(…present day…)

Michelangelo was suspicious.

Hands on hips, his blue eyes narrowed. Why they thought that they could get away with it was baffling. They knew that he always found out about everything. Always.

Someone had been eating his cereal and he'd be darned if he couldn't figure out who had done it.

He reached for the cardboard container on the kitchen counter before him and gave it a little shake. The resultant rattling sound informed him that there wasn't enough of the breakfast food left for even half a bowl. Disappointment hit him hard. Today was Saturday which meant no practice and consequently the one day out of the week that Mikey could sit in front of the television watching cartoons and eating cereal to his heart's content. Now his plan was ruined.

Pouting, Mikey returned the near empty box to its spot on the counter. Skipping the morning meal was not an option. He was a growing teenager and he needed sustenance. As it were, his options were limited to either settling for a different cereal or spending at least twenty minutes preparing something else. Bland cornflakes or missing almost half an hour of his favorite show?

His stomach growled. Apparently he was hungrier than he thought. Cereal alone wasn't going to cut it. With his stomach making up his mind for him, Mikey sighed in defeat and walked over to the fridge. While he was bent over rummaging around inside for supplies, Raphael strolled into the kitchen.

"Yo, Mikey," the hothead greeted as he crossed the room headed for the coffeemaker. "Ya cooking breakfast?"

Juggling an armful of ingredients, Mikey straightened up and glared at his big brother. "I am cooking breakfast for me because somebody ate all of my coco bombs!"

Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, Raph glanced back over his shoulder at Mikey, taking note of the youngster's angry face. The emerald turtle was always the first one to get blamed whenever cereal went missing since it was his favorite food, but this time he wasn't the culprit. He stated so as he helped himself to the pot of coffee Donnie had brewed earlier.

"Wasn't me. Ya know I don't like chocolate."

The realization that Raph wasn't to blame softened the jokester's expression a bit though he was still miffed. He brought his supplies over to the stove, set them on the counter, and began extracting the various cookware he needed to prepare an omelet.

"Weirdo. Who doesn't like chocolate?"

"It's too sweet," Raph defended, adding creamer to his coffee and giving it a quick stir. "I don't like it."

"Maybe that's why you're such a sourpuss," Mikey suggested as he set a frying pan down on the stove top. "You don't eat enough sweet stuff."

"Oh, hardee harr harr," the red-banded turtle laughed sarcastically. He took a tentative sip of his hot beverage then carried it over to the table. "How many brain cells did ya kill coming up with that one?"

Michelangelo began cracking eggs into a mixing bowl. "Jerk."

Snorting at the lame insult, Raph set his mug down and returned to the counter to claim the cornflakes that Mikey had rejected. He opened the cupboard again, this time for a bowl and poured a generous amount of cereal into it. Raph had taken a step towards the fridge when he spotted the milk in Mikey's collection by the stove. Changing his direction, he snatched the plastic gallon.

"Hey!" Mikey protested with a knife sunk halfway through an onion. "I was using that!"

"No ya weren't. It was just sitting there," Raph argued mildly. He popped the lid off the milk and began to drizzle the white liquid over his cornflakes. "Keep yer shell on. I only need it for a second."

"Don't use it all," the youngest warned as he chopped up the vegetable.

Raph capped the milk and placed it back where he had found it. "There's plenty left ya big baby."

Mikey stuck his tongue out at his brother and pulled the milk a little closer to him. Rolling his eyes, Raph went to the utensil drawer and fished out a spoon before taking his breakfast over to where his coffee was waiting. He took a seat and began shoveling cereal into his mouth. About that time Donatello wandered in with coffee mug in hand.

"Whoo, those are some strong onions," the purple-banded turtle commented. He held a hand over his nose as he walked straight to his coffeepot. "Go easy on them, Mikey."

"I will have as much onion as I want, thank you very much," Michelangelo replied saucily and pushed the pile of chopped onion aside to start cutting into a bell pepper.

Donnie spared the sassy turtle a glance and poured himself a refill. "Well, someone's cranky this morning."

"He's all bent out of shape 'cause he thinks someone ate all his cereal," Raph informed the genius around a mouthful of food.

"Ah, I see," Don mused, taking a sip from his mug as he leaned back against the counter.

"I don't think…" the orange-banded turtle started to say.

"At last he admits it," Raph quickly inserted, making Donnie laugh.

Mikey spun around to aim another ferocious glare at his brother. "…I know that someone ate it because it was half full yesterday morning!"

"Ya probably ate it yourself and forgot that ya did," the sai-wielder countered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I did not!" Mikey retorted with a stamp of his foot. "I'm pretty sure I would remember eating that much chocolately goodness!"

Raphael downed the milk in his bowl and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "With the bottomless pit ya got for a stomach I really doubt that."

"You already sleepwalk," Donnie chimed in while studying his youngest brother. "Maybe you've progressed to sleep-eating."

"Mikey's sleepwalking again?" Leonardo asked from the doorway having only heard a snippet of the conversation being held inside the kitchen.

"I am not!" Mikey huffed angrily.

Turning back to the counter, he seized the cutting board and dumped the chopped onion and pepper into the bowl with the eggs. He added a shot of milk the picked up a wire whisk and began beating the concoction furiously. Leo watched him for a minute before his eyes drifted over to Donnie to silently inquire about the youngest turtle's attitude and behavior.

"He ran out of coco bombs," the genius explained.

Leo shook his head in disbelief. "It's just cereal, Mikey. Nothing to get upset about."

"Wrong!" Mikey declared, dumping the mixture into the frying pan and firing up the stove. "It is not just cereal, it is the cereal. I've always eaten coco bombs when watching Saturday morning cartoons until today because somebody in this house ate my cereal and destroyed my life long weekend tradition! And if that wasn't bad enough, I've now missed the first…" He looked over at the kitchen clock. "…ten and a half minutes of the new episode of Justice Force!"

The other teens groaned in unison.

"Justice Force," Donnie said. "I should have known that's the real issue here."

"I'm sure it will be on again later, Mikey," Leo soothed as he began the necessary steps to brew tea.

"It won't be the same," the youngest grumbled, poking a fork at his cooking omelet. "I never miss the premiere of a new episode."

"Ya seriously need a new hobby," Raph told him, shaking his head pityingly. With a huge gulp, he polished off the rest of his coffee. "Cartoons are for kids anyway."

"Cartoons are for awesome people," Mikey corrected. "I'm not going to stop being awesome like you three losers."

"Speaking of hobbies…" Donnie stated, changing the subject to avoid further agitating Mikey. "…I was at the junkyard last night looking for some supplies for my next project and happened to find a replacement carburetor for the Shellcycle, Raph."

The red-banded turtle perked up instantly. His baby had been out of commission for over two weeks because of the failing automotive part.

"Really?"

"Yep. It's in perfect condition. I pulled it off of a wrecked bike that was going to be scrapped. I can show you how to replace it if you'd like."

Raph was up out of his chair in a flash. Although he had a fair amount of knowledge about motorcycles, there was no matching his brainy brother's wisdom. He was always eager for an opportunity to learn more.

"Heck yeah, bro," he replied, depositing his dirty dishes in the sink. "I'm ready whenever yer ready."

Donatello smiled at his sibling's enthusiasm. There weren't many things that Raph got excited about so in the rare instances that he did it was a joy to see his face light up and not arranged in its usual surly expression. Pushing off of the counter, Donnie left his mug behind as he headed for the garage.

"I've got time now."

"Yer the best, Donnie-boy," Raph praised, following his older brother. "Can we have the Shellcycle up and running by tonight?"

"We can have her running before then."

"Sweet! Casey's gonna be stoked ta hear I got my bike back..."

The mention of the human's name made Leonardo look up from his tea kettle. His head turned slightly in the direction of the exit to hear better, but his brothers were too far gone for him to catch any more of their conversation. As the kettle began to whistle, he found himself contemplating the idea of holding a mandatory training session later on this evening.

XXXXX

"So you're going out with Casey?"

Raphael paused, one arm in his jacket, and watched Leonardo approach him from the opposite side of the garage. He stood next to his newly repaired motorcycle, his helmet waiting for him on the seat. The large room was empty except for the two of them. A grin worked its way onto his face as he finished pulling on his jacket.

"Yeah. Ya gonna kiss me goodbye?"

Leo ignored the question, stopping a few feet shy of his brother. "You should have told me you were planning on going out."

"Why?" Raph asked as he tugged the jacket's zipper up. He cocked his head at the leader and smiled wider. "Were ya hoping I'd spend the night with ya again?"

"I was not," Leo denied sternly, folding his arms over his chest.

The hothead took a step towards his brother. "Yer mouth is saying 'no', but yer eyes are saying 'yes'..."

"That's not what they're saying."

"Then what are they saying?"

"That you should know better than to leave without telling anyone."

"Yeah, that's one lesson that'll never stick," Raph kidded, moving closer still.

"This isn't something to joke about, Raphael," Leo scolded. "Why can't you understand how important it is that I have at least a general idea of where my team members are? I need to be able to find you in an emergency!"

"Hey, chill out, Leo," the sai-wielder commanded. "I'm just going out for a bike ride with Casey."

But Leonardo was not to be calmed. "There's another point I'd like to bring up. How many nights this week have you spent with Casey? One would think you two would run out of things to do or talk about by the fourth night."

"Now, ya see, that's the great thing about being friends with Casey," Raph replied, crossing his arms as well. "We always find a way to keep ourselves entertained and the conversation flowing."

"Is that so?" Leonardo sniffed.

Raphael brought a hand to his chin and silently analyzed his brother for a minute. His golden eyes twinkled as he shared his observation.

"Damn, yer hot when yer jealous."

"What exactly am I supposed to be jealous of?" the blue-banded turtle questioned irritably. A slight blush had crept into his cheeks at the accusatory compliment. "Certainly not Casey Jones."

"Really?" Raph asked, lifted a dubious eye ridge. "Ya never used ta have this big of a problem with me hanging out with Casey. Not until we started our thing."

"Not until April announced that she was pregnant," Leo modified, his sharp mind quickly devising a defense. "Don't you think you should be a little more considerate of her? It's not fair that you keep monopolizing Casey's free time. He's married to her, not you."

"I ain't spending any more time with him now than I did before those two got hitched," the hothead countered with a frown. His temper was on the verge of flaring. "And I guarantee ya that soon as their kid gets here, I'm gonna see a whole lot less of him so I'm gonna take advantage of whatever opportunity I get to hang with Casey before that happens."

Turning, he walked back over to his bike and picked up his helmet.

"April's going to get mad at you guys again," the elder cautioned just as Raph was lifting the helmet to his head.

"April ain't here ta get mad at us," Raphael revealed, lowering his arms. "She flew out ta Texas this morning ta spend a couple weeks with her sister." He faced his brother once more. "So since ya can't use her ta manipulate me in ta staying home, am I free ta go?"

Leonardo didn't say a word. His gaze dropped to the floor. He was indeed concerned about April's feelings, but to say that he wasn't exploiting that to his benefit wouldn't be a complete lie.

"I'm outta here," Raph said. He had his helmet halfway to his head when he stopped again, snapping his fingers as if he had suddenly remembered something. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot…"

He darted forward and slipped a hand underneath his brother's chin. Gently tilting Leo's face up, Raph kissed him fully. Leo grabbed fistfuls of Raph's jacket with the intent to shove him off and reprimand him for risking even this minor act of intimacy in a place where anyone could walk in.

But then there it was…

…the funny feeling he got in his chest whenever Raph did things like this…the feeling that left him wanting so much more.

Eyelids sliding shut, Leo let himself get lost in the moment. He loosened the grip he had on his brother. His lips parted – an invitation for Raph to deepen their kiss. Instead of accepting, the darker mutant pulled back. Confused, Leo opened his eyes to Raph's smirking gaze.

"Don't feel like ya gotta wait up," Raphael told him, letting go of Leonardo's chin.

"How late are you going to be out?" Leo wondered.

"Few hours maybe, I dunno," the hothead answered. Leaning in, he nuzzled Leo's neck softly. "Ya want me ta check in when I get back so ya ain't worrying?"

Leo could sense the teasing smile Raph wore. What he wanted was for his brother to stay and yet he couldn't find the courage to admit it. His fingers tightened again briefly, the fabric of Raph's jacket soft to the touch, then released and pushed the larger turtle away.

"Don't bother," Leo stated, trying to sound as though he were annoyed by the prospect of Raph interrupting his night.
"Alright then. I'll let ya get yer beauty sleep," Raph chuckled. Slipping on his helmet, he mounted his bike and kicked the stand up. "Do me a favor and shut the garage door behind me, will ya? Donnie ain't had a chance ta fix the remote yet."

Without waiting for a reply, Raph turned the ignition and revved the engine. His feet lifted off the stained concrete and began to roll forward. Shifting, he accelerated and sped out of the garage, checking traffic before he exited the building' lot and taking a right on Eastman Avenue.

The night was pleasant despite the cool wind that tugged on his jacket. It felt good to be out and Raph reveled in the feeling of freedom he got as he raced through the streets of New York City. His steel horse charged around cars in a manner that was borderline reckless and earned him a few angry honks from startled drivers. Raph only grinned and increased his speed another couple notches, not wanting to be late meeting Casey.

Twenty minutes was approaching their pre-arranged rendezvous point – a grocery store in Bay Ridge neighborhood off of 82nd Street. At this late hour, all of the shops in the area had closed and very few people still roamed about. Easing off the throttle, Raph turned into the alley behind the grocery store and saw that Casey was already there waiting. The human sat atop his own bike, hockey mask pushed up off his face, denim jacket on, and golf bag strapped to his back. Raph braked to a stop beside his friend and killed the engine.

"Hey, Raphie-boy," Casey greeted with a wave. "'Bout time you got down here."

"Ya said ten-thirty and it's ten-thirty," the mutant replied as he lifted his helmet off. "I'm right on time."

"Yeah, but usually I can count on you to be five minutes early. I was starting to get worried."

"I had ta get past Leo," Raph excused which was not a lie. "He didn't want me going out tonight."

Casey frowned. "Geeze, what's up his butt lately? It seems like he's being more strict than usual."

Raphael bit back a laugh as his mind envisioned the literal answer to Casey's question. No way was he going to share that with his best friend. "Who the hell knows with Leo?" He set his helmet down on the seat in front of him. "April make it ta Texas okay?"

"Yeah, she called me around one ta say she landed," the vigilante informed, scratching at an itch on his left arm. "She changed planes in Minneapolis. She said the first flight was fine, but the second one was kinda rough 'cause it was storming in Nebraska and Kansas. Wasn't too bad though."

"That's good," Raph replied, genuinely glad to hear that his other human companion was safe. "Ya ready ta live the bachelor life these next two weeks?"

"Boy am I," Casey said, blowing a breath and rolling his eyes. "Those mood swings of hers are getting worse. I knew women were sensitive, but pregnant women?...Sheesh!"

"She whap you upside the head again today?"

"And then some. All because I didn't put the orange juice back in the exact spot she had it inside the fridge! I'm telling ya, those hormones of hers are gonna kill me."

"Guess we ought to work on your bucket list before she gets back then, huh?" the sai-wielder proposed, grinning. "What are we doing tonight?"

"You remember my man Jimmy, right?" Casey asked.

Raphael had to think for a minute. He vaguely recalled a skinny young punk with dirty blond dreadlocks and squinty eyes. Jimmy was a small-time drug dealer who was also Casey's informant and in exchange Casey promised not to beat the snot out of him provided that Jimmy didn't sell to any kids. Raph had seen the guy once or twice from the shadows when Casey had talked to him in the past.

"That weirdo who keeps ya in the know about Purple Dragons?" Raph questioned and Casey nodded. "What about him?"

"Well, I was having a nice chat with Jimmy earlier," the dark-haired human began to explain. "And he was telling me that our favorite gang has a bank heist planned for tonight."

"A bank heist?" Raph repeated, forehead crinkling. "Don't that seem a bit…tame…for them nowadays? I mean, Hun's got his Dragons going after big fish like all of those fancy tech companies he's been robbing over the last few months…a bank's gotta be pocket change ta them. Why waste the man power? Sounds like Jimmy's been sampling his own goods."

Casey chuckled at that. "Yeah, it didn't sound right to me at first either, but he swore under threat of pain that he wasn't lying. He said that Dragonface was taking a couple of new recruits to a bank up on eighty-six and third to rob the place tonight around eleven."

"Must be going back ta their traditional initiation rites," the red-banded turtle suggested, squirming in his seat. His fingers drummed against the bike's handlebars thoughtfully. "Well, waddya say, Case? Should we go check it out?"

"Don't see why not," Casey responded. He slipped his hockey mask back down onto his face and re-secured his helmet. "Come on, I know where we can stash our bikes."

Together they fired up their motorcycles and took off with Casey leading the way. The journey was short, lasting only a few blocks until they pulled into a small, four-stall parking lot behind a newly opened vegan restaurant. Ignoring the signs that warned non-employees about the consequences, the two parked side by side.

"Don't tell me ya come here ta eat," Raph said with disgust, removing his helmet and his jacket.

"April makes me go with her every now and then," Casey defended as he did likewise. "It ain't half bad. I sure as heck wouldn't want to go without meat forever though."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"There's an apartment complex a few building over. We can use the fire escape to get to the roofs."

Casey walked to the start of the restaurant's alleyway and glanced quickly up and down the street. He signaled back to Raph that there was no one in sight and the mutant quickly joined him. Turning left, they hustled along the sidewalk, staying close to the darkened storefronts where shadows were the most plentiful.

The sixth building they came upon was the apartment complex. Taking another left, they went straight for the fire escape. Casey reached up to lower the ladder and began to climb while Raph jumped nimbly from one level to the next. The turtle paused at the top of the building to wait for his friend who arrived a few minutes later.

"That way," Casey panted, pointing in front of him.

They charged forward, leaping between buildings easily. Casey's arsenal of sporting equipment turned weapons rattled in his golf bag. Near the end of the block, the human grabbed Raph's shoulder and pulled him to a halt.

"That's the bank," he said and indicated the building directly beside the one they were currently standing on.

"Let's go take a look," Raph decided.

Quietly, the two crept to the edge of the roof. Casey pushed his mask up to better see as they studied the ground below the carefully, trying to discern any indication that the Purple Dragons were in the vicinity. So far there was nothing.

"They should be here any minute," Casey announced after checking the time on his phone.

"If they're coming at all," Raph replied, his tone doubtful.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a white van drove up Third Avenue. The vehicle's brakes squealed as it parked in front of the bank. A few seconds later, the van door slid open and out stepped the unmistakable Dragonface. He looked around before turning back towards the open van door and said something indiscernible to whoever was inside. Dragonface then moved aside and three people, all young men, exited the van and spread out along the sidewalk. All three looked to Dragonface who began speaking to them while gesturing towards the bank.

"Humph," Raphael scoffed. His eyes stayed trained on the criminals as he began reaching for his sai. "Jimmy was telling the truth. I'll be danged."

"Of course he was," Casey said proudly. He unsheathed his bat and started to tap against the palm of his left hand. "Suppose we should go say hello to our old pal Dragonface. We wouldn't want to be rude."

The pair of crime-fighters looked at each other. Identical grins spread across their faces. Casey covered his face once more and together they launched off the edge of the roof.

XXXXX

Darkness was all that was there to greet Raphael when he returned home. He pulled into the garage as the clock ticked closer to two in the morning. Leaving his jacket draped over the seat of his bike, he weaved his way around the various obstacles that lay scattered about. His footsteps became feather-light as he entered into the main part of the lair.

Their fight with the Purple Dragons had been brief, ending in victory for Casey and him. After Dragonface and his cronies had run off, tails between their legs, the two friends had rode around together in celebration of both their win and the fact that Raph had his bike back. Finally, they had grown weary enough to part ways with promises of reuniting for another boy's night soon.

Driving back, Raph had a sliver of hope that he might find Leo waiting up for him regardless of what had been said earlier, but the older turtle appeared to have gone to bed. Raph's insides twinged with disappointment and he tried unsuccessfully to ignore the feeling. Something compelled him to go see his brother. Halfway to his room, he promptly changed direction and headed instead towards Leo's.

His hand hesitated on the doorknob for a second then slowly turned it. The door eased open without a sound and the sai-wielder slipped in, shutting the door again just as noiselessly. He could just make out Leo's blanket-covered form on the bed in the dark room.

Raph crept forward until he stood on the right side of the mattress and gazeddown at his brother. The dull glow of the digital alarm clock on the nightstand allowed him to see a bit better. Leo lay on his side, devoid of mask and gear, with one hand resting on his pillow. In his unconscious state he looked peaceful, a rare expression for the leader when he was awake. Smiling, Raph reached out to caress Leo's cheek. The other ninja's skin was smooth beneath his fingers. Unable to resist, Raph bent over to place a tender kiss on Leo's forehead.

Instantly, the leader began to stir. Raph pulled back just as Leo's eyes flickered open. His dark irises stared up at Raph questioningly.

"Sorry," Raphael apologized softly. His fingers continued to drag lightly over his brother's cheek. "I didn't mean ta wake ya."

"What time is it?" Leonardo murmured.

"Late."

Leo blinked slowly, still not fully roused from his slumber. The touch on his face was lulling rather than stimulating and he reached a hand up to stop it.

"What were you and Casey up to?"

"I'll tell ya 'bout it in the morning."

"It is morning," Leo pointed out, a hint of a smile on his face.

"When the sun comes up, ya wiseass," Raph countered with a chuckle. "Go back ta sleep."

He kissed Leo's lips softly and straightened up. As he turned to leave, fingers closed around his right wrist. Raph glanced back to find Leo holding on to him tightly.

"Ya don't want me ta go?" the red-banded turtle guessed, heart fluttering with hope.

In response, Leo pushed the covers off his body and scooched over to make space. He tugged on his brother's hand, urging him closer. Raph clambered onto the mattress and lay down so that they were face-to-face on their sides. Once the larger ninja was settled, Leo tossed the covers back over the both of them.

Beneath the sheets, the two bodies came together. Leo claimed his brother's lips in a heated kiss which Raph did not refuse to prolong this time. Limbs tangled, hips brushed, and tails twitched. Within minutes the pair had worked themselves into a lustful frenzy, evidenced by the swelling in their lower plastrons. Teeth biting into Leo's neck, Raph rolled until the smaller turtle was beneath him.

Laughing wickedly, he pulled the blankets up over their heads and worked to put Leo back to sleep in a manner that satisfied them both.