"Leo, can I tell you something?"
The turtle leader held his youngest brother on his lap, sitting part way up in bed. It was another session of cuddling after an hour or so of slow, relaxing lovemaking. A perfect end to their day, and the sort of evening activity the pair had gotten quite used to.
Leo stroked Mikey's hips, nuzzled against the back of his neck. "Of course. You can tell me anything, Mikey. You know that."
Mikey smiled, bending his neck to one side encouragingly. Leo's nuzzles always felt so nice. Despite the warm, familiar feeling of the older's attentions, though, Mikey could feel himself begin to blush. There was something on his mind. Something big.
Something that could bring a change to the relationship he and Leonardo shared.
"I know... I'm just..." Mikey frowned, pausing to carefully think over his words. "I just don't want you to get mad at me. Or you know... jealous or something."
Leo sat a bit more upright at that. Jealous? They'd been in an exclusive relationship for quite some time now... ever since that special night three years ago when the enamoured pair had first confessed their more-than-brotherly feelings for one another. Could it possibly be...? No. Mikey would never cheat on him with one of the others. Or anyone... would he?
"Mikey. I ask only your honesty," the older turtle soothed, turning his much smaller partner easily in his lap so that they could meet eye to eye. "What's bothering you. Tell me."
It was a bit more of a command, and galvanized the nervous younger turtle to finally speak. Haltingly, his nervousness more than obvious, but the confession came nonetheless.
"I um. I kinda... did. Something. With someone else."
The words stung, bit into Leo hard, like the teeth of some giant monster. A punch, hard and fast, straight to the heart of him.
"Someone else," the leader repeated back, no emotion at all showing in his tone. "Who?"
Fingertips pressed together in a nervous gesture, Mikey gulped, feeling his cheeks flush even more.
"Um. Well," he began, willing himself to meet his lover's eyes again. "Y- you."
Leo's eye ridges lifted, his mouth quirked upward at one corner, confusion making itself known on his usually stoic face.
"Me? You... you cheated on me... with me?"
The turtle leader almost laughed at that. Of all the odd pranks Mike had pulled over the years. This, this was a new one. Of course, the family of mutants were no strangers, by now, to the concept of interdimensional copies of themselves. Still, this new case could do with some explaining.
"Mikey... How exactly is that possible?"
Something in Leo's tone gave his younger counterpart to know he had nothing to fear. There was not so much as a hint of anger, and the accompanying smile let Leo's amusement be known as well.
Mikey shifted, wiggling out of Leo's arms to turn and face him. Crawling onto his knees, the last of the blush almost faded away, the younger turtle began.
"Well... remember a few weeks ago, when I was in Donnie's lab, and there was that big flash of red light that he couldn't exactly explain?"
Leo nodded, remembering it well. There'd been sort of a whirring noise, and then a loud 'pop', the lair filling with red light that emanated from the genius's laboratory. It was sort of frightening, especially since the lair had been perfectly quiet that day otherwise.
"I do remember it. Don seemed to go on about his business like nothing ever happened, though." Leo recalled.
"Well yeah. That's cuz he didn't even realize I had been gone!" Mikey beamed.
"Gone?" The elder turtle reached up, stroking Mikey's cheek gently, looking into his eyes. "Mikey what on earth are you talking about? Did - Did that new project of Donnie's send you somewhere? His latest dimensional..."
"Dimensional transgoogleifier," Mikey giggled, nodding. "Or whatever. Yeah, for real, though! It sent me back in time or, into the future or... oh I don't know. Sideways in time-space. I have no idea! All I know is this," Mikey explained, wide-eyed. "I went to some other place, and I met some other version of you."
Leo shifted, gathering his long legs under himself and moving into lotus position, his favorite way to sit when Mikey got telling one of his odd stories. There'd been enough of them that Leo knew by now just how to get comfortable - but this one; this was sure to be one to remember.
"Tell me everything."
"Okay," Mikey bubbled. "Away we go!"
It was dark. Like, crazy dark, right? I was flat on my shell, and man did I feel like I had an elephant sitting on me. I'm talkin' a really well fed jumbo sized Dumbo!
I started to sit up, but it was really hard to do. I kinda had to roll a little bit, like I was a normal turtle that got turned upside-down. It was the weirdest feeling in the world, and I didn't know what the shell was going on til I finally got my eyes open enough to look around. And oh man... once I saw what was holding me down like that, I started freaking out!
There were like, five, or maybe more like, eight of them - Foot guys! I was like, oh crap, son! Where did these guys come from? Did I miss the memo about being invited to Shred-head's birthday party or somethin? And where are my bros?
I started looking around for you guys, and that's when I figured out I was stuck in a net. Wrapped up all neat and oh-so-pretty. Couldn't even reach my chucks! My head hurt, and the worst part was, no sign of you. Cuz man when the goin gets tough, I need my biggest bro! And this goin was like, super tough, at the moment.
So anyways that's when I saw him! The other Leo! Dude just like, landed on one of the foot guys, right? Splat! Knocked him out cold just by taking him by surprise. One minute it's pokey sharp blade through the fishnet and into Mikey's face, and the next minute it's lights out beddy bye nighty night time. Just like THAT!
I thought I was trippin' out, I mean... I was so sure it was you, Leo! Except this dude was like, HUGE! I'm talkin muscles like Ahh-nold, and a shell that looked like all four of us could sit in it and paddle it down the east river! It was like... like you and Godzilla made a seriously good-lookin baby and then fed it steroids in it's morning bottle of ooze.
So there I was, all netted up, couldn't do anything but just watch this dude in action. Bam! Boom! Whack! Punch by punch, kick by kick, blow by blow, and all swift and silent but deadly type ninja action. Man you woulda been PROUD of you, bro! He took out every last one of those dudes just as quick as you could say marshmallow and anchovie pizza!
Then, once every last one of the Feet were done up in ribbons and waiting for Santa Claus, he came over to me. Big old hulkin' Other Leo. He bent down, and in this friendly but kinda like, husky voice, he goes, "Hey, are you okay?" And I'm like "Uh..." Heh, you know. I always have a way with words.
I wanted to ask just who the shell he was and why he was goin around town dressed up like my big bro! But then I looked into his eyes - they were blue, like mine, but more like ICE COLD blue. Like blue steel! But better than Ben Stiller could ever do it, know what I'm sayin? Anyways, one look told me that he was just as confused as I was. I guess I wasn't quite who he thought he was rescuing... He still picked me up and held me in his giganto-huge arms though. It was pretty sweet!
So he jumps, then, right? Right up off the ground, like a turtle-shaped rocket! One minute we're up on the roof of the C.H.U. building surrounded by sleepy Foot guys, and the next minute we're all tucked away and in the shadows, snuggly-safe, and he's getting the stupid net off me. I guess we were on top of some other building, but a lower one. And there was one of those storage shed things, like you sometimes hide us in. Dude totally had your moves, bro!
Anyways, so he goes, "You look like Michaelangelo!" And I'm thinkin well duh. Psh. Like, who else am I gonna look like? But at the same time, I'm thinkin well. This guy looks like Leo! So I said it to him. "You look like Leo!" and he's like "Well I am." Total mind freak right?
I stood up, got the net the rest of the way off. I'm totally not about playing the damsel in distress or anything. Not that I wasn't fully grateful for this guy's help and all. So I explained that I've got this genius bro who sometimes messes with dimensional thingies, and that I just may have possibly dropped a slice of delicious pepperoni onto a wire or somethin. You know. Like a turtle do. Turns out, this alter-Leo's got an alter DONNIE, too! AND one of me! And another Raph, too! I mean, get outta town, right?
So of course, it wasn't very long before this dude says he's gotta go, get back to his bros and all. We never did quite work out how it is that these guys exist, or rather, how they exist and WE exist, both at the same time. But I guess this isn't the first time some weird dimension stuff has happened to us, right?
Anyways, I guess I should get to the important part. And this is the part where it gets a little bit embarrassing. Don't freak out on me, okay?
So you know how I like to say thanks for a good helping hand, right? And this guy had seriously NICE lips. I'm talking mega tasty like yours but like, BIG. Like the rest of him. So I laid one on him, I couldn't help myself!
At first he started to pull back, but I put my arms around his neck. I could barely reach his elbow, if he was standing up, so I guess it's a good thing he was kinda crouched down. As big as he was, he kinda melted when I kissed him. It was nice. Sweet and soft, but like he really meant it. He SO knew what he was doing, once he started to give back. Perfect. Just like you, Leo. Because he was you.
It went on for a while, and um. Well, I started to get kinda randy, you know? Something about how large and in charge this Leo was, really got me going. When he pulled back - and I mean, it was after a long while - I looked at him and I'm like, "I really want to make sure you know how much I appreciate you saving my life." And I kinda winked at him. You know, like how I do when I want it.
But he sorta looks at me, then, like, concerned and stuff. Kinda how you're looking at me right now, Leo. And he goes, "I'm sorry, Little One." He called me 'Little One,' can you believe that? It was kinda cute. But I'm like, "Why are you sorry?" That's when he says I'm TOO little!
"Too little?" I said. "I'm eighteen years old! I'm plenty old enough! And besides, I love me some older guys."
Which isn't something I'd say to just anybody, but it just felt... you know... right! Because he was YOU, bro. In every way. I felt so safe with him, so protected. Just the way you always make me feel.
He meant I was actually too small. Like... well. Like he was afraid he might hurt me if we... you know. Did the tango. The horizontal hokey-pokey. Brought it around town. You get the idea.
Anyways. My little fantasy was kinda cut short, then, cuz that's when I guess Don found the pepperoni I dropped and fixed that wire. Cuz just like that - BANG! I was right back here in the lair...
...
"And you didn't tell me about this until now, because...?" Leo questioned.
His eyes were narrowed; the slight bit of hurt he felt at the thought of Mikey betraying him, even with his own dimensional doppleganger, was just a little too much to stay poker faced about.
"Well," Mikey squeaked, pressing his fingers together again, eyes cast downward. "I didn't want you to... to be mad at me. To make that face!"
The younger turtle had caught sight of Leo's expression, a knot of guilt forming in the pit of his stomach. What had he done? How could he undo it?
"Aw, Leo... I'm sorry!" Mikey wheedled, "But! We didn't actually DO anything! It was just a little kiss, and then he turned me down and - and!"
"Show me." Leo rumbled, his coal black eyes narrowing even further as they stared into Mikey's own ocean blue orbs.
"Show you?"
"Show me. How you kissed... me. Make me feel how sorry you are too, while you're at it."
Leo's lip curled up at one corner. It was just a dimensional adventure, one that, more than likely, would never be repeated. And he knew one thing with absolute certainty. Two, actually.
That Mikey could never, ever, honestly mean to betray him.
And that he could never stay mad at Mikey. Too damn cute when he pouted in the fetching little way he was right now.
"And maybe if you really show me well... you and I can pick up where you and I left off."
THE END
