April arrived ten minutes later, wielding several boxes of pizzas and a bright smile that quickly faded when she took in the expressions on the turtles' faces. Slowly, she rounded her face over to Raphael, narrowing her eyes at him as she set the boxes down on the table.
"Where are your brothers? What happened while I was gone? It's been, like, forty-five minutes, what…?" April looked back at her brothers, and seemed to do a double-take of Master Splinter. "Oh! Shoot, I didn't see you, Splints! Nice to see you up and about!"
"Thank you, April." Master Splinter beamed, bowing slightly, curling his hands around Leon's tightly. "The boys have explained Blue's situation to me. I'm sorry that I wasn't here for longer."
"It's okay, Splints." April soothed, "They only just learned earlier today, too, and told me about everything only a few hours ago. I don't think there's anything we could've done during their first go at it."
Master Splinter nodded slowly in acceptance, though he didn't seem to be soothed by her words as he settled closer against Leon, his brows still clenched in regret. On the opposite side of Raph's lap, the snapper wove his arm around Mikey, offering a hesitant smile at Master Splinter.
While they chatted, Raphael pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his brothers. Pizzas here, he texted. Seconds later, he got two 'ok' texts from Leonardo and Donatello, and a series of emojis from Mikey, ranging from the double crying emoji to the starry-eyed emoji to slice of pizza.
Raphael paused, then sent an update. Senseis still here and Donnies gonna say sry
He frowned at the screen for a bit, eavesdropping on the conversation around him and April's frustrated tone as she eyed Donnie, and added April Master Splinter kno bc Donnie told her b4 he told evry1 and I told Sensei
Raphael clipped away his T-Phone before his brothers could start asking questions and demanding explanations, setting it down on the table and making his way over to the bundled together group of turtles.
As Raphael approached, Raph leaned over to flick April's forehead, efficiently cutting off her scolding with a light roll of his eyes. "Com'n, April… we already talked to him about it. He figured it out, and Raphael caught us all up to speed on the situation. We're good now, okay? Donnie will apologize, and then things will be okay!"
"Yeah, believe it or not, we're a stubborn group." Raphael added, inclining his head towards the door. "There isn't anything you can say that can keep us away until the job is complete." He thought of Michelangelo, then, and how upset he had been over having to stick around, but even he recognized the importance of staying. "Unfortunately for you punks, you're stuck with us."
"Oh, thank goodness." April sighed, dragging a hand down her face, relief blossoming behind her eyes. "I thought you were going to dip."
"Yeah, so did your dumb brothers." Raphael grunted, reaching over Mikey and April to punch Raph in the arm. "Don't worry about it, we aren't going anywhere prematurely."
Raph huffed out a relieved sigh and pulled his brothers a little closer against him, Donnie breathing out a relieved sigh as some of the guilt faded out of his features. The four boys relaxed into each other, relieved to have that reassurance.
As Raphael watched them, he felt more than heard Leonardo's footsteps in the hallway. Raphael straightened, walking over to meet Leonardo in the doorway.
Leonardo's head jerked up to face Raphael as Raphael let the tarp fall behind him and blocked the other turtles from view, leaning against the doorframe.
"Hey." Raphael greeted, noting that Leonardo had abandoned the blanket over his shoulders. Whether that was a good thing or not was yet to be determined, but Raphael hoped it meant that Leonardo was feeling better, and not that he had ditched it in order to look strong.
"Hey." Leonardo returned, sagging at the sight of Raphael's casual position. "So, they all know?"
"Yeah." Raphael nodded, massaging his jaw thoughtfully. "They're not going to talk about it unless we do, first. Except Donnie's still gotta apologize. I think it's best to not force him to talk until Donatello and Michelangelo show up, because I don't want to wear the kid out."
Leonardo hummed under his breath, letting his eyes droop shut for long enough that Raphael wondered if he had fallen asleep on his feet, but then he popped his eyes open again and nodded. "Right. Time to face the music, I guess."
"You can wait until Don and Mike show up to do anything." Raphael pointed out, taking a step back to allow Leonardo easy access to the kitchen regardless of his doubt.
Leonardo's hands brushed the tarp, and then he twisted his head around to level a glare at Raphael that boiled down to 'I'm the leader, I've got to show some face'.
"Right." Raphael grunted, crossing his arms and following Leonardo in. "Whatever you say."
Leonardo went still almost as soon as he entered the room, eyes falling on the turtles gathered up on the middle of the floor and narrowing in on Master Splinter. April, Leon, and Mikey all waved, and his hand raised slightly in response, but he never lifted his gaze from their Sensei's counterpart. His mouth was locked into a tight line, hands clenched at his side.
Raphael got the feeling that Leonardo hadn't spent nearly enough time mentally preparing himself for whatever conversation he thought was coming. Raphael didn't think there was anything to be worried about,
Master Splinter wiggled his way out of Raph's lap, careful not to upset his sons even as they shifted so that he could escape easily. April cautiously hummed after him, but Leon reached out to grab her and pull her into the spot Splinter had been a second before.
Master Splinter stood between the two groups, kneading his hands together as he stared up at Leonardo. Leonardo shifted a step backwards, almost unnoticeably. Their counterparts didn't notice, but Master Splinter's ears folded back at the movement, a frown tugging at his features.
The grimace faded quickly, a gentle smile replacing it as Master Splinter finally lifted his arms, spreading them wide towards Leonardo.
The elderly rat waited patiently even as Leonardo hesitated, and, dare Raphael suggest, stalled.
Leonardo took a step back, casting a desperate look at Raphael. Usually, Raphael was good at coming up with a half-creative excuse to get his brothers out of uncomfortable situations. Unfortunately for Leonardo, Raphael wasn't feeling too giving today, and nodded his head back towards Master Splinter. He knew, above all, that Leonardo needed this, and if he wasn't prepared, it was his own fault for coming back up before he was ready.
Raphael had already gotten a hug from this Master Splinter. Once he had resumed struggling with the scroll, Master Splinter had crawled out of Raph's lap to twist off the clasp and the lid with his incredibly not stubby fingers, and then handed it back. Before Raphael could even grumble out a thank you, Master Splinter had wrapped his arms fully around his legs.
Raphael had, without even thinking about it, scooped Master Splinter onto his lap instead. Before he could even register why he had just done that, Master Splinter had wrapped his arms around Raphael's neck and held on tightly.
There were so many ways that this Master Splinter's hugs were different from their own father's. For one, he was far too small, almost doll-sized. But there were even more ways on how they were similar. His fur texture was the same, and his hands, bare with tiny claws extending that scraped over the back of their shells until they found a resting place, carried the same comfort that Raphael remembered.
Their own Master Splinter had never been one for hugging. None of them really had been, despite how clingy Michelangelo was. Raphael wondered if, like his sons, this Master Splinter was more open in the physical department.
But no matter how open Master Splinter might've been, he pulled away much too soon and bundled right back into Raph's lap, leaving Raphael feeling cold and empty. He had shrugged it off rapidly, not one for sentiment.
But he couldn't stop thinking, even as he unfurled the scroll and started to read. There was so much in that hug, from quiet mantras of proud proud proud to louder and almost audible echoes of thank you for being here, to so many other feelings and sentiments Raphael couldn't put his finger on.
It made the bitterness Raphael forgot he was still harboring against this Master Splinter evaporate, leaving behind only peace. He'd still protect the kids however he could, but…. Maybe they didn't need to be protected from their own father.
And maybe Leonardo didn't need to be, either.
Raphael nudged his brother towards Master Splinter with his elbow, never removing his arms from their crossed position over his plastron. He rolled his eyes towards Master Splinter, ignoring how Leonardo increased the intensity of his pleading expression. Finally, Leonardo stopped trying to catch Raphael's eyes and turned back towards Master Splinter, twisting his pointer fingers together nervously.
Master Splinter held out his arms a little further, as if trying to reassure Leonardo that his arms would be wide enough to hold him in entirety, and that was about what broke Leonardo. Raphael could pinpoint the exact second when all the stubbornness and fear drained out of his older brother's body.
Leonardo lurched forward, practically tossing himself across the room. He skidded to a stop, on his knees, a few inches away from Master Splinter. He burrowed his face straight into Master Splinter's shoulders and clutched his alternate father's back, fingers digging against his spine.
Master Splinter hugged him right back.
A sob shook Leonardo's body, and Master Splinter didn't even shush him. He just held Leonardo more tightly.
Over their heads, Raphael exchanged a look with their counterparts. They didn't appear to know whether to look away or keep watching, and Raphael was honestly in the same boat. Master Splinter and Leonardo deserved privacy, but it wasn't like there was anywhere else to go. Nowhere important, anyway.
It took a few moments for them to pull away. It may have seemed like it was a long time, but Raphael knew it was too short for Leonardo. They always wanted it to last longer, but… Master Splinter wasn't as desperate for it as they were.
Leonardo rubbed his eyes, looking over his shoulder at Raphael with a grateful smile. Despite his longing for a longer embrace, the tension in Leoanrdo's shoulders had completely dissipated, and for the first time in a while, Leonardo looked completely content.
(:)
Leonardo found himself settled back into his original chair at the head of the table, watching Raphael as he read through the scroll Master Splinter had given them. Everyone else settled around the table in their previously claimed seats, and Raph dragged up two more chairs, like he had earlier that day when they first arrived, to accommodate April and Master Splinter.
Leonardo was fascinated to discover that they had enough chairs to seat everyone, not to mention a table long enough to seat them all. Their own table at home had only ever been long enough to comfortably seat six, which meant it was tight whenever all four turtles, Master Splinter, April, and Casey ate together.
Until Leonardo had finally taken Master Splinter's seat three months ago, it had still remained uncomfortable as the six friends had tried to avoid his chair. It still didn't feel right, but they were getting better.
When Donatello and Michelangelo showed up, Leonardo wasn't surprised to see that they arrived a few minutes apart, and he was relieved to see that both of them got their own hug from Master Splinter. Raphael kept making an expression that told Leonardo that he had also gotten embraced before Leonardo had arrived, and the oldest turtle was grateful for that. Raphael's permanent frown was still etched across his face even as his eyes showed a softness Leonardo had seen more times today alone than he had in a long time.
As Michelangelo sat down beside Donatello, his wide, infectious smile coming back once again, he punched Donatello on the arm in a manner befitting Raphael at his most affectionate. Donatello relaxed considerably at the touch and shoved Michelangelo in return. Raphael made a low rumbling noise in the back of his throat, looking relieved to see them relaxed again.
Raphael was a good brother, looking out for them while they were upset. Leonardo didn't tell him that enough, and chances were that Raphael would shrug it off anyway, but he figured his brother would appreciate it anyway.
April spread the pizza boxes out over the table, stacking together the pizzas that were the same type, and sat back as everyone served themselves up. She did, however, take Donnie's plate and scoot it out of his reach. April gave Donnie a pointed look, nudging his upper arm.
Donnie looked from her to the rest of the group, seeming to age ten more years as his eyes met Leonardo's, deflating into himself and twisting his head towards his lap. Leonardo dipped his head towards the table, too, averting his eyes from everyone else at the table.
Donnie took a breath, Leonardo could see his fingers stretch out over the tabletop before slowly clasping again, forming small fists that trembled. Leonardo's heart twisted with conflict, unmerciful wrath pounding at his chest and deep pity for his younger brother's counterpart that made his heart ache. It mingled together into mournful yearning, for his father, for peace, for something that would bring about the end of this misery.
"I owe you an apology." Donnie finally said, drawing attention properly to himself, mostly from his brothers, since Leonardo and his brothers had been watching him out of the corners of their eyes since they had sat down. Leonardo wasn't sure if Donnie was aware of that. "A properly executed one, not an impersonalized excuse of one."
April's arm around his arm tightened slightly, and he looked over to meet her coaxing expression before going on, drudging out a sigh and studying his hands. "For this," Donnie continued, "I'm going to be honest. Reasoning and all. The truth is… I'm terrified. Of all these… secrets. More often than not, it seems our family's MO is built around hiding things from one another, and, thus, we do not require nor desire encouragement in this regard. However, speaking my mind in this regard caused more harm than good. I'm not knowledgeable with social norms outside of my own family, and I often forget their boundaries too-!"
"Dee." April scolded, punching his plastron on the opposite side of his heart, narrowing her eyes. "You're rambling."
"Right, of course." Donnie agreed, raising his head blearily to face her, and then immediately looking back down. "I stepped over a line. I can't promise I won't again, but I'll try hard . Just as long as you…" He paused, swallowed, then looked at Donatello, the younger's intense eye contact making the older purple turtle's eyes flicker to the side before looking back nervously. "…Please keep protecting Nardo. If he gets hurt again-!" He cut himself off before Leon could finish leaning over to smack him on the back of his head, and inhaled sharply. "Just. I'm sorry. For. Being so brash. And disregarding your feelings. I'll be better."
As Donnie fell silent, Leon made a wide sweeping motion towards his brother, mouth twisting into a wide grin as he looked from each adult turtle to the next, eyes landing on Leonardo with a hopeful expression. Further on, Donatello and Michelangelo both fixed Leonardo with matching confused expressions.
Right. He spoke for his family. It was up to him whether Donnie was forgiven or not. Whether the hope in Leon's eyes brightened up like the sun or crumpled like a wet piece of paper. It would be easy to lie, to say everything was alright, but then the image of honor that Leonardo held in such high regard would be nothing but an idea, a fallacy, and not the truth. To be honest was harder, but at least the fragile code of Bushido would be kept in place.
The silence stretched on between the two groups, and Raphael lifted his head from the scroll to look between Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo, and Donnie. His eyebridges furrowed as he noted the tense atmosphere, and he nudged Leonardo's elbow. Leonardo returned his look with something he was certain was slightly hysterical and frantic, noticeable only to his brothers and not to their counterparts, because Raphael returned the look with a clenched jaw. Out of his peripheral vision, Leonardo saw Donatello and Michelangelo exchange a fearful expression, and Michelangelo buried his face into the countertop, looping his arms over his head. Almost immediately, Mikey reached out to pat his shoulder sympathetically, and Donatello rubbed a soothing circle along his upper carapace.
And together, all ten of them waited in silence, nobody daring to utter a word, no answers given.
The excitement bled out of the air, and Leon slowly lowered his arms while Donnie sagged in his chair, staring up at the ceiling like he would welcome it if it crushed him. Raph's hands drummed lightly over the countertop, looking like he wanted to lunge across the table and pick up Donnie and hug him tight, but he stayed rooted, settling for a nervous stare.
In the end, it was out of everyone's control when the silence was interrupted, April's phone igniting the air with an ear-piercing screech that startled everyone out of their chairs. The younger turtles relaxed quickly enough when April snatched it out and held it up for them to see, but the older turtles kept their weapons drawn, their grip on their hilts tight.
"Relax, boys." April chuckled, voice heavy with worry despite her obvious effort to make herself sound cheerful. "It's just my mom." If she noticed how that statement alone made their stances firm up even more, she didn't mention it, turning around to sling one arm over the back of her chair to chat away into her phone.
Everyone fell silent as she chattered, not wanting to provide backdrop noise. Leonardo had a feeling they were listening in on her conversation out of curiosity.
Master Splinter shifted as she talked, one of the few not eavesdropping, the elderly rat leaning over to grab Leonardo and Raphael's hands. Both turtles startled, heads snapping down to stare at him. Similarly to how they were able to read his emotions like he was their father, Master Splinter watched them with keen eyes that saw straight through their carefully sculpted walls. The barriers that they had put up so that only their own true brothers could peer through them for all they truly felt were nothing compared to Master Splinter, to a father.
"My boys," he said gently, voice quiet enough that nobody else present could hear their conversation as he ran his thumbs over the backs of their hands. It was a practiced motion, one their own Master Splinter had done many times, especially when they were young and hurt, to calm their nerves and ease the tension from their shoulders. Leonardo and Raphael both went limp under his touch, but it wasn't because they were relaxed. Inside, Leonardo still felt coiled like a spool, ready to snap, and he figured Raphael was similar, if not even more tightly wound.
Master Splinter's brows dipped with sorrow, doubtlessly feeling that, too, but he wisely didn't comment. "You do not have to forgive right away. As much as I'm sure all of my sons would appreciate it if you did, there is really no need. I have not been the best father when it comes to discipline, and I, like my sons, still need to learn there are consequences for my actions." He paused, inhaling with a soft breath that made all the weight in his shoulders dissipate for a few precious seconds. "But please, go easy on him. They are going through enough."
"Of course we will." Leonardo reassured rapidly, easing a patient smile on his face, typical of a son striving to be perfect before his father. Master Splinter didn't appear to know quite what to do with his expression.
"Yeah, yeah, don't sweat it." Raphael added, elbowing Leonardo's arm. "Bold Blue here is great at this kind of stuff."
"That is very, very good to hear!" Master Splinter guffawed, his laugh loud and boisterous without attracting anyone's attention in a way their own Master Splinter had never been.
Leonardo and Raphael both startled at his tone, exchanging a look of shock at one another while Master Splinter was busy catching his breath. When they turned back around, Leonardo maintained an indulging smile while Raphael fell back into his familiar scowl that maintained a hint of fondness behind his eyes. Regardless of how customary their expressions were to themselves, rehearsed thousands of times over the course of their life, Master Splinter still frowned in confusion when he looked at them.
"You two are-"
"Bye, Mom." April's voice rose in annoyance, snapping Master Splinter, Leonardo, and Raphael back into the conversation as she slammed her hand down on the end call button. The girl scowled down at her phone, grip tight enough to make the screen start to strain from the pressure. "Oh, geez, you stay out late one time because your brother is freaking possessed, and you get threatened to get grounded. 'Course, I can't tell her that, but still!"
"Eh, you can come back tomorrow." Leon shrugged, tipping his forehead against her shoulder.
April sighed, shrugging him off and turning her attention to the rest of the group,
"Sure, after I'm done with homework. That woman is brutal." April groaned, looking up at him with worry creasing her browline. "Promise me you'll be okay until I can come back, okay?"
"Look at who you're talking to!" Leon snorted, jabbing a thumb at his chest and puffing himself up with pride. "You know nothing can hold this beauty down~!" At her hardened expression, and after a quick side-eye over at Raphael as he snorted with mirth, Leon quickly backtracked. "Okay, sorry, sorry, April, I promise. Okay? I won't die or anything."
"Great." April deadpanned, not lingering on that thought as she rounded on Donnie to squeeze his shoulders and give him a light shake. "Donnie, no matter what happens, keep me updated. I think Mom'll be keeping me on a tight shift until the afternoon, but I'll come help just as soon as I can. Until then, just call Casey if you need literally anything."
"Donuts for breakfast?" Mikey asked, perking up and rubbing his hands together.
"I can ask her to fetch some donuts for you." April laughed, leaning over the table to high-five Mikey. Her smile fell quickly as she looked at everyone else, hugging her arms against her chest. She shoved herself around the long way of the table to wrap one arm around Donatello and Michelangelo's necks, ignoring their surprised jolts as she pulled them tight against her. "And I gotta thank you guys for taking care of them. It's so cool of you, and it means a lot more than you know."
"We know." Donatello reassured with a slight choke, patting her arm anxiously. She let him go with an apologetic wince, and after a second's hesitation, also released Michelangelo's neck.
"Okay, good." April nodded, puffing herself up with confidence that felt built up for their sake. She paced over to the door, paused, pivoted on her heel to face Leon, and her face squished up with something painful. "Leo…"
"I'll stay safe." Leon promised, clamping a hand over his chest and holding up the other hand, a sober smile on his face. "Turtle's honor."
April nodded one final time, clamping her hands together, breathing out one final huff, then turned and strode away. Out the door and away from the tension.
Lucky, Leonardo mused as Donatello and Michelangelo's eyes rotated back towards him.
He waited until April's footsteps had long since vanished to say anything, using the interlude between her being here and being gone to mentally prepare himself, organizing his thoughts into words. Donnie looked two seconds from fleeing before Leonardo felt comfortable enough to put his thoughts into words.
"Okay, look." Leonardo said, ignoring how his two youngest brothers relaxed at his words, tension bleeding out of their shoulders. "I get that it was a difficult situation, and you didn't get it. Lesson learned, and now you know not to tell information that isn't yours. But that doesn't mean we're going to be okay. I can't speak for all of us," that comment was directed at Donatello and Michelangelo, and they both shifted uncomfortably, "but I'm willing to try to forgive and forget. We need to if we're going to work together."
"That's. To be expected." Donnie admitted, shooting a look over to Donatello. His older counterpart met his gaze blankly, impossible to read. Donnie deflated the slightest bit, and Leonardo realized that Donnie must've genuinely enjoyed having a like-minded individual.
It really hadn't been ill-tended to blurt out their father's… current status. As far as he knew, he was just stating information. He didn't realize just how painful it would be.
Leon sharply nudged Donnie when he fell silent, and mouthed something Leonardo couldn't see from his angle. Donatello could, however, and offered a subtle, relieved smile as realization dawned on Donnie's face.
"Ah, uh, thank you. For understanding." Donnie hissed out, offering a stiff bow to Leonardo that almost resulted in his chin colliding with the table. The only thing saving him was Leon holding out his hand to cushion the landing, and Donnie blinked blearily at Leon's hand, then slowly looked back up to his brother.
"Okay, how does running the test right after dinner sound?" Leon suggested, eyeing Donnie worriedly. "I'm going to need a heck ton of tea, like at least three cups, but I think I can fall asleep within ten minutes."
"Sounds good." Leonardo agreed while Donnie gave a half-hearted thumbs up.
"And then we can do the actual hard stuff tomorrow!" Michelangelo added, preening under the attention sent his way. "How are we gonna- uh…" His own yawn interrupted him, crinkling his nose and eyes as his mouth spread wide.
Master Splinter shifted forward, eyes fixed on the youngest turtle in quiet surprise, worried gaze switching from each of the older turtles one by one. "Have you four been up all day?!"
"What, that obvious?" Raphael grunted, squeezing his eyes shut in reluctant acceptance as Master Splinter nodded. "Great. We can usually stay up later than this, no problem! Why…?"
"It's been an emotionally taxing day." Leonardo hummed, massaging the side of his face. Master Splinter shot him a questioning look, mouth open to ask, and Leonardo guessed what his inquiry would be. "It's only for another hour or two. Once we're done with this, we can bed down for the night."
He thought he noticed their younger counterparts breathe out a sigh of relief, too, and Leonardo realized today had been even longer and more exhausting for them.
Poor kids. It'd be over soon.
(:)
After they finished up with dinner, their plates pushed into the sink for their tomorrow selves, Leonardo puts a kettle on the stove to boil. Master Splinter pulled out a second kettle, as a precaution, and then everyone gathered together and headed down to the atrium.
Upon entering, Leonardo noticed his brothers immediately snap to attention at the sight of the remaining blankets being folded up instead of scattering around in careless heaps.
"You've been busy." Donatello noted, eying Leonardo out of his peripheral vision.
There were plenty of things Leonardo could say in response. He could blame it on the need for his hands to do something, suggest that it was due to his rising panic, or even that he wanted to feel helpful. Ultimately, he decided against none of those and just shrugged. From Donatello's deadpan expression, he knew exactly what Leonardo would've said, but decided to let it slide.
"I don't believe I've asked yet," Master Splinter admitted, skirting around the group so that he stood in the center of the atrium, casting a curious look backwards at the eight boys. "But what is the plan? You are… going to re-enter Blue's mind?"
"Yeah!" Leon grinned, tapping his forehead. "Well, sort of? It's like… my soul's mind or something. Not my actual mind, so we can't enter it with runes like we did with you. Meditation, baby!"
"I see." Master Splinter nodded, a touch of disappointment in his voice before his eyes narrowed seriously. He held himself up straight, summoning a fatherly aura. "How can I help?"
Leonardo paused, contemplating. He was worried. Master Splinter had always been Shredder's end goal. If he knew how to mediate, how to come in and help, Shredder might start making mistakes in his reckless pursuit of Master Splinter, or Master Splinter would become another thing to protect. If he became a hindrance instead of a help…
"Medical assistance." Donnie suggested, poking himself over Leonardo's shoulder. "If multiple people get hurt, two of us can focus on them while the third keeps an eye on the others. I am not willing to have a repeat of last time in any shape or form."
"Right." Leonardo agreed, nodding at Donnie with a smile, relieved for the easy out. "Thanks, Donnie, that sounds great."
"Excellent." Master Splinter agreed, though a small frown wrinkled his features. "Now, what's this… test you all have been talking about? It sounds quite mysterious!"
"We're going to break one of Shredder's fingers." Leonardo reported, taking note of the confused look that immediately spread on Master Splinter's face. "Yes, it'll break Leon's finger, too."
"What?" Master Splinter blinked, horrified, reaching towards Leon anxiously. "But… my son…"
"I know." Leonardo reassured. "I know it sounds like a bad idea. There's plenty of ways it can go wrong, and it's morally ambiguous, at best. But it'll help us prove two things. First, we can figure out for certain if Shredder heals with Leon or not. Even if he is currently healed from the neck wound, it might be due to regeneration or something completely different that happens subconsciously. There's no guarantees. Secondly, it'll prove if I can still use my healing hands from inside Leon's mind. Hopefully, I can."
"I don't think it's that simple." Donatello commented, scrunching his nose. "It doesn't matter where you heal him, inside his head or out here, even you can't multitask that well."
Raphael's head shot up, and if Leonardo didn't know better, he might've thought Raphael looked smug. He did not, in fact, know better.
"Yeah, brother." Raphael picked up, smirking at Leonardo. "How exactly are you planning on healing Leon and killing Shredder? That's kind of a bit of a delay…"
"Well," Leonardo shrugged, keeping his expression passive in a way that he knew guaranteed Raphael could see the barely-there glare. "Then I guess I'll teach Michelangelo the 'healing-hands' mantra."
Michelangelo jolted around so quickly that Leonardo assumed he had blinked and missed it. "Dude!" Michelangelo squawked enthusiastically, eyes bugging. "You mean it?"
Leonardo paused, if only because he wanted to be completely honest. "Yeah, Mike. If these tests work out, I'll teach you the healing hands."
"Dude!" Michelangelo chirped again, rolling back and forth on his heels, waving his hands about with excitement. "Dude! That's so bodacious, bro! I'm like… this excited!" He held up a hand at Leonardo's approximate height, and spun around. "Yeah! Cha-cha-cha, dog! Healing hands, here I come!"
"I'm glad you're excited, Mikey." Leonardo smiled, keeping his expression calm even as he watched his brother dance. He was tempted to scoop his Michelangelo in a hug and spin him around for a while, but he held back. Maybe later, when he didn't feel as pressured by responsibility.
"Heck yes I am! I'm freaking out of my shell, Leo! But didn't you say that I wasn't… uh… trained enough? Disciplined? Whatever happened to that?" The joy slipped out of Michelangelo's steps, and his face curved into a frown.
Leonardo felt awful for stripping away Michelangelo's childlike wonder, no matter how long ago it was. "Yeah, well, a week ago I wouldn't have thought that Raphael would've ever been able to go mind-surfing. With the right determination, you can do anything, Mikey."
"Dude, that's the coolest thing anyone's ever said to me this week! You're the best, bro!" Michelangelo moonwalked away from the group, humming a peppy tune under his breath.
"Yeah, but, isn't healing hands sorta… dangerous?" Mikey inquired, interlocking his fingers nervously. Everyone's heads jolted around, staring at him.
"No?" Raphael twisted his head around, confused. "Of course not. It's a healing spell."
"I mean, yeah, but with big stuff with necks and stuff, don't your arms start-?" Mikey cut himself off as Leonardo leveled a glare at him. "Oh! Uh, nevermind! Haha! Sorry!"
Donatello looked from Leonardo's already smoothed-over face to Mikey's much more hysterical face, and frowned. "...Oh, no! Please, I would love to hear more about that, Mikey! Please, by all means, continue!"
"It isn't mine to tell!" Mikey cricketed, voice shrill and nervous as he pointedly looked away from Leonardo and avoided everyone else's eyes.
"Wow." Raphael bemoaned, rubbing between his eyes. "I'm really starting to regret that life lesson."
"Oh, well, too bad, it's a rule now, can't talk about it, cya!" Mikey gave a two-finger salute and looked, for all the world, like he wanted to steal Leo's swords and teleport away.
"What'd I miss?" Michelangelo asked, poking up behind Leonardo.
"Nothing!" Leonardo and Mikey excused at the same time, nervous peels of laughter slipping out from both of them. Leonardo couldn't see everyone else's faces, but he was certain they were all glares by the way Michelangelo's grin dropped.
"Ah." Was all Michelangelo dared to say.
A moment of silence followed, and then Master Splinter clapped his hands together. "Well! Leonardo, I would like to speak to you!"
Leon and Leonardo both pointed towards themselves in confusion.
Master Splinter's brow creased with an equally baffled expression. "Uh… Blue? Baby Blue?"
Leon relaxed, starting to move forward before Master Splinter had even started to say the second 'blue'. Master Splinter, in turn, looked relieved. "Ah, yes! There he is! We shall find a suitable nickname for you, yet, Old Blue!"
"How about 'Old Navy'?" Leon joked as Master Splinter pivoted and scampered off, and Leon had to hurry to catch up.
Leonardo pretended he didn't snort in amusement as he rolled his eyes after his younger counterpart. Leonardo brought his arms up to cross over his chest again, rounding on his family and their counterparts.
"Okay, so, in the meantime, we should get ready. We should probably work on setting up again. Donatello, will you go get the first aid? It should be near our stuff. Raphael, go ahead and handle moving the rest of our bags over to the storage closet. Raph and Donnie, will you organize the blankets? And Mikes, can you be on tea duty?"
"I'm going to go grab a stretcher after we're done." Donnie announced, circling his gaze towards one of the topmost rooms. "I think that'll be more sanitary than blankets sitting stationary in a construction site."
"Not to mention the sewer." Donatello helpfully mentioned from the side, scooping up the first aid and the duffle bag April had dropped off. "Pretty sure anywhere else would be a more healthy environment."
"Seriously, why do we always end up living in the sewers?" Raphael grunted, hefting three bags onto his shoulders and glowering down at Donatello's metal container as he left it behind. "We're crime-fighting, alien-destroying, freaking ninjas! It's a miracle we haven't died from infection or something."
There was a pause.
"Huh." Everyone present chorused.
"Somehow, I think an old water tower would be a lot worse." Leonardo pointed out, rolling his eyes affectionately at his immediate and extended family. "It'd be a lot more cramped, and we'd probably be found a lot quicker. I think sewers are our best bet."
"What about abandoned warehouses? They're so big, and nobody ever goes in!" Raph pointed out, looking up from where he was shaking out a blanket. "It's at least more sanitary."
"Sure, until they revamp it or resell it." Donnie dismissed, arching an eyebrow at Raph. "They're good for screaming or rough-housing in, but to live there is too risky. We'd have to move often."
"Y'know, personally, I'm all for abandoned subway stations that are just a slight detour away from the actual sewer system." Donatello quipped, pausing from rummaging through the first aid kit to spread his hands out in front of him, shaping a square living area in front of him. "Quiet, condensed, easy access to the subway tracks… Sometimes you can avoid the sewers altogether if you use the tracks."
Raph's eyes crossed outward, and he frowned at the open air for a moment. "Wait… Isn't that just the place you guys were hanging out in?"
"Our lair. Back in our own dimension." Donatello dismissed, waving a hand distractedly. "That was just… this universe's version of it. I swear, it's better than that usually. It's outfitted with proper Wi-Fi, a lab, bedrooms, an actual dojo, a kitchen… really anything a normal house does."
"Except for the dojo. Pretty sure normal houses don't have dojos." Raphael noted, returning to scoop up Donatello's carrier and shrugging it over his shoulder.
"Oh, how do you know?" Donatello scoffed. "By the way, Don, we're almost out of bandages."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it." Donnie distractedly answered.
"I know because we've all been to April's, and I've been to Casey's house when his dad isn't home." Raphael grunted, responding to Donatello's question. "Oh, and Chloe's."
"Pretty sure a little girl doesn't count, Raphael." Leonardo sighed, a touch of affection in his tone. "Her dad's busy all day and she's at school. But I guess she's not so little after all." He reminded himself wistfully, pursing his lips. "She's… twelve now? Donnie, how old is…?"
"How the heck am I supposed to know?" Donatello fired right back, rolling his eyes. "She's your kid."
"For the last time, she's not my-?! Uh, hi?" Leonardo's head spun around as Mikey snagged his hand, tugging it lightly to get his attention. When had Mikey gotten back from the kitchen? Leonardo was certain we would've heard Mikey coming back, and yet. "What's up?"
"Um, an-cay we-ay alk-tay?" Mikey pleaded, twisting his head around to gesture with his head back towards one of the empty tunnels leading into a lower part of the sewer Leonardo and his brothers had yet to venture into.
"We can hear you, y'know." Raphael interrupted before Leonardo could respond, rejoining the conversation and crossing his arms. Content that all the luggage was taken care of, he felt free to interject.
"Yes, yes, Miguel, we're all knowledgeable in Pig-Latin." Donnie huffed at the exact same time, spreading a blanket out over some pillows in a nest formation.
Raphael and Donnie's heads sprung up, glaring at one another for daring to speak over them, and Leonardo rolled his eyes at them.
"Leo?" Mikey tried again, tugging a little harder.
"Huh? Oh, right." Leonardo nodded, already thinking he had an idea on what it was about, following Mikey out as the youngest turtle tugged him along.
Once they were a safe distance away, Mikey whirled around on Leonardo, his face looking flushed and irritable, his eyes shining with anger. His visage was dark in a fury that seemed to come from Raphael, but it was weak enough that Leonardo didn't even flinch, meeting his gaze evenly.
"They don't know?!" Mikey whisper-shrieked, voice reaching an octave Leonardo didn't even know he could hear, flinging out his arms high over them both. "Why didn't you tell them?!"
"About the cracks?"
"Yeah!" Mikey whined, bringing his hands back down to clench them underneath his armpits, leaning into his own touch and rocking forward on his feet. "The weird, totally glowy, freaky cracks all over your arms! I know you said you didn't know why they were there, but that's no reason to keep it secret! Especially from Michelangelo! He's going to learn how to do that, too, but if nobody's paying attention… Only you and I know! And we won't be there if something goes wrong, we'll be busy with Leo, and what if he-?!"
"Hey." Leonardo reached out to seize his shoulders, leaning over Mikey and adjusting his fingers to cling lightly to the edge of the younger's carapace. It was a position that Leonardo used often when Michelangelo was on the brink of a freak-out, or when he was younger and was scared over nightmares, and it was up to Leonardo to comfort him because the dojo was too terrifying to traverse at night. From the way Mikey's words stumbled to a halt, Leonardo knew it was familiar for him, too, and he wondered if it was Raph who provided that support, or if it had been Leon, too.
"Michelangelo is going to be fine." Leonardo promised, truthfully, because he knew his little brother would not do something so risky without consulting his brothers first. And even if he did go off and do his own thing, his luck was better than Leonardo's. Leonardo tended to draw the short end of the stick regardless of what he did, whereas Michelangelo was never weighed down by anything. Even when he died to the Newtralizer, during Dregg's invasion, he bounced back before Leonardo could even properly grieve.
He somehow wound up with electricity powers.
Michelangelo was lucky a thousand times over, succeeding in saving the day where Leonardo failed. And Leonardo couldn't be prouder.
"How will he be fine?" Mikey whimpered, pulling out his arms again to grab Leonardo's wrists, holding his hands in place and refusing to let go. Leonardo didn't make a move to retreat. He didn't know how strong Mikey was, but with a brother the size of Raph, he wasn't willing to test it. "He doesn't even know there's a danger! It's bad enough when you're-you're risking yourself, but when it affects others, it's even worse!"
Leonardo studied Mikey for a long moment, eyebridges knit together in worry. His brothers had yelled at him enough times over this exact subject that Leonardo knew how to respond to ease their fears. But this time, he had a feeling that this was bigger than him. Mikey could not be comforted in the same way as his brothers.
"Where's this coming from?" Leonardo inquired carefully, tilting his head.
Mikey's grip tightened ever so subtly, and he turned his attention down to their feet, their toes nearly touching. "It's just… Leo didn't tell us about Shredder. I dunno if it was just his dumb way of protecting us, but he just… didn't talk about it. He hid it from us, and maybe if he had told us sooner…"
"I don't think it would've changed much. You wouldn't have known what to do." Leonardo pointed out, following Mikey's gaze down to the floor. It felt random, and it was odd to realize, but holy chalupa, their feet really were different.
"It's not… that." Mikey hissed, "I don't care about what we could or couldn't do, I care about him, and I care that he cares enough about himself to tell us, and when you don't tell your brothers about your own stuff… About your hands chipping away… Don't you think it's just encouraging him?"
Leonardo didn't know quite what to say to that, because Mikey was right. Leon was already hiding things, and while Leonardo really couldn't condemn him for it, he did need to do his part to prevent it from happening. Leon had to be better than Leonardo was. For his own sake, and for Leon's brothers' sakes.
Leonardo wasn't even completely sure if he regarded Leon as himself. There were plenty of similarities, yes, but there were differences, too. It wasn't fair to think of Leon as just an extension of Leonardo, he was only a counterpart, that was all Leonardo felt he could safely think Leon as but it was a given that Leon would see him as his senior. They might not be the same, but they were still counterparts. And what the kid saw Leonardo do, of course he would copy. It was already bad enough that he hid Shredder for so long, and Leonardo wasn't sure how he could hide something worse, but if he could, Leon would probably find a way.
For Leon's sake, Leonardo couldn't, shouldn't hide things.
"And it's not just that." Mikey continued with a hiss, adjusting his stance so that Leonardo looked at them and their eyes connected again. "It's that you're hiding things that will hurt Michelangelo, and you know it! You're just-!"
"I think I know." Leonardo interrupted, maybe more sharply than he intended, judging by Mikey's flinch, and he quickly backtracked, lowering his voice. "I mean, I think I know what caused the cracks. I messed up, and it could've been fatal, but I know Michelangelo won't make the same mistakes. He knows what it was, too, and he won't repeat it. He's smarter than I am."
"What's with that?" Mikey grumbled. "It's always 'Mikey's smarter', 'Miguel's braver', 'Mikey's more independent', 'Angelo's tougher', blah, blah, blah! The compliments are real, really, but why does it always feel like you're putting yourselves down to make me… to make us feel good? And why's it universal?"
Leonardo closed his jaw with an audible click, stopping himself from once again echoing how intelligent Mikey was. Kid was sharp as a tack. He caught on quickly, seeing right through everything Leonardo was doing, and, honestly? Leonardo had never realized how self-discriminatory he was being.
When Leonardo was being too dismissive of himself, or talking about his brothers too cheerfully, sometimes he'd catch the same look Mikey wore on Michelangelo's face. Now, Leonardo realized, Michelangelo had been thinking the same thing as Mikey. He was just less vocal about it, preferring to avoid anything that could lead to a fight.
Michelangelo was brilliant. He could read a room in no time flat, and usually he ignored it and did his own thing anyway, which was most obvious around Raphael and occasionally Donatello, but he had a way of knowing when things went too far and dialing it back from there. He liked purposefully pushing their buttons in just the right way to evoke a response, but he was never malicious with it.
It made Leonardo's heart go soft, thinking about his little brother and all he understood that Leonardo could never quite get his head around. It felt like whenever he thought too hard about him, Leonardo could learn something new about Michelangelo he hadn't ever noticed before, and it solidified his opinion that his little brother could do anything.
"But that's not important." Mikey continued, snapping Leonardo back to the topic at hand, his expression impassive like he hadn't noticed Leonardo beginning to zone out. Leonardo guessed that he had anyway. "What is important is that-!"
"Woah, wait, are you sure you don't want to talk about it, Mikey?" Leonardo interrupted, suddenly worried. He had never been a big brother to someone so much younger than him before. If he missed an opportunity to help, if saying nothing inadvertently made the problem worse… "It sounded serious."
"It sounded like nothing. I was just being grumpy." Mikey countered, averting his eyes from Leonardo again, staring sharply at the older's chest, over his heart. "Now, are you going to tell me what your big mistake was, or are you hiding that, too?"
"I feel like we're mixing up lessons." Leonardo grumbled, a half-hearted attempt at deflection. Mikey's expression hardened up a fraction, and he knew it hadn't worked. He wasn't surprised. He hadn't exactly been trying his hardest, either. "Nobody can share each other's secrets, but I'm not allowed to have my own."
"You're sharing your own, that's not contradictory." Mikey returned, arching a brow before prodding Leonardo on. "Spill!"
"Okay, fine." Leonardo tilted his head towards the ceiling, letting his eyes drop closed. "Rules remain. You can't tell anyone; it's mine to tell. My brothers know, and Leon knows. But I… wasn't just trying to heal Leon. I sensed Shredder and tried to drag him out. I overexerted myself, using up more energy than I ever should've, and it started to chip away at my body."
"Oh." Mikey blinked, taking a step back to seize Leonardo's right hand and rotate it back and forth carefully, squinting at it in an effort to see if there was any lasting damage. "Well, did it work?"
Leonardo gave Mikey his most sarcastic 'sensei' expression he could, hoping to get his point across. It worked, because Mikey deflated, dropping Leonardo's hand with a defeated sigh.
"Ah, right." Mikey hummed out a hesitant laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh, that was kinda silly to ask, huh?"
Leonardo shrugged, rolling his eyes in the direction of where they had left their brothers. "It might have been if everyone else hadn't asked, too."
Mikey laughed, a little nervously, still, and it was clear the tension between them wasn't resolved yet. "Everyone?"
"They all at least asked for confirmation that it didn't work." Leonardo groaned, shaking his head at the memories. "I thought it'd be obvious, but I guess not." He huffed out a sigh, completely releasing Mikey's other shoulder and massaging his temples with his free hand. "Look, about Michelangelo, I promise things are going to be alright. He knows not to try and drag Shredder out, and just focus on healing."
"Yeah, but he still… doesn't know what could happen!" Mikey repeated, flinging his hands up into the air and gesturing them around close enough to Leonardo's face that he flinched in surprise. "And you definitely aren't telling him about your hands, are you? Because you're a dumb dumb and don't want them to worry?"
Leonardo met Mikey's eyes evenly. He didn't need to say anything.
Mikey ducked his head, shoulders rounding in towards his plastron, sagging his head halfway into his shell. "…why can't you train me, instead?"
"What?" Leonardo blinked.
"Why can't you just.. Train me instead? I know you had the cracks, and I know what caused them, and I'm also a Michelangelo, so don't I qualify just as much?"
"No, because you're not him!" Leonardo hissed, hands rounding in front of him and fruitlessly clutching at the air. He stared at Mikey, uncertainty and confusion bubbling at his chest. "You might be his counterpart, but he's older, more experienced, and not to mention trained!"
"Wait, but you told him that determination is all that matters!" Mikey countered, taking several steps backward. He shoved Leonardo a step back as he retreated, putting distance between them.
"What? No, I didn't!" Leonardo reassured, jolting backwards at Mikey's touch, surprised by the sudden aggressive contact. "I said determination goes a long way, but experience is still important. Even the most determined people could hurt themselves from overexertion! I'm not saying Michelangelo is about to get hurt, I'm saying that you will if you just jump in with nothing! Michelangelo is more experienced than you, and with experience and determination, he'll go a long way!" He wiggled his two fingers to further the point, making sure that Mikey was listening. "But if I just… toss you in, no training or anything, you will get hurt!"
"Isn't that what you did for our meditation?" Mikey asked, narrowing his eyes at Leonardo's fingers until the older one closed his hand into a fist.
"Meditation doesn't require training in the same way." Leonardo explained, wondering why Mikey was being so difficult and picking everything apart . He knew that, ultimately, Mikey was just trying to help, but it was getting tedious. "All practicing in meditation does is make you get faster at it! It's only dangerous to stray into other people's minds if they aren't open to it, or if the link to your body is severed. But that's nearly impossible to do, and everyone has that connection, so you don't have to worry about getting lost on the way back or anything!"
"You said you didn't think Raphael could do it!"
"Because he can't sit still for the life of him." Leonardo lamented, shaking his head at the ceiling. "He's been training all week to be able to focus long enough to go mind-hopping! I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen my brothers actually meditate for longer than two minutes!"
"And mind-jumping needs more time than that." Mikey realized, shoulders starting to slacken.
"Yeah." Leonardo agreed, relaxing in return. "I don't know if you and Raph have ever meditated before, but part of the reason you were able to pick up on it so fast is that you two had a singular goal; taking care of your brother, and that's all you could focus on. It's courageous and honorable, but Raphael didn't exactly have the same drive." It had ultimately been about protecting Leonardo, too, but it wasn't as urgent as it would've been if Leonardo had been the one haunted. "He wanted to come along to help me, but none of us knew what we were in for, and we didn't know who Shredder was targeting. We still don't know him - any of you, really - that well at all."
"Well, yeah." Mikey laughed, letting his eyes slip closed, "You've only been around for a day."
"Yeah." Leonardo agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. "We have."
They lapsed into silence, the tension between them having dissipated and leaving behind a want to say something, but nothing left to say.
Leonardo hesitated, then gave a gentle wave, gesturing back towards the rest of the group. "We should head back. Before they start to miss us."
"Right, right, but can I, uh, ask one last thing?" Mikey waited until Leonardo rotated completely back towards him before continuing, twisting his fingers anxiously. "What… What did you guys do to start learning all the mystical stuff? I mean, I've already got ninpo in the bag, baby! But the other stuff. The non-weapons junk, the… the healing hands? What got you guys started?"
"Good question. It's a willingness to learn." Leonardo admitted, shrugging. "It took me a while to want to take the step forward and start practicing. But from a more mystic level? I guess one of the first things you need is a high intuition."
At Mikey's confused expression, Leonardo hurried to explain. "Well, intuition is… well, how well you pay attention to the world around you, and how in tune you are to it. Mikey, my Mikey, and I have the highest intuition. I've been training for over eight years now, I think, and well… I mean, we only just learned about intuition a year ago. I guess Mikey took it to heart. He wanted to learn, like me, so over the last year, I've been teaching him how to concentrate his aura, like Master Splinter did for me."
Leonardo focused inwards while he spoke, paying attention to the blue light in his chest, pulsing gently as it circled through his chest. It wasn't as strong as usual, still weak from the failed exorcism, but it was still steady enough that Leonardo knew he wasn't in any danger. "And he's been doing well. He's become a great help in spiritual matters."
"What about us? My brothers? What are our intuition levels?" Mikey asked, perking up curiously.
"Um, I don't know yet. I mean, Donnie's enough like Donatello that I don't think he has high levels, but I'm not sure about the rest of you. I'm not trained to gauge levels of intuition. I can assume all I'd like, but to get a real answer, you'll have to ask your own Master Splinter."
Mikey wrinkled his nose, sticking out his tongue in annoyance. "He'll give a roundabout answer without explaining anything!" His voice got low, and he nudged his hands together. "But. If he does answer, and if I have high enough intuition… Will you teach me? Eventually? Or at least get me into training so I can learn the healing hands one day?"
"Hey, it doesn't matter how high your intuition is when you start. You can always hone it to be stronger, if you care enough. That's the real first step." Leonardo reassured, reaching down to pat Mikey's head, even as the younger one whined and slapped away his hand playfully. "I'll train you. Not the healing hands, not yet, not for a while, but we can start."
As Mikey beamed up at him, Leonardo hoped he was making the right choice.