Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Wow, you’re so small, dude!”

Leon pouted, crossing his arms. How in the actual hell had he ended up in this situation? Oh yeah, Donnie.

It had been a completely normal day. Leon had woken up to his favorite song playing on his alarm. He had stretched, done some secret meditation, slipped on his favorite brown bomber jacket (he made sure to fluff up the fur lining a bit more than usual), and had some of the amazing breakfast Mikey had made for the family. There was nothing special happening that day, so Leon decided to go with the flow and simply relax. 

“Leonardo, c’mere!”

With a groan, Leon had gotten up from his favorite spot on the couch, trudging over to Donnie’s lab. “Whaddya want, Dee?”

His older twin turned to face him, a mad grin on his face. With one hand he lifted the goggles from his eyes, unbridled glee in them. “I think I’ve finally done it!” He moved away from the table he was hunched over, gesturing to the large machine on top of it. “A portal machine!”

“I thought we were already set with my portals…” Leon mumbled.

Donnie waved his hand. “Yes, yes, we are. But what if something happens and you’re out of commission? What if you can’t summon new swords? We needed a backup, and I’ve made it!”

With a hum, Leon stepped up to the table, nudging the cool metal of the machine. “Well, does it work?”

“ That’s what I need you for, ‘Nardo. All I need is to attach your swords here,” He pointed to a small outcropping, just large enough to feed some wires through. “And it should be good to go!”

Leon decided it would be best to go along with his older twin's little plan. There was only a fifty percent chance anything would happen anyway, right? Of course, the slider came to regret his decision when a loud whining sound came from the machine as soon as his swords were attached. Bringing his hands to cover his head, Leon peaked over to Donnie. His back was turned and his head hung low, a sharp grimace on his face. Of course, since he wasn’t looking, Donnie didn’t see a stray bolt of electricity heading straight for him. Tensing, Leon shot forward, pushing his brother out of the way, letting himself get hit instead.

The last thing he saw before everything went dark was a bright flash of neon colors that were quickly drowned out by muted browns and grays. And, of course, Donnie’s shocked expression that morphed into terror.

Nothing that wouldn’t haunt him or anything.

It felt like hours before Leon was able to open his eyes. The concrete below his cheek was cold and wet and smelled strongly of old booze and rain. The sound of people and cars filled his ears next, hitting the teen with a wave of nausea. Where the hell was he for things to be so loud? Pushing himself up, Leon couldn’t help but groan at the soreness of his body. His joints ached something fierce, and his head pounded harshly. With shaking legs, Leon shuffled to a fire escape, remembering Raph’s old lessons when they first started going to the surface.

Raph had placed his hands on his hips, a stern expression on his face as he eyed his younger brothers. “Okay, rule one! What is it?” He pointed to Mikey. “You!”

Mikey straightened up, the seven-year-old grinning. “Don’t talk to strangers!”

“Good!” Raph nodded before turning and pointing at Donnie. “Rule two?”

“Don’t eat things you don’t recognize and don’t steal things you can’t pay for.” The soft shell deadpanned.

Raph hummed before finally facing Leon. “Rule three?”

“If you get lost, separated, or found, head straight to the nearest roof or sewer!” Leon chimed, grinning wide enough to show off his newly lost front tooth.

The eldest had laughed loudly in response before bringing the three of them into a tight hug. “Good job, guys! Now, let’s go have some fun!”

The four children cheered as they ran towards the sewer cover, unknowing of what the future now held for them.

Blinking hard, Leon looked around. There were no sewer covers in this ally, so his only safe choice was to head to the rooftops to get a better scope of the area. As he climbed the stairs and ladders, the slider thought about how unfamiliar this area looked. In the seven years he’d been “patrolling” the surface of New York, he’d never seen a place like this. It was dark and unnaturally cold. Shouts of drunks and the loud barks of angry dogs filled the air sourly, and some part of Leon’s stomach twisted with anxiety. These sounds were completely unfamiliar to him. Sure, he’d heard dogs and drunks, but never so… mean.

Pulling himself up to the roof’s surface, Leon allowed himself a deep breath of the acrid air. It smelled and tasted foul, nothing like how it should be. Scrunching his beak, he decided to take a look around. The teen bent over the ledge of the roof, staring at the people that walked below him. No one looked up, all the humans simply going their own ways. Some were bundled up to fight the night’s chilled winds (Leon pulled his jacket closer to his body, forever grateful he had put it on that morning), others were dressed lightly, almost purposefully showing their skin. 

Of course, being so distracted, Leon didn’t see the four shadows that crept toward him.

A hand gripped his shoulder tightly, pulling him back before pressing Leon’s shell to the roof's floor. He had, of course, let out a sharp yelp, flailing as best he could to get away, but the sharp point of a sai stopped him quickly. 

Looking up, Leon was incredibly shocked when saw four turtles far larger than him crowded around. The one holding him down had a red mask that surrounded the top of his head that was tattered around the edges. His shell and plastron were connected with what looked to be old seatbelts. The turtle’s beak was pulled back in a snarl, a low growl coming from his throat. Leon couldn’t help but whimper, holding his hands up in defense.

A turtle wearing a blue mask with two swords on his back stepped up, placing a hand on the angry turtle's shell. “Raph, be nice and let the stranger up.”

Leon blinked in disbelief as the offending turtle stood to face the others. “I ain’t gonna play nice for long if you don’t do shit, Leo.”

‘Raph’? ‘ Leo’? What the hell was happening?

A purple masked turtle wearing glasses whom Leon assumed would be Donnie knelt before him, holding out his hands with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, uhm, bud. Raph is a little on edge right now. He didn’t mean to scare you!”

“Yes, I did!”

“Whatever.” ‘Donnie’ rolled his eyes before giving his attention back to Leon. “I saw an energy spike on one of my monitors and it lead back to you. Do you know what caused it?”

Leon just blinked, staring openly at this completely changed version of his twin. “W-Wha… I don’t… Don? ”

The name caught the attention of the others, and soon he was crowded again. “How do you know his name?” “What do you know?” “Who are you?” and “Do you like pizza?” were thrown at him, and Leon could feel his head spin at the influx of noise. With a whine, the slider brought his hands up to block it out, flinching when a hand was placed on his knee. 

He looked up and met eyes with ‘Donnie’, who smiled sadly. “Let’s get you to our home first, yeah?” He slowly stood, and his three brothers followed, but Leon stayed down, fingers held tightly to his jacket. “Can you walk?”

Leon shook his head after a moment. He could probably stand about now, but his balance was most definitely shot to shit. So, he allowed himself to be picked up and carried when ‘Donnie’ offered. Feeling the cold wind on his face, Leon felt himself relax, exhaustion already seeping deep into his bones. It was at that moment when things felt settled, that ‘Mikey’ decided to speak up.

“Wow, you’re so small, dude!”

With an exasperated groan, Leon buried his face in the crook of ‘Donnie’s’ neck, relishing in the warmth it brought at the deep vibrations the olders chest made when he laughed. Closing his eyes, Leon allowed sleep to finally take him, the darkness pulling his mind deep into itself. The last thing the slider heard was a soft coo as a large hand rubbed his shell.

Chapter Text

Leon took his time waking up. He was warm, unnaturally so, and a soft blanket was wrapped tightly around him. With a soft chirp, the teen buried deeper into the comfortable sheets, all but purring when a warm hand began rubbing his back. He felt good, safe, warm, and tired. His limbs felt heavy, and when he tried moving his fingers, nothing happened. Frowning, Leon began the process of prying his eyes open, giving a slanted whine when he was met with a bright light. 

A voice began speaking, sounding like it was underwater, and the hand on his shell moved to his shoulder, grounding him easily. The slider groaned, forcing his hand to move and rub his face harshly, his nails accidentally catching on his scales and the fabric of his mask. A different, rougher hand grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from his face. “-it, Dee. Whaddya want me ta d-”

Get up. A voice whispered. You need to get up.

But I don’t wanna. Leon scrunched his beak up, throat letting out a sharp whine. I’m so tired. I’m so hurt. I don’t wanna move.

The hand was back again, this time cupping his face. A few pats to his cheek later and Leon was much closer to the waking world. “-be okay?” 

“He’s… up! C’mon, kid.”

The memories of the day before came back swiftly. The machine, the shock, being sent to somewhere cold and dark and smelly, and them.

Opening his eyes, Leon was met with the sight of the four turtles. The turtles who shared his and his brother's names. Donnie was the one closest to him, with his hand on his shell. Mikey and Raph were next, and Leo towards the back, shoulders tense. “Hi, uhm, fellow turtle? I’m Donatello. My brothers and I brought you to our home so we could, ah, check over you? Does that make sense?” He turned to ‘Leo’ who sighed heavily. The larger turtle stepped forward, hands on his hips before he knelt down to meet Leon’s eyes. 

“Look, buddy. I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but if anything happens to my brothers while you’re here, you’re gone. Got it?”

Leon nodded quickly, wincing when his neck twinged and his head pounded painfully. Donnie hissed through his teeth before shuffling away, mumbling to himself. While the two were distracted ‘Mikey’ sauntered up, grinning widely. “So! What’s your name, dude? Can’t keep callin’ you ‘kid’, can we?”

“I-I, uhm…” He glanced around the room before sticking his hand in his pockets. He could feel The Picture brush against his fingers, and a sense of relief washed over him. “I-I’m Leon. Or, ah, Leonardo.”

“Nice try, kid.” ‘Raph’ spat, growling lowly. “Try something else.”

“But, I-I’m not lying! That’s my name!” Leon could feel the anxiety rising in his chest, and blood was rushing to his head. “My dad is named Splinter, I have a younger brother named Mikey, an older twin named Donnie, a-and my biggest brother is Raph! I have a friend named April a-and a student named Casey Jr. I-I-” Leon cut himself off with a harsh cough, his chest heaving to get air into his lungs. 

Alarm bells were ringing in his head, and hands were suddenly pushing him down, holding him to the old mattress. With a sharp cry, Leon lost consciousness again.

Waking up this time was easier, but it felt like actual hell. Whining, Leon opened his eyes to a much darker room. His jacket was gone now, the familiar weight missing from his shoulders. And with his jacket, The Picture. A fresh wave of panic washed over him, causing the teen to sit up once more.

Only for darkness to take over.

Blinking hard, Leon was laying down again, his head screaming at him. Donnie was there now, a frown on his face. “Geez, kid. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you have a death wish.”

Leon scrunched up his beak, giving a dizzy scowl. “‘M not a kid, Dee.”

The taller turtle simply huffed before leaning over Leon’s body, grabbing something from his other side. The weight of his jacket was suddenly there, and Leon felt the tension melt just as fast as it had arrived. “Thanks…”

“My brothers are away right now, so you don’t gotta worry about them barging in anytime soon.”

With a hum, Leon let his eyes close. He wasn’t tired anymore, not by a long shot, but his head hurt, and blocking the light helped loads. “Can I ask why you’re here?”

“Wha?” Leon asked, squinting at Donnie.

“Well, you said your name is Leonardo, right? And your brothers have the same names as mine and, well, me. So, why are you here?”

He was quiet for a moment, sifting through his thoughts and thinking through his words (Something his twin would have lost himself over). “Well, ‘Tello was workin’ on this machine. It was supposed to open portals to get us out of sticky places when the pods couldn’t work. Something… Somethin’ happened and things started goin’ real wrong real fast.” Leon clenched his fist, huffing softly when Donnie rubbed his hand. “Donnie wasn’t lookin’ when it struck. H-He’s my brother, my twin, I couldn’t let him get hurt when I was right there. So I pushed him outta the way, and I got shocked pretty bad.” Leon’s strained grin fell at the end, and the slider looked dully at the ceiling. “I think that machine sent me here. As far as I know, there’s no way home anytime soon. No way to tell my brothers I’m okay. No way for Donnie…”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m here then, right?”

This other Donnie smiled, patting Leon’s plastron before standing. “I got lots of questions for you, to be honest, but I think they can wait until you’re better rested, yeah?” Leon hummed in response, shimmying to get comfortable again. “You go ahead and rest a bit more. You got a mild concussion from your dimension hop.”

“Dee always had me sunbathe when I got concussions.” Leon couldn’t help but mumble. 

Donnie was quiet before a moved out of the room. Leon honestly thought he was just gone until the sound of scraping metal made itself known. It was an unwelcomed sound, unpleasant memories spawning from it, but the result was highly appreciated. Donnie stood in the doorway holding an old-looking heat lamp, and wearing an accomplished grin. He shuffled around, plugging in the old machine, and giving a soft cheer when it worked. “We haven’t used this thing since we were ten,” He started, moving the lamp around so it was shining more towards Leon’s middle. “I’m a little surprised it still works! But, let me know if you still get cold, okay? Leo said you’re under my care until things get situated, and I take my patients very seriously.”

Blinking slowly, Leon felt the warmth swallow him whole, and a smile overtook his face. “Thanks, Don. I appreciate it.” With a yawn, Leon pulled his jacket up a bit more to grab The Picture and held the old paper to his heart.

And to sleep he fell, dreaming of his twin and what could be happening.

Across a universe or three, there stood a turtle. He sat in his lab, head in his hands, tears on his cheeks. 

There stood Donnie, twin of Leon, mourning his dear brother whom he killed.

Chapter Text

Leon sat patiently as Donnie bustled about his small lab. The older turtle wanted to run some tests on Leon’s DNA, wondering if his relation to his family back home could possibly connect across different dimensions. If so, then Leon and his family had probably gained hundreds of brothers and fathers. The slider winced when a needle was put into his arm, drawing some blood. “Sorry, kid, forgot to warn you.”

“‘S fine, Dee.” He sat back, sighing heavily when Donnie turned back to his computers. He was honestly bored out of his mind with absolutely nothing to do. He stuck his hand in his pocket, fingering the edges of The Picture before pulling it out. He stared at the smiling faces of his family, now including Casey, and he felt… sad. Frowning, Leon brought the picture to his chest, pressing it against his heart. 

“I won’t get any results for a few hours… Is there anything you wanna do?” Donnie pushed up his glasses, fidgeting nervously. 

Leon hummed, quickly pushing The Picture back into his pocket, patting it to make sure it was secure. “What about a tour? This place is a lot different than mine.”

Donnie grinned and led Leon out of the small room full of computers, and the slider made sure he grabbed the first-aid kit they’d yoinked from his pouch when he arrived (It was a bright blue, his signature blue, so it was extremely easy to spot).

The tour was quick since the lair here was incredibly small. Donnie explained that it was due to how long ago it’d been abandoned, unused and uncared for by the humans. They made due, though, and it was their home. 

Hours had passed after that, and Leon had taken more than a few naps in the time Leo and the others were gone. He could see Donnie getting concerned the longer time passed, hands fidgeting, sending a few messages here and there. Leon was about to speak up when the sound of shouts echoed through the sewers. “Just take him!”

That was Leo, obviously. Anxiety welled into the pit of his stomach. Leon stood next to Donnie, watching the entrance closely. Suddenly, Raph appeared, half dragging Mikey behind him. Leon gasped before rushing forward. He ignored the choked sound Donnie made and the growl Raph gave him as he approached. Mikey, this Mikey, was hurt in some way. Hovering above the orange-clad turtle, Leon grimaced. “Raph, bring him to the couch, please.”

He rushed back to Donnie’s lab, grabbing another med kit (Just in case there was something he didn’t have). Coming back to the main area, Leon nodded at the sight of Mikey on his back, Raph and Donnie at his sides. “Okay, you two, I need room to work.” He nudged Donnie, giving him a (hopefully) reassuring smile. Turning his focus back to Mikey, he did a basic once-over of the (supposedly) older turtle. 

There was obvious bruising around his arms and legs, red marks around the wrists and neck, a cut or two along his arms, and some dents and cracks in his plastron (none on his back, thankfully). They were easy fixes, except for the broken ankle. Leon grabbed the first aid kits and cleaned out each cut, and wiped down each bruise and mark. Mikey barely stirred through the simple process, which worried Leon, but Donnie commented on how hard Mikey usually sleeps. “Did he get hit in the head at all?” He was still looking at Mikey, now focusing on the cracks in his plastron, waiting for Raph to answer. When none came, he looked over his shoulder. “Raph?” 

“I wasn’t watchin’ ‘im. You’d have’ta ask Leo.” Raph’s arms were crossed, a scowl etched on his beak.

“When’s he gonna be back?” Leon moved up, wrapping a bandage loosely around Mikey's neck. 

“Dunno.”

Huffing, Leon glared at nothing. “Very helpful, Red. If Leo doesn’t get back soon, I’m treating Mikey for a presumed spinal injury.”

“What?” That had definitely caught the attention of Raph and Don. “Whaddya mean, copycat?”

“I mean, I have no idea what internal damage Mikey could have right now unless I have someone to tell me what they saw. If he got hit in the head or thrown against something, I need to know that.” Leon frowned at his shaking hands, taking a deep breath before using some tape against the hole at the edge of Mikey’s plastron. “If he’s got internal bleeding from something big, I can’t figure that out unless I know where to look. With no clues, I have to go with the worst possible case until I’m told otherwise. Understand?”

The lair was silent as Leon continued to work. Eventually, there was nothing left to do aside from the ankle, which is what he was nervous about. “Donnie,” He began, turning to the turtle. “Does Mikey have any allergies to numbing medication?”

Donnie blinked owlishly before shaking his head. “No… I don’t think he’s allergic to anything.”

“Good, that’s good.” He reached into his personal medkit, taking out a needle and a small vial of general anesthesia. “I’m gonna give him some of this to make sure he doesn’t wake up while I’m dealing with his ankle. Donnie, I need you to put your hand on his chest. Count his breaths or heartbeat, either one will work for now. Raph, do you wanna help?”

“Of fuckin’ course I do.”

“Alright. I need you to grab me a cast or something like that from Donnie’s lab. I think I saw one towards the back of the room. If there's a way for me to make casts here, Donnie can tell you where.”

Tipping the vial upside down, Leon placed the needle inside, drawing a little out, and injected it into Mikey’s leg. He hummed softly to himself as he worked, thanking Raph quietly when he delivered the cast and splints (He hadn’t asked for them, so he was grateful someone remembered). He told Raph to find Leo after that before turning back to the task at hand. 

It only took twenty minutes for Leon to be confident in his work, but it was enough time for Mikey to start waking up and Raph to appear with Leo. After giving Donnie orders to give Mikey some pain meds, he turned to the eldest, hands on his hips.

“Where did you go?”

“What?” Leo looked almost offended. 

“ Where did you go? Donnie and I were just chillin’ out, and suddenly Raph comes in with Mikey passed the fuck out!” He threw his hands up, turning around to pace. “I had no idea what happened, Raph didn’t know what happened, and he said you were the one watching him! He-I- Urgh!” The slider sat at the foot of the couch, burying his face in his hands. 

“Why… Why do you care so much?” Leo asked, holding Raph back from moving forwards.

Leon gave him a slight glare, huffing. “You… I… My brothers were never the most careful, and they got hurt. A lot. Dad never did anything to help, so it all fell on me. If someone broke something, I was there. If someone got a bruise, they went to me. If someone…” He took a breath. “My Donnie got really hurt once. His shell got cracked because he didn’t have his, ah, usual protection. I almost watched my twin die because no one would tell me what happened.” He looked up at Leo, meeting his eyes. “I hardly know any of you besides Donnie, but I’ll be damned if you have to deal with that grief too.”

Chapter Text

The days that passed were somewhat awkward after Leon’s little outburst. Raph had decided to keep his distance, barely giving the slider a passing glance when they were in the same room together. Leo was quiet, slinking through the lair, and Leon caught him staring at him and Mikey on random occasions. Donnie kept to his side, and the two of them rambled about any random chemistry fact they could think of.

It was… nice, in a way. His Donnie had never been as interested in chemistry as Leon was. He had always taken his machines and such as top priority. It was a change of pace, being able to talk about different elements and their reactions and how they could benefit or hurt someone in a matter of seconds and being understood. It made Leon’s chest swell with sweetness unabashed, like a sense of home he’d never felt before. 

Mikey was a different story. After Leon had finished looking him over, the turtle was in and out of consciousness for a few days. When he was awake, he was all noise. Complaints, whines, begs, and loud chatters would fill the living room every now and again, drawing the attention of the two oldest turtles. Raph and Leo would appear in the shadows, watching closely as Leon gave Mikey more medication, whispering comforts to the older turtle. Donnie would always be close by during those times, rubbing the back of Mikey's hand while Leon worked. 

Of course, it came as a surprise when Leon was checking on Mikey’s ankle, only to find that it was practically healed already. He turned to Donne, eyes wide. “Uhhm, Don? Is this normal?”

Donnie gave a small chuckle before nodding. “Yep! Perfectly normal for us. We don’t usually heal this fast, but I guess sleeping all the time helped speed things up.”

Leon hummed before beginning the process of cutting the makeshift cast off of Mikey’s leg, keeping everything as quiet as he could. However, Mikey decided he would wake up at that moment anyway. The moment Leon had put his sword to the cast, ready to begin the process, Mikey had let out a screech. Leon had flinched hard, arm jerking back and the blade cutting his cheek. 

The slider hissed, baring his teeth before putting his hand to his new wound. It was much deeper than he would’ve liked, and his tongue was able to brush against the small cut that managed all the way through his skin. Raph was suddenly there, standing in front of Mikey with a huff. Donnie was there too, but he was rushing to get bandages for Leon, stumbling over the few books the two of them had been looking over not too long ago. 

Leo made his presence known by hoisting Leon up and carrying the smaller turtle to Donnie’s lab area. He didn’t bother to struggle but still tensed when the larger gave a soft growl. 

After that, Leon tried to stay hidden. He had earned a glare or two from Raph during the few times he had left Donnie’s area, and Mikey had just stared at him, eyes far too wide to be comforting. So, Leon hid. 

He barely talked either, instead allowing Donnie to take the lead. He just felt… far too tired to do anything. He knew he was making Donnie worried, he knew that he was starting to fall but things were just so… different. 

He was reminded of his brothers at almost every single turn. Donnie reminded Leon of his twin, the way they moved, the way they rambled, the way they talked and jumped when they got excited. Raph reminded him of his eldest brother, the way they were both protective, dangerous, and downright powerful when the situation called for it. Leo was a strange reminder of himself, the way he was strong but smooth, almost like water. Of course, Leon was far more laid back, letting his brothers take the lead more and more often, even after he had been declared the “leader” of the team. Mikey was something else, though. Leon hadn’t interacted with him much, but he was almost like his baby brother. They were both energetic, the youngest, the most cheeky. They both knew how to lighten the mood but also knew how to bring doubt into the minds of others.

But here Leon was, curled into the corner of Donnie’s lab. He was alone now, his brothers far away from him, nowhere to be found. 

Being lost in his thoughts, Leon couldn’t help the muffled gasp when Mikey appeared, a guilty smile on his face. The orange-clad turtle shuffled under the table Leon had claimed as his own, shifting awkwardly before sighing. 

“I-I’m sorry.” Mikey mumbled, looking away.

Leon simply stared. Nothing else was said between the two as the slider hesitantly rested his head on Mikey’s shoulder. 

“‘S fine.” He rasped.

They were quiet, and Leon felt… okay. This wasn’t Donnie, his and not his, and this wasn’t his baby brother. This was Mikey, new and unfamiliar, but so similar that it still hurt. The larger turtle gave a strained whine before pulling Leon into a tight hug. The slider tensed for a moment before he relaxed, allowing his body to melt into the much larger arms of his brother's counterpart. It felt nice, being held again. Donnie was always happy to give out hugs, but they didn’t feel as warm as this, as safe as this. 

Leon could feel a purr working its way up through his chest, reverberating out easily. His tail was wagging in the smallest way, but it was more than enough for Mikey. The turtle rested his chin on Leon’s head, sighing as they just… existed. 

He was nervous and could feel the anxious knots in his stomach twisting and turning, growing tighter and strained. Mikey had been the messenger for once, bringing the news that Leo and Raph wanted a family meeting. For whatever reason, they were already including Leon in this discussion, and that scared him. 

Taking a trembling breath, Leon walked into the living area, eyeing the empty spot between Donnie and Mikey. He sat with a small huff, sinking into the cushions easily due to the weight on either side of him. Leo and Raph were sitting across from them. Raph looked upset, his arms crossed, jaw clenched, and his toothpick half broken. Leo just looked… blank. His breathing was steady, his hands were loose, and his eyes focused on the distance.

Donnie cleared his throat, drawing attention to him. “Leon’s here. W-We can start.” He rasped.

Leo sighed and nodded. “Right, well,” He turned to Leon, making the slider tense. “We’d like to, ah, apologize.”

…

What?

Leon’s shock must’ve been more apparent than usual since Raph just huffed and Leo looked away. “Raph and I realize we may not have been, y’know, the nicest people when you arrived.”

“Less so after you tried helpin’ Mikey.” Raph grunted.

With a nod, Leo continued. “And you didn’t deserve that. You still don’t deserve that. You were just trying to help.” Leo shifted, taking out a small piece of paper. “Mikey actually threatened to stop talking to us if we didn’t talk this out…”

Leon took the paper when it was held out to him, and he couldn’t hold back a disbelieving chuckle at the note filled with expletives and phrases so naughty, it would make his Raph blush up a storm. Mikey giggled from over his shoulder, pointing at one of his favorites with a wide grin. The eldest turtle gave a soft hum, simply watching as his youngest brothers interacted with their guest so easily.

“Like I was trying to say,” He started, drawing Leon’s eyes back to him. “Raph and I are sorry for making you distance yourself. That wasn’t our intention in the slightest.” Leo elbowed Raph when he gave a soft huff. “I hope you come out of Donnie’s hidey-hole more often?” The silent ‘please’ was loud and clear.

It took a moment, but Leon nodded. “Okay,” He whispered, giving the eldest turtles a hesitant smile. “I can do that.”

Chapter Text

Leon left Donnie’s lab with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head. His jacket was tied snugly around his waist, and the fluff brushed against his skin, warming it nicely. He knew everyone else was still asleep. He’d found in the past few days that Raph and Mikey slept in the longest, right behind Donnie (if he had actually fallen asleep that night). Leo was always the first one away, though, which meant that most of their interactions were in the wee hours of the morning. 

But, they were all still asleep, and Leon eyed the analog clock that read ‘3 AM’. He himself hadn’t been able to sleep all too well, his dreams tainted with the dark memories of pink aliens and cold dead air filling his lungs. So, he walked into the living room area, looking around at all the mess that covered the floor and any flat surface elevated from the ground. 

Shaking his head in exasperation, he got to work. Using his portals came as second nature, and he used them to transport empty pizza boxes and containers of moldy food far from the lair and (hopefully) into a trash bin on the surface. Next, he scoured each closet he could find to grab a broom and a mop, which he used to clean the floor and some corners of the wall. Leon hummed to himself as he worked, a habit he’d gotten from both his baby and oldest brothers. He stuttered in the song he was humming at the thought of them, an aching of homesickness growing in his heart.

Brushing it off, Leon kept cleaning. It was the least he could do, to be honest. These people were letting him stay in their home for free, asking little to no questions about his situation, even including him in important conversations!

Just the other day Raph had come to Leon of all turtles to ask about his weapons and the different wrappings he’d found. It was something his own Raph had done a few times, the two of them spending hours going through the different brands and types they could find, testing them out before making a list of the best ones. Out of the few Raph had brought over, a few were horribly familiar, and Leon made sure to set those ones aside. In the end, Raph settled on the same one Leon had helped his brother settle on all those years ago. 

It was nice.

Shaking his head, Leon continued cleaning. It felt nice, being able to lose himself in the motions of sweeping and dusting and mopping. He hated cleaning back home, since that meant he was messing with the unspoken order of things, but here? It was nice. He felt good, being able to do something so big yet so quiet for the people caring for him.

He would have to hit Donnie’s lab next since that place was an absolute disaster. The older turtle had made a few comments on letting the mess accumulate far past its usual limit due to a run-in with the Shredder not even two years ago. 

The name rang loud in Leon’s ears and memories of a time when his family almost died flashed before him. Defeating the Shredder was one of their greatest accomplishments, the most dangerous thing they had done before he appeared. But, Donnie had been nothing but kind to Leon since he arrived in their world, making him feel welcome, like he was family.  

Like he well and truly belonged.

Clutching the broom tightly, Leon took a deep breath. The air in the lair was warm, a heavy contrast to the air he had been exposed to when he was stuck in a place full of darkness and hatred and death. He could hear the breaths of those that lived in these walls, and he could almost feel their hearts beating in tandem with one another, alive and well and good and loving.

Hearts full of care and wants, minds full of ideas and memories that they held close.

Leon brought the picture from his pocket, staring at the smiling faces of his friends, of his family. He wondered in that moment if something had changed, if he was rewritten in the threads of the universe, forever changed and unchanged, split in the middle.

The slider sighed before putting the picture away and taking the broom and mop back to the closet he found them in. The floor was smooth under his bare feet, no crumbs or trash obstructing his path or sticking to his skin. It was nice, a good change. It felt more like home.

From far above, dark blue eyes watched the young turtle carefully. Leo couldn’t help but observe their guest closely, gauging how strong or dangerous he may be. But this? Cleaning their home in the dead of night with no witnesses, just because he could? That spoke louder than any words Leon could ever say.

And he decided that at that moment, Leon was his brother. A brother he would protect until his last breath, a brother he would care for with all his heart, a brother he would show the world and all the stars.

Leo smiled, and he left Leon back to his business, silently excited for his blood brothers to awake in a clean home.

When Leon entered the living room, he was more than surprised when Mikey ran over to hug him. The taller turtle started rambling on about how he had never seen the lair look so clean, and Raph was nodding along from behind. All Leon could do was blink and look at Donnie. The purple-clad turtle just shrugged with a small smile. Leon let out a small squeak when Mikey eventually picked him up, carrying him towards the kitchen. 

It was there that Leo was making a small breakfast made of simple eggs and bacon. The leader gave Leon a knowing look before putting plates on the table, each filled with a different amount of food. 

“Thanks, Leo!” Mikey cheered, digging into his food quickly.

Raph and Donnie weren’t far behind, giving their thanks before tucking in. Leo gave Leon his plate last, adding a small bar of chocolate with the food. The slider gasped softly before grinning. He could feel his tail wagging as he put the candy in his pocket, grinning at Leo with bright eyes.

The eldest just nodded and brought a finger to his lips, hushing softly. 

The three younger blood brothers looked away obviously, talking loudly with food in their mouths. Both Leo and Leon turned towards them, identical expressions on their faces. “Don’t talk with food in your mouth!”

The table went quiet as Leo and Leon looked at each other, the younger blushing with embarrassment. Instead of calling him out, Mikey and Raph started laughing.  

“Holy shit! We’ve got another momma bird!” Raph cackled, hitting his knee. “This is fuckin’ great!”

Donnie snickered softly, hiding his grin behind his hand as he gave Leon a knowing look. Leon averted his eyes but wasn’t able to hold back a smile.

Leo patted Leon’s arm from across the table, drawing his eyes towards the eldest. “Well, thank fuck you’re here, 'cause I’m gonna need all the help I can get with those three.” He motioned towards his brothers, and Mikey gave an offended gasp, a hand splayed across his plastron.

That morning was filled with laughter and the beginning of a good day. A day Leon was looking forward to.

Mikey couldn’t help but grin as he ran through the lair. After Casey Jr. had dropped off some extra supplies he wasn’t using, Donnie had called everyone to his lab. 

There had been an accident last week, one where Donnie got hurt and Leon disappeared for a while, but they had finally found him!

Entering the lab, Mikey squealed as Leon wrapped his arms around him. The bog turtle laughed as Mikey nuzzled the crook of his neck, and the two walked farther into the lab. Leon was alive, and the same as he always was.

So why did Donnie look so worried?

Chapter Text

Leon laughed as Donnie held up one of his inventions, presenting it as if he were at a museum. “And this,” The purple-banded turtle gestured to a form covered with a large white cloth. “Is my most perfect invention! Voila!” He pulled the cloth away, revealing Mikey, whose face was split with a grin.

“Raagh!” He shouted, jumping up and charging at Leon.

The young turtle gave a playful screech, laughing loudly as Mikey chased him around the room. Donnie was leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he grinned. “As you can see, he’s very detailed and lifelike!” He laughed when Mikey started making blubbery noises. “He’s state-of-the-art!”

Leon chortled when Mikey finally caught him, holding the small turtle far above his head. “I got ‘im! I got ‘im, Dee!” Mikey started jumping, making Leon laugh harder as his stomach turned. “What’s my prize?!”

“Hmm…” Donnie tapped his chin before he grinned. “You get… Leon himself!”

Mikey gave a dramatic gasp before bringing Leon close to his chest, nuzzling the slider with his cheek. “Ooohh, thank you thank you thank you!! I love ‘im!”

Leon purred loudly, grabbing at Mikey’s arms to get more comfortable. The three quieted down for a moment, and the blue-clad turtle made the mistake of letting his guard down. Raph was behind him the next second, stealing him from Mikey’s arms. The youngest blood brother squawked, and both Donnie and Mikey started chasing their older brother.

The youngest turtle just laughed as he was carried around the lair, the wind blowing through his mask tails easily. Instead of crying for help, he started taunting the two, sticking his tongue out every other moment. “Haha! You can’t catch us! Slowpokes!”

Leo came out of nowhere, stealing Leon from Raph so fast that it left the slider breathless. “You sure?” He mused, raising a brow ridge at Leon. The younger turtle just grinned in response, cuddling up to the eldest. “Let’s have some fun, ‘kay?”

Screams and laughter filled the lair for hours with Leon being thrown through the air, passed from brother to brother. Leo and Donnie managed to catch him the most, and Mikey started keeping a tally on who was “winning” at the game none of them knew the rules too. Leon giggled again as he was thrown from the top of the stairs into the awaiting arms of Raph, the older turtle throwing the slider over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and taking off into a sprint. The feeling of the air rushing past him made Leon grin even wider, and he placed a few playful hits on the back of Raph’s carapace, kicking his legs a little. 

In response, Raph poked his side, making Leon jerk and sputter out a laugh. The room paused after that, and the four older turtles gave each other a knowing look. 

Then they attacked. 

There was no chance for Leon to escape, hands pinning him down as fingers wedged themselves between his shell and his skin. The slider squirmed and squealed, not being able to hold back his laughter as they tickled him endlessly.

But, eventually, it was too much. Far too much. Biting his lip to hold back another laugh, Leon held up a hand, tucking in his thumb so only two fingers stuck out. The four stepped back pretty quickly, and the thought of the sign for “slow down” was universal for their different families. Donnie stepped forward, hands raised to show no harm was intended as he leaned down. “You good?”

“Y-Yeah… I-I just-” Leon giggled again, panting as he sat up with the help of Raph. “Need to breathe…”

“What is going on out here?”

The air went still, and Leon looked up at Donnie with wide eyes. The purple-clad turtle was frozen still, lips sucked in as he winced at the sound of a cane hitting stone. 

“Well?”

Leo straightened himself slowly, taking a deep breath as he did. “W-Well, we, uhm, we want you to… meet someone?”

The voice scoffed, and the sound of soft feet pattering across the floor met Leon’s ears. Soon, a rat was standing before him, robes of red draped across his fur. The longer fur on the top of his head was tied into a knot, and the fur on his chin was trimmed into a long beard. The rat’s gaze landed on Leon, and he choked for a moment, blinking in disbelief before he sighed, pinching the area between his eyes. 

“Did one of you sneak out and get a child without my knowing?”

The four brothers blushed and sputtered while Leon couldn’t help but laugh, covering his mouth to try and smother the sound. 

“No- no no no, nothing like that! I-I’m serious!” Leo blushed harder when the rat just gave him a look. 

Leon took that moment to stand, brushing some stray dirt from his jacket. “He’s telling the truth!” Whatever confidence Leon had gathered was almost immediately dashed when the rat turned his attention towards him. Leon shifted on his feet, rubbing his hands anxiously before taking a deep breath. “Hi! I’m Leonardo or Leon for short. I’m sixteen, I have a twin brother who’s five minutes older than me, and I’m the leader of my brothers!”

The rat hummed, staring for a moment longer before nodding with a smile. “Well then, Leon, it is a pleasure to have you here. I am Splinter, the boys’ father.”

Leon couldn’t help but gape. “ You’re Splinter? But you look so-” He waved his hands, searching for the right word. “R- Refined? ”

Splinter just smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly in the corners. “Yes, I am Splinter, my son.” Leon couldn’t help but take the smallest gasp at that. “As I said, it is a pleasure to have you here, however long my sons have been hiding you.” He gave the four blood brothers a side-eyed look, and they all glanced away. “Believe me when I say that our home is open to you and whoever you may have come with, no matter what.”

Leon sat on the bed he’d been given with a soft sigh. The day had been… perfect. He’d laughed more in the past few hours than he had in almost a week. The memories of darkness and cold and hurt and pain and death and so much blood-

It hurt.

Looking at his hands, Leon hurt. He knew he had mostly healed from him, but that was all physical stuff. Had he mentally recovered? Had he recovered from watching his gram-gram sacrifice herself for him? Had he recovered from killing a man, no matter how evil he was? Had he recovered for fucking so royally up that he ended the world? That he killed thousands of people in another timeline because he couldn’t keep his fucking mouth shut? That he had raised a child soldier in another world and let him watch the rest of his family die before him? That he had forced Raph’s hand in sacrificing himself? That he had forced Mikey’s hand in saving him?

He had done so much, but could he be forgiven for it all? He could beg, he could pray, he could die for what he did, and it would change nothing. Those people could still be dead. Raph held scars he didn’t have last month. Mikey’s hands shook when he didn’t wear compression gloves. Donnie almost never left his side. Casey kept everyone at an arms’ distance. April was straying farther and farther away. And dad…

His own father had to listen to Leon sacrifice himself.

His own father had no choice but to stand by as Leon prepared himself to die.

Leon had almost died.

Drawing his knees to his chest, Leon bit down a whine, feeling warm tears fall from his cheeks. His chest was tight, his throat thick with emotion. His hands trembled as he dug his nails into his skin. He was alive, but was he really? Did he really know what it meant to live? 

A knock came from the door, and Leon sobbed. The effect was immediate, and a hand was on his back in less than a second. Raph, this world’s Raph, not his Raph, was before him. The bigger turtle looked worried, dreadfully so, and so very lost on what to do. But, he opened his arms, and that was enough. 

With a cry, Leon launched himself into the arms of his oldest brother's counterpart, and the two rocked. Raph held him close, rubbing his carapace every now and again as he hushed softly, brushing the back of Leon’s head more often than not. Over his cries and whimpers, Leon could barely make out the words ‘it’s okay, I’m here, I’m right here and you’re gonna be fine’.

And so, in Raph’s arms, Leon let himself feel the weight of the world drip on his shoulders.

Chapter Text

The day had been slow which drew everyone in the lair towards the broken television in the living room. Mikey and Donnie had been the first ones there, putting in a disk that held a season of Star Trek. The sounds of space and computers filled the quiet air of midday. Leo joined them next, making himself comfortable on the couch before starting on the sketch he had been working on for the past few hours. 

Raph and Leon joined them last. 

Leon still had obvious tear tracks on his cheeks with some wet spots on his mask. Raph held the youngest turtle in his arms, huffing when the other three turned to face them. The concern was clear on their faces, but with one shake of his head, Raph dismissed their worries. Leon curled himself up in Raph’s lap, letting the older turtle rub his carapace to bring some sort of comfort. 

They were quiet, letting the sounds of the show fill the air around them. Suddenly, a phone rang. Everyone jumped, not expecting the sound to breach the layer of comfort they had settled into. Donnie blushed out of embarrassment as he took out his phone. “H-Hello?” The turtle straightened up, eyes going wide. “I mean- Are you sure? Y-You’re coming now? ”

That caught the attention of the others, including Leon who looked over tiredly. Leo shot his brother a questioning look and Donnie just frowned. “Okay, I’ll tell them. Bye!”

Donnie stood quickly, picking up the little machine he’d been tinkering with as he all but sprinted to his lab. Leo frowned, standing as well with his sketchbook in his hands. “Donnie? What’s going on?”

The purple-clad turtle poked his head out of the curtains of his lab, smiling nervously. “April’s coming over, and this place isn’t clean!”

Leon shifted at that, moving so that Raph had to put him down. The slider quietly thanked Raph before walking to the lab, intending on helping Donnie clean the room. The last three turtles stayed in their spots, staring at the entrance to the lab. “What happened?” Mikey whispered, glancing at his older brother.

Raph just sighed, shifting to get comfortable on the couch again as Leo sat back down. “I dunno… I went to get the kid for show time, but he just…” Raph glared at a spot on the floor, clenching a fist. “He just started cryin’. He didn’t say nothin’ before that either! I just-” The turtle ran a hand down his face. “I dunno.”

Mikey and Leo gave each other a look before turning their attention back to the screen. “Whatever is going on with the kid, we’ll be here for him.” Leo whispered, his chest loosening when his younger brothers nodded in agreement. 

In the lab, Donnie and Leon were sifting through some old boxes of spare and trashed parts, intent on making more space for the bigger projects to be set aside. Leon held up a small gun-looking machine, staring at the small, colorful buttons that covered one side of it. “What’s this?” He asked, holding it out. 

Donnie turned and gave a small gasp. “I remember that!” He gently took the invention from Leon’s hands, giving the younger a big smile as he pointed it towards a wall. “It makes portals!” he pulled the trigger, and a bright violet and yellow portal opened, showing a picture of the two turtle’s backs. Leon looked behind him and saw a green and blue portal on the wall. The slider grinned as he went to put his hand through it, but was stopped by a touch on his arm. 

“I haven’t tested it with living things just yet, only inanimate objects.” He tossed a sheet of metal through the yellow and violet portal, and it took a moment too long to re-emerge on the other side. “See?”

Leon just grinned as he summoned one of his katanas. Creating a portal was smooth, simple, and easy for him. It was a bright blue with cyan swirls coming off of the edges. “Wanna try?” He asked, forcing down a smug look as Donnie watched the portal move with awe. 

“H-How did you…” He started before shaking his head and blinking. “This is- It’s unbelievable! Leon, you just-!” Donnie turned to the slider, grinning widely. “You just made a portal! ”

The absolute astonishment at something Leon had been doing for almost a year now was something that caused more surprise than it should. He had known his brothers weren’t all too shocked at the revelation of his powers as each of them had something along those lines as well, and he had tried pretty hard to keep portal making to the last resort when dealing with bad guys. But this? This was new, and to Donnie, this was exciting. This was something that Donnie had to use science and technology for, and Leon could do it as smoothly as breathing.

Leon grinned before holding his hand out. “Wanna go?”

Without a moment of hesitation, Donnie took his hand and allowed himself to be led through the blue swirls. Going through his portals always made Leon’s stomach twist with energy and excitement. He held Donnie’s hand tightly, giggling brightly when the older started laughing. Arches of blue and white surrounded them for a moment before another portal opened, leading them to the surface. 

The sun was still high in the sky, and tree’s surrounded them for miles. The sound of nature greeted them when the rush of energy from the portal finally dissipated. Leon took a deep breath, grinning up at the clouds that covered the sky. Donnie stood behind him, jaw dropped in amazement before he pulled out his GPS. A few button presses later and Donnie was laughing in disbelief. 

“W-We’re in Colorado! H-How-? What-?” Donnie dropped his arms, staring at Leon with wide eyes. “You really made a portal…”

Leon just nodded before laying on the soft grass. The wind passed over them gently, almost like it was kissing their skin with its warmth. “It’s one of the things I got from my dad's side of the family.”

Donnie made himself comfortable next to Leon, sitting back on his hands as he looked at the trees. “What do you mean?”

“Well, all my brothers have powers. Not exactly like mine, but pretty similar.” He held up his hand, letting the bright blue energy dance around his fingers. “I’ve got portals and teleportation, which is pretty damn cool. Really hard to master when you first start, but it’s so much fun I always forget about the difficulties.” A fond smile crossed the slider's lips before he turned to look at the older turtle. “Donnie’s got physical holograms. He can make any weapon anyone could ever dream of, and it works perfectly. I think he’s been working on creating vehicles too, but he hasn’t shared any progress he’s made.

“Raph’s got this power where he can multiply himself and make a hologram version of him super big.” Leon extended his arms to emphasize his point, grinning at Donnie when the turtle gave a small snort. “And Mikey’s hella strong! He can extend the chain on his chucks really far and pick anything up and launch it without breaking a sweat!”

“Really?” Donnie asked, eyes wide before he started writing as much as he could down on a little notepad he’d always kept with him. “What’s the heaviest thing he’s thrown?”

Leon hummed, tapping his chin for a moment. “Raph and Donnie said he launched a fully loaded cargo ship at Shred-head this one time, but I saw him launch an entire skyscraper at kr- uhm, at an enemy.” Leon choked on a breath when he almost said his name, and bile threatened to come up at even the thought of that creature. Luckily, Donnie didn’t take any obvious notice, instead gaping at Leon.

“He did what?! ”

The slider laughed, turning to lay on his side and bringing his knees up to his chest. “Mhm, my baby brother can do anything he puts his mind to!”

Quiet settled over the two after that, and they let the sounds of nature surround them. Eventually, one of the brothers called. Donnie had to hold the phone away from his ear when Mikey started all but screaming into the receiver. Neither one was able to make out the words the youngest blood brother was saying, but Leon shrugged before standing. “I guess it’s time to head home.”

He opened a portal, taking a lung full of the magic-infused air that flowed from the swirling gateway before pulling Donnie through with him. 

Appearing on the other side, the two turtles were back in Donnie’s lab, face to face with the other three turtles. Mikey and Raph were gaping at the portal while Leo just shook his head fondly. “You two done?”

Leon nodded, nudging Donnie’s shoulder. “Yeah, just had a look around.”

“We went to Colorado, Leo! We were across the whole country!” Donnie grinned, jumping in place while the eldest just nodded.

“Maybe next time Leon can take all of us.” He looked at the youngest turtle, and the slider nodded. 

“Boys? I’m here! Where are you guys?” A feminine voice called from outside the lab. Donnie eyed the mess that covered the tables before shrugging. 

“Oh well, let’s go.”

The five walked out of the small room, and Leon lagged behind to make sure the portal closed properly. Soon, he was beside Raph. The larger turtle placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a near silent purr when the slider walked closer. Soon, they were in the open, where a girl stood with food in her hands. 

“There you guys are!” The brunette smiled, holding out the pizza boxes. “I brought lunch!”

Mikey cheered, running forward to grab the still warm food. “Thanks, April!”

Leon choked, stumbling as he stared wide-eyed at the human. “You’re whitewashed?! ”

Chapter Text

Lunch was a little awkward after that. Leon tried not to stare, honestly, but he couldn’t help it! April, this world’s April, was obviously an adult. Her hair was far longer, but her jacket was a familiar yellow, but everything else was so different. Her voice was more mature, her laugh was higher, and her eyes didn’t have that familial shine whenever she looked at the blood brothers. She seemed… almost fake, in a way. Of course, she wasn’t fake to the brothers, but she was fake to Leon. She felt like a weird remix of his big sister, the girl who helped him sleep through cold winter nights, the girl who brought his brother's pizza for the first time, the girl who showed them around the surface.

This April was such a far cry from his sister that it almost hurt.  

Leon bit into his pizza quietly, choosing to stare at the wall. He could feel eyes on him, and a coolness crawling under his skin, but he ignored it. Shivering the slider drew closer to himself, rubbing his arm gently. A body was soon at his side, blocking him from the others. Taking a glance upwards, Mikey threw a smile over his shoulder, winking before joining back in the conversation.

Leon sighed in relief, leaning on Mikey’s carapace gratefully. With his free hand, he started tracing little designs on the older turtle’s shell and skin, pulling away whenever Mikey reacted suddenly. He ate his pizza in peace, only poking his head from behind Mikey to ask for more when he inevitably finished his slice. 

The brothers acted normal, of course, not bothering to bring up the obvious turtle elephant in the room until April was clearly fed up. It was the third time Leon had poked his head out, about to ask Leo for more food when April gave a distasteful huff, crossing her arms. “Is anyone gonna explain this?”

It was quiet, and the four blood brothers looked at one another anxiously. Leon retreated behind Mikey again, tapping the turtle's shell to show he was still there. Mikey shifted a little, intending on covering the small turtle a little more, but it just drew April’s attention towards him. “Mikey?”

“W-Well, uhm, y’see…” he laughed nervously, head tilting away. “He’s our, ah, our-”

“He’s our little brother.” Raph said, looking away from the group. 

Leon, honest to god, felt something swell in his chest. A short chirp fell from his lips before the slider couldn’t help but move to sit near Raph. Mikey gave his older brother a fake glare, grinning when Raph just rolled his eyes and brought Leon closer. 

“How is he- wha-” April stared openly at Leon, and Leon stared right back. “But there were only four…”

Donnie cleared his throat, smiling. “Well, turns out someone had similar plans. We found him in an alley about a week ago? -ish?” he gave a nervous chuckle before rubbing the back of his head. “We’ve been busy with him so we haven’t gone topside since…”

The three blood brothers nodded along with Donnie, agreeing with the story he was weaving. Leon, however, felt like his breath had been stolen from him. A week? It had been nearly an entire week since he’d arrived here? A whine punched its way from Leon’s throat and not a second later Raph was carrying him away, arms wrapped around his chest protectively.

When the door to Raph's room closed, the waterworks began. Hiccups and sobs forced themselves out, starving the young turtle of air as he sniffled and whined. Raph held him through it all, though, brushing the tears away when Leon’s face resurfaced from his hands. They rocked, and said nothing, simply letting everything out. Leon reached out and held Raph’s hand tightly, bringing it to his face and feeling the fingers cup his cheek.

It was just like Raph’s .

Another sob bubbled up, and Raph took that time to shush Leon softly, bringing him close to his chest and just holding him. 

And as he was held, Leon felt loved.

Opening his eyes, Leon groaned. The dried tear tracks on his cheeks were an obvious indicator that time had passed, and he had most likely fallen asleep when Raph was holding him. Instead of being near one of the blood brothers, Leon was in someone's bed. The blankets were expertly wrapped around him, and the heat lamp from his room was on its lowest setting and pointed towards him. Groaning, Leon stretched, feeling some of his joints pop from the movement. 

A figure shifted from the corner of his eye, and Leon flinch, tensing for something to attack before he realized it was just Raph. The older turtle sat next to Leon, eyes on the door for a moment before he sighed. “Well, that was somethin’...”

“Y-Yeah…” Leon’s voice was raspy, and he swallowed thickly. He was thirsty. A hand held out a little bottle of water, the plastic dwarfed in Raph’s large hands. “Thanks.”

Raph just hummed as Leon drank, keeping an eye on the door. “Did something happen?” The slider asked, putting the bottle on the table next to the bed. 

“April tried comin’ in when she heard you cryin’. Our brothers kept her away, but Don’s worried sick.” Raph held out a hand, closing his fingers around Leon’s small one when it was placed in his own. “You feelin’ better?”

Leon nodded. “Yeah, sorry for cryin’ on you…”

“It’s nothin’,” Raph started standing, bringing Leon up with him. “You have no idea what Mikey used ta do when he got upset.”

“Really? What’d he do?” Leon felt his chest relax when Raph started leading him toward Donnie’s lab.

“Well, it started when we were kids…”

Donnie stared at the machine. It was cold, it had been cold since he first started it up. He could remember the heat of its smoke, of the energy and lightning arching off of it. He could still remember being scared. 

He could remember Leon taking a hit for him.

But something had changed after that day. After Leon had gone missing, his katana disappearing with him, something had changed. Every family picture on the fridge was different, a stranger where Leon used to be. The familiar red and yellow lines being replaced with something entirely different. 

When he had called a family meeting after Raph had found Leon, he had expected his brother, not this.

His twin was a slider, a red-eared slider. Leon had always taken pride in his markings, showing them off whenever he could. He thought they were cool, he thought they made him handsome, and sometimes Donnie let Leon draw matching marks to “prove” they were twins. That being said, Leon was a slider, not a bog turtle.

So why was everyone calling this stranger “Leon”?

Leon sighed as he made himself comfortable underneath the table. Donnie had forbidden April from going inside the lab, claiming that he had dangerous chemicals out that he hadn’t had time to put away safely. Of course, everyone else knew it was a lie, but April still followed the lead. This world’s April was weird. She was older, old enough to have a job, to have a career . She had already graduated from college whereas his sister had only just started. She was old enough to drink, to drive, she didn’t have a crane license, and she had only known the blood brothers for a year and a half.

She was different. She was a difference that held no familiarity, not like the blood brothers. With them, Leon could pick out the little details they shared with his brothers, make connections that helped him feel closer to home. Hell, with this world’s Splinter Leon could see the way he connected with his dad. 

The reminder that he was no closer to home than he was before made him sad, it made Leon yearn for his brothers again. 

It had been nearly an entire week since he’d arrived here, and he was no closer to home.

Curling up, Leon felt his vision become blurry but felt no tears fall. He yearned for his home, silently praying to whatever god ruled over this world to help him quickly.

Chapter Text

The wind was cool against his skin, the night being darkened by the clouds in the sky. They promised rain later on, most likely after the sun begins to rise, which meant that Leon and the blood brothers would be safely nestled in their beds long before it starts. But right now, Leon was practically flying. The air he cut through whipped through his mask tails and coat, pulling him back with the slightest bit of drag. But even then, he was still much faster than the blood brothers, who were surprisingly far behind. 

Leon laughed loudly as he jumped from a roof, using a katana to make a portal that shot him up into the sky again, allowing his body to fall freely. Only a few stars shone in the cloudy sky, and the slider stretched out his hand, reaching out for them. In a split second, Leon saw a flash of orange swirling in the shape of a familiar portal. When he blinked, it was gone, and Leon was falling again.

A hand caught the back of his jacket just before he fell past the roof he was aiming for, and Raph brought him close to his chest. “Kid? What the hell just happened?”

Leon said nothing, simply staring up at the spot he saw those orange sparks for a second, his throat and chest tight. “I-I… It…”

Donnie came to stand next to them, and Leon could barely hear Leo and Mikey chatting as they walked over. “Leon, are you alright? Are you feeling sick?”

“No, no I just…” He moved to curl up in Raph’s arms, blocking out the sky. “I thought I saw somethin’...”

He couldn’t see the way Raph and Donnie looked at each other, or how Donnie gave the signal for the five of them to head home. Mikey complained about leaving so early in the night, but one look from his brothers made him go quiet. Raph held Leon close as he jumped over alleyways and climbed down fire escapes. Donnie kept close as well, occasionally whispering random facts to Leon to see if the teen would respond, but he didn’t. Words seemed to get stuck in his throat every time he opened his mouth, and his breaths hiccuped with every idea of what the hell that spark meant. 

Of course, it could very well mean nothing. The darkened sky was an easy reminder of a certain place that haunted his dreams, the stars that poked through a vague replica of distant fires that covered ships and corpses of a certain race. The cool air on his skin sent him the chills and aches that the air of his captivity surrounded him with, keeping him chained to his darker memories. 

But being close to Raph helped, and Donnie’s whispered words drew his mind farther and farther from the past. 

Sitting at the table, Leon eyed the clock displaying the bright numbers that were the current time. ‘3:25 AM’ flashed over and over before another minute passed, and it changed all over again. With a shuttering sigh, Leon rested his head against the table, forcing himself to stay awake. Footsteps alerted the slider to another presence in the room, but Leo was quick to make himself know. The older teen smiled tiredly, sitting across from Leon with a soft huff. “What’re you doin’ awake, kid?”

“‘M not a kid, and I just can’t sleep. Insomnia’s a bitch…” Leon mumbled, glaring at the floor.

Leo just hummed and shifted, resting his chin on his hand as he leaned over. “One, language. Two, how old are you then? With how small you are, you can’t be twelve yet.”

That made Leon chuckle, grinning as he sat up a little more. “Nah, I’m sixteen. Don and I turn seventeen in a few weeks.”

Leo choked on his spit, staring at Leon with wide eyes. “Y-You’re sixteen? But you- You’re so small!”

“Uhm, yeah? I’m just on the smaller side of my brothers. Nothing too big.” Leon shrugged, playing with the fur on his coat. “Raph’s huge, like, his species is usually big, so he towers over us. Donnie’s a good bit taller than me, but Mikey’s the smallest out of all of us.” He grinned, snickering to himself for a moment. “One of Raph’s arms is about the same width as Mikey.”

“Wow, that’s… that’s impressive. But still, all of us thought you were eleven!”

“Why? I… I don't think I act like a kid.” Leon frowned, looking at Leo with just a touch of hurt.

The older teen shifted before shrugging. “Mikey suggested it first, not long after we found you. He mentioned something about you being so small, kinda like a kid, and when you just let us take care of you? That instilled it more, I guess.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense…” Leon leaned on the table again, reaching out towards the older, grinning when a cool hand took his own. “To be honest, it felt nice being cared for again. Being the leader kinda took those privileges away pretty fast.”

Leo tilted his head. “Were you not always the leader?”

“No, were you?”

“Oh, yeah, always. Raph hated that I was picked to be the biggest and oldest, but I’ve been watching over those three for years! I'm the oldest, which means I’m responsible for keeping us safe and making sure we can handle anything that comes our way. If someone gets hurt, that’s on me, and- Leon? You okay?”

The slider’s eyes were wide, staring openly at the older turtle. “Y-You… say that a-again. Say it again.”

“I’m the oldest? I’m responsible for my brothers?” Leo frowned, pulling his hand away from Leon’s tight grip. “Look, kid, I don’t know what you’re so confused abou-”

“You’re the oldest.”

“Yes? What’s so confusing about that?”

Leon drew into himself, staring at the table now. “So the oldest brothers are always meant to lead! That-That makes so much sense! Hah-” Leon laughed wetly, ignoring the tears that threatened to fall. “I knew dad made a mistake! I’m-I’m not meant to lead! I was never meant to lead! Tha-that’s great! Fantastic even! Th-That’s-That-” Leon sobbed, his shoulders shaking as something in him finally broke.

Leo was quick to his side, hands hovering over Leon’s body, unsure of what to do. “F-Fuck, I don’t- Shit- Raph! C’mere, now!”

The sound of sobs and hiccups filled the air as Leo hesitantly pulled Leon into a shaky hug, the slider flinching when he was pulled into a tight grip. He fought against it, panic rising in his throat as his vision began to swim, his breath coming in shallow huffs. Spots started to dance, and a whine worked its way up his throat, practically calling for help.

Raph made himself known after that, bursting into the room only half ‘dressed’ in his shabby armor and mask. The turtle took Leon into his arms, hushing the teen when he began whining again. “What the hell happened, Leo?”

“I-I dunno! We were just talking about his brothers, and I mentioned that I was the oldest, that’s it!”

The red-masked turtle frowned before looking down at Leon. He had settled just a bit, but his tears were still flowing quickly. “We’ll talk more in the morning. He needs sleep.”

Leo nodded before smiling softly. “And you call me a momma bird, hm?”

“Oh, shut up, fearless.” Raph turned around but shot his older brother a smile. “I think the kid’s an exception for all of us by now.”

“I’m the oldest, which means I’m responsible for keeping us safe and making sure we can handle anything that comes our way. ‘Cause if I don’t, you could all end up dead. ”

They were familiar words, words said before Leo had thought of speaking them. They rang through Leon’s head, reminding him of a time not very long ago. A time full of pain and fear, of terror and loss. He sacrificed himself, willed himself to be just fine with dying so long as his brothers lived. He decided that he would be the one to die, that he would be the one tortured for god knows how long. It had felt like ages had passed when he floated through that dead air, his blood coursing through his veins and seeping from the cuts and gashes in his arms and legs. He could feel the way his bones mended themselves back together, the way that the scabs turned to scars. His injuries shouldn’t have healed so fast, especially with how often he was thrown around, tossed from one wreckage to the next with his breath stolen from his lungs. 

He should never have healed, he honestly should be dead.  

Taking a breath, Leon had to remind himself where he was. He was in a different place, far from home, but familiar enough to potentially earn that name. Raph was next to him, and Donnie was just about to enter the room. Leon’s limbs felt heavy, and his face was numb with something foreign.

Donnie sat in front of him, concern and fear in his eyes. “Leon? Can you hear me? Leon?”

“M-Mmh…” It was too hard to talk right then, but the soft sound gave a wave of relief to the two turtles.

“Okay, well, I don’t really know what’s wrong, but I can prescribe some mandatory cuddles to help!”

Raph chuckled from under Leon’s head, and the vibrations sent chills down the slider's spine. He gave a small churr before curling up more. His coat was pulled tighter around his body, but a blanket was soon draped over his shoulders, and he started pulling on that instead. “Question, do you make nests?” 

Leon looked at Donnie with almost blank eyes before he nodded tiredly. The purple-clad turtle grinned. “Great! I’ll put you in my old one tomorrow.” He laughed when Leon tilted his head in a silent question. “I don’t think Raph’s gonna let you go anytime soon, bud.”

The mentioned turtle just huffed before nudging Donnie away with his foot. “Yeah yeah, whatever, Don. You can buzz off now, y’know.”

“Okay, momma bird-” Donnie yelped when Raph threw a towel at his head, dodging it with playful ease as he grinned at his older brother. “I’ll steal Leon tomorrow, ‘kay?”

“Just go.”

“Love you too, Raphie!” And then Donnie was gone.

Leon sighed, burrowing closer to Raph with a slight whine.

“What’s up, kid?” Raph whispered, pulling Leon up to lean on his chest more.

“...I’m… I can’t do it…”

“Can’t do what?”

Leon bit his lip before hiding his face. “I can’t lead them. I’m useless. Raph led everyone better than me, so dad must’ve fucked up.”

“Where the fuck did you get that idea?” Raph growled, forcing Leon to look at him. “I have no fuckin’ clue what your world is like, but I know for a damned fact that dad never fucks up. If he said you can lead, you can sure as hell lead better than anyone ever could.”

“Mmh, I dunno… But the kid said I was good, so maybe…? I dunno…”

“Who’re you callin’ kid, kid?” Raph laughed, and Leon couldn’t help but laugh a little too.

“I’m sixteen, he’s only fourteen, so I call ‘im kid. He calls me sensei too, so I think that sells the deal.”

“Wh- you’re sixteen? What the fuck!” Raph pulled away, looking at Leon with wide eyes. The reaction was so similar to Leo’s that Leon couldn’t help but laugh loudly, his tail wagging faster than it had in a while. After blinking away his shock, Raph grinned and laughed with him, poking the teen’s side with a smirk. “You totally played us, kid. But ya can’t run from that name.”

“How old are you guys?”

“We’ll be twenty in four months.”

“ What?! ”

Laughter drifted from Raph’s room, and just outside the kitchen, Leo let himself relax at last. Leon was becoming more and more fragile, his tears being provoked far too easily. Eyeing the doorway to his father’s room, an idea came to him.

He’d just have to get some permission first.

Chapter Text

Leon sat on a rooftop, the cool wind blowing against his already chilled skin. Mikey sat next to him, humming as he messed with his old phone. The stars were brighter tonight, and that fact filled Leon with a sense of homesickness. It reminded him of times when he and his beloved twin had snuck out of the lair to map out constellations for hours, or even to just stare at the moon as it traveled across the dark expanse surrounding it. 

It reminded Leon of his home. A home that he had no current way of getting back to.

“What were they like?”

“What?” Leon looked to Mikey, eyes wide. 

“You’re brothers. What were they like?” Mikey smiled gently, putting his phone screen down on his leg. “You’ve told everyone but me, dude, and I like hearin’ things from the source.”

“Well, uhm…” Leon swallowed thickly, looking back up at the stars. “They’re absolutely amazing. Raph is protective of us, but that’s mostly ‘cause he’s the oldest. When… When I got really hurt, he never left my side unless he was forced to, and even then he came back as soon as he could. He used to take me on rides around the lair on his shoulders, and boy that was fun.

“Donnie is smart and so fucking great. He’s my twin, y’know? He’s a few minutes older, but still, we’ve been practically inseparable since we were first mutated. He showed me chemistry and astronomy, even medical stuff even though it grossed him out. There was this one time when we were preteens, he got hurt from one of his machines and came to me for help. That was the first time that I fixed a major injury, not long before we started going to the surface more often.

“And Mikey is very creative. He’s this ball of sunshine and sass, and he’s got to be the scariest out of all of us, including Raph! It’s true!” Leon couldn’t help but laugh with Mikey when the older teen gave a chortle. “I think he’s scared more bad guys than any of us have! He’s really strong and really protective, but he’s our baby brother, so we tend to dote on him a lot. The two of us always go on little excursions around the sewers, trying to find something new we can gross the other two out with. It’s…” Leon blinked some tears away, smiling up at the stars again. “I love them. So much…”

A hand was placed on his shoulder, and the slider looked up with teary eyes. Mikey smiled at him, eyes creasing gently. “We’ll get you home, man, I promise. ”

Hours later, the two youngest turtles were back in the lair. 

Donnie was, of course, very serious about following through with the promise of smuggling Leon into his nest, and the slider was forced to run around dodging every attempt the genius made to catch him. 

“You’ll never take me alive! Haha!” Leon jumped over the couch, easily clearing the piece of furniture before climbing up the side of the stairs and moving out of range. 

Donnie scoffed, grinning at the clear show of acrobatics the youngest was trying to display. “Oh yeah? Well, I’ll just enlist some help, then!”

“What?! You’d never!” Leon climbed further up, making himself comfortable in the balance between support beams in the ceiling. Pipes whistled and rumbled next to his ears, and he allowed himself to slip into the shadows and the noise, fully intent on catching the blood brothers by surprise. 

In the end, only Leo came to Donnie’s aid. The eldest looked around the living area with caution, moving a few blankets that had Leon-shaped lumps underneath them but only held other cushions and blankets. It took almost fifteen minutes before Leon put his little plan into motion. Taking out a small pebble he’d grabbed earlier that day, Leon threw it at Leo, hitting the eldest directly in the carapace. 

Leo jumped, turning around with wide eyes, only to find absolutely nothing. He narrowed his eyes before turning to Donnie. “Are you sure this is Leon we’re finding?”

“Yeah, why? Did you find him alread- Ack!” Donnie poked his head out of the kitchen, only to be met with a pebble to the beak. 

The genius rubbed the small injured spot as the two began looking farther up. Leon shifted, intending on fleeing his current spot, but that was enough for Leo to latch onto. “He’s up there! In the pipes!”

Leon frowned before he grinned, deciding to take his mission higher up. The pipes were warm beneath his hands, sending jolts of relaxation through his veins, but he ignored the nice feeling in favor of planning more. He stopped just outside the dojo, making sure his spot was hidden enough from people below but kept a good shot. It was clear that Leo and Donnie had enlisted help from the last two blood brothers as Mikey and Raph crept out of the kitchen and towards the rooms.

The slider grinned as he took a few more pebbles into his hand and threw them all at once, creating a scattershot that neither could trace. Shouts of surprise filled the air not even a second later, and the two were looking around in surprise. “Where the hell is that kid?! What the fuck even was that?!”

Mikey crouched down and picked one of the pebbles from the floor. “So that’s why he was gathering these! He’s totally playing us!”

Leon could see the way Raph’s face split with a grin, a happy growl rumbling from his chest as he began searching the surroundings. “So let’s find ‘im and show ‘im who’s boss!”

“Yeah!” Mikey jumped up, hopping around the pebbles left on the floor. 

Humming to himself, Leon started moving back towards where he last saw Leo and Donnie, only to find the former on his lonesome. Blue eyes connected, and the slider tensed, ready to pounce if needed, but relaxed when Leo just smiled. “I’m on watch, so shhh.” The eldest put a finger to his mouth, winking a the younger. 

“Wanna join me?” Leon whispered, reaching down to shake Leo’s hand.

Leo waited a moment before shrugging and taking Leon’s hand with a mischievous smirk. “Sure, why the hell not? What’s the plan, boss?”

Leon had sent Leo on an undercover mission, playing as a decoy and a spy mixed into one as the slider got part two of his plan set up. He tip-toed into the dojo, relaxing a little when he saw Splinter already out of meditation. The rat flicked his ear before turning to look at the young turtle. He had a fond grin on his face, eyes twinkling with youthful mirth. “I assume you’re here to ask for my help, hm?”

“Y-Yeah, Leo said you had something?”

“I do, I do… But I have one question,” Splinter walked towards Leon, resting a hand on his shoulder. “What do I get in return?”

Leon tapped his chin for a moment, thinking before something came to mind. “I’ll, uhm, I’ll make sushi! Just for you! A-And maybe Leo?”

Splinter hummed for a moment before laughing softly. “I’ll hold you to that then! Now, come here, my son.”

The two walked towards a small cabinet with a lock keeping it closed, which Splinter took out a tiny key to stick into the hole, twisting it to unlock it. Leon took a step back as the rat brought out an object covered in a cloth. “Now, I know this may not be what you expect, but my other sons will know what it is as soon as you bring it forth.” He handed the object to Leon, who almost faltered in his hold at the surprisingly heavy weight. “All I ask is that you keep it safe, and return it when you find no use for it any longer. Understand?”

“Y-Yes, sir.” 

Splinter smiled and nodded before looking at the door to the dojo. “I think you would be best to hide now, I believe Michelangelo is coming this way.”

Leon gasped as he ran towards a small ledge, easily climbing up the wall with the added weight on his back. He made it up just in time to avoid being seen by Mikey, and the slider started on his way back towards home base.

Entering Leo’s room, the slider crouched as low as he could get before ducking behind the eldest turtle's bed. Leo was already there, and the grin on his face showed that the discussed plan was successful. “What next, kid?” Leo whispered, peeking his head above the mattress to double-check check no one was near.

“Da- Splinter gave me this, said it’d help.” He unwrapped the cloth from the object, holding it gingerly in his hands. “D’you know what it is?”

Leo made an obvious double take as he stared wide-eyed at the weapon. “He gave you that? Oh my god, dad’s got a new favorite!” He whisper yelled, humorous disbelief in his eyes. “This is great! Hah!”

“But what is it?” He held up the sheathed sword, eyeing the handle with confusion.

“It’s somethin’ dad got at a corner store dump. Didn’t think he’d actually keep it though.” Leo wiped the corner of his eye, a grin still plastered on his face.

“Why’s it so special? He said you guys would recognize it…”

“Oh, the other three’ll recognize it all right! Dad used to use that sword during training, and he would train for hours with us. I think a few bruises and scars were given before we settled into a rhythm.”

Leon wanted to drop the sword right then and there. “Y’mean this thing hurt you guys? A-And your dad just gave it to me? Why?!”

“It’s… I guess it does sound kinda wrong, huh? But I promise it’s not like that. We were all inexperienced, and we all laugh about it now.” Leo moved closer, putting a finger on the cool blade with a fond smile. “To be honest, I thought I’d never see it again, especially after dad let us take the lead on our training. The fact that he’s passing it to you is… I think it’s a good sign, kid.”

They were quiet for a moment, both gazing at their small reflections in the steel of the old sword. They could hear Mikey and Raph arguing as they made another round through the lair, their voices coming closer to the bedrooms, right where the duo was hiding. Leon tensed, sheathing the sword before crouching lower and turning towards Leo. “I need you to go back out there and lead them towards the dojo again, but keep them talking. Make them laugh or scream if you have to, but I need noise as a cover-up. Got it?”

Leo nodded, eyes filled with humor as he stood up and walked around his room, making it look like he was searching for something himself. “Go get ‘em, fearless.”

Leon’s heart fluttered at the nickname before he grinned and climbed up the shelves on the wall, successfully making himself hidden in the pipes once more. He crawled for a while, dodging cobwebs and puddles of dirty sewer water that were scattered about, but he soon made it back to the dojo. He couldn’t hear anyone coming just yet, so he made himself comfortable just outside the door. 

Soon, voices traveled close, and Leon tensed. Raph was humming along to Mikey’s off-key singing and Donnie was desperately trying to quiet the two down. Leo was loudly encouraging them, even telling Mikey to sing louder at some point, which made Donnie groan in exasperation. 

Then they were there, and Leon put his plan into action. He slung the old sword across his carapace, freeing his hands so he could grab a fist full of pebbles. He was down half his original supply, so he knew he had to make these ones count. He threw the small rocks right at Raph and Mikey’s heads, making the latter of the two screech in surprise. Raph’s head shot up and looked around, desperately trying to find where the assault was coming from, but he was blinded by a strip of cloth Leon threw at his face. 

The red-clad turtle growled as he tore at the cloth, throwing it to the ground in slight frustration. Donnie had pulled out a tablet of sorts, typing away at the screen while Leo looked up in the general area Leon was hiding. The eldest nodded slightly before beginning to corral his younger blood brothers closer to the dojo.

Donnie moved to open the old doors, but he was quickly stopped when Leon dropped down in front of him, brandishing the sword Splinter had lent him with ease. The three younger brothers’ faces fell at the sight of the weapon, and the air was momentarily still before they tried to scramble away. Leo blocked their path, of course, but that didn’t stop Mikey from pushing Raph over and trying to climb over Leo’s shoulders to get away.

The slider grinned and laughed devilishly as he charged at his pseudo-brothers, meeting Donnie’s bo-staff with energy the latter obviously wasn’t expecting. 

The four blood brothers had never seen Leon fight, and they all knew that. The unknown clearly gave Leon the upper hand in the mock fight, especially in the way he was much smaller than Donnie, giving him the advantage of speed against his opponent. Raph tried his best to support the genius brother from the sidelines, but his attention was frequently drawn to Leo, who took up hand-to-hand with his younger brother. 

“Wait, what the hell are you doin’ Leo?!” When Leo answered with a grin, Raph gasped loudly. “You traitor! You’re workin’ with the kid!”

“And if I am?” Leo taunted, easily dodging Raph’s half-hazard punch. “What of it?”

“You tricked us! Is that why you wanted Mikey to sing so loud?” Donnie butted it, trading places with Raph so that the youngest would have more of a challenge.

The sound of blades meeting soon filled the air, and Leon felt his breaths coming in short bursts, his heart beating fast to pump adrenaline through his system. The fight ended when Leon took the last of the pebbles from his jacket pocket and threw them on the floor, causing both Donnie and Raph to step directly on them. Mikey cheered loudly from the side, jumping when he saw the blue brothers were the last ones standing. 

“And the winners are… drum roll please!” He paused for no one, banging the handles of his chucks on a box before dramatically pausing, throwing his hands in the air. “The mother duo!”

Leo and Leon both paused, giving each other a look before bursting into laughter. “The mother duo? What even-” Leo started, but was cut off by his own laughter.

Leon sheathed the sword before walking over to the two still downed brothers. He helped Donnie stand first before dragging Raph to his feet. “You guys okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good, kid.” Raph jostled Leon’s shoulder, making the younger grin. “That was a good show, though. Where’d you learn moves like that?”

“Ninja movies mostly, but I’ve been practicing more recently.”

“You learned that from movies? Didn’t your dad teach you and your brothers too?” Donnie blinked, putting his bo back in its place on his back.

Leon shook his head. “Nah, dad was pretty lazy the first decade. He only started stepping up when Shredder came around, and even then we resorted back to old tactics ‘cause the new ones weren’t helping.”

Silence permeated the air, and Leon tensed, looking around to see the wide eyes of the blood brothers. “W-What?”

“You faced the Shredder too?” Mikey whispered, and Leon nodded again,

“Yeah, we did. He almost killed us a couple times, but we still defeated him!” Leon grinned and summoned his katana, holding it out. “Actually, Shredder is the reason my brothers and I can summon our weapons like this! He broke our original ones, so we had to make ones that literally can’t break. It’s really, uhm, really useful.” Leon swallowed thickly as flashes of purple and pink dashed through his memories, shouts and growls of anger and frustration filling his ears. 

Something moved out of the corner of his eye, and Leon couldn’t help but flinch. He didn’t see the shared look above his head, but Donnie moved closer to Leon slowly. When the younger didn’t say anything, the genius picked the slider up, allowing the younger to curl into his hold. The mystic katana was gone again, and the old sword was still holstered on his back. “I’m gonna make use of that promise now, ‘kay? I’ll grab that heat lamp from your room, and we’ll watch something in my nest.”

“I’ll grab it.” Mikey offered, grinning when Donnie nodded. 

Then Leon was surrounded by warmth. It was a familiar warmth, and the slider found himself tucked under Donnie’s chin. The older turtle was obviously asleep, and the digital clock on his dresser told him that he’d been drifting for a few hours. With a shuddering sigh, Leon forced himself to relax in Donnie’s arms, silently hoping that no nightmares would be there to greet him in unconsciousness. 

Chapter Text

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Leon asked, crouching to perch on the edge of the roof. The moon was high, the sky was clear for the first time in a while, and the stars were shining through the city's light pollution. 

Leo, who was crouched next to him, smiled and nudged the slider. "Just a routine patrol, kid. Nothin' special."

"Ta you, maybe." Raphael cut in, drawing the two's attention to the other side of the roof. "Mike 'n I am gonna stop by April's, see if she's got any new stuff for us."

Leo rolled his eyes, huffing softly when Leon jumped down. "Whatever. It's just a patrol, no fights, got it?"

Raph made a noncommittal noise before jumping onto the fire escape below him, Mikey following close behind after giving a wave. Leon turned back towards Leo, watching the older roll his eyes before jumping to the next rooftop. 

"C'mon, Leon. We're going now."

The wind tasted foul, a dim reminder of Leon's first night in this strange world. Thankfully, the air was much warmer, passing gently across his skin and blowing through his jacket easily. Leo was leading the slider farther into the city, and they made sure to dodge the street lamps that were bent to shine far above the road. Cars passed below them loudly, horns blaring every few seconds in usual New York traffic. 

Eventually, Leo stopped, holding out his hand to catch a falling Leon. The slider smiled gratefully before turning his attention toward the road. The traffic was light, and it was quieter than the in-city. The older turtle pulled out a small box from the bag he’d been carrying before handing it to Leon. 

He blinked down at the small thing, rubbing his finger against the rough ribbon that was tied around it, keeping it together. “W-What is it?”

“It’s a gift. Open it.”

Leon looked up at Leo, who smiled encouragingly, and he began pulling at the ribbon, smiling as he tied it around his wrist. He opened the box slowly, his heart beating nervously for whatever reason before he got a good look at what was inside. Leon pulled out a small pan flute, just big enough to fit in his hands comfortably. “What…”

“Dad and I were talking a few days ago, and he brought up music as a form of self-expression. I, uhm, I remembered some of my favorite characters on tv playing a pan flute when they were upset, so I thought it might help.” Leo shifted, looking away awkwardly. “Y-You don’t have to use it, of course! It’s just a, uhm, an option, I guess-”

“I love it,” Leon whispered, running his fingers across the bamboo pipes. He looked up at Leo with a soft smile before leaning his forehead against the older’s arm. “Thank you.”

Leo was quiet for a moment before resting a hand on Leon’s head, humming softly. “Anything for you, kid.”

Hours passed and now the two blue-banded turtles were on their way to April’s apartment. Raph had called them over not too long ago, but they both decided to take their sweet time, just to push the brother’s buttons a little. 

Leon let out a cheer as he lept from a rooftop, his body cutting through the still air easily. “C’mon, Leo! Hurry up!”

“How about you slow down?” Leo called, following behind at a distance. “I don’t even know where you store all that energy!”

With a grin, Leon landed on a fire escape, the metal barely creaking as his weight settled on its rusty surface. He peered inside and grinned when he saw Mikey in the corner, face shoved into a comic book he had brought with him. Raph and April were nowhere in sight, so the slider knocked on the glass gently, drawing the youngest blood brother’s attention. Mikey grinned when he met Leon’s eyes and he stood up to let the two other turtles inside. “Hey, guys! April and Donnie are talkin’ weird sciency stuff in the kitchen.”

“Where’s Raph?” Leo asked, crawling through the window with a small grunt. 

“Getting food.”

Leon focused more on looking around, taking in the details of the apartment. It was small, kind of like the rooms in the old lair back home. It was warm, of course, and Leon could feel warmth returning to his fingers. He walked around, peeking his head into the kitchen only to make eye contact with Donnie. The genius smiled and motioned Leon over, holding up a small stack of papers. “Just the turtle I wanted to see! You like chemistry, right?” Leon nodded, ignoring the way April was staring at him again. “This is for you then!”

Looking at the formulas on the paper, Leon grinned. He hadn’t solved anything like this just yet, but the bases looked familiar enough to figure out on his own. Leon took a seat at the table, yoinking one of the pencils grouped together in an old mug that sat in the middle of the table. He worked for god knows how long, working and reworking with different elements and chemicals, sometimes introducing some new variant that this world obviously hadn’t discovered just yet. The numbers flowed easily, the names and formulas even easier, and soon he was done.

The slider took a deep breath before he stretched, blinking quickly to get rid of the exhaustion that was creeping up on him. He looked at the microwave for the time and was startled when he saw that several hours had passed. The apartment was quiet, and Leon was starting to get nervous, thinking that the blood brothers had left him here, all alone, with no real way to defend himself, when Raph walked in.

The turtle grunted when Leon looked at him, and Raph sat down next to him. “You done?”

“Y-Yeah…” Leon rasped, wincing at his rough voice. 

“The others are finishin’ up with April now, so we’ll be headin’ home soon.”

“Mhmm…” Leon hummed as he turned back to the paper. Half of the formulas were smudged from his fingers rubbing over the granite, making them softer than usual. He was about to start fixing them when Donnie swooped in and took the paper, grinning at the slider widely.

“Thanks, Leon! I knew I could count on you!”

A warm feeling bubbled up as he yawned, stretching fully for the first time in what felt like forever. A few joints popped loudly, and Leon pointedly ignored the astounded and slightly disgusted looks on Raph and Donnie’s faces. “When’re we goin’?” Leon slurred, blinking slowly.

“Right now,” Leo said, making his presence known as he walked in. Mikey was trailing behind him, a broad grin on his face. “C’mon, let’s head out. Can you walk, kid?”

“Mmm…” Leon curled up in his chair, exhaustion finally making itself known. 

“I’ll carry ‘im,” Raph grunted as he brought Leon into his arms, huffing when the teen curled up more. “Kid was just wide awake, too! Weird little thing, huh?”

Leon let his eyes close after that, feeling the wind pass over him as Raph ran across the rooftops of their city. It was nice, being carried by someone so alike to his oldest brother. It made him feel better about this whole thing, like he was just a little closer to home.

Just one step at a time, right?

Chapter Text

“Mind if I sit down?”

Leon looked up to see Leo standing not far behind him. The slider had left the lair not too long ago, desperate to go exploring this world on his own. Of course, during his explorations, he found an old subway station that looked far too similar to his home, even down to the broken doors they’d had to remove before officially moving in.

“Y-Yeah, ‘f course.” He rasped, looking back to the car he had dubbed as his room. 

It was just as dilapidated, with rusty screws sticking out and broken glass scattered everywhere. He could just barely see a phantom form of Raph scolding Leon inside, fear and anger clear on his face. God, Leon wished he could go back and change everything, rewrite it all anew. He wished he could have been less of a fuck up, wished he had listened to his brother and taken his advice seriously, wished he had been better.

The sound of Leo taking a seat to Leon’s right snapped the slider from his thoughts, making him blink quickly before turning to look at the older. Leo smiled sadly, lifting his arm for a side hug. Leon accepted it, of course, and the size of Leo’s arm was another grim reminder of his eldest brother. 

He had never said goodbye.

That thought made Leon choke, tears quickly building in his eyes as he covered his mouth with his hand, hoping that would hold back the sounds of his cries. He felt Leo shift, the arm around his shoulders pulling him closer, and Leon was soon burying his face in Leo’s chest. 

“I failed. ”

Leo stiffened before he started rubbing Leon’s carapace. “How did you fail?”

“He almost got them, all three of them, and I did nothing to stop him. I-I was useless, I’m still useless. ” Leon reached up to press the heels of his hands in his eyes, sniffling poorly. “Dad made such a big fucking mistake making me leader. Raph did it so much better. I can barely keep myself alive, let alone my family. ”

“Why was Raph the leader?”

“He’s the oldest! O-Our big brother! He’s always been there for us, more than dad ever was really.” Leon pulled his hands away and glared at nothing. “Of c-course, I had to go and fuck absolutely everything up! I mean, if I hadn’t trusted Big Mama, Shredder wouldn’t have gotten loose, and-and if I had just been better, Gram Gram wouldn’t have- Sh-she wouldn’t have-” Leon cut himself off with a whine, curling in on himself as Leo brought him closer.

“I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, Leon. Do your brothers blame you?” He was quiet, but Leon said nothing. “If they really are like mine, they would never blame you for this. Not in a million years, okay?”

“B-But you don’t know what I did. I-I was an idiot! I tho-thought I could just play around on the damned battlefield and-and Raph-”

“Leon, look at me.” Leo pulled away, forcing the slider to make eye contact. Tears were pouring freely down his eyes, staining his blue mask darkly. “I might not know what happened, but trust me, I know you were good.”

“H-How? How do you know? ”

Leo smiled softly, bringing a hand up to cradle Leon’s face. “Because someone who didn’t learn from their mistakes wouldn’t grieve like this.”

That broke something in Leon, his face scrunching as sobs started bubbling up. Leo said nothing, just bringing the teen into another tight hug, rocking them gently with a soft hum. 

“ I-I can’t do it. I can’t lead them. ”

“But you can. I know you can.”

“How do you do it?” Leon whispered, looking up with his tear-stained cheeks.,

Leo smiled sadly. “Trial and error, listening and learning, failing and succeeding. My brothers are never afraid to call me out, of course.”

“Do they trust you? D-Do they follow without question?”

“They trust me, yes, but they aren’t blind.” Leo rubbed Leon’s arm softly, making the slider sniffle. “I never want my brothers to follow without question because that means something is very wrong.”

Leon was silent for a moment before he took a shaky breath. “Do you think they’ll follow me?”

“I do.”

Later that same night, Leon couldn’t sleep. He was tired, of course, absolutely exhausted, but his mind simply wouldn’t let him rest. He wandered the lair, cleaning a few things as he went to keep himself busy. However, the home wasn’t as dead as the slider had thought, as a light was shining from the dojo.

Curious, Leon made his way over, peeking through the crack in the door to see what was happening. In the middle of the room, Splinter sat on a mat, lit candles surrounding him. His eyes were obviously closed, and he looked… peaceful. Leon had never seen his own father look so relaxed, no matter how much milk and cake he had eaten before passing out during a commercial break. 

It was strange. Foreign. 

Maybe that’s why Leon walked in.

He saw Splinter’s ear flick at the sound of the door sliding open, but neither said a word until Leon was sitting in front of the rat.

Splinter’s eyes opened slowly, blinking himself out of a sense of belonging and grounding himself back in reality. He smiled when he saw Leon, his tail moving to lie in front of his knees. “Hello, my lotus. What brings you here?”

“I-I, uhm, I dunno…” Leon looked down and fiddled with his fingers, avoiding the rat's eyes with ease.

The old mutant hummed softly before sighing and holding out a hand. “Would you like to meditate with me, my child?”

His eyes were kind when Leon looked into them, soft with age and knowledge, full of care and love that Leon hadn’t realized he was yearning for. He took a breath, blinking the emotion from his eyes before nodding. “Can you teach me?”

“Of course, lotus.”

Hours passed, meditation and lessons on how to calm himself in just the right way bringing the sunset closer and closer. Eventually, Leo poked his head into the dojo, worry clear on his face until he saw the prone forms of Leon and Splinter, deep into their meditations, perfectly safe and sound.

In his meditations, Leon found a tether to his soul. His soul was bright, blue sparks fly from it with a sense of muted joy and pain. Trailing from it was a purple thread, leading deep into the darkness of his subconscious. Of course, Leon followed it anyway. He walked for what felt like hours, passing other distant lights that never burned quite as bright as his until he came across one. 

It was dimmer but just as warm as Leon’s soul. It was a vibrant purple with glittering flakes coming from its edges. Holding up his hand towards its surface, Leon felt a wave of emotion fall over him.

“D- Donnie? ”

Donnie didn’t like this. 

He had holed himself up in his lab ever since that meeting. Something bad had happened, and there was nothing he could do to explain it. As far as he knew, everyone but him believed Leon to be the same as he always was, and any suggestion otherwise earned him a worried look and a suggestion to sleep more.

But he didn’t need more sleep, he just needed his twin back.

Leon, this other Leon so different from Donnie’s beloved brother, always looked at him funny. His jokes were always stilted, never landing right, his voice intonation was all over the place, and there were times when Donnie could just tell he hadn’t blinked in a while like it was a conscious effort.

It was scary, downright terrifying.

It wasn’t his brother, his twin that always knew how he worked, always knew how to bug Donnie or get him away from his work. His brother, his twin, knew Donnie better than himself.

Locking the door to the lab came as a new habit, something he never did until this imposter appeared in place of Leon. He turned on the security system, ensuring absolutely no one would enter without his knowing, and made himself as comfortable as he could be under his desk.

It was a tight fit, but it was something to get used to. 

Closing his eyes, Donnie forced himself to sleep.

Donnie opened his eyes to complete darkness, and for a moment he panicked until a familiar voice rang out. 

“D- Donnie? ”

He turned and met eyes with a familiar face.

“Leon?!”

The slider grinned, tears welling in his eyes as he charged forward. Donnie opened his arms, happily welcoming his twin into them. The two laughed wetly, and Donnie couldn’t help but tighten his hold on his brother. “God, Leon, I’m so happy to see you- the real you!”

“Wh-What?” Leon pulled away, looking slightly wary. “What do you mean the ‘real me’?”

Donnie took a breath, simply examining Leon’s face for a moment. Doubling checking that the small scars from their play fights, the marking he always bragged about, and even the small droop of his right eye that he always tried to cover were all still there. Hope filled his chest for a moment, and Donnie let himself smile sadly before a thought came to him.

“Y-Something, no, some one is trying to replace you back home. Y-You’ve been practically rewritten and n-no one remembers you except me. I-I don’t-”

Leon pulled Donnie into another tight hug, and for a moment, Donnie let himself live right then and there. He felt his heart beating, his blood flowing through him, and his soul fluttering at the new knowledge that his dearest twin really wasn’t dead.

“W-Wait, where are you?” Donnie pulled away, holding Leon’s shoulders tightly. “You completely disappeared that day! I-I looked for hours! ”

“So, about that…” Leon laughed awkwardly, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. “I kinda owe you, like, twenty bucks now?”

Donnie blinked, trying to remember when they had bet on something. “The pizzasaurus is REAL?! ”

“N-No! Donnie, Dee- Don, listen!” Leon shook his twin, reversing their positions for a second before the slider dropped his hands. “I’m in an alternate universe. There-There’s other versions of us, of our family. ”

They were quiet, and Donnie let that information sink in. “You… H-How are you gonna come home then?”

“I-I…” Leon started, but nothing would come out. Instead, he reached up his hand and brought Donnie’s face close, resting their foreheads together gently. “I’m trying really hard to get back, I promise. This world’s Donnie is smart too, and he’s helping me out on this stuff. I’ll be home faster than you can say supercalifra-”

“Okay okay! I get it, goofball.” Donnie laughed wetly, bringing his face away and smiling sadly. “Be safe?”

Leon’s throat was tight, tears threatening to fall again as he smiled. “Always. Be good?”

Donnie laughed wetly, a few tears falling as he squeezed Leon’s hands fondly. “Never, you know me better by now, ‘Nardo.”

The light around them began to fade, and the warmth the twins felt was slowly fading. Instead of grieving, they smiled, and Leon nodded. 

“I always have, ‘Tello.”

And then Donnie awoke, no twin in sight, now left with the knowledge that Leon was worlds away, far from his arms.

The soft shell bit back a cry as he curled in on himself, praying to whatever god was out there to keep his brother safe from all harm.

Chapter Text

The night was young, the stars were bright, and the wind was cool as Leon jumped over another alleyway. He was finally getting out of the sewers for the first time in what felt like months, and his soul was positively singing. The slider looked behind him to find Raph and Mikey racing across the rooftop a few jumps back, playful shouts filling the air as they began to push at each other until Leo butted in.

Donnie appeared next to Leon, snorting softly under his breath as they watched Leo chew them out for “being too loud”. 

“You excited for tonight?”

Leon looked over before he grinned even wider. “You bet, Dee! Y’know, I’m actually a basketball champ back home.” He winked before taking another leap, getting closer and closer to the designated stopping point. 

Donnie trailed after him, the box turtles gadgets chiming with each step. “Really? I never woulda guessed! Leo absolutely sucks at sports, surprisingly.”

“Hey! I heard that!”

The two just laughed before making a break for it, running up a skyscraper with mirth on their tongues. It didn’t take long for the other three to join them at the top of the building, excitement and a touch of exhaustion weighing heavy on their breaths. 

“Alright, fellas!” Donnie started, fixing his glasses with a grin. “It’s go time!”

“Turtle formation in three…”

Leon braced himself, feeling adrenaline in his veins, his heart beating faster.

“Two…”

He took a deep breath, eyes taking one last look at the city below him.

“One… Go!”

Mikey launched himself first before being quickly followed by his brothers. Leon trailed behind last, holding back his laughter as the once-still air pushed against his mask tails, leaving them to twirl in the wind. Of course, something just had to go wrong on a perfect night like this.

Three of the four brothers were piled atop each other, Donnie hanging on to Leo to keep the leader from falling. Leon skidded to a stop, almost knocking into the turtle stack until Raph stuck his leg out for the slider to grab onto.

“What happened to turtle formation?” Leo called, annoyance clear in his voice.

“Wait, turtle formation?! I thought you said squirrel formation!” Mikey struggled to laugh under the weight of two of his brothers.

Raph just barely held himself back from knocking the youngest of them upside the head. “Why would he say squirrel formation?! What even is squirrel formation?!”

Donnie butted in, already moving to throw Leo to the next building. “Guys, chill out! Let’s go!”

They were back on track almost as fast as they were off it, and Leon couldn’t stop grinning. The slider made a few portals to get to the front of their little pack, leaping up to catch a ride with Raph.

The older turtle grunted at the sudden weight before rolling his eyes. “Really, kid?”

“What?” Leon called out, letting his body all but melt onto Raph’s shell. “I’m just a little guy!”

“Yeah, Raphie! He’s just a little guy!” Mikey echoed, only to find himself tripping over his feet after missing a pipe. 

Suddenly, Raph was practically flying through the air and Leon was now in Leo’s arms. The eldest grinned when he heard Donnie pestering Raph to ‘do the thing’ (ie. jump into a goddamn pool again ). Leon heard the telltale sound of water spilling over and caught a glimpse of the other three flying through someone’s pool. 

He didn’t mind that Leo kept the two of them dry, savoring the fact that he wouldn’t be shivering for the next twenty minutes like a trio of bozos would. The mood subtly shifted, and Leon quickly grappled onto Leo’s shell. “Donnie,” The eldest grunted as he grabbed the genius’s bo and was hurled through the air, landing on the top of another office building. “You set it up, right?”

“He’ll be there, I promise!” The purple masked turtle called, just barely shaking off the excess water from his tech.

The sound of someone leaving came and went, and the smell of pizza was soon drawing Leon’s attention more than the sights of the city were. Pretty soon they were inside the building, and the sounds of cheers were faint, but getting closer. He could feel Leo take a deep breath before jumping. “You know the drill, get that box from Mikey!”

Leon decided to start running on his own after that, barely escaping being tackled by accident. Of course, he couldn’t help but cackle when the youngest of the four brothers surprised all of them by tossing the box to Leon. He ran like his life depended on it, dodging the hands grabbing at him, before he took cover behind Raph. Just like he expected, Raph immediately went on the defense, protecting Leon from the people he was previously working with. 

Far too quickly, they made it to their spot.

The room was loud with cheers and shouts, and Leon couldn’t help but gasp when he saw all the humans piled up in the stands of the arena. It felt almost reminiscent of his time as a temporary wrestling champion or even the time he and his dad fought in the Nexus together.

The feeling of a hand on his carapace drew the slider from his thoughts. Mikey was behind him, grinning brightly as he held out a slice of pizza. Off to the side, the oldest three were cheering right along with the humans, even using their own chants to hype each other up even more than they already were. Leon couldn’t help but laugh when Donnie pounced on Raph, the practical twins cheering in unison after one of the teams scored a shot. 

Suddenly, the lights went out, and music started playing. 

“ Ladies and gentlemen. One year ago, a shadow fell over our city. ”

Leon blinked, taking a seat next to Raph, who just huffed and rolled his eyes. 

“ Suddenly it was under siege of the notorious villain Shredder. ”

The slider almost choked on his food, coughing hurriedly into his elbow. The blood brothers had already told him their story of fighting that old guy, but being mentioned so casually? After almost killing the entire city? That was extremely unexpected.

“ Along with his army of enforcers, the Foot Clan, Shredder ruled our streets. ”

The sounds of people booing came up from the silence, and Leon watched as the other four turtles slowly stood, disbelief on their faces. 

“ Then out of the shadows came a beacon of hope. He was just a humble cameraman, but when danger struck the heart of our city, he single-handedly battled Shredder, locking him up behind bars. ”

“Are you hearing this?” Raph all but whispered, pounding the back of Mikey’s shell to stop the younger from choking.

“ And now, turn your attention courtside! Where Jill Martin meets a man who, later this week, will receive an honorary key to the city. Please welcome Vern “the Falcon” Fenwick! ”

Cheers erupted from the crowd as a spotlight fell on a human man wearing a white shirt and leather jacket. Leon could feel the utter annoyance and disdain radiating from the blood brothers, so he chose to ignore whatever the human was saying in favor of taking another slice of pizza.

But, of course, he couldn’t expect the others to share the same sentiment. Raph and Mikey groaned loudly at something the man had said, which just sent Leo off on another tangent. While the eldest was talking, Mikey snuck behind Donnie to grab some of the tech he brought along, and the sound of something charging up quickly drew their attention.

“Hey, what’d you take? Wait- be careful! That’s my pea-shooter!”

Mikey kneeled at the edge of the platform, closing an eye to take aim at Vern before blowing hard. The effect was fast, with Vern jumping after being hit and a few people watching closely gasping at the sight of what looked to be a spitball landing right on Vern’s cheek. All five of them cheered at the sight, Leon laughing as Raph shook him quickly before moving to grab the small shooter.

“Alright, my turn, my turn, my turn!”

Raph was faster in his setup, landing a hit right in the middle of the guy's forehead. Even from all the way up here, Leon could see the splash as the ball made contact with skin. The blood brothers cheered louder as they watched Vern look for the assailant, but found absolutely no one. The interview was stopped short, and the main event was quickly resumed. 

The slider was quickly play-tackled by Mikey after Donnie walked away to answer a call, and the two youngest soon started faux wrestling. 

“Wait, you’re meeting Stockman? Now? ”

“Stockboy? He’s here too?” Leon called, ducking under a slow punch to his head before running to Leo. “I didn’t know he was a man now!” He laughed.

Donnie ignored him, of course, but Leo rolled his eyes with a chuckle. “Yeah, April’s been keeping an eye on him for a few weeks now. Think he’s been getting into somethin’ he shouldn’t.”

“Makes sense.” Leon started, moving to hide behind Raph after Mikey got close. “Stockboy was always getting into trouble back home.”

Time passed and the game really started getting good. Leon was enamored with the way the humans seemed to absolutely shine with pride when their team struck a goal or even rose with fury as their players fell farther and farther behind. Luckily, the guys the blood brothers were watching for were in the lead, which only meant good vibes all around for these five turtles.

Until that damned pizza slice.

The eldest three were distracted, cheering loudly after a high jump ahead of the other team was met. Leon was sitting back, snacking on his bit of crust before reaching over to take the last slice. He knew Mikey wasn’t looking, the orange-clad turtle’s gaze set on the players running across the court, so it would be a smooth operation. But with his attention elsewhere, the concentration on keeping the pizza box facing the right way was moved elsewhere.

Leon tried to catch it, even going as far as summoning a damned portal, but it didn’t work. It felt like the room went from warm to frigid when Leo looked over at them, eyes wide. Not long after, one of the prize players slipped on the slice, leading everyone on the court to look up, wondering where in all hell a slice of pizza could have fallen from.

They were gone seconds later. 

Chapter Text

“That was a close call…” Donnie muttered, huffing as he jumped from a platform. Raph wasn’t far behind with Leon trailing next to him.

“We’re gonna have to find a new spot to watch the game now!” The red-banded turtle all but growled, and Leon held back a flinch. “Thanks, Mikey- Wait, Mikey, what the hell are ya doing?”

The others slowed to a stop, finding the youngest blood brother staring out of a sewer grate into the world above. Leon could hear cheers and bass-boosted music, and the vibrations were apparent enough to shake the concrete below them. Instead of turning to look at them, Mikey just pointed to the humans, grinning widely. “It’s the Halloween parade, dudes! It’s, like, the one night of the year we really fit in!”

Leo rolled his eyes before pulling the younger back, giving him a stern look. “Mikey, we’ll never fit in. We’re ninjas, we live in the shadows. Now let’s go!”

The trip home was uneventful. The atmosphere was tense, and Leon could swear one of his katanas could slice through it easily. It was dark when they arrived at the lair, and Leon could hear a man speaking gently. Before they went further, he stopped the blood brothers, glaring when Raph opened his mouth. “Your dad is meditating!” He stage whispered, holding back a grin when the four paused. “Now, let’s go, quietly. ”

They tiptoed around the living area, which was lit by many candles. Splinter was balancing on his left pinky and using his tail as a counterweight. To be honest, it was really impressive, and Leon made a mental note to ask the old rat how to do all that. They managed to get to Donnie’s lab area, which was the farthest room from Splinter, where they let out a sigh of relief. 

“Thank fuck he didn’t hear us…” Raph made himself comfortable on one of Donnie’s old beanbags, picking at the loose threads on its side.

“Yeah, this time, at least. Remember the last time he caught us?” Donnie grinned as he sat in his swivel chair, pushing himself to his computers. “Put us in the Ha-Shai for hours until Mikey broke.”

Leon hopped up on the table, letting his legs swing gently as Mikey sat on the floor under him. Leo took up the spot next to Raph, playfully pushing his younger brother until Raph moved to make room. “How did he break?” Leon asked, giggling when Mikey pushed at his legs with a whine.

With a grin, Raph went on to explain the whole ordeal. How they had snuck out of the lair a few years ago to defeat some foot clan nobodies only to be caught by April when they were done. They were stuck in the Ha-Shai for almost a full twenty-four hours before Splinter brought out the “big guns” and placed a full box of ninety-nine cheese pizza in front of Mikey.

“I mean, did it taste good?”

Mikey chuckles before nodding. “Oh, hell yeah it did! And after not eating for a few hours? I thought I was in heaven!”

The five laughed at that, but the bright mood was quickly dimmed by Donnie’s ringtone. “Who is it, Don?” Leo asked.

“It’s April, hang on…” the nerd pressed a button, and the sound of rushing wind came through the speakers. “April? Is everything okay?”

“No! Things are very much not okay!”

Leon tensed, and the human continued. “I was reading through Baxter’s emails, but they started erasing themselves! And-” she cut herself off with a grunt and the slider could feel Mikey's shoulders tensing. “And I read something before they were all gone. The Foot- They’re gonna try to break Shredder out of prison!”

“When?” Leo was standing next to Donnie now, shoulders hunched up. 

“ Tonight! ”

Donnie was finally out of his lab for the first time in weeks. The lair was quiet, and for a moment, the soft shell believed everyone was asleep. Instead of surveying his surroundings, he went ahead to the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water. 

It was cool, soothing his aching throat, but it was gone far too quickly. Refilling the cup, Donnie was about to take another drink when he felt a presence behind him. He tensed, ready to summon his bo before he turned around.

It was the faker. 

He was highly tempted to suddenly learn his twin's teleporting power just to get out of this situation, but sadly, he couldn’t do that. The faker walked closer, eyes empty of all emotion, and for the first time in a while, Donnie felt terrified.

The cup was gently lifted from his hand, and the soft shell held back a flinch as the glass was set on the counter behind him. Neither of them said a word, just… staring at the other, waiting for one of them to make the first move. Ever the instigator, his twin's replica talked first.

“You know what I am…”

God, if there was ever a time to run, it would be now. “W-What do you mean, Leo?”

The bog turtle narrowed his eyes before tilting his head. “You’re smart, the monkey said you were. Did he lie to me?”

“I-I, uhm, no…?” Donnie wanted to be sick, a shaking hand searching the surface behind him for that cup. Maybe he could use it as a weapon? A really crude weapon, but it was better than absolutely nothing. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, bro.”

“I think you do, Donatello.” The soft shell shivered as the imposter took a step back, eyes staring at him unblinkingly. “Just as I know you’ve talked to your brother recently, haven’t you?”

He gasped. “H-How did you-”

“I know many things, Donatello, just as you see many things.” The other walked backward before summoning… a staff? It was golden with two rings at the top, and each ring had a glowing orb in the middle. “My creators have told me my mission. But tell me, child,” The bog turtle was suddenly in his face again, and their beaks were just barely touching. “Have they told you yours?”

And he was gone. 

Donnie took a deep breath before his legs gave out from under him. The kitchen was empty now, with no one but Donnie inside. The cup was in his hands, but the side was… chipped. 

He didn’t want to think of the implications.

Adrenaline coursed through Leon’s veins as Donnie sped through the streets of New York. Raph and Mikey were stationed at the back, hands hovering over buttons and switches as their resident genius barked orders. The slider was the designated GPS, imputing every new coordinate that appeared from the police radars, which led them straight to their target. 

The heavy-duty transportation truck was already under attack by foot soldiers, their guns and bombs easily taking out the smaller cars around them. Leon wanted to get out there, use his weapons to do some real damage, but one look from Leo was all it took to seal him in place. Instead, Donnie took the lead. 

“We’ve got bogies on the bus. Hit the button!”

Leo sputtered, sending a disbelieving look at his younger brother. “What button? There are millions of buttons!”

“N-Number three, button number three!”

“Three? Three!” The button was pressed, and a pair of manhole covers flew from under the front of the truck. The five turtles watched in awe as the iron collided with some Foot soldiers, sending them tumbling off the road. Suddenly, they were rocked harshly to the left, and Leo bit down a growl. “We got company. Mikey, clear our right flank!”

The youngest blood brother held a set of controls, grinning as they lit up under his hands. “Nunchuks giganticus!” He bared his teeth, glaring at a nonexistent enemy in front of him. “Say hello to my little friend!”

They all cheered when the car was knocked away, and Leon couldn’t help but cackle. 

“Hah, good job, Mikey!” Donnie called, glancing over his shoulder at his younger brother. “Those things are pretty incredible, right?”

“These are more than just awesome, Dee!”

Leon gasped when the truck rocked after passing under a bridge, and by Mikey’s panicked expression, he just had to guess the cool nunchucks were now no more. A cry came from the front of the truck and that was the only warning they had before the entire vehicle shook, tossing them in almost every direction. Mikey groaned from his spot next to Leon, rubbing his head. “Ooh, I don’t like those guys…”

“Argh, Leo! I’m not bein’ used to my full potential here!”

“Just be patient, Raph! We’re a little busy up here.”

That was obviously the wrong thing to say, as the larger turtle shoved his way to the back. 

“Uhm, guys? They’re coming back!”

A buzzer rang above them, and the back door of the truck opened quickly, revealing Foot soldiers on motorcycles trailing them. “Enough! It’s time to take out the trash!”

Leon could barely blink as he watched everything unfold. Was this how they fought everyone? This had to be some kind of training run, right? With how uncoordinated they were, Leon was starting to doubt they could stop Shredder from being released.

Raph suddenly rolled back into the truck, the motorcycle he was surfing on slamming into the back and crashing with a bright flash. “Hah, anything else I can do for ya?”

The leader of the group just glared before turning back to the front. A helicopter flew past them and towards the armored vehicle, hovering above it before slowly lowering something huge. Leon squinted, trying to get a better view before the truck was jolted again.

He looked out the window next to him, only to see a far too familiar hockey mask looking right back at him.