It was a normal night. Activity in the streets was oddly quiet for New York, but that didn't feel strange for a Tuesday. Above the city, four brothers easily darted across rooftops, competing to see who could do the fanciest jumps and tricks, and cheering each time someone landed. They had only recently taken back the city from the Kraang, after months of isolation on the farm waiting for Leo to wake up and recover. It had been a long battle but they had pulled through it, successfully finding Splinter, and creating a retro-mutagen that saved the citizens. Despite Splinter giving them a well-deserved break, the boys had grown accustomed to being active outdoors and had found it difficult to remain in the lair after the first few days.
Surprisingly, Raph wasn't the one to break first. The urge to go topside had been clawing at Leo's shell for two days before he casually suggested the idea to his brothers. Trying to sound nonchalant when suggesting it, he had not been surprised when Raph had knowingly smirked at him. It was almost impossible to fool his brothers. They all eagerly agreed, and Splinter had reluctantly permitted them to go topside. So here they were, hours later, running around the city they had missed during their imposed exile.
"Hey dudes!" Mikey's voice rang across the rooftop, as he executed a handspring and landed lightly beside his older brothers. "Did it feel strange to need Splinter's permission to go topside tonight?" he asked curiously. Leo felt himself tense in response to the question.
Raph shot him a strange look, before glancing towards Donnie. "What do ya mean Mikey? We always tell Splinter." Something in his voice made all his brothers look at him as they all slowed down.
Mikey gracefully slid to a stop near a water tank, before hopping up on a piece of the perch's wood. "I'm just saying…" he looked at them with wide eyes traced with uncertainty. "Did anyone else get used to just going out whenever we wanted at the farm?" his voice trailed off as he watched his brothers' reactions. Donnie looked thoughtful, but Raph and Leo's eyes held a hard edge. "I don't mean that I'm not happy to be home, and have master Splinter back," he clarified quickly. Before he could continue Donnie spoke.
"Hmm, I know what you mean," his voice was soft. "We did get rather independent. For a while, we only had each other, even Leo was in a coma. It felt unbalanced, but I think at some point we got used to that unbalance. It became familiar and having to answer to someone has become unfamiliar." Mikey nodded in agreement. "Exactly Don!" he smiled gratefully at his brother.
"Well, I never did much like listening to Master Splinter or Leo when they grounded us," Raph said irritably, hiding his own uncomfortable emotions. "I'm just happy to be back in the city, surrounded by buildings and not trees. Shell, I got tired of dodging trees during fights." He glared at the distance as though he could tear down the forest from where he stood with just his thoughts.
Finally, Leo spoke up. "We shouldn't have ever gotten used to being unbalanced," he said quietly. Ignoring the look Raph shot him, he continued, "Master Splinter is only looking out for us after everything that happened, it makes sense that he would be hesitant for us to go topside."
Raph rolled his eyes. "C'mon Fearless, you don't like being told what to do any more than the rest of us." Just once, he would like Leo to be on his brothers' side. To stop being so perfect. "It ain't a betrayal to Master Splinter to admit that you got used to freedom," he said definitely, crossing his arms and staring at Leo with a hard expression.
Leo frowned at him, "I'm not saying I didn't like the freedom, I'm just saying we are still young. And Master Splinter just wants us to be safe," he crossed his arms and glared back at Raph challengingly. His brother always had to make everything into a fight, and Leo was tired of it. On the farm, they had reached a balance, a mutual respect, or so he'd thought. It was disappointing to return home and watch Raph slide back into his oppositional habits. He missed the unity of uncertainty.
"Whoa whoa dudes! I was just asking, don't start fighting now! It's our first night out in the city bros, let's hunt down some roof pizza!" Mike said energetically, eager to stop any fights that may break out between his two oldest brothers. Donnie nodded his support while watching their older brothers carefully. If they started another argument, Donnie was going to toss them off the roof himself. After they had returned to the lair, he and Mikey had both noticed the tension rising in their older brothers. An explosion was due any day now.
"Let's look around more, I'm sure some purple dragons are somewhere trying to break some laws," he added in support of Mikey. Mikey leaned against him gratefully.
With a loud sigh, Raph finally turned away from Leo and focused on his little brothers, "Whatever. If Fearless is happy being bossed around, and pretending that nothing has changed, then that's his issue. Let's go bash some skulls!" Smirking at his younger brothers, he took off towards Chinatown. There was always some kind of trouble to find there and he suddenly had a strong urge to punch something. With apologetic glances at Leo, Mikey, and Donnie followed him.
Sighing, Leo uncrossed his arms and set off after them with a determined look. He would never admit it, but something inside him had rebelled when Master Splinter had deliberated on letting them go. A small part of his brain whispered, 'You don't get to make decisions for us anymore, you lost that right when you chose to stay behind.' As quickly as the thought came, he'd shaken it off. Master Splinter was still their father. He would still follow his orders, even if he didn't like them. It was his responsibility as the oldest. Freedom was a luxury he couldn't afford.