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Raph sighed, looking at the letter in his hand with contempt. At least once a week, he got a letter addressed to ‘Leonardo’. He assumed Leonardo was the guy who lived in the house before him. He tossed the envelope on top of the stack of other letters with a grunt. He must have at least fifteen by this point, and this week’s letter made sixteen. One day, Raph was going to find this Leonardo guy, give him his mail, and tell him to either set up a forwarding address, or just update his address all together.
When letter number seventeen arrived the next week, Raph had had enough. He pulled out his laptop and started googling, chewing on a toothpick as he went. He didn’t know what he expected to find, but whatever it was, he didn’t find it. Even with Leonardo being an uncommon name, he couldn't find anyone who lived within 20 miles of him. Then again, for all he knew, Leonardo had moved out of New York completely.
He growled and sat back against his couch, the frustration making his shell itch. He shut his laptop and tossed it on the couch next to him, clicking on the tv. As the programs blurred together, he ended up falling asleep.
The next day Raph woke up with a stiff neck. That’s what he got for sleeping sitting up. Living with a big shell on his back meant there was only one sleeping position for him; on his stomach, and that was difficult to do even on his extra large couch. He groaned and rubbed at his neck, feeling it pop as he twisted it to the side, venturing into the kitchen to make some breakfast. At the moment, all he had was cereal, which was a bummer because eggs and bacon sounded really good. He filled his bowl and poured his milk and then sat back down on the couch, opening his laptop back up.
Maybe something interesting had happened while he was sleeping, although he doubted it. Scrolling through Facebook, he saw that his friend Donnie had finished reading yet another novel and his review status required clicking ‘see more’. Raph saved the status for later. He didn’t have the same taste in books as Donnie, but every now and again, the other turtle had a good recommendation and Raph actually enjoyed the book.
Mikey had once again injured himself skateboarding, showing off his bruises and black eye while flashing a big grin and a ‘hang ten’. The caption read ‘Things got a little crazy at the park yesterday. Battle wounds to prove it as usual! As soon as I’m healed up, it’s back to it dudes! Cowabunga!’ Raph shook his head. One day that kid was going to get really hurt, and Raph would show up at the hospital just to say ‘I told you so’.
He called Mikey a kid, but he was really only a year younger than him and Donnie. Something about that stirred a memory, and he sat in silence until he could get a hold of it. A memory from when he and Donnie were younger and just entering middle school, before they met Mikey… there was an upperclassman that had been a grade above them, and a terrapin to boot… and his name was Leonardo.
“There’s no way…” Raph said to himself, searching “Leonardo” in the Facebook search bar and scrolling until he spotted a turtle. He clicked on the profile and stared at the picture. It was definitely Leonardo, but he looked different than he had in school, having grown into his body finally and acquired a bandana, as was the Terrapin coming-of-age custom. You turned 15 and you got your bandana from a cultural elder, and that bandana was part of your identity for the rest of your life.
The blue bandana looked good on Leonardo. Raph suspected it was because his eyes were also blue; not a light blue like Mikey’s were, but a dark blue. He didn’t remember seeing Leonardo with his bandana in school, and it was then that he remembered that Leonardo had moved and changed schools before he turned 15.
Another line connected in Raph’s head when he remembered that Leonardo had moved into the area that Raph was currently living in, and that didn’t feel like a coincidence. He flipped over to Leonardo’s about page, and saw that he did actually still live in New York. He was upstate now, and it was Raph’s luck that he knew exactly where that area was…
Should he take the chance and see if it was this Leonardo’s mail that was coming to him? He could be wrong, and that would be embarrassing… He looked at Leonardo’s picture again, seeing him smiling and standing next to a rabbit that also looked familiar, both of them dressed into a traditional looking uniform and holding Japanese swords. The rabbit had probably gone to the school as well. Small world…
Mind made up, Raph shut his laptop and gathered the letters, putting them into a large envelope and calling a cab to take him upstate. The ride there seemed to take forever, and once he was there, Raph realized that while he knew the area, he had no idea which part of the area was the one hiding Leonardo. Standing on the curb with the manila envelope in his hand, he felt like an idiot, and shook his head with a snort, looking around. A building on the corner a few blocks down caught his eye, the words “Hamato Dojo” standing out in styled white letters, the name framed by a pair of swords. Raph smirked and crossed the road, approaching the dojo.
He opened the door of the dojo and heard the sound of a wind chime. An older looking rat was approaching the front counter, hands clasped behind his back.
“Welcome to Hamato Dojo. I am Master Splinter.” The rat said with a smile. “You have come here seeking answers.”
Raph shifted nervously, his grip on the envelope in his hand tightening as he cleared his throat.
“Uh yeah, yeah I’m hopin’ you can help me. This may be a long shot, but you wouldn’t happen to have a student named Leonardo? A Terrapin like me?” He didn’t usually refer to himself as a Terrapin, it was just so formal, but this Master Splinter was obviously a wise teacher and an elder of some kind. Formal felt right.
Master Splinter nodded and hummed, pointing to a photo on the wall behind him. Leonardo was shown standing on the first place tier at a competition, a gold medal around his neck as he smiled. His smile looked the same as the one in his Facebook picture, peaceful and controlled.
“Leonardo is my best student. He has been with me for many years and has earned this dojo many trophies and medals. He brings us great honor.” The rat smiled again. “Also I enjoy watching him best the competitors over and over again. I admit, I am quite fond of seeing the looks on the other teachers’ faces as they watch their older students get defeated by a young Terrapin.”
Raph cracked a smile, deciding that he liked Master Splinter.
“Well see, Master Splinter, the thing is uh…” The envelope felt heavy in his hand again. “I’m lookin’ for Leonardo. We used to go to school together, and I was hopin’ to reconnect with him.”
The master stroked at his beard as he looked at Raph.
“I will tell you where to find him on one condition: that you come back for a lesson some time. I believe that you would thrive in the environment.”
Raph had taught himself the art of the Sai, and had thought about joining an actual dojo many times, but he had never really felt like he would belong. Self-taught students tended to be torn to shreds by the teachers, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with that.
“I’ll think about it.” He said, and his neutral answer satisfied the master.
“Leonardo lives in the apartments two blocks down from here, in a big yellow building. Apartment 321 I believe.”
Raph shifted again, feeling a little off guard.
“You’re just gonna tell me where he lives? Not even ask me what I want with him?” He asked.
Splinter chuckled.
“I sense you hold no ill will for my student. I trust you, Raphael.”
Raph nodded his thanks, and it was only after he had already walked for a block that he realized that he hadn’t told the rat his name.
“Elders…” He mumbled to himself with a shake of his head. He reached the yellow building and went inside, taking the stairs until he reached the third floor. He found apartment 321 but couldn’t find the will to knock. Why was he suddenly nervous? He was just giving the guy his mail. Not a big deal…
He raised his hand and knocked twice. There was no answer, so he knocked again. There was a slide of a lock and the door opened. Raph actually had to look down at Leonardo, which was weird because Leonardo had always been taller than him and Donnie.
“Can I help you?” Leonardo said, completely at ease in spite of the hulking stranger standing in his door way.
Raph cleared his throat.
“Maybe uh, I don’t know. Did you used to live at 34 Riverview Dr.? I’m talkin’ pretty recently.”
Leonardo looked surprised and opened the door more.
“Actually yes. I moved out a few months ago. Why do you ask?”
Raph held out the manila envelope, which Leonardo promptly opened, pulling out the stack of letters with a quiet ‘oh’. He thumbed through them, and Raph watched the color rise in the other turtle’s cheeks.
“I am so sorry, I. These letters are from my friend, Usagi. I must have forgotten to tell him that I had moved. I was wondering why I wasn’t receiving letters from him anymore.”
Leonardo looked up from the letters and gave Raph a smile.
“Thank you for bringing them to me. I have to admit I’m curious about how you found me.”
Raph rubbed at the back of his neck, looking down the hall and away from the dark blue eyes.
“It’s gonna sound bad, but it took a lot of work. A bit of Facebook stalkin’ and talkin’ to your Master Splinter down at the dojo.” He grinned sheepishly when Leonardo huffed a laugh, looking down at the letters again.
“Well… I’m glad you went through all that effort just to get these to me.” He gave Raph another look over, tilting his head. “…Do I know you from somewhere?”
Raph nodded, swaying on his feet awkwardly.
“Yeah we, uh, went to the same middle school. You were a grade above me.”
Leonardo looked at him for a moment more before recognition lit up his eyes, and Raph couldn’t have looked away if he tried.
“Right. Raphael. You were friends with that other turtle…” He paused, searching for a name. “Donatello, uh, Donnie. I do remember you now.”
As Leonardo kept smiling at him, Raph came to a realization. He was really attracted to the other turtle, which was remarkable because terrapins weren’t usually his type. There was usually nothing interesting about his own race, but Leonardo… Raph couldn’t take his eyes off of him.
His eyes took note of the scar running down the right side of the other turtle’s face, the kanji on his bandana (Raph’s knowledge of kanji was limited to the basics, so he wasn’t sure what it meant), the bamboo chest piece he was wearing, the little NYC button he had pinned to his shoulder strap, and those sapphire eyes…
Raph realized all too late that he had been staring openly, and that Leonardo had just been standing there smiling at him the whole time.
“Sorry…” Raph mumbled, looking away and feeling a little heat on his cheeks. Leonardo was still smiling even as he looked away too.
“Are you… are you doing anything right now?” Leonardo asked.
Raph spoke without thinking.
“Well yeah, I’m talkin’ to you.”
Leonardo visibly bit back a laugh and Raph covered his face with his hand.
“Oh you meant—no I know what you meant. No, I’m not, I mean, I don’t usually come upstate without a reason anymore… and I’m already here so.” Raph wasn’t usually the kind of guy who stumbled over his words, but man, was he stumbling. Leonardo didn't seem to mind though, cocking his head to the side.
"Well if you're not busy at the moment,” Leonardo said slowly, “do you want to get something to eat? Catch up a bit? I know a good pizza place down on Bleaker."
Raph wasn't sure what to say initially, but he half nodded, or rather bobbed his head a bit and huffed a laugh.
“Yeah sure. I could eat.”
“Great.” Leonardo said, smiling wider. “Let me just put this envelope somewhere and we can go.” He fidgeted for a moment before his smile became soft and controlled again. “Don’t go anywhere?” He disappeared back into the apartment for a minute or so before coming back out, shutting and locking the door, and leading Raphael out of the apartment complex.
A half an hour later, they had both had two slices of pizza and were working on a third, engaged in conversation. Conversation wasn’t Raph’s strong point, but he was doing a pretty good job in his opinion. Leonardo didn’t seem to mind as he looked at the picture of Mikey from Facebook.
“Wow, that is one killer black eye. I’m guessing this happens a lot?” He laughed, handing the phone back to Raph. The bigger turtle nodded with a sigh.
“Almost every week he’s got a new injury, postin’ a picture on Facebook showin’ it off. One day that kid’s gonna end up in the frickin’ hospital, and maybe then he’ll learn not to be such an idiot.”
Leonardo laughed and took a bite of pizza, swallowing it before speaking (something Raph noticed because he had a bad habit of talking with his mouth full).
“In all honesty,” Leonardo said with a small shrug, “maybe that’s the reality check he needs. A broken arm or wrist is certainly an eye opener that you’re not being careful enough.”
Raph took a drink of his soda.
“You ever broken a bone?” He asked.
Leonardo nodded and patted the bracer on his left arm.
“I broke my forearm during a competition when I was first starting out. I got too cocky and misjudged my punch. The other guy did the same thing and landed one strong punch to my forearm,” he shrugged, “and that was all it took. It was the perfect angle and it snapped the bone in half.”
Raph grimaced and shook his head.
“Damn. That’s intense. I’ve broken plenty of bones myself, gettin’ into fights and shit, but I healed up okay.” He couldn’t resist flexing an arm and broke into a smile when he saw Leonardo’s eyes flicker over the muscles.
“I can see that.” The blue banded turtle said quietly, a smile coming to his face as well. Raph put his arm back down, finishing off his pizza slice.
“I used to live up here when I was younger, but I never heard of this place. The pizza’s really good.”
Leonardo’s eyes were still on him as he picked up his soda and took a sip, looking down into the drink and watching the bubbles rise to the surface.
“Sensei, Master Splinter, was the one who showed me this place. He enjoys pizza as much as I do. He likes pepperoni, but… I’m more of a meat lovers fan.” He said smoothly, cutting his eyes at the other turtle. Raph lifted an eye ridge in response to the obvious innuendo. Well then. Leonardo certainly didn’t waste any time beating around the bush. Raph smiled at him, putting his chin in his hand.
“Is that so?” He said, shaking a toothpick out of the saltshaker holder in the center of the table and putting it between his lips. Leonardo shrugged casually, putting his soda down.
“I know what I like.” He answered, his lips turning up in a smile again. Raph chuckled and glanced down at his hands before looking at the other turtle again.
“You comin’ on to me, Leonardo?” He said, his voice dropping a bit as he leaned forward. “All I did was bring you your mail.”
Leonardo leaned in as well, his eyes hooded.
“Yeah you brought me my mail, and I really appreciate it. However, how was I supposed to know that the man bringing me my mail looked as good as you do?”
Raph reached out and took Leonardo’s chin in his hand, tilting his head up so he could get a better look at his gorgeous eyes.
“You think I look good, huh?”
“I think you look great actually.” Leonardo replied, enjoying the feeling of Raph’s fingers under his chin. “Why I didn’t notice you back in school, I don’t know.”
“Because I was a skinny little shit when I was in school.” Raph snorted.
“And now you’re not, as you so blatantly demonstrated a few moments ago.” Leonardo replied, and Raph tightened his bicep again, drawing Leonardo’s attention. The blue banded turtle hummed.
“I hope you don’t think I’m shallow, but I think we should go back to my apartment. You know,” he smiled and tilted his head in Raph’s grip, “get to know each other a little better.”
Raph let go of his chin and stood up, pulling some money from his wallet and putting it on the table. He was most definitely not against this idea. Leonardo grinned up at him and followed him out. Halfway down the block, Raph stopped Leonardo with a hand on his chest. Hooking a finger under Leonardo’s chin again, he hunched down a bit and kissed him, his heart pounding against his plastron. Leonardo made a small sound and pulled back, his eyes bright.
“What was that for?” He asked. Raph smiled and started walking again.
“I wanted to kiss you before now, but it didn’t seem right. Just couldn’t wait any longer is all.”
When they got to the apartments, Raph pushed Leonardo against the wall in the stairwell and kissed him again, pressing him into the wall with his bulk. Leonardo made another small noise, one that Raph really liked.
Getting inside the apartment was easy, but not going too fast? That was a different matter. Raph just couldn’t keep himself under control, not with Leonardo’s dark blue eyes watching him, not while Leonardo was breathing like he had just ran fifty miles, and not while he was arching his back and letting Raph bite at his neck as Raph carefully stripped the clothes from the other’s body. Raph could smell Leonardo’s natural musk under the cologne he was wearing, which smelled good, but not nearly as good as that musky undertone.
Leonardo pulled Raph towards his bedroom, kissing him all the while, pulling at his belt and struggling to get it off. He was beyond frustrated by the fact that in spite of the fact that he was wearing more clothes than his chosen bedmate, he was the one having a hard time getting said bedmate’s clothes off.
“You sure about this, Leonardo?” Raph breathed in his ear as Leonardo finally figured out how to get the other turtle’s garment off.
“Call me Leo.” He said, dragging Raph into another heated kiss, wrapping his arms around Raph’s neck, eager to get closer to him. Raph had all of Leo’s clothes off in record time and reached down to stroke the bottom of his plastron, dragging his fingers over the bulge he found there. Leo mewled against his mouth and Raph chuckled.
“Been a while for you, Leo?” He teased, yelping when Leo bit down on his bottom lip, licking it to sooth the sting. The defiance Raph saw in Leo’s eyes was intoxicating.
“Actually yes, but there’s no shame in that. I’ve been busy.” The blue banded turtle explained, keeping a hold of Raph so he could press forward and rub his thigh against Raph’s bulge. Raph choked on a growl and took a hold of Leo’s waist, pushing him down onto the bed and then joining him. He worked his knee between Leo’s legs, parting them, not lying down on top of him yet. Leo gave him a questioning look when he didn’t lay down, and he shrugged with a shoulder.
“I’m kinda heavy… Don’t wanna crush you.” He mumbled, even as Leo tried to arch up against him.
“You won’t. Trust me.” Leo said, kissing at his neck and jaw. “Come on, Raphael.” Raph chuckled and took both of Leo’s wrists in one hand, holding them above his head.
“If I’m callin’ you Leo, you’re gonna call me Raph. Sound fair?” He growled with a grin. Leo squirmed under him as his eyes traveled down his chest. There were a lot more scars on Leonardo’s plastron, just little scratches, nothing as bad as the one on his face. Raph ran his fingers over a few of them, and Leonardo hummed. Raph’s fingers trailed down further, brushing over Leonardo’s swollen slit and making him jump, and then down his thighs.
Leonardo’s body was amazing, and Raph knew that for the moment, he wouldn’t be able to appreciate it properly, not with how fast they were going, but if he got another chance, he’d worship every single inch of Leonardo’s body.
And then he’d fuck him until he begged for mercy.
“You wanna show me what I’m working with here?” Raph said gruffly, his thoughts of the future making it hard to focus on the present. He could see the very tip of Leo’s dick poking out of his slit, and with a little moan, Leo let it slide free half hard between his thighs. It was a decent size all around, the length and girth being pretty proportionate. It was a light pink color, but the head was flushed a darker pink. It demanded to be sucked and licked, but Raph was feeling too impatient for that at the moment.
He used his free hand to stroke the smaller turtle to full hardness, leaning down and kissing him, feeling Leo’s little moans and hums against his lips. He let go of his wrists so he could properly brace himself against the headboard.
When he felt a hand rubbing against his own swollen slit, he let his cock slide out as well, moaning at the feeling of a warm hand taking hold of it and stroking it firmly. His cock was a bit bigger than Leo’s and mostly red, and it was thicker than Leo’s, but about the same length. He always got compliments on it, which had helped his self-confidence in high school when he used to think that his ‘short fat dick’ wouldn’t impress anyone.
However, with the way that Leo was staring at his dick, watching it push through the circle of his hand and then disappear again, making pre-cum bead down the side of his hand, Raph was pretty sure that Leo was impressed.
He had to say, this was not what he expected to happen when he decided to hunt Leonardo down and give him his mail. He expected a ‘thank you’ and then he expected to go home.
Having the older turtle underneath him and thrusting his hips up into his hand, moaning against his neck and saying his name in little breathy gasps was the last thing he expected, but he was definitely not complaining.
He rubbed his thumb over the crown of Leo’s cock, making him yelp and arch up again.
“D-don’t do that.” Leo moaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Before Raph could ask if he had done something wrong, Leo opened his eyes again. His pupils were blown wide and he looked absolutely wrecked already.
“You’ll make me come too soon.” He grunted, twisting his wrist in revenge and tearing a growl out of Raph. If Leo kept doingthat, Raph would be the one who came too soon. That gave him an idea, so Raph grinned and grazed the soft head again, loving Leo’s choked out moan.
“Keep twisting your wrist like that,” Raph said against Leo’s ear, breathing hard against it and feeling the other turtle squirm again with a groan, “and we’ll both come too soon. Sound fair?” He rumbled.
Leo almost sobbed as Raph rubbed the underside of his cock’s head with his thumb, and he began twisting his wrist on the upstroke. Raph’s heartbeat was like thunder in his chest, and just like he had hoped, when he came with a snarl, Leo came milliseconds behind him with a shout.
They stayed pressed together and shaking until their orgasms waned, leaving them tired and sticky. Raph did finally lay down on Leo, not really caring about the warm mess between them. Leo was panting, and Raph could see that his eyes were closed, so Raph let his eyes close too, breathing in the heavy air of the bedroom.
“Not bad for a first date.” Leo gasped out, making Raph laugh and roll off of him. Leo shifted so he was lying a bit on Raph’s shoulder and smiled at him.
“First date, huh?” Raph laughed, looking down at his partner. “Is that what that was?”
“Hey,” Leo said in a mock-offended voice, “I bought you lunch first, didn’t I?”
“Actually I’m the one who bought you lunch. I paid remember?” Raph said. There was a slight pause before Leo started laughing and Raph gladly joined him.
“For what it’s worth, Raph,” Leo said once they quieted down, “I’m glad I forgot to tell Usagi I moved. Otherwise I never would have met you,” he turned his head so he could smile at the bigger turtle, “officially I mean.”
Raph gave him a little kiss and lay back down again, letting his eyes close.
“Yeah.” He mumbled. He was feeling a nap coming on. Pizza and sex always made him sleepy, especially if he had both one after another.
“I’m glad you forgot, too.”