"You're my baby."

Woody stood silently, absent-mindedly stirring the soup he was making for dinner, while his brain pondered that statement over and over again until he could feel a headache coming on.

He and Mikey were the only couple in the clan without children. They were a family of two. A duo.

Of course, they enjoyed the time they spent with their nieces and nephews. They worked hard to keep up their self-proclaimed titles as the fun uncles. And as much fun as the kids were, it was also fun to hand them back to their parents, allowing the two of them to return to their own apartment to enjoy each other's company.

And they both liked it that way. So why had Mikey's statement, which had been said days and days ago, stuck with him?

"Don't pout like a baby, Woods," Mikey said cheerfully. His blue eyes flashed quickly over at his human and his grin only widened as he returned his attention to the screen.

"I'm not a baby," Woody said, although he was clearly pouting as he watched Mikey demolish his high score.

"You're my baby."

Woody had personally seen caretaker Michelangelo in action when it came to his recovery from Franklin. And Mikey had a real talent for sensing the emotional needs of those around him. He'd seen Mike step in more times than he could count with some humor to lighten a room. Or volunteer to occupy said nieces and nephews if their parents needed a break or some time to themselves.

Did Woody think Mikey would be a good dad? Yes, of course he did.

But Mikey had never brought up the topic of children. Never even hinted at it. Not that Mike hinted about much. If Mikey had something to say, he typically said it. So Woody had to wonder what it meant that Mikey had never said anything about adding kids to their mix.

He stared down at the soup and shook his head, realizing he was beginning to drive himself crazy. There was really only one way out of this self-imposed confusion. He was going to have to talk to his husband.

Leo frowned and tilted his head to the side. "That move doesn't even make sense."

"Sense or not, she still managed to kick him in the face," Mikey said.

"No one can jump that high."

"That's not the point."

"This is setting people up for unrealistic ideas about ninjitsu."

"Leo," Mikey groaned.

"Imagine if the kids saw this."

Mikey made a point of looking around Leo and Raph's living room, empty except for the two of them. "Most people worry about their kids watching horror movies. Or porn. You're worried about movies with crap ninja moves," he said with a chuckle.

Leo chuckled as well before he returned to outrage once again. "Oh come on!" he yelled at the screen as the main character grabbed a bo staff out of nowhere and escaped. "She barely had any take off and yet she can magically pole vault a hundred feet in the air?"

Mikey let his head hit the back of the couch cushion and groaned again. "You're killing the movie."

"Even Donnie couldn't pull that off."

Leo continued to frown, but after glancing over at his sullen little brother, he forced himself to lean back into the couch as well. He crossed his arms over his plastron and pressed his lips into a thin line, forcing himself to keep quiet as the main character appeared to stomp over some crispy fall leaves without making a sound.

He glanced over at Mikey again and wondered how much longer Mike was going to force him to watch the movie he'd brought over. Leo had easily agreed to sit and watch it with him, recognizing the classic Mikey move. Mikey had brought a movie he knew Leo wouldn't be too invested in watching, making it easy to ignore when Mikey finally started talking about what was bothering him. Leo was just waiting for Mike to open up.

Mikey stared at the screen for a few more moments as one line kept echoing in his head: "You're my baby." He'd been the one to say it. But Woody was the one who'd withdrawn from him ever since. One hand began incessantly tapping his knee and he caught Leo looking at him again.

He opened his mouth and then chickened out at the last minute and his brain immediately switched to a new topic. "Where's Raph?"

Of course, he then truly forgot his own personal worries as he watched a dark expression shutter over Leo's face. A dark expression that was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.

"He's downstairs in the parking lot. Casey has some issue with his motorcycle and he wanted Raph's opinion on how to fix it."

Mikey's eyes narrowed, not that Leo noticed as he was suddenly keeping his own blue eyes glued to the screen as if he was watching the most fascinating movie on the planet.

"You're still mad at Casey?"

Leo sighed, silently kicking himself for letting it show. "He apologized and I accepted his apology."

"Maybe you shouldn't have," Mikey said, his tone serious as he watched his big brother's face as Leo finally turned to look at him. "I mean, you don't have to accept every apology thrown your way," he said with an added smile.

"You sound like Raph," Leo muttered.

"Why you gotta say mean things like that to me, bro?"

Leo chuckled and eyed Mikey again. "I thought we were here to talk about your problems."

"Uh uh," Mikey said, shaking his head. "My problem can wait."

Leo groaned when his distraction technique didn't work. "Are you going to tell me to stop being mad at Casey? Pull out the old there's enough pizza for everyone peace talk? For the sake of family harmony or because of the all things -,"

"No," Mikey said, reaching over to squeeze Leo's shoulder to cut him off. "I'm sure you immediately said you forgave him for the sake of family harmony, which was probably not the best idea if you're actually still angry with him. Although, Leo -,"

At Mikey's pause, Leo looked back over at his little brother and took in his slightly unfocused eyes. Mikey's mind was clearly working through something.

"-are you sure it's Casey you're mad at? And not someone else?" Mikey watched Leo's eyes immediately dart back to the screen. "I don't like seeing you like this, Leo."

"It is inappropriate behavior for a leader," Leo softly responded.

"No," Mikey said, sternly, squeezing Leo's shoulder even harder than before. "I don't like it because you're my brother and you're upset." He shook Leo's shoulder until Leo looked back at him again. "Look, I'm sure you've talked this over with Raph-,"

"Raph has been taking very good care of me," Leo said with a smile.

"Hey," Mikey said, throwing a hand up to prevent any more words from exiting Leo's mouth, "Donnie's not here, no need to go into detail, bro." He watched as Leo actually chuckled and paused for a moment to listen to the sound before continuing. "You never told me and Don what happened with Usagi."

Mikey watched as Leo's face visibly closed and he tried not to regret asking the question. But he knew that something had happened between Leo and Usagi long before this abduction. After all, Mikey had been the one trapped with Leo in turtle world where he had had a first row seat for how uncomfortable Leo had become around the rabbit.

So he sat still and quiet and did his best to practice patience, not his best skill, as he waited for Leo to start talking. He hadn't come over here to dive into Leo's problems, but he wasn't about to ignore a chance to help his big brother.

Finally, Leo rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. "Mainly just-," Leo paused mid-sentence before he forced himself to go on, "-fear. Just fear, Mike. I was trapped with someone I didn't trust. And even after Akito and Machi's uncles helped me escape from Usagi, I still didn't know how I was going to be found this time. I didn't have a way home. It's a terrible feeling, not knowing if you're ever going to go home again. And unfortunately, I've experienced it more than once." Leo met Mikey's eyes then and was immediately grateful for the understanding he could see in his little brother's expression.

Mikey sat back into the couch cushions again as he thought about what Leo said. "You've experienced it thanks to an alternate dimension Donnie, someone who, as our brother, should've never harmed you. And then again with Usagi, someone who you once considered a good friend," he said, slowly. "And Casey, who we think of as family, was involved. It's no wonder you're still uneasy around Casey. In fact, I'm kind of proud of you for trusting anyone at this point, Leo."

Leo's eyes widened slightly as he listened to Mikey's simple but completely correct assessment of the situation. He felt the guilt that he'd been carrying for being angry at Casey loosen from his chest. And more importantly, he felt some of the anger he'd been directing at Casey loosen from his chest as well.

"Michelangelo, that's – I didn't see that before."

Mikey grinned. "Sometimes you need an awesome outsider to point out the obvious."

"I do think you're awesome, but I don't think it was obvious," Leo said with a smile and a shake of his head. "I think it's your unique way of seeing things. Thank you, Mike."

"You mean my goofball brain's way of seeing things," Mikey said.

Now it was Leo's turn to narrow his eyes in confusion as he listened to Mike's self-deprecating tone of voice and watched as Mikey shifted awkwardly in his seat. Mikey typically accepted praise happily. And loudly. But right now, Mike looked uncomfortable.

"When was the last time someone called you a goofball?" Leo asked, keeping a grin on his face to keep the question light.

Mikey paused his fidgeting for a moment and eventually shrugged. "It doesn't mean everyone's not thinking it about the baby brother."

Leo tipped his head. "You're allowed to grow up too you know," he said. When Mikey became strangely still, he took the cue that he was on the right track and continued. "Besides, your goofballness is really just the cheer and happiness you share with the rest of us. It's something we all love, but as you demonstrated just two minutes ago by helping me with my own problem, it's definitely not the only part of you. You know that, right?"

Mikey sat still for a few more moments, as it was now his turn to soak up Leo's easy explanation for something that had been bothering him. He grinned over at Leo before quickly jumping up to retrieve his movie. "I gotta get home and talk to Woody," Mikey said. He pulled the disc out and waved it in Leo's direction. "Unless you want to finish this one?" he teased.

"Uh, no thanks," Leo said, unable to hide his relief that the distasteful movie was leaving his home.

And now that he was being released from the movie, Leo did have an idea for what he should do next. So he walked with Mike out of his own apartment and the few steps to Mike and Woody's apartment door before saying goodbye as Mikey slipped into his own home. He knocked on Casey and April's door to check in on Machi, who was spending time with Shadow, and to let April know where he was headed. He couldn't help but catch the grateful smile April sent his way as he left.

Then he took the elevator down to the parking lot where he found Raph and Casey sitting on stools on either side of Casey's motorcycle, both elbow deep in grease and tools as they focused on reattaching a troublesome carburetor. Leo watched as Raphael's green eyes warmed when he was spotted, while Casey's eyes only flickered quickly from Leo's face back down to the bike. He stopped when he was next to Raphael and got a squeeze to one of his calf muscles, although he scowled down at the line of grease Raph left behind.

"What ya been up to?" Raph asked, smiling at Leo's scowl. He pulled a rag out of his toolbox and did his best to clean off Leo's leg. The rag managed to smear the oil further and Raph could only chuckle as he silently vowed to get Leo in the shower later to clean the muscled leg properly himself.

"Watching a movie with Mike," Leo said. "You guys ready to take a break? I feel like some basketball."

"Sure," Raph said, standing up and trying to clean off his hands. No need to give Leo any extra advantages in basketball by having slippery fingers. "I could use a break."

Leo turned to Casey next. "You coming, Casey?"

Casey's mouth dropped open, although he tried to recover quickly, as he stared up at the blue-clad turtle. "Basketball?" he asked. Leo hadn't invited him to do anything fun in a long, long time.

"Yeah," Leo said with a smirk, "I'll even make it fair, you two against me."

"Oh, you're on, Leo," Casey said, standing from his stool with his own smirk. He quickly wiped his own hands clean and led the way down the tunnel towards the family's basketball court.

Leo moved to follow, although he was stopped by a strong hand on his plastron, allowing the handsome emerald turtle he called his mate to lean in and kiss him quickly before the two of them moved to catch up to Casey.

Woody was so distracted that he didn't realize Mikey had entered the kitchen until a green arm looped around his middle to offer a hug from behind. He instantly relaxed and leaned back against Mikey's plastron.

"Leo made it further through that movie than I was expecting."

Mikey chuckled and made a mental note to tell Woody all of Leo's complaints later. "What Would Leo Say" was a game the two of them had created years and years ago and Woody had definitely won this round of predictions, right down to Leo's remark about "unrealistic ideas about ninjitsu". They had other versions of the game, although the ninja- and space-themed movies always went to Leo. Another favorite was "What Would Donnie or Sadie Say" related to all science- and technology-themed movies. They tried to keep up with "What Would Raph Say", designating him to the action genre of movies, but they found that Raphael tended to just watch movies without complaining, yelling, or throwing things at the screen. It made it easier to watch movies with him, but just wasn't as much fun for their private game.

Mikey reached his other arm around Woody and turned off the stovetop before turning Woody so that they were facing each other.

"Woods, listen," Mikey said, deciding to just jump right into it. "I was pretty sure my brothers, and everyone else in this clan, would always see me as the baby of the family. Even after they all started having their own kids. So, I didn't think anyone would've taken me seriously if I said I thought about being a dad."

"Even me?" Woody asked, quickly focusing on what Mikey was telling him, despite his shock as he realized that Mikey's thoughts were lined right up with where his own mind had been the past few days.

Woody's question stopped Mikey in his tracks and he quickly offered his husband an apologetic look. "Yeah, dude, I guess I grouped you into that."

Woody looped his fingers in with one of Mikey's hands and locked his eyes with Mikey's large blue ones. "I wouldn't have thought it was silly, Michelangelo. You're the most warm-hearted and thoughtful person I know. You being a dad makes complete sense to me."

Mikey stared back at Woody. He could feel his eyes tear up and was pretty powerless at that point to stop it. First Leo and now Woody. He'd have to check the calendar and make sure it wasn't Compliment Michelangelo Day.

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do," Woody said before wrapping his free hand around Mikey's neck to pull him in close enough to kiss him.

Mikey melted against Woody and the hand not gripped within Woody's instinctually tangled itself in the curly hair on the back of Woody's head. He lost himself in the kiss for a few moments, which also gave him the chance to reign in his watery eyes, before he pulled back to ask another question.

"Now you know why I never brought up the possibility of kids. Why haven't you?"

"You almost always say what you're thinking, Mike. Like this, right now. So I thought if you wanted to talk about kids, you'd bring it up."

"What about you, though, Woods? Why wait on me to say something?"

Woody tried to shrug, but it was a sad, half-hearted attempt. "I've been a lot of trouble, Mikey," Woody said, no longer meeting Mikey's eyes.

Mikey nipped at Woody's jawline with a small growl. "You have not."

Woody shivered at the attention, but continued. "I couldn't add to your burden. I was willing to wait for you to bring it up."

"You're mine to take care of, Woods. Not a burden," Mikey said, smiling only when Woody's brown eyes met his. "And what if I never brought it up?"

"That'd be okay, too," Woody said, honestly. "I love you, Mikester. And I love taking care of you as well. Whether we decide to keep talking about kids or not, I'll always be happy as long as I have you."

A/N: Fun fact for those who have wondered where Woody came from in the TMNT world: Woody is from IDW's comic series and first appeared in issue 7. His full name is Woody Dirkins, and he was named after IDW's head of marketing Dirk Wood. He was also drawn to resemble him.

I've had some fun conversations in the past thinking about why Woody and Mikey have never pursued kids and if they ever would (Thanks for those, Stitcherbell!) And I personally have enjoyed the fact that those two have just had each other to take care of, although, I also think they'd be great dads. So it's a toss up for me on whether they'd get around to adopting. So in honor of those conflicting thoughts, I'm ending this chapter like this! And look, Natalie Ryan, I even managed to squeeze in a little Mikey and Leo brotherly bonding!