#this was SUPPOSED to be a QUICK MESSY PAINT i started in JUNE

[xochitai]

so, dragon prince fans how are we feeling?

[honestlyconkus]

connor and markus having to deal with the media desperately trying to figure out if theyre a thing or not? love everything you write!

Conkus breaks the internet? HELL YEAH

-

Ring

Ring

Ring

On the 3rd ring Markus reached for his phone, groggy fingers grabbing the thin plastic device. His vision was still blurry from sleep. A digital clock glowed brightly and said 8:23am. It was a saturday.

“Hello?”

“MARKUS! OH MY GOD GET ON IRIS RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. MARKUS CAN YOU HEAR ME? MARKUS-“

At North’s screeching tones Markus pulled the phone a foot from his ear so she wouldn’t break his eardrums. She was still screaming at him from the speaker after a minute, her voice occasionally going static because she was speaking so loudly and quickly. When there was a break in her sentences that’s when he’d intercept.

North took a quick pause and Markus latched onto the silence. “Number 1, slow down. Number 2, why are you calling me so early again? Number 3, why do you want me online-”

“HAVE YOU BEEN READING THE NEWS YOU OLD FUCK, THEY’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOU! AND CONNOR.”

At Connor’s name his heart dropped, ice pooling at his chest. Shit. “Connor? What about him?”

“THEY SAID YOU GUYS ARE DATING. SO GET ON IRIS RIGHT NOW AND SET THIS ONE STRAIGHT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.”

“Uhm.”

“DON’T uhm ME YOU SLUT JUST FUCKING TALK TO US,” suddenly North gasped, her voice considerably dropping in pitch and in volume. “Unless Connor is sitting there right beside you, naked?!”

Actually, Connor was in his kitchen cooking him breakfast. He could smell the greasy scent of bacon and faintly hear Connor humming a tune. There were soft noises of kitchenware being moved around.

Markus figured Connor would take awhile, so he decided to go along with it. He’s also pretty sure North would have a heart attack if he didn’t answer at least one of her questions. “No no, he’s not here with me. Fine I’ll get on, just gimme a second.”

He hung up on North and walked to his desk, where it had a computer screen, a small LED bar meant for holograms, and a touchscreen surface for his keyboard. He logged in and clicked on IRIS, which was a video call service meant to talk to people over long distances. The camera took in a person’s image and turned them into 3D holograms, projected onto a patron’s LED. Markus gave them a call and watched as North, Simon and Josh manifested in holographic forms before him.

He could faintly see the walls and decorations of their bedroom. North’s hair was up in a towel, and she wore a fluffy white bathrobe. She seemed to be sitting in Simon’s lap, who was yawning quietly and resting his head against her chest, blond hair a messy bedhead. Josh was sitting from the bed, and Markus could barely see him wearing sweats and a tshirt, slightly smaller than the other 2. He was farther away.

“MARKUS!” Hologram North said, immediately pointing an accusatory finger at him. He moved back when the particles moved towards him, really feeling as if she were standing right in front of him.

“IS IT TRUE? ARE YOU AND CONNOR ANDERSON DATING? IF SO WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US.”

“And why aren’t you wearing a shirt,” Simon whined, eyeing Markus’ body up and down appreciatively. “You know it’s not fair to us, looking so hot all the time. You’re ruining my self esteem.”

Markus raised a hand, a small smile on his lips. “North, stop yelling. I’ll answer your questions when you stop giving me the Look. Also, where are these accusations even coming from? Simon, baby, you are quite literally a model. A Calvin Klein model at that, you don’t need to compare me to you to know that you’re just as hot, maybe even more so.”

Simon blushed and turned his face into North’s robe, who rolled her eyes but patted him on the back. “He’s right Simon stop saying dumb shit about yourself. And stop flirting with Markus, he has a boyfriend now, apparently.” She crossed her arms and glared at him through her webcam.

The likeness of her and her holographic form were uncanny.

“The rumours started when paps found a photo of you taken by someone, and they dropped a name,” Josh intervened, coming closer to view. He gently pushed North and Simon away and began sending him articles, links. “It began to escalate when people saw the articles and started tweeting them at you. I believe this all happened in a duration of 3 days. Did you really not know about this?”

Markus clicked on the messaging system and frowned when links upon links were sent to him. Mainly on blogs, articles, small funky websites. A lot of tweets too, entire threads about Markus and this mystery man. He’s surprised even news coverage was conducted.

Titles included, Who Is This Mystery Man?, Is Markus Manfred Single?, Markus Manfred: Dating?!, Mystery Man with Famous Detroit Painter, Markus Manfred! The list went on and on, each title only a slight variation to the other, and many sharing the same grainy photo; Markus and a man sitting together at a coffee shop, his face obscured by his baseball hat. The coverage was immense, certain sites trying to zoom in on the photo to try to decipher the mystery person. The name Connor Anderson repeatedly popped up, presumably the name the photographer fed sources.

He shook his head, sighing. “No. I was working on a painting the last few days. You know my rules when I paint; no social media until my main idea is done.”

Josh pushed the black wire-rimmed glasses up, his finger rubbing gently across his nose. “Well, it’s gotten big enough people are speculating what it possibly means, who this supposed “connor anderson” is, if he’s even the real connor, etc etc. People are even appearing on North and Simon’s lives and asking if we knew anything.”

“Which we didn’t,” North said, glaring angrily. If her eyes could light someone on fire Markus would be scorched. “Enlighten us, then.”

“Were you guys gonna tell us before the media found out or? Because honestly I feel like I’ve just been betrayed by my own mother. Which I have, by the way, when she ate my pint of strawberry ice cream back in 4th grade but that’s not the point. I mean, how could you do this to us, and more importantly to me?” She turned her nose up in the air and gestured to him, giving him an opening.

Markus opened his mouth then closed it, thinking about how to word the situation properly. He felt bad, he really did. His reasoning was because he didn’t want his friends involved and to end up being dragged along the wrong side of the screen; too many people have tried to do that to Markus already and he hated it.

His life was open to criticism, but he’d be damned if he let the people he loved get in the mix of it too.

“Okay, fine, Connor and I have been dating for quite some time now. Since… June 4th, I think?”

North let out a scream, which prompted Simon to scoot back so she could stand up and glare into the camera. Suddenly Connor entered the room, smiling wide and holding a tray of their breakfast. He set it down on a nearby table and walked closer.

“Good morning Markus- oh! Is that North? Hello North! It’s me Connor.”

From Jericho’s point of view, Connor’s holographic figure was small and dim due to the distance from the camera. When he came into view, hand wrapping around Markus’ neck and waving adorably at them, they all noticed 3 things.

Connor wearing one of Markus’ button downs- visibly buttoned wrong, wrinkled, and nothing else beneath

The small bruises, red and purple, peeking out of his white collar when he leaned forward.

Markus soft smile as Connor walked up to introduce himself, blue and green eyes looking absolutely smitten.

North continued screaming, standing up and walking out of the room for a moment. Connor watched as her little figure disappeared, concern knitted into his eyebrows. Her voice was merely an echo after a few seconds.

“Is she alright?”

The jericho boys nodded, Simon leaning forward, hand on his desk and chin on his hand, smiling. “She’ll be back, she just needs to let off some steam. But wow, congratulations you guys! I didn’t know you were dating.”

“Yeah, we’re sorry about that,” Connor said, taking his seat onto Markus’ lap. “We didn’t want it to become a big deal, and because he has the Manfred name putting this out public so early would’ve been a headache to him and the police department.”

“So we decided to give it a try secretly,” Markus continued. One hand reached beneath Connor’s shirt and gently drew circles with his fingers along the hips. His other hand rested against Connor’s thighs, also covered in marks. “See if we could, you know, make it work.”

“It looks like it did.” Josh winked, staring pointedly at the marks covering Connor’s body. Connor blushed and stood up, looking for a pair of joggers to present himself better. When he left North came back, towel gone and her hair brushed down. She was still wearing her robe, considerably less ruffled but still pissed.

“So what are we going to do?” North asked, sitting back onto Simon’s lap. Her voice was surprisingly clear despite screeching from the depths of her soul a minute ago. “The media is already trying to make this much more fucked up than it should be.”

Markus rolled his eyes. He’d heard the same things over and over again, always accusing him of plagiarism or thinking he’s up to a scandal, like his half brother Leo. They’re always trying to drag his name to the ground but he’d grown thick skin and it doesn’t bother him as much. “It’s fine. I don’t care what they think of me.”

“But what about Connor?” North pushed Josh to the side and began hunting for the harsher articles, the ones intent on tearing her best friend down.

“What about me?” Connor came back into view wearing Markus’ sweats and sat back down onto his boyfriend’s lap, sitting up straight and smiling curiously at North. She smiled back and blew his holographic figure a kiss.

“Hey baby. I’m still mad at you for not telling me anything, but I promise I won’t rip your fingers off when we meet next time. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Anyway,” She went back on her hunt, ignoring the stunned looks on everyone’s faces between their exchange. “I think the media figured out Markus wouldn’t give 2 shits, so they’ve decided to target Connor instead. They’re accusing him of his integrity, thinking he’s being sold out to Markus so Markus could hide his supposed scandals, maybe Connor is sleeping his way through the department to get a promotion, etc etc.”

She sent over the links to the articles, watching as Markus’ face grew tighter and tighter. Blue and green eyes were lit with a raging fury as the media attempt to get under his skin by attacking the one he loved. They went so far in the reach they even tried to link the two’s relationship with Connor’s father, Hank. Asking if his slump a few years back had anything to do with Connor being “bought” to succession in the precinct. It almost worked, until Connor leaned back to press his weight against Markus’ chest, reminding him he’s here.

He turned and gave Markus a quick kiss to the jaw, waiting until the beating heart he could feel slowed.

Connor wanted to laugh at the titles. Is Markus Manfred Hiding A Scandal?, Markus Manfred, Paying Detective Hush Money!, Detective Anderson A Sell Out!, Scandal In The DPD!

“Where these really all they could come up with?” Connor asked, clicking through, unbothered. “You’d think they went to school for this.”

“You’re not upset?” Markus asked, looking down at his lover. “You’re not mad about how the people will perceive you?”

“Of course I’m mad.” Connor said, rolling his eyes and jostling him with his elbow. “I’m mad that they’re attacking me for illogical reasons, trying to start something they don’t properly understand. The fact that no media outlets have reached out to us is ridiculous and embarrassing on their part. I’m mad they can’t even do their research correctly. I’m mad that this will hinder my future investigations, because detectives at the DPD still don’t like me and will do whatever it takes to tear a rookie like me down.”

Markus’ guilt grew at each passing sentence, feeling more and more to blame at getting Connor caught up in this, until Connor’s voice grew strong and he gave Markus a pointed look.

“I’m especially mad that they think they can get away with attacking my lover like this. They will regret doing this.”

Markus smiled, leaning down for a kiss. The crowd before them held a mixture of boos, cheers, and groans. In order: North, Simon, and Josh. Connor reciprocated by kissing him back, a simple kiss because of the audience.

He grew more bold when there weren’t people looking.

“So what do you want to do?” Josh asked, staring at the couple. “The easiest way to dispel the rumours from escalating is clearing anything up as soon as possible. A statement should suffice.” He was tapping rapidly on his keyboard, already looking at analytics for their social media profiles.

“You need to make it public,” Simon added, nodding in agreement. He began to list off ways they could make it happen. “Markus has a platform; Connor can come to us if he wants to say anything to the internet.”

“Whatever happens, we’re here for you Markus.” North concluded, nodding resolutely at her best friend. The rest of them agreed.

Markus felt his heart swell with pride and fierce love for his friends, the people he’d begun to consider family almost a year ago. He looked down at his boyfriend, who was also staring back at him, waiting for a response.

“What do you think Connor?”

Connor shrugged, sitting back comfortably into his lover’s warmth. “It’s up to you Markus. You’re the one with the social media accounts; it’d also make more sense for the public to hear it from you first. Like I said, their words don’t bother me like you imagined they would, but I think going public with our relationship would be a good idea. It’ll create less headaches for the both of us in the future, and I don’t see anything going wrong in this scenario. We can clear up any confusion, confirm the relationship, and hope no one is still homophobic in the year 2040.”

“Are you sure you want this?” Markus asked, brushing a thumb across the back of Connor’s palm. He stared in thought as Connor flipped his hand over, playing with Markus’ fingers until he intertwined their hands together. “It won’t be the same afterwards.”

“Are you kidding me?” Connor craned his neck to the right, looking up. His eyebrows were scrunched in disbelief. “I’ve been wanting to tell the world you were my boyfriend for months. Of course I want this.”

Everyone laughed at Markus’ perplexed expression, Connor grinning mischievously. He reached up and pulled Markus down for another kiss, this one slow and deliberate, tongues out, making the crowd whistle and cat call at their raunchiness. North had to clear her throat when she saw Connor arch his back, which only meant Markus’ hands had gone to discreet places.

“Alright you whores, it’s settled.” She smiled, crossing her arms across her chest. The couple broke apart and sat up, attentive. “We’ll start our plan of attack against those journalist goons with Markus. Beginning with his Instagram. Once you confirm with a cute photo of the 2 of you (keep it PG), Simon and I will also confirm anything on our lives.”

“Josh will handle twitter; just tweet out whatever the people want to hear, maybe do a Q&A or something, thread here and there.”

“Could I use my snapchat?” Connor offered, waving his phone in the air. North’s eyebrows rose in surprise and she chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. They hadn’t even known Connor had social media.

“You know, Connor, sometimes you really surprise me.”

“We’ll keep doing this until someone wants to interview us, I presume?” Markus asked, glancing between Jericho and Connor. They all nod and he relaxed against the chair, pacified.

“Huh.” Everyone held their breath, expectant.

There was a flash of white as Markus unlocked his phone, scrolling through his gallery for photos.

“Let’s do it.”

-

am I starting another series? I’m starting another series ;)

conkus breaks the internet

asks still open!! I’m trying to get as many as I can so that when college starts I can just post those and stay active for yall lol

[mintyvan]

roadtrip

This is going to be a multi-chaptered fic based on a few prompts I’ve received:

“one where Van helps you pick a college even though he isn't going?”

“im english but ive always wanted to go on a roadtrip in the states like in the movies. could you write van driving you around on a roadtrip one summer?”

“could you write van with a girl who he’s broken up with before but still loves but the girl is trying to get revenge on him but ends up falling in love with him again”

Note: I was inspired to have a go at third person point of view because of @vanfic‘s writing style - go check her out! She’s amazing! 

I hope this satisfies everyone’s desire for some good old fashioned roadtrip fun.

______________

PART ONE of SEVEN

It's evening when she and Van load the car.

She doesn't ask why. Most people leave in the morning, because it makes sense, because they’re awake then and the world is new and waiting in the horizon. He says he's slept all day but she rather thinks it's because he likes driving at sunset, in the evening cool.

It is June on the east coast.... small insects slapping the windshield in the indigo twilight, the thin, chilly air flowing over her arm as it hangs out the open window, dancing, curving over the airwaves.

She throws her two duffel bags in the trunk, standing there in the pale gloom, framed by the brilliant dark blue sky, arms and legs at all angles tracing her silhouette in black. Her hair has grown dark and long, messy, and the summer sun has brought the first freckles onto her face. Van hauls one last duffel into the backseat which she recognizes as the CDs, stands back, rubs his hands and looks at her.

"Ready?"

"One minute."

She runs towards the porch where the still form of her mother is standing, holding a tea mug, with big, watery eyes and thin lips. Her face is uncertain and yet resigned, worried. The girl hugs the older woman, whispering to her earnestly, reassuring, comforting. They hang on tight to each other, as though they know after this things will be different. The move to the states was the first sign that their lives were about to change.

"So, write me a postcard from each college, ok? And none of that Tom Green road trip stuff," says the older woman. She nods.

She runs towards the car without looking back, slamming the heavy, rusty door. She looks at her mother through the window, very serious, very pale, hopeful, scared.

They wave as the gravel spits behind the car, raising up a cloud of dust which lingers after they're gone, and to the woman on the porch, it looks like a ghost.

They are floating down the highway in the darkening evening light, mauves and aquas and navy blue surrounding them like a painting full of living shadows. The forests line the highway, the old trees of this new, mysterious land that the world discovered and which became a flawed utopia. The car is racing down the winding gray line which takes them further and further into the night.

She props her feet up on the dashboard, moving her toes to the beat which the air snatches and carries out the windows. Her hair sticks to her lips and snakes around her throat, floating around her head as though she were underwater. Her strange brown eyes glisten darkly like the evening above her cheeks. The air around them is warm, but begins to chill after a while, and she wraps one of his old ratty sweaters around her shoulders and studies her long, knobby legs as they stretch out before her, toes pressed against the windshield. She pretends Van is a random boy, looking at him sideways, letting her imagination wander.

The boy is her age, pale and Irish looking, with thick, sandy hair and a mouth permanently dimpled by too many laughs. He has cheekbones and a good body, and he knows this is his advantage; he is aware that he is capable of many things, and he's good with his hands. For these reasons he believes his future to be as secure as it will be uncertain and ever changing. Sometimes he looks at the girl beside him as though he cannot believe she is really there, cautiously, like a person who is used to having all that is good taken away. Out of fear and respect, he does not take his shirt off as he drives.

They are grungy, careless, clean, for now anyway. She picks at the fringe of her cutoff shorts and nestles into the ratty sweater, flipping radio stations as it becomes deep night outside. At midnight she is hungry.

"When did you eat last?" he asks, cautiously. He still doesn’t know if she knows how he feels.

"If you knew me well you would know that doesn’t matter," she replies, offended at his parental inquiry.

"I don't think I do." They both know this is true. It rests between them like a silent creature sitting in the backseat, waiting to bare its teeth.

"Satisfy my curiosity," he sighs.

"I ate a little while ago. Are we stopping?"

He pulls into a roadside exit. They drive slowly down a small street, and stop at a flickering neon sign that says Blue Pl te Spec al.

"Very local color,” he joked.

"Synonymous with health sanctioned,” she said, tone stern.

"Mmm." He opens the door for her, and she is inwardly surprised but is too well-bred to show it.

It is an average greasy spoon, small, with bad music, and cracked red vinyl booths which scratch her bare legs. There is the shine of dull metal, worn countertops, and the smell of frying in the air along with cigarette smoke. She scrunches up her nose as he inhales deeply and this means something to her.

A thick woman with panty hose, socks and sneakers sporting a checkered apron comes over to their table. Her blonde hair has almost black roots, and her mouth is lined sharply in mauve, then frosted over. She looks as tired as the makeup creeping into her wrinkles. She snaps her gum loudly.

"What'll it be to drink?"

They look at each other.

"Tea."

Snap, snap. Scribble.

"And eats?"

They quickly look at the menu, and stall a little.

"Burger and chips," she says calmly. “Ah - fries.”

"Grilled cheese. And uh, onion rings. You know what? Never mind, I'll take the tuna melt," Van says.

The waitress cocks an eyebrow. "Uh, hello, Three to Tango."

"Make that grilled cheese again," he quickly backtracks.

The waitress gives him a dirty look, scratching out and scribbling again. Snap, snap.

"That all, you Brits?"

"Cherry pie," she adds, unfolding her utensils and scrupulously examining them for stains under the low hanging lamp.

A very irritated snap, snap, and another look. They watch her heavy rear depart.

She blows on the knife, and then quickly rubs it with a napkin, holding it up to the light again.

"I'll be surprised if we don't find human matter in our food. Maybe a big old hair. Maybe they save tapeworms for people like us," Van comments, a small smile on his lips as she sighs and puts her silverware down.

"It's part of the adventure."

"Food poisoning?" he laughs.

"The risk, oh doubter you. Where's your joie de vivre? You're supposed to be the Clyde to my Bonnie, the Thelma to my Louise. This is like that movie where the college kids go on a road trip, without us exactly hating each other."

"That movie was terrible. I can definitely do without having a guy sexually assault me,” Van says, biting into his grilled cheese, not realizing how insensitive he sounded. She knew how he could get sometimes. “But I bet I'd be good at that convenience store robbin’ thing."

"Yeah I bet," she snorts. "You can be the Anson to my Britney. But then I'd have to hate myself."

"So would I. But if we were to follow the movie, we should have sex first."

He notices her silence and red blush, and decides to be more careful in the future.

"Sorry."

"What for?" She quickly retorts. Silence. She takes a quick breath and starts talking quickly to fill up the space. "Are you vegetarian? You ordered grilled cheese, and I didn't know, so I didn't want to offend you, you know, be the bloody cow killer eating it right in front of you like a carnivorous, voracious beast...thing...."

He let her quick, embarrassed change in subject slide, amused by her rambling.

"No. But Helga there wasn't looking too friendly, and cheese is safer. This kind of place I never order meat if the waitress is pissed at me."

"What worldly wisdom."

"That's me, the debonaire blue collar Joe GQ. Should I ask how their wine selection is here?" Van clinked his fork against his tea mug, making a shrill noise bound to irritate the waitress further. Mischievous.

She played along. "I think your choices are Bud Light, Natty Light, Miller, and some of that stuff Billy Bubba brewed in his backyard last week."

The rest of the food arrived, thin, grease-spotted paper lining the baskets, a chip in her ceramic plate. She looks at her burger dubiously.

"Where's your joie de vivre?" he sneers.

Bravely, she picks it up with both hands and takes a big bite, smiling a wobbly smile as she chews fast. She swallows and smiles proudly.

"I think there's a fingernail in it," he says gravely, and points.

She’s deathly scared and stares at her burger in horrified fascination, but the blood rushes back to her cheeks as she hears him chuckle.

"Very funny, asshole."

Pushing her burger aside, she stuffs fries into her mouth.

"Whoa there, remember to breathe," Van grins, biting an onion ring.

She makes a face at him and keeps chewing. Her borrowed sweater has slipped off one shoulder, the lamplight casting small shadows into the hollows of her neck. His eyes are fixed on her, thoughtful. She bugs out her eyeballs at him sarcastically, and he realizes he's staring and quickly looks away.

"Have you never seen someone eat before?" she says, downright hostile.

"You eat like a prisoner of war set loose in a buffet."

"And you eat like Larry."

"Now that was not nice," he frowns, inspecting his sandwich. "I have not opened the sandwich and written my name on the cheese with little pepper dots."

She pours on ketchup obstinately.

They finish, picking at crumbs on the cherry pie, and Van wonders how long they can go before their history will all come out into the open, filling the air with poison and setting them both aflame. He absently thinks about how he will explain himself, and if she will understand.

"You can have the last piece," she smiles, mellow, pushing the plate towards him.

Van toys with it. "I wonder if you'll still say that when the shit hits the fan."

She stiffens, but does not respond, and suddenly he knows she was thinking the same thing as he was.

They stare at each other nervously.

"Check," interrupts a loud voice, and breaks the spell. Grateful, they mutter, and take the paper from the waitress, who rolls her eyes and departs.

They are on the road again, driving, changing places, stopping at four in the morning.

"Take this exit," she commands sleepily.

They find themselves in a small residential town full of matching suburbs and fast food restaurants; taking care to write down the roads, they wander into a quiet little neighborhood and park under a big oak, turning off the lights.

"What are we doing?" she mumbles, opening her eyes.

"Saving money."

"Okay, not a good idea. I don't know if you ever heard that story about the guy with the hook and the girl and guy in the car and how he comes up and opens your door. This isn't Elm Street is it? Cause if you don't like nightmares-"

"Get in the back."

She is too tired to complain further.

"I hope the hook guy kills you first so I can at least watch before I die and be satisfied," she says, and promptly falls asleep, breathing heavily.

Van stretches out on the bench seat in the front, locking the doors with his long fingers, and that is how they are found in the morning when the little girl in the pink dress taps on the windshield.

They pull out of the neighborhood, tires screeching, Van cackling, leaving a very surprised little girl on her lawn staring.

She awkwardly crawls into the front seat, and he unashamedly checks out her legs as she does so. She is warm, mellow, half-awake and shivering from the cool morning air. She tucks her legs under herself and drops back the front seat, ignoring the seat belt. Her lips have a secret smile on them, small and hidden, as though she is having a dirty dream. He smirks, thinking this to himself.

They are driving fast in the early morning, blinding sunlight high above them, air warming fast; she wakes up and grabs a book, and insists on stopping in another town that has a Wal-Mart.

"What the hell for?" he counters.

"Because."

"Natalie Portman had a baby in one,” he announced.

"Ok, now the valid reason. And I hope you know she didn't really have a baby. It was just a movie. We can't eat out every meal; we'll run out of money quick. We stop, get a jar of peanut butter, some bread, baby wipes, microwaveable pizzas, a pack of diapers, you know," she says lightly.

"No, I really don't. First, thawed pizza is about as edible as the seat you are sitting on."

"Wrap it up in tinfoil and stick it under the hood while we drive."

"I'm assuming this works with burritos, baked potatoes, filet mignon, maybe a souffle....." he trails off. She continues.

"Baby wipes for cleaning. I did bring toilet paper."

"Good, then we don't need the diapers now."

"Ugh, Van, the diapers are for bathing. You soak one in water and then use it to wash your whole self off. None of that nasty sponge bacteria. You get a big pack cheap."

"The amazing Y/N and her lists," he grins, forgetting his annoyance. "We could stick one on the radiator too if it starts leaking."

"Yeah! Or use one to clean the windshield!"

"Or strap one on you so we won't have to stop for restroom breaks until we hit Maryland!"

"You're pushing it, Van," she scowls.

"You're the diaper enthusiast."

They stop in front of the Wal-Mart and park. The sun has grown glaring hot, reflecting off the gray cement. When they enter the dark lobby, he sees the strange grin on her face at the hilarity of their list of items. She looks over at a stand of fruit and groans before the words even come out of his mouth.

"Van, get away from the bananas." He’s shocked, but knows they’ll go bad easily in the hot car.

"Fine."

They wander around, reveling in the cool air conditioning; they pile stuff onto her mom’s credit card, not thinking too logically. They are enjoying this too much, this random impulse spending. He buys a pack of undershirts, she gets a headband with bunny ears on it, they throw in a nerf football, a pair of cheap flip flops, a glittery sequined thong which she keeps throwing out and he keeps throwing back in. He momentarily strays to grab some Doritos, and when he returns to the frozen food aisle, he is momentarily struck still.

She is pressed against an open door, clouds of freezing steam floating out around her, turning her cheeks pink; strands of damp hair stick to her neck and shoulders. Her eyes are closed, breathing in the chilly air, her shoulder fogging up the glass, and she's rubbing a packet of frozen french fries on the back of her neck.

"Y/N."

She quickly looks up, caught, quickly throwing back the french fries, letting the door fall shut.

"What the hell were you doing?"

"Just.....chillin'...."

They both groan. She can't help giggling at her own corniness.

"I can't let you out of my sight for a minute and you're getting intimate with some french fries?" he quipped.

"Ok, it's really hot out there. I was sweating in the car."

"Get a cooler," he commands, turning the cart around.

"What?"

"A cooler. We'll get a bag of ice and use it in the car. I drove like that ‘cross country last summer when we had that fuckin’ heat wave, remember? Hate that all our buildings are insulated to keep heat in."

She looks at him, horrified.

"Are you saying the air conditioning’s broken in your car?"

"Not saying no," he said as he walked faster, trying to steer the cart away from her as she picked up speed in nervousness.

"God!"

"Are you allergic to hot air?"

"I'm allergic to you!" she snaps, and stomps down the aisle, peevishly throwing in a carton of ice cream.

He's a little surprised at her outburst, but not angry. He can understand. Things will be this way until they really talk about what has happened, and he knows it will not be easy. But they are both here right now, pretending everything is fine.

They stand next to each other in line silently.

"Will it make you feel better if I throw out the glitter thong?"

"Yes."

The first fight is resolved, and as a peace offering, she throws some mint Lifesavers in the cart. He knows this is potentially very meaningful. You don't need mint Lifesavers if you're around someone you hate. You can just let them suffer from your dragon breath. But she put them in the cart; it means she is no longer irritated. This is how he establishes that self-sacrifice is a good method of keeping her happy, and then he knows he should have done this last fall, when all the bad things happened.

They drive across New York, stop at Columbia University, and Maryland, then Washington for a night to see Georgetown U. They are walking in the evening, because she wanted to buy something pretty, and he wanted to see the house where the Exorcist was filmed. Later, they sit on the edge of the Reflecting Pool under the purple night sky, shaded by the orange streetlights. They eat Indian food in take-out containers, danging their feet and talking about things that flow into each other smoothly like seconds flow into time.

"Nothing fabulous so far."

"Dunno why you're looking. You've already sold your soul to Yale," he mutters into his curry.

"Oh c'mon. My mom is leaving for her two weeks of honeymoon with Jeff. You’re on a trip in a completely new country as my friend helping me decide what college to go to. We have nothing to do. Pretext is the vocab word for the day."

"Kind of a dastardly situation, love. What the hell were we supposed to do back home?"

"Nothing. By the way, we should have bought some plug in Glade. We'll smell like Indian food for a few days." She shrugs, watching the lights shimmering darkly in the reflecting pool. The shadows flicker on their faces in the warm night air, thick with city sound, streetlight, and the salty smell of the Potomac.

"It shouldn't matter if we never fall in love with each other," she says thoughtfully, sending a sort of queer stab through him.

"Yeah."

The wind ruffles her hair, drawing it in lines above her eyes, painting it in streaks glinting below her eyes. Small, white teeth peep from between her chapped lips; she is smiling.

"What are you smiling  for?" he asks, strangely sad.

"Nothing. It's just a beautiful night and we're getting along and I....just feel nice. This is nice."

It is then that Van realizes it will be a long time before she forgives him, because it is her turn to torture him now, her turn to make him hurt as he had hurt her.

She leans back, grinning, and he smiles sadly.

"Yeah, this is nice."

So they drive this way: all windows down, bag of ice between them on the floor. The wind flings their hair everywhere, they put ice down their shirts, they eat it, rub it over themselves while they drive to keep reasonably cool. They are damp, minimally clad, overheated. He has given up on the shirt; she does not seem to be offended, only jealous. They have a larger collection of bugs on their grill than the Smithsonian. The backseat floor is littered with junk food wrappers, soda cans, diapers they have filled with ice and used as neck-rests, and half a million empty coffee cups. The ash-tray is brimming, discarded dirty clothes have made a pile behind Van's seat and the windshield is covered with her toe-prints.

He points this out to her, and she shrugs.

"It's part of the roadtrip magic."

"It's disgusting. Something's starting to smell," he says pointedly.

"Maybe it's you."

"Very mature, babe. Maybe it's that half a peanut butter jelly sandwich you dropped between the seats two days ago."

"Maybe."

"I suggest it's time for a rest station stop." He asks her to look at the map they’ve brought along. They were intent on conserving phone battery for emergencies.

"Ooh, can I buy one of those Virginia Is For Lovers mugs?"

He ignores her hidden stab that goes deeper than she knows.

"You can buy whatever. When we run out of money, you'll be the one who has to dance on tables just to get enough gas to get to the next county."

"Only if you can sing me the entire Wyclef's Strippers Anthem," she scowls, scratching her neck.

"Sorry. But remember, it don't make her a ho, no."

"I am not dancing for money."

"Neither am I."

"So.......what are we gonna do? Sell our hair? Donate a kidney or some blood? Wash dishes for a few days?"

"Rest station stop."

They pull over, and he puts the trash in the garbage, the dirty clothes in a bag and empties out the ashes. He stocks up on some cigarettes while she eats a popsicle that turns her lips blue as she washes the windshield. Her legs are getting a few shades darker, her shorts are getting rattier, her black tank top sticks to her ribs while her arms vigorously scrub the windshield. She's cracking out of her mold, like a damp butterfly struggling to open her wings, hair fluttering in the humid breeze. She's a little more brash than the innocent girl he'd found almost two years ago.....a little more conscious of her own power.

Every twitch of her toes moves a muscle in her thigh that he finds starts a pulse in him; every yawn and stretch shows a sharp hip-bone in the low, loose waist of her shorts or an innocent strip of cotton. Every time she sleeps her mouth falls slightly open. Yet she never acknowledges it. Sometimes she makes him physically uncomfortable, but never seems to notice his tense, thin, drawn lips or clenched fingers. He struggles just not to touch the freckles on her shoulder while she sleeps; to stare straight ahead is supreme control.

// Part 2 is here! //

[thenerdytomboynewb96]

Samantha Allan Park Ch. #33

Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC's. Any references to “TMNT Out of the Shadows” DO NOT BELONG TO ME. Only my additions that I came up with myself belong to me. Anything from the films or other series ARE NOT MINE, only my OC’s and my ideas that I have added onto the story FOR FUN. Thank you.

Chapter #33

*Late night June 6th into the early morning of June 7th, Saturday into Sunday*

It was about 10:20p.m. when Leo and Donnie had finished talking and both had returned to the rooms they had originally left. Sam traveled back through the hallway in the sewers and returned through the entry way right by the living room. She walked over to the couch the exact same time Mikey did. They both turned and sighed as they plopped down and slumped into the cushions. Mikey dully turned his head so that he could look at Sam. “What happened to you?”

Sam moved in the same way. “I heard the same conversation that you did” she mumbled. Mikey was a bit confused. He knew why he was upset about what Leo had said in regards to not needing the purple ooze to become human and the fact that he had done so without asking him, but how did that affect Sam? “Why does that make you upset?” Sam furrowed her brow and turned her head so she was staring straight at Mikey. “What?” “You heard what Leo said about the ooze, right?” Sam nodded her head. “Yeah, that you guys can’t try to become human for a little while.” Mikey’s eyes went wide. “A little while? I want to mutate and be human forever man” Mikey said firmly. Sam displayed a confused expression. “Why? What’s fun in that? I never would have met you guys if you were normal human beings-” “Yeah but you don’t know that” Mikey said a bit forcefully. He wasn’t rude in the way he spoke, but his tone became a lot more serious. “If we were human then maybe we could have met you years ago. Maybe we could have even met your family and became friends with them.” Sam was stunned. “I never knew you felt that way. I know you wanted to go on the surface and all, but I never knew you wanted to change your entire life like that, or that you had thought that much into it.” Mikey leaned back into the couch and tilted his head so that he was looking up at the ceiling as he spoke. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live life up top. I don’t regret how my life has been though. I’ve had a great life for 16 years, but…I just want to add to it, you know? There’s so much still out there and I’ll never get to experience any of it” he said glumly. Sam looked away and stared forward towards the t.v. as she also slumped back into the couch. She had to look away somewhere, she couldn’t stand to see her best friend so hurt. “I wish there was something I could do to help you out…” she muttered. Mikey picked up on this instantly and now felt the exact same way. He couldn’t stand to hear the sorrow in his friend’s voice, and ever since he saw her cry a year ago during her sibling’s anniversary, he had vowed he would do his best to keep her happy and safe. Thinking of this, he realized that his words were depressing her and he decided to try and switch the conversation around. “Sam, you already do a lot for us, and for me.” Sam continued to look forward as she sat silently. A smile formed on the turtles face. “Sam, who helped me build the rec rooms with stuff that I had never used before like go karts and trampolines and rock climbing walls?” “….me.” “And who helped sneak me in to awesome places like the movies, the mall, and laser tag?” “…I did” Sam replied in a more firm tone. “And who is the only one who supports me at times like when I wanted to go up to the surface during the Halloween parade?” “I am” Sam said with a confident nod as she finally turned to face her friend. “Exactly! You already do a lot to make like more exciting.” Sam smiled at her friend, appreciating his kind words. Mikey then realized that Sam had never answered his original question. “Hey, you still never told me why you were so upset when you heard Leo say that we couldn’t try to become human” he said, squinting his eyes at her in curiosity. Sam quickly looked away as a light but still noticeable blush came across her cheeks, which shocked the heck out of her. “What the hell? I don’t want him to know all that I want to experience with him and his brothers, too mushy, but why I am getting so embarrassed about this?” “Sammmm?” Mikey questioned, leaning forward to peak around at her since she had turned her head the other way. That’s when he noticed the light red in her cheeks. “Hey are you okay? Your face looks kind of red” he said with a slight hint of concern in his voice. Sam thought of a white lie to use to hide her true thoughts.  She whipped back around and spoke in a ‘matter of fact’ tone. “I just got concerned when I saw you react the way you did.” This wasn’t a lie. In fact, she was extremely upset when she saw the sorrow filled expression on Mikey’s face after he heard Leo speak, but this was not the true reason as to why she was blushing. But Mikey would never know this truth. “Huh, now I’m keeping secrets. What is happening to me?” she thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Mikey displaying a beaming smile. “Dawwwww were you worried about me?” he teased. “Psh, me? Never” Sam said as she crossed her arms and looked away. “You care about me” Mikey said, poking his friend in the shoulder. Sam opened one eye and peeked back over her shoulder at him. “Do I know you?” “Your hair does” Mikey said with a devilish grin, and before Sam could process what this meant, he was already ruffling her hair, again. “No! I’ll have to brush it again!” Sam said, literally twisting to swat his arm away and then rolling backwards off the couch and onto her feet. “Say you know me” Mikey said, slowly standing up from his spot on the couch. “Never” Sam said, a devilish grin of her own forming on her face. “Say ittttt.” Mikey looked like he was about to pounce. “I. DON’T. KNOW. YOU” Sam said as she then went to dash out of the lair and into the sewers. Sam was quick, but Mikey had been quicker this time and extended his nunchuks so that the one side became a chain sickle (though he withdrew the blade to keep his friend safe) and launched it towards her in time for it to swing around her and pull her back. As Sam was forced into Mikey’s arms, he wrapped his arms around her and held her so that she faced away from him. He knew that she had the mutagen based strength to break free with ease, but she would never do this because it could harm her friend. This meant that with just her strength alone, she was trapped, and he was free to mess her hair up as long as he pleased. “Alright tomboy. You hate make-up, but you love keeping your hair as straight as you can get it. Talk now, or the strands will fly” he said in a menacing voice, but in a playful way of course. Sam laughed her ass off the entire time as she tried to wriggle out of his grip, but again, her normal muscle was nothing compared to Michelangelo’s. After a couple minutes of trying and having a hand mess up her hair, she finally admitted defeat. “Alright! I know you!” she laughed. “Who am I?” “Mikey.” “What am I?” “Picky.” “Wrong.” “Greedy.” “Sammmmmm.” “I was supposed to admit I knew you, not label you!” “Last chance!” “You’re my best friend and you’re like my brother.” Mikey let go of the girl, who quickly started running her hand through her messy hair. “Gosh Sam. We’re cool and all, but I think you’re getting way too attached to me. I mean I barely even know you, but I’m like you’re brother? Like this is too much” Mikey said, his hands up as he backed away like a celebrity trying to walk away from the press. Sam glared at him with a smile. “You better get back over here and fix this” she demanded. Mikey didn’t even have to ask for her brush as he reached for her bag on the side of the couch and within seconds pulled out the brush she used every day. Mikey sat on one end of the couch while Sam sat criss-cross in front of him.

About five minutes into Mikey brushing the girl’s hair (something he had become good at over the past year, that and helping her paint her nails) Sam heard her phone go off. “I got it” Mikey said as he paused the brushing and reached into the bag and handed Sam her phone. This way she wouldn’t have to move while he continued to ‘work his magic’, Mikey’s words of course. Sam looked at the caller I.D. and then answered the phone. “April. What’s up?” “Hey, is everything okay back at the lair?” “What exactly do you mean by that?” Sam questioned. “I called Donnie a few minutes ago to send him updates and he still hasn’t answered his shell cell. What does that mean?” Sam pursed her lips together as she answered. “Uhh, let’s just say there was a verbal…incident that happened. Nothing major, but I think it might have put Donnie in a bit of a funk.” “Is everything okay?” “Yeah, all will be fine. I think he just needed some space for a little while. I’ll update you when I see you in person again. But I can relay the updates to him now if that’s okay.” “Thanks Sam. So Casey contacted Jade and found out that the full canister of the ooze is being held at police headquarters. So at least we know that it’s safe for now. He also learned through a few other sources that a team of Foot soldiers was getting their gear together and was about to move soon.” “*sigh* well that’s just awesome.” “Heh, I feel the same way. We’re heading back now so that we can all discuss things further. And Sam-” “Don’t worry I’m heading in to check up on him now. Talk to you soon April.” “Thanks Sam. See you soon.”

Sam hung up the phone and stood up from the couch. “I’m going to go talk to Donnie for a little bit.” Mikey signaled the ‘o.k.’ symbol and reached for the remote after putting the brush back into the bag. “He’s in his room” he called over to Sam who had started walking towards the lab. She froze and listened carefully as she realized that there were no sounds coming from inside the lab and then turned towards the right side of the lair where Donnie’s room would be. “Bingo!” Mikey called out. Sam turned to thank him and then walked across the lair towards Donnie’s room. “Wow, I guess Donnie’s not the only one in a funk. I never realized he had left the lab. What’s scarier is that Mikey sensed something that I didn’t! Either I’m losing my focus due to emotions again or Mikey is getting better at picking up on small details.” As Sam was walking past the kitchen, Leo also happened to exit his room at the same time. The two were about to cross paths, so Sam shot him a quick small smile and then continued on, hoping he wouldn’t say anything in concern of her quick and somewhat suspicious expression. Leo did slow his steps for a couple seconds, but he continued to look forward and decided that that girl was fine, so he continued to walk over towards the raised pipe in the central part of the lair so that he could train. Sam was just grateful that he hadn’t stopped her. She would always love and support Leo like he was her own brother and also since he was the leader of all the turtles, but she really didn’t want to talk to him right now, and if she was being brutally honest, she didn’t even really want to look at him right now. She still needed to let her own emotions and mindset simmer down some or else she would accidentally talk sassy to him even if she didn’t mean to do so and would end up making things worse.

Once Sam reached her destination she knocked on the door to Donnie’s room and heard a mumbled “it’s open.” She slowly opened the door and poked her head inside to see Donnie fidgeting with a small device that could be used as a scanner at his gaming space, which was basically a large and cushioned cut out section of the wall that formed a huge circle for him to lay in. “Hey, you okay?” she asked as she walked in and took a seat in the swivel chair at the desk in his room. He continued to look at the scanner he was messing with as he spoke. “I’ll be fine.” Sam pursed her lips together. “I guess you’re still hurting from Leo’s words to huh” she said as she stood up and adjusted her position so that she was sitting on the now turned around chair so that she could lay her arms across the top. This caught Donnie’s attention as he quickly looked up at her and frowned. “You were spying on us?” Sam paused. “No…I was spying on Mikey…who was spying on you two.” Donnie groaned. “What is wrong with you two? Don’t you know anything about privacy?” “Of course I do. That’s why I knocked on your door before entering.” Donnie sighed. “So what exactly did you hear?” “You adjusted the purple ooze so that it could turn you human, permanently apparently, and you got super excited and Leo shot it down within seconds.” A confused expression covered the turtles face. “Why do you sound upset with us permanently becoming human? It would be such an incredible discovery in biology and other sciences!” Sam’s face blushed a tad bit again. “It just wouldn’t be the same.” “That’s the point though! So much would change!” Donnie said, slightly raising his voice as he now sat up on his curved seat. “But…I met you guys because you look and live like this…” Donnie stared at Sam eye to eye. “I understand that, but with your intelligence, I’m sure we still would have met somehow. If I went to school then we’d probably end up in a lot of the same after school groups. And then as an adult, if I had the chance to be human and work with real scientists, who knows what we could come up with together. I mean yeah I can accomplish a lot on my own, but with a team, who knows what we could do! And that’s just me! Who knows what all of us could accomplish if we lived normal lives like everyone else. My inventions and my discoveries with my team of different scientists in different fields could create so many things that could change life as we know it. Wouldn’t you want that for me? For all of us?” Sam was a bit taken aback by how much thought Donatello had put into such a situation that until an hour or so ago would never have seemed possible. Her face told Donnie that she was sad, but also that she understood what he wanted and why. “Of course I want that for you, and I know you would do incredible things for this world. I also want you to be human at times so that I can show you more of what the world has to offer. But…I don’t want you guys to change forever. More so temporarily. Plus if you were human then I wouldn’t be able to hang out with you in some of the ways that I do.” “Sam, you do realize that YOU are a human and even before the mutagen you were fighting bad guys and sneaking into buildings and running across rooftops, right?” Donnie said, smiling for the first time in over an hour. Sam paused, soaking in her friend’s words. “Well I guess that one is true. I don’t know, I just wouldn’t want it to be a permanent thing. I can’t find the words to explain why I feel that way, but I know I just do.  Sorry if that’s rude or anything” she said, looking down towards the ground. Donnie chuckled. “Sam, there’s nothing wrong with you not wanting us to change because you don’t want to lose us.” The girl quickly turned her head back to look at the turtle in front of her. “Wait, what?” “You’re afraid that if we become human we’re going to end up talking to a bunch of other people and you think we won’t have time for you, right?” Sam’s eyes went wide. “I wasn’t thinking that, but now I am.” “That would never happen smarts. We’re not going anywhere, but I do understand why you would only want us to be human on temporary occasions. *sigh* but even if I could do that, Leo would still shoot it down in mere seconds again.”

Sam saw the turtle lean back into his curved seat with a glum expression again, but now she was too caught up in her own thoughts to sense anything else. Had she been afraid they wouldn’t talk to her? Was that thought hiding in the back of her mind the entire time and she hadn’t even realized it? She knew she didn’t want them to be humans forever if they had the chance to become human at all, but she wasn’t able to explain why she had felt this way. Was this really the reason why? She knew that the other night when Mikey went to join the Halloween parade that she had come to terms knowing that if he wanted to talk to other people that she would be okay if he left her alone since he was a naturally social person, but was she really okay with that? Did she really fear that all of the turtles would leave her in the dust if they had the chance to meet new people? Would she be okay if they all acted this way? If these thoughts were hiding in the back of her mind, then what else was lurking in her subconscious that she didn’t even realize was there?! “Sam?” Sam looked up to see Donnie staring at her as he continued to lean back in his curved seat. “What’s up?” “…you okay?” Sam stared blankly at him. “Yeah I’m fine, why?” “I just asked you a question twice and you just sat there.” “…Oh…well third times a charm.” Donnie shook his head with a smile. “I asked if checking in was the only reason you came in here.” “Oh no! That was reason number one. Reason number two is that April sent me some updates.” His brow rose. “Oh, what did she say?” “She said that the ooze is being held at police headquarters and that Casey talked to some personal contacts who said that the Foot soldiers are getting ready to make their move.” Donnie nodded his head. “That’s good that the mutagen is being held there, but I have a bad feeling about the Foot soldiers. Shredder is up to something, and-” Just then, Mikey had slowly opened the door, and after no one told him to get out, he quickly rushed into the room and shut the door behind him. Donnie and Sam sent him questioning looks, ones that were not exactly happy either. “What did you do this time?” Sam asked. Mikey began poking his fingers together. “I…MAYYYYY have told Raph what I heard Leo and Donnie talking about earlier, hehe” he said timidly. Donnie’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? WHY?! He’s going to lose his shit-” “HEY LEO! POP QUIZ!” “*Sigh* again, why?” Donnie groaned. Mikey looked down at the ground in guilt. “I just needed someone to talk to about it you know? I mean, this is serious stuff and Leo totally just kicked us to the curb like we’re not important and like our word means nothing…” Sam swung her arm so that her hand was motioning back and forth towards her and Mikey. “Hello! Hi! That’s what I’m for! We literally talked about it not that long ago! I’m the one you go to so that you don’t have to tell Raph about serious shit that will make him explode!” Donnie squinted his eyes at the pair. “What do you guys talk about so that Raph doesn’t have to know about it?” “Not the point! You!” Sam said, looking back and pointing at Mikey, “why would you talk to him after we both just talked about this? You know that without telling him important info in a very calm and specific way will set him off.” “Because I wasn’t done talking about it yet and then you went to go talk to Donnie.” “Well that doesn’t make me feel bad” Donnie said in a low voice. Mikey rolled his eyes and waved his brother away. “Dude that’s not what I meant and you know it! Of course I wanted her to check up on you, but like, the thoughts were still fresh in my mind, you know? Like I wasn’t DONE talking about it, and everyone knows that you and Leo are good at giving advice and boosting people’s confidence, but it’s me and Raph who help cheer people up because we’re the emotional ones, even though Raph will never admit that himself.” Sam and Donnie looked at each other and nodded. They knew that was a fair argument. As rough and tough as Raph was, he could be just as sensitive as Mikey. Oddly it was one of the biggest traits the two had in common. “I guess I can accept that reasoning” Sam said with a smile as she put her hands behind her head. “I still want to know what you two have been hiding that you share only amongst yourselves” Donnie said with a questioning grin. Just then, his scanner went off. Donnie quickly typed in some codes on the device and tracked that the break in happened at the Museum of Natural History. “Shredder, and he probably has his soldiers and the new mutants…we have to tell them” Donnie said as he began to rush towards the door. Sam and Mikey followed him, and all three heard the continuing argument between the oldest two as they slowly (because they wanted to see the argument go down) made their way across the kitchen.

For now, Raph’s voice was low as he spoke while standing alongside Leo, who attempted to keep himself calm by facing away from his brother and continuing his training session. “If there’s even a chance that ooze could make us human-” “We’re turtles, whether you like it or not” Leo said in a bitter tone. Raph’s lower voice then got higher. “It’s not about what I like. It’s about what people are willing to accept.” “True acceptance comes from within.” Raph rolled his eyes, and as he now also spoke with large hand gestures, his voice continued to rise. “Don’t give me that fortune cookie muck! You should consult with us before you decide to do something like that!” It could be seen that Leo was losing his temper as much as Raph was, especially since the two didn’t realize that they had an audience of three watching them as they stood still on the other side of the room. Leo stopped his workout and stood up straight as he faced his brother. “I consulted Donnie, and we decided that there’s nothing-” “And what about Mikey? We don’t get a vote?!” Raph shoved Leo after making his comment, and this is what officially pushed him over the edge. “THERE’S ONLY ONE VOTE THAT COUNTS IN THIS FAMILY! Mine.”

Leo continued to glare at his brother in a way that signaled that this battle was over and that his word was final. Raph just stood there in stunned silence as he glared back at his older brother. Donnie and Mikey stood there in shock since they couldn’t believe that Leo could say such a thing. They knew he was the leader and their oldest brother, but this was going pretty far, even for him, and they wondered what had gotten into him to make him act the way he had been lately. Because of all this, no one noticed that Sam had spun around. She had no idea why, but for the first time she could sense something building inside of her and she knew her uncontrollable emotion was coming. Her eyes shone blue, but because she was now facing away from everyone, nobody knew that this was happening to her. She clenched her fists together and shut her eyes tight, fighting her best to calm herself down without bringing attention to herself while also hiding what was happening to her from the rest of the brothers, afraid that this reaction would somehow make things worse.

“Leo, an alarm just tripped at the Hayden planetarium. We have to get up town” Donnie informed, cutting off the painful silence. Sam turned her just a small bit, her eyes still blue (which everyone had yet to notice) as she peeked at Leo. To her disbelief, his head was actually turned to the side, almost as if he realized how harsh he had just been and like he regretted saying what he did to his brother. But she wasn’t sure if he truly felt this way based on how he reacted right after. Leo jumped off the raised pipe and walked between Mikey and Donnie. “Gear up Donnie.” He then lightly shoved Mikey as he walked by the two youngest. “Sam, you stay here, since the other night proved that you can’t follow code either. Same goes for you two.” Sam said nothing and instead continued to look away in a stance so that none of the brothers could see her face. Raph, fuming, leapt off the pipe while Mikey and Donnie both stood there with their arms up as a way to say ‘are you serious?’. “YOU’RE BENCHING ME?!” Raph exclaimed. “Call it what you want!” Leo shouted back as he then stated to jog out of the lair through the exit by the truck. “What did I do?!” Mikey exclaimed, a pained expression displayed on his face. “Sorry guys” Donnie said with a shrug and an apologetic look before he also took off in a quickened jog to catch up with his oldest brother. If there wasn’t a serious incident taking place than the three might have fought back some, but they knew that the city could be in danger depending on what just happened at the planetarium, so for now they all followed the orders they were given.

“Well that went well” Mikey pouted. “The nerve this guy has, big timing us! He may be fine with the status quo, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make our own decisions!” Raph bellowed as he stormed off towards the other side of the lair. Mikey was about to follow, but now that all the commotion had died down, he realized that Sam had yet to say a word, or even move for that matter. “Sam?” Mikey said in a low voice. He slowly walked around so that he could see his friends face, and for the first time he realized that her eyes had turned blue. Her eyes were closed, but the light still shone in a dim light. “Sam!” Mikey said as he gently put his hands on his friend’s shoulders. Sam opened her eyes, her fists still clenched. “What happened?” Raph asked, quickly making his way back over towards the other two. “An enemy is attacking” Sam stated bluntly in a monotone voice. The two boys just looked at each other. “What do you mean by that?” Raph asked gently. “Someone is bringing chaos into your family. I must end him before he hurts all of you.” Raph rolled his eyes. “There’s no enemy. Leo was just being a prick.” “He hurt you.” Raph paused and thought of what to say next. “Yes, but I’m okay. See? My body is intact. No injuries.” Sam tilted her head, though she was still looking at Mikey and not at Raph. “No injuries?” “Nope! Not a single one.” The color faded from Sam’s eyes and her hands were now calm. “I’m pissed at your brother” she said as she looked back and forth at the two turtles in front of her. Mikey released her arms and sighed. “We’re not happy with him either.” “Well we’re going to show him that we can make our own decisions” Raph grunted. Sam nodded. “If you mean retrieving the purple ooze on our own, then I agree. Leo is leader, but you’re not his minions, and he’s not thinking straight.” “Yeah!...so what’s happening?” Mikey asked in confusion. Raph looked at Sam with a bit of shock. “Wait, you’re going to help us?” Sam rapidly nodded her head. “The ooze is being held at police headquarters. The police are no match for the Foot, or else the clan would have disbanded years ago. If we don’t act fast then Shredder will get it back and mutate more humans into mutants. I’m pretty sure he just took a team of soldiers and his new mutants with him to do who knows what at the museum, so now is the best time to get the ooze back. We have to stop him, and if Leo won’t work with us, then we’ll make a plan on our own. You guys are capable of doing that, and he should have more faith in you to do so.” Raph’s brow rose in surprise to the girl’s words. “I’m used to you playing the protective sister, not the delinquent teenage runaway” Raph said with a smirk. Sam rolled her eyes. “This was me all the time after certain events in my life. Just be glad I’m on your side.” Raph just shook his head. “Alright, let’s start working on a plan.

Sam nodded and the two went back to the eatery to sit down and discuss what would happen in order for them to secure the ooze and protect it from the Foot…while Mikey was clueless and just  followed along, wondering what it was they were all doing.