"Turtles"
It seemed like it had been forever since the turtles had died. For most, they had fallen to the realm of distant memory and myth. But not for April and Casey. These days, they seemed to talk of the turtles more and more often. Maybe it was because they knew they didn't have many years left and wanted to share everything they could with each other. Maybe they were afraid to let their dear friends be forgotten by the two humans who had known them the best.
Each day, they would laugh as they cried, their hands instinctively reaching for each other's. Each memory brought on a new slew of emotions. But they could never be angry at their friends, no matter how many stupid things they had done-the boys' hearts were too pure. Even Raphael, the brash one, could never be an actual villain. Sure, he had left the group at various points, but his heroic spirit always brought him back. Leonardo had always resented him for that, but he was the one who'd kept the group together. He kept the boys focused. And Donatello? He was easily the brains of the group. He always knew what technology or solution to use. Michelangelo was the one who kept them from going crazy. Sure, his antics derailed the group sometimes, but who would have been able to make the boys laugh and remember that they were still teenagers?
When April and Casey got married, the boys were almost late. But seeing their friends be wed was more important than anything else they could think of. Leonardo was quiet that day. How he felt about April O'Neil was no secret. April could always see the pain in his eyes whenever she and Casey were together. Even though she was in her early 90s, she still wondered if he had ever forgiven her for committing herself to their former enemy.
Even Casey had sensed Leo's resentment. That was why he'd always tried to win Leo's favor, a task Casey never felt like he'd achieved, at least not until the end, and even then Casey still wasn't totally sure of his standing with his old friend. Leonardo had been the only one who didn't really accept him when he'd made the change to being a good guy.
Michelangelo had been the easiest of the four to win over. A kindred spirit, Casey found it natural to joke with him. At first, it had been awkward, with Casey garnering a mixture of stares and glares from the other three.
Casey never really had anything substantial in common with Donatello, but they eventually came to a mutual understanding of each other, often sharing a fist bump after doing something cool.
Raphael was a tough one-his trust issues made it difficult for him to fully believe that Casey was truly good. this was one of the very few things he actually agreed with Leonardo on. Their relationship had always been tenuous, and it seemed as though only April could get them to cooperate with each other. Even Master Splinter had found it difficult. And once Splinter was gone, the only two the turtles could turn to were April and Casey. No other humans could be trusted.
April squeezed her aged husband's hand, lifting him out of his wistful reminiscence. "Honey?"
He smiled and looked up at his dear wife's loving face. "I was just thinking about them again."
"The boys?" she asked tenderly.
He nodded wordlessly.
"Me, too, honey. Me, too."