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Mikey has been waiting for this day for weeks, and Leo will not let his old injuries ruin it for him.
"This is gonna be so sick," Mikey coos excitedly to himself as he shoves the necessary items into the oversized box. He vibrates with the pent-up energy that's built up over the course of the past few weeks; Leo doesn't blame him.
Mikey's New Trick day was supposed to happen sooner, but then they ran into trouble with some villains--then Mikey managed to catch a particularly nasty virus, which sent Donnie into a quarantine-obsessed panic, even though they all knew that they'd get the illness from patient-zero eventually (and they did). It took a solid week for everyone to recover--a week that was followed by getting grounded for attempting to go topside while ill to stop a new gang from gathering.
But now? There's nothing on the agenda, and a routine patrol reveals only the relative peace of New York City's streets. It's the perfect opportunity to allow Mikey his moment to shine; Leo won't let a little twinge in his leg drag them down tonight.
Mikey stands, wiping his hands together with satisfaction, "Alright, boys, who's ready to get this party started?"
Donnie says, crossing his arms, "As long as you promise not to use my staff as a makeshift ramp again, then sure." Leo hums in agreement, resting his arm on his brother's shoulder casually in an attempt to give his aching leg some relief. Luckily, the action isn't too uncharacteristic to his siblings, so it goes unquestioned.
Raph leaves his room to join them, putting his sais in place. "If you're done shoving half the base into your box, let's go." He starts for the exit, but Mikey's offended noise stops him.
Mikey argues, pouting at his brother. "You're making me carry the box all by myself? But you always help me take it to the roof. And I'm the one who's gonna have to do all the super hard, extra fun stuff up there!"
"Exactly," Raph agrees, unphased. "It's your mess, so you get to be in charge of it. I'm not dealin' with your junk after the last time you made me carry it."
Mikey exaggerates his pout further, and Raph's mouth twitches. He crosses his arms, stubbornly standing his ground, "I said no, Mike. You bench heavier weights than this every day." Mikey somehow manipulates his face to become even sadder. Raph lasts another five seconds before he groans, scooping half of the contents into another box. He lifts it, exclaming, "Alright, fine! Little twerp. I don't want to hear a word outta you until we get there."
Mikey immediately mimes zipping his mouth shut, his face suddenly bright with the classic Mikey Just Won smile. He practically skips out of the lair with the other box, proving just how little the weight really meant to him.
The two other brothers watch the interaction from the side, unimpressed. Raph catches their expressions, and he snaps, "What? Got somethin' to say about it?"
"Yeah, Raph," Leo agrees with a forced smug smile, leaning on Donnie a little more than he typically would. "One word."
"Weak," Donnie finishes flatly, shifting subconsciously to support Leo's weight better. He sends his older brother a curious look when the pressure doesn't let up, but he ultimately shrugs it (and Leo, unfortunately) off, following Mikey into the subway. Leo tries not to be too affected by the lack of support; he isn't sure how well this works out, but Raph doesn't mention it, only giving him a frown. "C'mon, Leo, or else I'm makin' you carry this thing."
---
"Oh my god, Mikey, just do it already."
Mikey glides on his skateboard, circling his newly set-up obstacle course and correcting minute imperfections as he goes. He chastises, "No can do, Raphael-o. The warm up is important to the routine."
"And the warm-up lasts 15 minutes?" Donnie asks, sitting boredly on top of the metal unit. Raph, who's seated next to him, fidgets with various objects that Mikey had set around them. Occasionally, he throws one without much thought or pokes Donnie with it, elicting a glare or pinch from the taller brother.
Leo takes a seat on a box a little ways away from the others, willing the growing, cramping ache to dissipate. His brothers crack joke after joke while Mikey skates lazy laps around them, but Leo can't focus on any of the words; he's too busy focusing on the pressure building in his joints and behind his eyes. It's hard to tell if it's going to manifest as tears or a migraine. It may be both if this goes on much longer.
"-ou get for that little stunt," Raph's voice cuts through the static stuffing that has steadily filled his head. Leo blinks and looks to his brother, who hasn't turned to meet his gaze, too focused on teasing their brother with one of Mikey's many scattered obstacles. "Quit it already," Donnie mutters, shoving him away pointlessly. Raph throws the small nearby crate over his head, covering Donnie's face. He points and laughs.
"Real mature," Donnie sighs, not even bothering to remove the offending object from himself.
Mikey whines, "Raph! You're totally messing up my focus, dude."
Raph rolls his eyes, "Yeah, yeah." He takes the crate off his brother's head then repositions it properly on the ground. Donnie oh-so accidentally bumps Raph when he goes to stand, and Raph trips over the crate, landing on his plastron. Mikey frowns, "Donnie! Not you too! That is so not cool, man," while Raph exacts his revenge by yanking Donnie down to the cold cement to tumble with him.
Leo wants to be in the moment--he wants so badly to look at his brothers and simply enjoy their presence while he still has it in such a sweet, normal way. But his leg feels as weak as jelly and as hard as stone at the same time. It hurts, and he somehow can't quite find his voice for a second. It's really only a second, but it's longer than it should be because he's supposed to be better. Yet here he is, acting like a kicked turtle while his brothers continue to have fun with each other.
Leo finally gathers the courage to say, to admit, "Hey, Mikey, I'd love to see your trick, but how.. long is this going to take?"
Mikey shrugs, giving a vague I dunno noise. Donnie shoves Raph away in order to answer for him, "Based on how Mikey's been describing it over the past month, I'd say about an hour, possibly an extra thirty minutes or so with how Raph won't stop- ow!"
Raph tackles Donnie, and Leo feels his patience tick away a little more. It definitely has everything to do with how Raph and Donnie are wasting his time by acting like six year olds--and nothing to do with how his knee feels like it's cracking open.
Leo hisses quietly in pain before speaking up, "I don't know; maybe tonight isn't the best night for it."
"Aw, boo!" Mikey complains, slowing down as he absentmindedly weaves around the obstacles on the roof, "We were just about to get to the good part, Lee!"
Raph holds Donnie's face down, leaning back to avoid the swinging arms of his flailing brother. "Yeah, and we all know Mikey won't ever shut up about missing out on doing this again. Better to just get it over wi- ow! Hey! Why you little-" Raph returns to the tussle, trying to pry his mask tails from his brother's iron grip.
"I think I'm just gonna go back to the lair," Leo insists, antsy to get back to the comfort of his home.
Donnie huffs, rolling over Raph, "Really? What else could you possibly need to do, anyways? You already train enough to cover all five of Sensei's students, and we all know there's not much activity on the streets tonight."
Leo snaps, standing, the stab of pain causing him to wince, "I said I'm going home, guys." Raph and Donnie cease in their scrimmage instantly. They both raise their brow bones at him, surprised by the sudden tone, muttering exclamations under their breath. Mikey, fortunately, doesn't take much offense to this sudden outburst, only looking confused and concerned. He kicks up his board when he's a few paces away from his brother, and he asks carefully, "Woah. You feelin' okay, big bro?"
Leo waves him off, breathing forcefully through the pain as he shifts his weight, "It's- it's nothing, Mike. I'm sorry. I think I just need to hang at the lair tonight."
There's a shared look of understanding that passes through the younger siblings. "No prob," Mikey agrees easily as the others begin packing up without a fuss. Leo wonders what he did to deserve such good brothers. Mikey stretches when he says, "I'll just have to show you my wicked new obstacle course trick later."
Leo bobs his head wordlessly, his throat suddenly tight for a new reason. Mikey accepts a box when he's handed one, no complaint. Raph saddles right next to Leo, eyes and hands at the ready, alert to any possible dangers, like a knee buckling. As if it's second-nature to him, Donnie slides his bo staff off his shell and offers it to Leo, who takes it gratefully. Donnie picks the other heavy box off the ground, and they set off to the nearest manhole, keeping a calmer yet unending chatter the entire way.
---
Approximately ten minutes after arriving home, the usual cracks in the ceiling begin leaking. "Ah," Raph says as he stands in Leo's doorway, holding two mugs of Mikey's hot cocoa, "and there's the rain. No wonder you're all crummy now."
He shuts the door and joins his twin on the bed, careful to keep the cocoa from spilling. Leo groans, rubbing the skin above his knee, "But I'm supposed to be over this. Why does it still hurt so badly?"
Raph gives him a look, setting the ceramic mugs on the dresser to his immediate left, "Dude, I don't know if you remember, but that fight got rough. It's no wonder you're still feelin' it; I know I would be. Just give it some time."
"I have," Leo insists, impatient, "I've given it so much time already. It should be better by now. I should be better. I mean, am I seriously going to go the rest of my life, struggling to so much as move during a little rainstorm?" His voice grows more hoarse during his rant, coming to a stuttering halt at the end of the sentence. He tries to clear his throat, but nothing comes out. He inhales sharply, gripping the sheets, the frustration brewing in his stomach.
Raph hands Leo his hot chocolate, sensing the issue. Leo stews in his growing anger quietly. They drink Mikey's remedy for rainy days in unison, Raph watching his brother from the corner of his eye and Leo pointedly glaring at the wall in front of him.
There's a knock at the door, and Raph answers for him, "Yeah?"
The door opens slightly, and Donnie pokes his head through the crack, saying, "Hey, I think I found something that'll help." Leo perks up at the words, wincing as he shuffles to sit up further. Donnie takes that as an invitation, and he takes his place on the other side of Leo. He unwraps the item in his hand, revealing it to his brothers.
"A heating pad? I don't think the problem is that he's feelin' chilly, Don," Raph remarks, doubtful. Leo tilts his head with similar confusion.
Donnie, predictably, rolls his eyes and mocks, "You don't say." After receiving a glare from his older brothers, a clear sign to either continue or get out, Donnie begins to explain, "Part of the reason you're currently in pain--as I understand it, at least--is because your leg is too tense. The cold can trigger stiffness in muscles, especially after an extended injury. Now there's nothing I can do to stop the rain up topside, and this definitely isn't a cure-all, but if we try warming you up.."
Raph and Leo share a glance. Raph shrugs, "Anything's worth a shot, right?" Leo can't agree more. He'd never voice the thought aloud, but he's been just on this side of grabbing his katana off the wall and slicing away the agitated appendage. Any relief is good relief at this point.
And shit, is it good relief.
Leo practically melts into the sheets, eyes slipping shut in content. He sighs happily through his nostrils. There's clear amusement in Raph's voice, but he sounds sincerely relieved enough that Leo can't be brought to care. "Y'know, I don't think he likes it, Don. He seems so much more miserable now."
Leo gives him their equivalent of the middle finger, and his younger brothers laugh.
They haven't quite figured out a way to communicate seamlessly with a throat-sore Leo; Donnie has tried piecing together a way to sign with only three fingers, but it's an ongoing process. So Leo signals obviously for Raph to grab his whiteboard and markers out of the top drawer, and he writes, "You think I could keep this in my room?"
He tacks on, "For now?" when he grows worried that his brother may want this piece of equipment back, but Donnie simply nods, "Yeah, that makes sense to me. I'm sure I could ask April if she can get her hands on another one as a back-up. Ooh, or maybe a heated compression brace? I could probably make one, too, and that'd be a big help.."
Mikey chooses that moment to push the door open a hint, looking inside to ask, "Hey, guys? Anything else I can do for you dudes?"
Leo hesitates before lifting up his mug in a silent request. Mikey absolutely beams at him as he nudges the door the rest of the way open, raising his prepared tray of steaming mugs, "Bro-bro, I am twelve steps ahead of you."
While Mikey hands out the second round and settles at the foot of the bed, Raph huffs at him in amusement, "And what was your plan if Leo hadn't asked for more?"
"Uh, drink it myself? Duh," Mikey answers obviously. Raph rolls his eyes, a smile crawling onto his face. Donnie scoffs, narrowing his eyes at their youngest brother, "You shouldn't be drinking that much hot chocolate- that much of anything, actually, in one sitting."
"Oh, yeah?" Mikey challenges, cocky. "What about water, smart guy? You can never have too much of that, can you?"
Donnie frowns, "You can drown just from drinking water, Michael."
Mikey argues baselessly, "Nuh uh! You said!"
Donnie scrunches up his face in confusion, "When have I ever said you should drink lethal amounts of water? Please, I'm dying to know."
"I dunno about water, but Mikey's definitely been drinking lethal amounts of stupid," Raph jabs, kicking his youngest brother gently. Of course, this encourages Mikey to inform Raph that he's lethal amounts of stupid, which causes the conversation to derail even further. Leo can't find it in him to be upset by it now; he's much more comfortable in this setting, surrounding by his room and his impossibly amazing brothers.
During a lull in the argument, Leo clears his throat, giving speech another try. He crams down his bubbling joy when his voice accepts the request, saying hoarsely yet sincerely, "I'm sorry I set you back on your trick, Mike. I should've said something sooner."
"Meh, the rain would've ruined the vibe way more than anything else could," Mikey shrugs easily, attention taken off the arguement instantly. "And hey, I guess you kinda saved us from the storm. That's a pretty cool trick, bro."
Leo pauses, unsure. He hasn't considered any possible pros to his injury, and he isn't certain that emergency rain detector would even make that list. But the fact that Mikey seems to think so makes him okay with it in the moment, and he smiles into his cocoa as his family's voices fill in his silence.