Chapter Text
A lot of things could bring happiness, even the simplest of them. For some people it takes time to achieve them, but for the young Leonardo, it arrived in the best way possible and how he never would’ve expected. In the form of another turtle, tall and somewhat thin. Trending a purple mask and beautiful reddish eyes. And when that turtle agreed to go out on a date with him, he didn’t know if to celebrate or scream his lungs out in joy. It was what he always wanted.
It was hard for Leo to take it all in, his attempts to win Donnie’s heart had many twists, turns and difficulties... But finally, he started to notice how his efforts were starting to give results. For now, he was accepted by that same turtle, who wouldn’t easily accept anyone into his life... But now, Leo was able to ask Donatello on a date, which would give a step further into many new important things in their lives.
Raph was sitting on the couch with a face that clearly stated irritation while his older brother talked nonstop about his achievement with Donnie.
With a big smile on this face, full of fascination and a light blush, Leonardo pointed out every detail of his successful night. “If you would’ve been there, Raph... You would’ve seen how beautiful Donnie was while we saw the fireworks.” He said with such joy. “I couldn’t take it anymore... I simply thought it was the right moment to tell him how I truly felt.” He slowly took a seat, right next to his brother. “I never would’ve thought to have gotten this far."
Raphael was a little startled on how his brother was so overjoyed with his date, “Is it going to be like this from now on? You haven’t stopped talking about him for about an hour…”
A slight frown formed on the older’s lips, letting out a little sigh he said, “I can’t help it, Raphael.” He scratched the back of his head, “You know how I am. This is a really big deal... Donatello’s amazing.”
Raph rolled his eyes at his brother’s statement and sighed, “Yeah I know, just don’t scare him off with that, later.”
He blushed at his brother’s words, he knew very well that he was referencing the times he would watch Donatello back at the cafeteria... while hiding. “I won’t go to those measures... At least not this time…” After that, he stood up, “Better yet, I have to think of what activities we can do on our next date.” He thought a bit more, when he turned his attention back on his brother, “Now that I think of it, you should also bring up the courage to admit your feelings or at least confess yourself.” He said while lifting an eye ridge. “It’s very obvious that Mikey is someone very special to you.” He looked away with a smirk.
“Hey, don’t drag me into this!” He stood up in defense. “You know very well Mikey and I are only friends. I don’t see him as something more than that, with all due respect. Besides if I liked him, don’t you think I would’ve already done something to gain his love?”
Leo could only roll his eyes with a smile. “Your pride won’t even let you confess your true feelings, Raphael.” He said with a sigh while crossing his arms. “Since you’ve met Mikey, you invite him nonstop to spend some time with you.”
“I like spending time with him, what’s wrong with that?” He asked with a shrug. “With Casey it’s always sports and Hockey games. With Slash, it’s only looking for trouble. It doesn’t bother me, it’s just that sometimes I want a calm friendship with someone who can listen.”
With hearing that, his brother smirked. “You seriously need someone who can hear you out and help you control that temper of yours.” He said as a joke to Raph. “Michelangelo is the best candidate for that.” He said before he felt himself grow tired. It had been a rather busy day.
Raph was feeling quite tired, as well. He stretched a bit with a moan and looked over to Leo. “Tomorrow it’s back to teaching again... Don’t you think we can take a break from that?”
“I think it’s a good idea to take a day off, but... Dad needs a lot of help with the Academy.” He sighed in light frustration. “He’s of age and the last thing I want, is him stressing out over us or the dojo...”
“I know, but we’ve been busy with the dojo ever since it opened. I think we deserve at least a week off. Dad will understand.” He looked over to his brother with determination.
“Fine, fine…” The older thought it over for a few minutes. “We can think of a vacation for us and for the students.” He said with a smile. “Heh... We can even go on a trip. It’s been a while since we’ve gone to the beach.”
“Wow, you already planned it all out.” Smiled Raph with a tease. “So it’s settled. We’ll let Dad know and we’re off for some vacations!”
“We can even invite Donnie! The beach would be perfect for a walk or... Or even proposing to him.” He said in exaggeration. “I can already imagine it…”
“Hey, you just confessed to him, calm down!” Said his brother, a bit frightened.
Leonardo couldn’t help but smile at the idea... He was very excited, to be precise. “You’ll see that everything will turn out fine... Tomorrow we’ll talk with our father about the trip. I’ll be heading to bed now.”
“Yeah it’s fine.” Raphael let out a long and loud yawn. “See you in the morning…”
In the morning it had been a success, when they spoke with their father over the vacation, they managed to get him to approve of it... Now all that’s left is to see if Donatello agrees on coming along with them.
Meanwhile in a school far from Leonardo and Raphael’s house, Donatello was finishing another class. He wiped the blackboard without any expressions and picked up his things, now that another day was over. “Another day done…” He said with a sigh. “I just want to go home.”
Leonardo, who was determined on inviting Donnie, was outside the building waiting for the purple banded turtle. He knew it would surprise him... But still, it would be quick. He just had to give him the invitation. “Easy, Leo... Once Donnie’s out, you’ll get close and tell him... Just don’t scare him, act natural...” He said to himself, quite nervous.
After what seemed like an eternity for the turtle in blue, Donatello came out from the building, tall and collected as always. But his gaze changed from serious, to surprised, when he saw Leo standing at the entrance. “Leonardo?” He asked while he walked close, “What a surprise to see you here.”
“Eh…Donatello, hi.” He greeted nervously, walking close to him as well, “I apologize for the unexpected visit. I want to speak with you about something and I thought the best way to do it is by coming.” He blushed.
He lift an eye ridge and looked at his new boyfriend curiously, “Oh really? Tell me what’s going on.”
Leo half smiled and started, “Well, this week we’re going to be off at the academy where I work at. My brother Raphael and I were thinking it would be a good idea to vacation at the beach... Maybe for 2 or 3 days.” He looked over to his mate calmly, he wanted to avoid looking too nervous for him, “Would you like to come? You know, I think it would be relaxing for the both of us...” He couldn’t help but bite his lip.
Donnie looked away, rubbing his chin at thinking about the offer, “I’m not sure, I still have classes this week.”
A small frown formed on Leonardo’s face, even though a part of him thought that this would most likely happen, “Well we’ll be leaving on Friday and we’re likely to be back by Sunday or Monday.” He said while scratching the back of his head, “So if you happen to be free by Friday, the offer’s still up.” He told him with a smile, “Don’t worry, I understand your situation, Don.”
Don noticed his expression and could tell that this meant a lot to him. He thought it over a little more and looked to him again, “Well…I can ask for permission at the office. I was planning on taking vacations, weeks ago.”
He smiled widely, he felt his heart beat faster by the second after receiving that "Yes" from the other, “That’s great! I’m glad that you’re able to come along.” He said with so much positivity, taking the other's hand in his, "You want me to take you home, today?" He asked, knowing he finished work today and that it was getting rather dark outside.
Donnie hadn’t noticed that it really was getting quite dark outside. He looked up for a second and turned back to the other, “I don’t see a problem if you want to come along with me.”
He smiled tenderly to the tallest, “It’s fine, and I wouldn’t want you to go alone if I’m here to accompany you.” He commented with a light blush as he walked next to the turtle with reddish eyes.
The walk was very calm. Donatello wasn’t the talkative type and he wore the same bored expression while his boyfriend looked to him in fascination. He felt nervous, every time he was near Don, his body shivered in nervousness... He wished to talk, but he feared that with the same nervous feeling he would say something stupid, but it was enough for him to just watch his boyfriend... Admiring him is something he enjoyed... Even if the tallest’ expression didn’t change much.
“I think we’re close to my apartment complex... It’s two blocks away.” Said Don without much emotion.
He looked up slightly, noticing the large buildings that were not too far. “You live at an apartment?” Leo asked curiously and quite fascinated. The tall buildings were very nice looking and they were pretty on the inside, from what they’ve told him. “For a second there, I thought you lived with your family.”
To that, Donatello responded instantly.
“No, I don’t live with them. I live alone in an apartment.”
Leo was a little shook up by the sudden outburst, he bit his lip and frowned, “Oh... alright, sorry if that was an uncomfortable question.” He said, slowly looking away.
Don noticed the apologetic tone in his voice, he let out a sigh and spoke once more, “Sorry for that. I didn’t mean to sound so aggressive…”
“N-no don’t apologize, Don.” Said Leo, while taking ahold of his partner’s arm, “I understand if the question wasn’t that appealing... I should be a little more careful with that.” He smiled to Don, to show he wasn’t upset or hurt by the sudden answer.
“I understand it was only curiosity, so I should learn how to respond properly. Let’s just leave it like that.” With that, Donnie looked over to him with his eyes shining with the light of the moon, which slowly, started to appear on the night sky.
Leo looked to him closely... He noticed how beautiful the night made him look, the moon’s beams reflected beautifully on his eyes... “Wow... Y-you’re really pretty...” He whispered without thinking, only to blush later on what he just said.
What was wrong with him?
“Err…I mean…”
Don blinked rapidly, his eyes widened a bit at what he just heard from Leo. “You really think that about me?”
His eyes were the size of the moon when he heard his lover’s question, he was so embarrassed. “Don... O-of course I do.” Ever so carefully he placed a hand on his cheek, caressing it gently with a smile to the other... How he wished to get rid of his nervous nature. “You’re very good looking... I’ve never seen anyone like that, before.” He admitted to him.
“No one’s ever said that to me... It’s all so new.” He turned to look somewhere else to hide his blush. All these things were just so new to him.
“Well I don’t understand why anyone hasn’t told you that.” Leo admitted once more. “Since the day I first saw you at that cafeteria... I was fascinated, Donnie.” He gently lowered his hand from his cheek, to his shoulder, “I’ll never forget that moment.”
And for the first time today, Donatello let out a smile, “I’ll never forget it either. It was the biggest scare of my life.” He said in a teasing tone.
He let out a light chuckle, feeling a little embarrassed by that... But still, it was a good memory, “Heh... Sorry if I was too weird, I was... I was too shy to get close.” Smiled Leo, while holding onto the hand of his beloved, “But the good thing of all this is... I could finally get to know you.”
“I’ll admit that at first I was kind of doubtful, but now that I’ve gotten to know you, you’re very sweet. You’re very nice and full of surprises.” Said Donnie, slowly resting a hand on Leo’s.
Leo blushed, truth to be told... Those were the things that were rarely said by the other turtle. “Well... someone like you deserves the best treatment.” He said in a sweet tone, looking at him, closer to him.
They enjoyed their company a little longer until the tallest recognized the apartment complex. “Here we are. So, we’ll plan out what’ll happen for the vacations?”
“Of course, I’ll send you a text. First I have to organize everything with Raphael, and I’ll let you know.” He said with a smirk, taking a peek at where his lover lived, “Alright... So... I should get going.”
“That’s fine. Thank you for walking me home. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” But before he entered his home, he turned and gave Leo a little kiss on the cheek. “See you later.”
“B-b… Bye.” He said without moving an inch. That kiss was totally unexpected, “Oh... My God...” He watched him enter his house, his blush raising like crazy. “He kissed me… He kissed me on his own!” He couldn’t help but celebrate and give a few skips while he walked back to his own house.
Raphael will definitely have a massive headache tonight…
The morning of the next day, Raphael was already having breakfast with his father at the table. Both of them eating quietly. The elder man ate calmly next to his youngest son, but with the corner of his eye he watched him, he noticed he wasn’t exactly himself this morning. “Is something bothering you, Raphael? I have seen you very thoughtful, lately.” His father commented.
Raph turned to him quickly leaving his cereal half eaten, he started to swirl the spoon around the bowl with a casual look. “It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about what we could do at the beach.”
“Ah, yes.” Said Yoshi, taking a sip of his tea. “I heard Leonardo mention that he will take his partner... Will you be doing the same?” He looked over to him, “Your friend Michelangelo... Maybe he could accompany you. He seems like a nice young man.”
Raphael thought it over a bit, he wanted to groan from irritation, but that would mean that his father would start questioning him on his situation with the younger. “I don’t know if he’d want to go. He has his studio and he could be busy.”
His father lift a brow at what he said, “You don’t lose anything by asking.” He said calmly, “You are always with him and you both seem very happy... You might enjoy the trip with his presence.”
His temperamental son knew he wouldn’t stop insisting at this rate, all he could do now was nod. “Let me call him and see if he wants to come, too.” He got up and walked to the living room so he could ask his friend if he was up to the idea to take a trip with them.
At being triumphant, the older man smirked and took another sip of his tea. “I know you very well, my son...” He said to himself in a whisper.
Michelangelo was just finished warming up for his next class, he took a hold of his phone when he heard it go off. “Raphael... What’s up, bro?” He greeted with much sweetness.
“Hey, Mikey.” He greeted from the other line, he smiled lightly at the sound of his enthusiastic voice. “I wanted to know, are you busy today or this week?”
Mikey checked his calendar nearby, smiling widely, “Well today and tomorrow I have it booked, but for the rest of the week I’m free. A lot of students cancelled due to summer vacations.” He said with his typical joy.
“I, see. I’m asking because Leo and I are planning on going on vacations to the beach. Donnie’s coming along and I wanted to know if you want to come, too.”
A big smiled formed on his lips when he heard Raph’s proposition, “That’d be awesome! Of course I’m up for it, Raph. I got some new surf boards that I wanna try out.”
The rebel laughed at hearing how excited Mikey was about the trip. “Ok, when you’re done we can start talking about how we’ll manage the trip and what day we leave. Sounds good?”
“Of course bro! I’ll send you a text once I’m done with my lessons.” He turned around, only to notice his students starting to come in. “I’m so glad you invited me. It’ll be awesome to go to the beach with you!”
“Yeah, it’d be a new experience for the both of us.” From the other line, he noticed the sound of his friend’s students, starting to get louder. “Alright I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll talk to you soon!”
“Oh that’s fine. I’ll talk to you later, Raph. Have a nice day.” With that, he finished the call. He wore a big smile on his face... That was also accompanied by a blush...
Raphael hung up after their talk and went back to his father, and now with his brother who was finishing his own breakfast. He took a seat next to Yoshi and spoke in a normal tone, “He said he does wanna come along with us.”
“See? And you didn’t want to call him to ask.” Said his father with a brow up, “Either way, he accepted.”
Leonardo let out light chuckles at hearing what his father said to his brother, “Must be because little Raphie was too nervous to ask him to come.”
With that, Raph looked at him with a scowl, “I think it’s better to talk to people I like, instead of scaring them because I spied on them from behind the bushes.”
The older twin let out a growl when he heard that remark. “Oh come on. At least I have the nerve to tell him what I truly feel.”
“Yeah! Months later!”
“You’re so thick skulled, Raphael! You’re too scared to admit how you really feel about Michelangelo!”
“Enough! The both of you!” Said their father, with his brows furrowed, “You both have your differences... Using them for an argument is not the right thing to do.”
Raphael looked up to him in anger, “He started it!”
“The both of you started it, Raphael... Leonardo for not controlling his words and you for being the one to raise his voice, first.” He remarked to both his sons, “You should both act like adults, you’re 26 years old, and you cannot act like little children.”
“Sorry, father.” Said Leo with a sigh, he lowered his gaze, every once in a while eyeing his brother with a scowl.
Raph growled at being scolded by his father once more. He sighed heavily while he nodded. “Yeah, dad...” He looked over to Leo and gave the same expression, in return.
With nothing more to say, Yoshi got up from his seat to head back to his room, but before he did he spoke once more, “An apology is what you both deserve from one another.” With that, he left them alone.
Leonardo wasn’t very up to the idea to apologize for his words. But knowing his father, it wouldn’t be a subject he’d just drop. He let out a deep sigh and turned to his brother... He didn’t like apologizing, but it was for the best. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those words…” He said with his teeth clenched.
His younger twin just stared at him with his arms crossed. He didn’t like the idea either, but his pride was more. “Whatever…” He said without looking at him, showing great anger.
Leo wanted to say more to his brother, to at least find out why he was so shut about showing his true feelings for others... But he knew he wouldn’t take it well and in the end, they’d wind up in another fight. “Here’s the information on the beach, so you can send it to Michelangelo.” He said before he left the table, leaving a sheet of paper with the name of the resort, the beach they’d go to, the activities, etc.
Raph took the sheet and read about the details. He nodded without a word, just to leave the whole thing behind. “Yeah, I’ll send it to him.” He said in a calmer tone. “You should send one to Donnie, too. So he can know what we’ll be doing.”
He gave him a serious look, before he went off to his room for the day, “... Yeah, I will.” With that said and done, Leonardo left for his room. Sometimes, he just really couldn’t understand Raphael.