"Okay, let me make sure I've got this right. We spent six nights running all over Brooklyn looking for the Purple Dragons and didn't find out anything so we called it quits. Then Leo and Raph decide that they need to go look one more time…even though…there was nothing in the police reports or news that seemed remotely connected to the Purple Dragons. And while they were out wandering around they just happened to be at the pier the exact moment Hun up with Ruffington and learn that those two have some sort of shady business arrangement going on again. Does no one besides me find that weird?"

Mikey looked at his three brothers and waited for a response to his question. He had just listened to Leo tell the story of what he and Raph had witnessed last night while they all sat around the breakfast table. While he recognized the potential value of his brothers' experience, Mikey was not a turtle who typically believed in happenstance.

"…yeah…it's a little weird…" Donnie finally offered, picking up his spoon for his oatmeal.

"Call it a lucky coincidence," Leo advised his youngest brother. "We now have confirmation that Hun is up to something."

Mikey's eyes narrowed contemplatively. "What made you decide to go to that part of Brooklynn anyway?"

"We hadn't really covered that area during our earlier patrols," the leader lied smoothly. He had been rehearsing answers to potential questions in his head even before he'd crawled into bed last night. "I figured there was nothing to lose by checking it."

Satisfied by the answer, Mikey settled back in his chair and started gnawing at his bacon. "So, what's the next step then, boss? Are we going after Hun or Ruffington?"

"We're going to gather as much information as possible before we go after anybody," Leo declared and sipped his tea. "The more we know going into it, the better off we'll be coming out of it."

"I've been keeping tabs on Ruffington since his trial last year," Don revealed while looking at his older brother. "His company took a big dive in the stock market and he lost at least two major customers even after being acquitted on all charges. Apparently, there are some companies out there that don't want to be associated with alleged felons."

"Losing that business must have made him desperate for money," the leader suggested thoughtfully. "Which is probably why he's working with Hun again."

"Probably," Don agreed. "Since you and Mikey helped destroy Ruffington's old warehouse, he'd need a new location for his black market operation. With a little internet digging, I'm sure I could find out where." Taking a drink of coffee, he pointed at his half-finished bowl of food. "I'll get started right after breakfast."

"I'll look with you," Leo offered, eager for more information.

The scraping of wooden chair legs against stone flooring made the katana-wielder look left. Raphael had gotten to his feet and moved to the sink to dump his dirty dishes. He hadn't said a single word all morning to anyone and when he turned to leave there was a noticeable anger in his stride.

"Where are you going?" Leo wondered with genuine curiosity. His brother spared him neither a glance nor a word. No one doubted that Raph had heard Leo and yet the eldest decided to raise his voice and tried again. "Raph?"

The hothead's response was to quicken his steps. He didn't exactly slam his bedroom door shut, but the rest of the family no longer had to wonder about his destination. A half minute of quiet passed then both Mikey and Don looked to Leo.

"What's his problem?" the jokester asked, jerking his thumb towards the door.

Leo shrugged and tried to appear indifferent. "I suppose he's upset because he was convinced that the Purple Dragons weren't up to anything. You know how he hates being wrong."

"You didn't rub that in his face, did you?" Donnie questioned, arching an eyebrow at Leo.

"Yes, Don, I purposely antagonized Raph about something petty because toying with his temper is a favorite hobby of mine," Leo answered with a slow roll of his eyes. "It thrills me to no end when I manage to make him mad to the point that he takes a swing at me."

"I knew it!" Mikey said under his breath and grinned hugely at his big brother when Leo glared at him.

Donatello did not appreciate Leonardo's sarcasm. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time you did that." The genius didn't even flinch when Leo turned the evil eye in his direction. "Seriously, Leo, what am I supposed to think when Raph's giving you the silent treatment after you guys were out together? He wouldn't be doing that unless you had an argument over something. The two of you had been getting along really great lately. What happened?"

Leo swallowed to suppress the panic that was rising in his throat. He could lie and thus avoid telling Don that he and Raph had gotten into a spat during the wee hours of the morning. Upon returning home from their patrol, Leo had soundly rebuffed all of Raph's attempts to join him in the shower which had quickly soured the sai-wielder's mood. There was good reason for Leo's decision though. The first thing he'd noticed when they'd walked into the lair was the light streaming out from under the door to Don's lab. No way was he going to risk anything when their brother was still awake.

Yes, Leo could lie, but one perk about being the leader was that he didn't have to answer to anyone.

"Nothing that you need to be concerned about," he said crisply. Gathering up his own dishes, he placed them in the sink and headed for the exit, any intentions of working with Don gone from his mind. "Let me know what you find out about Ruffington. I'll be in the dojo."

Don frowned at Leo's retreating shell. He waited until he was certain his big brother was out of earshot before turning to Mikey. "Why does he always do that? Why can't he ever give a straight answer when someone asks him why he and Raph are at odds?"

"Because you're asking him to talk about something he doesn't want to talk about," Mikey replied matter-of-factly. Seeing that Don was not impressed by his statement, he decided to elaborate further. "Dude, we…" Mikey gestured first to Don and then to himself. "…don't get to talk to Leo about how he interacts with Raph unless he initiates the conversation. Leo only does that when he needs to vent about something Raph said or did and when he needs someone to validate his anger at Raph. Even then, he's really careful about what he says and won't go into the nitty gritty details and if you start interrogating him, he shuts down. I think it's because Leo's convinced there's a right way to answer those questions, but he doesn't know what it is so he deflects. You can't ask him explain his relationship with Raph to you when he doesn't understand it himself."

"Their relationship shouldn't be that complicated," Don said with a shake of his head.

"But it is," Mikey told him. "That's why they go from wanting to punch each other's teeth out to jumping in front of a bullet for each other in the blink of an eye. Leo and Raph have always had that weird special bond between them. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it before."

"I have noticed," the purple-masked ninja assured. "They've been like this since we were kids. I just don't understand it."

"You don't have to," Mikey insisted. "Just accept it for what it is, bro. Those two are going to fight when they need to fight and hug it out when they need to hug it out."

Donnie was silent for a moment as he reflected on what he'd heard. "You've put a lot of thought into this."

The jokester shrugged carelessly and finished off his cup or orange juice. "You like to study science; I like to study people."

"Dare I ask what conclusions you've made about me?" Don wondered.

"Misunderstood genius, jack-of-all-trades, and dinosaur nerd with a big heart who sometimes forgets that life exists outside of his lab and/or garage," Mikey answered with a teasing grin. He winked at his brother and gave him a thumbs-up. "And that's why we love you, man."

Donnie smiled softly, feeling his face flush at his brother's words. "So do you think we should worry about Leo and Raph?"

"Nahhhh," Mikey replied, waving the question away. "Those two boneheads will figure out a way to resolve whatever's going on between them…" He paused for a second and then added as an afterthought. "…eventually."

XXXX

Raphael's fingers flexed as they sought a better grip on his barbell. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his arms to unrack the two hundred fifty pound weights and began his next set of reps. His face was hot and sweaty - a state he had worked himself towards gradually with his stringent warm-up routine. He was just starting to feel that good burn of his muscles being put to the test and he reveled in the familiar sensation.

The monotony of the exercise and the solitude of his bedroom were doing wonders for his temperament. With each pump of the iron, he felt his mood boost. He was well on his way to forgetting why he was supposed to be mad at Leo.

At least until his door swung open and the fearless leader himself strolled right on in.

Raph's arms never lost their motion as he turned his head to see who had come to visit. After rolling his eyes, he looked back up at the ceiling. He heard the door close and then Leo appeared to the right of the weight bench, arms folded over his chest and chin tilted upward. The blue-masked ninja said nothing, only watched as the younger turtle continued to lift. Raph pressed his lips together tightly. He'd be damned if he spoke first.

"Don figured out where Ruffington's new headquarters are," Leo finally announced. "It's a new warehouse in Dumbo. We're going there tonight for a recon mission." He waited for a response, but his brother gave none. "I need you to be on board for this." Nothing. Leo scoffed and shook his head in annoyance. "How long do you plan on giving me the silent treatment? Until I get down on my knees and beg you to talk to me again?" Still nothing. Mouth twisting into an angry frown, he grabbed on to the barbell and pressed down with all his might, pining it to the hothead's chest. "Damnit, Raph! Stop acting like a child!"

The two turtles glared daggers at each other. A growl rumbled forth from Raph. With what seemed like no effort at all, he pushed the weight off of him, Leo included. Raph racked the bar and stood from the bench to shove his big brother out of his personal space.

"Where the hell do ya get off telling me ta stop acting like a child after that little tantrum ya threw this morning?!" Raph hissed, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"Refusing to let you shower with me because Don was awake two doors down from the bathroom is not throwing a tantrum!" Leo snarled back. "You storming off to go pout is throwing a tantrum! You're just mad that I denied you sex!"

"No! I ain't!" the sai-wielder argued. "And the fact that yer thinking that is what's pissing me off the most!"

Elbowing his sibling aside, Raph marched over to the mini-fridge tucked in the corner of his room, snatching a towel from the top of his dresser along the way. He mopped the sweat from his brow and hung the towel on his neck before extracting a bottle of water from the fridge. Leo stared at Raph's shell as the larger ninja chugged his drink. His own anger had diminished, replaced by a sudden nervousness that made him fidgety.

"…what else do you have to be angry about?" Leo asked quietly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Capping the empty bottle, Raph chucked it into the trashcan on the opposite side of the room and sighed loudly. "…ya don't get it…" He turned towards his brother again. "…I told ya a long time ago that I ain't in this just for the sex anymore." Raph stepped back over to where Leo was standing. "I want ta connect with ya, Leo. There are other ways ta do that than sticking my dick in yer ass and vice versa. I want ta know what yer thinking and what yer feeling. I want ta be the one ya come running ta for comfort. I want ya ta let me love ya the way ya deserved ta be loved. And I want ya ta want me just as bad." His features morphed into a scowl and his hands tightened to fists. "But yer too damn afraid of what other people will think about ya ta let that happen and it fucking pisses me off!"

Leo's face was scarlet and his dark eyes wide. His chest felt uncomfortably tight as his heart beat wildly. Raph's confession turned accusation caught him off guard and he had no idea how to recover from it. He tried to speak several times, opening his mouth only to snap it shut again.

"…I…I'm s-sorry…" Leo sputtered at last though he wasn't quite sure what exactly he was apologizing for or what it could possibly do to help his current situation.

Shamed, his gaze dropped to the floor. He wasn't ready for the commitment that Raph desired, but the thought of possibly losing what they had now absolutely terrified him. Leo's mind reeled with confusion. The room was beginning to feel uncomfortably cramped. He needed to get out. Spinning on his heel, Leo prepared to make a mad dash for the door, but a hand closed around his upper right arm and yanked him back around to face Raph.

"Ya start running, I start chasing," the hothead threatened, but there was no malice behind his words. "I ain't letting ya go, Leo. Ya belong with me." He reached out with his right hand to cup his brother's face and his voice grew even softer. "What do I gotta do ta make ya see that?"

Leo couldn't breathe. That ability had been robbed from him the moment Raph touched him. He was going to pass out at any second.

"…give me more time…" he pleaded. "…I need more time to figure this all out…"

Raph's disappointment showed on his face, but he said nothing, just nodded and released the shaking leader. Leo was filled with instant regret with the lost contact. He needed to soothe Raph's hurt feelings, to let his brother know that he wasn't being completely rejected and that this wasn't the end of the affair going on between them. There was only one way he knew how to do that. Grabbing Raph by the shoulders, Leo stepped close and kissed his brother's warm cheek.

"I'll come see you later tonight…" Leo promised in a near whisper as he leaned back. "…we can talk after…"

He fell silent as he found himself caught in the intensity of Raph's gaze. It acted like gravity, pulling him forward until his lips were crashing against his brother's. One quick kiss wasn't enough to satisfy Leo. He needed more. There was no resistance from Raph as Leo pressed him into the wall and deepened the kiss. Leo's hands drifted to Raph's hips and three seconds later he felt Raph's arms ring around his shell.

Stop, Leo told himself. Stop before you won't be able to…

But Leo's body wasn't too keen on listening to his rational mind. Not when Raph was kissing back with so much enthusiasm.

…stop…

Not when Raph's skin felt so enticing underneath Leo's fingers.

…everyone's going to figure out what you're doing…

And not when Raph smelled so damn good.

…stop…

So damn good.

…stop…

…no…

Now he was arguing with that annoying voice inside his head. Gods, he wished he could make it shut up. The constant nagging was ruining this moment, preventing him from enjoying it to the fullest. Tightening the grip he had on Raph, Leo crushed their plastrons together with the notion that doing so would help him focus solely on his brother.

It worked for about five minutes. Feeling lightheaded from oxygen deprivation, Leo finally broke away to catch his breath. Raph was panting just as hard and his face had regained that bright red color he'd earned from his earlier workout.

While they stood there, chests heaving and noses brushing, Leo became aware of the fact that Raph's hands hadn't moved an inch. The discovery surprised Leo. Any other time, Raph would have already advanced from possessive groping to clothing removal at this stage. This sudden display of self-control piqued Leo's curiosity and also made him determined to encourage Raph to break his restraint. Still huffing, Leo closed his eyes and attacked Raph's mouth with renewed vigor while reaching for the sai-wielder's belt.

"Hey, Donnie! Have you fixed the game console yet?! My high score in Battle Ravage isn't going to raise itself you know!"

Leo went rigid the moment he heard Mikey's voice approaching Raph's bedroom. Eyes flying open, he jerked his head in the direction of the door and watched it with baited breath. He was assuming that Mikey had just exited his own bedroom and was too impatient to wait until he reached Don's lab before he started badgering the genius about the broken gaming system. From across the lair, Leo heard Don shout an undistinguishable reply.

"What do you mean it's not top priority?" Mikey exclaimed in horror. "I have a reputation to uphold, bro!"

His words were fading as he spoke them, a good indication that he was moving away from Raph and Leo's location. The leader waited until he could no longer hear his youngest brother before he released his breath. Leo's heart was hammering and his limbs trembled. Turning back to Raph, he buried his face in his subordinate's shoulder.

I told you to stop, his mind told him haughtily. See how close you were to being caught?

Raph said nothing, but strengthened the embrace he had around his sibling. Twisting his neck, he managed to plant a reassuring kiss on Leo's cheek. The gesture made Leo lift his head to look at Raph. Both turtles knew that their spontaneous tryst was over before it had really gotten started.

"After," the red-masked ninja said lowly, staring unblinkingly into Leo's eyes.

Leo didn't need Raph to elaborate. He understood from his tone that he was still expected to show up here tonight following their recon mission. Judging by the way Raph was looking at him, Leo didn't dare try to and find out what would happen if he disappointed his hotheaded brother.

"After," he agreed.

Raph let his arms fall to his sides. Leo sighed wistfully and retightened Raph's belt which he had only been able to loosen slightly. Without even thinking about it, he leaned in and kissed Raph goodbye before turning to leave. He used the short time it took to cross the floor to re-establish his normally stoic composure and slipped quietly out the door. Raph gazed at the exit for several minutes afterwards and a smile slowly grew across his face.

Piece by piece, Leo's walls were crumbling.

XXXX

Leo hit the ground hard, dropping flat onto his plastron to dodge the bullet being fired at him. He immediately rolled to the side as his assailant re-aimed his gun. Transitioning into a crouch, he leapt for cover behind a long row of stacked shipping crates. What had started out as a simple recon mission had unexpectedly turned into a crime-stopping operation and subsequently a fight for their lives.

The ninja cursed inwardly.

How the hell could he have predicted that the warehouse roof was going to collapse?

Dust was still falling, creating a hazy atmosphere all around. It was both advantageous and annoying. Leo's eyes were streaming and his throat itched terribly. Squeezing into the dark gap between two crates, Leo held his breath and waited. His enemy made a great deal of noise on approach, thus creating an easy target. Leo dispatched him with a solid blow to the temple and relieved him of his weapon when he flopped unconscious to the floor.

Keeping his guard up, Leo climbed to the top of the crates so that he could locate each of his brothers. Donnie was busy disabling the one freight truck that the roof hadn't crushed. Raph was covering the genius, fending off the group of three men that had been loading the vehicle while Mikey battled with the two brutes who had been standing guard at the main door. Everyone else was buried beneath the rubble.

Except for Ruffington. As Leo cast his gaze across the ground below, he spotted the blond man with an armful of paperwork and briefcase in hand sprinting for the emergency door. Eyes narrowing, Leo jumped from his perch and took off in pursuit.

He had almost reached the coward when Ruffington decided to glance over his shoulder. A look of sheer terror crossed his face and he quickened his pace. Ruffington burst through the emergency door, triggering the alarm, and tried to slam it shut again in a poor effort to slow his pursuer.

Leo kicked the door open, escaping into the open night air just in time to witness Ruffington climb into the driver's seat of a black BMW. The engine turned and roared to life. Tires squealed as the crooked human put the car into drive and gunned it. It was pointless, but Leo gave chase anyway. He saw Ruffington glance in the rearview mirror and the car accelerated. Wheezing for air, Leo slowed to a stop and watched helplessly as Ruffington sped out of the warehouse lot to merge onto the adjoining street.

And slam into a minivan approaching from the west.

Head-on.

At over seventy miles an hour.