*// away at sea

The city felt different after New York. It lacked the rush of busy people with a million places to be. The impatience of the east coast was truly unique. His skateboard cracked sharply against the pavement as he dropped it down in front of him, one foot settling onto it with practiced ease. The motion was automatic at this point. Familiar muscle memory from years of skating through alleyways and rooftops trying to outrun his own thoughts. The late evening air was warm enough that he’d ditched the heavy hoodie for once, sleeves shoved up to his elbows while his goggles rested loosely around his neck. His duffel bag sat abandoned beside the bench nearby, still half unpacked from the trip and now his stuffed with gym clothes.

Jasper would absolutely complain about it later. The thought pulled the faintest smile out of him before he caught himself doing it. Donnie pushed off hard against the pavement, skateboard rolling smoothly beneath him as he glided down the stretch of sidewalk bordering the park. New York had given him too much time to think. About Jasper. About the engagement sitting heavy and warm on his finger. About Yoshi. About the encrypted files currently hidden on three separate drives involving mutagen stabilization and a project labeled For Raph.

Maybe that was why he nearly clipped someone while turning too sharply around the corner. Donnie jerked sideways at the last second, sneaker dragging hard against concrete to stop himself before collision.

“Woah, okay, either you appeared out of nowhere,” he said immediately, stepping one foot off the board as he steadied himself, “or my depth perception has finally been destroyed by sleep deprivation.” His eyes flicked upward properly then, expression easing into something dry but noticeably less guarded than it used to be. “Please say the first one. It’d be less medically concerning for me.”

eric had been so focused on not being seen that the near collision made him jump about a foot in the air. instinctively, he took a step back, hands raised in surrender before he even fully registered who it was. when he did, the relief was immediate, followed by a familiar knot of uncertainty settling in his stomach. he hadn't really known what to expect the next time he saw donnie. things were... better now. he and leo were back together. happier than they'd been in a long time. but that didn't automatically erase everything that had happened before.

"definitely the first one," eric said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "leo's been teaching me how to be more stealthy. apparently i walk around like i'm announcing my arrival to an entire city." his gaze flickered to the skateboard before returning to donnie. "for what it's worth, you almost running me over is probably a good sign. means the lessons are working." he shifted his weight, offering a small smile that was equal parts genuine and cautious. "but, hey, donnie. uh... i'm sorry, i guess."

option a: hey! don't touch that.

“hey! i wouldn’t do that if i were you.” eric’s voice cut in quick, a hand shooting out to grab someone’s wrist before they could pick up one of the stranger-looking items sitting on a nearby vendor’s table. whatever it was, it pulsed faintly, like it had a heartbeat of its own. he let go just as fast, stepping back like he didn’t want to be any closer to it than necessary. he ran a hand through his hair, glancing between them and the object with a frown. “do you have any idea what that thing is?”

option b: cat therapy? yes, please.

eric hadn’t expected the underland to include… this. tucked between darker stalls sat the lucky cat café pop-up, warm light spilling out as a handful of cats wandered lazily between patrons like they owned the place. he crouched down, one already climbing into his lap like it had chosen him specifically, and let out a quiet laugh under his breath. “yeah, alright,” he muttered, scratching behind its ears like this was the most normal thing in the world. then he glanced up at someone nearby, a grin breaking through. “don’t tell anyone, but i think this might be the best part of the night.” he paused, eyeing another cat weaving between ankles. “you thinking about adopting one, or just here for the cuddles?”

note: this is a choose your own starter edition. reply to the thread of your choice. either state which starter in your reply or the tags!

stray cats were nothing new to leo. if anything, seeing them reminded him of home for a short moment. it's as if he was placed back in new york, even at night the city pulsed with energy. it never slept and neither did the hamato boys. they would weave through empty alleyways to find their way back home to the sewer. a few cats would greet them here and there, some would hiss seeing human sized turtles run their way and every time leo would have the urge to bring one home. he never did of course seeing his dad ... was a rat.

if there was one good thing to come from this event, leo would have to say it was this. in the end, these cats had the chance to be adopted. the thought alone made his heart swell. if he could, leo would have made sure all the cats found a good home. "secrets safe with me." he was looking at the menu when he felt a cat brush between his legs. he picked up the small creature and held it in his arms. "do you think max would be happy if we brought a cat home?"

eric looked up from the menu at the question, then over at the cat now comfortably tucked into leo's arms. the sight alone nearly made him laugh. the thing looked like it had known leo its entire life. "you're asking the wrong guy," he said, lips twitching. "max thinks every living thing is his best friend. mailman? friend. squirrel? friend. that weird inflatable snowman our neighbor had up for six months? not a friend... but at least he likes our neighbor."

he leaned against the counter, studying the cat for a moment before shrugging. "honestly, i think he'd be confused but thrilled. probably spend the first week trying to bring it his favorite tennis ball and following it around like they're part of the same pack." eric smiled at the image. "the cat's opinion is what i'd be worried about. max has zero understanding of personal space. he'd be trying to cuddle it to death five minutes after we got home." his gaze flickered back to leo. "looks like you've already thought about this more than you're letting on, though?"

milo simply blinks at eric in response, eyes shifting between him and the object in his hand, slightly startled at the sudden interruption. admittedly, no, he had no idea what was in his hands. “uh — i thought it was just a shell. do you think it could be cursed? do shells get cursed? feels a little harsh to curse a shell when just anybody could pick it up. especially when i’m that anybody.”

the worry fades for a moment when milo sees him backing up, a small smirk curling his lips. “you’re really worried about this thing, huh? how many times have you been cursed by a shell?” milo bites back a laugh when he realises just how strong a possibility that could be. “wait, have you been cursed by a shell before?”

eric stared at him for a long second like milo had completely missed the point. “you say that like cursed objects work on fairness. that’s exactly how curses work. innocent-looking thing, somebody picks it up, suddenly their teeth fall out or they’re haunted by some victorian child for six months.” he immediately took another step back when milo lifted the shell slightly.

the smirk on milo’s face earned a narrow look from eric. “i’m not worried,” he lied automatically, though the question about whether he’d been cursed before made him hesitate just a second too long. “…not specifically by a shell.” his mouth twisted into a grimace. “and technically it wasn’t even a curse.” a beat. “i’m also not telling you that story because you’ll never shut up about it afterward.”

"you never know. i didn't know portals could open up to other places until one brought me here." perhaps sylvie should be careful to talk about where she came from, but not telling people also wasn't getting her anywhere either. "i... don't know." she couldn't answer the question yet. "there's someone evil back home that i need to defeat, but i don't want to do anything... sinister unless i have to."

eric’s expression shifted at that, something quieter settling beneath the usual sharpness in his face. he leaned back slightly, arms folding over his chest as he studied her for a second longer than before.

“yeah, well, i guess most of the important people around here do too.” he glanced toward the street briefly before looking back at her. “and trust me, angry chefs sound a hell of a lot less dangerous than half the things wandering around this place after dark.”

there was a pause after that, his gaze narrowing slightly when she mentioned portals again. most people would've laughed at something like that. called her crazy. but eric had seen too much weird shit in his life to dismiss it outright. “guess we’re both learning there’s bigger things out there than we thought.” he shrugged one shoulder. but when she admitted she didn’t know if she’d go back, that someone evil was waiting for her there, his expression lost some of its edge.

“the fact you’re worried about becoming sinister probably means you’re not.” his voice was quieter now. steadier. “people who really are evil usually don’t stop to question it. but you're wanting to change that, y'know?”

she was so grateful to see eric here, of all the people in the whole world - her forever best friend, whether he liked it or not. he had a way of grounding her somehow among the chaos, reminding her just by existing that everything around them was real. the night was full of magic, her adrenaline at an all time high, and seeing him there brought her back to earth that made her appreciate everything around them. "can you believe all this?" she asked, in awe. she sure couldn't, despite orchestrating it. an excited squeal left her lips as she practically leapt to him, grabbed his hand, and yanked him to a more open part of the makeshift dance floor.

"okay, but - everyone's having fun, right?" she didn't want to think too much about public reception, not when this might be the only moment they had together all night, but she couldn't help but she had to know if what people were saying was good. she couldn't help it! "did you see some of the lines?" ariel giggled then. "i think starlight had to cut off their sign up sheet already!"

eric couldn't stop smiling the second he saw her. it wasn't even subtle at this point. watching ariel move through all of this. he let her pull him toward the dance floor without a single complaint, laughing as he nearly stumbled after her. "are you kidding? this is insane," he said, glancing around at the crowds. "like, actually insane. you pulled all of this together?"

he looked back at her then, expression softening with something unmistakably proud. "ariel, everyone's definitely having fun. i don't think i've seen this many people genuinely excited about something in... a long, long time." he squeezed her hand lightly. "people aren't just showing up because it's something to do. they love this. they love what you made." and maybe she didn't fully realize it yet, but eric did. ariel had a way of creating things that made people feel alive.

[ option a! ]

violet's eyes flashed with anger at being grabbed, but in the same second, the object pulsed. she blinked, watching it for a solid five seconds just to be sure she was seeing the right thing. "oh, jeez," she breathed out, furrowing her brows. massaging her wrist with her other hand, she turned to face the grabber, a mixture of relief and caution on her face. "i have no idea. i think i forgot this is still…" she stopped herself from saying 'the underland' with a tone of judgment. the whole point was to get to know the place with an open mind, not have a front row seat to criticise it. "a strange light could sometimes be good…right?"

eric immediately let go of her wrist once he realized he'd grabbed her harder than intended. "shit! sorry," he said quickly, a crease forming between his brows as his eyes flicked toward where she was rubbing at it. "i didn't mean to grab you that hard. i just... saw the thing glowing and panicked for a second."

"people have bodyguards? is that normal here?" out of everything that he said, that's what stuck out to her the most. personally, she didn't think that she needed a body guard, but what did she know. she'd managed to stop someone from killing her once, what were the odds that it would happen again? or multiple times? "i'm looking for information is all. i'm sure there's some secret library here on magic."

eric let out a small laugh at that, shaking his head. "yeah, surprisingly normal around here. if you've got money, power, or enough people that hate you, chances are you've got someone following you around to make sure you don't end up dead." he glanced over at her for a second, his expression softening slightly. "the underland isn't exactly known for being safe."

——— there was an undeniable heaviness in his chest. it felt as though he had been treading water. the waves kept crashing over him. no matter how hard he tried to come up for air the water kept filling his lungs, drowning him. his only life raft was next to him. leo had been so stubborn and believed he could do this all on his own. all these burdens that no one asked him to bear were his to carry alone. being a leader felt like a lonely destiny. but it didn't have to be. Leo didn't need to punish himself in the name of being a good leader.

so he did the one thing he hardly ever did. he reached out. with shaky hands leo grabbed eric's arm. he had reached for his life raft and he didn't plan on letting go anytime soon. all he could do was shake his head as eric spoke. when it came to expressing his feelings, leo was always at a loss for words. he could come up with brilliant plans and offer words of encouragement to others but when it came to himself, his words fell short. donnie had always been able to read him without a single word being said. he had gotten so used to just being understood on a molecular level that he forgot eric needed him to say how he was feeling instead of pushing him away. he felt like that small child he once was standing in the kitchen. The fridge light illuminated his tiny frame as he sobbed to his twin, apologizing for letting ice on the floor and under the fridge. the puddle was never that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but leo still felt guilty for letting the mess happen.

it was never easy for him to admit that his feelings were hurt or that he was tired, angry, sad. these were all the things he thought he had to carry alone. people were looking to him to be brave. but the truth was leo was tired. he was so scared, and he was tired of pretending to be fine.

in one hasty movement, he wrapped his arms around eric's neck. their lips crashed together like the ocean beating upon the rocks. he forget in that moment that they were suspended in the air. any sudden movement could have plummeted them to their doom but leo didn't care. he missed his silly, dumb prince. he missed his eyes that held all the warmth of the sun and his smile that filled his heart with hope. "i'm sorry." he finally croaked out. his mismatched eyes brimming with tears as he held onto eric's face. "i'm sorry for pushing you away and for being so stubborn and for thinking that i'm always right. i know i'm not i'm just .. i'm so sorry for everything." he rambled, his words getting choked out by his sobs. "i missed you. i'm tired of missing you. i'm tired of being angry and hurt. i don't want to do this without you." he couldn't do this without eric. the two of them were both raised to be leaders. they would always buttheads for the reason but eric brought out the best in leo and vice versa. they pushed each other to be the better leaders and better people. leo didn't have all the answers and neither did eric but together they created one hell of a team.

the slider was finally starting to calm down. the sobs that ripped through his body quieted into tiny (albeit embarrassing) hiccups. leo was thankful for the night as it concealed his tear stained, blotchy face. he looked as messy as he felt. the picture perfect image he worked so hard to uphold fell apart immediately around eric, just as it always had. leo wiped the last few tears that rolled down his cheeks. he dared to move closer, resting his head on eric's shoulder and closing his eyes. "i don't want to go back to what we were," he whispered softly. "i want to be better than what we were. i want ... i want us to be open and honest from now on. to listen and work together instead of standing on opposite sides of an island, believing we know best."

eric felt the second leo grabbed onto him. not just physically, but everywhere. in the way his fingers trembled against his arm, in the way his breathing stuttered unevenly between them, in the way the walls leo always kept so painfully high were finally starting to crack apart again. and god, eric would've sat there forever if it meant leo would keep letting him in.

his hands moved instinctively, one coming to rest against leo's wrist while the other settled carefully at his waist, grounding him there against the open air around them. eric had spent so long watching leo carry the weight of entire worlds on his shoulders like it was some sort of punishment he owed everyone. like if he stopped holding everything together for even a second, the entire universe would collapse around him. and maybe everyone else believed leo was unshakable, but eric had always seen through it. he saw the exhaustion hidden behind every plan, every forced smile, every sharp word spoken out of fear instead of anger.

then leo kissed him.

the force of it nearly stole the breath from his lungs. eric kissed him back immediately, desperately, like he'd been starving for this exact moment. his fingers tightened at leo's side as if he was afraid letting go would wake him from some cruel dream. he didn't care about the danger beneath them either. the world could've split open and he still would've stayed right there kissing him.

when leo finally pulled back, eric kept his forehead pressed against his for a moment, eyes shut tightly as he tried to steady his own breathing. hearing leo apologize hurt in a way he couldn't explain. not because he didn't deserve to say it, but because eric knew how hard it was for him. every word sounded ripped painfully from somewhere deep inside him.

"hey," he whispered softly, cupping leo's face before he could spiral any further into his guilt. his thumbs brushed beneath his eyes, catching tears as they fell. "look at me."

he waited until leo did.

"you do not have to carry everything alone." his voice cracked slightly around the words. eric swallowed hard, shaking his head faintly. his arms wrapped tighter around him then, holding leo against his chest like he was something precious. because he was. he always would be. and god, hearing him say he didn't want to go back? that he wanted something better? eric felt his chest ache so hard it almost hurt.

"good," he breathed out shakily, a small watery laugh escaping him. " i don't wanna go back either." he pressed a lingering kiss against leo's temple before resting his cheek against the top of his head.

———  her lips pursed as she reevaluated her work. Eric wasn’t wrong. The clear line of when she began to overthink her work was evident. Luz only put pressure on her piece when she looked up and glanced at everyone else’s pieces. It was then that she began to grow self-conscious of her work. “I did. I saw another bunny that was so much better than mine.” She whined.

“I guess I have to ask myself if I want the focus to be on the bunny or on the flowers.” Luz hummed, considering this. The flowers were pretty, but she had become quite partial to her crudely painted bunny. There was a charm to it that could have only been created by luz noceda herself. “maybe if I darken his fur! That’ll make him stand out. Or .. I could even make him sparkle.” She laughed, knowing it was ridiculous but something she’d absolutely do.

“I think it’s perfect! It really screams spring. Bright and cheery.” She smiled. “are you going to hang it up once you’re home? Mine’s going on eda’s fridge.”

"i kinda love the idea of a sparkly bunny," eric replied with a laugh, shaking his head a little at the mental image. honestly, in a place like elias, a sparkly bunny didn't even sound that out of place. if anything, it felt pretty on brand for whatever weird spring magic seemed to take over around here every year. "plus, it'd make you stand out from all the normal bunnies painted here today." he grinned. "you'd be memorable. people would talk about the sparkly bunny for years."

ariel had worked in every version of a community market the greater area had to offer, but the gloam market always had a very prominent piece of her heart. to find home here full time and to be able to host an event that celebrated her neighbors at the same time - it was a dream come true for the mermaid. organizing this event introduced her to businesses she had never stepped in before - beautiful shops and restaurants that helped breathe culture through the cities. she had a feeling that this would be a great marketing opportunity for everyone showcased this evening, not just the grotto.

with the shop left in capable hands, ariel was making a lap around the rest of the market, where traditionally empty spaces had been filled by stalls that normally didn’t see this side of the bridge. whispers of the event seemed to be mixed, for some didn’t necessarily agree with ariel that the underland could be welcoming if it so chose, but still she ran around with a grin on her face. twirling in her dress. basking in the fanfare.

one of the events she was looking most forward to was the line up of DJs and bands that would soon get ready to play into the night. with the help of mister o’malley and the rest of the crew at scat cat, they managed to get a robust spread of entertainment. she watched as the next act set up, excitement bubbling up as instruments started to tune. she looked to the person next to her and grinned. “just to warn you - if you stay next to me, i’m eventually going to ask you to dance.”

eric had been watching her like she’d hung the moon and decided to throw a party under it. there was something almost ridiculous about it—ariel weaving through the gloam market like she belonged to every corner of it, like she hadn’t just built the whole damn thing into something alive. he leaned against a post near the edge of the crowd, arms crossed, a grin tugging at his mouth that he didn’t even bother hiding. proud didn’t really cover it. proud felt too small for how he was looking at her. “you’re insane, you know that?” he murmured under his breath, not unkindly, eyes tracking her as she twirled through the space like she was made of music already.

when she came back around, all energy and light, he pushed off the post like it had been inevitable from the start. “yeah? warning accepted,” he said easily, stepping closer so she couldn’t escape the conversation even if she tried. his expression softened as he looked at her. “because i’ve been watching you all night and i don’t think there’s a single person here having more fun than you.” then, without giving her time to overthink it, he reached for her hand and tugged her gently toward the dance floor. “c’mon, mermaid. show me what those human legs were made for.”

——— Dramatics were etched into Leo’s very being. He had always been over the top in everything he did. He hated how big his emotions felt. They were too heavy even for him to carry. Normally, he could stuff them away, but recently they had been overflowing. No matter how hard he tried, they just kept spilling. It was exhausting trying to not to feel everything and feeling it all at once. Leo couldn’t even remember why he was angry at this point. All his feelings had turned into one big amalgamation of negativity. He tried sifting through it to pinpoint what he actually felt, but it was hard. The only thing he could feel in that moment was the tug of missing Eric. The prince was the first person he had loved outside of his family. Someone he had bared his entire soul to, even the part of him that he hid away from the world. Eric knew him inside and out. It terrified Leo to be known so intimately. But what scared him even more was never being known like that again. Being right or wrong didn’t even matter anymore. Leo just wanted things to go back to the way they were before. So much time had passed, he wasn’t even sure it was possible.

he let out a slow breath, running a hand back through his hair before looking at leo again, properly this time. there was no distance in it now, no guarded edge just something open, a little unsteady. “yeah,” he said quietly. “we did.”

he inched closer, not rushing it, giving leo space to pull back if he wanted to but, not pretending he didn’t want to be there. “i know i hurt you,” he added, voice low, steady despite the weight behind it. “and i hate that it got to a point where you felt like you had to carry all of that without me.” a small pause. “i should’ve listened.”

his gaze softened, something almost pained flickering through it before he let it settle. “but i don’t want to keep going in circles about who hurt who more,” he admitted. “i just… i want to fix it. if we can.”

another inch, closer now, careful but certain. “i’ve missed you, leo. not just having you around.... i mean you. the way you think, the way you feel, even when it’s… a lot.” there was the faintest hint of a smile there, gentle, not teasing. “especially then.”

he hesitated for a second, then reached out, his hand hovering before settling lightly against leo’s. “we don’t have to go back to exactly what we were,” he said softly.

his thumb brushed faintly, tentative. “if you still want that too.”