While Raphael was busy in the kitchen, Leonardo used the moment to fully appreciate the opportunity of holding the warm little bundle of life in his arms.

The baby gave another little whine, struggling to operate those tiny limbs enough to maneuver his little fist halfway into his mouth, suckling away with a small, wet noise.

Leonardo felt his insides turn into warm goo, just barely stopping himself from giving a very undignified squeal at the sight. "Hey... hey little one... you're hungry, hm? Don't worry, Raph will be right back with a bottle for you."

As promised, he didn't move an inch from the couch, but, though only after a quick look to make sure Raphael wasn't watching, he picked the baby up from his arm, holding him in both hands to get a better look.

He wasn't used to holding something this delicate and fragile.

A part of it frightened him, worried that he might damage this precious being.

But it was so easy to hold him, too, natural, and then Leo found himself smiling so widely it was bordering on painful, when teal eyes opened to look at him. "Hey, hi there... look at those pretty eyes..." The closer he looked, the more he noticed they weren't evenly teal colored, but green around the iris, bleeding into a teal-blue mix around the edges.

He had to laugh softly, when those big eyes crossed a bit in an effort to focus on him. "No wonder Raph wants to keep you all to himself." As if on cue, there was a small clatter coming from the kitchen and Leonardo smiled again, gently moving the baby back into the crook of his arm, not wanting to risk upsetting his sibling by holding the infant wrong.

A few minutes later, Raphael appeared, clearly anxious to be back with his baby, a bottle in one hand and a clean tea towel in the other. "Leo, the baby's..."

"He's fine. Hungry, I guess, but we got along nicely, didn't we?" He looked down, smiling warmly, one hand moving to caress the smooth, firm surface of the baby's carapace. Looking back up at his brother, Leo felt his smile turn softer. "Will you let me try to feed him?"

It was both an attempt to get Raph to recognize that there was no danger in letting his brothers handle the baby, and also simply and plainly the prospect of being able to hold the baby a little longer. "I promise I will be extra careful."

Raph was battling with himself, it was obvious enough, his fingers twitching around the plastic of the bottle and teeth worrying at his lip, but there was no instant denial.

Leonardo still smiled, patiently waiting for his sibling to come around.

"...Just hold him carefully." Slowly, Raphael lowered himself to his knees again, fussing over the way Leonardo held the baby, adjusting his hands several times before finally handing him the bottle. The oldest brother endured all the fussing with patience, seeing it as a just payment for his sibling's trust.

The baby, during the whole process of shifting it around, was surprisingly patient, for which Leonardo was quite thankful. He was pretty sure Raphael wouldn't have let the little one stay with him, had he started crying worse.

In the end, the nipple of the bottle was securely tucked in the baby's mouth and both brothers watched as he sucked away hungrily. "He really was hungry... Look at that. Where does he even put all that?" Leo chuckled, eying the already half-empty bottle.

Raphael smirked. "He's gotta get big and strong, so he's gotta eat properly."

At that, Leo tore his eyes away from the baby and looked at his sibling instead. "Did you think about naming him?"

Raphael froze.

"No... yeah. I mean... I have. I just... doesn't feel right to name him just yet."

"Oh... did you-"

"I don't want to talk about it. I... will give him a name in due time." The older brother nodded at that, not really satisfied with the answer, but feeling that prying would make Raphael close back up.

Instead, he settled for. "I'm sure you'll pick a good one. If you need any help with that, let me know."

"Yeah..." With that, they both returned their attention to the baby, who was just finishing his bottle. There was a little resistance when Leo tried pulling the now-empty bottle from the infant's mouth and he chuckled warmly.

"There's no more, baby..."

Raph, again, is helping him adjust the hold on the baby, placing the tea towel over his shoulder so he can burp him. Once that's done, Leo knows his time with the little one is over for now, not wanting to over-strain his brother's endurance.

And really, once Raphael has the baby back in his own arms, he immediately relaxes. Leo knows better than to comment on that, so he only gives an almost sad little sigh. "If you ever need a babysitter, you know where to find me." He grinned.

"Yeah... but first, it's nap time. He'll get tired soon." Slowly, Raphael worked his way back to his feet, bowing his head to place a soft kiss to the baby's small carapace.

Leonardo nodded, smiling while he watched his sibling return to his room. There still was the residual warmth where he had held the little being and it spread from his arm right through his entire being.

It stoked the small sense of hope in him, that Raphael was getting better and that they would manage to slowly work through this.

What helped that hope along further was the fact that he spotted Raphael coming out of the dojo a few hours later, Splinter just behind him, wearing a soft smile.

Leonardo, for a moment, felt like things could only get better.

How wrong he was.

Just the next morning, Donatello sought him out after breakfast, expression serious. "Leo, can I talk to you a moment?"

Frowning softly, Leo nodded, following his smart brother into the lab. "What's wrong?"

The younger brother rubbed at his temple, a tell-tale sign that he was trying to fight off a migraine. "The eggs are almost ready to hatch. The... the damaged one will be ready to hatch first, by the looks of it. Probably even within the next twenty-four hours. The other egg should be due within the next three days." He let that sink in for a moment, before he continued.

"Leo, I was thinking of calling April and Casey. I don't know if Mikey should be around for this. They could... distract him, keep him busy until this is done."

Swallowing, Leonardo moved over to lean against the desk, crossing his arms in thought. "I'm not sure Mikey would be okay with that." After the talk he had had with him, he knew the youngest wouldn't deal well with being sent away like that. Especially if they tricked him into it.

On the other hand, Leo agreed that it would probably be easier on Mikey to send him away and deal with his anger later than having him witness whatever tragedy would hatch out of that egg.

In the end, Leo met Donnie's worried, chocolate-colored eyes and knew what the only solution would be.

"I'll talk to Mikey. If he agrees, we'll ask April and Casey to take him in for a day or two. And... and then, we should..." He cast a look over at the incubator. "Prepare for..." He frowned again, making a vague gesture at the eggs. "This."

The younger gave a small shrug, eyes downcast. "I don't think there's any way to prepare ourselves for this."

"Donnie..."

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry. Will you go talk to Mikey?"

Leo nodded. "Yes. I'll do that right now. He'll want to know. And then we should tell Raph. I'll do it, if you want."

"...If you don't mind? I'd rather... I'm sorry."

Reaching for his brother, Leonardo pulled the younger into a soft embrace, feeling cool arms wrap around him without hesitation. "I'm sorry." Donnie repeated, quieter this time.

"There's no reason to be. The three of us will manage this, and we'll pull Raph through this as well." Those were big words, Leonardo knew, but he needed to believe it. He needed to be both, big brother and leader with this. There was no way he could allow himself to have doubts now.

Donatello needed to believe him, so he needed to believe himself. The same applied to their youngest brother.

Slowly, Leo pulled back, giving a gentle squeeze to Donatello's shoulders. "I'll go talk to Mikey and Raph. I'll let you know if you can ask April to watch Mikey a little while." The younger brother nodded, straightening.

"Alright. I'll look after the eggs and check a few things in the files we got. And... thanks, Leo."

Smiling, Leonardo nodded. "Anytime."

Finding Michelangelo wasn't hard at all, the youngest of the brothers was seated on the couch, playing some sort of racing game.

Surprisingly enough, Mikey didn't even try to argue about going to visit their human friends. He wasn't all happy, but Leonardo figured that it was both the fact that he had openly asked his little brother, instead of coming up with any excuse to send him away, and Mikey's own hesitance to having to watch what would inevitably happen to one of the babies.

Leonardo made sure to clarify that none of his brothers thought Mikey was too weak, but only wanted to try and keep the emotional damage for all of them as small as possible.

In the end, Mikey even made the call himself, inviting himself over to April's for Pizza and a movie night. Leo was pretty sure that they would talk about what was happening in the lair. April and Casey knew only the very censored version of what had happened, and should Mikey be up for it, their friends would know how to handle the news.

It wasn't even noon when Mikey bounded off, probably relieved to be able to get away for a bit.

Leo couldn't blame him.

In fact, a part of him, the selfish, scared part of him, wished he could just follow his little brother and get away from this. Just for a day or two, so he wouldn't have to see what was going to happen.

But he would have to.

And he started by searching out Raphael in his room, to tell him about the eggs.

Leonardo didn't get further than knocking on the door-frame before Raphael stepped out, sending him a weary look. "They're gonna hatch, right?"

Swallowing, the older sibling nodded. "One of them is. The other one will need another day or two."

Raphael lowered his head, breath hitching awkwardly for a second, and Leo frowned in worry. "Raph..."

"It's the one that won't make it, right? That's why Mikey went out."

"Yes. Listen, Raph... you don't have to be there. Donnie and I can-"

Another look out of searing green eyes shut him up and Leonardo knew Raph would not even consider staying away. It made his eyes sting and he had to clear his throat, fighting for words.

"Raph..." was all he managed, looking at him miserably.

The younger was by far more steady and gave a soft nod. "I... I was going to ask father to watch the little one. But if you want... you can look after him. I will be there when the eggs hatch. It's- It's the least I can do."

It was a tempting offer, really, in more ways than one, but Leonardo shook his head. "Splinter will love to watch him. And I want to be there with you. That's the least /I/ can do."

"I mean it. I wouldn't blame you, Leo. Or Donnie. I'm not blaming Mikey. I'm actually glad he won't be here. If it's going to be too much for you, you should stay away, too." There was honesty in Raphael's words and once more, Leo felt tempted. So, so tempted.

But he caught sight of the way his sibling's fingers shook, tugging and picking at the baby's blanket to hide the fact, and his resolve steeled.

"I won't leave you alone with this.

A little awkwardly, Raphael just shrugged, his eyes everywhere but on his brother.

"When?"

"Donnie wasn't exactly sure. But he guessed that the first one will hatch within the next twenty-four hours. If you want, Donnie or I can tell you when it starts."

The younger sibling shook his head. "Just... let me prepare a few things. I'll be there in a bit."

"Are you sure you want to... wait that long?"

"I won't miss this, Leo." And with the way he said it, the oldest brother knew this discussion was over before it had even begun. So, he simply nodded.

"Let me know if there's something I can help with."

"No. Maybe just... No, it's fine."

Leo watched his brother make his way over to the dojo, where their father was, meditating probably. It left him to himself, with not much to do, so he headed back to the lab himself, assisting where he could, as Donatello prepared the few things they'd need to tend to the newborn.

Not even an hour later, Raphael stepped into the lab, without his child.

It was an odd sight, really, and Leo found himself wondering just how quickly they had gotten used to seeing a child nestled in their brother's arms.

Raphael didn't speak.

He simply pulled a chair over to sit next to the incubator to have a good look at both eggs. There was a bit of fidgeting, his arms and hands twitching lightly every now and then, at the emptiness and lack of weight in them.

Both, Donatello and Leonardo kept their silence as well. There just wasn't anything to say.

It was awkward, this silence, but it didn't last long.

Barely three hours into their silent vigil, a small, thumping noise drew their attention away from their own thoughts and towards the eggs.

The nervousness that came with being separated from his baby was forgotten when Raphael saw the small jerk of the egg, quickly followed by another and then, a silent bump.

There was a sudden, snapping noise, a quiet pop and the first crack appeared in the smooth shell.

Donatello was next to the egg, watching the process with keen eyes, but not touching it. Leonardo cast another look at his too quiet sibling, having trouble to describe the heavy lump of ice growing in the pit of his stomach at the expression he found.

Somehow, he dredged up enough courage to repeat his offer to spare his sibling some of the pain. "You don't have to do this, Raphie... One of us can-"

"No, Leo." Raph never lifted his eyes off the slowly breaking shell of the egg. "I can't not be there for him. It's neither Donnie's nor your place. It's mine."

Despite the steadiness in his voice, there was a suffocating sadness in his words and Leonardo found his voice stolen by that, unable to come up with any sort of reply or comfort.

Instead, he could just stare at his brother, both proud and horrified at Raphael's sheer endless strength through all of this.

Devastated at the instinctiveness of it.

It wasn't a choice for Raphael.

It wasn't something he had to think about.

Leonardo was rather sure it hadn't crossed his sibling's mind even once to not be with his son during this devastatingly short life.

Another quiet crack, and the first wet piece of shell fell.

Leonardo could hear his brother take a few, slow, strained breaths to force himself into complete calmness. "I can't save him, Leo. I can't protect him or spare him... this." Another slow inhale. "But I can be with him. The others all had to go alone. He won't have to."

Donnie had been silent the entire time, as much at a loss for words or actions as his oldest brother, but now, he slowly moved, making to help with removing the shell from the hatching baby. He didn't get close enough to touch before Raphael was next to him, gently but insistently pushing him away from the egg.

Quietly, without protest, Donatello stepped away from the incubator, instead coming to stand next to Leonardo, their hands immediately finding each other for support that both needed and neither could really offer.

Donnie, through all of it, had a firm mask of calm plastered onto his features.

As perfect as the mask might have been, it was starting to crack now, and Leonardo was still unable to find his voice, unable to offer any solace when he was struggling so much, himself.

Then, there was Raphael.

The two brothers watched in icy silence as he tended to the egg, no tremble in his hands now, as he cupped the egg in one, and tenderly removed small bits of shell with the other. Another shift from within the egg, a wet snap and with a final, popping sound, the eggshell cracked open, followed a few, awkward seconds later by a startled wail.

The newborn was small, much smaller than any human baby, but it looked healthy enough, its first cries loud and full and Leonardo's insides gave a nauseating lurch.

That worsened enough to make him bite back the bile rising in his throat when he tore his eyes away from the infant and saw the expression on his little brother's face.

There was not a trace of fear or dread left.

Instead, warm, green eyes were nearly glowing with affection and adoration. His strong hands, impossibly huge in comparison to the newborn's tiny, tiny body, were gentle and skilled as he cleaned the baby with a soft cloth, removing the thick fluids from emerald green skin.

Raphael was speaking quietly, cooing words that his brothers couldn't quite hear, mouth pulled into the warmest smile Leo had ever seen and it shattered his heart.

Neither Leonardo nor Donatello dared move, frozen on their spot while Raphael picked the crying newborn up, wrapping him into a warmed blanket and holding him safely in his arms. As soon as the baby was cradled close, the cries tapered off into soft, hiccuping noises, instantly soothed by Raphael's presence.

Only once did he lift his eyes off the baby and looked at his brothers, before carrying the precious bundle to the next room.

Leonardo made to follow, but Raph stopped him with a single, simple look. "I want to be alone with him."

Soft, quiet words, but there was no room for protests, no room for an answer or for comfort.

Next to him, Donatello swayed, shifting his shaking legs to avoid falling, but Leonardo could only stare after Raphael, eyes glued to his form until it vanished behind the sliding door.

Somehow, it was Donnie, who first found his voice again.

He gave Leonardo's hand a soft squeeze that didn't really register through the numbness, sighing tiredly. "Come, let's give them some space. How about I make us some tea?"

Nodding, the oldest brother reluctantly set himself in motion, letting go of his sibling's hand in favor of rubbing at the chilled skin on his arms. There was nothing he wanted to do more than crawl into a dark, quiet hole and just hide from all of this.

He felt like just aged twenty years, his own body weighing him down like lead, but he is determined to stay strong just a little bit longer. Just a bit, for Donnie, for himself, until the day is over and he can hide in his own room.

That noble resolution lasted him about half the way towards the kitchen.

He hadn't even noticed that he had stopped walking, his vision swimming. And with a start, Leonardo became aware of the tickle of hot moisture on his cheeks, trailing downwards to his chin and neck, and it took him a second to realize he was crying. "...Donnie..."

Almost instantly, he felt warm, solid arms wrap around him, pressing him into his taller sibling's chest and then, like a switch being flicked, they were both sobbing, struggling to keep themselves upright against the flood of grief and emotion catching up with them.

Somehow, and Leonardo was not quite sure how they had accomplished it, they ended up on the couch in the living area, still clinging to each other, shaking and shuddering through the drying tears until the fatigue eating at them made them calm down.

Leonardo allowed himself a little more time to recover, petting at Donatello's cheeks and shoulders gently, while he did so. His younger brother was so exhausted that he started to nod off, head slowly lolling sideways against the cushions and Leo wouldn't keep him awake unnecessarily.

Maybe it was a good idea. Letting him catch some sleep while he could. And maybe it was better to hope he'd sleep long enough to miss what was going on just a few walls away from them.

Once Leo was sure Donatello was sleeping deeply enough, he snuck out of his arms, moving quietly as not to disturb his much-needed rest. With the same care, he replaced the now missing source of body heat with a blanket, watching Donnie sleep before he willed himself to move back to the lab.

He dreaded what he'd have to do next. Dreaded it so much he felt the ridiculous urge to turn around and just leave the lair. Maybe do a long rooftop run or something, just to get out and away.

Yet, he knew there was no out. There was no getting away from this, no matter how far or how fast he'd run.

Swallowing dryly, he made his silent way back to the lab, trying to prepare himself for what was waiting for him there.

He hesitated before he even reached the door to the room Raph was in.

Terror clawed its way up his spine with icy fingers and Leonardo's eyes closed, taking a few slow, controlled breaths, composing himself.

He did not want to go in there.

He did not want to see whatever was happening, what he knew was happening, behind that door.

He did not want to see any more of the train wreck that was their lives right now.

And most of all, he didn't want to see his brother cradling a tiny, dead body.

But he had to.

His broken brother was in there, braving all of this with an inner strength he shouldn't have, seeing his own child off while his brothers cowered away, trying to hide from the pain.

Leonardo felt pathetic.

Steeling his shoulders and himself, he took another, deep breath.

He wouldn't let Raphael suffer through this alone.

Reaching the sliding door, he pushed it open, just a crack. And he cursed himself. Nearly hated himself for hesitating again.

Feeling frustrated tears prick at his eyes, he bit at his tongue, trying desperately to find his self-control so he wouldn't start crying all over again.

Still standing at the barely-opened door, eyes glued to the ground, he heard Raphael before he saw him.

And what he heard made him tear away from door, carapace thumping dully against the wall next to it, hands flying up to cover his mouth to keep in the panicked noise that wanted to escape him.

Tears, fresh and hot, rolled down his face and he bit at his lips, his tongue, the insides of his cheeks until he tasted blood, to keep quiet.

Raphael was singing.

It was barely audible, a soft, soft tune, some sort of lullaby maybe, and Leonardo felt as if he was thrown sideways, out of reality and into a twisted parody of it.

This was wrong.

It was wrong.

This shouldn't be happening.

Leo couldn't see, didn't want to see any of it, but he heard the quiet sounds from inside the room. Even footsteps, Raphael was walking back and forth, the soft whisper of cloth as he rocked the bundle in his arms, and his voice, still singing quietly.

Every now and then, he paused in his singing, cooing at the newborn, leaning down to nuzzle and kiss at the tiny face and little fists.

It was as if Leo could hear the smile on his sibling's face.

His legs gave in, sliding down the wall until he was curled up on the floor, right next to the door. Unable to leave, unable to enter that room, biting back his tears and his sobs.

Unable to stop listening.

Whenever Raphael moved closer to the door, Leo managed to catch a few words of those soft murmurs, each word stabbing into his very core.

"Everything's going to be fine, baby... don't you worry. You're tired, hm? Go to sleep... I'll watch out for you."

That was the moment that Leo started begging to whatever deity was listening to end this quick. To just let the baby fall asleep and let it be over with.

He felt horrible for it. For wishing to cut their time short.

At the same time he knew – hoped – that it would make it easier for Raphael to handle. The longer he had time to bond with the baby, the harder it would be to say goodbye.

It would spare them all some of the suffering.

Inside the room, Raphael's steps slowed as if hearing Leonardo's silent prayers, and he heavily sat down on a chair.

"Shh... that's it... just close your eyes..." He picked up a new lullaby, one that Leo knew well enough, and for a little while, it was the only sound that existed.

No more steps, no more murmurs, just the soft, melancholic tune of 'hushabye mountain' floating through the air.

And then, even that tapered off into silence.

Leonardo didn't dare move.

He couldn't.

He knew what the quiet meant.

He knew what had happened.

The deafening silence carried the heavy truth and suddenly, Leonardo found himself desperately wishing the sound of his brother's singing back.

Of course, this time, his wishes weren't heard.

Time dragged out, it felt like an eternity that he spent, cowering behind that door.

He simply couldn't bring himself to move. So, so scared of what was waiting behind that door.

Terrified

Instead of having to move, himself, however, the truth came out to him with slow, heavy steps.

Raphael emerged from the room, the tiny, still bundle cradled to his chest. Their eyes met and they shared a short look, though neither managed to say a single word.

However, at least Raphael still remembered how to operate his limbs, unlike his older brother it seemed, walking over to the incubator where the second egg was safely tucked beneath the heating lamp.

Even now, Raphael was so careful, infinitely gentle when he placed the limp body next to the egg, He adjusted the baby's position until it looked comfortable, then leaned down to press a last kiss to his forehead.

And still, Leonardo could do nothing but watch, pulling himself back up to his feet at least.

Almost reverently, Raphael wrapped the baby snugly into the blanket, pausing a moment to cast a last look at the infant's peaceful, soft little face, seeming to memorize the moment, before he pulled the warm fabric down to cover the baby's head.

A shuddering sigh, and Raphael closed his eyes, taking a minute before he pushed away from the table, making a beeline for the door.

That was, what finally tore Leonardo out of his stupor.

"Raph...? Where are you going?" He frowned when his sibling gave an odd twitch, tensing.

"Out. I need some air."

Which, in itself, wasn't too weird, Raphael had always needed space occasionally. But right now, something told Leo that leaving his brother alone wasn't that much of a good idea.

Raphael continued on his way, heading for the turnstiles to make his way out of the lair, Leo close on his heels.

"Raph, don't."

"Don't tell me what to do, Leo. Just leave me alone for a bit." His voice was tight and Leonardo could hear all those alarms that he had been wondering about go off at once.

Especially, when Raphael quickened his steps, trying to get Leonardo to stop following him.

"I won't leave you alone right now, Raph! Please stop so we can-"

The younger whirled around so suddenly that the unexpected shove didn't even register with Leo until he hit the ground.

"Leave me alone, Leo!"

Looking up at his sibling, Leonardo's instantly new this was bad.

Whatever calm or composure he had had was gone now, leaving him quaking where he stood, panting out harsh, hitching breaths, clenching and unclenching his fists as he fought to get himself back under control.

"Raph... look at me." Slowly, carefully now, the older brother pushed himself back up to his feet, holding his hands out in a soothing gesture.

His brother was panicking, unable to focus his eyes on him, unable to stand still, pacing in the small space of the nook they were in, like a caged animal. "Leave me alone, Leo!" He repeated, his voice almost hissing, gasping for breath

He tried to reach for his brother, almost touching his shoulder before his hand was slapped away.

"Don't TOUCH me!" He gasped again, working his hands into fists again and again. "I can't breathe...! I can't-..."

That was all that Leo needed to get him moving now. With both hands, he spun his brother around to face him, firm grip settling on both of the younger's shoulders to ground him. "Look at me, Raphael." Somehow, he managed to get enough of a grip on his voice to sound firm.

There was a brief attempt to do what he was told, green eyes flickering to meet blue, but it didn't last.

"Raph, listen to me."

By now, the younger was taking large, gulping breaths, jerking away from Leonardo's grip. "No!"

Turning on his heel, Raphael gave a low growl, pulling back his arm to punch the wall. Leonardo winced.

"Fuck!" Another punch. "FUCK!" And another. And when his arm drew back for one more, Leo leaped forward, catching his brother's fist just before it made contact with unforgiving concrete. Instead, the momentum wasn't wasted, the younger spinning around almost without delay, his other fist coming up to catch Leo right in the eye, sweeping him clear off his feet.

"Don't fucking TOUCH me!"

Groaning, Leonardo pulled himself back up, rubbing at his already swelling eye. "Raph!" This time, Leonardo didn't risk another hit, simply grabbing his brother from behind, snaking his arms around him in a safe hold, pulling him securely against his chest. "Raph, I got you. It's okay."

Raphael struggled, predictably, jerking in his arms, trying to kick and wriggle out of his grasp. He was too panicked to remember any of his training, though. Normally, Leonardo knew, it wouldn't be too much of a problem to break out of this kind of hold.

"Raph, calm down!" He tightened his hold, pressing his head against his brother's.

A large, shuddering breath, and Raphael settled somewhat, sagging slightly in the tight hold Leo had him in, though not calming completely. "Leo..."

"It's alright, I have you. I'm here."

Something changed in the way the younger tensed. He took a deep breath, held it, then another, still struggling against the tight grip.

"I'm here, Raphie..."

It felt like Raphael was breaking apart, his body giving an awkward jerk before he dropped to his knees, Leo following and never easing up his hold.

He took another, shuddering breath, and then, he screamed.

There were no more tries to escape, but still, Leonardo had troubles holding on to his brother.

Raphael screamed, full-bodied, broken screams, his body seizing up with every single one as his grief and pain finally, finally took their toll and all Leonardo could do was hold on.

He sobbed, shedding all the tears Raph couldn't, just holding his sibling steady, chanting the only words he could think of.

"I got you, I got you, I got you."