Even though Leo had decided to give the others the morning off, due to the stress brought by the situation, Leo still went on his early morning run. He returned home, entering the old reservoir pump station to find Mikey listening to music while making breakfast. Leo watched as Mikey cooked, swishing his tail in time to the music and found himself captivated by the slender appendage.
He made his way over to Mikey’s side, “What are you making?”
“Scrambled eggs, sliced fruit, and toast,” Mikey answered then pointed to a kettle on the stove. “I have water hot and ready for you to make tea.”
Leo nuzzled Mikey, “You are too good to me,” then playfully pinched Mikey’s tail.
“Hey,” Mikey squeaked. “Someone might see.”
“Let them,” Leo smiled. “We should tell the others, we’ve been together long enough to know that we both want more and we can’t keep it a secret for long.”
“Y…you want more?” Mikey stammered as he whisked the eggs.
“Yeah,” Leo poured water into his tea pot to let the tea leaves seep. He placed the lid on the pot then turned to lean on the counter. “I really enjoy the kissing, but I would also love to take that next step in our relationship.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready,” Mikey poured the eggs into the skillet.
“I’m not talking about sex Mikey,” Leo watched Mikey as he tended the eggs. “I just think we should tell the others and maybe share a room.”
“I’m okay with telling everyone else,” Mikey nodded. “And if Master Splinter says it’s alright I can move into your room, mine’s kinda a mess.”
“Good,” Leo smiled and walked over to kiss Mikey’s cheek. “We’ll do it after we get back from visiting the Daimyo.”
Leo could see the blush that spread across Mikey’s beak and down his neck and it ignited a desire to see him flush like that for more intimate reasons. Mikey let out a steading breath, “Okay.”
Leo placed his hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Leo.” Mikey leaned in and gave Leo and quick kiss. “I do want to be with you, but I’m just not ready. Maybe sharing a room will be a good thing.”
“Take all the time you need,” Leo turned to pour himself a cup of tea then took his seat at the table. “I can wait.”
**
Donny woke up, breathing in Raph’s scent and nuzzled his love’s neck. Raph’s soft giggle snapped Don awake and the memories came flooding back. He looked down at Raph and tried his best to hide his sorrow, “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Raph mumbled.
“Do you want something to eat?” Donny got up then lifted Raph off the bed.
“Yeah,” Raph answered and as soon as his feet hit the ground, he bolted from the room.
Donny followed after as Raph ran into the kitchen. Leo was already up and at the table, drinking his tea while Mikey made breakfast. Donny saw the flush across Mikey’s beak and assumed it was from the heat of the stove.
Raph climbed into one of the chairs and sat on his feet so that he could see over the table. “I want pancakes,” he declared. “With blue berries.”
“We’re having eggs,” Leo replied.
Donny expected another fit from Raph, but instead Raph nodded his head. “I like eggs,” he smiled then looked up at Mikey. “Can I help?”
“I’m almost done, little dude,” Mikey answered. “Next time.”
“Oh,” Raph pouted.
“You can get the forks,” Mikey offered and Raph climbed off the chair. He headed to the drawer that Mikey indicated and grabbed five forks. He then placed them one at a time around the table then sat back down.
Leo raised an eye ridge, “Thank you.”
Raph smiled up at him, “I wanna be big too. Do you think if I’m good I will get big like you?”
“You never know,” Leo answered as he took another sip of tea.
The rest of the morning went smoothly with Raph practicing katas with Splinter and a short lesson with Donny. Then he helped gather up the supplies for their trip into the Nexus.
“He’s actually behaving,” Leo placed his katana in their sheaths. “I was expecting the morning to be full of his tantrums.”
“He had his moments,” Splinter smiled as he watched Raph take Donny by the hand. “He can be a good kid when he wants to be.”
Leo walked over to the wall and drew the symbols before beginning the chant. Raph hid behind Donny as the portal opened and held his hand tight. “It’s okay,” Donny soothed. “It’s just a glowing door.”
Raph clenched his eyes shut and held Donny’s hand tight as they walked through the portal. He trembled as the tingle of magic ran over their bodies. “I don’t like it,” he shouted.
“We’re though,” Donny soothed.
Opening one eye first, Raph looked around while still holding on to Donny. “Wow,” he gasped out as he looked around the room. “It’s so big and clean.” Gyoji suddenly appeared and greeted them with a bow causing Raph shrieked and run to hide behind Splinter. “Father, it’s a ghost.”
Splinter chuckled and placed a hand on top of Raph’s head, “Gyoji is the Daimyo’s assistant. He is not a ghost.” Ushering Raph forward he had him stand in front of Gyoji. “There is no need to be frightened, my son. He is a friend.”
Raph looked up at Gyoji then turned to press his face into Splinter’s kimono, “He’s scary.”
Splinter sighed, “Give him time. He will get over it.”
“Of course,” Gyoji bowed. “Please follow me. The Daimyo is waiting.”
They were led through the Daimyo’s home and Raph walked next to Splinter, holding his kimono tight. When they reached the Daimyo’s throne room, Raph’s eyes go wide. Donny half expected him to run in fear, but instead ran up to the Daimyo. “Wow, you’re big!”
The Daimyo looked down at Raph then back up at Splinter, “What has happened to your son?”
“That is what we were hoping you could tell us,” Splinter bowed. “He woke up yesterday morning and was a child, with no memories of being an adult.”
“Gyoji, fetch a healer,” the Daimyo ordered as he stood. As Gyoji bowed and made his exit, the Daimyo walked down to stand in front of Splinter. “You helped save my son. I will do what I can to help yours.”
The healers took Raph to run their tests while the others waited. When they brought him back, Raph had a red bean bun in his hands that he was happily devouring. “Did he do alright?” Donny asked rushing up to Raph.
The healer smiled, “He behaved himself.”
Leo walked over to the healer, “Did you find anything?”
The healer placed a hand on Raph shoulder, “There is evidence of temporal magic, but beyond that we do not know.”
“Can you change him back?” Mikey asked.
“No,” the healer shook his head. “We do not possess that kind of power.”
“So then, he’ll just have to age naturally again.” Donny wiped a tear from his cheek. “There’s nothing we can do.”
“How did Raph come in contact to temporal magic?” Leo knelt down to look at his brother. “Why you?”
Donny shrugged, “Maybe it was just a fluke. Some residual magic left over from everything that had happened to us. I don’t understand magic enough to really hypothesize.”
“I’m sorry that there wasn’t more that I could do,” the Daimyo placed a hand on Splinter’s shoulder. “You are welcome to stay for dinner if you like.”
“Thank you,” Splinter bowed. “I think we will.”
The Daimyo nodded, “Good. My son has been begging for Leonardo to visit.”
Leo chuckled, “And, I look forward to spending time with Ue-Sama.”
Leo spent the hours before dinner with Ue-Sama, going through katas and weapons training. The Daimyo sat with Splinter to comfort his friend while they drank tea. “I know this will be difficult for you, but at least you have not lost your son entirely. When my son was returned to me as a child, I vowed to myself to raise him better this time.”
Splinter nodded, “My sadness comes not for myself but for Donatello.”
“Oh?” the Daimyo looked at Splinter.
“Though they tried to keep it a secret, I knew that Donatello was exploring a relationship with Raphael,” Splinter explained. “The relationship was still new and now Donatello suffers the loss.” He looked over at Leo practicing with Ue-Sama then over at Michelangelo. “Leonardo and Michelangelo are also in a relationship, though it is newer. I was wondering which couple would come to me first, now I wonder if Donatello will be able to overcome this hardship in the face of watching his brothers’ love develop.”
“I wish there was more I could do,” the Daimyo turned to watch Donny and Mikey as they played with Raph.
“You gave us some answers,” Splinter took a sip of his tea. “And I thank you for that.”
When Dinner was served, Donny made up a plate for Raph and placed it on the table. The small Turtle looked down at the plate in front of him and curled up his beak, “I don’t like it.”
“You haven’t even tried it,” Donny countered. “At least take a bite.”
Raph sniffed the food, “It’s yucky.”
“Take a bite,” Donny insisted.
“Okay,” Raph sighed, stabbing the food with a chopstick. “What is it?”
“Dumplings,” Donny answered, picking up a dumpling and taking a bite.
“I don’t like dumpings,” Raph stuck out his tongue.
“Eat it,” Leo growled at him, losing his patience.
Raph leaned forward and took a bite of the dumpling. He held it in his mouth and tears dripped from his eyes. “I don’t like it,” he mumbled past the food.
“Chew it up and swallow it,” Leo glared at him.
Raph’s jaw started to slowly work at the food in his mouth then his hand came up to cover his mouth as he gagged.
“Don’t you dare,” Leo warned. Raph chewed some more then gagged again. Leo slammed his hands on the table, “Stop that.”
“Here,” Donny lifted a napkin to Raph’s mouth. “Just spit it out.” Raph pushed the half chewed food into the napkin then Donny handed him a glass of water. “Take a drink.”
“I want the milk tea,” Raph pointed.
“You can have milk tea when you eat some food,” Leo moved the cup of milk tea from Raph’s reach.
“I want it,” Raph stood to reach for it.
“No,” Leo snapped. “You need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” Raph whined.
“Leo, just let him have the tea,” Donny sighed.
“No,” Leo crossed his arms over his plastron. “I’m not going to let him misbehave.”
“You’re being too hard on him,” Donny argued.
“And you’re mollycoddling him,” Leo countered.
“Boys,” Splinter interrupted, stopping their argument. He looked at Raph, “Would you like some rice?”
Raph nodded.
Splinter grabbed a bowl of rice and handed it to Raph, “How about an egg or some pork?”
“Both,” Raph held his bowl out for Splinter to top his rice. As he ate his dinner Splinter placed the milk tea where Raph could reach it.
“You must learn patience when dealing with a child,” Splinter instructed.
“Raph is one to try my patience,” Leo sighed.
Raph grabbed his cup of milk tea and took a drink while looking at Leo. Putting the cup back down, Raph stuck his tongue out. “See,” Leo pointed at Raph while looking at Splinter. “He is deliberately pushing my buttons.”
“Do not let him,” Splinter smiled.
As if in response to Splinter’s words Raph kicked Leo in the shin. “That’s it,” Leo grabbed the upper lip of Raph’s carapace and lifted him off the ground.
“Le’mego,” Raph kicked his feet while raising his hands to try to pry Leo’s grip free. “You’re being rude.”
“Leo,” Donny called after him, but Leo didn’t stop.
Mikey sighed, “Even with Raph a cute little five year old, those two still go at it.”
“You’re going in a timeout,” Leo stated, walking Raph out of the room. “You can sit in there for a few minutes to calm down then you need to say you’re sorry to everyone. After that, you can sit down to eat.”
“No!” Raph struggled. “You need to say you’re sorry, you are not being nice.”
Leo placed Raph on the floor, “You sit here. I’ll get you when your timeout is over.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” Raph shouted.
Leo leaned in close to Raph, “Yes I am. Now sit.”
Raph huffed as he sat down, “I don’t like you.”
“That’s fine,” Leo said as he walked from the room. “But I will teach you to respect me.” When he returned, he sat at the table with the others and bowed. “I’m sorry for my brother’s behavior.”
“It’s alright,” the Daimyo chuckled. “Children can be a hand full.”
Donny was able to keep time in his head and as soon as five minutes was up He looked at Leo, “He’s been in there long enough.”
“What do you mean?” Leo lifted an eye ridge.
“One minute for each year of age,” Donny explained. “Anything beyond that is pointless.”
“Fine,” Leo took another bite. “You can go get him.”
“No,” Donny leaned in. “You put him in timeout. You are supposed to be the one who gets him out. Or do you want him to view me as his savior and you as the brute?”
Leo stood, “Very well.” He walked into the other room to get Raph, but when he got there the room was empty. “Raph!?” he looked around. “Get out here now.” He waited for a few moments then started to search the room. “Raph?” That’s when he noticed that one of the other doors was open. “Raph!” he ran to the door and looked around the new room. There was another door open and he raced towards it. “No, please no.”
Panic started to fill Leo as he raced through the rooms and his heart sank when the open doors led him outside. “Raph!” he shouted then mumbled under his breath. “You little shit, always running away.”
He rushed back into the house to where the others were still at the table. “Raph’s gone,” he announced as soon as he entered the room.
“Gone?” Donny stood.
“He’s either hiding somewhere in the house or he’s made his way outside,” Leo clenched his fists. “I didn’t think he was going to run off like that.”
“It’s Raph,” Mikey stood and ran past Leo. “He always runs.”
“I will stay in the estate,” Splinter grabbed Leo before he had the chance to leave. “The city outside the Daimyo’s estate is large; the three of you will need to fan out.”
“Hai, Sensei,” Leo bobbed before heading out.
“I will also send scouts out to look for your son,” the Daimyo offered. “It would be best that we find him soon.”
“Is there reason to be concerned about his safety?” Splinter’s voice was filled with worry.
“There are some… unsavory individuals within the city,” the Daimyo explained. “They are powerful enough to hide from me.”
“We must hurry,” Splinter dashed through the house with Donny following close after.
**
Raph ran through the throngs of people in the streets. He never intended to go outside. He was sitting in the room when he heard something and went to see what it was. When he peeked through the door he saw a giant, man sized bug and ran.
The more he ran the more frightened he became. There were so many strange creatures all around. Before he knew it, he was outside running through the scariest creatures he had ever seen. He just wanted to find somewhere to hide and wait for his family to come and find him.
He ducked down an ally and hid in the back corner. He wasn’t there long before someone joined him. “I saw you come in here,” the other called out in sing song. He walked up to Raph and looked down, “There you are.” He was an orange turtle with strange blue markings and a tattered cloth wrapped around his neck, covering his mouth. “My name’s K.C.” He extended a hand out to Raph, “I’m a Kame too. Let me help you.”
Trembling, Raph reached out and took the stranger’s hand.
