Where Have the Wild Things Gone
@boots-with-the-fur-club @tmntaucompetition
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Angie = Until I Found You Michelangelo Leon = Until I Found You Leonardo 'Phael = Until I Found You Raphael DvD = Until I Found You Donatello DM Mikey = Double-Mutated Mikey/No Fun in Fungus Mikey LJK Leo = Lou Jitsu's Kids Leonardo
Julia heaves a heavy sigh. This was just what she needed, another lost kid and another issue to fix. Her heart is torn in two, she knows what she needs to do but...
Angie has stopped playing with DM Mikey's barbed tail and turned his focus to Mama Bear.
"Mama Ju?" he asks. "Sumfin' wrong?"
"..N-no, it's all right," she says through forced smile. "Mama just has... a new mission."
DM Mikey chirrs worriedly and clambers down her spine. 'Phael watches him with a mix of curiosity and anxiety.
"I still don't understand how he got so wibbledy-wobbledy...?" he wonders aloud, his mother's vernacular slipping in again.
"Listen, I know we agreed that I'd help you look for Peony, but it seems that there may be a slight change in plans," Julia sighs, handing Angie off to DvD. Angie squirms in the exchange, reaching back for her and voicing his concern in whimpers.
"I know, I know," she says with her voice wavering as she tries not to cry. "But this is important. There are more kids that need me."
"But I want Mama to stay!" Angie cries before turning to DvD and pointing at her desperately. "Tell Mama to stay!"
DvD looks between the two. He doesn't like being caught in the middle, especially when it comes to this little brother of his. He's quite overprotective. Julia almost bursts into tears at the sound of his pleas, but DvD stands firm.
"You should go. This is your job. We can look for the girl on our own."
"Are you sure?" Julia asks.
"We can manage," DvD nods. "Right, little man?"
Angie pouts but nods, wringing his hands. He seems to fidget with his finger under the poncho he wears. Julia is preoccupied with the poster and doesn't pay attention to the anxious habit.
"I'll get to looking for them, then. But I don't feel right leaving you be... So, I'm going to leave you in very capable hands!"
DM Mikey perks up, realizing who she's referencing. Julia steps into the daycare for a moment, gestures for a figure out of sight to follow her, and then returns.
"I'm having one of my kids go with you. He was in the daycare with us when Peony stopped by, so he might be of some help recognizing her..."
At that moment, a large crocodilian creature crouches under the archway and smiles at them all.
"L-L-Leatherhead!" DM Mikey cheers excitedly.
"I don't think the UIFY bunch has met my son yet, but this is Leatherhead!" Julia smiles proudly. "He's in charge whenever I'm not around, and he's great with kids!"
She looks over at Angie specifically. He's staring at Leatherhead, mostly in awe as far as she can tell. Angie was always a people person... He slowly reaches out for him, and DvD obliges by passing him over. Leatherhead sheepishly takes the turtle tot.
"Um, hi there?" he chuckles. "Let me guess, your name is Mikey?"
"Oh, that's right!" Julia shakes her head with a chuckle. "You haven't met him yet... He was here last year -- DM Mikey knows him, right dear?"
The double-mutant nods enthusiastically and skitters over to his old friend and starts climbing up his tail and back. Angie shrieks excitedly when DM Mikey pokes his head over Leatherhead's shoulder like a game of peek-a-boo.
"Oh, hey Mikester!" Leatherhead chuckles. "Good to see you again. Stayin' away from evil scientists, right?"
DM Mikey nods with a giggle. DvD gives an odd look at the two before his eyes land onto Angie.
"Odd similarities..."
"Leatherhead will help you find Peony while I go looking for these two," Julia smiles once more before giving a quick kiss to Angie's forehead and her son's cheek. "I'll see you all after this is taken care of. Stay safe!"
Julia stuffs her trusty rolling pin and knitting needles into the pocket of her apron before heading off with the poster. Leon watches her with a worried expression before turning to look at Leatherhead.
"Alrighty then! So, Lyle Lyle Crocodile, what's the first step we take to find the missing kid?"
"Oh great," Leatherhead groans. "Another Leo with a quote-unquote, 'sense of humour'. Terrific."
"Leon, m-maybe you should be a lil bit more cordial?" 'Phael asks anxiously.
"Fine, fine!" Leon groans. "Just trying to lighten the mood a little. Where to, Curt Connors?"
"Is that another crocodile character?" Leatherhead grumbles.
"Noooooooo. of course not!"
He glares at Leon, arms crossing over his chest.
"No, actually! He's not a crocodile!" Leon taps his fingers together and mumbles quietly to himself, "...he's a lizard mutant.."
Leatherhead rolls his eyes and waves a hand, signalling the group to follow after him in the other direction.
"Come on, guys. Let's go look for the girl. And Leon, please --"
"I got it, I got it!" Leon waves Leatherhead's concerns away. "No more tricks up my sleeve, Leathes! I prom--"
Leon's voice is cut off as his body begins to flicker. He starts to glitch, caught frozen in time as he morphs into something different. Angie yipes and hides his face in Luke's chest, clutching him tightly.
"Weo!" the tiny tot wails. "What happen'en to Weo?!"
DvD blinks and adjusts his glasses as he stares down at his 'brother'. After a moment, the glitching ceases and a small kid in blue garments stands there, looking shocked. He stares up at DvD, his expression confused before it turns into disgusted disappointment.
"Oh, it's you," he gripes, rolling his eyes hard. "The stinky grownup. But I thought you turned into a...? Wait, where's Angie??"
Leon turns and looks up in shock to see the giant croc holding his baby brother. Angie stares down at Leon in surprise.
"Oh, Hi Weo!" he giggles. "You got small'd again."
"Um, someone care to explain to me what just happened?" Leatherhead asks, looking at DvD specifically.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems that we're phasing in and out of timelines," DvD sighed. "During our first competition, everyone was gassed one by one --" he paused. "...I don't recall myself being gassed, but then again my associates didn't recall the shifts in age either. I might have been 'totified' as well. Hmm. In any case, apparently we're experiencing some glitches in the continuity."
"Glitches. Right. Awesome." Leatherhead glances over at 'Phael, then behind his shoulder at DM Mikey. "Are there any more glitches planned?"
"Not that we're aware," 'Phael gulps.
"Okay, then.... let's get going then, I guess!"
Luke takes one step before seeing Leon glaring at him.
"What?"
"Are you kidnapping my brother?" the tiny child asks, irritatedly.
"Am I WHAT?" Luke's voice is appalled by the accusation.
"Don't mind him, young Leon is a cynic and distrusting character," DvD sighs. "Leon, he's helping us find a missing kid. He's a good guy."
"That's what all grownups say," Leon snaps back. "But no kid I'VE ever met has WANTED to be found."
"You grew up among runaway orphans and vagabonds, Leon. They're a little different."
"Look, I'm not a bad guy," Leatherhead sighs, getting down to one knee. "Here, I'll let you ride with your little brother if you want!"
Leon stares him up and down.
"No tricks?"
"No tricks."
"And what about your pet dragon behind you?"
"My -- No, that's just a friend of mine. His name is Mikey, too!" Luke leans his shoulder over to reveal the 'dragon' perched there. "He's all nice, and he'll make sure to protect you and your brother from any evil grownups. M'kay?"
Leon narrows his eyes at them as he considers it. Eventually, he wordlessly climbs onto Leatherhead's knee and allows him to pick him up.
"Aaaaaand we're finally on our way!"
As the group move on, Leon keeps his eyes on Angie. The little kid has his whole body pressed against Leatherhead's chest, his head resting on his shoulderblade. He's tiredly fiddling with his fingers.
"Angie," Leon whispers, trying to make sure Leatherhead and DM Mikey don't hear anything.
His brother looks up at him.
"Mhm?"
"Do you still have the ring?"
"What wing?"
"The RING," Leon enunciates harshly. "Y'know, that fancy-lookin' one we got at the summer camp."
"Mm-mn," Angie shakes his head 'no'. "I don't got it. Why?"
"It creeped me out is all," Leon sighs. "But I also fig'oored that we could prolly sell it or sumfin'."
Angie nods and yawns. He snuggles deeper into Luke's hold and promptly falls asleep.
. . .
Peony watched from behind a corner as one by one, more and more figures approached the tampered video game. With each user that interacted, the console grew a brighter shade of blue and began to sprout roots. At this point, it looks like a miniature garden and is unevenly lifted by the roots growing beneath it. She is secretly growing pleased with this. It was like a game to her, a series of pranks. People were coming, intrigued, curious. They played the game, pressed a button or two. And then poof! A puff of sickly neon blue like mint dye blasted them in the face and then they were running away shouting. She does feel badly for a few people, those who cried before running. She knew they'd have a minor reaction from the small dosage, but they should hopefully be alright after a few minutes -- an hour at most.
Another victim approaches her little trick. Unlike the majority of the crowd being variants of turtles, this one is a human.
A human she recognizes vaguely...
He's tall, almost 6 feet in total if she had to guess. His hair is long, smooth, blonde with tiny streaks dyed red. He's biracial, African Asian. His eyes show heterochromia -- one blue, the other violet. He looks familiar, and the amount of blue he has in his outfit suggests to Peony that he's a human version of a Leo.
But she already knew that. This is LJK Leo.
He was made by her author.
The human teen seems lost, uncertain of anything around him and confused by the whole scenario. But he is intrigued by the arcade machine... He approaches it. He taps a button. It doesn't do anything. He kicks the bottom of it. The screen flashes at him, almost blinding him. The startup music. The neon logo. The 'PRESS START TO PLAY' sign on the screen. LJK Leo peers at it.
"I guess one round couldn't hurt..."
LJK Leo starts to mess around with the buttons, wiggling the joystick back and forth. A small smile creeps on his face, though it is a bit crooked and fades every time the game throws a jumpscare at him.
Peony watches carefully. Any moment now... any second...
LJK Leo gets to the second level. A small congratulatory sound plays, the narrator of the game goes into a small spiel.
"Well done! You've successfully gotten through our first level! I bet you're feeling pretty good about yourself, saving all those digital civilians..."
"I am, thank you very much!" LJK Leo chuckles to himself, flicking the jacket to strike a confident and smug pose.
"...It's just too bad you couldn't save your brother."
"W-what...?"
The puff of blue smoke. LJK Leo hacks and wheezes, his eyes watering. Peony smiles. Another one bites the dust.... literally!
LJK Leo stumbles away, eventually falling to his knees. He looks disoriented, unaware of his surroundings any longer. The roots under the game console start growing again, crunching deeper into the floor and cracking the surface. LJK Leo quickly regains his footing and races off, gasping and crying out in fear.
Peony smiles at a job well done.
"I'm surprised to find you here," a voice chimes in from behind her.
"Hello, 'brother'," she greets, turning round to see the Hand.PNG slowly crawling towards her.
"Darling little sister, what are you doing?" the Hand asks, its voice displeased. "You should not be inserting yourself as such. That's not your role to fill --"
"My role?" she growls. "I don't have a role. I've never had one! That stupid lazy author is too dim-witted to come up with a role for me! Hundreds of stories floating about aimlessly, and she couldn't even fit me into one?"
"You are special, the Author wanted to give you something unique--"
"Well, she couldn't even do THAT!" Peony yells. "At least this way, I have a story now. I chose my role."
"It was not yours to choose."
"Afraid that I'll step on your toes -- or rather, fingers?" Peony challenges smugly.
"It is not me you should worry over," the Hand.PNG warns. "You know the dangers of mixing stories. The power of the roles given out. You must be aware... your actions here will have consequences, far greater than you can imagine."
"What of it?" Peony sighs, rolling her eyes. "So the competition will have another infestation of mushrooms. It's nothing new, and I'm sure the authors will be pleased."
"You've no idea what you've done, do you?" the Hand sighs. "Audrey iii craves a host above all else. It hungers for control."
"Just let it take the Leo from its own universe --"
"That's not the point. You've tampered with stories that already have their own plotline. NFIF Leo has already agreed to house Audrey iii, but you've created a new problem."
"What problem?" Peony questions, maybe just the teensiest bit concerned.
"Too many mushrooms. Your actions will cause chaos in this competition like no one has seen before..."
. . .
"...I wonder where April and Karai and Misa are," 'Phael wonders aloud.
"Probably just enjoying the arena and meeting new people," DvD notes. "We'll probably find them soon."
"Do you think they're glitching as well?" the elder swallows.
"Who knows.... most likely. So far it's just been Angie and Leon, but they could also be glitching too."
"You don't think we'll glitch out too, right?"
DvD shrugs. He doesn't want to unnecessarily worry the poor guy, but he knows the likelihood is great.
The group trudge on, with Luke growing weary carrying the two toddlers together. Leon sees him slowly tiring and requests to have 'Phael carry him instead. Apparently he doesn't like the looks of DvD, he looks too grumpy. 'Grumples', he calls him.
Luke continues to search up and down the aisles as they walk. He can't seem to find Peony, but he does notice that there are several people with a strange blue tint to their eyes. He hopes it isn't what he thinks it is... he recalls the events of the year prior, the chaos and trouble as it seems everyone got controlled by the spores. He heard stories that their friends from NFIF were all zombified, and even a few members of UIFY. He finds himself holding the little Mikey closer. The tot stirs in his arms, yawning softly.
Angie blinks slow and sluggishly. He grips Luke's shirt as he awakens, groggy and out of sorts.
"Leo...?" he yawns once again.
"He's over there," Luke soothes, lifting the child just enough to see his adopted brother riding on 'Phael's shoulders. "See?"
Angie smiles, yawns again, and snuggles his face back into Luke's chest.
His left hand releases Leatherhead's shirt and goes to his right, hidden discreetly under his cloak. Years before -- but only a day or two in totified Angie's memory -- he was in a summer camp similar to this competition. He'd met Mama Bear Julia. He'd met the NFIF twins again. He'd met someone very special. Someone who promised him the thing he'd always wanted.
Family. Acceptance. A home with people who cared for him and loved him and wanted him.
Angie has been wanting that his whole life. More than anything. He has it with Leon, but... Leon is different. Leon hates grownups, and Angie doesn't blame him. Leon talks about it all the time -- how stinky they are, how mean, how cruel. How every adult is out to get them, boss them around, chase them away, hurt them. The orphanage itself is living proof.
But Angie wants a family. A big, real, loving family. He's dreamed of having a house with a mommy and a daddy and Leon as his best brother and tons of other brothers and sisters too, as many as possible! Angie doesn't know if Leon wants that.
But his friend promised that. His special friend promised a big happy family where everyone could stay together forever. His friend even gave him a pretty little gift as a reminder, a way to stay connected.
He twists the ring on his finger. Bright blue, with a symbol of a mushroom. Around the band, tiny veins have been sprouting and gently digging into the skin. Angie rubs his fingers over the crest and band. He hums softly, gradually falling back asleep.
We'll be a family again, my dear...A forever family. You, me, and everyone in this competition.
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