Michelangelo sighed with exhaustion as he slumped into his recliner and
kicked off his shoes. He then picked them up and sat them neatly at the
side of the chair. Mike knew that he had never been a clean person.
However, he never thought he would ever have this new lifestyle with neater
habits, either.
Once he was done with that, he grabbed the handy remote control and clicked on the television. The TV guide channel was already going, so Mikey watched the scrolling information carefully. His hours were so crazy he was never sure what was on when he returned home anymore. That's what made the TV guide channel the most common channel he viewed.
"Mikey?" A voice called from the kitchen. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, Shana." Mikey responded, relaxing into his seat "Who else would it be?"
A young woman with slightly curly shoulder-length blond hair emerged from the kitchen, carrying two steaming mugs of something and grinning. "Hot cocoa?" She asked, her voice gentle and joking at the same time. It conveyed both a lighthearted answer to his question as well as a question of hers. That was truly what he loved about Shana most...her sense of humor.
"You were expecting hot cocoa?" Mikey asked with a playful mock-offended tone, accepting the mug she offered him. "Thanks." He said, leaning back in the chair as far as he could. Shana took it for what it was - an invitation to sit on his lap...so she did. "Dinner's in the oven." Shana said simply. "Thanks for defrosting it this morning."
Mikey laugh slightly, still looking past her to see the TV. "Well...with how you are about that kitchen, that's the closest I can get to cooking anymore!"
Shana flipped her shoulder-length blond hair as she turned to face him, cutting off his view of the TV. "Maybe I'd let you cook more if you didn't make a mess every time!" It was her typical argument whenever he asked to do anything in the kitchen other than small things, like defrosting or doing the dishes. "Hey! So I don't cook clean!" Mikey protested good-naturedly "Got a problem with that?" Leaning against him, Shana looked up at him and smiled mischievously. "Maybe." She said her voice dropping to a low tone. His view of the TV was cleared, but he didn't care anymore. He just looked down at her, laughing slightly and smiling appreciatively.
A moment of silence followed before Mikey spoke again, this time awe in his voice. "Who woulda thought. A literal party animal like me..."
"With a good, steady demanding job?" Shana asked, hoping she'd finished his sentence for him. While most couples shared a bond that allowed them to think alike and even finish each other's sentences, Shana found it hard to do with Mikey. It was disappointing to find that following his thoughts to conclusion without hearing them spoken were far and few between for her.
Mikey smiled contentedly at the young woman, whom he loved more then anything. Their relationship had always been hard to define, though. Yet, how they felt towards one another, that much was clear. Shana may have found her ability to read Mike somewhat lacking, but it actually gave him the advantage and opportunity to be romantic. Surprising her with lavish gifts and tokens of love amused him like no other since it always caught her unaware.
Her ash gray eyes twinkled as she smiled back at him. She'd long since stopped worrying about it, so Mikey was free to tell her what he was currently thinking, "Actually...I was gonna say, sitting here with the girl of my dreams in my arms."
Shana chuckled, but didn't make a sound as she did. The only sign of her laughter was the shaking in her chest. Reaching up, Shana traced her finger along the bottom half of the almost invisible scar that ran across Mikey's face. It had always fascinated Shana, but once he'd told her the story of how he had acquired it, she'd stopped mentioning it. Now, she only noticed it when she was tired. "Love you." Shana whispered to him sleepily, cuddling deeper against him.
"I love you too." Mikey responded, holding her slightly closer. "Long day?"
"You didn't hear?" Shana responded questioningly, slightly confused, as she put her arms around him.
Mikey shook his head, growing worried. If Shana had expected him to know about something that happened at the hospital, it must've been bad. "What happened, Li?" he asked her, hoping to convey his concern by using her special nickname. He was the only one allowed to call her that; a derivative of her middle name, Alison. Of course, Mikey used it as his creative version of Sweetie.
"Car pileup." She responded simply, her tone hinting that she wanted to reassure him, though she didn't have any reasons to do so. "No idea where from...I was in and out of the OR for almost five hours straight, though. That's why dinner's late tonight; I had to work a few extra hours."
Mikey instinctively pulled her closer to him. Watching and assisting the doctors in the operating rooms was often difficult for her. He didn't dare ask how many had been injured, as Mike was sure he'd find out the next day at his own job. "I'm sorry Li, I had no idea."
Shana shook it off and leaned into his gentle hold. "It's okay, really." She pulled herself up slightly and kissed him lightly on the side of the mouth. Despite sharing a bed, this was as intimate as they ever became due to the complications of being different species. Sipping their hot cocoa, they both watched the TV guide channel in really caring anymore to read what was on or paying any attention to the stupid infomercial. All they wanted was to sit there holding each other close.
Finally, Shana inquired, "How'd your day at work go?"
She just had to ask, didn't she? He'd been hoping to talk to her about it. He wanted to just say 'frustrating' and leave it at that. Yet, with what she'd gone though that day...
"I've got a new partner." Mikey responded finally, his tone hinting that it was no big deal. "His name's Alex...still a rookie. He's been on the force six months."
Shana squealed in delight. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "That means Justin finally took that promotion then, right" Mikey nodded, and Shana snuggled deeper against him and asked "Does this mean you get to drive now?"
He'd never stop being impressed with her. Mikey knew from experience what sort of thing she dealt with every day. Heck, sometimes he'd see it first hand if the police were called to the scene. He at least had an idea of what she went though. Yet she could still get excited over little things. Like him driving the squad car for instance.
"Yep." Mikey answered, deciding not to ruin her suddenly good mood. "Should be fun...Alex just got out of being a trainee." No need to let her know he was an arrogant little jerk who annoyed the heck out of him. "I'll miss Justin though." That was an understatement of the century.
Shana looked up at Mikey, then at the TV. She gasped when she saw the time. "Why hasn't the timer..." leaping to her feet, Shana raced back to the kitchen in a rush.
Mike slowly got to his feet, clicking off the television. As he made his way towards the kitchen, he heard a sharp buzzing sound. The timer. Poor Shana, she panicked if things were even a moment off. Of course, with her job she had a right to. By the time he made it to the kitchen, she was frantically pulling a pan out of the oven and then placing it hard it on the counter. A steaming well-done roast sat in the pan. Shana dropped her hot pad in a huff as she stared at the disaster.
Rushing over, Mikey stopped a foot behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned, and fell into his waiting embrace, sobbing. The current moment of stress had been the last straw. Mike knew what was best for her right then, and only hoped she'd agree to it.
"It's almost eleven, and I think we need to go to bed." he suggested sternly.
"B...but...the roast..." Shana protested tearfully.
"Can wait." Mikey interrupted gently, holding her close. He hated it when she became like this...she was so sensitive. Harsh days affected her badly. While she usually bounced back quickly enough, when it happened at night she needed a lot of TLC. "Right now, you get to bed, I'll put it in the fridge. We can heat it up and have it tomorrow. Or we can share a plateful in bed."
Shana's sobs quieted. She slowly looked up and kissed the corner of his mouth again before whispering, "I love you Mikey." Then, she turned and left for the bedroom. He grinned, and as he grabbed a plate, he muttered, "I'm the luckiest turtle in the world." Breaking off a handful of the perfectly tender roast, Mike sat it on the plate and then proceeded to place the rest of it, still in the pan, into the fridge.
As he started to leave the kitchen, he stopped in the doorway. Shaking his head, he realized that this much normalcy was way bad for both of them. It was time for a turtle-style change. Already grinning, Mikey checked to make sure he had the plate carefully balanced in his hand and then shouted, "Cowabunga!" bursting into their bedroom at a full speed run.
By the time he was charging into the room, Shana was laughing!
Once he was done with that, he grabbed the handy remote control and clicked on the television. The TV guide channel was already going, so Mikey watched the scrolling information carefully. His hours were so crazy he was never sure what was on when he returned home anymore. That's what made the TV guide channel the most common channel he viewed.
"Mikey?" A voice called from the kitchen. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, Shana." Mikey responded, relaxing into his seat "Who else would it be?"
A young woman with slightly curly shoulder-length blond hair emerged from the kitchen, carrying two steaming mugs of something and grinning. "Hot cocoa?" She asked, her voice gentle and joking at the same time. It conveyed both a lighthearted answer to his question as well as a question of hers. That was truly what he loved about Shana most...her sense of humor.
"You were expecting hot cocoa?" Mikey asked with a playful mock-offended tone, accepting the mug she offered him. "Thanks." He said, leaning back in the chair as far as he could. Shana took it for what it was - an invitation to sit on his lap...so she did. "Dinner's in the oven." Shana said simply. "Thanks for defrosting it this morning."
Mikey laugh slightly, still looking past her to see the TV. "Well...with how you are about that kitchen, that's the closest I can get to cooking anymore!"
Shana flipped her shoulder-length blond hair as she turned to face him, cutting off his view of the TV. "Maybe I'd let you cook more if you didn't make a mess every time!" It was her typical argument whenever he asked to do anything in the kitchen other than small things, like defrosting or doing the dishes. "Hey! So I don't cook clean!" Mikey protested good-naturedly "Got a problem with that?" Leaning against him, Shana looked up at him and smiled mischievously. "Maybe." She said her voice dropping to a low tone. His view of the TV was cleared, but he didn't care anymore. He just looked down at her, laughing slightly and smiling appreciatively.
A moment of silence followed before Mikey spoke again, this time awe in his voice. "Who woulda thought. A literal party animal like me..."
"With a good, steady demanding job?" Shana asked, hoping she'd finished his sentence for him. While most couples shared a bond that allowed them to think alike and even finish each other's sentences, Shana found it hard to do with Mikey. It was disappointing to find that following his thoughts to conclusion without hearing them spoken were far and few between for her.
Mikey smiled contentedly at the young woman, whom he loved more then anything. Their relationship had always been hard to define, though. Yet, how they felt towards one another, that much was clear. Shana may have found her ability to read Mike somewhat lacking, but it actually gave him the advantage and opportunity to be romantic. Surprising her with lavish gifts and tokens of love amused him like no other since it always caught her unaware.
Her ash gray eyes twinkled as she smiled back at him. She'd long since stopped worrying about it, so Mikey was free to tell her what he was currently thinking, "Actually...I was gonna say, sitting here with the girl of my dreams in my arms."
Shana chuckled, but didn't make a sound as she did. The only sign of her laughter was the shaking in her chest. Reaching up, Shana traced her finger along the bottom half of the almost invisible scar that ran across Mikey's face. It had always fascinated Shana, but once he'd told her the story of how he had acquired it, she'd stopped mentioning it. Now, she only noticed it when she was tired. "Love you." Shana whispered to him sleepily, cuddling deeper against him.
"I love you too." Mikey responded, holding her slightly closer. "Long day?"
"You didn't hear?" Shana responded questioningly, slightly confused, as she put her arms around him.
Mikey shook his head, growing worried. If Shana had expected him to know about something that happened at the hospital, it must've been bad. "What happened, Li?" he asked her, hoping to convey his concern by using her special nickname. He was the only one allowed to call her that; a derivative of her middle name, Alison. Of course, Mikey used it as his creative version of Sweetie.
"Car pileup." She responded simply, her tone hinting that she wanted to reassure him, though she didn't have any reasons to do so. "No idea where from...I was in and out of the OR for almost five hours straight, though. That's why dinner's late tonight; I had to work a few extra hours."
Mikey instinctively pulled her closer to him. Watching and assisting the doctors in the operating rooms was often difficult for her. He didn't dare ask how many had been injured, as Mike was sure he'd find out the next day at his own job. "I'm sorry Li, I had no idea."
Shana shook it off and leaned into his gentle hold. "It's okay, really." She pulled herself up slightly and kissed him lightly on the side of the mouth. Despite sharing a bed, this was as intimate as they ever became due to the complications of being different species. Sipping their hot cocoa, they both watched the TV guide channel in really caring anymore to read what was on or paying any attention to the stupid infomercial. All they wanted was to sit there holding each other close.
Finally, Shana inquired, "How'd your day at work go?"
She just had to ask, didn't she? He'd been hoping to talk to her about it. He wanted to just say 'frustrating' and leave it at that. Yet, with what she'd gone though that day...
"I've got a new partner." Mikey responded finally, his tone hinting that it was no big deal. "His name's Alex...still a rookie. He's been on the force six months."
Shana squealed in delight. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "That means Justin finally took that promotion then, right" Mikey nodded, and Shana snuggled deeper against him and asked "Does this mean you get to drive now?"
He'd never stop being impressed with her. Mikey knew from experience what sort of thing she dealt with every day. Heck, sometimes he'd see it first hand if the police were called to the scene. He at least had an idea of what she went though. Yet she could still get excited over little things. Like him driving the squad car for instance.
"Yep." Mikey answered, deciding not to ruin her suddenly good mood. "Should be fun...Alex just got out of being a trainee." No need to let her know he was an arrogant little jerk who annoyed the heck out of him. "I'll miss Justin though." That was an understatement of the century.
Shana looked up at Mikey, then at the TV. She gasped when she saw the time. "Why hasn't the timer..." leaping to her feet, Shana raced back to the kitchen in a rush.
Mike slowly got to his feet, clicking off the television. As he made his way towards the kitchen, he heard a sharp buzzing sound. The timer. Poor Shana, she panicked if things were even a moment off. Of course, with her job she had a right to. By the time he made it to the kitchen, she was frantically pulling a pan out of the oven and then placing it hard it on the counter. A steaming well-done roast sat in the pan. Shana dropped her hot pad in a huff as she stared at the disaster.
Rushing over, Mikey stopped a foot behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned, and fell into his waiting embrace, sobbing. The current moment of stress had been the last straw. Mike knew what was best for her right then, and only hoped she'd agree to it.
"It's almost eleven, and I think we need to go to bed." he suggested sternly.
"B...but...the roast..." Shana protested tearfully.
"Can wait." Mikey interrupted gently, holding her close. He hated it when she became like this...she was so sensitive. Harsh days affected her badly. While she usually bounced back quickly enough, when it happened at night she needed a lot of TLC. "Right now, you get to bed, I'll put it in the fridge. We can heat it up and have it tomorrow. Or we can share a plateful in bed."
Shana's sobs quieted. She slowly looked up and kissed the corner of his mouth again before whispering, "I love you Mikey." Then, she turned and left for the bedroom. He grinned, and as he grabbed a plate, he muttered, "I'm the luckiest turtle in the world." Breaking off a handful of the perfectly tender roast, Mike sat it on the plate and then proceeded to place the rest of it, still in the pan, into the fridge.
As he started to leave the kitchen, he stopped in the doorway. Shaking his head, he realized that this much normalcy was way bad for both of them. It was time for a turtle-style change. Already grinning, Mikey checked to make sure he had the plate carefully balanced in his hand and then shouted, "Cowabunga!" bursting into their bedroom at a full speed run.
By the time he was charging into the room, Shana was laughing!