They stumbled into the Lair. Kicking off his shoes, Casey sprawled onto the couch with a moan. Every inch of him was soaked in the filthy sewer water. That smell wasn't coming out of his clothes anytime soon. Lifting his mask, the teen let the cool, clean air brush his face as he breathed in through his nose. Raph flopped next to him. Leo stepped past them and made for the kitchen. It hadn't escaped Casey's notice that Leo hadn't been the same since he came out of the sewers. Leo was not a chatterbox by any means, but he was being unusually silent and pensive.
Wood slid on stone, and Casey started, expecting a booby trap before he remembered where they were. Splinter emerged from the dojo. At the sight of them- cut, bruised, beat up- the rat's face darkened. "My sons, what happened?" Splinter's voice cut out sharply. Casey settled deeper into the couch, and lowered his mask back over his face.
"Slash happened," Raph said, his voice tinged with anger. Reaching down, Casey peeled his socks off and tossed them over his shoes, then wiggled his toes in the clean air with a low sigh.
"Sit," Splinter ordered as he collected a first aid kit from the kitchen. Leo obeyed, sinking next to Raph with a small groan. The rat walked to the sofa and knelt by it. Casey inched away, the close proximity to the cool, stern mutant sending a spike of unease stabbing down his spine. Leo and Raph began to talk simultaneously, but Splinter quieted them with a look. "List your injuries," Splinter said, opening the kit, "Casey first."
It took a moment for the statement to register. Surprised, Casey turned his head. "Raph's bleeding, and Leo's arms-" he began, gesturing with a wince. Someone rubbed his throat with sandpaper.
The rat's gaze did not waver. "You are the most seriously injured."
"I am n-"
"Are too," Leo and Raphael chimed together. Casey crossed his arms and pulled his heels onto the couch.
"I've had worse," Casey said stubbornly, turning his face away.
Splinter reached out a clawed hand. Casey pulled away instinctively, the memory of another cold presence flaring in his brain, a cold presence with strong, fleshy hands circling his neck. For a moment, the tension in the room swelled.
"Casey," Raph said, and he had that 'I'm going to kick your butt in a minute because you're being stupid even for us' tone in it.
He exhaled and lowered his eyes. "Bruised ribs. Hit my forehead. Neck and head hurts," he muttered, aware of the rasp in his voice.
"Your head?" Splinter asked.
Casey nodded. "Had this," he said, tapping the cracked hockey mask lightly.
"How did you get that bruise on your neck?" Splinter asked.
Reaching up, Casey touched the tender area. His throat worked at the memory. "Slash."
"Did he strangle you?" Splinter asked bluntly.
"Yes."
At Casey's answer, Raph looked away. Splinter cycled through a few more questions, all of which Casey answered with a single word. When Splinter stopped asking questions, Casey was relieved for a moment, thinking that his turn was over.
Then the rat pulled a stethoscope from the kit. "No," Casey said, crossing his arms defensively, "I am not stripping."
"I apologize, Mr. Jones-"
"Don't call me that," Casey snapped.
"Casey!" Leo hissed, scandalized.
But Splinter did not seem offended. He met Casey's gaze again. "What shall I call you, then?"
"Casey," he said.
"Very well, Casey. You have been severely strangled and I need to make sure your heartbeat and breathing are normal.
Hoping for backup, he looked to Raph. The turtle crossed his arms, unconsciously mirroring Leonardo's pose. Casey sighed, and pulled off his sweatshirt, then the white t-shirt after a moment's hesitation. He left his long-sleeved shirt untouched.
A frown twitched on Splinter's face. "It needs to touch your skin to work properly," he said, "Your shirt is too thick to conduct the sound. If you raise it a little-"
"No," Casey said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. The phantoms of bruises and marks long faded burned under his skin, and he knew that some were still there. He didn't like looking at them himself. Letting others see them was unthinkable.
Casey couldn't do that. He couldn't let them see how weak he really was.
Splinter and Casey stared eye to eye for a moment. After a moment, Splinter put the stethoscope down. "If you feel that strongly," he said at last, "but may I offer a compromise?"
He cocked his head, indicating to the rat that he was listening. "I can reach under the cloth without lifting it off." Casey frowned. He didn't really like that option either, but before he could object, Splinter continued. "It is either that, or you get looked at by a doctor."
Panic shot down his spine. There were a lot of reasons why it wouldn't work. Splinter seemed to sense it, and gave Casey a wan smile. "I will know if you do not go," he said. Casey could not doubt him.
Mentally cursing out the rat, Casey gave a curt nod and uncrossed his arms. Splinter picked up the stethoscope. Casey started when Splinter's hand crept up his shirt. The gentleness of the touch, coupled with the cold steadiness of Splinter's presence, felt wrong. Someone so hard should not feel so soft and gentle. Someone hard should… feel hard.
"How did you bruise your ribs?" Splinter asked.
"Fall," Casey answered curtly. He felt the cold disk slide over his skin- over his scars. It came to rest just to the left of his sternum, then after a short pause, slid to the right.
"How far?"
"Roof."
"Four stories," Raph corrected quietly.
Splinter moved the stethoscope lower down his chest and Casey couldn't keep in a pained gasp when it pressed against his chest. "I will need to listen to your back as well," Splinter said as he pulled his hand away.
"Why?"
"To hear your lungs and make sure you are breathing correctly."
For a moment, Casey considered refusing. Then he remembered the rat's threat, and with an irritated grumble, he climbed off the couch and knelt in front of Splinter. He closed his eyes when he felt the cold metal disk creep up his back. "Lean forward," Splinter's cool voice said. Casey obeyed, his mind flashing back to a different kind of mood entirely- screaming and hard leather bashing against his lower back.
When the gentle touch came again, even though he had braced himself for it, he flinched. It felt wrong. Wrong wrong wrong-
"Hm," Splinter said. Casey felt the stethoscope come to rest between his spine and his shoulder blade.
"What?" Raph and Leo asked together.
"Take a deep breath, Casey."
He obeyed.
"Have you been coughing up blood?" Splinter asked.
"...No?" Casey said. He didn't think so, at least.
"It sounds like you have a lung contusion," Splinter said as he moved the stethoscope, "Which can be a serious condition.
"What's a lung contusion?" Raph asked.
"A bruised lung," Splinter said, "Probably from the fall."
"You…can bruise those?" Casey asked.
"I highly recommend that you go to a hospital, Casey," Splinter said, finally removing his hand from under Casey's shirt, "You need care that I cannot give to you."
"Just a bruise?" Casey said, sitting back on the couch, "I'll live."
Splinter's brow furrowed. "They can be fatal if they are not properly treated," he said, "At the very least, you need oxygen.
"I will take care of that," Casey said, choosing his words carefully. He was thinking of the oxygen canisters they sold at Duane Reade. They were somewhat expensive- there went a chunk of his paycheck- but cheaper than a visit to the doctor and a far, far better alternative than having to explain to his Dad what he did at night. It wouldn't go over well.
With a last thoughtful hum, Splinter moved on, but not before pressing some pills and a small bottle of water into Casey's hands. "Take them both," he said, "It will help the pain."
Reluctantly, he lifted his mask. Unscrewing the lid, Casey almost choked on the cool water. HIs throat burned and spasmed, but he managed to get both pills down without spraying water everywhere. Something light hit his chest, with a command of "Clean your face." Picking it up, Casey realized it was one of those alcohol wipes. He tore it free and began to wipe his skin as Splinter said, "Raphael. You next."
"Me? Why me?" the turtle demanded, then wilted under his father's gaze. He crossed his arms and looked away. "Deep cut along the back of my head, buncha cuts and bruises… Slash wasn't interested in hurting me. You should really be looking at Leo."
"All I have are a few cuts and bruises," Leo retorted, "You, on the other hand-
"Am perfectly fine, you're just stubborn-"
"Oh, I'm stubborn? Well you're-"
"Yabero!"
Both turtles quieted.
"Raphael, your concern for Leonardo is admirable, but your injuries are not mild." The rat's hand traced gently up his son's cheek. Raph closed his eyes, and did not argue again. To clear space for him, Leo scooted closer to Casey.
Taking a small flashlight from the kit, Splinter checked the responsiveness of Raph's pupils, then cleaned the wound, which was still bleeding. "Casey," he said, "Can you press on this for me?" the rat asked as he pressed a dressing against Raph's head. "You must not lift it," the rat said as Casey moved to sit next to Raph, "Hold it for fifteen minutes."
"Can do," Casey said, taking the dressing. His eyes felt heavy, but he blinked and shook his head fierely to wake himself up.
Splinter moved on to Leo. "Sensei-" Leo began, then stopped.
The rat touched Leo's arms with a frown. "What made these?" he asked.
"Razor wire," Leo said, "It- I couldn't get through."
Casey looked over, and for the first time realized how badly Leo's arms were cut up. Nearly the entire arm from shoulder to elbow was covered in deep, black-crusted cuts.
"It is very badly sliced up," Splinter said gravely, soaking cotton balls with rubbing alcohol, "Infection might be setting in already, especially considering our environment.
Leo hissed when Splinter dabbed at his arms. "I'm sorry Sensei, but it was too well-placed- I couldn't get through."
Splinter's hand rested on Leonardo's shoulder. "Do not be ashamed, my son," Splinter said, "You did what you could."
He watched the rat's hands move as he smeared antibiotic ointment onto Leo's arms. Gently. Casey looked away, confusion and envy blistering in his chest. Parents weren't supposed to be like this. Were they?
The moment was broken by a whoop down the tunnel. Casey started, and remembered in time that he was supposed to be stopping the blood seeping from Raph's head.
Mikey, Donnie, and April darted into the lair. "Who's awesome!" Mikey yelled, reaching out his hand.
"We are!" Donnie and April shouted, high fiving him at the same time.
Their shouts drilled into his brain and worsened the headache behind his left eye. Casey ducked his head with a scowl. "Keep it down, will you?" he asked.
Donnie's eyes widened and he ran over. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes flickering from Raph and the bloodied bandage Casey was holding to his head to Splinter bandaging his brother's arms.
"Slash happened," Leo said grimly.
"And he's still out there," Raph added.
"Slash?" April asked.
"Long story," Raph said gruffly, "point is, he's out to kill Leo, Donnie, and Mikey."
"I remember Slash," Mikey said, his blue eyes narrowing, "that dude was not chill."
"What happened to the Kraang robot?" Leo asked, "When did April show up?"
"Robot?" Raph asked.
Mikey's face lit up. "It was so cool!" he said, "It was this big Kraang thing and then the Newtralizer showed up and we were running for our lives then Donnie said 'maybe it has a weak spot' and I was like 'I will deploy the Mikeyinator and find out!" but that didn't go so well and then April showed up- I think she heard the noise?-"
"Mikey," Donnie scolded, "Keep it down. They're injured."
The younger turtle flipped over the couch and ran to the kitchen. "On it, bro! Nothing like hot chocolate pizza to make dudes feel better!"
"Did he just say-" April began.
"Yes," the other three turtles chorused.
"Do you doubt the power of the hot chocolate pizza?" Mikey's voice yelled from the kitchen, "You foolish mortals!"
"That does it," Leo said after a moment, "no more cooking channel."
April came up beside Splinter, and Casey looked down, suddenly aware of the sewer stench clinging to his clothes and the filth and grime caked on him. "Master Splinter, do you need any help?"
"Not at this moment, April," he said, raising his gaze to look at her, "Thank you for asking."
"Actually, I need you and Donnie to do something for me," Leo said. He extended his hand, and between his fingers he held a piece of razor wire. Casey recognized it as part of the bolas Slash had used on him "I need some tests run on this," he said, "There might be poison or some bacteria on it."
"On it," Donatello said, taking the wire, "it's a good thing I found a broken compound microscope at the dump. I was able to repair mine with the parts."
"So you want to take a sample from the wire or look at it directly?" April asked as she followed Donatello into his lab.
"You kept a wire sample?" Raph asked skeptically.
"Yes," Leo said, "In episode thirty-three, the Illusion, Captain Ryan-"
Raph groaned. Leo chuckled.
Splinter tied off the bandage, and with a last gentle caress of his son's face, he began to pack up the first-aid kit. "Now," he said, "tell me what happened."
Leo looked over at Casey and Raph. Raph and Casey shared a glance.
"Raph and I were on patrol," Casey said at last with a wince. It hurt to talk even though he could tell the painkillers had kicked in. "And outta nowhere we were attacked by this- thing-"
The three of them took turns filling Splinter in. The more he heard, the graver the rat's face grew. Leo told the part of their escape, and Casey could tell that something was wrong. His eyes were shiftier than usual, and his face twisted into a quick frown as he searched for words, clearly skirting something. And the story went on, he noticed that Raph got stiller, more compact, even when he was talking.
When they had finished relaying the story, Splinter moved over to Casey and checked the dressing. The bleeding had stopped, and Splinter quickly secured the patch. "Raphael," he said when he was finished, "Come with me."
The turtle stood slowly and followed his teacher into the dojo. Casey felt his body shudder at the sound of the slamming door. That couldn't be good.
"Why is he mad at Raph?" he asked Leo.
Leonardo looked affronted. "Splinter's not mad at Raph," he said.
"But… he's taking him back into his room," Casey said, gesturing.
"He just wants to talk with Raph alone," Leo said shooting Casey a strange look, "He's not mad."
Casey stared, then sank back into the couch. "Whatever you say," Casey said, too tired to argue the point.
"Still have a headache?" Leo asked. It took a moment for the statement to get through, and Casey turned his head. "Yeah," he admitted. His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. Three-thirty-five. It was late, far later than his patrols with Raph usually ran. His dad would wake up in less than three hours. Casey was just moving to stand when Leo's voice broke the silence. "You didn't see him, did you Casey?"
He stopped. There was something in Leo's voice. Trembling.
"See… what?" he asked, sinking back down.
Leo met Casey's eyes and exhaled slowly, searching for words. "Do you know what the last thing Slash touched was?" he asked.
Casey frowned. He remembered the distinct feeling of Slash's leathery skin around his throat- but no, then Leo had-
His head snapped up and he met Leo's gaze as a cold knot tied itself in his gut. "You," he whispered.
Secretly, he hoped that Leo would laugh and deny it, pass it off as a joke, but his face remained still, belying the turmoil throbbing along the turtle's nerves. He could not meet Leo's eyes. His mind went blank as he struggled for words to couldn't fix this. None of them were good enough.
Leonardo exhaled. "He looks… like an older me. And he has different coloring, but still. He can mimic my voice. And Raph's. We'll need a codeword of some kin-."
"I… Leo, I'm sorry," he managed at last, and the apology was so woefully inadequate he wanted to beat a hockeystick against the wall. "I-"
Something awkwardly brushed his shoulder and Casey went rigid. "It was an accident," Leo said, "You didn't do it on purpose."
"That doesn't make it right," Casey said, pulling away.
"...No," Leo said after a moment, "It… it doesn't." He took a deep breath and let it out again, then rubbed the ridge of his nose. "It doesn't," he repeated, "But… I know you didn't do it on purpose. I forgive you."
"Thanks," Casey whispered. The metallic, disgusting taste in his mouth did not go away and the headache behind his eye worsened. Casey rubbed his brow. Anything else he could say to Leo would never be enough. Apologies and pretty words would not fix this mistake..
Leo shifted on the couch. There was a loud bang, then a pouring of black smoke from the kitchen. "Sorry!" Mikey yelled Leo darted into the kitchen, his brother's name tearing from his lips. Casey glanced at the clock again. Two-forty. He had to move. But everything was heavy- his eyes, his throat, his heart, and he felt himself sinking away.
When Raph left the dojo, he was surprised to see Casey stretched on the couch. Traces of paint clung to his face, and his eyes were underscored with violet as he shivered slightly in the chilly sewer air. Taking a folded blanket from the stack by the TV, he spread it over Casey gently.
He smelled the burnt chocolate and flour wafting from the kitchen, and Leo and Mikey's voices spilled into the living room. His lips quirked up and he sank on the couch next to Casey. Closing his eyes, Raph leaned back, simply listening to the noise of the lair. Mikey laughing, Leo sighing, and the muffled sound of explosions from Donnie's lab.
Leo emerged from the kitchen, shaking his head. "The oven burner detached again," Leo said.
"We really need to fix that," Raph said, "I'll look at it tomorrow."
He rested his elbows on his knees, hoping Leo would take the hint and back off.
Leo got it. He always did. But he chose to lean against the arm of the couch anyway. "So," Leo said quietly.
"So?" Raph asked.
"So what did Splinter say?" Leo asked.
His lips pressed together. Leo waited. "He said this wasn't my fault," Raph said after a moment. It was far more complex than that, Splinter had said a lot of things. But he was still trying to work through the night's events, even as he remembered his father's words.
"So you know this was not-"
"How is this not my fault, Leo?" Raph asked, standing. "I'm the one who brought the mutagen into my room." He paused, and looked away. "Everything Slash has said has been something I've said to him before. And I meant it, Leo- at least at the time. I was angry, and I just- it's so much easier to say you hate someone, to say that they don't understand you than it is to admit that you're the one with the issues, that you don't have it all together." His voice lowered. "That you're the one who's broken."
"Raph, that's not true-"
"The DNA that mutated Slash was mine, Leo. All the things he said were mine. His beliefs, his fighting style, everything- It's me, Leo. That's who I am." He stood. "Look what happened to you. To Casey!" He paused, and felt blood pour from the inside of his mouth. "Who I am hurt the people I love the most, Leo. I- that's not-"
Leo put a hand on his shoulder. "Raph," he said, "This was not your fault. Slash's actions are not your fault."
"Leo-"
"Yes," he said firmly, pulling away just enough to look his brother in the eye, "You influenced Slash's actions. But his actions are his choice. Not yours. I... heard things Slash said," Leo continued, "And… you're not like him, Raph. You pretend you don't, but we know you really care. Even if you're not always good at communicating it. And… yeah, you screwed up with the mutagen, but… we know you don't mean the things you say when you're angry."
"I do at the time ," Raph said.
"Do you mean them now?" Leo asked. "Do you mean them even five minutes after you've had a chance to stop and think?"
He looked away. Hesitantly, Leo pulled him into a hug. Raph stiffened, then melted into it. "I'm sorry, Leo."
"I know, Raph. It's OK," he said softly, "I love you, Raph."
Raph tightened his hug around his older brother. "Leo, I-"
There was a crash, then Mikey stumbled into the living room, covered in flour, holding aloft a brown pizza. "I did it! And you said I couldn't, Leo!"
