The New York skyline was anything but hideous and hidden with grey clouds as the sun rose up behind the buildings - indicating a normal but beautiful day in a corrupt, crime-ridden and busy city.
Not many people knew of what was happening in New York; apart from the giant dubious storm hanging around the giant skyscraper regarded as the now desolated Winters Building.
But it was way below the trains with certain carriages that no one would sit in for a peculiar reason, ridden with graffiti or dry or even fresh urine stains or the train floor and below the old train tracks that were on the mend of bending due to the heavy weight of the trains consistently running along them. It was within the sewer line - that no one ever checks, maybe to rescue the occasional dog or cat if they're tiny enough. Even sometimes a child if there's no grate to hold them, or the entry is big enough.
Beyond the urine and faeces contaminated water. What would be regarded as 'Alien Life' Lived Comfortably within these sewer lines. Moreover, the five of them had been used to everything the sewers would be intruded with loud trucks, construction work and even heavy downpour. However, today would be a lot different then what they were usually used to.
Having only been around six hours since all four brothers went to sleep. The Lair was relatively quiet disregarding the running water which barely made noise until one of them went out for practice or a breather - hearing the footsteps for a good couple of metres.
It was within the lair that loud noise of snoring coming from behind the TV would be emitted from an Orange-Bannered Turtle sleeping soundly with a leg dangling over the edge of the couch ever so slightly while one was placed comfortably between couch cushions. With that, he'd fallen asleep watching one of his TV Shows, obviously profoundly interested by the Cheez-It's lying beside his chest and crust left on his plastron.
Close by was one of his older brothers who was in a state of absolute peace, even with the position he was in of his head placed upon his arms and softly breathing. Meanwhile - the two older brothers to both the purple and orange masked turtles were encased in their room, headed in for the night before to get some well-earned sleep from the tedious night previous.
Not once had all three brothers contemplated who woke up first nice and early as they immediately knew who owned that title since childhood. Stepping out, the blue cladded turtle stepped out of his room with a stifled yawn on his lips as he stretched and tilted his head from left to right - hoping to hear a crack emit from his neck, but never sufficed. Rubbing his eyes, he overlooked the lair and watched his two younger brothers, smiling as he saw them sleeping peacefully in their retrospect.
Careful not to wake them, he walked down the stairs as quietly as possible and walked over to the kitchen - grabbing a bowl and putting cereal into the bowl, the light tinkering of the cereal stirring the purple cladded turtle slightly to where the older brother knew that he had his eyes closed, but he was fully conscious. Huffing happily, he filled the bowl up, adding milk to the once dry cereal. Picking the bowl up - he put it on the desk of the purple cladded turtle
"Morning Donnie" Leo spoke out with a deep tone to his voice - Donnie knowing that this was his morning voice, which only ever had a few minutes of airing as the older brother would soon go back to his normal voice.
"How'd you know I was awake?" Don said taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes before stretching and grabbing his bowl of cereal and the spoon in which Leo was holding
"Brotherly instincts" Leo said, rubbing his hand back and forth on his younger brothers head on to hear him grumble uncomfortably in which Leo smiled and walked off. Grabbing his bowl of Cereal and pouring milk into it before putting it down and slipping the spoon into the bowl and sitting down, taking in the peace of the lair before the two younger brothers he loved got any closer on his nerves and pulled the last one, Raph especially.
Ever since Winters Tower went out like a fuse and he'd given up the act of being The Nightwatcher - Raph had seemed to forgive himself, and Leo had done the same, not having a bone to pick with one another since then. However, it was one night after running into a fight during a patrol that Raph had changed, had a new grumbled look on his face. Leo couldn't tell what the hell it was, but whatever it was. It wasn't Raph's usual routine of being the grump he'd usually be referred to by Mikey and Donnie.
Pulling Leo out of his contemplative state, Donnie came and sat on the table opposite his older brother, Donnie pulling a strange look to his older brother
"You all right Leo? You seem out of it a lot recently" Donnie said as he shifted his back uncomfortably due to him being hunched over in his sleep
"I'm fine Don, don't worry about me" And it was as he was taking a bit of his cereal - that the subject was changed immediately, which had left Donnie disgruntled in the fact that he'd usually be open toward talking about his problems to the purple cladded turtle. "Did you get enough sleep last night, or do I need to put you back in your bedroom because of your sore back?" He said as he shifted his arms over his chest "Because you know I'll put sleeping pills in your coffee again if you're not."
Breathing out in frustration, Don took in a bit of his cereal before answering "Yeah. I got plenty, and it was just this night. I'll return to my room tonight, but that's beyond the point that I was-"
"Good" Leo interrupted with a nod and raised an eyebrow. Never one to talk about his problems like Raph until they pented up and broke both of them down in their unique ways. Leaving Donnie in a frustrated state and sighing half-heartedly. The shuffle of feet and a loud booming yawn broke through the air. Mikey was finally up
"Look who's finally up. morning sleepy head" Don said smiling along with Leo doing so as well.
"Morning dude, you wouldn't believe the dream I had last night" His surfer voice breaking through the air was a nice change from the nearly heated disagreement from both the older turtles.
"Let me guess. It's about something you'd wish existed. However, doesn't."
"Wait, they don't have Triple-X Large Pizzas?" Mikey said, scratching the back of his neck and smiling awkwardly
"As amazing of an idea that is Mikey, that won't ever exist. No human would ever be able to eat that. At least within the period of a week" Donnie replied - always one to break down his creative ideas, but he must admit. Some of them were good, as stupid as some of them seemed.
"Would we be able to try it at any point though?" Mikey said smiling slightly
Donnie looked over at Leo, laughing slightly at the idea he rolled his eyes and looked over at him "If we had an Oven big enough. Maybe. But until then. No. And who knows if we can eat that much" During mid-sentence, Leo seemed to have a more pessimistic tone in his voice more then usual. Don seemed to have picked up on this and gave a scolding look to his older brother. But he knew why - even though it wasn't required
"Okay, there's no need to be rude about it dude. Guess I'll go read my comics" Mikey said before putting the milk down and walking off, leaving his cereal behind.
"What the hell was that?" Donnie grumbled under his breath and looked at his Older brother with an angered look
"Mikey! I-" Leo said before huffing and rubbing his hands against his face. "I'm sorry all right. I'm just on edge."
"And why would that be?" Don asked before a booming voice of his older brother broke through the tensious air
"Why would that be?" The red cladded turtle spoke as he stretched before leaping over rail and landing with a thud before walking into the kitchen
"It was nothing Raph, don't worry," Donnie said as he was still looking his brother in the eyes. He knew he had the chance to talk about it, but with Leo being Leo - he always waited for time to over tick "I'm gonna go work on those upgrades, we need them anyway."
Soon enough the red cladded turtle sat in the spot that Donnie was in and began digging into his cereal. Leo having forgotten about his now soggy cereal, he started digging back into it.
Both younger brothers of the two stopped what they were doing, Donnie glancing over every once in a while to see what they were doing, and Mikey Glancing over his comic to see the two brothers sitting there in absolute silence while tension filled the room like a giant gas leak.
While still chewing on his cereal. Leo took the chance to look at his brother and begin the conversation which had been on thin ice from the start.
"What's up?" Leo said flatly.
"Nuthin'" Raph replied simply.
"It's something Raph, even you know it. It's been going on long enough - spit it out" Leo said with more anguish in his tone.
"It's Nothin' Leo, why can't cha' just understan' that?" He said as his jaw tightened around the spoon which exited his mouth a few seconds later.
"Then why haven't you said Good Morning to any of us. You won't even have a general conversation with us without being angry."
"Yeah? And what's ta' think that I'm just not havin' a good day?" Raph said moving both his arms with a slight shrug and a tilt of his head to try and make his point more meaningful
"Because this has been going on for almost a week now! If you need to say something. Say it now - you even promised that we'd do this."
But there was absolute silence for a few seconds from Raph "There's nothin' ta' be said" He spoke, teeth gritted as he glanced over at his older brother
A growl emitted from Leo's lips as he got up "I'll be in the dojo" he murmured
"Splinta' Junior"
"Says the one who has his head right up his s-" Leo said spinning around before he left his mouth open. Not daring to continue the sentence in front of his father
Stopping in his tracks to look at Leo with a raised eyebrow, he kept his position for a few seconds before proceeding to walk "Good Morning my sons!"
"Morning Sensei!" Mikey said as his voice towered over the others, hearing this. Leo and Raph immediately looked his way to see him peaking over his comic - All three of the brothers knew what they were doing, and Mikey shyly smiled before hiding his head back in his comics hoping that a smack wouldn't connect on his head from his big brother.
Leo then proceeded to walk to the dojo before closing the door behind him, giving Raph a final glance of bitterness before he closed the door completely before continuing to meditate.
"Sometimes I hate those Brotherly Instincts."
