Mikey was grateful that Donny and Tello had managed to get the garage working. They were able to take the Battle-Shell to the junk yard which meant that they would be able to get more stuff and not have to carry it all back.
They were able to find two extra mattresses, four end tables, three lamps, three old laptops, some old Christmas lights, and a front porch swing. Mikey insisted that they take the front porch swing, though no one else really wanted to. Mikey had a few plans for the old, beat up wooden swing.
He placed a few other seemingly random items into the trailer that was hitched to the Battel-Shell. Donatello eyed him suspiciously but didn’t say anything. The genius turtle was too busy gathering all of the computer parts he could find.
As they continued their search, Mikey made it a point to talk to the girls as often as possible. Even more importantly, he made it a point to help Michelle. He liked her, a lot. She was everything he had ever wanted in a girl. She was upbeat and funny, doing all that she could to bring a smile to her sisters’ faces, and green with a nicely shaped carapace that he was sure would fit perfectly against his plastron.
He caught himself staring at her a few times, imagining what it would be like to rub up against her. His tail was so stiff that he couldn’t tuck it. But he wasn’t the only one whose tail was down. Leo and Tello’s tails were also on display.
He liked the others. They were all cute in their own ways but Michelle was the one he really wanted. He had to make sure his brothers knew that, if it wasn’t already obvious to them.
When they got back to the lair Mikey moved his haul to the other end of the tunnel, away from the garage. He had some big plans. He was sure that he had all that he needed.
As he made his way back up on the platform, Mikey noticed that the door to Raph’s special room was wide open. It had been years since Mikey had seen the inside of that room. He crept up to the open door to take a peek inside. Sadly the room was empty.
“I moved it all into a room down in the tunnels.”
Raph’s voice had Mikey turning around. “I would have stayed to help you.”
“You know as well as I do that you wouldn’t have passed up the chance to spend time with the girls.” Raph shook his head and smiled. “And I don’t want anyone touching my things. Especially you.”
“Hey now. I have a collection of my own, you know,” Mikey argued. “I would have treated your collection with the upmost respect.”
“Maybe,” Raph said with a shrug. “But you would have been making some kind of comment about everything the whole time.”
“If you’re implying that I would have been making fun of you…,” Mikey started but Raph cut him off.
“You would have.”
“Maybe a little,” Mikey grinned and then patted Raph on the back. “Let’s get to work getting this room set up for the girls. We managed to find a lot of great stuff.”
Since the rooms were originally intended to be stores in the subway station, they were already well lit and ornate. So they weren’t drab in any way but they still needed some furniture. Leah and Donna decided to room together leaving Rachael and Michelle to take the other. Much to Mikey’s delight, the boys had decided to help their counterparts move into their rooms. It gave him more time to talk to Michelle.
They shared a few laughs and he got to know more about her. Like how she likes comic books and video games. Could she be more perfect?
Though Raph and Rachael spoke to each other, it was clear that they were not interested in one another. They kept their discussion on workout regimens and sports.
The more he heard her speak the more Mikey noticed how flat and gruff Rachael’s way of speaking was compared to Michelle’s. Rachael was a girl who kept her emotions to herself. He was sure that, like Raph, she would be quick to show anger but also had subtle ways to show affection. She was okay but not someone Mikey wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Between the items they had collected from Tello’s lair and the junk yard they were able to put together two well furnished rooms. They didn’t have bed frames but there were at least mattresses, pillows, and some sheets to cover them. They put down a few rugs to add some color and finished them off with desks, tables, and lamps. They weren’t too bad.
In time, as more things were collected, the rooms will reflect the personalities of the girls living in them. Mikey, however, believed that the current arrangement wasn’t going to last long. He gave it a few months, at the most. He was going to be sharing a room with Michelle in no time.
The girls said goodnight to the boys and to their mother before retiring to their rooms. It had been a long day for them and they needed the time to be able to process it all. It was all going to feel like a dream to them in the morning and it was going to hit them hard.
Mikey remembered what Donny had said about the grieving process. It’s something they’ve had to deal with a lot lately. The girls were still in the beginning stages. It was fortunate that they didn’t have any human friends on their world. Maybe it will help them through the grieving process faster.
As Tello and Raph started heading into their room, Mikey grabbed them and led them to the room he shared with Leo.
“What the hell?” Raph gripped as he was dragged along.
“We need to talk,” Mikey said, shoving them into the room and shutting the door. “About the girls.”
“Really?” Leo rolled his eyes as he flopped down on the bed. “You want to do that now? It’s been a long day. Aren’t you tired?”
“How can I be tired when there are girls in the lair?” Mikey said, sitting on the floor. “Their scent is still driving me crazy. I’m going to have to knock one out before I’m going to be able to sleep. Do you think we will all end up with our counterparts?”
“No,” the others answered in unison. Their unified and definite response surprised Mikey. The others seemed equally as surprised as they looked at one another.
Tello squinted his eyes a little bit at looked at Mikey. “When you say, ‘knock one out’…?”
“Masturbate,” Mikey clarified.
“Okay,” Tello nodded, looking a little uncomfortable.
“It’s too soon to make any decisions,” Leo said, changing the subject. “We barely know them.”
“Okay. Okay. But, just so we are clear,” Mikey stated, looking at each of them, “I want Michelle.”
“We could tell,” Tello replied. “You were painfully obvious today. And, believe me, I know what painfully obvious looks like.” He looked Mikey in the eyes. “A little bit of advice; don’t push yourself on her too hard. It might end up pushing her in the arms of another.”
“But,” Mikey argued. “You guys know I want her so you won’t go after her. Right? I know we are new to this but there’s some kind of bro code when it comes to this stuff.”
“I ain’t gonna go after her,” Raph replied. “But I’m not gonna ignore her or be rude to her either. I’m gonna treat her normal. I’m sure the others are going to as well. We can’t control who she or any of her sisters fall for.”
Mikey stood up and glared at Raph. “You want her don’t you.”
Raph simply shook his head. “No. I have no interest in her. Not my type.”
“Perfect’s not your type?” Mikey asked in disbelief.
“I don’t like twigs,” Raph replied as a matter of fact and then smirked. “I’d rip her in half trying to fuck her.”
Mikey put his hands on his head. “I don’t want that mental image.”
Shaking his head, Tello sat down and mumbled, “I am not used to the foul language or how open you are when it comes to... sex.”
“You’ll get used to it eventually.” Leo chuckled from his position on the bed. “Michelle is perfect for you, Mikey. You should be happy Raph doesn’t see her as ‘perfect’. It would be bad if any of us decided that we wanted the same girl.”
“You’re right,” Mikey plopped back down on the ground. “Because, if you or Raph went after Michelle, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“That’s not true,” Leo said, sitting up to look directly at Mikey. “Why would you say that?”
“Let’s face it, you and Raph are the alphas,” Tello said, following Mikey’s reasoning. “You two will have your pick of the group.”
“Really?” Raph interjected. “You think I’ll have first pick? Looking like this? I’m disfigured. I can’t give them children. I’m a fucking hot head and bound to snap at each of them eventually.” He turned to Mikey. “You’re upbeat and outgoing. On top of that you still have your looks with just enough scars to be interesting. Play your cards right and you’ll have the girls swooning all over you.”
“Tello has sympathy points,” Mikey pointed out. “And you are the bad boy. Girls go for that. They see the two of you as a challenge. They will be all over the two of you.”
“Will you listen to yourselves?” Leo interrupted. “Are you three seriously arguing over who is on the bottom here?”
“I guess we are all worried about being the one who is settled for,” Tello replied. “Or possibly having to settle. I don’t even know if I’m ready. I’m emotionally unstable and I’m still grieving for my family. I don’t think I’m fully over April or that I could go through that kind of heartbreak again. I’m terrified. It’s why avoided them when we were at the junk yard. I don’t want to have a crush on one of them.”
As Tello rambled he looked like he was about ready to cry. Raph walked over and placed and comforting hand on Tello’s shoulder.
“They noticed,” Leo said softly. “At one point or another they came up to me to ask if you were okay. I told them that you were still grieving. I think they fully understand that you are in a fragile state right now.”
“They are going to go all motherly on you, dude,” Mikey said. “One or more of them is bound to fall for you in the process.”
“We all need to slow down and take our time with this,” Leo said as a matter of fact. “Don’t rush into anything. We don’t want there to be any… awkwardness.”
“I agree,” Raph said, nodding his head. “We gotta get to know them before we make our decisions. Maybe we can sort of date them, hang out or something.”
“I call bullshit,” Mikey scoffed. “Don’t sit there and try and tell me that you don’t have your eyes set on one of the girls.” He pointed at Raph and smiled. “We all know how you feel about Don. If Don had never built his portal thing, you would have eventually accepted his and Leatherhead’s offer to join them. You’ve got a chance at a female version of him now. Or are the thunder thighs a deal breaker for you.”
Raph’s hand shot out and smacked Mikey, sending him sprawling on the floor. Rubbing his sore cheek, Mikey looked up at his seething brother. “I guess that answers that question. A little hypocritical though, don’t you think?” Raph’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t say anything so Mikey continued. “You called Michelle a twig, like, two minutes ago. You don’t think that hearing that didn’t make me mad?”
“You’re right,” Raph mumbled. “I’m sorry.”
“We should all make sure that we don’t make comment on the girls’ bodies,” Leo stated. “From the little I understand about women, that is a huge no no.”
Tello turned his attention to Leo. “Is there one that’s caught your eye?”
“I don’t know,” Leo admitted, lying back down. “It seems that I have only Leah and Rachael to choose from.”
Tello sank to the floor. “You’re gonna choose Leah and I’m gonna be stuck with Rachael. Don’t get me wrong, she’s pretty and all but she is going to own me.”
Raph let out a hearty laugh. “She does strike me as the dominating type.”
“She’d be perfect for you, Leo,” Mikey said joining in the laughter. The next thing he knew there was a pillow in his face. His brothers seemed to delight in hitting him.
When the pillow fell from his face to the floor Mikey could see Leo sitting up in the bed, glaring at him. “I told you those things in confidence.” Despite the anger in Leo’s voice Mikey couldn’t help but continue to laugh.
“So I guess that leaves Leah for me,” Tello said. “Or… more to the point, Leah is going to be stuck with me.”
“Don’t go back down that road,” Leo said, throwing the other pillow at Tello. “Besides, like I said before, it’s too early to make any decisions. We could all change our minds in a few weeks.”
“There is another problem for you guys,” Mikey pointed out, getting his bothers’ attention. “What if their tastes are like yours? There is gonna be no problem for me because that would mean that Michelle likes me too. It’s going to be complicated for you guys if Leah wants Raph, Donna wants Leo, and Rachael wants Tello.”
“That would be awful,” Tello replied. “Someone’s going to end up with their feelings hurt.”
“There is a good chance that there will be tears,” Raph agreed.
“No one do anything that you will regret,” Leo said. “Keep your hands to yourself and your dicks in your tails. Eventually it will all work out.”
