When the turtles come back from patrol, they hear giggling coming from the living room. As they pass the turnstiles, they can see the back of Splinter's head. Destiny, Sarina, and Annalise are gathered around him.
"And here is the aftermath of when Leonardo tried his swords for the first time," Splinter says.
"Aw, sweetie. That must've hurt," Destiny coos.
"Is that Raph punching Mikey?" Annalise asks. "They look so similar without their masks."
"Indeed. Although, you may not believe it, but Raphael was a very affectionate infant when he wasn't being...punchy."
"Is that a spark plug?" Sarina asks. "That doesn't seem to be the safest pacifier..."
"It was all he had and besides, it was no harm to him if it was not inside a car."
"Uh, Sensei?" Leonardo asks, already fearing the answer. "What are you doing?"
Splinter and the girls turn around, Annalise immediately grinning and waving at them. Splinter lifts up a rather tattered photo album.
"My sons," he says. "I am sharing memories of your childhood with the girls. They were curious, after all."
"Yes, I was amazed that we had never seen these images even after living here for so long," Sarina says. Destiny nods.
Raphael groans, suddenly very happy that Taylor still can't come to the lair thanks to her probation. Donatello and Leonardo turn pink. Michelangelo grins and races over, hopping into the spot next to Annalise.
"Oh man! I love looking at baby photos!" he says. "Good times. No responsibilities, just goofing around all the time...man, good times. Good times."
"Leo was the cutest," Destiny says.
"While there is evidence to support that," Sarina replies, "the facts actually point towards Donatello being the most adorable."
Annalise lets out a "psh" sound as she snuggles up to Michelangelo. "Uh, Mikey? Freckles and chubby cheeks. He wins."
Michelangelo grins. Donatello rubs the back of his neck. Leonardo turns even pinker. Raphael crosses his arms tightly over his chest, pouting. He would deny it if someone said he was the cutest, but still, he wouldn't mind if Taylor was here to stand up for him.
"I will argue that Raphael has a certain charm behind that smirk," Splinter says. "Very cute."
Well, it's not exactly what he wanted, but he'll take it. "I'm not cute!" Raphael huffs.
"I'm...I'm just gonna go shower..." Leonardo says, already heading for the bathroom.
"Aw, Leo, are you embarrassed?" Destiny asks, already getting up and trailing after him. "Weo? Weo-bear?"
"You're terrible."
She latches her arms around his neck and goes limp, letting him drag her as he keeps walking. He has to fight back a smile as her tail wags.
YOU ARE READING
Together As Mutants (Book Six)
FanfictionNew York is at peace. Shredder has been defeated, his minions scattered, and the Kraang have been neutralized. The threat of Mutacorp is no more. The Purple Dragons still operate in the slummy alleyways of the great city, but with no one to pay them...
