TMNT: Realms of Zentai

Monster?

So, last chapter there was a hint at Mikey being slightly evil, there is also one in this chapter, but don't worry, he's not actually, I'll explain next chapter.

Leo opened his eyes, and blinked sleep out of them. He stretched, his body shaking slightly, and yawned. He was halfway through his stretch when he felt a body on his foot. He turned around, it was Donnie. His brothers were nestled all around him. Raph was snoring, Mikey was sucking his thumb, and Donnie had small bits of drool around his agape mouth. Leo smiled, pulled himself out of the 'nest' and reached for a pillow. He took the feather-filled fabric and stuffed it neatly between his brothers, but not without stirring one.

"Leo?" Donnie mumbled, rubbing away the drool from his mouth as he yawned. "You can keep sleeping, I've got things to do." Leo said, turning to walk away. A hand wrapped around his wrist, soft at first, and then becoming increasingly tighter. "Coffee..." Donnie pleaded. "Okay, I'll bring you some," Leo reassured his brother, using his right hand to unfurl Donnie's more skinny fingers from his own.

Donnie retreated back into the 'nest' and closed his eyes halfway, Leo turned silently towards the door, and ran for the kitchen. He opened the door, and headed towards the coffee maker. No one was in the kitchen yet, although it was pretty normal, as the palace had around 50 separate kitchens, two were connected to dining halls, and the rest were for anyone living within the palace. But this one was designed for Leo and his brothers, as Mikey had disturbed people by getting snacks at night.

He reached for a bag of medium roast, as Donnie had studied that dark roast wasn't good for people. What hasn't Donnie studied? He listened to the soft sound of the beans being ground, and the liquid being poured into the mug, it was relaxing. When he'd filled the mug completely, he walked out of the kitchen, the warm liquid nearly burning his hands.

He walked back into his room. He blinked, thinking he'd missed something, but realized that Mikey and Raph weren't there. "Here Donnie," he said, extending the mug towards his brother, "um... where are Raph and Mikey?" He asked, glancing nervously at the spot Mikey had been sleeping in. "Hm? Oh, Raph took Mikey on a walk. They need a break, you know? Ever since you became king it's one bad thing after the next," Donnie replied, taking a sip from his coffee. "Wow, I can't believe you actually remembered how I like my coffee," Donnie stated, eyeing the cup with wide eyes.

"Of course I remembered. You're the only one in the entire kingdom that drinks coffee without sugar and milk," Leo teased, sitting down next to his brother, and wrapping a light purple blanket around them. Leo had a long, pointed arch window in his room, the glass panes were decorated in black gates, resembling vines so as to give it a less guarded appearance. The sun was shining long rays of light across the room, landing them neatly over Donnie and Leo.

"Hey Leo," Donnie said after a moment. "Yeah?" "How's the whole king thing? I mean, you seem fine with it... but are you really? Do you actually enjoy it?" Donnie seemed to hesitate, as if he were worried that Leo might be mad at him for asking.

"Well, I can't say that it's easy, or that I enjoy it. For me, it's not a matter of what I want to do, rather one of what needs to be done. I can't let my childish thoughts and mannerisms get in the way of the kingdom's necessities. To rule over adults, you must be an adult. But to actually answer you, no. I don't enjoy being the king, and I'm not fine with it, but that doesn't mean that I give up. I may never be the king our father was, or our grandfather, and I'll most definitely never be like Zentai, but I don't have to be like them. I just need to be... me." Leo stated, a warm tone in his voice, and he nuzzled Donnie in closer.

"I've never heard you say something so... smart," Donnie replied. "Smart?" Leo laughed, "I think that's just wisdom," Donnie chuckled slightly, "of course it would be."