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msbarrybeeson · 10 days
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Before You Go - P.6 | Future Donatello & April O’Neil Insight
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(Reader Included)
A/N: Any constructive criticism is appreciated. Reader comments and feedback are also welcomed a lot. 
I have been gone for a long time. Just occupied with my studies! No fan fiction author curse or anything (yet).
Summary: You’re both adopting-parents of Casey. The story follows the perspective of Donatello and April O’Neil during the Kraang apocalypse. You and Leonardo decided to ask them to watch over thirteen-year-old Casey.
In other words, familial interactions between April, Donnie, and Casey Jr.
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns are used, except the terms “(Mom / Dad)” are also used. Second POV.
Pairing: Rise! Future! Leonardo X Reader
Warnings: Bittersweet.
Word Count:  ~3490
Parts: One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / ...
~
Donnie knew how much of a genius he was.
It was no surprise after all. In his late teens, he improved NASA’s satellites to communicate with planets light centuries away. He cured breast cancer through the use of protons in radiation therapy to target specific cells, rather than affecting the harmless. Hell, he even managed to discover a new type of radioactive particles: mutons. By that point, he—.
“—should have been given a Nobel Prize in Medicine and in Chemistry.” Donnie cursed under his breath. He strolled over to his lab bench, equipping his goggles.
Squeeeak. 
April– who was found seated on Donnie’s roughed-up, spinning gaming chair– raised an eyebrow. Her hair had grown out and was left unbounded. Faint wrinkles and eye bags on her features displayed maturity, in contrast to a couple of years ago. However, everyone was well aware that time was not the only factor. 
“Whatcha going on about now, Donnie?”
The softshell huffed. “Recall when I wrote a report about my experimental findings with an invention meant to revive a deceased human being?”
“...You mean the one where you thought it was a good idea to open up Curie’s tomb? Even gone as far as to ask for my help?” April grimaced. “Who’d ever forget that.”
She proceeded to massage her temples. 
“God. You were in all kinds of messed up for that, Don.”
Lightning-like yellow sparks flickered as Donnie had his robotic hands occupied with a butane torch. His goggles were sealed tight around his eyes as he built a oval-looking device on his lab bench. Titanium outer-layer over a seriously complex circuit-board; appearing as if Samsung marketed grenades.
He scoffed. “Oh please. It wasn’t as if I’d taken long to understand how Marie Curie deserves her rest for her great contributions to radiation. Thus is why–.”
“–You decided to take a poor random husband of an old wife,” April interjected.
“Ahem.” Donnie pronounced. “The poor woman was begging me for her husband to be alive again. I was simply gracious and generous enough to not charge her for the process.” He set aside the butane torch. “At least it progressed well; he stayed alive for an additional two years. It gave his wife psychological comfort, and I was able to submit my paper to the N.S.F..” 
He picked up a screwdriver. “Except....” 
April could tell her friend’s eye was twitching. 
“They rejected my findings, nearly had me detained, and claimed it was far too ‘unethical.’” Donnie raised his volume. “Scoff! As if those researchers weren’t committing the crime themselves! Taking bodies away from families and claiming them as scientific property without permission.
If I could go back in time and shove my documents in their jaws, you bet I would.”
April smirked. “Well, I have my regrets too, Donnie.”
“You sound rather amused, April. Is that so surprising? And here I never thought you would regret your part-time job at Albearto’s. Or the fact you wasted money to switch to journalism in university.”
WHACK!
April threw her bat at Donnie’s head, flying back to her hand like a boomerang.
“Watch your mouth, mister. I may have regretted Albearto’s, but not a single moment in my life did I ever regret my journalism passion.” She stood up.
“Ouch.” The softshell vocalized, squinting his eyes toward her. His robotic clampers paused, setting aside the torch and taking off his goggles. 
“Mind yourself, April. Horse-playing is forbidden in the laboratory. I am not consenting to having yet another silver-titanium apparatus get scratched because of you.” Donnie gritted his teeth. “Can you hear the negative connotation?”
“Seriously, Donnie? Where’d that come from? Not only was that years ago but it ain’t anything except a simple accident.” 
“‘Simple accident?’” the softshell repeated with dramatic offense. “An accident, like many others in science labs, which could have caused severe damage! Remember the incident when your teacher dumped bleach and vinegar into the trash bin?
You know, if you had paid any attention in your chemistry class, those two would make mustard gas?” Donnie side-eyed his friend. “Simple accidents can have serious consequences, O’Neil.”
A hand crept up the lab bench.
“Uh-huh, and I’m supposed to believe an instance of me knocking over your phone and books would kill somebody?” April crossed her arms. “If anything, the blame’s yours for not organizing your desk when you got drunk on coffee.”
The hand took ahold of the butane torch.
“Donatello? Disorganized? Sounds cheap coming from you, a student majoring in Journalism.”
April pulled up her coat’s sleeves. “Oh boy, you’re about to get it—.”
Squeeeak!
Heads spun and found a 13-year old boy, replacing April’s spot on Donnie’s chair. Casey eyed the torch with a great yet concerning amount of curiosity.
“Yo, what’s this for, Uncle Don?”
At lightning speed, while April ran to move the gaming chair away further from the workbench, Donnie snatched the tool from his hands. “Child. Casey. Young man.” The softshell heaved loudly. “I must inform you this is NOT meant to be handled with such casual ease. How in Hawking did you even—.”
“Don’t your lab have a passcode or something?” 
“–Is what I am wondering myself, O’Neil. I refuse to believe this child remembers the beginning thirty numbers of π–.”
“Nope, only us.” April and Donnie lifted their gazes to his lab entrance. You leaned on the frame while a dear red-eared slider stood just behind. A couple of steps inside, and the metallic lab door shut close. 
Donnie– strangely– was quick to hide his device-in-progress off to the side.
“You’re back!” April grinned. “Hell, you would not believe the convo Donnie and I were having a minute ago.” She hurried to hug you.
“Figures,” Leo remarked. “We could practically hear you yards off.”
“Sounds like things never get old.” You smiled.
There was a side-eye between Donnie and April, before the Commander proceeded to inquire, coughing: “Anyhow.. care to explain the occasion? You two don’t seem to be in a hurry.”
“The only times you ever visit my laboratory are to prepare for immediate combat engagement, and you look awfully collected.” The softshell furrowed his brows.
“No, no.” You waved your hands, shaking your head. “Thank God no. We came here to ask if you two could take care of our Casey here while we head out.” The other turtle scrunched his in-quote eyebrows. “You— You came here to request us to... babysit him?”
April jabbed him in his plastron.
“You see? Just like I said.” Leo turned to you. “I know my brother, love. Don’s not the kind of guy to take responsibility for a kid. Or anyone, really.”
“Hold on.” Donnie narrowed his eyes. “I never said I refused, Leo.”
“Don’t know, it sounds like it to me.”
“Well, my misinformed brother, contrary to your belief, I am perfectly capable of handling a child.”
You huffed with amusement. Your husband only winked back.
“If you say so, Don.”
“Where are you two heading off for if you needed us to watch over him?” April inquired. “Wondering, ‘cause this never happened even when you two leave for patrol.”
“Just finding some time for ourselves.”
April exclaimed, “As in a honeymoon? Why not just say so? We’ll leave you two alone–.”
“–In this economy and climate?” Donnie interjected. “Has it also not been six years since your yet-to-be-legal marriage?”
“Alright, alright,” Leonardo chuckled. “Cut us some slack, bro. Finding time wasn’t easy when there’s Kraang above our necks.”
“Right, and you’re going on a honeymoon, how?” The softshell crossed his arms. “Simply because you’re the leader does not equate to you making wise decisions, Leo.”
“His ōdachi can teleport anyone to anyplace, we have some hope we can easily teleport to a remote area,” you answered. “One without Kraang infestation. It’ll be hard, but we may as well try.”
“Bonus points if we find clear skies and an ocean.” The red-eared turtle grinned, wrapping his arm over your shoulders.
“What’s a honeymoon, (Mom / Dad)?”
Your hand went to caress Casey’s cheek. “Parent quality time. It just means you get to handle yourself like the responsible grown-up you’ll become one day. Just promise me you’ll be on your best behavior around Uncle Don and Auntie April?”
“I promise, (Mom / Dad)!”
“Good boy,” Leo laughed, ruffling the kid’s hair.
“You didn’t ask Mikey and Raph to help out too, or?”
“Between you and me, I think you guys are better of making sure Casey doesn’t get into any chaos,” you whispered to April. “Don’t tell them that, though.”
She laughed. “Okay, I see how it is. You both have fun.” 
Donnie bit his lip. Right as Leonardo and (Name) turn to exit the laboratory, he extended his arm out to them.
“Leo, (Name).”
You two faced back to him once more.
“Don’t kill yourselves out there.”
Everyone’s eyes widened– April, you, and Leonardo himself. But the brother in blue snickered, holding a smile that reached his eyes. “So you do also care for me, Don. And all this time I thought you were plotting to put me in my grave or something.”
“We won’t.” Leo placed a hand on your shoulder. “You got my word.”
“Bye (Mom / Dad)! Bye Papa!”
“We’ll be back soon, Casey!”
Donnie stood in silence as you finally left, leaving himself with none other than his best friend and his nephew. “I refuse to believe this is the future we have to deal with.”
“Times changed all of us, didn’t they?” April spoke. “One day we wish each other a good one, and the next, we hope we just don’t die. I could’ve been a famous news anchor by now, make my mother happy, fight crime without worrying about dying the next second.
..I wonder if there’s anyone else out there besides the small number of us down here.”
“..I doubt it.”
Donnie pulled himself together and walked back to his workbench, operating his clampers to work once again. He put on his goggles. Casey, being a young teenager of enthusiasm, peeked over.
“Watch yourself, boy,” April warned.
“Don’t worry about me, Auntie. I’m only standing over here.” Casey narrowed his eyes upon the glowing and metal-like ball his uncle had his tools on. “What are you working on, Uncle Don?”
“A sphere.”
“A sphere?”
“You heard correctly.”
“That sounds kind of boring.”
Donnie had to hold himself back from remarking with: ‘That is exactly what every child whose intellect is doomed would say.’
“I’m sure your mother would find it rather moving.”
“(Mom / Dad)? I don’t understand what’s emotional about a ball, though.”
“Hey Casey.” April coughed. “Why not tell us about your mask here? Haven’t taken a good look at it before. Maybe Uncle Don would like to hear it too.”
“You actually want me to talk about my mask?”
“Ain’t a problem, is it?”
“No.” He fidgeted with his fingers a bit. “You don’t have anything else to do?”
“We were just told to watch over you, kid.”
“Yeah, but everyone I know is always busy with the Kraang or supplying weapons. I never really get chances to hang out.”
There was a brief pause in the butane torch’s flame.
April’s expression softened. Her hand came up to brush his black hair. “Things have gotten calmer up there. So you’ve got plenty of time with us now.”
Casey smiled.
“So your mask?” 
The boy alternated between covering his face and removing it. “(Mom / Dad) gave it to me. She told me it is based on the one worn by my biological mother. (Mom / Dad) also said that my birth mother was kind of crazy-funny and likes to be loud. She would have a stick to play– what was it– hockey?
I don’t know what kind of game hockey is supposed to be, but I guess it’s nice to know how life was like before all the Kraang.”
A sad smile crept on April’s lips. 
“Anyways, I thought the mask looked kind of plain, so I decided to draw red marks on it. See?” Casey showed his mask off, fingers tapping the surface. “Guess who it looks like!”
There were two bold and thick streaks of red. Each one ran through one eye, truly a defining characteristic. The Commander chuckled, already imagining how much pride her friend in blue would feel from the fact a kid– let alone one he had been parenting– looked up to him so much.
“You know, I am seeing someone familiar here.” April hummed as she put on a thoughtful facade. Fingers holding her chin and everything. “Got to be Uncle Don.”
Named turtle paused for a moment and raised a brow.
“Seriously, Auntie April?” On the other hand, Casey gave her an incredulous look and shook his head. “You probably want to get your eyes checked out, ‘cause Uncle Don doesn’t have any red stripes.” Off to the side. “And even if he did, he won’t look as cool as Dad.”
April snickered behind her palm as Donnie eyed the boy from behind his goggles.
“You’re right, you’re right. Just messing with you, kid.” Her hand ruffled his hair once more. “Sounds like you really admire your Papa, don’t you?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Dad has an awesome sword that opens up portals. He always moves so quickly whenever he’s fighting. Bam! And the Kraang’s gone!” The teenager stretched his arm for emphasis. “Even as the leader, Papa knows when to get serious and when to make people laugh. He also cares a lot about me, (Mom / Dad), you guys, and everyone!”
It made even Donnie himself smile. 
However, the way Casey’s enthusiasm died down had not gone unnoticed. “I’ve always wanted to help out though.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “I want to fight the Kraang right by his and (Mom / Dad)’s side. Except I barely get the chance to, because they keep telling me to stay close to base and hide behind a giant rock.”
April crossed her arms and went quiet. His feelings were nothing new. In fact, she experienced the same thing herself, seeing she had always been a human. It was like that until–.
“Have no hard feelings,” Donnie spoke up, his hands and eyes remained on his spheric gadget. The sparks were flying. “Your parents are merely worried about your well-being.”
“I know, I know. They won’t have to though, if I can have enough training or something.” Casey sighed. “Then again, I also know I’m only a normal sensitive human.
...Why can’t I be a mutant instead?”
“Ahem. You are classified as a human. That is a true statement and one you cannot change.” Donnie hummed. “However, that does not mean you cannot be strong and capable in other ways.”
“Why does it sound like you’ve been in my place before?”
“Perhaps I did. Did you truly think being a soft-shell turtle is easy? I happened to be born as one of the only Testudines species whose outer shell cannot protect.” Donnie remarked. “Casey, your mask.” His hand signaled.
“What about my mask?”
“I merely want to add something.”
Confused, he hopped off the chair and handed the mask over. “Hmm. As long as you don’t mess with the stripes, Uncle Don.”
“Who says I won’t?”
Casey kicked Donnie’s leg.
“‘Ow,’ I say sarcastically without feeling physical pain.”
“Hmph.” He crossed his arms. “Why do you keep saying things like that?”
“Such as?”
“You say those action verbs, even when you’re already doing them.”
April snorted. “Just his thing, kid. Uncle Don’s got his special quirks.”
“Do you have a quirk?”
“Picking unnecessary fights for one,” Donnie commented.
“You only call them ‘unnecessary,’ because you never want to fix the problem.”
He rolled his eyes. “My solution would’ve been ten times more efficient if you had allowed my technology and I to do the work.”
Casey wondered. “Does your tech ever go haywire, Uncle Don?”
“No.”
“Oh man,” April began, “you should’ve been there for this one time. Your Uncle Don was building some kind of overprotective bed to keep your late Gramps from waking up from his beauty sleep.”
“Gramps likes to sleep?”
“You’d be surprised to hear that he sure does.”
“Then what happened?”
“Uncle Don asked your Dad, Uncle Mikey, and Uncle Raph to try punching, slicing, throwing whatever they could on the bed. They were attacking it like crazy!”
“And then?” 
“And the bed was even more insane, ‘cause there were actual missiles shooting out! They went straight for his brothers. At some point, it got overboard, so Uncle Don tried to command it to stop.”
“I’m hearing a ‘but’ coming.”
“But it malfunctioned and thought Uncle Don was the enemy!”
“However!” Donnie pointed his finger up, interrupting the story-telling. “It did not take long for my creation to recognize his master.”
“Still went haywire in my book,” April remarked. 
“Ignoring that.” His robotic hand tapped the edge of his workbench, grabbing Casey’s attention. “Come here, young man.” He slid back the mask, except in his hands, it felt as if the frame had thicken.
“It looks the same, but it doesn’t feel the same?”
“Try wearing it over your face.”
The boy did as told. All of a sudden, a bunch of green rectangles and words appeared in his vision. He gasped in awe. He spun around slowly, watching the rectangle focus on a figure through the wall.
“Yes yes, I know. I am well aware of how amazing I am.” Donnie huffed in pride. “I have opted to construct an interface with your mask. I cannot see why you shouldn’t have something to defend yourself with,” he reasoned. “I have other updates in mind later on. As of now, however, your mask will help you detect life forms across other rooms or through other objects.” 
“That’s so cool!” The boy hesitated though. “But I don’t want to break it or anything.”
“Hey.” April rested her hand on Casey’s shoulder, giving a firm squeeze. “Our resources are already scarce. Using then losing them is better than nothing. You better make the most of our tech. Understood, soldier?”
Casey grinned underneath his mask. He fixed his posture up and saluted. “Gotcha–! Understood, Commander!” 
He faced the inventor, whose hands were already back to being occupied with the “sphere.” “Thanks so much, Uncle Don!” Casey exclaimed, leaping towards the turtle to give a tight hug. “You’re the best!” 
Upon contact, Donnie stiffened up, but his lack of experience with physical touch did not prevent a smile forming on his face. He extended a robotic arm, patting Casey’s back. 
The boy then scanned around curiously with his mask. “Hey! Think I spot Uncle Mikey and Uncle Raph two floors down! They’re holding hands over a table or something. Why are so many people circling around them?”
April rolled her eyes. “Sounds like another arm-wrestling match between the our youngest and oldest brother.” 
Just like that, Casey booked it out of the laboratory so quickly, it reminded her of a certain red-eared slider. “What the–! Casey!” April groaned. “And here I thought we don’t have to deal with runaway kids. I better catch up to him.” 
“Would not worry about him too much,” Donnie commented. 
“What do you mean by that?”
“Considering we will not always be alive to protect him... the sooner we leave him to himself, the easier it will be for him to survive alone.” 
“Hey. Come on now.” April walked to her best friend’s side. “Don’t you say things like that. We’re all going to survive this together–.”
“April.” Slight pain wavered in his voice. “You know as well as I do how our current reality is. It is only a matter of time before the Kraang finds everyone.” 
“Yet you’re still here trying.”
No response.
“It’s all because of the kid, isn’t it?” April affirmed. “He ain’t any genius prodigy you were expecting long ago. But he gave you a reason to try– he became someone worth fighting for.”
“I would not put it as simply as that.”
She shrugged. “That’s how I’d say it. You know you’re not the only one whose life changed because of Casey.”
Donnie paused his work, turning off the butane torch and finally pulling his goggles off his eyes again. “...Casey reminds me of when we were young, being rash and immature teenagers like any other. I hate admitting to such thing, but I was one too. And I hate admitting much more how much I missed those times.
The child has known nothing of the trouble we’ve experienced outside, April: when Cassandra was killed, when Draxum was torn apart, when Dad decided to sacrifice himself despite the slim odds.” His hands clenched into fists.
“Do not expect me to have any false hope for our future, but do not assume I would want Casey to feel the same way. For as long as he can, I want him to hold onto that false hope.”
“...” April had her arms crossed. Her eyes slowly came to linger on the workbench. “Is that ‘sphere’ his false hope?”
“..No. Not his.” Donnie traced his thumb over his contraption. “It’s for (Name).”
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msbarrybeeson · 1 year
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Before You Go - P.5 | Future Leonardo X Reader
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A/N: This is legit the longest part yet. How time flies when I write. Any constructive criticism is appreciated. To be honest, reader feedback boosts my motivation to write anything in the first place.
Summary: You’re both adopting-parents of Casey. After years of being raised in an underground base, seven-year-old Casey got to finally see the overgrounds. Bunch of fluff and family interactions.
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns are used, except the terms “(Mama / Papa)” are also used. Second POV.
Pairing: Rise! Future! Leonardo X Reader
Warnings: None.
Word Count:  ~3660
Parts: One / Two / Three / Four / Five / ...
~
“Woo! Let’s go Leo!”
Beneath the surface was a battle, surrounded by refugees onlooking their leader, Master Leonardo, against one of Big Mama’s top fighters.
Cheers boomed and echoed the cavern. It was supposed to be a practice round for Leo to better his swordsmanship. Alas, nothing could stop the interest of spectators.
Leo leaped over a giant shuriken being flung at him, making his way right at his opponent. Right when he managed to get close, a hammer smashed him into the ground. Dust and dirt flying from the impact.
The crowd groaned, feeling the phantom pain.
You stood high above in a ledge, watching alongside Leo’s brothers and April. You couldn’t help but wince, worried that all these battles might do your blue wrong if the Kraang ever discovered your base. 
In fact, shouldn’t anyone be concerned at the slightest that the Kraang might hear the commotion? All caution was thrown out the window. You hadn’t even realize Donnie had all the time in his world to build an arena. 
..He hadn’t happened to bother the DIGG band to do this, did he?
In your peripheral vision, a short figure hopped up and down next to you.
“(Mama / Papa)! You promised to take me above!” Casey whined. Though his patience was running low, his youthful curiousity was on high.
“I’m aware. But just be a bit more patient,” you assured. “Your father’s having a big show right now. He’s fighting one of Big Mama’s strongest.”
His eyes glimmered. The seven-year-old hopped again, wanting to see past the ledge. He always had a big interest for fighters and becoming a skilled one. Did he know how? He wasn’t sure at the moment. 
“Really!? I wanna see, I wanna see!”
He yelped as Raph picked him up and sat him on his shoulders. “Gosh, Casey, you’ve got to chill out. Papa’s not goin’ anywhere.” The snapping turtle grinned. “Seeing things better now?”
“Thanks, Uncle Raph!”
The audience roared loudly again. Leo swiped his ōdachi to open up multiple portals. He leaped across from one to another to another. Making a strike. Yes, Leo’s challenger was much larger, strength incomprehensible even, but could they match his speed?
You smiled, seeing Casey in absolute awe.
“You can do it, Papa!” he yelled.
Leo jumped onto one of his opponent’s many arms. His form front-flipping to slash the head. Moments passed and a gash sent the fighter recoiling.
To top it off, he opened a portal underneath them, before another one appeared high above. This time, he anchored his ōdachi in the dirt. He gave his wrists a few twists. And as Big Mama’s fighter fell through.. Leo took a swing and—!
WHHIIIRROOSH!
A heavy wave. A burst of wind. A strong blast from Leo’s contact with his opponent went and knocked everyone off their balance!
Some chunks of the ledge you and your friends were standing in even broke off.
.
.
.
The stunned crowd erupted into cheers. Casey was leaning off of Raph’s head, wide eyes and beaming astonishment on his face. 
“WOW, THAT’S SO COOL!” 
Raph, on the other hand, felt cold sweat the moment he had his own balance faltering from the kid’s movement. “Woah woah! Easy there!”
“Let’s go, baby!” Mikey jumped. “There’s our Leee-oh!”
April examined the knackered ledge. “Yeesh! If he was any stronger, Big Mama’s fighter ain’t gonna be the only one going down.” 
“A safety hazard?” Donnie was appalled. “Great.. another thing for my agenda..”
A quick sigh of relief fell from your lips and you laughed. “Okay okay, you guys. Casey’s been waiting for his time above-ground. Let’s get Leo before we head up.”
.
.
.
“Don’t get too worked up, Big Mama.” Leo smirked. “It’s all just practice.”
The old Spider yōkai huffed. “Yes yes. I was simply hoping that it could’ve been just a tad more entertaining of a show..” She turned her head to her knocked-out fighter, laying against the wall of the arena. “Unfortunate it is to have my Champion thrown off his feet with ease— do you not have other turtley-doos partaking? Perhaps the orange one would do nicely.”
Leo let out a laugh. “Unfortunately, for you, Big Mama, we got another schedule going for today. So how ‘bout you give us a call.. a week later. Sound good?”
“Bu—.”
“Muy bien. ¡Adiós!” He waved.
“Papa!” Leo saw Casey running. He opened his arms for the boy to catch a hug. “You were so cool, Papa! You were like: swish, swash, woosh!”
“You guys were watching me!?” He seemed embarrassed.
“Hello? You got a whole ass arena here, and you think we wouldn’t check out all this screaming going on?”
“Tsk. I mean, I would’ve continued on with my projects if only Mikey and April didn’t drag me outside my lab,” Donnie spoke monotonously.
Leo then faced you.
“Wasn’t he cool, (Mama / Papa)!”
You only grinned, arms crossed. “Yes, sweetheart. He was so cool.. as expected of the greatest ninja I’ve ever known.” A flush of red caught Leo’s face as he coughed into his scarf, and everyone else being mildly amused.
“L-Let’s get moving everyone.”
“Now, child, it’s imperative for you to know that you shouldn’t be all too excited about traversing above-ground,” Donnie lectured, while the group arrived by the elevating system. “I assume your Papa and (Mama / Papa) told you about the Kraang?”
“Yes, Uncle Don!”
“Good. Be aware you are always at risk of being caught in their sight. One detected motion and they could be running here—.”
“Why do we have a ladder when we could just use this thing?”
“That’s a ridicu— I mean, good question, Casey.” Donnie saved himself. “The way up the ladder is far more narrow, a better option if you want to exit the base in a more discreet method. What we’re using can take multiple beings at the same time. 
A big risk in return, however, is that we can easily be spotted. When we reach the top, you’ll see that this Eleva-Don has a dome covered in rock and soil.”
“To camoflauge?”
“Hm.. Can’t necessarily consider it camoflauge, but sure, the purpose is to hide the entrance to this base.”
.
.
“How long does it take to go up?”
“..Now that you mentioned it,” Raph wondered. “Shouldn’t we be up a minute ago?”
Donnie hummed. “..Give me a moment— my bad, I forgot I had implemented another button to push, because some morons kept forgetting their equipment.”
The group reached the entrance. It was like the purple’s description. There was a sturdy dome over and a sealed doorway being the only thing separating Casey’s eyes from the outside world. But he had to admit: he felt a bit nervous. His small hand took yours, and you tightened your grip to comfort the boy.
Leo stepped on the other side of Casey, eyes narrowing.
“Casey, before I open the entrance, you must brace yourself,” Donnie warned. “There are hot winds blowing and dry air outside. Move your eyes away from any flying dust too. 
In fact, be quick to cover your eyes. You’re not used to the light.
..Do you understand?”
“Yes, Uncle Don.”
The hinges turned. And as told, a bright light beamed through and the boy had to clasp his hands over. It was blinding, especially for someone who had spent his whole life in dim undergrounds. 
It took a long while. 
He felt the winds drying the moisture off his skin, even the sweat he released.. Bit by bit, Casey’s fingers separated. His sights eventually adjusted to seeing his shoes. Then, from side to side upon his parents’ footwear. Then, some prickly brush nearby. 
And then.. the horizon.
He didn’t know what to expect. He heard all the recreations from his uncles and aunt. He heard more from the refugees. They all said the same thing: red skies and dried.
However, somehow, this was more than he could’ve dreamt of.
There were skeletons, bones of different kinds on the ground. Large boulders to play hide and seek in. Flying cotton balls to make a snow ball.
Casey looked back at the horizon. There afar was a giant city. Broken, yet it was still a magnificent city in his mind. Tall skyscrapers were shattered in half, ragged edges remained.
But his amazement stopped at the sky, bloody-colored skies and dark clouds. Right above New York City was a floating.. ship of some sort. It looked like that one yōkai’s eyeball, always plopping out and back in.
The boy cowered behind your leg. 
He tugged onto your hand. “Hey (Mama / Papa)?” You looked down. “I thought you said you found bunch of things and food here. Why is it so empty?”
“Empty?”
“Yeah.”
“..It might look like that. But I promise you, Casey, there’s more to it than meets the eye. It’s been many years away, so expect that a lot is buried in sand and dirt.” You began leading him. “Come along.”
“..That’s.. kind of boring. What about fighting Kraang and stuff?”
“Hm.. You know..” You just noticed: there were barely monsters in your area. Could they have gone to the city? Best of luck to the others going then.
“How can you find anything?”
“That’s easy,” Mikey spoke up. “The best way is to catch a glimmer, some sort of sparkle on the ground. Sometimes, you’ll find something valuable.”
“..Oh! Like this?” The boy picked up an empty plastic chip bag. Mikey deadpanned.. and cleared his throat. “My poor boy, of course not. That’s useless trash.” For a moment, Doctor Delicate Touch came out. He snatched it away and threw it behind him.
“If you see anything more like that, toss it right behind you. Or even better, don’t pick it up. Trust me, it’ll save you so much time.” 
Casey slumped. This wasn’t the finders-keepers experience he was... He shook his head. Whatever, he should just follow you instead—.
Another sparkle in the distance. This one gleamed brighter than that chip bag.
He glimpsed around. You were a couple of feet away. Mikey disappeared. His Papa in a couple of feet in the opposite direction. The red-eared turtle appeared to be casting his gaze at the landscape, arms crossed. The others? Didn’t follow their path.
At least, he had his parents.
The boy moved closer. It was in an open box? There was some really smooth-looking cloth on the inside. Cushioned in it, there was.. a long necklace.. He recognized what a necklace should look be, many refugees had one of their own to cherish. 
Oh, hold on.. there were two necklaces?
He examined the pendant. Shiny. Silver-like. It looked like a heart, except there seemed to be a gash right in the middle. “Oh..” 
It was broken..
.
.
An idea lit up.
Casey took the box, brushing off the sediment, closed it, and shoved it down one of his pockets. Maybe Uncle Don could help him.
“Oho? What do you have there, Case?” He flinched when he heard his father from behind. “Don’t think I didn’t see that.”
“Don’t scare me, Papa!”
“Pfft. You’re just like (Mama / Papa).”
The boy fiddled his fingers, before reaching back into the pocket. He pulled out the box. “I found this necklace.. but.. it’s broken. I thought Uncle Don might fix it!”
Leo took the box from his hands. He chuckled.
“It’s not a broken necklace, buddy. These are couple necklaces.”
“Couple necklaces?”
“They can be two separate ones.. Put them together though..” Leo clicked the two halves in place. “..And they become a whole.”
“They look.. a lot shinier together!” Casey admired.
“Yeah.” Leo’s eyes squinted as he smiled. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“What about ‘friendship’ necklaces? Are those any different?”
The red-eared turtle blinked. He realized he assumed these were meant for couples. Maybe it was because everything that came in pairs reminded him of he and—.
“Oh, I have an idea!” Casey proposed, grabbing the box from Leo’s hand. He faced himself in your direction. “Maybe these can be for you and (Ma / Pa)—mmrph!”
“Hm?” Your head turned towards them. “Did you two call me?”
“Uh! No no!” Leo frantically waved his hand off. “We didn’t say anything.. at all! You can keep doing your own thing, (Name).”
Blinked once, twice. You shrugged, eyes down on the ground.
Leo sighed, releasing his other hand from the kid’s mouth. “Bah! Papa! What was that for? Don’t you show (Mama / Papa) about this? They’ll love it a lot!”
“Shh shh.. I’m sure they will, Case. But.. I have another idea on how we can show them. Okay?” The red-eared turtle proceeded to whisper into the boy’s ear, hoping you wouldn’t catch it if you tried.
The seven-year-old clasped his mouth, eyes sparkling. He nodded his head.
.
.
“Find anything, (Name)?” April asked, the group rendezvousing.
You sighed. “Only packets of vegetable seeds.”
“Hey, more food, the better.”
“Let’s just hope Todd will be able to work his magic on them.”
“Knowin’ he raised who-knows-how-many puppies back then, m’sure he could handle a couple of plants.”
“What about you?”
“The city’s tough to get through as ever. We only got a couple of blankets and scraps of metal for Don. You didn’t come to the city?”
“With a child who barely knows how to nagivate out here?”
“Point taken. How’s the kid doing?”
“..I.. I think he likes the rummaging.” 
“Why’d you hesitate to say that? Giving me a scare for a sec.” April laughed behind her hand. “That’s good, that’s good. Gives ‘nother reason for him to go out more.”
“Just as long as he watches himself.”
“Have some faith in him, (Name).”
“Of course.” You closed your eyes. “Commander O’Neil.”
“H-Hey!” She wrapped her arm around your neck, while you laughed. “Thought I said I don’t want my own friends calling me that.”
“Do you not like it?” 
“Yeah I do, but..” April pulled away and rubbed her arm. “I don’t want you guys to forget what we all were before.”
Your breath paused.
She continued, “We were all close friends. If we start calling each other these formalities, I.. don’t know how different we’ll treat each other.”
“...”
“Man.” April almost felt her eyes sting. “Young me wouldn’t be this emotional over some title. Only in our late twenties, and we’re already talkin’ like we’re gonna die.”
You chuckled. “This world’s making us old, isn’t it?”
“Sure is..” 
Your friend slowly faced the base entrance. “Guess we better return. Boys! Let’s head back!” she called out. They moved along, except for Leo and Casey. They stood in place and gave a knowing look at each other.
You raised an eyebrow.
“Leo! Casey!” April shouted again, only to be stopped by Donnie. He pushed her off, whispering something in her ear. Raph, strolling behind and past you, tapped your shoulder. Then, Mikey winked.
You were confused.
What was going on?
“(Name),” your blue called, signalling for you to come with them. “Casey and I got something to show you.”
They led to a short hill, where the three of you sat watching the horizon. The whole world might’ve changed dramatically, sunrises and sets still exist.
“Vegetable seeds weren’t the only thing you found, was it.”
“How perceptive.” You snorted. “No.. there was something else. When we walked further an hour ago, there was something I recognize..”
You pulled out something wrapped in a brown cloth and unwapped it.
It was.. Cassandra’s hockey stick.
Leo’s eyes widened. “You.. No way..”
“I can’t believe it was intact after many years..” You teared up, holding the stick close to your chest. “I thought it disappeared with her..”
“..She probably dropped it, switching to her hyperbeam guns..,” Leo guessed. “You chose not to tell April?”
“Hey.. I get emotional talking about anything related to Cassandra to anyone else. You’re the only other guy who knew exactly what happened anyway..”
Casey was perplexed. 
He tugged onto the blue scarf. “..Papa? Why’s (Mama / Papa) crying over a.. wooden stick? Who is she talking about?”
“Don’t ask me, buddy. Your (Mama / Papa) knows this person a lot more than I do.”
You moved your arm, pulling the boy close to you. “Casey.. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while..” You gazed down at him. “Did you know you have another parent?”
“...”
Casey was absolutely shocked, flabbergasted, open jaw and wide eyes.
Meanwhile, Leo was dying on the inside. You couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Heyy! Are you trying to joke around?” 
“Sorry sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh,” you quieted down. “But it’s true.”
You pulled out a photograph. There was you, Leo, and everyone else.. except for an unfamiliar woman with piercings and a paler complexion in darker clothing. Casey took a closer look. “She’s also my Mom?”
“Yes, she is.”
Casey then glared at Leo, who was taken aback by the kid’s offended expression. “..(Mama / Papa),” he not-so-quietly whispered. “..Did Papa cheat on you?”
The red-eared turtle coughed hard. He was ready to argue, charge at the boy for even thinking he would do that to you. Where did he even learn the concept of cheating? Those gossiping girls who somehow remembered everything from their high school career?
“Hey—!”
“Don’t worry, he may seem like the kind, but he would never.” You teasingly smiled, testing Leo. “You actually have two fathers.”
“How come he isn’t in the photo?”
“..He just.. doesn’t like pictures.”
“Oh.”
“Mhm.”
“What about other Mom? How come I’ve never seen her?”
You sighed. “Casey.. You know how sometimes Papa and I go out to make sure no Kraang comes near us?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you miss us when we’re gone?”
The boy fiddled his fingers. “Even though Uncle Mikey.. Uncle Raph.. Auntie April.. and sometimes Uncle Don take good care of me, I still wish you were there with me.”
“And we miss you too.” You tightened your embrace. “That’s because we love you, Casey. We are both always worried that something can happen and we won’t be there to help you. 
But we also have a job to do for everyone, to make sure we are all safe.”
“..Is that why other Mom is not here?”
“Correct. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you. In fact, she was willing to fight the whole world to make sure you’re in good hands.” You tapped his chest. “She had to fight the Kraang too. She knew she won’t be able to see you for a long time. Because she loves you so much, she wants only the most capable to raise you.”
“...It’s okay, (Mama / Papa). You don’t have to say it like that.”
You felt yourself freeze.
“I’m growing up. I can handle it,” Casey assured. “..Is she up in the stars?”
“..She is.”
His arms wrapped around your back and Leo’s shell. “Well.. In my heart, you’ll always be my (Mama / Papa) and Papa to me. Nothing will ever change how much I love you.”
You inhaled, struggling to keep a stoic face.
Leo covered half of his face in his scarf. In the end, even he couldn’t hide his feelings. He decided to give you both a sudden big hug himself. “Gah! Come here, you two! You really know how to make a grown man cry.”
“Ah, Leo! You’re.. hurting.. our lungs..!” In reluctance, the turtle released you. “Look what happened, your Papa’s turning into an sobbing mess.”
“This was a heartwarming moment for me, (Name). Don’t you dare judge.”
Casey bit his lip. This was when he made his move.
“Oooh. Did you know Papa can also turn into romance?”
Leo froze.
“Hey hey, hold on there, buddy..” A nervous chuckle. “Couldn’t you give a cue? We’re.. doing this right now, no warning?” 
“But this was your plan!” Casey countered. “Stand up, both of you!” You followed along. The hockey stick set aside for now. At this point, better not to ask more questions.
“(Mama / Papa).. Papa says he has something special to show you.” The boy gave Leo a box.. Indiscreet as he was, he tried. A grin appeared on his face when he scurried off behind a nearby rock.
“So.. I’m guessing this had to be related to my name called back there.” You put your hands on your hips.
“He’s still learning his social cues. He’ll get his self-awareness from me, you’ll see.” Leo cleared his throat. “Anyways.. (Name).. it’s been a long time since we got together. Even longer when we first met.. say about twelve years ago. 
Gotta admit.. first impressions weren’t special.
You were just another high school kid. You were the second human I know to ever like hanging out with us mutants. You just seemed like another person to me.
But you were.. considerate.. kind. I wasn’t used to having someone actually listening to me, ‘cause we were all idiots back then. The gang and I would only fool around, bite each other and all.
It wasn’t until you.. said something.. Those words to me..” He felt his hand reaching out. 
You took it in both of yours. There was a light in your eyes. You remembered exactly what that moment was. Your voice slipped, 
“..You have always been my champion..”
Leo’s grip tightened as he immediately went down on both knees. “No one.. no one’s ever said that to me... I couldn’t help it anymore. 
I couldn’t help looking your way every time you were there.
As much as I hate to swallow my pride, I couldn’t help but act all cool and badass whenever you’re looking.. even though most times didn’t work out so well.
You were the only one who believed in me.. and I knew it has to be you.”
Then, Leo released your hands. He took the box out and opened it. “I know it isn’t an overrated ring.. but..” The two heart halves revealing themselves on separate chains.
“(Name).. Will you.. marry me?” 
.
.
.
“..Yes.” You were tearing up again. “Yes! But..!” 
His heart suddenly chipped itself off. That last word was never assumed to be a good sign. “Is there something wrong? ..God.. did I do this too soon?”
You, though, were trying not to snicker. “No no. It’s just.. you’re supposed to propose on one knee, Leo! Not both!”
“They chose to question that over the whole ‘apocalypse proposal’?” Donnie muttered to the others. “How does anyone even consider that as romantic?”
“Donnie, shut your aro-ace ass.” 
Your blue turned red. Embarassed, his face was flushed. He groaned, “Not the teasing right now. Is being the only person to get me on both not enough for you?” 
“Hm. We’ll just have to see how we do in bed.”
Leo choked. 
“WHAT—.”
“(NAME), NOT IN FRONT OF THE KID!” Raph screamed.
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msbarrybeeson · 1 year
Text
Before You Go - P.4 | Future Leonardo X Reader
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A/N: Any constructive criticism is appreciated.
Summary: You’re both adopting-parents of Casey. What was expected to be a calm rainy night turned out to be more ominous than you would like.
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns are used, except the terms “(Mama / Papa)” are also used. Second POV.
Pairing: Rise! Future! Leonardo X Reader
Warnings: None.
Word Count:  ~960
Parts: One / Two / Three / Four / Five / ...
~
All was quiet..
For once in a long time, rain poured down onto New York City and its boroughs. It almost felt like a rainforest. The climate growing hotter over the decade had the water vaporized into a fog. Though you found it suffocating, it prevented the Kraang from seeing clearly. 
Except.. that was only an assumption.
There were many things undiscovered about the alien race and their weaknesses. For now, your base was once again deemed safe.
The red-eared turtle laid on a rock-hard bed, snoring soundly. It was recent when some refugees ran across large segments of concrete. Used not just for sturdy walls, but to replace having to lay on soil. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but you’d never felt any cleaner.
Beside Leo was your sleeping form, arms around Casey. Or so he assumed.. up until something— rather someone— sharply jabbed into his jaw.
THUB.
“Augh!” Pain surged in his teeth and Leo recoiled. He groaned. He hissed. He was ready to yell, ready to complain, but then.. came a young voice to his inner ears.
“..Papa.”
The turtle loosened up his shoulders.
A loud huff out.
It was Casey. The going-onto-five toddler crawled onto his plastron and managed to kick his chin. Leo did not mind him climbing up, except, him rolling around….
“Case,” Leo whispered, “Come on, buddy. I’m trying to sleep here.” The red-eared slider dragged his hand across his face, his fingertips lingering on his chin as if it would help soothe the pain.
Then, he picked Casey up and positioned him between your sleeping form and his. However, the toddler whined and flailed his arms, thrashing not only onto Leo but also your back.
“Noo! Don’t sleep Papa! I don’t want to sleep yet.”
You mumbled in your sleep. That was the cue for Leo to hold Casey down, fearing you would wake up mad. Sleep was precious in a time like this. He knew it himself how much losing any could affect your ability to fight.
He sighed, grimacing. “God, you’re a hyper one. I miss that energy.” This was definitely Cassandra’s son. “Man, if only I know how to sing a lullaby.”
Casey huffed and climbed back onto Leo’s plastron. “What is it, buddy?”
“Red.. stripe,” he muttered.
Leo was taken aback when the kid began to tap his hands up his neck and onto his red markings. This genuinely made the turtle embarrassed, flustered. Sometimes, he forgot he had those features.
At least he was reminded of how unique he was.. and how much you would talk about your infatuation for his stripes back then.
“Cool..”
“You just noticed them now, huh?”
“Where is it from?”
“I..” Leo wouldn’t know how to answer that.
“Can I get one?”
Ah.
“Ohoho. When you go to sleep, bud.” Leo snorted. “You get these cool stripes if you let your Papa and (Mama / Papa) sleep.”
The toddler grumbled, throwing hands at the turtle’s plastron again. “But I don’t want to! Why do I have to sleep?”
Thump..
“Shh shh.. Sleep is important, bud. Do you want to know why we have to stay underground?” This piqued Casey’s interest. He’d never seen the overground, only heard it from the refugees’ stories. He’d also heard about the Kraang, though generally that they were enemies.
“Why?”
“Because the Kraang are monsters who don’t get enough sleep.”
“R-Really?”
“Mhm,” Leo warned. “Stories have it that if you don’t try to get enough sleep, you’ll slowly become crazy and a Kraang—.”
He immediately stopped once he noticed Casey tearing up a bit. The kid whimpered, “I don’t want to be a Kraang..”
“Ah, don’t worry too much about it, bud. If you at least try not to bother others and fall asleep, then you won’t become one.” Leo tapped onto Casey’s chest. “You see (Mama / Papa) over here?”
“Yah.”
“They’re sleeping. You don’t want to get them mad, do you?” Leo brought Casey closer to his face and tapped their noses together. He smiled when the child calmed down and began to giggle. 
“No, Papa.. I want (Mama / Papa) to stay the way they are.”
“Now that’s a good kid.”
—THUMP! THUMP! 
The ground suddenly shook. The dust and dirt falling from the dugout’s ceiling had Leo pushing himself upright.
His heart dropped. Oh no.
“Papa.. What’s that noise—?”
“Shh shh. Probably just Uncle Raph turning over. Get to sleep, bud.” He brushed the bit of dirt off of Casey’s back and carefully placed the toddler on the bed. “Papa’s only gonna check on something real quick.” 
“But.. where are you going!” Casey cried out his questions but was ignored. His father had already hurried his way through the underground base.
.
.
.
“Lee?” The younger brother stepped out of his room rubbing his eyes.
If Mikey heard that.. Leo was not going crazy then. Those noises.. they’d been getting close. 
“What’s going..?” 
Midway in his question, he quickly quieted down, seeing a harrowing expression on Leo’s face. Mikey had a feeling; he had some bad feeling when his bed shook. Was he willing to accept the worst however? He would never be able to. 
“Don’t tell me..” Mikey followed behind. 
“Lee. Lee! It’s not what I think it is, right?!” 
“I-I don’t.. I don’t know.” His older brother’s chest felt heavy as worse outcomes clouded his head. “We.. we’ve gotta check.”
“No no.. God no..” The box turtle prayed. “We can’t move! This was our place for so long!” Leo had never heard nor seen his brother so alarmed, fear behind those wide-eyes. The idea of leaving behind all those memories.. 
It was disturbing him.
“Mikey. We might not have a choice. It’s everyone’s safety above all else.”
“But where do we run to then?!”
Leo winced. He did not want to think further about this right now. 
The two climbed to the top of a ladder, a sewer plate that met their base with the overgrounds. Reluctant, Leo lifted the plate, eyeing around only to see mist against a red sky, glowing faintly under the moonlight.
“Crap. The fog’s not just a disadvantage to the Kraang,” he cursed.
“Anything, Leo?”
“Can’t see anything..” Leo tapped his foot on one of the rungs of the sewer ladder, and his brother began to climb down.
“..They’re not gonna stop,” Mikey mumbled.
He watched his older brother grimace, indicating he was still have a hard time accepting their situation: everyone seeking refuge underground in fear.. having so few resources and life left in them.
Mikey narrowed his eyes. 
“C’mon,” he spoke, reaching the floor, “You said to put everyone’s safety’s above all else.” He placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I know anything can happen, but.. as long as we take care of each other, we can push through this, Lee.”
.
.
There was a long silence before Leo took a deep breath. His hand reached over and returning Mikey’s touch, letting him know.. he was still there. 
“..Right. Thanks, Mike.”
Separating ways, Leo stumbled back to your bedroom with half-lidded eyes, expecting for Casey to have fallen asleep in your arms. 
Which did happen, just not in the way he was imagining.
You were up leaning by the room entrance. The kid was snoring in your arms as you held him close to your chest.
“Agh...” A drained laugh escaped his throat. “And here I was hoping he could be trusted with letting you sleep.”
“Don’t worry,” you smiled. “I’m not mad.. this time.” Leo would’ve returned it, if only he hadn’t seen your expression falter. “They’re trying to find us, aren’t they? They know we’re alive.”
Leo winced again.
“I have to admit.. I’m scared, Leo,” your voice wavered. You could feel it: the outcome was slowly becoming inevitable.
“No.. Stop that, (Name).” He held your shoulders, his thumb rubbing to soothe you. 
One of his hands then lifted your chin up as he leaned closer to kiss you on your lips. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “I won’t let anything happen to you, Casey, or anyone else.. I won’t let them win.”
You furrowed your brows. “We. We won’t let them win.”
You let yourself get pulled close to Leo. You felt his arms wrap around your body, while you stilled yours around Casey, a tight embrace that showed more fear than reassurance. 
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msbarrybeeson · 1 year
Text
Broken Glass | Cyno X Reader
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A/N: The man was not coming home after 76 pity, so out of my sorrow, I believe he deserves this. I was also conflicted between Cyno being the General Mahamatra or the former one. No worries, I got it eventually. Remember that constructive criticism is appreciated and enjoy!
Summary: Cyno’s regrets for your fall-out returned when the glass of a picture frame shattered.
Genre: Angst
Reader: Second POV. Gender-neutral pronouns if any. 
Warning: Argument. Falling-out.
Word Count: ~380
~
Glass shattered on the floor.
A picture frame had fallen off the bedside table when Cyno kicked the sheets. He frowned, moving himself off the bed to pick up the pieces.
His breath hitched suddenly once he found the photo of you and him, and his fingers stopped reaching out.
His eyes stared upon the photo— one taken for a time when you and he smiled. His chin was resting on your head while you leaned against his chest.
Oh, how sorrowful.
Cyno scowled. He did not want to be reminded of his regrets again. The broken glass over the both of your faces was another stab from life.
If only he hadn’t yelled at you like that. If only he knew how to control his frustrations.
It did not help that for a long time, he had been shaking those emotions off. After all, Cyno believed as the current General Mahamatra that he should not let them cloud his logic.
“Step away from him, (Name).”
You, his partner, were in his way of punishing a scholar. You went out of your own to defend the very person that committed injustice to the Akademiya.
“Cyno, show him some empathy. He was doing it for his children!”
‘This was your fault.’
He narrowed his eyes and scoffed. The General pulled back his polearm, releasing the scholar. “I’m heading back to Sumeru City.” Anger dripped from his voice as Cyno walked past you without a single glance to the eyes.
This single action of his stung your heart. But one way or another, you had to stand for your beliefs: the Akademiya did not have good of intentions as people would assume. 
The scholar behind you felt thankful for your support, yet there was a sense of guilt for the strain between you and the General. You chose to laugh it off, something that did not reach your eyes.
Your walk back to Aaru Village was silent, up until you and Cyno had a private conversation.
Cyno threw his polearm onto the ground. He stormed towards you, seething, “Do you realize the kind of stupid decisions you’re making lately? The point of my position as a Mahamatra is to bring these people to justice for their crimes. The Akademiya will have my head yet again for letting go of a scholar.”
“The Akademiya’s regulations are nonsense, Cyno. Don’t believe that everything are serious matters. He bought and sold the Divine Knowledge Capsule to bring food to the table. It was a one-time thing, and he never intended to use it!”
“And yet they need me as General Mahamatra.” A dangerous frown on his lips.
“You’re not listening. The Akademiya are not who you think they are!” you yelled. “You always focus on tracking these scholars down, but not a single question about why the Akademiya is so persistent on finding this Divine Knowledge Capsule.”
“Knowledge Capsules have dangerous effects, and I expected you to know that, (Name).”
“Shohre told me they’ve chosen to prioritize the Divine Capsule over the others.” Your brows furrowed. “She told me they’ve chosen you and you only to handle this. What happened to her and the others?”
Cyno clenched his teeth. “It’s reasonable they would choose someone who always finds their target no matter what. But you.. you are always in my way,” he scowled. “You’ve never had these views for the Akademiya until recently. Would you mind explaining yourself?”
“I can’t tell you that now, but you have to listen to me when I advise you to distance yourself from the Akademiya, Cyno.” You stepped closer, your hands held together close to your chest.
“You,” he pushed you away by your hands, taking you aback, “have no concrete evidence, do you.”
“...” 
Cyno took your silence as an answer. The conflicted look on your face said everything. 
He scoffed, walking past you again.
“I can’t believe I’m partners with the likes of you.”
A response that he knew would break your heart. 
No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that your fall-out was your fault, Cyno realized he was slowly fading off from contact with the Akademiya. From that point, “former General Mahamatra” was more his title. 
His room in Aaru Village became cold and gray, contradicting the hot and bright weather in the desert.
And to the man gazing upon the floor in silence.. he couldn’t bring himself to pick up the glass. His reluctancy moved him to lay on his side, gripping the empty, lifeless bedsheets.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
Text
Before You Go - P.3 | Future Leonardo X Reader
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A/N: I am conflicted over using gender-neutral terms to replace “Mama,” because I haven’t found a single one that holds the same vibe as the initial. If there are any suggestions, let me know! Remember that constructive criticism is always appreciated.
Summary: You’re both adopting-parents of Casey. Leonardo returned from a patrol to find his family surrounding Casey, about to say his first words.
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns are used, except the terms “Mama” and “mother-figure are used as well. Second POV.
Pairing: Rise! Future! Leonardo X Reader
Warning(s): Insecure of one’s parenting.
Word Count: ~1980
Parts: One / Two / Three / Four / Five / ...
~
“No way, is Casey saying his first words?” Michelangelo gasped. He was followed by his older brother, coming back from an area patrol together. 
That question stopped Leo in his tracks. "H-Hold on, really?"
In front of him, April and his brothers surrounded you, while you sat 2-year-old Casey on your stronger arm. He glanced around curiously at the small crowd, but paid no mind as he played with your hair.
"Bwuah.. bah." Sounds bubbling from his mouth. You smiled. "I have a good feeling, Mikey."
Leo stared from afar. 
..It had been so long since he felt this kind of warmth. All the smiles on his family’s faces were enough to give nostalgia.. back to when life was relatively.. normal.
"What'cha doing, standing over there!" April called out, waving her arm up. "This is a moment of a lifetime! Don't tell me you're backing out of being a parent." Donnie snickered from hearing her teases.
Leo shook his head. Then, he rolled his eyes. "Hey hey, c'mon, don't put me down like that, April. I'm not some deadbeat guy."
Being the Doctor Feelings he once proclaimed, Mikey held his hands to his chest. A bubbly smile grew. "Ohh! I’m getting it now: Lee’s having his inner, emotional, father-moment!"
And of course, a dark blush appeared on his face, embarrassed he was figured out so easily. Granted, he was talking about his own brother and Doctor Feelings. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say, little brother," he huffed. "Let's not tease me right now, guys. I just got back from a patrol with the others."
Leo strolled closer to you from behind, head leaning on your shoulder. "So.. what’s he’s saying?"
"Yet to find out." You slowly rocked your body back and forth.
“Y’know,” April wondered, “I’ve been thinking: aren’t kids supposed to start talking before they turn two?”
You and Leo felt yourselves freezing at the realization. Supposed to? But what about Casey? Did this imply that you two hadn’t done enough?
Fortunately, Donatello noticed your unease. 
“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, “I mean, we are living in an underground base during an alien invasion. I doubt any of us would own time to cater to a human child full-time.” Donnie raised his “eyebrows” once, giving the message to April.
“Yeah yeah, that makes sense.”
"..Moving on...
Allow me to make a guess: he’ll begin by praising my name and intellect with, 'I love you Donatello Von Ryan and you're the greatest being this universe has to offer,'" Donnie claimed right from his heart and ego.
"God dang, Donnie, I swear," Raph murmured, "if this kid grows up to praise you like some sort of egotistical saint—."
"Scoffs! That could mean one thing for sure, Raphael: Casey will grow to be one of the most intelligent children, taught under by yours truly."
April put her hand on her hip. "Huh. Not gonna lie, I still can't believe Cassandra would name him after herself."
"Doesn't sound far from her, really," you chuckled. "In fact.. I'd be surprised if she managed to make a whole different one."
"Bah.. boo mah.."
"Ooh, ooh!" Mikey leaned his head closer to Casey. "He's going to say something!"
"Putting my bets on 'Mama!'" April raised her hand. Donnie, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and feigned, "Wow! That is so original. Yawn."
"Uh, excuse you." Leonardo looked offended. "Where's the amor for the father-figure?"
You deadpanned. “Since when have we established the ‘Mama’ label?”
"Ever since Leo kept calling himself ‘Papa,’” April chirped. “Sorry, Leo, being the mother-figure, (Name) comes before you." 
"Hm. Raph’s gotta agree."
"Seriously? Even my own brother!?"
"No worries, Lee, I got you!" Mikey leeched onto him.
Donnie coughed. “Continuing to believe he’ll say my name.”
Your eye twitched. “Hey, don’t be disappointed if he says a whole ‘nother word, you guys.” The baby laughed, his giggles drawing the attention of everyone from their debate. 
"Luh..," he blubbered, "ooo."
“...”
"Oh my gosh!" Mikey tightened his grip onto Leo. It was slowly making him struggle to breathe. "Did you hear—? Are you guys thinking—? I think he just said, 'Love youu!'"
"Sorry to break your bubble, but I'm pretty sure they're random syllables, Michael."
"Don't be so pessimistic! We should be happy! Casey’s finally said his first words to us, and they’re ones of love!" "Ew."
Mikey smacked Donnie.
"..Next word has gotta be 'Mama.'" April crossed her arms.
"Uh, I think you mean 'Papa.'"
You sweat-dropped. “I don’t think the debate’s necessary, guys.”
“Leave 'em,” Raph laughed, grabbing your attention. “This is probably one of the only times we’ll ever have our good moments together.” You smiled, watching Mikey and Donnie getting into a passive-aggressive argument themselves. “How’re you and Leo doing with the kid?” Raph asked, inching his giant finger closer to Casey, who proceeded to chew on it.
“The good thing is.. taking care of him is starting come naturally.. and Leo’s still taking my advice to get some rest before we switch roles.” 
Raph found you delaying in your response.
“But. I’m guessing there’s one somewhere.”
“Agh.. It’s just.. Leo seems to be doubting himself again. I was hoping for a chance to talk to him, but maybe.. this time isn’t the right time to do so.”
The snapping turtle moved his hand to your shoulder. “No worries, (Name).” His thumb gently rubbing your nape. “Leave it to me this time.”
“..Okay.”
"Oooh, don't you dare start with me, Leo,” she warned. “It's 'Mama.'"
"'Papa.'"
"'Mama.' Guess you don’t love your lover enough."
“Woah woah, hey!” Leo gasped. Flabbergasted from how April spat that out out of nowhere. "Are you being a mis.. misogynist!?"
“‘Misandrist,’” Donnie corrected.
"'Mama.'"
"Mah-mah!"
“...”
Everyone’s eyes flickered over to Casey, face beaming in the dim cavern.
Out of the stunned group, metallic arms rose from Donnie’s battleshell and tore up a sheet of paper apart. You had no idea where did that come from. "Sigh. Of course, my dreams of raising a follower is demolished once again. Back to the drawing board with my robotic—."
"AWW, he said, ‘Mama!'" The box turtle leaped. 
"Woo! Raph and I call for the air-conditioned room privileges!" April cheered, high-fiving the snapping turtle, who grinned. “We called it!”
“Mahmah!”
“Yes, Casey. It’s me.” An upward quirk of your lips and you snuggled your nose with his. “Mama is here.” The toddler squealed. 
It was this moment that none of you failed to see how Leo’s so-called smile falter. A distant look in his eyes as he came to lower his gaze. 
Raph nodded towards you and April. The both of you returned it, heading into one of the tunnels in silence.
That left the brothers.
It wasn’t until Leo finally tilted his head up that he registered the quietness and lack of your presence. He groaned. “Guys, c’mon. I know what you’re doing, and I don’t need another talk right now.”
“Leo,” Mikey reassured. “It’s okay to talk about your feelings with us, y’know. We’re your brothers! Your family! And family supports each other.”
“Besides,” Donnie crossed his arms, leaving one of his metallic arms to comfort his brother’s back, “it’s about time you quit ruining the mood whenever Casey is brought up.”
Raph hummed. “You’re thinkin’ too much on it, Leo. You know whatever the kid says don’t make you any less of a parent.”
Leo huffed. “I know, I know.”
“Uh huh.” Donnie scoffed. “If you really know that that’s the case, then what’s the actual problem?”
“Nothing.”
“We know it’s not ‘nothing.’”
“...”
“Okay, we can do this then.” Mikey held his brother’s shoulders. The Doctor Feelings side revealing. “I’ll ask the questions you answer by nodding ‘yes’ or ‘no.’
Is it about Casey?” Leo nodded ‘yes.’
“Okay.. Is it about his first words?” He shook his head ‘no.’
Mikey held his chin, pondering. “Is there a specific issue?” Once again, Leo shook his head. The box turtle figured it must be a general conflict. You told him not long ago that his brother was being reserved as of late. You often confided in him your troubles.
“Is this also about (Name)?”
He nodded.
“Is this also about the Kraang?”
..He nodded. This time, Leo proceeded to respond. “Nothing’s the same ever since they invaded.”
“Of course—.” Raph eyed Donnie.
“We could’ve had a normal life. We all could’ve gone for ice cream, jumping to a pool, see snow again.. But look what came to us instead.” A bitter tone. “This isn’t the life I wanted for all of us. This isn’t the life that Casey and (Name) deserves. I-I can’t accept it.
It doesn’t help to think back on their and Cassandra’s words.”
“What do you mean?”
Leo narrowed his eyes. “Cassandra told me (Name) wanted a kid. (Name) told me they couldn’t risk taking care of one in this fucked up place.”
“And they have Casey—.”
“But I know they’d be happier if things were different.”
“Oh? You mean if (Name) doesn’t have fertility issues?”
All eyes on Donnie. “..Huh?”
“Hey!” Mikey exclaimed. “How’d you know that? I thought I’m the one with secrets.”
“Well, Michael, being forced to stick down here and manage weaponry and defenses means keeping track of everyone’s biological systems.”
“..You.. kept trackers on us?”
“Correction: in you. Do I have to remind you that I’m the reason you all managed to survive this long?”
“Ah..” Raph was stunned. “Ah, uh, moving on..
Yeah, we would be happier if we didn’t have the Kraang up on our asses. But even then, this is our reality now. 
We can’t go back. 
And sometimes, your best option is to deal with it and make the most out of what you have. You got that?”
Leo’s breath hitched. He glanced upon reassuring smiles on his brothers’ faces (much less of a smile on Donnie’s, but the aura was there).
“You may be the leader, Leo, but I’m still your older brother,” Raph spoke softly.
A sigh left the red-eared turtle, and he pulled them all into a tight embrace. “Thanks hermanos.”
.
.
.
"Lee-oh," you pronounced slowly, leaning close to Casey. You hadn’t noticed your leader in blue lingering next to the cavern entrance. You always managed to forget that Donnie built an entire underground system for water and air. Yet, your resources weren’t enough to make decent rooms. 
The baby blinked and giggled. "Eeee.."
You wiggled his arms. "Lee-oh."
"Ohh.."
Leo couldn't hold back the wide grin on his face. His heart melted. “I always knew you love me, (Name)," he spoke up.
"God, Leo! You scared me!” you cursed, holding Casey back in the comfort of your arms. "..How are you feeling?”
“Comforted.. thanks to my brothers.”
Once he walked closer to your side, you leaned up to kiss him. “For you to know you’re making a great father-figure. And that you have nothing to worry for about me or Casey.”
Leo blinked and blinked. 
Then, being shy, he hid his growing blush behind his blue scarf. 
It was one you made for his birthday five years ago from a ball of yarn that Todd found, rummaging through wrecked shops. Even after that much time, Leo still became flustered around you.
“Bah.. lo...”
His left arm wrapped around your waist. “I’m glad to have you here, (Name).” You leaned into his plastron. “The same goes for you, Leo.”
“Ee.. oh.”
“Mhm—. Hold on.” The red-eared turtle sat upright. “Did he—?”
“Ee.. oh!” Casey sounded. Lacked a consonant, but the idea was there. 
You chuckled, seeing your boyfriend’s wide-eyed reaction. “He said my name!” he cheered, pulling the toddler from your arms to hold him up. “Leo,” he said.
“Ee-oh!”
“If you were worried about him not saying ‘Papa,’ I’m sure it’s only because April kept repeating ‘Mama’ back there,” you concluded. “Not sure if I’m completely comfortable with the whole label thing.”
“Being called ‘Mama?’”
“Hm.. If I ever feel like changing that up, I can wait until Casey’s a bit older to comprehend better.”
“Ohoho~.” Leo grinned, bringing the baby closer. “Say, ‘Papa.’”
“Ah..”
“‘Papa.’“
“Pa.. wah...”
“‘Papa.’”
“Papah!”
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
Text
Before You Go - P.2 | Future Leonardo X Reader
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A/N: Constuctive criticism is appreciated.
Summary: You’re both adopting-parents of Casey. Leonardo was all exhausted from handling a flustered Casey.
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns are used. Second POV.
Pairing: Rise! Future! Leonardo X Reader
Warning(s): None.
Word Count: ~1140
Parts: One / Two / Three / Four / Five / ...
~
"Argh.." 
Leonardo heaved when the baby in his arms continued to cry. The headaches from his last time dealing with Casey returned. "Come on now, tell me what is it.."
He gave him what he could offer: the attempt to feed the boy, pat his back to release any gas, and even spin him around for trial-and-error’s sake. Yet for a long while, Leo hadn’t been able to stop those tears.
And already were there other worries in mind.
He muttered, "Don't you embarrass me in front of (Name).. or anyone else for that matter.." 
Out of nowhere, Casey cried much louder and thrashed around in Leo’s arms. His eyes widened upon the commotion. The turtle hushed. “Hey hey! Calm down a bit.. Everything’s alright."
God, how hypocritical.
He had dark circles underneath his eyes, half-lidded from lack of sleep and much worry. He dragged his palm across his face and muttered, "God, what was the song they sang to those kids..?"
Leo promised you this time, he would take care of the baby, while you would be busy gathering food and patrolling. It was practically switching shifts, but you seemed a bit too excited about it. The problem? Well.. he understood why and realized he'd probably have an easier time dealing with kids much older than two years old.
"If you're not hungry, or lonely, or—." He grimaced and groaned. "Ohh man.. don't tell me it's about the diaper—."
"I changed it when you went to take a quick breather outside," you spoke.
Leo jumped. Tired eyes widening again. “(Name)! What are you— you shouldn’t be back so soon. I had....” He yawned. “I had everything under control.”
You raised an eyebrow.
He was exhausted. It was obvious. 
Even then, you played along. He was the one who suggested for you to take that day out after all. He wanted to spend time with Casey too. And you wouldn’t dare discourage Leo like that.
“I know, I know. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt for the either of us to check in though.” You gave him a peck. “Besides, you haven’t gotten enough sleep lately.”
He grunted. “I’m fine. A little less sleep’s not gonna kill me.”
“It tells me something when you chose to leave Casey in Donnie’s hands while you were away for a second.”
“Y-You were here when that happened too?”
Leonardo cleared his throat. "No, no. Everything's under control, (Name)," he proclaimed, lying through his teeth. "Casey and I are doing just fine..!" 
Unfortunately, the baby's teary expression said the complete opposite.
"You're having trouble with him, aren't you?"
He scoffed. "Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Did you get the sack of potatoes from Todd?"
"Yeah." You deadpanned. "I did. They’re gonna get sick of eating them, but we don’t have much of an option— don't go changing the subject on me! Leo, you look dead! You didn’t even get some rest before taking on Casey!”
Leo huffed. “Why are you making him sound like some video game boss?”
“Let’s get you some sleep.” You tugged him towards a small dugout. It was supposed to be your bedroom, but seeing how much had collasped in this underground base from battles, it wasn’t nice nor clean.
“No, I can’t sleep.. I can’t—.”
You took the baby from his arms, and while he was confused, shoved him onto a shaped pile of dirt called a bed. Face on the “mattress” and a long sigh out.
Leo gave in.
“Okay.. okay. You win, (Name).”
“Good, you can stay here for an hour and I’ll—.” You yelped when his arms wrapped around you and yanked you back onto the bed with him. “Leo!” Casey started to giggle.
The turtle froze.
“Agh! So all this time he was crying for no reason?!”
“I told you before that babies can be dramatic!”
“I didn’t think he’d be dramatic enough to cry,” Leo scoffed. “He was loud at that too.” His arms went to cover his eyes, facing the ceiling.
“The experience was much different than you realize, huh?” you murmured, laying your head next to his. Casey still in your arms, biting on them.
“..I thought I could do it.”
“Hm? But you were already doing it. You kept track of feeding him, releasing his gas, playing with him.. You considered changing his diaper too.. They’re all exactly what you needed to do for him.”
“But you took care of it in the end, as always.”
“..Took care of what?”
“He was crying just now, (Name). Don’t try to pretend like it didn’t happen.. I know I’m not the best father-figure to him.”
“Seriously?” you chuckled. “That was you too. He didn’t stop having that upset look on his face until you pulled me down. He.. probably enjoys surprises.”
“..Huh.. now you mentioned it..”
You sat up, turning your face to Leo. Your hand trailed along his jawline.
“Where’s the overconfident guy I know and love?” you hummed. “It’s not like you to put yourself down like that. You trying your best makes you the best father to Casey.”
Leo’s eyes gazed up at you.
“You’ve helped me a lot by covering a turn for him.”
“(Name), please. Whenever it’s my turn, things always get messy.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Leon.”
“..What?”
“You never noticed your pattern of taking Casey out of my hands before you get some rest? We do these switches after your patrol too.”
His mind clicked.
“..Ohh.”
You scoffed. “Yeah. You always look dead when I come back from my trip outside.” 
.
.
.
You stared at his lying form. Your fingers creeped underneath his head to signal him, and Leo adjusted. His head resting on your thighs.
“Leo,” you whispered. “Do you love me?”
Breath hitched. “When have I not?” he responded in a groggy voice. “..Why do you ask?”
“Do you love Casey?”
Said-boy babbled upon hearing some familiar syllables. He gave a soft kick on Leo’s arm, while playing with your fingers.
“...Even though he’s kind of exhausting, I’d give the world to the little guy.” He smiled, remembering the small moments when Casey would crawl over to his large feet and hand him a dead bird. “..Why?”
“Because you can’t help the both of us if you can’t help yourself.”
Hand trailing Leo’s jawline again. You spoke softly, “I don’t want you to kill yourself. Losing sleep is only going to do that, and I can’t risk losing you.
So promise me.. you’ll take care of yourself.”
“...I promise.” Leo slowly shut his eyes.
“...(Name)?”
“Hm?”
“Can you.. Remember that lullaby?”
“The one to the kids at the orphanage?”
“Yeah.. can I hear you.. sing it again?”
.
.
.
That night.. was one of the few when everyone managed to sleep without being woken up by a baby’s cries.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
Text
Before You Go - P.1 | Future Leonardo X Reader
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A/N: Time to make a series! Inspiration is taken from the movie and several fanart. Constructive criticism is appreciated as usual.
Summary: Heartbroken about a death of a dear friend, you and Leonardo debated on whether to co-parent Cassandra’s baby son, Casey.
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns are used. Second POV.
Pairing: Rise! Future! Leonardo X Reader 
Warnings: Blood. Death. Child becoming an orphan.
Word Count: ~1280
Parts: One / Two / Three / Four / Five / ...
~
“We’re.. keeping him?”
A wary expression on your face as you met eye-contact with Leonardo. In his arms held a baby boy, wrapped in a soft yet dirty blanket. 
“We are,” he confirmed. 
“But what about the other camps—.”
“I promised Cass we would take care of him.”
You went silent, wincing at the thought— the memory of your friend dying in that rubble. Leonardo shared the same feeling, replaying Cassandra’s final words in his head.
“You didn’t even ask me for my word!” you snapped. “We’re talking about taking care of a baby in an alien invasion! I want neither of us nor the team to get too attached. He’s going to get in the way and if something happens—.”
“We won’t let anything happen to him.”
Your hands curled. “...How can you be so sure?”
“(Name).” Leonardo stepped closer to you. “Think about it this way: he could be a hope for us. He could be the one to stop the Kraang and this mess.”
“No.” You wanted to yell and force him to look from your view. Except, you can’t risk scaring anyone else in the base. There were other humans, mutants, and yōkai taking refuge to hide from the Kraang.
This was one of the only safe havens in New York City, or the entire world at that rate. You wanted this to be a place of consolation, not panic.
Arms crossed, you turned away. “I was afraid you’d think that.”
“...What do you mean?”
“He’s young, Leo!” You faced him again. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about forcing the idea of ‘being the chosen hero’ on him!
What if he doesn’t rise to that challenge? What if he didn’t succeed? What would you think of him then?”
Leo’s mouth perked up.
And you realized yourself.
“Sounds like you’re the one with a personal attachment, (Name). I almost thought you don’t care about this little guy,” he teased. “I wasn’t being serious about the whole ‘hero’ thing. Splints threw me on the leader spot myself, remember?”
Your shoulders loosened. 
“I remember.” You sighed. “I never said I don’t care. Just worried we won’t be able to give him the childhood he deserves— the life he deserves. I wish that for every child, especially knowing this is the wrong place for them to grow up in.”
You grimmed. “We’ll be busy trying to take out Kraang, Leo.. How are we going to take care him, let alone give him enough love?”
Leo gave no response. But you watched his feet inching closer. Then, he held out the blanket-wrapped baby to you.
“..We’ll find a way,” he assured, “We’ll work it out together.”
You took the baby in your arms. He was snoring away all the problems, a bittersweet moment that warmed your heart.
“The others are going to co-parent too, right?” you asked. That one question making Leo freeze. You spoke again, this time raising an eyebrow. “..Right?”
He cleared his throat. “Well.. the thing is.. they.. probably don’t even know how to take care of a baby.”
“What.”
“But we’ll be fine on our ownn! Trust me, (Name), nothing’s going to go wrong under our watch.”
“And then you’re going to force all the parental responsibility on me.” You scoffed. “Are you serious? You had me thinking that Raph, Mikey, Donnie, and April will help too!”
“Cass trusted us to do this.”
“Exactly, us.”
“The both of us.”
“Why did she exclude the others out?”
Truth be told, you couldn’t understand what made his brothers and April any less qualified to take care of a baby. You knew Leo would be out a lot. You too had responsibilities with keeping resources in check and defending the base. Extra loving hands shouldn’t hurt.
Except, when you found Leo averting his gaze and coughing, a light blush on his face, it clicked for you. He wasn’t being completely serious. He just liked the thought of he and you— did Cassandra tell him?
A chuckle left your lips. 
“Look, as much as I’m willing to try for her,” you paused, “I don’t know if I can make a good caretaker, let alone a parent for Casey.” 
“And Cass knew you’d doubt yourself,” Leo held your hands, “but she still trusted you. She trusted that you can do it.”
You took a deep breath, tearing up a bit. 
“There.. are a lot of responsibilities....”
His arms brought you into a hug from behind. “I know.” 
He leaned his head on your shoulder, watching little Casey sleep. “Like I said though, (Name), we will make it work.” Leo reassured. “I’m here right next to you.”
Him being made leader changed him for sure. It was comforting to see him grow less cocky and more consoling, empathetic.
You kind of missed his overconfident, happy, sarcastic side though. 
.
.
.
“What are you doing?” A shaky breath. “We’re running the same way. Why are you handing him to me, Cass?” Leonardo felt his heart beating faster.
“Take care of him for me. He needs you all, especially (Name).”
“H-Hold on..” Leonardo taken aback.
He watched a couple of tears pooling up in Cassandra’s eyes. Her hand grasping his arm as they both ran for base.
“Y-You know (Name)’s been eyeing me for a while now.” Emotions caught up in her throat as she spoke. “They’ve always wanted a kid— I didn’t even have to ask them. So.. I-I thought that if I’m ever gone, Casey can be the one for them. (Name) can be the one who will love him just as much as I do.”
“What are you talking about—?!” Leonardo’s breath hitched when the woman let go and ran behind him. 
“Please tell ‘em that for me.. before I go..”
“CASSANDRA!”
“They’re just gonna keep following us if something isn’t done. I have to go distract them!”
You stopped in your tracks the moment you found your best friend turning the other direction. The baby gone from her arms and in Leonardo’s instead.
“Casey? Casey!” you shouted. “Where the hell are you going!?”
She was running towards one of the giant machines. A large rock into the eye with her hockey stick and a loud BOOM blasted from an ignition.
You immediately sprinted after her. “Casey! CASEY, STOP!”
“(NAME)!” Leonardo followed. 
Cassandra caught the attention of other nearby mechs, this time using her hyperbeam gun to strike. 
You were starting to lose your distance.
“Please! I don’t want to lose you—!” Leonardo yanked you back with his other arm. This was when you felt your eyes burning. This couldn’t be happening, not when you weren’t prepared to lose someone.
Leonardo kept a tight grip on your arm. “(Name)! We have to go back!”
“Casey’s out there! Let go of me—!”
“Yet you’re out here— I’m not gonna lose you too while we’re at it. Listen to me: we have to go back, or you’re putting everyone else at risk. We have to go NOW.”
You took one final glance at Cassandra, so far away. 
Suddenly, a bright beam of light shot down on her ground. You watched the dark silhouette in your sight evaporated.
And you screamed.
Leonardo pulled you into his chest, hand over your mouth. He carried you over his shoulder as you sobbed into your own palms. He fled, fled as fast as he could with stinging eyes, not because of the dust this time.
No one back at the base could’ve prepared to see you and Leonardo return with Cassandra’s baby alone. 
That ache hurt more when you found a photograph of her and everyone tucked in little Casey’s blanket. 
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
Text
Don’t | Donnie X Reader
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A/N: This was so lovely to write. In my opinion, Donnie would be the most challenging of the four brothers. I think there are specifics to his behavior and personality, so trying to accurately replicate it does take some time. Apologies for any out-of-characterness from Donnie. Remember that constructive criticism is always appreciated, especially for characters, and enjoy! 
Requested: @sunnyselks 
Summary: You were wounded from protecting Donnie. When you were waving off his demands to treat you, he had to take it into his own hands to tend to you.
Genre: Hurt-Comfort
Reader: Second POV. Gender-neutral pronouns if any.
Pairing: Rise!Donnie X Reader
Warnings: Mentions of blood, needles, cuts. Argument over each other’s safety.
Word Count: ~1060
~
“Don, I’m fine.”
“Oh, sure, tell me that while your clothes are soaked in blood!” Donnie yelled. “Take off your shirt, (Name), or I’m not letting you leave the grounds of this room.”
“Donnie,” you stressed, clutching the wound on your arm. 
“(Name), don’t.”
You turned away from him, about to leave his room despite his warning. “It’s a minor injury, I’m perfectly fi—.”
Suddenly, small chips leeched onto your arm, catching you off-guard. They unfolded into wrist binds, where you realized this was his way of forcing you to stay put.
“Don!” you grunted, as the binds pulled you toward facing a wall. “Are you serious!?”
“As Galileo is about his heliocentric model.” Donnie took a binder clip from one of his desk drawers. “You leave me no choice, (Name).” As soon as the turtle lifted your shirt up from behind, chills ran over your skin from the cold air hitting the other cut on your back. He wrapped the hem over your collar, then proceeded to clip it.
“I could’ve done this myself or gone to a hospital,” you muttered.
Donnie scoffed. “And let them force you to pay expensive bills as your last resort when you have me? I thought you knew better than that.” He cleaned the blood around your wound with a wet paper towel before applying an alcohol wipe to disinfect.
“You know full well you can’t stitch your own back either. You wouldn’t want to risk inquiring your parental guardians for help in the end and being forced to give a whole explanation.”
“...”
From the corner of your eyes, you could see Donnie picking up a needle. The thought of it puncturing you made you shudder. There were vaccinations and blood tests, but they never changed your tension with needles.
You wanted to get this over with— the suspense was only making you more vulnerable.
“Are you going to inject the needle, Donnie—?” Your nails immediately dug into your palm as pain struck. "Argh..!" You winced badly.
“Don’t move,” he paused, “if that wasn’t obvious enough.”
“Easier said than done when I'm not used to having my skin pricked—!” You seethed, “Urgh.. couldn’t you have numbed it?”
“What, with lidocaine?” Donnie replied monotonously. “No, because you wouldn’t learn and would try to save me again—,” he pricked the needle the fourth time, “even though you are a human who could’ve gotten killed— God—why in the name of logic did you do that, (Name)!?”
“I did it to protect you!” you argued.
“Don’t you dare ignore the fact that you could’ve gotten killed!”
“I am capable of my own safety.”
“Scoffs. Think common sense, (Name). You’re a human,” he reminded, the anger in his voice showing. “I’m a mutant turtle; I have the biological features to defend myself!”
“You’re a soft-shelled turtle.”
Donnie stopped moving the needle. "Really, assuming that my soft-shell automatically makes me vulnerable? Are you trying to tell me I’m unable to protect myself because of that, (Name)?”
He frowned. “I have my technology— my intelligence to accommodate, so don’t put yourself in danger whenever the hell possible and let me handle myself. End of discussion.”
You wanted to slam your fists. As he was about to add another stitch, your body shook.
“They destroyed your battle shell!” Anguish scratching your voice. “Just because you're a mutant or because you have your military-grade tech, doesn't mean you won't get murdered, crushed!
God, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not trying to assume or belittle neither you nor your tech. All I'm concerned about is keeping you alive!”
“...”
“You weakened your voice. “If me getting injured means you’d be okay, then that’s enough for me.”
Donnie’s breath hitched.
..You knew your turtle wasn’t great at apologizing, but his silence told you everything. He didn’t make a snarky or sarcastic remark.. instead, he listened.
“..I’m sorry.”
“I know. But don’t put yourself down.. I never once thought you're supposed to be perfectly strong or invulnerable. That applies to everyone all the same. Flaws happen, whether we're fine with it or not.”
You turned your head to look at Donnie. Something was still bothering him.
“But I’ll try not to scare you again if that makes you feel better.” The tension left his face, and he proceeded to finish the last few stitches.
It was all calm and quiet until he dragged his cold finger lightly over the stitched-up wound. You shuddered.
“You keep flinching so much.”
“You’re one to talk, you’re sensitive to touch as much as I am, if not so much more.”
“No, no, not that. I find it interesting, because.. I don’t see you reacting so violently when April stitched up the other cut on your back. You know, from falling off the table.” As Donnie applied a cotton pad and tape to cover your wound, he looked up to meet your eyes.  
But you quickly faced away to the other direction.
Donnie leaned the same way, one of his brows raised.
And you avoided eye-contact yet again.
.
.
.
Ah.
“You’re flustered.”
“What?” The red rushing to your ears.
“Flustered,” he repeated. “Its definition being ‘agitated, confused, ruffled—.’”
“No, I meant: how am I flustered?”
Donnie dragged his finger along your skin again. You felt your face heat up.
“You’re flustered from having your back exposed to me.”
“I’m not.” You sensed his ego returning.
“Tell that to my lie-detector and we’ll see how that goes.”
“You have a polygraph?”
“Of course not,” Donnie actually scoffed. “We all know polygraphs are never accurate enough to be trusted.” He unclipped your shirt and released the binds on your wrists.
You groaned, rubbing your aching hands. “You had me binded to a wall, and lifted my shirt to stitch my cut— so of course— I would feel exposed.. and flustered.” You sat in your turtle's desk chair.
“Yes, exactly, I did that to treat you." He crossed his arms. "And I find that hypocritical, considering you exposed yourself and your whereabouts on the Internet."
You gave him a look, before holding your knees to your chest. There was a change in expression as you whispered, "..Thanks."
Donnie stood awkwardly, rubbing his arm once he heard you and finding sincerity on your face. The soft-shelled turtle stepped closer to you and slowly wrapped his arms around your shoulders.
"Hey, I thought you don't like this intimate stuff," you joked.
Now Donnie himself became flustered. “Don’t, (Name).”
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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Rise of TMNT Mini-Episodes
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youtube
I may be desperate, but who cares, because Nickelodeon just released two mini-episodes for Rise!
Nickelodeon paying more attention to our 2018 turtles?? Ohh man, I sure hope so.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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Like You | Donnie X Reader (Part II)
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A/N: I had to do something with Donnie. In order for me to try and replicate his character, I had to repeat his sarcastic voice in my head over and over. It was an absolute pain, because to focus on this entire imagine (both parts), I had to try and shove all the trauma I got from the movie away for a couple of hours.
Summary: You were trying to ignore your feelings by avoiding the turtle himself. What you did not expect was that he’d be at your homecoming dance, confronting you.
Pairing: Rise!Donatello X Reader
Reader: Gender-neutral. Second POV. 
Genre: Hurt & Comfort
Warning: Good luck on being confronted.
Word Count: ~1260
Part: One / Two
~
You stood on the roof, arms resting on the concrete. It was frigid at night, especially with the wind blowing along your skin.
You weren’t into dances. You weren’t supposed to be here, but not only did your friends beg you to come to homecoming, Leonardo had asked you to meet up on the roof tonight. 
Sure, you had to pay him back for asking him to sneak calculus material out of his soft-shelled brother. Though, you didn’t expect that his request would be to prank you like this.
You sighed. “It’s Leon. I should’ve seen this coming—.”
“Oh Fibonacci.” You heard someone mumble, followed by a creaking of the door. You turned around, facing the mysterious person— or rather— turtle. 
Your eyes widened. “Donnie..”
Oh God. This was Leon’s plan. You wanted to collaspe into embarrassment. You were well aware that you had been avoiding his brother. Maybe this was Leon being pissed after doing so. 
You never wanted to push him away, but the logic was there.
You eyed his tuxedo, features of violet to match him. That and the bandana together. Donnie looked.. incredibly handsome, so much so you felt your face heat up.
No. You shook it off. 
“(Name)..” Your eyes met his again. There was a trace of pain in them, and.. your heart ached. You gazed away as Donnie walked closer to your side, facing the city. “Strange that I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Your hands gripped your clothing.
“...Remember the name?”
You followed his sight to a dot in the sky, shining bright. You knew it well. “..Sirius A.”
“Define a logarithm.”
“The power of a number being raised.”
“Base two logarithm of 32.”
“Five.”
“...Suppose that explains why you haven’t answered my texts.. You didn’t even need my help.” Donnie faced down, eyebrows furrowing. “(Name).. What have I done wrong?”
“No!” You were quick to deny that. “You did nothing wrong.” How could he think of himself like that when you were the one avoiding him without an explanation?
“Then.. why were you avoiding me?”
“I.. I didn’t mean to—.”
“I have common sense, (Name),” he scoffed. “If the lack of it is what you’re trying to take advantage of.” 
You had nothing to say.
“You haven’t contacted me in so long. I thought you might have some family issues or even an existential crisis, but then, you and Leo....” Donnie shook his head. “I know I have something to do it. Why were you avoiding me?”
“I already told you—!”
“For the love of Galileo, (Name), you’ve avoided me enough, so quit dodging my questions!” he snapped. “Tell me, so I don’t have to keep beating myself up over every possible reason that could separate you from me!” 
Donnie heaved, before a couple of tears form in his eyes. He tried to blink them away, but the pain was overwhelming. “I like what we had before, hanging out together in libraries, tutoring you, experimenting with tech.” Though he was hesitant, he let the words slip from his mouth. “As much as it’s not my thing to say affectionate words.. I’ve... missed you.”
You froze as he took and held your hand.
“And I mean it, a-all right? There’s no one else who has a passion for mathematics like you. There’s no one else who would try to memorize a hundred different stars with me like you would. There’s no one else who appreciate my sciences, my passions, my intelligence, like you—.”
“Stop.”
Donnie stopped rambling. “..What?”
Your face was turning hot, burying it into your hands. “Why do you have to make things so hard for me...”
He was starting to panic. “I.. I’m sor—.”
“No! It’s not like that!” You used one of your hands to wave it off. “You.. So this is what it’s about?”
“What’s what about?” Donnie tugged on his collar.
“Are you trying to confess to me?” you laughed. “I never took you for the romantic type.”
You opened your eyes through your hand to find the turtle with wide eyes and a blush darkening his face under the night. “Well—. I—. You—.” He was trying to fight back his short-circuiting. “That’s absurd! Donatello Von Ryan never involves himself with romanc—.”
“I like you too, Don.”
Suddenly, he’s the one hiding his face. You looked away with flushed ears. All this time, your fear—. Oh. The vibrant colors from your moment faded when you remembered your fear, the reason why you were avoiding the turtle.
You.. did owe him an explanation.
“...I was avoiding you,” Donnie uncovered his face, “because I started to like you romantically.” 
You crossed your arms as another gust of wind blew. 
“I was afraid you’d find that weird: a human— a much different.. biological being— falling in love with a mutant. And then, we were becoming really close, so I separated myself to prevent either of our— no, my feelings from getting hurt.”
His brows furrowed
“I am so sorry, Donnie.” 
“...”
WOOOOOOOO!
Cheers from behind the door grew louder as music blasted, startling the two of you. Donnie looked back and huffed, “Way to ruin the moment... I was wondering why no one was actually dancing at a ‘homecoming dance.’” 
You snickered.
The turtle faced you, to see you more light-hearted in his presence had a smile growing on him. “(Name).” Donnie held his hand out. “May I have the honor of holding a dance with you?”
Your face fell. You found yourself backing away. “R-Right now?”
“Oh, of course, I’m asking you for a dance that’ll happen in a century,” Donnie remarked, his face holding a smug look until he realized. “Unless.. you don’t know how to—.”
You quickly interjected, “I’ve told you once that I had never attended dances..”
Donnie proceeded to take your hand anyway. “I’ll show you.”
There was still hesitation in your eyes. He lifted your hand in his left up, and placed your other one on his shoulder. Donnie pulled you closer, making you heat up yet again. 
He definitely has confidence in dancing, that’s for sure. 
“Don’t move too quickly.”
“Don’t fret,” Donnie lowered his voice, “I know how to take it slow.”
Ignoring the shiver on your skin, you deadpanned. “You were so flustered just a moment ago, and here you are.”
“Oh, but (Name)! That’s the fascinating power of dancing: growing comfortable in your own shoes. Try not to watch my steps closely, and simply move along.”
He gave you a spin, he led you a step to the right, behind you. Then, as “Dandelions” played in the background, he twirled you out before bringing you back in. 
Palm to palm, you both moved clockwise and counter, like as if you were dancing in a ballroom. No longer minding the footwork, you were enjoying yourself.
“Were you jealous of my other tutor?” you spoke.
“What an assumption.” Donnie scoffed, “Surely, he can’t be as great as moi, Donatello Von Ryan.”
“Nope,” you answered with no consideration. “In fact, he’s so much worse of a tutor than you that I had to ask Leon to sneak calculus material from you to me.”
He went stiff. “You asked him to get it from me?”
“Don’t tell me you were also jealous of—.”
“Ahahem,” Donnie coughed. “I merely thought he taking my credit.”
You laughed. “Oh come on, we both know well enough that Leo is never interested in calculus, or any subject besides physical education.”
You leaned in closer, hand caressing his face. 
“You know, calculus is still biting me by my ankles..”
“Mhm.”
“I’m wondering.. Donatello.. if you would be interested in being my tutor again?”
“..Always.” He pulled you into a kiss.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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Like You | Donnie X Reader (Part I)
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A/N: Aha, confession imagine with Donnie? This is a part one, because I wanted to make a dramatic scene with you and Donnie during homecoming. Actually, this is the first time I’m applying two parts. Anyway, remember that constructive criticism is appreciated, and enjoy!
Summary: You were avoiding Donnie, so he pleaded April to talk to you, hoping he’d understand what happened. But low and behold, he found his own brother there.
Pairing: Rise!Donnie X Reader
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns used. Mostly mentions. Few actual appearances.
Genre: Dramatic Fluff & Humor
Warning: Not proofread? I was in a hurry to get the argument part in.
Word Count: ~1430
Part: One / Two
~
“They’ve been avoiding me April!” Donatello complained, falling back on his chair while covering his face in dread. “I don’t understand. What went wrong— what is it did I do wrong?”
“Are you for real? That’s what you called me in for?” April crossed her arms. “(Name)’s probably just a bit shy around you.” 
“Oh the naïveté, it is never that simple.” He shook his head. “I hadn’t detected any signs of discomfort a couple of weeks ago. Then, suddenly, they don’t even respond to my texts until 48 hours 20 minutes later!
In fact,” the soft-shelled turtle slouched over, grumbling, “they decided to see another guy for calculus tutoring.”
April raised her eyebrow. “How did you even know—?” “And he’s not close to having the brains like I do!” As per usual during his rambling, Donnie ignored the question. 
She rolled her eyes.
“Don, you gotta calm down.” April placed her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe they’ve got a crush on you too, and they don’t know how to tell you that. They do owe you an explanation though….”
“Hah, sure, give me false hope that they’ll return—.”
“Oh no. Don’t you dare switch up on that cocky attitude of yours from just a second ago.” April hushed him. “Look, Donnie, if it bothers you so much, I—.”
Donnie slammed his hands on his armrests and sat upright. 
“—can secretly get (Name) to reveal their thoughts to you, while wearing a camera I can attach to you?”
“Wait what, I never said—!”
“I thought you’d never say so!”
April’s eyes widened. “Hold up, I’m not about to put (Name) on the spot like that! What if they say something that they don’t want you to hear?”
“Ignorance is bliss, April, they won’t have to know.”
“Well, for one, Don, I’m not that close to them. We don’t have any classes together. Also, I don’t wanna creep them out by asking personal stuff out of nowhere!” she said. “Are you trying to embarrass me!?” 
He groaned. “All right, I give in! Just at least ask them how’re they’re doing before I start chewing on my tech-bo.”
“At least I got something to entertain myself in school for once,” April muttered to herself, hiding behind one of the beams. “But I don’t see (Name) around, not with so many kids in the hall.” The camera on her glasses blinked. “Seriously, how much money does this school want?”
“April, over there by the lockers—. Who the hell is that?” 
April glanced to where Donnie mentioned. You were talking with a guy in a basketball uniform and cap. Oh boy, she could hear the bitterness through her earpiece.
“So, this must be her new, pathetic calculus tutor. Really, a guy in gym shorts?”
“Don, I can hear your muttering. And quit trash-talking about (Name)’s choice in tutors.”
“Whatever,” he scoffed, burning holes into the guy’s head when you started to smile with him. “Let me activate the human identification program based on your school’s database, so I— I mean— we could get a name.” 
Donnie paused for a moment. “Although, he does seem oddly familiar—.”
April’s eyes widened. “Hold up, is that Leo?”
Donnie monotonously replied, “Ha, that’s funny, April. Leonardo would never go to a school willingly—.” The student turned around, revealing the red markings on his green face. Not just that, his own program flashed a message in red. 
[ ERROR! NOT HUMAN ] 
“...”
Donnie fell off his chair, choking. 
April immediately touched her earpiece. “Don! You good back there?!”
“Of course not! Why the hell is Leo in your school!?”
He grimaced even more at the sight of you laughing (more like chuckling) alongside his oh-so opposite brother. “April, quick, get closer to them without being noticed!” Donnie commanded. “I demand answers!”
“I thought our plan is to talk to them, not eavsdrop!” 
“Hey, plans change when it is necessary…. It-is-necessary, and I’m paying you twenty bucks for this!” 
April facepalmed in embarrassment. She snuck closer in, turning her head away so you and Leo wouldn’t recognize her. There, while the camera couldn’t catch your faces, its microphone did pick up on your conversation better. 
“I’m thankful I can count on you, Leon.” They could hear you sigh. “Calculus is taking up so much time, and my tutor isn’t being helpful..”
“Anything for mi amigue.” The red-earred slider grinned, leaning on the lockers. 
Donnie frowned. He didn’t want to question it, but.. were you feeling more comfortable with his brother than him..?
Then, Leo coughing brought Donnie back from his thoughts. “I do got something to ask you, though, (Name).” The soft-shelled turtle narrowed his eyes at how Leo rubbed his neck nervously. Worry was bubbling inside. 
“You said homecoming’s coming up soon, right?”
It piqued everyone’s interest. “In a week, I mean, there are posters everywhere for it. Why.. do you ask?”
“…You don’t have a date yet, do you?”
April gasped, covering her mouth.
That was it. Donnie’s heart dropped.
Suddenly, the microphone lost focus on you two. Instead, the host’s heavy breathing was heard. Donnie’s camera was shaking up a lot, making him panic. 
“Hey hey hey! They’re not done talking yet, April! I need to know what their answer is!”
“Dale’s coming my way!” she exclaimed, shuffling between other students. “And I’m not about to get asked out to homecoming by him again!” 
Not long after, Donnie’s camera disconnected. He sat there in shock… until he clutched his head. “No, no, no! This shouldn’t be happening!” 
Questions ran through his brain. It wasn’t adding up: how could Leonardo like you too? You and he had no common interests! Why did it have to be him out of everyone else!? 
“AHRGH!” Donnie groaned, slamming his head against his desk. Then, he stood up from his chair, storming out while punching numbers into his phone. “That’s it! I’m going to have a civil discussion with this traitor!”
A tennis racket flew across the room.
“Don, Donnie, I know what you’re going to say, but I promise— OOMPH!” Leo was knocked hard in the face by a thrown tennis ball.
“You!” Donnie snapped, picking up another one. “You traitor! You knew I like (Name), yet you proceeded to ask them to this homecoming dance anyway!” The red-eared slider dodged the second throw. 
“Is that why you randomly asked me, last week, to do your calculus problems for you! Taking my notes and answers only to give to them and take credit for my calculations!”
“Don.��
“I knew it was too good to be true: Leonardo, who’s never read any novels or understood mathematics beyond basic algebra, wanted to learn calculus!”
“Hey! I know more than you think, okay!” Blue took offense. “Donnie, listen to me—.”
“It just had to be another cliché, doesn’t it! The ridiculous ‘love interest picks the jock over the nerd’ scenario! Oh, I’ve had enough of your stupid stunts ruining everything, Leo!” Donnie tried to throw a punch, but he fell over onto the ground when his brother jumped to the side.
“Listen to me for once, Donnie— I never asked them to homecoming with me!”
“Oh, but Leonardo, why in the name of logic would you ever ask them whether or not they have a date to homecoming— while looking soo nervous back there— without any intention of asking them out?” Distaste dripping from his words.
“Bro.. I was asking for you!”
Donnie shook his head, tsking. “Excuses, excuses....” When his brother’s words loaded, he froze. “Excuse me, did you just say you asked them out for me? Why would you ever—!?”
“Hey, you had an opportunity waiting, and I took it for you.” Leon nudged him. “Don’t act like I didn’t just do you a favor.”
“I could’ve done that myself! There were posters everywhere; I would’ve known, therefore, I would’ve asked them!”
“Hah, mi hermano, you’re saying you’d actually have the confidence to tell them?”
Donnie scrunched his face and stared down at the floor. His smug brother wasn’t wrong on that; he used to be more sure, but with your distance, he had a hard time confronting you with his feelings. He didn’t want to make things any more awkward.
“Hey.” Leon grabbed Donnie’s shoulders. “Just be yourself, Don. Knowing them, they’ll love you no matter how weird and science-y you get.” 
Purple deadpanned. “Wow, you sure know how to reassure someone.” He touched Leon’s hand, gazing up to meet his eyes. A small smile formed on his face. “…Thanks.”
"Espera un minuto, repeat that again? I, uh, I didn’t catch that.” 
Donnie shoved him away.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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Sign the Petition (Rise)
Bring ROTTMNT Back - Change.org
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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I highly agree with this.
God the reviews are so funny. One review is like "it's very dark and frightening for kids" and another one is like "it's so cheesy that kids the age of 10 will love it while adults, not so much". Another is like "the first scene is emotional and balanced and after that hyper non stop action that leaves you feeling exhausted" and then another one is like "there are only two epic fights, one at the beginning and one at the end and then the whole movie is just a lengthy dialogue that slows the pacing down and makes you wish for more action". And one is like "the story is insane and the character development is excellent" and another "the story and character development are simplistic and shallow"
Moral of the story: don't rely on reviews. Watch movies on your own and decide for yourself cuz this is a hot mess lol
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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Rise of TMNT Movie Review (No Spoilers)
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Everyone, I am proud to rate this movie a 7.5 out of 8 slices. (For reference, that is an equivalent of 9.375 out of 10.)
This is from someone who assumed for a moment the movie might fail.
For one, I need everyone to understand how DIFFICULT it is to fit every development into an hour and a half movie. Especially considering it is an animation movie. 
I couldn’t blame the producers, knowing the backlash the series received for no good reason.
I cried during the emotional segments. The sight of trying but your efforts failed hit me hard. Hearing the turtles’ frustration too.. The VAs did amazing. Props to them for reaching my heart.
The animation, I want to hug the entire team. The backgrounds, the action, and the personal moments gave me CHILLS. 
It’s a disgrace to every person working on the movie when the Internet decided to put it under plain “comedy.” 
Sure, be judgmental, only because it’s animated. Why don’t you say the same for Marvel and DC’s dark animated films?
ARE WE GOING TO IGNORE EVERYTHING ELSE?
Here, the Kraang actually looked menacing. World-threatening to its literal definition. Murder? Yep, one of them is a deranged psychopath. I’m glad they didn’t go down the whole “just alien brains” route. (Sorry not sorry.)
Awes me when they managed to snuck in a few mature moments. 
I do have to admit: the comedy could’ve been improved. And I do wish that there was an extra hour in the movie for enough room to seam everything smoothly.
Although, the emotional moments made me forget those flaws.
Happy to know my fan fiction is 15% accurate to the actual movie. I mean, it’s expected Leo would point out the “Master” part.
Bruh, making a review without spoilers that can express my hype is a challenge.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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Never Got the Chance (Whiplash X Reader)
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A/N: This is an alternate universe of the snails being humans. I decided not to use human identities here, because with so many unfamiliar names, I know it will be confusing. Constructive criticism is appreciated and enjoy!
Requested By: @musicin-thetreetops​ (Thank you for your request!)
Summary: Whiplash revealed to his friends who the girl was in his picture book.
Universe: Human A.U. where the F.A.S.T crew are college students with a hobby or passion in racing.
Reader: Mentioned only. Feminine pronouns are used.
Genre: Humor to Angst
Warnings: Parents not caring about their child’s interests.
Word Count: ~720
~
“You sure we can take these?”
Boxes stacked on top of another in Whiplash’s apartment. They surely took him for the organized type, not because of the obvious sight in front of them, but also how strict he was.
Whiplash kicked a heavy box. “Take what you can. Not like I use ‘em.”
Burn dug through some of the items and took out a circular container. “Ooh, this smells good—.”
“Except those!” 
Whiplash snatched the lotion and closed the box flaps. Chet raised an eyebrow. “So.. you’re not going to explain why you apparently have a box of lavender lotions just lying around?”
The leader glared. “Oh, so now you’re prying into other people’s business?”
“I mean, he’s always been like that, Whip,” Turbo defended. “You don’t remember the time he did a security check through our backpacks when we came to visit him?”
“It’s giving Disney for some reason,” White Shadow hummed. Chet sighed.
“Well,” Whiplash coughed, “I just want to clarify that these sweet lavender lotions ain’t mine. They’re.. gifts for someone else! Yeah.”
“Sheesh, if you say so.”
“Ooooh!” Everyone turned to Skidmark. He picked up a book from a box and blew the dust off. “Aha! A picture book!”
White Shadow gasped. “Hey, why would you want to throw that away?!”
“H-Hold on a moment—!”
Too late, Skidmark lifted the hardcover. A photo of young Whiplash and his parents was found first. “Hey hey! This book must contain photos from Whip’s history at his winery!”
Smoove Move leaned over Skidmark’s shoulder. “Whooo, that’s some sweet place you got there, Whip. Surprised you even left it.”
“Is this a means to say that you would leave racing to be pampered spoiled?”
Smoove Move’s face fell. “...Nevermind.”
“Ohoho,” Burn cooed, pointing to one of Whiplash’s youth portraits. “Look at how adorable he is here.”
Agreement rustled among everyone as they scanned through the album. With their attention plastered on it, Whiplash couldn’t do anything, nor reach the book.
Until Turbo pointed out one photo in particular.
“Hey, who’s this?”
“Turbo, there’s only two other people in my family, and that’s my parents. Who else could it be—.”
“The girl in a prom dress,” Burn described. “She got (type) (color) hair and (color) eyes.”
“Y’know, she looks around your age, too—.” Skidmark was interrupted when the picture book disappeared from his hands. Everyone’s head turned to their leader, instantly snapping the book close.
“You good, Whip?” Smoove Move asked.
Whiplash did not respond. His back was turned to them. Instead, he opened the album back to the previous page they’d seen. 
“We knew about your past at the winery,” Turbo stepped closer, “but you never told us about a girl being in the picture— pun unintended.”
The leader sighed. “...She was an old friend.”
“More than ‘friend’ if you ask me,” Smoove Move remarked. “You guys even went to your high school prom together.”
“All right, fine! She was my girlfriend.” The man felt a rush of blood through his ears.
“Was? So she broke up with you?”
“...More like I broke up with her.”
White Shadow winced. “She wasn’t toxic, was she?”
“Hell no! Why are you guys so quick to judge?!” Whiplash pinched his nose bridge. He turned to face the crew. “(Name)’s one of the most understanding people you’ve ever met. She knew how much I despise being the next mascot of the winery.
But my parents? God, they would always get in the way. Saying things like how she wasn’t as rich as my family, or how she’d be a bad influence to me.
Hell, I had to cut things off before they tried threatening her family!” Whiplash slammed the book close, the sound resonating in his apartment. It was followed by silence.. until his anger melted into regret. “I never got to ask her where I’d be able to find her again.”
“Dang,” Burn slumped. “Those parents of yours....”
Smoove Move nodded. “For. Real.”
“We could have been able to meet her too.” White Shadow wiped a tear from his eyes.
“Whip.” Turbo frowned. “I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t give up hope though, there’s probably a chance we can find her using the photo and her name—.”
“Hey Whiplash?” Skidmark asked from three meters away, while scrolling through his laptop. “Any chance your (Name) is named (Name) (Surname)?”
~
Implication of Skidmark being part of the Secret Society.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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First Encounter (Raph X Reader)
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A/N: Hey hey, I’ve returned. I took some time to visit New York, and gosh, if only there were actual mutant turtles to come and save me from the most disgusting streets I’ve ever seen. But that rant is up for another time.
I decided to write something for Rise!Raph. Personal thought for a second: I adore the change in his personality, compared to other versions. I’m more into “red means passionate and impulsive” than “red means anger.” Constructive criticism is appreciated and enjoy!
Summary: Raph finally met an animal that didn’t hate him. The animal was actually your missing pet.
Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns if anything. Second-POV pronouns are used.
Word Count: ~1090
Genre: Fluff
Warnings: Some mentions of kidnapping or pet-napping. 
~
The earliest he met you would have to be when you were searching for your missing pet. It scurried out quickly the moment you opened your door.
Raph was on his night patrol, while his brothers were elsewhere.
As of late, noone tried to murder them, so things felt monotonous.
He sat down off the edge of a building, looking at passing cars and people.
And then, Raph heard a trash bag tumble.
“Finally! Sounds like something’s about to go down toni—.”
In an alleyway, your pet wandered with sadness in its lost eyes.
Oh boy, Raph’s heart ached.
He jumped down, startling your pet with a THUMP.
“Hey there, fella,” the snapping turtle cooed, leaning on his knees. “Don’t worry, Raph won’t hurt ya.”
Your pet stood in place for a while, staring at Raph. It made him nervous, because while he claimed animals love him, do they really? 
“Come on, come to Raph-y.” He gestured with his hand. Your pet stepped closer, interested in this giant turtle. And for the moment of his life, it reached for his hand and nuzzled.
Raph’s eyes widened, and his mouth curled into a huge smile.
This was proof that he has a chance with animals!
He proceeded to scratch its head gently. “I love you too, buddy. Yes, I do. Yes, I do~.” It looked like it returned his smile. Maybe, Raph thought to himself, maybe this is the chance for me to adopt!
“(Pet Name)! Where are you?!”
Raph froze. A human? Looking for something?
He glanced behind him for a second and back to the animal in front of him. No, rather, some-pet. Raph couldn’t believe it; the one time he befriended an animal, it turned out to be someone else’s pet. 
A part of him wanted to pet-nap it. 
“Whoa, whoa, Raph. You can’t just pet-nap it!” Mind-Raph exclaimed.
“I can’t help it. This is a milestone for me!”
“Look, as much as you like animals, you can’t just make someone else feel terrible about losing their pet. You’ll always have another chance, big guy.” Mind-Raph pat Raph’s back before vanishing. 
The snapping turtle groaned. “Never a good day—.” WHACK! Raph was knocked off his feet.
“Get away from my pet, you creep!” you yelled, picking it up. “I know how to use my bag, so don’t you dare try me.”
“W-Woah! Hold on, this is just a big misunderstanding—.”
“I’m seeing everything clearly. You were standing there for a good minute, thinking about whether you should pet-nap (Pet Name)!”
Did he seriously take so long to think!? Raph winced. “Maybe— no, I mean— I was just walking by and I thought he was lost—.”
“He? (Pet Name)’s a she.”
“Right.” Raph winced again. “My bad. 
But I was only thinking about whether I should knock on people’s doors, or put up a found dog poster, or—.”
“What even are you?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who dress up in a weird costume to lure and kidnap kids too, are you?” Your grip tightened on your shoulder bag, and Raph well noticed it. “I’ve had enough of—!”
“A mutant ninja turtle!”
You stopped midway in swinging your bag. “...What?”
“Just a mutant ninja turtle!” Raph panicked, waving his hands and all. “Not wearing a costume! Was up on a roof until I heard a trash bag fall over. Then, I saw your pet. I admit, your pet’s really, really adorable. I didn’t mean to make you suspicious. It’s just that I’ve never had any animal be so loving around me—!”
You laughed.
Raph suddenly slowed down. “—and I was gonna... leave it.”
Your hand covered your mouth. “Really, you’re a ‘mutant ninja turtle?’” You continued to laugh. “I’m sorry, the way you blurted it out is so random.”
Raph had no words.
“Fine, I believe you for now.” You crossed your arms. “A panicked speaker is always worth some trust— (Pet Name)?”
Oh god. Did you let go? You quickly scanned around, hoping that she wouldn’t run off on you again. To your surprise, your pet was right by Raph’s foot, snuggling against him.
Even the snapping turtle himself didn’t notice until then. And Raph tensed up.
“H-Hold on... before you—.”
“Relax, I’m not going to swing my bag again.” Your voice softened. “Looks like she does like you a lot.”
You stepped a bit closer to Raph, eyes still on your pet. “She’s very sensitive about others. Only gets near whoever is a good person. So for her to—,” you paused, meeting eyes with the snapping turtle, “—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made those assumptions and... hit you.” 
Raph watched your expression. There wasn’t anger or bitterness. Instead, there was sincerity on your face. “You’re good. You trust her that much, huh?”
“I know when I should give someone a chance.” You smiled, throwing Raph off guard.
“Oh, and I should probably pay you back for earlier,” you said, picking up your pet again. “I.. do know a good pizza place we could order from. How about it?”
“...” He blinked.
“You.. may need to say something, so I know if you’re good with that.”
“...” He slowly nodded.
“Nice. We should probably meet up another day for it. I have finals coming up soon,” you explained. “Is there a way I can contact you?”
Raph reached for his phone and showed you his number.
You were kind of unsettled by how quiet he was, but his profile picture of Jupiter Jim reassured you. You even chuckled.
“Thanks.” You punched in the numbers and returned the device. “I’ll see you soon, ‘Raph.’ Or maybe ‘mutant ninja turtle.’” You walked off with another smile.
...
And just like that, he was left in the alleyway with a couple of questions. A blush grew on him, and he found himself crossing his arms to “cover” his beating heart. Gosh, was it your smile?
Were you also into Jupiter Jim?
How come he had never seen you before?
Hold on, did you still think he was a human in a costume?
~
Bonus Bits:
Raph develops a fear of your bag now.
April easily figured out that Raph has a crush on someone from his inability to hide his emotions.
Apparently, you and April are close. So when you tell her about an experience with a ‘mutant turtle in a red bandana,’ she connects the dots.
You come to realize that Raph is an actual mutant turtle when he refuses to enter the pizza restaurant with you.
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msbarrybeeson · 2 years
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A/N: When the movie trailer dropped, I knew there are many opportunities for angsty fan fiction, so I kind of took one. Some of the dialogue is canon, everything else is from my imagination. Anyway, getting the characters’ "character” was a challenge. I’ll appreciate any constructive criticism to improve it. Enjoy!
Summary: Casey Jones is trying to warn them of their future.
Pairing(s): Rise! Leo X Reader (Established Relationship)
Reader: Feminine pronouns are used. No actual appearance, only mentions.
Genre: Humor / Slight Angst
Warning(s): Rushed writing. Written before release. Mentioned character death.
Word Count: ~840
~
“So what’s your business with our friend, pal?”
Casey slowly opened his eyes, groaning through the headache. The world seemed upside-down, but judging from the ropes tying his body to a chair, he got the memo. So he was knocked out and taken into the underground subway station. The human boy grimaced; the stench reeked here.
In front of him stood four mutant turtles, in addition to the presence of a sewer rat and another human. “Master.. Leonardo?” Casey murmured as he recognized the blue eye-mask and red markings.
“Hey, did you hear that?” Mikey gasped. “He knows your name!”
Leon smirked. “And he added a nice ring to it, too.”
“So Blue does mature after all.” Splinter scratched his fur.
“Great,” Donnie rolled his eyes. “Thank you for inflating his ego.”
“Guys, come on now—,” Raph began.
“Shh. Give a minute, hermanos, I’ve got a plan.” Leon announced with confidence.
All the voices blurred. Casey glanced around groggily, only to realize there was one person missing from the group. “(Name).... Urgh…. Where’s.. where’s (Name)?”
The group quieted down.
“Oho, skipping the introductions, are we?” Leon narrowed his eyes. He stepped closer to the human boy. “You got something against her too? …I’d let it go if I were you,” he threatened.
“This is what happens when random people jump straight to asking about his girlfriend before doing introductions,” Donnie remarked. Casey panicked under Leon’s glare, especially once he saw Leon pull out his katana. “Hey, hey!” Casey shook fervently. “Hold on a minute! It’s not—.”
“My hermanos, what do you think we should do with him?” The turtle pointed with the tip of his blade.
“Ooh, ooh!” Mikey raised his hand. “Give him a nasty haircut!”
Raph thrusted his fist forward. “We could use a nice punching bag.”
“Or here’s a better idea,” Donnie pulled down his goggles, doing a quick analysis of Casey, “how about I alter his brain, so we can remote-control him?”
“Pfft. Think we’ve scared him enough, boys.” April clapped her hands, making them drop the act and fall into laughter. Raph was snickering in back, seeing Casey all pale and shaken up. “Oh man, that was good.”
“Okay, okay, okay.” Leon wiped a tear. “In all seriousness, who are you, ‘cause we need to call you something other than— I don’t know, human guy?”
“...The name’s Casey Jones—.”
“Hold up, Jones as in Cassandra Jones? Never knew she has a brother,” April asked.
“Son,” he grumbled. God, how many times would they be interrupting him? “I’m her son.”
“Guys, I think he’s gone insane,” Donnie remarked.
“Careful, Don,” Mikey hushed. “Maybe he’s got trauma, and was put up with his sister being the mother role.”
Leon scratched his chin. “Seriously? Casey— I mean, Cassandra here— acting like anyone close to a mother?”
“For the record, I’m not insane!”
“Then, explain how you might be Cassandra’s son, when you’re just about her age.”
“Woah, Donnie, don’t tell me—.”
“That I took DNA samples from his teeth while he were knocked out? Why yes, yes I did.”
Casey shook in the air, which only had the rope swinging him from side to side. “Listen! You want to know how I’m her son? Simple answer is: I’m not from your time.”
“Huh?”
“...Is this going where I think it is?” Donnie covered his own mouth with his hand.
“I know how this sounds,” Casey cautioned. “But I need you to believe me, because I’m from… the future.”
Once again, everyone bursted out into laughter. In fact, even Splinter was amused.
“Y-you cannot be serious!” Donnie crouched over, dying. “That’s not possible!”
“Look, person named Casey,” Raph wiped another tear, “no offense, but if you’re trying to scare us, I can assure you you’ve got better things to do.”
“No! I’m trying to warn you guys about the future!”
“Right,” Leon rolled his eyes playfully. “And uh… how do we know whether we should take your word for it?”  
“Because if you won’t do something about this,” Casey’s face contorted in anger, “(NAME) IS GOING TO DIE!”
Noise slipped into immediate silence. Everyone stopped, eyes wide.
“Woah, woah,” Raph’s tone lowered, “You crossed the line there, pal.” The snapping turtle looked to his red-eared brother in concern. He found Leon clenching his hands and narrowing his eyes. “Yeah. There are other ways to get us to listen, y’know.”
“But you wouldn’t listen! And I’m not lying when I—!”
“Then, what are you talking about?!”
“Fine. Let’s start over.” Casey sighed, “My name is Casey Jones. In the future, an alien race by the name of Kraang decimated the planet. Master Leonardo gave me a mission: find the key and stop them.
When I arrived, I couldn’t recognize the place at all. Seeing Commander O’Neil, I thought she could the best person to start with.”
“What’s (Name) got to do here?” Donnie questioned.
“She—.” Casey hesitated, meeting Leon’s eyes. The red-eared slider crossed his arms. “Say it.”
“…She was killed trying to save Master Leonardo.”
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