Akiane, one of my good friends, also an autor in this site, suggested me to develop the silly drabble I titled: "A few minutes" into a long story.

I hope you like the result, the author of the drawing (the cover for this story) is Bamboo-carbon, a very talented artist. Akiane paid for it to gave it to me as a birthday gift. The reason I mention this is because I don't like misunderstandings, maybe someone might think I took it without permission or something like that. XD

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::::: A beautiful starry night :::::

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Because of an inconceivable mistake made by the ninja in purple, an experiment had an unexpected outcome. After hearing the screams of terror of his three younger brothers almost in unison with the sound of a huge explosion, Leonardo came running up to the lab just to found three turtle toddlers who were crying to the top of their lungs.

A few hours later, April explained to Leonardo his brothers were physically alright and the effect of the accident would vanish in just a month. Sighing relieved, Leonardo took the news his good friend had told him with the best mood he could muster; so, not only he devoted himself, body and soul, to take care of the little ones but also to enjoy once again that phase of childhood, the one that founded the love of the eldest turtle for his younger brothers.

Almost in the middle of the month, April, worried about Leo, showed up in her friends' home to help the eldest to take care of the turtle kids.

A tremendous ruckus with shouts of joy and excitement filled the mood of the turtles' lair. April was pleasantly surprised at seeing the three little toddlers running all over the place wearing cowboy costumes.

Leo looked at her with a big smile on his face, he enjoyed a lot the innocence of his little bros filling his life, without having to worry about the battles and the responsibilities of the leadership, but it was also undeniable he looked a little tired.

"Auntie April!" the kids called out, getting closer to her to hug her knees. "Do you want to play with us?!"

"Not now, little ones, but I will be watching you play, okay?" The red-headed woman told them, taking a seat on the couch to see them play. All the tiny voices exclaimed their agreement and one more time they began to run everywhere.

"Pow, pow!" Little Raph shouted imitating the sound of gunshots aiming at his big brother with his small hand pretending it was gun. "Got you!" Leonardo threw himself to the floor and pretended to be 'dead' then Raphael ran again towards Donnie and Mikey.

April kept looking at them for a few more minutes but then she turned to see Leo, she was surprised he was still lying on the floor. Worried about him, she got close to Leo thinking that maybe something really bad had happened to him.

"Leo, are you all right?" She asked, kneeling next to him.

Without opening his eyes, Leonardo answered, making her smile: "Yes, April, don't worry, but this, besides sleeping, is the only chance I have to rest a bit every day.

"Leo..." April laid down on the floor beside her good friend, "It had always been this way? This is how you took care of them when they were little?" Leo opened one eye and look at her, feeling tired buy happy.

"I think it was easier, I hadn't so many responsibilities cause our father was there, I had more things to do as time went by, but I enjoyed taking care of them because I used to play with them, now I can enjoy it more, I love to see them happy and without worries, like I always wanted.

"You are right, Leo, when we are adults, well... it isn't your case but, you get it, we enjoy even more the tender love of children, their pranks and their innocent remarks", April said keeping the talk going, "all of them are adorable." As if on cue, the children got close to them and all the little turtles hugged Leonardo, everybody was very hungry.

"Big bo, ood!" Mikey begged, trying to say the words 'bro' and 'food' correctly. Once Leonardo believed his baby brother couldn't be cuter, but then he knew he had been way wrong.

"Okay little bro, what would you like to eat?" Leo asked him, lifting him up onto his chest to hug him tighter. Mikey struggled while giggling, trying to break the hug to came down from his big brothers' chest to run again, but when the kid looked into Leo's eyes he hugged him tightly too, with all the strength of his small arms. Raph and Donnie, jealous of that, climbed to their big brother's chest too.

"I want a hug too!" Raphael yelled, getting what he wanted because Leonardo used his free arm. At seeing that, Donnie began to sob softly. It seemed Leonardo's ears were calibrated to hear any change in his little brothers' voices because he immediately heard those soft sounds.

"Don't cry little one," Leo said, getting to his feet to lift up the little turtle in purple into his arms too. Anyone would think that only with two arms Leo couldn't do it but, with his practice, it was easy for him.

April watched how Leo treated his bros, she has always noticed it, every moment of the young leader's life and every breath he takes are for the sake of them.

"Allow me to help you", April said, trying to be useful helping Leo to rise when he was carrying his beloved load. But, suddenly, a look from the small turtle with amber eyes seemed to warn her that he didn't like her to touch his big brother. Subtly, Raphie clung to Leonardo tighter, like saying: 'he is mine'. Leonardo set the three little turtles on their high chairs and began to fix them a snack.

"So... how good are you with cooking for them?" The woman asked, making the eldest turtle smile.

Leonardo, having all the experience in the world about what concerned to his little brothers, immediately began to serve them their food, pouring some milk in their sippy cups and chopped half an apple in tiny pieces and put the plate in front of Raphael who proudly took a fork with all his fingers around the handle saying: "I'm a big boy", showing off to Donnie and Mikey, they were eating fruit too, but it was apple puree.

Mikey took no notice of Raphael's words, but Donnie looked at his big brother who was feeding his baby bro who couldn't hold the spoon yet. Leo helped him so he wouldn't end making up a mess. Almost right away, Leo felt his little bro in purple was looking at him insistently, so he knew something was bothering him and asked: "what's wrong, Donnie? Aren't you hungry?"

Leonardo knew that future scientist wanted to be a big boy like his bro in red, cause in a way, he felt insecure, but he still didn't know how to express it, he just stared at his big bro who knew what to do. Taking another apple, Leo cut a small piece of it and gave it to Donnie. The little turtle held the small piece of fruit between his fingers as he gazed at it

"Bite it", Leonardo gently encouraged him to do it. The turtle kid did it and smiled after doing it, realizing he could do it, enjoying for the first time the crunchy texture of the fruit. Donnie gazed at his brother in red with a proud look, Raphael pouted and stopped eating. April watched everything with a curious look on her face, she noticed the character of the future teens, they couldn't deny their future personalities, but they were still growing up, so they still wanted many things from their big brother, most of all, attention.

"Eat, Raphie," Leonardo asked the grumpy little kid. In the beginning, the eldest didn't manage to convince him, but after giving him a quick peck on his forehead, his little brother finished his meal. April offered to help Leo again, but the kids didn't allow her to touch them, they were fighting to get the attention of their big bro.

Leonardo wiped Mikey's face, cleaning all he apple puree on his cheeks and forehead the kid had smeared all over his face skin. Next, it was Raphael´s turn. He had drunk his milk quickly, ending before Donnie could, that way Leo would clean his mouth first. When all of them had finished their food, Leonardo asked April to watch them to clean the kitchen for later make dinner.

April wasn't sure she could handle them, she was aware of the competition among them to get Leo's attention, but she knew her friend was too busy, that's why she couldn't refuse.

"Of course, Leo, just tell me, how can I keep them entertained?" Leo smiled at seeing his friend's concern. He handed her a bunch of paper sheets, finger paint and a box of crayons.

"Take this, they may want to draw for a while, I will hurry to catch up with you later. Boys go with auntie April to the couch. I will be there in a few minutes."

April lifted Mikey up into her arms, Raphael was staring at her warily while Donnie was thinking the best way to come down from his chair.

"Let's go, kids, we will draw a nice picture for Leo, if he likes it, he is going to stick it on the fridge door,"

April encouraged them and then helped Donnie to get off the chair to take him by the hand. After hearing what the prize was going to be, Raphael immediately got off his chair and ran in front of the red-headed woman and his younger siblings. Leo smiled and hurried to clean for later grab the ingredients he needed for dinner, it was such a relief to have April helping him.

The little turtles began to draw and Raphael boasted of using the colors correctly when he drew a sun above two beings, he and his big brother holding hands. Donnie watched him carefully, he took his crayons and used both hands to draw what for him was a house with Leo waving his hands from the door while Mikey used his tiny hands to draw with the finger paint but he just stained the paper with the shape of his hand, giggling every time he did it. When he splashed his bros with the paint, he laughed even more.

"Mikey, don't!" Raphael's yell was too aggressive, the shout intimidated Mikey who hugged April. Donnie saw his baby bro was about to cry, so he used some of the finger paint and decorated his face and made funny faces to make him laugh.

"Everything is alright, right Mikey?" Donnie asked his baby bro who continued the artwork on Donnie's face, using even more finger paint causing a paint war. Raphael didn't want to feel excluded so he grabbed a small bottle of yellow paint and splashed everyone with it.

"Boys, don't do that!" A huge drop of green paint fell on April´s forehead "Now you'll see!" The children attacked April together. By the time Leo came out of the kitchen, he looked in wonder at three multicolored little turtles and a woman in the same condition, with Mikey in her arms.

"They started it..." she said in her defense.

"All of you look like a salad!" Leo chuckled and approached them. He knelt on one knee next to Raph and gently began to clean his face. While doing it he said: "Let's see who is here... a pair of amber eyes, so you were here, right Raphie?" The little turtle nodded as he smiled widely. After Raph, Donnie was next and Leo did the same, "Donnie, I found you!"

Leo lifted them up and walked over to April and Mikey, the little one was still painting her face and when Leo was within reach Mikey stained his face too. "Hey, take it easy, little artist. I think it's time for a bath."

"Sorry Leo, I think I haven't been very helpful.

"Of course you have, they aren't fighting, that counts for a lot," he told her calmly.

April accompanied him to the bathroom to continue helping him, after all, she wasn't afraid of being dirtier that at that time. Leo made a stopover in his room, he already had a plastic container full of toys: a boat, a submarine, three rubber duckies, and a purple small octopus.

That made the children smile, you could say they loved to take a bath, but what they truly loved was to play in the water.

The three little turtles watched as their big brother filled the tub at the right temperature for the bathroom. Leonardo placed not-slip mats in the bottom and one plastic ring to bath Mikey safely, preventing him from slipping. Also he wrapped the tap with a padded cover, that way they wouldn't hurt themselves if they hit it while they were playing.

As soon as the water reached a convenient height, Leonardo lifted Raphael and Donnie to put them in the tub, telling them to remain seated to play safely. April put Mikey within the ring and gave him a toy to keep him entertained.

While April gently rubbed Mikey's soft skin, Leonardo did the same with Donnie who was staring at his small octopus, the toy sank and then surfaced again. Amazed, Donnie wondered how that was possible. Leo and April shared a look of intelligence, they understood the little genius' attitude.

Fun was endless for Raphael as Leo and April were busy with his siblings, he was making sounds as he played with his submarine, he was blowing at his boat to see it sail and his rubber ducky did all the work by itself, Raph only had to squeeze it to make funny sounds. He chuckled the whole time.

Mikey was fascinated with the bubbles and all the colors that reflected on the soapy surface of the spheres which had a thin water skin.

The laughter of the little ones was Leonardo's pleasure, seeing them calm and happy was the goal of his life and his main source of joy.

"I still think I haven't been very helpful," April admitted feeling useless again," look how they ended and you only had been absent for a few minutes." Leo smiled again.

"Maybe you want to say what they did to you, when being around children this is a normal outcome, now come here." Leonardo took a small towel and wet it with warm water and wiped the paint off of April's face. The kids instantly stop doing whatever they were doing to look at what was happening.

"Leo... this isn't necessary, " April said, feeling a little embarrassed, but Leo was used to cleaning all the messes his little brothers did.

A splash of water, a submarine thrown straight to her head and a shuddering cry were what April got from the tiny turtles.

"What are you doing?" Leonardo turned his head to see them, looking very serious. At seeing him like that, they were on the verge of crying.

"They are jealous, Leo," April told him, drying her face up and returning the toy to his owner. Raphael stuck his tongue at her, being rude every time he thought Leo wasn't looking at him.

"Don't do that, auntie April also loves and takes care of you." Leonardo softly chided him

After the bath, they went to Leo's room, he was carrying Raph and Mikey well wrapped in their towels, April was carrying Donnie, well wrapped too. They put them on the bed to finish drying them and then dress them to go to have dinner and then to sleep.

Leonardo put three full-body pajamas on the bed, each of the colors of his little brothers' future bandanas they would use again when they returned to normal. They were a bit tattered, but they could still help the kids to keep a warm temperature and take them to the kitchen to have dinner.

Little Raph persisted in dressing himself so his big brother would compliment him, once again little Donnie didn't want to be left behind so he didn't let April dress him, he wanted to do it on his own. The only thing Mikey was doing was to stare at his big brother with a candid and innocent look as he dressed him with his sleepwear.

In the end, Donnie got away with what he wanted and managed to dress alone, a wide pride smile was directly sent towards Leonardo's direction who complimented him after hugging the little one in red who for jealousy issues hadn't released his big brother from his tight hug.

Back in the kitchen, all the kids sitting on their high chairs, Leonardo served them cookies he had baked and also three small bowls of yogurt. The kids loved the cookies, so they devoured them, although Mikey only had just a pair because he was teething. After dinner, Leo got them to the bathroom to wash their teeth.

April told him she would stay that night to help him in the morning, Leo agreed and thanked her again. The read-headed woman settled in the spare bedroom after taking the kids to Leo's room. The eldest turtle had taken out their old tiny beds from the room filled with the old furniture, but his little brothers never wanted to use them, they were stubborn and never took a 'no' for an answer when they wanted to bunk with him.

After midnight, April got up and went to the kitchen to drink some water, she had the idea to take a look at his friend's room to be sure they were fine. The sight of Leonardo surrounded by three tiny turtles was touching. Raph on Leo's right side, Donnie on his left side and baby Mikey on his chest. It looked like Leo's steady breathing was what kept the little ones mired in that peaceful sleep, filled with the feeling of security all the children invoke in the adults' hearts.

"I wish I could do something to allow them to enjoy this experience even more," the nice woman thought as she closed the door, that way all of them would keep enjoying the nice and warm temperature inside Leo's room.

Leonardo knew he had to get up early, soon his little brothers would wake up and they would begin to demand some food, so he did it despite he wanted to sleep a bit more. He turned and looked at them, sleeping with a blissful peace, he felt how his energy came back to him, erasing any trace of tiredness, he truly enjoyed everything about taking care of them.

He put the pillows together forming a barrier to prevent children from falling out of bed. He left his room silently to start the day's work. He had to train, meditate, clean the kitchen and prepare breakfast. When April and the kids woke up he would be ready to serve them a delicious meal.

"Sorry Leo, I overslept when I should have been helping you, please, allow me, you don't need to do it alone," but Leo threw her a happy look.

"Don't worry, it has been almost two weeks since the incident, to tell the truth, I have gotten used to doing it. And even if you don't believe it, I think they are calmer than when they are older." Leo chuckled, but he couldn't hide he was a bit tired.

"Besides, I'm not doing it alone, you help me a lot, April. You bring me the groceries and everything we need."

"Soon we will celebrate or birthday," the ninja in blue added, "I want to do something special, I want to celebrate it as I would have liked when I was a child. I want there to be balloons, a big cake, ice cream, music, and games, I want them to have a real children's birthday party, something they can treasure forever. You will help me, right, April?"

To be continued…