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Chapter Text

It isn't that he hadn't witnessed a baby's first smile before, especially with his own children that he has now adopted. Little Orange was always smiling but then again he was always a happy baby. Yoshi believed he even smiled in his sleep that's how happy he's is, of course he hasn't proven this fact considering the tot slept inside his shell but he was confident in his theory. Orange was an easy baby to handle out of the four, but that may change under his brothers influence. The others were older and a lot more work but it's a welcome distraction that Yoshi so desperately needed. Instead of the battle cries and calls of blood, it was innocent cries, laughs and cute little chirps. He's grown so fond of the babes.

A father, Yoshie would have laughed at the idea, calling it ridiculous, never would he have guessed he would adopt four mutant baby turtles of all things. But they relied on him, depended. It's the strangest thing he may ever been through, which said a lot for his past. Red always smiled when he was kept together with his brothers, anytime he put a child back Red's smile grew, surprising for a snapping turtle, the supposed aggressive one of the turtle species. In turn it made the rat smile, each time it happened he was thankful to be a part of it. His cheeky Blue who always wore a devious smirk whenever the child was awake to cause mischief. It was always on his face from the moment he woke his brother's too early from their nap or whenever he tried to escape as soon as he had his back turned. He fondly remembers the time blue snuck out while everyone was asleep, Splinter had later woken up to find him in the kitchen covered in jelly. It was an amusing thing to look back on after the clean up.

In fact since adopting them, Yoshi's had a lot of fond and cute memories of his sons. Every smile, laugh, beam that aimed towards him made his heart swell in pride. However out of all the expressions the most fondest memory Yoshi held came from Purple, he honestly thought that child popped out of his egg with a frown. He was always grumpy, or just didn't want to smile even when content, it didn't matter what Yoshi tried. It didn't bother him at first, after all he didn't properly notice since he was dealing with four babes of didn't ages and needs, especially Orange but as soon as Yoshi realised he was in the for the long haul and tried personally bonding with each child that he started to notice and worry. Purple didn't like engaging with him. He didn't like peek-a-boo like Orange, hated Piggy back ride that Red loves or the leg adventures that Blue adores. Purple didn't have a reaction or the ones he did react to caused tears and tantrums until Yoshi stopped.

Somewhere deep in Yoshi's thoughts, he believed the tot to be broken or maybe he didn't mutate properly like his brothers. In actuality it could be that he wasn't meant to be a parent and he was letting the poor child down just as his father did. He failed many things in life, and just the thought of his mother's disappointment made him nearly spiral, she would have known what to do. Yoshi spent many nights those type of thoughts. Such as this current night, he couldn't sleep, he was exhausted from wrangling his sons all day and now that they were asleep he should've easily fell back asleep. Instead he couldn't, thoughts clouding his mind, hating looking the same four walls. He decided to get up and pray his sons are behaved come morning.

With his sons in mind, Yoshi crept up to the cot that held the babes, he would have to start expanding their home soon so the could have their own space, but for now this would do. Peeking on them, he couldn't hold back his smile at the sight. Red laid on his front, his little spikes were already making it hard for him to sleep on his back, still he acted as a warmth beacon for his brother who were curled up heads resting upon Red's shell. All except for Orange. Frowning Yoshi checked around for the box turtle, soon finding ,(or rather his shell), in the far corner way from his the turtle pile. He must've been knocked away at some point when Red shuffled in his sleep. Poor little one. Yoshi hoped Orange will soon learn to sleep outside of his shell to avoid these types of problems. Picking him up, his son fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, such a tiny thing compared to the others. Then cautiously and very carefully, Yoshi placed him back besides his brothers.

Red sensing his brother's presence sleepily awoke, shuffling to get as close as he could to the box turtle and placing his head down on top of him, letting out a satisfied rumble and falling asleep once more. Yoshi couldn't be more happy. He hoped their bond would grow strong as brother's, especially once they got older. He then checked up on the twins, Little blue looked very content sleeping atop of his brother's shell who was annoyed by the use of a pillow- Wait, he was awake? Now that Yoshi was paying attention he could see the tot was not happy with having his shell being used as a pillow.

He squirmed a little but very carefully, just barely letting out soft hisses and quiet chits. It was like he knew his brother's were sleeping and didn't want to disturb them but at the same time he didn't like the position he was in. Yoshi couldn't help but think he was a strange but amusing child. Taking pity, he slowly but carefully lifted Blue's head and guided it onto Red's shell, the Slider didn't wake, instead he was happy with his new pillow nuzzling it and letting a soft purr before chuffing and softly snoring, content.

With that sorted Yoshi focused back on purple who still didn't seem pleased from being saved. He fidgeted and shifted, letting out tiny whines and huffs. It was clear that Purple wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon but at least Yoshi wouldn't be alone for the night. He scooped up Purple minding his shell and headed off to watch some TV. It was only a small little set and the screen chipped but it worked all the same. He was thankful for what they had, it wasn't easy building a home form scratch especially in a sewer, it turned him more humble since his mutation. Turning it on and taking a seat, Yoshi got lost in whatever was on.

Yoshi couldn't remember much, he wasn't really paying attention, maybe he even fell asleep but he soon came out of his daze to the movement of Purple on his lap. Purple let out a squeak making Yoshi jump a little, he started to shush him rubbing his shell to calm him down but all it did was cause the soft shell to whine and fidget, trying to move away from the rubbing. Odd, usually all of them enjoyed their shells being rubbed. Tiredly, he hefted the babe higher up on his lap.

"What's wrong Purple? What is the matter?" He hoped he wasn't getting sick again, that was no fun for anyone.

Purple squeaked again, Yoshi had never heard that sound from him before, wriggling and reaching towards the TV set. Yoshi was surprised by the boy's reaction, Purple has never reacted like this before, never shown an interest in anything really. Maybe it was due to seeing the TV for the first time, all the parenting magazines he could scavenge stated TV was bad for early childhood so Yoshie had kept the boys away from it until they were older, But Purple was finally showing an interest in something so maybe it couldn't hurt to encourage him a little. The child in his arms started to whimper due to his request being ignored. Giving in held the boy in his arms and sat in front of the tv on the floor.

Purple continued to reach for it but Yoshi wasn't that close making the child nearly fall on his face if it wasn't for his father catching him. Chuckling, he helped purple to his feet, holding him closer to the box. The soft shell placed his hands on the screen eyes wide in awe at the moving pictures. He clumsily pattered it, blabbering before reaching for the knobs on the side. It took some force and not having the motor skills to begin with Purple soon managed to turn the set off. Yoshi laughed at the shocked expression, who knew TV could bring out such emotions on a grumpy child like Purple. Maybe he should stop following the advice on the parenting mags.

Purple repeated the process, turning the TV on and then back off. Over and over again, completely fascinated by the way it operated. He then tried the other dial that was on the TV, it was much looser than the other one and easier to turn, Purple quickly turned it all the way blasting volume on full, Yoshie quickly turned it back down, shushing and rocking purple who started to crying while listening out for any disturbance from the other children. Luckily he heard no other crying besides the current child in his lap, it only took a moment to calm him down.

Even after crying little Purple still didn't show signs of tiredness and neither for Yoshi for that matter, he knew they should try to sleep now but he couldn't stop thinking about Purple's interaction and interests... Yoshi was going to regret it in the morning.

He placed the shoft shell down, patting his head and getting a grumble, Yoshie sneaked back into his bedroom, still hearing the soft snores and lighthearted breathing. Carefully he rummaged through his closet, trying to remain as quiet as he possibly could finding the little trinket he put away. Heading back he saw that purple was back at the Tv trying to reach for the dials but he couldn't quite reach, he was pouting and seemed on the verge of a tantrum. Such a grumpy child. Yoshi brought him back to the middle pf the room and sat down with him, placing down an activity board. It was a little worn and the stickers peeled but it was still useable, he was going to save it for a special occasion such as a birthday but with he hoped maybe this might be the thing that can help him bond with the soft shell.

Purple observed before touching, something he did with anything he came across that was unfamiliar, taking in the different structures and faded colours. Finally he started to fiddle with blocks that were connected on a weirdly shaped pole that looed and spiraled. At first Yoshie worried it might be too challenging for his age but slowly and surely Purple achieved getting the first block to the end. He cheered at the achievement.

And that's when it happened, purple looked at him and smiled, his grumpy baby boy was finally smiling. A smile directed at him. Yoshi was shocked and in awe. Ignoring his dad's shocked appearance Purple moved onto pressing the different buttons. If it wasn't broken they each one would have made a different noise, it was a shame but Purple seemed pleased at feeling the different textures on the buttons. They spent most of the night playing with the toy, trying out all five activities it offered. His son smiled and even giggled as he worked on each on with his father's guidance.

It became one of Yoshi's most cherished memories.

"Alright, I've fixed it. I still fail to understand why you hold onto this when I can hook you up with on of a kind Donnie plasma TV." Splinter smiled as Donatello rambled, connecting the old TV set back up to his projector. Over the years the screen had become more damaged from four over hyper turtles who failed to understand no weapons outside the dojo. Still it played and thanks to his son's brilliance he had boosted channels and enjoyed how the projector made the screen bigger.

"That's okay my son, I enjoy the more vintage technology." Never mind the sentimental reasons.

"Scoff." He watched his son take his words as an insult storming back to his lab. He chuckled as he watched on. His dear Purple was such a grumpy child.

Chapter Text

Baths were more of a obvious choice back in the turtles infant days. Yoshi had tried to include a shower in their home but it posed too many complications. Different pipes both holding clean and dirty water, obviously he wanted to avoid whatever sludge was held in the bad one but damaging the clean pipes was a good way to being discovered. So it was better to gather the water from an open pipe and bring back to home. The of course came the hassle of bathing the kids. The first time Yoshi tried it, he bathed the boys one by one. That was his main mistake. Just by the sound of running water his sons became super excited. Chirping, squeaking, wiggling around. It was a nightmare. Juggling one tot in the bath and keeping the others from hurting themselves or getting into trouble from being over stimulated. The only saving grace was the peaceful moment of little Orange who was a complete angel throughout the whole ordeal.

The second time was completely different. Yoshi waited for the kettle, taking on and off heat so it warmed to up to nice lukewarm temperature. He had just finished cleaning up the floor and anything else that had been touched with sticky fingers. He was never giving his sons pudding ever again, the absolute mess was a sign. It was unavoidable, they needed a bath, only this time he was prepared along with a plan, he was feeling quite confident. It can't be as bad as the last time, right? Finally the water was ready and he poured it into a slightly chipped tub. Yoshi wasn't fully sure what it originally was, too small for a baby bath but it resembled some sort of bath tub. Maybe it was for bathing pets? It didn't really matter, to be honest. He came across it, fixed it up and now had a new home.

Tub now filled, Yoshie turned to his sons who were left in a small wired fence that acted as a small playpen. Anther furniture repurposed, it's amazing what people threw away, especially in sewers. The little ones seemed fine with it, upon looking at them he saw how excited they were. Red's tail was banging on the ground, purple and blue were nipping and snapping at each other before running around the tight space, stumbling and falling over the others. Orange watched them all, giggling and clapping at them whenever he found something they did was funny, basking in the cheery mood. One by one he picked them up or in the twins case, catching them, and slipping them into the tub.

The twins cheered and zoomed around in the water continuing their chase, they really loved the water. Red was next, who required both hand to be carried, his little boy was growing fast, getting bigger and bigger by the day. Tail still wavering about, Yoshi carefully placed the boy in the water who sunk himself to the bottom, curling up happily content and out of the way of the twins chase. Now for his tiniest son, Orange. Without his brothers around, the tot seemed sad and confused but immediately smiled seeing his dad come back for him. Maybe Yoshi shouldn't leave Orange for last after all, he seemed to thrive off their makeshift family. A little ball of sunshine in a shell was the way Yoshi could describe him.

Now in his fathers arms, the pleased Box turtle purred, nuzzling into his father's arms. Yoshi cringed at the dirty smears left on his robe, guess laundry was the next job to do. Orange beamed and wiggled in his arms as soon as he saw his brothers come into view as he was carried over, excited at seeing them again. Unfortunately his happy wiggles didn't last long soon turning hesitant as he noticed the water and seeing his brother's splashing around in it. Just as Yoshi has done before he lowered little turtle into the water but the tot didn't like this. Not at all. He whines, trying to kick the water away as he got lower, when he saw that water kept coming back he griped tightly onto his father's robes and refusing to let go and abruptly burst into tears, wiggling and trying his best to get away from the water.

"What's the matter, my child?" Yoshi asked, trying his best to get Orange to let go of his sleeve. Curious at the commotion the rest of the turtles gathered around, swimming up and accidently splashing Orange who really didn't like that. His cries turned into loud wails which hurt the poor rat's ears, this was the first time Orange had shown negative emotions, even when he wasn't happy he didn't kick up much fuss. Without knowing what else to do Yoshi lifted the child back into his arms and stepping away from the tub, holding the turtle close, shushing and rubbing the chutes on his shell. Orange his his face into the robes, his cries soon becoming whimpers. 

What odd behaviour. Looking over to the tub he saw the rest of the babes still playing in the water, Red joining in on the fun, not minding as he knew their youngest was with him. Yoshi didn't understand, Orange saw his brothers and were happy to join them. He dipped a finger into the water, it was close back to room temperature, maybe he didn't like the temperature? Maybe his species of turtle like it warmer? But then his boy didn't put up much of a fuss last time and the water was the same. Nevertheless, it was the only conclusion Yoshi come up with. Orange was calm now, happy to lean on his father, with a deep sigh the mutant rat placed the babe back in the playpen. He needed to bath the others before figuring out this dilemma he was in.

Focusing back on the other turtle tots, Yoshi knelt by the tub and and started to wrangle and wash them, it was little easier this way considering how overstimulated they were, loving the water. Purple has now made the discovery that he could spit, very far too. Currently he was now popping up and down the water, using bubbles as cover, his main target was Blue who getting more and more aggravated at being spat on and would chase him every time it happened. It made it all the more impossible to clean him up as he was easily slip out of hand to try and chase after the Soft Shell. At least Red took it and ignore Purple as Yoshi cleaned him up. Or course Blue got his revenge when it was Purple's turned to be scrubbed. Throughout the shenanigans, Yoshi listened to the small pitiful chips behind him. Oh, how it broke his heart every time he heard them, but he had to focus on one thing at a time.

"Yes, yes. I hear you Orange, I'll be with you soon." Yoshi called out before getting spat in the face by two trouble makers. Three set of giggle rung out making poor Orange whine, upset for being left out. At least he wasn't crying again... not yet anyway. Finally three of his sons were squeaky clean, quickly he got them out and dried them off before they could cause more trouble. He placed them in the living room, already filled with toys and even got the Tv on, hopefully to keep them distracted while he cleaned up Orange. Red on the other hand wasn't happy being moved into another room without all of his brother's present, he whined following his father as Yoshi tried to leave the room.

"Do not worry. Little Orange is with me, he'll be back to play with you soon." He pattered his head before nudging him back to his brother's but Red wouldn't budge. Groaning, Yoshi ignored him and left him in the room, making sure he didn't slip out as he closed the door. He couldn't leave Orange on his own for much longer, he already felt he was being cruel by ignoring him in the first place, but what could he do? There was only him to sort out four babies with one of them not happy being around water.

He heard Orange cries, quickly hurrying he ran back and picked up the Box Turtle. Holding the child as he got to work in making a new bath. This time the was slightly warmer, once again he lowered Orange into the water. Confused, Orange didn't understand what was happening but as soon as his toe touched the water, that was it. Wriggling, fussing, kicking and tears. Yoshi just didn't understand why Orange was putting up so much of a fuss, what was wrong with? It was completely the same as the last bath.

"It's only water. You didn't mind it last time." They were aquatic turtles, Yoshi was confident in that fact.

Yoshi lifted him back into his arms once more, no point torturing the child who found water to be scary all of a sudden. Orange also seemed to have enough, sucking himself into his shell. Grumbling, Yoshi kept hold of the shell as he gathered what was left in the kettle and made small shallow pool in the sink. He placed the shell in and got to work on scrubbing away the stains and stickiness with a soft sponge. Very soon the shell was clean which left Yoshi to wonder how he was going to clean the rest of the child who was currently hiding away. Luck seemed to be some what on his side as Orange soon decided to make an appearance, the shell giving a little wiggle before he popped back out.

The rat was ready for a screech or something other offending sound now that the turtle was back in the water he so hated but strangely he didn't make any not even pulling a face. Instead the turtle looked around, taking in the new situation. He patted the water with an unsteady hand, watching it ripple and splash. Orange then gave his father a huge grin, happy to splash and play in the water. Yoshi was dumbfounded. What was so different about this bath? He glanced back at the tub he originally wanted to use, it was deep and perfect for swimming for their sizes, he knew his boys loved swimming but he never thought to think that Orange was the only one in the group who didn't. Going into deep water must have scared him.

Coming out of his thoughts, he noticed Orange was reaching up for the toys he left on the side, having completely forgotten to add them to the tubs. He handed a couple of them for Orange to play as he got back to cleaning him up. Orange was back to his happy self as he played, letting out content babbles and chirps, giggling when Yoshi got to more ticklish places. He was happy to listen to them.

"Okay, I believe we have everything. Has everyone brought their own tubes?" Donatello asked as he went through his checklist. Splinter watched on as the boys set off for the sewers, wanting a lazy day in the waters, strolling up he saw Michelangelo finish packing up the food he had prepared. Even thoughtfully making some for Splinter to have even though the rat wasn't joining them.

"Are you sure you want to join your brothers, Orange? You can always stay here with me?" Orange smiled at the offer.

"I'm fine dad. Of course I wanna go. We're gonna play a few games and just relax for the day." Of course, his youngest had become accustomed to the water, you had to living in the sewers. He never seemed bother like he previously was when he was a babe. Still, Splinter couldn't help but remember that day he wailed so loud, his little boy had never done it again after it but it was a memory that still haunts him. But he trusted his sons to take care of Orange.

"I see. Have fun, my sons." At least he gets to enjoy the silence for a while.

Chapter Text

There are times Yoshi was a good parent, spending time and bonding with his four sons, then there are times Yoshi was a bad parent. Well, he thought he was a bad parent. There were days where he just wanted to hide away and enjoy his movies, reliving the old days when things weren't so complicated. But those days also meant neglecting his parental duties, ignoring the his turtles when they needed him. Over the years they soon grew to understand his depressive episodes, struggling to fight against them. Yoshi liked to think at least he hadn't adopted only one child and they had each other to rely on besides himself. It was a blessing no matter how hard it was raising them.

But for all his good and bad days, bedtime was the exception. Yoshi made sure to be apart of their bedtime routine, it lessened the guilt and caused one on one bonding together. It made the rat smile and he came to look forward to at the end of the day. Speaking of such things, it was time for the boys to settle down. He turned off the tv, having been in front of it all day, it didn't provide comfort this time. Only misery. He missed those days, missed being able to walk down the street, having people run towards him in hope of autographs. Now, he lived in a sewer and raising turtles. The day had gone by so quickly, he hoped his children hadn't gotten into any trouble without him around.

He stood up, stretching and popping his back into place and so began the task of finding his little turtle boys. He passed the kitchen which was left a mess, he smiled though, a mess meant that they had food. Continuing onwards, he came across Red and Orange together. Sitting together on the ground using chalk to decorate the walls, it was something Orange loved to do and Red now knowing his responsibilities as an older brother, kept him company. Ignoring the guilt, he watched them, Red was handing colors to the Box Turtle and even sometimes drawing outlines and shapes for the younger to colour in. The shapes and outlines were sloppy but Orange always neatly colored inside the lines.

"Red." Yoshi called out, the Snapper smiled seeing him, instantly jumping up and running towards him, wrapping a chubby arm around his leg.

"Papa!" Red purred as Yoshi rubbed his head, Orange clapped in delight at the sight and crawling over for his own hug.

"Yes, my boy. I'm here." The pit in his stomach grew, how forgiving his little boys were. "Come now. Help your brother, it is bedtime." Red nodded dutifully and went ahead to clean up the mess they made. Proud, Yoshi left them to find the twins. It was Purple who he found first, playing with his cardboard collection that he didn't quite understand. But it kept his boy quiet and happy so he didn't mind, his little Soft Shell was an enigma. At least he wasn't playing with his brother, them two got into more trouble when they were together than by themselves.

"Papa! Tell him to stop!" The little Soft Shell came running up, tears in eyes and clearly annoyed.

"Yahoo!" Yoshi sighed as he saw Blue running around the room, knocking over the cardboard creations. Never mind, they were together still causing trouble.

"Blue, what have I said about respecting other peoples property?" Blue stopped, looking alarmed at the sight of his dad standing in the doorway.

"But he didn't want to play with me." Yoshi sighed, Purple must've got caught up in how own world again and with Red taking care of Orange that left Blue to try and entertain himself.

"Purple, did you play with your brother today?" His boy looked away, giving Yoshi his answer. "We need to also play with others and not just yourself. Could you maybe play with Blue for a while tomorrow?"

"Okay." Yoshi smiled, wiping away a stray tear.

"Good boy. Now, it is time for bed."

"No!" Blue quickly ran making his escape but Yoshi caught him easily with his tail. At least his mutation was good for something.

"Yes! Bedtime." He gave the Slider a wobble who laughed at the motion, then guiding them both to bathroom where Red was finishing up with Orange.

"I'm not tired." Blue complained.

"Oh but you are." It was the same argument each night, but Yoshi could always see the signs. "Come on." He set Blue down on the stool next to Purple. "Brush your teeth." He picked up Orange as Red headed to his room. Yoshi left to placed Orange in his crib, he was getting a little too big for it but Yoshi didn't want to accept it just yet. First story of the night, A tale of the Runaway Rainbow.

Orange loved the story, trying his best to stay awake so he can hear the ending, he hasn't managed too yet. Next up was Red who happily waited for him, tucked into his bed. He enjoyed the tale of a boy looking for his missing family but instead gained one after saving a village. He came to Purple next, the boy already chosen the book he wanted read that night. It honestly won't be long before he could read for himself, his boy following along with him word for word. Secretly Yoshi cringed at his chosen book. Einstein's Violin. He regret taking his boy to the dump and letting them choose some books to bring back.

"Maybe we could read something a bit more tonight?" Yoshi reasoned. Purple just shook his head, shoving the book into his father's hands. He sighed, it was wroth a try. It was a struggle to read, especially for the harder words, he was still a foreigner after all even if his English was good. He was lucky it didn't take Purple long to fall asleep probably wiped from arguing with Blue all day. Now it for the hard part of the night, his energetic Blue. He wasn't sure why Blue put up much of a fight at bedtime but it starting to become a bit of a hassle. Coming to his son's room he saw the boy on the floor messing with his action figures.

"Blue! Bedtime." Maybe it was time to look into names.

"Why?" Blue whined as Yoshi helped him into the covers, tucking him.

"because, we need to rest our bodies and minds. Ready to face the challenges tomorrow."

"But it's loud. I can't sleep with the noise."

"Noise?" He listened for anything but could only hear a very faint sound of the trains, that was only with his rats traits, there was no way his son could hear any of that. "There's nothing to hear. Now what story should we try tonight?"

"Dunno." Yoshi smiled, his little boy was still finding his interests and so far hadn't really enjoyed the stories he read.

"How about a story of the great Lou Jitsu?" He got a curious look which was enough encouragement for him to continue. "It starts with out hero arriving at the local restaurant ordering the special." Yoshi got very involved in the story, remembering how he acted on set, in fact he got so into it he showed off some of the moves, jumping, spinning, kicking, saying his lines remembering them word for word. And Blue watched on, raptured by his dad's story amazed by the moves and giggling at the tale of how the bad guys where felled. Yoshi really didn't mean to rile him up again but he was so caught up in the story and enjoyed his son's cheers. But all too quickly it came to an end, wrapping up the ending and calming down.

"Another!" Blue demanded as he re-tucked the tot back in bed.

"Tomorrow. Sleep well my son." He was happy to know his son loved the story, maybe this was the way he could get him to sleep. That night, Yoshi decided to try and sleep in his bed instead of falling asleep in front of the Tv. He led there, not really tired but not willing to get up either, he started to spiral again. Then his bedroom door slightly opened.

"Daddy?" Blue whispered. Yoshi sat up seeing the turtle tot wide awake, he smiled, opening his arms up for the child who climbed up on the bed snuggling up together.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Yoshi whispered but Blue didn't answer him. "Blue?" His boy didn't hear him. "Son?" Yoshi spoke normally catching the Slider's attention. "Why aren't you in bed."

"It got loud again." Yoshi hummed, he was going to have to look into this so-called loud noise. Statically his boy was deaf which was strange as he still communicated and acts like he can hear them, sadly for Yoshi the book he had was torn so the page was cut off. He needed to find more research material especially if his little one couldn't sleep.

"Dad? Can you tell me another story with that man?" Yoshi smiled, he settled themselves into the bed, his boy curled in the crook of his arm and told the tale of Lou Jitsu.

Splinter groaned shoving the rubbish and empty packaging off him, he rose from the bed ignoring the mess and blank screen from his projector. What a day. he ate way too much and his head was spinning. But that's what a depressive episode that has been left to fester instead of getting help does to someone. He noticed how silent it was around the cave and dark too. Everyone must've gone to bed. Heading over to the kitchen he got a cup of water in hopes of helping his stuffy head. He then took a stroll around the lair, need to stretch. That's when he noticed a light coming from the living room.

Peaking inside he saw Lou Jitsu on the screen, the show muted as not to disturb anyone. And there passed out on the couch was Leonardo. Splinter smiled, happy to know that his son was some way getting some sleep. He lifted the blankets, rearranging them so they covered his body, making sure he stayed warm. Leo let out a sleepy rumble, turning away from the light. It took a year to figure out the problems, his son's hearing was more overactive and at night he could hear the loud vibrations and rumbles of the trains and any of the city noises. Sadly, the damage was done by the time Donatello came up with soundproofing the lair. His boy became an insomniac.

Splinter, stroked a his head, wishing him a full night's rest. At least Lou Jitsu helped his son sleep.