Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Secrets Series
By Jeremy McLaughlin

Episode One:
Spider-man Kisses

	A warm breeze blew across the roof top. The type of moist heat that once the body has been subjected to it, it just felt grungy and disgusting. Leonardo and Donatello were huddled in the alleyway below, keeping an eye on the streets. Which means that Raphael was stuck on the rooftop with Michelangelo. Just another boring watch from atop the New York City building. April's apartment building to be precise. The brothers had been setting up watch every night since the attempt on her life a few nights before.
	Along with it being a boring job. The pollution in this part of town was particularly horrible. The dirt and debris turned to muck instantly when it mixed with the sweat building up on Raph's skin. He grunted at the feeling as his fingers ran up along the oil slick that seemed to be pooling on his arms.
	Usually the rooftop watch would be a quiet time for him to lose himself in his thoughts, but Mikey's excessive singing made it impossible. Raph had tried to tune him out, but he had been singing the same song over and over again. There was something irritating about the words and yet familiar at the same time. Raph couldn't quite put his finger on it.
	Mikey sang from his spot atop a green utility box. He was lying on his back with his head carelessly hanging over the edge of it. Raph averted his gaze from his brother's baby blue eyes. He knew all to well, that if they locked eyes with Mikey, he was sure to sing louder and just be more obnoxious then he already was being.
	Mikey's voice was lazy and off key as he sang. “...for butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer; sticking little white...”
	Raph stared out across the city, trying to keep an eye out for trouble. He winced with each broken note that slipped through his brother's lips. An angry tingle worked it's way through his spine into his brain. The song continued on, burning itself into his brain.
	“...walk beside the pony, dude, it's my first ride...”
	Raph clenched his teeth tightly. He could feel them shuddering as if they were going to shatter at any second. They would too, if that song didn't stop soon. Raph wheeled around on the balls of his feet, seeing Mikey staring at him as he continued to sing. There was a stupid grin on his face, that he'd come to hate over the course of the evening and still the song kept grinding on.
	“...I know the cake looks funny, man, but I sure tried...”
	Then came the pop, it felt so violent that Raph thought he had, had an aneurism. “Shut up, Mikey! The only thing worse than being stuck on this god damned roof all night. Is being stuck on this god damned roof with you singing that shitty song.”
	Mikey stopped abruptly and pursed his lips. “It's not a shitty song, bro. It's Butterfly Kisses, by Bob Carlisle. Splinter and I listened to it earlier today.”
	“That's sweet and everything, buttercup, but you have to shut up. You're driving me crazy, singing that gay crap.” Raph growled out, not even trying to keep his voice down..
	Mikey folding his hands on his stomach and looked into Raph's eyes. “Doncha remember dude? Splinter use to sing this to us when we were babies.”
	That's why the song sounded familiar, Raph thought as he felt his heart tremble in his chest. The anger receding inside of him as the memories of Splinter sitting beside them on the bed. Every night before they would go to bed, he would sing the song. Tears welling up in his wise eyes. When he was a kid he always wondering why his master would cry over a song, but as a kid, he was too selfish to care. Instead he would just revel in the fact that he and his brothers were being sang to.
	It hadn't been until he had gotten much older, that Raph ever learned the truth. The song was very important to Splinter, in more than one way. It was the song he would sing to his wife and Niwa. Later it had become a song that reminded him of his sons as well. How could he have forgotten such a beautiful memory? Raph sighed deeply as a twinge of guilt pushed it way into his throat.
	“Yeah man, Splinter use to sing all those old sappy romantic songs to us. I can't believe you forgot. You use to love them more then any of us did.” Mikey mused quietly as he pushed his fingers together.
	“Yeah right, you gotta be lying. There is no way I could love sucha lame ass song like that.” Raph stammered as he felt a heat push to his cheeks.
	“You're probably right, man. You wouldn't know romance if it came up and punched you in the face.” Mikey finished with a chiding giggle.
	It did feel like someone punched Raph. Not in the face, but in the chest. For a brief moment it felt like the air had been knocked out of him. Mikey's words slowly sunk into his mind. They were like sharp ice shards working their way down to his heart. Cutting and tearing him up inside as it went. What a terrible thing for him to say, Raph thought. Romance to him was a different kind of thing all together. Something that Mikey was way to stupid to understand. The pain in his heart grew, forcing his rage to boil to his throat. Anything to melt those ice shards that were threatening to tear him apart.
	“Oh yeah smart guy! What the fuck do you know about romance?” Raph barked out, his voice incredibly loud in the night.
	Mikey smirked, knowing that he had gotten the better of Raph. “Dude, romance is connecting with someone on a level that is the same as a friend and a lover. Like family, only stronger, you know? There isn't anything you won't do for them. And it doesn't stop there, bro. You will love them no matter if they get ugly or fat or old. If they sweat like a pig, or smell like a sewer, you'll still love them, no matter what. That's romance, dude.”
	When Mikey finished talking, he smiled so big that his eyes were forced shut. Raph's mouth hung open, astounded. He couldn't figure out what astounded him more. The fact that these words of wisdom came from his baby brother, who was a known idiot, or the fact that the words he spoke, mirrored what Raph felt inside. Tears were welling up in his eyes, making him feel weak. Feeling something that he'd never felt before. A desperate connection with someone else for a change.
	Raph grabbed the sides of Mikey's upside down head and leaned into a kiss. Mikey's breath was caught in his throat, as he opened his eyes to see Raph's Adam's apple quivering from the kiss. There lips mixing together is a tender embrace. Raph's lips were already parted, inviting Mikey in. Mikey didn't shy away from the kiss. Instead he gripped the back of his older brother's head, pulling him tightly. He parted his lips, letting his tongue explore Raph's mouth. Raph moaned out deeply as he could feel Mikey's tongue pinning his down. The taste of his brother's saliva was sweeter than he could  have imagined. Their moans mixed together in a soft cooing song.
	Time slipped away from them as they explored every inch of one another mouths. Their tongues wrestling to see who the alpha was, but Mikey seemed to always win. Not that Raph minded at all. Every time he was pinned, it just sent a desperate tremble through his body. When they parted from the kiss, both were lost in heavily lidded eyes and heavy panting. It was as if they hadn't breathed the whole time they had dwell in the romantic kiss.
	Mikey rolled off of the utility box. His legs buckling and trembling amidst the emotions that were surging through him. He stumbled forward only to have Raph rush forward to catch him, cradling his smaller body against him. They looked into each others eyes, blue on green. Mikey was smiling that curious childlike smile. Raph had his smirk on. It seemed like it was the only smile his face could muster.
	“Dude, do you realize that you just Spider-man kissed me. That is like the third hottest kind of kiss ever.” Mikey let out a breathy giggle.
	“Oh my god, I can't believe you've put so much thought in this.” Raph panted out a chuckle.
	Mikey started singing, “...for Spider-man kisses after brotherhood embraces, sticking little white flowers all up in your...well hair if you had any...” before it dissolved into a playful chuckle.
	“You're such a dork, Mikey.” Raph shook his head, trying to contain his laughter.
	Raph's smile softened, reflecting his new found affection for his little brother. “Of course you know this is our little secret, right?”
	Mikey gave Raph a soft peck on the lips. “Gotcha bro, you got nothing to worry about.”
	“Good.” Raph whispered, returning the peck.
	“Does this count as the gay crap you were talking abut earlier, Raph?” Mikey pushed his face into his brother's neck.
	“Shut up, Mikey.” Raph chuckled, kissing the top of his brother's head.
	Raph fell down to his knees on the gravel of the roof still holding Mikey in his arms. It seemed to him that night watch duty was about to get a whole lot more interesting. If the other guys ever found out about this, the teasing would never stop. Before the thoughts could even finish processing through his brain, he felt Mikey's lips upon his again. The kiss soft and passionate, leaving Raph no choice but to give in to the romantic kiss once again.