Leonardo,
I'm sorry I'm not there to meet you. I need to ask you something and I didn't want to see your initial reaction.
I want you to join me. Join the Foot Clan. I've already spoken with my father. And since his vendetta is not with you in particular, he has agreed to strike a deal. If you agree to join the Foot Clan, then my father will agree to pretend that the rest of the turtles, and your rat master, do not exist.
He agrees that your skills would be a valuable asset for our group and said that you would be considered an automatic elite solider. You would take orders only from Shredder. Never from Fishface, Rahzar or that stupid tiger. In fact, I'm already looking forward to the day when they realize that they have to take orders from you.
Leo, you and I would be free to train together every day. To run missions together. To just be together.
I hope that you will sincerely consider this, Leo. It's a chance to protect your family, but more importantly, it's also a chance for there to be an us.
Karai
He left Master Splinter's room and paused outside the pit in order to watch his brood of little brothers. Mikey sat with his foot propped up on a pillow, eyes happy while he watched one of his favorite movies. Donnie sat next to him, his laptop in his lap while he also managed to hold an ice pack to the freckled turtle's head. Raph sat across from them in his bean bag chair and Leo watched as the hothead tossed popcorn in Mikey's direction every time Mikey chirped at him with an open mouth. Just the fact that Raph was willing to sit through that while continuing to play along with the goofball demonstrated just how serious Mikey's injury had been.
Leo continued to stand and watch them. They were his and he loved them. But, as sensei just pointed out, again, it was his job to keep them all safe. And therefore, he was held responsible for the events that had led to Michelangelo's injury during tonight's patrol.
He'd tried to order them to fall back when he realized just how many Foot-Bots they were up against, but clearly his leadership skills had been lacking, because instead of retreating, his brothers had continued to fight. And at some point during the continued fight, Leo, Raph and Donnie had watched in horror as Mikey had been knocked off the rooftop. Thankfully, a fire escape and a very full dumpster had broken Mike's fall. But it had still knocked him unconscious and he was under surveillance now for a concussion.
A few years ago, the fact that he was being blamed for his brothers' actions would've upset him. But now he quietly accepted Master Splinter's stern lecture. If he was a better leader, they would've listened to him. And they would've retreated when he gave the order. And Mikey would've come home uninjured. Leo would probably be down in the pit watching a movie with them even now.
Instead, he turned away. Master Splinter had suggested he mediate on tonight's events and how he could've handled it differently. And he walked towards his room to appear to do just that.
But, in actuality, he was going to sit and consider another offer that had been made to him. He told himself that he owed it to his family to seriously consider it.
A pair of eyes followed his movements as he headed to his room.
Two movies later, and he watched Leo finally leave his room and head into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Leo's blue eyes had a distant look to them and it was making his own stomach twist in a painful way since he couldn't fathom what the leader was thinking about. He flinched as their baby brother sprang upright suddenly and called out to Leo to come join them.
"You can pick the next movie, Leo!" Mikey called out earnestly as he saw Leo hesitate at the initial request.
Leo's thoughts returned to the present and he turned his attention to his brothers. He didn't really feel like watching a movie. But he hadn't yet participated in any of Mikey's caretaking. So he forced a smile and joined them in the pit. He sat on the other side of Donnie and murmured over to the tired-looking turtle that he could go to bed if he wanted.
"I'll stay awake and make sure Mikey doesn't doze off for the next hour or so," Leo said to him, assuring Dr. Donnie that his typical concussion protocol would be followed if he wanted to go get some rest.
Donnie gave Leo a grateful smile and didn't hesitate to push himself up from his seat and head for his own comfortable bed. He heard Mikey say goodnight and waved a goodnight to him in return.
He didn't mind being the family physician, especially when it came to Mikey. The youngest loved being doted on by his brothers and had no issue with being forced to stay awake for a movie marathon, making him the easiest patient in Donnie's eyes. But Donnie left him in the care of the others for now. Adding together the earlier fight with the Foot-Bots, watching his brother go over the side of a building, finding the small turtle unconscious and then tending to him since their return, and he was exhausted.
And although he was sure Raph would stay up until Mikey was allowed to go to sleep, he didn't feel comfortable flat out asking Raph if he'd watch over Mikey since Raph had to be just as tired. So he was grateful for Leo's offer. And with the knowledge that Leo had everything under control, he let himself fall asleep.
Mikey rested on his plastron and let his feet swing in the air behind him as he munched on another slice of pizza. He glanced behind him at his quiet big brothers and wished Donnie was still out there with them. At least when he made silly comments about the movies they watched, Donnie would always pipe in and correct him.
But Leo and Raph sat in complete silence behind him, leaving him to wonder why Leo had even picked this movie since he didn't appear to be watching it. Instead, Leo sat staring at his hands in his lap. Mikey glanced over at Raph to see if he noticed their brother's strange behavior, but he found Raphael oblivious, with his nose in a motorcycle magazine.
He glanced at the clock and was actually relieved to see he'd reached the end of his concussion babysitting period.
"I'm off to bed, dudes," he announced and bounced up as quickly as he could, forgetting about his swollen ankle until he hissed out a breath when he landed on it. Leo was there in an instant with his arm wrapped around his shell to support him. "Whoa, good catch, bro," Mikey said with a humbled laugh.
"I'll help you to your room," Leo said.
"Night, Raph," Mikey called out behind his shoulder and received a grunt in response. He let Leo lead him to his room and only made a few jokes about Leo tucking him in as Leo did just that, even going as far as pulling the little turtle's blanket up to his chin once he'd lowered him onto his mattress.
"Get some rest," Leo said, shaking his head fondly at the teasing.
"Hey, Leo," Mikey called out as he watched his brother's shell move away from him. He waited until Leo stopped and turned back to him. "I'm sorry about earlier," he said.
His big brothers were too busy being relieved that he was okay to call him out on the fact that it was his own distracted self's fault for being flung off that rooftop. He was sure they'd realize it in the morning, though, and he thought maybe he should get a jump start on the apologizing.
"You don't need to apologize, Mikey," Leo said. "I just want you to rest now, okay?"
Mikey chewed on his lower lip. He wanted to say more, but there was a strange, unfamiliar tone in Leo's voice. So he nodded slowly in agreement and watched as Leo turned again to leave.
"Hey, Leo," he called out once more and once more waited until Leo turned to look at him. "I left two slices of pizza out there. I want you to eat them, especially before Raph gets em."
Leo smiled at the rare offer of food sharing and turned the light off as he slipped out of Mikey's room.
Mikey shifted to his side, happy with himself for pulling a sincere smile from his eldest brother and let his eyes close, ready to see what his dreams would bring him.
Leo headed back to the pit, intent on cleaning up the area before letting himself head to bed. He was surprised to see Raphael still sitting there, his elbows resting on his knees as he watched Leo approach.
He eyed Raphael as he turned off the television. Clearly he was going to have to sort out whatever was bothering the hothead as well before he would be free to go to bed.
"What's up, Raph?" he asked.
"You tell me."
Leo straightened after picking up the popcorn bowl and turned to face his brother.
"You're the one still sitting here. Mike's fine. He's probably already asleep. You should go to bed too."
"Is that an order?"
"No," Leo said with a frown. He turned away from Raphael and headed towards the kitchen to dump the leftover popcorn kernels in the trash. "Not that you'd follow it even if it was," he muttered.
"I deserve that."
Leo kept the surprise off his face as he realized that Raph had silently followed him and stood directly behind him now. He turned to face him and was surprised again to find Raphael's green eyes staring hard at him, as if he were trying to glare his way into Leo's brain to learn his secrets. Leo shifted his eyes away. Because whether he liked it or not, Raphael had always had the unnerving ability to know when Leo was trying to hide something.
"Something's botherin ya. I want ya to tell me what it is."
The soft tone surprised Leo once again. Raphael may have spoken to pigeons or Spike with that soft tone, but not his brothers. And never Leonardo.
"Why have you been watching me all night?" Leo asked in a low voice, doing his best to avoid Raphael's question.
This wasn't the first time that Leo was aware of Raph's eyes on him. In the past, he attributed it to Raph waiting to try to catch the leader making a mistake so he could call him out on it. But, lately, Leo was no longer sure why Raphael stared at him so often.
"I know yer blamin yerself for Mikey's injuries," Raph said, "and ya shouldn't. I'm the one who told em to stay when ya ordered us out of there. I was in the mood for a fight and I couldn't see how outnumbered we were from where I was."
Leo let his eyes fall to the ground and didn't respond. It wasn't the first time Raphael had apologized to him for interfering with his leadership. But it didn't change the fact that his leadership had been undermined again. Or that he'd had to come home and sit through another disapproving lecture from their sensei.
"Hey," Raph said and suddenly his hand was gripping Leo's upper arm. "I mean it, Leonardo."
Leo lifted his eyes back to Raph's as he felt Raph's fingers tighten around his arm. He'd had to assist injured brothers and they all sparred on an almost daily basis, but Leo wasn't really used to being touched. Nor was he used to hearing his full name out of Raphael's mouth. He tipped his head and examined Raph's face. Raphael was typically gruff and hard-headed and stubborn. But there was something about this remorseful, strong turtle trying to reassure him that broke down Leo's blank exterior.
Raph watched as Leo's blue eyes met his and frowned at the confusion and pain he saw there. Leo almost never let his guard down and Raph immediately tugged on Leo's arm to lead him out of the kitchen. If Leo was willing to open up to him, then he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass by.
He half dragged Leo into the leader's room and quietly shut the door behind them. Only once they were enclosed in the bedroom, and he let go of Leo's arm, he was at a slight loss at what to do next. He knew Leo was keeping something from the rest of them, but he wasn't sure how to get his brother to fess up.
Leo watched Raphael fidget with his wrist guards where he stood, in a spot that was just barely inside the room. He felt himself soften at Raphael's clear awkwardness and began to reconsider sharing his burden with his brother. It wasn't like he had even made a decision yet about Karai's offer and he was already fairly certain what Raphael's reaction would be. But if he were to leave, he would be leaving the family in Raphael's hands and he figured he owed the hothead a fair warning.
Leo sighed, which he noticed brought Raphael's attention back to him quickly. He reached inside his bedside table and pulled out the letter that Karai had left for him and wordlessly passed it to Raphael.
He and his brothers had run into Karai and some Foot-Bots almost four nights ago. And while his brothers had been busy with the Foot-Bots, he'd sparred with Karai. It was always a thrill to go up against the skilled kunoichi. Her skills were equal to his and she didn't seem to mind that he was a giant, mutant turtle. And right before she and the Foot-Bots left, she'd quietly asked him to meet her alone later that night. Another thrill, since, with the exception of the first night they'd met, they never made plans to see each other alone.
However, he'd been disappointed when he arrived at their meeting spot and she never showed. His disappointment was replaced, though, by an unfamiliar happiness when he found the note she'd left for him. And he'd admit to only himself that at first he had skimmed the part where she was asking him to switch sides and instead focused mainly on her personal notes for their possible future. It may have been laced with a request to betray his family, but it was still his first love letter.
And now he watched as Raphael's eyes widened and his fingers tightened around the paper enough to crumple the edges as he read the note. He watched Raph's eyes as they made it to the end of the letter and braced himself for the anger he knew was coming. After all, Raphael had always been suspicious of Karai. So Leo knew he'd have to focus this away from her in order to get Raphael to understand the importance of this offer.
Raph's green eyes set off sparks as he threw the paper away and met Leo's eyes.
"You can't be seriously thinkin about this!" he growled.
He waited for his brother to immediately deny it. No way would Leo ever agree to this. No way would the perfect son ever leave their family behind, especially for their enemy's daughter. Instead, he watched as Leo's eyes shifted with uncertainty. Raphael's hands balled into fists and he growled loudly when he saw hesitation. Apparently his stupid older brother was thinking about it.
"This doesn't make sense," he grit out. "It doesn't make sense that you'd leave us. And it doesn't make sense that you can't see that Karai is manipulating you," he said, fiercely.
"That offer says Shredder will leave the rest of you alone," Leo said, calmly. "Think of that, Raph. Think of Mikey and Donnie's safety. Of Master Splinter's safety."
"Ya can't trust a single goddamn thing that psychotic maniac or his conniving daughter says, Leo! He knows yer the biggest threat. You walk over to his side and he'll immediately kill ya just to be one step closer to getting to the rest of us."
Leo shook his head. "I don't believe Karai believes that," he said.
"Yeah, cause she's so fuckin trustworthy," Raph growled.
Leo brushed aside Raph's comments. Raphael was never going to be Karai's number one fan anyway.
"Look, Raph, even if I was gone -,"
"-Ya ain't goin anywhere."
Leo lifted a hand. "Even if I was gone, I know you'd be able to take care of everyone."
Raphael growled outright. "Why would I stick around if you ain't gonna?"
Leo glared back at him. "Seriously? You would leave your family?"
"Don't give me that shit when yer actually thinkin about abandoning the family yerself!"
"To protect all of you!"
"Ya mean to be with Karai!" Raph roared at him. "And trust me, Leo, she's only doin what the Shredder is tellin her to do to lure you in a trap."
"Is it so unbelievable that someone would want to be with me?" Leo said with an exhale. He was tired, but he wanted Raph to understand. "Don't you want more out of this dreary life, Raph? Don't you want something to look forward to every day? Don't you want to know what it feels like to know that someone loves you even if you are a mutant turtle?"
Raph shut his mouth, swallowing the next set of angry words he'd been about to say as he took in the devastatingly sad look on Leo's face. He watched Leo sit down on his bed, rest his elbows on his knees and duck his face down with a long exhale.
His breath caught as he saw Leo slipping away from their family. And from him. His chest grew tight as he could see just how close he was to losing Leo.
Raph's anger disappeared as a new adrenalin began to move down his arms. He moved towards Leo's bed and sat down next to him.
"I love ya even though yer a mutant turtle," he finally managed to say after a few minutes of silence.
Leo huffed out a breath. "I'm serious, Raph," he said.
Raphael was being serious as well, but he was clearly no good with words. He stared down at his own hands as they balled into fists. He may not be good with words, but he was good with his hands.
There was no hesitation in his next move as he lunged sideways and knocked Leo back onto his shell. Leo immediately fought him but he was stronger and easily pinned Leo's hands to his sides as he climbed on top of his brother and straddled his lap.
"Raph," Leo growled in exasperation. "I'm not in the mood to wrestle."
Raphael stared down at his big brother. Years together and he still loved looking at him. Leo was strong. And graceful. And deadly. He was an impressive leader. And he watched out for each of them in a way that no one else could.
And there was no way in hell Raphael was about to let the Foot princess get her undeserving hands on him.
"Good. Cause neither am I."
Leo stopped struggling as Raph's suddenly husky voice reached his ears. He'd never heard that tone of voice from him before. He met his brother's eyes and his own eyes narrowed in confusion at what he saw. He stared up at this impressively strong, protective powerhouse of a warrior who was currently looming over him with love and want shining out of his bright green eyes.
"Raph?" he whispered out his brother's name as a question.
Raphael responded by leaning down and letting Leo's scent fill his nose before he licked a long wet stripe up Leo's neck. He heard Leo gasp, but noticed that Leo didn't pull away. Wasn't struggling against the pin Raph still had him in. He nuzzled his nose into Leo's neck before whispering, "If ya want me to stop, ya better say so now."
It was subtle, but he felt Leo shake his head no. He tried to keep the grin off his own face as he nuzzled Leo's neck again. He released Leo's wrists and let his hands slowly move up Leo's arms as he lifted his face away from Leo's neck to meet his eyes again. Only this time, he couldn't keep the smile off his face when he saw the trust reflecting back at him from Leo's bright blue eyes. Assured that Leo was okay with their current position, there was once again no hesitation as he made another advancement.
Kissing. Raphael is kissing me, Leo thought to himself for a few moments before he began to move his own lips in response, which earned him a small moan from the strong turtle above him. Leo's hips jerked forward at the sound and a churr rolled up his throat.
Immediately a churr rolled up Raphael's throat as well and he pulled back suddenly to meet Leo's eyes. It was the first time he'd ever churred in front of anyone, and the first time he'd ever heard another's churr as well. But he was well aware of the significance of those sounds. His body liked what was happening between them. But perhaps more importantly, Leo liked what was happening between their bodies as well.
Leo's eyes traveled over Raph's face. He was slightly amused at Raph's surprised expression. He moved his hands for the first time since Raph had climbed on top of him and lifted them to massage over Raph's shoulders.
"I like the sounds you make, Raphie," Leo whispered up to him, shivering slightly as Raphael's fingers began trailing over his own skin, heating him up even from that minimal contact.
Raphael grinned again and immediately bent forward once more to cover Leo's mouth with his own. This time he pushed his tongue forward and happily twisted it around Leo's tongue. He didn't hesitate to moan out in pleasure as he felt Leo's massaging fingers move down his arms. And, unable to stop himself, he shifted his hips to rub his lower plastron against Leo's, pleased to hear Leo churr once again in response.
He continued to move his hips but pulled his mouth away in order to rest his forehead against Leo's. He met Leo's eyes again and made sure he had his attention before sincerely whispering to him, "I'll give you something to look forward to every day, Leonardo. But ya can't leave us."
Leo stared back at those green eyes and immediately realized his decision had been made in the form of the strong, determined turtle who was currently firing up all of his nerve endings and pooling a deep desire in his stomach unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.
"I'm not going anywhere," Leo murmured.
Relief poured out of Raphael's eyes before he tried to cover the reaction with a smirk and said, "Good, cause I have more plans for you."
Leo churred again as he felt Raph's fingers begin to slide down his plastron.
