Hello, Happy Valentine's Day!
So this is a sort of sequel to my story 'Braces.'
This story was inspired after I got my first request for a story in the comments of 'Braces.' Thank you for that!
Although my second bout of inspiration came from the thought that everyone has different personality traits. And especially when looking for love we look for the traits that we adore the most in other people.
Either way I hope you guys like it!
Make sure to read the Background information below before reading!
VITAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION PLEASE READ BEFORE THE STORY: The turtles, Casey, and April are about to be forced to participate in the Tricariton's coliseum. For the next round the gladiators are to be separated into teams of four. Three of these four warriors will fight the first day of battle. While the remaining one will be held as a sort of ransom. The one who is remaining will be granted food, water, and medical supplies that they may use, or hand out to their fellow teammates after each round. Obviously the turtles are a group of their own. But who's going to fight? And who's going to be the 'remaining'? The six of them will have to decide before the guards show up to their cell and decide for them.
Don't Forget to Look
"Alright so I think that Raph should be first. Take as many out as you can Raph, but don't be afraid to forfeit," Leo begins standing in the middle of the group's narrow cell so he could talk to everyone at once.
Secretly he imagined himself standing on a pedestal, talking to a large platoon of elite soldiers. It was a fun image. He mentally puts one of those old saggy soldier hats on Mikey, and decks Raph out in an array of camouflage and knifes.
Raph smiled approvingly, "You got it bro, I'll hit those guys so hard they won't know their horns from their tails!"
A few more knives were added to Raph's arsenal.
"Excellent! Now Mikey, you can go second, just be as annoying and tiresome as possible and that'll be enough for me," continued Leo turning at the waist so he could see the orange turtle standing happily at attention for his turn.
Mikey posed dramatically, straightening his back and holding his hand out, giving Leo the best version their three fingered hands can create of a thumbs up, "I was hoping I'd go second bro! Gotta go fast!"
Raph groaned slumping in defeat. But Leo was thoroughly ecstatic. Neither of them had argued with him. He got two of his brothers to agree without so much as a whine!
Just for that Mikey earned himself an imaginary medal of honor attached to his plastron.
'Alright,' thought Leo mentally preparing himself to continue listing his planned order, 'I have to make this next part humble, no need to make Raph mad now. Besides he's starting to look a little intimidating with all those weapons.'
Some of the knives were removed from Raph's arsenal.
'Better, but still play this cool Leo, just act like this is no big deal, as if you're not last because you're the strongest but because you believe in your brothers. Which you do Leo! You totally do!' Continued Leo's mental chastisement to himself. He takes a contemplating position to give himself some thinking time before the others demand his continuance.
Finally Leo speaks, "Cool and I'll go last, to finish off the stragglers."
No one says anything in fact Leo was sure a couple of them even nod. Leo was so happy that everyone in the room was now the proud fictional owner of bayonets, bunker pants, black boots, M16A4s, HK416s, and the gorgeous Heckler and Koch MP5!
Beaming Leo scanned his friends and family with gratitude. Before his eyes stop on April who is sitting against the wall not even hiding the fact that she is intently studying the guy's interaction. Leo begins to mentally dress her in a WW1 nurses outfit.
It was then that Leo decided to put an end to his game of pretend.
Suddenly no one had any weapons or medals anymore.
With a less enthusiastic sigh Leo turned to his last brother.
The others took the sigh the wrong way, becoming rigid and silent. Mikey started feeling a little bad for Donnie.
"And Donnie…." Leo begins suddenly unsure how to put this next part into words. "Donnie…."
Donnie gives Leo a small sad smile from where he's leaning against the door of their cell. The air was hot, dry, and the whole place looked like a darkened stone dungeon. A faint blue light overhead is enough to grant tolerable visibility, but the odd colored glow also makes everyone's outline look downcast and bleak.
Everyone looked especially bleak to Donnie right now. "No Leo its ok I understand," assured Donnie in a soft voice. "Someone should be ready to use the medical supplies."
Leo looks admiringly at Donnie for a moment, grateful that he agreed to take the fall before speaking again, "Ok, ok good. Now Raph when you take out your first guy remem-,"
"Hold up dudes!" interrupted Casey from the opposite side of the cell. The boy had a frown on his face and both of his hands in his front pockets.
From the moment the news was broken that only the turtles were going to fight Casey had been loudly voicing his enraged objection to the unfairness of this tournament. At routinely regular intervals.
Leo groans loudly, hoping this will deter Casey from any overdramatic fits of disapproval. "Look Casey I know you want to fight. But this time it really isn't our choice here. I can't do anything to change the Triceraton's minds."
Casey shakes his head taking his hands out of his pockets to face everyone, "That's not what I mean dudes. I mean Don, c'mon man, you didn't even put up a fight. Why? Do you not want to fight? You didn't even argue about it."
"Shut up Casey," Raph growls pointing a big green finger at the human. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Casey feels his anger start to build.
Getting caught.
Thrown in jail.
Being forced out of the action.
He was just not in the mood.
"Whatever Raph, why are you being so defensive? What do you just want him to sit this out, specifically him? Is it because he's the worst fighter, or that you know that Mikey and Leo can at least dodge-"
"CASEY I SAID SHUT UP!" Raph roars at the boy taking a good three steps forward.
Leo steps between the two easily enough in this confined space keeping them away from each other with an authoritative "ENOUGH!"
"This is not the time for this. Donnie's basically the doctor here so he's sitting out. End of story," Leo declared maneuvering Raph back towards his section of the cell.
Donnie himself didn't feel too angry about Casey's words. Casey was right, he knew that. It took him awhile, but somewhere along the line while you're fighting every other day of your life you truly start to realize just who is better at what. And he is the least adept at fighting.
It sucks, but it's not the biggest deal in the world. Donnie lifts his chin from his plastron sensing that the fight he was unobtrusively involved in was over. He glazed over each of his brothers and friend before his eyes met the bright blue orbs of April O' Neil.
She was sitting on the cell's floor beside Mikey, knees to her chest, arms resting on top of her legs. But despite the hunched position she didn't look defeated. She looked thoughtful and strong. As if just waiting for her moment of action.
They stared at each other for just a moment. And Donnie caught something flicker in her expression.
Confusion?
Anger?
Jelousy?
He couldn't tell, the lighting wasn't good enough for him to fully study her features. But Donatello was always one to figure things out.
Maybe if he just-
"Casey it really is better for me to stay here," said Donnie turning his neck towards his rival/friend.
Donnie almost chuckled at Leo's hostile glare for bringing up the subject again, as Casey's eyes danced appreciative fire at the thought of the heated conversation.
"Don I get that," replied Casey, "I'm not an idiot, I know why. I'm just saying that you didn't even argue about it! It's like you didn't even want to fight."
"I don't."
The comment was small, unimportant, and followed by a moment of silence. Donnie looked back at everyone with a blank stare. Yet on the inside he felt proud and warm. The same way you usually do when admitting something about yourself to the people closest to you.
"What do you mean you don't want to?"
The warm feeling dropped eight hundred degrees.
Donnie went back to meeting April's eyes. She stared back at him, eyes narrowing, back straightening. Illuminated by the blue light above she looked unusually menacing.
This wasn't who Donnie was expecting to talk to about this.
Donnie swallowed nervously before replying. "I- I just don't per-say care for fighting. I mean I like learning ninjitsu, but I can't say that the actual fighting part is my favorite thing to do in the world," Donnie shrugs before finishing off, "I just don't want to fight in this arena."
April places a hand on the heated rock wall of the cell, using its flattened support to bring herself to her feet, "Donnie, how, how could you say that. Casey and I would do anything to be out there, to be as good as you guys. But we can't. How can you not want to fight?"
"Oh I didn't say that," Donnie says quickly, still a little flustered by April's suddenly harsh tone. "I do want to fight. I just want to do it my way, which happens to involve a distinct lack of hitting people."
Donnie gives a nervous yet amused glare to a smirking Raph.
"Seems a lot less fun than my fighting," Raph grins back.
"Dude you're a ninja, how can you not like fighting?" asks an exasperated Casey as he drops his body dramatically, putting his hands in front of his face as if he was crushing two stones in each palm with pure frustration. "I'm itching for a battle man!"
"Me to," April says softly, and from Donnie's perspective, lovingly. Casey and her exchange small smiles.
"April…." Donnie says his voiced tinged with sadness.
April turns back to Donnie with a wistful frown on her face, "I'm sorry Donnie, I just don't understand how this can't mean everything to you," Aprils says poising one hand face up to gesture around the cell. "There's no time to be soft. That time passed for us a long time ago."
No one said anything for a good thirty seconds. And before anyone, even Leo, could get the group back under control the door to their cell was opened with a quick grinding screech of stone. A group of Tricereton warriors stood outside their prison, ready to take the turtles away. The four followed the dinosaur rejects out of the small cell, allowing their friends to be locked back into the dark stone room behind them.
The Triceretons led the turtles single file down the hallway.
Leo.
Raph.
Donnie.
Mikey.
Mikey leaned forward, grasping Donnie's shoulder to whisper into his ear, which was no easy feat since Donnie was walking as straight and tall as turtaly possible. "Dude you totally made yourself look like a wuss in front of April."
Donnie pulled his shoulder out of Mikey's grasp before replying, "Thank you Mikey for that informative report."
"But dude, what are you going to do? Do you want to fight in my place? That would impress her," Mikey asked.
Donnie's reply was quick and final. "No, the plans fine how it is. And besides," said Donnie turning his head enough in Mikey's direction for his shorter bro to see his eyes.
"I didn't make myself look like a wuss. I just made her look at me. She just didn't like what she saw."
No one said anything more after that.
Everyone has different personalities. That doesn't make them bad or good, it just makes them themselves.
Find that person that makes you love your own personality as much as theirs!
Oh, and please don't be sad Apritello and Capril fans. I actually like both of those pairings. :)
This is just one possibility of many.