Huh. As they rode the elevator down to their new home (HOME!), Leo found himself rather impressed by the size of it. From what little he could make out, the elevator definitely felt more like Kraang architecture, with smoother and rounded features. He could only guess that it was probably covered in blinking control panels too that he couldn't see, and inwardly mused that it was going to be rather interesting for him to learn to operate it. He sincerely hoped that he wouldn't need to ask for help every time he wanted to leave their new lair from now on, just because he couldn't see where to press on an electronic screen. Maybe Donnie could add voice commands?

Speaking of his brothers, Raph had let him finally slip off his shell, allowing him to stand on the floor and allowing him to feel the vibrations rumbling up through the soles of his feet, though his brother did still insist on Leo draping an arm over not only his shell, but Mikey's as well so he could help support his weight. Normally, Leo would've objected more about this excessive levels of coddling, except any physical contact with his brothers right now was like a breath of air to a drowning man, so he didn't complain too much, and happily leaned on Raph and Mikey as Donnie fussed over him.

Finally, the surprisingly smooth elevator ride reached the bottom floor, and Leo felt the excitement build up in his chest as the doors swished open.

"Here we are, Leo!" Mikey eagerly nudged him forward.

Leo took his first step into the new lair, supported and closely guided by his three brothers. He paused, trying to get a feel for what was going to be his new home.

Letting his senses linger over every little clue, he paid attention to everything by listening, feeling, and sensing the subtle vibrations running through the walls and floors. There were the soft, barely noticeable hums of kitchen appliances, the clacks and whirs of Donnie's various machines and electronics, and even the faraway thum of the city above and around them. He was seeing, with all his senses, the heartbeat and energy of a living world around them, just like the Ancient One had taught him.

He desperately wanted to learn all he could about his family's new home!

And Leo could immediately tell that this main room was not only spacious, but tall! Far bigger then he had expected! The domed ceiling loomed high above a round, circular room with arches and pillars ringing it that almost reminded him of an ancient, underground Roman coliseum. Running around the wall above them behind more arches was a wide walkway, and if Leo concentrated, he realized that it must lead to more rooms up there. Their new lair had a second level! With doors and rooms up on that story as well, though he could only make out general locations.

Down here on the ground floor, he could make out more fine details. His brothers had obviously made this place quite comfortable as they made it their own. He could sense furniture and objects all around, and Leo could even recognize a few of the items from the old Lair. He could hear and sense a large and deep pool of water that dominated the very center of the lair, with a wooden bridge spanning it, and a quick sniff of the air confirmed the scent of salt water. Mikey had mentioned an outlet that led to the ocean? Was that it? There was some sort of large structure against the back wall, and in other places around the edges of this round chamber were things like couches surrounding a lot of tv screens set up against one wall, a skateboard ramp, training dummies and, of course, Raph's punching bag, among other various things he couldn't identify at a quick scan.

Heh. Well, it wasn't exactly messy by any stretch of imagination, but it definitely felt lived in by personalities such as Donnie, Raph, and Mikey. Between the piles of electronics and wires, the weight set against the wall, and various exercise equipment scattered around it, and the toys, stuffed animals, and whatever-that-was-that-was-most-definitely-Mikey's, it was very obviously a bachelor's pad.

Leo had the conflicting emotions of simultaneously instantly loving and adoring everything about his family's new home, and yet at the same time inwardly wondering if, even though he was blind, his brothers would let him feng shui the place up. Just a little bit anyways.

Mikey couldn't hide his excited squeal, and his whole body wiggled under Leo's arm, positively electrified with thrilled anticipation for what lay ahead. His arm was clutched tighter and tugged forward as his youngest brother pulled him forward through the doors into the wide open room beyond, the orange aura radiating pure happiness and excitement.

"Welcome home, Leo!" Mikey joyously and dramatically declared, and then he squealed happily and Leo found arms thrown around him once more as he was hugged tightly again. "Oh big bro, I've been waiting for AGES to say those words! Man it felt so good!"

Leo leaned down to nuzzle his brother's face happily. "Mikey, I've been waiting ages to hear those words!"

"Hee!" Mikey returned the nuzzle happily, then stepped back and Leo felt him tug gently but eagerly on his arm again. "Come on! I'll give you the grand tour!"

"Careful Mikey, not too fast." Donnie warned him, still hovering worriedly over Leo as they moved. "And the 'Grand Tour' can wait until later. We need to head over to the Needle Room first."

Leo froze at that. "Uhhhhh... The Needle Room?" he dared to ask.

"Don't worry, Leo. He's just talking about our makeshift hospital." Raph grunted. "It's in the back of the lair, by Donnie's lab."

"I named it the Needle Room!" Mikey said, pride in his voice.

Leo turned to him in disbelief. "Why?!"

"Because the very first thing I had to do in that room was give Mikey a tetanus shot. Apparently diving into a pile of trash as if one were Scrooge McDuck diving into his money pile in the cartoon turned out to be a very bad idea." Donnie grumbled.

While they were talking, apparently Raph spotted something that troubled him. "Uh... here. Take Leo for a moment." Raph shifted out from under Leo's arm, set Leo's travel bag and katana off to the side, and a moment later, a somewhat startled Donnie was pushed in his spot to replace him.

Then Leo watched, bemused, as the red aura sprinted in front of them and hurriedly began gathering up armfuls of things set in piles on the floor and moving them out of the way.

"Uh, getting a little housekeeping done quickly before I notice, Raph?" Leo questioned, a little amused.

"Oh, haha, Leo." Raph grumbled without any bite in his words as he leaned against a small sofa and pushed it scraping across the stone floor to sit against the far edge of the circular room. "I just don't want ya to trip over our crap."

Leo blinked, then almost rolled his eyes. "Okay, there's two reasons why you don't have to worry about me tripping. First off, I told you, I've learned to deal with my blindness. Remember how Master Splinter used to teach us how to fight blindfolded? It's like that, only amped up to eleven. And second..." He lifted both of his feet up off the floor slightly for a few seconds to prove that the sturdy and strong Mikey and Donnie were more then ready to support his full weight at a moment's notice. "You guys are barely letting me walk under my own power right now. I think that it's physically impossible for me to even wobble slightly off balance at the moment."

"Of course, Leo. You're the ultimate ninja, yada yada. None of us are doubting your skills." Raph's tone didn't carry its usual gruff sarcasm, but was more of a patient patronization as he grunted. It sounded like he was lifting up a heavy weight off the floor and then there was the shudder of a metal rack as he set it back on its hooks. He dusted off his hands, and scurried over to pick up what sounded like papers, and Leo assumed were several magazines and/or comic books. "It's just until you get more used to the place."

Leo sighed.

Under his arm, he heard Mikey laugh, and his joyful younger brother stood up on his tiptoes to plant a happy, brotherly smooch on his cheek. "Get used to being lovingly coddled, bro, 'cause it's going to happen. Anything you need us to do, Leo, it's going to be done!"

"The thing is, it doesn't need to be done. I'm fine, you guys." Leo grumbled, but without any real anger or malice. He was just too happy to be here, among his brothers, to complain too much.

"The lab is over here, Leo." Donnie apparently had not lost sight of his objective, steering his big brother down the now completely cleared path through the lair that Raph was hurriedly creating for them. They were heading towards a metal structure placed at the back of the lair, and as they approached it, Leo realized that it was apparently an old subway car that Donnie had somehow wrangled down here and turned into his new lab.

Leo paused, and lifted an arm off Donnie's shoulder to reach out and rest his hand on the frame, allowing himself to 'see' some of the finer details. The roof and one wall of the rail car had been torn or cut away, leaving an open working space, but still giving the person inside some privacy.

"How on earth did you even get this thing down here?!" Leo wondered in amazement, running his hands over the cool, slightly dented metal. There's no way that fit in the elevator!

"Donnie's very, very stubborn." Mikey said wryly.

"Yes, yes I am." Donnie huffed, taking Leo's arm again and leading him away from the converted subway railcar, back towards a room set in the wall beside it. "And right now expect me to be very stubborn over the fact that my big brother just reappeared after two years of us thinking he was dead, with what is most likely severe chemical damage to his eyes, along with who knows what else having happened to him in those years lost and alone, and I need to examine him and reassure myself that he's not about to collapse from some complications or hidden malady that I may or may not know how to treat!"

"Donnie. I'm okay. Honestly." Leo was led into the rather ominously named Needle Room, and was immediately overwhelmed with the smell of antiseptics and plastic all around them. Yup. This was definitely the medical room, with a cot ready against the wall, and shelves upon shelves of supplies. Eh. At least this was just a basic checkup. He didn't have to worry about actual needles, despite the room's name.

Donnie ducked out from under Leo's arm and a second later, Leo heard a chair being dragged closer over to them. "Okay, Leo." Leo felt his brother take his arm and guide him over to sit in the chair. "Have a seat here. Don't worry, everything is going to be okay now."

Leo sat back in the chair experimentally, feeling the comfortable padding of the backrest against his shell. He leaned back and grinned in his purple brother's direction. "Alright, Doctor Donnie. I place myself in your capable hands. Examine away."

"Right! Right." Donnie exhaled, and hovered for a moment as if trying to figure out where to even start. Then he turned and there were the sounds of cupboard doors being flung open, glass containers clanking together, and metal tools rubbing against each other as Donnie hurriedly began shuffling through them and grabbing several items off shelves. "Mikey, can you heat up some broth? I would like to get something into Leo's stomach and keep him hydrated."

"Can do, Dee!" Mikey sounded thrilled, and Leo's arm was released as the aura turned and literally bounced out of the lab, calling back over his shoulder. "Hang on, Leo, I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

"Oh. Okay." Leo smiled as the orange aura bounded in the direction that the kitchen must be in. He leaned back and sat there in the chair, waiting for his Purple brother. He absently began drumming his fingers against his thighs as he waited.

Hm. He rubbed his arm, which suddenly felt... weirdly cold and bare. He was suddenly strangely aware of the fact that he didn't have any brothers touching him at the moment. Not that that was a problem or anything, of course. After all, even if his world was dark and he couldn't actually visually spot them, he could still sense them and smell them close by, all three of them. He knew they were all there, even if he couldn't see them. Physical contact wasn't necessary to make them real. That... that would be just silly!

He suddenly found himself resisting the strong urge to leap out of the chair and desperately grab up is brothers and cling to them all tightly forever.

Several medical instruments were plopped into a metal tray on a table next to him with a clatter, followed by the sound of a metal stool being pulled up next to him. Leo felt his purple brother settle on the seat, then turn to him, pausing. For some reason, Donnie was hesitating and seemed almost... uncharacteristically uncertain.

"Donnie?" Leo asked him curiously. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh! I'm fine. Fine! Just fine." Donnie's voice sounded artificially upbeat and slightly strained. He exhaled shakily, and then almost hesitantly reached up to gently touch Leo's face. Leo leaned into his touch and internally welcomed the reestablished contact in his dark world with every fiber of his being.

"Now Leo, this examination will be mostly a general checkup. I'm afraid that I won't be able to get a good diagnosis of your... your blindness right now." Donnie's voice grew quieter. "I don't have the information, knowledge, or equipment to do more then a cursory examination of your... condition. But Leo..." Donnie sniffled, and reached out to gently take Leo's face in both of his calloused, scarred hands. "Leo, I swear to you, I'll fix this. I promise. I'm not sure how, but... Somehow... somehow I'll fix this!"

As he spoke, Donnie's voice sounded almost like it was pleading for forgiveness for a failure. As if he were somehow letting Leo down by not instantly having all the answers.

Leo exhaled slowly. Okay. He knew this was coming. He had imagined how his brother who put his whole soul into fixing everything broken would react to his blindness, and had thus carefully planned to try and head off any issues before they began.

"Donnie, listen to me." Leo said firmly, taking Donnie's hands."I'd be lying if I said that I don't want to get my sight back. I hope beyond hope that one day I'll to be able to see again. But... Hey. Listen. Listen to me Donnie." He reached out and put his hand back on Donnie's cheek, feeling his facial expression and making sure that his purple brother's gaze was on him. He continued gently. "If it can't be done, if my eyes are damaged beyond repair, then I will be okay. I promise. I'll be okay. I've learned to deal with it, and I can live like this if I have to. I don't want you to start obsessing over cures that don't exist if there's nothing that can be done."

Leo could audibly hear Donnie swallow, and from his facial expression under Leo's hands, it felt like he was searching for words. "But-but Leo..." he finally said hoarsely. "This is so much bigger and more complicated then anything I've had to deal with before. You're BLIND, and... and I don't know how to fix that. What if... what if I mess it up... or miss something... or... or..."

"You'll do just fine, Donnie." Leo ran a thumb over his cheek, still holding his face. "I'm here, I'm healthy, and I'm alive. Don't worry, it's going to be okay, little brother. Everything is going to be okay. Just calm down, and breathe for me."

Donnie clutched at his hands and sniffed again, but obediently took a few deep, calming breaths, slowly relaxing under Leo's touch. He was quiet for a long second more, and then, finally he muttered, "I'm sorry that I accidentally gassed you earlier, Leo."

Leo chuckled gently and leaned forward to give him a soft, fond headbutt on the forehead, cherishing the feeling of his brother's warm breath against his own snout. "I know."

Donnie leaned into him for a long moment, then Leo felt a hand slid around his head to squeeze him gently in a hug. Then, exhaling shakily, Donnie nodded and sat back up, obviously getting his center back. Leo sensed him turning in his chair to grab a plastic carry tote off the nearby counter. "We should probably start with a quick blood draw, and get some tests going. Let me go get the needles."

Oh. Well. Darn.

Leo closed his eyes and breathed steadily through his nose. It wasn't that he actually minded the physical needles themselves. After having personal experiences in being stabbed, shot, electrocuted, crushed, and other various injuries, a little prick of a needle was hardly noticeable. But even though it didn't really physically hurt, for as long as he could remember, he and his brothers couldn't help but feel a little twinge of psychological discomfort when it came to needles and other things that reminded them what fate in a human laboratory could entail. It was just part of being a mutant turtle, he supposed.

Huh. It was actually true that when he couldn't see it, it made it so much easier. Point for blindness, then?

Outside the lab, there was still the sound of items being shuffled around, but at a far less hurried pace then before. His red brother seemed to be keeping closer to the lab door now, frequently stopping to peer in, albeit quietly, like he was trying to be stealthy about it. There was an uncharacteristic level of raw, unfiltered emotions in the almost vulnerable way he kept checking in and staring at him. It was as if he wanted nothing more than to grab Leo and cling to him, but for some reason, he was currently too spooked to approach him. It was... strange, actually, to see Raph acting so openly in such a way, wearing his emotions so openly on his metaphorical sleeve, and, if Leo had a guess, his brother was probably assuming that Leo couldn't tell he was constantly checking on him due to his blindness, otherwise he'd be putting on a slightly tougher and more macho air.

There was click and slight pinch on the inside of his arm, and after removing the needle, Donnie pressed a small cotton ball against the small puncture site, holding it firmly for a few seconds, before taping it down and wrapping a bit of gauze around it. The purple aura slipped off the chair and turned away, grabbing the vials he had just filled as he moved back towards the back of the lab. "Give me a moment to get these samples running through the machines, Leo. Sit tight, I'll be right back."

"Oh. Okay." Leo sat back and began thrumming his fingers on his knees again. Aaaand he was left sitting in the dark again.

He wasn't left to ponder his sudden physical neediness too long, as a brilliantly flashing orange aura bounded back into the room almost immediately, skillfully balancing a tray that held clinking mugs. Leo could smell steaming rich beef broth, and marveled that his brother somehow avoiding spilling a drop even with the bouncing steps.

"I'm back!" Mikey's voice sang out. "And here you go, Leo! Made specially with all the love!"

"Hm?" Leo tilted his head towards the happy, chirpy voice, and then he felt the mug placed in his hands. "Oh! Thank you, Mikey." It smelled delicious, and he took a moment to enjoy the smell, before taking a long sip.

He almost hummed in contentment. Oh, that was good. Simple broth, but somehow still the best thing he had tasted in a long time.

The purple aura returned, settling back on his stool, and Donnie's hands gently took the mug of broth from his hands and set it down on a side table. "You can have that back in a second, Leo. First, I'm going to do a quick cursory inspection while we wait for the tests to process. I'll have to remove your mask for a moment, if that's okay."

"Oh. Sure." Leo felt the strip of cloth slip off his face as Donnie carefully pulled it off. "Which actually reminds me. My mask is blue, right? I almost forgot to ask."

"Hm? Oh! Uh, yes, Leo. It's definitely blue. I'd say cobalt or sapphire blue, to be specific, which, of course, are indeed your preferred shades for your mask." Leo sensed holding holding up the strip of cloth, musing. "That's right, I suppose that in your condition, you can't really tell, can you? How did you even...?" He paused, apparently recognizing the mask, and was startled. "Wait. Leo. Is... Is this from...?"

"Yeah. I... um... kind of took it from the shrine you guys made in the Lair." Leo exhaled.

Raph's aura froze in the other room, suddenly completely stock still and unmoving for several seconds as if he had been turned into a statue.

"Oh." Donnie cleared his throat, obviously feeling a little embarrassed. "You... you found that, huh?"

"Yeah. I... uh..." Leo shyly rubbed the back of his head. "I, um, really liked it, guys. The... the shrine I mean. There was that little statue and everything? It was... it was really, really nice."

"Well, I guess it turns out all those offerings we made on it were for nothing, huh?" Mikey mused. "All those slices of pizza we wasted..."

"Well, I can tell you, if I were dead, I would've really appreciated them, Mikey." Leo was touched that his brothers put in so much work. He shook his head. "Anyways, I lost my mask back on the plane, and, being blind, I wasn't really able to easily replace it. I really missed it, though, so when I noticed the one on the shrine, I took it. I just had to hope that that it was blue and that Mikey hadn't instead something that made me look like I had owl eyes when I wore it or anything like that."

"Leo! Dude, if I wasn't afraid of Raph murdering me for pulling off something like that, that would totally be a future life goal!" Mikey plopped down almost on top of him. He gleefully grabbed Leo's arm and shifted to snuggle underneath it against Leo's side excitedly.

"Mikey! Careful! Stop jumping all over Leo like that!" Raph stiffened and growled from the outside of the doorway, and from the way his aura spiked, he was obviously on the verge of marching in to intervene. He set aside his armful of whatever it was that he was currently moving and took a step inside the lab. "You have to be careful! He doesn't need you yankin' on his arm and smothering him like that!"

"Oh, don't worry, Raph. It's not bothering me at all" Leo shook his head. He pulled Mikey in a little closer and reveled in the feeling of the warm shell and scales and wonderfully familiar scent. He hesitated, then let his hand move up and felt the short tails of the cloth mask around the freckled face he knew so very well but could no longer see.

"Hee!" Mikey's aura oozed with such joy and overwhelming love at his attention that, even though his world was still dark and he couldn't physically see it, Leo could almost mentally see the sunshine in his smile. He felt his little brother wiggle under his arms even more. "Big bro, you're going to soooo many snuggles, you won't feel lonely for a minute!"

"Thank you, Mikey." Leo reached over and fondly rubbed Mikey's head. "If I'm allowed to be totally honest, it's actually kind of... comforting. I can't see you guys, so it's nice to have the feeling of touch to reassure myself that you're actually really here."

In the doorway, Raph had once again fallen silent, his still turbulent aura roiling even as he stood there quietly. Then Leo heard him grab a rather large object that was against the wall, then carry it into the room with him. He realized it was a chair when Raph set it down directly behind him and sat in it.

What was he...? Confused, Leo blinked, twisting slightly in his chair to try and figure out what his brother was trying to do.

Then two warm, solid, muscular arms crept around him from behind, wrapped around his shoulders, and hugged him tightly.

"We're here, Leo."

Raph's face was pressed against the back of Leo's neck, and his quiet voice was low and thick. Leo stiffened in the unexpected embrace, and suddenly it felt like his throat tightened up. He swallowed hard, suddenly not trusting himself to speak.

"We're here, and we're all safe, so you don't need to worry about anything anymore." Raph whispered fiercely into the back of his neck. "You're home now, Leo, and everything is going to be okay."

Leo inhaled shakily and his breath hitched slightly in his throat. Oh geez, Leo... Come on, keep it together. Be strong for your brothers. You've done so well keeping yourself together so far.

And then he felt Donnie's trembling hand slide into his own, his brother's fingers shakily intertwining with his own. Donnie's hand squeezed his own tightly, and he buried his tear-streaked face into Leo's arm, trembling and clinging tightly to him. On his other side, Mikey burrowed into his side, his hug growing even tighter.

All three brothers pressed against him, warm and alive and SAFE.

Oh gods.

This was real. His brothers were here. They were alive, and they were safe.

They were really here, and they were alive and SAFE!

And then it was like something just broke inside of him. It was as if all those emotions he had built up over the past two years finally broke free and rushed up all at once to spill over in an intense flood, overwhelming him. Two years of missing his family with every fiber of his being. Two years of wondering if they were even still alive. Two years of searching and fighting and heartbreak and loneliness. And he had finally found them AT LAST! He grabbed all three of his brothers tightly and broke out into a sob.

"Oh! Oh, Leo..." Donnie sniffed shakily, and all three of his brothers squeezed him even tighter.

"Guys! I m-missed you! I missed you so v-very, very much!" Leo gasped through sobs, clinging tightly to them. "I-I can't believe you're actually all HERE!"

"We-we missed you too, Leo." Donnie trembled as he pressed his face hard into Leo's arm. "Oh gods, Leo, we-we thought you were dead!"

Leo's heart broke at the pain in his brother's voice. "I-I'm so sorry. I was looking for you guys for such a long time, but I was so lost!"

Mikey curled up and burrowed into Leo's side further, and it sounded like he was fighting back happy sobs himself. "I always knew you were alive! I knew that you'd come back to us, Leo!"

"I was just... just so afraid that if- WHEN I m-made it back, I-I'd only find th-that you w-were... th-that you were a-all... Oh gods, th-the plane was crashing an I didn't kn-know if-if you were e-even st-still... still..."

Raph's strong arms crushed Leo's shell against his plastron with the intensity of his fierce embrace, and his voice was crackling with emotion. "We're FINE, Leo! I promise you! We're all fine!"

"I-I know. And I'm so proud of you all!" Leo gasped through tears as he squeezed back as hard as he could. "I'm here now. Everything is going to be okay now, guys."

"Yeah, Leo." One of Raph's hands shakily moved up to grab Leo's cheek, turning his head slightly so he could mash his own tear stained face into Leo's with almost bruising force. "Everything's okay. You're okay. And... and you're going to BE okay. I... I promise."

"And... and... Leo?" Leo felt Mikey's hand reach up to gently wipe a tear off his cheek. "We're... We're proud of you too."

Leo suddenly found he couldn't speak. After a long moment, he could only nod tearfully, and then he just let himself be crushed between all three of his brothers, desperately needing their touch, their scents, their voices, and all three of their emotional auras that roiled and flared protectively, merging with his own blue aura.

His brothers were everything to him, and they were HERE! He couldn't see them, but he was in their arms, and they were all alive and okay! They were ALIVE and they were OKAY! He was HOME!

And for a long time, too relieved and happy to care, Leo let himself just sob in their arms, holding them as just as tightly as they were holding him.

A/N

This is definitely turning into one of those stories where a scene that I think is going to be one or two chapters tops is going to end up being at least three or four instead. This chapter was supposed to be a quick glance at the new lair, and Leo telling the brothers where exactly he's been for the past two years. Instead, they decided to get all emotional and all have a breakdown I guess, so the whole reunion scene is going to drag on for at least one more chapter, possibly two. We'll see. And THEN Leo's brothers get to learn how to deal with their brother's blindness, which should be interesting.

And yes, that's the 2k3 lair they're living in now. I just made it Kraang instead of Y'Lyntian, as the latter doesn't exist in the 2k12-verse. The Needle Room was from the 2k14 movie, I believe. And yes, finally, there's also a quick reference in here to a wonderful Anon fic about Mikey dealing with Blind Leo that recently popped up.