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“Raph,” Leo hissed, trying and failing to resist his brothers hold on his arm. “Let’s go, this was a bad idea.”
“Don’t be a scaredy cat,” Raph chastised as he approached the door. “She’s nice. You’ll like her.” He looked around the group, at Mikey’s excited bounding beside him and Leo reluctantly following. “Don, you still here?” He called.
From the shadow of a building, Donatello slunk out of the darkness and rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know about this… you lied to Master Splinter and now we’re going to a human’s house?”
Frowning, Raph turned around to face his brother. “I didn’t lie. We are going to visit an old friend. Don’t be so stuck up, Donnie. This is a good thing, I’m telling you.”
“How did you even meet her?” Donnie asked incredulously. “It’s not often humans invite us over for a tea party.”
Raph shrugged as he turned back to the door and rose his hand to knock. “I ran into a dead end and instead of having to fight a mob of angry humans she let me in.”
“She just opened the door?” Mikey asked in excitement. “Really? You didn’t break in? She invited you?”
“Yeah Mike,” Raph chuckled. “I promise, you’ll like her.”
Before Raph could bring his hand down on the door, Leo’s arm that was not held in Raph’s whipped out and gripped his brother’s clenched fist. “Alright Raph, this joke has gone far enough. It’s time to go home.”
Pulling away, Raph spun to scowl at his brother. “Come on Fearless, you’re not afraid of a sweet old lady, are ya?” Ignoring his brothers’ protests, Raph turned back to knock sharply on the door. “Mrs Morrison?” He called through the wood. “It’s me, Raphael. I’ve brought my brothers to come to meet you.”
There was shuffling through the door and Raph could hear the faint meowing of a cat. Behind him, Donnie was panicking and muttering about idiot brothers, Leo had paled and was starting to slowly walk away and Mikey had bounded up beside Raph.
The door opened and Mrs Morrison stepped out into the doorway. “Raphael, is it really you?” She asked sweetly, reaching a hand out. “I haven’t seen you in such a long time.”
“It’s been ages,” Raph agreed, taking the hand and kissing the back of it, ignoring Leo’s look. He smiled at Mrs Morrison, even though he knew she wouldn’t see it. “Mind if we come in? I have some people I’d like you to meet.”
“No no, of course, come in,” She stood aside and Raph followed her into the house, leaving his family forced to follow.
The interior of the house was clean, a set of chairs were set around the table and the only filth on the floor was flecks of white cat hair. The cat in question leapt out from another room and scaled up Raph to land on his shoulder. She purred at him and rubbed herself against Raph’s face until the turtle reached up to stroke her between the ears. “Hey there, Lucy.” He greeted with a chuckled.
Mrs Morrison had pottered over to the table and sat down at one of the chairs. “Well, Raphael. Don’t be rude. Who were you going to introduce me to?”
“Oh right, these are my brothers. Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello.” He sat down opposite her and glared at his brothers until they greeted her and followed Raph’s lead.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you boys,” Mrs Morrison smiled. “It has been quite some time since I had any company other than Lucy.” The white cat leapt off of Raph at the mention of her name and ran herself under her owner’s hand.
Leo cleared his throat. “Uh, Ma’am, I mean no disrespect but… you’re alright with us? You’re not… afraid at all of having us in your home?”
“Afraid?” She asked, confused. Raph crossed his arms and leant back in his chair with a smug grin. “Why would I be afraid of nice men like you? If you’re anything like Raphael I’m sure you’re delightful.”
“Uh, it’s just that, most people don’t like us because of the way we look…” Donnie trailed off and Raph took great joy in the perplexed look on his genius brothers face.
Mrs Morrison chuckled. “If that’s all you’re worried about dear’s then you can rest assured. I can’t see you. I’ve been blind for over a year now. I don’t care how you look.”
“Told ya,” Raph grinned at his brothers surprised and excited faces. “Mikey, shut your mouth. You’re going to catch flies.”
Mikey leant across the table beaming, ignoring the way Leo tried to pull him back his shell. “Really? Really truly?”
Gently rubbing her fingers over Mikey’s face, Mrs Morrison smiled. “My dear, looks have never meant anything to me.”
Whopping, Mikey pulled away from the table and threw his arms up in the air. “See Leo, see? Raph isn’t always an idiot.”
“You might be right,” There was a faint smile slithering its way across Leo’s face that Raph took great pride in. “This might not be so bad.”
A chair scraped back as Donnie stood and made his way over to a box he had been staring at. “Uh, Ma’am, do you know that your heater is broken?”
Sighing, Mrs Morrison nodded. “Yes. Unfortunately, the people I’ve asked to come and fix it have told me I need a replacement and I’m afraid I just don’t have the money.”
“It’s almost winter.” Leo muttered as he watched Donnie’s eyes dart over the broken heater. “You shouldn’t be living in the cold.”
“It is the life of a frail old woman, I’m afraid. Nobody takes you seriously.” Mrs Morrison said solemnly. “It doesn’t matter. That heater hasn’t worked in many years.”
Spluttering, Donnie stood and left the house, fists clenched and determination etched onto his face. “I’ll be back,” he called as the door shut behind him.
“Where is he going?” Mrs Morrison asked in confusion.
Raph rested a comforting hand on her arm. “Don’t worry Mrs M, Donnie can fix anything. He’s gone home to get his tools so he can fix your heater.”
“Oh my. How nice of him. How much would that cost?” She asked, concerned.
“Nah man!” Mikey exclaimed. Leo slapped him on the back of the head. “Ow! Sorry, Ma’am. Donnie doesn’t need money. He likes fixing things. You can’t talk him out of it either, once he gets an idea he won’t stop until it’s done.”
“You might as well point out what else needs fixing,” Leo agreed. “He’s always willing to help. He’ll have whatever you need to be fixed in no time.”
“That’s awfully kind of him.” She said, still sounding somewhat worried. “I still wish I could repay him in some way.”
Raph shrugged, more for his brother's benefit than Mrs Morrison’s. “Don is always drinking coffee. A cup of joe will do him good.”
Smiling, Mrs Morrison stood and made her way into the kitchen and soon the sound of a boiling kettle could be heard throughout the home. Donnie was back with his bag of tools from home by the time Mrs Morrison placed a tray filled with a jug of milk, 5 mugs filled with coffee and a small sugar pot onto the table. Immediately, he knelt down beside the broken heater and pulled off the panel, unzipped his bag and pulled out what he needed. Mrs Morrison blinked in confusion and Leo calmly informed her that Donnie had returned. “Would you like a cuppa before you start any of that?” she asked.
“In a moment,” Donnie replied, voice muffled with his head stuck inside the heating unit. Leo rolled his eyes and added the right amount of sugar to Donnie’s coffee and stirred it while Donnie worked.
“You’re all too kind,” Mrs Morrison said with a hand over her heart. “I can’t believe that you kids are judged for how you look. People are so cruel these days. You children are wonderful, no matter what you look like.”
“Yeah well, we ain’t never really been liked by anyone,” Raph muttered, trying to figure out how his large three fingers fit within the handle of one of Mrs Morrison’s dainty tea-cups. “It’s almost a running gag at this point.”
Before Mrs Morrison could reply, Mikey had bent down beneath the table and lifted Lucy onto his lap, who purred at the attention. She raised her head and closed her eyes when Mikey rubbed under her chin. “I have a cat too; his name is Clunk.” He said to no one in particular though it might have been directed to Mrs Morrison. He smiled at her, despite knowing she didn’t realize. “I think he and Lucy would get along. Although, he might smell a little, so maybe that’s a bad idea.”
“Oh don’t you worry,” Mrs Morrison took a sip of her tea. “I don’t mind the smell. This place on occasion doesn’t smell the most pleasant either, because sometimes I can tell how full the bin has gotten or what day I need to take the bins out. But you are welcome to bring Clunk over for a playdate whenever you feel like it. I don’t leave the house much anymore.”
Mikey grinned and practically bounced in his chair and Leo rubbed the back of his head. “It’s very kind of you to off your home to us, Mrs.”
Waving her hand, Mrs Morrison sat back in her chair with a laugh. “Don’t you worry hun. I’m always welcome for the extra company. Sometimes it gets lonely with just me and Lucy. Now, Raphael.” She pointed at the kitchen and Raph startled in his chair. “Be a dear and fetch the tin of biscuits from the cupboard. The ones in the round tin on the top shelf.”
Raph returned rattling the box of biscuits and placed them on the table and Mrs Morrison reached over and opened the lid. Instantly, Mikey shot forward and snagged a cookie from the tin and munched on it happily, getting crumbs all over his lap and the white cat perched in it, causing poor Lucy to meow in displeasure, but she didn’t move.
Sighing, Donnie removed his body from the inside of the heater and put the panel back on before he put his tools back where they belonged and joined them at the table. He gratefully took the mug that Raph passed to him and rubbed a hand from the top of his head to the base of his neck. “All fixed, Mrs Morrison.” He yawned, rubbing at his eyes. Nobody had the heart to tell him that he was covered in a thick coating of dust. “It should be as good as new.”
“Oh sweetie, that was so kind of you.” Mrs Morrison reached out and placed a hand on Donnie’s arm before pulling away. “You sound very tired. Are you getting enough sleep? God knows you need it if you’re fixing things like that all day if what your brothers say is true.”
“I uh… yes?” Donnie took a large mouthful of his coffee to prevent himself from answering further. Leo fixed him with a glare that seemed to shout we’ll talk about this later.
Frowning, Mrs Morrison leaned back in her chair and cupped her coffee with both hands as she brought it close to her face. “You best be taking care of yourself, young man. And Raph, I hope you’re taking care of your brother if he’s working himself down to the bone and not taking care of himself.”
“I do my best,” Raph chuckled, reaching over and whacking Donnie on the back of the head. “He’s the most stubborn out of us all but I try and keep him on track.”
“I am here you know,” Donnie’s voice was muffled as he crammed a biscuit into his mouth with his eyes down on the intricate white tablecloth.
Raph kicked Donnie under the table and the younger turtle glared at him. “Yeah, and this wouldn’t even be a discussion if you weren’t such a problem child who forgets when to eat and sleep.”
“Boys,” Leo chastised before turning back to Mrs Morrison. “We try to take care of our own. We don’t exactly have others in our corner, so having each other’s backs has become a large part of our lives. Even if we are protecting them from themselves.” He glared at Donnie and his brother rolled his eyes. “But we try our best.”
Mrs Morrison smiled kindly and ran her hands over Lucy’s arched back as the cat purred into her other hand, having extracted herself from Mikey’s clutches and made her way towards her owner. “You boys are so kind. It’s a good thing that you look after each other. There’s not enough of that in this world.”
Laughing, Mikey leaned back in his chair so only two legs were on the ground and Leo pushed him back down with a grumble so Mikey settled for drumming his fingers on the table instead. “That’s us, ma’am. Just one big happy family.” He grinned sloppily back at Raph, his tongue flopping out of his mouth with comedic effect as he tried to rest his head on Ralph’s shoulder. Snarling, Raph pushed his brothers head away and Mikey laughed.
In the silence that followed with them just drinking their tea, Donnie checked his shell-cell and nearly jumped out of his skin. “Leo,” he warned, showing their leader the time on the screen. “Maybe we should get back so Master- dad, so dad doesn’t worry.”
Nodding, Leo stood and the other turtles followed suit. “Thank you again, Mrs Morrison, for your kindness and hospitality.” He bowed and Mikey rolled his eyes at his back.
“Yeah, thanks, Mrs M.” Mikey agreed, walking around Leo and to the door. He bent down to pet the cat winding around his ankles. “Bye-bye Lucy. It was nice to meet you.”
“If you ever need anything repaired, just let me know,” Donnie said, reaching out to shake her hand before remembering the lack of fingers he had and settled for patting her on the shoulder instead. “I’ll be right down as soon as you call.”
Gushing, Mrs Morrison followed them all out to the door and waved as they made their way back up the rooftops they had come from. “Goodbye, boys! You know you are always welcome in my home whenever you wish to stop by for a chat!”
There was a series of farewells as the turtles withdrew further into the darkness, leaving Raphael on the doorstep with Mrs Morrison and Lucy. “Thanks for that Mrs Morrison.” He said genuinely, bumping her gently with his hip as he watched the receding shapes in the distance with his arms crossed. “My brothers and I… we don’t really have any friends. I mean, we have a couple, and we have each other, but we don’t really have anyone to be there for us. I think they really needed that. So thank you.”
“Oh, don’t you worry dear,” Mrs Morrison chuckled. “You boys can come over whenever you want. Just answer me one thing.” She bent down to whisper in Raph’s ear. “You fine men aren’t human, are you?” Raph tensed. “Nobody has leathery skin and scales. And three fingers? Amazing! Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I don’t care either.” She tapped the side of her face. “Remember? Blind.”
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Raph made to walk away. “Thanks, Mrs Morrison, you really are the best. Have a nice night!”
“Look after yourself!”
The others were waiting for him on a rooftop when he landed beside them and he was pleased by eager and excited looks on their faces. Leo was leaning against a shed with his arms crossed as he usually was while he often waited for his brothers to catch up, but he was smiling for once. “What?” Raph asked gruffly as joined them.
“Sorry we doubted you,” Donnie yawned from behind Raph, clapping him on the shoulder as he passed him and made his way to the other end of the rooftop, heavy bag of tools jangling in his hand. “Wasn’t so bad after all.”
“Not so bad?” Mikey gasped, bouncing about on the rooftop. “Raph, that was awesome! She was so nice and she liked us and she didn’t think we were scary at all!”
Sorting, Raph shared a look with Leo and pointed a thumb at Mikey. “Who let him have sugar? He’s going to be hyper for the rest of the night.”
Laughing, Leo pushed away from the shed and followed Donnie to the other side of the roof. “Let’s go home. Don’t mention a word of this to Master Splinter, I don’t want to get another lecture about taking unnecessary risks.”
A chorus of agreements followed Leo’s words as Mikey and Don leapt off the roof and made their way back to the sewer grate that took them all home. As Raph passed him, Leo placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. When Raph turned to look at him, he was surprised by the proud smile uncharacteristically on his face. “You did good Raph.”
That gave Raph pause before a smirk spread across his face and slapped Leo with the back of his hand on the chest. “Sure thing, Fearless Leader.” Raph teased, pulling away. “I’ll race ya home. The loser has to do double dish duty for a week.”
Shaking his head, Leo followed Raph off the rooftop and together they caught up with their brothers and made their way home together, a mess of giggling and excited boys thrilled after their first experience of discovery that had only lead to the best of things.
And hey, maybe he wasn’t the best turtle or the greatest brother, but if he could make his family happy by introducing them to blind old ladies who had a cat and a broken heater, Raph would do it every day just for the looks on their faces and their poorly-muffled giggles of joy that echoed in the tunnels of their sewer.