Sacrifice [completed]

+Bonus Chapter

Bonus chapter

...

Silence was rulling the lair, but not in a bad way. The silence was soothing, as there was calm music playing in the background. But that was soon to be broken.

Our heros said their good-nights to each other as they all left to their room after a heavy dinner with prankenstein's homemade pizza which had lots of different ingredients in it. Even the rat was pleased himself.

'best night I ever had.' Thought the red-masked turtle while he headed for his room. Stretching his fore-arms from the hugs he got, he reached out for the handle. As he twisted the door's grip, he entered his room but with a different scent. The atmosphere and scent that was scattered in his room was something different than his own. It was familiar. He sensed it before, right that night.

'Leo.'

Leonardo's been in his room. He had no doubt. He looked around a bit. The condition he left his room before that fight, was completely different from what he was seeing. Messed up bed sheets and furnitures all on the ground was something he didn't used to do.
'One other way to be sure.'
He went for his drawer and wardrobe, searching inside.
Messy as well.
He sighed and chuckled at how much his brother missed him and he didn't bought it.

He was about to let it slide and head for the bed when he thought of his very bottom drawer. His diary.
He knelt down and pulled out the slide. His note-book was still there. However, he knew his brother definitely saw it. I mean, how couldn't he? He was hanging around in his room for weeks.
He slightly panicked, but didn't overreact much.
He opened the book, carefully looking at the pages -for once in his life- for any sign of change.

Then, he found it. Small wavy dots on the page, of what he assumed was dried tears.
'He did read it.' The muscle sighed heavily while he closed his diary calmly. But he wondered;
Why was there signs of dried tears? What made his leader to do such a thing like that?
His mind wandered. He put the old note-book in the drawer as he got up and headed for the living room, wishing that his brother was awake so he could talk.
He entered the living room, finding nothing but a mess from the birthday night. He looked around, spotting the exact target in the kitchen, drinking a cup of whatever the liquid was.

He snuck up on his brother jokingly, slowly approaching him from behind.
He heard the other one whispering, "Should I ask him about it?" He stood behind his rival and smirked.
"Ask who what?" Leonardo almost yelped in shock, dropping the cup. The second oldest brother quickly put a hand on his older brother's mouth, while he caught the cup which was still full.
'My reflexes are still fresh.' Raphael thought proudly. It didn't take long before the other pushed the palm on his mouth away and turned back.

"Do you want me dead!? You scared the heck out of me!" The leader whisper-yelled while his face was red; a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Raphael chuckled while he gestured him to calm down,
"Sorry, bro. I just want to talk." He trailed off from childish to serious. Therefore, Leonardo slightly scared because of the sudden change of moods.
"I don't wanna talk here, though. Come in my room." He said while he looked around carefully, again.
'Alright?'

-

The two sat on the red-sheet bed, not facing at each other directly. Blue-masked turtle was nervous. He could admit that his brothers, specially Raphael, could be creepy and scary as hell. Every time they told each other scary stories, Raphael's out-ranked them all! He was the master of telling creepy stories. Leonardo assumed this was the cause of Raphael's edgy personality.

"So, why did you need to talk?"
He asked while he pulled the other one out of his mind.
"Did you read my diary?"
Leonardo bit his bottom lips, getting nervous. What was his punishment?
"A-And if I did?" He stumbled over his words.
Raphael sighed and patted his brother's shoulder.
"Leo, just spit it out."

"yes."
That was all he needed to hear. So he could've comfort him that he did nothing wrong.
"So, Was there anything that bothered you?" Leonardo already had the answer, but wasn't able to say it out-loud, so he slowly nodded looking at the ground.
"What was it?" Raphael took a more concerned look as he forced Leonardo to face him. Leonardo looked at him with glossy eyes, remembering the bitter writings. Raphael looked shocked himself, to see his brother tearing up for no reason -a reason that he knew of.

"Why did you thought of yourself that way?" Leonardo's voice cracked as he held back his tears from rolling down. "What?" Raphael made sure to get the meaning right.
"Why did you think of yourself as a monster? As a burden or disappointment? W-Why?"
His voice cracked more as if he could explode in any second.
Raphael was silent, ashamed. He couldn't express it.
"Why did you think you were useless? Why did you think of yourself so low?"
Leonardo couldn't control it anymore as he buried his face in other's neck, sobbing.

"You do realize if you weren't here we were all dead by now, don't you? Don't you!?" He said loudly while Raphael shushed him to calm down.
"If you weren't here, Splinter wouldn't have been too! Me, Donnie, Mikey, so many people! If you weren't here and didn't find spike in that old sewer tunel, he wouldn't have mutated to create such a team and help us defeat the enemy! If you weren't here and didn't go after those salamanders, we would've been frozen and dead!"
Leonardo pulled away and gripped his brother's shoulders, just to see him having tears running on his muzzle.

"I'm..I-I'm sorry Leo. I just.." Raphael couldn't continue as he faced down, feeling guilty and ashamed.
"It's okay, It's all okay." Leonardo held his arms wide open. Raphael gladly approached and hugged him tightly.
"You know, They say you have to love yourself first in order to love others."
"Bullcrap." Leonardo slightly jumped when he heard his brother hiss.

"Because I loved you guys while I hated myself, But I've loved my brothers so hard, I forgot how much I hated myself."

Leonardo looked at his brother with tears of joy, pride and sorrow in his eyes. His brother was the strongest, toughest but also the softest guy he ever met in his life. He was proud. Proud to have his brother back, proud of him coming to his senses and accepting himself.

He brushed Raphael's tears on his cheeks away, giving him a half-smile while the other looked at him smiling fully.
"Let's rest now, shall we?"
Raphael slowly nodded while Leonardo got up from his bed.
It didn't take long for Raphael to fall asleep instantly. He had a long and hard day.

There was a smile full of joy and love drawn on Leonardo's face as he left the room, soon falling asleep on his bed he haven't slept on for a long time.

[So, here's a bonus chapter like I said! Just because only one person requested, it doesn't mean I don't care. Every single opinion of you guys is important to me. Love you, shelax and bye!]