Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Man, I wish we’ad cash!” Raph exclaimed dramatically, slamming his lunch tray onto the table harshly as he takes a seat next to his bros on one side with April on the other side of the table.

See, now being a part of human society means that the four turtle brothers in the span of five days had came to the horrifying realization that they are broke as hell. “All my friends got these awesome wrestling mats and-!” Raph grunts in frustration, cutting himself off. Donnie nods in agreement as he types away on his phone, talking to his newfound friends in the anime club.

“Yeah- all my friends have these awesome figurines and merch! And all I got is like- stickers and that JoJo hoodie I stole a few days ago. The collection is lacking, bro! I hate it.” Donnie grumbles as he keeps texting away, letting out a few chuckles here and there. Leo sighs and agrees as well.

“Well of course we’re broke- it’s not like we could ever have jobs before. And even though we are the heroes of the city, not sure that we have the social skills for customer servrive- considering we lived in a sewer for most of our lives… haha.” Leo laughs sheepishly, fidgeting with his fingers as he eats his food with a disgusted look on his face. Fish stick day. Ew.

Mikey couldn’t help the groan out of his lips. All of them hate being broke, obviously they do. “Yeah, it’s such a tragedy!” Mikey says while making a dramatic pose of defeat. “Such a shame you can’t get money for being funny unless you’re a pro.” He says with a slight smirk, trying to not so subtly compliement himself.

“The only thing funny about you is that massive forehead, Hey Arnold looking ass.” Donnie snarks with a bright smile, Raph audibly snorting and Leo chuckling a bit. Mikey gasps loudly in mock offense before laughing too. April coughs to get their attention.

“You do know that there are jobs that don’t require much socializing, right? The school allows students to help out the custodians- you don’t have to talk to many people. As long as you’re mostly a good student and the pay’s alright.” April offers the four with a quirk to her lip. Leo perks up a bit at April’s voice, causing his brothers to snicker.

“It does? How do you know that? Are you maybe a part of the program…? Because if so- uh-! I think we could maybe give it a shot because.., y-you could help us, you know?” Leo awkardly stutters out, tonuge twisting in on itself. He noticeably flushes as he looks up at April with a nervous expression. His smile was wobbly until it vanished completely when Mikey starts wheezing, Donnie shortly following and Raph cringing with a very noticeable grimace on his face.

April, never being one that was good with feelings (and completely unaware of the tension in the room) shakes her head with a blunt “no”. But she smiles too.

“But y’know… if you do wanna work with me, you could help me deliver the school newspaper. It pays decently and it’s an opportunity for us to spend more time together.” April adds on and Leo turns bright red again, blushing intensely as a slight smile spreads across his face. Dimples were in full displays as Leo’s heart flutters. His brothers were all laughing and wincing in the background, amused smirks on their faces and feeling heavy second hand embarrassment drop down on their shoulders like a pound of bricks.

“Really? You mean it!?” Leo asks with barely restrained happiness. April wanted to spend more time with him? He couldn’t believe it! He was floating on cloud nine! This sweet, airy feeling fills in his chest as he tries not to giggle. This angelic warmth spreading along his body felt so… so nice! It was like flying in the sky, careless and free. He is always so stressed so this feeling… it’s incredible! It’s magical! It’s pure! It’s beautiful! It’s-

“She wouldn’t ‘ad offered if not, genius!” Raph snaps Leo back into reality with a snarky comment. Leo grumbles as his two other brothers start bouncing off of Raph.

“Yeah, dude. Don’t fight the feelings she and you have!” Mikey starts doing kissy lips as to embarrass Leo, eyes twinkling mischievously a he bats them at Leo. April starts catching on and blushes a bit, but not enough to be noticeable and unsure if Leo actually likes her or if his brothers are just being little jerks. Or perhaps both.

“Yeah, so start prepping for the date, bro!” Donnie says playfully as he gives his brother’s shell a smack. He starts laughing even more when Leo starts covering his face. April just chuckles along with them, unsure on what else to do.

Leo feels so embarrassed. So he pushes his brothers off of him as they continue with lunch.
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After some more talking, lunch comes to an end and the four brothers start to go to class together. The four have the same period for history so they could all go together.

“Guys, why did you do that?” Leo asks with a frustrated tone, frown lining his features as his brothers look at him with unserious expressions. Raph let’s out a quick snort before speaking.

“We were just teasing ya, relax.” Raph utters with that same playfullness from earlier, slight smirk on his face.

“Well- how would you feel if I’d embarrassed you in front of your crush, hm?” Leo tries to counter, but his brothers didn’t seem that concerned. In fact they only seem more amused.

“Well then we’d be even, I don’t got one though, and if I did I wouldn’t be as bad as you!” Mikey says with a laugh, walking bouncily with a bright smile. “It’s sweet bro- but embarrassing! We’re just trying to have fun with it.”

“Yeah, I mean- you wouldn’t see me like that for a human or a mutant! A nervous mess? Nah. That wouldn’t be me.” Donnie adds on, humming to the BTS playing in his headphones.

“Me neither! All tongue tied n’ stuff. I would never.” Raph adds with a laugh, patting Leo on the head before smacking his shell.

“Tell me bout it! I would never get all flustered for anybody!” Mikey says with a stupid amount of confidence. Leo rolls his eyes, sighing and just continues walking.

And thus, this Monday marks the day where these sentences will be Raph’s, Mikey’s, and Donnie’s famous last words.

They have no idea how they are about to eat those words.

Chapter Text

Eventually, the four boys got a job after much debate and discussion. Ehh… not really, they played a game of eeny meeny miny moe after all four of them realized that they in fact didn’t know anything about jobs. Basically the same thing! Doesn’t matter anyway. What matters is that now they have jobs! 

Donnie is working as a pizza delivery boy, Mikey working as one of the janitor’s helpers which is the job April first suggested, Raph as a library helper (ironically enough), and Leo helping April with the school newspaper as a delivery boy. All of them were ok with it, except Raph. 

He honestly hated the idea of his job, being kept up in some crummy old library where it’s so quiet and peaceful? Bleh! No way! Where’s the fun if he can’t be loud and proud? What could happen here? What on earth could be good about this job other than the money? This stinks. He hates this. And he hasn’t even arrived at the library yet! He continues walking to the library with his shoulders slumped and boredom already dancing in his eyes, his steps dull and slow. Much like his job will probably be- ugh! 

He grunts quietly to himself, angrily mumbling under his breath. He sighs in defeat as he opens the door to his new workplace, aka the school library. __________________________________

Ok… this wasn’t too bad. Sure boring and dull like he expected but the librarian is nice and she allows him to listen to music so- it wasn’t all bad. He still disliked it here but it could be worse! He gets to ride the library cart as he stacks the books on the shelves so that’s something. 

He rolls around the library as he throws the books around and fixes everything up. He was actually getting a lot done! He’s been all over the place, seeing every shelf around. Romance, humor, fantasy, school textbooks, blah, blah, blah . It was all boring. He picks at his teeth with a grumble as he rolls up to the classic novels section. 

He picks up one of the books, “The Great Gatsby”, psh- great his ass, and puts it on the shelf. He goes to put another copy of this book back when all of a sudden, a soft hand brushes against his hand. He almost yells and pulls out his sai’s on the person until he sees her. 

First thing he’s realizing is that there are other mutants other than his family, which includes Superfly’s old gang. As he is looking deep into the eyes of a cat mutant. The second thing he’s realizing is that this girl is so beautiful- like he would scream if he weren’t in a library. Why does he care about the library? Probably because he doesn’t wanna be fired on his first day. 

But that’s not important right now because… wow. Her eyes were big and dark, and they were looking at him with this beautiful shine to them. She had this adorably awkward smile as she fidgeted with the bow tie on her neck. A red jacket, black pants, glasses, and that little bow to tie the look together. Her ears were slightly slumped and her nose wiggled a bit, and her fur, so soft looking, he just wants to pet her, does that sound weird? That totally sounds weird. 

“Uh… sorry!” She whispers to Raph and he might die. Her voice is just as cute as her! He is freaking out, mouth agape, and eyes looking at her widely. He couldn’t help but stare, qhe felt weird about it- but he couldn’t help it. 

“Guh.” He makes a sound instead of talking, the copy of this book still in his hand and long forgotten about. “Dang it, speak you idiot!” Raph thinks to himself, frustrated from his own behavior. But it was like every word was stuck in his throat, like he was silenced by his own mouth and tongue. He hates it. He grumbles a bit out of this anger but she doesn't seem to hear it so that’s good! Why did he care if she heard? He has no idea! 

The girl sees the book still hanging from his fingers and she lights up in a way that could outshine the sun. That once very small and awkward smile is now happy and bright. “Is that ‘The Great Gatsby’? I love that book!” She says quietly, but the excitement in her tone is undeniable and she is beaming. Plus her ears were all perked up. 

“I- uh.” Is all he could muster to say. Does it count as saying something? He doesn’t know but again, he can’t stand this. He blinks dumbly at her as she continues to talk about the book. 

“It’s one of my favorites. One of the best books of all time, don’t you think?” She asks hushly before retracting into herself. “I’m sorry. Got a little excited. Am I annoying you?” She chuckles nervously, ears dripping down again before Raph finally regains the ability to speak. 

“No!” He yells out, many harsh shushes directed at him to follow. He growls at this but he keeps himself composed, he doesn’t want to lose it in front of someone he doesn’t know. Especially if that someone is really sweet. “Heh… I mean no.” He says in a whisper. “And I totally agree, uh- that book is awesome! The g-great part of the title is there for a reason…!” He fumbles his words  with a smile, lying through his teeth. Great his ass and now it was the best book of all time? What is wrong with him? 

But that got her to smile again and her ears went right back up. Raph felt his heart jump. “Yeah! That’s what I always say.” She says with a content sigh before continuing. “This library is the best place in this school, so much to read. Don’t you agree?”

“Uh-“ Before Raph could answer the teen girl’s eyes widened, bright, almost starry and his heart soars, beating so hard someone could probably make a melody out of it. 

“You’re one of the turtles that saved New York! You are one of the guys that made it safe for me and my dad to live up here!” She says with absolute wonder in her voice. Her eyes are so joyful and she flaps her hands a bit before putting them together with a shy smile, seemingly trying not to get excited. 

Raph, in an effort to look cool, smirks and leans on his book cart. “Yeah, I mean me and my bros- but especially me, are pretty awesome. Just the average hero, no big deal but- y’know.” He chuckles smoothly before he accidentally moves the cart out of place, causing him to fall down, face first. His face turns bright red out of both embarrassment and anger, fists clenching before he hears the most angelic sound he’s ever heard. 

She was giggling, he got her to giggle! His fists immediately unclenched, still red in the face but for a different reason now. He looks up at her in awe as she continues to laugh. She clears her throat as she flushes in embarrassment, helping him up with that same awkward smile from earlier. 

“Heh- sorry about that. Are you ok?” She asks timidly, voice filled with concern as she tilts her head slightly to the side. Raph felt all the air leave his lungs, the feeling sharp and yet so… so beautiful. 

“Haha-! Yeah! Yeah, I’m good- uh- perfect actually! Are… are you good?” He stutters out, eyes fixated on her. Why did he ask that? Of course she’s fine! Nothing happened to her! So why? She smiles sweetly at him and he melts. 

“I’m alright.” She says with soft eyes. “You’re funny, Raph.” 

She thinks he’s funny? She knows his name? Probably from T.V but still! She knows his name! His heart raced and he couldn’t fight the grin on his face- he felt like a total dork! He was just as bad as Leo with April-… oh. Oh no. He has a crush on this girl, doesn’t he? Oh, no, no, no! Leo is never going to let him live this down. He needs to make sure Leo doesn’t find out. 

“Oh-! Thanks! I mean, I am super funny and cool.” He tries to play cool boy again. “So- uh…” He hesitated for a moment. “What’s your name?” She looks surprised that he asks that before answering.

“It’s Liliana!” She says with a happy tone. “It was nice to meet you- I’m going to check out this book. Bye! Hope to see you again.” Liliana waves goodbye to Raph and takes the book from Raph. She walks off to the librarian and does so. Raph’s eyes follow her until she leaves. Oh my god. 

He has a crush. Like Leo, he is a total dork! Well…

He regrets everything he said yesterday.

Chapter Text

The sound of brooms and trash cans rattering in the cart echoes across the hallways. Music is blasting through Mikey’s headphones as he helps the janitor clean up the school along with another teen. He was kinda enjoying his job- if he was being honest. The janitor is super cool, chill and minds his own business. He’s not really talkative but he lets Mikey run his mouth so yeah, Mikey likes his boss. The halls though… they are an absolute mess! Piles and piles of trash caked every little corner of good ol’ Eastman High and it was him, the janitor, and one other kid against it all.

But they were actually making pretty good progress! With all three of them working together the trash is flying away fast. He was honestly really proud of himself for that. His boss seems to be proud of him too in a way. First day on the job and he’s already made a good impression! Yes! 

It was difficult not to lose focus though, the school was always buzzing with some kind of story, gossip, or just normal conversation that was interesting. Abby Benadict cheated on Robert Smith with Anthony Ortiz, two teachers were caught with each other, so so much! But he keeps his composure well enough to focus on doing a good job.

He is bouncing around rhythmically, sweeping everything he could up as he sings along quietly to himself the song he was listening to. Dancing to the rhythm of his music made it easier to focus, surprisingly enough. He mimics the beat of the song before continuing to sing. 

“Hang one night with 'Yoncé, I'll make you famous! Hey! Have you ever seen the stage goin' apeshit? Rah- ack-!” He almost trips on his own foot but he managed to catch himself before embarrassing himself. He sighs in relief. “Nope, ain’t happening today sir-ski!” He mutters with an energetic tone to himself before continuing to sweep and sing.

He continues going around like this for a while before he sees someone drop a piece of paper on the ground. He usually isn’t prone to anger (that is Raph’s job) but this was extra work for him! He was about to teach this kid manners until the kid goes and picks it up, making it clear that it was an accident. Along with that the kid picks up other things on the ground as if to help him and his fellows cleaners! Huh, that isn’t what he thought would happen but he can’t complain. 

Such a small action but he can’t help but feel like he should thank this mystery teen. So he follows him down the hall, he has a tail, and spiky edges along the sides of his face (from what he could see that is), he was another mutant! Awesome! His music paused- it was loading. Great. But he didn’t mind as much as normal, he wanted to talk to this person! 

He pokes the fellow mutant on the back to catch his attention. “Hey! I just wanted… to… uh…” All the words he was about to say evaporated from him, his throat suddenly feeling dry. He probably looks like an owl at the way he was staring at this guy. His eyes were massive, shining, and for the “king of improv” he couldn’t seem to find a way to break this silence. It’s as if his brain was fuzzy, he could feel his heart thump intensely in his chest.

This boy, he is so stunning! Bluish-green scales line his body, every part of him bright underneath the light of the school’s fluorescent tubes, he was looking at Mikey with this friendly, happy gaze that made Mikey’s head spin, he had nice taste in clothes too! A black jacket, purple shirt and jeans, with plenty of multi-colored stickers and other accessories to make the outfit pop.

“Yes?” He asks in this kind, sweet, almost sugary tone. The kind of tone that would knock out a diabetic, and probably Mikey himself if this boy keeps speaking like that. So kind and welcoming- something about it did something to him. The teen tilts his head to the side while looking at Mikey, warm smile on his face and Mikey feels like he is going to actually die. 

“I- well- uh!” Mikey tries to choke out words but his abiltiy to speak coherently was currently failing him. “Just wanted to say thank you for picken’ up all that rubbish, mate! Good on ya.” …Did he just become astruailian? Because what was all of that!? Really? That was the best he could do? This isn’t his astruailian shoe store in improv class! And yet he said this like it was. Ugh! Is this what it feels like to cringe at yourself? He was all red in the face and it didn’t help when the boy cracks a bigger smile, his teeth weren’t perfect much like his weren’t! Crooked in an adorable way. If this boy got any sweeter he would get a cavity.

“Oh, well it’s no problem, mate!” The boy does his best to copy Mikey’s fake accent and it makes his heart melt! He could tell the impression wasn’t made to mock him but to join in. That was so sweet of him. “It really is nothing.” He said in his normal (angelic and honey-like) voice. Mikey shakes his head. 

“It’s more than nothing, bro. I’m a part of the cleaning team and it- it helps a lot.” Mikey chirps, laughing sheepishly. The guy nods before squinting his eyes at Mikey, like he was trying to get a better look at him. Once he did, he gasped.

“You’re one of the hero turtles! That got the humans to accept us mutants! Mikey, right?” He asks with utter awe in his voice. He just kept getting better and sweeter and it made Mikey more and more of a mess! Mikey turns bright red, this boy knows who he is! That made him so happy, why? He didn’t know. But this boy gave him the happy jitters. He tries not to flap his hands around. 

“Haha- yeah! That would be me… in the flesh, bro-ski!” He says while making an animated pose with his hands. He couldn’t keep still. “And you? Who may you be? Cause I never seen you ‘round these parts and- uh! I wanna change that..? Cause you got a good vibe and- yeah.” He sounds unsure in himself, giving the boy an awkward smile. Now his braces were in full display and it made him feel even more self conscious. 

“Name’s Alex. And thanks! You got a good vibe to you as well, I think we’re gonna get along, dude.” Alex says while beaming, patting Mikey on the back. That touch sends electricity up Mikey’s back, like a ghost went up his spine in the most beautiful way, and he laughs, feeling himself get flustered. He clears his throat.

“Yeah- yeah! So-… see you around?” He asks with a meek tone, feeling small for some reason he couldn’t quite figure out. Alex nods at him and flashes him another smile, eyes all happy and starry. 

“See you around!” He says happily before running off, seemingly in a hurry. He probably forgot something and he had to run. Once the guy leaves Mikey lets out a long, dreamy sigh. He was so nice! And he seems so cool, and he wants to know more about him, and he’s so handsome and cute and- oh. Oh no.  

He sounds like Leo whenever talking about April, talking about how nice she is and pretty and how she is so cool too. He sounds exactly like him! No, no, no! And he was talking so much game yesterday- this can’t happen! And more importantly, Leo can’t know. Or else he would never let Mikey live it down. Oh god- why!? 

He starts cleaning again, trying to distract himself from everything. His music finally loaded and started playing again (crummy school Wi-Fi) and he just swept up. But this boy was floating around his head and he barely even knew him! He is so weird for this, isn’t he? Man…

Doesn’t he regret the teasing from yesterday.

Chapter Text

Donnie was looking forward to his new job! Out of his brothers he would say he got the best job of them, pizza delivery! He gets a motorbike, a cool uniform, and he can bring home both pizza and money! This is great. He was buzzing with excitement and optimism as he makes his way to the local Pizza Hut. This will be so much fun. Sure, it’s work but he gets a motorbike! Maybe not to keep but still! No job could be better, he was sure of it.

He was confident in his abilities here. He was the only brother who knew how to drive (all of those racing games payed off for something), he was decently organized and punctual, not perfect like Leo is but definitely better than Mikey and Raph, he had a positive attitude, and in the words of Leo- “You’re the most inviting and friendly!” So if you ask him he is perfect for this job.

He had his headphones on, playing Kpop as he made his way inside the building. Shuffling his feet and humming to the music he is greeted by a black-haired girl. Her eyes were twinking with this genuine friendliness that made Donnie smile. Not only is this a cool job but it seems like his fellow employees are super nice too. “Hi there! You must be Donnie, I’m Ella, aka the manager! Nice to meet you.” She gives Donnie her hand to shake. He takes it eagerly. 

“It’s great to meet you, Ella! Is everyone here as nice as you?” Donnie says with a slightly amused and singsong tone, in an attempt to both show he genuinely likes her and trying to butter up his boss a bit. She chuckles and ruffles up her hair with one hand and putting the other on her hip. 

“Well, we’re all a treat, but I’m the best, at least if you ask me. And my opinion is correct.” She says in a deadpanned statement, looking comically serious before cracking a smile and laughing again. Donnie couldn’t help but laugh along with her, fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie before Ella quite literally takes him by the arm and forcefully drags him into the kitchen. Her expression was bright and happy as she pulls him harshly through the back door. (She didn’t mean to hurt him but she was just so excited!) 

“Today though, it’s just three people- me, you, and Levi!” She says with a happy, chirpy voice, Donnie still trapped in her tight grip. He is gasping for air as she keeps running to the back. Lucky for Donnie, it was over just as fast as it began. She looks around with lots of energy before bolting down the hallway. 

“LEVI!!! GET OVER HERE- THE NEW EMPLOYEE IS HERE!” She yells, leaving Donnie there with a blank look on his face. He stands there in awkward silence, swaying his hips side to side lazily. He takes a look around the kitchen and it looks decent, black walls with cracks here and there and pizza supplies all over the place. Not very organized but they had some kind of system set up. 

She comes back with Levi after a bit more time, and pats Donnie on the back to catch his attention again. “Oh, hi guys!” Donnie says happily, turning to face the two. Once he did, Donnie got whiplash, face instantly turns bright red, mouth opening slightly and feeling something in his chest flutter. This rush of feelings almost made him dizzy. 

This boy is breathtaking. His hair is dyed a beautiful, rusty blue color that matches well with his skin, he had all this nice jewelry on him, ears pierced, a necklace wrapped around his strong looking neck, hands decked out with rings, he even had headphones with anime stickers! He likes anime too! But the shiniest thing about him was that bright smile that Donnie can’t look away from. Oh. My. God. Donnie might simply pass away. 

“Hi! You must be Donnie, how cool is it that I get to work with a hero!?” He says excitedly, taking Donnie by the hand to shake it. “Ha… sorry. Just excited, you seem super cool.” Those two sentences practically made Donnie crumble, air getting knocked out of his lungs. 

“You think I’m cool?” Donnie asks with a voice crack, feeling this crushing embarrassment once hearing his voice. The guy in front of him nods and again, Donnie might die. Ella glances at the two of them and starts gigglings- she totally knows. Dang it. 

“Of course I do! Did you see yourself up there? You swung yourself up from a window- if that isn’t the coolest thing ever I don’t know what the hell cool means.” He assures Donnie, clinking his finger rings together. It was like Donnie was hypontized, eyes following Levi’s fingers, his attention locked on him. He doesn’t seem to notice him staring but his newfound boss certainly did. 

“Well, I think you two would be great work partners! I’ll be sure to give you guys more shifts together. I sense you two getting along.” She says in an overly playful tone, eyes twinkling with excitement. His head does a full 180 to glare at her and she just smiles. “Oh, what? I’d thought you’d be happy, Don!” She whispers, gently smacking Donnie’s arm as her eyes shine with mischief.

“Hope you right bout that, El.” Levi suddenly adds on, the two turn to face him and he visibly gets embarrassed. “Haha… it’s just that- I want us to get along! That doesn’t sound weird, right?” He asks with a slightly shaky tone, nervously playing with his hair. He genuinely wants to be his friend…? Thump thump. Thump thump. That sounds echoes in his chest, faster and louder than it ever did. 

“Oh-! No! It’s not weird at all, uh-! I would like to be friends too…! Haha…!” He starts breaking into nervous giggles, unable to control his laughter. His face was getting increasingly hotter as he looks at Levi with doey eyes. He wants to stop laughing; To stop staring. He can’t. He is such a weirdo! Why can’t he get himself together? 

This boy was a wizard of some kind, huh? Because there is no other explanation for the spell he has him under! That has to be the reason why his heart is playing hopscotch and on why it felt like his head was underwater yet he could still breathe. That has to be the only reason! Right? It has to be the reason for the tingling in his stomach, and how it made him sick in the most beautiful way. 

Oh. Oh no. He has a crush. Damn it. Why!? After everything he said yesterday to tease Leo he ends up making a fool of himself. Ugh! No! Karma bites hard. Harder than a aligator. (He would know, Leatherhead once accidentally bit him and that hurt like hell. But not as bad as this,) Welp…

He regrets yesterday, that’s for sure.

Chapter Text

April is super cool. She is super pretty, and super out of Leo’s league. At least if you asked him that was the case. From the moment his eyes met with those deep, beautiful eyes of hers he felt like he was drowning. This overwhelming but so amazing dizziness hit his head and he hasn’t been the same since. That slight smile she always has around him never fails to make him melt, that smile outshines all the stars in the sky, it even puts the sun to shame. Her voice is the most amazing song Leo has ever heard. 

Whenever near her, his heart always races in his chest and he feels his cheek darken. It was impossible for him to pick his favorite part about her, so don’t even ask what it is unless you wanna hear the answer “everything”. He has no idea what’s going on in that beautiful mind most of the time yet he was always along for the ride! Everything about her is perfect. Even her flaws like her stage fright are perfect. Smart, witty, and so so pretty… what’s not to like? 

She is the reason why the world didn’t turn on them. She overcame her fears for the new members of his family, for his brothers and dad, for him . All so they could be a part of the human world, something they’ve always wanted, but never could have until now. That thought alone took all the air from his lungs, made his body tingle, and all these other, beautiful, pure feelings that would consume him. He never wanted to be free from it. 

Which is why he is now the school’s newspaper delivery boy. Spending more time with the most amazing woman on earth plus he gets payed for it? Sign him up! He has stacks and stacks of newspapers in his hands but he could only focus on the happy look in April’s eyes and a soft smile. “So, you really up to this task, Nardo?” She asks in a playful and teasing way. Nardo. A nickname that out of anyone else’s mouth Leo hated but out of April’s it made his heart go haywire. 

“Psh-! Course I am, girl! You know you can rely on me..!” He tries to joke along back but it comes out a lot less smooth than he hoped for. April chuckles a little and pats him on the head, and Leo tenses it at touch, wobbly smile on his face. 

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, we got to deliver all of that to Ms. David’s class, let’s go.” She gestures for him to follow her and he goes running. His walk is eager as he follows April’s every move, every exact turn and skip. 

They make it to the classroom and Leo goes and hands the papers over. “Here you go, Ms. David! There are thirty copies, just like you asked for.” He says with an awkward but polite tone, shuffling with his feet. Leo leaves the classroom the moment he gives the papers to her, quickly and nervously. He is a little shaky. April pats Leo on the back. “Good job, but next time stay long enough to get a thank you. Ok?” She says with a soft tone and it makes Leo’s heart soar. She is so great.  

Class after class and Leo starts getting more confident and comfortable with his job, eventually becoming less awkward with all the teachers. And to make it even better April seems to be proud of him! Yes! He’s blushing at that look in her eyes. 

“Not bad for your first day, Leo.” She says with a little laugh. He could feel his chest flutter at her words, eyes glowing with affection. His hands start flapping and he desperately tries to control it. April doesn’t mind it though. Honestly she finds it quite cute. 

“Really!? D-does that mean-“ Before Leo could complete his question April cuts him off. 

“Yes Leo. I like working with you, you goof.” She sighs a bit and Leo’s heart drops into his stomach. He giggles nervously. It’s very obvious that he is incredibly flustered, with the way he plays with his fingers and the slight sweat on his face. M

“Haha… thanks, April.” She pats him on the shoulder and he shivers at the touch. Her hand is so warm and her touch is so soft and kind… is it possible for a touch to be kind? He didn’t know but if it was, this was it. 

“Anytime. Now then, we got more classes to hit before we go. So, let’s go!” She starts walking again. 

He follows her. 

Chapter Text

Leo headed out of Eastmen High with a happy pep to his steps. What an amazing first day on the job! April likes working with him! Those words kept replaying in his head, making his heart sing and his smile grow. He had a noticeable blush lining his cheeks as he let’s out a dreamy sigh, god- what a great day. He feels this wonderful warmth spread across his body. It feels like pure bliss. So much energy ran through him. It felt awesome that for once he isn’t stressing out. He sees Raph and Mikey already waiting outside for him and Donnie, and runs up to them. He is on cloud nine right now so he skipped his way over to his brothers.

“Hey guys!” Leo says with a slight wave, grinning at them when he notices something… different. Raph is just- staring at the floor with a dazed expression, seemingly shocked by something but by what? Leo had absolutely no idea. He tries to get a better look at what was wrong by squinting at him, was he blushing…? Huh- odd.

He steals a glance at Mikey who is surprisingly quiet. He usually would be running his mouth with random jokes and about how his day was by now. He seemed different too, not just from his lack of speech but his face too. He has a smile on his face, but not the kind he normally would, this one was wobbly, swirly, and his eyes were shining in a way Leo had never seen before from him. He can’t tell but he thinks Mikey might be blushing too. That was weird too. 

“Uh… hello?” He snaps and gets the attention of his two brothers. The two of them jump in surprise as if they were lost in thought. Leo decides to try and cheer them up by cracking a joke- he isn’t the best at jokes but he tries. “Woah there- I know that jump. I didn’t even know you two were capable of thinking!” That was bad… at least he thinks it was. He laughs sheepishly but surprisingly, his other two brothers laugh at the joke.

Normally they would roll their eyes, saying something along the lines of “You’re not funny, leave the jokes to me/Mikey” then laugh at that. But they actually laugh at his joke. It was like they were in a better mood than normal. Again- strange.

“Good one.” Mikey says with a snicker, laughing at his own expense with a grin. “But we actually can despite common belief otherwise!” He explains in a mock nerdy voice, getting a chuckle out of Leo and Raph. Raph gives Leo a hearty smack on the shell as he laughs, taking the jab much better than he normally would. Leo grumbles a bit but takes it well. 

“Yeah, we can when we want to. We just don’t overthink all the time, unlike you, Nardo.” Raph says teasingly, getting a gust of laughter out of Mikey and a frown out of Leo. Leo just lets the two laugh at him with a groan of annoyance as the two of them run circles around him going “Nardo~!”

“Ha. Ha. You two are so funny.” Leo says dryly, his tone thick with sarcasm. Mikey gently smacks Leo’s forehead, as to not hurt him. At the end of the day it is all in good fun after all. His smile getting more cheeky as Raph flashes Leo a dumbass smirk. 

“We know!” Mikey says cheerfully. All of a sudden they hear Donnie call out to them, waving his arms around like a maniac to catch their attention. He is running as fast as he can, trying not to drop his phone in the process. 

“Guys! Guys!” Donnie yells out, sounding out of breath as he makes his way over, purposely and playfully shoving Mikey as he did so. Mikey gasps in mock offense and pushes Donnie back, sticking his tongue out at him. “Sorry- I was talking to my new coworker, but I made it!” He had his usual tone despite being a bit winded, except for the new coworker part, he sounded more coy when mentioning that. Leo takes note of that. Odd. 

Leo needs to ask, but not directly. “So… how was your guys' day?” He asks with a nervous smile and all of his brothers chime in at the same time. Their voices crash and mix with each other like it typically would. They all talk over each other a lot. 

“Today I met someone! This guy was so sweet—“ “He likes anime! I like—“ “She was so nice to me. It felt—“ They all went in detail about the friends they made today, from how they look to how they behave. Every word piles on top of each other, to anyone else it would sound like pure gibberish yet somehow Leo made out everything they said. 

“Whoa there guys! Keep talking about your new friends like that, I'm going to think you got a crush on them.” He said with a laugh, clearly joking. His brothers all fall silent at Leo’s words and Leo notices this immediately. Their faces told it all, stunned, embarrassed, and cheeks flushing a bit. It takes a little but it eventually clicks in his head.

“Wait- woah- what!?” Leo asks, looking at them with an amazed expression. Raph looks at the ground with a huff, Mikey smiles at Leo nervously with a slight nod, and Donnie lets out a sigh in defeat. No way. Oh my god this is too good! Leo lets out a chuckle. Then a full on laugh. Then hysterical giggling. Oh my god this is amazing! After everything they said yesterday karma comes rushing in and hits them like a truck. Yes!  

“Haha— haha! Hahaha- hahaha! Oh- oh! Oh- that is amazing! Ha! So good, so good! Ooh- you three know how to crack a turtle up! Hahahaha!” He keeps laughing with no sign of stopping anything soon. His brothers make sounds in embarrassment (Raph in both embarrassment and slight anger) but they don’t object. They deserve this. They know they do. 

Leo starts clapping along with his laughter, tears rolling down his eyes. He isn’t just laughing, but full on wheezing at this point. This was absolutely perfect. “Hahaha! I can’t- I can’t! ” Leo swings one of his arms around Raph. “So- you like nerds, huh? Haha!” Leo is having the time of his life as Raph grumbles. “I guess I’m not surprised. You liked Tom Holland for a bit.” …For once Raph didn’t have a comeback.

“Shut up, Leo.” He settles for instead which got a very preppy “Nope!” from Leo. He then swings an arm around Mikey, a huge grin on his face while Mikey sweats nervously. He has never seen Leo’s eyes so bright and excited since they were first accepted a few days ago. 

“And you! All it takes is some kindness and you fall head over heels? I’ve always known you had a sweet tooth, but dang !” Leo makes a pun, more laughter falling out of his mouth much to Mikey’s embarrassment. He was clearly having a blast- his smile was so wide! “And judging by the fact you used to have a crush on Chris Hemsworth and your current obsession with Mark Ruffalo, you liking another guy makes sense.” 

“OH SURE- AIR OUT MY DIRTY LAUNDRY WHY DON’T YOU!” Mikey yells in embarrassment, face turning beet red as Leo laughs even more. But he can’t be mad. He used to tease about about the fact Leo used to like Ariana Greenblatt (and when he had his first bi panic a few months ago when he saw Jack Champion for the first time when their dad forced them to watch Avatar 2 for the first time.) So yeah, he totally deserves it. 

Leo just keeps laughing at that. “Oh- lighten up! You’re the one who likes cracking jokes and laughing! Which is why you also had a thing for Tiffany Haddish!” Did Leo memorize every damn famous person they ever had a crush on? Donnie tries to escape his fate by running but Leo straight up nabs him by the hoodie and wraps his arm around him after letting both Raph and Mikey go. 

“Oh no! Don’t think I’m sparing you. Y’know, I’ve always knew you were at least a bit zesty when I caught you kissing your poster of SUGA–” A shrill scream of “LEO!” interrupted him but Leo kept going regardless. “But that is just amazing! Falling for your coworker? And all of this happened after everything you said yesterday? Wowie!” Leo just kept on giggling- he is never going to let his brothers live this down. Never.  

After a little while more Leo finally catches his breath but he still had this shit-eating grin on his face. His eyes were sparkling like stars and his brothers were all looking at him with stunned expressions. For once, Leo wasn’t the butt of the joke when it came to crushes and Leo had never smiled wider. Well they were right, regrets were hanging over their heads once they realized they no longer had an upper hand on Leo. Now he has the ability to fight back with the newfound information he had. 

Damn it- why!?

Chapter Text

After a mostly silent walk though the city, aside from a few chuckles out of Leo and some honking cars they make it to the sewer cover that leads back home. As they did millions of times before they twist, pull it open, and one by one hop inside. But for once they were happy to go back home, having acceptance will do that to you. They already hear the chaos they were about to be greeted with. Bebop and Rocksteady’s shouts at each other echo across the dim sewer walls, fighting over where to put a lamp. It’s been five days and they are still trying to figure out where the furniture should go. 

“I LIKE IT ON THE NIGHTSTAND!”

“THAT’S SO BASIC!” 

“YOU’RE BASIC!” 

“GET OVER HERE!”

That was the last thing they heard before hearing something slam against something else. Or in this case someone slam against someone else. 

Yep… this was normal. They smell the amazing cooking of Leatherhead and how it tickled their noises. Blooming onions. Yum. They hurry their way to see her cook, hiding by decking under a table to avoid getting in the cross fire of Bebop and Rocksteady’s battle (well Donnie, Leo, and Mikey did. They had to foce Raph down so he didn’t join in- ) and wow! Her skills in the kitchen are absolutely unmatched!

The sizzling of the pan, how graceful her movements are, she is a natural. They watch in awe, Mikey has always wanted to learn how to cook. He should ask her. 

“Both of ya stop fightin’ before I bite ya heads off!” She calls out to her two rambunctious brothers, not yet noticing the four turtle boys watching her food. The sound of skating wheels crashing on stone walls entered the room along with a excited “Woo!” The sounds of cracky singing joined the cheers in a mismash of sounds. Seems that Mondo and Ray Fillet are home.

Splinter and Scumbug are watching T.V together, holding hands. (Ew.) Wingnut was reding her books with intense focus. All three of them don’t seem to notice the chaos going on behind them. Genghis Frog is just vibing out, waiting for Leatherhead’s food and enjoying the sight of Bebop and Rocksteady’s brawl. 

The four brothers decide to make their presence known. “Hey everyone, we’re home!” Mikey cheers into the room, waving at his newfound family. Mondo snaps his head to face them and immediately rushes to hug the four. 

“Bros!!!” He says excitedly, squeezing the turtles into a hug that was just a little too tight, typical Mondo behavior. Mikey eagerly hugs Mondo back as the three other brothers struggle to move. They are gasping for air. “Bro!!!” Mikey says back with a matching excited tone. The hugs lasts for just a bit too long before he lets them go. Again, typical Mondo behavior. 

Oi- hello there!” Leatherhead greets them with a toothy grin, happiness in her tone. She’s finishing up the food with a quick fry, humming to herself. Splinter turns his head and starts smiling, walking up to his sons with Scumbug.

As he walks, Bebop and Rocksteady stop fighting to say “Hey turtles!” before continuing to shove and push each other, punching at each other. Genghis Frog waves at them too, although not as energetically as everyone else. “Hi.” He is still a little mad at them for mistaking him for a baby. This frog could hold a grudge. Ray Fillet sings his hi. “Hiii~!”

“Hi my sons! How was school? Was it good? Today is good, yes?” Splinter asks with a happy tone, his slightly broken English shining through. He’s trying his best. Scumbug greets them with a babble, smiling at her new sons. Does she count as a stepmom? She doesn’t know but she loves them! Leo has a cheeky smile on his face once Splinter asks that. Raph sends Leo a glare that says “don’t you dare” but Leo starts talking anyway. 

“Oh, it sure was great!” Leo says with an overly joyful tone. Happiness is radiating off of him as he shuffles his feet around. He really wants to say it. Donnie notices and is now glaring along with Raph, “don’t you dare.” Donnie taps Mikey on the shoulder to get his attention and now all three of them are staring Leo down in the same way, causing Leo to giggle nervously.

“Really? How so?” Wingnut chimes in, a sweet smile on her face as she finally looks up from her book. Her eyes were filled with wonder and interest. A curious life to it. Splinter had a similar look in his eyes, clearly showing that he cares to hear what his sons have to say. “Spill it! What’s going on?” 

Leo couldn’t keep it in anymore. He just had to say it! He’s a snitch, what could he say? “Well dad, everyone else living here, my little brothers are crushing on people!” He blurts out loud with the happiest look in his eyes, bouncing subtly with excitement.

“LEO!!!” The other three turtles shout at Leo. Raph growls under his breath, Donnie simply flushes in embarrassment, and Mikey stands there with a stunned expression. Leo is clearly amused by the reactions. Splinter and Scumbug’s eyes widen as everyone turns their heads. Bebop and Rocksteady stop fighting.

“Say whaa ?” Mondo asks with a hyper tone, eyes shining like stars. His smile grows wide and mischievous. His excitement was clear and so obvious it was amusing. Ray Fillet’s singing immediately stops, staring in awe. 

“Whoa.” He utters bluntly before clearing his throat. “Can you feel the love tonight~?” He starts singing love songs in an effort to tease the turtle brothers. “It is where we are~!” His voice cracks awkwardly like it always does. 

Wingnut’s ears perk up, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Oh? Is that right?” She asks while batting her eyes innocently, book completely forgotten about and now closed. Leo and his ear to ear grin turns to face his brothers. 

“Yeah, tell her guys! Is that right?” He asks teasingly. His eyes are filled with playfulness, excitement, just every positive feeling in the world. He is just, over the moon. This is the second best day of his life! Only being beaten by the day they were accepted, aka a few days ago. His dimples are showing. That’s how happy he is. 

His brothers are quiet, embarrassed. Raph had a scowl lining his face, blushing both out of frustration and from feeling abashed. Mikey stares off into space before breaking the silence with flustered laughter, unable to stop himself from doing so with brings a heavy feeling of shame into his chest. Donnie visibly sweats, biting his inner cheek while hiding his hands in is hoodie. Hearts are swelling in an uncontrollable, uncomfortable way. It’s a feeling Leo knows well but not the other three brothers. They owe him an apology. 

“Yeah. So what?” 

“Hahahaha–! Yep–!”

“...Yes.”

They all answer Wingnut’s question begrudgingly. Leo grins even wider at that. They hear Bebop and Rocksteady’s laughter, it’s hysterical. As if their little cousins having a crush on someone is the funniest shit ever. Splinter’s eyes glow with excitment as does Scumbug’s. They hear a snort mixed in with the laughing courtesy of Genghis Frog, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Leatherhead starts clapping with joy, aww, young love! How romantic! They hear cheers from Mondo and the sounds of bad singing from Ray Fillet. Wingnut’s wings do a little energetic flutter. Everyone but three of the four brothers is just beaming. 

“Psh- looks like we can’t pick on just Leo anymore, huh?” Genghis Frog says with a blunt satisfaction. He has a pleased look in his eyes, clicking his tongue. Bebop picks up Raph, Rocksteady lifts Mikey and Donnie up as they continue to laugh. They can’t escape. Raph kicks up at Bebop with a yell, Donnie shrieks loudly, and Mikey whoops with a nervous smile. 

“OH- that is so wonderful!” The rhino says in a howl of laughter. “Yeah- so wonderful!” The warthog echos in agreement. They squeeze the poor turtles (who at this point are dying of embassement) tighty in their arms. Mikey looks at Leo for help and he just gives him a thumbs up. This happened to him when they found out about his crush on April. It’s only fair this way. Mikey sticks his tongue out at him. 

“Oh, it is wonderful! My sons! Love is something beautiful- I is very happy for you.” Splinter gives his support. His speech is still broken but he’s doing his best. Scumbug makes a happy wailing noise as a way to share her support. Splinter understands exactly what she says. “You’re right, honey. Nothing more amazing than young love, expect ours of course.” He says while giving her a kiss on the cheek. All of his sons gag and groan, embarrassed and disgusted. 

Mondo is still cheering in the background. “Yeah! Alright, dudes!” He starts making kissy noises in a effort to tease them. Which works perfectly as Raph, Donnie, and Mikey all flush and look away. He laughs at how easy it was to embarrass them. Everyone is crowded in front of the three bashful turtles, Leo whooping and cheering along with everyone else.

Damn it! It was bad enough that Leo knew but now everyone does!? Leo and his big mouth! Does he know that snithces get stitches? Leonardo, the biggest narc of all time. It was hard to ignore that smug but incredibly happy look on his face. On one hand, it was sweet to see him not stressed out about something and letting loose, on the other hand all three of them (but especially Raph) really wanted to punch him. Grumbles and sighs are all they could muster. 

Again they must ask, damn it! Why!? 

Chapter Text

The beautiful, early morning light shines on Eastmen High’s walls, the doors of that building standing proof of the progress they made. Thankfully for Raph, Donnie, and Mikey the next day eventually came around and is now here. After the sheer embarrassment of yesterday all they wanted was to get the hell out of the sewer and pretend nothing happened. Because, fuck that! Leo was still an absolute menace but at least it wasn’t everyone in the house teasing them. In Leo’s defense they do the same thing to Leo so… they got no right to be upset. Right now they just wanted to enjoy a day in classes, after school clubs, and work. 

Mikey was especially excited. He’s heard some buzz about a new member joining the improv club and it made him do animated flaps of eagerness. A new friend! But who could it be? Who knows. But he’s going to find out! He tried not to pay mind to Leo’s teasing despite how flustered it made him, Leo is never going to let him live this down.

Instead he tries to think of what kind of teen this kid was. Maybe someone like Riley, Riley Smith, the redhead who joined in with his little act of “the australian shoe store”, friendly but a bit shy. Maybe someone like Jason, Jason Ali, a curly haired guy who always vibes out in the club despite not doing much other than make friends with everyone there, a social butterfly who is kinda not there for a good reason but it’s chill cause they’re a vibe. 

Maybe it’s someone like Tilly! A blonde who Mikey made good friends with, best friends even! Ah, Tilly Renet, super sweet, super dramatic, and kinda an airhead. He wasn’t much better though so, who is he to judge? Maybe someone like her? Possibly someone like Lenny, Lenny Martin, a burnett guy who doesn’t really talk too much but when he does, it’s usually something hilarious. Maybe? Maybe not anything like his friends. Or maybe even… no! Don’t think about him. 

His mind wanders away from that the best it can. This is his last period of the day, there were even classes today, just finish these last five minutes and his suffering about the new member can end! 

He watches the clock like a hawk, as if staring at the clock would make time move faster, tapping his fingers against the desk as Ms. Wills was talking about a book in the background, “The Odyssey” he thinks? Whatever. Time drags along so slowly . Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok. The noise echos unbearably loud. He was going crazy. He groans with frustration, burying his face into the desk. He can’t stand this. He’s clinging on desperately to the last strands of his sanity, praying to hear the annoying but freeing sound of that dismissal bell. Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, the bell rings and he practically jumps out of his seat, gathering all his things and running out of the room. All on his mind was making it to that club room before the newbie did, that way he can prepare to make a good first impression!

It seems that Tilly had the same idea because he hears the familiar tapping of heeled Mary Jane’s speed up right next to him. “ Phew - come on! We don’t have much time!” She exclaimed dramatically, taking Mikey by the hand and dragging the boy with her, long hair bouncing around and smacking Mikey in the face. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her extreme reaction.

“Well hello to you too!” Mikey says with an amused grin, blinking with a stunned expression when her hair hits against his eyes. She laughs sheepishly before giving Mikey a proper hello. “Sorry- hi!” Their footsteps clash loudly along the hallways with every other student either leaving or going to an afterschool club. Both of them are beaming at the thought of making a new friend. Over the moon! 

They make their way inside the club room. They were earlier than everyone else. The two spend some time chatting before everyone else made it. Riley walks in calmly, dodging the energetic running from Jason who sped right before her. Lenny walks in after the both of them, fidgeting with his hands enters the room casually with a hum. Saying their hello’s and talking about their day the five of them wait patiently for their new member. They were a very small club so the more the merrier!

And there came a crash. Literally. Before any of them could get a proper look they heard a startled yelp and a fall. A banging noise. The new club member just fell flat on their face, they seem to have tripped on their shoe laces. Wow, what a cliche. Once they could get a better look at them, Mikey sees familiar scales and tail. Oh. Oh god. Alex looks up at all of them with a frazzled face after brushing his face off, biting his lip nervously. 

“Uh… guess you could say I came in with a bang?” He sounds unsure in his tone, yet still so sweet, trying to laugh and smile the embarrassment off. Such a terrible joke and yet Mikey found himself laughing, a burning blush spreading across his face. A wide, lovely smile tugged and flickered on his lips, braces fully in show and shining under the light of the school’s fluorescent tubes. Everyone else was also laughing at Alex but not because of the joke, at his expense. They’re not mean people at all but- wow! 

Jason immediately takes Alex by the hand and helps him up after he is done laughing at him. “Ha-! Sorry bout that, you must be the new member. I’m Jason, this is Riley, that’s Lenny, she’s Tilly, and lastly but certainly not least, Mikey!” He introduces everyone to the mutant, pointing at everyone once he said their names. Alex turns his head towards Mikey and gives him that same, beaming smile from yesterday. Mikey’s heart beated out of his chest at the look, mouth dropping slightly in awe. 

“Oh, I know Mikey. Hi! Remember me?” He asks with that familiar honey laced tone that replayed in Mikey’s head for hours last night. This guy just talks with such kindness, god! How can Mikey not swoon? He does a clap before speaking, trying to find the words to speak. 

“Haha-  of course I do! How could I forget…?” Mikey tries to say normally but it comes out a lot more dreamy and coy and he intended it to. He covers his mouth in embarrassment as all his friends take a glance at him. Mikey didn’t talk like that. That was… odd. 

All the turtle wants to do is sink away into his shell, dying of embarrassment once again. He hears a gasp come from Tilly, she most likey just figured it out. Shit. She whispered something to Riley who then whispered to Jason, who in turn whispered to Lenny. It was like a scene in an old 90s movie about high school, gossip, great. Tilly’s eyes just glowed with excitement like stars, so did Jason’s. He hears quiet laughs from Riley and Lenny, one sounds more mischievous than the other. Again, shit. 

“HA- anyways!!!” Mikey tries to ignore all the eyes staring at him and keeps talking. “Welcome to the club room! This is all of us, we really needed more members and I’m glad-” He stops talking mid sentence. He was about to say “I’m glad it’s you” but that would probably scare Alex off so he clears his throat and keeps talking. “I’m glad we got someone.” He says instead. 

“Yeah, and something tells me that we’re going to have fun with ya in our group.” Tilly chimes in with a giggle, winking at Mikey with a knowing glint in her eye. Mikey glares at her and she only laughs more. Lenny wraps an arm around Alex, smiling at him, also having a knowing look in his eyes. 

“You better take care of Mikey here, we haven’t known each other too long but we don’t need a heartbreak, do we?” Lenny asks with a playful tone, batting his eyes all innocent like. Alex gives him a confused look and Mikey turns into a tomato. He pushes Lenny off of Alex with a nervous, frantic laugh. 

“Hahahah-!! Oh-! Don’t listen to him, he’s messing around- hahaha!” Mikey spits out quickly, continuing to back Lenny away, even as Lenny laughed at him. Riley then makes a move. Fixing up her glasses before approaching the new member. 

“I think you’ll like everyone here, maybe some more than others though!” She says with a beaming smile. She looks at Mikey and sends him a thumbs up and Mikey groans in frustration, covering his face with his hand. This poor turtle could not do this today. Jason then smacks Alex on the back before speaking. 

“You’ll feel right at home in no time, I know Mikey will definitely make sure you’re enjoying yourself~!” He says in a singsong way, eyes twinkling with mischief. Oh. My. God. Someone put the turtle out of his misery because he was suffering! He wanted to bash his head open, he would prefer that over this. Could this get any worse!? Wait…

If Alex is part of the club that means he can finally get to know him better. If he can get to know him better they can be friends, then he can ask Alex out, and then if Alex feels the same way they can date! Perfect plan! Maybe, just maybe this won’t be so bad. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise despite all the teasing. Perhaps it is a silly cliche. 

But he likes it that way. 

Chapter Text

Today couldn’t have come faster to Mikey, Donnie, and Raph. But especially Raph. Leo was just… the worst yesterday and so far today too. He knows he has no right to be frustrated because he is just as bad and yet- ugh! He couldn’t explain why but he felt a little mad all day. Well technically he could. Anger always boiled inside him, hell he dreams about fighting every night! (Mikey always goes on about how he needs therapy.) But after last night he’s just on edge. 

He still dreamt about fighting but the dream was a little different than normal. As usual, he was fighting some thugs, one tried to hit him in the stomach but he fought back and gave him an uppercut, he kicked another in the face until he lost a tooth, tackled two at the same time, punching till his knuckles were bloody, the norm. He choked another one out while screaming, again nothing out of the usual for him until he paid attention to what he was saying. 

“GIVE HER BACK HER BOOKBAG AND STAY AWAY FROM HER!” Bookbag? When he dreams about beating up muggers he usually says something about purses or wallets. Why would he be yelling about a bookbag? Something was tugging at his mind and heartstrings, something told him he knew why and that made him more confused. Donnie has lots of books, or “manga” as he calls it. But Donnie goes by he and him. So that can’t be it.

Maybe he was helping out a teacher? Or the liberian who he had already forgotten the name of? (Hint: Her name is Ms. Newmen.) But that wouldn’t make sense either because he didn’t really care for any of his teachers other than his history teacher, who is a man, Mr. Gormon. He’s the coolest. The GOAT of the education system. The liberian is cool and all but he can’t even remember her name. So yeah- that wasn’t it either. 

He didn’t know until he heard the sweetest words from the sweetest voice. A familiar voice too. “My hero!” Liliana gushes to him and runs up to him, embracing Raph into a warm hug. He, being a badass in his dreams takes her by the paw and gets down on one knee. He places a kiss near her claws before giving her the bookbag back. 

“It’s no problem, beautiful.” And then he woke up. The teasing already had him antsy but that dream was the nail in the coffin for him to lose all his sanity. God, how embarrassing! How cringy! Did he really have a dream going all “knight in shining armor” for a girl he barely knows that he met in a library, literally a place he would rather die then be there? But he had no choice because money? Fucking hell. What is his life? 

Hiding from the word for the first fifthteen years of it and now upon only a week of human acceptance everything is falling apart in his head. He isn’t supposed to like romance! That’s gross! And Leo’s job. Most of these gross, mushy things are Leo’s job. Like love, following rules, not wanting to beat the shit out of people when mad, bleh. Gross. But now? He might as well start coming to school dressed like the red version of a “Best Buy” employee because Leo dresses like one. He honest to god visibly shudders at the thought. 

Right now, as he’s losing brain cells in his algebra class, his last class of the day, the last five minutes of it too, he just wanted to go to the wrestling club. Where all his friends are.

There is Jacob Ramos who is the calmest person there, aka the one who hasn’t been in a school fight before, then Tommy Marsh, who once did a backflip of a random table for god knows why, Liam Park who has no rizz, think Leo but if Leo had anger issues was just a bit cooler.

Then there is Anthony Ortiz, which rumor has it he kissed Robert Smith’s girlfriend without knowing she was dating him- (man, school gossip is so much fun to hear about when you’re not involved!) Benjamin K. Stine, they bully him for his fancy ass name all the time, and of course they all get punched for it.

And last but not least, of course, his best friend, just as crazy as him and even more of an asshole, Casey Jones. All of these guys are his boys! (Don’t worry, the girls have their own separate wrestling club.) They were all jerks in their own way and that’s why he’s friends with them.

Damn it, why won’t that bell just ring already? He’s slummping in his chair, cracking his knuckles while rolling his eyes. Math is so boring. Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok. The ear-irritating, annoying sound was driving him more insane than he already was. That clock and bell had to be at least two minutes late. He was sure of it. Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok. It kept bouncing off the walls around him and he audibly groans, but not too loud just for the sake of not getting in trouble. Not because he cared about his math teacher or anything but because getting detention again after only like- four days of school, seven days in total of human acceptance… yeah. Even for him that wasn’t a good look. Like that one meme, even professionals have standards after all.

But finally after those five, agonizing minutes the bell rings and he goes running. Thank god. He heads straight to the gym with the biggest, wildest grin on his face. Of course, Casey was already there, tying up his curls for another day of beating ass. He used to play hocky before moving here (for some reason Eastmen High doesn’t have a hocky team, but they have a soccer and football team!) but he still carries that stick around and practices. Calls the stick his baby and apparently the stick is a she? Don’t worry, Raph doesn’t get it either. But he’s gotta respect the fact he does this with no shame. Classic Jones. 

He decides to sneak up to scare Casey. No better way to make your presence known with a guy that has a weapon that can bash your head open. No other option! With stealthly, almost slient steps he slowly creeped his way behind Jones, a evil and mischievous gleam to his eyes. Taking in a deep breath he screams loudly into Casey’s ear, watching him jump before a hockey stick came crashing into his stomach. He hunches back in pain but it doesn’t stop his laughing. It only got more hysterical when Jones realizes it was him. 

“Dude, what the fuck!?” He smacks Raph on his shoulder with a glare before cracking into a smile. “Jeez- just a hi would had do.” He wraps an arm around Raph and gives him a noogie as revenge, shaking and snapping his head all over. Raph yells when Casey does this, punching him off of him with a laugh. “Hey- hey! You deserve this, dude- ack!” Raph accidentally nailed him in the eye. Casey looks surprised, somewhat amused and Raph’s face drops. 

“SHIT- Sorry! You good?” Raph covers his mouth in worry. He didn’t mean to do that. They were just messing around! He didn’t mean to actually hurt him. Casey laughed when he asked that and he gave him a confused look. 

“Dude, you punch me harder than that everyday during practice. You’re good.” He shoves Raph playfully and Raph starts smiling again. He cracks his knuckles with a proud look in his eyes. He does hit him harder on the daily. Along with every one else. Speaking of which, the fuck is everyone-

“SORRY! SORRY- we’re here!”

 A door gets kicked open via Liam. Everyone runs inside and immediately dog pile on him and Casey, hitting the floor with a yelp. Raph pushes and hits at all of them, laughing and shouting at them. Casey did the same, shoving everyone, trying to get them off the two of them. 

“Hey- hey now! What’s with all of you and not being able to say hi normally?” Casey jokes before pushing the last guy off him. Now with everyone here Raph can work through these new and nasty feelings in the best way possible, violence!  _____________________

What a fun day! He got Benjiman into a headlock and Anthony! Tackled Tommy two times and Jacob three. So much fun. Sadly, the session needs to end. So as they usually do they go walking all together outside of the gym to start heading home. Or at least that was the plan till Raph heard that sugary, familiar tone. 

“Raph! Hi, Raph!” Lilianna waves to him energetically, walking up to him and the rest of the team. She notices all of them and backs off a bit, getting a bit nervous in front of the new people. “Are these your friends?” Raph’s face darkens, an uncontrollable flush being responsible for it. Try as he might he couldn’t fight the smile on his face. He didn’t want to, it made him feel stupid, but here he was, smiling like how Leo smiles at April. Lord help him. 

“Yeah we are, what about it?” Tommy immediately plays mock defensive, looking her up and down overdramatically. Raph smacks him on the arm, hard. Because what the hell!? “I was kidding, relax” He looks a little stunned by Raph’s reaction. Not because of the aggression itself but for who and why. Raph just feels even more embarrassed.

He knows this game already! Tommy likes doing that to people to make them mad or nervous because he’s a little jerk like that. Plus it’s pretty funny. And he just fell for it. Shit. Casey gives him a look, as if to ask if he was ok and Raph simply looks away in shame. It reminded him of when he was messing with April about the whole “puke girl” thing and Leo smacked him for it. Holy hell, is he becoming Leo!? 

“Jeez, Raph, what’s up your ass today?” Anthony snorts with amusment, rolling his eyes with attitude. Raph wasn’t even paying attention to the snarky comment, he’s just horrified. He’s become his worst fear- his dorky older brother. Kill him. SOMEONE KILL HIM. Should he ask Casey to bash his head open with that hocky stick? He is just standing there with a stunned look on his face. He needs help. Someone help him. Or maybe just kill him. Either would be a reasonable option.

Liliana looks at all the boys with a slight confusion, not really understanding what was going on. Never being someone good at talking to people she awkwardly tries to join in. “Ha- yeah-! Are you ok Raph?” She sounds genuinely concerned about him, voice quiet and unsure despite this. At the sound of her voice Raph snaps out of it, cheeks all flushed with no sign of it going away anytime soon. He looks like he’s going to be sick with fever. Now everyone is looking at Raph with confusion. Again, just like he thought earlier- SOMEONE KILL HIM. 

“Your face is all red- you sick or something? Want me to check?” She reaches out sheepishly for his forehead and at that, Raph’s heart practically explodes . He almost melts and she hadn’t even touched his forehead yet. “Raph… are you ok?” She asks nervously, his tone gentle and wavering. Her voice was so sweet and GOD WHY!? He wanted to sink into the floor. 

“Uh- no! I’m fine!” He tries to sound cool but his voice came out cracky and weak. He hears a laugh come from one of his friends then a few more scattered across the group. They seem to have started to catch on judging by the mischievous smile stretching on their faces. Why!? “Well- loved talking to ya but I gotta go, talk to ya later BYE-!” He rushes out the words as fast as humanly possible, or in this case mutantly possible and starts running. Of course all his friends follow in suit as he bolts out of there as quickly as he can. He’s left gasping for breath once he’s done running but it seems he can’t catch a break. 

“Well, looks like our little Raphie’s all grown up! His first crush!” Benjamin coos in a mocking tone, overly sweet and amused. Laughter erupts much to Raph’s shame and Casey pats him harshly on the back. His shell made an audible bonking sound when Casey’s hand met it with only embarrassed him more. His face scrunched up as a sinking feeling hits his chest. Help him. Please. 

“Oh, don’t be embarrassed, Raph! We’ll help ya out. Get you a girlfriend n’ shit.” Casey says with a reassuring yet wild smile. Yeah… Raph doesn’t trust any of them with wingman shenanigans at all. He’ll be honest. But what else could he do? He had no other choice. But maybe this won’t be so bad.

Maybe, just maybe, with their help he can get the girl of his dreams, both literally and figuratively. Having a dream about the girl of his dreams- kinda funny if he weren’t the butt of this joke. But prehaps if he finds a way to get closer to her, he can get the bravery to ask her out! He and his brothers fought a Godzilla-like version of Superfly! He can do this! 

Right?