Alternate Allure

The emergency lights in the abandoned subway tunnel barely do their job, flickering like a dying phone battery. Shadows stretch all over the rusty tracks, giving the whole place a gloomy vibe. You're sitting cross-legged on the freezing platform floor while painting Mikey's nails bright bubblegum pink—because why not, right? The orange-masked turtle watches with rapt fascination, his fingers twitching occasionally as you add the final touches.

"Ugh, what's taking so long?" Mikey blows on his nails while you dip the tiny brush back into the polish. "Donnie knows I have a short atten—" His eyes suddenly widen as he spots something on the ground. "Ooh, gum!"

You barely had time to process what he was doing before he bends down, reaching for a chewed piece of gum stuck to the floor.

Your whole face crumples. "Mikey, dude, no—"

Thankfully, Raph reaches over and slaps the gum out of his hand.

"Man, this better be worth it" He grumbles, crossing his arms and shifting impatiently.

You're just opening your mouth to throw something sarcastic back when the ground starts rumbling. A low hiss fills the tunnel, followed by the flicker of headlights slicing through the dark. Then, from the shadows, rolls out a freakin' beast of a subway car. The metal sides are decked out in graffiti, it's got armor plates, glowing headlights, and is that... a freakin' mounted cannon? Anyway, it glides to a smooth stop in front of you.

Raph's eyes go wide. "Worth it."

The doors open with a fancy little ding-dong, and there's Donnie, leaning against the frame with a smug grin plastered on his face.

"So?"

Leo steps forward, inspecting the vehicle in disbelief. "You turned Leatherhead's old subway car... into this?"

Raph lets out a low whistle. "Donnie, have I ever told you how awesome you are?"

Donnie's smirk grows. "No, you haven't"

"I'm seriously considering it"

"No worries Raph, I got us covered" You jump in, setting the nail polish down and hopping to your feet "Donatello Hamato, you are the most insanely brilliant, dangerously underrated genius this planet has ever birthed"

A light pink dusts Donnie's cheeks. "Well, I mean, I do try—"

Before he can soak in all that praise, Mikey bolts past you both with a squeal loud enough to wake the rats, throws himself at the train, and hugs it.

"Bro! Look at this beauty!" He presses his cheek against the meta. "I shall name her... the Shellraiser!"

Donnie blinks. "What?"

"The Shellraiser!" Mikey says proudly, hands on his hips, still careful not to mess up his fresh manicure. "It's the perfect name"

You and the guys exchange a look, then nod in unison like, okay, yeah, the gremlin nailed it.

"That is the perfect name" Leo admits.

"Right?" You cross your arms. "Y'all always underestimate Mikey, but my boy's got genius moments. You just gotta give him a cha—"

Your words die mid-sentence as Mikey casually picks the same disgusting gum off the ground that Raph slapped away earlier.

"...Soooo" You pivot fast, slapping the gum off his hand again. "Dee, how 'bout we take this baby for a ride?"