Chapter 3

Mikey was bombarding his brothers with an extensive play-by-play of every little detail of his dinner with Nora.

"Ok ok Mikey, we get it, you have a crush and you had a good time," Donnie said, exasperated. He was too busy over-analyzing all his reactions with Talia to have the patience to listen to Mikey's drivel. Wanting some time alone to sort out his thoughts, he gave himself an out. "I'll take the first shower."

Splinter didn't say much to his sons, preferring to let them sort it out on their own. Once the eldest three parted ways to do their own thing, Splinter bemusedly became Mikey's sounding board. He was pleased that the evening seemed to go well for all of them.

With a wry amusement, Splinter interrupted his youngest son. "Michelangelo, I recognize that you find Nora attractive, but I do not need, nor do I wish, to hear the details."

Mikey blushed, "Right! Sorry Sensei. I just have a lot to talk through. Too many feelings, you know?"

"Understandable. Now, continue. I will listen."

Leo, wanting some fresh air, stole away to a balcony to meditate.

He breathed out slowly, his mind clouding more with each breath. Instead of darkness, he simply saw her face. And it would NOT GO AWAY.

He didn't know her. She was beautiful, but that did not mean he shouldn't be able to focus. Of course, he knew the real reason why, she was a mutant, but he didn't admit that to himself. What scared him was how strongly he reacted to just meeting her. Have some self-control, Leo. He was terrified because he knew, within the first instance of seeing her, she would be in his life forever.

I don't understand, how can Splinter have known and not said anything until now? How were they even mutated? How is this not some kind of cruel joke? He thought he had made peace with the fact that he would never have love, as much as he might have dreamed at one time of having a partner. Deep down he was a romantic at heart, and now? Well he didn't love her, no, that would be ridiculous. He didn't know her like that. But feelings and dreams he had worked so hard to bury reared up and slapped him across the face the moment she locked eyes with him.

"Fuck," Leo breathed out quietly. He tried to steer his thoughts away from her looks. Thinking of her looks led to thinking of…other things. Focus.

She must feel overwhelmed. He immediately frowned at his own thought. If he does, surely she does as well. To suddenly realize you're not alone. Meeting someone for the first time who is just like you. The surmounting pressure that comes with knowing that this may be your only chance to find a partner. A mate. How much pressure he felt to impress a stranger, and he imagined she must have felt the same way. He felt angry. Angry that it was kept a secret. Angry that it was sprung upon them both. A feeling of protectiveness welled up in his chest when he thought of how this could have negatively impacted her.

Would life have been different if she was there when they were younger?

Was she angry too? Upset?

Was there anything else being kept from him?

Surprise, you're not the only mutant turtle. There's this girl, and she's a total stranger, but she's just like you. No pressure but sit next to her at dinner and make a good impression. This may be your only shot. Oh, and you're going to find her extremely attractive, so learn to deal with that too.

It brought him some comfort, knowing they had one commonality – this welcome yet overwhelming surprise. Well, and their love of plants. And tea. And -

He opened his eyes and stared at his hands. Calloused, rough. He imagined her hands. Dainty, soft. He had admired them during dinner. He imagined how they would feel intwined in his own. Leonardo sighed. Realizing he would be unable to focus for tonight, he leapt down from the balcony onto the street. The cool night air calmed him; the gentle breeze caressed his skin.

He walked past one of the many tucked away dojos, where he heard the familiar grunts of his red-clad brother as he ruthlessly pounded away at a punching bag.

Leo watched him for a moment, unsure if he should say anything or not. Likely Raph was struggling with the same feelings he was experiencing, but the last thing Leo wanted to do tonight was start an argument.

As he was about to leave, Raph acknowledged him with a curt but beckoning nod. Leo approached him, and for once felt completely unsure of what to say. The only comforting thought was that he knew Raph was in the same position.

Raph stopped his relentless punches and slouched against the wall as his older brother cautiously approached him. Normally he would feel smug knowing Leo was in a situation he wasn't prepared for, but this situation was so out left field, that there was no way he could feel smug.

Raph spoke first. "What the fuck."

"Yeah," Leo let out softly, before chuckling at his brother, "Jesus Christ."

"Do ya think, maybe, it's not uh, real?" Raph breathed out, voicing Leo's exact fears.

Leo chuckled, "I was just thinking about that. If it's all some cruel joke. Splinter and the Ancient one are apparently completely fine with it, so I think it's safe to say it's real."

"Why didn't he say nothin' before?" Leo could see Raph's jaw clench, and he tried to choose his next words carefully.

"Honestly Raph, I don't know. And it may have been out of his control. We don't really know anything about them, or their situation."

"Sure." Raph paused for a beat. "We ain't alone no more." Raph felt his chest clench, and he gritted his teeth, his temper flaring. All these years I thought I was alone, and I didn't have to be.

"Yeah. It's uh," Leo could not find the right words to say. So, he just, vented. "Fuck me Raph I don't know. I don't know. I'm not - I could have never ever predicted this."

Leo was prepared for Raph to laugh at him; to give him a hard time for not knowing what to do. Either that or exploding. Instead, Leo saw him take a deep breath, as if to calm himself. He appreciated Raph trying his hardest, especially given the situation, and mused that maybe it was for the best they didn't meet until they were older. Certainly, Raph was calmer, although not by much.

"I'm tryna keep it in check just in case someone I don't wanna see, sees, ya know?" Raph admitted. Leo grinned at him.

"That's probably for the best."

"None of us are gonna know what ta do. I just - fuck I ain't good at this talkin' shit. It's just like, we were gonna be alone, and I made my peace with that. I was angry about how unfair that was for most of my life. Hell, still was, until today. And I'm not sayin' this means we ain't gonna be alone, no guarantees, but fucking hell man."

"It's...overwhelming."

"That's a betta word."

They both chuckled. Leo slid down the wall. Raph followed. It was rare that they had moments like this, but it was exactly during these overwhelming situations that they felt closest. When Leo knew Raph had his back, was his right hand man. When Raph trusted Leo's judgement the most. An awkward tension hung in the air as they both contemplated their new situation.

"So," Raph started, cracking his knuckles as he cleared his throat nervously, "you gotta preference?" Raph glanced at Leo.

Leo's eyes got wide, but he otherwise tried to keep his cool, "Raph, we just met them."

"And? You tellin' me you didn't look at them and think that at least one of them's hot?" Raph lightly punched his brother in the arm. "S'ok, I already know."

"Oh? Is that so?" Inwardly Leo felt nervous, was it that obvious he thought of Layla like that? In front of everyone...in front of her?

"Obviously. You ain't that slick, to me anyways. Trained ninja, rememba'?"

Leo just snorted at him. "Neither are you."

Raph grinned devilishly as he turned to look Leo directly in the eyes. "You wanna bone the oldest one, the one you sat next to at dinner."

"Raph!" Leo smacked his brother upside the head.

"Knew it," he sat back against the wall, smirking.

"Well, just know that I saw the way you looked at Mina. Big tough guy my ass. Fucking heart eyes was all you had."

"Don't."

"Am I wrong?" Leo smirked. "I suppose it's best we don't, you know -" Leo trailed off.

"What? Got the hots for the same girl?" Raph rubbed his hand on his face, willing that dreadful scenario to leave his head, "Fuck that would be ugly."

"Yeah." Leo groaned thinking about it, a silent prayer of thanks running through his mind.

"So what do we do tomorrow?"

Leo sighed but turned towards his brother with a smile. "Well for starters we can try our best to not argue. And focus on the tournament"

Raph chuckled, shaking his head, "Yeah, they don't need ta see that. Might make 'em run all the way back to Tokyo."

"I suppose we'll see them tomorrow outside of the tournament."

"True. She's real quiet. And I ain't that good at that small talk shit."

"You're not as bad at it as you think. Just find something in common. Layla is quiet too."

Raph snorted, "Alright Lame-o-nardo, what thing could you possibly have in common with that girl?"

"She likes to garden, and she has a lot of plants. She has this Sakura bonsai tree, and she grew the tea that the Ancient One brought for Splinter. She –"

Raph cut him off, shaking with laughter. "Christ Leo, she's just as boring as you!"

"Just ask her questions to get to know her. I tried to think of it no different than meeting a friend. It…helped. Plus, you were talking to her, I saw. And she was smiling at you, so you weren't doing that poorly."

"I think I can manage that. The only thing I saw, by the way, was how much she looked at you, even when Usagi was talking."

They laughed at each other.

"I imagine this is just as shocking for them, and if she's shy, well-"

"Yeah, I was thinkin' 'bout that. That was unfair for her, I mean them, too. I just feel so fuckin' angry at the whole thing."

"Me too. I just feel all this pressure now."

"Yeah. Good thing imma win this year, right?"

Leo laughed loudly at his brother. "Fat chance, Raphie. I need to win now."

They laughed, then stood up to walk back home. As they neared the apartment, they could still hear Mikey talking Splinter's ear off.

"How does he do it?" Raph said, remembering how Mikey seamlessly talked to and shamelessly flirted with the youngest sister, Nora.

"He's always been so open...and a flirt. Remember when we first met April?"

Raph cringed. "Yeah, I remember that."

Raph got into the shower as soon as they got home, so Leo went to check on Donnie.

"Hey," Donnie said as his older brother walked in the room.

"Hey. I just wanted to make sure – well you kinda just jumped in the shower really fast – and –"

"I'm fine Leo, just wanted to be alone with my thoughts. It was a lot to take in today, huh?"

They both chuckled.

"It's exciting though! And she's really sweet. Talia, I mean. And smart." Donnie started chatting energetically. "I mean, I've calmed my nerves now, but this whole situation has been a bit intimidating. I'm just glad I wasn't eliminated the first round. How embarrassing would that have been!"

"Me too Don. So, you had a good dinner?" Leo asked awkwardly. He was glad his younger brothers seemed to be taking it so well.

"Great, actually. You?"

"Great, she's really kind."

"They're pretty." Don blushed a bit, and Leo looked away, nodding his head in agreement. "I wanted to ask how they were mutated – I have so many questions – but it would be impolite. Anyways, it's weird, knowing that we're not alone. I almost feel like having an existential crisis," he sniggered.

Donatello noticed that his confident older brother was being suspiciously quiet. He recognized that while this would weigh heavily on each of them, it probably did with Leo and Raph the most.

"It is," Leo said. "My whole life I figured that we'd be alone, and I accepted that, and now? I-"

"I know, but the bomb has dropped, and we are left with the pieces. I'm choosing to try to focus on the positives, although, I was pissed for a while today. Just knowing that we could have known sooner-"

"That's what bothers me the most." Leo finally vented. "And there's nothing we can do about it."

"Exactly, so please, try not to let it weigh on you." Donnie's serious expression lightened a bit, "I know how you are. And how Raph is."

Leo smiled at his younger brother. "Raph is taking it better than I expected."

"You talked to him?"

"Just a little bit ago, yeah. He's angry, obviously, but I think the positives outweigh that. Plus," Leo lowered his voice, "He's terrified of showing his temper in case that girl, Mina, might see."

Donnie snickered. "I think this will have a good effect on everyone. We might actually have a chance -"

Donnie was interrupted by the youngest brother bouncing into the room.

"So…" the orange clad turtle drew out, shit-eating grin plastered on his face, "Everyone enjoy their little dinner dates?"

Raph walked in behind him, "Yeah, but you know somethin' numb-nuts? I seem to recall that I promised I'd give ya ass a good whopping for that lil' stunt ya pulled today."

Mikey's smile died down, and he gave his other brothers a pleading look.

"I'm off to shower," Leo said, smirking at Raph as he walked out.

Donnie turned his full attention to his phone, creating a secret note where he could jot down all the information he learned about Talia so that he wouldn't forget – her likes, dislikes, how she reacted to certain things.

"Tell ya what? I'm not gonna do it right now, but I am gonna do it. Jus' not gonna tell ya when." Raph winked at Mikey, before laying down to sleep.

"Well? How was dinner my mochis?" The Ancient One asked, wiggling his eyebrows at the four pajama clad women.

"It was good," they sing-songed in unison, blushing. They were suspiciously quiet, but he didn't pry. He would leave them time to process.

"Good, now don't stay up too late! I am going to bed, I need to be well rested to win tomorrows tournament."

Alone in their shared room, the women whispered to one another details of the evening, sleep only finding them in the wee hours of the morning.

Clucking hens, the Ancient One thought to himself as he eavesdropped. He was pleased that they had a good first impression of the boys, but felt guilty that they were so surprised. His instincts about pairing them up for dinner were correct, and made a mental note to discuss with Splinter later.

He only hopped into bed when they started discussing what they thought of their...looks. He didn't need to know any of the sordid details.

"We're not alone," were the last words spoken into the darkness.