A/N: Some of you may have already read this chapter (it can be found within the story "Discoveries"). And I apologize, but I really like this little story and since I started labeling each chapter within these side-series stories, I thought it would be nice to bring this one out and put it someplace easy to find so I can re-read it without digging through "Discoveries" to find it.

But I will say I decided not to add this to the one-shot series until I had an actual new chapter to offer up as well. So if you'd like to read something new, please skip ahead to the next chapter, which contains completely new Raph and Leo fluff.

Raphael set the weight bar back in place and sat up on his bench to grab a drink of water. And to enjoy the view that was Leonardo running through some katas on his own. Everyone else had been dismissed from morning training and Raph had decided to stay behind and do some weight training before work. Bonus to being one of garage owners was not worrying about being late.

He glanced down at the bench between his legs. Donnie had stocked the dojo with new items when he'd had the room constructed, and while he'd appreciated the new punching bag, Raph had insisted on bringing up his old, albeit tattered, weight bench from their sewer lair's dojo. He'd been sixteen years old when he'd been called into the dojo one night and all three of his brother had presented him with this very bench. It was weeks later when Raph was helping Donnie carry some big heavy piece of equipment home from the junkyard that Donnie had let it slip that the bench was really just from Leo, even though Leo had made it seem like the gift was from all three of them. Donnie told him that he and Leo had been on a scavenge run when Leo found the bench. And Leo had talked Donnie into helping him carry it home instead of a large piece of steel that Donnie had wanted to bring home that day. Donnie had continued talking as they walked through the sewer tunnels, telling Raph how Leo had buffed the seat and covered the few tears in the fabric with duct tape himself, not realizing that Raph's eyes were growing wider as Donnie spoke.

After he and Donnie had returned to the lair, Raph had headed to the dojo to lift weights on his new bench. He couldn't stop thinking about the possible meaning of Leo's gift. He wasn't currently in his line of sight, but he knew Leo was in the dojo training as well. A year ago if they'd both been training in the dojo at the same time, the room would've been filled with jokes or a discussion or at least a comfortable silence. But Raphael knew the eerie silence that now filled the room was his own fault. He was the one who had destroyed their relationship. He thought about the decision often. But at this point, still thought it was for the best. For Leo. He sat up once he replaced the weight bar after his final set and spotted Leo running through a kata with his twin katana near the big tree. Raph had sat frozen and watched Leo move gracefully through what appeared to be a pretty advanced and pretty deadly set of steps.

Raph's mouth had gone dry. And his stomach had squirmed. A shiver ran across his shoulders and down his arms. He was young, but he knew what those sensations meant. He wanted his hands on Leonardo. He wanted to rub himself against him and he wanted to know what it felt like to have those impressive muscular legs wrapped around him.

Once Leo had swung a final swipe with his blades, he had bowed to an imaginary opponent before turning towards Raphael. He had seemed startled to find Raph watching him and Raph noticed that the confidence Leo had had a moment before disappeared and Leo's eyes ducked down as he sheathed the katana and turned away from Raph to get a drink and grab a towel for his face.

Raph had tried to pull up anger as he stared at Leo's shell. Anger for any reason. Anything at all. Anything that would keep him from marching across the dojo, spinning Leo back towards him and kissing him. He'd stood from the weight bench and his hands shook slightly. That's when Mikey had bounced into the dojo and began pleading with Raph to play a video game with him. Raph had swatted at Mikey and glanced back at Leo. Leo still stood with his shell to them, but he suddenly began to pull his tatami mat out as if preparing for meditation.

Raph had gone out to play video games with Mikey. He didn't follow his gut instinct on that day or on any of the days in the three years that followed that day. He'd left Leo alone. Physically alone, but emotionally alone as well.

His eyes focused on Leo now in the present with a sharp intensity as Leo stepped and swung seamlessly through a well-known routine. He watched Leo's muscles shift with each move and felt the familiar squirm as desire began to pool in his stomach. He stood and crossed the room without thinking about it.

Leo turned and found Raphael suddenly right in front of him. He smiled as he saw Raph's darkened green eyes and listened to his breathing, the inhales and exhales already quickened by his need. Leo's own inhalations brought him Raphael's scent, already richer. Leo dropped his precious katana on the matted floor and stepped directly in Raph's arms without a word.

Raphael pulled Leo into him, keeping his grip strong on Leo's upper arms, and covered his mouth in a hard kiss, which Leo answered back with equally strong force. Raph kept their lips together but let go of Leo's arms only so he could reach the back of his thighs and lift Leo up into his arms. He churred at the feel of solid muscle against his fingers as he gripped Leo's legs and began walking them across the room. Leo churred in response and wrapped his legs tightly around Raph's shell as he let his fingers press into Raph's biceps.

"Raph," Leo moaned out, rubbing his lower plastron against Raphael. "Strong - you're so strong, Raphael," he husked out and moved his mouth to press kisses to Raphael's face.

Raphael could only groan in response to Leo's praises as he kicked Leo's meditation room door closed with his foot as he sealed them in the private room. Once inside, he lowered Leo back to stand on his own two feet and then stood still himself for a moment. He gave Leo a small smile, one that only Leo ever got to see, and waited.

"Okay," Leo breathed out, accepting Raph's offer.

Raph watched as Leo began to circle him and it was the last thing he saw before his mask was twisted, blocking his vision. Leo's hands were on him immediately, though, squeezing over his arms, trailing over his tail, running down his plastron. Raph couldn't even guess where Leo's hands were going to be next, he just let each sensation hit him and groaned with each press of Leo's fingers.

"Leo," he moaned out and his mouth was immediately covered by Leo's mouth before Leo pulled him down onto the matted floor with him. Raph went down on his shell and felt Leo climb on top of him in order to kiss him again. Then Leo's weight disappeared and Raph resisted the urge to remove his mask so he could see where his mate had gone. He had his answer a few moments later as Leo's warm tongue pressed into the cartilage of his slit. "Jeezus Leo," he said in surprise before he dropped down for him with a groan.

Leo inhaled deeply and let Raphael's scent fill his nose as his length filled his mouth. He pulled Raphael towards his throat and watched as Raphael writhed and shifted beneath him before he pressed a lube-covered finger into Raph's entrance.

Raph's hips jerked upwards at the unexpected wetness, and he smiled at the thought that Leo had left him before only to grab the lube they secretly kept stashed in this room. He began to churr out loud moans and curses, and while he'd always prefer being able to see Leo, he let himself enjoy the sensation of focusing only on the feeling of Leo's mouth wrapped tightly around his hard, full length as Leo's fingers massaged his insides.

He felt Leo churr as well and it was that, above all the other wonderful things that Leo was currently doing to his body, it was the knowledge that Leo truly enjoyed what he was doing to Raphael as much as he did that pushed Raph immediately over the edge with a loud shout of Leo's name.

Leo climbed back up the emerald body once Raphael had reached his release and pressed more kisses to that handsome, panting face. Raph's fingers found his plastron and slid down to rub insistently against Leo's bulging slit, pulling Leo into a pumping rhythm with his fist when Leo dropped down.

"Love you," Leo gasped out to him before pulling away from Raphael's hand in order to press himself into his mate's ready body.

Raph heard Leo's words and his mind returned to his earlier thoughts. Returned to the years when he'd missed his best friend. He was suddenly happy Leo couldn't see his tear-filled eyes as he wrapped his arms tightly around Leo's shoulders as Leo thrust into him and repeated praises for Raph's strong, beautiful body. Leo collapsed down on Raph's plastron with his own finish and, not trusting himself to get the mask lined up correctly with his currently shaky hands, he pulled Raph's mask clear off his face. He watched the green eyes he loved so much open and blink a few times before Raph focused on him.

"Aishiteru," Raph whispered to him. He paused for a moment before he continued in a whisper, "I missed you."

Leo tipped his head at Raphael in question. "The blindfold?"

"No, ya dork," Raph said, huffing out a laugh, despite himself, before turning serious again. "From the day I pushed you away from me to the day you forgave me," Raph said, ducking his eyes before bravely meeting Leo's again. "I missed you. Every day."

Leo cupped Raph's face and kissed him again before he nuzzled his face into Raphael's neck. "Where did that thought even come from?" he murmured, letting his lips press against Raph's skin as he spoke.

Raph shrugged, unwilling to give voice to his earlier memories. He wasn't exactly proud of them. And he selfishly didn't want Leo focusing on that period of time. "I just want you to know how much I love ya, Leo. How much I've always loved ya. How much I will always love ya."

Leo lifted his head and let his blue eyes meet his best friend's eyes. His mate's eyes. His husband's eyes.

"I know exactly how you feel," he said back to him with a smile before he kissed him again. "I love you too, Raphie. Always have. Always will."