Work Text:
The idea came to you in a random conversation you had as you sat on their couch.
"But wait, you can really reach everywhere? Like if I touch here-", you point to a crevice in the middle of his shell. "You're telling me you can bend your arm enough to get here?"
Leonardo gently takes your wrist and pull your hand away. "I mean, we have some of those telescopic scrubs to help, you know? Or we can just ask each other to get to the hard places if it's really complicated."
Oh.
"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."
You have been asking a few questions about their shells after Raphael started showing off some of his scars, fascinated by the intricate patterns you could see on your friends. The topic of cleaning has be brought up, and as your curiosity took charge, your brain decided to embarrass you as much as it could.
"Do you think I could help?"
Only the faint background music Mikey had set up earlier could be heard as your mutant friends looked at you, eyes wide open.
Oh, that came out wrong.
“Wait, that’s not what I-”, you start to explain your line of thoughts when you get interrupted by the smug look Mikey sent you, as he harbored a teasing smile.
“Oh? I didn’t realize that’s what you meant when you said you wanted to hang out more,” he wiggles his eyebrows as your nervous laughter fills the room.
“Hold on, I can explain.”
Silence again.
“Oh, you’re actually listening?”
“I mean, I think we’re all dying to know why on earth you’d want to take a shower with us. You’re not usually this upfront with your affection,” Donatello chimes in. He’s not even looking at you in the eyes, but doesn’t really try to hide that stupid smirk.
Bastard.
You take a deep breath, trying to focus on not letting the embarassement take over, but your voice shakes imperceptibly, and you can feel youself start to sweat. Great.
“Okay, so I was thinking : you guys always do so much for the city and never get anything in return. I remember Mikey told me that you guys love shell scratches, and now I can see that you have some trouble cleaning it, so maybe I can help with that ? Kinda like a massage sort of thing, it doesn’t have to be weird if no one makes it. Now obviously we’ll be wearing swimsuits, we’re not close enough for… you know… actually taking a shower together, ” you try clearing your throat discretly. You hear a muffled laugh from Raph.
“Anyway, I think Casey knows where to buy the best animal care product. I think human stuff might not be suitable for your shells, and I read somewhere that water was the best way to clean a turtle shell anyways, but if you have suggestions just let me know what you usually use. Do you even have swimsuits ? Doesn’t matter, I’m sure we can find you some-”
As you rambled on, the slight shame started to wear off and you were able to explain your line of thoughts more clearly. The awkwardness of the situation seemed to settle down, even if your friends were absolutely going to tease you about it later. Leonardo seemed hesitant, though.
“I don’t know, man. Are you sure about this ? I don’t want you to feel like you have to. We can take care of ourselves, you know.”
“I’m not gonna force you if you don’t want to, I’m just offering because I want to do something nice for you guys. You can’t really take a break, but you could at least relax a bit.”
“I’m up for it.” You didn’t expect Raph to agree so quickly, but maybe you should have anticipatd that as you look at the bags under his eyes. “I mean, the worst thing that could happen is falling asleep while getting a massage from a friend. Kinda sounds like a dream if you ask me. ”
‘Well that was easy,’ you think as your face lightens up.
“Besides, we can laugh at them for wanting to shower with us. Didn’t think you’d want to be so intimate, ” he purrs as he gives you a side glance.
Oh. Bastard number two.
“Alright. Sure. You know what, fair game, ” you laugh it off. Mikey puts a reassuring arm around your shoulders as Donnie places his legs on your laps.
“We do have swimwear, so you don’t need to worry about that. And you were right about using only water to clean it, as human products tends to make us itchy afterwards. There are some types of oil we use sometimes to nourish our shells, however. I think the only thing we might need to look into is new brushes. The ones we have are, hum, barely hanging on.”
You send a quick text to Casey and April to let them know about the plan after making a short list of supplies with Leo, who ended up agreeing.
It didn’t take that much convincing.
____________________________
Saturday came fast. After getting all the necessary supplies with Casey, you both made your wait to the lair to join April. They had both agreed to help you in your task, because ‘damn, they really need some appreciation’.
“When do you think they’ll be back?” You ask Splinter as he offers you a cup of spiced tea.
“Usually around one in the morning, unless they were delayed.”
Unless something went wrong.
But those dark thought quickly faded away as you heard the faint echo of Mikey’s laughter as he recalled their night. Light chatter filled the room as they took off their gear and put away their weapons, and April hushed them to get changed and take a quick shower so they could get started and finally have some sort of a break.
You could see they were excited as they each went their own way, waiting for their turn to the shower.
When you live in the sewers and try to turn it into a living space, you have to do what you can with what you have. And sometimes, what you have is a large space that you can turn into a huge bathroom, with multiple showers and a large bathtub; but what you don’t have is privacy. So big communal bathroom it is.
In this specific case, it’s a good thing, because it means you can all chill together as you get to work on their shells. Once everyone was settled in, April motioned them to sit on some of the chairs you put up. She opens the bag Casey and you brought and starts getting the multiple brushes and bottle out.
“You have to understand that you guys are, uh, gigantic. So try to stay at our level, okay? And stay put, please. Anyway, here is what we’ve got for you: there are multiple brushes - one of each type for each of you - and some are harder than the others. Don’t worry, we’ll try not to scrub your shell off of you,” she winks at that, and holds back a laugh at Raph’s worried expression.
She continues. “We also found the oil Donnie told us about, and we bought multiple bottles. You’ll have a stack for next time.” She then gets one last bottle out that she puts aside.
“That one is for Splinter. To make his fur all soft and shiny,” you butt in with an innocent smile. The old man deserves a treat too.
Casey laughs at that and says, “So, there’s tree of us and four of you. Who is okay waiting for his turn?”
Silence.
After a solid minute, Leonardo sighs and volunteers to let his brothers enjoy a well deserved spoiling session. Mikey, instead of sitting on a chair like a normal person, choose instead to lay down on the bathroom floor.
“You said it was basically a massage, right? Now it really feels like it!”
“Oh, good idea. I’m this close to getting a pillow and having the nap of my life,” Donnie says, putting his fingers together.
“Your fingers are touching.”
“I know,” he gives you a side smile as he starts to get up, but you quickly bring him back to reality. “But there’s gonna be water everywhere?” You sit down next to where he just was and watch as he goes back to where he sat, sending you a disapproving side glance.
“Let a turtle dream, will you?” He lays down on his stomach, puts his head on his arms, and scouts closer to you.
You watch Raph get settled on a chair next to Casey, putting his arms on the backrest as April hands you one of the harder brushes. Leo makes a quick trip to the kitchen and brings back some water, a few snacks, and a copy of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.
“Again,” you start. “There’s gonna be water everywhere. Are you sure bringing a book here is a good idea?”
He gives you a sly smile. “Gotta live up to my name.”
What?
“What?”
“You know,” Mikey interrupts. “Fearless.”
“Oh. Right. Well, don’t come crying when you drop it into a puddle then.” But you offer him a plastic bag anyway, to hold his book with it in case he wets his hands.
“You sure you’re okay waiting?” Casey asks him as he starts pouring water over Raph’s back.
“Yeah, don’t worry. I have things to keep me busy anyway.”
______________________________
It took one swipe of the brush from April for Mikey to start… what was the word? Churring.
A low rumble coming from his throat that had kind of the same function as a cat’s purr, Donnie explained. It was an expression of contentment or happiness, that sometimes even happended when they needed reassurance.
Adorable.
“I can’t believe you guys can purr and never told me.” Raph doesn’t even bother opening his eyes when he answers you, “We knew you’d take advantage of that. Didn’t want to be babied by the tiniest human we ever met.”
Asshole.
You went back and forth with the gruff turtle, always in good spirit though. Conversations flowed, laughter were exchanged, and everyone managed to lighten up. Master Splinter joined the group at some point, and was just glad to spend some time with his family - all of it. He also started to take cared of Leo’s dorsal, to his delight.
You don’t exactly know when, but some time after Donnie started to let go some soft churrs as you scrubbed the dirt off of his shell, you stopped listening to the current topic and started to really focus on your task.
Scrapping the dirt hidden in between every crevice, rubbing the largest scales, you were surprised by the look of the bare shell of your nerdy friend. You never really stopped to observe this particular feature the four brothers harbored, not only out of decency, but also because it was always covered. Gear and clothes, backpack and tech, dirt and blood, there was always something hiding the intricate patterns of their shells.
You unconsciously slowed down to really take in what you were seeing, your fascination and curiosity taking over your wish to help.
“I don’t know why, but I never expected your shell to be so colorful,” you say after wiping away the dirty water from the left side of his back. You didn’t mean to say it at loud, but he doesn’t answer you. However, you do get something from Mikey.
“Man, you should see mine! Don helped me create an organic paint so I can paint my shell without hurting myself with a bunch of chemicals, and it looks sooo damn good-”
“Shh!”
“… Did they- Did you just shush me?”
“Shhh!” You whisper yell this time. You then give a side glance toward the sleeping turtle under you.
“Annw. Good luck waking him up.”
“Yeah, I’m… not doing that. He needs his sleep,” you laugh quietly.
______________________________
It took the three of you around an hour to deep clean their shells. Even Raph was finally letting go and softly churring at the end. Mikey was loud enough to have trouble speaking, and Donnie was still asleep. Splinter was still working meticulously on his son, who, he could tell, had a hard time holding back the content churrs that threatened to spill out.
You get up and strech, feeling your joints crack and already anticipating how sore you’ll be tomorrow. The muscles in your arms were burning, and you couldn’t feel your butt anymore, but it was worth it. You’ve never seen the four mutants so relaxed before.
Remembering the oils, you went toward the towels to dry your friend’s back and give the final touch to, what you’d grow to refer to, your work of art. You gave a few head scratches to Raph, who was dozing off with a lazy smile, and went back to Donatello. You slowly dried his dorsal when you felt him shift under your hands.
“Hey buddy,” you speak softly. He whispers a ‘hey’ you can barrely hear.
“I’m almost done. I just have to put the oil, then you can let it dry and go to sleep, okay ? ” You open the bottle and get a paintbrush, with which you start coating his shell with a thin layer of oil. You can hear his soft churrs start again.
Casey accidentally dropped the bottle of oil on Raph’s back and was desperatly trying to gather as much as he could. “Shi- Fuck, wait-”
“Here, give me some. Thanks to you, I don’t have to open mine, ” April said with a smirk. She helped him clean up before going back to Mikey, who raised himself on his forearms and watched the scene unfold with a tired smile.
It took only around twenty minute to put the oil on their shells and get it almost dried up. Once it was done, you helped Splinter and Casey clean up as April let her dizzy friends hold onto her, guiding them on their way to their room. Once it was all done, you waved Leo good night as Raph ruffled your hair and went to sleep. Mikey gave you a big hug and thanked you for the ‘bonker idea’ and made you promise to do it again soon, which you agreed on.
April was already sleeping in the big armchair next to the couch, Casey in a sort of little nest of blankets and pillows at her feet. As you made your way to the couch – your makeshift bed for the night – Donnie was passed out cold on it already. And, boy, does he takes up a lot of space.
You felt a hand on your shoulder and turned to see Splinter standing next to you. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you borrowing his bed for the night. ”
“I– are you sure ? ”
“He stole yours. He’ll live. ” A gentle smile tugged at his lips as he guided you to your friend’s room, offering you a spare blanket and pillow. “Have a good night, Y/N. You know where to find me if you need anything.”
”Thank you, Master Splinter.” You can feel your eyelid close on their own, and decide to finally call it a night. You got settled as best you could in the bed, and fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow.
A warm breakfast would await you in the morning.