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"Get him up, get him up!"

"I'm_tryin'_, Don, what the fuck you think I've been doin'?!"

"Here, let me see him.... Okay, Raph, you know the drill. Two one-second breaths. Don't overdo it, his lungs are much smaller than ours. I'll handle compressions."

"Donnie..."

"Three, two, one, now."

Warm lips. Pressure. Pain. Coughing. Sputtering.

Fuck, this sucks. Raph...

...

"Guys, we're gonna need to move soon. Those security measures put the whole block on lockdown from the look of my scanners."

Chest hurts. Is Raph carrying me? God, it hurts to breathe.

...

"Case', you doing okay? I got ya, man, don't worry. Gonna take care of you."

I know you will, man. Shit, this really hurts now. It's... I don't...

...

...

...

"Nnh..."

One small breath--and it felt like a fire scorching the inside of Casey's chest. Either he'd broken some ribs or he'd bruised his entire torso so badly that it felt like broken ribs. He wasn't sure which was actually worse at this point--it just hurt like hell no matter what he did. Groaning softly, he wet his chapped lips with a slightly numb tongue and cracked an eye open.

Everything was a bit soft and out of focus but he could tell he was back in the lair. The hum of Donnie's server grid whirred somewhere to his right... he must have been in the infirmary.

"...saw he was fine, Raph. Stop worrying about something you couldn't control. He's gonna fully recover, it'll just take a while, like Donnie said."

Casey tilted his head to the left, wincing through the pain as he cast his gaze over the softly illuminated space. He could sort of make out the shells of what looked like Leo and Raph, facing away from him as they leaned back against the hard metal railings of the slightly raised platform that housed Donnie's supercomputer.

"I know, I know. I just... this was bad, Leo. Should've been more careful with him. He's so fragile compared to us, you know?"

"There's nothing you can do about that, Raph." Leo sighed as he turned and slid his arms around his brother's shell, pulling the bigger turtle closer and nestling his head under Raph's chin.

Raph sighed and shuffled uncomfortably on his feet, "Hm. C'mon, Leo, not right now."

Leo glanced up at him and smirked slightly, "What can I say? Can't get that image of you carrying him all the way across town out of my mind--so heroic, jumping over rooftops with your best friend in your arms."

Raph snorted and seemed to relent, wrapping his muscular arms around Leo as he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to his brother's temple..

"Hm. Well, I am the heroic type I s'pose." he grumbled. "Mikey better not say anything though. S'embarrassing."

Leo tilted his head up from Raph's chest, "Hey. It's not. It's exactly what I expected from my brother. Don't be ashamed of it or embarrassed. I'm proud of you."

Raph looked over at Leo's eyes for a few silent seconds before he leaned forward and captured his brother's lips with his. The two turtles kissed softly under the glow of the wall of dimly lit screens as Casey watched from his bed, bleary-eyed and utterly confused.

Even out of focus and straining to see, Casey continued to watch his two friends--brothers!--kiss each other, part of him understanding that this wasn't something he was meant to see.

Eventually, the two of them pulled apart and stood together on the platform for a few more minutes, just holding each other in their arms before they left the room silently. Casey sighed softly to himself and part of him wondered if maybe it had been a dream. Maybe the meds Don probably had him on were giving him some hallucinations. Maybe.

But... no. The pain was too real to be imagined, just like that kiss had been. The world started to swirl in front of his eyes and his thoughts seemed to fray before he could really grasp them.

All Casey could think before the blackness filled his mind was that there were gonna be a hell of a lot of questions needing answers when he got back to normal.

The room was quiet again when Casey awoke, save for the constant buzz of the servers chugging away, enveloping him in white noise. A twinge of pain shot through his chest as he sat up slightly in the bed, drawing a sharp gasp from his parched throat.

"Oh, fuck me...," he groaned tightly in his throat as he pushed the pillow behind him back, giving him a bit more support as he leaned up and actually looked around.

Donnie's room was mostly dark, with just a few smaller screens softly glowing along the edges of the far wall. Casey squinted and saw at the opposite end of the room, the thick metal door that Donnie often used to lock himself away while he worked was slightly ajar, letting in a bit of warm, yellow light from the kitchen. The sounds of several voices at once floated through--but he couldn't make out who was talking.

He shifted slightly and his arm bumped into something hard. Glancing to his left, he realized that it was Raph, the turtle's shell propped up against the bed frame as he snored softly with his head tilted onto the side of the mattress.

Casey stared at him for a few seconds, his mind replaying what had happened underground before he went unconscious. Something had gone wrong as they'd left the facility. He'd lost Raph in the tunnel and then he'd gotten caught in... something. Some sort of underwater pulse or wave or blast and it had rammed him against the sides of the tunnel.

Scrunching up his nose, he tried to remember the details but all he could seem to grasp were fleeting images. And a lot of pain, which was impossible to forget. Opening his eyes, he looked back over at Raph and slowly reached out with his hand.

Softly, he touched his palm to his best friend's head, feeling along the almost pattern-like texture of the mutant turtle's scaly skull. He held his hand there for a while, feeling the warmth underneath the skin before he swallowed hard and spoke.

"Hey, Raph...?"

The big turtle shifted slightly and then stiffened, causing Casey to pull his hand back quickly. Raph stirred with a grunt and then opened his eyes, staring directly back at Casey.

"Oh shit, yer--oh my god, Casey, holy shit!" Raph said rapidly, fumbling a bit as his eyes took in the sight of his best friend finally awake. He turned his whole body and knelt on his knees, taking Casey's smaller hand in his big green ones.

"Jesus, dude, you have no idea how happy I am to see you awake. I-I was gettin' worried 'bout Donnie's meds being too strong for you, an' he kept sayin' not to worry about it an' I just couldn't not worry because you're... I just... I'm so sorry 'bout what happened. None of us even suspected that they'd have shit like that down there in the first place. Donnie thought it was disabled--but apparently fuckin' not..."

Raph's eyes were glued to Casey's own--Raph was speaking rapidly, like he'd bottled up all these words, and they were spulling out at once. But Casey just smiled at him as he spoke, and he reached his free hand and placed it on top of Raph's, which shut his friend right up.

"Thanks for savin' me, bro." Casey said as he grinned over at his best friend and squeezed the big mutant's hand in his. He'd remembered that much at least, that Raph had saved him.

Raph stared at him for a moment and glanced down at their hands together before peering back at Casey.

"Y-yeah, man. No uh... no problem. I mean, you're family. Woulda done the same for me."

Casey laughed and then winced at the pain it caused, "Heh... yeah, well, I doubt I would've been able to carry you from the river all the way back to the lair. And--wait. Did you give me mouth to mouth?"

A tinge of dark green colored Raph's cheeks as he cleared his throat, "I mean... yeah. You were drownin' when I finally found you. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey were already out but I... I lost ya so I needed to find ya. Went back and swam but it's so hard to see shit down there, even with our eyes." Raph studied their hands for a moment before continuing, "I just kept swimming until I saw you floatin' there in front of the entrance. I grabbed you an' brought you back up. You weren't breathin' an' I just... I pulled you up and Donnie and me did compressions until you spat up like a shitton of water. Sorry 'bout your ribs and chest by the way."

"Oh, yeah I've been wanting to know who to thank for that." Casey deadpanned as he shuffled uncomfortably on the bed.

Raph grinned over at him, "If it's any consolation, Donnie said those exhaust vents in the tunnel probably bruised you more than his compressions did. Nuthin's broken, accordin' to him. But you're gonna be really sore for a few weeks."

"Well," Casey said as he took another careful breath, "Guess I'd better get used to it then."

"That's the spirit, bro." Raph said with a chuckle as he leaned in close to Casey and looked at him seriously.

"'M sorry, Case'. Really. S'my fault you got hurt an' I don't wanna ever see you like that again. I... I'm sorry, man."

Casey hadn't even seen Raph like this before. The distance between them was so short he could feel his warm breath washing over his face. He stared directly into Raph's golden eyes and saw the shame inside them, and the slight wetness at the edges too.

He squeezed the big green hand under his and shook his head.

"S'not your fault, Raph. You said it yourself that we didn't know. I'm not dead. I'm right here. Just a bit banged up is all." He grinned over at his best friend and squeeze his hand again, sliding his fingers between the turtle's.

"You saved me, man. That's all that matters."

Raph glanced over at Casey like he was searching for something and then... he sighed, smiling softly to himself before he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Casey's forehead.

Casey felt himself blush at the gesture, and he gripped Raph's hand tighter for a few seconds as his stomach fluttered. The big turtle pulled back, hovering just inches away from his face..

"Never gonna let you get hurt again."

"I'll hold you to that." Casey said with a grin, his stomach still fluttering softly.

They looked at each other for a few more moments before Raph cleared his throat and stood up, towering above the short bed Casey was on.

"Well. Uh, yeah. I guess I'll let the others know you're awake. Donnie's gonna give you a checkup an' Mikey's makin' you all kinds of food. Even Leo's helpin', and you know how much he hates cookin'."

Casey smiled at the image of Leo, leader of the elite ninja team of mutant turtles, scared stiff by a cutting board. Maybe he'd get Raph to take some pictures for him. But for now, he nodded up at him.

Raph turned and started walking back towards the entrance. But before he'd taken a few steps, Casey called out.

"Raph. Uh... did you..." Casey scrunched up his face, trying to remember something else, "Did you and Leo uh..."

The mutant turtle stopped and turned, peering over at Casey warily all of a sudden.

"Did we what, Case'?"

"I just thought I saw..." he stopped short, realizing that right now probably wasn't the best moment to bring up the sight he'd just recalled between the two brothers. "Y'know what, I just can't seem to remember much about what happened. Head's really fuzzy and I don't... just forget about it. Sorry, man."

Raph looked over at him for a moment and then shrugged, "-Well, if you remember anything, jus' ask."

He turned and walked away from the bed, and Casey wondered if he should've even said anything at all. Maybe it had been a dream. Right now anything seemed like it could be with all the pain meds coursing through him, though it felt like their effects might be waning now. Whatever. He'd work up the courage some other time.

What followed was a whirlwind of activity surrounding his little corner of Donnie's lab. True to his word, Raph returned with his brothers in tow just a few minutes later. Donnie carried an array of equipment that he immediately started using to look over Casey. Mikey and Leo set up their modified chairs that were purpose built for their unusual size and weight, and also a small folding table, which was soon piled high with one of the largest assortment of food Casey had ever seen at one time.

Raph took a chair and placed it directly next to Casey's bed as Donnie finally pulled his equipment away.

"Alright, you're gonna be in some pretty rough pain for at least another two weeks, so, uh, sorry in advance."

"Advance? Got some pretty rough pain right now, Don." He grimaced while Raph adjusted his bed so he was sitting slightly upright. He glanced up at the big turtle and smiled, "Thanks."

Raph nodded as Donnie continued, "You're lucky nothing broke, honestly. One of those pulses would've probably knocked one of _us_for a loop, so I can only imagine what happened to you in that tunnel. But like I said, give it a few weeks for the worst of the pain to subside, then another two or three more weeks after that and you'll be back to normal."

"Aha... yeah. About that. Uh," Casey looked at Leo who was just sitting down between Raph and Mikey, "Am I good to stay here for that long? I mean, I don't wanna ruin the, uh, vibe you got with training and every--"

"Casey, my son, we would be honored if you stayed here."

Splinter's voice floated past the four brothers in front of him as the old rat made his way towards the back of Donnie's lab. He stood as straight as his slight frame would allow, the rat always managing to seem tall despite his naturally short stature.

"Master Splinter, are you sure?" Casey asked from his bed, knowing the answer but doing his best to show as much respect as possible.

"Of course. Donatello has more than enough means to take care of you, and my sons can retrieve anything you may need from your own living space should you require it. You are our guest and I would be honored to have you stay with us while you recover."

Splinter huffed with finality as he stared across the far side of the table at Casey for a few moments before smiling and reaching for what looked like a slice of quiche that Mikey had set aside.

"Thank you my son," he nodded at Mikey as his tail flicked gently back and forth on the ground behind him.

"Now eat and enjoy one another's company. My show is about to start so I shall retire to the couch for now." Splinter's whiskers twitched as he smiled softly around at them all.

"We're glad that you're safe, Mr. Jones. Rest up."

As Splinter turned and walked out of the room, Mikey glanced over at Casey and shook his head.

"Dude, you didn't even have to ask. You know we take care of our family no matter what." He nodded toward Raph as he started serving up a plate, "Plus this guy over here's got a pretty bad case of looking-after-my-best-friend-itis. It's honestly pretty cute."

Raph growled at his younger brother, "Dude, what the hell. Can you not right before we eat?"

Mikey handed a plate to Leo before putting his hands in the air, "Dude. I just calls 'em like I sees them, m'kay? You totally thought you were Superman saving Lois Lane or something when you were carrying Casey all the way back here. Like I said, it was kinda cute!"

Casey blushed and stared ahead at nothing as Leo stepped in.

"Mike, give it a rest. Let's just eat and enjoy the fact that we didn't all die after those Kraang alarms started going off." He reached over and placed a hand on Raph's arm, staring calmly at his larger brother and nodding, "Right? Let's just be thankful and happy and focus on stuffing our faces for now."

Raph seemed to relax at Leo's touch for a moment before he shook his head and grumbled to himself, grabbing a plate and turning to Casey beside him.

"So, whatcha want?"

"Whatcha got, Superman?" Casey said with a grin causing Mikey to giggle uncontrollably across the table.

Raph's face turned a dark green as he fumbled for a moment and then seemed to resign himself to his fate, shaking his head with a sigh and leaning over the table as he plated up way more than he knew Casey could eat.

Leo and Donnie were smiling at Mikey's endless giggles as they all piled their plates high with what Casey recognized as the turtles chef's famous spaghetti and meatballs, macaroni and cheese, and homemade rolls topped with cinnamon butter.

"What, no pizza to go with the spaghetti, Mike?" Casey asked as he took a bite of his roll.

"For your information, it was Raph's idea to cook you only the very best from Chef Mikey's--and sous chef Leo's--repertoire. So zat iz wat you get, Monsieur Jones!" He tilted his head in a mock bow as Raph rolled his eyes.

"I just wanted to have some decent food for once, is all. Casey was just an excuse," he said gruffly as he chewed around a mouthful of meatball, twirling his spaghetti on his larger, custom made fork.

"Aww, I know you love my cooking even when you say you don't, big guy." Mikey said with a sly wink toward his brother.

Their meal was as delicious as Casey knew it would be, and getting some food in his stomach would definitely do him some good after everything that had happened. Once everyone had had their fill, Leo and Mikey started to clean up, leaving Donnie and Raph behind with him.

"I have several types of pain meds should you need them and, as Splinter mentioned, we can get you anything you want from your apartment."

"Thanks, Donnie," Casey said as he shifted uncomfortably on his bed again, pain suddenly threatening to shoot across his chest with a twinge.

Donnie fussed around Casey for a minute before he crossed his arms over his plastron and cocked a brow at his brother, who was standing diligently at Casey's side, looking down at him like a wounded puppy.

"So... are you going to be taking care of Mr. Jones for me tonight, Raph?"

"Duh." Raph snorted as he crossed his arms in reply to his genius brother, "Why? Got a problem with that?"

"No, no not at all." Donnie said, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, "Just want you to know that it's a big responsibility and not to take it lightly."

Raph rolled his eyes, "It's Casey, Donnie. We're not exactly talkin' about some frail 95-year-old woman."

"Uh... thanks?" Casey said, staring up at both turtles from his bed.

"Don't mention it." Raph said with a wink, which Casey smirked at.

Donnie sighed, "You know what I mean. He needs rest, relaxation, and probably to take care of that food coma Mikey put him. At least for tonight, go easy on the bromance."

Casey cleared his throat, "Guys, I'm feelin' fine, honestly. Just kinda wanna... watch some TV or something and then get some rest."

"Ah, that's right," Donnie said abruptly as he stepped towards the bed and grabbed the bottom of the metal frame, "Glad I fixed this a few weeks ago because--"

With a pop from somewhere underneath the frame, the bed dropped an inch or so and then suddenly began to move smoothly under Donnie's hold. He tapped the metal bars twice with a three-fingered hand.

"--it's perfect for carting you around the lair now. Enjoy your new wheels, Jones. Have at it, Raphie."

Raph nodded once, impressed.

"Nice one, Don. Now I can leave him wherever I want to if he gets annoying."

"Hey!" Casey yelped as Raph roughly grabbed the bed and shook it back and forth, "Cut it out, you dick. Donnie, what if I need to take a piss?"

Donnie raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at Casey with a barest hint of a smirk playing at his lips, "Jones, I think you're perfectly capable of asking Raph to hold your penis for you while you relieve yourself."

Casey felt his cheeks flush at the comment and gave Donnie a deadpan stare. Raph scratched the back of his neck and glanced down at his feet before he looked up at Casey, his expression turning a bit wary.

Donnie stared at both of them as he rolled his eyes and sighed, "You're both a bunch of middle school girls. Look, you're not bedridden. You can still get up and walk around if you need to. Just try not to be up for too long without one of us around to make sure you don't hurt yourself. Bruised ribs are kind of weird to heal from. You don't wanna stress the bones too much, but bedrest also isn't the best thing for them. Be sure to ice your torso once you're settled in tonight. From there, just take it day by day. You'll feel better soon, I promise."

Casey nodded, always appreciative of Donnie's somewhat less than traditional bedside manner. Though he knew the turtle knew his shit, that much was for sure.

Raph rocked the wheeled bed twice and cocked his head towards the entrance, "C'mon. TV's free right now so we get dibs. You comin, Don?"

"Hm? Oh, no not tonight. I'm doing some more tests on the mutagen we recovered," he said as he walked over to his research station where an array of vials and equipment were laid out before him.

Casey perked up at the mention of mutagen.

"What'd you find out? And didn't you say something about running an experiment with me yesterday?"

Donnie was already starting to manipulate the vials and equipment, so he didn't even spare Casey a glance when he answered.

"Mm... well, the original experiment I had planned to conduct has, er, changed somewhat now. The mutagen that we recovered from the Kraang facility is unlike anything we've encountered before. It's highly specific when it comes to it's makeup. Most of the samples we've managed to get before were just copies of what I had assumed was the current synthesised product from the Kraang homeworld."

He held up one of the tubes they'd recovered from the facility, it's purple contents slightly glowing as it sloshed around inside.

"But this is different. It's modeled after what looks like human DNA specifically. I don't know why that would be but I've got some working theories about potential uses we might have for it."

Casey arched an eyebrow.

"Uses? Like... for me?"

Donnie waved his hand, "Well, for humans as a whole but yeah, maybe for you. Like I said: still testing. Plus I'm not gonna make you be my guinea pig while you're recovering. Give me a few weeks to find out more about this stuff and we'll see what's what."

Raph cleared his throat impatiently, "Can we go, genius?"

"Hey, you guys are in my room. I'm not keeping you here," Donnie said almost absentmindedly as he pulled his custom-made tech goggles over his eyes and continued working.

Raph snorted with a nod and moved the head of the bed, pushing it along with him as he made his way towards the entrance, "C'mon. TV time's a wastin'."

"No complaints from me." Casey said with a slight smile as the sight of his best friend pushing him so gently. The giant turtle absolutely towered above him now, and Casey couldn't deny the thrill that ran through him seeing the broad muscles and thick shell flex right above him with each step.

God, I'm so fucked when I come clean about... everything.

While Mikey and Leo were washing a massive pile of dishes, Raph positioned Casey right next to the well-used couch the four brothers had been using for the last few years. It was worn and the cushions were slowly exploding out from the frayed stitching that barely held them together, but it was very much in line with almost everything else in the lair.

The brothers' immense weight combined with their constant roughhousing (and Mikey's preference for flopping across the thing at any given time) had worn the used piece of furniture to the brink of its miserable existence. But free was free and they never complained about it, despite Casey and April previously offering to buy them a new one a few years ago.

Casey glanced at it from his admittedly comfortable spot in bed as Raph lowered his bulky, muscular body onto the side closest to him, his shell slotting perfectly into the deep impressions on the back cushion as he got comfortable. He looked over at Casey for a moment and smiled, seeming genuinely happy to be watching TV with his best friend.

"You pick, man. Not sure what I'm in the mood for tonight."

He handed Casey the remote who took it and powered on the TV, channel surfing rapidly as he tried to ignore the fact that Raph's eyes were lingering on him for far longer than normal. Channel after channel flew by until he landed on something fast-paced and bright.

"This looks terrible."

He nodded toward the screen as a big group of what seemed to be redneck 20-somethings took turns firing giant frozen turkeys from a homemade trebuchet, apparently trying to land one in the bed of a disused pickup truck.

Raph finally looked away from him and chuckled as the antics played out on the fuzzy, slightly old plasma TV.

"Good choice."

The two of them watched and laughed and groaned at the poorly produced show for the next 45 minutes, eventually being joined by Leo, who sat opposite Raph on the couch, and then Mikey, who sat between the two bigger turtles and caused the old wooden frame to groan in protest at their combined weight.

Maybe it was the fact that Casey was getting tired earlier than he normally did, or maybe it was just the fact that he'd very nearly died not too long ago, but his mind began to wander a bit as he and the brothers watched the show. It was a nice layer of background noise as he thought about... everything he'd been actively avoiding thinking about.

Alright so, I like dudes. I like dick. I like dudes and dick. That's a fact. And April is neither or dude, nor has a dick. So I broke up with her and now I'm here.

He'd told April as much when he came out to her, though even he had managed to wrangle some amount of tact and sincerity in the moment. She'd been shocked, for one, but also hurt because... well, she'd been more invested, she said. Maybe it was her own fault for feeling as strongly as she did about their relationship, but... well, there wasn't anything she could do to change what Casey felt about himself.

No, it wasn't her fault. It was mine. All mine. Just felt too scared and confused when it started to say anything until it needed to end.

...fuck, I'm such a coward. I can admit it to myself, at least, and I guess to her. I just... ugh, I need to tell them. All of them. Come clean about why she left with Matthews and then how I feel about myself...

... and about Raph.

He glanced over at the big turtle next to him, staring at his eyes and then darting his gaze away. Raph didn't notice, his own eyes looking a bit heavy and glazed over as they watched the show.

Casey ground his teeth as he mulled things over once again. He had feelings for Raph, that much was certain. A giant, 21-year-old, mutant ninja turtle who he'd spent more time with than his own family. A guy who'd punched and beaten and fought his way into life changing and death defying situations for the past five years with his brothers and Casey.

A guy who, as far as Casey suspected, might, _might_have similar feelings for him but hadn't officially said anything on the matter, nor did Casey think he intended to. It was just...

Awkward.

Being gay was easy, as far as Casey knew, so long as he didn't have to tell people. He could keep his own secrets just fine.

Liking a ninja turtle--a big, hulking mutant who drank beer with him, who he fought with and opened up to, who he never seemed to get tired of being around. That was a bit harder, especially if the ninja turtle might like him back. But also one who might be into his... brother? Who knows what the only four mutant turtles in existence were like when it came to this stuff.

Is this a recipe for disaster? It's probably not even legal. What the actual fuck am I feeling right now. I can't... I want to. I really do. He's my best friend. And I can't stop thinking about him. Fuck.

Just then, Leo stood up from the couch and yawned, stretching his arms above him and cracking his neck loudly.

"M'headin' to meditate before bed. Mikey?"

The youngest turtle stood up next to him quickly and slung an arm around his older brother's neck.

"I'm coming! You know me, always gotta meditate before hittin' the hay!"

Casey's eyebrows went up in confusion but he didn't say anything. Raph snorted loudly and shook his head, "Have fun."

Leo and Mikey said goodnight to them and headed off for Leo's room across the other end of the lair, leaving Casey with Raph.

The TV flickered brighter and darker as another episode of a different show played underneath the ambience of the lair. A few pipes gently shuddered and leaked, and somewhere in the distance, a subway line rumbled on towards its next stop.

But Casey and Raph just sat there next to each other. Casey didn't feel obligated to say anything right then but there was definitely a growing sense of awkwardness between them that didn't feel like it was going to be contained for much longer.

A few minutes went by and the sense only seemed to grow more noticeable. Raph shifted on the couch slightly and Casey glanced at him.

"Nothing good on tonight."

"Mm."

Raph didn't continue.

"So uh--"

"You should stand up."

Casey blinked.

"What?"

Raph cleared his throat and gestured at Casey.

"Try and stand up. Donnie said not to lay down for too long, and to ice your torso."

He stood up quickly from the couch and walked to the side of the mobile bed.

"I'll help you up and you can try and walk around for a bit. Then I'll get you some ice packs before bed."

Casey blinked at the sudden suggestion from Raph but tried to take it in stride. He shifted slightly and then nodded in agreement.

Raph smiled at him and held out his hand.

Casey took it, letting Raph guide him carefully forward until he was sitting up fully. Raph pulled the blanket off of him and Casey swung his legs slowly off the side. They touched the cool, concrete floor, his chest twinging all the while with the threat of potential pain.

"Mkay. One, two, three."

Casey stood up, leaning on Raph's arm as he wobbled a bit, pain arching up and down his torso for a second, causing him to gasp.

"I gotcha, Case'. S'okay."

He leaned into Raph, putting his free hand on the turtle's hard plastron to keep from wobbling. The room spun for a moment as the pain ebbed and then subsided. Casey closed his eyes and took a breath as deeply as he could without feeling the twinge.

Everything settled and he opened his eyes, realizing he was still holding onto Raph.

"You good?" Raph said softly as he looked down at him.

"Mmhmm. All good. Thanks, man." He said softly, squeezing the turtle's three-fingered hand.

Raph smiled down at him, gentler than Casey had ever imagined the big mutant turtle could and it... it filled him with warmth. Being this close. Being held. It was perfect.

But that awkwardness quickly returned and Raph seemed to shrink back at the same time Casey did, slowly letting go of his hand and stepping slightly to his side.

"You good to try and walk a bit?"

Casey nodded and felt a weird sense of annoyance at himself.

Coward. Again.

He grit his teeth and took a step forward, feeling only a slight painful pressure in his torso. If this was what he had to deal with, he could manage. Though it felt a bit nicer with Raph holding him. But now wasn't the time.

Later. Always later.

He walked around the living area slowly, Raph just a step behind him in case he fell. Honestly, he felt better and stronger than he'd expected to, though maybe Donnie's drug cocktail was still going strong.

Regardless, he made a few laps around the couch and managed to stand straight and breathe a bit easier for a solid ten minutes. Hopefully it was a good sign for his recovery these next few weeks.

Raph grabbed two ice packs Mikey had prepared from the freezer and placed them over Casey's chest once he was back in his bed. The cold felt so good on his chest and seemed to ease the knot of tension that had built up from even just his short exercise.

The two of them were silent for a moment before Raph spoke.

"Where you wanna sleep? Can leave you here or put you back in Donnie's lab."

Casey shook his head, "Nah, he'll be up for a while and I don't wanna fall asleep to him talking to his vials of mutagen."

Raph snorted and nodded, "Wanna just bunk with me?"

Casey grinned up at him.

"Hell yeah."

Raph grinned back and then wheeled him carefully toward his room. Casey had stayed the night in the lair several times before and mostly, he ended up sleeping on a makeshift mattress they'd put together with some spare blankets and pillows from Donnie's stash.

This time though, Raph wheeled Casey into the room and shuffled some things around to make space for the bed.

Casey glanced around to see if anything was different from the last time he'd been in here. But as he suspected, nothing seemed to have changed much at all.

There was a weight rack off to the side stacked with a wide variety of dumbells, and a bench press next to it, though it barely looked like a bench press with all the modifications they'd made to it so Raph could fit under it comfortably. The walls had a variety of torn and unframed posters of old 80s movies and a few action figures lined up on a plank of wood that had been glued to the wall. In the corner, Raph's knitting set sat neatly on a small table, and what seemed to be some sort of a beanie-in-progress was laying on top.

There was a strong, musky, masculine scent that permeated the air as Casey breathed in.

Raph's scent, at least what he could smell of it.

He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on it. It was sort of a mix between a locker room and a woodsy, fresh sort of smell, and he honestly didn't mind it at all. It was somehow comforting to him, especially now as he was winding down.

Raph finished clearing a spot across from his large mattress and wheeled Casey's bed into it.

"You good for now? Need anything?"

Casey nodded and yawned, "Mm... I'm sure I'll have to piss in the middle of the night but I think I can handle it."

Raph wiggled his fingers and smirked, "I'm all yours if you need me."

Casey rolled his eyes, "Ha ha, big guy. Pretty sure I can handle it myself."

The turtle nodded and flicked out the lights as he stepped towards the door.

"Aight. I'm gonna see if Leo is still up. Been having some trouble sleepin' and usually his meditation shit works wonders for me."

Casey smiled across the room at him as he got comfortable under his blanket, eyes tracing the silhouette of Raph's frame.

"First Mikey, now you. If I ever have trouble falling asleep, y'can teach it to me."

Raph snorted and seemed to nod, "Maybe some day, yeah."

He paused for a moment.

"...Gnight, Case'. M'glad you're safe."

"Me too, Raph. I..." He hesitated for a moment, the potential for so much more to spill out from his mouth rising for an instant before he quelled it.

"Thanks, man. For everything."

Raph nodded and slowly shut the door.

Casey sighed and shut his eyes as the thoughts that had threatened to escape swirled around inside his mind like a swarm of wasps.

Coward.

He huffed and quietly berated himself over and over and over until finally, sleep enveloped him.

Sometime in the middle of the night, the door opened softly and Casey, still half asleep and unable to focus or see much, roused softly in his bed.

"Mm... not 'nother dream. S's'same one." He mumbled to himself, nearly falling back into the darkness.

Raph's hand slid softly over his shoulder and up his neck. He leaned into the warmth as he felt a thick thumb rub his scruffy cheek gently.

"Mmm..." Casey moaned softly to himself.

Raph looked down at his best friend as he caressed his bearded chin. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed his forehead, holding his lips against the soft skin of his brow before pulling back wordlessly and climbing into his own bed.

Then soundlessly, they both fell asleep.

Three weeks passed quickly for Casey, as did the pain in his torso. He'd tended to heal fairly quickly for the most part and was happy to have a full range of motion after being in full on recovery mode, save for a few bouts of walking and standing each day. Now he could bend over and reach for things without fearing a blast of pain striking his ribs. Even Donnie was impressed with his recuperation.

"Jones, you must have good genes or something because this is healing up even faster than I'd anticipated."

Donnie had his goggles on as he knelt in front of Casey and traced a hand across his bare chest, putting pressure on certain points, "Any pain here? How about here?"

Casey winced slightly as the turtle pressed steadily into a lower rib. It wasn't necessarily painful, just sensitive. He shook his head.

"Nah man, just a bit sore is all."

Donnie nodded, "Great. I'd say maybe another week or two and you'll be back to 100%. So long as there's no pain now, you should be good to go out on missions with us again."

Casey sighed with relief as he pulled his shirt back on, "Thank Christ, dude. Been itchin' to get back out there with you guys. Been too long since I've cracked some skulls."

Sliding his goggles up to his forehead, Donnie nodded at him as he stood up, "I appreciate your enthusiasm but honestly, we haven't had any leads since we stole the mutagen. My scanners have been weirdly... silent. I think we must've halted the Kraang and the Foot's whole operation when we broke in. Might be a bit before we get any more insight into their plans. Even the sensors and cameras Leo and Mikey placed in that facility have gone dark, which leads me to believe they found them."

He sighed and rubbed his temples as he continued, "All we can do now is our weekly scouting runs and keep our eyes open. Oh. Well, and this."

Casey followed Donnie's gaze to his laboratory setup, which had rapidly expanded since he'd last been inside it. A vast array of equipment, vials, and beakers stood over two long tables against the wall, and Donnie moved to stand at the far end of it all. He held up a vial with a dull golden liquid in it.

"S'at what you've been working on since I got here?" Casey looked over at the turtle with eager eyes.

"Mm, well it's part of what I've been working on." He gestured to the vial in his hand, "If I managed to do this correctly, I think that we might have a preventative measure against the mutagen."

Casey arched an eyebrow.

"How?"

Donnie gave a short bark of a laugh and shook his head.

"Well, I sort of re-engineered the Kraang's re-engineered version of the mutagen. Maybe."

When he saw Casey's unimpressed and rather confused reaction, he crossed his arms and frowned before continuing.

"Remember when I said this new version of the mutagen seemed to be derived from human DNA? Well I basically used that as a backdoor to manipulate the way the mutagen actually interacts with human DNA on a genetic level. If I'm right, I think that this might, might be the start of a vaccine against the mutagen. Anyone that has this in their system who gets hit by the mutagen would be totally fine. It wouldn't have any effect on them or their body at all."

"... in theory."

"In theory?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I still need to test it out obviously." Donnie said as he placed the vial back on the table, "I wanna make a few more tweaks to the current formula but, if you're still willing to be a guinea pig...."

It was Casey's turn to laugh now. He grimaced as he took a few steps closer to the table, picking up the vial and studying the golden mixture as it glowed softly, the glass glinting from the light of Donnie's supercomputer.

"Doesn't that mean I'll have to, you know, be hit with some mutagen if I take this?" He looked up at Donnie as the turtle shuffled in his spot.

"Uh, well, yes. That's, uhh, yeah that's really the only way to test it properly is to expose you to the real thing." Donnie seemed oddly uncomfortable with this admission.

Casey had performed all manner of experiments for Don, but this was the first time he'd seen the genius seem anywhere close to being worried.

"But you don't know if it'll work. And I could end up as a mutant with no way of changing back if it doesn't."

"... Right."

Donnie starred over at Casey before he sighed and kept going.

"Look, you don't need to say yes to this right now, or ever really. It's a big risk, with big ramifications. Plus I don't wanna do this without talking to the others and Splinter too. If there's any way you could be hurt or--"

Behind them, the door opened and Mikey waltzed through it, humming to himself as he listened to something on a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

"--just forget about it until I'm more certain of things. A day or two, then we can all decide as a group what the plan is."

Casey nodded and Donnie turned towards Mikey as he danced his way over towards them, clearly enjoying whatever he was listening to. The shorter turtle ended up in front of both of them, bobbing and doing some sort of motion that Casey could only assume came from one of those dumb dancing apps people were obsessed with. Finally, he stuck a pose and froze with his arms across his plastron, looking back and forth between the two nonplussed people standing in front of him.

"Uh, applause much, my dudes?"

Casey and Donnie glanced at each other and both shook their heads no.

"Damn. That's cold, bros. So cold." He hugged himself and shivered before smiling at both of them and completely changing subjects, "So Casey, dude, how you feelin'? Did Donnie boy give you some good news for once?"

Casey nodded. "So long as I take it easier than I probably will, I'll be 100% in a couple of weeks. He said I could go out on runs with you guys again too."

"Dude! Yes! Raph'll be so happy when he hears that, won't he Donnie?" Mikey glanced over at his brother with a knowing look.

"Yeah, I definitely think so. Actually..." he looked down at his wrist watch and nodded, "Why don't you go find him? We've got a few hours before dinner and it's already dark outside. Might as well do a quick scout around the lair just to see how you feel. Raph will definitely wanna be there for that, and, you know, because he'd kill himself if anything happened to you."

He chuckled and gave Mikey a quick glance before he turned back towards Casey, who was already moving towards the door.

"Alright, I'll grab my stuff. You know where he is?"

Mikey walked up next to him as they headed for the door, "Pretty sure I heard him working out in his room, as always. I'm gonna get dinner started but be careful Case'! Have some fun!"

He raised his three-fingered fist up and Casey quickly bumped it as the two of them walked out of the lab, though not before he yelled out, "Thanks, Donnie!"

The nerdy turtle didn't even respond as he went back to his cluttered lab tables.

Casey made his way towards Raph's room as Mikey got started in the kitchen, no doubt making something delicious for them all. Muffled music boomed through the thick, concrete walls as he walked up to the wooden door. As he opened it, the muffled music blasted outward, as did the smell of sweat and grime that seemed to permanently come from their now shared room.

As he stepped inside and closed the door, Casey took in the sight before him. Raph was laying back in his modified bench press, his shell cradled neatly by the straps Donnie had designed to hold him. The mountain of turtle muscle grunted and hissed as he pumped a triple-thick steel bar holding what Casey counted as being 600lbs of weight.

He stepped closer and watched as Raph pumped the bars up and down, over and over like a machine. Sweat dripped down from his bulging arms, making his green skin glisten. His plastron flexed with each breath and he shifted his legs here and there, his ratty work-out shorts barely giving him enough coverage to keep his modesty. Casey would be lying to himself if he couldn't admit his eyes weren't drawn to the thick bulge between his best friend's thighs but he forced himself to walk over towards the turtle slowly, consoling himself with the fact that he got to see... everything else.

"Want me to spot you?" he asked playfully as Raph let the bar down again.

The turtle looked over at him with the slightest of strain across his face before he pushed the bar back up slowly.

"Dude, you couldn't even hold half this weight. Just stand over there and watch if you're so interested." He flashed a grin over in Casey's direction as he continued his reps one by one.

Casey nodded at him, "Hey, no complaints here."

Raph grinned at him, "No? None?"

He snorted, "What can I say? It's impressive as hell how strong you guys are. From a guy who takes his weightlifting pretty seriously, it's amazing."

"Casey Jones, calling me amazing," Raph grunted as he did five more reps in quick succession, "Could get used 'ta that. Maybe I should have you watch me workout more often. Could be my little cheerleader."

Casey chuckled, "Uh-huh, and maybe I could also feed you pudding after I knock your teeth out."

Raph grunted and did a rapid series of ten more reps before he finally brought the bar back onto the hold with a grunt, sitting up and panting heavily as he grasped his water bottle and gulped down what was left with a squeeze. Not that Casey was watching the bottle. He was too busy watching Raph's throat pulse with every swallow.

With the sigh of relief, the big turtle leaned back against the bar, throwing his arms over each end and splaying his legs out wide as he let himself cool down.

"So. What's up? Mikey start dinner yet?"

"Hm? Oh uh, yeah, I think so." Casey shook his head as he looked up from Raph's expanding chest and continued, "But nah, uh, Donnie gave me a tentative go-ahead for you and me to do some scouting around the lair. He said I'm still not 100% but it's almost there."

Raph jumped up from the bench press and threw his arms out wide, "What?! Dude, why didn't ya fuckin' tell me sooner? Let's get the hell outta here!"

Casey grinned and nodded, "Hey, I didn't wanna interrupt your very important business. I know how much you care about impressin' the ladies with those killer looks you got."

The turtle rolled his eyes, "Because there's clearly so many ladies down here to impress. I ain't kiddin' man, let's go! Tired of being cooped up here for so long."

He walked over to his dresser and quickly pulled on his pants and weapons harness, grabbing his sais and slotting them against their holsters as he cocked his head towards the door.

"C'mon!"

Casey followed him out into the lair as he called out to Mikey.

"Yo, Mike! Case' and I are goin' scouting for a bit. Should be back in an hour or two. Don't start dinner without us!"

Mikey's voice floated in from the kitchen as the two of them headed towards the rear exit.

"You've got exactly two hours max, Raph! You know how Leo gets when you're late."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Raph grumbled as he rolled his eyes. He smacked the door release button on the wall, hearing the security locks whir to life as they prepped the door to open. As soon as the door locks retracted and the large metal plate slowly pulled away from the wall, a wave of damp, cool air rushed past them both.

Raph sighed deeply, like some bit of tension he'd been holding inside him was finally allowed out. He turned to Casey with a smile.

"Let's go."

"Man it feels good to be outta there finally. Thought I was gonna suffocate. Been way too fuckin' long."

Raph cracked his neck and tensed his shoulders before letting them fall as he leaned his shell backwards, letting it slide against the soft, padded seat.

The small rooftop alcove just near the edge of one of the taller, run-down hotel buildings near the lair had been their hideaway for a few years now, and they'd spent many nights drinking, and talking there. It was a perfect spot for relaxing from the insanity of both their lives. It even had a slight roof to protect them from rain and enough blankets and pillows to allow them to sleep in the warmer seasons.

Casey took his usual spot opposite Raph as they settled in for a bit, watching New York City breathe just beyond the edge of their building. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the lumpy pillow as the sounds of cars, horns, and life surrounded them.

"You really haven't been up here since last time?" Casey asked.

"Nah," Raph said, shifting in his seat slightly, "S'not the same without someone else here 'an plus we've all been lookin' after you anyway."

He paused for a moment.

"I mean, there wasn't any point really. You an' I are the only ones who even know this place is here. Our secret lair."

He chuckled lightly as Casey glanced over at him smirking.

"Y'already got a lair, man. But I get it. S'nice to have a place to yourself sometimes."

"Mmhm," he hummed before adding, "Better with you, though."

Casey smiled and glanced over at the big turtle before he sat up and crossed his legs, putting both hands on his knees and starting to fidget slightly.

Now's as good a time as any, I guess. Fuck this is gonna be so weird.

"Raph, I uh..."

He cleared his throat and glanced over, eye Raph for a moment before looking straight ahead.

"I got some shit I gotta say, man. S'important to me that I say it and I-I've been meaning to for a while now. Just got--fuckin' scared I guess."

Raph was staring right at him now, eyes wide and mouth open slightly. Then suddenly, he seemed to snap out of it and shook his head.

"Man, I... tch, can't believe this shit. I gotta talk to you too, 'Case. Been a long time comin'."

Casey stared back at his best friend and narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of what Raph had said. What were the odds that they both needed to confess stuff here and now. Maybe it was all coming to a head now.

He nodded slowly.

"Alright. You uh, wanna go first or whatever?"

Raph reached up and scratched the back of his neck as he let out a sigh.

"Fuck me. Sure, I guess." He looked at Casey, trying to decide how best to broach the subject that no one would ever want to broach.

"Alright look, I uh," He swallowed thickly, taking in a deep breath. "This shit ain't easy to talk about. Like, even with you man. You're my best friend but this is uh--I mean, it's fuckin' weird, alright? Try to... lemme just explain it to you before you freak the fuck out, okay?"

Casey nodded.

Raph grunted deep in his throat before sighing again, seeming defeated almost before he started.

"My brothers an' I... we love each other. We're a family. Splinter raised us as two things: a ninja clan for one, and that's most of what we've ever known. Training, fighting, over an' over an' over every single day. He knew that we needed to be ready to fight when the time came and we were old enough. But he also raised us to be a family. The four of us as brothers and he as our father. We all grew up knowing that an' being familiar with that an' lovin' one another."

He shifted slightly in his seat and glanced down at his feet.

"But when we started gettin' older... things progressed. Further. Further than just..."

"... family."

Casey's eyes were wide as he stared at Raph. The big turtle was staring at his feet, wiggling his toes slightly. He continued.

"I think you knew, right? Before now? That somethin' was up?" Raph asked quietly.

Casey answered softly, "I uh... yeah. I mean, I wasn't 100% sure but I think I saw you and, uh, Leo together. You'd just rescued me and brought me back to the lair. I-I thought it was a dream."

Raph gave a short laugh alongside a grimace as he nodded.

"Yeah. Shit man, I... I'm sorry you saw that."

Casey was quick to respond, "Wait so, uh, I mean, just to be clear: what like... what is it? This thing between you both?"

Raph shook his head.

"Between all four of us. We all... we love each other, Case'. I mean, we all have preferences and... shit man, this is like fuckin' so weird to talk about."

He cleared his throat and looked away, clenching his fingers together as he breathed heavily in and out several times. Then he continued.

"Case', I love them. Leo, Donnie, Mikey... I love them. And they love me back. S'fucked up from a human perspective, I know. But we're the only fuckin' things in the world like us. We're all we've got. We're all we've ever had."

Casey could tell Raph was beyond uncomfortable. He was trembling slightly, that wall of muscle twitching as he curled up into himself. Raph had pulled his legs close to his chest and perched his head on his knees.

Slowly, Casey moved closer to him and reached out, placing a hand on Raph's shoulder and rubbing softly back and forth. Raph tensed up at first but then seemed to relax a bit.

"This doesn't change a damn thing, Raph." Casey said softly as he rubbed his friend's shoulder. "I dunno how long it's been going on between the four of you, but I'm guessin' it was before I came into your lives, right?"

"Yeah." Raph grunted, voice thick with emotion and throat tight.

"Then nothin' is different now. Fuck Raph, I... you guys are basically my family too. Y'always have been. We've had each other's backs for years now and just 'cause you guys uh, like, take things further than brothers normally would I guess? Just because you love each other like that doesn't mean shit to me."

Casey could feel his throat clenching up now. It wasn't like him. He wasn't a crier. But this was Raph....

"Fuck it. Raph, you're still my brother. I still love you and I'll always be there. Nothin's gonna change that. Ever."

Raph's whole body seemed to relax. The tension dissipated and vanished into the night air. He looked over at Casey with cheeks stained and wet before he leaned over and grabbed him, wrapping the human in a bear hug that practically sucked the air out of his lungs.

Casey felt his eyes welling up as Raph squeezed him. He wrapped his arms around Raph's neck and squeezed back for a few seconds, letting the warmth of the turtle surround him like his dreams.

Guess it's my turn now.

"So uh." Casey started as Raph eased off of him slightly, still holding him close though. "I um, definitely should tell you now."

Raph leaned back, still holding Casey in front of him. Waiting.

"I might have like... a thing. For you."

Raph arched his brow slightly.

"As in, I'm gay dumbass. I like dudes. Though lately, just uh, not, uh, human ones? Think I might prefer mine a bit more, like, green. Ahah."

He cringed at the awkwardness but then found Raph's golden eyes staring right into his. He couldn't help but keep going.

"I... I told April a few years ago. Er, not that I liked turtles! Just that I wasn't into her, and that's why we split up. But I uh," he reached out slowly and placed a hand on the side of Raph's head, feeling the almost soft scales that lined it, "I definitely have been thinking about you. About me and you. And I-I've got no idea if you feel anything like that towards me. 'Specially with you and your brothers--"

Raph's whole body rumbled and thrumbed beside him, a powerful but gentle sound like a cat's purr that radiated outwards and reverberated inside Casey. Raph leaned down and placed his forehead against Casey's as the humming continued unabated. The noise around them seemed deadened and Casey found himself feeling and focusing only on Raph as they tilted their heads, warm breath washing over both their faces.

"Case'... you got no idea how long I been waitin' to hear you say that."

Casey looked up at the mutant turtle, his best friend. His golden eyes were shimmering and the smile playing at the edges of his mouth was one he'd never seen directed at him before.

"Well. Good." Casey said, unsure of exactly what he was doing but seemingly okay with what was happening. He grinned up at Raph and just stared at him, "Don't think I could've kept it to myself much longer. And... I've been meanin' to do this for awhile too."

Slowly, he tilted his head and leaned forward to close the gap, finding Raph's mouth and pressing his lips softly against it. Raph shuddered slightly and wrapped his arms around Casey tightly, pulling them closer, both craving that feeling of their lips against each others more than anything in the world, which at that moment, existed only for them.

Casey moaned softly into the kiss, running his fingers over the scales at the back of Raph's head as he pulled him closer. The turtle's slight muzzle was bigger, wider than his mouth and along with it came larger lips and then--

"Mmph..."

Raph groaned slightly as he swiped his large, thick tongue across Casey's lips, wetting them to taste the human's skin. He swiped it over them again before Casey opened his mouth and thrust his own tongue alongside Raph's, the wet muscles sliding over and battling against each other, getting a feel for how different they both were.

Raph slid his large tongue into Casey's open mouth, eager to feel his warmth as he easily and quickly filled up the human's much smaller maw. He tasted wonderful but for the turtle, it was Casey's scent that was quickly filling his nostrils. Casey smelled of male, of sweat, of a growing heat that was building quickly between them. Most human smells weren't appealing to him at all but Casey... was different.

And to the human, Raph's scent was quickly filling his lungs as he breathed deeply through his nose, flicking his tongue around the turtle's in his mouth. His friend smelled musky, manly, but mossy and earthy at the same time. It wasn't off putting at all, just different--enticing and fresh the more he breathed it in. It was a scent he never wanted to be far from again.

The two kissed a while longer, Raph finally relinquishing his tongue and giving Casey one last playful swipe across his nose before he sat back a few inches, looking his best friend up and down with a growing green blush under his scaly skin.

Casey breathing deeply, staring up at Raph in stunned shock now that they'd separated.

"Y-yeah. Definitely wanted to do that for a while. Kinda wanna do it again, if I'm honest."

Raph chuckled and leaned back on his shell, putting his hands behind his head and letting out a pent of breath of air.

"Ahhh... Casey Jones, kissin' me under the moonlight." He glanced over at Casey and smirked, "The guys'll be able to smell me on you, you know. Your puny nose sucks compared to ours. If you could only tell the scents we give off... hoo boy, you'd have known what my brothers and I were up to years ago."

Casey's eyes went wide and he shook his head, "Wait, really? I knew you guys could smell better but is it that obvious? And... could you smell me before? As in, like, smell me uh... you know."

Raph turned to Casey with a knowing look, "I wasn't sure you had the hots for me exactly, but uh, yeah. We could all smell your, uh, pent up feelings every now and then. We'd just assumed it was for April or somethin', least before you split."

"Huh." Casey said, sliding over next to Raph and leaning his head on the turtle's massive shoulder. He brought his hand up to slide it over the thick plastron as Raph's breath slowly went in and out, feeling the hardened armor move up and down slightly.

"Well... guess if it's gonna be that obvious, might as well not hide it. You sure they'll be okay with everything?"

"Aha, yeah. They'll be just fine. Already made sure of that." Raph said with a glance down at Casey as he pulled his arm around him slowly, almost cradling his body next to his own.

Casey smiled as the sounds of the city swirled around them.

Raph likes me. That's wild as fuck.

Both of them closed their eyes for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of being closer than they'd ever allowed themselves to be before.

And then Raph's t-phone pinged lightly, followed by Mikey's voice breaking the ambiance.

"Yoo! Guys, dinner's almost ready! Get your asses back here before I send Leo up there to find you."

Raph groaned as he rocked back and then forward, swinging his body upward in one smooth motion while grabbing Casey lightly and pulling him up with him.

"Ready to go back?"

Casey gazed up into Raph's golden eyes and saw them shimmering down at him. He reached down and intertwined his five fingers with Raph's three and nodded.

"Lead the way."