Chapter 1: Flipped Sideways

Chapter 1: Flipped Sideways

Word count: 4,306

You yawned into your hand as you pushed through the double doors and into the bakery kitchen. It was a small local bakery you managed to nab a job at when you were fifteen, and you've been working there ever since. You started as a cashier and steadily worked your way up since then to decorator, baker, and now official owner of said bakery. The previous owner was the one who had hired you at fifteen and had known you since. You became close friends with him until his retirement when he passed down his ownership to you. You were twenty-one when he passed down the ownership. You're twenty-three now.

You walked over to the far side of the wall where a worn, mahogany shelf stood, still strong despite its years. The shelf was separated into separate cubbies, one for each employee and for yourself. You slid off your backpack and placed it in the small square hole, taking out your energy drink and placing it between your thighs. Then you took off your jacket and hung it up on the hook in the large rectangular hole. You grabbed your energy drink and turned around, surveying the area and taking in last night's night crew's work. You were thankful they cleaned everything up well. You were sure the floor was finally clean enough to eat off of! Which you wouldn't do actually, that was gross. Letting the pride of the new hires slowly dwindle down, you got ready for the day. You opened your drink and took a couple of gulps before heading to the large steel table on the opposite end of the room. This was the baker's work station. There was no one to cover the shift, so you unfortunately had to take the three a.m. shift. You took another yawn as you turned and headed to the large walk-in refrigerator to your left. You were halfway there when-

-you started falling.

Your foot started to sink lower and lower into the floor, causing you to scream and fall. You slam on your stomach and groan against the pain. You start to attempt to get up but feel the edges of something against your legs? You twist yourself as best you can to get a look and feel your eyes widen. Where your foot and leg were supposed to be, there was only a hole of light blue light and swirling colors. You stared at the flashes of purple, green, and red swirl against the blue light like some kind of vortex, the edges of the hole caving in and seeming to pixelate as the colors disappeared into it. You didn't even have a chance to process it when the hole started to increase in size. Adrenaline shot into your veins, and blood rushed through your ears as you turned back around and clawed at the floor to attempt to pull yourself out of it.

You tried getting on your knee with your free leg only for the hole to swallow the floor beneath it. You let out a scream as your weight took the rest of your body down into the hole. As soon as you were through, all the noise escaped you. You couldn't hear anything except the rushing wind, but there was no wind. You couldn't taste a single thing as if your taste buds had died. Your whole body felt numb, and you began to feel motion sick as you spun one way and the colors spun a different way. You closed your eyes tight, wanting the pushing and pulling against your body to stop. What felt like forever to you was only mere seconds when you came shooting out the other end. Your scream finally reached your ears, and you could feel yourself clawing at the air. You kept your eyes closed, scared of what you might see after that hole.

"Mikey, incoming!" You heard a nasally voice shout. You felt something brush against your hand, making you move them immediately against your chest.

"Missed! Raph!" You heard a loud, slightly higher pitched voice yell out.

"Kinda busy!" You heard a mean and gruff deep voice growl out. You suddenly felt a force tackle you and send you spinning only to stop within seconds. If you had your eyes open, you were sure your eyes would be rolling. The motion sickness was starting to get to you.

"Miss? Miss, are you alright?" A smooth and gentle voice spoke softly next to you. Slowly, your senses came back to you. You could hear what sounded like grunts and clanging metal and screams. You felt strong hands holding you close to a rock-hard body. Whoever this guy may be, he must've been very built.

"Miss?" He tried again. You opened your eyes and immediately regretted it. Your vision was blurred and strained your eyes. You saw nothing but a blur of blue and green on the man who had supposedly saved you. You groan and close your eyes, letting your head fall to the side and rest on his shoulder. You could've sworn you heard his breath hitch.

"Guys! Fall back, this mission is now a civilian rescue!" That was the last thing you heard before you blacked out.

~~~

You came to and took a deep breath in, a soft groan coming out as you breathed out. Your body felt as though it was covered in pins and needles, each tiny movement of your body feeling like torture. You were thankful when they dissipated quickly. You gently wiggle your fingers, sighing in relief when they didn't hurt or tingle like static. With the feeling gone, you could feel something like wax paper underneath you. It crinkled under your curious hands and ripped with ease. Under the paper, there was a cushioned leather bed. It felt like a hospital bed. Tentatively, you sniffed the air, immediately coughing. Yep, that was sterile hospital air alright. You licked at your lips, feeling how dry they had become. How long were you out? There must be a nurse nearby who can help you. You braved yourself against the incoming vertigo as you opened your eyes, only to wince and close them again against the bright light hovering over you. You turned your head to the left and tried opening your eyes again. It took a few moments for you to blink away the temporary blindness. Once the odd shapes in your vision were gone, you took a look around.

This was not a hospital.

It looked more like a lab. There were test tube racks filled with test tubes on several surfaces, a chemistry lab on one desk, several stacks of books and papers strewn about, and, yes, hospital equipment. Oh gods, were you kidnapped?! You started to get up, immediately hissing and groaning and falling back down. A pounding headache ruptured through your brain. You reached a hand up to massage the area, pausing to feel a node stuck there. What the heck? You pulled it off with another hiss, feeling around for anymore on your head.

"Oh, you're awake!" A feminine voice said. Heeled footsteps echoed off the floor as the person approached you. "I know you're probably very confused, but I promise you're safe."

You opened your eyes to look at the person behind the glaringly bright light. You couldn't see her face, but you could make out a yellow leather jacket. You squinted against the light as you tried to make out more of the person in front of you.

"Where am I?" You asked, voice hoarse due to a dry mouth. You coughed after you spoke.

"You're somewhere safe." She said. Well, that didn't answer your question. You groaned and closed your eyes.

"Hey, how is she feeling?" A male asked as he approached. Now this guy you recognized immediately. You've watched too many movies to not recognize his voice.

"Will Arnett?" You asked in confusion. Both people paused.

"Uh, heh, no. No, that's not me." He said. This confused you. You could've sworn it was him. He even spoke like Will Arnett. You could hear the man and woman speaking in whispered tones but made out nothing. What was going on?

"Can you please move this light? It hurts my eyes." You coughed slightly, mouth still dry. "And can I get some water, please?"

"Oh right, yes, of course. Vern, go get a glass of water." The woman said and immediately moved the light. You opened your eyes, shocked at what you saw.

"Megan Fox? What the hell are you doing here?" Your voice cracked as your tone rose in pitch. She blinked, looking confused.

"I'm sorry, who?" Now it was your turn to be confused.

"Megan Fox? You're one of the most famous actresses in the world?"

"Actress? Miss, I'm a news reporter, and my name is April O'Neil." You looked at her like she was crazy.

"You mean the character you play in the movies?"

"Movies? What movies?"

"The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies? The ones you play as April O'Neil in?" Her demeanor immediately changed.

"You know about the turtles?" She asked seriously.

"Yes? So does everyone? You know, if this was a prank, it's not funny anymore." Megan opened her mouth to speak when Will Arnett walked in.

"Here's your water." He said with a small smirk. You blinked.

"You liar, you are Will Arnett!" He froze, glancing at Megan then back at you.

"Uh, I can assure you I'm not. My name is Vern. You know, the Falcon? I saved the city from Shredder?" He made the whole Falcon symbol and everything. You raised a brow.

"Well, first of all, you didn't save the city from Shredder. The turtles did. And secondly, all you really did was stop Stax. A+ for staying in character, though." Now he hesitated. Megan and Will shared a look. You looked between them, unfazed.

"Is the prank over now? I'd really like to get this over with. Where are the cameras? I bet Michelle was the brain on this. How did my friends pay for you guys anyway?" You opened your mouth for another question, but Megan's hand stopped you.

"Okay, we're going to need you to slow down. I need you to wait a moment."

"Is everything okay?" The nasally voice from earlier called out. You looked in the direction the voice came from but saw nothing there.

"Yeah, yeah, we're good." Megan called back. Then she glanced at you with a twinkle in her eye. "Actually, can you come in here?"

"What? April, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just want to try something." Her voice faded slightly as she looked at you again. You were beyond confused now. Who was coming in? Why were they coming in? Why did she look at you like that?

"Uh, hi." You looked back toward the now clearer and quieter voice and felt your jaw drop. Your eyes widened as you stared at the giant terrapin in front of you. Everyone's favorite stick-twirling, purple wearing, tall as fuck turtle. He looked very nervous, pushing up his glasses and watching your reaction closely. You were dumbfounded. This couldn't be possible. It shouldn't be possible. You blinked slowly and looked at who you previously thought was Megan Fox.

"You really are April O'Neil, aren't you?" She nodded. You looked at Vern, then back at Donatello.

"Oh my sweet bread, you exist." You breathed out, leaning onto one hand as the other ran through your now messy hair. You couldn't stop staring at him. The way he moved, the way his face changed from wary to shock, the way he was in the flesh in front of you! You grabbed the pillow your head had been laying on just moments before.

"Don't take this personally."

"What?" Then you threw the pillow at him with no other warning. Donnie simply stood there as the pillow hit his chest, bounced off, then fell to the floor with a soft thud. Your eyes widened.

He was real alright.

Donnie stared at the pillow you threw at him for a few moments, looking back up at you with a confused expression. How can he exist? He was fictional! Yet here he was! Just standing there looking confused! He was fictional since his creation and now he just became reality. This was shattering your world. Donnie began to shift uncomfortably under your gaze, nervously fidgeting with his gear.

"Miss?" April called out, gently touching your shoulder. You jumped slightly and looked at her. "Are you alright?"

You didn't know how to answer. Who you thought was Megan Fox was actually April O'Neil. How were there two exactly identical people? Did Megan Fox have a twin? How had you not heard of a real life April O'Neil?

"Miss," Donnie hesitantly took a step forward, "you just traveled through dimensions and may be experiencing symptoms."

Ohhh…that explains everything. You thought.

"I advise you to try and take deep, slow breaths and if you'll allow me I'd like to take your vitals." You nodded.

"Yes please." You relaxed your posture, not realizing you had stiffened, and took slow and deep breaths. Donnie nodded and walked over, keeping slow. You assumed to not spook you. You couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought.

"You don't have to worry, Donatello, you don't scare me." At this he froze.

"How do you know my name?" Ah shit, right.

"Well, I come from a different dimension, right? In that dimension everyone knows who you guys are." It was all clear now why they existed. You thanked Donnie in your mind for telling you that key information.

"You…you do?" He asked, hope clear in his eyes. This was going to be difficult.

"Yeah, we do. The only catch is…well…" You hesitated.

"Well what?" He moved closer, standing by the side of the hospital bed within two strides. Damn, he moves fast.

"You're all fictional. You only exist on a screen or in a comic book or as toys. Beyond that there's no such thing as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." You looked at April and Vern. "You guys are actors who play characters. Which was why I didn't know you were actually April and Vern. All I saw were the actors from my world."

The room went silent. You looked between the three of them, nervous at how they would react to your words. Would they even believe you? Did you just send them down an existential rabbit hole? You started to fidget with your hands. Donnie seemed to have worked through what you said and looked at you.

"Okay." Wise words from the world's smartest turtle. "Let me get that vitals check done for you."

"Yeah, okay, sure."

"Are we just going to brush past that?!" Vern exploded. You jumped at the sudden break of silence.

"Uh, w-well, uh," you stuttered, trying to figure out how to ease him.

"Lay off, will you, Vern?" Donnie suddenly shot out. Your eyes widened. You've never known the usually shy and quiet nerd of the group to be so aggressive. You thought that was Raph's thing. "She just traveled dimensions and is probably experiencing just as much of an existential crisis as we are."

Well, he wasn't wrong there.

You can't count how many times you wished the turtles were real. How many times the entire fandom wished the turtles were real. And yet here Donnie was, grabbing your arm and checking your pulse. His hands were rougher than you imagined them to be, yet still as gentle as a feather. His hands moved as if it was muscle memory. You watched in fascination as his three-fingered hand traveled around your arms and onto your face. You couldn't help but stiffen, you've never had someone touch your face before. He stopped, noticing. You immediately felt bad.

"It's okay, I'm just weird." You whispered. He looked at you, his eyes bugged out by his glasses. You always wondered how blind he was. "Look."

Your body moved before your brain could process. You grabbed his hands in yours. His hands felt like tough skin. You could feel his scars along his hands, no doubt from both his workshop and training. You gulped and placed his hands back over your face.

"Alright, Doc, do your thing." He seemed to have frozen, looking into your eyes.

"Uh, yeah, right." He cleared his throat and continued his checkup.

"By the way, we're not teenagers." He opened your eye slightly, looking into it with a more calculated look. You fought hard to not look away.

"Really?" You gulped, your heart skipping a beat. "How old are you guys?"

"Well, we never knew our actual birthdays but I believe we're twenty-four." He moved on to the next eye, checking the same way he checked the previous one.

"Oh wow, you're all a year older than me." His eyes focused on your face for a split second before pulling away.

"Okay it seems you're all good." He said. You nod. That wasn't much of a vitals check.

"Thanks." You felt awkward now and you weren't sure why. April looked between you and Donnie then stepped forward.

"Hey, I don't think we caught your name."

"Oh, sorry it's Y/N." You gave a nod hello to her which she returned. "Y/N L/N."

"Well, it's late and I'm sure you're still very tired," come to think of it, you were, "so Donnie here will go ahead and lead you to your room."

Donnie looked at her with wide eyes.

"April, a word." He dragged the poor brunette away from you to the far side of the lab, leaving you with Vern. It wasn't long before he started talking.

"So, in your world am I still as handsome as I am here?" He asked you. Of course that's the question he asks. You sighed.

"You look the exact same, you just don't exist. The actor who plays you does." You could see him spiral deeper into his crisis.

"And do I have any fans?" You sighed again.

"Yes. You have many."

"And this actor fellow, is he famous? Is he good?" You had to resist rolling your eyes.

"Yes and yes." Vern opened his mouth but was quickly interrupted.

"Y/N, ready to hit the hay?" April asked with a smile, shooting Vern a look. You nodded.

"Please." April helped you off the hospital bed and handed you off to Donnie.

"Lead the way." She said, making a shoo-ing gesture with her hands. Donnie sighed and started walking. You quickly followed behind him. You took this opportunity to look over the back of his shell. Well, more like the tech blocking his shell. You took in every single detail on that tech pack of his. Oh how you knew any artist would kill to be in your position right now. He opened his lab door for you and silently offered you to go first.

"Thank you." You said softly, quickly going through the open door. Your movement was short lived as you halted and gasped. The Lair was much different than the one in the movies. The common room was a giant, domed area that was cut into sections. In the middle there lay several couches with a TV on a stand and what looked like several gaming consoles. There was one you didn't even recognize. Off to the right there was a weight room decked out in red and with weights spilling out of the room. Next to that there was an alcove of sorts. It was decked in soft blue lighting and had the butt of an incense burning the last of its remnants. You looked to your left, seeing what you assumed was the Lair entrance. A giant tunnel entrance that stuck out like a sore thumb and fit into the environment at the same time. Beside that there was a very messy area decked out in orange that you could only make out a drum set in. You wanted nothing more than to explore everything. How lucky were you to be in such a presence?!

"This is the common room. We spend some of our time here between missions." Donnie started to explain, drawing your attention to him. He had walked halfway through the room and you had to jog to hurry by his side. "It's a good place to just sort of chill out."

"Cool." You smiled, giving another look around. Donnie observed you. You were indeed an odd one. He never thought he'd meet someone who not only knew about him and his brother's but seemed so excited that they existed. He wanted to know more about your world. He wanted to know how much your world knew about him and his brothers. He wanted to know everything. Not just in a scientific manner but just to know you better. He was as awestruck as you were. He watched as you seemed to be looking for something.

"Hey, uh," how were you supposed to address him? "Mr. Donatello? Where are the others?"

"They're sleeping." He chuckled slightly. "And Donnie is fine."

"Ah right. Uh, what time is it?" You watched as Donnie brought up his wrist and tapped his screen.

"Nearly noon."

"Geez, I've been knocked out for that long?" You were sure your employees would wonder where the hell you went. Oh gods, there must be a search party already set up for you. What would your best friend think if you didn't return any of her calls or texts? What's going to happen to your bakery? You never wrote a will, what's going to happen to all your stuff? This was probably the only time you were glad you didn't have a pet. But what's going to happen to your family if they never hear from you again? And what if-

"Hey, hey, are you still with me?" Donnie's voice cuts through your thoughts, his fingers snapping in front of you to get your attention.

"Huh?" You blinked and looked at him, he had crouched to meet your eye level. "Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah I am."

"It's hitting you all at once, isn't it?" He was more attentive than you thought he'd be. You looked away and nodded.

"I don't know what's going to happen in my world. I have so many things I take care of, I don't know how it's all going to survive without me there." Donnie suddenly placed his hands on both of your shoulders, shocking you out of your rant. You didn't even realize you had started spilling your worries.

"Your world will be fine. We'll get you back to your world, I promise you." You hung onto his words, tears starting to prick your eyes from the comfort. "You say you know us in your world, right? Then you must know we always save the day, right?"

"Y-yeah…always." You took a moment to take a deep breath and blink back your tears. Usually you'd feel embarrassed for being so emotional in front of someone but this was different. Donnie was always a comfort character of yours. Something about being smarter than everyone and gifted kid burnout. Donnie flashed you a small smile and gave your shoulders a light squeeze.

"Exactly. You have nothing to worry about. We'll get you back." You nodded.

"Thanks Don. Sorry, Donatello…" You quickly corrected yourself. He simply shrugged and took his hands off your shoulders.

"I'm fine with Don or Donnie, don't worry about it." You nodded.

"Okay."

"Let's get you to your room."

"That sounds good." Donnie nodded and led you down a hallway. Neither of you noticed but April had watched you both from the entrance of the lab, wonder and curiosity filling her mind.

Donnie walked you to a spare room in silence. He opened the door, turned on the light, and motioned you inside. You thanked him and walked in. It was a big room. Completely bare except for a giant cot against one of the walls and a small dresser beside it. You saw the cot had been nicely made with a pillow and bedding. They definitely anticipated you to stay here. You took your time looking around, taking in the fact you were about to sleep in the Lair. Donnie watched you, amazed you still looked around in wonder. How big were he and his brother's in your world? He cleared his throat.

"We'll talk about living arrangements and other stuff in the morning, well, evening. When the others are awake." You looked at him.

"Oh okay, got it." Donnie nodded again.

"I'll see you in the evening then." And with that, he waved goodbye and closed the door. You let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding. You slumped on the cot, the bedding creaking slightly as you sat. You looked around the empty room, thinking back to every show and movie and gauging the time frame the turtles usually beat the bad guys. You started remembering more of the shows since those provided a more realistic time frame than the two hour movies. For all you knew, it could take weeks, months even. The very thought had your head spinning and your stomach feeling like vomiting. Thinking about everything all at once was not going to help you. You forced yourself to calm down and take deep breaths until your stomach settled. With a final breath, you allowed yourself to open your eyes.

Sleep. Sleep and think about it tomorrow. You thought. You've never thought of a better plan. So you got up, turned off the light, and blindly walked back to the cot, being very slow and careful with your movements. Then you laid down and fell asleep almost immediately

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Ahhhhhhhh I’m all caught up to chapter (part?) 34 and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

It’s so cute but also like bam sudden turn and no further chapters after that and eeee

The Housecat Philosophy - Ep 33

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Just a Two-Step

Bayverse TMNT x Fem Reader

Warnings/Summary: None of the Turtles know how to two-step, but thankfully Casey Jones comes to the rescue. Jealous Turtles, Clueless Casey Jones, Dancing. (Not a lot of the turtle boys in this one) (set in 2023 so turtles are 22 ish)

Some Songs at the bottom

Swing Dance For visual

“Where’s the guys?”

You looked up over your shoulder, giving a little wave in Casey’s direction before answering his question. “They’re out on patrol, left close to two hours ago.”

He made a face at that, cocking his head and exaggerating a frown. “So they went partyin’ without me? Huh.” He set his mask down on the kitchen table, dropped his hockey stick next to it. “Jerks.”

You hummed in amused agreement, turning back to the music station you were scrolling through. Donnie had set it up before they’d left, told you to pick out a genre for the night. 

You absently bit at your nail. You knew what genre you wanted to listen to, but there was no way they’d go for it.

“What we listenin’ to?” Casey had disappeared into the kitchen. You heard him open the refrigerator, heard the faint crack of a beer can being opened, before his footsteps started towards you.

“Don’t know yet.” You paused. “Well, I know what I’d like to listen to, but they hate it.”

“Ah. Country.” 

You were caught between a huff and a frown, amused that he had the matter pegged so readily and irritated that the other members of your friend group were aware of the lack of love the turtles had for the music type.

“It’s a shame.” Casey sat on the couch with a sigh, and you cocked your head towards in a signal to continue. “I’ve seen Mikey and Don dance with you. Thought they be interested in the ole’ two step n’ swing.”

Your cheeks warmed at his words, and the implication that he’d noticed the interactions, smacking the remote against your palm in an effort to distract yourself with the noise. You were certain Casey’d never pick up on all the connotations, but the last thing you needed was him saying something in passing and April catching the scent.

So you hummed when his head turned towards the noise, thinking quickly for a distraction. “I don’t think they really care about those types of dances.”

When you glanced at him, it was to see a slow smirk pull across his face, and you own slackened with shock at the familiar look, idly wondering if he’d picked up Raph’s signature look on purpose.

“But you like to dance.” He seemed to decide something, but you could only stare, confused as he placed his beer down on the coffee table and stood. “C’mon.”

“What?” You asked, freezing for half a beat before narrowing your eyes on his outstretched arms.

He gestured them in a sweep, wiggling his fingers at you. “Let’s dance.”

“What?” You asked again, wondering if his dumb was rubbing off. 

“I know how to two-step.” He revealed as if it was some sort of grand secret. “I’m sure I can even figure out how to swing, seen it done enough.” He took a step forward, reached for your hand, and you let him take the remote, staring up at his face as though you could peel back the layers and see his thought process.

He didn’t know. You let him take your other hand, watched him fiddle with the remote until the first song on your personal playlist started up. 

The absolute idiot. He had no idea what he was stepping into. You should step back, remove his hand from where he’d taken a high, polite grip on your hip, but your mind turned over like a stalling engine. 

What would you say? How could you tell him ‘hey, we really shouldn’t dance, because if any of the turtles see your hands on me we’re gonna be finding little bitty Casey pieces all over the City for weeks’. He’d never believe it, or worse he would believe it, and whatever it was you had for yourself would suddenly be out in the open, because if there was one thing Casey Jones did not know how to hold in, it was a secret.

Then he threw the remote on the couch, tucked your still elevated hand within his own strong grip, and twirled you around into the space in front of him.

He tilted his head back with that confident smile again when you stared up, flabbergasted at the move, and he shimmied before taking the first step to the side. “C’mon, short stuff, lets boogie.”

It succeeded in pulling a chuckle out of you, and you followed his lead, letting him turn you both whenever he started a new direction, your hand up on his bicep to keep some space in between you. Your worry slid away after the first song. The turtles knew Casey only had eyes for April, surely they wouldn’t hold a few dances against the hockey player.

Casey danced you through the first few songs, heels snapping even without boots, and you laughed more than once at his antics. After the fourth song, however, something with a softer beat started, and he let go of your hip, swung you out in an arc.

“Let’s try that swing, now.” His accent was thick on the words, and you snorted at the absurdness of it all as you let yourself slip under his arm. After the first snap back, you became just a little more confident, sure that he wasn’t going to let you spill onto the hard floor.

This song was a little more loose, gave you the leeway to let him improvise when he would tuck you under his shoulder or spin you out into the further reaches of his grip, the only touches other than his hand the brush of your hair against his arm.

“Dip?” Casey asked, other hand open, and you grabbed for it, let him dip you before spinning you up again with a snap at the end of the movement, your stomach up in your throat for half a second, a peal of laughter escaping as you twirled.

The sound of glass shattering brought you both up short, deer caught in headlights as you peered towards the sound.

Donnie was staring right at you, hand aloft where presumably his glass had been. Raph was right behind him, head tilted to the side, green and gold eyes trailing between the points where Casey’s hands held your own, the press of your temple against the forearm curved above your head. 

“Hey guys!” Casey said brightly, eyebrow arching for half a second as he took in Donnie’s still raised hand before he moved you into a twirl again. “Had a fun patrol?” He snapped you out again, hand just below your elbow, and you could make out the incredulous pop of Raph’s brow ridges even through the movement.

“Yea. Great Patrol.” Leo, and you weren’t sure how you missed him, but he was suddenly in your space, hands spanning your waist and lifting you up, out of Casey’s orbit.

He set you aside, and you swayed at the speed of the movement, somehow under the curve of Mikey’s shoulder between fast blinks, his hand low on your back searing through your shirt.

Casey, however, beamed when Leo stepped up into his space, and you winced at the tension you could see in the blue banded turtle’s arms. You went to step forward, to step between them, but Mikey tucked you in closer, effectively trapping you against him.

“I fucking knew it.” Casey said, triumphant, his hand coming out to slap against Leo’s shoulder, seemingly unaware of what exactly was happening. You winced again.

“Did you?” The question was almost lost in a growl.

Oh dear god. 

Leo was suppose to be the level headed one. The calm one. You somehow weaseled your way out from under Mikey’s arm, moving fast and low and dodging in between them, hands on Leo’s plastron, trying to push him back.

“Ok, Ok, there’s no need for-” He simply picked you up again, and you went with a quiet flare of irritation at being manhandled again. This time when he set you to the side Raph was there, and with a large hand he all but shoved you behind him, leaving you staring at the curve of their shells. You hit the middle scutes with the palms of your hands. “Hey!”

They ignored you, and you huffed, irritation crossing over into anger.

“I’ll just-go.” Casey, and you could almost sense his shit eating grin. You buried your head in your hands as you heard him walking away, knowing without looking he was more smug about riling them up than anything else.

A tap on your shoulder, and you looked up to see Donnie, Mikey, crowding over you. 

“Are you ok?” Donnie asked, his hand moving to cup your elbow, turn you more towards him.

“Am I ok?” You asked, offended. “Donnie, you broke a fucking glass.” You turned to address all of them, a finger moving between each as you backed up. “I am allowed to dance with who I want to.”

They followed, and you almost stumbled into the coffee table, quick to put it between you and the group. Even Mikey, your little beam of sunshine, was eyeing you in a way you’d never seen before. The image of a rabbit before a group of hounds floated through your mind.

“Course you can,” Raph added into the silence, his voice a croon of agreement, and you wondered if they realized it had stretched on too long. He took a side step, his head cocked and smiling that smile that turned you into putty. The sight had all your senses ricocheting into attention.

“How bout you show it to us?” Leo suggested in a calm rumble, right in front of you, leaning over to splay his hands against the surface of the coffee table, adding weight until the wood groaned ominously.

“I’m sure we can pick it up pretty fast.” Donnie chirped, the usually happy sound he made to get your attention seeming odd in the context until you flicked your eyes over to him and he smiled under your gaze.

The three of them stared at you, and you nervously flicked glances between them, trying to keep them in sight at all times. The hair on your neck stood up, your body trying vainly to tell you that you’d forgotten something.

Someone.

“Wait. Where’s-”

The music blared out again, that same looser song restarting, and large hands took your own, Mikey twirling you out with an energetic snap that had you hissing in surprise, before he had you tucked in under his shoulder once more.

“If you wanted to dance, babes, all you had to do was say so!” He crowed.

———————————

The next morning you shuffled into the Lair’s kitchen, legs cramping, back protesting, holding onto the counter for support. A sound came from the table, and you turned your head incrementally, until you could pin the two humans waiting there with a glare.

“Morning?” April asked, her brows drawing up in the middle at the sight of you.

Your eyes focused on the buffoon with a shit eating grin next to her. “You.”

Casey saluted you with his carryout coffee. “Sup. Have a good night?”

“They kept me dancing for fucking hours.” You hissed the words with venom at him. 

Casey shrugged, undisturbed. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice about keeping secrets from the fam, short stack.”

You fumed. Boiled. Went to take a menacing step towards him before your calf seized and you returned to gripping the counter for support.

April quickly looked up, away, sipping her own coffee and minding her own business, but Casey grinned at you over the lip of his own, eyebrows dancing.

You saw red. “Raph!” You yelled, and had the absolute delight of seeing Casey leap for you before he seemed to remember he couldn’t actually touch you. “Casey’s here!”

“Gotta go, see you later, April.” He snagged a donut, leaping over the railing and belting for the exit at the sound of doors opening violently deeper in the Lair.

Rashida Tlaib has set up a petition to send to the White House to recognize and stop the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement happening in Gaza. If you’re a US citizen please sign. I have no illusions that this will change policy, but the public outcry against their actions must continue. We will not be distracted or discouraged from continuing to object to these humans rights violations.

So I only processed the first panel on my dash and had to really stare at it while thinking “why is deku talking to the butter guy?”

The Housecat Philosophy - Ep 33

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I got the child actor Johnny Sheffield

What if when we were born we were each assigned a Wikipedia page like a social security number would that be fucked up or what