"This is a castle." Donnie's eyes were wide as he looked at their new home.
After three weeks of taking care of things, they were finally able to move in. The mayor had insisted he'd prepare everything, they wouldn't need to bring any furniture.
While Leo and Raph have already seen their new house, as they wanted to make everything perfect, Mikey and Donnie were seeing it for the first time now.
In 'The Heights', there were several houses, all of them looking pretty much the same from the outside.
There was a huge garden surrounding it, a swing and a sandbox appeared when they rounded the house for starters.
In a corner of the garden, in front of a few bushes, was a garden shed. Next to it was a vegetable patch and a row of berry bushes were lined on the fence to the next garden.
Mikey adjusted his grip on Ky as he followed his mates back around to the front porch. For once his oldest son was not wiggling to be let down. With wide cerulean eyes he watched his surroundings, tiny fingers holding onto Mikey's shoulder.
Amy, curious as ever, was busy checking out the new environment, her little head going from side to side. Raph shifted her to his other arm, amused by her gawking.
Nix was as quiet as Ky, though he rather curled into Donnie's hold and looked to the ground instead of around.
Leo opened the front door, a smile on his face. A staircase was leading to the first floor. Under the stairs was a wardrobe, perfect for storing winter jackets and other outside-toys.
A door next to the wardrobe led to a small guest bathroom with a toilet and sink, and a washing machine.
On the left side of the main entrance was the wide kitchen with pretty expensive looking appliances. Everything seemed new. An open archway led from the kitchen to a dining room.
The table was big enough to hold eight people, a few booster seats were brought there and high-chairs.
There were big windows that showed the garden and a sliding glass door led to the porch. Another archway brought them back to the hallway.
The room on the right side of the hallway was the living room. It was large, holding a big flat-screen that was surrounded by a comfortable looking sofa and armchairs. The carpet there seemed soft.
A fish tank, filled with exotic looking fishes, took up most of the wall across from the television.
There was a bookshelf next to it, and in a corner there was a rather large playpen, with a soft padding and countless toys, from plushies to teething helps, to various learning toys.
More wide windows showed the garden.
Amy began fussing, reaching for the interesting playpen.
"Not yet, sweetie, we're not done yet." Raph soothed, smiling when Leo handed her one of the plushies. Amy settled, a tight grip on the toy.
This time Raph took the lead, bringing them upstairs. Gates were at the top and bottom of them, for the safety or the kids.
The first room on top, on the left side of the stairs, was a bigger bathroom with a tub and shower, some rubber turtles lining the tub. There were stickers of friendly cartoon fishes and turtles, that Ky cooed at.
A cabinet with two sinks was next to the toilet, the mirror having lights installed. There was even a small stool for children to stand on and Leo held up a toilet seat for toddlers, for when they were old enough to use it.
There was an installation on the wall, a changing table you could pull down when needed to save space.
Next stop was the main bedroom. Leo and Raph wore smug smirks while Donnie and Mikey's jaws dropped.
Instead of a normal bed, there were a bunch of mattresses and pillows in a corner. It took up the better part of a wall with its sheer size, and it looked really comfy with silken sheets in soft colors and those countless pillows. They had even hung up some see-through curtains around it for decoration, to separate the sleeping place from the rest of the bedroom.
They could see fairy-lights along the ceiling, it would be really romantic at night.
It was almost beyond noting, but on the opposite wall was a walk-in closet next to a full-body mirror.
"Oh my god. This is awesome!" Mikey gasped at the bed, tempted to go snuggle into the sheets.
"You haven't seen the best part yet." Raph grinned and motioned for his mates to lay on the bed. Leo closed the door so they could put their babies on the carpet.
As soon as the four of them laid on their carapaces, Raph pressed a hidden button on the wall. Part of the ceiling above the bed started moving, revealing a hidden square window.
Leo and Raph both smirked at the awestruck expressions on their younger mates' faces.
"That's why it took so long. We talked to Voron if we could have something like this, and his engineers made it possible."
The summer sky was so wonderful to look at, with small white puffy clouds.
"I can't wait for tonight, you two can look at the stars while we pound you senseless."
Raph would've deserved a smack for that remark, but Donnie had to admit, it was a really sweet and romantic idea. And judging how amazed Mikey still was, he thought the same.
"Dada!" Ky whined, trying to grab Raph's feet from where they hung over the mattress with how he was laying.
"Come on, you haven't seen the babies' rooms yet." Leo smiled and pulled his mates with him.
They picked up their toddlers again and continued the tour.
"This is Nix' room." Raph announced, opening the door. The walls were bare, safe for soft red letters spelling "Phoenix Malachite" on one part. "We left all the walls white in case you want to paint something there." He told Mikey, who smiled widely.
Red curtains framed the window, an orange circular carpet was another colorful accent.
A crib that could be shifted to a toddler bed with light green sheets stood in a corner, plush stars and a moon dangling above it, since their youngest loved to watch them back at their old house.
"The rooms look a little empty right now, but when they're older they can decide themselves what to do with it." Leo shrugged and led them to the next room.
It was clear that this was Amy's room. The wall where her crib was standing was painted in a light rose color, the curtains a soft lilac and another carpet in the same color.
Just like in Nix' room, there were letters on one of the walls, spelling "Amethyst". Since their daughter was obsessed with spoons, they had made a joke of it and hung up a few spoons to dangle from the ceiling by her bed.
Ky's room looked similar to the other two, only with various shades of blue and "Kyanite" on his wall.
"What about the rest?" Donnie asked. There was another room next to Ky's, and another staircase that led to the second floor.
"Empty. There are three more bedrooms and a smaller bathroom upstairs. When the kids are older they can move up there if they want." Raph shrugged. "There's a basement with four more rooms, and another bathroom. I turned one into my gym, and we moved your lab to another... though we don't think you're gonna need it anymore with your new job."
Donnie shrugged. He's started his career only a week ago, so far he had enough he could tinker on in the city hall's lab.
"We installed the hot tub in one of the basement rooms, so we can use it after they are asleep." Leo added.
"It feels like we're high society..." Mikey said, shaking his head in disbelief. So far everything, aside from the bedroom, didn't seem very homey. But that could change soon with three kids in the house.
"We kinda are." Leo chuckled. "With these jobs we earn the most money, aside from the mayor."
"When you have one of these jobs, you've made it... That's why Telon's been trying for ages. He was pretty disappointed when I told him..."
"It's not like we asked for it." Raph sighed, rubbing Don's shoulder to comfort him. "It's not your fault he sees so much potential in you."
"Still it feels like I betrayed him. And it's not even the division he's been applying for."
"Is he mad at you?" Mikey asked, bending to pick up the toy Amy dropped.
"No... not really. At least he said he wasn't."
"See? There's no need to feel bad about your gift." Raph assured, kissing his temple in a soothing manner. Donnie smiled and hugged Ky a little tighter.
xxxxx
"Are you even listening to me?" Mikey turned around to where Leo was sitting in front of their babies.
They had moved the high-chairs to the kitchen, so Leo could feed them and still talk to Mikey as the smaller turtle cooked.
"Of course I am!" Leo cooed in a sweet voice, eyes fixated on Ky, who giggled as his fafa made funny faces and playing peek-a-boo with them.
Mikey watched him for a while, smiling at the display. Good thing they were done feeding already. He noticed Amy fussing in her chair and lifted her up.
Her face was concentrated as she looked at his face so close. Then, her hand came up as her tongue stuck out in concentration. With her thumb and first finger she tried to pick up his freckles. She gasped cutely when she couldn't pick it up. Mikey laughed and tickled her chin.
Seeing his sister was out of her chair, Ky began kicking his feet too. He wanted to move, move, move. Leo took him out, and promptly Amy was placed in his other arm.
"Put them in the playpen, I don't want them crawling around here when I handle the hot stuff." Mikey ordered, handing Nix the plushie he dropped.
The youngest had taken up following Mikey everywhere he went since they moved to this house. So when the orange-banded turtle followed his passion of cooking and baking, he kept Nix in his high-chair so he could be close without getting hurt.
"I want to handle the hot stuff too." Leo attempted to flirt, eyes on Mikey's tail as he stirred the sauce on the stove.
"You're not allowed to touch the stove anymore, Leo." Mikey stated distractedly without turning around. Though he smirked at the frustrated sigh of his oldest mate. He just loved teasing him.
After a few moments Leo came back from setting Amy and Ky in the play pen, and sat down at the kitchen island next to Nix' chair.
The baby promptly pushed his plushie over the edge of his chair.
"You know I wasn't talking about the stove." Leo said as he picked it up for him.
"Then what did you mean?" Mikey asked innocently, swaying his hips as he put some cut-up meat in a pan.
The plushie fell again. Leo frowned, but picked it up again.
"You know exactly what I meant."
Nix watched Leo's face with a mischievous glint in his eyes and dropped his plushie again.
"Uh no, sorry. I'm afraid I don't." Leo looked at Nix, who watched his fafa, waiting to get his toy back. Deciding to let it slide for now, he picked it up again and kept an eye on his youngest son.
"If Raph or Don was here to watch the kids I'd show you."
Mikey giggled, and Leo's eyes widened when he saw Nix dropping the toy on purpose. He made a disapproving face and refused to pick it up.
Nix' bottom lip stuck out and his eyes filled with tears as he started to cry.
In a flash Mikey turned around, checking his baby for injuries. When he gathered the problem, he frowned at Leo.
"Why won't you give him his plushie?" He asked, picking up the toy and nuzzling his giggling baby's face.
"Mommy!" He said with a cute grin. He learned it just a few days ago, along with daddy and baba.
"Yeees, mommy gave you your plushie, my little angel." Mikey smiled and kissed his son's forehead, before turning to the stove again so his meat wouldn't burn.
"Because he's doing it on purpose! He's gotta learn that's not how it works!" Nix' green eyes were fixed on him as he dropped the toy again.
"Oh please, he's a baby! His grip isn't that strong, he's not doing it on purpose."
Leo glared at Nix behind Mikey's back. Nevertheless he picked up the toy again, keeping an arm out so he'd catch it if it fell again.
"I'm telling you, he's a mischievous little thing."
Nix stuck the plushie's leg into his mouth, smiling with wide eyes when Mikey turned around again.
"You really are paranoid, look, he's a little angel!" As if he knew Mikey was talking about him, Nix laughed cutely.
As soon as Mike's back was on them again, Nix frowned at Leo. The adult had his arm still out to catch the falling toy, but the baby stared right at him and pushed it to the other side of his chair to fall.
Leo's eyes widened a fraction. He couldn't believe it. His baby was seriously playing that game with him. His midnight blue eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, holding up the staring contest with his youngest child.
Seconds ticked by where none of them moved. Leo refused to pick up the plushie. Then all of a sudden Nix started wailing. He worked his legs and arms, crying his little heart out.
"Mommy! Mommy!" He cried, reaching for a surprised Mikey.
"What did you do to him?!" The freckled turtle asked a perplexed Leo. Mikey quickly turned off the stove and scooped up his baby, nuzzling him.
"Nothing! He was provoking me with that plushie!"
"Are you nuts?! A seven-month-old is not provoking you!" Mikey picked up the toy and offered it to Nix, who took it clumsily in both hands and sniffed. The perfect picture of innocence.
"There, isn't that better angelcakes? Don't worry, fafa won't tease you anymore." He soothed, placing Nix back in his chair.
"I was not teasing him! He's the one-"
"No. I don't want to hear it. Go, make sure Amy and Ky don't hurt themselves. And don't you dare pick on them too!"
"I wasn't picking on him!" Leo tried to defend himself, but found himself shoved out of the kitchen.
"That little..." he grumbled, finally understanding Raph's problem.
xxxxx
"So, are you having fun? What are you working on?"
Donnie looked up from his work station and smiled at Mayor Voron.
"It's great. This is a prototype for a cellphone. We can use it to communicate with others over a longer distance."
Voron's eyes were wide as he examined the prototype. "That's possible? Oh my, that would make things way easier. And spare us a lot of time."
Donatello grinned widely. "That's the plan, mayor."
"As much as I want you to continue this; do you think you take a look at this for me?" Voron pulled out two small bottles from the bag he was carrying. One held a blue substance, the other a clear one.
Donnie took them both.
"What is it?"
"Well, we're working on a new medicine, a vitamin of sorts. But my special team is stuck, because they can't get those two components to connect."
Don shrugged, turning to his microscope and putting a drop of each liquid on a dish.
"... The blue liquid is foreign to me..." Donnie muttered.
"We pressed it from special flowers that grow in my personal garden. Do you think it's possible to mix the two?"
"I will definitely try. What exactly is this vitamin for? Maybe I can think of a different component to replace the clear liquid."
"To be honest, this is kind of a secret project... Nobody is supposed to know of it yet. At least not until we tested the end result."
"Oh, of course. I'll do what I can, as soon as I'm done with the prototype. Edineon can use it to create more then." Donnie said. Voron smiled.
"Look, I appreciate your dedication. And maybe you really have a better idea to make it real. It's supposed to regulate the hormones of the females and subs that use suppressants and preservatives."
Donnie blinked. "Okay... do they need it? I mean, Mikey had strong moods, but I'm not sure if that's the suppressant's fault."
Voron sighed and leaned against the work station with crossed arms.
"It is. They enhance the sensitivity of the females and subs. It plays with their nature to mate, messes up their insides for a while. The drug should help them, to make it easier for them. And for us, hehe."
Donatello smiled. "Wow, that kinda is a good idea... I never thought about it like that." He admitted.
"I don't know what you heard, but let me tell you, I only worry about the population's well-being. I completely understand the females and subs' desire to manage their own families. Some don't want any kids. Also completely understandable."
Donnie frowned and tilted his head. He couldn't really tell if the mayor was being honest. Though, so far nothing made him suspicious.
"The thing is, it's against our nature. I'm so against the heat suppressants because it messes up their hormones. If they do it too often, especially the subs, they could take serious damage. If we can make this drug, they can take the suppressants without any harm."
"That makes sense... It's a really awesome idea if you explain it like that." Donnie blinked at the bottles on his table.
"I knew you would approve. However, this is top secret. No one can know about it, at least until we have it done and tested."
"Of course." Don nodded quickly. "Actually I already have an idea of how to make it work."
"Already? Ah, I should've asked you way sooner. I will tell my special division to stop by so you can explain it to them. Thank you very much, Donatello."
Donnie blushed at the praise and grinned.
Voron turned to leave, a calculating smirk on his face as he retreated. This was going exactly like he planned...
xxxxx
"Shell, these meetings are really interesting." Leo announced as he let himself fall on the couch next to Mikey.
The mayor had called their weekly meeting on the evening, they had a festive dinner to welcome Leo to their circle before talking business.
"What did you talk about? Wait, are you allowed to tell us?" Mikey asked.
"Most things are pretty boring for you, like, if someone from another race is allowed to travel through here. Apparently that's a big deal here, if a rabbit, or a snake or whatever wants to walk through the main parts of the city.
I suggested to just build a road for travelers through the outer parts of the city, maybe even add a hotel and souvenir shop to make money."
"They have hotels, what good are they if they don't want strangers here?"
"They have one hotel. For turtles. Other kinds are not exactly welcome. It's not some kind of war or anything, but there's a huge deal of hostility..."
"What did they say to your idea?" Donnie asked, relaxing back against Raph's chest.
"Voron thought it was a good idea. It would make them seem less hostile in the other cities' eyes, and since it wasn't in the center of the city no turtles would be disturbed. The money was a great bonus."
"Our dear mayor was practically fangirling about you two. Of course he's gonna love every single idea you give." Raph chuckled. Leo shrugged.
"I'm not sure if it's all an act. He seemed pretty honest to me."
Donnie nodded in agreement, sitting up straight again.
"A few days ago he explained his motives... you know, for the whole 'forced pregnancy' scheme. It's really not what everyone thinks."
"Oh come on, babe. Of course he would defend his cause." Raph rolled his eyes.
"No, really. I mean, I really think he loves children and wants to have a bigger population. But he is caring about the females and subs."
"What did he tell you?" Mikey asked in a quiet voice.
"I can't really tell. It's a secret project of his I helped with. But trust me, he's not so bad as everyone thinks he is."
Mikey shrugged uneasily, but nodded. Raph sighed and shook his head.
"Whatever. I don't trust him, even if he's wrapped both of you around his finger."
"How bad can he be? He made sure there are great pre-schools and schools. There's lots of support for those with children, he really takes care of families."
At the stares of Mikey and Raph Leo sighed.
"I'm not saying he's awesome. But it could be worse."
"Of course it could be worse... and I mean, I really love our mansion. There's enough room for at least six more kids." Raph grinned and squeezed Mike's hand. "But only when we're ready. We've got time, after all."
Mikey shrugged one shoulder, fiddling with one of the toys laying around.
"Yeah... it's just... a feeling, you know? I don't trust him."
"We're not adopting him as a family member, baby..."
"No invitations for dinner or whatnot, we won't let him too close." Raph assured.
"I just don't want him close to our children..."
"Don't worry, I'm always here, and I won't let him see them, if it makes you feel better." Raphael offered.
"It would, yeah." Leo pulled Mikey closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Mikey sighed and leaned against his oldest mate. Why was he worried? They wouldn't let anyone hurt their babies.