Master Splinter walked further into the lab and the three already present were surprised once more as they watched Donnie, Casey, and April trail in after him.

He walked directly to Leonardo first and rested the back of his hand across the eldest turtle's forehead before glancing back at Donatello. Donnie took the hint and moved quickly. He grabbed their thermometer and ran it across Leo's forehead. Then he pulled out a pen light and watched Leo flinch as he tried to look at his eyes.

"Open," he said and directed the light back to Leo's throat. "Throat hurt?" he asked and met Leo's eyes, daring him to lie to him when he'd already seen how red Leo's throat was.

Leo's eyes narrowed at him slightly before he slowly nodded.

Master Splinter watched closely as Leonardo sat silently through the exam. While there was much improvement over the condition he'd been in the night before, he knew how quickly his eldest got sick, and he waited now to hear the prognosis regarding a secondary infection.

Meanwhile, the others in the room remained stone still and quiet, even Mikey was sitting frozen on his stool rather than twirling around in it. And while Raphael was watching Leo's check up closely, he was doing it from the corner of his eye as he did his best to be interested in the wall opposite from where they currently sat.

"Deep breath," Donnie said, pressing his homemade stethoscope to Leo's plastron and listening closely to his lungs. "Do your lungs hurt?"

Leo hesitated and fought the urge to glance at Raphael. "A little bit," he said and watched Donnie's eyes narrow at his hoarse voice.

"Said his head hurts too," Raph interjected, chancing a glare from Leo since he knew Leo wouldn't volunteer the information.

Karai poked her head in the lab, pleased to have finally found everyone. All in one place. She strolled into the room, despite the tension she could feel, and moved to stand next to her father and Mikey at Leo's bedside.

"All recovered?" she asked.

"Not quite," Donnie murmured. He stood and moved to his medicinal cabinets. "And you?" he asked Karai. "Headache? Sore throat?"

Karai shook her head. "No. I feel great." She hid a smile as she saw Leo roll his eyes since it was clear Leo was feeling under the weather. "Don't be mad," she said to him. "Besides, it serves you right. I told you to let me carry you, you cold-blooded dork. You were the one who volunteered to be a turtle-shaped boat."

Mikey watched as Master Splinter's tail twitched, a tell-tale sign that he was holding back a smile and he chuckled before spinning himself once on the stool, happy to have someone else break the tension for once.

"Antibiotics and pain pills just for you, Leo," Donnie said, returning to Leo's side with a glass of water and some pills.

Leo felt slightly awkward having everyone watch him, especially since Master Splinter hadn't said another word since they'd all entered. He still wasn't sure what their father had seen or heard. But he took the pills he was handed and said a polite thank you to Donnie.

"Is it time for breakfast, Michelangelo?" Karai asked. She didn't know what was going on in here, but decided to do her best to get them out of it.

"Not quite," Master Splinter said, hiding another grin as he witnessed Karai's attempt to save her brothers. He moved away from Leonardo's cot so he could be in a position to see all of them at the same time. "I think it is time for a discussion first. I was quite concerned when you all returned home from the farmhouse with secrecy clouding over each and every one of you. And I've noticed some discord between you. So, before I continue, is there anything any of you would like to share?" His eyes traveled around the room and he watched Mikey stare at the ceiling, Leo and Raph look anywhere but at each other, and Donnie move back to stand near, but not too near, Casey and April. Karai sat herself down in Donnie's desk chair and leaned herself against an arm rest, ready to watch.

"Sensei."

Master Splinter turned, as did everyone else in the room. Of course, he thought to himself, they would wait for the leader to go first.

"There have been a few personal changes within our group, and I apologize for not coming to you to discuss them sooner," Leo said. "Please don't be angry with anyone else. It was my idea to keep everything from you when we returned from the farmhouse."

"I see," Master Splinter said, running a hand down the length of his beard.

Leo opened his mouth to continue but only managed to release a loud sneeze instead. He hunched forward as the sneeze turned into a coughing fit and couldn't help but press his fist against his forehead at the sharp pain he suddenly felt. Raphael leaned forward immediately with worried eyes. One hand moved to press on Leo's shell while the other lifted his glass of water back to him.

Master Splinter watched with amused eyes. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you two." He watched their eyes snap to his again as everyone in the room once again stilled their movements. "For lack of a better term, I've been watching you two dance around each other for the last few years."

The coughing finally subsiding, Leo reached his hand up and wrapped it not only around his glass of water Raph was offering, but around Raph's fingers as well.

"Ya noticed somethin, but ya didn't say anythin against it to either of us?" Raph asked slowly, doing his best to understand which direction Master Splinter was going for them. Leo finally took the glass out of his hand in order to take a drink, breaking the contact they'd briefly shared. So he let the fingers on his other hand trace over some of the grooves on Leo's shell in a small attempt to be reassuring.

"Hai," Master Splinter said and across the room Karai tilted her head at the teasing tone. This was definitely much different than any of the family meetings Shredder had ever conducted. She let her own small smile show as she realized Hamato Yoshi had been accepting of his sons before the two of them had even realized what was going on. She glanced back to the two turtles and found them grinning at each other. Like idiots.

"You are two halves of the same coin," Master Splinter said seriously. "You have had your disagreements in the past, but I watched as they only brought you closer, instead of driving a wedge between you as I had initially feared. And as much as I enjoy helping you improve, nothing I could ever say or do helped you grow as much as the challenge and encouragement provided to you by the other. So, if you have now decided to become even closer, I want you to know that you have my support in that as well."

Raphael let out the breath he'd been holding as he listened. "Thank you, Father," he said, his voice thick as he curled the fingers on his free hand around Leo's arm.

"Yes, thank you, sensei," Leo said, his voice now barely above a whisper.

Master Splinter watched him try to clear his throat in order to repeat himself, so he shook his head at his eldest son. "Rest your voice, Leonardo. I heard you just fine." He turned his attention to Donatello, April, and Casey. "Speaking of which, Donatello, my ears and I would appreciate it if you and your friends would just go ahead and sleep together in your own room, instead of the main room of the lair."

Karai's eyes widened. After Leo had told her about his relationship with Raphael, she had admonished herself for not seeing it sooner. She'd even convinced herself that given a little more time in the lair, she would've definitely seen it for herself. However, she was fairly certain she would not have seen Donnie, Casey, and April. She watched as it was confirmed in front of her own eyes though as Donnie turned an interesting shade of purple, April threw a hand over her mouth to cover a gasp and turned an interesting shade of red, while Casey's face split into a wide grin. A glance at the other three turtle brothers told Karai that she was the only one in the room surprised by the information. Although, Mikey did look a little shocked.

"Whoa, what did you do in the main room?" Mikey asked, his eyes wide towards the three of them. "I sit out there!"

"We all sit out there, Mike," Raph said, a smirk covering his face as well as looked at Casey. "What did you do?"

"N-nothing," Donnie sputtered.

"Not nothing," Casey said, before laughing as he got a swift elbow in his side from Donnie.

"I will admit this is an interesting development," Master Splinter said, ignoring the previous comments as he turned his full attention to the trio, "and not one that I saw coming. But I can see how you three could balance each other out. Although, as a concerned parent, let me say that I expect you each to move through this together carefully as it develops. You have twice as many feelings to consider with your actions."

Donnie could feel how flushed his face felt, and he was adamantly avoiding looking at any of his brothers, but he managed a "Hai, sensei," with an appreciative nod to his father as both Casey and April offered their own agreements next to him.

"Now, I believe it may be time for breakfast," Master Splinter said.

"Um, Master Splinter?"

"Yes, Michelangelo?" he asked as he turned back towards the room he'd been about to exit. Karai had slid halfway off Donnie's desk chair, but had frozen when Mikey spoke, obviously curious to what he had to say. But the rest of the room's occupants were doing their best to avoid meeting his eyes, telling him that that they already knew what Michelangelo wanted.

Meanwhile, his youngest was looking at him expectantly.

Michelangelo watched as there was no recognition in his father's face that Master Splinter had forgotten to mention Mikey's own secret relationship, which meant that his father didn't actually know. He almost grinned as he realized he'd managed to do something that his older brothers hadn't, but then realized that wouldn't help his case. After all, he wanted the same approval that had just been granted his brothers. And he wanted Woody accepted into the clan more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life.

"I, uh, I have someone I want you to meet."

Although, he did grin after he got the sentence out. Mainly because he'd never seen his dad look that surprised before.