Mate ?

To the Hotel !

On the drive home, Raph spoke up.

"He really loves you a lot huh ?"

Raph said and looked at Leo since Leo couldn't look him in the eyes or see his face.

"Yea he does. He proposed to me but I told him I didn't want a wedding. So we never really made it official. But in my heart, it doesn't matter if our title is one thing or another. It's the love that counts. As long as he loves me and I love him it's all I could ever ask for."

Leo said smiling to himself thinking about his mate at home with twenty seven kids and Mikey and April and how he must be losing his mind.

"Yea I guess."

Raph said and sniffed.

Casey looked in his mirror and saw the tears running down his best friend's face and almost cried himself.

"Raph ?"

Casey asked.

Raph looked away and wiped his face before turning back to his best friend.

"Yea Case ?"

Raph asked with a half hearted smile on his face.

"Don't put that mask on for me. Take it off right now."

Casey said and looked at Raph through his rear view mirror.

Raph stopped smiling and just looked at Casey with watery eyes.

"Talk to me dude."

Casey said and Leo turned all the way around in his seat to look at Raph.

He saw what Casey was seeing and almost broke down.

The tears running down Raph's face as he looked out the window into the night sky while having his knees in his chest and his arms hugging himself shaking from trying not to sob from all the crying he's doing.

"Awe shit. I didn't think about this part."

Leo swore as he turned right in his chair.

Leo knew whenever Raphael was drunk he said what he was feeling inside when he wouldn't when sober. But then there came the sobering up part where Raphael would let himself go until he couldn't anymore. Then he wouldn't remember anything the next day.

Leo unbuckled his seatbelt at a red light and took a deep breath.

He stood on his knees, using his prosthetic to push himself into the back seat next to Raphael.

"What the - shit - Leo ! You shouldn't-"

Casey tried to yell at Leo but then looked back at him and saw Raph looking desperately and trying to look angry at his older brother but couldn't.

Casey then knew why Leo did such a stupid thing.

"Ah-shit-ow !"

Leo said as he massaged his leg where his stitches are and quickly disregarded any thoughts on himself as he looked at his younger brother.

"Are-are you o-ok Leo ?"

Raph tried not to stutter than kicked himself for it afterwards.

Leo nodded, knowing the only thing that would come out of his mouth was pained sounds so he just leaned forward and hugged his little brother to his plastron with an iron grip practically pulling him into his lap.