Comfort

All Splinter really needed was comfort from his sons.

He hesitates to tell them what he learned from his fight with Saki – Shredder. He almost does not tell them at all, and he wants to and yet he doesn't at the same time.

It's Michelangelo's puppy dog eyes that crack him.

So Splinter tells his turtle sons that Karai is really Miwa – and at first there is stunned silence. Then Leonardo is blushing and mumbling awkwardly as Raphael yells at him – something about having a crush on Miw-Karai – and even though she is no longer his Splinter can't help but feel a bit protective.

Or maybe that's the protectiveness he feels for Leonardo himself.

Donatello almost giggles at their exchange, then catches April's eye and looks the other way. Michelangelo, though, is not at all focused on his brothers.

"Man, Sensei. I'm so sorry about that."

But why should Michelangelo be sorry, Splinter wonders. It's not his fault.

He does find that the hug Michelangelo gives him afterwards definitely helps relieve some of the pain.

Donatello is the next one who offers the broken Hamato Yoshi comfort.

Of course it's in his strange science way, but there is no other way Donatello knows.

Barely a week after the incident – it seems even his sons refuse to call it anything else – Donatello presents him with a new T-Phone.

"Just in case, Sensei," Donatello insists. "You don't have to worry about anything. I made it a lot simpler for you. When one of us calls you our face will show up on the screen. If you need to call us just click on this button-" and he presses said button in demonstration – "and scroll until you find who you're looking for. Of course, it's just us and April and I even added in Mr. O'Neil just in case-"

"Donatello." Donatello is instantly quiet, but to his obvious surprise Splinter does not begin lecturing him or refuse the gift. "Thank you, my son."

Another hug from another son certainly never hurt anyone.

Apparently Michelangelo was going all out with this. Splinter had never realized how talented his youngest son was in the kitchen, but it had been two weeks and Michelangelo continued to make every meal of the day. Except for Friday night pizzas, which had become a sort of tradition – and the resulting leftovers for breakfast.

And really, Splinter couldn't ask for more, but apparently he and April were not letting him accept any sort of defeat.

So when Splinter finds himself presented with a new walking stick, hand-carved by Michelangelo and April, he really does not know what to say.

"I found the original wood and I thought you might like it," April explains. "Mikey helped me with the carving and decorations." Michelangelo says nothing, simply grins.

Definitely more than he ever asked for.

Raphael, surprisingly, is the next one who gives Splinter comfort in his time of strange darkness.

His green-eyed son was never one for words – his actions (and anger) defined him. So it was unusual to see Raphael talking with anyone.

It was even rarer to see him meditating. With tea.

But that is where Splinter finds him, and Raphael grins up at him sheepishly as Spike chews on some lettuce next to him.

"I thought that, maybe, we could just – I dunno…sit? Talk? Meditate, if that's better for you?"

Splinter hadn't done this with a willing Raphael for nearly ten years, and the feeling it gave him warmed his insides to levels he did not know could be reached.

Leonardo has hidden himself away for the four weeks after the incident, and really Splinter can guess as to why. His eldest son has offered small comforts in the ways he always had, but Leonardo cannot think of what else to do because he felt love for Karai. For Miwa.

That was, suffice it to say, probably awkward for the young turtle.

When Leonardo does emerge, he goes right up to Splinter and looks him in the eye.

And then hugs him, no warning whatsoever.

"Sensei, I'm so so sorry." And then a book of some sort is placed in his hands and Leonardo calls his brothers together for a patrol.

He watches them go, a small, fond smile on his face, before looking at what Leonardo has given him.

It is a scrapbook, with rare pictures from when they were younger, and a few from Splinter's own collection, no doubt – pictures of happier times, of Teng Shen and Miwa and a human Hamato Yoshi. The newer ones – the ones with Donatello and Michelangelo and Raphael and Leonardo and now April too – are just as comforting as the old ones.

He clutches the scrapbook to his chest and wonders how he ever came to have such wonderful sons as these.

A/N: So the season finale just gave me so many feels, especially with the Splinter stuff but the Apritello undertones made me squee. Not really looking forward to meeting Casey Jones in season 2, but maybe he won't steal April away from adorkable Donatello...

But seriously Karai you need to just stop and turn into an adorable Miwa and love Splinter because he is your dad. No arguing accepted. (Karai/Leo is kind of an odd pairing to me now though...oh well I'm not actively supporting it but I'm not against it either.)

Just written as a drabble to quell my feels. Hope someone out there liked it.