Hi y'all! Again it's Monday, and guess what?! I'm on time ;-).

Today I have a nice little Leo/Mikey chapter for you, I hope you'll like!

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Elementary, My Dear Watson

It was quiet. Too quiet. It made him uneasy, like something wasn't right. He knew all of his brothers were at home, so there had to be at least some noise. And yet there was practically nothing. No tv, no hard clicking-noises from the lab, no laughter, no arguments, not even talking… There was just nothing.

A little anxious Leo got up from his lotus position and walked out of the dojo. Coming into the living room he noticed his sensei sitting calmly in his chair, reading a scroll.

"Good afternoon, my son. How was your training?" Splinter greeted his oldest son with a warm smile. Leo made a respectful bow. "It was good, sensei. Thank you." He looked around, until he heard Splinter chuckle. Curious he whipped his head in his direction.

"I see you are just as surprised with the peacefulness as I am," the old rat said. Leo gave a small snort. "Yeah. It's kind of unnatural around here." Giving the situation a little thought, he cocked his head a bit. "Did I miss something?"

Splinter smiled reassuring at him. "No, you did not. All of your brothers are safe at home." He rolled up a part of his scroll, but did not take his eyes off of his worried son.

"Weird…" Leo laid his hand in the back of his neck. "I don't like it. I'm going to check up on them."

Again Splinter smiled at him. "Your consideration is remarkable, Leonardo. But I can assure you all is very well." He saw Leo nod reluctantly at him, the worry still in his shifting eyes. "But if you are concerned and you want to see for yourself, I will not stop you," he continued in the most gentle tone. "I believe Michelangelo is in his room, and Raphael and Donatello are in the garage."

Leo grinned sheepishly. "Thank you, sensei," he said with another bow. When he received a small nod from his sensei, he walked away. Feeling a little bit more at ease after the little talk with Master Splinter, he decided to look for his youngest brother. It was not normal for him to be quiet anywhere, so there had to be something going on. Trying to act casually, he stepped into the hallway of their bedrooms and listened in. Not hearing anything, he walked further and stopped in front of Mikey's door, where a tattered poster of a skateboarder in mid-air above a halfpipe tried to cover up the ugly wood. It was Mike's favorite poster and Leo remembered the first time Mikey tried to do the exact same skateboard trick. Long story short - He broke his arm. That didn't prevent him from trying again though, even with a cast on. Two weeks later he actually nailed it and Leo remembered how proud Mikey was underneath all his bruises and scrapes. Leo knew he himself was the natural one being all determined about achieving goals and improving himself, but Mikey could be a close second when he really wanted to accomplish something.

Giving a small smile at the memory, Leo knocked on Mikey's door. "Mike? You're alright in there?" There was some shuffling and Leo could hear the radio playing softly on the background. He knocked again. "Mike?"

Suddenly there was a squeak and a startled gasp. "Who's there?" a very diffident voice asked. Leo sniggered. "It's me. Are you alright?"

"Yeah! Sure, of course, I'm good, never better, bro!" Mikey rambled quickly in his I'm-obviously-doing-something-but-you're-not-allowed-to-know-until-I-say-so-voice Leo immediately recognised. Curious he laid his hand on the door handle. "Can I come in?"

"Eh… Just, eh - Yeah, sure. Come in."

Not expecting Mikey to actually say it's okay, Leo opened the door and looked inside. What he saw almost made him laugh, but he hold back. Instead he cleared his throat awkwardly. "What are you doing, Mikey?" Leo asked as he tried to hide his amusement. Mikey beamed up to him from his sitting position on his bed and gave a bright smile. "I was bored," he said in in an honest voice, looking back to the thing he was doing. "And now I'm having fun."

Leo nodded. "That's good." He shifted his eyes to Klunk, who was sitting patiently on Mikey's bed. This wasn't an unusual thing per se, but the little scarf around his neck and the tiny bolwer hat on top of the cat's ears were the things Leo found a tad weird. And amusing. But mostly weird. He swallowed, trying to find the right words. "So… Why are you dressing up your cat?"

"For reasons," Mike said innocently, sniggering slightly. "And to let little Klunkers here to learn a bit about his roots."

Leo looked at him quizzically. "His roots?"

Mikey nodded with a smile. "Yes."

Leo thought for a bit and decided to ask, although he knew he was going to regret this. "Care to elaborate?"

Mikey got a mischievous grin on his face. "Alright, but close the door first. Quilliam is here too and I don't want him to escape."

Immediately Leo looked around. "Don's hedgehog? Where?" Making careful steps, he walked in further to the room, closing the door.

"Probably in that box over there, so don't worry," Mikey answered as he jabbed his thumb towards a big box with a walk-in hole underneath his messy desk. Leo grinned understandingly and leaned back against the door. "Alright, now help me understand this," he said with a small nod towards the orange kitten, who was now quietly washing his paw.

A moment it was quiet and Mikey shifted on his bed. "I came to the conclusion Klunk is British," he said matter-of-factly. Leo blinked his eyes. "British? Seriously, Mikey?" he asked unbelievably. "How… Why…" Not finding the right words, he just looked at his youngest brother, waiting for an explanation. Very amused by his brother's reaction, Mikey laughed playful. "Yes! Klunk is British. I actually noticed it a couple of weeks ago in the kitchen. Klunk was licking from your tea mug and since British people like tea, I thought -"

"What? Klunk licked my mug?" Leo called out, removing himself from the door. A small rustling sound was being heart from the box. Mikey noticed. "Dude, you're scaring Quilly. Calm down."

Giving an angry huff, Leo obliged and brought his hand towards his face to rub the space between his eyes. "Please tell me it was in the sink to be washed."

"Eh…" Mikey thought back to that day. He remembered he walked into the kitchen, seeing Klunk lick out of Leo's mug, which was still on the table, ready to be drunk. He also remembered picking up the cat when he heard his brother approaching and quickly escaping the kitchen like nothing happened. "Yeah, it was definitely in the sink," he answered with a wide smile. Before Leo could respond, Mikey continued. "So, Klunk likes tea, and he really digs the British accent." He turned to Klunk and stroked his fur. Right before he wanted to open his mouth to probably prove it, Leo quickly stopped him. "I believe you. Just - Just don't."

A little bit put off, Mikey gave a pout, but quickly recovered. "And he doesn't like the rain," he continued. Leo raised an eye ridge. "Nobody likes the rain," he stated. Mikey nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, but English people hate it, because they always carry around umbrellas."

Rolling his eyes, Leo snorted. "You watch too much tv, Mikey."

"I do not!" Mikey called out, but then got quiet. "Alright, maybe I do. But that has nothing to do with Klunk."

Leo almost wanted to argue with that matter, but decided against it. "So you've based your conclusions on the fact that Klunk likes the taste of tea and doesn't matter to wear stuff?"

Mikey gave it a thought. "Well… Yes. But I've researched it! Klunk doesn't like every piece of clothing though."

Leo blinked dumbstrucked. "What?"

"Well, since we're kinda raised with a Japanese touch and Japanese people drink tea too, I first thought Klunkers had accepted our living style. So I gave him a kimono and a straw hat. I've gotta tell you - He hated it," Mikey explained with an embarrassed smile. "Then I thought about Morocco, where they serve that sweet minty tea I like, but he wasn't a real fan of the robes they wear. Well, to summarize it for you - I've tried a lot. From sombreros to basketball shoes. None of it was okay, until I've tried on the British attire. Therefore Klunk is British," he concluded. A moment Leo was quiet, not really knowing what to say. Then he sighed. "You are weird, you know that," he said with slight amusement in his voice. Mikey grinned. "Talk about weird, have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Laughing out loud, Leo put his hands on his hips. "So now you're insulting me?"

Mikey shook his head. "Nope, just stating the facts," he said jokingly, until he came to a realisation. "Hey! You started insulting me first," he added a little more serious, glaring at his brother. Leo noticed. "Oh, come on, Mike. You know I didn't mean that." He looked at his little brother on the bed, and then to the dressed-up cat in front of him. "Well, maybe a bit, but in a real affectionate way," he concluded with a grin. Mikey gave a chuckle and nodded approvingly. "Fair enough," he said with a small shrug. Suddenly there was a little rustling noise from underneath the desk and both Mike and Leo looked at the box. A tiny nose came out from the cut-out entrance, followed swiftly by a spiky body.

"Aww, look who's here!" Mikey cooed and he got up from his bed and caught the little critter before it should disappear underneath his bed. Gently he picked it up and turned around. "Hi, Quilliam. Say hello to Leo." With a big grin he pushed the hedgehog almost in Leo's face, who backed up a bit. "Whoa, careful bro," he warned. Not really taken aback, Mikey put Quilliam next to Klunk on the bed. "And where are you from, huh? Also from England?" he asked in a soft voice while stroking the critter gently over his spines. Leo gave a snort and shook his head. "Alright, that's enough for me. I'm off," he said as he walked to the door. Mikey sniggered. "Sure thing, dude. Good talk."

In the doorway Leo turned around. "Any time, bro." With that he closed to door, leaving Mikey and the pets on the bed. A second it was quiet, until Mikey started to laugh. "Heh, you heard that? I'm affectionately weird," he said to Klunk as he removed the clothing and threw them on his desk. Making sure Quilliam could not fall off the bed, he grabbed his reading book from under his pillow and opened it where he left off. With a grin he scratched the cat behind his ears. "That's good. I've worked hard for that title." He leaned back against his pillow, allowing Klunk to climb on his lap. Contently Mikey started reading again, just like he'd done when Leo had knocked. Maybe a lot of his weirdness was an act, but he knew his family needed someone who could shake things up sometimes. Although it also had his downsides, he really didn't mind him being that someone. As long as he could make his brothers smile from time to time, he was happy. And nothing could ever change that.

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And a little role for Quilliam ;-). I really hope you enjoyed it.

Oh, before I forget... I want to wish all of you guys a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Yes, a happy new year already, since I won't be able to update next week because of the holidays. I'm really sorry.

But I promise you to update next year on the 5th of January.

Enjoy your Holidays!