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Braving it in the New World	By : EvaBrick Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 10091 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ninja Turtles, nor am I making any money from them. I'm just borrowing the boys for a while. I do own my original characters.

Chapter List
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Michelangelo gunned the engine of his new bike down the open walkway of the wide sewer pipe. This pipe was a big underground storm drain, and was lit with motion-detecting lights, so once he made his initial pass, he would have enough light to try the bike out properly. He wished he could just take it up to the street like a normal person but this would have to do. It wasn’t so bad, actually… the pipe ran for blocks so it was a good, long run.
He was really grateful to Don for helping him build a motorcycle. It had been years since he'd had one and it was nice to have his own wheels again. Raphael had appeared with a used one a month earlier and had refused to tell anyone where he'd gotten it. Mike suspected it was from Craigslist and that Raphael was deliberately being mysterious to annoy Leo.
Casey had a bike too. When things were slow in the cafe, Mike daydreamed about going cruising with them all the way to California. They'd camp at national parks and see all the great monuments and eat at cool roadside diners before winding up at an actual beach. Maybe they'd try surfing. It would never happen, of course, but it was nice to have a dream.
Far up ahead, one of the motion-detecting lights clicked on and Mike quickly brought the bike to a stop. It would be very very bad to get caught. He put his feet on the ground to steady the bike and wondered if he should turn around or wait and see who it was first. His right foot felt wet and he looked down to see that he'd parked over a yellow puddle. It looked like piss.
The bike idled. Up ahead, another light clicked on. Then another. Whatever it was, it was moving toward him fast. The smell from the puddle drifted up to his nose and Mike's heart stopped in his chest. He turned the bike around as fast as he could and took off like his life depended on it... because it did.
*
Back in the lair, Raphael was standing outside of Charlie and Don's. The turtles had decided that the married couple needed more space for the baby and the baby stuff... not to mention a little more privacy so they'd converted some old offices into a two-bedroom apartment with a sitting room and bathroom. The sitting room was a lot like Charlie's apartment. There was a little kitchen at one end and all her living room furniture was at the other.
“It's not that we don't love you guys,” Don had said, “but the great thing about Charlie's apartment is that we can just relax and enjoy the relationship... and there's breastfeeding to think of, and a crying baby at all hours of the night, and there's all of Charlie's stuff that we won't have room for in a single room. She's got a ton of antique books and her grandmother's dishes...”
Leo had laughed and thrown up his hands. “You had me at 'crying baby,'” he said. Raphael and Michelangelo had quickly agreed.
Raphael knocked on the apartment door. It was one of the original church doors and it came to a point at the top. It was near the sewer entrance, which couldn't be helped, and it was also right off the kitchen. The laundry closet was across the short hall. Beyond the kitchen, which was original to the church, was an large open space with couches, a big tv, bookshelves, lamps, and all of Splinter's houseplants. There were stained glass windows all around it. The turtles wanted to put a fireplace in the corner but they didn't think they could get a building permit since the church wasn't zoned as residential. April was looking into it. The area was surrounded by beautiful wooden walls and big pillars that held up the second floor.
The second floor wasn't anywhere near finished yet. The turtles had decided to get a finished space done for Charlie and the baby so they wouldn't be breathing in drywall dust. Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo all had rooms upstairs. Splinter had moved in with April. There was even more untouched space in the basement where the Sunday school had been.
The church had been sold for the value of the land, since it had been sitting empty for so long. The sellers were sure that the new buyers would be tearing it down and building condos, but to tear down something this big would have cost a fortune in New York, even if it was way out in Brooklyn. Still, it hadn't come cheap. Charlie had mortgaged the store to get the money for it and the turtles had worked day and night to bring it this far along. Most of the building materials had been salvaged from dumpsters, which had kept the cost down a lot... it was scary how much New Yorkers threw away.
Don opened the door and held a a finger up in a “shh” motion. He smelled like sex... again. “Charlie's sleeping,” he said in Japanese. “Come on in.”
Their apartment hall was a bit dark but they'd filled it with old salvaged art prints. There was a stained glass window in each bedroom though so they were bright and cheery. Don paused at the door of the master bedroom and the turtles glanced in. Charlie was out cold on the bed with her swollen feet propped up on a pillow. The room reeked of Charlie's arousal. Don shut the door quietly and led Raph to the baby's room at the end of the hall where he'd been assembling a crib. He shut that door too to keep the noise down for Charlie.
Raphael's eyes bugged out when he saw all the parts and screws.
Don sighed. “I know,” he said, still in Japanese. “Even I'm having a hard time with it. The instructions are shit.”
Raphael sat with him on the floor and looked at the instructions. He turned them around a few times. “Are these even fer the same crib?” He picked up a rail and checked the parts sticker.
Don shrugged. “Who knows? I can totally screw this thing together so it never comes apart but eventually we'll have to get it out of here and we'll never get it through the door.”
Raphael chuckled. “I never thought we'd have these kinda problems, bro.”
Don smiled. “Isn't it great?”
A hour later, they had the crib assembled. There were a few extra screws, but it was solid as a rock. They hauled the empty box out to the garbage and moved on to the change-table, which was much easier to put together.
“Ya don't have much pink stuff in here,” Raph said. He flopped down in the rocking chair and his shell thumped against the wood. “Y'know, fer a girl.”
“Charlie and I had a big talk about that,” Don said. “We don't want to be part of the 'princess culture' where everything is hyper-girly and Disney-themed. We've got some pink stuff, and yeah, we'll buy her dolls and pretty dresses but we're worried about body-image issues and gender-role stereotypes. We don't want her to grow up feeling like she's fat or feeling like some things are just for girls and it all starts with that princess culture stuff.”
“Wow,” Raph said, still in Japanese. “Dat's pretty progressive.”
Don chuckled and placed the change pad on the table. He wheeled the whole thing into the corner. “Yeah,” he said. “I didn't know I even had opinions about that stuff but I see some of the kids that come in the store and it's shocking how the boys love heroes and lego and the girls are hooked on Frozen. Even their clothes have different messages. The girls' shirts will say things about being pretty or a princess and the boys' shirts will say things about being cool or having adventures.”
Raphael frowned. He didn't like the idea of his niece being told she had to be pretty rather than cool. His niece would be cool.
“Besides,” Don continued, “what if the next baby is a boy? We'd have to buy everything new again if it was all pink?”
Raphael grinned. “Yer already planning more?”
Don sat on the fluffy rug and leaned against the crib. He shrugged and pictured Charlie's round belly. “We've talked about it. If she's up to it, yeah, we want more kids. She's an only child and I had three brothers.” He smiled warmly at Raphael. “I think I had the better deal.”
Raphael was so touched, he didn't know what to say. “Yeah, we love ya, too, Donnie.” He gave the purple turtle's shoulder an affectionate kick. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just looking around the room at all the baby stuff.
“I slept with Estrella,” Raphael said, suddenly. “Twice.”
Donatello reached out and shook his hand like a man. “Welcome to the club, Raph,” he said.
Raphael's eyes narrowed. Don hadn't been even slightly surprised. “You already knew,” he said.
Don looked a bit sheepish. “You haven't been up to your room since you got home,” he said. “I found an old bed frame and set it up for you since your mattress was still on the floor. There was dried cum on your sheets.”
“I could 'a just been jerking off,” Raphael said, indignantly. His cheeks flushed red.
Don raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. They'd spent most of their lives living in very close quarters. This was one of these things that they never talked about but all knew... the shower was the only place any of them ever jerked off because it was the only place with privacy.
“Alright, fine,” Raphael grumbled. He folded his big arms across his chest and sulked.
Don smiled and waited. Cheerful, old Donnie. He never seemed to fight with anyone. Raphael sighed and reminded himself that he wasn't talking to Leo. Leo would have given him a lecture but Don wasn't like that. Don wasn't judging.
Raphael uncrossed his arms and rocked in the chair. “It was fuckin' amazing,” he said. “It was like ya said it would be... she didn't laugh.” He shut his eyes for a moment. “I told her I love her.”
“Do you?” Don asked. “Or was it just the sex talking?”
Raphael shook his head. “You and Charlie have one of da great romances of the ages,” he said. “Yer fuckin' Romeo. I'm not like dat and neither is she but the thought of her bein' with someone else makes me sick. “I like it when she fights with me. I like it when she's all sweet and sexy with me. She's exactly what I'm attracted to... she's meetin' me on my level, y'know?” He opened his eyes and looked at his brother. “She will never, ever take my crap and I know it.”
“You've got a lot of personality,” Don said.
Raphael blew out a gust of air. “Don't I know it.”
“Did she say it back?”
Raphael shook his head. “I told her she didn't have to. She's worried about how a relationship with one of us could even work so I suggested she talk ta Charlie.”
Don nodded. “Good idea.”
“And there's Miguel, too,” Raphael went on. “I can't just be dating her alone... he's part of the deal and she won't love me unless I love him... I like him a lot. He's a good kid.”
It was Don's turn to let out a big breath. “That's a lot to take on... it's an instant family.”
“Yeah,” Raphael agreed. “But it's not like we're running out ta get married. We're just hangin', ya know?”
“I never thought we'd have these problems,” Donatello chuckled.
Raphael laughed too, then sighed. “I growled,” he said, quietly. “Like you told us about. I've never done dat in my life.”
Don gave him a knowing look. “It was good then?”
“I thought I was gonna die and I didn't even care.” Raphael put his hands behind his head and leaned back in the chair. “I didn't even know I liked some of the stuff I liked. It was like meetin' a whole other version of myself.”
“Go on...” Don said. He stopped himself and rephrased what he wanted to say. “I would have killed for someone to talk to about this stuff when it was new to me but you don't have to share things if it makes you uncomfortable... but just know what I won't judge you if you decide to talk to me.”
Raphael hesitated. “We ain't totally human, are we?” he said.
“No,” Don said, quietly. “We're not.”
Raphael sighed. “Estrella had ta pull me back ta myself. I got lost fer a minute.”
“The animal brain took over,” Don said.
Raphael nodded.
“Those female pheromones are some powerful stuff,” Don said. “Charlie smells so good now that she's pregnant. I can't get enough of her.” He gestured helplessly. “She's so big now that sex is too uncomfortable for her so I've been eating her out every chance I get.”
“I ate my own cum outta Estrella's pussy,” Raphael admitted. “The smell was so good... I couldn't help myself.”
“I'm glad it's not just me,” Don said quietly.
Raphael shook his head and covered his face with his hands. “I wanna fuck her outside on the grass,” he said. “I wanna smell the damp earth while we do it... and I can't tell her that... we're not in a long-term relationship like you... she's still getting ta know me and I'm damn lucky that she was okay with the friggin' tail.”
“We had sex on the muddy bank of the pond,” Donatello said. “I've never felt so fulfilled in my life. I was disgusted with myself after.... it felt too Animal Kingdom for me.”
“How did Charlie feel about it?” Raph asked.
“Honestly, she was turned on that I was so turned on. She talked me into doing it again a couple of days later and I felt less gross the second time, but still...”
Raphael shifted in his seat.
“Yeah, it's giving me a boner too,” Donatello muttered.
“This is the worst conversation we've ever had.”
“Yup.”
Raphael rocked in the chair. “Should we tell Leo and Mike?”
Don shook his head. “It might make them too nervous to even try sex.”
Raphael just nodded. He didn't tell Don that Mike had already had sex.
“Sexuality is complicated,” Don said. “I think normal humans deal with this stuff at a younger age but we couldn't because we were so alone.”
“We're late bloomers,” Raph agreed.
“We've spent our whole lives hiding and wishing we were human that I think maybe we've neglected to embrace ourselves for what we are... we're unique. There are only four of our species and we're all straight males. It would stand to reason that our turn-ons may be a little different than normal.”
“But what's normal?” Raphael said. “Even humans don't think they're normal.”
“Exactly.
Raphael thought for a moment. “We still ain't the weirdest guys in New York though. Not by a long shot.”
They both jumped when they heard Mike yelling in the kitchen. Raphael and Donatello looked at each other, then jumped to their feet and raced out of the apartment.
They skidded to a halt on the linoleum floor. Mike looked like he'd seen a ghost. He tore off the long strip of cloth he used to cover his feet when he went out. It was filthy. He shoved it in Don't face and said, “Smell that and tell me I’m not overreacting, bro.”
Don leaned in a bit and then jumped back like he’d been burned. His mouth hung open in shock. “What? No… no, it can’t be! Where did you find this?”
“In the water pipe, man. There was a puddle of piss. He’s probably lost,” Mike said.
“Who’s lost?” Raphael said.
Mike held out the rag.
“Is dat piss?” Raphael snapped. Then the smell hit his nose and he gagged. “Leo!” he ran for the dojo. “Leo! Get in here, quick!” A moment later, the blue turtle returned with Raphael from the far end of the church, still sweating from his workout. “Leo, we gotta small problem,” Don said.
Leonardo squinted suspiciously. “How small?”
“About seven-hundred pounds,” Mike moaned. He held the rag out and Leo’s jaw dropped.
Charlie walked in at that moment, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “What’s seven-hundred pounds?” she asked.
“Slash,” Leo groaned. “Mikey, where did you find this?”
“Water pipe. I think he saw me... I think he was coming for me.” Mike shuddered and sat down. He looked sick.
“Who’s Slash?” Charlie asked.
The turtles all looked uncomfortable and Don let out a gut-wrenching sigh. He turned to his wife and rubbed the back of his neck with a guilty look. “Charlie, honey, I er… I haven’t been completely honest about something. I just never thought it would ever come up again and…” he sighed and looked at his brothers for help. Mike elbowed him hard in the shell. “We’re not the only mutants,” Don finished quietly.
Charlie’s eyes bugged out. “What?”
“There have been a few others over the years,” Leo said. “They’re mostly dead.”
Charlie blinked for a moment, unsure what to say. Her ankles were throbbing so she sat down at the kitchen table with Mike. The other turtles looked nervously at each other and joined her.
“I assume you guys killed them,” she finally said.
“Pretty much, yeah,” Raphael mumbled.
“How many?” Charlie asked. Mike started counting on his fingers. Charlie stopped him. “Never mind. If you have to count, never mind.”
“Eight or nine, I think,” Mike said. “Not counting the ones you met. These others were from back in the day, y’know?”
“But Slash was different,” Don said. “He’s… he’s a turtle. But he’s um… mentally challenged.”
“He’s flat-out retarded,” Mike said.
“Mike!” Leo snapped.
“It’s the truth,” Mike said firmly. “It’s not politically correct but it’s the truth.”
“Shredder has a sick sense of humour,” Don said. “You know that. He thought it would be funny or ironic or something to send another mutant turtle after us. Slash was a snapping turtle and he's huge. We were just… just...”
“Pets,” Raphael spat. “Slash is the size of a goddamn house. I weigh about two-hundred-and-thirty-one pounds. Slash is three times my size.”
“And I suspect his mutation wasn’t as complete as ours,” Don continued. “He’s much more basic in is thinking. Like, he's obsessed with palm trees because he had one in his bowl when he was a baby.”
“We managed to sedate him and get him to Florida,” Leo said. “But it wasn’t easy.”
The turtles moaned collectively and started showing off scars and old injuries that Slash had given them.
Charlie sat back and looked at Don. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Don threw his hands up helplessly. “I just… I guess… we try so hard to be human. We’re human in our heads and… and I’m so so so lucky to be with you. I will never forget how lucky I am… not for a second. Every good thing we’ve accomplished is because you joined our family. I just…”
“He doesn’t want you to see us the same way as you’d see Slash, babe,” Mike supplied. “Slash is violent, and stupid, and definitely not human.”
“And you will never see Slash,” Leo said firmly. “That’s way too dangerous.”
“Slash isn't one of us,” Raphael said firmly. He and Don exchanged a quick glance.
“But we’re not human either,” Don muttered. “No matter how much we want to be… and that’s why we have to help that big, dumb bastard…”
“Oh,” Charlie said, as understanding dawned on her. She reached for Don’s hand. She squeezed it and gave him a sad smile. “You’re human where it matters, Donnie. You’re my man and I’ll never think of you as less than that even with the... you know.” Don reached a second, three-fingered hand across the table and held her small hands in his. He swallowed a lump in his throat.
“The what?” Leo asked.
Don and Raph exchanged looks.
“Okay, look,” Don said. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and held onto Charlie with the other. “This is not a good time for this conversation, but we can hash it out later. The short version is that um...”
“We have some Animal Kingdom tendencies when we're havin' sex,” Raphael supplied abruptly. “It's freaking us both out a bit and the Slash thing ain't helpin'.”
Everyone stared at Raphael, mouths open in shock.
“Oh, an' I've been sleepin' with Estrella... in case that wasn't clear,” he added.
There were more open-mouthed stares.
“Can we get back to the Slash problem before he smells his way here and kicks the door in?” Don said. “Priorities, people!”
Leo rubbed his temples. “Holy fuck,” he muttered. “That's a lot to take in. Okay, right. Slash. Who's got suggestions?”
“I vote fer a mercy-killing,” Raphael cut in. “Our only solution didn’t work and now we have ta get shit-kicked again… and fer what? Let’s kill him and be done with it. We’ll be doin' him a fuckin’ favour.”
“Whoa, bro! Harsh!” Mike said.
“We’re the good guys… we have to be merciful,” Leo said. He leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands. “Man, I'm not in the mood to get crushed, bitten, or thrown,” he muttered.
“We’ve been merciful!” Raph said. He gestured to a jagged, missing edge on his shell. “Or have ya forgotten the night this happened?”
“And there’s the bigger picture too,” Leo mumbled, his voice muffled by his hands. “How in the shell did he get back to New York without being seen?”
Don cleared his throat. “I think I’m with Raph on this one.” He gestured to Charlie’s growing stomach. “I have a kid coming. I’ll help deal with Slash but only because I don’t want him wandering topside. If someone sees him, it could trigger sewer searches and raise a lot of questions about the anthropomorphic turtles at the bookstore. Those are problems we don’t need. If Slash blows our cover, then my kid will have to grow up like we did, dreaming of sunlight and always afraid. The baby may look human, but that won’t stop them from dissecting her.”
Mike leaned forward and gently banged his head on the table a few times. “I don’t wanna kill him but... They're right, Leo... the family comes first.”
“Family first,” Raphael echoed. “But yer da boss, Leo. It's your call.”
All eyes turned to Leo. He kept his face covered while he mulled over the logistics and the options. He was the last virgin... he pushed the thought from his head. That didn't matter now. He focused on Slash... it seemed like a shame to kill such a rare creature, even if he was dangerously stupid and nasty. He sighed. Virgin... virgin... virgin... He really didn’t want to fight Slash… they were all going to get a fresh batch of injuries out of this and he was tired of being smashed up. Raphael was right, unfortunately. Evelyn had asked him to have sex with her... should he? Slash... back to Slash. They could so easily lose everything because of Slash. How had Slash gotten here? He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, looking every inch a leader.
“Family first,” he said. “We’ll do a mercy-killing but we need to try to ask him how he got here. I know he’s…”
“Retarded,” Mike supplied.
“Slow,” Leo continued, “but we need to try, alright?”
“Fine,” Raphael grouched.
“Mike thinks he’s lost out there and he’s probably right,” Don said.
“And if he’s lost, he’s probably starving,” Mike added. “He can’t look after himself.”
“Good, den he’ll be weak,” Raphael grumbled. “An’ if he’s wandering near the water pipe, he’s probably looking fer a motherfucking palm tree.”
“Right,” Leo said assertively. “Until we find him, no one goes anywhere in the sewer alone. The girls don’t go in the sewer at all.”
All eyes flickered to Raphael for a fraction of a second. Girls... there was more than one girl now.
“I don’t think we should even split into twos,” Donatello said. “We should stay as a group.”
“Agreed,” Leo said. “Let’s suit up and go look for him. We need food laced with sedatives and a houseplant or something to lure him out.”
“How 'bout we shove a stick of dynamite in a ham?” Raphael suggested gruffly.
“There's a ham in the fridge,” Charlie supplied. “I picked it up for Sunday dinner.”
“No dynamite!” Leo snapped.
“I can poison it,” Donatello offered.
“With what?” Leo asked suspiciously.
“Anti-freeze.” Don shrugged. “Tastes sweet but it's highly poisonous.”
Mike hung his head sadly. “What an awful way to die.”
Raphael leaned back and his shell thumped on the back of the chair. “Not ta beat the point ta death, but I'll remind ya that I can grate cheese on my shell because of Slash. Does no one else remember being hit with a truck axle, 'cause I sure as shit remember when he was swingin' that thing around like a fuckin' baseball bat.”
“Um yeah,” Leo agreed. “I was pinned under the rest of the truck. Get the anti-freeze, Don. No one's getting anywhere near Slash. We'll do this from a distance.”
Mike put his hand on Charlie's belly as they stood up to leave. She covered his hand and guided it to where the baby's foot was pressed. He gently rubbed the spot with his thumb as his brothers bustled out of the kitchen.
“There's no honour in this, Charlie,” he said quietly, “but I'll do it for you and the baby.”
Charlie smiled sadly and squeezed his hand. “You have a soft heart, Mikey... are you okay? You looked terrified when I walked in.”
Mike shrugged and sat down next to her.. “If Slash had caught up to me, I wouldn't have made it home.”
Charlie grabbed his arm and waited until he looked her in the eye. “Is he that dangerous?”
Mike nodded. “He's too big to fight alone and he's mean. He doesn't have a mouth like we do, either. Its a sharp beak thing. He could bite your arm off if he got a hold of you.” He stroked his hand over her belly as the baby kicked. “So yeah... I was scared. The whole way back I was worried that I'd never see the guys again... or you and the baby.”
Charlie bit her lip and tears welled in her eyes. “Damn it,” she said. “She wiped them with her sleeve. These hormones are awful.”
Mike's deep voice rumbled as he chuckled. He loved her hormones. She smelled amazing... of course, she also smelled like Don.
“I get so scared when you guys go out,” she said. “What if something happens? What if Donnie doesn't come home? I thought I understood what it meant for you guys to do what you do, but I was wrong. I didn't understand the risks you take... not even after you got run over. It's different now.” She gestured to her belly.
“Oh, babe, don't cry.” Mike wanted to hold her close and kiss her sweet face until all her tears were gone. Instead he rested his elbows on his knees and held her hands. He leaned down until he could make eye-contact with her bowed head. “Look at me,” he whispered.
Charlie sniffled and met his gaze. His look was so gentle and intense that it took her aback.
“I swear to you on my life and honour that Donnie will always come home to you. I would die a thousand deaths before I let your heart be broken.” He tightened his grip a bit. “I'll shadow him every time we go out. I'll protect him until my last breath. I promise, babe."
Tears spilled out of Charlie's eyes. “Mike,” she choked. “Mike, you can't. What about you?”
Michelangelo stood and kissed the top of her head. “I promise,” he whispered before he left to get his gear on. As soon as he was out of her line of sight he wiped away his own tears. Neither he nor Charlie saw Donatello standing inside the dark hallway of the apartment off the kitchen.
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Braving it in the New World