Thank you for continuing to read. I'm feeling a little more confidant in stringing words together but I'm still struggling with structure. For all that I'm having a good time writing and I feel like I'm learning a lot.

Despite the M ratting, I think Leo and Raph are going to be taking things slow, still won't be smutt free by any means.


Another early morning of perfecting kata in the dojo. Strangely he had slept better after his encounter with Donatello. He had feelings for Raphael, he wasn't totally sure what those feelings were, and how deep they went, and sure Raphael was him self kind of a problem, but at least he hadn't turned in to some kind of slathering beast about to prey on his unsuspecting brothers.

He moved fluidly through the fifty four steps of the kata, almost always fifty four- a Buddhist thing. Then taking it again from the top making small refinements. It was going well, Leo felt more centered now then he had in the last two weeks. Sure dealing with this thing with Raph would be a challenge, but he had never shy away from one. And now that he knew what was going on, he felt more confortable and in control. He did not break the kata or turn and look when he heard the dojo door slide back. There was no waiver in his flawless execution of steps as he felt the hotheads distitive presence enter the space. When he finished he turned to see Raphaels eyes on him, his arms slack at his sides and his lips slightly parted, a look of undisguised lust darkening his wide eyes. A smile tugged at the corner of Leo's lips. He dipped his head slightly, not a bow, but definitely acknowledgment. Then turned away again gracefully flowing back in to the first forms of the kata. A second latter his smile flickered again as he heard the clink of Raph moving weights in to position.

Raphael was followed shortly by their two absent brothers. Splitter showed up right on time, punctual as always to start morning lessons. "My sons" he paced before the kneeling turtles "today we will have a short lesson in the morning" he paused, smiling slightly "because in the evening you will be working on breath control." Master splinter had barely finished the words before Mikey was up out of his seat, pumping his fist and dancing wildly. "Woooo-yeah! We're going swimming!" He crowed. A sharp rap from Splinters cane brought him back down into his seat. "Yes Michelangelo, latter you may go swimming, IF, you attend well to today's lesson.

Splinter continued "Action should flow out of intent. You should not waste time thinking of how to strike your enemy. Rather the intention to strike should translate seamlessly in to motion. Like dance." Splinters eyes swept over them while he stroked his whiskers. "How do we internalize motions? Through practice and repetition, we do them over and over until our bodies rember them and they become separate from conscious thought."

So they would be doing kata today, not that Leo minded. Looking down the line, the rest of the team didn't seem to mind either. Normal a lesson with no sparing at all might elicit comment, but everyone was in high spirits at the promise of swimming.

After practice they filled out of the dojo. Mikey made an immediate dive on to the couch scooping up the remote control. Donatello headed for the lab, muttering to him self, and Raphael headed up the stairs towards his room. But as Leo turned the landing he saw him up the stairs blocking the walk way. Unperturbed he continued up as if Raphael was not blocking the way to his room.

At the top of the stairs Raph steped in close and Leo braced him self. But Raph made no move to touch him. He just leaned even farther in to his personal space and inhaled deeply. "Rain water" he said in a gravely whisper, "bitter tea, sword oil, leather, scabbard leather oil," then in a growl "you." Goose flesh broke out along Leo's skin, Raphael hadn't even touched him, but he was almost shivering with excitement. Raphael moved back, breaking the moment. He held is gaze on Lenardos face intently for a moment before turning and walking in to his own room. Leo finished climbing the last two steps, but whatever he had wanted to retrieve from his room was entirely forgotten.

He made sure at lunch he was seated across from Raph. The hot head nearly choked when he ran his arch of his foot up the inside of Raph's calf to brush in between his thighs. When Raphael recovered himself enough to breathe, the look he shot Leo was both full of heat and questions. "Your move" Leo mouthed silently. Then immediately doubted the wisdom of antagonizing the hothead when Raphael broke in to an ear to ear Cheshire cat grin.

Still, the rest of the day passed quietly with out incdent. Mikey was on his best behavior not wanting to jeopardize that evenings trip. Dontello read a book, and had an extremely saccharine phone conversation with April, followed by a lot of sighing. Leo read a little of a war history he was working his way through, meditated for an hour and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and honing his swords. Looking up at his father dozing infront of the TV watching soaps he couldn't help but smile. Everything had been so chaotic since the emerged from hiding. Quite days like this one were to be cherished.

As soon as splinter deemed it late enough to be safe for an outing the turtles were gearing up for their trip. The JKO reservoir was just north of the center line of central park. It had been built as an emergency back up water supply for the city but hadn't been used since the late 60's. Still it was kept relatively clean just in case and was large enough that epically around the parks quieter northern edge the could find a place to swim with little chance of detection. Well, quiet enough if you went at 2am, when there were few joggers, and few muggers looking for joggers.

While the park technical closed at 1am, they carefully pinned their weapons and gear to a high tree branch in view of the water. In NYC, you could never really know who might be out late.

They loved the water, the sewers while damp didn't afford many chances for safe swimming. And although they carried more immunities from a life in them then were commonly found in a first world country, it didn't always make the experience pleasant. Swimming in clean clear water under the light of the bright moon was a rare treat.

Mikey was the first one in, splashing wildly, Raph flowed him in and got drawn almost immediately in to a splash battle. Donatello moved in to the water more slowly, allowing his body to adjust to temperature shift. Leo stood on the shore a moment contentedly watching the others play. Then he slid silently in to the water.

While he didn't often engage in the level of fanfare Michelangelo did he probably enjoyed the water most of all. He loved the feeling of weightlessness. Somehow in the slightly isolated space of being underwater it seemed like he could slip the yoke of responsibility and just float free of the pressures of responsibility, worry for their friends, for his family and find some of the inner quiet he often sought during meditation.

So while his brothers splashed at the surface he slipped beneath and floated on his back watching them distantly. If he stayed relatively inactive he could stay down for quite some time, one of the gifts of there hybrid nature was being able to go for a very long time between breaths. Leo estimated that he had been down for about five mininutes, twenty eight being his personal record when he saw Raph duck beneath the waves and head toward him with powerful strokes, ragged red bandana tales streaming behind him.

Leo regarded Raph cooly as he pulled abreast leaving only a few inches between them. Leo could swear he felt the heat of of the red banded turtle, through the waters chill. Raph grinned and exhaled, temporarily obscuring his face in a wreath of bubbles. So Leo was extremely surprised when he felt Raph's hands cradle the back of his head, and press their mouths together. It was ackward for the first seconds, they had seen this done thousands of times on TV but had little expirence in the actual mechanics. But they had spent their lives in the kinetic exchange between bodies and it took Leo only the first few seconds to realize that this was no diffrent, not really. And then he angled his head just so, and moved this hands over Raph's shoulders drawing him closer and turning him slightly and they simply melted together. In the silence underwater, Leo could hear his heartbeat thunderously loud in his own ears. The moment felt like it stretched out, even though it couldn't of been more then a mininute, before Raph pressing hard against Leo opened his mouth. His chest vibrated with a silent churr as the hotheads tongue brushed playfully over his own. Then Raph, hands still firmly warped around the back of Leo's skull drew breath. Leo's heart fluttered at the dizzying sensation of air being drawn forcibly from his lungs. Raph held him like that, nearly breathless tongue whispering against shape planes of his teeth before he exhaled, pushing breath back in to Leo's lungs. They exchanged breath a few more times this way, once Raph seemed confidant Leo wasn't going to pull away, his hands wandered freely behind his shell. Leo traced frantic patterns across Raph's broad shoulders and chest. Their tongues darted, and lingered and explored each others mouths. It seemed like it had been a very short eternity when he felt Raphael drawing back. Slowly as Raph withdrew he opened his eyes to find him gazing down with uncommon gentleness. Raph continued to hold him loosely for a few moments before finding his hand and tugging him back to the surface to join in the games of the others.

They lingered in the water later then perhaps they should of. Leo finally called an end to the evenings activities a little before 5am. He wanted them back underground well before sunrise.

Everyone was in high spirits on the walk back to the lair. Raph had said or done nothing further that evening but held a self-satisfied smirk permanently affixed to his face. Leo purposely hung back letting Mikey bounce down the tunnel ahead of him, he caught the red baded turtles eye as he dropped even further behind. Raphael catching the visual que slowed with him allowing Donatello to pass slighty ahead. "Raph we have to talk about what happened."

"Your first kiss." Raph grinned infuriatingly. "Well no, actually Donatello..." Leo trailed off "WHAT!? When?" Raph demanded. "Last night in the dojo, after you left."

Raphael's face darkened "I'll kill him" Leo rolled his eyes "Raph calm down, it wasn't like that. He said it was for science." Raph gave him an incredulous look. "Donatello, took your first kiss for science? I'll kill him." he growled managing almost a strait face, before breaking off in to a fit of chuckles. Leo started laughing at the sound of his brothers laughter, the impossible situation he was now in, how all his brothers quirks played against each other. Before he knew it he was doubled over gasping for breath, one hand on Raph's broad shoulder for suport. Raph gazed down at him, eyes still bright with his own fading mirth. "Ya have a good laugh, you know. You should use it more." He put an arm around Leo's shoulders helping him stand upright. He let the touch linger for a few seconds then strode off down the tunnel to join the rest of their small team.