"Mikey!"
Michelangelo chuckled and scooped up the happy toddler when Elia ran at him as soon as he opened the door.
"Oof, you're getting really heavy!" He joked, enduring the affectionate nuzzle from her.
Kion chuckled as he stepped in, taking his daughter from him. Both of them wore jackets to bear the cold temperature outside. It was rather warm, considering it was December, but in this dimension that's as cold as it would get.
They didn't celebrate Christmas here, which was lame in Mikey's eyes. However, they had to adapt. This was their home now, after Splinter had been killed... after April had betrayed them.
Shaking his head to clear it from the dark thoughts, Mikey led his guests to the living room. Despite being used to way colder temperatures, the sea-green turtle wore a knitted sweater. Raph had made it while Mikey had been working on the caps for their babies, and all of his mates insisted he wore it, so he wouldn't get sick.
They settled down on the couch, Elia already tackling the cookies on the table with a happy squeal. With her big brown eyes she looked at Mikey's middle, a confused frown on her face.
"Where's the babies?" She asked, poking Mike's flat stomach. He laughed along with Kion.
"They're sleeping upstairs, sweetie. When they wake up you can meet them." He turned on some kids show on the television on low volume to distract her for now and leaned back on the couch with a sigh.
"So how's it going? Tired?" Kion grinned at him knowingly.
"Yes. Every hour at least one of them wakes up. It's a vicious cycle..." Mikey chuckled. "The guys are doing what they can though. They take turns getting up, depending on how many of them wake up."
"Yeah, Elia was a handful... I can't imagine having three of them."
"It's not so bad, really. Only Phoenix is a little... clingy. He won't let himself be calmed by anyone but me."
"Really?"
"We thought it would get better after a few days, but it hasn't changed much."
Both of them looked up when Leo entered the living room, a tray of tea and hot chocolate with him.
"At least he lets us touch him now without starting to cry." Leo set the tray down and sat next to Mikey, resting an arm over his shoulders. "Two weeks ago he'd cry every time we tried to take him from Mikey."
"You'd think he's used to your voices and all. Amy and Ky liked you all immediately."
Kion shrugged, sipping from his tea.
"Some kids just have a really strong bond with their mother. I bet he'll warm up to you in the next weeks."
"I hope so..." Leo sighed, distracted by the kids show.
"Where's Raph?" Mikey asked with a frown.
Donnie was in the basement, working on something for Telon. The doctor has given him some work he could do at home, so he can be with his family the first few months and still get paid.
"Uh, he said he wanted to install that new lamp we bought before they were born."
"Can't he do that when they're awake? He's gonna-"
Mikey was interrupted by a crash from upstairs. A small pause, followed by a string of curses. A baby's wail.
Leo sighed and jumped to his feet before Mikey could move.
"I got it."
Kion laughed at the look Mikey sent him. The baby calmed after a few moments and Leo was scolding Raph.
"Hey, how long did it take until you weren't sore anymore?" Mikey asked to cover the following bickering of his oldest mates.
"Uh... around two months. Getting frisky already?" Kion wiggled his eye-ridges.
"God no. It still feels like I pressed burning coals out. I'm asking because my bros are trying to be considerate. They're not intimate with each other until I can join them."
"Aw, but that's really sweet!"
"They're all tense, hovering, aggravated. It's annoying. I told them I wouldn't mind if they did the do without me, but no success." Mikey shook his head with a sigh.
"But enough of that. What about you? How are things at home?"
"Oh please. Ever since you gave birth Telon is bugging me about getting another child." Kion rolled his eyes.
"Don't you want another one? What does Bogen say?"
"I don't mind a second child, but not so soon. Elia is two now, I'd rather have her out of that horrible age before attempting again." He eyed his daughter to make sure she was still captivated by the show.
"Bogen is neutral at the moment, he's busy at work because of some perverts roaming around... But if Telon bothers him too he's gonna be on his side. I have three months to think of a good excuse before mating season."
"Isn't that a good excuse? That you want to wait till Elia's older?"
"Telon killed that excuse immediately. Because you guys manage triplets, we can manage a second baby."
Mikey giggled. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah yeah. What about you? Already planning the next kid?"
"We haven't really talked about it. I kinda think three are enough for now." Mikey cleared his throat and absentmindedly rubbed his backside. "For a long while, to be honest."
"That's what I thought. You're gonna have to ask Telon for heat suppressants. Oh hey! I'm just gonna tell him that we want to be pregnant together! That way I can get out of it for a few years! You're gonna be my excuse."
Mikey laughed, agreeing to the plan. "Alright. I'm sure it's gonna be a few years until we want another one. If we ever gonna get more children."
Footsteps from the stairs alerted them of Don's presence. He had a paper bag in his hands and yawned.
"Oh, hey Kion. Is Telon picking you up later?"
The dark turtle nodded. "Yep... are you already done with that?" He said, motioning to the paper bag Donnie set down on a side table.
"Yes, I wanted to have it done before three." Kion found himself about to ask why, when there was another baby wailing from upstairs.
Donnie grinned at his accurate planning, getting to the kitchen to prepare the bottles.
"Wow." Kion stated, looking at Mikey. "Telon was never this organized."
"Heh yeah. Kinda his thing." Mikey chuckled, standing up and walking to the stairs.
"Do you need help getting them down?" He yelled, getting an immediate response that consisted of both Leo and Raph telling him to "Just sit down!"
Mikey rolled his eyes as he trudged back to the couch. "Over protective bastards." He grumbled under his breath.
"Babies are up?" Elia asked with excitement when the wails came down the stairs.
"Yes, they're hungry now." Donnie answered, carrying three bottles over and setting them on the table.
"I can give dem cookie!"
"No sweetie, I'm afraid they're too young for that. They want their bottles." Donnie laughed before hurrying over to take Ky from Leo. The leader adjusted his grip on Amy now that his other arm was free and bounced her gently to calm her.
Raph was coming down the stairs, sighing when Nix kept screaming pitifully. He was holding him up against his plastron, bouncing him and gently patting his diapered bottom, something that always calmed Amy down, but it didn't work.
Mikey held his arms out to receive their youngest from Raph, and as soon as Nix realized he was with his mommy he calmed down.
"This is getting really frustrating." Raphael pouted, jumping over the back of the couch to settle between Donnie and Mikey.
Donnie chuckled and handed Ky and his bottle to Raph. He playfully tickled the tiny toes, making the baby giggle cutely around the bottle in his mouth.
"Somebody lost his socks again." He cooed.
"No wonder with how much he kicks around. Definitely Mikey's hyperactivity." Mikey stuck his tongue out to Leo as he held the bottle for Nix, who sucked on it happily.
Donatello got up to retrieve the socks, rubbing Elia's head as he passed her.
The two-year-old was examining Amy with wide eyes. The baby had a frown on her face, holding the stare with her own as she swallowed her food greedily.
"That's Amy. She's a girl, like you." Leo explained, smiling when Elia's face lit up.
"She gonna play dolly with me?"
"Not yet, but when she is a little older she will." Elia shone with joy at that before turning to examine Ky.
"Girl too?"
"No, that's a boy. Ky." Elia tilted her head as she met the wide cerulean eyes.
"Hello Ky. You're no girl but you can play dolly too." She decided graciously, delighted when the baby smiled at her too.
"Another thing he has in common with Mikey. That perpetual smile." Raph shook his head with a fond smile.
"And Don's lack of appetite." Leo added pointedly when Ky turned his head from the only half-empty bottle.
"No, no, no, Kyanite. You have to eat so you get big and strong like daddy." Ky pouted when Raph kept trying to put the bottle back in his mouth. Finally he accepted it, distractedly sucking on it as he looked at Elia. "Good boy."
Donnie came back with the missing sock and their burp cloths, and Nix' favorite pacifier. Ky didn't like them, and Amy always pulled hers out to just examine it. However, Phoenix loved his pacifier.
He threw one of the cloths over his shoulder and took Ky from his older brother when the bottle was empty. He patted the small shell, smiling when he heard the soft burp almost immediately. Donnie kissed the side of his face before cradling him again.
"Do you wanna hold him?" The genius asked Kion, who nodded with a grin.
While Amy was really wary of anyone that wasn't part of her family, and Phoenix was only comfortable with Mikey, Ky got along with everyone. At the hospital every nurse was charmed by his happy nature.
Kion was basically a stranger, it was their first meeting, and Ky giggled at him as if he was his best friend.
"Oh my, aren't you a precious little guy..." A happy squeal made them all smile.
Leo took the burp cloth from Donnie and put it over his own shoulder to coax a burp from Amy too. She fussed, not happy with her new position, and when she burped it was accompanied with some of the food. Leo grimaced at the wet sound and carefully handed her to Donnie so he could carefully take the soiled cloth away and wipe Amy's mouth.
Elia crawled over to Mikey and Nix, tilting her head. The baby was done with the bottle, already burping before Mikey could settle him against his plastron. Michelangelo chuckled and lowered him again, tickling his belly.
Phoenix giggled at his mommy, not caring about anything else.
"He has such a cute laugh, but he barely uses it." Raph noted. "Just like Leo."
"But that's what makes their laugh so precious." Mikey said wisely, making funny faces for his youngest.
Raph experimentally reached over to take one of Nix' hands, and as if on cue the laughter stopped. The green eyes snapped to Raph with a frown, as if saying "How dare you touch me".
Raphael shook his head while his mates laughed and pulled his hand away. "He also has Leo's distrust and paranoia. And he's barely a month old." He stated dryly, sending Leo a pointed look.
"Mommy?" Elia spoke up, looking at Kion.
"Yeah honey?"
"I want a baby too! They're funny!"
"... Elia, you're too young. Only grown-ups can have them." Kion explained.
"Then you have a baby! I wanna little sister!"
Kion glared at the way Mikey cracked up, laughing hard.
"We'll see, sweetheart." He calmed his daughter, distracting her with the cookies again. He leaned back with Ky, bouncing him a little when he yawned.
"Sooo..." he shot Mikey a sideways glance before settling on the other three with a pleasant smile. "Are you planning on more babies?"
"Of course." At the prompt answer, coming from all three of his mates, Mikey turned his head to frown at them.
"Not immediately, of course." Donnie clarified.
"But maybe in a year or something." Raph continued.
Kion laughed at Mikey's expression.
"You're kidding, right?" Leo, Donnie and Raph smirked at each other, but didn't answer. "Right?!"