Meditation Mishaps (Leonardo, TMNT 2003)

[Deuce Williams]

Wrote this forever ago and just found it again in my files. It's longer than I remembered.

~~~

Leo settled into the lotus position on the faded bamboo mat, preparing his body and his mind for some serious meditation. Candles burned brightly and silently around him, setting the relaxing mood. Splinter had been commenting recently that his eldest son had been unfocused and distracted, so Leo planned to change that today, right now. He was going to cleanse himself for at least two hours and he wasn't going to move a muscle. It was his own challenge to himself.

The first fifteen minutes went by without a hitch, but then the door creaked open slightly. Leo could tell immediately that it wasn't any of his brothers, the footsteps weren't heavy enough. Maybe Master Splinter? A soft meow met Leo's ears, erasing that probability. Now that he really listened, he could hear four soft feet padding across the mat on which he currently resided. It was Mikey's pet kitty, Klunk.

The blue clad turtle resisted the urge to sigh, knowing it would break his concentration. Hopefully the cat would be on his way soon. Leo didn't want him to get too close, knowing full well his allergies could act up again. Now would not exactly be the opportune moment for such an occurrence.

For a moment, the pawsteps ceased and Leo thought that the alley cat had gone on his way, but suddenly he felt something heavy climbing into his lap, settling between his crossed legs. Aw, crud. Really Klunk? Now? Leo steeled himself, fully prepared not to move, even if he did want this cat off him so he could meditate in peace.

An itching sensation suddenly appeared in the back of Leo's nose. He had to force himself not to reach up and rub at his nostrils. Don't move, Leo, don't move. Just ignore it and it'll go away. The tickle didn't stop, like he'd hoped, but it didn't grow either and for that he was grateful.

Then Klunk must have started to wash or something, because Leo felt the tickle enter his nose again in the form of dust particles clinging to the cat's loose fur. They floated upwards, directly into Leo's face and he unknowingly inhaled them, the fur dancing its way down the sensitive corridors of his nostrils. Instinctively, he took a sharp intake of breath, enough to shift the fur that had gotten stuck in the inside of his nose. They tickled the walls of his nostrils and Leo had to fight to not move. C'mon, Leonardo. You're a ninja. You can fight off a simple sneeze. But the irritation refused to be denied and Leo felt dread enter him as he realized that he was breathing heavier than he should. Not now. Not now.

The itch intensified and, involuntarily, Leo's spine arched backwards with every breath he now took. There was no way the sneeze brewing inside his would be stopped unless he moved, and stubborn Leo was NOT going to move. His whole body trembled in exertion from trying to hold it off, but to no avail. Klunk continued to wash, either unaware or unconcerned about his host's discomfort, flicking more fur and dust into the direct line of Leo's nose. He must have just been outside, because pollen was present and the grains stuck to the fur that Klunk dislodged. Though he fought against it, Leo's mouth cracked open to draw more air, which only whisked more allergens into his nasal passages. His eyes shut tighter in an effort to stop the burning tickle that grew just below them. He could feel his breath starting to hitch and still he resisted. "Uh… uhh…”

The sneeze was boiling out of control now, threatening to spill over like an unwatched pot. Leo, desperate to stop the tickle, finally broke his vow and moved his arm to clamp a finger under his nostrils. Teeth gritting, he struggled to quell the explosion growing inside his nose. It was as if the sneeze took the attempt to stop it as a challenge, because it increased in power, tickling from the edges of Leo's nostrils to the very back of his nose. It was like someone had shoved a feather full of dust and pollen directly up his nasal passages and was enjoying watching him suffer. His finger was doing nothing much to help dissipate the infernal tickle, so he switched to pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger, hoping to, if not stop it, at least stifle it. His chest heaved as he drew in sharp breaths until, finally, his breath hitched. He let out a moan before, finally, the sneeze started to show itself. "Aahh... h-hahhh... huuUUHH…"

The tickle was irresistible now. It had tasted freedom and wanted out, but Leo's stubbornness kicked in again and he slapped his entire hand over his nose, little grunts of tension escaping through his clenched teeth. The sneeze backed down for a moment, becoming gentler. After a minute, Leo felt that he had regained control and triumphantly lowered his hand, replacing only his finger when he felt it threaten to make a sudden reappearance. He sniffled violently, trying to purge the allergens from his nasal passages. Finally, he let himself go slack, the threat almost passed.

Klunk shifted again in his lap, arching his back in a feline stretch, straightening his tail as his spine curved.

The tip swished directly against Leo's sensitive nostrils.

As the fine furs touched Leo's nose, the urge to sneeze fired back full force. The tickle in his nose grew to unbearable and Leo reared back, eyes rolling towards the ceiling with the thought of the sneeze. C'mon, Leonardo. Fight! You can do it! "Uuuuuhhh... AHHHH... hah-HAHHHH..."

Nope.

There was no way he could stop this nasal explosion. "HuuaaaAAAAH-KTCHEEEW!!"

The first sneeze made Klunk shoot up.

"EEEEEEEEEHHH- XXXTCHEWW!!"

The second caused the cat to bolt out of the room like his tail was on fire. But Leo wasn't finished yet. Third and fourth sneezes erupted from his nose. "AHHHH-XXTCHEWW!! KTCHOO!!"

Halfway through his fit, Master Splinter entered the room and watched his son's distress from the doorway, one eyebrow arched.

"KSHHT!! EEEHH-KSHHHT!!"

When Leo finally settled, eyes watering and nose quite red indeed, his gaze landed on his rat master standing by the door. A tiny smile graced his face. More than a hint of mirth entered his tone. "Bless you, my son."

Leonardo tried to smile a bit, but his face once again twisted into the pre-sneeze expression. "Thang you Baster Spl- Ahh... Ahhh... AHHH'XXEWWW!!"

[aridynamic87]

Really big fan of the TMNT, 80's and 2003, so it's nice to see something from the series posted here. ^^ I really enjoyed how you wrote the sneeze fits in this one. :3