Red Hearted Desire

Part 10

Boredom consumed every inch of Leo's mind; there was nothing on T.V. and he wasn't hungry, so there was no point in rummaging through the fridge, he'd read all his comics as well as Mikey's, and going above ground during the day time just simply wasn't an option. He groans slouching deeper into the cushions of the couch.

"Ugh, this is worse than when we got grounded for skate boarding in the lair..."

Forcing himself to his feet he digs around in a closet searching for something, anything, that might cure his boredom. He curses at his failure. Slamming the closet door shut silently; he notices Raph make his way out of his bedroom and into the dojo. Curiosity took over every fiber in the oldest's mind as he found himself inching his way towards the training room. Allowing his jaw to drop slightly, he found himself dumbfounded when he noticed his brother sitting in the middle of the room, his legs crossed and hands folded neatly in his lap as he calmly attempted to meditate as he'd seen Leo and his father do many-a-time before.

Leo conceals himself behind the door way, observing soundlessly. It doesn't take long to notice Raph's restlessness, a simple twitch of his fingers, a flutter of the eye, and a few heavy breaths mock his attempt at calm. The corners of Leo's lips become heavy as he comes and sits next to his brother.

"You know, maybe meditation just isn't your thing..."

"I know." Raph grunts, flopping himself onto his back out of frustration. "But what else can I do? I'm not sure I could live with myself if I hurt anyone out of anger again..."

Leo scoffs, quickly covering his mouth before a true laugh can escape him. "You'll live Raph. You've learned to control yourself quite a bit, I mean, the counting exercises seem to work okay, right?"

"Not effectively. For small things, yeah, but when I get really pissed it doesn't do shit- Ow!" He rubs his head generously. "What was that for!"

"No cursing..." Leo's bawled up fist and icy glare are enough to make Raph rethink picking a fight with him, he can only imagine how much pent up energy he's got from his recovery time. He bites his tongue to prevent a smart comment from slipping out. With a thick sigh he drops his hand back on his chest with the other. "What about the breathing exercise?"

"Same thing...and it's not like I can leave in the middle of a fight to beat up that old punching bag."

"Yeah, that's true." Leo sighs. "Well, you need to think of something cause I'm just about completely out of ideas."

"I know..."

With a heavy huff, Leo was back on his feet and offering Raph a lift up. "Come on, softy. It's been forever since I was allowed to work out and I'm bored outta my mind." He smirks as Raph gently takes hold of his outstretched hand. "Let's spar."