Warning! The following tale is rated M for content and suggestive themes, so please be aware that it contains sexual themes, mild implied "T-cest", and some slightly perverse humor... Also, this takes place in it's own unspecified universe, unrelated to any of my other TMNT tales, where female mutants like Alopex, Ninjara, Mona Lisa, and Venus do not exist, nor do Karai, Lotus, or Kala. In other words, in this world, there are no female romantic prospects, so the boys are, shall we say, left to their own devices for such emotional or physical outlets...

Power Play

Leo grunted as he shifted his weight on his knees, pushing upward against the bulk of his partner. Raphael wasn't letting up anytime soon, though, and he knew it. He strained with every muscle, pinned beneath the other's powerful frame. He felt Raph shift above him, seeking a better position. The red-banded turtle gripped him firmly around the middle, his plastron scraping against Leo's carapace. He could feel Raph's legs rubbing against his own, and the thick cords of muscle in his brother's thighs flexed again as he pushed down once more. He trembled slightly at the sensation, surprised at how good that contact felt. Leo let out a soft growl, anxious now.

Raph heard, and chuckled. He knew all too well that Leo wouldn't submit fully to his partner unless he was completely dominated, and that wouldn't happen without some resistance. These sessions could easily last an hour or more. Not that he minded- it was fun to take the ever-so-perfect leader down a peg or two. He loved the feeling of having his leader down on the floor underneath him, showing who was REALLY the "boss" when it came to pure physical prowess. Leo reached up and back to grasp at his brother's neck, pulling his head down, but that only egged him on to push harder. They were both panting hard now, wearing each other out, and only time would tell which would tire first. The bamboo mat on the floor beneath them had begun to dig into Leo's knees, but he ignored the discomfort. He would NOT let Raph outlast him, damn it!

Shells pressed tightly together, they continued the game, locked in a position that was far more intimate than was proper for siblings. It hardly mattered. Neither wanted to be the first to let go. Leo tried vainly to roll over and reverse their positions, but Raph wasn't having it. He held him down firmly, not about to let the older turtle get the upper hand in this. His pride wouldn't allow that, no matter how often he backed down when commands were given.

"Not- hngh- lettin' ya' up 'til ya' submit!" Raph growled out huskily, as his plastron scraped against Leo's carapace again. Leo was startled by how stimulating the sound of their shells rubbing was. And Raph's voice…. Was it always so enticing? He shook his head, clearing away the taboo thoughts. They were, after all, clutch-mates. He shouldn't even be having such thoughts! And yet- what else was there for him? For ANY of them, for that matter? There certainly weren't any female mutant turtles to pair off with.

"Not going to happen, bro!" He huffed back, but he was tiring. He couldn't hold off for much longer, and they both knew it. His stamina simply wasn't as great as his hotheaded brother's. Maybe if he lifted weights as much as Raph did, or spent as much time on the punching bag, he'd be as strong. But he was more concerned with perfecting his kattas, with working on his speed with his katanas, or agility training.

They balanced each other in that respect, he realized, one powerful and enduring, the other precise and efficient. They were well-matched, in some ways. It was what made them such a good team in battle. Not that his other brothers weren't good fighters, too, but the friction between himself and Raph often caused him to forget just how well they worked together when they were in accord. If things were different…. He couldn't ask for a better match in a mate.

At last, his arms gave out, and Leo found himself pinned beneath the bulk of Raphael's body. Oddly, he didn't mind at all. Those rock-hard arms wrapped around him were the same ones that he relied on to guard his back when they fought the Foot or the Purple Dragons or the Mob. The stirring that had been building inside grew stronger, so much so that he almost couldn't hold it back. He needed to get away- and quickly. Didn't need his thoughts to be revealed accidentally. So he thumped his hand against the mat.

"I yield!" He gasped out, "You win, now let me up!"

Raphael sniggered, but he released his hold on the older mutant. "Ya' damn right, I win, Fearless." He stood up, holding out a hand to help his leader up. "Ya' wanna' go again?" He asked, smirking. He knew Leo was spent.

"No thanks. I know better than to go two rounds in a row with you. Maybe next time I'll be the one on top!" He chuckled, before suddenly realizing how that had sounded to his own ears. Damn, but he needed to get his head back in gear. These odd feelings were getting more frequent, and he couldn't understand why he only felt that way around Raph. Why not Mikey or Don? They were both more willing to do as he asked, though that might be taking his position a bit TOO far. He wondered if they ever had such thoughts, but it was a subject he didn't dare broach with them, much less with Raph.

"Suit yourself, bro," Raph shrugged, grabbing a pair of dumbbells to start doing curls. Leo watched for a moment, unable to believe that the red-clad turtle could still have enough energy left to continue working out after that bout. He found his gaze locked on those biceps bulging, the veins visible as Raph brought the weights up. He studied the way the hothead's shoulders and neck strained, and only realized he'd been staring when Raphael suddenly stopped.

"What?" The red-banded mutant asked, staring back at him curiously. "Somethin' wrong?"

Leo shook his head, and shrugged. "What? Oh, no. Just never noticed how thick your arms are before. Did you add more weight to those things?" He said quickly, trying to cover his real reason for staring.

"Yeah, I found another pair of five-pound bars. Figured it can't hurt to push myself a bit more. You wanna' try?" He paused and held them out, but Leo just waved them off.

"No thanks. I'm going to go take a shower. I know we can't sweat, but I still always feel hot and dirty after a workout." He turned and headed out of the dojo, hoping Raph hadn't noticed the way his tail was curling forward, bulging suspiciously.

He beat a strategic retreat to the bathroom, and let out a long breath as he shut the door behind him. He turned on the water in the makeshift double-shower that had been installed several years earlier, and adjusted the temperature until it was warm without being too hot. Only after he had stepped into the stream did he begin to relax. The water running down over his body felt good. In fact, it made the swelling in his tail harder to ignore. So he decided to stop trying, and let loose. In minutes, he was leaning with one arm propping himself against the wall, busily relieving the tension that had plagued him since his match with Raph.

He was so intent on the task at hand, that he never even noticed when the second shower turned on. What finally drew his attention was the odd echo of his churs coming from behind him. Leo turned around, only to find that Raph had joined him in the shower- in more ways than one. He glanced down, and gaped when he realized they were both engaged in the same activity. Raph caught the pause in the sound, and turned to look over his shoulder. He looked down, and grinned.

"Heh, you too, huh?" He chuckled, causing Leo to turn a darker shade of green in embarrassment.

"Just shut up, and let's never mention this again." Leo grumbled. He turned back around, ignoring further sounds from behind, and finished off quickly, before jumping out of the shower and racing off to the privacy of his own room to bury his head in his pillow, utterly mortified.