(6133 words)
"Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo!?" A man's voice yells thorough the lair. The brothers tense up, backing away from the main entrance. "Boys!? Where are you!?" Raph and Leo take the foreground, fists up, just now noticing their weapons were nowhere in sight. "Guys, stay back. I'll take care of this." Leo says quietly.
He stalks forward and stars up the steps. "Leonardo, there you are." An exasperated man says, turning the corner. "Who are you." Leo commands. "Calm down Leonardo, I'm Mr. Higgs, your therapist." The man says, his hands up in a surrendering position. "What?" Leo asks with a stink face.
The man leans around Leo and lets out a sigh, a small smile appearing on his face. "Oh good, your brothers are here too." Leo wished he had his swords with him, he'd normally be pointing them at the man at this point. "What do you want with us?" Leo says. The man steps forward, pressing a button on a device attached to his belt.
"I just want to take you home." The man, Mr. Higgs says. Leo raises his fists while the Mikey and Donnie step back. Raph starts forward, intending to take this man out. "We are home." Leo says calmly. "No, you're not. You're delusional Leonardo, you've been living at a long term mental health facility for four years now."
Leo frowns, his guard going down a bit. "You don't know what you're talking about." Raph growls out. He pushes past Leo and hits the man in the shoulder, a slightly tanned five fingered hand going into view. "You need to get out and leave us alone before I hit you until your face turns blue." Raph threatens.
"Raphael, please calm your temper." The man says. Raph involuntarily backs up, his hands retracting into his chest like natural reaction. He shakes his head, a surprised look frozen on his face. "What? What the hell did you do?" Raph says loudly. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?" He repeats. "We've been working on your temper for months, you were getting very good at stopping yourself from becoming violent"
"Fuck you!" Raph yells, his hands still pulled into his chest. Some footsteps were echoing from the tunnels behind Mr. Higgs. "Who did you call." Leo asks sternly. "Just some friends to help take you four home. You want to go home, right Michelangelo?" Mr. Higgs looks around Leo once more. Mikey makes a whimpering sound and hides behind Donnie, holding tightly to his brother's shirt.
"You want to go home to your bed right?" Mikey glances at Leo, scared. "L-Leo says we are home." Mikey says nervously. "Are you going to believe everything your brother tells you?" Mr. Higgs asks. He turns to Donnie and holds out his hand. "And Donatello, you want to see April again right? She's coming in tomorrow and if you come back with me I'll make sure you're allowed to see her."
Donnie frowns. "You know you sound like a kidnapper right now right? Besides, I can see April anytime I want without having to go to some creepy ass 'mental health facility.'" The man shakes his head, taking a step toward the younger two boys. "No, not unless you come back with us." He says almost sadly. Finally a small group of men round the corner into the large, echo filled room. "When you boys become lucid again you're going to be very scared down here." The man says as the other men start closing in on them.
Leo backs up along with Raph. "Scatter!" The eldest boy shouts, swinging his arm out to signal them to move. Donnie and Mikey sprint off to where they believed their rooms to be while Raph ran in the direction of the dojo. Leo turns to run but the first man grabs his arm and yanks him in close, using his arms to bind Leo's.
"Get off!" Leo shouts as he struggles against Mr. Higgs. "Calm down Leonardo, It's okay. I'm just here to help." Another man comes over and helps restrain Leo while the rest go off to chase down the other three.
In the hallway to the bedrooms Mikey and Donnie are already bounded by two men each, Mikey almost curling in on himself while Donnie struggles to get to his little brother. They are yanked to the entrance once again, being placed next to Leo in their struggles. "Let us go!" Donnie shouts, letting out his rarely seen anger. "Don't touch my brothers!"
Leo twists and turns, trying to at least get to his brothers right next to him. Forty-five seconds of struggling later Leo looks down at the floor, feeling defeated, though shining ray of hope flashes through the lair in an unexpected way. Raphael was running through the common area, the remaining two men chasing him down. One was limping and holding his wrist limply while the other had a busted open lip and visible bruises running down his arm.
"Go Raph! Run!" Donnie shouts, still struggling against the two men holding him in place. "Don't stop Raphael!" Leo adds, giving a particularly sharp and painful elbow to his captors. Raph lets out a roar when one of the men tackle him to the ground. "GET THE FUCK OFF!" Raph yells. He shoves the man over, pinning him to the ground for a moment before the other man tackles him back to the ground. "RAPH!" Leo shouts. "Be careful with him!" Mr. Higgs says, having to restrain Leo a bit more.
Raphael's roars of rage could be heard for miles. He gets an arm free and elbows one of the men in the face. The man rears back and Raph frees himself slightly. He sees an opening and takes it, sinking his teeth into the second man's shoulder. The man lets out a yelp of pain and the second man takes out a syringe from his pocket, jabbing it into Raph's arm and injecting the liquid into his body.
Raph feels the drug take effect quickly, his body slowing and his attacks becoming sluggish. Donnie lets out a shriek when Raph finally stops moving. Leo starts struggling more, the last of their free brothers down for the count. Mikey sits on the floor, the two men restraining him having let him go. He sat with his legs in a 'W' and his arms lazily placed in front of him.
"Mikey! Get Raph!" Donnie shouts at the youngest of the brothers. Mikey shakes his head. "What?! Mikey! Help us! What is wrong with you!?" Donnie continues. Mikey dips his head down lower, feeling as if he was betraying his brothers. "I-It's not what's wrong with me, it's what's wrong with you." He says quietly.
Leo looks at Mikey, hurt clearly showing on his face. "I'm completely lucid right now." Mikey says sullenly. "They-They really are just trying to help us." Leo shakes his head as the two men who took out Raph carries the red clothed boy over to the rest. "If they were trying to help, then how come they're restraining us and drugging Raph!?"
Mikey shakes his head, red curls bobbing with it. "Look at me. I'm not being restrained because I'm not fighting. I can tell they're not going to hurt us. I'm lucid... You're not."
Leo sits in a blank room with four different beds in it. The one he was placed at was made all nice and neat. The one Mikey had been placed at had the blanket half falling off and the pillow was at the foot of the bed, though he for some reason was let out to roam free. Donnie had been placed at a bed that was obviously messed up but then the covers messily pulled up to try and make it look cleaner.
Raph was lying in a bed they had made up for him. The covers were pristine until they pulled them back to allow Raph to slide in. He had been out cold for an hour and the man, Mr. Higgs said he'd wake up soon. He also said once he was awake he'd start having little talks with each of them privately. He didn't want Raph to awaken with his brothers gone.
Leo looks over to Donnie who was sitting on his bed, staring at his pale hands. "It seemed completely logical at the time, why is it so different now? How did I think any of that was real, or- or okay?" He mumbles. Leo walks over to his little brother, worried. "Donnie, what's going on man?" Leo says, resting a hand on his shoulder.
Donnie jumps and turns to look at Leo. "I ran away. Do you know how long I've gone without running away!? It's been two years, three months, eight days, and fifteen hours. It's been that long since I tried to run away and now I ruined my streak. With that one stupid idea! So stupid! We never should have done that Leo!" Donnie stares up at Leo angrily and only gets a confused look in response.
"Donnie, we're trapped away from home in some unusual place, what else was I supposed to do? Besides, you should want to escape!" Donnie shakes his head, flopping down on the bed and yanking the pillow across his face. "You don't get it Leo. you're not Lucid." Donnie grumbles.
Leo crosses his arms. "I've just about had it with this 'Lucid' business. I don't know what it means, but it's making you guys act mind controlled. If that's what being Lucid is, then I don't want it." Leo finishes with a huff. He stalks away and over to Raph, sitting on his bedside for a moment.
"Raph?" Leo asks. "Raph, can you hear me?" Raph lazily brushes his hand in the air, completely missing Leo. He grunts and curls back up under the blankets. "Good, you're awake." Leo says. "Listen, I don't know what's going on but something's up with Don and Mikey. They're acting really weird and talking about being lucid? I don't know what they mean by that but we need-"
Raph bolts up in bed, his face tear-stricken and his body shaking. "GO AWAY LEO!" He shouts. "WE'RE FUCKIN' CRAZY, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT! JUST GO AWAY! YOU'RE NEVER LUCID ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND ANYWAYS!" Leo backs up and Donnie stares on in slight shock. "Raph, I-" Raph throws a pillow at Leo with enough force to make him take a step back.
"GO AWAY!" Raph pulls his knees up to his chest and buries his face in his blanket covered legs. Leo has never seen Raph like this. Mad? Sure. But this, this was different. He was nearly bawling and he was shaking so hard it looked like he'd vibrate right through his bed. Leo backs away and then turns quickly, flinging the door open and going out. Somehow he knew his way around this oddly calm building, turning lefts and rights like he could do it in is sleep.
Eventually he runs into a boy with light orange hair and freckles. He was holding a paper plate with a slice of pizza on it. "Oh, hey Leo." He says quietly. Leo narrows his eyes at The boy. "Mikey?" The boy laughs breathily, looking like he had just finished a long hard cry. "In the flesh." Leo frowns. "Why do you look so weird?" Mikey runs a hand through his hair, fingers getting caught in his curls.
"Oh, uh..." Mikey pauses, trying to think of the right words. "It's not really me that looks weird, you kinda have some weird face blindness thing. Do you remember that? You can't really recognize a lot of people...?" Leo shakes his head. "No, I don't remember that..." Mikey smiles sheepishly.
"Well, uh I just had a talk with Mr. Higgs and he said to send Raph in if he was awake." Mikey picks up his pizza and takes a bite. "Well, he's awake but something's wrong with him, he's really... upset? He was yelling and crying and he was talking about me... Never being lucid?" Mikey shakes his head. "It's not that you're not never lucid, just... Most of the time." Mikey smiles.
"I bet Raph'll feel better if he talked to him anyways." Mikey says with a bit of pep in his voice. Leo crosses his arms and looks away. "Mikey, I don't trust this, you three are acting like this is totally normal when to me this feels so wrong." Mikey frowns. "I'm sorry Leo." He says. "I know it feels weird to trust things when you're not- When you don't understand them but could you try? For me?"
Leo pinches the bridge of his nose. "I-... I guess Mikey. I'll go get- actually, maybe you should get Raph. He was really mad at me." Mikey nods, half his slice of pizza seeming to have disappeared. "I'll get 'em." Mikey says with a smile. Leo starts walking away but Mikey's voice stops him. "And Leo?" He turns around and looks at his little brother's freckled face. "Thank you."
When Raph got into the small office he was still crying, feeling unable to stop. It was like he was a fountain of emotions with no off button. "Raphael?" Mr. Higgs voice calls. "WHAT." Raph says very loudly. He had his head buried in his arms and his forehead placed down on his knees. "Could you look at me please?" Raph feels his face get wetter and wetter. "no..." He says in almost a whisper.
"Why not?" The man asks. Raph was silent for a long while before he speaks again. "I bit someone..." He mumbles. "Like a fuckin' dog." He adds, sinking his head lower into his arms. "You weren't in your right mind at the time. I'm not saying it was okay but I know you didn't mean to." Mr. Higgs says lightly.
"I did at the time!" Raph shouts, seemingly not in control of his volume. "I meant everything! I meant to hit them, I meant to bite, I meant to swear, I meant to run, I meant to threaten you!" Raph keeps his head down the entire time. "I meant it all but now I wanna take it back! I wanna take it back and never do anything ever again!"
Mr. Higgs sits with his hands folded, his face calm. "But you know what else you did?" Raph shakes his head. "You stopped yourself from going further with your temper whether you meant to or not. You cleared your mind enough that you became clear minded faster than you ever have before. And you know what I'm most proud of you for?"
Raph once again shakes his head, sniffling a little. "You're here now, talking it out instead of hitting something or someone." Raph barely lifts his head out of his arms, peaking over the top. "You may have done some bad things but you did some good things too, besides, who doesn't do bad things here and there. What's important is that you recognize them as bad and start trying to stop them."
Raph sinks his face back down. "I bit like a dog..." Mr. Higgs sighs. "I know Raphael, I know... You've gone a long while since that's happened but it's okay. Do you know who else broke a streak today?" Raph shakes his head. "Your brother. Donatello. It's been over two years since he ran away last but he did it again today. But you know what? I'm not mad at him for that either. These were mistakes and all you need to do is learn from them." The room once again goes silent.
"The last place I was at treated me like a dog when I bit." Raph says, pulling his legs in closer. "And they were wrong to do so." The therapist says. "No. I'm bad. I should be treated bad." Raph says into his arms. "Raphael sit up." Mr. Higgs says with slight panic in his voice. Raph pushes himself into the back of his chair. "Raphael sit up now." The man orders sternly. This situation had happened before. He knew what had happened.
Slowly Raph sits up, his face stained by his tears. The man focuses on his left shoulder where a jagged shape was carved into his skin. Raph lets a sharp nail fall to the table, probably having picked it up in the sewers. Blood stained his red shirt and he lets out a soft cry. "I'm bad."
Raph comes back into the room the brothers shared with a nurse holding his hand, guiding him along. She leads him to his bed and lets him crawl back in, covering his entire body with the blankets. "Donatello, Dr. Higgs will see you now in office twelve." The nurse says. "Oh, and Raphael, if it starts hurting again don't hesitate to call someone." Raph barely nods. Red stained bandages had been visible under his shirt just before he disappeared under the sheets.
Donnie stands up from the bed. "What am I going to tell him?" Donnie mumbles, fidgeting with his hands. "Nothing I did today was logical. Nothing!" The nurse squints her eyes at the brown haired boy. "Would you like me to walk you to the office?" Donnie shakes his head and paces the room for a minute or so.
"It doesn't make any sense, why did I even-?" Donnie doesn't finish, catching a glimpse of the nurse. "Right, right, the office." Donnie says, leaving the room. "It doesn't make sense..." He walks down the halls, passing some younger people and a few older people, though they didn't seem to be patients. "No sense, no sense, no sense." Donnie says as he reaches the office.
He opens the door and immediately starts pacing the small room. "No sense, it doesn't make any sense." Mr. Higgs sits silently behind his desk for a while. "Donatello, would you sit please?" Donnie looks up suddenly. "Wha-? Uh, yeah..." Donnie sits down in the chair, not making eye contact. "I'm sorry, what I did today was horrible and irresponsible. As one of the most lucid of my brothers I should've been able to see through all of the haze an'- and-"
Donnie starts picking at the skin around his fingers. "I'm normally very logically minded but what I did today was completely illogical, illogical and stupid. I ran and I worked so hard to make sure I didn't do that ever again but now it did happen and I messed up and now you're going to be really mad at me and I didn't know what was going on and I- Oh gosh, I can't breathe." He takes deep, wheezing breaths, holding a bleeding hand to his chest. He had picked the skin around his fingers raw within minutes.
"Calm down Donatello. I'm not mad. Now, I'll tell you what I told your brother, it's okay to make mistakes, you just have to learn from them." Donnie nods, still taking deep breaths. "Think of something good you did to counter the bad." Mr. Higgs says. "Like, on the way back you came along willingly when your brothers didn't. That was good. And how about when you helped Michelangelo up the steps when he was feeling weak?"
Donnie shrugs, looking down at his hands which felt like they were burning at this point. "Oh... Sorry, I'm sorry." Donnie apologizes. "I think I have a couple band-aids in here." Mr. Higgs says, opening his drawer. He takes a couple bandages out and hands them across the desk to Donnie.
"I'm sorry." Donnie says again. "It's fine." Mr. Higgs says, watching as Donnie unwraps the band-aids and places them on the bleeding parts of his hands. "I will say that what you did today was a small step back but nothing you haven't done before. Now, what would you say would be the best thing for us to do for you when you aren't lucid?" He asks, knowing Donnie was the logical type.
"I-I-I-I Don't know." Donnie says, stuttering repeatedly. "I-I-I-I... I'm- the-..." Donnie sighs. "I don't know, nothing about it makes any sense. I forget about everything. I forget about all the work we've done, I forget about you and this whole place! It's like- like- like-"
"Like you've blocked it out." Mr. Higgs fills in for Donnie. "Yes!" Donnie throws his arms up in the air. "I want it to make sense, I need it to make sense! If it makes sense then I can fix this! I don't want to be like this! I Wish I just couldn't remember the times I wasn't lucid like Leo! He doesn't have to care about this stuff!"
"Donatello." Mr. Higgs says sternly. "Don't compare yourself to your brothers. You may not repeat this to anyone but you are miles ahead of your brothers. You've worked so hard to get to this point and to take one misstep isn't the end of the world. If you remember back to the first time you were out of it and then back to this one, you've come so far!" Donnie shakes his head. "Just think, maybe in a few more months you could move to-" Donnie frowns. "No." He grumbles.
Donnie felt so tired and so sick of everything that day. He wanted to rage like Raph would, freak out and flip tables and kick and punch but he couldn't. He was the logical one, he was the smart one, he was the calm one... But not today. Donnie does what would've done the least amount of damage and stands up from his chair and goes over to the door, yanking it open and stomping out. "Donatello. Donatello, come back here!" Mr. Higgs calls. Donnie ignores him, walking down the halls with anger pumping through his veins.
He passes a patent who places a hand on his shoulder, seeing the anger behind his expression. "Hey brother, are you-" Donnie shoves the boy off of him, not saying a word for fear of screaming. The boy looks at him almost fearfully from the floor. Donnie didn't even know he had pushed him that hard.
Donnie spins around and starts speed walking towards his and his brothers' room. "Remember the first time." Donnie scoffs under his breath. "Like I'd want to remember that. It was the worst day of my life..." Donnie starts slowly scratching at his arm absentmindedly. Donnie grimaces as he unintentionally starts remembering that day, unable to stop it.
A younger Donatello walks through the halls of his school, hugging books to his chest nervously. Thirteen years old but starting his second year of high-school. The year had started almost three months ago but Donnie had already wanted to switch schools. His brother had been admitted to a mental health facility almost a year ago and everyone knew Donnie as the crazy boy's brother.
He had felt anxious all day but it felt different than usual half way through the day and he could only remember a couple hours of what had happened. Donnie didn't understand what was going on but he did not like it.
Donnie trips, dropping all his books and hitting his head on the tile floor. "Ah-!" He shouts, catching the attention of some students. He sits up and looks around. Suddenly everything starts morphing into a kaleidoscope of colors, his head spinning and his balance seeming to have completely left him.
"Ah- Ah- Ah-..." Donnie mutters, flipping over and sitting on his butt. "Oooooh gosh, oh no, oh man.." Donnie says, watching as two purple shapes step up to him. They make some unintelligible sounds and Donnie pulls his knees up to his chest. "What- What- What is going on?" His head throbs and he tightly grips it tightly.
He sits like this, randomly groaning and moaning at the odd pain in his head. He can barely think but he can tell at one point the word concussion comes to mind. "Donatello?" It was the first actual word he had heard since his fall. He looks up and sees a brown glob standing over him. It morphs around until it forms into a giant rat. Donnie lets out a shriek and scoots back slightly.
"Donatello, it's alright, it's me. Your father." Donnie shakes his head. "No, No you're not!" Donnie says, leaning back. The Giant rat moves forward and tries to reach out to him. "Don't touch me!" he yells, slapping the rat across the face. Donnie was breathing harshly, sweat dripping down his face.
The rat brings a hand up to it's face. "Donatello, do you not recognize me?" Donnie shakes his head rapidly. "You're a giant freakin' RAT!" Donnie yells, backing up again. "My son, please-" Donnie pushes the rat away again. "Don't touch me!" Donnie holds his head again. "This doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense, no sense, no sense!" Donnie says, his eyes wide with fear.
"He's goin' fucking crazy like his brother!" Donnie hears someone yell. "Crazy must run in the family!" He furrows his eyebrows and blinks a few times and his vision starts to clear. He could see the rat start turning more and more humanoid until he could recognize it's face as his father's. There was a bright red hand-print still on his cheek.
There were people staring at him, some laughing, some murmuring. Once his vision had completely cleared he was mortified at the scene. He was curled up in a ball, fearful sweats falling over his body while the whole school watched him break down. Now not only was he the psycho's brother, he was now the crazy boy who saw giant rats.
"F-Father?" Donnie asks, his voice cracking. He hears a couple boys break out in laughter he looks up and sees an older girl with red hear and blue eyes looking at him with sadness and fear. "Get me out. Get me out of here. Father, get me out!" Donnie says, figuring that if he was already thought of as crazy what could this do to damage his image.
His father picks him up in his arms, giving a slight nod to Donnie's teachers before he walks out of the school holding his panicking son. "J-Just like Leo, I'm gonna be just like Leo. OtÅsan I don't wanna be like Leo!" Donnie's father rubs his son's hair, shushing him. "No, No my son you are fine. You'll be okay."
Donnie feels tears scroll down his cheeks which shoots a pang through his chest. "I'm going to be just like Leo!" He cries. Donnie's father rubs his back as the walk through the parking lot. "I'm sorry my son."
Donnie finds himself sitting outside his room, his head buried in his arms. He didn't want to be like Leo. But he just didn't want to be like himself. He stands up and wipes at his eyes, feeling the slight sting of tears welling there. With a sniffle he goes into the room, seeing Raph lying on his side in his bed, shoulders now just barley uncovered and Leo sitting in a chair next to him.
"Donnie, something happened to Raph." Leo say seriously. "Look at his shoulder!" Donnie nods and walks up to his older brother, embracing him tightly. "Donnie?" Donnie closes his eyes. "I'm sorry Leo." He says quietly. "Sorry for what? Ah, never-mind, Raph is-" Donnie nods. "I know. He probably did that himself." He says, letting go of his delusional bother.
"What!?" Leo asks, surprised. Donnie nods and walks around to the other side of the bed. "Yeah, probably. It would make the most sense." Leo stands up. "Why would that make the most sense?!" Donnie doesn't look at Leo, staring instead at his younger brother lying on the bed. "Raph's been hurting himself for over a year."
Leo crosses his arms. "No. No way. Raph's smarter than that!" Donnie pulls the blanket up higher over Raph, making sure to cover the bandages around his left shoulder. "It has nothing to do with smarts. He hurts himself, that's that. It's an emotional thing." Donnie explains. 'Emotional. Right. Raph wasn't emotional, he was a hothead!' Leo thinks.
"Oh, and I think you're up for a talk with Mr. Higgs." Donnie adds, not looking up from his hands. "O-Okay?" Leo says, making Donnie look up. It physically hurt him to see Leo's glazed over eyes. To see the look of his unwell brother try, try so hard to trust all that didn't make sense to him. "It's your turn. Go." Is all Donnie says before Leo turns away, walking straight out of the room.
It was a quiet walk to the office but once Leo got there he could feel his insides churning. His hand wavers over the door handle, not wanting to enter. These men had kidnapped him and his brothers, making them think they lived here and that he was the crazy one. That simply could not be true. He was completely sane.
He makes his decision, backing away from the door silently and starts walking away. "Leonardo!" A man calls from the office. "Damn it." Leo hisses under his breath. He slowly walks back to the door and pulls it open, peaking in carefully. "Come on in." Mr. Higgs says, waving him in. Leo cringes slightly and walks inside the room, the disbelief showing on his face like a red marker.
"Please, sit." Mr. Higgs says, gesturing to the chair all three of his brothers had sat in at this point. Leo lowers himself into the chair and looks at the man skeptically. "So, how are you feeling?" The man asks. "What does that matter?" Leo replies, tense and ready to bolt at any second. "I like to know how my patents are doing." The man states.
"I'm not your patent. You kidnapped us." Leo says with malice in his voice. "If only that were the case." Mr. Higgs says with a small sigh, a sad smile on his face. "Like I said before Leonardo, I've been your therapist for four years. If you want more proof then I can tell you more." Leo frowns but gives a slight nod.
"You have three brothers, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. Your father is Hamato Yoshi. He sent you here four years ago when you started showing signs of psychosis. You came here when you were thirteen which means you're seventeen right now. After a year your brother, Donatello, joined you. He was more clear minded than you most days but ran away almost constantly, he was too smart for his own good."
Mr. Higgs takes a sip from a water bottle. "Your brother Raphael joined us just this year but he has gone through multiple institutions to help him. He started showing symptoms two years ago but his temper made us hesitant to take him here. You actually were the one to convinced us. It was the most lucid I'd seen you in months and you said that your brother needed to be here. To get the help you were getting."
Leo looks at him surprised. "Why would I-" Leo starts. "Your brother needed help. You helped him. We've seen more progress out of him than nearly any patent here. He wouldn't talk at all when he first came, if you can remember that. And it's only been about nine months or so." Mr. Higgs says, writing something down. "Unfortunately he's been at a standstill for two of those months."
"And then Michelangelo. Poor thing. He came here about the same time as Raphael and he wouldn't stop saying he failed your father. He was the last of his sons to go. Do you remember what you said when he first came here?" Leo shakes his head, looking much more apprehensive. "You said to him that Your father still loves him and that you'd never lie to him. And you know what?"
Leo shakes his head again. "He still believes you. Anything you say he believes." Mr. Higgs finishes out. "Agh! But you could've just made that all up!" Leo says, a sudden flash of anger shooting through him. "No, Go ask your brothers." Leo shakes his head again. "But they're brainwashed! They'll say whatever you want them to say, do whatever you want them to do! You made Raph hurt himself!"
Mr. Higgs shakes his head, pressing a button on his desk. Leo didn't like buttons. "Believe me, I didn't want him doing that again either." Leo stands up abruptly, scooting his chair back. "I don't believe you! I don't believe any of this!" Mr. Higgs calmly folds his hands. "Leonardo, could you please sit back down for me?
"No!" Leo yells, backing up towards the door. Leo frowns. he was obviously planning on leaving and this man just sits there like he doesn't care? He reaches for the door and tries to pull it open but it doesn't budge. The man hadn't gotten up to lock it which meant he locked it with that button. That damn button. "Let me out." Leo commands.
the man shakes his head. "I can't do that Leonardo, you might do something you'll regret later." Leo stares at the man, his hands itching for his blades. "Let. Me. Out." Leo says, even louder. He clenches his fists and keeps his head hung slightly. "Leonardo, I can't I-"
"LET ME OUT!" Leo nearly screams, slamming a fist on the door. "I wanna leave! I wanna go now!" Leo starts pulling on the door, jiggling it back and forth roughly. He feels tears in his eyes but he can't hold them back. He was completely melting down. He slides to the floor, crying much too hard for being in his enemy's office. "I don't want this." He whispers. "I don't wanna... I wanna go home. I wanna go home with father..."
Mr. Higgs stands up and walks over to Leo, bending down next to him and pulling him into his arms. "It's okay, shhh... You're okay." He comforts, Leo going limper. Leo looks up at the man, almost confused. He opens and closes his mouth a couple times before the words actually escape him. "M-Mr. Higgs? What's going on?"
Wow! Okay, so I never thought I was ever going to post this story. I had written just about four chapters for it and then stopped, leaving it sit for about a year. I came back to it recently and started fixing up the chapters and adding on too! I'm really exited to see if people end up liking this because this was the kind of story I LOVED to read when I first started writing. Anyways, below is the "Author's note" I wrote when I made this chapter originally way back when! The next chapter will be up soon seeing as I have five of these babies written! (I honestly don't remember how my mom gave me the idea for this story but now me and my mom aren't too close so... Don't go thanking her too much.)
"Okay! So I hope you liked that first chapter! My mom of all people gave me the idea for this story but I have about a million other stories I'd get to first before coming back to this one. Anywho, If you liked this, tell me! And I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!"