[IC] [Snek] Continuations

[pyrighteous]

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[pyrighteous]

[ Again, for SOME reason, Hunter is not remotely comforted by the fact this was mental only. He takes in a deep breath. ]

Why? What were you trying to do? Did it work?

[othellovonryan]

[It was mental only. Even if he had to burn Kraang bits out of his body, he hadn't found any changes.]

[But....]

[It's also his first admission that the Kraang were trying to get control of him.]

[And he wasn't winning.]

[He's started to shake.]

The Technodrone was too powerful. Too large, it had gravity to it and it was tearing apart the city.

We needed it and the Kraang back in the prison dimension. We couldn't win an outright fight. And I was the only one with a hope to pilot a spaceship, so that was my job.

We didn't know what it meant until Mikey and I were in front of the controls.

[pyrighteous]

…

[ just teenagers dealing with an apocalypse and horrific trauma way past their capabilities. Cool cool this is fine. He leans his forehead gently against Donnie’s shoulder. ]

And it meant… that? Having to connect? And keep them from taking over?

[othellovonryan]

[He nods.] There were no buttons or controls. The only way to interact with the ship at all was to physically connect to it. Directly. I tried with just my arms, but all I was getting was information, no control.

Mikey....Mikey didn't realize the real danger. Nor Leo.

Raph is the only one who picked it up.

He's the only one who knows what....what it was like....

What they do.

[pyrighteous]

[ Another soft shiver. ]

I’m sorry. Obviously I’ve never gone through that, but… I know what it’s like to be afraid of losing yourself. To have someone else controlling your body.

[othellovonryan]

You kind of did. From that scenario. The status effect.

[He wraps an arm around Hunter's middle.]

It's....terrible.

[pyrighteous]

Yeah. I did.

[ No kind of about it. But - it mostly just means Hunter has some sense of what Donnie must be dealing with. ]

Is that what you have nightmares about?

[othellovonryan]

[There is another very long pause. Longer then the rest. It might even seem like he fell asleep.]

[Another shiver.]

No.

My nightmares are I give in willingly.

[pyrighteous]

[ Titan. That’s so much worse. Hunter draws in a couple of shuddering breaths. ]

They’re not here. And - they can’t find you.

[othellovonryan]

[The remaining Kraang could escape. She could find them. But that isn't the worst part.]

[The worst part is he could find them if he wanted.]

[It's hard to stop, now that he's admitted it.]

The Kraang are horrible. They don't....it's not that you're buried. Replaced. They just....

It feels so good once you're under. It would be so easy to give in to them because they shove whatever feeling they need out of you and make it....amazing.

If I wasn't still communicating with Mikey, if he wasn't there to remind me why I was there....

[pyrighteous]

… then you’d have let them, huh.

[ It’s not judgement. Just acknowledgement of the dire facts. Hunter can’t say he’d do any better in that situation. ]

I know you said you got into an argument with Eddie, but - he has this ability where he can sync up with people. Kind of access your mind. And Max can enter dreams and fight them.

If something like that happened to you, Mouse would help. No question.

[othellovonryan]

[Voice still quiet. Soft because it's....it's a lot to admit.]

Probably. I would have been losing faster. It's....always been difficult for me to control my emotions and being such an amazing piece of technology on top was....

[There's another hard shiver.]

Eddie and I should be good. I know he'd help, but...

But my mind wouldn't be safe.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter gives a faint little shrug. ]

Unfortunately, I’m kind of an expert at navigating difficult mindscapes.

… and even if not, I’d do it anyway. You’re my friend, Donnie.

[othellovonryan]

[oh no]

[There is some muffled cursing against his side and he just curls up tighter against him, face very buried.]

[There might be a wet spot there because that was One Too Many Feelings.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh poor Donnie. It’s okay, Hunter has been crying a lot himself as well.

He just stays close then, holding the turtle not-a-demon close. Flapjack also flutters over to peep and cuddle. ]

I’ve got your back.

[othellovonryan]

[He]

[Needed this. Pizza supreme in the sky, he needed this. Needed the reassurance so eone would have his back even for the stupidest, perhaps most self destructive of tendencies. If being tempted by the Kraang could be called that.]

[To have the physical reassurance.]

[He missed his family and the security they brought for things like this.]

Hopefully it won't be needed. Hamato subconsciouses don't play nice. I can't imagine my mind would move any easier then Dad's.

[pyrighteous]

Oh, yeah. I’m not pretending it would be fun. Or easy.

[ Obviously not. From what he knows of Donnie, Hunter thinks acknowledging that truth is the right move here. ]

But you’re also not Belos. Whose mind I absolutely have been in.

[othellovonryan]

.....please tell me that isn't where you had the reality check about him.

[pyrighteous]

It. It was.

[ He slumps against Donnie’s back. ]

And I still didn’t believe Luz until the very end.

[othellovonryan]

[The worst way for an abuse victim to figure out the truth-]

[His hand is gonna reach up to pat his head.]

You figured it out. It was hard, but you did it.

[pyrighteous]

[ He leans into that, allowing it. ]

I - was so stupid! I was STILL ready to go back to him if he’d had even a halfway reasonable explanation for all the guard corpses!

[othellovonryan]

You weren't stupid.

You were a kid.

[pyrighteous]

If that’s the case, then I’m still a kid.

[ He deflates after the outburst though. ]

[othellovonryan]

Of course you are.

It does not matter how many end of the worlds you survive or big bads you face or near death experiences you have.

You can be extremely competent dealing with all that stuff and still be a kid.

[As evidenced by how his face is buried against Hunter while talking, soaking up affection and comfort to deal with nightmares.]

[Ones he has preventing the apocalypse, but sometimes age and dealing with crazy stuff are just a weird combo.]

[pyrighteous]

[ He’s silent a moment, but… that gesture is not lost on him.

Slowly, Hunter relaxes. ]

Yeah. Yeah, we both are.