“What Splinter doesn’t know, can’t hurt us.”
It was something that Michelangelo had said many times when he thought that his father couldn’t hear him.
Splinter knew that was probably true. However, he knew a lot more about his sons than they gave him credit for.
He knew that they were to go to bed by ten O’clock, which they never failed to do, unless given permission otherwise. But what his sons didn’t realise was that he also knew that they would only stay in their rooms an hour or so, until they thought he was asleep.
Splinter knew that his youngest son spent hours of his night drawing, or reading comic books. Sometimes he was brave enough to sneak back into the living room to watch a movie, turning the volume down to the point that he had to use subtitles because he could barely hear the sound.
Michelangelo was the least subtle of his brothers.
Donatello would sneak out of his room to return to his work on the computer, he’d managed to alter the keyboard over time so that there was next to no sound as he furiously typed things that no one else could understand. He kept a full glass of water next to him all night, so that if he was caught he could claim that he’d only came out of his room for a drink; the computer was conveniently close enough to the kitchen to make it believable.
If he felt particularly daring, he would venture up to the garage to work on their vehicles, but that was fairly rare for the young genius.
Leonardo relied on his ninja skills the most, his stealth was almost honed to perfection, and he only ever left his room to slip into the dojo. The hours he was meant to be sleeping were often spent in deep meditation, or silently practicing advanced katas.
Raphael usually stayed in his room after ten O’clock, choosing to stick to their ‘bedtime’ and get a good night’s sleep while his brothers silently moved about the lair.
Surprisingly when Raphael did leave his room, he was the most subtle about his actions, and the most daring. When Raph left his room he didn’t stay in their home, he quickly and quietly left the lair and just as quietly snuck back in hours later, arriving in time to have a quick nap before being woken up for breakfast.
Splinter knows all this, but he never says anything, not unless he thinks they are in danger. His students practiced and honed their skills to perfection as they tried to hide their actions from him.
What Splinter didn’t know, may not be able to hurt them, but there was very little that he didn’t know.
