Puppy Love

(Just a little thing I decided to write - enjoy!)

"Man! Too long, too long, too long", Michelangelo chanted. He stood outside the 'Pizza Palace', looking in the window. Inside was the biggest queue he had ever seen. It went from the counter all the way to the back of the shop.

Mikey sighed. He'd have to come back later. With one last glance at the queue, Mikey turned and started to make his way back home.

It was getting dark now. New York's sky was turning from a light blue into a dark blue. Mikey turned a corner and walked through Central Park. The quicker he got home, the better.

"Hungry, hungry, hungry", Mikey chanted under his breath.

A sound behind him cut into his chant. Michelangelo spun round, his fingers holding his trench coat tighter around him.

Nothing.

Mikey sighed, food really made him imagine things.

He turned back round and continued his chant. "Hungry, hungry, hungry", he said. His pace quickened and so did his 'hungry' chant. Mikey turned another corner and walked into an alleyway.

He saw the manhole he needed and headed towards it. But he stopped when he heard a sound again.

Mikey looked to his left and right.

Nothing.

He narrowed his eyes and spun around, pulling his weapons out of his belt and holding them in front of him.

Nothing.

Mikey sighed. I'm going mad, he thought. He spun back round.

"Ahhhh!" Mikey's hand flew to his heart and his weapons fell on the floor. There . . . right in front of him was . . . a puppy. Its black beady eyes looked at him sweetly and its golden coat shinned under the street light. It didn't even reach Mikey's knee.

Mikey sighed with relief and picked up his weapons.

"So you're the little thing that's creeping up on me", Mikey said, smiling. He put his weapons back firmly in his belt, covering them up with his trench coat.

The little puppy barked a little at him.

Mikey bent down and patted his head. "Sorry little dude, got no food with me. Heck, I bet I'm more hungry than you are", Mikey stood up and walked past the small dog.

He lifted the manhole up and climbed inside, glancing at the dog once more. "See ya around, dude", Mikey whispered, then closed the lid.

//

"Hey Mikey", Leo greeted him when he got back. "Where ya been?"

"Getting the pizza", Mikey said, sitting next to his brother on the sofa in the middle of the room.

"So", Leo said. "Where is it?"

"The line was WAAAAY long, dude!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. Donnie and Raph have gone to try that new pizza store just down the road, they'll be back in a bit".

//

"Jeeze! Go away!" Raph moaned.

"Yeah boy, go home", Donnie said softly.

A puppy with soft golden fur and beady black eyes had been following them for the past 20 minutes. Probably the smell of the pizza, Donnie thought. It looked like a stray, but they couldn't be sure.

"Donnie!" Raph moaned. "Make it go away!"

"Can't Raph", Donnie replied. "It's the pizza".

Both turtles walked into a dark alleyway and lifted the manhole up off the ground, revealing the dark sewer below. They turned back round and there he was again, his tail wagging like mad.

Donnie shrugged and jumped into the sewer tunnel, the pizza in his hands. He tilted his head and looked up at Raph. "C'mon Raph! Say 'bye' to the 'ickle wickle boy'", he added the last bit in a baby voice.

"Ha, ha", Raph said sarcastically. He looked at the puppy and gave a small, sarcastic, smile. "Hey boy, go on, 'cos I have a huge craving for . erm . hot dogs!"

Hearing this, the little dog's eyes shot open and he ran down the alleyway and right round the corner.

"Heh, heh", Raph gave a successful smile and jumped into the sewer. Reaching up, he closed the manhole behind him.

Donnie was looking at him, one of his hands on his hip.

"What?!" Raph asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing", Donnie replied. He patted Raph on the shoulder and smiled. "Hot dog".

//

"PIZZA!" Mikey shouted, when Donnie and Raph came in. He grabbed the box off Donnie and ran straight into the kitchen.

Leo, Raph and Donnie all rolled their eyes and followed him.

Mikey had already got four plates out and was busy chopping the pizza up with Leo's katanna.

"Hey!" Leo said.

"S'ok Leo", Mikey said, smiling. "I've finished now".

He chucked Leo his katanna and put two slices on each plate, three for him since he was 'soooo hungry'.

Leo looked at the melted cheese on his katanna and pulled a face. He leaned it against the kitchen door and walked over to the round table, taking a seat opposite Mikey.

Raph and Donnie joined them and soon all four turtles were digging into their pizza.

"Where's Splinter?" Mikey asked between mouthfuls of food.

"At April's", Leo replied when he swallowed his first piece.

A sound behind them made them all jump. They all turned their heads (Mikey with pizza hanging from his mouth) and looked.

Nothing.

A small whimper made them all look down . . .

"Aww!!" Mikey said sweetly.

"Not 'aww'!!" Raph shouted at his brother. "Get that thing out!!"

The tiny dog barked at all four turtles and ran up to Mikey, brushing its golden fur against his leg.

"Aww", Mikey said again. He picked up the dog and examined his neck. "Hmm, no collar, I'll call you . . . Rupert!"

"Rupert?" Donnie and Leo said together, thinking the name was just a little inappropriate for a dog.

"No!" Raph stood up and pointed a finger at the dog. "I don't care if his name is 'Sparky', there is no way - I repeat - no way, that we are keeping that dog!!"

//

"I can't believe that Splinter said we could keep that dog!!" Raph moaned, half an hour later. Rupert was now sat on Mikey's knee, enjoying the feel of Mikey's hands running along his fur.

Raph sat next to his brother on the sofa and Leo and Donnie sat on the floor, watching 'Animal Hospital' on the T.V.

"Raph - it's only until April can find the owner", Leo pointed out.

Splinter had said that they could keep the dog, AS LONG as Mikey gives 'Rupert' back if April finds his owners.

"That's if, Leo, IF", Raph said, folding his arms.

"Don't you like Rupert?" Mikey asked, gazing through his own puppy-dog eyes at his brother. "I think he's sweet!"

Raph didn't answer but he groaned and turned his attention to the T.V.

A document on how to look after dogs blared out from the T.V and Donnie took it all in, if they had to look after Rupert than they needed to make sure they COULD look after him. Donnie transferred the words from the T.V to his head.

"What are you doing?" Raph asked him, seeing his brother mumble.

"Memorising", Donnie answered, not tearing his eyes away from the T.V screen. "We need to know what kind of things young Rupert here will eat and how much attention he'll need".

"Not getting any of mine", Raph said under his breath.

Mikey gave a sideways glance to his brother and got up, holding Rupert in his hands. "I'm going to see if we've got any grub for Rupert", he said, then he added, "here Raph, hold him TWO minutes". He put the gold dog on Raph's lap and legged it out of the room.

"Hey!" Raph shouted, surprised.

Donnie and Leo smiled at each other, shrugged at Raph and put their gaze back on the T.V.

"Thanks for the help", Raph mumbled.

Rupert stared at him with his cute eyes and licked Raph's hand.

Raph pulled his hand away and glared at the puppy. "Don't", he whispered angrily.

Rupert just licked Raph's hand one more time before wagging his tail. He curled up on Raph's knee and rested his head in his paws. Pretty much like a cat would do.

Raph sighed and sat back. His brothers were too busy watching the T.V and didn't notice Raph hesitate before stroking Rupert gently on his back.

Rupert looked at Raph sweetly.

Raph gave a small smile and carried on stroking the small puppy. His fingers went over his soft fur and then Rupert's side fell up and down, indicating to Raph that he had fallen asleep.

Mikey came back from the kitchen and looked at the scene in front of him. "Aww", he said, smiling at Raph.

Leo and Donnie turned their heads and saw Raph and Rupert both sleeping peacefully, Raph's hand resting on Rupert's small back.

Leo and Donnie smiled.

At that point, the document on dogs had finished and a song, dedicated to the producers of the show, came from the T.V.

"And they call it, 'Puppy Loo-oo-o-ve' . . ."

//