**This Story Contains Tcest**
Pairings: Raphael/Donatello, Leonardo/Michelangelo, Raphael/Michelangelo, Michelangelo/Donatello, Leonardo/Donatello
Info: Alternate Universe, Royalty, Elemental Magic, Action/Adventure, Romance
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Chapter Seventeen: Afterglow
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The next morning dawned full of birdsong and sunlight.
Next to the fire in a pile of blankets and pillows and tangled limbs, Donatello stretched happily, blissfully sore in all the right places, and snuggled deeper into the warmth. This was perfect. This was heaven. He would remain here, wrapped up in them just like this for the rest of eternity until the mountains crumbled and the stars burned out and damn anyone who dared tell him he couldn't.
On his right-side Raph and Mikey were curled up, twisted around each other so tightly it was hard to tell who was who, and on his left Leo slept, one arm flung over his eyes to block out the light. For a long, quiet moment Don just stared at him, almost unable to believe all of this was real. He'd dreamt of this, ached to be with them just like this for so long, he was afraid if he dared to blink it would all disappear. He breathed in, swallowing around a lump in his throat.
Leo turned his head, peeking out from under his arm. "I can hear you thinking."
So, he wasn't asleep after all. Don huffed a quiet laugh. "My thoughts are very loud sometimes."
There was a small smile playing across Leo's lips and right then the only thing Don wanted was to feel the curve of it against his own. He closed the small distance between them, kissing the prince of air unhurriedly, as if they had all the time in the world.
"Morning." Leo whispered when they finally pulled apart. "Did you sleep well?"
"Better than I have in a very long time." Don answered without even needing to think about it.
"Good." Leo hummed, pressing soft lingering kisses to the top of Don's head as they shifted closer together.
Don tucked his head up under Leo's chin and sighed. "Thank you for following me yesterday," he eventually said, enjoying the feel of Leo's fingers tracing the patterns on his shell, "I thought I wanted to be alone, but... I think I'm just starting to understand how much I needed you there. Not just because of what you said, which I definitely needed to hear... but I think I might have needed the mind-blowing sex a little bit more..."
"Mind-blowing?" Leo snorted, shaking as he tried not to laugh too loud. "Well... I'm glad I could help."
Donatello laughed with him, twisting his face up to kiss Leo again, comfortable and close. A manic sort of happiness made him think that he really would give up all his lands and titles and the call of his birthright just for the chance to spend every morning for the rest of his life like this, lost in soft kisses and sleepy touches.
If only it could be that way. But it couldn't. He knew that. They all did. They each had their own responsibilities, kingdoms and people that were relying on them to succeed. They couldn't be selfish. They couldn't waste all their time with each other when there was so much work that needed to be done...
"It's far too early for such a serious expression." Leo said when Don went still in his arms.
The water prince blinked and shook himself. He was being silly, letting such heavy thoughts spoil the perfect morning. They were together now, in this place, and he wanted to savor every moment of it. But... easier said than done, of course. He never had been very good at turning off his brain...
"What will happen to us?" he whispered, faintly but desperately, as if the prince of air carried the answers to all his most pressing fears. "When this is done, when we've completed our trials and been crowned, when we have to go home and start our lives... how often will we be able to see each other?"
"As often as we can." Leo answered, reassuring him with a gentle caress. "In the times before our fathers there was a rotating schedule, carefully planned so they could manage their responsibilities and still spend time together. We'll do the same.
It seemed too simple an answer for the weight it carried. "Can we do that? Make everything just... go back to the way it was before it all fell apart?"
"Of course, we can." Leo said with a sly smile. "We're the ones that make the rules."
It was only mostly true, and Don was sure his high priest would have his own opinions on the matter, but maybe he was just overthinking it. He knew that Kaimon and Theonis still spent almost all their days together, traveling back and forth between Agni and Sucellus every month, and they managed to make everything work. Perhaps the four of them could do the same, even though a schedule for four would be far more complicated to plan out than a schedule for two. Still, it was hope enough, and that was all Donatello needed to hear.
Of course, there was still a lot of road stretched out before them, and many obstacles that threatened their way forward. The idea that they would someday be able to live their lives together, content and easy, was a dream not yet made real, and the four of them were facing an uphill battle to get there. Donatello thought about what Leo had said the day before, and he knew their biggest fight would not be the remaining trials, or the challenges that would come after their coronations. There was a shadow, lying in wait, and it would take every bit of their strength to overcome it. For Leonardo especially.
Don raised himself up on an elbow so he could look down into Leo's eyes, intent on saying something encouraging or uplifting or even just supportive, but he never got as far as even a single word.
With a speed that suggested he'd been awake long enough to listen to at least part of their conversation, Michelangelo flipped over, earning an annoyed grunt from Raph, and wrapped an arm around Don's waist, pulling him back with a firm tug that made the price of water yelp in surprise.
"Less talk, more cuddles..." the earth prince murmured into the skin of Don's shoulder, almost immediately falling back into sleep. The prince of fire followed him, groping across Mikey's body to grab Donatello's hand, threading their fingers together, and soon he too was snoring softly again.
Don surrendered to them without another thought, happy to let the conversation wait for later. There was so much that needed to be said remaining between them, but it certainly didn't need to be said all at once. For now, he would drift in their warmth, taking his comfort from their steady breaths and the soft thumping of their hearts.
He closed his eyes as they all settled against each other and listened to the quiet rush of the water and the crisp musical notes from the birds, and soon enough sleep was again pulling at his senses. Leo rolled closer and as Don slipped into dreams once more, he heard the prince of air whisper 'I love you' softly into his ear.
~*~.~*~
It took them two days to find their way safely through the marshy swamp.
Donatello wasn't bothered by it nearly as much as the others were, if he had been alone, he could have traversed the distance in half the time with his natural ability to simply walk on top of the water, but the princes of earth, fire, and air were not nearly so lucky.
They traveled an erratic path, their progress slowed by the need to sometimes double back when deeper water made crossings unsafe, but eventually the vernal pools and sucking mud gave way to firmer ground, and they were able to make better time.
It was a beautiful swamp, despite the difficulty in traversing it, and Don tried to enjoy it while he could. Above them the canopy was deep, the wide boughs of cypress and mangrove trees blocking most of the sunlight, and all around were signs of abundant life. Crabs and frogs searched through the shallows for tiny morsels, and thin, long-legged birds watched them curiously as they moved past.
The magic here was strong, with a breathtaking intensity. It tingled under Don's skin in little waves and shimmered in the air like gossamer drifting in a warm breeze. He could feel his own pulse, could hear the low hum of the blood in his veins, and he reached outward, let it soak deep into the depths of him, just in case, suddenly aware that he might actually disintegrate down to his very atoms without the magic to hold him together. He felt drunk and flush with power, but at the same time immeasurably calm, like there was absolutely nothing he couldn't do.
"Can you feel it?" Don whispered, turning to the others with his arms outstretched. "I could lose myself here... sink all the way under and never resurface..."
Thin tendrils of water rose from the small pools that remained around their patch of dry land to touch the tips of each of his fingers. He twirled the liquid over his palms and around his wrists, gazing with half-lidded eyes at the way his beautiful element bent to his will.
"Please don't. We would miss you." Michelangelo said, stepping close with a dreamy smile on his face. He reached out to touch a rivulet as it wrapped around Don's forearm, gazing at the water as it trickled across his finger and down his wrist. "I wish my element responded to me the way yours responds to you... it's so pretty..."
Donatello curled his fingers and a tendril extended off his palm, snaking its way across the small space between them to Mikey's shoulder where it dampened the fabric of his tunic before slowly twisting its way up his neck.
Mikey laughed, squirming away, "...tickles..."
The earth prince shined like sunlight on the sea, practically glowed with a joy that was stunning and all too contagious. Michelangelo's smile alone could inspire armies to lay down their arms in surrender, and Donatello wanted nothing more than to know what it would be like to make love to the prince of earth deeply submerged under the water, where he would be Mikey's anchor, his only source of breath, where the world would disappear, and they would exist only for the pleasure of each other's bodies. Don bit his lip and resolved to find out at the first available opportunity.
"Hey, what's that?"
Raphael's voice tore Don out of the fantasy and he looked toward where the prince of fire was pointing. Twenty or thirty yards away there was a clearing in the mangroves where the ground was drier than they had seen in days, and next to it a small pool where a gentle, meandering creek ended. Above the water floated dozens of softly dancing lights, tiny, glittering. If it hadn't been the middle of the afternoon Don might have thought they were fireflies.
The lights beckoned them closer, and it was immediately, blatantly obvious these were not fireflies. Oxygen sizzled in Don's lungs, and he held back, trepidation halting his steps. Somehow, he knew that this wasn't just some errant concentration of magic... knew it in the way that he knew his own heartbeat...
This was an echo...
He was beyond certain of it, and that knowledge gave him pause. There was something specific here that the water wanted him to see. He swallowed as his palms tingled with the urge to reach out his hand, not too proud to admit that he was scared. After everything they had already seen, how could he not be?
Suddenly, Raphael stepped in front of him, pulling him into his arms, blocking the line of sight between himself and the lights. Immediately Don relaxed against the prince of fire, heaving an agitated sigh as he was momentarily released from the siren call of that heady magic.
"Ya' okay?" Raph asked, tipping Don's head back so they could look into each other's eyes.
"I... don't know." The prince of water huffed out a frustrated laugh. "I think my motivation for this is... waning."
"We're with you, Donnie." Leo said with a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure you want to see?" Don whispered, addressing the three of them directly. "I should ask you. It's our decision to make now. Not just mine."
Mikey slid into the circle of Raph's arms, leaning into Don until their noses were touching. "It's okay." he whispered, pulling the water prince into a short, delicate kiss.
When they parted, he saw Leo come in close to join them. "There's more at stake here than just our own personal feelings. If we're to win this fight, we need all the available information."
It wasn't that simple, but Donatello knew they all understood the gravity of the choice they were making. He drew on their support, strengthened his own courage with it, and closed the last few steps until he was standing with his toes in the gently rippling pool. A sense of commitment, tinged with urgency, settled over him. Come hell or high water, they would see this through.
He knew before he even moved that something was different this time. The magic was different. With every echo he'd ever pulled before, there was always an element of resistance involved, as if he and the water were not in full agreement about what he was trying to do with it. To a certain extent, he had always needed to force the liquid to submit to his manipulation, no matter how readily it had seemed to give up the secrets within its visions. But now, for the very first time, that... friction, between himself and his element was gone completely. There was only the soothing flow of the magic, pulsing and surging and waiting for him to reach out for it.
He lifted his hand... and he didn't even need to think about it.
An orb of water sprung up from the pool, instantly coming to rest above his palm, and Don shuddered, elated by the rush. He flicked his fingers, almost unconsciously, and the window snapped into shape, he barely even needed to hold it. Gasping with an eager breath, Don stared at it. Never before had he felt such a powerful connection with the water. It was all encompassing, perfect and pristine.
"What is happening...?" Mikey whispered, awestruck by the obvious change.
Don turned to them with wide eyes and a crooked grin, laughter bubbling up in his chest. He could see they were tense, uncertainty radiating off them in waves, but his excitement seemed to temper their reactions and they quickly relaxed.
Leo raised a questioning eye ridge and Don nodded, turned to begin his sweep, but then realized he didn't need to. Not far away, off his right side, he could feel a gentle pulse thumping in the ether. It called to him somewhere deep within the depths of his magic and he aligned the window, not even surprised when the water instantly began to shimmer. Mikey, Raph and Leo gathered close, each of them touching Don lightly, grounding him in place, in the moment, as the figures began to form.
The scene was dark, the light low, as if the sun had set only moments before. On the far side of the clearing, Archus sat on a rock apart from the others, hunched over with his eyes closed. Theonis crouched next to him, hand on his thigh, talking to him in a low tone that the echo could not pick up.
A short distance away, closer to the frame of the window, Kaimon waited next to the prince of air with a look of deep concern on his face. Apelles was staring into the middle distance with his arms crossed across his front, chewing pensively on a thumbnail.
After a moment, Theonis stood, pressing a kiss to Archus's temple before walking over toward the other two. He sighed heavily when he reached them, speaking in a low whisper so the prince of water wouldn't hear.
~*~.~*~
"I don't know... I guess he's alright. He just says he's tired."
Kaimon didn't seem to like that answer at all. His face grew dark, and he turned an accusatory glare toward the prince of air. "What did you do?"
Apelles looked up sharply, terror obvious in his eyes for only a second before his features twisted with anger. "Oh, fuck you, Kai! Why is it that every time something bad happens, you always blame me?!"
Their hissing whispers sounded like whitewater, like static before a storm. They challenged each other, holding eye contact, but managed to keep their voices low.
Kaimon leaned in with narrowed eyes. "We heard you fighting. What did you say to him?!"
"Nothing. It wasn't a fight." Apelles spit the words like venom, his lips curling back over his teeth, and the prince of fire glared at him like he didn't believe it for a second.
"He's not himself. I've never seen him like this..." Theonis said miserably.
Apelles looked back and forth between them, his eyes shrewd and shining, "Well... maybe if you two could keep your hands off each other for more than five seconds, you would have. This isn't new, he's always been moody..."
"Bullshit! Don't act like you know him better than we do...!" Kaimon spat.
"You don't!" Apelles insisted, angrily gesturing at them both. "You're never around, you're always with each other. Maybe that's why he's acting like this. Maybe he's just mad because you ignore him all the time!"
"Shh, shut up..." Theonis said quickly with a glance over his shoulder.
Archus was approaching slowly. He did look tired, but it seemed a strange sort of weariness, not brought on by exhaustion or sickness, but by something that none of them could put a name to. He stopped close to them, arms hanging loose at his sides, his eyes glazed over, like he was looking right through them.
"We need to keep moving. We're going to lose the light."
Not waiting for an answer, the prince of water turned and walked away, disappearing out of the frame after half a dozen steps.
"Archie, wait up..." Kaimon called, casting one last frustrated look at Apelles before quickly moving to follow.
The prince of fire's voice faded as he left, calling out once more for the water prince to wait, but the remaining two stayed where they were. Apelles went back to chewing his nail with his eyes downcast, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow.
Eventually, Theonis sighed, "Maybe you're right," he said, slowly reaching up to rest his hand on Apelles's shoulder, "maybe we have been neglecting him. Maybe we've been neglecting both of you..."
The final words trailed off as he moved his hand to cup Apelles's cheek, his thumb sweeping gently across his skin. The heavy sadness in his eyes was heartbreaking.
Apelles went very still, sliding his gaze up to look at Theonis. For a moment it seemed as if he would speak, his lips parted and he took a breath, but then his face went hard, cold, his eyes narrowing with a hurt expression that seemed to go far deeper than the echo could ever truly convey. He jerked his head back to dislodge Theonis's touch and stalked quickly away.
The prince of earth stood with his arm still outstretched, staring at nothing as his fingers slowly curled into a fist and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked as if he was only barely holding back tears. He sucked in a heavy, shaking breath, released it slowly, and finally moved to follow his companions.
~*~.~*~
The images in the window disappeared and Donatello flung the water from him, watching it splash against the trunk of a nearby tree.
The steady breakdown of the relationship between their fathers was obvious and not at all surprising. What was surprising, however, was the level of open hostility on display. They knew Apelles was closed-off and taciturn, they knew Kaimon and Theonis were wrapped up in each other to an exclusive degree, but somehow Don had always believed the real troubles between the four of them had begun after their trials, not before. He thought that the accident that befell his father had been the catalyst, but seeing the way they were treating each other before that, witnessing the true extent of their collapse, brought so many of the remaining unknowns into a strange sort of clarity. It made sense, even though there was still so much they didn't have answers for.
Knowing those things didn't make the echoes any easier to watch, of course. But the shock and despair Don felt was familiar to him now, so much so that he barely registered the way it left a hollow sort of numbness in his heart. This time, however, he didn't succumb to the treacherous emotions. This time he turned to the others with a fierce determination, ready to face it all head-on.
Immediately his gaze fell on Leonardo. The prince of air had taken a few steps back, his hands clenched at his sides. There was an empty, guarded look in his eyes that Donatello knew all too well, having seen that look staring back at him from within the mirror so many times it was permanently etched on his retinas. It was a look of cracking strength and failing resolve that barely contained a deep-seated fear.
For Don, the fear was of failure, of not living up to the expectations others had set upon him, and he was sure the same uncertainty haunted Leonardo's thoughts. But this wasn't about that. This was about something far more personal for the prince of air. Until this moment Don hadn't really known how to acknowledge the doubts Leo had voiced, but something needed to be done before they could go any further. It was a gamble, because Don wasn't completely convinced he was right about what he thought this was, but he hoped the risk was worth it.
Striding forward, he took hold of Leo's shoulders in a hard grip, "You are not your father," he insisted, continuing quickly when the prince of air went still, his eyes widening with a soft gasp of surprise, "not now, not ever."
For a split-second Leo looked like he might simply crumple to the ground. His breath quickened and his eyes flicked back to the spot where the echo had hung in the air. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough and low.
"His face... he turned away from them."
"Yes." Don replied quietly. Apelles's rejection of Theonis hadn't exactly been surprising, but it still hurt to witness.
"I've never seen him so... fragile. He looked like he was losing his control."
Donatello could only agree with a resigned nod.
"I... what am I supposed to... he's done terrible things that I cannot forgive." Leo shook his head, forcing the words out through his teeth.
"I know..." That hurt as well, but Don understood. Some actions were so egregious, to move past them was impossible.
"What does that make me? If I can't..." Leo looked at his feet, shame flushing his skin. "If I can't... then that makes me just like him."
Somewhere behind them, Michelangelo whimpered, and Don narrowed his eyes. "No." he said, cupping Leo's face with one hand and giving the prince of air a little shake when he refused to look up. "Look at me. No. I've known you for all of five minutes, but already I know you are nothing like him. I've seen what you do, the way your people adore you..."
"His blood is my blood..."
Despair so deep it stole Donatello's breath radiated from Leonardo. This was an old, old wound, one that had been left to fester for far too long.
"That don't mean anything." Raphael growled with a frustrated wave of his hand. "Apelles is a coward. He gave in to his fear and let it control him, now all he has is a chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind. You are stronger than that."
"He created his own isolation, Leo," Don added, "it's a prison he made for himself when he pushed them aside and they were weaker because of it, but we are not. Look at what we've already overcome. It's just like you said, we'll face what's coming together. Do not give in to this. Do not turn away."
Leonardo held his stare for a long moment, the look on his face changing from uncertainty to relief and finally amused exasperation. He laughed, and it was a hollow sound, but there was the slightest hint of hope there. "I'm being ridiculous."
"We're all a little ridiculous, but that doesn't make your feelings any less valid." Don replied with a smirk. The prince of air was a remarkable force of nature, so strong and self-assured, but with a deep and fragile vulnerability that you wouldn't even know was there if you didn't know where to look. Donatello knew, because it appeared to him as a reflection of his own soul.
"Thank you." Leonardo said, pressing his forehead against Don's with earnest gratitude. They shared breath for a moment, then Leo pulled back, glancing to the side. "Alright, Mikey?"
The earth prince was hovering within reach, worry clear in his eyes, and Don moved back with a wistful smile, leaning into Raph when the prince of fire appeared at his side.
Leonardo opened his arms and Mikey went to him, settling into his embrace with practiced ease, the need they had for each other written clearly on both of their faces. For a long moment they simply clung to each other, then Michelangelo looked up and pulled Leo down into a soft, slow kiss, the contact offering the comfort they both needed.
"What now?" Mikey whispered when they finally drifted apart.
"We need a plan." Leo answered, his voice confident once more. "Right now, my father believes that when the time comes, I will follow his command. When he realizes I have no intention of falling in line, that's when he'll be at his most dangerous."
"What do you suggest?" Don questioned.
The air prince sighed and shook his head, "I'm not sure yet, but we are running out of time. It won't be much longer before we reach the temple."
"Our families will have gathered by the time we get there," Don frowned, "do you believe he'll risk making a move with so many witnesses?"
"If my father is anything, he is unpredictable and thoroughly convinced of his own superiority." Leo answered with a thoughtful expression. "It may be that the proximity to the elemental spirits will stay his hand until he and I return to Aeolus, but at this point we can't rule anything out."
"Apelles always did love a good spectacle." Michelangelo mused, looking at Don with a bemused smile. "Remind us to tell you about our investiture ceremony sometime. He turned that day into a... whole thing."
Donatello ignored the pang of guilt that pulsed through him. They wouldn't need to tell him about it if he had been there like he should have been. Just one more moment that had been stolen from them because of all this. Add it to the pile, he thought ruefully.
"Well...," Don said, rubbing his hands together, "if there's one thing I'm good at, it's thinking of solutions. Give me a day or two, and I might actually come up with an idea."
Leonardo smiled, "I think that's the best we can hope for, for now. Come on, let's keep moving. We still have a long way to go."
They did, but as they started back on their way through the trees, Donatello found that the sense of disquiet that had hung heavy in his chest during this entire journey was no longer there. He looked at Leonardo's back as the prince of air forged the path ahead, he brushed his hand against Raph's as they walked side by side, he smiled at Mikey bouncing along with an energetic step, and basked in the hum of the magic that connected them, stable and strong and sure.
Gone were the jagged edges, the static hiss. There was no longer any hint of doubt or skepticism. They were balanced, harmonious, whole. Let the spirits challenge them. Let Apelles make his move, whatever it may or may not be.
When the time came... they would be ready.
~*~.~*~ tmnt ~*~.~*~
