You Just Got Portal-Chopped (???)

Emotions are Somewhat Dealt With

Leon leaned against the counter, eyeing his counterparts with a mix of concern and amusement. Captain had his arms crossed tightly across his chest, almost like he was trying to hold himself together physically. Leo was leaning against the table, looking at each shadow and exit carefully before his shoulders started to drop. Both turtles tensed when Leon cleared his throat.

"Okay, so, I'm like, ninety-five percent sure you guys are the leaders of your groups, yeah?" He paused to get nods before carrying on. "Good! Cool, poggers even! Yes, so, I'm the, uhm, newly appointed leader of my brothers, so I'd think that we should get things sorted out here before letting anything fester, yeah?"

Leo nodded along, scratching his chin before responding. "I talked with my brothers already, and they all agree that we're good where everything stands right now. So long as April and Casey have their own room, everything's good."

"Okay, okay," Leon turned to Captain. "Anything you need?"

Captain was quiet. His eyes looked distant, almost haunted in a scary way. Leon looked to his dad, frowning for a moment. "Captain? You okay?"

The older turtle blinked hard, taking a deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine, sorry. Uhm, Tiny and, ah, Genius are on the fence with staying in our given room. S-Sunny is already pretty settled by now, and I'm good to go where my brothers need me."

"Okay..." Leon tapped his chin. "Is there anything my brothers and I can do to help?"

"No. They just gotta... We just gotta get used to some things."

"'Kay. Anything else we should say right now?" Leon asked, looking around.

"Why is your Raph so big? He looks like a tank!" Leo exclaimed, waving his hands around a bit. "And all your brothers look so different from you! Are you guys not the same kind of turtle?"

"Nope!" Leon grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "We're all different species! Ralph is a snapping turtle, an alligator one, I think. Michael is an ornate box turtle, Donald is a spiny soft-shell, and I'm an amazing red-eared slider!"

"Huh," Leo said. "What's the age order?"

"Ralphs the oldest, then there's me and Don 'cause we're twins, and then Mike."

"You're Raph is the oldest? That must've been rough." Leo huffed, rubbing the back of his head.

Leon shrugged. "It took a hot second for him to understand his strength, but everything turned out pretty okay. That's in my opinion, at least."

Of course, things were just starting to get comfortable when Captain's breath hitched. It was soft, but so very loud in the moment of silence between words spoken. Leo tensed and Leon snapped his head towards the other turtle. The leader had tears in his eyes, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. "C-Captain?"

Leo looked uncomfortable, avoiding looking at the other version of himself. Splinter had slipped away at some point, obviously going back to the television room to watch some re-runs of his shows. That left Leon.

The youngest leader took a deep breath before hobbling to his counterpart. "Cap, can I touch you? Just on your arm?" He waited, arm raised until he got a faint nod. The slider smiled softly. "Okay, I'm gonna put my hand on your arm, just above your elbow pad, okay? Okay, I'm gonna need you to breathe. Take a deep breath in - one, two, three, four - hold it - one, two, three, four - and let it out - one, two, three, four. Good job! Can you do that again?"

Captain nodded, blinking hard enough that a few tears fell. The olders lip trembled with emotion and Leon hushed him softly. "Okay, let's do that again, yeah?" They repeated the process for another minute or so until Captain could breathe steadily. "Anything I can do?"

"I-I just... Ca-an..." Captain gave a restrained whine, tears flooding his eyes again. "Why can't I-I...?"

"How about we sit down first," Leo suggested, drawing the attention of the other two. Leon nodded, grabbing Captain's hand gently to lead him to the table.

"Okay, Cap, can you squeeze my hand real quick? If you can't, it's all good!" Leon gave a grin, praying to his gram gram that it looked comforting. Luckily, Captain heard and understood him, grabbing and squeezing Leon's hand tightly. Nodding, the slider made sure he was in Captain's line of sight. "Do you want any of your brothers? Or do you want some quiet?"

"N-No, I... Spli- Dad?"

Leon nodded before turning to Leo. "Go get my dad, quick. Don't tell the others what's going on. If they ask, just say we're talking leader stuff."

Then it was just Leon and Captain. The older's breaths were still shallow and fast, and his eyes looked distant again. "Hey, squeeze my hand again?" The grip was tightened, and Leon hummed. "Good, good. Y'know, my little brother, Michael, he likes it when I talk after his panic episodes. Do you want that, or nah?"

"Talk, ple-please." Captain rasped, his head low.

Leo hummed before beginning to ramble about Jupiter Jim. He got surprisingly far in his explanation and recap of the first five movies before Leo arrived with Splinter. Captain had relaxed (to a certain extent), and had even put his head on Leon's shoulder, letting the young slider rub the back of his shell comfortingly. "What has happened, my sons?"

The wording was very clear, and Leon could feel Captain begin to shake again. The older turtle raised his head, showing his teary eyes and since-dried tear tracks. Splinter tutted softly before waddling over and standing before the two turtles. "Oh, big blue, why so sad?" The rat cradled Captain's face in his paws, running his finger pads against wet cheeks. Captain gave a whine before slumping forward, face placed in the crook of Splinter's neck. Soft sobs made their way to Leon and Leo's ears, and the two looked at one another, concern evident in their gaze. Splinter cooed softly, rubbing the top of Captain's head and rocking them both back and forth. "Oh, big blue, it's alright. I'm here, you're alright."

Leon smiled sadly as Captain practically melted in Splinter's arms, sobs racking his frame. "Little blue, biggest blue, come here." The two other turtles sat near enough to Captain and Splinter to be pulled into the hug with ease but made sure to keep their distance, just in case. "Little blue, you need to talk with your brothers about how they feel about this. Biggest blue, I want you to stay here," Splinter looked back down at Captain, who was sniffling. "I believe we are in need of a talk, yes?"

"Hai, sensei." Leo said, bowing his head respectfully.

Before taking his leave, Leon pressed his cheek to his father's, humming when the rat mutant chittered softly. "I'll be back with an update, pops. Love you!"

"And I love you too, little blue."

Leon felt a part of his heart heal, and he left the kitchen with a fond smile.

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That moment when Leon says poggers and Captain has a breakdown two minutes later B]

Anywho, I had lots of fun writing the comfort part of this chapter (especially where Captain is actually able to CRY) so I hope you guys liked it too!!

Comments are always welcomed :D