Turtlecrazy714

You can never truly learn to appreciate the meaning of teamwork until you tackle a sink-load, a cupboard-load, and a table-load of dirty dishes by the Hamato Clan’s Dinner Party.   In the past, Leonardo remembers working in pairs cooking and cleaning. Since they’ve hit their teens, it somehow managed to be official, either Raph or Mikey cooks, then Leo or Don cleans. Don could cook when he needs to, but for reasons beyond Leonardo, anything other than pasta and coffee would erupt into a foul mess. Leo’s gifts lies within the drinks- only. Now at sixteen, he’s become so used to cleaning up after one of Mikey’s ex

"Leo, come on! What do you even see in him?" Raph leaped over the kitchen table, "It's Casey." Leo swerved to neatly avoid his brother, "I don't owe you any explanation!" "This isn't funny Leo- stop laughing!" Raph's plea fell upon a deaf Leo, the turtle concentrating on eating his frozen pizza slice, "Leo! Get back here!" There's no precise speed like running with food from an angry sibling- and Leo made three whole rounds around the kitchen before sneaking another slice from the fridge, then darting to the living room.  Raph never drifted from his shadow- sometimes, Leo wished that his brother would display this much diligence when it ac

Leonardo’s eyes widened- his mouth going slack under his face-mask. Casey was coming close- closer with every step. And that adorably breath-taking smirk of his was making Leonardo’s breath catch. Damn it- why did he let him enter his room in the first place- oh right, Leo left it open. Leonardo smiled at the boy- knowing his eyes could easily be read with the emotion. He didn’t need to take off his hoodie- or pull back his hair or sign him any words- the turtle-turned-human knew that Casey understands. Leonardo ducked his head, letting his blush under the mask he always wore in public. Casey chuckled, and made himself com

Leonardo could sense the man’s presence without even turning around- that masculinity that just seems to radiate confidence and strength and it’s hard to keep the smile off his face when he hears the footsteps. “Hey Leo-woah! What happened in here?” Casey’s standing in the kitchen doorway, Leo doesn’t have to see him to know he’s holding up his hands in the universal surrender, “Like, what battle?” Leo chuckles, balancing Mikey’s and Raph’s set of plates in a hand each, “Mikey’s Cooking Extravaganza,” Leo pauses, eyeing the crowded sink, “Featuring Chi

(Cover image by NeatTea, a gift from Hummerhouse! You are both exquisite!) Black and Blue The four turtles and their human friends stood around talking, relating the evening’s exploits from their own points of view after their victorious multi-pronged attack on the Mob.  Spirits were up and their energy still high, and rather than take that back to the Lair, they just decided to hang out on the rooftop to chat and occasionally shadow-box with one another. Mikey told the tale of his epic battle against four mobsters at once.  “…and then I turned, flipped…”  He demonstrated a spinning double-backflip. “

Leonardo whipped around, hands defensive and feet ready to aim a harsh kick even though having registered just who it was behind that cardboard box. A muffled shout met his hearing, "Leo! Wait!" Leonardo waited while his thought-to-be-attacker protested, "It's me- you know... Casey! Your buddy Case," The turtle bit in his smile, feeling oddly playful that night, kept his arms locked in place, "Who?" A gasp that sounded all kinds of offended, "It's me Blue! Casey. Casey Jones. Awesome dude? Hockey player?" Leonardo waited a second before replying as seriously as he could, "Doesn't ring a bell." One defeated sigh later, and the boy bl

It was the silence. Amplified everything. Hurt, loss, denial, anger. Everything. Grief dripped from every nook and cranny of the old farmhouse, drowning April in it’s current. She wanted to talk, to break the silence and at least attempt to heal the pain, but her fear stopped her. Fear of saying something wrong. Fear of hurting everyone further. Fear of facing her own heartache. But the silence! It was the weather. It was too cold for burying Leo, the ground was still too frozen. It was supposed to warm up significantly by morning tomorrow. Less than twenty-four hours. Then they could break the silence. Then they could face their ang

The light was gone. The farmhouse, normally boisterous with activity and laughter, was silent and still as the night. The place where his children would come to be themselves, away from the worries of the city, had now become a crypt, encasing them in their own misery. Splinter stood by as his children moved about like ghosts, barely talking or engaging with each other at all. Time was needed to let them grieve and work through this pain in their own ways, but that didn’t make watching them stumble through their despair any easier. Leonardo was usually quite good at brightening their spirits in such dark times. A mournful sigh blew

Two weeks, it had been two weeks since their youngest brother had reappeared. Two weeks since they’d beaten him so badly he had to be hospitalized. Sighing again Leo closed his eyes. In truth he hadn’t wanted to fight his brother. He’d hoped that Mikey being there had been a sign that the youngest brother had realized Splinter’s deception and had come to join them; and that maybe, just maybe they could go back to how things had once been. Even during the fight he’d spoken, trying to convince Mikey to stop. And yet……. Doing his best to meditate Leo could not help but feel his mind pulled towards that

Chapter 30: Provocation If there was one thing that the brush with death had taught Donatello, it was to really appreciate the simple pleasures that life provided. Once upon a time, hanging out with April would have been a strenuous exercise of presenting himself as what he perceived she wanted to see, along with the delicate balance of trying to act within the norms of a society he’d only ever seen from the outskirts. Sure, there might still be elements of those concerns that ticked away within him, but, with his mind no longer running at the same high speed, it was easier just to ignore them so he could enjoy the here and now. It wa