Hi guys! Stormy here with just a fun little one-shot. I came up with the idea earlier, and it branched into this long story. Enjoy!~
"I'm so excited!" Mikey did a little hop, his hands gripping his pillow sheet as it swayed with the bounce. They could already hear the crowds of children from around the corner, laughing and having fun. It was already dark, the faint sky showing a few stars through the street-lit sidewalk.
"Stay careful, alright?" Leo had repeated, stepping forward and reaching out for Mikey's shell. Grasping it and pulling it backwards gently, he lead his baby brother back to the small group. "This is the first time we can just... roam the streets like this. Don't blow it."
"I heard down the street someone turned their home into a Haunted house!" Mikey continued loudly, as if he hadn't heard Leo at all. His grin was wide, and he was antsy as he walked. Wanting to stray forward but knowing he couldn't, he bounced with each step.
Raphael grinned. "That'll be fun, huh guys?"
"Uhh, you guys go ahead." Donnie replied, his hand grasping the edge of his jacket as he walked.
All their jackets were worn over their gear, casually thrown on like every other person wearing a costume on a cold Halloween night. It helped the slightest to let them blend in, trying to get the idea across that their green skin was completely fake. The darkness helped a lot, too. But it was cold. Just up another block, the noise of the trick-or-treaters grew louder.
"Chicken." Mikey teased, putting his hands on his hips with a grin.
"What?" Donnie seethed. "I am not!"
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Donatello gritted his teeth, stopping himself from feeding the argument further. "I just want to stop by April's house." He said simply, getting the reaction of Mikey's tongue sticking out at him. He returned the gesture, crossing his arms.
"But that's down a different street." Leo stepped forward, joining in the conversation for himself. "We need to stick together here guys, stay on the same streets. We'll stop by April's house last so we can get home faster. We can-"
Raphael put a hand on his oldest brother's shell and dragged him over. "Calm down, Leo. Don't ruin this night for us."
"I'm not ruining it!"
Donnie stepped back a bit. "We'll be alright Leo. Let us split up, please?"
"Please?" Mikey exclaimed, turning to walk backwards with his hands folded in front of him, still gripping the pillow sheet.
Leo looked over each expression of his brothers, eyes narrowed. And then he sighed. "Alright." He said, putting his hands in his jacket pockets as he walked. "I would like to see the costume show going on down a few blocks."
"Alright!" Michelangelo exclaimed, breaking from the group and racing down the block. "To the Haunted House I go!"
"Hey, wait up!" Raphael called, racing after his little brother. Both ninjas raced around the corner, disappearing from their sight.
Donatello looked up at his oldest brother, giving a small wave as he crossed the street, heading the opposite way. "Meet you back at where we started." He promised, giving Leo an assuring smile.
"Alright." Leo returned the wave, taking his own stride down the street as he watched Donatello disappear around the other corner.
When he turned the sidewalk end, he was immediately overwhelmed by how many children and teenagers there were walking around. A few laughing over here, a few running across the street over there. Porch lights were lit and excitement filled the air. And for the first few moments, he felt his stomach flutter with horror and shyness. Why hadn't he thought this through at all... how could he be expected to just waltz into a sea of humans and be okay with it?
He gathered his wits and strode forward through the crowd.
Raphael and Michelangelo were racing down the sidewalk, dodging humans as if it were a sport. Not many people paid them any attention though, to which they were thankful for. The one night a year they could be around other humans and enjoy themselves.
Down the block, there was a large house decorated on the outside with toilet paper, fake spider webs, and fake bugs hanging off the trees and porch roof. There was a line waiting at the front door, which didn't seem to be too long.
"Oh! Raph! Can you hold our place in line? I just heard some kid say that house was giving a handful of candy to every person that came by!" Mikey exclaimed. "It'll be my first trick-or-treat!" He gave a little squeal, racing away from Raphael without another warning.
Raph watched him run, shaking his head with a small smile on his face. He slowed to a stop and got into place in line, crossing his arms with his pillow case slung over his arm. He had lost track of Mikey in the crowd, and just had to trust he'd return before it was their turn.
The boy standing in front of him turned around with this confused look. He seemed about 14 or so, in a batman costume. "So... what are you supposed to be? The hulk?" He asked, looking Raphael up and down.
The ninja gritted his teeth. He hadn't really planned on talking to any humans tonight. Too late now, though. "...Yes." He answered roughly.
"Why are you wearing a red mask then?" The boy asked.
"...My own personal touch." He answered with frustration.
"Trick-or-treat!"
Mikey, with an excited squeal, thrust his open pillow sheet forward with a grin. The owner of the house opened the door, looking at the orange-masked ninja for a few seconds. He already had a hand reaching for the candy, but froze as he looked him over. At first, Michelangelo began to panic. Why was he staring at him? Was he not pulling off the costume-skin? But he relaxed when all the man said was "Nice costume."
"Thanks!" Mikey exclaimed, "Made it myself." he raised his eyes, shaking the bag a little to indicate the candy be put in.
The man was still staring at him, picking up a small handful of candy and slipping it in the pillow case. "Thank you!" Michelangelo said, looking into the bag for himself to see what he had gotten.
"What's the matter, Robert?" A feminine voice spoke up from behind the door as Mikey began to step away.
"Nothing. The costumes just keep getting better each year." He said, shutting the door.
Mikey grasped the top of the pillow case, ready to burst with excitement at the candy weighing the bottom down. He couldn't wait to show Raph! After the haunted house, they needed to go through all the buildings! Dodging the crowds and bursting onto the haunted house property, he found his brother talking with batman.
"Raph! Look, they were right! They even put in two Crunch bars, my favorite!" Mikey exclaimed, opening the bag and holding it out to his older brother with pride.
Batman gave the orange-masked ninja a look. "And he's the hulk too?"
Mikey gave his older brother a questioning look, and the red clad ninja let out a huff.
The doorbell rang once, with a small chime. Donatello smiled to himself, never having heard the doorbell before. When the door opened, a lady stood in the doorway, looking at the fifteen year-old for a few moments in shock. She shook herself to reality and shrugged. "Ah, sorry young man, we don't have any candy to give out this year." She leaned her head outside the doorway, looking around at the empty neighborhood. "I thought all the trick-or-treating was going on down the block?"
"It is, ma'am." Donnie replied, clearing his throat. "I'm a friend of April's, I thought I'd stop by."
"Oh!" She said, opening the door a bit wider. "You just caught her then. She was just on her way out. April! A friend of yours is here to see you!"
"Who?" April's voice carried from across the apartment.
"The Hulk, I think." Her aunt said, looking Donatello over.
April tromped down the stairs. She was dressed as a cat this year, with the cat ears and tail attached to her black shirt and pants. Whiskers were drawn on her face with eyeliner, by the looks of it. She had her own pillow case in hand, folding it as she stepped towards the door. She looked past her aunt's shoulder with one look and instantly froze, her hands stilling. "Donnie?"
Her aunt gave her a look. "Now April, is this boy your-"
"No." April replied quickly, still staring at Donatello. "He's just a friend..."
Donnie had to hide the blush on his face as April stepped towards the door. He stepped back to give her room on the porch. "I'll see you later, aunty." As her guardian stepped away from the door, April slammed it shut and grabbed the purple-masked ninja's shoulders. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked desperately in a hushed voice.
His hands came up to hers and removed them. "It's alright! It's Halloween, everyone will just assume we're in costume." He assured her.
She studied him a moment before letting out a breath. She looked around the empty street, eyes raised. "Where are the other guys?"
"We split up." Donnie explained. "We're going to meet back up at the lair at ten." He checked his T-Phone for the time, reading 7:48. He smiled, straightening his jacket and repositioning the pillow case slung over his shoulder.
"Alright." April said, putting her hands in her pockets, looking up at the dark sky. "We'll, let's go join the fun, shall we?"
The costume contest was only another two blocks over. Leo had to fight his way through a few crowds, in totally unfamiliar territory since he couldn't attack them to get through. But he could see the contest from where he was. A medium-sized wooden platform was placed in a grassy area, with an announcer standing atop. He was using a microphone, projected by two smaller speakers on each end of the stage. A few people in costumes were already climbing the stairs to line up. Superman, Buzz Lightyear, a teddy bear, and... at the very edge of the stage, someone had dressed as Captain Ryan.
Already interested, he began a little jog towards the area. A small child dressed as Whinny the Pooh climbed the stairs with the aid of his mother, who had a cape and a shirt that said Super Mom. The announcer was calling each costume by name as they entered the stage.
Leo wished he could have dressed as Captain Ryan. In fact, all his brothers wanted costumes of their own. But if they wanted to make this work, they had to stick with the false mutant look. Mixing costumes would be confusing and draw too much attention.
"I'm looking into the crowd right now, any more volunteers? Any more volunteers? Come on up, the contest will begin judging momentarily! How about you sir, yes you, Captain America! Come on up, your costume is amazing! Any more volunteers before we begin the voting?"
Leo joined the back of the crowd, smiling to himself as he looked over the people who entered. The costumes were actually really good. He especially liked the Captain Ryan suit, and found himself studying it to see if it was possible for him to make his own.
"How about you, Mr Hulk! Come on up, don't be shy!"
Leo froze, his gaze lifting to the announcer at the edge of the stage. He prayed he wasn't speaking to him, but of course, his gaze had locked with the announcer's awaiting eyes. Instantly struck with fear, he took a small step back. Someone who had appeared behind him gave him a light nudge forward. "Come on up, your costume is outstanding!" The man called with exaggerated waves of his hands.
A small, shaky swallow, and he felt the crowd shifting to give him room. Now left with no choice, he began to walk the small path towards the steps, fingers fidgeting each other. The point was to keep a low profile. So much for that.
"This isn't even scary at all." Raphael commented, looking at the fake spider webs hanging from the ceiling.
"I know. It's a bummer." Mikey commented, even though Raph knew his little brother had already been scared by one of the jumpers earlier. But at the moment, he didn't care to point that out. The television flickered on and off in the corner, and the red-masked ninja could make out the silhouette of a person hiding at the very edge of the room with the remote control in his hand.
The house wasn't even that big. They were almost to the end. Around the corner behind them, they heard a few kids scream.
Once they reached the end, a shadow broke off the wall and grabbed Mikey's shoulder, and the small turtle let out a screech, flinging and flailing his arms with alarm. "Help! Raph!" He cried, untangling himself from the person's grasp. An evil laugh carried from the shadow, and he fell back into position for the next few people.
"For the love of-" Raph took Mikey's arm, hauling his trembling brother out of the exit.
Donatello shoved his hands in his pockets, nearing a doorstep with April at his side as they stopped at the first building. The door opened, and Donnie stood behind April to let the night mask his skin. "Trick-or-treat!" They both said, Donnie a little less enthusiastically. Two pieces of candy were slipped into each bag, and they were on their way once more.
"Raph and Mikey went to the haunted house." Donnie commented, looking over the crowds from the porch of the neighbor at the decorated home. "And Leo's at the costume contest, I think he said."
"Ooh! Can we go too?" April asked.
"To the costume contest?"
"No, the Haunted house!" She exclaimed with an excited expression.
"Uhh.. umm..." Donnie scratched his neck.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" She took his arm and began to haul him down the street, through the crowds. "We'll trick-or-treat more later."
Mikey struggled his way out of Raph's grip and began to make his own way back onto the street. Shaking himself out of the fright, he put on a smile. "Come on, time for some trick-or-treating! You haven't done it yet!"
Raph shrugged, and Mikey grabbed his arm, hauling him through the crowds. He kept his eyes sharp, eventually spotting Donatello and April heading the opposite direction. "April!" Mikey began to frantically wave. The red-head caught his eye and smiled, leading Donnie over to them. They moved over onto the sidewalk to stand for a moment.
"Hey guys! Did you just come from the haunted house?" April asked.
"Yeah, it's kinda lame though." Mikey replied.
"Lame? You were screaming like a baby." Raph retorted.
Donatello seemed to get very uncomfortable.
"Well, we're heading that way right now. We'll meet up with you guys later to trick-or-treat together!" She suggested, taking Donnie's arm again and hauling him in the direction of the house.
"Ahh, but April-" Donnie sighed as he was hauled across the street.
"Have fun!" Raph's amused call drew Mikey's attention. He was snickering to himself. "Poor Don."
"Yeah." Mikey grinned. "He's going to scream even louder than me."
"Wow! Get a look at this costume folks, I have never seen such a detailed hulk before! What's your name, kid? That slimy skin, it's so realistic! Why the mask though?"
The announcer was in his face. Leonardo was trying to push down a panic attack as everyone stared at him, and he was fiddling. "I- I- Um- I'm Leo. M-My brothers dressed as... the... Hulk? Yeah, they dressed as the Hulk too, s-so we put masks on to tell each other apart." He explained in the microphone the best he could, trying to smile through his beating heart, which he was pretty sure hadn't been beating in his ears a few moments ago.
"Are they currently in the crowd out there, Leo?" He swept his gaze over the many people.
"Erm, no. They're not-"
"Well awesome! Maybe someone out there will stumble upon them later." The announcer said, taking the microphone back and ushering Leo to fall in line with the other costumed people.
He ended up standing between Whinny the Pooh and a witch, much to his discomfort. He'd rather have been put next to Captain Ryan so he could chat with him about the show. He knew there were other Space Nicks out there, but to actually meet one would be fun! Maybe he could sneak his way through the line.
Not possible with the giant crowd staring at him.
He began to question so many things, standing on the stage totally exposed. When would this be over?
"Donnie, hey it's okay!"
A giant spider fell on his head. Screaming and swiping it off, he stumbled backwards into the wall. April huffed, grabbing her friend by the arm and hauling him upright. She turned to him, staring him in the eyes. "You mean to tell me you're a trained ninja, practiced in the art of stealth and always prepared for anything that could happen, and you're scared in a haunted house where you know nothing will hurt you?" She exclaimed, narrowing her eyes.
"Umm... yes?" Donnie squeaked out, knowing it was too late to save his pride.
April let out a huff, dragging him after her through the hallway. "Come on, the end's right around the corner."
A person wearing all black jumped out of the shadows, grabbing Donatello's shoulders and yanking a scream out of him. April turned swiftly by reflex, landing a punch to the guy who grabbed Donnie and causing him to stumble backwards. His hands flew up to cover his face, standing leaned over in pain. "Ow! What's your problem lady?" The shadow yelled, and the red-head ushered Donnie out of the building before she got in trouble.
"Can I trade you a twix for a Crunch bar?" Mikey asked, peering into Raph's bag.
"Twix? You can do better than that." Raph responded.
His young brother huffed. "Fine! How about a Recess Cup?"
"Deal." The red-masked ninja's eyes lit up, reaching out to take the candy before reaching into his own bag to grab a Crunch bar. He slipped it in Mikey's bag and then raised his gaze.
He cocked his head, staring at the stage. He looked over the line of costumed people. "Wait... is that Leo?"
"Yeah, it is!" Mikey exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Dude, what's he doing on stage? I thought he didn't want to get noticed tonight!"
"I don't know, but let's go check it out." Raph smirked, walking towards the crowd with his candy-filled pillow case at his side. Mikey followed close behind, bursting with laughter.
"The votes are in! You voted, and we have our places!" The announcer proclaimed to the audience.
Leo sighed, getting tired of standing here. He switched his weight onto each foot, trying to avoid the crowd's gazes as they stared intently. There was a long moment of silence to build tension, which he found pretty ridiculous, being this was a small costume contest and not American Idol. But he finally got to announcing. "Third place, we have, Mason the robot! Come on up, Mason!" A little boy in a painted cardboard box costume ran forward with excitement, taking the small trophy from the announcer. He hugged it close to his square body, retreating back in line.
"Second place, Sabrina the witch!" He waved his hand back, and the witch standing next to Leo let out an excited squeak and took the few steps forward to retrieve her trophy.
That was when Leo caught the eyes of Raph and Mikey in the back of the crowd. They were watching intently, snickering to themselves. Ha, ha. Leo rolled his eyes. Donnie and April approached from behind a few seconds later, greeting the other two as they stood at the back, watching the stage. Both April and Donnie seemed pretty startled seeing him onstage, and Leo could honestly say he related to their expressions.
"And first place, Leo the Hulk!"
Once he heard his name, Leo's head snapped up with alarm. The announcer was ushering him forwards to get his trophy. He reached out with subtle hands, letting the bottom of it sink into his palms. It was pretty tiny and cheap, shaped into the number 1, but he didn't care. He heard the audience cheering for him as he studied the trophy. Not really sure how to feel, he stood there awkwardly with the prize in his hands.
"Alright, thank you all for coming tonight, have a great day!" The announcer said, putting the mic on the stand and leading everyone else offstage. Leo, cradling the trophy carefully, made his way off the stage and approached his brothers and adopted sister.
"Nice job, Leo the Hulk!" Mikey exclaimed first, leaning on his knees and laughing.
"Grats, Leo!" April put her hand on his arm. "Cool trophy!"
"Not really." He responded softly before he could stop himself.
"Why were you onstage? I thought you wanted to keep a low profile."
"I did." He replied.
"How long were you up there?" Raph laughed.
"Forever." Leo answered, rolling his eyes. He scanned the crowd of costumes, searching silently for the Captain Ryan kid, but didn't find him. He let out a tired sigh. "And I want to go trick-or-treating before we have to head in."
"No problem." April said with a smile, turning and heading back towards the street with the four of them following close behind. Walking in a tight unit, they turned the corner and climbed the first steps nearby, chatting to each other about all that happened and leaving out the embarrassing parts of the night. Full of laughter now, they claimed this Halloween night as fun.
Everyone opened their bags and held them out as Mikey rang the doorbell. Leo tucked his trophy into his bag so he wouldn't have to carry it separately, looking down at it in the empty bag with a small smile. His first trick-or-treat, and instead of candy, he got a trophy. For being him. When the door opened, the owner was met with 5 Trick-or-treaters, one dressed as a cat, the others dressed as Hulks, gesturing for candy with open bags.