He lifted his suitcase from the porch where the airline had left it and pulled it through his front door. He'd just managed to shut the door when his phone rang, which he answered before the second ring.

"Raph?"

Leo's voice. And he sounded upset. Raphael immediately turned around and headed right back out the door.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry for calling. I know you already got me this far and I should just - ,"

"Leo." He cut him off with a sharp growl of his name. "What's wrong?"

Leo sighed. "They said I called and canceled my hotel reservation. And they're full now. There's some big wedding here this weekend or something. No open rooms."

"Stay there. I'm on my way."

He found Leo standing outside the hotel, looking somewhat lost, with his bag sitting on the ground next to his feet.

"I'm sorry," Leo repeated as Raph approached him, although Raph ignored the statement as he was currently drinking up the appreciation he could see in Leo's blue eyes. "I'm sure you have a life to get back to here, but - ,"

"Come on." Raph cut him off again. He picked up Leo's bag and began to walk down the sidewalk, sure that Leo would follow him. Sure enough, Leo appeared at his side a moment later and visibly relaxed as he fell in step with Raphael.

He walked Leo over to his favorite restaurant, waved a hello to the seating hostess, and led Leo directly to stools at the bar where they were immediately greeted by the bartender.

"Hey, loser! When you'd get home?"

Raph grinned as Casey leaned over the bar and punched him in the arm in greeting.

"Just now. Casey, this is Leo. We met on the trip. And Leo this is my oldest friend, Casey."

"Wow, yer just his type," Casey said with a wide grin as he shook Leo's hand. He turned his goofy grin back to Raphael. "Get it? Cause yer both turtles? Just yer type?"

"Har, har," Raph answered, doing his best to keep his flush under control while side-eyeing Leo for his reaction. Leo smiled pleasantly back at Casey, but Raph could tell his missing hotel reservation was still bothering the guy.

"What the hell you'd do to yer head?" Casey asked. He reached forward to poke Raphael where a bandage covered his temple but snatched his hand back before Raph could bat it away.

"Couple stitches from an accident. It's no big deal."

"Yer sis know about this accident?"

"I'll tell her later."

"You better."

Raph rolled his eyes at the pointed look Casey was sending him. "Go get us two plates of tonight's special, will ya?"

"Sure thing, man."

Casey disappeared into the back and Raph leaned over the bartop in order to pull up a bottle of clear liquid and two small glasses. He poured a glass for each of them and set one in front of Leo. He got a dubious look in response.

"I don't really drink, Raph."

"Come on, yer not drinking tea in this bar."

"Technically it appears to be a restaurant with a bar component."

Raph narrowed his eyes at him.

"Green tea is an aid to relaxation."

"So is this." Raph bumped the glass with his knuckles. "Come on, make an exception."

Leo sighed loudly but lifted the glass and downed the drink in such a quick gulp that even Raph's eyes widened. But there was no coughing or gasping for breath following the quick swallow. Instead, Leo's eyes lit up and he met Raph's eyes with a small smile.

"That's good."

Raphael returned an actual smile. There was something about earning a sincere smile from Leo that made him want to stay right there and bask in it. He eyed the liquid from the side of his own glass and then took a drink as well.

"So who would call and cancel yer reservation?" He watched as Leo's blue eyes fell to the bar top as he half shrugged and looked a little lost again. The kind of lost that made Raph want to reach out to him and – well not hug him exactly - but maybe just pull Leo in and crush him to his plastron. Wait, was that a hug?

"I think a total of three people even knew about this trip. And none of them would call and cancel my room."

"Yer sure?"

A humorless laugh fell from Leo's mouth as he nodded just as Casey reappeared, bearing two dinner plates for them.

"I see ya already helped yerself to the good stuff," Casey said, eyeing the bottle Raph had snagged. He lifted the bottle and refilled Leo's glass. "There's a wedding in town this weekend and we've been super busy. That stuff has been flying off the shelf."

Raph glanced around then, noting some regulars, but a lot of extra unknown people as well.

"Good for business," he said.

"Very good for business," Casey nodded. "Ya let me know if ya need anything else."

They ate in a comfortable silence, both too busy chewing to talk much, but Raph could tell Leo seemed to be lost in thought as well. He decided to do what he could to distract the other turtle.

"You've probably been too busy moping to notice, but there's someone at the other end of the bar who's been checkin ya out. And they're not a local, which means maybe they have a hotel room ya could share."

He forced a grin, but his eyes were sharply focused on Leo's reaction. And he watched as, to Leo's credit, those blue eyes didn't even glance in that direction to see who Raph was referring to. Instead, Leo's eyes lifted to his again and Raphael found himself trying not to fidget under the sudden scrutiny.

"You think it'd be a good idea for me to try to share a night with a random stranger?" Leo finally asked.

Raphael swallowed. Because he got the distinct feeling that Leo could see straight through him.

"No." He shook his head. "I don't think ya should share yer night with a random stranger."

"Good." There was a small pause before Leo continued. "I've never done that anyway." But then Leo had a lopsided grin as his suddenly glassy eyes zeroed in on Raph again. "I bet you have, though. Haven't you? I bet there's always someone in here trying to drag you home."

Raph found himself smiling sincerely once again while simultaneously wondering just how much of a lightweight Leo was to be drunk after only two drinks.

"Am I right? I bet your list is long." Leo rolled his emptied glass between his hands

"Definitely." Raph nodded along. "In fact, I keep an actual list. In a display case in my house."

Leo's laugh was loud. "With special lighting?"

"Set on a timer." He was grinning big again. In a way that he never did. There was an ease with Leo that he didn't typically feel. And he found his insides warming every time Leo laughed.

"Can I have another?" Leo asked after another moment, and waved his glass in the air. "What is this anyway?" he asked as Raphael filled his glass again.

"It's called the Red Ninja. It's from a local vodka company."

"Red ninja," Leo murmured after another sip. "Why?"

"Cause it'll sneak up and bite ya in the ass if yer not careful." Raph's tone was playful, so he was surprised when Leo didn't laugh this time. Instead those blue eyes met his once again in careful scrutiny.

"Like you?"

Raphael swallowed again as he met Leo's intense gaze.

"Yeah," he finally rumbled back to Leo. "I could definitely do that."

Raphael had never before had to help anyone who was as heavy as he was walk. Although, since Leo was currently being completely unhelpful, he wasn't sure he could call what Leo was doing walking. Their shells were not light. Add in that he was also trying to keep hold of Leo's suitcase and Leo's ass was lucky that he hadn't managed to drop him. Yet. By the time he reached his front door, he was practically carrying Leo, which made unlocking and opening the door a real accomplishment.

He moved Leo into his dark main room, eyed the couch, and then headed back to the bedroom, deciding to leave his friend somewhere comfortable. He could easily sleep on the couch tonight himself.

Once he reached the bedroom, he thought about just dumping Leo onto the bed, especially considering how heavy the guy was. But at the last second found himself leaning over the side of the bed to gently deposit Leo down onto it. Which, for the moment, left Leo sprawled out like a feast with Raphael hovering over him.

Leo's blue eyes popped open when he hit the mattress and he stared up at Raph with his glassy eyes and a small grin.

"You want to kiss me."

It was said as such a plain fact statement that Raph found that all he could do was nod in agreement as he stared down at the come get me look in those hooded blue eyes.

He licked his lips and fought the strong urge to dip down and plunder Leo's mouth with his tongue. Because he really really wanted to. He wanted to crush Leo into this mattress and spend the rest of the night tangled together with him.

"Yeah I do," he finally managed, his voice raspy with want as Leo's hands began to slide their way up his arms. "But I'm not gonna while yer drunk."

He forced the words out of his traitorous mouth and watched as Leo scowled at him in response before tightening his fingers around Raph's arms.

"Uh uh, Fearless." He wrestled his arms away from the surprisingly strong turtle. "I'm not doin anythin ya won't remember." He moved across the room to dig through Leo's bag for something for the other to sleep in. "Looks like yer choices are limited, so I'm goin with this." He pulled a t-shirt from Leo's bag and eyed the logo on the back of it – several books stacked on top of each other - before turning towards the other turtle.

The other snoring turtle.

He sighed as he tossed the shirt back into Leo's bag. Then he moved to the bedside and covered Leo with a blanket before staring down at the passed out turtle. His hand lifted so that he could slide his fingers down Leo's face but he jerked his hand away before he could touch him and quickly retreated into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself.

A few moments later he was under the spray of a very cold shower.