"So you got what you need, and now you'll never go out without reasonable backup again. Is that what I should believe, or just what you want me to?"

How was he supposed to trust the kid? Not that Raphael needed Bunny's trust. Bunny was the one who'd never forgive himself if something else happened to Raph because he felt like taking on more than he knew was there to chew on.

Raphael didn't want to feel like he needed to be protected. Bunny knew darn well he couldn't even APPROACH the subject that way with the kid, for all that he claimed pride wasn't a factor.

But that didn't change the fact that if he didn't go home to his brothers and the sensei who'd raised him, ultimately, it would be because Bunny didn't do his job well enough. And his job was as of late so complicated.

He knew too well that the world wasn't as simple as "stay at home and stay safe."

"Control is an illusion," he warned. "Especially here. I don't want you to be afraid but you need to - I need you to know that. And not just stand there telling me what you think I want to hear because you want me to go away. I'm old, but I'm not too old to remember doing that."