#rise noa

[dreamweave01]

Now I'm curious. How did Noa and Cassandra meet?

(I'm sorry for spamming. I'm just really like your au.)

It went something like this <3

(Don't worry, Mikey and April caught up to the burglar)

[dreamweave01]

Do you know that nuzzling thing (aka baby attack) babies do? Has baby Casey ever done that to Leo or Noa?

Pulling out a random doodle from my files that actually goes with this ask-

I'm not familiar with the baby attack thing, but I can tell you that CJ was a big biter when his teeth were coming in!

Unfortunately, his favorite teething toy ended up being people.

Fortunately, (the second time around at least) Leo has a metal arm.

Other than Nardo, Noa's just about the only person that doesn't mind his child biting him whatsoever.

There isn't really anything CJ can dish out on Noa that his younger, (probably) cannibalistic cousins haven't done to him already.

[dreamweave01]

What was Leo's and Noa's reaction when they found out Cassadra was pregnant with CJ?

This is actually something that I've been thinking about for a long time, haha.

And I thought writing it out would be a fun switch up from the comics I usually make (plus I need a break from drawing lol <:D)

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Noa Jones was sitting on the couch in the living room of the cozy little apartment he and Cassandra called home. 

As of the moment, the Australian felt anything but cozy. Earlier, he’d come home from a shopping trip and had been immediately met by what he liked to call ‘The Jones Bug.’ 

Which, for lack of a simpler explanation, meant trouble. 

He’d nearly dropped the eggs when Cassandra had looped her arm through his and all but dragged Noa to where he now sat on the 2nd hand sofa, one leg hanging over the side, the other tucked beneath him, elbow propped up on a knee. 

Casey was facing across from him, buzzing from nothing short of giddy excitement. 

The thought landed with a dreadful plop in Noa’s stomach. 

No, her getting overly excited wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. Her fiery passion was even one of the many things Noa adored about her. 

The problem was that the last time he had ever seen her this gleeful about something, it had been at the city fair when she and Donnie had “accidentally” set a mascot dressed as the kid cartoon character Mrs. Cuddles on fire when they startled Raph so bad he got stuck in a tree. (On the bright side, it finally got the softshell turtle to sort out whatever ‘beef’ he had with Cassandra.)

Noa did allow himself to relax somewhat when he noted the lack of an evil glint in his lover’s eyes.

Though it only made him more curious as to why a wide grin spread across her face from ear to ear. 

“Babe, I need you to close your eyes,” Cassandra said, watching him intently. 

“You’re killing me,” Noa was unable to hold back a smile of his own. He’d been infected by her cheerful manner. 

Casey puffed out her cheeks, waving her hands in a shoo-shoo fashion. “Just do it.”

So he did, eyes shut as he felt her take his wrist and place some sort of soft cloth in his hand. He raised a brow.

She pulled away, and after a moment, Noa feeling her shift in her seat, spoke again. “Okay, okay. Open ‘em.”

Noa’s curiosity was replaced by confusion, looking down to see a dark, forest green baby onesie. Written on the front in bold white letters was the phrase ‘Daddy’s little sidekick.’

“Case, what is this-?” But when Noa raised his gaze, he froze, finally noticing the plastic stick Cassandra held up between two fingers.

A pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test. 

His breath caught in his throat, blinking at the slight sting in his eyes. “No.”

He gently took the test from her hands, double-checking, then triple-checking the faint double line, eyes darting back up to his wife. 

“. . .Is this real?” His voice, thick with emotion, was impossibly soft and a whole octave higher than it usually was.

Cassandra was practically vibrating, biting her lower lip as her grin somehow grew wider. She nodded. 

Noa nearly choked on a bubbly sort of laugh that rose from his chest, part squeal and part something that suspiciously resembled a small sob. It wasn’t the most flattering sound in the world, but born of pure elation. 

He pulled Cassandra close, leaving a quick peck to her temple before hiding his face in the crook of her neck, arms wrapped fiercely around her waist. “You’re pulling my leg.”

Casey just chuckled, patting his back while one hand ran through his hair. “I’m not, I swear.”

Noa’s shoulders shook, but any concern Cassandra had was snuffed out when he pulled away, hands on her shoulders. He was laughing, pure excitement plastered every inch of him - he did wipe away a few tears. 

“This is actually happening! We’re really- blimey, I can’t even-”

His hand came to rest on her stomach, misty eyes filled with wonder. 

It was way too early for any signs to appear suggesting that there was currently a little someone growing there. 

But the fact that there was. . .

In a comedically robotic fashion, he leaned forward until his forehead fell to rest on her shoulder. He sniffed once. 

“I love you so much,” he said, muffled. 

Casey laughed again, pulling him closer into a tight embrace, her own eyes starting to get a little wet. 

“Love you too.”

/////

Leonardo had been having a pretty decent day. 

He’d managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours the night before, and the rest of the morning had been spent with the people he loved most in the world. The family he once thought only death could reunite him with. 

So yeah, it was a good day. 

Which meant sugar cereal for lunch. 

“Please tell me you’re not really going to eat that,” came Mikey’s voice as he walked in on Leo making what can only truly be described as a food coma waiting to happen. 

The slider had piled Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Cocoa Puffs into a large bowl with milk, and to top it all off, he pulled a can of whipped cream from the fridge, flashing a devilish smile at his little brother.

“I’m at the tail end of my prime, Miguel,” Leo argued, “Sometimes you just gotta enjoy the small things.”

Mikey merely gagged as Nardo artfully finished off his craft with a fluffy mountain of white. 

“Don’t worry, Angelo, you can tell him you told him so when the old man suffers from severe gastrointestinal distress and has a violent episode of emesis later,” Donnie said from where he sat, not even bothering to look up from his phone. 

Moments later, Raph walked in with a stretch, only hesitating for a moment when heterochromic eyes fell on the abomination that was his little-big brother’s food.

“That’s just gross.”

Leo rolled his eyes, smiling fondly as he leaned against the counter and dug in. “Everyone’s a critic today.”

He got through half of it before Donnie’s device started ringing. 

“Greetings, yon lovebirds,” he said, picking up the call.

Leo didn’t even have to see the FaceTime screen to know it was Noa and Casey. 

“Hey, Joneses,” he called from across the room.

Mikey leaned in over Don’s shoulder, eyes narrowed. “Alright, what’s up? You look way too excited for a normal chat.”

“Well, we have some exciting news,” Noa said with a chuckle, voice crackling slightly over the phone. 

Leo listened in as he ate, glancing up for a moment curiously. 

“WE’RE HAVING A BABY!!” Casey whooped.

Leo choked on his next bite, dropping the bowl in the sink, pounding his chest with his prosthetic as he coughed on the cereal blocking airflow for an uncomfortable second too long. 

His brothers were looking at him, slightly alarmed - Raph had an arm reached out, ready to jump in and help.

“That’s amazing!” the slider managed, clearing his throat as he quickly pulled on a classic smile, hiding his shaky hands under the counter, out of view. “So happy for you both.”

Fortunately, the others seemed to buy it, turning back to congratulate the two soon-to-be parents. 

The next half hour was filled with chatter and excitement. Donnie offering suggestions on how to babyproof their apartment, Mikey and Raph going off on a tangent list of name ideas. 

Leo would chime in with the occasional idea, usually something ridiculous like ‘Turbo Glitterhound,’ his personal favorite being a phrase he learned from Hueso, ‘Bolas de Fuego.’

For all means and purposes, Leonardo played the part that he was fine. Because he was. Noa and Cassandra were going to be great parents; they had been in his timeline. And he was happy for them. He continued to tell himself that, even as his chest seemed to splinter apart one small piece at a time. 

He was happy, he was. Really. This was fine. Better than fine, this was fantastic. And he was okay. Everything was perfectly one hundred percent-

Leo shot up from where he’d been sitting at the table, chair nearly toppling over. He caught it before it could.

“Leo?” Mikey said.

“Be back in a sec,” the older slider called back with a cheerfully lazy and all too convincing smile as he left the room. And when he did, he dropped the act.

He was trembling, the world tilting on its axis at a nauseatingly dizzying angle. Each step he took was faster than the last, turning down the hallway, banging the bathroom door open before shutting it behind him.

And collapsed to his knees, wretching into the toilet bowl because his stomach had betrayed him. 

It burned in his throat, eyes stinging, pale and clammy hands clutching the rim of the bowl with a death grip. 

He gasped, gagging, trying to keep himself from dry-heaving for the fourth time in a row after everything had already come up. 

Donatello was never going to let him live this down, that was for sure. 

He rested his head on the cold porcelain, clutching at a stomach that twisted in knots. His breath was shallow, hitching in his throat, eyes shut tight to block out the world around him. He had headache already starting to throb in the back of his mind. 

Because all Leo could think about was Junior. 

He pressed his one good hand over his mouth to hold back a sob, and failed. It tore out of him, raw and ugly and wrong. 

He couldn’t breathe. 

This was supposed to be good news.

But all he could see was that little boy with eyes too innocent and bright for a war-torn world, who trusted in his sensei with his whole heart - and died because of it. 

He couldn’t do this. 

He couldn’t do this.

None of this was okay. 

He didn’t even realize he was crying until the tears dripped onto the tile floor, silent and endless.

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Their reactions were basically the opposite of each other.

Noa was overjoyed at the news, and while Leo was undoubtably happy for them. . . It was really hard to hear.

He'll be okay though. He just needs some time.

[dreamweave01]

You can't expect me not to turn them into this meme. I had to.

Don't know how I feel about Noa's hair. I keep changing it cuz I'm just not happy with it yet.

It will probably change in the future.

[dreamweave01]

Can CJ from Sep Leo's timeline meet Noa? I feel like he wasn't able to meet Noa in his timeline, and it's making me sad.

I aged Casey up a bit for this moment, since this is kind of a what-if scenario where he didn't die in Leo's timeline, meaning he would be much older.

I love the idea of CJ getting the chance to meet Noa, even if it can't happen canonically in this au TvT. The thought just warms my heart. <3

[dreamweave01]

Who is CJ’s other parent (very important)

I've been thinking about this for a LOOONG time, so trust me, I know how important this is.

There's still a lot I need to figure out with Cassandra's partner, because in my unprofessional opinion, I feel like she would be the picky type. She's not just gonna date anyone, let alone hook up with them and make things official.

Plus, if he's gonna be CJ's dad, he's gonna have to be a pretty sick dad, what with Casey Jr's somewhat protective uncles (especially a certain red eared slider.)

There isn't really anyone already existing in the series that I like paired with Cass, and with an OC, I can have them be whoever/whatever I want without it really interfering with anyone else's set-in-stone personalities.

On that note, meet Noa Jones (who is NOT done in the design process, so take his look with a grain of salt cuz it might very well change)

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I'm trying to figure out Noa's character.

I'm also finding that I really enjoy drawing itty babies.

Look at this man, he cannot emotionally handle adorable children in the slightest. <3

[dreamweave01]

I feel like Noa and Leo would constantly bicker over who gets to hold baby Casey.

L: "Okay, give me back the baby!"

N: "It's only been five minutes-"

L: "I don't care, give him back!"

N: "But I'm his father!"

Actually, Leonardo's pretty good about letting Noa and Cassandra be the parents.

The only one he really does that with is Cassandra lol. Noa's pretty go with the flow.

It definitely took a hot second for Nardo to learn to let go of the reigns - in his timeline, CJ lost both his parents at a young age, and Leo took it on himself to fill in for them since they were gone.

There are definitely times where Leo bickers with Cassandra like an old married couple though, and Noa and Casey do find it weird at moments where it seems Leo knows their own son better than they do.

Being a dad is a hard habit to let go of, (luckily, I'm planning some things for this guy that'll help with that which project(s) I'm a little excited to get working on if I'm being honest.)

All the brothers go through a time where (from lack of a better explanation) their world pretty much unravels and falls apart.

For Raph, it was when Mikey first brought him to this timeline.

For Mikey, it was when people started getting super up in arms about the whole Bro-covery thing.

For Donnie, it was after seeing the Foot (and maybe Kendra too).

For Leo? It was when CJ came back into his life, someone he had loved like a son.

Leo may be a pretty happy-go-lucky guy most of the time, (or at least act like one,) but there's a lot of things he struggles with.

He blames himself for everything that happened. The lives lost, the casualties, his home all but completely destroyed. . .

He could ignore the guilt before, but now it's returned with a vengeance.

BUT I'll be covering most of that with what I'm planning with the Dream Beavers ;)