A/N: Oh, you want some angst? Have some! And some fluff also? TAKE IT. AND SOME SMUT?! HAVE IT! It's the LONGEST CHAPTER EVARRRRR XD Seriously, this installment was like, six words in my outline and it turned into the update that ate Tokyo. Anyway, enjoy! And as always with smutty chapters, PLEASE do not read if you are under 18.

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SUMMER

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT, CHANNEL SIX EVENING NEWS

Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe: "Tear gas and ear-splitting sirens, as police raided a warehouse in the Meatpacking District last night - the warehouse had been operating illegally as an underground club known as 'Fusion.' The club specifically catered to mutants, but also had a steady human patronage, particularly among those who identified as 'outsiders.' The NYPD insists this was routine procedure, but in light of Fusion's unique clientele, many are questioning the perhaps-overzealous tactics police used to disperse the crowd. For more insight, we go to Field Correspondent, April O'Neil."

April O'Neil (v.o.): "Mutants. For years, their existence was cloaked in shadow, yet now, in a post-Kraang world, we know for certain - they walk amongst us. For some, mutants remain a painful reminder of a time they'd prefer to forget. Yet for others, mutants represent a newfound community, and a new hope for acceptance. Acceptance that these human patrons found at a secretive downtown nightclub called Fusion."

Staff Sgt. Michael Bertolio, retired, age 44:

"My unit encountered an I.E.D. in Baghdad in twenty-ten, and I suffered third-degree burns over forty percent of my body. It took years to readjust to civilian life, but…finding Fusion - yes, it was jarring, at first, but…it was the first place where I felt like total strangers would look at me, and…they saw me first. Not the scars."

Anonymous, age 17 (v.o.):

"Being young, black, and trans - I felt like a freak…a mistake. I thought there would never be anyone who understood me…I was cutting, and stealing my parent's meds, I was failing in school…But my friend brought me to Fusion, and it was like…I could finally breathe. Finally there were people that understood what it felt like, being in the wrong body, being hated just for what you look like, never belonging…I didn't go there to drink, or to hook up - I just went there to feel okay for a few hours."

Gus Petrides, local business man, 42: "Yeah, we had muties comin' through here for months, we never had a problem with 'em before, they kept to themselves, did their own thing, then the cops show up and we lost a whole night's business last night. The smoke went all through the diner, your eyes was waterin', and they had that siren thing, the noise, it was - unbelievable. I said to them 'we got a business to run here,' and they're just…'oh, stay inside, stay inside.' Pfft. Ridiculous. I mean, they're makin' more problems than they're solvin'."

O'Neil (v.o.): "Of course, not everyone is thrilled with the idea of mutants walking amongst us."

Cardinal Patrick Morrigan, Archdiocese of New York: "It's bestiality, and it's a sin. Look, I have compassion for these…creatures, I truly do. But this isn't something you celebrate, it's a sickness. A tragic affliction. These people went to that place for one specific reason - to have…congress with an animal. It's illegal, and it's amoral."

O'Neil (v.o.): "For some, the anti-mutant sentiment even extends to violence, as at least two mutants have been publicly executed this past year by known members of street gangs and hate groups like H.A.T.E. and the Purple Dragons - crimes for which there seem to be no penalty, crimes that no one seems to want the burden of solving, least of all, Police Chief Sterns. We caught up with Sterns outside City Hall, where he was predictably tight-lipped about last night's raid."

NYPD Police Chief Sterns: "The ah, warehouse that was raided last night was determined to be, ah, an illegal nightclub. And the NYPD responded in exactly the appropriate way."

O'Neil: "With tear gas, and LRAD sound cannons? Was there a riot at this warehouse?"

Sterns: "The NYPD will continue to protect and serve the citizens of New York using whatever tools we deem safe and prudent, Miss O'Neil."

O'Neil: "Does the NYPD also protect and serve mutant citizens? Or only humans? Are mutants, in fact, considered citizens by the NYPD?"

Sterns: "I have no further comment at this time."

O'Neil: What about the murder of Anton Zeck, what's the status of that investigation?

Sterns: It is ongoing.

O'Neil: It's been two months, have there been any -

Sterns: You know very well, Miss O'Neil, that the NYPD does not comment on ongoing investigations.

O'Neil: Chief St -

Sterns: No comment. Thank you. No comment.

O'Neil (v.o.): "At least four mutants were arrested last night and, as in previous arrests, the wheels of justice seem to be turning particularly slowly; they have yet to be released, or as far as we could tell, even charged with a crime other than 'resisting arrest.'

O'Neil: Our request to interview the prisoners was denied, making it ever more apparent that in this growing concern, certain voices in particular are missing from this debate: the voices of the mutants, themselves. For Channel Six News, I'm April O'Neil. Back to you, Carlos."

Chiang O'Brien Gambe: "Alright, thank you, April, we will be sure to keep our eye on that growing Mutant Problem. After the break - is your daily cup of coffee killing you?! Surprising new research when we come back."

EARLIER THAT DAY

"O'Neil," Cardinal Morrigan said, leaning back with a smile in his office chair. Vern was looping up the camera cables and she was scrolling back through the footage of their interview, one can of the headset to her ear, "That's a nice, Irish name. You Catholic, Miss O'Neil?"

"It's Mrs." April replied without looking up from her work, just a hint of frost in her smile. "Lapsed, I'm afraid."

"Well, that won't do!" the Cardinal tutted, jovially, "You'll have to come back home and join us for Mass this weekend!"

"My husband is an atheist, my in-laws are Buddhist, and my kid brother's gay," April replied, bluntly, "I think you'll find me a hard sell. Thank you for your time, Cardinal."

Leaving him gaping like a landed fish, April turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. She heard Vern snort and immediately cover it with a cough.

"A-hem! Sorry, she's a…little hormonal. She just had a kid not too long ago, n'all…"

She shook her head furiously as Vern patronizingly apologized for her, and walked faster. She felt her face burning and knew she was bright red with temper.

Pfft. Having "congress" with an "animal." You're about to "have congress" with my foot!

She burst out into the hot, stinking, New York City summer, the scent of hot dog carts and garbage and bus exhaust and hot pavement both assaulting her and comforting her, whispering "home." She inhaled a deep lungful of the city through her nose, and calming down, tucked the camera under her arm, and reached into her pocket for her T-phone, speed-dialing Donnie.

"Sweetie?"

"Hi honey," April sighed, her shoulders already sagging in relief at the sound of his voice.

Donnie gasped in exaggerated delight. "It's Mommyyyyyyy! Yaaaaay!"

April grinned as she heard Georgia gurgle in the background.

"How is she?"

"Good," Donnie said, "We're practicing. Georgia! Who's that? Who is that, huh?"

"Ahh baaah…ma."

April laughed. "Apparently I'm former President Obama."

"Hey, it's not bad for a seventh-month old!"

"Not bad," April agreed, rolling her eyes with a grin. Donnie had already decided that Georgia was clearly a genius, and expected her to be ticking off milestones months in advance. At this rate, she'd have her doctoral thesis completed by kindergarten.

"Oh, hey," Donnie said, suddenly, "I almost forgot. If Leo calls or texts or whatever, Mikey is hanging out with us tomorrow."

"Geez, again with this?!" April griped, "This is getting ridiculous, Donnie."

"Give him some time, April," he said gently, "It's difficult for him. He idolizes Leo and Raph, and he's afraid that they'll - "

"Then he's not giving them enough credit," April interrupted, "Besides, they've been dating for like, four, five months now? He hasn't even introduced him to us yet! It's time to ninja up already."

"April, you of all people know how complicated it is with our family," Donnie continued patiently, "I mean, words like 'overprotective' and 'boundary issues' don't even begin to cover it. It was hard enough for you and me, and that was when the entire family already knew you for years."

April sighed. "Yeeeeah, I guess. But he seriously owes you one."

"Several, in fact."

April smiled. "What're you gonna ask him for?"

"I dunno. Nothing, I guess, just hold it over his head ominously for a while. It's kinda fun to watch him twist."

April laughed. "Evil."

"Pfft. Please. He knows I'm a softie, that's why I'm the go-to alibi."

"That and he's not out to anyone else."

"Well, there's that."

"So what else have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know, lots of eating, lots of pooping, lots of crying."

"Uh-huh. And what did Georgia do today?"

"Har-de-har-har. Well, we also played about a solid hour of peek-a-boo. Because you know, object permanence never gets old."

April laughed. "Sounds like you could use a break."

"Ehhhh maybe a teeeeeny tiny one," Donnie admitted. "You on your way home?" he added, hopefully.

April sighed. "No, sweetie, I'm sorry. I've got one more interview to do and then I gotta drop off the footage at the station and record my voice over. Then I can come home."

"Aw, okay."

"I just…" April found herself swallowing a lump in her throat, "I just really wanted to hear your voice."

"Something happened, didn't it?" Donnie asked, astutely, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just - following up on this mutant story, and…people suck."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Hey, let's try and get Georgie down a little early tonight, and we'll take a nice bath, huh?"

"Heh," April chuckled, "A 'nice bath?' Or a 'nice bath?'"

"No ulterior motive," Donnie drawled, sarcastically, "Just…nice. You-and-me time."

"You're too good," April sighed.

"Well, that was professional," Vern teased, startling her as he arrived with the cables and the light slung over his shoulder.

"I gotta go," April groaned, "Lemme say bye-bye."

"Okay. Georgie! Who's on the phone?"

"Byyyyyyye!" April crooned, "Bye-bye sweetie! Mommy loves you!"

"Baaahhma…ma," Georgie replied in her ear.

"Hey! Did you hear that?!" April cried, happily, "She almost had it there, at the end!"

"Yep!" Donnie agreed, proudly, "We'll keep workin' on it."

"Alright. I gotta go work."

"Go get 'em, hon. Love you."

"Love you, too."

April sighed happily, and hung up.

"Well, that's more like it," Vern said dryly, reaching for the camera under April's arm. She rolled her eyes and handed it to him.

"'She's hormonal?'" she quoted, sarcastically, "Really?"

"Hey, I had to say something," Vern said, with a weaselly grin, "For the record, I thought it was hilarious. You might be fired, but - worth it."

"Pfft. Please, I'm not getting fired over that," April groused, "Now Sterns, he might get me fired."

Vern shook his head, as he rounded the van, unclipping the carabiner with his keys from his belt loop. "Y'know, Susan Yao's got this niiiiice, easy scare piece about caffeine addiction."

"Oh, hell with Susan Yao," April grumbled, climbing into the van and giving the passenger door an ill-natured slam. That probably wasn't fair - she actually liked Susan, but she had zero interest in puff pieces, scaremongering, and the other crap the network ate up with a spoon, while Susan was all too happy to roll over like a spaniel and keep them in steady supply - she wanted the desk, and she wanted it bad, while she was still relatively young and pretty.

"I'm just sayin'," Vern said, starting up the van, "You gotta play ball."

"No I don't," April said, feeling like a sulky teenager again, "What I have to do is get the story. I could care less about making anchor. I'm happy doing what I'm doing."

"Yep. Cuz you sound - ecstatic," Vern replied, checking his side mirror to pull out. April stuck her tongue out at the back of his head, then smirked at her own childish behavior.

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Niko looked up as the pebble hit his window pane, and smiled. Hopping out of bed, he crossed to the window and opened it hurriedly. Mikey stepped out of the shadows and waved hello.

"Dude, are you nuts?" he called down, in a stage whisper.

"Yup," Mikey grinned, "Nuts about you." He was gripping an entire fistful of white, puffy dandelion heads. A couple seed pods dislodged and drifted away as he held them up for inspection.

Nick shook his head, grinning.

"I have a cell phone. Why are you throwing rocks at my window?!"

"What, you want a text?! Sh-yah, right! Like that's romantic!"

"Get up here, malakas, it's the middle of the day!"

Mikey grinned, and shimmied up the water spout. Nick thought he'd seen a YouTube video like that once, only they were climbing coconut trees…he couldn't remember where now. Must have been somewhere tropical, if there were coconut trees.

He was floored, again, to realize exactly how athletic Mike was…and how athletic he was NOT. He cringed slightly, sucking his gut in slightly out of instinct, and vowed for the zillionth time to pay attention the next time Marina started her blah blah blahing about "Paleo."

In a remarkably short amount of time, Mikey had scaled the water spout, and in a breath-taking leap that he made look absurdly easy, swung over and latched onto his window-sill with one hand, dangling from his third-story window like a kid on the monkey bars. With his free hand, he held up the bouquet of dandelion heads with a winning grin, more puffy white seeds drifting away from the motion.

"Milady. Well…mi-dude," he corrected, "But 'milady' just sounds more romantic-al."

"Awwww! You brought me weeds! You shouldn't have!" Nick teased, in a sing-song voice. But as always when Michelangelo was around, he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"They're dandelions, duh," Mikey replied, grabbing the sill with his other hand now that Nick had his prize. He pulled himself casually up onto his elbows, like someone leaning on the edge of a swimming pool. "April told me you're supposed to close your eyes and make a wish, and then blow on 'em, and if you get all the floaty things off your wish will come true. I got you every one that I saw between the lair and here, so…now all your wishes can come true."

Nick melted, gazing dreamily into his wide, baby-blue eyes, the smattering of freckles like kisses of sunshine on his apple-cheeked face. His youthful features were countered by his formidable arms and shoulder muscles bunching as he supported his weight on the window sill…he'd never met anyone so sweet. Or unique. Or strong. Or…

Suddenly, with alarm, he pictured Michelangelo darting out of the shadows into broad daylight, plucking a dandelion, and sneaking back out of sight, just as a suspicious human turned to see what had slipped past the corner of their eye. It rustled his jimmies just thinking about it.

"Will you get in here before someone sees you dangling out my window?! You shouldn't be running around this time of day, it's not safe."

Mikey grinned even wider, if that was possible, and easily pushed himself up onto his hands and clambered inside.

"Aww. You worried about little ol' me?"

"I'm serious, Mike. It's dangerous."

"Dude - ninja. Remember?"

"Hrm. Next time at least call first so I know to watch for you."

"Then it's not a surprise!" Mikey said, as though this ought to be perfectly obvious. "Come on, you can't text me you're gonna be home alone all day and expect me not to show up. So - why are you home alone all day? Is the Necropolis still closed?"

Nick laughed, abruptly. The name of the family business was The Acropolis Diner, but he hated working there so much, he had re-christened it - at least in private.

"Nope, I begged off. Gus and my parents all went in early…Marina's there, too. They gotta get the place cleaned up and aired out. I told them the smoke was still aggravating my lungs."

"Hah!" Mike snorted, "Yeah, you got a real issue with smoke aggravating your lungs."

Nick grinned sheepishly. "Well, honestly…I wanted to see you, and I saw an opportunity. Besides, I haven't taken a sick day in like - ever. And…I was really worried about you yesterday."

Mikey gave him that soft, sweet look of concern with his enormous puppy dog eyes.

"But I'm fine, Niko," he said, softly, "I told you I was fine. Wasn't even near the place. I only ever went there with you, anyway."

"Yeah, but…I guess it still kinda creeped me out."

"When I heard what happened, I was actually worried about you," Mikey said, sitting at the foot of Nick's bed, leaning back against the footboard, "Bein' so close to the diner n'all."

His eyes brightened, "Oh hey, Gus was on TV! He met April, too!"

"Yeah," Nick grinned, "Marina was mad at him for not mentioning the diner by name. Can you believe that? She's so mercenary."

Mikey scowled dubiously, "Like…Deadpool?"

Nick just grinned, rolled his eyes, and plowed on. "It's so weird, them meeting, and neither of them knew who they know. Wait…I said that wrong."

"It's okay, I got it," Mikey nodded. He gestured excitedly to the bouquet of dandelion heads, "So make a wish already!"

Nick laughed at the rapid-fire way Mike jumped from topic to topic. He understood now why his brothers kept calling him "Mikey," and he often slipped and called him that accidentally…he was just so energetic and bubbly, and though he'd hate to have it pointed out, there was something childlike about him…but it was fun, and refreshing, and…contagious. Mikey made him feel like he wasn't a burn-out loser, trudging through a mind-numbing, dead-end job he was terrible at and still living at home. He even found he was blazing less often…he liked being sharp when Mike was coming around…not sluggish and lazy. (Though sharing a j, some munchies, and a bad movie was a fun date, too. He always felt a little bad though, like he was "corrupting" him or whatever - it was obvious Mikey was just a social toker; not the total pothead he was.)

"Okay, okay," Nick conceded, crossing to the window, "But you gotta come help."

"I dunno," Mikey said, eyeing the dandelions dubiously. Nick could tell he really wanted to, but didn't want to ruin his gift either, "Would your wish still count if you had help?"

"I think it still counts."

Mikey grinned, and hopped to his feet.

"Okay, let's do this!"

Nick laughed as Mikey joined him by the window. He'd been doing a lot of that since he met Mikey - laughing. Mikey wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned in closer, already taking a deep breath.

"Wait, wait!" Nick said, still laughing, "We have to make a wish first!"

"Oh right, duh!" Mikey said, squeezing his eyes shut. The very tip of his pink tongue showed against his upper lip as he concentrated. Nick smiled lazily, watching him. Adorable.

" 'Kay," Mikey grinned, opening his eyes. "Ready?"

Nick hadn't even made a wish. He was just staring at Mikey's green skin and orange mask, and baby blue eyes, so sunny and bright, just like him…he should be the one getting his wish. He deserved it. He deserved everything, and the world afforded him so little.

"He deserves better than me," he thought, with a twinge of regret.

"Ready," he lied, with a grin.

Just let Mikey's wishes come true. That's enough for me. That's my wish.

"Okay! One…two…"

On "three" they both blew with all their might, the white seed pods flying off into the hot, golden afternoon light. Nick started coughing hard as he reached the end of his air, grinning as he tried to catch his breath.

"Dude, you gotta put down the bong," Mikey teased. His voice was light, but Nick knew he was only half-joking.

"H-hey, the diner was full of p-epper spray last night," Nick grinned, "Cut me some slack."

"So did we win?" Mikey asked, eagerly inspecting the dandelion stems in Nick's hand, "Do you get your wish?"

Nick grinned. "Let's find out."

He let the dandelion stems tumble from his grip. Now there'd probably be a little patch of dandelions sprouting up right outside his window. He actually kinda liked the idea.

Putting his hands on Michelangelo's cheeks, he drew him close and gave him a warm kiss, which Mikey immediately returned with exuberance, following it up by nuzzling his face stubble and giving him a breath-stealing bear hug that made Nick cough again.

"Oops," Mikey blushed, "Sorry."

Nick beamed. Mikey was always so enthusiastic…maybe a little too enthusiastic. it was hard to get him to just relax.

"Dude - not every kiss has to have a winner," he teased.

Mikey pouted. "But I like winning."

Nick laughed, and started backing Mikey up to his bed, with what he hoped was a sultry look in his eyes.

"Well…we've got all afternoon, so…"

"Heh. Got it," Mikey replied, the nerves in his voice clearly evident, "No rush."

"Mm. Right."

He landed on his shell, Nick's saggy mattress creaking under the impact. Nick clambered up next to him, and captured his mouth again…his lips were cool and smooth, and…

"Ugh, you taste like pizza!"

"So? Everybody likes pizza."

Nick laughed and poked Mikey in the bridge. "You're gross."

"You're gross!" Mike rejoined, pushing his hand away, which turned into an all out tickle-fight, as Nick kept trying to poke at Mikey's tender sides while he tried to push his hands away, howling and kicking with laughter.

"Oh yeah? Oh yeah?!" he finally cried, and stopped defending to reach for Nick's love handles, sneaking his hand under -

Nick jerked away, shyly, and hastily pulled his T-shirt back down, laughing nervously.

"C'mon, quit it."

"OHhh snap," Mikey said with an evil grin, clearly not catching on, "Somebody's ticklish! Time for a taste of your own - "

"No, Mike - "

" - medicine! Somebody's - "

"Mike, stop."

" - in trouble, now!"

"STOP!"

Mike froze and looked at Nick with fear in his blue eyes.

"I - I'm sorry," he whispered, struck dumb by the sudden outburst.

Nick sat up, and inched away, nervously tugging his shirt back down around his sides. "Uh…it's okay."

"I was just playin' around," Mikey said, and the hurt in his voice made Nick feel so ashamed of himself. "D'you want me…I'll go."

"No," Nick said, reaching for him, but he was already at the window, quick as - well, as a ninja, "Mike, you don't have to - "

"It's cool, I get it." He was grinning, but it looked more like a painful grimace, "It's… a lot to get used to. If you're feeling weirded out, that's cool, I'll just - "

"Wait…what?" Nick asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Wait - what, what?" Mike asked, freezing suspiciously.

"What…exactly are we talking about?"

"Well…you never want me to t…touch you," Mike said, blushing over the intimacy of the words, "Cuz I'm all…y'know. Weird or whatever."

Nick stared for a moment, then closed his eyes, and laughed, shaking his head.

"Don't laugh at me."

Nick stopped laughing abruptly and met Mike's glare. He suddenly didn't look at all like a kid. He looked…well, he looked like he could easily kick your ass. Which, on reflection, Nick realized he absolutely could.

"I'm sorry," he said, sincerely, "I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing because - that's completely not the problem."

"Well, what then?" Mike asked, sadly, "I'm like…not to make it weird, but I'm like, really into you."

Nick smiled awkwardly, "I'm really into you too, Mike…it's just…"

He felt himself turning red.

"Uggggh, okay, it's just, you are…hot. Really hot."

Mikey blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

"Um, no duh, really. You're ripped, Mike. I mean…your arms, are…they're like…"

Nick trailed off, staring at the chiseled muscles of Mikey's arms, the strength of his shoulders, his thighs looking like his namesake might have carved them out of green marble, was seized by the sudden urge to put his tongue on them and crap he'd lost his train of thought and now he had an awkward boner.

"Um…okay," Mike said, shyly, "So?…"

Nick rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're just…really in shape, and I'm…really…not."

Mike looked at him in bewilderment, and suddenly the gears seemed to clunk into place because his jaw hung open in shock and dismay.

"Are you fucking SERIOUS?!" he shouted.

Nick looked anxiously at the open window. "Mike! Shh! Shut up!"

"Are you SERIOUS right now?!" he repeated, his face turning into a wide grin, "You mean we could have been doin' awesome sex stuff this WHOLE TIME, but the reason you get all weird when stuff gets touchy-grabby is 'cuz you're FAT?!"

"Well, yeah!" Nick protested, indignantly, "You're all, friggin', American Ninja Warrior up in here, and I'm - hey, wait, so you DO think I'm fat?! You little - "

"I'm a MUTANT TURTLE, you 'tard!" Mike laughed, and crossed back over to him. This time it was Nick's turn to be gently pressed to his back.

"Hey, don't say that word!"

"What, mutant?"

"The 'T' word."

"Turtle?!"

"NO, you - God you're stupid!"

Mikey fixed him with a sly, teasing look.

"Aaaand you're trolling me, aren't you?"

"You really shouldn't use the 'T' word, Nick."

"You are so - oh - oh man."

He lost his train of thought again, as Mike nuzzled and nibbled at his neck. He put his big green hands on his hips again, and Nick tried to twist away, but Mike held him firm, and slid his hands under his shirt, pushing it all the way up to his neck.

"Hey - Mike - geez!"

Mike insistently pulled Nick's shirt off and threw it aside, grinning down at him.

"You're stupid," he murmured, beaming down at him warmly. He cuddled up next to him and began running his hands over him affectionately, contentedly resuming his neck-nibbling.

"Um," Nick said, flushing bright red, "So…you don't, then. Think I'm fat?"

Mike laughed softly, still smiling dreamily as he playfully grabbed a handful of Nick's hip and pulling him closer. "I dunno, a little. Who cares?"

"Hey!" Nick scowled, sitting partway up.

"What?" Mike asked, with a bewildered expression.

"I can't believe you, Michelangelo!"

"What?! I said a little! You're not like…ginormous, you're just…normal, y'know?"

"Gee, thanks," Nick snapped, pushing Mike away hard, "Just what every guy wants to hear. 'Darling, you're so normal.'"

Mike's face got uncharacteristically serious.

"Dude. Take it from the mutie, okay?" he said, his voice colder, "'Normal' is a major compliment. I would kill for your kind of normal."

He sat up and turned away sulkily. Nick groaned, flopped his head back onto his pillow, and covered his face with his hands.

"Miiiiiiiiiiiike. You are norm - "

"No," Mike said, in that hardened voice that made him sound older, "Don't even. Nothing about me, nothing about my life, is normal. Okay? I am a mutant. You are literally the first person I ever met who didn't flat-out scream the second they saw me. Like, bug-eyed, cartoon panic, screaming. Did I ever tell you the story about the cat?"

"Mike," Nick said, gently, "You have a thousand-and-one stories about cats. You're like the Scheherazade of cats."

"So I rescued this cat, once," Mike continued, "Little lost kitty, black and white, y'know, with the socks…And he had his tags, so I wanted to return him to his owner. I figure, I like cats, he likes cats…he'll be so glad to see his pet cat again, maybe…maybe just this one time…"

Nick didn't respond…he could tell where this was going.

"Long story short, he screamed so loud it scared the cat and it attacked me and ran away again."

He sighed dejectedly, and hung his head.

"Even when I go out of my way to show people who I really am, all they see is what's on the outside. But that's just it - I want them to see the outside, too. When I said I wish I was normal…I don't mean that I wish I was human - I wish being me was okay. I wish people could just see me as I am and think that what I am is…good."

He stared off into space for a moment, then shook his head abruptly, like he was chasing away another thought.

"So I'll make a deal with you. I'm not gonna lie and tell you you're skinny, and you're not gonna lie and tell me I'm normal. But the truth is, when I look at you, I…look at you, Nick, and I see you, the way you really are, and you look…beautiful. Like, the coolest, most awesome, best-looking guy I've ever seen. I look at you, and I wouldn't ever want you to be any different, because you're already perfect to me, and…"

Mike took a deep breath.

"And I think I…maybe…love you."

He let all his air out in a rush.

"Or something, I mean, y'know. Whatever. It's cool if you don't - "

"I love you, too."

Mike looked over, his eyes wide with panic.

"I mean it," Nick said, sitting up so he could reach Mike's arm, and wishing he wasn't noticing what a terrible angle this must be, and wishing his shirt was still -

"Don't," Mike whispered, pulling back, and Nick saw with horror that Mikey looked truly terrified, "Don't say it just 'cuz I said it, or because you feel bad for the - "

"I meant it. I mean it, Mike. I'm in love with you."

"Really?" Mike asked, grinning a wobbly, uncertain grin that teetered on the edge of tears.

Tenderly, Nick reached up to Mikey's mask, worked his fingertips under the edge of it. Mike made the same little noise in his throat Nick had made when his T-shirt was being stripped off, but gently, insistently, Nick pushed the mask off the top of his head, and setting it aside, returned his hand to softly cup the side of Mike's face.

"I see you too, Mike," Nick said, swallowing hard, trying to sound more composed than he really felt, "And what I see - it's good. It's more than good, it's…it's my favorite. You're my favorite."

"Your favorite what?"

"Everything."

"Dude," Mike finally whispered, his eyes shining, "It totally works."

"What?"

"Dandelions."

Nick grinned, wrapped his arms around Mikey's neck and pulled him down to his pasty, somewhat furry chest.

"Get over here," he growled, tenderly, kissing his forehead.

They made out for a while, and it would have been nice to say he was miraculously cured and didn't feel self-conscious at all anymore, but it wouldn't really be true…Still, the way Mikey kissed him and touched him and the "yummy" noises he kept making, and the happy, blissed-out expression on his face whenever they made eye contact…it went a long way to easing Nick's anxieties.

Soon, though, fresh new ones were cropping up to replace them.

"Um…I'm uh," he panted, "I've got a…pretty urgent…situation here."

"Yeah," Mike giggled, "Uh…me too. It's getting real hard - difficult…"

They laughed at his Freudian slip.

"It's getting really difficult to stay…in."

Nick didn't really know what that meant, but he figured that Mike must keep his dick like - tucked away, somehow. Must be a turtle thing.

"So…you've never?…"

"Nope," Mike replied, shyly, "S'all brand new for me."

"Well, believe it or not, I've never been with a mutant turtle before," Nick said, and Mike chuckled lightly under his breath, "So…I guess it's new for me, too."

They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, letting the heady mix of love and lust and nerves and curiosity percolate.

"What…do you think we should do about that?"

"I dunno," Mike said, shyly, "What do you wanna do?"

He didn't exactly blush pink, because of his green skin, but his cheeks darkened a bit, and there was a faintly rosy glow beneath the darker shade of green. Nick wanted to kiss every last freckle on his face like it was his new job in life. He looked both really excited, and really nervous. Nick thought back to his first time, how he wished it was and how it actually was…he wanted to do better for Mike.

"Let's go slow," Nick suggested gently, "We can always do more later."

Mike nodded, eager to agree. "'Kay. Slow's good." Nick grinned. He was so damned cute.

"How about…why don't we just do what we, y'know…usually do…only…we'll do it together."

"Okay," Mike breathed, uncharacteristically quiet.

He rolled off of Nick and laid down next to him on the saggy twin bed. It was so small, they both just barely fit. Mike gazed at him with a shy, doting expression, and gently took Nick's left hand in his own.

"Um…aren't you gonna need this?" Nick teased, holding up Mike's right hand.

"Ambidextrous," Mike grinned, waving hello with his left, "Comes in handy. Heh. Get it?"

"Eugh, Mike," Nick squeezed his eyes shut with a wide grin, "That must be the single worst pun I have ever - "

But Mike was giggling like a schoolboy, and leaned in to interrupt him with a kiss. They kissed some more, and Nick closed his eyes and groaned appreciatively, sliding his hand into his waistband and freeing himself from his boxers.

For a while it got quiet…all he could hear was the familiar soft rustling of fabric and skin as they stroked, and the sound of their breathing, their foreheads pressed gently together. Soon, though - way too soon - Nick's breathing began to get louder and more ragged. Mike made a little moan in the back of his throat, and Nick opened his eyes to look at his face - his beautiful eyes were shut in concentration, his lips parted as he panted…his tongue darted out to lick his green lips, and he pressed them together, his brow furrowing slightly, almost wincing in pleasure as he gave Nick's hand a squeeze.

God, he was smoking hot! How was he so hot?! I mean, he wasn't even human but…

Seriously, who gives a fuck?! Just look at him!

Stunning.

He sure didn't look childish anymore, that's for damn sure.

As if hearing his lustful thoughts, Mike's eyes fluttered open, and found Nick's, those heart-breaker-blues glazed over helplessly, and it was the sexiest, most innocent, most dazzling, glorious thing he'd ever -

"Mike!"

"Mm-hm!"

"Ah! Mike!"

Mike crushed his lips into Nick's and he cried out into Mike's mouth, squeezing his hand like a vice as he came. A second later, their lips parted with a smack, as Mike thrashed onto his back, his whole body going rigid.

"Fu-uck! Nick!"

Nick grinned, shivering as he felt a drop or two of warmth land on his arm. Mike shuddered next to him, once, twice…then slowly Nick felt his muscles relaxing, sinking into him as he let out the breath he'd been holding. Mike's toes curled and uncurled in the sheets, his foot rubbing up against Nick's, and Nick turned onto his side wrapping an arm around Mikey's sticky plastron, gazing happily as Mike panted and blinked in slack-jawed disbelief at the ceiling.

"How you doing?"

"Dizzy. Fuck," Mike repeated, his voice deep and breathy with awe, "It's different. It's…like…"

Nick grinned even wider, leaned over, and kissed Mike's shoulder. He was so cute when he when he couldn't string a sentence together.

"It's so different when…"

He turned his head slightly, and looked into Nick's eyes. His face colored even deeper.

"…when you love somebody," he murmured.

Nick beamed, and squeezed Mike's hand. They kissed, and finally, Mike took his time, being gentle and tender. They broke apart with a sigh, and Mike scooted down, making to rest his head on Nick's stomach.

"Uh…you're kind of in the splash zone, there," Nick warned.

"'Zit look like I care?" Mike drawled, groggily. Nick chuckled. He knew the feeling. He couldn't get out of this bed right now if the house was on fire. He hummed contentedly to himself, and stroked Mike's head gently as he settled in.

"I love this belly," Mike said, after a few minutes, and nuzzled it, "I am going to write epic rock ballads about this belly. I'm not going to be the Scheherazade of cats anymore, I'm going to be the Scheherazade of your beer gut."

Nick laughed, and Mikey lifted his head up so it wouldn't bounce.

"Know why I love your belly?" he asked.

"Why?" Nick grinned, beaming at the sparkle of mischief in Mike's eyes.

Taking a sudden deep breath, Mike buried his face in Nick's midriff and blew a big, wet raspberry. Nick squealed in horror, and tried to push his head away, howling with laughter, but it was useless to resist.

"Perfect," Mike sighed dreamily, surfacing for air and resting his cheek on it once more, "I always wanted to do that. You try doing that on a plastron. Just not the same, man. No bass."

"Do I even want to know which of your brothers you attempted this on?"

"All of them, duh. It was actually a lab project."

"…blowing farts on your brother's stomachs was…a lab project."

"Uh-huh. For Science."

"…you went to one weird-ass school, Mike."

"Home-schooled. It was pretty cool, actually. It was more about learning what an experiment was…like we had to make a hypothesis and then design an experiment and write up a lab report comparing our findings to our expectations. But the subject of the experiment could be whatever we wanted."

"Woah, woah - 'Hypothesis?!' 'Comparing our findings?!' Smell you!"

"I know, right?! That's what I mean, though, it was fun, so I actually remember it. 'How My Brothers React When I Wake Them Up By Blowing Farts On Their Stomachs.' I even made a chart."

"And what were the results of this experiment?"

"Raph beat the tar outta me. As predicted. Leo bitched at first, then narc'ed on me to Splinter, which was also as predicted…but then later, when he found out it was for my lab project, he laughed about it. I think he actually thought it was really funny…so…uh…'those results were contrary to my initial hypothesis.' And Don just told me to quit it, rolled over, and went back to sleep."

"And was this…recent?" Nick asked, dreading the answer.

"No, you dork! We were like…uhhhh…I dunno, eight? Nine?"

Nick grinned, trying to picture Mike as a nine-year-old. "I bet you were really cute."

"'Course! I am the cute one."

Nick laughed, then stopped abruptly, as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Wait - just now, were you experimenting on me?!"

Mike grinned. "My hypothesis was that you would either laugh and think it was hilarious, or get super mad at me. I'm really, really glad it was the first one."

"I gotta say, I'm slightly resentful, here," Nick said, though he was still grinning, "I don't remember volunteering to be your lab rat."

"Doesn't work at all on rats," Mike said, shaking his head sadly, "Too much fur."

Nick quirked an eyebrow. "I…have no idea if you're kidding or not."

Mike nodded. "I get that a lot."

They lay quietly for a moment, listening to each other's breath. Mike's head resting on his torso made Nick even more aware of his heartbeat thudding steadily. He wondered if Mike could hear it. He must.

"You know what this means," Nick said, softly, his tone of voice making it clear that this was going to be a Real Conversation.

"Yeeeeah," Mike sighed, "I know."

"It's time, Mike," Nick prodded, gently, "Past time."

Mike groaned, "Can't we just like…enjoy it for a while? Just enjoy being an us, without all the weirdness and drama?"

Nick suppressed his irritation, and stroked Mike's head. He took a deep breath in through his nose, trying to remember what it was like, trying to be as supportive as he could.

"Okay," he finally said, "I think that's fair."

Mike heaved a sigh of relief. "You are seriously the best, Nick."

"We met in Winter…now it's Summer. The deal is - you have to tell them by Winter."

"Woah - wait, now there's a deal?" Mike said, chuckling nervously.

But Nick wasn't going to let him tease or joke his way out of this.

"You need to do this, Mike. You need to do it for us, but more importantly, you need to do it for you."

Mike just nodded, mutely.

"I'll be right there with you," Nick promised, running his fingers over Mike's cheekbone, "It'll be so much better afterwards, I promise."

"I knooooow," Mike sighed, "Just…things are so weird already, with my Daaaad, and…my broooos, and - "

"Winter," Nick said, firmly, "That's another half a year from now. If we've been going out for a full year and I still haven't met them, then…I'm not ever going to meet them, and we're just spinning our wheels."

Mike nodded again, looking morose and petrified.

"Hey. Don't look so gloomy," Nick smiled, "That's a long time to work up your nerve."

"I don't wanna lose you," Mike whispered.

Nick fixed him with a hard glare.

"So don't."

"I don't wanna lose my family, either."

Nick's glare softened into a smile again.

"You won't, Mike. If my family could deal, yours can. Donnie and April were cool, yeah?"

"Well," Mike said, arching his brow dubiously, "They're a couple a little deviants too, just - different flavor."

Nick laughed, and Mikey smiled again in spite of himself. "Deviants, huh? Sounds kinda hot."

"Is kinda hot," Mike grinned, climbing back up and giving Nick another kiss, "So that was awesome. Wanna do it again?"

"Already?!"

"Like a turtle do! Hey, uh…maybe this time we can like…switch?"

"Malakas."

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A/N: I should give out some fandom love: the club "Fusion" was inspired by the club in Deviata's webcomic Brothers No Matter What, on Deviantart…And the pizza breath is an homage to mo . texas 55's L/R fic, "Outspoken." :) And thanks to everyone for continuing to read and review so faithfully! Oh, and malakas is Greek, literally translates to "wanker." XD Appropriate, given the context.