Work Text
It all started with an argument. Ya know, just one them stupid one's me and Leo have. I guess I shouldn't have been fighting with him. He was just worried about me. It made my chest all warm with that thought, but like always, I had to holler back at him that he was being crazy, that there was no reason for him to be concerned for me. I knew I was just fine, Casey and I were just doing what we always did.
``I need some fresh air Leo, stop nagging at me!!''
But I should have listened to him. He and Mikey are always really good about their gut instincts about things. But I didn't. See, Casey and I got cornered by some Purple Dragons and some of the foot bots that worked for Tiger Claw. I guess he still hadn't forgiven us for killing his master or something. Anyhow, one thing lead to another and I blacked out during our escape when a foot bot smacked me upside the head. The next thing I knew, I was lying in the cot in Donnie's lab, Leo leaning on my bedside, holding my hand like I was dying.
When I tried to get out of bed, he hugged me tight and cried. That made me nervous that I was dying. I tried to tell him I was ok, that I wasn't dying, but then he kissed me. I won't lie, I was stunned. I couldn't do anything. By the time my brain turned back on, Leo had ran off, with Mikey on his tail and Donnie trying to snap me out of it. I'll tell you this much, Leo has some soft lips.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
To say walking in on Leo kissing Raph was a shock is understatement. Don't get me wrong, it was really hot. I just didn't think that Leo had it in him to come out before the rest of us did. I know he's had a thing for Raph. I mean, who doesn't?! Raph is really hot.
But that's not what this is about. Because as soon as Leo realized me and Don had walked in on them, he panicked and bolted. But being the awesome ninja I am, I was able to keep up with his evasive maneuvers. I should let Leo know that he gets sloppy when he's nervous or embarrassed.
I was finally able to corner him and calm him down. He was blubbering about how he ruined the family, that it'll be all his fault that Raph hates him now and that he will leave the family because he couldn't control himself. He refused to hear my voice, I kept telling him that its ok and that we would figure this out. But he just wouldn't shut up. Even I thought he talked a lot and that's coming from the King of Talking.
So I figured shocking him would make him shut up, so I kissed him. To say that it worked was an understatement. He didn't make a peep after I finished kissing him. I had to guide him home, cause I guess I shocked him a bit much. By the time he came out of his stupor, we had returned to the lair and locked all four of us into the lab so that we could talk about what just happened.
The first ten minutes was tense and awkward. No one was looking at each other, Raph playing with the cot blanket, Donnie nervously typing on his key board, Leo sitting stiff as a rock and as for myself; well, lets just say that I was too busy reading this new comic I found the other day about Unicornman. It was when he rescued Princess Snowflake from the terrible askdmfj awo.....
Sorry, Raph just told me to finish the story. I'll tell you guys later ;)
Anyways, I decided after finishing my comic to break the tension.
``So.....Leo? You got the hots for Raphie, huh?''
``Wh-what?! No!! Why would you even say that?'' Leo turned a bright shade of red that made him look cuter than when I kissed him.
``Because D and I walked in on you two smoochin'~''
``Y-you're obviously mistaken! I would never kiss Raph!!'' Leo fiercely denied.
``So you don't like me?''
Leo turned his head sharply to look at Raph, who looked really sad, almost hurt. I don't like seeing my brothers like that!!
``Leonardo, tell him the truth!'' That's right, fun loving, never-get-mad-at-anyone, understanding Michelangelo just yelled at my oldest brother and sensei. I won't let this slide, not for a moment. This is a crucial moment for all our family and I won't allow Leo to be the reason we can't be honest and pursue this potential happiness with one another.
My snapping at Leo got everyone's attention. Even Don was facing us all and joining in on the conversation. After they registered that I wasn't going to say anything else, they turned to Leo. Let me tell you, he fidgeted and turned dark crimson before he finally blurted out the truth.
``Alright! I admit. I, kinda, like Raph.....but, I also like Donnie.......and I guess Mikey likes me too, cause he kissed me earlier....'' Leo quietly murmured out, playing with his hands nervously.
Don had flushed when he finds out that Leo likes him and Raph gawked in surprise. Don fidgeted a bit with one of his projects as he processes the information before he takes a deep breath. ``I have....something to confess as well.....''
All eyes turned to him as he tweaks with one of the screws on the projects nervously, trying to find the right words. Finally, he let out another breath and whispers softly, ``I.....may have accidentally.....heard......all three of you.......whispering each others names.....and......mine.....while.......'' His face turned impossibly red, unable to find the words to finish his thoughts. Everyone's face turns the same shade of red as they figured out what he was saying.
It took a long time, but Raph finally spoke up. ``So, what? Are we gonna act like big babies about this or do something about it?''
``What do you mean `do something about it'? You can't seriously think we should pursue this?'' Leo said incredulously.
``Why not? There's only four of us. And I don't know about you guys, but I would like to feel loved before I die.'' Raph growled in annoyance, standing up a bit.
``Aw, Raphie wants love~'' I teased him a little, grinning wide.
``I'm not ashamed to admit it, yes I do. So are we just gonna gawk at one another and do nothing?'' Raph demanded, eyes staring right Leo.
All eyes then turned to Leo once again. He squirms a little in his seat, a frown on his lips before he sighs. ``I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try. We have until Christmas then. I don't want any of this to interfere with training or with missions. Anything like that needs to stay home. Agreed?''
``AGREED!!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next few days were filled with small touches, exploring caresses and time spent with one another, both in small groups and all together. I often try to join in the activities with my brothers, but more often than not, my mind is racing with different ideas and plans I have to fortify the lair and protect the city to even think about hanging out with my brothers.
I also have other reasons for not hanging out with them. Raph is too hotheaded and grouchy to be patient with my wondering mind and Mikey drives me crazy. Then there's Leo. I won't lie, it kinda stung to find out I was only the second possible partner in his eyes. So I guess I'm not ready to actually pursue this with them, even if I helped push the point with Leo. And while Mikey was getting Leo, Raph confessed to me about having a crush on Leo and Mikey. He didn't mention me at all. That also stung.
So here I stayed, secluding myself more than joining them. It seems like they would be happy without me, no matter how upsetting the thought of being by myself from now on is. I continued to hold these thoughts in my heart as we headed out for patrol. With my mind wandering, I didn't notice the wire.
I did notice the shouting of my brothers
And the boom that followed.
My next coherent thoughts were why my body hurt. And it was cause my brothers were piled on top of me, at the bottom of an alley. There were flames above us from where the explosion occurred and it all clicked. They saved me. I always felt like the odd one out cause I had so much knowledge in my brain that it didn't even click that they really cared about me. Especially when I go on rambling for hours.
I stopped my train of thought and quickly looked of each of my brothers. All three of them had chars on their carapaces, new dents and scratches appearing on them. But what unsettled me the most was that they weren't moving. In sheer panic, I roll them each individual and seek out a pulse.
With every beat, on each wrist, it brought me closer to tears. When my brothers finally woke up, they found me in tears, making them worry over me even more. I cried even harder and hugged all three of them at once.
Ever since then, I've been an active participant in any activities my brothers get into.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
To know that my brothers have the same feelings as me was a huge relief for me. But I still had my worries and anxieties about everything. When we started, uh, I guess the word is dating, I often started to second guess our choice. `Should we really be together like this? Isn't it against everything that Splinter taught us? Against Bushido?'
These thoughts often plagued my mind while I meditated on what we should and shouldn't be doing. I try to hide, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job of it. That was until one day, Mikey and I were cuddling while I read a book and he read his comic in silence. He shifted his position so he could look at me.
``Leo, are you happy?''
To say that didn't catch me off guard would be a false statement. I was actually quite stunned that my brother would ask if I was happy. `Do I not look happy?'
``Of course I'm happy Mikey. Why do you ask?''
``Because you've got this dark aura kind of thing going on and your kinda distant with us. Like, your body may be here, but your thoughts are somewhere we can't reach. Is there something upsetting you? Do you not like being in relationship with us?''
Those were some deep questions. How was I supposed to answer those without upsetting my youngest brother? But the more I was looking at Mikey, the more I realized I wasn't just talking to my youngest brother, but I was also talking to my youngest boyfriend. This was a different playing field with whole new rules that I hadn't yet comprehended yet and I need to tread carefully. Normally, I would just hide the fact of my distress from Mikey with a smile and comfort him as a big brother.
But these questions were being asked by someone who should be treated as an equal, not as an innocent that needed to be protected by their big brother. I set my book down and sit up a little straighter so I could look him in the eyes.
``To be honest Mikey, I've been thinking a lot about what we're doing. Are we sure we want to change what we already have? Do we really need more than our bond as brothers to be happy in this world? Don't you feel like we're betraying Master Splinter with doing something that goes against the Bushido code?
I mean, I know I've been enjoying what we have together. Heck, I even noticed that Raph and I don't fight anymore. We actually talk. Its so surreal and strange to have our family dynamics changed because we want to try something unorthodox, but it seems so normal. But it also doesn't feel normal because of how family dynamic used to be. Do you get what I'm saying Mikey?''
Mikey just sat there quietly while I spilled out my thoughts, fears and worries. The concerns I had. Well, not all of them. I would probably get my other questions answered if the few main ones that I vented out were answered. After a little bit of time, Mikey hugged me, nuzzling the side of my face, not saying a word.
It confused me a bit but I hugged back all the same, nuzzling with similar affection. He then turned his head towards me and gently kisses me. It wasn't urgent and demanding like Raph's and it wasn't methodical and searching like Don's. It was sweet, slow and reassuring. Something that just mimicked Mikey's personality so perfectly. And that's all he did. Soft, gentle kisses, one after another with similar feelings and meanings behind each one. Reassuring, understanding and acceptance. It helped me calm down, soothing my worries to the back of my mind.
After a time, we finally broke apart, soft breaths gliding over both of our lips. His soft hands gently cup my face and rubs it soothingly. It was kind of nice, not something I would expect from Mikey's hyper nature to come up with. I was far more relaxed now than the few moments I would achieve during meditation.
``Did that feel unnatural to you? Was that weird to you?'' Mikey whispers softly as he continues to caress my face.
I was far to relax to say anything bad about the treatment, so I declined both of the statements that Mikey had asked. It makes sense if you put it at face value.
``What we have is unique and special only to us. No one will understand the bond that we have, as brothers and lovers. We are the only four of our kind and we need to be there for each other, emotionally, physically, psychologically and romantically. You're right, Splinter didn't raise us to do these things, but he did raise us to turn to one another during our more grueling and harsher times. To trust one another with our lives and live happily.
And who better to trust your life to than not only your brothers, but those who love you more than a brother. I understand your concerns, but things have changed. Our previous family dynamic was when Splinter was alive and guiding us through our hardships, there to pick us up should we fall. Its different now. We have only ourselves and this life is quite lonely without the feel of anothers love directed towards you.''
The words sank in deep, sending a warmth of love to tingle in my chest. `My brother is right. I should always trust in Mikey to see the things that I miss every time.'
It was a relief to hear all that, so much so that I sagged down on the bed and sighs softly. Mikey just chuckles above me. That's when I heard the door crack open. Peeking up, I see that its Raph, looking kinda concerned and curious. But rather than look at me to see if he can come in or to find out what was going on, he looked to Mikey with a questioning look.
Mikey simply motioned him to come and both Raph and Donnie entered the room with food, oils and candles. That caught my attention, especially the strawberries and cream. They knew that I had a weakness for strawberries. I sit up to get a better look at what they had brought in.
``What's going on?'' I question in concern, looking between my three brothers.
They just chuckle at me as Mikey gently pushes me back to lay on my bed.
``Nothing bad, we just want to help you get passed this fear you have. Trust us~'' Don soothes gently as he sits on my right and gently rubs my shoulder in a calming manor.
``I promise not to pull anything ya won't like Fearless,'' Raph murmurs softly as he takes a seat on my left.
I won't lie, it was a little unnerving to be surrounded by my brothers, but also quite comforting when they started to pet my body in such a loving manor. The more times that their hands had touched my skin, the more I started to relax into my bed and calm down. I barely registered the fact that they had started to strip me of my gear, never truly loosing contact with my skin. Mikey continuously touched my plastron and my arms.
Don focuses on my hands, massaging out all the stiffness in each individual muscle. Raph scooted down towards my legs and he was doing wonders on my thighs and calves. My brother slipped in some, what smelt like lavender, oil into the mix and it relaxed me even more, if that was even possible. They had manage to find knots in my body that I didn't even know I had. It was quite nice to be pampered in such a way.
I didn't know when I closed my eyes, but all I knew was when I finally opened them, it was because Donnie was lifting my head to lay on his lap. I noticed that they had turned off the light in the room in exchange light up a few of the scented candles. The smell was quite intoxicating to be honest, it helped me lull back into the nirvana that my brothers had created for me. I started to feel far more spiritually enlightened with soft touches and simple pampering that my brothers had provided than I had ever achieved from heavy meditation. It was quite enlightening to find that out.
Donnie started to put his expert fingers to work as he began to massage my scalp and temple. I could feel the frown and stress lines that had started to form when I first became leader slowly relax and fade away. There was a little thought in the back of my mind that I seemed to be missing a brother.
`Raph....'
Where did Raph disappear to? Those thoughts slowly disappears when I felt cool cream lightly brush my lips. I barely cracked open my eyes to see Mikey presenting me with a cream covered strawberry. I accepted it a little eagerly, my brothers chuckling humorously. I suppose seeing their worry wart, mother hen, overly stress brother and Sensei eagerly eating a strawberry like some sort of starving kitten. But they can't blame me truly, I just really like strawberries.
Anyhow, this continued on for a while, Mikey feeding me strawberries and Donnie giving my scalp a thorough massage that left me sluggish and completely relaxed. As the strawberries slowly disappeared from the bowl, I noticed that Don was slowing his touch on my head, which I can only guess meant that they were getting close to being done pampering me. I figured as much, they can't keep doing this for me forever, as much as I wish it were so.
I started to make a move to sit up, but they held me down.
``We're not done Leo, stay relaxed.'' Don softly commanded, guiding my head to rest on a pillow.
I decided not to argue and remained in my lax state. I won't lie, I was very tempted to just fall asleep now, being this relaxed and calm was doing wonders for my body. That was, until Don and Mikey started to roll me over onto my plastron. I was a little confused at first, giving them curious glances. But their smiles only held more promises of more pleasure and relaxation.
So I just made a cushion out of my arms and rested my head there, waiting there patiently for whatever was to come next. What I wasn't expecting was the exhilarating sensation of a bristle brush scrubbing against my shell. It had me gasping and moaning in pure delight at the sensation that vibrated through my carapace down to my very core. We usually only clean our shells once in a while due to the awkwardness that leads with it, but now that we are trying to do something that was more than brotherly, I suppose it would make sense for them to do this. Let me tell you, this is exactly what I needed, a thorough scrubbing into ever scar and crack in my shell.
That had me squirming in my spot like no tomorrow than anything that my mind could have imagined. And the amount of pressure that was being applied and the method of scrubbing was done by the one person that knew how to push my buttons in the wrong and right way; Raph. How he managed to find the right method to bring me the most pleasure out of such a simple act was beyond me. But this also explained his absence for those brief moments I had with just Mikey and Don.
He ran the brush over a particularly sensitive scar that had my churring like kitten, melting into my bed like a boneless piece of meat. My brothers just laughed softly at me and I wasn't even upset. I would laugh at me too if I was in my right mind, but I was too far gone in the scrubbing to care.
But all too soon, it ended with a soft towel rub down that helped me gain some of my sense. But I was still not permitted to get up, for my brothers then decided to pile around and on top of me. I was about to question them when they cuddled right up to me and kept me warm and surprisingly, safe. It was kinda nice, I didn't feel at all vulnerable. So I just rolled my eyes and allowed them to cuddle me, figuring that this would be my first REAL step into accepting this new level of not only trust, but love and compassion with my brothers, lovers, mates.