Things Change

Chapter 2: Afraid

"Dude, dude what did you do to get at each other's throats?" Donatello heard Michelangelo asked as he sat on a chair, his stinging leg propped against it. He grunted as a response.

"Guess Leo isn't happy only nagging my back, so he is after yours now." Raphael comments, playing with his sais. He did not feel happy with Leo focusing his attention on Donnie lately, but could not really place the feeling as to why, so he decided to act on it as the purple cladded turtle entered the kitchen.

Donnie ignored them and quietly began to clean the wounds he had gotten, at this rate he would soon rival Raph's scar collection. "It's nothing. I've just fallen behind training, so it's hard for me to keep up."

"Lover's quarrel?" Raph joked, his lips curled into a smirk seeing the horrified look on the latter's face.

"Please." Donnie replies with an eye roll. "Do you want to know why we've been having a 'lover's quarrel'? Because s-he's being a stubborn idiot! I swear-" His eyes scrunched up and he rested his hand on the bridge of his nose. "I'm trying to be reasonable, but he insists on acting like a child-"

But they all went silent as Leonardo walked from behind the fridge door, closing it with a stoic face, as stealthily as usual. She sighed and headed out, without saying a word.

....

Leonardo had headed straight back to the dojo to clean it, deciding that that was the best course of action. Raphael and Michelangelo she was used to, but now Donatello himself had partake in the 'Mock the leader day'.

'Must be a national holiday I have been missing.' She thought amused.

The blue cladded turtle, after a long mental tirade with herself, while she pounded the filthy mats of the even filthier dojo, had finally decided to bury the hatchet or, in this case her swords. After relaying the mats and sweeping up all of the dirt, she resolved to talk to her brother.

Days earlier she had, had a talk with him, but she found herself still ruthlessly punishing him in practice sessions. Why? Because he insisted that they had to tell their family immediately. Not only that, but he also insisted on continuously treating her like a six year-old human girl, rather than a mutant teenage ninja...girl.

"Uh-Leo--?" It seemed that the purple cladded turtle had beaten her to the punch. "Look, I really am trying-But you can't just keep avoiding this! You're a girl, and a teenager! Soon you'll have body changes, breeding season, nesting-"

"Well, I am a stubborn idiot." Leo replies coldly, eyeing her brother with disdain. "And what do you mean breeding season?"

Donnie sighed in exasperation. "See! You don't even know what half of this means." He took another breath, trying to get through to his sister. "Leo you need to talk to somebody, to open up to someone. If not me, maybe April. She is a girl. She will understand."

"So she lays eggs-"

"No!" Donatello shouts his cheeks reddening. "Well, there must be someone else?"

Leo laughed briefly as she went through their female acquaintances. Karai? Most definitely not. Renet? To ditzy and all together annoying. Mona Lisa? Unavailable, considering she lived millions of miles away.

"Sure when you find another female mutant teen just let me know." Leonardo states, feeling more and more despaired.

"Well, there must be somebody..." Donnie replied, also going through their acquaintances and coming as empty-handed as his sister. "Leo..I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you."

"Now that we've cleared that issue..."

"Issue?" Donatello exclaimed, kind of confused.

Seeking her brother's eyes, she sighed and asked in a commanding tone. "Donatello, has my ability to lead been impaired?"

He shook his head, not getting her point. "No, Leo. Of course not..."

"My strength diminished?"

He shook his head again. "Leo, where is this going-"

"Have my swords lost their sharpness?"

"No, Leo....." The purple cladded turtle answered, starting to get her point.

"So then, why did you suddenly think you should watch my back? Does that mean you no longer trust me?" She asked, looking at him straight in the eyes. She saw him shake his head and continued in a softer tone. "Donnie, it's me, Leonardo! The same old bossy and stubborn Leo whose judgment you have always trusted. I have not changed that much. Or so I expect."

"Yes you have, Lea!" Donatello snapped, still angry he couldn't find a way to get his sister to open up. "I think you're afraid."

"Afraid-?"

"Afraid, that if everyone else finds out that you're a girl, they won't respect you!" Donnie yells in return. "I mean you can barely get Raph to lift his sai if you say to, but if he find out you're a girl-" He laughed coldly. "I think you get my point."

Leonardo smiled, almost sadly. "You're right."

"Yeah I'm-wait what?"

"You're right, Don." Leo replied with a shrug. "You three already use me as your personal stepping mat. If those two find out I'm a girl, I don't think I'll even be able to lead anymore." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "So, yes-I am afraid. Afraid to trust my own brothers."

Immediately guilt flooded the purple cladded turtle. "Lea-Leo. Look, I didn't mean-" He attempted to grab her wrist, but she easily shrugged him off and stormed out of the room.

....

Donatello pointing out his sister's obvious fear, had not gone great with Leonardo, who gave him the cold shoulder treatment the next days, using dojo cleaning as an excuse to not have dinner with them or any other activity. But at least she stopped mercilessly taking him down at practice. Slowly, but surely, his bruises and cuts were fading.

That day, Donnie was the first to arrive in the dojo for morning practice, he needed to clear the issues, apologize and make peace or at least a truce but failed to find her as Splinter arrived instead of Leo.

"How come Fearless doesn't have to practice today." Raph complained, also arriving.

"Enough!" Splinter commanded. "He is not feeling well, and I will not tolerate you three berating him about it. Now begin!"

......

Leonardo was in her room wrapped in a blanket despite the warm temperature the spring had brought. Having successfully avoided her brothers for the past days and coming up with a convincing excuse for Master Splinter for today she expected to be left alone, so was not that pleasantly surprised when she heard someone approaching.

"Go away!" The blue cladded turtle hissed cuddling even more on the blanket.

"Leo we need to talk." Donnie pleads from the entrance of her room.

"I need to sleep." She growls throwing him a pillow which the latter easily caught.

Donatello sighed and seated in the border of the bed and felt as Leo shivered and moved to the opposite border as far from him as she could. "Leo you are in..."

"Don't even mention it!" Leo's furious eyes appeared as the blanket slipped from her head, looking extremely disheveled and tired. "Please, don't let it be..."

"Breeding season." A blushing Donnie confirms. He winced as his knowledge of reptilian biology flashed in his memory. "It only lasts from late spring to early summer."

A gawking Leo poked her head further out. "Please tell me you're kidding..."

"Im afraid so." He said stating the obvious. "You definitely can't avoid telling them now." Donnie looked at Leo's suspicious glare as their gazes briefly met. "Leo-"

"Don't look at me like that." She replies softly. "Donnie-I know we need to tell them. But-"

'Great you just blew your chances with the only female of your species, great going Einstein!' He thought with an eye roll.

"It's fine." He reassured with a smile, seeing the absolute dread in her eyes. "It can wait a little longer." He finally left her room still feeling intoxicated by her scent. "It's just breeding season, get ahold of yourself...."