Together As Mutants (Book Six)

CIX. The Wedding - Michelangelo

"Holy crap you guys were not kidding about the butterflies," Annalise frets as she fiddles with her dress.

"It's alright. We all survived. You will too," Destiny assures her.

"You look cute!" Sarina gushes.

Taylor nods. "It's about time you join the sister club."

"Hey, I already considered you girls my sisters," Annalise says. "In a weird way..."

They laugh. Annalise looks in the mirror again. Her dress doesn't trail to the floor, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful. Instead, it ends a little below her knees. She wanted to be able to move easily, so this was a perfect match.

Her blonde hair is curled too and she's wearing makeup for one of the rarer times in her life. The bridesmaid dresses are a soft pink colour, making it simple but pretty. The little spot of orange is a flower pin that's clipped in behind the bridesmaids' ears.

She smiles brightly. "I'm getting married."

Even so, her smile falters.

----------

"Mikey getting married...how many of you are still kind of shocked?" Raphael asks, raising his hand in answer to his own question.

Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo all raise their hands.

"This is so weird! I'm nervously happy!" Mikey grins.

"Welcome to the club," Donnie says, chuckling. He furrows his brow as he leans a little closer to his brother. He wipes a smudge of red sauce off the sleeve of the tux, giving Mikey a pointed look. "Pizza sauce?"

"I eat when I'm nervous!" the turtle defends.

"Yup," Leo agrees absentmindedly, his gaze distant. He's been like this the whole day, something that the other turtles noticed right off the bat.

"Leo? You okay, bro?" Mikey asks.

"Uh...yeah. I'm just..." He shakes his head and grins, his tone ecstatic. "Would you mind if I stole the spotlight for a moment, Mikey?" The orange-clad turtle shakes his head. "Destiny's pregnant. She found out a few days ago."

"You're gonna be a dad?" Donnie asks, his eyes wide. "I didn't think..." The turtle claps his hands together once. "Darwin's beard, my theory was correct! Congratulations!"

Leo nods and smiles impossibly wider. "It's a miracle."

Mikey squeals and hugs him. "THAT'S SO AWESOME, BRO!" he yells. His eyes light up. "I'm gonna be an uncle! Leo or Destiny Jr will know everything they need to know about pizza and video games and being BOSS! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!"

He laughs and skips in a circle around Leo, who shakes his head as a soft chuckle escapes him.

"Congrats Fearless," Raph says. "You'll make a great dad."

"Thanks guys." The leader in blue laughs, but then he looks to Mikey and throws an arm around his shoulder. "But hey! Today is all about Mikey."

They look with pride to their youngest brother, and tears appear in the little turtle's eyes.

"I love you guys so much," he says, attempting to wrap his arms around all three of them.

They laugh, joining in the group hug. Casey pokes his head into the room, grinning.

"You're on Mikey. You ready?" he asks.

Mikey nods hurriedly. "Yes I am!" He makes a little squealing noise. "I'm marrying the girl of my dreams! It's actually happening, bros!"

Donnie pats his brother on the shoulder as they head out.

----------

As weird as it is, Annalise and Michelangelo want to have their wedding in the skate park. They had their first official meeting there, they've visited it regularly over the years, and it's where he proposed to her. It's the place where they took some of the big steps in their relationship, and this is by far the biggest one yet.

No, they don't care that the place has been completely over-visited by the couple, but it's their special place and they like it that way.

Mikey skips down the aisle to his spot, humming happily. He high-fives Mondo as he goes by, the two mutants giving a cheery, "Cowabunga!" Donnie stands next to his exuberant brother with Leo and Raph. Splinter stands with his book again, ready to conduct the ceremony.

Nearby, Annalise tries to keep smiling despite the sadness that's growing in her heart. She watches as Sarina and Taylor move past to the bridesmaid spots. Before she can wonder where the third is, a hand gently rests on her shoulder. She jumps a little and turns around, meeting Destiny's fierce gaze.

"What's wrong, Annalise?" the wolf-raven asks, a look of genuine concern on her scarred features.

"My dad always wanted to see me get married...but he never got to," Annalise admits, sniffing a little. "My mom never responded to the invitation either..."

Destiny smiles sadly, offering a hug to her. Annalise takes the offer and embraces the taller woman, oddly glad to have the wolf-raven's comfort. Sure, the blonde always felt sort of intimidated around the mutant, but she's managed to deal with it over the years.

"It'll be okay. Just think about Mikey. Would he want you to be sad?" Destiny asks.

"No."

"Exactly."

The once-YouTuber girl smiles up at the mutant. "Thanks Des."

"Anytime."

They look up to see Leo heading their way, a smile on his face. Destiny smiles too, and she gives him a quick kiss as he arrives before heading off to her spot. Leo keeps smiling as he holds his arm out to Annalise.

"Why are you so happy?" she asks.

"It's just been a good couple of days." He looks to Destiny again, his eyes shimmering, before he looks to the blonde. "You ready to walk?"

"Totally."

The music starts up, and Mikey stops fidgeting immediately. When Annalise appears, his smile grows impossibly bigger. She looks absolutely stunning, her hair and outfit so minimal and yet so wonderful. He feels as though he's seeing an angel.

Leo hands her off at the end of the aisle, moving to his spot next to Raph and Donnie. Splinter starts the ceremony, everything going smoothly. Vows are exchanged, the ring placed on Annalise's finger and the other hung on Mikey's neck.

"Do you, Hamato Michelangelo, take Annalise Hughes as your lawfully wedded wife?" Mikey glances at Splinter, and the Sensei chuckles. "And your player two?"

"I totally do!"

"And do you, Annalise Hughes, take Hamato Michelangelo as your lawfully wedded husband and player one?"

"I do!"

"By the power vested in me by the Internet, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Mikey lifts her veil and pulls her into a sweet kiss, and everyone cheers. As Mikey requested, Destiny and Pigeon Pete fly upwards and unravel a banner in the air. It reads "Boss Level Vanquished. You Win!"

"GOONGALA!" Casey whoops, whistling loudly.

The couple smiles at one another, Mikey pulling Annalise into a hug.

"Booyakasha," he whispers in her ear.

She laughs and shakes her head. "Booyakasha."