It wasn't something that he'd requested, but Leo was always right beside him every morning when he woke up. Even though he'd learned that Leo was an early riser and always woke up before him.

But Leo didn't seem to mind waiting in bed for Raph to wake up. And Raph counted himself as pretty damn lucky to wake up to those blue eyes and that soft smile and those strong legs that would wrap around him as soon as Leo realized Raphael was awake.

He rolled himself now on top of Leo and treated himself to Leo's scent as he leached his own mouth to Leo's neck. His lips moved over Leo's skin until Leo was panting and doing his best to rub up against him.

"Leo!" Mikey's voice reached them loud and clear from the opposite side of the house.

Raph froze above Leo and Leo sighed in exasperation.

"I can't find my bookbag! Leo!"

Raph nuzzled his face against Leo's and kissed him once more before he pulled back and climbed out of the bed, leaving Leo to collect himself, as he went in search of the missing bag.

The bag which was on the hook by the door. Just like it was every morning.


"Raph, heads up!"

Mikey jumped off the side of one of the brewery's large fermenting tanks – how the hell did the kid keep getting up there? – and Raph jerked himself forward in order to catch the small turtle before he pancaked onto the ground.

"Mikey!"

"Good catch, dude!"

"And what if I didn't catch ya?"

"You'll always catch your little brother!" Mikey exclaimed, smiley and happy as Raph stood him up on the ground. "Turtles, first!"

"Turtles first, huh?" Raph asked, thinking simultaneously about how easily Mikey referred to him as his brother, while also thinking back to the few times he himself had said that phrase to Leo. And the soft look he always got from Leo in response.

"Yeah, dude. Leo says that to us all the time! It's like his motto."

"It's a pretty good one." Raphael continued down the line of the tanks, checking the pressure on each one as he passed them. "I'd tell ya to stop climbing up there but I don't think yer ears work."

"Those things are better than climbing trees!" Mikey said as he followed along.

"Ya know there are plenty of actual trees on this island." He watched as Mikey only continued to grin up at him as he turned them towards his small office. He'd picked up both turtles after school today and when they'd arrived at the brewery earlier, Donnie had taken over his office to work on his homework. "Donnie, lets move it!"

He hit the lights on their way out and had begun to walk in the direction of home when his phone buzzed. He pulled it and read the text from Leo: Change of plans. Meet me at the restaurant, please.

"Does it say if he got good news today?" Donnie grabbed Mikey's hand as he asked, determined to keep the little turtle from wandering down a side street.

"No." Raph shook his head. "Think he'd just come out and say if it was good news?"

Donnie shrugged and then adjusted his backpack on his shoulder. "You know Leo. He keeps stuff close to the shell."

Raph grinned. Partly because he'd learned this about Leo the hard way. And partly because, having grown up without other turtles, he'd missed out on certain sayings, like close to the shell. He'd even laughed out loud the other night when Mikey had spilled his milk cup and responded with a loud "Oh shell!" Leo had given him the evil eye for encouraging Mikey, but his loud laughter in response to the little guy's turtle-appropriate cursing couldn't be helped.

The three of them entered the restaurant and a smile spread across his face as he spotted Leo leaning against the bar and talking to both April and Casey. Then he watched as blue eyes lit up when he was spotted and Leo left their two human family members in order to greet him with a kiss that had Mikey making kissy faces at them in response.

"Does this mean ya have good news?" His arms pulled at Leo's elbows, keeping him close to him for the moment.

"I'm pretty sure I'd kiss you like that no matter what."

Donnie rolled his eyes and moved himself away from the lovesick turtles and headed over to say hi to April and Casey, which was still keeping him in close enough proximity to hear what Leo had to say next.

"But yes, I do have good news."

"They had a spot for ya?"

"Yes they did." Leo smiled at Raph's proud grin and then looked to his two brothers as well to make sure they'd heard about his new job. "In the very subject I was trained to teach in fact."

"Wait, what subject?" Raph asked.

When Leo had told him he'd earned a teaching degree in college and had quit a high school teaching position in order to take over the bookstore, he'd never thought to ask Leo exactly what subject he'd been teaching.

He tilted his head in question when Leo's grin only grew wider.

'I'm a history teacher."

Raph guffawed. There was no other word for it. April even came around the bar to check on her brother since the noise was slightly alarming. Like the sound someone makes when they're choking. Even Mikey stood silently next to him with his own confused, although amused, look on his small face.

"Ya hate history," Raph finally managed to say after a few minutes of solid laughter.

"No, I love history." The amusement in Leo's voice about making Raphael laugh this hard was clearly apparently.

"Why is this funny?" Donnie finally asked as his eyes darted back and forth between the two older turtles.

"Well, I love history when I'm teaching it at least," Leo added. "Besides, if you had the chance to get away from an old man butchering a famous speech while also getting a chance to have a drink with a good looking turtle, wouldn't you take it?"

Raph's eyes nearly had tears in them, but his smile softened on Leo's face and he nodded.

"Hell yeah I would."


Because Raphael knew his island like the back of his hand, he was fairly certain he already knew the best spot for the fog catchers to sit. But he still dragged Donnie out there early one morning when the fog was at its heaviest for a second opinion.

The location wasn't super far from his brewery, which was perfect for an island without any cars, but it was still far enough to make lugging the gallons of the water produced by the fog catchers a strenuous task. Raph was still trying to figure out the best solution for that problem, other than making Casey carry them, when Donnie appeared one day with a modified golf cart capable of pulling a trailer filled with water tanks.

And a few days later, Donnie had taken over a section of the brewery and set him up with a carbon filtration system to clean the fog-water.

And a week later, he found Donnie trying to create an assembly line for the beer side of his business. Raph had mentioned during dinner with his new turtle family that one of his main issues with exporting his beer lines was that he had no patience for filling individual bottles or capping individual bottles, which meant he sent kegs only off island. But he had a few places that had begun requesting crates of bottles as well.

Donnie looked up at him sheepishly when he approached but began talking before Raph could ask questions. "I may have broken about a dozen bottles so far. I think I fixed the glitches in the filling system, so each bottle will be filled the correct amount. But, I can see why you hate capping these things. And in my research I learned that if not capped properly, there's a risk of oxidization, so I -,"

"Hey, Don," Raph interjected as he examined the moving parts to Donnie's new invention.

"Yes?" Donnie asked, moving his eyes up to Raph.

"Yer inventions are pretty awesome."

Donnie ducked his head, but Raph saw the appreciative smile. "Thanks. My dad and Leo usually said the same."

"Do ya miss the bookstore? Or yer old home?" Raph had packed Leo and his brothers up the very week he'd found Leo, brought them to the island, and moved them into his house. That had been a few months ago and just last week Leo had signed the paperwork to sell their building to a woman who was thrilled to get the chance to own a bookstore.

"No." Donnie shook his head. "I really appreciate the shed you gave me for a workshop, complete with a lock to keep Mikey out. And that, you know, Leo's actually happy again. No worries here, Raphael."

Raph eyed Donnie. He'd noticed that Donnie could be sarcastic at times, thankfully in a funny rather than caustic way. But Donnie seemed sincere in this moment. "Okay. Well, I already don't know what I'd do without yer inventions around here. I just wanted to make sure yer weren't making so many because you were bored or -,"

Donnie's laugh cut him off. "No, Raphael. I think it's great here. And the fact that yer equipment is so basic and outdated just gives me a lot of things to focus on, which I enjoy."

"Well, great. Carry on then." Raph waited to frown until he was turned away from the other turtle. "Its not that outdated," he mumbled as he walked away.


Leo switched off the lights and left his classroom before beginning the short walk over to the restaurant. Usually he had Mikey with him, since their new ritual was for him to pick Mikey up at the elementary school next door at the end of the school day and bring him back to the high school. Then Leo finished up his daily lesson plans and Mikey enjoyed sitting in a big kid desk while he was forced to work on his own homework.

But today, Raph had asked if he could pick Mikey up and bring him to the restaurant to hang out with him after school instead, and Leo had thought it might be a good idea. Despite Mikey's natural ability to make friends with just about anyone, he hadn't been making friends since they moved to the island. His teacher said the other kids tried to play with him but, for some reason, Mikey was keeping to himself.

Leo had tried to talk to Mikey about it, but the little turtle, a natural chatterbox, had clamped up. In fact, he may as well have pulled himself into his shell when Leo asked him if he had any friends at school he wanted to invite over.

Leo entered the restaurant through the main doors and smiled at the few members of the wait staff who were gearing up for the dinner rush. One of them pointed Leo in the direction of the kitchen without him having to ask where he could find Raph and Mikey.

He was almost through the doors of the kitchen when he was semi-tackled and pushed into a side wall. His laugh was muffled as Raph's mouth landed on his and he responded to having his shell shoved into the wall by tugging at Raph's shell to pull him closer. Raph dipped his head and ran his tongue up Leo's neck but pulled away with a dark chuckle when he felt the first vibrating indication of a churr from Leo.

"You starting something you can't finish?" Leo murmured to him.

He smiled at Leo's already hazy eyes and pressed his fingers against the back of Leo's shirt so he could feel the shell's ridges through the material.

"This corner isn't that private, Fearless. Plus, I wanted to stop ya so you'd go in the kitchen quietly. Don't want ya disturbing the kid."

Leo refocused on Raph's face. "What's Mikey doing in there?"

"Well, I noticed that he liked to follow me around the kitchen at home - ,"

"He likes following you around anywhere you know."

Raph grinned but didn't reply to Leo's comment. "So I thought he'd like to follow Chef Anna around this afternoon as she prepped the food for dinner."

Leo's face lit up. "Raph, that's a great idea. Is he loving it?" Leo pushed the kitchen door open slightly to peek inside, but he only spotted Chef Anna working solo. He turned his head back to Raph, "Where is he?"

Raph pushed through the door without a word and led Leo to the back of the kitchen where Mikey was currently sprawled across the floor next to a small boy with a head full of blond curls. Leo stopped behind Raphael and rested his chin on Raph's shoulder as he watched Mikey grin and laugh with his new friend.

"Chef Anna had to bring her son to work today," Raph said quietly. "And Mikey lost interest in cooking as soon as Woody pulled out his comic books. They've been back here laughing ever since."

The two boys laughed just then in fact, still unaware of the two older turtles watching them, and Leo wrapped a hand around one of Raph's arms and squeezed.

"Have I told you today that you're the best?" Leo asked quietly as he happily watched cheerful Mikey at play.

Raph felt himself warm he pulled Leo into his side properly. Still, he shrugged. "Don't give me credit for this one. I just wanted him to learn how to cook so I wouldn't have to do all the cooking at home."

Leo chuckled into Raph's neck before planting a kiss there, not at all fooled by Raph trying to brush off his attempt at cheering up Mikey. "I told you I'd help you -,"

"You killed my toaster."

"I'm pretty sure that was faulty wiring - ,"

"Faulty wiring?" Raph practically rolled his eyes as he pulled Leo away from the boys to head back out to the bar. "Ya nearly melted the countertop."


"Whoa." Leo stopped in his tracks when Mt. Rainier suddenly came into view on the wooded hike Raph had invited him on that afternoon while Donnie and Mikey were spending time with Casey and April.

Raph stopped as well and glanced at the mountain top before he turned his attention back to Leo and admired the way Leo's blue eyes were lit up in amazement at the view. Feeling eyes on him, Leo turned his attention to Raphael and was soon wrapping his arms around Raph's shoulders.

"Does that view ever get old?"

"Nah, it's why I wanted to bring you out here."

"I love you."

It wasn't the first time Leo had said it, but Raph was pretty sure hearing it from Leo's mouth was never going to get old.

"I love ya too."

Leo smiled softly at him in return before the smile turned into a devious grin and he began pushing Raphael back a few steps until his shell bumped into a tree, giving Leo the leverage he was looking for to rub himself against the other turtle as his mouth covered Raph's mouth.

"Is that the only reason you brought me out here?"

Raph's fingers were already unbuttoning Leo's pants.

"Well, that, and I always wanted to try something out here." He switched positions with Leo so that he could press Leo into the tree before kissing him again. "And I think yer shell can take it." When their pants were both sent to the forest floor, he made fast work of prepping Leo, until Leo's churring noises were loud enough to wake up a nearby bird family, and then he hefted Leo up so that his legs could wrap around Raph's waist.

"Raphael." Leo moaned out his appreciation as Raph pushed into him. He tightened his arms around Raph's shoulders as Raph kept him lifted with hard hands gripping his thighs.

As Raph sank into that blessed heat, he pulled his head from Leo's shoulder and met Leo's eyes. Leo's hazy, half lidded, take me, blue eyes. A churr rolled up his throat at the sight of those eyes alone.

He could hear Leo's shell hit the tree as he began thrusting into him, but Leo's only response was to throw his head back and churr again. So Raph pushed him harder against the tree so that he could free up one of his hands and grinned when Leo's sounds only became louder as Raph stroked Leo's own hard length.

"This is the view I came for," Raph murmured.


Mikey kept his eyes just above the water as he swam, certain that he must look like a shark to anyone watching, as he beelined for Leonardo. He was pretty sure he was being pretty stealthy too, but when he made his move to splash his unsuspecting brother, Raph's sudden appearance from under the water blocked the water attack and Mikey yelped as Raph dove for him. He giggled loudly as he was tossed several feet in the air and landed in the water with a splash that managed to hit Leo where he stood in the water anyway.

Mikey sputtered as he came back to the surface, but he had a big smile on his face, and seeing that he was fine, Leo let Raph pull him underwater with him, where he was treated to a quick kiss and an even quicker teasing ass grab that had him laughing, forcing him to surface as well.

"D! Come play with us!" Mikey called out to Donnie where he sat on a rock along the shoreline.

"I'm reading."

"Read later." Mikey scowled as Donnie ignored him. He moved closer to the shoreline and grinned evilly when Donnie peeked over his book to glance at him.

"Don't you dare, Michelangelo."

"I bet that book wouldn't be as fun to read if it was all wet, huh Doooonnie?"

Donnie scrambled to get up and when he realized he was never going to make it to safety in time, he tossed the book to save it, and then suffered through Mikey's impressive splash. He stood slowly and looked down at his soaking clothes. "How on earth did you manage to get that much water over here?"

Mikey was bent over laughing where he stood, encouraged when he saw Leo and Raph trying to hide smiles. "I got skillz, D! Now get in here!"

Donnie tried to glare at Mikey, but he always found it hard to glare at his smiley little brother. So he sighed in dramatic defeat and then dove into the water in order to attack the tiny squealing turtle.


When Raph turned towards the bar and found a new patron sitting on one of his stools, his eyes narrowed immediately at the white rabbit who was pretending to look at the drink menu.

Back when Raph had helped Leo and his brothers move out of their apartment, he'd found a box of old photos. Most were from Leo's high school and college days, which is how Raph found out that Leo didn't just enjoy swimming, but that he'd gone to college on a swim scholarship. The pictures after college showed Leo spending time with a group of friends. A group of friends that included this exact white rabbit. And towards the bottom of the box were photos that included Leo and only this rabbit.

When Raph brought the photo box to Leo to be packed, Leo's mouth had twisted into a grimace when he saw those particular old photos. And then Leo had shared that the rabbit was who he'd been dating when his father had died. And that he was also the one who'd quickly dumped Leo when it was clear Leo was going to stick by his brothers. And then Leo promptly threw the white rabbit photos into the trash.

"It's not all fun and games with him," the white rabbit said, darting a look up at Raphael.

"Nope, its not." Raph glanced over at the booth where Donnie and Mikey were sitting with their homework. His eyes had a certain glint of brotherly fondness that he wasn't about to admit out loud to the two young turtles, although he was pretty damn sure Leo had seen the look in his eyes more than once. Raph grinned then. "But those games I do get Leo to play with me?"

The white rabbit looked closely now at this turtle's impressive green eyes and then listened as he rumbled out that Leo was worth it, a fact that the rabbit had realized only too late.

"Games, huh?"

"Don't even think about it," Raph growled lowly when he saw the interest in the rabbit's eyes. "Yer turn's over."

"Yes, perhaps with Leonardo it is." He ran his eyes over this new turtle, his mission for this trip suddenly changing from trying to scare this guy away from Leonardo and into possibly getting this new guy to come play with him instead. "But perhaps you would care for a night out with someone who doesn't have a curfew? I bet you know plenty of nice places to see in Seattle."

Raph's eyes narrowed in obvious distrust. He rested his elbows on the bar and leaned forward and watched as the rabbit's eyes widened with interest.

"Ain't gonna happen." Raph locked his eyes with the newcomer, making certain his message was being received. "So if yer not gonna order anythin, I suggest ya find somewhere else to spend yer evening."

A small disappointed sigh left the rabbit's mouth, but he nodded in resignation and rose from his stool. "You be sure to call me if things change," he offered. "I'm sure I could be of some use for a lonely turtle."

Raph huffed out a noise of obvious disagreement but didn't say anything further. Instead, he turned back to what he'd been doing before and was happy to see the rabbit had disappeared when he glanced back to check on Mikey and Donnie.


"Mikey, did you finish your homework?"

"Yup! We learned about weather today."

"Really? What'd you learn?"

"That Fahrenheit is for hot and Celsius is for cold."

"Are you sure that's what your teacher said?" Leo glanced over at Raphael and Raph could already read the tease in Leo's eyes. "Or is that some special part of this island's elementary school curriculum?"

Raphael mock scowled at him in return. "Don't worry, Fearless, I hear we have a hot new teacher on the island who I bet can help him out."

"Hot like Fahrenheit hot?" Leo asked dryly before he broke down and smiled.

"Come on Mikey," Donnie said, dragging his little brother away from the other two. "I can review proper weather descriptions with you."


"I meant to tell you I, uh, I hate this shirt."

One corner of Leo's mouth quirked up and his eyes lit up in amusement. "Oh yeah? But it's your favorite color. I wore it just for you."

This was a game they both enjoyed and Raphael now did his best to stare in disdain at the shirt. "I'm not sure ya should do me any more favors." He also did his best to appear uninterested in Leo's smirk. But Leo's unique scent was already wafting up his nose, pulling him closer to Leo without conscious thought.

"Hmm," Leo hummed as his fingers trailed over one of Raph's forearms. "Well I suppose if you hate it, then maybe you should remove it."

Raphael glared down at the tiny buttons that ran the length of Leo's red shirt, the real reason, he was sure, that Leo put the damn thing on. But one corner of his own mouth quirked up as he gripped the two sides of the shirt. And, in one swift movement, yanked hard enough to send the buttons flying through the air.

"Ya weren't attached to this shirt, were ya?" He lifted his eyes to Leo's and found Leo grinning widely at him in response.

"Nope." Leo's arms went around his neck and he pulled Raph down to the bed with him. "I'm only attached to you."


A/N: The End.

I've never really written a chapter with just snapshots of day to day life like this, but I thought it might be a fun "where are they now" view before I put this story to bed. You guys have left some of the best comments on this story and I'm extremely pleased you liked it so much. Honestly, you just couldn't be any nicer.

I'd also like to send a special thanks to Sakycchan! Because without Sakycchan I never would've tried the turtles in this topside setting. And damn this was fun.