A/N: I can't even tell you how many times I've edited this chapter. I wrote it back when the idea for this story came to me and have obviously been building up to it ever since. I hope it answers all the questions. I'd love to hear what you think.

Casey paced back and forth in his room. His head hurt and his nose probably needed to be cleaned but there was no way he was leaving his room to go to the bathroom sink.

His heart leapt when he heard his bedroom window slide up and he spun around with a goofy grin on his face.

A goofy grin that was shut down immediately when he was faced with a blue-clad turtle instead of the red-one he was expecting.

Leo stood inside Casey's window and looked him up and down. He had left his warm bed which contained his warm Raphael and snuck out of the lair. Casey wasn't just messing with Raphael, he was messing with April as well, and Leo had decided that he and his brothers had been friends with the human long enough to ask him about it directly instead of waiting for the situation to implode and hurt someone.

Leo was there to confront Casey but his mouth stayed shut as he took in Casey's new black eye and bloody nose. His eyes darted to Casey's bedroom door as he heard Casey's father's slurred speech as he beat on the door before he re-focused on Casey's face. Casey wasn't making eye contact and flinched when the door shook under the force of his father's fists.

Finally, he lifted his eyes to guiltily meet Leo's.

"Get your shit," Leo said, lifting the bedroom window open again and stepping back onto the fire escape. He left the window open and waited a few minutes until Casey climbed out carrying his hockey bag. They silently climbed down and headed to the closest manhole cover.

They were walking in the sewers when Leo finally spoke. "You going to tell me you had hockey practice at 3 am between Woody's party and now?"

Casey kept silent. It was always easy to use hockey to explain away any visible bruises.

Leo snatched Casey's hockey bag from what looked like a dislocated shoulder and glared at him when he attempted to take it back. When Casey gave up and let Leo carry it, Leo began speaking again.

"This thing with you and Raph has gone on long enough. He thinks I haven't noticed. You think I haven't noticed. But you haven't been out by yourselves in a year. And you aren't exactly subtle, either. You left a shell-shaped indent at the farm house and Raph walked around with paint and drywall stuck in his shell. You're irritating Raphael, pissing me off and hurting April."

He paused and glared at Casey as they walked. Casey kept his eyes on the ground in front of them. Since he wasn't going to speak, Leo continued, "Apparently, Raph wanted to handle this himself because he hasn't talked to me about it. And since you were his best friend, I was keeping myself out of it. And I would've kept myself out of it if I hadn't seen you tackle and then straddle my Raphael tonight," Leo growled out. He glared again at Casey, fighting to keep his balled fists to himself since it appeared that Casey was already pretty injured.

It hadn't escaped Leo's notice that Casey still hadn't said a single word to him. He stopped walking, which forced Casey to stop as well. Since becoming a member of the Hamato's team a few years ago, Casey's obedience to the leader of the team was second nature, even if stopping to listen to more of Leo's lecture was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Can we just not talk about it?" Casey finally said.

Leo stared at him.

"April ditched me at the party and I got into a fight on the way home."

Leo continued to stare at him. Casey hated Leo's piercing blue gaze. He'd seen enemies crumble under it in the past. He refused to do so now. He stared back hard at Leo.

Leo raised an eye ridge at the stubborn human. Then he smirked and began walking back to the lair in silence.

He entered the lair and was immediately encased in a hug from Raphael. He could hear Raph's fast breathing and had to wonder how long Raph had been awake and worried about him.

"You didn't take yer T-phone you ass," Raph said into his neck. He tensed when he spotted Casey trailing in after Leo and realized Leo was carrying one of Casey's hockey bags on his shoulder.

"What happened to you?" Donnie asked, walking out of his lab.

"Casey got into a fight," Leo answered. "I'm pretty sure he needs his shoulder put back in place, Don." He pulled back far enough from Raph to run a hand gently down his mate's cheek.

"A fight with you?" Raph asked.

"Why do you think we'd get into a fight?" Leo asked and watched as Raph looked nervous. Leo hated it. He pulled himself out of Raph's arms and stepped around him, pushing Casey into Don's lab to get some medical attention. He slung Casey's hockey bag into a corner by the cot before turning and heading upstairs to his room without a backwards glance.

Raph stood still and watched Leo go before he marched into the lab and stood next to the cot, arms crossed as he watched Don pop Casey's shoulder back into place. His friend grimaced and let out a grunt. Other than that, he remained silent as Don handed him an ice pack for his eye and cleaned the blood off his nose. Then Don excused himself from the clear tension in the room. He'd already been rudely woken up by Raph as he demanded Don track Leo's T-phone, which it turned out, was sitting in Leo and Raph's bedroom. Now that his medical expertise was no longer required, he was happily going back to bed.

Casey looked up and then back down when he caught Raph glaring at him.

"Start talking, Jones," Raph said.

Casey scowled up at him and then turned his back to Raphael. He laid down on his uninjured shoulder and pulled the blanket he found on the cot over himself.

Raph continued to glare at Casey's back before sighing dramatically and turning to head upstairs. If Casey wouldn't explain himself, then that left Raph to face Leo without any real answers. Because if Leo had snuck out and headed to Casey's place in the middle of the night, then Leo sure as hell knew something was going on.

When he entered his and Leo's shared bedroom, he found Leo sitting on the edge of the bed with one candle lit on the bedside table.

"Why would Casey want you to come over to his place tonight?" Leo asked immediately.

Raph found himself standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. "Casey's just confused," he said. "I was pretty sure he was gonna snap out of it."

"Snap out of what?" Leo asked. His voice was quiet but firm. His gaze centered on something on the floor.

Raph sat next to him. Leo had swapped into leader mode and Raph knew it was time to talk to him about Casey's advances. "Whatever has him hitting on me or attacking me at every opportunity."

"Since when?" Leo asked, determined to keep his breathing under control.

"Since I told him about us," Raph said. "It was like a switch flipped in his head and he started tellin me I should consider all my options."

"And he considers himself one of your options?" Leo asked. His chest felt tight. He and Raph had been together for a year. A whole year. And Raph hadn't mentioned this once.

"I don't know why he would," Raph said, trying to read Leo's expression. But all he could see was Leo's stony leader expression, which meant he was hiding what he was feeling. Raph felt a knot form in his stomach. Leo hiding his feelings felt worse than if Leo would just rant and lecture him.

"Has Casey ever talked to you about his relationship with his father?"

Raph sat back. He wasn't willing to let Leo drop this subject that fast. "We need to talk about this Leo."

"I think this is tied to that," Leo responded quietly.

Raph stared at him for a beat and then said, "Casey never talks about his dad. How does it have anythin to do with this?"

"Casey was waiting for you tonight, right?" Leo said, looking directly at Raph for the first time.

Raph nodded. "But I didn't go," he said pointedly.

Leo looked back at the bedroom floor. "You should've seen his disappointed face when I was the one who came through the window," he muttered.

Raph reached out and tried to rub his hand up and down Leo's arm only to have Leo flinch away from him. "Leo," he whispered.

Leo stood. "I need some air," he said, starting towards the door. He stopped and looked over his shoulder when he realized Raph was beginning to follow him. He grabbed his T-phone off his new bookshelf, hooked it into his belt and then said, "I'm going out by myself. You need to straighten this out with Casey." Then he turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Raph stared at their closed bedroom door and cursed silently. He thought about knocking a few things over and storming off himself. He couldn't even remember the last time he stormed off. There'd been no need. Leo kept him grounded in a way that didn't require dramatics from him to feel like he got his point across. Leo was good for him. Leo was his other half.

How could he have let this whole mess hurt Leo?

He quickly twisted the knob on the door and sprinted down the stairs to find that Leo was already gone. He changed course and stomped his way into the lab. He switched the lights on and was gratified when Casey sprung upright, startled awake.

He saw that it was Raph descending on him and he groggily asked, "You comin in here to sleep with me?"

Raphael punched him in the face.

Casey yowled in pain as he was flung backwards, his back hitting the wall behind him. His hands flew up to his cheek and he glared at Raph.

"Start talkin Jones or I'm gonna to blacken yer other eye."

Casey pulled his legs up to his chest and continued to glare at Raph.

Raph pulled Donnie's desk chair over in front of the cot and sat down. "If I'm not gettin any sleep tonight, then neither are you."

Casey stopped rubbing his bruised cheek and let his hands drop to his sides. He felt sick to his stomach. He glanced up at Raph every few minutes. At first he was determined to wait this out. Raph would have to go to sleep at some point. But after a while he could feel himself cracking. This was his best friend Raphael sitting in front of him. If he couldn't tell Raph, then he truly couldn't tell anyone. He began to work up his nerve.

"I'm no good for April," he finally mumbled under Raph's hard stare. "I won't let her come over to the apartment and she gets mad about it. But if she saw where I live – who I live with – what he's like," Casey's voice trailed off.

Raph thought about Leo's questions about Casey's dad and started to get a bad feeling. He attempted to tone his glare down a few notches.

"I don't know how to get out of there, Raph," Casey said. "I'm 21-goddamn-years old and I'm still stuck living at home because every time I mention movin out he threatens-" Casey's voice trailed off again. He took a deep breath. "He threatens me. He threatens my little sister. He threatens April. I love April, Raph. But I need her away from all of this. I already got my sister moved out to my aunt's place. But for some reason April hasn't dumped my ass yet."

"And me?" Raph asked.

Casey glanced towards Raph with his one good eye. "I'm sorry, man. I thought – I shouldn't have tried to drag you into my crazy world. I just thought maybe you could knock some sense into the guy."

Raph stared at him. "You thought the best way to ask for help was to make passes at me in the hopes that I would eventually take care of yer dad for ya?"

"It sounds kind of dumb when you say it out loud," Casey muttered.

"I was already part of yer crazy world, Jones," Raph said, rubbing one of his hands down his face. "You've managed to hurt Leo, April, me and now yerself just because yer an idiot and didn't know how to ask for help?"

Casey rested his face down on the tops of his knees.

"Yer our brother, Casey," Raph said. "Don't you know that every one of us would do anything to help you?"

"He's right, Case."

Casey's head whipped up from his knees at the sound of April's voice. He found April taking steps into the lab towards him while Leo leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His steely blue eyes stared hard at Casey's face.

April sat next to Casey and took one of his hands. He smiled a grateful smile at her at she traced over his black eye with her other hand. Then he leaned around her to look at Leo again.

"I'm really sorry, Leo," Casey said. "I didn't think about how I would be hurtin anyone else. I was just gettin kind of desperate."

"You are an idiot," Leo said without venom in his voice. "But you're our idiot. You're staying here until we figure something else out. The bed in the spare bedroom is more comfortable than that cot."

Casey answered him with a nod before he ducked his head back behind April.

Leo glanced at Raphael, who had sat eyeing him silently the whole time, and then headed back upstairs again.

"You want me to carry yer bag up?" Raphael asked.

"I got it," April said, rising from the cot. "You should go talk to Leo. He didn't say much after he picked me up. He seems pretty upset."

"I'm really sorry, Raph," Casey said.

Raph nodded, happy to see signs of his old friend returning. "I appreciate you apologizin to Leo." He nodded to them both and headed up the stairs to his and Leo's room.

Only it was completely empty when he got there.

Raph wouldn't have heard his silent mate move around the lair even if he had wanted to, but Raph had been pretty sure that Leo was heading upstairs when he left the lab. He turned and quickly headed down the hall to the bathroom and found it empty as well. He walked back into his and Leo's room and found Leo's T-phone on top of the bookshelf again. So Leo had come upstairs. But where the hell was he?

Raph went back in the hallway as April and Casey were closing the door to the guest bedroom. Mike's and Don's bedroom doors were closed. Raph doubted Leo would head into either of their rooms at this hour since Sadie and Woody had spent the night as well. He glanced over at his old bedroom and noticed the door was open. He headed in there and was surprised to find Leo lying in the hammock with his shell to the door.

Raph approached his old bed slowly. "You managed to get in there without knocking yer shell to the ground?"

"I'm a ninja master," Leo said, his voice quiet. "I only fell out that one time and it was your fault."

Raph smiled at the memory. He had been trying a certain maneuver on Leonardo at the time and the hammock just didn't allow them the space required for such an activity.

"What are ya doin in here?"

Leo turned on his shell and stared up at Raph's old ceiling. "Before we got together, I used to lie in my bed at night and wish I could crawl into your hammock with you," Leo said. "I just wanted to be somewhere that would remind me of that. I feel like I don't know you right now. And I hate it."

"Leo, you know me better than anyone –"

"A whole year, though," Leo said, sitting up now in the hammock, swinging his legs over the side so he could face him. "A whole year, Raphael?"

Raphael cringed at the pain in Leo's eyes. At the sound of his whole name in that tone of voice.

"I thought you and Casey were just fighting this whole time. You didn't tell me when I asked you about it so I decided to stay out of it. I figured you'd ask me for advice if you needed it. I had no idea that Casey was – that you weren't telling me Casey was making advances," Leo said, harshly. He could feel his anger rising. "Casey is a jackass who didn't know how to ask for help. Fine. But you? I thought I was your best friend, Raph. More than your best friend. How could you not tell me what was going on?"

Raph dropped to the ground and sat in front of Leo. He wanted to tell Leo he'd take it all back if he could. That he'd never do something so dumb again. But that sounded petty in his head. Plus it sounded too much like the apology he'd made a year ago when he'd tumbled into Leo's bed after what had amounted to a four year absence from his best friend's life.

"I'm so sorry, Leo," he finally settled on. "What can I do?"

Leo looked down at his pitiful mate. He felt confused. He loved Raphael. More than anything. Part of him wanted to grab Raph and pull him into a fierce hug. But the other half wanted distance. His toes were creeping backwards to push the hammock back towards the wall, to put a little more space between them. How many times was he going to set himself up for disappointment from Raphael?

They sat silently for a few minutes. Leo eyed Raph and Raph eyed the floor in front of him, watching Leo's feet move away from him.

How many times was he willing to put his faith in Raph's hands? Leo didn't have to consider the question for long. He'd put faith in Raphael over and over again forever.

They were much bigger than something as insignificant as this.

"It's clearly in your nature to keep things from me if you think you're protecting me," Leo said, staring at Raphael's sad, downturned face. Raph watched Leo's feet stop moving. "And I want you to cut that shit out."

Raph's eyes shot up to Leo's face as he heard the curse and the teasing tone of voice. He sighed in relief at the look on Leo's face and Leo smiled. Raph raised himself onto his knees and moved forward so he could wrap his arms around Leo's waist.

"Aishiteru, Leo," he murmured into Leo's plastron. "I couldn't handle losing you."

"Me either," Leo replied, wrapping his arms around Raph's warm shell and resting his cheek on the top of Raph's head. "I love you, Raphael. Get in here with me."

Raph smiled and skillfully shifted the two of them side-by-side into the hammock. Their legs tangled together and he again wrapped his arms around Leo's shell. Leo began tracing the scar at the top of his plastron.

"I spent a lot of time wishing you were in here with me, too," Raph said, allowing Leo to nudge his face to the side so he could rest his face in Raph's neck. "I'm sorry I keep making mistakes and messin up. You are more than my best friend, Leonardo. I'm going to tell ya everything from now on. Yer gonna get sick of my voice."

Leo huffed out a laugh. "I'll never get sick of your voice."

Raphael listened to Leo's breathing even out and debated opening his mouth again. It seemed like Leo had forgiven him for not telling him about Casey's strange behavior. He didn't want to upset this new calm, but he had questions. And he'd rather get it all out tonight.

"Leo?" he asked quietly. Leo nudged his face into Raph's neck in response. "Do you think I'm a terrible friend for not knowing about Casey's dad?"

Leo shifted his head back so he could look at Raph's face. "Of course not, Raphie. Casey didn't want you to know, so you didn't. He's been very good about hiding all of this."

"How'd you know?"

"When I got to Casey's place earlier, his dad was yelling and trying to beat his way through the bedroom door. And when Casey heard the window opening, his face was so full of hope that you'd come. He thought help had arrived."

"Are you mad at him?"

Leo sighed and shifted, not that he could move very far. "Casey is a member of this clan. And although members of this clan don't always make the best decisions," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm bound to protect all clan members."

Leo sighed again. It might take a while for their family to be right again. But their family was always worth it.

"Of course, all clan members are also expected to be on time for practice in the morning. And I do intend to kick both your asses in the dojo."

Raph smiled down at his mate, "Well, if that's yer intention, then let me see what I can do to tire you out tonight."

"My shell better stay in the hammock this time."