Chapter Text
Raphael growled for what felt like the millionth time, eyeing the scientists just outside the glass panels, who were chatting quietly among themselves. This was the first time they’d seen any men and women since Leonardo had been taken; and the red-clad turtle wasn’t pleased with them. This time, however, they were angled towards them, clipboards in hands, brows furrowed as they wrote and wrote and wrote.
While he couldn’t know for certain what was being written, he assumed it had to be about them. A few of them would jot something down whenever he behaved in his usual, raging-self, he noted, and the same went for when Michelangelo acted strangely - or well, normally he supposed. Swinging from the ropes and doing flips, or diving into the water with a squeal. Donatello didn’t seem to have many people writing for him; perhaps they couldn’t see much worth writing, as there wasn’t a way to put his intelligence to the test in this forsaken cage. But it confirmed his thoughts; behaviour studies. He’d seen Splinter, Leonardo and Donatello watch shows on it before while he was training. He knew the basics of it to notice it playing out right in front of him.
‘Who would’ve thought that people would be interested in my anger and Mikey’s stupidity?’ He snorted, eyeing up a platform nearby to the glass, pushing himself up with all his might and grabbing a hold of the wood, hoisting himself up and swinging his legs around to further steady himself. “Nice, Edge.” He heard one of the workers coo, and he couldn’t help but want to punch those stupid smiles off their faces. He’d only come closer to know what they were doing, not to listen to baby-talk.
“Hey, John?” One of the females piped up, tucking her clipboard under her arm as she turned away from looking at Raphael’s brothers. “When will Blue get back? I heard it went alright, from what Casey said on the groupchat. I thought it was supposed to end at one?”
Raphael poked his face closer to the glass, trying hard to mimic an animal rather than act normal, but he needed to listen in. They were talking about Leo… ‘At least she said it went fine.’ He mused, adjusting his footing against the wooden platform, hands down on the floor as well to provide him a more animalistic stance. “It was.” The man, John, agreed, also tucking his clipboard under his arm, getting out his phone and unlocking it, scrolling down a little and then showing her the screen. “Traffic got them bad - the little one probably isn’t doing great stuck in that cage, too - which reminds me; we need to order larger transport cages, he couldn’t even stretch in that one.” He began typing something out after, nodding to himself quietly.
‘You put him in a cage?’ Raph knew he shouldn’t be surprised, but one that he could barely move in? Are these humans serious? ‘Bastards.’
“But when exactly does he get back?”
John checked his watch, and then looked at his phone. “Hmmm; ten minutes, I reckon.” He put his phone back, taking the clipboard and pen and scribbling a few notations down, before handing it to one of the other scientists, who took it without question. “Jane?” He called out, and a head popped up among the others. She was blushing furiously, and Raphael couldn’t contain his groan. “Why don’t you and I go check on Blue’s arrival? Max - you can come too.”
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…”
“Oh, Leonardo.” His sensei didn’t sound mad - more distressed at the mere thought of his son thinking that way. “I will always love you and your brothers - I assure you.”
His breathing was evening out slowly as he began calming, his father never leaving his side. Leonardo was taken into the kitchen that Splinter had managed to salvage materials for, being placed on a piece of stone, covered by an old, ripped shirt. He reached his trembling fingers out, but his father shook his head. “In a minute, Leonardo.”
“But dad-”
“I’m not going anywhere.” A small fire was lit, and a kettle was placed on top. “I’m still here. Just breathe.”
The child whimpered, fingers moving up to clench at his mouth to stop the pathetic sounds from echoing too loudly. He didn’t want his brothers to hear him; he’d never live it down. But he wanted so badly to be by his father’s side that he just couldn’t help the sad, lonely tears running down his face. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“My child, you are not alone. I am merely right here.” Splinter came over after placing the ingredients into the pot, crouching down to meet his son eye-to-eye. “Why are you so afraid, still? Explain to me what it feels like.” He poked a finger to his son’s heart. “Does your heart hurt?”
“Y-yes.” He hiccuped, head bowed, hands pressed against his chest to ease the feeling resting under it, like a splinter to the skin. “A-and it’s ra-racing, and ‘m scared. I don’t like it, papa-”
“Do you get like this a lot?” He asked softly, patting the turtle’s head. “Have you felt like this before?”
“When-when Raphie and me went out.” He knew he shouldn’t snitch on his brother, but he was never one to lie to his father. “He-I couldn’t find him.” He whimpered, voice tight again. “I couldn’t find anyone.” He took a second to breathe, the air whistling in his lungs at the feeble attempt. “A-and when me and Mikey were play-playing hide and seek, I-I couldn’t find him, and I was s-so sc-scared…” He let out a noise that could be considered a wail, and buried his head back into his father’s neck, letting out a small sob.
“It’s alright, my child.” He was picked up once more, and he snuggled into the familiar grasp. “I feel as if you may be experiencing something called ‘Autophobia’ - do you know what that is, Leonardo?”
A shake of the head against his neck, and Splinter continued. “It is where you feel scared when alone - it is alright to feel this way, but perhaps you feel it more strongly than others, my son. We can train against it though - how does that sound?” A soft kiss was pressed to his head. “Do you want to be scared, Leonardo?”
“No…”
“There’s my brave son. We shall start tomorrow, but for now, here - have some tea.”
He inhaled. ‘In for four, hold for five, out for six’. He instructed himself, clenching his eyes closed as he fought against his irregular breathing. Although his chest felt tighter then he would have appreciated, it was nothing compared to that night. He shuddered, feeling desperate to move -to do something- and ended up elbowing the wooden planks surrounding him, letting out a soft hiss. Pain seemed to do the trick in helping him find peace once more, however. But it also drew the attention of a person just outside the box.
“Hey, Blue; almost there, boy, shhhhhh.”
His eyes snapped awake as he rubbed at his sore elbow. The last time April was here, he was in the old zoo, if he remembered correctly. This means that they’re close! Or even here already! Leonardo wiggled uncomfortably, practically bubbling - he wanted out and he was so close!
The blue-clad turtle realized the truck had stopped moving, and that there were voices outside, shouting commands and powering on equipment. April stayed with him throughout, stroking the box and whispering reassuring things to him as the voices got closer, until they were so close she was drowned out. Something was clicked on the box's sides, and he was pulled forward, grunting as his body was unprepared for the sudden change in direction.
The cage was lifted up and placed onto what felt like a trolly, his body being jostled again as it began moving. He could hear April once more, however, calmly talking to him as she walked alongside the trolly, her footsteps off to his left now. The box moved a little further before stopping, and something clicked onto the wooden panel in front of him, secured in its place. Leonardo raised an eyebrow, pawing at the wood, listening for any small noises - his ears caught onto a small “one, two, three!” before the front wood panel was removed, and light flooded into the crate.
Hissing, he clenched his eyes shut, but scrambled out regardless of his lack of sight, landing on a cold, metal platform. Reaching a blind hand out, he touched the walls surrounding him - metal. They felt like bars, and he grabbed a hold of one of them, keeping himself upright. His legs felt like jelly, and all he wanted to do was stretch, but just as quickly as he was transferred, they had started back up again, moving along and down the corridors. Leo risked a peep into the outside word, being met with less-blinding lights and a long, narrow walkway.
They turned into a small room, April securing the cage to the floor and beginning to get out supplies. They appeared to be in the same vet room he had first been in, and he shuddered. “Casey - can you get his hands for me? I need to change those bandages real quick.”
Oh yeah. Leonardo looked down at his hands, wincing at the blood staining them. He appreciated it - he didn’t want his brothers to see that. Keeping his hands against the bar allowed for Casey to grab them one at a time, holding them out while his fingers were unwrapped, treated, and wrapped again. The bruising on his fists didn’t look much better, and he cursed himself for panicking like that. It would take longer to heal now. “Done. Thank you, Blue.” She gave him a tap on the nose, smiling down at him. “Now let’s get you going, shall we?”
Walking him swiftly down the hall, they came across the first door to his enclosure ‘hallway’. Casey opened them, and in total, there had to be around four bolted-shut doors. ‘Great’ He thought tiredly, yawning. ‘The only information I’ve got isn’t helpful at all.’.
“Aw, cute.” The girl chuckled, patting the bars of the cage as she walked past, getting out a key to open a locked closet door nearby the opening to his enclosure. “Case’, catch-” She threw an article of clothing at the man, and he caught it neatly. “New suits - while we can trust Blue here, they want us wearing these at all times when opening the doors.”
“Gotcha.” He pulled what looked to be a protective suit on; it was rather buff and large, but it did the trick. If Raphael was to punch that, Leonardo didn’t even think he could hurt the man. He’d probably just end up with broken fingers instead, and that would put the leader off trying to hit it again. Or so he hoped - he never really knew what Raph was going to attempt to pull off.
Unbolting the door, Casey pulled it open, the opening creaking on its hinges like some form of monster. The adjusted the cage to click onto the opening, similar to before, and opened his own cage. “Off you pop, Blue.”
Crawling out, he landed with a thump against the ground, and watched as they shut the door behind him, carefully avoiding snagging his feet. Standing up shakily for the first time in what felt like hours, he wobbled dangerously, eyes blinking furiously around. He hadn’t been in the enclosure for that long overall, so just like when he’d walked in for the first time, it was like being greeted with a whole new world. More Or Less.
“Leo?” Donatello’s voice snapped him from his daze, and he looked up tiredly to find his brother jumping off a rock he had appeared to have been sleeping on, jogging over to hug the youngest tightly. “Nothing bad happened right? You’re okay?”
“Yeah.” He smiled at the show of affection coming from his brother, and leaned heavily into his touch, relishing the skin-on-skin contact he’d been missing practically all day. “I’m good.”
“Guys!” Donnie kept one hand around his brother’s shell, steadying him as he turned to shout; “Leo’s back!”
Mikey was the second to come tumbling to his side, wet to the touch as he hugged him tightly. Leo stifled a groan; he’d probably been playing in the pool. Leonardo had seen enough water for one day, and having it rubbed against him wasn’t that pleasant anyway. “Leo!” Mike wailed dramatically. “I thought you’d died!”
“Yes Mikey.” He droned, the smile widening tiredly on his face, resting his forehead against his brother’s. “I’m so, so very dead. You’ll have to bury me.”
Michelangelo giggled, wrapping his hands fully around his brother, whole body lax against his, as he was to him. His older brother -‘I can kind of see it now’- grinned at him, pulling back and booping him on the nose, jumping away before the blue-clad turtle could do anything. Not that he could anyway; he was just so damn tired.
Raph wound his arms around him last. He hadn’t even noticed his brother approach them all, but he knew it was him even if he was blindfolded. The oldest squeezed him tightly, resting his head on Leonardo’s own, sighing. “You look half-dead on your feet, fearless.” He confirmed what Leo suspected everyone else was thinking, though his voice was much gentler than Leonardo had been suspecting. He sounded worn out too. “How ‘bout you go lay down?”
“Wouldn’t hurt I guess.” He sighed, trying to take a step forward only to collapse, the only thing stopping him hitting the floor being Raphael’s quick reaction. “Woah, okay, so walking still is a no.”
Mikey chuckled, but his hand was raised over the younger’s shoulder nervously. “I’m sure big, bad Raphie could carry you.”
As in on cue, the red-banded turtle picked the blue-clad up, shuffling over to a lower-down area nestled among the bushes and leaves. Leo raised a brow. “We have two ‘beds’ now. We thought maybe since they seem ta like drugging us so much we should probably keep one on the down low, so we don’t fall.” Raph supplied, understanding his brother’s most simplest of motions.
Agreeing silently, he was set down among one of the flattened parts of the grass, and let out a grunt when Mikey tackled him down, hugging himself into the blue-clad’s chest, smiling. “No way we’re leaving now.” Michelangelo poked his tongue out cheekily before nuzzling closer. He was no longer wet, Leonardo realized. ‘Must’ve dried himself off’. “They clearly like you more than us.”
“I agree.” Donnie settled down besides Mikey, leaning up on his elbow to see Leonardo. “So I say it’s best for now if we all just stay together. Like when we were- Oh. Mikey, he’s already gone.”
“What?” The turtle peeped his head out from Leonardo's chest to see he was now in a ridiculously heavy sleep, his breaths easier to hear than his normal, silent-working lungs, and his body relaxed against the older turtle. Mikey smirked. “Wittle Wenardo wants a slweepy?”
“Cut it out before he wakes up, hears you, and ends you.” Donnie said, chuckling, turning away from his brothers and pressing the back of his shell to the orange-banded turtle. “Goodnight.”
“Yeah yeah.” Droned the nunchuck-wielding ninja. “Night, D.” He looked up at the oldest, who was still stood up, more alert compared to them all. “C’mon, Raphie-boy, just come rest for a bit. We’ve got him, he ain’t going anywhere.” Donnie mumbled his approval, breathing already beginning to even out.
Raphael sighed, turning on his heel and laying down on Leo’s other side, tucked in close to avoid the blue-clad (or even himself) getting cold. He wasn’t tired, and he knew he wouldn’t sleep for some time, but being near his brothers was a must. “G’night.” He mumbled out anyway, hearing an echo from his two awake brothers, and nothing from the already asleep third. He must have been pretty exhausted to have already passed out. Raphael was almost impressed, though he was enjoying the time Leonardo spent awake with him and his brothers, it was good to see his sibling getting the proper rest he needed.
‘Guess I’ll just stare at nothing.’ He concluded after a moment of listening to his brothers breathing softly, the noises only barely reaching his ears. ‘But nothing has never felt so nice.’
Even if they didn’t get out soon, Raphael was alright with that, for once in his lifetime. Being here, among with his brothers was good enough for him at this point.