The Silent Partner

Come Closer

Leonardo shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Mona Lisa had come out of the lab and given him a sweet smile, but that did little to calm his nerves. He'd heard some yelling, but he couldn't make out what was being said. It had been quiet for a while now, but when he pressed his ear up against the door it sounded like Raph and Donnie were having an argument. That was to be expected, after all, Raphael didn't take being put on bed rest lying down. The eldest turtle face-palmed. He hadn't exactly meant it to come out quite like that. It was actually a very Mikey-esque statement.

He really shouldn't be here at all. He should be giving Donnie and Raph the space they needed, but Leonardo was desperate. He needed to see his brother. He just had to. The sound of low murmuring voices stopped and Leo tensed. He was a little bit worried, even though he knew there was no real reason to be. Slowly and tentatively, Leo slid the door open. He froze in the doorway and immediately felt guilt beginning to creep over him.

Raphael was holding Donatello in a tight embrace, which Donnie was returning full force. Leonardo realized that he had stepped in on a very private moment between his younger siblings. All he could do was stand there staring like an idiot. He knew he should move, or at the very least make up an excuse to leave, but he couldn't. His mouth was completely dry. Leo flinched as he realized that both of his brothers were staring at him.

Raphael tried to protest as Don extricated himself from the hug and began to walk away, but as soon as Raph's eyes met Leo's, any objections went unsaid. The brainiac masked his emotions as he glanced from Leo to Raph. The older turtles looked as though they couldn't decide whether to fight or hug each other to death. Donnie stiffened. Raph wasn't done talking with him, he knew that, but now was not the time. His eyes steeled over. The unresolved tension between his two older brothers was palpable. He could feel it. All of a sudden Donatello's longing and desperation returned. He had to get out of here. He had to leave before whatever the shell was about to happen happened. But his legs wouldn't move. He was a fly stuck in middle of a spider's web. A whimper escaped him, and suddenly all of Raph's attention was once again on him.

"Donnie? You okay?" Raph asked with concern.

Donatello noted the way that Leo's eyes stayed glued to Raphael. Luckily for him, the break ebbed away a little of the tension and he was able to cobble together, "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about." He quickly scurried out of the room, not realizing that Raph was staring worriedly after him.

The worried pout quickly melted into a tight line, just millimeters away from being a frown, as Raph turned to face Leo once again. Uneasiness began to turn his stomach as Leo continued to stare wordlessly at him. Leonardo had always been a paradox. To Raph, the eldest turtle had always been the easiest, yet the hardest of his brothers to read.

Leo had a very bad habit of stuffing all his emotions behind an impenetrable mask. And now, as ocean blue clashed with neon green, Leo's mask was his advantage. But as Raphael had observed, Leo was both the hardest and the easiest of to read. All Raph had to do was wait, bide his time, and sooner or later Leo's composure would crack. Sadly, as much as he hated to admit it, Raph knew that the only way he'd be able to get past Leo's Fearless façade was by direct confrontation. The younger turtle frowned and was pulled from his thoughts when Leo took a few steps towards him.

"You're up." Leo said coldly.

Anger began to bubble in Raph's gut at Leo's tone. Why the shell did the older turtle have to be so damn controlled all the time? "Brilliant observation." He muttered, trying and failing to keep the resentment out of his voice. Raph internally sighed as his older brother stiffened.

Frustration flashed through Leo's eyes. Raph's tone really stung, but he hid his hurt. Before he could stop it, all the anger, all the worry, all the stress from the past couple weeks flooded him and he completely lost it. He stomped over to Raph's side and forcefully grabbed his younger sibling by the neck more tightly than he meant to. "Five fucking days, Raphael." The eldest turtle growled dangerously