Chapter 1: bed rest
Chapter Text
looking out at the explosion , leo could feel his entire body start to shake. dear god, that was some experience. being back with his brothers now, he couldn't be any happier to hear donnies speech mode, raph being that big brother he always is and mikey's hyper activeness. it was, nice. embracing them now, they're his brothers. although, he couldn't shake off the fact that he had done something even he couldn't predict. being home, leo immediately started walking to his room, looking around to make sure no one was around. getting his bands off, he curled up; hiding away in his shell as tears fell down his cheeks. he could barely hear his brothers talking as raph spoke on one of his younger brothers' attendance. “ raph, he's probably tired, let him sleep. We should all get some, it wasn't the best night for us and maybe sleep can help! ” a usually eccentric voice spoke up.
dark gaze going towards the smaller turtle , the eldest sighed.
“ you're right mikey. everyone get cleaned up and get some sleep. i'll check on leo before going to bed.” he spoke out, hearing his brothers collectively go ‘ okay ‘ and walk off.
that day and night seriously got to raph, he was supposed to protect them! getting turned like that made his chest tighten up, definitely not his best moment if he’s being honest with himself. looking in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, he could see a scar or two forming where that crazy eye was. fowning, he placed his retainer on and went to check on leo. meanwhile, donnie could still feel his shell being in that damned gunk. it always scared him, it will continue to scare him. taking off his battle shell, he cleaned himself and his shell as much as he could. a frown in stitched its way into the purple ones lips, he looked at his neck. seeing those scars start to form a low sigh left. getting in his jammies, he got somewhat comfortable until going to his room after passing mikey.
now, mikey was affected the most. usually being the comedic relief out of his brothers next to leo, but his hands ached. they would burn sometimes and it felt like they were chipping off. he didn't want to die, he was only fifteen! cleaning up like raph had said he got new bandages on and his favorite jammies. now having a small smile, he clutched his hands together and walked off to his room.
“ leo, hey buddy are you– hey..” seeing that his brother was in his shell, he sat down by him. rubbing the top of it as he heard light sniffling. “ oh bud, i know this is hard on you, but were all here for you.” slurring his words a little, he could tell the other was coming back out of his shell.
“ I know, I know. so much happened in such a small amount of time. it was scary, I almost died, raph. I did that to save you guys and the rest of humanity. I realized what exactly you go through to make sure we're okay. I wanted you to be okay this time; when you got in front of me before that monster could stab me through the eye, I thought I was going to lose you.” leo stumbled out to say, his lower lip quivering as he was pulled into a protective hug.
“ i've got ya, don't worry little brother. get some sleep? maybe that’ll help you out some.” raph spoke softly, getting the younger one to calm down finally. with that, the two parted and soon enough they went to bed.
waking up was painful for everyone. raph's eye only hurt more, donnies back kept him up all night, leo only slept because of his older brother calming him and mikey just felt sore. splinter looked at his sons with worry, for once he was going to be a good father, be there when they actually need it. as the small rat let a breath fall, he walked over to the table where his boys sat. “ good morning boys, how are you all feeling?” he asked, seeing them all shiver.
“ we’re a little bent out of shape pops, but with some time to heal and with self care, we should be okay.” red spoke, his voice slightly chipping as he looked over towards his brothers.
with collective nods they all agreed on what their older brother spoke on. they could all feel that with the help of each other they can get through this! well, as long as they don’t push one another away. knowing donnie, he won’t break. he wouldn’t say anything unless it was to sheldon, considering that he is usually there to help him. but, that thought left him long ago when his brothers messed with the robots programming. getting up, he went to get a flavorless juice, hopefully that will calm his nerves. meanwhile, leo went to the skate ramp, hopefully something fun will take his mind off of nearly dying in space. that moment constantly replays in his head; or raph jumping in front of him to prevent him from getting his eye jammed out.
sometimes, leo cant help but feel like he was only holding his family back, but thankfully he wasn't. he unlocked something in them that day that he never saw. giving a small smile to his own thoughts, he went down the ramp. letting himself take control as the wheels rolled. now, mikey was a different story. opening that portal for his brother nearly cost him his life, he could have vanished into thin air. but he didn't, he was here, alive. breathing and with his three brothers plus his father. art was getting difficult at points if he held something in his hands for long periods of time. it wasn't too bad at times but others, it really ate at him. swallowing his thoughts and emotions , he got up to find replacement bandages. going to the bathroom, he soon found some, replacing the old with clean. that somewhat helped, clutching his hands he closed his eyes and exhaled. trying not to cry, he saved those for the night. it was easy to tell when the younger was upset sometimes, why else would he have alter egos? they help him cope, just like leos stupid jokes.
that day, the boys tried to take their minds off the previous battle. thankfully new york was calm, no bad guys, no baron, no foot clan. Just silence. doing their own things until they couldn’t function anymore got draining. now leo, oh poor leo. after crash and burning a few times, he walked to donnies lab, seeing him work away. ;ooking at the ground, he was scared to speak, what would he say?
with a small inhale, he spoke:
“ hey don? do you … have a minute?”
Chapter 2: comfort? comfort.
Summary:
leo goes to get comfort from one of his brothers, raph gets some comfort as well and is told he is a good brother when he doesn't feel like one. they all go through something even if they are scared to say it allowed. april visits to make sure they're healing okay.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“ hey don, do you… have a minute ?”
hearing a voice that usually annoyed him, the turtle perked up with a heavy breath falling out of his mouth. “ nardo, i don't know what you want with coming to me, if its something stupid, I do not wish to be apar– no your head is bowed, why?” donnie asked his twin brother with a tilted head, taking the goggles off of his eyes while he was at it. that made leo perk up, his face at his brother but eyes away from him.
“ I uh — I'm just , I can't sleep. I can't stop crying , I can't seem to relax anymore either. don , I can't get my beauty sleep like usual ! ” he spoke out , looking at the other with tear filled eyes.
donnie didn't know what to say , what / could / he say anyways ? nothing that'll help , that's for sure. sighing , he rubbed his neck. “ I'm not sure I'm grasping what you want me to do , leo. I don't have any inventions nor tech to do so. ” “ I'm just asking for some comfort. ”
comfort.
that's something the purple wearing turtle never thought he'd hear from his younger brother. especially to him? why did leo want his comfort out of all things; it just wasn’t adding up to him in his little brain. donnie tried to think of every situation that this could possibly lead to. nothing. sighing a little, he placed down his wrench and let his brother have his full attention for once.
the two stood there, leos head on donnies shoulder while tears flooded down his poor green colored cheeks. not knowing fully how to process this nor what to do, he patted the others back in his best attempts to calm the poor turtle. after what felt as hours, the twins finally departed. leo being calmer and donnie having a very faint smile on his beak. “ better ? “ he asked, only to get a nod in return.
raph looked at himself as he felt every bone in him melt away, his arms still felt like jello while his legs struggled to carry him around. seeing mikey, he approached the other and rubbed his shoulder. “ hey little brother, are you doing okay?” he asked, watching the younger bite back something.
“ i could be better honestly, but i’m okay! what about you big bro? are you okay? I know what the kraang did probably wasn’t the best feeling in the world.” he lightly chuckled at, now rubbing his neck.
hearing that though cracked something in raph, his hand subconsciously going for his left eye. “ yeah, i’m okay, just worried about you guys is all.” he states, and that was the truth. he cared deeply about his family, more than absolutely anything in this world it seemed like.
the two brothers stayed in each others comfort for what felt like a little while but actually wasn’t too long thankfully. it was honestly so soothing to just have a silent moment in their new home area, even if a bunch of brain monsters were going to destroy it originally. as the eldest shifts in his spot, he looked over at the younger one's hands. seeing them wrapped from time to time really messed with him. his brother wasn’t exactly hurt but he wasn’t fully okay either. god, it all hurt him just to see the traumas that his brothers gained because of this. maybe that’s just brotherly instincts kicking in for him now. he had no clue, though that's the red one for most of the time. brows pressing some, he exhaled a little and soon got up. rubbing the smalls head, he wanted to get his mind off of whatever it was thinking of; so yes he wanted mind raph to shut up for once. walking to his room, he looked at everything that was surrounding him and closed his eyes a small bit until he heard donnies voice register. “ hey.. april is here to check on us, she brought pizza and brownies if you want to come out with us.” he offered.
nodding, he got up and headed that way. trailing behind his brother, he was tackled down by the one person he thought of as a sister; well they all did. hugging the curly haired girl back, he smiled. “ hey april, nice seeing you here.” he commented before she got off and folded her arms.
“ i can same to you, how ya holdin’ up? is everything okay down here? “ she asked, getting a simple nod in response to her question.
meanwhile, the others started to eat. it felt nice to sit and eat, no bad villains out there ending the world, cassandra was on their side and the foot clan haven’t done anything since that shredder incident. that is exactly how it should be, new york should feel so much safer now than before. as the small family ate, something inside leo kept eating at him. maybe if he was a better brother, his own wouldn’t have gained the problems that they now have stuck with them, a frown came to play on his lips when hearing his name. seeing the worried expressions on his siblings and fathers faces, he got his stomach to stop feeling whatever this dark energy was and got straight to eating again.
getting up, he cleaned as april offered to stay the night for comfort, but not even that was okay for the boys. they wanted her safe so they sent her home as they set up an area for them all to rest at. they weren’t done fully with their job as a hero of new york, but it was on a hold pause. being teenagers and mutants, it was not easy for them, though they did manage to get through this, embrace themselves and take on challenges. mikey was the first to pass out after eating, laying his head onto donnies leg as they all got comfortable with their presence.
the last to fall asleep was raph, keeping a watch out just a smidge longer and make sure none of his family was in any sort of danger. thankfully ; they were not. wrapping himself around his siblings, he soon fell asleep with them by him. mind clear, or so he thought. as a dream filled his mind it soon developed into a sickening nightmare. that nightmare consisted of him killing his brothers brutally in his twisted form. if leo didn’t get through to them in time, if he hadn’t snapped out of that trance, they would be gone and he would still be a kraang prisoner or even worse; dead. gasping awake, raph looked at the three turtles and made sure they were alive. phew. all was okay, falling back asleep, he was hoping to have a better dream, he did but that didn’t mean the nightmare was gone.
hopefully tomorrow night will be better, even if the others all had nightmares, hopefully things get better from here on out.
yeah, hopefully.
Notes:
hey ! sorry for no update a while ago, i've been a mess mentally and needed a bit but here's chapter two! there will be more angst later along the line but for now it's a bit calmer and them coping.
- poker !
Chapter 3: nightmares
Summary:
nightmares aren't fun , right? well leo can't seem to stop having them. so everynight, he checks on his brothers and dad to make sure that they are okay and alive. but this night, one of his brothers finds him crying and decides to help. they also have a good time being there for eachother & mikey makes really good pancakes.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
nightmares come and go for everyone , right? so why did they come all the time for leo? he absolutely could not handle this anymore, everytime he closed his eyes something from that night would come back and haunt him. he hated it, so much. tossing and turning in his bed, the turtle felt his chest tighten up as he shot up from his bed. rubbing his eyes after catching his breath,he exhaled. getting up to go check on his brothers due to the fear filling up in his chest, he silently shuffled around. when visiting his elder brothers room, he peeked his head in. seeing the other sound asleep he pushed a painful smile onto his lips.
heading towards his twins room as he stretched himself over the amount of cords and random junk scattered everywhere. seeing that donatello was passed out at his desk as any other night when he pushes himself, he walked in towards the blanket; proceeding to place it onto him. giving a smile, the taller of the two went out of his twins little laboratory set up and to his younger brother. mikey always worried leo, did he know why? no, he didn’t, he wanted to understand why it was mikey anyways!
shaking those thoughts out of his noggin, he went into the others room and found him … awake? forehead pressing as if he had eyebrows fully there, he knocked lightly. “ hey little brother, it’s just me.” leo states, walking in as mikey shifts in his seating spot on his bed.
“ whats’s got you up? normally you’re the one passed out by now.” he simply stated. and that was the truth.
“ i couldn’t get myself to fall asleep, we’ve seen so much bad go down, i close my eyes and it all just throws itself back at me. i hate it leo, so much.” he spoke out, his voice close to cracking as his older brother listened to him speak. leo fully understood.
something like that can really affect someone, especially at mikeys age, the kid is only fifteen! as the little one talked about that night, the blue one just listened to what he had to say. as he listened, he could tell the smaller was getting comfortable in his presence; that resulting in him slowly falling asleep against leo. smiling faintly, he rubbed his back. moving him to be against his pillow and curled up in the blankets he had huddled up around and on the little turtle brother, the ear slider felt a bit of peace wash over him.
now going to check up on his father, the turtle bit his lower lip. he didn’t know how this all affected his father, but it’s okay! right? shaking his head, he went to where his dad's room was located and walked right in. seeing him asleep with a tub of ice cream in his arms, he lightly chuckled to himself. classic splinter. cleaning up silently, leo double tucked his rat father in. “ sleep well, dad.” he softly comments, now walking out of the room.
sleep was hard for the middle child, how was he supposed to forget? all of that in one day too? what hurt him the most was when raphs shell was cut into.. even though that could’ve been his eye, seeing his brother be affected by it scared him. it terrified him even! and leonardo does not get scared that easily. rubbing his head, he looked away from where he was going and stood in his spot. suddenly, tears started to flow down his cheeks, puddling up onto the floor in front of his feet. guilt flooded his mind, he couldn’t understand why these tears were falling but they were.
stupid, stupid, stupid.
that word repeated in the turtles head god knows how many times. low breaths fell as his breathing grew daggered. that’s when he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up from where he had sat, he saw his older brother. the guilt feeding at him as he immediately hugged at raph. “ hey, hey.. don’t worry little brother, i’m here.” he softly reassured.
crying, leo only clinged to his brother tighter. as he saw this, raph exhaled. he hated seeing his brothers upset, including leo. even if he – was the one to hide his emotions with jokes and by focusing on them, he knew how much of a reckless softie his brother was. sighing, the eldest only held him. sitting down on the concrete with the small red eared slider in his big arms. watching as the other curled up in his embrace. all this was such a rush of feeling to him. he hated how weak he could be, but beating himself over again won’t help leo calm down. as the crying came to a stop, the snapping alligator turtle looked down to see that his younger brother had fallen asleep finally. leo hasn’t been able to get any proper sleep since fighting the kraang, but seeing him so sound asleep now, he can only guess that the other just needed company or comfort. so that’s what he’ll get until he’s able to sleep on his own without the fear of losing his brothers being in the back of his mind. plus, who doesn’t like a sleeping buddy?
when the morning rolled around for them, leo was curled up in his older brothers arms until there wasn’t a big raph there anymore. the siblings were making breakfast, or well seeing what there was for breakfast. a sleepy leo was the last to walk in, apparently mikey had made them all pancakes. smiling at this, he took a plate and decorated them. having blueberries on them with syrup and whipped cream. heading to the table with his brothers, he sat down with a yawn.
“ morning leo !” mikey happily greeted, shoving some of the flourly treat into his mouth with no hesitation. that nearly gained a small laugh out of him as well. mumbling one back to the little box turtle, leo cut some of his pancake up and nibbled at it.
this was one of mikeys better meals, he could make really good food sometimes and this shows just how good it can be when he doesn’t make brussel sprouts, yuck. donnie and raph ate silently at their food. their pancakes reflecting on their personalities. the softshell had rather palin ones with syrup and a small side of fruit; while the older had nutella on his along with cut up strawberries and whipped cream.
seeing his brothers eat a good meal was nice, it was a feeling he didn’t know how to control but he did know he did not want to start sobbing again, that would just ruin the entire mood that was being held down here. splinter ate his own, just in his chair while watching a movie the boys had picked out for him. everything felt okay for once and he loved it. donnies gauntlet hasn’t gone off, meaning no bad guys have engaged with anything so that was refreshing. maybe they are also trying to recover from those events. the world did almost end after all, meaning death upon everyone.
after breakfast, the boys decided to just play in the arcade for once. they all played a little game going against each other, laughter filled the room.
that is until donnies gauntlet went off.
Notes:
whoop! chapter three, dont worry, more will come soon and that being with angst as well, so hold on to your tear ducts!
Chapter 4: donnies meltdown
Summary:
“ alright, so it’s nothing we can’t handle! right? we got this, let’s move!” raph spoke out with a small smile, even though deep under his plastron, he was terrified.
raph was scared, what if his brothers couldn't fight?
Notes:
tw; there will be description of blood, scratches and injuries in this chapter. there is also a meltdown that happens with one of them, mostly indicated.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
donnies gaze slowly went up towards his brothers, meeting with a scared gaze of raphs. swallowing the thickness in his throat, he bit back before everything started ringing. when did it suddenly get so loud in his head? shaking back to reality when mikey was quite literally shaking him, he perked his head up before letting a breath fall between his beak.
“ it’s a simple thievery incident that was pulled, i am deeply hoping that it isn’t anything too important for some stupid revival of that inconsiderate shredder.” he mumbled out heavily before looking at the one in red. nodding while showing he was paying attention, he exhaled.
“ alright, so it’s nothing we can’t handle! right? we got this, let’s move!” raph spoke out with a small smile, even though deep under his plastron, he was terrified.
what if something happened to his brothers? what if he couldn’t protect them? oh god, all of those thoughts started to smack him right across the face, oh he could feel every bone in him bend. though, feeling the hand of the youngest brother on his forearm, he looked down with a small smile. having small bits of reassurance always helped him. as the boys took it to the rooftops, they all … struggled some to say the least.
upon arriving at the place that ticked off the purple ones tech, there was indeed a small robbery that took place. what exactly did they take? lets see shall we?
what was stolen was an heirloom that the city had been protecting for generations. how did it get snagged so easily? as donnie thought about this, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud battlecry. as usual, leo took it into action, seeing as no one else was. even if he was still injured from that disgustingly hurtful era of the kraang, he bit back everything. as he said on the rooftop after that day, if there was danger in new york; he and his brothers would rise to the cause and stop it.
“ mikey! ten o’ clock, look out!” raph yelled out, getting the younger turtle's attention.
head looking upwards, he was surprised to see a bus being thrown into his general direction. this villain didn’t look like anyone they have ever fought before, so who is it? it’s not the foot for sure, not hypno nor that worm guy who is always with him. as they thought, could it be someone of big mamas? no, no she would have made some stupidly large entrance as before when she tried to make their home her new battle nexus.
head throbbing, leo didn’t know what to do. he felt as if his breakfast was going to come up his throat and straight out of his mouth. biting it back, he teleported over towards where his twin was. “ donnie, please tell ach tell me you got it figured out on who this pest is?" he asked.
shaking his head much to the others disappointment, he frowned. “ I cannot, there’s not enough intel for me to know! i can say it’s not someone who can … kill us nor someone we’ve fought in previous battles.” he mumbled, though leo caught what he said.
fingers bruised, plastrons and shells damaged, the four boys made it home okay. getting that archifact in its respectful place, thankfully they were okay for the most part. leo had some re - opened wounds, mikeys hands started to hurt more and more as he moved them, raphs knuckles started to bleed once more as he had visions flood his poor mind with this small feeling in the back of his throat that told him he couldn’t be there. donnies battleshell was nearly broken again! he hated it.
speaking of donnie, he was exhausted, tired even. being stubborn though, he wouldn’t go down without some kind of fight, that is just how he is. they all understood this to some degree, at least that’s what they hoped.
following, raph bit at the lower skin of his beak, his snaggletooth hanging out while his hands were behind his back. he was going to try and get his brother to rest if it’s the last thing he does! “ don? are you able to talk just for a bit?” he asked.
“ if this is about you telling me to sleep, i will do that on my own terms. i got plenty the other night. “ a lie. he was actually curled on his side, on his phone for that entire night.
a sigh.
dangit donnie.
the older snapping turtle looked away for a moment, taking in the layout of the spiny softshells newly made lair. it was .. definitely donnie - esked. there was different shades of purple wallpaper or paint everywhere, random math equations on the floor along with blueprints, atomic lass poster poorly hung and slightly ripped at ( mostly due to how donnie hates that day but refuses to fully get rid of it ), inventions scattered and blankets in different areas. walking over to the other, he placed a hand onto the smaller framed turtles shoulder; over his battle shell.
“ I know you haven’t slept since the incident, i know your insomnia is back. you can’t hide everything from me, donnie. i am here to help you and you know this, right?” he asked, receiving a small nod in return.
donnie was silent, he didn’t want to rebuttal; even if he was good at it he had to admit it,
raph was right.
he hadn’t received any good sleep since that day, he can’t. it’s so difficult to rest for him now, more than he’d like to admit as well. raph knew him well enough to pick up on small things like this. he wasn’t blind nor as stupid as he may seem sometimes. when it came down to family, he had their small meltdowns or symptoms of them memorized like the back of his hand. he knew that the other was about to have a meltdown, judging by the silence he was receiving back.
and he was right.
donnie broke, his mind finally racking – racing and soon stopping as he fell onto his knees. purple knee pads digging into the concrete ground that once lied beneath his feet. he was overstimulated, that much was shown. waiting, raph didn’t know if this was a meltdown that required him to be with the other or not so he stood there patiently. when seeing the other start to make grabby hands for him, he raced over and scooped him up. letting the other cry it out for the night in his arms.
hearing the crying breakout from donnies lab, mikey frowned; when the purple wearing turtle cried like that, it meant he would be going nonverbal for a while – it always depended how badly he broke down.
as raph left the room, he sighed. seeing his other two brothers, he walked down and approached them. “ donnie is nonverbal for the rest of the night. he’s just going to text us of send s.h.e.l.d.o.n down to us if need be.” he simply spoke out.
receiving a small nod from the other two turtles, he pinched at the skin in between his eyes. so much stress was falling over raph, but feeling a certain turtles gaze on his own he looked. mikey gave the eldest a small smile. “ well, i can watch him if needed too. i’ve been teaching myself asl incase donald has a meltdown like this.”
god, what would he do without the other? actually, he wish to not think about that.
as the younger went to go watch the tech twin and keep him company, the red one attended to the face mans injuries. watching as the other twin squirmed, he frowned. “ stay put leo, i’m almost done.” he spoke out.
leo was great at attending his siblings when they were hurt but him? oh he was an awful patient. biting back the urge to bite at his older brother, he rolled his shoulders back in spite. a small noise leaving him as he whimpered a little. his body ached heavily, burns and scars littered nearly every part of him so that also wasn’t fun. as the older helped, the red - eared slider huffed; with the medical attention being done, he helped raph get the spots he couldn’t get on his own.
“ how bad was donnies meltdown?” leo softly asked, feeling the red one tense.
“ it – it was bad. one of his worst ones even. he broke down and made grabby hands at me. i hope mikey is at least giving him space if he requests it.” raph hummed out.
mikey in fact, did give one of his older brothers space that he needed if he was asked. but the softshell just wanted company. having his younger brother lay and or sit by him as he played his comfort game; flappy bird. it was nice, just silence. no yelling, bickering or being asked constant questions. playing his game, his body leaned against the smallers and soon enough he was out like a light. crying always wore out donnie, he was like this.
as the smarter of the four rest, mikey didn’t move a muscle until morning.
Notes:
hehe, angst my loves! <3 don't worry , don will be okay.
Chapter 5: a funny feeling
Summary:
something in leos stomach wasn’t sitting right with him. this seemed too calm in his perspective. maybe that’s because he was so used to fighting and nothing like this, but it made him shiver a bit. getting a reaffirming pet on the shell, he looked to see his older brother smiling
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
as the sun was rising up above in new york air , the boys were still sound asleep. at least getting as much sleep as they could muster. leo was — having issues sleeping again. he’s always had problems sleeping since he was young, but after recent events they only grew worse. rubbing his knuckles against his eyes, his feet carried him over towards where his two brothers were located. finding them still asleep, he smiled. donnie needed a break from it all in all honesty, his actions spoke on that loud and clear. from the dark circles he would gain forming around his eyes to the sluggish movements that increasingly got worse as his motor functions shut down on him.
leo noticed that his older brother was awake, which he wouldn’t lie, the company was nice in his eyes. letting himself lean against the pole, he waited until the older one approached. “ hey leo, what’s got you up? it’s pretty late out.” raph hummed.
nodding his head in agreement, the blue one let out a small yawn. his eyes slightly widened as he noticed the other pat his head. “ mm, just in my thoughts is all. honestly i just want to make sure that you all are okay.”
listening to him speak, raphael let himself exhale at the turtles comment. his non - existent brows pressing downwards as he scrunched his face. messing with him, he then picked up the smaller and held him. “ uh huh, please get some rest. or i’ll rock you to bed.” he threatened.
a glare.
“ i hate you sometimes brother, but i rather not be wrapped up in a blanket burrito tonight.” he lightly laughed before giving the other a small grin.
rolling his eyes, raph only chuckled he then scrunched his face before picking up other. “ well too bad little brother!”
“ raaaapphh – put me down !” kicking and squirming his little feet around, he looked for a way down.
raph was like this when they didn’t want to sleep, even as children. he was always there to place them to rest.
“ what do you mean? are you sure they won’t feel weird about us?”
“ you have disguises on dee! you’ll be fine! plus, this chef is blind, he’s really good though!”
april brought the boys up to check out this one noodle shop she had found and applied to ( even though they haven’t gotten back to her yet ), hoping to cheer them up in some way or at least show that she’s there for them. the space-bunned girl gave them this sweet and gentle smile before she opened the door to the shop. seeing the man behind the counter she spoke of their presence. they all chuckled a little before seeing that she was right, thankfully they had the outfits on though since a few others were there.
as they all walked into the area and took a seat, something in leos stomach wasn’t sitting right with him. this seemed too calm in his perspective. maybe that’s because he was so used to fighting and nothing like this, but it made him shiver a bit. getting a reaffirming pet on the shell, he looked to see his older brother smiling. raphaels smile always made everyone happy in some way. he couldn't pin on why , but the elder always knew how to make everyone in the hamato family grin.
taking a seat , the boys looked around the place. brows pressing forward some as they tried to pin down why everything was this feeling. well, for leo anyways. he didn't like it either , something just , made him feel sick almost. as if someone or something was watching them , waiting patiently in the shadows. but that can't be right , right? man he hopes he'd eat his words or well , thoughts that is. he didn't like being right , especially in these situations.
“ leo? what's wrong ? you're all , shaky. I can smell you more than raphs ‘ new place stink. ’ ” mikey comments.
this catches the red eared sliders attention as he looked over to his younger brother. shaking his head, he just offered a small smile. there is just something that feels.. off. more off than that stupid train monster they fought a few months ago. sheesh, that thing gave him the shivers.
giving the chef the orders, they all decided for something pizza themed and a side of ramen. the boys ( especially donnie ) aren’t too big on food changes. it always messes with their heads.
“ things get good now, sometimes depending on the food he can cook it in front of you! ” april happily spoke, her eyes crinkling a little.
hearing this made the boys perk out of whatever thoughts they were stuck in and back to the present. even if leo felt something being off, he wanted his family to enjoy this time they had. aside from yelling, it had been a while since they all kinda sat together like this. with an absence of splinter of course. the last they could remember was when they went to baron draxums apartment. seeing this all; whilst nothing bad was happening to them was so nice.
suddenly the clang of bowls and plates brought them back. donnie looked up from his phone, raph stopped talking to april about princess peach, leo finally brought himself back to what was going through his mind and mikey stopped humming the musical tune in his head. thanking the chef, they ate silently to the clings. although, gasping happily at their firsts bites of this new and delicious food that they have consumed.
april kept talking about new games while leo focused on the windows. watching the reflections that showed of humans. they all seemed normal from what he could decipher from. that is until one caught his attention. he wasn’t sure why but they did. a rather large frame filled the widow as red eyed painted through too. who was this? whoever it was, they needed to leave the surface and humans alone. but, this was just the start. when leonardo blinked, the figure was gone. shaking his head as his bandana hit his neck and barely grazed his cheek, he huffed.
dear pizza supreme in the sky this was rough.
getting back to the lair, he lets himself blink a bit to catch his mind and weld it back. april picked up on this and looked at the blue sporting turtle with slight curiosity. she rubs his shoulder gingerly, holding his upper bicep firmly as the turtle sighed. he gave her a small look then walked to his room. which, thanks to his older brother still has a giant hole, not like he cared. honestly, it’s a bit funny to him.
still, whoever is watching them or was at least tonight, has him on edge. and that edginess feeling doesn’t dare to leave him.
Notes:
woo !! another chapter. it's not the best, but it is slowly introducing a villain! and yes, i am creating them. hopefully i can get another chapter out soon and not take a billion years. anyways, hope you enjoyed <3
Chapter 6: red glowing eyes that haunt you
Summary:
after visiting the noodle shop, leonardo starts to hallucinate more and more until his sleep finally catches up to him. while the hamato brothers have their own encounters with this figure.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
who was this guy? or figure, leo didn’t know. his mind was constantly scattered around, dealing with so much that runs through his head. rolling his shoulders as his body rose up, his dark colored hues trailed over to the clock by his bed.
2:20am. jesus.
he hated his insomnia, staying up because his mind wasn't his favorite thing in the world. seeing donnie awake at times helped ease him, but it wasn’t always what he wanted, he knows the other struggles as well. looks like luck wasn’t on either of the twin hamato brothers sides. reaching up for a glass to ease him over this late or well, early in the morning; he yawned. pouring in some orange juice april had left over into the rose tinted cup he stopped in his tracks.
he was tired. nothing ever processed properly in his mind due to the fact he was always up so late. damn. taking a sip from the glass now in his hand, he yawned after downing the cup. placing it quietly into the sink, the turtle blinked a few times before walking back towards his room.
“ good morning red, how are you?” the rat spoke, his head peeking out from the kitchen door area.
“ oh, ‘mornin’ pops. I slept pretty good. though my back is killing me. “ he grunted, eyes scrunching after his sentence.
as all of the brothers awoke and started to come down for breakfast, leonardo was always the last one from donatello. why was that? no one could tell you, even if they tried to form any sense of words from their mouth. once down, the slightly younger twin bit his cheek at the thought of bringing up the figure from the previous night to his father. no way in hell is he going to do that.
as their morning went along, mikey was struggling to use everyday items again. this occurs more often than one would like to believe. though, the box turtle is rather good at hiding how he feels around his brothers. grabbing at a paint brush, a small frown leaves a trail on his lips. if he had a nose like april or a yokai did, it would scrunch up so much when frustrated. throwing the chartreuse colored paint brush towards the wall of the lair, a huff soon followed after.
the orange bandana brother didn’t like how his hands went against him so much. he used them so often and since bringing back leo and being what casey told him that he was made to become. eyes gazing down to his knee pads, he frowned. being able to create was everything to him, not being able to do that? now what was he supposed to do? looking around, mikey soon got himself up and went topside for the first time by himself in a few months. hugging at the fabric of his bright orange hoodie he felt okay for once. april was at school so he couldn't see her and they don’t know where casey had gone off to.
but man, was he itching for something to do, he walked down the streets of new york. smiling just a bit as he looked at the window displays and the items that were in them. what caught his attention was the red eyes staring back at him that his brother talked about the other night. was it an actual person or someone trying to get at them? or maybe a hallucination they were sharing?
hallucination was possible, but for it to connect to two of the four? who knows. yawning from looking at the time, donnies deprived gaze went to the computer sitting on the table in front of him. trying to process all the words his younger brother practically screamed at him when coming back down. nodding as if he understood fully, his fingers grazed at the buttons on the keyboard. looking up information and data to back this strange theory up. as his eyes drifted back and forth, he blinked; reaching for the cup of cold coffee he immediately spat it out.
“ gross. he spoke with utter disgust in his voice.”
donnie proceeded to get up, stretching just a bit as he looked around his lab. his dark saturated hues didn’t seem to pick up the red eyes that glared at him through the darkness of the said laboratory.
this is an illusion.
this is a hallucination .
im not real.
you’re not real.
i don’t exist,
you don’t exist.
waking up with the sound of ringing in their ears, raph felt himself get shaky. rubbing his eyes as he reached for his special teddy bear he swallowed. pizza pie gods must either be pissed at everyone or the oldest turtle is losing his dear sweet mind. gaze looking at the time, he frowned as his head hit the pillow under him. turning his head, he snuggled up farther into the blanket. this was something he really didn’t want to deal with today. sighing just a little, he tossed over to his left side.
eyes on the wall, the snapping turtle felt his stomach drop. why does it hurt? his eye.. it felt so infected, he couldn’t see out of it half the time. plus the days where it’s so bad that he may think he is blind. raph was strong, but how much can he really do? eyes fluttering, a flash of red pooled over them. spooking the snapper, he bit his lip. snaggletooth poking at the skin that once was a soft dark green but was covered in scars with metallic liquid pouring over.
getting up, he made a small dash to the bathroom. cleaning up the blood that coated his lips he winced. this happens only so much, his gaze fixating onto his reflection within the mirror. feeling his scaly skin, he pinched his cheek.
“ ow! okay, maybe i am real.” he muttered out for no one but himself to hear.
this wasn’t all fun and games anymore. that invasion nearly costed them all their lives. and those nightmares of being a krrang zombie again played with the poor turtle like a villain in a shitty movie. maybe some kind of rest or warm drink could help him.
yeah, that sounded like a plan.
Notes:
my bad for dying on this, i promise to get an actual posting schedule figured out!
- don
ahdjotiruwhfikrbejsodbwjoskdebs (Guest) on Chapter 1 Sun 09 Oct 2022 04:37AM UTC
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dontronn on Chapter 1 Sun 09 Oct 2022 05:09AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 09 Oct 2022 05:14AM UTC
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ahdjotiruwhfikrbejsodbwjoskdebs (Guest) on Chapter 1 Sun 09 Oct 2022 05:16AM UTC
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