Three days earlier...
A heavy sigh deflated his chest as he stood outside the door that declared, "I'm In Here. You're Out There. Let's Keep It That Way Another While Longer" framed in a poster that looked like a restricted area sign.
He didn't know whether or not he should knock. Things had been tense in the lair over the last couple of days. Ever since the big 1-5. He sighed again. Teenagers. Couldn't live with them, couldn't kill them and make it look like an accident.
"Just knock," Mona Lisa said from behind him.
Raphael looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm the last person he wants to see, right now."
"He's a kid, Raph. What's the worst he can do? You're his father."
"Am I? I don't feel like it."
Mona put her arms around him, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "He needs to know you're not mad. All he wants is your approval."
"I'm not mad. I'm...disappointed. If it's my approval Tony's looking for, he's going about it the wrong way."
"I'm sure when you were his age you did things Splinter didn't approve of."
Raphael swallowed. Mona smiled. She kissed her husband on the cheek.
"Talk to him. Be honest, but don't be cruel. Try to connect with him."
"I lost that connection a while ago."
"Well, try to get it back. But you're not going to find it standing out here. He can't hurt you."
"He knows ninjitsu."
"And who taught him that, Master Raphael?"
Mona reached out and knocked on the door. She kissed Raphael's cheek again and walked away. He took a breath and opened the door.
"Tony? Can I come in?"
"You can't read?"
Raphael opened the door all the way and stepped inside. The lithe salamander lay on his hammock, one leg hanging over the side. He wore a set of wireless headphones, his nose buried in his smartphone.
Raphael walked over and tapped his son on the head. "Can I talk to you?"
Tony looked up, amber eyes dull and bored. "Can you read?"
"I saw the sign, Tony. Yes, I can read. But I also need to talk to you."
"I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"Stuff you wouldn't understand."
"You'd be surprised what I can understand."
Tony scoffed and went back to his phone, turning up his music. Raphael slipped his fingers underneath the headset and pulled it off. A string of curses came through the speakers.
"Since when did you listen to this stuff?"
Tony snatched the headset from his father. "None of your business. Now, leave me alone."
"We used to talk all the time. What happened?"
"I grew up."
Raphael nodded, smiling sadly. "I get it. Don't want uncool Dad butting his nose into your life. Think you've got it all figured out."
Tony watched as his father headed for the door. Raphael paused with his hand on the handle. He turned to look at his son.
"You don't have to talk. But, just know I'll always be there for you. No matter the trouble. I love you no matter what."
Tony slipped the headset back on. "Whatever."
Raphael opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him. Tony glanced up for a brief moment before a text caught his attention.
We're go for tonight. You in?
Tony looked back at the door before sending off a reply saying that he was in.
Splinter walked into the kitchen to find Raphael sitting at the table nursing a glass of milk. He gave his son an amused look.
"I wish it was something stronger, sensei. Believe me," Raphael said.
Splinter walked over and sat down beside him. "I know. You promised Mona Lisa you would stop drinking when you started dating."
Raphael sighed, hanging his head. Splinter gave him a worried look.
"What is on your mind, my son?"
"Am I a bad father?" Raphael asked.
The wisened rat smiled. "You do not know how many times I have asked myself that same question while raising you and your brothers. It is a question I believe every parent asks themselves at some time during childhood, and even into their child's adult life."
Raphael looked up at him. "You still think you're a bad parent?"
"Sometimes I ask myself if I raised you boys right. Then I look at all the good you four have done over the years, all the lives you have saved, criminals you have helped put away. And I could not be more proud."
Raphael gazed down into his drink. "I think I slipped somewhere along the way. Tony he's...I don't know."
"He is going through a difficult time. He is trying to find his place, just like you did at his age. The teenage years can be trying, and your patience will be tested. But, he is your son, and he always will be. He needs his father to be understanding and waiting with a listening ear."
"But what do you do when he doesn't want anything to do with you?" Raphael asked.
Splinter put a hand on his son's. "That is when he needs you more than ever."
Raphael sighed and nodded. "Thanks, sensei."
Splinter patted his hand. "I am always here for you, my son."
Out in the lair, Tony crept towards the front door as quiet as he could. He could hear his father and grandfather talking in the kitchen. He paused at the doorway, ninja ears in training straining to hear anything that meant he had been found out.
Nothing.
Holding his breath, Tony tip-toed out into the sewers. Only as he left the lair behind and entered the winding tunnels did he release the breath and start running.
His heart hammered with adrenaline as excitement pumped through his veins. Tonight was his initiation. And nothing, especially not his killjoy Dad was going to ruin it for him.