Drama ... That's all I really have to say. Emotions can be so undecided.

The next time he woke, the atmosphere was different.

He didn't open his eyes right away, but he could feel that something was missing. He curled his fingers and realized his hand was empty. The scent that had lulled him to sleep was far less prominent and there was so much room in front of him that he had to catch himself as his head dipped forward. A little stunned, he blinked his eyes open and found the space next him was vacant.

He turned to look over his shoulder as something shifted behind him and found Raph shuffling through a crate of reading material, one hand clutching the crust of a pizza slice as his bulging cheeks harbored the rest. Leo watched him pick between two magazines then stuff the rest of the pizza in his mouth before turning back toward the bed and meeting Leo's gaze. He tilted up his chin in greeting then crawled over Leo to reclaim his spot on the bed, sitting up with his shell against the wall and his ankles crossed. He used the back of his hand to brush crumbs from his mouth, licked his thumb and then opened the magazine and began reading.

Leo blinked up at him, lost for a moment in this image and remembering why and how he'd ended up staying in Raph's room the night before. He glanced up at the ceiling toward the nest of shuriken still embedded in the cement and felt no fear of being impaled. In fact, he'd completely forgotten they were there. His eyes traveled around the room and took in the crack of light beneath the door.

"What time is it?" he asked, staring across the room.

"I dunno. It was ten-thirty the last time I checked, but that was a while ago."

Ten-thirty? He felt he should have been alarmed at this—he rarely ever slept in so late—but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to fuss about it. Instead, he turned his gaze back on his brother. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Why would I?" Raph said. "It's Saturday. It's like the only day we have off."

"I don't like sleeping in."

Raph snorted. "I do."

Leo rolled his eyes and finally convinced himself to sit up. "That's great, Raph, except I'm not you. It's a waste of daylight."

"Psh, daylight. Dunno if you've notice, Fearless, no windows."

"Doesn't mean the sun hasn't come up."

Raph gave his magazine a flourish. "The universe waits for no one."

"Did you just read that out of your magazine?"

Raph pursed his lips. "No."

Leo shook his head with a smirk and threw his legs over the side of the bed, commencing with the routine of donning his gear.

"Wanna know something?" Raph asked. Though his voice was quiet, Leo could picture his eyes staring fixedly at the pages in his hands, only now unblinkingly so.

"What?"

"You're cute when you sleep."

Leo paused. And he'd never admit, not even to himself, that his heart gave a very peculiar skip at these words. He stared over at the drum set across from him before gathering enough courage to slowly peek over his shoulder. Raph wasn't looking at him.

Leo turned back to the front again and continued pulling on his kneepads.

"Well, you're not exactly the snarling sewer monster Mikey always said you were either, Raphie."

"Pfft ... That little gremlin."

Leo found himself smiling yet again but this time caught it before it could grow beyond his control. He reeled it back in quickly and set his face to one of indifference before allowing himself to turn and peek under the pillows and sheets.

"What are you doing?"

"Where's my mask?"

Raph's eyes stared down at him now, level and completely separated from his magazine.

"It's Saturday," he said.

Leo furrowed a brow. "You said that."

"Our day off."

"Yeah?"

"Are you going somewhere?"

Leo glanced up only long enough to catch the glint in Raph's eyes before he continued ruffling up the bedding with his search. "No."

"Why do you need your mask?"

Leo's nose twitched. "Why are you wearing yours?"

Raph pursed his lips and let a beat go by before slowly reaching over to flick Leo in the throat. The older turtle flinched but then reached up to feel the fabric hanging around his neck like a scarf. His cheeks accumulated a mild burn and he tried not to lose control of the muscles in his face as he reached back to loosen the knot.

Raph shook his head to himself and looked back down at the magazine. "Karai and Mikey are watching TV," he said in what would have been a passive voice if not for the note of implication.

Leo frowned, glancing toward the door as he pulled the knot around where he could see it and continued to fumble with it. He said nothing.

"You can hang out in here if you want," Raph continued.

Leo grimaced, a bubble of restlessness now tightening in his stomach. The knot was too tight. "I spent the whole night in here," he said.

"Really? I hadn't noticed. You mean you were here the whole time? Why didn't you say nothin'?"

"Funny."

"I'm not laughing," Raph said, still not looking back at the other turtle.

Leo narrowed his eyes. The stubbornness of this knot in his bandana was now fanning at flames of annoyance in his chest. "Would it be so terrible to step out of the room for five minutes?"

"Depends on how you look at it." The younger turtle shrugged. "You really want to deal with the duchess right now?"

Leo's teeth came together. "I can handle her."

"Oh, you mean the way you did last night? Good times. Remember when you busted down my door and started crying?" Raph laughed bitterly. "I forget. Was it because you're a bitch, or because you got rejected by one?"

Leo's blood boiled. "I can't get this stupid knot!" he screamed, finally tossing his hands down.

Raph rolled his eyes and threw the magazine to the side before yanking Leo close and working the knot loose. The older turtle fumed silently, allowing his muscles to ripple with anger, watching his brother's fingers do what his couldn't.

"I liked you better when you were sleeping," he said on a hot breath.

Raph scoffed, not the least bit fazed. "And I liked you better before you became obsessed."

"I'm not obsessed."

"I'm sorry," Raph said, jerking the knot closer, allowing the fabric to burn the back of Leo's neck and ignoring his grimace. "What word would you prefer me to use? Infatuated? Attached? Predisposed? Dominated maybe?"

Leo's jaw came unhinged and he glared with choked disbelief, but before he could stumble over an objection, Raph ripped the freshly untied mask from his throat and shoved it at his chest, keeping narrowed eyes locked on his brother's. Leo clenched his teeth, suddenly so frustrated he couldn't find the words to retaliate.

"Why did you come in here last night?" Raph said.

Leo sat back, brow furrowed. He opened his mouth in a form of protest, but Raphael cut him off with a shake of his head.

"Why did you come to me?"

Leo hesitated, his heart skipping beats it shouldn't have. "I don't know. Why are you trying to hold me against my will?"

"I'm not holding you against your will. Get the fuck out, if that's what you want to do. It's your life. Maybe I didn't wake you up because I knew you'd do this, but who the fuck cares?"

"Oh," Leo said, crawling off the bed to back away. "Now who's obsessed?"

"I am not obsessed with you," Raph snapped, pushing himself up on his knees.

"Why did you let me in last night?" Leo shot back. "Why are you so afraid of me walking out?"

"I'm not afraid. I just happen to know you. And, excuse me, but I thought I was doing you a favor by keeping you away from Karai. You know, since you screwed the fuck up and she completely trashed you for it. My mistake, but I thought she'd hurt you. But you know, if you want to go out there and be all buddy-buddy with her or whatever, it's totally cool. And, by the way, I let you in because you knocked on my door, and I'm your brother. When my brothers come to me in the middle of the night on the verge of tears, yeah, I'm gonna let 'em in."

"Oh bullshit," Leo said. "You dragged me in here to slap the crap out of me."

"You told me that you'd kissed Karai! Did you not think I'd flip my shit about that? I thought we had a deal."

"We did have a deal. You gave me a choice, Raph. You told me you wouldn't put up a fight. But what do you do the minute I look in her direction? What do you do the second anyone starts to rub you the wrong way? You give them a ton of crap and make yourself look like the victim."

"I do?"

"Yes, you."

"I make myself the victim? You are so full of it! How many times a day do you go whining to Donnie about 'Oh, Raph's a jerk. Raph's unfair. Raph's so mean'? He fell asleep on you didn't he? You had no choice but to come bitching to me about Karai, looking at me with those stupid I'm-so-wounded eyes to get me to soften up and go easy on you. Why the fuck should I have? You've been treating me no better than I've been treating her. Why did I forgive you for that?"

Raph threw his hands up and let them fall by his sides again, glaring toward the door, far away from Leo, as though he'd forgotten his brother was still in the room.

"Why did I let you sucker me into breaking first? Yes, Leo, I was mad. I was fucking pissed. I've spent my whole life coming in second to you. I was not about to come in second to Karai. But that's exactly what happened didn't it? You feel used?" he said, finally looking back, eyes hot.

"You feel used because some stupid girl who used to be your enemy confessed that, actually, she doesn't love you back? Well I feel used too! I feel used by a brother who turned his back on me, knowing how I feel about him, running from place to place, getting pity from Donnie and kisses from Karai and then coming back to me only when no one else was available. And now you're about to walk out like none of that even mattered? That's bullshit, Leo. Why should I have to put up with that?"

Leonardo pursed his lips, determined to stay his ground, stay composed. "I'm sorry, Raph," he said through his teeth. "Okay? I didn't mean to make you feel that way. But how can you expect me to come to you first about anything when every single time we try to carry out a conversation, this happens? It's not working, Raph. I can't say anything to you without you treating it like an insult. I can't talk to anyone else without you glaring at me like I've done something wrong—"

"Leo, you never gave it a chance!" Raph said, getting to his feet. "Of course it's not working. All those months we sat there waiting for Karai, and you decided to drop me for Donnie and then promised you'd think about giving me a shot, but the moment Karai showed up you threw me to the side again. What am I supposed to take from that? How am I supposed to feel? Am I supposed to be happy for you and the little tease?"

Leo stomped his foot with all the essence of a five-year-old. "You're supposed to accept her as a part of the family," he hissed, working his hardest not to shout. "Whether she and I work together or not, she's Splinter's daughter. That has to mean something to you."

"Not when she steps into our life and twirls you around her finger like a fucking noodle. She snatched you away, Leo. She stole you. And you didn't do shit about it."

"I do not belong to you!" Leo finally bellowed, getting close in his brother's face, eyes cold. "You'd better learn that fast, Raphael. You do not own me. You gave me a choice and I chose. It's not your call to make. It's my life, my decision."

"A fat lotta good that got you didn't it?" Raph sneered.

Rage swelled up from Leo's stomach so fast that he honestly thought he might puke. Instead, it rushed up through his arms and took control of his hands, forcing them to shove his brother back several feet.

Raph steadied himself quickly, fists tightening by his sides as his breath quickened. He bristled, and Leo watched a flash of something dangerous flicker across his bright, green eyes and it startled him. So much so, in fact, that when Raph charged him, he felt a rush of panic and could only stumble back. Raph's hands caught him by the shoulders, his grip so hard it was bruising. He slammed Leo up against the wall, and Leo's breath got caught somewhere in his throat as his brother's lips crashed into his own.

He froze, eyes wide, muscles tense, mind completely blank. It couldn't be called a kiss really. In fact, the familiar force behind it simply felt like Raph's decided method of keeping Leo from speaking. He pulled back after a moment, and Leo stared, not sure if he was frightened or just stunned.

Raphael was still glaring, but after a heavy pause of them just huffing on the same air, his green eyes dropped a fraction of a degree and he slowly leaned forward again. This time the point of contact was soft and it made Leo's shell shudder. Raph's lips began to move, pulling gently on his own and he found himself consenting. Not that he blamed himself for it; he was completely distracted by the fact that the other turtle tasted like pepperoni and jellybean pizza. He felt his muscles unraveling on their own and with it his eyes closed. Raph's grip loosened, yet Leo found himself leaning farther into his embrace without ever thinking to do so. In fact, he didn't want to do so. But he did. And he wasn't sure why.

Kissing was interesting, he decided. And he hated, rather than reveled, in the fact that he actually might have kind of just a little bit maybe liked it … almost. There was only one thing that held him back from the full enjoyment of the sensation, and it wasn't even the fact that this was Raphael he was kissing. It was that Raph had kissed him first, that Raph had decided to act out and do what Raph wanted, that Raph had backed him into a corner and still had his shell up against the wall, and never had the blue-banded leader allowed himself to be forced under Raph's thumb.

Becoming a little breathless now, he moved his hands up to the ridge of Raph's plastron, intending to push him away—however much his body didn't necessarily want the connection to break. But Raph seemed to get the idea and snatched his wrists faster than Leo could make the move. He pinned them together between their bodies and pressed himself closer, shoving Leo's shell further back into the wall, his lips now working harder.

Leo's blood simmered. He opened his mouth a little wider and sank his teeth into Raph's lip.

"Ouch! What the—" Raph jumped back immediately, bringing a hand up to the drop of blood that blossomed on his bottom lip. He looked back at Leo in astonishment.

They both glared across the room at one another, panting. Leo's muscles trembled and he clenched his teeth as he drew his back straight and made himself as tall as possible, as he did naturally when he and Raph fell into a battle of will.

After a moment, the red turtle's gaze softened until the corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk, though he lost none of his intensity. "Don't lie to yourself, Leo," he said, his tongue passing over his wound.

Leonardo swallowed.

Raph shook his head, his grin stretching. "Bet that lasted longer than the one you gave Karai, huh?"

A sharp breath stung Leo's chest and he curled his fists so tightly that his hands shook. "Fuck you," he hissed.

He turned on his heel and marched straight for the door, yanking it open and slamming it back from the hallway without hesitation.

Raphael watched him leave and didn't move. It was only after the door had closed that his muscles softened and the corner of his lips turned down into a frown.