Chapter Eleven:

Stalemate

{Leo}

"I don't like this, Donnie."

"What," he starts, smirking as he organizes his mission kit. "The fact that we're going on a mission without you or the multi-colored mural Mikey left on your face?"

I frown and a low sound tingles the back of my throat. "You said you wouldn't let that happen."

He shrugs like it's no big deal to have permanent marker inked into my face for the next week.

"I punched him, if that's any consolation to you."

"It isn't. And how'd you even get Master Splinter's permission on this? You guys have never even gone on a mission without me, let alone a recon on a giant alien ship at the bottom of the ocean!"

He slips some computer chip and a flash drive into a side pocket of his bag and waves me off.

"Calm down, Leo. I used that Kraang communication orb to hack into the remaining systems. Everything's empty, and the entire ship is bust after so much time in the salt water. Wires have corroded, panels are peeling off—the whole thing is practically rotting away. There's absolutely nothing there to be worried about."

I huff out a breath, lying back on the stupid examination table and averting my steeled gaze to the light swaying above me.

"I still don't like it," I mutter.

Donnie sighs, setting down one of his mutagen scanners. "Look, Leo, we'll be fine."

My face scrunches up in disapproval and he tilts his head.

"Are you sure you're not just upset that we're going without you?"

Right on the nail.

I grumble something indistinct and he sighs again.

"You're just going to have to get over it, man. You're way too injured to even get up now, much less tag along. You'll just have to wait it out. We'll be fine."

If I could cross my arms like a pouting child, I would. But with my arm and leg wrapped tight, and the rest of me patched up, movement isn't exactly an option. My frown deepens.

"When can I get up?"

"When your shell heals," he retorts. "We can put casts on your arm and leg, but the fractures in your shell could be easily infected, so it's better that you lie still until the cracks heal over."

I drum my fingers along the table's edge. "And when will that be?"

He shrugs. "Three weeks?"

I hate my life.

"I don't know," he continues. "If we keep up the hydration and cleansing we've been doing, we could probably knock it down to two, but it's just not sterile yet."

I groan and smack my face with my good hand. "Why can't you make some stupid magic potion to speed this up?"

He glances at me, brow arched, his lips thinned out. "Leo, we talked about this. The medicine worked for Mikey because his wounds were strictly epidermal. You, on the other hand, have several broken bones and fractures along your carapace. It's not the same thing." He zips up his bag and slings it over his shoulder. "I'll try as best as I can to figure something out, but until then…you'll just have to make the most of it."

"Yeah, right," I grunt. "I'll just lie here and make the most of doing nothing while you guys go off and have fun. Sounds great, Donnie."

He exhales heavily and shakes his head. "Don't get all whiney, Leo. We need the mutagen, so we're going. Now I've got to go make sure the Turtle Sub is functioning properly, so you'll have to find someone else to complain to."

And with that, he waltzes out of the lab, leaving me alone and grumpy—not a good combination. My nostrils flare and my expression scrunches into a scowl that Raph would be proud of.

Stupid injury. Stupid mutagen mission. This never would've happened if—

I stop and let out a weighty breath. No…this is my fault. I should've known better, and now I'm paying for it.

Karai…

I swallow hard at the memory. I've played it a million times over in my head, but I still can't make sense of it. That seems to be the theme of our relationship. We get along, and I think I'm finally breaking through her shell, and then BAM, something like this happens and derails the entire train.

I just hope you know what you're doing.

The door creaks open, and I twist enough on my side to see Mikey poke his head through. My brow knits.

"Hey, bro!" He beams that smile at me and steps into the lab. "How're you doing? Any better?"

My voice seeps through my clenched teeth. "Don't think I'm letting it go so easily, Mikey."

His brow raises as he feigns innocence. "What're you talking about, Leo?"

My good hand curls into a fist. "You drew all over my face, Mikey!"

He smiles and laughs. "O-Oh, yeah. That. Well, you see, it's kinda funny… Uh..." My glare intensifies as he walks over, and he rubs the back of his neck in the slightest hint of shame. "Donnie already beat me up, if that makes you feel any better."

My eyes narrow. "It doesn't."

He swings his arms at his side idly and makes a face. "Well, I think it looks nice. That monocle I drew makes you look all sophisticated and stuff."

I refrain from throttling him. "And the eyebrows?"

He grins. "I just wanted to see how that'd turn out. I mean, we don't really have any hair…and now I know why." His toothy smile isn't going to get him out of this one, and he knows it. With a nervous chuckle, he leans on the table beside me, twiddling his fingers. "Okay, okay… I'm sorry. What's a bro gotta do to make it all better?"

I almost opt for letting me punch him, but as I open my mouth, another idea comes to mind. A wonderful, horribly terrific idea. I allow myself to smirk.

"Go get the markers. All of them."

~T~

{Donnie}

I slide out from underneath the Turtle Sub and wipe the grime from my forehead. Everything looks okay… I just need to apply some oil to a few of the parts in the electric motor and restock the torpedoes in case our little alien whale friend finds us again and tries to get…friendly.

I shudder at the recollection, mumbling under my breath as I set my wrench aside. I note the grease and black oil smears along my arms and plastron. I better hurry this up and get clean before April comes over. The last thing I need is to be a dirty, slimy mess. Then I'll never get another hug—

A crunching noise startles me, causing me to jerk up from my position on the mechanical creeper to find my little brother swinging his legs from my rolling chair with a bag of chips.

I stop and stare for a moment.

What the…?

"Okay, first off, what are you doing in here, Mikey?" I have to pause and ask myself if I want to even know the answer to my next question. But of course, I'm the kind of person who needs to know everything, so against my better judgement, I decide to pursue it. "And why on earth do you have a paper bag over your head?" I frown, brow drawn. "With…holes for your eyes and mouth cut into it?"

He pops another chip in his mouth with an exaggerated crunch. "So I can see what you're doing and also eat my chips. Duh." He licks his lips and sucks the seasoning off his finger. "Hey, can I help fix the T-sub?"

Now, Mikey does a lot of strange things. I should be used to it by now. But I can't help the silence that comes over me as my brain attempts to make sense of his new head accessory. It takes me a moment to even form a coherent thought, and another moment to process his question.

"No. No, you cannot help with the submarine. You don't know the first thing about submarines."

"Do too!" he argues. "I know it goes underwater and launches cool stuff that explodes and makes all those bubbles." He sits up, and through the hole he's cut in his…face bag, I can see him grin. "Actually, can I be in charge of weapons for this mission?"

"Absolutely not," I retort with a frown. "I want to get back from this alive. Now get that bag off your face and go make sure Raph's doing something productive, because we're leaving soon."

He groans in response and slides off my chair, but the door to the garage swings open and in steps Raph.

"Hey Donnie, do you know where those oxygen thingies are—"

He stops mid-sentence to gawk at Mikey, and that slow silence breaks into a scoff. "I like the new look, bro. I see you've finally taken my advice."

Our brother merely shrugs. "No. I just…thought I'd wear a bag today."

Raph stands there for a moment with his hands on his hips and a knowing gleam in his eyes. The tension in the room builds as the two stare silently at one another, but Raph breaks it when he lunges after Mikey, who obviously saw this coming and is now scrambling around the table in search of escape.

"Guys," I groan. "Guys, not in here! Please? I'm trying to—"

CRASH.

The tool shelves in the corner go toppling over, spilling wrenches, drills, and screwdrivers all over the floor. My face works its way into my palms.

"Of course," I grumble.

Mikey squeals like a girl and makes a beeline for the exit, but Raph tackles him and slams him back into the chair, which rolls right up against the wall.

"Raph, no, wait—don't touch it—Raph!"

But he pins Mikey down and snatches the bag from his head anyway. There's a moment of silence before the entire room fills with Raph's unyielding laughter.

"O-Oh my gosh!" he snorts. "W-What happened t-to your face?"

My frustrated expression gives way to one of intrigue. I set my wrench down and roll to my feet to observe the situation more closely.

"It's not that funny," Mikey whimpers, crossing his arms as Raph backpedals and doubles over with hysteria.

"Y-Yes it is—Oh my gosh, it is!"

I stop and put a hand on my hip, but my eyes widen when I see what's got Raph unraveling at the seams. All across Mikey's face are thick, colorful lines of permanent marker. I blink and lean in closer.

"Is that…is that a cat nose? With whiskers?"

"A-And eyeliner, and lipstick—" Raph's words are drowned out by his continuous giggling. "Y-You look like a streetwalker!"

"Why are there circles on your plastron?" I frown and tap my chin as I inspect the rest of his markings, and my eyes widen with realization. "Are those supposed to be breasts?"

Mikey's eyes snap open and he looks down, hands flying to cover up his chest. "When did he draw those?!"

Raph loses it then. He's on the ground, hiccupping and practically sobbing with laughter. He keeps trying to speak, but he can't get more than a syllable out before cracking up again.

Mikey's eyes have welled with tears and he looks away, furious.

"It's…it's not that funny…"

I can't suppress a smile. In fact, it's taking every fiber of willpower in my being to keep myself from joining Raph on the floor.

"Did, uh, Leo do this to you?" I manage.

He nods, brow furrowed and pouty lip present. I swallow down a barrage of smart remarks and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Well…you kind of deserved it after what you did earlier. You know that, right?"

He nods, sniffling like a child. "B-But he didn't have to draw makeup on me…" His voice drops to a harsh whisper. "I gave him a cool monocle, too."

"Oh man, Leo did this to you?" Raph chimes, slowly pulling himself off the floor. "That's even better! I've gotta go congratulate him or something."

"I thought you were mad at him," I call. But he just waves me off, holding his abdomen on his way to the door as he tries to stifle his amusement.

"Shell no!" he laughs. "This fixes everything!"

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms. "You two are so weird."

He kicks the door open and stops just before leaving. "Oh, and by the way, April and Casey will be here in like, half an hour."

I go to answer but my blood freezes over. "C-Casey?" I squeak. "Why is Casey coming?!"

Raph arches a brow. "Because I asked him to? Dude's been dying to go out with us for weeks. I thought this would be the perfect time."

Oh no. No, no, no, no, NO!

"B-But—"

The whole point was to get some time with April! And now that—that Neanderthal is going to be tagging along and dropping moves and ruining the entire thing?!

"Close your mouth, Don," he retorts. "You look like a fish." He drums his fingers along the door frame and steps out of the room. "You and Mr. Frisky Whiskers better be ready to go!"

I'm still standing there with my jaw glued to the floor. The door shuts, and Mikey looks up at me and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Hey, uh, D?" he whimpers. "Think you can get this off of me before we head out? 'Cause if Casey's coming, him and Raph are gonna tag-tease me the whole way, and I'll never live this down."

I don't respond. My brain's shut down from disbelief and sheer rage.

"Uh…D?" He pokes my plastron. Louder. "Earth to Donnie!"

"I can't—I don't—" My words come out a stuttered, broken wreck, so I just groan and stomp my foot. "He's just so—UGH!"

Mikey lifts his hands innocently. "Whoa, calm down there, bro."

"Calm down?" I snap. My hands grab the sides of my head in a frenzy. "Calm down? Mikey, I can't just calm down. Casey's going with us! He's not supposed to go with us! I don't want him here—a-and we don't even need him for the mission! He's just going to bother me and April, and I swear, if he makes one more move on her in my presence, I'm going to rip his—"

"Whatever you're about to say," Mikey interrupts, "I'm pretty sure I'm too young to hear."

I heave out a breath and snarl. "This is stupid! I can't believe—"

Mikey grabs my arm. "Dude, seriously, just chill. I get your beef with Casey, but he's been a good friend to us." I jerk my arm away and grumble something obscene under my breath. Mikey just sighs. "Donnie, if he didn't like April, would you still hate him?"

I mean, he's stupid and hot-headed and the exact opposite of what I am, but…

My shoulders slump. "…No."

"So what's the problem? April's just a likeable girl—I'm sure a ton of dudes hit on her."

My eye twitches.

"Anyway, my point is that Casey liking April doesn't make him the bad guy. You like her, right? So you should understand where he's coming from."

I swallow. "Yeah, but…"

But he actually has a chance with her.

My words fail me as the thought punches a hole in my chest. Mikey watches me for a moment, somehow able to sense my emotions as they melt to nothingness inside of me.

"Hey," he starts softly. "How 'bout I make you a deal?"

I keep my gaze to the ground and give a half-hearted, "What?"

He smiles at me. "I'll keep Casey distracted for the entire mission…if you help me get this stuff off my face." He looks down and purses his lips. "And off the rest of me."

I look to him, to that sincere grin beyond the insultingly accurate markings Leo left on him. He sticks his hand out, and a slow smile creeps over my face as I reach out to take it.

"Deal."

~T~

{Raph}

"You're quite the artist, Leo."

My voice startles him, and he jerks up from the table, twisting at an odd angle to see me as I step through the lab door.

A wary smile breaks his features.

"Thought you'd appreciate it," he says. He winces uncomfortable and slowly shifts onto his back. "You, uh, getting ready to leave?"

"Yeah." I lean against the counter, crossing my arms. My eyes run over his body—over the wrappings on his broken leg and wrist, over the bruises, cuts, welts, and cracks riddling his form. My heart twangs with guilt and I swallow.

"…Leo?"

His blue eyes flicker to meet mine as I struggle for the right words. But I'm starting to think that they might not exist.

"I'm, uh… I'm sorry." I take a deep breath, reaching into the pit of emotions I keep down inside. "I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier. I was just…upset."

His gaze is deep and dark, searching mine with an intensity I'm shying from. And slowly, he exhales and averts his eyes to the swaying light above him.

"So was I," he mumbles. "I didn't mean to…to blame you. It's not like you meant it. You were just trying to help and I shouldn't have snapped."

I chew on the inside of my lip, absorbing this awkward moment and trying to move past it. I hate apologizing. I'm pretty sure everybody does. But it's even harder with Leo, because even as he says he's sorry, I know the blame rests almost entirely on my side. He has no reason to apologize, but he does anyway. And it just makes it worse.

Three days ago, I carried his broken body back home. I've had all that time to mule over our argument, over his accusing words. Now that the anger has drifted away, I'm seeing that there are some things I should just stay out of. I thought I was helping him—saving his life, even. But I put it in more danger by interfering. He would've been fine if I had just stayed home instead of following him. I may not understand what he feels for Karai, and I may not like her one bit, but the fact is that my brother has gotten tangled up in something beyond him—beyond all of us. No matter how much I disagree, he's still going to go out there and find her, and nothing any of us say is going to change that.

My eyes narrow at the thought, and his voice suddenly stirs me from my reflection.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I realize I've been scowling and I try to shake the dark expression from my face.

"Nothing," I quickly retort. "I'm just…trying to understand…" I sigh, shaking my head and looking directly at him. "Why do you even bother with her, Leo?"

He seems taken back by my question. "I…I don't really know."

Okay, here's the big one.

"Do you love her?"

The words are like an electric shock to him, and he freezes up. I don't break eye contact for a second. I don't want to believe my idiot brother has really fallen so far as to love the daughter of the man we hate most, but there's nothing else that would make sense. He does too much for her, and he gets nothing in return.

"Aren't you supposed to be packing or something?" he grumbles, veering the conversation away. I just scoff.

"Leo, the least you can do is answer me. She's gotten you in a lot of trouble, and I'm just trying to wrap my head around why you waste all that time on someone who clearly has no intention of switching sides."

His throat works as he fumbles for an answer.

"I…I don't know," he says blankly. "I mean, I know that I care for her…a lot. But it's always been…complicated. And after what happened a few nights ago…I'm just confused."

"Meaning what?"

He glares at me. "Meaning she never gives me a chance to decide how I feel. The second I think I have her, she goes and does something insane. I feel like some part of her hates my guts, and the other part can't decide."

I snort. "She sounds peachy."

He frowns, brow tugged down in exhaustion and bewilderment. His willingness to speak on the subject falters and fades away then, and he turns his head back to the ceiling, sighing heavily.

I nod, trying to shrug off the feeling that I've ruined something again.

"Get some rest," I mutter, pushing off the counter. "We'll be back by dawn, okay?"

He doesn't respond, but I don't expect him to. His thoughts have probably wandered back to her, like always. I reach the door and pause when he speaks up.

"You'll keep them safe, right?" he asks.

I turn and glance back to him. "Of course," I say. Those blue eyes shine with worry. I didn't think going on a mission by ourselves would scare him this much.

"Make sure Mikey doesn't touch anything," he continues with concern. "And keep Donnie on track. Get in and out as quick as you can, because knowing him, he's going to want to stick around and play with all the alien tech."

I chuckle. "You don't have to tell me twice." He returns my grin with a careful smile of his own. "Oh," I add, "and the boobs you drew on Mikey? Genius."

He laughs. "Yeah, well, I still can't get rid of the mustache he left. Thought I'd vent my frustrations through the use of some artistic liberties."

I smirk as the image of his "artistic liberties" replays in my mind. I nod at him.

"I've taught you well."

~T~

{Casey}

"You feeling okay, Red?"

I watch her face as we walk through the sewers. It's dark, but I've been around her enough to sense these things, and in the little light there is, I can see the frown between her brows and the small tug on either side of her lips.

"Yeah," she mutters.

I purse my lips to the side and kick a piece of trash into the murky water. "You've been kinda quiet today…" I pass a sideways glance her way and note how the muscles along her jaw work and clench. "Anything you wanna say?"

She sighs and hugs her arms around herself as we go.

"I'm just worried, I guess," she says quietly. "I mean, first Mikey, and now Leo. What're these guys doing? Why are they getting themselves into so much trouble lately?"

I shrug. "I doubt it was intentional, Red."

"But Leo knows that Karai is dangerous. What the heck is he doing hanging out with her? I'd expect something dumb from the others—you know, except Donnie—but Leo? I just don't understand what's going through his brain."

I roll my shoulders. "I don't know. Girls make us guys do some crazy things. Besides, Mikey's fine now, right? Donnie fixed him up, and he'll probably figure something out for Leo, too."

But one look at her shows me that she's not convinced. I sigh and sling an arm around her shoulder.

"Best get it out now, before we leave," I say, softly prodding for further explanation, even though I'm pretty sure I know what's going on.

"I don't want to lose anyone else," she says suddenly. I study her face in the darkness for signs of tears, but her expression is like stone. I refrain from saying anything because I know she's not finished.

"I mean, my dad's back, and that's great…but he's not himself. I can see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, in his thoughts—he's broken, Casey. I already lost my mom, and most of my friends, and now my dad's hanging by a thread. This past year has been crazy enough, and I just…I just don't want to lose any of them, you know?"

I nod, swallowing. "I get you, Red. I worry about them too…but it's not really up to us. We just have to trust them and be here to help when they need it. That's all we can do, really."

She scoffs. "That's not enough, though."

"And it never will be. Not to us, anyway. But I'm sure they appreciate whatever we can give."

She falls quiet, mulling it over. I smile and turn in front of her, grabbing her gently by the shoulders.

"We can't get all bummed out now, Red. We get to go on a mission! We haven't been in forever, and I'm really hoping Donnie will let me drive the sub—"

"He won't," she teases, pushing me back with a smirk. "But he'll probably let me do it."

I frown. "That's not fair. Using your lady charm to get what you want. Pfft."

She laughs—a bubbly, glowing sound that echoes like candlelight throughout the dark sewer tunnels.

"There it is," I reply brightly. "Just keep laughing like that, Red. You'll light the world right up."

Her eyes widen and she looks away, quickly tucking a strand piece of hair behind her ear. I'm pretty sure I see a hint of blush rising to her cheeks, and I smile back casually, despite the skipping of my heart.

"Now come on," I chime, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her along. "We don't want them leaving without us, 'cause Casey Jones needs to check 'infiltrating underwater enemy base' off his bucket list!"

She laughs as she follows behind me. "Casey, you do know that it's an empty base…right?"

I wave her off. "Maybe we'll get lucky! Besides, the guys are hardly ever right when they say something's going to be easy."

She frowns as she thinks it over. "Don't make me second-guess going with you guys."

"Hah! As if you have anything better to do," I joke.

"Well I could've gotten an early start on that assignment for Monday."

I roll my eyes when I see that she's being serious, and my voice is slick with sarcasm. "Oh yeah. Trig homework or breaking into an alien ship at the bottom of the ocean. Decisions, decisions."

She laughs again—man, I love that sound—and speeds up beside me. We joke around some more as we move through the dark, wet tunnels, and before we know it, we've reached the entrance of the Lair.

"You guys are like, five minutes late." Raph's sharp voice ruins our little moment and I look up to see him hopping over the turnstiles. "What, did you stop to make out on the way here or something?"

I wish!

I have to refrain from smiling or saying anything smart, because April hates it whenever Raph jokes about us doing things. I don't mind it so much, but it'd be better if his suggestions were actually true.

"Knock it off, Raph," she growls, shoving past him. He laughs and raises his hands.

"Someone's touchy." He looks to me and smirks. "What'd you do?"

I shrug. "I think she's just jumpy after hearing about Leo. What've you guys been doing, man? First Mikey, and now our boy in blue? I've never seen any of you busted up this bad before."

His expression immediately shifts as the mention of Leo's injury. His eyes darken and he looks away.

"Yeah…just our luck, I guess." There's a tense moment of silence before he clears his throat and gestures for me to follow.

"Come on. You can help us load the sub. That should give April some time to see Leo before we head out."

~T~

{April}

Whatever anxiety Casey's awkward charm chased away with our little walk in the sewers returns tenfold when I step into the lab and see Leo lying on the same examination table that held Mikey only a week or so ago.

"Leo," I breathe, picking up my feet and rushing towards him. He sits up as best as his broken form will allow and gives me a warm, yet slightly pained smile.

"Hey, April." He clears his throat and winces as he tries to turn on his side. "And before you say anything, Mikey drew all over my face while I was sleeping. So, you know...don't say anything."

I note the faded, quirky markings lining his skin, and my lips tug into a tight frown. It'd be funny if he wasn't so hurt, but he is, so right now it's only adding to my sympathy for him.

"No," I say quickly. "It's fine. I'm just glad you're still alive. After what Mikey told me, I was scared to death..." I trail off when I absorb just how injured he is. He averts his gaze in shame while I step around him, eyeing every bruise, cut, welt, and fracture. He's more purple than green, and both his arm and his leg are bound in a thick cast. Even his shell is sporting major wounds.

I absently lift my hand to my mouth in a spur of shock and concern.

"What…what happened to you?" I ask. His brow knits and he sighs.

"Nothing. I just…I just fell, that's all."

"That's all?" I repeat sharply. "Leo, I've never seen you this bad off before! What have you guys been doing that has you ending up here half dead? I mean, honestly, you'd think that you would know by now—"

"April," he mutters. I stop my lecture in its tracks to see the dark and dull look in his usually bright eyes. His face is ragged and tired, with deep bags lining his eye sockets. I mentally curse myself for being so stupid and push a breath through my nostrils, slumping against the table.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I just haven't seen you like this before and I'm…I'm worried."

He offers a faint smile, but it only makes him seem more worn out.

"Don't be," he responds gently. He swallows and clears his throat again. "So you're, uh, going with the guys, right? For the recon mission?"

I brush a stray strand of hair back behind my ear and nod slowly. "Yeah. I wanted to help out. Plus Donnie said it'd be safe, so I figured it couldn't hurt anything to tag along. Gotta practice my mission skills somehow, right?"

"Experience is the best teacher," he says warmly. "Just…make sure they stay on track, okay? Sometimes you're the only voice of reason among us."

I laugh. "Yeah, I've noticed." He smiles back at me, but I can feel the worry seeping off of him. I place my hand on his and soften my expression.

"Hey, we'll be alright, Leo. Donnie's got this thing under control. Besides, he's hacked the Technodrome's security system with the Kraang communication orb, so we've got the advantage."

He sighs. "I know. And it's not that I don't trust all of you, because I do. It's the rest of the world that's the problem. If something happened and I wasn't there…I don't think I could ever forgive myself."

My heart breaks for his concern. I can feel his emotions ebbing and flowing from him, like they're my own. Even when he has nothing to worry about, he worries. Even when it's not his fault, he takes the blame. Such a sensitive and empathetic spirit is a heavy burden to bear.

"I obviously can't convince you," I say gently, "but we'll be fine, Leo."

He keeps his eyes downcast until a knock sounds at the door of the lab and Donnie peaks his head in.

"Hey, April," he says with a shy smile. "We're, uh, ready to go, if you're done in here."

"Yeah, okay," I reply. He nods and taps the frame with his fingers before slipping back out. I exhale and turn back to Leo.

"I'll keep an eye on all of them for you," I promise. He smiles faintly at my offer. I pat his hand and push off the table. "Try and get some rest, and seriously, don't worry about us. We'll be back by morning, okay?"

"Yeah," he mutters, watching me as I walk backwards towards the door. "Okay."

I give him one last comforting look before I turn on my heels and shut the door behind me.

"Everything alright in there?" Casey asks, carrying some box in his arms and studying me with intrigue. I sigh and shrug. "He's just worried. I think he feels left out."

"Ah, he'll be fine."

I nod, but my mind is still lingering on how upset our friend seemed, lying in that room by himself, all busted up with nowhere to go. I roll my shoulders and try to shake it off.

"Need help carrying anything?" I offer.

"Yeah, actually." He steps over to me and slips the box into my waiting arms. "Take that to Donnie out by the entrance. I've got two more to go grab real quick, and then we'll be on our way."

"Got it!" I shift the box further up and frown at the way the edges poke and prod into my forearms. Casey heads back for the garage, and I start walking towards the turnstiles, awkwardly maneuvering the package in a vain attempt to avoid being jabbed.

"Hey Casey—" Donnie almost runs into me and immediately backpedals. "Oh, April! Here, I'll get that for you." He takes the box from me and nods towards the tunnel. "Come on, Casey's getting the last of it, so we should pile in."

"What's in the boxes?" I ask as we walk. He shrugs. "Ah, you know, just some gadgets to help us out. Plus canisters for the mutagen. A lot of canisters."

I chuckle. "How much of that goop do you need?"

He smiles sheepishly. "Well, it…goes fast. With all the experiments and stuff. I just figured it'd be best to be prepared and grab it while it's available."

"Hm." I watch him from my peripherals, noting the odd waves coming from his whirring mind. He seems…off. And not just in the awkward way, like when I'm around, but it's as if he's anxious. There's something he's not telling me.

We reach the Turtle Sub and my concerns immediately fall flat and clatter at my feet.
"Whoa," I breathe. "This thing is amazing! You built this, Donnie?"

A faint blush touches his cheeks and he nods, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I, uh, took it on as a side project of sorts."

"Well, you did an awesome job. That's the coolest submarine I've ever seen!"

His blush deepens and he chuckles nervously. "Thanks. I'll, um—I'll go put this in the back. The door's on the right side." He ducks under the large rudders and I smile after him. It's always so adorable to see him get all flustered like that.

"April!" Mikey's voice draws me from my thoughts and I turn my head to see him leaning out from the opened door. "You should sit next to me!"

I laugh. "Sure thing, Mikey." I waltz over to him, whistling at the size of the sub. He sticks out his hand and helps me up.

"Whoa," I say again. "This…is so…cool." My eyes run over all of the buttons and levers, and my wandering gaze comes to a halt when I see the exercise bikes in the center of the vessel.

"So is this like part-time gym or are we taking engineering advice from Team Rocket?" I quip. Raph snorts at that from his position by the window.

"Donnie made this thing's turbines or whatever run on kinetic energy. Long story short, we've gotta attend a two-hour aerobics class to get this thing charged up."

"Yeah, it's totally awesome!" Mikey chimes, bouncing in his chair. "We used to have to pedal while we were in the water, but D's fixed it so we can do that before. Much easier."

"Pfft," Raph scoffs. "Say that again when my legs stop feeling like jelly." He sits up, pursing his lips while he tries to get comfortable, and then he gives Mikey an odd look. "Hey, how'd you get all the marker off your face?"

"Donnie," Mikey answers simply. Raph glares at him, frowning.

"He couldn't have waited until after April and Casey saw it?"

"Saw what?" I ask. Raph smirks and Mikey looks away, nose scrunching.

"Aw, nothing. Leo just had Mikey all dolled up for a night on the town." His smirk widens. "I think you would've appreciated it, April."

"Yeah, okay," I respond. I make my way to the back and Mikey has me sit between him and Raph. "If it's got anything to do to what you did to Leo's face, I don't want to hear it."

Raph snickers and arches his brow at Mikey, who's shrinking down in his seat beside me.

"Well let's just say that if we left him out on a street corner, he would've gotten picked up."

"Raph!" Mikey whines.

I shake my head as I listen to the two of them, grinning at how comically absurd this whole thing is just as Donnie swings through the doorway and into the front seat. He glances back over shoulder at me and flashes that goofy smile.

"So, uh, April—what do you think?"

"It's pretty cool," I say, smiling back. "Can I get a membership here, or is that offer strictly for mutant ninjas?"

He chuckles timidly. "Hah, yeah, of course—I mean, you don't have to pedal, we've already got it all charged. Not that you can't, if you want, 'cause I'm sure you're very capable, and you've certainly got the legs for it—"

I arch a brow at him and he stops mid-sentence, swallowing.

"Uh, you know, I've gotta go check the motors again. I'll…I'll be right back."

He stumbles out of the sub so fast, he hits his head on the top. I have to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing as I watch him make a beeline for the back of the vessel.

"Smooth," Raph quips. Mikey giggles.

"Dude, Donnie needs to put down the text books and read up on Flirting 101."

"Tch," Raph retorts. "Mikey, what do you even know about flirting?"

Mikey shrugs. "Not much, but I definitely know more than Donnie does."

Raph chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Sorry my brother's such a dork, April."

I smile and wave him off. "You guys know it doesn't bother me."

Raph smirks and eyes me up and down. "But he's right. You do have the legs for it." He wiggles his brow suggestively and I swat at him.

"Don't give me a reason to accidentally cut your oxygen supply while we're down there," I threaten.

He laughs. "I'm just teasing you, April. Sheesh."

"Yo, are we ready to go yet or what?" Casey calls. I hear the thump of him placing the last few boxes in the back before climbing in. He stands in front of me, and I can see his eyes glint for a split-second when he realizes he won't get to sit near me. "Where's Donnie?"

"Trying to mop up the rest of his dignity," Raph mutters. Casey just gives him a weird look and I shake my head.

"You don't wanna know," I whisper. He nods in understanding.

"Ah…he was being Donnie again. Got it."

I try and fail to suppress a giggle at that just as Donnie pokes his head in by the front. He sees Casey, and his gaze flickers between us before he clears his throat and slides into his seat.

"Ready to go?" he asks, his voice just a tad bit harder than it was earlier. Casey nods and gives me a wink before climbing up front to sit where Leo would usually be. I swallow and look down at my hands, knowing how touchy Donnie's emotions can be when it comes to Casey and I. I'll have to be extra careful if we're going to get through this mission without any testosterone-fueled skirmishes.

The Turtle Sub whirs into action. Lights flicker on and the hum of the engine purrs beneath my feet. We start to roll through the tunnel, and I sigh as I try to prepare myself for tonight. With Leo being gone, there won't be anyone to calm things down between Casey and Donnie, or Raph and Mikey. With two hot-heads, a high-strung genius, and…well, Mikey, things are definitely going to be interesting.