#tmntagedup

Leo braced for impact. Any second, you’d catch sight of the monsters in the alley and scream. But instead of a scream, like the brothers were expecting, instead, recognition flashed across your features.

“Raph!” You sighed in relief, rushing into the arms of the towering turtle. You held onto him tight. “Oh my god.”

“(Y/N).” He cradled you against himself, a large hand stroking through your hair as he held you. “Ya alright? I didn’t realize it was you.”

“I’m okay.” You assured him, pulling away to look at his face. “Are you okay?”

He grinned, confident. “I’m bulletproof, babe. Of course I’m alright.”

“My very own Superman.” You murmured, hugging him again, face resting in the crook of his neck as your heartrate slowly returned to normal.

“Um…Raph?” Leo asked, clearing his throat. “Care to explain?”

“Oh right…” Raph chuckled, looking up at his brothers. “Guys, this is (Y/N). My girlfriend. (Y/N), these are my brothers.”

“Nice to meet you, finally.” You smiled, shy. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Raph, you…have a secret girlfriend?” Mikey asked. “No way!”

“Yeah, uh…I was gonna tell ya soon, I just…” He shrugged. “Needed the quiet for a bit.”

“Does Sensei know?” Leo asked, crossing his arms.

“Nah, but April does.” Raph shrugged.

“She’s really nice.” You added. “We get coffee sometimes.”

“You do?” Raph asked, looking down at you.

You nodded. “Mmhmm. We’re getting our nails done next week.”

Leo glanced around. “Hey we better get going.” He looked at you, still skeptical, but polite nonetheless. “You’re welcome to come with.”

“Can I?” You asked, looking up at Raph, stars sparkling in your eyes. “I’m…that was really scary. I’m kinda shaken up.”

“Yeah, of course, baby.” He nodded, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

Leo’s eyes widened. Never in his life had he seen his big brute of a brother so gentle. So you had him whipped, whipped.

“We can order pizza! We’ve got a bunch of movies and video games.” Mikey smiled, his face welcoming. “It’ll be alright, girl.”

“Thank you.” You laughed, nodding. “I’d really like that.”

“Raph?” You whispered, looking into the shadows. The rustling stopped.

“Dude, how does she know your name?”

“How does she know my name?” A voice whispered. A young-sounding voice.

“Guys?” You asked. “It’s okay, you can come out.”

“Splinter will kill us if we expose ourselves to a human! We can’t just go out there!” Said a squeaky voice.

“But how does she know Raph’s name?”

“Either you come out or I’ll turn on my flashlight. Listen, I promise, I…you can trust me.”

They argued amongst themselves for a while longer and then, slowly, Raph stepped into the light, both of his hands forward. But this wasn’t your Raph. No, this Raph was much smaller than your Raph, much younger and…scared of you.

“Oh shit.”

“See, I told you this was a bad idea!” Another voice chimed. Leo, no doubt, confirmed when he too stepped out of the shadows.

“Oh my GOD.” You stared at them. “H-how did you get here? You know what, nevermind. You’ve gotta stay out of sight. Um…” You thought for a moment, spotting your car out in the parking lot. “These are my keys. Where’s Donnie?”

“How does she know your name?” Mikey asked.

“Dude, how would I know?” The high-pitch voice asked again as Donnie and Mikey emerged next.

You tossed Donnie your keys. “That’s my car. Go in there and stay in there. Lock the doors and don’t unlock them for anyone but me. Stay out of sight. I have to lock up real quick and then I’ll be right out, okay?”

“Why should we trust you?” little Leo asked, wavering as he did.

“I’ll explain everything when I get back.” You met his eyes and then Raph’s. “I promise.”

Leo hesitated for a long moment before nodding, leading the others to your car and scurrying inside.

You went back in, counting the registers, wiping the counters, and locking everything up at record speed. You logged into the computer and hesitated, but went into the security footage, wiping those ten minutes from the record, and then walked out to your car, knocking on the window.

The door unlocked and you hopped in, locking the doors behind you again. You looked down at the back seats, where all four boys were crouched down out of sight of the windows.

“You can pull those little curtains down.” You told them, pointing to the rolling curtains Donnie had mounted for you in case any of your boys needed to lay low for a bit.

“Oh. Cool.” Little Mikey moved first, pulling down the one on the window closest to him and the others did the same.

“I’m gonna pull the car over where the cameras don’t reach, alright? And then I’m gonna make a call.”

Donnie handed you the keys and you did what you promised, pulling the car into the overpass of the mall you worked at, beneath the theater. It was darker there and, like you’d said, the cameras didn’t work.

You put the car in park, sighed, and then fished your phone out of your purse, pressing Leo’s contact before holding it up to your ear.

“Hey, (Y/N)! Everything alright?”

“Yeah, kinda. Um, can you guys come here? Like now? The usual spot in the underpass. And bring the big truck, the van doesn’t have enough seats.”

“Wanna clue me in on what’s going on?” He asked.

You glanced back at the four little versions of your boyfriend and his brothers sitting in your back seats. “Uhhhh, I think it’s just gonna be easier for you to see when you get here. I’m not in any imminent danger.”

“Roger that. We’ll be there in ten.”

“See ya.” You hung up, looking back at the boys. “There are snacks behind the passenger seat. Help yourselves to whatever.”

“Was that the police?” little Leo asked.

“No! No. No it wasn’t.” You chuckled, shaking your head. Ironic.

Ten minutes later on the dot, the infamous Tartaruga Brothers truck rolled up, parking next to your car. You exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Alright, they’re here. You can put the shades down.”

“Tartaruga Brothers?” Raph read.

“That means…turtle in Italian.” Donnie noted.

You nodded and opened the door getting out of the car. Raph was the first one out, looking you over for any signs of injury. He searched your eyes.

“You alright, shorty?”

“I’m fine. Good, actually.” You nodded, looking up at him.

“What’s goin’ on?”

“Yeah, what is going on?” Leo asked, coming out after his brother, Mikey and Donnie not far behind.

“Something weird.” You replied, motioning for their smaller counterparts to exit your vehicle. They did, one by one, filing out of your car and looking up, up, up at your boyfriend and his brothers.

“Woahhhhh,” little Raph murmured, staring up at your Raph. “You’re…”

“Me.” Your Raph whispered, looking down at him. He looked at you, too, eyes wide.

“When…” Donnie asked, the words dying in his throat.

“Like thirty minutes ago. I erased the camera footage.”

“Thank you.” Leo said, nodding.

“No problem.”

“Wait, so you’re…You know us? You’re…” little Leo looked between you and Raph, eyes wide.

“She’s cool, guys, I promise.” Mikey grinned. “Now, get in the truck. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“(Y/N) and I will follow. We’ll meet you in the Lair.” Raph said, making eye contact with Leo, who nodded his approval.

“Oh my god, you guys have a lair too?” little Donnie asked, eyes lighting up as he followed his older counterpart into the truck.

“I’ll order pizza!” Mikey volunteered, sending all the younger boys into cheers.

Little Raph hesitated, looking between you and your Raph before getting dragged into the truck by Leo.

You hopped into your car, Raph getting in the back seat and putting the curtains back down. You turned the car back on and started driving down the backroads.

“Thanks for bein’ so cool about this. Keepin’ ‘em calm and stuff.” Raph said, making eye contact with you in the rearview mirror. “You drop the alien bomb on ‘em yet?”

“You think they’d be that calm if I did?” You chuckled.

He smirked. “Fair point.”

“So Donnie was right about the multiverse stuff, then.”

“Guess so. They say much about how they got here?”

“No. Little Leo thought I was gonna call the cops on them.” You told him, earning a laugh.

“Typical.” He paused.

“It’s weird. They’re like you guys, but they’re so young.”

“We were once.” Raph said.

“Don’t remind me.” You chuckled. You’d met Raph six years before when both of you were seventeen, shortly after he and his brothers had saved the world for the second time. Even now, it seemed lifetimes ago that you were that naïve.

You pulled into your designated parking spot next to the truck and the heavy garage door slid down behind it, closing you in. You and Raph walked out into the living room, where the others were all congregated, a very confused Splinter listening to Leo and Donnie as they talked to him. They perked up when you walked in.

“Ah, (Y/N), there you are. Come, sit.” Splinter invited you.

Mikey took it upon himself to entertain the younger set of brothers while the rest of you spoke with Splinter in one of the alcoves. Raph’s thick arm settled around your shoulders, your curled legs resting against his thigh.

You explained to him exactly what had happened. You’d found them behind the dumpsters, earned their trust, erased the footage, and got them to the Lair. The rest, you had no clue about. How they’d gotten there, where they were from, how Donnie was going to get them back home…

“Thank you.” Splinter said, his paw resting against your hand for a moment. “For taking care of them.”

“Of course, Splinter.” You nodded.

“I’ll start running diagnostics.” Donnie volunteered, walking over towards his lab.

“I’ll ask Little Leo what he remembers.” Leo said, nodding before heading off to where the boys were playing video games with Mikey.

That left you and Raph in the alcove, his arm tugging you closer. Before he made a move, his eyes settled on Little Raph, making his way over. He looked…shyer than your Raph, you decided.

“Can I talk to you guys for a sec?” He asked.

“Sure. What’s on yer mind?” Raph leaned back against the couch, eyeing his double in amusement.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.” Raph replied. “I’m a few months older than her.”

“Oh. Cool. How’d you two meet?”

“Long story.” You chuckled.

“Little more original than Tinder.” Raph quipped. “Found her at a meteor crash site. Thought it was Kraang tech.”

“What’s a Kraang?” Little Raph asked.

“I’m sure you’ll meet him later.”

“And she’s…you’re…you’re cool with him being…like this?” Little Raph asked, shattering your heart into a million pieces.

“Yeah, of course I am, hon.” You told him, your voice sincere. “More than cool, I would say. And uh, I’m not exactly normal myself.”

“What are you, an alien?” Little Raph quipped. His eyes widened when you and Raph looked at each other.

“Half. On my mother’s side.” You shrugged. “I know I don’t look it, though.”

“Wait, you’re serious.”

“She is.” Raph nodded. He glanced over at you, grinning. “I’m kinda into it, though.”

You elbowed him. “You better be, at this point.”

“Raph! Pizza’s here!” Both of the Mikeys called out in sync, looking at each other with wide eyes and then high-fiving, buzzing about twin telepathy or something.

“Pizza.” Raph motioned towards the other room, standing up and helping you to your feet, Little Raph going ahead of the two of you. The way Raph looked at him…a glimmer in his green, green eyes you’d never seen before.

***

The little turtles were staying the night and into the foreseeable future, crashing on the couches in the living room. You decided to stay too, since it was like four in the morning. Raph undressed and got into bed with you, just in his sweatpants. All of his gear on the floor, bandana dangling from the bedpost.

He crawled on top of you, head resting on your chest. You gently scratched his shell, causing him to churr softly, nuzzling further into you, a peaceful expression taking over his face. You loved when he got like this, all comfortable and blissed out. The expression faded, though and he tilted his head to look up to you.

“Hey, uh, can we talk about something? Something kinda…serious, I guess.”

“Yeah, of course.” You nodded.

He got off of you and laid on his side so he could look at you while he spoke. You took one of his hands, kissing it softly.

“What’s going on, big guy?”

“I just, uh…I don’t know, him bein’ here today…All of ‘em, really…Got me thinking about stuff.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Kids.” He replied, inhaling when the word came out of his mouth, almost like he wasn’t expecting it.

“Oh.”

“He…He just…He reminds me of…like our son, I guess. What I think our son would turn out like. And I…I ain’t ever realized I wanted that before. And…and the way you handled ‘em, keepin’ em safe, gettin’ em here…” He sighed, a tentative smile looming on his handsome features. “I want that with you. And it scares me, but…I don’t know, maybe I’m bein’ silly.”

“You’re not being silly.” You told him.

“And I know that any…any kid we brought into this world would never…never get ta be normal and I…I don’t even know if it’s possible or if you want that too, or…Please say somethin’, baby.”

“If it is scientifically possible for us then, yeah. Yeah I absolutely want that someday, Raph.” You reassured him, a hand reaching up to cup his cheek. “I want that with you.”

He exhaled, grinning, tears welling in his eyes. “Ya mean it?”

“I’ve never meant anything more.” You promised him, kissing his snout before he rolled on top of you again, peppering a million kisses to your cheek and neck, causing you to giggle.

He shushed you. “Gotta keep quiet, baby, remember? Our kid’s sleepin’ in the other room.”

“Right. Forgot.” You rolled your eyes, settling down again as he snuggled into you.

“Ya know I love ya, right?”

“I might have picked up on that, yeah.”

“Night.”

“Goodnight, Red. I love you, too.”

***

It was later the following afternoon Donnie and Donnie Jr. cracked interdimensional travel and opened a portal to the younger boys’ lair.

“You guys stay safe, alright? Stay out of trouble.” Leo advised.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Mikey chuckled.

“Well that just leaves their options wide open, doesn’t it?” Raph chuckled, giving Mikey’s head a shove.

“Thank you guys. All of you.” Little Leo said, looking around the room. He made eye contact with you. “And I’m sorry for not trusting you.”

“You don’t have to be sorry for that. This one didn’t trust me either when we met.” You elbowed your Leo, earning a friendly chuckle from him.

“Hey, I came around.”

“Yeah, two months later.” Donnie quipped, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Was it really two whole months?” Leo asked in disbelief.

“I knew she was alright. I’m a good judge of character.” Mikey bragged.

“You would take candy from a man in a van.” Raph joked, earning laughs from the other guys.

“Name one time that’s happened, Raph!” Mikey huffed.

The bickering went on for a while longer before the boys finally decided it was time to leave.

“Hey Raph, can we talk for a sec?” Your Raph asked, motioning his younger self over to the side.

The two of them spoke for a bit, you couldn’t hear about what, and then, out of nowhere, Little Raph hugged Big Raph before following his brothers through the portal. It closed shortly after, leaving the five of you standing there in shock for a while.

“What was that about?” You asked.

“Had to give him some pointers. How else is he supposed to find ya? Well, his you, if there is one.”

“Raph, I promise you, in every reality, there’s a you and a me that falls in love.”

“You’re a sap.” He chuckled.

“You’re into it.” He pressed a long kiss to your lips, grinning. “Guilty as charged.”

You pulled open the window and helped Raphael inside. He came to hang out sometimes, but you hadn’t been expecting him.

“Hey, Red. What’s going on?”

“Nothin’, just on patrol. Quiet night.” He shrugged. It took him a second, but once he got a better look at you, he could tell something was wrong. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just…it’s been a really long day.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in—”

“No! No, Raph, seeing you has actually been the best part of my day so far.”

His look of panic faded, replaced instead with a warm smile. “Alright, so how am I makin’ you feel better right now? What problems I gotta fix?”

“You don’t have to—”

“I want to.” He assured you, tilting his head. “So let’s get to work.”

You walked over to the living room and told him everything that was going on.

“Well first of all, that asshole at work can get fucked. It’s not yer job to fix all of his problems.”

You laughed, nodding. “I needed to hear that. Thank you.”

“I can take a look at yer showerhead if ya want. And you’re always welcome to take showers down in the lair if ya gotta.” He assured you. “I didn’t even know it was broken.”

“It’s usable, but it’s barely a trickle coming out of it.”

“Mmm, gotcha. Well, I’ll see what I can do. We can call Donnie and see if he’s got any parts we could use in the meantime. And I can totally have him yell at ya insurance guy, too. He’s real good at that, knows all the legal mumbo jumbo.” Raph walked through all of your problems, and, as he always seemed to, he made you feel a lot better about everything.

“Thank you, Raph.” You told him sincerely, tears welling up in your eyes.

“Aww, shorty, no need for tears. I’ll take care of ya. I always will.” He promised, gathering you in his big strong arms, one of his large hands stroking through your hair comfortingly.

Something clicked then, while he was holding you. You’d always had a bit of a crush on Raph, admittedly. Who wouldn’t? He was big and strong and brave, loyal to a fault, and always willing to fight for you, no matter the cost. He was…well, he was everything you were looking for, honestly. He always had been.

The two of you split. Raph went to work on your showerhead while you ordered a pizza and texted Donnie about your insurance fiasco. Once the pizza arrived and the shower was more or less fixed, the two of you settled on the couch again, putting on a movie and enjoying each other’s presence.

Maybe it was because you felt like you had nothing to lose after the day you’d had, or maybe you were finally coming to your senses, but you looked at Raphael and stated with certainty, “You know, you’d be a really great boyfriend, Raphael.”

He froze for a long moment before chuckling sheepishly. “Yeah? What gave you that impression?”

“I don’t know, you’re just…you’re the best. I really don’t know what I’d do without you in my life and…I don’t want to know.”

His eyes were wide, heart racing so loudly, he was sure you could hear it from where you were sitting. “W-what are ya saying?”

“I like you, Raph. I have for a while. But if you don’t feel the same, nothing has to change. I’m okay with this, too.”

Raph set down his pizza and stared at you like a third eye had sprouted on your forehead. “You’re bein’ serious right now?”

“Of course I am. Why?”

“Well, I just…” He rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling. “I mean, look at me. You’re…You actually like me? Do ya need your eyeballs checked?”

“Of course I like you! Who wouldn’t?”

He scoffed. “Imma need you to elaborate on that.”

“Well for starters, you’re six-foot-five, super muscular, super handsome, but beyond that…you’re sweet. You’re kind, you’re a good listener, and you’re downright gentle when you want to be. You’re protective and brave and the most loyal and loving person I’ve ever met. You make me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever met and I know that no matter what happens to me, you’ll always be there for me. Hell, you took the worst day I’ve had in a while and turned it around in twenty minutes.”

He stared at you for a long moment, kind of in shock. He forced a laugh so he didn’t burst into tears on the spot. “You’ve been keeping all of that tucked away in that pretty little head of yours?”

“Yep.” You shrugged, unsure of what else to say.

“You actually like me.” He stated, letting the pieces click. “See, just when I was starting to think my giant crush on you was hopeless…” He let out a little disbelieving laugh. “Holy shit.”

“So can I like kiss you now or…?”

Raph leaned over, crushing his lips to yours, cherishing the taste of them as your arms wound around his neck, tugging him closer to you. Raph pulled you into his lap, strong arms wrapping around your frame, your chest pressed to his. The way he kissed you left you breathless, and when you finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against yours, searching your eyes for any sign of disgust, but only finding love.

“Ya know, I think Mikey’s gonna be pissed I’m the first one to get a girlfriend.”

“And Casey’s gonna owe April like twenty bucks.” You said, causing him to laugh.

“So…ya still think I’m gonna be a good boyfriend.”

You nodded, pressing another soft kiss to his lips. “The best, in fact.”

That had been a few months before, right at the beginning of the school year. Leo was dating her now, obviously. Her name was Isabella and Raph thought she was…nice. It kinda made him sick how perfect she and Leo were together. Just reminded him how alone he was, but more than that, it stirred up the anxiety deep in the pit of his stomach, the constant reminder that he did have a soulmate and someday…they’d look him in the eye and say “Shit, I’m so sorry!”

Even if he did have a soulmate. Even if they did find him someday, what was the point? It seemed like they weren’t very happy to see him, whoever they were.

So Raph went about his life, trying to ignore the words on his wrist as best as he could, dreading the day when his soulmate would reject him, just as he knew they always would.

***

“Hey, (Y/N), you’re coming to the Halloween party this weekend, right? It’s at the Sigma House.” Your roommate said, sitting across from you at the library. Her name was Lindsay and she was a pretty blonde girl majoring in criminal justice. She was going to be a lawyer someday, ala Elle Woods and wanted to do her best to make the world a better place.

“I don’t know about that.” You chuckled, shaking your head. “You remember what happened at their homecoming party, right? I’m not much of a party girl, apparently…”

“Oh nonsense, you learned your lesson. You’re still just…learning your limits, is all. Gotta build up that tolerance somehow.”

You scoffed. “Yeah, from right beside the toilet maybe.”

“What, like lightning’s gonna strike twice? It’s Halloween! It’ll be fun! Plus, where else are you gonna wear your cute lil’ costume? It’s not like we can go trick or treating anymore.”

“Valid point.” You shrugged and chewed on the end of your straw. “Fine. I’ll go.”

“YESSSSS! I’m texting Isabella. She’s bringing Leonardo.”

“Ah yes, the elusive Leonardo.” You took a sip from your iced coffee. “Supposedly he has three brothers that all go here too, but I swear I haven’t seen any of them except him the, what, two times we’ve met him.”

“I think he’s nice.”

“I think he’s nice too, but you’d think it would be easier to spot them out and about.” You chuckled. “Oh never mind, I spoke too soon.”

“Where.” Lindsay turned around, catching a glimpse of the large, hulking turtle walking into the library, side by side with a slightly smaller turtle carrying a skateboard.

“Don’t look too fast, oh my god.”

“Ooh. He’s…”

“Hot.”

“I was gonna say ‘big’ but yeah, that works too.” Lindsay giggled. “Oh my god, (Y/N), I didn’t know you were into that. You know, I saw that Ice Planet Barbarians book at the B&N in the mall if you—”

“Shut up!” You hit her playfully with the book you had sitting on the table.

The large turtle in the red flannel caught your eye and smirked, giving a little half-wave. You waved back, cheeks fully flushed from your conversation with Lindsay.

“Oh my god he just waved at you. Oh my god!”

“Shut upppp!” You rolled your eyes, sliding down your seat.

***

The Sigma Halloween Bash finally arrived and you slipped into your costume, Raven from Teen Titans, right down to the cape you’d spent the better part of a day sewing yourself.

You looked over yourself in the mirror. You looked hot, you admitted, admiring yourself in the costume. It was no wonder she was everyone’s first cartoon crush.

“You ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.” You turned around to face Isabella, who was dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. “Aww, you look cute!”

“Thanks! It was Leo’s idea.”

“Speaking of whom…are the boys coming over here first or…?”

“They’re meeting us there. Lindsay told me you guys saw Raph, huh?”

“Oh yeah. Forgot about that.” Your cheeks reddened at the mere mention of his name. “Raph, huh?”

“Raphael. He’s…nice. I don’t think he likes me all that much, but Leo says he gets better once you get to know him.”

“One of those.” You nodded. “Good to know in case I run into him completely shitfaced. Try to make a good impression.”

“Good luck with that.” Isabella chuckled, ushering you downstairs so you and your other roommates would walk the few blocks to the party.

For Halloween, it was pretty warm outside with a nice breeze, costumed college kids marching down every sidewalk to find whatever party they were headed for. And, as usual, you were following the biggest stream of kids, straight into the Sigma house.

The music was deafening and the second you stepped inside, one of the drunk frat guys handed each of you a can of White Claw, which you grimaced at and handed to Lindsay, who took it with a smile. Instead, you set out in search of a Margarita, the one drink you knew you liked, thus far. Your search was successful. You poured yourself a glass of the sweet lime drink and found your roommates again.

“There she is!” Lindsay pulled you to her and spun you around as you sipped from your drink. “You find your Marg?”

“Always.”

“The boys are on the way.” Isabella reported, bobbing along to the music while reading from her phone. “Should be any—Oh, there they are! Leo!” She waded through the crowd, pushing her way to the giant turtle who was dressed in the Beast’s suit from Beauty and the Beast. That was cute.

Raph wandered into the kitchen and out of your sight, but not before you saw the large foam spikes taped to his shell. He was dressed as Bowser. That was really funny, actually.

The party continued and you had a second margarita. You were deciding on whether or not to grab a third and then decided to commit when you saw him still hanging around the kitchen.

So, tipsy as ever, you walked through the frat house to the kitchen and poured yourself yet another drink.

“Ayo Raven! You look good did you make that yourself?” asked the shortest of the turtles, although he still stood at least six feet tall.

“I did! Thank you so much! I loved the show as a kid.”

He grinned. “I did too. I’m Mikey, by the way. You’re Isabella’s roommate, right?”

“I am indeed. (Y/N).”

“Well, (Y/N), it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too!” You beamed, scanning the kitchen. Huh, not sight of Raphael. You wondered where he’d gone. You thought for a moment and second-guessed your third margarita for the night, decided to get a glass of ice water instead.

When you walked back out to the other room, you found him alright, stumbling right into him and spilling your water all over him.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” You apologized, looking up at him. He stared back down at you, his eyes wide.

“It’s you? Yer…Wow, I just, uh…I…I didn’t think it would be you.” He stammered, reading through the words that had been etched onto your wrist since high school. You rolled up your sleeve, glancing down at them to be sure before looking back up at him, sobering up almost instantly.

“You’re my soulmate.” You whispered, starstruck in his presence.

“Let me get ya some more water, alright?” He offered, taking the empty solo cup from you, his giant hand gentler than you could have ever imagined it to be. “I’ll be right back.”

“O-Okay.” You nodded, still, for lack of better word, shell-shocked where you stood, the world crumbling around you until he finally came back with another cup of water.

He handed it to you and you were sure you were gonna drop that one, too, but you didn’t, miraculously, holding onto it for dear life. “You wanna get some air?”

“Yeah.” You nodded.

Tentatively, Raphael offered his hand to you in the crowded room. He didn’t expect you to take it. In no reality could he imagine this pretty girl dressed as a superhero to take his hand, but you did, slipping your hand into his and letting him lead you out into the backyard.

The sounds of the party faded away. There were a few people out on the deck making out, but the grass was wide open, the perfect spot to get away from all the noise in there.

You were both quiet for a while, your heart hammering in your chest as you sat down next to him. You took a long sip of water, chasing the edge of the margarita away.

“So uh…it’s okay if ya…uh…I shoulda practiced this.” He shook his head, letting out a pathetic chuckle. “I get it, I mean, if yer not…into me. I saw ya laughin’ at me at the library the other day.”

“Oh fuck, no I wasn’t I…kind of the opposite, actually.” You admitted, counting your blessings you had some liquid courage in your body for this conversation. “I’m Isabella’s roommate. Lindsay and I both are and I…I just kinda blurted out that you were hot and she…she was making fun of me, not you. I’d never make fun of you.”

“Wait, you…” He grinned, amused. “Yer not serious.”

“I am, I swear.” You laughed, pulling your cape around yourself. “I like your costume, by the way.”

“Heh. Yeah, thanks. Low effort costumes are kinda my forte.” He shrugged. “Mikey did the spikes for me. Was kinda hopin’ you’d show up dressed as Princess Peach, to be honest.”

“You still wanted me to be the Peach to your Bowser even when you thought I was making fun of you?” You asked, pouting up at him. “Raph…”

“I wouldn’t’a held it against ya even if you were.” He shrugged. “Hell, my own sister passed out the first time she met the four of us.”

“You have a sister?”

“Her name’s April. We ain’t blood, but we are family.” He smiled. “I’d like ta introduce her to ya someday. If ya want, of course. I’m…I ain’t ever done this before.”

“Well you’re doing great.”

“Ya don’t have to lie.” He nudged you playfully.

“I’m not.” You giggled, nudging him back. “You are doing great.”

“You still drunk?”

“Not much.”

“Mmm.”

“What?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Those margaritas might be clouding ya judgement, shorty.”

“They are not.” You giggled, reaching for his arm, which he gladly gave to you. You grabbed onto him, a little cold now that you’d been out there for a bit.

“If ya need me to warm ya up, I can’t. I’m cold-blooded.”

“Oh right. That’s okay.”

“Ya wanna go back inside?”

“No.” You shook your head. “I just wanna sit out here with you for a while.”

He smiled, withdrawing his arm and putting it around you instead. He rested his head against yours, letting out a long breath as you sat beneath the stars. “I like that plan.”

Donnie is like…the best boyfriend ever for a streamer.

He understands all of the programs and setups and computer stuff you could possibly need.

He programs your stream deck for you and helps you mod the games you play.

He helped program your LED lights with special sequences for your streams. Overall very helpful.

He moderates every stream and protects you from hate raids.

Protects your personal info with his life. It is off of the internet forever. No one’s gonna find where you live.

Also, in general, just very fun to play games with.

He likes all of the games you like, and even if he doesn’t, he’s willing to get into them because it’s something you care about.

He’s probably an avid discord user tbh.

Your fans have never seen him for obvious reasons, but they all love Donnie and shout him out in your chat when they hear his voice in the background.

Might even stream with you using one of those v-tuber things to conceal his identity.

If the boys ever do reveal themselves to the public, Donnie gets very popular. He might even surpass your sub count.

I could totally see him becoming a beloved internet celebrity.

There’s jokes about how he’s good at everything. He’s a member of every fandom, plays every video game, knows everything.

Becomes the Hank Green of the video gaming community.

He’s a very strong advocate of accessible technology, only having three fingers on each hand himself.

Works to develop custom keyboards and controllers for him, his brothers, and anyone else who needs modified tech.

Helps you make merch for your brand: t-shirts, stickers, cups, plushies, you name it, he has it designed ASAP.

He’s quick to shut down haters in your chat.

Knowing Donnie, he’d be able to get all of their info and roast each one specifically.

I feel like he probably is good at Minecraft. He has all the crafting recipes memorized, knows how everything works and makes all kinds of cool stuff with the redstone. He’ll protect you from all the monsters and kill the Creepers before they even get near you.

Meanwhile, you’re running around planting flowers and befriending bees. (Mood.)

A very, very wholesome relationship. The whole internet is lowkey jealous.

Who wouldn’t be? Donnie’s the best.

Slowly, you sat up and looked down beside the bed, where the crash had originated. There, sitting on the floor staring up at you, was a large mutant turtle. Your eyes widened.

“D-don’t scream. I’m not going to—”

“Leonardo?” You whispered, voice catching in your throat as your heart hammered. Maybe you had drifted off to sleep, because this most definitely was a dream.

He froze, eyes locked on you. A shiver ran down your spine under his intense gaze. “Do I…have we met?” He asked quietly, those blue eyes of his never leaving you.

“Not…exactly.” You motioned to the poster on your wall, him and his brothers jumping past the title text, reading Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

Leo hesitated, taking a small step closer so he could get a closer look. “But that’s…we…”

“You…You’re real? This isn’t some…weird melatonin dream?”

“Not that I know of.” Leo murmured, still staring at the poster. “You can pinch me if you want. I don’t believe this either.”

“Glad to see your sense of humor is still intact.” You chuckled, unable to take your eyes off of him.

“Teenage?” Leo read, paying closer attention to the title. “I’m twenty-three.”

You chuckled. “It’s from 2016.”

“Oh. Yeah. That…makes sense.” He took a breath and turned his attention back to you. “Can I sit down?”

“Yeah, of course.” You scooted over in your bed and patted the space next to you.

He nodded gratefully and sat down on the bed, elbows resting on his knees, face in his hands as he walked himself through a mild existential crisis.

“So um…what happened? On your end, I mean. We don’t really…have interdimensional travel here.”

“Fight with Kraang. Got pushed through this…portal thing? I don’t know the word for it. And the next thing I knew, I was crashing through your closet. Sorry about that, by the way.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll help you clean it up.” He told you. “I…have a feeling I’m gonna be stuck here for a bit.”

“Donnie’ll figure it out.” You said it with confidence.

He smiled, turning to look at you. “You’re a fan, huh?”

“If the poster was any indication, yeah.” You chuckled and pointed up to the top shelf of your bookshelf in the corner of the room, which held your small collection of action figures. “I’ve got those, too.”

“They made action figures of us?”

“They made a lot more than that.” You chuckled.

He raised an eyebrow, curious. “Like what?”

“Cartoons, several movies, backpacks and funko pops and Halloween costumes…Oh, and comics. You guys are pretty much superheroes here.”

“Wow.” Leo thought for a long moment, looking a little choked up. “Wow. That’s…I mean…when humans in my reality see me they…scream. Sometimes they faint. And here, they think I’m a hero?”

“I mean, the general public might still be weird if they saw you out and about, but you’d be swarmed by nerds at a comic con.” You shrugged.

“What’s your name?” He asked, voice steady and smooth.

“(Y/N) (L/N).”

“Nice to meet you, (Y/N).” He smiled warmly, tilting his head. “So um…do you want me to clean this mess in the morning or right now?”

***

When the morning rolled around, you half-expected it to have all been a dream. And, looking around your room, which was clean thanks to Leo’s help, it could have been. Well, until you got out to your living room and saw the giant turtle sleeping on your couch.

God, he was a sight.

You’d pulled the curtains shut so none of your neighbors got a glance and called animal control or the SWAT team, and loaned him a few blankets and a plush pillow. His gear was laid across the dining room table, bandana off, leaving his face uncovered.

You stared at him for a long moment, shaking yourself out of it and turning into the kitchen to make breakfast. You thought, staring into the fridge, and then dug out the ingredients for scrambled eggs, setting a box of cereal on the counter too, so he had options. After all, you didn’t really know what the turtles liked to eat. Well, aside from pizza, that was.

“Morning.”

“Aah!” You jolted, turning to see him standing in the doorway. You held a hand to your heart. “Jesus, you’re quiet.”

“Sorry about that.” Leo chuckled. “Ninja training.”

“Right, right.” You laughed. “I’m making eggs, if you want any.”

“Scrambled?”

“Yeah.”

“Perfect. Do you, uh…need any help?” He asked.

“I’ve got it.”

“I can set the table.” He offered, blue eyes earnest in the daylight.

“Sure! There are dishes in that cabinet. The silverware is in that drawer.” You told him, motioning to both.

He nodded, gathering them before distributing them on the table. Meanwhile, you pulled a package of bacon out of the fridge and fried that up as well, figuring it wouldn’t hurt. He walked back into the kitchen once the table was set and leaned against the counter, watching as you cooked.

“So um…tell me about yourself. If you want. You don’t have to.” He stumbled over his words, and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I am also twenty-three. We were born the same year.”

“’99?”

“Yep.” You chuckled. “I graduated college like a year ago and…I’ve still been figuring it out since then. Working part time for the time being until I…decide how I want to spend the rest of my life.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Eh, kinda. I don’t know, there’s just a lot of pressure to get my ducks in a row. Everyone keeps acting like the clock is ticking double-time now that I’m in my twenties, but especially since I’m out of college. And it kinda feels like it, too. But yeah, I’m hanging in there, I guess.” You shrugged. “My Mom is on a business trip, by the way. We’ve got the place to ourselves for the next…two months or so.”

“Two months?? What kind of business trip is it?”

“She’s a TV show producer. Travels a bit, sets things up, comes back home for the next few months, and does it again when another show gets ready to start filming.”

“That’s cool.” Leo nodded.

“It is.” You agreed, plating up the eggs and bacon and walking with him to the table. You sat across from each other, and you tried not to, but you couldn’t help but stare a little. He caught your eyes, because of course he did.

“What?” He asked teasingly. “Do I have something on my face?”

“Oh! No, I just…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without your mask before.” You admitted, cheeks reddening.

“Huh.” He thought about it for a moment. “We do wear them a lot, I guess.”

“Yeah.” You agreed. “It makes it easier for the kids watching to tell you apart.”

“Aww.” Leo smiled.

The thought of human children playing with toys of him, or dressing up as him for Halloween crossing his mind. It was something he didn’t even dare imagine in his own reality, but something that happened all the time in yours. It was a place where he wasn’t feared.

“Did you watch us growing up?” He asked.

You nodded. “A lot of kids did. They’ve been making Ninja Turtles cartoon since my parents were teenagers.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Woah, really?”

“Yeah, it kicked off in the 80s.” You told him, pulling out your phone and walking him through the turtles media of the last forty-ish years, stopping once you got to the version he’d come from. “And this is you guys, the Bayverse turtles—”

“Bayverse? What’s that mean?”

“As in Michael Bay.”

“Michael Bay??” Leo’s eyes widened. “Transformers Michael Bay? Random explosions Michael Bay?”

“Yeah, same guy.”

“Why?”

“Beats me.” You laughed. “He didn’t direct them, though, just produced them.”

“Alright.” He nodded. “Mikey’s still never gonna believe me.”

“Can’t say I’d blame him.” You grinned, finishing your breakfast.

“So when do you have to go to work?”

“I have the day off. Tomorrow, I go in at three, though.” You told him. “What do you want to do when that happens?”

“Well, I…should probably stay here, right?”

“That would probably be smart.” You chuckled. “Will you be okay on your own? I don’t get out until eleven.”

“I’ll be fine. You’ve got a TV and an internet connection. I’m sure I can stay occupied in the meantime,” he said. “Besides, if your closet is indeed the other end of the portal I came through, I should probably stay near it in case Donnie figures out something.”

“Oh yeah, right.” You nodded, the thought of you coming home to find Leo gone without a goodbye making you sick. You hoped whenever he had to leave, you would get to see him off, maybe even see his brothers.

“Where do you work?”

“At an aquarium, actually.” You chuckled. “I’ve always really loved aquariums.”

“I’ve never been.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Leo shook his head. “Where I’m from…being me prevents me from being able to do things sometimes, but I love who I am. I wouldn’t trade it.”

Pity swelled in your heart for him. He’d never been to an aquarium, a theme park, the movie theater, the mall, hell, even a grocery store. He’d had so much taken from him, he’d been barred from so many places. You were glad he and his brothers were proud of who and what they were, but you felt bad that they couldn’t even enjoy the simplest of things because of it.

And because of that, an idea sprouted in your head.

“Do you want to go to an aquarium?” You asked him, mischief glinting in your eye. “I’m in pretty tight with the guys who close tonight and…they’re fans of yours. We just marathoned the 2012 show together. I know they’d be cool about it.”

Leo thought for a long moment, a smile slowly overtaking that handsome face of his.

“I’d really like that.” He decided. It wasn’t like Donnie would crack interdimensional travel in one day, right? What was the worst that could happen?

***

When night fell, you drove to the aquarium, Leo sitting on the floor in the back of the car, ducking beneath the windows, but watching carefully as you drove, taking in the sight of the outside world, the suburbs under starlight. Finally, you reached the mall that housed the aquarium of your employment.

You pulled into a parking spot and dialed your coworker’s number, letting him know you’d arrived.

“Hey, what’s going on, (Y/N)? I’ve got the cart and the tarp. What the fuck are you bringing in here?” Ryan, your coworker asked.

“Is it drugs? I bet it’s drugs.” Your other coworker, Parker, chimed in the background.

“Where the fuck would she get that many drugs?”

“Good point.”

“Can we focus here? Listen, I’ll explain everything, but I need you to be chill, okay? You can’t scream and you definitely can’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Right, right, got it.” Ryan promised. “We’ll be cool.”

“Alright. Come on out. I’ll pop the trunk.” You told him, hanging up and looking back at Leo. “Mission accomplished.”

“Not yet.” He chuckled, adjusting himself to get ready to dive into that rolling plastic cart as soon as it reached your car.

“Right, right. But we’re like…halfway there, I’d say.”

“Sure.” He grinned, amused by your optimism.

You got out of the car and walked outside, popping the trunk just as the boys rolled the large, opaque plastic cart up to it.

“Okay, now you have to tell us.” Parker insisted, sliding the tarp off of the cart, readying himself for whatever was about to go in it.

“Well the good news is, it’s not drugs.” Leo said, climbing over your back seats and into their line of view. His heart pounded, waiting for the scream, but once again, it never came. Instead, the boys stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Holy fuck, Leonardo???” Ryan asked, turning to you for explanation. “Thee Leonardo???”

“This is way better than drugs.” Parker grinned, helping Leo get in and putting the tarp on top of him. You closed the trunk and walked with them inside.

Once the coast was clear, Leonardo very carefully climbed out and looked around. You were in the backrooms, which was storage, mostly. Not much going on back there, especially after closing.

“I’ve just gotta lock up that back door and then you should be good to roam around.” Ryan gave a thumbs-up. “I’m a really big fan, by the way. You’re my favorite. I think the movies you guys are in are way underrated.”

Leo chuckled, a giant grin on his face. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll keep a look out.” Parker reported.

“Thanks, Parker.” You said, leading Leo out the doors and into the aquarium gift shop, which sat at the front entrance that connected to the mall.

“A gift shop?”

“Can’t have a tourist attraction without one.” You chuckled.

“That’s true. They’re everywhere in New York.” He said, following you back into the first area of the aquarium, one housing local fish. He read through the information panels on each one, nodding thoughtfully as he learned the new information.

“Come here.” You instructed him, leading him over towards a glass dome that sat on the bottom of one of the tanks, a gap beneath it a few feet tall, so guests could put their head in it and be surrounded by fish.

“That’s gonna be a tight fit.” Leo noted, eyeing up the small space, but getting down on the floor anyway, cramming himself inside. He looked around in the dome in wonder, watching as the fish swam around him. “Woah…”

“It’s one of my favorite things here.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Further down.” You told him.

“Hey, would you get a picture of me?” He asked, handing you his shell phone, his camera app open.

“Of course.” You nodded, taking a picture of him in the dome. You got a few of him smiling and then waited for him to stop posing, looking around at a fish, and snapped a candid, the expression on his face peaceful. You handed the phone back.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, of course.” You offered your arm. “Need a hand out of there?”

“Definitely.” He took your hand and you helped him to his feet, his shell barely grazing the side of the entryway.

The two of you continued, stopping to admire the seahorses, the tropical fish, the clownfish that you couldn’t help but compare to Nemo. You stopped in the touch tank, where some starfish and anemone were so the kids could touch them.

Leo rinsed his hands off in the sink and knelt beside the tank, tentatively poking one of the plush pink starfish. “Do they have names?”

“Not officially, no, but I call that one Greg.”

He laughed. “Hello, Greg. Nice to meet you.”

“He said hi. I can tell. I’m a professional.”

“Ah, you speak starfish?” He grinned, teasing.

“Of course I do. It’s a prerequisite to work here.”

“Do you speak turtle, too?”

“I think I’ve been speaking it pretty well, I’d say.”

“I can’t help but agree.” He chuckled, shaking his head. He bid the starfish goodbye and the two of you reached the jellyfish tank, where the jellyfish were bathed in purple light, gently bobbing through the water.

“You can change the color of the light.” You told him, pointing to the buttons on the wall beside the tank.

“That’s really cool.” He reached forward and poked the blue button, and sure enough, the jellyfish were soon floating in brilliant blue light. He snapped a picture, smiling to himself.

The two of you meandered through the exhibits, Leo continuing to read the informational text, glancing up at you on occasion. You told him things about the fish and other sea creatures as you passed them, listing off the knowledge you’d picked up on the job. And then, finally, you reached it, your favorite thing in the aquarium, the tunnel.

The tunnel went through the biggest tank in the facility, which housed a few small sharks, sea turtles, and several fish. There was a large statue of a woman’s head on one wall, and other assorted decorations throughout. You loved standing in it and watching them swim over you.

“This is my favorite thing in the aquarium.” You told him, motioning above you.

“I can see why.” He nodded, staring as one of the sea turtles swam overhead. “Hey, what’s that thing on his shell?”

“Oh, it’s a weight patch. He got hit by a boat a few years ago and he can’t manage his buoyancy anymore. He has to live here so we can monitor him and change his patches when he grows.”

“Mmm.” Leo nodded, watching him go. “What’s his name?”

“Shelldon.”

Leo laughed. “Original.”

“Yeah, I think so too. It suits him.”

It was quiet for a moment, the only sounds that of the water. You looked up at him, and for the first time, really realized just how tall he was in real life. You always knew he was, but it was different when he was standing in front of you instead of on a screen.

Leo reached forward, taking your hand in his, tentative and gentle, very much still testing the waters and giving you every chance to reject him, but you didn’t, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Thank you. For this. It’s been really great.”

“Of course. I owe you, actually, so…this is starting to repay that.”

“Owe me? For what?”

“You’re my comfort character, Leo. Since high school, you’ve gotten me through a lot of rough patches. I honestly don’t know if I’d be standing here without you. You save all kinds of lives in your own reality, but…you’re saving them here, too, just in a different way. You’ve always been my hero.”

His expression softened and he let go of your hand, pulling you into his arms instead, a large three-fingered hand cradling your head while the other held you tight. You surrendered to his hold, a hand resting against his plastron and the other settling on his bicep.

After a long few moments, Leo pulled away, admiring you in the gentle blue glow of the giant tank. He brushed a piece of hair out of your face and leaned closer, once again giving you every opportunity to pull away, but instead, you did the opposite, closing the distance between you and pressing your lips to his.

He melted against you, lips melding against yours perfectly and carefully, a little unsure, but the adrenaline of it all fueling him. He finally found the person of his dreams, but of course it would be just his luck that they were from another reality.

“There’s no way this is happening.” You murmured, stars in your eyes as you looked up at him.

“It’s happening.” He insisted, kissing you again, a little more confidently this time, smiling against you as your arms wound around his neck, your chest pressed against his, your lips soft and warm and perfect. It was better than any first kiss he could have imagined. Never, ever did he dare to dream he’d be standing where he was, doing what he was with a person who hadn’t even screamed when he met them.

At this point, it was too good to be a dream. He felt like he was floating on Cloud 9 by the time he finally came back down for air.

“How long can we stay here?” He asked, afraid to even ask. He felt like Cinderella waiting for midnight to hit.

You glanced at your watch. “A little while, at least.”

“Okay.” He nodded, taking your hand in his again. Leo knew one thing for certain, he never wanted that moment to end.

Neither did you.

Tags: @thelaundrybitch, @turtle-babe83, @dilucsflame33, @happymoonangel, @scholastic-dragon

“Maybe, actually. Um…Leo, you meditate, right?”

“I do.” He nodded, smiling softly as he took the seat beside you. “It helps me focus, calm down my brain when it feels like its racing a mile a minute.”

“That sounds…helpful.” You said quietly, meeting his calm blue eyes.

“It is. We could try it together if you want. If you think it would help, that is.” He offered, taking your hand in his.

“I think that would help, yeah.” You nodded.

Leo led you into the dojo and grabbed a few meditation cushions, setting one out for either of you. He grabbed your favorite blanket and draped it around your shoulders, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“So, I usually listen to some soft music, but I could put on some white noise or brown noise or rain sounds…” Leo listed.

“Brown noise might be nice.”

“Good. And do you want me to light a candle?”

“Sure, what do you have?”

“I think the more accurate question is what don’t I have?” Leo raised an eyebrow, pulling his basket full of candles over to you.

You chuckled softly, looking through the options. “Bath and Body Works, huh?”

“They’ve got good scents.” He shrugged and held up one called stress relief, that smelled like mint and eucalyptus. “This one’s my favorite.”

“It smells really good.” You agreed, inhaling it. “I think that one would be good.”

“Great.” Leo set the candle between you on the floor and lit it before handing you a pair of headphones. “So, try to clear your mind. If you can’t do that, just take deep breaths and count slowly. If your mind starts to wander, don’t resist, just gently remind yourself of the task at hand. Those thoughts will still be there when you’re ready for them.”

“Okay.” You nodded, listening carefully to everything he told you.

“How long do you want to try?”

“Maybe like thirty minutes?”

“Awesome. I’ll put a timer on the sound.” Leo told you, setting things up on his phone and then motioning for you to put your headphones on.

You slipped them on and listened to the soothing, ambient noise. It was like magic, almost. Your brain felt so…quiet. You took deep breaths, as Leo had instructed, and let the tension out of your body, relaxing your shoulders.

When the brown noise finally faded out, you opened your eyes and looked at Leo, feeling a lot better than you had been only thirty minutes before.

“How are you feeling?” Leo asked, blowing out the candle.

“I feel really good, Leo. Thank you.”

“Of course.” He smiled, motioning you over. You crawled across the dojo floor and into his lap. Leo cradled you in his big, strong arms, leaning his cheek against your forehead. “You know, if you need to talk about anything, I’m always here. I don’t want you to have to carry everything on your own.”

“Thank you.” You kissed his cheek. “I really lucked out with you.”

He chuckled. “Really. Because here I was thinking I won the absolute lottery with you.”

You nudged him. “You’re a flirt.”

You could feel him smirk against you as he pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Well, is it working?”

“A little.”

Leo and Mikey greeted you when you entered, Mikey playing his video games on the TV and Leo reading something in his spot on the couch. Donnie was in the lab, as usual, and Raph was working out. You could tell by the steady clinking of his weights in the distance. You couldn’t help but blush a little, thinking of the big, strong turtle.

You’d been friends with the turtles since you were in high school and they were teens. Now, you were all in your early twenties, you’d finished college and were working basically full time at a game store downtown, which meant you were always able to get gaming equipment and games for them with your generous employee discount. Lately, you were trying to figure out the rest of your life, and if you were being honest…you wanted Raph, and the rest of his brothers, for that matter, to be a part of it.

Once you got comfortable, you pulled out your cocoa ingredients, pouring a mug of milk and cocoa mix, squirting in lots of chocolate syrup before giving it a good stir and sticking it into the microwave. You readied a can of whipped cream, squirting some in your mouth, only to come face to face with the turtle in the red bandana himself.

“Oop.” You mumbled, eating the whipped cream. “Hello.”

“What’cha up to, shorty?” He asked, giving your head a playful shove.

“Hot cocoa. You want some?” You held up an empty mug, wiggling it around temptingly.

He grinned. “I could be convinced.”

You mixed together another mug full of cocoa and swapped it for yours in the microwave. You turned to grab the whipped cream, but Raphael had it, doing the exact same thing you had just been doing. You giggled. “Hey!”

“One sec.” He said, holding up a large finger and taking another hit of whipped cream before handing it back to you.

You shook your head, chuckling as you sprayed a spiral of whipped cream on top of your drink, nursing it in your hands as you took your first tentative sip. It was then that Raph finally noticed the sparkling red color of your nails, accompanied your candy cane accent nails. He stared for a long moment before you looked up, catching him.

“What’s that look for, big guy?”

“Huh?” He met your eyes. “Oh, nothin’, nothin’.”

You took a sip of cocoa and set it on the counter, holding out your hands so he could get a closer look at them, taking each of your human hands in his much, much bigger ones. Raph admired your little fingers, the way the red polish glittered in the light as he moved them ever so slightly.

“When’d ya get these done?”

“This week. Thought they would be nice for the holidays and all that.” You shrugged. “Plus, red happens to be one of my favorite colors.”

He smirked, thumb rubbing over the back of your hand. “Oh it does, does it?”

“Mmhmm.” You nodded, eyes meeting his.

Raph’s voice got all soft. “It’s a good color for ya.”

Heat rose to your cheeks at the implications. “I think so, too.”

The microwave beeping caused you to part, grabbing the mug for Raph, careful not to burn yourself on its hot exterior. You handed it to him and he sprayed some whipped cream on it before going through the basket of things you’d brought down to the lair. He shuffled through your DVDs before holding up a copy of the Grinch.

“It’s you!” You said, laughing mischievously.

He deadpanned. “Ha. Very funny.” He continued to look through them, pulling out Barbie in the Nutcracker. “What’s this one for?”

“I brought that specifically at Mikey’s request.” You defended. “But it is a cinematic masterpiece nonetheless.”

Raph chuckled. “I’m sure it is.”

The two of you moved to the living room, Raph carrying your basket for you. Leo greeted you as you sat down, barely looking up from his book to do so. You pulled out your Switch and booted up Stardew, Mikey sitting upright at the sound.

“You playing Stardew?”

You grinned. “Maybe.”

“Can I get on?”

“Absolutely.” You laughed, booting up the Co-Op farm you’d started with the boys. Well, you mostly played with Mikey, but Donnie hopped on every so often.

Raph picked one of your movies from the basket and pulled it out, opening the case and staring at the DVD. Looking at it, his thumb might be too big to pop it out in one piece, so he handed it to you.

“Hmm?” You asked, looking up. “Oh.” This wasn’t the first time he’d asked you to do so. Borrowing your little hands, as he liked to say. You popped out the disk and handed it to him so he could put it in the PlayStation.

With Home Alone playing in the background, he sat beside you on the couch, his arm settled on the back cushions, brushing against your back. He watched your screen every once in a while, fascinated as your little pixelated character ran around, planting parsnips and fighting little green blobs.

Your phone buzzed, a notification from Tinder blinking on its screen before going black again. It was one of their promotional messages, begging you to try their premium service, but why would you when it was already so rough out there?

Raph was quiet for a long moment before saying, “You tryin’ to date again?”

“I was. I don’t know.” You shrugged. “The dating pool up there is rough.”

“Hmm.”

“What?” You looked over at him.

“Nothin’, I just…I think ya should delete it.”

“I probably should.” You shrugged and leaned on him, hoping he’d finally take the hint.

“Yeah, her crush isn’t on there anyway.” Mikey chuckled.

Raph narrowed his eyes. “You got a crush?”

“I do and you’re gonna be down a brother if he doesn’t shut up about it.” You glared at him over your Switch, causing the youngest turtle to laugh mischievously.

“Huh. Didn’t know that.” Raph crossed his arms, withdrawing them from around you, jealousy bubbling just beneath his surface. It was almost hilarious how oblivious he was, if not utterly infuriating.

You stayed for the rest of the movie before starting to pack up your stuff to go home. “Hey Raph, would you walk me back?”

“Sure.” He replied, a little shorter with you than usual. “Got everything?”

“Mmhmm.” You nodded, looking up at him.

“Great. Let’s go.”

The city was quiet, snowflakes falling. You loved New York in winter. There was so much to do and it was beautiful. Well, until the snow turned to slush, that was, then it wasn’t so fun. But right now, the way it looked, it was like your own personal snow globe.

Raph got you to your apartment in one piece, and he was about to turn to leave, but you put a hand on his arm.

“Hey, do you wanna come up? Hang out for a bit?”

“Uh, sure.” He nodded, motioning up to your fire escape. “Race ya.”

“Ha. For your sake and mine I hope the elevator’s working today.” You chuckled, walking into the building and taking the elevator up to the fifth floor. Once you were inside, Raph’s hulking silhouette was looming in the window. You crossed the room, unlocking the window and opening it for him.

“Thanks.”

“Mmhmm.” You hummed, watching as he entered the room, standing somewhat awkwardly as he waited for you to say something.

“So…this crush ah yours…I know ‘em?” Raph asked tentatively, shifting from one foot to the other.

You chuckled. “You…do, actually. Pretty well, I would think.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh.”

“Oh.” You repeated, taking a few steps closer, looking up at him. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, though. I get it.”

“Wait, you mean me?” His eyes widened, staring at you. “Holy shit.”

You burst into laughter. “Yes I mean you! Who did you think I meant?”

“I dunno, like Leo or…Casey or somethin’ not…” His expression softened. “Me?”

“You.” You confirmed, taking that final step and taking one of his gigantic hands with your own.

“Are ya sure?” he asked, fingers tentatively curling around yours.

“Positive.”

He grinned. He looked around your apartment. “Aw, shorty, where’s your mistletoe when I need it?”

“You don’t need it.” You assured him, standing on your toes as he met you in the middle, finally, finally pressing his lips to yours.