Twisted Autumn
by KC

Disclaimer: Ninja Turtles belong to someone else. Not me.
Summary: sequel to the Raph/Leo drabble set. Leonardo and Raphael take a trip to the farm to figure out what they've become.


sunlight on storm clouds
autumn rain of burning leaves
leaves float on my lake

There was no argument. Raphael simply drove. Not because there was any meaning or implication attached to it, but because Leonardo always fell asleep in the car. Occasionally Raphael glanced at him in the passenger seat, leaning against the window as the autumn leaves went by. He breathed deep and rarely moved even when the road turned a little rough.

He didn't know what his brother had told their master to get this trip for them. Certainly not the truth. Before they left, Splinter had said something about hoping he would give his brother a chance to understand him better, so Leonardo had probably echoed one of his lectures about needing to work together as a team, just twisted around a bit for the different audience.

Until recently, he never would have thought Leonardo could be so devious. Splinter Jr. would never lie to the master, would never twist the truth until it was a pale shadow of itself. Raphael smiled. Never would've thought he'd be looking forward to learning more about his insufferable big brother.

As planned, they arrived at night with the full moon lighting their way. Dry leaves crunched under the tires as he drove up towards the house and stopped.

"We're here," he said.

Blinking once, Leonardo sighed and sat straight, looking around. "That was quick."

"Goes faster when you're sleeping," Raphael said. "Open the doors for me, will ya? I'll get everything out of here."

"Sure." Leonardo unbuckled and got out, pausing at the window. "I'll meet you inside."

Raphael nodded and watched him walk around the van, then shook his head once. He kept expecting to hear someone else' s voice, Casey or Splinter or Mike, and the silence made this feel a little surreal. As he locked the van up and followed his brother inside, he kept looking over his shoulder as if one of his brothers would pop up at the last minute.

He found Leonardo in the kitchen with a kettle on the stove, but before he could groan about not wanting to drink lawn clippings, he spotted the beer can on the counter. Raising an eyeridge, he picked it up and popped the tab. Ice cold.

"Thought you hated me drinking," he said.

"No," Leonardo said, carefully measuring his words. "I hate it when you get drunk."

"Why?"

The lack of hostility in his voice surprised both of them.

"It makes you lose control," Leonardo answered. "You get clumsy. You can't fight. And you get mean."

Raphael shrugged out of habit. "Don't you ever get sick of being sober all the time?"

"I've been drugged before," Leonardo said, shaking his head. "I hate that feeling."

"Well, it's not exactly the same," Raphael smiled. "You should try it sometime. I don't think you'd be a mean drunk."

"I don't like to--" Leonardo broke off, then tried again. "I can't afford to lose control. Not like that."

Raphael's smile turned into a grin as he drank. "Gotcha."

The sly undertone of his brother's voice told Leonardo that Raphael wasn't buying it. He sighed and took the kettle off the stove just before it started whistling, filling the mug on the counter.

"And I really hate the way it tastes," he added.

That Raphael could believe.

"So..." he started again, "what now?"

Behind his green tea, Leonardo frowned. So many possible answers to such a deceptively simple question. He was a little surprised that Raphael hadn't immediately pushed him to the ground, but he suspected that his brother wanted more out of this trip, something that they couldn't get at home. And while he was no longer afraid to reassert himself while under Raphael's control, he found that he enjoyed letting someone else take control for awhile.

But practical considerations came first.

"You tired?" he asked. "You drove the whole way."

"Kinda," Raphael admitted. His whole body felt tied in knots. "But you slept most of the time."

"Not a very comfortable bed," Leonardo replied. "And I still need to make sure everything's secure."

Raphael smirked. "Yeah, there might be killer bunnies and evil deer lurking around the shed."

"Go take a shower," Leonardo said, refusing to be baited. "I'll be up to bed soon, and we can get an early start tomorrow."

An early start of what, he didn't say, and Raphael let it hang between them unsaid.

By the time he stepped out of the shower, he heard his brother moving around upstairs. Even a ninja couldn't completely thwart ancient dry floorboards, but it was the sound of furniture being moved that puzzled him. Drying off, he paused to listen for a few more seconds before dropping the towel on the floor and heading upstairs.

When he reached the attic bedroom, he wondered what had been moved. Then he spotted Leonardo already in one of the twin beds with another twin pushed up against it. On the nightstand on his side lay his sais and mask, as well as his half-finished beer.

"Geez," he said under his breath, "way to make me feel married."

But the alternative was sleeping in two different beds, and he didn't like that thought. Popping his knuckles, he pulled the covers back and eased in behind his brother. Once he was comfortable, he threw his arm over Leonardo's side and tugged him close.

His sibling suddenly tensed and his breath hitched. Raphael grinned. Sneaky little bastard wasn't asleep at all.

"I'll let ya go in the morning," he whispered, letting his teeth graze his brother's skin. As expected his brother didn't answer, but as Raphael drifted off, he doubted that Leonardo would be falling asleep any time soon.

tbc...