Chapter 5
The streets were littered with lanterns. Small gongs clanged together, and the air hummed with activity. Vendors crammed into every alleyway, their stalls laden with aromatic desserts and the heady scent of savory dishes. Other alleys contained stalls with unusual carnival games, and prizes hung from the tents. Children were running rampant through the streets, and the large crowd made it difficult to navigate the festival. Tumblers and acrobats twirled through the throng while couples meandered from stall to stall.
The ten people walked from the Daimyo's palace towards the festival. The music coming from the fair filled the entire city.
"Splinter-san, would you care to join me for some tea?" the Ancient One beckoned his friend with a lifted eyebrow, wishing to leave his granddaughters alone once more with his friend's sons.
"Yes, that would be delightful after such a filling meal. Enjoy the festival, my sons."
The two elders sat in a cozy tea shop at the edge of the festivities, and with soft smiles, watched the men escort the women into the crowd.
"I am so proud of Leonardo. He has come so far," the Ancient One said. "All of your sons did remarkably well this year."
"Yes," Splinter sighed softly, "I am so proud of the men they've become, although I find now that they, and I, are older, I reminisce more often about the way they were as children and teenagers." He chuckled. "I am so proud of Leonardo, he has earned this victory."
"I think they handled this very well. I was worried, my grand-daughters can be so timid, understandably. But they have warmed up to your sons faster than anyone else."
"I'm sure the fact they are all turtles helps. I can't help but wonder if something greater was at works, why turtles were chosen for your grand-daughters…" Splinter trailed off.
"I often wonder to. Regardless, I am so relieved they are not alone."
"We are not getting any younger, my friend." Splinter murmured. He felt the weight of his aging and the thought that one day he would not be there for his sons. He worried for them. But seeing them content, having introduced them to the idea that they could have someone to love, and that they may have someone who would take care of his sons, brought him great comfort.
"No, we are not," the Ancient One bemused. "Do you ever wonder if we should have introduced them sooner?"
"Seeing at how well they get on, and how content my sons look, yes. But when I think hard about it, I realized that our life for so long was so dangerous, and now we have reached stability. And my sons, amidst all that danger, became the men they are today. While I think it would have certainly helped them in some situations, I think it may have made things very complicated. And they weren't ready for that. I think back to how fraught our family dynamic was after Leonardo came back from South America, and it took a long time to settle."
"I worried about that too. And I think it was important for my granddaughters to learn how to heal and live on their own, become their own women, strengthen their bonds, before introducing something so complicated."
The men sat thoughtfully for a few moments, looking into the crowd.
"It is like watching Tang Shen and Yoshi. Remember when Yoshi first started realizing he had feelings for Tang Shen?" The Ancient One chuckled.
"I remember, it was like a light had switched on, and from that day forward he looked at her in a different way. And a great contentment washed over him." Splinter recalled fondly. "I remember how suddenly he would stumble over himself and his words, and how peaceful he became once they talked to each other."
"Do you remember the love note and flowers? He was so nervous he set it in my room accidentally instead of hers! I thought I had a secret admirer for a whole week before he fessed up that it was meant for Tang Shen!" The two men laughed heartily at the memory.
"He paced his room and ranted to me for hours about how embarrassed and stupid he felt. It was most amusing to see my master in such a flustered state!"
The two continued to recall the blossoming romance of Yoshi and Tang Shen, hoping desperately that they could recreate the situation again, times four.
The remaining eight meandered through the swarm of people, sometimes walking only in pairs to fit through as they looked into the stalls. Layla and Mina linked arms, and their sisters did the same.
It was Mikey who suggested they split up. He not only could easily read a room, but was unafraid to suggest changes to facilitate his desired outcome.
"It's awful crowded, maybe we should split up? I wanna play games!"
"Me too!" agreed Nora, who dragged Talia along with her to follow Mikey. Mikey wrapped his arm around Donnie's shoulder to bring him along too, giving it a slight squeeze as he winked at his brother. In response, Donatello just rolled his eyes, seeing right through his youngest brother's plot.
The eldest two brothers gave each other a knowing look, shrugging at each other. They continued to walk, checking out all the vendors, and grabbing food that looked good. They entered the central square of the city, and the mass of people caused Leo and Raph to walk behind the girls. Arm in arm, they ambled aimlessly to look at the hundreds of lanterns hanging up above. Leo took the opportunity to admire how the lanterns reflected off her dark hair.
She looks so content, he smiled softly to himself as she admired the lanterns. A gentle smile graced her face. He continued his observation, noticing just how tiny her waist was. I could fit my hands around…
But it was the way her hips moved, the gentle sway side to side, that grabbed his attention the most. Loosing himself in thought, he imagined his hands moving from her waist to her hips as he pulled her onto his lap. She would lean down to deeply kiss him while his hands moved down further still, grabbing her perfect little ass while he grinded against her. She softly moaned his name as her hands trailed downwards, grabbing his length and…
FUCK
He took a sharp breath in, shaking his head. Scolding himself, he took stock of his surroundings, trying desperately to distract himself. Her jeans certainly weren't helping.
He looked at his brother, who had been silent as well. And he followed his brother's eyes…
Well, he wasn't the only one distracted. He elbowed Raph with a grin.
"Distracted?" He whispered, grinning smugly at catching his brother staring almost lewdly at Mina. He almost scolded him, but that would be hypocritical.
"Get that shit-eatin' grin off ya face, Fearless." Raph glared at him, but then grinned mischievously.
They moved to walk beside the girls, Leo next to Layla and Raph next to Mina.
"The lanterns are really lovely," Layla said, trying to be louder than the crowd. With a naturally dulcet and mellow voice, he was amused at how hard she had to try to be loud. It was an unusual thing, if anything his family had the opposite problem.
So are you, he thought to himself, corny, but he was the king of corny, including dad jokes.
"Yeah, I haven't seen this many in one place," Leo ducked his head down to try to hear her better.
"You must be tired after everything today," she added, looking up at him sympathetically.
"I'm ok. It's nice to walk around and relax. I uh –" He was interrupted by a group of drunk and rowdy warriors shoving their way through the crowd. Instinctively, Leo grabbed her arm and gently but quickly pulled her back out of the way, towards him. Raph did the same with Mina, and the girls separated.
"Sorry I –" Leo went to apologize, having held onto her arm just a tad too long.
Layla blushed wildly, and accidentally interrupting him, said "No, it's ok! Thank you." The words tumbled out too fast, but she offered him a grateful smile.
Well that was…hot. No one has ever done that for me before. She thought to herself, creating a vicious cycle of blushing as she thought how protected the simple act made her feel. She smiled to herself thinking of how her arm still tingled from the contact. His hands are warm.
"Wow! The battle nexus champion!" Someone said in the crowd, as they rushed up to greet Leo. Soon several more people were coming up to him in the crowd, interrupting him every time he tried to say something to Layla.
He should have been incredibly flattered, and while it stroked his ego just a bit, he quickly became irritated. He would rather have continued his conversation with Layla.
"I feel so important, I get to walk around with the battle nexus champion," she teased him.
He laughed, his eyes focusing on how she bit her lip. "Three-time champion, don't forget," he winked at her, finding sudden courage.
Leo turned his body to face hers, hoping that if he looked like he was more seriously talking to her that would keep people from interrupting.
Raphael glanced over at his brother. They had separated just a bit when crowds of people started mobbing him. Leo was focused on his conversation with Layla, and Raph noticed how nervous he looked. To the casual onlooker, it was undetectable, but Raph saw how he shifted his weight subtly from foot to foot, rocking ever so gently, a tell-tale giveaway. He turned his attention back to Mina when he realized he was still holding her arm. Shitshitshit
He let go, nervously rubbed the back of his neck, and gulped. "I'm sorry Mina. You ok?"
Mina blushed, embarrassed as well. She looked down at her feet to hide her blush and nodded. Shuffling nervously, she looked back up at him with a smile and stammered "It's ok, thank you."
"Maybe we should find a quieter spot?" he offered and gestured to the people who crowded around his brother. To his surprise, Mina took a small step towards him, and caught his gaze.
"That's a good idea, I prefer less crowded places anyways."
"Yeah? Me too. Crowds make me antsy." In a fit of bravado, he offered her his hand.
She nodded in agreement as she shyly accepted. He guided her through the crowd to his brother.
Her hands are so soft, so small. He mulled over the physical feeling of her mind. Raphael, always so tactile, memorized every detail, the smoothness of her skin, the exact size. How cold they were. How it sent a jolt of electricity up his arm.
It was comforting to her, holding his hand, in a way she didn't expect. Mina was so closed off, they all were of course, and she almost hesitated to take it. She found it strange she wasn't afraid of him, built like a berserker with a rough voice. She knew the bruiser type. But he spoke so softly to her, and now he was holding her hand as if she might break. He won't break me.
I never held hands with a guy before.
Mina caught her sister's eye as they walked over and beckoned her to look at her hand. Layla's eyes widened ever so slightly as she offered her shy sister a grin. Raph let go just before they reached Leo.
"I was thinkin' maybe we go someplace less crowded," he leaned towards his brother, speaking into his ear. "I'm tired of watchin' ya getting fawned all over," Leo nodded in agreement as they playfully shoved each other, then motioned for Layla and Mina to follow them down some side streets. They reached the guys' apartment and sat on the balcony. The air was warm and perfumed.
Mina gently squeezed Layla's arm as they sat down.
"What's your home like?" Layla asked them.
Raph nodded at Leo to start, and he told them about the abandoned train station deep below the subways that they inhabited. Raph interjected here and there, and the more they talked about home, the more the boys relaxed.
It was the way Leo's hands moved while he talked. No grand gestures, but little movements as he was explaining something. Layla found her mind wandering, imagining his hands. Hands? Really? Except those were the hands that in her mind were creeping up her thighs and tangled in her hair. The ones that cupped her cheek before kissing her passionately and grabbing her waist. Rough, calloused. The ones that elicited soft moans as they found her center, fingers dancing, slick, as they brought her closer to the edge.
She took a deep breath, kept a straight face, and tried desperately to banish the elicit thoughts from her mind. Sinful, she inwardly chuckled.
Raph glanced at Leo before turning towards the women as he leaned back casually. "You should visit. New York is…well it's great." Leo nodded enthusiastically, impressed with how smoothly Raph invited them.
The girls nodded eagerly and grinned. "We would love to," Mina said, her confidence growing and her tension easing the more they talked. Raph noticed that she was more at ease when her sister was around, and that they fed a lot off of each other.
They were interrupted by the Donnie, Mikey, Talia, and Nora. Nora bounced up to her sisters before sitting down next to Mikey. It was very evident (in part due to Mikey's shameless flirting), that they liked each other.
"We thought it would be nice to watch the fireworks from here!" Nora babbled.
As Donnie sat down, he took time to observe his older brothers. Ever analytical, he welcomed the chance to study how these girls had affected them. Mikey was obvious. He was an open door, affection flowed out of him so naturally compared to the rest.
The first thing that struck Donnie was Leo's posture. He was both relaxed yet nervous. He seemed…taller somehow, but his shoulders were relaxed. Confident but tranquil. He noticed how Leo and Layla leaned towards each other, the subconscious ticks that gave away their nervous attraction. Licked lips, subtle fidgets, lips parted slightly. Blushes. Lingering eye contact. He noticed how Leo's leg almost imperceptibly bounced up and down when he was thinking of something to say to her. How she crossed and uncrossed her legs without realizing. Smirking to himself, he turned to Raph.
It was Raph who took him by surprise the most. He normally held himself with his arms crossed, closed off, as if he was always ready for an attack. He was guarded. Always made himself seem bigger. Tonight? He was holding himself almost hunched, as if to appear less threatening. His arms weren't crossed, and his hands were clasped together in front of him as he leaned towards Mina. Raph was only half paying attention to what Mikey and Nora were saying and kept glancing at Mina to see her reaction. When he caught her gaze, Donnie noticed that Raph's breathing quickened just a tad. He studied the girl next to him.
He never thought Raph would want someone like her. He had thought about it when they were younger, allowing himself some small fantasies while he worked. He always thought his brash elder brother would want someone equally as tempestuous, someone to challenge him in that way. A rival hothead.
Oh how he miscalculated. In this last minute, he realized how just over the course of a few days, she calmed him. Unlike Leo's subconscious directing most his movements and posture, Raph needed to think about making himself appear the way he was now. Donnie decided he would need to contemplate this all later. He turned his attention back towards Talia, a much more interesting subject than his brothers, wondering how many of those subconscious cues he gave off. Would I recognize it if I did? Would she? He resumed his study of her every feature, memorizing every movement, analyzing every reaction.
BOOM
A large single firework appeared in the night sky. A pregnant pause, then the sky lit up with a myriad of colors and sparkles. The balcony shook as the group fell silent, enjoying the show.
It was afterwards when they realized that they were headed their separate ways the following morning.
"You need to visit us soon!" Nora pouted, encouraging them to come enjoy Japan in the late summer. Mikey enthusiastically agreed, as he led her to the couch by her hand, motioning her to sit.
"You can't just leave yet!" He grinned, still holding her hand as the rest trickled in.
Leo sat opposite of Layla and took the opportunity to study her.
Mikey immediately regaled them with the tale of how he was once battle nexus champion. She had heard part of the story from Usagi their first dinner, and shook her head amusedly at Mikey's obvious embellishments.
Even outgoing Nora looked towards Layla when she was unsure of something or needing validation, he noted. They all did, and she was quick to give a reassuring look. She had a soothing presence, and it extended beyond just her family. It was clear to him she was closest to Mina, because they're twins of course, he thought to himself. The younger ones laugh very openly, but the oldest are more reserved. When Layla seemed nervous, she never looked towards her sisters, but down at herself. He gave her a soft smile when she caught his eye in that moment, and she returned it immediately.
Her eyes crinkle a bit when she laughs.
"And after we got home, that's when Raph threatened –" but Mikey was cut off by the Ancient One and Splinter walking through the door.
"Ah! We were wondering where you wandered off to!" Splinter said.
"Sensei," the men murmured with shy smiles.
"We should go, it's late," Talia and Layla mumbled simultaneously.
It ended with a chorus of shy and awkward goodnights, and one brief hug from Mikey to Nora, where he not so subtly smelled her hair, leaving his brothers mortified. But it was Mikey, and he meant well, and she didn't seem to mind. It amazed his brothers how he could hug her like that.
It's not like Leo didn't want to hug her, and, if he let his mind wander, he wanted to do a lot with her, to her. But he also could not hug her.
They promised they would visit each other soon.
"I'll get the weed," Mina bounded off to her room as soon as they got home.
"I've got the wine!" Layla ran into the kitchen, Talia helping her grab glasses.
"We're an episode behind!" Nora shouted.
"Ok well I think Rue and Jules can wait a little longer! We have more important things to talk about!" Mina said as she jumped onto the couch, a pipe, edibles, and joints in hand. "Pick your poison," she gestured to her sisters.
Layla lit up a joint as she lounged back into the chair, wine glass filled. Each sister looked at each other, sighing, unsure where to begin.
"I just have too many things to say," Nora exclaimed, "It's all just about to burst forth."
"Stand back she's gonna blow!" Talia said sardonically.
"Well I am stunned. Just stunned. Honestly, stunned is the only way to describe how…"
"Are you trying to tell us that you're, maybe, I don't know, stunned, Nora?" said Talia.
"Girls girls ok, yes it's shocking. The implications are…well they're…" Mina said.
Layla spoke up, starting to feel much more relaxed. "Does anyone else feel pressured? I feel like this is my only shot, and he seems really nice, and so I feel all this pressure to be perfect so that I don't ruin my only chance at having a boyfriend? It all seems so pathetic, but I can't help it."
"Yeah I feel that way too," Talia mumbled in agreement. "I thought I would be better than that, and I feel silly."
"They probably feel that way too," Mina added softly. They nodded, empathetic to their new friends' situation.
"I thought I would be more uncomfortable around them, but I'm not. I feel really safe, and that scares me a bit," Layla said softly. "I wasn't expecting to feel that way."
"Mmmm," they agreed in chorus.
"Ok let's focus on something important!" Nora interjected. She didn't want them to spiral. They all turned to her, prepared for her to add some inane remark. Secretly the loved that she relieved some of the tension. Layla appreciated her for bringing joy when Layla was usually more melancholy. "They're good looking! Like…really really."
They all rolled their eyes, giggling, the weed and wine having their intended effect.
"Also I held Mikey's hand aaannnnnddd," she dragged out the last word, "we hugged! I never thought I would be able to do that with a man before, ever!"
"We were all there, we saw," Mina said, deadpanned.
"Ok well I'm making the most progress. How do you guys just not hold their hands and stuff? Don't you want to?"
"I think I want to be friends first. I want to get to know him for who he is," Layla said thoughtfully.
"So you don't wanna hold his hand?" Nora asked, puzzled.
"It's not that, it's just that I think I wanna get to know him first, without that complicating." She responded.
"I would, but I just can't make the first move. And I think I should feel more comfortable talking to Raph first," Mina added.
"I would, but I agree with Layla. I wanna make sure I really like him for who he is, and I need time to figure it out. I'm not as open with my feelings as you, Nora," Talia added.
Nora's phone buzzed with a notification.
Mikey: Did you get home ok?
Nora grinned, and her sisters crowded around her phone.
"You have his number?" Mina gasped.
"Wait I didn't get Donnie's number!" Talia whined.
Nora: Yes I did, thanks did you?
"How are we gonna talk to them?" Said Talia to her sisters. They shrugged, horrified they overlooked that detail.
Once Nora had replied, Layla walked around their house with a spray bottle, checking on all her numerous houseplants.
"Hello Nefertiti," she giggled as she greeted her rather large Venus flytrap, just one of many houseplants she had named. She whispered to her plant, "How am I going to talk to him now, hmm?"
"Oh my god Morticia is talking to her plant again," Mina teased, calling her by her familiar nickname, after the Addams family matriarch.
"You wish your plants looked half as well kept as mine, Mimi!" Layla retorted from the other room, calling Mina by the nickname she hated.
Mikey sent Nora the text, looking cool as a cucumber on the outside, but just as nervous as his brothers had been all week on the inside. Raph saw him send the message.
"You have her numba'?" Raph exclaimed, furious at himself for not thinking of doing the same thing. Leo and Donnie whipped their heads around, clearly thinking the same thing as Raph.
"I didn't even think of that," Leo murmured, before walking away to his room, needing some space to mull over the events of the past week.
"Fuck yeah I do. You guys are bad at this," Mikey teased, before bouncing off to his room, leaving Raph and Donnie dumbfounded.
Leo laid in his bed, unable to meditate, too stupidly focused on how he was going to talk to her. He reprimanded himself for not being able to focus. How do I talk to her now? Maybe I can have Mikey…ask? No no that's stupid, and obvious. Ok Leo, you'll need a good excuse, and you're the man, you should reach out first. You can do. Maybe ask Mikey to ask her if she got home alright? Or should I wait until I come up with a specific question that only she can answer?