"We der sssoon?" Nix asked, sitting between his basking siblings in a coaster wagon, pulled by Raphael.
Their beverages for the two days were inside the cart too, along with a few blankets to make it comfortable for the toddlers. Leo was carrying their food and baby bag, and Donnie their new big tent.
Mikey had offered to carry something light too, but his mates wouldn't allow it.
"As soon as we get over that hill." Donnie promised, his hands on the wagon as he pushed it along to help Raph up the hill.
Nix clapped in excitement.
"You need a break?" Leo asked Mikey, who hung back a little. The sea-green turtle was out of breath, hoping they'd reach the top soon.
"Nah." He panted. "We're almost there."
"Don't push yourself too hard." Leo reprimanded with a worried frown.
Mikey stopped walking and put a hand on his slightly swollen stomach. It was just a tiny swell, compared to his last pregnancy's third month. One egg less really made a difference.
"Fine. Five minutes." Mikey gave in and knelt on the grassy hill, trying to catch his breath.
Leo smiled a little and settled down next to him, rubbing his shoulder and neck.
"Everything okay?" Donnie asked over his shoulder.
"We're just taking a small break, go ahead, we meet you at the top of the hill." Mikey waved them off.
"Mommy?" Nix frowned anxiously, reaching for his mother.
"I'm okay, angelcakes, my legs are just a little tired."
"Mommy sit wit me!"
Mikey couldn't help but laugh. "Sweetie, I can't. Daddy is strong, but not that strong."
"Now wait a second." Raph glared playfully. "Are you doubting my strength?"
"Never." Mikey chuckled, finally finding his breath again. Nix just frowned.
"Fafa an' papa can help."
Standing up again with Leo, Mikey shook his head. "Nah, I'm better already. Let's get to the beach."
Donnie looked down to the cart, where Amy and Ky were starting to wake up from their nap. They sat up and rubbed their eyes sleepily. He and Raph exchanged a look and a shrug.
Leo watched their exchange, understanding when they looked at him and nodded to the cart.
Mikey's eyes narrowed, and suddenly he was swept of his feet and found himself in Leo's arms.
"Leonardo, put me down! Now!" The leader was unfazed by his struggle and calmly made his way over to the wagon, where Donnie picked up a groggy Ky and Amy, creating space for Mikey to sit.
Nix covered his mouth with both hands as he giggled at the display, squealing with joy when his mommy was placed in the cart with him. Before the freckled turtle could escape, Donnie placed their other two toddlers in his lap.
The two were still a little dazed from their basking and snuggled sleepily into the familiar warmth of their mother.
"I can walk just fine..." Mikey grumbled, but stayed still as he cuddled his babies close, a smile tugging on his lips when Nix climbed over his siblings to squeeze close too.
"We know." Leo stated with a smile as he gripped the edge of the wagon next to Donnie.
"Nix, hold onto mommy and your siblings so they don't fall out." Donnie instructed with a playful smile. "We're going real fast now."
Nix gasped and practically choked Amy and Ky with how tightly he was squeezing them, his face directed forwards to Raph as his daddy got ready to bolt with a tight grip on the handle.
"Oh no, you won't!" Mikey exclaimed, but wrapped his arms around his babies with wide eyes as his mates only chuckled.
He's never been a careful turtle. Never ever in his life. And he wouldn't care either if he was alone in the cart, and not pregnant. He was really turning into Leo. The same Leo that was helping push the wagon as they broke into a run up the hill.
The eyes of Nix were wide as he felt the wind whip by and he couldn't help but let out a joyful laugh. "Yaaay!"
Realizing something exciting was happening, Ky and Amy struggled to sit up in the tight hold of their brother and mother. Amy let out a yelp and pressed her hands over her eyes, while Ky joined Nix' laughter.
Mikey found himself giggling too at the carefree excitement. What was he worried about? His mates wouldn't let anything happen to them.
At the top of the hill they came to a stop. The scenery was just a thing of beauty.
The other side of the hill wasn't as steep. The grass tapered off and mixed with the sand further down, until there was only sand and finally the ocean.
Since they left right after breakfast, it wasn't even noon yet, but the sun was already shining merrily, reflecting on the mesmerizing blue surface of the sea.
"Wow."
That pretty much summed it up. The beach seemed untouched, which none of the turtles understood. In a very far distance they could see a small harbor for the fishing boats, that was it. They had the white sand all to themselves.
Since the hill wasn't so steep, and the sand would slow them down at the end, they thought it was safe to have a little fun themselves. Donnie and Leo balanced on the edge of the wagon as if riding a skateboard, while Raph sat down on top of their stuff, holding the handle of the cart.
Leo and Donnie both pushed off the grass, sending the wagon forward and down the hill.
Laughter filled the fresh air as they rolled ahead, gaining speed. Mikey held tight onto his kids, squeezing his eyes shut as he laughed.
When the grass patched to sand the grew slower until they came to a complete stop.
A chorus of "A-gen! A-gen!" sounded from their toddlers as they clapped.
xxxxx
"Snow?"
"No sweetie, that's sand." Mikey sat in the sand and let a handful run through his fingers.
Ky and Nix were watching their other parents set up the tent and helped unload the wagon, dragging blankets back and forth on the grassy ground.
Amy blinked and let herself fall on her bare bottom in the sand, grabbing a handful to examine the new interesting stuff.
They had started potty training them and since they were going into the water too they let the toddlers run around without their diapers for now.
"Sand." She repeated, grinning when Mikey nodded. "Is warm."
"Yes, because the sun is shining on it."
"We go in water?" Amy still loved bath time, and daddy had said the ocean was like a big cool bathtub. By the looks of it, it was a huuuge bathtub.
"As soon as they're done with the tent, princess." Mikey had a soft smile on his face as he rubbed a hand over his daughter's head. She was so curious, so eager to discover new things. It reminded him so much of Donnie.
Amy turned her head to look at her family's progress, delighted to see the tent standing. Right now the adults were preparing sleeping bags and blankets inside to create a nest for later.
"Dent done?" The girl shouted, using Mike's shoulder for balance as she stood up and then clapped.
"Yes, honey, the tent is done." Donnie laughed as they came over to the sand.
"Ocean!" Amy squealed and eagerly toddled close to the water. Raph and Donnie jogged ahead to check out the temperature and make sure their eager daughter wouldn't be swept away by the waves.
Without fear Amy ran right into the waves towards her daddy and papa. The water was so nice! And the waves tickled her legs, making them tingle. She laughed in joy when Raph scooped her up and dragged her to deeper water.
While their sister was clearly enjoying herself, Nix watched the waves warily. His bottom lip stuck out as he frowned down at the wet sand. The others were having fun, so it couldn't be bad, right?
"It's not so bad, look." Mikey encouraged his youngest, standing ankle deep in the water and holding out his hand.
Nix hesitated only a second before ran to his mother, grabbing the outstretched hand. Slowly they went deeper, and Nix jumped every time a wave would crash against his legs, higher and higher.
"Mommy..." He whined, making Mikey chuckle and pick him up. Slowly, to get him used to the temperature and the waves Mikey went deeper.
Leo waited for Ky, an eyeridge raised in amusement. While the cool waves crashed against his own calves, Ky's feet were still dry. The cerulean eyes were wide as he watched the water come and go.
Whenever the waves went further away, he'd try to follow Leo, but when they came back he'd gasp and run back a few steps.
"It's just water, champ." Leo assured, kneeling down and splashing a little. "No bubbles."
Ky pouted at the water before looking at his siblings, who seemed to have much fun. Amy was squealing when Donnie splashed her and helped Raph splash back. Nix was clinging to Mikey, but smiling as his hand patted the surface.
He fixated on his fafa, who held his arms out to him. His fafa would never let something happen to him. So Ky slowly gathered all his courage and began walking towards him.
Leo smiled and grabbed his son when he was close enough, letting himself fall backwards into the water, making sure Ky stayed above the surface.
"See? It's not so bad." Ky tentatively patted the surface, smiling slowly. It wasn't as scary as he'd thought.
"S'wet!" He giggled.
"Yeah baby, it's wet." Leo chuckled as he made his way through the shallow water to where Mikey was with Nix.
The freckled turtle was lowering their younger son into the water, to his neck, and up again. Nix enjoyed the cool water, kicking his legs as he laughed.
Ky clung with both arms to Leo's neck, not daring to let go of him, but not fussing when Leo lowered himself so they were both wet to their shoulders.
"You don't like the ocean, sweetie?" Mikey asked Ky as he held Nix' hands above his head, letting him float in the water for a while.
The olive colored toddler shrugged, only daring to use one arm to move it a little through the water.
"S'big. Scawy."
"It's big, yeah, but here it's not deep. And as long as we're here with you nothing will happen to you." Leo assured and scooped some of the water to let it run over Ky's head.
There was a spluttering sound from the deeper water that got their attention.
Donnie had Amy in his arms, chuckling as their daughter rubbed her eyes.
"Ah-gen!" She squealed, taking a big gulp of air along with Donnie before they dove under again for a few seconds. Don swam a little closer to them and resurfaced. Amy spluttered again and giggled.
"Where's Raph?" Mikey asked when he couldn't see their mate anywhere. A yelp escaped him as his tail was pinched. He lifted Nix up to his plastron so he wouldn't slip from his grip just as Raph emerged from the water with a snicker.
"Not nice." Mikey stuck out his tongue, while Nix wagged his finger at his daddy with a stern expression. Even though he didn't know what he did.
Raphael noticed Ky clinging to Leo and held out his arms to him. "You wanna go for a swim with daddy?"
The cerulean eyes widened and he quickly shook his head, tightening his grip.
"I wanna!" Nix exclaimed, eagerly moving towards Raph, who grinned and swam to deeper water with him.
"I really can't understand why no one is here." Leo said, smiling as he watched Raph and Nix play.
"Kion was surprised when I told him we were going to the beach. I think they don't know the concept of going for a swim..."
"They're turtles..."
"One of the weirder things in this universe." Donnie said, holding onto Amy as she kept dunking her head. "The water has less salt than the seas in our dimension. There's different fishes in the deeper part, but all in all it's the same. And safe." He added the last part. He's made sure to check the safety of course.
"Papa!" Amy squealed when she resurfaced. "I wanna go to daddy and Niss!"
The genius chuckled. "Alright, off we go!"
Mikey smiled as he watched them swim off. Then he held his hands out to Ky. "Want to help me collect a few clams and sea shells from the beach?" He asked his eldest son.
"No water?" Mikey and Leo laughed.
"No water. We take a walk in the sand." That had Ky eagerly reach for Mikey.
"Want me to come with you?" Leo asked, kissing Mike's forehead.
"Nah, you gotta make sure Raph doesn't drown our children."
"Would you mind if I drown Raph?"
Mikey giggled and splashed Leo playfully.
xxxxx
"Ky come build cah-sle wit us!" Nix pulled on Ky's hand some time later. They had finished lunch, and after Raph and Donnie had went back into the water with Amy and Nix for a while they decided to build a sandcastle.
Leo got up when Mikey let out a yawn.
"Come on, let's take a nap." Mikey grabbed the offered hand and stood.
"You're gonna sleep with me?"
"I'm gonna read a little, but I'll stay with you, yeah."
Mikey smiled and let himself be led to the tent. One side was completely open, the breeze creating the perfect atmosphere for a nap
The freckled turtle snuggled to Leo, who rubbed his shoulder until he fell asleep.
"Pssst. Mommy!" Mikey rubbed his eyes before opening them to meet his children's shining faces some time later.
"What is it?" He smiled, sitting up. Leo was sitting by the open entrance, smiling.
"Come look at cah-sle!"
"Are you done already?" Mikey crawled out of the tent and stood. Amy and Nix pulled eagerly on both his hands while Ky ran ahead. At seeing the big sandcastle Mikey gasped exaggeratedly. "What a wonderful castle! Did you build it all by yourself?"
"Daddy an' Papa help!"
"That was really nice of them." Leo commented, grinning at the proud expressions of his mates.
"We also collected some rocks, for a campfire." Donatello said, gesturing to where they already built a pit, filled with pieces of wood.
"Where did you get the wood from?" Leo asked with a frown. He hasn't seen any laying around.
"Daddy says is a se..." Nix pouted when he couldn't remember the word. "Amy, wha'sit?"
"A sssecret." Amy slowly worked her mouth around the difficult word.
Leo raised an eyeridge as he looked at Raph, who grinned sheepishly and whistled innocently.
"Did we bring marshmallows?" Mikey asked, successfully diverting Leo's attention.
"I think I saw a bag in the backpack." He smiled at the wide grin of his youngest mate.
xxxxx
When the sun began to set, they started the fire and gathered around it. Again from seemingly out of nowhere Raph and Don brought a few wooden sticks to use for the marshmallows.
Ky was chewing on one raw marshmallow, watching his daddy with interest as he put one on a stick and held it over the fire.
"Why?" Amy asked from her place on Donnie's lap, helping her papa do the same as their daddy.
"We're making them all warm and gooey." Mikey said, grinning as he lifted his own stick, blowing on the marshmallow so it wouldn't be too hot. He took a bite himself before plucking some of it off to hold it in front of Nix' mouth.
The toddler eyed the substance warily. He knew and liked marshmallows,
sometimes mommy would put them in their hot chocolate. With a skeptical expression he opened his mouth.
"Mmm!" Nix' eyes were wide. "More!"
Seeing their pickiest brother enjoying the food, Amy and Ky were eager to try too.
They spent the time eating and telling stories. Raph leaned back on his arms when he was done watching his family as a gentle breeze from the sea made their campfire flicker slightly.
The mini vacation had been a great idea, just what they needed. A little time away from everything.
Donnie was laughing at something Nix said from where he was sitting on Mikey's lap, the hurt because of the betrayal momentarily forgotten. Raph could tell he missed his best friend, and even though the hothead could care less if that traitor would ever be back in their lives or not, he would tolerate him for the sake of Don's happiness. If Donnie would ever forgive him, that is.
The medic had tried to apologize just before their trip, and even though Mikey had already forgiven him for the sake of peace, Don was stubborn.
Raph had made it clear to Telon that he wouldn't forgive him, and that the trust was completely gone. However, if the rest of his family wanted to stay friends he would tolerate him. That was as good as Telon would get from him.
Leo was pretty much on the same page, though he was less obvious about it. The trust was gone forever. He would act civil towards Telon, also for the sake of peace, but he would keep a close eye on him. One wrong move and he'd be scratched from their lives. Not to mention he wouldn't let him close to their toddlers without supervision.
That betrayal happening had been a curse, Raph mused. Their leader had finally been happy, even carefree at times. They had thought to be safe here. And now that sense of safety was gone. His constant awareness was back, marring his face with worry lines that didn't belong there. It was even worse now that he didn't only have his mates to worry about, but their children too.
This vacation was finally easing some of that tension. The fun with their family was finally making him relax. Raph smiled at the happy face of Leo sitting next to him, helping Ky drink some juice.
His green gaze wandered to Mikey's baby bump. It was partly covered by Nix as he snuggled close to his mommy, but Raph knew what's beneath. More children. More family.
The freckled skin of his youngest mate seemed to glow, making him even more beautiful in his brother's eyes. Even though Telon's betrayal was also hard on him, his desire for a peaceful life was stronger. He's always had a knack for knowing when someone was a good person inside, and his intuition has mostly been right.
"Earth to Raph, someone there?" Raphael blinked at Leo, who smiled at him while their children giggled.
The hothead grinned and let himself fall back on the sand, motioning up to the sky.
"Nah, I'm up there. Just look at the stars."
The darkened sky was indeed filled with white glowing spots. The constellations were different, still it looked like back home.
The toddlers gasped at the sight, hurrying to lay on their carapaces too.
"So pwetty!" Nix exclaimed, reaching up as if he could grab them. Mikey smiled softly at how much that reminded him of when he was only a few months old and would reach for the plush stars above his bed.
"Far away?" Amy asked, twisting to look at her smart papa.
"Very far." He could launch into big explanations of rockets and whatnot, but this was a different universe. They didn't even have cars. There was no use confusing his children. "Look, this looks like a bunny!" He said instead, pointing at a set of stars.
Ky squealed in joy and the next half hour was used to find different shapes, until the toddlers quieted down as they fell asleep.
"Do you think we should tell them about... about dad?" Leo asked after a while, eyes fixated on the stars. He remembered their own first time looking at the stars, through the sewer grate while Splinter had searched for food.
"They have a right to know about their grandfather." Raph said with a frown.
"I know, but... you've seen how they think about different races here. I'm surprised they even allow the rabbit franchise here."
"It brings money, that's why." Donnie mumbled, heaving a sigh. "They accept the hotel you suggested too. We could wait until they're older... and understand that it's... different."
"They shouldn't have to care about that..." Mikey frowned.
"Why is it even such a big deal?"
Leo sat up and used one of the sticks to poke the fire.
"All because of Voron. He said there was a group of rabbits attacking the turtles a few years ago. After some fights they agreed on a truce, but none of the races were too happy with each other. I'm not sure if it's the truth, to be honest."
"I see so many problems with Voron's regime." Donnie sat up too, prompting their mates to join them in the upright position.
"Yeah, there's gotta be new elections some time, right?" Raph licked his lips as an idea formed.
"Every five years. He's won three times in a row, despite the women and subs despising the pregnancy rule. There's just too many alphas and neutrals that don't really care, since the system works. No one really tried to compete anymore."
"So what if he had a worthy opponent?" Raph grinned.
"You want to become the new mayor?" Mikey asked, trying not too sound to skeptical.
"Heck no. But we have a natural born leader right here."
Leo's eyes widened. "You want me to compete against Voron?"
Donnie answered for Raph. "Why not? You worked long enough with him to know the most important procedures."
"And you'd be a way better mayor than him. Just think about the changes you could make."
With a thoughtful expression Leo watched the fire, playing with the idea. It was true. He knew what a mayor needed to do. And there's been at least twenty things already that Leo had seen and wanted to change.
He looked at his sleeping children and involuntarily smiled. Yes, why not? He could make changes. He could make this a better place for his children.
"The election is next May. We're gonna need a really good campaign."
"Revoking the pregnancy rule will get all the females and the few subs on your side anyways. So we just need something to draw the alphas and neutrals in." Donnie rubbed his chin in thought. The more he mulled it over, the more he liked the idea.
"All in all everything works just fine here. That's why Voron's been so popular. I'd probably mend with with rabbits, forming a trading business with them. That would create more jobs and we'd have more and different supplies."
"See, that's why you'd be perfect." Raph smirked, sipping from a bottle of water.
Mikey played with the sand, also smiling. "It's a really good idea. Less to worry about... a better future for our children."
"Nobody will care about different races anymore, and we can tell the kids about their grandfather without having to worry they'd be seen as outsiders by the native turtles." Leo voiced his vision, a genuine smile appearing on his face.
"We have almost a whole year until the election season starts. That's more than enough time to figure something out. The perfect opening speech to draw everyone in."
It was quiet for a while as each of them was lost in their own thoughts of the future and past.
When another chillier breeze washed over them, they decided to turn in for the night, gathering their toddlers and cuddling up in the tent.
"I really don't wanna go back to work on Monday..." Donnie admitted with a yawn, burying his face in the nape of Mikey's neck, the younger one already asleep. "If I see Voron I probably can't keep my mouth shut with how angry his presence makes me."
"Then just quit." Raph mumbled, supporting his head with his hand as his other arm gently rubbed over Leo's skin.
"I don't know if I can. What if we have to leave the mansion?"
"Nah, I'm still high-rank." Leo said with a shrug, eyes closed. "I'm going to subtly gather more information for my own campaign. If we just tell him you want to help with the kids now that Mikey's pregnant, there's nothing he can say or do..."
The oldest turtle yawned. "We just have to keep our mouth shut about me competing against him. We can't give him any time to prepare..."
Leo's voice trailed off as he fell asleep, his mates following shortly after.