I have missed you. Life has been crazy. Writing time has been scarce.
And, of course, when I do write, it's something completely out of the blue.
Or... In this case, Sunshine yellow.
This piece was written for @sharpwindow, who drew this amazing picture that still has my heart in a chokehold
Artwork by @sharpwindow
Thank you for this beautiful piece, Sharp. You have no idea how much it means to me 💛☀️
Jey's Buttercup
A familiar warmth spread its way through her chest and extended upwards, reaching her face.
He was on his knee, kissing her hand, and her heart was betraying her.
Sunshine’s hand flew to her mouth as her innocent blush flourished into a million butterflies, sending her pulse into overdrive. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were only friends.
Her interest in the overgrown mutant turtle-man started the day she met him. Tall and quiet, he was nothing like any of his rambunctious brothers. His presence was exceptionally serene, and his energy had immediately soothed her anxious nerves.
The moment their eyes had locked, she wanted nothing more than to shower him with affection. To wrap him in a tight embrace and never let go. He looked exhausted and a bit apprehensive. Like he’d never been cuddled or properly cared for. And she wanted it to be her arms he sought for comfort.
But that was insane even to think. She had just met him, and she didn’t want to scare him away before they could even become friends.
So, Sunshine set out to find out as much as she possibly could about the yellow-banded brother. She knew out of all of the turtles, Leo was most likely to spill. Especially the elder one. A bit of friendly flirting got her the info dump of a lifetime.
Jey had been created in a private lab in upstate New York. They had injected him with the same mutagen as the other four and used the same human DNA. They then tweaked his genetic markers by threading in specific traits and physical attributes in hopes he would be a superior version of his brothers.
Which he was.
Jey had a ton of hidden and unexplored “potential,” as the elder Leonardo put it. Although the look on his face said, he didn’t believe for a second that it was neither hidden nor unexplored.
And this just made Sunshine’s curiosity blow right through the roof.
Lucky for her, Jey had finagled his way into a maintenance position, and she was able to submit work orders for things to be fixed or built for her laundry room. This allowed her to feel her way into what he was comfortable sharing with her - which was a lot, surprisingly.
Every time he came down to complete a job, she gave him her complete attention. She asked questions about what he was doing, why he was doing what he was doing to fix it, and if she could help. He was always happy to explain and even helped her, help him - usually through hearty laughs from him and a pouty expression on her face.
After the first few times of her extreme interest, he began to relax and open up, telling her about his empath abilities and energy work training. She learned how hard it was for him to be around others, more specifically, touching or coming into contact with them.
At that point, Sunshine made a conscious effort to always keep her head and heart clear of everything except love and happiness. She became the sunshine he so desperately looked like he needed. She wanted him to be comfortable around her. She wished to be his escape from the overwhelming everyday life on base.
And it helped.
Jey started to frequent visits to the basement - even on his days off! And he never showed up empty-handed. The man always brought at least one little yellow flower with him. A Buttercup. That and a cool beverage for the woman that currently had his heart in a vice grip. The way her face lit up every time he showed up in her laundry room made his heart sing. She always thanked him for the small gifts he brought her, and he could tell she was genuine in her appreciation.
“Why a Buttercup? Are they your favorite flowers?” She asked him one day as she took the tiny flower from his giant hand, a loving smile on her face as she looked up and locked eyes with him.
“Because they remind me of you,” he said quietly, a sweet smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Oh?” Sunny said, her smile spreading into that sassy, skeptical grin she saved to antagonize his elder brothers.
Jey reached his hand toward her, brushing the stray hairs from her face, and tucking them behind her ear. “Yes. Small. Pretty… As bright as the sun… And makes my heart happy,” he told her, not a hint of sarcasm or teasing in his expression.
That was the first time she blushed for him.
Sunshine looked down, a shy huff of a giggle escaping her as she tried to keep her heart from exploding into fireworks.
“You’re my Buttercup,” Jey confessed, tilting the woman’s head back with one finger under her chin, so he could appreciate the deeper blush he had coaxed from her.
Sunshine mentally shook it off and smiled at the mutant. “I’m not sure about all that, but thank you. No one has ever said anything so sweet to me before, and meant it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she took a step back, turning around to put her gift in the tiny vase he had brought down for her recently.
After that moment, she became Buttercup. His Buttercup.
And Sunshine secretly loved it. Her heart skipped a beat every time he called her Buttercup. She couldn’t help but smile every time he said it. She knew he meant it in a friendly manner, so she stuffed down the growing feelings that kept threatening to rear their ugly head. She had to remind herself that she was his safe space. Where he came to escape. She couldn’t let her feelings ruin his happiness - he needed the sanctuary of her laundry room. It was the only place he could come to be himself without others bothering him. In fact, Jey was off-limits in the laundry room. Sunshine had made it quite clear to everyone that their undergarments would suffer the consequences if they so much as breathed in his direction while he was there with her.
Unfortunately, that went for her too. Her and her stupid feelings.
And now here she was, eyes locked with his and wishing it were her lips Jey was pressing his against, instead of to the back of her hand.
Heart crumbling to a million pieces as he released her, and already missing his warm touch, she turned quickly and walked back to her folding table to hide behind the towers of clean towels, and hoped that her red face hadn't given her away.
Enjoying my work? Looking for more about J? Find my Master list HERE
Scars: He has a huge scar on the left side of his neck where his carotid artery and jugular vein were gouged open by one of the warehouse wolves when he was 17.
Tattoos: Like all of his brothers, he has 6 miniature turtles tatted in a line from his wrist toward the crease of his elbow on his right arm. Each of the brothers drew a turtle to represent themselves before Don tattooed everyone’s arms. The newest tattoo he has is a tiny Buttercup next to his own turtle.
And, of course, he has the Jobiathan invisible tattoo on the back of his neck that signifies he is a Jobiathan Guardian.
Eye Color: Chocolate Brown
Height: 7’4”
Weight: 435 lbs (Including shell weight)
Star Sign: Taurus-Gemini cusp
Clothing: His signature piece is his yellow mask. He has a bracelet on his right wrist that looks something akin to a friendship bracelet—the colors are yellow, gold, midnight blue, cobalt blue, and purple. Hanging from the bracelet by a single golden thread is a small charm of a buttercup. He also wears a thin golden chain around his neck. Comfort is key for J, and he can usually be found wearing fitted joggers, loose-fitting V-neck tee-shirts, and a pair of sneakers.
Weapon of Choice: Duel broadswords
Nicknames: J, The Perfect Specimen
Tactical Stats
Gear: J is the only one who doesn’t wear neoprene. They lost him once, and Don has made sure it won’t ever happen again with the Living Armor he created specifically for the youngest turtle. J wears gear that looks something like a knight would wear. The body and arms of it look almost like dragon scales, with huge plates on his shoulders and down the back of his shell. Thanks to Don’s smart tech, the armor will rise away from J’s body when it detects an incoming blow, to help absorb and deflect any damage. His pants are made from breathable hyflex kevlar and proteus fabrics. He also dons lightweight shin guards and knee pads. His feet are covered with a specialized waterproof, indestructible boot that laces up the front, hidden by the shin guards. The grip on the bottoms of his boots are Don’s specialty SmartGrips - a bio-cellular material that adapts to the surfaces of any terrain J may encounter on missions.
Weapons: Bladed boomerangs. With these come a set of gloves made from the same hyflex kevlar and proteus fabrics used to make his pants. He also carries his broad swords with him for a while before he gets the hang of his new weapons. He lovingly refers to them as his “Bucks” because they give people a run for their money.
Position: J is Mike’s second in command. If something happens or there happen to be two missions running simultaneously, J takes on the leadership role. He is required to be a master in every weapon they have at their disposal. He’s also Don’s tech partner. With J having a brain as big as the genius himself, he can easily switch gears and take over if Don is hurt, or needed elsewhere.
Specialty: “The JAB,” as Mike refers to it. It’s J’s Alpha Beast. Something happened to Buttercup at one point, while J was present, and his alpha stepped forward to Take. Care. Of business. Nobody dared piss J off after that (except for Mike because Mike wanted to hone that beautiful hulking beast), or threaten his Buttercup. It’s an instant death sentence.
J is also an energy worker. He can manipulate a person’s energetic system - he tells those who question his abilities, and the realness of what he does, that he applies quantum physics to the living body, assisting in healing and aligning people to their highest potential.
Hobbies/Likes: J is a writer. He’s been writing since his teen years and loves to dip into random fandoms, do a ton of research on said fandom, then write the most incredible fanfics that fandom has ever witnessed. He also enjoys art. A lot of times while he’s writing, he will stop and draw the scene, then continue on. He also likes to put little doodles along the edges of the pages when his brain is running a scenario to work out the details. J and Mike are absolutely double trouble when they are at home. Dancing like idiots around the lair together, wreaking havoc on their unsuspecting brothers, and teasing the absolute hell out of the all-too-serious Leonardo. J’s lot in life is to make people smile and laugh, and being able to get Leo and Raph to belly laugh has not only become his favorite activity, but also a constant mission.
He is also currently learning to play the guitar, courtesy of Don.
Background/ Additional Info:
Jehannet is named after a Renaissance artist, more commonly known as Jean Clouet. He was a miniaturist. He was named after Clouet because he is a carbon copy of Don - and originally, he was referred to as Little Dee.
Having been purposely created in a lab to be weapons, not all the turtle brothers are related. Basilio, Leonardo, and Michelangelo are full-blooded brothers. As are Raphael and Donatello.
They bred Raph and Don's father with Basilio, Leo, and Mike's Mother to create Jehannet, successfully creating “The Perfect Specimen.”
The project didn’t go as planned, however. This was because the human DNA used during the mutation process caused the turtles to have morals and a good conscience, rendering them useless to the benefactor. The scientists were told to “dispose of” the project - save one turtle. J didn’t make the cut and was dumped with four of his brothers, along with Splinter and a few other species, into some gaming woods in upstate New York to be used as target practice. Splinter, already a full-grown adult, collected the five little boys and helped them stay safe, eventually making their way to the city and into the sewers where they could grow up in a safer environment.
J died when he was 17 during a training exercise with the Tactical team. Almost 20 years had gone by after his passing when Don was able to locate J on another plane of existence. With the help of a few of his big-brained friends, Don was able to build a portal to get J home again.
Thanks to said attack, J’s vocal cords were damaged. But that’s ok, because it gives a sexy, husky quality to his voice. This giant turtle-man has a scratchy, more tenor-sounding set of vocals, giving him an adorable singing voice. He sounds like a good mix of Don and Mike.
This man is as fun and funny as Mike. He has as much passion and creativity as Raph. A brain that can overthrow Don in his own laboratory. And is as much of a lethal weapon as Basilio. J has more charm than Leonardo - Prince Charming himself - and his flirt game is strong. But he has eyes for his Buttercup only. 💛🌻
Enjoying my work? Looking for more about J? Find my Master list HERE
