I am so sorry for the long wait.
Stuff happened, but Heyyyy! here's the last chapter xD
Thank you for all of the awesome reviews and favs. The feels, man. The feels.
A bucket hurls at the speed of a bullet, it hits the wall with a big painful bang. Its soul flies away as the bucket lands down onto the cold floor.
Leo rushes out of his room, quickly heads to the source of the gruesome shout, fearing for Mike... and Raph's safety. Mostly Mike's.
"Raph? Is everything oo..kay?"
He tried. He tried to hold his straight face. Leo covers his mouth and muffled his laugh.
"I WILL KILL HIM!"
"It doesn't look that… bad."
"YOU KIDDIN' ME?" Raph turns to Leo.
Orange paint is dripping from him, his back is completely covered by the paint. Leo had to step back to avoid any of it when Raph furiously turned. It's an improvement, Leo wanted to say, but knows better.
Raph is now a green and orange turtle, ah can't forget the crimson red color on his face too.
"Sorry Leo, BUT I'M GONNA FUCKIN' KILL THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! WAIT TIL I GET MY HANDS ON HIM, I-"
"What happen? I heard Raph shouts and a crash..." "Oh."
Don looks away and snickers, but quickly stops himself, "Did..pftt… Mikey.. d.. did that?" Don takes a peek at his orange brother, and just loses it. He holds his stomach and laughes away.
Raph can't get any words out, he stood there, orange and hypnotize by Don's laugh. It's been far too long since he sees Don laughs so freely like that. He misses it.
Can't believe he's actually glad for Mike's pranks.
"I… Sorry for *ahem* clearly this is serious." Don said, gaining his composure. Leo, who had laughed too when Don lost it, remembers that Raph still needs to solve things with Don. And now Raph is getting distracted.
"And Raph clearly needs to clean himself fast before making more mess on the floor." Leo stated. Raph wanted to protest, saying that all this is because of his beloved little brother, but instead, Raph raises a brow when Leo gives him a serious sideways glance, "You did say that you have an important and urgent matter, right?" Leo said.
Raph picks up on that, "Yeah. I do." Raph wastes no time and heads to the bathroom, making an orange trail. Leo and Don muffled their Laugh again when they get a good look at Raph's orange shell.
Suddenly Raph stops, both of them quickly put on their poker faces. Raph looks back with an evil grin on his face, "Do. Not. Clean any of this mess. My most dearest little brother will take care of it… Oh. He will." And with that Raph continues on his way.
Leo sighs when Raph's gone, "Even I have never made him that red before." Leo said. Don nods, he couldn't agree more, "Mikey needs to lay low for a while, Raph sounded dead serious." But when Don thinks about his little brother's prank, there's something off about it,
"It's a bit unusual that Mikey would waste his favorite paint, prank or not." Don said. He thinks of the logical explanation for this, but truthfully, he's trying to ignore the fact that Raph still won't speak to him. He shouldn't have laughed at him, "Good job, genius." he thought.
"As adorable and creative as he is, Mikey got a bad sense of timing." Leo thought. He hopes that Raph will go easy on Mikey, maybe he should be there to make sure Raph doesn't go overboard.
"Don, have you seen Mikey?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. He was heading out with his skateboard when I was going to check on Raph. Can't blame him."
Don sees an opportunity when he sees one. "I'll go and look for him." Don declares and turns to leave. Leo can handle Raph since they're not fighting anymore. It will be best for the both of them, Don decided. He can't trust himself around Raph without adding more fire to the already fragile situation.
"No!" Don quickly stops when Leo suddenly yelled.
Leo quickly regains his cool, he didn't mean to yell, "I Uh… I need you to help Raph get that paint off." He walks pass Don, "I can go and find Mikey. I'm sure he won't be far."
"B.. But… I can't…" Don slightly panic at that.
Leo suspiciously looks at him, "Can't what, Don?"
"Oh geez. Don't use that look Leo. Why? Why do you do this to me?" Don thought, he can't stand that stern and ready to lecture look. He can't let Leo know what's been going on between him and Raph. "N… Never mind."
"Good."
Don watches in disbelief as his eldest brother went on his way. "This is bad." The words kept on chanting in his mind, slowly taking him into the brink of panic. "Calm down, Hamato Donatello." Don thought and collects himself, "Perhaps this time it won't be so… *gulp*" He tries to think about the bright side of it, like Mikey, but his past experiences didn't really back up his confidence.
"Maybe… Maybe… I will just ask him if he needs anything, and then march back to the lab." Raph can't possibly be offended by a simple, "You okay?" or "Can I help you?"
"Yeah. It's going to be just fine." Don said, but it sounded more like a wish.
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"WHAT?!" Raph shouts from the bathroom.
Don is horribly wrong, again.
He cannot trust himself. he can't.
Don hasn't even said a word to him, just a simple knock on the door, a gentle one, and Raph already hates him. "Uh… Raph. I just w.. wanted to make sure if you need anything…"
If Raph gives him another silent treatment, Don's out, he'll takes refuge in his lab before he set off another bomb. He'll give it uh… two…
Suddenly the door opens.
..minutes.
Instead of orange paint, some water drops decorates his fit body, making him look so enticing. Don blushes and quickly averted his eyes away. "I… I see the paint came off."
"…Y..Yeah."
Did Don just hear that? Had Raph just responded back to him? Don carefully looks at Raph's face, not looking at anywhere else. Raph is looking at the wall on their right, rubbing the back of his neck, but he doesn't look mad, he just looks… nervous?
Don gain a little bravery by it. He wants them to keep talking, "That's great, Raph. Having two Mikeys can be tiring, and loud." Don jokes.
"If there are two Mikeys, I'll make sure there will be just one. Me." Raph is still furious with Mikey, but now he needs to focus on what matters the most, "So, Don. I got something to tell you." Raph changes the topic. A part of him still thinks that this is a bad idea, but the rest of him are screaming for him to continue.
Seeing Don tries so hard just to speak with him... Raph has to.. needs to tell him. "I was on my way to see you in the lab, but then Knucklehead did that stunt."
Is he dreaming? Is this that so real kind of dream, Mikey always talks about? Raph spoke back to him again, a complete sentence. Does this really mean that he's not angry with him anymore? "But wait, what does he want to tell me? Tell me that he hates me? Want me to stay away?" Don grimly thought, destroying any hopes he got. Don doesn't realize that he was expressing his thoughts on his face. Raph clearly sees it, he also sees the light rub Don did on his chest.
Raph suddenly feels like there's an invincible knife sticking in his chest.
"Donnie. I need to tell you that I-"
"Enough, Raph."
"Huh?"
"I know what you're going to say, you made it crystal clear for the pass months." Don looked away and whispers "and three days ago."
More knives. He deserves this, Raph thought, but not Donnie, he deserves better. Way fuckin' better.
"I know you hate me, Raph." Don finally said, closing his eyes, trying to hold off any feelings that's trying to escape his eyes. "It'd be best if I just go- Uff!" Don suddenly felt warmth around him, strong muscled arms gently holding him in place. As Don opens his eyes, he saw Raph is hugging him, really tightly.
"Don't say things like that!" Raph can't contain himself anymore, something just breaks inside him, he just didn't care about anything else but him, his Donnie. "I never hate you, never even dream of hating you, brainiac!"
Don can't describe what he's feeling right now, a mixture of relief, happiness, and… "I don't know whatever this is, but Raph, he doesn't hate me!" Don returns the hug.
"He doesn't hate me."
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In one of the sewer tunnels not far from the lair,
"Serves that gorilla right." Mikey said triumphly, while grinding on a pipe and does a flip with his skateboard.
He wasted no time to bail when he heard the splash. He did want to stick around and take some pictures, for the family album, but that would risk him getting caught. He wouldn't make it out alive if he wasted even a minute when Raph is in Terminator mode. That poor bucket paid the price for him, Mikey heard its gruesome doom as he stepped out of the lair.
Mike then stops and flips the board to his hand.
On his left, there's a boarded up tunnel. The old long boards vertically closed the way, but there's a gap in the middle in which Mikey easily squeezed through, "Heh. Raph will never find me here." He said. This is his usual hideout, his safe zone. Raph has never searched for him here. He plans to hide here until Raph has cool down enough to not murder him.
Not to be worried though, he stashed some comics and snacks here. A complete survival pack.
But then, all those bulletproof plans started to crumble down as he took his sixth step into the tunnel. Behind him, he suddenly heard a slicing sound. He looks back and sees that the boards got torn down, a big shadow lurks behind the now opened tunnel. "Oh man… I'm so dead."
The figure slowly approaches Mikey, "R.. Raph? Bro? S'that you, dude?" Mikey asked, full of fear. He backs away as the figure continue to approach him. Mikey quickly shielded his face with his skateboard when the turtle is near enough to pummel him, "Bro! Have mercy! I…I wasn't thinking, man, I never think! I got shell for brain, remember?!"
The Skateboard suddenly got snatched away from Mike, "Mercy!" he uses his arms to shield himself.
"Sure, as long as you leave my novels alone, little brother."
Wait. Wut? Raph's voice ain't that angelic. Mikey drops his arm and get a good look at the turtle.
Leo got that amused smirk on.
"Oh. Yo! My bro!" He said, with a big relief that his death is canceled. But why is Leo here? Don't get him wrong, he way prefers him than Raph any day, especially today. Mikey is sure that no one was following him. "How did you find me?" Mike asked.
"I am the best tracker in the family, Mike." Leo said, an expert in tracking down Mikey, to be honest.
"So cool…" Mike thought dreamily.
"Mike."
Huh? He's been calling him with Mike instead of Mikey, oh he knows this, he absolutely knows that tone, still sexy though.
"This prank of yours is getting out of hand, Mike. The paint is all over the floor, and wall." Leo said with that lecturing look, but on the inside, he wanted to crack a smile, remembering an orange Raphael.
"It adds color to the place! Makes it more bright and alive. Y'know, that Feng Shui stuff and all." Mikey grins, Leo never lectures him for more than five minutes, definitely can't hold that straight face, his lectures always ends up with him smiling along with Mikey.
Leo shakes his head, still keeping the almost breaking stern look, "This is serious, Mike. You can't do that to Raph, the paint might harm him."
Mikey feels a poke of irritation at that, "Oh yeaahh, Raph is soo fragile now." Mikey thought. "He'll be fine. Raph is a big orange turtle, Leo."
Leo is surprised with his change in behavior. There's no humor in those words. Leo asks himself if Mikey is being serious right now. "Don told me that you'd never waste any of your painting supplies. So what did Raph do to deserve that, Mike?"
No one knew that Mikey can get angry, well he never really shows it to anyone before. Mikey turns away from Leo, he can't stand with this bullshit. How can Leo be that concerned with him? Does Raph mean more than him?
Leo doesn't want to do this to his precious Mikey, especially when it makes him upset. He sees the cheerfulness and the mischief in him are starting to fade. Then it's all gone when he frowns and turns to face away from him. "Just felt like it, Leo. Done it like a gazillion of times, ain't that big of a deal."
"Ain't big of a deal?" Leo is baffled. "Are you feeling alright, Mike?" Leo asks, starting to feel concern. It is just not Mikey to be this cold.
Mikey snorts at that, but it isn't the childish cute kind that he always does, it's more like a disgusted snort. Leo is very worried now, did something happen between these two that Raph hasn't told him yet?
"Whenever the Mikester is acting a little off, and it's all "You okay Mikey?" "Is everything okay, Mike?" "Are you all right?"" Mikey sighs, "Yeah I'm the cuckoo and the dumb one in the family, I know!" He felt tired with all of it, tired of being so worthless, so useless. Mike said the next words in a whisper, "I'm a nobody." Mikey realizes that he's losing his cool, he's said too much. Not any of those are Leo's or anyone's fault, it's all him for being.. Mikey all the time. No wonder Leo quickly picks Raph over him. Raph is not useless. Raph is not the clown in the family.
"You're not dumb, you're creative. And you are not a nobody, Mikester." Leo said, making Mikey smiles a bit. "You're everything but a nobody." Leo said, really wants to hold him. This is the first time he had seen him this hurt, it torn him.
"But what am I to you?" Mikey is too late to stop those words. It is said, and he really wants to face palm himself. Was he that desperate for not losing Leo to Raph?
Leo doesn't understand what he means by that, Mikey knows he's very important to him, a…as a brother that is. "You are my brother, Mikey. You are important to me." The answer made Mikey looks at him. Mikey never gives him that kind of look before, a sly smirk and knowing eyes, it's like he knows his deepest secrets. Leo gulped, doesn't like where this is going.
"More than Raph?"
"Raph? Why does he keep popping up?" Leo thought, it's starting to get annoying.
Is it because he and Raph aren't at each other's throats anymore that it made Mikey asked that? It didn't occur to Leo that it would matter that much to Mikey. "Yeah. Of course, Mikey. More than him."
The smirk is still on him, he turns slightly to Leo "And only as a brother?"
What are you planning Michelangelo? Where is this heading? Leo really didn't like this."U..uh, yes. Of course, Mikey. Why would you think otherwise, little brother?"
Mikey rubs his head, "Heh."
Leo watches as Mikey walks to his side, "Little Brother." Mikey said with such scorn. Leo faces him as Mikey turns to look at Leo. His baby blue eyes have never looked this intimidating. Leo doesn't know why he can't stand his ground when Mikey moves toward him, and he can't believe that Mikey had him back up againt the wall.
"I'll ask this again, big bro. Only as a brother?"
There's still a gap between them, much too little for Leo's drumming heart. "Did he know?" Leo thought, starting to panic. Leo wishes the wall behind him would just disappear. "He can't possibly know, can he?" And at that his heart picks up its pace, "Damn it." He cursed in his mind as his eyes locked with Mikey's. He thought he knew his little brother, but this, this just proves how little he truly knows.
Mikey didn't really know what he's doing right now, but he couldn't care less, he needs the truth. Raph can't take him away, Leo is his, not Raph's or anyone.
"M..Mike, can you give me some space?"
"I will. But after you answer my question first."
"I just did."
"You lied." Mikey said "I need the real answer, the truth." Mikey really needs to know. He.. He discovered that Leo is interested in him in that way yesterday, it's the one thing Mikey ever wanted in all his life, screw pizza, screw comics, video games, candies, action figures. He needs to know if Leo is still intrested, he doesnt want to lose him "I..I need to know." Mikey thought, but it came out loud. Mike didn't mean to say that, he looks away slightly, blushed for the slip.
Mikey feels a hand on his cheek, gently making him look back to those sharp deep blue eyes.
"Why do you need to know the truth, Mike?"
"I wanted to make sure." Mikey answered, his blush intensify.
"Make sure?" Leo sees that Mikey baby blue eyes is starting to soften as he blushes. He wants to get drown in those eyes, he really wants to. But he just can't lose control, for all he know this could be Mikey confronting him because he disapproves of his feelings and wanted to let him down easy. Despite his boldness, despite his blushes, despite his questioning about Raph, despite-
"I don't want Raph to have you."
"..."
"Fuck." he curses again in his mind. His heart is screaming to him now, and he couldn't agree more. "To hell with it."
Leo grabs his waist and pulled Mikey closer, closing the gap between them. Their eyes never leave each other's as Leo slowly leans in to him, Mikey closes his eyes when he feels Leo's lips on his. Leo feels Mikey tense up at first, but then he relaxes and now returning his gentle kiss. The light loving kiss turns more passionate as Mikey leans more to Leo's hot body, a hand on his cheek and another around his neck, wanting more of that delicious lips. Leo noticed the hint and he's more than happy to oblige him. Leo nibbled his sweet lower lips, making Mikey moans. Leo uses the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
Mikey is now a hot mess, holding on to Leo's strong arms, feeling his tongue leading his. Mikey feels Leo shifts and changes their position, and now Leo has trapped him against the wall, devouring everything in him, and how he loves it.
"..."
They pulled away gently, catching their breath. Leo strokes his cheek, smiling contently despite the hardness their actions have caused.
"I see you're enjoying that." Leo huskily said.
"Totally. Wouldn't mind more of that… plenty more of that." Mikey smoothly said.
Leo chuckled, "I care for you Mike, not as your brother, not as your friend, but as your… wanna-be mate." Leo confessed, using Mike's impression on the last part. Mike grins, "Finally. Took you long enough. Slowpoke." He sticks out his tongue.
Leo moves closer, "I'll learn to catch up, for you."
Mikey can die in peace now as Leo kisses him again.
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"Is this.. Wow. I can't believe you still have it."
Don looks amazed at the painted rock in his hand. After the slightly long hug, Raph was the first to pull away. Raph then told him to wait for him in the lab, "I'll be back, I promise, I need to… Just wait Okay?" He said in a hurry.
And true to his words, Don didn't have to wait too long before Raph entered the lab, giving him this red rock.
The rock was Mikey's idea. Back then when they're six, Father gave Mikey his very own painting pack, four brushes and all the basic colors. Mikey soon came up with an idea to paint on some rocks he found. Raph was really against the idea, so he's reading his comic while we painted.
Don colored it with Raph's favorite color, red and dark red in a checkered pattern, and then added a big bat-insignia on it, Raph's favorite. He was quite proud of his first piece of art. When he's finished admiring his art, Don was about to check Mikey and Leo's rocks, but only to see that Leo and Mikey exchanged their rocks, it was very cute of them.
I wanted to do that too, he thought. And thus, after he's finished with the last touches, he immediately went to Raph and gave the unshaped rock to him. The paint is still wet, so Raph's hand got a little red paint as he held it.
Raph smiled at him and thanked him, telling him that the rock was cool.
"It's important for me, the rock and the turtle who gave it to me."
Don feels his face is starting to get warm "I thought you were just being nice."
"I… ah. Feel very happy when you gave it to me, Donnie. I thought that you made it just for me, got that going through my head for months." Raph awkwardly laughs.
"Oh." Donnie feels those butterflies swarming around his stomach, Raph just doesn't know what he can do to him. "So… What did you want to tell me?" Don asks, going back to solve the puzzle. The puzzle of the year.
He sees Raph is getting nervous again, "You know that I don't hate you, okay?"
"Okay."
"And you must know that there's this.. this.. thing, that forced me to make some distance with you. Not hate!" Raph didn't need anymore misunderstanding. "It's the opposite of that."
Don thinks of that, distance? And the opposite of hate is… love, like? Hm, so Raph loves him? There's nothing strange with that. Raphael may be rough and rebellious, but he truly loves all of them, he cares very much for the family.
Oh! Maybe this is about April? He loves Don, but seeing Don with April forces him to make some distance, because Raph likes her. "It makes sense." Don thought, he had the similar guess before. But still, he doesn't really like the answer of this puzzle. "I'm sorry for making it uncomfortable for you Raph. I realized that you like April and I know it has been bothering you that I'm close with her."
"Dafuq?" Raph wanted to protest, but Don beat him to it, "You don't have to worry anymore, Raph. I never like her like that, I lied from the beginning."
Don needs to slow down with all of this, so much information Raph needs to process, so much. "It's all a lie?" Raph asks in disbelief.
"Yes." Don feels the returning guilt for lying and for misleading him and the rest. "I made it all up."
"B..But why Don? Why did you lie about something like that?" Don is a terrible liar, can't even lie without a stutter, even when his life is depended on it. But when he really needs to, Raph is pretty impressed, Don fooled them all.
Don thinks carefully about his next words, but he has promised himself that there will be no more lies, no more. Don had enough of that. "Let him know and face the consequences now, rather than creating another painful illusion. Or starting another misunderstanding." He had quite enough.
Don rubs his left arm and said "Raph. I love you." He paused and clears his throat, his throat is feeling a bit heavy after that three words. Then he continues before Raph snapped out of his shock, "I love you, more than a brother should. I made all those lies because I wanted to hide my feelings from you." Don confessed finally. He left out the part about his assumptions and some other details, he thought that Raph didn't need to know that, Raph is already traumatized without those small details.
Don waits for his rejection, he's fine with it, he's ready for it.
Raph recovers from his shock, and smiles, real wide.
"Woah. Really Don? Woah." Raph said, his mind just blown. "This is serious, right?" Raph eagerly asks, rubbing the back of his neck. Don looks at him, a little confuse by his reaction. He expects the opposite of that, but still Don shyly nods.
"Damn it Don. I feel so stupid now. Stupider than Mikey. Did I just admit that?" Raph told him and then takes Don's hand which holds the rock. He holds his hand, warming both Don's hand and the rock with both of his hands. Don looks at his sandwiched hand, and then to him.
Raph's smile hasn't faded and Don feels himself falling in love again with that smile.
"I love you too, Don. All this… Drama, it's because I'm too much of a coward to handle it.. to tell you." Raph confessed, he never feels anything like this before, it's a really awesome feeling. Don loves him back. He feels like he can do anything now. He feels like he needs no one else, no one but his Donnatello.
And meanwhile, Don isn't sure if this is really happening, did the paint had any illusion gas in it? "Raph, you're really saying that you… me?" Don blushed so much, it made him lose for words. His mind can't come up with anything at all. So Raph speaks for the both of them, "Yes. You and Me." Raph gently tighten the hold, "I love you." He lightly kisses Don's hand. "Love you for a fuckin' long time." He raises his head and look deeply into his gorgeous eyes, "Fuckin' long time." Raph leans toward him.
Don is truly in trance, he followed suit and leans into him.
As their lips connected, sparks went flying. Raph's lips lightly brush against Don's, teasing him a bit. Alas, the gentle kiss ended rather too early, they pulled away when they heard the familiar loud voices of their hyper brother, "Looks like Leo found Mike." Don said the obvious. He was kinda disappointed with the interruption.
"We'll make this one quick then."
"What ar-?"
Raph suddenly pulled Don to him. Don can't really protest when Raph went in for another kiss. But this time, it's much more intense. Don holds the rock tightly as he returns the kiss with equal passion.
Mikey should thank Don for making Raph decided to go easy on him, Raph thought while sneaking his tongue in, earning a hot moan from his brainiac.
"Yeah, this will be awhile."
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"Hmm…" he takes a sip of his herbal tea.
He feels the change, the change in the air. It is a good change he sensed.
He is proud that his sons have finally solved their problems.
"Teenagers." He said to no one in particular.
It made him remember,
About all of those amusing but touching moments his sons created.
How can he forget about the papers he recovered in the sewers, when his smart Donatello threw them away. Also that many nights where his little Michelangelo had secretly stayed up all night to train in the Dojo, just to earn a praise from his older brother at morning practice.
His eldest son had never been distracted in his training, always focus and never falter from his goals, but as soon as Michelangelo entered the Dojo, Leonardo had forgotten about all of his goals and changed his focus to his younger brother.
His stubborn, but strongest and most loving son had never looked so patient as he waited for Donatello. A few times he had found Raphael to wake up in the middle of the night, carrying a blanket in his hand. He went to Donatello's laboratory and exited without it.
He chuckled at all of the memories.
"Hmm.." he takes another sip.
But this is not over yet.
Another waiting game has started and ready to be played.
He will have to wait and to observe for a whole new reason.
"Hm, I wonder who will it be?"
...Who will be the first to approach him, he wonders...
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The End
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Aaand we are done :)
I hope you enjoy this last chapter, and also this story.
Thank you for reading my story.
And for showing me mercy and patience for the grammar errors.
:-3
Happy holidays and Happy New Year.
ps. You are still and always be Awesome.