Author's Note: Okay, so I just uploaded a new chapter of Penance. Now I want to write something funny and light. Well, mostly light. With a little tension, just because.

I give you – Mikey and Mel, 2.0! This takes place in the Therapy-verse once again. The girls and turtles are around 19-20 years old. These are just some excerpts from Mikey and Mel's relationship that are always floating around in my head. And of course, there's Raphril thrown in there, too!

Rating for some smut and language.

By the way, I imagine Melanie looking like Anna Popplewell. She is seriously adorable. Google her.

"Damn it, Mikey!"

The damned turtle in question glanced up from his comic-book, a spoonful of cereal pausing half-way to his mouth as his brother stomped into the kitchen. Raphael jabbed a finger in his direction.

"Your damn girlfriend jumped in the bed with me last night!"

Michelangelo spooned his cereal into his mouth and hummed thoughtfully. "Was it storming?" he asked after he swallowed. Raphael stared. "Well, yeah."

Mikey just laughed.

Melanie glared.

A hellish storm of biblical proportions raged outside her window, beating on the glass with rain that echoed like gunfire. Curling her blankets tighter around her chin, Melanie barely contained a whimper. She'd turned up the television as loud as it would go, but no man-made noise could compete with the natural barrage sounding outside of bedroom. "This sucks," she growled to no one in particular. It was nearly two am and she hadn't slept a wink.

Just as she was starting to give into the temptation to drug herself with Benadryl, a sharp rap at her window had her jumping out of her skin. Lightning cracked behind a strangely shaped shadow at on her windowsill, narrowed white eyes the only hint of color.

Melanie jumped up from her bed and hurried over to her window with a relieved smile.

"Hey there," came the familiar grinning voice. Michelangelo crouched in her window even after she opened it, prompting her to raise an eyebrow at him. "Well, aren't you coming in?"

"I'm wet," he pointed out. He was, indeed, soaked from head to toe. Melanie rolled her eyes and found a towel in the pile of dirty laundry near her closet. She dropped it to the floor and gestured. Mikey dropped lightly to his feet on the towel before closing the window behind him. Then he straightened to his full height and wrung out the tails of his mask.

"What're you doing here? I thought you were out on patrol," Melanie smiled up at him. Man, she was glad he was here. Mikey seemed pleased, too. Then again, he usually was.

"We're done for tonight. Rain's keeping in all the weirdos, I think," he snickered. "So I thought I'd come here, since I know April's out of town this weekend and you hate storms." He paused and tilted his head at her, a small knowing smile on his strange face. "And it looks like I was right, 'cause you're still awake."

Mel blushed and shrugged. It was childish to be afraid of storms, she knew this. But it still didn't stop the bone-rattling chill from scaring her silly every time thunder clapped or lightning pierced the sky.

"I'm okay," she murmured. "I'm a grown-up." The second part was added on quickly, as if she'd suddenly remembered. Mikey just watched her, his smile remaining. Melanie blinked and then turned away, quickly grabbing another towel (and this one might have even been clean, though it was hard to tell.) "It was sweet of you to come by," she told him as she took the towel in hand and dabbed it against his damp plastron. He had to be freezing.

Mikey shrugged. "Well, I figured you could use the company. You know, since Raph isn't here for you to cuddle with."

Melanie paused in her motions to gasp dramatically. "Oh my god, that was so embarrassing. I swear, I didn't even know he was here and then – man, I think he freaked out worse than I did." She paused. "I was, like, in my underwear though." She resumed her careful drying of his torso, moving on to his arms. God, she loved his arms.

"What'd April do, anyway?" Mikey asked, though he seemed a bit distracted by the drying motions of her hands on his arms. Melanie flashed him a quick grin. "She made him sleep on the couch while I got to stay in the bedroom. He was pretty upset." Mikey dissolved into laughter, his blue eyes lighting up with amusement. "Wow, definitely gonna have to clown on him about that when I get home."

"You should, he was mortified," Melanie widened her eyes dramatically. Her hands dropped down the length of his arm, the soft terrycloth of the towel soaking up the cold droplets of rain and replacing them with warm strokes. The normally chatty pair fell silent, only the sounds of the storm filling the dark bedroom. The cloth dropped down the length of Mikey's front and brushed against the belt that housed his weapons. She was careful not to touch them – she'd picked up that they were very personal to the turtles – and instead brought the fabric back up to Mikey's neck. As she did so, she lifted her eyes to his.

Mikey's lips quirked when their gazes met, but he was still curiously silent. The twinkle in his eyes made Melanie's heart feel lighter – it always did. She'd only known him for a few months now, but even when her worst fear was literally at her doorstep, Mikey had the ability to make her feel protected, warm and content. Moving the towel up around his neck, she let it fall on each of his shoulders. Then she tugged on it with a smile, pulling him forward until their lips met.

Kissing Mikey was certainly different from kissing other guys, but it was also absolutely thrilling.

The storm forgotten, Melanie closed her eyes and tilted her head, the contrast of their mouths less important now than it was the first time. They'd figured out how to fit together, in more ways than one, and it hadn't been that difficult. When Melanie felt his arms move around her and practically lift her off the ground, she had to swallow a laugh. He was always so enthusiastic, as if it had been months since they'd seen each other.

Hands still fisted in the towel, Melanie tugged herself up as high as she could go and then pushed it away so she could feel the pebbled texture of his skin and the cool strength he so playfully displayed on a daily basis. His large hands settled on her back and then moved to her hips, pressing her against him even as he made a soft noise into her mouth.

Maybe I should just run to Mikey's bed next time, Melanie thought deviously, gasping as Mikey's tongue met hers for the first time. She'd only just begun to respond – in a completely shameless, hopelessly aroused fashion – when Mikey pulled away from her suddenly, his body instantly drawing away from hers. His hands dropped away as a strange strangled noise escaped him.

Mel dropped the few inches back to the floor with a surprised shriek, blinking rapidly.

"Whoa, uh -" Mel pushed her hair back from her face, her cheeks flushed. She bit her lip and thought about just making a crack about something inconsequential. Mikey was obviously uncomfortable, from the way he was staring at the ceiling like it had offended him. But when she tried to think of something to say, she could only manage one thing.

"Mikey, do you... do you not like kissing me?" she shuffled to him, her arms crossed over her sleep-shirt, the motion self-conscious. Mikey shifted his stare to her. "What?" he asked blankly.

"I mean, you always pull away when we kiss," she said haltingly. "It's okay, if you don't! If you're not into me like that or whatever. Seriously, you can tell me," she asked, even though inwardly she was already questioning her own confidence. Maybe Mikey was just trying to like her, but didn't really want to be with her with her that way. Maybe he wasn't like Raph – Maybe he didn't like human girls.

"Wha – No, no no!" Mikey hurried forward, waving his hands frantically. "It's not like that! I promise!"

"Are you sure?" she asked skeptically. "Because you like, practically run away from me sometimes. Once, I even saw you trip and fall down the stairs." She raised a brow.

With a sigh, Mikey reached out and touched her arms. Even though he was obviously embarrassed, he offered her a consoling smile. "Mel, it's – totally, totally not like that. I swear. Actually, it's like... " he paused, his eyes turning to the ceiling again as he grimaced. "... the opposite of that."

Melanie's lips twisted in a thoughtful, uncertain look.

The turtle shifted on his feet. "Okay, so you know like how with guys... kissing can get... painful?" When the brunette in front of him simply tilted her head, Mikey stuck his tongue out in frustration. "Painful, Melanie. Think about it." Melanie tapped her foot for a moment, her expression pursed with thought. Then her eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh!" She smirked a little, unable to help herself.

Mikey sighed. "Okay, well, imagine that... but like," he grinned sheepishly. "... with a shell." He waved his hands. "It's like, a million times worse."

"Oh," she said again, this time fighting the urge to laugh. When Mikey spotted her grin, he gave her annoyed look. Melanie put up both hands in a show of peace. "No, I'm – I'm not laughing at you, I swear. I'm just relieved, that's all." And it was the truth. Stepping up to him again, Melanie laced her hands behind his neck and pressed her cheek against his plastron. "I was afraid you didn't like me," she murmured. Mikey's hands reached up behind her and brushed through her hair.

"Don't be crazy. You're awesome and gorgeous and great," he replied softly, his lips tucking into her hair. "But in my defense, I didn't want to, ya know. Freak you out."

"How would that freak me out?" asked Melanie, lifting her head to look at him. In response, Mikey simply raised a brow ridge. This time, Melanie caught on and she smiled once more. "Ah, yeah..." After a long pause, in which she drew her fingers lightly along his neck, she cleared her throat and spoke.

"Would it make a difference if I said I've kinda... already asked April?"

Mikey stared down at her and then laughed incredulously. "Are you serious?" Melanie flushed in response. "I was curious, I'm sorry! I just – I wanted to know and I thought it might be awkward for you to explain it to me -"

"Yeah, no kidding."

".. so I asked and she told me."

Mikey stuck out his tongue again. "Eugh, that means she was talking about Raph." He groaned and dropped onto the edge of Mel's bed with her still tucked into his arms. Melanie snickered. "Well, yeah!" She prodded his shoulder. "Still in pain?"

"Nope, don't think I could get turned on if I tried."

Melanie tapped her chin. "And what if I tried?" she asked mischievously, eliciting a blush from the green-skinned mutant. Pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, Mel scooted back on her bed and grabbed her television remote. "Just cuddle me, you silly ninja."

Mikey hopped back against the pillows with her and slipped an arm around her shoulders.

"Like a turtle do!" he dropped a kiss on top of her curly head and tucked the blankets up around her.

April leaned over the counter, her thumb scrolling through something on her phone screen.

"Oh, god. Do you remember this?" she showed something to Melanie, who stood on the opposite side of the bar island with a bottle of water. Melanie squinted and gasped. "Oooh, yeah. That was – oh, man."

"I know, right?"

"And that guy?"

"He was so -"

"I know, ew."

"Remember that thing?"

"So gross."

"I know."

"But not like that thing -"

"Oh, seriously."

The two girls lapsed into silence. Mikey glanced up from his sandwich and blinked slowly. "Was I supposed to understand that?"

Raphael turned a page in his magazine, his eyes never lifting.

"No."

"So you think this is gonna turn out okay?"

April glanced up from her dresser mirror and turned to face her boyfriend. "What do you mean?" she asked, dropping her earrings to the dresser and then moving over to her bed. Raphael paced near the window, not willing to turn in just yet. He didn't get to spend every night with her, not when he and his brothers still kept up their patrol most nights, and sometimes she still had to draw him away from his restlessness before he would settle into bed.

"I mean Mikey and Mel," he said, turning to the bed distractedly. "I know Melanie is your friend and she's a good person and all, but... what if she hurts Mikey on accident? What if she just loses interest or decides she doesn't wanna deal with havin' a mutant boyfriend?"

April rolled off the bed and stood in front of him, her hands finding his arms. She squeezed his biceps comfortingly before dropping a quick kiss to his plastron. "Raph, I know you're worried, but they're both perfectly capable of making their own decisions," she said sensibly. Raphael sighed and absently toyed with the hem of April's camisole.

"I know, it's just.. you know Mikey, he gets attached real easy. He's sensitive."

April smiled. "Yeah, but he's also growing up, Raph. You've gotta let him make his own way. And okay, maybe that means he'll make some mistakes. But I honestly don't think Mel is going to be one of them." Turning her hands to his belt, she carefully unclasped it and set the weapons on the table next to her bed. "Now come to bed with me."

When he still seemed reluctant, April slyly dipped a hand between the folds of his shell and plastron to the sensitive skin between. Raphael jumped, blinking out of his daze and then giving her an evil smirk.

"I said," April repeated firmly, her voice low and sultry. "... come to bed."

And that was how she found herself tipped back onto the bed, a growling mutant turtle on top of her and a world of pleasure awaiting her.

Dude, I know what I want for my birthday.

Oh yea? What do you want pretty face?

A pair of noise-cancelling headphones that can drown out the sounds coming from April's bedroom right now.

WHY MEL?! ARGHGHHHHHH. STOP TEXTING ME ABOUT THIS. BRAIN SOAP.

Eugh, it was cold.

Melanie paused outside the door of The Monkey Bar, her wallet fat with the money she'd earned that night. Being a bartender in college was cliché for a reason – it worked, particularly in New York. It also meant she was out at all hours of the night, which worked out pretty well considering her boyfriend and most of their friends were nocturnal as well.

Stepping onto the gritty asphalt, Melanie waved a goodbye to her coworkers and pulled out her phone to shoot off a text to April. Maybe she'd stop by that all-night convenience store and pick them up some good old-fashioned greasy food. Unfortunately, she only got a few steps down the dark sidewalk before she felt something snatch roughly at her arm. Before she could blink, Melanie found herself pressed against the grimy wall of an alleyway, somewhere between a couple of abandoned apartments and empty retail stores. A looming figure cut off her only exit.

"Hey there, pretty girl..." breathed a haggard man in mismatched clothing, his gloved hand painfully tight on her shoulder. Another stood behind him, his lips lifted in a sneer, his eyes strangely detached. "Hurry the hell up," he snapped at the other man. Melanie opened her mouth to scream but a swift punch to her stomach snatched it away.

"Ow, you stupid – piece of shit," she grunted, earning an extra shove against the wall. "Give me your money," the man demanded. Melanie glanced at the other man and then turned back to her attacker, her eyes narrowed.

"Fuck you, I'm not giving you my money," she said peevishly. The man growled and tightened his grip on her shoulder. "I said give me your money, bitch!"

"And I said for you to go get a job!" she snapped in response. "Cocksucker."

"Ooh, I'm laying this bitch out," the man holding her told the other. Melanie's heart seized at the appearance of a handgun, the man holding her tossing her further into the alley and then lifting it at her head.

"Make it quick," said the other man with a glance at the street. "We got shit to do."

Melanie raised both hands, a startled cry escaping her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the blast of the gun, but heard nothing. Instead, she felt a warm spray of liquid against her abdomen, prompting her to open her eyes and peer down. To her horror, she saw a line of red blood dotting her shirt. When she looked back up at the man, she met his gaze just long enough to know he was afraid.

And for good reason. A large hooked blade was embedded in his side, a chain dangling at the end. In a split-second, he vanished into a shadow. The other man screeched as he, too, was snatched from his spot and pulled into the dark pockets of the alley. A few seconds of muffled movement had Melanie shooting to her feet, but before she hurried out of the narrow space, a figure appeared.

Melanie exhaled, her body liquid with relief. "Mikey!"

Open arms tugged Melanie into a tight grip, a shaky gasp escaping the large turtle as he held her. He quickly pulled away, though, inspecting her face with his hands and eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah.. I'm fine," Melanie glanced up as Leonardo and Raphael appeared off to the side. She shot a smile at Mikey. "Phew. That was close, huh?"

To her surprise, Mikey didn't share her relief. Instead, he did something he had never done before – he glared at her. Melanie took a step back and sent a questioning look at his brothers.

"Close?" Mikey repeated in disbelief. "Mel, that guy had a gun pointed at your face!"

"Yeah, I saw." An eye roll.

"Why didn't you just give him your money?" Mikey asked furiously, waving an arm at her. Melanie huffed. "What? Why the hell should I? I'm not letting some crackhead wannabe-thug jackass -"

"Descriptive," Leo muttered. Raphael hummed in agreement.

" - take my damn money that I worked all night for!"

"Melanie!" admonished Mikey, dragging a hand down his face. "That is ridiculous."

"It is not ridiculous, Mikey! I'm not like April, okay? I don't have stores of money just lying around. What I make is all I have!"

"No amount of money is worth your life!" Mikey yelled, his blue eyes frantic. "If we hadn't been here, that guy would have killed you. You should have just given him what he wanted so he'd leave you alone, instead of smarting off!"

"Well excuse me for not giving in to some criminal," Melanie growled. "I thought he would just decide I was too much trouble and go away. I didn't know he had a gun."

"Yeah, you're right. You didn't know. And you almost died because of it," Mikey said flatly. Melanie folded her arms and glared off to the side, only giving him a reluctant shrug in response. The two of them fell into a tense stand-off that might've continued indefinitely if not for Raphael clearing his throat.

"Uh, so we gotta do somethin' about these bodies..."

Melanie blinked over at him. "Did you guys kill them?"

The three brothers glanced at each other. Leonardo shifted a foot and subtly pushed a dismembered hand back into the shadows.

"Uh... no, they're fine."

Melanie turned a disbelieving look on Mikey, who simply sheathed his weapons and jumped up to grasp a fireescape. He offered her an arm. "Come on, you're going home."

"Oh, so I can't even walk myself now?" Without waiting for an answer, she stomped over to Mikey and let him curl up into his arm. Once she was securely hanging on to him, he let go of her and scaled the wall, moving from rooftop to rooftop until he got her home again.

Before she let go of his neck, Melanie grunted and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," she murmured with a pout, her face finding his neck and nuzzling there. Mikey squeezed her gently in response.

"Any time," he whispered before he let her go.

Melanie tugged on the ends of her dress.

Was this conservative enough? Was it too conservative? She didn't want to look old. Would he think she was old? She was a little older than Mikey. Maybe he would think that was weird. Oh, god. Maybe she should change.

Turning to eye the mound of clothes on her bed, Melanie pushed the thought away. She was supposed to be ready by now, Mikey would be here any second -

"Hey there," the grinning mutant appeared at her doorway. "Wow, you look beautiful."

Melanie shifted to face him, her brows creased with worry. "Really? Are you sure I don't look too old?"

Mikey approached her carefully, as if he could tell her nerves were making her edges a bit frayed, so to speak. "I... don't know why you would think that," he said with a smile. "... But whatever it is that's worrying you, stop."

"I just want him to like me," muttered Melanie. She leaned against Mikey with a soft sigh. "Why would you think he isn't gonna like you? Master Splinter is a totally nice guy! Plus, you're great." Fingers brushed curly brown hair back from Melanie's heart-shaped face. Mikey pecked her nose with a kiss. "Why're you so nervous, pretty face?"

Melanie bit her lip shyly. "Well, it's just... " she groaned. "It's just – you guys are all so special and unique. And April, too! What if he thinks I'm like... boring?"

Mikey laughed outloud and then quickly quelled it at Melanie's Look. "Babe, I promise you that you are a million things, but boring is not one of them." He took her hand and led her out of the bedroom. The two of them descended the stairs quickly, Mikey at the front.

"Seriously, don't worry about Sensei. He's gonna love you, just like I -"

The two of them nearly fumbled over each other at the bottom of the stairs, and now Mikey was the one who looked nervous. He closed his parted lips and turned his head away bashfully. A slow smile spread over Melanie's face as she used their joined hands to draw him closer.

"Just like you... what?"

Mikey gulped and let out a uneasy laugh. "I, uh..."

He was saved from further ramblings by a quick kiss. "I love you, too." Mel squeezed his hand and tugged him towards the door.

Suddenly, she was ready for anything.