The Great Debate

Rated T

Disclaimer: I don't own the ninja turtles, however the kids are all mine.

Ashlynn stood back scrutinizing her cousin carefully, she'd been watching him for awhile now and had come to a conclusion, not one based on hard facts, she didn't need to be armed with hard facts, her logic ran a totally different way, and she was quite certain of her findings in this matter. She was the oldest of three girls that Raph and Sara had, she was now almost nine years old, and she was armed with a little knowledge, and a lot of conjecture on her part.

Aiden the oldest child of Leo and Karena seemed totally oblivious to his younger cousin's watch full stare, he was at the moment engrossed in an action movie where at the moment a chain reaction of sorts had been set off that had the hero of the show trying to navigate around debris, chaos and explosions in about equal number. However, as a commercial came on he turned to eye the red haired turtle quizzically, " You want something Ashlynn?" He wondered.

" Can I ask you something Aiden?" Ashlynn inquired as she moved over towards the couch.

Aiden gave an indifferent shrug. " Shoot."

" Are you gay?" Ashlynn said bluntly.

Aiden blinked, "Am I what?" He demanded his brow furrowing, he was sure he hadn't heard right.

"Gay...as in into guys." Ashlynn explained.

Aiden shook his head, "Where did you hear such a thing?" He asked, as he stared at her as if she had mutated even beyond what was normal for the family.

" You forget, mom and dad they talk." Ashlynn said, a low wicked grin crossed her beak, " Can't help it if I hear things."

Aiden squirmed, " You got a big mouth Ash, you talk more then you ought to." he growled, " So go on and let me watch my movie."

Ashlynn snorted as if unphased by his words, " It's a simple question are you or aren't you?" She persisted a strange gleam in her eye.

" I'm not" Aiden declared firmly, " Now let me watch my show."

" You lie, I saw ya, watching my dad and Uncle Mike work out, the look in your eyes..." She taunted.

" I was just admiring their sparring." Aiden insisted.

"Uh-huh. That's what you say." Ashlynn returned with a smirk, "What about the posters in your bedroom?"

Aiden glowered at her, " Enough Ashlynn, you want a fist in your mouth?"

" No. But you got a queer eye for the straight guy." Ashlynn crowed triumphantly.

Aiden rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh of exasperation, " You don't even know what that means." He accused.

" Yes I do, you are gay. You like looking at other guys. Your a tinkerbell, a fairy, a queen." Ashlynn taunted, she bowed low, "Your majesty!"

Abby entered the living room munching on an apple, "Whose a fairy?" she wondered.

" Cousin Aiden" Ashlynn replied quickly.

Abby scowled, " He's got no wings he can't be." She said innocently misconstruing the word, "Sides fairies aren't real." She spoke with all the conviction of a Don child, which she was, but the family knew that Abby hadn't seemed to inherit much of either parent's intelligence.

"Dad says Aiden's type of fairy is quite common." Ashlynn was quick to assure her cousin. "Mom says she knew a lot of people who like that kind of thing."

" Fairies?" Abby wondered, shaking her head.

Aiden gritted his teeth, " Why don't you go on home Ash?" He demanded as he turned up the sound of the TV in hopes of drowning his irritating cousin out.

"Coz if I go home I gotta come right back" She replied smugly. "So why don't you just admit that it's true."

" Because it's not," Aiden snapped through gritted teeth.

"Your tail swings funny Cousin." Ashlynn insisted.

Rama walked in, "Why are you looking at your cousins tail?" She wondered mystified.

"Nothing she's being stupid." Aiden grumped crossing his arms over his plastron.

" I say Aiden is gay. He acts like he is!" Ashlynn replied.

" Aiden, no way, not him" Rama disputed with a wave of her hand.

Aiden threw a grateful look his older cousins way.

" In the old days gay used to mean happy, but the older Aiden gets the less happy he is. Trust me, he's grumpy more then he's gay." Rama concluded.

Aiden shot his older cousin a withering stare, he thought for sure that Rama would put an end to the debate, after all she was training to be chunin, it was her duty to keep peace in the family wasn't it?

Ramiela turned and arched an eye ridge up at Aiden, " Well, you aren't gay are you?"

" No." Aiden huffed.

" Well, that's what I said." Rama pointed out. "So why are you getting your beak out of shape?"

Aiden sprang to his feet, " You know what, I'm sick of you. All of you. I'm sick of this entire family," He yelled.

"Aiden, what is going on in here?" Leo demanded as he entered the living room.

"What's going on, is I want to get the hell out of here and never come back" Aiden flared as he whirled and headed for his bedroom.

Leo glanced at Ramiela, the older girl shifted uneasily. " Um, I just really got here myself Master, but Ashlynn I think was bugging Aiden about being gay." Rama muttered hesitantly.

"Ashlynn?" Leo turned his penetrating stare onto Raph's daughter, "Lately you seem to be acting more like your father used to, with increasing desire to cause trouble. Do you mind explaining what was going on?" Leo demanded.

" I was just buggin' him" Ashlynn responded petulantly, "Can't he take a joke?"

" Not when it is pushed to the limit. I'm sure your dad and mom are going be very impressed with your behaviour. Why don't you go into the dojo and start doing some katas," Leo suggested firmly, his tone said that there was no options it was more, you do it now, or you do it now.

Ashlynn bowed and scurried towards the dojo, and Leo watched her go, once he was sure the girl was occupied, he headed to his sons' bedroom. He knocked once on the door, " Aiden?"

" Yeah, what d'ya want dad." Aiden wondered.

" I want to talk," Leo replied.

Aiden laid on his bed staring up at the ceiling he heaved a sigh but finally, reluctantly called out " Come in."

Leo entered glancing at the models that lined book shelves, and hung from wires. Models of cars, boats, planes, there were the parts for the most recent model scattered on a desk top. There were a few pictures on the walls of muscled guys, from one action adventure type show or another Leo had no idea what the names of these people were but he wasn't all that concerned. He pulled the chair out from the desk and sat down on it.

" Want to talk about that out burst Aiden?"

"Ashlynn is being a pain." He griped irritably not even looking at his father.

Leo gave a wry grin, " Do you know how often I used to think your Uncle Raph was a pain? He never seemed to listen, always off doing his own thing, spending his time telling me how I got things all wrong and we ought to handle things in a different way." Leo shook his head ruefully at the memory, "We got into some big battles, came to blows more than once. We weren't constantly at each other's throats but as we got older it got worse, a lot worse before it got better" Leo admitted. He sat back in his chair, " Seems you and Ashlynn want to repeat that, but you don't have to let her get to you Aiden."

"Ashlynn thinks I'm gay." Aiden declared.

"Aiden, you are twelve years old. I hear that it is natural for youths of your age to be curious about both the same and the opposite sex. It doesn't mean anything at your age Aiden, give it another three to five years, maybe even not that long it could be later this year, or even next year, and you will find yourself interested in girls. Some pretty thing will have you turning your head, just give it more time. Your young yet," Leo assured him, "People mature differently Aiden."

"But dad..."

"Aiden give yourself time." Leo insisted.

"But Ashlynn..."

"Ashlynn may not be right and she is looking for trouble. Look in yourself son, only you know, and a lot of what you think you know now can change in a few years." Leo soothed, he stood up, " I'll leave you alone now Aiden, but remember what I said, give yourself time."

"Okay dad." Aiden whispered.

A part of him knew that his father was probably right, it was just a matter of time and he'd start to think of girls.

But another part told him that he hadn't been keen on girls last year, or the year before, and that he could very possibly be gay. Maybe Ashlynn could see that he was, and knew what no one else could see, or know.

The thing was Aiden wasn't sure himself, and he was afraid in many ways of what he would learn about himself. He hoped that what his dad said would be true, but he feared the other part of it, because he didn't know how he could ever admit to his father that girls didn't hold his interest.

He sighed knowing it was a large question that could only be answered in time, and all he could do was wait for the passage of time to tell him the final answer to the debate.

The end.