Sorry for the 3 month hiatus, I guess Leo's coma is contagious ;-;
Jk jk I just had a major writer's block while also having some major life events going on, plus this was a hard chapter to write.
So chapters should come out regularly now! I'm finally back home and settled in.
Shoutout to SunflowerSpectre, Luescris, and WellHelloTherePerson from AO3 for beta reading this!
I personally don't think this is my greatest chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless!
Chapter 3: Sharing the Load
Leo kept running, his breath puffing out in fast, misty pants. He'd spent the last 15 minutes running in short bursts and taking down multiple FootBots, not knowing where he was going. He only knew that he had to lead them away from his family, and to see if he could surprise Shredder himself, since he had the chance.
A recently abandoned construction site greets him after following every FootBot appearance through part of the now near empty city, snow gently falling from the silent sky.
It took awhile for him to notice that he had been watching the whole time. His undivided attention had been on the bots, foolishly taking down every single one he saw without his normal care. He was stealthy, but not enough to avoid the trained eye of a master ninja. It was just too easy, following them like that; he really thought he had the upper hand.
They nearly stabbed him after yanking his arm up against a wall with a chain, spraining his wrist in the process. He didn't even bother to try and get his other sword back after he lost it a second time, it hurt too much to use anyway. Surely he was almost done with them all? He needed to finish this fight, and fast. He could feel his adrenaline waning. His challenge to Shredder had been a stunt to get him to come down early, maybe even attempting to fight him one on one, before his strength ran out.
Or maybe I should run.
But luck was not on his side in either case. Upon crashing into the pit of stray boarding, dozens of FootBots surrounded him in an instant, and it finally hit him.
It was an ambush, and he actually fell for it. Him! Leonardo! The leader! The planner!
This was his worst nightmare, the very nightmare he had for nights after getting hit repeatedly with that fear toxin, or maybe it had just added fuel to his already high strung mind. Just like in his dreams, he would have likely doomed his family with a mistake like this one.
If his brothers were with him now, they had a small chance of taking them all out. Not in this cold, and not when they would be as tired as he was.
Because Hell, he was so damn tired. They wouldn't stand a single chance if they felt like he did.
His muscles screamed at him to take a break and go somewhere warm, the cold just enough to make him ache, but not enough to numb the pain and keep him going. He didn't have time to dress warmly like they usually would for the winter before the invasion came; everything had happened too fast.
And then he was taking them down, his mind more frantic than it had ever been in his life. Lost to his blind rage and disappointment in himself, he felt the need to overcome his fear right there and then, to prove to himself that he was capable of still being a leader.
His eyes refused to go white as he attacked every single shadow that moved, every scuff of movement. It was like fighting with a spotlight on him– everything reflecting light into his sensitive eyes, his head pounding as his heart thumped in his ears and chest.
He was losing himself. He needed to find his center. Refocus his mind.
He needed to meditate midfight– something he had only practiced a few times with Master Splinter, and something he only successfully did once, against the mushrooms' spores. He took down another bot absentmindedly, charging forward and pinning it to the wooden wall.
Great, it was probably stuck now. Before he could pull it out, a soft thud behind him alerted him of another attacker. He pulled out his hidden tanto and stabbed the bot, kicking it down the landings. He took the opportunity to breathe as he watched it fall, his mind still gone from him.
Shredder and his goons were far enough away to give him a few moments. His chest heaved, the cold air only making it more difficult for him to stabilize himself.
But not long after he closed his eyes in the attempt, he felt an icy, bruising grip on his ankle.
He hadn't been focused on his balance, his mind too distracted by the freezing wind and his suffocating lungs.
He toppled and hit the landing below theirs, flying through the air as gravity refused to let him slow. His knee took most of the force when he met the ground, his exhausted body unable to catch himself, nor able to stop his momentum. The gravel was cruel to him, rubbing against his cold skin in the worst way possible.
Next thing he knew, he couldn't breathe. His entire body was immobile in a sea of black. He knew that somewhere in his mind he thanked the gods he was part turtle, instinct kicking in and preventing him from breathing in the disgusting runoff- but only for so long. He didn't get a good breath in before sinking into the dark depths, and his body was refusing to cooperate and bring him to the surface.
This nearly happened to him a year ago– drowning. He got lucky when he saw the broken escape pod door, just stuck open enough for him to try and slip through. The water had slowed Kraang Prime considerably, while it only provided Leo the speed to get away in time.
He remembered how, as excited as everyone was about "beating the Kraang", later that night they'd all slept in the dojo, an unspoken fear about how it almost went terribly wrong. How they nearly lost someone, for the first time, at the end of a mission.
How they were scared... because they'd nearly lost him.
He had surfaced just in time to hear Raph's heartfelt confession, and it felt like the warmest hug he'd ever received. He couldn't help but smile, the disbelieving word "Really?" escaped him far too soon. He had wanted to hear more.
And he wanted to hear it again. He needed to get out of the water. He needed to survive.
He knew they'd go after his family. He had to be there to protect them!
After what felt like hours in his panicked mind, his muscles suddenly surged, scrambling to the surface as fast as his limbs would take him. Somehow, he managed to pull himself out on his stomach, using his shell to pull his back to the ground with a slight roll.
Oh, the pain was gone, nothing hurt anymore, but he felt a scary amount of nothing. He could barely sit up, much less stand. His lungs violently sucked in as much air as they could as he shakily raised his fists, his fingers barely able to curl.
He wasn't going to die here– at least, he was going to try not to.
And that meant not going down without a fight.
Because now they were just above him, closer than before.
Yeah, there was no escaping this, not unless he won.
And here he was, feeling faint, barely able to keep his eyes open...
At least it's just me, He sighs. Thank the gods it's just me.
"Now… Finish him."
They were too fast, on him before he could even blink- or maybe he was just having trouble opening his eyes. The first punch to his throat from Tigerclaw knocked him hard to the ground, the shock rendering him frozen. Fishface's immediate kick to his ribs forced him to roll on his side, just before Rahzar raised his claws to swipe at Leo's collarbone and shoulder, forcing him back onto his numbed ribs.
He felt nothing but rage. Nothing but shame.
They thought this hurt him? No, defeat hurt him far more. The thought of abandoning his family fueled something primal in him, an animalistic urge to use whatever means necessary to survive.
He lost himself in it.
He was too desperate.
Too terrified.
Too weak.
And oh, he despised it.
Before he knew it, strength he'd never before felt surged through his body, powering his attacks with just enough force to make them back off, just enough to make them hurt. A guttural shout escaped him before he charged towards Tigerclaw, taking him down with a rolled kick. He knew they wouldn't stay down for long, but it felt good anyway.
His chest shuddered as the adrenaline finally left his body, the sudden lack of power forcing his body to slouch forward as he tried to stand again.
An aura hit him suddenly, and all he had time to do was sigh and turn towards the towering figure behind him, a blurry form made of nothing but lights and shadows.
The glint of his enemy's gauntlet caught Leo's blinded eyes, and he screamed as the claws shot toward him.
Oh, it didn't hurt, not at all. He only felt gravity as he fell back, his vision going dark in an instant.
And that was enough for him to finally give up.
He could only hope his family would forgive him.
Leonardo's eyes open to complete darkness, a sudden panic gripping his mind as his consciousness returns. Is he still in the well? Is he back in his coma? His breath staggers as his eyes dance around, searching for any form of light. His panicked eyes land beneath the bedroom door, a stream of light dimly touching the floor.
It takes him far too long to steady his breathing, the fear refusing to leave his body.
It takes him even longer to remember where he is, the day's events leaving him with a throbbing headache and queasy stomach.
He slowly sits up, blindly reaching for the crutch at his bedside as he rubs his maskless eyes. He grunts as he moves to stand, feeling annoyingly unsteady. Walking is gonna be hard as Hell for him… But I don't want to be alone right now.
Despite the guilt that flooded him upon remembering the day of the invasion, guilt about how he very nearly left his family behind in a moment of weakness, he doesn't deny the urgency to seek out his family's presence. The comfort that comes with knowing they are safe, and that he's safe with them, is too much of a need for him to ignore.
He opens the door softly, attempting to sneak down the entryway. He doesn't want to give them the time to come up with a plan to distract him, but that idea goes out the window when April walks around the corner, spotting him quietly scuffling towards the soft mutterings in the kitchen.
"Leo! You're up!" She says a little too loudly. Her eyes flood with relief as she takes him in, but her face drops into concern upon sensing his frantic state. "Do- do you need something? Are you alright?"
He takes a deep breath as he stares at her, willing his tight throat to ease its grip. He speaks softly, but his voice comes out stern, "Family meeting. Now, please."
The order makes her eyes widen in surprise, but she nods to him, nonetheless. "Alright, how about you join us in the kitchen then?" She smiles, gesturing towards the entrance. The room's previous conversation has ceased, likely due to his presence.
He gets why they're doing it, he does, but it still irks him just a tad bit to be talked about in secret.
Get a grip, just be thankful they're even worried about you!
He shakes his head as he enters the kitchen, the thought making him feel even more guilty, almost implying that he didn't deserve their attention or care. But… Did he?
He'd abandoned them at a time when they needed him most, when the city had become shambles as their families were torn apart right in front of them...
His narrow eyes scan the kitchen, taking in his brothers' tense forms. They must've heard his request. He gives them a curt nod of his head as he moves to sit at the end of the table next to Casey, his legs already feeling wobbly and sore. He does his best to hide it.
He's in leader mode right now.
"So, I think it's about time we talk about the elephant in the room…" He starts, rolling his eyes as his brothers all glance at each other with worry. "In the form of a mission report. I need to know what happened while I was out, as much as you all can remember. We'll need a plan, asap, and I need all the information possible to come up with something, especially since…" His browline furrows as he voices his current fear, one that he shared with Raphael during their walk the previous day. His voice is soft when he continues, "Since I have a feeling I may never be the same after this injury."
"Fearless, I'm tellin' ya, as long as you rest, you should be fine, right? Donnie?" Raphael's high pitch at the end betrayed any kind of confidence he was trying to give off. Donnie remains quiet at the question, thinking hard as he glares down at the table. Raph nudges his arm, breaking him out of his trance.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it really is a possibility, you guys," He answers with a worried frown, his voice sounding far too small for Leo's liking. "Building scanning equipment takes a lot of tech and parts, things you don't commonly get from the store without a lot of money, money we just don't have. And I can't just cut open his leg and go searching for the problem, it'd cause massive scarring and only take longer to heal. We can only hope that letting him rest will be enough," He pauses, looking back up at the eldest brother as he timidly mutters a small confession. "Besides, we… We were already planning on leaving within the next week or so… Even if you didn't wake up."
Leo stares back at him just as intently, almost feeling relieved that they were planning to leave him behind. At least, now that he's awake, he can help them come up with a plan.
You would have led them into that ambush.
He grimaces, rubbing his temples once more, the thought feeling like how nails on a chalkboard sound. "That's.. Good. That just shows that you've learned how to make hard decisions. Master Splinter would have agreed with that plan, you know," He smiles despite the painful topic, the memory of his father's words filling the meaningless hurt he felt at the thought of being left behind by his family. No matter the sacrifice, finish the mission.
Yes, this world is far bigger than him and his family. If he needs to be abandoned for its sake, for their sake, he completely understands.
So why does the thought not hurt any less?
It doesn't matter. We have to finish the mission.
Donnie lets out a quiet 'if you say so' as he processes his leader's words, but the response feels empty.
Leo sighs, not wanting to dampen everyone's spirits so soon after his little… Mishap earlier today, but he needs answers! "Alright, back to the topic at hand, guys. What can you tell me about what happened that day? Like, how did you guys even find me? With my t-phone, right?"
The room stays dead silent at his question, a strong sense of panic worming its way between the rest of the group. Leo scowls, "Focus. Report. The last thing I remember related to the Kraang was getting separated from you guys in the sewers. After that, my only focus was fighting the Foot. What were all of you doing?"
He decides to skip his first question; he'll get back to it once they're less on edge.
"Raph and I got stopped by the cops–" Casey starts, earning himself a shove from Raphael.
"Don't rope me into your shit! You got stopped by the cops!" Raph growls at his friend with a raised fist.
"Okay okay! I got stopped by the cops–" Casey has the guts to look sheepish, but turns serious as he continues. "That turned out to be disguised Kraang bots! We beat 'em up and got chased by Kraang Prime nearly all the way to April's place as it… Er, Kraangified everyone and everything. Not much else to tell besides when you–"
"We used the Turtle Mech!" Raphael cuts in.
Leo raises a single brow at the following silence, "And? Did it work?"
Donnie groans, "Not exactly. We ended up frying it and the whole city trying to take out Kraang Prime's mech."
Leo's jaw drops in shock, both in the fact that the mech sort of worked despite its slowness, second that it took out part of the city's entire energy supply.
Oh shit–
"– the survivors!" His palms slam to the table in a panic. "Oh man, for everything to go out so soon–"
"They couldn't be warned," Raph whispers in defeat. "We didn't hear anything from the city until about a month later. It took the freaks that quick to capture most of the island and take over the police, government, and news systems. In other words–"
"This will be one deadly mission." Leo finishes, a heavy weight crashing onto him at the sudden realization. This mission would be their hardest yet, and he can't even be there?! To protect them? To witness it? To supply further help in the case that something goes wrong?
"Easy, Leo, I know that look," April's hand finds its way to his tense shoulders as she moves to sit next to him. "What's on your mind?"
He stays silent, mulling over the pros and cons of the first part of his plan. They'll definitely be against it, and they'll likely overrule my plan due to my injury…
He sighs, making his decision probably far too quickly despite the possibilities. "First off, I'll be going with you-" He scowls as their sudden uproar nearly deafens him. He shoots up from his seat and slams his fist on the table to silence them, his chair sliding back as he leans forward. "-whether my leg is healed or not! I don't need to fight, I just need to be able to move. We'll find a way in, find a temporary hideout, see if we can find Sensei or Karai, and then plan how we're taking down the Kraang once we're inside. Planning for something that big this far in advance would be unwise. Any questions?"
He waits for their answers with a permanent frown, refusing to budge. It's been a few times now that he's noticed how quickly they've taken to his orders, and part of him warms at the thought that they seem to be respecting him more lately, whether or not it's to pacify him in his current state. It meant they were trying to be considerate, even if they disagreed.
Another part of him wishes they'd argue, reminding him not to get too cocky about his ideas.
The thought of how his last plan could have put his brothers in serious danger, and how it almost left them short a brother, when they needed him most, no less…
It almost makes him jealous, watching them silently communicate. Usually that'd be something he'd do with the others– like when Raph was in a mood, or Mikey was raving about something made-up, or Donatello using smart-talk no one else understood.
And now, they were using it on him– in front of him– to decide whether or not he was capable of partaking in such a dangerous mission.
They glance at him every few seconds, spying his glare. You can't make me stay! His eyes scream. I'd sooner risk death than let you do this alone! He watches their fleeting expressions with trained eyes, easily spotting their looks of defeat as they all come to an agreement. He turns to pull in his chair, unable to hide his triumphant grin. I win.
"Alright," Donnie begins with a sigh as he and his brothers join to sit with the others. "If you're that determined to go-"
"Idiot," Raphael coughs behind his fist, spurring Mikey to kick him in the shin under the table. "AH, geez! What was that for, bonehead?!"
"Shut. Up." Michelangelo hisses through gritted teeth. He doesn't want their family's two most stubborn members to sour their first whole family-meeting in months. He's needed this– a signal to the end of his latest routine. He looks back at a shocked Donatello, ignoring Raphael's flabbergasted gawking with a strained, albeit genuine, smile, "Keep goin', D!"
Leo sucks in a breath at the odd exchange, opting to place his head in his hands as they begin to bicker back and forth. Casey softly groans and leans his head back. Leo glances over at April as she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms and legs, as if to get comfortable. Has this been… Happening a lot?
"Why are you being so touchy all of a sudden, anyways? What happened to 'Ooooh look at me! Nothing EVER bothers me'? Where'd that go, huh?"
Wow. If he thought Raphael had matured during his time out of commission, he'll gladly take it back now. He fully knows that Raph doesn't mean it that way, heck, they probably all do. It was likely something he's been self-conscious about, because that's what Raph does. Sometimes he spills what's on his mind in the form of daggers, failing to realize just how hard his words can hit, especially when it's something he's jealous over.
And in Mikey's case, he probably hasn't felt safe enough to crack until now, especially after what they all experienced in the last 24 hours. Now, his brothers are at each other's throats, just over one snide, but expected, comment from Raph, Mikey's retort, and Donnie trying to get them both to shut up.
Today escalated far too quickly for all of them to process, it seems, leaving their patience thin and nerves on edge, especially with them trying to be mindful of his recovery.
For some reason, it makes him feel sick– makes him feel like a liar.
That can't possibly be it, A part of him surmises. They're angry because I haven't been here. What if they knew that it was my fault? That I gave up? Would they still–?
His stomach lurches as he places his hands on the sides of his head, shaking it side to side quickly. What on Earth is happening to him?! He's never experienced such sudden panic over a mere thought so strongly before! And after today… He gulps. Maybe my leg isn't the only thing holding me back.
He hisses from the growing pounding in his head, the realization robbing him of all focus. Another chorus begins to sound over his deafening heartbeat, so he covers his ears, his breath quickening as they start to painfully ring. Everything had been so quiet before, back when he first woke up... But now everything is too loud. It reminds him of how scared he was of dying back then, how his heart and blood had raced as he fought to survive. He gasps as gravity pulls him forward, his head landing in something soft but firm–
Then suddenly, right after the click of a lightswitch, it's dark and quiet. Silent, save for his roaring heartbeat and soft voices gently whispering to him, whispering tearful apologies. He opens his eyes, his breath coming out in sharp, shallow gasps as he comes to. No! He wants to snap. Not again!
The lack of control he's experiencing is a weakness, a liability. He hasn't fully mastered his fear yet, and now it's coming true–
He can't help it as muffled sob escapes him, which only makes him more aggravated. You're better than this! Get a hold of yourself!
His palms slide off his head and land on the table as he tries to ground himself, now aware of the green palm pressed against his forehead. He slowly lifts his head and takes the hand laying in front of him, turning to glance at a tearful pair of baby blues.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I was just– I didn't want anyone to fight! I've missed this. I've missed you! I didn't– I didn't mean t-" Leo rests his hand against a freckled cheek, cutting Mikey off.
"This wasn't your fault," Leo mumbles, his throat tight as he fights another wave of tears. He needs to suck it up. Michelangelo is crying, and blaming himself, when all of this is his own fault. "It's not any of your faults… It's mine," He sucks in a shaky breath as he hides his face behind his hands, rubbing his eyes to try and stop his flow of shame. "I got myself into this mess, okay? I remember everything, and I know none of you are to blame. I'm the one who got too cocky and fell into his trap. That's on me, not any of you. I'm just–" He sighs again, his heartbeat finally at a manageable pace. He rests his head against the table, hiding behind folded arms. Despite managing to calm himself, the tears just keep coming. "I really messed up, okay?! I-I almost-"
"Died?" Donnie interjects, his gaze downcast as he rubs his hands nervously. "Heh, yeah, we know. We saw the aftermath."
Leo scoffs, peeking out from behind his elbows, "No, I…" But he pauses, unsure if he should spill what's eating at him.
It'd be wrong of him to keep it a secret, especially when, right now, he's really hating secrets. "I almost got all of you hurt. If you'd been with me, I would've led you right into danger– danger I almost didn't make it back from. How am I even alive anyways?! How come I wasn't finished off?! That's the one thing no one has told me!" His gaze shoots back and forth between everyone's forlorn faces. "What is it that you aren't telling me?"
April clears her throat, "How about we all just calm down first, and then I'll explain what happened, since it seems no one else can."
Casey raises his hand with a pout, "Uh– 'scuse me, Red, but I cou–"
"Jones," She hisses.
He stalls at her tone, his eyes slowly panning over to her cold glare, "–Coooould get everyone drinks! Yeah, drinks, hold up a sec." He awkwardly stumbles out of his chair and shuffles towards the fridge. He begins stacking the sodas in his arms as the remaining teens watch on with feigned interest, the atmosphere thick as the prospect of the approaching conversation sets in.
"Anyways," April softly continues, her gaze set on Leo's watery eyes. "We tried to text you to meet us at my apartment, but you hadn't answered for quite awhile. Raph and Casey showed up last, raving about how crazy it was outside, and by then we all started to get worried about when you'd show up…" She heaves a heavy sigh, watching as Casey gently sets a can in front of each of them. "We'd just been talking about it when–"
"I jinxed it," Mikey mutters, a guilty look crossing his face.
"Jinxing isn't real, Mikey, that's just superstition," Donnie states warily, rubbing his face tiredly. "It's not your fault, now let April finish... and then maybe I can finish?" He looks at her pleadingly, the exhaustion in his eyes practically begging her to get this done and over with. He doesn't even touch the beverage in front him, despite it being caffeinated.
While it may not take any sort of power to see his weariness, she does feel something else– something that all of the brothers seem to be feeling.
Guilt, she realizes. But why? Leonardo explained his part, but what about the others?
Her eyes dart back and forth between the boys, trying her best to concentrate on their emotions. Identical.
Why is this such a scary topic for them? Unless…
That's when it clicks, and her face drops into a look of horror as the realization dawns on her.
"Leo," She whispers, her heart weighing heavy; now understanding their guilt completely. "They threw you through my window. They… delivered you to us, unconscious and severely injured, just to scare us. I don't think they expected us to escape, but…" She looks away from the shocked eldest, watching as his brothers' faces fall into identical looks of shame. "I didn't realize it until now, but if they had never brought you to us, we may have never even found you. They probably took your t-phone to try and find us, and we'd have no idea where you were without it. And considering that you were unconscious, while we were trying to escape the city…"
Oh. He realizes. Oh. "I almost got left behind." He says, weirdly calm.
"Yeah, while unconscious," Donatello bites out. "And I hate to say this, but I'm glad you came through that window, or else you'd probably be dead somewhere in the city," He eyes his older brother then, and Leo can see the absolute fear in them clear as day. "That's why we're so worried, alright? We'd rather leave you here when you're awake instead of risking you getting left behind again. Shell, we even planned on taking you with us while you were still comatose–"
That makes Leo start, his eyes widening as his harsh thoughts from earlier flush down the drain, "Wait! You… so you weren't going to leave me here?"
The surprised looks on his family's faces all mirror his own in an instant.
"Dude, never!" Mikey exclaims in horror.
Raphael quickly stands. "Are you kidding?! No turtle left behind!" He shouts, pointing an accusatory finger at their wide eyed leader. "You better not've been thinking of something as stupid as that, Leo!"
Leonardo shakes his head, confused. "But, what about the mission? I'd be more of a hassle unconscious than with a bum leg!" He argues.
Donnie scoffs, greatly tired of being interrupted, "Our only other choice was to leave you and one other person here, which would've greatly weakened us, no matter who stayed. Trust me, bringing you with us was our best choice."
Leo frowns, despite the relief flooding his veins. They haven't even considered leaving me behind!
"I-I meant that it'd be easier if you had just… Left without me," He hesitantly replies, refusing to look up, even when he hears someone gasp. "Master Splinter said–"
"Stop," Casey's voice cuts through him, the uncharacteristically serious tone forcing Leo to look directly at him. "If whatever your dad said wanted us to sacrifice you, then I don't wanna hear it, because that's fucked up. And I get the feelin' that everyone here agrees with me, whether or not he said so, right?" At everyone's harsh nods, he continues. "See? Splinter ain't here right now, we are, and if we want to save your ass despite the extra hassle, then shut up and say thank you."
The words bring Leonardo an odd source of comfort, although he feels just a little peeved at how the teen spoke about their father. He slowly smiles anyway.
There may still be some unspoken fears between them all, but one thing's for sure; he doesn't have to worry about being abandoned.
He never had to. Truly, they love him more than duty, more than the world– and that's enough for him to be content.
"Thank you."
Breathe in. He sucks in a slow breath. Breathe out. He exhales, doing his best to ignore the soft snores coming from the sleeping turtle next to him.
They're sitting (napping, in his brother's case) on a warm rock by the stream they'd visited two days before. They came here to meditate, but obviously Raph still has yet to master the activity.
He doesn't hold it against him for passing out, though, Raph did carry him halfway here.
As for Leo, it seems he's lost his former skill level of the art. Thoughts pop into his mind constantly, ones he's never even bothered to worry about before.
He's had anxious thoughts before, of course– with their way of life, it's hard not to.
Especially when he has to face his worst fear almost every single day, yeah, who wouldn't be anxious?
But these… They make him cringe. They make him feel sick. They make him mad.
They give him headaches and upset stomachs. They make him scared for no reason.
And he hates it.
He inhales again, fighting his inner turmoil. Yeah, he really would rather be training right now.
He sighs and opens his eyes, even more annoyed than when he started. Great progress, Leo, he thinks to himself sarcastically. And next, my leg will be magically healed.
He looks down at his wrapped knee with a scowl, as if to mend it by force of will alone. He groans and falls back on his shell with a clunk.
Raphael awakes with a start, looking this way and that. "Wazzat?! Huh?"
Leo can't contain his snicker at the sight of his brother's sleepy delirium. "It's just me, Raph, sorry for waking you."
Tired green eyes finally focus on his smiling face, and Raph relaxes, giving him a small grin of his own. He lowers himself back down on the boulder with an awkward chuckle, "Right, right… So uh, did it work?"
"Nope, nothing," Leo sighs, crossing his arms behind his head. "My mind just… Won't turn off for some reason. It's annoying. It used to come so easy!"
"Well, from what Donnie said, can't say I'm surprised. Along with everything that's happened plus your injuries, it may be awhile before things become normal for you again."
Leo glances at him with a side eye. Raphael's statement came off oddly rehearsed. "Yeah," He replies casually. No use pointing it out, it's not like he's wrong. "Still, I wish I could do something."
Raph hums in agreement, already dozing off in the warm sun, "I hear ya, Fearless. Trust me, we're all ready for you to be back on your feet," A yawn interrupts him. "Besides, I can't wait to beat you in our next fight." He snickers.
Leo rolls his eyes as he huffs a soft laugh, "Challenge accepted, though I wouldn't have high hopes. I can barely even hold my swords right now."
"Which is why I'm waiting until you and Don both think you're ready, 'kay? I'm not beating you up while you're weak 'n' injured, 's not a fair fight."
"When did you care about fairness?" Leo questions jokingly, but frowns upon catching the flash of rage on Raphael's face. "Raph, you good?"
"'M fine, lemme sleep," He grunts, turning his face away.
"I wasn't being serious–"
"It's not that, bro, I just-" He exhales harshly, curling in on himself. "Can we talk about it some other time?"
Leo raises a brow at the calm reply, fully expecting to be snapped at. "I- um- sure?"
"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to bask," He rumbles, resting his head on his folded arms. Mere moments later, and his little brother is already passed out.
Leo wishes sleep came to him just as easy.
"Hmm," Donatello marvels at the large branch he collected earlier. It's a beautiful shade of wood, sturdy, and could easily be carved out of. "What could I use you for?"
"Hey, Donnie!" April strides through the open barn doors. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Oh, uhhh, hey April!" He swiftly turns around, giving his crush an awkward smile. "Just trying to figure out what to do with this branch here. It's a nice type of wood, but I don't know what to use it for. Originally I thought I could make a new staff out of it, or maybe a training sword for Leo, but it's too soft for that. Any ideas?"
She smiles as she approaches the branch on his desk, unfazed by his rapid steps away from her. "Well, if you can't use it for fighting, why not make something pretty?"
He cocks his head to the side, "Pretty? Why not something useful?"
She crosses her arms with a proud smile, unaware of how her bright face makes his heart flutter, "Uh, who said pretty things can't be useful?"
He gulps, "N-not me! I mean, haha, look at you!" She cringes at his compliment, so he quickly backtracks. "I-I- uhhh, I mean, you're pretty and useful, you know, how kunoichi are supposed to be, so, I'm just… Stating facts." He finishes lamely, his fingers locked together in a nervous embrace.
"Riiiight," She giggles, his attempt at making things less awkward for her not going unnoticed. "Listen, if you want to make something 'pretty and useful', how about a decorative container of some kind?"
His face brightens at the idea, his previous embarrassment forgotten. Then he looks back at her, a sudden epiphany showing itself through his expression. "Aha! Eureka!" He gently but firmly grabs her by the shoulders and walks her to the barn doors, his excited grin unwavering. "Thanks, April! Talk to you later!"
Before she can turn to reply, he shuts the barn doors in her face. "Uh, glad I could help?" She shrugs, walking away with a shake of her head.
Sometimes her nerdy genius doesn't make total sense, but she enters the farmhouse happy nonetheless.
That was the first time he's really smiled in ages.
Let me know how you liked it!
