Description: A little fluffy fluff I had rattling around in my brain box featuring everyone’s favorite triple threat.
I’m still learning, y’all. I know it’s not Pulitzer Prize winning stuff, but thank you all the same for reading!!
content warnings: teeny bit of angst, mostly fluff, insecurity
FemReader x Michelangelo (Bayverse TMNT)
You balanced the tower of pizza boxes carefully and you made your way down the ladder. Hopefully no one had seen you - what a strange sight that might have made: you, sneaking through the back alley behind your apartment, down into the sewer through the grate with a giant stack of pizza boxes. Then again, this was New York and ‘strange and bizarre’ was practically part of the city’s tourism spiel. It was part of what drew so many to live here.
"Give me your tired, your poor, [Your freaks and weirdos] Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”
This was the place to disappear. Just like your closest friends you were on the way to visit now for movie night.
You had met the turtles through your friend and colleague, Casey Jones. On the way home from a Rangers game, you were jumped by a gang of guys dressed like what you considered cliché ninjas - you later came to find out they were a splinter group of the original ‘The Foot Clan’ that had once terrorized the city. Unbeknownst to you, the four heroes that had seen to the downfall of the original underworld syndicate had been tailing you since you left the area. The brothers with the help of Casey had made quick work of them, and you were subsequently introduced, and instead of freaking out, you expressed your gratitude to the four. Over time, you were trusted more and more by your new acquaintances, and you felt very honoured to have been entrusted with their secret. Eventually you had all become quite close friends.
Each of the guys offered their own unique brand of friendship, but you quickly found that you shared a particular close bond with Michelangelo. He was a sweet, funny and caring soul and you counted yourself lucky to be considered his closest friend. You shared an affinity for art, comic books and gaming, and his winning smile and sense of humour could always be counted on to pull you out of a bad day. You had even felt comfortable enough to share with him the fact that you had developed quite a crush on one of his brothers. Donatello, the long lanky genius had a hold on your heart which seemed to get tighter and tighter each time you saw him. From his goofy lopsided grin to his snorty laugh, he was a tall drink of water and you were thirsty. Trying in your own timid way of hinting at your feelings, you did little things like buying his favorite coffee, bringing him articles on the latest tech developments, etc. He never really took notice though. Well not yet, you told yourself. You had simply chalked it up to the tall guy’s mind being preoccupied with some new experiment, or suping some mechanical treasure he had come across dumpster diving. Michelangelo would tease you good-naturedly when you got all moony-eyed around the purple-clad turtle, telling you to say something to the guy, but you were so hopelessly shy. How could you even bring it up? What would he say?!? What if you fucked up your friendship?!? You had mulled over it for weeks, trying to figure out how to bring it up, how to word it in order to give the poor guy a way out if he didn’t feel the same - it was torturous. But tonight, this night, you had resolved to tell him. You figured you’d catch him in his lab before the movie and let him know. And if everything went pear-shaped? You’d make up some excuse about having to work early and promise to take a raincheck on the night so you could go home and lick your wounds in the merciful privacy of your apartment.
The entrance of the lair was looming ahead, and you swallowed hard, cementing your resolve, and hoping you wouldn’t run into anyone yet. Mikey had told you that he, Raphael and Leo would be out getting some patrolling in before settling in for movie night. Perfect.
Poking your head in, you saw that the kitchen and living areas were thankfully empty. Dropping the pizzas off on the kitchen table, you started down the hall to Donnie’s lab. Strains of music wafted down the hall, and you paused just outside the door, checking your resolve. Here goes nothing, you thought.
Quiet as a mouse, you pushed the door open and looked around, not wanting to announce your presence just yet. A good thing too, because there was Donatello, head down on his desk and passed out cold. Poor guy hardly ever slept, and seeing him there, drooling slightly and softly snoring made you melt. You didn’t have the heart to wake him.
His laptop was open in front of him, and was the source of his music. You figured you’d go over and turn the volume down a bit. What’s more, you never turned down a chance to sneak a peek at what the genius was working on. The way his mind worked and the things he came up with never ceased to amaze you. He was always so clever.
You tiptoed around the desk to where you could see the screen and reach the volume controls on the keyboard.
It was not a new invention this time, or some complex mathematical problem. Not even close.
Donatello’s photo gallery was open and the screen was littered with pictures. Some were straight on snaps, some candid, even security video screenshots. But there were TONS of them.
And they were all of April. April O’Neil. In each and every one of them. Smiling her perfect smile, her perfect hair, her perfect body in the perfect outfits.
Instantly, you felt your world collapse around you. Of course. How could you have been so freaking blind. THAT’S why he never noticed you. Of course, you thought. How could you compete with April? How could you have been so foolish. You quickly backed away, swallowing against a lump in your throat, fighting back the sob that was fighting its way up. Stupid, stupid, stupid you raged in your head, embarrassment a lead weight in your stomach.
Ever so quietly on shaking legs, you snuck back out of the lab and made your way, devastated, to the common room. You ran to the kitchen and poured yourself a glass of water. Get it together, you chastised yourself. The guys will be back anytime. It’s okay, it’s fine. This is fiiine. You tried to find the bright side as you collected yourself. It’s not like you had said anything. He doesn’t know. We can just keep going on being friends like before, none the wiser. Bullshit. You were pretty sure you had died a bit back there in the lab. At least that part of you that had come to finally accept yourself - all your perceived shortcomings and flaws, all your idiosyncrasies - you had relabeled them as ‘quirks’ and had finally decided they were part of what made you and actually made you unique and particularly attractive. All those notions however were blown asunder upon seeing the infinite number of examples of perfection pictured on Donnie’s computer. Damn. He had it worse than you did, it seemed. You took a small comfort in that. A very small comfort. Ugh. There’s no way you had it in you to sit through a movie tonight. You had to get out of here before Michelangelo and the others got back. You couldn’t face them right now. There’s no way you could hide the aftermath of the utter humiliating emotional annihilation you had just experienced.
The clattering sound of giant mutant turtles pulled you from your thoughts of escape as the three brothers toppled into the lair
“Anglecakes!” Mikey beamed at you, greeting you in his usual cheery manner. He trotted over to where you were leaning against the kitchen counter for a hug.
“Thank you as always for the pizza, Y/N” Leo said, bowing slightly and throwing you a smile from the kitchen table. He grabbed himself a few slices and handed you a plate.
“Ooh! I need me some ‘za! I’m dyyying!” Michelangelo quickly grabbed a whole box for himself.
Raphael yanked the box out of his hands, “Ladies, first, numbnuts.” he said, throwing you a smirk.
“Oh, by all means, after you, m’lady.” He took your hand and playfully pressed a kiss to your knuckles. You plastered a smile on your face which didn’t quite reach your eyes. The young turtle stopped in his tracks, sensing something was up.
“You okay, sugar muffin?” Your bestie could read you like a book. The other brothers turned to you, concern sliding across their features.
“I’m just fine.” you lied, “Just tired. It’s been quite the day.”
Mikey looked at you, not quite buying it. “Mmhm. Okay.”
“Seriously, I’m fine.” you said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “What did you guys finally decide on?” you asked, changing the subject.
Leonard held up a copy of Jaws. “Raph won the coin toss.”
“If by coin toss you mean a threat of bodily harm to yours truly if I didn’t agree, then yes, he won the coin toss.” the orange-clad turtle mumbled to you. You giggled despite yourself.
“Hey, the face of anti-shark propaganda, as well as making a whole generation scared to get in the water? How can you go wrong?” you offered, earning a chuckle in return from both Leo and Mikey.
Raph bellowed for Donnie. “Yo D! MOVIE NIGHT! LETS GO!” Your stomach dropped. You can do this. You can do this.
Hoping to avoid accidently sitting next to Donatello, you quickly grabbed a spot on the couch next to the arm of the sofa, knowing full well your best friend would jam himself next to you. Within minutes you were all settled, Raphael on the other side of Mikey and Leo in the easy chair next to the couch. Donatello shuffled sleepily into the room. Yawning, he brightened upon seeing you, “Hey, Y/N!” He flashed you one of his signature smiles that would have usually melted you on the spot. Now you were fighting back tears. You were glad the lights were dim. Not trusting yourself to speak, you waved at him, lips pressed in a tight thin smile, so unlike the usual bright enthusiastic greeting you seem to reserve just for your crush. The tall turtle plopped down on the floor in front of you and you seemed to shrink a little into the couch.
Mikey definitely took notice of that.
He also couldn’t help notice how you weren’t really watching the movie. You kept stealing glances at Donnie, a sad look growing on your face each time. Then again, the bespeckled brother wasn’t really watching the movie either though; Mikey saw he was scrolling through pictures on his phone.
Pictures of April. Lots of them.
He looked back and forth between the both of you, the movie completely forgotten now.
Mikey had known for a while of his brother’s obsession. And yours. He didn’t have the heart to tell you, hoping that Donnie would smarten up and take notice of you and your feelings. You were a catch and half and it didn’t take a genius to see how lucky any guy, let alone a mutant turtle, would be to have you crushing on them.
You wiggled yourself free from your nook on the couch and stood up whispering “I’m grabbing a drink. Anybody want anything?”
You were met with a chorus of distracted ‘no thanks’, and turned for the kitchen.
Michelangelo watched you go, hesitated for a minute and rose to follow you.
He found you in the kitchen wiping furiously at your face with a kitchen towel.
“Hey” he said, “You okay?”
You jumped at the sound of his voice. “Oh yeah” flashing him a fake smile “My eyes are just tired. I was on the computer tons today.”
He just nodded, not buying it. You knew it too, but what else could you do? Your growing humiliation had taken full control of your actions and you were tired of fighting it.
Walking over to you, Mikey reached out and took you gently by the hand. “You wanna get out of here?” You simply shrugged, not trusting yourself to speak. He pulled you after him. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
You looked out toward the living room and the others, and quickly nodded to your bestie.
You were happy to go with him. You couldn’t be in the same room with D anymore.
Michelangelo lead you out the back of the lair through the tunnels. Despite the fact that you were in the sewers, the cool air felt nice against your face. Taking a deep breath, your emotions slowly started to settle again. Mikey kept sneaking glances at you like he wanted to say something. Yet you both remained silent, walking shoulder to shoulder.
Honestly, he didn’t have to say anything. He knew you knew. You knew he knew you knew. “You want to talk about it?” he asked, placing a comforting hand on the middle of your back.
You sighed deeply. “No, yes, no… UGH. How could I have been so blind?!? I’m an idiot. I should have seen it. April? Of course. I mean, she’s a friggin hogosha. Not to mention she’s saved your life a few times. And she’s hot. Hell, if I were D I’d be crushing on her too. She’s perfect. I am not. I’m chubby, short, and this hair?!?” You grabbed a handful and tugged in frustration. “Gawwd I feel like such an idiot.”
Mikey didn’t interrupt ; He let you rant, to get it out. He just put an arm around your shoulders, holding you tight to him as you ranted and raved, hot tears of embarrassment sliding down your face. You finally ran out of steam and dissolved into quiet sniffling, letting the comfort of your best friend's presence wash over you.
After a series of twists and turns, you emerged into a larger part of the tunnels you hadn’t been to before. The space was cavernous, a large round room that must have been a huge junction of some sort in the past. You looked about you, taking it all in. It was dark, and you squinted through the gloom trying to make out the various shapes around you. Mikey ran off to one of the walls and fumbled with something, ultimately managing to plug an extension cord. A mishmash of work lights blazed to life and your mouth dropped open in amazement. The walls were covered with Michelangelo’s artistic handiwork.
“Is this your studio?!??” you asked, eyes wide with wonder and delight. Spray can, ladders and brushes littered the area and boom box was tucked away against the wall. He had often told you that he had a space hidden away from his brothers -a place to be creative, to be himself, where he could work, trying ideas out. He was still too shy to share with them, his vulnerability fueled by the fear of ridicule from his brothers.
You took in the amazing images, some complete and complex - stunning masterpieces of line and color work, both conveying the entangled swirl of emotions and ideas inside the head of the deceptively guileless youngest turtle. Others left were unfinished, abandoned due to their lack of potential or further inspiration.
“These are amazing!” You gushed. “Absolutely gorgeous!!!” You made your way to one of the paintings, running your fingers over the rough brightly coloured surface, marveling at the amount of detail featured.
The young artist blushed, his usual playful bravado completely undone by your beaming smile and glowing praise. “Thanks, Angelcakes. But I really want to show you my favorite. It’s the most gorgeous one I’ve done so far.”
He took you around a corner to a part of a wall currently obscured by a network pipes.
Dazzling colours swirled and coiled like things alive, coalescing around a central portrait. It was a girl, and she was radiant. She glowed like the sun itself, and all the stars and moon were shining from her face. Her hair flowed out from her head like a neon halo, blending with the energetic whirlpools of colour around her.
“Is that...Th-That’s me…?” you whispered, suddenly finding it hard to speak for all the awe you felt, faced with this goddess represented here, so familiar yet so foreign to you. Like the last ephemeral wisps of a dream you try desperately to hold on to upon waking.
You turned to look at him, confused. He stood there, gazing at you with a shy smile, hands worriedly toying with the sleeves of the sweatshirt tied around his waist.
You turned back to the painting, trying to take it all in, like it was going to disappear suddenly while you weren’t looking.
He bridged the small distance between you and tenderly took you by the shoulders, making you turn to look at him.
“I see you.” he stated simply, eyes bright with emotion.
You looked at him, head cocked to the side, not comprehending.
“I SEE you. YOU. The way I wish you could see yourself. You’re amazing. You are a work of art. You blow my mind, Sweetcheeks.”
His grip on your shoulders tightened slightly with the intensity of what he was feeling.
You swallowed a lump in your throat. “But-”
“No buts. I don’t care what you say. You are perfect. You’re my muse. All this on the walls? You. Things I feel when I hang with you, the way you make me feel, your laugh, your smile, your kindness, all of it - it’s my inspiration. It kills me to see you constantly rag on yourself. To see that shine of yours dim. I know he’s my brother and I love him, but Donnie’s an idiot. You’re everything.”
You're silent, the shock of your best friend’s confession slowly sinking into you.
Mikey quickly lets go of your shoulders and you can see tears in his eyes. He thinks he’s made a huge mistake in telling you. Did he just ruin this magical friendship you guys had?
You practically knock him back as you jump onto him, tackling him in a massive hug, burying your face in his neck
“It’s beautiful, thank you.” you manage to whisper.
He recovers himself and gathers you in his strong arms, holding you to him.
“You’re beautiful” he says and kisses you gently on the top of your head.
You both stand there, holding each other, enjoying the comforting feeling of being in each other's arms.
You finally break the hug, standing back to look at him, still encircled in his embrace, hands laced behind your lower back.
“YOU are incredibly talented, sir.” you said, staring deep into those baby blues of his.
“It’s easy when I have such a kick ass inspiration.”
You stand on your tip toes and plant a sweet kiss on his nose.
Beaming one of his signature grins he says “Maybe you could come down once and a while and model for me,” waggling his eyebrows suggestively .
You smacked him playfully in the chest.
“How about a date first, Casanova?”
