Afterglow

Rated: T

Birds and the Bees/Awkward Brotherly Conversations

Chapter Summary: Mikey's getting older and he has some very interesting questions to ask his older brother.

Taking a little break from Raphril to bring some Raph and Mikey bonding time.

Raphael was bored to say the least...

April was in the midst of finals - studying all day and night, doing projects, going to classes and study sessions with her fellow students all towards finishing the semester strong before she could vastly enjoy the month-long Christmas break. As much as he wanted to demand she take it easy and not stress so much, Raph knew just how important her schooling was to her, so naturally, he backed off as she completely immersed herself in her studies - it would all be over soon anyway...that was a week ago...and now, Raphael was certain of one thing...

Raph was certain it was hell on earth.

He hadn't seen head or tail of April since their 'date night' over a week and a half ago and texts and calls were pretty much the only contact Raphael had with his girlfriend over the time. He hadn't recalled a longer time he'd spent away from her since they met and it was quite a dry spell to say the least. Raph admitted he wouldn't be so bitter if his best friend was around. He missed the scrawny human dork once in awhile and now was the perfect time to just hang-out and goof off, but nooooo - even Casey was off on a week long trek with his family spending time in the toasty Florida weather.

Fuckin' Casey... Raph grumbled internally during his own personal pity party thinking of that little punk soaking up the wonderful warm weather as he was stuck here, freezing and dying of boredom.

With April at college and her dad still on vacation left Raphael the only viable option than to stay put at the lair. With the drastic cold change in weather, he couldn't spend his time just going around on patrol to take some suppressed aggression out on any unlucky, unsuspecting criminal scumbags. No, of course not - life wasn't that kind to him. Instead, the snow pretty much guaranteed he was stuck underground surrounded by Mikey hopped up on way too much sugar and no where else to release his energy than to spend every waking moment bothering his fellow brothers - Raph in particular.

Mainly because Leo and Splinter spent most of their time mediating or going over new options for Karai, or Miwa as Splinter still so lovingly called his mutant snake daughter, human...thing. Donnie was safely secured in his lab, which he installed a new pass-code lock on to avoid a very bored and destructive Michelangelo.

Raphael wasn't as fortunate since the orange banded turtle only had one victim left and it didn't take Donnie to figure out who it was.

"Raphie Boy!" Mikey skipped into his room. Raph stopped bothering closing the door exactly three days ago since Mikey nearly broke it off the hinges when he flung it open in a sugar-induced fit of excitement.

"Hey." Raph muttered behind his heavy metal magazine.

"Whatcha doing?" the youngest turtle trilled; hands behind his back as he bounced around on the balls of his feet.

"Readin'."

"Kewl!" the orange-banded brother replied happily, plopping himself near Raph's feet on the bed. "So...where's April?"

"Class." Raph replied, hoping one-word answers would deter his youngest brother from asking more questions - hopefully getting the hint to leave him alone.

"Again? Hmm, so that's why you're here. Heh. Suspected as much since you're only here when you have to be anymore." Mikey chuckled and the sadness underlying that normally cloyingly sweet voice made a chill reverberate through Raph's plastron.

The red-banded turtle took a deep breath before pulling the magazine away from his face to look at his brother. The sight of the youngest turtle just taking his time in looking around the room with nothing but a forlorn gaze made Raphael recall Leo's words from Halloween. Raph had been selfish. Spending all of his free time with his girlfriend rather than his family who'd always been there for him and the time he did spend with them boiled down to patrol and meals and holing himself up in his room.

"Hey, Mikey. Did you want to hang out?" Raph finally asked and held back a smile upon seeing how his youngest brother instantly lit up at the idea.

"Really?! I'd love to! What did you have in mind, Raphie?" Mikey said excitedly, legs swinging from his perch on the bed. Raph didn't even have the heart to tell him to stop calling him by that dreadful childhood nickname.

"Hmm... How about you whip us up some of your famous hot cocoa and we'll watch some of those strange Christmas specials you like so much? It's barely December, but there's gotta be some channel playing them already."

"You'd watch those with me? But you hate those specials. Especially the snowman and reindeer ones." Mikey was quick to point out.

"Meh. They're kinda charming in their own twisted demented way, so why the shell not, huh?" Raphael chuckled, sitting up next to his brother and giving him a quick noogie.

"Awesome! I'll get started on the hot cocoa! Lots of butter and marshmallows in yours too, right?"

"Eh, how about we skip the butter this time, huh, Mike?"

"Your loss, dude! It just leaves more for me anyway."

"Knock yourself out." Raph chuckled.

"Alright! Meet me in the living room in 5 minutes sharp! Booyokasha!" Mikey trilled excitedly as he flung himself off the bed and out of the room in record time.

Five Christmas specials and three cups of overtly sweet cocoa later, Raph and Mikey were nearly passed out upon the floor, bean bags, pillows, and blankets strewn around the living room. Raphael would have been content just to close his eyes and fall asleep, but of course, his youngest brother wasn't letting that happen. But instead of the normal lighthearted conversation, Raph was surprised when Mikey brought up something the red-banded terrapin wasn't prepared to discuss.

"Hey, Raph." Mikey said softly, turning down the television much to his older brother's surprise.

"Yeah, Mike?"

"You think I'll see Renet again?" the soft voice was not one Raph associated with the orange-banded turtle. So surprised he was by this latest development, Raph even made the effort to sit up and look at his younger brother. Raphael easily recalled the strange circumstance that lead them to meet the time holder. While he was not overtly impressed with her aloof nature and clumsiness, he knew Mikey was simply infatuated with her, so he stomped his own opinions for the simple fact that Renet seemed to like him too.

"What?" Raph asked to make sure he was hearing right.

"Renet...Do you think I'll see her again?"

"I really don't know, Mike." Raph replied truthfully. Now was not a time to start lying to his youngest brother.

"Well, if I do, do you think maybe we could be like you and April?" the youngest turtle asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not." Raph shrugged. After all, miracles did happen considering April chose him of all people, why couldn't Mikey have a chance with Renet?

"Really? You think so?"

"Of course. Stranger things have happened. Take me and April for example." Raph laughed.

"That's true." Mikey easily chuckled along with his brother. "Um... Raph... I wanted to ask you a few questions about dating and girls and stuff..." Mikey muttered, hands nervously wringing in his lap.

"Hey, Mikey, don't ya think these are questions you should be asking Master Splinter?" Raph asked quickly hoping Mikey couldn't sense exactly just how nervous he was about this change of conversation. Sure, he was being kind of a hypocrite since he himself didn't ask Splinter. More than anything, he just winged it, researched online, and occasionally asked Casey a few things - not that the mask-wearing vigilante was any help or had any serious experience of his own - but compared to Raph, he was the Einstein of courting a girl.

"I thought about that, but I mean, when Master Splinter talks about Teng Shen, he was human when he was with her. He was...normal and you know, we're not. But you and April made it work, and since April and Renet are human, I thought you'd be the one to ask. I just wanna know how I'd go about asking her out and stuff." Mikey rambled, hands gesturing wildly as he tried to let out some nervous energy by swinging around his arms while still avoiding eye-contact with his brother.

Raph took a deep calming breath as he tried to figure out the best way to do this or if he was to say anything at all. Sparing another glance at his youngest brother made his mind up for him. Mikey came looking to him for guidance and well it wasn't exactly a conversation Raph was looking forward to, he knew he had an obligation as an older brother to do so.

"So, what questions did you have exactly?" Raph asked to make sure what his youngest brother was asking of him.

"Next time I see her, I wanna ask her out and maybe ask her if she would like to be my girlfriend. How did you ask April?"

Raph chuckled at that. His own experience fresh in his mind as he recalled the kiss April gave him a year and a half ago at Northampton. It wasn't so much asking as just kinda ending up together. While his feelings for April varied over time, he was infatuated since the first moment he saw her. She was pretty, smart, strong, funny, and stubborn. Pretty much the perfect girl in his book. But Raph never thought about it seriously until she was the one who ended up kissing him.

"I didn't ask." Raph responded much to Mikey's shock.

"You didn't? But how did you get together then?"

"Heh. It just kinda happened, Mike."

The confused look on Mikey's face signaled the need for further explanation.

"That night you saw me and April getting off the chicken coop was the first night we were together. She was crying earlier that day and I found her later, and outta freaking nowhere...she kissed me...and I kissed her back."

"So, that's what you were doing up there." Mikey said, eyes wide and horrified.

"It was just kissing, Mikey." Raph chuckled, still shocked at how innocent and Mikey was for a nearly nineteen year old teenager. It was still hard to believe him and his brothers were pretty much exactly the same age when Mikey just oozed naivety and was part of the reason Raphael was so protective of his youngest brother.

"Still grossed me out when you guys were kissing on the couch a few nights afterward when I went down to the kitchen to get some leftover pizza. Ugh. Almost ruined my appetite and that's hard to do, dude." the orange-banded turtle shuddered with his tongue sticking out.

"Heh. Mikey - listen to yourself. If you're serious about Renet, you're gonna be kissing her too."

"Well, DUH! But just on the cheek and giving each other lotsa hugs." Mikey said with blue eyes wide and determined.

"How long do you think that's gonna last? All couples kiss on the lips eventually, Mike. You better start getting used to the idea. Whataya know? You might actually like it." Raph laughed, reaching over to sock Mikey in the arm.

"Well...maybe eventually... After all, it can't be that bad, right?"

"Actually, it's pretty awesome to share saliva." Raph full on howled in laughter at the mortified look that crossed Michelangelo's face the second those words fell from his lips.

"Aw, dude! TMI, bro! That's just sick!" Mickey groaned, his skin taking on an even greener tinge to his face at the thought but he soon began to laugh along with his older brother.

The laughter died down in the next few moments were quiet, the movie dragging back the attention of the brothers until another sudden question nearly stopped Raphael's heart.

"Raph.."

"Hmm?"

"What's sex?"

Raphael quickly spewed out a big slug he'd just taken of his tepid cocoa.

"What?" the red-banded terrapin shouted, cheeks burning from the question he never would have believed would pass his youngest brother's lips.

"Don't make this weird, dude. I just wanna know. I hear about it on TV a lot... Especially when Master Splinter watches those weird soap operas late at night. I dunno, I was just curious. I was gonna ask Donnie, but I don't think I can handle all those long words he uses and forget asking Leo because it'll just turn into an interrogation." those big blue eyes wide as he stared eagerly into his

"Mikey, I really think you need to talk to Splinter about that..."

"...but I'd rather ask you."

"Why?"

"You're my brother and I dunno...I feel like I'm the closest with you...before Casey came along, I thought we weren't just brothers - we were best friends. I feel like I can tell and ask you anything."

"Oh, Mikey..." After a deep breath, Raph finally gave in. "Sex is an act that should be reserved for two consenting adults who love each other very much. It's another form of intimacy you share with a partner you want to spend your life with, but only when you're certain you're ready for something that life-changing."

"What if she is...but I'm not ready? She seems so mature. More than me anyway..." Mikey asked. Raph quickly noticed the nervous tremors throughout his youngest brother and easily placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

"Mikey. Look at me." Raph said and was pleasantly surprised when Mikey easily met his eyes. "You'll know when you're ready but you wait until you are. Not a second sooner - understand? Don't let anyone try and talk you into something that important sooner than the second you're ready for it."

"So, you and April have done it already?"

Raph felt his face flush at the question but knew trying to dodge any question his brother had was out of the question. "As much as I hate to kiss and tell, yeah, we've been...intimate. We love each other very much and we both waited until we were good and ready before taking that next step."

"How long did you wait?"

"Almost a year and a half."

"Really? That long?"

"Heh. Believe it or not - Yeah."

"But you seem so sure of yourself and we've known April for years! You'd think that would take any awkwardness out of it."

"You'd think, huh? I guess in my own way I was still in shock over the whole thing. I mean, Donnie was always after April and for all of a sudden, her to go for me just kinda freaked me out... But I'm glad I waited. I wanted us both to be ready. It isn't a contest, Mikey. You want to be certain about these type of things before you go too far."

"...but what if I never see Renet again? I guess asking you about all this doesn't matter in the long run especially considering the low chances I'll ever find anyone who could love me." the youngest turtle muttered sadly to his lap.

"Mikey. You'll find someone. Maybe it isn't Renet, but Mikey, if I can find love, there's no doubt in my mind that you can too. It just takes time, little brother. You have your whole life ahead of you! There's no need to rush it." Raph said, the encouragement he gave easily to the smallest turtle with a firm pat on his shell.

"Really?" Mikey said and the hope in his voice stung Raphael deep in his chest.

"Yes." he said assuredly, his adorable little brother had so much love to give and there wasn't a doubt in Raphael's mind that he would find it. "Now, how about you and me head over to Murikami's for a late dinner of pizza gioza? My treat."

"Awesome!" Mikey shrilled, jumping up out of the fray of blankets and pillows to grab his winter wear.

Raphael smiled after his brother, thankful for these moments where he realized he wouldn't give up anything in his life for the world even if it meant occasional uncomfortable conversations.