Mystic Resonance

Thanks for the Upgrade, Dickhead (Revisioned)

'Holy shit.'

"I know."

'Holy shit.'

"I know!"

'Holy—'

"Merrill, I swear I will punch you in the dick if you keep saying it."

How else was I supposed to react? My boyfriend pulled a five-dollar discount on his own father. I don't know if I should be proud or terrified.

"Context," Leo said, holding up a hand as if he were addressing a jury. "I did not steal anything. I borrowed it. Temporarily. Very temporarily."

Three days after the Rat Flu Armageddon, Leo texted me an update on his family.

Splinter had the soup, got some rest, and bounced back like he was never sick in the first place.

Same with his brothers.

I wasn't bullshitting about Abuelita's Knockout Soup.

That stuff doesn't cure a cold so much as beat the shit out of it and leave the body in a ditch.

Leo, of course, never got sick at all. Maybe that had something to do with his healing powers. If not, then the universe just likes him more than the rest of us.

Today had been a half day before Thanksgiving, and I skipped school without guilt.

If Mother asked, I could always say I'd used the time for training.

Technically, that had been the plan—right up until Donatello texted and demanded I come to the lair for an urgent meeting.

Donnie calling something urgent was never comforting.

It usually meant either an invention, a crisis, or an invention that had become a crisis.

Still, I went. If nothing else, I figured I'd get a workout out of it. I had no idea the day was about to split itself cleanly in two.

When I got there, Leo was the one who greeted me.

He looked surprised to see me, which made sense because apparently Donnie told everyone there was a meeting but somehow forgot to mention I was invited.

Rude.

Leo took me to the meeting room while we waited for the others, then sat on my lap like it was his assigned seat.

Which, honestly, fair.

He played with my hair while telling me about the new things he'd figured out lately, and I was doing a pretty decent job paying attention right up until his brothers showed up and ruined my nice little moment.

Mikey immediately started gushing over us.

Raph looked like he wanted to be supportive but also didn't want Splinter walking in and deciding we all needed to die.

Fair.

Leo, the little shit, kept combing his fingers through my hair for another few seconds just to make me suffer through being perceived.

Then the conversation drifted to Donnie and some unfinished drill his brothers had apparently been waiting on forever.

That was how I ended up betting Leo five bucks that Donnie still hadn't finished it, because apparently I enjoy losing money in front of my boyfriend.

Donnie showed up carrying a metal case like he was about to reveal the meaning of life.

Naturally, Mikey and Raph asked if it was the drill.