The Words That Hurt Me

42 Brother Talks: Leo

Raphie was dedicated to protecting his brothers, no matter what. 

It caused him great stress trying to express to Leon just how important it was to take things seriously. It felt like he was talking to a wall, a very sassy and infuriating wall. If only he knew how absorbent that wall was.

Turns out, Leon had found himself under the false assumption that he was worthless and had to prove himself to his family, or they were gonna, abandon him? Or something? Raphie's still not sure what he thought would happen.

He did regret not finding out sooner, though, because he had no way to protect his brother when he was in another dimension. 

However, his most difficult revelation was realizing that he couldn't always protect his brothers, nor did he fully protect them. They all were scarred and traumatized, each having their own fears because of what they had been through, and while Raphie wished he could make it all go away, no amount of therapy could get the Krang's voice out of his head, so he had to accept his limited capabilities. 

That being said, they all put in so much work to get to where they are now. Leon was more open with his insecurities, Mike didn't take on as much emotional burden, Tello let them know clearly when he was uncomfortable, and Casey Jr. was adjusting better every day. 

Their family bond was the strongest it's ever been!

When he met the other turtles, he was excited to swap advice and experiences with their Raph, only to find that he wasn't the eldest brother, Leo was. Call it shell shock, but Raphie was stunned at the difference. 

Raphie was sure that they all were just stressed due to the situation, but no, they were just like that. There was an incredible lack of communication between them. Raphie's sure he's only seen Leo say three words total to his brothers. 

Frankly, he felt terrible for Mikey. He clearly wasn't doing well and Goober wasn't in any shape to help, so naturally, he assumed that his brothers would step in. No, that didn't happen, instead it seemed that Mikey didn't want to see them at all. 

It wasn't long until this blew up.

Now, Raphie assumed he'd just talk to Raph, knock some sense into him, and call it done, but Leon had other plans. He supposed he could see where he was coming from, Raphie currently had more in common with Leo, both being elder brothers and all. They were both leaders first as well.

Raphie wasn't confident but wanted to let Leon know he trusted him, so he went with it. He just hoped it went well.

Leo was hard to find, as he wasn't even in the lair. Raphie wandered outside, having nothing but his intuition to follow as he made it to the surface. He scaled the nearest building and found Leo sitting on the ledge, looking out over the city. 

Raphie walked up beside him, not even gaining a glance. He sat on the ledge, looking out over the view. The lights were shining as they always were, the streets bustling with people. This part of New York was the most assimilated with Yokai, the two groups meshing in the true New York melting pot fashion.

A Yokai performer was dazzling a group of Yokai and human kids on the corner, a business was selling a popular fiery treat from the Hidden City (it was funny watching the human parents nervously let their children eat the sweet treat), and the Yokai tailor was as popular as ever (who knew humans also struggled to find clothes that fit). 

Raphie grinned at the sight. He and his brothers avoided the streets more out of habit than anything, but the few times they went out were surreal experiences, walking in places and among people who would never have welcomed them before. It made him a bit nervous sometimes.