Raphael watched through the semitransparent barrier as the Kraang moved to their designated tasks.

The robotic soldiers paid the turtles no mind as they passed in uniform motion, pulled forward by the invisible strings of Kraang Prime's control.

Raph glared at them. He wanted to stab them through their stupid robot skulls. He wanted to rip their limbs apart at the joints and use those limbs to beat them to the ground. He wanted to bash them into tiny pieces until none of them were capable of even thinking of the plans they were so close to carrying out. Not being able to reach them now, watching them march by, he felt so… powerless.

Raphael paced by the forcefield like a caged tiger, arms crossed tight over his chest. "Great! This is just fantastic!"

Donatello gave a hollow chuckle. "Yeah. I would have given anything to have known what the Kraang were up to a few days ago, and now I finally know, and I still can't do anything about it!" He gestured to the forcefield, and let his hand fall by his side with a sigh.

"If only we'd known what they were up to a little sooner," Leonardo said.

Michelangelo hugged himself and stared at the floor.

Donatello looked at Mikey, reading him. Donnie shifted, glanced around the room. He fidgeted with his hands. His facial expression momentarily changed to something Raph couldn't read in the brief second it lasted. It almost looked like his face had glitched.

Leo looked at Donnie, then at Michelangelo, and his eyes shifted between the two as he thought, then they grew wide. "Wait," the eldest said, "Mikey, was that what you were trying to tell us?

Michelangelo's nervous chuckle sent off a red flag in Raph's mind. Mikey didn't elaborate, but crumbled under his brothers' stares.

Raph looked at Donnie.

The genius's face 'glitched' again. He managed to keep still a while, and then his lip quivered, and he caved.

"Mikey, I'm so- I'm- I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry! I never should have-!" The words flooded out, a burst dam, almost incomprehensible. "I didn't mean it, I swear! You're not an idiot, never were. I never wanted to hurt you, you just- you just scare me half to death getting yourself in danger, and I don't want anything to happen to you, I'm so sorry I used those awful things as an excuse, and it probably didn't help that I was so worked up at the time, ugh, I didn't mean to take out all my stress on you, you didn't deserve that, I don't-" His words soon jumbled together in a speed no one could keep up with.

"Woah, Donnie, slow down!" Mikey held his palms out towards his babbling sibling. "Apology accepted, but can you talk so we can understand you?"

"I'm really sorry. We should listen to you. We haven't done a great job of that, have we?"

Mikey hugged himself tighter and avoided their gazes. "No, not really."

Donnie nodded. "Well, we're listening now."

Michelangelo glanced at him, then at Leo, who also nodded, and then Raph.

"You never take me seriously. There are times I show you I can do better, like the Squirrelanoids and the wasps and at the farmhouse with April's mom, but no matter how much I try to prove that I can actually do something, there's a little time where you all do listen, and then everything goes back to normal. Like it never happened. Like I never did anything. And I know you think I'm an idiot, and that's probably true, but I don't think I should just not say anything. I was right about the Kraang plot right now, and I was the one to figure out their plan to mutate the Earth a few years ago, and I finished the antidote for the wasps so no one got eaten and- and you just forgot about that, didn't you? I'm just a stupid kid to you, and that's why I always end up the bait, because all of you are doing the jobs that take smarts, isn't it?"

Raph's heart dropped. He certainly hadn't helped Mikey feel better these past weeks.

Donnie looked at his little brother, eyes brimming with pity. "Aww, Mikey. I'm so sorry. You're different, but we never should have brushed off different as wrong. Look at us, we're talking turtles, different as can be, and we're the ones who saved the world from the Kraang on several occasions. There's nothing wrong with us. You have a unique perspective, and I should have listened to that. Although your approach may not be the most logical, you embrace the bizarre while I'm quick to turn down any concept that seems too fantastical, and I really should have learned better after aliens came into play. You see the world in a way no one else sees, and you can help to fill in the gaps our perspectives can't reach. You entertained the idea of the Kraang giving humans powers while I probably dismissed the concept as farfetched, and look what happened."

Both Donatello and Michelangelo were on the verge of tears now.

Donnie continued, "So maybe I saw hearing you out as a little… unfair, but I should have. I really should have listened."

Mikey raised his eyebrows. "Unfair?"

Donnie hesitated, then sighed, dragging his hand down his face. "I… uh…" He shook his head. "I used the insults as an excuse to get you to stay out of my lab… because I'm afraid you'll get hurt. You don't listen to my warnings, or even look for any on anything that could be potentially dangerous, like when I labelled the back of the rejected mutagen and you still ended up with shellacne."

"Oh." Mikey tilted his head. "Yeah, I guess it was kinda not cool of me to not listen to you and then expect you to do different for me. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ignored the stickers on your mutagen."

Donnie started. "Ignored? I thought you hadn't seen them."

Mikey stepped back and returned to staring at his feet, shoulders hunched.

Raph felt like he had been punched in the gut. Something had struck him as odd about the reject mutagen, but he hadn't realized, it didn't make sense for Mikey, who was attracted to bright colors and pretty and shiny things, to not notice the stickers all over the mutagen jar.

"You read the warnings," Donnie said, "And you chose to mutate yourself regardless?"

Mikey shrugged.

Raph glared at the cowering turtle. He wanted to shout, to scream. He wanted to yell, to tell Michelangelo exactly how reckless he was and how much danger he was in and never to do that again. No words he thought of, no matter how loud he said them, seemed enough. Yet, it entirely expressed what he wanted to say, when so quietly, Donnie said,

"Do we really make you feel that bad?"

Michelangelo stayed silent.

Donnie exhaled sharply, rushed forward, and enveloped Mikey in a giant hug.

Michelangelo hesitated, surprised, then wrapped his arms around Donatello.

Emotions washed over Raphael, so many unwelcome emotions. Guilt shocked his system; all the times he had poked fun of his brothers, every snarky comment, coming back to get him. Looking at his youngest siblings breaking the walls that had formed between them he also felt… jealous. He pushed it down. No, that wasn't jealousy. He was happy for them, glad someone was finally feeling a little better, after all these long weeks. Good for them. The feeling that wasn't jealousy returned when Leonardo walked to their side and hugged them both.

Donatello and Michelangelo welcomed him in with an arm around him each.

They soon broke apart, but Leonardo held onto Michelangelo's arm.

"Mikey, I'm sorry. I didn't realize-" He shook his head. "Mikey, I need you to understand. The reason I choose you to distract our opponents? It isn't because you're any less useful or intelligent than anyone else. Like Donnie said, you have a unique perspective. You have different skills. I choose you as a distraction because you know how to deal with people. You can meet someone and understand them, like you've known them for months. I choose you because you can understand a person right away and know what will keep them distracted, and act accordingly. I can count on you to know what to do in those situations; someone less socially inclined would run the risk of losing the enemy's attention."

Michelangelo thought on this. He chuckled and rubbed his neck. "That makes sense. I really blew that out of proportion, huh?"

Leonardo gave him a meaningful look. "I'm sorry we made you feel unheard. You can always talk to us about these things, alright?"

For the first time in weeks, Michelangelo smiled a genuine smile, tears falling down his cheeks. "Thanks, guys."

Leonardo smiled back. "Don't forget you're a valuable member of the team. You can switch tasks in a second, like the change doesn't bother you at all. That kind of flexibility is admirable, something I couldn't…" Leo trailed off. "You're important. Remember that."

Donatello tilted his head. "Leo? Is something wrong?"

Leo waved him off.

Mikey used his cutest puppy-dog eyes on his leader. "What is it?"

Leonardo shook his head. "Don't make this about me."

Michelangelo grabbed his hand. "Dude, I already feel so much better. I wanna know what's up with you."

Leonardo tore his attention away from the puppy-dog eyes and looked at Donnie for help.

"He's not gonna let you go until you tell us," Donnie said.

Leo let out a defeated sigh. "I… my plans are… they don't always withstand battle. In fact, they rarely do. There's always so much risk, and so much riding on our success, and-" He glanced at Raph's head, "There's always a chance of someone getting hurt. There's so much to take into account, and I have to pray it doesn't all fall apart at the first sign of trouble. So I watched Mikey fight, and he seemed perfectly fine to just go with the flow, so I tried that with planning, and- and it didn't work! We lost the shipment with no way to track it, and it was all because I wasn't flexible enough! How am I supposed to lead us if I can't figure out which approach is going to work?"

Raph arched a brow. Leo's plans were risky, as he said, but Raphael knew Leo did his very best to lead them, and was the most suited to lead, as evidenced by Raph's horrible attempt to stop Snakeweed. On his very first mission as leader, Raphael had almost gotten Michelangelo killed. Leo was always more careful, didn't he see that? He was way better at protecting his family than someone who just tried to charge at everything that stood against them, Raph thought bitterly.

Donnie stroked his chin. "Wait, so the van that we couldn't track- that was a result of your attempt to 'go with the flow', as you put it?"

Leonardo rubbed his neck. "Yeah."

"Leo, flexibility isn't about rushing in blind. It's about seeing what you have and working with it. You need to use the tools you have in your surroundings at the moment to the best of your advantage. That mission wasn't an example of flexibility, it was inflexibility. You were thinking about it all wrong. That mission was just a result of determination to use as few tools to your advantage as possible- which, it is a good idea to be equipped to fight when the odds are stacked against you- but if you have tools you can use, use them."

Leonardo hummed. "So if I had used what was provided- if I had asked you to bring some kind of tracker to attach to the van- the mission would have succeeded. You do have trackers?"

Donnie nodded. "I do."

Leo facepalmed. "We could have used those!"

"Exactly the right idea. You're not inflexible, Leo. You're just thinking about it the wrong way. Do you remember when we thinned the amount of Kraang guards by luring them down the hallways?"

"Of course."

"Were you trying to be flexible then?"

"No, I'd already figured that didn't work with the van."

Donnie pointed at him. "So you saw a flaw in your approach and fixed it?"

"Yeah, that's- oh. Oh, that's ironic."

Donatello chuckled. "Then, during the mission, we weren't expecting so many guards, you came up with the plan to lure the Kraangdroids away from their posts utilizing our surroundings in the halls to make noise. You came up with that plan on the spot. That was flexibility. Don't beat yourself up; you're more equipped to lead than you give yourself credit for."

"Yeah, bro!" Mikey chimed in. "And what you said about choosing to have me be bait because I'm good at social stuff? You have Donnie do the tech-y stuff, and Raph do the stabby stuff. You know exactly who's best for which job."

"Exactly!" Donnie said. "You know who's capable of what and can act accordingly, maximizing our chances of success. You're a great leader, Leo. You need to see that. I know it's hard for you to see past the negative when you know one of us can get hurt." Donatello cleared his throat. "I, uh… when I knew things were serious with fighting the Kraang and Shredder, when I realized one of us could… I did some calculations. I needed to know what the odds were of one of us…" He trailed off. "I calculated the risk of our missions. I… wasn't happy with the odds. But under your command, we defied those odds, time and time again. The number of times one of us has come back injured from a mission under your leadership is…" He shook his head. "It's a statistical phenomenon."

Leo raised his eyebrows. "Wow."

"We know fighting's dangerous," Mikey said, "But we trust you for a reason."

Leo processed what they had said. "Thanks, guys. I do feel better."

Raph was happy for them. He wasn't jealous.

"While we're being all vulnerable here, is there anything else you want to bring up?" Donnie asked.

Leonardo hummed. "No, not really." He grinned. "How about you?"

His grin faltered when Donatello hesitated.

They waited in silence.

"Might as well say it," Leo said. "If something's bothering you, it isn't going to leave you be until you say so. Better to do something about it sooner rather than later."

Donatello paused. "The reason I tried to learn how to use the hook swords."

Raphael perked up. So the genius was finally going to tell them why he had hurt himself with those weapons.

Donnie hugged himself. "I'm not strong enough to face all the challenges that come at us."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm literally not strong enough. Splinter gave all of us our weapons based on what he thought we'd be best attuned to, what best reflected us. There's a reason I got the one that always breaks! I'm just not...strong. I'm the worst fighter out of all of us, and don't try to deny that, I've gathered too much evidence to support it, and you won't be able to convince me otherwise. Raph can bulldoze Kraangdroids and footbots like it's nothing; I have trouble defending myself against a few. So I tried swapping my weapon, and it was… it was fantastic. I could cut them down and keep moving, and it was exhilarating. I was finally making progress. Some mistakes too, and I cut myself up in the process, but those injuries were minor inconveniences compared to what I was doing against our enemies, what I was doing for all of you."

Raphael fought to keep a neutral face. So he had not only made Mikey and Leo feel like trash, but Donnie, too? Did he ever make the right choice?

Donatello huffed. "I guess my inability just gave a more literal sense to not being able to pull my weight."

"There are other types of strength," Leo said. "I don't know where we'd be if we didn't have you. So what if you aren't the best fighter? It doesn't make you any less important. You've defused bombs and made antidotes and retromutagen. We wouldn't be here if not for you and your talented mind. You've made so many inventions to help us out and you made them with nothing but what you could repurpose from the junkyard. Not to mention you're ahead of most professional scientists in multiple fields of specialization, despite being fifteen and not having any schooling. That's something to be proud of."

"Yeah!" Mikey chimed in. "And when you have an idea, you know what you'll need to make it work and then you just get what you need and make it real!" He bounced on his feet. "It's like you just bring the thing from imagination into real life, and that is just so cool! It's so cool!"

Donnie chuckled. A smile sparkled in his eye.

"We know we expect a lot from you," Leo said. "Your skills are irreplaceable. That's why we count on you to do so much. You more than pull your weight; don't let the literal sense of the phrase tell you otherwise. You were working hard to analyze the substance from day one, and it gave Mikey the information he needed to figure out the Kraang plot."

Donnie nodded. "I guess I could have worked on the substance more and trained with the swords less. That would have been more beneficial to the team."

"And please, please don't hurt yourself trying to change. You're perfect how you are," Leonardo said.

"Not perfect," Donatello argued. "My physical weakness is still a notable flaw; it would be unwise of me to just wave it off. But I understand that my intellectual pursuits are of value to the team. It would be nice to be a little more efficient with the hook swords, instead of the bo staff that always breaks. I'll keep training with them."

When Donatello noticed his brothers' concerned looks, he added, "With wooden weapons, under Master Splinter's instruction to begin. And that training will be low-priority. I'll have it as a little side project, and keep working on my usual projects, and I'll drop it whenever there's something I really need to figure out. It will be only to help with efficiency, nothing more. I'll keep using my bo in regular practices and on patrols." He shrugged. "Fragile or not, the bo is the best weapon for me. I couldn't vault with the hook swords. Hopefully, one day I'll be able to take them both on patrols; I'd feel a lot more secure having a weapon that doesn't break as backup. But until then, my projects come first, as does training with the bo." He smiled at his brothers. "And making time for you."

Leo nodded, satisfied with this answer. "That seems reasonable." He thought. "Wow, bad timing that we all chose to feel insecure right now."

Donatello hummed. "It seems we've all been comparing ourselves. It's possible that this started from one person and spread to the rest of us. Perhaps because of passive-aggressiveness? Either way, that might explain the strange timing. Now I'm curious; I wonder if there's any research on a psychological effect like that and if it has a name. I'll have to look that up."

Started from one of them comparing themselves? Raph hunched his shoulders. Could it have been him?

"Well, the important thing is, we're sorting it out now," Leo said. He looked at Raphael. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Seems all of you have the talking covered."

"Come on, are you sure you don't have anything to say?"

Raphael hoped no one caught the beat of hesitation. "Yes, I'm positive." What, were they insane? They wanted him to share his feelings here, in the Kraang base? Who knows who could be listening, or how they might use such information against them? If they were going to be all soft and vulnerable right now, fine! Good for them! Someone had to stay strong in case their enemies chose to exploit their weaknesses and vulnerabilities that they were so openly stating!

Leo walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Raph, it's okay."

His soft tone made Raphael hesitate again. No, he was fine. He'd done enough damage to the team already; he wasn't going to weigh them down any more by making them carry his problems. He was doing just fine on his own.

"If you want to help me out," Raph growled, "Then try to find us a way out of here so I can clobber the stupid pink brain blobs in their stupid pink faces."

"How?" Donnie asked. "We don't have our weapons, there's nothing in here that can help us, and no one's coming to get us!"

A roar resonated in the distance, followed by the sound of laser fire, and crashes and clangs.

"I know that roar!" Mikey exclaimed, bouncing on his feet.

Raphael smirked. "Are you sure about that, Donnie?"

Leonardo walked to the front of the containment and readied himself. "The Mutanimals are here."

Next chapter Sunday! Have a great day, y'all!