Zoe

"WHAT IS THIS PINK CRAP ALL OVER THE FLOOR?!"

Raphael's voice reaches me all the way from our bedroom, to my spot downstairs on the couch. I smile at Michelangelo and shove another buttery kernel into my mouth.

Mikey snickers and we both look toward the stairs where Raph is stomping his way down.

"Zoe! What is this stuff?" he yells again.

"Mommy, it's pretty!" Drea' squeals from her spot perched on Raph's shoulders, her hands opening and closing, covered in red and pink sparkles. She smacks Raph's head, rubbing her palms over the top of his mask.

"It's stuck to my feet! Zoe, it's on my sai!" Raph stops in front of me, lowers Drea' to the ground and points to his feet, then pulls out a shimmering red glittered sai. "Zoe!"

"What is the problem Raphael?"

I'm trying like hell to keep a straight face, because the glitter isn't just on his feet, and weapon. Since he put a sparkly Andrea on his shoulders it was now all over his mask, catching the light like little crystals. His eyes conveyed what he felt to be a serious situation, yet I was determined to keep my cool.

"This pink shit is all over everything, it's stuck to everything! It's on my feet, my legs, my knees pads, it's on my sai Zoe. My sai! How'd that even happen?"

"You said it was on your sai already, Big Guy." I sniff and take a breath then raise my eyebrows and wait for him to speak.

He clenches his teeth, "It's my weapon Zoe. I don't want sparkly shit on my weapon. How would that look in a fight, huh?"

Sighing, I look at him skeptically, "Are you rushing off to a battle I don't know about?"

He snarls and I smile, as he places his sai back in its hold, failing to notice the little metallic colored bits have attached to his fingers. He rubs his hand across his plastron, shifting his weight and effectively spreading them around further.

I blink at him, leaning over the arm of the couch with one hand propping up my chin. "Raph, you have a daughter." I remind him casually.

He glares at me. "What the hell's that got to do wit it?"

"Girls like sparkly things Raph. Drea' wanted to be a princess. She, Anton and Mikey were making paper crowns and I let them use glitter."

"I hate glitter." He grumbles, crossing his arms over his plastron and clenching his teeth, red sparkles glistening on his bandana like a woman's hair catching the light. He shifted his weight and the slight movement reflected more red flecks on his massive biceps.

I had to run my hand over my face, struggling to keep from laughing at him.

Mikey cleared his throat, shifting next to me like an animal waiting to be released.

"She made a crown for you too," I say to Raphael's scowling face, lifting the sparkling red paper crown from the coffee table.

He crosses his arms, giving me a determined look and telling me, "I ain't wearing that."

Drea's chubby little hands open and close, "I do it Mommy, I do it, give me, give me!"

I bite my lip as I hand it to her and she marches up to Raph proudly, "Here Daddy, I make you hat."

Raph's jaw flexes and Mikey snorts, Raph shoots him a warning glance and Mike looks away, then back to him somehow managing to contain himself.

Drea's big blue eyes plead with her father, her long lashes batting innocently, as she tries to stand on her tiptoes to reach him. He shoots Mike an evil look, then lowers himself to talk to Andrea, "Drea', Daddy's already wearing a mask, are ya sure I need a hat too?"

She nods her head furiously, "I make it for you!"

Before Raph can protest any further she places it on his head and his eyes close as he lets out a protesting grunt. Right then Leo and Karai slip in the front door. Raph stands up with his arms across his plastron, glitter catching the light all over him, red paper crown sparkling atop his head, and gives them his meanest look.

"Whoa," Karai and Leo say at the same time and Raph growls.

"Daddy pretty!" Drea's exclaims, jumping up and down while pointing and giggling at her glowering father.

Karai and Leo snort, turning towards each other, desperate to keep from laughing.

Mikey's weight shifts and I know he's prepping to run, "Princess Raphie looks like a big green and red Christmas tree!"

"GRRRR, MIKEY!"