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A whirlwind of snowflakes danced gently down the streets of ecumenopolis of New Turtle York, shrouded in the darkness of night. Small snowdrops slowly covered the roads and nooks, tree crowns and roofs of numerous high-rise buildings and skyscrapers, whose windows and neon signs served as the only source of illumination of the planetary-scaled city, creating a magnificent snow carpet. No numerous lampposts polluting with light smog.
Despite the accurate forecast of the climate artificial intelligence, coupled with the data of the Chosens who controlled the weather and atmosphere, that predicted clear weather in the morning, this did not prevent a small cyclone from forming in the evening over the huge city and bringing snowy weather with it. Whether it formed naturally or was the work of the Chosens remains a mystery.
After all, the appearance of snow did not dampen the mood of the inhabitants of the planet, but on the contrary, only increased the feeling of the upcoming grand celebration. This night was indeed special.
In spite of the difference in time measuring systems, one thing remained unchanged - Christmas, which had come since the moment when all the clocks on the planet showed midnight. And since it was now late at night, it would not be until the very early morning that all the festive fun would begin.
It was a fun experience that the sleeping inhabitants of the one skyscraper that towered above the rest, the Shell Tower, were looking forward to. The home of twenty-four ninja turtle brothers didn't exude a single, even a faint ray of light, and from the outside it looked as if the entire building had fallen into slumber and would awaken when all its glass panoramic windows lit up with a rainbow glow. Some would say it looked eerie: a black silent silhouette towering above the lower buildings, like some kind of sleeping monster made of glass and concrete.
All of the turtles have long since seen their third sleep, serenely slumbering in their rooms. All but one...
One turtle that sat on a couch in a huge hall in front of a glass panorama and enjoyed the silent snowfall....
A bandana of freezing icy color hung weakly around his neck, sleepy orange fruit coloured eyes that were trying to close despite the moral resistance of their owner... Covered by a warm blanket that warmed his already cold body....
Palladio wanted to and didn't want to sleep at the same time.
With a firm effort of will, he forced himself to wake up.
He must not sleep. Not tonight.
This night was truly wonderful and magical.
Waking up in the middle of the night to watch the usual snowfall seen on any cool terras and icy worlds in the galaxy? That was something only he could do. And then his favorite brothers wake him up in the morning and shake their heads, saying that again he doesn't spare himself and his body. This is still in the best case, in the worst case he'll get a daily dose of lectures from Donnie and Gal about the benefits of a good night's sleep. But he still does it his way.
The others have long since gotten used to his oddities. Like the color of his bandana, Paul was like ice itself. Secretive, silent, not very emotional, it was impossible to read or understand what was on his mind at the moment. And in general, ice cannot be held in your hand for a long time, otherwise you risk getting frostbite.
But with enough heat, ice melts and turns to water, those are simple high school physics. This warmth, his little summer, was one special turtle, who was the first of all to accept it whole with all its inherent quirks.
Who wasn't afraid of his cold.....
Whose radiant smile instantly made him melt.....
Who first showed him the delights and joys of the summer season.....
The turtle mutant who is the first to give him his Christmas present after he arrives late at night without waiting for morning. The one for whose sake Palladio wakes up, whose gift he so reverently and eagerly awaits, sitting in the hall in front of the panorama of New Turtle York.
Someone's hot and desirable arms gently embrace him from behind, and a caressing kiss on his neck and hot breath elicits a sweet moan from the ice bandana wearer's mouth. His face spreads into a joyful smile, he's finally got his summer.
"Mikey...", Paul says quietly, but he gets a reply:
"Raise your hands..."
He obediently fulfills his lover's request in anticipation. The soft warm fabric of unknown clothing first envelops his arms and a second later his whole body. His head pops out of the hood, and then his eyes turn to Michelangelo's interested, childlike, sky blue eyes sparkling with the mute question “What do you think?” and then to the gift.
It was a hoodie with a colorful print. The bottom part depicted a dense winter spruce forest, all covered in an abundant snow cap. The upper part depicted a cloudy sky and the setting sun with visible rays spreading out to the sides. However, the gimmick was not only in the drawing itself, the whole trick of this gift was that it was animated. The spruce trees gently swayed in the wind, causing the snow from their prickly crowns to gently fall down, and the sun glistened slightly and played with the light on the constantly changing shape of the clouds. So little more than that, the hoodie emitted a slight glow that allowed it to be visible in the dark. In addition, it was very warm, it felt like you could walk out into the cold without fear of freezing to death.
"Mikey, it's-”, Paul was just about to comment on the gift, clutching its hem with his hand, when he was suddenly cut off at the half-word. A pair of soft, downy headphones with ice crystals encrusted in them appeared in moment on his head. Seeing Palladio's indescribable delighted reaction, the jolly turtle only smiled and gently nestled his lips against his spouse's, showering him with the enshrining gift.
"Merry Christmas to you, Paul. Do you like it?"
"Mikey, it's... It's... Just... Unbelievable... I absolutely love it...."
"I made the hoodie myself, with a little extra help. Gal helped me with the headphones, by the way. You can mentally connect to the shellnet and choose any tune you want. But I had to work hard to decorate it, I flew around a lot of icy worlds to find the necessary crystals that don't melt at normal temperatures."
"Each time your gift is different from the other, and none of them disappointed me... This hoodie is very beautiful....."
Only Palladio wanted to say something about why the winter sunset was depicted on the hoodie, but he managed to hold back his question in time. The answer came as quickly as the question.
It was a symbol.
A symbol of their unison, of their close bond, of warmth and cold. There was no need to explain who played what role. Mikey was able to convey all this clearly through the animation, because he could feel and understand the inner world of every creature in the galaxy.
That's why his brothers call him “the sun.”
For a second, the turtle even felt ashamed, because the symbol of his gift was focused solely on one thing. Insecurity had already begun to whisper its oppressive rhapsody in a nasty, strangling voice: “Are you seriously thinking of giving this to him now? Come to your senses. Your paltry gift is no match for his. Better not embarrass yourself and throw it away. Buy him another one in the morning and apologize to him. He deserves better.”
Haunted by the intrusive evil thoughts, Paul's head drooped, the joyful glint in his orange eyes faded, and this did not escape Mikey's keen eye. His expression instantly changed to one of alarm and worry. Mikey gently placed his palms on Paul's palms and tried to look into his eyes.
"Mikey...I...I...I can't...I don't know if you'll like my present...."
"Where is it?", Mikey didn't try to convince his brother otherwise, he knew perfectly well that these useless words wouldn't help to melt the ice, but would only strengthen it. In response, he received a silent gesture with his hand to the side. Turning his head to the side, Paul no longer saw Mikey heading for his “insignificant” gift, but heard his footsteps. The vagueness of the reaction made the ninja turtle's heart beat faster. He truly wanted to think and believe that this gift would make his favorite smiling summer turtle come to an indescribable delight.
However, the years of his dark past in his homeworld had left an indelible imprint that even Carvey's healing natural ability couldn't cure...
"Dude! That's just... awesome, shelltastic!!!", Mikey's voice was so loud that Paul turned in his direction and hissed, putting a finger to his own lips to shut him up. After all, he didn't want to wake the others. All he heard in response was a chuckle.
His eyes widened in pure undisguised surprise as he turned his attention to the transformed Michelangelo. Only now did he realize that the loud reaction should have caught his attention and pulled Palladio out of the tentacles of negative thoughts. Well, he'd handled it well, the turtle had to admit. Lips smoldered in quiet approval.
Michelangelo wore a summer tank top with a print depicting a field of bright sunflowers against a clear, cloudless sky. A wide panama hat in the form of a sunflower sat comfortably on his head. It was perfect for wearing in the hot summer, not that you wouldn't sweat in it, you wouldn't even get sunstroke. Plus, Paul made sure to make the fabric light and cool, since he made the shirt and hat himself.
Mikey did look awesome in his gift, he could see that now. But the most important thing was that his sunshine loved it, that was the most important to him.
"Paul, where did you find the material for the panama? It feels like a real sunflower!"
"That's right,” Palladio nodded awkwardly. "I flew to Goghoyvbee to get a sunflower...."
"Goghoyvbee? The planet famous for its marvelous and indescribable fields of sunflowers?"
"That's the one... I just thought its sunflowers were totally worthy of you...."
Paul didn't have time to say anything else, but his lips were invaded by an insistent caressing kiss, and he had only to cover his eyes and give himself completely to his favorite summer, literally melt under its warmth and love. Palladio's arms gently encircled his lover's neck, and in return his arms encircled his waist. Such a sincere kiss, expressing their love for each other, against the backdrop of the dark hall and the snowfall outside the window.
Two turtles couldn't get away from each other for seven minutes, they enjoyed each other completely, biting each other's lips and playing with their tongues. When Mikey reluctantly pulled away from his favorite, he immediately nestled into his neck and began to lick it, which sent a pleasant shiver through Paul's body. He let out a pleasant moan, which amused the party maker turtle.
"Mikey...” the ice bandana wearer whispered, throwing his head back and exposing his neck to kisses. Mikey didn't miss the opportunity to leave another scarlet mark in the place of one of his brothers' marks. Still, with so many suitors, there wasn't even an untouched spot left on Palladio's neck.
When they were done teasing and playing, Mikey and Paul playfully rubbed their noses and pressed their foreheads together. Their gazes met, and neither lover could keep from laughing. It was a relief to Paul, for his insecurity had receded, though he realized it was not irrevocable.
"Merry Christmas, Mikey... I love you, my summer...”, Palladio whispered, exhaling the cherished words into his lover's lips. Mikey smiled contentedly and couldn't resist a playful kiss.
"I love you too... I love you a lot, my winter....."
In a few minutes the two turtles were sitting on the couch, covered with a blanket, and admiring the snowfall outside the window, pressing against each other and warming each other with their warmth.
Suddenly, Paul reached for the remote control lying nearby and pressed a button. The glass panorama immediately lit up with an indescribable orange aurora. The shining of the northern lights was showing its unusual dance along with the falling snowflakes and it felt like it was actually happening right now, outside the window. And its soft glow reflected off the ice crystals, even though it was just an ordinary augmented reality. A miracle of technology built into the building by the genius brothers.
"You're going to wear that hoodie to our party, aren't you?", Mikey smiled, and chuckled slightly at the ticklish sensation of Paul's nose rubbing against his neck.
"Absolutely, I still want to show the others what a wonderful gift you gave me....", Paul responded softly.
"I should plan a flight to some oceanic or warm planet after Christmas, I still want to wear your gift on the beach,” Michelangelo said with a slight bite of his lip in thought. "Do you think that not only brothers will appreciate me?"
"I think that such a sunflower everyone will want to admire ... Just be careful not to cause unnecessary jealousy of our brothers"
Two turtles laughed quietly until Paul made a serious face.
"Seriously, I'd be jealous if you got too much prying...."
"One cold stare from my beautiful, beloved winter is enough to keep anyone else from getting handsy,” Mikey put his arm around his brother's shoulder and pulled him closer to him, then fell silent, his attention focused on the scenery. Palladio fell silent with him, replaying his words over and over in his head.
Even if anyone dared to get loose unnecessarily, he would protect the warmth of his beloved summer with his own winter cold. He would not let anyone hurt him.
It is for his sake that every year on Christmas night, a few hours before morning, he sits in the dark hall, waiting for a gift... Each time new and original....
And each time giving the first gift to him... Just as new and original....
The brothers fell asleep after a while right on the same couch, snuggled up against each other and keeping their presents on their bodies...
The generated artificial northern lights and the real snowfall outside continued their beautiful dance of light and ice until the sky cleared of clouds and the morning dawn rose, which caught the two happy turtles sleeping in the arms of each other, with the headphones presented to Paul covered their heads. Despite the fact that they played the favorite tune of the owner of the ice bandana all night long, it did not disturb the beautiful sleep of the lovers, thanks to the advance volume settings from Palladio. The music continued playing even now...
What if I told you
That I will come to you
Would you still love me
Like I’m loving you
Coz I can feel
Let me stand beside you
I know it’s real
The feeling that I told you