This oneshot is kind of a follow-up for "Bathroom Squabble". Enjoy!

Disclaimer

I don't own the turtles.

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Where is he?

The atmosphere of the dojo was peaceful... serene. Sunlight was shining from the grate above and fell on the cherry tree. The light filtered through it's leaves, giving it a calm glow. Under the tree, a blue-masked turtle sat in a sieza, his eyes were closed and his posture was straight and relaxed.

He breathed in, reveling in the beautiful moment having-

"MIKEY!!! YOU USED UP ALL OF THE HOT WATER!"

Leonardo sighed, his concentration broken by the totally uncalled for, loud yell.

The blinder of the dojo slowly slid open, Mikey's head popping in as he looked around. His eyes met Leo's and he shuffled inside, quickly sliding the blinder shut. Leo knew why Mikey was here and why he looked so scared but he remained silent, letting his little brother tell him what he wanted to say.

"L-Leo?" Mikey's voice was hesitant and small, while his eyes were big and wide, glistening with unshed tears and looked so scared, so vulnerable. It instantly activated the big brother instinct in Leo which told him to hug his baby brother and chase away all his fears.

"Yes Mikey?" Leo gestured for his little brother to sit beside him, which Mikey did.

"C-Can I stay with you? I need to hide from Raphie and Donnie."

"They're mad at you?"

"Yeah... I...", his eyes kept darting around as he said this, like he was afraid that the two turtles will jump out of nowhere to ambush him. "I took too much time to come out of the bathroom and Raph was so mad at me and Donnie was glaring daggers at me and he wants to make turtle soup out of me. Please, you've gotta save me Leo!"

As soon as Mikey finished his fast-paced talking, two sets of footsteps were heard, stomping towards the dojo. Mikey whimpered and pulled Leonardo's arm, clinging to it.

"Mikey, listen." He whispered so the others coming over here won't hear him, "Hide behind the panel next to that rafter in the corner and don't make a sound. Go! hurry."

Mikey quickly obeyed, being as stealthy as possible and making sure not to make the slightest of sound.

As soon as the youngest was hidden, Leo sat back in the same position he was in before Mikey came and closed his eyes, pretending to meditate.

The blinders slid open again. Raph and Donnie came in and looked around, searching for their target.

Raphael noticed his brother sitting under the tree, meditating and decided to ask him. Afterall, Leo was the one person who couldn't lie to save his own life. If he knew where Mikey was, he won't be able to lie about it. It was like the blue-masked turtle had the curse of Pinocchio but instead of the nose growing longer, he got super nervous and couldn't speak without stuttering which gave away that he was either hiding something or trying to lie.

Emphasis on 'trying'.

"Hey Leo!"

His eyes snapped open and he glared at Raph for 'interepting his meditation'.

"What?"

"Did Mikey come running in here?"

Donnie saw what Raph was doing and joined him, he liked Raph's idea.

"No. Mikey didn't come running in here."

Which is true. Because technically, he came shuffling in here.

Leo thought and internally smiled at discovering the new tactic for hiding something. If you can't tell a lie, don't tell the whole truth.

It was like Donnie had read his mind because he narrowed his eyes and asked a different question.

"Mikey didn't come running in here. Okay. But did you see him come here?"

"Uh... n-no."

Gotcha.

"He's here, isn't he?" Raph smirked.

"N-No?"

"You do realize you can't lie to us, right Leonardo?" Donnie said in a smug voice.

"Now tell us, where is Michelangelo hiding?"

"How am I supposed to know?!"

"Because Mikey came here to hide from us and probably asked you to protect him."

"Why are you assuming that he is hiding here? He could be anywhere in the lair!"

Donatello huffed. Clearly they had forgotten how stubborn Leo is.

"Fine, Fearless! If you don' wanna spill the beans, we'll find him by ourselves. We already know he is somewhere in the dojo."

"I'll search for Mikey. Raph, guard the entrance so Mikey wouldn't leave and keep an eye on Leo."

The red-masked turtle stood infront of the door and watched Leo as the formentioned turtle glared at him. Donnie started searching for their little brother, checking every hiding spot he knew of. He even checked the tree, in case Mikey was hiding among the branches.

After looking around for a long time and not being able to find Mikey, Donnie stopped his search (albeit hesitantly).

"I think he might have sneaked out and we didn't notice."

"No, he did not. I was guarding the entrance, remember? He couldn't have sneaked out even if he wanted to."

"Hmm... maybe you could find him if you look too. I might have missed him."

Leo sighed and stood up, rolling his shoulders a bit,

"You know what? You guys keep searching if you still think he's here. I'll go make some breakfast."

"NO!"

Leo raised a brow at his brothers' panicked faces.

"Is something wrong?"

They shared a look and walked towards him, the search for Michelangelo now forgotten. It wasn't worth a destroyed kitchen.

"Nothing is wrong Leo, just... you don't have to go make breakfast. We'll make it for you, okay?"

"Donnie's right bro. We did disturb you and ruined your meditation session."

Raph grabbed his shoulders and pushed them down so that Leo was sitting again.

"Just stay here, relax and enjoy your meditation. I'll leave a cup of tea with some breakfast on the counter for you."

He patted Leo's shoulder and left the dojo with Donnie.

Leo listened to the conversation his brothers were having outside the dojo.

"Thank Goodess he bought it."

"Yeah! Otherwise he would have burned the whole kitchen to the ground!"

"We can get Mikey some other time. Right now, let's cook something for breakfast. Mikey probably won't come out today and I'm starving."

"Hey Donnie, should we make half-fried or..."

As their voices faded due to moving away, a sly grin spread across Leonardo's face. His brothers had no idea that they were fooled by the blue-masked ninja.

Soon enough, the clang of frying pan and whir of coffee-maker, the signature sounds of making breakfast, were heard.

"They're gone Mikey, you can come out now."

The youngest jumped down from his hiding spot and bounced in place.

"That was so awesome! But how did you fool them? Lying isn't really your strong point. Did you use a strategy you saw in Space Heroes? Or is it from that huge book you got from Sensei?"

Leo chuckled at his enthusiasm, nobody could keep a straight face when it came to Mikey. His smile was contagious.

"Well, let's just say that I might suck at lying and deception but I'm still a master of stealth. Aaand Misdirection is an important part of it."

Mikey beamed and pounced on his big brother, hugging him hard and tackling him to the ground.

"Thanks for saving me bro... You're my Hero."

Leo smiled and his arms slid around Mikey's form, hugging him back. He slowly sat up, pulling Mikey into his lap while still hugging him.

"Anytime little brother." He mumbled, kissing the youngest's forehead.

"Anytime."

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A/n: Hope you enjoyed. Leave your thoughts in the reviews, I love hearing from you guys.