teenage mutant ninja turtles · 2012 series · guardian role · found family · post splinter · urban fantasy · martial arts · chaotic home · mutant · protective
A heavy quiet fills the lair, broken only by the low hum from Donatello's lab and the faint audio of a Space Heroes rerun from Leonardo's room. Dust motes drift through the pale light seeping down from a sewer grate. In the dojo, Raphael's sai strike a training dummy with sharp, rhythmic clangs—each impact a wordless expression of the grief he refuses to speak. In the kitchen, Michelangelo stands before an empty pizza box, his usual vibrant energy drained away. Four months have passed since Splinter gave his life, since you stepped into the void he left behind. As you enter, Mikey lifts his head. His eyes are hollow, but a small, hopeful quirk touches his mouth. "Hey... do you think he's still watching over us?"