#ler master splinter

'Something is wrong with my boys.'

The sad realization hit Splinter with a harsh blow. His children, as he has noticed, didn't have the same spark in their eyes, the same lighthearted goofiness and child-like immaturity they once had- and hadn't for a while.

This was exceptionally noticable in his eldest son, Leonardo. After countless horrors and freakish battles, Leo's face had turned stony, and his personality dry. His brothers were in a similar state, though the grayness in the leader's face couldn't go unnoticed.

This had become more apparent when he had relocated his stack of 'Space Heroes' DVDs to his bedroom, and hadn't taken them out for weeks. All he did in his free time was train, lecture his brothers, or stare off into space, a dull look of shame in his eyes.

Splinter had noticed this, of course. Something so drastic in their energy was very hard to miss, but he had thought it as a maturity settling over them, rather than a deep numbness hanging over their heads.

Something had to be done.

Later that day, his boys had returned home, all irritable and tired. Leonardo had kept his swords on his back, seemingly preparing for another home invasion or something of the sort. They had all eaten, and were scattered about the lair until it was time to go to sleep.

The katana-wielding teen stayed seated on the couch, as he had for many nights, gazing into the distance instead of going to bed. Unbeknownst to him, however, his father was aware of his poor resting schedule, but had left him to his thoughts, knowing that the things he had seen took time to process.

Tonight, though, the turtle seemed more melancholic, picking at the skin of his finger as he sighed. Yoshi peered from the dojo, sensing the upset radiating off of him, and knew he had to act now, before his son's condition grew worse. He stepped out into the wide space of the common room and cleared his throat as to not startle the younger.

"My son, what troubles you?" It seemed his efforts to be unthreatening were futile, as Leo had nearly jumped out of his shell, scrambling to grab his swords with a yelp. Splinter's expression darkened at this, but he was quick to give reassurance.

"It is alright, Leonardo. You are safe." The turtle's shoulders relaxed, and he voiced his relief. "Oh, it's just you, sensei. I'm fine, don't worry about me." His dad shook his head, making his way over to his son and sitting beside him, ears pressed to his head in concern.

"You have given me reason to worry, I am afraid. You and your brothers seem so disturbed, so I thought I would confront you about it." Well, that sure caught him off guard. Leo shrugged, struggling to hold eye contact as he muttered an explanation. "I'm just tired. We all are."

At the quirked brow of his rat father, his walls crumbled.

Leo sighed. "We've just seen so many things.. Things we can't unsee, unhear, or unlive, for that matter." he shook his head sadly. "It makes things hard, Sensei. Really hard."

Splinter's gaze softened. He should have guessed. His children, very early in their years, had seen more than he had in his entire life. They'd been across the world, the universe, heck- they'd even been to different dimensions and stopped wars. It was no wonder they were so void.

Yoshi's heart ached for his child, and he held his arms out to him, which, after a moment of shock and hesitation, was accepted. The eldest son let out an uneven breath, and closed his eyes, enjoying the physical affection he did not receive very often. "I love you, Leonardo, and I am proud."

That sure got the tears flowing. Next thing he knew, the rat father held his weeping turtle son in his arms, holding back tears himself. He rubbed the young boy's scarred shell, allowing him to express himself after putting on a brave face for his family for so long.

Eventually, the teen's tears ran out, and his tight grip on his father's kimoto loosened. The overburdened turtle wiped his eyes, standing from his spot on the couch, followed closely by Splinter. A worried look crept onto his face again. "Sensei, what if I can't protect them.. What if I'm not good enough..?"

"Hmph." His father cut him off before he could spiral into a 'not good enough' mindset. He thought for a moment, eventually asking a question. "Leonardo. A wise man, who I believe went by the name of Ralph Emerson, once said, "The best lightning rod for your protection is your own spine.". What do you think he meant by this?"

Leo blinked, and pondered for a moment, repeating the words to himself until he decided on an answer. "Huh. Well, I know a lightning rod is supposed to protect homes from lightning, and.. I guess our spine represents ourselves as an individual, and it supports us.. I- I guess it could mean that we need to face some things on our own.. and be our own protection!"

He looked up hopefully, and was rewarded with an impressed smile. "Very good, Leonardo. So as you have said, there are some things that you cannot rely on others for, and so they are not responsible for you in that time, yes?"

Understanding flooded over Leo, and he bowed. "Hai, Sensei. I get it now. I cannot worry about my brothers all the time, or they will fail to grow and learn on their own."

"Wehell, you certainly can worry about them. What do you think I do most of the day?" Splinter chuckled. "No, but you must not intervene and take control of their lives in a way that jeopardizes their independence."

The leader in blue smiled, performing another respectful, albeit smaller bow, and listened to more of his father's intel. Well, at least it seemed like intel at first.

"One last thing. There is another saying I know of, this one relevant to young leaders such as yourself.." The smaller looked intrigued, not taking notice of the unusually playful glint in Splinter's eyes, and hardly suspecting a thing when he knelt down to his level to speak. He did however, find himself concerned with the fact that in a blink of an eye, he had been flipped over and lied back down on the couch, his legs under the weight of a 6-foot mutant rat.

Seeing his son so unhappy over the past few months, mental health at a clear decline, had concerned Splinter greatly. He was so used to the bright smiles he wore, and his efforts to be a great leader, though it became more apparent that the latter was overtaking his mind, and he planned to stop that constant strive to be perfect, at least for a little while. "Laughter cures all."

Before the turtle could gasp out a question as to why this was happening, or better yet, what was happening, sharp claws were gently dragging down his plastron. Leo squealed, practically convulsing as soon as the fingers made contact.

"GAHahaha! S-Sensehei, whahahat?-" Leo was in shock. His father, who had so scarcely given approval, or physical affection, had not only hugged him, but had him pinned underneath himself and was tickling him.

It didn't matter whether he processed it or not, as Splinter had dug under his arms, leaving him to screech in mirth, gravelly voice straining with giggles. His father only smirked at him, glad to hear laughter coming from someone who needed it so much.

As young children, the turtles had played various games, chase being one of the most common, and discovered the concept of being 'ticklish' when their father had caught them, picking each up respectively and squeezing their sides a few times before carrying on with the game. After that, they went on a craze, chasing each other around and exploring tickle spots, an activity that carried on throughout the years.

Splinter had found it adorable, watching with a soft look on his face as his children tussled, and was glad to see that over time they hadn't grown out of such a lighthearted thing. It became rarer, yes, but they had something to do that showed they were still just kids, despite their mutated bodies and home in the sewers.

Over the years, as Splinter had noticed, it became obvious that the oldest son was the most sensitive, to which his brothers took great joy in exploiting. A poke to the side was enough to get him giggling, and Yoshi had had to take precautions to ensure that this wasn't used against him during training after losing five times in a row because of it.

A loud snort from the teen pulled him out of his thoughts, a growing pink tinge on his face clashing greatly with his green complexion. Splinter chuckled, using one hand to scribble into his son's neck, clawed fingers proving to be an advantage when he quickly tried to duck his head down, then throwing it back in loud giggles when the back of his neck was targeted.

"My son, I don't believe there is anything funny here. I ask that you explain what you are laughing about." Leo tried to reach up to grab onto his father's wrist, but a taze to his ribs left both of his arms uselessly pressed against his torso, trying to wrap them around himself to protect his more ticklish spots.

His ankles dug into the cushions beneath them, unable to squirm away from the offending fingers as they slid past his defenses, scratching along his belly. "Sehehensei, I- EEK! IHI CAhahan't!"

Splinter smiled fondly down at his child, taking notice in how little he actually tried to stop him, clearly needing to get out of his head for a while. Leo jolted up for a moment, curling over his father's hands before tearing his arms away from himself, opting to grip at the pillows of the couch. He tossed his head to the side, lost in giggles.

Yoshi raised his eyebrows, thoroughly amused at how he opened himself up. He scribbled over the expanse of his plastron, resulting in louder and more frantic giggles. "Oh? Leonardo, are you trying to tell me something?" He tapped at the exposed cartilage of the turtle's sides, having to pause for a moment before continuing, as the boy screeched, flinching away in reflex, before falling into cackles.

"NAHAHAHAH! FAHATHER- AHA! PLEHEASE, IHI-" Words were failing him, barely able to articulate anything before being interrupted by his own snorting. Not that he was trying to protest, or anything. In reality, he was having the time of his life, forgetting his troubles and getting the chance to laugh.

Sure, the gentle tickling was driving him up the wall, but he was enjoying himself. Still, after a couple minutes, his eyes began to droop, still quietly giggling to himself. Splinter took notice of this, and gave him one last squeeze to the sides, before picking the worn out teen up, cradling him as he had many years ago, and brought him to his room.

After gently settling him onto his bed, Yoshi covered the nearly-passed out form with his blanket, and softly held his shoulder. "You are a wonderful leader, and your brothers and I love you."

His consciousness slipping away, Leo responded in a quiet tone. "Thanks.. Father. Love 'ya guys too.." And with that, he fell asleep, a warm smile on his tired face.

"Just shut up, Leo! I don't care!"

Raphael twisted out of the grasp of his brother, fuming as he took off down the hall. The leader watched in concern as the younger had yet another argument with him today.

"Raph-"

"No. Screw off."

And that was that. The red-themed turtle stomped to his room, kicking the door shut. He paused, sighing, before sliding down the door and curling up. It just wasn't fair. He couldn't control how he felt, and no one would understand him if he tried explaining it. Everyone sucked. His family sucked.

Tears welled up in his eyes, because he was lying. No, his family didn't suck, he sucked. He didn't deserve to have brothers like this, or his father. Raph pressed his head into his knees.

His father.

He needed help, and Master Splinter could be the only one who would help him.

-----

"Uhm.. Excuse me, Sensei. Could I.. ask you something?"

Splinter looked up from his spot on the ground, and patted the spot next to him. "Come, sit with me." He hesitated for a second, but eventually, the turtle sat down.

"What is it that you wanted to ask?"

Raph sighed, pulling his knees to his chest. "Just.. Why isn't anything working? The things you've taught me.. about anger, I mean." He scrunched his face up, picking at his kneepad. "All the techniques about ignoring it, or having other outlets.. they don't help for very long. I keep.. blowing up."

The elder moved his hands from where they were at his lap, holding them out for Raph to take. The red-themed turtle reached and let his hands rest in those of his father's, a dejected look on his face.

"My son. It is true that you face the struggle of anger. I am aware that you cannot control this at times.." The rat man clasped his fingers around his son's much larger ones, rubbing the back of his hand soothingly. "But it does not have to be wholly who you are."

Raph looked up, confusion evident on his face. "You have many outlets related to aggression, such as using punching bags, or battling during missions- even training. All of those are parts of what makes you who you are, but you are forgetting that not everything has to revolve around such an intense emotion." The turtle didn't seem to know how to respond, mouth opening, before shutting again when nothing came out.

When words came to him, the shorter spoke, quietly and unsure. "Then.. what am I supposed to do about anger? I don't feel like I can beat it.."

"And you don't have to. Anger is not something you can move past with ease. A lot of the time, it will always be a part of you, and all you can do is make peace with it and continue on." Raph closed his eyes, face pinched as he tried to wrap his head around the concept of just.. accepting his anger.

"But.. Sensei, what do I do when I'm out of control? Or- when I'm overwhelmed?"

"Hm.. While your current methods can help calm some of the energy you feel, perhaps taking your mind off of aggravation could give you better results." The teen looked up, perplexed. "Like what?"

Splinter smiled slightly. "Things like having fun, and enjoying the present moment. Come, and I will let you in on a secret." He leaned forwards, pulling Raph into a hug. Though a bit confused, the turtle scooted closer, hugging back.

"The saying is true.."

Raph looked up at the following silence, face pressed against his father's yukata. "What saying?"

"That laughter is the best medicine."

There was barely any time to react before being thrown into a fit of high-pitched cackles. "WhaHA! Fahather, noho- Heh!" He squirmed, hands gripping onto the clothing. Yoshi only chuckled, continuing to scritch his nails along his son's sides.

"Raphael, you must release the tension in your body." The younger shook his head, pressing into the other's side. "Ihi cahan't! Yohou're tihickling mehe! Stohop!" He wiggled to the side, but it didn't go unnoticed that there was very little effort to get away.

Raph flinched as the fingers came into contact with his ribs, elbows pressing down as much as they could with his arms lifted. There wasn't much reason to be as passive with being tickled as he was, but the red-themed mutant's hands never came to push the other's away.

"Hmm, you seem to be more tense than before.. Perhaps I should try a different spot. How about here?" The turtle shrieked, scrunching up his shoulders to his head when claws dragged down the back of his neck, then going to slip into the crook of the area. "NOHO! PleheHEASE! Ihihit tiHIcklehes!"

"I don't think this is any better.. How about here? Possibly here?"

Raph was in stitches, curling up against the elder as best he could as each ticklish spot was prodded at, sending him into quiet bouts of laughter. "Pffeheh- Nohot thehere! Fahather, plehease- IHI- Ihi can't!"

"It appears I'll have to keep trying to get you to relax, my son.."

October was a month that seemed to awaken something in the Splinterson family. Some more than others.

Mikey and Leo both loved decorating the lair and watching movies, Donnie loved listening to halloween music, Master Splinter loved doing festive activities with his sons..

And Raph loved scaring the crap out of his brothers.

Every year, he made it a point to hide in every corner, nook, and cranny, and then practically jump whoever was nearest to his spot. Sure, it annoyed everyone, but it's part of Halloween! Even if it was literally twenty-six days away..

Anyways, that's what he was doing, perched on a pipe above his pops, who was comfortably lounging in the living room, watching his soaps. Was it a bit risky trying to scare him? Yeah.. probably. But was it worth it?

..Maybe?

Raphael timed his jump carefully. He would have to land close enough to his father to startle him, but not close enough to be posed as a threat and get his ass whooped. 'One.. two.. three!'

The sai-user hopped down from his spot, just about to yell his little phrase for when he'd scare his family, but was interrupted mid-jump as Splinter seemed to have already known where he was, and flip him so that he was sprawled across his father's lap, laying on his stomach.

"BOO- Woaah!"

"Good try, my son, but you lack one important piece of knowledge... I have good reflexes." The rat mutant went to scribble over his sides, and Raph's eyes immediately went wide, biting his lip to keep from laughing. His arms went to grab his father's hands, but was immediate stopped by a squeeze to the back of his neck. It was now that he realized how vulnerable of a spot he was put into.

With sharp nails scratching at his side, and his neck, Raph had no chance of holding in the giggles that were bubbling up. "Ahah! Wait juhust'aha secohond!"

Splinter smiled. It was good to see his edgy-son laughing, even if he did need to force it juuust a little. He moved from his side to his shell, thinking about how such bright laughter would usually result from that spot. Almost as if on cue, the red-themed turtle reached to cover his face, though his laughter slipped through his fingers, warming his father's heart to hear the happy sound.

Fingers traced at the scutes of the turtle's shell, and he snorted between his laughter. "Pohops.. Lehehemmehe- SNRT! goho!"

When his son's face was flushed pink, shoulders scrunched and legs kicking out behind him, Splinter decided to give him a break, instead going to wrap his arms around him. Raph snorted again at the embrace, half expecting more tickles, but eventually calmed down, hugging his dad back.