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April, and Casey were starting to get concerned when the turtles had basically gone radio silent for a week. New York was freezing, and they didn't know how the cold blooded mutants would stay warm without heating. April offered her place, but they turned her down, and calmed her fears by mentioning how they had experience surviving winter at this point.
She, and Casey went down to the lair when they couldn't ease their concerns.
“Yo Raph!” Casey yelled out as if he wasn't silently panicking on the inside.
No one replied. Not even Leo, Donnie, or Mikey telling Casey where to find Raph. April ran in, and started searching for any sign of them. If they were freezing to death she would need to find them quickly.
“I didn't expect to see you today April, Casey.” Splinter snuck up on the two humans with minimal effort. “I’m sure they would be thrilled to see you, but I’m afraid they’re busy sleeping right now.”
“What? They go on a big mission without us?” Casey half joked, half genuinely asked.
“No. It is too cold for them so they are brumating.” Splinter watched the human’s faces tilt in confusion.
“Bru-ma-ton?” Casey failed miserably to say the three syllable word.
“Brumation Casey. It’s like hibernation, but for reptiles.” She turned back to Splinter, “but I thought they wouldn't be able to brumate though, considering how they were fine at Casey’s Grandma’s.”
“They were fine, but it takes them a few days for their bodies to prepare for brumation.”
“Why didn't they stay at April’s then?”
“They were ready for their nap already when she offered, and they would rather sleep here in secret than put April in danger.”
“Can we see them?” April asked.
“Alright.” Splinter led them to the kitchen, and started making some warm meals.
“Oh, you don’t need to feed us Master Splinter.” April tried to turn down the food they hadn't even been offered yet.
“This is not for you, but for my boys. They may be triggered into waking for a bit if the room gets a bit warmer.” Splinter continued to cook, and when he was done he wordlessly led April, and Casey to a door.
On the other side of the door was a small room with blankets coating every surface, and 4 sleeping mutant turtles. They were in a pile, and swamped with mountains of pillows, and blankets. It was cute, and the only reason April didn't take a photo was because Raph would kill her if she did.
“You may join them, but I warn you they may be clingy when they wake up.” Splinter moved the turtles so he could be comfortable while warmer them as much as possible.
Casey, and April followed the rat mutants lead, and tried not to be concerned by how cold the turtles were.
Soon Raphael began to stir a bit. Splinter quickly readjusted the group so Raph was leaned up against his chest. Raph started making sounds, but none of them were coherent, and even when his eyes began to blink open he didn't seem to be very aware. Splinter was patient as his son shifted around, and seemingly tried to bury himself in Splinter’s fur. April, and Casey watched in awe of how cute Raph was being.
In almost an instant something changed in Raph, and he went from trying to soak up Splinter’s warmth to trying to escape it. Splinter grabbed one of the bowls of food he had made, and placed it in front of Raphs mouth. Raph ate the food, and when he was done, and still trying to leave Splinter’s grasp, Splinter got a bowl of water, and Raph drank. A few minutes later Raph was back to sinking into his father.
It didn't take long for Mikey to start stirring too. Splinter struggled to get Raph off him, but when he did he pulled Mikey into his lap. Raph was still making lazy attempts to absorb the heat radiating off his warm blooded father, but his attempts were for nothing.
“Want me to take him from ya?” Casey offered to take the red clad turtle so Splinter could concentrate on the youngest.
“That would be great. Thank you Casey.”
Casey took Raph into his lap, and Raph didn't seem to care he wasn't his father, and just enjoyed being embraced by a heat source.
When Mikey, like Raph, began trying to move away from the pile Splinter repeated the process he did with Raph. Donnie started waking up part way through Mikey’s meal, and Splinter started adjusting again.
“I can handle Donnie.” April moved until Donnie was curled against her side. “Just give him food, and water when he starts making an attempt to find it, right?”
“You are very observant April.” Splinter complimented before turning his attention back to his youngest.
Mikey was finishing up just after Donnie started eating. Raph was still snuggling with Casey, and getting a bit more energy. Which is why April was surprised Mikey seemed to just fall back asleep as soon as he was finished eating, and drinking. He made small movements to get comfortable, leaned up against Splinter, and proceeded to nod off back to sleep.
Donnie did the same thing as Mikey when he was finished drinking his water. He got comfortable in April’s lap, and fell back into a deep slumber.
Splinter set Mikey down near Donnie, and gathered a still sleeping Leo into his arms. Raph was still getting more energy, and he eventually became more like himself.
“Leo not up yet?” Raph asked his dad, presumably not noticing he was cuddling with Casey yet.
“You got up earlier than usual, Raphael.” Splinter was curled around his eldest son. “You can thank Casey for that.”
“Casey?” Raph blinked, and looked around a bit before he looked down at the arms wrapped around his torso. “I would punch you for witnessing this, and make sure you don't tell anyone, but I can hardly stay awake right now, so I guess that’s gonna have to wait.” Raph didn't make a move to get out of Casey’s arms still so they could assume he was still happy to soak up the warmth Casey provided.
A few minutes later Raph talked again. “You can let go of me now Casey, and go help Leo warm up.”
“Leonardo will be fine Raphael, but you won't be able to stay awake until he wakes up if Casey stops keeping you warm.” Splinter didn't even look up.
“What's taking him so long?” April was holding two armfuls of mutant turtles in her arms.
“Leonardo generates the least amount of heat in comparison to his brothers. Raphael generates the most in comparison allowing him to become more lucid when he wakes.”
Neither April nor Casey brought up the fact Raph wasn't lucid enough to hate being cuddled yet. He was still leaning into Casey, and if he noticed he was doing it he wasn't doing anything about it. Normally he would push himself away from physical touch with another living being, and grumble something about being the tough guy.
Leo started waking up at last, and Raph was visibly relieved. Leo was slower to go through the waking up process, but he was steadily making his way through the stages.
Leo chirped.
April, and Casey blinked.
Raph responded with a chirp of his own.
They blinked again dumbfounded.
Leo kept chirping, and Raph kept responding with his own chirps.
Raph started to try and break out of Casey’s grasp which startled the man.
“Whoa! Where are you trying to go?” Casey asked his friend who had spent almost an hour now attached to him for warmth.
“Leo needs me, Mikey, and Donnie with him.” He was still weak from the cold, so Casey picked him up, and brought him to his older brother.
“April bring Michelangelo, and Donatello too.” Splinter ordered, and she complied as quickly as possible.
Once Leonardo was surrounded by his family he opened his eyes, and let out a series of chirps. Raph replied with some steady chirrs, and nodded to Splinter. Splinter offered Leo some food, which he didn't accept at first, but some more chirrs from Raph later, and he ate. When he was done eating, and was offered water the same thing happened. Leo refused, but started drinking when Raph chirred some more.
Leo fell back asleep to a lullaby of Raph’s chirps in the blink of an eye.
“We should get going before we start getting too cold.” Splinter told April, and Casey once Leo was asleep. He started placing his sons back into a turtle pile with Leo in the middle.
Raph placed himself over top of his siblings as a way to shield them from the cold. Splinter rebuilt their mountain of blankets and pillows up to help insulate his sons as best he could. He pushed the humans out of the room, and proceeded to wait until Raph fell into the clutches of brumation once more.
-=+=-
“We’ll be back in a few days to visit again.” April told Splinter as she, and Casey were about to leave. “In the meantime you can phone either of us if you want or need anything.”
“Thank You very much April, and Casey. I greatly appreciate your generosity.” Splinter bowed his head slightly in thanks.
“We just don’t want you to freeze to death, cause they would definitely kill us for letting it happen.” Casey joked as he waved, and walked away.
-=+=-
3 days Later April, and Casey returned with groceries, and a heating lamp they got set up in the brumation room. After watering, and feeding the turtles the warm blooded individuals shared some time over warm drinks. Splinter had tea, April had Coffee, and Casey had hot chocolate.
Another 3 days later, and April, Casey, and Splinter had figured out the new system for feeding the turtles. They shared stories over another round of hot drinks again before the humans left.
4 days passed before they returned again, and April, and Casey brought a small heater to keep the room slightly warmer. It worked wonders, and Raph broke out of brumation. It wasn't warm enough for him to be awake at night when the temperature dropped, but he woke up on his own during the day now.
Raph would never admit it, but he was extremely thankful he could watch his brother, and keep them safe now. He hated, and was embarrassed about how Casey, and April witnessed him during the brumation, but they didn't make fun of him so it was okay. He started playing a more active role in the care of his brothers that would occur every few days. He would listen to the hidden messages in his brother's instinct driven movements to give the warm blooded beings a better idea of how to help them. He would also chirp at Leo every time he refused to eat.
“ Brothers full. Leo eat now.” Raph didn't tell anyone why Leo didn't eat without him, except Splinter who already knew.
Donnie woke up on his own a few days before Mikey. Raph was finding he could join the living heaters in the after feeding ‘tea’ time now, as long as he had his own hot drink to keep him warm.
Donnie decided to look into how to heat the lair. He had looked into it when he was first getting into science, but there wasn't a way to heat their old lair without heating the entire sewer system, and that would take so much power the city would investigate it.. It hadn't occurred to him they could hear the new one until he woke up to a heating lamp shining on his face, and a heater warming any air that seeped through the crack between the door and the floor before it could get to the turtle pile. First thing he wanted to do when he had the daytime available to him in the lair, was see what he could build with the supplies in his lab.
Mikey managed to convince Casey to move a TV into the room so he could watch TV while waiting for the lair to get warm enough for him to leave for more than a quarter hour. Donnie, and Raph had to admit they were grateful for the entertainment.
Raph was happy to wander the layer for a few hours during the day, and stay up late watching over his brothers who couldn't quite stay awake through the night yet.
Leo woke up halfway through February. It was after a week of Leo stirring, but not becoming lucid every day, but Raph wasn't expecting it yet. He heard Leo’s voice speak in english instead of turtle, and mentally celebrated. He could stop breaking his bad boy persona just because Leo needed him to chirp at him to get him to eat.
-=+=-
The winter was over, and all of the turtles were back to normal, except Raph wasn't as scared about his soft side showing, and their human friends were more understanding of the turtles. It was weird to think they understood more, but they did. They were more patient when one of them was tired after a cold day, and did not ask questions when they let their turtle sides show more. They just accepted them for who they were (and did hours of research on turtles in April's case).
-=+=-
The next winter the lair was warm enough that they didn't have to worry about brumation, and they could all go outside sporting Donnie’s new heated clothing. Casey, and April visited regularly, and they drank warm drinks with the mutants. They might never have another winter filled with cuddling, but they could keep around the new tradition spending time together over drinks.
-=+=-