A/N: I know I previously said "Tuxedos" would be a one-shot but I thought the actual wedding would be fun to explore and a good way to get back into writing after the holiday.
When Donatello had proposed to Sadie, he'd told her that she shouldn't expect a church wedding. But his fiancée, a word he was thrilled to use at every opening, had apparently seen that as a challenge. Because here he was, standing at the alter in a church, waiting for her to come down the aisle.
It was an abandoned church and he'd had to do some rigging so that they'd have electricity and he and his brothers had done a sweep to check for squatters beforehand, but it was a church nonetheless. He glanced at his father, who stood waiting to perform the ceremony and then took a deep inhale. He felt a pat on his shell as he slowly exhaled and glanced behind him to find that it was Mikey giving him the encouragement. He grinned at his three brothers in their tuxedos, appreciative that they were willing to go along with Sadie's requested dress code.
He glanced out to their guests as well, including April and Casey, who were doing their best to shush their newborn. Akito sat next to them and Donnie watched as Shadow finally quieted when Akito offered her one of his fingers to hold. Akito's bunny friend, Violet, sat next to him, with her brothers and sister in the pew behind them with Usagi. Donatello wasn't particularly close to Usagi, but the little bunnies, being Leo's students, had become close to the rest of their family and frankly, it was nice to have extra bodies in the pews. Their other guests included Muckman, Mondo Gecko, Mr. Kurtzman and all four members of the Mighty Mutanimals. It was a strange bunch, but he was grateful that they had all shown up, especially since Sadie couldn't invite any of her own human friends.
He was beginning to feel guilty again about Sadie's lack of human guests when the back door slowly opened and Donnie watched as Miwa slipped in. She'd just returned to the states and to their family and although she'd been invited, he hadn't been sure she was going to actually show up. He glanced behind him again and watched as Leo smiled and nodded at Miwa before giving her an encouraging wave forward. Miwa nodded back to Leo and moved up the aisle to sit a few pews behind Leatherhead and Rockwell, who Donnie thought looked rather close right now as they sat with their heads ducked together as they whispered back and forth.
Processional music began to play and finally the back doors opened and revealed Sadie, beaming on the arm of her brother with little Machi standing in front of them.
Everyone grinned as Raphael poked his head around the front pew and motioned for Machi to head towards him. She had looked unsure until she spotted him and then suddenly seemed to remember what they'd practiced. She marched down the aisle ahead of Sadie and Woody in the white dress that they'd all practically wrestled her into earlier that day, and promptly dumped her entire basket of flower petals at the end of the aisle before running to Raphael's side and demanding to be picked up.
Raphael easily lifted her up and nuzzled his face into the side of her furry face as Leo offered her a small, quiet high five for a job well done.
Woody handed his sister's hand over to Donatello when they reached the end of the aisle and moved to stand on the other side of her. Sadie had been calling him her man-of-honor, despite his protests, for the past few weeks. But now that they were in the actual ceremony, he proudly stood beside her in representation of their deceased family members, who he hoped were there in spirit, and her human friends, who she hadn't invited.
Woody tipped his head slightly and sent a smile to Mikey who stood in the coveted best man position beside his big brother. There had been a great debate between Leo, Raph and Mikey over who should be the best man. And although Donatello had argued that maybe he should get to choose, Woody was pretty sure Mikey had won the spot following an aggressive round of rock-paper-scissors.
When the music was turned off, Master Splinter quietly welcomed everyone and began the ceremony, combining phrases from traditional Japanese weddings he'd attended in his former life along with phrases that he and Donatello had pulled from the internet.
They repeated traditional vows, which Donnie only stammered over once with a toothy grin that had Sadie giggling.
"May we have the pen, please, Michelangelo?" Master Splinter asked and inwardly held his breath as he waited to see if the youngest had remembered to bring it.
Mikey sent Raph and Leo a pointed look that said don't doubt me as he pulled the tattoo pen out of his jacket pocket and handed it over to Donnie.
Sadie and Donnie moved to a tall table set up to the side of the alter so they'd have someplace to keep their hands still and steady as they marked each other's fingers with their initials.
Leo shivered suddenly as he felt one of Raph's fingers lightly trace over where his own mark lay on Leo's arm, hidden under the tuxedo jacket. His eyes met Raph's green eyes and he froze as he saw the love reflected there from the turtle that he'd always loved.
Their attention was brought back to the ceremony as Donnie and Sadie returned to their respective spots in front of Master Splinter. He placed his own furry hand over their joined hands and solemnly pronounced them turtle and wife.
Sadie was tall, but Donnie was still impressively taller, so she lifted herself to her toes and cupped her hands around his face to kiss him as her husband for the first time. He sighed out in relief and met her eyes with a smile at the end of their kiss before they turned to the rest of the group as Master Splinter presented them as Mr. and Mrs. Hamato.
Once they had found the church for the ceremony, they'd noticed that it also had a rather large open space in the basement, which they decided would work perfectly for the reception. Donnie knew that Sadie herself had spent the better part of the morning stringing the white Christmas lights and covering the tables in white lacy tablecloths and purple flowers. He'd have to tell her later how splendid it all looked.
Right now, he smiled at his beautiful bride, moved to the center of the large dance floor and held out his hand for their first dance. Sadie smiled back at him and stepped into his arms. She expected a song to begin on the sound system they'd hooked up so she couldn't keep the shock off her face when she heard the strum of an actual guitar.
Donnie grinned down at Sadie as her head whipped towards the small stage in the room where she found Raph and Woody set up with their guitars. Raph took a deep breath and began to sing the song Donnie had requested when he first approached their two brothers for this surprise. Raph was at least three lines into the song before he finally let his shoulders relax and evened his breathing out enough to give the song the emotion it deserved. Woody stood next to him and strummed his own guitar, pitching in his own voice with the chorus as they'd rehearsed over the previous two days in secret. They watched as Donnie and Sadie began slowly dancing together in the center of the room and shared a quick grin that they were able to pull off this surprise for Sadie.
His nerves finally gone, Raph's eyes moved through the room until he found Leonardo. He grinned knowingly when he spotted Leo with his dark, lusty eyes pinned on him. Raph hadn't told Leo about this surprise either and he'd even had Woody and Mike sneak in his guitar with Woody's so Leo wouldn't notice that it was here. The current look of shock and desire on Leo's face was well worth it.
Leo sat with Machi on his lap and stared at the incredibly enticing picture that was a tuxedoed Raphael openly performing. If he wasn't holding their two-year old daughter, and if his father wasn't sitting right next to him at this same table, he might've verbally sworn at the sight.
"I love you, Sadie," Donnie murmured as he moved a loose piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "You know, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have my PhD and I'd still be tinkering in my sewer lab wishing I could have access to better equipment."
Sadie lifted her head from where she'd let it rest on his armored chest and laughed at the last bit of his statement. "I think you would've gotten there eventually, Donnie."
He doubted that, actually. He didn't think that he would have ever signed himself up to take the GED test or pursued the online college courses. Before Sadie, he couldn't see how the educational degrees would've mattered. Sadie was the one who'd inspired him as she earned her own degrees and pushed him to earn his as well so he could reach one of his personal goals and get his inventions to the general public.
Donnie leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against Sadie's nose as they continued to sway and listen to their brothers sing for them.
"More than all that, though, Sades, I had pretty much accepted the fact that love wasn't going to happen for me before you showed up. Thank you for loving me. Really loving me."
"I'll always really love you," Sadie whispered back and leaned up to kiss her husband again. Husband, she thought. She was going to use the crap out of that word over the next few weeks. "You're amazing, Donatello. And brilliant. And a hero. My hero. And you and your family have given me and Woody a real family to belong to again. Thank you for loving me."
Donnie's smile grew impossibly wider as he listened to his wife. Wife, he thought. He was going to use the crap out of that word over the next few weeks.
Their first dance over, Donnie and Sadie moved around the room to greet everyone individually as their guests sat and ate the catered, buffet meal.
Raph helped fill a plate for Machi as Leo helped Akito get a plate as well before they sat the kids at the table with Grandpa Splinter and headed back towards the buffet table for their own plates.
At least, that's where Raph thought they were headed and was surprised to find himself suddenly shoved out into the quiet, dark hallway. Leo wrapped his arms around Raph's neck and pulled him in close with a growl as he pressed his lips to Raph's lips. Raph met the kiss eagerly, despite his surprise, and moved his hands down to fondle over Leo's pant-covered rear end.
Leo felt a churr rise up this throat, rubbed his lower plastron against Raphael and pushed Raph's shell into the wall behind them.
"Dammit, Leo," Raph growled after a churr rolled up his throat as well.
Leo grinned at him. He knew as well as Raph that they didn't have the time to be fooling around out here in the hallway.
"Your fault," Leo said, leaning into his emerald turtle so he could lick his way across Raph's neck. His hands slid into the front of Raph's tuxedo jacket to allow his fingers better access to press into Raph's shirt-covered biceps.
"We have to get back in there before we're missed," Raph said, although he realized leaning his head back to give Leo better access to his neck was probably sending a mixed message.
"Uh huh," Leo hummed in response, although he didn't release his pinned mate and his tongue continued to move busily over that emerald neck. He pulled back only when Raph relented completely and slumped against the wall. If Raph wasn't going to push for them to rejoin the party, he was going to be stuck being the responsible one.
He kissed Raphael once more before sighing and straightening Raph's tuxedo jacket. Raphael watched him with half-lidded eyes.
"Yer a tease," he huffed out at Leo.
Leo only grinned and shook his head at him as he straightened his own jacket. "I'm not the one looking ridiculously sexy performing on stage."
Raph grinned at Leo's blatant declaration and was about to respond when the door to the reception hall popped open.
"Are you both decent?" Mikey asked, squinting into the darkness.
Raph laughed outright and stepped into the light streaming through the open doorway. "Yeah, doofus."
"Good, get your shells back in here. It's time to dance and I need your help to drag everyone out on the floor."
Leo sighed in frustration and followed Raph and Mikey back into the reception where he was sent off, away from Raphael, and instructed to guide the guests towards the dance floor as Mikey turned into a deejay and began playing music that soon had everyone moving.
Leo swung Machi around for a few songs and chuckled with Raph as they watched Mikey, Woody, Akito and the bunnies take over the floor with a synchronized line dance for a song that Mikey had described as a wedding reception tradition. Raphael watched as Leo jumped in once he had memorized the synchronized moves and his own gut sparked with desire as he watched Leo, graceful as ever, as he moved and even laughed with the kids as the ridiculous song played.
Raphael sent a quick glare in Usagi's direction when he caught the dumb bunny openly staring at Leonardo as well, but the rabbit was soon forgotten as Leo pulled Raphael into the fray and his body was forced to follow Leo's example, something he had years of practice doing anyway, and soon he was also laughing as they jumped, dipped and moved sideways with the rest of the group Mikey had pulled onto the floor.
A slow song came up next and Leo's eyes zeroed in on Raphael, but his movement towards the emerald turtle was interrupted by the bride herself who asked if he would dance with her. He quickly agreed and shot Raph an apologetic smile over Sadie's shoulder as Raphael lifted Machi and began swaying with their little daughter.
"You look very beautiful, Sadie," Leo said.
Sadie grinned a thanks and then said, "I actually wanted to dance with you just so I'd have a chance to thank you, Leo."
"Thank me?" he asked.
Sadie nodded as she watched as other couples, almost all of them mutants and almost of them considered family or close friends to her and Woody now, moved around them on the dance floor. She focused her eyes on Leo's surprised blue ones. "I know it was only under your direct approval that Woody was accepted within your group. Within your clan. And that led to Woody and Mike's decision to introduce me to Donnie. So I wanted to thank you. I wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for you."
"Sounds like you have our brothers to thank more than me," Leo said with a smile.
"Oh I have, believe me."
"I know Donnie will take very good care of you. And I know you'll take care of him too. I wish nothing but the best for you two. I'm glad you're part of our family," he said softly.
Sadie felt the tears well in her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day and she quickly wrapped her arms tightly around Leo's neck, surprising him with her strength as he huffed out a laugh at the partial strangulation.
The song ended and Leo quickly returned Sadie's hug before she was off to find Donatello. Leo quickly scanned for Raph again since the emerald turtle was no longer on the dance floor and he found his mate seated at their table with Machi asleep in his arms, her little head resting comfortably on Raphael's shoulder.
Leo smiled fondly at Raphael as he swiped his hand across the back of Raph's neck before seating himself next to his mate. He searched the room for Akito and found him still dancing strong on the dance floor with his bunny friends.
"Akito doesn't look tired yet," Leo said.
"He's not gonna look tired," Raph said, turning his head without disrupting Machi to find their son. "He's just gonna eventually collapse on the dance floor."
Leo laughed. "I'll grab him and we'll go."
Raph nodded. "Say goodbye for both of us, will ya? I'm not movin till I have to."
Leo lifted himself from his seat and covered Raph's mouth for a quick kiss before he began to move around the room to say their goodbyes.
"You'll be okay to head home tonight?" Leo asked Usagi as he watched Akito mournfully say goodbye to Violet and the other bunnies. He appreciated that Usagi had come and that he'd brought the bunnies so that Akito and Machi had playmates at the reception. Plus, he always enjoyed seeing his tiny students.
"We transport directly home, so we'll be fine, Leonardo," Usagi said. "But thank you." Time-wise, the rabbits' commute home was actually shorter than anyone else's, even though they traveled the greatest distance. But he kind of wished it wasn't true and that he could come up with a good excuse for why they might need to spend the night in this dimension. But it was just as well that he couldn't, he decided. With the fox children living with him now, Leonardo didn't even have a spare bedroom anymore and it wasn't like he'd get an invitation to stay in his apartment with Raphael around. He sighed as he watched Leonardo extend a hand out to Akito and lead him away.
"Stop," Leo said sharply and Raphael's hands froze automatically at the sound of the leader tone of voice before he narrowed his eyes at his mate. The narrowed eyes turned into a full-on glare when he caught Leo's lips quirk into a grin as he realized himself what he had just done.
They'd put the kids in bed and had finally made it into their own bedroom after the reception. Raphael had been reaching up to pull at the knot of his tie when Leo had issued the order. He watched now as Leo, still dressed in his own tuxedo, crossed the room to stand in front of him.
"I didn't get to dance with you tonight," Leo said quietly.
"We danced," Raph replied, although his voice raised at the end of the phrase as if he was asking a question.
Leo shook his head and ran a hand down one of Raph's arms. "I wanted to slow dance with you in your tux."
Raph didn't picture himself involved in any kind of slow dance. While Leo had slow danced with Sadie earlier, he'd only slowly rocked back and forth with Machi, which he knew would put her right to sleep. But he could see slow dancing in his immediate future, since he could never turn down one of Leo's requests, especially when he was surprised to see a slight hesitation in Leo's blue eyes.
"Alright, Fearless," he said. "You wanted to see if I could follow instructions tonight anyway, right?"
"Yes," Leo said as the uncertainty about Raph's response left his eyes and he grinned at his emerald turtle.
Raph leaned forward and nipped at Leo's jawline. "What should I do?" he whispered against Leo's skin.
Leo held out his hand and Raph flashed back to when they were seven years old and Leo had held out his small hand in a similar fashion before they had recited their own marriage vows to each other. Raph could feel himself warm at the memory as he placed his hand in Leo's hand now. Leo lifted their joined hands up and out to the sides of their bodies before placing his other hand on Raph's shoulder. Raphael followed Leo's lead and placed his free hand against Leo's trim waist.
Raphael stubbornly waited once their hands were in place, though, refusing to participate without the guise of being forced through this.
Leo quirked an eyebrow and smirked at his stubborn mate. He pushed forward to get them moving and was pleased that Raph showed no resistance to the dance.
Leo nuzzled his face into the side of Raph's face. "Now sing," he murmured.
Raph huffed out a surprised laugh. He had been about to mention to Leo that they were dancing without music, but clearly, Leo had already had a plan in mind for that small problem. And the truth was, he didn't mind the request. He actually sang to Leo often, privately, of course, and he began singing one of his favorites now.
"You're my end and my beginning," he sang. "Even when I lose I'm winnin. Cause I give you all of me. And you give me all of you, oh oh."*
Leo pressed himself into Raph's tuxedo-covered plastron and tucked his face into Raphael's neck as he listened to the familiar baritone rumble out of his mate as they slowly swayed. He let his hand trail down from Raph's shoulder over his muscular upper arm. "I love you, Raphael," he whispered as Raphael finished singing. "I'm so grateful that you're mine. And that I'm yours."
Raphael flushed and moved his hand from Leo's side to wrap it around Leo's shell and pull him closer. "Aishiteru," he whispered back before he quickly tried to change the subject. "Besides, I'm the lucky one, babe. Ya have any idea how good you look in this monkey suit?"
"Turtle suit," Leo murmured. He smiled to himself as he could actually feel the heat of Raph's flushing skin against his face. He breathed in Raph's scent and said, "You're a gorgeous turtle, Raphael. And you really look incredible in this tuxedo." He swiped his tongue across a sensitive area on Raph's neck. "But now its time to take it off." He removed his hands from the emerald turtle and took a step back. "But I think you should take mine off for me first," he said with a smirk.
*John Legend: "All of me" - My brain was originally much too tired to come up with a song here so big thank you to StitcherBell for reminding me of a "favorite"