The room smelled of cinnamon—your tea was still hot, left on the edge of the table, and next to it was an open book with a bookmark. On the floor was a soft blanket, scattered next to a stack of papers where you were sketching in a notebook — lines of ideas, notes, maybe a draft of a letter.

You were just carefully folding the pages, lightly touching the edges with your fingers so as not to wrinkle them, and wiping the fine dust off your glasses, when the vibration of your phone cut through the silence.

A soft but confident beep made you stop. The phone bounced slightly on the wooden surface of the table. You slowly reached for it, glancing at the screen.

It was April calling.

You answered, holding the phone to your ear, your voice calm but attentive. — “Hello?”

April's familiar, slightly hurried voice came from the other end of the line. — "Hey, [name]! Listen, Donnie just called me and said he needed to come to the lair ASAP. Leo... he got into another fight. With Shredder. And he's down right now, under Splinter's care, but you know him. He would have gotten up a long time ago if he could. Donnie's afraid he'll decide to go to training with a broken leg. We need to calm him down a little."

You were silent for a few seconds. Your fingers tightened a little on the phone. — "...Leo got into a fight?" you asked, a little more quietly, as if the word "fight" was too harsh. — "How serious is it?"

"He's alive. But... he's clearly not in the best shape. That fight was tough. Donnie didn't go into details, but he asked not to waste time."

You nodded, as if April could see it. — “Okay. I’m getting ready. Meet me at the sewer entrance?”

“Perfect. I’ll take the flashlight, as usual. See you there, [name].”

The connection was cut off.

You were left in silence for a second. The room was still filled with sunset, but something inside you was already clenching. You quickly got ready, grabbed your bag, threw on your jacket, and, without finishing your tea, were already hurrying to the familiar entrance to the dungeon — to where he was now.

After some time.. You walked in with April, the door creaking softly behind you. The smell of damp brick, the light aroma of green tea from the kitchen, and... silence. Real, thick. Only the ticking of an old clock somewhere in the corner.

Splinter, as always, was the first to greet you. His gaze, full of wisdom, became a little softer when he saw you.

"Thank you for coming. He pretends to rest, but I feel - his mind wants to fight more than his body can bear."

You nodded. Splinter bowed his head in respect - and, folding his hands behind his back, slowly retreated to the meditation room.

April looked at you, quietly whispered. — "Good luck."

And went to Donnie in the workshop, where, judging by the sounds, he was again trying to revive something with a bunch of wires and smoke.

The door slammed shut. You were left alone.

Leonardo's room. Half-dark. He was lying, half-sideways, on his improvised futon. Under him was a soft blanket, and to the side was an old wooden chair, on which you immediately sat.

He didn't turn over.

You watched him silently. Leonardo was motionless, as if he were sleeping. But you noticed: his shoulders were tense, his breathing was slightly ragged, the fingers on his remaining healthy hand were clenching and unclenching in a nervous rhythm.

He knew you were here.

You spoke softly, almost in a whisper, so as not to scare the silence. — "You look... better. But still... I would have avoided it."

He blinked. But he didn't turn around. — "I would have gotten up if Splinter had left a minute earlier," he muttered. His voice was rough, but inside there was tension, fatigue. And something else... uncertain.

You leaned forward slightly, your hands resting comfortably on your lap. — "Did you really think we wouldn't know? That you'd just lie there and no one would come check on you?"

Leo took a deep breath, like he was just finishing another workout. — “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

Here it is.