Leo remembered the day that it all began with absolute clarity. They were only fifteen years old when they made the discovery that would change their young lives forever.

Raphael was the one to bring that little box of mystery into the lair. Leo had been waiting for him, arms crossed and a frown plastered firmly to the side of his face that wasn't wrapped in bandages. He had been hit by a Foot soldier's wayward knife that had barely missed his eye. He had been trying to protect Mikey's blind spot while his youngest brother fooled around. Mikey still felt guilty and was moping around, inconsolable. Leo had been trying for days to get him to let it go, but it was no use. He wouldn't play video games, he wouldn't read his comic books, he wouldn't even watch his cartoons or Youtube. All he did was mope around after Leo, fretting over him and driving the leader crazy. He couldn't even meditate by himself anymore. He had been pulled out of the deep spiritual plane by Mikey trying to give him CPR.

Even though Donnie had told Leo that it would heal with only a slight scar, Mikey had been broken-hearted. Loe had finally been able to get away from his mopey brother by distracting him with a bowl of Cap'n Crunch Berries. Once he had distracted Mikey, he had begun his search for Raph, who had taken one look at mopey Mikey and had stormed out.

Raph blew past Leo as the injured leader opened his mouth to reprimand him. Leo frowned at the spot that Raph had occupied moments before and then spun around, pursuing him determinedly. He watched from the entryway to the dining area as Raph put the box down in front of Mikey and stalked to the fridge to get the carton of juice and drink directly from it.

Mikey eyed the box with interest and opened it up carefully. He picked out one of the pastries which was decorated with a teal and purple frosting and took a tentative bite. His baby blue eyes popped wide open and he gave a muffled exclamation. Leo smiled when he saw that child-like glimmer of light reappear in Mikey's eyes. He swallowed and quickly shoved the rest in his mouth as Donnie wandered in with an empty coffee mug and his face buried in a technical manual for his new computer system that they had salvaged.

Leo and Raph moved to the table and took a pop tart before Mikey could stop them. Leo took a bite after looking at the confection with his good eye, and was not surprised that it was cloyingly sweet and not to his tastes. Leo had been a health nut from the beginning and he quickly put the pastry on the counter near the coffee machine.

"These are amazing Raph!" Mikey said happily as he stuffed the confections in his mouth. Mikey turned to Leo, keeping his eye on Raph as the huge turtle in red stuffed pop tarts in his mouth, "Don't you love them Leo?"

"Nah, you can have them Mikey. I don't really like sweet stuff." Leo was filled with relief when he realized that for the first time in days, Mikey wasn't looking at him like a guilty kicked puppy. He smiled and turned to grab what was left of his pop tart to give to Mikey, but his hand met bare counter. He looked down in confusion at the counter and looked around for his pop tart. He found nothing.

He looked around the room, and the only thing that seemed to have changed was that Donny was now walking back to the lab with his book, but his cup of coffee still sitting under the drip in the coffeemaker.

The next morning is when it all began. Raph and Mikey had saved the other half of the box of pop tarts for the next morning, but when Raph finally shuffled in and joined Leo in the kitchen, he was met with disappointment. Leo had finished his morning katas and was sitting down at the kitchen table, placidly drinking his morning cup of jasmine tea. He was in the middle of taking a sip when Raph's enraged yell rang through the lair. He spit out his tea in surprise and coughed violently as he looked over at his younger brother in shock.

Raph was holding the pop tart box at arms length with a disgusted, furious look on his face.

"What happened Raph?" he turned fully in his seat and stared at Raph incredulously. He was ignored as Raph stormed over to the sleeping room where Mikey was sprawled on his bed, snoring lightly. He was pulled from his bed by Raph and thrown across the lair and onto the kitchen table. Mikey yelped as he slid across the table and came to a stop right in front of a shocked Leo, who had lifted his cup of tea just in time.

"Oh…Morning Leo." Mikey groaned sleepily, yanking and rubbing his hard head. "How did I get on the table?"

Leo just shook his head and put his tea safely on the counter.

Raph stormed in and shoved the box of pop tarts in Mikey's face accusingly. "You sick fucker! How could you fucking do this?!" he growled and shoved a damp, frosting-less pop tart in Mikey's face.

Mikey gagged and pushed it away. "Gross dude!" Leo rolled his eyes. It was about the stupid pop tarts.

"You can't share shit Mikey!" Raph picked up Mikey and held him up by his plastron, shaking him.

"Dude I didn't do it!" Mikey got out before Raph set him down in a chair.

The red-clad ninja and the orange-clad ninja looked at each for a few minutes, communicating silently and repeatedly looking over at Leo. Leo seemed calm outwardly as he sipped his tea, but he was secretly watching his two brothers warily.

Simultaneously they turned to him with blank looks on their faces.

"Leo…" they said in tandem as they leaned forward.

Leo quickly got up and took his tea with him. "No."

'I'm the one who licks the frosting off of the pop tarts in the morning and puts them back in the box!' Donnie yelled as they all plummeted to what seemed like certain death in Times Square.

Luckily they had all survived their adventure with the Shredder, well, luckily for everyone but Donny.

There was no way Raph and Mikey could forget Donnie's little confession in Times Square. The genius thought that he was safe, but Leo knew better. Their brothers could hold a grudge….forever.

Leo would know.

Since they were fifteen he had been under scrutiny for the licking of the pop tarts. Every morning for three years his morning tea was ruined by accusing glares and the furious ravings of Raphael. Leo sighed and shook his head. He honestly didn't understand their attachment to the sugar-loaded pastries. He preferred fresh fruit as his source of sugar for the day.

Suddenly he heard a crash coming from the lab, and Donnie's loud protests. Intrigued, Leo sat up in his seat and watched as Mikey and Raph came into view, dragging Donnie by his feet as he desperately scrabbled for something to hold onto. Unfortunately for him, his wiry muscles were no match for the hulking muscles of Raphael, combined with Mikey's smaller muscles.

He caught sight of Leo just as he discovered his destination.

The Hashi.

"Nooooo!" he yelled and struggled, grabbing the leg of Leo's chair in his desperate grip. He actually managed to pull his brother's bulky weight a few inches before looking up at Leo for one last ditch attempt at salvation.

"Leo! Help they're crazy!" Leo looked down at him and raised an eye ridge.

He looked away and took a sip of his tea as Donny was yanked away to the Hashi. He smirked into the chipped white tea cup and took another sip. Mystery solved.

Revenge is sweet. he thought to himself as he relaxed to the sound of Donny's tortured laughter.