Maybe around the end of the month.

He stretched and geared up, tucking his sais into his belt while at the same time hoping he wouldn't have to use them. As much as he loved the frustrated look on his brother's face when he caught a sword in his prongs and flipped it aside, fighting bare-handed made the tension feel so much more tactile.

In a way, their fights were always intimate. For the first few minutes, his hands never fully reached his brother, always grazing his skin as Leonardo moved less than an inch beyond his reach. Then as they both tried to take advantage of an opening or a slip in their guard, his brother might connect against his side, might touch him for an instant in a sweep. If the fight hadn't ended by then, Leonardo would wear down and Raphael would have a much better chance of finally grabbing his brother's wrist as he got too close, his ankle as he drew back too slow.

Getting a firm hold of his brother always startled Raphael, and sometimes he didn't react in time to take advantage of the opportunity, losing his grip as Leonardo twisted to land another hit and shock him loose. But when the fight intensified and the world turned dark, lit only by the tension between them, when he focused so much that nothing else existed except the adrenaline in his body and his brother in front of him, he didn't miss his chance to twist Leonardo the way he saw fit, sending him backwards on the mat or turning him face first into a wall. And now with this added layer to their relationship, when he knew he'd lost a fight Leonardo couldn't help but relax in whatever position Raphael had put him in.

Raphael swallowed once and wondered if he slammed his brother into a wall, would he close his eyes and hold still when Raphael pushed a little further?

Distracted by these thoughts, he slowly made his way downstairs and across the yard, quietly entering the barn. He didn't see his brother but he was sure Leonardo was here. Maybe deeper inside. It was hard to see because the shutters on the few windows had been closed--

The door behind him closed with a soft thump. He turned, looking for his brother as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Straight white lines marked the edges of the doors, giving him a dim view of dust particles floating through the air. Of course his brother wouldn't make an amateurish mistake like standing in front of the light, but enough of the morning's glare crept in between the old boards that made up the barn's wall and ceiling that Raphael spotted his faint outline in the shadows made darker by the light. Leaning against the door, Leonardo kept his head slightly lowered although his gaze focused on Raphael.

At least he wasn't wearing his swords. But standing there even in a relaxed stance, arms folded, his breathing silent and steady, all the rest of him was sharp. Of course he was. The barn was a patchwork of darkness stitched together by light. Leonardo was most at home here, like a sword in its sheathe.

Raphael smiled at his mistake. He'd walked right into his brother's trap. Leonardo had already won.

Fine. Raphael would still make sure his brother knew he'd been in a fight. Moving slowly so Leonardo didn't think he was attacking yet, he withdrew his sais and tossed them aside. His brother stood straight, studying him for weaknesses while revealing none of his own.

Raphael grimaced. He'd practiced against his brother before, even come to blows in a heated argument, but Leonardo looked at him like an enemy to take down and the effect was unnerving. Was a little scream and pain worth turning so serious during a fight? He hadn't thought Leo hated cooking that much.

"Chicken parmesan," he said softly.

Confused, Leonardo narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Next time I win," Raphael said with a small smile, tilting his head back. "That's what I'll want for dinner--"

Before Raphael could finish, Leonardo lunged. Raphael went sprawling backwards on the floor but used the momentum to throw Leonardo off. As he rolled to his feet, Raphael heard his brother move across the rough floor. And then nothing.

He stood slowly, listening for the slightest sound--distant whispers of birdsong outside, his own breathing, a breeze blowing over the broken glass of a far window--but nothing from his brother. Hands ready, straining to see through the slivers of light, he backed towards the door, intent on throwing it open and flooding the barn with sunlight.

The air around him whirled and he felt rather than heard his brother moving towards him, and he darted away in time to avoid a low kick. He didn't avoid it when Leonardo fell to all fours and reversed his kick, nailing the back of his legs. Raphael fell forward and caught himself before his face hit the floor, then threw himself to one side, hearing his brother land where he'd been a moment before.

Although he usually tried to overpower his brother, Raphael risked trying the same kind of sweep that his brother favored and smiled when he felt it connect. Instead of a grunt or the sound of a shell landing beside him, he heard his sibling roll with the hit and disappear again. With a frustrated curse, he stood up again.

"You can't hide forever," he snapped. "It'd take hours to wear me out like this, anyway."

"Maybe I'm not trying to wear you out."

Raphael turned toward his brother's voice and spotted him against the far wall near one of the windows. Now that his eyes were fully adjusted, the filtered sunlight was all he needed to make out shapes in the dark. His brother's eyes even gleamed.

"No? Then I think I'm gonna win this fight, too. I can see ya just fine."

"Good."

Leonardo reached back and unlatched the shutter. Bright sunlight flashed into Raphael's face. Crying out as he was blinded, Raphael turned and closed his eyes. A second later his brother hit him from the side, sending them both crashing to the floor. Landing on his stomach, Raphael twisted in Leonardo's grip even as he felt his brother straddling his shell, his breath teasing the back of his neck. If he could just get his hands on his brother's shoulder he could probably yank him off--

Something cold and flat pressed against his shoulder. Raphael stilled and held his breath as the short knife slowly trailed across his skin, the edge creeping towards his throat.

"Leo?" He only mouthed his brother's name at first, then forced himself to take a breath so he could speak. "Leo?"

"Shh. Don't move. Don't even breathe." Leonardo leaned close, watching the light glitter along the knife's edge. "It's right over your throat."

Not that he needed to tell Raphael. The metal felt like ice pressing against his jugular and he remembered his brother's whisper the first time he'd responded to Raphael's manhandling. Raphael swore he'd never hurt his brother, but Leonardo had explicitly made no such promise. Only now did Raphael understand how dangerous that could be.

Should have found out Leo's kinks before we started this, he thought.

As soft as a whisper, Leonardo nuzzled his throat, his warm breath a sharp contrast to the knife. Raphael shivered and his skin slid minutely along the edge. He only felt the cut when his brother licked up the tiny drop of blood that rose up.

Worse and worse. This was no mindfuck, that knife was razor sharp.

"I win," Leonardo whispered. "Listen closely. Here are the rules. You get a ten second headstart. I catch you, and you'll be hiding some new scars when we get home. Understand?"

Raphael hesitated. Was this how uncertain Leonardo had felt tied up?

"Got it."

Smiling, Leonardo eased off of his brother's back and sat down on the floor, one hand resting on his bent knee. Raphael scrambled to his feet and backed away, staring at his brother as he caught his breath. The knife shone in his eyes.

"You never said nothing about a knife fetish," Raphael said. "How long've you--?"

"Nine seconds," Leonardo said, his smile growing in anticipation. "Eight."

Raphael turned and ran out of the barn, plunging into the forest as fast as he could.

tbc...