Length: 2,192
Summary: The Turtles experience something they've long been denied.




Sometimes, when you're a mutant turtle who goes on zany adventures across the universe, you crash hard when you finally find somewhere safe to land. Sometimes you crash so hard that waking up in the morning feels like the hardest thing you've ever done.

When you're that tired, it's easier to roll over and sink back into the heavy embrace of sleep. You've earned it.

That is... if your brothers will let you.

"Leo," Donny breathed, a hand on his shoulder shaking him back awake. "Leo look!"

Leo rolled back over and rubbed his groggy eyes, then followed the trajectory of Donny's gaze through the weathered windowpane.

The forest behind the glass was familiar. They'd seen it covered in snow, landscape changing in little ways day by day as the wind tossed the drifts around in a blistering dance and Mikey crunched wandering little paths around the trees with his snow boots. They'd seen it most recently under cover of night as they ripped off their gear and flopped into bed, exhausted and grateful to be back on planet earth, still reeling from so many unexpected revelations about the Utroms and their own origins.

There was nothing particularly different about the scenery now, except the way the cold white blanket had months ago melted away into bright, brilliant greens, with the morning sun dusting everything golden and glowing. It was a normal forest. They may have grown up in a concrete jungle, but they frequented Central Park enough that there was nothing surprising or exciting about ordinary trees and grass.

Certainly nothing worth the dimples in Donny's cheeks, or the happy little flap of his hands.

"That's... nice? Looks like it'll be a nice day," he said awkwardly, still struggling to put together what it is they were supposed to be looking at.

Donny glanced at him, glanced back outside, and then seemed to come to some sort of realization, quickly smothering a secretive little smirk. "Yeah, definitely. Nice day. C'mon Leo, up and at 'em, let's go grab it by the shell!"

"How are you so chipper right now?" Leo sighed. He dragged himself off the bed and followed Donny down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. Raph was already down, glaring blearily at a mug in his hands. In the kitchen, April was getting herself a cup.

"Morning, April!" Donny called, "do you know where we can find a picnic blanket? The guys and I are going to hang out outside this morning."

Leo blinked. He must have missed that discussion. Maybe he'd been too zoned out to hear it. "We are?"

"We are!" Mikey bounced out of the bathroom with a frankly absurd amount of pep in his step. "Didn't you see the sunshine?"

What was that supposed to mean?

Donny shrugged, that secretive dimpled smile making another brief appearance. "I did, but I don't think they did."

Raph and Leo turned to each other. Raph gestured jerkily with both hands, fingers curled, like do you have any idea what they're blabbering about? And Leo shrugged back, brows raised like no idea, I'm as lost as you are.

Mikey met Donny's eyes, then glanced at Leo, then Raph, then snapped back to Donny. "Oh. Oooooh! Ooh, this'll be fun! April! Blankets! Where?”

She poked her head around the corner. “I think I saw some in the hall closet!”

Mikey saluted her and bounced on over to rummage around.

“If someone doesn’t explain why Donny and Mikey are acting like cats that ate the canary, I’m gonna be the cat and they’re gonna be the canaries,” Raph grumbled into his coffee, his agitation growing more and more obvious by the second.

Leo patted him on the shoulder in commiseration.

Donny, finished scarfing down his own breakfast in nothing flat, practically jumped out of his chair. “GonnagofindMasterSplinterbebackinasec!” He was vibrating, his hands flapping. Leo could barely remember the last time he seemed so utterly excited like this.

It took only another few moments of Raph quietly simmering and Leo shoveling food into his mouth - turns out that traipsing around the galaxy gives you an appetite - before Mikey surfaced from the closet with two big blankets in his arms. “Plan picnic is a go! Are you guys done yet?”

Before Raph could cut in and say something they’d all regret, Leo set down his fork. “Yeah, Mikey, I think we are. Now what-“

“What are you guys still doing in here? We’re wasting sunlight!” Donny interrupted from the doorway, tap-tapping on the frame with his happy fingertips.

Mike laughed, hefting his blankets in his arms. “We’re going! We’re going! Come on, guys, full steam ahead!”

Leo sighed, but dragged himself to his feet and all the way to the doorway, turning to see Raph still sitting at the table. “You coming, Raph?”

Raph closed his eyes. He pressed the hot mug against his forehead for a second. Then he took one long, final swig, and set it down with a clunk. “Fine. This had better be good, whatever the shell it is.”

“Fingers crossed, and if I dare tell a lie, the sewer ghost’ll eat my mac’n’cheese and make me cry,” Mikey recited the classic vow cheerfully, bowing a little.

Donny watched them all exit with that big dimpled grin. “I have to talk to April about something, I’ll meet you guys out there.” He ducked back inside.

Mike darted out to the yard, and by the time Leo and Raph caught up, the blankets were already laid out on the grass and Mike was sprawled on one like a starfish, chuckling to himself.

Looking around, this was a decent spot, Leo supposed. It was enclosed by a thick enough barrier of trees that it couldn’t be seen from the road, and it was far enough inside Jones property that the likelihood of anyone coming across them while casually wandering the forest was fairly low.

And, of course, it was sunny.

Bright sunlight was unfamiliar and novel, in the way that most things were to Leo. There were a lot of things that humans took for granted that Leo only experienced in stolen moments or through a TV screen.

He’d experienced it to its fullest at least once that he could remember. April’s uncle’s artifact had taken them to some other dimension full of giant bugs, and they’d rafted down the river in the shimmering heat. Still, somehow, the sunlight right now felt different.

It lingered on his skin. It sunk in, past his scales and into his muscles, warming up every sore spot from their recent chases and battles and narrow escapes, and suddenly the simple act of standing seemed to take insurmountable effort. He sat himself on the blanket, the one Mikey had claimed a solid eighty percent of, and folded his legs into lotus pose.

Raph stumbled over to the other blanket, groaning.

Donny joined them only moments afterward. He sighed as he settled down beside Raph.

Mikey himself was being oddly quiet, leaning back with his eyes closed and his face tilted towards the sun. He wasn't wiggling, peeking, muttering, flexing, tapping, singing, or seemingly even scheming, and Leo had to remind himself that it wasn't a pod person in front of him. It was just Mikey, acting really really weird, like Leo had never seen him act before, like his entire personality just drained away.

...maybe he really was a pod person?

Leo glanced around, at Raph, who was grumpily rolling around a pinecone on the blanket in front of him, looking bored.

At Donny, who had silently slid himself down until he was lying flat on his stomach, his legs sprawled off the edge of the blanket and onto the grass, head pillowed on his crossed arms, more relaxed than Leo had seen him in a long time. Donny was usually comfortable in the quiet, but there was something so strange about the total ease of tension; Leo's genius little brother carried so much responsibility of his own on his shoulders and never ever seemed to set the burdens down. Until this moment.

...two pod people?

"I can hear you thinking from here, Leo," Mikey said without opening his eyes. He sounded so far away. They were less than four feet apart. "Just relax and focus on developing a niiiice golden tan, capische?"

"Turtles don't tan..." Donny mumbled into his arm. "Can sunburn though. 'Specially since we don't get much UV exposure. Should've," he yawned, "had us apply some lotion before."

The heat was getting to Leo. The warmth spread from his head to his shoulders and down his shell, slow as dripping molasses.

Leo had felt warm before. Obviously. He'd huddled next to the radiator in the middle of the winter, taken a steaming shower in April's bathroom, and more than one late movie night slept under a thick pile of brothers and blankets until he woke up too hot and sweatily wriggled himself free. He'd never sat out under the bright morning sun, though, and he'd never felt warm like this.

Everywhere the sun brushed across his skin, he could practically feel the way his muscles softened, knots untangling, leaving him boneless. He was so tired, and giving in would be so, so easy.

"Donny, ss'snt funny 'nymore, bro, what's goin' on," Raph slurred. Leo looked over - Raph had slumped to the side like holding his head up was too tough a task.

Donny reached out an arm, slowly, flexing his fingers as wide as they would go, and gently patted Raph on the leg when he was done with that big stretch. "Turtle behavior. Totally normal. Ever read about basking?"

The answer would be no. Leo always meant to check out Donny's suggested readings about their turtle biology, but then more fun things like training or meditation or a new book of Japanese poetry would come along and he'd put it off for another day. Raph didn't even bother, from what Leo could guess. Donny would say something if it was really important.

Mikey piped up, calm and relaxed, "you heard the turtle. Let your instincts be your guide, young padawans." He seemed strangely awake, just incredibly chilled out. Leo wondered if this was what Mikey would sound like stoned, and he couldn't even muster up a laugh at the thought, just an amused little hum.

That assurance tipped him over the edge. Leo lost the fight against gravity, against wakefulness, against any sort of mental cohesion. He dozed, slipping in and out of fluttery dreams and a hazy awareness, and he'd never felt more at peace.

The morning stretched out between them, pulled slow and thick and sweet like taffy.

After what could have been hours or days or years, Leo felt a firm tap on the top of his head, breaking through the thick blanket of cotton between him and the world. "Leo?" It was April, sounding very amused.

He groaned, dragging a bleary hand across his face.

"Come on! You can't stay out here all day. Doctor's orders."

"Doctor?"

"...me," Donny groaned. "Five more minutes, April?"

"Nuh-uh, boys! Up and at 'em. I made pie, and if we don't hurry back, you know who is going to eat it all."

(Inside the cabin, Casey's fork stopped in midair, less than an inch away from the flaky crust he was about to scoop into. He turned around to sneeze.)

"MMmmmmpie." Mikey stretched one last, long stretch, then dug a palm into his eye socket and yawned.

Leo reached for the sky. The post-sunshine stretch was the most satisfying movement Leo had ever made, toe-curling and shivery, pleasant sparks like pop rocks in his brain.

“I love bein’ a turtle,” Raph declared, voice happy and soft and rough from his own doze.

Donny poked Leo in the side as they reluctantly meandered after April. “Told you,” he said smugly, and Leo shoved a hand in his face. Sure, Donny had been right, so right, but he didn’t have to be all like that about it.

The pie was only missing a few bites by the time they’d made it there. It was the best thing they’d ever tasted.

---

The sun rose slowly over Northampton, painting the sky brilliant orange and red. Inside the farmhouse, there was already an awful lot of brilliant red.

"Eeeeeew! It's like scute season but on my legs!" Mikey whined, wiggling around on the bed like it was full of writhing snakes.

Raph laid on his back with limbs spread so not a single inch of painfully aggravated scales could rub. "Donny, Mikey, when my skin stops screaming, you're gonna regret ever being hatched."

"I'm going to go ask April and Casey to get us some aloe or something," Leo said with an audible strain in his voice as he hobbled over to the stairs in a very manly way. Pain is all a matter of the mind, pain is all a matter of the mind...

Donny yawned, rubbing his eyes and hissing as he did so. His hands and face were just as raw looking as the rest of him. "Worth it," he mumbled.