Title: Yours (Submission #1 in Dec. Holiday Challenge Cowabunga Corner)
Summary: Mikey goes to celebrate Christmas with his girl and ends up picking up the pieces of her shattered self when he walks in on a breakdown.
Genre: Angst/Romance/SLIGHThumor
Rated: PG-13
Prompts: presents, family, green, winter
Dis: I don't own TMNT
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Michelangelo shivered as he landed on the familiar rooftop of his girlfriend's building. Winter seemed to come later and later in the year but when it finally arrived it arrived with a vicious force. A mixture of ice and snow pelted against his face and he was happy he remembered to bundle up in the familiar trench coat before leaving the lair along with pants and shoes to protect his legs and feet. Yes, ninja turtles looked completely ridiculous in clothes but he liked his two toes and he wasn't about to give them up to Mr. Frostbite. Though the last time he came to visit his girlfriend he'd been freezing cold and without clothes and the way she warmed him up before almost had him disrobing to gain the same treatment again.
A sudden gust of wind snaked down the neck of his coat and one green hand turned up the collar of his coat while the other kept a firm grip on a present carefully wrapped with green wrapping paper and an orange bow with ribbon at the top. Along with winter, the Christmas spirit had taken over the city of New York and where shadows used to reside, it now glowed numerous colors from whatever lights humans decorated their windows and balconies with. He'd been ready to celebrate with Frey but a bonus check she got from a modeling gig had her rearing to go home for Christmas and so tonight was the night they were to celebrate.
He rushed down the fire escape and stopped at the familiar window. Frowning at the darkness inside he easily eased the window open and slipped inside the warm apartment that smelled of cinnamon and gingerbread. Thinking that perhaps she ran an errand he thought nothing of the quiet darkness as he eased off his coat, toed off his shoes, then slipped off the large pants he wore. Knowing how she was about messes, almost worse than Splinter and Leo, he carefully folded his coat and pants and set the pile on a small armchair with his present on top. He was about to put his shoes on the 'Welcome' rug when a small sniffle had him freezing in place.
Transitioning from loving boyfriend into ninja extraordinaire he silently followed the sniffles until coming up on a sight that pulled on his heartstrings and cracked his heart. There, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the island of her kitchen wearing her trusty grey sweatshirt and a pair of black pajama shorts, was his girlfriend with what looked to be a bottle of tequila in one hand and her phone clutched in the other. Upon hearing him she slowly turned her head to the side and sniffled once more before offering him a shaky, trembling smile.
"H-Hey… Yer here…." She was slurring. "Mikey… Hi Mikey…"
"Frey, babe, what's going on?"
"I dun wanna talk bout it," she muttered, bringing the tequila bottle up to her lips. This was bad. Frey was never really a fan of hard liquor and when she indulged in it she usually regretted it the next morning. Removing the bottle from her lips a bit of tequila sloshed out of the top of the bottle and dribbled down her chin onto her shirt. "Buh… Oh no… I hate it when that happens… Shoulda gotta glass."
"Frey? Hand your adorable boyfriend the tequila bottle," he said, reaching out his hands and wiggling his fingers.
"But… I dun wanna…" she said with a whine, shoving his hand away. He noticed that her mascara was staining the area below her eyes and up toward her temples, and her hair looked disheveled. "Tequila is my friend, Mikey. It LOVES me."
"Baby, I'm your friend right now. I love you. So, c'mon…" He reached his hand out once more and she looked ready to fight before sighing. She took one more large shot before handing him the bottle and he blindly put it up on the counter along with her phone before cupping her flushed face in his hands. His startling blue eyes met her blurry brown and he frowned. "What happened?"
"You know… When I was happy? Like… A bit ago? Well THAT bubble popped." She huffed out a breath and the scent of tequila and surprisingly cherries assaulted his nostrils. She unconsciously nuzzled her cheek into one of his hands, sighing deeply. "My parents want wuzzz best fer me." She hiccupped, and if the situation wasn't so serious at the moment he'd have cracked a smile. Mikey knew that now was NOT the time for a joke. "Soooo…. Sooooo THEY said they only want me to come home fer Christmas if I pack up and go on a… a… plane home one-way. Even after I got this last job they still think…"
She looked down; sniffling once more and Mikey had heard enough. Moving down from his squatting position he sat down on the floor then pulled her into his arms. She clung to his shoulders and he wrapped strong arms around her frame as if to try and shelter her from any remaining negative thoughts.
"Your parents are stupid. You're successful at what you do and no way in hell should you give up on your dream, Frey."
"I know… I know… It's so hard. They're supposed to love me. Support me… Instead…"
And like that, the dam broke. She brought her hands up to her face and sobbed and Mikey could only sit there as his girlfriend cried it all out. The hiccups increased as well from not only the tequila, but from being so upset and he then decided that sitting on the cold floor probably wasn't the best thing to do. So, while keeping her in his arms, he stood and walked to the couch. He sat down and she was now cuddled against him in his lap. He continued to run his hands up and down her back and when she quieted he pressed a tender kiss to her temple.
"'m sorry… This was supposed to be our night… Are you mad?"
"I could never be mad at you. Well, unless you ate all the pizza."
His attempt at a joke worked and she sniggered behind a hand before looking up at him seriously. In the dark he could make out her large, worried eyes. "Do you still love me?"
"Yes, I still love you."
"Remember the first time you said it?" she asked, now with a smirk.
"Yeah," he answered with a smile. "I nearly passed out I was so scared. Then you said it back and everything just clicked…"
She sat up a little and even with the crazy hair, smeared make up, and puffy eyes and nose she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his entire life. She mimicked his move from earlier and cupped his cheeks and his eyes closed as she pressed her lips to his.
"I love you Hamato Michelangelo. I am yours."
"As I am yours," he whispered softly before kissing her back. Suddenly she reared up and brought both hands up to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she made a choking sound and like a whirlwind she was off to the bathroom puking up the tequila she had loved just moments ago. Following her to the bathroom he went to her side and making a face, gathered her hair so that she didn't have to hold it.
Watching Frey break-up with the tequila was painful not only for her, but for him.
When finished she shooed him out of the bathroom and ten minutes later she reemerged with freshly washed hair pulled up in a wet, curly bun and a clean face. He smelled mint as she settled in next to him and he figured she had brushed her teeth. She turned her body inward and brought her legs up to curl over his lap and rest her head on his shoulder before sighing. In her absence he had plugged in her tree to get some light in the room, but that was all because he wasn't sure how she'd do with the bright lights of her apartment hitting her full blast.
"Here." He handed her the wrapped box and she took it gently from his grasp. "I, uh, made it with help from Donnie and April."
Slowly she unwrapped the present then smiled when seeing a necklace inside the box. It was a sturdy chain, nothing like those delicate ones that snapped all the time and attached to it was a turtle that looked to be crafted by bits of metal and colored glass. Her fingers trailed over the surprisingly smooth piece before she leaned up and kissed him.
"I love it!"
"I… I know I can't be there for you all the time… especially during the day… So when you wear it, you can think of me when you need to."
"I love it even more now," she murmured before she kissed him again. She slipped it over her head and smiled before standing up and walking only with a slight wobble to her decorated tree. The lights glimmered over numerous packages but she grabbed the larger box that was wrapped with silver paper and Mikey had to smile when seeing the large orange bow. "I hope you like it. I know you like games and stuff but I wanted to get you something different."
Carefully he opened the box then smiled when seeing a leather-bound photo album with the words 'Frey and Mikey: 2012' stitched into it. He opened it to the first page and he knew Raph would sock him for being a baby but he couldn't stop the watering of his eyes when turning page after page and seeing photos upon photos of them. One where April snapped a photo of Frey and Mikey baking Splinter's birthday cake, batter splattered all over the place: including on themselves. One where they were bundled up at Casey's grandmother's house making a snowman. Another, same place, but this time asleep on a blue checkered couch wrapped in the other's arms: he had no idea there were so many captured memories. He turned to thank her but pressed his lips together, amused, when seeing her fast asleep.
Carefully closing the book he set it on her coffee table before lifting her up. She murmured in her sleep as he carried her to her bedroom. He set her on top of the sheets, the first gift he ever gave her, and then covered her up with a throw blanket. He wasn't sure if he should stay or go but hearing her murmur almost sadly in her sleep, his mind was made up and he settled in beside her. Moments later, she started snoring softly and when seeing her with her mouth hanging open he smiled tenderly at her.
Man he loved this girl. She was his, and he was hers: they completed the whacky puzzle that was their relationship and there was nothing and no one in the world that could make him give it up. He just wished her parents saw what he did: and that was when a thought occurred to him. Ok, he knew he'd probably get in HUGE trouble for this but he couldn't help himself. So, detangling himself from her body he ventured out to the kitchen, found her phone, and flipped it open. Looking through the contacts he found the name 'Mom' and hit 'CALL'.
Two rings and someone picked up.
"Frey, do you have any idea what time-"
"I hope yer proud of yourself."
Silence, then the woman spoke. "Who is this?"
"This is Mikey, Frey's-"
"Boyfriend." She had told her mother about him? THAT he hadn't been expecting. "What do you want?"
"Your daughter is talented. She knows what she's doing and is making the money to prove it. I wish you could see what I see because your daughter thinks that you don't love her anymore and she ended up crying herself to sleep."
Ok, it was a half-truth but the message was received.
"How dare you-"
"No, Mrs. Mitchell, you don't get to yell at me. Only my brothers have that privilege." Donnie would be SO proud of his increased vocabulary! "So, unless you want to drive your daughter even further away I'd suggest you treat her like the adult she is and stop trying to boss her around like a child." Michelangelo sighed. "Merry Christmas."
He ended the call and smiled before dropping the phone onto the counter and returning to his girl.
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"Ok, I got a very interesting phone call this morning," said Frey while coming out of her bedroom, phone in hand and looking very confused. She was dressed in a soft blue sweater that left her right shoulder bare as well as jeans. "My mother apologized, said that my BOYFRIEND was right and that they needed to be more accepting of my choices as an adult." She smirked, waving the phone in his face. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"Uhh… Yeah, sorry I just-"
He grunted as she tossed her entire weight down on top of him on the couch and he found this position very familiar as she straddled his lap and slanted her mouth over his. The stab of desire hit him harder than Raph ever has and he moaned as her hands traveled over the sensitive skin between his body and shell.
"Thank you…. Thank you…"
Later, naked on the sofa and covered by only an afghan, Frey braced her arms on Mikey's chest and looked down at him on the sofa. He looked older without his bandana on and she smiled as he started to play with a blonde curl.
"Oh… And another thing…"
"Yeah?" he asked, the bliss of post-happy-fun-time still making him feel content.
"My mother likes you so much that, when she decides to come visit here after the holidays, she wants to meet you."
Annnnnd just like that the anvil of reality came crashing through the ceiling and pounded him to the floor.
"WHAT?!"
"Good luck figuring a way out of this one. You got us in this mess..." She lovingly patted his plastron. "…you can get us out."
"Ah, shell!" he groaned, covering his face with his arm.
END!
Reviews appreciated! :)