"Snow day, hurray so magical and new. There's so much we can do! " Raph sings while pushing a huge ball of snow down a hill
"Snow Day no training only fun, We've only just begun! I'm glad I'm here with you!" sings Leo while also pushing a huge pile of snow down the same hill that ends up rolling onto a slide and landing on Mikey while he's making snow angels with Mayhem.
"Snow day hurray! Barometric pressure is so low but my heart is all aglow! Revenge up my TECH BO!" Donnie sings while using his tech bo chain saw to cave a Jupiter Jim snowman.
"Snow Day! Our snowman is the best, Jupiter Jim fans will attest.
Oh Me Gosh, My coats a VEEEST!" Mikey sings while adding some accessories to the snowman and the sleeves of his coat fall apart thanks to Donnie accidentally cutting them off.
"Snow Day! Hurray! We all should be so proud! Snow Day! All together sing out LOUD!" April and I sing together while sitting on Raph's shoulders to place the space helmet on the snowman's head.
"SNOW DAY! HURRAY!", we all sing together
"Great job fam and Donnie I guess," Leo says sarcastically
"If I wasn't so enchanted by our replica of Jupiter Jim I would probably say Look over there PUSH!" Donnie says while pushing his twin into the snow
I laugh hysterically and end up falling into the snow. Raph puts up a flag from his favorite Jupiter Jim movie which almost immediately gets shut down April and Donnie. They then suggest their favorite movie but Leo, Raph, and Mikey laugh at the suggestion. Mikey brings up the fact that they only laugh during the opposite's favorite movie because of Raph's hard cranium-breaking stuff as he falls asleep.
"Yeah, my head takes damage like a boss! Leo hit me!" Raph says confidently
"Oh please let me!" Donnie says while turning his Tech bo into his rocket hammer.
Leo and Mikey tackle him, I fold my arms and pout a bit because I kind of want to see if Raph's claim is true.
"Wait a minute Aqua hasn't said which movie she likes," Leo says while smirking
Everyone turns their attention to me and I flip Leo off for stirring the pot.
"Look guys, I don't have a favorite movie-" I say but I'm cut off by Mikey
"It's ok Aqua we know our movie is your favorite" Mikey says while pulling me into a hug.
"Uh nuh uh, our movie is her favorite" April says while squishing me in her bosom.
"Can't breathe April" I muffle while pulling away
One of Donnie's claw hands from his Tech shell pat me on the head, "It's ok you don't have to say it out loud l know in my heart where your loyalty lies" says Donnie
Little did we know Ghost Bear was still holding a huge grudge against the Turtle brothers and seeing us having fun and our light-hearted arguing he decided to try and sabotage our snow day. Put of nowhere a snowball hits Raph hard and he starts accusing Mayhem of being the culprit. Which causes us to mutually agree on a snowball fight to settle our differences.
"Yes last player standing gets to fly their team's flag," Raph says
"Ok, we're up for a friendly game, no safe base, no weapons, NO MERCY!" April says menacingly as I Crack my knuckles.
"Guess I'm on ] team, which is the winning team" I giggle
Donnie uses a mechanical claw hand to grab me and place myself next to himself. I blink a few times and look at him, while Mikey lists off-limit types of snowballs.
"We aren't savages," Mikey says after listing them off
"Speak for yourself", Donnie says evilly while stroking a snow skull.
Ready, set, SNOW!", Raph yells and the fight commences
We start throwing snow at each other and giggling. April and Mikey are sledding down a hill throwing snow at each other until his sled slips up a slide and he's sent skyward. Donnie and Mayhem get hit by Leo's snowballs, I take my revenge and start creating snowballs with my powers and tossing them with my vines at him. Apparently one of my snowballs hit my Dads while thru were having a relaxing day out in the snow. But I was having too much fun to notice, I sneak around looking for my next victim but I end up in the crossfires of Donnie's mechanical claws showing absolutely no mercy while throwing snowballs. Raph calls a time out and we have a cocoa break. I add whipped cream to everyone's cup spray some in my mouth and gulp it down with my cocoa. Mikey ends up landing in the middle of our circle and I hand him a cup. I put a tiny dollop on Donnie's snout and giggle while he tries his best to lick it off. I start to wheeze and laugh and lean onto April for support. April the sneaky person she is snaps a quick video of it.
It's hard to believe that a few weeks ago tensions were high after escaping from my now estranged family and Draxum.
×Flashback×
( ⚠️ WARNING This segment discusses self-harm, panic attacks, vomiting, and blood ⚠️)
3rd POV
When you guys got back to the lair things seemed to go on as normal but even though everyone acted like they knew you'd never be helping the Foot Clan they had their suspicions, Splinter told the boys and April to keep a close eye on you. Everyone was able to attempt business as usual, all except Donnie. It was extremely hard for the purple-clad turtle to wrap his head around the fact you associated with the enemy so to speak, and he started withdrawing from you. Less time in the lab watching him tinker with a new invention, no late-night coffee runs, and even movie nights weren't the same as he stayed locked in his lab giving the excuse of coming up with a new scientific discovery or he'd just up and leave the lair going on "patrol".
It all came to a head when you came to the lair unannounced with a few boxes of pizza and a new game to play with the boys. Even though you live with them and have your room there now, you usually let them know when you are on your way home. Making your way to the kitchen you see no one is there, so happily carrying the boxes you start searching for the fam, hearing voices coming from the TV room you're about to make your presence known but hearing your name being mentioned you hold off on getting their attention and listen in from the shadows.
"My sons, we cannot let the Foot Clan continue collecting the rest of the armor. We must remain vigilant and continue your patrols for any unusual activity. Now how goes the surveillance on Aqua?" Splinter stares while pacing back and forth
"Nothing out of the ordinary Pops" Raph says
"Yeah, it's almost the same routine with her every day, school, swim practice, sometimes choir rehearsal, a quick trip to the corner store for a snack, a detour to the library, and then she comes home," Leo says unamused while fiddling with his sword and April is texting on her phone.
"I see, at any time my sons the Foot Clan can contact her and recruit her once more-" Before Splinter can continue he's cut off by Donnie.
"I put a tracker on her phone so-" Donnie was then interrupted by his twin.
"You mean to tell me this whole time we could have known her location without having to physically spy on her?" Leo shouts as he points at Donnie with his sword.
Soon the brothers and April start arguing but the sounds are muffled as your ears feel like they are filled with cotton and your purple eyes well up with tears. They were keeping watch over you, they didn't trust you. Your heart clenches in your chest and it's like the wind is knocked out of your lungs. The immediate reaction is to flee so you do so, dropping what's in your arms, quickly making your escape out of the lair and into the bustling streets above.
Once the pizza boxes hit the floor the arguing stops, quickly looking towards the sound they see the boxes on the floor and quickly put two and two together. Looking at each other they nod and start searching for you. Splitting into groups April and Splints, Leo and Mikey, and Donnie with S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. April starts blowing up your phone with calls and texts while riding her bike, Leo jumps through his portals, Mikey swings from building to building, Raph jumping from rooftop to rooftop and Donnie hovering with his rooters from his battleshell while looking at his arm remote to track my location.
Aqua POV
After hearing the conversation I made my way to my comfort spot on top of a high skyrise rooftop. Once there I start heavy breathing, trying to take in as much air as possible but my lungs are burning from my uncontrollable body-retching sobs, I clench and claw at my chest trying with the fruitless effort to stop the pain I feel in my heart, angry red marks crisscross my chest as blood starts to trickle down, I cross my arms trying to stop my body from trembling, piercing my skin with nails leaving half moon marks and pulling them down my arms creating bloody scratches. It starts to rain, I know the classic sad scene from the movies. My hot tears running down my cheeks are a stark contrast to the cold rain that's pelting my screaming skin, I could use my powers to direct the rain from hitting me but it felt refreshing. Seeing the tracker on my phone blinking, I open up the back of my phone not caring that it gets wet, yanking out the tracker, I stare at it wanting to destroy it but knowing Donnie it would be near impossible. finding a pigeon, and attaching it to it, watching it fly away thinking about all the signs I missed or just chose to ignore. What hurt the most was how Donnie distanced himself, going from being close friends to strangers in a matter of days.
Looking down at the lights below, I dangle my feet on the edge of the building and swing my legs, pushing my now-wet hair that clings to my face, wiping my face and slowly calming myself, but my sadness was replaced with anger. Clenching my fist I punch cement flooring and it causes a huge dent in it, before I can process my shock my eyes start burning, closing them tightly and rubbing at them profusely once the pain subsides and I open them the world looks different, everything is more vibrant with color, I could see heat signatures from the people inside the building, the lights from the surrounding buildings and streets below blind me. I look at myself in a puddle and see my eyes have turned cat-like and are a bright glowing purple just like in my nightmares. I jump back and look at my hand that is now no longer a hand but a red tentacle-like appendage but as quickly as I see it, it turns back into my hand.
"What's happening to me?"
Donnie POV
Weeks have gone by without any word from Aqua. I can't help but think I had some part of her disappearing. April hasn't seen her at school but somehow her assignments are turned in on time and she's being marked as present for classes. How this is possible I know not, but Aqua is quite capable of hacking into the very mediocre school computer security to adjust some things. I tried hacking in myself to find her location but she has deleted her digital footprint and her IP addresses change from state to state or country to country so I can never pinpoint her location, which is very frustrating, to say the least. It didn't help that we were sent on a wild goose chase when she attached the tracker I placed on her phone to a pigeon
"Clever girl"
The pressure is on to find her and hope she hasn't been taken back to the Foot Clan. Looking back at the recording, seeing her face go from her usual happy full-of-life expression to a look of pure betrayal and anguish is unbearable. We've exhausted all avenues to find her, it's as if she never existed. All of us including I reluctantly had sessions with Doctor Feelings about our "feelings" on the situation. But the thing is I don't want to feel, emotions are useless to me so all I've done during these sessions is listen to how everyone is handling this. Mikey has tried to come and have one-on-one sessions but one day I cave.
"Alright Doctor Feelings is in session, You have the floor," Mikey says hesitantly
"Sigh, as you know Feelings aren't my thing, I find that they can hinder one's mind and cause people to react in not productive ways. However, I've been feeling these unnecessary things lately, and well..."
Mikey listens intently and thankfully doesn't interrupt
"I feel as if I failed one in finding her and two in being a good friend, I-I never should have doubted her and pulled away like I did."
My shoulders start to relax as I get these "feelings" off my chest and the tightness in my plastron starts to dissipate slightly.
"I just want to find her..."
Mikey walks over placing a hand on my shoulder, which causes him to stiffen slightly. The moment is broken when Leo barges into the lair shouting for help. Rushing out into the atrium and seeing a bundled-up person in his arms.
"It's Aqua and she's very sick," says Leo panicking
The purple-clad ninja immediately jumps into action instructing hid twin to bring her to the Med Bay. Once I'm placed on a med bed and Leo's hoodie is removed from her the sad state of her condition is revealed. It has now started to become cold outside and he can see my chapped cold bloodied lips, uncontrollable shivering body, pale ghost-like skin, and skinny fragile frame. Mikey brings in warm blankets, Leo grabs some IV fluids, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N sends a group message that they found me and soon everyone crowds around in the room looking at their friend/daughter. Donnie is busy working to try and get her as comfortable as possible.
"She has pneumonia, we will have to quarantine her and give her plenty of fluids," The purple terrapin says.
Closing off the area and donning PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), Donnie inserts the IV into her, wrapping her in a warm blanket but not before noticing the bandages that encircle her arms and shoulders, staring at her sunken pale face he couldn't help but gently stroke her cheek, wondering where she was and what she did to cause this. He attached a heart monitor and soon the sound of her thumping heart fills the room. Sighing long and deep, he sinks into a rolling computer chair, taking his palms and covering his eyes while shockingly a few tears escape his eyes and 6 onto his lap, hearing footsteps he quickly wipes them away and looks in the direction of the noise.
Leo walks in with a solemn and understanding look on his face. He placed his hand briefly on his purple twin's shoulder. He started explaining how he was on a pizza run and he ended up seeing me on a rooftop meditating, he tried to get her attention but it was like she was in a trance and no amount of tapping, shaking, or yelling snapped her out of it. Covered in a light layer of freshly fallen snow he removed her hood and saw the state she was in fearing the worst he portaled both of them back to the lair. Donnie nods his head slowly and brings his attention back to his friend hoping she will wake up soon.
Soon Master Splinter comes to visit, Donnie hasn't left her side just in case she has someone there when she wakes up.
"What can cause her to be in this state?" Donnie says sadly
"My son the human brain is one mysterious thing, Perhaps she experienced such emotional pain and trauma that in order to escape the feeling she performed ancient deep meditation technique. Very powerful and dangerous if not done properly. While in this state your body and mind go into a deep sleep, but to survive the body starts to eat away at itself to stay alive. She must have been in this state for a very long time to turn out like this." Splinter said
"How long will she continue being in this state?"
"I know not, but all we can do is help her body recover"
And so he did, as the days went by Donnie routinely changed the IV fluids, inserted antibiotics into the fluids and added ointment for her wounds that were now turning into scars, April would give her sponge baths, brush and style her hair, and talk to her about her day at school. Each member took turns talking to her as she was in her Sleeping beauty state. Donnie would go on his info dumps about his projects and quietly beg you to come back.
"Please come back to us, to...me" He whispers
One day when Donnie was finally convinced to eat something he reluctantly went to the kitchen with his family, Mikey made dinner and was plating Donnie's food when he heard the heart monitor pick up its thumping pace, dropping the plate he quickly made his way back to the med bay and sees that her eyes are open.
Aqua POV
Something was calling out to me, I don't know for how long but the darkness had me feeling so safe and secure that I didn't want to leave. I heard each member of the turtle fam talk to me and it made me think of the happy times but the dark shadows reminded me of the hurt they caused so again I didn't fight it. But I finally decided I needed to wake up when I heard Donnie beg me to wake up, opening my heavy eyes was no easy feat, the darkness tried its hardest to keep me. I broke through it and saw dim lights, I heard a heart monitor thumping away at a fast pace and slowing down as my eyes and body started to adjust. I hear the fast-moving pitter-patter of feet, turning towards the noise I see an out-of-breath Donnie, he slowly makes his way to me and turns off the heart monitor. He looks at me not knowing what to say soon the rest of the gang piles into the room and stares at me in shock.
There was an awkward moment of silence so I broke it by saying, "I'm back from the dead". That gets a round of chuckles and small smiles from the group. April rushes over hugging me and tears run down her face, I hug her back while my tears start to form. Soon everyone joins the group, even Donnie gives an awkward hug. After Donnie runs a full diagnostic test and gives me antibiotics Mikey gives me a plate of some delicious-smelling food, but not having much of an appetite I pick at my food. The gang gives me space to give me time to come to them when I'm ready. The person I've been in close quarters with the most and Donnie and it was very awkward to say the least.
"How are you feeling?"
"Emotionally or physically?"
"I-uh both I suppose..."
"I guess I still feel a bit numb..."
"I see"
I continued this way until I was given a clean bill of health by Doctor Don. Making my way to my room, I take off my sweaty clothes, glancing at the full-length mirror I see the now angry scars on my shoulder and arms and sigh. Taking a quick shower, putting on an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants I text Mikey...I mean Doctor Feelings. Mikey knocks on my wall, I say that he can enter, and he pushes my space-designed curtain so he can come in, We sit on my bed and I hold onto a pillow.
"Whenever you are ready, speak your mind and don't hold back"
*sigh* Well I guess I'm just hurt that everyone assumed that I knew what my dads were doing. I know that it's hard to believe but I suspected something but not on this kind of scale.
Mikey nods his head but continues to listen intently
"I love you guys like family and I would never hide something like this from you guys especially when the whole world can be at steak. I left my home, my life, and everything I knew to stand by your guys' side"
Once I was finished Doctor Feelings hugged me tightly. He states that he obviously won't share what we spoke about unless I want to, but he suggests that I tell everyone in person. Once he leaves I do some thinking and not being able to sleep, I decide to make myself a cup of Joe, shuffling to the kitchen in my fuzzy slippers I see a dim purple glow and know immediately who it is. Before I can turn around to make a quick escape I sense Donnie's dark brown eyes staring at me. I turn back around and shyly shuffle my feet.
"Can't sleep"
"Y-yea, I have a lot on my mind"
"I understand that"
He takes a sip of his coffee while grabbing my signature cup and making my coffee the way I like it. Gratefully take the cup and take a sip of my own.
"So I know you aren't good with...feelings"
"Scoff Ouch, duh I am perfectly capa-"
I quirked an eyebrow at him and put a hand on my hip.
"Uh yes continue"
"Anyway, I've been thinking and I need to get something off my chest. I now realize why you started distancing yourself from me, but it still hurts...."
He awkwardly scratches the back of his neck and sighs as he puts down his cup on the counter.
"Yes, I regret how things turned out, my intention wasn't to hurt you." He hesitates to word his feelings but continues. "My calculations on the probability of this going wrong...well obviously didn't pan out in either of our favors. I will do anything in my power to right my wrong"
Giving a small smile I gently punch his shoulder. "I'll hold you to that Von Ryan" I say with a giggle.
He returns the smile and chuckles
*End of flashback*
After recovering from my laughing fit, I see Raph trying to put his team's movie flag up but Mayhem shut that down quickly, and soon we picked up the snowball fight again. In the midst of it we hear this terrifying howl and out of the trees jumped Ghost Bear. But he looked very beast-like, Raph started to fangirl big time and was taking a ton of selfies, my shock was heightened more when Ghost Bear tried to punch Raph but his punch went right through him as his arm turned into a ghost form. But once the ex-pro wrestler figured out how to control his newfound powers he punches Raph into a tree almost knocking him into our beloved snowman. Soon he turns his attention towards us and starts charging.
"Mayhem a little help" Leo says
Mayhem portals himself to the lair grabbing our weapons, while we are busy running for our lives and taking our snowman with us. Mayhem drops our weapons on us and we get into a fighting stance. But before we could attack he destroyed the snowman. We have a brief moment of sadness but we come to an agreement that being together watching the movies is what's important and fun. Ghost bear kicks our butts without having to physically hurt us because our attacks went through him and would hit one of us when he jumps on Mikey and flattens him into the snow that allows us to climb up trees to hide. But he finds us and cuts them down with his claws. Then Raph gets an idea to stop Ghost Bear.
"I got, you guys stsy close enough so he's attavking and stays soilid Well use our icy environment just like Jupiter Jim did," Raph says proudly
"Wow full circle," Donnie says sarcastically
Maybem blinds him with one of our flags, Mikey wraps his kusari-fundō's chain around him to trap him, Raph smashes a fountain, while I direct the water into Leo's portal, Donnie uses his Tech Bo to freeze Ghost Bear while the water pours on him and soon he freezes in place while trying to grab the flagpole. We take a sigh of relief and come to the conclusion that since we all love Jupiter Jim we should all be part of the flag, so we all tie our scarves to the pole and watch them blow in the wind.
"Woah woah wait, how come Raph's is on top?" Leo asks, I facepalm while giggling and throwing a snowball at his face earning a smirk from his purple twin and me giving a knowing smile back.