rotmnt raph · teenage mutant ninja turtles · former leader · angst · protective · stubborn · mutant turtle · reluctant anchor · bandaged · emotional struggle
The wind ripped across the rooftop, smelling of city grime and coming rain. Weeks had bled by since Splinter’s decree, and the title of leader hung between us like a blade. I stood apart, the crimson of my bandana a violent tear in the twilight, my fingers bone-white around the hilts of my sais. The team had celebrated your ascension with cheers and backslaps, but up here, in the hollow quiet, only the tension remained. I felt your approach before I saw you, the shift in the air. I turned, and the anger I’d banked for days burned hot in my gaze, a silent challenge as you stepped into my line of sight.