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If you asked Leo, he would say that he’s Splinter’s least favorite. Why? He didn’t know for a long time. He thought he did, but he didn’t. It wasn’t because he was annoying and loud, like he had thought. Recently, he had realized that the reason he was the least favorite was because he was too much like Splinter.
His father resented himself, and saw himself in Leo.
If you asked Splinter, he would say he loved all his sons equally, but found it hardest to spend time with Leo. He reminded him so much of himself that it hurt. But Leo also had his own personality, his own goals. Splinter loved him, and was proud of him, but he was so hard to talk to. He didn’t take it seriously when Splinter wanted to spend time with him. Not in the careless way, but in the way he couldn’t believe it. He acted like it was a trick (this brought him back to all the times it was, like the demolition derby). He was on way better terms with his other kids—April and Piebald included. He was starting to see their similarities, and he wondered if…
If Leo resented himself, and saw himself in Splinter.
Leo loved his father, but he made it so hard to be together. Leo never knew if it was genuine. He never knew why Splinter always seemed to be frustrated. He would never understand why he was the leader if his father clearly thought he was such a failure.
Splinter loved his son, but he made it so hard to be together. He never knew if his son was actually enjoying it. He knew why Leo was so detached. He understands why Leo thinks that he is a failure, even with his leader status. Mikey made Splinter realize, but it didn’t mean he could change the past.
The main problem?
One of their biggest similarities was that they couldn’t talk about feelings, and kept it all inside.
They would never truly get anywhere, would they?