(…one month earlier…)

Curiosity.

That, Leonardo decided, was the reason for his dilemma.

Curiosity. Pure and simple.

It had compelled him to first kiss Raphael almost a week ago. It had made him want to continue kissing Raphael once he had gotten that initial taste of the hothead. It convinced him to keep Raphael in his bed that night for his first ever sexual encounter.

Curiosity excused it all.

But this overwhelming inquisitiveness had brought with it a whole slew of other emotions: embarrassment, pleasure, satisfaction, and fear. Each of these feelings had been temporary, save for the last. As soon as Leo had fully awoken on the morning after he had coupled with his brother, fear had sunk its sharp claws into him deep. He became afraid of what he had done, of what it meant, of what the rest of his family would think, and of his father's disapproval. In his terrified state, the blue-banded turtle reacted hastily and forced Raph from his room.

Leo had hoped that fear might loosen its hold on him as the day wore on and he had a chance to clear his head. Instead, the beast's grip tightened as he witnessed Master Splinter interrogate Raph during practice. He was certain that their sensei, a father who knew everything, would see straight through the sai-wielder's lie. The eldest had held his breath until his raging sibling had stomped out of the dojo. That Leo had been able to keep his face unreadable he knew was thanks to years of working on masking his emotions. Though he was grateful he could at least keep his fear hidden from view, he was desperate to free himself from its clutches.

It had taken two days of struggle before Leo succeeded, tapping into the reserve of courage he kept buried inside to subdue the beast. While it was restrained, he had moved quickly to seek out his red-banded brother. Leo wanted…no…needed…to apologize for everything that had happened, for everything that he had done. His search started at Raph's bedroom. He wasn't sure why he neglected to knock on the door, but he certainly wasn't expecting the sight that waited behind it.

Raphael, cock hard in hand, softly moaning the elder terrapin's name.

Leonardo's embarrassment lasted but a second, replaced by a degree of cursed curiosity so severe that he interpreted Raph's demand to close the door as an invitation to stay. Any thought of apologizing had already vanished from his mind as he crossed the floor. His new objective was to touch his brother to learn if sober Raph was still the willing participant that drunk Raph had been.

The hothead was, as it turned out. More than willing actually. With barely a few whispered words, Leo had coaxed Raph into lying down and spreading his legs wide. The leader then spent the better part of the night positioned between his brother's thighs, thrusting into the tight, hot body beneath him.

Every sound, every scent, and every move that emanated from Raphael was etched into Leonardo's memory. But the breaking of the new dawn brought with it the beast he thought he'd conquered. Fear reappeared, hell bent on erasing any recollections of both his prior and most recent pairing with Raph. The apology that he had disregarded earlier suddenly spilled out of his mouth along with a promise that he would never touch Raph again and a declaration that whatever they were doing was going to stop. Evading both his brother's grasp and objections, Leo fled. Fear followed him straight to the shower where it savagely attacked him while he scoured his entire body to rid it of Raph's overbearing scent. Exhausted, he slumped against the tile wall and slid slowly to the ground where he stayed, hot water raining upon him, for another half hour as he tried to think of a way to get his life back to normal.

A full day later, he still hadn't arrived at an answer. Probably because most of that time had been spent avoiding Raph as much as possible. The other three members of his family seemed to be unaware of Leo's late night interactions with Raph for which the blue-banded turtle was grateful. Yet, he couldn't help but feel paranoid especially since the sai-wielder stared at him almost non-stop anytime they were in a room together. Unable to stand Raph's heated gaze, Leo escaped to his bedroom.

There he sat, feet tucked into lotus position, atop the brown circular rug in the middle of the floor. The flames of a couple dozen candles provided the only light. In the semi-darkness, Leonardo breathed deeply as he tried to ease his mind, but his tortured soul could find no peace. All thoughts eventually turned to his recent transgressions and a flood of guilt would threaten to drown him. So great was his distress that it took several minutes for the katana-wielder to realize that someone had entered his room. Eyes snapping open, Leo's stomach dropped.

Raphael, half hidden by the shadows, stood before him.

"How did you get in here?" Leo asked, surprised at how calm his voice sounded. "The door was locked."

Raising his right hand, Raph revealed the sai he had used to pick the lock. "Ya didn't answer when I knocked so I let myself in."

The leader eyed the weapon warily. He should have expected a fight with his brother. Though he kept his hands in his lap, Leo prepared to draw his blades.

"Did it ever occur to you that people lock their doors because they want privacy?"

"Did it ever occur ta ya that yer not gonna be able ta avoid me forever?"

"What do you want, Raphael?"

Giving his sai a quick spin, the younger turtle shoved it back through his belt. "I just wanna talk ta ya."

"About what?"

"What the hell do ya think?"

Face heating, Leonardo glanced away. His throat suddenly felt dry and he swallowed to wet it. "I already told you we're going to stop doing that."

Stepping forward until he was a few inches in front of his brother, Raph slowly lowered himself to his knees and settled his hands on top of his thighs. The expression on his face was not, as Leo anticipated, one of anger, but one of humbleness. A long moment of silence passed while the two turtles simply stared at one another.

"I don't want ta stop," the hothead finally confessed. "I don't think ya want ta either. Why else would ya have come ta me the other night?"

Leonardo's immediate thought was to deny his sibling's claim and yet he couldn't put that thought to voice. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times before he could force out a reply.

"I was confused," he defended, dropping his gaze to study the thick thread of the rug. "I still am."

"Ya think I'm not?" Raph countered while gesturing at himself. "Shit, Leo, last week ya weren't anything more than a brother ta me, but now…" He raised a hand to rub the back of his neck as he looked down at his knees. "…I don't know what ya are. I can't stop thinking 'bout ya and I can't forget what we did. I tried, I really did. Those three days that ya were ignoring me I kept telling myself ta just let it go, write it off as some stupid thing we did one night just for the hell of it, but I couldn't. Then when ya showed up in my room the other night, I assumed ya had changed yer mind….least until ya said what ya did and left me feeling even more confused." Lowering his hand, Raph returned his attention to the leader's face. "So why don't ya clear some things up for me and tell me what yer really thinking?"

"I don't know," Leo said quietly after a brief pause as he continued to examine the floor covering. "I don't know what I should think. This is just so…"

"Weird?" Raph offered. "Yer mind's telling ya it's wrong and yet it feels so damn good?"

There was truth to Raph's words and Leonardo nodded in agreement. At last he lifted his head to peer at his brother. "Just because it feels good doesn't mean we should keep doing it."

"Why not?" the larger turtle wondered. Reaching out, he laid a hand on the inside of Leo's left thigh. "Ain't ya curious 'bout this at all…'bout what it could turn in ta?"

Leonardo inhaled sharply and locked eyes with his brother. Curious. That was exactly right. He was curious and nothing more.

"Yes," he breathed as Raphael's fingers inched further up his leg.

The corners of Raph's mouth turned up into a grin. "Well then, why don't we satisfy that curiosity, Fearless?"

With his free hand, Raph grabbed hold of Leo's shoulder strap and gently pulled him forward so that he could press their lips together. The leader felt butterflies flitter inside his stomach the moment his brother kissed him. He wasn't sure how long the contact lasted, but as soon as it ended he instigated another one. Gripping the back of the other ninja's neck, Leo pushed his tongue into Raph's mouth where it was kindly welcomed.

The reunion of tongues lasted several minutes before the pink muscles finally parted. While their hot breaths mixed together, Raph unbuckled the weapons carried on his brother's back and carefully set the blades aside. His hands then latched onto Leo's hips, thumbs slipping under the leather belt that hung there. The turtles' mouths connected again. Placing his hands on Raph's shoulders, Leo tried to push him back onto his shell, but the attempt was met with resistance. Raph tore his lips away with a wet smack.

"No, no," he chided, shaking his head. "Ya've already had my ass. Now I want yers."

The libidinous smile on the sai-wielder's face sent chills down Leonardo's spine. He almost protested, but his subconscious informed him that it was only fair and besides…

He was curious.

Without a word, Leo began to lay down for his brother. Before his carapace could touch the rug, Raphael rolled him and pinned him on his stomach. The leader squirmed nervously.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he stammered, the apprehension obvious in his voice.

"Relax," Raph soothed as his lips ghosted over his brother's neck. Nipping at the soft skin, he nudged Leo's leaf-green thighs further apart to make room for himself to kneel between them. "You'll like it. Promise."

Raph placed a chaste kiss on the smaller turtle's check and sat back on his heels. His large hands slipped underneath Leo's hips and hefted them off of the floor. Rump in the air, Leo rested his head on his arms as his knees pressed into the hard floor.

Reaching around to the front of Leo's waist, Raph untied the belt and cast it aside. His hands returned to his sibling's hips. Slowly, his fingers slid back to the taut buttocks presented before him, massaging the smooth flesh. The sight of the fine ass that was featured in his recent dreams was inciting a response in his cock. Licking his lips, he used the thumb and forefinger of his right hand to seize Leo's long tail and lift it up to reveal the puckered hole it covered.

The katana-wielder, who had sighed contentedly at the rubbing of his derriere, jumped at the sudden touch on his sensitive tail. A gasp escaped him as Raph began a steady stroke of the wiggling appendage. Each pass sent a jolt of electricity straight to Leo's groin, shocking his cock to life. As his arousal grew, the pressure under his plastron built to an unbearable level. His dick spilled out of its protective pouch and he groaned in relief.

Tiny beads of sweat had started to collect on his brow as Leonardo turned his head to glance back over his shoulder at Raphael. The darker mutant's golden eyes met Leo's briefly before returning to his ass. Now that he was no longer preoccupied by the discomfort of a contained erection, Leo became fully aware of the spit-slicked finger working its way inside of him. Unaccustomed to the intrusion, his entire body tensed and Raph immediately paused.

"S'okay, Leo. Just relax," he advised, but the words did little to ease the terrapin leader. Realizing this, Raph used his left hand to capture his brother's semi-hardened shaft and began to pump it. "Ya gotta relax."

Taking a deep breath, Leo tried to do as he was bidden. Closing his eyes, he focused on the attention his cock was receiving. The rough drag of Raph's calloused palm was exhilarating and he could feel his dick stiffen. Unable to resist, he thrust into the fingers that teased him.

Raphael could see the tension leaving Leonardo. Smirking, he continued to placate his older brother while resuming the task of stretching him. The warmth surrounding Raph's finger was heavenly and his own cock grew increasingly harder in anticipation. He growled softly as the head of his penis poked through the slit in the soft cartilage of his lower plastron and released Leo's arousal to tend to his own.

"Raph," the blue-banded turtle whined when his brother's touch abandoned him. "Raph…please…"

The plea made the sai-wielder grin widely and pulled his finger free from Leo's body. "Don't worry, Fearless. I'm gonna give ya exactly what ya need."

Raph quickly yanked off his belt, letting it fall where it may. He spit into his hand fisted his now fully engorged cock. Moving closer, he lined the tip up with his sibling's loosened entrance and prepared to mount him. Leo bucked slightly as Raph began to press into him. The hothead grabbed Leo's hips to hold him steady and slowly sank in further.

It burned and it hurt. The leader ground his teeth together to resist crying out as his virginal opening was stretched beyond normal. His erection weakened and his limbs began to tremble. Once again Raph stopped as Leo tensed. Understanding the discomfort, he reclaimed Leo's tail and dragged his thumb along its underside in an attempt to calm him.

"Relax," Raph reiterated lowly. Groping for his brother's cock, he stroked it from base to tip and back. "It don't hurt as bad if ya relax. Come on. It'll feel good soon."

Raph's attendance to him was working. Leo's rigid form softened. After a minute, he felt ready to continue.

"Keep…keep going," he encouraged, burying his face in the crock of his arm to hide his embarrassment.

Grunting, the red-banded turtle sheathed himself completely inside his brother's ass. He waited a while to allow Leo to adjust to his huge girth. Hearing no protest from Leo, Raph pulled almost all the way out only to ease back in. Carefully, he began to repeat the motion.

Bunching the rug in his fists, Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut and his breath came in short gasps. Beneath the pain was a hint of pleasure that strengthened the more Raphael moved. Gradually, he felt himself beginning to enjoy the experience especially with the continued attention to his swollen cock. Then just when Leo thought it couldn't get any better, Raph hit something deep inside him that sent a rocket of indescribable pleasure blasting through his entire nervous system. Toes curling, Leo cried out with joy.

"Guess I found your sweet spot," Raph chuckled and accelerated the speed of his thrusts.

The older of the two hastily stuffed a fist into his mouth to stifle his loud moans as his brother continued to strike at his prostrate. Precome flowed freely from the tip of Leo's dick, lubricating his shaft as Raph jacked it in rhythm to his pelvic movements.

"Damn, Leo, ya feel so fucking good," the hothead husked, punctuating each word with a powerful thrust.

"Raph…" Leonardo drawled, realizing that his climax was impending. "Raph…"

Raphael beat him to it. Uttering a few curses, the larger turtle came hard, thoroughly painting his brother's insides. The feeling of hot come erupting in his ass sent Leonardo over the edge. His own cock exploded, spraying the rug beneath him with his seed.

The spent turtles panted heavily as they descended from their highs. Sweat rolled off both of their bodies. Too soon for either of them, Raph's dick slid free of Leo's body.

Utterly exhausted, the leader was about to collapse on the floor. Before he could, his sibling's arms wrapped around him once more and hauled him upright. Raph hooked a finger beneath Leo's chin and gently guided his head around to deliver a kiss that robbed Leo of what little breath he had.

Scooping Leonardo up, Raphael stood and carried him over to the bed. Leo did not object when his brother laid him down and removed the remainder of his gear for him. Nor did he object when Raph himself stripped and climbed up onto the mattress.

The expression on the hothead's face clearly stated that he was not yet done with Leo for the night. Smiling at his brother, Raph kissed him for a long moment. Then slowly, he began to trail his lips down the center of Leo's plastron.

"Raph?" the eldest inquired.

"Hmm?" he acknowledged from somewhere below Leonardo's naval region.

"If.." Leo started to say, stalling when he felt fingers close around his still-exposed member. He shivered as it gave a renewed throb. Sitting up on his elbows, he looked down at his brother. "…if we're going to keep doing this, we're going to establish some ground rules."

Raphael glanced up. Mischievousness sparkled in his golden irises as he lowered his head until it hovered just above Leo's dick. He grinned wickedly.

"Name yer terms, Fearless."

Parting his teeth, Raph's tongue slipped out and flicked the tip of Leo's cock. The blue-banded turtle fell back into his pillow with a helpless moan. Slinging an arm over his tired eyes, he allowed Raph to continue.

For curiosity's sake.