those that give him enough incentive to, but underneath that rockhard exterior beats the heart of a real softie, and when something truly upsets that tender muscle, you can bet Mr. Hothead’s not going to try too hard to keep the tears at bay. 

– He’s as passionate as he is headstrong, and reining in such powerful emotions proves to be difficult at most times for him, so out of the four of them, and given the right circumstances, Raph can be surprisingly easy to get the tears flowing.

-- He’s no crybaby by a long shot, mind you, but he also knows that holding back on the waterworks is pointless and makes one just feel worse in the long run. If you’re going to cry, just cry. Simple as that. 

-- Like all of his brothers, Red can’t handle the thought of losing any of his family and close friends. It tears him apart inside and he’ll desperately attempt to protect and prevent anything terrible from happening to them, but when it does, he’s an emotional wreck and doesn’t always know how to handle his distress.  

– His initial reaction is to be by their sides before becoming outraged, and depending on the different situations, it’s not uncommon for him to also nag and pass remarks at the injured brother(s). It’s the only real way of expressing his fear of losing them before dampness starts forming in his eyes.

– Despite his tough guy front, he’s not against crying in front of his family and friends at all. He knows his place and doubts a few tears will have them seeing  him in a different light, particularly his father/master and brothers for they’ve seen the worst in him on many occasions. 

– It’s only when a particularly harsh meltdown wishes to happen does Raph choose to spare them the sideshow; he knows it’s not a pretty sight, so before the sniffling begins, he leaves the Lair and heads topside for some much needed air.

– He chooses the nearby rooftops as his destination; the ideal location to let go of the ever building waves of raw emotion that continue to grip at his chest, and by the time he makes it up the fire escape ladder, he spares little time letting out a rough growl in frustration, kicking an air vent a couple of times for good measure.

 -- With some rage and frustration now out of his system, he heads on over to the brick wall and turns his back to it, roughly sliding down into a sitting position and exhales a dismal sigh. As he subconsciously replays the earlier events through his mind, he finally allows the next phase of his sorrow to surface unbridled. 

-- He dolefully holds his head in one hand and balances it on a single knee pad as the tears now begin to flow freely.

– They instantly soak into his mask, and he grits his teeth as he feels the surges of emotion wrack his entire body. He doesn’t characteristically whimper or sob when crying, but he coughs a lot, and his nostrils leak like a faucet, forcing him to frequently sniff and snort just in order to breathe. This is the very reason why he refuses to really break down in front of the the others; not because of his tenacity, but because he simply finds the whole affair gross. His family certainly didn’t need to hear him constantly hacking up a lung and sounding like an untuned trumpet every time he blew his nose.

– The episode doesn’t last too long, though, much to his delight, and after some more thorough nasal clearing, Raph then wipes at his still somewhat wet eyes and mask before drawing out another -now exhausted- sigh. 

-- He’d begin gradually twirling a single sai around whilst he collected his thoughts. It felt more natural to keep his hands busy than have them being static when he was feeling this way. As his demeanor altered, so did the actions he performed with it.  

– He wouldn’t return to his family just yet for there was still some brooding left to be done... At least that was what he’d convinced himself he was doing. He wanted a clear head when he returned so for now, he’d remain in place on the rooftop in the crisp air with the city bursting with life just below him. 

-- He had to admit, it was certainly the best place for him to be with his thoughts. Comforting in fact. A true New Yorker at heart.

BONUS EXTRA~

– Aside from having everyone special to him perish, one of Raph’s greatest fears is his inability to fully control his own temper. On more than one occasion has it gotten out of hand and thus resulted in him injuring his own brothers, and it had shaken him to the core each time. 

– He’s come to the realization that he is his own worst enemy when it comes to reigning in his own inner rage, and it uneases him immensely that it could happen again and he’s fully aware that the probability is higher than he cares to admit. The more he concerns himself with it, the more it upsets him and thus, the tears of frustration start. 

– Fortunately, his bros are there for him and can tell when he’s feeling low about it. They know the best course of action is to have a light-hearted conversation about it with him and offer their reassurances... With Mikey of course adding his own two cents on the matter in his unique Mikey style, which usually involves poking fun at his brother in red and causing Raph to go from broody to enraged in record breaking time. Just how it should be.

– Not only is Raph A-okay with crying himself, but he’s often first on the emotional support committee to offer the shoulder of comfort to his friends, amazingly enough, and he’s actually pretty decent at it too. Though, not for absolutely everyone; he has his limitations when he knows someone’s really just blubbering for attention.

– He wasn’t always so accepting of shedding tears, though: as a very young Turtle Tot, he often thought of it as being too ‘babyish’ for him to do and thus despised it whenever something happened to cause him to tear up. 

– It took Master Splinter a rather surprisingly lengthy amount of time to change his perception of crying. No amount of explanations on how it was a perfectly natural expression of emotion would sway his son. 

– It got so out of hand that Raph would be in utter denial about crying right in front of his father, even while the latter would be staring at his tear-stained face directly in front of him. “M‘not cryin’,” the little Turtle would sniff. “Cryin’s fah sissies.” 

-- Splinter could only sigh and shake his head as he knelt down to embrace his son. When could he feel that Raphael would not fight the closeness, he’d give him the same lecture again, and Raph would finally succumb to his emotions and sob into his father’s robe whilst Splinter comfortingly rubbed his shell.

-- He could only guess that his words finally got through to his son for ever since that day, Raph’s entire attitude had altered for the better on the subject.

BONUS EXTRA EXTRA FEMALE READER OR S/O EDITION~ (Can also use an OC/FC insert if you wish, up to you)

From the moment you entered the Lair, you could clearly see something was up; Mikey was nursing an obvious wrist injury with a bag of frozen peas and hovering around Donny’s work area, complaining about the swelling to the purple-banded Turtle, who appeared to be paying little attention towards his ‘younger’ sibling as his back was turned.

"Hi, (Y/N).” 

You visibly jumped at the voice behind you and briskly turned, only to meet Leonardo’s placid form, and he swiftly apologized for the start. 

After the formal greeting, you gestured with a thumb in confusion at the former scene with an added, “Do I want to know?”

The leader’s facial features altered to a more serious aspect. “The end result of testing Raph’s patience,” he offered, which instantly had you more than a little concerned. Sure, Mikey could come off as being annoying, but to go so far as to physically harm him? 

“Are you sure it’s not worse than ‘just a sprain’?” You overheard the injured brother asking Donny, whose focus remained on a contraption of sorts you couldn’t quite make out on his desk.

“Yes, Mikey, you’ll live,” he responded with just a hint of weariness. “But no swinging your nunchucks around for a coupla days,” which was met with a typical whine in response from his patient. 

“It’s really not as bad as he makes it out to be,” Leo then added, turning your attention back towards him. Though you didn’t express it, you were grateful to hear the good news.

"Where is he now?” 

“Topside most likely.” Of course. It didn’t surprise you in the least that Raph had chosen to head there and you quickly set a course for the surface. “Need an escort?” The leader in blue offered, to which you politely declined. You knew he needed no further explanation. 

As you pushed back the manhole cover and made your way towards the nearest fire escape ladder, you were unable to put aside the various speculations as to why your special Turtle would hurt his own brother... Well, you would be kidding yourself to say you didn’t have at least one very plausible theory in mind, but as you neared the top of the ladder, the guesswork was instantly dropped and replaced with trepidation for you knew how Raph felt about injuring family. 

To put it simply, you were going to be dealing with a very dejected Turtle, and true to form, as you peered over the top of the building, the iconic emerald green hide and red mask tails met your sight. 

This was Raph’s favorite spot to gather his thoughts after all, so it was a no-brainer decision to begin the search there, and it was clear as day that it was exactly what he was doing for he made no effort to acknowledge your presence as he remained seated against the wall in a slouching position and gaze locked out front. 

As expected, he appeared to be moping. “Hey, Raphie,” you greeted, clambering over the wall. 

You were unable to tell if he had been aware you were nearby for he made no prior indication but instead merely replied with a gloomy, “’Sup, Kiddo?” No movement whatsoever. 

It amused you whenever he chose to refer to you by that nickname, especially since you were both the same age, but as you ambled on over towards him, you were left anything but amused as your former notion was set in stone when you caught the telltale signs of wet stains under his eyes. “You okay?”

“Peachy.”

It wasn’t the first time you had witnessed ‘ol Red crying, but it didn’t prevent your heart from breaking all the same. Something about seeing the bullheaded bad boy in tears left you in a real state of dismay, so without invitation, you seated yourself next him, affectionately leaning against his side, but before the consoling could begin, you had to gently ask, “You wanna tell me what happened?”

“Ugh, it was so stupid! Mikey wouldn’t quit goin’ on n’ on about beatin’ me in the Battle Nexus tournament and kept rubbin’ it in our faces about becomin’ the champ,” he exclaimed with shockingly little provocation, sniffing loudly. “I jus’ got so sick’ve it this time, an’ it’s not like we neva duked it out before or nothin’ but... I went too far this time, (Y/N), ya know?” 

He still refused to look at you as he began to wipe away some fresh tears that were forming in his eyes.

Your assumption had been correct all along; you acknowledged full well how Mikey’s triumphant achievement grated on Raph’s last nerve and how the orange-banded Turtle would seek out every opportunity to gloat about it in a bid to purposely provoke his ‘older’ brother. “Well, you know Mikey, Raph,” you said, not quite sympathizing with the actions he took, but rather offering some support. “He tries to get under your shell on purpose.”

"Yeah, I know, but... Dat’s no reason ta clobber the guy. Not like that, anyway” You noted how his voice gradually lowered grievously and you couldn’t stop yourself from placing your head on his shoulder. 

“No, it isn’t, but...” you knew you were grasping at straws by this point, but still offered, “They say it’s not as bad as he makes it out to be.”

He sighed dolefully. “I lost control again, (Y/N),” and you could feel the vibrations beginning to surge through him. “No matta what I do, I jus’... I jus’ can’t...” He trailed off, wracked with emotions as he covered his face with one hand and allowed the tears to fall, a cough slipping here and there.

You heart bled for this boy, and more than anything right then, you longed to relieve him of the pain, so you did the only thing you could think of: be right there by his side, comforting him through the breakdown. “Oh, Raph. It’ll be okay,” you calmly whispered, slinking an arm around his carapace and shoulders, bringing him closer and lightly squeezing his bicep with your free hand. “It’ll be okay.”

He leaned into the much needed support and continued to allow his misery to flow forth. You didn’t mind in the least for it was exactly what he required in order to heal, and you would be there for him every step of the way.

AND THAT’S A WRAP!

ALL THE FEELS!! I EMBARRASS!!

WOOT, that’s Turt number two completed! Sorry it took a little longer than expected; I still feel rusty with sentence structure and all and am not entirely pleased with the outcome, but I did feel an improved ‘flow’ from the first so maybe things are slowly coming back to me? Or maybe it was the scenario; it felt more natural o write than Leo’s... Maybe cause Bloo Boi’s my fav Turt and I felt added pressure with his?

Oh well, Donny Boy’s next~

Thank you all so much for the read and hope you enjoyed~ :D

~Drag0n Mistr3ss’ Random Fandoms*

[tmnt-veelicious]

Across the Stars - Ch.2

URG, this chapter is small and yet it took me time to write it... I hate beginnings :’D Oh wellzzz, time to meet the others ! Heads up, next chapter might contain mentions of anxiety/panic attack. Also I’ve added links in this chapter regarding Vee’s tattoo and a reaction she has at some point (OF COURSE IT’S A VINE HAHAH) Have fun reading <3 First Chapter --> HERE Next Chapter --> HERE

She got green-lighted for a meeting three days later, meeting up with April right after work, following the reporter deep down the bowels of New York city's sewers. Vee couldn't deny being nervous, the exctasy of being shown things and beings that were so out of the ordinary fueling her with renewed energy. She still wondered if all of this was nothing more than a dream, but soon her thoughts shifted as they stumbled upon the infamous lair. The place was huge, the ceiling as high as the surroundings extending to many opened and closed rooms. It wasn't as much filled with water as Vee first thought, but it still had a slight 'sewer charm' that kept the woman grounded in this new world. ''Vee!'' She recognized Donatello's voice, turning to him with a wide smile. Although it did falter a little as she spotted three other turtles beside him, all impressive in size and look. April did warn her earlier, but she did not expect them to be so imposing. Donnie offered to take the woman's coat out of courtesy, revealing Vee to be wearing a black long-sleeved turtle neck shirt and jeans. She oddly felt smaller than she already was, her eyes still locked on the three other turtles. The one she noticed the most was wearing a red do-rag, his whole body being a mountain of muscles. He looked intimidating and severe, gazing down the human as if constantly judging her. Then she could see another one wearing a blue mask, this one looking more collected and slightly less muscled than the other. Vee couldn't help feeling a strong sense of leadership in him, mostly dued to his posture and general calmness. And finally she spotted the orange masked one, always showing a smile. He was smaller than the others, but still taller than Vee without any doubts. She already categorized him as an extrovert, a people-person, an explosive energy seeming to emanate from his sole being. ''So, that's Donnie's girlfriend?'' scoffed the red masked one. Vee froze. ''Wh-?'' ''If you mean by that a friend that happens to be a girl, yes she is,'' corrected Donatello with a frown as he was back by the woman's side. ''Aw come on D, the way you keep talking about her, we thought you guys were already a thing,'' chided in the small one with a mocking tone. If looks could kill...! Donnie was staring down at his brothers, trying to get them to stop. He did change the subject around, gesturing the other turtles to Vee, presenting them, from blue to red and finally orange. ''Forgive these buffoons.... Here's Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo.'' Vee smiled in response. ''Nice to meet you all! My name is Véronique.'' ''Veh-what now?'' cut the big one, confused. ''It's a French name, Raph. She's French Canadian,'' sighed Donnie, reajusting his glasses. ''Ooh, Canadian,'' said Michelangelo. ''The land of maple syrup and moose riding!'' ''And we also live in igloos,'' added Vee with a playful smirk. ''Sorry if my name is a mouthful of nonsense. You guys may call me Vee.'' The orange masked turtle nudged Raph. ''Look, she even says sorry, just like a true Canadian,'' he commented. ''Okay Mikey,'' cut the soft, yet authoritarian voice of Leonardo, finally speaking up. ''You've mocked our guest more than enough.'' His blue eyes went to April, catching the reporter's attention. ''April, can I have a word with you?'' As both of them moved to a quieter place, Donatello took the opportunity to show Vee around the place, shooing his two other brothers away as he knew they wouldn't stop pestering him. *** ''I don't know what to think about all of this,'' started Leo, crossing his arms before him, staring down with a quick sigh. ''… She looks nice but...'' ''But?'' pressed April with half of a smile. ''Can we trust her? Who knows if she'll go around telling people about us? It's already good enough that we have you, Vern and Casey around, but now a new human presence equals new possibilities or troubles.'' ''Woh, easy there.'' April tried her best to sound reassuring. ''I can already assure you that you can trust her. … You should give Donnie more credit; he wouldn't have met her if he knew she'd be trouble. You knew he was talking to her and yet you didn't stop him.'' ''Well, yeah, because he was trying to find information about her. I didn't want someone with a criminal record to go live with you, if she ever had one. Plus she moved from another country, that's a bit suspicious.'' April mimicked his position, showing a blank stare. ''That's called a new life experience, Leo. I don't see how that can be a bad thing.'' The turtle stayed silent, trying to think of a good comeback. His eyes trailed around the lair, soon spotting Donatello and Vee... ''Give her a chance, for Donnie's sake,'' added the woman gently. ''… They seem to get along pretty nice and I think it'd be good for you guys to see a new face around here.'' You should give people more credit, echoed chief Vincent's voice in Leo's head. He looked back to April, still serious. ''One mistake and she won't be allowed here anymore.'' *** Vee couldn't hide her grin as she spotted Donatello's workplace: two desks facing one another with plenty of screens showing various things. ''Oh wow!'' she let out in awe. ''I've never seen that many screens for one desk, let alone two!'' ''I do a lot of surveillance and multitasking so they come in handy!'' beamed up the tall mutant with a smile, as if proud he could impress the woman. The human continued to look around until she came near his lab part, a soft ''ooh'' escaping her lips. She always have had a fondness for science, her curiosity always pushing her to stay informed about its many subjects. She rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, out of habitude whenever she would get to touch things and be careful, and proceeded to check out a beaker and other tools. ''This is amazing,'' she added. ''All this super secret setup, this cool lair! You guys are truly like some sort of super heroes!'' Donnie was now showing a shy smile, but it quickly faded out as his eyes spotted something on Vee's left forearm. He came to her, carefully taking her wrist in his large hand, examining her skin which showed a tattoo, a sentence. He didn't remark Vee who was now looking up to him with large eyes, surprised by his behavior. Being this close again, she could now notice how tall he actually was, the top of her head hardly reaching his shoulders... ''I remember you saying you have tattoos, but I never really got to see them,'' he said, mesmerized by it, a finger slowly going over the letters. Vee was blushing hard, letting out a small laugh. ''Yeah, I have four of them and I plan to get more,'' she said. Donatello looked up to her, then realizing that he was probably a bit too close, his hands suddenly letting go of the woman's arm. He cleared his throat, standing straight. ''What does it mean? That's Latin, isn't?'' he asked. The human showed a comforting smile. ''Indeed! It means 'You are here for a reason'. … It's a lil' something I try to remember when things go bad.'' Their eyes met, Vee suddenly feeling her heartbeat increase. She couldn't help moving forward, next gently taking one of his hands, getting to sense his skin's texture. She noticed how slightly distressed he looked, most probably not used to people approaching him like this. ''… It's funny,'' calmly started the woman. ''I thought I knew you after all of those months of talking, but now everything feels new. … I'm still trying to figure out if any of this is real or not.'' His other hand came over hers, the ghost of a smile coloring his traits. ''It is very real, I can assure you,'' Donnie started. ''… I'm sorry about all the secrecy.'' ''Why did you finally accept to meet face to face?'' The turtle slightly sticked out his tongue a few times, thinking, Vee instantly knowing this was the cutest thing she would ever witness in her life. ''It just felt right,'' he finally said. ''I mean, it's easy talking with you. I don't need to rephrase everything I say, compared to whenever I speak to my brothers. We share many interests... Do I need to go on?'' Vee snorted a small laugh. ''See! We even have the same freakin' laugh. Unbelievable,'' he added, chuckling. Yeah, okay. This was no dream. The woman was finally starting to feel more at ease, her hands still inbetween his. She couldn't help noticing how warm he was, even though being a reptile.... ''Hi! Would you like a cup of tea?'' said a new voice. Vee looked towards the source, a surprised gag suddenly leaving her as her body twitched, now seeing a giant rat holding two small cups. Donatello realized he never mentionned this newcomer... ''Ah, uh, Vee, this is master Splinter. He's my dad.'' The woman looked surprised for a second, next taking her time to observe the rat. He was slightly smaller than her, his fur showing some grey and his black eyes were strangely expressive. She showed a smile, trying to be polite. ''W-why yes, tea sounds nice!'' she replied, next being handed a cup. The brew smelled nice, calming her nerves instantly. She did not hesitate to take a sip, green tea being one of her favorite kinds. ''Thank you for the cup, the taste is absolutely delightful,'' she added next. ''Polite. Just as expected from a Canadian,'' said the rat, amused. Okay he's the father, alright, thought Vee, trying not to spit her sip. She could hear Donnie grumble, probably cursing the entire world. ''Does everyone have to embarrass me today?'' he simply said. ''Do not fret over this, my son. I was simply approving your choice of guest. At least she didn't try to attack me like Casey did.'' ''Well, yeah, that's why I took her away from Mikey and Raph before she got any bad ideas,'' replied the turtle, now showing a smile. ''Even if I wanted to try,'' added Vee. ''I'm no ninjas like you all. The only thing I can manage to do is get bruises by simply looking at a wall.'' Both snorted, Vee's clumsiness having been brought a certain number of times in their previous discussions over the last few months. The woman's heart fluttered for a moment as her eyes met his, somehow glad she could finally share moments like this in flesh and not before a screen... ''Donatello did mention you are an artist, but I was curious as to what kind exactly?'' next asked master Splinter. Vee grinned with a small frown, still looking at Donnie. ''Well, it seems like I'm a popular choice of conversation around here.'' The turtle wished he could disappear. Vee turned back to the rat, her traits calm and soft. ''I am mostly well-versed in music and drawing, although I tend to touch writing in my free time. I try to be as versatile as possible so I can take on many offers and possibilities. … I tend to believe knowledge is the most powerful tool I can have.'' Splinter smirked at the mention of this, a small chuckle escaping him as he eyed the turtle. ''Well if that doesn't remind me of someone!'' Donatello sighed, visibly annoyed: ''Dad, please...'' ''Don't worry, the old rat that I am will stop pestering you,'' said the other, already turning to leave. He did nod at Vee, a smile still on his lips. ''It was nice to finally meet you and you are always welcome in this house!'' As soon as he was out of sight, Vee threw a new playful grin towards Donnie, cocking an eyebrow. ''A lot of your family members seems to hook us up already. Should I take this as a sign?'' The turtle blushed, soon hiding his face in his hands, grumbling before finally speaking: ''They revel themselves in my misery, please don't pay any attention to them.'' ''Well, disregarding that, they all seem fine so far,'' added the woman, taking a new sip of tea. Donatello looked down to her, somehow amused. ''… I don't understand. How can you be so calm about all of this?'' he asked. ''Your reaction is just so … different!'' Vee shrugged: ''If I'm willing to believe aliens could exist, why not mutants? My curiosity strangely overrides my fear right now and I can't help being in awe when facing all of this.'' ''Huh, I can already hear Raph's voice saying 'We're not a freakshow'.'' ''And I don't believe you are either.'' She was now before him, her free hand on one of his arms, her thumb slowly stroking his skin. Their eyes met, Vee's gaze tender, smiling softly. ''… Donnie, I value you first and foremost for who you are, not what you are. You're probably not used to hear this, but it's true. We spent many months talking and developping a friendship.... The fact that you're showing me all of this, who you truly are, only deepens the trust I have towards you.'' The mutant showed a same smile, his hand coming over hers, subconsciously craving for any contact. ''Thanks... that means a lot.'' For a moment, everything felt at peace, the world shutting down around them. Nothing else mattered as they had found eachother. Finally...

[notwithout-mymuse]

Fic: Misfits and Wanderers 8/8

Fic in which Robert and Aaron accidentally become secondary dads to almost every kid in the village. No mentions of the current SL because positivity is fun.

Split into 8 smaller one-shots because my thoughts ran away with me. All parts with be tagged fic: misfits verse.

With thanks to @mrshiftysugden, @portinastorm, and @stulot

Part 1 – Noah

Part 2 – Gabby

Part 3 - April & Leo

Part 4 - Kyle

Part 5 - Sarah & Jack

Part 6 - Arthur

Part 7 - Samson

Part 8 - Epilogue: Christmas

A/N: Thank you so so much to everyone who has left comments/kudos/likes on this story. I've really enjoyed writing it and it makes me so happy that other people have enjoyed it too. I'm definitely interested in adding to this verse in the future, so if there are any scenarios or character combinations you would like to see, then feel free to leave a prompt either here or on AO3 (I'm itswheremydemonshide10 there too!)

--

The Mill buzzes with excited noise, the smell of warm gingerbread permeating the house. Liv had decided the day before that they needed to put some Christmas decorations up, which is how they ended up with a house full of kids helping them decorate.

Liv has April on her shoulders, so that she can reach to hang some tacky, brightly-coloured paper chains. Aaron is sat cross-legged on the floor, a string of tinsel around his neck, helping Noah and Sarah to work out which baubles to put on the tree first. The fire is on, and the radio is blasting cheesy Christmas songs, and Robert couldn’t be happier.

Once the decorations are up, and they’ve gorged themselves on mince pies, they all collapse in the living room, the start scene of The Grinch on the TV. However, Liv snatches the control before Aaron can press play.

“Before you start that, we’ve all got an early Christmas present for ya both.” Liv says, pulling a large box out from behind the sofa, covered in red, shiny wrapping paper and a glittery gold ribbon. “Careful, it’s fragile.”

“Liv if something jumps up out of this and smacks us in the face I’ll kill ya.” Robert tells her, not able to hide his suspicion as he pulls the box towards them.

“Oi. I’m trying to do something nice here.” Liv snipes back.

Robert notices that as he and Aaron start tearing at the wrapping to reveal a brown cardboard box, that it’s not just Liv that looks sheepishly excited, all of the children do.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re all in on this?” Robert asks, causing them all to grin, Kyle giggling nervously.

The box is full of bubble-wrapped mugs, and not just any mugs, but specially made ones. Each one has a photo printed on the side of one of the children, their names imprinted on the other side.

“They’re for when we stay over, so we can all have a mug of our own!” Sarah announces.

“It’s our way of saying thank you too, for looking out for us.” Gabby tells them.

Robert looks across to his husband, and sees the same soft, emotional look in his eyes that he knows are reflected back in his own.

-

They end up with a living room full of sleeping children that night. Aaron tip-toes through the maze of sleeping bags and pillows, trying not to disturb any of them as he heads for the spiral staircase, more than ready to crash into bed after the chaos of the evening.

There’s a line of gloves and socks hanging in a line in front of the fire, to dry them out after the epic snowball fight they had hosted in the back garden. The snow is still falling thickly outside the window, the harsh winter really hitting hard now. It’s why Aaron had sent a group message out to all the kids’ parents, to tell them that the children were all welcome to stay over, so that they wouldn’t have to battle through the snow in the dark to get home.

Gabby tosses from one side to the other, having bagged herself the big sofa again (and Aaron thinks that they really need to start a rota system for who gets the sofa each time, to prevent arguments). Noah snuffles unpleasantly into his pillow and Aaron makes a mental note to give him some more medicine in the morning, because his cold doesn’t seem to be shifting anytime soon, and the last thing they need is the other kids catching it too.

“Night-night Aaron” a small sleepy voice mumbles, catching Aaron with one foot on the bottom step.

“Night Jack, get some sleep buddy!” Aaron whispers back as loudly as he dares, before creeping up the stairs.

Robert’s already in bed reading when Aaron reaches the bedroom, hair scruffy and slightly damp from his shower and all he wants is to crawl into his husband’s warm arms, so as soon as he’s shed his clothes in favour of pyjama bottoms and an old t-shirt and brushed his teeth, that’s exactly what he does.

Robert smells clean and fresh, the scent of his poncy rip-off shower gel more comforting than Aaron will ever admit. He curls up next to Robert and nuzzles his face into his shoulder.

“They all settled?” Robert asks absentmindedly, flicking to the next page of his novel, before stretching his arm to settle around Aaron’s shoulder to hold him close.

“Yeah, finally.”

It’s moments like this that make Aaron realise how much marriage has changed him, because he’s pretty sure if he could travel back in time, his younger self would cringe at the sight of him and Robert right now. They’re the picture of domesticity, curled up together in bed like this. It’s one of Aaron’s favourite things to do at the end of a long day, because Robert’s always soft and unguarded like this and he can just relax and unwind, the rise and fall of Robert’s even breathing under his cheek soothing.

Aaron thinks that perhaps this is what his counsellor meant when she had talked the week before about allowing himself to have quiet moments to let his mind settle. He thinks he likes it.

“Do you ever wonder how we got here?” Aaron asks after a few minutes of contented quiet.

Robert understands straight away that Aaron isn’t just musing on the fact that they’re sitting in bed, because he reaches for his bookmark to mark his place, and puts the book on his side-table. He shuffles until he’s lying down on his side, face-to-face with Aaron, before responding.

“How do you mean?” Robert asks quietly. He waits, lets Aaron gather his thoughts without any pressure, content to run his finger-tips up and down Aaron’s arm in delicate, nonsensical patterns, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake.

“Robert… right now we have a living room full random children, none of them are ours, but they just… act like they belong here, you know? I’m not complaining, not at all, but… I mean I never imagined that this would be my life, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t either…” Aaron tails off, not really sure where he is going with this, not sure if it really matters.

Robert seems to mull Aaron’s words over before responding.

“Well, true. But I never would have predicted that I’d end up married to you either…maybe things are better when they just happen naturally ya know?” Robert’s hand threads through Aaron’s hair as he speaks, and he presses a chaste kiss to his husband’s lips before his continues:

“And it’s kind of nice, when I think about it. None of those kids have really had easy lives, for one reason or another, if being here with us nutters makes them happy, then we’re doing a good thing, right?”

It still hits Aaron hard sometimes, the depths of Robert’s heart that most people never even get close to, because they’re buried under so many years of isolation, denial, anger, and fear. Even though they’re married now, and know each other better than anyone else, it still feels like a privilege that he gets to know Robert in this way.

“Yeah, I think it’s a good thing.” Aaron responds eventually. “Sometimes, I just look at them and see myself ya know? I mean the situations are completely different, thank god, but I just remember when I was a kid and how desperate I was for someone to notice, to listen, to care… I’d never want any kid to feel like that if I could stop it.”

Robert closes the gap, so he can rest his forehead on Aaron’s. Their warm, minty breaths becoming one.

“That’s what makes you such a good man Aaron, and why you make me want to be a better one… all of that pain and misery and loneliness - and it just made you kind.”

Aaron has no idea how to respond to that, so he goes with humour instead.

“Why do I have a feeling that’s a quote from one of your nerdy sci-fi shows?”

Robert pulls back with a quiet snort of laughter.

“Well, actually…”

“Never mind, I don’t wanna know!” Aaron cuts him off before he can get going.

Robert and Aaron are content to drift after that. Small snatches of unimportant chatter, a few soft kisses, all in the warm embrace of each other’s arms.

Tomorrow will be chaotic again. Robert will get up first and make the kids tea and toast with Liv, while Aaron showers. Then it will be a rush to get them all home, a mess of backpacks, lost socks, spilt tea, and arguments over the bathroom. Someone will undoubtedly leave something behind, a jumper on the back of a chair, or a phone down the back of the sofa. Noah might join them for another night, depending on what Charity is up to. April and Leo will be back for their usual visit on Thursday too. They will all return at some point, some sooner than others.

But both Robert and Aaron know the door to the Mill will be open to them, at any time of the day or night, for any reason.

And most importantly, the children all know that too.