steepwithdead | Folkmore

[Leonardo can't stop himself from sighing openly at that.] It's sure... a hard lesson, re-learning he's still a pain in the ass.

Siblings always are. You have to re-learn how to balance it, too.

[That comes neither easy nor quickly. It's part of the growing pains.]

And that means both of you.

I got too used to Mikey's level of being a pain in the ass. All his mystic guru-esq sayings... [He answers with a weak laugh.] Gotta get used to Donnie's bullshit again.

To him... we didn't lose that time. I spent years apart, and it hasn't been like that for him.

That does complicate things. How long was it?

[He didn't start seeing Casey for counselling until a while after his arrival, so the time difference could be different from what he recalls.]

There was a two year gap on my side of things. [He answers easily enough.] I need to figure out how to stop bringing it up and... letting it color things.

You can stop bringing it up, but the second part is impossible. Your world has changed, the colours shifted. They'll never be as they were before. What you need is to work together to find a new future together, in those colours.

[He turns the thought over in his mind, trying to commit that to memory.] It feels easier said than done. I want him to know I love him and missed him, but, it doesn't always-

[He cuts off the thought.] Work together to find a new future, okay. I can do that. We can do that.

[Caduceus pauses to let him finish, but at the cut-off, he makes a musing noise.]

It will be slow-going. Have faith in him, and yourself, but be patient. Slowly, Leo.

I'm going to try. [He means it, even if a bitter thought slips out.] I just need him to stop tanking his only relationships first. All he has is us and he's running.

He isn't ready to stop running yet. It's part of the process.

If I break his ankles, it might help. [He grumps back with a roll of his eyes at the thought of his twin.] I just... gotta be patient.

I can do patience. I've been so patient already.

Spoken like a man really feeling the patience.

[Or a man living on the edge of a breakdown.]

It's alright to need to vent. It can help you keep control in other aspects of your life, when it really counts.

[Why not both??]

You know me, an infinite well of patience.

Yeah, I know, all I can even do right now is vent. Vent and check on Casey given all of this is probably worse for him.

Don't let yourself focus on who has it worse. [That's a trap.] If his biggest issue is your opinions on his health, would you be able to spend time with him without bringing it up?

[Even with his frustration, Leonardo takes a moment to take a breath and think things over.] Yes, I think I could. It would just take a little time for me to calm down.

I imagine he's in the same situation. Take that time, and maybe broach the subject after a while. At least a few days.

[If not more. Considering how volatile the fight was, with Leo coming back bloodied? Yeah, might need extra time to cool down from that.]

[He really wants to stay angry, but, is aware it's not going to help. After Casey reaches out to him, the turtle will realize how badly he meddled.] I'll probably give it a week or two. We need a cool down period. Not like we were talking before this anyway.

Sounds like you've got a plan, then. Wait a week, see how you feel at the end of it. If you're not ready, one more.

[One or two weeks is a pretty good timeline. Best not to come in too hot, or wait too long.]

Hopefully, it doesn't turn into any longer. I miss him. Even if he's... the worlds biggest idiot.

Idiots can be the hardest ones to miss, especially when they do stupid things like separate themselves from you.

You know, he used to be the one who gave me a hard time about pulling away and trying to handle things by myself. Now he's doing it for our own good or- whatever. [Leo pauses, realizing he's going to work himself up again.] If I don't stop, you'll never hear the end of it

I bet you'd run out of steam for ranting before I do for listening.

[He's got a lot to say, far be it for Caduceus to make him suppress it.]

You're the one who gave me a boost of energy, and I'm a natural-born yapper. Just you wait. I could go for hours. [Yet, he is not. There is only so much bitching he can manage.] Before the heroic commander shtick, I was the guy that my whole family wanted to be quiet all the time.

Ah, shame. I can't take it back now, suppose I'll have to adjust to my new fate. Since if they couldn't manage to hush you, doubt I will.

Pretttty sure you've threatened to mute me before. [He assumes it some kind of magic spell.]

I guess I could yap about something else. I mean... I dunno how that spell would even work anyway. [The most dangerous topic of them all magic. Leonardo hasn't made it much of a secret he's fascinated by magic. Sure, he could bitch about Donnie for ages, but... he's now thinking about magic.] I was thinking about magic back in my world recently, anyway. Since, I think a lot of it came from the Crying Titan?

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