Idle Hands and Idle Minds
When Alex found herself wandering into the kitchen for the third time in an hour, she knew it was time to admit defeat. She grabbed a soda from the fridge and trudged into the living room, squeezing between Raphael and Michaelangelo, who were arguing about movies. Or something. She didn't listen long enough to get the gist of it before piping up in a small voice, "I'm bored."
Everyone froze. Even Donatello looked up from his laptop, arching a brow at his wife curiously.
"How the hell are you bored?" Raphael finally asked, nudging Leo to get his attention from his book.
"Yeah, sis, it's like… illegal to be bored," Mikey added, his wide blue eyes serious.
Alex gestured listlessly, her hands fluttering. "I'm just… I dunno. I dunno what to do. It's hot outside, like, really really hot outside. I've seen all the movies at the theatre. I just finished two paintings and have no ideas for another. I'm off today and tomorrow from the gallery. I finished my latest Stephen King novel last night. Your patrols have been quieter, so there's no fixing or patching up to do. So…" She slumped, settling back into the couch. "I dunno what to do," she whined. "Entertain me!"
Donatello chuckled, returning to his typing. "We're twenty-five paces from our bedroom, y'know."
"But it's hot," Alex moaned. "It's hot and I'm still tired from this morning." She rubbed at the faint red marks on her wrists.
Donatello snorted. "Suit yourself."
"Heyyy." Mikey thumped her head with his fingers. "You still owe me a round of Mariokart where you don't play Yoshi so I can actually, y'know, win?"
Alex giggled, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hands. "I guess so. But I'll beat you anyway. Sore loser."
Mikey wrinkled his nose, opening his mouth to retort, but Leo interrupted, leaning around Raphael to catch her gaze.
"I still need you to help me assemble new ink brushes from the horsehair you brought home," he suggested hopefully, but she shrugged.
"Yeah, okay. I forgot about that, sorry, Leo."
Raphael rolled his eyes, grabbing her hand and pulling them both to their feet. She began to protest, but he cut her off.
"Shaddup. Go get some decent clothes on." He eyed her spaghetti-strap tank top and worn shorts disdainfully. "We're goin' to the store. Need more junkfood." He flashed a grin at Leo's frown.
"But it's hot-,"
"I don't give a shit," he growled. "Now get changed 'fore I drag you in there an' clothe you myself."
"Eww!" she squealed, withdrawing her hand from his grip and skipping off.
"Sometimes, I think we're all married to her," Mikey said solemnly, and they each nodded without looking at each other.