Three Little Words
Information:
This is the second sequel to my fanfiction Competition Over the Visitor. It is set a week after the '07 TMNT movie ended. There will be tie-ins (and spoilers) to that movie.
Disclaimer & Warnings:
I do not own the Turtles, as much as I would love to.
Romantic pairings include 'turtlecest': OCxDonnie; LeoxRaph.
Currently rated M for (eventual) language and innuendo.
Chapter One
Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.
Leonardo gently rubbed his thumb over the ink in his journal. He'd written those words nearly three years ago, and they were just as true today as they were then.
It was a full week after he and his brothers had defeated the Stone Generals. Together, as a team, just as they'd always been.
Or had been, before he'd left.
His brow furrowed as he dipped the hard nub of his quill into a pot of ink. The last time he'd turned to his journal for solace, it had helped him through his current problems. Maybe it could again.
I am a stranger in my own home.
He paused, a small drop of ink blotting on the paper. He closed his eyes as his instincts revolted against letting himself feel his sorrow. Steeling himself, he refilled his quill. He'd learned to feel freely once before; he could do it again.
I feel rejection from each of my brothers and my adopted sister in different ways…
Michaelangelo has been his usual self, yet not around me. Jokes roll easily from his tongue, he eyes me closely any time I'm near the kitchen to protect the appliances, and even showed me a new game he thought I might like last night. But his smile never reaches his eyes; he sits as far away from me as possible; and his sparring against me in regular practice is more brutal and personal than I remember. I'm finding myself desperately missing his touches and playful hugs.
Donatello rarely responds to any of my inquiries in more than single word answers. If I construct my questions so that I require a more complex reply, he reminds me that he's quite busy and I should save it for another time. I have noticed him spending a lot more time outside his lab and interacting with our brothers often, which speaks well of him. I just wish he would with me, also.
Alex is… difficult. She wears her resentment about her like a cloak, using it as security if I'm nearby. Like Donnie, she replies in short sentences only if I speak directly to her, and never starts a conversation. Her anger is deeply personal, and at times I wonder if I did something to her I'm not aware of.
Raphael
Leonardo frowned, chewing on the tip of his pen. He stared at the paper for several minutes before he began writing again.
Raphael simply isn't here. The only time he appears is at meals and practice. I've gone searching for him, but it seems he must be leaving the lair for hours on end, during both the day and night. I'm quite sure he's avoiding me, though he's courteous enough when he is home, even venturing to throw sarcastic remarks my way or support my opinion in a friendly argument between Mikey and I. He never meets my gaze, however. My room is slightly different than I remember it, and I am beginning to think he slept in here while I was away. So why is he running away now that I'm home? We have much to discuss, and drawing it out is only serving to torture us both.
He sighed, leaning back and filling his quill once more.
I am going to find him tonight, come Hell or high water.
And I do not fear Hell, for I have already been there.