RIGHT KNOWLEDGE

For all our glitz and glamor in the city, the Justice Force's jurisdiction only stretched as far as the US border. Our little "unscheduled flight" out of Russian waters passed by pretty silently, half because we could barely speak over the engine's roar, and half because Leo found some way to sleep through the racket until we touched down on the Force yacht in the Aleutians. I waved to Tsunami and Chrysalis in the boat's tower as I powered the copter's engine down. Raph and I hopped out the pilot door, watching as Don steadily led Leo down the rudder steps onto the deck. That careful look in Don's eyes, I'd seen it in Leo's whenever one of us was hurt or got sick, but it was cool to see the tables turned as the 'fearless leader' started to come back to the real world.

Under the deck, we twisted and turned through the hall until I found the same quarters we'd stayed in on the voyage there.

"Radical! They switched the beds out!" I noticed the two sets of bunk beds were replaced by two king sizes. I'd known they kept at least one for Raptarr (the dude's wings are pretty beastly) but maybe Ananda kept another on board for her Domebot. She did get weirdly attached to that hunk of metal.

"Lil perv." Raph chuckled, punching me lightly in the shoulder before flopping down onto the mattress. "You think Don and Leo aren't gonna mind?"

"Aren't gonna mind what?" The brainiac rounded the corner with Leo in tow, slapping a palm to his face when he saw the room's arrangement. "Ugh, real subtle, Michelangelo."

"Chill, Donster." I looked back at Leo, his eyes still moderately bugged out. "You two puritans can build a 'no dishonor' barrier out of the comforter, or whatever. Personally, I'm gonna use my kickass bed to its full extent." I cannonballed onto Raph with a 'cowabunga', grappling with him and getting flipped over onto my shell.

"Uh, guys, don't you think we should explain some stuff to Leo?" Don interrupted, awkwardly looking away from us and scratching behind his head. Leo's alien gaze was locked right on Raph and me, mouth slightly agape.

"What's there to explain?" I raised an eyebrow. "Raph and I kinda figured out what 'big secret' you two were trying to keep, and were like, 'why not?'"

"That ain't exactly how it happened." He released me from my pin, lying down on the bed next to me.

"You're right, it really was me who did all the figuring." I threw on a British accent. "Michelange-Lock Holmes, at your service."

"You told them?" Leo murmured to Don, the first words I'd heard out of him since the island.

"Nah, we solved that riddle before we even found Donnie." Raph answered. "Plus, our ideas were a little off from what actually went down."

"Prudes!" I hollered out. "Can't believe you made us chase you all the way here over one stupid kiss, Leo. Next time you want me to dodge the Russian Air Force for you, it better be over a blowjob or better!"

"Michelangelo!" Don chided. "Could you possibly cool your jets? Like I said, Leo…We don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with."

"Aww, Donatello, you romantic!" Raph laughed.

"But, as you can see, these two clowns aren't going to judge us if we do decide to…" Don continued. "…Do anything at all."

"Meh, I'll probably still judge a little bit." Raph smirked.

"I won't judge, guys…" I grinned at them both. "…If you let me watch."

"Ew." Donnie grimaced. "On that note, why don't you two go ask Tsunami how long it'll take to get back to New York? Or go make some dinner."

"Alright, we get it." Raph scooped me up in his tree-trunk arms, throwing me over his shoulder like a captive princess as he carried me out the door. "We'll leave you two lovebirds to yourselves."


"Sorry about all that." I sat down on the bed, and Leo hesitantly did the same. "You can't imagine what it was like sharing a room with those two all the way here."

"I have an idea." He smiled meekly back at me, showing some happiness for the first time since we found him. It faded just as quickly. "I'm a little jealous, to be honest. Everything seems to come so naturally for those two."

"I know what you mean. It's gotta be nice to not overthink everything all the time."

"I guess I forgot how well you understand me, Donnie. I always feel like there's so much I have to go through alone, but…"

"You don't have to do anything alone." I placed my palm on his. "I'll go wherever you tell me."

"You mean it?"

"Only if you promise you won't run halfway across the planet again." I nudged him delicately in the side. "The first two times were hard enough for us."

"They were hard for me, too. I thought about you every day."

"So did I." The room seemed to be quickly getting smaller, or else something brought Leo's lips closer and closer to mine.


"Mmm, you smell that, Raphie? Good thing the Justice Force's only five star open flame chef is on board!"

"All you did was take the pizza outta the freezer and put it in the oven, you numbskull." I grunted.

"Maybe so, but it's an eye the little details that make a true gourmet." We rounded the corner to the hall where our room was.

"The only details you had your eye on were the kitchen ceiling while I had you on that table…"

"Which was totally unhygienic, now that I think about it. Gotta remember to have Tsunami wipe the counters down before sushi night."

"You're the worst kind of housemate, Mike. These guys have got to be glad you're moving out." He looked back at me with a finger over his lips, and silently I peered over his shoulder as he inched the door open. Leo's ugly beige robe was in a pile on the floor, and up on the bed, I could see Donnie spread-eagled across the mattress as Leo kneeled between his legs and left a trail of kisses up his chest toward his neck. Turning back to me with a devious grin, Mikey shut the door gingerly and we kept walking down the hall.


"Can I ask you something, Don?" I murmured into his ear.

"Yeah." He shuddered.

"Is it weird that I can't remember half the names of the cities I traveled through, or just how many monks were on that island…" I let my fingers trace up from the small of his back, stopping right at the angle where his collarbone met his neck. "…But I remember, from that one night, how this spot drives you crazy?"

"The mind's a funny thing, Leo." His voice wavered, and a sharp gasp of breath jumped from his mouth as I pinched the spot in my teeth and pulled back lightly.