Chapter Text
Leonardo leaned over the railing of the bridge, only barely able to see his brother crash through the ice and disappear into the darkness below. The storm was getting awful, even more than it already was, making it impossible to see if Raphael was trying to get out of the water or if the black river had swallowed him.
All Leo wanted was to jump after him, but instead he threw himself backwards, not having seen the oncoming attack, just knowing that the Elite wouldn’t stand idle while he was such an easy target. The axe sank through the snow into the spot where he had just been, and the Elite would have to use both of his hands if he wanted to dislodge it from the hard ice.
It was his only chance. While the Elite tried to lift his axe Leo ran, straight towards him, unarmed and weak. But he didn’t need strength; his weight and the ice under them were enough to take enemy off balance, and the Elite was the third person to fall from the bridge, partially because he refused to let go of his axe. Leo almost went with him, but his legs hit the railing, keeping him on the safer side of it. He didn’t stop to watch the Elite fall; he turned around, dug his dropped sword from the snow, and hastily sheathed it. With trembling hands he started unbuttoning his jacket, getting rid of his clothing as fast as he could. The wind was absolutely merciless, and Leo knew this was stupid, but this was his fault. He had come here despite being so weak, had been unarmed with such ease, and Raph had had to come to his aid, giving the Elite his chance to take him by surprise and throw him down.
Leo looked over the railing, squinting to see the two spots where Raph and the Elite had sunken through the ice. Nothing moved, meaning that Raph was still underwater. Leo’s heart sunk. It had been a bad idea to send the Elite down there, where Raph still was, but he couldn’t have left him up on the bridge either. Don and Mikey were still here, busy with their own fight, and Leo didn’t know how bad their situation was; preventing the Elite from getting to them was the only thing he could do to protect them.
Without a second thought he threw himself over the edge, preparing himself for the shock. But there was no preparing against something so cold, even after standing in the wind without his winter clothing, even after constantly freezing for these past few days- Being submerged in the icy water took his breath away, momentarily paralyzing him, almost rendering him useless. Almost.
Leo fought against the cold and kicked his legs, aiming to go straight down. It was too dark to see anything here, so his best bet was to just go down; the current wasn’t strong enough to have swept Raph away, even if he had been too hurt to swim, so he couldn’t be far. He felt something against his face, rising from the bottom – bubbles? Leo felt the water in front of him blindly, hoping, praying to feel something solid, something familiar-
His hand did connected with something, something that felt soft, and he grabbed it immediately, recognizing it as clothing. For a second he feared it was the Elite, but then he felt the familiar shape of a shell, and grabbed Raph firmly with both hands. He kicked his legs, but nothing happened; they weren’t moving back up. Dread washed over him. Was he truly this weak? The lazy current had been against him when he had gone down, so it should’ve aided him now, unless… unless Raph was stuck. The drenched clothes had been heavy enough to aid the river in dragging Raph to the bottom, but they weren’t supposed to be so heavy that they kept him down. Raph was still conscious, him still struggling to get free being Leo’s only relief, but also his frustration; Leo had repositioned himself, feeling Raph’s legs to find out if he really was stuck, but his brother’s wild kicking was making his job difficult.
After some trouble he found out that Raph’s other leg wasn’t moving so much; something had wrapped around it, something that felt like a net. Probably some thrash thrown in the river. Raph was tugging at it, trying to get it off of his leg, but he wasn’t really succeeding. Leo patted his hands away and unsheathed his sword, and as always, it was difficult to cut things underwater. The water resisted his every move, and he soon discovered that he was way too fatigued for this. So far his adrenaline had guided him, had allowed him to do the impossible, and now his body was deciding that enough was enough. He had already used strength he didn’t have by getting to the bridge, and the muscles in his arms simply gave up on him; he could barely keep his hold on his sword, having no hope of cutting Raph free. He gritted his teeth, shivering uncontrollably- all the struggle to get to his brothers, and this was where his body finally failed him?
He felt lightheaded already, his lungs burning from the lack of air, the icy water stabbing his skin like thousand tiny needles. Yet none of that felt as bad as the failure he had thrown both himself and Raph in- he didn’t want to give, couldn’t give up, but his body was hardly listening to him anymore. He ordered his arm to move, but he felt sluggish, dizzy-
Raph grabbed his arm, and Leo realized he had let go of Raph, almost drifting away from him. The leader shook his head, the idea of leaving Raph alone in the dark dreadful. He couldn’t do that. But what could he do?
He had relied on his brothers far too much lately, but it seemed he still needed to ask for more. Leo searched for Raph’s hand, finding it, and firmly pressed the hilt of his sword against Raph’s palm. Raph stilled, and Leo could feel his confusion. The leader guided Raph’s hand, made him feel the trap his leg was still in, then let go, trusting that Raph had understood what Leo wanted from him. He had no idea if Raph had the strength either, he had been here longer than Leo had, but he had no other choice. Leo knew he was done.
Yet there was still one more thing he could do; he found the buttons of Raph’s jacket, but his fingers were way too numb to work them. A small, hidden blade was drawn from his belt, the only one Raph hadn’t found when he had taken Leo’s blades from him earlier, and the buttons were cut off. Now the wet clothing wouldn’t hold Raph down, and he’d get up faster. The current swept the blade from Leo’s weak hands, but he didn’t mourn after it; the numbness was taking over, and Leo could feel Raph moving now, telling him that his brother was finally free. He tried to keep his hold on his brother, but his fingers were slipping. He didn’t feel too bad; he didn’t have the strength to swim anyways, and he didn’t know if Raph had the strength to drag both of them back to the surface.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling the flash of panic when he lost his brother, drifting away in the dark water, slowly losing himself to the cold.
Swipe, bone cracking, another swipe, no sound- wait, no sound? Michelangelo halted, glancing around. He had taken down the last ninja, and had hit empty air when there had been nobody to take the strike. There were only unconscious or quietly groaning bodies around him, and Mikey couldn’t help blinking in surprise. The snowfall had prevented him from seeing all his enemies at once, so only now that they were all down he realized how many he had taken down. The amount of Foot ninja, as well as the fact that he was starting to lose feeling in his fingers, told him that he had been here for a while. He had occasionally seen and heard Donnie, knowing that he had been alright at least a moment ago, but Raph hadn’t returned after following the suitcase-dude.
The wind howled miserably in his ears, forcing a shiver out of him. Mikey stepped over the nearest groaning ninja, then took off running. His body ached, especially the leg he had hurt earlier, but he had to run, had to find his brothers. The snow was only coming down harder, making it difficult to see. Mikey lifted his hand up to shield his eyes from the wind, letting out a loud yelp when he suddenly collided with something. He fell on top of it, and they slid on the ice before coming to a stop.
“Donnie!” Mikey yelled happily when he recognized what he had hit, beaming at the figure now pinned under him. Don groaned; it took him a moment to open his eyes, but when he did, he looked relieved. Then he tried to push the youngest off of him.
“Nice to see you too”, Don said, taking the hand Mikey offered him. “But next time try to not run into me.”
“I’ll try”, Mikey promised, still smiling as he helped Don up, and even patted snow off of his jacket as an apology. He was so relieved about seeing Don, even more so when he didn't notice any obvious injuries on him. Don did reach down to grab the bō he had dropped and then leaned on it, so some injuries had happened. At least he wasn’t bleeding anywhere and was standing, but there was still one brother missing, possibly hurt. “Have you seen Raph?”
“I was hoping you had seen him”, Don sighed, wincing when he moved. “He went this way.”
They ran, both knowing it had been too long since they had last seen Raph. He shouldn’t have had trouble with the ninja he had ran after, so something must’ve happened. The snow had already hidden their tracks, so there was nothing to follow; their only hope was to find some clues about where their brother had headed.
A ninja dressed in black was easy to spot against the white background. He was kneeling, trying to get up, but ended up falling down into the snow. The suitcase was draped over his back, and Mikey stepped closer, tilting his head at the limp ninja. He hesitated only briefly before crouching down, easily taking the suitcase from him and strapping it against his own back. No way was he just going to leave it here after all this trouble.
The ninja made no attempts to get the suitcase back, lying completely still in the snow. There was no blood under him; he had probably gotten hit in the head, or sustained damage to his neck- whatever. Had Raph done this? If so, where was he? They could see that the ninja had been able to crawl through the snow before collapsing here, so they followed his trail until they reached a spot where the snow had been heavily disturbed. The new snow was still in the process of hiding the evidence, meaning that a fight had just taken place. Out of the corner of his eye Mikey noticed movement- it looked like a figure was climbing over the railing, and Mikey couldn’t believe his eyes when he recognized him.
“ Don’t! ” he desperately yelled, but it was too late. Leo fell, and both of them rushed to the railing, glancing down, unable to see anything. The snow was coming down too fast.
Mikey was already lifting his leg, ready to jump after him. Only Don’s grip on his arm stopped him.
“No”, Don told him harshly, forcing him off of the railing. He didn’t let go of Mikey’s arm, dragging him after him when he started running again.
“ Don! What are you doing, didn’t you see, it was-”
“I saw! Stop struggling and run!”
“We can’t leave-”
“We aren’t!”
Don jumped over the railing once they weren’t in the middle of the bridge, still dragging the youngest after him. They landed on the slope that led down into the river, sliding in the snow until they reached the riverbank. Finally Don let go of him, and pushed something soft into his hands. Clothes, and Mikey realized that Leo had stood on the railing without any. These were Leo’s; Don had picked them up.
Don stepped on the ice tentatively, feeling it with his bō. He dared to proceed, and Mikey followed, aiming to follow Don’s footsteps. The ice held their careful steps, but Mikey was barely daring to breathe, feeling like it could break under them at any moment.
The wind was less harsher down here, it wasn’t constantly throwing snow in their faces like on the bridge. Better vision allowed them to see two holes in the ice, and the Elite that was kneeling next to them, his axe in his hands, seeming to be waiting for something. Rage washed over Mikey; the Elite was waiting for Leo to come back to the surface so that he could finish him.
They had no idea how the Elite was down here, but it mattered little. They dashed forward, no longer careful with their steps. Mikey’s nunchaku wrapped around his arm, yanking him backwards, Don’s staff connecting with his chin. The wind had allowed them to take him by surprise, but the Elite swung his axe, forcing Mikey to retreat. The Elite followed him, and Mikey had to jump back to avoid getting a nasty blow from the axe. The snow-covered ice was even more slippery that the bridge had been, and Mikey found himself stumbling. His shell connected with the ice, and the crack that came from underneath him made him stay very still. The Elite had heard it as well, and Mikey could see his hesitation.
Don, on the other hand, did not hesitate. He came at the Elite from his side, his bō kicking the back of his legs, sending him stumbling towards one of the holes in the ice. The Elite had a hard time balancing himself, only barely avoiding falling into the water again. He whirled around, hesitating once more. They could see that his clothes were drenched, so he had taken a dip to the freezing river as well. And perhaps he didn’t want to risk falling in again, or the cold was finally enough for him, since he backed away before disappearing into snow storm raging around them.
Mikey was still lying on his shell, trying to move as carefully as he could, praying for the cracked ice to hold his weight. Don was rushing towards the hole, and Mikey felt dread filling his chest- right, Leo was still in the water. If it was cold here, how cold was it down there?
Two loud gasps startled Don, causing him to almost fall over on the slippery ice. Leo and Raph had broken the surface of the water- wait, Raph had fallen there as well?! Didn’t matter, didn’t matter- the details were for later- Mikey hurried to get up and towards his brothers, the weak ice under him forgotten. The ice was merciful, for once, holding his weight, and he was able to make it to the hole, hurrying to grab Raph, trying to drag him up so that the sharp edges of the broken ice wouldn’t cut into him. Next to him Don was helping Leo, and once their brothers were out of the water all of them collapsed down into the snow, trying to catch their breaths.
“Y-yer the”, Raph was breathing heavily, dragging in cold air in a way that obviously hurt, but still forcing himself to speak. “The biggest i-idiot I know, Leo. And that’s- that’s coming from a guy who l-lives with Mikey.”
There was no answer, and alarmed looks were shot at Leo’s way. But he was breathing, he was conscious, only struggling to lift his head and glare at Raph.
“I-I live with him t-too, stupid”, Leo rasped back, his voice shaky and quiet. But obviously it was very important for them to banter right now, especially about something so very, very meaningful. Mikey could only stare, feeling relieved at seeing his brothers, but also a bit bewildered that they were seriously bickering. Leo lifted his gaze, able to see Mikey and Don. He narrowed his eyes at them. “Stupid. All of y-you.”
And then he was out.
Mikey was still dazed, not even realizing to feel offended about Raph’s words. For once Don was speechless as well, staring down at their worn out brothers. It wasn’t every day that two of your brothers popped out of a hole in the ice, and immediately started bickering, while the other one proceeded to pass out. Raph didn’t seem to be far from that, his head down, still breathing hard.
Knowing their big brothers, they probably shouldn’t have been so surprised.
“I have so many questions”, Mikey managed to rasp out after a moment, finally forcing himself up. “But I have a feeling that at this rate we’ll be frozen turtles.”
Don was struggling to get up, pointing at the clothes Mikey had dropped before attacking the Elite. Mikey nodded, retrieving them. They wouldn’t bring any warmth, but they would give some shield from the wind. They were wrapped around Raph and Leo, who felt like icicles under their touch. Not like Mikey and Don were much better, but the cold was almost radiating from the two older brothers.
“C’mon, Raph, let’s get you up”, Mikey urged Raph to move. His arm was a bloody mess, and Mikey could tell he was barely conscious. Leo wasn’t injured, but he didn’t look any better otherwise – how could he, when he had barely been awake when they had left him? How was he here, how- later, later. The questions would have to come later. Mikey focused on pulling Raph up and taking his weight, wincing a little, but he could manage. April’s apartment wasn’t too far, but in this condition the journey would take forever. Mikey glanced at Don, who was struggling with holding Leo up- could they even make it?
The only option was to try. Michelangelo pushed his own exhaustion aside and led them away from the river.
”I know what we’re d-definitely doing”, Mikey grunted, forcing his numb legs to obey him. “A-after. After we get back.”
“Tape your mouth s-shut?” Raph suggested weakly. During the way back Raph had regained some of his senses, but not much of his strength. He was with them again, being even grumpier because of the cold, but still leaning heavily against Mikey.
“Hey, behave or I’ll dump you in the snow!”
The threat was empty, but at least Raph kept quiet for a moment, using his strength on walking instead. But he didn’t stay quiet for too long.
“I can’t believe”, he started, interrupted by a shiver, “that I was pushed into the freaking river. In this weather. By the freaking Foot!”
“I can believe it”, Don said, getting an angry glare from Raph. “It was obvious that the edges were slippery, I don’t know why you even got close to them- and you. ” Don’s sharp glare was aimed at Leo, even though it was hard to glare when he was so close to him, Don carrying most of his weight. “What were you thinking?”
Leo said nothing, and that pretty much answered the question.
“As I was saying”, Mikey continued, “About what we’ll be doing. The tub! Warm, no, hot water! Oh, man, are we there yet?”
“Dibs on the tub”, Raph groaned now that it had been mentioned, and Mikey gasped dramatically.
“No way! It was my idea! I’m going to freeze to death, you want me dead, Raph?!”
“And who do you think is freezing more?” Raph hissed, his teeth still clattering together when he spoke.
“And who’s the one that has carried you all the way here-”
“Stop it, guys”, Don sighed tiredly. “I think Leo’s got dibs on the tub.”
They all glanced at Leo, who had been quiet the whole way back. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness during the whole way, and Don was basically carrying him.
“I’m just saying, the tub is big enough for all of us”, Mikey mentioned, and Raph snorted at that.
“I’m not getting into the tub with you , Mikey.”
“You’re getting in there with Leo, Raph”, Don said calmly. Raph grumbled as an answer, too tired to keep arguing about it.
They managed to do it; they reached the apartment. Mikey didn’t know how, he was aching, cold and tired, and he wasn’t even holding Raph’s full weight. Don, on the other hand, had struggled with his balance even before helping Leo. The stairs up to the second-floor were the final push, and once the warmth of the apartment greeted them Mikey collapsed down on the floor. Much to Raph’s displeasure, since he went down with him. Raph growled loudly, but was too tired to even attempt smacking his brother.
“Mikey, the tub was a good idea”, Don said tiredly, setting Leo down in a much gentler way. “Could you get the water running?”
Mikey wanted to stay here forever, but Don sounded totally worn, and he knew that Leo and Raph were useless. He didn’t want to leave Don to deal with everything, so he nodded, staying still for a moment longer to gather his strength. Finally he pushed himself up, helping Raph up into a sitting position before disappearing into the bathroom. Raph struggled to get out of the little clothing he had on, but the process was miserably slow with his numb, disobeying fingers.
“Well, this explains how Leo found us”, Don sighed, holding up the shell cell he had digged out from the pocket of Leo’s jacket. The screen was still set to track the other cells, but now the four dots were all in the same place. Guess Leo hadn’t been that out of it when they had left, but now he definitely was, being all too quiet on the spot where Don had left him.
Don set the cell aside, having noticed Raph’s struggle with his clothes, and moved in front of him in order to help. Raph groaned, but was too tired to get frustrated over being unable to undress himself. Once he was out of the clothes he watched Mikey and Don drag Leo into the bathroom, and then they were back with bandages. Raph knew what was coming next, and wasn’t really looking forward it. The cold had hidden most of his pains and aches, but now his arm was hurting more than ever.
Once his arm had been cleaned and bandaged his brothers helped him into the bathroom. The second he entered the room he understood why Don had taken Leo here before tending to his arm. The warm steam rising from the water had warmed up the whole room, and even though the rest of the apartment was warm, it was so much better in here. Despite the comfort the room made him feel he couldn’t help giving Leo a worried look; he had been propped up against the side of the bathtub, but his head was down, his chin resting against his chest. Just as quiet and unmoving as before.
“Is Leo-?”
“He’s fine”, Don told him. “You’re not. Can you even feel your fingers?”
The warmth of the apartment had already started bringing his limbs back to life, but his movements were still stiff and painful. He looked down at his hand when he moved his fingers, wincing at the unpleasant feeling.
Raph was helped into the tub, and he couldn’t stop his eyes from momentarily closing. The warmth was so pleasant, and immediately he sank further into the water, sighing contently. But Leo was still on his mind, and he forced his eyes open only to see that Don was already pulling Leo off of the floor, but the eldest wasn’t reacting to his touch in any way. There was no way he was conscious, or he would’ve tried to move on his own.
Don lifted Leo while Mikey held his legs up, and once he was in the tub Raph grabbed the edge of his shell, pulling him against his plastron to let Leo lean on him. He had to hold his other arm out of the tub because of the bandages covering it, put he could hold Leo upright with just one hand.
“See, Don? There’s enough room for us, too!” Mikey said, tugging at Don’s hand, looking at him like he was waiting for his permission to enter the bath. It was true that the tub was big, but it wasn’t that big. But perhaps one more would fit.
“Well, you can try fitting”, Don shrugged. “Don’t blame me if Raph kicks you out.”
“Nah, he won’t.” And Mikey was right; Raph looked like he wasn’t even listening to them anymore, relaxing in the warmth with his eyes closed. The youngest removed the remaining gear he had, then turned to Don again. “You too, Donnie. I know you’re just as cold as I am, and man, I am super cold.”
Don gave another glance at the already occupied tub. It would be really cramped… But did he care? He was exhausted and cold despite the steam filling the room. Looking at Raph and Leo forced a smile on his face; Leo was still out but breathing steadily, and Raph’s arm was wrapped around his plastron to keep him from slipping into the water. Raph’s head rested against the back of Leo’s shoulder, and Don was pretty sure he was already dozing off. Don knew that Raph would later deny sharing a bath with Leo, would even deny all the cuddling that had happened lately, but now he looked relaxed, content. He could imagine how good the warm water felt after taking a dip in the icy water, and shivered simply at the thought. Mikey tugged him closer to the tub.
“Alright, alright”, Don finally agreed, shielding his face with his hands when Mikey jumped into the tub, spreading water all over. Raph only let out a weak growl when droplets of water hit him, too tired and comfortable to even open his eyes.
Don slid in as well, unsure how to position himself in the crowded tub. To his surprise Mikey’s hands wrapped around him, dragging him into a position much like the one Leo was in. His shell was against Mikey’s plastron, and when he glanced over his shoulder at Mikey the youngest smiled at him.
“Relax”, Mikey said when Don still didn’t seem very comfortable. “You can lean on me, I don’t mind.”
“Keep yer legs to yerself”, Raph mumbled, kicking Mikey’s legs underwater. Mikey only chuckled, not even attempting to move his legs, and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the edge of the tub.
“Can you remember the time we didn’t have warm water at the lair?” Mikey mumbled sleepily, his smile widening when Don finally leaned against him. Don had pushed himself really hard lately, and if he hadn’t agreed on entering the tub himself, Mikey would have dragged him in.
Don allowed the tension in his muscles fade, even though he had to occasionally crack open an eye to see that Leo’s head was still above the water. Maybe it was a bad idea for all of them to be in the warm water when they were so sleepy, but the genius was simply too tired to do anything about it. He felt safe and comfortable, something he hadn’t felt in a while.
“I can, Mikey”, Don answered him, sounding just as sleepy as the turtle he was leaning on had. “All three of us had to hold you down to give you a bath.”
Mikey chuckled, but it sounded faraway. Don knew he should stay awake to make sure that nobody accidentally slipped underwater, but sleep was already overtaking him, and he could only resist for so long. The warmth around him and the soft breathing coming from his brothers lulled him into sleep.
Silence was usually considered essential for one to be able to sleep, but that wasn’t the case with Leo, not now. It couldn’t have been that long since he had woken up, alone in the bed, just knowing that his brothers were gone. They hadn’t been asleep next to him, and he hadn’t been able to hear their voices coming from the other room. The same quiet woke him up now, but the restlessness died out immediately. Don and Mikey were right in front of him, and he could feel Raph’s arm draped around his plastron. He was relieved to see them, but hadn’t quite expected to find himself waking up in the tub… with all four of them in it. He blinked down at the water, but wasn’t even considering moving. It felt like he had woken up from a short coma; his body felt heavy, and he was having a hard time figuring out how they had made it back to the apartment. Despite the general confusion he felt warm and content, yet couldn’t help frowning; Don was leaning forward, dangerously close to slipping underwater. Don’s legs rested against Leo’s in the confined space, and Leo gave his brother a small nudge with feet. Not enough to wake him up, but enough to bother him a little so that he’d fix his position. It worked.
Mikey seemed to be okay behind Don, completely relaxed and obviously in deep slumber. Leo craned his neck, but wasn’t able to see Raph from the position he was in. But he could feel Raph’s cheek resting against his shoulder, and felt the small puffs of air against his skin. Raph was okay. Leo moved his head again, noticing the arm that was hanging outside the tub. Leo winced; Raph’s arm had been bandaged before, and now even more bandages covered it. He could remember seeing all the blood when he had found Raph on that bridge. Carefully Leo reached for Raph’s wrist, touching the area that wasn’t covered in bandages. The skin wasn’t cold, but a bit chilly, since the hand hadn’t been in the warm water. Carefully Leo poured some of the warm water over Raph’s fingers, since they seemed to be the only part of the arm not hurt.
As he did so his thoughts drifted back to the river. Obviously Raph had managed to catch him since he was here and alive, but he couldn’t remember anything after handing his sword to Raph. He had lost both of his swords, unless Raph had managed to bring back the other one. Leo doubted that, figuring that the katana now rested at the bottom of the icy river.
Better the swords than them.
The next thing to wake Leo up was a kick to his leg. Groggily he opened just one eye, betting that it was Mikey who had kicked him, since the youngest was fixing his position and mumbling something in his sleep. His brothers were still asleep, but Leo was starting to feel the effects of being in the same position for too long. The water was still somewhat warm, but Leo wanted to get out to stretch his muscles. As nice as the water was, a bed where he could properly sleep was starting to sound more appealing.
Careful to not wake up Raph he moved his arm, trying to not spill the water as he got out of the tub. He was immediately reminded of how weak he still was, a dizzy spell taking him by surprise. He held his head down until it passed, forcing himself to shake off the heaviness in his limbs. He’d be in the bed soon. After grabbing a towel he turned towards the door, but hesitated, looking back at his brothers. It wasn’t like he had watched over them before, since he had been asleep as well, but he felt like he couldn’t leave them here. The water wouldn’t be getting any warmer, anyways, so he should wake them up.
Leo placed his hand on the edge of the tub, but struggled with himself. He didn’t want to wake them up, not when they were so relaxed. They deserved their rest, and even though he knew a bed would be better, he just stood there, watching over them. They had been through so much while he had been out and sick. How had he even managed to get that sick, running around, hallucinating things? He had been totally out of commission. His fevers had always been pretty rough when they fully hit, but he had never had anything like this before.
Raph moved slightly, and Leo could see how he tried to grab something with his uninjured hand. When his hand touched nothing, Raph was jolted awake. Leo’s hand immediately landed on his shoulder, and once Raph looked up at him, he visibly relaxed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Leo hushed him, glancing towards their younger brothers. Raph kept quiet, pushing himself up, and Leo helped him out of the tub.
Raph leaned on him when Leo guided him to the bedroom. It was a welcome change to not be the one leaning on someone, to not be the one who was barely keeping their eyes open. It didn’t mean that Leo was any stronger, though, so they had to take it slow. Leo managed to get Raph to the bed without anyone stumbling or falling over, so he considered it a small victory. He turned away from the bed, heading back to get Don and Mikey, but a hand grabbing his wrist stopped him.
“Yer so stupid, Leo”, Raph mumbled from the spot where Leo had set him down. Leo stared down at him, remembering their short banter from before again, but Raph’s tone was different this time. Quieter.
“Yeah”, Leo agreed this time, amused when Raph blinked in confusion. Clearly hadn’t expected that kind of an answer. “I know I only got on your way back there. I’m sor-”
“Don’t. Had you not been there I would have an axe sticking out of my chest, remember?”
Leo bowed his head. If he couldn’t feel guilty about being on the way, he could feel guilty about not being there in the first place. About not being on his best, not being able to fight alongside his brothers. Maybe then Raph wouldn’t have even been in the danger of getting hit by that axe – but that only made him frown. They shouldn’t have been fighting in the first place, not without him, not in this weather!
“It was your idea to leave, wasn’t it?” Leo looked back up, his eyes harsh now. Raph actually avoided his gaze, telling Leo enough. “What were you thinking? This weather, you were already hurt, I had no idea what happened-”
Leo stopped, looking away. The way he had felt when he had woken up alone… He clenched his fists, surprised when Raph reached out for him again. Once more he turned to look at Raph, who was wearing an unusual expression. Regret, maybe?
“I…” Raph started, but didn’t seem to know how to continue. Leo sighed, and sat down on the edge of the bed. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, both knowing that they had made stupid choices today, but also knowing that they had saved each other. Leo had thrown the shurikens and stopped the axe, but Raph had been pushed into the river when he had been defending Leo. Leo had jumped after him, and without him and his sword Raph wouldn’t have been able to get free- But if Raph hadn’t grabbed Leo and swam to the surface with him, Leo would’ve drowned in the dark water.
It was business as usual, but it always stopped them when they came so close to losing each other. They rarely talked about it, but now they looked at each other a bit longer, a bit softer.
“I was so scared I couldn’t reach you”, Leo admitted quietly. “So scared I couldn’t get you out of the river.”
“Stupid”, Raph said once more, making Leo frown. “Why the hell did you let go of me? After giving me your sword? You think I wasn’t scared then?”
“I didn’t mean to”, Leo murmured quietly. “It was just… so cold.”
Raph seemed to understand, and left it at that, even though he didn’t look pleased. Leo closed his eyes, remembering clearly how he had tried to hold onto Raph, but he simply hadn’t been able to. He searched for Raph’s hand, taking it into his own, and Raph lifted his brow.
“So now you know how to grab my hand”, Raph teased, smirking. Leo ignored it, only giving Raph’s hand a tight squeeze, making Raph’s grin falter. He looked away.
“‘m sorry. For leaving without saying anything.” Raph looked carefully back at his brother. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“When are you ever?” Leo sighed, but now there was a teasing tone in his voice as well. He let go of Raph, drawing the nearby blankets over his head, smiling at his mumbled protests. He had wanted to do that ever since Raph had silenced him with a blanket. Don had done that as well, now that he thought about it. Well, only one way to get revenge – by going to get said brother.
The next time Don opened his eyes the water was lukewarm at best, telling Don that he had slept for a while. Once his eyes were fully open he realized that he wasn’t able to see neither Leo nor Raph, and he sat up so fast he spilled water over the edges of the tub. He made a panicked grab at the water in front of him, realizing that his brothers hadn’t slipped underwater, they just weren’t here anymore.
“Ugh… could’ve at least woken me up…” Don muttered, shaking his head at himself. Looked like he was still a bit on the edge, constantly fearing for the worst. He looked over his shoulder at Mikey, moving away from him since there was more space now. His movements made Mikey mumble and shift, and him repositioning himself caused his shell to slide against the bath, pulling him down, down… Don grabbed his shoulders before his face went underwater and sighed. It was best for them to leave as well.
Don stepped out of the tub, groaning at his aching muscles. The warmth had helped him relax, but he was still exhausted from the fight. He had bruises all over, and they ached when he moved. Even reaching up to grab a towel pulled at his muscles, but he didn’t want to head to bed while being soaking wet, so he endured. After drying himself off he tapped Mikey lightly on the shoulder.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. You’d better sleep in the bed rather than in here.”
Don wasn’t sure if Mikey was completely awake even when he finally got him out of the bathroom, but at least he didn’t need to carry him like he had done with Leo. Which made him think about said brother. Had Raph been able to take him to bed? His arm had been in a pretty bad shape, he couldn’t have carried him if the leader had still been unconscious.
The guest room was warm enough by now, so he would have more space to sleep if he slept there with Mikey. Which would mean that Raph and Leo would be in the other room, somewhere where he couldn’t see them, and the anxiety that came with the thought surprised him. They were all safe now, he didn’t need to keep an eye on them anymore. Guess he had gotten too used to all of them sleeping together, even if it was uncomfortable at times.
Don hesitated only for a moment, and with his decision made he guided Mikey towards the bedroom he expected Raph and Leo to be in. Before he could grab the doorknob the door opened, and Leo almost walked right into him.
“Oh, I was just going to wake you up”, Leo said, stepping aside so that Don could enter the room, then helped him hold Mikey’s weight. Together they set him on the bed, and Mikey snuggled up to Raph immediately, pulled in by his warmth. Raph only groaned, but allowed Mikey to stay. It didn’t take long for his better arm to wrap around the youngest.
“I wasn’t expecting to find you awake”, Don told Leo while they sat on the edge of the bed, and the leader smiled at him.
“I actually feel a whole lot better.” He shrugged. It was exhausting to move around, but sitting was alright. “Guess taking a dip into the river helped me to clear my head.”
Leo looked amused, but Don didn’t. “Yeah, no”, Don said, his voice turning serious. “What you did was really stupid, Leo. Coming there in the first place, then jumping into the river… You knew how sick you had just been!”
Leo sighed. It seemed like everyone was allowed to call him stupid now.
“I know. I know it was stupid”, he admitted again, but wasn’t about to leave it at that. He had already scolded Raph, but hadn’t gotten to say much. They all needed some lecturing. “But what did you expect me to do when I woke up and I was alone in here? Just wait? Why would you go out when the weather is like this? You know very well that it’s too cold for us now, how dangerous it is! And I was already better before you left, you could’ve, no, you should’ve told me.”
“Sorry, Leo, but you were in no condition to come with us”, Raph pointed out, lifting his head up from the pillows. “Besides, there was no time, and we couldn’t just do nothing when they were on our turf!”
Just a moment ago Raph had apologized for going out, had said he hadn’t been thinking, but now his actions were suddenly justified again.
“Yeah, we didn’t think there’d be so many of them!” Mikey continued, not as roughly as Raph, but followed him in an attempt to defend their actions.
“We had our winter gear, the cold wasn’t the problem”, Don finished, but Leo didn’t look convinced.
“And the best course of action was to go after them without having any idea what they were up to, hoping that I didn’t wake up before you got back?” Leo held his arms crossed and shook his head. “I know I wouldn’t have been much help to you in the state I was in, but you know I could’ve helped you make a plan. Well, most likely I would’ve stopped you from going at all – which would’ve been the wisest option! We would’ve gone after them once I was better and your arm had properly healed, Raph. Taking a risk like this just to protect our “turf” isn’t worth it. And”, Leo took a look at all of his siblings, and his lecture-voice turned quieter, “I had no idea what had happened to you, why you were gone all of a sudden.”
Raph was looking away again, and even though Leo didn’t like talking about this again with Raph, he really needed to make the hothead understand how dangerous his need to defend their “turf” had been. Even if Don and Mikey had agreed to go with him, he was still the one who had made the decision. Leo kept quiet for a moment, once again thinking about the moment he had realized he was alone in the apartment. It had been quite a inner chaos for him before he had realized he could track his brothers with his cell, before he had gotten his mind under his control again. He wanted to be angry at Raph for doing that to him, but he was angrier at the fact that Raph had placed himself and his brothers in danger. They already had such bad luck with everything – if the odds were against them, they didn’t need to push it. They didn’t need to beg for any extra trouble.
“You put each other in great danger by going out like that. Guys, you know better than this.”
The turtles hadn’t expected to be receiving a lecture so soon and remained quiet, knowing that the leader was right. It wasn’t anything usual for them to pull stupid stunts, to get close-calls, but tonight they had gotten a few too many. And they all knew they would have hated to be in the position they had put Leo in; waking up alone, having no idea where the others were. Even if their leader tended to overreact when he didn’t know where the rest of his team was, they knew the crushing feeling of fearing the worst all too well.
Leo seemed to sense the guilt in the air, and sighed, letting his arms fall from their crossed position. “What matters is that you’re all safe”, he said, his tone softer now. He had meant to say more, had really wanted his brothers to understand how foolish they had been… but he was just glad they were here and safe. Still, he gave them one firm look. “And that you’ve learned something from this.”
“Yeah yeah, always report ta Leo, always listen ta Leo”, Raph mocked, but there was no heat behind the words.
“Never do anything before he allows it”, Don joined in, just to aid in lightening up the mood.
“Yeah, don’t forget to ask for permission to use the bathroom”, Mikey added, snickering from under the blankets.
Leo rolled his eyes, heavily doubting that they had learned anything. He didn’t want to ruin the mood now that it had lightened up, but there was still something he had to get out of his chest.
“I guess I can’t really afford to be mad at you”, he started quietly. “I know I wasn’t easy to deal with when I was sick – and you even had to drag me back here. I don’t regret coming after you, but… I know I’ve been a burden. Thank yo-”
“No, no, no”, Mikey interrupted him, and Leo looked up in surprise. “You do not thank us for taking care of you when you’re sick. You gotta chill. Actually, no, wait, don’t chill- things have been chilly enough lately. Heh.”
Raph and Don sighed at the pun. Leo smiled at it, feeling a bit better, but still couldn’t help feeling like he should’ve recovered sooner. He felt Don moving closer, and a hand was placed on his shoulder.
“You sure you’re really feeling better?” Don frowned as he looked at him. “You were barely able to stay awake when we left…”
“My head feels much clearer- my body, not so much, but… definitely better than before.” Leo shrugged. “I wouldn’t be here talking if I wasn’t, right?”
“Maybe you’re right, then”, Don said thoughtfully as he looked at his sibling. “Perhaps the shock from the freezing river really did snap you out of it. I mean… snapped your body out of it. Out of thinking it should brumate-” Don paused upon seeing the confusion on Leo’s face. “Oh, right, I was supposed to explain it to you.”
Leo finally received the explanation about Don’s theory, but the genius left most of the worst parts out. He didn’t want to think about them yet, and didn’t want any of his brothers thinking about them. It was safe to say that the worst was behind them, but Don still didn’t want to say it out loud. Just so that he wouldn’t jinx it.
“Like it isn’t enough that the outside world is out to get us, but our own bodies as well”, Leo said somewhat grimly.
“Yeah, but at least we know the cure now”, Mikey said, gaining confused looks from his brothers. He sighed, rolling his eyes like the answer was obvious. “Just gotta jump into the river!”
The rest of them groaned at him, and Raph pushed his face down into the pillows. The youngest protested loudly, and while Leo was amused at the sight, he turned to Don. Instead of saying anything, he just eyed his brother, who quickly noticed that Leo’s attention was on him. He turned his head to face Leo, tilting it in a silent question. Leo looked away, knowing that his brothers didn’t want to hear any more apologies. But...
“I know you, Don”, Leo said, looking back at him. “I know you overworked yourself trying to find a solution to my condition. I know I couldn’t help it, but…”
“It doesn’t matter now”, Don said, sitting close enough so that he was able to lean against the eldest. “But you gotta tell me if anything feels off, alright?”
“I will”, Leo promised. And added, “Thank you for setting up the lamps. It was nice to wake up to them.”
Don hummed, making himself comfortable against Leo. He wouldn’t accept any thanks about looking after him, because that was something you didn’t apologize or thank for. Looking after each other was a given, had always been. But the thanks for the lamps he could accept.
Leo couldn’t have felt more content, having his brothers here, feeling like he was finally free of his sickness. He was still weak, but confident that some sleep would take care of that. It felt like he had had a year’s worth of sleep, but maybe he’d recover faster once he didn’t have to worry about his brothers doing something like this again.
“Wait a sec, you guys!” Mikey suddenly gasped, throwing the blankets off of him. Raph groaned when they landed on his face. The youngest hopped off of the bed, dashing out of the room. Before anyone had the time to ask he was back, the suitcase in his hands.
“Oh, right!” Don leaned away from Leo, sitting up straight. “We still don’t know what’s inside.”
Leo looked hesitant. “You got that from the Foot, right? Are you sure we should open it here?”
But Michelangelo was already fighting with the lock, and now Leonardo was sure that his brothers had learned nothing about his earlier lecture. When did they ever?
The lock snapped open, and even Raph had crawled closer in order to see. They held their breath when the suitcase slowly opened, kind of expecting it to explode or something, but the suitcase did nothing to hurt them. Inside it was a single item, something three of the four turtles did not recognize, but Don was beaming.
“I can’t believe it! This is exactly what I need!” The genius grabbed the item with both hands, lifting it up to admire it. “I suppose this was going to be a powersource for some kind of a weapon, but I’ve got much, much better use for it.”
“Boring”, Mikey sighed, flopping back on the bed. “Wish it’d been money at least. I’d really like to order some pizza right now.”
“I doubt that they deliver in this weather”, Leo said, patting Mikey’s shoulder, but he was frowning. “Any idea what kind of a weapon this would be used on, Don?”
“Nothing we wouldn’t be able to stop”, Don said reassuringly. “This is not that big of a powersource, but impressive anyways.”
“ Money would’ve been impressive”, Mikey was still muttering.
“Nah, Leo would’ve just made us return it to the “rightful” owner”, Raph said. “So better forget it, Mike.”
“As soon as I have my lab back…” Don was talking to himself now, muttering about his plans as he set the item carefully back into the suitcase. Mikey was still going on about pizza, and Raph occasionally made a comment. Leo smiled once more as he looked at them, but the ever-lingering drowsiness was seizing him again. He had a feeling that his recovery from all of this had just began, but he’d be damned if he left his brothers out of his sight for a while.
“Woah, Leo.” Donatello’s hand grabbed the leader’s shoulder, and Leonardo realized his posture had slumped and he had leaned too much to the side. He wasn’t only tired, he was exhausted now that he had allowed himself to feel relief. His worry had been the only thing keeping him going. “I was wondering how much longer you could stay up. You haven’t really given your body time to recover.”
Don poked Mikey until he gave them room, and then the four turtles were together under the blankets again. After some pushing and elbowing they settled, unaware that the wind outside had quieted down as well.
Only a few days later the storm had faded, and it took a week more until Donatello deemed it safe enough for them to return to their lair. April and Casey had been able to return to the city, and the apartment had really started to get too small for all six of them, so everyone had been glad that the turtles could return back to their own home. Especially the turtles. Well, perhaps April had been the most relieved one – living with five guys wasn’t easy. She had her hands full with just one.
After some repairs life had quickly gone back to normal with only one chance. Mikey would often complain of a broken heater and ended up sleeping somewhere else than his own room, Raph would say that his hammock just couldn’t store warmth like a bed could, and Don didn’t see any point heating up the whole lab, since he usually slept there. His own room was just too filled with his gadgets and computers. So, most of the nights Leo found his brothers from his room, and nobody really said anything about their new habit of snuggling together to escape the chill of the winter. Leo was sure that this habit would die out once it got warm again, and once they returned to their usual schedules; when Mikey stayed up late to watch movies, when Raph spent half of the night out with Casey, when it was almost morning when Don emerged from the lab. They couldn’t sleep in the same room when each one of them went to bed at such different times, so Leo decided to enjoy this while it lasted.
Not like every night was that enjoyable- sometimes he woke up to Raph elbowing him in the face (he was a restless sleeper), sometimes Mikey talked in his sleep (about nonsense which nobody understood), sometimes Don had an experiment going on and constantly got up to check on it (he shouldn’t sacrifice sleep for that). Despite waking up several times during the nights Leo didn’t really mind. Waking up to their presence saved him from a lot of worrying.
And the horrible sleepiness and exhaustion were now behind him. Back was the usual drowsiness harsh winters brought them, but otherwise he was back to normal. At least most of the time; even though time had passed, there were still moments where he felt sluggish, especially in the mornings. Sometimes his attention seemed to be elsewhere, or he stumbled during practice, or lost a hold on a item he was holding. Nothing too troubling when they were at the lair, but if it were to happen in a fight?
“Alright, guys”, Don announced one particularly chilly day. “Remember the part we got from the Foot, the powersource?”
They were in Don’s lab, standing in front of… something, which was currently hidden behind a white sheet. Don stood in front of, hands behind his back, seeming excited about showing his latest creation.
“Yeah! Did you make a weapon out of it? Can it shoot lasers? Can I try it?” Mikey was just as excited, and Don chuckled at him.
“No, it’s something even better.” Don turned around, pulling the sheet off, revealing a big… lamp.
“It’s a… lamp… thingy?” Mikey’s shoulders drooped.
“C’mon, Don, is the cold getting to your head?” Raph raised a brow as he watched the huge lamp.
“Raph, you were right there when we read about turtle brumation and basking”, Don reminded him.
“Yeah, but that was for pet turtles.”
“Why don’t you try it before you judge it?” Don suggested, motioning towards the chair set under it. Both Leo and Raph glanced at Mikey, wordlessly offering him as a candidate. Mikey only shrugged, taking a seat as proposed. Don turned on a switch, and the huge motor under the lamp came to life with a low hum. It was easy to see how Mikey’s limbs went limp and he slid down on the chair, but remained sitting. Raph and Leo moved, suddenly worried at how limp Mikey had went, but Don held his hand up.
“It’s a modified basking light”, he explained happily. “I thought about what happened to Leo when he was sick, and well, normal turtles usually receive a lot of sunlight. We live underground, and when we go out, the Sun is almost never out. With this we could possibly prevent the whole brumation thing from happening again.”
Don had considered the idea of a basking light back when they had still stayed at April’s, and getting his hands on the powersource had made him decide to make the lamp. But once they had returned home all his previous machines and experiments had called to him, and the basking light had been momentarily forgotten. When he had started noticing the effects of Leo’s condition still lingering on him he had remembered the lamp again, now hoping that it could put the brumation thing fully behind them.
“Even without a reason, it’s just really pleasant to be under it”, Don added.
“Looks like it”, Leo said as he watched Mikey’s completely relaxed pose.
“Donnie… you’re awesome”, Mikey sighed happily, and Don laughed.
“Come on, give it a try. I swear you’ll like it.” Don grabbed both Raph and Leo by the hand, guiding them towards the warm light. They wouldn’t have to be cold for the rest of the winter. Never, if they stayed together and kept each other safe when the days got too cold for one turtle to handle.