He knew by the time they had surfaced- it was going to be one of those nights. Mikey jogged past him backwards, but Leo's eyes were fixed to the shadow of Raph's shell. He was the first one out of the lair, first one out of the sewer-
First one in trouble, every time.
"You realize that isn't something I can do, even if I wou-"
"And that's why it'll be so awesome!" Mikey said explosively, his voice ringing in the cavernous concrete tunnel around them. "You know that a hover car would be amazing in these pipes- like anti-gravity, or something? Magnets, maybe? Hey Don, how do those-"
"Guys, can we keep it down?" Leo said, hunching his shoulders under the weight of his shell. Raph was already half-way up the ladder that lead to the streets of their city, and he could feel his tension rising as the distance between them grew.
"Anti-gravity! In the sewers? I'm not sure the hover car would be the only thing floating, if you feel me, Mike. And it's not like you're going to help me carry a whole frame down here-"
"Guys-"
"Bro, I so would! I am devoted to this car. Every other sixteen year old has a car, why not me? Let me live the American dream, dude!"
Raphael's feet disappeared from view.
Leo threw himself forward, pushing himself up the ladder as fast as he could. Raph was already pulling at the bit, making Leo sweat to keep up and it set his teeth on edge.
"It isn't-"
"Guys!" Leo snapped, and the sudden silence behind him made him sigh. He wasn't the only one filled with adrenaline before patrol. They were all just blowing off steam.
"A little less chatter topside?" He asked finally, into the quiet and then flung himself up and out of the sewer. Chased the swift patter of Raphael's feet on the fire escape above him. Didn't even glance around before following, trusting to his brother's judgment of their surroundings. Tracking him up to the roof.
He had to give chase and no amount of meditation had given him a reason why. Him and Raph- they had always been this way, and the tired parts of him feared they always would be.
To his surprise, Raphael was waiting atop the roof. It was only now sunset, the ninjas having taken advantage of their Sensei's nap to leave for the world above them a little early. New York was a different place in the daylight. As he walked to Raph's side he could see the streets, the gleam of hundreds of cars lit up by the setting sun. People milled busily along the sidewalk, far below them.
Raph turned to look at him as he approached, green skin gilded from the golden light, the wind whipping his mask. Their eyes caught and held, and Leo wished, as he always did in moments like these, that everything between them could be this simple, this weightless.
Twin thumps signified Don and Mikey's arrival, and Leo looked away, leaving Raph to stare down the sun alone.
"Alright. You two, take the west end." Mikey whooped, and Leo cracked a smile at him. "No dawdling, and no pizza unless you pay for it."
"Pay for it, got it." Mikey said. "Like with my money, or like, maybe with someone else's...?"
Leo ignored him.
"Donnie, if you wanna check on Leatherhead while you're over there-"
"Aw, great." Don muttered, shooting Mikey another dark look. "Another game of 'grab the face'."
Mikey just jabbed an elbow in his side, grinning, and Leo shook his head.
"Just be careful you guys. Keep an eye out for the Foot. We know they're looking for us. We need to be twice-"
"Let's go." Raph cut in behind him, and Leo grit his teeth at the wave of emotion he felt run through him. Mikey was already yanking at Donnie's arm, bouncing on the heels of his feet. Don sent Leo a last, pleading look over his shell and Leo smiled a little.
"Sure I can't go with you, bro?" Donnie asked, ignoring Mikey's injured response.
"Nah, sorry Don." He flashed his younger brother a quick grin, and turned in time to see the flutter of Raph's disappearing act over the side of the roof. Like a mirage. "Raph and I have plans."
He was gone before Don's eyes had even finished rolling, missing his sigh completely.
"So, where are we going?" Leo asked mildly, eyes darting sideways, trying to catch a glimpse of Raphael's profile in between flashes of the streetlights. "Because this wasn't-"
"Something's going down by the docks." Raph bit out, and then he was moving again, just the curve of shell Leo was chasing down visible on the roof ahead of him. The sun was almost gone now, the first half of this run passing them by in silence as Leo matched the punishing pace Raphael set for himself. As he let Raph wear himself out. His feet pounded concrete, toes gripping the ledge for leverage as his thighs bunched, flinging him forward.
He hadn't heard anything on the news, or on the radio Donnie had synced to the police scanner. And whatever was going down couldn't be big time if Raph had wanted only him on the mission with him.
Still, maybe it was better to take care of this now.
Leo let his mouth stretch out in a grin, as he darted after his brother, jumps quicker, sloppier to catch up. Raphael turned, just in time to see Leo's slicing grin and then their shells met with a smack, enough forward momentum to send them both crashing down into the alley.
"Uhhh." Raph groaned, and Leo shook his head. Couldn't stay down. Had to maintain the advantage his surprise attack had given him or tonight's patrol would be wasted on Raph's bad attitude. He knelt, knees bracketing Raph's thighs, the awkward positioning of the supine turtle's shell keeping him tense under Leo's form, even as he shook off the unexpected drop. "Get offa me, fuc-"
"No." Leo said, and he watched Raphael's poison green eyes narrow on his face before he jack-knifed upward, tried to flip them. It was a hard maneuver to pull off flat on his shell, but his sheer bulk meant Leo still had to work to keep him pinned. Had to roll his weight, tire the fight out of him. Like quenching fire at the source. "Be still, Raphael."
Raphael drew back his arm, but slow- slow enough that Leo had time to watch his muscles flex as they choreographed the powerful motion of his fist striking. Slow enough to let him catch Raph's fist in his own, bending it to the ground, the strain of his shoulder making previously invisible lines in Raphael's face tighten. Creased his expression with pain even as Leo could hear his breath pick up for another reason entirely.
"Fuck off, Lame-onardo." Raph said, already shifting his hips against the oil stained asphalt of one of New York's countless alleyways. "I don't wanna-"
"What? Take orders?" Leo laughed, grinding his palm into the small bones of Raphael's wrist, enjoying the breathless noise he made, forced from him. Hard won."Tell me where we're going? Let me help you?"
He watched his brother read his open face, the easy strength in his grip. Watched Raphael flush before he looked away.
"I don't need your help." Raph said, and Leo wanted to sigh. Instead he eased up on his brother's wrists. Enough to watch the pain relax from his face, like a storm clearing. He didn't say anything either, but the silence between them stayed quiet, charged as Leo stood slowly over Raph, leaving him sprawled among the city's dirt.
"Don't you want it?" Leo asked, and it never mattered how many times he coaxed Raph to this point, his heart still thrummed as he held out a hand to his brother.
Raphael didn't say anything, but he did take his hand, and Leo counted it as a victory. Raph wouldn't meet his eyes when he stood, re-knotting his mask needlessly to keep his fingers busy. Leo let him, shell facing Raph as he scanned the deserted opening to the alleyway.
"So tell me what's happening at the docks." Leo asked, his voice firm, sure- Captain Ryan's voice- but Raphael just nodded.
"Casey-" He cleared his throat and Leo reached up, laying a hand casually across the textured rim of his shell. It meant nothing, but Raph shivered as though struck. It meant everything after the trust he'd just crossed Leo's hands with. "Casey heard some of the Dragon's talking about getting a big shipment of something. Thought you'd wanna-"
"I do." Leo said, cutting him off. "I do want to go scout it out with you."
"Oh." Raphael said, and he crossed his arms across his chest, bunching himself up. "Good. Let's go, then."
He took a few steps forward, and then paused, his gaze dancing back to where Leo stood, watching him. This tightrope he walked with Raph, balancing them both, was nothing new. It had always required careful footwork. Steady nerves. Patience.
Slowly, Raphael uncrossed his arms. Scratched at his head. He wouldn't even look at Leo.
"Uh." He shrugged, and Leo knew what was coming before he spoke. "Ladies first, I guess."
Leo was already sprinting past him, ignoring Raph's curse. He was headed for the skyline, and then maybe, for a little bit of trouble. Something for everybody.
"You mean, leaders first." He called back to him.
Gave Raph something to chase, for once.