A Brother's Rivalry

((Time:7pm.
location:lair))


Leo had finished up his quiet meditation for the night. It took him longer then usual to find his peaceful place, his happy place because playing over and over in his mind was something his brother Raph had said. They had gotten into it again, that was nothing new. Raph was a hot head who never listened to him and didn't respect him as a leader. But,  He mentioned that he could take Leo on in a fight at any day, any time. Leo had blown it off at first, this wasn't the first time Raph had boasted such a ridiculous clam. But something in his brother's tone. Like raph was better then him. It rubbed Leo the wrong way. As hard as he tried to ignore it and let it go he couldn't. Leo had something to prove, to himself and to Raph and maybe to the rest of his family. He was leader for a reason. He was the best, in fighting at least.

Leo got up off his mat that was sitting in the middle of his room. He could hear the TV on in the main room, and by the sounds of it it was some screamer flick. No doubt Raph was out there, maybe trying instill nightmares in their youngest brother. He left his room and went straight to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out some arazona green tea. It wasn't as good as the real thing, but he didn't feel like going through the trouble of making fresh tea. He poured himself a glass and chugged it.

After quenching his thirst, he put everything away then went into the main room quietly walking up behind the couch.

What about now? Leo asked seeing that Mike was in fact not there. Must have been in his room playing video games. Any time any place. How about now in the dojo. Lets see you put your words into actions.

Leo couldn't wait to put Raph in his place.

The argument had taken place hours ago. It had started over something petty, as always. But the two oldest turtles had a knack of blowing things out of proportions. Tempers flared, arguments irrupted and sometimes they evolved into something physical. The more intense instances usually sent the younger brothers scattering for other locations of the lair. Of course when things teetered on the verge of catastrophe, someone would brave the tangle-of-turtles and attempt to break them up.



Fortunately tonight had not progressed to that level. In fact, the Hot Head had all but forgotten the little spat. The distraction of the Saw trilogy would certainly do that for him. Raphael had hoped to scare the shell out of his youngest brother with the amazingly graphic flicks, but Mike had other plans. Probably headed topside to drool in front of a comic book store like a starved puppy eyeing a cut of meat. Whatever. The little runt was missing out on a good opportunity for some good nightmares. The darker-minded reptile would certainly introduce his little bro to the gruesomeness on a later date.


Completely indulged in the bloodfest series with a purring ball of scraggly orange fluff on his lap, the temperamental turtle didn't acknowledge his older brother at first. But Leo had a way of making himself known... the guy was so damn annoying!

 
"What about now? "


Raph threw up a hand, as if to silence his brother, but Lame-o-nardo proceeded in his quest to annoy the piss out of him!


"Any time any place. How about now in the dojo. Lets see you put your words into actions."


That certainly caught the Hot-Head's attention, causing him to shift in his position to flash a quizzical look at his older sibling. Obviously Leo was still brooding over their earlier argument and had taken his 'offer' to heart. Any time, any place.. Raph had told him, but Leo had walked away. Now, here he was, challenging him after hours had passed by.


"Typical, Leo..." He huffed, gently picking up his 'lap warmer' and placed him on the cushion beside him. The orange tabby stretched and decided it was time to move on to other things. Perhaps the animal could sense what was happening, even though Raphael wasn't angry... yet.


"See, that's yer problem. You over think everything." The massive reptile shook his head and wedged a toothpick between his teeth. Even though Leonardo was older, Raphael was much taller and more muscled  than the blue-clad bossy-pants. Sometimes it was easy to envision Leo as a little yappy Chihuahua nipping mockingly at his heels... he just needed to give it a good kick and send it flying. And like the metaphorical rat-version of a dog, Leo would never break the skin, only annoy him. But, whatever. If yer so eager to get yer tail handed to you... yeah... it's high time you get put in yer place!" The turtle huffed and nodded his head in the direction of the dojo....

Leo glared at Raph. Well Raph, someone has to do the thinking around here. We all know that's not really your department. He quipped. Leo glanced at the tv screen just as two blocks of ice were about to pop a man's head like a pimple. He wrinkled his nose.

How can you watch this stuff?

But there was no time for an answer. it was time Leo kicked some ass. Raph was going to know what it was like to feel pain. Of course Leo would never actually hurt his brother, though sometimes things did happen. But he would still put Raph in his place. Remind him why he was leader. Sure Raph was bigger. But it wasn't always about who was bigger when it came to fighting.

Oh little brother, it will be you, being put in your place. Maybe I should get Donnie to pull out the med kit. you are going to need it.

Leo walked in the dojo and went to the far end of the room. True to form, this fight would be done right. respectfully, no cheep shots. They would each take their positions and after a courtesy bow, attack. No weapons. Not that Leo was scared about using weapons. he just didn't want any unforeseen accidents involving sharp objects.

He took his swords out and carefully placed them on the table beside him.

No weapons. We take care of this matter hand to hand. Leo informed then after a quick bow of his head got into a fighting stance.

It seemed like Leo was trying to fire him up, pushing all of the Hot-Head's buttons. The jab that the leader took about Raph not being a thinker certainly added spark to that fire, earning a death glare from the larger turtle. Obviously Leo was fueled by a grudge, but Raph certainly didn't mind causing the inevitable boom. Leonardo was asking for it, and the temperamental turtle would be sure that he delivered!!


"Stop yappin' already an' lets see if yer ass can cash checks that yer mouth keeps writin'." Raphael huffed and followed his brother to the dojo. It was to be a place for training, but the room also witnessed a lot of the older brothers disagreements. It wasn't uncommon for an educating spar to transform into an all out brawl. They had spilled each others blood a time or two, and had scared the younger two brothers on several occasions. This life was full of tension and being so closely confined to the source of your annoyance was certainly toxic.


Once they were in the dojo, Raphael took his corner and at his brother's request, shrugged and tossed his sais onto the mat behind him. "Oookay. But yer only embarrassin' yerself.."  The Hot-Head taunted, snapping his head from side to side to work out any tension. When his brother bowed, the more aggressive reptile rolled his eyes, but followed suit before taking his position and moving into a stance..


"It's time to prove once and for all that I woulda been the better leader..."

So much talking. It was time to get down to business. Leo knew that Raph was trying to get under his skin, and to be honest it was working. But it was when Raph made the clam that he would have been the better leader Leo laughed mockingly at that. He had to be joking.

You, leader? Raph you couldn't lead us out of a paper bag.

Leo eyed Raph up, he couldn't lose his cool. He had to focus. That was Raph's problem. He couldn't focus. He let things get to him. Leo would use that to his advantage. Leo shifted his weight then ran at Raph throwing a quick punch at Raph's face then aimed a kick at his stomach.

When will you learn, Raph? You would be lost without my leadership.

"You, leader? Raph you couldn't lead us out of a paper bag."


Unlike his brother, Raphael wasn't that great at holding his composure. The Hot Head wore his anger freely and tonight was no different. The reptile's nostrils flared with each angered breath, his yellow eyes piercing his brother as agitation rolled off him like vapor. Leonardo was waving the red flag in front of a raging bull, and the blue clad turtle knew it. He was taunting, trying to get the younger turtle to lose his sense of thought.. and it was working.


"Go ahead and deny it, but you know it's true!!" Raphael seethed and charged at his brother, and soon it was a battle of egos put into action via physical combat. The Hot-Head managed to avoid the punch that was aimed for his face, but his older brother's kick hit him mid-body, causing him to stumble back. His plastron protected him from the blow, but it certainly injured his ego. An anguished growl reverberated throughout the Dojo as Raphael rebound, and flew at his brother once again, aiming forceful punches at Leo's snout, then attempted to sweep the Leader's feet from beneath him.


"LOST?!?" Raphael screamed as the assaults kept coming. "Everything would fall into place if you weren't pretendin' to be all high and mighty!" The Hot-Head glared at him. "But look at us!! Livin' underground like some dirty lil secret.. always takin' yer orders!! Well, I've had enough!!" The beast of a reptile snarled, aiming another series of punches at his brother's face....

Leo was able to dodge most of the punches, but one did make contact with his face. Leo stumbled backwards and shook his head to clear it. Damn Raph hit hard. But he didn't expect anything less. The bickering back and forth was getting under both of their skin. They were fueling each other's anger. It would make for a good fight, but someone was bound to get hurt.

Leo came back from the hit and aimed a round house kick at Raph. He followed the attack up with a few more punches to the face.

Everything would fall into place if you weren't such an egomaniac and listened to me! Stop feeling so sorry for yourself. These are the cards we were dealt, deal with it! And without my guidance you wouldn't have made it this far.

Raphael avoided the roundhouse kick that his brother executed with the intention of bruising his ego that much more. The reptile blocked most of the punches, but one did connect with his snout, busting open his sinuses. Now the Turtle was seeing nothing but read! All rational thought had evaded  him as blood trickled down his snout, dripping from his lip and invading his mouth. That hit, followed by his brother's words was more than he could take!


A guttural roar rattled in the Hot-Head's chest, burning its way up his throat and echoing throughout the lair. Raph charged at his brother, not caring about what defensive move would connect with him in the process. He attempted to bulldoze into his brother, aiming to pin him to the Dojo's wall. A forceful punch was aimed at Leo's vulnerable side, and another. There was no shell there to protect Fearless from the powerful blows.



"This ain't the card we're dealt... we could be somethin' more!! But yer fear is holdin' us back!!" Another punch was aimed at his brother's face. "An' you think it's you that's kept us alive this long?!" The turtle's angered breath brushed his brother's bruised cheek, blood misting the small gap between them and speckling Leo's face with each of the enraged reptile's exhales. "Now who's the egomaniac?! I would do just FINE on my own!!"

Leo saw the attack coming, He knew Raph all to well and knew his moves. But, when Raph became unhinged it was hard to predict what he would do, and at times a little scary. But Leo held his own. Leo was pinned to the wall. He manged to dodge the punch aimed at his face but he couldn't dodge the hard punches to his sides.

Leo, having had enough of his brother's punches and spit lunged at Raph. He aimed a knee at Raph's stomach and an elbow at his face.

Oh please, Raph. The city out there would eat you alive if you were own your own. Face it. You need me!

Ok so maybe Raph was right about one thing. Leo was the egomaniac in this fight. But it was what Leo believed. A belief that he normally wouldn't voice. But raph needed to hear it. He needed to know who was in charge. He needed to be reminded that at the end of the day, it all fell on Leo's shoulders to protect them and without his protection they wouldn't stand a chance. It was a burden that Leo took seriously.

What could we be Raph?! Uh!? What more could we be other then what we are!?

The fight continued and the two were spiraling even more out of control. The two hot-tempered teenage boys slammed each other into various objects, breaking everything in their wake. Angered beyond any degree of self-control, Raph slammed Leonardo into a large rack that held weapons of various caliber. The impact was enough to knock a few swords and a segmented staff from their resting places before the whole rack came crashing down in an avalanche of sharp weapons....


"Oh please, Raph. The city out there would eat you alive if you were own your own. Face it. You need me!"


Was Leo really that delusional?  "No... it's you that needs me! Who gets the shit done while yer wastin' time comin' up with some worthless plan?? ME! You jus' don't wanna admit it, because yer afraid to!!" The angry turtle hissed as he blocked a few more of his brother's attacks, then slammed into him with enough force to knock the blue-clad jabber mouth onto his back. Acting quickly, Raph flung him onto his stomach and straddled him, pinning him beneath his weight. The now dominant reptile then grabbed his brother's left hand, twisting his arm as he pinned the captive appendage behind Leo's back. His free hand pressed the defeated turtle's face into the mats.


Leo's last comment hit hard. Though Raphael had the most trouble accepting what he was, he knew they deserved better than this. All they did for the citizens of New York, they deserved better than this. Better than the germ-infested sewers. Better than the lonely future that awaited them all. They had each other, but they would never know the life of the average teenagers. Hanging out in public places with friends. Dating. A life. No. They would only exist, and that was it. And even existing would always be a struggle. All it would take was one slip up and they would end up in a zoo, or worse. A dissection table. Leo was right. What more could they be?


"I don't need you to remind me that I'll always be a freak... but it doesn't make it right!! Those thankless humans owe us!" The reptile hissed...

Donatello was taking advantage of the peace and quiet of the lair to get some work done in his lab before their patrol later that night.  He was mixing two chemicals together (one green and one blue), trying to perfect a formula he was working on as an experiment that hopefully wouldn't blow up in his face this time.  Sometimes, he wasn't so lucky, but at least he didn't blow up the lair...yet.  But, the odds of that happening were unfortunately still pretty high.

Pushing his glasses up higher on his snout with a finger and his tongue stuck out in concentration, he slowly poured the blue liquid into an empty vial and then added the green when he heard a crash come from outside his room.  He jumped slightly and poured a little more of the green than expected, bracing for disasterous results.

Seeing that wasn't going to happen, he sighed in both relief and annoyance for being disturbed, set both bottles down and stormed out of his lab.  There he could hear his brothers trading insults and blows.  Not that this was anything new, but Don knew he needed to put a stop to it before either of them got seriously hurt.

Don stopped right outside the dojo and saw Leo and Raph getting into it and Raph had Leo pinned to the floor; along with the source of the noise with various weapons scattered on the floor.  Don knew he needed to break up the fight as soon as possible.  "Hey!"  He hurried over to the two brawling turtles and grabbed Raph's shoulders, yanking him backwards to pull him off Leo.  "Knock it off, you two!"

Needed him? That was laughable. Leo soon found himself being thrown against the wall, knocking the weapons off their stand. One of the swords cut into his left arm. When he went to turn and fight back Raph was on top of him. Now Leo was pinned to the floor under his much heaver brother. He tried to push himself up with his free arm.

Get off of me! He shouted and tried to turn himself around. It was then that he heard Don come in. Great.

I've got this Donnie! This doesn't concern you.

But as soon as raph's weight let up, Leo was up and on top of Raph aiming a punch at the hot head's face.

Well, one problem alleviated and another one comes at full force.  Great.  Don took his staff and put it between the two brothers, trying to break up the fight.  "It most certainly concerns me if either of you pummels the other so much that you'll need stitches," Don told them, shaking his head, holding the staff in between them.  

He already noticed that Raph had a bloody snout and he shook his head again.  "Can't either of you find a less violent way to settle this?  This isn't going to solve anything other than both of you getting at least bruises and scratches."

Normally Don would just let them settle it any way they saw fit, but he was tired of having to patch them up.  It was bad enough when enemies did the damage.  But it was ten times worse when Raph and Leo caused harm to themselves over these ridiculous petty disputes of power.

Raphael was beyond livid. Now he had his brother pinned, but despite the overwhelming urge to twist and dislocate Leo's shoulder, the reptile refrained. He could have so easily injured him and put the leader out of commission for awhile, but he wouldn't do that. Raph only wanted to prove once and for all that he was stronger, and deep down... prove his worth in the clan, because he felt Leo never respected that, and most likely didn't realize it. Naturally it made him defensive. Deep down, he knew that he wouldn't be the better leader, but when he felt cornered or unappreciated for what he did contribute to the clan, he often threw it in Leo's face. Because he nagged. Because he pushed him.


"Oh, what's wrong, Lame-o-nardo, can't handle it now, can you!! You wanted this, so here it is!!" Raphael huffed in response to his brother's demand for him to get off him. "If you want up so badly, since you think yer so fuckin' better than me...make me!! Get yerself outta this situation..."


Before the Hot-Head could get a response, he felt himself being pulled back and before he could see who had him, Leo used his momentary handicap to his advantage. The punch connected with his already busted nose, worsening the injury. Blood poured from his snout and trickled down the back of his throat and from the sides of his mouth. The impact had caused him to topple back onto Donnie, but at this point he had no idea who had pulled him off. Enraged, Raphael sprung both feet forward, his feet connecting with Leo's chest and sent him flying across the dojo. The turtle had held nothing back. His full strength had been put into the move. It was enough to do damage and knock the wind from his brother's lungs, but Raphal was incapable of thinking through the action. Leonardo had gotten him to the point of insanity. The Leader knew Raph all too well.. he should have known that he had gone too far.


In a flash Raph sprung to his feet and flew at his brother once again... "Low fuckin' blow, Leo!"

Leo knew as soon as his fist hit Raph that the fight had gone too far. Leo had lost his cool in the heat of the moment and struck at Raph when his guard was down. It was a lesson for the red clad turtle though, never let your guard down. Always be ready for an attack. A lesson that Leo should have taken to heart.

He didn't see Raph's attacking coming, his brother was too fast, Leo was already injured though not as badly as Raph. But that would soon change.

Raph's attack caused Leo to fly across the room, he hit the brick wall hard and slid down to the floor gasping for air. His shell was cracked, but he wasn't aware of that just yet. What he was aware of was the pain that was going through his chest with each breath. Yeah the fight got out of hand.

As crazy as things had gotten, the only thing on Leo's clouded mind was not letting Raph win this one. He wanted to prove that he was better then Raph. Truth was, He wasn't stronger then his brother. And after losing this fight, he knew he needed more training.

Leo tried to get up. He didn't know if he would go after Raph again or just leave it be. but when he couldn't get to his feet he knew it was over. raph was still standing. he had won and Leo had failed to prove himself. That fact hurt worse then any of his physical injuries. Failure was never an option for Leo. he had to be the best.

Leo closed his eyes only for a moment. He opened them back up to see Raph coming at him again. With wide eyes, Leo gathered all his strength and rolled out the way while at the same time trying to trip Raph.

Now Donatello was getting angry.  They didn't even listen to a word he said!  Or even acknowledged him!  It was as if he wasn't even in the room -- let alone standing in between them, trying to keep them from killing each other.  Which went over so well...not.

After seeing Leo hit the wall, Don ran over to him and kneeled down next to him, making sure he was at least okay.  Then Raph came over and tried 'kicking Leo while he was down' and that was enough to get Don up and he used his staff to trip the largest turtle.

"I said, enough!"  He was glaring daggers at both of them then dropped his weapon to hold Leo to the floor.  "This fight is over!"  Once again, leave it to Donatello to patch things up -- or at least patch his brothers up.

Raphael charged at his brother like an angered bull, still in his 'psycho haze' and unable to realize that any additional hits could really injure his older brother. Considering that Leo was slowed by his injuries and his lungs struggling to find breath once again, Raph easily avoided his attempted sweep kick, but the Hot-Head was not expecting Donnie's move. His feet were suddenly yanked from beneath him and he fell back on the floor, but was quick to rebound. Fist at the ready and preparing to throw a punch at Leo's face, but Donatello was now standing firmly in between them, holding Leo down.


Despite the critical 'red' level that the Hot Head was in, he was able to stop his fist before it hit the wrong target. Unlike Leonardo, he wouldn't stoop to his level and strike him while he was restrained. Fists clinching in raw irritation, the beast of a turtle glared daggers at Leo, blood dripping from his snout and down his jaw. He spit out a mouthful of the metallic flavored fluid, his gaze never straying away from his grounded brother.


Donatello was calling the fight, but the brainy turtle didn't understand. Leo wanted to prove a point, and it had been done. Raphael was still standing. Sure, he was bleeding and beyond angry, to the point of shaking... but he was on his feet. Leo had shed blood, too. It was fortunate that Donnie had interjected or things could have been a lot worse. Raph probably would have done something that he would later regret.


"Are you happy now, Fearless?" Raphael hissed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He towered over his grounded brother, but as angry as he was, the desire to strike him had faded. The point had been proven. "Who's standin', huh?!"

Leo was not happy. He was hurting and his ego was bruised. He glared up at Raph and pushed Don's bo out of the way. He struggled to get up and after some doing finally managed it. He put his hand on the cold wall to steady himself. You got lucky. Leo said in a shay tone. But he knew luck had nothing to do with it. Maybe Raph was better.

Leo pushed himself away from the wall and slowly walked away from both his brothers. He didn't want to face anyone right now. He lost a fight. He failed himself. Leo was more angry with himself then he was at Raph. He was the one that wanted the fight, he was the one that thought the fight was in the bag before it started. And now, he was the one walking away with a fractured shell, a twisted arm, a bloody mouth and a bruised ego.

When he got to the door of the dojo he turned back to the others shook his head then left destined for his bedroom.

Don was fully prepared to defend Leo if Raph came at him again, but luckily that just didn't happen.  However, he did notice Leo's condition as he started walking away and Don went after him, snatching up his staff on the way.  "Oh, no you don't!  My lab...now."  He reached out and grabbed his brother's good arm.  He left no room for argument.

Then he turned to Raph.  "You, too, Raph.  I need to make sure nothing is broken."  Again, Don didn't leave any room for argument and started pulling Leo towards his lab.  "Just what the heck were you trying to accomplish, hm?"  He was glaring at Leo.  It was pretty obvious by now who started it from just observing the exchange.  "Other than receiving a broken shell and who knows what else."

Gah, he hated having to play the shrink, but someone had to get to the bottom of this.  Of course, he had the gist of it, but he wanted to hear from both of them and their view points.  He would keep his staff handy in case he had to use it once again to break up another fight.

He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"You got lucky."


Raphael would have snorted in amusement if his sinuses weren't dripping blood. Even though Leo's tone was so confident in his claim, something about his brother's demeanor reflected his defeat. The Hot-Headed turtle watched as Leo limped away, obviously in pain. Raphael's temper was still flaring, but he had never intended for things to get this out of hand. Hell, he never did. Hurting a brother was one of his biggest fears, yet-- he did it time and time again. He was larger and stronger than his brothers.. and more aggressive.  If Don hadn't been there... no. Raph couldn't think like that. Not right now, while his emotions were on high. And yet, that's all he could think about.


The Hot-Head kept quiet as Don went after Leo, and ordered him to follow. Raph was injured, but there was probably nothing that his brainy brother could do for his busted sinuses. That was an injury that would have to heal over time. Breathing would certainly be a joy over the next several days. Besides, being in the same room with Leo was probably asking for trouble. His own anger was manageable now, but would Leo let it go? That certainly hadn't been the case earlier, and mere words had resulted in their current situation.


Raph retrieved his sais and tucked them into his belt, having no intention of following Donatello's orders. The best thing for everyone would be for him to just leave. For good. That would certainly alleviated all of the tension in the lair. Obviously this place wasn't big enough for two dominant turtles. And every time Leo stepped up to challenge him, Raph knew his temper would flare and he would be unable to turn down the opportunity to show his brother up. It was a never ending, violent cycle. It wasn't fair to Donnie. To Mike or Splinter.



The Hot-Headed turtle headed out of the dojo, and made a bee line for the Lair's exit, but his concern over Leo stopped him short. Yeah, he was pissed at the bozo for bringing this on, and for the busted snout, but he had no idea how severe Leo's own injuries were. That kick would have killed a human. Luckily Leo had a shell to protect him, but the jarring impact could have done some internal damage.


Raphael hesitated for a moment, torn on what to do. If he stayed, that certainly wouldn't help Leo's 'mentality' any. If he left, he wouldn't know how his brother was. With a deep sigh, he turned and headed towards Don's lab, but he wouldn't go in. That would only make things worse. Instead, he lingered just outside the door, out of sight... listening in. He was sure that Leo would blame it all on him, not that it really mattered anymore. He had another reason for listening in. Listening for any key points that would suggest that Leo wanted him gone. It would give him more incentive to give the clan the relief they needed. Spitting out another mouthful of blood, Raph slid down the wall and took a seat on the floor, just outside the doorway. This could take awhile, but as soon as he heard how Leo was doing, he was out of here for good.

Leo didn't want to go to the lab. Honestly, he just wanted to leave the lair. But Don wasn't going to take no for an answer. He limped his way to the lab and once there sat on the metal table so Don could look him over. I'm sure it's nothing bad. He said with a shrug. I've had worse He hated admitting that he got his ass kicked so he tried to play it off like it was nothing.

But it wasn't nothing. His shell was cracked in two places, his arm was sprang, his mouth was busted and bleeding everywhere.

take care of Raph first. Leo told Don nodding over to where Raph weas sitting. Make sure he's alright. Part of Leo wanted to say he was sorry for getting so aggresive. it wasn't ment to be like that. it was suppose to be a friendly fight to see who was better, but Leo took it too far. Which was strange for him, he usually held in his temper better then that.

I think we could all use some spice soju and cold pizza He let out a small chuckle tring to make light of the sistuation. he didn't want any hard feelings. Sorry I busted your nose.... It was all of an apology he could get out at the moment.

Donnie wasn't one-hundred percent sure what injuries Raph sustained from the brawl, but it definitely looked like Leo was the worst off.  Finally, he succeeded in getting one brother where he wanted him to be, but Raph was being difficult.  He wanted to make sure that Raph didn't have any hidden injuries anywhere that needed to be treated.  But, that would have to wait.

Don turned to Leo and snorted when he said he thought the injuries were nothing.  "Nothing?  Leo, your shell is cracked in two places!  These don't just grow back, you know."  Don knew Leo was trying to play it off like it wasn't that serious, but Don knew better.  He looked over Leo's other wounds carefully, noticing Leo's arm was severely dislocated.  Don groaned inwardly.

"Remind me to throttle you both later for doing this sort of damage to each other."  Don was far from amused.  Leo's little stab at humor only upset Don more.  He started cleaning Leo's wounds, occasionally glancing out the door to see if his brother was still waiting outside.  He knew Raph was there.  He could feel it. And he was extremely grateful the hothead hadn't bolted this time.

Raphael continued to listen on from outside the doorway, a sai held within his three fingered grasp, the tip of the long prong twisting into the floor. A momentary distraction, even though the reptile knew that was impossible.  He could hear everything that was being said inside Donnie's lab. Even though he had been discreet, it seemed that his brothers knew that he was sitting just outside the door, propped against the wall. The fact that he hadn't bolted was nothing short of a miracle, but the red-clad turtle was scared. Scared of what his temper had done to his brother. It no longer mattered who started the fight. He had ultimately been the one to finish it.


It seemed that Leo was trying to play it off, and even told Donnie to take care of him first. Typical Leo. It certainly wasn't making him feel any less guilty. Then came Leo's half-ass apology for his busted nose. 'Whatever' The Hot-Head huffed to himself, having to bite his tongue. Raph didn't want to draw attention to himself because he was still on a hairline trigger. Leaving was still on the forefront of his mind.


"Nothing?  Leo, your shell is cracked in two places!  These don't just grow back, you know."


The news caused Raphael to cringe. He knew that his brother's injuries were bad, but hearing Donnie confirm it drove an emotional dagger into the reptile's chest. He took a deep, collective breath, eyes traveling in the direction of the lair's exit. He should go... leave this place for good. Leo had been lucky this time, but what about next? What about the others? He was a danger to them all....

There was no getting around it. Leo was going to have to sit there and let Don patch him up, even though he much rather lie in bed and calm down. His emotions were calmer but his heart was still going a mile a minute. He took some deep breaths that hurt like hell. This fight got way out of hand, he just hoped their father didn't find out about it.

Don't think about going anywhere, Raph. He called out from the lab. He knew his brother all too well, emotions get high something bad happens and Raph makes a run for it. He always came back but it still worried Leo.

Just slap some duck tape on it it'll be fine. He just wanted Don to hurry up and finish. He did not want to be in that lab long, he didn't like it in there. it was cold and uninviting and it smelled strange. Plus he wanted to have a word with Raph after they were both patched up. He couldn't just leave it like this, both of them mad. And this time Raph hadn't started it. Yeah they needed to have a heart to heart.

Don continued patching Leo up, being as careful as he could. He was still furious with both of them for inflicting wounds like this on each other. Sure, brothers had their disagreements, but Leo and Raph took it to a whole new level. And even beyond that level tonight. If he hadn't stepped in...he really didn't want to finish that thought.

When Leo spoke indirectly to Raphael - who was still outside the door as far as they both knew - Don cast his own glare out the door. If Raph left before Don had a chance to look him over, he would personally hunt him down, drag him back to the lair, and restrain him to his computer chair!

At the mention of duct tape, Don rolled his eyes. "It's not that simple, Leo. It won't cure the problem." He looked at the brother in front of him, stepping back and looked him over once more. "I'll need to reset your arm in the socket before I can splint it."

Then he went over and found the piece of wood he used for such cases to bite down on while he worked his magic -- or at least used his skills to reset dislocated appendages. He stood in front of Leo and held it up to his mouth. "Bite down on this."