Leatherhead Visits the Lair
#1 of Fiction
Comedy. After Leatherhead openly spends another night with Mikey, Raph is unnerved to discover that a precious secret of his own was never actually a secret at all. In script format.
This is actually something spontaneous I wrote in a Turtlepedia forum thread comment, about what to expect when Renet is introduced to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 TV series. Some users expected it to be Michelangelo's first love interest, but I pointed out that the show has been repeatedly going out of its way to give Mikey and Leatherhead as many romantic love scenes as they can cram into a modern kid's cartoon. Considering it would be insulting to viewers to give Mikey a new lady love without at least acknowledging that his relationship with Leatherhead existed, I speculated many possible scenarios this could happen. Then, at the end of the post, I wrote a somewhat random scriptlet, giving context to this scene. This screenshot is actually from a series of flashbacks shown in the episode Into Dimension X in the second season, it describes a scene that could have happened as early on as It Came from the Depths in the first season. But since the third season's Battle for New York, Part 1 and Part 2 demonstrated that Mikey and Leatherhead still cannot keep their hands off each other at literally every opportunity to do so (three tender romantic embraces in one two-part episode!), it seems likely there have been many more moments like the one shown in this screenshot. This scriptlet takes place sometime after Battle for New York, when the turtles have moved back into their lair and Leatherhead is now Slash's second-in-command of the Mighty Mutanimals. I wrote it to retain the show's TV-Y7 content rating as much as possible, as if it could be a scene lifted from an episode. The funny thing is, since I wrote this spontaneously, it shifted to become more about Raphael than about Leatherhead. In the end, it was so much fun to write, and so well received, that I decided to republish it as fanfiction.
(Raph and Donnie are in the kitchen. Leatherhead is curled up on the living room floor. Leo walks through the living room to the kitchen.)
LEO: Good morning. Hey, Leatherhead.
LEATHERHEAD: My friends.
LEO: Did you come to seeMikey? Where is he?
LEATHERHEAD: Michelangelo is right here.
(Leatherhead reveals Mikey, sound asleep next to him. Leo proceeds to the kitchen.)
LEO: Where's breakfast?
RAPH: Mikey hasn't_made_ breakfast.
LEO: You mean...
DONNIE: Leatherhead spent the night. I don't think Mikey even slept inhis room.
RAPH: Like Leatherhead could fit through the doorway.
DONNIE: I don't know, Raph.Slash isn't much smaller than Leatherhead, and yet I've noticed he doesn't seem to have any trouble fitting through your doorway when he sneaks in at night.
RAPH: Hey. He's hardly_sneaking_ in. We're training together.
DONNIE: Uh huh. Training. In the middle of the night. In your eight-by-twelve bedroom. With someone at least twice your size. Without leaving so much as a scratch on your wall posters.
RAPH: We...strategize! ... Shut up!
LEO: Yeah, if by "strategizing," you mean getting all warm and comfy and saying, "I love you, man."?
RAPH: Who gave_you_ the right to listen at my door?!
(Mikey wakes up.)
MIKEY: ...Leatherhead. Did you let me sleep in? Are they mad because there's no breakfast?
(Raph is startled.)
RAPH: Yes, that's exactly it! ... We're hungry, Mikey!
(Raph looks to Leo and Donnie.)
RAPH: Not a word to Mikey.
DONNIE: He already knows. Mikey does the same thing with Leatherhead, only they don't sneak around the lair at night as if it's some big secret.
LEO: It's okay, Raph. Some turtles have blankets to keep warm, and some turtles have seven-foot mutants to keep warm.
MIKEY: Raph didn't know we knew? Dude, even Leatherhead knows.
LEATHERHEAD: I advised Slash to askSplinter for permission to visit unannounced.
(Raph freezes stunned.)
RAPH: Sensei knows?!
DONNIE: Sensei was the_first_ to know.
LEATHERHEAD: Slash thought you would prefer discretion.
LEO: Chill, Raph. None of us will make fun of you.
DONNIE:Casey would.
LEO: --Casey would. ...because he already knows. But_we_ won't make fun of you.
MIKEY: Haha, Casey was laughing so hard! Good times...
DONNIE: Mikey may make fun of you a_little_.
RAPH: ... I'm not hungry anymore.
(Raph starts walking back to his room.)
MIKEY: Say hi to Slash for us!
RAPH: He wasn't here last night!
RAPH: ...I mean... He's never... We... He... Train... Strategize...
DONNIE: Like_that_ ship hasn't already sailed.
MIKEY: Dude... You should see your face right now.
(Raph dagger-eyes Mikey, but Leatherhead positions to guard Mikey.)
LEATHERHEAD: Raphael. My friend. There is no need for any of us to fight.
MIKEY: Look, bro. It's all good. And if you're hungry later on, there's still some lettuce in the fridge. Chew on your leaf if you understand me.
(Leatherhead lowers his head and sighs. Mikey smiles at Raph perfectly. Raph glares at Mikey, then at Leo and Donnie who are trying hard not to laugh, then back at Mikey.)
RAPH: I hate you all!
(Raph storms back to his room.)
RAPH: Wake me up when it's never!