A/N: Alright, here's Mikey's story. Dedicated to Puldoh, because she helped me so much! She's given me the basic story. If you like what so see, give a hand to Puldoh, too. If you have an idea, drop me a review or e-mail. Check my profile for an important poll to do with this series. I WILL NOT FINISH IT UNTIL AT LEAST TEN PEOPLE HAVE POLLED. Sorry, but I want a good representation.
Mikey grinned as he woke. He felt good today… Better than ever, in fact. A rustling sounded next to him. Klunk meowed for his breakfast.
"Alright, Klunk. I'm starving!" He donned his belt, masks, and nunchucks before slipping into the kitchen.
"Good morning," he called cheerfully to Leo, who sat at the table and sipped a cup of coffee. Kavara smiled at him thoughtfully.
"Good morning," he said softly. His eyes were covered like usual, but his wings rustled. Mikey grinned and opened the fridge. Leo's black wings matched his black scales, courtesy of a mind dragon that left its mark on the eldest. Also, Leo stood almost three feet taller than Mikey now. He had gone through another growth spurt that left him banging his shoulders on the doorways.
"You keep growing and you won't fit in here," Mikey chuckled as he spooned cat food into a dish for Klunk. Leo's tail tapped the floor gently.
"Yeah… Donnie thinks he can stop me from growing too much," Leo sighed. He put down his cup and stood up carefully. "Listen, Mikey, I'm sorry. I've been ignoring you, lately."
So, that's why he's in a mood. Mike just grinned, though, not letting his feelings show through. "It's okay, bro. Beth's taking up a lot of your time. And you've gotta be head of the family. I understand."
"I still should spend more time with you. I spar with Raph, work with Don on my gene problem, and train Beth and Lincoln."
"Well, wanna play a video game?"
"Sure. Pick one."
Mikey beamed and ran out into the living room. He greeted Donnie, who sleepily returned the customary phrase, and launched onto the sofa. Donnie and Raph had reinforced it well, so when Leo sat down gingerly next to him, it barely creaked.
"Alright, let's play Fast and Furious!" Mikey popped the game in and tossed Leo a controller, grabbing his own as well. The start screen popped on and Mikey spent five minutes teaching Leo what he had to do and how to do everything. The turtle's large digits barely fit on the controller, but he made do in the end.
They played for an hour together, Mike ecstatic that Leo was playing with him again. Leo's wings twitched as their owner tried to maneuver his character. One folded over him gently, heating him up comfortably. Mikey felt himself drifting off and announced that he wanted to nap.
Leo chuckled and picked him up in his wing, something easy now for the large turtle. Mikey cuddled close to Leo as he shut the game off and sat back down carefully. He put an arm around his shell and looked around at the slight noise.
Beth walked in, her stomach swollen but not too large yet. Leo smiled as she came and sat down on his other side and twitched his wing over her as well.
"How're you feeling?"
"Good. Don says it should be two more months or so," she said quietly, gesturing to Mikey. "How's he doing? He looks tired."
"He's fine, now. Thanks for letting me off the hook for a while. We played Fast and Furious."
"Race, race, race, race," Mikey chanted in his sleep, turning slightly and putting his head on Leo's thigh.
"Awww." Don came in and sat in the chair opposite them, with Raph close behind. Both looked like they had been working, Don with his chemicals and Raph with his punching bag. "Snug as a bug in a rug."
"Which rhymes," Leo pointed out needlessly. "So, how're you all this morning?"
"Fine. I think I've made another breakthrough, Leo, if I could get a fresh sample of your blood please."
"Sure. Later, though, Mikey's asleep and he's kinda holding my wing joint tightly."
"So, Beth, how are you feeling?"
"Better, actually. At least I can eat again." She made a face at which Leo laughed and kissed her gently. "Where's Mom, Dad, and Lincoln?"
"They went out for a while. It's safe now, since we've been given up for as dead or on another planet, depending on who you ask," Raph snickered. "The Foot is back in action, Leo. Caught a couple robbing some old lady down by the river."
"Hm. We'll go out in pairs from now on. If one of us is hurt, I don't want hi stranded until we can get him. It's too dangerous; everyone in this city would know who and what we are."
"Keep your horns on, Fearless Leader," Raph snorted.
"Hard to take them off," Leo laughed. "And painful." He rubbed the horn bases with a grimace. Don had wanted to see if they shed and had yanked them pretty hard. One was still tender and Leo was careful not to ram anything.
"Hey, I'm sorry," Don apologized again.
"Hey, no lasting harm done," Leo shrugged. "Just still a little tender. Beth, do you want to go with your parents tonight? They're going to a movie with Lincoln, 'cause he's going stir crazy in the house."
The Jacksons, except Beth, had moved into their old home again. Beth stayed with Leo since it was too risky to have him over there, or traveling back and forth every night. Both wanted to be together, and the parents were fine with her living there. They told everyone who asked that she was in Colorado, in a little town called Ouray, on a vacation.
"Hm, sure," Beth mused. "I need some fresh air."
"The air in here is fresh," Don huffed. "Fresh enough."
"I know, I was kidding, Donnie. It's very nice in here, actually. The lair has more of a constant temperature than my house."
"That's because, if it wasn't constant, they could hibernate or start sunning themselves," Leo laughed. He had been changed into a warm-blooded "reptile", and so didn't feel the differences in temperature so much.
"Leave off, Leo. I've seen you in front of the heater after lunch," Mikey snorted, waking up and lifting his head. "And with your wings spread like sails, I'd say you sunbathe, too. Or would it be heat-bathe?"
"Whatever. Yes, I do that sometimes, but you guys will hibernate if it gets too cold."
"And that is why I keep the temperature constant. Not to mention, cold makes Leo cranky." Don stuck out his tongue at the leader, who mockingly growled. His vocal chords also changed, so his growl was actually threatening sometimes. Unlike Raph, whose growl was more of, "Stay away", Leo's said, "I'll bite you". And with his sharp teeth, no one wanted that.
"Well, I think I'm going to make lunch," Beth said. Mikey jumped up to help, since he loved cooking. Between them, they created all of the meals in the lair. Beth waddled off, putting a hand on her back with a slight groan.
"Leo, I swear, your kid is heavier than I am," she complained.
"Hey, he or she is yours, too!" he protested. "And it isn't!"
Don was smirking at Leo when the leader looked back to his brothers with a sigh. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Who would have guessed Leo, Ninja Master, would fall in love and have a kid?"
"It's your turn next, Donnie," Leo threatened. He sneered teasingly. "You, too, Raph."
"Uh uh, Leo, no way," Raph protested. "I ain't marrying no one. Anyone. You know what I mean," he added when Don opened his mouth to point out his bad grammar.
"Me, neither," Don chortled. "Speaking of kids, Leo, have you two chosen a name?"
"Yeah, well, we've chosen a male and female name, just in case. We've also chosen his or her godparents."
"Who?" Don leaned forward slightly and put his hands together.
"Casey and April."
They had announced their own engagement at Leo's party five months ago, to the delight of everyone. Their rings were just like Leo and Beth's; gold bands with words. While Leo's said Fisae and Beth's read Eiladar, theirs were Love on both. They wanted something simple and meaningful.
In fact, April had told them that they would have a marriage ceremony at the old farmhouse, with a blind priest April had found in New York. The blind priest had promised to marry both pairs. He was told that Leo and his family had a terrible case of anthrophobia and also were inflicted with a case of scaly skin, caused by a gene defect. Leo was described as having the worst case, since he actually had scales. And Leo was affected by gigantism, which meant he was really big. His wings were going to be pinned to his shell so the priest didn't accidentally feel them.
"Wow." Raph whistled and smiled. "Good choice. So, what are the names?"
"That's for us to know and you to find out when we find out the sex," Leo teased, standing up and heading for the dojo. "I'm going to meditate for a bit. Call me for lunch."
Don nodded and turned on the TV, swiveling his chair to face it. Raph sat down on the floor next to him and rubbed his shoulders. Donnie had tested his wing strength, and the muscles were sore now.
"Want me to work with that?" Don offered. Raph nodded and moved in front of Donnie, who leaned down and placed his hands gently on Raph's shoulders. Raphael relaxed as he massaged the muscles.
A/N: Alright, drop me a review about what you think. Thanks!