Without a word, Leonardo stood and watched his brother use one of his swords to cut the rope in half before coming close. Raphael stepped right in front of him, making him back up a step while raising his arm as if to ward him off. There was nothing reassuring in his brother's eyes, and Raphael's sudden grip on his wrist was bruising as he tilted his head and crushed their mouths together.

It was the first time they'd ever kissed, and Leonardo shut his eyes tight at the intensity of it. When Raphael withdrew, he would have stumbled if his brother didn't have such a tight grip on his arm.

"I can feel your heartbeat from here," Raphael whispered. "I think you do like to lose control."

Leonardo didn't reply. Not expecting an answer, Raphael stepped by him, tugging him by the wrist toward the old stalls in the back. Most of them had long lost their gates and all of them were empty, but the tall wooden beams were sturdy. After positioning his brother between two of them, he found the end of the rope and wound it around his brother's wrist.

"R-Raphael..."

"It's okay," Raphael said. "Don't worry."

As soon as he said it, he knew how stupid that was. Leonardo worried enough for all of them. Sure, that anxiety was sometimes all that kept them alive, but the constant stress also kept his brother on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Asking him not to worry was like asking Raphael to stop feeling everything so keenly.

"It won't hurt," he said, working a knot into the thick wrap of rope. He gave it a yank to make sure it wouldn't come loose and nodded in satisfaction when his brother's hand jerked like a marionette's. Instead of immediately tying the other end of the rope to the stall beam, he started tying Leonardo's other hand, giving him every chance to resist and relishing the fact that he wouldn't.

He realized his brother wasn't as calm as he seemed when he felt Leonardo's hand tremble with the last knot.

"Leo?"

Leonardo looked away. "I just--it doesn't feel right."

Silence. Instead of teasing him, Raphael understood how he felt. The rare handful of times when they'd been captured, their lives had hung by a precarious thread. As the eldest, Leonardo felt the weight of looking out for his siblings more than any of them did. Letting himself be bound went against everything he knew.

"You're sure we're alone?" Leonardo asked suddenly. "We could've been followed--I should've stayed awake--"

"We're safe." Raphael came close and put his hands around his brother's bound wrists, bringing his hands close between his. Giving comfort didn't come naturally to him, but he could do it if he had to. "You know that. You wouldn't of gone to sleep if you thought there was any danger."

Leonardo didn't answer. Sleeping had been a lot easier than letting himself be bound. He closed his eyes and felt Raphael checking the knots one more time before taking the end of the rope tied to his left hand. It began to tug at his hand and he resisted for a few seconds before letting his arm be drawn out.

Behind him, Raphael felt his own heart beat a little harder as his brother allowed his last bit of control to be stolen. Rather than force his brother's hands over his head or behind his back--after all, there'd be plenty of time for that later--he simply forced them out at either side.

Once he had the first one tied, he lightly trailed his fingers over the taut rope and down his brother's arm, then gathered the rope around Leonardo's other wrist and pulled it with him as he stepped toward the far beam. Pulling the rope tighter and tighter, he stopped when he heard his brother hiss in pain and tied it off.

"Something simple to start the day off," he said, coming up behind him. "Like it?"

"You didn't have to," Leonardo said. "I won't move if you tell me not to."

Raphael smiled as he leaned against his brother, putting his arms around him as he rested his head on his shoulder. "I know. But I wanna look at ya."

"What? Why?"

"It's funny," Raphael said, ignoring his question. "We've lived together all our lives but I've never really looked at you. Not up close."

Ducking under his arm, he stood up in front of his sibling and noticed that Leonardo was looking at an empty spot on the floor. On a whim, he reached up to his brother's mask and unfolded the top layer, bringing it down over his brother's eyes and blindfolding him. A tiny surprised noise escaped from the back of Leonardo's throat.

Even though his brother couldn't see, Raphael was sure he could feel him moving by, slowly circling him as he stared. Although he usually won their fights through strength, his brother was by no means weak. Occasionally tensing and forcing himself not to fight, Leonardo might have been able to break the ropes if he really put his mind to it.

Raphael lay one finger on a faint scar at the bottom of his brother's neck, tracing its slightly raised edge. "Where'd you get this?"

"Shredder's elite," Leonardo said softly. "Spear thrust. Almost ducked in time."

"Little higher and he would'a cut your throat," Raphael murmured. Such a small wound. He never would've guessed it almost killed his brother.

Curious about other near misses, he reached back and grabbed the ends of his brother's mask, gently forcing his head back. Other scars stood out, including a jagged inch-long line just under his jaw. He leaned close and drew the tip of his tongue over it.

"And this one?"

"Kama. Alley fight."

His brother was rapidly losing his ability to speak. Raphael wondered if he could shatter every last bit of control just by lightly touching old injuries and hurts. It might take a few minutes or a few hours. He smiled. Either way was fine with him.

"This one?"

Leonardo shivered as Raphael slid his palm up a rough patch on his side. "Got thrown into a curb."

This close, Raphael could see the fine lace of scars that covered his brother's body. From a distance they blended into his skin, only the worst standing out. As he knelt, dragging his hand down Leonardo's side, he noticed faint lines etched into the plastron. He had several himself, but he'd never thought of his big brother having just as many. They all came from various fights, and considering the number of street brawls he got into, Raphael had simply thought he had more.

As he sat down, the next scar was eyelevel and in a spot he never would have thought to look. Just along the inside of the thigh right beneath the shell, so faint that he almost missed it. He traced it but it had no edge, nothing more than a light discoloration.

"Who gave you this one?"

"Y-you."

"Really?" Raphael frowned as he tried to remember, but they fought too often to remember each one. "When? How?"

"Long time ago. In practice. You--" Leonardo paused to catch his breath as Raphael touched it again. With his eyes covered, each touch grew more maddening. "You didn't notice."

"Mm. What a shame." He looked up with a faint smile. "Drew blood and didn't even get to appreciate it."

His brother didn't answer, probably knowing what was going to happen next. Raphael drew the tip of his tongue over the mark, holding his brother's hips so he couldn't squirm too much, but it was Leonardo's low groan as he bit hard that brought him real satisfaction.

"Don't worry," he said, licking away a tiny drop of blood. "I'll appreciate it from now on."

He looked up in time to see his brother jerk reflexively against the rope, making it creak from the pressure. Leonardo fought the ties for a few seconds but nothing gave. If anything, they only tightened against his skin. After a moment he breathed deep and gave up again.

Raphael swallowed once. Watching his brother admit defeat--even better, defeat to Raphael--gave him a rush that only seemed to grow each time.

"By the time I'm finished," he said softly, "I'll have made you scream."

To his delight, he saw the familiar determination on his brother's face. As usual, Leonardo didn't intent to go down easily. He wondered how long his brother could resist when he was already on the verge of losing. A few short minutes or a few long hours?

Either way was fine with him.

tbc...