The winter season was the preferred season for the four turtle brothers. The snow, the decorations, the smells, and especially Christmas, always excited the boys for this time of year. In years past, Splinter would decorate the lair while the boys watched and wrote letters to Santa. But the turtles were 17 now, and very capable of setting up the decorations on their own. While Splinter sat in meditation, the boys hung holly around the lair and set up a traditional Christmas tree.
Donnie rummaged through the boxes they had all recovered from the closets around the lair containing garland, holly, snowmen statues and other holiday necessities. He was mentally running a checklist, trying to recall how Splinter typically set the lair. "The garland, the tinsel, the tree, the ornaments," he mumbled on accounting for everything present. The others just watched; their help would only hinder Donatello's progress. "We are missing some stuff." He said, looking around the room, trying to figure out exactly what was missing. "Maybe about three or four boxes." He estimated.
Leo thought for a while, visually scanning the living room. "Raph, Mikey. Go look for the rest of the stuff. Don and I will get started in here." He instructed.
Mikey groaned; he was looking forward to hanging all the decorations. He wasn't too thrilled to be going on a search and retrieve mission while his brothers start the decorating. But Leo's orders were meant to be followed. He turned and started walking to the storage closets with Raph at his side, "Let's make this quick. I don't want to miss all the fun."
Raph smiled, "They can't be that hard to find." He threw his arm over Mikey's shell and the two of them started sprinting to their destination. Raph threw the door open to reveal a plethora of stored containers. "But I've been wrong before."
Mikey groaned, sagging toward the ground in agony, "This is going to take forever." He trudged into the closet and started opening lids, scanning the containers contents for anything that resembled Christmas or the winter season. Raph followed and did the same. They had barely made it a quarter of the way into the closet before some red and green containers caught Mikey's eye. He looked on the closet shelf and saw the four containers Donnie had talked about. They were stacked high above the heights of the two turtles sent on this quest.
Raph rolled his eyes, "Leo sent us on purpose, because he knew we wouldn't be able to reach them," he mumbled. He continued to complain about how he and Mikey were the most vertically challenged of the four brothers.
While Raph continued to rant, Mikey looked up at the boxes trying to figure out how they were going to get them down. What did Leo call this…something fancy for sure. Mikey's eyes lit up and he looked at Raph. He shook Raph out of his rant.
"Mikey, what is it?" Raph asked noticing his brother's excitement.
"I have an idea," Mikey started. Raph trembled slightly, a Mikey idea, though it's occurrence was rare and often times irrelevant, was not something to look forward to. "Let me up on your shoulders." He pleaded.
Raph laughed admirably, "And what's that gonna help?" He moved closer to his younger brother.
"If we combine our heights, we'll be able to reach the boxes." Mikey explained. Raph did not seem bought on the idea. He said nothing, but also made no move to allow Mikey on his shoulders. "Can you think of anything else?" Mikey asked.
Raph pondered the question a moment in silence. Not exactly thing up another idea, but more like a witty and sarcastic comment against Mikey's. Mikey grabbed onto Raph's forearm and looked up at him sadly. "Please, the longer we stand around here futzing around, the more Leo and Donnie get done in there."
Raph sighed, he could never resist when Mikey pulled those childish puppy dog eyes on him. "Alright." He knelt down allowing Mikey to climb over his shell. Mikey climbed on quickly, giddily laughing as he did so. Raph hoisted himself, and his temporary leech, up off the floor. Mikey was heavier than he expected. "Hurry up, Mikey." He strained under the increased pressure.
"Give me a minute. I just got up here." Mikey fought back. He tried to grab the four at once.
While Mikey struggled to grab the containers, Raph supported him impatiently. His eyes rolled through their sockets trying to find something interesting to focus on. They stopped when they ran across the skin on Mikey's thigh. Raph chuckled slightly, moving his head closer to Mikey's thigh. He rubbed his beak gently across his soft layer before planting a few small kisses on the area.
Mikey twitched his leg, laughing, "Raph. Stop." He joked, kicking Raph's chest lightly.
Raph continued to peck at Mikey's leg. Mikey tried to ignore the disturbance while he gripped the containers. He managed to get them all into a convenient position in his hands when Raph bit him harder than he had previously, sending his leg flailing. He kicked into Raph, causing him to lose his footing. He and Mikey fell fast to the floor, Mikey dropping all the containers and their contents to the floor. Amidst falling, Raph had thrown Mikey off his shoulders, pressing him to his chest. When they hit the floor, Raph took most of the blow. He groaned slightly from Mikey's weight collapsing on his own.
Mikey fit his head into the crook of Raph's neck. He looked up at his brother smiling, "This was your fault." He chuckled.
Raph smiled back, clasping his arms together on top of Mikey's plastron, "It was worth it." He started kissing Mikey's head, positioning his younger brother in a more convenient angle. Mikey closed his eyes, forgetting about decorating the lair for a moment. He enjoyed Raph's company, and even more, his affections. He rolled himself over, chest to chest, motioning with his beak above the top of Raph's head.
Raph looked above, seeing small white circles surrounded by green leaves budding from a branch lying on the ground a few millimeters above his head. He turned back to Mikey about to make a seductive comment when his lips became preoccupied with another pair.
Raph was mesmerized in the kiss. He had his hands gripping onto Mikey's belt, trying to pull him even closer, though physics wouldn't allow it. Mikey twirled the tails of Raph's mask between his fingers. Not too attentively, he tried to untie the worn out piece of fabric all together. He believed the red mask darkened the intensity of Raph's eyes.
When they parted lips, Raph winked at Mikey. Mikey blushed lightly in response. He rested his head down on Raph's chest, panting. He never wanted to leave Raph's side. Sometimes, he felt that Raph was the only one who truly understood him, the only one that really cared; more than a brother regularly cares. He had forgotten entirely that Leo and Donnie may be halfway done prepping the living room for the holiday. He had even forgotten what season it was entirely. All that occupied his mind was Raph.
Raph sighed, in the same state of restlessness. He knew, however, that if they didn't return soon, they would be retrieved, and Leo would not be kind about the break. He pat Mikey's shell a few times. "Come on, we gotta clean this stuff up," he slithered out from underneath Mikey and started putting the decorations back into the containers.
Mikey sat up, pouting at Raph as he sorted more stuff into an empty container. Raph noticed Mikey's facial expression and smirks a little. He joked about what would happen if Leo found them not doing what they were told, earning a small laugh from Mikey. When Raph saw that Mikey was still upset, he made a promise to Mikey that they could have some more intimate "alone time" after they finished decorating the lair.
Mikey started to gather the fallen belongings twice as fast, locking the container and starting on the next. When all four containers were filled and sealed, they each took two back to the living room.
Leo turned around after hearing the loud thud of heavy containers hitting the floor. "There you guys are; I was just about to go looking for you two." He announced. Raph looked at Mikey, wearing a grin conveying "I told you so"
"Yeah, well the dumb containers were all the way on the top shelf. It took us a little bit to figure out how we were going to get them out of that cramped closet." Raph retorted.
Donnie looked at them dumbfounded, "How did you get them?" He asked, setting down off his step-ladder and joining the conversation.
Mikey explained how he got on top of Raph's shoulders, and how he had the containers and Raph tripped over his own two feet and everything fell out and how they picked it all up.
Donnie continued to look confused, "You could have just asked to borrow my ladder…"
Mikey and Raph looked at each other and burst out laughing. Leo and Donnie just watched as the two other brothers laughed like hyenas. "Alright, enough about that. Splinter's gonna be done meditating soon, and the lair isn't finished." He instructed. The four continued to decorate until every last ornament was hung and every strand of tinsel was taped to the wall.
When the room was finished, they complimented their own success. When Leo and Donnie weren't watching, Raph grabbed Mikey's wrist and pulled him off to his room, smiling devilishly.
