Note: And this is the chapter where it begins to dawn on me just how excessively wordy I am when writing. The plot of this chapter is, in theory, a very simple premise. It should not be this long!

This chapter will take place before the first two, only a few weeks after the end of the original story. Also, I decided to try something different, and write a chapter that's NOT from Leo's point of view! Yay non-first person!

Brotherly Bonding

Mikey silently grinned to himself as he pressed himself further into the corner of the ceiling, biding his time as he watched the doorway below him with laser like focus.

So... Which one of his brothers would be the first through that door frame?

He couldn't help a wide grin with a little wiggle of anticipation as he could hear familiar voices approaching, his sneakers pressing just a little more firmly against the niche he was using to brace himself up.

And then there was movement, and he pounced!

And YES! It was a turtle shell he landed on!

Mikey, of course, was quite happy to land on any of his brothers. Raph's startled curses and Donnie's huffs of indignant surprise were always a treat, and he would continue to enjoy provoking those responses whenever he could, but there was just something so satisfying about landing on that solid green carapace.

Plus, y'know, if one thought about it, he had years of pouncing on his new older brother to catch up on!

"Oh! Hello Mikey." Leo's blue eyes glanced up at him fondly. He didn't seem all that startled by an orange brother dropping down on him as he walked through the door. Probably those magic turtle ninja senses.

"Ha!" Raph snickered behind him, walking next to their purple genius brother. "And that's why Donnie and I were letting you walk in the front."

It had been over two weeks since the whole crazy Hostile-Take-Over-Attempt/Turtle-Brother-Kidnapping fiasco had gone down, and Mikey still sometimes couldn't believe that all that had really happened. How life could turn so awesome so quickly?! Dun and his goons were gone, Dad was awake after all those years, and, just to top off this metaphorical chocolate-caramel-and-jalapeño life event sundae, they had a new amazing big brother! And Leo could talk! How mondo incredible was that?! He was starting to take over their training (with Dad's blessing and guidance), and was a waaay better teacher then Buttface Bradford had ever been. He was also protective and strong and loved gummy worms and Space Heros and had the coolest shell to hitch a ride on and was always willing to let Mikey hug him. It was like they were now all living in the most incredible dream ever!

For his part, Leo, bless his precious big turtle heart, was so adorably awkward and shy, obviously wanting badly to be a good big brother but always acting a little unsure and worried about possibly overstepping unknown boundaries. He was like a rescued puppy who had always spent his whole life outside in the cold, looking longingly in, and now, for the first time in his life, not only was he invited inside, but, to his surprise, he was being told that, yes, of course you can crawl up onto the couch with us and get all the happy snuggletimes, you adorable muffin you!

It was strange to think about, though. It had been less then two months since they had found Leo, (and it had only a few weeks where they knew he could even talk!), but now, Mikey couldn't even begin to imagine a life without Leo anymore. It felt like they had always been together! They had always been four brothers, because that's the way it was supposed to be! The stars were finally put back in place, and fate had at last been set right! But while Mikey, Donnie, and even grumpy Waffie loved their new brother dearly, and it was clear that Leo whole heartedly loved them in return, their relationship was still very new. In truth, they were all still gradually getting to know one another. Baby steps, man!

So Mikey had plans for tonight! Brotherly Bonding Activities were to be had!

"Leo! Bro!" Mikey grabbed his new turtle brother's head and leaned down to touch his nose to Leo's snout, doing so mostly just because he enjoyed the feeling the warm scales. "Game night!"

"Um... what?" Leo's snout wrinkled in confusion as he blinked cross-eyed at his enthusiastic brother's face.

Mikey straightened up on Leo's shoulders. "Dad's napping, you're obviously feeling lots better, and we've got some brotherly bonding to catch up on! So let's play video games together tonight!"

"Hm. It has been a while since we've played." Donnie mused over the suggestion as he tapped his chin. "We've all finished up with most of the training and homework already, and we could all definitely use a break." He nodded, giving Mikey an approving smile. "So yes, I'm up for a gaming session, if everybody else is."

"Sure. Sounds fun." Raph agreed amicably.

Leo reached up and rubbed his arm a little shyly, glancing around at them. "I've... um... never played a video game before."

Mikey knew that look. It was Leo's 'I'm actually quite willing to partake of this activity, especially if you, my beloved brothers, enjoy it and will be with me, but I'm warning you now that I unfortunately might be less then absolutely perfect in my attempts to join you.' It was a very specific precise and facial expression that Mikey had learned to read. Leo often chewed on his lip a little while making it, it was pretty endearing.

Raph merely snorted, and gestured for Leo to follow him. "Well, good. That just means I get to thoroughly kick your butt at something."

"A-hem." Donnie imperiously cleared his throat, bringing his hand up against the chest of his purple kimono like he was offended. "And just who, might I point out, is the current holder of the Most Excellent Diadem of Eternal Honors?"

"Uh... the what?" Leo blinked as he followed.

"It's a crown that we made for when we win at video games." Raph explained as he started to lead them towards the elevator. "The name was a collaboration." He paused. "Mostly Mikey, though."

"Ah." Leo nodded, understanding now.

"I used to be the champion at, like, everything. I'm an expert at video games!" Mikey complained. "But Donne's been winning it all the time lately, because he found this super nerdy game based on actual physics, and that's all he wants to play."

"Hey, MechaSeige is fun!" Donnie protested. "We can build our own battle bots in it! Raph likes it too! Right Raph?" He turned to the muscular teen in jeans and ripped red t shirt, obviously looking for validation.

Raph shrugged. "I just like it because I can use my mech to blow up trees and rocks and buildings and shit."

"See?" Donnie gestured towards Raph, as if that settled the point. "Best game!"

Mikey scoffed. "I didn't say it wasn't a fun game. I'm just saying that Dee's too good at it!"

Leo shrugged agreeably. "Well, I'm willing to give your games a try, whatever ones you guys think is best."

"Oh, just you wait, Leo!" Donnie rubbed his hands together. "MechaSeige is awesome! It has a little bit of something for everybody's playstyle!"

"And don't you worry Leo!" Mikey chirped cheerfully, still happily draped over his big brother's shell as they moved. "Like I said, I'm, like, the ultimate gamer, so I'll teach you all the tricks I know! You'll be pro in no time!"

"Thank you, Mikey." Leo's blue eyes, brought out vividly by his blue mask, glanced up at Mikey fondly. "Hopefully I don't disappoint."

"Psh. Never." Mikey scoffed, waving that off, then paused, and leaned over to look at Leo's face seriously. "Though bro, that reminds me. I need to tell you the first rule of video games. It's by far the very most important rule that you should never, ever forget!"

"Oh? What's that?" Leo looked curious.

"Have fun!" Mikey emphasized his point with gestures, throwing up his hands in the air while keeping his balance expertly on the shell. "They're games, after all!"

"Ah." Leo nodded sagely, turning back to the hallway ahead. "I shall endeavor to keep that in mind, then."

"So welcome to our gaming room!" Donnie opened the door and bowed with a flourish.

Mikey peeked down at Leo's face, eager to see his expression. Yup, their gaming room set up was pretty sweet! Against one wall was mounted a giant tv in front of a huge super comfy couch, with a few beanbag chairs. Every console imaginable was lined up on a shelf below the TV. And in the middle of the room, several small computer stations were arranged in a circular position, a mass of wires somehow connecting them all in a fashion only Donnie understood.

Hm. In Mikey's expert Little Brother opinion, he would judge that Leo seemed to be a little intimidated by all the complicated set ups, but at the same time he seemed more then a little curious, layered with an almost imperceptible undercurrent of eagerness. So, despite being unsure, he still appeared willing. Very good start.

"So that's what this room is for." Leo mused, moving around to poke around and explore a little, looking only the slightest bit hesitant, like something might suddenly combust at his touch. "I had never actually gone in here. With all the electronics in here, I had surmised that it was some sort of surveillance room or something."

"I could see how that judgement could be made from the tiny view of the vents." Raph noted with some amusement.

Leo blushed a little, but continued exploring.

Donnie had moved over to the computers, and was already started to boot a few of them up. "Well, this is actually the communal game room. We let the other cadets use it as well, though one can sign it out, like we are now. I've gone ahead and signed out the room for the night, so we shouldn't be bothered." He finished turning on the forth computer, then moved over towards a cupboard on the wall. "But first we need this. My dear Leo, this is the grand prize we'll be battling for tonight!" Donnie said, dramatically pulling out a cardboard box that had been lovingly Bedazzled.

"Hang on!" Mikey held up a hand, halting him as he quickly thumbed through his tPhone with the other. "Let me get appropriate mood music first!"

Donnie waited patiently while Mikey found the perfect song and held up his phone. Very dramatic and ceremonial music began filling the room.

Donnie cleared his throat, then opened the box for all to see.

Leo raised an eyebrow, half amused, half incredulous. "Very... very nice." He finally said diplomatically, then cleared his throat. "What's with the dinosaur?"

Raph reached in and picked up the glittery dollar store costume tiara with a small t-rex plastic figurine tied to the top with a twist tie. "I made the mistake of complaining that it was too girly." he admitted, examining it with a critical eye. "So Mikey fixed it."

"Ah." Leo said no more. Mikey knew that he would see the logic behind that! Of course dinosaurs made everything more manly!

Raph shrugged and turned to Donnie. "Yer highness?" he said in a semi serious tone, relevantly placing the crown on Donnie's head.

Donnie regally tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Tonight, I will defend my honor and my title!" he declared dramatically. "May the battles be many and glorious!"

Leo snickered at that, obviously amused by the whole thing. Mikey grinned widely, glad to see his brother enjoying himself.

And thus, eager to get the night started, they showed Leo the tradition of carefully arranging drinks and snacks to be enjoyed, spending a few frustrating moments getting that one stubborn controller to connect, and finally, when everything was perfect and they were all set, they finally sat down at their stations to begin the game.

At first, they spent some time showing Leo the basics. Mikey had been a little worried that the controller wouldn't work with Leo's unique hand shape, but it turned out that he didn't need to fret. His bro was adaptable! Plus, you mostly only used the thumbs for the buttons and joystick, plus occasionally the shoulder bumpers, so having only three fingers turned out to be no big deal. Donnie then gave him a basic tutorial on mech building.

"So, as you can see, you can customize your mech in quite literally hundreds of different ways!" Donnie finished. "You just have to be careful, because it's quite easy to make something that doesn't function. If you want it to fly, you have to balance it right, and make sure it has enough lift to counter its weight. It can get pretty complicated, so I'd start off with something simple to start out with."

"I like to make mine small and quick and adorable!" Mikey informed him helpfully.

"Whereas Raph likes to put as much strength and weapons in his, so he always ends up with the biggest, clunkiest block on wheels that you can imagine." Donnie rolled his eyes.

"I made the strong mecha possible!" Raph said proudly. "Ain't nothing surviving more then one hit from my beast of a tank!"

"The problem with that, is first you have to hit something!" Donnie gestured in annoyance. "Your mech is basically a primitive train! It's so heavy and awkward to control, it's hardly maneuverable!"

Raph huffed defensively, "Hey! My mech can go plenty fast!"

"But you can't turn easily, so it's basically just in a straight line!" Donnie pointed out. "And it's so heavy, it takes you the length of a runway to build up to maximum speed! You'll never hit anybody like that"

"Hey, trees and buildings aren't going to dodge my attacks, and that's my main concern in this game." Raph gave a wolfish grin, rubbing his hands together as if that was all part of the plot.

"If you would just let me help you balance it..." Donnie muttered, obviously twitching to help, then sighed and shook his head. This was a much debated point of contention between them, and Donnie apparently decided to let it go tonight. He instead cleared his throat and redirected his attention back to Leo. "Anyways, since I often have so much of an advantage in this game, we often like to make up rules for some of the rounds to try and even the playing field. Mikey and Raph will often come up with thing such as I can't use flight during that particular battle, or I can only use melee attacks, or things like that. Some of them get pretty creative and fun, and I'm more then willing to play along! You're more then welcome to make up some of your own, Leo, as long as they're reasonable!"

Leo nodded, looking thoughtful as he continued building his mech.

"Put flame decals on it." Mikey offered sagely, looking over his shoulder. "Everything looks cooler and faster with flames on it."

"That is a scientific fact." Raph agreed.

"No, it is not." Donnie sighed, then pointed at Leo's screen. "But you can make the flame decals blue, if you'd like."

At last, they all had their mechs made, and a temporary pact of non-aggression was called so they could examine and admire one another's creations.

"So Leo, meet Tiny Tinkerblade!" Mikey said happily, and his tiny, rabbit like robot hopped around the feet of the much large mech. "This is mah boi!"

"He's... so small." Leo blinked, looking at the mech that was a fraction of the size of the others.

"It just means I'm that much harder to hit!" Mikey scoffed, showing off some of the backflips he was able to nimbly do in the game. "Agility is the name of the game!"

"Ah." Leo blinked, and then glanced up at the large, long rectangular box on tank treads that made up Raph's mecha, dwarfing by far the rest of their mechs. "And do you have a name for you mech as well, Raph?"

"Psh, no." Raph scoffed. "It's a metal box that bulldozes everything in it's path. It doesn't need a name."

"I call it 'Big Red'." Mikey leaned over and whispered conspiratorially.

"He does not answer to that name." Raph was quick to point out, playing along amiably in his own way. "No matter how many times Mikey tries to make it a thing."

And, of course, Donnie's mech was some complicated yet elegant perfect war machine, able to seamlessly move and adapt to almost any situation. It looked a little like a giant dragonfly, and had wings and guns and claws that helped it climb and grapple.

Mikey was most curious to meet the fourth mech, and looked over Leo's creation. Hm, not bad! Not as big as Donnie's, it was a very ninja-like mech with long blades and springs on its legs to keep it agile and mobile. Donnie had helped him, it being his first time playing a game ever, of course, but it was definitely a Leo-like machine.

Mikey voiced his most sincere approval, and watched, delighted, as Leo's cheeks colored a little as he gave a small but pleased smile.

So! It turned out that Leo caught on really quickly!

Mikey was rather impressed. Leo was already naturally nimble and quick in real life, and video games were often just a matter of quick reactions and pushing the right buttons at the right time. With Mikey's carefree playstyle, and Raph's indifference, most matches ended up being Leo and Donnie going head to head. Mikey had the sneaking suspicion that he might have yet another brother who might challenge him when it comes to being the game champion, if Leo so chose to pursue the Art.

But, despite Leo's best efforts, the status quo remained unchanged. As the night continued to unfold, Donnie's superior mech and knowledge of physics continued to serve him well, and he had won every round so far. Leo tried banding Raph and Mikey together to face him as a united unit, but no matter what they tried, no matter what challenges they threw in front of him, he always seemed to figure out a solution, and come out ahead. The Most Excellent Diadem of Eternal Honors remained firmly perched on their genius brother's brow.

But winning or losing didn't matter, as long as they were all having fun. Right? After all, that was the whole point of tonight, having fun together as brothers.

Mikey took a moment to stealthily study Leo's face.

His older turtle brother's brow was slightly furrowed in concentration, and he was studying the screen with those brilliant blue eyes, his attention fully on the task in front of him. Namely, as currently the sole surviving mech, trying to avoid Donnie's death machine.

Hm...

Well... it didn't look like Leo wasn't having fun.

At any rate, Mikey could, at least, definitely say that their turtle brother didn't look bored. So... yay? Was this a success? Maybe?

Mikey gnawed on his lip a little. He knew (mostly Raph's fault here) that underneath that calm and collected exterior, Leo actually had a surprisingly deep competitive streak. Thus, one thing Mikey had been a little worried about going in tonight was that constantly losing would just leave Leo frustrated, and make it so he wasn't having fun. But video games held so much potential! Mikey really wanted to share one of his favorite things with Leo! But... if he wasn't having fun...

Mikey pondered the situation. It wasn't as if he could have pulled Donnie aside beforehand and asked him to throw a match or two, just to placate Leo's sense of pride. If Leo figured out that they tried something like that (and he most definitely would find out, being the magic turtle he was), then he would actually get annoyed and hurt. He would not appreciate a pity win. Not at all.

Erg. Maybe they should've started off with a co-op game instead. Though, knowing his bros, those could end up just as competitive and just as chaotic. Maybe even more so. Mikey knew how Raph got when there was only one health pack left and Mikey took it, even though Mikey was only missing a sliver of health and Raph's character was down to a few hit points. Raph never seemed to see the humor in such actions, even if Mikey found it hilarious.

On the monitor screen, Mikey noted an explosion and a small fireball billow out of the trees off in the distance, and realized that this round of battles was now definitely over. Leo set his controller down with an annoyed huff.

"Ha!" Donnie crowed in triumph, and shot Leo a playful, triumphant look as he sat back in his chair. "Good run, big brother, but, yet again, the laws of physics are mine to master!" He tapped his fingers together with the cackled of an evil genius.

"Nice try, bro." Raph reached over and patted Leo's shell. "You've already broken our record for lasting the longest against Dee, so you have that going for ya at least." He shrugged as he sat back up and picked up his controller again. "Don't feel too bad, this game is just his home turf. I've long since come to terms with that. Kinda like mingolf." He paused, then held up a finger warningly, turning to give Leo a serious look. "Speaking of which, here's a tip, Leo. Never play against Donnie in mingolf."

"Ooh, I second that motion." Mikey nodded sagely.

Leo's shell made his gaming chair creak a bit as he leaned back. He was tapping his chin absently with a knuckle for a minute as he stared at the screen, then he reached down and picked up his controller again. "I'm going to redesign my mech real quick, if that's alright."

"Of course." Donnie nodded, adjusting the crown on his head. "Did you want some help again?"

Leo shook his head. "No, that's alright. I think I have an idea on what I want."

Mikey glanced around. "Or... if you're getting tired of Donnie showing off his engineering smarts, we could try another game as well. There's this really cool racing game that's really fun to play!"

Leo paused and tilted his head, giving it thought, then shrugged and went back to manipulating the controller, continuing his build. "We can play that next. I would like to try just one more round of this game, if that's okay." He paused for a moment, then glanced at Donnie. "And, if I may, might I propose a challenge this time?"

"Of course Leo!" Donnie nodded eagerly, obviously happy to see Leo taking such an interest in his favorite game. "What did you have in mind?"

"My terms are this: You have to defeat us in a certain order." Leo's attention was fully on the screen as he quickly put together his new battle bot. "My battle bot first, then Raph's, and then finally Mikey's. If you go out of order, you lose the challenge."

"Oh, is that all?" Donnie scoffed confidently. "Of course, then. Challenge accepted!"

Hm. Mikey raised an eyebrow. Y'know, now that he thought about it, it would seem like Donnie might have a bit of that competitive streak in him as well. Why had he never noticed that before?

"Are any of you going to change your designs as well?" Leo wondered absently as he continued editing his player.

"Change the perfection that is Tiny Tinkerblade?!" Mikey gasped. "Blasphemy!"

"Nah, I'm quite happy with my death train." Raph agreed. "Those rocks, trees, and other environmental props aren't going to bulldoze themselves."

"Trying to destroy every tree on the map before I destroy you isn't the point of the game, Raph!" Donnie informed him with narrowed brown eyes.

"Hey, you have your goals, I have mine." Raph stuck out his tongue stubbornly.

Leo paused and tilted his head, obviously studying his battle bot for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, I think I'm ready."

Donnie gave an eager, predatory grin as he leaned forward. "Okay! One last round. Everybody in position! Let's Battle our Bots!"

Mikey picked up his controller, hunching over and determined to do his reputation as a video game wizard proud. Even if it was on Donnie's turf.

There was the spinning robot on the loading screen as the game loaded up the map, and then screen was filled with the pixel forest, the four crates containing the players were air dropped down, touching the ground and opened, revealing...

"What the...?!" Mikey stared, and then immediately straightened up in his chair, squealing in delight. "Leo! We're twins!"

An almost perfect replica of Tiny Tinkerblade came racing over to greet him, and the two tiny, adorable battle bots hopped and spun around one another playfully. Ohmahgosh! Leo could even mimic his movement style perfectly! This was so awesome!

"Ha!" Raph burst out in amused laughter, realizing immediately what Leo's game was. "So if you accidentally paste Mikey's bot instead of Leo's, you lose the challenge!"

Donnie frowned, wrinkling his nose as his bot moved over and studied the two identical tiny battle bots playfully bouncing at his feet. "Oh... very clever, Leo."

"Best... idea... ever!" Mikey exhaled. He had not been expecting this twist, but he immediately completely and whole heartedly approved of this plan!

"Welp. Good luck with that, Dee." Raph chuckled, and moved his cumbersome death train away towards the most heavily forested part of the map. "While you're doing that, I've got a map to decimate."

He looked amused and happy, and Mikey realized as well as he must've that he was probably going to have all the time in the world to beat his previous record of indiscriminate demolition.

"Come, Michelangelo." Leo said almost playfully, obviously enjoying his role in this plan. "Let us frolic together through these fields!"

"Right beside you, bro!" Mikey was more then happy to follow along, as the two bots bounced and spun and then sped off side by side, giving no indication which bot was controlled by which brother. "We shall tiptoe through the tulips together!" He paused, then clarified, "Uh, that was a song reference, by the way."

"Never heard of it." Leo admitted with a shrug, his sharp blue eyes still on the screen.

"Then I know what theme song we're going to be frolicking to on this adventure, bro!" Mikey beamed cheerfully. "T-Phone, play 'Tiptoe through the Tulips' by Tiny Tim!"

The screen of his phone on the table lit up as it processed the voice command, and then a second later, a ukelele started playing.

Leo listened for a moment, then raised an eyeridge, obviously not expecting the song to sound the way it did. "Hm. Well, it seems... oddly appropriate, I guess?"

"Come my brother!" Mikey was quite enthusiastic about how this unexpected round was shaping up. "Adventure awaits us in yonder field!"

Donnie's mech stomped right after them, unable to take the offensive in fear of striking the wrong target. "Trust me, Leo." Donnie vowed darkly. "This is just delaying the inevitable. You'll slip up eventually, and when you do, I'll be there! I will figure this out!"

And thus Mikey found himself having a grand old time frolicking with his brother bot in one of the most amusing battles he ever remembered having in this game. As trees and buildings and boulders were felled in the distance to Raph's maniacal laugher, Leo and Mikey made trails through digital flowers and chased pixel butterflies through meadows. All the while, a frustrated Donnie followed closely behind, muttering ever more frequent dire threats under his breath. His poor, heavily optimized war machine was reduced to the lamentable state of trailing behind two frolicking, adorable, tiny little cube critters, obviously hesitant to get too close for fear of stepping on one before he could figure out which one was Leo, and which one was Mikey.

As wildly amusing as this all was turning out, Mikey found himself growing rather curious. Leo wasn't being patently obvious in leading him across the game map, after all, either one or the other of the Tiny Tinkerblades taking the lead would clue Donnie in, but his clever turtle brother was definitely surreptitiously nudging Mikey in a certain direction. Mikey was quick to pick up on the subtle hints he was being given, and he was more then willing and delighted to follow his big brother's lead.

But that had him wondering. Was there more to this then met the eye? He had originally thought that this whole ploy was merely just a delay tactic, an amusing game to postpone the inevitable and troll Donnie a little in the last battle. After all, Donnie's mech was the superior one by far, thanks to his freakishly robust knowledge of physics and how they could be applied to creating the ultimate war machines. There was no way Mikey could see that they could actually beat his mecha, even working together, and Donnie was so careful that there's no way he would strike without being absolutely sure that Leo's bot was actually Leo's.

But now, Mikey wasn't so sure about that this was just Leo's attempt at going out with an amusing flourish.

Leo's expression and posture remained... tactical? Was 'tactical' a scientific term for a facial expression? Mikey was pretty sure it could be, seeing as he could almost visualize the wheels continuing to churn in Leo's brain. The jovial and almost playful movement of his tiny in-game clone of Tiny Tinkerblade all seemed to be more of a strategic ploy then merely an act of Leo playing and just being whimsical.

Hm. Mikey narrowed his eyes as he studied his brother's movements. He was getting the sneaking suspicion that Leo had a plan.

Just what was his brother up to?

Raph must've caught on to something being up as well, because Mikey suddenly realized that he hadn't heard the background noises of destruction and wanton deforestation recently. In fact, Raph had suddenly grown unusually quiet for some reason.

Mikey's attempts at trying to figure out what was going on was interrupted as Donnie's mech pounced in front of them, cutting off their path of frolicking and sending them scattering in opposite direction to avoid it.

Donnie had a look of determination stamped all over his face as his mech quickly started moving towards one of the Tiny Tinkerblades. . "Ha! I figured out your game! This one is definitely yours, Leo!"

"Are you suuuuure?" Mikey sang out gleefully, sharing a glance with Leo. As he spoke, the targeted tiny mech that Donnie was after bounced playfully in place a few times.

"If you guessed wrong, then you lose the challenge." Leo pointed out, and the opposite, non-targeted Tiny Tinkerblade bounced a few times as well as he spoke, as if taunting him. "So you'll need to be absolutely certain of your choice."

Donnie paused, uncertainty creeping back in to his features. He turned from one of the cloned mechs to the other, before he he finally exhaled in frustration, absently blowing a strand of hair out of his face.

Mikey cackled in delight as both he and Leo sped away to group up once more and dash across the meadow towards the forest.

"This is just delaying the inevitable!" Donnie vowed, stalking after them stubbornly.

They had just crossed past a hill into a clearing, when suddenly there was a clatter in the real world, coming from Leo's station. Mikey glanced up, surprised by the noise.

"Shoot!" Leo winced, hurriedly picking his controller back up. "I dropped it."

Mikey blinked. How on earth had Mr. Super Ninja managed to do that? Perhaps the controllers didn't fit his hands as well as Mikey thought?

"Haha!" Donnie crowed triumphantly. "Gotcha!"

Mikey realized with a start that his character had kept moving, but Leo's had stopped when he lost his controller, giving Donnie just the clue he was looking for. Oh, that was low, taking advantage of Leo's mistake like that!

"Ack!" He gasped in mock horror. "Run, Leo!"

"To the cave system!" Leo gamely ordered him, his thumb tapping madly on the controller as his mech dodge rolled past the missile launched at him. "We can still salvage this!"

"Not this time, Leo!" Donnie cackled evilly, his highly superior mech easily bearing down on Leo's tiny mech. "I've got you now!"

"He's too fast!" Mikey yelped, warning his turtle brother in vain. "We'll never make it!"

And then the smallest of grins crossed Leo's face.

"Choo mother fukkin Choo!" Raph cried out triumphantly, and Mikey could only watch, startled, as one minute, Donnie's mech had been prepared to pounce on Leo's mech, and then there was a streak of steam and red metal across the screen as Raph plowed head-on and full force into Donnie's mech, carrying it off in blur of fire and mech parts. In a blink of an eye, they were gone. All that was left on Mikey's screen was a quiet, empty meadow, Leo's calm and unworried Tiny Tinkerblade left seated and unscathed on the grass.

Donnie had been so focused on Leo, he had completely neglected to note Raph's whereabouts. This meadow next to the forest was flat enough for Raph to have plenty of room to build up to full speed, and, rather suspiciously, Leo had just so happened to have lured their purple brother right into his path.

"HA! YES!" Raph threw up his controller in ecstatic jubilation. "You just got PWN'd by this primitive train, Donnie! Haha!"

Mikey was now down for the count, almost sobbing with laughter with tears forming in his eyes as he collapsed across the table, gasping for air.

"Wha... But... He... You..." Donnie sputtered in disbelief, slumping back in his chair and looking a bit shell shocked.

And then it happened.

Leo threw back his head and actually began to laugh! Out loud!

Oh...

Em...

Gee!

Leo was laughing!

Mikey suddenly realized that he had never heard Leo really laugh before. True, his big brother often gave out an amused chuckle now and then, couple with just a little bit of sass and snark that would peek out if encouraged, but he had never outright laughed. Not like this, anyways, with one hand plastered over his face as if trying to keep tears from running down his face, and the other arm pressed across his middle as his whole body shook.

It was a genuine, warm laugh full of mirth, a clear, happy, rich sound , with just the occasional involuntary yet adorable little snort thrown in, because yes, Leo had just that little streak of adorkableness hidden deep down inside.

And, there and then, Mikey also suddenly realized that from now on, he would personally do everything in his power to hear that wonderful sound as often as he could. Leo Laughs were addicting! Heck, all of his brothers' laughs were! If there was some sort of soundtrack in heaven, Mikey was sure it would sound like his family when they were happy and having fun like this!

By now, even Donnie was giggling, then finally he couldn't resist, and broke out in full laughter as well. When he finally caught his breath, he pointed at Leo in mock accusation. "You set me up!"

Still laughing, Leo sat back in his chair and wiped away a tear. "Such accusations, Donnie! I just was playing innocently in the fields with Mikey!" He beamed at both Mikey and Raph with a crooked, proud smile. "It just so happened that Raph happened to notice the opening that left for him."

Raph was too busy howling with laughter into his keyboard to respond.

Donnie continued to snicker with amusement, covering his face and shaking his head. "Oh man, I fell for that hook, line, and sinker! I did not see that coming!"

"Hm, if I recall the rules correctly, though," Leo eyed the crown on top of Donnie's head with a grin and a raised eyebrow. "I believe it is tradition for the vanquisher to don the coveted Most Excellent Diadem of Eternal Honors?"

"Oh, of course!" Donnie good-naturedly lifted the sparkling crown with the dinosaur up off his head. "You deserve it."

"Me?" Leo raised both eyebrows in mock surprised. "But it was Raph that won. He should wear the crown."

Raph finally slowed his heaves of laughter enough to push himself up, wiping the tears streaming from his eyes. "Nah, Leo. We both know this was your doing. You take the crown, you deserve it."

Leo shook his head. "No, I insist. You were the one who dealt the deciding blow, you should take the honors for it."

Mikey gave Leo a crafty look. "Besides, there is the fact that next time we play, Donnie's just going to focus all his energies on the crown bearer in hopes of winning it back."

Leo cleared his throat guiltily, which only caused Raph to break out in a fresh round of laughter.

"Fine then." he leaned back in his chair, obviously amused by the whole thing. "Give me the damned crown. It will be good to have it for once!"

Mikey was already on the move, taking the crown that Donnie handed him, and shuffling over to dramatically hold it over Raph's red spiked hair. "And thus we have a new King! Long may his reign be!"

Raph snorted as Mikey lowered it down onto his head, and reached up to adjust it a little. "Not bad. Might get used to this."

Leo only chuckled, and reached for his controller. "Now can we try that racing game that Mikey mentioned?" He asked, turning towards them with hopeful eyes.

"Dibs on Kirby!" Mikey inwardly cheered as he leaped into his seat and eagerly grabbed his controller.

He could barely contain the happiness he felt in that moment. The night was still young, and there was still so very much brotherly bonding to be had! Mikey couldn't wait.