//Covert AU: Little One

Bad Boys

Yeah, I like bad boys.

Bad Boys like Anakin Skywalker who rebelled against the “Non Committal Attachment Styles” of his day was defiant by getting married and having a family. Yeah, that kind of bad boys.

So…does this beat do anything for anybody else??? Or is this just me??

Also THAT ANIMATED BOUNCE YALL 🤯🫠☠️💙

The animation in this movie will be the death of me because it’s so FLIPPIN SMOOTH AND PRETTY *respectfully flips a table*

Also not my TikTok. Rightfully belongs to the incredibly talented: @blizcocho

Again, the healing hug I needed to see. Bless you 🙏🏼😖💙❤️

THeYrE bRoThErS aNd tHeY lOvE eAcH oThEr, Your Honor.

His bones may be broken, but his heart? So light

Can you tell ive been listening to this ost

Ok, so this picture was so incredibly wholesome that I HAD to try and redraw it because it legitimately made me cry. I had to no joke pull over because I was getting teary while on the road.

This picture means a lot to me for two reasons: #1 I’m 5ft 8” and on the heartier side of things, so usually I’m the tallest/ biggest or one of the taller folks whenever I engage in with company. So to imagine having one of my favorite characters just pick me up and cradle me like a child made me A: incredibly flustered and B: it did something funny to my heart.

I don’t necessarily have an emotionally safe relationship with my pops at the moment, so it makes it hard to accept hugs from him. And not to mention, because I’m again the “bigger friend”, I’m usually the person giving hugs. I don’t get hugs. Especially those good Dad Hugs. So imagining getting a hug from Sprout…well…it definitely filled an empty part of my heart. So @intotheelliwoods thank you for this. I…I kind of needed it so it meant a lot.

Also I drew myself with my arm sleeves because I wanted to match Poptart. I really struggle with picking my arms due to a skin condition that I have, so I wear my arms sleeves to try and prevent that. I guess just another reason why I relate to these guys.

I’m also a nerd who loves Floriography, or the Victorian Language of Flowers, so I wanted to include a little something extra to show my thanks. Honeysuckle to show how much I adore 2 Arms Left; it’s got a sweet little spot in my heart. And Sweet Pea to just keep cheering y’all on and to say thank you for everything. Literally.

And then of course my signature orange heart to represent warmth, friendship, and care.

It’s a lot of words, so thanks for reading. Just know this. You made my week a little better by just being your sweet self. I know life is hard and hurt can be heavy, but I promise you. You’re making a difference. Thank you for existing. 🫵🏼✨🧡🫂🌎

AHhh so many hugs and so little time! <3

And thank you so much for your message @theanonymousninja247 it really made my week! 🥺

*holds this oh so very gently*

CWs: thoughts of suicide, suicide attempt

-

There are no stars here.

There were stars in the country. You remember staring up at them on nights when you couldn't sleep, getting lost in the constellations until your eyes got heavy enough to stay closed. Here, though, when you look up, there's just… darkness. An endless expanse of nothing. Almost like the stars themselves decided it wasn't worth it anymore to stick around. Light pollution, smog, yeah yeah, you know. But maybe… maybe the stars just decided to leave. To start fresh.

Or maybe… they decided to finally rest.

The wind cuts through your thin jacket, chilling your skin. Your feet sway where they hang in the air, over the side of the roof, and when you lean forward, peering down at the city below, you think you should be feeling some sort of vertigo. A bit of fear, maybe. Instead you feel… nothing. Just cold, and stiff, and tired.

You miss the stars. But you understand why they left.

The city is a blur of light and movement. There are thousands of people down there, even now, at this late hour, going about their lives. It's so busy here. Always busy and bustling and alive in a way that doesn't come naturally to you.

Out of place. That's what you are. That's what you've always been. But not for much longer.

“What are you doing?” a voice stage-whispers nearby. You inhale sharply, whirling around to see… nothing. You scan the empty roof, eyes wide, your heart lodged in your throat. There shouldn't be anyone up here. You checked to make sure when you first came up, and there had been no one. If someone had come through the door, you would've heard the heavy, ancient thing creaking on its hinges, and the ladder is to your right, so you would've seen if someone came up the fire escape. So there shouldn't be anyone up here.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I know this is weird or whatever,” the voice continues. It sounds like… a guy. Honestly, he sounds like a fucking dork, with the way he's whispering so loudly. “It's just that, like, Leo would kill me if I let myself get seen, but you've been here for a while and it's pretty late, or- I don't know, early? Whatever, but I had to check on you, y'know? So, like, are you good?”

…This is weird. Right? Yeah, this is definitely weird. The guy, wherever he is, doesn't… sound like someone you need to worry about, though. Something about the way he talks makes you feel like… talking back.

“I'm good,” you say slowly, the words feeling foreign in your mouth. You twist around further, still scanning the empty roof for signs of movement. “How did you… get up here?”

“Uhhhhhh same way you did?”

Okay so he's a terrible liar. Despite everything, it makes the corner of your mouth twitch upward. “Right. Sure.” You scoot back and swing both legs back up so you can stand, your muscles protesting from sitting still for so long. You take a few steps away from the ledge, peering around you. “And where are you exactly?”

His voice goes from a stage whisper to a cheesy imitation of a ghost, and yeah, okay, this is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you, but you can't help laughing when he croons, “I'm a hallucinaaatioooon.”

“Uh huh. A hallucination.” There are a few vents on the roof. You start to walk between them, circling each one in the hope that you'll find this guy crouched behind one, but no such luck. “A hallucination that will get in trouble with the big boss for being seen? Is that what you said?”

“Pshhhh Leo isn't the boss of me. Well, I- I guess like sort of, in a way, but not like- I mean- Dad is the- okay, no, we were talking about you. What are you doing up here? Aren't you cold?”

You cross your arms, feeling a bit petulant at the question, though you're not sure why. Yes, you're cold. But it's… fine. “Are you cold?”

“Answering a question with a question, huh?” You hear a nervous chuckle from… somewhere. “Donnie does that when I'm being- oh shit, am I bothering you right now? I am, aren't I? I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll- sorry, I'll let you get back to, uh, sitting.”

“No!” You reach out a hand toward nothing, feeling more than a little silly as you continue to look around you in vain. The roof is still empty. “No, please, I…”

You… what? Want to keep talking? Missed feeling seen? Maybe he is a hallucination. Maybe this is your brain's last attempt at stopping you. But… it's true. You do want to keep talking.

That's just pathetic, isn't it? Sad, lonely little girl, wanting to be seen so badly that she'll hallucinate someone to ask if she's okay. There's no one here. You're alone.

You're alone.

Everything you had been feeling before you came up here returns, all at once, like a crashing wave, smothering you beneath the crushing pressure. Your throat tightens. Your lungs burn. There's a fog in your mind and a black hole in your chest and you're shivering but it's not from the cold.

…You've put this off long enough. It's time to stop pretending.

Your shoes scuff against the roof as you approach the ledge. A gust of wind makes you sway dangerously, and you think you hear the voice again, but the roaring in your ears is too loud.

Just one more step. One more step. One more. Just. Just-

Something yanks you by the arm, and you stumble backward, bumping into something big and solid. You're wildly disoriented for a few seconds, still getting your feet steady beneath you, and then you look up to see…

Okay. You're definitely hallucinating.

“What are you doing?!” The man (??) asks, frantic concern etched into every line of his face.

His face. Green skin. No hair. And no ears, and more of a snout than a nose, and a- a mask over his eyes? For some reason? You're officially losing it.

The man snaps his fingers - there are fewer than there should be, you notice - in your face, and his other hand rests on your shoulder, holding you in place. “Focus on me, angel, okay? Can you hear me? Are you okay? What were you doing?”

He's talking so fast you don't even get a chance to answer each question before he's asking the next. You stand there, watching him fret, and Jesus, he's huge. With a big… something? On his back? A shell? You look him up and down and back up again before you finally find your voice.

“Are you a turtle?”

He stops moving, going quiet, and seems to suddenly realize something. His expression turns sheepish, almost afraid, and he pulls his hands back to fidget with them in front of his stomach. You feel unmoored without the weight of his hand on your shoulder. “Yeah, actually. I am. Sorry, I… guess I should've… I'm… I'm Mikey.”

Mikey. There's no way this is real. Still, it feels rude to not introduce yourself in turn. Mikey seems to relax when you tell him your name, but the concern returns quickly, and this time when he speaks, he does so quietly.

“What were you doing?”

Is this… your brain trying to… get you to face what you're trying to do? Somehow? You know what you're trying to do. You've been thinking about it for months. Where were these hallucinations before you quit your job? Before you sold nearly everything you own and let your lease run out and cut off the few people who have tried to make a connection with you since you moved here? You're so tired. You're so…

“You know what I was doing, Mikey.”

There's silence as you stare at each other. You watch his expression shift from confusion to dread to sadness. He looks from you to the edge of the roof and back, and his eyes start to water, and you can't, you can't, you can't do this. That's not fair. It's not fair for your mind to come up with a giant turtle man and then make you feel bad for him being sad. That's fucking ridiculous!

…But you do. Feel bad. Mikey looks lost, and scared, and sad - and you hate it.

“Sorry,” you murmur.

Mikey makes an aborted movement with his arms, then shakes his head. He opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it again. “Can I hug you?”

Well, now, this really is pathetic, isn't it? When was the last time someone hugged you? Is your brain that desperate for comfort?

…What do you have to lose?

As soon as you nod, Mikey puts his arms around you and pulls you close. His arms shake, just a little, but you feel secure in his hold. Your cheek rests against his chest, and it's… oddly firm. Textured. Warmer than the air, but still a bit cool to the touch. You can feel his chest moving as he breathes. It feels so real. And you… you don't want him to let go.

It's pathetic, fine, sure, whatever, you don't care, but when you start to sob and he only holds you tighter, you're so, so thankful that he's here.

You let yourself cry. He stays quiet, a steady presence that keeps you grounded, and when your sobs turn to sniffles, he's still holding you. It still feels real. It can't be real, it can't be, but honestly? Fuck it. Fuck everything. You really, truly, do not care. It feels good to be held. It feels good to be seen. To be… cared for. Your brain can hallucinate whatever it wants at this point, as long as Mikey is there, too.

When he starts to pull back, you cling to him. Embarrassing. Whatever. He stops pulling away though, holding you close again.

“Do you want me to take you home?” he asks.

“Don't have one anymore.”

“Oh. My bad.”

For some reason, that makes you smile. Your hallucination, which manifested because you were going to kill yourself, is apologizing for not knowing that you were homeless, which you did in preparation for said killing of said self. Yeah, no, that's funny. That's fucking hilarious.

Maybe you're a little sleep deprived, actually.

“Can I…” Mikey hesitates, his fingers tapping against where he's still holding you. “Do you maybe want to stay with me? For tonight? It's pretty late, so… you'll need a place to sleep, yeah? N-Not that I was, like, saying that- I mean, I'll take the couch obviously, so-”

Oh my god. He'd be sort of adorable if he were real. You let him stumble over his words for juuust a little longer before putting him out of his misery. “That sounds nice, Mikey.”

“Ye-Yeah? Okay. Okay. Cool. So I'll. Um.”

You yelp as he shifts his arms and picks you up like it's nothing, carrying you bridal-style. You look up at him with wide eyes, and he smiles hesitantly down at you. “Ready?”

You blink. Ready for… what? But, as you've already clearly established in your head, you're done questioning things. So. You nod.

“Alright. Uh. Don't freak out. Here we go.”

Don't freak- JESUS CHRIST. The air whips past you as he sprints across the roof and leaps into the fucking air. For a split second you're sure that you actually did step off the roof, that the hallucination has finally ended and it was just your brain scrambling to make shit up in the moment before you plummeted to your death - but then you feel the impact of Mikey landing on something and continuing his sprint. Then it happens again, a leap and a free fall and another impact, and then it happens again, and you realize he's- he's jumping between roofs. Carrying you across the city from way up here. How-

Nope. Nope. Not asking questions. Doesn't matter. He's got you. That's what matters. You press closer, loosely curling your fingers around a leather strap that's crossing over his chest. Another leap, and you think you're sort of, kind of, maybe getting used to it. There's a sort of rhythm to it, and you let yourself relax. You wonder if the rhythm is soothing or if you're just that exhausted. You wonder if any part of this is real. You wonder if you're falling asleep or falling to your death.

It doesn't matter, you decide. Either way, you'll finally be able to rest.

me reading all of these like

Might I also offer some of these?

Leo: "Girl you belong on my TBR list (to be read) because you're one story I can't wait to check out." Donnie: cue Donnie just awkwardly hovering extra close to you all day for some reason and when you call him out on it, he just grins sheepishly and pushes up his glasses and says

"My apologies, the Law of Attraction states that any two objects, no matter how small or large, exert a gravitational force on each other. And since the gravitational pull of your eyes is stronger than that of a black hole, I find myself unexplainably drawn towards you."

Mikey: teasingly trying to pull you in for a kiss "Babe. I have Diabetes, and my glucose is low. Quick! I need some emergency sugar!"

Raph: "Can I try a new pick up line on you?” Proceeds to literally pick you up and throw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Random Turtle Thoughts...

Pickup lines the Bay Guys would use.

(These are just for fun!)

Leo:

"What's your favorite hobby? Besides making me smile, that is."

"So, do you have a preferred nickname? Or should I just call you mine?"

"Your hand looks heavy. Can I hold it for you?"

"See my fathead of a brother over there? He wants to know if you think I'm hot."

"Hi. I'm Mr. Right. Someone said you were looking for me."

"I've heard nothing lasts forever. What do you say? Wanna be my nothing?"

"Has anyone told you how beautiful you look today? Then let me have the honor of being the first."

"Aside from taking my breath away, what do you do for a living?"

Donnie:

"Did you know that a black hole has the second strongest gravitational pull in the known universe? The first is your eyes."

"There isn't a word in the dictionary for how captivating you are."

"I didn't believe it was physically possible for anyone to steal the stars, but here I am, looking right at them in your eyes."

"All the good pickup lines are taken, but I'm hoping you're not."

"I'm not flirting. I'm just genuinely enamored with you."

"Did the sun come out, or did you just smile at me?"

"Does the sunshine ever get jealous of how radiant you are?"

"So, when I call to tell you good morning, what number am I using?"

Mikey:

"Now I'm no photographer, but I can definitely picture us together."

"Hey. Do me a solid and let me know if you see any cops around. Cuz I'm about to steal your heart."

"I was wondering if you're an artist cuz you're so good at drawing me in."

"Your lips look lonely. Would they like to meet mine?"

"I ought to complain to Spotify for not naming you this week's hottest single."

"Can I get your picture? I wanna prove to my brothers that angels really do exist."

"What time do you have to get back to heaven?"

"Mind taking my arm as I walk you home? That way I can say I've been touched by an angel."

Raph:

"Damn, sweetheart. Somethin' must be wrong with my eyes. I can't take 'em off you."

"Here I am, gorgeous. What are yer other two wishes?"

"You remind me of a snowflake, darlin'. Beautiful - unique - and one touch makes you melt." (alt: "And one touch makes you wet.")

"Yer so beautiful I forgot my fuckin' pickup line."

"That outfit looks great on ya. Come to think of it, so would I."

"Let's flip a coin. Heads, I'm yours. Tails, your mine."

"I think the only way you could possibly get more beautiful is if I really got to know ya."

"Damn, girl. God was showing off when he made you."

><><><><><><

Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to reblog with any pickup lines you think the guys would use!

@luckycharms1701 @yorshie @justalotoffanfiction @definitely-canon @writinandcrying

@donniesgirlie @gornackeaterofworlds @thelaundrybitch @sophiacloud28 @iridescentflamingo

@the-cauldron-witch @redsrooftopprincess @thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos @ninnosaurus @tmnt-tychou

@thepinkpanther83 @akari180 @milykins @citruswriter @jenuinely-speaking

@androidships007 @chicchanmooshy @peachesdabunny @msjadamatthews @ahhhhhhhhhfuck

@theanonymousninja247 @tmntngl

...Help--

Ace you’ve flippin done it again. Gone and made me feel things like UGG MY FLIPPIN HEART!!!

People please hug your strong friends. They’re tired from holding up the weight of their worlds 😭

So desperate it hurts

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Ah, I love the struggle..

gURL-

The Many Faces of the Face Man Part 2

Ooooooh, @marchaprilmayhem, you have no idea what you've just hit upon. You have no idea what can of worms you've just opened.

Before addressing any of this, I would like to say that Donnie, Mikey, and Raph have their own things. They all have their own specialty, a way to provide that is uniquely theirs.

Donnie is the genius. The utilitarian. The biggest provider to the point that if you take him out, they don't have a home. As stated here, Donatello was working at a very, very young age, to the point that it's how he defines himself. Hell, the fact that he feels comfortable to do this:

Says a lot about his character and the relationship they have with their dad.

Raph is the leader in this iteration along with the muscle. He's the defender, the protector, the older brother. He's the actual father and he's trying his best.

Mikey, on the other hand, is the artist, the cook. He's the one who feeds them all. You can't tell me that this isn't an indication of what Mikey does all while being silly.

My point? They're all useful. Specialized. No matter how little they think of themselves (especially Donnie with the fact that he might render himself obsolete with his machinery or that mystic powers might make his tech, therefore him useless, but that'll be a talk for another time.)

So where does that put Leo? Leo who is not a specialist, but a jack of all trades that can never outshine his brothers in any of their specialties?

NOWHERE.

Look at the Rise series again and ask yourself this question. When does Leo ever have anything for himself? When does the boy in blue ever have anything going for him? Lou Jitsu? That's a family thing, his dad's thing that he wants so badly to emulate because he wants to belong. Jupiter Jim? Not even. He might be the biggest fan in his family, but it's still something he shares. The only thing that's all his is magic and illusion and his family, Raph specifically, ridicules him twice in the same episode.

RAPH: *Takes ticket from Leo's hand* "I never seen Leo this excited for a book so it must be something, or it would be stupid so we can make fun of him. Either way, Win-Win! Let's get ready."

-xxx-

RAPH: "Alright, let's return those journals. You got 'em, right Leo?"

LEO: "Yes, right already returned them safe and sound in the vault, let's go home."

RAPH: "Leo...what are you doing?"

LEO: "I wasn't gonna read them, I just wanna keep’ em, and maybe snuggle them a little bit."

-xxx-

Leo has nothing going for him. He is useless. His specialty in strategizing? It provides nothing. No matter how much time he passes honing it, it's not directly useful, so he can't do anything. (I am not counting the fact that so many people, including myself, view Leo as the medic of the team.) So what does he do? He keeps quiet. He sometimes interjects with responsible thoughts (The blinds line coming from Leo of all people has significance, not to mention this:

LEO: "Any votes for staying home during the anti-mutant Panic? No? Okay, let's go!"

So, what's left? The cocky mess we see and something that I think gets forgotten all too easily.

Leo doesn't just hype his brothers up. He knows them. Inside and, if you want to take the medic approach, out. He is the best in position to take the lead and make sure his family always gets home safe.

But he is so undervalued, so underplayed that when he is finally given that ounce of recognition...

He panics.

Splinter recognizes Leo's potential? Yes. But, at this point, Leo has long accepted he isn't worth anything. The recognition comes far too late and Leo doesn't want the responsibility without realizing that he already has partially shouldered it through years of learning how to read his brothers and knowing how they behave to best hype them up. I would even dare to say that Leo is the one who values his family the most, if only because he knows what being undervalued feels like.

In short? Yes, Leo has learned to make his mind work that fast. He had to. Else he would have left a long, long time ago.

taglist:

@silverwatergalaxy

@thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos

@thelaundrybitch

@luckycharms1701

@thepinkpanther83

@avery73

@the-cauldron-witch

@redsrooftopprincess

@iridescentflamingo

@ninnosaurus

You. Yes. Keep that. That’s good.

At least once a day, there is a moment where I have the deepest need to climb into his lap, feel those big green arms wrap around me, and just fall apart.

There's something unfair about that.