AN: This is a short chapter, because it was part of a larger chapter and was broken down. It also has very little substance, more of a filler because of it. It's cute, short, and sweet. Enjoy.
Edit 1/25/15: Chapter has been beta'd.
Chapter 8 – Call to Arms
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When brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life.
-Antisthenes
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Leonardo had decided the remainder of the day to be in seclusion. His abbreviated conversation with the quietest of the clan had left him feeling emotionally drained, and he needed to meditate on what had transpired in the lab. That had definitely not been the conversation he had wanted with his little brother, but honestly, it probably was for the best. He knew his plan would be in jeopardy if he interacted too long with the quick-witted turtle. As it were, the conversation had already made misgivings rear its ugly, causing paranoia to run rapid throughout his mind and made his heart race. Leo and doubt were old companions. It had been his longest relationship he had outside of his brothers and father. Even before he took up the leadership mantle, he had been plagued with misgivings about the choices he made.
When the four turtles had been younger, one of their favorite games to together had been follow the leader, where they would move around the tunnels in a line, mimicking the first turtle's moves and words. One time, Leonardo had been deemed the leader right after Raphael. The red-bandana wearing turtle had been reluctant to give up the leadership role and had given Leo a hard time, stating that he was going to be so boring. Leo, who wanted to prove that he wasn't boring, had tried to make it as interesting, and as dangerous as possible. They had fun at first, jumping over debris, wading across deeper trenches than ever before, and racing across pipelines. They had fun right up until they started climbing up some broken pipes. Leo and Raph had made it with no problems, but their luck had run out once Mikey was halfway up and Don had started after him. The pipe Mikey had grabbed to lift himself up had already been weakened by the two turtles in above him and broke as put most of his weight on it. Mikey had fallen and knocked into Donnie before they both hit the ground. Mikey had sprained his wrist and Donnie had gotten his second concussion of that month. (The first had been when Raph had knocked him out during practice with a bokken, on accident.)
The guilt had eaten up the leaf-green turtle. He had felt how unstable the pipe had been when he had went up, but when both Raph and he had gotten up without a problem, he had pushed it out of his mind. His mind had already been on planning their next obstacle when Mikey had started up. Splinter hadn't been angry, just disappointed that they had done something dangerous and worried about the wellbeing of his injured sons. None of them had been punished, but Leo had volunteered for babysitting duty anyway, getting everything Mikey requested and kept Donatello awake all night, despite how tired he got. He had be reluctant, after that, to play the game as leader. Both Mikey and Donnie had forgiven him, almost instantly, but it had made him hyper aware of how his decisions had affected others.
That had be the catalyst for almost all of his future decision making. He had paid no mind to his doubt that one time, he wouldn't make that mistake ever again. It was healthy, he had learned, to have a little bit of self-doubt. Doubt allowed him to look at the situation from all angles, helped him figure out which choices were the best for the given situation, and made him a better leader for it. It kept him humble and non-complacent in his decisions, because the decisions he makes now are not those of his youth. The broken pipe wouldn't lead to a concussion and a twisted wrist, it could very well lead to the death of one or all of them.
There was a fine line, however, between respecting his fears and allowing them to consume him, and he was straddling that line right now. His conversation with Donnie had ripped open the carefully sealed container where he kept his worries until he was ready to pursue them. He was confronted by them now, and all he could think was all the things that could go wrong with his plan. Had he been stupid to think he could do this on his own? He had made every decision in this on his own, afraid of what his family's reaction to the ultimatum Karai had given him. He knew they would have tried to stop him, and he just couldn't allow that to happen.
Should he even be contemplating abiding by Karai's rules? Raphael had criticized his beliefs about Karai from the start, telling him he was a fool to believe anything the daughter of Oroku Saki had ever said. Her most recent attack on them, the one that had destroyed their lair and had tried very hard to kill each and every last one, had done nothing to prove her honor to the Hamato clan. There was still a small part of Leo that believed in Karai, as he had done in the past. It wasn't love, he knew for sure. Any romantic feels he had once had for her were long buried, but they had shared a connection, something deep that couldn't be ignored. That was why he had allowed her to live after she had attacked his family, even though he was well within his duty to watch her burn to the ground for the fear she had caused him upon his return from Japan. He may be foolish, and there was the possibility that he was walking into a trap, but that feeling was still there. He had to listen to it just as much as he had to listen to his uncertainties.
Mixed in with these doubts and Karai's honor was the driving force behind the decision: the protection of his family. He has proven time and again he would do what it takes to ensure their safety, even if it costs him his life. As he had told Donnie, he couldn't apologize for doing something he truly believes will benefit them in the long run, no matter how many feelings got hurt or who got mad at him. This decision, it was more than about feelings or anger. This was literally about life or death. Would his family would truly appreciate the sacrifice he was willing to make if he wasn't there to revel in it, especially if they felt they were not a part of the decision making? All of these different factions warred in his head, and his heart, and caused him the emotional turmoil. It wasn't as if these were new concerns. These were the exact things he thought he had tackled when he had made the initial decision to accept Karai's request and had chosen to keep his family in the dark in the same breath. He wasn't sure why they kept on coming up time and again, especially when it was so close to the actual event that would change the lives of them all. He didn't need to show uncertainty, no matter how in tune he was with his self-doubts.
His ponderings had lasted the rest of the day and well into the night. He had called off patrol, feeling that it was best to keep it as spontaneous as possible in case anyone of their enemies were keeping track from a distance their habits. Plus, the temperature had dropped again and there was no way he wanted yet another argument with a specific turtle who didn't like their choice of fashion coats. (Okay, Leo knew that was mean and petty, but he was becoming irritable with the questions that Don had raised within himself and he couldn't help himself.)
After a very restless night, where he had decided to practice his katas in his room rather than toss and turn on his futon, Leo had decided that he could hold out no longer in getting advice. Master Splinter had claimed over and over again that he wasn't the all-knowing being that Leo had sometimes portrayed him to be, but he couldn't think of a more astute being he could entrust his raging conflicts. Besides, with the sun just starting to rise on the eve of battle, it was time to have one final talk with his father before he met with Karai. He had also decided that they would try to spend as much of the day together, but he wasn't the best creating group events without making it sound like an order. It was difficult to even talk to even talk to each of his brothers with Donnie hiding in his lab or Raph decided that punching bag needed to be restuffed, but after lunch, Leo had found an ally in his youngest brother, who had grown too bored with his video games again.
"Game night!" Mikey shouted out as the table started to clear, before either Don or Raph could escape back into their corners.
Don blinked at his younger brother. "But it's only the afternoon," he said, confusion laced his voice. There were times when Don was either way too into his headspace or too tired that he would take everything said to him in the literal sense. Most times, it was humorous, others, it made his family worry. Leo noted the drooping shoulders of their smart brother and knew that he must have stayed up all night as well.
Raphael just groaned and moved to get up, regardless of what Mikey said, but Leo beat him. "That's a great idea, Mikey," Leo said, giving his brother a winning smile, ignoring the narrowing of Raph's eyes at him, and turned to Master Splinter, who was making more tea. "How about it, Sensei? Wanna join us for some family game time?"
Splinter looked back at the hopeful looks on Mikey and Leo's face (the former being much more pleading), to Don's still confused look, and finally took in Raph's frown and gave his sons a smile.
"What a splendid idea," Splinter said. "If Donatello would be so kind to record my soaps for me to watch at a later time, I would love to play some games with you, my sons."
Michelangelo let out a whoop before dashing off to the closet that held all the games that they had acquired throughout the years. Raph groaned but acquiesced, moving slowly to the living room where Mikey had started setting down several board games. Don had finally caught up with the conversation and frowned slightly. He turned his head longingly at his lab and sighed wearily, catching Splinter's attention. He gave a gentle smile to his second to youngest son and placed a warm paw on his olive-skinned forearm.
"Your work can keep for a few hours, my son. Do not make a recluse of yourself for our benefit." Don stared down at his master, an uncertain look crossed his face. Before either Leo or Splinter could comment, a soft smile spread across the intellectual's face before nodding and moving to the living room to do as Splinter had requested about recording the rat's shows.
"Master, why don't I finish with the tea and you go join the others?" Leo inquired, "I'll bring it in as soon as it's finished."
Splinter turned his attention from Donatello, who was currently fiddling with the TV remote to his eldest and gave him a searching look. For a moment, Leo felt as if his father was reading the deepest, darkest reaches of his mind, searching for clues that he would rather kept hidden. The moment passed just as sudden as it came, and Splinter was nodding pleasantly.
"Yes, thank you, my son," Splinter said before moving into the living room and sitting on the chair that had been claimed for himself.
Leonardo stood at the lip of the kitchen, watched his brothers start setting up the Monopoly board and wait for them to settle in. Raph and Mikey already started bickering on who was going to be the car. ("But you're always the car! You be the shoe this time!" "I'll only take the shoe so I can shove it up your-" "Raphael!" "Sorry, Sensei…") Don had used the distraction from the other two to grab the wheelbarrow for himself and passed the top hat to Master Splinter, their favorite pieces respectfully.
By the time tea was finished, Mikey had backed down from the car fight and was making little barking noises as he set up his dog on Start. Leo set a fresh cup of tea in front of Master Splinter before settling down himself, noticing that all five pieces were already on the board. Leo took note of the Thimble, his own preferred game piece and looked up at Donatello, who gave him a small smile. It was such a minor thing, really. They had played this game a hundred times over, but even now, after all that had happened, the fights, the displacements, something as small as a tiny thimble could move Leo to the core.
Leo could only share that one brief moment of gratitude with his brother before their attention got diverted with Mikey handing the banking duties off to Donatello. Just like almost everything else that had happened in the past week, it had left Leo wanting for more. But Leo had resigned himself, not allowing himself to dwell on things that were beyond his control and focus more on what was going on hand. It was a given he would want more, but there was no use in missing out what he could have by moping about instead of enjoying the remaining time he had left with his family.
They played games throughout the rest of the day. The first monopoly game had lasted over an hour, with it coming down to a glorious battle between Donatello and Raphael, in which the latter finally won because of all the hotels he had built on his properties. Leo had been the first player out, but didn't minded as much as he had in the past. Leo normally hated losing, it went against his basic nature. He wanted to be the best at everything he had ever tried. He knew it was partially because of the recognition he gained from his achievements, but he couldn't help himself sometimes. The competition was almost as fun as the game itself. This was a time for reflection, and observing, so Leo fought down his need for perfection and watched how his brothers and father interact with each other during this fun time.
Their next monopoly game was shorter, and this time Donnie had won. Then they moved onto Sorry, and the whole family sure did feel sorry after Mikey beat them three times in a row. Everyone but Donatello was allowed to play poker, because he was a dirty cheat and counted cards. He ended up being the dealer and be accused of cheating for Splinter, who had trounced them all and taken all of their candy. They played game after game, and laughing and jeering at each other (aside from Master Splinter, of course), and slowly Don stopped look at his lab, Raph stop frowning, Mikey became calmer, Splinter looked younger, and Leo had forgotten in those hours what exactly laid ahead of him the next day. All the fears, all the doubts had melted away and he spent that time just taking in the love and joy his family created.
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AN2: I loved the monopoly scene, and I thought about writing a little bit of reflection from Leo's point of view on why each person picked their piece but decided against it. But I will share my thoughts about them here.
Raph: He got that car because, yeah, he'll always get the car. He loves the mechanics of vehicles and if they had a motorbike, I would have given him.
Mikey: The dog because he's playful and loving, like a dog is. It completely fits his personality.
Splinter: Top hat because he's the head of the family, the father, and the most gentlemanly of them.
Donnie: The wheelbarrow, the only tool game piece. Don's a handy turtle, he love his tools, he loves using his tools, and he loves what he is able to make with those tools. It is also a tie in to the fact that he's the workhorse of the family.
Leo: It was hard for me to pick between the thimble and the ship. For the ship, it would be because he's the leader, the captain, per say, and in this story, he's willing to go down with the ship to protect his crew/family. But I went with the thimble for two reasons. One, it's elegant, and if there is a turtle in the group that has an appreciation for elegance its Leo. My headcanon is that Leo has a liking crafts such as calligraphy and origami making. Another part is that the thimble is for protection and that was Leo is trying to do, protect his family.
The game closet idea is mine. We have a game closet at home where all our games were put in there and we'd take them out for family time.
Chapter title comes from the song by Angels & Airwaves.
