Run away, little blue (TMNT)

Chapter eleven

The boy, Max, nodded furiously, picking up a rucksack and slinging it over his shoulder. He looked nervous and far too young to be a scientist. 'An intern? Did Zoos even have interns? Whatever he is, he looks young. A bit too young.' Max smiled at him when their eyes met, brushing back some of his blonde hair behind his ear, using the same hand after to press against the glass, palm first. He was waiting for him to do something.

'Uh...' Raph blanked, before realizing what he was trying to do. He hesitated, before pressing a quick hand to the cold panel, swiping at his hand and drawing himself back and off the platform, but not before seeing the boy smile at him, the human turning swiftly after and trotting after the two older people. 'Well, see you, kid...?'

...

'Are you serious?'

Leonardo pressed a hand to the wood again, pushing hard as he felt his legs begin to cramp. He'd been in here for hours now, it felt, and it was dark and humid, and he didn't want this anymore. He had only been compliant earlier because he was tired and felt safe for once, but that was shattered now. He felt the truck bump along the road, the crate holding steady, perhaps pinned by ropes and other material. He didn't fancy going flying anytime soon, though, so he supposed that was good.

He'd kind of hoped they wouldn't have put him back in the box. He wasn't made for confined spaces, he's soon discovered. He actually was rather claustrophobic - 'hah, a ninja? Claustrophobic? You aren't serious!'. He punched at the wood in frustration, the fear slowly crawling on him as he continued to batter the planks until he felt the skin under the bandages split, and blood came pooling out, soaking the white in a light red. He wanted his swords - he wanted to go home. 'I want my brothers.'

He lay still, puffing out of his nose as he held his throbbing hands against his chest, feeling the wet fabric push against his plastron. It wasn't as if he was being tortured or something - in fact, he'd done all this to himself, but that made him feel worse - a sinking, dreading feeling. He'd made himself bleed. What else would he succumb to if he couldn't handle the pressure anymore? What if he never saw his family again? His breath hitched, and tears sprung to his eyes. 'Breathe, Leonardo.' His Sensei's voice rumbled in his ear, soft and calming. 'You just need to breathe.'

Leonardo couldn't breathe - his lungs burnt, and his face was hot with tears. His arms tightly wound around his pillow, drawing it closer to himself in a desperate attempt to rid the tight feeling in his chest. The turtle-tot could feel his heart pounding against his chest, his whole body shaking violently. He didn't want this - he never wanted this!

"Papa." He sniffled softly, voice tight against his throat. "Papa-"

There was a hand on his back, soft and delicate. "My son." Leonardo turned to bury his face in the old rats fur, fingers unclenching and forgetting the pillow to grab onto his father's robes. "Leonardo." His sensei murmured, lifting him up and settling him on his hip, the blue-clad turtle's head buried in the crook of his neck. "What happened?"

"I woke up-and-and you weren't there-" He hiccuped, choking on the air wrapped tightly around him, squeezing him. "I couldn't-couldn't find you!"

"My son, I only left to get a drink." The rat's hands began rubbing soft circles into his back, along his shell, softly tracing patterns. "Why did you think that I had left? - you know I never would, Leonardo."

"I-I don't-" He gasped for a breath. "I just-just woke up and I-I couldn't find you; I thought..." His voice choked and he hiccuped again. "I thought you didn't love us anymore..."