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Mikey runs around in the mystic city, Leo following close behind.
“Hey, Miguel—” Leo ducks just in time to not be hit by some yokai moving boxes around. “Mikey! Calm down, we’re not going late!”
“If you stop going slow, that is!” Mikey bleps to his brother without stopping. “Anyway, I don’t want to make Max wait.”
“Max lives here!” Leo screams, breathing hard. “We, on the other hand, live in like, another entire planet away.”
“Come on, or do you wanna be second—” Mike stops suddenly, smiling wide and waving his arms around. “Look, he’s there!”
“Hey!” Leo watches as Mikey runs towards Max. “Wait, what was that about second? What were you gonna say?!”
Mikey doesn’t answer and just tackles the cat yokai in a hug, surprising him for a bit before he reciprocates.
“Heya.”
“Max!” Mikey ruffles his air. “It’s been so long!”
“You saw me yesterday.” Max pats Mikey’s head and looks at Leo, who simply waves at him. “You look tired.”
“Nah.” Leo breathes heavily, hands on his knees. “We just run a marathon. Nothing to worry.”
Max snorts, and releases Mikey from the hug. He turns around to face the entrance of the yokai central mall, a giant place full of everyday artifacts, as well as random stuff. He puts his hands on the pockets of his jacket and nods to the two brothers.
“Let’s get in, shall we?”
The two nod back, and the join Max and enter the mall, a little ding being heard when the two doors slide to let them get in. Max can’t help but tremble a little bit when he’s hit by the cold air from the fans above, and looks back to see the two turtles in awe, looking around like they’ve never been in a mall before.
Max suddenly realizes that’s the case.
“You like it?”
“Wow.” Leo looks around. “This place’s huge!”
“It’s like our lair, four times!” Mikey jumps a bit. “No, five times! Maybe six!”
Max chuckles a bit. “I think it’s a little bigger than that.” He points behind him. “We should start looking, this place closes in like, two hours.”
“Oh, yeah!” Leo says, walking ahead and looking everywhere. “And we need to check every aisle!”
“Yeah!” Mikey screams and runs behind his brother, Max noticing people around them looking at them with clearly annoyed faces. “Each and every one!”
“Sure,” Max says as he follows them, “but please keep it down.”
Leo, Mikey and Max spend at least an hour just running around the aisles, sometimes getting scolded by the people working there to be a little less quiet. And as much as Max would like to say that he doesn’t instigate any of it, he finds Leo and Mikey’s joy too infectious, which leads to him causing a bit of ruckus himself when he accidentally throws an item down an aisle, which hits another item downwards, causing a chain reaction that leaves all of them laughing while trying to clean the mess.
Eventually they settle in an aisle full of random and weird glasses and other accessories, deciding to actually try and buy something. Mikey’s trying on all kinds of yokai glasses while Leo and Max search around for something to bring Donnie.
“Ah, this has been so fun!” Leo says, stretching his arms over his head. “I can’t believe there was a mall in the hidden city.”
“Well, it’s just like any other city.” Max says, putting on some weird glasses that apparently make you see stuff like when you’re drunk. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, but only on the docks side.”
“The docks?” Max raises an eyebrow at him over the glasses. “Even I know to not go too often there.”
“Well, I’ll let you know I’m friends with pirates, so I’m good.”
Max chuckles, and is then that he feels his phone vibrate. When he takes it out he notices he has a message, and takes off the glasses so that he can read.
“Oh look, it’s your brother.”
“Oh, Donnie? What does he want?”
Max unlocks his phone, and starts reading.
[D <3]
D <3: I’ll go to sleep when I die
Hey not fair then who will I hug
D <3: Don’t use those tactics on me!
D <3: >:(
<3
__Today__
D <3: Please save me.
“Save me?” Leo repeats aloud. “How overdramatic.”
Max shrugs and starts typing, and laughs when he sees what Donnie answers him.
[D <3]
__Today__
D <3: Please save me.
Lmao.
Why?
D <3: Raph’s been on my shell ALL DAY.
D <3: Donnie fix this, Donnie help me with this.
D <3: I haven’t had time to test my new inventions yet!
“I knew we asked Raph to keep him busy, but…” Leo laughs, and shrugs. “Oh well. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
“You sure he won’t try to kill him?”
“Raph?” Leo waves one hand dismissively. “Nope. If it was me maybe, but with Raph he won’t get too mad.”
“Oh, is that so? Good to know.”
“Hey, guys!”
Max and Leo turn around, only to find Mikey a bit trapped under a giant pile of different funny glasses, fake mustaches and so on, his lower half totally hidden in the pile. Leo laughs his ass off and Max can’t help but snort, but both of them go towards him.
“I’m guessing you found something interesting?” Max says, putting a hand out. Mikey grabs it and with Leo’s help he gets out of the pile of accessories, holding something.
“I found,” he says, handing Max the accessory, “the best gift ever.”
Max stays quiet a few seconds, and eventually a smile creeps on his face.
“Oh my god.” He moves the object around his hand. “Oh my god, he’s gonna kill me.”
Max puts the object over his head, and both Leo and Mikey burst into laughter, which quickly stops when a worker nearby shushes them. Leo’s wiping tears off his eyes when he talks.
“Oh my god, this is gold. He’s gonna love it.”
“I think he’s gonna think I’m joking.” Max says, looking at the object again.
“Well,” Mikey says as he puts an arm over Max’s shoulder and the other over Leo’s, “I think that I found the treasure of the century.” He then points to Max. “And I want a pic.”
“You’ll get your pic.” Max says, showing his pinky. “I don’t break promises.”
Mikey moves his arm and uses one of his fingers to make the pinky promise with Max. Leo tries to get away, but Mikey holds his shoulder.
“Now, Leon, wouldn’t you think I would let you go without helping me put everything in its place, right?”
“What?” Leo points towards the pile. “I didn’t do that! It was all you!”
“Come on, Leo.” Max says, grabbing his other shoulder. “You wouldn’t want to break your poor brother’s heart, now would you?”
Leo begrudgingly agrees, and the three of them end up leaving every accessory back in its place, leaving the mall short after, and going to the lair, Max hiding something for Donnie in his pocket.
[Max (put me a cooler name :()]
__Today__
Raph’s been on my shell ALL DAY.
Donnie fix this, Donnie help me with this.
I haven’t had time to test my new inventions yet!
Max (put …): Chill, Donnie.
Max (put …): Why don’t u ask him to help u?
Because these are very delicate testing procedures.
And as much as I love my dear brother Raphael,
I prefer to do them alone.
Max (put …): Then watch a movie with him
i dunno.
Max (put …): ANYWAY
Max (put …): Gonna be in your lair in a bit
Max (put …): hehe.
What does that hehe mean.
Max (put …): You’ll see ;)
¬¬
Donnie closes his phone again, and keops watching the movie with Raph, the two brothers eating popcorn.
“I can’t believe you made me watch Pluto Vacation IV!” Raph says, eating more popcorn.
Donnie rolls his eyes before answering. “You wanted a brother bonding experience, Raphael.” Donnie grabs more popcorn and puts a grin. “Well, now we’re bonding over one of the best JJ movies.”
Raph growls quietly and grabs more popcorn, and only some seconds later the two hear Mikey and Leo arrive to the lair, their screams filling every corner of the place.
Donnie smiles when he sees Max enter with his two brothers, the cat yokai saluting him with a hand.
“Yo.”
“Hey, Max!” Raph says, getting up and hugging him. “How are you doing?”
“As well as ever.” Max says, patting Raph’s shoulder. “Wanted to make a quick visit.”
“Oh, really?” Raph gets close to Max and whispers in his ear. “If you want to suffer one of the worst JJ movies you can stay.”
Max laughs, and is then that Raph is grabbed by Mikey and Leo, the latter speaking as they leave.
“We’re gonna make some popcorn and we’ll be back!”
“What?” Raph protests. “But there’s already—”
“Be right back!” Mikey interrupts, and the three of them leave Max and Donnie alone.
Donnie moves a little on his bean bag and makes space for Max, who sits down. He then talks to Donnie in a quiet voice.
“Close your eyes.”
“What?” Donnie squints his eyes at him. “Why?”
“Come on, D.” Max pouts. “Pretty please?”
Donnie keeps squinting his eyes for a few seconds, but he eventually sighs and closes them. Max carefully takes out the object in his pocket, and moves a bit to put it over Donnie’s head. He sees Donnie make a face, but he checks he still has his eyes closed.
“Okay, keep them close.” Max says, pulling out his phone.
Donnie moves a little. “Did you put—”
“You look adorable.” Max says, and Donnie makes a sound.
“What?!”
“Shh, come on.” Max makes a pic, and quickly sends it to Mikey. “Okay, you can open them.”
Donnie opens his eyes slowly, and grabs what’s on his head. Max sees a light blush appear on his face while he looks at the headphones that have cat ears.
“Oh my god.” Donnie says, and Max can’t feel the embarrassment. “Where did you even find this.”
“At a mall.” Max then shows Donnie the pic he made of him. “But you look so cute!”
“You didn’t!” Donnie scrambles closer to the phone. “Oh my god, did you send it to Mikey?!”
Max laughs and hugs Donnie, grabbing his phone in the process. “It was a pinky promise! I had to!”
“Oh no, you both are so dead!” Donnie scrambles getting up, walking towards the door. “No more hugs for you, mister!”
“What?!” Max gets up and follows, trying to not burst out laughing. “Come on, D!”
The threat doesn’t last long, though. Max eventually gets his hug privileges back, and when he comes another day to the lair and sees Donnie sporting the cute cat ear headphones, he can’t help but crack a smile while he tackles him into a hug.