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The Summer haze had laid itself thick over New York, the air left warm and uncomfortably sticky, even with it being near two in the morning. Not a single cloud dared to roll across the night sky, every star able to prick the ink black horizon. The moon was full, a gentle ghost of a glow reflecting upon the ocean waves. They were delicate as they reached the shoreline, lapping at the sand before dragging back into itself, shells and sand shifting beneath the water that tasted the land. Air was thick with the scent of sea salt, a pleasant miasma that kept the atmosphere calm and cool, the perfect contrast to the heat. The docks were quiet, as they were every night; a pleasant surprised considering New York was known as a city that refused to sleep. Two souls were still awake, their fingers perfectly interlaced, as if they were put on this Earth just to hold each other's hands. Despite the fact the sun had set a few hours ago, their forms were walking down the shoreline, footprints left in the sand.
Raphael and Casey were known as the resident 'tough guys' in their family. Always looking for a fight, always down to throw a punch and put a bad guy in their place. They gagged and turned their noses up towards anything 'soft' and 'fluffy', the pair always bitching whenever some romantic goop popped up in whatever movie or show they'd watch. Yet, despite their supposed disdain towards anything couple related, literally no one was surprised when the two casually announced they had decided to date. If anything, Raphael's brothers were taking bets on how long it would take for the two to stop making 'heart eyes' from across the dinner table, and finally admit they had feelings for each other. Maybe most of their dramatic reactions towards romantic shit was them simply being in denial over how much sap ran in their own veins, and how tooth-rottenly sweet they could be towards each other.
When they were alone, of course.
Raphael's brothers did not need anymore ammunition to tease him over his mere existence, and Casey would prefer if his little sister didn't see him acting like a mushy sap. It's why the docks had become on of their favourite places to hang out. It was away from the main hustle and bustle of the city, and when the night rolled in, it was left deserted. Raph didn't even bother bringing a disguise, the two knowing where every large rock, cave, and beam of the various piers were so they could hide in an instance if it were needed. The two had always been lucky though, never being caught down here. It was never really a worry when at the beach, listening to the song sing their name and wave hello as threatened to wash all away.
They had been silent for the most part, not a word shared since they met up for their date. Well, they referred to it as a date; most outsiders would call this a simple walk. It was enough for them though; Casey and Raph didn't need fireworks and over the top gestures to know what they had was love. Even if they hadn't exactly shared the word. Them asking each other out didn't even include it, the two merely teasing each other while ice skating last Winter, it ending with them kissing upon the snowbanks while snowflakes danced around them. But no words of sentiment had been exchanged, not yet at least.
Tired of walking, the boys sat upon the sand, grains clinging to Raphael's leathery green skin and Casey's black jeans respectfully. Even in this weather he was dressed up in denim; least he had enough braincells to ditch the paint stained hoodie, and long sleeve shirt he tended to wear under his normal T-Shirt. The lack of layers had Casey feeling oddly exposed, even if he was still fully clothed. He was merely a creature of the cold, ice his Kingdom; there was a reason he was a master of Ice Hockey after all. It's simply where he thrived. Perhaps it's why he disliked Summer so much; it meant he couldn't just relax in his Jersey after a long day without overheating himself to death. He did notice, however, how Raphael much preferred the Summer. They seemed happier with the warmth, basking in it. Maybe it was a Turtle thing, that's what Casey was willing to pin it down too.
Though, it was poetic, in a way.
Raphael was a fire in many ways. He had a temper than exploded, that erupted like a volcano, destroyed whatever was around him in a blaze that blinded and burned anyone that dare get too close. But he held a warmth that Casey had never felt before. It was comforting, guiding, a light at the end of a dark and seemingly never tunnel. Sure, Raph could burn without a seconds notice. They could go from a flickering candle flame, to a raging inferno within seconds. But his anger burns out as quick as it sets alight. He was rage. He was destruction. He was warmth. He was comfort. And Casey adored it. Adored how they could be his candle in the night, adored how just a smile on their beak was enough to make his stomach flutter and heart beat a little faster. And it was in that moment, with Casey looking at Raph, as they took their gaze to the stars above, that he realised just how much he loved them.
Yet when Raphael looked his way, Casey immediately snapped his head to the side, looking in the opposite direction as a blush dared caress his pale and freckled skin. Now it was Raph left to stare. He had noticed that Casey had been a cranky bitch lately, but he knew how the human could be. He knew Casey preferred the cold to the Summer heat that burned their skin, and stripped them down of the layers that he found comfortable, and made it easier to hide the bruises from the many fights he took in. Raph knew Casey was one with the ice, with the snow that would come once again, with the cold that bit his flesh and made him freeze to the centre of his bones when Winter rolled around.
Casey was like ice in many ways. Yes, he had a temper, but it wasn't as explosive as Raph's own. Casey's anger would freeze him, slip over his bones and take hold of every fibre of that slender being. It consumed him like being frozen alive, numbing him; nothing was worse than being the one hit with that ice-cold glare Casey owned. It bit like the harsh frost bite of an especially cold Winter. But it held a beauty that Raph adored. Ice could cause pain, yes, but watching Casey glide across a rink like he was skating before he could walk was something mesmerising. Winter snow brought along blankets of silence, allowing one to think, reflect, observe the World when it was truly at peace. Casey was ice, he was freezing but beautiful. And it was in that moment, with Raph looking at Casey, as their black hair shifted over slender shoulders as they looked to the ocean before them, that he realised, just how much he loved them.
Raphael was a fire to Casey, the warmth they seek, and the comfort they wished for; something to melt the ice cold anger that numbed his bones when fury began to bite.
Casey was ice to Raphael, able to douse the raging fire that threatened to destroy all around him, to no more than that flickering candles flame - to that warmth, to that comfort.
Feeling the Terrapins eyes on him, Casey turned his head, as gaze's met. Hazel and Emerald locked together, staring deep as nothing but the alluring song of ocean waves played to them. Casey swallowed thickly, a warmth threatening to touch his face. His mouth felt so dry all of a sudden. Raphael felt the same warmth beginning to form, heart fluttering within his shell. The words were stuck on their tongues, but oh, in that moment, they thought the same thing,
"I love you."
"Ya what?"
Casey's eyes widened, he hadn't even realised that stupid big mouth of his had opened, the words rolling so easily off his tongue. Raphael may be the 'red turtle' so to speak, but Casey's entire face was a far darker shade of scarlet than their mask in that moment - guess that made him the red human. Their eyes darted around, Casey's mouth open as staggered syllables managed to stutter out of his mouth, caught on his teeth as he tried to back track. Sure they kissed, and held hands, and went on dates like this. But saying those three little words? Oh, that was new, and it made it feel so very very real in that moment. Casey's heart slammed against his ribcage, stomach a swarm of butterflies that gnawed his intestines from the inside out. His eyes were back on the Turtle. That feeling of numbness that accompanied fear began to prick at the tip of his fingers, seeping down his wrists, mapping his veins towards his chest. Casey wanted to flinch away, backtrack, act as if he hadn't shown such a moment of softness. Anger and fear were best friends, they existed hand in hand. The fear of potential rejection, that Casey wanted more than kisses, and hand holding, and dates, that he wanted love from Raphael, threatening to shut him down and blow this all up.
But then there was warmth; comfort. A spark as Raphael's fingers delicately dragged over Casey's slender digits. It was awkward to do, considering Raphael only had two large fingers compared to Casey's own, but they soon managed to interlace. It felt so perfect, so right, when they did so. Casey glanced to his hands, that ice cold numbness melting away as Raph squeezed his hand. The words were stuck on his own beak. Suddenly feeling a little brave, Casey dragged in a deep breath, and dared to speak up once more,
"I said...I said I love you Raph..."
His voice was far more quiet that time, near a whisper that was almost washed out by the ocean. But Raphael had heard him. He had heard their voice, the confession. Casey Jones loved him. Raph felt tongue tied despite not having said a word. He squeezed their hand again, used that natural coldness to douse the fire burning within. Raphael's beak moved, quirking, as he found himself a loss for words. That had Casey frowning, starting to shrink away. He can't help but assume he had fucked this all up somehow, pushed a boundary he was unaware of. He begins to drag his fingers away, but Raphael tightened his grip. Didn't let Casey slip out of his grasp. Emotions, feelings, they were all so complicated and hard to understand. Raph had known nothing but anger most of his life, a need to protect and a fear of what could happen to those around him if he ever let the mask slip. Yet right now, with Casey? He didn't feel any of it. He felt warm. He felt happy. He felt terrified.
And he wanted to hear them say it over and over and over.
Raphael's tongue had yet to move, his mind refusing to form anymore words. So instead, he leaned in closer. Casey's heart stalled in his chest, but he understood what they were doing. For he leaned in too, tilting his head to the side. His breath hitched in the back of his throat, as Raphael's beak pressed to his lips with a cotton like softness. It was tender, delicate, two words not usually used when it came to the pair of them. To the World they were tough, rough, angry gremlins that snarled out insults and threw punches before they had a single thought.
To each other though? They let those guards down. Let the walls crumble. Opened the door to their cages so the other can step inside, and sit for a while.
It’s why Casey adored these moments, when Raph had their beak to his lips. For a moment, just a moment, they didn’t need to protect themselves from the World around them, they could simply exist without a care, without a lingering worry. Raphael’s mouth lingered against Casey’s just a brief second, the human following when Raph pulled away from him. Only an inch away, warm breath ghosting each others mouths, Raphael decides to speak up,
“I love ya too Case.”
“You do?”
“Course I do Puckhead.”
Casey gave an awkward sounding laugh, clearly in disbelief. Sure, he himself had said the word not two minutes earlier, but hearing it back was certainly new. Certainly had butterflies swarming his chest and heart beating so fast is threatened to break through his chest and escape. The blush on his face couldn't be bright if it tried, smile stupid and large as eyes shone like the stars above them. Love was fire, warm and guiding, much like Raphael. Love was ice, beautiful and quiet, much like Casey.
Shuffling closer, sand glued to Casey's dark jeans, the teen lifted a slender arm. There's a hint of hesitation, this all so new to them, but he still moves the limb around Raph's shell. Fingers rested on their shoulder, pressing down against their thick leathery, yet soft, skin. He gives a gentle tug, bringing Raph in closer to them, the Turtle taking the hint to slowly rest their head on Casey's slender shoulder. Now, alongside the sound of ocean waves whispering hello, they could hear the beat of their own hearts. Casey's own head soon tilted until it was on top of Raph's own, ends of his ebony black hair just tickling their snout. Raphael moved his own arms around Casey's lanky frame, the two sharing a hug as they continued to watch the ocean, continued to listen to its song, enjoying the scent of sea salt as they did. Only rarely during the night did conversation start, light and delicate, but the same three words were said, reassured, it never growing stale nor losing an ounce of meaning - I love you.
Though it had been strange to hear, near weirder to say, those three words soon became a whispered mantra for Raphael and Casey. A reaffirmation of their connection, of all they had. It was promised before missions, a murmur of good luck. It was said through a bruised lips through a smile once the fight was over. It was mumbled between secretive kisses. It was bravely and calmly stated when their families were around. It was the first thing they read during a morning text, the last thing they heard as they said goodnight to each other.
I love you,
I love you,
I love you.