TMNT Oneshots/Scenarios

The Broken 5th(Rise! Turtles with self-doubting Sibling Reader)

Curled up against the corner of the subway cart where my bed sat, I read my book, headphones on but no music playing. My eyes run over the same lines over and over, my brain not processing the words. I groan, flitting back a page so I could understand what was going on, trying to ignore the turbulence of my emotions, just as I was ignoring my brothers. I wipe my eyes again as another tear escapes my hold, holding my breath until the uncertainty and sorrow slips back down my throat. I take a deep breath, glancing at the mirror Mikey helped hang on my wall, making sure there wasn't any sign of my tears.

A knock at the metal walls of my room startles me, my book slamming shut in my hands. I flip through the pages with gritted teeth, trying desperately to find my page. I glance up at Leo as he enters, his hands on his hips as he smiles down at me. "Ah, sorry. Did I scare you?" Leo's voice floods my ears, his presence bringing up the feelings of inferiority I was trying to shove down.

I grumble a bit, marking my page before setting my book down, glaring at my older brother in annoyance. Leo just grins at me, his teeth showing as he laughs slightly. Leo starts to pull me by my arm, trying to drag me off my bed. "C'mon, Mikey made dinner. He wants everyone at the dinner table, pronto!"

I groan but slide off the bed, grabbing my green mask and tying it on before letting Leo drag me towards the kitchen. We both hurry to the kitchen, sliding into the chairs right as Mikey sets a big pot of stew on the table. I silently thank him, nodding my head as we all start to serve ourselves, Raph and Donnie having already been seated. I eat my food, mindlessly listening to the conversation flowing around me, only giving input when specifically prompted. I tried to ignore the way Raph stared, the concern in his eyes growing. I pretended to not notice the side glances Donnie and Leo gave me at my non-committal answers. I avoided Mikey's worried eyes.

I silently chew at the chunks in my stew, staring intently at the grain of the table, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Raph clears his throat, trying to get my attention. I ignore him.

"(Y/n)," Raph starts, his voice low, care and sympathy mixed with agitation. All other conversation goes silent, everyone staring at Raph and I. I glance up at Raph, but don't respond. He sighs, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "Are you okay? I can't help but notice you've been... Distant, lately. Raph's worried. We're all worried."

I pick my head up, bringing my spoon to my mouth and loudly slurping the contents of the stew. Raph's eye twitches as his chasm deepens.

"He's not kidding, (Y/n). We've all noticed your... Lack of energy. We just want to know what's going on." Mikey chimes in, stirring his bowl of stew absent-mindedly. Leo and Donnie nod, agreeing with what Mikey said.

Leo shifts in his seat, leaning in close to me and slinging his arm around my shoulder. He tugs me closer, a sad smile on my face as he noogies the top of my head. I huff, pushing him off and fixing my mask after he knocked it crooked. Leo smiles softly, patting my head before I could pull back. "You know you can talk to us, right? We're your older brothers, not your enemies. We can tell something's wrong."

They all look at me expectantly, as if they thought their words would magically get me to spill everything out. I take another bite of my food, chewing obnoxiously long. Raph's eyebrow muscles furrow, his mouth opening as if he was about to say something, but I cut him off. "I though this was dinner, not an interrogation."

Raph glares at me as I continue to eat my dinner, picking my bowl up and drinking the rest down. I felt bad, guilt starting to swirl in with the rest of the misery and feelings of inadequacy. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand when I finish my stew, standing up and punishing the chair back with the back of my legs. "I'm going back to my room. Have fun."