What's up? After short (but thoughtful) deliberation, I decided to go with Leo's POV for this chapter. I like to see him get all protective over his little brothers, anyhow, and I feel like I've kind of been slowly squeezing him out of the story, which was not my intention at all. I made this chapter extra long, too, just to prove my point.

Read on, valiant reviewers!

Summary:Raph is sure he can't take Leo's almighty attitude any longer. He channels his rage through the Nightwatcher, a mask he puts on to beat down criminals of all kinds. However, when Raph (as the Nightwatcher) is captured by desperate criminals, he begins to realize how much he really needs a leader. He also might have found love in the process. RaphxOC, M/M SLASH! Don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I don't make money. Like, period.

Leo peered through a window to Donatello's lab, where he was told the stranger would have to spend the night. He had thought the man an enemy; he hadn't followed him, he had chased him to where Raph was being held. Now, watching how Raph interacted with him, he wasn't so sure.

It wasn't like the guy had been able to prove himself dangerous. Leo had been obligated to drag his unconscious body back to the lair, with Raph insisting that Don treat him. The man had been out cold ever since, even when Don had administered the stitches.

Leo still couldn't bear to look at that leg. The hatchet had torn it wide open, and Leo had been worried the guy (his name was Flame, right? Yeah, that's what Raph said) would bleed out before they even made it to the sewers.

He had so many questions, and hadn't received any detailed information as of yet. All Leo had been able to wring out of Raph was that Flame was a good guy, and the freak with the tattoos was a bad guy. Apparently, they were of some other kind of humanoid species. After disclosing the bare bones of the situation, Raph had fled to the lab.

Watching his brother now, Leo wasn't entirely sure Raph was in the right frame of mind. Don had set the broken wrist, and his brother now used his other hand to gently stroke Flame's shoulder. They had been like that most of the evening, long after Don had left the lab to fill up on coffee.

Could they be...? No, he didn't want to think about it.

Leo wasn't complaining, of course. He was beyond relieved to have his brother back, and Raph appeared less... Angry. Flame had this calming effect on Raph that Leo didn't quite understand yet, but he was confident he would get to the bottom of it.

Speaking of figuring things out.. Don emerged from the kitchen, looking much more awake than he had staggering from the lab hours earlier. Leo nodded a greeting, which Don returned with a shy smile. Together, they watched as Raph muttered something they couldn't hear to Flame's still form. Only very shallow breathing betrayed the fact that he was still alive.

"Will he make it?" Leo asked, not a sliver of emotion in his voice. He had seen people die of injuries like this before, but that was Central America, and they didn't have Don as a doctor.

"I'm optimistic about him," Don replied, pausing to take a sip from a mug he had brought with him. "His physiology is different from anything I've ever worked with before. His cells have already made significant progress in repairing the damage, but his brain will probably continue in sleep-mode until they're almost finished. As long as I can keep the wound clean, he shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Leo took some time to absorb that. "Do you truly think he is a part of another race?"

Don shrugged. "Like I said, his physiology is different. I wouldn't go so far to say that he is another race entirely, since he is so close to humans already. However, I would venture that he's farther down in the evolutionary line, or maybe even a branch off of it."

"Huh?"

"He doesn't have a true nervous system," Don was quick to explain. Leo's dumbfounded expression only encouraged him. "They act like sensors to what is going on around him, but not for his actual body. I ran a few tests while I was in there, and the 'nerves', if you will, can pick up vibrations. Like, sound waves and whatnot.. But they'll only register pain for maybe a couple of seconds. Then the waves get ejected. I think it's an adaptation."

"Is there anything else?" Leo asked, narrowing his eyes. Don took another sip from his coffee, the picture of calm.

"Not that I'm aware of, though I'll probably talk to him about it when he's awake."

"What will we do with him when he does wake up?" Leo wanted to know. He honestly didn't care about Don running his little experiments; science wasn't his thing. He needed a plan of action, here.

"That's for you to decide. Though I'm pretty sure Raph would want to keep him here.."

"What?"

"Hey, just a hunch!" Don wisely backed away, but not before winking at Leo, who in turn face-palmed. At least he knew he wasn't the only one wondering, though. Raph had seemed so protective-and come to think of it, Flame had been that way, too, when he was awake.

He would have to talk to Raph, which was just what he had been consciously avoiding ever since they had reached the shelter of the lair. Raphael had thanked him for his help, and even apologized for that fateful argument that had gotten them into this mess, but other than that, his brother had seemed too distant for Leo's tastes.

To be fair, Raph wasn't the only one who hadn't been very conversational. Leo had been content to keep his trap shut on the way back, to concentrate on the task of lugging Flame and (at least partially) Raph back home. When they arrived, Don had promptly whisked them away, and now he was here. Worried out of his mind.

If Raph thought he had missed burns wound around his wrists, as if he had been restrained, he was dead wrong. Something fishy was going on here, put Leo couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was instinctively suspicious of Flame, as well. Leo had seen the madness in his eyes when he had attacked tattoo-man, and wondered absently if Flame was crazy.

Leo supposed he couldn't blame him. That man, the one who had tried to hurt his brother, would have been in seriously deep shit had Leo been able to catch him. As it was, the man had had a get-away car waiting for him. Trying to follow him after that point would have been pointless.

Raph leaned down to murmur something else in Flame's ear, then abruptly stood up, snapping Leo out of his reverie. Finally, Raph was coming out of the lab. He watched with interest as his younger brother stretched before pushing open the heavy door, making his way to the kitchen.

Tentatively, Leo followed him. If Raph noticed he had a shadow, he gave no sign. Instead, he ambled over toward the coffee machine, pouring himself a cup in Splinter's chipped "World's Best Dad" mug and settling down at the kitchen table. Leo promptly sat across from him. Raph only grunted in greeting.

"You tired?" Leo asked, because it seemed as decent a way to start a conversation as any. He always felt a little awkward talking to Raph, mainly because that usually meant he had to do most of the actual talking.

"I feel dead," Raph rasped, taking a huge gulp of his coffee. "Decided I wanted to be more awake, just in case he..."

Raph trailed off, frowning as a new thought hit him. "Did Donny say he would be okay?"

"He says he's optimistic," Leo parroted Don's words back to Raph. "Says his cells are different, so he'll heal sooner."

Raph nodded as if he already knew this. Leo couldn't imagine how, and eventually, his need to know got the better of him.

"Raph, what really happened while you were gone?"

For a few horrifying seconds, Raph choked on his coffee, sputtering all over the place. Leo wondered for a minute if he would have to perform the heimlich maneuver. He relaxed once Raph seemed to get his breathing back under control.

"Now, why'd ya feel the need to ask me that?"

"Well, I haven't exactly been as informed about this as I would like to be."

"Uh huh.." Raph trailed off again, his eyes narrowing.

Leo's frustration was growing by the second. He took a deep breath. "Listen, I just need to know what the hell is going on. You can't disappear for that long, almost get killed, come back home with those burns around your wrists and some punk kid we don't even know and expect me to just flow with it!"

Leo was left gasping for breath at the end of his short rant. His voice had risen substantially with his mounting emotion, and he couldn't understand why Raph didn't seem to have any sense of urgency about him. Despite this, Raph had moved his hands under the table where Leo couldn't see them, which was proof enough. There was something Raph wasn't telling him.

A heavy silence engulfed the room, only broken by the turtles' breathing. Leo waited, willing himself to be more patient. He shouldn't have blown up like that, but stress was eating him and he didn't know how else to make Raph talk.

"Can't ya just leave it?" Raph finally spoke, his voice quiet. Leo blinked. All this behavior was so very unlike Raph, he wondered if he had brought home the correct brother.

"You know that I can't," Leo replied just as softly, mimicking Raph's tone. "What happened to you? What's wrong? I want to help."

Raph chuckled darkly. It wasn't a real laugh. "There's nothing ya can do for this, Leo."

"Try me."

Raph only sighed, shaking his head. Leo thought he was about to leave, to clam up, but his brother once again opened his mouth. His voice sounded so broken, it tore at Leo's heart.

"I'm so messed up. I dunno what to think."

Leo couldn't quite grasp what his brother was talking about, but he was determined to provide at least a sympathetic ear. "You're not. I know you, Raph. You'll figure this out, whatever it is."

His brother covered his face with his hands, and Leo could've sworn he had heard a tiny sob if he didn't know Raph better than that. Almost unsure of what to do, Leo reached out to squeeze his younger brother's shoulder.

It was as if Leo's world had suddenly flipped upside down, and Raph was an enigma in front of him. He needed to understand, he had to solve the puzzle.

"Raph, is this about Flame?" Leo asked, careful to keep his tone even. He had to stifle a reaction as Raph nodded his head, still keeping his eyes covered.

"Is it something you want me involved in?"

No.

"Does Flame know about this?"

No.

If what he was thinking was correct... Leo squeezed Raph's shoulder again, then pried the hands away from his brother's face. Raph only offered up a little resistance, and even though Leo had suspected it, he was still shocked to see a few stray tears streaming down Raph's cheeks. Still, his brother avoided his eyes.

"Raph, look at me," he said firmly, instantly drawing Raph's gaze to him, even as he frowned at the order. "I think I know what you mean, but I'm afraid you're going to have to spell it out for me. I can't help you if you don't."

Raph pressed his mouth in a tight line. He still didn't speak.

"Nobody else has to know what you tell me, understand? Not even Splinter. I won't judge you, brother."

Leo held Raph's too-bright eyes for a moment, and all the fight seemed to drain out of the both of them. Raph took a shaky breath.

"I-I think I might.. I mean, I do.. Maybe.." Raph growled at himself, but Leo waited patiently while his brother tried to find the right words. Eventually, Raph seemed to decide to throw caution to the wind.

"I like him," Raph blurted, then abruptly closed his mouth again, covering it with one hand as his eyes went wide in shock. Leo could see the gears turning in his brother's mind as he searched Leo for some kind of indication of something, anything. Leo offered his brother a small smile.

"Okay."

"Okay? How is this okay?" Raph asked incredulously, his voice rising. Leo could tell his brother was quickly approaching hysteria, and endeavored to calm him down.

"Listen, listen, Raph! It's okay! Really! Raph, are you listening? Fearless says it's okay, so that means it's okay. Got it?"

"W-Why..?" Raph started, but couldn't finish his question. He was panting now, though he had already started to calm down. He gulped down air, already formulating another question.

In the meantime, Leo thought about what his brother had just admitted to. Was he truly okay with it? Leo had thought about his, er, options in the past, and he had always just assumed romance wasn't a possibility for him. He had calmly accepted the fact that any human would most likely run away screaming as soon as they caught sight of him, and had prepared for a life of celibacy. He felt he could do it..possibly. But what of this chance Raph had? Flame hadn't seemed disturbed by their mutant appearance at all. Was it really right? Two males?

Leo honestly didn't know. He knew the human culture varied widely on what kind of relationships they accepted, but Leo had never been one to base his opinions off of what others believed. He would have to meditate about this.

Right then, Raph's face broke out into a wide grin, and suddenly Leo didn't really care about right or wrong. If the man called Flame could make his brother this happy, he would always endorse them. Leo pulled Raph into a friendly hug, patting his back. As soon as Raph couldn't see his face, he scowled darkly toward the lab.

If Flame ever hurt his little brother, there would be hell to pay.

Ahhh. Leo is awesomeness, don't you agree? I think this is him at his best, and he so rarely gets the chance to show it! And Raph in this chapter is just too cute. I couldn't resist writing a brotherly scene between these two, they're just...

Ahhh.

Anywho, I've got to go get back to life now. I'll post as often as I can! Please, please, please leave me a review. I absolutely love them, and it would totally make my day, which has admittedly been kind of sucky so far. Toodles!

-DauntlessAdrenaline