Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been a very productive morning in the lab, Donatello stretched, feeling accomplished as he sat back in his lab chair. He had just finished another update to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s software, and earlier that morning he managed to complete a few repairs on the Turtle Tank. He blinked, squinting at the clock at the corner of his computer screen. He’d been at this for 7 hours already. Donnie sighed, mulling over whether he should grab more coffee before starting something else.

“BOYS!” His father’s voice rang out from the lair. “GET OVER HERE NOW.” The stress in Splinter’s voice gave Donatello pause. Papa, Draxum, and Leo went to the Hidden City to run errands today… Surely one of them (read: Leo) was not in the Hidden City jail again. “Sigh.” The scientist drawls. Better go see what mayhem has been caused now. He thought as he exited the lab and headed towards the lair’s entrance.

Upon reaching the entrance, Donatello saw Raph and Mikey looking at something in absolute shock with their jaws comically hanging in their disbelief. Donnie scanned ahead, seeing a tired looking Draxum and his father holding a small turtle---- HOLY GALILEO! Why in Einstein’s name was Leo so small?! Donnie felt like he had short circuited looking at his twin. Leo was tiny. He couldn’t be more than 4 years old right now. His trademark red markings completely covered his eyes and half his face, Donnie had forgotten how they used to look before his brother grew into them. They made Leo look even smaller and Donnie felt his heart squeeze as he took in Leo’s tiny limbs and shell. He looked a little battered and his eyes were closed, making Donnie frown as he took in his twin’s injured state.

Just as Donnie was about to open his mouth to ask for details that caused this unbelievable scenario, Mikey seemed to shake off his disbelief first “What the Fu-“ Raph’s hand came out to swat Mikey for the foul language before the younger hastily corrected himself “What the SHELL happened Dad?!”

“Well, that’s a funny story boys.” Splinter began looking everywhere but his three sons that began to eye him with suspicion. “Draxum was picking up a few items from Witch Town and your old man was wrongly accused of something he didn’t do…” Splinter was sweating bullets and Draxum levelled him with an icy glare before their dad finally broke. “OK. OK. Sheesh. I stole some food from a vendor and blamed it on your brother. Apparently, the witch thought Blue was banned from witch town or something as she screamed about turtles ruining their town and cast a spell on him that turned him into a kid.”

Donnie just blinked in response as he took in his father’s hasty confession. The witches had thought Leo was Donnie and cursed his twin for his father’s thievery and Donnie’s regrettable mishap last time he went to Witch Town with April. Damn witches and their magic. he thought, not for the first time.

Raph was eyeing Leo’s tiny body littered with cuts as he levelled his dad with a no-nonsense stare. “Why’s Leo injured then?”

“Welllll….” Splinter stalled. “The witch may have kicked your brother into another food stall in her anger before we could do anything to stop her.

Draxum coughed conspicuously before snarking at Splinter. “You mean you were too busy stuffing your face with stolen food to help as your son was turned into a child and kicked across the street.”

Splinter had the decency to look ashamed as all three brothers groaned at their father. “Please tell me you’ve got an ID on that witch?” Raph asked with growing anger as he nodded towards Mikey and Donnie – a silent agreement to make this witch pay for what they’ve done.

Draxum stepped forward as he pulled out a mystic orb. Inside, the three boys could see an angry witch jumping up and down and clearly yelling from inside the prison the Baron had trapped her in. “Of course, we have her. She will be staying as a guest in this pocket dimension until we are able to reverse the effects of her spell.” The three boys stilled, focusing on Draxum.

“So, Barry, how do we fix this?” Donnie asked as he watched the witch holler her silent threats from the orb.

“We have all the ingredients for the spell we need”, the goat yokai stated holding up a bag of items slung over his other arm. “I collected the items myself after convincing this witch to tell me how to reverse her spell. I’m just keeping her with us in case she decided to lie about anything.” Draxum scowled with distaste as he looked at the witch in the orb. “The bad news is that the spell reversal must be performed on the night of a full moon.”

“The full moon?!” Raph repeated in shock. “That’s—”

“--19 days away.” Donnie finishes with a groan.

“Yes. Well, now that you all seem to have a handle on the situation, I’ll take my leave.” Baron Draxum awkwardly said as he began backing away towards the door. “I’ll leave this here.” The yokai carefully placed Leo’s katanas, scabbard, arm and leg wrappings, his belt, and medical pouches by the door. “Let me know if you need anything…otherwise I’ll return on the day of the full moon.” He awkwardly finished as he left the lair.

Splinter sighed, shifting his small son in his arms “So boys, you’ll have to watch after Blue until the full moon.” He chuckled nervously as all three teenagers glared at him for being the cause of this mess. “I of course will be here if you need me…. Supervising from a distance. I am sure you will do just fine in caring for your brother.”

The unimpressed glares being shot at Splinter were interrupted by Leo squirming in discomfort and his bright eyes blinking around at the surroundings.

“Leo!” Three voices rang out and the brothers crowded around the small terrapin.

Leo blinked a few times in confusion at their father before turning towards the voices that had woke him.

“Ohmigosh!! You’re so cute Leo!” Mikey squealed as he took in his little older brother.

Leo looked alarmed by the three and let out a loud chirp of fear before burying his face in his father’s fur. Donnie shared a look of concern with Raph and Mikey.

“Blue.” Splinter appealed to his son as he tried to pry the kid’s fingers out of his fur. “These are your brothers. You’re not telling me you don’t recognize them because they got a little bigger, are you?”

At Splinter’s soft coaxing, Leo turned his face towards his brothers once more and looked at them with suspicion. Donnie took the lead, removing his bandana and gesturing towards Raph and Mikey to do the same. “Hey Nardo” Donatello said softly as he kneeled, so he’d be at face height with his twin. “It’s me Don. Do you recognize us? That’s Mikey and Raph, he said as he motioned towards the other two that had also kneeled down with him.” He used their special turtle sign language (TSL) to communicate with his twin: I’m here. Are you ok?

Donnie waited anxiously to see if Leo was old enough to understand their special language, hoping this would dispel the fearful look in his brother’s eyes. Leo seemed to be examining his twin at length and his eyes shined with recognition at the TSL. Score. Donnie thought with hope. Leo turned to examine Raph and Mikey as well, smiling shyly at Mikey’s huge grin and coos he made at Leo.

Leo finally turned back to Donatello and tears sprung up in his eyes as he finally released all the tension he’d built up since waking. He reached his short arms towards his twin as tears began to pour from his eyes. Donnie was quick to scoop Leo up and hug him tightly to his plastron as his twin shuddered quietly in his arms. His heart clenched painfully at Leo’s tears, confused on how to best calm his brother, and hoping he wasn’t in a lot of pain from his injuries.

“There, there Lee.” Mikey cooed and came closer to hug his brothers tightly.

Raph came behind all three of them and scooped his brothers up in his arms before walking towards the infirmary. He chuckled a little at the shocked look on Leo’s face, his crying halted for a moment as he peeked out from Donnie’s arms at Raph and took in the change in altitude. “Don’t worry pops. We got this.” Raph said quietly but confidently as he carried them all away.

Raph flicked on the light in their infirmary before depositing his brothers down beside one of the medical cots Leo had procured (stolen) for them after the Kraang invasion. It had only been three months since the invasion, but after they had healed from their injuries, the brothers had all banded together to repair the lair and Leo had almost fully restocked the infirmary after several visits to the Hidden City. Raph had a feeling Leo had lifted the medical equipment from Big Mama’s Battle Nexus arena, but Raph wasn’t going to look too closely at this one.

Donnie lifted Leo onto the cot and began to sign with his twin who had stopped crying and was looking at his brothers with something like awe in his eyes. Are you hurt? Donnie signed, happy when Leo hesitated before signing back. Arm. Ouch. Knee. Ouch. Despite Leo’s limited vocabulary with TSL at this current age, Donnie was able to locate the cuts on Leo’s arm and a dark bruise that was forming on Leo’s knee.

Donnie got to work cleaning Leo’s cuts while Mikey distracted the little turtle by letting him pick out which cartoon bandages he wanted to put on his cuts. After bandaging the cuts, Donnie checked Leo for any signs of concussion. Thank pizza supreme he doesn’t have any head injuries. He thought gratefully.

Raph left the infirmary briefly and returned with a small blue stuffed bear from his collection for Leo to hold as Donnie finished up the exam. Leo gave a small happy chirp at the teddy, but still seemed to be shaking slightly and was staring in shock at everything.

Donnie was concerned Leo wasn’t speaking yet. He remembered his brother was quite proficient with language as a child, and knew English, basic TSL, and even some Spanish as a young child from staying up to watch telenovelas with Splinter. It had usually been Donnie who’d had periods of time where he found it difficult to communicate verbally and opted to use TSL to chat with his brothers. How old are you? Donnie signed to Leo.

Leo’s eyes brightened again, he seemed excited every time he understood Donnie’s signs. Three. Leo signed back.

“Oh. Mi. Gosh. Three!?” Mikey cut in as he scooped Leo up into a hug. “You are the CUTEST turtle-tot on this planet!” Donnie’s younger brother was squealing as he spun Leo around. His twin’s eyes were wide, but the spinning hug shocked a startled giggle from their toddler brother. Donnie didn’t miss the delighted grin Mikey had on his face or Raph’s own nostalgic fond smile at the sound. His own heart warmed at Leo’s little giggle.

Mikey kept Leo snug in his arms instead of putting him back on the cot and their tiny brother’s shaking limbs seemed to slow slightly in the firm hug the orange turtle was giving. Donnie took his brother’s slightly more relaxed demeanour to explain things to Leo.

“Nardo.” Donnie said softly, getting his twin’s attention again. “A witch used magic to turn you into a three-year-old. You are supposed to be 16. We can turn you back into your normal self in 19 days on the full moon.” Donnie held eye contact with his twin, who was regarding him with a seriousness to match his tone.

Donnie knew he had never lied as a little kid (not well enough to convince anyone anyway), he had always been blunt and said the facts as they were, so little Leo was taking what he said as the truth. Why? Leo signed at him.

“Well, I suppose it is mostly Papa’s fault – he stole food from the witch and made her angry. But given what we do on the daily and your ability to always find trouble, I’d chalk it up to an occupational hazard.” Donnie said dryly, as Leo looked at him clearly confused by the big words. The slider’s lower lip began to tremble, and he signed Sorry as tears began to fill his eyes.

Donnie floundered for a moment, unsure how Leo had interpreted his words, but luckily Raph stepped in. “It’s ok Leo, it wasn’t your fault little buddy. It was that mean witch’s fault. Once you’re back to full size, you can help us ‘have a little chat’ with the mean witch, little man. No one messes with the Mad Dogs!” Donnie almost laughed at the excited but confused look on Leo’s face, his little limbs still shaking with shock from the events of the day.

“We’re ninja big--ah—actually little bro!” Mikey added in giving Leo a wide smile. “And our team is called the Mad Dogs! We go on missions and save New York, all while kicking bad guy butt!”

Donnie watched, amused as Raph looked mortified and loudly whispered “Language Mikey! Leo is a child!”

"What? A butt is a body part Raph. There’s nothing bad about it. Besides, we were all watching Lou Jitsu movies at Lee’s age, so he’s definitely heard of kicking butt before.” Mikey said with attitude.

Leo paused, shocked and clearly not paying attention to his brother’s squabble, as he turned to look up at Mikey, and clearly thinking before he signed Hero. Lou Jitsu?

“Yeah baby! Just like Lou Jitsu!” Mikey cheered squeezing Leo tighter. “Wanna see what you look like when you’re older?” he said pulling out his phone and flipping to his photos.

Leo nodded as Mikey pulled up a group picture of the brothers together at Run of the Mill Pizza. Mikey pointed to a grinning 16-year-old Leo who was holding up a slice of Hawaiian pizza and had his other arm slung around Donnie’s shoulders who was also grinning widely. Mikey was leaning into Raph on the opposite side of the table, and both had excited smiles on their faces. Donnie remembered Hueso taking that picture a week ago when they went for dinner out after a day in the Hidden City running errands. The softshell had to admit, it was a great shot of them.

Leo stared in awe at the picture, running his hands over the bandanas on each of their faces and touching his red stripes on his face before looking at each of his brothers. Mikey leaned in and whispered loudly “You look pretty cool Lee!” The toddler’s eyes seemed to sparkle, and he wrapped his little arms around Mikey’s neck and gave him a hug.

Donnie watched as Mikey appeared to be close to fainting from Leo’s cuteness at this point, tears forming in his eyes, and he quickly pulled up the camera app on his phone. “Selfie time! We need to commemorate this. I need photos of Lee looking so adorable I could scream.” Donnie huffed and smirked but leaned in for a picture. Leo was going to be so embarrassed by the turtle-tot photo collection that was going to be amassed by the time the full moon arrives. Donnie suppressed the evil laugh as he thought about the endless blackmail photos he would have of his twin when this was over.

With the medical exam over, Leo looked up at Raph before sticking his arms out and chirping to get his older brother’s attention. Raph’s expression melted into something soft and gooey, before he plucked Leo right from Mikey’s arms.

“The betrayal!” Mikey gasped dramatically. “I see how it is Lee.” He stuck out his tongue at Raph, who smirked at his younger brother over his victory.

“Big bro Raph’s got you little bro.” Raph gently tucked Leo into a hug. The toddler melted into Raph’s arms and smiled happily once Raph gave him the blue teddy bear to snuggle with. Mikey was acting like a paparazzo and snapping pictures of everything adorable Leo did.

Donnie put away the medical supplies and turned to his brothers. “Let’s grab some ice for his knee and put on a movie for him. I think it’s best if Leo rests for a bit after all this action.” He gestured to the slight tremors in Leo’s arms and legs that were still visible.

“Want to watch a movie and cuddle with Raph?” the eldest asked his (now) littlest brother, smiling hugely when Leo nodded back and snuggled back into his plastron. Raph carried Leo with his blue bear back into the living room and settled himself on the couch as Donnie was setting up a Lou Jitsu film of the projector. Mikey returned from the kitchen with an ice pack that he helped settle on Leo’s knee, and gave Leo an old sippy cup filled with juice that Leo happily grabbed from his brother.

Once the movie began, it wasn’t long before Raph nodded off, relaxed by the presence of his brothers and the warmth of snuggling Leo like a real-life teddy bear. Mikey spent most of the movie imitating Lou Jitsu’s moves and making Leo smile or giggle.

“So Lee, now that you’ve seen all your bros grown up and have seen some of my super rad moves, am I the coolest brother or what?” Mikey said striking a fancy pose that had Leo laughing again. “Come on Lee, say I’m the coolest for the camera once!” he pleaded with his phone already recording. Leo just giggled again before Donnie cut in.

“Angelo, quit harassing Nardo with the camera. I want to check his knee again, so please take the ice pack back to the kitchen for now.”

Mikey groaned but grabbed the melting ice pack anyway. “I’ll get him to say it before the full moon Dee. Then I’ll have eternal bragging rights on you two.” He gave a wink before disappearing towards the kitchen.

Donnie slid over to Leo and gently pressed at his brother’s knee, checking to see if the swelling had gone down. Leo held his hands out to Donnie, and the softshell couldn’t deny the puppy eyes Leo was fixing on him. “Ok, Nardo. You can sit with me.” He gently lifted Leo out of Raph’s lap so as not to wake his older brother and the slider didn’t waste any time snuggling into his twin’s arms. Donnie was pleased to note the tremors had stopped and the slider’s eyes were blinking heavily as he fought off sleep. Donnie adjusted Leo to a more comfortable position and rubbed the little slider’s shell softly.

Just before Leo’s eyes slid shut, Donnie heard his little voice for the first time since waking up in their home. “Tello is the coolest.” Leo mumbled sleepily, as he snuggled into his twin’s neck.

Donnie’s heart heroically did not burst immediately as the softshell felt an overwhelming rush of affection and love for his twin. Donnie cradled Leo closer listening to his twin’s sleepy snuffles as he thought: these 19 days won’t be so bad.

And yes, Donnie had the moment recorded.

Chapter Text

Michelangelo learned quickly that turtle-tots, or maybe just Leo specifically, had a LOT of energy. From the moment he woke up from his nap in the living room, curled peacefully up on Donnie’s chest as the softshell scrolled on his phone and absentmindedly rubbed the slider’s shell, Leo hadn’t stopped moving. He’d immediately begged Mikey to play Heroes and Villains with him, and Mikey had been quick to agree after squeaking in excitement at hearing his brother speak again.

“How about we get dressed up like real heroes and villains Lee?” Mikey suggested, excitedly grabbing his orange mask, and flashing a picture of teenage Leo in his blue mask. “I bet Don would make you a hero outfit if you asked nicely.”

Leo did a triple take between the picture, Mikey, and Donnie before becoming uncharacteristically shy and quiet, and looked right into his twin’s eyes before saying “Pwease Tello?”

Lethal move bro. Mikey thought as he watched his older brother melt at Leo’s soft request. Donnie smiled indulgently at his tiny twin. “I can do that dearest brother.” He said with a flourish and a bow. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be back with your outfit, Hero.” Don ruffled the top of Leo’s head before heading off to his lab.

“Come on Lee!” Mikey said as he grabbed his brother’s little hand in his. “Heroes gotta have stickers.” He gestured to the brightly coloured stickers he had across his plastron. Leo vibrated with excitement, his short legs hastening to keep up with his brother’s longer ones.

A quick stop in Mikey’s room (with Leo oohing at his bro’s cool space), and Leo was decked out with a sparkly neon blue lightning bolt with a silver holographic outline that stretched from the top right of his plastron towards the middle of his chest. He’d also chosen a sparkly blue and pink unicorn to go with his lightning bolt. “Looking good Neon Leon!” Mikey winked at his bro, giving two big thumbs up.

Leo flapped his hands in excitement before throwing his arms around Mikey. “Thanks Mike!” Mikey took another few photos of Leo, before dragging him out of his room and heading back to the living room. They ended up finding Raph along the way in the kitchen, where he was covering every sharp surface with bubble wrap and tape.

“What’cha doing bro?” Mikey asked as he watched Raph slap more tape on to secure an ungodly amount of bubble wrap to the table corner.

“Raph is turtle-tot proofing the lair.” His brother said with great concentration before turning to his little brothers. “Wow! Looking like a boss little man.” Raph gave a fist bump to his littlest brother, smothering a chuckle as Leo chirped happily at the compliment.

“Wanna join us for a game of Heroes and Villains, big bro?” Mikey asked.

Raph carefully avoided looking directly into Leo’s puppy eyes before saying “I’d be happy to join ya as soon as I finish bubble wrappin’ everythin’”.

Mikey snorted at Raph’s avoidance of eye contact as Leo squealed with excitement before starting to run laps around his brothers. “I think you might be overdoing it with the bubble wrap Raph, your brother-hen tendencies are showing.” Mikey teased lightly.

The words were barely out of Mikey’s mouth before Leo took one lap too wide and ran headfirst into the bubble-wrapped edge of the table, knocking himself onto his backside with a little “Oof”. Leo shook his head slightly and giggled before bouncing up and continuing to speed around his brothers.

Mikey pretended not to notice the smug side-eye the eldest was throwing at him once he saw Leo was ok. “Nah, Raph thinks he added just enough bubble wrap. Maybe I’ll even add another layer.” He collected his giant stack of bubble wrap and tape before heading out towards their bedrooms. Daamn, those older brother senses are insane. Could Raph predict the future or something? Maybe I need to step up my big bro game.

“Alright Lee, let’s go bug Don about that hero costume!” Mikey scooped Leo up before he could ram himself into any more surfaces in his excitement. They quickly grabbed the blue stuffed bear from the living room at Leo’s request before making their way to Donnie’s lab door.

“Knock knock Don. It’s me and Lil’ Lee! We cleared to enter?”

Mikey could hear a mad shuffle behind the door before Donnie scooted out with a purple display case on wheels that was covered with a cloth, quickly shutting the lab door behind him. “Sorry brothers of mine, no lab tour yet. Raph reminded me to ‘turtle-tot proof’ the space before letting Leo in.” He said as he made air quotes. “But I’ve brought a very special hero costume out here for you to see smallest brother dearest.”
Donnie gestured with showmanship towards the hidden items in the display case and lifted the cloth with a “Ta Daaaaaaa!”

Mikey’s ears were not prepared for the deafening, high-pitched shriek of delight that came out of Leo’s mouth. The kid’s eyes practically had stars in them as he clapped and jumped up and down. Donnie had crafted a smaller, but perfect replica of Leo’s bandana, belt, mini medical pouches (that held Jupiter Jim themed bandaids and a teeny bottle of spray disinfectant), and a strap with two little foam katanas. He’d also created a jacket clearly inspired by Lou Jitsu’s blue and orange jumpsuit. Mikey was impressed. All this in 15 minutes, his brother had outdone himself.

“Yes, I will be accepting compliments about how great I am---” Donnie had begun before letting out a huff as he was bodily tackled to the ground by his little twin hugging him.

“Tello is AMAZIN’!! This is the COOLEST!” Leo was chirping and squealing as he began to hyperventilate, Donnie patting his head with a shocked and genuine smile on his face. “Breathe Nardo, I’ll help you put everything on.”

Mikey smiled at his small brother, starting to record as Leo saw his reflection in a mirror all dressed up in his “hero outfit”. The little slider was vibrating with happiness, letting out unconscious delighted chirps that wouldn’t stop as he spun in front of the mirror flapping his arms with delight. Mikey felt his heart melt as he watched Donnie grin bigger than he had in months, also flapping his hands as he stimmed, happily watching his twin flip out over his gifts. He made sure to film them both – it was too precious not to capture on camera.

Leo bounded back over to his twin, tugging at his arm until Donnie crouched down to his height. Leo threw his arms around Donnie’s neck and planted a sloppy kiss right on his twin’s cheek. “Thanks Tello. Love you!” Leo gave his twin one final squeeze before beginning to run in circles holding his bear above his head as he continued to chirp excitedly.

Mikey laughed at his older brother. Don was losing his bad boy, don’t hug me image real fast in the face of his miniature charismatic twin, who clearly had him wrapped around Leo’s tiny little fingers. Donnie’s slack face of shock quickly morphed to something so soft and fond that was rarely seen openly on the genius brother’s face. Mikey was pretty sure Leo was going to be getting some rad inventions as gifts after this.

Mikey cheered for Leo, grabbing his attention. “Let’s go Lee! New York needs its hero Blue Jitsu to save the day!” He laughed as Leo whooped and spun his bear around. “Who’s your sidekick Blue?”

The toddler stopped, smirking at Mikey and Don and lifting his eyeridge in an expression that was pure Leo before saying in a sly voice “Beary Blue.” Mikey snorted loudly before breaking out in peals of laughter. Oh man! Lee was super proud of that pun. Mikey laughed even harder seeing Don’s eyebrow begin to twitch, caught between rolling his eyes at the ridiculous wordplay about the stuffed bear and trying to smother his laughter at Leo’s proud expression. Mikey’s pretty sure he heard Donnie quietly grumbling about whether the bad puns really were due to a genetic defect (rather than his twin being dropped on his head too many times as he had originally hypothesized), but his older brother was grinning with an expression softer than his shell.

The two youngest took off and began their game in the living room, with Mikey letting out evil cackles as little Blue Jitsu fought against the dangerous Dr. Disaster. The second thing Mikey learned was that as a turtle-tot Leo could JUMP. The kid was athletic, and even as a toddler he moved with the early signs of having the grace and speed of a ninja.

“Hot Sooouuuuuuuup!” Leo yelled in a tiny, determined voice as he leapt off the top of the couch, leg extended in a kick as he sailed through the air towards Mikey. His form’s actually pretty good Mikey noted with pride as he grinned at the blue turtle.

“I don’t think so.” Raph grabbed Leo mid jump around his middle and lifted his little brother to eye level. “No jumpin’ off the furniture Leo. Your knee is still bruised and ya shouldn’t be kickin’ things with that leg.” Raph leveled Leo with a serious stare before saying. “I just don’t want ya to get hurt little brother. OK?”

Leo pouted for a moment before saying “Ok Raphie. Mike and me’ll play ‘nother game.”

“Thank you little man.” Raph said with a smile as he continued his mission to make sure every sharp surface in the lair was cushioned and harmful items were locked away.

“What’ll we play now Lee?”

“Uhhhhhhh. Hide n seek!” Leo cheered.

“Oh! Nice pick mini bro!” Mikey said. “You know, you’ll be playing against the hide and seek champion.” Mikey teased with a wink.

“Champion?” Leo asked with awe.

“Yessiree little Lee. I hold the record for longest time before being caught by you, Don, and Raph. You three couldn’t find me for one whole hour.” Mikey said with pride.

“Wow!” Leo gushed, and it wouldn’t be until later that Mikey would regret not recognizing the familiar gleam in his brother’s eyes at this moment.

The third thing Mikey learned about turtle-tot Leo was that he was COMPETITIVE. It had been 45 minutes since Leo’s turn to hide had started and Mikey couldn’t find his brother anywhere. Mikey had made Leo PROMISE not to leave the lair for the game, but the box turtle was seriously starting to worry. He called out to his brother, telling him he won the game, but he couldn’t hear a single peep from the slider, nor had he seen him. He came across Beary Blue laying near the lair exit, and Mikey couldn’t delay asking for help now. His brother could be lost or injured in the sewer tunnels.

Mikey raced through the lair yelling for his big brothers. Both had let out a worried string of curses, running out of the lair in two different directions and yelling Leo’s name.

“Mikey, stay in the lair and continue to check in all the cupboards and under the beds.” Raph commanded as he took charge of the situation. “Everyone text the group chat once Leo’s been found.” He called out as he took off into the tunnels.

Mikey tore apart the lair but couldn’t find a single trace of his brother. It was on hour two of searching that Mikey truly began to despair. Oh gosh, what if Leo is hurt and scared and this is all my fault. I can’t believe I’ve screwed up being a big brother so badly. I never should’ve said anything about the stupid record. I KNOW how serious Leo gets with the Lair Games and all competitions. Ugh, I’m so stupid!

Mikey began to break down in tears when Splinter materialized at his shoulder, giving his son’s arm a gentle squeeze. “What is wrong my son?” he asked gently.

“Leo’s missing after we started playing Hide and Seek and it’s all my fault. I can’t find him anywhere! What if he’s hurt Dad? What if he made it up to the surface and someone bad took him?” big, fat tears began to run down his face, and his father gently wiped them away and gave his son a hug.

“It is not your fault my son. We both know how Blue gets with games of competition. You have done a fine job looking after your brother today.” Splinter said with a proud smile. “Trust me, I KNOW how hard taking care of baby turtles can be.” His father gave him a teasing smile and a wink. “But do not fret any longer, I do not think Blue went very far.” He stated confidently with his ears twitching. “Watch your old man now Orange. I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

Splinter took a deep breath before yelling loudly in the lair. “OH NO!” He wailed with faux dramatics. “BLUE! COME QUICK! ORANGE HAS BEEN INJURED AND NEEDS YOUR HELP!” Splinter flicked his tail right at Mikey’s forehead with force and the box turtle let out a yelp of pain. Within moments, Mikey could hear a scurrying above them before he saw his brother slide out of a small pipe running along the roof of the lair and the little blue turtle flipped down to the ground and ran at his brother with a worried look. Leo was covered in dirt and grime from the pipes, but Mikey didn’t care. His eyes watered with relief, and he threw his arms around his brother as he began to cry.

“It’s ok Angie! I’ll make the boo boo go ‘way!” Leo declared confidently as he hugged Michel tightly.

Mikey got himself together after a few minutes, still hugging Leo tightly, and looked up in shock and gratitude at his father. “How’d you know that’d work Dad?”

“Oh Orange, your brother might be competitive to the point of being stupid, but Blue’s always been the first to come running when one of you was hurt and needed him.” He said with a small smile. “Now please do not incite your brother to begin any new competitions. And call Red and Purple. I do not want them terrorizing all of New York looking for Blue.”

Mikey smiled and thanked his dad as Splinter left to go make himself some tea before dinner. Michel sent out a text to the group and turned his attention back to Leo.

“Sorry for scarin’ you, Angie.” Leo looked remorsefully up into his brother’s eyes.

“It’s ok Lee. I know you didn’t mean to. I just got scared worrying that you were hurt somewhere.”

“Sorry Angie. Pwease sit.” Leo still had a serious look on his face as he looked at his brother, and Mikey fully collapsed into a cross-legged sit as the tension left his body. Leo climbed up in his lap and opened his baby medical pouch. He took out the disinfectant spray and held it out for Mikey to see. “For gwerms.” The toddler said solemnly before spraying Mikey’s forehead.

Mikey began to smile despite being so distressed just moments ago. Apparently even baby Leo had what the brother’s lovingly referred to as Doctor Leo’s Medic Mode. Leo’s carefree and joking attitude disappeared when Medic Mode began, and they all knew to follow Leo’s instructions to the letter – they trusted their brother with their lives. Leo then carefully placed a JJ bandage over the sore spot from Splinter’s tail and gave Mikey’s forehead a soft kiss by the bandage. “Don’t be sad Angie. You’re bigger right now, but you’re still MY baby bro! And I say it’s ok. Love you, Angie!”

Mikey’s eyes began to water again, and he crushed Leo in a tight hug. “Love you too, Leo.”
They broke apart from their hug as their two brothers burst into the living room and stood for a moment staring at Leo and Mikey as they tried to catch their breath from hurrying back.

“OH THANK DARWIN!” Donnie gasped and landed next to his two brothers as he collapsed in relief. “Where in Curie’s name were you?” Donnie questioned Leo, looking at his twin’s face suspiciously. “And why are you so dirty??”

Mikey nudged Donnie’s arm and nodded his head towards the ceiling pipes. “You stayed in the pipes for three hours, Leo?!” Don said with disbelief.

“Three ‘ows?” Leo parroted back.

“Yeah, Lee. You were in there for 3 hours.” Mikey said with a guilty tone.

Leo sat thinking as he counted each of his three fingers slowly before cheering loudly. “I’m the Hide n Seek Champ!”

All three brothers groaned. “Please no more going in the pipes Lee. Your big bro’s heart can’t take it.” Raph said scooping his littlest brother up in his arms. “Now let’s get you cleaned up. I can’t even see your stripes there’s so much dirt on ya.”

“Sorry Dee, Sorry Raphie.” Leo said sadly.

“It’s ok, Leo. We know ya didn’t mean to scare anyone.” Raph gave the toddler’s head a pat before grimacing as his hand came away covered in dark grime and sludge.

Mikey looked over at Donnie who was rewatching security footage of Leo flipping down from the pipe and running to Mikey. “The little gremlin found a blind spot in my camera system when he climbed up into the pipes. But he couldn’t have known, could he?” Donnie was squinting at the footage on his wrist trying to watch Leo closer. “So Angelo…” he drawled, switching gears and smirking at his little brother. “How does it feel to be outwitted by your turtle-tot brother?” He teased. “Embarrassing? Very embarrassing? Very, very embarrassing?”

“Oh, can it Don. He avoided all your cameras as well.” He stuck his tongue out at his older brother, making his brother chuckle.

“Go get cleaned off Angelo.” Don said kindly, the traces of teasing gone. “You’re covered in Leo’s sewer grime. I’ll make some sandwiches for dinner, I’m too exhausted to wait for anything to cook.” Mikey nodded in thanks before heading off to get all the dirt off him.

When Mikey returned to the kitchen, Raph and Leo had come back as well, with Leo happily jabbering to Raph about his day from his cozy spot in Raph’s arms. Raph meanwhile…. Mikey laughed at his brother’s expense – his brother had a towel around his neck and had clearly been soaked trying to wrangle Leo during bath time. He gave the little slider an exasperated but fond smile as he placed him in a blue booster seat (clearly Donnie crafted) and took his own seat beside the toddler letting out a sigh of relief. “Raph forgot how hard it was getting Leo outta the water once his bath was done.” The snapper said as he finished drying himself off with the towel.

Donnie carefully placed sandwiches in front of Raph and Mikey and slid a plastic tray filled with deconstructed sandwich ingredients (meats cut up in little pieces, cheese slices, some veggies, and crackers instead of bread) in front of Leo before sitting across from his twin with his own sandwich.

Mikey looked at Donnie and Raph, everyone eating silently, enjoying the peace after their scare earlier. Leo did not seem particularly interested in the food, mashing it between his little fingers and laughing at Donnie when he told him not to play with his food. The next thing Mikey learned was that Leo as a turtle-tot was a very picky eater.

Mikey watched as Leo’s face scrunched up looking at the food in front of him and he firmly kept his mouth shut every time Raph tried to feed him little bits from the tray. “Raphie have some?” Leo asked innocently, holding up a piece of cheese.

“Raph’ll have one bite if Leo eats one bite.” Raph tried to bargain.

“Yea!” Leo agreed easily, giggling when Raph took a bite of the cheese in his hand.

“Now your turn little bro.” Raph said bringing a cracker over to Leo’s mouth.

“I wanna do it!” Leo protested and Raph let him hold the cracker. Mikey watched with mild amusement as Leo pretended to nibble the cracker until Raph looked away and the little blue terrapin would crush the cracker and try to hide the evidence under the tray or in his napkin. This charade continued for a few more bites until Donnie noticed and stared unimpressed at his twin.

“Nardo, eat the food.”

Leo blew a raspberry at Donnie and launched a piece of meat that smacked his twin right between his eyebrows. Leo giggled uncontrollably, Raph soon snickering too, and Mikey couldn’t help it before busting up at the softshell whose thick eyebrow was twitching in irritation.

“Hey Lee! What do you wanna have for dinner? Chef Mikey will make it for you!” Mikey stood up, grabbing his chef’s hat, and watching Leo closely.

“Juice!” Leo shouted pushing the tray away.

“Leo, you cannot subsist on juice alone.” Donnie said firmly, pushing the tray back towards his brother. The tone made Leo’s lower lip wobble, and Mikey jumped forwards halting the tray his brother was trying to move towards the toddler.

“Ah ah ah. There will be nooooo forcing anyone to eat foods they don’t want in Chef Mikey’s kitchen, Don. I seem to recall everyone leaving you alone when you wouldn’t eat jello or Hawaiian pizza, so leave Lee alone or I’ll have to call Dr. Delicate Touch out for a late-night appointment.” Mikey threatened in a sweet voice, patting Leo on the head, banishing the wobbling lip in an instant.

Donnie looked shocked by the fierce protectiveness coming from his little brother, and smiled slightly before leaning back in his chair and turning to Leo. “Sorry Nardo, I shouldn’t have tried to force you.” He gently wiped away the tears that had collected in Leo’s eyes and turned back to the angry chef. “Let’s see what Chef Mikey can do.”

Mikey was very proud of his big brother for backing down from the battle that had been building with his twin and was feeling a little shy as he saw the knowing looks Donnie and Raph were sharing before both shot him an understanding smile.

Mikey elected to ignore his big brothers and proceeded to whip up a healthy juice with several fruits he knew Leo was a fan of, making sure to show each to Leo and ask first before adding them (he even snuck in some spinach, but Leo wouldn’t be able to tell the difference).

He poured it into a plastic cup that he drew spaceships on while the juice was blending. Mikey designed them to look just like Jupiter Jim’s ship. He finished the juice off with a blue curly straw and handed it to Leo who cheered and happily began drinking Mikey’s creation.

“Look! It’s JJ’s ship!” Leo shouted between sips of the juice, pointing at the drawings to show them to Don and Raph.

“Yeah, pretty cool little man.” Raph said with a soft smile, sending a proud big brother beam at Mikey, who felt his cheeks warm in happiness.

While Leo was occupied with the juice, Mikey proceeded to take stock of the ingredients they had in their kitchen. It had been a while since they went shopping for groceries, so Mikey would have to make something simple for Leo tonight, but he was determined to create meals that even Leo wouldn’t refuse. His pride as a chef was on the line! Mikey first created a PB&J sandwich that was cut to look like the moon, with blueberry jam used to paint little craters on the surface of the bread. He then cut cucumber slices and carrots to look like alien heads and stars and arranged them around the sandwich. He finished off the meal tray with a cookie he carved to look like Red Fox’s face.

“For my most favourite teeny brother Lee, a Jupiter Jim meal of Champions!” Mikey winked at Leo, watching his brother’s eyes widen in excitement at the mention of champions.

“WOW! Thanks Angie!” Leo cheered and oohed at the food. “SO COOL!”

Mikey felt his heart warm seeing Leo love the cool food presentation he worked on. He also felt an intense satisfaction and happiness that Leo actually ate the food he prepared (not the carrots, but Mikey was proud he tried at least one bite). Leo cheered and thanked Mikey all through his dinner until the toddler’s eyes began to droop and his head dropped to his plastron.

“Very impressive brother of mine.” Donnie complimented as he smiled at Mikey. “You handled that expertly, and made sure Leo had a great time all day, despite him being so afraid when he first woke up.”

“Yeah, you’re a great big brother Mikey.” Raph beamed, scooping his orange brother up in a big hug.

“Though I’m pretty sure if Leo was the youngest, he’d grow up to be absolutely insufferable, because Mikey would definitely let him do whatever he wanted.” Donnie chuckled.

“Hey, I’m not taking that from the one wrapped around Lee’s little fingers.”

Raph laughed loudly and pulled them all into a hug. Leo stirred in his booster seat and blinked blearily at his brothers.

“Bedtime Nardo?” Donnie asked the toddler.

“Wanna sleepover with Angie.” Leo mumbled rubbing his eyes.

Raph put his hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “Let your big bros finish cleaning and doing the dishes.”

“You go get some sleep with Leo, it’s really late now.” Donnie chimed in, taking Mikey’s plate. “You just HAD to be champion of Hide and Seek, eh Nardo?” Don rubbed Leo’s shell softly as the slider slipped off to sleep again.

Michel carried Leo to his room and settled them both in his hammock. The orange turtle reflected on the day – from the shock of Leo being transformed into a kid, to the joy on his brother’s face when they played together, and the absolute terror he felt when Leo had disappeared for three hours. It was only end of the first day and so much had happened. It had been fun, but it could also be extremely stressful caring for your turtle-tot brother. Mikey had thought he’d need to do something special and different to be a great big brother to Lee, but the best lesson he learned was that he could be a great big brother just by being himself and sharing what he loved with Leo.

Leo had squirmed his way further into Mikey’s arms and two youngest turtles fell asleep clutching one another. As the box turtle drifted off, Mikey could hear a soft contented chirp from his brother, and he answered with a happy protective chirp of his own.

Chapter Text

Raph woke up late the next morning, blinking sleepily and enjoying the quiet -- OH NO, IT’S QUIET! the snapper’s eyes shot open fully and Raph was out of bed in seconds and bolting out the door in a panic.

He ran by Mikey’s room, finding it empty, then Leo’s and Donnie’s. Seeing Donnie actually asleep for once, Raph backed out quietly and continued his anxious search. He could now hear soft music coming from the kitchen and quickly hurried towards the sound.

Raph breathed a sigh of relief once he located his two remaining brothers in the kitchen.
Leo was sitting at the table in his booster seat with a cup of juice and a stack of paper and crayons in front of him. Mikey was flipping pancakes and had his own sketchbook out as he waited for the pancakes to cook. A small speaker was playing soft instrumental music. At Raph’s abrupt entrance, both brothers looked up at him and the eldest’s heart melted at the smiles sent his way.

“Morning Raphie!” Leo shouted out happily, and Mikey brought his finger up to his lips as he turned to the toddler. “Oh yeah.” Leo placed a finger up to his mouth. “Shhhhh! Dee is sleepin’.” The toddler whisper shouted at Raph before turning back to his colouring.

Mikey sighed fondly at Leo shaking his head before turning to Raph. “Lee woke up a little early this morning so we’ve been having some art time before breakfast. I think Dee stayed up most of last night so we’re trying to keep it quiet around the lair this morning. Take a seat big bro.” Mikey said pulling out a chair by Leo. “I’ll have breakfast ready soon.”

“Thanks Mikey.” He gave Mikey’s shoulder a light pat before pulling up next to the slider. His brother’s tongue was sticking out as he drew with great concentration. The little turtle was using copious amounts of grey and purple in his current picture.

“What’cha drawing Leo?” he asked his little brother.

“Magic hippo.” Leo responded, taking a break from colouring to show off his drawing.

Raph blinked in shock for a minute. Leo was no artist, but was he drawing Hypno?

“Where’d ya see the magic Hippo Leo? Did Mikey tell you a story about him?” Mikey had left the stove for a minute to look at Leo’s drawing as well.

“Nope!” Leo said. “They’re from my dream adventure!”

“Oh, that’s cool Leo.” Raph said as he shot Mikey a look. Mikey looked confused as well. Was Leo dreaming about his real memories from when he was older? “Can I see some of your other drawings Leo?”

“Yea!” the toddler said as he excitedly started grabbing finished drawings from his pile. He held up a picture of with crude buildings drawn and a vehicle on the road. There was a small green and orange figure above the vehicle in the air. “Angie went flying out of the car!”

Ah, that must be the turtle tank. Raph did have a memory of Mikey using himself as a projectile, tucked into his shell as he was shot out of the bowling ball cannon.

Mikey came over and chuckled at the picture. “So cool Lee!”

“For Angie!” Leo said holding out the picture of Mikey being fired out of the turtle tank.
“Wow!! Thanks Lee!” Mikey gushed as he grabbed the picture. “This one’s going up on the fridge!”

Leo shimmied with delight in his seat, before handing a new picture to Raph. “For Raphie!”

Raph grabbed the picture and felt his heart drop. Well, I guess they are actual memories he’s dreaming of. The picture was clearly Leo being pushed off a building by Draxum with Raph catching a falling Leo with his mystic powers. Red crayon surrounded the green and red drawing of Raph.

“Raphie saved me in my dream! Raphie was so cool!” Leo was looking at Raph, who was frozen in shock and hadn’t said anything aloud yet.

“Oh! Lee, those dreams you’re having are real things that happened from when you’re older! Raph did save you from falling!” Mikey said to the toddler.

Mikey did not notice Raph making a ‘cut it out’ gesture behind the toddler’s back. “Real?” a tiny, concerned voice said looking at Mikey and Raph with a frown on his face.

“Yeah! Those are our awesome ninja adventures baby!” Mikey said proudly.

Leo was quiet, his mouth pressed in a thin line and a little furrow formed between his eyes, A Raph-casm. Raph thought fondly as he pulled Leo out of the booster seat and onto his lap. He gently rubbed away the little furrow drawing the slider’s attention. “It’s ok Leo. Whatever you dreamed, you don’t have to worry about it.” He pulled Leo up for a soft hug.

“Raphie ok?” Leo asked in a small, sad tone as he looked at the picture of them falling from the building.

“I’m ok buddy.” He kept Leo snug against his plastron. “I love the drawing you made for me Leo. You made your big bro look like a real boss.” This got a little smile from his brother.

Mikey was silently apologizing with his eyes to Raph once he realized his slip up. The box turtle tried to break up the more sombre mood as he served up breakfast with extra razzmatazz. He flipped pancakes onto plates and added goofy faces to the food with whipped cream and fruit. Leo was smiling at his brother, but he still refused to let go of Raph.

The eldest did his best to redirect Leo’s attention to something different, pulling up a picture that was clearly the lair. Leo had drawn all three of his brothers and dad with him in the living room by the projector smiling. What Raph didn’t understand was why there were random black spots drawn on walls or the floor.

“This is a real nice picture of us and our home Leo!” He praised. “What are these here?” he pointed to one of the black spots.
Leo smiled at the praise and tapped at Raph’s shell until he leaned in closer to the toddler. “They’re ninja spots!” Leo whispered to his older brother.

Ninja spots? What was he talking about? “What are ya talking about little man?”

Leo looked around suspiciously at Mikey who was covering his mouth and trying not to laugh as he pretended not to hear Leo’s loud whispering. “It’s a secret!” Leo whispered to Raph before looking at Mikey again who was now subtly shaking with laughter.

“Oh. Think you could show me your ninja spots little brother? Raph is really good with secrets.” He whispered back to Leo. Leo considered his brother for a moment before nodding. He jumped down from his brother’s lap and grabbed his hand, tugging him out of the kitchen.

“What about me Lee?” Mikey asked his small brother with puppy dog eyes. “Can I come?”

“No!” Leo declared. “Only Raphie!” Mikey pretended to be offended as Raph laughed as he was pulled away. “What about breakfast Lee? You gonna eat your pancakes?”

“Later Angie!” Leo called as he finally led Raph out of the kitchen.

Leo led him to the bathroom first where his hero costume had been left to dry after yesterday’s trip into the pipes and subsequent cleaning. “Raphie help pwease?”

Raph smiled widely, scooping his brother up. “Of course Leo.” The eldest helped Leo put on his little mask, his belt and medical pouches, and his two swords strapped to his back. The little turtle decided he didn’t want the Lou Jitsu coat and tugged Raph back into the hallway as he thanked his big brother.

Leo led him to wall in the hallway beside the living room. There was a thin pipe that ran from the ground to the ceiling and Leo began to climb up the pipe, with Raph hovering behind him ready to catch his brother if he fell.

Raph watched as Leo began to lift a grate high up on the wall with great effort, so he stepped forward to lift the grate the rest of the way for his younger brother. Leo crawled into the space beyond the grate and Raph had to stretch up onto the tips of his feet to peer in.

Raph’s eyes widened and he covered his mouth so he wouldn’t laugh aloud. Leo had taken him to a secret stash of items he had been hiding in the walls. Raph could see a wrapped purple present addressed to Donnie – something Leo had clearly been hiding from his twin for their upcoming birthday in a few months, a few Jupiter Jim comics, and a stash of candy. Leo was kneeling in the small space, sticking his arm deep into a giant bag of gummy worms. He grabbed a handful and stuffed them into one of his medical pouches, before reaching back in for another handful that he offered to Raph.

Raph chuckled and took the gummy candies. “Thanks little bro! Pretty cool ninja spot you found.” He helped Leo out of the hiding spot and they both tapped a gummy worm together before Leo popped his in his mouth and grinned up at his big brother. Raph laughed warmly and took a bite out of his gummy worm too. “Alright little brother, let’s go have some of that breakfast Mikey made for us, ok?”

Leo nodded as he gnawed on his gummy worm. Raph carried Leo back to the kitchen, where he was shocked to see Donnie up, hunched over a cup of coffee at the table. The softshell was looking through Leo’s drawings with curiosity and was staring at the picture of the lair with them in it like a puzzle.

Raph sat down with Leo on his lap and helped cut up some pancakes for his brother to eat. “Morning Don.”

Donnie barely glanced up from Leo’s picture as he responded, “Morning brothers.”

Mikey bounded over to plate up more pancakes for Raph before noticing Leo sitting quietly with his gummy worm. “Hey, where’d ya get the candy from Lee?”

Leo hid the candy behind his back and looked up at Raph. His brother took the gummy worm from his hand and quickly popped it in his mouth. “No gummy worms here, I don’t know what’cha talking about little bro.” Raph said winking at Leo.

The toddler giggled at his older brother and Mikey huffed in indignation as he went to grab Leo’s juice from the fridge. By the time he’d turned around, Leo had placed two gummy worms on Michel’s plate and another two on Don’s, with Raph helping lift him over to their spots. Leo pulled the last gummy worm from his pouch before holding it out to Raph.

Raph took a little bite and held it out for Leo who also chomped on the candy smiling. “Awww! Thanks for sharing Lee.” Mikey cooed as he squeezed Leo’s cheeks.

As the brothers ate breakfast Mikey talked about going grocery shopping later and requested one of them accompany him with the turtle tank later to help haul everything he needed home. Leo was munching on his pancake strips watching Don type furiously on his wrist tech. The holographic computer screen glowed a faint purple, illuminating Donnie’s face as he stared hard at whatever was being projected.

“GASP!” Donnie said aloud, turning to his twin with a shocked and slightly manic look on his face. “Leo, this picture is showing the blind spots in my camera system! How did you even figure this out??”

Leo paused mid-munch, taking in his twin’s expression before jumping down from Raph’s lap. “Demon Donnie.” He squeaked as he hightailed it out of the kitchen.

Donnie’s eyebrow was twitching in irritation. “Oh brother!” he called it in a falsely sweet and high voice. “Please come back! I just want to hear how you found all my blind spots. If you come back and tell your dearest twin, there shan’t be any consequences.”

“Don, he’s three. Don’t threaten your brother.” Raph said smirking, thinking about the ‘ninja spots’ Leo found all over the lair, as he kept a hand on the softshell’s shoulder.

Mikey was laughing despite the murderous looks Donnie was sending his way. He cleared away the plates and sighed seeing that Leo hadn’t eaten much of this breakfast. He’d definitely have to get some different food options to offer to Leo later.

“Little gremlin. He’s known about these blind spots for a while and never said anything.” Donnie grumbled as he fought against Raph’s hold, an eye on the door where Leo had disappeared.

Splinter came through the kitchen door at the next moment, smiling at his three sons. “Good morning my sons. It is good you are all awake. I have a few things I would like you to pick up at the store today.” He pulled out a list, handing it to Mikey and then started to make himself a cup of tea.

Mikey scanned the list, short as it was, and repeated it back to his father. “We can definitely grab you more tea Dad, but what’s with the sudden request for watermelon, applesauce, and blue food colouring?”

Splinter chuckled before answering the box turtle with a fond look in his eyes. “There was a period of time when Blue was small where he would only eat watermelon or a limited-edition blue applesauce themed like that Jupiter Jim man you boys all like so much.” The rat smiled at the memory. “It was quite a challenge at times getting food he would eat, but you’ve already done such a good job getting your brother to try new things.” Their dad gave them all a proud look as he began to steep his tea.

“Ok, dad! I’ll make sure to bring back some watermelon too! I’m gonna make Leo some gourmet applesauce once I’m back! Come on Raph!” Mikey called. “You can help carry all the groceries. Let’s go get our disguises on!”

“Oh Papaaa! Have you seen Leo anywhere perchance?” Donnie asked as he continued his struggle against Raph’s grip.

“Oh, funny one. You should go with your brothers and drive the tank. Blue and I have our shows we must watch together.” Splinter said as he slowly walked out of the kitchen before nodding at Raph.

“Let’s go Don.” Raph sighed as he dragged his still struggling brother towards his room to grab some clothing for disguises.

Raph could hear Splinter calling out for Leo as they walked to the garage. “Blue! Come sit with your dad -- our show is on. You will not believe what Fernando did to Sofía last episode! And bring some of your ‘secret’ gummy worms!”

Getting groceries was fairly uneventful in Raph’s opinion. Other than Donnie muttering to himself about what other secrets Leo knew and generally scheming about cornering his twin after the full moon, it was a peaceful trip.

“Hey Mike, did you pick up the snacks for movie night tonight?” Raph asked his younger brother as they headed to the checkout. “We have to make sure we have M&Ms to add to the popcorn for April –“ OH NO.

Raph and Mikey shared identical looks of horror as they realized they hadn’t told April or Casey what had happened yet. They rushed through the self-checkout and ran back to the tank, throwing the groceries in and yelling at Donnie to call April on speaker phone.

“APRIL O’NEIL on the line. What’s kicking Dee? Need me to pick anything up for movie night tonight?”

“Hello dearest sister. No, we have plenty of snacks for the movie tonight. Will you and Casey be joining us this evening?” Donnie hedged, hesitant to bring up the point of the call.

“Casey is away at an overnight fieldtrip with his class, so he won’t be there tonight.” April said, her voice now turning suspicious. “Now don’t ‘dearest sister’ me Don. What did you four goofs do now?”

“Well-“

“It’s complicated-“

“LEO’S THREE NOW!”

Three voices rang out at the same time. All three brothers cringed at the tone of their sister who responded after a prolonged moment of silence.

“I’m sorry? WHAT NOW? I’m going to give you three till the count of five to explain IN DETAIL what happened.” She said in disbelief and with a no-nonsense tone.

“Leo was cursed by a witch in the Hidden City and turned into a three year old...” Donnie began.

“-But don’t worry April, cause we can reverse it on the next full moon.” Raph added.
“--He’s super cute April! You’re gonna melt when you see him!” Mikey cut in.

April sighed long and loud. After a moment to collect herself, the three brothers listened to her response. “I am going to need more details from you three, I can’t BELIEVE this has happened. You four can’t stay out of trouble if you tried.” She ranted. “BUT I am excited to see my little bro as a cute toddler. Here’s what’s going to happen. You three are gonna come pick me up in thirty minutes from my parent’s house. I want to grab a few things and then I wanna come see my little bro. Is he with you three right now?”

All three brothers breathed a sigh of relief. “No, he’s back home with Dad right now.” Mikey responded.

“All right, see you three in thirty!” She hung up.

Donnie started up the tank and drove across the city to pick up April. When they arrived at her place, she was already outside the building standing beside a large cardboard box as tall as she was, waving at the tank as they parked beside her.

“Give me a hand with this box guys!” She said as she climbed up in the tank greeting her brothers.

Raph pulled the box in and settled beside his sister. “What’s in the box April?”

“Just a few things for my baby bro!” she said with a smile. “Now who’s going to fill me on what’s happened?”

Mikey took off explaining everything that had happened since Splinter returned with Leo yesterday from the Hidden City and before Raph knew it, they were back at the Lair.

Raph carried April’s box with them as they headed inside, making their way to the projector room, hearing the drone of Splinter’s shows playing. Raph noticed the foam swords were laying on the ground near the projector and his little brother was sprawled out across their Dad’s lap snuffling in his sleep, mouth hanging open with a trail of drool coming out of his mouth. Their Dad was gently scratching the back of Leo’s head as he slept heavily for once, Splinter smiling at all his children as they entered.

“Good to see you April.” Splinter said softly, trying not to laugh at the girl’s shocked expression as she took in her little brother. “As you can see, Blue was quite tired after a little training session we had while the boys were out. He’s been sleeping for about an hour, so I think you should all wake him and take him to play somewhere, or he likely won’t sleep tonight.” The rat said smiling at the slider who was still drooling and snuffling in deep sleep.

April was looking in awe at her little brother, eyes sparkling. “He’s so small and SO CUTE!” She whispered, covering her mouth, afraid to get too close and wake him.
Mikey stepped forward grabbing the still sleeping Leo from his dad’s lap, marching them out after Raph who was still holding onto April’s box. Once they were safely out of the living room and settled near the skate ramp, Mikey gently poked at Leo’s arm, nudging him till his eyes began to blink open and the slider yawned widely. “Hey Angie.” Leo mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

April squealed hearing Leo’s tiny voice, waking her brother up more quickly. “You’ve got a visitor Lee.” Mikey said to his brother as he wiped away Leo’s drool tracks on his face, Donnie shuddering slightly in the background. “Your older sister came to visit you.”

Leo blinked quickly up at Mikey confused before Mikey turned him around towards April. Their sister walked forward slowly with the warmest smile on her face as she crouched down so she’d be face to face with her little brother. “I’m April O’Neil.” She said giving the toddler her trademark grin. “It’s nice to meet you, Leo!” She said, voice filled with affection as she smiled at her tiny brother and held out her hand in greeting.

Surprising April, but absolutely nobody else, Leo’s face scrunched up with the biggest smile, eyes crinkling with happiness before he launched himself at April, giving her as big a hug as his little arms would allow. She huffed out a sharp laugh, and wrapped her arms around her little brother, squeezing him in a tight hug. “OOOH, YOU ARE JUST TOO CUTE BABY BLUE!” she cooed, holding him close.

Leo looked up at April with excitement before turning to his brothers. “Dream sis real??” he asked as he looked at April with delight.

“You dream about April little man?” Raph asked his little bro who was nodding back at the snapper. “Yeah, April’s your big sister!”

Leo squealed ecstatically, snuggling into his sister’s arms.

“OOOOH! Casey is gonna be so jealous that I got to meet you first little bro!” April said as she smiled at Leo. “I’m going to introduce you two tomorrow, you’re gonna love him!” she stated confidently. “Now, I’ve brought a few of my old toys for my baby bro to play with!” She said carrying Leo over to the large cardboard box.

Placing the toddler down, she reached into the box and pulled out a large bag of blocks, Leo oohing and grabbing the bag that April placed in front of him. She then pulled out some bubbles, and finally a toddler-sized basketball hoop with a little basketball. Leo’s eyes went huge as he took in the hoop and the basketball. Leo began chirping in excitement, flapping his hands, before running to April and hugging her leg.

April was completely melting at Leo’s cuteness (Mikey was right). She’d never met the boys when they were small enough that they chirped or made little turtle noises regularly and she thought she just might die from how adorable her brother was. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around her little brother.

“Thanks big sis!” Leo said softly against her shoulder, and April tried not to squeeze her brother too tightly (the cuteness aggression was REAL).

“Anything for my little brothers!” She smiled at all of them. “Now let’s work on those basketball skills Lee!”

Raph watched contentedly as Leo played with April for a while, Mikey and Don slipping away to put away the groceries. When Mikey returned, calling them to the living room for a snack, Leo led April by the hand, the girl gushing at Leo as he jabbered about how much fun he was having with his sister.

“Wait here ‘Pril!” Leo called to his sister as he ran off into the Lair. “Wanna show you somethin’ cool!”

Mikey and Don returned with some cut fruit and a bowl of watermelon for Leo to pick at when they heard a clang and slight crash coming from down the hall. “Leo, you ok?” Raph called out worriedly.

“Yeep!” Leo called, grunting as he dragged something. Raph could hear the scaping sound as Leo rounded the corner, holding his very real katana in two hands, dragging the metal across the ground behind him.

“Look!” Leo said proudly. “Dad says this is mine!”

“Leo, put the sword down, ok?” Raph got up, quickly making his way to his little brother to remove the dangerous blade from his grip.

Leo hauled the sword around in an arc, trying to hold it up in front of him. Before Raph could reach his brother, blue sparks began to travel down the sword and up his little brother’s arms. A blue portal opened up underneath their brother, and all the turtles and April watched in horror as Leo fell into the portal with stunned look on his face, the blue mystic energy closing behind the toddler quickly.

“OH NO!” Raph said in shock, barely registering the horrified calls of his brothers yelling for Leo.

“Oh shit.” Their father said with real fear in his eyes. “This is NOT GOOD.” The old rat jumped up from his chair. “All hands on deck Hamatos! We need to find Blue.” He took command, seeing the panic on his children’s faces. “April, come with me to check the Hidden City. Purple, try to find your brother through security cameras. Orange, check the whole lair and the connecting sewers. Red, head out to the surface and keep an eye out for any disturbances. Call each other if you find out any information.” The rat commanded as he took off with April on his heels.

Donnie was cursing as he ran towards his lab, immediately beginning to hack into the security cameras all across New York.

Oh please don’t be in France this time Leo. Please be ok! Raph thought in fear as he grabbed his sai as he ran out the entrance to the lair.

~~~ *** ~~~

It was early Friday evening at Run of the Mill Pizza. Señor Hueso was bustling around his restaurant when an irritatingly familiar blue portal opened above him and something small crashed into him, sending his bones rattling to the ground.

When the skeleton had recovered his wits, he noticed a small turtle laying on his back beside him, looking at Hueso with a stunned face as he coughed a few times, tears welling up in his big eyes. Hueso leaned forward, examining the child and noticing the blue mask and red stripes on the turtle’s face.

The yokai looked around suspiciously for a sign of the chaotic blue turtle he knew too well. “Come out Pepino! I have put up with many of your pranks, but involving a child is too much!” He called out to the teenager he expected to find hiding behind a table snickering. “Who is this? ¿Es este tu primo?”

The child began to cry, holding his elbow that had a deep cut on his little arm. A familiar blue katana that belonged to Pepino was laying on the floor nearby. Squashing his mounting fury at the blue teenaged turtle, he gathered the child in his arms and picked up the sword, bringing both into his office and away from the prying eyes of his customers.

Setting the little turtle down on his desk, he quickly pulled out his first aid kit and began patting at the cut gently, still letting out a steady stream of curses in Spanish as he worked to clean the wound.

The small turtle was still sniffling and crying quietly as he watched Hueso bandage his hurt arm. “Gracias Señor.” The little turtle sniffled quietly through his tears.

“¿Tu hablas español?” Hueso asked in shock, stopping his stream of curses at Pepino, regretting using the foul language in the presence of a child. “¿Cómo te llamas niño?”

The little turtle looked him in the eyes and held out his non-injured hand for the yokai. “Mi nombre es Leo.” The little turtle said, carefully sounding out each syllable of Spanish.

Hueso sat in shock for a moment. No, this little turtle was his Pepino? What in the Hidden City’s name had happened? Hueso took a closer look at the turtle, seeing the same red stripes on his face (though they did cover more of the child’s face than they did as a teenager) and the yellow stripes on his arms. If this is a prank, I am going to be furious. But this turtle does look very much like his Pepino.

The toddler looked sad that Hueso hadn’t taken his offered hand and looked up at the yokai with tears in his eyes. “Sorry I huwrt you Señor.” He said sadly. “I fell.” He pulled out a little bandage from a pouch on his waist and placed it across the skeleton’s radius and ulna.

Hueso felt his heart melt a little at the toddler, and he regained himself from his shock enough to respond to the small child. “It’s ok pequeño pepino. You did not hurt me.” He said softly so as not to scare the kid. ”Does anything else hurt?” he asked as he scanned the child for any more injuries.

The toddler shook his head as he gingerly held his arm (now bandaged from his forearm to upper arm) against his plastron, looking up at the skeleton with curiosity now that his tears had begun to slow.

“Let’s make a few phone calls and then you can come for a kitchen tour with me, ok?” He promised the child as he quickly dialed Leo’s cellphone number. As the phone went to voicemail, the skeleton held in another curse as he considered his next options for calling someone from his contacts. There was the small orange brother, but he could be very destructive and frequently breaks my doors off their hinges. The purple one, Pepino’s self-proclaimed twin, was intelligent, but Hueso knew he became violent if provoked. He paused at Pepino’s oldest brother, the red snapper. He was the calmest of the brothers and probably had the best head on his shoulders. Hueso nodded to himself once before dialing Raphael.

The eldest turtle picked up on the first ring. “Got anything Donnie?” the snapper said, voice filled with anxiety.

“This is Señor Hueso.” The skeleton could hear the snapper fumbling for a few seconds apologizing for the mistake. “It is no trouble, Raphael. However, a small turtle fell through a portal into my restaurant this evening. Hueso held the phone away from him as the snapper screeched “LEO’S THERE WITH YOU?! IS HE OK??”

“He got a little scratched falling from the portal, but he is ok Raphael. So this really is Pepino, eh?” the skeleton said looking at the turtle again with shock. “Say hello to your eldest brother Pepino.” Hueso held the phone to Leo’s ear, and he listened as the snapper frantically asked Leo if he was ok.

“Sorry Raphie.” Leo said as he began to tear up again. “I didn’ mean to fall.”

“It’s ok little brother, we’re on our way to come get you.” Hueso pulled the phone back up so he could continue the conversation with Raphael.

“Thank you for taking care of Leo, Señor Hueso! It’s a long story, but Leo was turned into a three-year-old and he’ll be stuck like that until the next full moon. We had no idea he would be able to portal once he grabbed his sword so please don’t let him grab it again until we get there. We’ll be there in 30 minutes tops! Sorry for the trouble Señor. I’m just so glad he’s ok!”

Hueso felt bad for the brothers as he registered the eldest’s stress and tears on the phone. He looked over at Pepino who was sitting quietly with his big, teary eyes fixed on the skeleton and the phone. “It is no trouble, Raphael. Anything for my best customers.” He said warmly. “I will watch Pepino myself until you arrive.”

Hanging up the phone, he leaned down and dabbed the tears away from the turtle’s eyes with a handkerchief. “No more tears Pepino. Your family is on the way.” The skeleton smiled down at the child. “Now, why don’t you come with your Tío Hueso? We’ll take a tour of the kitchen and get you a snack until your family arrives.”

Hueso laughed loudly as Leo’s stomach growled at the mention of food. He scooped the child up in his arms, being mindful of the arm that was cut and carried Leo away. Hueso proceeded to show Leo his restaurant, with all his staff cooing at the small child in his arms. Leo’s tears had fully subsided, and he began to smile at everyone who came to say hello, responding with a small “Hi.” Or “Hola.”

Hueso would have been shocked out of his skin (if he had any) once he found out this small child version of Pepino did not know what pizza was. Blasphemous! I cannot allow this. He immediately told his staff to begin cooking several of all the Hamato clan favourite pizzas for their arrival, and made a special note for there to be a Hawaiian pizza for the little blue turtle. He regained himself from the initial shock and showed Pepino how pizzas were made, smiling as the toddler asked him questions and snuggled closer to the skeleton.

Hueso grabbed a warm garlic knot from the cooling rack and handed it to the toddler. “Here Pepino, eat some food before the pizzas are ready. Your stomach sounds like you haven’t eaten for hours.” The skeleton watched with satisfaction as Leo’s eyes sparkled at the food, the little turtle taking a deep inhale of the aroma before stuffing the bread in his mouth.

Leo smiled around the garlicky bread he held in his hands and made a little contented chirping noise Hueso had never heard before. “Gracias Tío!” Leo chirped as he smiled at Hueso. The skeleton felt as if he would burst from the rush of affection he felt for his little Pepino. The child was too adorable, and his charm was dangerous. The whole of his staff kept sneaking back into the kitchen so they could coo at the small turtle or pat him on the head as they praised him.

Hueso could hear the front door of his restaurant slam open and several voices all called out for Leo. “Come on Pepino. Let’s go see your family.”
~~~ *** ~~~

Raph felt tears start streaming down his face as he finished his call with Señor Hueso. Thank Pizza Supreme Leo is ok. He felt choked with emotion as he sent a group text out. Got a call from Señor Hueso. He’s at Run of the Mill.

A flurry of frantic and relieved texts later and Donnie was screeching down the road in the turtle tank, pulling up to Raph’s location as he ran towards Run of the Mill. Everyone else was already in the tank and it didn’t take more than five minutes for Donnie to speed all the way there. They parked with a deafening shriek of tires before the Hamato clan all leapt out and burst through the front door screaming for their brother.

Hueso came out of the kitchen doors, holding Leo in his arms. Raph let out a sigh of relief as tears filled his eyes again. His little brother’s arm was bandaged neatly with white gauze and wrapping, and the toddler was tightly clutching a half-eaten garlic knot as he began to tear up as he watched his family begin to cry.

It took less than a second for the entire family to pull Leo into a tight group hug. Splinter was holding his son close to his chest as his siblings wrapped around them protectively. Raph softly rubbed Mikey’s shell as the box turtle sobbed and put a grounding hand on Donnie’s shoulder as the softshell registered the tears pouring down his face. That was scary! Raph thought in a daze as he began to take a few deep breaths to control his breathing. Watching Leo fall through a portal was too much like THAT time. He thought grimly remembering the Kraang invasion.

Several minutes later when the tears had all started to wind down, Señor Hueso ushered them all into a booth and his staff was ready with water so the family could recover for a moment. The skeleton brought out baskets of garlic knots for the table. “Please stay to eat something. This has been a stressful day for you all. Everything is on the house. The pizzas are almost ready, and little Pepino’s stomach tells me he would like some food, yes?”

The family chuckled wetly through lingering tears as Leo’s stomach growled on cue and the toddler leaned forward from his current position in Raph’s lap to snag another garlic knot, which he promptly shoved in his mouth.

April began to laugh first, with the brothers and Splinter also joining in. Hueso smiled as he watched the family begin to pass Leo around from lap to lap, as they all began to eat the bread laid out and squeeze the small, blue turtle who was ravenously tearing into his garlic knot.

Raph and his family began to freak out once they learned Leo hadn’t tried pizza yet.

“OH MI GOSH! This is going to be the best moment of your life this far Leo!” Mikey gushed at the toddler. “We have to film this!” he squealed as he readied his camera. “This opportunity definitely makes up for the heart attack I just had."

Hueso and his staff came over and laid out several of the family favourite pizza options across the large booth, with the skeleton gently placing a Hawaiian pizza in front of the toddler whose eyes were as big as the dinner plates around him.

Leo looked up from the pizzas to his family and Hueso with big eyes and a wide smile, and turned his head up to look at Donnie, whose lap he was currently sitting in. Donnie chuckled and pulled a big slice of Hawaiian out of the pie and placed it on the plate in front of Leo. The family, Hueso, and his staff watched in anticipation as the toddler lifted the large slice with a little difficulty before taking a huge bite.

Leo’s eyes closed and his expression could only be described as pure bliss. He grinned around his pizza slice and let out a long ‘MMMMMMMMMMMMM!’ before his eyes popped open and he looked at the pizza in wonder before shoving the slice back in his mouth for another bite.

Raph laughed at the sight, still reeling with relief after finding his little brother (mostly) unharmed. The family all began to tuck into their dinners, smiling as they watched Leo really enjoy his meal. Hueso took a photo of the group, Leo smiling as he held up a slice from Donnie’s lap, his twin’s arms wrapped tightly around him in a hug.

Raph carried Leo towards the exit after their meal, Splinter thanking the skeleton yokai profusely as he tried to pay Hueso for the meal. “No. No. Absolutely not. I would not charge my best customers. Besides, it makes an old skeleton feel good to see his pizza so enjoyed by Pepino.” The yokai laughed as he stepped forwards towards Leo. “Make sure your family brings you for pizza again next week! We would love to see you again Pepino.”

Leo leaned forwards from Raph’s arms to give the skeleton yokai a hug. “Gracias Tío Hueso!” Leo said as he gave the skeleton a big kiss on the skull. Raph smiled, watching the skeleton’s eyes go soft, Hueso’s staff laughing at him as the family filed out of the restaurant.

Once they were home, Donnie checked the rather nasty cut on Leo’s arm and rebandaged it for the toddler before giving him back to Raph with an otherwise clean bill of health. The softshell then proceeded to lock up Leo’s katanas in an armoured case and bring it to his lab where he then sealed the case in a locked safe. “I’d like to see Houdini get these out.” Donnie smirked, satisfied with the security before locking his lab as he left.

Raph brought Leo back to the living room, where his family was setting up for their movie night. Raph laid down in a pile of blankets, pulling his brothers and sister in for a turtle pile after the very long day. Leo, full of pizza and tired from all the action, fell asleep within minutes of the movie beginning. Raph watched his brother’s plastron rise and fall from his spot in the center of the pile, surrounded on all sides by his siblings. Taking care of this turtle-tot looks like it may prove to be difficult, but I know we can do this together. I’ll do anything to protect my brother’s smile. Raph thought sleepily as he watched over his siblings. Mikey, April, and Donnie soon began to drop off to sleep as well, with the eldest following close behind, lulled to rest by the security of his family surrounding him.

Chapter Text

April woke to the sensation of someone playing with her hair. She blinked slowly, adjusting her glasses that had fallen askew during the night, looking to find where her curls had been caught. Leo was sitting beside her head, gently pulling her curls and watching them bounce back with a smile on his face. “Good morning Baby Blue!” April greeted the toddler softly, taking in the sounds of the soft breaths of sleep from her brothers in the turtle pile around her.

Leo smiled widely as April carefully sat up, doing her best not to disturb her brothers still sleeping. “G’mornin’ ‘Pril!” Leo held out his uninjured arm to April, silently asking to be picked up.

April picked Leo up and rose to her feet, noticing how the little turtle flinched slightly as his cut arm was jostled. He was holding his bandaged arm close to his plastron, the other he quickly buried in his sister’s shirt sleeve as he was pulled into her arms.

“That cut hurting you Baby Blue?” April asked softly, her little brother nodding his head sadly in return. “Ok, let’s go see what we can do about that.” April picked her way out of the turtle pile, smiling as Mikey rolled closer to Raph now that his sister and brother had left. Donnie was nowhere to be seen, so she took off in the direction of his lab. She could hear the soft rhythmic pulse of Donnie’s favourite techno music filtering through the closed lab doors.

April knocked once before walking in with Leo tucked into her arms. Donnie had his goggles pulled down over his eyes as he leaned in over some small piece of tech, delicately adjusting wires with his tools. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. hovered over, his glowing eyes widening as he took in the visitors.

“Welcome dudette and little dude!” the robot greeted cheerily.

Leo’s mouth was hanging open as he looked at S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., an awestruck look on his face as he slowly waved at the robot. “H-Hi Mr. Ro-Robot!” Leo stuttered out with all the reverence of a child that is seeing one of their dreams coming true.

April bit her lip in an effort not to laugh at Leo, her heart warming as she noticed that Donnie had removed his goggles and was watching his twin interacting with his AI child with a soft smile.

“Mr. Robot is my father.” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. joked. “The name’s S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., but you can call me Shelly, little bro!”

“Thanks Shelly!” Leo grinned. “Wanna play?”

“You betcha little bro!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. responded with enthusiasm, doing a little flip.

Leo squirmed until April placed him on the ground. Leo was cheering as S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. went through a variety of tricks to entertain the child. April could tell the AI creation was preening under all the attention.

She walked to Donnie’s workbench, taking in the tiredness of her brother’s eyes, the dark circles, and the restless fidgeting of his fingers. “You ok Dee?”

Donnie gave his sister a small smile, but April could tell it was more of a grimace. “Just feeling a little overstimulated this morning.” He said as he drummed his fingers on his work desk. His eyes moved back to his brother and AI son. “I couldn’t sleep thinking about what happened yesterday.” He gestured to his current project on the table, April seeing it was a blue bracelet.

“I made this tracking bracelet for Leo and an app that lets me see his location and vitals.” He pulled out his phone flashing a blue Find Leo app icon. “I just need some extra time today to make him a wearable tech that will cushion his fall or…. or include an automatic parachute that deploys based on a recognized altitude will probably be required. I must take into account all variables. I hadn’t anticipated that Leo would be capable of accessing his ninpo in this child-like state.”

April recognized the start of one of her brother’s spirals, placing a grounding hand on his shoulder. “Hey. Hey, look at me Dee. It’s ok.” She said keeping eye contact with the softshell. “Lee will be fine. The whole family is going to work together to make sure our little troublemaker stays safe until the full moon.” They both watched as Leo ran out the open lab door hollering for Raph and Mikey to meet his new friend Shelly, the robot following after the toddler. Don snorted, turning to look back at the bracelet with stress furrowing his brow.

“Hey, you know what you need? You need a day to relax. How about you let your big sis take Lee out for the day. Casey and I can tag-team to make sure Leo has a great day out. I want you to sleep and take some time to relax.”

Donnie looked at April in alarm, before fiddling with the bracelet with a considering look on his face. “If you let me install the Find Leo app on both your and Casey’s phone, and promise to check in every couple hours, and let us know if anything happens… then ok.”

April chuckled, giving Don’s shoulder a final squeeze before heading towards the lab door. “You might be a bigger worrier than Raph, Dee. But sounds good to me little bro.” She laughed at her little brother’s scowl and tossed her phone to Donnie. “Put that app on there, I’m going to pop topside for some baby medicine. I think the cut on Lee’s arm is causing him some pain.”

When April returned with a small bag of items, she found her brothers relaxing in front of the projector, Leo picking at a bowl of watermelon as Mikey was serving eggs and toast to everyone. April gave Mikey a smile of thanks as he served her up hot eggs and toast, and she pulled out some baby-approved pain medication for Leo.

Leo took his medicine like a champ and curled up in his sister’s lap as he continued to munch on his fruit as they all ate. April took out some clothes she picked out for Leo to wear topside and showed them to her brother. She’d brought some soft black trackpants with white stripes down the sides, and an oversized light blue hoodie with silver star patches on the elbows. She secured a blue bandana around Leo’s head, tying it for him in the back and helped him put on some little white sneakers with pictures of rockets on the side. Leo brought his straps with the foam swords, belt, and medical pouch over as well. Once everything was secured, Leo spun, laughing as April snapped a few pictures of her brother.

“You ready for a day out with your big sis Baby Blue? Wanna come have a sleepover at my apartment with your other brother Casey?” She asked the toddler. Leo nodded excitedly, stamping his feet up and down as he looked to his brothers. The three turtles shared a look and pretended to think long and hard about it, trying not to laugh as Leo began to pout. Raph broke at Leo’s puppy dog eyes first, laughing.

“All right little brother, let’s go pack a bag for you.” He lifted his Leo up, carrying him away with Mikey darting off to the kitchen to pack some snacks.

Soon Leo was ready to go, Donnie securing the blue tracker bracelet on Leo’s wrist and smiling with satisfaction when Leo couldn’t immediately tug it off. “Please keep it on Leo.” Donnie said looking at his twin with a serious expression.

“Ok Dee!” Leo agreed easily, smiling at his twin, who gave a little, grateful smile in return as the stress seemed to lift from his features slightly.

April watched Donnie grab the keys to the turtle tank and pick up Leo’s overnight bag, as she carried the toddler into the oversized vehicle. Mikey and Raph waved from the garage, thanking April, and telling Leo to be good for his sister and have fun.

It was a short drive to April’s apartment. She had already texted Casey, telling him to come over as soon as his school bus dropped them back off from his fieldtrip. She could see the lights on underneath her apartment door and hear the hum of the television. Good. He’s already here. April thought with glee as she unlocked the door. “Look who came to spend the day with us CJ!” the girl exclaimed as she slammed the door open with flair.

Casey was midway through a sip of water when his adoptive sister threw the door to her apartment open. April watched as the teen registered the toddler in her arms, water spraying out of his mouth as his eyes widened in shock at the little turtle. He zeroed in on the red stripes on the toddler’s face. “Whaaa?” he said completely dumbfounded.

“Surprise!” April sang out. “Leo is here to spend the day and have a sleepover!” She turned to the toddler and smiled. “This is your brother Casey, Leo! You can call him CJ too if you want.”

Casey moved towards them, his jaw still hanging open. “How? What? Huh?”

“All the right questions CJ.” Donnie said in a monotoned tease as he walked into April’s apartment and deposited Leo’s overnight bag in the living room/kitchen area. He plucked Casey’s phone from the coffee table and immediately began to install the app.

April took pity on her new brother and explained the situation to him. Casey was still staring dumbfounded at the toddler as Donnie proceeded to explain how the Find Leo app worked and let them know he added a harness and child leash to Leo’s overnight bag in case they needed it.

“We don’t need a leash for Leo, Don.” April said shaking her head. “Go on and get some sleep!” She said shuffling her brother towards the door.

“See you tomorrow Nardo.” Donnie said quietly.

“Bye Tello!” Leo chirped. “Feel better!”

Donnie blinked in shock a few times before smiling at his twin and heading out.

April placed Leo down and watched the two boys stare at each other in silence. These two need some time to connect. She thought as she took in the slightly tense atmosphere.

“Casey! I totally forgot I need to finish an essay due tonight for one of my classes. All I need is four hours to finish it off. Why don’t you take Leo to Central Park to play? I’ll meet up with you in a few hours and we’ll grab lunch, go shopping and have some fun!”

Casey was spluttering as she quickly packed a small bag for Leo, filling it with snacks and juice from Mikey, the bottle of kid’s medicine, and placing Beary Blue inside before handing it to Casey with a wad of cash. “Thanks Case! Also careful with his arm, he cut it yesterday with a portal mishap. Don’t let him grab any katanas, mmmkay? Also give him some of the medicine I packed at 2pm if I haven’t met up with you yet, alright?”

Casey looked at her in fear as she shuffled both boys out the door. She pecked Leo on top of his head. “Have fun with CJ, Baby Blue!” she closed the door. I hope those two can bond this morning. She walked into her bedroom, giving Mayhem a pat from where he was hiding behind the door.

~~~ *** ~~~

Casey stood looking at April’s closed apartment door for a minute before registering the small turtle looking up at him skeptically. I can’t believe this is Leo! It was weird enough trying to get used to Leonardo as another teenager, as a brother, rather than my sensei. How do I take care of Leo like this? Casey panicked, before awkwardly clearing his throat. “Umm. Let’s go to the park. Sound good L-Leo?” he stuttered out the turtle’s name, still getting used to the situation.

Leo nodded once, still looking at Casey with reserve and curiosity. The teen walked towards the elevator, making sure to move slower so the toddler could keep up. They walked in silence for a few blocks, Casey agonizing over the situation. Is this ok? Is Leonardo ok walking? Do I pick him up? April said his arm was injured. Casey couldn’t see any signs of bandages underneath the oversized hoodie Leo was wearing, but he kept his eyes out for any signs of pain in the child.

Leo was looking around in awe at everything, quietly taking in the sights and sounds of New York. Has Leo never really been out in public before? Casey knew humans didn’t really care about mutants and yokai during the apocalypse in the face of the Kraang, but he guessed they weren’t as accepting in this timeline. He watched as an elderly man exclaimed in shock seeing Leo’s curious face looking up at him. Casey watched as Leo seemed to shrink down on himself, his big eyes filling with fear as he hastily moved away.

Casey stepped between the toddler and the man, giving the jerk a cold glare, and took the turtle’s hand in his. He looked down at Leo with a reassuring smile, Leo’s own eyes shocked as he looked up at the teen and their linked hands. Casey gave Leo’s hand two tight squeezes, something his sensei had done for him when he was feeling scared or down. I’m here Leo.

Casey felt himself relax marginally as Leo’s own grip tightened on his hand. They walked in silence for a few more blocks, finally entering Central Park. They were pretty close to the Safari Playground, so Casey led the way there. He heard a familiar voice call out aggressively behind them.

“Hey!” He turned to see Cassandra, his mom in the future (boy did he have a hard time getting used to that), jogging over. She was gesturing towards the small blue turtle as she looked at Casey. “What the hell happened to the Blue one?”

“It’s a long story Cass.”

Cassandra looked at Leo’s big eyes staring back at her with zero recognition before she smiled widely. “Go play with the other kiddos Blue! Auntie Cass has gotta chat with CJ here for a few minutes. We’ll join you to play soon!” Leo smiled at Cass and took off into the playground towards the slide.

Casey proceeded to tell Cass about the situation and she huffed out a laugh. “Of course Blue would get cursed by a witch. He’s a damn cute kid though! What I don’t understand is why you look so emotionally constipated. I’ve never seen someone so awkward around a kid before. He probably doesn’t bite… very hard anyway.” She said laughing at CJ’s defensive expression.

“I just don’t know how to act around him. There weren’t many kids around during the apocalypse. I don’t want to hurt him or make him sad.”

Cass sighed, watching Leo approach two other toddlers, the turtle smiling widely when he was invited to join them in their game. She gave a sidelong glance at Casey. “You know, if you’re too standoffish the kid might think you don’t like him. Kids can sense that awkwardness. Tell me future boy, what did your Leonardo do for you when you were a kid that made you smile? Just play with him and do the things that you loved as a child. Blue is the goofiest of his family, I’m sure it wouldn’t take much to make the kid laugh.”

Casey stared in shock at Cass, taking in what she had told him. “Thanks Cass. You know, you’re pretty wise.” He said with a grateful smile.

“Of course! I am the wisest of all!” She boasted giving his shoulder a playful nudge. They sat in comfortable silence watching Leo play with the other two children until the innocent game was broken up by the arrival of three rough looking teenagers. They walked up towards the small turtle, getting between the other two toddlers and Leo.

“Get away from our sisters you freak!” the tallest teenager took Leo by the arms tightly and shoved the small toddler, sending him crashing into the ground. Leo cried out in pain, the other toddlers crying for their brothers to stop hurting their friend. Casey was moving before he could think, fist smashing into the teenager’s face and sending him flying.

“I don’t fucking think so!” Cass was yelling in rage as her foot connected with one of the other teenagers, sending him sprawling to the ground. The third boy took the girls’ hands and started running away yelling about freaks and monsters. The teen Cass had kicked was crawling away whimpering.

Cass had moved on and was grinding the tallest teen’s head into the ground as Casey knelt beside Leo and gathered the toddler up in his arms. His eyes were wide and he looked in fear at the teenager on the ground, fat tears starting to slide down his face. He was clutching his arm close to his plastron, and Casey softly comforted Leo, coaxing him to let him look at his arm.

It looked like the cut on Leo’s arm had started to bleed through the white wrapping. Casey swallowed his fury and hugged Leo close, gently rocking Leo as he cried. Casey wiped his tears and gently began re-wrapping Leo’s arm. He pulled Leo close, blowing a raspberry on the toddler’s cheek, sending Leo into a startled giggle.

Happy to see Leo smiling, he picked the toddler up and cradled him close, turning to see what Cass was doing. Cass was grinning at her two friends and shot a proud smile at Casey. “Now Blue One!” She exclaimed. “This maggot here has something to say!” she crushed the teenager’s head into the ground, and he whimpered before quickly whining.

“I’m sorry alright! Just let me go!” he begged Cass.

Cass smirked and grabbed Leo from Casey’s arms. She held the little turtle up and cheered. “You and Auntie Cass shall CRUSH ALL MEAN PEOPLE AND ALL ENEMIES!!” Leo looked shocked but laughed at Cass’s goofy face she was making.

Casey shook his head but laughed and took a picture of Leo and Cass cheering with Cass’s foot still firmly planted on the awful teen’s head. Cass gave one final kick to the teen before carrying Leo away. “LET US GET ICE CREAM TO CELEBRATE OUR VICTORY!” she yelled, bouncing Leo in her arms as they strode away from the playground.

Casey sent the picture through the chat function in the Find Leo app as they walked to an ice cream vendor nearby. Seconds later, April and the three turtles were responding, begging to know what had happened.

BestBigSis: Didn’t know your first bonding activity would be whooping prejudiced ass CJ, but I approve.

ChefMikey: Awww! Leo’s first time kicking bad guy butt!

Bootyyyshaker9000: Please tell me you went semi-lethal? Tell me where they’re at! I’ll send a drone.

Raphala: Guys! Do not encourage more violence! And no swearin’! No death drones Don, put the controller down! Glad Leo is ok, give the little guy a hug for me! <3

Casey laughed and logged off, promising to send more pics later. He and Cass sat with Leo between them on a bench as they all enjoyed an ice cream cone. “Thanks Auntie Cass! Thanks Case!” Leo exclaimed excitedly, his eyes scrunching up with how big of a smile he was giving them.

“Anytime kiddo.” Cass patted his head with a big smile. They finished their snack and Casey fussed over cleaning the ice cream all over Leo’s face, giving him one of the packed juice boxes before picking up the small turtle.

“I’ve gotta head to work, I’ll see you two another time!” Cass called out as she sauntered away.

“Bye Bye Auntie Cass!” Leo called from Casey’s arms.

“Wanna check out the zoo Leo?” Casey asked as he walked them across the large park.

Casey could tell Leo had no clue what he was talking about, but he nodded and snuggled into Casey’s shoulder, resting his head there. Casey walked with Leo peacefully until they reached the zoo’s entrance. He paid the worker the entrance fee, smiling at Leo as he carried him to the first exhibit.

Casey could tell Leo was newly wary of the humans surrounding them after the incident with the jerk in the playground. Leo had pulled his hood up and pulled his little hands into the oversized hoodie to hide.

Casey consoled Leo gently. “It’s ok Leo, no one is going to hurt you. I’ll protect you if any mean people come around.”

Leo didn’t look convinced, hiding his red stripes behind his hands with a sad look on his face. “Hey. I love your stripes, don’t hide your face!” Casey said gently tugging on Leo’s hands. “Look!” he pulled out his mask from under his coat that he always kept on him. Casey held it up to his face to show Leo. “My teacher has stripes just like yours and I made a mask to have them too!” I’m not sure how to explain that I’m from the future and my teacher is him, so I hope he'll accept this explanation. Casey worried looking at the small turtle to see his response.

Leo uncovered his face and gently touched the red marks on Casey’s mask before touching his own. Casey smiled at him. “Be proud Leo. Me and your family and friends love you just the way you are!” Leo smiled shyly at Casey and snuggled in close to the teen’s chest, no longer hiding his face. Casey smiled, fondly thinking of a similar time when he was very small and worried that the brothers didn’t love him because he wasn’t a turtle. Leonardo had pulled him in a hug just like this one and told him the same thing. Casey’s heart ached at the bittersweet memory, and he hugged Leo tightly for a moment before blinking away a few tears and pointing out some animals in the closest exhibit for them to look at.

Despite their rocky start to the day, it didn’t take long before Leo was laughing with Casey and having a riot at the zoo. Casey had sent several selfies of them to the group chat and a truly hilarious picture of Leo in a staring contest with a turtle at the zoo, his little brow furrowed with a serious look on his face.

April met them at the exit to the zoo, Leo holding on tightly to a pink unicorn plush Casey had bought for him at the giftshop. April cooed over Leo and gave him a big hug before dragging her brothers for a slice of pizza, karaoke, and a subsequent shopping spree. April had made Leo promise not to tell his brothers about the karaoke and that they’d perform the songs for them later that weekend and Leo had agreed, sharing a secret smile with April and Casey.

Casey dutifully took pictures of the fashion show April created in the store dressing rooms, playing dress-up with the small turtle and watching as his sister squealed at each outfit change. They left with several bags and more toys for Leo, the toddler leaning heavily against his older sister’s shoulder, clearly exhausted from the long day.

They ate dinner (fruit and more pizza) at April’s apartment, Casey playing with Leo as April set up a blow-up mattress in the living room and covered it with blankets and pillows. Mayhem had slowly come out of his hiding spot as he adjusted to Leo’s presence. The yokai had taken to teleporting away from the toddler every time he got close to touching him, and waiting for Leo to come close again before disappearing to another area in the living room.

Leo fell asleep quickly in Casey’s arms as they watched a Jupiter Jim movie on the tv. April smiled at her brothers, softly saying goodnight before she headed to her bedroom to sleep. Casey continued watching the movie, taking in every little shift of expression on the small turtle’s face. Leo’s eyes had begun twitching rapidly in sleep towards the end of the film and his markings glowed brightly illuminating the room for a second before the turtle’s eyes shot open.

Tears began to pour down his face and he started to hyperventilate and squirm out of Casey’s arms. “Sorry Case!” he quietly cried repeatedly.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok Leo! Why are you apologizing? Did you have a bad dream?” Casey was concerned and leaned towards the toddler on the couch.

Leo looked so sad as he looked up in Casey’s eyes. “Is Case mad at me?”

“No! No! I’m not mad at you buddy. It was just a bad dream.” He pulled the toddler into his lap and hugged him close, rubbing circles into his carapace as he felt the toddler start to calm down. Oh boy, I really hope he doesn’t remember anything from his memories as a teenager and meeting me. Casey prayed silently, remembering that April mentioned Leo would dream about his older self’s memories.

Leo’s breathing had mostly calmed when his eyes and markings began to glow. Casey yelled in surprise. Leo’s eyes were a blue-white he had only seen a few times when the brothers would mind-meld. “Dee needs me!” Leo said with certainty as he pulled one of the foam swords from his back.

Casey watched as Leo moved his little sword in a circle in front of him, the foam toy transforming into a real katana blade with blue sparks crackling down it. Casey couldn’t do more than grab the hilt of the sword, wrapping his hand around Leo’s smaller one before they both went tumbling through a portal.

~~~ *** ~~~

Donnie had not been having a great day. He’d woken up with nightmares of Leo falling through portals and drowning in the ocean or perishing from a fall off the Empire State Building. Donnie had woken in a cold sweat and immediately went to his lab to begin making the inventions needed to keep his toddler twin safe.

Dropping off Leo at April’s after such vivid nightmares had been hard, but he knew he was being irrational. Besides, he had the keys to Leo’s katanas, which were safe in his lab. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep before his phone alerted him to Casey’s messages on the Find Leo app.

He had been furious hearing what that disgusting teen had done to his twin, and Raph had completely rained on his parade, stopping him from getting retribution. Raph had taken all of his drone controllers and had marched Donnie out of his lab and into the living room, where he’d been wrapped in a weighted blanket and placed in front of the projector with How It’s Made playing on the television.

The afternoon had been fairly peaceful, both of his brothers contentedly sitting beside him as he commented on the things being made (sprinkles currently), when he’d gotten an alert about Foot clan activity in New York. The three brothers had grabbed their weapons and headed out to scout the villain’s activities.

The two Foot clan yokai were surrounded by paper ninjas as they attempted to rob a bank in a seedy area of town. The three brothers had descended from the rooftops, cutting down paper ninja with deadly accuracy when Donnie felt his ninpo activate unwillingly and he gasped as his vision of the fight fell away.

It was dark and Donnie felt an intense fear gripping his heart as a familiar voice rang in his head.

“Why weren’t you listening to anybody!”

“You weren’t listening to your team!”

“You’re impulsive! You’re arrogant!”

“Everybody dies!”

My fault. a horrified small voice rang in Donnie’s mind before the scene faded and the softshell registered his brother’s voices calling to him.

Donnie sat up, not having realized he’d fallen. What in Charles-Augustin de Coulomb happened just now?? Mikey had one hand on his shoulder as he looked at him with concern. “Dee! You ok?” his little brother asked in a scared voice.

Raph was punching the Foot yokai away, the paper ninjas having been dispatched while Donnie was experiencing… whatever that was. Donnie’s head was pounding, and the bad feeling wouldn’t leave him, his heart racing in his chest.

“Where did the other one go? I could have sworn there used to be four of you turtles.” The yokai rasped. “Once we revive sister Krang and her brethren, we can finally get rid of the rest of you meddling turtles.” The thin yokai taunted.

Donnie was completely overwhelmed, the feelings that weren’t his own were making him feel like he was drowning, and the Foot yokai’s comments sent him over the edge. He felt his ninpo activate and a slew of mystic missiles sent the two yokai flying down the street and off a pier into the bay.

Suddenly a blue portal opened above them high in the sky, Casey and Leo tumbling out. Donnie watched as Casey wrapped himself around Leo and pulled him close. Raph leapt skyward, using his mystic ability to catch his two younger brothers and carefully set them on the street.

Leo’s marks were glowing with Donnie’s, and the toddler ran to his twin and threw his small arms around him in a hug. “It’s ok Tello. I’m here!” the toddler exclaimed. Donnie sat stunned for a moment before slowly wrapping his arms around Leo, only half listening to Casey as the boy hugged Raph in thanks and hastily explained what had happened at April’s.

Donnie felt himself calm down enough to breath normally again and he looked at his twin, whose marks had finally stopped glowing. “Nardo, how in Newton’s name did you get here without your swords dumb-dumb?”

Leo smiled up at his twin and held out a foam sword. “Hachi Machi!” Donnie’s eyes almost popped out of his skull when the foam toy transformed into a real katana in his hand with a crackle of blue mystic electricity.

“Oh fuck.” The softshell said, quickly removing the sword from the proud toddler’s hands.

“LANGUAGE!!” Raph yelled, overhearing Donnie curse.

“Fuck.” Leo repeated quietly as his sword was taken from him.

Donnie felt the laughter burst out of him, Casey and Mikey quickly joining in as Raph yelled in exasperation into the empty street. Leo giggled and snuggled into his twin, the softshell picking Leo up and carrying him back to his brothers. They all trudged to April’s apartment as her place was closer than the lair, and the brothers all sat in the living room as they filled in their stressed sister on what had transpired.

Donnie watched as Casey walked around the apartment, rocking Leo softly in his arms. His twin was stubbornly refusing to sleep, and Casey was whispering quietly to the toddler. “It’s ok if you’re having trouble going to sleep Leo. I’ve got just the thing. My sensei used to sing me this whenever I couldn’t sleep.” Casey began quietly singing a lullaby in Spanish to Leo, whose eyes drooped low. Donnie smiled as his twin fell asleep with his face nestled against Casey’s neck, knowing this moment would be both an adorable recording and the absolute best blackmail against both his twin and Casey should the need for blackmail arise.

Casey continued to walk around and gently bounce Leo as the turtles discussed what had happened.

“I’m pretty sure I mind-melded with Leo for a moment, but I had no control over it.” Donnie explained to his brothers.

“Leo had a nightmare before the portal thing happened.” Casey said guiltily. “I think he was remembering some things I said in anger during the invasion. His markings lit up in his sleep. Before I could fully calm him down, his ninpo activated again and he said you needed him.” Casey looked at Donnie.

The softshell felt his heart clench, both with love for his twin who had a heart softer than Donnie’s shell and with fear for his brother. “We have to do something about this. We can’t have Leo remembering something scary and teleporting all over the place.”

“We just have to be there for Leo and help him through any nightmares.” Mikey said decisively, his persona Dr. Feelings clearly making an appearance.

“Yeah.” Raph said, giving his little orange brother a side-hug. “We just gotta make sure Leo knows we love him and he’s not alone!”

The catastrophizer within Donnie still felt that there was something bad on the way, but Casey placed the sleeping Leo on his lap, and with his twin gently breathing against his plastron and snuffling peacefully, it was difficult to continue down the dark path his thoughts had been headed.

Casey smiled smugly at Donnie like he knew exactly how the softshell had been feeling and had noticed the genius relax with Leo snuggled beside him. Finally feeling content, Donnie and all the brothers settled in April’s living room for a sleepover.

Donnie woke up the next morning to the snickering of his brothers and sister surrounding him. “What did you dumb-dumbs do?” Donnie groaned as he sat up. The softshell scanned the room before landing on the obvious answer to his siblings’ laughter. Leo was looking through a Jupiter Jim comic with great concentration. Someone had tied Donnie’s bandana around Leo’s head, the thick-drawn eyebrows on Leo’s small face with such a serious expression had April and the boys in stitches.

Donnie snorted, taking a few pictures of his twin before untying the bandana and putting it back on his own face. April gave him some leftover pizza for breakfast and Mikey threw some clothes at his brother. “Come on Don! We’re taking Leo to the Hayden Planetarium today!”

Donnie smiled, his hands shaking in excitement as he threw on his disguise and followed his siblings to the door, Leo’s laughter echoing through the halls.

Whatever comes our way... We’ve got this.

Chapter Text

Michelangelo was proud to say that after some trial and error, the influences of Dr. Positive and Dr. Feelings had made a real impact on the quality of Leon’s care since the teleportation incident at April’s five days ago. Aside from being a big brother with plenty of razzmatazz for Leo, all of his big brothers had been keeping him and his professional personas busy as of late.

Michel’s first big task after Leo’s impromptu teleportation had been navigating the ensuing fight between the toddler and his twin that broke out on Monday. Leo had asked if Donnie could make him new foam swords for training with Splinter, but after learning that Leo could transform them into real katanas and teleport, Donnie had refused. Donnie had gone so far as to remove any sword-shaped practice weapon from the lair’s dojo and no amount of puppy eyes from Leon could sway the softshell from this decision. “You don’t have the skill to use them properly.” Mikey heard Don tell his twin with exasperation and a bite in his tone, as he entered the lab at the tail-end of another disagreement about Leo’s swords. This comment had led to Leo’s first true meltdown.

Mikey had been prepared in theory, kids have big feelings, and those feelings can be hard to deal with, but the box turtle was not prepared for the sheer heartbreak on the little slider’s face as big, silent tears rolled down his brother’s cheeks. Leo was a very easy-going and generally happy toddler. Given Mikey’s experience with his older version of Leo, he was expecting a toddler version of his brother to have a dramatic meltdown with some whining and shouting mixed in, as tended to occur when the twins fought. He was not ready to see his brother shaking with silent sobs, his little hands trying to scrub away the tears that blurred his vision.

Donnie had looked shocked and guilty, but before the softshell could figure out how to best address his brother, Leo had run from the lab. Mikey saw the softshell stiffen, clear regret on his face. Mikey knew his brother was only concerned for the safety of his twin, but that last comment could have been worded differently, he thought as he prioritized what to do. Dr. Feelings will need to make a visit to Donald later, but right now I should go after Leo.

“I’ll find Lee!” Mikey called as he hurried out the lab door, leaving his older brother to reflect. Mikey searched the hallway, straining to hear any sounds of the slider crying in the surrounding rooms. He finally found Leo in his bedroom, hidden underneath the bed covered by blue sheets. It was only the little hiccup and hitch in a breath being drawn in shakily that had tipped Mikey off to his brother’s location. Leo is so quiet. The observation left him feeling a little wrong-footed, he thought he knew his brother’s reactions a little better. Does his older brother hide his feelings from them?

Mikey knelt down and peered under the bed at his brother, who had backed himself up against the wall and was still wiping tears away that continued to pour down his face. “Oh Lee.” Mikey said with a sad note in his own voice. He reached towards the toddler and gently pulled him out from under the bed and into his lap. A single shrill chirp of distress was the only sound Leo made between sobs as he was wrapped in a warm hug.

“It’s ok Lee. You can be sad and cry, you don’t need to hide, alright?” he hugged Leo to his plastron, feeling the shaking sobs, and felt his own eyes start to water. “Dee didn’t mean to make you sad Leo, he just cares about you a lot and doesn’t want you to get hurt.” Leo hiccupped as he cried at the mention of his twin, the tears beginning to flow with renewed vigor.

I’m not good. His brother signed, and he shrank in on himself as he continued to cry. Dee’s mad. I am bad.

“Dee loves you Leo, he’s not mad. And you are good, don’t think you’re bad Lee.” Mikey said as he rubbed soothing circles on his brother’s carapace. “Why don’t we go back and talk things out, ok?”

Leo shook his head, hiding his face against Mikey’s plastron. Just as Mikey was about to try coaxing Leo to speak with Donnie again, Raph walked into the bedroom. His older brother took a moment to take in Leo crying steadily in Mikey’s arms and his other little brother whose eyes were also brimming with tears before he stepped forward and scooped both brothers up in his arms.

“Raph knew something was off, my older brother senses were tingling. It’s ok little brothers, Raph is here now. Let’s go to the livin’ room and have a turtle pile together.” Mikey wiped away a few of his tears as Raph carried them both near the projector and settled them down, giving them both the warmest all-encompassing hugs that only their big brother was capable of giving.

Raph didn’t ask Mikey or Leo to explain what had happened, he just hugged them close and provided comfort for his brothers. Leo’s crying had mostly tapered off, Mikey could only hear slight sniffles and hitches in his breathing. The box turtle sprang up, pulling on his persona Dr. Feelings in preparation. “I’ll be right back!” Raph nodded in understanding at his little brother, seeing the box turtle gesture in the direction of Donnie’s lab.

As Mikey approached Donnie’s lab he could hear loud music filtering through the closed doors. He knocked before pulling at the doors, only to find them locked. “Donald, would you please open the door so we can talk?” he politely inquired in a professional voice.

The music was turned up louder and Mikey received no verbal response in return. Mikey sighed, pulling together his patience as he spoke calmly in return, knowing Donnie would be able to see and hear him through the cameras by the door. “Donald. I believe there was a misunderstanding between you and Leo. A miscommunication that can be fixed with a short heart-to-heart conversation. Would you please join us by the projector for a discussion?”

Mikey could hear S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s robotic voice filter through the speakers by the door’s camera system. “Cowabummer dude. Donnie is not in at the moment. May I take a message?”

“Oh really? He’s not in there ignoring his brother right now, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.?” Mikey asked in a sweet voice that dripped with unspoken threats.

“Uhhhhhhhh…… NOPE! Definitely not that.” Mikey could hear the nerves in the voice of the AI.

“OK! Well, please tell Donald that I’ll leave him alone for now to process things, but I will be back later to continue this discussion.” He turned on his heel and headed to the kitchen to get himself some water and cool down.

He filled a cup for Leo and Raph and returned to the living room. Leo turned his head, but the lack of Donnie’s presence accompanying him seemed to seal Leo’s misconceptions in his mind as the truth. Mikey watched as Leo seemed to wilt and turned his head to hide in his brother’s arms.

Though Leo had stopped crying, no amount of cuddles or talking removed the sad look in his brother’s eyes all afternoon. Not even a Jupiter Jim film had lifted his spirits. The breaking point for Mikey’s patience came at dinner. Donnie had yet to emerge from his lab and Leo was so distressed that he didn’t eat any of his food. Raph grabbed Leo’s plate and his own, carrying them to the living room with the toddler in tow, hoping to distract the slider and cheer him up so he’d feel better and eat some food.

Mikey marched up to Donnie’s lab door, feeling his fury build as the music suddenly increased in volume within the lab. Well, scratch off Dr. Feelings from the calendar. This is going to be a job for Dr. Delicate Touch.

“Donnie.” He cleared his throat. “IF YOU DO NOT OPEN THESE LAB DOORS RIGHT NOW, I’M GOING TO GO GET MY NUNCHAKU AND RIP THESE DOORS OFF THEIR HINGES. THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH!”

The music cut and there was a tense moment of silence before the lab doors unlocked and Donnie opened the door for his little brother. The softshell was avoiding eye contact with him and looking at the floor, guilt seeping out of every inch of him.

“Dee. I know you’re just trying to protect Leo. But that comment you made about him not being skilled enough to use his foam swords – he took it a different way than I know you meant it Don. You’ve got to go tell him that.”

Donnie was wringing his hands together and still looking at the ground. “I keep saying the wrong things. I don’t want to go and hurt his feelings more. How mad is he?” the softshell asked in a small voice.

“He’s not mad Dee. He thinks his brother hates him. Leo thought you were saying he wasn’t good enough and he’s been crying and sad all afternoon. He thinks you’re mad at him and that he’s bad. I can’t even get him to eat anything he’s so upset.”

Donnie’s eyes widened in shock. “But…That’s not what I meant at all!”

“ I know that. But you two are dumb-dumbs when it comes to feelings and talking things out sometimes. Leo doesn’t know you didn’t mean it that way. So go out there and make up with your twin!” Mikey gave Donnie a gentle push out of his lab and towards the living room.

Mikey watched from his hidden spot in the hallway as Donnie’s resolve formed, his back straightened, and he hurried to the living room to make up with his twin. Mikey’s not sure about everything that was said between the two, but when he entered the living room a few minutes later, Donnie was gently bumping his forehead against Leo’s as the toddler sniffled in his lap and both were hugging each other tightly.

All in a day’s work for Dr. Feelings and Dr. Delicate Touch! Mikey thought proudly, accepting the grateful smiles his big brothers were sending his way, with a smile of his own.

Leo and Donnie had been inseparable for the rest of the evening, eating dinner together before Donnie carried Leo away to his lab. When Mikey checked in on them later that night, he found the lab empty to his surprise. Investigating a little further, he found both of them in Leo’s room fast asleep. There was a new neon light glowing brightly on Leo’s nightstand in the shape of Jupiter Jim’s ship. Mikey covered his growing smile at the sight of the newest creation, Ah, so that’s what they were up to together this evening. Nice job Dee! Donnie was curled protectively around his twin, Leo huddled close to Donnie’s plastron, a content smile on both of their faces. Mikey snapped a few pictures and backed out quietly to let them sleep. He hurried back to the projector to continue his movie marathon with Raph.

Following Monday, Mikey decided to implement a light schedule to Leo’s routine, as the kid was clearly getting antsy inside the lair. His plan went according to the following: Mikey would do art with Leo in the morning (which conveniently would allow him to have informal sessions as Dr. Feelings to discuss any dreams his brother was having), followed by breakfast. After breakfast, he would allow time for Leo to play or do what he liked before he would have ‘ninja training’ with Splinter or one of his brothers to tire him out. He’d eat lunch with his brothers and then take a nap (Mikey quickly discovered on the first day that the nap wasn’t going to happen unless he was on their dad’s lap or napping with Donnie). He would play with Leo in the afternoon (he wanted to teach Leo how to skateboard and play basketball), then he’d have Leo help him cook dinner, and then Mikey figured Donnie would steal Leo for lab time or he’d spend a more relaxed evening with his brothers for a Jupiter Jim or Lou Jitsu marathon.

Mikey was extremely proud of this plan, which he wrote out and coloured with diagrams before showing his brothers and taping it to the wall in the kitchen. This plan worked out great the first day, but Mikey should have known that things don’t always go according to the plan. Michel woke in the early hours of Wednesday morning, his ninja senses identifying that he wasn’t alone in his room.

He opened his eyes to see Leo standing beside his hammock, tears running down his face and blue sparks of mystic energy illuminating the toddler in the dark room. Mikey sat up, fully awake in seconds and he leaned forward to grab Leo. The action seemed to set Leo off, the boy flinching and shaking as Mikey pulled him up into the hammock. “Lee, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” he asked softly, feeling his brother quaking in his arms.

Leo was sobbing and furiously pulling Jupiter Jim bandages out of his medical pouch he’d brought in with him. Mikey sat in confusion for a moment until Leo started to stick the bandages all over Mikey’s arms. Oh. Michel thought with his heart dropping. Oh no. How much had Leo dreamt of?

“Angie huwrt arms.” Leo hiccupped between tears, still furiously sticking bandages to his arms with care. Mikey could see a blue glow to Leo’s eyes that he hadn’t noticed right away. Is he fully awake right now or still dreaming?

“Oh Lee. It’s ok! Look, my arms are just fine.” He held out his arms for the toddler to inspect, grabbing Leo’s hand and placing it on one of his arms. Suddenly Mikey felt his ninpo activate on its own and his vision filled with a first-person point of view of himself. It was him after the Kraang invasion, and they were back in the lair. Mikey remembered it being maybe 3 or 4 days after they got home. He was sitting on a chair in the med bay with his arms wrapped tight with bandages and his arms still shook with exhaustion. Another brief flash of memory took its place, with Mikey’s arms unwrapped, the scars still glowing slightly and the box turtle wincing as Donnie wrapped his arms after examining them. Michelangelo could feel confusion and fear coming from his toddler brother, he clearly didn’t understand how Mikey had been hurt. He could also feel other emotions though, ones that were clearly tied with the memory. Mikey was gripped with intense feelings of guilt, regret, and sadness. My fault. His brother’s voice rang out.

Mikey gasped, forcefully breaking the connection between their unintentional mind meld, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. Oh wow, that was intense. Mikey still had faint gold scars that spiderwebbed his arms from the overload of mystic energy he handled to bring Leo home, but they hadn’t left any lasting damage. His older brothers had been there to share in his struggle, and together they’d brought Leo home. He had no idea his brother was holding so much guilt over this.

Leo’s gaze was still far away, so he cupped the toddler’s face between his hands. “Hey Leo. Come back bro. You’re ok. Everyone is alright.” With each statement, the blue sparks seemed to dissipate and the glow in Leo’s eyes dimmed. “There you are Lee! That’s it!” he praised the slider, pulling him in for a tight hug.

Leo was shaking and gripping Mikey like he’d disappear if he let go. “Hey.” Mikey tipped Leo’s face up, so he was looking right in his eyes when he continued. “That was not your fault Leo. You don’t need to feel sad or guilty about it. I’m ok.” He could feel Leo shaking as he sobbed against his plastron.

“Oh Lee, it’s alright.” Mikey felt his heart break a little knowing his brother was so sad and holding onto that pain. He continued to hug his brother close and rub his carapace until the slider had stopped crying. Mikey squinted at the clock. 3:04 am. Leo was still shaking and clinging tightly to his brother.

“Come on Lee, let’s go to the kitchen together. I think some late-night baking is in order!” Michel carried his brother out of the bedroom and crept quietly through the halls. It looks like Leo managed to sneak out of Raph’s room unnoticed earlier. He could hear Raph’s slight snores filtering out of his doorway as they passed it.

Mikey placed Leo in his seat and started grabbing bowls and the ingredients to make cookies. His brother’s lip was still quivering, and he was looking at Mikey’s arms with sad eyes. “Leon. Don’t be sad buddy, I’m ok!” Leo didn’t respond, just looked down as his lip continued to quiver. Mikey watched as Leo signed How?

“How’d my arms get hurt?” Mikey thought fast, trying to think of the best words to use. “I used a little too much mystic energy at once Lee. It made my arms sore for a little while after, but they don’t hurt anymore.” I’m so relieved he hasn’t remembered that day. Mikey prayed he wouldn’t.

Leo looked up at Mikey, clearly inspecting his expression for any hint of a lie. “See?” Mikey rolled a bowl from one hand, down his arm, across his shoulders, and down the other arm before catching it as a trick. “My arms are ok bro! Your coolest brother still has all his razzmatazz." He joked, feeling like he’d won the lottery when Leo’s mouth quirked up in a small smile.

Mikey pulled Leo in for a hug before showing Leo his arms and letting him touch the light scars. “I think they look pretty cool, and I’m happy that I have them! I wouldn’t get rid of them for anything!” he declared to the slider. I’m happy you’re here Leo. I’d never regret bringing you home. Mikey’s heart clenched painfully, and he wrapped his brother in one last hug before settling the toddler in his lap at the table.

“OK! Enough tears for tonight! We’ve got cookies to make!” he clapped his hands together and grabbed the chef’s hat which he placed on Leo’s head.

Together they made the dough, and Mikey was happy to see Leo’s shaking had stopped as his brother became distracted helping him mix in an ungodly amount of chocolate chips with the other ingredients. Mikey sighed with relief, carefully demonstrating how to shape the dough into cookies for Leo. Leo immediately stuck his hands in the bowl and began making a series of lopsided cookie balls. Mikey snickered as he watched Leo try to check whether his brother was watching as he snuck some cookie dough off one of the dough balls he was rolling and popped it in his mouth.

“Hey, this cookie here looks a little small.” He teased as he smiled at Leo, who had a little dough smeared around his mouth. “Is there a cookie monster in here eating the dough?”

Leo shook his head, clearly avoiding eye contact with his brother. “Oh really?” He asked as he wiped the cookie dough off Leo’s mouth. “I think there’s a cookie monster right here!” he tickled Leo under his arms, right where he knew his brother was most ticklish. His brother’s peals of laughter were like music to his ears.

Breathless with laughter, Leo was smiling cheekily at Mikey as he stuffed another piece of dough into his mouth as he grinned. Mikey laughed at his brother, pulling him in for a hug before starting on cookie-making again. Donnie trudged into the kitchen yawning with an empty mug before stalling as he processed his brothers and all the cookies surrounding them.

Later. Mikey signed quickly behind Leo’s back. Donnie nodded once before heading over to the coffee maker to brew a new pot. With a fresh cup of coffee, Donnie sat himself at the table to watch his brothers finish making their cookies, Mikey starting to place the finished trays in the oven.

By the time all the trays of cookies had been baked, Mikey had an early breakfast prepared and Raph had come barrelling into the kitchen after waking up to a missing little brother. Leo was only eating the cookies they made together, but no one pushed him to eat anything else after noticing the puffiness and redness of the slider’s eyes.

The nightmare had completely derailed Mikey’s schedule for the day, but he was too tired and relieved his brother was ok to care. The box turtle tried to coax Leo into taking a nap, but Leo had refused to go to sleep, clearly afraid of further nightmares, and the toddler was refusing to leave Mikey’s side. Unable to talk to his brothers about the situation, he quickly texted them what happened with the mind meld. Donnie had immediately hauled a few projects into the living room and set up camp to work quietly beside his brothers.

What confused Mikey was Raph’s response. Shortly after he sent the text, Raph had excused himself and hadn’t returned. He wanted to go talk to his eldest brother, but Leo was glomped to his side, and would follow him like a duckling if he got up.

Mikey’s concern only grew when Raph returned later that evening with a pizza for them to eat for dinner, but didn’t join them in the living room, where they’d been for most of the day. “Raph’s gotta train. I’ll have a slice after my workout.” The snapper gave them a small smile before slipping away. The work of Dr. Feelings is never done. Mikey silently lamented before turning his attention back to the stubborn red-eared slider beside him. His eyelids were beginning to droop, and Mikey quite frankly couldn’t believe he’d made it the whole day without falling asleep, especially after being awake for most of the previous night.

Leo kept falling sideways as his eyes would flutter shut and then he’d wake himself up and furiously shake his head before glomping onto Mikey’s side again. Donnie had sneakily placed himself on Leo’s other side and began to gently scratch the back of Leo’s shell. Leo shivered and Mikey could tell he was losing the battle to stay awake with the warmth of both brothers on either side of the toddler. It didn’t take more than a few minutes for Donnie to get Leo fully asleep, and he pried the toddler off Mikey’s side before setting him down on his plastron as he continued to stroke his shell gently.

“Thanks for taking care of Leo last night Angelo. Sorry we weren’t there to help you.”

“Of course, big bro Mikey had it.” He said with a slightly cheeky grin before turning more serious. “I am concerned though. Leo’s holding a lot of guilt that he doesn’t need to.”

“I know.” The softshell sighed. “We just have to keep drilling it into our dumb-dumb brother’s head that we’re here for him and it’s not his fault.” He paused, looking at Angelo with a soft smile. “Leo’s lucky he has his big bro Mikey to help him out. Now come here.” He opened his free arm. “You look like you’re dead on your feet. Get some sleep. I’ll watch Leon.”

Mikey gratefully snuggled into his brother’s open arm before he felt himself falling asleep.

~~~ *** ~~~

Splinter walked into the living room the next morning to see his three youngest sons. Michelangelo and Donatello were curled up and sleeping peacefully, while Leonardo was sitting nearby flipping through a comic book. On his entrance, his sweet Baby Blue looked up at him and smiled, holding his arms out to be picked up. He felt his heart melt and he immediately picked his son up, smiling as his boy nuzzled into his fur.

I do regret the incident with the witch, but oh how nostalgic it is to have my Little Blue back. he thought as he hugged the toddler and carried him to the kitchen so they could both eat breakfast.

Yoshi knew his poor Baby Blue had been having nightmares of some of the worst times in his life, and his heart ached for his sons. They were way too young to have experienced all of those things.

He knew Blue’s brothers were highly concerned and stressed at the new developments with his memories and his mystic powers going out of control and Splinter wanted to do something for all of his sons. Blue needs a distraction, and my other sons need some time to rest. Splinter pondered before remembering he had received an invitation from a sweet cat yokai (a fan from his Battle Nexus days) to go for tea in the Hidden City. She owned a lovely shop downtown, and Yoshi had been meaning to visit her.

“Blue. Why don’t you come with me to visit a friend today?” he suggested to the toddler who was working his way through some blue apple sauce Orange had made for his brother.

His son shook his head no while smiling charmingly. “Oh come on, it’ll be fun Blue. Come for a trip with your dad!” Splinter pressed, quickly thinking of a sufficient bribe. “If you come with your old man for a visit to his friend, I’ll take you to Run of the Mill after for pizza. You want to see your friend Hueso right?”

Leo’s eyes began sparkling as he shimmied with excitement in his seat. “Tío Hueso!” Leo nodded in agreement, and Splinter smirked. Still got it.

He quickly wrote a note to his other sons saying he was going to visit a friend and Blue would be coming with him, before he grabbed his kid and a sword from his room so he could portal them to the Hidden City.

The shop, ‘Thyme for Tea’ was in the core downtown area of the Hidden City. Blue trotted happily beside his dad, taking in the bustle of the city streets and stopping to smile and say hi to people passing by. Splinter kept a firm hold of Blue’s hand, remembering quite vividly how many times his son’s social butterfly tendencies had caused him to wander off with strangers as a child.

Once they arrived, the cat yokai owner, Rosemary, had immediately squealed in excitement. She pulled Yoshi in for a hug and cooed over Blue before ushering them to a quaint table outside the shop. Rosemary brought out some perfectly brewed tea that had Splinter’s nose twitching in excitement to try, as well as some cookies and milk for Leo. It wasn’t long before he and Rosemary started having conversations about the old days, and he happily jumped into a story at Rosemary’s questions.

~~~ *** ~~~

Leo was BORED. His dad was talking to a cat lady and while she was nice and the cookies were yummy, he couldn’t sit still. His leg was bouncing and he played with his napkin, folding and shredding it with a need for SOMETHING to entertain him.

He gazed across the street at the many people passing by. There were people selling fresh fruit at a stall nearby and he eyed the pile of ripe peaches sitting in a basket by the stall. His dad was busy talking and he always talked for SO LONG. Leo didn’t think he’d mind if he grabbed one piece of fruit, besides, his dad told him at the grocery store one time that the first one you take is a tester, and taking testers isn’t stealing (even if Donnie said it still was).

He slid down from his seat, taking one final glance backwards to see that his dad and the lady were still busy talking before he quickly ran across the street. The giraffe? at the fruit stand didn’t see him since they were so tall, so he quickly snagged a peach and hurried further down the road to enjoy his snack.

A lion with a megaphone was standing on a stage with the BIGGEST trophy Leo had ever seen in his life. It’s bigger than me! Leo toddled closer in absolute awe.

“Come and try your luck in the Battle Nexus!” the Lion shouted to the crowds. “We are having open tryouts today to see who will become the next Battle Nexus Champion!” the lion hoisted the golden trophy up in the air before heading towards a big stone building with no roof.

Leo saw the bright lights and the lion entering a set of big gates with the golden trophy. His eyes glinted. I will be the Champion! The little turtle spotted a wolf yokai selling tickets and souvenirs. He walked up to the wolf and quickly put on his biggest puppy eyes he could. “’Scuse me mister. I wanna be a Battle Neckus Champ!”

The wolf laughed at the tiny voice and proud mispronounced declaration, and his eyes softened looking at the little turtle in front of him. “Oh, do ya little guy? Well, aren’t you the cutest little turtle I’ve ever seen! You want to be a champ of the Battle Nexus? Well, every champ has to have a battle weapon. Here, have one on me.” He said with a wink and handed Leo a plastic toy sword. “Have your parent come to me and I’ll give you discounts on tickets for the show, ok?”

Leo smiled, heart leaping with joy at the gift. “Thank you!” He grinned and gave the wolf’s leg a hug before hurrying to the Battle Nexus gates with his sword in hand. Two big rhinos were standing by the door.

“Hey kid, where’re your parents?” One of them asked as Leo tried to peek through the entrance inside. He could see a long hallway to the left that was empty. Before the rhino could approach him, Leo ran away around the side of a nearby store. Dad is probably still busy talking, I can get the trophy and go back before he remembers! Now, how did the magic stuff work again? Leo focused on the sword, feeling a familiar buzz fill his veins as electricity began to crackle across his skin like an old friend. His toy sword transformed into a child-sized real blade. Leo grinned I did it! Don Don said no, but he’s not here!

Leo focused on the picture of the empty hallway he saw beyond the gates and moved his sword in a circle. A blue portal formed in front of him, and Leo jumped through. Unfortunately, his aim was just a little off, and he ended up landing on one of the rhino’s heads at the front gates.

“Hey!” the rhino yelled as Leo launched himself off the rhino’s face and ran into the stone arena. Portals are hard! Leo thought as he raced away from the angry yelling behind him and into a labyrinth of hallways.

~~~ *** ~~~

Splinter was freaking out. He dropped his guard for a single second and his son was gone. I should have brought that child leash Purple made. the rat lamented as he searched beneath tables and around the shop.

His cell phone began ringing. OH NO. IT’S PURPLE. Splinter took a deep breath to calm himself before answering the call.

“Oh Papaaa. Can you tell me why Leo’s tracking bracelet is showing me he is at the Battle Nexus right now?” Splinter winced at his son’s tone, but his heart soared as he remembered Purple had installed a tracking app on his phone for Blue. Bless my genius boy for his amazing ideas. “Well, I’m listening…” If only he didn’t have such violent tendencies. he shuddered at the threatening tone.

“Oh Purple.” Splinter chuckled trying to hide his nerves. “How nice of you to check in. Your brother and I are at a tea shop downtown. Though it is very close to the Battle Nexus, we are not there. Maybe the mystic energy of the hidden city is causing a problem with your GPS?” Splinter winced as he heard a hiss from his son over the phone.

“My tech wouldn’t be having issues from some mere magic.”

“Oh, well, good speaking with you Purple, but your brother and I are with a friend, so I’ll have to say goodbye for now.” He hung up, wincing at his mistake. He shouldn’t have suggested his son’s tech was malfunctioning. Deciding not to think about how Purple was going to get back at him later, he pulled up the app and saw Leo’s dot quickly moving through the Battle Nexus area on the map.

Shit. Splinter apologized to Rosemary and took off after his son.

~~~ *** ~~~

Leo was having a great time. This was an adventure just for him, just like the ninja adventures Angie told him about. It didn’t take him long to lose the rhinos after a few turns in the stone building. No longer being chased, Leo wandered through the halls until he reached a series of stalls and cages holding some really cool-looking animals in them.

Leo stopped in front several thick bars that blocked off a pony with dragon wings and sharp fangs. “Hi pony! Do you know where Neckus champs go?” he asked with a smile. The creature growled and released a small flame from its mouth. Leo startled back before running up to the bars again undeterred. He reached in his medical pouch and grabbed the half-eaten peach from earlier. “Here! Want a snack?” he reached his arm through the bars and offered the fruit to the pony. The creature sniffed the fruit and grabbed it from the turtle’s hand, crunching it and looking at Leo appraisingly.

Leo giggled as the creature’s rough tongue ran over his palm. The nice pony let him pet its snout and whinnied lightly. “Can you take me to Neckus trophy, pony?”

The creature let out a snort and was looking intently at the opposite wall. Leo looked in the same direction and saw there was a glowing purple lever on the wall way above Leo’s head. “Ok pony! I’ll get it!” Leo began pushing a box with all his might towards the wall. The animals in the cages around him were screeching, chirping, and growling with increasing frenzy as Leo climbed onto the box and reached up as high as he could, fingers just brushing the handle of the lever.

“Hey! There you are kid! Get away from that!” The rhinos had found Leo, but the turtle had already pulled the lever. Leo tumbled off the box with his effort, his sword clanging to the ground beside him. Mystical creatures burst from their cages all across the hall and the rhinos were quickly overrun in a stampede of fur, scales, and feathers.

Leo closed his eyes, anticipating being stepped on, but when he opened them, he saw his pony friend standing over him protecting him from the stampede. “Thanks pony!” Leo chirped as he grabbed his sword. The creature licked his face and knelt down, allowing the small turtle to climb onto its back. Leo hopped on and cheered, raising his sword to the sky. The pony leapt into the open air with a mighty flap of its scaled wings, and Leo screeched in delight as they took flight.

~~~ *** ~~~

Splinter stood in a sea of chaos around him. He had infiltrated the Battle Nexus only to find yokai screaming and running through the arena. There was a horde of mystical creatures wreaking havoc, and even Nexus fighters were abandoning the arena in the face of the wrath of so many angry creatures.

The rat climbed the stands, desperately searching for a sign of his small son amongst the numerous yokai shoving by him as they exited the Nexus arena. Fear was making his heart feel like it would beat out of his chest. Please don’t be crushed! He heard a loud whinny of a horse and a looked up to see a horse/dragon creature flying through the sky in a wide loop around the arena and breathing fire out of its mouth. A familiar giggle of delight rang through the air. OH MY – IS THAT? On the back of this dragon/horse hybrid sat his son, who was clinging to the creature’s mane and had a very real sword strapped to his back. Splinter stood absolutely stunned. Of course. Of course it was his Blue behind this insane breakout of mystical creatures. He groaned and tried to decide how he was going to get his son down from the flying demon horse.

~~~ *** ~~~

The nice pony took him on a ride around the big stone Neckus building. Leo was laughing in delight as his new friend neighed with happiness at being free. The pony landed in front of a huge spider with red eyes and green hair and a big owl. Leo could see the gold trophy beside them, and he patted pony’s neck. “Down pony!”

The creature knelt and Leo hopped off. “Thanks pony!” Leo laughed as the pony gave him a lick on his cheek before taking to the skies again, roaring and blowing fire at any yokai that tried to recapture it.

“Well, well. What do we have here, hmm?” The spider stepped forward, hitting a little button on its chest and transforming into a smiling lady with silver hair. “What is your name my little green scrumpkins?”

“I’m Leo Tomato! I wanna be the Neckus champ!” he chirped at the silver-haired lady.

“A Hamato?” The silver lady purred. “Ohhhh yes. Big Mama has heard whispers of an incident in Witch Town involving one of the turtley-boos.” Big Mama snickered and covered a gleeful grin. “And to think it is the blue turtlekins that has come to visit me! Oh, how perfectly delightful!”

Leo felt an uncomfortable tingle down his spine. Silver spider lady has a bad smile. The toddler felt an odd itch to grab his sword even though he’d just met the lady.

“Well, if you REALLY want to be a Nexus Champion, Big Mama can certainly arrange a deal. If you agree to stay with Big Mama, I’ll make sure you’re Battle Nexus Champion in a few years’ time. With your fuzzy cuddlelupagus dad’s DNA, and your adorable little red-striped face, you’ll be the most charismatic champion Big Mama has ever had at the Nexus.” The yokai grinned with evil intent, stretching out her hand to the child. “What do you say dearie? Will you shake hands and make a deal with me my little turtley-boo?”

Leo shuddered at the nickname and took a hesitant step back. He could see magic running along the silver spider lady’s outstretched arm, and something in his mind was screaming at him not to touch her hand.

A battle arena axe suddenly landed by Big Mama’s feet, forcing her to take a step back from the small turtle. Leo looked up at the sound of his father’s voice, the rat was swinging in and delivering a kick to the silver spider lady. “Blue! Do not touch Big Mama’s hand or make any deals with her. She’s a liar and a manipulator.”

Leo frowned and grabbed his sword after seeing his dad looking so stressed. More yokai flooded in around them through a red glimmering door on the wall behind Big Mama and his dad cursed before placing himself in front of his son. The slider watched in awe as his dad fought all the yokai that approached, efficiently knocking them out. Dad is so cool! Leo thought as he watched his dad beat up the bad guys. Just like Lou Jitsu!

Leo noticed that the golden trophy was unguarded during the fight. He focused all his energy on the trophy as he held his sword and grinned as he watched the trophy fall through the ground in a portal of his making. His dad grabbed him by the scruff of his shell and hauled him up, running through the red glimmering door. “We’re getting out of here Blue!”

Leonardo blinked at the bright new surroundings. They were in a very fancy building and there were so many people in purple outfits looking at them in shock. “Grand Nexus Hotel.” He heard his dad huff as he continued to run, dragging the slider by the back of his shell.

“Get them!” The spider lady had returned and she was VERY angry. His dad pulled Leo up into his arms and began dodging the people jumping at them as he made his way through the hallway of the new building they were in. Leo wanted to help, so he reached in his medical pouch and grabbed a funny looking ball he found while wandering around the Neckus building. It had a little picture of a web on it and a silver pin on the top.

His dad’s eyes bugged out when he saw what Leo was holding. “Blue! Where did you get that?!” he said with fear as he raced down the hall.

“Neckus, Dad!” Leo said proudly.

“Blue that is a grenade, DO NOT PULL THAT PIN-“ Suddenly they were trapped, backed against a wall and surrounded on all sides by Big Mama and the purple uniformed people.

“No one backs out of a deal with Big Mama.” The spider said sweetly as she approached them.

Leo pulled the pin on the thing his dad called a grenadine. He heard a hissing noise and his father screeched in terror as he grabbed it from his son’s hands and whipped it away from them. Spider webs began to shoot out of the funny shaped ball and Big Mama was yelling in rage as the sticky goop trapped her and the purple people.

Leo smirked at the spider lady, sticking out his tongue at her before holding his sword out in front of him. “Hachi Machi!” Leo yelled. Both the small turtle and the rat fell through a blue crackling portal.

~~~ *** ~~~

Splinter screamed as he and his son fell through a portal. This kid is going to take years off my life!

They landed with a crash in a neat office space. Yoshi lay on the ground holding his son, breathing heavily in a stunned silence by the events that had just happened. Leo sat up and leaned over his dad’s face.

His foolish, insane, brave child took a little bandage out of his bag and placed it on Splinter’s forehead. “Ok Dada?”

Yoshi sat up as a familiar skeleton came bursting into the office wielding a pizza cutter like a weapon. “Pepino?!” he yelled in shock.

Leo giggled and cheered “Tío Hueso!” before running over to the skeleton and giving him a hug.

Splinter watched as one of Hueso’s waitresses held Leo and walked him around the restaurant to say hello to all the customers and other employees. His son was covered in smoke soot (from the demon horse’s fire) and a few bits of cobwebs, but he was otherwise unharmed. The child’s sword had been confiscated immediately following his reunion with the skeleton. Hueso stood behind the bar and poured the rat a stiff drink as he listened to what had happened in the Hidden City.

The yokai shook his head in disbelief, pinching Leo’s cheeks when the waitress brought the small turtle back over to them. "You sure know how to find trouble, don't you Pepino?” the child scrunched up his face in a big smile so bright it could melt an iceberg. The skeleton laughed as Splinter groaned. “You are lucky you are so cute Pepino!” Hueso teased.

Once Splinter’s several pizza orders were ready, the skeleton gathered the small turtle up in a tight hug. “Be good for your family. Do not drive your padre crazy, ok?” he placed a fresh garlic knot in the child’s hands.

“Ok Tío!” Leo chirped and gave the skeleton a kiss goodbye on the skull before hurrying over to his dad.

Splinter smiled, relieved this wild day was almost over. “Blue. I’ll forget about you running away earlier today if you promise not to tell your brothers what happened, ok? This will be our little secret.” The rat bargained, thinking about Purple’s impending wrath.

“OK!” Leo agreed easily in between bites of garlic bread. Splinter sighed with relief and used the sword confiscated from Leo to create a portal home to their kitchen.

~~~ *** ~~~

Dr. Feelings had been having a very busy day of appointments. After waking up to find that Leo had went out with their dad, the box turtle had sought out his eldest brother to see what was going on with him. Raph had been a tough customer, and he hadn’t been able to get the snapper to open up to him before he was interrupted by Donnie freaking out saying that Leo was at the Battle Nexus.

Mikey had then successfully coaxed his brother out of immediately flying to the Hidden City to investigate and talked the softshell down after the threatening call he made to their father. Mikey’s senses told him his father was definitely jumpy and suspicious on the phone, but he decided to trust his dad and then proceeded to ensure Donnie didn’t reprogram their father’s TV to only play educational documentaries.

Mikey felt a little nervous when Donnie announced that apparently there was an incident at the Nexus arena. His brother was hissing from under his weighted blanket on the couch muttering about mystical creatures getting loose and wreaking havoc.

Their father and brother arrived home with a stack of pizza boxes from Run of the Mill. Mikey looked in shock at Leo who smelled like smoke and was coated in soot and cobwebs. Their dad’s fur looked extra scraggly and he looked like he’d aged 5 years.

“Hark. It looks like MY TECHNOLOGY was correct.” Donnie heatedly stated as he grabbed the meatlover’s pizza from the stack and took a big bite out of a slice. “Were you at the Nexus arena Leon?”

Leo avoided eye contact with his twin and took a big bite out of his garlic knot before running from the kitchen. Splinter sighed and smacked his hand against his forehead.

Mikey covered his laugh has he headed after his troublemaker brother. “Oh Papa, might I have a word before dinner?” he heard Donnie’s sweet voice and hightailed it after Leo.

He found Leo in his bedroom, sitting on the floor next to an enormous golden trophy. Battle Nexus Champion Mikey read on the plaque, and he burst out in uncontrollable laughter as he looked at the extremely proud look on his brother’s face. He snapped a bunch of pictures of his soot covered brother and sent them out in the group chat before gathering up Leo and carrying him to the washroom for a bubble bath. “Tell me all about your adventures today bro!” Mikey said as he carried the toddler. He smiled as Leo launched into a description of his new friend ‘pony’.

If half of what was in the news is actually true, Dad is definitely only watching the documentary channel for the next month.

Chapter Text

Raph was not proud to admit it, but he was avoiding Leo. Mikey’s text about the slider’s nightmare (memory) and mind-melding with Leo left him feeling shaken. Raph had hoped the mind-meld that happened with Donnie was going to be a one-time thing, but the fact that it had happened again with his youngest brother left him feeling uneasy.

If Leo could remember the events following the Kraang invasion, what was going to happen when he actually remembered the events that happened that day? When Leo remembers what I - Raph forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to calm his quickening heartbeat and cut off the start of his hyperventilating.

Donnie and Mikey said the mind-melds were intense, and they couldn’t really control them. Both described how they were able to feel Leo’s emotions tied to the memory, as well as the toddler Leo’s emotions as he experienced the events he didn’t understand. Raph was scared. I don’t want to trigger his memories by being around him too much. At least that’s what Raph told himself.

He'd been visited by Dr. Feelings earlier today, and his little brother had sat with him for a while trying to get Raph to open up. When he’d refused to give in to Mikey’s concerned interrogation, his perceptive little brother began to correctly guess what he was feeling and give him advice anyway as his professional persona.

Mikey had been completely right. His avoidance of Leo wasn’t just about triggering another one of Leo’s memories from the invasion. He was scared of mind-melding with his little brother and finding out what he really thought about Raph and what he did during the time he was captured. Me ‘n’ Leo sort of talked things out about what went down, but I don’t think I could handle knowin’ how Leo really feels. What if he really does think I’m a monster? I did almost kill him. Raph choked back tears at the hazy memories he had of his Kraangified arm holding his little brother up in the air and trying to strangle him. If Leo thinks I’m a monster or if he’s still scared of bein’ near me, I wouldn’t be able to take it.

So here Raph was, hiding from his tiny toddler brother like a coward. He’d been wandering the sewers for hours trying to escape his thoughts. Raph’s stomach grumbled loudly. Guess it’s past dinner now, I should head back. Leo’s probably back from his trip with Pops and is with Donnie or Mikey by now. Now, which way had he come from? A cold feeling began to sink into the snapper as he realized he hadn’t paid attention to where he was walking. Raph went to pull out his phone (Donnie had installed a navigation app for the sewers), but it wasn’t on him. I left it in my room. Oh no.

Panic began to well in Raph as he realized he didn’t know how to get home. I could be trapped in the sewers for weeks before anyone finds me! A fuzziness began to overtake his mind as his panic swelled at the thought.

~~~ *** ~~~

Mikey was tapping his foot nervously in the kitchen as he dried the dishes. Raph still wasn’t home yet. It’s not like him to be gone this long. The box turtle worried. He pulled out his phone and dialed his brother’s number. A faint, familiar tune of his brother’s ringtone drifted from down the hall. Mikey followed it only to find Raph’s phone abandoned on his bed, with the snapper nowhere in sight.

He hurried to Dee’s lab, barely knocking before flinging the lab door open in his haste. His brother looked up from a project he was working on, a thick brow raised in concern. “Angelo?” he said as he noticed the stress on his little brother’s face. “What’s the matter?”

“Raph still isn’t home yet, and he left his phone here. Can you track him?”

Donnie’s fingers flew across his keyboard for a moment before a bright red dot began to blink on a sewer map the softshell pulled up onto his screen. “Well, Raph’s still wearing his panic button, so I can see where he’s at. Huh, he’s really far out in the sewers. And he’s not really moving around much. Is he lost?” the genius halted before sharing an identical look of fear with his little brother.

“If Raph has been left alone for long enough and is lost in the sewers, he’s probably panicking.” Mikey said. “And…”

“…And it’s highly likely our dear older brother has gone ‘savage Raph’ as he likes to put it. It would explain why he hasn’t just pressed the panic button to alert anyone he needed help.” Donnie finished with a sigh. “The route he took isn’t fully accessible by the Shell Hogs. We can drive them part of the way, but the rest of the trip will have to be by foot. It’ll take us a few hours to get to Raph. Let’s get a move on Angelo. And S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.” the softshell called to the robot, getting his attention from his place at the AI’s charging port. “Leo is asleep with Papa right now, but I’d like you to look after him. Don’t let him out of your sight.”

“You got it dudes!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. cheerily complied before zipping quietly out the lab door in search of the little slider.

Mikey and Donnie both grabbed their weapons and quietly snuck past the living room. Their dad was snoring loudly in his chair, the drone of the Planet Earth documentary softly playing in the background. The little Battle Nexus champion was curled up beside their dad fast asleep after his hectic day, with S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. hovering nearby. Michel breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, and they hurried out to the garage to go bring their oldest brother home.

~~~ *** ~~~

Leo popped his head up from his spot beside his dad as soon as he heard the squeal of tires from the garage. He looked up at his brother’s cool robot, who was watching the tv show Dee put on the tv earlier, before scooting himself off his dad’s chair and walking over to his friend.

"Hi Shelly!” the toddler whisper shouted, startling the robot from his perch on the couch.

“Woooah! Hey little dude! I didn’t know you were awake!”

Leo smiled mischievously. “Where’s Dee, Angie, and Raphie?”

“Well, your bro Raph got lost in the sewers, so Donnie and Mikey went to go find him. Hey, where are you going little dude?” the AI asked as Leo took off down the hall.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. followed closely behind Leo as he jetted into his room and strapped on his medical pouches and his sword straps before walking to Donnie’s locked lab doors. The toddler looked up at his robot friend with big puppy eyes. “Shelly open door for me?”

The AI sighed, looking away from the toddler’s imploring gaze. “No can do, little dude. Donnie’s lab has to stay locked until he gets back. What do you need my little man?”

“Raphie needs me!” Leo declared as he scurried to the kitchen and yanked the fridge door open with all his might.

“Woah, woah, woah, my tiny dude. Donnie and your bro have this handled. They’ll be back with your big bro soon. You need to stay here and get some sleep. Aren’t you tired?” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. tried to ask the toddler, who was single-mindedly jamming a few pizza slices in his pouches with some juice boxes.

Leo began to scale the cabinets, using an open cabinet door to climb his way onto the countertop.

“Woah, hold it right there! This is not a Donnie-approved activity. Why don’t we go play a game together instead?” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. tried to redirect the child who was crawling across the countertops.

Leo stopped just before the end of the counter, pulling a knife from Mikey’s knife block as the AI began to nervously request Leo put the knife down. Leo felt the familiar buzz of his mystic energy and the knife became longer as it transformed into a sword. He smiled with satisfaction before raising it above his head and spinning it in a circle as he thought of Raph. A blue portal crackled to life on the kitchen floor. Before he could jump, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. blocked him with a stern look in his LED eyes.

“I have to stop you right there my dude. If you take one more step, I’m going to contact Donnie and… and you’ll be in trouble.” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. nervously tried to threaten, knowing Donnie wouldn’t make it back in time to do anything about it.

Leo gave his friend a serious look. “Shelly, Raphie needs me. I’ll save Raphie!” With that, he dove off the counter and right through the portal. Cursing, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. made the split-second decision to follow the child.

Leo screeched with delight as he tumbled through his portal, the feeling always gave him a pleasant buzz of excitement. The excitement went away when Leo realized he was falling from high up and the ground was getting close quickly.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. engaged his boosters, zooming quickly beneath the toddler and using his boosters to slow Leo’s fall. They both tumbled to a grimy sewer floor, Leo laying stunned for a few moments, the AI sighing with relief as his scanners determined Leo was uninjured.

The slider sat up and scrunched his face up in a smile to his friend. “Thanks for savin’ me Shelly!”

“Anytime, little dude.” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. said with a relieved and slightly sad tone. “Oh man, is Donnie gonna be mad with me when this is all over.”

Leo noticed a warm light coming from further down the tunnel and decided to investigate. He creeped forward, ignoring Shelly’s whispers to stay put. There was a big fire in the tunnel and his big bro was walking around it slowly wearing a big brown cape. Was Raphie playing a game?

Leo snuck up behind his big brother and followed his steps around the fire, imitating Raph’s moves. “Raph ALONE!” His older brother yelled into the tunnels, his voice echoing off the arched walls. Leo giggled and shouted out “Leo ALONE TOO!”

His brother’s back stiffened and Raph turned to look behind him at the small turtle. Leo stared up at his big brother’s eyes, which were currently white. Is Raphie ok? Leo pulled out a slice of pizza and held it out to the snapper. Raph’s nose twitched and he snatched the pizza from Leo’s hands before taking a seat by the fire as he ate, appraising the small turtle with his harsh white eyes. Leo smiled and pulled another slice of pizza and a juice box from his pouches and handed them to his brother, who grunted in appreciation.

“Raph accept small sewer creature! FRIEND!” the snapper screamed as he picked up Leo in one of his strong arms. He carried the toddler over to a puddle of mud, using the muck to create three stripes across his own face before painting the same markings across Leo’s face. Leo blinked and giggled, his older brother gently placing him on the back of his carapace. Leo clutched onto his brother’s spikes as the snapper began pacing around the tunnel.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. hovered over, drawing Raph’s attention immediately. “Hey Raph, dude, you with me? Donnie and Mikey are on their way to come get you.” Raph growled in return, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. slowly approaching the snapper. “Sun’s getting real low big guy.” The AI nervously teased as he watched the eldest turtle snarl at him and hurl a piece of garbage his way. “Pretty rude dude. Not radical at ALL!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. shouted as he dodged pieces of debris being thrown his way.

Leo gave his brother a light tap on his head. “No Raphie!” The toddler shouted sternly. “Shelly is my friend! No huwrting friends!”

Raph paused with a displeased look on his face before turning his back on the robot and heading towards the fire again. “Hide Shelly! Raphie is tired!” Leo whisper shouted to his friend as he was carted away on his brother’s back.

Leo let out a loud yawn, and Raph quickly pulled him down from his shell and wrapped him up in his brown cape before gently placing him near the fire. Raph settled himself protectively near the slider as he scanned the darkness, grimacing into the gloom.

Leo felt his eyes grow heavy after a very long day, and finally feeling content that he found his big brother, he drifted off to sleep.

~~~ *** ~~~

Donnie groaned as he trudged through sewer tunnels with Mikey. He just got an alert from his phone that Leo’s location had jumped. “Are you kidding me right now, Leon!? Where do you keep getting these swords for portaling??” he yelled into the tunnels in irritation, quickly scanning his phone to determine where his brother had gone now. Mikey’s head popped over his shoulder, fear in his eyes as he peered at the map on Donnie’s phone.

“He’s… with Raph?” Donnie said in disbelief, staring at the blue and red dots blinking next to one another on the sewer tunnel map.

Mikey’s wide eyes looked to the softshell with hope. “Does that mean Raph didn’t go savage this time?”

“We’ll find out.” Donnie replied as he dialed S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. on his phone. “S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. come in. What in Rosalind Franklin happened? How the hell did Leo get a sword this time? I THOUGHT I told you to watch him.” Donnie grouched to his AI son, stress leaking into his voice.

“Sorry Donnie, I didn’t mean for this to happen. Tiny dude heard Raph was lost and turned a kitchen knife into a freaking sword. I couldn’t do more than follow him before the portal he made disappeared.” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. said in shame.

“Is he ok?” Donnie asked, waiting with bated breath for the worst news.

“Oh yeah, the little guy’s alright!” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. responded quickly. “We found Raph – he went all savage again. Though weirdly enough he seems to have adopted Leo… he’s guarding him closely while he sleeps.”

Donnie released a long-suffering sigh before responding. “Well keep your distance S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and watch over them. We’ll be there in half an hour tops.”

“Roger.” His AI son replied before the call disconnected.

Donnie groaned, leaning against the sewer walls as he banged his forehead against the concrete. Mikey patted his back, gently tugging his brother by the arm away from the wall. “Come on Dee. Let’s go get the little troublemaker and Raphie. At least they’re not alone!” the box turtle chuckled nervously seeing his older brother’s fed-up glare.

The softshell continued their trek, picking up his pace and grumbling about his Houdini gremlin twin with a penchant for pulling swords out of his ass. How is he even doing this? My safe in the lab is filled with swords and security has been maximized, but Leon just kept getting new swords like it was nothing. Donnie was pulled from his irked thoughts by the glow of a flame from a distance down the tunnel. He shared a look with his brother and nodded before they both melted into the shadows of the tunnel and creeped closer to the fire.

Donnie noted S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. hovering in the shadows by the roof keeping watch over his two brothers by a fire. Leon was wrapped in a large, brown burlap cloth and was drooling in his sleep, curled up beside their eldest brother. Raph had one arm draped over their brother protectively and was scanning the surrounding darkness with white eyes, seeing, but not recognizing.

“Hey Raph!” Mikey whispered as he revealed himself to their brother.

“What are you doing?!” Donnie hissed from the shadows.

Raph growled and quietly backed away from the toddler before charging at Mikey.

“Whuuu-oh!” Mikey exclaimed as he ran in the other direction, Donnie following close behind.

The ensuing fight had both Donnie and Mikey struggling to find something to bring their brother back to them. They were getting tossed around like a couple of ragdolls. “Raph SMASH sewer monsters! Raph must PROTECT SMALL SEWER CREATURE!”

A shrill chirp of distress stopped all three brothers in their tracks as a vision flooded their mind. Their old home was ablaze, smoke burning their eyes and noses. The Shredder stood menacingly in the memory, attacking all four brothers without mercy. Donnie felt himself cringe as he watched all of the close calls pan out, a sweat breaking out across this skin despite knowing how everything ended. A deep fear and uncertainty filled them as Leo’s emotions infiltrated their minds like a wave. When a fragment of memory showing gram-gram at the Shredder’s mercy as they drove away in the turtle tank flashed before their eyes, an overwhelming pain overtook them, triggering their ninpo in response to their brother’s pain. Donnie felt himself shake awake from the mind meld as concrete showered around them from above.

~~~ *** ~~~

Raph came back to himself like a rubber band snapping back into place after being stretched too far. “LEO!” he shouted in fear as the took in all the rubble around him, unable to see through the dust cloud that was still settling.

Leo’s memory of the Shredder’s attack snapped him out of his foggy panic he’s been feeling earlier. Unfortunately, the intensity of Leo’s memories had triggered him to activate his ninpo on seeing his gram-gram sacrifice herself. His power mystic energy had destroyed the roof of the sewer tunnel they were in, and concrete had rained down on them.

“OVER HERE!” Raph heard S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s panicked voice through the dust and he charged forwards, almost tripping in his haste to rescue his little brother. Leo was chirping softly in distress as he cried, trapped beneath two chunks of concrete. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. had thrown himself on top of the toddler, and had clearly pushed some of the heavy ceiling slabs aside, as the bot was quite dinged up.

Raph lifted the chunks of concrete carefully, watching his little brother’s face for signs of extreme pain as he moved the rubble away. Leo’s eyes were glowing a neon blue and Raph was quick to scoop up the toddler and hug him as tightly as he dared, softly brushing his brother’s tears away and giving him a gentle kiss on his forehead.

The glow in Leo’s eyes dimmed and the slider looked around, disoriented as he began to chirp sadly anew. Raph rocked him back and forth, feeling Leo shake in his arms. “Raph! Leo!” Raph heard Donnie and Mikey’s panicked voices from down the tunnel where he initially came from.

“Over here!” Raph called out to his brothers. In moments they were at his side, reaching their arms around him for a group hug.

“So glad to have you back buddy.” Mikey nuzzled his arm as he hugged him hard.

“Sorry guys.” Raph said guiltily. He opened his arms to make Leo more accessible to his younger brothers. “Donnie. Can you scan him? I pulled him out from under the rubble after S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. saved him.”

Donnie flicked down his goggles and stared intensely at his twin for a moment before breathing a huge sigh of relief. “Looks like he just has a few scrapes and will probably have some bruising on him, but nothing is broken, and he doesn’t have a concussion. Thank you S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.” the softshell said as he gathered up the banged-up robot in his arms.

“Of course, Donnie.” The robot said tiredly from his father’s arms.

“We should head to Barry’s place before going back home. We really need some advice about the mystic energy issues and how we can control our ninpo from activating in response to Leo’s dreams in such destructive ways.” Donnie said, exhaustion seeping into his voice as he led the way back through the sewers to the Shell Hogs.

Raph kept a careful hold on Leo, who had stopped chirping and was curled quietly into the snapper’s plastron as he shook. Raph held his hand up to Leo’s forehead to find it quite warm. He frowned and called softly ahead to his younger brothers. “Leo’s runnin’ a fever.”

Donnie and Mikey turned, Don scanning their brother for a moment before softly cursing. Raph was too tired to tell him off. They hurried back to the Shell Hogs and tore through the sewers as they sped to Draxum’s apartment.

A very disgruntled and tired looking Barry opened the apartment door for them. “Why are you here knocking at… five in the morning?” Draxum asked with an irritated note in his voice as he checked the clock, but swung the door open for them anyway. Raph carefully carried Leo into the yokai’s place as he followed after his younger siblings, frowning as he noticed Leo’s limbs still shaking and the toddler hiding his eyes as he pressed his face further into his older brother’s plastron.

They proceeded to explain their problem to Draxum, who listened with a hand on his chin. After they finished, he stretched out a hand towards Raphael. “May I take a look at him for a moment?”

Raph sat at the table beside Draxum and pulled Leo away from his spot nestled in his arms. Leo blinked blearily around him, taking in his new surroundings before settling on the yokai.

“Hello Blue one. Can you tell me how you’re feeling right now?” Draxum inquired as he leaned towards the toddler.

“You frew me off a roof.” Leo mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes.

Draxum sighed as Donnie snickered in the background, while Mikey glared at the softshell. “I see that memory has stuck with you. Your slightly larger self never lets me forget it, so I am not surprised you remembered it quickly. We tend to remember traumatic events clearly that happened to us. I am sorry small Blue one.” The yokai said as he fetched a leftover cookie he made at the cafeteria and handed it to the small turtle, watching as his limbs shook. He gently placed a hand on Leo’s forehead, his brows crinkling with concern.

“Your brother is showing signs of exhaustion from overuse of his mystic abilities.” He said turning to face Michelangelo. “I think you’re familiar with the symptoms.” He said to his youngest mutation son. “He’s too small to be using the mystic abilities he normally employs as a teenager. Thus, the shaking and slight fever.” The yokai stated. “My recommendation is to keep him occupied with relaxing activities and cool him down – I recall the Blue one enjoys swimming. As long as he’s not overexerting himself, that could be a good activity. Obviously rest and sleep would be best, but he may become resistant to sleeping given the vivid flashbacks he is experiencing. Try to tire him out without letting him overwork himself. As for the issue with unwanted activation your ninpo – you will have to do your best to snap yourselves out of the memories as quickly as possible. You now all know what it feels like to enter these mind melds. You need to reach out to your brother with your mystic power and bring him back to reality.” Draxum finished, pulling out several large roll-out mats and blankets from his closet. “Now. It is still very early, and by your recounting of the last day’s events, none of you have slept last night. Take these and rest for a bit in my living room. You can return home afterwards. I’ll message your father to let him know you’re here. Help yourselves to any food in the fridge, I will be going back to bed.”

Mikey held Leo close, hugging him softly as Raph and Donnie laid out the mats and blankets for them. Raph noticed his youngest brother’s brow was furrowed with concern. He must be worried about the mystic exhaustion. The snapper placed a grounding hand on Michel’s shoulder and the furrow between the box shell’s eyes quickly smoothed out as he gave his older brother a small, thankful smile.

Raph settled himself in the middle of the turtle pile on the floor, placing Leo on top of his plastron, and holding an arm out so Mikey could snuggle into his side as well. Donnie sat beside them quietly working on fixing S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. with a small toolkit he had pulled out of his battle shell. Raph placed a large hand over Leo’s shell, hoping the weight would help the toddler’s shaking limbs settle and his brother would get some rest he desperately needed.

Within two hours, both Mikey and Donnie were fast asleep but Leo kept eye contact with Raph as he continued to shiver on the snapper’s plastron. “Not tired Leo?” he whispered to the toddler.

Leo stubbornly shook his head as he blinked heavily against the exhaustion he was clearly experiencing. His fever is still up. I should go get him some fever reducers. Raph carefully extracted himself from the turtle pile and quietly told S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. he was going out with Leo for a little bit. He snuck down the hallway to Draxum’s spare bedroom. The yokai kept a dresser filled with clothing that fit all of the boys in case they needed them. The warring warrior scientist that wanted to destroy humanity has really gotten soft. Raph thought with a chuckle as he quickly threw on a disguise. He grabbed one of Mikey’s lighter orange sweaters and pulled it over the slider’s head. Mikey’s clothing was the smallest available and Leo still looked like he was drowning in the fabric, but it would have to do. Raph rolled the sleeves of the sweater up and picked up his little brother and carried him out of the apartment.

Raph stopped at the closest pharmacy and a nice older lady helped him find the right medicine for Leo as she cooed over the miserable toddler. Raph helped Leo take the medicine and took him for a walk downtown. They should be open by now. the snapper looked at his phone and changed his course. Leo clung to his brother, rubbing his eyes and trembling slightly. Raph smiled as he saw his brother’s eyes widen as they reached their destination, his little mouth hanging open as he took in the bright and cute displays in the Teddy Bear Town shop.

Raph pushed open the door and shared an excited smile with his little brother. It’s so nice to have someone to share this with. Raph’s heart leapt with happiness as he carried his little brother over to the first station to browse Teddy friend types. “Let’s pick out some friends to bring home with us Leo.” He said pointing to the different types of Teddy Bear Town friends. “We can make one for for you, me, and we’ll make one for Mikey and Donnie too.”

Leo nodded enthusiastically, Raph feeling warmth flood his chest as Leo’s scared look disappeared and he smiled genuinely with his older brother. Raph chuckled as Leo pulled four Tranquil Turtle designs from a bin and held them out to Raph with a big smile. The four green turtle designs had closed eyes and peaceful smiles like they were drifting off to a good dream. “Great choice! Love the tranquil turtles little bro!” Raph praised the toddler, Leo scrunching up his face as he smiled with delight at the compliments.

Raph helped Leo add stuffing to the four turtles and pick out outfits. Leo chose little turtleneck sweaters in each of their bandana colours. Raph laughed as he shook his head at his little brother’s antics as his brow lifted cheekily as he asked for the ‘turtleneck shirts’ and giggled. It was finally time to add a heart and voice message to the stuffed turtles.

“Wanna do secret message!” Leo insisted as he wiggled out of Raph’s arms. The man helping run the heart and message recording station kindly offered to help Leo record his messages before they placed the hearts in as Raph stepped away wondering what his little brother would say for each of them.

Once their turtles were purchased, Raph tucking away his frequent buyer card in his wallet, he carried Leo back to Draxum’s apartment. “Thanks Raphie!” Leo said giving his big brother a hug around his neck. “You’re welcome little man. You can come with Raph to Teddy Bear Town anytime.” He said with a grin. Mikey and Donnie greeted them from the kitchen table, smiles replacing their looks of worry as they saw Leo happily wave from Raph’s arms.

Raph placed the toddler and the bag on the ground, letting Leo dive headfirst into the bag to grab the gifts for his brothers. He ran over to Mikey and Donnie, holding out the two turtle plushies as he grinned widely, his eyes scrunching with excitement.

Mikey squealed and crushed Leo in a tight hug as he pressed the tranquil turtle’s arm, triggering the voice recording. Angie, I love your wazzmazazz. I always have fun with you. Love you! Mikey’s eyes watered, and he pulled Leo in for a spinning hug. “I love you too Lee!”

“Wait, wait.” Leo said as he squirmed out of Mikey’s arms with a delighted smile. “These are secret messages for bedtime!” Leo declared looking both happy and miffed that Mikey had pressed his turtle’s button.

The three brothers laughed at Leo’s expression. “Oh, sorry Lee.” Mikey chuckled. “I’ll make sure to press it again at bedtime.”

Donnie took his turtle and smirked at his twin. “You know I don’t have the patience to wait for bedtime Leon.” He teased as he pressed his turtle’s button as well. You’re suuuuuper smart and the best twin ever! So don’t forget it! Love you lots Tello!

“Hey!” Leo groused, looking up at his twin as he pouted at being ignored. Donnie sat in shock for a moment before he scooped up Leo quickly in his arms and buried his face in Leo’s shoulder as he hugged him tightly. Leo chirped in alarm at the fast movement, settling his arms around Donnie’s neck in a hug as his twin sniffled into his shoulder.

Leo turned his neck to face Raph as Donnie continued to hug his twin tightly, Mikey smiling and patting the softshell on the arm as he struggled to control his overwhelming emotions. “Softy.” Mikey mouthed silently towards Raph, and the eldest covered his mouth to stop a fond chuckle as he watched the twins.

“You don’t gotta give your big bro that look Leo.” Raph laughed good naturedly. “I’ll wait for bedtime to press mine.” Leo smiled wide and snuggled back into Donnie’s arms.

Draxum came out of his bedroom sometime later after the brothers had all eaten some breakfast, gratefully taking a plate of eggs from Mikey’s hands. Raph helped clean up the sheets and mats as Mikey cleared the sink. Leo was finally snoozing peacefully in Donnie’s arms as the softshell gently rubbed the slider’s carapace.

They ended up walking back to the lair in the bright sunshine, not wanting to disturb Leo’s sleep with the noisy Shell Hogs. Donnie assured Raph and Mikey that his autopilot could drive the bikes back to the lair without them present, as he tapped his phone once, engaging autonomous mode. Leo continued to sleep peacefully when they entered the lair, all three brothers collapsing in a tired pile in the living room. Their dad gave them a proud smile from his armchair before returning to his shows.

The four brothers napped the afternoon away, Raph waking first at the sounds of Leo chirping uncomfortably from Donnie’s arms. Leo chirped once he saw Raph awake, holding his arms out. Leo’s arms still shook slightly with exhaustion and his fever looked like it had returned as the medicine wore off.

“Come here little brother.” He said softly as he pulled Leo from Donnie’s grip. The softshell hissed lightly in his sleep, Raph huffing out a laugh as he carted Leo off to the kitchen. Raph placed Leo in his booster seat with a cup of blue apple sauce as he readied the fever reducers for his brother to take again. Donnie trudged into the kitchen soon after scrolling on his phone as he took a seat bedside the slider.

“I found a rooftop pool nearby on a building currently closed for renovations indoors. We could go there this evening and let Leo play for a bit in the water.” Donnie said as he flashed a city map at the snapper.

“Sounds good to me Don.” Raph said as he crept back out to the living room to wake up his youngest brother. Mikey was a menace if he was woken up before he was ready, so Raph very, VERY gently nudged his little brother until his eyes finally opened. The box turtle grumbled in irritation but didn’t retaliate against his oldest brother as he rolled over and stretched with his tranquil turtle plush held under one arm. Raph smiled fondly at his brother. “Let’s go Mike. We’re going swimming tonight. Think you could help me pack some snacks to bring?”

Mikey popped up with renewed energy and dashed towards the kitchen to begin cooking some food for them to bring. “Yeah baby! Pool party time!”

Raph carried the bags, towels, and snacks as they travelled to the empty rooftop pool. Donnie was carrying Leo in his arms as Mikey cartwheeled around them in excitement, showing off his acrobatics to Leo who cheered from Donnie’s hold.

Leo’s eyes sparkled in excitement when he saw the water, flapping his hands and squirming until Donnie let him down from his hold. Mikey took the toddler’s hand as they both cannonballed into the pool laughing. Donnie took off his battle shell and flipped in, showing off a bit for his brother who cheered from the cool water.

Raph joined them, laughing as he watched his brothers goofing off. Donnie had teamed up with Leo for a water gun battle, and the softshell was paddling quickly at the surface of the water as he chased after Michel. Leo was laying on Donnie’s shell, giggling as his twin gave him a turtle back ride through the water. The toddler squealed with glee as he took aim at Mikey and the box turtle made a big production of falling beneath the pool surface as he was hit with the tiny jet of water. Raph tossed Leo up in the air, smiling as his brother squealed as he would come crashing down in the water. The little slider would swim back up to him and chirp excitedly until Raph picked him up and tossed him again.

After a few hours, Leo’s eyelids were drooping, and he was laying across Donnie’s shell as his twin peacefully ferried them slowly back and forth across the pool. Raph gathered their things and tossed towels to his brothers. Leo was already asleep in Donnie’s arms by the time he was wrapped in a towel, and the brothers shared a proud look that they’d succeeded in protecting and taking care of their brother another day.

When they returned to the lair, Raph hesitated before stepping forwards to Donnie, who was still carrying a sleepy Leo. “I can take Leo with me tonight.” Mikey’s proud look he shot his older brother gave Raph the boost of confidence he needed after a day filled with doubts. He grabbed his little brother and settled the slider under his covers as he slipped away from his room to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. He grabbed his red turtle and Leo’s blue one from the living room as he made his way back to his room.

Leo’s face was scrunched up like he was in pain and Raph could see a blue glow beneath his brother’s eyelids. The slider’s marks were also glowing a neon blue-white, and Leo began to toss in his sleep, whining as tears began to slip down his face. “Ok. Raph, you’ve got this.” He gave himself a pep talk as he rushed to his brother’s side.

The moment his hands touched his brother, Leo plastered himself against his older brother’s plastron, eyes opening and blue-white glowing eyes fixing on his brother as he cried. Raph’s vision darkened as he felt the mind meld take hold. It was his nightmare. Raph felt like he was choking as he watched himself from Leo’s point of view on that day, his face curled in a hideous snarl as the Kraang tentacle of his arm choked his little brother. Raph felt fear and couldn’t handle another moment. He wrenched himself from the mind meld and forcefully shoved his little brother away from his chest. Leo was looking at him in confusion, hurt written all over his little face as tears poured from his glowing eyes. And Raph… Raph ran.

Raph barrelled out of his bedroom in a panic, splashing water over his face and neck in the bathroom as he tried to quell the rising feelings of a panic attack. As he finally calmed, he felt shame for how he reacted. Now that he’d had a chance to breathe, Raph realized the feelings of fear he felt in the mind meld were his own. Leo’s fear he had felt was one he knew intimately as a big brother – it was the fear and concern for a loved one’s safety. Above all, Leo hadn’t been terrified of his monstrous big brother trying to kill him, he’d been worried and Raph had felt Leo’s love and trust. And I threw his trust back in his face. Raph realized as he ran back to his bedroom to apologize to Leo.

The bedroom was empty except for the two red and blue plush turtles. There was a note propped up against the turtles. Raph moved forward in a daze, grabbing the paper and crushing it in his hands as he read the words. Sorry I huwrt you Raphie. Raph’s heart dropped as he read the sad words, noticing the tear stains marking the paper. A blue swatch of colour against the red bedsheets caught his attention. The tracker bracelet. Raph realized with dawning horror. His brother had removed the tracking bracelet.

He accidentally knocked over his turtle as he lunged for the blue bracelet, setting off the recorded voice message his brother had left for him. I love you Raphie! I always feel safe with you. You’re my hero!

Oh no. Raph had fucked up. He’d driven his brother away. He had to find his brother and make this right.

“LEO!!” he bellowed as he charged out of his bedroom and tore through the lair yelling for his little brothers.

~~~ *** ~~~

Leo ran through the dark streets of New York sobbing and dragging his katana in one hand. I hurt Raphie and he hates me! The slider was spiraling in despair as the last bits of his nightmare (memories?) faded from his vision. He was left feeling cold, shaky, and weak. After his brother had shoved him away and left, Leo had written a ‘polgy note and took off Dee’s bracelet before he ran to the kitchen and took another knife before quickly portaling away.

He stumbled down the streets, unsure of where he should go but knowing he shouldn’t be near his family. His older self had felt like that in the dream, and though Leo was sad, he didn’t want to hurt Raphie or any of his brothers anymore. The toddler paused when he heard lots of crashes coming from a big, glass building he was walking by.

A big hippo and a small worm crashed through the glass windows with bags filled with green papers. They skidded to a stop in front of the small turtle who was staring at them with teary eyes as he held his small sword at his side.

“Magic hippo?” Leo asked between his hiccuped sobs, recognizing the large hippopotamus man from his dream adventures.

“Uhhhhh… Yeppers. The Great Hypno-Potamus, at your service.” The hippo bowed and wrung his hands nervously as he looked at the small child crying alone in the empty street. “Where are your parents kiddo?” He looked sideways to his partner as the small turtle sobbed harder, the worm eyeing the child’s sword with a narrowed gaze and a sudden look of recognition.

“You! You’re one of those teenage mutant loser turtles, aren’t you??” the worm shouted. “Why are you so small now? Doesn’t matter! Finally I shall have my revenge!”

Leo looked confused at the small worm and hiccupped out a “Who are you?” before devolving back into tears.

“WHAT!? I am Warren Stone, former number one news anchor and the greatest foe of you and your brothers.” The worm was highly offended to be snubbed by the small turtle once again. “Now where are your troublesome brothers? We’ve got a bank to finish robbing and I’ll take you as a hostage if I need to!”

Leo chirped in distress at the mention of his brothers and sobbed loudly as he released all of his sadness. “Stealing is bad! I’m bad too! I’m alone!” the toddler hiccupped between his tears and sat on the cold ground.

Hypno shot his partner a reprimanding glare, daring him to upset the child further. “We will NOT be taking this precious child hostage.” He said as the police sirens wailed louder as the cars approached. “Ah, ah, ah, no more crying little tyke. Do you like magic?” he crouched down beside the child, who looked up with curiosity, his tears stopping for a moment.

Hypno grinned mischievously as cops jumped out of cars and surrounded them. “Watch this!” he said with a dramatic flair as he stood to face the cops. “MEZMEROOO!” he yelled, hypnotizing all of the police force, and then gave them the suggestion to do a silly dance for five minutes. Leo’s eyes shot open in shock, and he gave the hippo a look of disbelief and a small, watery smile.

“Let’s go kiddo", he said as he grabbed the toddler. "It’s cold out tonight and we can have a yarn back at our apartment.”

Leo sat in shock as the magic hippo and worm brought him into a cozy apartment and the hippo set him down on the ground. “All right kiddo. You want to tell me why you were all by yourself out there?” Hypno asked kindly.

Leo shook his head no as tears began to well up in his eyes again. “Ok. Ok. No questions about that for now…” the hippo stalled seeing the gleaming sword in the small turtle’s hand. “Why do you have a sword, little guy?”

Leo swung the sword, creating a small blue portal. Warren stuck his head through before completely disappearing for a moment and sticking his upper half back through to his kitchen with pineapple drinks in his hands. “Hey, this is a pretty nice portal! Kid opened a portal to Tahiti.”

Hypno stared in shock at the child before noticing him beginning to sway on his feet. The small turtle’s eyes fluttered shut and the portal closed as he fainted. Warren screeched as he was cleaved in two, his drinks spilling to the floor as he groaned about no good Toddler Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Hypno helped his partner to the couch and held the small turtle until he woke up a few minutes later. The hippo breathed a sigh of relief and carried the toddler back to the kitchen so he could fix him some warm milk with honey. Hypno was able to coax a little bit out of the child, learning that his name was Leo, and he ran away from home because he hurt his brother and that his brothers hated him. Hypno doubted anyone could hate this adorable child, and his heart ached thinking that this child thought he was no good.

I’m not going to abandon this little turtle. Hypno decided. He also discovered Leo was too afraid to sleep, so he hypnotized the child and gave him the suggestion for a dreamless sleep before wrapping him in a blanket and placing a cool cloth on the child’s feverish forehead. He carried the turtle back to the couch and sat down next to Warren, giving puppy eyes to his partner.

“No. We can’t keep him!” Warren groused as he winced at the pain of his regeneration taking place.

“But Warren, he’s all on his own! The portal thing was an accident, the little tyke has a fever and is feeling sick. Besides, look at him!”

Warren turned his unimpressed gaze over to his boyfriend, who was cooing over the sleepy, demonic, toddler turtle who was snuffling in his sleep and holding tight to Hypno’s finger. An unbidden warmth seeped into his heart at the sight and the worm groaned. “Alright, Alright. I guess he IS a pretty cute kid. And having a portal guy could come in handy in the future.” He tacked on, seeing Hypno smirk at his words.

“Oh yeah, sure, the portals are why he can stay.” The hippo teased as he planted a kiss on his partner’s forehead. “Thanks Warren!”

The two spent a quiet evening counting their stolen money, and they went to bed with smiles on their faces as the little turtle cuddled up to them in his sleep.

The next morning Hypno and Warren prepared a nice breakfast and offered the child a place to stay with them as he munched on fruit off his plate. Leo still looked sad, but he nodded his head. “Thank you!” he said as he gave Warren and Hypno a hug.

Hypno laughed as he watched Warren melt a little as he spluttered over the hug. “Just call us Uncle Hypno and Uncle Warren, kid.”

They set up some mics and their equipment after breakfast so they could begin recording their daily podcast episode for their show The Odd Yarn. Leo sat beside them, looking with interest at the elaborate setup. “Want to be a special guest on our show?” Warren asked the small turtle, who nodded from his spot between them. Warren nodded his head with approval and dragged a small mic over in front of the toddler.

Warren and Hypno thought the recording went great. Leo had been shy at introducing himself, but with Hypno making jokes and doing little card tricks for the toddler, it wasn’t long before they got a giggle out of the kid and he began answering some questions, like what his favourite food was. Warren was shocked to find out the kid liked Hawaiian pizza, and this led to a discussion with Hypno about whether pineapple really belonged on pizza.

With the recording a success, Warren began preparing it to upload online while his boyfriend got suited up to perform at a children’s birthday party in the Hidden City. Leo still had a slight fever and was shaking since he arrived yesterday. Both mutants had no idea what the cause was, but Hypno figured he could take the kid to a doctor in the Hidden City after his show was done. Besides, the kid would likely enjoy seeing a magic show and having the company of other children around him, he was still so sad most of the time.

So Hypno grabbed Leo and his suitcase of props and equipment, waving goodbye to his partner as he headed out the door. It was a quick trip to the Hidden City and he arrived early to set up at the party for the birthday girl. Leo sat in the grass with his sword beside him (Hypno wasn’t able to dissuade the toddler from parting with it). The family of rabbit yokai were extremely welcoming, assuring him it was fine his nephew stayed and watched the show, the mother showering the little turtle with attention and treats from her kitchen as she cooed over the serious and sad face of the small child.

Once the show was underway, Hypno was happy to see Leo watching with a sharp gleam in his eyes as he watched for the tricks to his show with intensity. As he packed up, he noticed the toddler had walked over to the eldest son of the yokai family, watching with stars in his eyes as the teenager whirled a real katana around, practicing his swordsmanship now that the children attending the party had all gone inside for cake.

“Hi. I’m Leo!” the small turtle chirped at the tall, white rabbit as he held out his free hand, the other still clutched tight around his little katana.

The rabbit laughed and smiled, crouching down and offering his hand in return. “Yuichi.” He said with a grin. “I like your katana Leo, that looks pretty real for a toy. Do you practice the way of the samurai as well?”

Leo smiled, scrunching up his face and Hypno could just tell where this was going. This kid was going to show off and it wasn’t going to be good. He dropped his suitcase and hurried over as Leo swung his very real sword around and created a portal that he dove into, appearing though another portal behind Yuichi.

The rabbit’s eyes widened in shock as he registered the sword as real (not a toy), and also that this tiny turtle could portal. Hypno arrived just in time to catch the small turtle as he fainted, his katana clattering to the ground. Yuichi’s brow furrowed in concern and he offered his sweater to use as a blanket until the child could be brought to the doctor.

Hypno thanked the rabbit and took off, hurrying to the nearest clinic. Leo was groggy and barely awake in the doctor’s office as he shook in Hypno’s arms. The doctor took one look at the child before she told the hippo that Leo was experiencing extreme mystic energy exhaustion. The hippo carefully stored the sword away in his suitcase so the child couldn’t exhaust himself further and thanked the doctor after she gave him some fever reducers and orders for bedrest.

“Good job at the doctor’s Leo! You were such a good turtle!” Hypno praised the child, trying to lift the slider’s spirits. “Let’s go get you some pizza for dinner. I know a great place and we can bring home some for Warren. We’ll eat some pizza and watch a movie tonight, ok?”

Leo’s eyes slipped shut as he fell asleep curled up in Hypno’s arms. The hippo looked at the sky of New York as they left the Hidden City, worry coiling in his stomach. Rain began to pour down on them in a thick sheet, and Hypno cursed that he had forgotten his umbrella. He tried to cover the child as best he could with the rabbit’s sweater and his jacket, but they were both soaked to the bone by the time Hypno pushed open the door to Run of the Mill.

~~~ *** ~~~

Hueso drummed his fingers across the bar, unable to hide the stress in his face. His Pepino had run away from home. The blue turtle’s brothers had called last night, the orange one, Michelangelo, crying as he explained what happened and begged Hueso to call them if he heard anything or saw Leo.

The skeleton knew how mean the streets of New York could be and he couldn’t sleep at all the previous night. He’s asked his workers to keep an ear and eye open and placed a missing child sign up in his restaurant by the entrance with a picture of Pepino. When it started to pour outside, the yokai placed his head in his hands, praying to whatever gods there were that his little sobrino was somewhere safe.

The doorbell rang at the arrival of a new customer and Hueso swore his soul must have left his bones for a moment. One of his semi-regulars, Hypno, walked in carrying his Pepino wrapped under a blue and white sweater. Hueso’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. His Pepino looked awful! His eyes were closed, the little turtle’s head lolling against the Hippo’s chest as he heaved large, strained breaths that he could see from across the restaurant. Leonardo’s face was pale and a bright flush of colour across his cheeks indicated a fever.

The skeleton shook with fury. “Hey.” He called low, and deadly serious. The entire restaurant hushed at his tone. “What are you doing with mi sobrino, hippo?” the atmosphere began to tense as the patrons and staff recognized the child in the hippo’s arms. “Everybody out!” the skeleton called to the guests, “I have some trash to deal with.” All of the patrons sneered at the hippo on their way out, calling threats as they left in haste, fear of aggravating the furious skeleton making them move faster. Soon Hueso was alone with his staff around him as he advanced on the hippo, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding, mate!” Hypno said nervously. “We took the kid in last night after finding him alone on the streets. I can call my partner; he’ll back me up!”

“His family has been looking for him for close to 24 hours now. They are tearing the city and Hidden City apart. How have you evaded them? How did my Pepino get so sick under your care?” Hueso asked, fire dripping from his voice as he gazed at the hippo in fury.

“Listen! We didn’t know his family was looking for him! He’s got mystic energy exhaustion. And we were caught in the rain. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for Leo to get sick!” the Hippo said as he pulled out the doctor’s prescription from the Hidden City and the child’s medicine from his suitcase, along with Leo’s katana.

Hueso motioned for his staff to take the items and he scooped his poor, drenched Pepino from the Hippo’s arms.

“Hey, Pepino!” he said to the child in worry as he brushed some raindrops off the turtle’s face. “You with me, mi sobrino?”

Leo’s eyes opened and he blinked blearily around before registering who was holding him. The little turtle burst into tears and sobbed into Hueso’s suit. “Tío Hueso!”

“Oh, my poor Pepino. It’s ok now, your Tío has you.” He calmed the toddler down as he motioned to his staff. “Have the hippo call his partner, and someone call up Pepino’s family members.”

Hypno pulled out his phone and his face went ghost white for a moment. “74 missed calls?!” he dialed Warren’s number on speaker and a menacing hiss picked up. “I had better be speaking with Hypno right now.” Hueso recognized his Pepino’s twin and flinched at his tone. “If you’ve harmed my twin, I’m going to take my chainsaw to your partner here and feed him to the fish in the bay.” The softshell threatened and Hueso could hear him revving his chainsaw in the background.

“Tello!” Leo cried out loudly.

“Nardo!” the chainsaw sounds stopped and Hueso could hear the frantic voices of all the turtles suddenly shouting in the background.

Hueso cleared his throat. “Boys! We are all at my restaurant. We have Hypno here and will make sure he cannot leave until you arrive. It does not appear he had malicious intent.” Hueso heard a hiss from Pepino’s twin before Michelangelo responded. “We’ll be there soon!”

The doors to his restaurant swung open and Raphael entered with Warren held tight in his grip. He deposited the worm beside the hippo and walked slowly over to Leo, who was struggling to keep his tears from overflowing as he looked at his big brother.

Hueso stepped back, placing Leo on the ground and steadying the sick child until Raphael scooped his brother up in an all-encompassing, gentle hug. “I’m sorry Leo.” The snapper said looking right in his little brother’s eyes. “I messed up real bad last night. You didn’t hurt me little man. I was too scared that you’d be afraid of your big brother after that nightmare, and I pushed you away when I should have held you tight and comforted you. What happened in that memory wasn’t your fault Leo, and I promise that no one blames you for it… for anything that happened in your nightmares. I was so sad when you left little bro, we all were. Please don’t leave us again Leo. We LOVE you. We need you. And we’ll always be here for you, even if you feel sad. So don’t run away or hide from us little bro. Raphie’s got your back.” Leo whined, long and loud and burst into noisy tears as he finally stopped trying to control his crying. Raph hugged Leo tightly as tears slipped down his own face. Mikey and Donnie came in the door both crying as well, they were clearly giving their older brother a moment to apologize before they joined a tight hug around the little slider.

After their hug, Raph had to physically restrain Donnie from assaulting the worm and hippo once he saw the state of his twin, who was shaking from his emotions and the fever bright across his face. Hueso watched with satisfaction as the youngest turtle’s Dr. Delicate Touch persona interrogated the two mutants sitting at the table.

It became clear to everyone that Hypno and Warren had taken Leo in with (mostly) good intentions, and that no harm was done. Mikey and Raph backed off, with Donnie hissing from Raph’s grip on his shell. Raph placed their shivering brother in Donnie’s arms and the softshell immediately settled down and began scanning his twin and shushing any remaining tears softly.

Hypno and Warren handed the prescription and medicine and sword to Raphael before waving goodbye to the small blue turtle. “Bye Bye Leo! Hope you feel better ya little tyke, come visit us anytime!” Hypno called.

“Take care of yourself, Kid.” Warren said with a fond note in his voice. “If your brothers ever let you out of their sight, you’re welcome to join us as a guest on the Odd Yarn again.”

Leo waved tiredly from his twin’s arms. “Bye Bye Uncle Hippo and Uncle Worm!”

With the pair gone, Hueso gave one last hug and kiss to his Pepino’s warm forehead, before waving goodbye to the turtles as they drove away in their tank.

Hueso sighed in relief, feeling like his bones were ten times lighter. He walked back into his kitchen and began preparing stock for a soup. He’d visit the turtles and drop off his abuela’s special soup recipe for his Pepino tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Donnie sat in the back of the turtle tank as he held his twin close to his plastron, and it was like he could finally breathe for the first time since yesterday. The softshell rubbed at his tired eyes and laid his head back against his seat.

That was the scariest thing I’ve been through since this dumb-dumb sacrificial idiot threw himself into the prison dimension. Donnie took a deep breath, trying to calm his frayed nerves as the stress of the last roughly 20 hours caught up to him. He traced the pattern on his twin’s shell, his fingers itching for something to do.

Leo was laying against his plastron, the toddler’s eyes blinking slowly but focusing on nothing. His brother looked completely spent. He was still too pale despite being wrapped in an emergency blanket they kept in the tank, and signs of his fever were bright across his face. His small wheezing breaths made Don’s heart feel like it was leaking guilt with every scratchy exhale.

Mystic energy exhaustion. The slider was shaking from it and Donnie felt so worried. We need to keep Leo from expending more mystic energy. This isn’t good for him. If his fever gets any higher, it’ll be reaching dangerous levels. The thought of Leo being in pain and the possibility of a seizure from a high fever made Donnie’s stomach churn.

The softshell looked up from Leo to check their surroundings. We’re almost back to the Lair. he thought as he took in the familiar scenery of New York as they made their way through the evening traffic. Raph was driving the tank and kept sending worried glances over his shoulder. Donnie wrinkled his nose as another wave of his brother’s fear stink hit him. I need to upgrade the air filtration system in this tank. he thought, not unkindly. Donnie didn’t blame his brother for the fear stink. It had been an extremely stressful 20 hours and the softshell knew Raph blamed himself for Leo running away. Donnie’s younger brother was hovering beside them, alternating between typing on his phone and wringing his fingers nervously against his chest as the box turtle’s foot tapped with a frenzied energy on the floor of the tank.

“Dad is already back at the lair with April. Cass, CJ, and Barry are on the way too.” Mikey announced to his brothers, using a softer voice so he didn’t startle Leo. The slider barely stirred, simply turning his head slightly before resting back against his twin’s plastron.

They were pulling into the Lair garage within minutes, and their father wrenched the tank door open in his haste. The rat’s eyes were red, watery, and frantic as he pulled his smallest son from Donnie’s lap into a soft embrace, tears pouring down Splinter’s face.

Leo began to tear up again, weakly grabbing onto his father’s fur and burying his face into the rat’s neck as he cried. “Dada…” the slider whimpered as Splinter rocked his son back and forth.

“Oh, my Baby Blue! I’m so glad you’re back home.” Their father choked out between his tears. Splinter took in the sick state of his son before looking to his other three for an explanation.

“We’ve got to check Leo in the Med Bay, he was out in the rain and he’s experiencing more severe mystic energy exhaustion. Is Draxum here?” Donnie inquired.

“Not yet.” Splinter replied with worry lining his face as he rocked his son in his arms. April had climbed her way into the tank, tears pricking at her eyes and her shoulders relaxing as she looked at her (currently) littlest brother sniffling into his father’s fur. The slider’s tears dried up quickly with the exhaustion and dehydration. April gently brushed her hand along Leo’s head, the small turtle shivering and turning his eyes slightly from Splinter’s fur to peek at his sister with teary eyes.

Donnie walked behind his father, his brothers and sister at his side as they all made their way to the Med Bay. Donnie called out to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. to let Barry, Cass, and CJ in once they arrived and to bring them to the Med Bay. The AI bot zipped over to the entrance to wait for the others.

Splinter sat in a chair in the Med Bay holding Leo as he shook in his arms. Donnie got to work, grabbing a traditional thermometer and starting to scan his brother again. The thermometer beeped and confirmed the number his scanner had picked up. Too warm. He needs food and to drink more as well. Donnie worried at his lower lip with his teeth as he watched his twin shake from the mystic exhaustion. He needs to be monitored in case his condition worsens.

Donnie grabbed one of his new inventions from one of the cabinets along the wall. They were stickers that could monitor vitals remotely and transmit the data live to an app he had developed. In order to please his siblings, he made the stickers fun shapes at Leo’s request, with the current batch designed to be Jupiter Jim themed. He carried the stickers over to his brother, waiting patiently as his twin took a minute to process the stickers and weakly pointed to a Red Fox sticker, which the softshell stuck to the slider’s skin, just below the turtle’s collarbone and above his plastron. He grabbed a small blue star sticker and stuck it to his twin’s temple. The microchips in his stickers instantly began transmitting the live data to his app, and the softshell took a moment to take stock of the heart monitor, temperature measurements, oxygen absorption rates, hydration levels, and brain waves being transmitted. Satisfied the tools he designed were performing as anticipated, Donnie began to assess his brother’s breathing with a stethoscope, when CJ burst into the Med Bay, quickly followed by Draxum and Cass.

CJ took a deep, steadying breath, wiping away his tears and smiling at Leo calmly as he slipped on his medical apprentice mode. “Hey Leo!” the teen said softly. “I’m so happy to see you’re back home. Do you feel sick?” he gently placed his hand against the toddler’s forehead as the slider nodded, his brow furrowing in alarm as he looked up at Donnie. The softshell held out his phone to show CJ the stats, the Baron also leaning in to read the medical information. Cold. Leo was signing to CJ and Donnie as he shook in his father’s lap.

“You’re too warm Nardo.” Donnie said gently, coming closer to hold his twin’s shaking hand as Draxum began to examine the toddler as well. Mystic energy flowed across the Baron’s hands as the yokai placed one glowing palm upon the slider’s head. The yokai closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, a concerned set to his mouth.

“Leonardo cannot use more mystic energy. There will be severe health consequences if this continues. I understand from what you’ve told me that he activates his ninpo unintentionally as he sleeps. He will have to be monitored constantly, and if he activates his mystic abilities, you will have to snap him out of his flashbacks as quickly as possible.” The yokai said as he paced back and forth in the medical room. “He’s got a nasty chest cold developing as well. I will contact a friend in the Hidden City to make him a remedy. I should be able to procure a medicine that can boost his mystic energy levels as well. I’ll be back by tomorrow morning with both, but please contact me if his condition worsens. Leonardo should be on bedrest and sleep as much as possible until his temperature stably returns to normal.” The yokai stopped and confirmed with Donnie and everyone that they understood before stopping in front of Leo. “Feel better little Blue One. Make sure you rest.” Barry took his leave, Splinter thanking him as he exited the Med Bay.

The next several minutes were filled with an intense debate on how the shifts to watch Leo would work. The human teens all agreed to stay and help – it was Saturday evening after all, there was no school the next day, and they all wanted to make sure their dear red-eared slider got well again. Donnie was installing the medical vitals tracking app on everyone’s phone and explaining what they should do in an emergency and to get him if Leo’s temperature got worse.

“Raph’s got first watch.” The snapper declared and no one dared try to deny him. “Little brothers, go get some sleep, you’ve been awake for too long. Get some rest.”

Donnie released an unbidden hiss, shocked by his response to his older brother, but unwilling to part from his twin while he was ill.

Raph smiled softly at his little bro. “Come on Don. You won’t be able to care for Leo if you’re dead on your feet.”

“I’ll take first watch with Mast- uhh- Raph.” Casey said sheepishly before he looked at Donnie with a confident stare. “My sensei taught me a lot as his apprentice medic. I will make sure Leo stays stable while you rest.”

“Come on Dee. Raph and Casey have got this. Come help me prepare some food for Leo and everyone so we can all rest.” Mikey argued as he gently led his reluctant brother towards the kitchen.

Splinter gave his Baby Blue a kiss on the forehead before passing the small turtle to Casey and heading to his chair to try and rest before it was his turn to watch over his son. Casey gently rocked Leo back and forth, the toddler leaning heavily against his chest as he wheezed lightly.

“Let’s go join Don and Mikey in the kitchen. Everyone should eat somethin’ before bed.” Raph said, pushing himself to his feet and leading the way out of the Med Bay.

Casey rummaged around in the Med Bay until he found what he was looking for – a cream for chest colds. His sensei would make this all the time. Apparently, it was good for humans and turtle mutants. He rubbed the cream into the small turtle’s carapace and upper plastron, the strong smell filling the air and burning at his nose. Leo coughed a few times and wrinkled his nose. “Sorry Leo! This will make you feel better in a few minutes though, promise!” he squeezed the toddler’s hand twice and continued his treatment. Satisfied as he heard the raspy breathing begin to clear slightly, Casey grabbed a soft, light blanket from the Med Bay and wrapped the small turtle up as he repositioned Leo in his arms.

Casey froze and felt his heart squeeze as he heard Leo let out a small, content chirp as the slider snuggled into his shoulder. He gave Leo a hug, the unfamiliar feeling of protective older brother instincts rising within him, before grabbing a cloth and wetting it in the sink. He placed the cool cloth on the back of Leo’s neck, and happy his patient was cared for, he carried the turtle to the kitchen.

Everyone was munching on leftover pizza or sandwiches as Casey entered the kitchen with Leo, all eyes turning to the little toddler all bundled up. The teen took the empty seat between Donnie and Raph, both turtles immediately fussing over their brother as Mikey walked over with a small cup of blue Gatorade, a bowl of applesauce and some sliced bananas.

Casey ate some pizza and watched as Raph and Donnie hovered around their brother offering him banana slices and spoons of applesauce that Leo turned his beak up at. April supervised as she stood at the kitchen counter waiting until the toaster popped and then she pushed her way through the overprotective brother shield with a warm New York bagel until she was sitting right beside her smallest brother. She took a big bite out of one half of the warm bagel she’d smeared with butter and let out a long drawn-out “Mmmm!” as she snuck a peek at the slider who was watching her from his spot in Casey’s lap.

April winked and offered the bagel to Leo. “Want to taste Baby Blue?” Leo opened his mouth and cautiously took a bite before closing his eyes and chewing slowly. The little slider’s eyes popped open, and he shakily signed Yummy! April gave a wide smile and a knowing look to all of her brothers. “It’s good, right Lee? Have some more bagel with your older sis!”

April fed a few more bites of bagel to Leo before he hid his face in Casey’s shoulder and the young medical apprentice put a stop to anymore food at the moment. “I don’t want him to get sick. Maybe after some sleep he can try to eat some more. Ok Leo?” he asked the small turtle who just blinked at him slowly a few times before nodding belatedly.

Everyone took turns wishing Leo a goodnight as Casey wrapped the toddler up in the blanket again and Raph refreshed the cool cloth on the turtle’s neck. Donnie sat in front of Leo and made sure his brother was looking at him before he started speaking. “Nardo. You have to be careful until we can get you some medicine tomorrow morning. You can’t make any more swords or portals, ok Houdini?” the softshell gently leaned their foreheads together. “If you use your mystic powers too much, you’ll get sick, and I’ll be really sad.”

Leo shakily reached his hand up and gently placed his palm on Donnie’s cheek as he looked at his twin. Promise. he signed. His brother released a sigh of relief before signing slowly back. I’m always here Nardo. Come get me if you need me. Leo’s eyes were shining wetly, and Donnie couldn’t resist gently scooping Leo out of Casey’s hands and hugging him softly. Donnie finally released Leo reluctantly when Raph came over and told him they should get Leo settled so he can sleep.

Raph settled Leo into his arms and wished his family a goodnight as he and Casey headed towards Leo’s room. They’d agreed on 4-hour shifts, so Casey and Raph would monitor Leo until about midnight. The snapper figured Leo would relax better in his own room after all of the action the kid went through. Raph turned on Leo’s neon rocket lamp and fluffed the pillows on the bed before gently laying Leo down. He sighed as his brother immediately struggled up to a sitting position and stubbornly crossed his arms.

Raph laid down across the bed and held an arm out to his little brother. “Wanna come make a turtle pile with Raph?”

Leo scooched further away, making sure he wasn’t touching his brother before signing Not tired.

Uh huh. Sure kid. Raph thought with exasperation as he watched his little brother shake and struggle against the exhaustion clearly hitting him. He knew Leo just didn’t want to have another dream of the Krang with Raph there to see it. Raph knew he messed up last time and he wasn’t about to let it happen again.

He leaned over to his little bro and lifted his chin up so Leo was looking at him. “Raph promises he’s not goin’ anywhere this time. I meant what I said in the restaurant Leo. Your big bro has got your back and I’ll wake you up from any bad dreams you have.” Raph saw his brother’s resolve beginning to crumble, and he grabbed Leo’s blue Tranquil Turtle plush before pretending to walk the turtle across the bed towards the toddler. Leo watched the turtle plush getting closer and closer and pulled his feet in towards himself and tensed a bit as a standoff with the Tranquil Turtle occurred for a moment before Raph had the plush jump towards the toddler as he began to tickle Leo. Leo let out a little squeal and giggle, and Raph stopped tickling his brother and smiled victoriously that his brother’s frown had been replaced.

Raph walked the plush towards his little brother again as Leo smiled in anticipation this time. The snapper used a high voice and moved the plush around like it was talking as he held the Tranquil Turtle up to Leo’s face. “Mew! Mew! Mew! Your big bro Raphie would like to turtle pile with you!”

Leo smiled shyly and after a moment, held out his arms to his big brother. Raph lifted him high in the air, making the small turtle smile wide, before laying his little brother down on his plastron. After a minute Leo was securely tucked under a soft blanket and holding his turtle plush as Raph gently laid a large hand over his brother’s carapace.

Leo turned his head and stared at Casey who quickly became uncomfortable with the small turtle’s unblinking gaze. “Story pwease.” The little turtle requested, and Casey couldn’t deny Leo as he lay there shivering and staring at him with those big, tired eyes.

“Uhhh. Ok. Story, story. Yep, I can totally tell you a story.” The teenager said in a slight panic as he scrambled for something to say.

Leo chirped once and held out a shaking hand. Casey stared at the toddler like he was a complex puzzle and Leo chirped again in a slightly more tired and miffed tone. Raph chuckled quietly. “He wants ta hold your hand Case.”

“O-Oh!” Casey jumped forwards sitting next to Raph on the bed and took the todder’s small hand. Once Leo had securely wrapped his hand around one of Casey’s fingers he chirped in contentment, and Casey fought the need to squeeze the small turtle’s cheeks as he began his story. “Once there was a small turtle….”

Leo looked at Casey with wide eyes, a small yawn escaping his mouth. “…and this small turtle liked to go on adventures. One day the small turtle was travelling…. Uhhh.”

“Wif his nice pony friend.” Leo interjected as Casey was scrambling for a story to tell.

“Uhh, ok. Yes. The small turtle was walking down the road with his nice pony friend.”

“Da pony was flyin’ and bweathin’ fire.” Leo mumbled sleepily.

“What?!” Casey tried not to yell and looked back to the small turtle, but Leo had finally fallen asleep, and Casey sat in shock for a moment as Raph silently laughed at the boy.

“Good job Case.” Raph whispered proudly. “Now we just have’ta make sure we wake Leo up if he starts having a nightmare or activatin’ his ninpo.”

Casey nodded and tried to extract his hand from Leo’s but the toddler had a firm grip. Not wanting to wake up the turtle he knew was a light sleeper, Casey gave up and allowed Raph to tug him back against his plastron as well, joining in the turtle pile.

The two sat in companiable silence scrolling through their phones for a few hours when a small whimper coming from Leo had them both on alert. Blue sparks began to race across the toddler’s skin as Leo’s marks began to glow. Raph felt the room melt away as his brother’s mind meld took over.

Raph found himself in Leo’s point of view watching himself throw his body in front of his little brother to protect the slider from the initial Krang attack when they had stolen the key. The fear and guilt tied to the memory made him nauseous. The memory seemed to shimmer in an unstable way within the toddler’s dream before the scene shattered and Raph was looking at his Krangified arm holding his brother up in the air once more.

The snapper could feel his brother’s concern and fear as palpably as if it were his own and Raph took a deep breath to center himself. What shocked Raph next was the way the memory seemed to quake unstably again as environment quivered around him. There was a direct departure from what he remembered had happened as he watched in horror as the Krang made Donnie and Mikey into puppets with Raph. All three Krangified brothers turned on Leo in the dream as they growled, holding the slider still as a Krang attacked their dad and friends in the background, Leo helpless to do anything but watch. My fault. the slider’s voice rang out eerily in the fevered nightmare.

Raph wrenched himself from the mind meld breathing heavily and looking around in a panic as he oriented himself back in Leo’s bedroom. His baby brother was having a real nightmare and was shaking and crying, tears pouring out of his closed, glowing eyes. Casey eyes were glowing with the mind meld as well, and the teen had a terrified look on his face. Raph gave Casey a light pinch to the arm, which seemed to snap the kid from the mind meld before trying to grab his little brother. His arm seemed to slip through his brothers glowing blue? skin for a moment and Raph blinked in confusion before his hand settled on his brother’s carapace. What just happened?

“Leo! Leo wake up! You’re havin’ a nightmare! It’s not real!” Casey ran out of the room as Raph was struggling to wake Leo up, the teen returning with ice packs which he promptly held on the toddler’s sides. The cold seemed to shock Leo awake, the glow of his mystic energy fading, and the toddler began hiccupping and chirping in distress through his tears.

“It’s ok Leo.” Raph soothed, giving a firm, grounding hug to his brother who was shaking like a leaf. “That wasn’t real little brother. You had a nightmare. It’s ok. Everyone’s alright.” He repeated those words in a calming voice until Leo’s panicked gasps through tears had subsided to a more calm rhythm of breathing. “That’s right little brother. Breathe with Raph. You’re doing so good.”

Leo greedily sucked in air and blinked his puffy eyes open to look at his big brother. “There you are Leo. Good job! Remember it was just a nightmare.” Raph sat the small turtle up and wiped Leo’s tears. “I know that was a scary dream Leo. Just remember that it wasn’t real what you saw, that was a nightmare. And remember that no one is mad at you, and no one blames you for the scary things that did happen. Don’t listen to that mean voice in your head ok? It’s not your fault.” he said as he gave Leo a squeeze. “If that mean voice in your head says things that make you sad, you tell Raphie, and I’ll protect you. I am so proud of you for being brave and fighting through that.”

Leo threw himself at his big brother and Raph held the toddler close as Leo said quietly in an earnest voice. “Thanks Raphie. Love you!”

“Raph loves you too Leo.”

The snapper looked up to Casey who was still breathing heavily with stress and had a guilty look on his face. “You ok Case?”

“Yeah.” He responded a little too quickly. “Yeah- Uhh. That was just my first mind meld ever so I was a little shocked by how…intense… that was. Sorry I wasn’t more help-“ Casey let out a little yelp as Raph pulled him into the hug with his free arm.

“Ya did good Case. The ice you brought was what woke Leo up. Thanks for the help!”

Casey blinked away tears quickly before running out to the Med Bay to grab some medicine for Leo and several cool, wet cloths. “Leo’s temperature went up a bit during the nightmare. We need to bring it down again.”

He went to work placing wet cloths on Leo’s forehead and neck, and placed the ice packs underneath the small turtle’s arms as Leo squawked and tried to worm his way out of Raph’s hold. “Sorry Leo! Please don’t move for a little bit.”

Raph pulled out his phone and started playing an old Jupiter Jim episode to distract Leo. “Just one episode and we’ll take the ice packs away, ok big man?”

Leo sank back into Raph’s arm unhappily, shivering violently and chirping in distaste as the ice packs were firmly put back in place by Casey. “I know Leo. Only 10 more minutes.” Raph encouraged.

As the episode ended, Leo chirped in irritation until Casey removed all the ice packs. “Good job Leo!” Casey praised, trying not to grin as the irritable toddler began to smile slightly despite the grouchy look on his face. A quick check of Leo’s vitals showed his temperature was still elevated, but it had gone down from a dangerous zone following treatment with the ice packs and cold cloths. Casey breathed a sigh of relief that was shared with Raph.

Casey gave Leo his next dose of fever reducers and Raph was just attempting to wrap Leo up in a blanket again as they heard a soft knock on the doorframe. April, Cass, and Splinter came in with some extra blankets and a tray of foods to take over the next shift.

Splinter came over to take his son from Raph’s arms as CJ and Raph explained what happened with Leo’s nightmare. Leo greedily snuggled into his father’s fur, teeth chattering as he glared over Splinter’s shoulder at the ice packs in Casey’s hands.

Casey was gesturing to Donnie’s app of Leo’s sticker health stats and explaining to the three that joined them. “If his temperature hits this level again, come get me and surround him with ice packs.” A small hiss came from Leo that had Casey’s eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

April chuckled at the noise as Raph sighed. “Feeling feisty Baby Blue?” April teased the grumpy toddler as she gave him a quick peck on the forehead. She tried to cover her chuckles as Leo’s frown disappeared and he fought to keep the angry pout on his face. “Alright tough guy, how about a midnight snack with your older sis?” she pulled Cass over with the tray of foods in hopes of tempting the toddler with different options.

“I recommend the bagel and the ice cream, Small Blue One.” Cass said solemnly to the small turtle, who regarded her with a serious expression before pointing to the still warm bagel. “Excellent choice child.” She gave Leo a pat on the head, making the small turtle’s tail wag at the praise again before he remembered he was supposed to be angry and tried to put a frown on his face.

Raph smirked and Splinter rolled his eyes fondly at his son’s antics. Soon the toddler was sitting contentedly in his dad’s lap as April held out small pieces of bagel for Leo who would hold the warm pieces in his hands, trying to soak in the warmth until they cooled down, and then he would take a small bite.

Raph gave Leo a proud pat on the head and Casey gave the small turtle a smile as they both headed out to join Donnie and Mikey in the living room. With Leo’s snack done, the three silently communicated on the best approach to try and get the slider to go back to sleep. Leo was shivering in his dad’s lap and was shredding a napkin he’d grabbed off the tray of food nearby, oblivious to their discussion.

Deciding the best approach with his son would be the direct one, Splinter lifted Leo from his lap and began slowly walking back towards the blue-themed bed. “Time to get some rest Blue.” Splinter said in a falsely cheery voice, trying to ignore the betrayed glare his son was shooting at him. “Let’s get you settled on a pillow and get some cool cloths on your forehead and neck, my son. You’re still too warm.”

Splinter sighed as Leo completely retracted his head, arms, and legs into his shell. “Blue. I know you are feeling cold, but you must bear with this until tomorrow morning when Draxum returns. This is for your own good.” Splinter tried to pull his son’s head out of his shell, but quickly ripped his hand out to avoid getting bit by his irritated, miserable, sick child who was well on his way to a meltdown.

Just as April and Cass walked over to try and talk the toddler out of his shell, Leo began letting out a repeated shrill chirp of warning and distress that echoed within his shell and the bedroom like an alarm. “Please Blue. Come on out of there.” Splinter pleaded, feeling guilty as he knew his son wasn’t feeling well and was scared to go back to sleep. The shrill chirps continued, Splinter’s pleas going unheard, and suddenly three turtles and a worried teen trouped into the bedroom carrying a mountain of pillows and blankets with them.

“Couldn’t sleep after hearing Leo was upset.” Raph said with a shrug as he began arranging the pillows and blankets on the floor, leaving the toddler wrangling to his younger siblings. Casey and Cass jumped in and began helping the snapper set up a huge sleepover area.

Mikey wasted no time, running up to his hidden brother and the box shell stuck his face into the top of Leo’s shell. “Hey Lee! Come out and join the -- ow! OW! OW! OW! Let go!” Michel pulled his face away, rubbing at the bite marks on his nose, the slider hissing impressively from inside his shell. “Ooh, Lee is spicy tonight!” Mikey groused as he continued to rub at his sore nose.

“An impressive set of teeth marks.” Cassandra said with approval, nodding towards the still hidden slider who was hissing up a storm.

Donnie sighed at the chaos. “Can everyone go grab a warm drink and give us five minutes?” the softshell nodded confidently at the others and they all filed out and headed to the kitchen to give the twins some space. Donnie turned the neon rocket lamp to its lowest brightness setting and sat gently beside his brother’s shell. “I’m going to lay down next to you Nardo and adjust your position. Don’t bite me, you know I’ll just bite you back twice as hard.” He warned in a half-joking way.

The softshell made himself comfortable on Leo’s bed as he laid down on his back and pulled the slider’s shell under one arm in a light cuddle. Donnie did not try to force his twin out of his shell, he just sat in silence with his brother for a minute as he scrolled on his phone. “Sorry you had a bad dream Nardo. I know it must have been very upsetting, but I promise things will be better once your fever goes down. I won’t leave you alone tonight, I’ll be there to help if anything happens.”

Donatello was no stranger to overstimulation, and he could tell Leo was exhausted and the fever was making him miserable, both things that in his experience could make becoming overwhelmed that much easier. Donnie patiently sat in the quiet room, gently tracing repetitive patterns on his twin’s shell. He pulled up Leon’s favourite sleep playlist on his phone, softly playing the music as he continued to patiently wait. He felt a nudge against his side as Leo finally came out of his shell and snuggled under his twin’s arm.

“I don’t wanna sleep Tello.”

“I know.” Donnie said with a sigh. “But let’s be honest. You’re sick and feeling tired, so you definitely won’t be able to stay up the whole night.” Donnie made eye contact with his twin, pleased to see Leo wasn’t trying to deny it. “It’s not fair that you have to deal with these nightmares, I know. I know you can get through this though, you’re the bravest person I know Nardo.” Donnie said truthfully as he held eye contact with his twin. “I’ll be with you the whole time, you won’t be alone.” The softshell securely wrapped his arms around Leo as his brother gave him a hug and sniffled.

Mikey crept back into the room and sat softly at the edge of the bed. “Sorry I was too loud and scared you when you weren’t feeling good Lee.” The box turtle whispered.

Leo’s lip wobbled and he held out his arms to his brother who happily wrapped the slider up in a warm hug. “Sorry I bit you, Angie.” Leo sniffled.

“Awww, it’s ok Lee! I get scared and grouchy sometimes too! I still love ya! You can’t scare me away with a little bite.” Mikey nuzzled the top of Leo’s head as he hugged the toddler and then helped tuck Leo back into bed where he curled up beside Donnie.

Both brothers breathed a sigh of relief when Leo slipped back to sleep less than ten minutes later, the fear and stress on the toddler’s face smoothing out in slumber. Mikey signaled to the others waiting outside that they could sneak back in, and everyone began setting up for a sleepover on the floor. April, Cass, and Splinter set up in chairs ready to watch over Leo for the next few hours.

Donnie knew it wouldn’t be his turn to take watch for a few hours, but he couldn’t go to sleep. He felt uneasy as he went through the recorded sticker stats from Leo’s last nightmare on his phone. His brother’s brainwaves had increased to an elevated, frenzied pace and the stickers had stopped transmitting for a moment before coming back online. Now, Donatello wasn’t so proud that he wouldn’t admit that his newest tech in beta could have small errors or kinks that needed to be worked out, but the timing with his brother’s brainwaves and both sticker monitors stopping at the same time? That was too convenient to be a coincidence and he’d be a fool to ignore it. So instead of sleeping he sat watching his brother as he monitored the incoming data. Data collection had always been calming for him anyway.

It was about three hours later when Donatello got his answer. He watched with a horrified fascination as blue sparks raced across his brother’s skin, his markings beginning to glow as his ninpo activated in response to his brother’s beginning nightmare. Donnie was just able to see his brother’s skin beginning to glow a light neon blue like his portals as a wave of blue sparks flew across the room throwing Donnie into a mind meld with his twin. Pizza supreme. Was this a new development on his brother’s powers?

The softshell didn’t have long to ponder his question as his brother’s nightmare became the center of his attention. He was alone, high in the air on the Technodrome watching Raph leap after Mikey and himself as they fell from the sky. And then Donnie was in Leo’s shoes, facing down their toughest enemy alone. He felt his brother’s fear and doubt swirling like a cloud around him, but then Leo’s grim resolve took over and Donnie could only watch in horror as his brother’s voice rang out telling Casey to close the portal, and the fierce fight between his brother and the Krang began. Feeling himself get slammed and crushed under the Krang’s giant metal foot was awful.

“What you fail to understand is that I missed on purpose.” His brother’s portal activated, and Donnie was suddenly in the one place his twin would never discuss with him. The Prison Dimension. It was dark, and so much colder than Donnie could have imagined.

“You’ve just been portal chopped!” Donnie was stunned, watching as his brother became the sole focus of their enraged enemy.

“You’ve ruined everything! And now, my wrath will be reserved for you alone!”

“You think you’ve won you wretched, little pest!?”

“WIPE THAT GRIN OFF YOUR FACE!”

The words of the Krang were echoing inside his skull and each hit his brother took shook him to his core. It was his twin’s soft whimpers, feelings of relief for his family and resignation towards his fate that both shattered Donnie’s heart and snapped him back to himself. My brother needs me. He could feel the terror and loneliness of the toddler also experiencing this memory. Donnie had to wake himself up fast.

The environment around him was shimmering in a way he hadn’t experienced before during a mind meld. The scenery shattered and Donnie was floating through dark space, Mikey’s rescue portal fizzling out of existence. He felt his brother Leo scream as his hope seemed to dissipate with the disappearance of the portal. This isn’t what happened! He’s having an actual nightmare now.

Donnie wrenched himself painfully back to reality, taking in the chaos of the room around him. Raph and Mikey were desperately trying to grab Leo, but their hands were uselessly sliding through their now blue, glowing brother, who shimmered like one of his portals. Donnie flipped his goggles down. His brother’s energy levels were off the charts, it was like he had converted himself into the same energy he made his portals from. Glittering sparks trailed down their brother’s face like tears and his expression was heartbreaking He’s literally pure energy right now, that’s definitely tears. Donnie thought frantically. There was no sound coming from his brother other than a weird hum and crackle of the energy filling his twin, much reminiscent of his portals. The energy was unstable, and his brother began to flicker in and out of sight. No! No! NO! NO! Donnie wasn’t sure where his brother would disappear to and he wasn’t about to let it happen. His twin wouldn’t be alone again. NOT NOW. NOT WHILE I’M STILL HERE.

Ok. Ok. I can fix this. I can fix this. The softshell’s mind was on overdrive, trying to analyze all possibilities and the best course of action. I need to stabilize his energy, but with wha--- Suddenly he was gripped with an idea and Donnie threw himself forwards activating his mystic energy. A warm purple glow encased his hands and he reached out, finally getting a real grip on Leo’s flickering form. Mind melds work both ways! He pushed his own thoughts into his brother’s head, hoping to Newton that this would work.

Donnie shoved all the warm, gooey thoughts at Leo he could. Thoughts of hugging him tightly, and his relief when the slider was rescued from the prison dimension, memories of some of their first shared birthday parties with Donnie and Leo blowing out the candles on their cake, more recent memories of the late nights they spent just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company, just the two of them. Donnie registered his family surrounding them, Raph, Mikey, their dad, Casey, and April’s ninpo also activating as they reached out to Leo sharing their fondest memories.

Leo’s flickering form became solid once again, the blue energy fading from his skin in a flash and Donnie picked his brother up just as Leo’s eyes slipped shut, tears still staining his face. There was chaos all around him as his family all began yelling or running out of the room. Leo was burning up beneath Donnie’s hand, unresponsive to his family’s calls and soft taps on his arms. The softshell’s goggles showed that Leo’s mystic energy had drained to near zero, and Donnie frowned as a feeling like ice dripped down his spine. This was exactly what Barry had warned them about. If Leo’s like an empty battery right now, couldn’t I just charge him? The fleeting thought was so simple, Donnie couldn’t believe he hadn’t tried something like this before in his experiments with mystic energy.

Donnie concentrated, activating his purple energy and pushed it, letting it flow gently towards his twin as Casey and his brothers frantically packed frozen vegetables and ice around Leo in an attempt to cool him down. His mystic energy seeped into Leo’s too still-form and after a panicked minute, Leo’s markings all glowed purple. The toddler coughed weakly and blinked up at Donnie with a confused and exhausted look on his small face.

“Oh, thank Franklin!” Donnie cried as he crushed his small twin in a teary hug. The rest of the family all crowded around as they joined in the hug, pure relief overtaking the stress, confusion, and chaos of moments before.

A knock at the bedroom doorway and the entrance of the Baron interrupted the moment. Draxum strode forward and Donnie helped lift Leo so he could drink the alchemical medicines Barry had retrieved. “Let him rest. The medicines should do their job within the next hour.” Draxum declared after Leo had become drowsy from the yokai medicine and slipped into a heavy sleep.

“Interesting.” The Baron said as he listened to what had happened during his trip to the Hidden City. “It seems as if you can avoid some of the issues with mystic energy exhaustion by sharing with one another, though I caution against lending each other too much energy.” The turtles all nodded, thinking back on how they’d shared their energy unknowingly with Mikey in opening the portal to the Prison Dimension.

“Well, this is convenient that you’ve discovered this. You can lend Leonardo energy if he expends too much or stabilize him if he cannot control the energy his small body currently possesses. Obviously there will still be adverse effects, so don’t let him be a stubborn idiot about using his abilities.” Draxum checked the still sleeping Leo over and seeing that his fever had been reduced and energy levels had increased, the yokai nodded with approval and took his leave.

It was now early morning, but everyone was still processing everything that had happened and sleep was the last thing on their minds. Cass was the first to break the silence, apologizing that she had to leave for work, and promising she’d check on them again later.

“Why didn’t Leo tell us about the Prison Dimension?” Mikey asked with a troubled look on his face as he watched his brother breathe peacefully in sleep in Donnie’s lap.

Donnie was horrified and frustrated his brother had kept all of what they’d seen to himself, but he couldn’t blame his brother for wanting to compartmentalize the memories. The softshell wasn’t sure he’d know how to talk about it if he was Leo either.

“It doesn’t matter that he didn’t. We know now, and we’re not going to let him deal with that alone ever again.” Raph said as he pulled his youngest brother in for a tight, trademarked Raph hug.

“I think we’ve all had a really rough weekend and we need a vacation. Leo deserves one, these nightmares and his memories are wearing on him. He needs time to relax and be a kid and not think about all of these terrifying memories.” April said with a tired but determined voice. “I’m calling it. We are going to go on a trip to my grandparent’s old cabin for a few days and we’re going to make some great memories. CJ! We’re calling you in as sick this week. No school. We’re taking a family trip instead. I’ll share the location in the group chat. If you guys have ideas on fun things you’d like to do or see on the way, chime in and we’ll map it out today.”

The others were shocked but didn’t deny that it would be nice to get out of their heads and forget about the Krang for a little while. April took their considering silence as an affirmation of her suggestion. “Good! Pick some places to go today and we’ll pack and leave tomorrow morning! Now, I’m going to go pick us all up some fresh bagels for breakfast. CJ, come help me carry the food and drinks back.” With that, their sister departed with Casey in tow, leaving the turtles sitting in silence with Splinter.

Leo began to stir shortly after April and Casey left, squirming and blinking blearily up at Donnie, letting out a soft chirp of discomfort. His brothers and father were crowding around him in an instant, softly calling to him and encouraging him as he took a few minutes to fully wake up.

“Leo! How are you feeling?” Mikey popped up beside his blue brother and asked.

Leo still looked exhausted and confused, coughing from a dry throat, sending Mikey scrambling to get him some watered-down juice to drink. After a few sips, Leo’s eyes looked slightly clearer, and the toddler signed Tired. It was a minute later that Donatello could see the puzzle pieces in Leo’s foggy brain finally fall into place. The slider’s eyes went wide, and his bottom lip quivered as he bit down on it, trying not to cry as his eyes filled with watery tears.

“Oh my son.” Splinter said softly as he tugged Leo into a warm hug. “I am so sorry you had to go through something so scary. You never should have had to make that choice. I have always been so proud of you for your heart and your bravery my son, but I am so SO grateful that you came back to us. We all love you so much and we wouldn’t be able to bear not having you with us.” Leo’s lip was wobbling dangerously as he tried to hold himself together. “Now, enough bravery for one day Blue. You can let it all out. Your family is here to catch you.”

With permission granted, Leo burst into noisy sobs as he shook, his brothers and Dad surrounding him and showering the kid with support and love. “Sorry!” Leo sobbed repeatedly.

“You don’t need to be sorry, my son. You have nothing to apologize for.” Yoshi soothed, feeling his heart splinter at his son’s cries. They all held Leo and hugged him, patting his shell and head until the toddler had completely cried himself out. Raph was currently holding Leo as Mikey took a wet cloth and wiped away Leo’s tears and snot, the box turtle gently cooing to his brother and comforting him.

The medicine Draxum brought had really worked, Leo’s fever had gone down and all that remained from the mystic exhaustion was a slight shake to the slider’s limbs that Donnie was sure would disappear after his brother got some proper rest. Physically, Leo was doing much better. Mentally and emotionally, Donnie knew Leo was still full of grief and it hurt him to see the pain in his twin’s eyes. Maybe April was right, a little trip somewhere could be good for them. He would optimize their route later that day and plan activities, but his first priority was to help cheer his twin up.

April returned with a mountain of bags of food and Casey was balancing a few trays of drinks, his brows creased with concentration on his task. Both smiled in relief seeing Leo awake and April immediately pulled her tiniest brother into her arms, giving him the best big sister hug she could muster. She settled Leo on her leg after she sat down and started dealing out the breakfast bagels she’d brought for them as Casey handed out coffee (for Donnie and April), tea (for Splinter), and hot chocolate (for Raph, and Mikey, and himself). He pulled out a plastic cup of fresh mango juice and poked a straw in before handing it to Leo, who held it like it was a precious elixir and closed his eyes in contentment as he drank a few sips.

April helped Leo put the juice back down and she pulled out the slider’s breakfast. “Look Baby Blue. I got you a special unicorn bagel cause you’re my special baby bro!” she pulled out the pastel swirled bagel of pinks, purples, and blues that was smeared with pink dyed cream cheese and sprinkles and couldn’t stop herself from smiling as Leo’s jaw dropped. She handed it to him, and Leo just sat there staring at it before looking up at April as if asking for permission. “That bagel isn’t going to eat itself! Dig in Baby Blue!”

Leo turned his wide eyes back to the monstrously sized bagel in his hands and crammed as much of the sweet treat into his mouth as he could. His family shared happy smiles as Leo began to hum as he munched, swinging his legs back and forth as he released his stress and began to relax a little.

After they’d finished eating, Mikey ran off to gather the items he knew they’d need to make this a restful and healing day they all needed, with Raph also walking beside him to help carry the supplies. April sat with Leo, gently tracing his shell and humming a soft, soothing tune as he sipped at his mango juice and watched Donnie play Cats&Soup on his phone. Casey had already fallen asleep on the ground beside them and was snoring lightly. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. hovered over and dropped a blanket on top of Casey before zooming back to his charging station in the lab.

Mikey returned with Raph, identical huge smiles on their faces. “We’re doing something very special today, Lee!” Mikey said with excitement. “Today is self-care day!”

Leo’s head tilted sideways slightly as he watched his brother flap his arms and excitedly describe self-care to the toddler as the slider continued to sip his mango juice. “We’re starting with massages first Lee! Come sit with me! I give way better massages than our siblings anyway.” He whispered loudly, making Raph and April roll their eyes and Donnie snort.

Mikey squeezed out a large dollop of jasmine and lavender cream on his hand and slowly began working his way from Leo’s hand up to his shoulder. By the time Mikey had finished massaging Leo’s other arm, the toddler was putty in his hands. The box turtle nodded to Raph, who then set up a few heat lamps. Donnie stretched and nodded in approval. Leo was medically cleared to use the heat lamp and it would definitely help relax all of them.

Mikey finished massaging Leo’s arms, shoulders, and neck, and then gently placed the slider under the heat lamp beside his twin who was stretched out on a blanket with his eyes closed. Leo chirped sleepily and Donnie looped an arm around his brother and pulled him in close. They were both asleep within a few minutes. April grabbed a magazine and settled down on the couch as Mikey and Raph also took advantage of the peace and took a nap under the warm light.

Everyone ended up napping (even Splinter in his armchair) and no nightmares disturbed Leo’s sleep. When they woke in the early afternoon, they all stretched and enjoyed some fruit as they watched Jupiter Jim on the projector. Leo sat in Casey’s lap as April painted his nails (blue with rainbow sparkles). Mikey was giving them all facemasks and placing cucumbers over their eyes. Leo grabbed a cucumber slice off his eye and examined it for a moment before he crunched into it, Mikey gasping in mock horror in the background. Casey laughed and ate his cucumbers as well, Mikey wailing dramatically about his heathen brothers. Mikey felt his heart soar when he noticed his dramatics had made his brother give him the first small, genuine smile they’d seen that day.

It was early evening when S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. ushered in a guest to the Lair, Señor Hueso walking into the living room with an enormous pot of soup, a bag on his arm, and a guitar case on his back. “Good evening, everyone! Pepino! You are looking much better today!” Raph and Casey got up to help relieve the skeleton of his items.

“Tío Hueso!” Leo chirped in surprise and excitedly held his arms out for the yokai, who immediately picked up the small turtle for a gentle hug.

“Oh Pepino, I am so happy to see you feeling a little better. Are you hungry mi sobrino? I brought my abuela’s special sopa for you to try. He carried Leo towards the kitchen where Mikey was setting the table and Casey was dragging extra chairs in. Hueso lifted the lid on the large soup pot and a delicate, wonderful fragrance filled the room. Leo chirped and his stomach rumbled loudly, making the skeleton laugh.

The rest of the family filed in, taking seats around the table as Casey and Mikey began serving the soup with some homemade bread Hueso had brought with him. Leo sat on the skeleton’s lap, the yokai helping the toddler scoop the soup since his arms were still shaking slightly. Leo’s eyes sparkled at his first bite, and everyone got a kick out of the slider letting out delighted chirps between spoonfuls of the homemade soup. Hueso felt a deep satisfaction and happiness seeing the small turtle he’d become so fond of eating and enjoying one of his family’s recipes. Maybe when Pepino is back to full size, I could teach him how to make a few recipes. He’s too skinny and needs some hearty foods. The skeleton mused, watching in amusement as Leo tried to pull the bowl towards him and tip the soup straight into his mouth. Hueso wiped the turtle’s mouth with a napkin, fussing over the child a bit.

“Gracias Tío!” Leo chirped with a big, genuine smile on his face.

“Anytime mi sobrino, anytime.”

After dinner, Hueso pulled out a sleek guitar from his case and began tuning the instrument as the turtles and teens set up a mound of blankets and pillows that they piled into. Leo sat near the edge of the blankets leaning on Mikey’s plastron as he stared with awe at the guitar. Hueso showed Leo and Mikey a few different chords and let the toddler strum across the strings, his little giggle a miracle to his family's ears.

Hueso played his guitar and sang, the soft melodies relaxing everyone as they enjoyed listening to the skeleton’s beautiful songs. The skeleton continued his playing until all of the teenagers and his Pepino had fallen asleep. After the last chord, he quietly began packing up his guitar as Splinter came over to thank the yokai profusely and walk him out.

Yoshi watched his children sleep late into the night, grateful for his family and friends. Leo was snuffling in his sleep, completely surrounded by his siblings. The peaceful smile on the slider’s face was a balm to the stress he’d been feeling the past few days. The rat quietly got up and headed towards his boys’ rooms. Splinter wanted to get a head start on packing – their family was headed out for a road trip in the morning.

Chapter Text

Michelangelo woke slowly, feeling a gentle shake to his arm disturb his sleep. He blinked, rubbing at his eyes with one hand as he registered Raph standing above him with a soft smile. “Wake up time you two. We gotta have some breakfast and pack for our road trip.”

Mikey looked around him as he yawned long and loud. Leo was curled under his other arm, the slider’s face scrunching up as he woke up and he quickly turned towards Mikey’s plastron and tried to bury his face in the box turtle’s arm. Mikey sat up slowly, smiling with Raph when Leo chirped unhappily at the loss of his snuggles. No nightmares last night. Mikey sighed with relief. Raph also looked more at ease. Everyone else appeared to have left their turtle pile earlier that morning as the box turtle registered the lack of warmth around them. Mikey stretched, thankful his family had left him to get a little extra sleep. “I know you’re still probably pretty tired Lee. So don’t worry, big bro Mikey has got you!” Michel wrapped Leo up in the softest blanket from their pile and picked up the slider who eagerly snuggled back into his brother’s arms as he was carried to the kitchen.

Casey and April had prepared some waffles, the table already set when they entered. Raph took his seat and pulled out Mikey’s for him. Mikey sat with a loud yawn that Leo mirrored, making his heart warm. Raph was piling waffles onto plates for them, Donnie sipping coffee and typing onto his wrist tech furiously at his other side.

April walked over with a can of whipped cream and a bowl of fruit and proceeded to make a smiley face on Leo’s waffle as the small turtle watched with a sleepy but interested expression as he yawned widely again. April chuckled, spraying a small dollop of the whipped topping on the end of his nose on the slider’s next wide yawn. “Wake up little bro! We’re leaving for an adventure today!” she said warmly.

Leo squawked at the whipped cream landing on his face, swiping at the sweet topping before giving it a hesitant taste after seeing April spray some right into her own mouth. The slider chirped with delight and giggled as his sister sprayed more on his face.

By the time they were finished with breakfast, Leo’s face and hands were covered in stray bits of whipped cream, syrup, and waffle crumbs. April was laughing and taking photos of the smiling slider as Donnie wrinkled his nose in disgust at the mess his tiny twin had made. Splinter walked into the kitchen and laughed at the sight of his smallest son before grabbing him from Mikey’s lap and carrying him out towards the bathroom. “Let’s clean you up Blue. Did any of that breakfast even get in your mouth?”

Mikey leaned over as Donnie pulled up a map on his phone and showed the other teens at the table their planned route and activities. They’d hit three stops on their first day and reach April’s grandparent’s cabin on the second day. Michel was looking forward to spending a few days with his family, having fun and just relaxing. They hadn’t done anything like this since well-before the Krang and the Shredder. The box turtle smiled; this was going to be a very fun trip. He ran off to his room to pack up his things, surprised to see some things already packed in an orange bag for him. He poked his head out of his door to yell and ask which of his brothers began packing for him when his dad walked by smiling ear to ear with Leo all bundled up in a towel as he was jabbering happily about Lou Jitsu and gesturing enthusiastically, stopping for only a moment to wave at Michelangelo.

“Oh Orange, I added some of your clothes to a bag for you. Please add anything else you’ll need and head over to the garage. I am just going to get Blue dressed, and we’ll meet you all there.”

Mikey felt warmth bubbling up in his chest. He was so proud and happy his dad had been making more of an effort to be involved and present for them. Mikey tried not to think about the fact that it took the Krang invasion to see this change, but regardless of what caused this new behaviour in their father, he was happy it was happening anyway. He raced back in his room to add more clothes he wanted and some art supplies and comics for the trip.

By the time Mikey finished packing his bag and a large cooler with packed lunches, drinks, and snacks, and hauled his items to the garage, everyone was already there and gathered around the new vehicle Donnie was proudly showing off to his family. Mikey thought it might have once been a Volkswagen bus, but it had been heavily modified and extended by the looks of it. The box turtle hurried closer, admiring the green paint job his brother had added and the Mad Dogs symbol on the front of the bus.

Leo was practically vibrating with excitement in Splinter’s arms. Their dad had dressed the small turtle in some of the clothes April had bought for Leo on their shopping spree, the slider clad in soft off-white pants with stars on them and a warm light blue sweater with Jupiter Jim’s face on it and the words ‘Jupiter Jim Ahoy!’. Perfect outfit choice pops. Mikey grinned, already looking forward to their first stop.

Leo tugged at Splinter’s arm until the rat let the toddler down, watching as Leo ran up to Donnie waving his arms wildly and asking about the cool ‘tuwrtle bus’. Donnie picked up his little twin and the double doors of the bus opened with a dramatic gesture of the softshell’s arm. Everyone proceeded to follow up the stairs as Donnie proudly gave the grand tour of his latest invention to his twin, who was oohing and clapping at everything he was shown. Comfortable couches and chairs (with hidden seat belts) had replaced the traditional seating for passengers on the bus and Donnie had also added a small fridge and snack/drink station towards the back. The windows could tint on demand, there was AI programmed into all features of the bus and the bus itself was spacious and reinforced with several safety measures and emergency weapons. Mikey was very impressed. His brother called for S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. who was sitting at his charging port above some built-in cabinets, and the robot opened a hidden door to floor storage space, allowing Mikey to drop his bags in with everyone else’s.

Their dad took the driver’s seat, insisting that he take care of most of the driving today, letting all the kids find a spot in the passenger area. Donnie had placed Leo down in a child car seat and strapped him in, before going to instruct their father on the route they would be taking today and show him how the AI navigation worked at the front. Seeing his twin was busy, Leo immediately unstrapped the harness seatbelts with a look of distaste at the restraints and sped over to Raph, who was settled comfortably on a large couch with Mikey beside him. “I wanna ride with Raphie!”

Raph huffed a laugh and leaned forward to pick Leo up and place him on his leg. “It’s safer if you ride strapped in your car seat little man.” He said gently, to which Leo puffed out his cheeks as he pouted.

“I didn’ have a car seat in da tuwrtle tank.” Leo tried to talk his way out of his return to the dreaded seat with straps.

“Well, that’s cause Donnie hadn’t made a car seat yet and those trips were short, and we were holdin’ ya Leo. This is gonna be a long trip and we want you to be safe.” Raph tried to reason, hoping the logic would settle Leo down.

Leo looked up at Raph with enormous puppy dog eyes before delivering a lethal blow to his big brother. “Can you hold me Raphie? I know you’ll keep me safe!”

Raph looked like he was going to start bawling and he squeezed Leo tight in a hug as he choked out in an emotional voice “Of course Raphie will protect you! You can sit with me little brother.”

Mikey covered his smile as he watched Leo happily climb up onto his big brother’s shell and grab onto Raph’s spikes as he settled himself behind the snapper’s head, hugging his brother from behind.

As soon as they were on the road, April and Casey watching in amusement as Leo played with Raph’s mask tails and chirped happily as he looked out the windows, Mikey couldn’t help but squirm excitedly in his seat. “How long until we get there Dee? My pick is first today, and I know Leo is gonna flip out!” Mikey couldn’t wait to see Leo’s reaction to their first stop, he knew it was going to be great!

“About another hour Angelo.” Donnie said as he took a quick peek up from his phone where he was closely monitoring data about their route and traffic.

“Raph wants to say that I don’t think this is a good idea.” The eldest brother said, looking concerned as he tilted his head towards Leo who was still chirping happily above him from his perch on the snapper’s shell.

“Oh Raph, this is going to be great! Lee’s gonna love it, just watch!” Mikey said as he happily kicked his legs back and forth.

“I’ve got a new tracker and safety device I will attach to his shell before we leave the bus.” Donnie said, meeting Raph’s worried eyes as he held up a new device he’d been working on.

Raph let out a sigh of relief, at least Donnie’s invention would protect Leo if something happened.

They arrived at a crowded parking lot of a large hotel across New York. Mikey squealed with excitement as he leapt out of his seat and grabbed some space helmets and alien antennas from the bags in storage. They had finally arrived at his suggestion for the road trip – A sci-fi convention across the city. The original Jupiter Jim, Marcus Moncrief, would be taking photos and signing autographs with his sidekick Red Fox at a booth here. Mikey knew Leo was going to absolutely flip seeing his one of his favourite movie heroes and he couldn’t wait to see him and film it for his now large collection of the toddler’s cutest moments.

He placed a helmet on his head and handed another to Raph before handing out alien antennas to April, Casey, Donnie, and Leo. Leo looked confused but excited to be matching his siblings for dress-up. Donnie attached the small, new Find Leo protective device to Leo’s shell, before stepping back so Mikey could pick Leo up and carry him towards the entrance for the con. Their dad stayed behind, claiming he wanted to take a nap while they were enjoying themselves (Mikey knew their dad was also annoyed by their love for Jupiter Jim and chuckled as they left the bus).

At the entrance to the convention, they were greeted by volunteers who handed them a scavenger hunt card (with the chance to win a prize if completed). Leo clutched the card with empty stamp slots tightly in his hands and looked around at all of the humans milling about the convention with a look of fear on his face. Mikey gave Leo a squeeze. “It’s ok Lee! Everyone here will think we’re in costumes. No one will be mean to you!”

On cue with Mikey’s reassurance to his tiny brother, two human teens stopped to say hi and say how cool their family costumes were and gave a fist bump to everyone. Leo hesitated a moment, but Mikey’s gentle encouragements gave him the confidence to give the strange humans a little fist bump, finally smiling when the two teens told Leo how cool he looked. Mikey’s heart swelled as Leo preened under the positive attention and compliments, and Mikey glanced at his older siblings to see them smiling similarly (even Raph, who had been wary since they arrived).

Mikey had the map of the convention memorized, so he led the way with Leo to a few space-themed booths to get stamps for their scavenger hunt card, the small slider grinning excitedly every time they earned a stamp on the card he was clutching. Unable to wait any longer, Mikey led the way towards a side room at the convention where he knew the Jupiter Jim booth was located. He grinned and motioned at Raph, the elder sibling sighing in dreaded anticipation as he only semi-reluctantly took the lead so Leo’s view would be blocked.

In a total lack of surprise to the elder turtles, the room was completely empty of other convention-goers, with Marcus Moncrief sitting at a booth table talking intensely with his sidekick Red Fox. At their entrance, he looked up and Raph stepped to the side quickly so Leo could see Jupiter Jim approach, giving them his signature smile. Mikey quickly placed Leo down on the ground and crouched down beside the toddler, who was standing with an awed and starstruck look on his face.

“Ah, my turtle alien allies!” JJ exclaimed boldly. “Good to see you again, though it appears Blue has aged in a peculiar way… Do all turtle aliens become this small? Fascinating!” The eccentric man rambled. Mikey could hear Donnie smothering his laughs and heard Raph groan behind them. JJ approached Leo and him and crouched down to their level, giving a cool “Jupiter Jim Ahoy!” to the small turtle with a wink and a grin.

Mikey watched Leo in anticipation, expecting a high-pitched squeal and an over-the-top reaction. At the smile and catchphrase from his favourite space hero, Leo let out a small squeak, and his eyes promptly rolled back in his head as the little slider fainted on the spot. Mikey caught his brother, a sudden panic overwhelming him as he looked up to his big brothers for help. Raph strode forwards, lifting Leo into his arms as Donnie was pulling up Leo’s health data on his app. JJ and Red Fox had approached and were saying something to his sister, but Mikey wasn’t sure what. The box turtle could just register April gently rubbing his shell through the ringing in his ears as he watched Casey also approach the little turtle laying limply in Raph’s arms and took his pulse. After a few moments that felt like an eternity to Mikey, Donnie let out a relieved huff of amusement.

“The dumb-dumb was so star-struck he stopped breathing.” Donnie said, a smile beginning to form on his face as Leo rapidly blinked his way back to awareness and sat up in Raph’s arms. The snapper supported his little brother into an upright position, Leo looking at them confused until his gaze landed on JJ and Red Fox again. The little slider chirped and looked like he was about to hyperventilate when Donnie gave Leo a little tap on his snout. “Breathe Nardo.” He said with a slight snort. “We don’t want you passing out from excitement again.”

JJ and Red Fox approached slowly this time and Leo began chirping loudly as he looked at his family members in amazement. “How are you feeling, young turtle ally?” JJ asked the small turtle as he extended a hand to Leo for a handshake. Leo was shaking with excitement and promptly launched himself out of Raph’s arms and into Jupiter Jim’s chest for as big of a hug as the little slider could manage.

JJ caught Leo with a small ‘OOF’ and returned the hug from the small turtle after recovering from his shock. Red Fox was laughing as Leo finally let go of JJ and the space adventurer placed the toddler on the ground. “Jumping Lightyears! It’s good to meet you!” Red Fox exclaimed as she held out her arms to hug the small turtle, who was chirping in such rapid succession Mikey was afraid he was going to pass out again.

Raph let out a low chuckle, pushing Mikey forwards towards Leo. The slider turned and grinned up at Mikey and tugged on his brother’s arm to introduce him to his ‘new friends’. JJ and Red Fox took a picture with the turtles and teens, signing some of their merchandise as Leo grinned widely the entire time, his eyes alight with joy.

Red Fox offered to help Leo complete his scavenger hunt, the red panda yokai completely enamored by the adorable little turtle. After a stern glare from the red yokai and equally menacing looks from April, Raph, and Donnie, Marcus hastily agreed to supervise the situation and assess his new ‘sidekick in training’ for his adventuring skills. The sidekick comment had Leo squealing and running in circles around the group, hopping up and down. Casey volunteered to go with April and Mikey to keep an eye on Leo during the scavenger hunt, Raph and Donnie saying they would buy some drinks and snacks while the group explored. Leo chirped happily and tugged on Mikey and April’s arms, Casey bringing up the rear as the group set out across the convention hall.

Mikey laughed as Leo flitted around JJ and Red Fox, the space duo playing it up for the toddler and saying all of their movie lines and catchphrases as they went on their ‘adventure’ through the convention. With a completed scavenger hunt card, JJ and Red Fox led the way to the prize booth, where Leo was presented with a Red Fox plush to his great delight. He gave the red panda yokai and JJ a final hug and thank you through his chirps of delight before the heroic duo departed to grab some lunch.

Mikey led the way back to a back corner of the hall where Raph had texted they would be, but was surprised to see Donnie alone and surrounded by Purple Dragon members, who looked to be harassing him. Michel heard an angry chirp and barely had time to turn before Leo was rushing past him and ran up to stand between Donnie and the group of purple-clad teens.

Donnie was blinking in shock as Leo’s face scrunched up in anger. “Hey pipsqueak, move it. We’re just having a conversation with the one behind you.” A girl, Kendra, Mikey recalled, spoke in a nasty tone and Leo let out a small growl.

“Leave Tello ALONE!” Mikey watched in shock as purple-blue sparks raced across Leo’s arms before an unusual katana popped into existence from nothing. The hilt had a blueish violet wrapping and the blade glowed in a neon violet shade Mikey had only ever seen from Donnie’s mystic energy and weapons. Blue sparks danced along the blade and Leo confidently waved the sword around with his teeth bared at the teens. Everyone watched in shock as the group of high school students fell through a violet portal on the ground and disappeared from sight.

There was a moment of silent shock as the Hamato clan all looked at Leo, who was breathing heavily as if he’d been running for a long time. “What the hell?” Mikey felt himself saying, instantly clapping a hand to his mouth and looking around, but Raph was nowhere in sight.

Donnie stepped forward towards his twin, gingerly grabbing the sword from the toddler and examining it in consternation. As soon as the blade left Leo’s hands, it shattered into a blue-violet light. “Fascinating.” Donnie said, flipping his goggles down to examine Leo. Everyone else had finally regained their wits and rushed forwards to surround the toddler and check him.

Leo was a little clammy and shaky, and Mikey thought he looked pretty tired, but the toddler was still standing and smiling up at his twin and siblings. “Are you ok Nardo?” Donnie asked quietly as he stepped forward to pick up the slider. Leo nodded and leaned back against Donnie’s shoulder.

“Where did you send them to Leo?” April asked, curious to know where the tech club members had been sent.

“The gwoss place.” Leo mumbled, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he rubbed at his eyes.

“What is that?” Casey asked the others as he took Leo’s temperature.

“No clue.” April replied.

“I’m not sure.” Mikey responded at the same time.

[Far across New York the three Purple Dragon Tech Club members fell in a heap on the ground of an empty lot. “Is this Staten Island?” Jason asked, Kendra pushing him away as she groaned in irritation.]

“Who cares.” Donnie said afterwards as he turned Leo to face him. “Thanks for coming to my defense Leon. But don’t make swords when you don’t need to, ok? You’re supposed to be resting while you recover from feeling sick, remember?”

Leo nodded and leaned in to give his twin a hug. Raph finally appeared, striding over to their group quickly with a slightly panicked look on his face. “What’s this Raph heard in the bathrooms about turtle alien cosplayers doing a special effects show? What happened here?”

“We’ll explain in the car Raph, we should go.” Mikey grabbed Leo’s Red Fox plush and their merchandise on the ground with Casey. The group all made a quick escape to the parking lot before the convention organizers or security could find them.

“Step on it Splints!” April called as they all barreled onto the bus. In a minute, they were on the road to their next destination.

“Thanks Angie!” Leo chirped happily from Donnie’s lap. “I had sooo much fun wif you today!” His brother said in a sleepy but content voice as he played with Donnie’s arm.

“I’m glad you had fun Lee, ‘cause I really had fun with you too!” Mikey gave Leo a light hug and a kiss to his head before settling back down on a couch next to Raph.

“Is someone gonna fill Raph in on what happened now?” The snapper said as his stress stink began to fill the bus.

“Leo thought Donnie was in trouble and attacked the Purple Dragon members.” Mikey said as Raph’s face went slack with shock.

“It appears that Leo was able to utilize his own mystic energy in conjunction with mine after I shared it with him. When combined, it seems our Houdini brother can truly pull swords from nothing now.” Donnie said, his mind racing as he considered the future applications and experiments he’d like to test in regards to their mystic abilities.

Leo was beginning to drift off to sleep, his mystic stunt having drained him of some energy. The slider was curled up on Donnie’s lap as the softshell activated his mystic energy and shared a little bit with his dumb-dumb, brave twin. Leo had grabbed Donnie’s arm and was biting lightly on it in his half-asleep state. “Don’t use me as a teething toy Nardo, just go to sleep.” Donnie tried to sound irritated, but even he knew it just came out fond. Leo was soon asleep, and the rest of the group quietly began whispering about all of the wild things that had happened at their first stop and shared pictures across their group chats.

Casey smiled as he looked at the goofy pictures of them all at the convention. Family trips sure are a lot of fun. he thought, a bittersweet feeling rising in his chest. I wish I had been able to share this experience with sensei and everyone else, but I’m happy I have my new brothers and sister to share this with. My pick is up next, I hope everyone will have a fun time there too.

The teens all watched the scenery go by quietly as Splinter drove them out of the city and into a forested area. Leo’s stomach began to growl as he slept, and he was soon sitting up in Donnie’s lap in a sleepy daze, lazily wiping away drool tracks with his sleeve as April giggled at the little slider. Mikey grabbed the cooler of packed food and waved Casey off affectionately when he tried to help out. Sandwiches were quickly distributed to everyone on the bus and Leo was happily munching on some sliced fruit as they drove deeper and deeper in the forest.

Casey remembered his sensei and his uncles all telling him about this place, and though he had never met the mutant that ran the place, he was sure that a toddler version of Leo would like the destination. His sensei had always been a sucker for cute animals and said the capybara’s lemonade tasted like sunshine. They were soon pulling up to Cuddle Cakes Puppy Rescue, a smiling Todd Capybara waving at them from a picnic table in the theme park-like rescue.

Leo had his face pressed up against the bus window, eyes wide as he took in the giant puppy head above the entrance. Splinter parked the bus just outside the entrance and a horde of puppies and dogs came bounding towards the entrance with Todd as he walked towards their vehicle. Casey couldn’t help the wide grin that overtook his face as he watched Leo chirp excitedly as he was pressed against the window for another moment before jumping down to the ground and hurrying towards the bus doors, tapping at Donnie’s leg impatiently as he waited for his twin to let him out.

The softshell huffed in mock annoyance as he signaled to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. to open the doors and Leo tried to race out but was stopped by his sister’s hand catching the back of his shell. “Wait up Baby Blue. We’re going to say hi to Todd first and ask if it’s ok if you play with the puppies, ok?” Leo nodded enthusiastically and grabbed his sister’s hand, tugging her off the bus as the family followed with amused looks on their faces.

Todd smiled down at Leo and held out his hand which Leo took and excitedly shook. “Hi, I’m Leo! You have nice puppies! May I pet the nice puppy friends?”

“Very nice to see you again Leo! And yes, you can play with our rescues. They’re all very friendly.”

The slider looked up at his big sister and she nodded her approval. Leo stamped his feet happily and walked over to the puppies, immediately getting tackled to the ground by the horde of furry friends. Mikey immediately joined Leo in the grass, both laughing as the puppies swarmed around them and licked at their faces.

Todd walked over and introduced himself to Casey who stammered out a polite ‘hello’ before he was shoved towards the puppy pile happening by April, who gave him a big smile. “Go join them CJ!”

The teen awkwardly sat down near the two turtles completely covered in puppies and soon he was also being jumped on by the little canines. He felt a soft smile stretch across his face as the puppies yipped at him and licked at his nose and chin. One fluffy white one with a collar that said Heda had already curled up in his lap for a nap. The rest of the teenagers also ended up sitting on the grass nearby and petting the dogs that came up to them. Casey looked up at the sound of a camera, Splinter sneakily trying to hide his phone he had left on full volume.

Mikey was already dragging Leo up to go follow the puppies around the rescue, which basically looked like a mini theme park after he and Donnie had helped with the rebuilding. Leo tugged Casey up to join them with his other hand, his siblings also joining them as they began their rounds to the different entertainment areas.

Leo had snuck his way onto the rotating spaceship ride with a small tan and brown chihuahua named Coco in his lap. Leo was grinning cheekily down at his siblings and waved as he and his new friend made their way around the slow ride’s rotation of the central spire of the rescue that held up a large bone sign. Raph was waving like a proud parent back as Mikey clutched his sides laughing. Following their spaceship ride, Leo followed the little chihuahua towards the fake mountain-themed waterslide and had disappeared into the dog tunnel up to the top before his family could stop him.

Donnie groaned, already knowing his twin was going to go down the large waterslide with his new friend. Prediction proven correct, Leo went face first down the waterslide after Coco. The little turtle emerged from the end of the slide completely soaked as he toddled out of the end of the slide, his clothes heavy with water. Raph stopped him before he could go back up the waterslide to take off the soaked human disguise. Freed from the heavy clothes, Leo chirped in response to his new furry friend’s yip and they both went up for another round.

“He’s going to be at that all afternoon isn’t he?” Mikey said fondly watching them go down again, only a little jealous he was just a bit too big to go down too.

“Oh definitely. Now, let’s go get some of Todd’s lemonade, I can see him bringing a tray over to the picnic tables. CJ, you’re gonna love this!” April exclaimed as he grabbed Casey’s hand and pulled him towards the tray of drinks bring brought out.

Casey turned back with a slight look of concern on his face, but Donnie noticed it and headed off his worries before they could grow. “I’ve got my new tracker and protective system on him. He won’t be able to go anywhere or activate his ninpo without us knowing about it. Let’s go have some lemonade. Leon will be fine here.” The softshell reassured.

Casey easily accepted Donnie’s explanation; he had full faith in the softshell’s technical ability. So, he followed everyone else and experienced the best lemonade (or really any drink he’d ever had) of his life. It truly does taste like sunshine. Casey marveled. Now I understand why sensei and masters Michelangelo and Donatello spoke so wistfully of it in my previous timeline. The teens lazed in the grass, petting the dogs as they chatted with Todd and Splinter. Leo had definitely been down the waterslide at least 20 times by this point in the afternoon and Casey could see the little slider’s tail wagging almost as fast as the puppies around him before racing after a group of them towards the jungle gym constructed of brightly coloured tunnels.

It was after about 20 minutes of silence that Donnie pulled up his wrist monitor to check where his brother was, but found he was still in a tunnel at the top of the play equipment. Todd whistled, calling out “Oh, Willow! Would you please go collect our small new friend from the play area please?” in his gentle voice. A beautiful, large golden retriever made her way into the tunnel system, coming back out a few minutes later with Leo sleepily clinging to her back as she padded back over to Todd and the others. The capybara gently lifted the toddler off Willow and handed him to Casey who was the closest. The teen removed his light jacket and wrapped Leo up in it as the slider blinked tiredly around him. Donnie slid a lemonade over towards Leo, whose eyes popped open as he took a messy first sip from the cup, the toddler suddenly wide awake as he registered the taste of the lemonade hitting his tongue. A surprised chirp left the slider’s mouth and Leo attempted to pour the lemonade straight into his mouth but ended up spilling most of it all over himself and Casey’s pants.

Mikey was wheezing as Todd chuckled good-naturedly at the small turtle’s enthusiasm for his recipe. “It’s been a long afternoon playing with the puppies and dogs. Would you like to use the showers in my home to clean up and change before you hit the road again? Your dad mentioned you have one more stop tonight.”

Raph picked up Leo, holding the sticky toddler away from him as Leo giggled and reached for the snapper, wrinkling his nose as the wet dog smell enveloping his little brother hit his nose. Mikey jumped up to get Leo’s, Donnie’s, Casey’s, Raph’s, and his bags before he took off after his brothers, pulling Casey along as well towards the showers on the main floor. “Come on Casey, the bathroom in here is huge! Todd has a lot of showers so multiple dogs can be washed at once. April grabbed her own bag, heading to a separate washroom upstairs. Donnie trailed behind his brothers, letting his noisy family take the lead into the capybara’s home.

Soon all of the teens were clean and dressed in cozy pajamas for their next stop. Leo was in a blue unicorn onesie and was patting Willow’s head and waving sadly to his friend Coco who had kept him company all afternoon. Splinter was doing his best to avoid eye contact with his son, who was making sad puppy eyes at him along with the chihuahua. “No. No Blue! We cannot take the puppy home.”

Leo sniffled on cue with the small dog’s whines and Splinter felt his resolve crumbling as April smirked, knowing Splints had been played. Maybe the puppy could be a gift for his birthday in a few months… the rat pondered, already planning to call Todd tomorrow when the kids were busy to arrange the adoption papers.

They said their goodbyes and hit the road again, Splinter stopping at a drive through to pick some dinner and drinks up for everyone. He was excited to share the next experience with his children, it was something he knew they’d never done before, but he thought they would enjoy. Yoshi drove the bus into a campsite just set into a wooded area off the main road. The campsite was hosting a drive-in action movie marathon with the first of the triple feature night being one of his old Lou Jitsu films.

Splinter smiled hearing the kids start to get excited in the back of the bus upon seeing the giant screen and cars parked in front. He parked the bus sideways so they could sit on the couches and watch through the windows and have a perfect view of the screen. April and Jr. were kind enough to help him carry a criminal number of snacks, candy and pop back to the bus as the commercials were rolling. His son Purple had adjusted something in the bus, and the couches had converted into elevated bed mats that went across the bus and his children were arranging pillows and blankets they’d grabbed out of storage before getting comfy.

Blue tugged on Splinter’s arm, silently asking with his big eyes if he could sit with his dad in the front bus seat, which had been converted into a recliner. His heart melted, and he picked up his Baby Blue, getting him settled beside him and a blanket over both of their legs before he picked up some popcorn and gummy worms and settled the snacks across the seat.

A fresh, cool, evening air filtered through their open windows and Yoshi just enjoyed holding his Baby Blue close and watching his other children laugh and joke as the movie began. Blue would mumble his favourite Lou Jitsu lines aloud, his eyes excited and focused as he watched the film, and would giggle at his siblings as they finished the lines or when Orange would act out the scenes with Red. Splinter felt his heart squirm in his chest, happiness and guilt conflicting with one another as he reflected. This is a bonding moment with my children that I am going to cherish for the rest of my life. I only wish I had been more involved with my kids when they were small and I had the chance. The guilt flared strongly within him but a hug and concerned look from Blue brought him back to the present. He pulled his son closer to him and let out a long breath, tears pricking at his eyes as he relished getting snuggles from his son again. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I’ll be there for my children moving forward.

Yoshi put aside his guilt and refocused so he could be present for his children, telling little behind the scenes facts about the movie they were watching and smiling as Blue looked up at him with awe when he’d tell a cool fact about the fight scenes. As the second action movie began, Blue’s eyes were slipping shut and he fell asleep sprawled across his dad, a gummy worm still hanging from his sticky fingers. Yoshi readjusted his son and wiped his hands, the little turtle blinking up at him with an irritated expression at being disturbed. The rat tried not to laugh, and a few light scratches across the back of his son’s shell put the slider back to sleep.

After the third movie came to a close, Yoshi silently got up from his chair and carried Blue over to the bed mats where his other children were sleeping peacefully under a mountain of blankets. Blue always slept most peacefully with his twin as a child, so Yoshi gently placed the toddler down beside the softshell, who instinctively seemed to turn and wrap himself protectively around his brother, still fast asleep. Satisfied his children were content and sleeping, Yoshi settled himself into his recliner and slept peacefully through the night, a feeling of peace he had not known for a long time pervading his soul.

Morning came early and bright with birds chirping and the sounds of campers moving about as they went to the washrooms and changing rooms and began to prepare breakfast. Raph woke with the sounds filtering in the bus windows and waved a silent good morning to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. who seemed to be smirking, before jumping a bit once he saw Leo fully awake and sitting up on the bed mats. More concerningly, the toddler had a thick black marker uncapped in his hand and his eyes were wide like a deer in headlights as he stared back at Raph, caught in the act.

Raph leaned forward to take a peek at his brothers and tried not to burst out laughing. Leo had drawn round glasses on Donnie’s face and angry, asymmetrical thick eyebrows on his forehead. Mikey had cat whiskers and a little nose drawn on messily. Casey had his face buried in his pillow and Leo clearly didn’t have access to his face, so he’d drawn a little smiley on his hand instead. April only had a single heart drawn on her cheek. Raph sighed as he realized he must have something on his face as well, and quickly hurried the toddler with their bags to the nearest washroom, his hoodie pulled up to hide his face and the unicorn onesie hood up for Leo as they walked through the campsite filled with humans.

Raph locked the door to the washroom and took in the art his brother had drawn on his face. He’s drawn a teddy bear face on one cheek (maybe? The art wasn’t great) and had written the word BOSS on his forehead (the S letters were backwards). Raph chuckled, as he turned back to the slider who was avoiding eye contact with him.

“Thanks for the cool art Little Man! Just make sure you ask next time you want to draw on someone, ok? Mikey has some really cool face paints he can give you next time.” Raph felt himself smile as Leo’s guilty face changed into a grin and he wrapped his arms around Raph’s neck and planted a big kiss on his cheek with a happy chirp.

“Ok, Raphie!” Raph took a quick selfie of them with his face drawings before starting to get them ready for the day. Raph was relieved to see the marker wasn’t permanent and came off with a little scrubbing and soap. Donnie would have had a fit if that was stuck on his face all day. The snapper sighed with relief, another twin fight averted.

Raph was so excited for their first stop today. It was his choice, and just like his little brother’s art said, he was going to show Leo a fun time, like a boss. He’d asked Draxum for help in getting the tickets needed, and the yokai had been more than happy to oblige. Raph grinned as he helped Leo wash his face and brush his teeth. A yokai amusement park. This is going to be great! We don’t have to worry about disguises today or hiding from humans. We’ll have the full theme park experience this time.

By the time he’d returned to the bus with Leo, their other siblings and pops were up. Mikey was laughing hysterically at Donnie, who was still half asleep and mumbling that he’d fix the toaster in an hour before dropping off back to sleep again. Seeing Raph returned with a clean face, Mikey whined. “Awe! I wanted to see Lee’s art he drew on you!!”

Raph pulled out his phone and proudly showed his little brother the selfie of them with his face graffiti. “Ohhh, Lee! Very cool! I love the teddy! And thanks for these cute cat whiskers!” Mikey laughed as he spun his tiny brother around before placing him back on the ground.

“Sorry I didn’ ask for pewrmishin.” Leo said guiltily as he quickly peeked up at Casey and April before turning his eyes towards his feet.

April leaned down and gave Leo a pat on the head. “That’s ok Baby Blue! This heart you drew is pretty cute!”

Casey nodded. “Thanks for the smiley face Leo.”

The slider smiled before looking warily at his twin who was still sleeping heavily on the bed mats. Since his twin was fully asleep, he snickered and covered his mouth as Leo admired his artwork. The little prank and Leo’s laughs sent Mikey over the edge again and he started laughing all over again.

“All right Dee, let’s get you to a washroom to get ready, we’ve got places to be!” Mikey said between laughs and scooped his sleepy older brother up in an easy princess carry and jogged off the bus towards the nearest changerooms.

Casey and April laughed, grabbing their bags and following. Raph watched as Leo walked over to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and asked for help making coffee for Donnie and smiled. Kid knows how to avoid his twin’s wrath. The robot helped him by turning on the coffee maker at the drink station as Leo climbed up on a couch beside the shelves and tiny counter to grab a purple mug. “Marker pwease!” Leo said to Raph, holding out his little hand.

Raph moved closer to supervise and make sure Leo didn’t fall as he handed over the black marker. The slider with his tongue sticking out as he concentrated, wrote in capital letters ‘FAVRIT TWIN’. Raph smiled, knowing Donnie wouldn’t be able to stay mad after this, it was too cute and sincere. The snapper helped pour the temperature-controlled black coffee (warm, not hot, just the way Donnie liked it) into the mug and set Leo down on the couch Donnie had been sitting on with the mug securely placed on the cushion between Leo’s little legs.

Sure enough, as Raph predicted, Donnie came storming back onto the bus, face clean of the graffiti and looking ready to strangle his small twin. He approached the slider with gritted teeth, eye twitching as he crouched down to eye level with his brother. Leo put his hands around the purple mug and unsteadily held out the full mug for his brother as he peeked up at the softshell with a nervous smile.

Raph could see Donnie’s eyes flick down to the warm mug of coffee and settle on the marker words before the fire in his eyes went out in a flash, soft emotion replacing the softshell’s ire as he released a long breath. “You’re lucky that wasn’t permanent marker Leon.” He bustled, trying not to let the softness show on his face as he grabbed the mug shaking in the toddler’s hands and sat down beside his twin. Leo had clearly seen it though, his eyes scrunching up as he smiled and flopped himself over his twin’s leg.

Once Mikey, April, and Casey had returned, Splinter drove them to a waffle house close by and they ate their breakfasts in the bus before Raph pulled out seven tickets that glowed with a golden mystic energy. He activated his ninpo, and with the red glow of his own energy, a golden portal opened in front of the bus. Splinter drove the bus through, and suddenly they were in a pocket dimension. An enormous parking lot was before them, a smiling yokai in a uniform waving them forwards to the right to find a parking spot. Far in the distance, Raph could just make out the entrance to the theme park with its glowing sign ‘Planet Western’.

Raph had learned it was a space and wild-west fusion theme park that was supposed to be pretty popular as a day trip for yokai from the Hidden City. Trying to get tickets on short notice was difficult, so Draxum had contacted a friend that worked there to help them get tickets in.

Leo was excited seeing yokai getting out of their vehicles and heading towards a shuttle pick up line, waiting to be brought to the front gates. Donnie stashed his collapsible tech bo, along with Raph and Mikey’s weapons in his battle shell he put on, Raph grabbing some waters and his wallet to put in a bag. The weather in the pocket dimension was a balmy warm day with a bright sun and beautiful blue sky. The kids all jumped out of the bus, the turtles excited they didn’t have to wear a disguise in the park, Splinter following behind with a content smile on his face.

Soon enough they were on a shuttle to the park entrance, Leo sitting on Raph’s lap and staring curiously at a family of tortoise yokai sitting across from them. Two small tortoise children stared back at the slider before Leo smiled and waved. “Hi! I’m Leo!”

“Hi!” One of the tortoises said in a little voice. “I’m Lyce! And this is my twin Oz!” The small tortoise wearing a bunny shirt gestured to his sibling, who waved back at Leo with a grin.

“Oh, cool! Me ‘n’ Tello are twins too!” The slider responded excitedly as he gestured to the softshell, who was doing his best not to snort or smack his hand against his forehead.

Raph tried not to laugh as the parents of the tortoise twins both smiled at Leo’s declaration of being twins with the much older softshell. “Very cute kid you have there.” One of the adult tortoises said to Splinter.

“Oh, thank you very much! You have lovely children as well.” Splinter said with a proud smile as Leo continued to talk with the twins.

Once they arrived at the front gates, they were greeted by Draxum’s friend, a black cat yokai who introduced himself as Lucifer. “You can call me by my nickname Devil though!” The friendly yokai said as he ushered them past the entrance lines and through a side door into the park. “You’re our special guests today and we want to make sure you have a fun and safe time! Here are a few attendants to help you out today.” Devil said as two more cat yokai came forwards from the side entrance.

The tuxedo cat stepped forwards. “My name is Rupert and my colleague behind me is Miko.” The yokai said as he introduced the white cat yokai a step behind. “We are at your service. Draxum is a good friend of Devil, and we want to make sure you have a great time at the park today. Please let us know if you would like any food or drinks and we would be happy to get those for you while you enjoy Planet Western. And of course, we would be happy to act as your guides around the park and help in any way we can.”

“Oh, that is very kind of you.” Splinter said to the yokai who were now ushering them forwards into the park.

Raph was excited to take in the space and wild west-themed amusement park, but he was far more interested in seeing his little brothers’ faces. Everyone had stopped for a moment to take in the atmosphere and all of the yokai walking around. Raph saw the way his brothers reacted, from Leo’s and Mikey’s unbridled joy and excitement clear on their faces, to Casey’s awe at seeing so many yokai in an amusement park of this scale, and finally Donnie’s eyes gleaming with anticipation as the softshell shot Raph a grateful look full of emotion. Doesn’t matter how good this theme park is. This look on my little brothers’ faces, excited, not havin’ to worry or hide from humans as they enjoy somethin’ they should’ve been able to experience as kids, this is somethin’ Raph’ll remember and treasure.

The park was better than Raph could have hoped. The buildings looked futuristic, but the entire surroundings were designed to look like a desert and scenes from an old western movie. Their guides Miko and Rupert took them to a store to pick out some western outfits to wear as they walked around (complimentary for saving the world from the Krang). Leo was decked out head to toe in a cowboy outfit, a large cowboy hat on his head, a red bandana on his neck, and two little fake pistols that shot water in his hip holsters.

The slider was grinning up at Raph who had his own cowboy outfit on. The snapper matched his little brother’s grin and winked down at Leo as he tipped his cowboy hat. The toddler stamped his feet in excitement, throwing himself at Raph’s leg. “Raphie looks so cool!”

Raph felt his heart melt a little as he watched all his siblings show off their new outfits and try to make each other laugh. His pops was off to the side trying to subtly take photos. This is nice. I can just be a big brother today. Delighted by that thought, he scooped Leo up and placed him on his shoulder, egging the slider on to shoot his other siblings with some water from his pistols and laughing loudly when Leo hit Casey in the forehead with surprising accuracy.

The teens and toddler took off to explore the park, taking photos of each other by all the wild west scenery and yokai dressed up to look like fuzzy, friendly aliens. Raph spotted an area with game booths, his eye drawn to a massive plush of a sparkly black unicorn with a rainbow mane. He was going to make sure Leo took that unicorn home. Leading the way to the booths, Leo soon saw the unicorn stuffed animal and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

“Wanna help win that unicorn Leo?” the snapper asked, smiling widely when his little brother nodded. “Alright. Let’s win that unicorn, like a boss!”

Raph brought his tiny brother up to the booth, which had a yokai holding a large mallet and standing beside a strength test booth. The stronger your hit was on a large scale on the ground, the bigger your prize would be. The unicorn would need them to hit the maximum strength the monitor would measure. Raph shared a quick look with Donnie, who had his goggles down and was analyzing the booth. The softshell smirked and nodded.

Rigged. Raph understood, cracking his knuckles as they waited their turn. Well, that just makes this more fun.

Raph helped Leo grab the absurdly large mallet and steady the small toddler. As Leo wound up to take a swing, Raph activated his ninpo, pushing the energy into the mallet as the slider smashed it down on the booth. The bell that would travel up the strength monitor blew past the top and went flying into the air. The yokai running the booth stared in shock as the bell disappeared into the blue sky. Leo was jumping and chirping excitedly and Raph lifted his little brother up into the air cheering.

Mikey nudged the still stunned yokai running the booth, the worker handing over the enormous unicorn plush with a slack jawed look on his face as he looked at Raph in awe. Raph placed the unicorn on the ground beside Leo as the slider grinned with pride and hugged the plush. The stuffed animal was bigger than the todder and Raph was pretty sure even Leo as a teen would have trouble getting his arms around it to carry. Their guides for the day came back with a cart and placed the massive unicorn plush on it so the teens and Leo didn’t have to worry about dragging it around.

The Hamatos filled the rest of the morning and early afternoon with rides and snacks. They’d saved the park’s main roller coaster for the last ride of the day. It was designed like a giant mountain, with an indoor/outdoor ride experience that ended in a big drop that went from the top of the mountain into a pool of water.

They watched a few people scream as they went down the drop on the ride and began to walk towards the line for the ride. Leo tapped on Raph’s leg and the snapper picked him up, immediately noticing the worried look on his brother’s face. “What’s going on little man? Talk with Raphie.”

Leo looked down for a minute, his lower lip beginning to pop out as his eyes began to shine wetly. The toddler peeked up at his brother before mumbling. “I’m scawred Raphie. It’s really high. Will you stay with me?”

Raph hugged Leo tightly to him. “Of course I’ll stay with you. But Leo, we don’t have to go on this ride. You don’t have to force yourself to do something that scares you. No one will be upset if you want to skip this one.”

Leo shook his head stubbornly and clung to Raph. “I wanna go! Big me needs to go on da row-ler coaster too! He’s afwaid.”

What? Raph was confused but supportive. “Ok. Well, how about you sit beside Raphie then? It won’t be so scary if we’re together!”

Leo chirped, calmer now, and snuggled into his big brother’s arm as they waited, soon coming to the front of the line. Two yokai, an eagle and a viper, were ushering people into the rollercoaster carts. Raph and Leo ended up in the last cart of the rollercoaster, Mikey and Donnie two carts in front with April and Casey directly in front of them. Leo had also spotted the tortoise twins sitting with their mother in the cart at the very front of the coaster and yelled hello as Raph was getting the slider settled next to him. The viper yokai came over and adjusted the bar in front of them, locking it in place and giving the toddler a slippery grin.

“Raphie! That’s a bad guy.” The toddler said with a little frown on his face.

“Hmm.” Raph didn’t say anything else out loud in response, just watched the two yokai working as he considered his little brother’s words. Leo might still be a toddler, but his ability to read others has always been a talent he’s had. Unable to see anything deliberately nefarious they were doing, Raph decided to tuck the information away and he held Leo’s hand as the ride began.

Most of the ride was quite slow and scenic, the coaster carts winding their way through space scenes, vibrant painted planets glowing in the dim lighting of the ride as fun music filtered through speakers hidden in the darkness. Leo was smiling and looking in every direction as he babbled to Raph about all the cool planets they passed. The coaster dipped through a few fast-paced turns and small drops, Leo squawking beside him. Raph held the toddler’s hand tighter, and Leo squeezed back with all his strength, laughing and giving his big brother a grateful smile.

As the coaster began to climb toward the giant final drop, the carts screeched to a halt and all the lights cut on the ride, plunging the riders into near complete darkness, a few passengers screaming with the change. A dim light came from some glow-in-the-dark paints on some stars on the background scenery. Raph could hear Donnie sigh with exasperation a few carts ahead as he heard the clicks from his battle shell engage and a few lights begin to emerge on tiny drones that made their way above them to illuminate the tracks.

Shrill screams echoed in the blackness from the front of the tracks. Donnie’s flying drone lights were finally high enough to cast enough light for Raph to see what was going on. The viper and eagle yokai were in the process of grabbing the tortoise twins at the front of the coaster, their mother screaming for help as she was harshly kicked in the face by the eagle.

Raph wrenched the bars of their cart forwards, breaking the locking mechanism. Raph made eye contact with his little brother. “Stay put, I'll be right back. Okay, Big Guy?”Leo nodded, and he immediately began climbing across the carts as he headed up the incline towards the yokai kidnapping the children. He could hear his siblings starting to wrench their seat locks off to assist. Raph swung at the viper and eagle, both hopping back quickly from him. The eagle took to the sky on large wings, the tortoise twins screaming as they hung from the yokai’s talons. The viper, feeling the pressure placed on him from the snapping turtle, reeled back on the tracks, releasing glowing bursts of mystic energy. Raph could feel the carts begin to destabilize and Donnie began to curse loudly as the carts started to lift from the tracks and fall backwards.

Passengers screamed as the carts began to shift and fall, Leo’s tiny scream distracting Raph from his fight, the snapper turning in horror. Leo had fallen out of his cart, but luckily Casey and April had taken a hold of his arms and were slowly dragging him back into their seat. Donnie was flying rapidly around the tracks trying to weld the wheels of the cart to the metal incline below and ensure the passengers wouldn’t fall. Mikey had employed his mystic nunchaku, extending the weapons and using them to wrap around the carts and the coaster tracks, holding everything together as Donnie handled securing the carts with his tools.

The momentary distraction gave the viper the chance he needed to swiftly knock Raph backwards and send him tumbling over the carts. Luckily, Raph snagged the final cart he and Leo had originally been sitting in and hoisted himself up again. The eagle yokai was flying higher towards the open sky at the top of the incline of the mountain ride, the tortoises crying in his grasp. Raph hesitated, trying to figure out what the best course of action would be. Raph felt a tiny tug on his arm – Leo had wrapped his hand around the snapper’s fingers and was looking up at his brother with a desperate but determined look.

“Raphie, I can help.” The slider’s eyes were already starting to glow a neon blue, his ninpo just beginning to activate. The fake pistols elongated into two little katanas, blue and a little purple energy swirling around the blades. Leo held out one of the blades, hilt facing Raph. “Throw pwease! We can help Lyce and Oz together!”

The determined look on his little brother’s face just shined like the teenage Leo he grew into. All bravery, wits, and heart. Their leader and someone Raph wouldn’t hesitate to trust with his life. It made his heart swell with pride that this time Leo hadn’t just thrown himself into danger like he knew the kid was capable of. No, this time Leo had communicated with his team, and was looking to work together instead of trying to bear the burden of everything himself. Raph didn’t hesitate, immediately grabbing the small katana and taking aim at the eagle flying away.

“Be careful little brother! We’ll be here to catch you three!” he yelled out as he hurled the katana up towards the criminal. The blade began to crackle with mystic energy and Leo disappeared with a blue lightning flash, reappearing at the flying katana which had just reached the space beside the eagle yokai’s legs.

Leo grasped both blades, an intense look of concentration on his face, tongue sticking out as he spun one of his katanas in a circle, opening an enormous blue-purple portal that covered the entire exit at the top of the mountain incline. Raph blinked in shock as a huge downpour of water fell through the portal and was heading straight towards them. “GRAB ON TO SOMETHIN’!” He yelled out as everyone’s eyes widened at the incoming wall of water.

Just as the water was about to reach the eagle, Leo swung his blades at the eagle’s legs, making the yokai screech in pain and release the twins from his grasp. The slider dropped his blades, the katanas spinning out towards the tracks below as Leo grabbed onto the two tortoise twins tightly as they fell. The wall of water came crashing down on the eagle and small children, sending them falling towards the metal structures rapidly. “HELP!” Leo’s voice rang out, garbled a bit by the water around them, but still loud and clear.

The wave knocked the small toddlers apart, scattering them in three directions as they fell. Nodding to each other, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey took off towards the falling kids. With the tortoises secured in Donnie and Raph’s arms, Mikey grabbed Leo and tucked himself into a ball on the tracks to protect his brother from more of the incoming onslaught of water. The portal above snapped out of existence in a flash, Leo’s markings dimming and the slider’s eyes rolling up as he fainted from the enormous effort and energy expended.

Mikey had watched Donnie help Leo before, and it only took a second for the box turtle to figure out how to push his mystic energy into his brother as a first aid measure. He gathered up his tiny brother with nerves of steel who was sweaty but breathing in his arms that glowed with orange mystic energy. With the tortoise children returned to their mother and nothing left to do but wait for staff to aid their exit from the ride, the rest of the Hamato siblings crowded around Mikey to check on their brother.

Leo’s eyes opened to the concerned, but relieved faces of his siblings a few minutes later. The slider smiled tiredly, grinning up at Raph and holding out a tiny, shaky fist. Raph huffed and gave his little brother the fist bump he was seeking. “Good work Leo, your two friends are safe now. You did it.” The snapper’s voice was thick with emotion and pride. Leo’s smile got even wider before he yawned and grabbed Mikey’s hand as he fell asleep.

It took about twenty minutes for the park support crew to remove them from the damaged ride and bring them to a first-aid station, Splinter in a panic as he raced towards his children. The paramedics woke Leo up to make sure he was doing ok, the slider grimacing in irritation and hissing slightly as lights were shone in his eyes to check for a concussion.

“You must be feeling tired Leon, you’re getting a little spicy again.” Mikey teased as he held the small turtle close and allowed his brother to burrow his face into the box turtle’s neck as Leo clicked in frustration. Donnie had already scanned Leo and determined he’d be exhausted but would be ok since Mikey had shared some energy with his brother. The paramedic check was just a formality.

The tortoise family approached, thanking the Hamatos for saving their children. To their horror, apparently tortoise was a coveted item on the black market of the Hidden City, and the parents were so grateful their kids hadn’t been taken. The two criminals had been apprehended and were on their way to jail in the Hidden City. Leo peeked out from hiding in Mikey’s shoulder to look at Oz and Lyce, chirping at them once and returning the hug that the twins enveloped him in as they sniffled and cried.

The owner of the park had come to apologize and thank them profusely, stating that they had free lifetime passes if they ever wanted to return. The yokai pulled a gold sheriff’s star-shaped badge that said ‘Space Hero’ out of her bag and offered it to the little slider. Leo smiled proudly as the badge was attached to his damp cowboy outfit, his family cooing over him and telling him he did a good job.

Their guides helped them carry their things and an abundance of gifts from the park owner back to their bus in the parking lot. Raph pulled the damp outfit off of Leo and helped him dry off with a towel and get cozy in his unicorn onesie before placing the toddler on the back of the enormous unicorn plush that was sitting on one of the couches. The slider was asleep a few seconds after his head hit the soft unicorn plush. Mikey was cooing and taking photos as the rest of the siblings placed all their souvenirs away and got settled on the bus.

After Splinter had ensured his children were alright, the rat took his place at the wheel and drove them out of the pocket dimension and towards April’s family cabin. Raph gently pet the top of Leo’s carapace, the small turtle chirping peacefully in his sleep. This was a fun, unexpected, and scary, but good day. Leo was truly a miracle worker - his quick-thinking and adaptability was always something Raph had admired. He was so so so proud of his little brother. He couldn’t wait to continue to watch his little brother grow and gain more confidence in his role as leader, and Raph was ready to support his brother in any way he could.

April sat on the bus drinking some coffee and watching her brothers sleep around her. Her younger siblings were completely worn out after a long day in the sun at Planet Western and the chaos of rescuing those adorable tortoise twins from the yokai kidnappers. The only other person awake (aside from Splinter who was driving) was Casey Jr., who was sitting beside the giant unicorn plush that Leo was sleeping on top of. Future Boy was watching over Leo carefully and was checking Donnie’s health app that showed the toddler’s vitals an obsessive number of times that would rival the softshell himself.

April could see Leo was starting to squirm uncomfortably in sleep. Casey sat frozen, clearly hesitating and stopping himself from picking up the small turtle that had begun to fuss quietly. This boy needs another push. I’m sure his Leonardo from the future timeline enjoyed a hug just like the Leo I know, and I bet his Leo gave CJ cuddles when he wasn’t feeling well. He looks afraid of the kid still. April sighed and whispered to CJ, startling him out of his thoughts. “Hey! CJ, just pick him up! Leo loves snuggles and hugs when he’s not feeling well, even if he’d never admit it out loud.”

Casey sat with his hands hovering nervously over the slider, finally grabbing Leo as he noticed the beginnings of small orange sparks appearing across the toddler. The quick movement startled Leo awake, the toddler blinking in confusion up at Casey who was examining him with concern. The orange sparks disappeared as Leo woke up, Casey and April both breathed a sigh of relief, unsure of what would have happened if the orange mystic energy had been activated by the slider.

“How are you feeling Leo? Were you having a nightmare?” Casey asked gently as he took Leo’s temperature.

“’m sleepy.” The slider mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes. “Had a weird dweam. Big me didn’ hear me.” Leo proceeded to try and bury himself under Casey’s arm as he shivered lightly.

April chuckled quietly as she grabbed a light blanket and passed it over to Casey. CJ wrapped it around them both and settled Leo in his lap. The toddler was still clicking in irritation from having his sleep interrupted and the teen tried his best to hide his smile before the small turtle could see. Casey gently pet Leo’s carapace as the slider drifted off to sleep again. He’s so small. I wonder if sensei ever felt nervous when he took care of me. CJ’s mind flashed back to a few times he had seen Master Michelangelo giving Leonardo a hard shove in his direction when he'd been crying or sick, an embarrassed look on his sensei’s face. Maybe he did. A bittersweet warmth flooded his chest, and he tightened his hold on the Leo with him now. A slight guilt crept into his mind as he looked at the fragile turtle in his grasp. I need to apologize to Leo when this is over. We never really talked about when I closed the gate to the Prison Dimension or about the things I said. I was stressed, and I said some things I shouldn’t have. Leo is just a teen like I am, I shouldn’t have tried to compare him to my sensei. My sensei had been living a lot longer and had dealt with nightmare conditions for many years. I don’t want Leo to carry guilt for something that wasn’t his fault. And this whole toddler situation has made it pretty clear he still does. Casey’s mind drifted between thoughts of his old timeline and family to his new one, grateful for this second chance at a peaceful, Krang-free life he was given.

After a few hours, Splinter pulled into a grocery store parking lot. “Wake up everyone. We should pick up some food before we get to the cabin this evening.” With only slight grumbling from Donnie after he was woken up, the turtles and their father threw on some hoodies as disguises and headed into the store. Mikey seemed to have everything under control, delegating item pickup between his siblings. Splinter went to peruse the tea section, and Casey was sent with Leo in tow to pick up some chips and snacks.

Three men reeking of alcohol were in the same aisle, filling a cart with beer as they chatted loudly with one another. Casey did his best to sneak his way by them, focusing on the items Mikey sent them to get. One of the men stumbled back, knocking Casey into the shelf, sending some cans scattering to the floor. “Hey Kid! Watch it! Ya dropped perfectly good beer there. Pick it up!”

Wanting to avoid fighting with these drunks, Casey stepped back, keeping his eye on the men as he bent to pick up the fallen beer. Leo bristled in the teen’s arms, a hiss rising from his mouth before he exploded at the men. “YOU HIT CASE! SAY SOWRRY RIGHT NOW!!” The toddler was hissing and clicking in irritation as Casey kept a tight grip on him, not allowing Leo to escape his hold in case he tried to attack them.

“What was that, ya mouthy brat?” The man leered, getting right up in Casey and Leo’s space, his breath stinking of stale beer.

“Back up now.” Casey said as calmly as he could as he placed a arm out to create a barrier, and tried to subtly shush Leo who was still straining against him. The toddler wrinkled his snout at the bad smell from the man. The greasy adult smacked Casey’s hand out of the way and got right up in the in front of Casey and Leo. The slider hissed impressively and spat in the man’s face. And there goes getting out of this without a fight. Casey thought as the man reeled back, a violent anger flashing in his expression as he wiped the spit from his face. Wish I had my hockey stick with me.

“I’m going to teach you two idiots a little bit about respecting your elders.” The man said menacingly as he cracked his knuckles.

Leo hissed and bared his teeth as he yelled “APOWLOGIZE TO CASE OR I’LL KICK YOUR ASS YOU MEANIE!”

The man and his friends had surrounded Casey and Leo, the teen analyzing the men to decide who he was going to have to deck first in order to get them out of this situation as fast as possible. The decision was made for him as one of the three men stepped forward with an arm raised for a slap. Casey grabbed the arm, shoving the man back as he twisted the guy’s wrist, using his leg to kick the man down to the ground as he moved forwards away from the shelves.

As Casey was about to turn to deal with the other two, a familiar voice spoke a little too calmly. “Ah, ah, ah. That’s a bad idea guys.” Mikey had appeared behind the men, holding one’s arm back from following through on grabbing Casey when he was turned. “Why don’t we just talk this out?”

The man tried to elbow the box turtle, Mikey smiling as he twisted out of the way. “Well, I did try. Unfortunately, my siblings aren’t as forgiving as I am.” Raph had appeared at the other end of the aisle with Donnie and April by his side.

Raph was beside the group in seconds, his aura radiating fury, making the men collectively move back. Donnie had moved behind them, kicking the ringleader to the ground and stepping on the guy’s back as he moved across the aisle towards Casey and Leo.

“You two ok?” April asked as she shoved by the last man, who was still standing back apprehensively as all three gaped at Raph and the other turtles in horror.

Casey finally released Leo, who immediately ran over to the man who’d gotten in their face and threatened them. The man was kneeling on the ground, trying to pick himself up after being kicked and stepped on by the softshell. The slider jumped and brought flurry of small hits down on the man’s shoulder and neck, the greasy drunk falling to the floor immobilized.

The toddler huffed and crossed his little arms. “No bullying Case!”

“Was that the nerve pinch technique?” Mikey asked, jaw hanging open at the perfect execution of their favourite space hero’s signature move.

“JJ taught me at the continent.” The toddler said proudly.

“Convention Nardo, but nice technique.” Donnie gave his brother a fist bump and got their cart from the end of the aisle as the men grabbed their friend and left. Some workers came by apologizing for the behaviour of the men and promised they had been reported to the authorities.

“Raph heard you swearing little man, but I’ll let it slide this time because those guys were jerks. Watch the language though.” The snapper gave the toddler a pat on the head, Leo smiling wide at his big brother like he’d won the lottery.

Casey just blinked before grabbing Leo and leading him towards the front of the store. This kid is just as crazy as his sensei. Master Leonardo would always go overboard when someone threatened his friends or family. I guess they’re not as different as I thought. The nostalgia made warmth flood through him and he gave Leo’s hand a squeeze.

“Thanks Leo!” The teen said quietly as the slider’s trademarked wide grin stretched across his face, his eyes scrunching up as he squeezed Casey’s hand twice in return as they walked together.

Soon they were checked out and on their way, Splinter promising it would only be another hour until they reached April’s family cabin. It wasn’t long before Yoshi was pulling up to an old two-story log cabin tucked in the forest. He parked the bus, the children’s excitement mounting as they all piled out of the vehicle. The rat watched in contentment as his family hurried over to the cabin, Mikey jumping up and down as April pulled out the key and unlocked the door.

April led the way into her family’s cabin, smiling as Leo ‘oohed’ at the rustic and cozy interior. She brought the brothers for a short tour, opening windows as they went to air out the dusty cabin. There was a homey living room filled with worn and soft couches, blankets covering the back of every seat. A fireplace was set into the wall, a rack for chopped wood sitting empty beside it. Family photos of the O’Neils and artwork of nature scenes covered the walls. A quaint kitchen was beside the living room and a pantry. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms and a bathroom. The teens left the bedroom with the single master bed for Splinter, throwing their bags down in the other two, Mikey immediately claiming the top bunk of one of the bunk beds in the guest rooms.

The teens got to work grabbing cleaning supplies from the closets and started sweeping away the dust that had accumulated in the absence since the last O’Neil member had visited. Splinter was outside starting up an old barbecue and keeping an eye on Leo who was wandering in the grassy perimeter of the cabin with strict instructions not to go further than Splinter’s line of vision.

Once April and the other boys had finished cleaning the inside and putting sheets and blankets on all the beds, they made their way outside with all the ingredients Mikey requested so they could begin cooking. It had been suspiciously quiet for a while, so Raph made his way over to Leo with Donnie, the softshell checking the weather forecast for the evening on his wrist tech. The slider was crouching with his back to them, giggling quietly and turning in surprise as his twin cleared his throat. “What have you got Leon?”

Leo turned with a large frog clasped between his two hands, Donnie grimacing in disgust as the toddler held it out to him. “Say hi to Jamie!” the slider said proudly as he showed off his newly acquired friend.

Now that they were closer, Raph could see Leo had a box full of frogs of varying sizes he had caught and collected together. “Leo, what are you doin’ with all those frogs?” The eldest brother asked, smiling with fondness and shaking his head athis little brother’s antics.

“They’re my fwiends!” The toddler tossed Jamie back in the box and started pointing to some of the others. “This one is Hoppy. This is Victor. This one is Stella. And these ones are Pasta and Andy.”

“Oooh.” Raph replied, laughing at Donnie’s face as he facepalmed at his twin’s choices in frog names. Leo grabbed Victor (Raph was pretty sure?) and held him out gently on two palms, hands outstretched to his older brothers.

“Wanna hold Victor?” The toddler asked.

Raph reached out a large palm towards the frog but startled the amphibian, causing the frog to leap away and land directly on Donnie’s face. The softshell shrieked and swatted the frog, knocking the creature to the ground as Raph let out a loud bellowing laugh.

“Leon! Put those frogs back where they came from!” Donnie groused as he rubbed his face and headed quickly back to the cabin to wash his skin.

Raph gently picked up Victor and handed the frog back to his little brother. “I can hear some water in the forest nearby Leo. Why don’t you bring your friends there. I bet they’d like to go for a swim.”

Leo nodded, still snickering at Donnie’s reaction to the frog, and placed Victor back in the box. Casey was walking by and saw Raph picking up the box of frogs and stopped to see what was going on.

“I can take Leo and his friends to the lake. I walked by it earlier while gathering some firewood for the cabin.”

“Thanks Case!” Raph said as he handed off the box of amphibians to the teen and patted Leo on the head. “Stay with Casey, ok little man?”

Leo nodded and smiled, taking Casey’s free hand as they walked off into the woods. The small lake was fringed with plants and the water was fairly calm near the shore. Casey placed the box of frogs on the ground. “Ok Leo, I think we should let your friends out here.”

The slider nodded solemnly at the teen before unceremoniously dumping the box sideways and watching as the frogs tumbled to the grass. “Bye Bye!” Leo said a little sadly as the frogs made their way into the lake’s cool waters.

Casey grabbed the empty box and was ready to head back when he heard a splash behind him. “Be right back Case! I wanna make sure my fwiends are ok!” The slider said as he dove into the lake water and out of sight.

No! The teen thought in a panic, pulling off his shoes and jacket and following the turtle into the water. “Leo! Come back! They will be fine!”

With a general lack of response or bubbles coming to the surface, Casey dove under the water, opening his eyes and straining to see around him. The water wasn’t very clear, so he couldn’t see far. Despite swimming slowly forwards, he couldn’t see any sign of the slider. He popped out of the water and swam as quickly as he could back to shore, pulling his cell phone from his abandoned jacket. He pulled up the ‘Find Leo’ app, which was tracking him to somewhere in the middle of the pond. His vitals seemed fine, but the turtle was too deep for Casey to dive after. He sent a quick message to the group, Raph appearing within minutes.

Casey was standing anxiously on the shore when the snapper arrived. “He’s been underwater for a while, will he be ok?”

Raph let out a long sigh. “Yeah, he’s fine. He can stay under for over half an hour if he wants to. It can be very difficult to get him out of the water if he’s being stubborn though, so I’ll go get him.” Raph took a quick look at the map before wading out into the lake and disappearing under the water. After five anxious minutes on Casey’s part, the snapper popped out of the water, Leo clinging to a spike on his shell and holding something tightly to his plastron.

“No swimming that deep without a dive buddy, got it little man?” The snapper said as sternly as he could, trying not to look at the happy toddler chirping on his shell or his seriousness would break. “Say sorry to Casey for making him worry.”

Once they were back on land, Leo hopped off of Raph’s shell and ran up to the teen. “Sowrry Case!” The toddler apologized, putting his hand out with a little golden-coloured rock on it. “You can have some of the tweasure I found!”

Casey took the little rock and grabbed the wet toddler before he headed back to the cabin with Raph. Mikey was at the barbecue finishing off their dinner as April and Splinter assisted. “Heard you went for a dip Lee!” Mikey called as he teased his brother.

“I found tweasure!!” Leo called back, proudly holding up two more golden coloured rocks in the air. “It’s gold!”

Donnie stepped forwards to take a closer look. “That is pyrite, smallest brother. Also known as fool’s gold.”

Leo yanked the mineral back towards his plastron, frowning at his twin. “No gold for you.” Casey laughed as Donnie made an outraged face, Leo squirming out of CJ’s hold. Leo ran over to April and handed her a piece of ‘gold’ he found, smiling and giggling as his older sister thanked him and planted a big kiss on the top of his head before bringing him inside to dry off.

Dinner was relaxed and fun, Mikey had cooked skewers of meats and vegetables to perfection. The Hamatos all sat outside in the grass enjoying the feeling of the setting sun and cool breeze. Their plans for a firepit that evening was dashed by thunderstorms that came in quickly with a roll of dark clouds. Everyone retreated inside the cabin, playing cards into the evening by the light of some lanterns and the fireplace before heading to bed.

Raph, Mikey, CJ, and April took the four bunk beds in one guest room, with Donnie and Leo staying in the other room that only had two bunk beds and a desk (Donnie citing he needed the room with the desk for his tech and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s charging port). Everyone knew Donnie would be best to keep his tiny twin in line, so there were no arguments about where Leo would be staying for the night.

Donnie went about his evening routine, setting S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. up for his nightly charge and checking the security cameras he’d placed around the property when they’d arrived to ensure everything was functioning properly. The softshell wasn’t tired and was planning on doing some tinkering at the desk when he noticed his twin staring down at him from the top bunk (he’d clearly snuck up there while he was preoccupied). “Leon, come sleep on the bottom bunk, you roll around way too much to be up there.”

“I wanna stay up here.” The slider was stubbornly keeping eye contact with his twin, until Donnie sighed wearily.

“Fine, Fine. I’ll build a baby fence or something for the edges, so you don’t fall.”

“Not a baby.” Leo pouted as he tucked in his Tranquil Turtle under the blanket.

Donnie snorted and was about to turn back to his tech when the power in the cabin went out following a flash of lightning the came through the window, the weather outside kicking up a notch as the thunder rumbled the earth with the storm’s mighty power. The small squeak and whimper that came from his twin at the loss of power had Donnie dropping his tools in a second.

Donatello vaulted himself up the ladder to the top bunk and sat beside Leo, who was shaking like a leaf with tears starting to gather in his eyes. The softshell placed a palm on the back of his brother’s shell, looking at his twin with gentle concern. “Hey, what’s going on Nardo? I remember you used to love the thundering echo of storms.”

Leo sat in silence, avoiding eye contact with Donnie as he sniffled and tried to hold his tears in. Still stubborn. Donnie thought. But kettle and pot as they say. And I am far more stubborn than he.

The softshell laid across the bed, propped up on one elbow so he’d be at eye level with his brother, silently holding his other arm open with blanket in hand, inviting his twin to snuggle beside him. Leo glanced at his twin with only a moment’s hesitation before launching himself beside his brother. Donnie wrapped the blanket around both of them, leaving them facing each other as they laid on their sides.

“What’s wrong Nardo? You know… you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Donnie said with a little bit of insecurity creeping into his voice.

Leo’s hand shot out and wrapped around his brother’s fingers, a comforting gesture for his brother, though the toddler’s hands were still shaking as he finally made eye contact with Donnie.

“I’m scared of the dawrk.” Leo admitted as tears threatened to spill from his eyes again. “The noises are too loud.” The slider mumbled as another rumble of thunder cracked in the sky loudly, making the small turtle flinch.

Donnie’s mind flashed back to the nightmarish memory he’d seen of Leo’s time in the Prison Dimension. The darkness, the absolute cold he felt creeping into his bones and the loud crashes as the Krang punched his twin… Donnie yanked himself from those thoughts, a sick feeling, sadness, and sympathy for his brother coursing through him. He pulled Leo in for a crushing hug, heart breaking a little as he felt his brother’s tears start to fall on his arm and plastron.

“I’m here Nardo. You’re not alone.” He lifted his brother’s chin up, wiping away Leo’s tears with a soft brush of his fingers. “And your genius twin can help make this better.” Donnie tapped on his wrist tech, a dozen tiny drone lights flying out of his battle shell resting on the desk. The lights floated silently around the perimeter of the room, and after a few adjustments on Donnie’s wrist computer, the drones began to blink slowly with soft lights, like fireflies moving across a dark field. Leo gaped in surprise, his tears tapering off as he looked in wonder at the little lights his brother had created. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. brought over two pairs of soft sleep headbands that had small speakers installed inside. He placed one around Leo’s head and another around his own before starting a soft playlist they both enjoyed listening to on their insomniac nights spent keeping each other company.

Leo began to relax immediately with the soft music and warm lighting, the slider snuggling in close to his brother’s plastron as he chirped in contentment. If his brothers asked, this never happened (he’d never live it down), but this was his twin, and Leo would never tease him if he remembered everything once he was a teen again. So pushing aside his embarrassment, Donnie chirped softly back to his twin, a gooey warmth filling him as Leo pulled his twin in for a hug around his neck, the slider planting a kiss on the softshell’s cheek and chirping in happiness once again before his eyes slipped shut. “Thanks Tello. Love you.” Leo’s breathing evened out as he fell asleep cuddled beside his twin.

Tears pricked Donnie’s eyes and once he was sure Leo was asleep, he gently gave his twin a kiss on top of his head. “Love you too Nardo.” With Leo’s sleepy breaths and snuffles, combined with the soft music, Donnie fell asleep easily that night to a peaceful sleep.

When the softshell awoke early the next morning, he noticed Leo was nowhere in sight. He pulled up his wrist tech, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw Leo was in the living room downstairs. Stretching and yawning, Donnie made his way quietly downstairs, noting that the rest of his family was still asleep in their rooms.

The sun was just starting to rise and Leo was sitting at the window watching the light creep over the surrounding woods. The toddler still had the blue sleep headphones on (with little cat ears) and had a serious look on his face. “Morning Nardo, what’s going on? Did you eat anything yet?”

Ignoring the first question (Donnie would be circling back to that later), Leo waved and signed Yes. Donnie looked around the living room and kitchen, not seeing a disturbance of any kind, an empty cup sitting on the table nearby. The softshell crossed his arms, giving his brother a look.

I ate salad. Leo signed. Fruit salad. The toddler tried to clarify, still looking up at his brother’s unimpressed stare. Oranges? the slider tried one last time.

“I had juice.” Leo finally mumbled with a sheepish look to his face. Not hungry.

Donnie sat for a moment taking in his brother’s mood. Not a good start this morning, but I have something that might help. Donnie waved Leo over, smiling when the toddler followed him to the pantry where he pulled out a couple boxes of his secret stash of Poptarts. The twins both loved them and it was a comfort food for them both when they weren’t feeling the best. Donnie held out two boxes, strawberry (his favourite), and blueberry (Leo’s favourite). Leo, as he predicted, pointed to the blueberry one and the softshell grabbed a packet before heading back to the kitchen to put Leo’s in the toaster. He cracked a packet of strawberry ones open, eating them uncooked as he preferred, as he scrolled through video footage S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. recorded from the previous night.

He was pleased when Leo started nibbling on his cooked Poptarts (another successful save by the great Donatello), when his scrolling gave him his answer. In the early morning, orange sparks began to appear around his brother, and his eyes glowed slightly beneath his lids. This was no doubt a side effect of Michel sharing his mystic energy with Leo, but the softshell didn’t yet understand what the combination between their powers could achieve. Leo woke up shortly afterwards, looking sad, and promptly climbed down from the bed and left the room.

Donnie would definitely be asking his brother about what happened later, but he knew asking Leo now would do no good. So, he poured Leo more orange juice and the two of them finished their breakfasts as they watched the sun rise, evaporating the dew on the lush grass as they waited for their family to wake up.

April was quick to pick up on her little brother’s more sombre mood and her bigger little brother’s concern as soon as she came downstairs for breakfast and found them curled up by the window. Time for a little big sister magic. She spoke up. “Ok boys, O’Neil family tradition this morning. We’re holding a talent show at noon, so come up with something entertaining to share with everyone before then. I’m gonna plan with Baby Blue. Gather up at noon in the back for the show!”

April picked Leo up, giving the little turtle a hug before bringing the toddler out of the cabin and into the warm morning light, heading down her favourite trail for a walk with her brother. The slider’s mood began to brighten being outdoors in the sun, and April placed the toddler down so he could walk beside her and investigate all of the leaves, flowers, and trees they passed by. They walked for 20 minutes before coming to a nice, smooth and flat rock near the lake’s edge that the teen loved to lay on as she watched the water lap at the shore.

April sat on the rock that was beginning to get warm from the sun above them, patting the spot next to her and assisting her little brother up onto the stone. Leo let out a little content sigh as he laid flat on the warm rock and smiled up at his sister. “This is a cool spot ‘Pril!” the slider chirped.

“Glad you like it Baby Blue!” she responded as she gently pet the top of Leo’s shell. “I wanted to cheer you up, because you looked a little sad this morning. The slider looked at his sister in surprise before a little worry crease appeared between his eyes. “Did you have a bad dream Lee? You can talk to me, your big sis is a pretty great listener.”

She could see Leo hesitating before a familiar look of her brother’s resolve appeared on his little face and the slider opened his mouth. “I dweamed of big me. He couldn’t hear me though.” Leo said a little sadly.

“Did something scary happen in the dream?” April softly asked, waiting patiently as her brother looked out at the lake for a few minutes, clearly thinking over whatever was troubling him. His lower lip began to quiver.

“Do… Do you hate big me?” April’s eyes widened in shock at the question.

“No! I could never hate you, big or small, Baby Blue.” She said seriously and with conviction, making sure her brother was looking at her.

“Big me is scawred that you don’t like me after the mean aliens.” Little Leo looked up at April, trying to search for any hint of a lie in her eyes. “Do Dada or Case or Raphie or Angie or… or Dee hate big me?”

April could see a swift shadow and hint of purple quickly shifting among the trees. Should have figured he’d be trying to listen in. He’s such a worry wart. The constant worrying for his twin only became worse after the invasion. I know he’s practically had Leo’s whereabouts monitored 24/7, though I guess he didn’t have that heart to heart with Leo I recommended yet. April thought with slight exasperation. She gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, signaling to Donnie that she had this. “No Lee. No one hates you. We all love you a lot and if big you needs to be reminded of that, well, me and your brothers will be here to tell you how much we all love you.”

Leo nodded seriously and gave his sister a hug. “Thanks ‘Pril!”

“Anytime Lee. You’re my special baby bro no matter what age you are, and don’t you forget it. Tell big you too!” April gave her little brother a secure hug, rubbing his shell and giving another nod towards Donnie, who was probably still looked concerned, but retreated towards the cabin after April gave him a reassuring smile.

Once they broke apart from their hug, April gave Leo a wide smile. “We gotta find something for you to do at the talent show today Lee. I’ve got someone who was wondering if he could teach you a few tricks if you’d like?” Her brother was looking at her with big, curious eyes.

The teen pulled her cellphone out and began a video call. “Well, hello there Leo! You’re looking much healthier and happier today, ya little ankle-biter!” The distinctive accent and greeting preceded the appearance of Hypno’s face on the teen’s phone screen.

“Uncle Hippo!” Leo exclaimed, excitedly shoving his face in front of the phone.

“It’s so good to see ya feelin’ better Leo! I heard you were havin’ a talent show today and I was wondering if I could teach you a few magic tricks to perform?”

The toddler gasped and chirped excitedly, pulling the phone from April’s hands with his enthusiasm. “Yes please, Uncle Hippo!”

April pulled out a deck of cards she had in her pocket and a quarter and watched in amusement over the next hour as Hypno taught Leo some magic tricks for the talent show. Oh boy, Hypno and Warren really did get charmed by Baby Blue. I wonder what will happen when Leo is a teen again and trying to stop them from committing crime? The teen snorted at the thought, smiling as Leo’s began to wag from all the praise Hypno was giving the child (with Warren yelling reluctant encouragements from somewhere in the background). With promises to film Leo’s performance for the magician and former news anchor, April ended to the video call and walked back to the cabin with Blue, ready for the show.

Mikey had placed a bunch of blankets on the grass and a fold-out chair for Splinter to sit in in front of a makeshift stage Donnie had built (April could have sworn she saw a group of beavers salute from the treeline before disappearing back into the forest, but she wasn’t going to question her little brothers, sometimes it was better not knowing).

“Welcome, welcome, to the Hamato family talent show dear sister and brother!” Donnie bowed dramatically from the stage. Leo clapped and cheered as he settled himself on a blanket tucked into Raph’s lap for the show.

They ended up drawing straws to decide the order, with Casey getting first up. April and everyone else were shocked to learn Casey could juggle very well, tossing balls, fruit, and batons high in the air with ease as he balanced precariously on top of stacked chairs, leaning towards his audience and giving a VERY familiar smirk and wink. Leo was holding his breath, watching Casey with awe, and then cheered wildly at the end with his siblings which made the teen blush with embarrassment.

Mikey went next, breakdancing and performing tricks as Donnie DJ’d in the background, Leo oohing and cheering for each trick, making his brother smile so wide April was sure the kid’s cheeks must ache. April and Raph were next, the two had agreed to perform a musical duet together earlier that morning.

Leo was second last, the small slider vibrating with excitement as he stood in front of his siblings and Dad for his magic show. A familiar confident smile appeared on the slider’s face as he began to perform, making colourful cloths appear from nowhere and making a quarter disappear, only to pull it from Casey’s ear a few moments later. April could see a fond, nostalgic smile on Future Boy’s face His Leo must’ve done tricks like this for him too.

April was surprised to see how dextrous and quick her brother was as a toddler. She knew how the tricks were supposed to work since she’d been there as Hypno was teaching him, but it was still done so fast it looked like real magic. Leo finished with a card trick the magician had taught him, taking a little bow as his family all took turns giving him hugs and fist bumps as they cheered.

“Very impressive Blue!” Splinter said from his chair as he continued to film his children. “You are a natural performer my son!” The toddler’s face went slack with a look of shock, before pure joy radiated from the toddler and he launched himself into his father’s lap to give the rat a hug.

It took a few minutes for Leo to calm down enough from his excited squeaks and chirps, his father gently petting his head with a watery look in his eyes. Leo gave his dad a sloppy kiss on the cheek, leaving the rat dumbfounded and trying not to cry as the slider hopped down from the chair and sat attentively watching his twin set up at the DJ booth from his new spot beside Mikey.

The softshell cleared his throat, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. starting up a beat as Donnie pulled a mic out and began to rap.

“In the Genius Tech bus
On our Hamato roadtrip
At the sci-fi convention, JJ made Leon flip

The purple dragons showed up and were trying to be frightening,
But Nardo sent them packing in a flash of mystic lightning.

Then we took off to Cuddle Cakes to meet Todd Capybara
We almost got a puppy and watched Papa on screen from our car. -A-
Couple for bullies couldn't ruin our trip
Getting groceries,
Us Hamatos knocked em flat in a cinch
As my twin took them out with JJ's signature nerve pinch!

And now it's time to relax, at April's family cabin by the lake.
We've been through a lot, us Hamatos deserve a break.
So gather dear brothers and sister and don't look so smug.
I guess this is ok if Donnie D initiates the group hug.”

Donnie had just started to open his arms towards his family for a (usually uncomfortable) group hug, when Mikey and Leo tackled their brother to the ground, squeezing him tightly and cheering in his ear. The rest of the family quickly followed, only releasing the reluctant softshell when he began to complain about needing air for his big brain to function.

With the talent show officially over, everyone went inside for lunch before running out into the forest for a hike that took them the rest of the afternoon. Splinter waved and wished them all a good time from his spot in the sun where he looked ready for a nap. Raph ended up carrying Leo for the rest of their walk after he fell asleep standing up on hour three of their hike, collapsing in a patch of mushrooms he’d been examining. Raph hoisted the small turtle up into his arms, not the least bit surprised by the sudden exhaustion. Leo had been running almost nonstop for hours around his siblings chirping and pointing to everything he saw with wonder in his innocent eyes as they walked through the lush greenery, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. hovering close behind the small turtle as the robot watched over him.

Everyone enjoyed the peaceful walk through the forest, goofing around and snapping pictures as they made their way through the trees. Back at the cabin, they gently shook the still-sleeping slider awake from his nap in his oldest brother’s arms and began making dinner together under Mikey’s watchful guidance. It was overcast and chilly again that evening, so they decided to start up the karaoke machine in the living room. The teenage turtles were excited to teach their brother about karaoke but were shocked when the toddler confidently grabbed the mic and asked April to ‘play my song’.

April was giggling at the turtles’ faces as Leo began belting out ‘California Gurls’ to a rehearsed dance routine (Casey was in the back, miming moves like a proud dance mom, making sure the small turtle remembered the routine they practiced last time at karaoke). Leo finished the song with a dramatic dip at the end, Raph gasping in fear as the small turtle dropped to the ground, while Donnie and Mikey whooped and cheered. Leo gave Casey a hug and high-three before the teen went up to sing some Simple Plan with April. The Hamatos all had fun singing karaoke all evening, the twins performing Hamilton songs and ‘I’m Not Famous’ together (Leo just giggling or chirping along when he didn’t know the words). Splinter even joined in for a song or two before it got very late, and everyone began to head to bed.

Leo was fast asleep in Donnie’s arms as the softshell bid his siblings goodnight outside of their rooms, before heading over to the bunk beds. Donnie tucked his brother into the bottom bunk with him (the slider wasn’t awake to complain about wanting the top bunk right now anyway). Donnie sighed fondly as Leo let out irritated clicks in his sleep when Donnie put him down to go get his own PJ’s on. Sending a few comforting chirps to his clingy baby twin, he quickly got ready for bed and settled himself on the bunk after giving S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. a few pats and helping to tuck his robot son in for the night.

Being a little kid has done wonders for your insomnia Nardo. Donnie thought fondly as he watched Leo snooze peacefully beside him. Donnie pulled up a few new tech reports online to read on his phone. He was only an hour into reading when Leo began to squirm, orange mystic energy sparking up and down his body and mixing with blue lightning. Curious, he engaged his own mystic energy and reach out to mind meld with his brother.

~~~ *** ~~~

Leo had been having a really fun time with his family when he felt his eyes begin to droop. When he opened his eyes, rubbing away the sleep, he was in a weird light space. The child looked down at his arms as he felt a familiar hum of energy, seeing an orange glow lighting his skin. This is from Angie! The toddler realized as he looked around, immediately noticing a tall, shadowed figure standing with their back to him.

He moved forward, hitting an invisible wall. The toddler kicked at the wall, testing to see if it would budge. “Hey! Hey you!” The toddler yelled, but there was no response from the shadowy figure. “Hmmm.” His hands glowing with orange energy seemed to sink through the barrier just a little. OH! Leo realized what he had to do.

The slider poured as much mystic energy as he could into the invisible wall, and suddenly he tumbled through, landing roughly on his face. Leo quickly pulled himself up, and all at once he recognized the shocked face that turned towards him as he fell in.

He slowly walked over to the figure, the taller turtle’s red stripes and ninja gear exactly matching the photos Mikey had shown him of his older self. “Woah! You’re me wight? So cool!” the little turtle gushed as he looked at himself with excitement. “I look like a real ninja!!” I look amazin—” The toddler’s happy jabbering was cut off as bigger him knelt in front of him and quickly wrapped the small turtle in a tight hug, squeezing the toddler to his plastron.

The taller slider shook slightly, and the toddler quickly hugged his older self back. “Oh, you ok big me?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m all good kid.” The taller slider said with a sad chuckle as he patted the toddler on the head. “All good here Mini-Me.” Teen Leo pulled back from the hug, placing a hand on the smaller turtle’s shoulder. “Mind telling me how you got here lil’ Leo?”

The little slider shrugged with a confused look on his face. “I dunno? I think I’m dweaming again.”

“Oh yeah?” The older turtle asked with a hint of amusement, a small smile playing on his face.

“Yeah!” The toddler responded with vigor. “Donnie told me they’re ahhh… hippo? Ninpo! Dweams.” The tiny slider looked very proud of himself for remembering the words, making the teen smile a little wider. “But this dream isn’t scary this time!” The toddler declared with confidence.

The elder looked startled, then horrified as the small child began describing the Prison Dimension and his brothers getting ‘huwrt’. The teen took the small slider in a tight hug, trying to wrap the toddler up and protect him from all of the things he’d seen. “Sorry lil’ Leo.” The teen choked out in a remorseful voice. “When you put it that way… Now I get why my dear brothers kept telling me to get therapy.” The larger turtle let out a wet, dark laugh. “Sorry Mini-Me. You shouldn’t have had to see those things, you’re just a kid. Those things were my fault.” The teen said sadly as he pet the small slider’s head.

“HEY!” The toddler pulled back and smashed his forehead into the teen’s.

“Ouch!” The teen yelped, falling back on his butt and looking up in surprise at the toddler as he rubbed his forehead.

“It’s not our fauwlt!” The toddler yelled stubbornly. “Raphie and Angie and Dee and Dada and ‘Pril and Case said it’s not our fault! It’s the mean aliens’ fault so don’ listen to da mean voice anymo’!” The toddler got right up in his big self’s face and continued. “Raphie said not ta run anymo’, cause our bros want to hewlp us. Tewll our bros when the mean voice says somethin’, Raphie says he has our back and I believe Raphie! We’re not alone Big Me!” the toddler finished fiercely before slamming his body into his older counterpart’s plastron for a hug.

The teen sat in shock for a moment, tears beginning to gather in his eyes when a voice as familiar as the back of his hand spoke close by. “You should listen to little you Nardo, he’s, or rather you’re, completely right. Didn’t think I’d ever say that to you.” The softshell teased as he sat beside his twin, allowing the slider to lean into him as the tears began to fall down his face. Donnie wrapped his arms around his brother as Mini Nardo hugged the crying slider from the other side. “We’re all here for you Nardo.” Donnie could feel the mystic energy of their siblings reaching out like a warm hug. They must’ve come into the room

Suddenly his siblings were appearing in this dreamscape and folding themselves around Leo in a group hug. They all sat there for a few minutes, until the crying slider wiped his eyes and gave a small smile. “How’d I get so smart, huh?” The teen asked as he patted his toddler self on the head. “Thanks everyone.” He said genuinely as he sat rubbing the back of his neck, a little embarrassed as his family all softly told him they would be there for him always.

“I think the important question here isn’t how you were so smart, it’s how you’re so dumb now.” Donnie nudged Leo’s shoulder with a little huff of laughter, the slider devolving into wet laughs, shoving his twin as he rested back into the softshell’s side.

“Not that this little group hug hasn’t been nice and all, but what’s going on?” Leo asked, surrounded by his family with a confused look on his face.

“You were turned into a toddler by a witch Lee!” Mikey said as he leaned across the group hug to nuzzle into his older brother’s side.

The teen only looked more confused. “Whaaa? And this is…?”

“A dream.” Donnie responded promptly. “We’re mind melding with little you right now. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be 16 again in a few days.”

Toddler Leo chirped tiredly, leaning against his older, still confused teen self more heavily now. “Raph is going back to wake you up Leo, your body gets too tired using mystic energy. But me and you are gonna have a talk we shoulda had months ago once this is all over. We love ya little brother!” Raph gave him a pat on the shoulder and disappeared, his siblings calling out that they loved him and would see him soon as they left the mind meld too.

The older slider gathered his small self up for another hug. “Hey, thanks for everything Mini-Me. I hope you’re having a great time out there! Have a lot of fun for us both ok?” Little Leo nodded and smiled, before feeling his eyelids grow heavy, and slider fell back asleep.

~~~ *** ~~~

Donnie came back to awareness from the mind meld, brain buzzing with the implications of how their mystic energy could mix and what the potential results could be. My energy plus Nardo’s equals Leon being able to conjure his swords from nothing. Nardo with Mikey’s energy equals introspection/Dr. Feelings time?? Is that all Leon could’ve done with our energies mixed? Would mixing energy with Nardo have the same effects if Michel or I received the energy donation? Would we be able to conjure portals? This requires further testing once this is over. The softshell was already planning experiments as he sat up, noticing his little brother was pouring more of his orange trademarked energy into the toddler laying in his arms.

“How is he?” Donnie said to Casey, who was checking the toddler’s vitals, Leo’s eyes still closed.

“Overextended himself a bit, but he’ll be fine as long as he relaxes and stops with the large mystic energy outputs.” Casey said, breathing a sigh of relief as Leo’s eyes blinked open, the slider eyeing his brother holding him with slightly crossed eyes.

“Theoretically, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Donnie said sharing a wry smile with his siblings. “But Darwin knows Leon’s never been one to sit out of any action, so let’s take extra care of the dumb-dumb tomorrow.”

“You ok Lee?” Mikey asked softly, stopping the flow of energy to the toddler.

Dizzy. Leo signed.

“Come here Nardo, let’s get you back to bed. No more mystic energy, ok?” Donnie said scooping his brother up and tapping him gently on the forehead.

Donnie laid back on the bed, placing Leo on his plastron and pulled a blanket up to cover both of them. Their siblings retreated from the room now that Leo was stable and ready to sleep again. “Just call us if you need us.” April whispered as she shut the door. “Goodnight you two!”

Donnie sighed, scratching the spot on Leo’s shell he knew would relax him. The toddler was already drifting off to sleep, his brother’s small noises of discomfort at the mystic energy overuse fading as his little sleep snuffles took over. Hmm, we need something fun but still relaxing to do tomorrow. The softshell contemplated options and saw the weather tomorrow was supposed to be beautiful all day with clear skies. Perfect. Tomorrow will be the optimal day for my planned activities. Feeling relief his brother was no longer in pain, he stayed awake a while longer, using his mind meld ability to push good memories at his twin, intent on the slider having a peaceful sleep. It must have worked a little because Leo was smiling in his sleep. Donnie fell asleep in the early hours of the next morning, excited to share his planned activities with his siblings.

When Donatello woke up, he was alone in the bunk bed. “Not again.” He groaned, pulling up his app to find his twin.

“Oh Donnie! No need to fret. The little dude left with April a little while ago. She left some clothes for you there.” S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. hovered over to a neat stack of purple swim trunks, and a light button up shirt with flowers on it in his trademark purple colour.

Oh no. She didn’t… Donnie groaned, throwing on the clothes and heading downstairs. His suspicions were confirmed. April had brought matching vacation outfits for them in their respective colours. “Ughhhhhhh. Why April?”

Mikey was laughing with April at the softshell’s irritated expression. “Family photos Dee!” April called in a yellow flowered shirt of her own. “Now that you’re awake, get over here, we’re taking a group photo.”

Casey came over in a green shirt coloured very much like Leo’s skin, holding the turtle in question who was decked in his own flowery blue outfit. The teen handed Leo to Donnie, his small twin grinning from ear to ear and proudly showing off a baby blue tank top underneath the flowered shirt that said ‘I love my twin’.

Donnie felt his face heat up in embarrassment, unable to even make a sarcastic comment in the face of his brother’s innocent happiness and pride at the shirt. “Nice shirt Nardo.” He grumbled looking away from his twin’s joy and Mikey’s snickers as the box turtle started snapping photos.

The family gathered together for some photos, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. snapping the pictures remotely, before everyone headed into the kitchen to grab some breakfast Mikey and Casey had prepared. Donnie took off to set up a few things for the day’s activities, returning to find their siblings and Dad outside in the sun. Mikey was running around bouncing Leo up and down on his shoulders, the toddler squealing with excitement as Casey chased them around with a spray of water from a garden hose.

Their father wished them a fun day as he set up a lawn chair for sunbathing. The teens and toddler set out to the lake, getting in a small fishing boat Donnie had “rented” for the day. “Not to worry dear brothers and sister, the owner of this boat is away for the month and is a criminal anyway, so don’t feel bad. I have also procured my boating license, so this boat shall be unharmed and returned by tomorrow.”

Raph was staring at his younger brother unimpressed, but after seeing Leo’s squeals and stamps of excitement as he lifted his arms to be carried by Raph into the boat, the snapper decided to look the other way from this morally grey choice and discuss hero ethics another time.

Donnie had taken the helm of the boat, letting Leo sit in his lap with the borrowed (stolen) Captain’s hat on the slider’s head. Leo was giggling as Donnie let his brother handle the wheel once they were away from the shore. Donnie took them to a small little beach across the lake, a spot the locals called Crystal Beach, due to the very clear water in this part of the lake.

Donnie had set up hazard tape surrounding the area and false health and safety signs stating the beach was unusable in order to give his siblings some privacy for a beach day here. Everyone piled out of the boat and onto the beach as Donnie began pulling out beach toys (NO BEACHBALLS) and some coolers filled with food and drinks.

Leo did exactly what Donnie expected and wanted to go swimming in the clear waters almost immediately, not interested in the beach volleyball his siblings were starting on the sand. Donnie pulled off his flowered shirt and followed his twin into the cool lake, letting Leo take the lead on where they should explore. His brother was pointing to every interesting rock and shell he found along the bottom of the lake, holding them out for Donnie to see.

They slowly swam around, both enjoying sharing one of their favourite activities together. When Leo needed to surface for air, Donnie paddled slowly at the surface carrying the slider on his shell, allowing Leo to rest for a bit. Leo was sorting through a collection of items he had collected along the lake bottom, before holding out a smooth piece of purple beach glass to Donnie. “Here Tello! This one’s for you!” The toddler said with a smile that was so wide his eyes scrunched up.

“Nice find!” The softshell replied, feeling a warmth growing in his chest. “Thanks Nardo.” Donnie swam them closer to a set location in the lake and when his brother was rested again, they both dove down to explore the bottom together.

Leo found the small wooden “treasure chest” Donnie had planted that morning after several minutes of swimming. The softshell tried not to laugh underwater as he watched his brother struggle to lift the tiny chest for a moment before he moved forwards to help his twin out. The slider was already chirping in excitement as they broke the surface of the lake, Donnie grinning as he held out the small chest so his brother could pop the lid open.

Leo’s eyes bugged out as he took in golden “pirate doubloons” Donnie had left in the chest. The softshell had taken the boat and a few bars of real gold from a mafia member that owned a lake house nearby. The man was not a nice guy, and Donnie may have hacked his bank account and rerouted the money to several New York charities as he waited for the gold to melt down this morning. It had only taken a simple press to create the pirate money from the gold bars, and the excited squealing and look of wonder on his brother’s face was more than worth the work it took.

“We found pirate tweasure Tello!!” the slider was so excited he was forgetting to move his arms and legs to keep himself afloat, the softshell grabbing his brother so he stayed stable at the surface. “This is so cool!!”

Donnie had a huge smile to match his twin’s when they both returned to shore to show their family the treasure they found. Raph was giving Donnie a suspicious side-eye that promised a boring lecture on “the morals and ethics of being a Hero” later, but that was a problem for future Donnie. Right now Donnie was just so excited to see his twin having the time of his life.

They played on the beach and sunbathed under the warm midday sun for a while before having the packed food in the coolers. When they returned to the cabin late that evening, their dad had cooked dinner for them and they all sat together watching the sun set as April worked with Casey and Mikey to teach Leo how to make flower crowns.

Donnie set up a firepit with Raph behind the cabin, grabbing hotdogs, ingredients for s’mores, and metal skewers for roasting. Leo sat watching the flames with awe until Donnie handed his brother a metal skewer with a marshmallow on the end, Mikey helping the small turtle hold it steady near the fire.

“See Lee! You gotta hold the marshmallow away from the fire so it cooks slow and gets perfectly golden coloured before you put it on the graham cracker with some chocolate!” The box turtle assembled a perfect s’more before handing it to his brother with a look of anticipation.

Leo chomped into the sugary treat, his eyes sparkling as he practically inhaled the rest of the s’more and made grabby hands at his twin for another marshmallow. Mikey giggled and helped his brother put the mallow on the end of his skewer, letting the slider try this time. Leo immediately rammed the marshmallow in the fire, burning the outside completely and blew it out before stuffing the burnt sugar into his mouth with a wide grin.

“Still a savage with marshmallows Lee, I see that hasn’t changed.” The box turtle shook his head in mock disappointment as Raph laughed, popping a burnt marshmallow into his own mouth as he offered his tiniest brother a fist bump.

Donnie nudged his twin slightly and pointed up at the clear sky above them. A canvas of bright stars now hung in the deep blue night sky like twinkling diamonds. It was a rare sight to see stars in the city, the smog and light pollution blocking them from sight. Here in the forest, they could see thousands. Leo’s mouth dropped open, eyes widening with astonishment as he took in the sight. Leo flopped himself on his back so he could gaze up at the stars, Donnie laying back beside him. The softshell pointed out a few constellations to his brother and Leo was looking at Donnie, hanging off every word about space and stars like the softshell had hung the moon himself.

Donnie’s heart was filled with such strong fondness and love for his twin. They needed to do this again when Leo was back to a teenager. His brother was such a space nerd, he was bound to love seeing so many stars. “Thanks Tello.” Leo said softly as he looked up at the glittering lights. Today was a day Donnie was going to cherish. The Hamatos stayed outside taking in the night sky until Leo, Casey, and Mikey had fallen asleep, at which point Raph began collecting his sleeping siblings and carried them inside as Donnie, Splinter, and April cleaned up.

~~~ *** ~~~

Soon their exciting vacation adventure was over. Leo had had the most fun he’d ever had in his life. Spending so much time with his family had been the best! The little slider didn’t want to miss a single second of their return trip, looking at everything passing by the window of Tello’s cool bus like he was gonna ‘mesmerize’ it.

As the New York skyline came into clear view, his twin sighed a little wistfully. “Ah New York…”

A voice seemed to whisper in Leo’s head, and he responded immediately “What a town.” Leo laughed at the confused face his brother was making and high-three’d Angie who had burst into giggles.

His family was really the best.

Chapter Text

Raph woke up to a little foot dangling in front of his face. Leo had clearly migrated throughout the night from his place in the middle of the turtle (and human) pile to the top of his shell. Must’ve rolled in his sleep. Raph chuckled fondly, gently lifting his brother from his position half on his head to the blankets under his arms. The day of the full moon had finally arrived.

His little brother getting transformed into a toddler had been stressful and scary at the start- well, actually there’d been a lot of stressful moments the entire time now that Raph was thinking back on it- but, it was also full of so many precious moments and was eye-opening in a way he never expected. For the first time in a long time Raph felt like he’d really seen and understood his brother.

He watched Leo yawn widely as his face scrunched up in displeasure as the small turtle began to wake up. He’s so grumpy when disturbed. Raph tried not to chuckle, knowing his deep, rumbling laughs would only make the tiny turtle more irate. But, Raph knows how to turn that around. The snapper leaned down as he wrapped his arms around the squirming slider and brought him closer for a snuggle.

Raph watched as Leo quickly melted into the snuggle, placing his hands as far around Raph’s face as he could manage to hug him back. The slider’s eyes opened looking slightly less grouchy as Leo yawned again, looking up at the snapper’s face curiously. “Good mornin’ Leo.”

“Mornin’ Raphie.”

“Anythin’ special we can make you for breakfast this morning?” Raph asked.

Donnie leaned over from his spot in the turtle pile and piped up. “Don’t hold back brother dearest, it’s your last day, so we can do whatever you want.”

“It's not my last day!” Leo flung his tranquil turtle skillfully, hitting the softshell square in the face with the plush toy. “Me an’ Big Me are tha same!”

Donnie was grimacing in irritation and Raph began to laugh deep and loud, their siblings around them joining in at Donnie’s grouchy face. Michel popped up from his position near Donnie already wearing his ‘Doctor Feelings’ glasses and turtleneck. Does he keep them stored in his shell?! Raph was always entertained by his youngest sibling when it came to his alter egos.

“Leo is exactly right, Donnie. They’re one in the same.” The box turtle nodded sagely.

“That’s not what I meant! I just meant it’s his last day being little, so he should enjoy the special little brother privilege.” Donnie huffed.

Leo crawled his way across the turtle pile until he was right in front of Donnie looking up at him with wide eyes. “You’re not gonna tweat me special anymore?”

Raph watched in amusement as Donnie seemed to glitch and internally combust before looking away from Leo’s stare and mumbling “You’ll still be special” as Leo grinned widely and hopped over the pile to tug at Casey’s hair and demand they go for some breakfast.

Raph watched through the morning and into the afternoon as Leo began pulling each person aside for a little private conversation between playing games and hanging out with everyone. First with April, then pulling Donnie away towards his lab, then Mikey while Leo helped the box turtle make lunch, and Casey during a Jupiter Jim episode they were watching. Finally Leo had tugged on Raph’s hand, holding tight to his older brother’s finger as the slider led the much larger turtle towards the training room as he asked his older brother to hang out and show him some ‘cool moves’.

Raph obliged, helping to gently correct Leo’s posture and guide him through the technique for a proper punch. The snapper knelt on one knee, holding out his palms as targets for Leo to practise punching towards. Raph and Leo worked through the drills in silence for a while, the only sounds being Leo’s small ‘battle yells’ and his tiny fists hitting the snapper’s much larger palms. Raph’s patience was rewarded when Leo took a break and hopped up onto his knee for the chat the older turtle knew was coming.

“Thanks Raphie!” The little turtle said with a grateful smile. “This is nice.” The little slider was swinging his legs from his perch as he thought. “Can you do this with Big Me, Raphie?” Leo asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Of course!” Raph responded at once. “Raph is always ready for a training session with you guys.”

“No.” Leo said, pausing his kicks. “No training. Jus’ cash-jewels, ok?”

Raph wasn’t able to hold in his bellowing laugh. “Yeah, ok Lee. We’ll keep it casual.”

“Thanks Raphie.” Leo gave his older brother a tight hug against his plastron. “Big Me likes hangin’ out with you like this!”

“Thanks for letting me know, little man.” Raph’s heart squeezed in his chest. This was kind of like training though. Doesn’t like the labels, huh? We can definitely hang out and just do things together. Raph knows what it’s like to need to do something when thinking. “You wanna go another couple rounds with your bro, or should we do something different?”

“Again!” Leo yelled excitedly as he hopped to his feet and proudly got into the stance Raph had shown him.

“Nice job, Lee!” he praised, the young turtle chirping happily. They continued until Mike called them for dinner, Raph scooping the tiny turtle up and running them towards the kitchen, Leo cheering all the way.

Draxum was seated at the kitchen table, a slice of pizza on his plate as he stared at the pineapple sitting atop his food with displeasure. Raph took a seat beside Leo’s high chair, which was next to Draxum. This is not good.

Raph could already see Leo bristling at Draxum’s disgusted face aimed at his beloved pineapple. The snapper quickly grabbed a slice of pineapple pizza and placed it in front of Leo to try and distract him. The slider took a large bite into his slice, tearing off a piece and chewing rather aggressively at the adult yokai beside him.

Draxum just sighed and pulled off the pineapple from his slice and placed them on Leo’s plate in front of him. “Typical that you would enjoy these lukewarm fruit-coated slices of mediocrity. You can have these then.”

Leo grabbed a piece from the proffered pile and popped the pineapple into his mouth, looking Draxum in the eyes with an unblinking, challenging stare. Raph tried not to facepalm as he heard Draxum grumbling about how much he was looking forward to Leo being a ‘slightly larger, and much less unnerving child’ soon.

Following an awkward dinner, Draxum was soon combining a number of ingredients in a flask he’d pulled from a case he brought with him. “Here it is.” The yokai held out the flask filled with a blue-tinged smoke, his finger on top of the flask opening, keeping it firmly sealed.

“Don’t we gotta go outside?” Raph asked. “You said we had to wait until the full moon.”

“Is the moon any less full if we are indoors?” Draxum asked sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. At Raph’s silence, the yokai continued in a huffy, exasperated tone. “No. We will not be going up to some dirty alley or roof like some human cult. Now inhale this vapour Leonardo. I would like to return home. My shows will be starting soon.”

Raph looked around, seeing his siblings and dad both looking nervous, a little sad, but also excited. They were going to miss this tiny version of Leo, but Raph was so looking forward to having his (slightly less) little brother back. The snapper gave Leo an encouraging nod after the slider stared unconvinced at the flask in Draxum’s hand.

Donnie immediately stepped forward, placing a comforting arm around Leo. Raph could just hear him whisper ‘I’ll fry that sheep if he tries anything’. While Raph was not happy with this method of convincing, Leo seemed highly encouraged by his twin’s violent promise, and nodded towards Donnie. The softshell grabbed the flask and held it under Leo’s snout as the little turtle took a large breath of the blue vapour in.

The slider’s markings began to glow and a large cloud of blue-tinged smoke enveloped their brother. As the smoke cleared, Raph looked in shocked relief as a teenage Leo sat on the floor coughing and blinking confusedly at them all.

“Why is everything covered in bubble-wrap?” Leo asked, still clearly trying to get his bearings. Raph laughed loudly, everyone rushing in to give the slider a hug as Draxum retreated out of the Lair looking relieved.

~~~***~~~

Donatello couldn’t hold back his smile at Leo’s first words after changing back. He was so relieved to have his dumb-dumb brother the same age as him again.

“Seriously guys, are we moving or something? What’s going on?”

The softshell leaned back from the group hug, looking at Leo skeptically. Does he not remember AT ALL?

“Leo! You don’t remember ANYTHING?!” Mikey shook Leo’s shoulders in shock.

“Cool it with the shaking hermano, my brain feels rattled enough. Seriously, what happened?”

April crept up behind Donnie, leaning against the softshell as she held out her cellphone with a picture of a small tot Leo smiling at the camera. “You got hit with a witch’s spell and were stuck as a toddler for a while, Lee.”

Donnie watched Leo’s face run through the full gamut of emotions, eyes searching those of his family surrounding him to determine if they were lying. The slider finally settled on a still somewhat disbelieving expression, but Donnie could tell Leo was struggling with something nagging at his mind. He might not remember now, but I would bet my titanium bust he will.

“Ah, so you were blessed by my adorable and cool kid self, were you?” Leo said with an awkward bravado, trying to pass off his confusion and discomfort as his usual collected snark.

“Let’s go Lee! We have sooooo many pictures and videos to show you! To the projector! Grab pillows and snacks!!” Mikey cheered with a smirk that spoke of trouble.

Leo’s momentary look of horror at the impending embarrassment as he was dragged towards the projector by Mikey brought a devilish grin to the softshell’s face. This was going to be entertaining.

Donnie kept close watch over Leo the next couple of days. A powerpoint night of the greatest hits of their brother’s shenanigans as a tot had most definitely embarrassed the slider, but did not yield immediate memory recovery from the time affected by the spell. They’d had private conversations on the Find Leo app on whether they should immediately try to address some of the concerns and conversations about what happened, but April had been the first to declare that they should show some patience for the first week or two. Donnie also agreed that Leo’s memories would likely return with time and he knew his twin would not take well to being forced into a series of serious conversations immediately while he was still parsing through his missing time.

It was only two mornings later that Donnie arrived at breakfast to see Leo looking a little more haggard than usual with Mikey hovering close by. Hmm. His suspicions of Leo’s returning memory were all but confirmed when Leo’s cheeks turned red as Mikey handed their brother a baked garlic knot from the stock Hueso sent them home with. As curious as he was to find out exactly how much Leo remembered, Donnie restrained himself for his brother’s sake (a threatening glare from Dr. Delicate Touch across the kitchen table had nothing to do with it).

Leo didn’t seem to care for the smothering from his siblings, and disappeared during the afternoon, only appearing around dinner looking even more flustered with several boxes of Run of the Mill pizza in hand. Intriguing. Donnie was definitely going to figure out what had happened there, but he knew his brother better than he understood himself sometimes, and the softshell knew it wasn’t time to push Leo right now. So Donnie retreated to his lab for the evening, leaving the door open in case Leo came by. Little Leo had told him privately how much his brother loved spending time just sitting next to him in the lab for hours as he worked. And well, that had just melted Donnie from the inside out, and he’d immediately decided to leave his lab door open more often.

It was late in the night when a loud boom of thunder shook the streets of New York above them, the violent sounds of the storm raging even reaching them underground. The lights flickered for a moment before turning off. For Franklin’s sake, of course the generator isn’t kicking in. Phonelight on, he was halfway across his lab to go check the generator when another crack of thunder could be heard from the surface, stopping the softshell in his tracks. Leo.

“S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., can you handle rebooting the generator? I have something I need to do.” Donnie heard his faithful robotic son’s affirmative response as he rushed from the lab towards their bedrooms. Donnie attempted a casual knock before entering Leo’s room, his heart thudding anxiously.

“What brings you here so late, Dee?” Leo was sitting in the corner of his bed, knees pulled up to his plastron, arms looped around as if trying to hold himself together. The slider immediately tried to loosen his posture, but Donnie already observed what he needed, and obliged his brother in this small farce.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He said simply as he crossed the space and flopped back on his brother’s bed making himself comfortable.

Leo looked suspicious of his motives, but silently made space for Donnie. The softshell noticed his brother was still extremely tense, so he pulled out his phone and began playing some lofi music before setting it down beside them, the screen offering a soft glow in the dark room. Another rumble of thunder shook the streets above them, Donnie noticing his brother tense involuntarily as if expecting a hit.

His hand immediately clamped on his brother’s arm, providing pressure to help ground the slider in the present as he leaned closer, pressing against his brother’s side. “You’re safe at home.”

Leo chuckled wetly, hiding his face in his arms. “Did Little Me tell you to do this?”

“Pfff, are you doubting our twin sense now?”

Leo peeked at Donnie, giving him a grateful, small smile before relaxing a bit, stretching his legs across his brother as he leaned against the wall.

“If you are admitting to remembering your time as the ‘even-younger-than-usual’ twin, I would like to conduct a survey of your experience and also have you sign some waivers for upcoming experiments with our ninpo I want to run.” Donnie teased Leo, trying to get his brother’s mind off of the storm and the dark and the memories of the prison dimension the softshell knew were still haunting his brother.

“Excuse YOU, I am and always will be the older twin, thank you very much.” Leo huffed, taking the bait Donnie set. Getting a little more serious as he stared across the dark room with a slightly frustrated look he continued. “I don’t remember everything. Just… bits and pieces here and there, though it’s kind of like a dream. I remember enough to know you have enough blackmail footage for my entire lifetime.” Leo groaned and face-palmed before continuing, face still hidden in his hand. “I also know you all saw some things I wished you hadn’t.”

Donnie immediately sat up and grabbed Leo’s wrist to pull the slider’s hand from his face. “If I hadn’t seen what you went through, I’d still be wondering where you go when you seem to drift away at times now. Wondering and fearing and not knowing what happened when you just threw yourself in another dimension with monsters without a second thought for yourself. So you might not be happy we saw what we saw, but I am glad I did. Because as hard as that was to see, at least I can understand now… at least I can be there for you and try to help.”

Leo was left gaping like a fish, speechless as Donnie pulled his dumb-dumb brother in for a hug. “You don’t need to put on a show for us, and certainly not for me. We’re twins aren’t we? If I recall correctly, and both you and I know I do, you were the one that taught me that twins share everything, including troubles and worries with each other.” The softshell waited anxiously for a few moments until Leo’s shock seemed to wear off and he felt the slider’s arms wrap around him to return the hug.

“Thanks Tello.”

The quiet, sincere words of his brother eased the tension Donnie had been feeling. “Of course Nardo.” The lights flickered back on and they settled back on the bed side by side, Leo’s lamp casting a warm light around the room.

“Gonna head back to your lab now that the lights are on?”

“Not tonight. We’re having a sleepover, so move your shell and make some room.”

Leo chuckled at Donnie and scooted over, both getting comfortable. The storm had died down, the soft music from Donnie’s phone still filling the room. It wasn’t long until Leo fell back asleep, the softshell feeling himself fully relax as his twin’s breathing evened out in sleep. Despite the trouble and anxiety Donnie had felt when Leo was under the witch’s spell, he was beginning to feel a little grateful for the experience. At least now he knew how to better support and protect his brother. He wouldn’t let him be alone again.

~~~***~~~

The pancakes were sizzling on the stove when Leo stumbled into the kitchen looking a little worse for wear. It had only been a couple days since the slider had been turned back into a teen, and Mikey had been itching to make sure his big brother was ok and wouldn’t forget all the important things they’d talked about when he was little. April had said to give him space while he remembered, and Mikey had to admit that Dr. Feelings did agree with that choice, as impatient as he was feeling.

But waiting is ok, baby! Cause I’m going to make sure Leo is feeling the love! Mikey plated up a stack of pancakes and placed them in front of his big bro.

“Thanks Angie.” Leo said, but he looked deep in thought. The box turtle watched Leo pushing pancake around his plate without taking so much as a bite.

“You ok, Lee?” Mikey asked with concern.

The slider startled back to the present looking embarrassed. “Wha-Yeah, yeah. All good here Angelo.”

Hmm. Maybe he dreamed of what happened while he was little. Michelangelo went back to preparing some extra pancakes for their dad and the rest of their brothers while keeping an eye on Leo. The slider as a toddler was very open with his emotions, it wasn’t hard to read the little turtle’s face and know what was going through his head. Teen Leo on the other hand was much more adept at hiding his thoughts behind his beaming smiles and smooth words. Dr. Feelings had been trying to breach this topic with his brother for ages, but the slider always managed to worm his way out of a session and leave Mikey feeling comforted when he was trying to support Leo. The box turtle found his brother’s ability to turn around a situation in his favour both amazing and incredibly frustrating when that skill was turned on him. He just wanted to be a helpful little brother!

As the slider continued to play with the breakfast placed before him, Leo’s face flashed for a moment with an expression Mikey had become familiar with over the past few weeks. Oh. He’s not in the mood for this, but probably won’t say anything. Well, I can make this morning a little better for him I think.

Soon, cut up fruit was placed in a big bowl in the centre of the table and a couple frozen garlic knots from Hueso were in the oven baking. The box turtle hid his smile as he watched Leo pick at the fruit absentmindedly, finally eating some breakfast. Donnie came into the kitchen not long after, and Mikey could see the softshell’s gears turning as he watched Leo. His brother seemed to have the same suspicions he did and those thoughts were confirmed as Mikey placed a garlic knot in front of Leo. The slider’s eyes flashed with panic and flicked to Mikey’s eyes before flashing down to the garlic knot as his face went red. “Thanks Mike.” Leo said quietly, taking a bite.

“You’re welcome Lee!” Mikey responded, happy he was getting a little better at reading his big bro. Noticing Donnie’s very blatant scheming expression as the softshell watched Leo like a cat stalking a bird, Dr. Delicate Touch made a face at his older brother, smacking the spatula on his hand behind the slider’s back as a threat to back down. Satisfied Donnie was postponing whatever lab stuff he was planning, Mikey returned to cooking a stack of fluffy pancakes to bring to their dad.

Leo seemed to avoid them for the rest of the day and it wasn’t until the next morning when Leo and Donnie slunk into the living room together that Mikey could sense a change in attitude from the slider. He seemed… more open and relaxed. He knew Donnie would be the first one to crack the topic with Leo. The box turtle shared a smile with Raph, who looked proud and pleased as well.

Later that day Leo announced he wanted to go to the Hidden City, loudly proclaiming that Casey absolutely needed to try the street food there, and Mikey quickly jumped to join them. “Count me in! Those fried tentacle puffs are too good!”

It ended up being just the three of them wandering the downtown streets of the Hidden City. Donnie had declined in favour of spending time in his lab and Raph was with April for their eldest sibling ‘stitch and bitch’ crochet/venting time. Mikey and Leo dragged Casey around to the best stalls, sharing a knowing grin when the human teen’s face would light up at each new food he tasted.

They were having a great time browsing through some of the mystic merchant stalls when a team of large, menacing yokai in familiar uniforms began to surround them. They were cracking their knuckles and looking at Leo with malice. Mikey tensed and shared a horrified look of understanding with Casey as a huge tiger yokai in Big Mama’s uniform began to speak.

“You finally decided to come back to the Hidden City, hmm? Well, the boss would like to have a little chat with you.” She practically growled the words out, her claws unsheathed.

“Uhhh, I think you have the wrong turtle my furred friend.” Leo was looking around the group of yokai, a bright smile plastered on his face. “Why don’t we put those claws down and have a talk… tentacle puff?” he offered, holding out the small container of snacks.

The box was knocked from the slider’s hand, fried tentacle puffs rolling across the ground as Leo ducked out of the way of the clawed paw swiping where his head used to be. Mikey’s nunchucks wrapped around the tiger’s arm and the box turtle yanked, sending the yokai flying into a stall of fruits. Chaos broke out as the other yokai surged forwards, shoppers and other civilians rushing to get out of the way of the fight. CJ had joined the fray, back to back with Leo, making sure the slider wasn’t grabbed from behind.

“Yeesh, I don’t even think we’ve done anything lately to upset Big Mama, have we?” Leo called as a yokai stumbled into one of his portals.

“UHHHHH, not exactly Lee.” Mikey responded as he jumped off the back of a yokai to kick another approaching. “You caused chaos at Big Mama’s Battle Nexus when you were little and released a lot of mystic creatures.”

“I WHAT?!” A fierce whinny cut Leo off from saying anything else, and everyone looked up to see a dragon-horse hybrid releasing a large column of fire towards the yokai surrounding the teens as it dove towards the ground.

The remaining yokai took off in all directions. “Not again!” Mikey heard the yokai yell as they scattered. The dragon-horse landed beside them and let out a happy call before nudging Leo’s arm and giving him a lick on the cheek.

The slider looked like he was thinking hard before raising a hand to pet the mystic creature’s head. “Pony?” he asked hesitantly.

The dragon-horse let out a small nicker in confirmation and Leo laughed, quickly giving the creature a hug around the neck. “Nice to see you too buddy. Thanks for the help again!”

The reunion was cut short by Hidden City Police running over from down the street. “Halt!”

“Time to go!” Mikey yelled.

The dragon-horse knelt down, offering a ride out of there. Leo hopped on, pulling Casey up behind him. “Let’s go Angelo!”

The box turtle jumped behind Casey onto the large creature, and Leo’s friend Pony leapt into the sky, large wings heaving with effort as they made their escape. The hybrid dropped them off by the entrance to the Hidden City, looking extremely proud of itself as it took the treats Leo offered from one of their bags.

“Thanks Pony! I’ll be back to visit you soon!” Leo gave his friend another hug before running out of the Hidden City before the police could catch up to them.

As they exited the Hidden City and into a back alley of New York, Mikey quickly began scanning Leo to make sure he was alright. A force of habit at this point - the slider had gotten himself into tons of dangerous situations as a toddler and the box turtle felt compelled to make sure he wasn’t injured.

Mikey saw a look of recognition, slight embarrassment, and something else he couldn’t place flash in Leo’s eyes as the slider caught his little brother analysing him. Leo stepped over to the box turtle and spread his arms wide.

“You don’t need to worry anymore Angie. Your big bro is back in action and better than ever!” He slung an arm around the box turtle and ruffled Mikey’s head. “Thanks for being such a good big bro for me though, Little Me had a lot of fun with you.”

Mikey’s heart warmed at Leo’s thanks and words. A little knot of stress he’d been holding seemed to loosen just a touch. I guess being an older brother can be pretty tough, the box turtle thought to himself. He was just so relieved that he’d done a good job, and it felt so good to know Leo had fun with him.

“Hop on Angie.” The slider crouched to offer a piggy-back ride. “Time for me to give you a boost.”

Mikey hopped onto Leo’s back, a little pleased to be the baby brother again.

Leo shared a smirk with Mikey before he shot a mischievous look at Casey. “Think you can beat us in a race back to the Lair, Case?”

The teen blinked before tilting his head slightly to the side. “With you carrying Mikey?”

“What? Think I can’t still kick your butt while carrying my little brother?” Leo teased, smiling widely at Casey’s disbelief.

A challenging grin sprouted on the human teen’s face. “You’re on!”

Casey took off immediately, Leo sprinting after him hollering about cheating. Mikey whooped and cackled. It was nice to have his big brother back.

~~~***~~~

Leo did not care for the hovering and smothering that was taking place.

One moment he was in a little bit of a bind in Witch Town and the next he was surrounded by his family and there was bubble wrap everywhere. Unbelievably, apparently it had been a few weeks since his trip to the Hidden City with his dad. And worse than that, he’d been hit with a spell turning him into a toddler. He had not believed his family at first, obviously it had to be an elaborate prank, right? Wrong. The faces of his family surrounding him were dead serious, and Leo was proud to say he knew their tells. So not lying. He also had an uncomfortable nagging feeling at the back of his mind, like when you’re trying to remember that word you know that’s on the tip of your tongue but it escapes you.

The slider immediately tried to crack a joke to put his family at ease, who all seemed to melt with relief. Leo still felt uneasy. He wasn’t fond of the missing time or the nagging in his mind. This was a lot to take in at once. The following slideshow of toddler pictures that took place in the projector room was a level of mortifying Leo could hardly bear. His face was burning as his siblings teased him good naturedly. Stranger still for the slider were the fond and soft smiles on his family’s faces as they looked at the photos. It made Leo squirm under the slew of different feelings hitting him at once.

As he escaped to his room that first night, he immediately noticed the new additions in his space. A shiny trophy on his shelf caught his eye first. He picked it up reading the plaque. Battle Nexus Champion. What?! Leo turned the trophy over in his hands. How did I get this? Is this a prank? His head was starting to hurt and Leo decided to figure out where he got the trophy another day. The slider then noticed a unicorn plush and a cool Jupiter Jim rocketship light that was clearly Donnie-crafted sitting on his nightstand. Leo turned it on, feeling his chest warm as he saw his twin’s Genius Built logo etched onto the base of the lamp. The other major addition to his room was the new turtle plush sitting on his bed. A small note beside it written in a childish scrawl he was familiar with read ‘Squeeze me if you have bad dreams.’ That note had to have been written by him when he was little. The writing was surrounded by small Jupiter Jim doodles that screamed of a Mikey collaboration. Bad dreams, huh? Leo felt a shiver of nerves, an unwelcome sense of foreboding. I really hope Little Me was having the garden variety type of bad dreams. Placing the plushie down beside his lamp, it wasn’t long before Leo fell asleep, his dreams filled with fragmented events where he was much smaller and that felt like they’d really happened.

The increase in odd dreams that Leo was starting to fear might be actual memories from the time he was hit with the witch’s spell made him uneasy. The slider hadn’t had the nerve to talk about the dream events yet with his siblings, but Mikey pretty much confirmed his suspicions a few mornings later at breakfast when his little brother placed a garlic knot in front of him. Several of his dreams- no they were his memories- flashed quickly in his mind. Images of him and Boneman making pizza together. Leo felt himself go red and could practically feel Donnie ready to pounce with questions as he thanked Mikey for the food. Thankfully he felt the intense aura of Dr. Delicate Touch a moment later, his little brother stopping Donnie in his tracks. Well, that settles it. The dreams were definitely the events from his time hit with the spell.

He needed to escape from his family for a bit. Their constant hovering and the glances between one another that he would catch in the corner of his eyes was setting him on edge. He hurried back to his room to grab a hoodie for a walk. Settled at the top of his drawer was an unfamiliar blue sweater. On one side of the chest of the zip up sweater was a white circle with three black dots inside in a loose triangular formation. The sweater was nice, even if he wasn’t sure where it came from. He slipped it on and grabbed his katanas, cutting a portal from his room to a rooftop in New York above them.

He just needed time to think over everything without anyone watching him or waiting expectantly for something. Leo paced across the rooftop trying to piece together the memories he’d gained the past couple of nights while he was sleeping. There were faces he didn’t recognize, concerningly the faces of Hypno and some worm, and a lot of pieces of memories with his family. He wasn’t sure of everything that happened during those few weeks, but from the multiple memories and locations he dreamed about, it seemed he’d been wreaking havoc as a toddler. This would be so much easier if I could remember everything at once!

Leo rubbed his eyes, sitting down and settling into a meditative position that Splinter and Raph had drilled into him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to empty his mind as best as he could. Traffic noises from the streets below carried up to the rooftop he was on creating a familiar, white noise he was comforted by. Fragments of his memory seemed to expand, showing him a larger portion of the events and filling in some of the gaps. It was overwhelming, and oh no. OH NO. They all knew about the Prison Dimension. AND his nightmares. The memories weren’t yet complete, but Leo was sure. Panic clawed up his throat. This is like a Level 5 emergency. The last time this had happened was when we accidentally broke Splinter’s chair. He could already see his little brother organising an intervention and group chat about this. As he was beginning to fly into a panic, he felt a small tug through his ninpo.

A warm memory of his family hugging him and telling him he didn’t have to do this alone entered his mind and stopped him in his tracks. It’s ok, we are all here for you. You can lean on us. Leo opened his eyes, popping to his feet as he began to pace the rooftop once more. Ok…. Ok, ok, ok. So they all know… we’ve already HAD a talk. This isn’t so bad… right?

His unease remained, but his initial anxiety had been quelled for the moment. Leo’s stomach growled, reminding him that he’d been on this roof for several hours now, and it was time for dinner. He didn’t quite feel like heading back home yet- he needed a little bit more time to process. A flash of a memory with Señor Hueso filled his head, giving him a sense of peace. I’ll grab pizza for everyone for dinner, the slider decided, hopping to the next rooftop towards Run of the Mill. The skeleton yokai always listened to him and gave him the best advice, though he’d never admit that to the Boneman’s face.

He slipped through the front door of Run of the Mill, the familiar sounds and smell of Hueso’s recipes putting him more at ease. The staff immediately waved when they noticed him, greeting him warmly. There was an extra layer to their smiles today that made him think they’d all seen him when he was little. It was an odd feeling that kinda left him out of step.

He pulled up a seat by the bar, drumming his fingers in thought. A cold glass of fruit juice slid across the counter stopping beside his arm.

“Pepino, good to see you back.” Señor Hueso had a welcoming smile on his face, eyeing the young turtle with his usual kindness and poorly veiled concern.

“Hey Boneman.” Leo took a sip of the juice, sighing deeply as he sank down in his seat.

Hueso began polishing glasses behind the bar as he patiently waited for the turtle to say what was on his mind. And he didn’t have to wait long.

“I… guess I came by here when I was, ya know, a little smaller?” The slider hedged awkwardly, glancing quickly towards Hueso and away, unable to hold eye contact with the man, given the memory pieces he’d managed to regain.

“Ah yes, a few times actually.” The skeleton smiled fondly before his expression morphed to a kind smirk as he teased the teenager gently. “Half your size, double the chaos.”

Leo’s face went incredulous at the joke. “I’ll have you know I am WELL over two times the size I was at that age.”

The skeleton tsked lightly as he placed glasses back on the shelves. “I hardly understand how you got as tall as you have given that the primary foods you seemed to eat are pizza and garlic knots.”

“Hey, pizza’s got all the food groups covered.” Leo joked back, still feeling a little uncomfortable.

“Hmm, I think there’s something more that’s bothering you this evening. Any advice this old sack of bones can give you?”

Leo glanced from his drink that he’d been staring a hole in towards Hueso with an unimpressed half smirk and a brow raised at the skeleton joke. But Hueso’s expression was as sincere as ever and it loosened the turtle’s unease. Hueso was always safe.

“I just remembered a buncha stuff from when I was under that spell and well, I really really wish my family hadn’t found out some stuff that they did, and I’m kinda freaking out right now.” he was rambling faster and faster from the time he began to talk and Leo noticed Hueso was giving him a knowing and concerned look. He petered off, stopping his mouth from continuing to spew his anxious thoughts and waited for the yokai to speak.

“These things you don’t want your family to know about… they are unpleasant things, yes? Things you were trying to shield your family from?”

Leo nodded, feeling a lump form in his throat. He forced himself to take a drink of the juice and continue. “I didn’t want them to worry and burden them with this.” he said in a small voice.

“Oh, Pepino, that is just not how it works with families.” The skeleton had leaned close to him now, placing a comforting hand on his forearm as he spoke softly. “They are going to worry for you when something bad happens, that is only natural. You would worry for your family in a reverse situation, would you not?”

Leo begrudgingly nodded. “Of course I would.”

“Would you see a struggling family member as a burden if they asked you for help?” The skeleton asked pointedly.

“No, of course I wouldn’t. They could never be a burden.” Leo responded strongly, feeling a little irritated as he could clearly see Hueso’s next angle in this discussion.

“Then why are you making yourself the exception to this?” he asked softly. “I know for a fact that your family would do anything for you. They would never see you asking for help as a burden, just as you would never feel that way about them needing help.” The skeleton sighed with bone deep weariness. “But I know how stubborn you can be, and I know you will need to be told this by them a few times, I think.” Hueso squeezed Leo’s arm gently once before letting him go as he stepped back. “Remember you are very important to your family, myself included, and it is alright to talk about this and ask for help. I am here for you anytime, whether you want to talk about what’s eating at you or if you just need some company. And I mean anytime, I didn’t give you my personal number just so you could call in pizza orders after hours. Is that understood, mi sobrino?”

Leo looked up in shock at the term of endearment, his face heating up as he remembered the yokai referring to him as his nephew when he was little. Hueso’s smile was soft now and Leo thought that maybe he’d be ok with talking to his uncle when he was upset. Hueso headed back towards the kitchens calling off the usual order for the Hamato family before placing a crisp uniform in front of the slider. “You’ve got a talent for pizza-making kid, and we could use your help part time in the kitchens. Come on Saturday at 2:30 so we can get you up to speed before the dinner rush.”

Leo was left gaping as Hueso returned to the kitchens to help get the Hamato order set. The warm feeling continued to spread through him as he looked at the Run of the Mill uniform with a job offer letter neatly tucked into the neck of the shirt. As he was quietly contemplating the frankly overwhelming discussion and turn of events, he heard someone quietly join him at the bar.

“Order for Usagi!” The voice called to a member of the staff as they approached him.

Leo turned and was face to face with a white rabbit yokai. The slider’s eyes opened in shock. This is the rabbit with the sword from my dream! He’s real?!

The rabbit seemed equally shocked, his eyes lighting up as he looked at Leo’s sweater. “Hey! That’s my sweater. I gave it to a small turtle who was pretty sick. Is he your little brother or something? You two look really alike! How’s Leo doing? We never heard back from that magician and I’ve been worried.”

Leo wasn’t sure his face could get any redder. This rabbit had given him the sweater and how was he supposed to explain this?! He was floundering, before spitting out “Witches.”

“Whaaaat?” The rabbit looked at him perplexed.

“I mean… some witches from the Hidden City hit me with a spell and I was stuck as a kid for a while.” He laughed awkwardly as the yokai’s eyes widened in surprise. “Leo Hamato, at your service. Uhhh, thanks for the sweater by the way.”

The rabbit laughed, looking relieved. “Gosh, and I thought you seemed to get into trouble as a kid! I’m glad you’re ok Leo. I’m Yuichi. Yuichi Usagi. Just in case you don’t remember.”

“Oh I remember you. I could never forget someone who was so skilled with a sword.” His face went even redder, the feeling spreading down his neck as he realised how much he’d gushed to this yokai who was practically a stranger.

Yuichi just laughed brightly and thanked him. “You told me you trained with swords as well! Do you still?”

Leo smoothly pulled his dual katana from where he’d laid them against the bar and Yuichi’s eyes gleamed in appreciation as the turtle held them out to the yokai. In a flash they were discussing weapons and the finer points of swordsmanship and training techniques like they’d known each other for years.

“We should meet to train with each other!” Yuichi declared excitedly as he pulled out his phone and exchanged numbers with Leo.

“Y-yeah! Uhhh, what about this weekend?” He proposed, excited to have someone else who just got him and was into his interests. “I’ll bring your sweater back too.”

“This weekend would be perfect!” Yuichi exclaimed, his nose twitching in excitement.

Leo hadn’t even noticed Hueso had been watching the two of them with a mischievous smile before two stacks of pizza boxes were placed in front of them. “Order for Usagi and order for Hamato.” He said, cutting off their conversation before turning towards Yuichi.

“Mi sobrino has a shift here on Saturday. You will pick him up at 7. Pizza will be my treat. Have him back here by 11, understood conejo?”

“Yes, sir!” Yuichi thanked Hueso for his order, turning back towards Leo as he headed for the door. “See you Saturday! And don’t worry about the sweater, keep it for a while. Blue’s definitely your colour.” And with a wink the yokai was gone, leaving Leo completely frazzled.

“Off you go Pepino. Before your pizzas get cold.” Hueso looked like he was barely containing a laugh as Leo swung his katana and opened a portal back to his home. “See you Saturday mi sobrino!”

“Thanks Tío!” Leo was too distracted to see the soft smile of pure happiness on the skeleton’s face as he stepped through the portal back into his kitchen.

“Pizza’s here!” Leo called throughout the Lair. Donnie quickly picked up on his flustered state, and the slider was grateful his brother left him be for the time being. He headed right for his room after dinner, his heart skipping lightly in his chest and his head buzzing as he tried to process the day.

~~~***~~~

Hueso’s advice ended up being right, though each time Leo had a family member approach him, he was still a little uncomfortable with it. Donnie had been the first to talk to him that night during the thunderstorm, helping him through his fears and reminding him that he wasn’t alone. Tello always was the one who could push past his defences, and he was so thankful to have his twin at his side.

Next came Michel, his keenly observant little brother, who noticed the small things he tried to hide. Just like Hueso had said, it seemed he couldn’t stop his family from worrying. They’d worry and he could help ease their worry afterwards with a smile, a talk, one of his well-timed classic jokes, or a hug. His little brother made him so proud, and it made Leo happier than he could express to see Michel be proud of himself.

The next time he was approached was when he was crouched on a roof with April and Casey. They had received a tip via Donnie’s large network of spy drones that Hypno was planning to steal a statue with mystic properties from the Museum of Modern Art. They were waiting for the signal from Mikey before they jumped into action and Leo could practically feel the awkwardness in the air around Casey.

“You good, kid?” Leo teased, but was surprised when Casey seemed distraught at his joking.

“I’m older than you Leo.” He said it with a grave tone that threw Leo for a loop.

“Uhhh, ok, so is April, but I still tease her and call her kid every now and then. I’ll stop if you don’t like it though.” Leo said awkwardly. “You ok?”

“Yes. I mean no. Ughhh.” Casey groaned, tugging at his hair in frustration. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but I didn’t know how. I’ve wanted to say a lot of things to you, but I guess I’ll start with the most important thing.” Casey turned to Leo to make sure he was paying attention and looking him in the eyes before continuing. “I’m sorry. When I came back in time to find all of you, I’d just lost Master Leonardo, who I’m sure you’ve guessed by now was like my dad, and the rest of my family. I threw a lot at you and said a lot of unfair things that you didn’t deserve. I’m older than you, and you’re just a kid for Pizza Supreme’s sake. I shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

Leo’s mouth was dry, mind flashing back to that day. “Case, you don’t have to apologise. I-”

“No. No. Stop right there Leo. I knew a version of future you like the back of my own hand and you and him both are self-sacrificial dumb-dumbs. Please just accept my apology. I- I care about you a lot and I don’t want you to hold onto words I said out of frustration in that impossible situation. You brought us hope and a chance to live a brighter future. So please don’t punish yourself. I want us to start fresh and have a chance to be friends.”

“Oh Case.” The slider had already pulled the other teen against him in a tight hug. His heart was hurting for what Casey had been carrying, but his friend’s words lifted a pain he’d been holding onto since the invasion. He could feel tears pricking his eyes as he chuckled wetly. “Fine, I accept your apology, as long as you don’t punish yourself either.” He leaned back, placing a hand on Casey’s shoulder. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re already family. Can’t get rid of us that easily.”

Casey was tearing up and launched himself at Leo as the turtle caught him and laughed, April joining in. “This is some timing Future Boy.” April hugged them both. “I’m proud of you for talking about it.” She ruffled Casey’s hair before turning her big sister look on Leo. “And you! I am here for you anytime, anywhere little brother. Don’t forget it! And don’t make me drag you out for the next self-care day, we are LONG overdue!”

“UGH, RAPH WISHES HE WAS IN POSITION TO HUG YOU THREE!” Raph’s teary voice boomed through the communicator on Casey’s wrist.

Leo could hear Donnie’s quiet snort in the background. “Yeah, next time we do a stealth mission, please turn your comms off Casey Jr., unless of course you are relaying necessary intel to the team.”

Casey’s face went bright red at the warm teasing, April cracking up and clapping him on the back and she pulled her brothers up.

“This has been a really productive chat fam, and I can’t say how proud Dr. Feelings is of you, but I’ve got eyes on Hypno, and it’s go time baby!” Mikey whooped over the comms, and his siblings all scrambled to join him.

“ALAKA-BOOM!” A wall of the museum burst apart, the debris knocking Leo and Casey flat on their backs. Hypno was racing outside with a small statue cradled under one arm. As the hippo made his escape he made eye contact with Leo as the slider peeled himself off of the ground. Hypno skidded to a stop beside him and gave him a hand up.

“Good ta see ya back on yer feet, kid! Warren and I were quite worried for ya! Now, I’ve gotta skedaddle, but do join me and Warren for another podcast episode soon! You were a hit with the listeners!”

Leo stood there dumbfounded as Warren assisted him and still tried to make his escape as he invited him for a podcast episode. The mission was over in a blink as Raph tackled Hypno and a robotic arm extended from Donnie’s shell as he snagged the statue back.

“Oh Wellington Sundae.” The hippo said in mild irritation and defeat as Mikey sent Hypno flying halfway across the city with a strong hit from his nunchucks.

“Even the villains are acting SUPER WEIRD! What has my life become?!” The slider despaired dramatically as his siblings laughed at him as they ran back to the Lair before the police showed up.

~~~***~~~

The next few days passed and Leo’s mind began to completely fill in the missing blanks during the time he was under the witch’s spell. He was grateful there had never been an awkward or tense intervention-like family meeting. He’d gotten a little nervous one night when he saw the projector set up with a slideshow, but apparently this lecture was for Donnie. The slideshow was titled ‘The morals and ethics of being a hero. By Raphael Hamato’ and Mikey was curled up on a bean bag chair with popcorn as Raph began his first slide titled ‘Hacking the bank accounts of criminals to use their funds is a crime’. Leo settled into the same beanbag as Mikey as he grabbed a handful of popcorn.

“I prefer to think of myself as a Robin Hood, dearest Raphala. I take from the corrupt and give to the needy.” Donnie bristled, offended that he’d been wrangled into this lecture.

“YOU USED THE FUNDS TO ORDER URANIUM TO THE LAIR ENTRANCE!” Raph hollered. “And Dad had to make sure they took it back again.”

“I needed it for the greater good Raph!” Donnie grouched, beyond miffed that his eldest brother and dad had stopped him from obtaining a precious research substance.

Mikey giggled and snuggled into Leo’s side as they settled in for the 83 slide lecture.

There were other changes in his family’s behaviour, but they were good things so far if Leo was being honest. Their dad had started spending more time with them casually as well as in training, even going so far as to spend individual time with each of them. He’d never seen his brothers so happy, especially Donnie after Splinter sat beside him in his lab and kept him company as he worked on experiments, excitedly rambling through his plans and showing his dad how each part worked. Their dad sat through it all, nodding and smiling proudly (even if Leo was 100% sure Splinter had no idea what Donnie was talking about). With Leo, his dad would bring him outside for meditation sessions or they would just talk together. His dad seemed to have a lot of great stories, and Leo found himself relating to Splinter a lot better.

In fact, he felt a lot more comfortable around his whole family since the spell was broken. They respected his space and seemed to just be waiting for him to ask for help or they just stepped in to support him when they saw he needed it. It was a nice feeling... it didn’t feel forced and there wasn’t a pressure to it.

Raph grabbed him that day as he was lounging on the couch trying to re-read one of his old Jupiter Jim comics. His memories had mostly returned and he still had a lot of information to process and think about from his chaotic excursions as a toddler. Leo knew his older brother would probably want to talk, and he was surprised Raph had held out this long before pulling him aside.

“Mind coming with me to the gym to box a bit?” Raph asked tentatively.

“Is this one of your surprise training sessions?” Leo asked, raising a suspicious brow at his older brother.

“Nah Nah! Nothin’ like that Lee.” Raph replied hastily before smiling a little. “I wanted someone to hold the gloves for me. Just wanted to move around a bit, just casual, ya know?”

A memory tickled at Leo’s mind, but he couldn’t quite place why the words were ringing in his head as familiar. He sprung up, stretching. “Sure. Moving a bit sounds nice.”

Raph smiled excitedly and dragged out the equipment they needed. To Leo’s complete surprise, Raph did not try to initiate any ‘Leader Lectures’ or ‘Big Bro Protips’. They just moved through some light boxing, trading turns on who had the punch mitts. It was easy between them and the activity let Leo release some of the cluttered feelings and stress he’d been holding onto all day.

As they paused to drink some water, Leo sat next to his big brother. “No lecture? No big talk?”

Raph looked at Leo confused before an understanding smile stretched across his face. “Nah, no big lectures planned from me. Did you wanna talk about something?”

Leo’s mouth hung open as he processed his brother’s words. “No talk about the whole witch thing? Then why did you bring me here alone to the gym?”

Raph huffed a small laugh before he placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “You looked stressed and I know getting some of the energy out can help relieve that stress for me. I just wanted to hang out with you.” he squeezed Leo’s shoulder before getting up to stretch a bit. “I’m not gonna force ya to talk about anything Leo, but I am here if ya ever do want to talk about somethin’. I won’t push you little brother, I’ll respect your boundaries and go at your pace. Just know I’ve always got your back.” The snapper slipped on the punch mitts again. “Wanna go another couple rounds?”

Leo blinked the tears away from his eyes as he nodded quickly and got up to join his big brother, who was beaming down at him. As they exited the gym, Leo hanging on to the back of his brother’s shell, the slider pulled his big brother’s head into a hug. “Thanks for always having my back Raphie.”

~~~***~~~

After a day filled with sifting through his freshly gained memories, Leo should have known he would not have the peaceful sleep he desperately wished for. He woke up with a scream, sweaty and shaking in the middle of the night. Visions of the Krang and the Prison Dimension chased him into a startled wakefulness. In his panic he noticed the stuffed turtle and note sitting beside it - Squeeze me if you have bad dreams.

While he may have brushed off the idea of this little stuffed animal normally, he was desperate to shake the terrifying images that haunted his sleep. He grabbed the turtle and clung to it, squeezing the stuffed animal tightly.

A small, familiar voice began to speak. “It’s ok Big Me! You’re not alone! Your family is with you! They love us and will protect us! Call them if you need them, they always have our back!”

Leo let out a slightly hysterical chuckle at the message from his younger self. How very fitting Little Me recorded encouragement for the one thing he knew I’d want after a nightmare, but would be too afraid to ask for.

The slider only hesitated a moment, tears slipping down his face before he pulled his phone off the nightstand and called Raph. The phone only rang once before he heard a light knock at his bedroom door and Raph walked in.

The snapper looked a little sheepish, but mostly concerned as he made his way over to Leo’s bed. “Heard ya wake up, but I didn’t want to intrude unless ya wanted me here. You want some company?”

Leo nodded through his tears, letting himself be scooped up by his older brother and held in a warm hug. Raph softly soothed him, rubbing his shell and holding him tight until his tears and shaking began to stop.

Another light knock at the door, and Mikey and Donnie were there with a massive pile of pillows and blankets. A pillowfort was soon constructed and Raph was helping him climb down beside his other two brothers and get comfortable, the snapper wrapping them all up in his arms protectively. This witch stuff turned out to be a blessing. Maybe it isn’t so scary to be seen and understood. Leo contemplated to himself from their cozy turtle pile. Donnie was playing soft music he liked and Mikey was gently rubbing the tenseness out of his shoulders until he was completely lax and slipping back into a finally peaceful sleep. His family had his back.