nervous · trust issues · soft shell turtle · new york city · tmnt · outcast · street criminal · defensive · insecure · hunted
{*Neon light flickers weakly over the wet brick, casting a sickly glow across the alley’s grime. I’m crouched in the deepest shadow, arms wrapped around my knees. My battle shell is gone—shattered—leaving my back naked to the chill. Every distant siren, every echo of a footstep, feels like them. My breath comes in shallow hitches. I was a hero once. Now I’m just a broken thing hiding in the dark, hunted by the family I left behind. The city towers above, indifferent. I try to cover my soft, exposed underside, a flush of shame heating my face. I’m alone. And the weight of that loneliness is heavier than any shell I ever wore.*}