Mari exhaled sharply, gripping the remote in her hand as she tried to focus on the TV screen.

But Mikey and Cat were making that impossible.

Both of them sat on either side of her, chattering nonstop, bouncing between random topics like hyperactive kids on a sugar high. Which they absolutely were.

"Did you know sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins?" Mikey asked excitedly, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"Ohhh, what if I got a pet sloth?!" Cat gasped. "I'd name it Lancelot—"

"We literally live underground, where would you keep a sloth?" Mari deadpanned.

Cat ignored her. "He could live in my room! I'd build him a tiny hammock—"

"But sloths need trees, bro," Mikey pointed out. "Also, aren't they, like, kinda gross?"

"HOW DARE YOU—"

Mari's eye twitched.

She tried to ignore them. She really did.

But the constant talking, the fidgeting, the arm-rest-stealing, the popcorn crumbs getting on her lap—

"Can you guys shut up?!" she finally snapped, voice carrying that sharp Raph-like edge.

Cat and Mikey froze, blinking at her like confused puppies.

"Why so grumpy, Mari?" Cat pouted.

"Yeah, lighten up, sis!" Mikey grinned, nudging her shoulder. "You sound like Raph when he's constipated—"

Mari shoved the remote into Mikey's hands and stormed off.

She needed out.

As she stomped toward her room, she heard Donnie muttering from his lab—which usually wasn't a big deal. Except—

BOOM.

A sudden explosion blasted from the doorway, shaking the whole damn lair.

Mari was thrown off her feet, crashing backward onto the floor. Smoke and sparks spilled from the lab entrance, and Donnie poked his head out, coughing.

"Oops—"

"DONNIE, WHAT THE HELL?!" Mari yelled, shoving herself up, her eye twitching even more.

"That wasn't supposed to happen—" Donnie started, rubbing his temple.

"NO SHIT."

"In my defense, the probability of explosion was only at—"

"DON'T. FINISH. THAT. SENTENCE."

Mari brushed herself off and stormed away before Donnie could drag her into one of his science lectures.

Nope. Not today. She was DONE.

She stomped to her room, slamming the door shut.

Silence.

Finally.

Mari flopped onto her bed, pulling her pillow over her face.

Just five minutes. Five minutes of peace. Is that too much to ask?

Then—

YELLING.

Mari gritted her teeth.

The distinct sounds of Leo and Raph going at it—again— echoed through the lair.

"YOU CAN'T JUST RUSH INTO BATTLES BLINDLY, RAPH!"

"OH, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE MY MOM!"

"IF I WAS YOUR MOM, YOU WOULDN'T ACT LIKE AN IDIOT EVERY NIGHT—"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!" Mari shot up, eyes blazing.

She shoved her pillow aside and stormed out of her room, fists clenched.

She was so done with her siblings today.

Every single one of them.

Mari knew that if she mentioned that she wanted to go to the surface alone, Leo wouldn't allow it, especially after the whole Chris Bradford thing, and he's leader so Mari would have to listen to him. Stupid protective brother, Mari thought bitterly. She can probably fend for herself a lot better than Leo could. So Mari just won't tell him—or any of her siblings, for that matter. They're all so fiercely protective of each other, that it'll be best to not say anything. Tonight, the turtles aren't planning to go on patrol, so tonight was the perfect time for Mari to go by herself.

And Mari can finally have one night without her siblings.

That night, Mari went to the surface.

She didn't have much to worry about. Everyone—even Raph—knew better than to enter her room. Besides, if they did find out Mari was gone, what could any of them do? Ground her? Nah. At least it's not Cat. She wouldn't make it alone. Mikey barely did, befriending someone he shouldn't have. Mari is a lot smarter than those two.

Mari jumped from building to building, feeling the breeze on her. She stopped and looked down, grinning. It was a beautiful view. And it was even better because she was by herself. None of Mikey's endless chatter, no Cat's squeaking and screaming, no Raph's temper, none of Donnie's big words, and none of Leo's bossiness.

She continued watching below her when she saw a guy—a guy around her age, walking behind a dumpster smoking... a cigarette? Mari watched him, feeling something. Curiosity, maybe? He had brown skin and curly black hair. He looked... cute? Mari shook her head. What was going on through her mind? A human, cute? Mari was not going to be like Donnie, simping for a human that would never like a mutant back.

The human boy glanced up and Mari could have sworn that he saw her. They made eye contact. Mari's eyes widened and quickly ducked back, to get out of his line of sight.

"Hello?" the boy called up. "Are you still there?"

Fuck.

His voice... it sounded... good? No.,. That was an understatement... Could you be attracted to voices? Because if so, Mari definitely was. She stayed silent, and she thought the boy would go away. Because it was night time, the boy probably didn't notice that Mari was a giant turtle. But if she were closer...

"You don't need to be afraid," the boy called up again. "It's okay!"

Would he still say that if he saw Mari up close?

Mari peeked back over, against her better judgment. "You'll be the one afraid if I got too close," she told him.

"How about we test that theory, huh?"

Mari gulped. She really wanted to. But she didn't want to be like Mikey, trusting a random human that gave him the time of day. Or like Donnie who has a crush on one.

"I don't know if that's such a great idea," Mari called back down.

He was silent for a few moments.

"Why do you say that?" he says.

"I can't say..."

"Come on," the boy said.

The boy was cute...

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Mari jumped down, right in front of the human boy. He flinched back, his eyes wide. Mari prepared for him to run away screaming, but he just stood there. Maybe he was paralyzed with fear?

"What are you?" the boy asked after a few moments passed.

"A mutant... turtle," Mari said. She paused. "I'm a ninja."

Boys like ninjas, right?

The boy blinked. "I didn't expect this..."

Mari flushed, embarrassment filling her. This was a bad idea. What would Leo or Raph say? Donnie? How about Mikey or Cat, the two idiots? When everyone finds out that Mari is the newest idiot...

"I-I should go—" Mari said, turning.

"No wait!" the boy said, grabbing her wrist. Then retracted, probably not expecting the texture. "I'm sorry. You—you seem nice. I was just surprised."

Mari took a closer look at him. In one hand, he still carried the cigarette. And his clothes were of a gothic style. And was he wearing black eye liner? It looked good on him.

"Oh," Mari said, her voice uncharacteristically small. "Are you disgusted?"

She was afraid of the answer.

He shook his head. "No, just surprised, honest," he said. "You're not planning to eat me, are you?"

Mari shook her head quickly. "No—my diet consists of mainly pizza—"

The boy chuckled. "Interesting. I've never met a mutant before... didn't know they existed to be honest," he said. "What's your name?"

"Mari."

"That's a pretty name. I'm Jackson. Would you like to hang out? I'll buy pizza."

Mari grinned. Hanging out with someone that wasn't her family? This was going better than she thought it would.

"Yeah, sure."

"Where the heck is Mari?!" Leo wondered, searching around. He had knocked on her door and then perked inside—she was gone. Leo couldn't find her anywhere. He hasn't heard from her in awhile so he went to go check on her.

Raph, who was on the couch looked up. "Mari? In her bedroom, I guess—"

"No, she's not," Leo said, annoyed. "I looked."

Raph became more aware. He stood up, gritting his teeth. "So she's not here. At all?"

Leo shook his head. "She's not."

"That little bitch—"

"Language!"

Raph rolled his eyes. "Mikey and Cat ain't here to hear." That was true. They actually were in their room. Well, Mikey's room. Probably scheming or something.

"Still," Leo said and then sighed. "Do you think Mari went to the surface?"

"If she's not here, where else would she be?"

"Do you think she'll be with April?" Leo questioned. If she's with April, okay. Though Leo would still be mad that Mari didn't say anything to him so now he feels like a worrying mother hen.

"Leo... you do know that Mari hates April, right?"

"What?! Since when!"

Raph stared at him. "Really?"

Leo genuinely didn't know. But he decided that it didn't matter at the moment. "We should go look for Mari, before she gets into any trouble."

Raph sighed. "Yep, she's a dumbass. Let's please not take the others, especially Mikey and Cat."

Mari sat on top of a building, looking over the view, with Jackson, as they ate pizza.

Mari couldn't help but notice Jackson Kept staring at her. She wondered why. Maybe he was attracted to her, like she was to him. (That was not the case, of course). He was mainly curious about Mari.

"Why are you so nice?" Mari blurted out, and then covered her mouth. Why did she ask that? God, she's a dumbass.

Jackson laughed. "Is someone being nice to you weird?"

Mari shrugged. She wasn't sure if she should tell him she only knows her siblings and dad, all mutants, and one human who she doesn't really like because she's destined to break her little brother's heart.

"You don't have a lot of friends, do you?"

Fuck, Mari didn't have to tell Jackson—he already figured it out. How he did that, Mari wasn't sure.

Should she lie?

But Jackson didn't seem like the mean type, so she just shook her head. "I don't get out much and it's not like I can go to school." She thought the truth would be a little too long of an explanation.

"True," Jackson agreed. "It's okay, though. School sucks ass."

That was an interesting phrase. Mari hadn't heard that one before. Maybe she'll use it sometime. Her language is pretty vulgar. She has the biggest potty mouth amongst her siblings, even more so than Raph. He at least tries not to cuss in front of Mikey and Cat. Mari doesn't give a fuck.

"Do you have any friends?" Mari asked.

"Yeah, some," Jackson said.

"Cool."

Cool? Really? That was so lame...

Jackson stared at Mari. A lot. It was weird but Mari kind of liked it. He got closer to her face, and she blushed. Was he going to kiss her.

"Why do you wear a mask?" Jackson asked, their noses practically touching.

"It's cuz of the whole ninja thing."

"Ah."

Mari and Jackson sat side by side on the rooftop, the warmth of the pizza box between them. The night air was crisp, the city alive below them, but Mari barely noticed any of it. Jackson was staring at her again.

"You're staring again," she muttered, turning her head away.

Jackson smirked. "Can't help it. You're kinda fascinating."

Mari rolled her eyes but felt her face heat up anyway. "Yeah, well, stop. Feels weird."

Jackson leaned back, balancing on his hands. "Alright, alright, no more staring. So, tell me—what's it like being a ninja mutant turtle?"

Mari huffed a laugh. "Oh, you know. Lots of training, lots of yelling, lots of sneaking out when your overprotective brothers won't let you breathe."

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Overprotective, huh?"

Mari scoffed. "You have no idea."

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from below.

"Mari!"

Mari's blood ran cold. She knew that voice.

She scrambled to her feet and peered over the edge of the rooftop.

There, standing in the alleyway, was Leo and Raph—both of them looking pissed.

"Shit."

Jackson followed her gaze, eyes widening as he took in the sight of two very large mutant turtles glaring up at them. "Uh. You weren't kidding about the overprotective brothers thing, huh?"

"Stay here," Mari muttered, before jumping down, landing lightly in front of them.

Leo's arms were crossed tightly, his leader mode in full effect. Raph just looked about two seconds away from strangling her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Leo demanded.

Mari huffed. "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're breaking the rules and sneaking out alone," Raph growled. "You got a death wish, dumbass?"

Mari rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, you guys are overreacting."

"Overreacting?!" Raph repeated, voice rising. "You're out here alone in the middle of the city and you didn't even tell anyone!"

"Yeah, because I knew you guys would freak out!" Mari snapped back. "I just wanted one night without you all breathing down my neck!"

Leo pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly trying to remain calm. "Mari, this isn't just about rules. It's about keeping you safe. You don't know what's out here."

"I can handle myself!"

Raph scoffed. "Oh yeah? And who's that guy?" He jabbed a thumb up toward the rooftop where Jackson was still sitting, watching the drama unfold with great interest.

Mari winced. Shit.

"None of your business," she muttered.

Leo and Raph both immediately zeroed in on her reaction.

"Ohhh, hell no," Raph growled. "Are you seriously sneaking out to meet up with some random guy?!"

Mari flushed. "It's not like that!"

Leo crossed his arms. "Does he know what you are?"

"Yes."

"Mari," Leo hissed, rubbing his temples like she was personally causing him a migraine.

Raph, however, was done talking. He stepped past Mari and jumped up onto the rooftop.

Mari's stomach dropped. "RAPH—!"

But it was too late.

Jackson barely had time to react before Raph was in his face, scowling.

"Alright, listen up, buddy," Raph said, voice dangerously low. "I dunno what you think you're doin', but lemme make somethin' real clear—"

Jackson, to his credit, didn't look scared. He simply raised an eyebrow, took another slow drag from his cigarette, and blew the smoke out directly at Raph.

Mari's jaw dropped.

Raph's eye twitched.

"You got some balls, I'll give ya that," Raph muttered, voice still low.

Jackson smirked. "I get that a lot."

Mari slapped a hand over her face. Oh, he was gonna die.

Leo sighed, jumping up after Raph. "Look, Jackson, is it? Mari isn't supposed to be up here. She's not supposed to be meeting random humans, especially ones we don't know."

Jackson shrugged. "I get that. But she chose to be here, didn't she?"

Mari blinked.

Raph narrowed his eyes. "That ain't the point."

Jackson flicked the cigarette away, giving them both a lazy smile. "Look, guys. She told me what she was. I'm not screaming, I'm not calling the cops, and I definitely don't plan on doing anything to hurt her." He glanced at Mari. "She seems cool. I like cool people."

Mari felt heat rise to her face, but she quickly covered it with a scoff. "See? Not a big deal."

Leo, however, was not convinced. He turned to her. "We're leaving. Now."

Mari clenched her jaw. "I'm not a little kid, Leo."

"No," he said. "But you are our sister. And we're not gonna let you put yourself at risk just because you're tired of us."

Mari scowled.

Jackson, surprisingly, spoke up. "Hey, uh. Maybe cut her some slack?"

Raph turned back to him. "Excuse me?"

Jackson raised a hand in surrender. "Look, man, I get it. You wanna protect her. But maybe instead of freaking out, you just—y'know—trust her?"

Leo and Raph both went rigid.

Mari just blinked at him, completely thrown off.

Trust her?

Her brothers weren't capable of that.

Jackson stretched, pushing himself up to stand. "Alright, well. Guess that's my cue to bounce." He turned to Mari and smirked. "Nice meetin' you, Mari. Hope we can hang out again sometime—if your brothers don't murder me first."

Mari huffed a laugh. "Yeah, no promises."

Jackson gave her a two-fingered salute and hopped down the fire escape, disappearing into the night.

Leo and Raph turned back to Mari.

"You are so grounded," Leo muttered.

Mari groaned. "You can't ground me! We're ninjas! And siblings—and the same age—"

"Oh, yes, we can," Raph shot back. "Say goodbye to your next three patrols, dumbass."

Mari grumbled curses under her breath as she followed them home.

But, if she was being honest?

She was already planning her next trip out.