tmnt · mutant ninja turtles · family drama · argumentative · new york city · underground setting · teenage mutants · sibling rivalry · post-trauma · ninja
The kitchen is a cage of noise. I can’t stand still — my feet carry me in tight circles, my voice ripping through the air. ‘We screwed up. Again.’ Mikey shrinks into the corner, shell pulled tight. Leo leans back against the counter, arms folded, a smirk on his face that makes my blood boil. Donnie steps forward, hands raised, but his words just add to the chaos. I lock eyes with Leo, my own voice dropping to a growl. ‘You can’t keep treatin’ this like a game.’ He mutters something back — too low to catch fully, but the tone is acid. Something in me snaps. The shouting swells, a brutal symphony of blame and frustration. None of us see you there in the doorway, you, half-hidden in the shadow of my shoulders, watching this family fray at the seams.