Reflections
by Marie

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"He'll be back in a few hours."

Don announced that once he got back to the lair to the other two brothers sitting on the couch. Leo looked up and flashed him a grateful look, like he usually did ever since Don had taken up his 'run after Raph and make sure he came back' routine. Leo knew that Raph would come home on the nights when Don went after him instead of the days later that usually occurred when he and Raph had their "omg it's the end of the world" fights.

It was only because Raph actually wanted to come home now, and that was mostly his fault he knew.

Sure enough at some time past two, he heard Raph walk in. Everyone was asleep, including Master Splinter, and he laid on his bed reading an advanced astrophysics textbook scavenged from the University dumpsters. As soon as Raph walked into his room he put down the book.

"Hey," He greeted.

Raph gave him a cryptic look and shut Don's makeshift door behind himself deliberately. That left the only light in the room coming from Don's tiny bedside lamp, which, incidentally, was in the shape of a flying saucer. Mikey had given it to him for Christmas one year.

"Hey," Raph returned, turning to the side. He took off his mask and tossed it over one of Don's many robotic contraptions. He yawned and stretched, before coming over. He took off his sais as well, placing them onto the bedside table and trying not to feel naked without them as he climbed in next to Don.

Don raised an eyebrow at him as he scooted over. "You need something?" He asked, already knowing very well what his brother needed.

Raph nodded. His neutral expression faded into a bit of sheepish grin as he reached out, drawing Don to him. Don felt his shell sink into the soft mattress as Raph slid on top of him. He offered him a bit of a smile as he reached for the drawer of his bedside table...

Sometimes Raphael liked it rough and hard, battering the frustrations out on him. He didn't mind much at all, it felt good and even half gone Raphael would stop if he was doing something to seriously hurt him. He wasn't a psychopath and he didn't like causing his brothers pain and would worry with his brow furrowed with concern if Don actually cried out or whimpered at something he did.

Once he had grumbled something angrily about Leo while ramming into Don, which caused Don to erupt into giggles, and Raph had stopped, confused and unaware that he had spoken out loud.

Tonight though Raph was more tired than anything and their love making was slow and considered. At one point he flipped him over as he rode him, trying to reach that nearly unattainable peak as Raph looked up at him out of hooded eyes, his jaw slack.

Afterwards Raphael would almost always grunt and roll over and fall asleep. He would take up far too much of the bed in the process that took more than a couple pokes to get him to move over. After he succeeded in moving him over, Don would sit and sigh and watch him, inspecting the little details to him that he never got to see in while Raph was awake. He had several crisscrossing scars on his front, though he had much of the same, Raph carried the most out of all four of them, including Leo who usually was a bit better at avoiding strikes. His darker color was fascinating… he was lighter colored than Raph and his skin had brownish patches. Raph's skin was a fairly uniform deep rich green. His muscles were bulky and prominent, thick and corded, developed from the weights he always lifted. Don would sometimes press his arm against the other just to compare the differences. He trained, sure, but not nearly to the extent of his brother and it showed.

He sighed again and drew his arm away before giving his textbook one last longing look. Then he reached over and shut off the light, curling up next to his sleeping brother.

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