If there was one thing that Raphael hated about his relationship with Leonardo, it was having to remember to keep his hands to himself. No soft touches when they passed by each other. No quick kisses on the cheek. No tender hugs. No cuddling on the couch when they watched TV at night. All the little acts of intimacy Raph craved were forbidden by Leo.

Living with a lover conditionally was like a starving man trying to reach a juicy apple hanging high on a tree. No matter how much he stretched, the man's fingers could only graze the fruit and never pull it from the branch. Leo was Raph's apple and each time the hothead thought he might finally get a hold on it, he failed to fully claim the leader as his. It was enough to drive Raph mad with hunger.

That was why during their clandestine couplings, Raph would kiss and caress as much of his brother's body as possible. He did so with the hope that it would be enough to stave his appetite, but it had been less effective lately. Raph needed more than a few stolen hours between the sheets a couple times a week. He needed a romance.

Problem was, Raph's chosen partner didn't share that desire. Leo's paranoia about being caught and earning Master Splinter's disapproval kept the katana-wielding ninja resistant to pursing a relationship that didn't consist solely of physical gratification. But as Leo knew all too well, Raph refused to give up easily and the emerald turtle had already decided that he was going to convince Leo that an emotional investment was worthwhile.

It wouldn't' be an easy task. Leo was just as stubborn as Raph. The terrapin leader was adamant that they keep up the pretense that they were nothing more than brothers. That meant maintaining the same routines and behaviors they had before their affair had started. The normalcy had irritated Raph at first, but now he realized that he could use it to his advantage.

Almost a week had passed since their last patrol. In that time the criminal activity on the streets had been relatively benign. Leo had checked the police reports with Don daily and watched the news with Splinter nightly. Nothing occurred that seemed attributable to The Purple Dragons. Their delinquent actions had disappeared almost as suddenly as they had appeared, leaving the small ninja clan little to do except wait around the lair.

Though the prideful leader would never willingly admit it, Raph knew darn good and well that Leo disliked staying underground for long periods of time, too. The only difference between them was that Leo was more disciplined about following orders to stay home. Yet, the moment Master Splinter lifted the surface ban, the eldest would head to the world above either by himself or with his brothers which was half the reason why he insisted on so many team training runs. By Raph's reckoning, Leo should have been reaching his tolerance for staying inside if he hadn't surpassed it already and would therefore be more willing to journey to the rooftops. All that the hothead needed to do now was offer a carefully phrased invitation to his big brother at the right opportunity.

It came a lot sooner and a lot easier than Raph had expected it to. During supper that night, Donnie had announced to the room at large that the police reports showed nothing pertinent yet again. Leo had replied that he would like to look at them regardless to which the genius had nodded complaisantly. Once everyone had finished eating, the two eldest turtles headed to the lab. Raph had been assigned kitchen duty for the evening, but went to join his brother immediately after he had finished washing the dishes and cleaning the counters. Leo and Don both glanced in Raph's direction when he casually strolled into the room, but did not halt their conversation.

"What about this burglary in the Bensonhurst neighborhood?" Leonardo asked his purple-masked sibling while pointing at the computer monitor in front of which they were seated. "On 81st and 20th? That's fairly close to the area where the Purple Dragons were last seen."

"No," Don replied with a shake of his head. "The police already apprehended the suspect." He typed a command on the keyboard and the mug shot of a gruff, middle-aged white man with salt and pepper hair appeared on screen. "Carl Fischer. He's an ex-con and current transient with no connections to the Purple Dragons."

"Okay then," the leader hummed and resumed skimming over the information that the computer displayed. "Vandalism at the bakery off of 74th Street?"

"A mural courtesy of a street artist who goes by the name Picasso," Donnie informed. "He likes to use the bakery's wall as a canvas on a regular basis."

Leo nodded in acknowledgement of the genius's words while he scrolled down the web page. His dark eyes moved back and forth rapidly searching for anything suspicious. Five minutes passed and nothing new caught his attention. Brow scrunching, he let loose a frustrated sigh.

"Yer wasting yer time, Leo," Raph said after another two fruitless minutes. "Whatever yer hoping ta find just ain't there. Give it a rest."

The katana-wielder did not pause his search as he replied. "But what if there is? I'm not even halfway through this list yet."

"Donnie already told there ain't nothing," the sai-wielder persisted. "That should have been enough of an answer for ya." When the oldest brother gave no reply, he turned to the second. "Are we gonna hafta have an intervention for this guy?"

"If this obsession of his continues much longer we will," Donatello replied, a bemused smile on his face.

"I'm not obsessed," Leo protested, finally turning in his chair to look at his brothers. "I'm trying to figure out what the Purple Dragons are up to."

"They ain't been spotted for going on three weeks now," Raph pointed out. "I think it's pretty obvious that they ain't doing nothing."

"They could be and we just don't know about it," the leader argued obstinately. "Why would they cause all that trouble in Brooklyn and the suddenly stop?"

"Because that's the way it always goes, Leo," Donnie reasoned as he tucked his arms across his chest. "The Purple Dragons go on a crime spree, we put a stop to it, they go and hide until they can come up with a new plan, rinse and repeat."

"You really think Raph and Casey were enough to stop them?" Leo questioned dubiously.

"What the hell's that s'posed ta mean?" Raph demanded, glaring at the eldest.

Leo rolled his eyes as his temperamental brother took immediate offense at a comment he hadn't intended to be insulting. "I only meant that it usually takes a confrontation involving all four of us for the Purple Dragons to back off for a while."

"Well, this time it didn't!"the hothead replied angrily. "They've backed off! Now drop it!"

"You know, I thought that you'd be all for putting the kibosh on their plans, Raph," Leo said coolly while matching his sibling's steely gaze.

"I would if they had any, Leo!" Raph retorted. "But they don't! Why can't ya get that through yer thick head?! I'm sick and tired of being stuck down here waiting for nothing!"

"I'm not…" Leo started to argue.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Raph interrupted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. He turned on his heel and began marching towards the exit. "Ya wanna know what the Purple Dragons are up ta I guaran-damn-tee ya that ya ain't gonna figure it out by nosing through police reports!"

"Where are you going?" the blue-masked ninja questioned while standing from his chair.

"Ta settle this once and for all!" Raphael declared. Stopping a foot shy of the door, he twisted around to look at Leonardo. "Ya wanna know if the Purple Dragons are up ta something, the best information is gonna come from the streets! Are ya gonna save me the trouble of telling ya everything I find out later and go with me or what?"

Leo hesitated and looked back at the computer.

"Go with him, Leo," Donnie encouraged, breaking the silence that had fallen among them. The brainy turtle was eager to have his lab to himself again. "You could use some fresh air. I'll keep an eye on incoming police reports and let you know if I see anything worthwhile."

"Fine," Leo relented. "Let me go get my swords."

XXXXX

Hot sweat droplets streamlined down Raph's face. There was no nightly breeze to cool his heated body as he sped along the rooftops of lower Brooklyn. To his left, Leo kept pace with easily. Both ninjas had their senses on high alert. They had already scoured the Dyker Heights neighborhood, following shady looking characters and eavesdropping on whispered conversations in the alley, but learning nothing of relevance. Now they were fast finishing their investigation of Bay Ridge which had turned out to be disappointing, too.

As the murky waters of Upper Bay came into view, the siblings halted on top of a long abandoned hotel. Side-by-side they took a minute to catch their breaths. Straightening from his hunched position, Raph turned to Leo.

"Ya convinced now, Fearless?" he wondered while stretching his stiff arms. "We've been out her for hours and ain't seen or heard one damn thing about Hun and his bozos. Donnie ain't called ya either."

"Okay…" Drawing a hand across his forehead, Leo cleared away a layer of sweat. "…maybe you're right, but…" He cast his gaze towards the waterway. "…I don't know…I can't shake this feeling that something big is brewing…"

"Yer being paranoid," Raph excused. He stepped around until he was face-to-face with his brother. "Look, Leo, I ain't denying that the Purple Dragons are coming back. I'm sure they will eventually. But they're down for now. Yer wasting yer time and energy imagining stuff they could be doing. Ya need ta forget about them until they become a real threat, alright?"

Leo silently studied Raph while considering his words. After a minute, he shrugged his shoulders and resigned himself to the fact that Raph was correct. "Alright…I'll forget it."

"Good," the red-masked replied with a smirk. "'Bout damn time ya did."

"Yeah," Leo stated lamely and blew a frustrated breath. "So I guess we might as well go home then, huh?"

Raphael's grin stretched into a devilish smile. "Oh, I ain't ready ta go home yet..."

Just as Leo opened his mouth to inquire about what Raph meant, the larger turtle closed the gap between them and brought their lips together. Startled, Leo's eyes grew wide. He placed a hand to Raph's chest and pushed him away, ending the impromptu kiss

"Are you insane?" the leader hissed, frowning. "We're out in the open where anybody could see us!"

"Yer right, I'm sorry," Raph apologized. "I shoulda waited 'til we were outta sight."

With that, he grabbed his brother's right hand and led him to the roof access stairwell. The rusted door required some force to open. After a hefty tug from Raph, it swung outward on creaky hinges and banged against the wall into which it was set. Raph stepped inside and was immediately assaulted by the stench of dust and mildew. A pair of black rats scurried out of sight as he pulled Leo in behind him and maneuvered about so that the leaf-green turtle's carapace was pressed against the dirty concrete bricks. Pinning Leo's arms to his sides, Raph kissed his brother a second time. Leo turned his head to the side and broke away again.

"This is hardly an improvement, Raph," the leader stated crossly as his eyes worked to adjust to the darkness of the room.

"We're in the shadows where ya like ta lurk, ain't we?" Raph replied.

It was true. The city lights from outside barely penetrated the doorway, leaving their corner of the stairwell obscured. Even so, Leonardo had his qualms.

"It's still in public!" Leo countered.

"No human in their right mind would be in this dump so late at night," the sai-wielder reasoned. Lifting his left hand, he cupped Leo's check and gently stroked the smooth skin with his thumb. "Just think, Leo…up here ya ain't gotta worry 'bout Splinter walking in on us." Leaning in, he nuzzled his older brother's nose. "Doesn't that make it an improvement?"

Raph didn't give Leo a chance to respond and instead went for a third kiss. To his chagrin, the leader realized that Raph could be damn persuasive with both words and actions. Leo's resistance soon faded to acceptance and he found himself pressing back against Raph's mouth.

The darker mutant failed to suppress a smile as he felt his kiss returned. He hadn't expected Leo to give in so easily. Maybe his uptight brother was more receptive to a relationship than he had previously thought. That possibility heartened him greatly and fired his passion. Stepping forward until their plastrons touched, Raph deepened the kiss.

Leo's lips were gently forced apart as a tongue slid into his mouth. At the same time, fingers grazed down his exposed sides, making him shiver. Leo greeted the intrusive tongue properly and settled his hands on Raph's hips, hooking his thumbs under the leather belt that hung there. The venturing fingers had discovered the curve of his backside and were carefully surveying the taut terrain. As their interaction continued to heat, the musty smell of the stairwell was overpowered by the odor of two turned on teenagers.

"We need ta do stuff like this more often," Raph panted when they finally surfaced for air. He had decided that now was as good a time as any to press the issue of their intimacy.

"…uh…" Leo stalled as he observed out of the corner of his eye a good-sized roach creep along the opposite wall and disappear from view. "…I'd rather not make it a habit to hook up in abandoned buildings crawling with…things …"

Chuckling at the remark, Raph pecked at Leo's tender lips. "I meant going out at night together."

"…we…we go out…together…all the time…" Leo replied between kisses. His mind was too preoccupied with waking of his nether regions to really understand what his brother was getting at.

"I ain't talking about missions or training," the hothead explained, pulling back slightly to look down at the leader. With the lack of light he could barely make out Leo's features. "I'm talking about you and me together as a couple."

Leo stared up at Raph in confusion for almost a full minute. When at last it clicked, his face flamed with embarrassment and his stomach did a back flip.

"…a-a couple?" he stammered as a sliver of panic pricked him. "…you mean…go on dates?"

"That's what couples tend ta do, Leo."

"…I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Raph wondered softly. He knew that an angry reaction on his part was likely to fuel Leo's hysteria and he was therefore putting his best effort into staying even tempered. "Ya have fun letting me sex ya up, I bet ya'd have fun letting me wine and dine ya, too."

"Don't you think the others would question us if you and I went off alone too often?" Leo asked, trying to ignore the soothing touch that was caressing the line where his shell melded to his skin. "How would we explain that away?"

"We got out tonight without raising any suspicion," Raph responded, feeling the tension in his brother's body start to relax under his ministrations. Emboldened, he dipped his head and trailed his lips down the side of Leo's neck. "As long as we got a good cover up, we shouldn't have any problems."

"Wait, did you actually …" the katana wielder stalled as the thrill of teeth nipping at his collar bone washed over him. "…come up with a plan to get me out of the lair tonight?" He sensed Raph nod affirmatively. "Why?"

"Two reasons," Raphael answered while straightening up. "One, I honestly wanted ta prove to ya that I was right about the Purple Dragons not being a problem and, two…" His hand returned to Leonardo's face and held it so that their gazes could meet. "…I wanted ta be with ya. Damn it, Leo, I can't get enough of ya. Yer one hell of a drug."

Whatever response Leo had coming became stuck in his throat and he blushed anew. The second admission made his heart quiver. Taking the silence as an opportunity, Raph guided Leo's mouth to his. A small moan of satisfaction sounded from the leader and their lips locked for several seconds again.

"Raph…" Leo began. Uncertainty still plagued his soul. "…I don't know…"

"Meditate on it then," the fighter advised, his hands running freely all over his mate. "That's how ya usually figure stuff out, right? Meditate knowing that I ain't ever gonna give up on ya." His next declaration was issued in a low whisper. "Someday I'm gonna hear ya admit that yer in love with me."

Leonardo's knees went weak. It was only because he was being held to the wall that he didn't drop to the floor. All objections went unsaid as Raphael engaged him in another sizzling kiss.

Love?

The very idea of it had Leo's stomach churning. What he and Raph were doing wasn't love. It was lust pure and simple. His body yearned to be with Raph. Not his heart. Never his heart.

Right?

Leo needed to make sure Raph understood that perfectly. Breaking from the kiss, he felt Raph's warm breath blow across his face as the sai-wielder attempted to reclaim his lips.

"…Raph…" Leo requested, taking in a huge gulp of air. "…Raph, wait…"

Raph paused his mission and stared down at his sibling. Leo tried to form the words that would tell Raph that this wasn't love, but couldn't. The hope radiating from the other ninja was too much to dash.

"We can't have sex here," the eldest diverted. "The others will be able to smell it on us when we get home."

"So we'll go take a dip in the river before we head back. There ain't nothing that stink can't disguise," Raph said. His hands smoothed down Leo's hips as he briefly reconnected their lips. "Then when get ta the lair I'll put ya in the shower…" His fingers returned to Leo's ass. "…and wash every inch of ya the way ya like me ta…maybe even put ya in the tub so ya can relax…" Raph gave the pair of cheeks a hard squeeze before letting his right hand travel forth alone to claim Leo's tail. "…and I can pay more attention ta those hard ta reach places…"

"R-raph…" Leo cut in, his groin responding to the seductive suggestion and the teasing touch on his tail. "…if…if we're caught…"

"Don't worry so much, Fearless," Raph husked. "It's all gonna be okay. I'll always be here ta take care of ya. I promise."

Leonardo trembled, genuinely afraid for the future of his relationship with Raphael be it bad or good. Yet he found comfort in his brother's verbal assurances. His conflicted mind needed more of that, but he'd settle for physical comfort in the meantime. Closing his eyes, Leo took another shaky breath and kissed the larger turtle.

A pair of arms encircled Raph's neck. Drawn closer still, Raph wedged a knee between his mate's thighs and rolled his hips forward. After a few minutes of slow grinding and kissing, both teens were sporting sizable bumps in their lower plastrons. The hothead felt for his brother's belt, untied it, pulled it off a trim waist, and allowed it to fall to the floor. Withdrawing his mouth, he gently unhooked Leo's arms and got down on his knees. Leo watched Raph plant a kiss directly at the center of his arousal. Even that gentle of an action made the leader's limbs twitch in pleasure.

"Ya gonna come out of hiding for me, Leo?" Raph asked, his thumbs running along the outer edge of plastron that covered Leo's groin. "Or am I gonna hafta go in after ya?"

For a response, Leonardo groaned and set his stiffening member free. It was instantly trapped in a calloused palm that massaged it to a full erection. The eldest shuddered and clawed at the wall behind him as his brother's broad tongue swept along the underside of his cock from tip to base and back again. Wrapping his lips around the dark head, Raphael began to suck.

"Umph.." Leo bit his lip and parted his legs more.

Raph held back an evil laugh, knowing full well how much his big brother enjoyed oral. His large hands gripped the backs of Leo's thighs as he gradually worked his mouth further down Leo's thick shaft, alternating between sucking and licking the hard flesh. At the halfway point, two hands latched on to either side of his head and assumed control of the act.

The sai-wielder was guided forward none-too-gently until his nose pressed into the katana-wielder's crotch. Raph could handle the abuse though and did not let it hamper his ability to please Leo. He did as he was silently commanded, bobbing his head to stimulate the throbbing mass inside his mouth and swallowing each time the tip bumped the back of his throat.

"Ahhh!" Leo gasped as Raph hummed lowly and sent a wave of vibrations through his cock. "Oh, god…"

Shifting his hips, the leader began thrusting into that blissfully hot, wet orifice. The hands on his legs tightened their hold, fingers digging into his powerful muscles. Through the darkness he felt Raph's eyes watching him, burning him, driving him mad.

The rapid increase of his mate's breathing indicated to Raph that Leo was close to his limit. He continued his task without falter and within a minutes felt the warm rush of fresh cum empty into his throat accompanied by a cry of delight from his older brother. Raph swallowed every bit that he could, relishing the sweet taste of Leo's seed. Once the organ in his mouth finally stopped pumping, he slid off with a wet pop.

Chest heaving, Leo had his head resting against the wall and his eyes closed. He didn't get to fully appreciate his release before Raph grabbed him by the hips and turned him around. Leo's palms left prints on the dust-coated bricks as he leaned on them. His confusion about the situation vanished when his tail was lifted and the tongue that had just finished servicing his cock brushed over his tight pucker. Tickled to the core, Leo squirmed in place.

"Don't wiggle so much," Raph scolded.

"Don't tease so much," Leo shot back.

"Ya know ya love it," the taller turtle told him.

Holding his sibling more firmly, Raph brought his mouth back to the ring of muscle. His slick tongue circled it twice before easing inside. Leo's unique musky scent had gotten stronger and Raph's dick became rock hard beneath his shell. He did nothing to hinder its escape, only giving a muffled grunt when it was fell into the cooling night air.

Leo huffed as he was probed ever deeper. A warm hand nudged his right leg further out then reached between his thighs to fondle his still exposed cock. The lingering strokes applied to his highly sensitive flesh were like fire and he moaned loudly as arousal re-ignited in his loins.

"Raph…" Leonardo pleaded breathily. Lust controlled his every thought and made him say words he never imagined he would speak. "…Raph…I need you…"

Hearing this, Raph retracted his tongue and released his hold on his sibling's stiffened shaft. He stood slowly and slipped his arms around Leo from behind. Pulling him close, Raph kissed along Leo's right shoulder up to his neck. A hard erection poked at the leader's buttocks and he whined with longing. Fingers on his chin turned his head to the side and Leo found himself treated to a taste of his own essence as his younger brother kissed him passionately.

"Say it again," Raphael commanded, lips grazing Leo's while he spoke.

"…I-I need you…" the blue-masked ninja replied obediently in a trembling voice.

Grinning, Raph let go of Leo and took a step back so that he could untie his own belt. It dropped directly on top of the leader's. That done, Raph pulled Leo back around so that they were facing each other once more.

"Up ya get," Raph told Leo, grabbing the back of his thighs and hefting him high.

Leo clutched at the rim of his brother's carapace as his feet left the floor. Raph's swollen cock breached his stretched entrance and carefully skewered him. Filled to the hilt, Leo was pressed back against the wall for better leverage. Taking a minute to appreciate their union, Raph offered Leo a kiss which was instantly accepted.

"Ya missed this, didn't ya, Leo?" the hothead wondered and gave his hips a tentative thrust. "Ya missed having my hot rod jammed up yer tight hole. Been too long, hasn't it?"

Another thrust jolted Leo and he wrapped his legs around Raph's waist for extra security. "…y-yes…"

"Ya know why else this place is an improvement?" Raph questioned rhetorically, starting a steady rhythm of hip gyrations. "Now we can be as loud as we want while I give it ta ya hard."

"Ha-ahhh…" Leo moaned, feeling his pleasure spot tapped by the massive intrusion in his ass. His toes curled and he held onto his brother tighter. "…ahhh…Raph…"

"That's right, Leo, let it out," the tough turtle encouraged. "Don't hold back."

"…harder…" Leo requested. "…do it harder…"

Raphael delivered, putting more power into his thrusts. His own groan of satisfaction reverberated in the stairwell as the tight squeeze of Leo's velvety insides on his cock sent bolt after bolt of pleasure racing through his nerves. Sweat ran freely off his forehead and down his limbs, the temperature inside their hiding spot increasing by the minute.

"Oh…fuck…Leo…" Raph swore. "How do ya feel this fucking good every single time?"

"…just…talent…I guess…" the leader grunted in response.

It earned a hearty laugh out of Raph. Leaning close, his teeth nipped lightly at his brother's delicious neck. Leo's cock which had been bobbing freely throughout all the jostling was now sandwiched between two battle-scarred plastrons. The rough drag on his member only heightened Leo's bliss. A familiar pressure built in the root of his cock and he longed for its release.

"…go faster…Raph…"

The sai-wielder couldn't have denied his brother. Everything Leo asked him for was everything he wanted to do. Permission granted, Raph went at it with gusto.

"…heh…"

"….ngh…"

Their sounds of ecstatic copulation crescendoed. Leo's toes were going numb. He crossed his feet behind Raph's back to drive him deeper. Two thrusts later and…

"Ahhhh!" Leo shouted as his dick exploded for the second time in less than an hour. Eyes rolling, his head slammed back against the wall.

The combination of his mate's joyful cry and the feeling of muscle clenching around his cock sent Raph into his own loud climax. Hot cum flowed unchecked into Leo's ass, filling him completely. Minutes passed and they remained fused while the after effects of their orgasms slowly faded. During that time Leo sought and found Raph's lips, kissing them until the hothead's spent cock slid from his body. Raph stepped back and set Leo down on his feet. The leader wobbled dangerously and held onto his brother's biceps to steady himself.

"Ya okay?" Raph asked and lent his support by wrapping Leo in a hug.

"Better than okay," Leo murmured, his cheek flat against Raph's chest as he rested there.

The hothead smiled and kissed the top of his lover's head. "Does that mean yer gonna hook up with me on the roofs again sometime?"

His shorter sibling gazed at the wall thinking about his answer and witnessed the return of the roach from earlier. The nasty bug now had two companions in tow. Leo grimaced in disgust.

"Only if you promise to never bring me back here."

"Promise," Raph agreed without question. "S'pose we probably oughta go take our swim, hmm?"

"Probably."

Touching his lips to Leo's head one last time, Raph slipped a hand between their bodies and carefully tucked both of them away. He freed Leo from his embrace and stooped to retrieve their belts from the floor. With a great flourish, Raph looped Leo's belt around the katana-wielder's middle and knotted it tightly before tying on his own. The redressing didn't hide how messy their bodies had become since arriving – a fact that amused Raph and embarrassed Leo.

"Come on," Raph said.

He took a step forward, linked hands with his brother, and headed for the door. Leo was too tried from their intense coupling to put up any fight over the hand holding. Wordlessly, he let Raph guide him to the edge of the roof where the fire escape was located and they lingered there just enough to check that no one lurked in the alley below.

"All clear," the eldest declared. "Let's go."

The larger turtle relinquished Leo's hand and leapt onto the fire escape to begin his noiseless descent. Leo followed close behind. Once they were on the ground the pair of ninjas crept cautiously through the alleyways on a journey towards the bay. Standing in the shadow of an office building, they peered out into the street. It was completely deserted, the aged and yellowing street lamps doing little to illuminate the vicinity. Leo signaled to Raph and they dashed across the roadway to the shelter of a thick clump of trees lining the promenade. A quick scan of the paved walkway and its connecting pier revealed it to be completely empty, too. Keeping their eyes peeled and their ears perked, the two brothers stole over to the iron fence that separated solid ground from liquid.

"Ugh…do we really have to do this?" Leo asked, watching bits of trash sail around the smelly water.

He glanced over at Raph to find the sai-wielder grinning at him mischievously. Suspicious, Leo took a step away, but not fast enough to dodge his brother's lunge. Scooping the katana-wielder up, Raph jumped onto the fence and cannonballed into the bay.

They separated on impact. Leo floated free of Raph, completely immersed in the frigid waves. He let buoyancy guide him to the surface and broke through. Sputtering, Leo looked around and spotted Raph a few feet to his right cackling madly.

"You're an ass," the leader said through clenched teeth. His limbs started to rattle from the icy temperature and he hugged his arms around him. "I hate you."

"Aww, don't be like that, Leo," Raph soothed. "I had ta get ya in the water somehow."

"That's the method you picked?" Leo asked incredulously. "Jerk."

"I'll make it up ta ya," the hothead offered and with a lecherous smile he began to swim towards his brother.

"You stay away…" Leo stated semi-fearfully, splashing at the oncoming threat.

It didn't deter Raph in the slightest. He cut through the water easily and snatched a protesting Leo into his arms. Feet kicking, Leo tried to escape and swim off, but Raph had a firm hold on him.

"...Raph…stop…stop…" Leo ordered as the younger turtle placed feather-light kisses all over his neck and face. "…Raph! Stop already!"

The assault continued despite his objections. Without even realizing it, Leo let out a giggle. Raph's next kiss landed on Leo's lips and there they stayed. Leo's struggles ceased and he wrapped his arms around Raph's shoulders as their tongues tangled once more.

Their exchange came to a sudden end when the sound of an approaching car reached their ears. Shoving apart quickly, both turtles swam to the wooden pier and hid underneath it just as a pair of headlights swept overhead. The vehicle didn't pass by as they expected, but parked on the promenade. Whoever drove it killed the engine and a second later a car door slammed. A pair of well-polished shoes clicked on the old boards and stopped halfway down the pier.

Ten minutes passed and the feet hadn't moved. Still bobbing in the water, Leo exchanged glances with Raph. He was about to whisper instructions for them to make their leave when a second car pulled up beside the first. Three car doors slammed this time and several pairs of feet tramped down the walkway, pausing just short of the first. The ninjas immediately froze.

"You're late," a man stated irritably. "I don't appreciate this waste of my time."

"Don't you dare lecture me, Ruffington!" a familiar voice responded angrily. "I, unlike you, am actually getting work done!"

Eye ridges lifting in surprise, Raph turned to Leo and mouthed a single word: Hun. Nodding, Leo needlessly held a finger to his lips to signal for silence. Unable to see anything from their position, they had to settle for simply listening to the conversation.

"I have been working around the clock for you!" Ruffington argued. "But I am caught up in red tape and-…"

"I didn't come down here to listen to your pathetic excuses!" Hun cut in.

"Then why did you make me come all the way down here?!"

"To convey a message that I can't deliver over the phone…"

Fingers snapped and four feet hustled forward.

"What are you doing?!" Ruffington demanded. "Get your hands off of me!"

Unbeknownst to the turtles, Hun had sicced two of his cronies on Ruffington. One Purple Dragon had seized the business man's arms while the other had delivered a hard punch to his left kidney. With a cry of pain, Ruffington's knees buckled and the henchmen let him drop to the floor.

"You better get your shit straightened out real soon, Ruffington!" Hun advised in a deep growl. "Or you're going to find yourself in a lot more pain and with a lot less money! Have I made myself clear?!"

"…y-yes…" Ruffington wheezed.

"Good. We're done here then. Let's go, boys!"

The group of Purple Dragons retreated. Doors slammed again, an engine revved, and tires squealed as Hun and his entourage made their getaway. A couple of minutes ticked by before Ruffington could make it to his feet and hobble to his own vehicle. His departure was much quieter than that of his co-conspirator. Raph and Leo waited a while to make sure that they were alone again before they dared speak. Opening his mouth, the leader was about to comment on what they had just overheard when his brother held up a hand to quiet him.

"I will smack ya if ya even think about telling me 'I told ya so'."