The Turtle Cure All
Mar. 6th, 2020 07:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
queenkatyastarTitle: The Turtle Cure All
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Characters/Pairing: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Splinter
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: All Bingo: Food Fest: Cure
Word Count: 1,271
Date Written: 4 March 2020
Warnings: Slight AU, Character Death
Summary: There's only one thing that can cure everything for a Turtle.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Michelangelo's stomach grumbled in protest, feeling and sounding like a mighty beast just beyond his aching plastron. His arms and legs hurt. Even his head felt as though his brain had just been spun through a blender. He didn't feel like walking, and he certainly didn't feel like carrying this heavy load all the way home without eating a single bite. Normally, he would have already scarfed an entire pie by the time he reached the lair, but these were not normal times.
Raphael bounded toward him, still gripping a sai, as he entered. Donatello ran to him from the opposite direction. Mikey deftly lifted the warm, white boxes high over his head and slipped between his two onrushing brothers. They almost collided, and he almost grinned. Almost. There still didn't seem like there was very much to grin about these days, not with them all hurting both physically and spiritually.
"Easy, bros. No one's getting in these yet."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?!" Raphael thundered. "Dude, you've been gone for hours, and we haven't eaten all day! Give me that pie!" He doze for Mikey, but Michelangelo again deftly sidestepped him.
"No," he repeated and was surprised when Donatello seemed suddenly to understand.
"Raph -- " Donnie shook his head. "Give him a moment."
"What the Hell do you mean -- " Raphael started again, but at the grave look on his genius brother's face, he actually paused.
"I'm taking this to our fearless leader."
"Or leaders," Donatello put in. "Splinter's in there with him now."
"Has he looked up?" Michelangelo queried to which Donatello silently and sadly shook his head.
Raphael lowered the sai he hadn't meant to rise to threaten his little brother. "Well, hurry up," he groused. "I'm starving!"
"I am too," Mikey almost whimpered as his stomach roared its furious protests again.
Donatello placed a hand on both of his brothers' shells. "Smart thinking, Mikey," he acknowledged. "If anything can pull Leo out of the dumps -- "
Raphael nodded. " -- It's pizza." He'd tried yelling and screaming throughout the lair earlier, but neither Splinter nor Leonardo had acknowledged him at all. Donatello had tried to share his new inventions, and Mikey had done every prank he could think of from dressing and acting like a clown somersaulting through the dojo to riding a bike and simultaneously beating a drum. None of them had been able to gain the slightest flicker of attention from either their eldest brother or their beloved Sensei. "You should've gotten Sensei some sushi," he muttered.
"I did," Mikey spoke eagerly. "Second box. It's a new creation. I ordered a cheese pizza, extra cheese, then put the sushi on top of it."
"You. Touched. Dead. Fish?!" Raphael made a face, his tongue sticking out in disgust. "Never mind!" He waved away the boxes Mikey was now thrusting at him. "Keep it, and keep it the Hell away from me! I'll just go hungry!"
"Oh, come on, Raph. I've got three other pizzas here, two meat lovers' and a loaded."
"Keep the veggies. Give me the meat." Raphael started to reach for the boxes, but at Donatello's sharp look and clearing of his throat, pulled away again. "After you feed them. Hurry up, slow poke."
"Hey, I can't help having to give the pizza man the run around! It's not like I can let him find us. Then we'd have to actually pay for the pizza."
"How'd you get the sushi?" Donatello inquired to which Mikey made a face.
"Don't ask," he said, shuddering but also reminding himself that it would be worth having touched every dead, raw fish he had if he could just get Splinter or Leonardo, either one really, to smile or at least acknowledge that they, unlike Kawaii, were still in the land of the living. He shook off his doubt, reminded himself yet again that pizza cured everything for Turtles, and ran to the dojo.
He let his footsteps fall heavily as he entered the dark space lit only with candles for the dead. Splinter could fuss at him later for being so obnoxious and dishonoring. In fact, he'd love for his father to fuss at him again. He'd love to hear either of them say anything.
He dropped down in front of Leonardo and held the first box open. The delicious aromas of melted cheese, fresh, piping hot bread, and juicy meat wafted over the older turtle's face. His beak twitched. Mikey held the box closer. He finally opened one eye, surveyed the pizza that looked every bit as delicious as it smelled, and then opened the next.
"Lunch time, bro! You can't keep doing all this meditating and fasting on an empty stomach."
"Actually, Michelangelo, fasting is the practice of doing without supplying the body's demands of food to -- " The roaring beast in Leonardo's stomach cried out so loudly that its growl echoed across the dojo.
"Eat," Master Splinter commanded, his whiskers twitching.
Leonardo and Michelangelo both looked at their Sensei. They exchanged a look, and Mikey slipped the second box out of the stack while leaving the other three before Leo. He opened that box and sat it before Splinter, whose nose, whiskers, tail, and even very ears twitched in automatic response. "You need to eat too."
"We all need to eat, Sensei," Leonardo reasoned, "including you."
"I am fine -- " the old rat, who, in his own way, could be just as stubborn as any of his four sons, started to protest.
"So am I. I don't need to eat." Leonardo shut the pizza box.
"Yes, you do."
"I'm not eating without you. None of us are," he ventured to which Michelangelo's mouth flew open.
Just beyond the dojo's doorway, Raphael's mouth also flew wide open with every intention of screaming his protest. Donatello quickly covered Raph's mouth with his hand, however, while Leonardo's sharp look made Mikey cover his own open mouth.
Splinter sighed. His tail tapped the floor. "Very well. You boys do know how to try an old man's patience." Yet, when Splinter opened his eyes and saw the tiny fish nestled in amongst the gleaming, yellow and white cheese, his own mouth watered. "I suppose I can allow myself a small indulgence -- "
"YES!" Michelangelo crowed as Splinter reached into the box and selected a piece.
Raphael and Donatello ran into the room, and both hit their knees beside the pizza boxes. As all four brothers dove into the pizza, Leonardo quietly spoke to their beloved Sensei, "She would want us to eat. She would want us to continue."
Splinter acknowledged his eldest and wisest son with a slight nod of his furry head. Though his ears laid back, he knew Leonardo was right. Kawaii would want them to continue to live and to fight, and if they failed to live, which included eating, they would never be able to bring her killer to justice. They would never be able to, once and for all, defeat the Shredder.
"And she'd want us to keep having fun. She was a pretty cool chick."
Raphael snorted. "That girl wouldn't've known fun if it kicked her in the ass."
Splinter arched an eyebrow, but his mouth was too full to voice a protest.
"Raphael -- " Donatello warned.
"Mikey's right actually, except for her own ability to have fun part. She would want us to continue living, fighting, eating, and just being us."
Splinter nodded. "I know," he said softly, a lone tear he hoped his sons didn't see trickling down his furry face as he ate a piece of sushi for his daughter.
The End
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Characters/Pairing: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Splinter
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: All Bingo: Food Fest: Cure
Word Count: 1,271
Date Written: 4 March 2020
Warnings: Slight AU, Character Death
Summary: There's only one thing that can cure everything for a Turtle.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Michelangelo's stomach grumbled in protest, feeling and sounding like a mighty beast just beyond his aching plastron. His arms and legs hurt. Even his head felt as though his brain had just been spun through a blender. He didn't feel like walking, and he certainly didn't feel like carrying this heavy load all the way home without eating a single bite. Normally, he would have already scarfed an entire pie by the time he reached the lair, but these were not normal times.
Raphael bounded toward him, still gripping a sai, as he entered. Donatello ran to him from the opposite direction. Mikey deftly lifted the warm, white boxes high over his head and slipped between his two onrushing brothers. They almost collided, and he almost grinned. Almost. There still didn't seem like there was very much to grin about these days, not with them all hurting both physically and spiritually.
"Easy, bros. No one's getting in these yet."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?!" Raphael thundered. "Dude, you've been gone for hours, and we haven't eaten all day! Give me that pie!" He doze for Mikey, but Michelangelo again deftly sidestepped him.
"No," he repeated and was surprised when Donatello seemed suddenly to understand.
"Raph -- " Donnie shook his head. "Give him a moment."
"What the Hell do you mean -- " Raphael started again, but at the grave look on his genius brother's face, he actually paused.
"I'm taking this to our fearless leader."
"Or leaders," Donatello put in. "Splinter's in there with him now."
"Has he looked up?" Michelangelo queried to which Donatello silently and sadly shook his head.
Raphael lowered the sai he hadn't meant to rise to threaten his little brother. "Well, hurry up," he groused. "I'm starving!"
"I am too," Mikey almost whimpered as his stomach roared its furious protests again.
Donatello placed a hand on both of his brothers' shells. "Smart thinking, Mikey," he acknowledged. "If anything can pull Leo out of the dumps -- "
Raphael nodded. " -- It's pizza." He'd tried yelling and screaming throughout the lair earlier, but neither Splinter nor Leonardo had acknowledged him at all. Donatello had tried to share his new inventions, and Mikey had done every prank he could think of from dressing and acting like a clown somersaulting through the dojo to riding a bike and simultaneously beating a drum. None of them had been able to gain the slightest flicker of attention from either their eldest brother or their beloved Sensei. "You should've gotten Sensei some sushi," he muttered.
"I did," Mikey spoke eagerly. "Second box. It's a new creation. I ordered a cheese pizza, extra cheese, then put the sushi on top of it."
"You. Touched. Dead. Fish?!" Raphael made a face, his tongue sticking out in disgust. "Never mind!" He waved away the boxes Mikey was now thrusting at him. "Keep it, and keep it the Hell away from me! I'll just go hungry!"
"Oh, come on, Raph. I've got three other pizzas here, two meat lovers' and a loaded."
"Keep the veggies. Give me the meat." Raphael started to reach for the boxes, but at Donatello's sharp look and clearing of his throat, pulled away again. "After you feed them. Hurry up, slow poke."
"Hey, I can't help having to give the pizza man the run around! It's not like I can let him find us. Then we'd have to actually pay for the pizza."
"How'd you get the sushi?" Donatello inquired to which Mikey made a face.
"Don't ask," he said, shuddering but also reminding himself that it would be worth having touched every dead, raw fish he had if he could just get Splinter or Leonardo, either one really, to smile or at least acknowledge that they, unlike Kawaii, were still in the land of the living. He shook off his doubt, reminded himself yet again that pizza cured everything for Turtles, and ran to the dojo.
He let his footsteps fall heavily as he entered the dark space lit only with candles for the dead. Splinter could fuss at him later for being so obnoxious and dishonoring. In fact, he'd love for his father to fuss at him again. He'd love to hear either of them say anything.
He dropped down in front of Leonardo and held the first box open. The delicious aromas of melted cheese, fresh, piping hot bread, and juicy meat wafted over the older turtle's face. His beak twitched. Mikey held the box closer. He finally opened one eye, surveyed the pizza that looked every bit as delicious as it smelled, and then opened the next.
"Lunch time, bro! You can't keep doing all this meditating and fasting on an empty stomach."
"Actually, Michelangelo, fasting is the practice of doing without supplying the body's demands of food to -- " The roaring beast in Leonardo's stomach cried out so loudly that its growl echoed across the dojo.
"Eat," Master Splinter commanded, his whiskers twitching.
Leonardo and Michelangelo both looked at their Sensei. They exchanged a look, and Mikey slipped the second box out of the stack while leaving the other three before Leo. He opened that box and sat it before Splinter, whose nose, whiskers, tail, and even very ears twitched in automatic response. "You need to eat too."
"We all need to eat, Sensei," Leonardo reasoned, "including you."
"I am fine -- " the old rat, who, in his own way, could be just as stubborn as any of his four sons, started to protest.
"So am I. I don't need to eat." Leonardo shut the pizza box.
"Yes, you do."
"I'm not eating without you. None of us are," he ventured to which Michelangelo's mouth flew open.
Just beyond the dojo's doorway, Raphael's mouth also flew wide open with every intention of screaming his protest. Donatello quickly covered Raph's mouth with his hand, however, while Leonardo's sharp look made Mikey cover his own open mouth.
Splinter sighed. His tail tapped the floor. "Very well. You boys do know how to try an old man's patience." Yet, when Splinter opened his eyes and saw the tiny fish nestled in amongst the gleaming, yellow and white cheese, his own mouth watered. "I suppose I can allow myself a small indulgence -- "
"YES!" Michelangelo crowed as Splinter reached into the box and selected a piece.
Raphael and Donatello ran into the room, and both hit their knees beside the pizza boxes. As all four brothers dove into the pizza, Leonardo quietly spoke to their beloved Sensei, "She would want us to eat. She would want us to continue."
Splinter acknowledged his eldest and wisest son with a slight nod of his furry head. Though his ears laid back, he knew Leonardo was right. Kawaii would want them to continue to live and to fight, and if they failed to live, which included eating, they would never be able to bring her killer to justice. They would never be able to, once and for all, defeat the Shredder.
"And she'd want us to keep having fun. She was a pretty cool chick."
Raphael snorted. "That girl wouldn't've known fun if it kicked her in the ass."
Splinter arched an eyebrow, but his mouth was too full to voice a protest.
"Raphael -- " Donatello warned.
"Mikey's right actually, except for her own ability to have fun part. She would want us to continue living, fighting, eating, and just being us."
Splinter nodded. "I know," he said softly, a lone tear he hoped his sons didn't see trickling down his furry face as he ate a piece of sushi for his daughter.
The End
