Facing Fears: Lapse Arc.
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Angelo sniffles and huffs to himself as he sits just outside the lair. He feels shame for crying yet again, but he simply couldn't hold it in. With his hoodie draped over his lap, he scrubs away tears with a sleeve. The turtle grumbles to himself, "Just.. jus go in…"
He has to go home eventually. His brothers will find out whether he wants them to or not… Angelo takes a deep, shaky breath, then stands up on wobbly legs. He uses the wall to support himself, dragging his feet as he steps through the entryway to the lair. It's quiet… Angelo can feel anxiety spike inside his chest.
He barely makes it halfway to his train car when he hears a voice from behind, making him freeze.
"Angie! Where've you been?" It's Lee. And he doesn't sound happy… Angelo's hands shake. "You were supposed to text one of us every hour, you-"
The box turtle holds his breath when Lee cuts himself off. He can feel him step closer, and Angelo shrinks in on himself a little, still not having turned to face his brother.
"Mikey… Why do you smell like that..?"
When the younger turtle finally takes in air, it's shaky. He blinks away the sting of tears, only turning further away from Lee. "I.. I don.. know wh. what you're.. you're talkin about…"
"Mikey."
Lee's stern tone makes Angelo tense further, and he whimpers, those tears blurring his vision. It's only when his older brother is just a step away that he speaks again, his voice small and timid. "I'm sorry… I don't-.. I d-d-..."
The hand not gripping his hoodie and mask raises to his face, covering his eyes as he grimaces. He hates crying so much like this… He feels childish.
Angelo flinches when a hand lands on his shell, and he looks up at Lee, whose face holds a… worried expression. Not mad. Just.. concerned. And that makes Angelo cry harder. Why isn't he mad? He should be very mad.
"Oh, Angie…" Lee mutters, brows creasing and arm going around his little brother to pull him against his plastron. He leans down to rest his beak against Angelo's head. The younger turtle hiccups and whines, crying against his brother's stupid shirt.
"I'm sorry… I'm-.. I tried. I was- they-" Angelo lets out a small irritated groan, face scrunched up. Why is it so fucking hard to just talk? "I tried. so hard. n-not to.. I- hh.."
Lee gently shushes him, rubbing his hand along the younger turtle's shell. "Slow down, little brother… Take it easy."
The box turtle clings tightly to his older brother, his hoodie and mask abandoned on the subway floor. "I didn't want to- I-.. I don't wanna.. b-be like this anymore.. I-"
With a quiet shush, the slider nuzzles his beak against Angelo's head. "I know. I know, Angie…"
Muffled hiccups and sobs leave the smaller turtle, his babbling quieted by the hand on his shell and soft words from his brother.
There's a long moment of Lee just holding Angelo, standing in the middle of the lair. But eventually, Lee leans away a bit to look down at the box turtle. "Hey.. let's get you to bed, ok? We can.. talk about this later. When you're not… like this."
Angelo just sniffles, nodding against Lee's chest. The slider bends down to pick up that orange hoodie, then gives Angelo a pat on the shell. He guides his wobbly brother to his train car, trying to be as gentle as he can as he nudges Angelo into bed. The box turtle feels so heavy with exhaustion, sighing as he finally lays down under his soft sheets.
Lee tucks his little brother in. As he goes to stand, he feels a tug on his shirt. "Stay.. please.."
He gives Angelo a small nod, and sits back down at the edge of his bed. "Yeah.. ok."
He watches as Angelo easily gets comfortable and very quickly falls asleep. After a long moment of silence, he looks over at the doorway, seeing their other two brothers standing there. Tello has his arms crossed, and Raphie needs to bend over to even see inside. They all share an expression.
"...We can talk in the kitchen."
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