A/N: Hi guys! This one has ALSO been a little bug buzzing in my brain lately (among other things), so I decided to put it out there before it flew away.

I always wondered about if Leo would ever really break after the ordeal with the Foot during the Invasion *cries forever in a ditch* but when he didn't I was SO PROUD of him for staying so strong, and yet I couldn't but feel a little dissapointed, because he's 15 YEARS OLD for crying out loud! Who wouldn't break down after something as horrible as that?! But anyways, I figured after they found Splinter *cries again with happiness* that Leo would go to Splinter, and eventually his walls would crumble.

Here's what I think could/should/would happen!

I OWN NOTHING BUT MY FEELS!

Enjoy!

(P.S: I lstened to Fairy Tail Soundtrack Atarashii Yuujou whilst writing this, so I can tell you right now that there were tears here.)

Reunited

"Master Splinter?"

His ear flicking once atop his head, Splinter cracked one eye open to find his eldest son, Leonardo, standing inches away from where he sat with his legs folded beneath him. After they had snuck inside the old building that Michelangelo had proposed they hide within until they could find a more permanent abode, the six teenagers had come an agreement that the storage room, the largest room in the whole place besides the dining area itself, in the very back of the abandoned pizzeria would be Splinter's temporary room until further notice. Splinter he had kindly declined the gracious and thoughtful offer, but at the children's insistence, his argument quickly became invalid, and so he relented to their request. He was currently meditating in the far corner of the room whilst the others attended to cleaning the place up a little to make it, at the very least, somewhat liveable.

Splinter opened both eyes, regarding his oldest child with a fond smile as Leonardo took a seat in front of him. "Yes, what is it, my son?" he asked. It had been so long since he had seen him, all of them…and though he was so very relieved to have them by his side once more, he couldn't help but remember the last time he had seen Leonardo…

He'd watched as they had all reluctantly fled from the lair as the Kraang droids appeared by the dozen, led away by their leader who gazed up at him with wide, fearful blue eyes.

He had deemed that they would have gone somewhere safe, somewhere he could find them and then think of a plan to escape the city together…but when he'd journeyed to the surface alongside Leatherhead only to find Leonardo's discarded katana imbedded within one of Shredders Foot Robots…and then to hear that Shredder had taken yet another child away from him…

Splinter quickly discarded those thoughts. The past no longer mattered; his sons were with him now, all of them. There was nothing left to fear, at least for now.

Leonardo smiled back at his Sensei respectfully, just as he had always done. "I just came in to ask if you're okay," he explained, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he cast a disapproving gaze across the old dusty room. "I mean, I know it's not exactly the most ideal place to meditate, but…"

Shaking his head, Splinter reached out and laid a clawed hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Do not fret, my son. I am very much comfortable here for the time being," he said, and then grimaced once he spotted a particularly foul looking stain on the wall on the far side of the room. "Though it is true that the smell of pizza does not help in terms of meditation…" he muttered under his breath.

Leo chuckled at that, attempting to stifle it with a hand over his mouth, but failed. "Well, at least Mikey's enjoying the smell," he joked with a shrug.

Splinter nodded in agreement with a chuckle and a shake of his head at the reminder Michelangelo's antics…but the smile he wore slowly faded as the muscles in the shoulder he held began to tense under his palm. He then looked down at where Leo had placed his hands on his lap, only to find them clenched into loose fists. Splinter's brows furrowed as he glanced back at his son, who seemed to have noticed that he noticed.

"Perhaps it is I who must be asking if you are alright, Leonardo," he ventured, watching carefully as Leo's eyes drifted to the side. Releasing his shoulder, Splinter regarded his pupil curiously. "What is it that has made you anxious, aside from the obvious?" he asked with a tilt of his head to the wall, implying the current alien infested city beyond the safety of their temporary home.

After a moment, Leo sighed lightly. "…I'm sorry, Master Splinter," he said at last, his fingers idly messing with the wrapping on his wrists. "I know I should be more concerned about more important things, like finding Karai, stopping the Kraang and Shredder and freeing the city, but…I can't stop thinking about what happened…"

His ear flicking, Splinter immediately knew where this was going, and his hand reflexively tightened into a loose fist just as Leonardo's had done earlier. Though he had arrived too late to save him that tragic day, Splinter was well aware of the horrors that his son had experienced by the hands of Shredder and the Foot, so much so that not even his voice was the same once he'd recovered. But even though he had overcome their fears in the Spiritual Realm, there were still doubts that lingered over his young leader's head.

Though he knew that what Leonardo was about to say would probably tear his heart in two, Splinter chose to say nothing. This was something that his son, whether he knew it or not, was desperate to release, so it was his duty as his teacher, his father, that he listened intently.

"…I…I can't stop thinking about how I'd failed," Leo continued, his eyes downcast. "…you were right about Donnie and I. We should never have argued and let our egos get the better of us. If we hadn't then maybe things would've been a little different. Maybe we could've all escaped the city, I wouldn't have gotten caught by the Foot…in fact, if I'd only stopped Karai from going after Shredder that night, then maybe he wouldn't have –"

"Leonardo," Splinter cut in abruptly, making the blue masked turtle look up at him expectantly. Splinter's expression was concerned yet understanding all at once as he gazed down at him. "There is no need to cry."

Confused, Leo made a face. "…what?" he stammered, and then let out a watery chuckle as he lifted a hand to his face. "I-I'm not crying, Sensei. I'm –"

He was silenced instantly when he felt the dampness on his mask.

His eyes going wide, he then traced his cheek to find a steady stream of tears trickling down his face. What? He wasn't aware that he'd been crying at all. He'd been completely fine before, so why…?

Blinking rapidly, Leo snapped himself out of his trance. "U-Uh, sorry Sensei," he chuckled, feigning a smile as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears, but that only brought more to fall down. "H-heh, sorry. Get it together, Leo, geez!" he joked weakly, his voice wavering as he smiled at Splinter, even as the tears continued to fall.

Watching his son sadly as he fought to compose himself, Splinter reached out once more to lay a soft hand against his cheek, startling Leo as he blinked in surprise. But he did not shy away from his touch as he used his thumb to wipe away a tear. "You do not need to apologize for anything, Leonardo," Splinter said gently. "Though your actions may have caused you and your brothers to become separated, you fought bravely against our enemies. Despite knowing that the odds were against you, you did not give up for a moment. You fought for the safety of this city…and you fought for the safety of our family. Even when you believed you were at your lowest point, you continued onwards to the road of recovery. And I watched you and your brothers as you battled your foes on the Spiritual Plane. You heeded my words well, and you became like the 'Wind' itself. And now you have led your brothers back to me, reuniting our family once more."

Cupping Leo's face in both hands, Splinter smiled down at him. "I am certain that your brothers are proud to call you the rightful leader of your team, Leonardo. And I am honored to have the privilege of calling you my son."

A shuddering gasp escaped Leonardo, his eyes widening further as Splinter drew his hands away from his face, and he could no longer stop the tears from falling as they dripped down his cheeks ceaselessly. Squeezing his eyes shut, he covered his face with his hands as he quietly began to sob into them, his shoulders shaking as they wracked through him. "…thank you, S-Sensei," he gasped through his tears. "…thank you…"

Unable to watch his child cry any longer, Splinter took him by the shoulders and brought him close to his chest, wrapping his arms firmly around his son as he buried his tear-stained face into his robes and continued to sob. Rubbing his hand across his shell in soothing motions, just as he had always done to them when they were younger, he heard Leo's muffled voice…

"I m-missed you, father."

Splinter smiled, holding his son tighter and closing his eyes as they welled up with tears also. "I have missed you as well, my son. But we are reunited at last. There is no need for tears any longer, my child…"

A/N: I am dead.

I hope you liked this! More drabbles along the way! (P.S if anyone wants to see a No Love Is Greater drabble on here, tell me!)