[Even if Raphael wasn't 'officially' the leader anymore, he still is very much the eldest, biggest, and strongest. He's the heavy, he's the team shield. He's the one who saves his brothers from hits, who does the headcount to make sure they all get out alive. He picks them all up and carries them to safety and even if Raphael's felt as if he could crack under that pressure, he wouldn't have it any other way, regardless of whatever their team positions may be.

But that's also the problem, too. Raphael does crack under pressure. The pressure isn't a big fight, a scary bad guy; it's the thought that if his brothers get hurt, if they fail, it's Raphael's fault for not keeping up morale or for not making a plan. This whole entire thing, trying to get the key in the first place, trying to get it back-

Everything that- that happened after. The things he can't think about just yet, what happened to him, what he did to Leo- and then what he couldn't do for Leo, it's all just too much. He doesn't want to show Leo this, he doesn't want to show this to any of his brothers, but maybe he-

Well, maybe it's- Maybe he can trust them with it. Maybe just for a few minutes. Just long enough to release some of that pressure.

Leo's (small, trembling) arm goes around Raph's neck and Raph immediately stands to move closer and down, hover over him. He wraps his arms around Leo as gently as he can possibly manage, but there's so much of him and so little of his brothers that he ends up just blanketing Leo anyway. Knowing that the only reason they got Leo back is because of Mikey both terrifies and warms Raphael, but he doesn't know what to do with it in the face of his own guilt.]

Y-you, [Raph pulls back just enough to wipe at his eye, going back in for the hug again as soon as he possibly can,] You ain't old enough yet to be talkin' like that. Sounding like a grandpa over here, Mr. "Best Ninja in the World."