Snapshots of Time XX
Pie
"Has anyone seen Mikey?" Leonardo asked, walking into the living area.
Don and Raph were on the couch, each with a game controller in hand. "Not for a couple of hours," Don answered. He came partway off the couch as he jabbed at a button. "Ha! Take that!"
"O~oh no ya' don't!" Raphael replied, countering whatever move Donatello had just made in the video game.
Leo shook his head. Getting to the gaming console first was for this pair like delivering a coup de grâce to Michelangelo. It didn't happen often but when it did, Mikey usually hung around to gripe.
"Where was Mikey when you two called dibs on the game?" Leo asked.
"Not a clue," Raph said as he rocked to one side, his thumbs working furiously.
"We just saw that the TV's were free," Don said. "Not often that happens."
Frowning, Leo began a systematic search of the lair but couldn't locate their youngest brother. Since moving into the reservoir pumping station after the Y'Lyntian lair was destroyed, there had been an unspoken agreement that none of them would leave without informing someone of their plans.
There was no note stuck to the refrigerator telling of Mikey's location and nothing in his room that offered a clue to his whereabouts. As much as Leo disliked the perception that he hounded his brothers, he decided it was time to call Mikey.
He had just pulled out his shell cell when he heard the sound of Michelangelo's humming. Hurrying downstairs, Leo was in time to see his brother arrive through one of the tunnel entrances.
Mikey was carrying two pies, one balanced atop the other as he bit into a slice cupped in his free hand.
"Where have you been?" Leo asked, his worry making the question sound abrupt.
"Whoa, guard dog at the gate," Mikey said, a facetious grin on his face. "You need to lighten up dude."
"No one knew where you were, Mike," Leo said. "We were worried."
"Yeah, I can tell," Mikey said, glancing up towards the TV array. "Bet those two didn't even bother to pause their game."
He walked towards the kitchen with Leo trailing after him. "I mean it, bro'. Remember when Raph was captured by Hun, or when I was ambushed? Going off by yourself without informing anyone leaves you really vulnerable."
"Sheesh, okay, Leo," Mikey said, setting the pies on the counter. "I wasn't alone, I was with Angel. She called to ask if I'd help make some deliveries. Her grandmother's started selling pies to the local bakeries."
"You could have told me that before you left," Leo said.
"Yeah, sure," Mikey said, rolling his eyes. "All I would have had to do was snap you out of your meditation. That's like, so super easy."
"Or left a note," Leo countered, refusing to acknowledge that Mikey was right about his meditation.
"I'll remember that for next time," Mikey said, hoping to appease his brother enough so that Leo would leave him alone to eat his pie in peace.
Instead, Leo looked at the pie and asked, "How did you get those?"
"Payment," Mikey said, his smile broadening. "Angel's grams gave them to me."
"She saw you?" Leo asked, eyes widening.
"Don't freak out," Mikey said. "I was wearing a disguise. She thinks I'm a cute, weird friend of Angel's who likes to wear green face paint. I told her I love pie."
For emphasis, he lifted out another slice of pie, catching a falling piece of fruit on his tongue. "Mm, strawberry rhubarb. The other one is apple."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "And I suppose you're going to eat both of them by yourself."
"Well sure," Mikey said around a mouthful of pie. "I worked hard for these."
Placing his fingers to his lips, Leo whistled shrilly and then called out, "Hey guys, look what Mikey brought home!"
"What? Wait, no!" Mikey yelped, making a grab for the pies.
Leo deftly slid them out of reach, giving Don and Raph time to arrive.
"What's this? Mikey brought us some fresh baked pie?" Raph asked, his tone taunting as soon as his saw the look on his younger brother's face.
"They're still warm," Don said, touching the side of the pie pan.
"They're from Angel's grandmother," Leo said. "It's her way of thanking us for allowing Mikey to go topside all by himself without a word to anyone just to deliver pies."
Mikey slunk back in defeat as his brothers dove into the pies. He was just glad he'd had the foresight to hide the third pie in the tunnels before coming home.
Green Eyed Monster
Raphael did not like the way Karai's eyes lit up every time she looked at Leo.
It didn't matter whether she was asking for a favor or threatening to destroy them, her eyes were very different when she turned them towards the turtle leader. The message in them seemed pretty clear to Raph; 'I wish for you to be in my life' is what they said.
If Leonardo recognized that message, he never appeared to acknowledge it. But he sure was at her beck and call whenever she needed them.
"Ungrateful bitch," Raph muttered angrily as they trudged through the sewers.
They were returning home after once more assisting Karai on a mission she had undertaken behind her father's back. Raph had been totally against it, but he'd been overruled.
He wouldn't have gone along with his brothers if he wasn't so worried about leaving Leo and Karai alone.
"She said 'thank you'," Don said.
Raph turned an ugly scowl in his direction. "After she nearly got our shells waxed. And she only said it to Leo."
"That's only because I'm the team leader," Leo said, hoping to placate his brother.
"The rest of us are chopped liver," Mikey said.
"Minions," Don corrected. "Beneath her."
"That's not helping guys," Leo said. "Look, we have to make allowances for how she was raised. She holds a place of power in the Foot clan, which operates as a hierarchy. Karai was taught to deal only with other leaders."
"Seems to me ya' make a lot of allowances for little Miss Foot," Raph said bitingly. "What the hell is so special about her? She's just using ya', bro'. Every time she wants to do something behind daddy's back she yells for your help."
"We have to give her credit for acknowledging that some of the things the Shredder does is wrong," Leo argued. "Karai has a sense of honor and she needs someone to reinforce that. Her father has no honor."
"Then how come she don't leave his ass?" Raph asked. "How come ya' gotta always be the one reinforcing things for her?"
He had come to a stop and was glaring at Leo, who stopped as well. Don and Mikey looked at each other with knowing expressions.
"I'm going home," Don said. "This could take a while."
"I'll go with you," Mikey said. "I've heard all of this before."
They walked away, leaving Raph and Leo squaring off with one another. Their departure went unnoticed because the pair were too focused on each other.
"Karai has a finely honed sense of duty as well as honor," Leo said. "She feels that she owes a debt to Shredder."
"That's bullshit and ya' know it," Raph said. "She tells ya' that shit 'cause she knows ya' eat it up. She sticks with the Shredder 'cause she's just like he is. These little missions she's throwing at ya' are just to keep ya' on her hook."
"That is not true, Raph," Leo said hotly. "If Shredder found out how she's gone behind his back to thwart his plan, there's no telling what he'd do to her. She's taking a huge risk to do what's right."
"Seems to me that we're the ones taking the risk," Raph said. "She ain't stretching her neck out at all. Karai snaps her fingers and ya' go panting along on her heels. Bet if she could get ya' all alone, she'd try to turn ya' to the dark side, just like her old man did."
"So according to you, we should ignore her requests for help? We should allow Shredder to carry out his evil plans unopposed?" Leo asked.
"No, we should force Karai to stand up to him!" Raph yelled. "Dammit, Leo, she wants ya'! Can't ya' see that?"
Leo suddenly bit off his retort as Raph's words sank in. Often they were so busy trying to get their own point across that they barely listened to what the other was saying. This time Leo not only heard what his brother said, but gleaned a deeper meaning in the message.
"Raph, are you jealous of Karai?" Leo asked.
Startled, Raph stuttered, "Wh . . .what? No! Where'd ya' get that idea?"
He appeared so nonplussed that Leo knew he was onto something. Moving closer to his brother, Leo said, "Look, even if Karai did feel that way about me, it wouldn't matter. I only belong to you guys. She can't shake that no matter what she does."
"Then why the hell do we drop everything when she calls?" Raph asked.
"Not for the reason you're thinking," Leo said. "If I can talk her out of serving the Shredder, then that's a bonus. Either way, these missions are a way for us to jam our thumbs in Shredder's eyes. I like to imagine him having a temper tantrum because we've foiled one of his plans."
Raph looked into his eyes for a moment and then chuckled. "Yeah, I kinda like thinking about that too."
Placing a hand on Raph's chest, Leo said, "Turtles forever, bro'."
Leaning forward so that their foreheads were touching, Raph said, "Beyond forever, Leo. That ain't something I'm gonna ever let ya' forget."
"I never would," Leo said as their mouths drew close. "But I do like the reminders."
Attitude Adjustment
Wiping a grease covered hand across his forehead, Donatello said, "At least we've finally got the timing right."
The action left a dark streak across Don's olive toned skin. He and Raph were leaving the service bay, both of them tired and dirty. They had missed dinner and stopped in the kitchen to see what kind of leftovers could be scavenged.
A couple of pizza boxes sat on the counter, with two others sitting sideways in the garbage bin. Flipping one open, Raph saw that it was still full.
"Guess Sensei made them save us something," Raph said.
"You mean he made Mikey save us something," Don said with a laugh. "We really should get cleaned up first."
"I'll scrub your shell if you'll scrub mine," Raph said, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Best offer I've had all day," Don said immediately.
The pair started upstairs. On the landing they heard the television and looked towards the living area to see Leo seated by himself on the couch. There was a deep scowl on his face.
"We should really cut him off from news broadcasts," Raph said. "He takes that shit too personally."
"He's been in a mood the last two days," Don said. "It's not so bad when Master Splinter watches with him, but Leo's taken to sitting up half the night flipping channels. You remember what happened the last time he decided that gang warfare was getting out of hand."
"Then let's do something about it," Raph said, starting towards the living area.
Don reached out and caught his arm. "Wait. You're not going to do something rash, are you?"
Raph snorted humorously. "Depends on what ya' mean by rash," he answered. "I'm gonna get Leo's ass off that couch. Just follow my play."
With a slight feeling of dread, Don trailed along behind his brother. Leo didn't acknowledge them until a commercial came on, and then when he looked over, he said, "You two are filthy. What were you doing, rolling around on the service bay floor?"
"Kind of," Don said. "Engine repair is a dirty job, Leo."
"Unlike sitting on the couch letting the news get ya' all worked up," Raph said. "At least we were working towards fixing something that could be fixed."
Leo's expression darkened. "What kind of citizens would we be if we didn't at least try to find some solution to the gang problem? Innocent people are getting hurt."
"Hey, I'd like to put a stop to it too," Raph said. "Ya' come up with a game plan and I'll follow it. In the meantime, don't just sit here getting your shell in a twist. Mikey's taken to hiding in his room to get away from that thundercloud hanging over your head."
"I can't very well develop a strategy if I don't know what's going on out there," Leo said.
"Watching the news all day won't actually tell you much beyond the headlines, Leo," Don said. "They mostly just rehash the same event over and over again."
"Why don't ya' lay off the TV for a while? Spend a little quality time with us," Raph said.
"I'm not in the mood," Leo said sourly.
Don was astonished when, rather than making some snappy comeback, Raph walked around behind the couch and leaned over to put his arms around Leo. Pressing his cheek to the side of Leo's head, Raph rubbed it against him while at the same time stroking his hands over Leo's plastron.
The result of this action was to leave greasy grime on Leo's body.
"Come on, bro'," Raph said, his tone mischievous. "Give it a rest."
"Eww," Leo said, trying unsuccessfully to pull away. "Get off!"
Taking his cue, Don dropped to his knees in front of Leo and began to slide his hands over his brother's legs, leaving behind long, dark stripes. Leo tried to slam his knees shut, but Don had already wedged his body between them.
"Come take a shower with us," Don pleaded, looking up at Leo, his brown eyes wide.
"I'm sure Don will be happy to assume that same position in the shower," Raph husked against the side of Leo's head.
"I promise to get every crevice clean," Don said with an inviting smile.
"Ya' know how nice it can be in the shower," Raph said, sliding a finger down Leo's center frontline.
Leo was trying to remain unaffected, determined not to be coerced by such an obvious ploy. It was getting harder to do with both of his brothers working on him. One of them, Leo wasn't sure which, even managed to turn off the TV.
"I was watching . . . ." Leo began, his sentence ending in a gasp as Don kissed his inner thigh.
"There's a time to be serious, and a time to play," Raph said, leaning in to nip at Leo's collar bone. "Guess what time it is right now?"
Whatever worries had been plaguing him only moments before disappeared in a hazy cloud, Leo's entire focus shifting to more physical needs. With a Herculean effort, he extracted himself from his brothers' clutches and bounded off the couch.
Still kneeling, Don looked at him in surprise. "Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom," Leo said. Waving at his plastron, he said, "I'm covered in grease. You guys coming or what?"
Grinning, Raph stepped around the couch and gave Don a hand up. "Whatever you want, Fearless. Lead the way."
When Leo turned around to head towards the bathroom, Don gave Raph a high three.