I love hc where Raph takes super good care of his body like a temple, while Donnie is out there testing nuclear on a body that hasn't slept for a week.
I lowkey wish the bay movies leaned into April being played by Megan Fox to be April is that weirdo with a pretty face, like imagine her roommate seeing her for the first time like "she's... actually so pretty" until April starts talking about literally anything outside of small talk and suddenly she understood why April is still single. Like I want more nerd(in a bad way) women with a lethal face card, make them ethereal until they start talking about conspiracy theories they genuinely believe in and suddenly they're their own cockblocker
Other writers have brought this up, and I definitely like to imagine the guys- if they do have heat cycles- they would be complex, overwhelming hormonal and physical events every year. Reflecting real turtle mating seasons with real biological purposes.
In short: Random heat headcanons lmao. Feel free to use.
Reader X Bayverse!Turtles
Word Count: 813. Warnings of smut, turbulent emotions, insomnia, and angst.
- Spring Fever typically hits around March, as they are coming out of the hibernation "Winter Blues".
- It's between 2-3 weeks, involving crazy spikes in hormones and metabolism.
- It's an insufferable few weeks for literally everyone involved.
- Spring Fever is an avalanche of new energy.
- At first, it's not something he will notice, but others definitely will.
- His patience will be unusually short. He'll be suddenly more possessive of some personal items or space.
- Arguments are far more common during Spring Fever, and over less and less important things.
- They need space from one another more than usual: otherwise, they are easily overstimulated and frustrated.
- It's all due to changing hormones. All emotions feel bigger and stronger, and hit harder.
- Mike - who is notoriously difficult to anger, also experiences this spike of frustration.
- The guys are emotionally vulnerable at this stage. You'll need to be careful of what you say, especially if you are in a relationship.
- All emotions feel stronger. Happiness, anger, stress, anxiety, sadness. All of them. Manic and depressive episodes are not exactly rare these next few weeks.
- The guys also get HUNGRY
- They will be eating WAY more than usual. They constantly feel hungry. Always snacking
- Feed these boys. They need it.
- They all suddenly have urges to try food they won't normally eat. If he has food preferences that don't match yours, Spring Fever is an exception. Because ALL food sounds good to him rn.
- Spring Fever also means they are WAY more active these few weeks. Which is already saying a LOT.
- They are running all over the lair. They are training ALL DAY if they aren't playing crazy ninja sports together all in the lair.
- Unfortunately, this means they all have a difficult time sleeping.
- A few of the turtles are already prone to not sleeping (Donnie). Insomnia episodes spike during Spring Fever. Leo, who is already stressed 24/7, is likely to be found solo (anxiety) training in the middle of the night. Raph will have solo night patrols just to get fresh air and alone time. Mikey will be more anxious than usual about his constant nightmares.
-Not getting proper sleep on-top of hormonal spikes is a recipe for stable mental health.
- They do their best though.
- They get better at coping with Spring Fever the older they get.
NSFW Undercut:
-While the idea that mating season puts him in an animalistic state has its charms, I like to think that a turtle would sooner experience sexual brain fog during the Winter Blues (hibernation), instead of Spring Fever.
-Not that I think Spring Fever doesn't quell some of his inhibitions, because I definitely think it does. As explained in a moment.
-I just feel that this Spring Fever would, unlike the Winter Blues, bring about HYPER CLAIRTY. Instead of erasing his personality, Spring Fever magnifies it tenfold.
-Whatever he was like in the bedroom, it's at its rawest and most vulnerable form during Spring Fever.
-His libido was already high. It SKYROCKETS these next few weeks.
-If he had a hard time having sex in risky places, he would be weirdly uncaring about that all of a sudden. Or if he's usually quiet during sex, he's now suddenly having difficulties staying quiet.
-He is so full of energy.
-Sexual dreams and morning wood are literally daily
-During Spring Fever, he is EXTREMELY easy to arouse, and he is uncharacteristically willing to do things he won't usually do.
-If you want to introduce any new ideas or activities to your sex life, he'll be WAYY more agreeable during Spring Fever if he wasn't before.
-But your turtle is definitely not spared from feeling embarrassed about any of this.
-In fact, Spring Fever is a period of feeling pretty extreme embarrassment or shame if you two are not careful. So try not to do anything so crazy that he might regret it later.
-Which means you will also be doing most of the mental work these next few weeks.
-He'll have a difficult time not getting caught up in emotions, so getting him to focus only on orgasm and pleasure can help.
-Sex also helps to exhaust him to the point of sleep.
-It just takes him a WHILE to get to that point. His stamina was superhuman even outside of Spring Fever.
@turtleweens Brought this up a few years ago in this great post, but I agree that all the turtles would experience CRAZY baby fever around this time.
-Not to mention that elevated emotional states combined with no sleep would result in larger existential spirals about his future in general.
-Sex, and specifically orgasm, makes for a great physical outlet for these difficult few weeks. Just don't let him grow dependent on sex as an escape from his emotions or stresses right now.
More doodles! I swear I'm also writing! I actually did 1000 words yesterday which hasn't happened in a long time. Also, why didn't I start doing these sooner? They're so much fun for me to do.
Second one is technically risque. Whether she knows it or not in this sketch, she's propositioning him with her flutter fingers.
Leo is a light sleeper. White-noise doesn’t bother him, but sudden movements or little noises indicating something is moving will jerk him awake.
He’s quick to fall back asleep if he finds everything to be alright.
He is a very quiet and still sleeper.
Leo has a single pillow and blanket for his bed. It’s easy to make in the morning, and he’s never thought of a reason to have more. (Leo knows he’ll cuddle the second pillow. And big strong leaders don’t cuddle second pillows).
Leo struggles to fall asleep outside the lair because the paranoia of keeping everyone safe and alive easily trumps anything in Leo’s life, especially sleep.
At the lair he prefers his bed every single night, because not sleeping in his bed could mess up his routine. Which he hates.
Not a napper. He thrives in routine, and also is strictly self-disciplined. He won’t let himself nap unless he really REALLY has nothing else to do. Which is rare. He is always trying to stay busy and productive. True Virgo.
Has bouts of sleeplessness. Opposite of Donnie. Once every several months he’ll be unable to sleep for a couple days due to stress.
Donatello
Nobody knows how this guy is even alive.
Donnie rarely sleeps.
Even in the middle of the day you’ll find Donnie drawing or on a computer of some kind either doing something cybersecurity wise, researching or just playing videogames.
When Donnie does finally fall asleep, it’s almost never in his own bed. Donnie has a cot in the lab; and a hammock in the garage. He’s more often found in one or the other.
Donnie's naps are when the exhaustion hits him out of nowhere.
Once every couple months he literally has a 24+ hour coma. NOTHING except maybe the end of the world will wake him.
The guys have to make sure he eats and drinks, because Donnie forgets to, often.
Donnie can lock into the flow state for days, so during these times he can be sincerely startled by what time or day it is.
It’s a serious struggle to talk him into bed. He’s an insistent, stubborn fucker, often using family safety as an excuse. Don’t let him win.
Donnie is the heaviest sleeper of the family, and can fall asleep anywhere. You can find him asleep in his lab chair often, his head tiled back and mouth slack, his glasses hanging almost off his face.
Also he’s the only talker. He mutters and twitches in his sleep. It’s always fucking nonsense. It’s rare, but sometimes you CAN have a full blown conversation with him.
Raph
Chronic sleep apnea.
His family makes fun of him for it
Raph's snoring is crazy loud. He’s a big guy
Raph is sleeping all the time. Constantly tired. Constantly underrested.
Extremely deep sleeper.
But he won’t sleep through alarms he knows are coming.
Raph doesn’t twitch or move while he sleeps. Sometimes that's a problem, if you can’t get him to wake up and move.
Raph runs super duper hot. He’s a big guy, and the coldbloodedness did not survive the mutation. He doesn’t need a blanket to fall asleep.
Raph uses tons of pillows for support. His shell and joints need it and hes a cuddly guy. He likes the comfort of support and holding something to his chest.
Raph can forget to make his bed, but he’s way neater than Donnie and Mikey. He has certain spaces he does prefer to be organized and clean. The bed isn’t always one of those spots.
Raph can fall asleep anywhere, but staying asleep can be difficult if his breathing is blocked off so badly it is stopped all together in his chest or neck. Can snore himself awake.
Raph's not a morning person and he isn’t really a night owl either. If he isn’t doing something active or adrenaline inducing, he’s a pretty sleepy guy. His naps aren’t daily but they are way way more often than anyone else in the family.
Michelangelo
His mind is very active and vivid, and consequently suffers from the worst nightmares out of all of them.
He doesn’t talk about it, but he struggles to fall asleep and stay asleep because of them.
If the dream was bad enough, he’ll get up and start simple exercise or stretches in the dojo, or go for a run. Has learned to just deal with it.
He learns this when he ages, but Mike has a type of personality that thrives in routine, so a nap can throw off the rest of the day. Mike tries his best to keep that from happening. But sometimes he just can’t help it. .
But Mike is actually good with staying awake all day. Is a lot like Leo, except instead of working to be purely ‘productive’, Mike works to stay occupied.
Mike likes exercise and sports. He actually enjoys training with his brothers, it gets him in that flow state. Video games also do this. He has countless hobbies as well. They all do.
Mike also enjoys being the one making breakfast in the morning and delegating lunches and dinners with Raph. This will motivate him enough to get him out of bed in the morning.
Raph
Seeing as Raphael literally always worries about his size and how different he is from humans, I doubt he’d be the type to forget how small you are compared to him. However, if he ever were to have a moment of weakness, it’d be a time he needs comfort.
Say him and Leo had gotten into another fight and he truly just needed to be held for a bit. Of course, you were there on his bed on your phone, waiting patiently for him to return from patrol with his brothers.
When he walks in the door, he does little more than shrug off his backpack from his shell and
slip his sais from his belt before collapsing onto the bed. At first he lands beside you, not
wanting to crowd your space. But you knew that expression.
Pretty soon, his head was on your chest and his arm wrapped around your side, his
three-fingered hand resting on your lower back as he took a moment to breathe you in.
Regardless of how angry he was, he truly was just a big, exhausted teddy-bear.
And you didn’t have the heart to tell him he was crushing your ribs by squeezing you so tightly.
Leo
Again, like Raphael, I doubt he’s the type to forget about his own size. Though, there are
moments when he’s vulnerable where it’ll slip his mind.
Along with this, he’s also not the type to actively seek out emotional support even when he
needs it most. Instead, he’ll collapse on your bed (he doesn’t like to cuddle at the lair anymore
because he’s afraid you both will get caught by his brothers again) and bury his face in your
pillow, inhaling your scent. When you join him, running your nails gently over his shell because
you notice how spent he looks after fighting and patrolling for nights on end, he eventually
wraps an arm around you.
And after that, he’s gone. He will lay on top of you, his face buried in either your neck or
shoulder as he inhales you like you’re the final piece of a puzzle he didn’t know he was putting
together. He subconsciously rests his entire body weight on you, arms wrapped around your
waist and he lets you hold him.
Now because this doesn’t happen very often, and you know that if you tell him you can’t breathe
under his weight he’ll likely not let himself be this vulnerable in front of you for the next few
months, you don’t say a word. You simply run your fingers over his shell and take shallow
breaths.
Donnie
Donnie is very aware of his size. He towers over his other brothers and typically it’s a very
valuable tool in battle, being a tall and lanky stringbean has its perks. But when you sit in his chair waiting for him to return from patrol and you look so damn comfy and warm, it tends to slip his mind often.
At first, he’ll kneel before you, his head resting on your thigh as he rests his eyes and your
fingers run gently over his scales. After you take his glasses off, claiming that it would be more comfortable without them, he lifts you up from the chair, leaving his glasses forgotten on the table as he carries you over to the cot he keeps in the corner of the lab. He lays you both down much too quickly to be truly careful and collapses on top of you. His arms around your waist and his head buried in your chest. Without his sight, he relies on his other senses. He relaxes at the sound of your heart, of your breathing, of the gentle shapes you trace on his carapace. He
allows it to lull him into a trance filled with only you.
Unlike Leo or Raph, you openly tell him if you’re uncomfortable. He’ll adjust with a small “sorry, dove” before allowing you to continue to hold him.
He’s asleep before you can tell him your arm is falling asleep under his weight.
Mikey
Unlike his brothers, Michelangelo is very not aware of his size. Of course he understands there is a difference between him and humans, but for the majority of his adolescence, he assumes his ability to punch and kick that hard are normal for all species.
That’s why, when he jumps on top of you after patrol, claiming to need some of that “good,
sweet, lovin’, ma”, he’s unaware of the way he’s knocked the wind out of you.
This doesn’t just go for when he needs comfort either. He’ll jump onto your bed or his with so much excitement that it breaks under his weight. You’ve both had to replace more than a couple beds at this point.
So when he comes to you for comfort one day after the whole police station break-in, he doesn’t jump or break anything. He simply collapses onto you and sighs.
“‘m sorry, ma. Just need’ja to hold me a bit…I know I’m heavy…
”
This was a shock for you. This wasn’t the happy-go-lucky turtle buddy you knew. No, this was a big guy who just needed a bit of reassurance after being called a monster.
“You’re not a monster, Mikey” You reassure, ignoring the way you have to breathe shallowly under his weight. He notices but you hold him there before he can pull away.
“I wouldn’t have you any other way, honey.”
He relaxes at that.
Hii, how are you? I would give you my soul and a kidney if you wrote a continuation of the I Wish We Could fic where somehow (I know it would be biologically impossible but they're mutant turtles) Leo's S/o got pregnant.
I Wish We Could (Part Two)
Bayverse! Leonardo x Fem Reader
I kinda projected my own terror of getting pregnant onto the reader, I apologize. It ruins the fluff and replaces it with angst. In my opinion it boarders on almost body horror, given the nature of getting impregnated by a turtle man, even a sweetheart like Leo, is a terrifying scientific prospect.
However Leo would make a fantastic dad, Y/N would make an awesome mom, and his family would cartoonishly be able to handle all of this, so I know this has a happy ending that I didn't write.
(Warnings: Angst, surprise pregnancy, mood swings, implicit mentions of infidelity and abortion, fear of future)
--------------
“I gotcha, I gotcha.” Leo’s tone was quiet while he cupped the nape of your neck, his other hand having collected your hair out of your face. “That’s it.”
You whimpered, your entire frame limply slumped over the apartment toilet. A small part of you writhed at the thought of being on the bathroom floor like this. But between the sickness and nausea, your only comfort was that you knew Leo scrubbed every surface of this bathroom at least twice a day.
If you survive this, you'll have to remember to thank him.
You haven't thrown up in years, especially like this.
“This sucks.” Your voice unintentionally exploded in this small space. You earned an extra rub from his fingers in response. “I don't know why this is happening.”
Leo hummed dismissively. “You're okay, babe. It'll pass.”
It'll pass? This 'not ending' was not the problem here; the problem was that it was happening-
It was foreign, the surge of rage, but overwhelming. “I am obviously super not okay.” You snapped uncharacteristically. “This is the third time today, Leo. Somethings wrong.”
Leo huffed. “It’s only a stomach bug, sweetheart, calm down-”
“You calm down!” You raised your voice. You'd never done that before, but it felt like the calmest you could react to his condescending and assuming attitude-
“Y/N!” Leo’s fingers lifted away from her skin in surprise. “Stop.”
You sneered, still facing the bowl and seeing white from both rage and probably lightheadedness. “Don’t ever tell me to calm down.”
Leo took in a big deep breath, and you felt his stare at the back of your head. You didn't care you were acting unusual. You waited for his next moronic statement. The absolute gaul to ever speak to you like that- like your some kind of stupid fucking dog-
“You’re right.” Leo finally whispered sincerely. His fingers readjusted over your hair, avoiding your skin this time. “I'm sorry. I’ll be quiet.”
All the anger suddenly left you, leaving you astounded at how angry you actually had been at him. It left you feeling even more embarrassed and hurt and sad and angry and your bones and stomach still ached and were sore for no reason- you began to cry. Something you also haven't done in ages. “I’m sorry.” you whispered.
Leo crowded you, his hand back on your bare shoulders while he rubbed and kissed your temple. “Hey,” He gentled his kisses when you continued to sniffle. “I’m okay, I’m just fine. I’m right here. Tell me what's wrong.”
“I don’t know.” You muttered. “I don’t-”
Are you pregnant?
You froze.
That wouldn’t be possible.
But- no it wouldn't.
Hang on.
You tried to remember the last time you had a period, and were surprised to realize you couldn’t. You’ve never had to worry about if you were on or off a period with Leo, especially with the obviousness you were safe from pregnancy with him. You stopped tracking it ages ago.
You and Leo had that conversation long ago. That it would never happen for you two. Both of you have accepted this.
But.
You’ve thrown up three times this morning. Three times. Once the morning before, and have been feeling sick every morning the past several days. The mood swings have been strange and overpowering and out of character for you. Your breasts had been particularly sensitive during sex and while you changed your clothes. But that had never struck you as particularly strange…ever.
“Am I pregnant?” You asked out loud.
Leo scoffed after a split second. “No.”
“Am I- Leo..” You pressed your hand to your head. “I could be pregnant.”
“No, you can’t be Y/N. It’s impossible.” Leo said. “We're entirely different species.”
“I haven’t had my- I’ve been-” You suddenly tried to get up. “I have to go. We have to go-”
Leo was scrambling to get up to, trying to catch you. “Hey, stop- you’re sick, hang on, what’s this about?”
“I am exhibiting every single sign that I could be pregnant. We have to check.” You said.
“That’s impossible.” Leo’s tone hardened. “We can’t get you pregnant.”
Your eyes filled with tears at his voice, feeling your heart-rate tick up a bit. “Leo, we have to check.”
“No, we don’t. You have a stomach bug, that's it.”
“We have to check!” You insisted. Leo's figure was a tall green blur above you, your stupid tears falling down your cheeks. You knew you looked hysterical, but you hoped to god Leo respected you enough to listen.
Leo went quiet, then took another one of those big, steadying breaths. On the exhale, he looked at you with tired eyes. “Okay. We'll get you tested. I can order tests in a few minutes, but you need water, and you need to lay down.”
You breathed out a sigh of relief, and you sagged.
He brushed his hands down both your arms, pinning with a stare. “Deal?”
You pathetically wiped at your eyes and muttered, “Yeah.”
He lifted his hands to your face, brushing the wetness out from under your eyes. You made eye contact with him before he pressed a firm kiss to your forehead. "I'll get you into bed."
–‐—----------‐—----‐—-------------------
Leo handed you the tests the next day.
Which lead to now. You sitting on the bathroom floor, curled up and in shock against the wall.
Holding a positive test in your hands.
A soft knock on the door echoed in your ears. “Y/N?” Leo called. “You okay?”
You didn't answer.
The door clicks open, to your surprise. You must've been in too much of a hurry to notice you left it unlocked. Leo looks around and when he finds you he hurriedly lets himself in, closing the door behind him and sitting on the floor next to you the best he can, the big guy.
He goes quiet. You know he's staring at you. Waiting.
“I think it was your season.” You whispered.
“What?” Leo asked.
“Your season. It was…” You teared up, and then you were crying again. You were getting so absolutely sick of crying. “Look.”
You handed him the test.
He takes it delicately, his enormous hand dwarfing the stupid thing into the size of a toothpick. He eyed it closely, then looked at you. “I don't know what this means.”
You choke, your smile brief before you shakily point to the directions on the side of the sick.
Leo's expression changes.
“It's positive, Leo.” You whispered. “I'm pregnant.”
“What?” Leo laughs, his eyes not leaving the tiny test in his fingers.
“I'm pregnant.” You said. You felt yourself go numb. Tired. Suddenly life didn't seem real. You didn't know what to think. You definitely didn't know what to say.
Or how he would react.
Leo went silent. After a few moments it was his turn to let his hand fall and stare blankly at the wall.
You let his mind do the thinking now.
After several moments, he let out a shocked breath. “It's not possible.”
You sniffed, wiping your eye.
“You haven't left my- or anyone's side in…you've been home for months.”
You cringed at him going there, but remained silent.
“You think it was…my season?” Leo asked quietly, looking back down at the test. “Why?”
You shrug limply. “It was the only thing that was different about…our sex, recently. You haven't stayed with me for it before.”
Leo huffed open mouthed, his eyes wide. He looked back at the test. “...there's no chance this is wrong?”
You huffed a laugh. “I can show you the other three. And I've puked my guts out several times the past couple days, and I’ve yelled at you. I'm pretty sure it's accurate.”
Leo didn't say anything. You looked at him, waiting with red, sore eyes. He seemed to be in major shock now. He noticed your look though, glancing at you briefly before he numbly grabbed your thigh, giving it a squeeze.
You teared up at his touch. “I'm sorry.” You whispered. “I should've…”
“Stop, stop-” Leo strengthened his hold on your leg, giving it a shake until you met his eyes again. “This isn't your fault. We didn't- I didn't know. I thought- I thought we were in the clear.”
“Me too.”
“Fuck.” Leo said. “This is…I can’t even think.”
“Me neither.”
“I’m a turtle.” He insisted in shock.
“I know.” You whined.
“I don't, um…” Leo's voice cracked, and you were shocked to hear it. You startled, watching him close his eyes, both his hands going to pinch each side of the stick. “Next step is…yours to make. Whatever you want, I have your back-”
“Leo, it’s more than that.” You said, upset. “It’s…”
Apparently Leo could get you pregnant. What kind of child would this baby even be? Turtle? Human? How much of the turtle DNA would affect the baby? Or the pregnancy for that matter? Would this…would this be a freakn’ egg? Could this baby even survive a pregnancy? Could you? You didn't have any professional help. You couldn't talk to doctor or...or even your family about any of this-
You began to cry again.
Leo, the big tough guy, instantly curled up around you, tucking his knees up in front of you and burning his nose in your hair, a hand curling up to hold the other side of your face while you cried.
“I’m scared.” you sobbed.
“I know, I know.” Leo kissed your head, letting out a huff of laughter. “Me too.”
“Where are we even gonna put it?” You cried.
He fully laughed at that.
—----------------
Leo later carried you to the bedroom, and you rested numbly while listening to him pace the apartment while talking on the phone. Likely to Donnie. He sounded stressed. Scared.
You couldn’t blame him. It actually felt good that you weren’t the only one panicking. It felt like you weren’t crazy for feeling like the entire world had been yanked out from under you both. You always understood that the future wasn't perfect for you and Leo, but it definitely wasn’t now.
You suddenly remembered a small conversation you had with Leo during his season. The feeling of yearning and hurt you both confessed to feeling. Of his sweet, deep voice confessing quietly that he wished he could have a family with you. You remembered how much the thought moved him, and you listened to his voice now as what you both thought was a fantasy crashed into you both in reality.
Your heart twinged as you drew in a deep breath. Because your life will never ever be the same after this.
But maybe that’s okay, because you knew you had the most reliable back up someone could possibly ask for.
Your eyes grew heavy, and soon drifted off to sleep at the sound of your fiancé in the other room.
So. First Father’s Day I decided to spend without my dad. And from Day 1 of being in this fandom, I have always admired everyone’s favorite rat dad. Imperfect though Master Splinter is, he always proves himself to be a savvy sensei and a supportive dad. I always admired that in the dude, and looked up to his character so much as a kid.
So today I thought long and hard, and found what I loved about Splinter. Here (along with my drawings) are my conclusions.
He is a listening ear, and a source of gentle support when he witnesses his sons struggling, even (especially) with obstacles they must ultimately face alone.
He learns and appreciates the intricacies of each of his boys’ personalities, and believes undoubtedly that they can succeed in whatever they put their mind to.
He finds ways to share in his sons’ joys, finding his own way to relate to them, and in turn they want to make him proud with what they achieve.
He acts fearless, even when he doesn’t feel it. His character, at the end of the day, is there to protect his sons, and do his best to teach them how to protect themselves one day.
